Chapter 4: The Knight
"You are a dumb idiot, and I am a god of murder."
-Northernlion
Kris rolled out of the way as the Knight brought his sword down for an overhead strike. The Knight followed up with a barrage of flaming projectiles, which Kris blocked with his shield.
"You don't have to do this, you know!" Kris said. "We were just about to go find help!"
"I care not for your plans, human," the Knight said, preparing another spell. "Even if your efforts are successful, the damage you will cause to this world will become irreversible before long."
"You have a better idea, I'd love to hear it," Susie barked.
"Be silent, lightner." The Knight launched an explosive blast in Susie's direction. She evaded the attack with relative ease.
Behind Susie, Noelle began to scream in terror. She fell to her knees and began to cling to Susie's leg like a lifeline.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Susie called out.
"I don't wanna die!" Noelle was on the verge of hysterics.
"You won't if you let me go! Just stay behind me!"
Shaking herself free of Noelle's grasp, Susie charged at the Knight and swung her axe. Her attack was effortlessly parried and countered with a blast of magic that sent her stumbling backwards. The Knight then turned his focus to Kris, slashing at him with his sword. Kris blocked the attack with his own weapon, locking blades with the masked warrior.
"Aren't you in a position of power here?" Kris spoke. "There's gotta be another way you can stop Chara that doesn't involve killing me!"
"I have already considered all options," the Knight replied. "This one causes the least harm to our world, as well as yours."
Kris felt himself losing his footing. "C'mon, you have to know someone who can help!"
"Yes, I suppose I do. However, I cannot risk the world's destabilization. Cease your resistance and no one else will have to die."
"If you know someone, why don't you just take us to him?" Kris' arm began to shake. His grip on his weapon loosened.
"Because I cannot allow you to selfishly endanger this world to preserve your own life."
With a swift, heavy blow, the Knight overpowered Kris, sending his sword clattering to the ground. He struck Kris in the chest with the pommel of his sword, knocking him to the ground. Standing over him, the Knight brought his blade to Kris' neck.
"Die, foulness."
"Get away from him!" Susie charged at the Knight, delivering an overhead attack. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a magical barrier and deflected the blow.
"Surely you can do better than that," he taunted, barely even glancing at her.
"Sure I can. Ralsei?"
In an instant, Ralsei loosed a magical projectile that shattered the Knight's barrier. With a grin, Susie attacked once again, landing a decisive blow to the chest. Blood began to drip from a newly formed crack in his armor.
The Knight steadied himself. "Well struck!" he chuckled, conjuring forth another spell. A warm golden light began to envelop him, and in an instant, his wound was healed.
"So you can do that too, huh?" Susie didn't seem impressed. "Double or nothing, then!"
While Susie and the Knight engaged each other, Ralsei rushed to Kris' side and helped him off the ground.
"This guy doesn't mess around," Kris said, grabbing his weapon. "You got any ideas?"
"I don't think you're going to be able to convince him, Kris. He's been a merciless killer for his whole life. I hate to say it, but..." he hesitated for a moment, "...I think we have to fight him."
Kris seemed surprised. "I didn't expect you, of all people, to actually suggest attacking."
"I'm not happy about it. If we could get out of this without fighting, I'd prefer it, but... if we don't fight, he'll kill us."
Kris sighed. "Maybe you're right. Just let me try something first, okay? I've got a good feeling about this."
"I can guarantee that flirting won't work."
"Ugh, fine. We'll just beat the hell out of him."
The two turned to face the Knight, who was currently trading blows with Susie. She was holding her own, but every strike the Knight landed left her reeling, and her own attacks were doing little in the face of his healing magic.
Stepping backwards, Susie swung her axe at the Knight's neck. He ducked under the attack and countered with a leg sweep, knocking Susie to the ground. He then swung his sword in an overhead attack, only for his blade to meet the handle of Susie's axe.
"Son of a bitch!" she hissed, struggling to push back against his sword. "Noelle, help me!"
"B-but what if-" she stuttered, "what if he-"
"Just shoot him!"
Hesitantly, Noelle reached for her crossbow. Her hands trembling, she took aim. Her resolve faltered, and she found herself paralyzed with fear.
'What's wrong with you?' she asked herself. 'If you don't shoot him, he'll kill her!'
The Knight shot Noelle a withering glare, his hand radiating magic power. "Do not interfere, lightner," he threatened.
Filled with mortal terror, Noelle dropped her crossbow with a stifled cry of fear.
Suddenly, a flaming projectile struck the Knight, throwing him off of Susie. Kris followed up with a swift slash to the face, then began to repeatedly clash swords with him.
"Are you okay?" Ralsei asked, pulling Susie up off the ground. "Here, let me heal you..." A golden light flashed from his hand, and within seconds, her wounds were gone.
Kris attempted to deliver a cleaving strike, only to have the Knight effortlessly block the attack with his hand and retaliate with a kick to the chest. Kris' sword was torn from his grip, which he only realized when the Knight smacked him across the face with its hilt before throwing it aside.
With a furious battle cry, Susie rushed toward the Knight, raining blow after blow down upon him. He assumed a defensive stance with another magical barrier. While he was distracted, Kris reclaimed his weapon and began to strike his foe from behind. Cursing under his breath, the Knight impotently swung his blade at Kris, his efforts primarily focused on defending against Susie's assault.
His barrier began to crumble when Ralsei joined the fray, bombarding the Knight with a series of fireballs. He stumbled backwards as his barrier was shattered.
"My turn," Susie growled, her eyes shining with bloodlust. She and Kris surrounded him, and attacked in unison. Despite their numbers advantage, the battle remained a struggle.
Whenever the Knight would repel an attack from Susie, Kris would strike from behind. Whenever Kris' offensive failed, Susie would attack relentlessly. The Knight, however, didn't seem fazed at all. Each blow he landed seemed to hurt more than the last, and even Kris and Susie's combined efforts couldn't seem to outpace his healing magic. Ralsei kept his distance, casting healing spells as rapidly as possible.
"Just give up, dude," Susie said, breathing heavily. "You're not winning this fight."
"Overconfidence, I see," the Knight replied. "Are you not exhausted? Do you not feel tired?" His hand began to glow with a blue light. Susie suddenly found herself struggling to stay awake.
"I'll..." she slurred, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."
The glow in the Knight's hand intensified. She dropped to her knees.
"Or right now... if it's all the same to you..."
"Susie, stay awake!" Kris shouted.
"Just give me five minutes..."
"In five minutes, we'll be dead!"
The Knight strode toward Kris and Susie, sword raised. Standing over the two, he brought his sword down upon them, only to have it blocked by a defensive barrier from Ralsei.
"Susie, wake up!" Ralsei begged, attempting to strengthen the barrier.
The Knight locked eyes with Ralsei, "Did I not tell you to stand aside?"
"I'm not letting you hurt my friends!"
"Do not prolong the inevitable, Ralsei. My patience is running very thin."
Ralsei simply glared in defiance.
"So be it." The Knight rained down blow after blow upon the barrier, each hit creating a spider's web of deep cracks in its surface.
"Susie, you have to wake up!" Kris was becoming desperate. She didn't reply.
With one final strike, Ralsei's barrier was destroyed. Kris immediately stood to defend his companions, shield raised. The Knight's first attack forced Kris to his knees. Shifting his shield back into a sword, Kris thrusted his weapon toward his adversary. The Knight parried the attack before slashing Kris across the face. He followed up with a swift kick, sending Kris flying. He landed beside a cowering Noelle.
"Kris, are you okay...?" she whispered.
"Not particularly," he wheezed. He attempted to stand, but was pinned to the ground beneath the Knight's boot.
"A valiant effort," the Knight commended, his sword hovering over Kris' heart. "It has been so very long since I encountered an equal in battle."
"Well, what an honor it is to die by your hand."
"I will take great pleasure in silencing you, human."
The Knight was suddenly struck by a cascade of magic projectiles. He glared furiously at Ralsei before returning fire with a magical barrage of his own. Noelle, cowering just beneath the crossfire, screamed in panic.
Susie, roused from her magically induced slumber, shouted, "Hey, can you shut up? I'm trying to sleep."
Then she noticed what was happening around her. Kris lying on the ground, gasping for breath. The Knight engaged in a magical firefight with Ralsei. Noelle screaming.
"Wait, why the hell am I trying to sleep?"
Rushing toward the Knight, she cleaved downward with her axe, embedding its blade in the Knight's shoulder. He cried out in pain, glancing back at his attacker.
"Hey," Susie winked and pulled her weapon free, its blade dripping with blood. Ralsei cast a healing spell on Kris, who then proceeded to deliver a swift uppercut that left the Knight reeling. Susie followed up with a blow to the face that knocked the Knight off his feet.
"Nice of you to join us," Kris said. Susie simply glared at him.
The Knight stood, leaning on his sword for support. He hissed, "Perhaps I underestimated you." He clutched at his shoulder, blood flowing freely from the wound. "It is rare for an adversary to hold their own against me, much less overpower me."
"Funny, I seem to remember you calling us overconfident," Susie grinned.
"The irony is not lost on me, lightner." The Knight stepped backwards, slowly. "I will be seeing you again, soon. I will not fail next time."
"How about we make sure there is no next time?"
"Let him go," Ralsei said.
"Are you out of your mind? This guy almost killed us!"
"I'm with Ralsei," Kris interjected. "If we don't have to kill him, we won't."
Susie seemed hesitant, but holstered her weapon. "Fine, but I'm blaming you if we get our asses kicked again."
"Always the merciful one," the Knight said, locking eyes with Ralsei. "This will prove to be your undoing."
"Yeah, yeah, get out of here before I change my mind," Susie threatened.
Wordlessly, the Knight ran off, quickly disappearing from sight.
"Are you guys alright?" Noelle asked timidly.
"Yeah, we're fine," Susie replied. "How about you?"
Noelle nodded, "I'm so sorry... I should've done something to help you..."
"Hey, don't worry about it," Kris reassured her. "I don't think any of us were prepared for something like this."
"No one died, anyway," Susie added, "so it's not a big deal as far as I'm concerned."
"If you say so..." Noelle still felt guilty. "I'll try to help next time. I promise."
"That's really all you can do," Kris said.
"So, Ralsei," Susie started, "since when were you the one advocating violence?"
Ralsei hung his head, "I didn't want to fight him, but I know we wouldn't survive if we didn't. You remember what happened with the King, right?"
"Well, yeah, but wasn't that the exception to the rule?"
"Maybe. But I know the Knight. I don't think 'mercy' is part of his vocabulary."
"How do you know the Knight anyway?" Kris asked.
Ralsei went silent. "I'm... familiar with his reputation. Everyone is."
"Yeah, but he talked like he knew you personally."
"I... can't talk about this, Kris. I just can't. I'm sorry."
Kris seemed confused, but nodded understandingly. "Alright. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."
"Thank you. Let's... go talk to Lancer. I think he'll know someone who can help us."
Silence fell over the group as they walked on.