Chapter 3: Chapter 3 – King Ulric

It was a long journey traveling by carriage, but on the way Eric had plenty of time to see the world he had awoken to. The forestry and wildlife that stood between Stathford and Umbris was a peaceful setting for the newcomer to take in, offering him some time to finally gather his thoughts and attempt to figure out how he was going to handle things. There was no way he was going to figure out how exactly he got here, so he might as well play along in hopes of getting by and figuring things out on a whim later down the road when he had a better understanding.

Day in, day out, the voyage to Umbris was as leisurely as one could imagine; the skies always seemed clear with the radiant gentle warmth of the sun rained down from above. No predators attacked the carriage and no bandits came to rob them; it seemed almost uncanny how perfect their trip had been. None the less, however, they made it to their destination without so much as a hiccup.

Massive walls expand upwards; stacks of stone create a brick-like pattern, while two towers rest on either side of a large wooden door guarded by four individuals clad in armor and straight swords. Two on either side of the dropdown gate and two in the towers upon the wall, extending a hand out, one of them on the ground floor steps forward and inquires, "State your name and reasoning for being here."

"You dimwit, it's me Orvelle. I was sent out by King Ulric to transport an important person." One of the carriage drivers promptly responds. Eric pokes his head out of the carriage somewhat as the interaction between the two knights takes place, he could barely contain himself from letting out a chuckle at the strange exchange. Though, as he pokes his head back into the carriage and looks to Engelise, he cant help but notice she looked a little on edge, a nervous glance here and there, the restless pursuit for comfort was clearly evident in her body language- it didn't take much effort for even the likes of Eric to notice it.

Aiming not to pry on something he probably shouldn't, he instead follows up and attempts to once more thank the woman, "I want to thank you again, for coming with me and taking care of me while I was passed out. If there's anything I can do in order to make it up to you, let me know." Looking over to Eric, Engelise gently shakes her head before replying, "What I did was merely out of kindness, I don't expect anything in return."

Then, the sound of metal clanking against each other in a strange pattern can be heard. A sound that is recognized as chains slowly lowering the dropdown gate to allow for the carriage to pass into the city- it seemed that the conversation between the two guards was resolved and they were allowed to pass within, without anymore issues. Glancing around as they enter Umbris, the first thing he sees is the market- a place bustling with individuals both buying and selling goods. However, something seems off upon further inspection.

On first glance it seems like a friendly market with a thriving economy; however, looking closer, he realizes that a large majority of the people here seem to be almost sickly- they're frail and wear tattered clothing befitting of someone who is impoverished. He also catches further within, a guardsman who seems to go around taking fruits or products here and there. Refusing to pay for anything he takes and using the authority he holds as a means of deterring them from fighting back, Eric could feel that there was something very wrong with the kingdom he has been brought to.

The feeling of possibly finding solace in having someone who might know why he's here was a fleeting one, instead shifting to a very wary one. Regardless of that feeling however, he was in too deep now to go back and sought to simply sit tight and wait until he figured out what the real reason for him being brought here was.

Time would pass as they slowly made their way through the kingdom; the further they got to the center, the less peasants and crime were present. It was something that both Eric and Engelise, though the latter of the two, didn't seem too surprised about what she was seeing, and instead was more empathetic and sorry for those who were living in poor conditions in the lower parts of the kingdom. Eventually, the carriage makes it to the center of Umbris; even the most opulent homes in the upper Umbris were nothing in comparison to the great castle that was something befitting a king- or perhaps a tyrant.

Stopping at a smaller gate, the guards at the front of the carriage hop out on either side, landing on the ground with a thud followed by the clanking of their armor. Calling out to the duo inside, the man who called himself Orvelle says, "End of the road. Don't want to keep the King waiting." And with that, Eric seeks to quickly exit to get the encounter over with- as if ripping off a band-aid of anxiety. Opening the door, he swiftly steps outside and holds the door open for Engelise, who also soon after exits. Having been sitting for so long, Eric takes a moment after exiting to stretch his legs; performing a few low, shaky kicks to keep his blood pumping so that he didn't enter the castle with wobbly legs.

"Come on now, come on." Orvelle says, waving the duo to hurry and follow as he approaches the opened steel gate. Walking to the dual wooden doors guarded by another two guards similar to how the gate was guarded, Orvelle isnt questioned this time and instead he is the one to ask first, "Is the King available? His visitor is here." Looking at each other simultaneously for a moment, the guards pause before returning their attention back to Orvelle to offer him a silent nod.

Turning, Orvelle mutters to himself, "Fuckin' weirdos." Before instructing both Eric and Engelise, "Once you enter, you are not to touch anything, you are to speak to the King with respect. It is an honor for you to be within his home, as soon as you enter, just head straight down towards his throne. . . Good luck." And with that, he makes his way back further within the kingdom on foot. Likely returning to whatever other duties he had now that he had finished delivering Eric to the Kings request.

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It seemed like there was nothing left to do but go ahead inside and see what he was summoned for, though, actually being in front of the castle wasn't helping in the slightest with the built up nerves and anxiety Eric was feeling in the moment- in fact it was further amplified as his mind ran rampant, trying to figure out what they wanted from him or if he was in trouble. But, he knew he was far too deep to head back now, he couldn't hide and there was nowhere to go but forward.

Reaching out, Eric's hand pushes the wooden door forward and he steps into the castle before Engelise. Nervously glancing around, he is quickly swept away by the magnificent and extravagant architecture and opulence of the castle's interior. On the left and right, two incredibly long tables extended from one side of the room to the other; vertically, pointing to the other side of the main hall was where he could see a throne, and on that throne a blonde man was sitting down waiting. Wearing a fine cloak with a white fur color, along with a black and gold undershirt, he appeared to be clad in a bit of armor as well- though, his attire was quiet befitting of someone who is called 'King'. That was for certain.

Coming to a stand, the man extends both of his arms out wide on either side, and calls out to the visitors, "Don't be shy, come closer. Make yourself at home." The man seemed fairly chipper. Eric had expected that the king was going to be someone who was more stern and easily irritable- Ulric however, seemed very inviting and friendly. It caused a bit of ease to wash over Eric, Engelise, however, was still on guard, and followed closely behind the red-haired man. Coming closer, step by step, Eric felt that there was some sort of connection between him and Ulric. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but there was an eerie feeling of familiarity.

Standing before the king at his throne, Ulric quickly gets down to speaking and explaining, "You're probably quite curious about where you are? How you got here? Well . . I'm going to be frank with you and say that I don't have all of your answers. I was simply alerted of your presence by one of our oracles, they told us you'd be lost and very far from home." A tilt of his head forward signifies a silent questioning of it, that assessment was correct or if the Oracle had failed. "I'm uh. . . Yeah, I have no idea where I am. I just woke up here." A single nod is given from Ulric to Eric.

"Well, I'm here now to assist in figuring things out with you. I don't expect you to fully trust me, so I wont ask you about your past . . if you have any memory of such. And instead I just want to help you, take one of the chambers within my castle as my own- the only thing I ask of you, is that you serve under me in my military. How does that sound?" A smile is given from Ulric, both to Eric and Engelise immediately after giving his offer. Though, the pause and silence that followed caused that smile to soon enough fade before Eric finally replies, "I appreciate the sentiment . . . but . . I have a small issue with your corrupt military, along with the impoverished people that you seem to neglect."

Eric himself was very hesitant to speak at all; what he said was merely another spur of random confidence- something that the king didn't seem to take kindly to. Stepping back, Ulric sits back down on his throne and his entire demeanor begins to change. The chipper and friendly man that Eric had thought he was speaking to had become the stern and easily unsettled ruler he had feared he would meet. Speaking in a much harsher tone, he almost yells at Eric, "I invite you into my home, I give you a job that most people would kill for and you sit here and insult my kingdom? What kind of guest are you?"

Eric was almost petrified in place; he felt that he had made a grave mistake and wasn't sure if he should try to make amends or attempt to flee. Before he could make his mind up, however, Ulric once more speaks, "I had hoped that we could have worked together this time, Helel. Guards, take him to the dungeon." Waving a limp hand forward, multiple guards seem to come around from all angles to enclose upon Eric and Engelise. "I've done nothing wrong! I don't even know this land!" The pleas of Eric seemed to fall on deaf ears, time almost slowed down as the guards all converged on him.

CRASH!!!

Before they could get closer, the entire building rattles and a loud crash from above sounds off, causing the guards to flinch and back up in response to the sudden change. A large hole in the roof appears and through the smoke, the only thing visible is what can only be described as a one-winged angel's silhouette, though, as the figure passes through the smoke and comes into clear view- a man with black hair along the left side and white hair along the right appears and crashes between Eric and Ulric. A single black feathered wing extends out from his back, before folding into a more relaxed state, "Ulric!" The man calls out before reaching behind him to grab Eric by the shoulder to stand him right beside himself.

All chaos seemed to be breaking loose around the area, guards were panicking, and Ulric and the strange one-winged man seemed to be having a standoff. but Eric notices upon looking back after being pulled forward that Engelise seemed terrified. Not apparently at the guards or Ulric but instead at the sight of the winged man, covering her mouth with both her hands while she slowly backed away, she slowly shook her head at Eric he couldn't help but start to suddenly feel nauseous. Everything was starting to go dark and he was starting to lose the strength to even walk.

Noticing that Eric was starting to go limp, the winged man points to Ulric with his free hand and calls out, "We will be back. You better be prepared." And reaching over to properly hold Eric up, the man crouches down briefly before they both burst into the sky out from the hole that was just created to enter. With Eric seemingly randomly sapped of all his energy, he passes out and is unable to try to figure out where he was going and who had just saved him from being thrown into a cell to rot.