Knight in a Grave of Roses

it crowe the crow basically

TO FUEL A NEW WORLD

|{an rp blog for the soul of cinder and those Lords who comprise it.}|

It was the flask, knarled and golden in hue which caught the Blade’s attention. Suddenly, the mystery of this Knight’s identity was all-too-simple to solve: the bearer of this armor, was a human, and Undead at that. If the situation were not as it was,  perhaps Ciaran would take issue with traveling with the ilk of pygmies - but aid was aid, and the rank of Divines seems as nothing in these lands.

The smaller of Eleum Loyce’s occupants were quickly dispatched by the twin tracers, bearers of the Ice Rapier being slightly more difficult. In the open courtyard, it appeared as if they were pinned. Ciaran would get out, easily, but her companion would most likely not fare as well.

Three maidens, unmoving in prayer, were the first to be knocked down with throwing knives through the jugular. Screeches, high wails of pain echoed around them in a cacophany, echoed by the gutteral grunts of enemies beyond, mixed with the crunching of frost beneath footsteps.  Pause, as she listened - 

He had been expecting the ‘swift death’,all things considered. He pondered the question for what to him felt like an eternity before he let out his answer- [“I found it in the Kiln of the First Flame,where he lit the fire and burned just like myself and my brethren. When I was there I found both the wrist guard and the blade in a field of flowers,next to me as I lay incapacitated for a reason I still do not know. The blade lay across my chest,the guard half buried in the ash. I know not how they came to be there,but I used them as my own to strike down those who would assail me on my way to this place. But now..”] he paused,musing over whether his next words were wise, before continuing: [“They are yours. I cannot really keep them from you- they are the last pieces of the Lord left in this world,it is only right for you to have them.”] He handed the wrist guard back- not rushed,but hesitant despite his words. He had awoken from an eternal slumber with these as his tools, a mocking recreation of his entry into the world as a knight of silver. He had grasped a blade as the world awoke,and now he had grasped these things as the world was dying. It all was rather…fitting. [“Perhaps now my service is done. And yet…is there anything you might have me do,Sire?”] He still needed something to do,this perhaps imagined last covenant he had carried out was over and now it could not stop him from simply ceasing to exist.

“For the time being, no… Forgive me though, it has been an incredibly long time since I have had to really remember my father. You might well know what happened between us if you had been serving Lord Gwyn that long ago. There are painful memories I usually try to avoid when thinking about our final confrontation.” 

After accepting the wrist guard, the god looked over the engravings again and sighed. He gave the accessory to an apostle and told them to take it to his chambers. “Leave it by my journal! As for the rest of you, you may leave as you please. I am sure you still have tasks to do before the sun sets today.” While his words sounded more like a suggestion, the apostles knew their Lord was actually dismissing them. Some still looked concerned about the strange Black Knight, wondering what trouble he might cause once their Lord was left alone with him. They were quickly assuaged by the others, though, the ones who evidently had a little more faith in their Lord. Soon enough, the apostles and serpent-men left. Only an old god and a tarnished knight stood in the hall now with a greatsword in between them.

Gwynfor thought over the knight’s story once more. Evenon had sounded earnest enough. It would be difficult to judge more of the knight’s true character without the removal of his helm, but his story about his… rebirth in the ashes of the Kiln… If this man was lying about his experiences, then he was doing a wonderful job. Gwynfor still had some doubts, but he realized he couldn’t really disprove the knight’s story since he had never been into the Kiln itself. He could barely imagine what it would have been like, the solemn march of the Lord of the Sunlight and his faithful knights to a burning martyrdom. Then there was the Unkindled’s coming back to life? Amidst the ashes of his former comrades no less. Now what service could the god even have Evenon take upon himself? He might now be a Lord himself, but he was no Lord of Sunlight.

He considered his options, then nodded in affirmation. [“If you can create a distraction I can enter that tower and see what foes lay on its summit to eliminate. I do hope you can keep that ability to go unseen active for a long enough time- being suddenly caught out in the open might spell death for you and me both.”] He glanced at the distance once more,then braced for the long sprint to the tower. [“Whenever you are ready.”]

“I will create the distraction then,” Tyrael said in a hushed tone, before glancing towards his destination. “They will focus on me, and you can go unnoticed and to the tower. Once I vanish and get to the tower, we can fight them together.” The former archangel nodded before turning to run to the right, holding his right hand up above his hand–a bright light shone from his fingers, like a brilliant star. Whatever was in the tower, gave out a loud warning call and many of the creatures, whether it be demons or otherwise, began to file out towards Tyrael’s ever moving position. Miraculously, none noticed the Black Knight. But surely there were still some in the tower–just a lot of them left to chase a light, like insects.

He mused over it for a few short minutes,before nodding his head in acceptance of the offer. [“An extra blade would help. If you want to follow me on the safe route out,the first objective is quite simply supposedly. We need that tower cleared out for a vantage point,and chances are the demons put something large and decently affective on top to guard it.”] He stared at the rather large and open expanse between them and the tower. [“That- and actually getting to it unnoticed.”] The many variables worried him,but then again it was the safest path he had seen. He checked himself a few times,and stared out at the expanse once more.

“I’m afraid I’m not one for sneaking,” Tyrael admitted, his own amber eyes peering across the distance to the tower. “But I do have the ability–magic, as some call it—to go unseen. You, on the other hand,” the former archangel murmured eyeing the heavily armored knight up and down. “If you require a distraction, perhaps I can create one for you.”

It was the flask, knarled and golden in hue which caught the Blade’s attention. Suddenly, the mystery of this Knight’s identity was all-too-simple to solve: the bearer of this armor, was a human, and Undead at that. If the situation were not as it was,  perhaps Ciaran would take issue with traveling with the ilk of pygmies - but aid was aid, and the rank of Divines seems as nothing in these lands.

The smaller of Eleum Loyce’s occupants were quickly dispatched by the twin tracers, bearers of the Ice Rapier being slightly more difficult. In the open courtyard, it appeared as if they were pinned. Ciaran would get out, easily, but her companion would most likely not fare as well.

The answer came in the form of a small ‘Ah!’ and the reveal of a decently sized,burnt wrist guard. One could see its original color was a shining gold,and it had an odd rectangle shape cit at a point in the middle with seemingly no purpose. He grunted and searched for its twin,but after no luck closed the bag and dropped it. He also decided that the sword should be used as well. He jammed its blade into the floor between them,hoping the small embers of flame that ignited when he did so wouldn’t be too distracting. [“Inspect these,if you would. If you,the son of these items original owner,find them to be fake… Well,then you have ample reason to see to my swift death.”]

Son of the original owner…? Well, alright, now Gwynfor really had to check for the truth in this stranger’s words. He took the wrist guard in one hand and the broadsword handle in the other.

The wrist guard he examined first, it being easy to turn in his hand. Relatively so anyway. Gwynfor could certainly tell the golden band was not meant for human wrists as it felt similar in size and weight as his own. Looking closer, he then noticed similar designs in the engravings, that being of the sun and its numerous rays encircling the accessory. However, there were no swirls of clouds nor curls of light incorporated into the design, something that would have otherwise indicated the band belonging to himself or his siblings. So yes, there was no doubt about it. This wrist band once belonged to the god’s father, Lord Gwyn, the former Lord of Sunlight. Gwynfor swore he could still feel a faint warmth emanating from the gold. Perhaps he was imagining things… but he could dwell more on the matter after examining Evenon’s weapon.

While minutes had passed since its ignition, the blade of the broadsword was still radiant, faintly​ giving off heat and light now. Gwynfor then wondered if this Unkindled had some pyromancy skills to buff his weapon with fire. Few of his father’s original knights had practiced such magic though. And the sword was far more delicately engraved and crafted than something only meant for a knight. On the hilt, the was the sun again, its rays also faintly extending down the slightly nicked blade. Gwynfor then returned the wrist guard to Evenon before raising the broadsword into the air, the way he remembered his father doing so before leading battle, and recited the Sunlight Blade miracle. 

How quickly the blade lit once again! But with lightning instead of fire. The apostles startled at the crackling bolts raining down from their Lord’s hands before he gently brought the sword down and unbuffed the sword with a wave of his hand.