Introduction

This story is inspired by the myth of King Arthur, and the Knights of the Round Table

This story is inspired by elements of the XCOM games by Firaxis

This story may contain material, themes, and characters some may find disturbing

Please note that content within this story does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the authors or those who have assisted in its creation

Please note that reviews may contain spoilers

This story takes place in established universe of Xabiar's XCOM Trilogy (Also known as the Xabiarverse or XV)

Principal Authors: HailToTheKing | Onyx Stark (Arisentactica) | Mooloor

Secondary Authors: Xabiar | OfficialWeedTesterGuy (Cran) | Zillian

Dramatis Personae

[Please note that not all characters are listed)

Arthur Pendragon | Heir to the Dragon's Blood

Mordred Pendragon | Brother of Arthur

Morgana Pendragon | Sister of Arthur

Uther Pendragon | Father of the Village Church

Merlin | Exile of Felgrad's Court

Reece Felgrad | Member of the Royal House of Felgrad

Felgrad | King of the Realm

Xabiar's Note: While this story may have come as a surprise to some, it has been in the works for quite a long time, born out of an off-hand suggestion by one of my editors that a few of them took, ran with, and turned into something really impressive. There are going to be a lot of interesting things that happen, and while, yes, this will tie into the main series, this is also a creative and unique spin on the myth we are all familiar with.

This is unique in the various spin-offs that have been done, in that there are multiple authors writing it. While I probably will be involved with a scene or two, this will primarily be written by the listed main authors, and I'm looking forward to people reading and enjoying this. It's going to be quite a ride.

- Xabiar

Mooloor's Note: As Xabiar said, this was born out of an offhand comment someone made...around a year ago, at this point, I think. It started out as a (bad) single chapter that I wrote just for shits and giggles, and has been through around 3 partial or total rewrites at this point, becoming (in my opinion) one of the most exciting and gripping pieces of work in the XV, and definitely one of my favorite to help outline. It's also been a lot of fun realising that the 6th century AD (when Arthur was supposed to have lived) was definitely not what you'd expect from the stereotypical medieval setting, as things like castles and plate armor hadn't even been invented yet.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it, even if I was certainly not as involved in the creation process as HailToTheKing and Onyx, and I look forward to hearing about the Deep Thonks everyone comes up with.

- Mooloor

Cran's Note: Like Mooloor said, this started off as an offhand comment in a conversation between me and bloodsplatBOOM that basically went- 'Hey, what if King Arthur and Excalibur were somehow connected to the Advent Directive?' And here we are. I'm extremely pleased with how it's turned out, and I hope you all enjoy it. I never imagined that comment would become this, but I'm more than happy that it is.

-Cran

Zillian's Note: While I am not one of the authors of this story, my Chronicle story would not have been brought to life without the additions of the principal authors of Worth Fighting For. It was King's suggestion that I should tie his story into my own and I am very happy with the result and I look forward to how his Arthurian myth will unfold.

-Zillian

King's Note: All stories are principally the same story, they all hold the same elements, and they all hold the same storytelling techniques. What separates them is what they're trying to say, or, perhaps, what underlying ideas are peeking out from under the dramatic curtain.

Those ideas are what give a story heart, and even if soul. The idea at the heart of this story? Well, figuring that out is part of the fun.

As with all sincerity, I thank my lovely wife, who helps in my art. I thank the friends of the Editing and Contributor team, who are all lovely and dignified people.

I thank Thuzan for having an irregular capacity to engineer methods of destroying things.

I thank Ashard for his knowledge and insight as a learned man.

I thank Blood for being a lovely waifu.

I thank Moolor for his intellect and sanguine nature.

I thank Cran for being a delightful person, and for his talent.

I thank Onyx for his aid, skill, and help in planning.

Thank you all, and may you all be blessed.

-HailToTheKing

Onyx's Note: Hello and welcome to Worth Fighting For! This story is, as the first three notes said, the penultimate evolution of a comment that Cran and bloodsplatBOOM made. I couldn't be more pleased with how it's turned out.

You know, when this idea came swirling around, I couldn't help but be drawn in. Maybe it was because of that horrible first draft of a scene Mooloor did (which has since been incorporated into the story), or maybe it was because I've always wanted to hammer down just what happened with King Arthur and his story. Either way, this has been a work of sweat, tears (of laughter and some of sorrow, I'm not ashamed to admit), and some blood loss to my head from thinking about this and how everything would change. If it weren't for King stepping in, after me blaming him for everything a few times, this story would never be what it is now.

This has been a labor of love for all of us in appreciation of the wonderful world Xabiar came up with, and I couldn't be more honored that I've been given the opportunity to be able to help expand on what he, his team, Areleh, Cran, and Zillian have done for this universe. I can't wait for the Thonkhounds (looking at you, Gemini, DSB, and Kinnix and don't give me those innocent looks either!) to sink their teeth into this story and make their guesses of what's going on behind the scenes. It will be vastly amusing to watch them get things wrong.

However, there is one last thing that I need to address, and that is the notes above. It warms my heart to see that my work has moved Mooloor to view this as the best of the XV, that Cran can't wait to see this go forward, that Zillian decided (on King's recommendation) to link this story with the Chronicle before WFF was even in shape to be published, and that Xab himself helped (and will continue helping…probably) with a scene or two and the final revision process. Thanks to all of them for helping this along, and thanks to King for pitching in with the cover art, his kind words about my non-existent skills as an author, and becoming the co-author he has. I hope you all enjoy this story. It's been a long time coming, and I'm glad that it's come to this point.

Now, I've kept you long enough. Sit back, get ready, and enjoy the Xabiarverse's take on the Legend of King Arthur!

- Onyx