54 Plan of Action

"Damn teach, it's creepy how ya do things sometimes."

Mordred grinned cheekily, glancing at the few survivo-no, spared men, being dragged away by the oddly dressed soldiers that seemed to follow her teacher around everywhere.

It was weird you see, they weren't vast in numbers, or from prominent backgrounds, or even knights like her Father's armies, or the men that answered to the other knights, nothing like even those that followed her in her rebellion.

She remembered Agravain had once tried to buy information about him, to undermine him or understand him, but the proposal was shut down so harshly you'd think it wasn't Agravain of the Iron Hand a no name grunt was addressing but some enemy.

"But why leave some of them?" Mordred pondered, a knight she was but a young one, lacking in experience compared to others, "Didn't they tell you all they know already?" It was equal parts hilarious and infuriating how they thought of him as something depraved.

"It's about sending a message."

"What?"

"Nothing..." Aston coughed into his hand, staring off into the star-filled night sky, "It is meant to announce my kindly presence."

"Kindly huh..." Chuckling, the Knight of Betrayal scratched the back of her head, "Guess that might be true. So it's like honour or something?" She believed it would have been more advantageous to beat one foe after the other while leaving nothing to give them away.

"Nothing of the sort, the method I applied leaves much room for personal interpretation." The more experienced knight held up his finger as he explained, "Personal interpretation from someone mentally challenged enough to think my kind self the devil is either going to be laughed at, lowering their guard, or put them on guard against an indomitable foe that attacks in the night like a coward, leaving them unprepared during the day. Plus the fear factor."

Mordred narrowed her eyes, putting a hand on her chin as she pondered over his words, "Oh, I got it!" She animatedly announced to her surroundings, drawing amused stares from men going about pillaging resources, "It leaves them open to attacks from the others!"

Aston gave a small nod, acknowledging her view, "Now then, it's about time we meet up with one of the others." The information they'd acquired after gently asking for it had several implications.

They were contending with a nomadic force at best, and two entire kingdoms at worst.

Maybe their own people if this Richard the Lionheart truly was a King of England.

"Geh... I'll have to discuss this with the third rate villain."

*

"Agravain, my friend, how have you been?"

"This is a first, what do you want?" Agravain deadpanned at the Knight of Atrocity and narrowed his eyes, distrustful of the man's bigger than usual smile. He paused for a few moments, expecting an answer but when he received none, he sighed and turned to the wooden table with the hastily made map resting atop it.

Begrudgingly, even he admitted that the information Aston had brought back to their makeshift base of operations was incredibly useful, more so because it even accounted for geographical 'intricacies'.

He most definitely was NOT salty about not being able to the interrogation himself.

Aston crossed his arms and looked down at the map with narrowed eyes, holding his helmet in the crook of his arm, "I praise your dedication and scrupulousness in this endeavour...-"

"Thank yo-..."

"Not all of us have time for fiddling around with paint and paper after all. Does it gratify you as well?"

A vein popped out on Agravain's forehead and the Iron Hand clenched his teeth, "The King has made his intentions clear. HE intends to set up a city before moving on to the solution." He promptly ignored his fellow knight's nature and maintained a certain degree of professionalism.

"'I hate woman, I will always hate woman.'"

Agravain put a hand over his sword, glaring at the Knight of Atrocity, "Words are to be carefully chosen. That is my advice to you, take heed lest you regret it."

"Oh?"

Almost as if he'd been looking for conflict, Aston's calm smile morphed into a small grin as he stared down to meet Agravain's annoyed glare.

"Oya? Strange to 'see' you two so close."

"Is this supposed to be humour, Tristan? Is it?" Aston shook his head at the red-haired knight that had just walked into the dimly lit tent, carrying Failnaught with him.

Tristan smiled plainly, "I thought I did quite well."

"I was told we were meant to be the greatest knights of the realm, honourable and steadfast." Agravain sighed and returned to the map, "The information Sir Aston has delivered coincides with what our King has provided us with. We are to deal with this Richard the Lionheart first."

"Not with you around we're not."

"..." Agravain sighed again, facepalming as he willed himself to continue, "However, this person allegedly rivals a high-ranked servant in terms of power."

"Hey Tristan, play despacito."

"...I am unfamiliar with a melody with that name."

"Children... I swear to god, children."

Fed up with Aston's bullshit, Agravain slammed his fist onto the table, breaking it under the power behind his fist, "Pay attention, please."

""...""

The Secretary of the Roundtable let out a relieved sigh, falsely believing that he'd placated the knight who seemed hellbent on not letting him finish his words.

"And he calls us children." Aston snickered, looking to the side as he tried but failed at hiding his laughter.

Agravain grit his teeth and clenched his fists, doing his utmost to stop his fists from their promised rendezvous with Aston's scarred face. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he forced himself to calm down as was expected from such an experienced knight who most certainly was not a misogynist, "His combative force is composed of individuals more or less on par with our King's golem-like warriors."

"What are those actually?" Aston spoke seriously for once, "I find it difficult to believe them human, or soldiers." They felt like golems, beings of magic, more machine than human.

Tristan smiled wryly, "If our King has not yet told us, it is not our place to know." He was extremely curious about what kept Aston so bright and active after they'd cut down their own comrades, "What are we to do, Sir Agravain?"

"Trusting in your personal combat prowess..." Agravain dragged his finger across the map to a rock formation that could function as a chokepoint funnelling into a steep drop, "Sir Aston, you are to lure the enemy here after making certain the commander is accompanying them."

"And I shall wait atop those platforms nature has chosen to grant us." Tristan nodded, predicting Agravain's words, "Plausible, but not without risk. I believe we should avoid any loss of manpowers."

Aston, on the other hand, seemed to be busy poking the tent's fabric, interested in discerning it's make, "How did we get these?" His had been first contact, it didn't make sense for them to have the resources to set up camp.

"The King saw it fit to bless us with them."

"Intriguing..."

While the other knights, who believed they'd failed their King in one way or the other, refused to question him, Aston wasn't the same. The powers put on display were too outlandish and contrived to be hers.

"Anyway can yo-"

"While I do appreciate the trust that most certainly isn't a convenient ploy to be rid of me, I don't wish to reveal my cards before properly assessing the King of Kings. Give me Gawain." Aston spoke in a serious manner, before looking at Tristan, "I trust you will be able to vacate with haste should it be necessary?"

The crimson-haired knight nodded in affirmation, handing his fellow knight a wooden plate.

"I believe Sir Gawain will be more than happy to accompany you." Agravain narrowed his eyes before the tacit understanding between Tristan and Aston dawned him.

They intended to have Gawain use Excalibur Galatine to bring down a landslide on enemy forces should things go awry, giving them ample time to retreat to greater advantage.

"Then it will be as such."

Lancelot and Mordred could investigate the village of assassins, Gareth with her harmless and trustworthy nature could investigate the 'sage' roaming the lands, while he oversaw the operation to entirely end their English foes.

It wasn't like any of them hadn't faced rebels before.