The last Gremlin fell to the floor, a fatal lasceration in it's throat marking the end of a life. It fell upon a mound of it's comrades, together in death. Mounds of corpses littered the floor, every Gremlin bearing the insignia of a Leviathan Blade's cut. The killler lowered to the floor and closed his eyes, not regretting his choice for a minute. The knight drifted off to gentle sleep...
The Meaning of Knighthood
Mon, 02/03/2014 - 16:09
Wed, 02/05/2014 - 21:49
#2
hm
this is a great start, but I was a little confused about the part where it switched from the boy to the Veteran, there isn't really much indication of it. Although, once I got past that part, this is good writing, and I want moar.
Wed, 02/05/2014 - 22:29
#3
Your writing is quite good - very descriptive, well-edited, and interesting enough to keep the readers engaged.
Are you creating related stories or just one-shots?
Keep up the good work!
Thu, 02/06/2014 - 05:31
#4
Swag IS a virtue
I usually create one-shots but I intend on making: "Into the Core" into a series. Oh, and I read the first chapter of your fan fic and really liked it!
@Mawashimono
Thu, 02/06/2014 - 06:09
#5
Chapter 2
"The meaning of knighthood is... umm, it's... bringing glory and honour to yourself and your family!"
The old man let out a small sigh as the boy patched his wounds. He cringed as the boy injected him with a cocktail of crushed up health capsules and sterile blood-clotting agent.
"Boy, that is as far from the true meaning of knighthood. I can only think of one way to explain it... let me tell you a story, boy"
"I wish to learn, o venerable one"
"Drop the formalities, please"
"Yessir"
"Well, this is quite a tail. Pull up a chair-" The old man chuckled. "-Once, there was a knight. Him and his squad were on a dangerous mission, retrieving the blueprints for something only known as: "Project R". Spiral HQ was unsure of what that meant, their deep cover spy had been found out and summarily executed. So, they sent a team of knights. The leader was a Vanguard, in every sense of the word. He wore a Snarbolax set, and used a Black Briar barrage and a Gran Faust. Their technician was a flighty man, wearing a Silvermail and a Seraphic helmet. His weapons were a a Argent Peacemaker and Divine Avenger. He seemed to like elemental weapons. And then, there was the striker. She was a beautiful woman,-" He sighed wistfully. "- and used a Fang of Vog, complimented by her Skolver coat. And then, there was a Rearguard. He was a Knight Elite, given a 4* set of armour and better sword, just because there were no available Vanguards...
Well, anyways they descended to a Gremlin Grounds level. Resistance was fierce as they fought, forming a protective shield wall. Still, the brave squad marched onward, hacking and slashing at the horde of Gremlins. Then, the force field on the technician's shield broke, leaving him with just a piece of metal. A catalyzer bullet enveloped him, and the cooking smell of flesh filled the nostrils of the entire squad. They hacked some more, then broke into a dash, running for a central enclosure where they knew the blueprints were kept. The striker grabbed the blueprint and hooked it onto her belt. Then the squad just dashed to the elevator, thrown hammers and catalyzer bullets flying over their heads. When they reached it, they selected: "Ascend".
When the elevator had ascended one level, disaster struck. When they passed the first level, a Thwacker with insanity in his eyes leaped on the elevator, smashing at it. He severely damaged it, before a Fang of Vog became imbedded in his forehead, cooking his brains. The elevator fell back, and the team leaped onto the platform.
Then, they ran. When they reached the last room, not unlike the room you see now they heard the sounds of approaching gremlins. Nobody wanted to stay behind, but ironically the Knight Elite did. They said goodbye to him, and left him to hold of the tide.
And that, dear boy is who you see here now. Does duty mean something to you? Because, the duty is not complete and I cannot hold my sword."
Tue, 02/11/2014 - 05:42
#6
Chapter 3
"But I don't want to die" The boy pleaded, now seeing where this was going.
"But you would leave a dying old man to take your place" The veteran inquired. No response came. "Here, let me tell you another story. A team of knights was fighting for their lives. Slag Walkers had overwhelmed their position, and it became a melee to the death with those burning fiends. But then, a young Vanguard- not too much older than yourself- killed them all, saving his team. However, another mob was spotted. He gladly gave his life for their safe escape, even if it meant his own death. He is what it means to be a knight, brave, skilled, heroic. He brought much honour to himself and his family."
"But, how would me dying here bring honour to myself or my family?
"Boy, I see you. Is that not enough?"
"I don't want to die" The boy said stubbornly.
"Sometimes, in these scenarios, death is required. Death is another part of life. Is there anyone YOU would die for?"
"Yes, my baby sister. She is only six months old. I would gladly die for her."
"Where does she live, boy?"
The younger Knight looked at him like he was crazy. "Haven, of course"
"What if these plans could affect Haven somehow? Would you put your own sister in harm's way?"
"NO! I would never put her in harm's...." The boy trailed off, realizing.
"So what do you say?"
"But how do I know I'm not dying for nothing?"
"You don't. But it is your duty. You signed up for the Order, probably imagining bringing death to your enemies, and bringing glory to yourself. But, this is what you are expected to do."
"Just... give me a minute. This is a big decision."
"Of course."
Wed, 02/26/2014 - 05:44
#7
/ashamed
Whoops, double post.
Tue, 02/25/2014 - 17:02
#8
Chapter number-before-5-and-after-3
Before he could finish this decision, fate interrupted him. It took the form of a troop of Ghostmane Stalkers. The boy sensed their presence before he saw them, and the swift gunshot from the old man confirmed his suspicion. The leaning Ash Tail veteran pulled out his Valiance , and began to blast open the skulls of the stealth unit. He grasped his forsaken Leviathan Blade in one hand, and tucked his Final Flourish into his belt. He hauled himself up, prepared to fight and die, if need be. "Duty unto death," he thought grimly. "If it should help the Order."
The boy rolled under a buzz saw of a Ghostmane Stalker, expertly letting the momentum of the blow carry the snarling, knoll like creature fall flat on it's face. He kicked it in the face, and it's snout broke. It stopped it's thrashing after that. Two remaining. He charged at the first with his Glacius in hand, and released a charged attack. The timed explosions of pure ice and snow slammed into the lead Gremlin with the force of a whirlwind, encasing it in a block of ice. He did not notice it simply fading from his vision, and creeping up behind him.
The old man saw it. His gun was long depleted, but he had one trick up his sleeve. He drew his Final Flourish, and threw it.
The boy turned, as his assailant twitched and stumbled backward.
The old man's aim had been true, the sword had pierced it's chest, right through the heart. The monster looked down, barely able to comprehend it's own demise when the boy chopped it's head off. The droplets of blood froze in the air, so powerful was the effect of the Glacius on it's viscera. It's entire neck-stump was frozen, a gruesome diorama of death.
The boy cheered, thinking he had one a great victory and brought glory to the Order. The old man chuckled at his naivety.
Thu, 02/27/2014 - 15:01
#9
Chapter 5
"I did it! Woohoo!" The boy yelled, grinning. "I defeated the Gremlins!" The ignorant knight continued.
"Boy, I wish that were true," The old man began "But due to the persistent nature of this foe, this battle is not complete. You still must stem the tides of Gremlins that will pour through those gates in a matter of minutes. But death is not so terrible, you get to be with your family long gone. You can finally talk to those deceased, and learn generations upon generations of knowledge in the afterlife.
A glorious death is it's own reward. Trust me, long have I envied those who have fallen in service of the Order. Envied them of their end, of their glorious end. Envied them of their chance to serve the order. Now I envy you, boy. You have the opportunity to do something greater than yourself. The opportunity to help others and to prove your worth. Your family would be proud, if they could learn of your ending. If they could learn, a fraction of this mighty deed they would be proud. So proud of you. I am proud of you. The Order will be proud of you." The old man continued.
"Yes... I suppose they would be." The boy conceded.
"More than I suppose boy! You would be an exemplar of everything it means to be a Spiral Knight. Willing to die in the line of duty would display bravery, loyalty, discipline, prowess and strength all in one act! You have the chance to prove yourself more of a hero than ancient Valkyries, of Euclid of the Alpha Squad"
A single tear trickled down the old man's face, he did not want this boy to die. He wished that they both could live. But such is the life of a Spiral Knight.
"I will do it. I will die for the Order. May our deaths not be in vain," The boy stated. "But one last thing.... what is your name, Sir?
The old man chuckled. "Long has it been since anyone asked me that," The old man said bemusedly. "My name is... is..." The old man slumped forward, only to be caught by a rushing boy.
The boy looked at a ragged bandage strapped across his Ash Tail Helm and saw the pus and blood seeping out. Poison. He cried out to the heavens and said: "I will not let your death be in vain. As long as my sword is in my hand, as long as I am able and willing to fight... I WILL FIGHT! FOR THE ORDER!" The boy screamed to the uncaring Clockworks.
"Come for me, Gremlins. I am ready."
Fri, 02/28/2014 - 06:12
#10
Swag IS a virtue
.... Anyone reading this?
Fri, 02/28/2014 - 08:27
#11
#Sonosuks
This story is great. Also glad to hear "Into the Core" is gonna be a full story.
Fri, 02/28/2014 - 08:39
#12
@Malkalack
You seem to have a reasonably strong grip on the English language. Having an old, under-equipped knight teaching a young, naive vanguard is a cool concept.
When talking about heroic knights, I think you focused too much on what they wore. It would be more believable if the focus was on their feats and characters, like how Kora described Alpha Squad in "The Pioneers."
So yeah, I'm reading. :P Hope you don't mind the feedback.
Fri, 02/28/2014 - 14:26
#13
Swag IS a virtue
Thanks.... I really worked hard on this. Should I write more? Any more would feel contrived. So, no.
The boy strode confidently ahead of his squad, his new Azure Guardian armour shining in the electronic light, the chemical winds of the Clockworks tangy upon his tongue. He had his hand resting on his Glacius, fresh out of the Alchemy Machine. He patrolled the tunnel confidently, taking wide steps and covering a substantial amount of ground. He reached a crossroad. To the left, another knight was patrolling, a Recon Ranger. He stepped into the right hallway and gasped...
The veteran lay on the ground, bleeding from his wounds. His ash tail armour was dented, and matted with blood. His sword lay a few metres away, coated in gore and viscera from the Gremlins he had dispatched. His Valiance was safely holstered, it's power pack long depleted and empty.
"I'm going to die here" He absently thought. His eyes began to close...
"NO!!" he thought angrily. His duty was not complete. He swapped out the power pack and and stuffed it into his belt. He reached into his pack and retrieved a healing capsule. He broke it open and stuffed the powder into his mouth greedily. He felt somewhat better. The knight looked around. He was in a square room. sitting in the centre. His Final Flourish was a few metres away from his seat. He hauled himself up and shambled toward it. The wounded knight retrieved the weapon and walked to the back corner of the room, leaning heavily. Sweat matted his brow. He took another capsule and felt better, while realizing that any more would be an overdose, and he could enter shock. He trained his pistol on the far door, as a sound from behind reached his ears. He whirled around, prepared to blast the figure into dust when he realized it was another knight, in fancy new armour.
"Come, help an old man sit down for a minute, boy"
The boy wordlessly complied, leaning the Ash Tail knight against the wall. The younger knight relieved himself of his backpack and pulled out a First-Aid kit, and began to patch his wounds.
"You are-" The old knight coughed up a combination of blood and mucus. "-Very kind. Now, if you don't mind listening for a minute, let me ask you a question... do you know what it means to be a knight?"