Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

CH442 Alex's Knights

***

Meanwhile, back at the inn, Alex and his expedition party were having their own discussion.

When the group reconvened in the room assigned to Alex and his wives, Alex informed Mogal that he would be representing him as his champion in the duel the next morning. However, to his surprise, an objection was raised.

Well, calling it an objection was too strong—more like a plea.

"Please, my lord. Grant me the honour of representing you tomorrow."

One of the Fury Knight-soldiers suddenly stepped forward and half-knelt before Alex.

Alex's gaze settled on the man.

This particular knight was the de facto leader of the Fury knights. Whenever Alex granted the unit autonomy during battle, command naturally fell to him.

"Sergeant Tahm Lopota," Alex said calmly, "do you understand what you are asking to do?"

"I will not soil your honour, my lord," Sergeant Lopota vowed.

"My honour?" Alex shook his head. "I care little for honour amongst these ruffians. What I am asking is whether you understand that you would be risking your life."

His voice hardened slightly.

"Even if you survive, should you lose, Eleanor will not be able to heal your injuries until we depart Camp Red Rock. You would be left to recover—or die—on your own."

Alex's ruby-red eyes bored into the man, as though trying to peer straight into his soul.

"You and your unit are on loan to me from the Fury Army. Your duty is simply to accompany me on this expedition. There is no need for you to take personal risks in my name. That is what my followers are for," Alex said sincerely.

Sergeant Lopota hesitated. Then he glanced back at the other knights.

He saw only resolve—and encouragement.

Turning back to Alex, he spoke firmly.

"In that case, my lord, I speak not only for myself, but for all those who stand with me." He bowed where he knelt. "We wish to swear fealty to you—if you would have us."

As if on cue, the remaining Fury knights—including the Crossbowmen—also dropped to their knees.

Alex was stunned. For a moment, he couldn't respond.

"Are you certain?" he finally asked. "Once this oath is taken, there is no turning back. You will no longer be soldiers of the Fury Army. You will become my soldiers."

His gaze swept across them.

"You would be binding yourselves to an uncertain player—with an uncertain future."

"We are certain, my lord," Sergeant Lopota replied without hesitation. "Though this expedition began in chaos, you have shown us enough to make our decision."

Sergeant Lopota continued,

"We have not chosen blindly. We understand that our current situation is nothing more than a temporary setback. Before long, you will resolve your handicap, and when that happens, things will only improve for this expedition."

He paused, then added firmly,

"However, if we wait until then, we will have lost the chance to truly earn your favour. That is why we speak now."

The other Fury knights nodded in agreement.

Though their actions might have appeared rash, they were anything but.

Between serving under the Fury Army and serving directly under a Fury scion, the choice was clear to those with ambition.

While serving beneath the banner of the Fury Army was safer, steadier, and far less risky, it was also limiting. By contrast, serving directly under a scion offered far greater opportunity—especially when it came to access to resources.

The Fury family cherished military power, and as such, its scions typically spared no expense in maintaining their personal forces. Resources flowed far more freely to soldiers directly under a scion's banner than to those buried within the larger, less ambitious structure of the Fury Army.

And among the currently eligible scions an Intermediate-ranked Fury knight could hope to swear fealty to, Alex stood at the very top of the list.

The mere fact that this unit of Fury knights had dared to accompany a young scion into an unknown world spoke volumes about their ambition.

The stories and rumours they had heard about Alex before the expedition laid the foundation. Now that they had travelled with him, they had personally confirmed enough of those rumours to justify taking the plunge.

Their seniors who had previously served under Alex spoke of his unconventional approach to warfare—his combat doctrine, tactics, technology, and weaponry. Now, the knights could attest to it themselves.

And having experienced it firsthand, none of them wished to return to the old conventions—especially the Crossbowmen.

So, when the opportunity finally presented itself, they seized it without hesitation.

"Sir," Sergeant Lopota continued, "we understand that we are not as talented as your personal followers, nor can we fight those at higher stages or ranks than ourselves."

"But we still have our uses."

"For instance, there is no need for your strongest forces to be deployed against mere riff-raff. We will suffice."

Alex's eyes flashed.

He regarded the knight leader with a hint of surprise, noting the man's clarity of thought and measured confidence.

'Well played, Sergeant Lopota,' Alex thought. 'You will go far.'

The man possessed both the intellect and the eloquence of someone well-suited to climb a hierarchical ladder—and survive doing so.

Indeed, just as the man had said, most of the Fury knights before him could not scale the way Alex, his wives, and his followers could.

With the exception of Sugud, each of Alex's followers were late- to peak-stage Intermediate-ranked professionals, capable of fighting above their level and pushing into the early stages of the Elite rank—practically equivalent to Two-Star Gold ranks of this plane.

Even Sugud, who was only a mid-stage Intermediate, possessed a unique class with limitless potential.

As for his wives, Udara was also Peak Intermediate, but Alex wasn't entirely sure where her upper limit lay. He estimated it to be somewhere between early and mid-Elite rank.

Zora, on the other hand, was an early-stage Elite. However, she was practically invincible within the Elite rank. Given sufficient time and preparation, Alex believed she could even conjure a spell capable of maiming—or outright killing—a Veteran.

Eleanor was a mid-stage Elite. But as a Tier III Healer, her healing output extended far beyond her combat rank, allowing her to heal injuries up to the lower ranges of the Veteran rank.

As for himself, Alex was a Peak Intermediate, and like Zora, he was effectively invincible among Elites. With adequate preparation—as demonstrated during his hunt of the Earth Drake—his power could push into Class 4 territory, rivaling a Veteran warrior or a Great Mage.

That was, of course, with his Rune-Tech.

Without it, Alex believed he could still hold his own against a mid-stage Elite at the very least.

Faced with such monsters, Alex could understand why the Fury knights believed themselves to be lacking in talent.

But he disagreed.

What they lacked was not talent—but opportunities.

Unlike himself, his wives, and his followers—who utilised specialised, curated cultivation methods—the Fury knights relied on generic techniques and methods distributed by the Fury Army. And yet, despite this, they had still become essentially invincible within their late to peak Intermediate stages.

If they had access to better methods, Alex believed they too could push beyond their current ascension limits and output power disproportionate to their rank.

Fortunately, he possessed precisely such methods.

Unfortunately, he couldn't use them at the moment—and even if he could, he lacked the time.

"Allow me to prove our worth to you," Sergeant Lopota said.

Seeing the determination in the knight's eyes—and mirrored in those of his comrades—Alex saw no reason to refuse.

"Very well," Alex said calmly. "I will give you a chance to earn my recognition. Perform well in tomorrow's duel, and I will accept your fealty."

"I swear to lay victory at your feet tomorrow," Sergeant Lopota vowed.

It was clear the man had overinterpreted Alex's condition. Alex only required him to perform well, not necessarily to win—but the knight believed victory itself was the standard.

Rather than correct him, Alex simply nodded.

And with that, the stage was set.

By sunrise, the duel would begin.

***