A company of soldiers traveled down the beaten path in a stream of worn iron and bloodied steel, barely a hundred strong. The company was a coalescence of colors having been formed from soldiers of many dedications. Knights of Rose, disciples of Bismuth, followers of Pearl, and worshippers of many other gems filled the ranks of the derelict militia. The Paladin of Rose Quartz stood at the forefront of the march followed closely by Marianne and Sergeant Dewey.
"Sire, I do not mean to question your authority, but might I ask what the deal is with this stronghold?" Sergeant Dewey inquired as darkness began to descend upon the party. "Considering the corrupted could still be lingering about, I don't think it wise to risk our lives in search of something that may not even help us."
The Sergeant was a balding, middle-aged man who served the order most his life. His dark-brown beard was unusually dirty and unkempt. Reaching his age in this day and age was unprecedented. He had quickly rose through the ranks of the legion, a feat many attributed purely to nepotism.
The Paladin peered through the thin slits in his great helm, eyes rapidly darting across the barren landscape in search of the corrupted. His flail remained wrapped around his arm since the last attack. The Sergeant may be a craven fool, but his concerns were valid.
The Paladin set aside his concerns and gave an honest, albeit vague, response. "Answers, Sergeant. During the war, all home world captives and gem artifacts were to be turned over to the crystal gems. They would almost certainly end up in one of the Crystal Gem's fortresses," the Paladin gruffly responded. "Best chance at finding Rose Quartz and bringing us closer to salvation."
Before she disappeared, Bismuth had been responsible for directing the construction of many of the forts located around the world. By securing vital locations nearby warp pads the Crystal Gems were better able to make use of their limited resources. Human soldiers could reliably garrison forts while the Gems conducted safe travel under their careful vigil.
"And how's that supposed to help us out of this mess? Sounds to me like we're heading straight into a whole load of trouble," Dewey replied.
"You scared of a fight Sergeant? Dying's not so bad y'know" Marianne teased. Squire Nora followed silently, closely behind her.
"Knight-Errant, I thought you would at least listen to reason. Can't you see this is a bad idea?"
"With all that foresight your expressing, must think yourself a sapphire. Honestly, did you think we would come all this way without knowing the risks," Marianne did not hide her disdain for the Sergeant as she spoke. "Don't worry, if anything happens to you, I'll be there to deliver a coup de grâce."
"Come on you two, why are we arguing over this? Fighting amongst ourselves is not going to help us," Squire Nora chimed in. "At least the Paladin has a plan."
Marianne placed her hand on Nora's shoulder and leaned down. "Your right child, we must all be together on this," Marianne whispered. "L'union fait la force. You would do well to remember that, Sergeant."
Sergeant Dewey did not deign to reply.
Their armor clanked with each step as weary legs carried them on a seemingly ceaseless march. They all knew where they were going, but they were not all so sure it mattered. Every town they had come across had either been abandoned or razed to the ground, so they did not have much hope the fort would be any different, but the Paladin felt it worth the chance.
As they got within sight of the fort, the Paladin noticed the walls were unmanned and only a gaping hole was present where a gate should have been. Not a good sign, but the Paladin knew better by now than to expect anything else.
Pressing ever onward, his mind turned to the thought of his men. A single company was all that remained of his once proud regiment. Just a month ago they were a battalion strong, a number which continued to dwindle since the day the war ended. Since then, relentless assaults from corrupted gems followed them everywhere they fled.
Any attempt to fight back was futile as the corrupted would simply reform if they were ever poofed, and to shatter a gem was to be deemed a heretic.
As they approached the gatehouse the Paladin raised his fist, stopping the company's movement. Ruins, all that remained was ruins, the Paladin thought to himself, disappointed. Collapsed buttresses had given weight to an object of seemingly immense weight, or perhaps strength. Not a single sign of life in sight nor any bodies for that matter, the Paladin noted.
"Wismut!" the Paladin called out. A tall, broad woman stepped out from the line of knights. Carrying a warhammer, she wore silver plate armor with a square Bismuth gem painted on the right arm and a black star on the left. Several locks of hair hung out the back of her helmet which concealed her face. As a disciple of Bismuth, she was knowledgeable on many of the structures built by the Crystal Gems. "Why's the fortress unoccupied? An abandoned village is one thing, but an empty stronghold is another" the Paladin asked.
Wismut stood before the Paladin, nearly matching his immense height. "This used to be your average stronghold, a small company of soldiers protected local supply lines and settlements. But shortly after Rose Quartz defeated Hessonite, the Crystal Gems took this place into their care and removed the Order's presence entirely," Wismut spoke in a smooth, hushed tone.
"You think they're hiding something here?" the Paladin responded, suspicious.
"Hessonite's defeat was a major turning point in the war. This place may give us some insight into what happened to the Gems," Wismut added.
The Paladin pondered her words for a moment. He was certain she was still hiding something, but her story seemed to add up and he needed answers.
"At the very least, I heard there was a shooting star kept in the armory, stolen from the gempire," Wismut said with a chuckle. "A few more weapons wouldn't hurt our cause."
There it was. "And what cause is that?" The Paladin asked sternly.
"Survival. It's what we're all after and as far as I can tell, we have a common enemy," Wismut replied.
"They used to be our allies, our friends, and you would just turn your back on them when they need us most?"
"The Gems we knew are gone. When it comes down to it, you're going to have to make a choice. Us . . . or them," Wismut whispered as she turned her back to the Paladin.
He had made up his mind. "Secure the fort! Scavenge what you can and dig in, we may be here a while," the Paladin bellowed out the order.
The men quickly shuffled through the gate, lighting torches and dispersing throughout the fortress. As they stepped foot into the courtyard the ground seemed to shake beneath their feet, cracks widening in the earth ever so slightly. The men paused for but a moment before returning to the task at hand.
Amongst the ruins the Paladin focused in on the keep, it was the only structure still intact. "Marianne, I need a moment alone to think. Check in on the Sergeant will you, then come meet me in the keep."
"Understood, sir" Marianne replied, swinging her hair around as she turned towards Sergeant Dewey, her smile disappearing as she saw him conversing with his men. "Ugh, let's get this over with," Marianne said with a sigh, but as she saw Nora eagerly looking back at her she quickly switched up her tone.
"I've got a bad feeling about this whole situation," Sergeant Dewey murmured. "I mean, what exactly is the Paladin's plan here? Find some magic Gem tech an-" The Sergeant was interrupted by a light nudge to his side.
"She's coming this way sir," a knight whispered to Dewey, trying to hide his finger pointing towards Marianne.
Dewey became flustered as he quickly wiped the sweat from his balding head and a few of his knights tried to dust off his surcoat.
"Do I look alright?" he frantically asked.
The knights nodded their heads. "Nice," one said giving him a thumbs up.
The sergeant heard Marianne's light steps stop behind him as he spun around. "Oh hi, Knight-Errant, and you brought your um, sister?"
"My squire?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, confused.
"Of course, my mistake. Now, how can I be of service?"
"Looks like your workin up a storm over here. Why are you lot cowering in the corner?"
"Cowering? How insulting. The ground just feels more stable over here. Look at all those cracks in the ground. I'm not trying to be swept into a sink hole," the Sergeant confidently replied.
Marianne looked along the ground, she did not remember there being this many cracks when they arrived. She rubbed her chin as she considered what could be causing it. Perhaps the caverns beneath the fort had become unstable. "Just stay outta trouble."
The Paladin pressed on the door, but it refused to open as if it was fighting against him. With a firm kick the doors were swept open as he entered the decrepit keep. As he wandered the sanctuary, he noticed several vein-like tendrils protruding from the ground and extending along the walls. the veins consumed many of the statues resembling various members of the Crystal Gems. Berly, Jasper, and Bismuth among the many faces the Paladin recognized, but three much more familiar faces loomed above the altar.
A particularly ornate trio of statues resembling the divine forms of Rose Quartz, Pearl, and Garnet seemed to look down on the Paladin. These three were untouched by the tendrils, instead Roses sprouted from the crevices of the structure, a good omen he hoped.
This was but one of many once sacred sites constructed by the Order. Here people would gather to worship the Crystal Gems and present offerings in their name. Though extravagant in its own right, the Paladin could not help but feel it paled in comparison to the likes of the Lunar Sea Spire or Sky Arena which the Paladin had travelled during the war.
The Paladin knelt before the altar facing the visages of his dear leaders. As he removed his helmet an unfamiliar feeling began to creep up on the Paladin like an assassin in the night.
Doubt. Doubt in his purpose. Doubt in his ability to lead.
Things had been so much clearer with the gems around. Rose always had the right words in the worst situations. Rose's right hand and closest confidant, Pearl, while brusque in manner, was an exceptional leader as she led from the front and taught the Paladin the art of the blade. In return he had taught her many things about his culture like the concept of knighthood. If Pearl was Rose's right hand the Paladin would reckon Garnet was the left. She was always there to give counsel and often offered guidance on the right path to take ahead. However, he may not have always taken this advice, often to his own detriment.
"Where did you go?" The Paladin exclaimed. "What did we do to deserve this?"
"Could you have foreseen what was to become of us?" He whispered as he faced Garnet. "Or perhaps this is what was always intended to happen". The Paladin muttered these words as if the trio was standing before him.
His head dropped, defeated. The thoughts slowly drifted away leaving the Paladin only silence and unanswered questions.
For all he knew they too were amongst the corrupted slaughtering his people. Yet, he could not help but recall what they had done for him - giving him hope and a purpose in a time when all else seemed lost.
Before he could continue the faint sound of footsteps could be heard approaching from behind. The Paladin remained knelt as the sound grew gradually closer until it stopped directly beside him.
"ça va, Paladin?" said a familiar voice.
"I feel lost. Things are tough and only getting worse by the day. The men expect me to guide them, but I don't know what to do," the Paladin Responded before falling silent.
As the Paladin remained knelt, lost in contemplation, she took a seat on the altar facing towards him. She looked into the Paladin's hazel eyes, it had been so long since she last seen his face. His short hair had turned a light pink like his skin and his facial hair was well trimmed despite the fact he insisted on keeping his helmet on all the time. Several scars stood out on his face, failing to match his skin.
Rather than consider her words, Marianne decided that openly speaking her mind was best. "Their scared, confused, and quite frankly in desperate need of leadership. That last attack has them all spooked and I sense their loyalties may be wavering," the knight expressed her thoughts to the Paladin.
She stood up and ambled around for a moment before stopping in front of him. "Things are getting desperate, and I'd rather that leadership come from you before Wismut gives them too many ideas. I don't know what the hell is going on, so I guess what I'm trying to say is, what's the plan sir?" She reached her hand out towards him.
The Paladin looked back toward the form of Garnet before gripping Marianne's hand as they both rose.
"Nice pep talk. You perfectly embodied the flourish and careful consideration of Pearl," the Paladin said sarcastically. "I got an idea. If we can find a warp whistle and a whaling stone, we can locate the Herald of Sapphire. If anyone knows where Rose is, then it's her. We'll need to head deeper into the fort to scavenge supplies."
"Sounds like a plan I can get behind. Lead the way sir,"
Outside the militia was gathered around the courtyard aside from a dozen men who manned the walls, keeping watch for the corrupted.
Wismut stood at the center of the crowd, preaching her gospel. "When the corrupted arrive do not hesitate as the immortal legions did on that fateful day! The Crystal Gems are gone! The Order is gone! All that remains is us and them! Rose Quartz's chosen Paladin would-"
"I would what?" the Paladin asked, his voice steady and firm. The men quickly dispersed to make way for the Paladin as he approached Wismut, bringing himself closer so that he was standing directly over her. The two clutched their weapons tight as they faced off.
The crowd began to split into two nearly even sides backing either the Paladin or Wismut. Marianne and Nora stood beside the Paladin while Sergeant Dewey remained reserved to the corner.
"You would lead us to our deaths in a futile pursuit to save the damned," Wismut said calmly. "Just as you did with your own men."
The Paladin tightened his grip on his flail, the chains digging deep into his skin. But before he could respond Nora forced herself between them and struggled to push them apart. The two reluctantly stepped back as the young girl stood boldly before them.
"Please stop fighting! Just stop!" Squire Nora's voice cracked as she tried to shout. "I don't want to see anyone else die for nothing. Isn't it enough the Gems have turned against us? So, why turn on each other?" The squire asked to no one in particular.
The courtyard was deathly silent. Before anyone had the chance to speak the ground shook once more., and this time it did not stop.
Another tremor? The Paladin thought as the ground shifted beneath his feet. Something wasn't right. "Get to high ground!" The Paladin bellowed out, but it was too late.
Several small, grey, ant-like creatures emerged from the ground. They came out in force as they assaulted the soldiers, pulling them into the earth as their comrades struggled to hold onto them.
The Paladin fought back striking at the creatures causing them to poof away, yet they did not leave behind a gem. The Paladin did not have time to ponder the enigma as he helped his men from being pulled under. He continued to strike down, but for every one he poofed two more took its place. There were far too many for them to handle and they did not stop coming.
As men retreated to the high ground on the walls, the Paladin was still frantically fighting below. There was no sign of Sergeant Dewey, but a familiar scream caught his attention. He turned around to see Nora overwhelmed by a half dozen of the constructs who began to pull her underground.
The ground violently rumbled once more, causing the Paladin to lose his balance. The center of the courtyard sunk in as a massive beast emerged from the hole. It was similar to the other constructs except far larger and the Paladin noticed a gem in it's mouth which was unfamiliar to him.
Wismut was the closest to the behemoth and charged right at it, but the Paladin had other concerns. He searched for Nora again, but she was gone. Marianne was still fending off constructs when the Paladin came to her aid. He swung his flail with ferocity as it crashed into the constructs, poofing them in a single blow. One leaped through the air, but he caught it in his hand and slammed it into the ground.
Marianne was short on breath, but she desperately forced out her words. "They took her down below! We have to go after her!"
"We will, but first we need to help Wismut deal with whatever that thi-" the Paladin did not finish his words before the sinkhole widened once more, pulling him and Marianne into the darkness. The sounds of battle deafened as they descended deeper and deeper below.