Hello!

I know that you guys would be looking forward to this. The final showdown between Kit and the Black Knight! Also, before I forget... 1,000 views! Massive special thanks to everyone who's still reading. Finally... I'm sorry about being late on this one, but I was working on an idea that I've had for a while. It'll be up in the next couple of days, so check my profile or follow if you want to see what it is.

Onwards!

Chapter 15

The Black Knight stood motionless, sword stabbed into the ground, his shield blocking half of him from sight. Despite that, it was unmistakeably him- the same imposing jet-black armour, the same immovable stance, the same air of unshakeable authority.

Kit drew his blade. It was the only noise above the rain's continual splashing.

"So... You finally caught up to me." Kit stated.

"Correct." The Black Knight replied. "Gangrel has asked I eliminate you more... Permanently this time." He lifted his own greatsword from the sodden ground. "Before, he only asked me to injure you. To break your determination. But... You kept fighting! You kept struggling! Why?"

Kit stared at him steadily. "Because I knew what I was fighting for. With a drive as strong as that... I couldn't stop."

"Well then..." Came the deep, gravelly tone of the Knight. "It appears that we shall see how strong that drive truly is!"

The Black Knight lunged forwards, his blade crashing down towards Kit. The tactician lunged to the side, slicing his sword into the Black Knight. It was like attacking a mighty oak with a fragile needle. The Black Knight swung across towards Kit, but he ducked out of the way and stabbed upwards. His blade glanced off the helmet like a breeze from a mountain. After his third attack- a hammer blow to the shoulder- did as much damage as rain splashing against a rocky cliff, he stopped attacking.

Kit rolled and dodged and weaved, never even being touched by the blade. Everything seemed to slow down. General class. Extremely heavy armour. High defence. Low speed. Greatsword. High damage. Low speed. Made to crush armour like paper. Shield. That size shield would easily deflect a blade. Lowers speed further. Heavy. Cumbersome. Wide blade used like a shield. Covers openings left by shield. Only option- breaking through thinnest part of armour.

Kit smiled. He was covered in mud, soaked to the skin and exhausted, but he had a plan. The tactician whistled around the slow Black Knight, bouncing his sword off his armour everywhere he could hit. He listened for a sound, just slightly different from the rest... There! Kit found what he was looking for. A slight weakness, a slight thinning of the armour on a small part of his chest. Kit could see that it had been repaired in the past. That was all he needed. In his moment of satisfaction, Kit lost focus for no more than a second.

But a second was all the Black Knight needed.

Kit couldn't dodge the General's stab. The greatsword went straight through the left of his lower torso. He heard ribs crack, audible even over the rain. The Black Knight pulled his blade back, then swung again, aiming for Kit's neck. He dodged, but the blade still grazed Kit's chest. The force of the heavy blade sent the tactician spinning. As Kit regained focus, he saw the giant shield incoming at high speed. It slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. He coughed, and a bright red splash of blood mixed with the water on the saturated ground.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lissa, her eyes wide, hands over her mouth. She started to scrabble for a staff in her pack of items. As the Black Knight stood over him though, Kit knew it was already too late for a staff to help. The tactician closed his eyes. He waited for the end. He accepted it. Kit thought of Lissa. He wanted to picture her in his last moments. When an image of Lissa weeping at his funeral slipped into his mind, Kit's eyes snapped open. He couldn't let that happen. He rolled to the side as the sword came down, causing the giant blade to be stuck in the mud. Kit leapt to his feet, despite his injuries. He kicked the Black Knight's shield out of his hands, raising his own sword.

Rain still lashing at his face, Kit threw everything into one final strike. All the frustration, misery and despair that he had felt over the past few days was poured into this one desperate strike. Mere armour did not stand a chance. His sword punctured the weakened patch of armour. Everyone there heard the clang as Kit's sword hit the back of the thick armour. With a small grunt, Kit ripped his bloodied sword from the Black Knight's body. Silently, the Black Knight fell.

Kit's vision began to darken at the edges as he stared at the finally slain Knight. As the adrenaline wore off, the pain in his ribs became unbearable. The cut across his chest burned. As he began to sway and lose balance, Lissa ran over and caught him, cradling the tactician with one arm around his shoulders and one around the waist.

"Maribelle!" The blonde healer called. "He needs lots of healing! Now!" Maribelle obliged, sprinting over to Kit and Lissa. They both began to heal him, the green glow of their magic the only light on the darkened battlefield.

Kit suddenly gasped as his senses returned. He looked up to see Lissa and Maribelle smiling warmly down at him. Lissa threw her arms around the tactician and hugged him close. Maribelle smiled at the scene.

Without warning, Lissa leaned in and kissed Kit. A ragged cheer rose from the assembled Shepherds. The warmth of Lissa's lips against his own was enough to banish all of the chill of this desolate battlefield. Kit managed to stand shakily, one arm around Lissa's shoulders for support. All eyes were on Kit.

"Shepherds!" He announced to the group. "I know that all of you are tired and wounded- none of you more than me. But now... Warm fires and soft beds lie just over that ridge! We can all rest, finally. We can't lose our motivation yet!" With that, he turned and began marching forwards. The other Shepherds, with renewed vigor, followed.