Episode 22: The Battle in the Nether (2)

******* Carolus' POV *******

I started to look around the castle to see if there is still some of them still willing to fight but it seems they all thrown their weapons on the ground to surrender.

I really don't know what to do next with this situation but I just started walking towards the exit.

"The castle is yours, Sir." I suddenly hear a woman's voice in front of me.

Pigwoman?

Glad to know that there is a gender with pigmen.

I don't really want this place. Plus, the king of the pigmen will not just sit back while I just attacked this place and killed the lord of this castle.

I have to get out of here quick.

I could just kill them all to suppress information but there is already enough bloodshed for today.

"No. I didn't come here to conquer this place." I just said after thinking for a while.

I can see her eyes are full of suspicion like what I just said is a lie.

"Then why did you attack this place?" She asked me with a really careful tone.

She probably doesn't want to offend me.

"You attacked me first."

She flinched after hearing my words and just stayed silent.

I started asking her questions about this place and about the nether.

I learned a lot.

I learned where to find some blazes and where enderman usually appear.

Apparently, blazes can be found in lava lakes or lava oceans.

They just swim around in the lava and just occasionally come out to find another place to live.

I could just use a fishing rod to hunt them to collect lots of blaze rods but I doubt the string in the rod can survive the lava.

I just have to keep my eyes peeled whenever I'm traveling near a lava lake or ocean.

The endermen also appears in certain places.

She doesn't know why they usually appear in these places but she assured me that they will absolutely come out.

She gave me a map to these places but the map is really crudely made and it is screaming 'Measurements? What is that?'.

I just accepted it and planned to make a better map once I get to those places.

I don't know how hard to hunt endermen but it is really useful to have plenty of ender pearls.

She said the ender pearl is the heart of the enderman and is located in the middle of his chest.

Great.

Another case of cutting open monsters for their loot.

After asking her all the questions that I thought I needed, I started walking to the gate to leave this place.

'I should hunt some blazes and enderman first before walking back home.'

I started to make a plan in my head while walking.

It took a while to get what I need in the nether but I'm finally coming back home.

This should be an easy journey back.

******* Queen Thea's POV *******

I can't believe that there is really a castle in the middle of this forest.

I'm standing in the highest hill around to have a look at the castle at the distance.

'He was telling the truth.' I suddenly thought to myself about what the prisoner said.

I'm starting to worry about what he said about a blue monster but I just ordered some of my guards to come with me towards the castle.

I only have about 20 guards with me along with the general.

I insisted to bring about half of that number but the general just ignored my plea and even tag along with us.

We started traveling slowly towards the gate.

We make sure to raise our flag high and the white flag for a sign of truce.

I can now see people on top of the wall.

They are equipped with bows and arrows and everyone around me started to get closer to me to protect me.

As we are getting closer, I can now see a man wearing an iron armor and holding a blue spear.

We stop for about 10 blocks away from the moat.

I was about to announce my name and purpose when suddenly the man wearing an iron armor remove his helmet.

I can't believe he is really here.

I'm staring at the man that I once loved.

******* Arthur's POV *******

I and my people are now ready for battle.

I heard from a really giant spider that there is an army heading here and started preparing my people to fight.

They voice a lot of concerns at first but I just asked them for an alternative solution. They didn't say anything and just started following my orders.

I don't really know what to do since there is only 30 of us here and we are comprised of old people, children and even injured people.

But I'm not going to abandon this place since King Carolus left this castle to my care and we have nowhere to go.

King Carolus said that there are three major groups of monsters in this forest.

The Skeleton in the north.

The Zombie in the east.

And the Giant Spiders in the south.

There is also an army heading towards here coming in the west so we are totally surrounded.

Luckily, the flag of the army coming towards here is familiar to me.

I used to fight for that flag.

The flag of Kingdom of Astikuviel.

What are they doing here?

Have they come to save us?

I can now see about 20 of them coming towards here.

I didn't let my guard down and ordered my people to prepare for anything.

The people coming here are now getting closer and I now see clearly who is leading them.

I can't believe she is here.

The woman who broke my heart and ruined my life.

I removed my helmet and just stared at her.

She was also shocked by seeing me and we are just staring at each other.

I was so focused on her that I didn't notice the cheering beside me.

"The queen is here to save us!" I can hear one them shouting but ignored whoever said that.

The cheering didn't die down and I can see Peyton approaching me.

"We should raise the bridge and open the gate for the queen, Arthur." He quickly asked me and I can barely hear him from all the cheering.

I don't know what to do.

I can't just open the gates to anybody even it is the queen of Astikuviel but I suddenly noticed that the ground I'm standing started shaking a little bit and I can see the bridge rising in the moat.

What? Who raised the bridge?

I can also hear the gate starting to open.

I quickly run downstairs to see who did it and it was one of the injured men who just recently started walking.

"What are you doing? Who told you to raise the bridge and open the gate?" I asked him with an authoritative voice.

"That is our queen outside, Arthur. She personally came here to save us." He answered me and I can now see the joy in his eyes.

Dammit.

There's no other choice now.

I just started walking towards the queen to talk to them.

They didn't move in their place and just waited for me to get to them.

I quickly kneel when I was about 4 blocks from them.

"My queen. It is good to see you. Thank you for coming all the way here just to save my people." I said as politely as possible.

"Rise." She ordered me and I immediately stand up.

We just stared at each other for a moment.

I can see her thinking deeply about something while she is looking around the castle wall.

"Did the lord of this castle send you to greet me?" She asked after a moment.

"No. But King Carolus assign me to be in charge of his territory while he is away." I answered her and she is silent for a moment again.

I began to estimate the number of soldiers in front of me and counted about 500 of them.

"My queen. If I may ask, I heard there is an army approaching here comprising of more than 3000 soldiers. Are they all the Kingdom of Astikuviel soldiers?"

She looked at me for a moment.

She is probably wondering how I got this information but I can't tell her that I got this from a really giant talking spider.

"No. Only 500 of the soldiers here are from our kingdom and the 3000 soldiers coming here are from the Kingdom of Xaerin." I can see suspicion in her eyes but thankfully she answered my question.

Wait. Did she just say the 3000 soldiers coming here are from the Kingdom of Xaerin?

"I know what you are thinking but we don't have time for that. The sun is about to go down. You said the king of this castle is away and he left you in charge of this place?" She cut off my thought and quickly asked me a question.

"Yes, my queen," I answered her while nodding my head.

"Good. We need a place to stay and I asked of you to let us in."

I know she will ask me about this.

I can see the sun is almost down.

I don't know if King Carolus will be happy about letting people in inside his castle but I can't say no to the queen of Astikuviel.

I think as hard as I could but cannot reach a good solution.

I didn't say anything and just motioned my hand towards the castle saying to get inside.

They started moving towards the gate and I can see one of the queen officers signaling the others to follow.

All of them slowly march inside the castle.

The queen suddenly asked me where to put all of their horses since they got 500 of them but I just said to put them where ever is convenient for them.

I don't know where to place the soldiers so they can rest but the first floor of the castle keep is empty and has a lot of space and there is also plenty of space in the second floor and basement.

Most of them are resting on the first floor and the injured on the second floor.

Around fifty of them are ordered by their general to manned the walls since they noticed that there are only 30 of us living in here and none of us are really soldiers except for me and the two injured men.

It took a while to sort all of them but we managed to finished before the sun goes down and now the queen and I are in the map room on the third floor sitting across at each other.

We are discussing a lot of things about what happened to my people and why there is an army of soldiers coming towards here.

"Wait. You said the King of this beautiful castle left to a place called nether dimension?" She asked after me after hearing my explanations.

"Yes. He is there to gather things to make healing potions for the injured and he also said that he is collecting other things there."

"But you said that place is dangerous and only people who want to die will go there."

I was silent for a moment.

I really don't know what to say to her but I remember what the giant spider said to me.

"Yes but King Carolus is strong and can take care of himself," I said to her with confidence.

She stared at me for a moment and then started looking at the maps on the large table.

"No matter how many times I look at this maps, I still can't believe there is someone in this world who is able to create this with so much accuracy."

She started putting small pieces of soldiers made out of wood carrying the flag of Xaerin in the map.

We started discussing things about what to do and how to fight the coming army.

'I hope King Carolus won't be angry with me about letting people inside his castle'