The wind blew steadily and the sun began to set in the distance, overcastting a hue of orange and red across the skies of cradle. The clouds hit by the light lit up with darker hues of the colors. Critzer looked up and smiled, she liked the sunsets one of the things that haven’t changed since she and many others had made it onto Cradle. She let out a sigh and a tear rolled down her face.
She turned to look ahead of her and saw the entrance to Haven, it was over grown and cracked. It was quite and eerie, something she was used to by now. She began to move forward, using her fearless rigadoon as a walking stick, leaning her weight to help her old body out. She was a tough one many said, no matter how many times she was hit, gunned down, or burned, she always got up and outlived those who hurt her. But she never wanted to outlive those who didn’t.
As she walked into the main square of haven she glanced to her sides, looking at all the knights along the walls and on the floor, all of them dead. It was sad, many of them she had once interacted with in same way or another. She took a left and walked into the grassy plot were all the snipes would gather. She looked in and saw there were no more snipes, just more bodies, most of them choosing the spot they liked the most in Haven as their final place. She tilted her head in respect and headed towards the auction house.
She was weary and kept her alert up, she may be old, but she still had the will to fight, she did not want to die here, not now, she wasn’t ready. She kept an eye on the stairs that led to the arcade, it was where most of the danger would come from, and it was the fall of Haven. Monsters frequently rose from the depths that led up to the arcade. This used to not happen due to energy and frequent patrols that kept the monsters at bay, keeping the stronger ones at lower levels. But one day, for some reason, there was an Energy shortage. The energy that healed them, that gave them ammo, that kept their swords sharp, and kept the knights going had begun to run out. Crowns soon lost all value, bartering ensued as well as chaos. Monsters began to frequently swarm Haven and those who ran out of sparks of life and energy merely died where they lay. No turning back up in Haven, no, it was the end. As the thoughts of that day rushed to her mind, she shook her head and pressed on.
As she made it to the Auction house she looked at the various bodies here and there. One of them was a merchant she knew, his name was Basin, the snipe that was on his stranger’s hat now gone, having fled the scene as Basin drew his last breath. She looked all around the bodies were seated up against the counter and old fountain that stopped working, its water murky and filled with algae. She looked over the counter and saw many items and millions of worthless crowns. Some of the items were exceedingly rare and if she were younger, she wouldn’t have hesitated in jumping over and snatching them. Sadly, that time had passed and she could merely grin at her old self, only for it to fade as reality set in once again. She began to head east, the amount of bodies slimming down on her way to the Garrison.
She then remembered the library that she attended to a lot and decided to head there first, as it was on the way to the garrison. With each step she made, the tip of her rigadoon made a “tink” sound each time it hit the ground yet it’s glorious point never dulled, and she smiled at its resilience to not change, much like her, except she wasn’t mere mystical metal like her trusty sword was. Either way, it did its job as she walked; helping her stand as well as lighting the way as it became darker. When she finally made it to the library, she stepped inside. It was filled with book after book after scroll. Many of them written by Knights whose hobby were to write stories of fiction or reality. Some books even having her in them, which she always liked to read. She looked to the side to notice a few more bodies, many of them she also knew, some to name were Colray, Liminori, Feline-Grenadier, Thinslayer, and Hexlash who she was good friends with. Both Hex and Thin were surrounded by their books and scrolls they themselves had written. Tears rolled down her face as she noticed Thin was writing as he passed, doing what he loved till the end. She walked to Hex and then Thin, patting each one’s head in respect and remembrance. She couldn’t take being in there anymore and walked out, pulling out one of her own books from the shelf, one of the very few she had made and took it with her on her way out.
As the light started fading away, she quickened her pace, her riga lighting the way. It hurt her but it had to be done. She had a lot on her, including her favorite costume, her hallowed set. She had sold all of her other costumes and accessories including her full prismatic rose set with prismatic vents and valkyrie wings. But she kept her Hallow intact; it was hers and hers only. Her hallow glasses where cracked a bit and her wings were broken in certain places such as the tips. The colors were a bit faded and the bombs no longer shined any light.
With her quick pace, she had reached her destination, the guild hall area. It was a massive area sealed from the depths and guarded by gates at its entrance. She walked up to one of the gate's panels and transferred a bit of energy into it to let it run one last time to let her enter. With that, the gate opened with a creak and moan, only opening a little, which forced her to squeeze through. Once in, it closed shut behind her, leaving her to herself in the darkness. She used her riggadoon to light her way to the panel of her guild and transferred the last bit of energy to light it up once again in its glory, only leaving her with a tiny amount left for her.
As the lights lit up and machines rung back to life in a rusty clatter, she smiled with glee. She was greeted by the old zombie butler who recognized her from so many years ago. It knew what her goal was and pointed her upstairs loyally. She let out a sigh, only to chuckle at herself, saying to herself “One last push, lets go!” She walked up the path, her glorious guild, each step making an echo that rang around the massive area. She looked at the massive statues covered in dust and cobwebs, yet still magnificent and majestic in every way. The various lights scattered around added life to the now dead area. As she neared the top she could only say hi to all that were there, she had reached her destination.
She looked upon them, Njthug at the very center of it all, sitting in a glorious throne. He was flanked by three others, also in thrones of equal glory yet different from each, they were Hadn, Dogrock, and Tantarian. Then in seats that flanked the thrones, all of which were connected in a line, came Avian, Digicom, Dutch, Miso, Stelli, Fangel, and Momo. Those who sat were numerous, all of them passed, all of them her friends, such as Mediocre, Luthienny, Corendon, Kin-dred, Kingfusion, Rawtekk, Ur-bad, and then Lizzi, who was a great artist who drew many pictures of everyone, Critzer included. She took up her seat next to King, who had the Mixmaster she had sold to him a long time ago still in his holster. She gave him a pat on the head.
As she sat down in her chair, she pulled out a plan canister, and looked thrown all of its contents, many of which were pictures made by various artist. There was the one made by Savinya, one of her favorite, it caught her in her prime, it was glorious and was praised by many. Then came the ones by Lizzi, which were many, there was the one with her daughter’s, Mai and Maya, who were about their late teens when it was made. She had said goodbye to the both of them before she had left on her journey to Haven. They had let her leave without any hassle unless many hugs, kisses and tears of love are considered a hassle. Then there was the one of her, the one where she was insane, the bloody one. Now when she looks back at that time and her past, those were dark days, but they built her to who she is now. She didn’t like her past but she didn’t dismiss it, it was a part of her and if it wasn’t, she’d be a totally different person. She smiled and put the pictures back into the container and sealed it back up. She placed the contained on the floor and leaned it against the chair where she sat. She held her rigadoon in her lap and took in a deep sigh.
She looked at both sides and was surrounded by her comrades. All of which were giving off echos, a strong echo, an echo you could not merely hear but one you could feel. It was to some an Echo of Silence, but to them, to HER, it was the greatest echo of all. It was the Echo of Friendship, loyalty, bonding, caring, fun, and just kindness all rapped into one massive echo. It may have been the quietest echo, the most silent but to them, the guild “Echo of Silence”, it was by far the loudest. Critzer’s smile was larger than it ever had been in a long time. She couldn't help but cry and lean on one of her now gone friend’s shoulder. She moaned in agony of misery and loss and pure pain as her body let out its last woos and breaths. She sat herself up one last time, so that if anyone saw her again, they would see her in dignity rather then sorrow. She took one last breath as her vision faded, her eyes began to lose color, and her body became limp. She let out a final “Goodbye” before finally passing on.
There she lay, Critzer, her dead body and old armor showing her age before passing. She passed peacefully, surrounded by friends. All of them, each seat filled, a testimony to her will to live it out. She was the last Echo, the final Echo. With the last living being to have gone, the guild hall’s power shut down. They were safe and sound, sealed away from any hazards that would befall haven again. Silence range through the halls, though the library, though haven entirely again, just as before.
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I hope anyone who reads this liked this. This was depressing and actually brought a tear to my eye. There are probably many grammatical errors in it and im sorry in advance.
Lovely read!