Kingdom Reboot: Rise Of The Conquest System

Chapter 5: Blood And Loyalty II

The stone halls were darker down here. Water dripped from the ceiling. Rats scurried away from their torchlight. The smell of mold and human waste filled the air.

Aurelius found the cell he was looking for. A young woman sat in the corner on moldy straw. Short blonde hair framed a face that burned with fury even in the dim light.

She looked up when they approached. Her blue eyes went from Aurelius to the knights behind him.

"Well, well," she said coldly. "What do we have here? Come to finish what your Victor started?"

"I'm Aurelius and I'm here to get you out," Aurelius said.

She laughed, sharp and bitter. "Right. And why would the king's pet commander want to help a prisoner?"

"Because we have a common enemy now, Victor," Aurelius said.

Seraphina studied his face. Something in his voice must have convinced her because her expression changed slightly.

"You're the one they're hunting," she said. "I heard the commotion upstairs. Victor's calling you a murderer."

"He killed the king and blamed me for it," Aurelius said simply.

Her eyes widened. "The king is dead?"

"Victor cut his throat in the throne room. Made it look like I did it."

Seraphina was quiet for a moment. Then she stood up. "Get me out of here."

Aurelius and his men looked around for keys but couldn't find it on the bodies of the guards and Aurelius in frustration suddenly grabbed the cell door and pulled. The iron bars bent under his grip and the lock snapped like a twig.

Everyone stared. The knights' faces showed shock. Even Seraphina's cold mask slipped for a second.

"How did you do that?" Sir Roland whispered.

Aurelius stared at his own hands. How had he done that? Normal men couldn't bend iron bars with their bare hands. What was happening to him?

"I don't know," he said honestly.

"Questions later," Garrett said. "We need to move."

Seraphina stepped out of her cell. She was taller than Aurelius had expected and there was something dangerous about the way she moved. Like a blade wrapped in silk.

"Who are you?" Sir Bradley finally asked the questions that has been on their minds.

"Someone who wants Victor dead," she replied simply.

"That makes two of us," Aurelius said.

Shouts echoed down the stairway. Boot steps on stone. They'd been found.

"This way," Garrett said, leading them deeper into the dungeon.

The first guards came around the corner just as they reached the back passage. Steel rang against steel as the fight began. Aurelius recognized them as Victors men immediately.

He immediately drew his sword and felt something change inside him. The world seemed to slow down. He could see the guards' attacks before they came. His body moved faster than it ever had before.

His blade cut through the first man's defense like it wasn't there. Blood sprayed across the stone walls. Another guard came at him from the side but Aurelius was already moving. His sword found the man's heart before the guard could finish his swing.

Blue words flashed in his vision.

[PERSONAL KILL COUNT: +2]

[COMBAT EXPERIENCE GAINED]

What did that mean? Why was something keeping count of his kills?

More guards poured down the stairs. Sir Garrett and the others fought with skill and courage but they were outnumbered. Then Seraphina joined the battle.

She moved like death itself. A stolen dagger appeared in each hand and she danced between the guards like she was born for this. Every step was precise. Every cut found its mark.

The knights stared in amazement as she dropped three men in as many seconds.

"Remind me never to make her angry," Sir William muttered despite the fact that they were in battle.

They fought their way through the dungeon corridors. Bodies fell behind them as they pushed toward the old tunnel entrance. Aurelius felt like he was in a dream. His sword moved without conscious thought. His body reacted to attacks he couldn't even see coming.

[PERSONAL KILL COUNT: +5]

[COMBAT EXPERIENCE GAINED]

The words kept flashing but he was too focused on staying alive to think about what they meant.

They turned a corner and almost ran into another group. But these weren't guards. A woman in a hastily thrown-on dress stood with two servants. Auburn hair fell around her shoulders in messy waves.

Mileena.

Their eyes met across the bloody corridor. Her face showed confusion and fear but underneath it all, trust. Even seeing him covered in blood and fighting for his life, she still looked at him like he was her hero.

"Aurelius?" she whispered.

His heart broke. He wanted to run to her. Wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. But Victor's men were right behind them and she'd be safer far away from him.

"Go," he said. "Get out of the palace. It's not safe."

Tears filled her eyes but she nodded. The servants grabbed her arms and led her away down a side passage. The last thing he saw was her looking back at him with love and fear in her beautiful face.

"Sir," Garrett called. "We need to keep moving."

They reached the tunnel entrance just as more guards appeared behind them. The hidden door was old and heavy but it opened when Sir Edmund worked the mechanism.

"Is this a trap?" Sir Bradley asked. "If they're smart, they'll have men waiting on the other side."

"Maybe," Aurelius admitted. "But we don't have any other choice."

They plunged into the darkness of the tunnel. Behind them, shouts and footsteps echoed as Victor's men gave chase.

Aurelius had gained allies. He'd gained power he didn't understand. But he'd also lost everything else.

The game had changed. Now he just had to figure out how to win it.