At the River Thames… Near the wharf outside the walls of the city…
In total, the men who followed the King outside counted up to 6. Lancelot, Bedivere, and the 4 men of the 15th Cavalry. Their mission was to secure the safety of the King while he follows the maid who is said to be the assassin trying to murder King Arthur. However, it appears that Merlin made a miscalculation. Causing the King to meet a maid who had nothing to do with the attempt. And that Lancelot made the right conjecture in following the one who left the halls earlier than Vespa.
This is where the story picks up. For 20 minutes, Lancelot, Bart and Joshua had been following the maid as discreetly as they could. They found that her destination was an old, indistinguishable fishing shack that stood near the banks of the river. It is indistinguishable because of the numerous similar looking shacks that littered the river. But the clean looking maid stuck out amongst the drudgery that was the crowd like a sore thumb. So, they found the right one easily.
The shack in question was a worn down old thing. Made from the same oak the other shacks are made. Except this one has no windows. No deck for fishermen to sit near the river to fish. It's just a rectangle shack that couldn't function like the rest of them. Odd…
"Stay alert, the two of you." Lancelot warns as he turns around to the two Cavalrymen behind him. "Remember that this is no normal enemy. We do not know what we are facing." he was pleased to see that the replies he got were stone faces of hardened determination. They did not not earn their stripes out of complacency, after all.
The trio of Knights stood before the door to the shack. The winter wind is blowing at them like a howl of a wolf. The heat coming from the two torches hanging at each side of the door post illuminates the rickety door itself as well as its handle… that is oddly locked with a wrought iron lock with no keyhole in sight. The moment Lancelot touched the look to get a closer look, his gloved hand recoiled in shock. Purple lightning shot off the lock and threatened to consume the knight's whole hand were it not for a quick incantation from Lancelot's lips that meant to dispel the lightning.
"Interesting…" Lancelot mused as he looked at the lock once more without heeding to the stupefied looks of his men, "The handmaid has access to magecraft. This lock is only accessed by those it recognises. But how could she have gained access to something like this?"
"Perhaps it's because she is part of a group?" Bart suggested. Joshua meanwhile looked around and tried to knock on the wood. It didn't sound like wood when he did. Strange…
"That is what I suspect as well, Bartholemew. But we must search for a way inside to learn more of the truth." Lancelot said as he kneeled down to see the more intricate parts of the lock.
He knows his rudimentary magecraft from his time with the Lady of the Lake, Vivian. She gave Arondight to him, after all. So, it's safe to say his knowledge of the moonlit side of the world wasn't lacking in any means. As he examined the lock, he noticed that it was merely enchanted to become what it is rather than forged with mana and magically enhanced ore. He pushed prana into his eyes to see what the enchantments placed on the lock were. He saw the one that causes lightning to attack the one it doesn't recognise. But it was not the primary enchantment on top of it.
"The entire shack is surrounded by a Bounded field..." Lancelot whispered to himself as he scanned the lock's primary magic circle. It was an impressive display of magecraft, to be sure. As evidenced by the fact that he did not notice it prior to the secondary circle. He distanced himself from the door to get a wider view of the shack as a whole. He could see the thin dome of magic that encapsulated the entire structure now. And he was more concerned when he realised that he was using a considerable amount of prana just to witness it. He stopped forcing prana into his eyes and looked around to find where Bart and Joshua went. He found them scouring the next shack over.
"What are you two doing here?" Lancelot asked as he walked over to the two exploring the insides of the second shack. He was standing at the door. Whose lock was haphazardly smashed into bits. Watching what seems to be absurdities happening before him.
"Sir Lancelot. We found a way into the shack. But I'm afraid that we couldn't find anything of note." Joshua said as he unashamedly dumped an entire bucket's worth of seafood into the floor. He was trying to see if the basket he was holding right now had something inside it. Bart meanwhile, was no different. He, on the other hand, was currently de-planking the floor to see if any secret entrances are there.
"That is because you two went into the wrong shack. The one we are currently examining is the one behind me." Lancelot calmly explained. But it did give him pause. What caused them to think that the one they are in is what they are truly after?
"What? How can that be?" Joshua asked in surprise. The basket he was holding is now on the floor, and he without a care in the world, just kicked it aside to go before the Knight of the Lake. "We circled around the shack and found that the door you're standing at is easy to open. I was even wondering why you were taking so long to find us."
Lancelot was about to answer and call out the cavalryman's error when it dawned upon him that it was because of the Bounded Field that they acted this way. Some of the more intricate and powerful Fields have the ability to not only dissuade a person to go directly towards the place, but also they have the power to confuse them into leaving the place once they enter the field. The Knight saw its power firsthand through the Cavalrymen. They stayed way too long inside the field and in turn they were tricked by it. Making the men think that the second shack beside it was the one they were after. Lancelot chalked his experience with Bounded Fields as the reason why he wasn't affected. And that the Cavalrymen's lack of knowledge was the reason for their confounding actions. After returning to the main shack and its door, Lancelot turned around to address Bart and Andrew.
"We must return to the task at hand. Do not stray from my side this time. As the magecraft before us is as powerful as it is dangerous. Someone does not want us to enter this shack. And we need to know why." Lancelot wanted to take his time to pick at the lock to reduce the chance of them getting caught for he did not see if there were (or weren't) any magic circles that would trigger if an intruder somehow unlocked it. But things are different now. He realises that powerful maguses/magi are at play here. All who are plotting to use their power for wickedness. Action must be done now. With a quick thrust from Arondight, the lock turned to bits. Lancelot and the cavalrymen could feel the air shift just from the destruction of the lock.
"The Bounded Field is gone at last." Lancelot told the two men as they entered the shack. They found it closed off on all sides. No windows to bring light into it and no other door except the one they came in. It's dark inside.
"Here's the torch, Sire." Lancelot heard from Bart. He and Joshua had the idea to unhook the two torches so that light can come into this dark place. The torches helped them see a shelf with a few books at the left side, a table with a bucket under it, and finally a wardrobe. Joshua went for the shelf, Bart went to the table, and Lancelot busied himself with the wardrobe.
"Thank you." Lancelot said on impulse as he walked to the wardrobe. He then opened the thing to see its-
SWING! SLASH! TWANG!
"Sir Lancelot!" Bart and Joshua exclaimed as they raised their weapons in alarm. They saw the Knight raise Arondight against something that sprung out of the wardrobe. What it was, they cannot tell. The torch in Lancelot's hand is on the wooden floor now. They were about to assist had it not been for a powerful light illuminating from the Knight's weapon. It cut down the thing within the wardrobe. It was a skeleton with two weapons at hand.
"Necromancy…" They heard Lancelot say. With that, they continued the search. But in the end they turned everything over. What was not touched by the trio was the very ground itself by this point. It appears that the handmaid has vanished out of thin air!
"Lancelot. We finally found you." The Knight and the two Cavalrymen turned to see Bedivere and his own men appear from the outside. It was a relief that they had arrived. Things are starting to get frustrating, after all.
"And it is a good thing as well. We cannot figure out where the handmaid went." Lancelot explained. He was going to elaborate had it not been for the arrival of the King and Merlin. Who were just lagging behind as Merlin wanted to examine the remains of the Bounded Field from earlier.
"What happened, Sir Lancelot?" King Arthur asked as he took a quick glance at the armed skeleton on the floor. Causing the whole group to focus on the Knight of the Lake.
"We had followed the handmaid here. This shack had a powerful bounded field protecting it. It was powerful enough to confuse Bartholomew and Joshua into leaving it entirely. We then opened the door and found that it was protected… by the machinations of a Necromancer."
Merlin and Arthur perked up with concern. To think that their enemy would have someone of that calibre at their side… the only question left is: who could it be?
"We did not find anything else after that, nothing in this shack has been left unturned." Lancelot finished his report. A silence of contemplation set in. The Camelotians then busied themselves by theorising where the maid could have gone after entering this place.
"Did you check for any secret entrances?" Merlin asked. Causing everyone to look at him. "If we're dealing with a necromancer like you suggest, then surely there must be some way that can help us to enter his lair. And after seeing the Bounded Field outside, I have a very good idea where our enemy has set up shop. Better yet, allow me to investigate for you."
With a swift strike on the floor using his staff, a magic circle appeared on the floor. It illuminated the whole shack far more than the torches available. The magic circle then shrunk into the centre of the shack. Where Lancelot was standing this whole time. Without warning, the floor beneath the Knight of the Lake sank. He almost lost his footing had it not been for what he suddenly found himself on.
He was now standing on the first two steps of a stairwell that led to shadowy depths that not even his own eyes can see the bottom of.
"Was it truly necessary to dispel the illusion whilst I was on top of it?" Lancelot asked annoyedly as he regained his balance. A warning could've helped, he thought.
"Oh? But where's the fun in that?" Merlin chuckled aloud as he walked towards the Knight. "Your face was quite the spectacle, to be honest with you."
"Merlin…" Arthur spoke in a low tone that sent shivers down the Mage's spine.
"Got it! I'll play nice." Merlin then reached for the torch that Bart, standing beside Lancelot, was holding. Instead of taking it from the base, the mage instead grabbed the Fire itself. Causing the flames to dance on his hands. It even became bigger after a few seconds. Big enough to out shine three torches worth of light.
"Now then. If you would follow me, we would finally be able to find our assassin." Merlin then descended into the shadowy depths. His fire became a beacon for which the others followed. And follow they did. Lancelot and his men went first. Next was Arthur and Bedivere. The last two were Caleb and Andrew. They made sure that no traces of their presence would be left behind.
But the question remained… Where does this path lead towards?
The Dominican Labyrinth…
"During the reign of Regulus Dominicus, he realised that Londinium was both a great and terrible place to settle after the fall of Soissons. Great because the surrounding farmlands and its peaceful natives was the perfect recipe for his Gallo-Romans to thrive. It's also equally terrible because of the same reasons it was great in the first place. It would be costly in coin and lives if Regulus did not fortify this settlement that would soon become the seat for his realm.
And so, the walls that would surround the area we now know today as the City of London were revived after 76 years of disrepair. Primarily used to protect the young rump state that is still as Roman as it was before the fall. But this does not change the fact that this realm would soon be forced to expand due to its thriving population - leading to external conflict. Which would lead to many deaths. So what was the solution?
The solution was a series of tunnels dug underneath the city using the help of the mages that were with Regulus during the exodus. It connects every vital part of the city's defences from the Garrison Command post, the Governors (now Nero's) Palace, the Forum, and every single military outpost situated at the four corners of the city. It was a risky plan. However, it was possible with the help of the mages."
"How do you know so much about this?" Arthur asked as they descended even further into the Labrynth's depths. They found another flight of stairs after the first one 10 minutes ago.
If she had anything to say about it. Arturia noticed that it was meticulously constructed with ragstone. Not the choice she would've gone with, but it did the job just fine.
Merlin looked towards the King with a cryptic smile. The fire in his hand gave it an ominous glow. She couldn't figure out what was going on inside her mentor's head at that point in time. Must be a question he's struggling to find a clear answer to, she thought.
"The mage leading the construction came to me for help. I had known him for quite some time before that and I was indebted to him. So, I assisted. I was responsible for the creation of the designs while he was in charge of the creation itself. We created many tunnels that connected to many important places in the city. To make things easier for everyone involved, a central hub was created that served as both a junction and a headquarters to coordinate movements of people. I believe the mage and I constructed it near the heart of the city. We also found that we had a similar taste in drinks and women during that time. Oh! Did you know that there are more ways to get into a woman other than-"
clamp.
"I would suggest that a quick return to the subject is in order." Arturia said with a vein popping out of her temple. She did not need to hear that now or anytime soon in the future. Not when there is a chance that her life and the lives of others are at stake.
"Right! Yes, of course." Merlin nervously laughed as he turned right at a fork in the Labyrinth. "Moving on. After the construction, it was deemed that the secrecy of this place needs to be kept hidden. The mage and I were the ones who were ordered the mind wipe, so obviously we kept the secret. The only other one that I know who knew about the Labyrinth was Regulus himself and those he knew closest. But they're all dead now so it's just Regulus, I think. He did not trust his own generals with it. After all, Rome did fall because of a general usurping the throne."
"Which leads us to believe that Aurelius must have known it." Bedivere spoke up. He was listening this entire time and figured something out in the process. "There was a tale that sprung up a couple of years ago wherein a Roman had the ability to disappear without a trace and suddenly find that same Roman in another place entirely. It could be because of Aurelius using this Labyrinth that inspired the tale.
"And if Aurelius did know about it…" Lancelot picked up. His tone is slow and calculating. He did not like the conclusion he came up with. But all the information given led to it. He has no other idea how to counter it. "...It would mean that his son, Lucius would know too."
Everyone stopped in their tracks to look at the Knight of the Lake. The tension surrounding them rises as the seconds go by. Arthur was the one to speak up. Her voice was diminished in volume but not in emotion. For she was overcome with grim determination as she spoke.
"The assassination attempt on my life is not meant just that. It is a coup."