The Paradox Corridor

Chapter 37: Never Play An Ace When A Two Will Do

Everyone jumped back, the loudness of Amber's screaming taking them all by surprise. After a couple of seconds, Amber finally calmed down, and collapsed down onto the ground, still awake but obviously extremely worn out. After awhile of listening to her breathe, Arthur finally said,

"Now that that is settled, follow me up to the war room. I need to catch you up on what's going on here." James and Andrew followed Arthur out of the room, Amber floating right behind them (Merlin's doing, of course). As they walked up a blazillion steps, James and Andrew both asked the presence what he thought happened to Amber. After a minute of thought, it finally responded;

"Well, I'm not sure. I'm not even really sure if demons exist or not; the only recorded demons in history mainly come from various religions; among other events that happen that people blame on demons. So, whether or not it's a demon is very questionable: however, it is very much possible to possess somebody: I've seen it first hand. In the future where I came from, mind control was perfected and then outlawed by Thalidia: obviously people broke the law with that, and when combined with time travel, which does exist (it apparently became commercially available sometime after Thalidia was destroyed) it is highly possible that something from the future could do something like this. However, this wasn't really mind control in the usual sense: it was more like an induced dream that Amber had no control over. Now about that technology I have absolutely no idea: it's very much possible that your robot has the technical capabilities of long-range dream state-inducement (that's what we're calling now, by the way), but if it's able to knock you guys clean out without having to even be around, then A: Why hasn't it done this before? 2: Why does it want to physically fight you so much? And III: Why did it tell you when it was going to fight you? Speaking of which, I would assume that we will be seeing him on our last day in the past: so we need to be prepared for it, and we also need to tell Arthur about it so he can expect it. I'll relay everything to Amber after she regains more consciousness: Ah! We're here!" James and Andrew, listening hard to what the presence had to say, hadn't even realized that they had reached the war room. They looked around, gaining their bearings. They were in a long rectangular room that seemed to used to have been a dining hall, for chairs lined the table on all sides. There were a couple of people in the room already, high ranking individuals, it seemed like, pouring over maps and papers of various sizes. They were so engrossed in what they were doing that it took them a while to notice them. Eventually, though, they noticed them, and began to mumble amongst themselves, no doubt commenting on whether or not they were spies and why a girl was floating behind them. Also; their clothes were ridiculous for the times: so the gossip didn't surprise James. Then Arthur entered the room, and all of them immediately returned to their work. Even though they were high ranked, Arthur was clearly over them all. Arthur gestured to the room as a whole.

"Welcome to the war room. This is where we sit and conduct the most boring but necessary part of war: planning and strategy," he said, "sit here. I need to tell you what goes on during these troubled times." They sat down, and Arthur began to speak;

"It started about 2 months ago. I have had many enemies in my short life, and I have bested all of them. It is possible that I may become king soon, but as the preparations for my crowning neared their completion, many different small foreign tribes and clans banned together extremely quickly under one name: The Chosen. Completely different peoples joined together under one cause far faster than the likes I have ever seen: even former enemies have begun to work together for one apparent purpose: to end my reign before it even begins, for once I become king then it would prove to be far more difficult to kill me. How they figured out I was to be king I have absolutely no idea: but they have attacked me in rather large groups countless times in the two months past. Now, it seems, we have received word that they are amassing an army grater than the likes of any that anyone has ever seen. But I am Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon: I will not be easily defeated. Me and my men retreated to this keep, which is in a better position than it would seem: the hills on our left and right make it nearly impossible for them to attack from our flanks, and to our backs is a swampland so vast that trying to get an army through there would be suicide. They can only attack us from the front effectively: and these walls are very sturdy. I have many men at my side, and we will make a stand that will be remembered through all of history. You did say that my name has lived on to your day, correct?" James and Andrew didn't respond, Andrew because he didn't know enough about Arthur's story to answer him, and James because he did know the stories of King Arthur: and this war wasn't one of them.