Oh. My. God. Freaking finally. I thought it would be just one or two weeks, not a whole month. I am very sorry. Especially after last chapter, I could feel the hate and the blueballing in the comments XD
In exchange, here we are with the longest chapter to date (and hopefully, the longest period)! I hope you all like it. I am not happy with some parts, but that has become tradition at this point. So, to the reviews!
E - Thank you for the long comment! You got basically all the points I wanted to trasmit, so that's a point for the two of us XD Hope you like the continuation.
Halo - Yeah, he wanted to kill them all with his bare hands, but colder thoughts prevailed (for better or for worse). And about the Age of Dark... it's not exactly what I had in mind. We will have to wait and see!
And that's it! I have not answered any comments this time because I wanted to update as soon as possible, so if I answer in a week or two, I am afraid it won't mean an update like the other times. Sorry about that.
And nothing more. Hope you all enjoy it and thank again for all the readers, favorites, follows and comments. You all are the best. And now, I am going to hibernate. To the chapter!
(Real size 18803 words)
Maia wasn't a stranger to pain. Since her childhood, since the moment she had stopped being a simple child, Maia had fought and felt pain. The pain of her training, the pain of her first battles, the pain of being injured… the pain of losing, the pain of not being strong enough, the pain of not being fast enough.
All those were different kinds of pain, ranging from physical to emotional, and Maia knew she dealt with the latter a lot worse than with the former. But this time? The level of despair, of betrayal, of shame, had been more than what she could handle.
She had tried. Tried to hold on and speak with her old friends… with who she had thought were her friends. And it had been completely useless.
After that, her soul had basically left her body while she tried to control herself in order to not lose her mind. She had barely heard the part about carrying her to a cell, together with Olga and Chloe, and had no memory of the trip until said cell. She didn't even know how much time had passed since that moment. Maia had been too shocked and traumatized to remember those things.
But now she was… was… Ok, she wasn't fine. Maia didn't know if she could ever be fine again, but now at least she could focus on what was happening and what to do to fix it. What was happening was that she was chained to the wall, sitting on the ground with her arms held up, and in the same cell as the dark elves, chained as well. Especially Chloe, who had the chains Kin had used before, and new ones for the wall.
Said dark elf had awoken a little while ago, and after seeing Olga chained at her side, Maia could swear she had almost cried while apologizing again and again. However, before she could keep going, Olga had pointed out the presence of other people in the cell room and Chloe had immediately controlled herself. Maia would never admit that she had envied the dark elf's self-control at that moment.
After that, Olga and Chloe had been whispering for a while, probably Olga retelling everything that had happened while Chloe was unconscious, but that would not help Maia. Now that she had evaluated the situation, it was time to find a way to fix this hellish nightmare.
And that was through Knight.
For some reason, Vault had ordered him to remain in the cell room and watch them and, even when the rest of the men had left, Knight had remained, staying completely still in front of the cell. She didn't know if it was some kind of test of the control they had over Knight, or a psychological attack against Maia, but whatever the reason, she wouldn't waste the chance.
They thought they had absolute control over him, but there was one detail they didn't know, and that was Anna, the little girl that had found Knight in the first place. She could overwrite the orders and free Knight again, allowing him to warm Celestine and the rest. However, for that she needed to first take him out of here, and for that, she had to convince him to go, or to free her. Still, escaping together would be harder, so she would focus on him.
She just needed him to hear her out and overcome his own nature to disobey the orders integrated in his creation and run away. Yeah, completely easy.
"Knight. Knight!" she half whispered, half shouted, "Please Knight, look at me!"
At first, she thought he wouldn't do even that, but after a very tense second, he slowly moved his head towards her. Maia let out a breath with some relief. Maybe there was still some hope. Now came the hard part.
"Ok, Knight, I know what has happened, what Vault has ordered you. But you have to fight it! Please, Knight, you are better than this! Fight it, please!"
She tried to transmit all the raw desperation she was feeling right now, trying to appeal to the true him beyond the orders. Knight barely reacted a little, just tensing a bit, but it was enough for Maia to notice it. It was as if he wanted to do something, to move and help her.
And yet, he didn't move.
"It seems your friend wasn't as loyal as you thought." Chloe's mocking voice broke the silence, "Too bad for you, I guess. Your future is a little black and grim, miss Princess Knight. Still, I say you deserved it for daring to attack our home. Just humans showing how low they can reach."
Maia gaped with indignation. The worst part was, Chloe had been completely serious.
"What the hell!? And you dare to say that to me after all the things your 'army' has done!? You fucking little bi—!" Maia bit her tongue, trying to remain calm and not losing herself in her anger. She wanted to kill the bitch, but right now that was not as important as to get Knight to listen to her again.
Knight was her only hope in a hopeless situation. And she had to believe this could work or she would break for real.
After taking a deep breath to calm herself, Maia continued, "Knight look, there has to be a way. I don't need you to help me escape, just… just go. Return to where we met. You know what I mean. There you can get free of Vault's orders and then go to Ken to warn everyone. Please, Knight, you have to listen to me!"
He tensed again, she could see it, but he didn't move. Maia wanted to cry, now feeling guilty for her friend's situation. Knight had lost his freedom the same moment she had lost hers, and it was her fault for bringing him here. If she just…
Thankfully, before she could fall in that spiral of guilt, Chloe snickered, drawing her attention again.
"Sacrificing yourself for the greater good? How honorable of you, Princess Knight." Chloe almost spat, "Do you want to be a martyr to feel good with yourself? Do you even imagine what it means to be a sex slave!? I hope you know how to please men, then, because you are going to need it."
Maia gritted her teeth, but she was done with Chloe's bitchiness, "Yeah? Well, then I hope your cunt is as big as your mouth, Dark Tempest, because you are going to need it to be the ogres' fucktoy!"
That shut Chloe up, a shadow of surprise, fear, and disgust in her expression. It seemed her dear queen hadn't explained everything. Maia was having half a mind to keep pressuring her now that she found something to hurt her, but she wanted to think she was better than that and didn't have time for stupid arguments.
However, she was interrupted again, this time by Olga.
"Stop, Chloe, I am growing bored of this childishness." she proclaimed, looking at Chloe. When the young dark elf looked chastised enough, she looked at Maia instead, "And you, let it rest, girl. It did not work at the throne room, and if that armor is what I think it is, you are only wasting your breath. They can not be reasoned with. You just were lucky that this one obeys orders from what it perceives as masters instead of just killing anything that gets close to it. Or maybe unlucky, if we analyze your current situation."
Olga's simple dismissal of her efforts did little more than make Maia hate her even more. Still, it seemed the Dark Queen knew something about Knight's true nature, or origin, or something. A little, curious part of Maia wanted to ask, to know what the elf knew, but she quickly reigned in that urge. She wasn't about to ask something to Olga fucking Discordia, specially because Maia was sure it would only make her gloat, even in their current situation.
Besides, for what she had said, Celestine had been right and Olga had no part in Knight's creation. And whatever the dark elf knew, it only made her think Knight would not help, so whatever she could say was useless and would just make Maia think the situation was depressing and final.
She had enough of those thoughts coming from her own mind. She didn't need more from outside.
Swallowing up all her doubts and fears, Maia looked again at Knight. She just needed him to react, to fight his orders. He was a good person, she just needed to give him enough motivation. Even… even if it meant leaving her soul bare in this dark cell.
"I… I have said several times that you can be a hero, right?" she started, trying to force a little smile on her face, "And I still believe it, you can do good, Knight. But I guess I have never told you why I started to believe that as soon as we met, haven't I"
He fixed his helmet on her. Now Maia had his attention, and if this didn't work, she didn't know what she would do.
"I was an orphan, you know? From a little village in the West." Maia looked at her side while talking, remembering, "Not sure what happened to my parents, the adults never told me and I don't even remember their faces, but it's easy to assume they died because of this fucking war. And because of that, I was raised by the whole village, you could say, everyone helping when they could.
"It was a very small village, with me as the only child, so we were like a little family. Even if no one stepped up to be my mother or my father, I felt happy. We loved each other and we loved our little home. And that's why…" she turned and sent a glare of pure hate at Olga, "That's why when her monsters attacked, everyone tried their best to protect the village and each other."
She sighed and looked up, resting her head on the wall, "I was barely five years old, but I remember everything. The roars of the orcs, the laughs of the imps, the shouts of panic of the villagers, the sounds of sex as the monster raped the women, the acrid smell as the fire burned houses and bodies… And through all that, I remained hidden inside the well, where Old Sally had thrown me as soon as they realized what was happening, praying that the monsters wouldn't find me.
"And by some miracle, they didn't. I heard how they left, but I was too scared to go out, so I remained there, paralyzed by fear, grabbing the ropes to not drown. I don't know how many days passed, but at some point, my body reached its limit. I didn't have the strength to climb out of the well, I could barely hold on the ropes. So, I cried for help, cried until my lungs almost bursted. And that was my second miracle, because someone heard me."
This time, the little smile on Maia's face was not forced, "He was a mercenary, clad in full armor, part of a group that the local noble had paid to kill the group of monsters attacking the zone. And while investigating the remains of my village, he had heard my cries and saved me. And, for some reason I still don't understand, instead of leaving me in the closest church, he brought me with him, raising me and teaching me everything he knew about the life of mercenaries.
"He was a stoic man, never talking or expressing too much, but I always knew he cared about me, and even if we never said it, we both knew we were father and daughter. And I am telling you all this because one of his first lessons was that heroes don't exist, and especially not among mercenaries. That we could only kill the monsters and then pray that there was someone still there to save. That saving that little girl had been the best thing he had done and it was only because the villagers had saved me first."
Maia began to tear up, remembering the days of hard training and free laughs, "And, to some extent, he was right. Even Vault… even the idea I had of Vault couldn't be like the heroes of the stories. But then, the day we met, I ran towards that village expecting the worst again and instead, there you were, Knight! And imposing armor that had killed the monsters at the exact time, that had saved the world and the smile of that little girl. And I thought… I thought that if you could be a real hero for that girl, if you could be the shining armor that slays the evil and saves the innocent… then there could be real heroes in this world."
She took a deep breath, forced her tears away, and looked directly at Knight, "And now I need you to be that hero, Knight. I need you to fight and rebel against those orders. I need you to show the world who you really are. Show them heroes can exist in this cruel world. So, please, Knight, please… Help me." she finished with a whisper.
Fuck, that wasn't what she had wanted to say. He just needed to run, she wasn't as important as preparing for the new war Vault would cause. And yet… for a moment, she had been again a little girl trapped inside a well, crying for help. Hoping a hero could save her.
There was silence after her speech, and Maia was grateful, as she didn't know what she would have done if Chloe mocked her past, but the most important thing was what Knight would do. And it was obvious her story had affected him. His shoulders were trembling, his fists were clenched, and Maia could feel the frustration radiating out of him, feeding her with the tiniest of hopes.
And yet, after a full minute, he didn't move.
The little hope in Maia's chest disappeared like a little flame under heavy rain and she looked down. It hadn't worked. Of course it hadn't worked. Life was not a fairytale. A tearful story was not enough to create a miracle. Wishing and faith was not enough. This was when she was forced to swallow her feelings and focus on the facts.
Maia smacked her head against the wall and closed her eyes, the pain clearing some of her depressing thoughts, "... Don't worry, Knight, it's not your fault. I can ask you the impossible. I guess this is what I deserve for being so naïve, for still believing in heroes. For believing that Vault was one."
She clenched his chained fists, remembering again the betrayal, wishing it was just a bad dream. Goddess, how could she be this pathetic? Even after all this… Self-pity was not useful, but what did it matter now? There was no plan, no hope. Maia had no strength left to keep fighting it. So what if she gave up? She was just a blind idiot, after all.
With her eyes still closed, Maia almost laughed, "You know the worst part? Even while it was happening, while they were laughing about their plans, while Vault was explaining how he wanted to… to… create his empire… even if I was hearing all that with my own ears, a part of me kept denying it. For a while, I… I didn't believe it, I didn't want to believe it. Because he was the closest thing to a real hero I have found and didn't want to lose that." she finished with a self-deprecating laugh, "How sad is that?"
"Oh, very sad, I think."
Maia opened her eyes in an instant and found that they were no longer alone in the cell room. Two men had entered —two of the new ones she didn't even know the name of— and were now looking at her with a disgusting smile, close to the completely still form of Knight. Seeing her panicked face, the men laughed at her.
"Oh, don't be surprised, Maia. We arrived a while ago, but we thought the right thing was to let you end your pathetic story. I guess the rest of the boys will love hearing about your plea to your hero!"
Maia wanted to shout, to curse them for making her feel so humiliated, but she repressed it. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
Realizing this, one of the men chuckled, "Oh, look at her. Trying to be cool and dignified after babbling about all that crap? Even in this situation, you really think you are better than us, right, Maia? A perfect Princess Knight. Well, you're not. You are just a tool, something born to satisfy men. And we are going to use you until you understand it with your own flesh!"
The two men began to cackle again and Maia looked down, not wanting to see their smug faces. This… this was it, wasn't it? Knight didn't respond to her pleas, her old comrades were no better than rapist orcs and… and Vault…
Maia bit her lip until she tasted blood. She wasn't going to cry, not now, not for him.
"Oh? What's that?" one of the men continued, his mocking tone ever present, and approached her cell until his face was almost touching the bars, "Look at her. She wants our dick so hard she can barely hold herself!"
"Yeah, Maia, control yourself a little." the other one followed the first's actions and now the two were as close to her as they could, looming over her, "There will be time for that. A lot of time! And we are going to enjoy every minute of it! Although, now that I think of it…" he sent a glance to his companion, "The others are busy somewhere, and we are the only two here. Olga is for Vault and the half-breed for the monsters, but Maia…"
The man grinned at his companion's words, leering at Maia even more, "Yeah, she is free pussy right now. And we know it's going to be 'first come, first served' later, so yeah, maybe we should… sample the product now that we can, if you know what I mean! Hahahaha!"
"Exactly! Hahahaha!"
Their laughs were like nails on a chalkboard for Maia. She wanted to say something, she wanted to curse them. But what would that do? Nothing. She was trapped. She could do nothing. Just lament she was so stupid to not see the signals, to passive to do something about it. She wasn't a Princess Knight, she wasn't the Queen of Mercenaries. She… she was noth—
"Hahahah— Eh?"
The sudden stop of the grating laughs was enough to break Maia's thoughts for a second and, before she knew what she was doing, she looked up.
And gasped.
Because Knight was there, just behind the two men, with the most intimidating look Maia had even seen on him. And he was the reason the laughs stopped as well, as he had his hands, his very big and armored hands, grabbing their heads as if they were just two eggs. Maia saw the exact moment the men realized this, realized there was something wrong. Their eyes widened a little, the muscles in their neck tensed as they tried to turn around and free their head.
But it was too late.
In an instant, Knight smashed their head against the bars of her cell's door with the strength that had demolished stone walls. The impact was massive, shaking the whole room and creating the same sound Maia had heard from the giant bells in Ken's cathedral. With the little difference that the bells weren't accompanied with the distinctive 'crunch' of bones breaking.
Then, Knight raised their heads and Maia could appreciate the damage. The metal bars were dented, like struck with a hammer. The 'hammers' were in worse condition, with a visible depression in their skulls, and it was obvious the only reason they hadn't fallen to the ground was Knight's grip. The two had blood flowing down their faces and misty eyes. One of them was groaning in pain. The other didn't make a sound.
While dust fell from the stones holding the cell's bars, and Maia's brain tried to process what was happening, Knight moved back their heads a little. The conscious man reacted, bringing a hand to his head and trying to free himself from the armored hand to no avail. Knight didn't even react to that, he just tensed his arms and, with a sudden push, smashed the men's heads against the bars again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
The sixth time, the metal finally surrendered and the lock of the cell snapped violently, the door opening until it hit the limit of its hinges with a loud bang. That was when Maia got a direct sight of the cocky men who had taunted her. Their faces were now completely destroyed, a mesh of blood and flesh, with pieces of broken bones and teeth visible around the cylindrical form in their skulls. With the job done, Knight released their heads and the two fell to the ground with a thud.
They didn't move again.
Maia's eyes had widened to their very limit, her mouth open in shock. What… What had happened? Knight hadn't been listening to her, hadn't paid any heed to her pleas, as Vault's orders forced him to. But now, he had smashed the two bastards' heads against her cell until breaking a metal lock. And then Maia looked at him, really looked at him, and could almost feel the wave of satisfaction emanating from his body, his expression almost shouting 'fucking finally'.
Maia wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. She wanted to jump and bear-hugging her friend for overcoming his own nature in order to help her. She wanted to hit him for taking so long in doing it and scaring her. She… she was feeling too many things at once and, right now, Maia couldn't deal with it. So, she took a big breath and forced all those feelings down. Now she needed to focus. She would deal with all that later.
At her side, Chloe was looking at the scene with surprise, while Olga seemed interested, her eyes fixed on Knight, "So, at the end, he had chosen you. He has pleaded his loyalty to you over the orders of his masters."
Maia shook her head. This was not about loyalties or orders. It was just about Knight being her friend and a good person. Nothing more, nothing less. And yet, Maia couldn't say anything, still processing everything and trying to control her feelings, the emotions that were choking her voice and wetting her eyes..
And while she was doing that, Knight entered the cell, grabbed her chains with both hands, and began to pull. Maia heard the increasing groaning of metal, reaching its limit until the weakest link of the chain broke, her arms falling to her sides, finally free. While feeling began to return to her fingers, Maia looked at Knight again, who was now looking at her with a regretful feeling, as if he wanted to apologize for not helping sooner, offering her a hand to help her stand up, just as she had done after their fight with Chloe.
The big idiot. Her big, marvelous idiot.
Maia still was struggling, still didn't know how to feel or answer, so she decided to hell with it and did it all at once.
"Idiot." she breathed as she grabbed his hand, her tone devoid of any real malice, "Took you long enough. You had me worried for a second. But…" she looked at him with her biggest smile and a tear running down her cheek, trying to show all the gratitude she was feeling, "Thank you."
It wasn't enough, not in the slightest. Maia wanted to say so many things right now to him, especially what this meant to her after the betrayal of her old friends, but there were still things to do, and she couldn't afford becoming a bumbling mess. She would have to deal with all that later. Besides, she knew that with the big guy, words weren't everything.
Proving her right, Knight answered her with a nod, to her words and to her thoughts. A simple nod charged with deep meaning, like he had done days ago to Anna in order to promise her he would come back. And with that, Maia decided that perhaps, she had been wrong. That maybe, there were still reasons to hope, reasons to believe there was light in all the gloomy darkness.
That maybe, just maybe, there could still exist heroes in this world, the kind that defeat evil and save little girls in their moments of need.
Knight did not know if that had been the right moment, but he did not care.
Maybe there could have been a perfect situation if he had waited more, one where he could free Maia from her chains, recover her swords, and escape from the tower with no fight. But that was pretty improbable, and he had been extremely worried about waiting too much, so he was not going to regret acting now.
Not speaking about Maia's story. That… that had not been fair. It had explained so many things and, at the same time, had made it almost impossible to keep waiting. Knight had been one more word away from losing all self-control and freeing Maia right there, consequences be damned. Thankfully, the two men had come, proving that he had been right in waiting, and, with their words, clouded his desperation for helping Maia with a fog of white-hot fury. That had let him recover a little, let him remain still as they kept stirring his anger with their words.
Then, they had said they were the only ones around, and Knight had to control himself no longer.
Really, he could barely remember what had happened. He had grabbed their heads with the intention of opening them like eggs, and the next thing he knew, they were dead in the ground and the cell's door was open. And he was sure they were dead, after all, he had absorbed their souls.
They had been bigger than the one he had got from the orc or the imps, similar to the one from the Killer Rabbit. However, after the amount of hate he had for these men, Knight almost felt nauseous after the fact. He just hoped the previous owner of the souls did not affect him in some way. He had no memory of that ever happening, but that was not definitive proof.
Still, the sheer satisfaction he had felt at finally being able to do something was enough to ignore that or the little episode of mindless fury. Sadly, the two men had been too stupid in both ways: too stupid to realize they should not have turned their back to the furious armor… and too stupid to be armed now that the invasion was over. They had no weapon on them that Knight could use.
After that, he had been thankfully strong enough to break Maia's chains. However, without the keys, she was going to carry the remains around her wrists for now. She had thanked him in her own way, but Knight could see Maia was barely controlling her emotions. After the betrayal and her story, he was just glad she could keep it together. At least, until they could escape. And they should do it quickly.
Maybe the other men would not associate the loud noises Knight had made with his little rescue plan, but he was not going to remain here to find out.
Knight turned around and began to plan their escape. He was not very sure where they were, but what he knew was that they had climbed several sets of stairs to reach the throne room, and then again to reach the cells, so the first step was to find a way down and… and… Why was Maia not following him?
He turned around again and there she was, still inside the cell, looking at the dark elves with an expression Knight was not sure he could describe. It was clear she was in deep thought, looking at the chained women with a frown.
Wait. Was she really…
"Spare me the theatrics." Olga's firm voice interrupted his train of thought. She was looking at Maia with hard eyes, "We both know you are not going to actually free us. It is obvious you have no desire to help us."
Maia clenched her right fists and frowned even more, "... You are right. I don't want to help you. I think what is waiting for you two is fucking divine justice. What you deserve." she clenched her other fist, "And that's why it is so frustrating that I am thinking about freeing you."
Knight blinked. Was she being serious? Personally, he had not worried too much about the dark elves' future. His only priority right now was Maia and how to save her, and that was a very uphill mission on its own, he could not afford to care about anyone else. Yes, leaving them here in the hands of rapist monsters would leave a bad taste in his mouth, but not worse than the one he would get if he failed his friend. Besides, one could even argue that it was what they deserve, as Maia herself had said.
So, why then? What was she thinking?
Olga's expression showed that she shared Knight's confusion, but she overcame it quickly with pure spite, "Oh? The holy Princess Knight is too good to leave her enemies at the mercy of the heroes turned traitors? Are you forced to act this way due to foolish sentimentalism? Showing mercy to not lower yourself to my level?"
Maia let out a chuckle devoid of any mirth, "I am not gonna lie, there is something of that. But no. I hate you more than I worry about those things."
The Dark Queen narrowed her eyes, "Then, where does it come from? That impulse that contradicts your own feelings."
Maia sighed, "Two reasons: one stupid, and one more strategical. The last one is the most important though, and it's that I want you to help us escape. We are now in hostile territory and I don't know the tower like you two. We could use the advantage."
Knight could now understand Maia's plan. He had accepted that they would have to go blind and hope for the best, but it was true that having a guide would improve their chances. Especially because his body was still at its limit and neither of them had a weapon. Having to fight if someone found them could end very badly.
For their part, Chloe scoffed at Maia's suggestion, but Olga just raised an eyebrow, showing some curiosity, "You want our aid in escaping my tower in exchange of our freedom, is that right?"
Maia nodded, "And a little more if we can, but we should talk about that in a safer place. Someone has probably heard all this noise. And if not, someone is bound to come and check out the prisoners soon. It's what we… they usually do."
Chloe still showed distaste for the idea, but looked at her queen, waiting for her decision. And Knight hoped she would decide quickly, because they were losing too much time with useless discussions. After all, they had to accept, it was their only way to escape and avoid a future of constant rape. The decision should be an easy one.
However, Olga Discordia was nothing if not proud, it seemed.
"Oh my, how the great has fallen." she laughed with a mocking tone, "A Princess Knight begging for my help. And how do you know I will not betray you as soon as is convenient for me? How trusting of you, naïve girl."
Maia almost growled, "And you are being incredibly bitchy for a chained person, you know!?" she gritted her teeth and finally let out a big breath, looking at Olga with a serious face, "But fine. If you are so worried about your inability to be a decent being and keep your word, I will force you to swear it. Swear it by the Heart of the Forest, or there is no deal."
For the first time since they had arrived at the cell, Olga looked almost shocked, her eyes widening in surprise, "H-How? How do you know those words?"
But Maia just kept looking at her with hard eyes, "Swear by it, help us, and maybe I will tell you."
It was clear the Dark Queen did not like that deal, nor Maia's tone, but after a minute of silent glares, Olga finally nodded. Chloe looked a little surprised by her queen's acceptance, but did not say anything against it.
"I suppose leaving behind this cell has some appeal. Enough to tolerate your undesired presence." she declared, as if she was the one doing them a favor. Then, her expression turned completely serious, almost ceremonial, "I, Olga Discordia, Queen of the Dark Elves, hereby promise by the Heart of the Forest, that my side will not betray this temporal alliance and help as we can until we escape from this situation we have been forced into. May the Old Spirits be my witnesses."
Knight could almost feel the weight behind those words, as if she was invoking some ancient magic, but the presence of the strange seal on Olga's neck was proof that they were just that, words. Still, by her reaction and behavior, it was clear they meant a lot to the dark elf, so maybe they could finally begin to move before someone could find them.
Maia seemed to think the same and, after a tense exchange of glares between her and Olga, she nodded, "It's a deal. Now, Knight, please. Free them and let's get the hell out of here."
Knight nodded to her and entered the cell, not wanting to lose more time. He first approached Chloe, who was not only chained to the wall, but still had the chains Hicks had put on her. Seeing him, the dark elf tensed, glaring at him with pure hate. It seemed she was a little resentful about their fight, but he did not have the time to worry about that. Ignoring her behavior, Knight grabbed her chains and began to pull. Without his previous fury-fueled strength, the chains proved to be more resilient, but finally, the links snapped.
He offered her a hand to help her stand up, but she smacked his hand away with a scoff, proving that Olga was not the only proud dark elf here. Still, he was sure Chloe regretted some of that pride when her legs trembled and she almost fell to the ground again, supporting herself with the wall and holding her left side, bandages growing red with her own blood. It was clear she was very hurt from their fight, more than he had thought. It seemed her runes had helped her somehow to keep fighting.
Which made sense after forcing her body through several stone walls. Knight should know he was the weird one, moving easily even if his body was at its limit.
Hoping that Chloe would not drop dead, Knight turned to Olga. The older woman looked at her bodyguard with worried eyes, but as soon as she noticed him looking at her, her expression turned regal again, waiting for him to free her.
Yes, proud indeed.
When he grabbed her chains, her body recoiled a little, probably involuntary, but enough that he noticed. She was probably still afraid of him from his little loss of control back in the throne room, but her eyes did not show it, looking at him with interest while studying his armor. He did not know where this interest for him came from, but it reminded him that Olga knew something about his past. He still could not ask her, but now that they would help her escape, Knight hoped there would be time for that in the future.
As soon as he broke her chains, Olga stood up graciously and got close to Chloe. She did not touch her nor offer her any help, but the young dark elf seemed to recover a little thanks to her presence alone.
With everyone free, Maia took control of the situation, "Ok. We have spent a lot of time already, let's get out of here and go somewhere we can talk. I want to ask you some questions."
"Before that," Olga started, her tone not exactly respectful, but devoid of the previous rudeness, "You said you had a stupid reason as well to help us. What was it?"
Maia blinked, not expecting the question, "Err, well, it's just that I promised Celestine I would bring you alive to her. If it was only that, I would probably have left you to rot, but yeah, I guess I want to keep the promise if I can."
Olga closed her eyes and nodded, expression melancholic, "Then, I did not hear wrong in the throne room. And what does the Goddess Reborn want from me? To exhibit my chained body to prove her victory? To take revenge in person?"
"What?" Maia looked at Olga as if she was crazy… probably the most positive expression she had ever directed at the dark elf, now that Knight thought about it, "Are we talking about the same Celestine? She just wanted to talk with you one last time, for fuck's sake."
This time, it was Olga who blinked in confusion, "Just… just talk?"
Maia nodded, "Yes. And, knowing her, probably find a way to keep you alive too, even if all the other Princess Knights would have objected to that. She is just too soft." she sighed and shook her head, "But you should know it. Weren't you two friends? You should know how she is."
Olga looked to her side, "I do… or at least, I did. It has been so many years… And yet," she smiled a little, probably the first not-smug smile Knight had seen from her, "It seems she is still the same sentimental fool I remember."
Maia looked strangely at the dark elf, not knowing exactly what Olga was really thinking, or how to react to her words, "Yeah, well. I prefer a sentimental fool to a proud bitch."
Chloe glared at her, but Olga, curious enough, did not react and kept talking, "I guess she was the one to tell you about the Forest Oath, then?"
"I… How do you—?"
Olga interrupted her with a little chuckle, "Yes, a sentimental fool."
And with that, she began to guide them to a safer room, Chloe behind her. Maia looked at Knight, shared with him a look of dumbfounding, clicked her tongue, and finally followed them while muttering to herself, "What the fuck…"
For his part, Knight did not even try. He knew he was the opposite of an expert in social interactions, so if Maia, the true expert, did not know what that was about either, he had no hope of understanding it. He should probably ignore it.
And with that little decision, Knight began to follow them as well.
They moved through the tower slowly and in silence, avoiding to make more noise. It helped Chloe as well, as Knight was pretty sure their slow pace was still a heavy strain for her injured body.
Thankfully, they did not run into anyone during their escape, nor hear the frantic steps of men looking for fugitives. For now, no one knew he had freed Maia and the rest, but Knight knew it would not last. That thought evoked some memories of snake-men and a loud alarm, signaling his escape from a cell and then… blue beings? It was hard to describe those creatures, and their image filled him with deep sadness, so he did not lose time with it. Escaping was more important.
After some minutes, Olga stopped and began to inspect a wall. Maia seemed a little impatient, but soon, the dark elf touched one stone and a secret passage opened to their left.
"We can speak here, human. But be quick, we should not waste time."
And with that, the group entered the secret room, the passage closing behind them. The room was pretty dark, but after closing the entrance, some torches on the walls came to life automatically. Knight blinked at that, but he supposed magical illumination was something to expect in the fortress of an ancient mage like Olga. Beyond this, the room was pretty bare except for some chairs and… cleaning tools?
"What is this place?" Maia asked after sending a suspicious glare at the self-lighting torches.
"Passages for the servants." Olga explained while sitting down on one of the chairs, prompting Chloe to do the same, showing genuine relief with the action, "There are several of them, to allow them a place to rest and a way to move without disturbing the court. At least, that was its function when I still had servants of the no-monster variety." she sighed, "Unfortunately, the passages are not all connected, so we can not use them to escape."
Maia seemed curious about the part about servants, but shook her head and looked directly at Olga, deciding to remain standing, "Ok, time to talk, I need some information. That Cursed Anchor you and Vault were talking about, you two were implying that is related to your monsters. How?"
Olga raised an eyebrow, "Did Celestine not tell you? How curious." there was a hint of mocking in her words, but before Maia could get more angry, the dark elf kept talking, "As the name implies, is an anchor for a spell, the one that empowers and controls my army of monsters. It also controls the artificial wombs to create said monsters. The problem is, its magic is an extension of mine, so every hundred years I have to recharge it, leaving me in a debilitated state. I guess your plan of attacking today was not a coincidence, yet I could not imagine how you people knew about it until Vault said the monsters have allied with him. Those pathetic, loose-tongued traitors."
Maia blinked, not expecting all that information, "What… Hundred… Artifici— Wait," she finally focused on one thing, "I thought you used captured women for breeding!"
Olga sighed and replied like an adult explaining something simple to a little child, "With imps and orcs, yes, sometimes. But for big monsters like trolls, ogres and minotaurs, using humanoid breeders is… ineffective. They rarely survive the pregnancy, and never the labor. That is why those monsters were so rare before. So, I created artificial wombs to avoid the necessity of capturing so many women. Really, they are so efficient that I barely need to capture women for breeding the little monsters either. It saves me the food needed to feed them. Thinking about it thoroughly, you humans should be thankful for my decision to create such wonders."
Maia's glare of disgust and hate told Knight that Olga was not going to get that gratitude any time soon.
"Let's… let's forget that for now." Maia finally said after a long sigh, "That anchor, you said you can use it to control the monsters. If we take that seal off you, you can order them to fight the Kuroinu, right?"
She looked at Knight while saying the last part, and he observed the strange collar. Unless it had some magic protecting it from damage, it should be fairly easy to break compared to the chains.
However, Olga shook her head, "Nothing would make me happier than removing this thing from my body. However, a magical artifact capable of absorbing mana to such a degree is not a simple piece of cloth. I can not study properly without my magic, but with the little I can sense, I know it will react violently to any attempt to destroy it. Violently explosive, if you want more details."
Maia groaned, "Great. And I guess you can't take it off on your own."
Olga seemed almost offended by her words, "I would have already done so if I could, obviously. Sadly, I will need the help of an excellent mage or crafter to remove it safely."
Maia rubbed her eyes while looking up, deep in thought. After some seconds, she snapped her fingers and looked at Olga again, "But you said the anchor is what makes the monsters stronger and smarter, so if we destroy it and the spell disappears, Vault will lose control over the monsters, right?"
Olga frowned, "As I said, only I can control the monsters, your dear hero has just made a deal with them. Still, I guess without the Anchor, the monster could lose enough intelligence to maybe ignore said deal and attack them. However, I am more worried about that 'we'. What makes you think I will offer any aid in destroying the most precious and powerful artifact I have ever made? Especially when we should prioritize our escape now that we can. That was what I promised, girl, nothing more."
Knight was worried about how Maia would react to the Dark Queen's sharp words, but surprisingly enough, she just smiled at her with a too-innocent expression.
"Basically, because with that seal on your neck and your guardian dog so beat up, I could bend you over my knee and spank you until you agree to cooperate." Olga and Chloe glared at her, but did not say anything to contradict her words, "And yet, that won't be necessary because Vault and your dear monsters have tricked you and make you look like a fool. And you can't let that lay down, can you? You want revenge. You want the satisfaction of screwing them back."
Olga narrowed her eyes, contempt clear in her expression, "And you really believe such blatant attempts of manipulation are going to work with me, human?"
"With a vindictive bitch that had continued a war for centuries?" Maia asked and then grinned with too many teeth to be anything but dangerous, "Yes, I am pretty sure it's going to work, dark elf."
After that exchange, a very tense silence filled the air around them. Knight was not sure if Maia knew what she was doing, especially with the obvious distaste the two women had for each other. After what felt like an hour, Olga finally moved, turning a little towards her companion.
"Chloe, guide us to the Anchor."
Chloe's face looked as if she swallowed something very nasty, but did not refute Olga's words, "... Yes, my Queen."
Mais looked at the dark elves with a smug smile, but refrained herself from saying anything else. At least, until she blinked and lost the smile.
"Wait. Before that, we should probably arm ourselves in case something happens."
Knight completely and wholeheartedly supported Maia's idea.
However, Olga shook her head, "The armory is at the underground levels, while the Anchor is almost at the top of the tower. And if we are going to do this, we have to do it quickly before they can find us, weapons or no weapons."
Maia cursed but finally admitted she was right. For his part, Knight just felt a little empty. It seemed being disarmed was his normal status.
And after that, the group began to move again, still trying to be quiet, but the lack of any noise around them let them relax a little. For his part, Knight had barely any idea of what had happened in the servants' secret room. Were the monsters under some kind of spell? He had thought they were allied to Olga in order to accomplish their vile desires, not forced to fight. Or maybe it was not that. Why should she make them smarter if she wanted to control them?
Thankfully, Maia sensed his confusion and began to mutter at his side, "Yeah, I think I didn't explain this part. Remember that I told you how the monsters were born brainless? Well, they were, at least in the old times. Until the Dark Idiot here," she glared at Olga, "Decided that her army of literal monsters was not evil enough. And being the creepy evil lord she is, she had just the magic needed to fix that. So, this is the result, Eostia having the questionable honor of being the one land with stronger, smarter and hornier monsters than the rest of the world."
Knight blinked. He… had not expected that. It sounded like something that had changed the country, a drastic alteration in how to deal with the monsters. It had happened to him a few times. Enemies that changed their behavior or strength depending on where they were, and that change made it harder for Knight to kill them.
Still, his point was that something so transcendent could not be so simple. And by the scoffing expression on Olga's face, she thought the same.
"That was a crude and incomplete summary, but I have neither the patience nor the will to explain how wrong you are. And believe it or not, the increase in libido was an unexpected side effect, I just wanted stronger warriors. Still, I can not deny it has had its uses, sending a strong message to you humans about how you are not above being like the sex slaves you so adored." Olga replied in a normal tone, as if talking about trivial matters.
Knight frowned, understanding what she was alluding to, but still growing angry at the dark elf's complete dismissal of her monsters' actions. However, it was nothing compared to Maia's reaction, whose fists began to tremble as she did her very best to not attack Olga and compromise their escape. And over all this, Olga kept talking, not showing any sign that she had noticed their reaction to her words.
"And sometimes I wonder about the 'smarter' part, no matter what I try." the Dark Queen lamented, "The stupid imps keep falling in the tower's traps. No matter how many times a bunch of them die, the rest do not think it will happen to them."
Maia blinked, anger forgotten for a moment, "Fuck, I have forgotten about the traps." she looked a little anxiously at the walls and then sent a suspicious glare at the dark elves, "You two better not have any funny ideas."
"Do not be stupid, girl." Olga replied while they kept moving, "I swore I would behave, did I not? And in my current state, I would die as well if I activated one of them. Besides, the traps were only for the places of this tower I did not want the monsters to wander around. Had I put them everywhere, I would have to clean imp bodies every day. Still, I would have gladly accepted said chore if it meant those barbaric dogs were killed on the traps as well."
Something told Knight that, even after rescuing her, the Dark Queen would not mind if Maia and him joined the rest of the Kuroinu in that dying scenario.
Judging by her face, Maia noticed it as well, but before she could comment about it, some noises ahead of them made the group stop when they realized what the noise was.
It was voices.
Even with the previous distaste for each other, Olga and Maia nodded to each other and remained silent. Even then, it was not possible to understand what the voices were saying. Just that there were several of them and that their tone was a bit frantic. Considering their luck, that could only mean one thing.
"Fuck, they know we have escaped." Maia cursed.
Olga nodded, reaching the same conclusion, "We can not continue thorugh this path." she said while looking at her side, deep in thought. Finally, she sighed, "We will use another, less safe route. Follow me."
And with that, she took the lead. Chloe seemed a little disappointed that she was no longer the one guiding, but did not make any comment about it. For his part, Knight was more worried about the 'less safe' part. What did she mean with that?
Without the ability to voice his question, Knight just followed the group in silence. They kept going for a little while, using twice the servant's passages to overcome some zones. Finally, they were again surrounded by silence, the frantic voices too far away to be heard. And with that comforting fact, Olga began to talk.
"So," she started while glancing at Maia, "I can not help my curiosity. Where did you find your loyal knight, human?"
Maia looked at the dark elf in surprise, and then narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "None of your business."
Olga sighed, "No need to be so dramatic, we are temporal allies after all. I just wanted to alleviate some of the tension while satisfying my curiosity, nothing else."
"And I have to believe that?" Maia asked, still suspicious. However, after some time pondering, she sighed, "I guess you can't do anything nefarious with it. Knight was just sitting in the middle of a forest. And probably for a long while."
Olga raised an eyebrow, "And that is all? No ancient ritual, no solemn ceremony? You gained control over him and his loyalty just because you were the first to find him?"
In Knight's opinion, it was almost funny, as Olga had reached the same conclusion about him and Maia, that the one Maia had reached with him and Anna. Still, the redhead did not seem to like Olga's words.
"He is loyal because we are friends and he is a good person. And he had proved that goes beyond any order he is forced to obey. I know that is probably something foreign for you and your army of monsters, but friends and loyalty are a big deal for us decent people."
At her words, Chloe almost bristled, "How dare you!?"
But before it could escalate, Olga stopped her with a raised hand, "Understood. I will refrain from talking as it seems to only aggravate your very short patience. Still, I guess I should not be surprised about your knight. After all…" she looked at Knight with a strange glint in her eyes, "They were famous for their loyalty."
What?
"What?"
Knight and Maia's question went unanswered, as Olga just looked at Maia with a smug smile, one showing her satisfaction at knowing something the rest did not. However, she noticed something around them and soon lost her smile, sighing.
"Sadly, we will have to leave that conversation for later." Olga kept walking while shaking her head, "This is a crucial part of this path and we do not have time to lose, so, obey everything I said until we are—"
Whatever she was going to say died in her throat when the group turned a corner and entered a new corridor, because in front of them, Vault, Kin and many Kuroinu were at the other side of the corridor. Before they could react, Vault saw them, and in an instant, the men were ready, many arrows already aimed at them.
"Don't move." Vault ordered, clearly serious but still confident, "Adding more holes to your bodies may sound like a good idea, but it probably won't end well."
As soon as he said that, Knight wanted to move in front of Maia, but he did not know if that would be enough to trigger the archers. Looking at his side, he began to think how long it would take to undo their steps and run. They had barely taken two steps inside the corridor, and Maia and Knight were the ones behind, so he could probably protect her from the arrows. However, that would need her cooperation, and she was too busy glaring at the hostile group for that.
As if wanting to prove his thoughts, Maia took a step forward and put herself in the front of the group, "Vault…" Maia tried to spit with hate, but even now, her feelings about the man and the situation seemed to be a mess.
The man just grinned in response, "Ah, Maia, my good, old, predictable Maia. I have to admit I hadn't expected the escape attempt, but as soon as I heard it, I knew you couldn't go without trying something to hurt my plans. And the only important thing in this tower is the Anchor, so it wasn't very hard to figure it out.
"However, congratulations on gaining Olga's help." he continued while slowly clapping, "That has made our little game of cat and mouse a little harder. And I was so sure she wouldn't cooperate with anyone until her mind was broken and full of only lust and dicks! I guess you can't underestimate the vindictiveness of a woman, no matter the race, right?"
Vault's words gained him some chuckles from his men, except from Kin, who seemed to be too busy watching the walls and muttering to himself. On their side, it reminded Knight that his plan had only been for Maia. In that instant, he had not cared about Olga and Chloe's future. Maybe it was harsh, but after everything, he was still not sure if they deserved to be saved.
And yet, Maia had forged a temporary alliance with them, and Olga had kept her part of the deal. Abandoning them now would be… dishonorable. He knew what they had done, or at least, part of it, but leaving them here after what Vault had planned for them would be no better than what they had done with the war. Maia had said that she did not care too much about that, but for Knight, for his desire to be a hero and do the right thing… It was enough.
With his determination clear, Knight advanced until he was in front of the group, doing his best to hide them with his body. He was not sure what the dark elves deserved, so he would protect them for now, bring them to Celestine, and let the justice of this world decide their fate, not leaving it in the hands of rapist dogs. For him, that was the right thing to do, and he would strive to follow his morals.
At his movement, the archers tensed, but thankfully, did not shoot. It still made Vault focus on him, his face finally losing the smug smile.
"And I guess this is how you all were able to escape. I was afraid this could happen." he shook his head, "The problem with smart toys is that they can get ideas. I don't know how you found a loophole in my orders, but I guess it doesn't matter now. We are going to have to fix that attitude of yours, golem."
Knight blinked. Loophole? Did Vault still think he had to follow his orders? Was the man too proud to accept he had been wrong, or just too stupid? Whichever the case, maybe he could use this to escape… but probably not. Vault tried to act normal, but Knight could see he was angry, very likely because the two men Knight had bludgeoned to death. He probably just wanted to destroy him and study his remains.
Acting like a good golem would not work again.
Then, what could he do? If Maia, Olga and Chloe ran, he could cover them with his body, but he could not come up with a way to tell them that. And even if he could, there was a high chance Knight could not stop all the arrows with her body. It was too risky. Another option was to charge towards Vault. It would probably focus all the attention on him and let the others escape… except Maia, because the idiot would probably follow him to fight together till the end.
He needed a better plan, a way to save the three. But how?
Ignorant to Knight's plans, Maia moved to his side, hateful glare fixed on Vault, "Knight chose to do the right thing, something you seem to have forgotten. He doesn't follow your orders anymore, Vault."
The man looked at Maia and then sent her a cruel smile, "Let's find out then. Golem, come here."
Knight wanted to roll his eyes. Vault was about to receive a reality check. Still, it meant he was running out of time. He needed a plan and he needed now. Waiting was not an option like before and, sincerely, he did not want to have to wait again. It brought back memories he did not want. Memories of monsters disguised as men that provoked pure fury in his veins.
And this was not different, because he could feel that heat as he looked at Vault and his men. The Kuroinu had proved they were no more than monsters as well. Vile creatures that would bite the hand feeding them. Worse than animals, worse than the dogs they claimed to be! Maybe anger and aggression was the answer, he had no better plan, and he could kill some of these dogs in the process, spare the world of these betrayers, these traitorous snakes that had changed their skin as soon as they—!
Wait.
Knight blinked. Then took another look at the situation and blinked again, hot fury turning into cold logic.
…
Oh.
Oh.
That could work.
Quickly, Knight turned and looked at Maia. He could barely understand half of the emotions showing in her face, but for the little he could gather, her current main feelings were those of fury and betrayal… And maybe a bit of hurt and resigned acceptance. Olga and Chloe remained behind him, looking at the group with a deep hate, a lot more clear than Maia's. However, all of them were in a good position, so this side was good.
Then, he turned back to Vault and the rest. The man was looking at him with a gloating smile, as if he had already won. The strong urge to erase that smile by cleaving his face returned with a vengeance, but Knight suppressed it for now. They were in position too, so there was just one more thing to do.
Without looking back, he began to walk towards Kuroinu's leader.
"Knight…" Maia's voice whispered behind him, so small and fragile that it almost made him stop, but this was what he had to do.
Seeing his moving, Vault smugness grew even more, "That's right, golem. As you can see, Maia, your toy is a good dog that knows who its masters are. It has a little of a rebellious strike, but I am sure we can leave that out for the new golems we will do with him."
Knight clenched his fists, He just needed to endure a little more. A little more and then he would erase the smile from the bastard's face. So, he kept walking, getting closer and closer to Vault and the others. Walking beyond the midpoint between the two groups. Walking until he was sure it was the right place.
And then, he stopped.
A strange silence invaded the corridor at his action. The archers looked at each other, confused about what they should do. Kin seemed to still be in his own world, but the change in Vault was obvious: his smile got smaller and his relaxed expression turned to a tense one, frowning at the situation. After some seconds of this tension, Vault finally talked to Knight.
"Not sure what's the problem, golem. Come on, come here. I don't think I can offer you some golem pussy, but I am sure we can find something you like. So, don't be stupid and join us. I order you to join us."
Seeing how the man was grabbing the handle of his sword, Knight was pretty sure Vault just wanted him to get close enough to cut him in half. Well, it was a shame, but Knight was exactly where he wanted to be and had no interest in inspecting that beautiful sword so intimately… even if he still wanted to take it from the cold, dead fingers of its current user. However, there would be time in the future for that. Right now, Vault had just made him an offer, so he should answer him.
And then, in the middle of the corridor, between an hostile group and the trio he had decided to save, Knight began to move. Just a bit a first, planting his feet firmly in the ground, clenching his fists and squaring his shoulders. After that, the hard part came. His muscles protested, resisted with all their might, but he ignored their spasms, forcing them to finally obey his will, to hear his desires. He had battled enough to do it, and there would be no better moment than this. So, while everyone was focused on him, Knight's neck cracked, beginning to slowly, very slowly, move. First left, then right, left again, and then, with the same satisfaction that he had felt after defeating the gods of old…
Knight shook his head.
And it was glorious.
Vault did not seem to think the same, though, his eyes widening a little in shock, losing his cockiness with the surprise of his defiance. Finally realizing he had been wrong and filling Knight with even more satisfaction. A hopeful intake of air from behind told him that Maia had not expected his answer either. However, he had to worry more about the group in front of him than about the one behind, so he did not look back.
Vault gave a side glance to his men and began to walk towards him with clear caution. When Knight did not do anything in response, he relaxed and shook his head, "Wrong choice, toy. It's your funeral. And take a last piece of advice, if you were going to say no, you shouldn't have separated from the only reason we weren't filling you with arrows."
Knight raised an eyebrow. It seemed the part about shooting the women had been a bluff, however it did not change that this plan was better. Still, he conceded the point to Vault, it probably would be Knight's funeral.
But it would not be the only one.
The whole group got ready to advance towards him, archers aiming their bows at him, and the rest preparing their swords. Vault gripped his sword's handle and crouched a little, ready to charge at the armor. Knight heard Maia's voice behind him, getting ready to join him in their last battle, no matter if she knew she could not win... so, he had to act quickly.
From the Kuroinu, only Kin, who blinked confused at the situation when the men began to move, seemed to notice something was wrong. Then, finally snapping out of whatever had kept him occupied, the mage took a look at the situation and, as Knight and Vault began to take a step towards their respective enemies, his eyes widened in panic and terror.
"Vault, watch ou—!"
The shout made the man stop his charge, but it was too late for them. Too late to understand that he was not a golem. Too late to keep thinking such betrayal would have no consequences. Too late to notice the corridor where they were standing was made of a familiar black stone, or that some of the floor stones were a little more black than the rest. Too late to accept they were not more than traitorous snakes and, as the snakes of his memories, as the snakes of Sen's Fortress…
CLICK
They could die by the traps he triggered.
In an instant, stone walls sealed the corridor, the trap already in motion. Maia's voice shouted his name, but it was interrupted by the barrier. In front of him, Knight could appreciate the expression of pure astonishment in Vault's face until the first jet of black fire started behind his group, some shouts of panic already filling the corridor.
However, as soon as it started, Knight turned around, not caring to see what the flames would do to the dogs. After all, killing them was important, but not as important as making sure Maia was out of reach for the trap and the rest of those bastards. Thankfully, his calculation had been right and the stone wall had appeared just in front of Maia's position, no one on this side as the black flames appeared.
It had gone well, but Knight had to admit it had been a big gamble. If Maia had decided to move before he activated the trap, he would have been forced to stop, and so close to the Kuroinu, he would not have a lot of options. And it had been a gamble about the trap as well. Knight could not be sure that all the corridors made with black stones hid all the same trap, but at least, he had hoped there would be a trap strong enough to stop the group from reaching Maia.
The black fire meant that he could be sure the group would be stopped, but it also meant he was going to die.
With that morbid thought, Knight began to hear some cries of pain and anguish —accompanied with the sensation of absorbing their souls—, but they were soon overpowered by the roar of the black fire reaching him. With no shield this time, the flames began to heat his armor immediately. He tried to move and go to the wall blocking the path to Maia and the rest, maybe as a last try to escape the trap, but after a couple of steps, he fell to his knees. Knight wanted to cry in pain, but nothing came out of his mouth. He could feel the burnings in his skin and muscles, how the overheated metal of his armor was practically cooking him alive. And after everything that he had suffered the last hours, his body could not endure any longer.
Even with all the fire around him, Knight's vision began to darken. He tried to raise himself, but his muscles did not obey him, and this time not from lack of practice. When the unbearable pain began to become dull and he stopped hearing the roar of the black fire, he realized that this was it. That he was dying. Surrounded by fire, just like he had been when he had arrived in this world.
Poetic, if nothing else.
Where were these thoughts coming from, though? Why was he accepting his death when all his memories showed him overcoming it every time? After all, he had started this crazy plan with knowledge that he would probably die while enacting it. Maybe it was the pain... or maybe it was the little doubt at the back of his mind. The one that whispered to him that this was not his old world, that perhaps, the ability to return to life was another part of himself that he had lost. That… this could be his last and final death.
The certainty that some part of himself felt relieved at that thought was confusing and infuriating, so he decided to blame his dying mind for it.
Knight closed his eyes, maybe for the last time, and cursed himself for not trying to regain more memories before this. For not finding earlier if he really was impervious to death. He also cursed his stupidity and fear, which had kept him from trying again to regain his summoning ability. His old shield, his true shield, would not have melted, would not have failed him when he most needed her. And he could have had it, had his fear of being trapped in the Darkness not stopped him. Had he been afraid of being trapped in a place similar to the Fire? Well, now he was trapped in a corridor surrounded by fire. This clearly deserved a congratulations!
Knight gritted his teeth with fury at himself. Hell, right now, he would prefer the Darkness to this fire. After all, that place was kind of peaceful... if you ignored its efforts to throw him out. And that was another thing! The very space wanted him out of there, how had he been afraid of remaining trapped? It was stupid, and now, this self lecture was probably going to be his last thoughts. Only because he had been afraid of a strange pushing force, a being with a chest instead of a head, and a bit of—!
Darkness.
Knight opened his eyes. A quick look showed him he was standing again in the Darkness, no longer surrounded by fire… well not exactly. The strange flames from last time were already dancing through his body, protecting him from the pushing force. And he could feel this fire was not like the black one, invigorating him instead of hurting him. Bringing him a feeling of protection, of life, of… home.
Before he could think too much about that, a familiar light began to approach him. The force around him increased as the light got near, but nothing comparable to how it had been when Knight had been the one to do the whole journey. Finally, the light got close enough to show its origin, the same consumed being with a chest instead of head, but this time, with the chest already opened and the fingers forming that macabre smile.
/Well, well. I have to admit I did not expect to see you so soon. Or maybe it is after so long? It is hard to keep track of the time in this place./
/It is sad we do not meet in better circumstances however./
Knight took a step back at the sudden voice inside his head. At least, now he could be sure it came from the strange being. However, that still left him with a million questions. Who was this being? What was it? What was the Darkness? How had he come back here? Why could he come here? How was all this related to his ability to summon equipment?
And specially, what did this mean for his impending death?
/Oh? I can feel the old desire for knowledge in you, and a very strong one. Sadly, we do not have time to quench it./
/After all, you are here this time because your demise is soon to happen./
Knight frowned. He knew he was dying, but hearing a confirmation did not make it easier. However, now that he was here, maybe he could regain his ability. His old shield and sword could help him, but right now, what he really needed was his flask of liquid fire, the one able to heal him from any injury. With it, he would be able to survive until the trap stopped, like the last time.
The only problem was, he had no idea of how to do that. But… he was not the only one here. If the strange being in front of him was not violent, maybe it could help Knight with his problem. He just needed a clue, a starting point. He had not given up yet. He would survive.
With his new determination, he looked at the being. It did not move, but the symbols in the chest began to shine with a renewed light.
/I know that greed very well, the desire to keep on living. But I am not the one that can aid you./
One of its six arms raised and with an elongated finger, the being pointed at Knight.
/You are./
Knight blinked in confusion. Leaving aside the fact that it could apparently read his intentions like only Maia could, it did not make any sense. He knew he was the one who could help himself, but he did not how, that was the problem and why he was looking for advice. However, whatever this place was, his vocal cords were as paralyzed as in the normal world, so he could not transmit any of these thoughts.
At his lack of reaction, the strange being just moved the chest a little and its finger-teeth repositioned again. An act that, somehow, Knight knew was meant to express a bit of amusement.
/No response? That is fine. As I said, we do not have time to lose in banal conversations. Just trust me for now./
/After all, if you still are what you once were, death will only carry you to your last home. But are you like the you of your past, or has this world altered you, I wonder./
/Or, even if nothing has changed, what is your last home? The bonfires of your journeys? The town you desire to return to?/
/Or maybe... the embodiment of your reward and punishment, the place filled with memories, ashes and Fire?/
Knight froze at that thought. It could not mean… He… After experiencing these last days of living, he did not know if he could survive the isolation and nothingness of the Fire again. However, the smiling chest did not let him keep thinking about it.
/And that brings me to the ulterior motives of my aid./
/Discovering your existence in this world, so different and distant to your own, has been the most deliciously surprising event in a long time of dullness./
/And I am sure you will agree with me that this situation we find ourselves in —contacting beyond space, time, reality and void— is too interesting to end in such a lackluster way./
/Not speaking of, after how your last journey ended, it would be cruelly ironic to finally die by being burned alive./
It stopped for a second, two of its arms moving in front of its body as its head tilted, forming a mockery of a respectful bow.
/Do you not think so, O Chosen Undead?/
Everything around him stopped, as if frozen in time.
What… What had it called him? Chosen… Undead?
Hundreds of little memories appeared suddenly inside his mind, showing him flashes of moments, persons. And in each and every one of them, he was called by the same title. A title that carried a crushing weight, a grim destiny, and a distant hope. It was the name of the one who would save, who would kill, who would inherit…
The one who could stop the curse.
~ "You and I, we're both Undead… Hear me out, will you?" ~
~ "O chosen Undead. Thou hath journey'd far." ~
~ "Well, what do we have here? You must be a new arrival. Let me guess. Fate of the Undead, right?" ~
~ "Chosen Undead, who has rung the Bell of Awakening. I wish to elucidate your fate. Do you seek such enlightenment?" ~
~ "Thou who art Undead, art chosen…" ~
~ "Chosen Undead, your fate... is to succeed the Great Lord Gwyn. So that you may link the Fire, cast away the Dark, and undo the curse of the Undead." ~
~ Link the Fire. ~
~ Inherit the Will. ~
~ Stop the Curse. ~
~ Accomplish your Fate ~
~ O Chosen Undead ~
Knight gasped and grabbed his head, his brain at the brink of bursting due to all the flashes of memories. So many memories that he could barely understand the memory and person behind the words. They had come from knights, from sages, from gods, from… a snake? It was very confusing, but the feeling inside him was worse. A complex feeling of melancholy, betrayal, accomplishment and success.
And yet, Knight could not focus on it because he was distracted by the red fire around him, which had grown until he was in the middle of a red flame, surrounding him with a warm feeling of protection, the pushing force of the Darkness almost nonexistent.
What… What was happening?
The only one who could have some answers was the strange creature before him, as it did not seem surprised by the growing fire. It just looked at Knight with its lack of eyes as the fingers in the chest moved, increasing even more its grin.
/Yes, that should suffice./
/And if it is not enough, if your mentality blocks your inheritance, then remember your promises./
Knight was still recovering from the strong flash of memories, but the being's last words confused him. What promises? The word did not trigger more memories, so what was it referring to? He wanted to ask, even if his voice was still out of his reach, but the force around him increased again, the flames on his body responding in kind. It was not as overpowering as the last time, but Knight knew he was just about to leave this place again.
/Do not waste this opportunity. Overcome your current challenge and persevere in your quest for answers./
/Just procure better circumstances for our next meeting and nothing will impede us from having a little conversation./
The Darkness began to clear, and Knight felt again the pain and heat from the black fire, but everything happened gradually, as if he was awakening from a dream.
/Time to say goodbye, O Chosen Undead.../
/For now./
With those last words, the darkness around Knight collapsed, the world returning to the inferno of black flames. This time, the pressure had not been enough to force him out, but it seemed as if the connection with that place and the strange being had been broken. He could barely understand what had happened, and Knight would probably believe it was just a delirium caused by the pain and imminent death…
If his armored hands and arms, currently supporting him, were not in fire.
Maybe it would be the normal consequence of being burned alive by dark flames that burned even stones, but it was not. Because his armor was not normal, his armor had refused to be burned by this fire. And yet, that same armor was surrounded by red and orange flames, like what he had seen in the Darkness.
However, these flames were not burning him. They felt like a warm embrace, like… home. And no matter how ridiculous it sounded, Knight knew the red fire was protecting him, keeping the black flames from killing him. A physical proof of fighting fire with fire.
And it was not enough.
Knight gritted his teeth as the pain returned in all its devastating intensity. He could feel it, could feel how the red flames were fighting against the black inferno, but they were slowly losing terrain. Like a candle facing a giant bonfire, the difference was just too much.
But what could he do? Knight tried to think of a way out, but the excruciating pain and imminent death were not helping. Still, even with the current fog in his mind, there was one thing clear to him, one fundamental truth, and that was that the red fire around him should win, that no other fire could hope to match it. However, as he had said, it was not enough.
Knight's vision began to falter again, his body not moving despite all his efforts. Was this it? Was this how he finally would die? Even after the strange visit to the Darkness, after he had sworn he would not die? It was beyond frustrating. The only saving grace of this whole mess was that he had achieved his objective, helping Maia to escape. That was the important part. He had not failed his friend this time. Even if he… even if he had to die to…
~ "Except for this one: don't die. That's an order." ~
Knight blinked, pain forgotten for a moment as Maia's words appeared in his mind. That… that had been her last order before the mission, before the fights, before the treason. And even if she had worded it as an order, Knight knew it was more than that. It had been a promise that he would come back, that they would see each other again. And… and he did not want to break said promise.
Forcing his neck to move with what little strength Knight had left, he looked up. Beyond the black fire, beyond the stone wall blocking the way, Knight could almost see Maia there, not escaping like she should but waiting for him, ready to hit him for putting himself in danger again. Because… because she was an idiot like him, the idiot that Knight had decided to call 'his friend', an idiot that would not let him behind no matter what. And that meant he had to keep going. He could not let her wait forever. He could not let her be captured again because of him. He could not die here.
His heart started to beat.
He could not die here.
His blood began to burn.
He could not die here.
His flesh began to steam.
He would not die here.
His soul finally ignited.
As if answering his determination, the red fire around him grew, pushing against the black flames. Suddenly, his situation changed. The heat and pain were still unbelievable, but no longer unbearable. His vision cleared and his muscles began to twitch as his body began to… heal? And then, in the middle of two fires fighting for supremacy, Knight understood.
As the strange being of the Darkness had said, if it was not enough, he just had to remember his promises. He just had to remember his determination, his will to live, something almost foreign to him as, until now, he had considered his life and death as something trivial, something not worthy of worrying about. But no more. Even if it was still a strange concept for him, now Knight had a reason to survive this trap. He was going to live and keep his promises.
All his promises.
~ "Stay safe. And make sure you come back." ~
Eli's words, the petition from the kind woman and strong mother. The first person Knight had saved, the first time he had acted as the hero he wanted to be. The first adult that had treated him almost as a person. Knight would not disappoint her; he would come back and show her that the gratitude and trust she had given to a not-so-empty armor had not been wasted.
The red fire grew again, his fingers breaking the magical barrier over the floor and sinking down in the stone, melting it like ice under the scorching sun. With the newfound grip, Knight tensed his arms and, little by little, stood up, defying the black inferno around him. Said dark fire moved strangely around him, as if confused, but Knight did not notice, too focused on channeling his all into the fire.
Because the red flames were taking something from him, fueling themselves with an abstract something. But, for once, Knight did not care, did not worry about what he was feeding the fire with, was it with his body, his mind or his soul. Because this was his way out, his way to survive and keep living. His way to keep the promise he would never break, no matter what he had to do or sacrifice in the process.
~ "A-and you have to do what I say… So, g-go with the Princess, help her a-and do what she says. But after that… after that y-you have to come back and play with me, o-okay?" ~
The red fire exploded, the black flames no longer the dominant force. They struggled for a moment, trying to regain the upper hand, but it was futile. As a scolded child, the black flames trembled, kneeling before their betters. However, Knight barely noticed this, barely noticed the stone melting under his feet, too overwhelmed to realize what was happening around him.
Because the power around and inside him was astounding, almost intoxicating, so overpowering that he was unable to move. And the only reason Knight did not lose himself in said power was the thoughts resounding inside his mind, reminding him why he was doing this and why he had to keep going. No just for his sake, but for the sake of others, for the sake of his promises.
His death would make Anna cry. If he did not come back, if he disappeared like her father had done before, she would be heartbroken. He would have failed Eli, not protecting her daughter's smile and proving that the world is so dark and bleak after all. And Maia… Maia would blame herself for his death. She would not take the chance to escape like he wanted. He would have failed at saving his friend. Somehow, Knight knew all this, fueling his determination until it reached a firm revelation.
He would not allow any of those possibilities to happen. He would not remain still and let the fire erase him. Not again. He would use the flames, forcing them to kneel before his will and obey his command. And so, with conviction and power running through his veins, with promises and memories in his mind keeping him sane, Knight decided it was time to move.
Inside the trap corridor, surrounded by deathly and comforting fire, Knight clenched his fists,
Looked up,
Took a deep breath of air and flames,
And, for the first time in this world,
The Fire roared.
"Knight!"
Maia's shout echoed in the corridor, as a wall of stone blocked the way, trapping Knight with Vault and the others while keeping Maia and the dark elves safe. She knew this, she knew what had happened and why, but even so, Maia froze for a second, her mind not wanting to fully process the events. But, when it finally did, she forced herself to suppress a yell of anger, frustration and a bit of desperation.
This couldn't be happening. Not now, just when they were about to escape, just after… after regaining Knight's help. Just when he had overcome Vault's order to remain true to himself, when Maia had decided to die by fighting at his side to the very end… the fucking idiot had decided to use his new freedom to do a self-sacrificing stunt! And…! And…
He had done it to save her.
…
No! Not now, not now. Maia clenched her teeth and focused on what she could do. There had been a lot of things and revelations lately that she couldn't do anything about, but she could fix this. She could. She just needed to open that wall of rocks and take Knight out of here. The very, very deserving scolding for his stupid ideas could wait.
And then Maia began to hear something from the other side of the wall. A tremor, like the sound of a full cavalry charging towards the enemy's frontline. It was powerful and… she kind of recognized it. It was… the roar of fire?
"What the hell is happening in there? What is that?" she muttered, barely realizing she had said it instead of just thinking it. At least, until a voice from behind her answered.
"That is the sound of the trap activating and erasing anything inside this corridor." Olga's calm voice explained calmly. If not for the little tone of trepidation Maia could hear under that forced calmness, she would really believe this was just another day for the dark elf. Still, that was not the important part.
"Trap?" the redhead repeated slowly, turning to look at Olga while a cold feeling gripped her chest. It… it was the logical conclusion, but a foolish part of her had wanted to believe Knight had just blocked the path. But of course it wasn't, "Like the traps you were talking about? Fuck, I have to get him out now."
Maia approached the wall, trying to find a way to open it, some kind of mechanism, but she couldn't ignore the disappointed sigh of the Dark Queen, "Do not be foolish, girl. That wall will not open under any circumstance until the trap is done."
Her dismissive tone was like nails on a chalkboard for Maia right now, but she refused to let it affect her. She didn't even turn around, just replying with the littlest amount of contempt she could afford, "Yeah? And why is that, O cleverest and never-captured one?"
Littlest amount of contempt, but she was not going to be stingy with the sarcasm.
She heard Chloe's indignant yell, but surprisingly enough, Olga's only reaction to Maia's taunt was taking a big breath before speaking again, "It will not open for the same reason there is no point in opening it. That was a trap that isolates the corridor and then fills it with Cursed Fire. There is nothing to save."
Maia froze, the cold feeling in her chest crystallizing in deep fear. Cursed Fire was the stuff of nightmares. Magical, black flames that burned through everything, be it flammable or not. Hot enough to almost vaporize metal, so human flesh had a snowball's chance in hell to survive it… literally.
It was something no sane mage would use, and Maia only knew about it because an especially insane mage had experimented with it in his mansion close to her city. The Cursed Fire had burned him and his house in seconds, but it hadn't stopped there. Sera and the other mages could barely do anything, and the only reason it hadn't consumed the whole city of Rad was because Celestine in person had come to help, forcing the black fire to disperse.
Celestine told her it was one of Olga's creations because of course it was, and of course she was insane enough to use it for traps in her own fucking tower. And… and if Knight was really in a corridor full of Cursed Fire…
No. No. No! "No!" she punched the wall with all her might, but beyond the new pain in her knuckles, nothing happened, "That… that can't be… Knight. Knight!"
She shouted at the stones, knowing it wouldn't do anything, knowing it was already too late, but not letting herself admit it. It was just too much. After everything that had happened with the Kuroinu, the betrayal of her old friends, after seeing her new friend being controlled by… by a monster, after somehow getting him back, he couldn't lose Knight now. Just… just…
All her bottled feelings threatened to break free, breaking her in the process. Maia swallowed, trying to regain some control, but she was feeling the beginning of tears in her eyes. Useless tears that couldn't help right now. But… but what could she do? She didn't want to accept what the dark elf was saying. But then what? What…
Her mind was spiraling out of control, but Maia still heard Chloe's whispers, "My Queen, let the… human here. We have to go."
"Sadly, we need her." Olga replied in her normal tone, not bothering to hide her intentions, "I can not use my magic and you are too injured. Any of these dogs could recapture us with insulting ease. She is the only one who can fight. We have to leave while we can, but I am sure she will understand it when she finally stops behaving like a child."
Those words reached Maia, stopping the storm in her mind for a moment.
"What did you say?" she asked with a warning tone and a cold voice, eyes still fixed on the wall.
Olga just sighed, "The black knight, your Knight, triggered the trap on purpose. I do not know how he knew, but it was clear he did it to stop the dogs and separate them from us. And I am pretty sure Chloe and I were just a footnote in his plan." the dark elf then adopted a regal tone, "He did it in order to save you, Maia, yet we are still here, in danger. We have to escape now that we are still free to do so, and your insistence in losing time like this is a very poor way to reward his sacrifice."
Maia began to hear her own heartbeat as Olga's words registered in her mind. How she dared. How she dared! She gritted her teeth. Maia didn't want to think about the possible truth behind those words, she just focused on the fact that they gave her a solution to her problem. She just needed to break a little, not about the bottled up emotions, but about all the hate she had been suppressing for days.
All the control she had been trying to keep on those emotions began to crumble as Maia let herself remember how much she hated the dark elf and why. The atrocities that she had committed, the fucking war she had created and had continued for centuries. All the feelings she had suppressed in order to be able to bring Olga Discordia before Celestine without killing her in the process. A mentality Maia had kept to be able to escape together, to not create more problems while there were monsters in human-skin disguises after them…
To hell with it.
Finally, Maia separated from the wall and faced Olga while sneering. Anger wasn't her usual way to cope, but right now, it was just what she needed to avoid her other less useful feelings, to keep herself together a little longer, to not break and burn… She frowned and clenched her fists, that word just helping her anger, clouding her mind and emotions.
Good. She didn't want to think or feel right now.
"Sacrifice? Sacrifice!?" Maia repeated with a snarl, approaching Olga until they were almost nose to nose, "You don't have the right to speak of something so noble, you fucking queen of rapists! You just want to run like a coward and leave Knight behind! You want me to go with you? Well, guess what, fuck you, because I am not going to leave without him!"
For the first time, the semblance of calmness on Olga's face broke, anger filling her eyes as she bristled with indignation, "Do not dare to speak to me like that, you human! Do not dare to speak about what you are ignorant of!" she took a breath and then began to poke Maia's forehead with her finger every few words, "Accept the truth and engrave it on your little, obtuse brain. There is nothing left to leave behind. His fate was sealed from the moment he activated the trap in order to save you, you insolent, ungrateful brat!"
Maia winced a little and took a step back, the truth breaking through her anger and negation. It hurt… it hurt so much to know that a friend had sacrificed himself to help her. Because she didn't deserve it, she was just a stupid girl that couldn't see or believe that the love of her life was a fucking monster that wanted to betray and rape the whole country! She was the one who had brought Knight to this mess! She was the one to—!
Maia bit her lower lip until she could taste blood. No, self-pity and guilt could wait. Now, now… she didn't know what she should do now. But she knew what she wanted to do, and punching the Dark Queen in the fucking face sounded like something very therapeutic right now. However, when she had finished ignoring the reasons why she probably shouldn't do this right now, Maia was stopped by a voice at their side.
"I… I am sorry, my Queen, but…." Chloe said with a meek voice, not wanting to correct Olga, but, at the same time, not wanting to withhold important information, "He, the black knight, already survived the Cursed Fire once, when he entered the tower."
The half elf's words froze the other two women, previous anger evaporated. Both slowly turned to look at her with blank faces, as if they couldn't process what Chloe had said. Eventually, Olga broke the silence with one word, filled with the disbelief she was currently feeling.
"What."
In that very instant, the noise coming from the other side of the stone wall began to increase in strength. As if the roar of the cursed flames were gathering closer to them. Yet… it was just the fire? Maia had experience with different types of fires. She still remembered the flames consuming her natal village, and had heard several times the fire spells of Sera and other mages.
This… this was different, even to how it had sounded before. It was more powerful, more… primal. Something that resounded with her very soul.
Then, before any of them could decide what to do, the whole wall trembled, like the doors of a fortress enduring the attack of a battering ram. The group took a step back, watching the wall with uncertainty.
And then, it trembled again.
And again.
And with the next, a part of the wall exploded in a cloud of stone and dust, being replaced by an arm covered in black armor and red fire, hand clenched into a fist.
As hope began to fill Maia's chest, the arm retracted, grabbing the stones and breaking another section of the wall. With more space, a second arm joined the first, now both hands grabbing the sides of the hole. And finally, the whole wall crumbled as the black armor forced its way through stones and fire.
"Impossible…" Olga whispered in amazement.
"Knight." Maia breathed with relief, barely believing what she was seeing.
She wanted to kill him for the stun with the trap, to hit him for scaring her again, to hug him for surviving against all odds. However, all that would have to wait as he was literally on fire, red and orange flames covering his entire body. And yet, he didn't seem to mind, as if the situation was completely normal and the fire wasn't killing him. Maia was about to voice some of these thoughts when a scared shout from behind distracted her.
"No! The barrier!"
Maia had no time to process if the shout came from Chloe, Olga, or both, as the cause for their fear was suddenly over them. Through the broken wall, the Cursed Fire had got out and surrounded them in an instant. It was so fast that Maia couldn't even gasp, her eyes widening in panic as she saw death coming at her from every direction.
In what seemed to be the last second of her life, Maia was a little disappointed to find that all those stories of time freezing and you seeing your whole life were just that, stories. She had no time to appreciate how she had lived her life, no time to regret trusting and loving Vault or think something profound. Just the time to regret briefly that this was how it was going to end and… to see Knight fixing a glance at the black flames?
What the—?
And then, Maia had to eat her previous thoughts as time did freeze… or at least, that was what she felt as the fire about to consume them had completely stopped, the flames not even flickering.
She wasn't sure what was happening anymore. It was like the raging inferno was now a tied dog which had reached the limit of its chain and could just angrily bark. The black fire began to tremble, burning in its fixed position, and Maia began to feel the air overheating around her, but even then, somehow, she knew she was safe.
The frozen situation and her musings were broken when Knight moved, turning a little more to the wall of black flames with what now Maia could see was a pissed glare… or the most similar expression a blank helmet could do. It was… she didn't know what it was, really. The metaphor of the chained dog appeared on her mind again, but this time, with the owner ordering it to shut up and sit down.
Then, the unbelievable happened, and before their wide eyes, the dog lowered its head and whimpered, the Cursed Fire receding until it stopped at where the destroyed wall had been, flames again completely fixed in their position.
Seeing this, Knight gave the fire a little nod and resumed walking, as if everything was right, as if he hadn't just done something impossible, as if his footsteps weren't melting the stone ground, as if he wasn't still on fucking fire. He passed Maia and kept going, and in that moment, he was the image of the classic hero, surrounded by fire and leaving the area after defeating the dragon without looking back, eyes focused on the next heroic deed.
For an instant, Maia just looked at his back, too overwhelmed with what had just happened. A little glance to the side showed she was not the only one. Chloe's face of surprise and maybe even a bit of amazement was similar to Maia's, but Olga was different. Her face showed surprise, but it was minimal in comparison with the curiosity and interest in her eyes, alternating between looking at Knight and at the wall of black flames.
The strange scene was broken when Knight suddenly stopped, looking suddenly tense. Maia blinked, and the next second, the fire around him began to move weirdly, like bubbling water, until it disappeared, not leaving any trace on the black armor.
Maia didn't know what that meant, but what she could see was that now Knight was tilting to the side, as a puppet who someone had cut its strings. The metaphor was more than right, because the next second, Knight began to fall.
Before she knew what was happening, she was at his side, catching him to ease his fall. Had she thought a little, Maia would have reached the conclusion that Knight weighed a ton, or that grabbing with her hands a metallic armor after it had been on fire, maybe it was not the best idea. However, after all the emotional ups and downs she had had, her mind was in no condition to think right now.
Thankfully, Knight's armor was not burning hot, just very warm, like a stone after a full day of sunlight. It was uncomfortable, but better than losing the skin of her hands and arms after her thoughtless move.
Still, it didn't change the fact that Knight wasn't moving.
He didn't move much, sometimes remaining completely still for hours, but it still gave the sensation that there was something there. Like the feeling you are being watched. But now, Maia couldn't feel anything for him and it was starting to freak her out.
"Hey, Knight, Knight! Come on, you don't get to do an heroic walk just to die on me! Wake up, Knight!"
But he remained still, not reacting to her words. With some fear, Maia began to look at the dark elves, searching for something, maybe with hope that they could have answers to what was happening to Knight. Chloe wasn't so surprised as before, but seemed as confused as Maia as what the hell had happened. However, Olga was different. She hadn't moved from her position, eyes fixed on the frozen Cursed Fire with something that Maia could only describe as excited fear. And then, she began to speak with a strange cadence, as if reading poetry.
"'And they returned from the Chaos, bringing a piece of it in their beings, in their metal, forever changed by its heat. Come to see, come to cry, as the bright Silver becomes scorched Black. Come to see, come to pray, as the proud Knights are baptized in unforgiving flames. Come to see, come to laugh, as the Black Knights lose for the very first and last time'."
…
Ok, leaving aside that it sounded creepy as fuck, it reaffirmed in Maia's mind the idea that the Dark Queen knew something about Knight's origin. Something about him. And if that was true…
Maia swallowed, trying to swallow as well her pride and her hate for the dark elf, because Knight's life was more important than that. She just hoped Olga hadn't realized Maia had been about to punch her.
"... Olga." Maia finally forced herself to say. Hearing his name, the dark elf turned to Maia and Knight, right eyebrow raised, "You… you know something about Knight, right? So, you… do you know what has happened to him? Can you help him?" she paused, struggling with what she had to say, "... Please."
Asking for help from Olga Discordia of all people went against everything Maia believed in, but she had already lost too much in this mission. If this was the price to help Knight, she would gladly pay it.
Olga looked at her with surprise, probably due to saying 'please', so Maia prepared herself to the dark elf's scorn, or mockery, or something. And it was clear by Olga's face that she was debating if indulge in said behavior or not, but after a few seconds, she sighed and shook her face.
"Do not fret, girl. He is still alive. I can feel his core pulsing with power. If I had to guess, I would say whatever he has done with that fire has left him completely drained and now is unconscious."
Maia let out a breath of pure relief, "Thank the Goddess."
Olga seemed a bit irked with Maia's words, but she was too busy with Knight to think about it. Now that she knew he was just unconscious, she could relax and help him. Even if Knight had somehow blocked the way with the Cursed Fire —which he better be ready to answer some question about as soon as he woke up—, they still had to escape from the tower. And that meant Maia would have to carry him until he recovered.
A first try told her it wasn't going to be easy, as she could do little more than drag him.
Seeing her struggles, Chloe seemed to be ready to mock her for the ridiculous situation, but Olga was serious, very serious. She seemed to be deep in thought, pondering something, and then, after some seconds, gave a little nod.
"Chloe, have you recovered enough mana for a healing spell?" Olga finally asked, eyes still fixed on Knight.
Chloe blinked, confused at the question, "... Probably. Not enough to return to fighting condition, but it should be enough to help me move better."
Olga nodded again, "Then please, do. And after that, help her carry him."
Maia was forced to suppress the impulse to gap after those words. She had been pretty sure the dark elf would leave them behind after the recent fight between them, and not only had she eased her fears about Knight, but now she wanted to help as well? This wasn't what Maia would expect from Olga Discordia. Due to her surprise, it was Chloe the first one to vocalize their shared confusion.
"My Queen, are you sure? I mean… We should probably leave—."
"Do not question me, Chloe." Olga's reply used a calm tone, but her eyes now looking at her vassal were hard, and the half dark elf shut up immediately, "My previous comment about needing her for protection still stands. They also helped us escape when they could have left us to rot and I promised to help. I will not break that oath. Besides," she turned again towards Maia and Knight, "Maybe I am wrong, maybe it's just an imitation, or an idiot who wears an armor he does not know the importance of. However, if I am right, if he is a genuine Black Knight of Lordran… he would be the first Wanderer in a millennium. And a very special one."
Maia had been right, Olga knew things, and she could almost hear the capital letters of those words, but beyond that, they barely told her anything. Were the Black Knight some kind of group? A special type of golems? What was a Wanderer? Olga probably had the answers, but even after her strange change of attitude, Maia didn't trust her, not speaking of how they were not in a situation where they could just sit down and chat.
However, as Chloe began to chant her healing spell, one question remained in the forefront of her Mind, weighing more than the others for some reason that Maia didn't understand, but with no doubt that it was the question.
What the hell was Lordran?
