Spiral Knights - Heart of Valor. [Fanfiction] Chapters Released: 12

Heart of Valor. [Fanfiction] Chapters Released: 12

337 replies [Last post]

Tue, 02/11/2014 - 20:01

Valorai

===========
WELCOME!

Hello everyone! Fancy meeting all of your beautiful faces here. In case you can't read, this is a fan fiction. Although, if you can't read, you couldn't read what I just said. So I don't even know why I keep ramblin- ANYWAYS.

I can't give you guys a prologue, unfortunately. I need characters for that. But I can give you a little something else.

"The core is within grasp. After two years of exploring the menacing clockworks, the 'Spiral Order' under command of former captain Ozlo realizes that escape from Cradle is imminent. When a ragtag group of knights uncover a major conspiracy, they must do battle against former friends and foes."

It's not much, but I don't want to give away too much. One thing I want to note is that this is MY story, and not everything will be correct lore-wise. If it makes more sense for you just think that things have changed over the years after they landed.

=============
APPLICATIONS: Currently Accepting!

APPLICATIONS:
Application restrictions:
Knights cannot be half-breeds.
Superpowers are not allowed.
Only five star or costume gear is allowed.
Knights cannot be overpowered.
Accessories such as wings, tails, auras, candles, and et cetera are not allowed.
Knights cannot have any relations with opposing sides such as the swarm, gremlins, or other monsters.

What I need:
- 1 gremlin. He must be young, but old enough to fight well.
- 1-2 knights.

============
Application Sheet:
------------
Name: (This is important: This name MUST be based off of your forum or in game name. For example: Aekun would be a satisfactory name. Feline-Grenadier would not. If you name is like VinnyDime, change it to Vinny. I will decided whether names are acceptable or not.)

Gender:

Armor: (Costume items such as prismatic cake, bomb heads, and stranger hats are not allowed.)

Weapons: (No obsidian or winterfest weapons, no WHR. Dark retribution is allowed.)

Personality:
----------------
There is not much to fill in, as I only need the bare minimum details. Now for the stats.

Stats are basically the skill points of a knight. Only forty stats are allowed. If you go over forty, your app will be denied. Zero IS an option, however not encouraged.

Swordsmanship:
0- Incompetent. Can't slice bread.
10: Expert. Can slice bread with skill that would impress biscotti.

Gunning:
0: Incompetent. Tends to shoot more allies than enemies.
10: Expert. Katniss everdeen.

Bombing:
0- Incompetent. Would probably forget to let go of a grenade.
10: Expert. I withhold my comment on this one because terrorist jokes are not funny.

Vitality/Endurance/Stamina:
0: Can be easily taken out. Suggested for gunners, as they are not in the center of fighting.
10: Suggested for this who need to be able to take hits.

Intelligence:
0: Was probably homeschooled. The poor fool can barely answer basic math.
10: Not quite a genius, but above average.

Speed:
0: Slow as a dying snail.
10: Fast as a slime on stimulants. (Pretty darn fast)

Cunning: (My definition of cunning is basically how good they are in a crisis. They are apt in problem solving.)
0: Tend to leave problems to others.
10: Solves problems that idiots can't.

Agility:
0: My grandma. Can barely lean over without breaking her back.
10: My grandpa. Expert at parkour and a gymnast.

All of these are out of 10. For example, you could have a 7/10 on Vitality.
=============
CAST:
Psychord
Cole
Astran "Thinslayer" Valderis
Felicity
Malkalack
Kano-Ka
Gwenivere
Cario

=============
LORE/MECHANIC CHANGES:
=============
Captain Ozlo is leader of the Spiral Order.
Tinkinzar is replaced with the 13 Gremlin Rulers.
Energy does not exist.
Wounds are healed by using compressed sparks of life. They are applied onto bandages and heal fatal wounds in a few hours. They are rare.
Haven is much bigger; The residential district has been added. Now we can have babies!

=============
CHAPTERS
=============

=============
THANK YOU'S
=============

Thinslayer- Providing poems and advice when needed.

Feline-Grenadier- Providing a poem.

Someordinarycake- For editing all of my chapters and providing advice.

AND BEAUTIFUL VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

=============

Tue, 02/11/2014 - 21:01

Psychnade

My App!

Name: Psychord
Gender: Male
Armor: Skolver Coat, Shadowsun Stetson
Weapons: Argent Peacemaker, Sentenza
Personality: A bipolar knight, his two guns represent his ever changing mind.
STATS:
Swordsmanship-3
Gunning-8
Bombing-0
Stamina-5
Intelligence-7
Speed-6
Cunning- 6
Agility-5

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 21:24

Colray

Entry

Name: Cole

Gender: Male

Armor: Chaos Cowl and Chaos Cloak.

Weapons: Final Flourish, Dread Venom Striker

Personality: Laid back, doesn't ask questions, doesn't take offense too much. Respects anyone who takes care of their gear.

STATS

Swordsmanship:
10/10

Gunning:
1/10

Bombing:
1/10

Vitality/Endurance/Stamina:
6/10

Intelligence:
5/10

Speed:
4/10

Cunning:
5/10

Agility:
8/10

P.S. This was the most interesting app I've made. The Stats were tricky to decide. I /applaud to you

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 08:57

Thinslayer

My turn.

Role: Semi-antagonist
Name: Astran "Thinslayer" Valderis
Gender: male
Appearance: Wolver coat, brown wide-brim hat (we'll call it Nameless), Acheron, Valiance
Personality: Being a professional swordsman (hybrid), he is cool, calculating, and seemingly emotionless. He shows little mercy towards the foolish and weak-minded, often berating recruits for their ignorance and inexperience, and sometimes even physically abusing them if they talk back, making him one of the most infamous noob-unfriendly people in Haven.

Unbeknownst to anyone else, though, he doesn't act this way out of spite. He cares deeply what happens to them, and feels pangs of regret whenever someone unfit for battle sheds their own blood in vain.

In combat, he fights like a hybrid samurai gunslinger. He often keeps his Valiance charged during sword fights so that he can blow his opponents away if needed, and sometimes even wields its bayonet like a second sword. He always fires off Valiance shots both on approach and in retreat. His swordsmanship tactics with his Acheron are of the standard samurai variety; he fires it out of his sheath as his opening attack, tries to dodge and deflect blows away rather than take them directly on the flat, and attacks in swift slicing motions.

STATS:
Swordsmanship: 10
Gunslinging: 5
Bombing: 0
Stamina: 0
Intelligence: 5
Speed: 5
Cunning: 10
Agility: 5

Tue, 02/11/2014 - 22:17

Aekun

App

Name: Aekun

Gender: Male

Armor: Vog Cub Coat, Vog Cub Cap, Personal Color is Purple

Weapons: Fang of Vog, Volcanic Pepperbox, Ash of Agni, Dragon Scale Shield

Personality: Despite the fiery gear, which he wears because he wants to, he is actually a much different type of person. He is smart and funny, yet an excellent strategist at the same time. Also, he wubs (loves) chocolate chip cookies.

Swordsmanship: 10

Gunslinging: 8

Bombing: 4

Stamina: 6

Intelligence: 10

Speed: 7

Cunning: 10

Agility: 9

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 19:24

Feline-Grenadier

Wolver?

Name : Felicity

Gender : Female

Sub-race : Voltail

Stats?

Personality :

Like all predators, Felicity runs as an electric killing machine that will do whatever it takes to sustain herself. That's as far as she goes in terms of similarities.

Unlike most Wolvers, Felicity isn't inclined to simply following an average pack. In fact, she's one of the rare lone wolves that would exclude itself from the rest of its kind, regardless of mating potential, dominance, and other critical factors that would make most other Wolvers go head-over-heels for a mate as such. It's only more intriguing that she was the alpha (in terms of how she was always the one standing tall over her siblings) of her litter, and was one of the few that survived all the way to adulthood. While she doesn't like staying in one place for far too long, however, she isn't inclined to leading on a few other Wolvers (most notably the alpha male and the younger males) for some false hopes.

While she hasn't progressed to being an actual Alpha, as the lack of a mate and her young age prevent her from doing so, she possesses enough cunning and smarts to surpass that of even the wisest of Alphas, as her added challenge of hunting alone molded her into a self-sustaining, efficient hunter.

However, in order to truly satisfy her wants, she often takes the company of odd beings, be it the occasional deconstruction crew, a romp with a pod of jellies, or even the quiet vigil of the Constructs. She possessed a quality few Wolver ever had : curiosity. Though she couldn't understand the concept of what a trestle bridge was, nor would she ever grasp the concept of basic rights, she knew how things worked.

It was only a matter of time, though, before she began to become tired of the familiar company of monsters. Gremlins put things together and took them apart. Fiends didn't even want to acknowledge her existence. Constructs lifted things up and set them down. Jellies flopped. Beasts hunted and became hunted.

The Knights, however, have fascinated her the most. They came to Cradle being wayward wanderers, and they seemed to never stop wandering about the Clockworks, searching for one thing, and the next, and the next. It was as if they were an entirely different world all packaged into a singular group of organisms, and they pursued one goal after another after another after ANOTHER. It was as if hunting was what kept them alive.

And perhaps Felicity was that type of Wolver, one that would find the reward not in the kill, but in the chase, the hunt, the pursuit. She wouldn't want to pursue happiness. Happiness was the pursuit itself.

Theme Song, because why not?

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 05:25

Valorai

Heart of Valor

I am very pleased with these apps.

@Psychnade: Very good! Accepted!

@Colray: Accepted. Cole would make a good mediator, I think.

@Thinslayer: Definitely accepted. Great name as well.

@Aekun: Denied. You are only allowed forty stat points. You used 64. Of you change that, I will probably accept you.

@Feline-granadier: Accepted! Looks like you put some thought into this one.
========
Everyone must note that I will not follow everything you have given me. If it's beneficial to the story, I'll tweak a stat. This one directed at Thinslayer, I will make him 'evil' (Not quite evil) in other ways as well. Just making sure you all know that when the story starts the apps are simply guidelines. And I, as the the author, am not forced to follow them completely.

Thanks for all the great apps!

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 05:52

Malkalack

Swag IS a virtue

NAME: Malkalack
RACE: Knight
APPEARANCE: Skolver coat, Azure Guardian Armour, Aegis,
GEAR: Final Flourish, Valiance
PERSONALITY: Being a striker, this requires a constitution of steel and being cool in a crisis. He hates Gremlins with a passion unheard of even among the Spiral Knights. He had a good upbringing, with loving parents and two sisters and his family was all on the Skylark. He was the sole survivor among his family to survive the crash. This terrible loss has tempered him, and he has indomitable will.

--STATS--

Swordsmanship: 10
Gunslinging: 0
Bombing: 0
Stamina: 9
Intelligence: 6
Agility: 5
Speed: 10
Cunning: 0

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 06:03

Kanoka

I wouldn't mind adding an app to this too!

Haven't actually posted on the SK forums in a while...figured this might be a nice way to invest some time into checking it again often. :)

Application Sheet:
------------
Name: Kano-Ka (puts the emphasis on the "ka" rather than the "o")
Gender: Male
Armor: Wears the Justifier Set, but keeps his Spiral Sallet w/ Cool Com Unit on his head as a costume.
Weapons: Hail Driver, Callahan, Acheron (for close quarters fighting vs gremlins and jellies), Grey Owlite Shield

Personality: An extremely loyal, but often misguided knight who looks more to help his allies in battle than actually remain alive. Although a cautious and sensitive thinker outside of battle, he can tend to become reckless when he feels the situation is becoming desperate - thankfully, his aim is extremely sound due to intense practice in the Clockworks, and he knows the ins and outs of all of his weapons and his opponents, taking careful time to study them and their movements in order to know how to assist his teammates against them. He tends to be reserved, and hides his dark secrets underneath his ordinarily cheerful exterior due to an innate fear that he won't be accepted by his peers if they were revealed (up to you to determine those secrets if you'd like to use him - I'd prefer nothing too horrible, but i give you the leisure). However, he ultimately works to protect his teammates and would give up his life for those he cares about.

Swordsmanship: 3; he has an Acheron, but only uses it in desperate situations. He's much better with his guns.

Gunning: 9; training extensively has made him an excellent gunner, and his reflexes have grown quick because of it.

Bombing: 1; has no experience, and would probably risk his teammates' lives if used without further experience.

Vitality/Endurance/Stamina: 4; his training has made him stronger, although not by much.

Intelligence: 10; studying his opponents gives him opportunity for strategy, and he knows a lot about the Clockworks and the creatures that live in it.

Speed: 3; can only move so fast when he's aiming correctly in the right posture, so he doesn't bother to often

Cunning: 3; although he's smart and tactically, his nervous nature leads to him making irrational decisions in desperate fights unless given strong guidance by his team.

Agility: 7; his reflexes sped up through training, he can dodge attacks fast if he isn't focusing too hard on his strategy.

Hope this gives you a good character! I tried to leave room for movement in his personality, in case you wanted to use him as an antagonist or a protagonist (although he still frighteningly reminds me of myself a bit). Looking forward to seeing if you use him for your story!

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 06:30

Valorai

Heart of Valor.

@Malkalack: Definitely accepted. A well rounded character that I'll be able to use.

@Kano: He's a bit average in my opinion. Accepted.

So guys, we have a problem. By my count we have

0 Bombers. (However I don't actually care about bombers. Better to leave them out.)
4 gunners.
1 swordsman. This needs to change.

Sorry Thinslayer, I am vetoing your character. Would you mind editing his stats to make him a swordsman? I apologize, but sniper wouldn't have fit in well anyways. I also need one other person to volunteer to change from a gunner to a swordsman.

@Feline-Grenadier: Don't worry about the stats. The voltail will get its own.

@Sonosuks: I need you in mah story. Add an app as soon as you can.

BESIDES SONOSUKE, APPS ARE NO LONGER BEING TAKEN.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 08:25

#10

Thinslayer

@Valorai

Sure, I'll work on it. Want me to expand his biography?

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 08:31

#11

Valorai

Heart of Valor

That would be appreciated, Thin. Thanks.

EDIT: While you're here Thin, I need to edit the OP in a way I don't know how. How do I give a link to a specific post? I'm hoping to do what you did in your RP.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 08:39

#12

Feline-Grenadier

On stats, I hope you guys do realize that Valorai is being a little more practical with his 10-stat comparisons. If everyone had superior, god-like skills even for one stat, there wouldn't even need to be a large squad. Katniss is practical; she isn't perfect, but she's got plenty of skill for judging distances and the speed of her arrows to shoot that well :P

It's just that it'll be impossible for a character to do something when it's physically impossible to do it, even with 10-stats.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 08:44

#13

Valorai

Heart of Valor

You hit the nail right on the head. And I'm all out of nails.

I was just being a little silly with the descriptions, and katniss is just a rough comparison.

BLOOP

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 08:51

#14

Thinslayer

@Valorai

To link to a specific post:

Right-click on the post number.
Copy Link Address
On your post, type '[a href="paste link address here"]Replacement Text[/a]' replacing all brackets with <> signs and leaving out the single-quotes.
Preview and Save!

When all's said in done, it should look like:
Replacement Text

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 09:00

#15

Valorai

Heart of Valor

That makes sense. I make most of my posts mobile, so I'll make the time to do it later. Thanks Thin.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 09:08

#16

Creeperlucario

Missed a spot for app

Urgh, that's annoying for me, I wish my timezone wasn't so far apart...

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 09:19

#17

Hazardous-Anomaly

Making an app! (oops)

Name: Cpt. Dash Bombastic

Gender: Male

Armor: Ancient Plate Mail set, with iron might shield
Weapons: Sudaruska

Personality: A man blinded by pride for the order, he follows orders given to him without regard to morals. As a veteran, he's seen his fair share of battles, and can't wait for the next one. Serving the order, with faith and valor.
----------------

Swordsmanship: 8 -Like your meat tenderized right? Gotta get in close for that.

Gunning: 3 -Shot guns before, knows where the safety is on them, but using them is a hindrance in his heavy-set armor

Bombing: 3 -seen (first hand) enough bombs to be able to identify them, that's about it though.

Vitality/Endurance/Stamina: 10 -Stonewall; you shot me? that's cute

Intelligence: 5 -Average training and schooling typical of the order

Speed: 2. -Moving a mountain isn't very easy you know

Cunning: 3 -Definitely a soldier, he relies on guidance to be effective on the battlefield, but can react to sudden shifts in DMG types

Agility: 4 -Well conditioned to his armor, he can move about well enough. Don't expect him to be vaulting over ledges though

(Edit: was reading the other entries for inspiration when I saw that you weren't taking any other apps. Already made everything, and it felt a shame to throw away, so I thought i'd post it anyway. Just let me know if you want me to remove it)

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 09:25

#18

Valorai

Heart of Valor.

If you want CreeperLucario, you can make an app. Just bear in mind that there is about a one percent chance you'll be accepted.

Edit: It's fine, Bless.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 10:10

#19

Creeperlucario

OK then, I will make an app...

Name: Commander Cario. (Cario is the last 5 letters of my forum name.)
Gender: Female
Armor: Divine Mantle and Helm
Weapons: Dark Retribution, Shivermist Buster, Dark Briar Barrage.
Personality: Lonely, shy, very patient and hates if problems get too hard.
Swordsmanship: 0, can't even cut bread or anything.
Gunning: 1, most of the time accidentally harms his own allies.
Bombing: 10, can place 2 or 3 bombs before anyone attacks.
Vitality/Endurance/Stamina: 10, can absorb lots of hits even when dashing.
Intelligence: 5, smart as the average person.
Speed: 7, very fast but can still be snipped.
Cunning: 1, despite being smart, can't usually sort problems out.
Agility: 6, can do basic parkour but can't do advanced parkour.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 10:40

#20

Valorai

Heart of Valor.

Woah. I might actually accept that, -minus the commander part.

You also reminded me that I needed more female characters. At least one more.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 13:31

#21

Thinslayer

Me me me!

Role: love interest
Name: Lady Gwenivere
Appearance
Gender: female
Armor: Heavenly Guardian armor (Divine stats)
Weapons: Divine Avenger, Crest of Almire, Argent Peacemaker, supply of Radiant Sun Shards in her bag (used like grenades)

Personality: Gwen is an adventurous, spirited girl with a serious demeanor and a (somewhat) sadistic sense of humor. She doesn't usually wear armor, preferring rather to wear a loose summer dress, so when she's all geared up, you know she means business. She has a penchant for getting herself into odd scrapes, no thanks to her somewhat impulsive nature, but she can often get herself out of them, so she is unlikely to be a damsel in distress in most situations. She likes to tease and flirt with people she knows well, but sometimes just ends up pissing them off with an errant practical joke.

Her fighting style involves a lot of spins and aerial maneuvering, which she can pull off thanks to her unique grav boots that allow her to rapidly change directions in mid-air. It's not the most efficient way to fight, and it's probably not nearly as safe as more traditional combat techniques, but it seems to work well for her nonetheless.

STATS:
Swordsmanship: 6
Gunslinging: 4
Bombing: 5
Vitality: 1
Intelligence: 9
Speed: 5
Cunning: 5
Agility: 5

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:42

#22

Valorai

Heart of Valor.

Oh my... I believe I've found her. She won't be part of the main cast Thin, but she will play an important role. I'm going to be changing her by quite a lot, however.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:44

#23

Thinslayer

@Valorai

What kind of changes did you have in mind? I have a few alternate versions of her.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 12:00

#24

Valorai

Heart of Valor

@Thinslayer

It's a secret. :D

EDIT: Screw that. I need you to change the app anyways. She'll still be a love interest... Albeit a different kind. Just get all of the sunshine and lollipops out of her app. Then maybe add a little more to fill it in. (Am I making sense?)

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 13:32

#25

Thinslayer

@Valorai

How is she now? This is roughly her same incarnation as in Return to Cradle: Origins.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 17:26

#26

Kanoka

@Valorai

If you still need someone else to change to swordsman, I can change up Kano-Ka's character for that. Sorry if his character wasn't much - I can definitely add more to it if you'd like as well.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 17:50

#27

Colray

Derppity derp

I'll change to swordsman if you want.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 19:26

#28

Feline-Grenadier

Hm...

Theme songs, anyone? I figured it'd fit Felicity's ideal place to roam about.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 20:01

#29

Valorai

Heart of Valor

Sorry for not being on as much today.

@Thin It's much better, but I would like you to change a little bit about her armor. Just...a dress? I don't think that would fit in too well.

@Colray Yes, Cole would be a good choice for Swordsman. Change it please.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 20:40

#30

Sonosuke

#Sonosuks

Wait, am I too late?

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 21:24

#31

Colray

Derppity derp

There we go! I finished editing my entry too make Cole into a swordsman. I'm pretty sure the stats are at 40.

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 22:05

#32

Thinslayer

@Valorai

Did you click the link?

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 05:57

#33

Valorai

Heart of Valor

No Sono, you're so special that I need an app from you. Get to work.

EDIT: Alright Thin, I was wrong. That Appearence is actually almost perfect.

Thu, 03/20/2014 - 12:46

#34

Sonosuke

#Sonosuks

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 15:44

#35

Valorai

Heart of Valor.

This weekend there will be no updates. For me, this weekend is for brainstorming plot and etc. I will still be answering questions and stuff in the comments, but if will not release chapters. See you all later!

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 15:48

#36

Psychnade

Steem und Proot

Gootbai mai frent i luk fovvad tu yor storay

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 17:20

#37

Valorai

Heart of Valor.

I'm going to forget this later, but I'm going to post this now.

This weekend, I have to go to a prison camp, so I won't be around at all. I wish you all a valentines day of empty hearts and full stomachs.

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 17:30

#38

Sonosuke

#Sonosuks

NUUUU!! VAL, I LOVE JU!!

... yeah, this is awkward. And now I wait for Yaoi fan fics. *pulls a revolver to his head*

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 18:03

#39

Colray

Ummmmmmmmm Derp?

Awww i was looking forward to reading dis story

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 19:36

#40

Valorai

Heart of Valor

Don't worry Colray, I'll be back on Monday. First chapter will hopefully come on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Fri, 02/14/2014 - 10:50

#41

Malkalack

Swag IS a virtue

Nyoooorgh. Prison Camp?

Mon, 02/17/2014 - 08:19

#42

Valorai

Heart of Valor.

Chapter 1 will HOPEFULLY come out today or tomorrow. I have to tell you though, I'm a lazy writer.

Mon, 02/17/2014 - 08:30

#43

Sonosuke

#Sonosuks

Mon, 02/17/2014 - 08:32

#44

Valorai

Heart of Valor

Sono, seeing that "#Sonosuks" brings a smile to my face every time.

Mon, 02/17/2014 - 09:43

#45

Colray

Derp

yay ur back

Mon, 02/17/2014 - 12:02

#46

Valorai

Heart of Valor.

Alright everyone, I'm writing chapter one right now. I'm trying to decide whether or not to introduce each character with their own chapter. Thoughts?

Mon, 02/17/2014 - 12:07

#47

Thinslayer

@Valorai

We'll become acquainted with the characters through the story, so just write as normal.

Mon, 02/17/2014 - 15:25

#48

Kanoka

I'd just write how you feel!

I'm probably more in agreement with Thinslayer on this - if you really want to write up individual chapters for each character, go right ahead. However, that'll take a long time AND, as already stated, we'll get to know the characters more as the story goes on.

Sun, 02/23/2014 - 21:35

#49

Valorai

Heart of Valor: Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

The room was dark, and dank. To settle the atmosphere, a lone yellow light beacon shining from the ceiling. Although it's light pierced the darkness, it did little to illuminate more than pale, furry faces.

It wasn't a large space. It was mostly used to accommodate a single being. Outside the door was a much larger expanse. Very few knew of these two rooms, and rightly so. If word had gotten out that the foul beasts known as gremlins lived a few mere meters underneath the knight's safe Haven, there would be chaos. All of the prisoners would have to be killed.

A single knight rubbed his temples under their Azure helmet. This was going nowhere. No matter what the knights asked, or the methods they used, the vile creature would not speak. This knight was sitting in a metal chair, presumably made from the ores found in the walls of the clockworks.

Chained to the wall in front of him was the Spiral Order's most impressive prize. A gremlin warmaster. Herex.

Here was a devious gremlin. One that had almost single-handedly murdered every spiral knight on cradle. Herex's existence was first discovered when the Order has brought down Compound 42, which was a bio weapons facility. Unfortunately for the knights that had besieged the facility, Herex had found a way to infect them with a disease.

The knights had returned to Haven to celebrate the fall of the Crimson Orders facilities. Captain Ozlo had commissioned their return as 'A victory worthy of celebration'

The knights had celebrated with parties, and wild drinks. The original knights were among them. Throughout the night, there were more and more reports of incidents of terrifying proportions. Knights bursting right in front of their friends. Others that had simply fallen over and died.

By the time the Order realized the problem, it was too late. One fourth of the population of Spiral Knights had deceased. No strangers had been affected. No snipes as well. The order declared the highest level of emergency they could issue, and quarantined unaffected knights in their own homes.

When knights were able to leave once again, the casualty count was devastating.

An unstoppable anger burst through the knight in the dark room. He was in a room beyond anyone's reach, with a killer of thousands. The gremlin didn't look it. The warmaster in front of him was gasping for breath, a chain collar pressing lightly on his throat.

The old codger had many wounds. Scars everywhere, likely to have respiratory issues.
His fur was light brown and gray, with teeth worn away. He had been stripped of his gear and clothing to humiliate him. It was too dark to see anything uncomfortable, but it served its purpose. Or rather, it didn't. Like everything else.

He refused to speak, refused to eat. On the wall that he was chained upon you could see burn marks, yet the wall was moist. Ozlo insisted that torture was a necessary step to insure they get what they desire.

The gremlin was bony. Did the knight ever notice that? Herex was starving himself to death, perhaps trying to end it.

"Not before we break him." The knight thought. Finished with today's painful session, the knight got up from his chair and onto the concrete floor. His footsteps echoed throughout the room as he headed towards the heavily locked door.

"Despair for all who sees the Eye." A creaky voice started to chant.

Herex had said his first words in weeks. The knight turned back to Herex, but when he looked into his eyes he saw that they were not focused. They were glazed, and looking down.

"Despair for all who sees the Eye.

The trickle of shade, relentless;

Despair for all who sees the Eye.

Unrelenting pain,

Despair for all who sees the Eye.

For all in its grasp;

Despair for all who sees the Eye.

In its clutches are many dead."

He uttered one last phrase that the knight could not hear, and before the knight could utter a word, Herex fell unconscious. There was no point in attempting to wake him up. After the sessions, he could sleep for a day without ever waking.

The knight quickly processed in his brain that figuring out what the hell just happened would have to wait. There was no chance that he could figure it out today, but perhaps Herex would be more liberal tomorrow. He would simply file this incident under report and be on his way.

He promptly exited the room, with the door swishing behind him as he exited. Multiple locks clanged as they shut, making sure the scum would stay for the rest of his life.

Now compared to the quiet and depressing mood of Herex's cell, the main room was the opposite. It was brightly lit here, and was much louder. Gremlins that had the privelage of bars or windows clanged and banged on them, causing a huge ruckus. In a separate district, the knight could hear wolvers among other creatures howling in pain.

Capturing wolvers had been very profitable. Skolver and vog coats were common armors, and protected knights very well. But after the Arkus incident, several perma frostifurs had been brought back by knights. Scientists have theorized that you could get impenetrable hide from them, and a knight could be unkillable while wearing a perma coat.

Unfortunately, the hides by themselves didn't work. But they were guessing that there was some kind of organ that made the hides so powerful. Best to let scientists figure that stuff out.

After walking onto a catwalk across the great room, the knight went through another set of sliding doors only to be greeted by another knight on the other side.

"I assume the prisoner said nothing?" The knight asked, a stoic expression on his face. He was wearing a full Azure armorset, badges and crests decorating a blue sash.

Trying to sound respectful, the first knight said, "You'll be able to read all about it in my report, sir."

The second knight raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. The hallway they were now in was a brightly lit, but the mood was still dark.

"Don't worry, Malkalack. He'll crack eventually."

-----------
This chapter was a little short. I had less than a day to work on it, so please don't be sad. It will be longer on most days.
Each character will not have their own chapter. This one introduced Malkalack simply because it was convenient, and fitted into the story.

ENDING NOTES: Comment down below! What did you think of the first chapter? Leave your praise, you criticism, and your suggestions! It lets me know you care about the story and want more!

A special thank you to 'Feline-Grenadier' for providing the poem!

Mon, 02/17/2014 - 20:47

#50

Colray

Derppity derp

This is a good start, the short tale of the epidemic was pretty... affecting. I could almost feel why the knights would be angry at Herex. In short: Dis good... write moar.

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Heart of Valor. [Fanfiction] Chapters Released: 12