Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 75th day of Fall, Arenfall

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The Senators' arrival was fast approaching. Days came by and went, but up until now Prince Arterius couldn't find any solution to his problem. He commanded his godfather's men to check the hole twice a day, hoping for any sign of progress, maybe an an aetherium lying around the muddy floor or more importantly living people.

He prayed for survivors down there, people who could relay their experiences that would strike fear and bewilderment to the Senate. The knight emerged from the dark pit with an empty sack on hand. The muddy knight shook his head confirming his hopeless endeavor. It was the fifth day of this new strategy and still there was nothing.

The camp had grown tired of his hopeless efforts. He could see it in the knights' eyes. Their stares were sharp and stabbing. It felt like everytime he came by, he could hear their whispers cursing his name or ridiculing him for being incompetent. But was he really incompetent? He wanted to ask those knights straight to their faces, however, that might just add more fuel to their hatred.

He thanked the knight and slightly bowed to him before going back to his tent. Stolas followed him, with a papyrus on hand resting at a wooden tablet. His ward was documenting the progress of his entire campaign, if he could call it that.

Prince Arterius entered the tent filled with frustration and grief over the matter. He immediately went to his table and smack it as hard as he could. The loud thud attracted the knights outside to come in and check what was going on.

His ward immediately diffused the tension and asked the knights to sheathe back their sword. After all, there was no threat inside the tent, just a very frustrated prince that was about to lose his birthright and probably his life a few days from now.

Arterius gritted his teeth as he tried shaking the pain away from his hand.

"I think your hand hit the edge of the table." Stolas commented while preparing some tinctures and salves for his possible injury. "Let me see your hand."

"Damn it!" Prince Arterius noticed the bulging mass at the lower part of his palm and showed it to Stolas.

"That is…worse!" His ward clicked his tongue.

"Argh…you think?"

"Just…stop squirming while I try to patch you, alright?" Stolas slowly placed a relieving salve on his palm. "Stave off from table smashing the next time." He jabbed at Prince Arterius.

"Would you prefer me breaking my walking cane?!"

"That would be a spectacle if you can."

"Are…you telling me that I can't?"

Stolas' comment was more painful than that of his swollen hand. His ward knew about it too and preferred to stay silent. He yanked his hand off Stolas' and walked away from the table.

"Am I that incompetent, Stolas?" Prince Arterius sighed. "Am I that hopeless that I just wait and for nothing? I mean, I should've ended this campaign a long time ago and accepted my fate!" He sat on his bed and hunched.

Stolas simply looked at him, and silently arranged the salves and tinctures back to their proper drawers.

"You're hopeless, given the situation." Stolas went to the other table and prepared his favorite tea to try and ease his self-deprecated comment. "But incompetent…that's far from the truth! You know that yourself, Arterius."

"I'm just unlucky…I think…" He gritted his teeth. "And I don't even believe in luck!"

Stolas approached him with his tea on a wooden platter, "I would rather pick being unlucky over being hopeless. At least at some point, your luck would turn around but being hopeless…not even the gods could remedy that." He said while pouring milk over Prince Arterius' tea.

"I don't know, Stolas." Arterius took the tea from his ward and took a sip from it. "I just don't…know. I just hope one of them would emerge from the hole and save me from my predicament."

"Now, you're just pushing it." Stolas replied. "What if another monster would come out of that hole once again? Can you…take responsibility for that?!"

"If it's only about responsibility, Stolas. That's something that I could effectively handle!" Prince Arterius took another sip of his tea, "I doubt it would come to that! 305-M and I had developed this thing…you've seen it! It should be able to detect those changelings if there are any!" He pointed out.

"Don't put your faith too much on him." Stolas said. "I understand that he was your mentor at some point, but I really believe that one betrayal should be enough for you to learn how rotten of a man he is! Not to mention that invention you made, it's still in its trial stages! Are you willing to take that risk again?"

Prince Arterius did not answer. He stared blankly at his tea, mindlessly stirring it like there was no tomorrow. He tried to find a point for him to rebut, however, he ran out of things to say. Actually, he had nothing to say, Stolas made clear of his flaws and subtly letting him know of his downfall.

"I don't know…Stolas, I need some air." He stood up and grabbed his spare cane lying on the side of his bed.

Suddenly, a knight enters the tent, panting. From the looks of it, he seemed to have travelled far from his post. He entered with such haste that it left both men stunned.

"My Prince!" He coughed. "A message from Lord Prestonheim! He wanted you to read it post haste!" He kneeled down and reached out a piece of parchment to him.

Prince Arterius thanked the knight and offered him some water. Seeing how terrible the knight wheezed just to get to him made him remember the bad things the knights from the camp were telling him. Proving them wrong might be one way to lighten up his mood—if ever does lighten.

He opened up the rolled parchment and read its contents. He dropped the letter as quickly as he unfurled it. He looked at Stolas as blood drained from his face.

"Stolas, prepare the carriage!" His voice quivered. "My brother had landed in the isle along with Commander Maceus!"

"M-maceus?! You mean—"

"Commander Maceus Crovar. He never answered our letters to him and now he's with my brother?!" He greeted his teeth. "Bring all of the compiled books we have and the stones as well!"

"I thought Prince Veritus was heading to the Southern end of the Great Dunes to quell and uprising there!"

"I thought so too. That was the last thing he told me in his letter." Arterius became very suspicious of his brother.

"Is he taking over?" Stolas said as he desperately complied to his prince's orders.

"It's not clearly stated here!" Arterius answered. "But there's a reason why when they are both partnered, they are called the Harbingers of the End."

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JULY PROMOTION!!!Please read AUX Chapter if you want to join!