All three of the dreamers' seals have been broken. The Temple of the Black Egg is open. The Knight can now face the heart of the infection. I become nervous at the thought. However, the knight seems to have other things on its mind. It journeys across Hallownest, travels the Stagways, and takes rides in that old, transit vehicle. It picks up all sorts of junk along the way. Shining fragments, tiny ornaments, and hordes of Geo, among other things.
I follow the little knight to the Kingdom's Edge once again. It searches every corner of an area before it moves on to the next. Even the walls are not safe from the knight's relentless poking and prodding. Surely, it's searching for more of those hidden passages it is so enamored with. What is the source of its insatiable curiosity? I simply cannot fathom.
Interestingly, the vessel stops its scouring of the land and has decided that waging war on every primal aspid is a wise idea. The infected bugs are capable of launching globs of venom in a wide spread, and I can see that the knight has some difficulty dodging the attack. It must be quite enraged for it to seek out foes in this manner. How amusing.
Dozens of aspids are cut down, but the knight does not relent. The fighting keeps up for an hour or two. Eventually, I have grown fatigued from watching this pointless display. Defending yourself from an attacker I can understand, but this is just a senseless slaughtering. It does not matter how irksome the bugs may be. I decide that it is time to step in.
"Excuse me, Little Knight."
It does not react to my voice, however. It must be utterly focused on this task.
Using a strand of silk, I crate a small lasso and throw it around the vessel. Bound by the rope, it is unable to escape as I reel the little nuisance in and tie the silk to the ceiling of a nearby tunnel. The vessel squirms and writhes as it dangles in the air, making me think of our time in the Beast's Den. If it will not listen to the sound of my voice, then I must use more direct methods.
"Stop this. You are wasting time and energy."
I can tell it is not convinced. It continues its futile pursuit of freedom.
"You will not be freed until I am assured that this massacre will cease. So, what say you?"
It appears not to be listening. The struggling goes on.
I sigh and notice that I've been sighing much more than usual lately. This troublemaker of a ghost must be responsible.
"Little ghost, would you please listen to me?"
Kindness, it seems, has gotten its attention.
"Do you think that, for an esteemed knight like yourself, this type of behavior is acceptable? A true knight should be more concerned with protecting rather than killing, do you not agree?"
The Knight appears to be thinking this over and then slowly hangs its head. It is ashamed of its actions, I believe.
"It will be fine, Little Knight. I will look the other way this time, but you must put forth more effort from now on, understood? Restraint is an important trait for a knight, you see."
It nods its head with confidence, and I am persuaded that the lesson has been learned. I let the vessel down from the silk and I give it a firm pat on the head.
"Thank you for listening."
It bows before me in, what I think to be, a sign of loyalty. I am quite perplexed.
"Hah. Please, Little Knight. There is no need for that. I may be trying to help you on your quest, but such formal conduct is not necessary. I am only your sister, if you remember. We are…family, yes?"
In response, the knight startles me by jumping into my arms for a hug.
"Ah! W-Well, I… guess hugging is…acceptable. I admit, I am not yet completely comfortable with all of this…hugging and such."
It lets go of me, drops to the ground and stares up at me with its large black eyes.
"I have an idea, Little Knight. If you still have pent up anger from those primal aspid assaults, maybe you would like to test yourself in the Colosseum? With your battling expertise, I think you would do very well."
The knight hops up and down. I take that as a yes.
"Right. Follow me, then. It is not far from here."
With the vessel tailing me, I advance to the highest point of the Kingdom's Edge. My needle and thread ensure that I am able to ascend at a quick pace. The Knight, despite having to jump from cliff to cliff, is able to keep up, surprisingly. Hmm, it is nimbler than I realized.
When, at last, we reach the Colosseum of Fools, we enter through the mouth of an enormous corpse. Waiting for us inside is a pudgy, round bug tied in chains and hung from the ceiling.
"Little Knight. Does that poor, helpless bug remind you of anyone?"
It pouts and walks ahead without me. I cannot hold back a smile.
The "Little Fool", as he is called, explains how to sign up for the Trial of the Warrior. A small amount of Geo and the guts to put your life on the line is all that is required. The chained-up bug also mentions the "Warrior's Pit", where combatants can rest and prepare themselves. Apparently, the knight has no need of such facilities. It pays the fee and darts into the arena with breakneck speed. Having no chance to stop the vessel, I make my way to the spectator's seats in anticipation.
The Trial of the Fool proves to be no match for the little knight. Warrior fools with shields try to guard themselves from the vessel's aerial strikes, but they stand no chance. The sturdier fools fare no better. The ghost is able to deflect their throwing blades back at them with a quick slash, rendering them helpless from a distance. The large vengefly appears quite fearsome, but the knight handles it quickly. I imagine that this was not the vessel's first fight against such a bug.
When the next cages open to reveal primal aspids, the little knight's body visibly shudders. I grin. This ought to be a good opportunity for it to vent some frustration. As imagined, the aspids are slain with little effort. All that time fighting the same foe has made the knight more than proficient at dealing with their movements and attacks. Its blood lust for killing may have been irresponsible, but at least it has provided an opportunity to show me the knight's potential for adaptation and improvement once more.
After several waves of foes, a large cage descends into the arena. The sound of a ravenous beast pounding against its confines is heard. I start to worry. This may be a difficult fight for the vessel. If the situation begins to look bleak, I am prepared to jump into the ring myself and save my little sibling, rules be damned. My needle is at the ready, all I need is a good look at whatever creature lurks in the cage. After the enclosure takes a beating, the final combatant is revealed.
It is that small wimp of a bug who lands flat on his face when he falls from the cage. With a powerful shout he proclaims himself to be "Zote the Mighty" and wields the powerful "Life Ender". Well, the bug certainly has no shortage of confidence, and it bears a striking resemblance to the little knight. After dueling with my younger sibling, I now know not to judge only based off of appearance. If this "Zote" has made it here, perhaps he is a formidable opponent indeed.
Regrettably, having now seen Zote in combat, I can safely say that his appearance tells all. It swings with limp noodle-like arms and a pitifully, short nail. When he makes contact with the vessel, it does not even flinch. I can see the reluctance in the little knight's posture. It does not wish to harm this pathetic bug. Nonetheless, Zote does not back down. The knight is forced to pummel him with strike after strike, his body sent soaring across the ring with each one.
At long last, the overconfident bug submits to exhaustion, and the little knight is crowned as the victor. The Crowd erupts into a cheer and throws handfuls of Geo down to the arena's floor in celebration. The little knight seems overwhelmed at first but, then, chooses to strike a heroic pose as it waves to the spectators. A real seeker of praise, that one. With the trial complete, I leave my seat and walk back to the Colosseum's entrance. There, I already spot the little knight waiting for me.
"Congratulations, Little Knight. You managed that with little difficulty."
Triumphantly, it strikes another pose.
"Yes, yes. You were quite the gallant, little warrior out there. You even showed restraint against your final challenger, that miserable little bug.
It nods in response and I give it a soft pat on the head.
"That was very kind. A knight should know to show mercy to those who do not pose a threat. I am proud of you for sparing that one."
The vessel looks happy and grabs for my hand. Pulling me along, the knight and I exit the Colosseum, and walk back into Hallownest's wilds.