Author's Note: Hey readers! I'm back with chapter 4! Enjoy! :D NOTE: The Black Knight's (Damien's) dialogue will be in normal text. A certain character "reappears" here, and their dialogue will be in bold.
Oh and thank you for all the follows/favs/reviews! :)
Somewhere in Eastern Europe, Late 1400's...
"Damien! I need your assistance!"
ROAR!
The towering dragon growled at the yeti it had pinned to the ground with only a single claw. Skips couldn't move his body and his sword had been knocked out of his hands to the side. He looked back at the only person who was nearby to help.
"DAMIEN! NOW!"
The Black Knight simply yawned, but complied. He drew his sword and went into a running stance. Then, in a grand flourish, leaped at the dragon, effortlessly cutting it's arm away to free Skips.
Damien smiled underneath his helmet, "There, you are free." He went over to Skips' sword, and threw it to him, "Now, help me slay this monstrosity!"
The duo charged at the wounded dragon, slicing it in two without any trouble. A greenish blood covered their armors.
"Ugh! The ending is always the most repulsive!" Damien groaned, wiping away the blood.
"Yes, I agree. Thank you for the help, my friend." Skips replied, doing the same.
"Oh, it was no trouble at all, Walks. Time and time again, I'm always there to save you."
Skips laughed, "Oh no, I'm afraid you have that backwards! It is I who has to save you!"
Almost out of their earshot, a horn was heard bellowing in the distance.
"Huh? Oh, the King must need us at the castle, Damien. Let's go back..."
Skips got onto his white horse, his silver armor gleaming in the sunlight. In a quite literally dark contrast, Damien rode atop his brown horse, with his pitch black armor allowing almost no light to shine off it. The two comrades went past the town gates and into the streets, with yet another crowd to cheer them and chant their names. They strode into the King's huge chamber, with him seated in his throne. In his hands were a golden goblet of wine, and a greasy chicken leg. He was a portly fellow, with a long orange beard.
The King spoke, "Ah, you have arrived!" He chomped on his food, "With the sounding of the horn, I take it another devilish beast was slain?"
Damien approached him and knelt, "Why yes, your majesty! I-"
The King interrupted, "Ah, I wasn't speaking to you, Damien! Now, Walks?"
"Yes, sire?"
"I should offer you another celebratory feast for your bravery, I assume?"
Skips knelt by Damien, "It would be an honor."
Damien stood up, "But, my King, he-"
"Not another word, boy! This man has saved your life countless times! You should be humbled even to be chosen to serve alongside him! In fact, he most likely saved you out there!" the King yelled.
Skips felt bad for Damien, but he also didn't want to argue with the King.
Damien, on the other hand...
"THAT'S AN OUTRIGHT LIE! I SAVED HIM!" he yelled back, getting closer to the King.
The King had enough, "GUARDS, REMOVE THIS MAN FROM MY CASTLE!"
Skips stood, "Wait, sire! At least let him attend the feast! I only ask out of him being my friend!"
The King put down his wine and stroked his beard in thought, "Hmm...I suppose that isn't too out of the question." He grinned, "I shall allow it!"
Skips knelt once more, "Thank you, your majesty!"
An hour later, the dinner was underway. Everyone was having a good time. There was dancing, games, and even a bard playing a song or two. Skips was seated at the head of the long wooden table with the King and other important people. Damien had to sit farther away down the side of the table, but could easily see and hear the King and Skips.
"...and then, I pulled Damien from the troll's jaws, slicing it's head clean off! Of course, he needed a wash afterwards!"
The King and others laughed, "Why, what a riveting tale that was! You never fail to entertain me, Walks!"
"Thank you, sire."
Suddenly, a young woman appeared to the side of them, "Hello, father."
The King turned around, "Oh, Lydia! Say, Walks, have you met my daughter?"
Skips smiled, "No, I haven't had the pleasure."
The blond-haired woman smiled at the yeti, "Hello, Walks. That's quite a peculiar name..."
Skips chuckled, "Yes, well, why don't I tell you all about how that came to be...?"
Everyone came closer, listening intently to his story. Everyone except our Black Knight, of course. He'd stormed off, out of the room, seething with jealousy and anger in the hallway. He slammed his fist into the wall, but no one heard it. 'Damn him! Why does he have to get all the gold, the glory, the fame! But, most importantly...' he paused, looking back into the room. Skips was still telling his tale, with Lydia draped over his broad shoulders, almost flirting with him.
'...her, my beloved Lydia.' he narrowed his eyes, 'I shall have you...and nothing, not even Walks, will keep you from me...'
He walked at a brisk pace to his own bedroom. He found his trusty bow and steel-tipped arrows laying against the wall by his bed. Putting them around his armor, he walked back down the hall, but bumped into a man.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Damien."
Damien smiled, "It's perfectly alright, good sir."
The man glanced at his bow, "With that bow, I presume you're going to hunt some game?"
The knight continued walking past him, a smirk across his lips, "You could say that..."
Coming back to the main doorway, he looked around for anyone close by, but appeared to be in the clear. Silently, he drew the arrow back, pointing it directly at the yeti's skull.
A voice entered his head.
'Damien, what are you doing?'
'Be gone! I must kill him!'
'Yes, but not through these cowardly methods. We need to strike at a later time, make it personal.'
The bow shook in his grip, 'But, he- Lydia-'
'You must heed my words, Damien. You know by now that I am always correct.'
He sighed, lowering the arrow, 'Yes, you are. I am sorry.'
'There is no need for apologies. Now, go back in and enjoy the feast. You will need your strength...'
A few days later...
Skips awoke to the sound of many metal footsteps running down the hallway outside. He rose from his bed, poking his head out the door.
"Come now, men! Keep it moving!" someone yelled.
Skips put his hand on a knight's chest to stop him, "Boy, stop! What on Earth is happening?"
"A beast has been spotted attacking the nearby village, Sir Walks!" he panted.
"What kind of beast?"
The knight shrugged, "We-we don't know, sire. The group of knights who arrived from the village...were too traumatized to speak."
Skips' eyes bulged. He could tell this was serious, but quickly became confident, "I shall lead the men. Has Damien awoken yet?"
"I don't know that either, sire. He wasn't in his bedchamber when we were called-to-arms..."
Without another word, Skips went back into his bedroom, donning his armor and sheathing his trusty sword into it's holster.
The knight spoke, "Follow me sire, we must get to the village quickly!"
The group of four arrived to the partially destroyed town, a few miles away from the kingdom. The place was in shambles. Villagers were still running away from the destruction and fires were spread out over the hay rooftops and wooden buildings.
A woman screamed in the distance.
Skips looked to his left, "Over there! That woman is in need of us!" He rode to the source of the scream, a grassy field, but found nothing, 'Where is she?' he thought. The other knights looked around, but also saw no trace of the woman.
"Sir Walks, we cannot find the lady. Also, the beast appears to have run off? This is very troublesome."
Another knight spoke, "Seems like a damn trick, if you ask me!"
Skips narrowed his eyes at his subordinate, "We didn't ask." The man gulped.
"Let's head back, maybe-"
"HELP! HELP ME, PLEASE!"
"Where did that come from?!" a knight asked.
Skips looked into the trees, "The forest! She's in there! Let's go!"
"I-I can't, uh, sire! I, um, have to-"
A knight slapped the other knight in the back of his helmet, "You have to get a spine, boy! Now follow us in, or I'll inform the King of disobeying your commander."
Skips got off of his horse, "We won't need our horses, but you should tie them to those trees so they won't escape. Then, we must take a hidden path I know of."
They did as they were told, following Skips in the forest. The three knights headed down the trail, nervously moving behind Skips.
After a few minutes of silence, one spoke up, "Sire, are you sure you can find this woman?"
Skips was becoming annoyed at who he was stuck with, "Yes. Just trust me, we'll save her from the beast."
"Speaking of the beast, I'd heard another village was demolished not even one month ago by a monstrous troll!"
The knights began shaking in their boots, "You don't think it could-"
THWICK!
An arrow struck the knight directly in his head, killing him instantly. Everyone stopped in their tracks.
"Anthony? Anthony?!" his friend knelt over the man's body and cried, "How could he of been killed?! He's wearing-"
THWICK!
Another fell, with this arrow stabbing into his back, piercing through the steel-plated armor.
The final knight muttered, "Dear God!" He stood straight up, "I'm leaving sire, whether you need me or not!"
Skips yelled to him, "You're a coward, man!"
He stopped and turned back, shouting, "I'D RATHER BE AN ALIVE COWARD THAN A DEAD-"
THWICK!
The man clutched his throat, blood gushing out onto the dirt. He gasped for air, but choked on his fluids, dying a quick, yet painful, death as the arrow had apparently hit a major artery.
Skips was shocked. Some unknown assassin had taken out his comrades. Terrible help, but comrades nonetheless. He went over to the one of the bodies, pulling the arrow out to examine it. A purplish glow hummed off of the blood-soaked tip.
'Where have I seen that magic before? It was powerful enough to rip through their armor!'
A rustling was heard nearby. Skips pulled out his sword, ready for whatever beast leaped out.
Fortunately for him, it was just Damien.
"Oh, Walks! Thank God Almighty, I've found you!" he panted, catching his breath.
"Damien?! What are you doing out here? Did you see the-"
The Black Knight interrupted him, "No time for questions, my friend! We must get Lydia!"
"What? Someone kidnapped the King's daughter?"
"Yes! Now come on!" He started running, with Skips trying to keep up, "She's just over this hill, move quickly!"
They came to the top of the small hill, which lead into a small circular clearing of the forest. Skips stopped for a moment, "Wait, how did you know she-"
Not surprisingly, there was no princess to save. The only thing to greet him was cold steel pressed over the yeti's throat by the Black Knight.
"Move down the hill, into the center of the clearing." Damien ordered.
"Damien, what are you doing this for?! I thought we were friends!"
His voice became sinister, "We were never friends. You get all the praise, Walks, while I'm caught underneath your shadow. I deserve the gold, the recognition, the glory of our King, but most importantly, I need Lydia over all of that. Now, kneel before me..."
"Wh-what?"
"I ordered you to kneel!" he shouted, bashing Skips in the back with the handle of his blade.
"I'll never bow to you." Skips spat back, trying to pick himself back up.
Damien laughed, "Well, I guess you won't be a part of my new regime." He raised the sword, "Goodbye, Walks. I'm sorry it had to end like this..."
THWICK!
An arrow struck the sword from Damien's hands, sending it flying a few feet away.
"What?! Who could've-"
THWICK!
This time, the arrow went into the knight's chest, hitting with enough force to pin him to a nearby tree. He attempted to pull himself from the tree, but two more arrows met their mark: his hands. For some strange reason, he wasn't fatally wounded...
Out of nowhere, a figure came out of the forest, atop a horse. The horse was unlike any Skips had ever seen. It was as black as the midnight sky, with glowing yellow eyes. When it breathed, it snorted out small plumes of flames from it's nostrils, which meant it could likely breath fire, similar to a dragon.
But that was nothing compared to the person who rode this beast.
The figure was wearing a pitch black cloak, and had in his hands a mystical-looking bow with the same purple arrows the yeti saw earlier. He stepped off the horse, placing the bow and arrows on the horse's saddle. He then pulled out, from the side holster of the saddle, a long, razor-sharp scythe, it's blade gleaming in the sun. As he went over to the pinned knight, with each step he left behind a literal trail of destruction: The grass, which was once green and lush, withered away. The flowers, once full of life, quickly died as he passed.
This man was a walking hell on Earth.
An inflictor of suffering, pain, and outright annihilation.
It could only be Death himself.
"Damien, you have gone against me for the final time."
"What?! I have done as you asked! I waited for the opportune moment!"
"No. You disobeyed me. I'm sorry, but with this being your last mistake, you must face the consequences."
He came closer, putting a bony hand along the knight's helmet and yanked it off, tossing it to the side. When he gripped it, the helmet instantly turned to rust, laying on the ground below.
"You-you're going to kill me now?!"
Death stared into Damien's eyes, but the only thing Damien saw was pure emptiness, as if there was only a voice. But he knew what lay underneath that cloak.
"That would be too merciful, wouldn't it? No, you need to be shown, firsthand, what comes to those who do not heed my words. I will have you suffer, in indescribable pain and near endless torture, for as long as I deem acceptable. Perhaps when my grandson would take up the family blade, ending your pitiful existence with one swift slice? How does that sound?"
Damien couldn't speak.
Skips stood up, his voice now a whisper at the intimidating sight of Death, "What-what about me?"
Death turned slowly, gazing at the yeti, "Ah, Walks! 'What about you', indeed? You are a formidable adversary, I shall give you that. So, in a showing of my respect, I feel that you should leave this forest, and never speak of this to anyone. Are we understood?"
"Y-yes, Death! Loud and clear!" he stuttered, running off.
Death shouted, "Good! I'll be watching you, Walks!" He faced Damien again, "And as for you..." He sliced open a portal to the side of them, it's green hue giving off a grim invitation. Two red demons appeared out of it. "Take him." he ordered, pointing to the knight. The demons ripped Damien from the tree, but he tried to put up a fight.
"No, please! You can't do this!" he cried. He fell to the ground, and was dragged through the portal, with his hands clawing into the dirt in a feeble attempt to escape.
"Don't worry, my dear brother. I'll take care of you. After all, what else is family good for?" he laughed maniacally.
With that, the portal vanished, leaving only the horse and Death.
Back in the present time, everyone in the room listening were stunned.
"Whoa. So you met Death all the way back then?" Thomas asked.
Skips shook his head, "No. That was his grandfather. The Death you guys knew was like an angel compared to him."
Margaret looked at him intensely, "Is there anymore to the story, Skips? Do you know anything else?"
"No. I had no idea what happened to Damien after I ran away. Well, until he took over Mordecai and showed up here..."
Benson rubbed his chin, "Hmm. That was quite a story, Skips." He yawned and looked over at the clock, "Damn it! It's 2:00 in the morning! Mr. Mallard's gonna kill me!" He sighed, "Well, we'd better get some sleep. Skips, go fix that circuit breaker, then you can sleep in. I think you deserve that, at least."
Skips sighed, "Alright..." He muttered sarcastically, "Glad I could entertain you all with that."
Margaret put a hand on his shoulder and smiled, "Skips, it's fine. You should feel better for getting that out. Maybe it'll help us with getting Mordecai back to normal."
He smiled back, "Thanks, Margaret."
The yeti left the house, shutting the door.
Margaret yawned, "Hey, Benson?"
"Yeah?"
"Should I tell Rigby and Eileen about this stuff?"
"I wouldn't yet. I would worry about how this news would make Rigby feel. He's known to fly off the handle sometimes..."
"Oh, yeah...I'll think it over. But for now, I'm gonna try and sleep. Goodnight, guys!"
The robin went up to the duo's former bedroom, running the story through her head over and over while staring up at the ceiling. More heart-wrenching was trying to take in the sight of Mordecai like that, about to kill someone close to him.
Eventually, she brushed away the negative thoughts and fell asleep.