Uploaded 18/7/2019
Revised 23/9/2019
Revised 25/10/2022
Ike_/ Greetings, and welcome to the final chapter of the prologue for Infected Rose!
Ryan_/ You guys have already done a lot better than I did, that's for sure.
Fred_/ To be fair, Ike isn't working alone and he isn't in the hospital. You were.
Ike_/ Not to mention you had your snacks taken away... *SHUDDERS*
Ryan_/ Either way, you guys are doing my story justice and I hope everyone reading is enjoying it.
Ike_/ Thanks, Ryan. That means a lot.
Fred_/ Now onto the story!
'thought'
"speech"
*sound/action*
Prologue III: Brothers To The End
MOTHER!
...
...
Shay, just stay with me a little longer!
...
...
Darien, you fool! Why would you trade your life for mine?
My eyes snapped open, and I jerked upright in my bed. My breath was ragged and sweat poured down my skin despite the nights chill. I grabbed the edge of the fur blanket covering me and flung it aside as I swung my legs over the side of the cot, closed my eyes, and took a moment to bring my breathing under control. It's been a while since I've had that nightmare.
I reached up and turned the flint striker on my lantern, lighting a flame inside and illuminating the tent. I squinted my eyes as the light reflected off my armour stand, giving myself a minute to adjust. A glance at the gap between my tent flaps confirmed it was still dark out, and I sighed.
"At least I won't be late for the strategy meeting..." I mumbled quietly to myself.
I stood up and pulled off my nightshirt and trousers. I tossed them on the cot and opened the large wooden chest beside it to pull out my leathers and white doublet. I slipped my legs into my leathers and started to buckle them, pausing as I caught sight of my right arm. The infection had spread.
Only a month had passed. It started as specks of dragons blood spilled on my forearm, and now there was almost nothing unaffected between my wrist and shoulder. My skin had burned and crumbled away, and my flesh looked half melted with a faint purple glow. I sighed and pulled a roll of bandages out of my chest, and began wrapping it tightly around the infected portion of my arm. I didn't want any of the men getting infected, and I didn't want anyone to know how far it had progressed.
Not to say it's been all bad. Despite how grotesque the injury appeared, I no longer felt any pain from it. My strength in that arm had doubled, and over the last week I've noticed my eyes adjusting to the dark much better. Best of all, the dragons blood in my veins had allowed me to open and close the portals that our enemies used. The ability to use the portals had allowed us to coordinate strikes on some of their most heavily fortified positions, something we never could have dreamed of doing before. Truly, my curse has turned into a blessing. Who's to say what will happen if the infection reaches my head or my heart, however...
Once my bandages were in place, I finished buckling my leathers and pulled my doublet over my head. I got down and pulled my cloak and war boots from under my cot and shook the boots out, just in case a critter had made its home there overnight. Satisfied that there wasn't a snake in my boot, I slipped them on, tightened the laces, then fastened the steel plate in place over the eyelets. With that done, I closed the chest and moved to my armour stand. There wasn't any point in equipping my full plate just yet, so I simply unbuckled my sword and scabbard from the armour stand.
The scabbard was simple and sturdy, carved wood bound in blue leather, with silver caps on each end. The sword, however, was unique even among the exotic enchanted gear that most of The Order now used. On impulse I unsheathed the blade with a flourish, just to take one last chance to admire it. Translucent diamond with a brilliant blue hue glimmered in the lantern light, and a subtle purple shimmer hinted at the powerful enchantments cast on the blade. The blade had a leaf profile, starting wide at the hilt, thinning towards the middle, then widening again before finally tapering off. Though the differences in blade width were subtle, it still made for a front-heavy blade. Unwieldy to most maybe, but it suited my fighting style perfectly. A wide fuller ran down the flat of the blade, with Galactic runes etched on either side as physical representations of the magic imbued within. The silvery steel crossguard curved up towards the blade at the ends, and in the centre an ornate white diamond was imbedded as a symbol of nobility.
'Not that I have any claim to nobility,' I thought. 'The original owner certainly did though.'
The hilt was diamond in the centre, encased with dark oak and wrapped with blue-dyed leather. The grip fit my hand nicely, and the length left just enough room to use a second hand if need be. The pommel was ornate and beautiful, a blooming rose carved from the same diamond that the rest of the blade consisted of. Whoever forged this blade for Darien must have been equally as skilled a jewelcrafter as they were a blacksmith, and doubly as influential to find a mage capable of such powerful enchantments. I traced a finger along the runes as I read them aloud, imagining how much Soulka might have gone into enchanting this weapon.
"ᓭ⍑ᔑ∷!¡リᒷᓭᓭ v ~ リʖ∷ᒷᔑꖌ╎リ⊣ iii ~ ᓭ∴ᒷᒷ!¡╎リ⊣ ᒷ↸⊣ᒷ i ~ ⎓╎∷ᒷ ᔑᓭ!¡ᒷᓵℸ ̣ i," I echoed in the Galactic Dialect.
This unnamed, yet widely recognized, magic sword served as my badge of office. Not only as a Spellknight, but as the current Knight Commander of The Order of Rose. If only I could have taken up this blade by rising through the ranks, and not suddenly out of necessity as I did. I gave the sword one final onceover before I sheathed it, and secured the scabbard at my waist. I turned on a heel and pushed aside my tent flap, stepping out into the cool night air. A glance at the moon told me that dawn wasn't far. I scanned the camp, noting that almost half of the tents hand the glow of a lantern peeking through the gaps. Sleepless night for everyone, I suppose. Past our haphazard scattering of fur and leather tents was an Outrealm portal. They key to our victory, if all went well. Despite that, the sight of the structure still sent a chill down my spine. Unpleasant flashes from the past accompanied the chill, only interrupted by soft footsteps behind me. My head went on a swivel, but I relaxed when I saw it was only Steve approaching.
"Another bout of insomnia friend, or simply an early rise?" Steve asked casually. I gave him a small smile.
"Nay, I can't sleep when there are monsters nearby. I'm looking at a real ugly one right now," I joked. He grinned.
"Very funny, John. I would laugh if I weren't so worried about phantoms swooping down," He said quietly, "Then they would have to suffer your bad jokes too."
"If Siegfreid can tolerate my humour, any beast of the night surely can," I told him with a chuckle. Steve chuckled with me, and we turned to look away from the camp.
"...Why have you come, Steve? I know you are not the sleepless type," I asked quietly. Steve remained silent for several moments before answering.
"...No. It's that time of year, John. Don't pretend you aren't bothered by it. In just a few hours we are charging through that portal to end this war. And on this day two decades ago..." Steve said, trailing off at the end. He didn't need to continue. I lost my mother, and in the same week a year later I lost Shay. It almost killed me to lose them both so suddenly, and even today it hurts. I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes.
"I know we have the strategy meeting come dawn, and... I just want to make sure you aren't thinking of doing anything stupid," Steve continued apprehensively. I shook my head.
"I will do what I must, Steve. I'm ready for this to be over. I grow weary of leading my brothers and sisters in The Order to their deaths. If this mission is a failure..." I trailed off, struggling to keep my voice even. Steve stepped front of me and looked me in the eyes.
"You've lead us for 18 years, against both man and monster. Few have fallen in that time, not counting civilians and regular soldiers. I'd say you've lead us well, saved more lives than most would have," Steve said seriously.
"Alright, enough brown-nosing Steve. I get it. 'Who else would lead us' this, 'what would we do without you' that. Your speeches are as old as you are," I replied dismissively.
"Old, am I?" Steve echoed, thoroughly unimpressed.
"Aye! Of everyone here, I expected you to die first of old age," I said slyly. He chuckled, shaking his head lightly.
"There's the John I know. Besides, Siegfreid is old enough to be my father and he can still kick some serious zombie arse. I think you'll be stuck with me for a while yet," Steve argued. I laughed. He isn't wrong, that old man can still fight with the best of them. It really is a good thing I kept my distance from him when I first joined this army, because he could've wiped the floor with me if he wanted to. Hell, he could wield almost any weapon with proficiency, and I've only mastered the blade and bow. I stole one more glance at the portal, and then I started towards the command tent. Steve fell into step behind me, never saying a word as we crossed the camp. We have an invasion to plan.
"I understand, Sir Wilhelm! Truly I do, but it just isn't possible to close that portal from anywhere but Endor," I spoke through grit teeth. Despite his begrudging acceptance of me as a leader and our eventual friendship, this man can still make me lose my cool. I wonder if he does it on purpose...
"Perhaps we could-" Jesse began, but I cut him off.
"TNT will only disrupt the portal, not damage it beyond repair," I said quickly, already sensing what Jesse would suggest. Jesse didn't say anything else, but Helix was quick to pipe up.
"Must we destroy the portal? With your ability to control the Outrealm portals, we can continue driving the Outrealm fiends from our lands with surprise attacks. Surely, if pushed back into their homeworlds, they will not invade again. They couldn't afford to," Helix argued.
"And spend countless more years in this conflict? Sacrificing countless more lives in the process? Even should we succeed quickly, we've no guarantee that another coordinated invasion won't happen. I will not allow our children or our childrens' children to suffer the same horrors as we have. No, we must end this permanently by destroying the portals that allowed them to come here," I countered.
"Aye, Sir Diamond is correct. We've had the element of surprise thus far, but it will only take one botched assault to change that. Then we would be at risk of the same strategy being directed back at us, and a surprise night raid from the portal is something we can't afford. We only have one shot," Steve backed me up.
"Of course, Ranger General. You and the Knight Commander are right," Helix conceded with a bow of his head.
"That may be, however, did we not just discuss the logistics of destroying the master portal? No device or explosive can do it for us. Are you suggesting we leave a man behind?" Sigfried asked angrily.
I met Siegfreid's glare with equal intensity, refusing to back down. I know deep down he's just desperate not to see anyone else die. I am too, but I just don't see any other choice. To save future generations, we must be willing to make that sacrifice. Despite that, however, I slammed my fist on the table in frustration. Our assault is planned perfectly, and every possible contingency is in place if something goes wrong. We've handpicked a small force of Rangers to accompany us, along with all of our remaining iron golems. After we storm the island's outskirts we'll make it to the obsidian pillars, where we have to contend with a number of Ender dragons. The golems will handle the dragons from there, but once they get involved, we only have a few minutes to make it to the master portal before the Ender Queen awakens. According to our scarce, but reliable, information we know the Queen is a massive Ender dragon. Through means we aren't sure of, she can draw power from the Void to heal her injuries and empower her magic. We know her telekinesis is powerful, and can likely be used to contact any Enderman currently in her realm. Based on what we know, fighting the Queen is probably suicide. So, the portal needs to be destroyed before then, which means that there's no time to build a contraption that will destroy it for us. Somebody has to stay behind and destroy the portal with magic.
Everyone in the tent looked at me expectantly, waiting for an alternative plan. I looked at each man in the eyes. Steve was beside me on my right, while Sigfried was on the left. Since I met Steve he had been my confidant and friend, and helped us navigate the lands that were foreign to us. He had explored most of it before. Siegfreid and I had a rocky start, considering he looked down on me because of my low social status. Once we got past the barrier between nobility and peasant, we got along splendid. His political and strategical expertise on and off the battlefield, as well as his skill with numerous types of weaponry, did well to keep us out of trouble. We still had disagreements often, however. On the other side of the table were Jesse and Helix. Jesse was just a farm boy when he started, but he made his way to my inner circle with an incredible amount of strength and courage. Without him, we likely would have starved by now, considering he helped us make portable farms to grow sustainable food. Helix had been a monster hunter even before he joined us, and his experience fighting monsters, and escaping them as well, had been invaluable over the years. These four were my advisors and my closest friends. There are forty more men and women like them; this order of knights is like a family, and I would hate to see any one of them left behind. I know what I have to do.
"When we get to the portal, everyone will go straight through. Steve and I will cover your retreat. When everyone is through, I will close the portal." The whole tent became quiet, and my friends stared at me with wide eyes.
"JOHN, YOU CAN'T-" Jesse started.
"I CAN'T WHAT? This isn't up for discussion. I have made my decision," I said firmly, interrupting him. The tent was quiet again, silence falling upon on us like a heavy blanket. I drew my sword and held it out over the table, the same way I did whenever we finished a strategy meeting.
"It has been an honour to fight by your sides. I have no right to ask any more from any of you, but will you follow me to The End brothers?" I spoke loudly and confidently. Steve was the first to respond, drawing a silver arrow from his quiver and holding it over my sword.
"You have my bow," Steve declared.
"You have my blades," Siegfreid echoed, placing one of his great swords over mine.
"And mine!" Jesse cried, drawing his short sword and placing it over ours.
"You have my axe," Helix boomed, heaving his great axe onto the table below our swords.
"So, it's settled then. Brothers to the end!" I shouted. Steve turned to look at me with a deadpan look on his face.
"John, did you really just make a pun?" He asked. Siegfreid had his face in his palm and Helix was looking down and shaking his head. Jesse just looked confused.
"What? What's a pun? Guys, I'm confused," He asked. Oh, that poor illiterate boy.
"This is it, huh," I mumbled.
I almost felt numb, standing here in my tent and looking at my armour. The segmented plates of enchanted spring steel and chainmail stared back hollowly through the helmet slits. I never considered my own death before, and now that I was faced with it, I didn't have a clue how to feel about it. Is this even the right decision? After all, my men will still have fighting left after this mission, and I'll be leaving them without leadership. Am I taking the easy way out? No, I'd fight another lifetime to spare innocents, this is just a means to an end. Is it selfish of me to stay behind, to give myself an escape from this curse of responsibility? Or is death what I deserve for sending my friends to their deaths all these years, and this is just a way of doing good with my death...? No. Their blood isn't on my hands, the guilt lies with the Outrealm fiends. With this act, I'll prevent a thousand more deaths than I've witnessed. With resignation, I started stripping my armour from the stand. The plates clipped and buckled snuggly against my doublet, fitting my form nicely. The finest steel in the land, enchanted to deflect projectiles, would protect me until my mission was complete. I opened my chest, pulling a collection of potions and attaching them to my belt. My cape, woven from the finest silken textiles and enchanted to be tougher than mail, clipped to my pauldrons smoothly and hung as low as my knees.
The rest of the assault group was waiting outside my tent. Knight General Siegfreid Wilhelm, Squiremaster Helix Camillus, Ranger General Steve, and Knight Jesse Halion. My friends, my brothers. With the exception of Steve, who only wore a basic chestplate and his favourite brown overcoat, they all wore matching sets of plate armour similar to mine. The golden symbol of our order glimmered in the sunlight; a sword pointed down, with thorned vines curling around the blade and becoming a blooming rose at the hilt. They fell behind me as I started towards the centre of camp, where the entire Order of Rose was lined along the path to the Outrealm portal. They stood at attention, with tower shields and sword at the ready. The Rangers Steve handpicked fell in behind us as soon as we reached the pathway. They wore studded white gambesons, and their quivers were filled with silver arrows. The iron golems came next, twelve feet tall with chests like boulders, the ground shaking with every step they made. Nobody said a word as we marched, leaving only the thuds of the golems, the clanging of armour, and the clinking of potion bottle to keep us company. I spared each and every Knight a glance as we passed, burning their faces and names into my memory. They returned my glances, eyes a variance of colours from brown to emerald. They looked at us like they'd never see us again.
'Understandable. After all, even the Nether fortresses in Hell are nothing compared to the dangers within Endor,' I thought.
The realm of Endor consisted of floating islands in the Void dimension, leaving no escape besides portals. Gravity was amplified, making it more difficult to move. The air was freezing, and there was hardly any light. Worst of all, for reasons unknown to us, it was impossible to cast any magic that wasn't imbued in a potion or enchanted into a weapon. The islands were populated by all manner of deadly creatures, Endermen the worst of them all. Ten feet tall and jet black, so slender that they were almost skeletal in appearance, and strong enough to tear a man apart. They could unhinge their jaws and bite off chunks of solid oak. Their fingers were like daggers, able to pierce and tear steel like it was leather. Enderman could teleport and communicate telepathically as well, making them difficult to fight in large groups. There would be hundreds, maybe thousands of them, before we even reached the dragons in The End. Not to mention their blood is acidic...
'A fact I know all too well,' I thought bittersweetly, absently flexing my infected arm. As soon as we reached the Outrealm portal, I stopped and turned to regard our small task force.
"If anyone wants to turn back, now is the time. There will be no dishonour in stepping down," I offered.
"We follow you to the death, Commander Diamond," A Ranger named Jack said in defiance. I smiled.
"Right, then. Should we fail, there will be others to take our place in this war. Should we succeed, we will save untold generations from the same horrors we have faced. This is what we have been fighting for! We are The Knights of Rose!" I cried, raising a fist to the sky. An ear-piercing metallic ring echoed across the camp, as gauntlets struck chestplates in a salute.
"WE FIGHT FOR THOSE THAT CANNOT! WE DIE SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE!" The entire camp shouted in response. Pride welled up in my chest, and I grinned.
'By the brothers Notch and Jeb, as long as I draw breath I will not allow another of my Knights to die,' I solemnly swore in silence.
The Outrealm portal was as ominous as ever as I turned to face it, towering above us and promising only hardship. I removed a gauntlet and spread my palm on the cool obsidian, tracing the grooves of the symbols carved into it. The coolness was nice in the desert heat. I closed my eyes and channeled Soulka into my arm, igniting my dragons' blood and activating the portal. The large black ring began to vibrate, and the symbols began to glow brightly. I imagined the place I wanted to go, and I took several steps back as the purple energy exploded outwards. It imploded back in on itself and retreated into the ring, forming a translucent purple wall. The quiet humming sound it made was drowned out as we charged through, into the End. As soon as I was through, I felt it. A pressing weight, like I was at the bottom of the ocean, and a chill in the air that seemed to reach my bones. The darkness of the Void was broken only by small speckles of light, almost like stars in the night sky. A barren, but rugged, landscape stretched out in every direction with Obsidian towers stretching into the sky in the distance. The only variety in colour here came from patches of obsidian in the Endstone, and indigo vines that snaked out from Chaurus fruits.
An Enderman stood at the precipice of the portal platform, tall and lanky, with skin like obsidian and talons like daggers. Eliptical purple eyes widened in surprise, and it opened its maw impossibly wide to let out a piercing screech. My blade silenced it quickly, splattering luminescent purple blood onto the pale, porous Endstone. Jesse lashed out at an Enderman when he came through as well, knocking it to the ground with a shield bash. His tower shield pounded into its skull shortly after, splashing the ground with violet. An Enderman teleported behind Jesse with a 'pop' as Siegfreid came through the portal like a bat out of Hell, his dual great swords gutting and beheading the Enderman simultaneously. Steve and his Rangers came in behind Siegfreid, raining arrows upon the nearby Endermen. Most teleported out of the way of the missiles, but not all were so lucky. The distinct 'pop' of Endermen teleporting began to ring out in countless numbers around us, and we wordlessly fell into a triangular formation with each other as soon as Helix arrived. The archers fell in behind, allowing us to cover them as they shot over our shoulders.
Most Enderman charged, while others teleported directly to us, and our weapons tore them assunder as they appeared from thin air. The archers sniped charging Endermen as quickly as they could, however, Endermen were pouring into the area around our portal now, creating hundreds of small popping noises and filling the air with shrieks. The deafening noises reverberated through the cold atmosphere, but ellicited no reaction from us besides a few scowls. We had seen and heard worse. The golems arrived behind us, and I fell back to close it with a slam of my fist. The portal dissipated, and I let out a breath of resignation.
'No turning back now,' I thought.
I gave a shout and flashed a signal with my hand, directing the armoured units moved into a semi-circle in front while golems formed an impassable wall behind us and around our flanks. Their sweeping attacks caved in skulls and collapsed ribcages, effectively protecting us despite the claw marks being gouged into their bodies. Steve and his Rangers harassed the terrifyingly fast Endermen from inside the formation, while Helix and Jesse used their shields to fight defensively on the outer sides of our half-cirlce. Siegfreid and I took point, spearheading our advance as we tore apart Endermen in a flurry of steel and diamond. Our push forward was slow; the sheer number of Endermen and difficult terrain made it so. The stone below our feet quickly slicked over with the acidic blood of the Endermen, and we scrunched our noses at the rancid smell. Steam occasionally obstructed our view when our armour was splattered with the purple ichor, making the fighting even more difficult. Each of us contended with three or more Endermen at once, only managing thanks to the support from the archers and the suicidal offensive of the Endermen. My eyes moved quickly as I fought, darting between enemies and terrain; I had to make sure we were moving in the right direction, and at the right pace, for the plan to work.
'We aren't moving quickly enough' I realized with exasperation, 'I was hoping to save these potions for the dragons, but there isn't much choice.'
I ran my current opponent through as my hand darted down, grabbing a potion of swiftness and popping the cork with my thumb. The warm grey liquid was a welcome contrast from the cold air, and sent a strange tingle down my back as it touched the back of my throat. The potion took effect quickly, speeding my movements far beyond what was humanly possible. It was time to clear a path. I turned my attention to an Enderman attacking from my right. It threw its hand towards me, talons outstretched, hoping to impale me. With a twirl of my sword, I cut off the arm at the elbow and sliced its throat in a single motion. Its momentum carried it past me as it crumpled to the ground lifeless, and I rolled my shoulder to avoid a swipe from another Enderman. It clipped my shoulder, but only put a small scratch on my shoulder guard. With a flick of my wrist, I cut the creatures left leg off while it was close, and plunged my sword into its chest as it fell towards me. The creature fell limply from my blade with a light push, and then my sword cut a complex pattern through the air as it sheared the arms off of three attacking Endermen. Their heads soon followed.
As the potion started to wear off, I spared a quick glance at Sigfried to make sure he was doing okay. As usual, he was a whirlwind of steel and rage, tearing apart two or three Enderman at a time. It was easier to fight two men at once than fight that man. I returned my attention to the task at hand and kicked the dead Enderman off my sword. An Enderman charged at me rather than teleporting, with both arms raised and ready to claw at me. Big mistake, leaving itself open like that. I ducked under its attack and impaled it from behind. It fell to its knees and I made short work of removing its head. As I did, however, an Enderman clipped my leg. The talons cut through the chainmail between the plates and giving me three gashes on the leg, but I ignored the wetness running down my calf and disemboweled the Enderman. We did our best to step over the growing puddles of acidic blood as we advanced, but the rugged terrain made it difficult, and the sheer number of Endermen was beginning to overwhelm us already. I grimaced, knowing we were going to have to start pulling out more of our trump cards soon.
"Ignesco," I muttered, activating the Fire Aspect enchantment. My blade was sheathed in bright blue flames, lighting our path and setting any foe it touched alight.
Endermen screeched and teleported away as they burst into flames, allowing Siegfreid and I to hold the line a little easier, but they never stopped coming. It wasn't long before my flames sputtered out, however, and it was back to brutal melee. An Enderman popped in front of me and I reflexively ducked under its talons, my blade running across its abdomen and spilling its guts. As the Enderman fell limp, two more rushed me at inhuman speeds. My blade flashed, severing the talons reaching for me, and transitioning into a crosswise cut that beheaded one and amputated the leg of the other. The Enderman crumpled forward without its leg, impaling itself on my waiting blade, and I kicked the corpse off my sword. Another 'pop' to my left, and I turned in time to avoid a claw swipe. My sword flicked out to behead the creature, but it caught the blade in its jaws. Both hands darted forward and sunk their talons into my chestplate, just deep enough to draw blood. An arrow sunk itself into the Enderman's face a moment later, saving me from even deeper wounds. The obsidian towers were close now, close enough that we could see massive crystals floating at the top of each tower. The crystals flared to life as our group approached, beginning to spin and emit a pulsating glow. I grimaced as I felt my arm begin to pulsate in tandem with the crystals, making me feel vitalized and strong. My gut told me those were going to be responsible for empowering the enemy as well, so there was only one option.
"Archer! Prioritize the crystals!" I shouted my command.
Arrows began flying overhead at the crystals, which exploded in an awesome display of white and purple flames whenever an arrow struck one. The screeching of the Endermen seemed to intensify with the explosions, and they came in stronger numbers with reckless abandon. We met the horde with fury, but their sheer numbers stopped our advance and brought us to a standstill. The Endermen came from every direction at once, tearing into my armour with their talons for every one of them I killed. I cast a Sweeping Wave, knocking away my attackers, and hastily brought a potion of greater swiftness to my lips. Without taking my eyes of the enemy, I quickly gulped down every drop. It started as a strange vibrating in my chest, and moments after that everything seemed to slow down to a snail's pace. If I hadn't been in the midst of battle it would have been interesting to watch the Enderman teleporting in slow motion. They disintegrated into purple particles from front to back and simultaneously reassembled in the designated location. Not true instantaneous teleportation like we had originally thought. With my newfound reflexes and speed, I ran through the battlefield ahead of us slicing through Endermen, moving from target to target fluidly. To them, it was a blur of white and blue too fast to react to. I felt the effects of the potion beginning to wear off, and quickly returned to our formation. An Enderman managed to graze my leg as I did, rending apart my armour. My sword returned the favor. The potion wore off as quickly as it had taken affect, and dozens of Endermen hit the ground in pieces, splattering the Endstone with blood and guts.
Ignoring the wetness running down my thigh, I motioned for us to continue the advance. The small reprieve I gave us was enough to reach the first pillar before we were swarmed again. Blood flowed from the high ground behind us, pooling in dips and gaps withing the ground and making things slippery. It was difficult for us to stay upright while fighting, however, the same applied to the Endermen. They stopped moving as quickly, allowing us to cut them down more easily than before. The crowds of enemies slowly thinned as we fought, but just as I was hoping we might finish the Endermen off soon, there was a deafening roar. The Ender dragons had awoken.
"GOLEMS TO THE FRONT! KNIGHTS, FORM UP AROUND THE ARCHERS!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, tasting sweat mixed with blood as I opened my mouth.
Although the black dragons were hard to pick out against the backdrop of the Void, the golems had no issue spotting them and shielding us from the dark flames they spouted. In my peripherals, I saw Steve dip an arrow in one of the potions at his hip. He nocked the arrow, took aim, and loosed the projectile. It caught a dragon as it swooped past us, and its flying quickly became erratic. Steve had used Nausea poison. The scaled beast crashed into a pillar at high speeds, and a huge boulder of obsidian fell from the top, crushing it. Our group was increasing pace now; we had very few Endermen to contend with. The dragons adapted, realizing their fire wasn't making it past the golems, and descended to the ground. The first dragon to land was met with an iron fist to the jaw, sending its neck whipping around. A second dragon landed, clamping its jaws down on the head of a golem and ripping it off with a metallic snap. Unfortunately for that dragon, our Rangers filled it with poisoned arrows. The dragon was too weak to stop a golem from smashing its head between two misshapen fists.
"THERE! The Master Outrealm portal!" Helix boomed, pointing to our left.
Sure enough, a portal ring twice the size of the typical Outrealm portal sat between two pillars where Helix pointed. Strange crystals and eyes of Endor stuck out from the ring at odd angles, and the obsidian head of a dragon with curled horns sat at the top. With the golems keeping the last two dragons occupied for the moment, I gave the order to charge. We sprinted as quickly as we could despite our armour and injuries. The moment we made it, the Rangers spun on a dime and began filling any chasing Endermen with arrows. Siegfreid and I stopped as well, cutting down any Enderman that got too close to our archers. As soon as Helix and Jesse could take my place, I fell behind the group and slammed my infected hand into the portal. I thought of the portal we came from, and the portal hummed to life. Without waiting for it to finish activating, I returned to the front of the group to cover a withdrawal.
"EVERYONE GET THROUGH THE PORTAL! JESSE, HELIX, YOU FIRST!" I ordered. Helix hesitated, but followed orders. Jesse stopped before the swirling portal and gave me a desperate look.
"Go on, kid. Live your life, find yourself a pretty girl. I'll be fine," I told him.
Tears started to form in Jesse's eyes, but he mustered a smile and went through the portal. I hate to make the kid cry but I don't have a choice. No one else is dying because of me. The Rangers went next, each taking one final glance at me before they disappeared into the portal. As I cut down another Enderman, Siegfreid moved back towards me. When Steve killed the last Enderman in sight, Siegfreid sheathed a sword and offered me his hand to shake. I took it with a grin, but cried out in surprise when Siegfreid pulled me into a crushing hug. I froze, and Siegfreid pulled away before I could process what he had done.
"You've made an old man proud, Sir Diamond. I'll see to it that my granddaughter names her first son after you. Godspeed," Siegfreid said, and then he was gone. I blinked.
"That was weird, but... nice. I think," I mumbled. Steve came next, with a hard look in his eyes.
"I'm not going, John. I won't leave you behind," He spoke loudly. I smiled.
"I'm glad you feel that way. Whether I live or die, The Order Of Rose is in your care now. Take care of them, old friend," I said. He shook his head, refusing to move. There was a roar as one of the dragons destroyed a golem in the distance. There isn't time for this. Steve opened his mouth to speak again.
"Sorry, buddy," I said before kicking Steve through the portal.
I thrust my sword through one of the eyes and there was a grinding noise as the portal closed. Once that was done, I stepped back and channelled Soulka into my sword. Once it began to glow with the power inside, I unleashed a powerful Sweeping Wave that shattered the obsidian of the portal. That's it. It's all over now. Outrealm portals wouldn't work anymore. The Outrealm fiends are confined to their own realms, as am I now.
"Finally..." I said quietly to myself.
I pulled a potion of greater regeneration from my belt, and as I sipped away at the viscous pink liquid, I felt my wounds closing. I turned to observe the battlefield, only to see several groups of Enderman appear with a pop. I narrowed my eyes at them. Unfair dastards. I started walking towards them, ignoring the aching in my muscles. I may fall, but I will not go easy. The Enderman broke out into sprints, coming towards me at breakneck speed. They came more quickly than I expected, their long legs crossing metres at a time with each stride, but not faster than I could react. As they approached, I feigned a move to the left, and when an Enderman fell for it and attacked to my left, I spun to the right and brought down my sword. His head rolled across the ground, and I rolled out of the way to avoid a large stone that an Enderman threw at me. I pulled a dagger from my belt and threw it, nailing one of the Enderman between the eyes. It fell to the ground and skidded to a stop. The last Enderman was upon me before I could ready myself, and pounced on me like a wild animal with its jaws open and ready to tear into my shoulder. I raised my sword and it bit down on that instead, and I was knocked over by the force it slammed into me with. As I hit the ground, I rolled back and kicked out with my legs throwing the Enderman over my head. I rolled back onto my feet and plunged my sword into its chest before it could get up, then spun and maneuvered my sword around a clawed swipe to separate an Enderman at the waist.
I spun around, only to be tackled by an Enderman. Its jaws clamped down on my pauldron and slowly crushed the steel as my hand grasped at a dagger. I cried out, both in pain and rage, as my dagger found purchase in the nape of the Enderman's neck. I scrambled to my feet, already having to duck away from a pair of talons. My left hand threw the dagger, which sunk into an Enderman's chest, while my right severed the spine of the attacking Enderman with a deep slash. My sword danced as it rent apart two more, at the cost of a third sinking its talons into my back. The armour did its job, only allowing the talons to scrape across the mail underneath while I pivoted and beheaded the creature. The death throes of an iron golem echoed like the sound of a blast furnace, stealing my attention. A young Ender dragon stood over a heap of molten iron, and its gaze locked with mine. Steam flared from its nostrils, and I smirked. That meant I wouldn't have to worry about its flames for minutes. The dragon flared its wings back to take off, and I allowed an Enderman to get a glancing blow on my side in order to prevent the dragon from taking off.
"Scopa Acies!" I breathed, activating another of my swords' enchantments. The Soulka I channeled into the blade burst out as I swung my blade, forming a quick-moving arc of energy. The Sweeping Edge struck the dragons' wing, tearing it off and eliciting an ear-piercing screech of pain from the beast. Having bought myself time, I quickly dispatched the Enderman clawing at me with a chop to the skull. More 'pop's sounded out, and I silently cursed Endor for suppressing my ability to use magic without enchantments. My sword flashed out and opened the torso of the first creature, fluidly sunk into the gut of the second, and missed the third after its talons gashed my arm despite the steel protecting it. I grit my teeth and kicked the Enderman's legs out, sinking to a knee as I plunged my blade through its chest and into the ground. Then I saw it in my peripherals.
A gaping maw full of ivory daggers.
I reeled back, snapping a bottle from my belt and flinging it at the lunging dragon. The brittle glass shattered against the beasts obsidian scales and the poison inside splashed across the dragons face. Its jaws snapped at empty air and it roared as the splash potion of blindess took its vision away. I grabbed my sword back and darted below the creatures snout, only stopping to thrust my blade into the soft scales at the base of its long neck. The deafening roar quieted to a low gurgle as blood spurted from the wound. I pulled away quickly, evading the acidic blood and the panicked movements of the dragon. It staggered back, and then the world blurred. The breath was driven violently from my chest as I skidded to a stop ten yards away, having been thrown by a sweep of the dying dragons tail. I layed there stunned for a moment, my lungs burning as I gasped for air in vain. My chestplate had been collapsed by the blow and held my ribs down. I struggled with the buckles in a panic, almost passing out before they came loose. I jerked upright gasping as the destroyed steel clattered to the ground, and I felt my heart skip a beat when I saw my sword on the ground beside the collapsed dragon. My head swiveled, expecting a host of Enderman to be closing in. To my shock, there was nothing in sight. All was quiet, except for a distant sound like the crashing of waves. Like empty sails being filled with powerful gusts of wind.
The beating of giant wings.
The ground suddenly shook as a gigantic dragon swooped down and landed atop the largest of the obsidian pillars. It's wings were like the sails of a galleon, spreading over twenty yards each. It had long curved spines running down the spine of its neck, back, and tail, each like spears. The dragon's neck, long and muscular, swept from left to right as the creature observed the battlefield. Its gaze lingered on each fallen dragon, elliptical pupils dilating with rage. Unlike the young dragons, this one had two sets; an outer set that curved back and pointed forward, and an inner set that pointed straight back with a slight bend in the middle. When the dragon's gaze met John's, he knew that this was the Queen of Endor. She reared her head back and let out a deafening roar, revealing ivory fangs like swords, and then took back to the skies with a single flap of her wings. Her powerful wings created gusts I could feel even from my position so far away, and her obsidian scales, like impenetrable shields, kept her hidden in the skies. I didn't see her again until I saw the purple eyes turn my way, and a purple glow in the back of her open maw. I dove away just in time as she swooped past, washing the endstone in violet flames that burned the dead Enderman to ash. She banked hard, obviously coming around for another pass, and I sprinted for my sword. As soon as I reached it, I pivoted and channeled my Soulka.
"Scopa Ruens!" I cried, releasing a Sweeping Wave. The Queen's wings cut upwards and she rose over the arc of magic, her own flames missing by yards. Despite the distance, I could feel the heat. I gulped.
'At least the heat would probably kill me instantly' I thought dejectedly.
The Queen let out a low rumbling noise, almost as if frustrated that her flames had missed a second time, and let out a puff of steam from her nostrils as she swooped high. The Queen rose in altitude, only stopping when she made a sudden flap of her wings and curl of her tail, almost instantly turning her around. I watched the maneuver in awe only momentarily, breaking into a sprint when I realized she was diving straight for me now. I ducked behind a cropping of boulders and pressed myself flush against the endstone, watching the flames curl around the edges of my cover as the Queen passed overhead. I started running again, trying desperately to reach the obsidian pillars.
'I need to bring this fight to the ground, or I'm doomed! At least around the pillars, I'll be able to control what direction the queen comes from, but I still won't be able to do a blasted thing against her! I need to clip those wings!' I thought to myself.
I ran the rest of the way to the pillars and slammed against the cool obsidian, supporting myself with one hand while I caught my breath. I looked around trying to figure out where the dragon had gone, and my gaze eventually fell upon the top of the tallest pillar. There I could see the silhouette of the queen circling the tower. Suddenly there was a loud crack as she slammed her tail into the tower, shattering pieces of obsidian off. Then, to my horror, the queen gave a powerful flap with both wings. The pieces of obsidian were caught in the veritable gust of wind and sent speeding down towards me like a cloud of arrows, and I cursed.
'Not enough time to get around the pillar, no shield, gotta run!' I thought to myself, taking a swig of a haste potion.
Jagged chunks of obsidian came raining down, causing destruction as they impacted the ground. I sped through the hailstorm as quickly as I could, bobbing and weaving around the speeding chunks of black glass. With how many there were and how fast they were travelling, not even the potion of swiftness allowed me to dodge everything. I drew my sword and knocked away what I could with the flat of my blade, but I still felt sharp pains around my legs and arms as the projectiles created rips and tears through my leather and mail. I finally made it through the deadly black hail and rolled to a stop several feet out of range. Ignoring the pain running up my arms and legs, I sprinted to a different pillar and located the queen. Unfortunately, she had located me as well. With a roar that seemed to convey anger, the queen folded her wings and dove. At the last second she opened her wings and maneuvered into a roll, flicking her clubbed tail as she passed. I rolled away, narrowly evading the crushing blow. The Queen's wings opened to full wingspan as she righted herself, slowing rapidly and allowing her to land smoothly. I barely had time to react as she lunged at me with a taloned paw. I managed to dodge the sharp black claws, but the paw clipped my shoulder and sent me face-first into the ground. I instinctively rolled away, evading the other paw that stomped down where I had just been. I stumbled to my feet, snapping my sword forward to intercept the Queen as she snapped her jaws at me. She jerked away from the sword and I attacked again, but she tilted her head to catch my sword with her horns. She jerked forward in a headbutt and I sidestepped, bringing my blade down on her face. It only succeeded in scratching the scale below her eye.
'Blast this draconic armour!' I thought angrily.
I quickly disengaged and jumped back, narrowly escaping as the dragon turned and snapped its jaws at me again. I rolled past it as she snapped them at me again and I clambered up onto her neck. I raised my sword to plunge it into the neck of the dragon, but she reared back onto two legs. The sudden movement nearly threw me off, but I got my hands gripped around her spines. The queen dragon raised her wings to take off, and I let go, dragging my blade through the leather-like membrane of her wing on the way down. Pain shot up my legs as I hit the ground, rolling to break my fall. It didn't do much for me, other than prevent me from breaking my legs altogether. My eyes shot back up in time to see the dragon fail to take off properly and haphazardly land on her side. It clumsily got to its feet and swung its head around to look at me. The Queen's elliptical purple eyes were filled with pure unbridled rage. She began to stalk towards me, lips curled in a snarl, showing off every single razor-sharp fang she had.
I readied my sword and lowered myself into a defensive stance, ready to evade should the dragon breath fire at me. Sure enough, its mouth fell slightly ajar and a faint glow from within alerted me of the impending attack. As soon as I saw flames, I rolled out of the way, got back to my feet and darted towards the dragons left flank. It swung its head around, bringing a wall of fiery death with it. It swung its sliced up wing at me, likely hoping to sweep me into the fire. I slid under it and returned to my feet, unleashing a three-hit combo of attacks upon its soft under-flank. My attacks cut into the smaller scales and thick hide, and thick purple blood spilled onto the floor. Unfortunately, I paid for my successive hit when the dragons tail swung around and slammed into me like a ton of bricks. My vision blurred for a moment until I felt myself hit the ground and do an involuntary summersault. It didn't take me long to figure out that it hurt to breathe, and I likely had a broken rib or two. I had lost my sword when I was hit, and I spotted it lying on the ground between me and the queen. The dragon's eyes flicked down to my sword, then back at me. Then its lip curled, just slightly.
'Is it...Is it mocking me?' I thought briefly.
I jerked up and sprinted for my sword, keeping my eyes on the dragon to see what it would do. It just sat there staring at me. Then, as I got close to the sword, it swung its tail around again. I jumped just in time, clearing the weaponized tail and grabbing my sword with my left hand as I rolled to the ground. The dragon was facing me again, close enough that I could feel its warm breath on my face. Rather than try to bite me again, it prepared to blast me with fire at point-blank, something I definitely couldn't dodge. Thanks again to my infection, I had a solution. I hauled off and punched the Queen in the jaw, knocking its head away and exposing the underside of its neck, while also redirecting the jet of flames that had come bursting from its mouth. Super strength is officially awesome. I thrust my sword forward, diamond piercing the thick hide and slicing into the dragons throat. The fire shooting from its mouth sputtered and died, quickly being replaced with a gurgling sound. I gripped my blade with both hands, and yanked it sideways, slicing the dragons throat completely. Blood splattered the ground and my armour, getting into the rips and tears of my armour and clothes. A terrible burning sensation overtook me, and I fell to my knees with a cry of pain. My vision blurred and my mind blanked. Burning, searing pain shot through me as the dragon's blood mixed with mine.
After what felt like an eternity, my senses came back to me. I was face down on the ground, lying in a puddle of blood. My eye felt strange, but I was more worried about my other wounds. My adrenaline had long since worn off, and everything ached. My muscled burned, screaming for rest and my cuts and gashes stung. My chest was throbbing, but it was strangely easier to breathe than before. I leaned back against the chest of the dragon, letting my sword fall and clatter to the ground. I chuckled hollowly.
"You're a real pain in the neck, you know that?" I said to the dragon. As if to answer, its chest rose and fell for the last time, letting out a low rumble. Everything was quiet for a while. It was almost...serene. Then the chest of the dragon began to rumble again.
"Are you serious..." I muttered, grabbing my sword and hobbling away as quickly as I could.
Bloody Endor dragons and their post mortem exploding. I may be doomed to die here, but no bloody way this thing is taking me with it. With a great boom, and a shockwave that knocked me to the ground cursing, the dragon exploded sending bits of dragon and endstone debris everywhere. I coughed the dust out of my lungs and slowly got to my feet. I remember the first time I fought a dragon. Coincidentally it was also the day my arm was infected. Good times. When that thing had exploded and taken an entire village block with it, it had certainly shocked us. We celebrated the death of an actual dragon regardless, but we also mourned the loss of six men that day. Despite the heavy losses that siege caused, we gained a lot of knowledge about our enemy. We never would've known that the Endor's were the ones that could activate the portals, or that there were dragons, or even that the Endor's were structured like a hive. The dragons acting as the queens and the Enderman working as the workers and warriors. The information we gained that day led to their defeat today. With the closing of this portal and the death of the high queen, the forces of the Nether and Endor will have no way of marching troops to our dimension. Their defeat is inevitable now. Unless they have an infected soldier. I scoffed at the thought. I had barely survived. No way a pigman or wither could have taken it.
My thoughts were interrupted when I spotted something as the dust cleared. Some sort of bedrock structure. I moved towards it, using my sword as a cane to support my weight (Darien would be turning in his grave if he knew what I was using his sword for right now) and peered inside when I got to it. It was like a window to the night sky, beautiful and humbling. Looks like a portal. Feels like a trap. I heard the distinctive pop of Enderman teleporting behind me, and cursed inwardly. Reinforcements from the other islands were showing up. Without a better plan or anything to lose, I hauled myself over the edge and slipped into the cold surface of the portal.
"I see the one you speak of."
"John Diamond?"
"Yes. Take care brother, he has reached a higher level. He can hear our thoughts."
"That doesn't matter. He won't remember any of this."
"Perhaps. He has awakened."
John cracked his eyes open. A dark void surrounded him, equal parts beautiful and terrifying. Ethereal lights and wisps floated around him as far as the eye could see, creating the illusion of the night sky with a slight purple haze. Before him, two forms appeared which glowed bigger and brighter than anything else around. One glowed a radiant golden colour and the other a dark purple glow. John tried to sit up and open his mouth but quickly realized that he couldn't move and began to panic.
"Peace, Dragon Slayer. We mean no harm," The golden light spoke. John calmed down immediately. John wasn't sure how, but he knew which ones were speaking when.
"After a millennium, finally we may reach out and speak freely to those that cross the bridge between life and death," The dark one spoke with a low voice.
"What is this place?" John finally managed to speak. Or think, rather, as John never felt his lips move.
"This is the Void, an endless limbo with no beginning nor end. It is the source of power for the Endor... and for me," The dark one spoke again.
Once again John found himself unable to speak, a chill coming over him as his body began to dissipate into a purple mist.
"You are needed elsewhere, child of fate," The golden light spoke.
"The ᔑ⊣ᒷリℸ ̣ ᓭ 𝙹⎓ ↸ᔑ∷ꖌリᒷᓭᓭ have grown beyond our control. If nothing is done, they will ᓵ𝙹∷∷ !¡ℸ ̣ all of the seven realms, including Minecraftica." The dark one explained.
"This must not happen." The golden one said with great emphasis.
"Go, child. Save us all," The golden one spoke softly. Then, with a wave of his hand, John was gone.
Forever Fall, Remnant
June 3rd, 75 A.G.W
John Diamond POV
My skin felt warm. The smell of damp wood and dirt graced my senses. A cool breeze touched my face like a gentle kiss, bringing with it the rustling of branches and leaves. I opened my eyes, then squinted when the sun hit them. Sitting up, I looked over my surroundings. I was in a forest, filled with trees that appeared to be darkwood with bright red leaves. The sky, barely visible through the tree cover, was blue and spotted with white fluffy clouds. I could hear the faint trickling of a nearby stream. But there wasn't a living thing in sight. My memory was all a blur as if I had just suffered a blow to the head.
'How did I get here? The last thing I remember is entering the portal... Just where the hell am I?' I thought to myself.
There was a low growl behind me, and I spun to my feet with my blade at the ready. It seemed much larger for some reason. A creature with fur blacker than the bark of the trees and a bone mask whiter than paper slowly stalked out of the bushes, giving me a predatory glare with blood-red eyes. It was similar to a bear in shape, but much larger and had white quills down its back. It stood on its hind legs and let out a roar. It towered over me, but it was nowhere near the size of the queen dragon. The unknown, however, is certainly something to be afraid of. I need facts. I cautiously took a step back as it dropped back down to all fours and charged. I rolled out of the way at the last second, and it ran headfirst into the trunk of a tree. Fact number one, it is a stupid creature. I wonder if it travels in packs? I jumped onto its back and plunged my sword into its back. It roared in pain and reared back. I jumped off before it landed on its back, and got back to my feet quickly. I dropped back into my stance and ducked under a swipe from its clawed paw. I thrust my sword into its black mass, but it swatted me away completely undeterred by the diamond blade in its abdomen. It stalked over to me, clearly confident in its victory. I swiped its paw at me, and I stopped it with my right arm. Enhanced strength really is awesome.
I grabbed my sword, pulled it out and plunged it in again. The creature swiped at me with its other paw, and I caught it with my left hand. Unfortunately, even with my strength, I couldn't overpower the thing. So I headbutted the dumb bear, cracking the bone plate on its head with my helmet. It reared back but still did not die. Fact number two, it is frustratingly difficult to kill. I rolled between the creature's legs when it swiped at me again, and when it turned around I quickly grabbed my sword from its chest. It swiped a paw at me, and I flicked my wrist, cutting the offending appendage off. It cried out in pain. Fact number three, it can feel pain. With the opening I had created, I swung my swung horizontally at its neck, taking the creatures head off. It hit the ground with a thunk, followed by a louder thunk from the body, and began to disintegrate. Fact number four, it doesn't leave a corpse, not unlike the hostile creatures that reside in the dark wood forests back home. Several more growls sounded out around me, and after quick surveying of my surroundings, I realized I was surrounded. Fact number five, they do travel in packs. I sighed and dropped back into a defensive stance, and waited for one of them to make a move. The chance of me surviving a fight with this many at once is pretty low. Must be a Monday.
Suddenly, their head began exploding with loud bangs, and the smell of sulphur filled the air. A man came bursting into the clearing, easily three feet taller than me, with a large one-sided blade in hand. He sliced one of them in half, then the blade folded back and a fireball came bursting out as another creatures head exploded. The creatures were blatantly ignoring me now, running past and pouncing at him. The blade extended into sections then curved with a mechanical clunking sound, and the handle extended by several feet. The man swung his newly formed scythe making easy work of the creatures. They began to disintegrate around him, and he looked down at me. I narrowed my eyes and relaxed, but didn't put away my sword. I didn't recognize his uniform, and in my experience, that usually means that they're hostile or small militia.
The man had short and messy black hair, red eyes and pale skin. He had a lean figure and decent posture. Not military, but not civilian either. A mercenary maybe? He had black pants on, black dress shoes, a white and grey dress shirt, a tattered red cape and a silver cross necklace. Incredibly strange battle gear as far as I'm concerned, it's hardly practical. Almost noble in appearance, so... a Pagemaster maybe? His eyebrow raised and he tilted his head ever so slightly.
"Gotta say, never seen a kid your age take out an Ursa Minor. What's your name kiddo?" He asked with a deep gruff voice. His tone conveyed kindness, but behind that was suspicion. His accent was strange, but at least he spoke the common tongue.
Wait, kid? I tilted my sword so I could see myself reflected. My face looked young and untouched, with short brown hair and smooth skin. My right eye, however, was purple and elliptical now, likely additional infection from the queen dragons blood. Did that portal somehow transform me into a younger version of myself? And furthermore, how did my wounds heal? Questions for later, the priority right now is the stranger.
"John Diamond. Who are you?" I asked slowly. His eyes widened a bit.
"John? You from outside the kingdoms?" He asked.
"Answer my question and I'll answer yours," I said in a commanding tone. I'm not in the mood for foreplay right now.
"Watch your tone kid, could get you into a lot of trouble. But to answer your question, I'm Qrow Branwen. I'm a huntsman from Vale, and a teacher at Signal Academy," He said with a tougher tone than before. Guess I pissed him off. I considered the information for a moment. I've never heard of vale before, so it's possible I was transported to another continent entirely. And I have no clue what a huntsman is, but something tells me it has something to do with slaying those black creatures professionally. I should tell him the truth, but only sparingly.
"To answer yours, yes. I wasn't raised in the kingdoms. A small village just outside the darkwoods," I said.
"The darkwoods, huh?" He gave me a good look, then his weapon folded and he stuck it to something on his back. He must not see me as any kind of threat anymore. I sheathed my sword as well.
"You okay? You're covered in blood," He asked, taking a hesitant step forward.
"No, not really. It's been a rough day," I said honestly. Qrow looked thoughtful for a moment, and a dark look came over him.
"By any chance, was your village overrun by Grimm?" He asked slowly and quietly.
His tone was gentle now as if I had gone through something horrible. Which I have, but he doesn't know that. I considered everything for a moment. Those black creatures must have been the Grimm. If they are extremely common in these lands, it stands to reason that sometimes they would attack and destroy villages. If I'm going to find out where I am and what I need to do next, I should play along as the young victim of a town razing. One with no other survivors, to ensure no loose ends.
"...Yes. Everyone is dead, sir. Everyone but me..." I said quietly, avoiding eye contact. His expression softened.
"Come with me, kiddo. I'll make sure you get somewhere safe," He said, approaching me. I stepped back unsurely, and Qrow raised his hands peacefully.
"Don't worry. I'm not a bandit, kiddo, I'm a Huntsman. I'm just going to help you out of this scrap so I can check for any wounds, okay?" Qrow reassured. I internally rolled my eyes.
'I can take care of my own wounds, but... I guess to him I look like a vulnerable kid,' I thought.
I cooperated, allowing Qrow to help me remove my ruined armour plates, but never loosing my grip on my sword. Qrow narrowed his eyes at the purple stains on my leathers once the chainmail was off, but didn't say anything. He seemed more concerned with the torn state of my leather doublet and trousers. A dark look passed across his face at the sight of the fresh blood at the openings in my clothes.
"Damn, kid... it's probably best to have a medic look at you," Qrow said with a grimace. I almost laughed. Real subtle, an actual kid would be crying right now.
'Nay, scratch that. An actual child would be dead,' I thought bittersweetly.
Suddenly, my hearing caught a low roar echoing through the trees. I shot to attention and brought my sword about, sending Qrow backpedaling and scanning the trees. I turned to face the direction the sound was coming from, silently cursing myself for allowing my armour to be discarded. The roar kept coming closer, but Qrow let his guard back down.
"Nothing out there," Qrow assured. I shook my head.
"Nay, I hear the roar steadily approaching. The beast must have some lungs to be roaring for so long," I muttered back. Qrow listened carefully for a moment, then a look of realization crossed his features.
"Heh, that's no beast. That's a bullhead, coming to pick us up. Now settle down, yeah? We don't want your wounds getting worse," Qrow chastised sternly. I gave him a questioning look. Bullhead?
"...Dust, village must have been pretty secluded," Qrow mumbled quietly, but loudly enough for my hearing to pick out.
That's when the thunderous roaring passed and stopped overhead, and a wind like a great typhoon sent the grass, leaves, and trees flying about. I looked up, and my eyes went wide as saucers. A massive metal structure, like a schooner with wings, was slowly lowering from the skies. The roar came from huge cylinders on the ends of the wings, making subtle movements that seemed to direct the airship's movements. As it set down gently in the grass, a huge panel lowered in the back end, and two men in armour with boxy weapons in their hands came rushing out.
"Branwen! We got your SOS! What's happening?" One soldier asked, while the other scanned the forest. Qrow motioned to me with his head, and I quickly wiped the look of amazement off my face.
"Overrun village, this is our only survivor. He's wounded, we need to go!" Qrow said urgently, ushering me past the soldiers. One of the soldiers tilted his head as he followed.
"Village? According to the CCT maps, there's nothing for miles..." He asked, confused. Qrow gave him a look and he shut up.
'Jeb's beard, what have I gotten myself into?' I thought.
Patch, Remnant
3rd Person POV
"What is this kid doing in my kitchen, Qrow? If he feels anything like he looks, he should be in a hospital!" Tai asked Qrow in a hushed tone.
The two of them were standing in the living room, speaking about the boy that was sitting at Tai's kitchen table. When Qrow had arrived at his door saying he had a survivor of a Grimm attack, he had sent the girls upstairs and let them in with haste. Now came the part where he got answers. John Diamond, as he had called himself, was sitting in the kitchen with his head resting on his arm. At a glance, he seemed bored and harmless, but a closer look from Qrow had revealed that he was meticulously observing everything around him and considering it, as a trained huntsman would in a dangerous situation. According to him, his village had been completely destroyed and only he survived. He could name almost thirty different people who had supposedly lived there, and every detail about the village itself, but recounted the event with minimal detail. His story sounded legitimate. But something seemed off to Qrow.
"I already checked the CCT. There are no records of anyone named John or any families with the last name Diamond. There were no records of the existence of the village he described either, and we both know how many times I've been in that area. There are no villages in the area like the one described and never have been. And he barely knew anything about the Grimm," Qrow said quickly in a hushed tone. Tai was quick to respond.
"Qrow, villages pop up and get razed all the time outside the kingdoms, as sad as that is. Some of these are bound to go unnoticed by us. And of course, there would be no record of them if they had lived outside the kingdom for a long time," Tai told him, very confused. It wasn't like Qrow to be like this, especially with a kid under these circumstances.
"You didn't see him, Tai. He killed an Ursa by himself. He was strong enough to hold it back, and he hardly struggled to kill it. If he weren't a boy, I'd have thought he was a student at Beacon! And he says he was out alone for months. Months Tai! It was obvious he was wounded too, badly. But the medics couldn't find a single scratch on him. His aura isn't unlocked, Tai," Qrow told him. Tai suddenly understood what the problem was. Someone with no business knowing how to fight had years of experience. A kid with no aura had supposedly healed his wounds. Something was sour here.
"...What should we do? Maybe he was just being taught to fight in his village. It's a simple weapon, obviously not designed for someone his age. And a local Huntsman could have healed him before he escaped. Maybe we should just bring him to the orphanage?" Tai asked, unsure of what to do. Qrow thought for a moment.
"I hate to admit it but you might be right about someone teaching him. It isn't uncommon for huntsmen to retire outside the kingdom. But something still feels off...We should keep an eye on him," Qrow said. Tai's eyes widened.
"You aren't suggesting I adopt him, are you? I can't afford to take care of another kid, Qrow!" Tai said desperately.
"If you're concerned about money, I'll send you fifteen hundred Lien a month. More if you need it. But otherwise, the kid seems low maintenance. Quiet and mature. Yang does half the parenting around here anyway," Qrow said with a knowing grin. Tai considered it for a moment.
"...You're sure we need to keep tabs on this kid?" Tai asked. Qrow nodded, and Tai sighed deeply.
"Aw hell, I did dumber things in my youth. But I'm holding you to that monthly paycheck!" Tai said, pointing a finger at Qrow accusingly. Qrow held up his hands.
"Hey, you know I'm good for it. Being a teacher at Signal pays well. And being a spy for old Oz pays better."
John Diamond POV
I sat in the kitchen, looking around. This home wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before, not even in the capitols. Something I'll probably get used to, though. I heard a floorboard creak behind me followed by a quiet 'Eep'. I looked behind me in the reflection in the window and saw two pairs of eyes peeking out from around the corner upstairs. One pair of silver and the other purple. Rather unique eye colours, to be sure. That seems to be a trend around here. My attention was dragged back to the kitchen doorway when the man with blonde hair and his own set of purple eyes came around the corner. Behind him was Qrow, the huntsmen from earlier.
"Hey there, kid. I'm Taiyang. Qrow told me what happened to your family. I'm sorry," He said, putting his hand on my shoulder and giving me a comforting look. He seemed genuine.
"If it's alright with you, I'd like to take you under my metaphorical wing. I know that what you went through must have been terrible, but I think you'll be happy here," Hold up, am I getting adopted? I get a dad!? Unorthodox, but I'll take it! Added bonus, I have an excuse to ask stupid questions about how things work around here.
"Okay. So I can call you dad?" I asked. Taiyang smiled.
"Yep. And you can call this guy last-minute babysitter!" He said with a grin.
"Hold on a sec! We never agreed to-" Qrow started frantically. I cut in.
"If you won't be a part of my life, then you forfeit your right to make bird noises. Can you really do that, Qrow?" I bantered with a grin on my face. The look on both their faces was priceless. I almost burst out laughing. After a moment, Taiyang did burst out laughing. Qrow didn't look very happy about it.
"Little devil..." He muttered under his breath. Well, a break from the war will certainly be nice. At least I have that going for me.
Ike_/ Well that chapter was an absolute monster. Ten thousand words plus author notes (aka our stupid rants and banter).
Fred_/ It doesn't help that the first quarter of this chapter was actually supposed to be a part of the last chapter.
Ike_/ That's true. Anyway, there you have it, folks. The prologue for Infected Rose is complete! Sorry about the time skip, but if I went into detail about John's entire backstory we would be here for a while. And I would reveal certain plot points that I don't want to reveal quite yet.
Ryan_/ I'm sure they'll understand. You absolutely kicked the crap out of my prologue chapter, whether you spread it out over three chapters or not!
Fred_/ Well, that's what we're here for!
Ike_/ Be nice, Fred. Ryan and I are friends now.
Fred_/ Huh?
Ryan_/ It's true. We bonded over our ridiculous hair and unhealthy consumption of coffee.
Fred_/ Well, I suppose it was inevitable. Anyway remember to follow, favourite, review, and all that junk. It helps the writing effort tremendously.
Ike_/ Have a good day, people of the internet! Oh, and just for reference, the shape of John's swords blade resembles the shape of Glamdring's blade from LOTR (a leaf profile).
Review Responses!
LeafyLeaf - Yeah the prologue dragged a bit, but hopefully, it's worth it!
Gizmo Gear - Believe it or not, your puns are appreciated here! Feel free to let loose with as many bad jokes as you want!
Colossus Bridger - Perhaps, who can say? Personally, I can neither confirm nor deny the validity of your theory.