Hello everyone! Thank you for the reviews that have come in. If you still haven't reviewed the previous 2 chapters(7 and 8), I plead with you to do so because then I have a proper set of feedback for the last 2 chapters and I can then make the necessary adjustments to my story based on what you guys think. Anyway, here goes: Thank you to FierceDeity24, Clytuis, A happy reader, Lololol(don't worry, I'm keeping that ship in mind), MarbleSky, TheGreatAthlon5, Darklord, AresTheUnderlander, SlyIntellect, mcmlxxvii, HumanicHedgeHog and pyro159. So yea, guys please let me know your thoughts on the last few chapters please if you haven't done so already. These are pivotal moments in the story and I'd like to hear your opinions.

This chapter lacks action, but it should be able to add some layers of complexity to this story and establish some of the events that are to come. And of course, it features interesting conversations between Gregor and some people. So I hope you enjoy this chapter. Trust me, the action is coming soon, and it will come hard and fast.

This chapter is from Gregor's perspective.


Chapter 9: Hunting for Answers

Gregor opened the doors to the armoury, which had become a complete mess following the battle against the foxes. Blood-stained chest plates were strewn across the floor, gauntlets were scattered all over the place and broken helmets had been casually tossed about all over the place. It quite literally looked like a war zone. Gregor gingerly stepped forward, trying to avoid stepping on the grimy and sweaty armour, while trying not to think about the bright red stains streaked across various pieces of armour. He wouldn't be surprised if he found a dead body around here.

After every battle, Miravet would be sitting in this room, slowly and arduously scrubbing each and every piece of armour. She was the soldier of the armoury and she took it upon herself to clean every last piece of armour, whether it was going to be worn again or not. Sometimes Gregor wondered how such a frail woman had the courage to look upon the pain that the soldiers faced and meet it with a warm smile.

He finally made his way over to his private corner, which was out of bounds to everyone except Miravet and him. He still had his sword with him- it had become a habit to carry it around, with the sheath of the blade hitched to his belt. But in battle, he never used this belt because it was far too flimsy. He took off his sword and placed it gently on the bench, before unbuckling his belt and taking it off. Then he opened the cupboard doors.

The black armour scowled back at him. It had left relatively unscathed from the battle but in truth that was a rarity. Gregor always threw himself into the thick of the fighting and that often got him an injury or two, which meant that Miravet always had to mend this armour. But every single time she mended it, she added a new layer of fear and power to it, infusing it with a terrifying, indomitable edge whether it was through making the spikes on the gauntlet sharper, or making the mask more frightening, or increasing the size of the suit to make him seem even bulkier.

And then there was the cloak. The flowing cape of the cloak was a combined effort from the both of them, with Gregor assisting in the designing of the cloak and attaching it on to the armour. It made him seem like a leader of men or even the grim reaper. It almost gave him power.

So that was why superheroes wore capes or cloaks. It made them more imposing and gave them a sense of authority. And as the superhero of the Underland, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that Gregor jumped onboard the idea of having a cloak. The cape of the cloak wasn't too long though, because it wasn't practical for him to have a cape so long that it hindered his ability to fight. And then there was the hood of the cloak- Gregor had never put it on before, but he had no doubt that wearing the hood would make him appear no less menacing in his ebony armour.

He instantly let muscle memory do its work as he instinctively fit on his armour. Within three or four minutes, Gregor had already put on most of his armour. He fit on his gauntlets and adjusted them, feeling the edges of his spikes with admiration. He had fallen in love with his armour, and treated it like a golden crown amidst an ocean of dull waste. Luxa had some cool armour, and Apollo's specialised armour was pretty badass too, but they both fell short when compared to the sheer ferocity of his obsidian suit. His fingers wandered over to the engraving on the chest plate, which to the naked eye was just a faint outline of the symbol of Regalia. But Gregor knew that in small letters, the word "Warrior" had been carved in. He adjusted his cloak to make it more evenly balanced, before reaching out for the dark and imposing mask.

"And where are you going, young man?" a voice behind him asked.

"Does it really matter?" Gregor sighed, turning around to face Miravet, who was looking more haggard and weary than ever. Yet behind that veil of exhaustion, Gregor could see a heart of gold. Miravet was nothing like her sister- she was kind, compassionate, and far from ruthless. Sometimes Gregor wondered whether Solovet was once like Miravet, but was forced to harden herself for the nature of her job.

"I haven't cleaned your armour yet," Miravet reminded him, "So unless there is an emergency going on, you ought to stay here and let me finish cleaning your armour. And it is the protocol of a Regalian soldier not to fly off without permission, which I assume is what you plan to do. So, young man, I think I do have the right to know where you are going."

Could he trust Miravet? Yes, yes he could. She was wise and trustworthy enough to keep a secret, and there really was no point in beating around the bush either. "I'm going to the Fount," he told her blatantly, "I have to find out what they're trying to do. And I need to find out why Susannah approved of Stellovet's marriage with me. It doesn't make sense and I need to know what is seriously going on."

"Oh yes," Miravet said sadly, "I heard about Luxa and… you. To be frank, I do not believe you and Stellovet did… anything. But Luxa has taken it very hard. The rumour of the breakdown in your relationship has spread around the city like a wildfire. I am sure that almost every household knows about this drama by now. And once again, I will be frank with you. I do not think Luxa and you are ever going to become a couple again. It is going to take a lot of faith and dedication from the both of you to rebuild that relationship. I do not know if Luxa is willing to commit that faith to you. You know she is not the type to forgive easily."

"If I can explain myself to her," Gregor wondered aloud, "If I can prove nothing happened…"

"Maybe," Miravet said, sounding just as hopeful as him, "My grandniece does not hear what she does not want to hear. If she firmly believes it is true, it is a Sisyphean task to convince her otherwise."

"Yea," Gregor replied sadly, "I know. But I have to try. If I give up now, I'm never getting her back again. And I don't know if I can live around her knowing I broke her heart."

"I see," Miravet said slowly, "So you are going to the Fount in search of answers. She might see that as an attempt to pressure Stellovet into lying and claiming that your night with her never happened. Luxa is paranoid in that way."

"That's why she can never know I flew to the Fount," Gregor explained, "If she does, she'll suspect me of pressuring Stellovet immediately. Only you and Hazard know that I'm going there. And I guess Apollo will know too, since he's going to be the one to fly me there."

"Speaking of Apollo," Miravet suddenly interrupted, "Another rumour circulating around is that you will become bonds with him. Is that true and are you thinking about it?"

"I have thought about it," Gregor answered hesitantly, "But I don't know if I can bond with him. My relationship with Ares was special and… I just don't know if I can treat Apollo the same way. Like… it doesn't feel the same. I don't know how to describe it, but… I don't want to deny Apollo the full treatment I could possibly give, when others can give him infinitely better treatment. I will always hold back slightly because of Ares and I don't want to subject Apollo to that. It's not fair to him and he shouldn't have to live with that. And then… well… I don't want him to get too close to me. I just think that… and deep down I kinda know this is true… I think that I can't let him get too close to me. Cos' if I do… He'll be hurt. People who get too close to me often get hurt. Even Luxa, as we've all seen."

"Don't think like that," Miravet told him, "Don't be afraid of hurting the people around you, because you are NOT. Of all the good people in Regalia, you are one of the best, Gregor. Do not conflate the suffering of the people around you as being evidence of how being near you hurts them. Everybody in Regalia gets hurt. And it is certainly not because of you."

"You don't know that," Gregor said darkly, "Ares is dead because of me. I destroyed my family because I lost my temper and became desperate. I killed Damien a couple of years back, and now Calvin has left the Underland. Mareth is dead because of me too, and Luxa's heart is broken because I didn't have the strength to fend Stellovet off when she was trying to sleep with me. There's one recurring problem in all these situations, Miravet… and the problem is me."

"My dear boy," she replied firmly, "This is not your fault. It is the Bane's fault, it is Conrad's fault, it is Flavius' fault, it is the fault of those insane Overlanders trying to destroy our home and it is Stellovet's fault. It is not your fault at all. And you have to start accepting that in order to become a better person. Stop being afraid of who you are and rejoice in what you have become. You are a courageous and virtuous young man, Gregor. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Thanks Miravet," Gregor said gratefully, as his heart felt a bit warm and fuzzy from her words, "I really appreciate it. I gotta go now though. The longer I have disappeared, the more people are going to wonder where I am and they're going to start putting two and two together."

"Yes, indeed," Miravet agreed, "Stay safe. Whatever you decide to do there, try not to resort to violence. There will be many questions asked if Regalia's greatest soldier suddenly launches an invasion against the Fount. And your reputation will be tarnished forever."

"I'll keep that in mind," Gregor replied, as he reached out for his mask. It almost seemed to be calling out to him, begging for him to become a part of it and for it to become a part of him. This wasn't any mere helmet. This was a symbol of fear, a physical manifestation of terror. He quickly felt around the mask to make sure the self-constructed voice modulator was working. It wasn't one of those technological Overlander modulators, but Miravet had installed some weird equipment near the mouth area that made his voice sound deeper and grittier. Of course it wasn't as effective as the actual ones you found in the Overland, but it was enough to add another level of fear to his appearance.

He fit on the mask and adjusted it to fit his head nicely. He glanced at himself in one of the small mirrors in the corner of the room and smiled. Till this day, he still marvelled at his appearance in the armour as if it was his first time ever. "Even I get scared when I see you in that armour," Miravet joked.

Gregor turned around and said gently, "Goodbye, Miravet. Thanks for… thanks for everything you said. I really needed that."

"Fly you high, Gregor," Miravet replied, "And be careful."


Gregor quietly made his way down a couple of streets, before settling down one of the long streets leading to the arena. The light weight of his armour and its black colour helped Gregor to stealthily make his way through the shadows, but he always had to be careful. The rats may not be able to see him, but they could definitely smell him out if he made any of them suspicious. Hopefully, Hazard would have passed the message on to Apollo to meet him on this street. Most people were sleeping at the moment, so if there was a time and place to leave, it would be now.

He heard the light flapping of wings and breathed out a soft sigh of relief when Apollo landed next to him as quietly as he possibly could. Gregor wordlessly climbed back on top of him, and Apollo launched himself into the air and silently flew out of Regalia. Gregor was aware that a few of the guards would have spotted him leaving, but once again he had asked Hazard to relay the message to them to say nothing about it and to pretend it never happened. He knew he was taking a huge risk by trusting them, but he didn't have much of a choice here.

Apollo flew for about ten minutes in silence, and when he was sure that no one else was listening or following them, he said, "I would have brought my armour if I knew you were going to fight."

"You're not going to fight with me," Gregor informed him, "This is between me and the Fount. You're just going to drop me there and stay around the area. You know the signal, right?"

"Three sharp whistles," Apollo answered confidently, "Worry not, Warrior, my ears will be on high alert. I will know when you are calling me for help. But if I may ask, what is this mission for?"

"I need answers," Gregor answered simply, "The Fount is going to give them to me."

"What kind of answers?" Apollo asked inquisitively.

"Why they are so intent on allying themselves with the rebel gnawers, for instance," Gregor replied, "And then there's Susannah's approval of Stellovet's marriage to me. I don't know Susannah, but I'm pretty sure that something fishy is going on. There's no way that she would just randomly approve of a marriage suddenly, especially if she hasn't spoken to me about it."

"Something… fishy?" Apollo asked, not quite understanding what it meant.

"Overlander turn of phrase," Gregor explained, "It basically means something weird is going on behind our backs."

"Weird?" Apollo asked, clearly confused by the terminology Gregor was using.

"Forget it," Gregor sighed in exasperation, "All you need to know is that the Fount is arousing suspicion, and I'm going to find out what they are hiding exactly."

"That is true," Apollo acknowledged, "Their behaviour has been very suspicious, but I think it is because they are in the middle of a transitionary phase. If you ask me, Warrior, I actually think they are confused about what they should and can do. And in this confusion, they have allied themselves to a force they do not fully understand. The Fount is not made up of bad people, Warrior. They are our brothers and sisters, and I highly doubt they would be so eager to go to war against us without good reason."

"True," Gregor admitted, "But I can't just dismiss this as confusion. Susannah is a smart woman and I don't think she would be so quick to marry Stellovet to me."

"So this is what it is about," Apollo realised, "This mission is to find out why Stellovet proposed to you and revealed her little indiscretion with you to the Council."

"Stellovet is stupid," Gregor said slowly, "But I don't know why she would do that in front of everyone. And I don't understand why they didn't look for my consent before suddenly declaring that Stellovet is married to me. I just don't know what is going on, and I hate not knowing."

"So do I," Apollo responded, "For me the most frustrating thing about the Fount is its decision to ally with the rebel gnawers and their insistence on continuing it at the expense of their relationship with Regalia. We are clearly superior in so many aspects to the rebels, which means that they are either offering the Fount so much or… the Fount has just become completely disillusioned with Regalia's power, to the point where it is almost absurd."

"Is it really absurd?" Gregor asked, recalling his conversation with Ripred, "Regalia has been so used to having a monarch in complete control that it has become blind to the failings of its leaders. I mean, look at Conrad. Is it really impossible to believe that in the future we will have another monarch like him? The problem isn't Regalia, Apollo. The problem is the system, and if this system continues then there could be dozens of Conrads taking to the throne in the future."

"I thought you are on Luxa's side," Apollo pointed out, "I thought you wanted to defend her from Ripred's new plans for democracy."

"Yea," Gregor said slowly, "I guess I did say that."

"Warrior," Apollo sighed, "Perhaps it is not my place to tell you what is right and what is wrong. But I do think it is necessary for me to warn you about your… your decisions. You cannot be both on Ripred's side and Luxa's side. You're going to have to make a decision. And I think it is starting to become quite clear that Ripred is trying to change Regalia for the better."

"What do you mean?" Gregor asked uneasily.

"I think what I'm trying to say," Apollo replied, "Is that you have to decide whether your loyalty resides in Regalia or Luxa. I never try to see things as dilemmas or dichotomies, but I do not think you have much of a choice here. Either you serve as the soldier of Regalia, willing to do anything in order to preserve its existence, or you serve as Luxa's partner, willing to do anything in order to protect her from any forces of danger, a list which includes Ripred. I think you have to start deciding your identity now, or you will be torn apart when it comes to deciding what to do."

Apollo was absolutely right. It was the question that Gregor had been too scared to answer and the decision he was too frightened to make. He always wanted to be both the soldier and the partner, but he had always known that there would come a day where both interests would clash with each other. And today was that day.

"I guess," Gregor responded, "I guess when push comes to shove I did promise to fight for Regalia. But Luxa… she's the one who kept me going all these years. It was the thought of returning to her that… I don't know, it kinda fuelled my passion to fight for this place. Without her… I don't find much meaning down here. That's the sad truth, I guess. Sometimes I just wish I died the perfect death down here, so that I don't have to worry about her anymore."

"What is that perfect death?" Apollo asked.

"I don't really know," Gregor admitted, "I guess the perfect death wouldn't be in the middle of a bloody battle field, but somewhere quiet. Somewhere… almost serene and peaceful. I guess the death would have to be pretty quick too. And I would preferably be surrounded by the people I love most."

"That is a lot to ask for down here," Apollo joked.

"I know," Gregor replied with a soft chuckle, "But we all have a right to be hopeful, yea?"

"Aye," Apollo said wistfully, "Sometimes hope is all we have left in our darkest moments."

They stayed silent for a while as the cool air rolled across his face and the silence weighed heavily on his heart, before Gregor said, "Ripred said… he said that me fighting him would be inevitable."

"Agreed," was Apollo's terse reply.

"What?" Gregor blurted, "You think… you think I would fight him?"

"You would if you had good reason to," Apollo pointed out, "There is an animalistic instinct in all of us that we cannot ignore. Sometimes our brain overcomes it, but sometimes we succumb to the most basic of instincts. For instance, the need to establish ourselves as the alpha male has never truly left us. When Ares was getting all the attention for becoming Henry's bond, I was secretly jealous of him even though he was my good friend. And then when he fell down into disgrace and anonymity, I felt an unusual sense of relief that everybody had stopped buzzing on about him. We don't like to be under the dominion of someone else. We prefer to be in control. And that is precisely why you and Ripred will clash one day."

"What… what do you mean?" Gregor urged Apollo to carry on.

"The Underland has always valued a rager," Apollo explained, "And there are at least four of you down here right now. An Overlander gunner, a schemer, a gnawer and an Overlander sword fighter. All of you are the closest we have to invincible beings. And that means we will always look up to you as demigods or deities. For you ragers, the pursuit for this admiration will drive each of you against each other, because you would have succumbed to the instinct of establishing yourselves as the alpha male. Which means that once you have a reason to fight each other, you will do so in order for one of you to become the alpha male of the Underland. Sometimes you just cannot resist that urge to fight each other to see who is the top of the top. And believe me, that day is coming soon. Especially now that you and Ripred seem to subscribe to different ideologies on how this city should be run."

"I don't want to fight him," Gregor said softly, "I swear I don't want to fight him."

"You don't want to fight him yet," Apollo sighed, "But when the chips start to fall, and when your world begins to crumble around you, you become an entirely different person. You become a person full of rage, a person full of hate… a person who would do anything to anyone in a moment of weakness."

"I wouldn't," Gregor said weakly.

"Like I said," Apollo replied, "Not yet. But we both know the anger issues you have been facing recently. Remember two weeks ago? Back in the arena? I could literally smell the rage all over you, and we fliers are generally not very adept at smelling your emotions. But I could see it burning brightly deep within your heart. You might as well have had steam pouring out of your ears, because you and I both know you were willing to kill that soldier."

"He was being deliberately violent during training," Gregor replied, "It was just a moment of weakness."

"Exactly!" Apollo said triumphantly, "That's all it takes- one moment of weakness. And then the Lord of the gnawers takes on the legendary Warrior of Regalia in a battle to the death. And at the end of the day… one rager will still be standing, while the other would have fallen."

"So that's how it is, huh?" Gregor sighed bitterly, "The fall of ragers will determine who the alpha male of the Underland is."

"That is the sad truth for you, I am afraid," Apollo said sympathetically, "On the other hand, it is great news for me. I get front row seats to all your gladiator matches against the other ragers."

"Very funny, Apollo," Gregor said sarcastically, "Very funny."

"But in all honesty Warrior," Apollo added, his tone changing from being light-hearted to dead serious, "If you were to fight Ripred, all you need is to whistle three times, and I will be there in a heartbeat. You can take great comfort in knowing I will always be on your side, even when you are tussling with Ripred, or um… Luxa, for that matter."

"Well, thanks I guess," Gregor said awkwardly, "But I don't think I will be fighting with Luxa anytime soon."

"You never know, Warrior," Apollo replied, "Especially with your relationship in tatters at the moment, an argument turning physical would not exactly be unforeseen. You would not be setting a precedent for partners battling each other, anyway. There were plenty of rumours that Conrad threatened to get physical with queen Luxa whenever she was unwilling to… sleep with him."

"But they always slept in the same room," Gregor pointed out with a frown.

Apollo shook his head. "Not that sleep… I am talking about that sleep, for lack of a better phrase."

When Gregor realised what Apollo was trying to say, he almost turned bright red with embarrassment at what Apollo was implying. "Well," Gregor said, "That's comforting."

"If you wouldn't mind me asking…" Apollo stuttered, "Were there plans for you… how do I put this… for you and Luxa to… well.. Not just consummating a marriage… but to have… have an heir as well?"

Apollo looked real flustered as he struggled to force the sentence out in the most polite manner possible. Gregor was so amused he almost broke out into laughter, but he decided to spare Apollo and himself the sheer embarrassment, so he replied stoically, "Our private life is our private life. I'll tell you if we ever have a baby."

"Understood," Apollo said immediately, and he fell silent.

"How long more till we get to the Fount?" Gregor asked him.

"Well," Apollo answered, "I would estimate another two hours. Depending on my flight path it could be less or more. Just get some rest, Warrior. You look like you need it."

Gregor nodded and his heavy eyelids finally pounced on the opportunity to slam shut…


"Well well well," came a voice from the shadows, "Look who is back again."

Gregor opened his eyes and almost flinched when the Bane sauntered out of the shadows, revealing his grotesque appearance. Across their several meetings his appearance had developed occasionally, and now he was sporting a face which had half of its skin peeled off, revealing his rotting skull underneath.

"I'm here for some sleep," Gregor said wearily, "I'm not here to entertain you."

"But I came here to entertain YOU," the Bane answered with a look of confusion.

"And I don't need any entertainment, thank you very much," Gregor replied stoutly.

"Maybe you need advice," the Bane suggested, "I can give you advice. I am here to stimulate your thought process. You can either choose to do that or slide back down the road of having to watch Ares die over and over again. I'm assuming those nightmares weren't very pleasant, were they?"

"You don't say," Gregor snorted, "So you came here to tell me stuff I already know."

"Whatever I'm telling you is stuff you already know," the Bane reminded him, "I'm just helping you to think. People like Lizzie don't need dreams in order to fuel their thought process. They're generally naturally smart. On the other hand… you need me to help you, especially when you are desperate."

"Since you know me so well," Gregor replied, "Why don't you tell me how I should handle Luxa? Or whether I should give up on her? Or how to decide whether to fight for Regalia or her? Or how to prevent myself from fighting Ripred?"

"All very simple questions," the Bane answered, "You're just not thinking hard enough. You should continue trying to improve your relationship with Luxa instead of giving up on her. As for fighting for Regalia or her, I would say it depends on the next few days. Watch what the situation is like before deciding who to side with. And finally, I think it's highly unlikely you can prevent yourself from fighting Ripred. Ta da! All questions answered with aplomb, if I may say so myself."

"You actually only answered one of my questions," Gregor pointed out, "Which is the first one on how I should handle Luxa. I've pretty much decided on that anyway. I'm looking for the answers to the other two questions."

"Well, if I'm not answering them it isn't my fault," the Bane insisted indignantly, "It's because you haven't even bothered to think about it and form your own decision, you spineless piece of shit. Everything I've said so far is a reflection of your thought process and what you want."

"Well then, you're useless to me right now," Gregor said.

"We're almost here," the Bane said suddenly.

"What?" Gregor asked, confused by the sudden question.


"We're almost in the Fount," Apollo told him as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Has it really been two hours?" Gregor asked groggily as he stretched to get his muscles ready for battle.

"It has been more than that," Apollo informed him, "It has probably been closer to three hours. I had to take a series of twists and turns down a couple of caves because there were some fliers nearby who nearly caught sight of us. But yes, we'll be over the Fount in a minute or so."

Gregor squinted and could see the outline of the Fount in the distance. The rushing stream that was just outside the city's walls, the vines that coiled themselves around parts of the city's walls… the Fount was beautiful in its own way. It lacked the grandeur and magnificence of Regalia's arches and great buildings, but for a stone city half of Regalia's size it did look pretty impressive, with its intricate design. Gregor could just about make up the palace where York's family resided, a stone building which looked more like an ancient Mayan temple than a palace of kings. That was where he was headed to find answers.

Apollo dipped towards one of the city's walls, which had been left criminally exposed. "Ready?" Apollo asked him.

"I'm ready," Gregor replied. There was a lone soldier on the wall, looking bored as he shuffled about with a crossbow in his hands. Apollo flew to within eight feet of the wall. Gregor took a deep breath, and calmed down as he ignored the distance between the wall and the ground should he make a mistake. He worked up the courage and jumped off Apollo.

As expected, he landed on the wall perfectly as his cloak billowed around in the wind. He instantly looked up and found himself face-to-face with the guard with a crossbow. So much for stealth.

"Hi there," he greeted the guard as his hand instantly went for the hilt of his sword.


That's Chapter 9 done! Once again, the Bane's conversation with Gregor is a dream sequence and here's just a reminder that the Bane doesn't actually exist as a character in this series. He's just like a part of Gregor's imagination. Once again, this chapter did not have much action and revolved more around Gregor's dilemma when it comes to choosing between Regalia and Luxa.

As usual, favourites/follows are always welcome if you haven't done so yet. And I would love for the reviews to come in on this chapter, especially regarding your thoughts towards Gregor's conversations with Miravet and Apollo.

Question: Who would you side with, Gregor or Ripred? Which of these two characters is more morally justified? There isn't a definitive answer, and all answers are technically correct. So go ahead and share your thoughts please!