The Way of the Future: Age of Machines(Completed)

Reinhard

Count Tyrian was sat down on his personal throne inside his keep. Clad in a orange tunic and silks, be showcased his immense personal wealth by his clothing alone.

Standing by his side was his personal aide and mistress, Lady Ava. She was clad in thin iron armor around her chest and legs. She was a disavowed knight of the Empire's Knighthood.

Despite her status as a disavowed knight, Count Tyrian still took her in as his mistress after his cucumbine was found trying to escape.

Count Tyrian admittedly wanted to marry Ava but she was asexual and if by force, she'll kill him and she doesn't care if she get executed or not and also his cucumbine escaped before she could be executed.

Knelt in front of the count and his mistress was another knight in charge of the fortress city's garrison.

There was an urgent matter that needed to be attended to. If not, they risked invoking the wrath of their lord.

"You're saying that the party of knights you sent out to finish her have not returned?" Tyrian said.

"Yes, sire. It has been 5 days since they gave chase. I believe they have been killed by the magical beasts that roam around the Uncharted forest," The Knight commander said.

"Tsk, how can my well-trained knights of ten be defeated by mere magical beasts?" Tyrian wasn't pleased.

Tyrian did not reply. Instead, he fidgeted at the word 'well-trained' he, being knight commander of the garrison, knew how cocky those group of knights were. They were inexperienced and glorified bodyguards of Count Tyrian and were in no way experienced with fighting off magical beasts.

The best thing they could do was fight off peasant revolts and wave their swords around.

"But if they were indeed killed by a magical beast then we can just also assume that the wretched woman whom fled from our Lord was also killed by the creatures," Tyrian said.

"Yes, sire," Reinhard said.

"Well, then. Off you go, send a messenger to Lord Rism and tell him the whore has been dealt with," Tyrian said with confidence.

"Yes, sire," Reinhard said. He then stood up and left the Count's presence. As the guards shut the door behind him, he sighed.

"Idiots, I'm ruled by a gluttonous bastard and bossed around by a disgraceful knight," He whispered to himself as he walked through the streets of the Fortress city.

He was in the inner district where the garrison were less respectful of his command ever since Ava took control of managing the inner walls.

He passed through the entrance that connected the inner district to the outer district. The inner walls towered 30 feet, an expensive venture funded by the profiteering merchant class that have the support of the count.

He despised the inner walls. He lost a dozen good men who were forced to work on the walls in perilous conditions a decade ago. The living conditions on the outer district were incomparable to the inner district.

The outer district was immensely poor but the only reason they still worked and lived under such conditions was because they had no other choice.

There weren't any more jobs available in the nearest city to the northwest that wasn't as better off than the Fortress City. They couldn't afford to journey further since they had nothing to pay with.

The surrounding areas were continuously being ravaged by some magical beasts that attacked in packs. Half of the residents here were descendants of those who fled their villages when the magical beasts first started appearing decades ago.

Although magical beasts have appeared decades prior, only in small numbers. But a few years ago, the number of magical beasts skyrocketed until attacks became ever more frequent that resulted in the destruction of all eastern villages over the span of just a year.

Many fled to the Fortress City, causing more problems to the peasants already living there. Violence soon erupted but were immediately suppressed by Reinhard.

Reinhard was at either between late or mid A-rank and his a powerful knight commander, he remembered the events in their entirety. His regret on killing innocents who were just trying to find for their survival lingered in his heart.

The merchants and the Count living within the inner district could have distributed their stocks to help but they dud not.

"Greedy pigs," Reinhard would always say behind their backs.

If for some inexplicable reason the entire merchant class and the Count were to be murdered overnight, he would even partake in it.

But the peasants did not wish to become like the 'other' city that did the same.

The thought of which was enough to shut down any thought of rebellion within the starving masses.

As Reinhard reached the main gate in the outer walls, he was greeted by his friend Jord on the wall. Jord was a young man whose average looks were nothing of note. He was a skilled spear man with physical level of a mid C-rank and had been serving under Reinhard since he was a child.

Although at first he joined the garrison out of desperation, both have become close friends throughout the years.

"How did your meeting with the bastard and the bitch go?" Jord said with a chuckle.

"As always. They want me to clean their mess," Reinhard said with a smile.

The rest of the knights with Jord laughed.

"Alright, call me someone from the messenger Corp," Reinhard ordered.

"Yes, sir," One the knights ran off to call a messenger.

"So what messege and to who are you going to send it?" Jord asked since he was curious.

"Lord fucking Rism," Reinhard said. His face looked as if Rism disgusted his entire being.

Jord laughed.

"Seriously? That fat bastard? The sucker and that Tyrian bastard can't even maintain a good relationship with that elf that escaped," Jord said.

Reinhard smiled.

"That's true. But orders are orders. Anyways, what happened to the other girl? The mage that smuggled her all the way to here?" Reinhard asked.

"Wait, you haven't heard?" Jord said.

"No, Ava was supposed to handle it.. wait.." Reinhard realized.

"What the hell did that bitch do?" Reinhard asked.

"The girl has been thrown into one of the cells inside the tower," Jord said as he pointed at a tower to the western side of the city.

Reinhard's face became pale.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: I change the Grade to Rank because Its quite fitting.

Valentine: Late A-rank

Liz: Early A-rank

Others...