Chapter 1:

The morning air in Maranda was light and feathery. Trees blocked out the light, creating patterns in the room as it pressed gently upon The Knight's face In bed. His eye twitched in the harsh morning light, and he rolled to avoid it. Upon rolling, his nose fell upon a sweet, gentle scent. A familiar vanilla perfume twirled through the air around him. The Knight couldn’t help but smile. He opened his eyes, his love was awake looking at him. Maria, a human woman of a fairer skin tone was smiling, nuzzled into him.

Maria: “Good morning, handsome.”

Her voice was a gentle downy in his mind. He didn’t want to get up, but he knew he had to. The Knight patted her back, standing up.

Maria: “Nooo…”

She attempted to drag him back into bed. The Knight nudged her gently and smiled. She sighed and stood up as well. The two of them dressed; the woman in a mild sundress with a floral pattern, and The Knight in brown trousers and a white shirt. They went downstairs and saw their little one waiting at the table while reading a book. The Knight was interrupted before he spoke by a knocking against their door, a resounding silence from their household before the knight opened the door. A man with one arm, a feathery hat, and a loose suit stood, pressed into the doorway. He took a step back and put on a gentle smile.

One-Armed Man(?): “Ah, hello ‘Sir Knight’. It is news that I bring to you, this fine day.”

The woman smiled at him, looking rather jovial, if wary, at the sight of the delivery boy.

 “Ah, Sarnal. Good to see you! Unless you’re here to steal away my husband that is,” putting her hands on her hips and taking on a sarcastic look.

Sarnal: “Ah, Maria. Wonderful to see you, and sad to say, I am here to deliver news of… such a thing.”

Maria raised an eyebrow.

Maria: “Really now, you think you can walk in here holding out a draft letter as though-”

Maria was cut off by The Knight, raising a hand and shaking his head. He smiled gently at her and looked over at Sarnal, holding out his right hand.

Sarnal: “Sadly, it is a draft. Us good ol’ boys are being sent down south, dealing with an unknown threat. You’d think they’d send The Guard instead of us. I guess they want to keep the main force up here in case we fail.”

Sarnal spit off into the dirt next to the path.

Sarnal: “Damn Brass,” he said half joking.

The Knight laughed lightly, and invited Sarnal in for breakfast. 

Sarnal: “Sorry, I have to gather up the rest of the 5th company. Hate to pass up Maria’s cooking, but I also like having a job,” he said as he shook his head, bearing a smug aura.

Maria served up a plate of pancakes and eggs to Mary, before looking over to Sarnal.

Maria: “As if I’d feed the man taking my husband away for Fate knows how long.”

Sarnal raised his hands and sweated a bit.

Sarnal: “Sorry, boss man, I gotta get out of here before your battle ax swings at me.”

Maria: “Excuse me? What was th-” but Sarnal was already half a block up the road.

Maria pinched the bridge of her nose and looked to The Knight.

Maria: “Better get breakfast in before you have to report for duty.”

The Knight sat down and enjoyed one last breakfast with his family.

Chapter 2:

The Knight begins his walk down the cobblestone streets, passing by dozens of diverse people. A seven-foot, dark-skinned man on his way to sell his produce, a fair-toned lady with pointy ears reading out of a book, and more on either side of the street. The Knight was making his way past them to the Marandan Guard House, a place filled with burly folk who’ve carved a life around hitting crime doers. It wasn’t the most educated of places. Nevertheless, it was a second home to The Knight. It was where he met Sarnal and what led to him meeting Maria. As The Knight approached, the building stood the same as it always did. A large hewn stone building cut from slate in the nearby hills, covered by silken tapestries and notice boards, the main door made from lovely oak wood, flanked by two men in black armor. The black-armored men nod their heads as The Knight makes his way inside. The interior of the building was plain, with simple wooden furniture. There’s always some mild bustling inside the guard house, a robber or band of thieves going around the city stirring up trouble. The activity this day was unlike any other. Dozens of Runners swirling table to table before running past the Knight, only to be replaced by another dozen Runners and Couriers passing notes or delivering parcels. The Knight walks inside hurriedly so as to not block the doorway, heading off to a staircase, which seems to pierce through the stone building and into the sky. The Knight walks up those stairs, coming into a more fanciful room. The gray stone walls were covered with furs and tapestry. The floors layered with wood paneling, complemented with oak wood furniture. The man on the other side of the room was a  taller man of darker complexion, clad in a chainmail, with a breastplate over it, along with a helmet adorned with a red feather. This man was Thompson, who The Knight knew well.

Thompson: “Ah, good Sir… it is good to see you here. I take it you got my letter?”

The Knight nods as he is about to respond before being interrupted.

Thompson: “And you’re aware, that you cannot say no?”

The knight stopped abruptly and tilted his head.

Thompson: “This is a matter of utmost importance, and we need all hands on deck to find out what exactly we’re dealing with here. I apologize, but please be careful.”

The knight was silent for a moment, but bows and looks up.

Thompson: “Make your way to the gate as soon as possible and join your troop. Thank you for your cooperation.”

The Knight raises up and nods his head and turned to leave. He makes his way out of the building, and walks with gentle steps. The Knight has a terrible feeling about all this.

Chapter 3:

The Knight walks back home to get dressed. Well, “Dressed”. Thick plates of steel draped over chain mail, and strapped together with leather strips. Under it all, a thick Gambeson. Atop it all, a helmet with a single feather plume coming out of the top. He has trouble bending down to put on the Sabatons when Maria walks into their shared room. She smirked at his struggling.

Maria: “Oh, darling husband and knight of Sither; Are thou having issues donning thy armor?” She said playfully.

The Knight groaned and chuckled.

The Knight: “Are you going to help, or laugh?”

 Maria: “Can’t I do both?~”

The Knight huffs and trips back onto his bed. Maria’s laughing only grew louder as she approached.

 Maria: My darling, Sir Knight, I will deign to help you out of your pinch.

With much fanfare, Maria sits on the end of the bed and begins to help put on the rest of the Knights armor, wearing a smile all the while.

The knight smiled as she helped get him suited up, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Maria chuckled.

 Maria: “Oh no, you’re not getting away with just that while you’re all suited up~”

 Maria pulled the Knight into a long kiss and it lasted long into the night.

Chapter 4

The Knight went to depart when his daughter, Mary, grabbed onto his leg.

Mary: Nuh-uh! You just left!

The Knight smiled at her, and patted her head.

The Knight: Daddy’s very busy, Mary. I’m sorry, but I promise to come back soon.

Mary pouted as she watched The Knight raise his halberd over his shoulder, walking the same way he had been trained. Right foot up, and then down. Left foot up, then down. Heel turns at a perfect ninety degrees, repeat as necessary. Raise, step, raise, step, right foot, left foot. The sound of the sabatons clacking down onto the cobblestone road and the bustling of the citizens around him accompanied The Knight as he made his way to the front gates. Slowly, chills ran down the Knight’s back as he made his way closer to the gate, as if a cold cowl was suddenly draped over his neck. The Knight eventually arrives at the front gate, two lines of fifteen soldiers in front of it. The Knight takes his position on the far right of the line, repositioning his halberd on his shoulder and checking it was in the correct position. As he did, Sarnal arrived in front of him with a mocking smile.

Knight: “Sure did cut it close, eh?”

Sarnal: “Oh, please. You got here at essentially the same time I did.”

Knight: “Difference is I wasn’t the last to arrive,” The Knight chuckled. 

Before Sarnal could respond with some witty jab, a voice rang out over the company. Commander Thompson stands in full regalia for his station as Squad Captain. Thompson cleared his throat loudly and called out in a fair-ground voice to the thirty two men:

Thompson: “Alright you lot, we head South to investigate odd reports of monstrous activity. giant spiders running down the countryside. I know most might be opinionated about this… sudden call to action…“

Thompson’s gaze fell to Sarnal before taking on a moody face and tone of voice.

Thompson: “But that’s why you’re part of the scouting party. We don’t intend to enter full scale combat, much less participate in the slaying of this monster. Our intention is to bag one of these creatures and get the hell out of there. The royals can decide what course of action to take. Should be simple.”

There was a collective groan amongst the veteran knights. It felt that every time Thompson said something along the lines of “it’ll be simple”, or worse yet, “We got this”, things would fall apart immediately. Thompson laughed loudly.

Thompson: “Don’t be a bunch of wussies. You know your rank and role, get to marching.”

The men set up their halberds as the portcullis was raised, allowing them out. They stepped in perfect unison, the kind that only veteran guards such as themselves could pull off. Several people waved them off as they marched, civilians and other guards waiting at the gates. The chills only grew stronger the further they marched.

Chapter 5:

The march was days long, going through thick, hilly woods. More time was spent going uphill than down, and the air quickly got thinner. However, the troop had been trained in this very environment. For The Knight, it was more like a return trip home than a grueling walk. The men took bets on who could find the best leaf falling from the autumnal trees. Sarnal, as always, won. It was a perfect maple leaf, at a stage somewhere between brown and orange.

Sarnal: “The man who gets the first kill can take it and crush it beneath their feet,” he said, referring to the leaf as if it were prey.

The other men laughed at this, sharpening their halberds on the nights they set up camp. Instead, The Knight took the time to think about his life. The sinking feeling from before still hadn’t left if anything it was getting stronger still. The other men were starting to feel it too, The Knight could tell. Halfhearted jokes and empty laughter rang out. Thirty-two of the best knights Maranda could offer, and yet… there was a feeling in the air. It was cold and empty, dark and dreary. As if marching uphill to clash with an enemy force, the men felt seen and exposed. Every knight tried shaking off the feeling, but… The Knight himself just remembered Maria and Mary. It cut through some of the gloom, a torch through thin fog. He slept well those nights. He’d need that rest too, for what was to come would likely afford him none.

Chapter 6:

On the seventh day of the march, the men started getting antsy. Wind swept past the hills as the tree line began to thin out. 

Knight: “The stumps stick  up in strange ways. They’re too jagged to be cut,” The Knight wondered aloud when Sarnal stepped up.

Sarnal: “So bored you’re looking at tree stumps?”

The Knight shot him a glare and turned with a sigh.

Knight: “No, I’m wondering why all these trees got put down in the first place. It’s not like we’re fighting bandits who need building supplies, we’re supposed to be killing spiders.”

Sarnal smirked in his usual shit-eating way.

Sarnal: “Maybe we’ll get lucky, and they’ll be strictly passive herbivores.”

The Knight, mildly annoyed, rolled his eyes before looking up above , seeing what remained of the tree lines.

Knight: “Think we’ll see them coming?”

Sarnal: “If I had to hazard a guess, no. Nothing ever goes your way, especially when you’re fighting stealthy targets.”

Knight:”I’m just hoping it lasts long enough to count as a fight.”

Sarnal: “As opposed to what? An ambush?”

Knight: “No, a right and proper fucking of our rear ends.”

Sarnal bursts out laughing.

Sarnal: “Ya should have been a sailor talking like that. How in the world did you manage to have a kid? Do women like a man with a salty mouth now?”

Knight: “Women like a man who isn't good for nothing when it comes to chores.” The Knight shrugged as Thompson called out for them to keep moving. 

Sarnal: “You think I’ll be getting a wife next?”

Knight: “Maybe once you learn to talk to women, you’ll have a chance.”

Sarnal:”Like you know any be-”

Sarnal cut himself off and scowled at having driven himself into an argument-ery corner. He sighed and got about half way through a “Fuck you” when they were cut off by a wet, ripping sound.

Chapter 7

A scream rang out as swiftly as it was silenced, metal bending and bones popping filled the space as Thompson cried out;

Thompson: Enemy spotted! It’s right on top of us!

Sarnal and the Knight raised their halberds as they looked to the left, a man pulled apart like a toy in the hands of a giant, fleshy creature that only vaguely resembled a spider. It was covered in thick black hair all up and down it’s body that left a residue over whatever it touched, it had many mouths, and at the end of its long legs were hands. Its mandibles were two curved swords that ripped open the chest of the poor sod who was closest, and the entirety of what passed for its head was covered in a multitude of human eyes. Everyone was silent for a half-second as they drank in the sight. A man they had known for years was broken down in a second. A half of a second passed and the soldiers rushed that terrible creature.

The sound of metal on flesh and bone scraping rang out in an instant. Thirty-one halberds all came crashing down onto the creature at a moment’s notice, to which the creature seemed nonplussed. A single thrash of its legs and the remains of the man were dashed across the ground in a wide area, as it bounded backwards into the fading tree line. The thing before them let out a terrible screech that threatened to make their ears bleed from even several yards away. Once again, Thompson gave the order;

Thompson: Charge dammit!

All the knights went forwards.

The spider pranced and dashed around in the trees, avoiding every strike with variable ease. One man was split down the center in a single bite. Another, impaled on a long leg and devoured. A third was screeched at and went down spitting blood out from his helmet, being far too close to the main head. The knights were being dismantled, and moral was quickly dropping. As such, Thompson looked to the far side of his troops and sought out to give someone else the hero’s job.

Thompson: “You two!”

 He pointed at The knight and Sarnal, who had been lucky in that they had yet to catch up.

 Thompson: “Flank it, target the legs!”

With a practiced motion, Sarnal and the Knight's minds went blank to everything aside from their orders. Immediately, they rushed into the deeper woods and spun around at a ninety-degree angle, moving to counter-push the creature out of the trees. Another man down to locking jaws, and then another to crushing force. twenty-six men remained, twenty-four of which attempted to hold back the creature to middling success.

The creature jumped back into the tree line, holding onto two oak trees with it’s terrible long arms. Its many eyes glowed a sickly green as it spat out some goo at one man, who fell screaming as the iron was rendered into his flesh by a caustic acid. It jumped down and took a bite of the man right as Sarnal and the Knight came out of the trees. It hadn’t even the moment to spin around and face them as its back legs were severed off at the bend. It managed to spin, only to be met by two halberds crashing into its head. It leaped back screaming, only to be pin cushioned by twenty-five halberds. Its screaming grew louder and louder until it finally stopped altogether. It slumped down, split open and gored to the ground. Everyman let out a sigh of relief. Just as they thought it was over, a creaking was heard. The men looked up, as saw the trees straining as two more of them looked down at them through many human eyes.

Chapter 8

The trees croaked under the weight of the two beasts atop them, holding on as if attempting to choke out life from them, as if it were personal. This was met only by a second of silence, and then a single order from Thompson.

Thompon: “Retreat, now!”

A stark, loud pair of screeches rang out with a fury unknown and unquenched towards the remaining twenty-five men as they ran. One man was picked off almost instantly; crushed beneath the startling weight of one of the things before them. Another was bisected the next moment, and then two more fell to acidic globs spat at alarming speeds. 

Twenty-one men remained as they fled, but they hadn’t gotten very far when one of the two monsters headed them off. Sarnal and the Knight charged the creature, the first attack being deflected easily, and the second sinking a solid four inches deep into the monstrosity. Behind them, in the same instant, the second advancing creature smashed into the vanguard and crushed three men in pulp. 

Eighteen were left, and nine of them joined Sarnal and the knight in the fight while Thompson and the other seven held the back line. The “fight” was hardly fair and lasted only fourteen seconds. One man’s head was plucked off and crushed like a cherry between your fingers. Another was hit by a glob, and smacked into the man next to him, causing them both to die, screaming. The vanguard was crushed, and Thompson was torn apart five feet above the ground. Sarnal and the Knight managed to rally the knights enough to kill one off, but after that, the entire formation shattered.

Fourteen men remained, and four were nowhere near fast enough to outrun the thing. Sarnal and The Knight looked at one another and nodded. They spun on their heels and charged at it while it was busy chewing on the remnants of steel and flesh that used to be their compatriots. Sarnal ducked and put his halberd onto the ground, flat side up. The Knight stepped on the Halberd, and as he jumped, he was propelled by Sarnal lifting him at the same time with inhuman strength. Sarnal charged in the same breath as the Knight crashed down and onto the creature.

It screamed, roared, and rocked around the forest floor, rolling through trees and knocking them down. Crashing sounds played out as the knight was crushed over and over, but he dared not let go of his halberd. Instead, he kicked his feet against a nearby tree as he was spun, and kicked off of it, driving the halberd a foot and a half into the thick hide of the creature. There was a sickening thud and a snap, and the creature went limp. As it did, the Knight did likewise. Hitting the Earth with a clang.

Sarnal rushed up to the injured Knight and brought him up across his back, leaning his side against his, and grabbed onto the opposite shoulder. They walked like this for a short moment, before more screaming rang out. It sounded like more of those things had shown up, so Sarnal turned to the knight gasping.

Sarnal: “More of the bleeders. Are you ready?”

But there was no response. The Knight was still limp, even as Sarnal slapped him.

Sarnal: “Come on, not funny. Wake up, we have work to do.”

...But there was no reply. Nor would there be. Sarnal put his fingers against the neck of the fallen Knight, and his eyes widened.

Sarnal: “…No, you’ve gotta be shitting me. Wake up damn it!”

Sarnal raised his hand to slap his friend back to life but stopped just short. A single sniffle was all he allowed out before pressing his comrade's body against a nearby tree, allowing it to fall into a resting position.

Sarnal: “You really left me to tell your wife you died?”

Sarnal laughed bitterly before shaking his head, and looking to the side. A moment passed, interrupted by a snapping and a scream. Sarnal sighed.

Sarnal: “We’re all going to die, but I promise…”

Sarnal took the perfect maple leaf and pressed it into the hand of the Knight.

Sarnal: “At least I’ll get home and make sure they know.”

Sarnal saluted before he ran.

Chapter 9

It felt as though the Knight was floating in cool, dark space. The sound of water lapping at a shoreline filled his ears, and slowly began to drag him out of his sleep. The Knight opened his eyes, only to see a black riverbank, flowing over with a deep red water. The bank was covered with red lilies, all growing out of the black mud. Looking around, there was a myriad of other people also sitting on the shore line, many of which the knight recognized. The melted man was resting his head on the pillowy flowers, the bisected man was currently stitching himself back together with the lily stems, and Thompson putting his armback on. When Thompson noticed The Knight, he waved with his removed arm, looking rather bittersweet about the whole thing. The Knight, however, felt no such thing. He watched as the members of his troop, all except for Sarnal, walked into the red river. He watched as they simply dissipated into it, as if dissolving on the spot. The Knight couldn’t abide by this, and began to walk away from the banks of the river. As he did so, he heard an odd sound. It was somewhere between a loud squelching and fleshing tapping, and many loud drips followed after.

Knight: “What in blazes?”

As The Knight turned around, he saw many pale arms reaching out to grab him. The Knight reached for where his halberd, remembering that it was currently a foot and a half deep in an abomination. The Knight began running, and fast.

As The Knight ran, the arms seemed to extend out of the pool infinitely, reaching for the man’s soul. The Knight, however, felt something deep inside himself. He would not die yet. He could not die yet. He refused to let it be so. Using this newfound determination, he ran and ran as fast as these legs could take him, until he eventually found himself running through a tree line where the branches were filled with many eyes looking down at him. The trees were covered with pulsating veins, upon which the eyes slid down to get a better look at The Knight as he ran.

Madness, that’s all that was to be found here. The Knight did not incline to allow Sarnal to fulfill his promise. The Knight continued to run until eventually the trees became normal again, but appearing more smashed in more places. The few remaining trees sport normal leaves with normal autumnal coloration. He looked down to see muddied armor, and in his hand was a decayed maple leaf. He knew not what had happened, or how this second chance came to be; but it mattered very little to him. The Knight had a home to return to, and there was no time to waste. 

Chapter 10

The Knight begins his long walk back to Maranda, the sights altered significantly in the short time he was gone. Most of the trees along the trekked road had been snuffed out; smashed to bits and splinters with rotting remnants of leaves framing the pathway like some sick garden walk. Splinted logs and broken down, smashed carriages dotted the sea of leaves. The only thing completely free of them was the center path, which seemed to be wider than the knight remembered. He had only seen it last today, so how could it have been widened so suddenly? The Knight had no time for these questions however. He needed to get home as soon as possible. He stepped in marching order, but due to the lack of men at his side it felt rigid and hollow,  unlike what it had been when Sarnal was ahead of him. The knight’s eyes widened as that thought crossed his mind, and his voice came out as a dead rasp. He clutched his throat in pain but remembered the promise Sarnal had made. The Knight began to sprint in the direction of Maranda.

Strangely, as The Knight sprinted he never began to feel tired. At first he had chalked it up to either adrenaline or determination, but now in full plate he had been in full sprint for an hour. Something was wrong, and he could not bring himself to utter a single word. He attempted to take off his helmet, but it clung to his skin desperately. He felt no pain, so clearly it hadn’t gotten snared on his hair or some such, so what had happened? Suddenly, The Knight pulled with great force. He heard a terrible rip and sticking sound as the helmet was removed. Looking inside, an off-brownish substance, something that appeared to be a mix of mud and jerky clung to the inside. The knight had only been out for moments, so how could his helmet have gotten so-

And it was in that moment which The Knight’s questions were answered. He brought his hand upon the outside of the helmet, and rubbed, and in the now polished steel helmet, he saw naught but the head of a decaying corpse. His eyes had sunken in, and his flesh had begun to discolor, but he knew that he could not have been more than a few days old. Yes, rot had set on quickly, but with luck that could be attributed to humidity, or “Poor storage conditions” of his body. He slid his helmet back on with a disgusting, rotting ‘th-chlunk’, and kept moving forwards.

Chapter 11

The Knight had a million questions rolling through his mind as he made his way down the road: Why am I still alive? Am I still alive? Probably not, right? He could feel every bone in his body being crushed under the weight of that thing they fought, so how was he still standing up? Fear of the unknown pressed down on his mind like a weight on blankets, compressing his thoughts and making it hard to think. The inside of his helmet smelled awful, but even after taking it off, the smell didn’t diminish.

The Knight was used to the scent of rot; most warriors were in this day and age, but this? It was as if he were smack dab on top of a rotting, bloated body. He didn’t dare to take off any more of his armor, for fear of his suspicions being realized. His bones had been shattered, and his body smelled awful, yet he was standing. There was only one thing to guess from tha- snap.

The knight ceased his tireless sprint and looked to his side in time to catch something up in the trees. It had long black hair, spider-like limbs, and many eyes. It was one of the beasts who killed the troop.

Without even taking a second to think, the Knight rushed into action. He grabbed a large, fallen branch and hit the thing with all his might as it swung down at him. There was a loud thud and a snap as the branch made contact, snapping one of the beast's long limbs out of place. The knight was caught off guard for but a moment by his strength; he surely hadn’t been this strong in their last fight. That moment was all the beast needed, slamming down onto the Knight again and sending him flying.

But yet, there was no pain. No loud cough or hacking following pooled blood in the lungs. The Knight stood back up and cracked his neck with a terrible pop, putting his head back into place. This all but confirmed what the Knight had thought.

 The beast charged at him with unnatural fervor, going in to kill its opponent after inflicting a terrible blow. But it didn’t go the way the beast had intended. The branch in the Knight’s hands swung and broke against the head of the creature, caving it in by about two inches. By the time the beast turned its head back around, two halves of the broken branch were jammed into two eyes, blinding the thing in places. The creature stumbled back in pain before one of its legs was grabbed and pulled out from under it. The Knight had been relishing in this moment; no longer would he be the one in fear and terror, and no longer would he sit back and watch his brothers die. There was a sick ripping sound as the limb came loose from its socket. The creature roared and screamed terribly, kicking and mauling everything within its reach. Trees went flying, and rocks were unearthed from the ground in the wild thing’s desperate attempt at killing the Knight. All of it was met with a resounding calm, almost serene grace from the Knight.

He stepped forwards in even measured steps, holding no weapons in his hands. Yet, despite having a weapon, the monster scrambled back in place. The Knight jumped up and onto a swung appendage of the creature, before crawling onto the back of the terrible thing. He sunk his thumbs into the monster’s main eyes atop its head with no pomp or circumstance. There was a popping sound and the creature screamed once more before a louder popping rang out moments later. The thing fell to the forest floor, dead and decimated. The knight took hold of the separated limb, a long sharp protrusion on the end of it. Yes, it would make a fine replacement for his halberd; at least for now.

Chapter 12

The Knight stepped down from the terrible thing and looked around for any more of the beasts. Despite not feeling any adrenaline, nor his heart beating in his chest, he felt incredible. The Knight desperately wanted more conflict with the things that brought him low, but to his dismay, he was alone along the path. He began to sprint once more, not at all deterred by any form of weariness that might have once harried him. No, he was now more than he had ever been, as if shaking loose his mortality earned him many new strengths. Yet, something ate at him.

Sure, this new power was immense, and he enjoyed it thoroughly, but it had to come with some sort of cost. Everything has a price, so where was the price for this? He continued to wonder what he may have lost, other than his voice, in return for this power when he saw a cart up ahead on the road.

The cart was made of wood and colorful cloth, bearing the words “Midra’s Emporium of goods” atop the overly fanciful banner streaming in the wind. A comically large goat drew the cart forward along the path, and towards the Knight. It stopped dead about 10 feet away from him as he was sprinting down the road, and a higher-pitched voice echoed out from within the cabin.

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???: “You one-uh them freaks, or a guy? State your business.”

The click of Flintlock was heard on the inside of the cloth covered cart, beyond reigns that went inside the cart itself. The Knight raised his hands in surrender, and attempted to laugh. It came out as a shrill, choked cough, which only served to double the clicking sounds from within the carriage.

 Once again, the Knight raised his hands, and this time shook them for added effect. There was a drawn out pause, as the high pitched voice in the cart went;

 ???: ”Ohhh, wait, you can’t talk. Well shit, this whole thing was really damn rude of me then…”

The…Door? On the side of the cart was kicked open, why was there a door on the side of a cloth-covered cart?  And a tall woman with red hair stepped out from it. She held a pipe in her mouth and two flintlock pistols in her hands, which she was busy holstering. Her shirt was sloppily cut at the elbows, and her long black trousers were two sizes too big. She was of darker complexion, and all around had an air of untrustworthiness about her. She began making symbols with her hands, which only added to the confusion of the Knight.

???: “What? You’re Mute but don’t know sign? You some kinda dumbass, or is it new to you?”

The women snickered, and the Knight tilted his head in confusion.

???: Well, either way, My name’s Midra. Good to meet ya stranger. But uh, you don’t look so good, or smell good neither…

The Knight looked down at himself, and watched as inky black goo ran out from between the gaps in his armor. The smell had only just caught up to him, as he had been running against the wind the whole way. Yeah, it was pretty fucking bad.

The knight shrugged and nodded his head, before doing a cordial bow.

Midra: Oh, hell no. Of all the people to be alive (I think?) in these parts I run into some fancy pants knight…? You got coin at least?

The Knight looked at his side, and to his coin purse. Actually, yes, he did in fact have some money. Nothing unreasonable for his role’s standards, but he had about two silver coins, if he was willing to convert his bronze.

Midra opened up the side of her little cart into a tiny, pop up shop on the side of the road at the mere sight of the Knight’s coinage, walking up to the other side and putting her elbows down on the table.

Midra: “So, seeing as you got that fancy leg looking thing on your back, Me-thinks you could use a shield to go with it. Two silver and four bronze~”

This was a bullshit price, as a shield would usually only go for about a silver at most. Clearly she was a bartering merchant, and the Knight recently lost his ability to speak. Great.

The Knight was indignant at this outrageous number, and being at a lack of knowledge for proper signage, flipped a single finger up in a universal gesture. This was met by howling laughter by Midra

Midra: “Ha! Ooh you cheeky shit! Alright, look, I like you already. You taken?”

The Knight went to shake his head at the mere thought before realizing that would mean he wasn’t, so he stopped himself midway and nodded.

Midra: “Shame. In that case I’ll offer you this fine silver shield for only one silver and four bronze.”

This price was still higher than it needed to be, but the Knight was mentally tired enough to just give up at this point and buy the thing he didn’t even ask for. He brought out one silver and carefully counted four bronze out for the ”nice” lady.

Midra: “Pleasure doing business with ya!”

Midra began to pack up in an instant before the Knight could even get a cough in edgewise. Midra was back in the side door and packed up in seconds, which left the only source of knowledge for the Knight seemingly out of reach. The Knight knocked on the door politely, but swiftly, to get her attention. The door opened again and smacked the Knight in the face.

Midra: “What do ya want? No refunds.

She said It flatly, which made the Knight roll his eyes at her. The Knight made the motion of drawing on something In his hands, to which Midra looked towards understandingly.

Midra: “Four bronze for charcoal and some paper.”

The Knight went to shout in rage, and nothing came out. Midra smirked in delight at the situation, rubbing her thumb and index fingers together. The Knight relented and took out four more bronze from his pocket, of which he only had a few remaining.

Midra handed him the paper and charcoal, and the Knight swiftly wrote down his burning question.

Knight: “What happened to the city of Maranda?”

Midra blinked once, then twice.

Midra: “It’s currently on fire and full of monsters.”

Chapter 13

The Knight, likewise, blinked twice before writing in big, bold letters;

 Knight: “Excuse me?”

Midra raised an eyebrow

Midra: “Yeah, I tried heading in there to peddle off some goods. Got jumped by these weird looking spider things, all the rest of the caravan I was with got picked off. When I did actually get inside, I was told to leave as soon as possible. Real bummer, that.”

The Knight had a million questions running through his head, before he wrote down on the paper:

 Knight: “Did the guard have any information on what was happening?”

Midra rubbed her chin for a moment, before snapping her fingers.

Midra: “Uh, apparently they’re calling the spider things… Celebrants? Yeah, Celebrants, because they serve some cult leader guy. Didn’t catch his name, though.”

The Knight nodded his head and thought to himself for a moment. A cult leader was responsible for all this. Just one man, and his hoard of monsters. The thought alone had his blood boiling, and he immediately sprinted down the pathway with his shield on his arm, and “Weapon” on his back. Midra called out as he left:

 Midra: “Tell your friends! Oh, wait, you can’t…”

The Knight felt half an urge to turn back and punch her, but controlled himself as he continued to run down the pathway, which steadily got odder and odder. The broken tree stumps had grown even more prevalent, what could they possibly need this much wood for? Not only that, but the Knight hadn’t seen hide nor hair of any living creature for miles as he ran. Even insects or spiders, down to the littlest gnat were gone from sight.

 Nevertheless, time passed on. Despite the Knight’s ability to sprint on like it was nothing, he was still about six days away from home. If he ran through the night, he might make it back in three or four. He wasn’t feeling tired, and as such, he kept running.

Hours passed, and not a single cart came his way. Not a single traveler aside from Midra seemed to be traveling this road, which meant enough time had passed that people knew coming this way was a bad idea. That didn’t bode well for his situation, nor his family.

His family… Did they think him dead already? Did Sarnal even make it home? How long was he “out” for? He didn’t know, but he could smell that his body was rotting with him inside of it. If Sarnal did make it home, then…oh gods, Mary, and Maria!

The Knight ran even harder, something inside him burning up at the thought of their sadness. He kept running and running, and not even when he heard a rustling did he stop. He pulled out his Celebrant’s leg and shield and kept up his mad dash towards home. Something attempted to stomp him into the dirt, only for him to sidestep and swing the limb at the creature. There was a whipping sound as the creature screamed in pain, and the Knight kept on sprinting. They would not stop him. Not for a second time.

Chapter 14

The sun began to rise over the horizon, and dotting up in the mid-morning light was the gleaming of animalistic eyes. In the dark remains of the woods. He could see many Celebrants charging their way through the woods and towards him, and each time they got close would he cast them away. One had its head swept off with a single flick of the Celebrant’s leg the Knight carried, another was picked up and swung into, and through a nearby tree. Another still was left with its ribs splayed out and open. It was becoming old hat incredibly quickly for the Knight as he ran, only for his path to be interrupted by smoke appearing over the horizon. At first, the Knight felt hopeful that he had reached the city earlier than anticipated. This hope was dashed when coming into sight over a ridge was a burning camp along the roadside.

The road itself was filled with burning bodies of various creatures, some appearing mostly human and others appearing to be the lit bodies of the celebrants the Knight had fought before. As the Knight sprinted forwards, the smell hit him as though he had run into a brick wall. A thick, pungent odor hung in the air, that of blood and charcoal littering the ground. This didn’t deter him, however, as he smelled worse.

 Further down the road there could be heard several voices, screaming out in both pain and terror. The Knight rushed forward to attempt to supply aid to whoever needed it, but he had arrived too early. Instead of a manned, well-stocked, and garrisoned camp, there was a single looming figure.

Standing there in the clearing of the camp was a tall man with two sets of ram horns. He wore a long, red coat, and had a muzzle, looking as though you had transplanted a goat’s head onto another goat's skull. As for the thing’s body, it was mostly obscured by a long red cloak that draped down its form. Its hands appeared to be broken open hooves, and its long four arms were muscular and covered in thick, furred boils. The entire thing was down on its knees in reverence, slamming its head down onto the battered corpse of each slayed warrior before it, turning them into a red pulp.

The Knight took a step forward, taking out his Celebrant’s leg and shield. This caused the giant ram man to snap upwards, and bleat out a screeching scream, somewhere between the death throes of a lamb, and the pained screaming of four men. The splayed open hoof-hands were brought up, and great balls of dark orange fire roared to life between the “Fingers” of the terrible thing.

The Knight leaped to the side on instinct, the ground he used to inhabit roaring to life, blazing as a streak of flame slammed into it. He looked back at where he was and sighed. Magic. Great.

He was trained in dealing with mages, most knights of his rank were. Circle, confuse, and rush them. Makes it hard for them to cast complicated spells and concentrate. Sadly, the main way of doing this was to scream really loudly. So, option one was out. Option two was to yell obscenities at the mage. Option two was out. Option three however, would work.

The knight began bashing the leg against the shield as he ran in zig-zag motions, rushing forwards and towards the beast. This did not have the intended effect. Normally, mages have to focus really hard to blow something up. This goat…thing, appeared to just look in a direction, and blow that direction away. As such, the Knight was sent flying into the air by a fireball sent in his direction.

As the Knight slammed into the ground, he silently thanked the fact that he could no longer feel when his bones broke. He got right back up, which seemed to confuse the goat creature as it tilted its head at him. The Knight decided on a new plan of action, Violence. He got up and Holstered' his “weapon”, before running as fast as his legs could carry him towards the beast. Raising his shield with both hands, an onslaught of projectiles was sent his way. Beams and fireballs were sent hurtling towards him, each one either deflected to the side or taken head on. The front of his armor, and especially his shield began to glow a bright yellowish-orange by the time he had arrived at his target. Again, thank the Gods he can’t feel that.

 The Knight continued to run forwards before contacting the huge ram man, charging directly into center mass. The Ram man let out a hoarse gasp as its gut was hit by a slab of burning metal, and then was uppercutted by the same slab. Over and over again, the Knight slammed his iron kite shield into the beast, which bleated and screamed as he went. Slowly, like cutting down a tree, a very screamy tree, the beast came down.

The Knight pressed the point of the shield’s base down into the forehead of the creature, twisting it in like a wine opener before cracking it open like a church key to a bottle.

“That ought to do it.”

He thought to himself looking down at the burning, battered corpse of the monster.

The Knight looked through the wreckage of the camp for any survivors, of which there were none. Apparently, the last man died as the Knight arrived. It really was a shame.

What was not a shame, was the freshly minted halberd the Knight found in the wreckage of the camp. Beggars can’t be choosers, and he was a part of this military anyways, so he would have been commissioned soon regardless…probably. He dropped the Celebrants leg and holstered his shiny new halberd, getting back on the road.

Chapter 15

The Knight had been making great time, running both all day and all night. He was already more than halfway back when he discovered another set of burning campsites. This time, instead of the one Ram creature, however, there were three and a hoard of the Celebrants gathered in a circle around a well in the center of the encampment. The Knight couldn’t quite see what they were doing, only seeing smoke billowing up from the well itself.

 The Knight had seen this well before, as he had been stationed in this camp at a prior time. That well has long been empty, so whatever’s burning down there has to be deep under the surface of the earth.

The Knight tried to sneak past, using the sounds of the crackling fire to mask his movements as he walked. Eventually, the cover thinned out, and the Knight had no choice but to run from a tipped-over caravan cart to a tent, and back again to another cart further down the road.

Each venture further was an even higher risk than the last, as he got closer and closer to the circle of beasts to his right. Soon, his back would be too them. That would be the most dangerous part. But first, he would see what they were burning in that well.

The Knight went down to a crawl across the patted-down earth of the dirt road, making sure not to rattle his plate mail as much as he could manage. He made his way across a gap between two carts real slow like, using his now charred and dirtied armor to just look like a rock in the road whenever a stray eye of a Celebrant would peer his way. Slowly, ever so slowly did the Knight make his way across.

Eventually, he made it, only to turn around and take cover against the overturned cart. The Knight stood on the tips of his toes to peer over and see what it was exactly the creatures were doing, only to be met with a, while assumed to be, still gruesome sight.

The Celebrants would gather the dead soldiers, the good men who laid down their lives not only for their countries, but for their people, up into a pile. The Odd looking Ram men would then throw each mangled body down the well, and a black smoke would roar its way up from the bowels of the pit before them. A blast of that same orange fire from the three ram men would be sent down, and seconds later a screeching would ring out. That same, familiar screeching.

Crawling out from the pit was another Celebrant, clad in the seals of the Miranda standing army. That explained how there were so many of them. The Knight continued to make his way down the road, knowing that there was little he could do for them on his own.

Chapter 16

The Knight continued on his way, and by now was only a day’s run away from Miranda. He had come so close, but the road was hard.

Every time the Knight took a step, he’d hear something shift in the far-off tree line, or near a shattered stump. Leaves rustling, every step seemed to be right on top of another Celebrant.

The Knight eventually made it back to a wooded area, one he did not recall being this close to the city, and especially not within these hills. As he continued forwards, he noticed long and drooping vines. Being wary of magic at this point, the Knight picked up a good sized stone, and chucked it into a patch of vines. Immediately, the vines wrapped around the stone and crushed it into rubble effortlessly.

“Great”, the Knight thought before bringing out his halberd. “Just what I needed today”.

The Knight began to hack his way through the odd forest, and with every cut he made a sickly black ooze that stank of iron would fall. The scent was pungent, like putting your face next to an onion, but it was everywhere the Knight looked. Every step took him deeper into the dank woods when he suddenly heard an odd sound. It sounded like the movement of earth, and rocks. And the smell of mushrooms suddenly filled the air. The Knight, expecting resistance, tried to step back, only to find that the vines had already somewhat grown back.

Panicking, the Knight swung his halberd and spun on his feet, displacing the soil beneath him. While he did manage to cut away the vines that were beginning to grab at him, he also alerted something underneath him to his presence.

A great, off yellowish claw measuring several feet burst from the soil and impaled the Knight’s leg, cutting through his armor with ease. The Knight thanked his lack of pain receptors, and stung the odd beast with the tip of his halberd.

Easily, the beast was quashed, the tip going through its skull with a crack and a pop as it was removed. Only then, as the Knight began the troublesome process of removing the long claw from his calf, did the Knight notice that the ground was still shifting.

Many large yellow eyes peaked up from underground like a gator peaking up for air, only distinguishable from mounds from the light, animalistic sheen that coated them. There had to be over a dozen pairs, and the Knight wasn’t even halfway through the area.

Steeling himself, the Knight took careful steps. For whatever reason, the other beasts hadn’t attacked yet. So, the Knight hacked away at the vines above him, while keeping his eyes on the ground. Every step he took shifted the earth, and thus the gaze of the creatures who began to slink back under the ground. Using his head, the Knight quickly tapped the ground to his side and took a light step to the opposing.

In but a moment, another set of claws ripped up from the earth like a hungry bear trap, only to be found wanting. The beast without kill, peered around for but a moment before the Knight swung his halberd into the forehead of the creature. The Creature barely got out a gargled scream as it went limp underground, but the attack sent ripples of energy throughout the surrounding soil, and more digging could be heard.

Running through the vines wasn’t an option, for the Knight did not know just how much punishment he could take. Nor was running an option due to the creatures below the ground. As such, striking the earth was the only option. The Knight ran his halberd into the loose soil, and took a light step back. Again, another of the beasts snapped up around the halberd in an instant. The Knight, expecting this, raised the beast from the hole and rammed his shield directly into the center mass of the beast with all the force he could muster. A sickening set of cracks was heard as the beast was rendered visible, sprawled out onto the forest floor, and what a twisted thing it was.

A lithe, sickly-looking thing lacking pupils, and bearing long talons came out from the ground like the world’s ugliest carrot. It was tall and humanoid, and had visual muscle contours, as if it hadn’t been fed for a very long time, yet maintained its physicality. The thing attempted to stand up, only to begin howling when it realized it had broken ribs. At the screech, the thing was skewered by many thrusting talons from below and dragged down into the earth.

The Knight noticed this and had a thought. Immediately, he began banging all around the soil, and just as he did so talons erupted upwards to give chase. As this happened, the Knight stepped on the back of the creature and hit the center of it with the bottom of the staff. Not even a moment later, talons would rip through the chests of whichever one was unfortunate enough to fall for this tactic.

Eventually, they stopped coming up, and so the Knight simply stomped on the back of the head of the final one. Now, the forest was silent, eerily so. There was nothing to do but keep cutting through thick vines, as he carefully made his way forwards.

Chapter 17

Finally, after days of running and monster slaying, the Knight could see the City of Miranda on the horizon. As the sun rose up and over the distant mountains, a thick billowing smoke was made visible in the orange light. It wasn’t like the light that visited him that beautiful morning before all this, no. While it was just as harsh, this one seemed to sing of an intending disaster. Something in the back of his mind threatened to devour itself at the mere contact of sunlight, but he was able to resist the feeling. Something about the entire place was off.

How did Midra manage to make it here the first time? Was she simply that strong, or had things gotten this much worse in only a few days? The Knight had no time to worry about this and rushed forward, pushing along the path before being stopped by the sight of a myriad of celebrants attempting to climb up the walls of the city.

Great doors were folded open and burning in the main gate, and anything that tried to crawl through the flames came back out seconds later with a ballista bolt lodged firmly in their bodies. The monsters climbing up the walls were attempting to make it to the top of the wall, where they would swiftly be slammed back down by a volley of bolts and halberds. The Knight knew this defense well, and it served them well against the ant-folk from the east a while back. Climbing up walls is all well and good, until you get a halberd through your skull.

The Knight made his way to where the celebrants were climbing up, and jumped onto one’s back. The beast thrashed around and screamed before the Knight jumped to the back of another, then another. He slowly maintained this pattern until he was going upwards, but he’d have to be quick to land on top of the battlements before being thrown off.

Up and up went the Knight, jumping onto the back of a Celebrant before pinning it to the wall with his halberd, and jumping to the next highest up. It was a careful game of balance, as one false move would have him crash several feet below.

Now he was dozens of feet up that great stone wall, and through slats in the stone he could see bolts and eyes peeking through ready to shoot. The Knight waved at one, much to the confusion of the arbalest on the other side. The Knight continued up, and up, eventually reaching the top on the back of one creature.

Just as quickly as it made its way up, the creature was knocked back down. The Knight grabbed on to the edge of the battlements, and swayed in the high-up breeze for a moment before a hand grabbed him. The grab was met by a shout, and then brief arguing, and then the Knight was pulled up unceremoniously, landing on the ground with a hard clang.

The Knight rubbed the back of his head, and looked around. Everyone was looking wide eyed at the Knight through slats in their helmets, which seemed rather heavy duty. Now that the Knight was thinking about it, everyone here was wearing so much armor the sunlight couldn’t even touch their skin. It must have played hell on their backs.

The Knight stood up, and saluted. He tried to give his rank and file, but it just came out as a rough wheeze. Everyone looked around, shrugged, and then the tallest looking one pointed back and said:

???: Get inside, and get debriefed. The top’s gonna wanna know what you have to say. Well, if they’re still alive, and Gerald’s done his job.

The Knight nodded his head and walked off, letting himself disappear into the cloud of order the military granted him.

Chapter 18

The Knight walked through the dismal selection of warriors remaining. If you’re a warrior for long enough, you can tell the state of the provisions by your fellows. What the Knight read about the current situation was bleak at best and damned at worst. Walking down the tower connected to the wall, there was a rotation of archers and arbalists shooting everything they had out of slits in the great stone walls. Every now and then you’d hear a groaned out cheer, like it was being forcibly taken from the men as one of the Celebrants fell. But the tide never stopped; Hell, it hardly even waned.

The Knight did his best not to look mildly terrified under his helmet as he walked past all that, making his way down to where the old guardhouse should be; and where Thompson used to work.

The old place was boarded up, and most houses surrounding it were covered in wax or curtains for a reason that probably had to do with the light. Despite the decrepit appearance, the Knight walked in.

Inside were a few guardsmen sitting in a huddle around a map of the city, attempting to make a plan of some sort. As the Knight walked in, they brandished halberds quickly, before lowering them just as so at his appearance. The Knight walked forwards, and put the piece of paper he bought from Midra on the table, the already written-on side down.

The Knight would tell them all he knew, which essentially boiled down to:

 Knight: “About the scouting mission to the south. Everyone besides me and Sarnal are dead.”

The Knight sort of lied, but that was easier than explaining the whole truth to the already exasperated men. One of them spoke up.

 Guard: “We uh, we know. Sir Sarnal made his way back here about a week and a half ago.”

This information sent the Knight’s blood cold, and felt like needles against his mind. He had been gone for two or more weeks.

Without a single word, the Knight spun on his feet and marched out of the building, dead set on making his way home. The guards called after him, but there’s no part of the Knight that heard them. He had something he needed to do.

Chapter 19

The Knight marched his way back home in the city streets. The once beautiful cobblestone roads were caked in blood and bodies, some monstrous, and some very human. The Knight passed by building after destroyed building, drinking in the sight of his ruined home. As he approached the living center of the city, he noticed more and more burning buildings, and strange howls.

Rushing now, the Knight ran as fast as he could in the direction of home. A thousand fears flooded his mind and threatened to sweep him away with them. There was a fire in his chest, and he had to see it through. Running, and running, and running even faster down that road, he was met with a terrible sight. His house, half burned out, and half-collapsed/

Slowly, he approached the once beautiful fence line. The iron fence Maria had forced him to buy, was rusted and caked with red. The flower beds were crushed and burnt. His second-floor bedroom now crashed down through the kitchen. And in the center of it all, a human woman of a fairer skin tone lying crushed beneath the bed.

Slowly, the Knight approached his Maria, his love. He collapsed, And slowly memories of them together came flooding back. That morning’s breakfast, that lovely night they spent together, what felt like a week ago to him, what was actually well over 2 weeks ago, was all gone. But these thoughts of despair were sent scattering at a single thought. Mary. Where is Mary?

The Knight stood up in an instant, despite his heart breaking. He looked around and was blessed to not see a little body anywhere in the rubble. But where could she have gone?

…Sarnal. That beautiful bastard. Sarnal! That wonderful mother fucker!

The knight felt a rush inside him and almost went rushing behind the door before stopping. He looked behind him, at his lovely wife, and removed the bed from her body. She was crushed, likely dead in an instant. He cradled her body for a moment, before picking her up and walking her to the flower garden. He carefully set down her corpse in the broken flowerbed and tried to say the words that left his mouth so many times in their many years together. A hoarse, choking sound left.

Knight: I…Love you.

It took everything for the Knight to say those words from a throat filled with fluid, but he did it. He’d do it again, too, if not for time being of the essence.

The Knight reached into their fallen-over closet and pulled out a cloak he’d bought for Maria many years ago. He put it around his armor and walked off.

Chapter 20

The Knight walked in the direction of Sarnal’s home, a place he had visited a few times for drinks or dinners with the family. He walked through those ruined streets, and reached his destination quickly. Not only did he reach it quickly, but the sight of guards put his heart at ease, if only a bit. Sarnal’s place was a small home, more of an apartment if anything, but it looked mostly untouched.

 The Knight walked forwards, his hands shaking and his knees buckling as he reached to knock. What if Sarnal was out? What if he didn’t even know where Mary was? What would he do then? These thoughts and more sought to drown the Knight, as his fist finally made contact with the door.

Boom, boom, boom.

There was a pause, and then a voice called out.

Sarnal: “God dammit. Don’t you bastards know it’s not my shift in the death tower you set up? I got a kid he-“

Sarnal opened the door, and stopped abruptly. There he was. A man in once shining armor, and now a cloak. At first, Sarnal hardly recognized the Knight, but after blinking once, then twice, a single tear began to form along his face.

Sarnal: “Well, I’ll be damned. You… You actually made it…”

 Sarnal burst out in a short, sharp wail and hugged the Knight, only to gag seconds later. He pulled away, tears still threatening to spill.

 Sarnal: What the hell man!? You smell like-“

 For the second time that day, Sarnal stopped abruptly.

Sarnal: “Like a corpse.”

Sarnal put his hand up to his head and scratched it, looking heavily conflicted. After a moment, he spoke up again.

Sarnal: “Come inside, Mary’s waiting.”

Sarnal stood to the side, and the Knight did just that. He stepped inside the small house, and behind him Sarnal lit a candle. The Knight looked around the space for a moment, before sighing. It was peaceful. Like home should be.

The Knight took another step inside and was met with a sorry sight. Mary, laying on the couch clutching a doll, shivering. The Knight was about to throw Sarnal through the nearest window as Sarnal explained what had happened.

Sarnal: “Wait! I can explain! She’s been like this since her mother…”

 Sarnal dared not finish the statement, not knowing if the Knight knew. However, the Knight stopped, put Sarnal down, and nodded his head. He turned back to Maria and wiped a strand of hair out of her face.

The Knight took out his paper and charcoal, and wrote on it.

Knight: “We’re getting her out of this city. She won’t last much longer here.”

Sarnal stopped, then nodded.

Sarnal: “Sounds damn good to me, just gotta get out fair enough on a wagon for that to work. Not gonna be easy, though. Especially not since they ain’t opening that main door for anyone.”

The Knight thought for a moment, before deciding something. He wrote:

 Knight: “Then we’ll make a door.”

Sarnal blinked.

 Sarnal: “Through the stone damn wall?”

The Knight smiled under his helmet, and nodded. Sarnal just shook his head, and picked up Maria.

Chapter 21:

Sarnal brought Mary onto his back and nodded his head towards the Knight. The Knight stepped out of the apartment and looked around for any fallen carts along the road. Nearby was a busted up one that should still work. Now the issue was finding something to draw it. While the Knight could likely have drawn it himself, if something happened to him the entire plan would go up in smoke. As such, they needed a horse. Getting a horse in the middle of a burning down city was a task all on its own, of course. However, Sarnal had a rare good idea.

Sarnal: “Together we might just be able to pull rank and “politely ask for” some horses. Besides, we’re inside a city. They can spare one horse for a sick girl and two knights.”

The Knight was unable to deny that this plan might actually work, and started walking around the streets looking for a man on a horse. One was quickly found and the Knight hailed him down with rapid arm movements and flailing.

Man on horse: “Yeh? What can I do for ye fine fellows, sirs?”

The Knight wrote down on a piece of parchment:

 Knight: “Give us your horse.”

The man blinked and almost went to argue, before abruptly stopping at the sight of the sick girl. He went to argue again, but the Knight’s eyes had this odd white glow to them that just screamed “You no longer have a choice in the matter”. He gulped and nodded his head, before dismounting his horse.

Man no longer on horse: “It’s not even a draft horse, it’s for riding ya hosers…”

The Knight kicked dirt over the man’s shoes and walked the horse back to the cart, where he quickly attached the reigns to the fixture. Mary was set down onto the back of the cart, and Sarnal took up his halberd.

Sarnal: “So, how do we intend on getting out exactly? We can’t take the sewers out, those have been long blocked off. And all the entrances have been slammed shut.”

The Knight just rolled his shoulder for a moment in response, before turning and smirking at Sarnal.

 Sarnal: “…You’re dumb ass is going to fuggin open a portcullis, ain’t ya?”

The Knight snickered, got in the driver's seat, and flipped the reins.

 The ride was neither smooth nor comfortable, due to the horse being more for riding than it was for hauling goods. The goods in question were the 2 fully armed men, a little girl, some blankets and some provisions. But it got the job done, and that’s what was important in this moment.

Approaching the city’s side entrances was hard. Especially since every 20 damn feet the cart was bumping over a body or some rubble, but the team is determined. Eventually, they got to where they were heading, and boy did it not look good.

Chapter 22:

The Portcullis is awash with blood, and on the other side of it was the gnashing teeth of thirty-six celebrants. The Knight sighed, and looked to Sarnal before writing on the last bit of the parchment:

 Knight: “We’re rushing them. You hold the horse steady, I’ll defend it.”

Throwing the paper aside, the Knight approached the portcullis. Sarnal gulped, and sighed.

Sarnal: Fine, but if I die then I’m haunting you.

 The Knight laughed at the idea of an undead haunting another undead, before winding up the portcullis door.

Immediately, the Celebrants began rushing inside the instant they could. The Knight then let go of the pulley, and watched as 3 were impaled easily. Make that thirty-three celebrants.

This trick wouldn’t work forever though, as the portcullis was already crowded enough as it was. And so, the Knight raised it up, and hooked it so it stayed open. Again, the flood came down. Just as instructed, Sarnal clapped the reigns against the horse’s skin and sent it barreling forward into the mass of Celebrants. Just as he did so, the Knight jumped down and onto the horse, beginning to bat away the Celebrants. With the combined force of an undead knight, and a whole cart barreling forwards, they managed to blast through the pile, crushing three of the Celebrants simultaneously.

Now, only thirty Celebrants remained, and about half of them stormed into the city, while the other half chased after The Knight and company. The Knight felt slightly bad about keeping the portcullis open, but there wasn’t much else he could do to escape. It was all for Mary’s sake.

The Celebrants continued to chase after them, the rumbling growing steadily louder as time went on. However, something odd then happened. A man, standing in the middle of the road seemed to just, appear from nothing.

He appeared human, but he had some odd traits. Long, soft cotton ears came down from the side of his head, and a silken top hat was at the very top of his head. For his clothing, he wore a yellow suit jacket and black trousers. That, an a pad put over the top of his left eye, revealing a singular pink eye on his right side. The man smiled widely, which only betrayed his youthful appearance. He looked like he couldn’t be more than 15. And yet, he stood in the middle of the road with the cart barreling towards him.

 The Knight shouted, trying to get him to move out of the way, but the boy just took out a hatchet and spun it in his hands.

In an instant, the horse was cleaved in half, and the cart went spilling forward. The Knight felt his body rip apart into a bloody mess, and sent tilting forwards off the cart. Looking down, the last thing he saw was his legs removed from his body as his vision went black.

Chapter 23

Once again, the Knight awoke into a field of red lilies on a black riverside. Looking around, the banks were even more packed than before. Dozens of people, whole families stitched their wounds closed with the long green stems, and children sucked the nectar out of the flower heads.

The Knight, once again, stood up and began running. Splashing was heard behind him as those same pale hands reached out and attempted to take him once more, but he was still faster. And this time, he knew exactly where to go.

This time the Knight awoke to the sound of steel on flesh as Sarnal was fighting against a hoard of Celebrants while the man with floppy ears sat and watched, chuckling to himself as Sarnal barely held back the tide. The Knight slammed his legs back into place, and with a sickening crunch, they fit back together.

The Knight got up and rushed the Celebrants on the opposite side which Sarnal was on, and began cutting through them. Sarnal did everything in his power to keep them off Mary, as the Celebrants turned back confused on what exactly had happened. The boy on the sidelines called out:

???: “Cheaters never prosper, you know~”

The Knight cut through five of the fifteen celebrants before his torso was impaled on the end of one of their limbs. He was then trampled to death.

Once again, the Knight woke up on the black shores of the riverside, and once again did he start running. This time, the splash happened more quickly than before, but the Knight was still faster. He ran and ran to the spot he needed to be, until he stood back up again.

 This time, Sarnal had killed one of the Celebrants, but he looked terrible. Blood was trailing out of the helmet of his armor, and he was barely managing to stand up.

Again, the Knight rushed forward into the rear of the Celebrants. And again, did five fall. This time, however, only two remained, and they were easily quashed by the combined force of Sarnal and the Knight.

This time, the coast was clear of all but the odd boy on the side of the road, sitting crisscross applesauce. He smiled, and raised a hand with the fingers stretched out.

???: “Five.”

The two men looked at each other, and knew immediately what this implied. Sarnal picked up Mary and the two booked it.

???: “Four!~”

They ran and they ran, as fast as they possibly could. The sound of yet more Celebrants could be heard closing in, and no matter how much distance they made from the boy they could still hear his voice.

???: “Three!~”

They continued running, going faster than they had even done in their lives. Something deep inside them told them that they needed to leave now.

???: Two!~

They could hear rustling getting closer, as yet more Celebrants, and even some of the Ram-Creatures from earlier began appearing behind them.

???: “One! Ready or not, here I come~”

The Knight turned to face the onslaught of enemies, but only a few actually seemed intent on attacking him. The majority seemed more interested in scattering off the side of the road, like roaches scattering from the light.

 The Knight fought off as many as he could, and at this point, he was being sent back every couple seconds to the black riverside. But he did not give up. His body was torn, and rendered across in smears. His armor was battered and beaten, but not bowed. He continued to fight the few who still fought him until the tide suddenly stopped.

Instead of the deep rumbling from the stampede he had faced down, there was a low humming in the air. The boy from earlier was walking jovially towards the Knight, with a big old smile plastered across his face.

???: Found you!~ You didn’t try very hard to hide…”

 The boy giggled quietly, looking almost innocent in the light of dusk, before he once again produced his hatchet.

The Knight held his halberd in two hands, and charged. Before he could blink, his head was falling off his body.

Once again, he found himself on the shores of the black riverside. And once again, he ran.

The Boy was walking past him now, as his body raised his halberd and struck into him from behind. The halberd bounced off as if it had hit rubber, and once again the Knight was on the black riverside.

Once again, he ran, and once again he’d get in a single hit before being sent back.

???: “How many times can you have your heart broken before you go hopping mad?~”

The boy giggled and brought down the hatchet faster than the Knight could see.

Again and again, again and again, again and again. The cycle continued, but something did change. The knight looked up, and Sarnal was not in sight. This brought the Knight enough hope to continue striking, to continue fighting until the sight of someone brought him to a halt.

Maria: “Please, stop.”

 The Knight stopped dead on the black shores, and turned to see his beloved. She was standing there, her wounds covered up in lilies and stems, her tears watering them.

Maria: “That’s enough, they’re safe. Please.”

The Knight felt the fire once again, the urge to live no matter what… But on the other hand, he saw his one true love before him. Had she been watching the entire time?

The pale hands began to make their way out of the river, this time far more slowly. It felt as though time had stopped for a moment.

The Knight’s body hurt in this place. All the damage he had taken while undead seemed to catch up to him here. He winced as the adrenaline seemed to wear off in this plane between, and he fell to his knees.

Maria leaned down and embraced the Knight, holding him gently and shushing him.

Maria: “It’s ok, you don’t have to do this anymore. Let's go…together.”

The Knight leaned into the embrace, and slowly, the hands took them gently into the river.

Epilog:

Hoppy, the long eared boy with a hatchet in his hands looked down, leaning on the hatched as if it were a cane.

Hoppy stood above the body of the battered knight, looking rather disappointed he had stopped getting up. Oh, yeah, he was supposed to stop that guy from getting away with the kid or something. Ah well. It probably doesn’t matter.

Hoppy made his way back into the city, looking smug as all get-out.