The Emperor Class

“Is that why she approached us by herself?” inquired Dreu when his curiosity got the better of him. “She must be confident of her abilities if she travels alone with all the demons in the region.”

“Her specialty is illusion magic and the Duchess we see before us is merely an illusion.”

“Illusions are very versatile and could be used for distracting the enemies,” said Gaenor with a nod. “I see why you claim her power can keep us alive.”

Isylte nodded and informed everyone to get ready to rendezvous with the actual Duchess and her forces. Upon hearing the Duchess commanded a small force nearby, Dreu felt relief and noted the morale of others had recovered too. Their small group was insignificant in the eyes of the demon forces. With sufficient numbers, they could at least have a fighting chance. With the illusion leading the way, they followed closely behind without a word until they arrived at a large clearing in the forest. With a raise of its hands, the illusion revealed an ethereal gate to everyone. The illusion then stepped through the gate with everyone else in tow.

As soon as he stepped through the gate, Dreu found himself going from a clearing into an encampment the size of a small town. Dreu first noticed the wary eyes of the knights. While these men had their weapons sheathed, he knew they could draw their weapons before he could blink. To his surprise, Zhao moved closer to him.

If they make a move, I’ll be sure to end their lives swiftly. However, I doubt they mean you any harm. It’s easy to be on your guard following the destruction of an entire human city. You’ve experienced something similar with Berkton.

With the reassurance, Dreu kept his head up and used the opportunity to study the camp. The tents were neatly set up in grids while the largest tent was in the center. There was a small clearing between multiple tents where a campfire was located. A few of the knights were cooking meat over the fire and Dreu could them quietly grumbling over their tasks. During his time studying the camp, Dreu noticed their arrival had attracted more attention. By the time they arrived at the largest tent, a crowd of knights had gathered around them. As Zhao pointed out, they showed more wariness than hostility towards them. Dreu made a mental note to not give them a reason to attack as he made himself as small as possible.

The illusion disappeared once it reached the large tent and the real Duchess stepped out with two bodyguards behind her. Baldwin, Isylte, Aleit and the knights were the first to kneel with everyone else following suit. Dreu watched as the Duchess help Isylte up and the two spoke like old friends. The illusion that served as their guide looked exactly as the actual Duchess. While they spoke about recent events, he took a peek at the two bodyguards. One of them was a massive man clad in silver armor while the other was a slim woman wearing leather armor.

What is your assessment of those two bodyguards, Zhao?

They’re killers. Their eyes betray their bloodlust and their dissatisfaction of being stuck here.

As if sensing they were being observed, the two bodyguards turned towards Dreu and Zhao. The young man instinctively looked down at the ground hoping to not attract further attention.

Their instincts are well honed. I wouldn’t recommend picking fights with them.

I have no intention to, Zhao.

While looking down, Dreu focused on listening to the conversation between the Duchess and Isylte. From what he heard and observed, he suspected the man to be a silver knight. Silver knights could be differentiated by their silver armor which was made of adamantine. However, their title originated from the silver or silver coated weapons they wielded. Silver weapons were only stronger than normal weapons in very specific cases like when one faced creatures weak against silver. However, the enchantments available to silver weapons were more abundant resulting in the softer metal producing a much stronger weapon. The strongest silver knights were rumored to possess some of the most powerful enchanted weapons in the kingdom. Given that enchanted weapons could be hidden away like the weapon wielded by the demon in the tunnels, Dreu wasn’t surprised to see the male bodyguard appearing unarmed.

Dreu had no clue as to what class the woman belonged to. The leather armor was commonly worn by low rank adventurers but he knew the Duchess, with her standing and influence, wouldn’t hire someone who would pale against the silver knight. He could only wonder if he would get a chance to see her in action. If Zhao’s assessment was correct, he would expect the woman to possess some incredible magic or weapons. Like the male bodyguard, she carried no visible weapons. She either had enchanted weapons too or she had no need of any.

Once they finished exchanging the pleasantries, the Duchess took Isylte and Baldwin into the large tent. Aleit then led the group to a nearby tent where they were provided food and water. Aleit informed them to get some rest while they could. As soon as they head out, they might not get a chance to rest until they could locate another safe haven. Dreu and Zhao found a small corner where they dug into bread, meat and water.

I didn’t know you and Bayard needed to eat.

We don’t need food to function. Zhao gestured to the others in the tent. It’s not a good idea to attract any attention by not eating anything.

Dreu nodded in understanding. Everyone under the Duchess had no clue about his abilities. To stand out might not be a good idea.

Good food can also temporarily give us buffs…and this isn’t good food in case you were wondering.

Dreu couldn’t suppress his smile knowing Zhao was doing his best to lighten the mood. He also didn’t realize how exhausted he was and, only after further reassurance from his footman, he closed his eyes allowing sleep to embrace him. He was deep in his sleep when someone shook him awake.

Dreu, looks like we have an audience with the Duchess.