Knight of the Duchess

Hello everyone and welcome to the newest 'IF' story! This time we'll be asking the question 'what if Ulric joined Crusch Karnstein's camp?' Though before we get too far, I should let you all know that this story is gonna be a multi-parter with this chapter serving as the introduction chapter. I can't say how many parts the story will have just yet, but it's definitely gonna have one more after this one. So, with no guest review questions for this week, let's dive on in to this introductory chapter!

The City of Lugnica: The Streets of the Market District

You all know the story of Ulric the Crusader, how he appeared one day in the middle of the city of Lugnica and ran into a half-elf girl named Emilia and her spirit, Puck. And you probably also know how he was brought to her mansion where he fell in love with a beautiful blue-haired Oni named Rem and faced many trials and tribulations before being named the knight of Lady Emilia and her camp. Of course if you know all of that, then you also know of the curse that was cast upon Ulric, the ability to return from death by reversing time. But what you may not know, is just how easily it could've been different.

With the changing of just one or two different events, a whole different story is woven. We'll start again as the original story started, with our Crusader having just appeared at the fountain with no idea where he is or why he's no longer injured. But this time, instead of going forward, he chooses another path further on the right side of the fountain. 'This world seems like one of the many fairytales my parents used to tell me,' he thought as he looked around at the many people going to and fro.

He'd been surprised and wary of the more animalistic people, especially the ones who looked more like bipedal animals as opposed to people. But no one else seemed to mind them, so Ulric tried to take the same approach and kept on walking. He was passing through what seemed to be a type of marketplace with many goods that he recognized and several that he didn't. 'Let's try and figure this out,' he thought, 'this is clearly a kingdom but it doesn't look like any kingdom I've ever seen and it most definitely isn't in the holy land, given the environment.'

And like many kingdoms, it seemed to be laid out in a pattern of succession with the castle closer to the center and the further out the buildings were from it, the less well-kept they were. 'I could report to the castle itself,' he thought with a hand to his chin, 'but given that I don't know this kingdom's affiliations I could just as easily be walking to a death sentence. So what would the best way to get my bearings while also learning about the new location I'm in?' The solution came to him in short order once he realized all that was needed was a simple item: a map.

'Of course,' he thought as he started towards more of the stalls that seemed to be selling parchments and scrolls of sorts. 'If I can find a map then I can determine my location and possibly ask questions without drawing any unnecessary attention.' There was just one minor issue: the stalls were numerous and he had no idea where to begin looking for a map. So, deciding he had no other option, Ulric asked the first well-educated looking person he could find: A bearded old man with white hair wearing a strange type of black clothing with a white undershirt that was clearly made from some type of fine fabric.

"Excuse me good sir," he said, "I've recently arrived here from a great distance and have found that I'm in need of a map."

"A map, you say," replied the old man as he turned to him, "and just where might you be from? Given the unfamiliar coat of arms you're wearing and the sword on your hip, are you a Vollachian?"

"I'm not familiar with such a place," said Ulric, "tell me, do the names 'Jerusalem' or 'Europe' mean anything to you?"

"Jerusalem, Europe," repeated the old man as he put his hand to his chin, "no, I cannot say I am familiar with such places, and I've scoured much of the land beyond Lugnica. Though I must ask, are they warlike places?"

"My village in Europe joined with a country known as Great Britain in the great Crusade to take back the holy land of Jerusalem," answered Ulric, "so you could say Jerusalem is a place currently filled with battles day in and day out. It was a conflict we hoped to eventually end by forcing our enemies into submission."

"That most certainly explains your eyes," said the man, "you've faced death before, on many occasions."

"I was taught that it was an honor for a knight to put their life on the line for the people and for the Lord God Almighty," said Ulric, "though it was a wearying experience. Now I've found myself here in this unfamiliar place."

"It seems fate needed you elsewhere, by the looks of it," said the old man, "perhaps an introduction is in order. I am Wilhelm Van Astrea, a servant of her ladyship the Duchess Crusch Karnstein."

"And I am Sir Ulric," he said with a slight bow, "a knight and Crusader sworn to protect the holy land of Jerusalem."

"And perhaps you could tell me about it some time," said Wilhelm, signaling for Ulric to follow him, "but for now it seems you were not speaking falsely. A map would aid you greatly in finding your way around the city."

"I should tell you now," said Ulric, "I don't know if the currency I have matches that of the currency from this land. I might not be able to purchase the map."

"Worry not," said Wilhelm, "her ladyship allocated me more than enough funds to purchase the items I was sent for. I don't believe she'll raise any objections if I happen to use the slightest bit more for a simple map."

"Thou art kind," said Ulric, "might there be anything I could do to repay you?"

"As I said, you needn't worry," said Wilhelm, "I've helped many fellow knights over the years and-." He was interrupted by the sound of yelling then.

"STOP! STOP THIEF!" Yelled a young female voice as the two men turned their heads in the direction of the commotion. There, barreling towards them was a young blond girl with short hair and a red scarf wrapped around her neck. She also wore a brown vest with black pants on, but what really had their attention was the mystery item she seemed to have clenched in her gloved hand. Acting instinctively, Ulric moved in front of the fleeing girl, ready to seize her once she got close.

But the thief was incredibly nimble and leapt to the side, landing on one of the stalls before attempting to scale some nearby crates. But halfway up, she was stopped by a sudden grip on her arm as Wilhelm seemed to appear from nowhere and pulled her back down. He dropped back to the ground with no indication that the landing on hard stone hurt his feet and he seemed to have no trouble at all holding the blond thief off the ground by her arm as she flailed wildly in an attempt to escape. "I would advise against struggling," said Wilhelm, "I'd rather not bring harm to a young lady if it can be avoided."

"Worry about yourself old man!" Exclaimed the thief before drawing a dagger from a sheath on the back of her waist. But she never got the chance to use it as Ulric seized her wrist before yanking the knife out of her grasp.

"While that was hardly necessary, you still have my thanks," said Wilhelm with a nod.

"It's the least I can do," replied Ulric as the apparent victim of the theft came running up to the both of them and stopped. Ulric was more than a little surprised by her pointed ears and long white hair that fell down to her waist and her white and purple attire with robe-like sleeves was also a bit foreign to him. But the knight quickly noted that Wilhelm didn't seem to find it strange at all and decided to follow his lead to avoid potentially being rude.

"Thank you both," she said after taking a moment to breath, "I was afraid she'd been about to get away."

"It was nothing," answered Wilhelm, though Ulric now noted his manner was a bit stiffer than before after he took in her appearance, "now then, little one, why not show us the item you've attempted to remove from this young lady's possession."

"My name is Felt, old-timer," she grunted while beating on Wilhelm's arm in a futile attempt to break his grip, "and I didn't steal anything!"

"Then what might this be-," Wilhelm's eyes widened slightly upon seeing that it was a little black dragon-shaped trinket with a red jewel in the center. Strangely, it seemed to glow until the older gentleman removed it from the girl's hand. "Tell me young lady, do you know what this is?"

"It's valuable and that's all I need to know," replied Felt, "a girls got to eat, ya know."

"If you wanted a meal then all you needed to do was ask," said the white-haired girl, "I would've gladly paid for one after securing some more funds from Ram."

"Unless she has enough to get me out of the slums, forget it," said Felt, "now look, I'm sorry I stole that little trinket of yours. I didn't realize how important it was to you and I promise I won't try stealing it again, so could you find it in your heart to forgive me and let me go?"

"Well," said the White-haired girl with a finger to her chin, "no one got hurt in the end and you now know how important this is, so as long as you don't try it again then I don't see any reason to turn you into the guards."

"I'm afraid I must object to that," said Wilhelm as he lowered Felt to the ground but kept his grip on her wrist, "this girl has something else she must answer for and therefore I cannot release her just yet."

"But Wilhelm," said Ulric, "this lady here just said she forgave her. There shouldn't be any other issues with letting her go."

"Actually," corrected the old gentleman, "there are some questions I feel she needs to answer. If I'm right, she just might get the better life she's been wanting." Ulric raised an eyebrow at this while Felt gave him a very confused look.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, "You're not making any sense! Just let me go!"

"If you insist," said Wilhelm with a sigh before quickly hitting Felt on the side of the neck with a chop strike, knocking her out cold. Ulric's sword was out in a moment while the silver-haired girl held her hand up with a strange light radiating from it. The Crusader planned to question what in the world that was after they were done with this. "Now there's no need for that, I have no intention of harming her."

"You'll forgive me if I err on the side of caution in this instance," said Ulric while keeping his stance.

"It would help if you tell us what sort of questions you have for her," said the white-haired girl, "and more specifically why you can't ask them here?" Wilhelm sighed once again before answering.

"To be honest, I only have a theory," he explained, "but one thing that is a fact, the stone was glowing when she held the insignia in her hand." The girl's eyes widened as a look of realization crossed her features.

"I…..see," she said, averting her gaze for a moment before looking back up with determination in her eyes, "very well then, if what you say is true then she does need to be taken to the guards. However, I still don't trust you alone with her."

"Worry not," said Ulric as he lowered his sword but didn't sheath it, "I can accompany him and make sure he doesn't harm her. If you would, Wilhelm, please hand her over." The older man nodded before handing the girl to the Crusader who held her bridal style after putting away his weapon.

"Also," said the girl as she looked at Ulric, "did you just say his name was 'Wilhelm'?"

"Oh of course," said the old gentleman with a laugh, "in all the excitement I never introduced myself properly nor have either of you had the chance either." He gave a bow then. "I am Wilhelm Van Astrea, and this wandering Knight here is Sir Ulric. Pleased to make your acquaintance Lady-."

"Emilia," she said with a polite bow of her own, "my name is Emilia. And I'd also like to apologize for being suspicious of you. Had I known you were Wilhelm Van Astrea from the start, I wouldn't have doubted your motivations."

"Think nothing of it," said Wilhelm with a small smile and a dismissive wave, "I did not realize until now that we weren't properly introduced to one another. But as you said earlier, no one got hurt."

"So the name Van Astrea is associated with chivalry, I take it," asked Ulric, feeling a little lost at the moment.

"It is," said Emilia as she turned to the Knight, "the greatest knight in all the land of Lugnica is Reinhard Van Astrea. Many powerful and skilled sword-wielders have come before him from his family."

"And speaking of," said Wilhelm, "it occurs to me that I should be going. The Duchess very much prefers that her attendants be punctual and it will take a moment to drop this one off with the guards."

"Of course," said Emilia with yet another bow, "and you both have my gratitude for the safe return of my insignia. Should you ever need anything in the future, contact me or my benefactor, Lord Roswaal L. Mathers, and we will do everything in our power to grant it to you."

"While I doubt that will be necessary, I do thank you for your generosity," said Ulric as he and Wilhelm bowed, "do take care of your belongings from now on, Lady Emilia."

"And safe travels to the both of you as well," said Emilia, "please see to it that Miss Felt is well taken care of."

"You have our word," assured Wilhelm. Shortly after that, they parted ways and headed closer to the center of the city where the castle was located. Thanks to Felt's very light frame, she wasn't much trouble for the five foot eight Knight to carry for several minutes until finally arriving at a guard's station.

"Oh, Sir Wilhelm," said one of the guards upon realizing who he was, "is there something we can do for you?"

"There is," affirmed the old sword master as he indicated Felt, "I would like you to take this girl, Felt, to Reinhard. Tell him to test her with the insignia. He won't be disappointed."

"If you say so sir," replied the guard with a nod before accepting the still unconscious Felt from Ulric and proceeding back towards the guard station. The Crusader watched them leave until the blond-haired girl was out of sight before finally turning to Wilhelm.

"What is it that makes that insignia so important to everyone?" Questioned Ulric, "is it some type of royal seal?"

"You're not far off," said Wilhelm, "that is a royal insignia, it denotes one who is capable of forming a contract with the dragon."

"Dragon?" Repeated Ulric with a raised eyebrow, "is that how you refer to the king around here?"

"You…don't know about the dragon?" Said Wilhelm as a look of surprise crossed his features.

"The only dragons I know of are ones from fairy tales that my mother would tell me when I was much younger," said Ulric, "to my understanding, they weren't actually real."

"Well I assure you, the great dragon of Lugnica is very real," said Wilhelm, "and one of the main reasons this kingdom hasn't fallen to ruin over the centuries. In fact, many refer to this kingdom as the Dragon Kingdom of Lugnica."

"Intriguing," said Ulric with a hand to his chin, "it's strange that I've never heard word of such a kingdom as this."

"Indeed," said Wilhelm, "this 'Europe' or 'Jerusalem' you hail from must be quite a distance. How was it that you travelled here?"

"I'm afraid I can't say," replied Ulric, "the last thing I remember is plunging my blade into an enemy commander and using the last of my strength to throw us both off of the wall. When I woke up next, I was here."

"Now that, I find intriguing," said Wilhelm as he stroked his beard, "and for you to show up at a time like this. Hmm, I wonder."

"Do you have a theory on how I may have arrived here?" Questioned Ulric as he noted the older man's thoughtful look.

"Naturally some sort of magic was involved," said Wilhelm, "but first I'd like to confirm something. You said you recently arrived here, so I take that to mean you haven't found a place to stay?"

"I have not," affirmed Ulric, "and I wouldn't know where to begin looking either. Though if you know of a place, I'd be very grateful to hear about it."

"Why not come with me to meet her ladyship," said Wilhelm, "I think she'll want to hear your story."

"I don't want to impose," said Ulric, "finding a place to stay shouldn't be too terribly difficult."

"Oh nonsense young knight," said Wilhelm as he beckoned the Crusader to follow him, "we have more than a couple of spare rooms. And besides, her ladyship has been looking for an extra hand or two recently."

"Well," said Ulric as he thought over his situation, "I suppose it couldn't hurt to at least have one option open for possible employment. At least until I find out where I am in relation to the holy land."

"You'll have to explain to me later why it is you keep referring to it as the 'Holy Land'," said Wilhelm, "In the meantime, I suppose I should tell you what her ladyship is like." The Knight nodded as the old swordsman went into detail about his mistress.

Not Long After: The Mansion of Duchess Crusch Karnstein

Ulric had to admit, he was impressed with the size of the fort-like Karnstein mansion. It had more windows than he cared to count and four floors. It was also as wide as three houses, at least based on what he could see from the front. "She has done quite well for herself," noted Ulric as they passed through a large iron gate, the sole entrance in the large stone wall that surrounded the mansion.

"As I mentioned earlier," said Wilhelm as the two proceeded across the large courtyard that characterized the outside of the mansion, "the Karnstein family has built up a large amount of power and influence over time and Lady Crusch has continued to maintain that status quo and then some. They are even good friends to the royal family, or at least they were."

"Did they have a falling out?" Questioned Ulric with a glance to the swordsman.

"No, far from it," said Wilhelm, "you see, not so long ago there was an incident in the palace. A strange plague suddenly swept through it, taking all the known members of the royal family at the time."

"Only the members of the royal family?" Said Ulric with a raised eyebrow, "given the way you've spoken of your mistress, I'm certain she wouldn't intentionally be associated with anyone lacking in moral character."

"If you're implying that the royal family might've been killed as divine punishment, I doubt it," said Wilhelm. "Most members of their family were noble, upstanding ladies and gentlemen. Her ladyship was especially fond of the fourth prince, Fourier Lugnica, though that is a story better told by the duchess herself."

"I see," said Ulric, "then likely many have speculated that it was the work of demons and not a natural occurrence."

"The blame could fall on many things," said Wilhelm as they entered the mansion and walked up the stairs, "I have a few theories myself on what may have occurred, but I'll have to save those for another time." The two of them stopped in front of a large wooden door that was slightly more ornate than the others. "For now, you should focus on making a good impression. Her ladyship does not get cross easily, but she takes her work quite seriously."

"Of course," said Ulric, "it would be unbecoming of a knight to be anything less than a gentleman in the presence of a lady."

"Good to see you understand," said Wilhelm as he knocked on the door to what Ulric assumed was a study.

"Is that you Wilhelm," called a feminine voice from the other side of the door.

"It is, Lady Crusch," he said, "I found the items I was looking for, and someone I believe you'll want to meet." There was a moment of silence before they received an answer.

"Bring them in," she said, "I can spare a few minutes for the time being." The Old Swordsman then proceeded to open the door and entered before beckoning Ulric into the room as well. He closed the door behind them as they approached a green-haired woman wearing a type of blue uniform Ulric wasn't familiar with. Though it gave off the air of being military to him. "And who might this be that you've brought before me, Wilhelm," she asked while making a slight adjustment to the small hat on her head.

"He says he is a knight from a far-off land," explained Wilhelm, "a land that was at war when he left. Though the story of his arrival is somewhat strange."

"Then we'd best hear it from him," said Crusch as she indicated a chair in front of the large wooden desk she'd been sitting at. Ulric took a seat as Wilhelm went to stand on Crusch's left side, resuming his duty of guarding her. "Why don't we start with your name."

"I am Sir Ulric," he replied with a slight bow, "a knight of England and Europe, and a Crusader for the Lord God Almighty."

"'Crusader'," repeated Crusch, "an interesting title. Tell me, what sort of Crusade were you on before coming here?" The Knight went through an abbreviated explanation on his time traveling to and fighting to defend Jerusalem before ending with his apparent death and sudden appearance in the land of Lugnica.

"This city of 'Jerusalem' is one I am not familiar with," said Crusch, "and my parents were very thorough when teaching me the history of Lugnica as well as the geography of the world." She reached into her desk then and pulled out a large piece of paper which she unrolled to reveal was a map of the world. She held it up for the knight to see then before asking her next question. "Do you think you could point it out here?" The Knight didn't answer at first as he studied the map, noting with a hint of surprise that it looked nothing like the maps of Europe, the Holy Land or the world that he'd seen.

"I….cannot," said Ulric finally, "this map looks like no map I have ever seen. There are one or two similarities to some land masses I've crossed before but otherwise I don't recognize a single landmark."

"I see," said Crusch as she rolled the map back up, "that is quite interesting. It seems wherever you hail from, it is beyond the known world of our current maps. Now, what if I told you this kingdom currently had no king or queen ruling over it?"

"It what?" Said Ulric with slight alarm as he leaned forward, "no king or queen? But who is ruling then?"

"The royal council is currently keeping things in order," assured Crusch, "that includes the finding of new royal candidates. Once a suitable replacement is named, they shall take over the duty of ruling the kingdom."

"I pray that such a process goes smoothly," said Ulric, "and that the new ruler is a kind and just one." Crusch would've responded to that if Wilhelm hadn't leaned down and started whispering something in her ear.

"Is that so," she said before turning back to Ulric, "Wilhelm tells me that you are unfamiliar with the great dragon."

"The dragon and this entire kingdom is unfamiliar to me," said Ulric, "it took all the control I had not to draw my sword on the people who resemble animals. Tell me, what has happened to them?"

"You mean the demi-humans?" Said Crusch, again failing to completely hide her surprise at his ignorance, "they've always been a part of this land. I'm more surprised to hear that you've never seen any before. But you needn't worry. Despite their appearance, they are people like you and I going about their daily lives."

She turned to Wilhelm then to speak her next words. "Could you go fetch Felix. Our guest would likely do well to speak to an actual demi-human for himself." The swordsman nodded before heading out of the room while Crusch turned her attention back to the Crusader. "While we wait, Wilhelm has also informed me that you appear to be unemployed at the moment."

"As said, I am a Crusader," replied Ulric, "but I know not the location of my fellow knights nor any other related forces. At the moment it is as you say: I am a soldier without a cause to fight for."

"Then perhaps you'd consider lending me your sword for the time being," said Crusch, "I am actually planning on gathering my forces and many other knights in the near future for a campaign. The insight of one who's recently fought in a war would prove most beneficial." Ulric crossed his arms as he thought the matter over. In all honesty, he was rather short on options at the moment. On the one hand, he could take his chances and try to find someone else of Crusch Karnstein's standing and hope they'd know a way to get him back to his land.

Or, he could take the opportunity being presented to him by a person who clearly wielded power and influence, along with the authority to gain access to numerous forms of information that he'd likely need to unravel the mystery of his arrival. In truth, there wasn't that much to think about at all. As he was about to answer, however, the door was almost flung open as a rather enthusiastic voice filled the room. "I'm here Lady Crusch!" Exclaimed the Newcomer, "I hear we have a guest right nya-ow!"

"Ah, there you are Felix," said Crusch with a small smile before holding her hand out to indicate the knight seated before her, "this is Sir Ulric, a curious individual that Wilhelm stumbled upon while in the market today."

"Did you nya-ow," said Felix, moving in to get a closer look at the Crusader. Ulric was able to get a good look at the newcomer's attire which was a blue sundress of sorts with a large blue bow on the back. Though what was most striking to Ulric was the pair of cat ears sitting upon Felix's head, real cat ears. That, however, was an issue that would be addressed later. Right now the Knight's main concern was how much Felix was invading his personal space, seeming to sniff him like the cat he resembled as his yellow eyes studied him closely.

"I do apologize if I smell somewhat," said Ulric, trying not to move involuntarily, "being clean on a battlefield is a challenge in and of itself."

"A battlefield," said Felix, "where in the world's the fight at because that's nya-ews to me."

"Jerusalem," answered Ulric, "though how I came to be in this kingdom, Lugnica I believe you called it, is a mystery to me."

"Well you're definitely from out of town," said Felix as he finally backed up a bit and gave the Knight some space, "and if it wasn't for that slight bit of brown in your hair I'd think you were from Vollachia."

"As I told them, I know of no such place," said Ulric, "my family hails from England, though we now reside in Europe and have been living there for a couple generations now."

"England? Europe?" Said a clearly confused Felix, "nya-ever heard of 'em. Are you sure your memory's in the right place?"

"I can tell you he isn't lying," said Crusch, "and Wilhelm can easily confirm that he's seen war. It is very likely that he was transported here via magic."

"He wouldn't be the first," said Felix with a nod, "and from what I can tell of his mana, there isn't anything physically wrong with him. Although," the demi-human moved over to whisper something in Crusch's ear.

"Are you sure," she asked, "he doesn't seem like he'd have any association with them."

"He's got the scent on him," said Felix quietly, "it might explain how he wound up here in the first place. Other than that, there's doesn't seem to be anything all that strange about his gate save for the fact that it's underdeveloped for a knight."

"Hmm," said Crusch, a thoughtful expression on her face before addressing their guest, "Sir Ulric. Tell me, what do you know of magic?"

"Admittedly very little," he replied, "what little I do know is that it often calls upon the power of demons to be wielded such as in witchcraft or the spells cast by a warlock. Though there do exist tales of wizards using magic for more benign uses." There was more he could say on the matter, but since he didn't know the temperament of his host the knight decided it best not to voice his personal opinion on the matter.

"Wow, your land doesn't really use magic at all, does it," said Felix, "demons get their magic power from the same source as the rest of us here. Though you're nya-ot wrong in saying that witches and warlocks are evil, bleh!"

"You have demons, witches and warlocks here?" Said Ulric with a raised eyebrow, "then God himself most certainly has power here as well."

"Nya-ot sure who you mean when you say 'God'," said Felix before holding his hand up and generating a green glow from it, "but here, anyone with a halfway decent gate can learn to wield magic."

"Anyone can learn to use magic here," said Ulric with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"It's more accurate to say that it's not uncommon to meet people with some form of magical ability," said Crusch, "and we might be willing to teach you. However, there is a condition first."

"And that would be," said Ulric with slightly narrowed eyes, wondering where they were going with this.

"You must be willing to join us for an expedition we'll be taking in the future," said Crusch, "it shall occur within a few months' time so you'll have the chance to learn at least a bit before then. In that time, we'll also provide you with pay, food and lodging provided you don't cause a lot of trouble."

"That is a generous offer," admitted Ulric, "though say I discover a better one before we head to said expedition? Would I be allowed to walk away from this one?"

"That will all depend on how much I believe you'll contribute to our expedition," replied Crusch, "if I believe you'll be a valuable asset, then I'll make an even better offer. As it stands, however, I believe you'll be hard-pressed to find a better one at this point in time." She admittedly wasn't wrong. He didn't know anyone in this kingdom save for the girl, Emilia, and there was no telling where she could be found.

Naturally he could ask about that, but once again it was doubtful the situation would be much different if he went to her save for not taking part in this expedition. But a lot of it depended on how much the Duchess believed he'd be able to help so he might be worrying for nothing. In the end, he supposed the decision was fairly obvious. "Very well," he said as he stood up and made a slight bow, "as of this moment I, Sir Ulric, am at your service."

Crusch gave a small smile to this as she held out her hand. "Welcome to our camp, Sir Ulric." The two shook hands then, unknowing that this would be the start of a very interesting partnership.

And that's the end of part one! Not the most exciting bit, I know, but this is just getting the introduction out of the way so we can really jump into the story on the next part. Despite that, I hope you all still enjoyed this chapter and as always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked and any requests you might have for future 'IF' stories. Be sure to stop in next time as we really get into the major parts of Ulric's career as Crusch Karnstein's new knight! 'Til then.