Spiral Knights - The Dark Blade's Revenge

The Dark Blade's Revenge

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Sat, 05/21/2016 - 16:02

Tehepicwin

AN: A while back, I wrote a fanfic called The Dark Blade. You can find it down below, but I'd say that you only need to read the first few chapters.

http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/109601

This is going to be an alternate version of the story. I'll fiddle with the characters a bit, and change the rules of the world's most insane weapon. Let's have some more fun!

Chapter 1: Chasing Shadows
XXXXXXXXXX
The purple eye of the Unknown Passage appears, surrounded by black.

Open the window and look outside.

Run around, feeling the wind on your fingertips.

Breathe the air, savour the taste.

Know that your mind, little one, is completely, and wholly, your own.

The eye disappears.
-----
Kora said on the radio, "You know the drill Lotus. Go into the level, pick up any loot the knights left behind, and ascend as soon as you can."

As her elevator finally stopped, Lotus replied, "Yeah, yeah. You better put in a good word for me when you talk to Barrus. If I don't become a Knight Elite by the end of today, I'll kill someone."

"Whoa there girl! You're on Geo-Knight duty in an Unknown-freaking-Passage, that Barrus is GOING to accept your application this time."

"Shut up and let me work."

Lotus stepped off the elevator and sighed. Opening her quantum bag and pulling the minecart, she got to work. Since her application for promotion was rejected a month ago, Lotus had been working as a Geo-Knight non-stop. It payed half decently, it looked half decent on a resume, but the biggest issue, by far, was that it was boring as hell.

Picking up after slobs that were too lazy to pick up a damn Red Shard, cleaning up the corpses that they were too squeamish to throw over the edge, it was all stupid! Lotus' talents were wasted in this occupation. Lotus, the rising prodigy of Haven, hadn't gotten to kill anything for weeks! She could probably take on the fat Vanaduke sucker by herself, but NO, Barrus just had to get in her way.

What basis did he have to reject her? Elemental hood, cloak, Nightblade, Needle Shot, Great Defender; it was all she needed. So what, if she was only fifteen?

Scraping the Gremlin-blood off the floor, Lotus realized she didn't have enough cleaning wipes. If they worked for a few more eons, the Spiral Knights just might be able to colonize all of the Unknown Passages. Moving her blond hair over and behind her ears, Lotus got up and went back towards the elevator.

However, out of the corner of her eye, Lotus saw a pair of red eyes peeking around a corner. Strangely enough, the eyes looked like they belonged to a Black Kat! Screw getting permission, Lotus was going to kill some Margrel spawn. A book of dark rituals would be awesome!

Lotus dashed with a speed rivaling an enraged Wolver. Her heart racing, Lotus subconsciously fastened her shield and equipped her Nightblade. With permission or not, Lotus was going to become a hero, a legend! She turned the corner, and then...

It was empty.

Bowing her head down, Lotus prepared to walk back, but something in the centre of the area glowed a peculiar shade of purple and pink. She sprinted and immediately performed a visual examination. It wasn't like anything she had ever seen before.

It was a Cutter, but not just any Cutter. This particular one was the kind wielded by the Gremlins of the Unknown Passage. It had teeth made out of the essence of the void, ready to bring treachery to any victim.

It wasn't what she was expecting, but Lotus was going to take any oppurtunity she was given. After checking if she was being watched by any Spiral Order surveillance drones, Lotus quickly strapped the Dark Blade inside her cloak and went back up to Haven.

Lotus might as well try to become a Knight Elite again. Kora can get some other scumbag to shovel Gremlin corpses.
-----
That evening, Lotus sat by the edge of Haven, overlooking the Chasm.

Rejected, again. Time to wait until next month, again. Lotus sighed.

However, a minute later, a shadow crept up beside Lotus. She turned around to see its source.

Walking down the steps of Haven was a woman. Short, just like Lotus. Long hair, just like Lotus. Same face, body built similarly.

There were only two significant differences. One was the woman's black hair against Lotus' blond.

Second, and more shockingly, was that compared to Lotus' emerald eyes, the woman had a pair of red ones, staring into the chasm. The woman looked at Lotus and said, "Oh, hey. You're in my spot."

Lotus said, "No, this is my spot."

The woman sighed. "Heh, I'll give it up for today." She sat beside Lotus. "Did something go wrong, hmm?"

Lotus shot a look at the woman. Lotus asked, "And, who the hell are you?"

"I'm Djinn! You're Lotus, right?"

Lotus didn't feel a need to answer. Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of...curiosity, overcame Lotus. She asked Djinn, "By any chance, did you happen to sneak into an Unknown Passage today?"

Djinn paused a moment before saying...

"No."

Lotus narrowed her eyes some more, then ran off towards the Geo-Knight laboratory.

Djinn whispered to herself, "Little girl, we'll have so much fun, hee."
-----
Lotus, now in her lockable personal lab, silently took out the Dark Blade and grabbed her toolkit.

It's damage and heat level readings were indiscernible by any conventional means. After using damage formula, Lotus found that the Dark Blade was neither normal, piercing, elemental, shadow, or a split. According to calculations and material measurements, it also had curse effects, but after being tested on rats, the rats only had their rib cages crushed. However, that was attributable to Lotus' eagerness.

In terms of heat level, most weapons start at 1 and go up by natural numbers. For some reason, the Dark Blade was at the root of 0.89. Then, a few minutes later, the Dark Blade was at heat level tau.

If Lotus could rationalize this madness, she would be the greatest mind of the Spiral Order since Dr. Spiral invented the Proto Gun!

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. It was Reg, Lotus' supervisor. He shouted, "You're in too late again! Open up and get out!"
XXXXXXXXXX
AN: And that's the first chapter of this alternate story. I'd appreciate any and all feedback!

Sat, 05/21/2016 - 23:11

Corporal-Shade

I'm a Wizard

This is interesting and all that stuff.
I'm sure that Loturia is still gonna be a big d@#%head and do even more homicidal bs.

Mon, 05/23/2016 - 20:28

Tehepicwin

Chapter 2: Rediscoveries

AN: Of course there's going to be more death, but I'm going to slightly shift the focus off of murder. For now at least. This is going to take another chapter or two before it hits its stride again.
XXXXXXXXXX
The purple eye of the Unknown Passage appears, surrounded by black.

Two tons of compressed shadow steel,

Compressed beyond a rate that which is real.

A collection of assorted shards,

Fused with warp dust to make them hard.

The essence of dead civilizations,

Both in writing, soul, and occupation.

The fangs of the beasts that run wild,

And the terrified screams of a tortured child.

The eye disappears.
-----
After waiting for almost a minute, Reg took out his master key and opened the door himself. As he opened the door, he said, "Now, just what are you doing?"

Reg found Lotus simply standing beside a cleared table. Innocently smiling, she answered, "Nothing much."

Reg sighed. "You know, you should stop working so late." He pointed at his head. "It really helps up here."

Lotus stayed put and remained silent.

Reg sighed once more. "Turn off the lights and lock the door when you leave."

Lotus said, "Yes sir."

Once Reg left her private lab, Lotus quickly opened a nearby closet. She took the Dark Blade out and let out a quiet "hmmm."
-----
Now that Lotus was gone, Djinn took her spot. After making sure nobody was watching, she snuck a peek at her cellphone. Why wasn't that guy responding?

Well, it was just like him; he always lived in that stupidly secretive way. From experience, Djinn knew the fact that he would come was absolute.

Sure enough, later that night, Djinn saw a shadow cast by a Morai Warrior mercenary.

Without turning around, Djinn greeted, "Nice to see you, Zodrian."

Zodrian, a tall man in Grey Leather, said, "Get to it."

Djinn continued facing towards the chasm. She didn't need to look to know that he was glaring at her. Djinn said, "Treat me with some respect. I'm higher up in the organization than you."

"What did you want to tell me?"

"Oh, a funny one you are. Anyway, what you should know is that Lotus is a badass."

"That doesn't matter. I killed every target I was assigned to."

"I know that part, but I think you should try your hardest. She is the rising prodigy of Cradle, and one of the most quickly advancing knights in Spiral Order history. You really have to put some 'oomph' into it." Djinn finally turned around. "And not only because she's tough. It's because I said so. If you don't try, I'll see to it that you get kicked out."

Zodrian tensed up. "Okay, dammit! I'll slash and shock that runt until the angels can see the mess from the Astral Plane!"

Djinn laughed, "Now, that's what I like to hear! Go and show her who's boss." She waved at Zodrian. "Now shoo, I don't have any more business with you."

Before Djinn finished, the man was already gone. Djinn laughed as she scrolled through a message on her phone that read:

To: Zodrian

From: ???

Kill a Knight by the codename of Lotus.

Payment will be 100,000 crowns.

Maybe now that insubordinate swine could get the death sentence he deserved. Letting out a breath, she lied down and became lost in thought. It was time for Lotus to prove her worthiness of the Dark Blade. Could she pass the test? Djinn could kill two birds with one stone if Lotus won; the untrustworthy scumbag would be killed, and Djinn could continue observing Lotus.

If Djinn could learn enough information, she could create a second blade.
-----
After some time, Lotus figured that it would be a good idea to try heating the Dark Blade. Unfortunately, Lotus didn't want to wait until morning to go down into stratum one. The best course of action would be to steal from the Auction House. Just one combined box of heat canisters and cracked fire crystals would be enough.

Lotus left the laboratory, Dark Blade in backpack, and walked towards the Auction House. She found that she was alone in the dimly-lit streets of Haven. Not a single thing moved except her. A few minutes later, Lotus stood at one of the back doors of the building's storage space. Lotus knew from her own former job that there was only one guard inside, who would typically shift their focus from each of the many sections.

Lotus opened the door and silently walked inside. When she snuck around, Lotus found the guard standing right by the heating items section. She would have to wait until...

Aleph...

Huh?

Aleph...

Lotus couldn't help but say, "What the hell? Aleph?"

Upon saying the word, the Dark Blade flew out of her backpack and welded itself into Lotus' grasp with a faint red glow along its teeth. Upon holding the weapon, Lotus had a sudden surge of rage.

As the guard turned around to see what was going on, Lotus jumped towards him.
-----
Lotus dropped the Dark Blade, covered her mouth, and collapsed onto the ground.

I just killed him, she thought. I just killed a person! I killed a living, breathing person! What did I do?

After thinking that, Lotus realized her only choice of action. Grieving and moaning would serve no good purpose. The now dead guard would have to be an unfortunate byproduct of her rise to fame. In order to ensure her safety, Lotus would have to dispose of the body. She could carry a bucket and some acid containers, then steadily dip the man inside.

On another topic, what happened right before she killed the guard? Lotus couldn't quite remember. As Lotus turned back, the door she used just minutes ago opened.

Wed, 06/01/2016 - 15:59

Tehepicwin

Chapter 3: The Hunters

The purple eye of the Unknown Passage appears, surrounded by black.

If you want to pass the test,

Then you will have to try your best.

The eye disappears.
-----
Lotus turned around and saw a familiar figure.

"Dji-Djinn?"

Her red irises glowing in the darkness, Djinn answered, "Yes. I see you just did it."

"Di-did it?"

Djinn let out a short laugh, "Don't you know? Everyone who uses the Dark Blade is surrounded by death; he or she shall kill until they die."

Lotus ignored Djinn's statement and steeled her will. Now was the perfect time to ask some questions. Lotus asked, "You gave it to me?"

Djinn let out a sigh while rolling her eyes. "You know, it's kind of annoying, how detached some Dark Blade users become."

Lotus glared.

Djinn let out another laugh. "I don't think I even need to answer your question. The answer is obvious."

Lotus wasted no time asking a second question. "Why did you-"

Djinn glared back at Lotus. "Well, that's enough for now. I'll clean up the body. Have a good night."

That was the most ridiculous thing Lotus ever heard, but she nonetheless took Djinn up on her offer. Lotus ran to her room inside the Geo-Knight Guild Hall, but not before stealing some heating items.
-----
Djinn made sure her route was clear, and then hauled the corpse to the edge of Haven. After throwing the corpse into the Clockworks, she smiled. Lotus was learning at just the right, frustratingly slow pace. Also, it looked like that girl found out how to activate the Dark Blade's abilities.

Or rather, the blade told her how to.

Most people forget their first killing, but over time, the commands are ingrained into the user's subconscious. The strange, seemingly supernatural abilities of the Dark Blade were given by some of its materials. Djinn found runes, scriptures, books, and some manufactured goods of civilizations long ago. The essences of these were infused into the Dark Blade. However, one of the materials never found its way into the Dark Blade...

Djinn wondered what would happen as a result of the missing ingredient, but that was what Lotus was for. All Djinn had to do now was wait until she found Zodrian's corpse.
-----
The next morning, Lotus immediately went back to her lab and forged the Dark Blade. Unfortunately, after doing so, the weapon's heat values still didn't make much sense. Lotus would continue heating it just in case, but there didn't seem to be much of an effect.

Well, an effect outside of that strange feeling in her head. Lotus couldn't explain it, but it was...motivating. Strange, but true.

Lotus went to the Geo-Knight break room and watched the Haven News. After sitting through the long, boring report of the missing security guard, she saw what she was looking for; the Snarbolax.

The Snarbolax was a beast that lived in the Gloaming Wildwoods, and no knight managed to kill it, fortunately for Lotus. If Lotus could kill the beast in a solo run, not only could she make big money off its organic materials, but she could also forward her career as a knight.

She immediately went to the Arcade and descended into the Clockworks with all her usual gear, including the backpack.
-----
Zodrian played the usual waiting game. He hid behind one of the Arcade's elevator shafts, and connected a gadget to the Spiral Order's elevator system. For now, all he had to do was wait until Lotus used an elevator.

Before long, Zodrian got lucky. A knight by the codename of Lotus was taking an elevator down into the Gloaming Wildwoods. Perfect.
-----
Lotus stepped off the elevator. In her path stood an army of Wolvers.
-----
Zodrian flew down into the Clockworks, jetpack rested on his back. There would only be one reason why Lotus would go to the Gloaming Wildwoods, so he aimed for the Snarbolax's lair.
-----
Lotus found the Snarbolax, baring its teeth and growling in fury. Just for this fight, Lotus placed her Nightblade back into the backpack, and took out the glowing, purple, toothed sword.

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The Dark Blade's Revenge