Enderverse: The Virtuous Knight

Chapter 2: "The Draestus Faction"

The walls of the round, circular room were decorated with various paintings and bookshelves. Several limestone carved pillars lined the walls, alongside stands that held silver knight armor. In the center of the room was a large, curved table which stretched from one side of the room to the other, and travelled parallel to the walls. There were white seats with red, velvet seats on them, and there were a total of sixteen chairs alongside the table. There was a small flight of white stairs in front of the table which also travelled parallel to the curbed table, and beyond these stairs was a short hall branching off from the room. This was the entrance to this room, and when you walked into it, you would first see a raised table atop a short flight of stairs. Seeing such a sight when stepping into the room presumably must mean that this room was a meeting room of some kind.

With the sixteen chairs alongside the table, there sat fifteen people in white, baggy cloaks. The final empty chair was slightly different to all the other chairs, it was designed with more 'flair', than the other chairs. The light in the room was specifically modified so that the light would never reach these hooded figure's faces, disabling the ability to see their faces from another point of view. They were talking to each other, and a deep, male voice spoke up. The one who owned this voice stood up from his chair.

"Brothers and sisters, I'd like to ask a few questions regarding the Portal Gate."

A higher pitched, female voice spoke next.

"The Portal Gate?"

"Yes, the Portal Gate. The same one we have built to attempt to access Skydrenix. I have noticed that we only know of Skydrenix, another dimension apart from ours. I ask you, what if there are other dimensions? Should we not take this into consideration as well?"

Upon the male voice asking the question regarding the existence of other dimensions, everyone started to whisper to each other. This went on for about a few moments, then the high pitched, female voice spoke again.

"It is very unlikely that there would be any other dimensions other than our thriving Earthon and the holy land Skydrenix. The ancient tales and legends only speak of the two dimensions, and does not mention any other dimension."

The man with the deep voice ventured into thought for a short moment, then looked back to the speaker.

"What if the Portal Gate does not take us to the holy land? What if we end up somewhere we don't want to be?"

"Do not worry. This is why we sent that young knight to receive something for us."

The man looked surprised upon hearing that a young knight had gone to get something for them.

"What young knight? And what is he looking for?"

To answer those questions, another male voice spoke up.

"I believe his name was Felix Stallas. Leader Veklar sent him on a mission to find an artifact that will complete the Portal Gate whole. I believe he leads the 8th exploration squad in the military."

The man with the deep voice looked slightly surprised yet again.

"Can he really be tasked with finding such an important artifact?"

"Do not worry. Felix himself used to attend jousting tournaments, and he has won every single match. I believe he possesses great skill, making him worthy for such a task."

Upon hearing the statement, the other hooded people nodded, impressed by the report on Felix's skills. Another male voice spoke up.

"I have a proposal to offer."

The other hooded people looked at the man speaking, in interest. He continued.

"Instead of risking our own lives trying to visit another dimension that could potentially be dangerous, what if we sent Felix and his men to go first?"

The hooded men and women looked around and whispered to each other, while the man in question watched as the other people discussed. After a few moments, the hooded people looked back towards the man in question, and a woman stood up from her chair.

"We have heard your proposal, and we think it is a good one. Our faction is far too important to risk our lives in a new, unexplored land. Who knows what could be there."

The man in question seemed happy, as he put on a smile, but no-one saw his true emotions due to the modified light around them. Yet another man spoke up, with a slightly higher pitched voice.

"So, let us summarize; After Felix has received the artifact, we will inform him and his squadron that he will have to prepare to venture into the Portal Gate."

The hooded people nodded in agreement, and the male voice who first spoke, spoke again.

"Exactly right. We will now wait for Felix's return."

The hooded people leaned back in their chairs, looking up and facing the center of the ceiling above them. They began to wait.