Chapter 8: Opening Act (8)

"Seriously though, should you even be here? I can't imagine your time spent in Gastofield was conducive to your overall health."

Telenia - having recovered from her shock of seeing the pair of them so soon - offered a slight smile, responding, "Under ordinary circumstances you would be correct but the war rages nonetheless and we need every able-bodied warrior available across all theaters of conflict. I was granted audience with Lady Gabriel and after a day spent in her company and healing presence I was ready to recover through the most efficient means possible...action."

Shrugging in acceptance of the decision Harris didn't dispute her choice, Merlin nostalgically commenting, "A valid manner of coping and revitalization, few things can be more draining than merely sitting and waiting."

Looping an arm around the woman's waist as she no doubt recalled her uncountable years spent in the tower of Avalon the male added, "So I assume we're being granted audience with Charlemagne himself and not taken out to some shallow graves?"

Telenia shook her head, smiling slightly as she remarked, "No, after everything you did for me and those trapped within Gastofield you have earned some measure of trust. And I will freely confess to being highly curious as to what befell the two of you after we departed."

"All in good time, Telenia. If nothing else I promise it'll be quite the intriguing tale."

The Angel shook her head in bemusement, Merlin teasing him with, "Such bold words, do you believe our sordid little story will intrigue those of Heaven and the Human king who commands their loyalty~?"

"Weren't you there for it?"

Innocent whistling left the Magus of Flowers as Harris rolled his eyes, Telenia leading them deeper into the encampment as the shapeshifter eyed the passing formations and troops with a curious air.

Cooking fires, piecemeal armor and simple weapons, all the hallmark of the run of the mill troops while the occasional knight or time-specific equivalent strode by, sporting more impressive and maintained weapons and armor but if there was one thing they all shared in common it was that they had good morale, going about duties with a calm and efficient air while the ones relaxing or chatting were easygoing and well rested.

"They're confident in their commander and their mission, that they'll inevitably emerge victorious."

Harris allowed himself a small smirk.

"I wonder if they'll keep their cool once this sordid little affair plays to its conclusion?"

Keeping those thoughts to himself Harris followed Telenia to an ornate and well-guarded pavilion, a pair of steely-eyed Humans - no doubt members of Charlemagne's famed scara - and Angels each watching them approach and only waving them through after a moment of careful observation.

"Alright, time to bullshit like an incontinent ox."

Inside was quite the significant gathering of power and influence. A few finely dressed Humans, Angels of six wings or higher while in the center of the tent, seated on a comfortable but plain chair and surrounded by simple but effective rugs was none other than the Christian King himself, Charlemagne.

The man was much like history had described him, with a heavy build and rounded head although this was the king in his relative prime, eyes possessing a flinty and educated brilliance to them as well as cunning, sizing up both he and Merlin from his seat as if they were some kind of unknown hunting dog. Potentially useful but the offered hand wouldn't approach until it was safe to do so.

For a time both Merlin and Harris stood before the man, each scrutinizing the other as the rest of the room stood at attention, the Angels poised to intervene while still retaining a distance that could be construed as tentative trust.

"Telenia speaks highly of you, that you saved one of the faithful from the clutches of the Devils. Several heathens as well but that can be excused as an understandable mercy, considering the effort expended to salvage their lives in the first place."

Charlemagne's voice was loud and forceful without being irritating, the cadence of one who practiced reading aloud and enjoyed doing so.

"And you now bring promises of ending the life of the spawn of one of the Satan's accursed loins?"

A confident smile split the king's lips.

"You have piqued a great deal of interest among our camp, stranger."

Inclining his head alongside Merlin in respect as they played the part Harris replied, "Our thanks for granting this audience, King Charlemagne. Just in case it wasn't relayed I am Harris Xavier and this is the Magus of Flowers, Merlin."

Inwardly smirking at the brief stiffening of some of those in the know at his companion's reveal Charlemagne merely stroked his bearded chin, idly commenting, "I was under the impression that King Arthur's famed magician was a man, not a lovely flower such as she?"

Offering a brilliant smile Merlin teased, "I found my previous equipment...unsuited to current circumstances. After all, my beloved would much prefer lovely petals that blossom wide rather than an unyielding stem, now wouldn't he~?"

Most seemed to catch onto the innuendo and implications, some of the Angels frowning in disapproval while the Humans rolled their eyes, Charlemagne settling for a snort while grumbling, "More strange magics of the Fae, I imagine...no matter, you are here for a different reason."

The king slapped his thigh.

"To business! You say you have a means to end the life of a heathen demon? Is there reason for this confidence?"

Smirking cruelly Harris replied, "Of course there is. I'm their leader and my word is law...after all, I was given control of them by Beelzebub himself."

There was a visceral reaction from the assembled group at that admission, Telenia grimly commenting, "So that is what occurred after we departed? You stayed to speak with the Satan?"

"Yup! And I have to say that guy was depressingly easy to manipulate."

Harris shrugged, explaining more to his baffled audience.

"I just spun a tale of how I wiped out Gastofield and freed everyone within to prove a point, that I was worthy of his attention and patronage and that I had information that was worth far more than my comeuppance."

He pointed directly to Charlemagne, grinning ear-to-ear as he said, "After all, I promised the fool that I would personally see to the end of King Charlemagne by ambushing him when he went to dispense justice to the Saxons who were rebelling once more, making use of my newly gained trust with the Angels to get close."

The reaction was immediate and instinctive, spears of light pointed his way while the humans had drawn their swords and were staring at the pair with unadulterated suspicion...and through it all Charlemagne merely raised an eyebrow, pointing out, "If you are an assassin then you have proven to be remarkably bad at your job."

"I know, right? Makes you wonder why everyone is so jumpy."

Harris and Merlin's amused looks at the variety of weapons pointed their way seemed to quell some of the aggression, Charlemagne also gesturing for all of them to take it easy as any and all blades were dispelled...albeit a few of the Angels closed ranks to the Human king, just to be safe.

Aforementioned king seemed highly amused by Harris' actions, stating, "It is not everyday you come across a man that so freely reneged on a deal with the literal Devil. What do you hope to gain by doing so, in garnering the ire of such a powerful figure?"

"Well quite frankly I thought he was a sadistic asshole that could do with a little bit of a reality check."

Harris pointed a finger Telenia's direction, saying, "I saw what he and his were doing and I don't stand for that kind of shit if I don't have to."

Charlemagne leaned back in his chair, humming in thought before stating, "Well if you have thought this far ahead and are taking such bold action then surely you have a plan in mind to proceed with, yes?"

"Oh but naturally."

Calmly striding towards a map placed atop a standing desk in the corner of a tent and locating their current position he explained, "It's a tricky one that would rely on close timing but it's nonetheless the best option for overwhelming success. I currently hold complete authority over the thirty Devils Beelzebub gave to me but that's only a small fraction of the currently assembled forces. The larger force is under Zeoticus Gremory's command and I don't as of this moment have a way to deal with that...but that's not all that big of a hurdle, in all honesty."

One of the Angels frowned, commenting, "Then how are we to have such confidence in a plan where most forces will be acting outside of our expectations?"

"Well obviously I'm going to visit Gremory next and tell him that I have all of you eating out of the palm of my hand."

At the suspicious looks sent his way Harris grinned, stating, "It's not that complicated. In fact I daresay it's simple."

He tapped the map where the Devils were all located, informing his audience with, "Shalba thinks that Gremory - and by extent Lucifer, who he serves - are weaklings that haven't been able to achieve anything and that this is an excellent chance to gain yet another one-up over him. And as for Gremory?"

He smirked.

"I'll go to him right after this and say that I want to cast in my lot with a larger force, one more powerful and offer up a way to embarrass his direct competition."

Charlemagne frowned in thought, no doubt beginning to see where this was going.

"I'll lead Beelzebub and his thirty towards where I'll tell them you're going to be moving with the intention of forming an ambush...except Gremory will move in and crush them, taking their position for their own in the hopes of carrying out the assault as planned. Except you'll have moved earlier than I told Gremory you were going to and will ambush the ambushers."

He clapped his hands, grinning while announcing, "Beelzebub and his cronies will be dead, Gremory and his forces will be routed and you'll have emerged victorious with quite a number of casualties to parade about."

There was a general stir around the interior of the tent, whispers being traded and opinions formulated until Charlemagne raised a hand, calling for quiet as he met Harris' gaze directly.

"Indeed, it is quite the bold and lucrative scheme...but it relies upon you telling the truth, that all of these conditions will come to pass. Such a list of variables means there are that many more ways for fortune to turn against us."

A bark of laughter left Harris, the man appearing supremely unconcerned with Charlemagne's concerns.

"You think I'm lying? After my actions at Gastofield, after I tweaked the nose of one of the most dangerous beings alive just to rescue a few dozen lives? And come now, you don't think I can deliver?"

He spread his arms wide, lips peeling back from his teeth and eyes alight with a sadistic kind of glee.

"I duped a Satan into doing exactly what I wished with him none the wiser, you think convincing Gremory and the man's spawn will be difficult?"

A tense silence ensured, Charlemagne and Harris staring the other down in a silent battle of wills that had the peanut gallery carefully watching the pair for any signs of who was going to break first, to display the slightest signs of weakness-

-and the Human king laughed, slapping his knee and announcing, "You have a deal, Harris Xavier!"

Turning to the room at large the man roared, "Soon we shall strike down the heathen Devils and put to death the Saxon non-believers that denounce our faith! They will convert or they will die, punishment for the sin of allowing their king to escape once more!"

Most of the Humans and around half the Angels pounded their closed fists on whatever solid surface was at hand or shouted in approval...but Harris noted with interest that Telenia and a decent faction of the winged Supernatural didn't seem particularly enthused at Charlemagne's proclamation, or at least at the part of 'conversion or death'.

Harris merely inwardly smirked, watching the proceedings with the knowledge that, at the end of the day, he was going to be the one laughing.

Sometimes it was almost too easy to sell people on what they wanted to hear.

"We being followed?"

"Naturally. Rest assured, they have been dealt with as of...now."

A flick of Merlin's finger and a low-powered but perfectly functional bolt of pink mana shot towards a distant location Harris couldn't discern, the Magus of Flowers smiling in satisfaction.

"Observation spell eliminated. Whoops, it seems I sneezed and accidentally destroyed something~!"

Shaking his head at her reaction - and not particularly caring that the Angels might be miffed at his refusal to be spied upon, that was their problem and he wasn't about to go waltzing into Greory's camp with Heavenly eyes upon him - the duo continued on their walk back towards Charles' location, time flying by until they spotted a small, fluttering bat out and about despite the odd time of day.

"Y-you're both okay!"

The Vampire youth ran out of his concealed position, Merlin meeting his enthusiasm with a playful hug as Harris watched the scene with a fair amount of amusement, Charles obviously not expecting the warm response as he blushed up a storm, the shapeshifter commenting, "You missed us that much, kid?"

"Er, well...a little bit?"

Smirking at his admission Charles quickly moved the conversation along by asking, "So how did it go? Did you succeed at what you wanted to do?"

"Of course, want to hear how it went?"

At the Vampire's enthusiastic nod Harris regaled him with their plan thus far, as well as the Angel's part to play in it all. By the end of the tale Charles was frowning, asking, "How are you going to get the Devils to fight one another? I understand that they don't like each other but in the face of a common enemy they'll band together more than they'll continue their infighting."

"A completely valid point and one that I've accounted for."

Merlin smiled from where she watched the pair interact, Harris smirking as he raised a finger, posing, "How about instead of me just giving you the answer you try to figure things out beforehand? We can make this a learning experience."

The Vampire seemed quite enthusiastic at the prospect, fervently nodding as the taller male commented, "Very well, then how would you go about accounting for this little snag in the plan?"

The Vampire fell silent, chin dropping into his hand as his crimson eyes narrowed in thought, mind working a mile a minute.

"You...actually, you could kind of do what you already did with King Charlemagne and Heaven. They were already going to attack the Saxons and engage the Devils, you just made it so they'll attack when you want them to."

"Go on."

Getting more animated at Harris' encouragement the youth's eyes begin to flick back-and-forth in their sockets, mind racing as he mumbled, "Zeoticus Gremory and Shalba Beelzebub don't like each other, maybe inflame tensions? No, tensions are already bad it wouldn't do much to make them dislike each other even more...engineer a situation where they have to fight, but what are the circumstances?"

Speaking more to himself than he was to either Merlin or Harris the Magus of Flowers nonetheless purred, "Think of an advantage that we have that the Devils, Angels and Humans do not, a specific talent that affords us an advantage they know nothing of and have no access to."

Giving the question some serious and borderline obsessive thought the Vampire suddenly perked, no doubt coming to the conclusion they had.

"They're not speaking to each other! There's no communication being passed around and no one is checking the facts with another, if something is said to one faction it can't be verified by another!"

Harris grinned, ruffling the Vampire's hair as he blushed at the action as the taller male confirmed, "Exactly. The Devils hate each other, the Angels and Humans are of one mind and certainly aren't going to chat it out with them and all of the other neutral observers aren't going to make a move when they don't have any chance of convincing someone of consequence things are amiss."

A cocky smirk appeared on Xavier's lips.

"I'm in the unique position that I can speak to all of the players involved and thanks to my actions at Gastofield and status as a relative unknown they'll believe what I say. Because what I say makes sense and they don't have any real way of confirming its validity."

Charles hung on Harris' every word, ruby eyes wide as he attentively listened as the male finished with, "And now, when I go to speak with Gremory and put the finishing touches on this scheme he's going to be left dancing in the palm of my hand just like everyone else. My reputation as a man of mystery who's either a glory-seeking hound or chaste samaritan isn't going to last forever and best to make use of it now, wringing all the credibility and opened doors out of it while the iron is hot."

The Vampire furrowed his brow, asking, "You mean you aren't going to hold onto that credibility?"

"Nope. In a war that spans several realms the novelty of a guy who came out of nowhere and wiped out a garrison, set a bunch of prisoners free and then went on his merry way is only going to last so long. Even if he is in the company of a rather notorious historical figure…"

Merlin playfully bit his neck, Charles slowly nodding as the pair rose to their feet, Harris remarking, "And on that note we need to get going, schedule to keep and all that. Need anything before we head out?"

The Vampire shuffled a bit awkwardly, hesitantly asking, "M-may I have some of your blood? If you're going to be gone for a number of hours and I'm keeping my familiars busy, well…"

Chuckling at the boy's timid request Harris pulled aside his shirt's collar without comment, exposing his neck and the pulsing veins beneath as Charles moved forward as if in a trance, pearly fangs glinting in the shade of the grove as he bit down, Harris rolling his eyes at Merlin's rather suggestive motion with a few of her fingers, namely that of thrusting her pointer into a particular hole.

"...Should we let him keep the deception going? Eh, probably. I'm sure he's got his reasons."

Eventually the Vampire leant back, ruby tongue tracing his lips and moaning in satisfaction, mumbling, "How does your blood continue to grow all the more addictive?"

"Probably something to do with the gradually increasing amounts of power my sponsor gifts upon achieving increasingly difficult tasks."

Shrugging dismissively Harris regained his feet, motioning for Merlin to follow in his wake as he stated, "All right, we're off then. Same deal as last time, although we might be a bit later this round...Gremory hasn't interacted with us yet and may take a little bit more convincing."

"Okay...be safe and good luck."

Once more departing Harris rubbed the tender puncture wounds on his neck, Merlin humming and skipping alongside him with a cheerful air as almost twenty minutes of walking passed.

"Master?"

"Hmm?"

"You are aware that - bravado aside - luck is going to be the deciding factor in whether this scheme works, correct?"

"Naturally. But that's true for every facet of life, no one walks outside and expects to get pancaked by a rock from outer space or struck by lightning, but it happens nonetheless. Lady luck is a wild and feisty broad, you'll have better luck getting her to look your way if you wrestle the bitch to the ground."

He chuckled, lips curling in a self-assured smirk.

"It worked for quite the number of years previously."