Kingdom Reboot: Rise Of The Conquest System

Chapter 6: Into the Dark

The tunnel was barely wide enough for one person. Water dripped from the ceiling and hit the stone floor with soft splashing sounds. Their torches threw dancing shadows on the walls as they moved deeper underground.

Aurelius led the way but he noticed something. Something was different about his vision down here. He could see further into the darkness than should be possible. Every sound seemed clearer too. Behind them, he could hear boots on stone and men shouting orders.

"Commander," Sir Garrett whispered from behind him after being unable to stop himself. "How can you move so well down here? The rest of us can barely make out the walls."

Aurelius didn't know how to answer that. How could he explain something he didn't understand himself? "I don't know. Everything just seems... clearer."

Blue words flashed in his vision again.

[ENHANCED PERCEPTION ACTIVE]

[TRACKING MULTIPLE HOSTILES]

What kind of sorcery was this? Why were these words appearing in his head? And what did they mean by tracking hostiles?

"What are you exactly?" Seraphina asked from beside him. Her voice was quiet but curious. "Normal men don't bend iron bars with their hands."

The knights behind them murmured agreement. Sir Roland spoke up. "My lord, back in the cell... that was impossible. No man has that kind of strength."

"I told you," Aurelius said, frustrated. "I don't know what's happening to me. None of this makes sense."

"By your command, my lord," Sir Bradley said formally. "But surely you must have some idea? Did you drink some potion? Cast a spell? Or maybe some enchanted item?"

"I don't know magic," Aurelius replied. "And I haven't drunk anything strange."

The tunnel split ahead into three paths. Aurelius stopped and listened. His enhanced hearing picked up something the others couldn't detect. Footsteps. Breathing. Men waiting in the right passage.

"Left path," he said quickly.

"Are you certain, my lord?" Sir Edmund asked. "That passage looks smaller."

"Trust me," Aurelius said. He couldn't explain how he knew without sounding mad.

As they walked, the weight of what they'd done started to hit the knights. Sir William was the first to voice what they were all thinking.

"We're outlaws now," he said quietly. "Fugitives from the crown we swore to serve."

"Aye," Sir Gareth agreed. His voice was heavy. "Everything we've worked for. Gone."

Sir Thomas rubbed his face with his free hand. "My wife. My children. They'll think I'm a traitor soon."

"We're not traitors," Sir Joseph said firmly. "We know the truth. Victor killed the king and blamed our commander."

"But try explaining that to anyone else," Sir James muttered. He was the youngest of them all, barely twenty. "Who's going to believe us over Victor?"

Aurelius felt their pain like a knife in his chest. These men had given up everything for him. Their homes, their families, their honor. All because they believed he was innocent.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "This is my fault. You shouldn't have to suffer for my mistakes."

"What mistakes, my lord?" Sir Garrett asked. "You did nothing wrong."

"I failed to see Victor's true nature," Aurelius replied. "I should have known. Should have protected the king."

"None of us saw it," Sir Philip said. The oldest knight after Garrett, his voice carried wisdom. "Victor fooled us all. Even His Majesty."

Sir Roland nodded. "We're doing the right thing, my lord. Following you. The crown may have abandoned us, but we know who we really serve."

The others murmured agreement. Their loyalty touched Aurelius deeply but also made him feel guilty. What if he was wrong? What if leading them into exile was just another mistake?

Rats scurried away from their torch light. The tunnel walls were old, made of massive stones fitted together with expert skill.

"These passages are ancient," Sir Edmund said, running his hand along the wall. "Built during the Great War, if I'm not mistaken."

"Aye," Sir Garrett agreed. "My grandfather told stories about them. Secret ways for the royal family to escape if the palace fell to enemies."

"Seems fitting," Seraphina said with bitter humor. "Escaping through tunnels built for when the kingdom falls."

Sir Bradley looked at her suspiciously. "You still haven't told us who you are, lass. Or why you were in that cell."

Seraphina was quiet for a moment. Then she spoke without looking at any of them.

"My name is Seraphina Volaris. My father was Lord Marcus Volaris. Maybe you remember him?"

Several knights exchanged glances. Sir Edmund nodded slowly. "Lord Volaris. Executed for treason years ago."

"Executed for opposing Victor," Seraphina corrected. "My father saw what Victor really was. Spoke against him in council. So Victor planted evidence in our house. Made it look like we were selling secrets to enemies."

Her voice got harder. "I was twelve when they killed my parents. Had to watch from the crowd as they cut off my father's head and as they hanged my mother."

The knights were silent. Even in the dim torchlight, Aurelius could see the pain on their faces.

"I spent five years learning to fight," Seraphina continued. "Learning to kill. All for one purpose. To put a blade through Victor's heart."

"And you tried?" Sir William asked quietly.

"Three days ago," she said. "Got close too. Made it to his chambers. But he had guards I didn't know about. They caught me before I could finish it."

Sir Thomas whistled softly. "You got into his private chambers? That's... impressive."

"Impressive and foolish," Seraphina admitted. "I was so focused on revenge I didn't plan properly. Should have been smarter."

"What will you do now?" Aurelius asked.

She looked at him with those burning blue eyes. "Same thing you will. Survive. Get stronger. And when the time comes, make Victor pay for what he's done."

A new sound echoed through the tunnels behind them. Dogs barking.

"Tracking hounds," Sir Garrett cursed. "They've brought hounds."

Blue words flashed urgently in Aurelius's vision.

[PURSUIT DETECTED]

[RECOMMEND COMBAT PREPARATION]

The warnings were getting clearer and more urgent. Whatever was happening to him, it seemed to know when danger was coming.

"We need to move faster," Aurelius said.

They pushed harder through the narrow passage. The tunnel opened into a larger chamber with four different exits. Ancient pillars held up the ceiling. Old torch brackets lined the walls.

But they weren't alone.

Guards waited by each exit. At least twenty men standing guard. They'd been herded into a trap.

"Well, well," the guard captain said. He stepped into the torchlight with a cruel smile. "The traitor Aurelius and his pet knights. Victor will be pleased."

"Stand down," Sir Garrett ordered. "We don't want to spill blood."

The captain laughed. "You don't have a choice in the matter."

Steel rang as swords cleared their sheaths. The chamber filled with the sound of men getting ready to kill or die.

Aurelius felt that strange change happen again. The world slowed down. His senses became sharper.

"Stay close," he told his men. "Fight as one."

The battle erupted in the confined space. Steel crashed against steel. Men shouted and cursed. Blood spattered the ancient stones.

Aurelius moved like he was possessed. His sword cut through guards like they were made of straw. He could see their attacks coming seconds before they happened. His body reacted faster than thought.

Behind him, Sir Roland's voice cracked with amazement. "My lord, no man moves like that. What are you?"

But Aurelius was too focused to answer. His blade found hearts and throats with perfect precision. Each kill felt easier than the last.

Seraphina fought beside them like a demon. Her stolen daggers flashed in the torchlight as she danced between enemies. Every movement was deadly grace.

The knights stared as she dropped three men in as many heartbeats.

"Remind me never to cross her," Sir William panted despite the battle still going on.

Blue words kept flashing in Aurelius's vision.

[PERSONAL KILL COUNT: +4]

[LOYALTY POINTS GAINED]

More numbers. More words he didn't understand. But somehow they felt important. Like they meant something bigger than just counting dead enemies.

The last guard fell with Aurelius's sword through his chest. Blood pooled on the chamber floor. The smell of death filled the air.

"Is everyone hurt?" Sir Garrett asked, checking his men.

A few cuts and bruises but nothing serious. They'd fought well together and had also gotten lucky.

"We can't stay here," Seraphina said. "More will come."

She was right. They could still hear dogs barking in the distance. Getting closer.

"This way," Sir Edmund said, leading them toward the eastern exit. "This should take us outside the palace walls."

They ran through more tunnels. Past old chambers and forgotten storerooms. The palace had been built on older foundations. Layer after layer of history buried beneath the stones.

Finally, they saw light ahead. Real light. Not torches or candles but the gray light of dawn coming through a hidden entrance.

They emerged into a small grove of trees just outside the palace walls. The morning air felt cool and clean after the musty tunnels. Birds sang in the branches above them.

But the beauty of the dawn couldn't hide what they'd lost. Aurelius looked back at the palace walls. His home for so many years. Now it was a prison he could never return to.

Blue words appeared one last time.

[MISSION COMPLETE: ESCAPE PALACE]

[NEW OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE AS OUTLAWS]

The system seemed to understand their situation better than he did. They were outlaws now. Fugitives from everything they'd once protected.

"What now, my lord?" Sir Garrett asked. The old knight looked tired. They all did.

Aurelius didn't have an answer. Everything had changed so fast. Yesterday he'd been the king's most trusted commander. Now he was a wanted murderer with nowhere to go.

But he wasn't alone. These men had chosen to follow him. Had given up everything because they believed in him. He couldn't let them down.

"Now we survive," he said. "And we figure out how to prove Victor killed the king."

"And if we can't prove it?" Sir Roland asked.

Aurelius looked at Seraphina. She understood. Sometimes proof wasn't enough. Sometimes justice had to come at the point of a sword.

"Then we make him pay anyway," he said quietly.

The knights nodded. They were outlaws now. But they were outlaws with purpose.

And somehow, that felt like enough.