Guinevere slipped under the wall and began scaling it. There were no handholds, but ice formed into grips as she placed each hand on the wall creeping up to the top. Rolling over the edge she looked right then left the dropped down. Light bent around her, only in direct sunlight would you notice anything like seeing the glint of the sun on glass. In the darkness of the night, she was completely invisible as she passed through the town.
The streets were a marvel made of the same nigh-indestructible stone as the walls. Slipping from shadow to shadow she avoided patches of torchlight and patrols as she approached the castle. Jumping over a second shallow moat she began to climb the wall. Landing on the ramparts she crept up to a door, opened it, and made her way inside.
Looking down at the throne room she focused on the figures dinging there.
Hermias Dragonbreaker, Gifted- humanoid/human, Veteran, Rank: 262
It appeared the Dragonbreakers were growing stronger, Guinevere remembered when she last seen this warrior, he had been rank two-hundred-forty-five. It wasn’t surprising given the constant monster attacks that there would be an increase in their strength; luckily her side was also growing in strength and it was easier to move up for lower-ranked fighters than higher-ranked ones.
She kept scanning down the line of heavily armored warriors at the high table
Ormias Dragonbreaker, Gifted- humanoid/human, Veteran, Rank: 252
Another jump in strength for one of Kaleb Dragonbreaker’s sons. Curious that she had yet to see the famous Bandit King of the Cursed Forest. He was an infamous character who fought his way free of an assassination plot in Dracon, chased into the forest where he’d spend the next twenty years killing bounty hunters and adventuring parties who’d tried and take him down.
Rejiah Dragonbreaker, Gifted- humanoid/human, Veteran, Rank: 256
Another jump in power. She’d managed to get an ability after all her fighting but getting new abilities from lower-ranked creatures was extremely hard to do so the fact that all of Kaleb’s sons seemed to have gone up in rank was concerning.
Mordred the Storm Knight, Champion of Kelesa; Gifted- humanoid/human, Veteran, Rank: 291
Guinevere smiled in triumph, she’d found him now all she had to do was follow him until he was alone. To attack when he was surrounded by all his most powerful minions would be suicidal. She kept scanning and her smile fell away.
Mordred the Storm Knight, Champion of Kelesa; Gifted- humanoid/human, Veteran, Rank: 291
There were two identical titles in place, she’d heard of abilities to make your title obscured or remove it. They were typically used by assassins but transferring your description onto someone else was something else entirely. This changed things and she needed to figure out who her real target was.
“Confessor’s Sight,” she said. The ability would let her pierce illusions and see the lies of people as they spoke them.
Sneaking over to just above them Guinevere perched and listened.
“I wish the System would stop spawning all these snakes,” one said. “I’m really getting sick of the taste.”
She kept listening growing bored as they talked about inconsequential matters or past memories but nothing of military interest or relating to the Warlord.
“When are we going to send these noble brats back to civilization?” his brother asked Guinevere perked up the conversation seeming to go in an interesting direction.
“When Mordred gets back,” one of the men whose description said he was the Warlord responded.
Guinevere frowned. The man’s words implied that he wasn’t the Warlord but also that the Warlord wasn’t even here.
“How much longer is that going to be?” one of the younger brothers asked. “How do we even know he’s still alive?”
“We wouldn’t be bound by his ability if he were dead,” another brother pointed out gesturing to the marks on their neck.
“Mordred is on a quest,” the other one that was labeled as the Warlord said. “If he is successful with it we may get assistance from the Wolf Clan.”
Guinevere eyes widened at that. The Warlord was as clever as the stories said, while they’d been wasting time here, he was out in the forest growing his army. He might have an army of several thousand already. She backed up she needed to leave and warn the army of the coming danger.
---
My fists beat in Michael’s face until I was dragged back by his teammates.
“The hell man! What’s wrong with you?” someone screamed at me.
“He knows why,” I said nodding to Michael.
He was sitting up holding his broken nose. Blood was seeping from his lip, and he’d have a pair of Irish sunglasses tomorrow. My own lip was bleeding I’d taken a hit from someone when they were pulling me off him.
“Mordred!” a girl’s voice called out in horror. “What are you doing?”
Sarah pushed her way through the crowd.
I turned to her, and she flinched at the look of murder in my eyes.
“What’s wrong with you?” Sarah asked me.
“You know,” I said, and she flinched at my words but didn’t say anything.
“At least you’re not denying it,” I said. “You decided I wasn’t enough for you and to trade me in for an upgrade.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Sarah protested.
“Then how was it?” I asked. “You get tired of me, was I your project to see if you could fix the bad boy?”
“No!” Sarah snapped.
Michael pushed his way forward placing himself between me and Sarah. “Back off Mordred,” he said. He meant his words to be threatening but he couldn’t pull it off with the way his voice sounded with a broken nose.
“And you chose this,” I said shrugging off the hands holding me and gesturing to Michael. “Michael Hearth, the guy who’s slept his with the prettiest girls in school before he got tired of them.”
I looked at Sarah behind him. “And he’ll get tired of you too, and when he leaves you, you’ll deserve it.”
--
My eyes snapped open; I hadn’t gone to bed but instead fallen asleep while meditating. I wasn’t sure if it had been my meditation or the presence of Mirsha and Morsi that had triggered the memory. I pushed down the anger, it had been a few years since it had happened but thinking about it still made me angry. One of the therapists I’d talked to after the fight with Michael had told me that it was because I still hadn’t moved passed my issues with my parents. Luckily the court-ordered therapy ended when I turned eighteen.
Pushing aside the rage and the memories I cleared my head taking in several deep breaths. “System, raise Voice of the Chasm to rank twenty,” I said. I wanted all my abilities to be maxed out for the dungeon.
Skipping the next three prompts I got to my ability choice section.
Congratulations! You have raised an ability to rank five, please pick from one of the three additional effects for your ability from the list below.
· Your roar can now deal Sonic damage.
· Your voice can now cause the Panic condition.
· Your voice can be modulated to be only audible to those you select.
The first option was the most interesting at first glance and as I read over the other options that opinion was not changed. The first caused damage which was always good, and the second would cause the panic condition which was fine but I already had an ability that did that and I wasn’t even sure what I would use the third option for.
Voice of the Chasm (Rank 5); Your vocal cords have been enhanced to project both sound and terror filling your enemies with fear as they hear your voice your words echoing and reverberating in their minds. Your voice becomes deeper and more resonant and can be heard clearly even in battle as it reverberates through the air. You can project your voice to be 50 dB louder. Causes fear in enemies within 35ft who fail a Spirit check and hear you.
You can unleash a roar that deals minor sonic damage to creatures within 5ft of you.
Cost: 8 mana per second while active
Upgrade this ability to increase how loud your voice is and the range at which its effects take place. Each rank-up increases your Power Attribute by 1.
The range at which I could deal damage with this ability was limited but I was confident it would go up with future ranks. The decibels my voice had gone up had increased by a lot. I’d been able to increase the sound of my voice by ten at rank one and now it would be increased by fifty. I wasn’t actually sure how loud that translated to but it sounded good.
Congratulations! You have raised an ability to rank ten, please pick from one of the three additional effects for your ability from the list below.
· You can project your voice to be heard by individuals vast distances away.
· Has a chance to inflict the Demoralized condition.
· Has a minor chance to inflict the stun condition on enemies damaged by this ability.
I really liked the third option, if I combined it with Chain Lighting, I could potentially stun-lock an enemy for the entire duration of a fight.
Voice of the Chasm (Rank 10); Your vocal cords have been enhanced to project both sound and terror filling your enemies with fear as they hear your voice your words echoing and reverberating in their minds. Your voice becomes deeper and more resonant and can be heard clearly even in battle as it reverberates through the air. You can project your voice to be 100 dB louder. Causes fear in enemies within 60ft who fail a Spirit check and hear you.
You can unleash a roar that deals moderate sonic damage to creatures within 30ft of you.
Has a minor chance to inflict the stun condition on enemies damaged by this ability.
Cost: 12 mana per second while active
Upgrade this ability to increase how loud your voice is and the range at which its effects take place. Each rank-up increases your Power Attribute by 1.
I skipped the next four notification prompts from the system.
Congratulations! You have raised an ability to rank fifteen, please pick from one of the three additional effects for your ability from the list below.
· You can change your voice to sound how you like at will.
· Your vocal tenor lets you worm into creatures’ minds letting you control the will of week minded humanoids.
· Your voice can cause minor damage to structures and items.
Of my options, I liked the third the most. The first was a cosmetic vanity choice, I wasn’t vain enough to pick something like that over tangible power. The second was a bit too evil and had too much overlap with Dominion. The third was interesting I could imagine all the windows shattering around me as I let out a battle cry. Selecting it I got the next prompt.
Voice of the Chasm (Rank 15); Your vocal cords have been enhanced to project both sound and terror filling your enemies with fear as they hear your voice your words echoing and reverberating in their minds. Your voice becomes deeper and more resonant and can be heard clearly even in battle as it reverberates through the air. You can project your voice to be 150 dB louder. Causes fear in enemies within 85ft who fail a Spirit check and hear you.
You can unleash a roar that deals major sonic damage to creatures within 55ft of you.
Has a moderate chance to inflict the stun condition on enemies damaged by this ability.
Your voice can cause minor damage to structures and items.
Cost: 16 mana per second while active
Upgrade this ability to increase how loud your voice is and the range at which its effects take place. Each rank-up increases your Power Attribute by 1.
Skipping the next four prompts I got to upgrade notification.
Congratulations! You have raised an ability to rank twenty, please pick from one of the three additional effects for your ability from the list below.
· Your sound waves can be used to give you propulsion.
· The duration of the fear effect caused by this ability is increased by a minor amount.
· You now can inflict Dread.
The second option was the most tempting of my choices. The first was intriguing but I couldn’t see a way to use it effectively. I didn’t need another way to inflict conditions on people, so the third choice was out, I already had Helheim’s Scream and Hell’s Talons to do that. The second option would make the base effect of this ability last longer so that was the best choice here. Picking the second option I moved on.
Voice of the Chasm (Rank 20, Max Rank); Your vocal cords have been enhanced to project both sound and terror filling your enemies with fear as they hear your voice, your words echoing and reverberating in their minds. Your voice becomes deeper and more resonant and can be heard clearly even in battle as it reverberates through the air. You can project your voice to be 200 dB louder.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Causes fear in enemies within 110ft who fail a Spirit check and hear you.
You can unleash a roar that deals severe sonic damage to creatures within 75ft of you.
Has a major chance to inflict the stun condition on enemies damaged by this ability.
Your voice can cause moderate damage to structures and items.
The duration of the fear effect caused by this ability is increased by a minor amount.
Final Rank Bonus: Enemies afflicted by fear of this ability have their reality distorted seeing everything around them as a nightmare and you a creature out of a fevered dream.
Cost: 16 mana per second while active.
The final rank bonus was a nice addition, something to put my enemies off balance when they heard my voice. Hopefully, it would lead to some friendly fire on their part and make my life easier.
“Show me my current status,” I said to the System.
Mordred, Champion of Kelesa; Gifted- humanoid/human, Veteran, Rank: 310
Available Rank Points: 2507
Might:
53 (+3) = 56
Mind: 47
Speed:
52 (+22) = 74
Perception: 47
Toughness: 31
Spirit: 121
Endurance: 31
Power: 71
Maximum Stamina: 223
Maximum Mana: 1,487
Stamina Regen: 54.6 per second
Mana Regen: 77.4 per second
Abilities
Dominion (Rank 30), Telekinesis (Rank 20), Heightened Speed (Rank 20), Foresight (Rank 20), Compress Earth (Rank 20), Bestial Senses: (Rank 20), Phantom Form (Rank 20), Storm Soul (Rank 20), Magma Heart(s) (Rank 20), Troll Hide (Rank 20), Black-rage (Rank 20), Hell’s Talons (Rank 20), Helheim’s Scream (Rank 20), Chain Lighting (Rank 20), Voice of the Chasm (Rank 20)
Blessings:
Blessing of War (Veteran), Blessing of Tadris
Titles
Mark of Cain, Bloody Pugilist, Exorcist, Survivor III, Feral Barbarian, Field Alchemist III, Berserker, Beast Slayer III, War Chief, Venom Resistant III, Keytaro’s Guardian III, Wrathful Meditation, Fireproof III, Superhuman, Bearer of Death, Lighting Resistance, the Fate Breaker, Apprentice Bludgeoner, Apprentice Deflector, Apprentice Spearman
Standing up I exited my quarters finding a guide who led me on a five-hour journey to the clan’s dungeon. It was an archway carved into the mountainside. Entering I traveled down a tunnel before receiving the prompt from the system.
You have found the dungeon, Valley of the Knife Claws, (Veteran Rank); Max party size for this dungeon is six.
Continuing down the tunnel I emerged into a valley open to the sunlight sky.
“The sun wasn’t that high when I came in here,” I said. “Also there’s no way we went far enough to find a whole valley.”
Dungeons do not exist wholly within the world, Karnen explained. They are demi-planes linked to the world by the System.
“So, they’re similar to the Event,” I mused.
In some ways yes, Karnen agreed.
I scanned the foliage as I followed the path through the valley. Thick ferns and vines provided plenty of ambush spots, so I turned on Bestial Senses every thirty feet to better sense the area. When the first attack came my enemies were quite surprised when their expected ambush turned around on them.
A humanoid with a snarling beast mask wearing fur armor dropped down from above me a bone club raised above them. I stabbed up with my spear and tossed the limp body to the side, spinning around I threw the spear impaling another attacker.
“Chain Lighting!” I said.
Lighting sprayed in all directions hitting three attackers their bodies spasming from the shock as it tore through them jumping to every other creature within range. The sound of thunder echoed through the valley as the lighting bounded around. Two of the humanoids died from the first barrage of electricity their bodies crackling with electricity as they lay smoking on the ground filling the air with the smell of char and cooking meat.
Beast Cultist Rogue-Dungeon Creature, Veteran, humanoid/cultist, Power Level: 245.
A bone arrow whizzed toward me. My left hand holding my nemean club snapped out the arrow spinning away. I released a primal sound as I activated Helheim’s Scream. The cultist froze for fled but I raised my hand and a spearhead flew out spearing them in the back.
The ambush was over with no survivors on their side.
Blood and Souls (Repeatable): Kill 10,240 monsters or humanoids. Current Progress 264 out of 10,240. When you complete this quest, you will gain 2,048 Rank Points, and the next quest will require double the amount to be completed but will award double the rank points.
Dismissing the notification, I continued on down the path. The trees grew closer around me as I continued on. Stalking forward I became the ambusher, the cultists hid the trees, long grass, and ferns but whatever they used to cloak themselves couldn’t hide from Voidra who fed upon their hunger and fear as I cut them down one by one.
Blood and Souls (Repeatable): Kill 10,240 monsters or humanoids. Current Progress 296 out of 10,240. When you complete this quest, you will gain 2,048 Rank Points, and the next quest will require double the amount to be completed but will award double the rank points.
Teleporting down from above I skewered a cultist to the ground with my spear. A massive ten-foot-tall cultist burst from a foxhole in the ground swinging a heavy two-handed tooth-studded club at me. Letting go of my spear I pulled and crossed both my clubs above my head catching and blocking the strike.
Beast Cultist Brute-Dungeon Creature, Veteran, humanoid/cultist, Power Level: 280.
The brute roared swinging his club in a rapid frenzy that through sheer force knocked the club out of my left hand as I blocked the manic assault.
“Hell’s Talons,” I snarled parrying the much heavier club with my remaining weapon and ducking inside his guard. My talons raked up his stomach spilling his innards out on the ground in a torrent of blood and viscera. Purple flames licked along the wound and the flesh beneath them rapidly rotted and decayed. The brute collapsed and the remaining five cultists rushed me.
“Chain Lighting!” I shouted simultaneously activating Voice of the Chasm.
The two abilities both had a stunning effect leaving the cultists frozen in rictus convulsions. I stepped forward driving my claws through their throats as they were helpless to do anything against me.
Blood and Souls (Repeatable): Kill 10,240 monsters or humanoids. Current Progress 303 out of 10,240. When you complete this quest, you will gain 2,048 Rank Points, and the next quest will require double the amount to be completed but will award double the rank points.
Striding forward I continued my slaughter of the dungeon’s denizens.
“Are these people real?” I asked Karnen.
That depends on what you mean by that, Karnen replied. They exist, they breathe they have thoughts, and can probably speak. They can eat, drink, sleep, and fornicate if they so choose. By those measures, they are real, however, if you mean were they born, have families, relationships, or philosophy then no. They are created by the System in this dungeon and can never leave it, there are no moral ramifications for killing them; the System will only respawn them again in a few days with no memory of what happened before.”
“Sounds like a bleak existence,” I said.
Then it is good they have no way of contemplating it, Karnen said.
Maybe you should tell them to see if it breaks their minds, Voidra suggested.
“Thank you for your psychopathic input as usual,” I said with a sigh.
You’re welcome, Voidra said smugly.
“I can’t tell if you don’t understand sarcasm or are being facetious,” I said shaking my head.
My attacks cleared groups of the cultists with ease the thunder of Lighting and my battle cry echoing about the valley along with otherworldly screams. The ground was left stained crimson everywhere I went smoking corpses littering my path.
Blood and Souls (Repeatable): Kill 10,240 monsters or humanoids. Current Progress 345 out of 10,240. When you complete this quest, you will gain 2,048 Rank Points, and the next quest will require double the amount to be completed but will award double the rank points.
Approaching a rise in the valley I looked up to see curious totems made of twisted roots and bones topped with horned and antlered skulls. I was walking upstairs crudely carved into the mountainside. Reaching the top I passed dead trees whose gnarled branches reached up to the sky and arching over the path creating a briar tunnel. At the end of the path was a doorway carved into the cliff face leading into a circular cavern a hole in the ceiling letting in natural lighting.
Walking into the cavern I received a notification from the System.
You have entered the Boss room of the Dungeon; your party cannot leave until one of you is dead. The rank of the boss will equal the highest rank of party members or the maximum rank for a Veteran. You will not all receive equal portions or Rank Points upon completion; instead, points will be awarded based on contributions and points will be deducted to pay for loot drops.
A figure emerged from the shadows walking forward a staff in hand and a bone mask with antlers covering their face. The staff was a twisted, gnarled blackened thing topped with a glowing green crystal. Bones were strapped all along the boss’ torso and limbs creating a sort of armor.
Sallator, Keeper of the Spirits, Gifted- humanoid/cultist, Veteran, Rank: 290
Slamming his staff into the ground Sallator’s body began to glow with a green nimbus aura.
“You have come to your doom human,” he hissed out his voice recognizable but also inhuman in a way I couldn’t quite describe.
“This the cutscene before the boss fight?” I asked.
“What?” Sallator asked.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. You were saying I was doomed,” I said.
Snarling Sallator shoved his staff forward and a wave of green light rose up growing wider and taller like a tsunami as it approached me. Teleporting past the wave of energy I stabbed forward with my spear. Sallator blocked with his staff a hand shooting out tapping me on the chest. The attack hadn’t been that hard, so I hadn’t bothered to dodge it. That mistake became evident when my Foresight began showing me an increased number of futures with very few good options.
Jumping backward I dodged a projectile of green energy. There was a handprint on my chest glowing green. The light grew brighter and brighter until it exploded. I was flung backward only my activating Wrathful Meditation kept me from blacking out from the pain. Looking down I saw a hole in my chest, bone fragments from shattered rips, and the orange glow from my twin hearts as blood poured from the wound.
Bars of green light appeared around me like a cage and drew in closer and closer. Teleporting out of the trap I raised my hand my body resisting me as it tried to shut down and heal itself.
“Chain Lighting!” I roared activating the voice of the chasm.
Sallator’s staff that he’d raised to block vibrated then the wood and crystal began cracking as the shockwave from the sound waves hit them. Thunder roared around us as bolts of Lighting began striking him from all directions.
His body-smoking Sallator leaned on his damaged staff for support.
“Spirits of fallen hunters, I call upon you, aid me!” Sallator snarled then began coughing spitting blood out on the ground.
I looked around me but couldn’t detect anything. “Bestial Senses,” I said activating the ability.
Taking a deep breath I breathed in the sweet tang of iron all around me, past it I could smell the char from Sallator and hear the rapid beating of his heart and heavy breathing. The hairs on my body rose and I dived to the side as a ghost bear snapped down on where I had been.
“Hell’s Talons!” I said and stabbed out my claws slashing through the bear and popping it like a balloon. I backflipped over the snapping jaws of a spectral green wolf. I landed using the force of my fall to drive my claws through the back of its neck destroying the summon instantly.
More bears and wolves surrounded me pulling themselves out of the dirt or emerging from the walls of the cavern. I raised my head, and a scream tore from me, any of the summons within twenty-seven feet of me curled in on themselves whining and roaring in pain before popping, vanishing back into the ether.
Turning on Sallator I rushed the dungeon boss. Raising his staff again I stopped him before he could do anything.
“Enough!” I shouted.
This time the cracks in his staff caused his weapon to shatter in his hands. I hit him feet first sending him flying into the cavern wall. Teleporting next to him I stabbed out with my claws. A green energy barrier appeared blocking my attack. I let out another scream and the boss flinched his eyes going wide in panic. I slammed into the shield, again and again, purple flames appeared and then vanished on its surface. Finally, the ability gave way and I drove my claws through the boss’s heart.
All the summons vanished as the life from the boss’ eyes faded. They were unable to survive without their summoner and he collapsed at my feet as cursed purple flames rotted away his corpse into nothing.
Warning! You have taken Soul damage which you are extremely susceptible to due to your previous Soul Damage.
Congratulations, you have cleared the Dungeon, Valley of the Knife Claw’s solo. Due to this feat, you have received a bonus for your rewards.
45 rank points gained.
A chest appeared in front of me, and I opened it to see what I’d gotten for loot.
Spirit Cannon; Type: Armament, Rarity: Very Rare, Hardness: 12: Crafted from adamantine, moon-silver, and a soul prism this weapon draws on the emotions of its wielder. It attaches to the armor and will focus on the target the wearer feels the most hatred for at any given time. For the cost of forty mana, it will release a projectile of pure energy dealing Extreme Soul Damage on a successful hit. Cooldown between uses fifty seconds.
Durability:
60-60.
The cannon resembled some prototype for a futuristic gun, it was about thirteen inches in length and made of a dark metal with swirling silver patterns on it. A clear white crystal was embedded in the barrel of the weapon pulsing with a bright light. It was connected to a mobile arm mount it swiveled on and made from the same material. I only had my gauntlets, helmet, and pauldrons for armor. It would look ridiculous on my helmet and obviously couldn’t go on my gauntlets. Snapping it to my shoulder I felt my rage connect to it. The cannon swiveled and aimed down at the remains of Sallator.
“Very nice,” I said. “Extra firepower is always welcome.”
It feels alive, Voidra said.
“What?” I asked turning my head to look at the small mini-cannon.
It’s not the same but it’s similar to how you feel when you’re hunting a target, Voidra said. A predatory, hungry intent.
It’s most likely just copying your own emotions, Karnen said to me. The item’s description mentioned nothing about it being a sentient artifact.
“Those exist?” I asked as I reached into the chest for the remaining loot piece.
Yes, but they are rare, no one really wants or even needs a talking sword, Karnen said.
“I can understand that sentiment,” I agreed, pulling up the last loot drop.
Mana Magnification Crystal Fractal: Type: Magical Stone, Rarity: Epic, Hardness: 10 A piece of a larger creation once in the first age of this world it has survived the destruction of the artifact it was a part of but it currently without purpose. This crystal can be used in item creation to amplify the input of mana allowing for more cost-effective enchantments and effects.
The crystal was a bright blue and its surface was covered with cracks that seemed to bleed light.
“I seem to get a lot of crystals from dungeons,” I said sliding the crystal the size of my thumbnail into my storage pouch.
You have an ability that lets you compress earth, you don’t have any real training in alchemy but if you did the System would probably reward you with more ingredients for different potions and stuff. Karnen explained. In general, the System tries to reward you with items and materials it thinks you could actually use or could benefit from.
“I’m good with not getting plants for alchemy,” I said shaking my head. “Potions are fine, but I prefer permanent effects like enchantments than temporary buffs from potions. I’ll collect a few to eat if I need to get rid of some effect but I don’t have the patience to actually brew potions for hours on end.”
What about poisons? Voidra asked.
“Takes too long,” I said shaking my head again. “Sure, it might weaken my opponent, but most fights are done in under a minute, I prefer throwing my opponent into a furnace than letting the die from a gradual burn.”
I didn’t see anything to harvest from the boss, so I left the dungeon. I didn’t head back to the Bear Clan; I’d spent enough time there. It was time I got back to my quest. I’d met with the leaders of the Wolf and the Bear Clan; it was time I met the Dragon Clan and win the obedience of all three clans at once.
----
Arthur led his army out of the subjugated town. The army had regained their strength and reinforcements from Camelot had fought their way past Pierce’s gorilla forces and met with them resupplying them and growing their numbers. Arthur rode at the head of the army alongside Kay and Lancelot.
“We’ve been in one spot for a few days now,” Lancelot said. “The main forces of Dracon will have closed in on us a great deal by now.”
“Then we should find a favorable spot to meet them in battle,” Kay said.
“Are we doing the right thing here?” Arthur asked suddenly surprising his friends.
“What do you mean?” Kay asked.
“Is this war justified?” Arthur asked. “I know Dracon has committed wrongdoings on their people in the past but those same people are rejecting our help now.”
“The common people don’t always know what’s best for them,” Lancelot said. “That’s why it’s up to those chosen by the gods to steer the course of history.”
“Have you received any warnings against our actions from the goddess?” Kay asked.
“No,” Arthur admitted. “It’s just something I’ve been worrying about for a while.”
“War is inevitable for these lands,” Lancelot said trying to comfort his cousin. “Sooner or later another champion will come along to conquer them or overthrow the ruling family and put themselves on the throne. By us doing it now we can avoid even more bloodshed in the future when people get beyond the ranks of hero.”
Kay shuddered. “Can you imagine what an Exarch could do on the battlefield, entire battalions of soldiers wiped out by a single man.”
“Our war may seem bloody,” Lancelot agreed. “But it is nothing compared to what will be coming. You need to use the time now to become stronger. There are other champions already in veteran rank, you need to get there and become as powerful as you can to defend Camelot and lands like Dracon from champions who care only about power.”
“There are only a few chaos spawn in the world,” Arthur said. “A few of them are surely even dead by now.”
“I’m not just talking about the champions of the gods of chaos,” Lancelot said. “I don’t mean to blaspheme but not all the champions of the gods of order are good people. Some are as wicked as the chaos gods, concerned only with gaining power at any cost. You will have to fight them one day just as you’ll have to fight the champions of chaos.”