The Barons Discovery

"Crowns."

"A symbol of wealth."

"Power."

"Authority."

"But with it brings the trappings of power."

"When I take a crown, it will not be through rebellion."

"But instead through restoration.

Reginald Coulan, creator and head of House Aurellion in Dynasties Online.

….

As Baron Rahler considered his options, his men, each putting a hand on their swords, were ready to draw them and attack at a moment's notice as a lone rider approached the group, holding a spear deftly spinning skilfully in his hands as a low-key threat to the noble lord, whose expression did not change.

Aldorus could see the violet eyes calculating gains and losses, debating within his mind whether it would be better to slaughter Railius and his men or not.

His gaze was cold as it pierced into the Rinadan noble, making the normally composed man shiver slightly, daring the cunning bastard to make a move for the Pelican Guard commander was now in his mid-forties, had plenty of life experience and knew that at this moment, his lord was in more danger than he had been in for the last 3 months before coming down he had sent a hand signal to a few men watching in the shadows ordering them to gather together the other 500 hundred Pelican Guards scattered around as they silently rode off to get reinforcements.

They would arrive in only a few minutes, and if needed, they could charge down from, kill the Baron, and then evacuate Railius quickly as many of the recruits were with Railius, meaning the rest were the elite of the Pelican Guard.

Men capable of fighting two or three soldiers at once without much difficulty, just like the royal knights sworn to the many kings in the world. 

"My lord, it seems that our young acting captain has offended you. For that, you have my apologies. He has always been an obstinate little shit."

"Even I struggle to control him at times despite watching over him since he was young, and his witty little lips weave words that can be as sharp as swords."

Aldorus said casually but in a respectful manner, wanting to diffuse the conflict if he could, getting a few angry glares from the men around Railius for his comments about their lord, but they did nothing as he was their commander and their young lord was smiling, not bothered in the slightest by the insults coming his way as he was smart enough to see what his loyal commander was doing. 

"Acting captain?"

The baron asked with raised eyebrows in curiosity, becoming confused.

Had the noble been wrong in his initial assessment of the young man?

Was it just a talented commoner picked up by luck by the mercenary group?

"What makes him worthy to be acting captain he looks like a green little summer boy."

The baron commented, for as far as he was concerned, the young lad was likely the son of a noble house and not a lowly as well to be able to have the luxury of a master fighter as a bodyguard.

"Aye, he is, but he has a talent for military strategy and command. I'm training him up to take over for when I eventually retire, as I can't keep wandering around fighting forever."

The first commander of the Pelican Guards said, though his words were somewhat of a lie as he was well aware that he was unlikely to retire and it was far more likely for him to die in one of the many battles and wars his lord would have to fight in the future but it was true that he was teaching him about military strategy being far better versed in it than Leon was.

After all, House Aurellion was not a noble house of peace. It was forged in the fires of wars and built upon a mountain of skulls from 3 kingdoms now united as one empire.

An empire that would stop at nothing now to eradicate them from this world.

Because House Aurellion represented the greatest shame to date that the empire had suffered.

A once-loyal house turning traitor and killing a prince despite it not being true and escaping thoroughly trampled on the prestige of the new empire, especially when many knew the truth, a truth no one would speak unless they were looking for a one-way express ticket to the executioner's block.

That was because it was a lie. House Aurellion was one of the most loyal houses in the empire, helping to stay neutral despite the great power they wielded. They only served the emperor and listened to his orders.

Yet despite this, despite this loyalty….

They were framed and hunted down, with even the innocent children put to the sword.

But one escaped.

A child that would come to haunt the empire decades later.

Stopping their dreams of conquest with fire and blood.

The baron looked to his loyal dwarven bodyguard but was surprised when the man shook his head.

'So not even Fokhod is confident in taking this man down.'

Baron Rahler sighed, thinking to himself as the two had a deep understanding of each other, and so it only took even the smallest gestures for the two men to communicate and the one he just got warned him of the danger of the man in front of him.

'No.'

Baron Rahler thought, his mind pausing for a second.

'Not a man, a master fighter.'

Fokhod had been judging the man in his mid-forties before him since he first laid eyes on him, watching what appeared to be his men fighting and gaining experience.

Looking at the faces of the soldiers, he discovered that many of them could be no more than 20 years old, most of them teenagers who he assumed had only recently learnt how to fight and work together.

But that was not what Fokhod saw….

No, what he saw were young men with the strength of trained soldiers of a martial noble house. Worse, by the looks of it, these young men had been training since they were young, most likely since they were children.

And under a master or grandmaster fighter to boot

Just like the sons of the nobility.

But there is no way this many sons or heirs of noble houses could be gathered together unless the young man had a status far beyond what he expected.

Unless the young captain for only royalty would be able to gather so many sons and heirs of noble houses.

But Fokhod could only see this as the reckless actions of a young, stupid prince or king.

Because if any of these sons of his country's nobility died, he ran the risk of infuriating their families and bringing turmoil to his realm.

Fokhod did not even consider the possibility that Railius had offered all his subjects education and martial training and, in so doing, would allow him to create one of the strongest military forces the world had seen.

Such a thing was unheard of in medieval times, when commoners usually took up the occupation of their fathers, with only second or third sons finding their own path as they would have little to inherit from those who sired them.

And a powerful force they would become indeed.

One so powerful that they would put fear into the hearts of nations.

But the main reason that he indicated to his lord that he shouldn't try to attack the middle-aged man was the feeling he got from him.

One of confidence.

But more important.

One of danger.

A feeling of danger that he had not felt for years.

Not since he had roamed the battlefields with his lord protecting him from danger.

Fokhods instincts, sharply honed to a razor-sharp edge by his long life, were right on the mark.

For Aldorus had spent his life, since the age of 16, on the battlefield, where he joined the army nine years before the Battle of Brunag and the conquest of Nadron, which ensured the rise of the Chavarian Empire.

The empire that falsely called House Aurellion traitors.

That schemed to kill Lucius, the greatest general in the empire.

That hunted their young lord down like a dog.

Like an animal

Like a bloody animal.

But before that, he had roamed that bloody battlefield, his style crude but effective as he had honed himself into an efficient killing machine.

One that, without a doubt, could take the dwarf's head.

The Baron's expression did not change as another ear-piercing scream entered his ears. Another man was sent with a one-way ticket to the underworld by these ruthless mercenaries who didn't seem bothered in the slightest at taking the lives of these raiders.

Not only were these men raiders and slavers who deserved it, but there was one more important aspect as well.

It was their little lord's order, though he had grown into a man 5 foot 11, nearly 6 feet tall, rather tall for a half-dwarf, and so could not be called little anymore despite it never changing in the hearts of the veterans.

Those in their mid-forties and fifties who even now guard the back of the lord of House Aurellion, refusing like Lucian did to go into retirement like so many of their brother-in-arms had determined to serve House Aurellion to their last dying breaths no matter how old they got.

Each was an expert fighter, the elite of the elite, having fought through tens of battlefields and lived possessing an experience that even those in the Chavarian Imperial Guard renowned for their martial prowess and feared throughout the southern continent would struggle to match.

Each man still thought of their lord as that cute child who would scheme and plot to escape his training and lessons despite it never working due to the grand commander's seemingly superhuman senses.

A child they would gladly give their lives to protect.

Baron Rahler watched on in silence as each raider was finished off, and it was only when he confirmed that each had died that he let out a sigh of relief.

For now, his secret is safe.

As there was now no more evidence or testimony that could be used against him.

"I believe a reward is in order for getting rid of this scourge to my lands."

The Baron said, removing a leather pouch from his saddlebag filled with gold coins and throwing it to the muddied ground, the rain soaking it in an instant.

But Railius understood the true purpose of this bag of gold.

This was not a reward but a bribe, for both men knew what the Baron had done, but neither seemed willing to bring such a secret out into the open. Worse, there was a good chance that Rahler would not be able to kill them all, even if he wanted to. It was odd to see even the most loyal soldiers not be worried when faced with 200 men, which could only mean one of two things.

Either they had the confidence to kill them all or….

They had even more men hidden who were ready to charge out the moment.

This seemed odd to the Baron as he had only heard of a young captain and 50 guards protecting that damn caravan, so the fact that there was more worried Rahler, who felt a shiver run down his spine.

Because he had almost certainly confirmed that there were more men hidden, it was not the young captain or whoever the hell this young man was who was in danger but he himself that was in danger.

"I never did get your name?" 

Baron Rahler asked the young noble as he motioned for Railius and his men to do what they liked. He wanted to have a conversation with the old villagers who remained, as maybe they would have more information on this mysterious roaming band of mercenaries whom even an idiot could see was not normal in the slightest.

The Baron's eyes briefly went to the sheathed sword the young man had strapped to his waist. If he had been only suspicious before then, the sword itself, alongside the master fighter who suddenly appeared, spoke of the man's noble birth. Whether he was a prince, the son of a lord, or a fallen noble, the baron did not know, but one thing was clear.

When it came to military power….

He was completely outmatched.

Let alone what hidden tigers he would poke by killing this green boy.

"Delron, my lord."

Railius said the lie naturally from his lips, and as it did so, as if to reward him for all the other lies that he had told over the past few months while in the game, the system finally considered him worthy of a reward.

"I'll remember your name Delron. Thank you for dealing with these scourges for me."

The Baron said as he rode off, his expression unable to be read, and Railius gazed at the system notifications that had appeared at the edge of his vision.

[The Deception (Novice) (Passive) skill has been upgraded to the Deception (Amateur) (Passive) skill]

[The Insight (Novice) (Passive) skill has been upgraded to the Insight (Amateur) (Passive) skill]

Railius was surprised to find that two of his skills had finally upgraded, but considering that he used and trained them far less than his more martially inclined skills, it was not surprising that it took so long to train them up.

But his attention soon turned back to the Rinadan noble who had ridden away and began to talk with the old villagers, checking up on them as was his duty as their lord.

Seeing that a battle had been prevented, Railius let out a sigh of relief as his men began to collect the weapons, armour, and coin purses of the dead, which would at least help to pay for their future food and board. His men quickly exchanged their light mail for the heavier, more protective mail of the raiders as Railius looked at its stats once Jordis had helped him put on the protective mail links as the young player was still unfamiliar with how to put on armour properly, not that this was abnormal for a noble and Jordis was more than happy to take on the role of squire for his lord.

….

Heavy Mail:

Description: A heavier mail armour, one that would be much more common for lords and knights to use in the high middle ages on earth or, more specifically, the 11-13 century (1000 -1200 AD), the metal links provide good protection from both projectiles and swords.

This armour is better and heavier than light mail, which is far more common amongst the armies in Dynasties Online but not as protective as plate armour.

Defence: 30

Special Features: reduce the damage of all attacks of slashing weapons by 10%

Reduce the damage of all ranged attacks by 10%

….

'Not a bad set of armour.'

Railius thought though it had nothing on his customised set that he got from his starter kit, but unfortunately, because that armour screams his true identity for now, he had to keep it hidden, remembering the stats of it fondly and was surprised he would get a set of armour so good from a starter kit as in most MMOs starter weapons and armour are quickly discarded.

But then again, Dynasties Online is no normal MMO.

He was also surprised to see the name that was given his armour, something that still unnerved him even now, especially as it seems the game world seemed to have decided what his eventual destiny would be, at least for his dynasty's descendants, if not his current character.

 ….

Righteous Royal Redoubt:

Description: A special commission was ordered by the first Grand Commander and founder of the Pelican Guards for his lord, leaving no expense spared.

This armour is customised to fit perfectly to your form, allowing both protection and ease of movement. It is a masterpiece; however, its very gaudy look makes its wearer easily identifiable. The crimson and gold armour are in the colours of House Aurellion, and the armour has many features showing off the great protective beast that makes up their sigel.

Armour Type: Form-fitting plate armour.

Defence: 50

Special features:

Reduce the damage of all physical attacks by 20%.

Reduce the damage of all ranged attacks by 10%

Reduce the damage of all slashing weapons by 20%

These damage reductions stack.

Adds effect: 'True King's Presence.'

The Presence Of A True King: (Special Armour Effect)

Description: The armour of the lord of House Aurellion, a noble house which is loyal and honourable. Despite the attempts to disparage its name by the imperial family, it is still revered by the older members of the Chavarian imperial army who remember serving and training under the dynasty founder, Lucius Aurellion and know the last thing that he would do is try to rebel or kill a prince.

It is made from many materials to create an alloy that is both strong and light.

When the soldiers of House Aurellion fight with their lord, their spirits rise as long as their lord does not abandon them. The armour is ornate so the soldiers can clearly identify and rally around the armour's wearer; however, it also makes it easier for enemies to strike the lord down.

Effect: Increases the morale and fighting ability of soldiers who can see the wearer by 10%. This is further increased if the wearer of the armour fights on the front lines alongside his men.

This special feature can only be activated if the lord or a respected figure of House Aurellion dons the armour.

….

'Royal.'

Railius thought, still slightly fearful of what the word implied but still stunned by the armour set itself as he had never seen one so powerful and reckoned only a master or grandmaster dwarven blacksmith could make any better.

This game thought his dynasty had the potential to be kings.

And good kings at that.

But all the Railius felt was fear.

Fear of the responsibility.

Fear that power would corrupt him as it had so many others in the past.

People who forgot why they held it in the first place care for the people and to do good, replaced by hedonism and the endless quest to stay in power by any means necessary. 

However, there was also an unwillingness.

An unwillingness to not be a pawn.

To be powerless once again as he watched men die so that he could live powerless to stop the swords that would forever come for him and those he had grown to like.

To love.

And if that meant becoming a king.

Then Railius would become a king.

Even if it took years in the game, perhaps even multiple characters.

He would be a king.