Sworded Affair

Chapter 60 : Slay the Princess

Two hours later...

"So, let me summarise everything you've told me just now, to make sure I got it all down correctly." Emma declared; hands clenching tight as she resisted the urge to go on a killing spree through the camp.

"His Majesty the King is in his elderly years, and his mind steadily turns toward matters of succession as he contemplates his mortality. Unfortunately, he has no living sons willing to inherit the throne: of his three confirmed legitimate sons; the first died in infancy from disease, the second fell in battle and the third renounced his claim to the throne years ago, departing to lands unknown in pursuit of immortality. He is also unable to sire any more children, after an incident involving a barrel of absinthe and a pair of shears, the details of which have been struck from the public record.

Left with only his sole legitimate daughter, His Majesty sought offers for her hand, eventually settling on a relatively youthful Duke in his forties: a strong warrior also capable of being charming at court, who had earned the general approval of his peers. Deliberately uncontroversial, a man who wouldn't rock the boat and whom everyone liked; bit too much, as it turned out, when his bride-to-be found him balls deep in her bridesmaid just a week before their wedding.

The Princess beheaded the Duke mid coitus, before fleeing to the castle of her childhood friend and head of her household guards, with whom she was also having a secret tryst. Meanwhile, the dead Duke's supporters are calling for her head and reparations, whilst the King tries to push back but increasingly finds himself forced to choose between his last child and open conflict. The allies of the late Duke have taken it upon themselves to besiege the castle, hoping to capture the Princess and salvage the situation for their power bloc. The Princess for her part has stated she'd rather die than apologise, and has used secrets formerly exclusive to the Royal Family to enact wards of staggering strength around her new home. These, combined with the natural difficulties of siege warfare mean that little ground has been gained even a month later.

Meanwhile in the background, a bewildering amount of horse-trading is going on as the nobility places their bets as to who'll come out on top. The King's own forces are dispersed across the realm, watching carefully for signs of treachery, but nobody has yet to make any big moves; not when many of the potential contenders for the throne still hope to seize the Princess for themselves. Many have provided aid to the siege, supplying weapons, men and logistical support. A few though, mostly the King's dozen or so illegitimate children, are hoping she dies in the conflict, thus opening the door to their own bids for power. They will also have men in the siege, either sabotaging its efforts to delay a breakthrough, or attempting to get assassins within reach of the Princess and end her life.

Nationally, the situation is tense and deteriorating by the day; if the Princess dies it all but guarantees civil war, as every potential contender strikes out for a chance at glory. This can also happen if she remains in the castle for too long, as sooner or later someone will make a move, and their actions will set the whole nation ablaze. If that happens, the King will be one of the first to die; he's everyone's target, while neither his arms nor his magic are what they used to be, not at well over two hundred years old.

I've been sent here to take command of the siege, as a career general and the most senior expert in siege craft who remains unaligned with any individual competitor for the throne, and thus an acceptable choice for everyone. We need to break the siege, and get the princess out alive whilst persuading her to marry one of the contenders before the kingdom descends into anarchy. Ideally, we also need to preserve the lives of as many soldiers as possible, besieging and defending alike, because if too many die we risk weakening the nation's collective military might to such a degree that the neighbours could sweep in to redraw the maps. All of this, and we have at most thirty days before someone gets impatient and lights the powder keg.

Would you all say that that's an accurate summation of our objectives going forward? "

"...That would be correct, General." One of the sycophants in the corner nodded, bobbing his head like a Fallout figurine. "The situation is dire and grows ever more complicated, but I'm sure that with your profound wisdom, we can chart a path forward that advances the interests of our patrons whilst also preserving the nation. Everyone here has a stake in the country, and nobody wants to rule over a pile of ashes."

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"Right," Emma took a deep breath; inhale, exhale. "You've given me a lot to think about; for now, I want you all to double check the order of the siege. Make sure our men have what they need to perform on the field, and there's nothing missing or broken that might bite us later. I'm heading to my tent to consider our options."

The mob crowding behind her parted, creating a clear path towards one of the smaller tents apparently designated as hers; a good thing, given she had no idea which it was until now, not when locations weren't labelled on her minimap.

[Quest obtained - Align in the Sand]

"Oh," Emma grunted as she read the requirements of her latest quest. "This is going to be an absolute clownshow."

---

Emma Knight - Level 9 Revenant

Race: Undead {LOCKED}

Alignment: True Neutral

Anima: 500

EXP: 2970/3000

Abilities

Summon Unholy Sword {Epitaph} (Cost: 50% current Anima)

No Pal of Mine: Capture the soul of the slain, creating a simulacrum identical in strength and fully obedient. Maximum 1 active per 10 levels, rounding up.

The Leech King - Level 8

Sir Bearington - Level 4

Earthbound Immortal - Level 13

Antipode - Level 14

Weeping Scar: Wounds inflict periodic poison damage until they are healed.

Oversoul: Instantly possess the body of a living, lower-level target within the user's line of sight. No component of this ability will activate unless the target can be possessed.

Ardent Ephemera (Cost: 1% base Anima /second): Become intangible while active, able to pass unhindered through physical objects and blows.

Traits

Arcanivore: Enemies restore Anima when wounded or slain.

Wolf, Ram and Heart: All attacks imbued with Death magic, significantly increasing damage dealt.

Circle of Life: Increased affinity with animals. Decreased affinity with humans.

One with Everything: Damage reducing Anima to 0 stops at 1 instead. This effect cannot activate more than once an hour.

Inventory

Tea Kit (4/5th Bundle of Holy Tea Leaves, Kettle, Teacups, Matches)

Add-Ons

Music Player: Most of YouTube's hits, all in your head.

Fast Travel

Academia Mortalis

Main Quests

404 - Answers Not Found

Objective: Discover the cause of the mana surge that brought about the Apocalypse

Reward: ???

Blood Borne

Objective: Find your Mother

Reward: ???

Cum Laude

Objective: Reach the 10th floor of Scholomance

Reward: ???, Save Point, Quest: Magna Cum Laude

Align in the Sand

Objective: Complete the Trial of Crowns.

(Bonus) Objective: Complete the Trial with the Princess alive.

(Bonus) Objective: Complete the Trial without changing Alignment.

(Bonus) Objective: Complete the Trial as the presumptive heir to the throne.

Rewards: 500 EXP, Archetype

Bonus Rewards: Companion - Princess Principal, Trait - Humanitarian Principle, Trait - Conqueror's Will]

Pending Choices

Choose one of the following four options:

1) Weapon Enhancement - The Core: Embodying the concept of the sword, this blade is unbreakable.

2) Weapon Enhancement - The Fringe: Leaves novices dead and masters deadly. Summon cost reduced to 25% of current Anima. Can summon and maintain a second blade.

3) Weapon Enhancement - The Extreme: This blade can cut through anything, but a single blow in return will destroy it entirely.

4) Ability - The Extinction (Cost: 99% current Anima): Call down a meteorite to impact a location within line of sight. The user selects the size of the meteorite, up to a diameter in meters equal to the user's current Level. This ability has a 1 month cooldown.