[Act 1] Chapter 20: Emperor's Gamble

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"I have to defeat the Germans," Mordred whispered to himself from within his litter

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"I have to defeat the Germans," Mordred whispered to himself from within his litter. "I have to kill the Germans, for the good of the world, for my empire and my crown."

Every time he thought about it, his head thumped like crazy. It was a dream that the threat of the Germans and their iron would be squashed underneath his boot, but it was one that he would relish only when the job is finally done and his rule is absolute across the entire empire. The only thing that was stopping him was the German forces themselves. They were simply too powerful, especially with the morale of the Imperial Army wavering each passing day.

With every soldier brave enough (or stupid enough) to remain in the Imperial Army posted at the border separating the Germans and the Arthurians, that left Mordred and his circle to track down what was left to recruit from more "higher" locations. Although it was uncustomary for an emperor to set out on his terms to recruit himself an army, it was the only way for the strongest assets in the empire to follow him to victory. For that, he needed to meet with his most powerful contacts.

This is what brought him to the deepest and darkest pits of Camelot; the district of Morgause, a place abandoned for so long. A depraved and gluttonous place where sin is the natural order. Crime was so relevant that guards simply refused to patrol at night, and when they did go there, it wasn't for the honour of patrolling a dangerous neighbourhood. Just to blend in with the crowd, Mordred had to wear an old, worn-out cloak that hid his expensive garments. Degrading as it was, it at least prevented him from being mugged out in the open.

When the litter stopped, he immediately hopped out and stuck to the walls of his destination. It was the largest of all the whorehouses in the city as well as the entire empire, owned by the richest member of the Crime Lords of Arthuria; Caster Olva.

Mordred felt the need to bathe his eyes with the sight of the outside and ears by hearing the noises of flesh pounding on the inside. On usual occasions, he'd be excited to hear those noises, but right now, he was determined. He put his hood on and entered the establishment alone, his guards waiting outside.

The inside was what it was expected to be, purple lights and all were the rages. As expected of a place of such "exquisite" taste, girls of many different races were being offered up to the depraved, gluttonous nobles, being led in chains around their ankles and necks. Sure, Mordred's grandfather was the one that outlawed slavery across the empire, but no laws applied to the treatment of prostitutes in the underworld. It was certainly the easiest ways to get rich, even if it was on other's misfortunes.

It was just one of the reasons Mordred's treasury grew tenfold during his teens. Illegal fighting rings, gambling dens, brothels, and many joined crime syndicates were what funded such a large empire in the first place, at the cost of his honour and a massive increase of corruption. Mordred let the latter be solved by the Church of the Paragons, he only cared about the money that was in it - same as the Church.

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