Kingdom Reboot: Rise Of The Conquest System

Chapter 4: Blood and Loyalty

Aurelius stumbled through the palace corridors while blood dripped from his shoulder and leg with each step. The wounds burned like fire but something kept him moving despite the damage. His body should have collapsed by now from blood loss but somehow his legs still worked.

Blue words kept flashing in his vision like they had since he’d woken up this morning.

[HOST CONDITION: WOUNDED]

[Blood Loss: Moderate]

[Mobility Impaired]

[Emergency Stabilization: Active]

What did that even mean? Stabilization? The words made no sense but they wouldn’t stop appearing. His shoulder still bled. His leg still screamed with pain. Nothing felt stabilized at all.

But he was still moving when he should have been unconscious. That had to mean something.

Behind him, Victor’s voice echoed off the stone walls with rage.

“Find him! Bring me the head of the king’s murderer!”

The hallways felt different now. These were the same stones he’d walked for years as the king’s commander, but now they felt like enemy territory. His blood left a trail on the marble floors like breadcrumbs leading his hunters right to him.

Each step sent fresh pain shooting through his leg. The shoulder wound kept bleeding no matter how much pressure he applied. How much more could he lose before his body gave up completely?

A servant girl rounded the corner ahead of him. Young Sara from the kitchens. She’d always smiled and bowed when she saw him before with that shy look she got around the knights.

Now she took one look at his bloody clothes and the wild desperation in his eyes.

She screamed.

“Arrrrrrhhhhhh!”

The sound echoed down the corridor like a bell announcing his location to every guard in the palace. She ran the other way as fast as her legs could carry her while her screams brought exactly the attention he didn’t need.

Fuck!

More guards appeared at the far end of the corridor. They shouted when they saw him and started running his way with swords drawn. Aurelius turned and went the other direction despite his wounded leg protesting every movement.

His wounds were slowing him down badly. The cut on his leg burned with each step and felt like it was tearing open wider. Blood ran down his arm and dripped off his fingers in a steady stream. The blue words flickered again.

[Blood Loss: Moderate → Severe]

[Warning: Host Mobility Declining]

[Emergency Stabilization: Compensating]

He felt something strange then. The wounds still bled and still hurt like nothing had changed. But somehow his legs kept working when they should have given out. Somehow he kept running when exhaustion should have dropped him.

Another group of guards came from the side passage. They had him boxed in from three directions now with nowhere to go but down. Only one way left open to him.

Aurelius ran down the stone steps toward the lower levels while his boots slipped on the smooth stone. He almost fell twice but caught himself on the wall. Behind him, the guards were getting closer and their shouts grew louder.

A young man in blue robes stepped out from an alcove ahead. A palace wizard. His hands already glowed with magical light that pulsed with power.

“Stop right there,” the wizard called out. His voice tried to sound confident but there was fear in his eyes. “Surrender and I’ll make it quick.”

The spell hit Aurelius before he could dodge.

Magic wrapped around him like invisible chains. His body started to lock up as muscles went rigid against his will. The binding spell was pulling him down and holding him in place.

Blue words flashed urgently.

[HOSTILE SPELL DETECTED]

Spell Type: Binding Magic

Estimated Spell Grade: E+

[PASSIVE MAGIC RESISTANCE I: UNSTABLE]

Resistance Result: Partial Break

Warning: Repeated exposure may overwhelm host.

Something was different about how the spell felt. The magic was trying to crush him down and lock every muscle solid, but it felt weaker than it should. Like the chains were made of rope instead of iron.

Was magic always this weak?

He threw himself sideways with desperate strength just as the spell grabbed him fully. The binding magic caught his left side but missed getting a complete grip. He felt the spell trying to tighten and pull him down, but he broke free with effort that shouldn’t have been possible.

The wizard’s eyes went wide with genuine shock.

“That’s not possible,” the young man whispered while staring at his hands. “You should be locked down completely…”

Aurelius didn’t stop to explain something he didn’t understand himself. His left arm felt sluggish and heavy where the spell had partially caught him, but his legs still worked enough to keep running.

He burst through the doors into the armory courtyard while gasping for breath. His vision swam at the edges and his body screamed at him to stop moving.

Then he stopped dead at what he saw.

Ten men in First Order colors stood in formation facing him. For a moment, his heart sank straight through the floor. More enemies. Victor had turned even his own knights against him.

Then Sir Garrett stepped forward. The grizzled veteran’s scarred face showed relief instead of anger or accusation.

“Commander,” Garrett said with real emotion in his voice. “Thank the gods you’re still alive.”

Aurelius couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His mind struggled to process it while blood loss made his thoughts slow.

“Garrett? What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you, sir,” Sir Roland said. The young knight’s face was tight with worry. “When we heard the accusations, we knew they were lies.”

“We?” Aurelius looked around at the other faces with growing hope. Sir Bradley stood with his arms crossed, looking grim but determined. Sir Joseph was there beside him with his hand on his sword. Behind them stood six more knights he’d fought beside for years.

Sir Edmund, tall and thin with a careful manner. Sir Gareth, broad-shouldered and quiet as always. Sir William, who made jokes even in battle. Sir Thomas, the best archer in the Order. Sir James, barely twenty but already skilled with a blade. And Sir Philip, the oldest after Garrett, wise and steady.

All of them looked at him with loyalty burning in their eyes instead of suspicion.

“You believe I’m innocent?” Aurelius asked while his voice nearly broke.

“We know you’re innocent,” Sir Bradley said firmly. “Any man who says different is a fool or a liar.”

Blue words flashed again with that same cold clinical tone.

[LOYALTY DETECTED]

[Temporary Followers Acquired: 10]

[Command Network: Unstable]

[Trust Level: High]

What was this system trying to tell him? Why were these measurements appearing in his head like some kind of ledger? But even through his confusion, he felt the emotional weight of what was happening.

These men believed in him. They’d risk everything for him.

“The timing doesn’t make sense,” Sir Thomas added while adjusting the bow on his back. “Why would you plot a coup now? You had everything you wanted. The king trusted you completely.”

Sir Garrett nodded with conviction. “The palace isn’t safe anymore. Victor’s placed his men throughout the guard. They’re arresting anyone who questions the official story.”

“Some of the guards still doubt the accusations,” Sir Roland said. “But not all of them. Not yet. Victor’s moving fast to control the narrative.”

“I saw what happened in the throne room,” Aurelius said quietly while meeting each man’s eyes. “Lord Caswell, Lady Morwen, Sir Aldrin, and other nobles were there. They all witnessed Victor kill the king with their own eyes. They’ll have to testify to what they saw.”

The knights exchanged glances. That was news to them and it changed everything.

“Then we need to move fast,” Garrett said with urgency. “Before Victor silences those witnesses permanently.”

“We can take the secret tunnels,” Sir Bradley suggested. “Get you out of the palace before they seal all the exits.”

“No,” Aurelius said sharply. “That’s too obvious. They’ll be waiting there with men ready to ambush us.”

The knights looked confused at his certainty. Sir William frowned. “Then where do we go, sir?”

“The dungeons,” Aurelius said.

They all stared at him like he’d lost his mind from blood loss.

“Sir,” Garrett said carefully while trying to be respectful. “The dungeons are a dead end. We’ll be trapped down there with no way out.”

“I have business there,” Aurelius said. He couldn’t explain about Seraphina without sounding completely insane. How could he tell them he’d lived through this before? That he knew she was going to be executed soon? That he knew she’d be valuable against Victor?

They’d think the wounds had made him delirious.

Boots thundered in the corridors outside the courtyard. Shouts echoed off the walls and were getting closer. They were out of time to debate.

“Trust me,” Aurelius said while looking directly at Garrett. “Please.”

The knights looked at each other for a long moment. Then Garrett nodded slowly.

“You’re our commander, sir,” Garrett said with absolute conviction. “We follow your lead. Always have.”

They moved as a unit toward the dungeon stairs with practiced coordination. Aurelius felt a spark of hope for the first time since he’d woken up with Mileena this morning. These men believed in him despite everything. They’d risk their lives and their honor to help him.

Two guards stood at the dungeon entrance. They looked up in surprise as the group approached with weapons ready.

“Commander?” one of them said while standing up quickly. “What are you doing here? We heard the alarm bells and the accusations…”

Sir Bradley’s fist connected with the man’s jaw before he could finish. The guard dropped without another word and hit the stone floor hard. Sir Gareth grabbed the second guard from behind and put him in a chokehold until he went limp in his arms.

“Tie them up,” Garrett ordered while checking the corridor behind them. “We don’t want to kill innocent palace guards if we don’t have to. They’re just following orders.”

They bound and gagged the unconscious men with efficiency, then dragged them into an empty cell where they wouldn’t be found immediately. Aurelius led the way deeper into the dungeons while his wounds continued bleeding and the blue words flickered in his vision.

[Blood Loss: Severe]

[Emergency Stabilization: Maximum Effort]

[Warning: Host Approaching Critical Threshold]

He ignored the warnings because he had no choice. Seraphina was down here somewhere waiting for an execution that would come tomorrow morning.

This time, he wouldn’t let her die.

This time, he’d save someone.