Zuria Kingdom

[Bloodedge]

"Arthur Pendragon, yes," he confirmed without hesitation. There was another identity associated with the name, though, and it seemed Emilia knew of it. Alas, whether she spoke of the Once King in this world, or simply of King Arthur's legend, was not quite clear. Arthur's answer to being the King Arthur would remain the same regardless, though. "If you listen to Merlyn here, I'll be King Arthur at some point. Apparently there's a line," he quipped, adding to Merlyn's mention of him being the 'Future King' specifically.

Emilia did, indeed, free herself of entrapment within mere moments. He anticipated something more along the lines of ice being used to shatter the cage, but simply grabbing the key was just as effective after all. Once she let herself loose, Arthur approached and behaved somewhat... strangely. He almost seemed like someone's doting mother, the way he leaned toward Emilia, even reaching out to tilt and turn her face. He was simply checking for 'bumps and bruises' as it were, and such was simply his nature after doing these search and rescue missions. As he did this, he was given a bit of a warning regarding Zuria's queen. It was a strange thing to hear, but corrupt monarchs were nothing to be surprised about. "Suspicious Queen; noted. Does that have anything to do with the other person you mentioned? Should we be looking for them as well?"

[Apollymi]

According to Arthur he was in line to be the next King Arthur. That did indeed clear things up for Emilia who found his presence in this part of the world to be strange if he was the King Arthur. "Sou ka, that makes more sense. I thought it would be weird for King Arthur to descend. Still, that name carries a lot of weight," she said with a bit of knowledge. After letting herself out of the cage she was confronted with a weird action. The lad began looking her over as if she was somehow injured in this exchange. She had the grace to look embarrassed in the moment, her face turning a brilliant shade of red in direct contrast to its mostly pale features.

"Ano, I'm 114 years old. I'm not a child... I don't really need looking after like that," she mentioned with a frown coming to her face. She was quite old and pretty well capable of taking care of herself. Though she wouldn't have done anything to put anyone else in danger, she definitely wasn't helpless or anything of the sort. As for his question, there was more but also less to be said in that case. "Ah, if you're going to claim what was no doubt a bounty, you'll have to enter the palace anyways. You'll meet the one I protect for yourself. She is... in a strange situation. I'm sure you'll understand it yourself. Also be wary of the King... his judgement is questionable at best." And that was that. She'd said all she needed to and knew that someone else would likely be dealing with the problems of this place that her hands were tied at. Merlyn heard out all of this girl's words and stared at her. She saw much in looking directly at her like this and understood very little. Like smaller images giving way to a bigger picture.

[Bloodedge]

'Descend?' Arthur wondered. It was such specific terminology, the way she spoke of the current King Arthur. Perhaps they were in some high palace? There was yet another answer to be found in future, he supposed. After addressing the difference between Arthurs, Emilia noted her age, and with it the lack of necessity for Arthur to look after her the way he was doing. She could say that all she wanted, but he would only meet it with a scoff. "Well granny, you should be old and wise enough to know that age has nothing to do with someone wanting to make sure you're alright. You seem fine, at least," was his retort. With that, he released the flustered lass' chin and stood erect before her.

Ah yes, Arthur was essentially nothing more than a glorified bounty hunter at this point. In claiming the rewards for this quest, he would apparently be able to meet the 'other' person Emilia spoke of. He could kill two birds with one stone, then. Finding the one Emilia looked after would be a boon, and the same could be said of meeting this kingdom's leaders for himself... especially after being warned about both of them. "Well then, let's go pay this precious person a visit. Merlyn, do you at least have useful enough magic to keep these two hooligans restrained while we make our way back?"

[Apollymi]

A shocked look crossed the face of Emilia and her face became even redder. How dare he call her a granny? She was hardly old by Elf standards, though legitimately more than old enough to take care of herself by human standards. "Rude! I'm not a granny. Geez, are you sure you're going to be King?" she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest, her face was soon released though so she had no further problems. She did understand, she supposed a bit of doting over someone who was captured was hardly completely inexcusable. She still didn't like feeling embarrassed though. As for the incapacitated people who served the purpose of the bounty Merlyn hopped down from the tree. The skinny man at least had his face thaw enough for him to speak. "Don't just go talking about us like we don't exist. Just wait... you'll see, I'm gonna..." Merlyn stood directly before this man and touched his forehead with her index finger. "Sleep." she said as if it was a simple enough command. Soon after she withdrew and tapped the portly man as well. With both of them surely sleeping she rather easily used magic to place both criminals within the rolling cage that was previously used to transport Emilia. "I assume that will do? One day you are going to realize how much I am spoiling you Arthur~" she said. Still once those people were sleeping individuals were set she reached forwards, magic seeming to swirl in her hands as a strange pink energy was pulled from both of their heads. "Carry on then~ Go collect your bounty!~"

Emilia watched all of this with her brows raised. "Sou ka, so that part is true. I didn't expect it." she murmured. Legends surrounding the court wizard to the Knights of the Roundtable never really seemed likely. But given the taking of a specific kind of magical energy she was almost certain that at least a little of the rumors were true. "I can lead you back if you'd like," she said heading off in front meanwhile Merlyn took a few steps forward as well, "You get to pull the cart. Arms Day, Arthur!"

[Bloodedge]

"I'm positive," he said with no hesitation whatsoever. "There's no getting around the fact that I'm going to be king. What─ do kings not joke in this world?" he questioned. Before they set out, Merlyn decided to actually do something for once. The skinnier assailant of this quest began running his mouth in defense of his honor, or whatever he was getting at, only to be rendered unconscious by a simple touch and command of Merlyn. This came before the forced sleep of that same man's companion, but also before she claimed she was spoiling Arthur himself. "Oh yes, this one showing of a useful spell is so much more than I could have asked for."

In saying such a thing, perhaps Arthur brought himself a bit of bad karma. Emilia offered to lead the way, and Arthur was subsequently left behind both women. There was a side-note from Merlyn at the time, regarding Arthur being left to drag along their prisoners. What had he done to deserve being abandoned in such a way? Probably a few things, to be honest, but it wasn't as if he wouldn't have resigned himself to the heavy lifting anyway. "Guide, or slaver?" he inquired of the universe. "Of course, Merlyn! Glad to be of service!" Nevertheless, he would soon be following Emilia's lead to the royal palace of Zuria. . .

[Apollymi]

According to Arthur there was no way around him being King. He went on to question whether or not Kings joked in this world. Emilia looked at the lad as if she was a little sad for him. It was obvious by this look that she'd been aged by this world and her experiences quite a bit. She would have felt bad if she ruined this man's good nature, telling him the truth of the world when he obviously wasn't aware of it himself. "Not really no.... but, if you plan to change that, I see no point in stopping you," Emilia mentioned. She was content to let the boy have his dreams, for as long as they lasted.

Merlyn looked at the young lass and felt that they were kindred in a way. They both seemed content enough to preserve as much of Arthur's innocence in the world. Alas, the lad was truly ignorant of how kind this pair of girls was being, that much was obvious by his next words to Merlyn. Strangely, the other woman was good natured about the entire thing and she chuckled between bites of that pink energy. "Guide. You're the one who took prisoners. Most wouldn't have considering the bounty said Dead or Alive. You could be carrying a couple of heads instead~" she said in the most innocent of ways. That being said, she wasn't upset that he'd chosen the pacifist route, he should simply be aware that such things came with extra struggles. "Not that I am upset in anyway, it's good to have the moral high ground. And I can't say the results won't be fruitful~" Merlyn's words were just as ominous and vague as they always were. Even so, Emilia led them straight towards the palace where she'd return for her own sake and her two saviors would go to collect their bounties. They'd be lead to the throne room where they could expect to see at least one of the Monarchs.

Within the palace a blonde woman sat in front of a mirror. having her hair brushed by a young white haired girl who was dressed plainly. "Come on now, just because your little friend ran off, doesn't mean you get to slack off in your duties. There is hardly any reason to be upset," the woman said. She was quite sure by now that girl was either dead or wishing she was, and then the people she had doing her dirty work were gone as well. This situation set her at ease, now all she had to do, was dangle just a little more in front of the young king and she'd be a step closer to her goal. Those blue eyes of hers narrowed in their scheming and the white haired girl behind her finished brushing her hair. "Of course, I am not worried. I doubt she'll be gone for too much longer..." she said softly. The spirit connected to her, had already whispered some very exciting news, the palace was about to be an interesting place once again.

[Bloodedge]

A few moments after a question he asked in good spirits, Arthur was given an answer which should be... slightly disturbing. There was a fair amount of optimism to be taken from Emilia's ending clause, yet just as much darkness in the answer she'd given. Could kings truly be so serious, that one telling jokes was an oddity in this world? Well... perhaps he could actually do something about that. Merlyn at least seemed to take his jokes in stride while acknowledging him as the Future King, even though the things he said about her were at least partially serious. Another thing about Merlyn, though, was the cryptic sentences she offered at every opportunity. What could she have known about the results of his actions? There was clearly something, but the answer was forever a mystery.

"You're applying a lot to this, aren't you Merlyn? I can't well kill these people and drag back their heads; there could be more to their group. Unless you know how to get answers from a dead person, this is the best way to make sure the job's done properly." This was about as solid as Arthur's reasoning could get in regards to the current scenario. After bringing up his own logic, however, he took a moment to think. He could only hope to be wrong about what he came up with. "Please tell me you aren't lazy enough to have that sort of magic without bringing it up earlier─" he said with a sigh. Why wouldn't that outcome surprise him at all?

Within the throne room, Arthur would patiently await the rulers of Zuria. All evidence implied that this bounty had come from rather high up on the command chain, so this was a suitable enough place to be, even if the local royalty hadn't set the bounty themselves. One specific knight would be carrying the message of this group's arrival. Taking it to the king would prove useless, if even possible; it seemed things in this kingdom were to be taken to the queen first. As such, the door to the queen's chambers would be receiving a knock before being entered. Tall, well-built with yellow eyes was the general description of this male with bluish-purple, neatly-arranged hair that left only a strand hanging down his face. Once he stepped through the open door, his eyes closed, and he bowed. "Your Grace. You have visitors─ a pair of foreigners with the garb of a knight and a sorceress seem to have done something about that hunting problem in the forest. Shall I escort you to them?"

[Apollymi]

Arthur's questions to Merlyn would warrant more vague and lightly comical answers. Again, she hadn't actually been complaining about the lack of ruthlessness in his current approach, in fact, being able to trust him to make such decisions helped to clear up the events immediately surrounding the current moment. "Hm? I already said I'm not upset about your moral high ground here. That being said I knew everything I needed to know about these two soon after I put them to sleep. I know where they'll lead us and all," she said with a soft laugh. "And it's not a matter of being lazy Arthur, it's a matter of independence. Yours to be exact," she said with a gentle chuckle. She truly had been spoiling him by not forcing him to find out all of this information on his own. She could have simply chucked him into the deep end, and shown him the savagery of this world compared to the one they'd come from. He might have been used to his bodyguard duties, but this world did even stranger things to what had originally been normal people.

Further into the palace a knock was followed by the entrance of a bowed Knight. Good, at least everyone in this palace knew their place. Though she wasn't much longer for this backwoods ice block, she would at least live the sort of luxury she enjoyed. "Oh? That was handled so much quicker than I would have expected. Perhaps... we should hire these people. I can't say I have much use for a sorceress, but one can never have too many good Knights right?" she said, with a fake amount of chipperness in her tone. Men were easily manipulated, the more of them who were around the more likely she'd be able to get her way. The entire time she thought to keep up the appearances of a high class Queen until she could take her rightful place... "I would like to reward them for their hard work. Lead the way..." she said standing with the help of the white haired girl. A small smirk was hidden as her own face lowered as well. She knew how insincere this woman was, maybe she'd finally not be alone in this, knowledge.

[Bloodedge]

"Yes yes, you've said a lot of things. Hardly anything of importance though, Merlyn." At a certain point, one might wonder if Arthur simply enjoyed griping about his Caster guide. She'd done so many things worth complaining about thus far, apparently all for his benefit. That was a story and a half. Ah, but there was a believable aspect to it all, wasn't there? He could hold out hope that all things would come to light eventually, though in the meantime, he would continue moaning and groaning. Maybe he could even manage to annoy Merlyn enough to match how frequently she left him behind on the upkeep.

The queen thought this bounty had been completed with great haste, and furthermore spoke of hiring those who completed said bounty. Frankly, this man would say the kingdom was in need of a sorceress or sorcerer. Perhaps one such person could help do something about the declining state of the kingdom itself, while the queen's life of luxury grew... due in part to the king's frivolous wasting of their country's treasury on the woman. "If that is your wish, Grace. I'm sure anyone would be overjoyed to be given such a generous offer."

Disgusting. This man was quite capable in his subservient role, even when simply speaking, but he could feel his soul vomiting with every word he spoke. One day, perhaps these lands would no longer be dealing with this woman. Maybe the king could stand alone, or maybe... the rightful heir to the throne could ascend. Today did not seem like it would be that day. Ah well; there was work to be done in the form of guiding the queen to her esteemed guests. "Yes. Just this way," he conceded, taking the lead down the corridor toward the throne room. One would assume the queen intended to deal with this matter herself, so he would let it be so. With the guests in view, the palace knight took to the queen's throne side, kneeling next to it while offering her introduction to these travelers. "Travelers. Her Majesty, the Queen Kolin of Zuria. May her Grace be everlasting."

[Apollymi]

"I've said plenty important... but I'm sure you're just missing it, Arthur~" was Merlyn's immediate comeback. She truly didn't leave him too far off of the information he needed. She needed him not to become to reliant on anyone else while he grew in this world, this included herself. This Arthur, the Future King had many trials to face, and given his current attitude they would be very different from his previous life. Maybe he would take this lesson the way it was presenting itself.

Ah but the time for talking among themselves was over indeed. As Kolin as she was introduced made her way into this room she was stunned into a frozen position just before she would have reached her throne. She couldn't be looking at the people she was seeing before her. Shouldn't she have known if something like this would happen. Surely, these two couldn't have made their way down here! Her plan wasn't quite ready yet! Her smile cracked around the edges, and she seemed genuinely horrified. Of all the people to enter this building at a time like this. The Mage of Flowers and the King of Knights were among her sworn enemies. Beyond that the Mage of Flowers was one of a few that could see past the enchantment on her person. They could see how she was!!!! She looked to be sure, and then took a deep breath, the names weren't the same on either of their stats sheets. They simply looked the same, she could calm down. She took a seat and brought her face back into a gentle smile.

But in the moment when she looked up she met the eyes of Merlyn and realized that though they weren't the same person, the intelligence in the sorceress' eyes was worth being wary of. "Oh? You became less worried after realizing we aren't them. But I can still see you for what you are..." Merlyn mentioned without the slightest hint of respect towards this Queen. The woman's visage cracked in the moment, but what could she do? As far as the mage was concerned, there wasn't much else to be done, except answer the questions of those nearby. "So, who doesn't know who this woman is?" Merlyn asked, soon enough the woman known as Kolin recovered enough to speak properly. "Arrest them! She speaks ill of the Queen, and I will not tolerate such disrespect!"

[Bloodedge]

"Well then, maybe your clarity is lacking," he stated. Of course, Arthur was sure he was likely missing a few clues here and there. This new world experience remained quite jarring. Sadly, things would only be getting worse when the queen of these lands arrived to the throne room. Right away, the blonde, buxom woman seemed visually even more extreme than what he'd come to expect through the video game variant of this world. She also seemed shocked by something, which Arthur himself hadn't the faintest idea about. Perhaps it was something simple, like the apparently odd fact that he still tugged along the living bodies of bounty targets that others in this world would have killed.

... Or perhaps, it was something else entirely. Merlyn spoke before Kolin even addressed the group ahead of her. Her words shot forth like thrown daggers, and lacerated the queen's visage as a result. Arthur viewed this reaction with wonder as Merlyn questioned any who didn't know this woman's identity. Kolin herself managed to retort this time, and what she did with the next reaction was... order her visitors' arrest. Now, it was Arthur's turn to express shock at this entire exchange. "Them? I'm just here to collect a bounty; I barely even know this woman!" he protested while the purple-haired knight rose to the queen's command. In part, Arthur was thinking to put on a bit of a show. He didn't distrust Merlyn─ she was certainly onto something if she was speaking in such a way. If they were just going to be arrested from the beginning, though, this was going to become more of a problem than any bounty was worth.

[Apollymi]

"No, never. My clarity is perfect~" Merlyn was sure of herself in a way that was probably shocking to herself. What was more the shaken visuals of Kolin were exactly what Merlyn expected. What was more, the order she gave for the arrest of the new pair was met by two things, the rising of the purple haired Knight and Arthur's protest of knowing the woman very well, and thus the protest of his arrest. Kolin looked onwards. Perhaps, this Arthur was actually a man, if he was, he could be used. Another stepping stone. After all, she could tell the two within the cage were still alive, there was always a reasonable use for a man who knew how to do his job. Granted, a bit more of a cutthroat was usually more useful, perhaps as her own protector and an extra to her plan to amass a following this lad could be useful. "Oh? You barely know her? Fine, arrest just her then. Leave the bounty hunter~" Kolin made an amendment to her order.

Merlyn wasn't concerned about Arthur in the moment. Though he was quite simple, if he was unaffected by her own natural abilities, she had a great deal of faith that between Excalibur and his own body, he likely held a great deal of resistance to the lesser powers of the buxom woman on the throne. "Oh? Still, I assume no one else can see your stats~" said Merlyn as if completely unperturbed by the idea of getting arrested. "So no one knows that you were the fallen goddess Ishtar. Ya' know, Arthur... that evil goddess I mentioned the day we met~" she mentioned with a chuckle. "Or rather the name Mai Valentine probably makes more sense to people who are like us~" mentioned the Sorceress. "It doesn't matter who I am. You can't stop me here... there is nothing any of you can do. I am Queen here. Your little friend is already done with you as well. That borrowed name and look of yours hardly matter now..." mentioned Kolin. A man was an easy target after all, suppressing yet another woman was no real stretch of her imagination. "Ah, you're wrong though... names have power. And he chose right for multiple reasons! Besides, that title of yours is as empty as I assume your little King's head is... I'm sure you know that too. So, why did you bother? Anyone care to take a guess... I mean I can talk all day, but it's more entertaining if someone else takes a stab at flexing their brain a little~" Merlyn stood within the middle of the room as Emilia looked at her. She wondered about who this woman actually was, and the name Mai Valentine was one she'd seen floating about in their other world. An E-girl who made it tough for girls who played regular video games. How the hell had she wound up a villain in this world?

[Bloodedge]

Perfect, was the clarity of Merlyn... at least according to her. Arthur was naturally cynical of such a claim, but he had enough faith in her ability, even though he had no faith at all in her willingness to be fully cooperative. He could liken their relationship thus far to being newly hired into a position shared by the one responsible for training him, though not quite. Either way, his little stunt managed to save him from the queen's arrest order; he could concern himself with Merlyn later.

Alas, nothing kept Merlyn from talking... and talking, and talking. Arthur wondered why she incriminated herself to such an extent. However... what she said was actually useful information. The evil goddess Merlyn spoke of when he was lead to Cath Palug, was the queen before them. She was from their world, and she did nothing to protest this... or to protest what she truly was. Arthur himself wasn't familiar with the one called Mai Valentine, though he'd definitely heard the name in passing. It didn't matter at present. Right now, there was a queen ordering the arrest of his traveling companion and guide, and a much bigger problem than the bounty he'd come to claim. Ah... there was something he'd yet to address as well, wasn't there. With a hand over his heart, and a light bow, he addressed Kolin. "Your consideration is appreciated, my queen. I am in your debt," he said.

Meanwhile, the purple-haired knight completed his approach to the sorceress. His right hand hovered over the hilt of his sword, but he made no moves to draw it just yet. Lesser guards were closing in on Merlyn as well. While they did so, the knight among them spoke. "On my honor as a knight, I cannot allow you to continue speaking this way about our queen. Come with us... silently," he demanded. If he had to do one more thing like this, he felt he would be incapable of keeping up the complacent act any longer. This, however... could be fine for now. In truth though, he was left wondering if perhaps he'd dealt with Queen Kolin prior to becoming a Knight of Zuria. . .

[Apollymi]

The words that fell from Arthur's mouth after the most recent outburst from Kolin made Merlyn... smile. Ah, was that how he was choosing to play this one. Until the moment he spoke his actions were a bit unclear. Merlyn thought this over and considered her options. She could do more obviously, that was something that could always be a thing for her. But in this case, the Knight who approached her had a look within his eye that she could appreciate. Not clear in his words but just below the surface. He wanted her to keep quiet and come along on his honor as a knight. A chuckle left the completely unbothered mage as she held her hands up in mock surrender. "Oh no, a knights honor is quite serious, no?~" she questioned. Still taking herself out of this situation was in turn one of the best possible things she could do. She'd done all the close meddling she could in such a situation, any more and the results would start to have the gains lessen quite a bit.

Kolin in the moment, felt vindicated. No one cared about the words of a mad sorceress, not even the man she'd come with. It was a bit troublesome yet that Emilia had returned when she was meant to be taken or murdered along with the other men. Also a bit problematic that they were still alive but since they were silent there was no need for her to flex any more of her hand. As far as most would be concerned, nothing was amiss here. "Oh, take the other prisoners as well. I can't have them poisoning a would be civil conversation~" Kolin stated, becoming more and more secure in her placement in the moment. The buxom woman's body had even shifted to be much more inviting like she was enticing the man to take a better peek at what she had to offer from his bowed position, a cute up skirt view and a look at her thong was well in order. Such was her nature after all. Merlyn in the moment could only watch seemingly without being bothered. She'd cut the strings so to speak as she always knew she would. She could only do so much. She needed a bit of outside help, thus this new knight was surely the answer to her current disposition. She'd follow along without another word, and nothing but a playful wink aimed at Emilia who relaxed her own face upon seeing it. She wasn't quite sure what that mage's plan was, but being arrested was apparently necessary. The workings of such people were strange, but she knew that woman wasn't bad at all... what did the other lass have to say about it though?

[Bloodedge]

"As you wish, Grace," said the knight who proceeded to round up the two captives as well. For whatever reason, the sorceress this knight was meant to apprehend was... smiling? Surely she realized there was something more to the goings-on here, though that was a matter not meant to be discussed in earshot of Kolin or any of her faithful. At least the sorceress was being somewhat agreeable─ enough that he could guide her comfortably into the dungeons a few floors beneath their current location. The knight would remain relatively silent along the trip, provided his arrestee had nothing to say. What he wished to discuss with her could come when they arrived. . .

Taking a separate path from the likes of Merlyn, the Future King she guided along his journey was entering a... different sort of adventure. To be more specific, the queen's movements were something... almost direct─ pointed even. As his head rose to gaze upon the blonde, he immediately saw something he probably shouldn't have been seeing on a queen who wasn't a standalone monarch. He may not have felt the influence of any magical effect, but he was still a man at the end of the day. Moreover, perhaps his natural reaction would be beneficial in this moment. His cheeks flushed at the sight he'd witnessed, and he let it be seen. "Ahem. My queen, as far as civility is concerned, you may want to uh..." He left his statement hanging in the air, and let his eyes wander again. He'd dealt with these types before. Some local gangs kept certain types of women around at times, just to entrap their targets and enemies. The optimal decision when being the target of such traps, as he'd experienced, was to simply be taken along for the ride... for a bit.