Chapter 7: Opening Act (7)

"Five hundred of our rivals have been locked in battle with almost six hundred of Heaven's arrogant watchers, neither side able to gain a proper advantage. Although the Angels have an edge in numbers - as well as plenty of their pathetic Human cohorts in the ranks - they are restricted in that they must keep the Christian king free from an assassin's blade."

Harris idly watched Shalba confidently point to an old and assumedly correct map of the area they were to be carrying out their future operation in, Merlin gracefully yet lazily perched on the edge of the table while Charles warily stuck close to the pair of them, ill at ease with the presence of so many Devils that had zero compunctions about giving the trio a death glare...and hopefully only a glare.

"The Grigori number about sixty, skulking about and avoiding battle as they often do, carrion birds circling a battlefield and searching for choice scraps. And as usual there are myriad numbers of other craven observes that watch and wait for those with true courage and skill to win the day."

Harris raised an eyebrow at Shalba's conclusion, the Devil haughty and prideful at his conclusion as if he'd delivered a defeat to his enemies with just his statements alone.

"Well that sounds sensible. No one likes to be left in the dark and gathering info about such momentous events is perfectly normal, if not expected."

Shalba sniffed derisively, the rest of his cohorts also seeming less than impressed at that sentiment as they shook their heads or scoffed in contempt.

"What use is there in dancing around the edges of a battle, never committing to a course of action and merely observing? Observation does not slay your enemies, only decisiveness. Knowledge without power is meaningless."

Raising an eyebrow and letting his lips curl upwards into a smile Harris idly mused, "Oh? And how did you know to direct your strength at Charlemagne?"

"Obviously we were informed by-"

The Devil wasn't so stupid as to miss the obvious danger of that statement, shutting his jaw with an obvious clack as Merlin giggled, vapidly observing, "I heard a most dangerous word in that statement...what was it again? Inform? Like the word information?"

Shalba gained an ugly expression, glaring at the smirking Magus of Flowers but Harris was quick to move the conversation along with, "What about the rest of the Devils? What's their story?"

Shalba scoffed, responding, "Lucifer's servants have been attempting for years to bring low the Human king and failed for just as many. There is nothing to be gained by allying or associating with such failures and Lord Beelzebub has decreed that we bring an end to the matter ourselves."

His lip curled in distaste, voice conveying perfectly well just what he thought of Harris and his two companions.

"Evidently you are the key to such success, no matter how many reservations I have about the ability of a Human to do so."

"Yikes. Guess daddy Satan didn't see fit to inform his spawn about any of the shit I pulled. That or he's just wilfully stupid."

Ignoring the Devil's gripes Harris inquired, "So who are Lucifer's subordinates? Failures or not it can't hurt to know who our competition is."

Irritably gesturing with his hand Shalba replied, "Zeoticus Gremory is Lucifer's favored leader in this endeavor...although it seems his record of constant victory has taken something of a hit this time around."

A cruel and amused smirk adorned the man's lips.

"This is his son's first campaign and it no doubt hurts quite significantly to see his father struggle and fail so."

Harris raised an eyebrow at that bit of knowledge, curiosity piqued and the beginnings of a plot forming in his twisted brain.

"Hmm...that is indeed interesting…"

"Beyond cursory amusement at Gremory's failings I fail to see how."

"Your problem, not mine."

Meeting Shalba and the rest of the Devil's gazes he clapped his hands, announcing, "Alright, here's the plan. I'm going to go do some preliminary scouting and iron out the details of my strategy. In the meantime you're all going to sit tight and don't do anything stupid, is that clear? Good, see you around~!"

Vacating the room before Shalba or his subordinates could raise questions or protest Merlin and Charles stuck close, the male smirking and throwing over his shoulder, "I think I'll start by gathering some intelligence!"

"Master, as amusing as it may be to tweak the noses of Beelzebub's offspring and his companions they are no doubt now going to act all the more irritable because of it."

"Undoubtedly. But then again I'm rather hoping that they decide to act aggressively against me, it'll make things easier than if they actually start to like and respect my leadership. That would just make me feel bad for when they all end up dead."

Charles stared at the conversing pair, nervously following in their wake and filled with far more questions than he had answers.

"They're a bunch of psychopathic idiots drunk off the smell of their own piss and I absolutely plan for them to be six feet under by the end of this whole little misadventure. But they'll be fairly useful in ensuring that my endgame goes according to plan, what with 4500 Saxons alive and well with Charlemagne made a nonissue once all is said and done."

The Vampire had finally had enough, speaking up in protest with, "How are you going to do all of that, though?! That's, well...impossible! Nobody here aside from Merlin and myself trust you, you said so yourself. And the guards around King Charlemagne - no doubt the ones also trying to kill him - are going to be some of the best and most experienced either side has to offer, how are you going to get around all of their motivations and plans?"

Harris' response left the younger male more confused than ever.

"Not sure yet."

Ruby eyes blinked in blatant disbelief as Harris further clarified, "But I don't need to know, that's what all of this scouting and discourse is about, so that I can understand and subsequently maneuver the far more powerful forces than us into actions that ultimately benefit me. It's what I did with Beelzebub and it's not like I have any intention of continuing to work for that insane asshole once this little hurdle is cleared, he was a means to an end."

Honestly fearing the answer a little bit Charles hesitantly asked, "And what was that end?"

Merlin cheerfully smiled, commenting, "Well obviously we needed a way to leave the Underworld and neither of us are familiar with the teleportation magic used here. I could divine its function and means of doing so given time but as you know we were on something of a schedule."

Charles stared at the ethereal woman, completely mute...and shouted, "Couldn't we have just gone with any of the other groups then?! What about Akito, he would have been happy to afford us passage!"

Nonplussed by his outburst Harris lazily replied, "You're absolutely right. And what would Beelzebub have done had he arrived to an empty, massacred fortress?"

The Vampire was brought up short, honestly unsure how to answer that.

"Well to be fair I'm not certain myself but I am confidant it would have resulted in a great deal of pain and suffering for those suspected of having a hand in its destruction, whether it was through military means or inhouse purges. But the way we did it?"

Harris smirked.

"Now Beelzebub knows exactly who's responsible and why, can close the books on any further developments until I bring back the next batch of results or failures."

Charles reeled, dazedly asking, "So...so you tweaked the nose of one of the most sadistic and dangerous individuals in the Underworld, revealed your face to them and made yourself known...just to spare others additional suffering?"

"Why not? It was within my power and at the end of the day I conned him into giving us a free ride to this little theater right here, where I can continue to save lives and put unpleasant people six feet under. Not bad for a few day's work, right?"

He paused, tapping his chin before thoughtfully musing, "Of course, whether I succeed or fail is probably irrelevant here, Beelzebub would likely kill us simply out of spite. If we won and took down Charlemagne in the process that was just a bonus."

The Vampire could only gape, eventually swallowing before warily asking, "Did...did you plan all of this? From the very start?"

"Huh? Hell no."

Merlin chuckled, adding, "The truly successful strategist decides on a very specific outcome and then observes events as they happen, always making choices or performing moves that further the journey towards aforementioned goal. Accounting for all the possible variables that may arise is impossible and flexibility is the foremost attribute of a sound tactical mind."

Gracefully gesturing to his companion Harris added, "What she said, I merely decided that I was going to save as many innocents as I could and kill everyone that was perhaps not so innocent. After that it was short-term planning or simply playing it by ear."

The Vampire looked a little shellshocked by the admission, Harris and Merlin glancing towards each other before unanimously shrugging, the Magus of Flowers grinning as she said, "You would have been quite the pain in Arthur's arse had you been a Knight of the Round. He was always quite the organizer and stickler for procedure, counting every grain and trying to formulate the most perfect plan that covered every possible contingency."

"Well it seemed to work out pretty well for him. He's one of humanity's foremost legends and my death was pretty low-key by comparison, barely even made headlines...albeit that was intentional but whatever."

Rolling his neck and savoring the slight pop that accompanied it he mused, "All right, first on our list is meeting with King Charlemagne. Charles, you still with us, bud?"

"Huh? Oh, erm...yes. Wait, weren't you going to meet with Zeoticus Gremory? And how are you even going to be admitted into the King's encampment in the first place?"

Lazily gesturing at the Vampire's perfectly sensible questions Harris responded, "Don't worry, we're definitely going to pay a visit to Zeotichus and his faction sooner rather than later...but first we need to get a clearer image of what the Angels and other important figures associated with them are going to do once everything kicks off. You can make bat familiars, right?"

Blinking at the sudden question Charles responded, "Well, yes but not very many. What do you need them for?"

"At the moment not much but while we're playing word games with Charlemagne's court I want you to stay hidden and investigate the surrounding area, have your eyes and ears see if you can spot any of the Grigori or other factions and where they have their stakeout spots. I don't have any plans or schemes for them but better to have such knowledge than not have it at all."

Eagerly nodding at both the opportunity to do something potentially useful as well as move past the mind-boggling insanity of the two older individual's actions the Vampire replied, "Sure, I can do that!"

"Perfect. Hopefully Merlin and I won't be long but you never know, better to have something to keep yourself busy with."

Clapping his hands and unfurling the map he'd pilfered from Shalba and the rest Harris remarked, "Alright, destination found and off we go! Fingers crossed we don't get spotted by some random patrol, that would make things infinitely more difficult and annoying to deal with."

"Do try to avoid jinxing us, master."

"You all set, Charles?"

Hidden deep in the shade of some trees with a camouflaged net of greenery courtesy of Merlin the Vampire was protected not only from wandering eyes but also the rays of light from the shining sun high overhead, a decisive nod - one mostly meant to hide his nervousness - sent their way as with a shaky breath four shadowy bats sprung to life, taking to the treetops as Harris nodded, remarking, "If we're not back or haven't figured out a way to contact you in six hours assume the worst, okay?"

"Umm...what should I do if that happens?"

"Honestly? Think on your feet and decide on a goal, then formulate a plan around reaching that goal, everything else is secondary."

A tiny huff of disappointment left the youth, grumbling, "That's not a very good plan…" as Merlin happily smiled, commenting, "But then we don't have very many plans ready as of this moment, do we?"

"Ugh…"

"Stay sharp, kid. We'll see you soon."

With a brief wave of her hand and shifting of his flesh both Merlin and Harris morphed into completely different bodies, simple and unremarkable humans with pale skin and brown hair that they had nabbed from the local Frankish scouts upon arrival while they sported simple textiles instead of the more unusual garb adorned previously.

Heading off towards their target destination Harris allowed himself to simply enjoy the sights and sounds of the environment he found himself in, a millennia and centuries change before his time as he drank in the cool and temperate air, noting with a fair bit of curiosity just how new the air smelt, as if it had never known the touch of modern civilization a single bit.

"Makes sense I suppose. The most advanced form of atmospheric dirtying available during this time period is campfires and those aren't exactly running 24/7."

"Something on your mind, Harris?"

Briefly thrown by the more muted and scratchy tones of Merlin in her altered state the male settled for a shrug, commenting, "Just comparing this time to my own, all the things that are different and such."

A more contemplative air surrounded Harris as he mused, "It was always rush rush rush in my previous life, rarely a moment to stop and smell the proverbial roses. The consequences of ease of access to cross-continental travel and easy information gathering with the internet, there was seldom an excuse to just sit idly."

His lips tilted upwards, words bemused as he continued with, "I don't regret it but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to having a great deal more leisure time while traversing the roads of this age."

"And more time to plot, scheme and make amorous dalliances with yours truly~?"

Lacing his hand with his partner's Harris replied, "Well obviously. Not sure I'll be able to get it up while you're in that form though, I've gotten used to you au naturale and this poor woman simply doesn't compare."

"Such a flatterer."

Finding his curiosity piqued the male asked, "On a mildly different note I know I summoned a version of Merlin who's past I'm somewhat familiar with but that's just the broad strokes, specifics outside of a few key events are hazy. You mentioned interacting with Arthur a few times and how he was incredibly anal about logistics...what was it like traveling with the Rounds?"

Expression turning distant as her mind no doubt went to vistas and locales far and long away the Magus of Flowers mused, "Such affairs were always a sight to see and look back upon, each march seldom the same in either tone or flavor. A march with Dinadan and Agravain might prove to be an affair of constant tension and childish sniping-"

"Made all the worse by yours truly, right?"

A cheshire grin adorned Merlin's lips before she continued with, "Naturally, such silly squabbles would be quite boring if they were never exacerbated beyond belief. And, as always, if Arthur were present he would be driven spare trying to keep them from murdering each other, affixing me with the most adorable look of suffering imaginable, sweet boy that he was."

Nostalgia took hold, words spilling forth with great fondness.

"Lancelot was always great fun to tease, seeing as how I knew a great deal about the Fae and his favor from them, all the while spinning wild tales of how they will one day demand compensation for the gifts bestowed...typically ones where they eat one of his toes, or use his body hair to craft robes for their children."

A giggle as melodious as it was childishly sadistic left her lips, musing, "Inbetween the conversations, joking and foraging that was necessary during marches or rides they were always quite the unique and memorable set of affairs…"

"I'll say."

A frown marred Harris' features, tone contemplative as he asked, "It feels strange, to have so many years and realities separating us and yet here we are."

"Oh my, are you becoming an old man on the mountain type, pondering the greater mysteries and vagaries of life~?"

"I don't think I'd make the cut, I'm not that smart. And I was never able to properly grow a full-length beard, so that's a double whammy. No brains and no Gandalf beard."

Merlin chuckled at his words, the duo continuing to swap stories and memories until, after about an hour of walking through temperate weather and pleasant fields that several centuries later would be thriving fruit plantations, they came into view of their target.

Sprawling tents and other such bits of shelter, a few fires here and there while armed and lightly armored footmen patrolled or kept watch over the borders...and if one looked with a sharp enough eye, a few concealed and cloaked figures high up in the sky, surveying the surrounding territory while remaining aloft upon wings of pure white and gold.

"Well, this looks like the spot. Might as well go and introduce ourselves."

Striding forward at a more urgent pace the pair were quickly stopped by a pair of sentires, the rough and sun-kissed men ordering, "Halt! Where do you hail from, strangers?"

Electing to skip the formalities Harris simply replied - very clearly and very loudly - "We're here to speak with the Angel's charged with King Charlemagne's safety, we have news of a new contingent of Devils under the command of Shalba Beelzebub taking to the field."

Both sentries - likely farmers who had merely been conscripted into this battle - blinked in confusion, utterly lost as to the meaning of that statement. That was fine though, it wasn't them Harris had been speaking to.

"Merlin? Be a dear, would you?"

One wordless bout of hypnotization later a pair of guards tumbled into the man's waiting grasp, snoozing comfortably as he lowered them to the ground-

-and found himself facing down a trio of golden armored figures, spears of burning sunlight poised to run him through as they descended from on high at blistering speeds, a fourth examining the men Harris' partner had sent off to dreamland.

"They're merely asleep, no foul magics present."

The fourth Angel's report minutely relaxed the other three, one of them - sporting six wings and a stern voice - slightly removing his spear from Harris' throat while asking, "You speak of curious events, despite seeming to be naught but simple Humans."

Neither Harris nor Merlin immediately responded, the male blinking at the startlingly familiar and entirely unexpected face that stared back at them with a fair amount of suspicion.

"Oh hoh, well isn't this quite the pleasant surprise~! It seems we live in a rather small world, do we not?"

Merlin's amused words coincided with her partner rising to his feet and crossing his arms - heedless of the way the Angel's kept their weaponry close to his flesh - before arching an eyebrow, meeting the bewildered gaze of a female Angel with four wings as he archly inquired, "Really, Telenia? We go to all the trouble of pulling you out of Gastofield and instead of a few weeks of rest we find you here on guard duty barely a few days in? I feel like our work is being unappreciated here."

The woman's jaw dropped as the duo discarded their doppelgangers, revealing their natural features as the Angel blurted out, "H-Harris, Merlin?! How are you...what?"

Chuckling at the seemingly composed woman's stammering tone as her fellows shifted uneasily at their comrade's shock Harris continued on, remarking, "Oh well, if you feel up to it then I suppose you feel up to it, don't let me tell you what to do. Now!"

Clapping his hands and grinning broadly the male shapeshifter asked, "How do you feel about turning aforementioned Shalba Beelzebub into a freshly cooling corpse and making the big bad Satan himself out to be a fool?"