“Come on Jared, are you trying to make yourself look bad”
“Fuck off Jason! I was just going easy, now watch this”
Jared’s spaghetti like footwork caused all his blows to strike pain in his own arms, his long hair was anything but majestic but tatty complementing his weasel like appearance, in full contrast with Jason’s effort less swings that seems lazy but precise each landed with the sound of a cannon.
But to the inexperienced eye it still looked like a close match between two closely matched experts
“Do you think Jared will win this time?”
“I don’t know he’s lost the last 10 matches against Jason”
“I heard that Jared just became a first circle knight maybe this time he will win”
“A first circle?! Wow he truly is an expert, we’re lucky he’s on our side”
The other knights of the Ainsworth family rambled in a circle around the ongoing fighting that was happening in the back courtyard and while this commotion was going on a young boy was watching from his window with stars gleaming in his eyes, spinning in anticipation.
After blocking a strike from Jared
“I think it’s time to end this don’t you Jared” Jason said in a calm tone
“Hmph that’s if you can Jason”
Shortly after Jared proceeds to plant his front foot on the floor and aggressively push of his back foot crating a spinning motion while keeping his body low to the ground but Jason doesn’t even react, he just puts the tip of his sword into the floor and covering his leg… ‘clang’ the swords collide Jared looks up at Jason while still in his crouched position but Jason already has his sword pointing to the clouds ‘swoosh’ the swing was so straight so perfect that the air started to whistle. But just as he reached Jared, he’s elbows locked, and the sword stopped inches from killing Jared.
No one spoke a word, no one needed to, everyone was thinking the same thing.
Wow wow wow, that was so amazing I can’t believe Jason won again I can’t wait till I get to fight with the knights as well!
This was the same boy watching from the window, his name Titus Ainsworth heir to the Ainsworth house you could tell he often visits this window from the worn Windowsill that had paint peeling off in stark contrast to the gothic and lavish room Titus would spend most of his days.
After a knock on the door a old but not too old butler came through the door of Titus’s room “young master Titus do you want to go on your evening walk?”
“Look at them down there” Titus muttered,” that’s where I want to go, I want to train with the knights, I want to be as strong my as Jason just look at the respect, they all look at him with”
“Is that so young master, hmm I suppose Jason is respected but that’s because even some of the best knights from other families can’t match him”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Really! He’s that strong, then I want to go down there too and earn all the knights respect like Jason”
Titus's gaze was once again drawn to the court year where Jared was picking himself up from the battle clearly bruised and beaten but he still seemed fine he avoided eye contact with Jason and proceeded to walk away
I wonder what it’s like to actually be involved instead of watching from down here Titus thought.
“From today onwards I’m going to become a knight”
“Oh, is that right young master, would you not want to organise the logistics of our region”
“Organise the what of the what?”
“I’ll note that down as a no young master” chuckled Alfred
Well, that’s certainly fine with me Titus thought
“Leave me alone now Alfred I have private matters to do”
“As you wish young master”
Alfred left the room and Titus was deep in though on how to become a knight. Thinking about it I’m not too sure on how to become a knight but I heard there is a secret method on how to advance as a knight and gain true power like Jason I’m sure father has some information on it. I’ll have to wait for nightfall to try and sneak into his study. But in the meantime, I’ll try to become strong like a knight in my own way, he started with push ups he managed to do 13 then his arms trembled, and his muscles started to shake intensely. Huff 14 push ups is more than I’ve ever done, now time for sit-ups.
So, Titus proceeded to do sets of sit-ups, squats and pushups until he felt he was closer to becoming a knight. But instead of going to bed that night he decided to creep out of his room avoiding all the creaky floorboards in the mansion he stuck close to the wall to give him some security he crossed the long corridor and took a-few turns until he was outside his father's study the large oak door was slightly opened away from the wall so Titus took a look inside and he scanned from left to right but nothing was different. Maybe father just forgot to lock the door? So, he did what any curious young boy would do and crept inside closing the door behind him. on his right was a wooden, polished desk adorned with the flicker of a warm candlelight and to his left was a lines of bookshelves that have been collected through the generations leaving the scent of old paper and warm leather, he scanned the titles on all the books looking for something related to knights afew of he labels he spotted were “advanced sword techniques” and other combat related book with some scholar and administrative books mixed in aswell but still determined Titus keep looking for what he’s needed he discovered a folder labelled confidential on top of his fathers desk with the contents being related to income and outcome as well as the territory management of the Ainsworth family but that wasn’t of any interest to Titus. However, after looking in the Draws of his father's desk he discovered a leather-bound journal titled “advancement ritual to knighthood”
This had been exactly what titus had been looking for! Then with haste he opened the book First page had bold letter stating “the knight ritual” Titus’s eyes gleamed with curiosity when he read through the ritual. But then his eyes turned to disgust when he read the passage.
‘The advancement of a knight requireth the consumption of an Eldritch creature’s heart. To purge the heart of its foul impurities, the blood of a maiden, untainted and pure, is needed. Once the heart is consumed, one must take their own life to complete the rite and thus ascend as a being of supernatural strength and vitality.’
This is how to become a knight?! No, this has to be wrong Jason would never have done this there has to be another way right? Titus was simply put in despair he thought you would need to do some training Regime to gain strength he never realised that Jason’s strength was gained through some supernatural ritual, Titus Carried on reading the book and discovered there was a requirement process before the ritual one needed to be in good physical shape as well as over the age of 18 with a high resistance to the corruption of Eldritch blood. However Titus wasn't certain what eldritch creatures were, he had never seen or heard of one? He decided to ask Alfred tomorrow morning, he crept back out the door and along the long hall to reach his room unaware of the eyes that had been watching him the entire time. “It seems the boy has grown up fast.”