It was like his body was in a deep slumber, yet his mind was left wide awake to wander the vast prison of his mind. The Paladin knew not where he was, or for how long, so his mind continued to return to where it had been. Memories repeated in his head, like a nightmare he could not escape, invoking the strongest emotions within him, rage and regret. The day his family was taken by the quartz soldiers who stormed into his home, dragging them away to ships where they were carried away. His battle with Jasper when she emerged at the beta kindergarten where she slew his brother. But one memory repeated itself more than the others, the battle of the Ziggurat.
Pink Diamond was shattered by the hand of Rose Quartz. The war was coming to a close and they all knew it.
The Paladin clearly remembered when that day finally came to pass. The day the war finally ended after 1000 years of relentless fighting was a memory carved into the mind of the Paladin, tormenting him in every waking moment of his endless life. He clearly remembered the moonlit battlefield where he fought his final battle against the armies of home world.
It was here that Rose Quartz led the armies of her rebellion into a brutal battle over two centuries ago. Now it was his time to follow the Crystal Gems in the footsteps of Rose Quartz. The vast field was littered with corpses and Gem weapons of the fallen like lady Bismuth who was lost in this very place.
He remembered the balmy warmth of the Scandinavian west and the chill winds that followed the armies march into the moonlit night. The spring showers meant the field was lush with vegetation that had begun to consume the fallen, but the weapons strewn about would likely remain for millennia to come.
He remembered the objective they were given. Stop Albite from constructing the Ziggurat by any means necessary. He did not know why the Diamonds would deploy an obelisk to a war-torn, backwater battlefield, but he knew nothing good would come of leaving such a powerful gem to its own devices.
Marianne the Knight-Errant of Pearl and Gregory, the warp navigator, were close by his side as he followed behind the gems towards their target.
But when they finally arrived there was no resistance as they approached the Pyramid where Albite resided.
He could recall the fleeting feeling of relief that washed over him as the armies of home world retreated to their ships. For once it was the enemy who turned their backs and fled. He could remember the cheers of his comrades and the gems as they celebrated their victory against their oppressors, and he remembered embracing Marianne as they relished their final victory.
And he remembered how it all came to an end. The blinding flash of light which left him stunned in awe. Their premature celebration cut short. He remembered whispering a prayer to Rose Quartz as the world was engulfed in the overwhelming presence of the diamonds.
In a matter of seconds, the cheers faded away like whispers in the dark. As soon as the light dissipated, the crystal gems began a horrifying transformation. Men stood helpless as their gem comrades cried out in agony as their bodies twisted and deformed, spikes erupting along their backs and limbs, human projections turning feral, and their cries for help fading to a deafening silence.
All the while, the living armor of the immortal legion was not spared from this gruesome fate as they writhed uncontrollably, a black fluid seeping from the crevices of the hollow armor like blood from a wound. The armor suddenly became filled by a mess of organic flesh that erupted from the armor and wrapped around their weapons.
After a few moments the transformations stopped, and the corrupted gems turned their gaze to their former followers. The soldiers, still stunned and confused by the light, stood silently still before the defiled forms of their friends and masters lashed out at them in a maelstrom of death and destruction.
Once the initial wave of confusion had washed over the Paladin, he gave an order, "In Rose's name we must hold them back! It falls to us to save them from the corruption which consumes them just as they saved all of us! Glory to the first man to die! Glory to Rose Quartz!" The Paladin bellowed out with a raised blade as his men rallied behind him. Marianne and Gregory stood beside him, blades in hand.
The knights formed walls of raised shields in an effort to restrain the frenzy. Chanting out their warcry, "With our short existence! We can make a difference!" the men cried out before advancing towards the corrupted. The pink armor of the knights of Rose quickly became stained with blood and the moist black matter oozing from the rampaging armor. Men, reluctant to harm the gems they had deified, were effortlessly thrashed around and torn apart as their efforts to hold back the corrupted crumbled.
The Paladin witnessed his brother's armor consumed as the gem fragment placed within it became corrupted. The armor moved towards him with a bestial rage, flailing the axe of ages around with no sense of form or control. Several impacts were absorbed by the Paladin's shield, but he was overpowered as several black tentacle-like limbs protruded from every crevice of the armor, lifting the Paladin before slamming him into the ground, leaving him dazed. Behind him the blackened armor rushed towards him, dragging the axe along the dirt. The Paladin could feel himself drifting away as he reached for his blade. The corrupted armor raised its axe, ready to strike him down.
As his second death approached him the Paladin looked out towards his men. He witnessed as his regiment was cut down before his eyes, following the order he had given. He watched as they helplessly struggled against the might of the gems, unable to bring themselves to truly fight back against them. "What have I done," the Paladin thought to himself in his final moment. But just as his life was about to meet its end, the cry of Marianne ripped him from his stupor.
"Paladin!" Marianne cried out as the Knight-Errant intervened, the blind white pupil of her left eye shined like a pearl in the moonlight. Thrusting her blade into the abominations side, she let out a coarse grunt as she twisted the hilt forcing the blade deeper inside. Marianne's expression shifted, barely exposing a hint of fear as her attack did little more than to attract the corrupted armor's attention. She tried to pull her blade from the mass of flesh bulging from the armor, but a single swipe from one of its appendages cast her aside.
The knight's distraction allowed the Paladin to scramble back to his feet, snatching up his blade and clashing with the armor once more.
"Rose be damned, it didn't poof. I think we need to get the gem out of the armor!" Marianne shouted out to the Paladin, raising herself back to her feet. She realized the gems within the armor must function differently than those of the gems themselves. "What are we going to do?"
The Paladin, unwilling to cut down his own brother, was forced on the defensive. He did not know how long he could hold out against the armor's relentless assault. The Knight's question fresh in his mind, the Paladin's thoughts raced as he decided on a course of action.
The sound of a blaring horn cut through the cacophony of battle, announcing the rear guard had made it to the front. Waves of fresh, able bodies valiantly charged into the fray reinforcing the failing lines. Several knights of Pearl arrived to aid the Paladin. Squire Nora was among the knights, a young fresh-faced recruit barely 13 years of age, but her face had shown she had seen, or perhaps done things, that had taken their toll.
Finally given a moment of repose the Paladin turned to Marianne, "we need to retreat, find Greg and order the men to regroup at the warp pad. The rear guard will buy us time to escape."
Marianne gave a quick nod as she turned her attention to the young squire. "Squire Nora, come with me, I'll take you to the warp pad," Marianne ordered, not hiding her concern.
"But I'm needed here, I can help fight!" the squire responded, fist clenched around her blade and shaking as she tried to fight her fear with bravado.
The Paladin knelt down by the squire and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's alright child. Right now, what I need most is for you to ensure the warp pad is secure for our retreat. We will handle the fight here," the Paladin said in a soothing tone.
Nora shook her head before moving to Marianne's side.
Together they retreated towards the backline, shouting out the order to retreat to the warp pad. Horns blared again, spreading the order as men pulled back behind the safety of the rear-guard who continued their advance forward to cover their retreat.
Even with the rearguard the order had no chance at holding back the corrupted. The Paladin's regiment was intended to be a supporting force to the Cystal Gems, and their strongest warriors in the immortal legion had been turned against them.
As the retreat had begun Marianne realized the warp navigator was missing, and the warp whistle with him. Without it they would be unable to traverse the warp and would be left stranded on the battlefield at the mercy of the corrupted.
"Marianne, what's the matter?" squire Nora inquired.
Marianne frantically looked among the lines of men clad in pink armor in hopes of spotting a hint of white and blue. She did not find him, but she spotted a familiar pink face through an open helm. Captain Harald, an older and fair-haired veteran of the order, was directing men towards the warp pad. She grabbed Nora's hand and sprinted off in his direction.
"Captain Harald, any sign of the warp navigator?" Marianne said, nearly spitting the words at the poor man.
"I'm afraid not Knight-Errant. Last I saw of him he had gone in with the first wave beside the Paladin," the Captain responded.
"Damn it," Marianne whispered the curse under her breath before turning back towards Nora. "I need you to stay with the captain here while I go look for the warp navigator, is that clear?"
"But-"
"No buts," Marianne interrupted. "Captain Harald, take the squire to the warp pad, I'm heading back out."
Marianne turned back towards the battlefield, running back into the fray, desperately searching for the warp navigator as corrupted gems were poofed and men fell around her adding to the mountain of corpses littering the battlefield.
Amongst the chaos she spotted the white and blue armor of the warp navigator laying on the ground. She rushed to him and knelt by his side, but only lifeless eyes looked back at her. Marianne bowed her head in respect for just a moment before reaching for his satchel. There she found the warp whistle with a crack going down the side. She gave the whistle a quick blow to confirm it still worked. Out of tune, but functioning she found.
She turned her attention back to the battle where the rear guard were beginning to rout. It was clear the battle was lost, but hope was not. Marianne could not spot the Paladin, but his orders came first. She made a mad blitz across the moonlit battlefield, warp whistle in hand. She passed by fallen comrades and the gem weapons across the war-torn field.
Soon she reached the warp pad where she let out a sigh of relief once she spotted the Paladin speaking to Captain Harald and squire Nora. Only around two dozen men had made it out, but the sounds of battle still raged on from behind, drawing closer by the second.
"Did you find the warp navigator Knight-Errant?" the Paladin asked, while handing her back her blade.
"He was lost during the battle, but the whistle is secured sir," Marianne solemnly responded.
The Paladin let out a sigh before asking, "do you know how to operate the whistle?"
"I know the tunes for a few locations, strongholds and academies, but-" Marianne began to respond before she was interrupted by some commotion.
"Moonstone?" A knight asked, staring at a gem seemingly floating in the air, advancing rapidly towards them. His last words echoed in everyone's mind as he launched by an invisible force along with half a dozen other knights.
"Where is it? Somethings attacking us! It came from, behind!" Several knights spoke out in terror as they struggled to identify their foe amidst the growing darkness of night.
"Everyone onto the warp pad now!" The Paladin urgently shouted, waving his arms to gather the men's attention.
Marianne rushed to the warp pad accompanied by the Paladin, Nora and five other knights, the rest attempting to hold back the invisible gem.
"Go on without us sir, I'll see to it the warp pad is shattered behind ya" Captain Harald exclaimed, axe in hand.
"We can all make it out of here Captain, I am ordering you to get on the warp pad," the Paladin pleaded.
"With all due respect, this is my homeland and I do not intend to leave it behind," the Captain responded one last time as the gem finished off the last of the men.
"Marianne! Get us out of here now!" The Paladin shouted his order, turning to face her.
Marianne played the first tune that came to mind, hoping it would take her home.
As the remnants of the order were engulfed in the warp's light, the last thing the Paladin saw was the Captain's axe raised above his head, and moonstone rapidly moving to her next victim.