“Finn,” Erik’s soft voice broke Adrian out of his trance. Erik removed his great-helm. “Repeat what I told you just a few moments ago.” His voice brokered no dissent.
Adrian could hear Finn audibly gulp, even through the armor and raging fires. Finn Kols was a young knight that had joined them not even a year ago. Fresh and quite frankly, clumsy. It was a normal occurrence to see him sprawled on the ground during sparring bouts and training. More times than not, he just tripped on his own two feet. And yet…
Adrian shook his head.
Even the clumsy Finn had reached greater achievements in what should have been Adrian’s legacy. Add on to it that they were the same Copper rank, Mid-Copper Level 3. Finn was talented and he hated him for it. Had hated him for it. But not anymore, even if the hints of jealousy and anger tinged his thoughts whenever he heard his name or saw him outright. Adrian refused to allow bullshit from being the cause of his death or the death of those that relied on him.
And this form of envy was nothing but bullshit. Finn, though talented and highly touted as a young knight, would never realistically reach Adrian’s level because he didn’t have an advanced mark nor the resources to reach much higher levels. Even now, at the same rank, it was extremely clear to himself that Finn would easily be bested if he used the [Shadow] Mark as it was intended. But, the old him had tied both arms behind his back and expected to compete with everyone else.
Delusion at its best.
Finn mumbled to himself. Erik only gave him a raised eyebrow. Finn’s voice was low. “A knight must never allow himself to fall or stumble.”
Erik frowned. “And…?”
Finn looked away. “To stop forgetting to sue [Fortify] and stabilize myself better. A Knight on the ground is a dead knight.”
Erik stared hard at Finn. Making sure his reminder set in before he nodded. Then he turned towards Adrian. He bowed deeply. Finn scrambled in the mud to get up and ran next to Erik and copied him. They were his knights afterall. Part of the Hrafnung. His order of knights that directly answered to him.
"Lord Ravn,” Erik began. He allowed his voice to be slow and measured. “It is comforting to see the head trauma must not have been as urgent as we suspected. The dead Orc Shaman had been prepared to attack you specifically. It reeks of conspiracy." He never raised from the bow.
Adrian walked up to them and straightened them up. He held their shoulders tightly. “We are in battle, Erik.” There is no time for formality. Was what he wanted to continue to say, but choked when he couldn’t. Again, the previous Adrian’s stronger tendencies could not be denied, and one of them was a great passion for formality and tradition. He could only be grateful his great-helm was on and his expression wasn’t obvious to everyone here.
He cleared his throat. “We are in battle, Erik. We must always be prepared for the worst possible outcomes.”
“Well said, My Lord.” Erik’s soft voice held gravity. Each word enunciated and emphasized with the weight of decades of battle.
Adrian patted Erik’s shoulder as he allowed his [Shadow] skill to dissipate. He was almost out of Mark Energy entirely. There was no chance he wanted to figure out what that would feel like, not when he had a choice to be more careful at the moment. Maybe test it out in the future, in relative safety, so he wasn’t caught off guard. His [Strengthen] and [Fortify] were still up and running, but they were pettering out finally at the end of their duration.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Everything that had happened since he had activated [Fortify] until this moment had been under five minutes in total.
"You used your Shadow Mark," Finn Kolsson's younger voice held none of Erik's weight. It bubbled with excitement. “Everyone always whispered about it. The way you executed that orc. It was… terrifying. Glorious.”
Adrian could clearly remember moments when Finn would do the same thing. Sticking to Adrian’s side like glue and being an elite hype man. And yet…
"I had," Adrian paused. He wasn’t sure how much to say. Would they somehow figure out he wasn’t the original Adrian? He resolved to be vague. “An epiphany."
Gullible. And honest to a fault. The more he remembered about Finn, the more upset he became at the previous Adrian. How do you hate someone that would literally jump off a cliff for your cause if you so much as point? There wouldn’t even be any hesitation at all.
"Too long, My Lord," Erik interjected. "The Hrafnung have awaited this day with bated breath. May the Ravn rise!"
Bile rose in Adrian's throat at the title. Everything that dealt with his [Shadow] Mark made him queasy. And now, disgust burned beneath his helm. He managed a curt nod and another heavy pat on the shoulder. Maybe he should keep the great-helm on for most of his days. It prevented obvious emotional reactions and made him stoic and silent. Then again, he needed to figure out another external reaction other than just nodding and patting their shoulders.
This was already the third or fourth time he had done it to hide his discomfort and aversion to subject matters.
“Any news from the rest of the knighthood–”
A horn's deep cry split the night air. Its long, boneshaking note echoed off burning buildings. Rang in his great-helm and made them more alert and ready for battle. Erik put his faceguard back on with an audible click and pulled his sword from the mud. Finn held his shield closer, instinctually getting into a wider base. It took nearly ten seconds before the horn’s blare drifted off into silence. Another few seconds for the final echoes to disappear.
"Another raid? How many more are there?" Finn shifted where he stood. He practice swung his sword in preparation. Adrian marveled at how loudly it seemed to whoosh back and forth ripping the air in front of it. He didn’t recall his own swings making such a loud sound.
"No," Erik said. He stared out towards where the sound had originated. "This is different. That is the sound of retreat. They've either accomplished their goal, or too many have died."
Finn tilted his head. Confusion apparent even through his helm. "How can you tell? They sounded the same to me."
Erik clapped Finn's shoulder plate. The metal rang against metal. "In time. You will learn much. Just stay alive until then. " Finn nodded, then continued to practice katas he needed to perfect.
Erik turned back towards Adrian. "They'll be back. Soon." His voice was grim. Adrian agreed. It was unlike orcs to stop a raid until everything that moved died. It was only a matter of time before they attacked again. More ferocious in their attempt. They would no longer sadistically play with the village militia. Unless they gathered and devised a better plan, only the knights with him would make it out alive in the coming gruesome battles.
Adrian turned. "Let's go. The rest of the knights should already be gathering in the center of the village." He started to run. The thuds of the other two’s heavy footfalls indicated they had followed without hesitation. He drew on the original Adrian’s memories of the village layout. He had studied for some time before heading out for this encounter and yet he barely devised anything to give them an overwhelming advantage. Over reliant on the strength of these Super Knights.
Yes, they were overpowered and were, quite frankly, tanks in a medieval battlefield. But that didn’t mean he shouldn't make all the odds staggeringly on their side from the start of every battle. It would turn the tanks into sci-fi battleships that could not be touched by the cold weapons of this era.