Chapter 45: An Unexpected Turn of Events
'Thinking'
"Talking"
[System]
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- Boudalan or Rock Line Clan Territory | 159 Miles Away from Polis –
- Arthur Pendragon –
After a hot and steamy night of love making with Lexa, both of us were laying down in our bed under the furs relaxed and content. I had my arm wrapped around her shoulder while her head and arm were on my naked chest. Stroking my hand through her hair, I smiled down at her and reminisced about the last few days. A day or two had passed since the alarming and frankly scary battle with the vampire and Azgeda forces, and their tanks. Octavia had sent word that she had eliminated another two vampire generals, she and the platoon of guards I sent with her had defended the territory with the help of allied coalition forces and were now advancing into Ice Nation territory. That had been a boon in disguise as the Azgeda forces that were still remaining had tried to retreat and reorganize before moving to counteract Octavia and Indra's forces. When they had their backs to us, we struck hard and fast. Nearly a dozen vehicles speeding forward toward the Azgeda camp spraying a barrage of bullets, tearing into enemy soldiers and tents haphazardly.
Lexa and I had dismounted and found the vampire general rather quickly, a vampire by the name of Viscount Welt. Unfortunately, due to the close proximity with our troops and vehicles, more than a dozen Arkadian and Grounder men died, two of the Humvee's were severely damaged; almost destroyed, and one of the APC's was inoperable.
The front was then notified of the killing of the vampire general and Lexa and I's mechanized forces hauled back toward our encampment. A few hours later we had pushed into Azgeda territory and toward Polis, where eventually we would meet up with Octavia. The plan was to then gather up our remaining forces near and around Polis and then push hard into Azgeda. I couldn't help but think, however, that this was far too easy. While, yes, the vampire generals had been rather hard to kill, their transformed Azgedan counterparts, not so. What worried me the most was the loss of contact with all troops that had been sent to reinforce Podakru or the Lake People. Currently, I was waiting for my intelligence unit I had instituted a month ago called Eagle Watch to report their findings in the region, but I already could assume what had happened. The vampires won and killed the armies that were comprised of the Lake People, Delfikru or the Delphi Clan and the Ingranronakru or the Plain Riders. That meant that most likely the Azgeda and vampire main army was there and had yet to be revealed.
"Mhmm, Arthur?" Lexa asked groggily.
"Hmm?"
Lexa tilted her head so that she could look at me and planted a quick kiss on my lips before asking, "What are you thinking about so late?"
"A couple of things, all of them, however, can wait until tomorrow during the war council." I told her with a smile.
"Talk to me, my love." Lexa said softly.
I hadn't wanted to talk about my worries just yet especially considering the rather passionate sex we had a few hours earlier, but I acquiesced and after a deep sigh began to talk. "I worry about the people of the Podakru, Delfikru, and Ingranronakru. We haven't heard a single word from them in weeks. I worry about not only what happened to them, but about the army that the vampires are currently fielding over in that region to make it so."
"If it is true that they were wiped out by the vampires and the Azgedan army, then we will be ready. For blood must have blood, my love and theirs will flow until there is no more to be spilled." She said determinedly and with a steely glint in her eyes.
"They must be dealt with swiftly for we have much to do, you, Clarke, Octavia, Ghislane, and even myself. There are other battles to fight and win and a world to save." I said causing her to blink at me in confusion.
"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.
"Don't tell anyone of this, but the vampires are not the only threat out there. Near the dead zone is an island that contains an evil and vile existence, A.L.I.E."
"A.L.I.E? I... know that name." She said, unsure of herself.
"I imagined you would. A.L.I.E. was created to help humanity and instead of helping us, ending up destroying everything our ancestors held dear, their families, their nations, their world." I said with bitterness and hate seeping into my voice. "Have you ever heard of the epistles of Saint John?" I asked hoping to somehow connect the two and make her understand.
"Sorry, but I haven't my love."
"In the epistles of St. John, they tell of Christ and the Antichrist. The Antichrist was a mighty ruler and the opposite of Christ. He was said to appear at the end of time and fight against the forces of good. It is commonly interpreted as the battle between God and the Devil at the end of time. A.L.I.E. is the devil and we humankind are God in this instance." Lexa looked down in reflection, her eyes shifting back and forth a mile a minute.
"Then this devil will be brought low and learn what it means to mess with the human race." Lexa raised her head and stared into my eyes, and for I second, I swear I saw the infinity symbol in her eyes, but when she blinked, they were gone. "Goodnight, my love." She said and kissed me deeply.
She then snuggled back up against me, and I once again brushed my fingers through her hair, relaxing her further. While I loved spending time with Lexa and my other future wives and current girlfriends, I found that I missed Clarke terribly. I had thought of bringing her with me because of her magic, but after she had revealed that she was pregnant with my child, I sat her down and ordered her to stay there. I know that it was unfair for her, but I simply didn't want to risk it. A few of my royal guards had already been struck by arrows and one of them had been critically injured. It was obvious she felt the same way about me and my safety as she had made me promise to return to her and not take any unnecessary risks.
I fell asleep a few minutes later with thoughts of reuniting with Octavia and ending this war soon, the literal fate of the world depended on it. All I could hope was that fate played out the same as it did in the TV show, except for the fact that Murphy was now a spy for me and would stop Jaha before he could take the chip.
"Got room for one more?" A female voice asked from the front of the tent.
Looking up I saw Ghislaine standing there with a small smile on her face. I nodded and waved her over, trying not to disturb Lexa. Ghislaine stepped around the pitch-black form of Lupus who was laying down at the edge of the bed. Lupus cracked his eye open and raised his head to look at who it was, upon seeing it was Ghislaine who disturbed his sleep he lowered his head back down and went back to sleep.
Ghislaine crawled into bed next to me and pressed her massive breasts and firm body against mine. "Where were you?" I asked, tilting my head back and letting it fall against the rather soft pillows.
"Some of our wolves got into conflict with some of the grounders and caused a fight. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. Then after that, someone had lost a crate full of food and so I had to assign a group of wolves to track it down. Sorry, I couldn't join you in bed sooner." She explained with a sad smile.
"You're here now, are you not? It's okay, if anything you took care of potential problems, I would've had to face tomorrow morning, so thank you." I thanked her with a smile, causing a smile to light up her face and remove the sad look she had.
"Goodnight, future husband." She said kissing me deeply, snuggling her face into the crook of my neck.
"Goodnight, my love." I said, closing my eyes and falling asleep within moments.
When we awoke the next morning, we had a quick session of sex with one another before we decided to get ready. Afterward, I helped them get their armor on and we exited the tent to an energetic camp, ready to move out and regroup with our allies near Polis. Once the tents were taken down, everyone was mounted up in their vehicles, and horses, and once the troops were in their columns, we began our march.
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- Dropship Crash Site -
- John Murphy -
"Would you like some food?" Jaha said, extending a small tray of crackers toward Murphy.
"No, I'm good." He said with a wave of his arm.
"You sure? You must be hungry."
"You know what I've learned that is a constant in life no matter where you are, down here or up there on the Ark? No one gives anything without expecting something in return." Murphy said causing Jaha to shake his head in disagreement.
"That's a cynical way to go through life, John." Thelonious said, slipping a cracker into his mouth.
"What's this about? You pull me off guard detail, you offer me food. Why are you being so nice to me? What is it that you want?" Murphy asked.
"You and I are fairly alike if you think about it. We both should've died several times over, we have both suffered at the hands of the grounders, you even suffered at the hands of those wolf beasts. We are both looked on in suspicion by our own people." Jaha said with complete seriousness and with firm determination in his eyes.
'In the past, I would have agreed with you 'chancellor', but it's different now. Arthur gave me a second chance when the rest of the 100 wanted me dead, there's no way I'm going to betray that trust. Besides, a promotion to Sergeant or maybe even Lieutenant is far more worth it than whatever you could offer.' Murphy thought to himself.
"So, there's no place for either of us then, great. I thought you we supposed to be inspiring, chancellor." Murphy said, doing his best to act the part.
"There is a place for all of us." Jaha began causing Murphy's eyes to narrow in suspicion. "When I first landed on Earth, I met the people of the desert clan. They spoke of a place beyond the dead zone. A place where everyone is accepted, a City of Light."
"That sounds like a fairy tale, like Atlantis."
"Or a second chance."
"You don't know if it's real? What if it's a lie and all you find is a whole lot of nothing?" Murphy questioned.
"You're right, I don't. But I believe." Jaha stopped for a second, staring at nothing before saying, "I'm gonna find it, John. And once I do, I'm gonna come back and lead my people home. " He said with an almost maniacal smile on his face.
Murphy watched as Jaha turned and laid down to go to bed with one thought in his head. 'What the hell happened to make this man go insane?'
When Murphy awoke the next morning, it was to a series of shouts outside the Dropship. Alarmed, he reached into his back and pulled out the pistol before looking around for any signs of Jaha. Seeing that there was none, he slowly pushed through the curtain that covered the Dropship door and peeked out. To his continued alarm and surprise, outside was Jaha greeting and hugging a group of people. To Murphy's relief, there wasn't a single Sentinel Guard, so he wouldn't be recognized. What caused his eyes to go wide though was the fact that despite none of the 16 people in front of him being Guards, five of them had assault rifles and backpacks that were made for the Rangers. Murphy's eyes caught sight of one of the members of this group and he recognized him as a member of Eagle Watch.
"Hey, what the hell is all of this?" He asked.
"We're going to the City of Light." Jaha said with a large smile on his face.
"There are more than a million ways to die out there, you know that right? Besides wouldn't the desert clan inform Arthur and the commander of your presence in the region?" Murphy questioned.
"Well, if it's not your time, nothing can kill you. But if it is your time, it only takes one. And we will go around the desert clan, they won't even know we're there." Jaha said.
"Do you even have a map?"
"Nope."
"What? Then how do you know where you're going?" Murphy asked, placing the gun back in his pocket and walking down the ramp of the dropship.
"We don't, but I will not be ruled by fear. You wanna stop being thought of as a criminal, then you have to stop thinking that's all you are." Jaha said, taking a step forward toward Murphy. Now only a few feet apart Jaha extended out his hand and said, "Take this leap of faith with me, John Murphy. And let me show you there is so much more for you... than this." Jaha emphasized his point by pointing back at the dropship and motioning to it.
As Jaha and the group of people began to walk out of the dropship crash site, Murphy asked himself a question before noticing the group leaving and jogging after them. 'What the fuck did you get me into, Arthur?'
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- Azgeda or Ice Nation Territory | 147 Miles Away from Polis –
- Arthur Pendragon –
'Of course, we had to run into the main Azgeda army.' I mentally groaned.
Directly across from the vast open field from Lexa, Ghislaine, Lupus, and I, was an Azgedan and vampire army that numbered in the thousands. And the leader of this army is none other than the top general of the vampires.
"You foolish humans really think you can win this war?" A tall and slender man with long, waist-length silver hair with bangs and a lock of hair over each ear said. His red eyes shined and complimented his pointed ears, showcasing what he really was. He also wore red diamond-shaped earrings, and a white long-sleeved shirt with a decorative cut. It has a black line with dark gray rhombi intermittently dispersed along it. The cuffs of the shirt are black and with a pair of gold-colored lines around the wrist cuffs with three buttons. White lace ruffles come out of the cuffs over his hands, and he wears a paor of white gloves.
"Duke Bathory, I presume?" I asked the figure hovering in the middle of the air. [Observe]
[Ferid Bathory]
Titles: Lord Ferid, Duke of the Vampires, Sadistic, Immortal, Genocide of Innocents, General
Race: High Vampire
Sex: Male
Level: 78
HP: 118,560
MP: 233,532
"Why correct! How wondrous! Someone that knows who I am!" Bathory said gleefully. "Why, sir, do you happen to be King Arthur? That would be superb!"
"Yes, I am. Vampire." I said while putting a hand on Dark Sister's hilt and lighting my body up with Holy Magic.
[Quest Received!]
[Quest info:]
[The Sadist Duke!]
[Incomplete] Kill Duke Ferid Bathory --- [0/1]
Rewards: +50 Stat Points, x5 Resource Loot Boxes, x3 Schematic Loot Boxes, x3 Random Loot Boxes, x1 Weapon Loot Box, and a guaranteed EX rank item.
"Ooh is that Holy Magic?! Yikes, no thank you kind sir, but I will have to redirect your attention to my toys instead, as Holy Magic is rather unpleasant for a vampire, even such as myself." Bathory said with a bow.
Suddenly, dozens of wine-red magic circles covered the ground. What slowly rose out of them were large boney fleshy monstrosities. They were ten feet tall and there were dozens of them. I glanced up where Bathory was and noticed that he was flying away back to where I could see the army of vampires and Ice Nation humans. 'Oh no you don't!' I yelled mentally, willing my draconic transformation to happen.
As my white and golden scales began to envelop my body, I yelled out to Lexa, Ghislaine, and the other commanders and generals. "Focus on those flesh golems, I'm going to chase after that vampire bastard!" The commanders and generals nodded, but both Lexa and Ghislaine looked worried.
"Are you sure you can take him on?" Lexa asked.
"Yeah, from what I felt from him, he was more powerful than all of us!" Ghislaine shouted over the sound of bullets, now that our army had engaged in combat with the Golems.
"With my new form, I'm sure I'll be able to kill him!" My voice changed as my form began to be more pronounced. Large white and golden scaled wings spread out from my upper back, and a white and golden tipped scaled tail slithered out of the back of my leg armor. My hands and nails transformed into massive claws that could tear through flesh like a knife to butter. The last part of my transformation began to occur, my face stretching into a long snout that was filled to the brim with razor-sharp teeth.
"RRRRAAAWWWWR!" I bellowed out a roar with all the power in my lungs before taking off into the air and soaring after Bathory.
"Be careful!" Lexa and Ghislaine both shouted.
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[Status --- Transformation]
Name: Arthur Pendragon
Class: Dragon Knight
Dragon Heart Mastery: 33.4%
Title: Leader of the 100, Monster Hunter, Apostle of Justice!, Long Live the King!, King of the Sky!
Perks: Armorer Expertise, Master Blacksmith, Priestly Nature, Powerful, Quicksilver, Magician, Medicine Man
Level: 50 (68%)
HP: 34,640 ---> 103,920
MP: 24,200 ---> 72,600
STR: 435 (+158) ---> 1305
AGI: 360 (+109) ---> 1080
VIT: 348 (+85) ---> 1044
INT: 405 (+145) ---> 1215
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{Image of 30% Dragon Arthur}
Due to Bathory flying leisurely away, I was able to catch up to him in an instant. He seemed to sense me, as he spun around with a brief look of surprise on his face. One that was covered with my clawed hand as it wrapped around his head. I dug my claws into the sides of his hand before clocking my arm back and sending him rocketing toward the Earth.
"It seems decorum is over then." Bathory said, stopping mere feet above the ground. "Must you make me serious, I wanted to see your people suffer a bit more!" Bathory screamed with a manic smile on his face.
His eyes then glowed an ominous red and I watched as an entire ocean made of blood formed in the middle of the air. It slowly began to coalesce and form into a single weapon, a saber that slowly floated down into the Duke's hands. With a snap of the Vampire Duke's fingers, the blade was enveloped in vibrant orange and yellow flames. Bathory went to make a remark, but I dashed forward and was in his face in a millisecond. Dark Sister erupted out of her sheath and clashed against the freshly formed blade with the ferocity of a dragon. Its [Sacred Flames] ability activated a second later, burning some of the skin on the vampires' knuckles.
In the middle of the sky in between our two armies, our two swords lit up the sky with fire and clashed, with both of us struggling to push the other one back.
"You know, this is the first time a human has ever put me on the back foot. AND I DON'T LIKE IT!" Bathory screamed, his eyes flashing red.
My sword dislodged from his, and I was sent cascading back toward the Earth. I smashed through dozens of trees before slamming into a large rock that cracked and broke apart. "Bastard." I muttered under my breath. I looked up and saw the pleased look on Bathory's face, one that I would wipe off with everything in my body.
I raised my hand and with Holy Magic coursing through my veins, pushed myself up and took into the air once more.
"Had enough yet, human? If an ounce of my telekinesis does that to you, I wonder what my other abilities would do to your weak and feeble body!" Ignoring Bathory's mouth, I dug deep into my mana and cast [Crucify] thrice.
A deep rumble filtered through the air, confusing the vampire. I watched as his confused expression transformed into a horrified one, he went to dodge, but it was too late. Three large golden crosses shot across the sky like shooting stars, all three piercing into Bathory and sending him straight down into the Earth's crust.
I lowered myself down and hovered above him in the massive meteor-sized crater and looked down at Bathory. To my shock, only one of them had actually pierced into him, the other two were being held back by his telekinesis. As I touched down next to him, his eyes shifted to me, and in an instant, both car-sized crosses shifted and changed direction. The first one I deflected, only receiving a large slash on my scaled arm that was quickly healing. The second cross pierced into and through my stomach.
"Shit!" I shouted, blood spewing out of my mouth. I yanked the cross out with my draconic strength. The cross twirled in my arms until the pointy end was pointed back at Bathory. I brought down the cross with all my strength, only for it to get blocked by a shield made of blood that was the size of a school bus.
The cross dissipated into golden particles, and at the same time, the blood shield evaporated back into the saber that was now back in Bathory's hand as he flew at me with an enraged expression on his face. Dark Sister appeared back in my hand and the sword fight was back on. Bathory and I would switch from defense to offense as we flew and navigated our way through the dense forest, we had landed in. Every now and then Bathory would gain an advantage when he would use his telekinesis to send me flying through a tree, but whenever he would I would retaliate by activating one of my many sword skills. Said sword skills had already cost Bathory a few limbs, but due to his regenerative abilities his limbs regrew in a matter of seconds.
*CLANG!*
*CLANG!*
*CLANG!*
*CLANG!*
*CLANG!*
*CLANG!*
The forest around us burned with our fire magic, and after a while, we realized that fire wouldn't work that well on each other. Our swords clashed again and again with no end in sight. Until I finally saw an opening. Because of the Crucify attack that had struck Bathory on his left side, he was favoring his right side more than his left. Blocking a downward strike, I redirected his blade down and feinted an attack toward his right shoulder, before quickly changing and slashing the left side of his midsection. The sword cut through his clothes and the Holy Flames quickly set him alight, forcing Bathory to his in pain and jump back to recollect himself. Perfect! I thought as my throat began to bubble, revealing white molten flames.
Bathory saw and an alarmed look grew on his face before a determined one took its place. I didn't get to see what expression his face made next as the white-golden flames shot out of my mouth like an Atlas Rocket. The ground bubbled and melted under the heat, and the trees turned to ash upon contact. But as the flames cleared it revealed two massive bat-like wings folded, like they were protecting something. Realizing what it was, I jumped back and tried to get my distance, but when the wings folded back revealing a massive 15-foot-tall bat with blood-red eyes, and scorch marks covering its body, I was stuck frozen in place.
{Image of Bat Form Bathory}
"You... you piece of human filth." A harsh animalistic-like voice whispered. The bat form of Bathory stepped forward until its face was in line with mine. Blood shot up from the bat's feet, stabbing through and shaping up around my body before freezing solid, locking me further in place. Dozens of weapons made from highly condensed blood formed in the air behind the bat creature and shot forward, piercing through my skin and dealing a great amount of damage. As the weapons continuously pierced through my body, I could barely make out the voice of Bathory, but what he said sent me into a rage. "I will kill everyone you cherish, everyone you love, and I will do so in front of you. That commander of yours, I will break her like a twig and feast on her while you watch, unable to do a thing. That furball wolf bitch will die brutally, and you will be forced to watch as I pick the meat of her bones and devour it with glee!" The man-bat snarled with sadistic glee.
Pure rage coursed through my veins, rage at what this vampire was saying, rage at the helplessness I currently felt, rage at the thought that if I do die what will happen to Octavia, Clarke, my...baby! At that moment a surge of power flowed through me. A circular-shaped bubble of pure Holy energy formed around me sending the man-bat flying back and through a series of half-melted trees.
"WHAT!? IMPOSSIBLE! HOW DID YOU BREAK OUT!? HOW CAN YOU EVEN STAND!" Man-bat Bathory screamed.
Inside the orb of pure Holy energy, I was amazed. My body began to morph even further, a pair of golden horns formed and curved backward like hair. A singular horn formed out of the tip of my snout, and I began to grow in size. From 6 feet to 10 feet to 15 feet and then to 20 feet tall.
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[Status --- Transformation]
Name: Arthur Pendragon
Class: Dragon Knight
Dragon Heart Mastery: 33.4% ---> 50%
Title: Leader of the 100, Monster Hunter, Apostle of Justice!, Long Live the King!, King of the Sky!
Perks: Armorer Expertise, Master Blacksmith, Priestly Nature, Powerful, Quicksilver, Magician, Medicine Man
Level: 50 (68%)
HP: 25,950 / 103,920 ---> 173,200
MP: 31,800 / 72,600 ---> 121,000
STR: 1305 (+158) ---> 2175
AGI: 1080 (+109) ---> 1800
VIT: 1044 (+85) ---> 1740
INT: 1215 (+145) ---> 2025
----------
Three sleek golden horns now decorated my head, and my scales felt like tank armor. I could feel my body radiate power and when the orb of Holy energy snapped out of existence, I didn't waste a second. My wings flapped so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye, appearing in front of the horrible creature in front of me, I wrapped my draconic hand around his throat and soared into the open sky. Hundreds of gallons of blood followed my ascent, forming spires, all of them speeding toward my back to pierce me and kill me. With a flap of my wings, all of them were sent falling harmlessly to the ground.
{Image of 50% Dragon Arthur}
"Y-YOU SHOULDN'T H-H-HAVE THI-S KIND OF P-PPPOWWER!" Bathory screeched as my dragon-clawed hand squeezed tightly around his throat.
"And you shouldn't have ever been born." I said calmly but with an undertone of unbridled rage.
With the flap of my powerful wings, we went skyrocketing through the air and down toward the Earth once more. We crashed into the Earth in between the two armies at the speed of sound, the air cracking and producing a thunder-like noise releasing a sonic boom. Instead of crashing into solid ground, when we impacted the Earth, the soil gave way and collapsed underneath us. My momentum continued and Duke Bathory, who still had my hand wrapped tightly around his throat went crashing into an old subway car. The man-bat coughed up a gallon of blood as a part of the subway car ended up piercing through his back and through one of his lungs. Without any respite, I tossed Bathory into the old brick wall of the subway tunnel, his body digging deep into the old brick. The Duke tried to get out, but I was back on him in a heartbeat, my hand clasped around his throat, I flapped my wings once again sending us shooting up into the sky. The man-bat's wings seemed to fall limp as he was dragged up through the brick.
"How does it feel to be utterly helpless, huh bloodsucker?!" I growled, holding him up in the air by his throat for both armies to see.
The man-bat went to speak further, but I was tired of hearing this disgusting creature even breathe. My left hand shot up and gripped onto his wing tightly and with a pull tore it off. The sound it made was like ripping apart paper and the scream that Bathory released brought a smile to my draconic face. From that point on, the torture that I inflicted on Bathory was gruesome. I tore off his other wing and all of his limbs, allowing them to regrow before doing it thrice more. After the fourth time, I had grown mildly bored and used Holy Magic to seal up his wounds so that they couldn't regenerate and shoved my clawed hand through his heart.
"Rot in hell! Vermin!" I shouted, materializing Dark Sister out of my inventory and into my hand. With one quick slash Dark Sister and her [Sacred Flames] ability decapitated the vampire and sealed the wound with Holy Magic just in case. I then pulled out his heart and dug deep into the flames bubbling within my lungs. With a mighty roar, white-golden flames shot out from my mouth that swallowed Bathory's body whole. As the flames cleared, I looked for any possible signs of life, but there was nothing left. Not even his ashes remained.
I turned and moved to help mine, and Lexa's army, but a sudden dizzy spell stopped me in my tracks. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." A few seconds later a large 20-foot-tall Dragonoid fell and slammed into the Earth. Upon inspection of the crater, you could see the attributes of the Dragonoid fade until a naked Blonde-haired man was left in its place.
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[P.S: Hope you guys liked the fight scene! I know it's not really like the 100 at all, but when you have werewolves, vampires, and whatever else in this world, what is? Some of you guys might have noticed that the field and the subway station that Arthur and Duke Bathory crashed into was the same field and subway station in Season 3 Episode 2 that the Ice Nation marched passed and where Roan held Clarke. Hope you guys enjoyed and I love posting these again!}