Reunion

Lucas peeked through the doorway of the southern dungeon's entrance.

'Damn Rowan and Leonin..' Lucas thought. 'If something goes wrong we are really screwed for life.'

Rowan had proposed the preposterous plan and Luke knew there was no stopping him.

What's worse was that everyone was not briefed with the entire plan at all.

A lot of the other prisoners were told they can freely go, some were told to hold the battlements, some were told that the should climb up that tower and the rest were told to wait.

Lucas was only told one thing.

[Once you are freed from the dungeon, lead everyone towards the southern air ducts.]

[Why?]

[Just do it, that's your role.]

[What if they don't follow me?]

[That's fine, in fact, that's better. They could be a distraction for the team. Just make absolute sure that you lead everyone that follows you inside the air duct, but stay back and make sure everyone gets inside.]

[O…Kay?]

That was all the information Rowan had said.

Lucas was nervously looking at the gates blocking their escape when an explosion outside the fortifications shook the battlements.

Soon, sounds of a fierce battle erupted from outside and the soldiers left the inner battlements to reinforce the outer battlements.

'That's weird…' Lucas furrowed his brows. 'They're just going to leave us unguarded just like that??'

Lucas was still skeptical when Rodric, the right hand man of Sir Leonin or Redwyn, suddenly shout: "That's the signal! Advance!"

Lucas did not understand how it was a signal but the prisoners seemed to have faith in Rodric and charged forth.

They climbed on top of each other in climbing the wall and opening the gate.

And just like that, they were out of the southern dungeon.

'That seemed suspiciously easy…' Lucas thought. 'No matter, I have a role to fulfill.'

"Everyone!" Lucas called. "Follow me to the southern air ducts!"

"We have somewhere else to go." Rodric replied to him. "You go on ahead, we will catch up with you later!"

Lucas was mildly puzzled by this but nonetheless agreed and left.

There were three hundred men that followed Lucas behind him as he walked down the main streets, the main gates opening up for them made travel easy and uncomplicated.

Once they reached the entrance to the southern air duct, Lucas paused and ushered the people following him inside as the gate towards the southern air ducts opened with a loud, rusty screech.

"Everyone inside!" Lucas waved. "Come in! Go! Go! Go!"

Lucas watched the entire horde of people converge and funnel into the Southern Air duct.

Lucas was filled with pride as he watched all of the prisoners they had safely set free until he saw that majority of them were armed.

'Wait.' Lucas's eyes furrowed. 'When did they get armed?'

As Lucas tried to remember, he realized that all of the people who entered the tunnel were armed.

When all of the running people had gone inside the dark tunnel, he noticed the original 300 men who followed him did not enter the air ducts.

"What are you waiting for?!" Lucas asked. "Get in!"

"But sir!" One of the prisoners cried out. "Our instructions was to absolutely not enter the tunnel."

Lucas was even more confused on what kind of instructions they received when he realized something was terribly off.

"Sir!" Another prisoner came to him. "Weren't there only 300 of us that followed you?"

The ex-prisoners stared at each other in disbelief.

Even Lucas was extremely confused.

"If only 300 followed 300 went to the southern air ducts…" Lucas mumbled. "Who were those 700 or so men that went into the tunnels…?"

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Sir Rodwell walked along the backstreets of Dwenson stronghold. The backstreets were extremely crowded by the confused residents due to the lockdown being initiated, but with Sir Rodwell's presence as a Knight the people were fleeing from the backstreets as if they saw the grim reaper coming towards them.

"They weren't like this before…" Sir Rodwell asked. "How could they suddenly fear us like they fear monsters…"

"Aye, I too am very confused, Sir Rodwell." Sir Ulfman was furrowing his brows a the scene. "They used to bring me flowers as thanks when I defended them against goblin invasions. This is a very sudden change."

"Is this the effects of Sir Koelhar's agressive recruitment?" Sir Rodwell asked.

"There is no other explanation for this." Sir Ulfman replied with a dejected voice. "Childred used to sing songs of the glory of knighthood but now…

Sir Rodwell looked at what Sir Ulfman gestured and saw children inside the houses that were crying at the sight of the knights, their parents hugging them close as if to shield the from the very presence of the Knights.

"How could it be such…" Sir Rodwell could not help but feel guilty at his heart.

All the Knights knew that the Church issued the decree of the aggressive and bloody conscription of men for their crusade.

The Church promised them many things for it and offered a good example of for those that defied them in this request.

The sixth Duke, Duke Nehumann Versailles Maximillia von Marcelito II, was executed by the Church for Heresy.

The Duke only said that he did not want his people to suffer such a tyrannical abuse and proceeded to recruit soldiers in a more diplomatic approach.

The Duke offered a massive range of benefits for people who enlisted and prepared comfortable allocations for them. Allowing him to conscript enough soldiers for the requirements of the church.

Later on, the people praised the Duke for being kind and always looking out for them.

However, the Church was not pleased.

They ordered the Duke to imprison all of the soldiers he conscripted but the duke refused them a second time.

On the next month, a quarter of the conscripted soldiers, numbering around 1200 soldiers according to reports, were found disemboweled and hanged in the forest right next to the Lord's mansion with strange occult markings painted on them with blood.

The this caused a riot in his subjects and men and the Duke left his home to investigate the forest.

After the Duke left his home, the Priests started to preach to the people that only worshippers of the Demon God would do such a thing and that the Duke had recruited the men with lies and used them as sacrifices for the Demon Gods.

The people were infuriated by this and picked up their weapons to rebel against the Duke.

The Duke's subjects broke into his manor, murdered his pregnant wife and stole all his gold before burning his house to ashes.

When the Duke arrived with his soldiers, they were ambushed by Templar Knights and were Purged by Holy Fire.

The Church was then celebrated by the people for saving them from evil.

But most of the Knights and Lords knew better.

"This is just a scheme of the church to make people hate us and make the people like them." Sir Ulfman spat hatefully.

"But Sir Koelhar had to do it." Sir Rodwell spoke sadly. "If he didn't, then who knows what the Church will do to our Lord?"

"True." Sir Ulfman nodded. "But we have to keep in mind Sir Rodwell, the nation lies in it's people, not in the minority that manages them."

Sir Rodwell's brows rose in surprise. "Sir Ulfman! That is subject to treason!"

"Unless you report me, it isn't." Sir Ulfman shrugged. "You know where my allegiance lies, Sir Rodwell."

"Still…" Sir Rodwell sighed. "Let's just get to the 23rd annex Altar of the Sun God and overclock it."

"Sure thing, Sir Rodwell. You can..." Sir Ulfman then paused suddenly.

"What's wrong, Sir Ul-" Rodwell suddenly saw a man clad in a guard's standard iron armor with a face full of bruises standing in behind them, as if he had been following them for a long time.

"Sir Leo…" Sir Ulfman trailed off.

"I-um...ah... Lets go somewhere else. It's sad to have this place as a spot for our reunion, eh?"