↢ Burning Passion ↣

His foot meets with a cuirass as he pulls his hammer out from their helm! The sword he’d carried with him was more than far gone already. He’d not expected this many opponents in such quick succession.

But you enjoy it, do you not?

A laughter begins to rumble within him as he drops the blade for a handaxe. Only the entrance was in view now. All other obstacles had been dealt with.

The crackle of thunder ripples the sky as he pushes open the doors. However, they were waiting.

Such a party! Would not want to keep them waiting.

The voices echo in his head as he silently enters the building. However, it was the blood trickling onto the gilded maroon rug that sends shivers across the room.

A grand hall is usually spacious to accommodate an honoured guest. Yet, this one was seemingly filled to the brim with the city’s military just to stop a single intruder.

“Where’re y’r comrades!? Answer immediately or suffer the–”

His words are cut short as an arrow pierces his skull! Tryss stood a few paces behind Karter with another arrow already nocked. And with a nod from the thief, Karter lunges into the fray!

His axe is the first to connect, splitting a spear in half leaving its owner to take the brunt of the knight’s hammer! As it pierces their chestplate, their body crumples under his weight. However, before the knight can remove his weapon, the head of another polearm jams into Karter’s waist!

He grunts as he slides along with the push. Then without a sound, an arrow embeds into the slit in the soldier’s helmet! With a raspy breath, Karter drops his axe while prying out the polearm.

A grin crosses him as he twirls the weapon. It had been some time since he’d last used one.

A rally cry erupts from the next soldier, however, it’s cut instantly as his head slips into the blade’s path!

The voices riot as Karter continues. They would get their entertainment out of him this night.

Tryss watches as the knight tears through the soldiers one by one. A tinge of horror hinting at the edges of his lips as he tries to take as many as his arrows will allow him to.

Karter’s polearm creaks as he parries another blow. Although this time it snaps just as it hits the man’s armour! This forces only a grumble from the knight as he grabs the soldier by his cuirass.

He throws him into the next two oncoming soldiers before taking up the man’s spear! Then hoisting it like a javelin, he pins two of the three toppled soldiers together! Leaving the other underneath the weight of his comrades.

With a huff, the knight turns to the ever so stunned Tryss. “That’s uh… impressive to say the least…” is all the thief can utter.

A single chuckle echoes out from Karter’s helm.

“Our comrades are on the way… though not much to–” the thief cuts himself short as his face falls.

Karter’s brows furrow before a clapping erupts from behind him. “Y’ are right about ‘at. Though ‘impressive’ would be an understatement.”

Karter immediately takes hold of one of the many weapons lying around him. However, the warrior standing at the balcony only shakes his head.

“I don’t doubt y’d kill me if I were to put up a fight so… What y’r ‘ere for, isn’t ‘ere.”

“What about the girl!?” Tryss shouts before the warrior raises his arm.

“Enough, rogue, y’r not the one I’m willin’ to talk to.”

The man’s eyes burn a bright blue as he turns to the, now hunched, knight.

“She said y’d come… I was wise to assume she’d be right.”

Anger erupts within Karter as he opens his mouth to speak, however, his wounds hold his words from leaving. Although in light of this he hurtles another spear he’d acquired!

It ricochets off thin air before even reaching the balcony!

“Fighting is meaningless. I would like to suggest a proposal,” he then turns towards Tryss, “since y’r goal is easier ‘an ‘is… the li’l one is still ‘ere. Y’ll find ‘er within the west wing dungeon on the eastern side of ‘is manor.”

Tryss hesitates for a moment before turning to leave. Karter’s eyes stay on him for a moment, watching him disappear back out into the rain.

“I know y’re wounded. Y’ won’t be able to win, just as I. So, hear me.”

The downpour crackles against the windows as the two stare at one another. And for a moment, Karter could feel his rage subdue into curiosity.

“Kill my brother,” the warrior states before throwing down an elegantly sheathed straight sword. “Y’ll find both him and the girl at the city docks on the west side river. Get ‘ere before morning or y’ll miss your chance to save ‘er.”

“Why… should I?” Karter manages to choke out.

“Kill my brother? Henry’s a vile, little worm, and I want to usurp his throne, nothing more than politics, I’m afraid.”

With a single breath, Karter picks up the weapon. “So be it.”

“Karter? Karter!” Arnold yells through the rain as the knight steps out into the courtyard.

“Go get your daughter…”

“What about you?”

“I’m going for El.”

↢ ⬥ ↣

His footsteps clack hard against the rain. The docks met him with a slight sense of relief. He could save her.

The blade’s shine glistens in the moonlight while a slow line of crimson drips along its edge.

“Sir!” someone shouts and a pair of glowing blue eyes fall to the shine of the knight’s blade.

“Ah, so it would seem my brother found another–”

“Where is she?” the knight hisses as he begins to step forward.

“Hmph, kill him,” the lord states and three other knights nod before following his order.

They rush while drawing their own swords! A single breath is all Karter gives before he readies himself. Nothing but rage and single-purpose run through him.

A clack of lightning illuminates the four of them before he leaps. His blade cracking hard along one of theirs! However, as his sword slides down the first’s, Karter grabs their wrist.

He pulls them into another before twirling his blade towards the last knight! Although the attack is sluggish and slow…

The knight takes the bait.

Their arm from the elbow down flies free from them as Karter redirects his attack at the last second! And while he falls to his knees, Karter twirls to connect with the next knight’s sword.

Though as soon as he parries the second’s attack, a blade pierces his abdomen!

He gags as he refuses to move. That is until his knees are sliced.

“Y’ fall ‘ere, knight, honour it,” the second knight states as Karter sits on his knees.

I can… not… fall here… I…

The third knight pushes him into the ground as he pries his blade free.

Karter’s blood mixes with the rain as he’s stuck staring blankly into the cold water in his helm.

And for a moment, he had silence.

And in another, he awoke.

His body rises from the muddy dirt as the hole in his chest begins to mend itself. Then the flame in his eyes flickers back to life, a white glow

within the darkness.

No rest for the likes of us.

He turns towards the fleeting knights, then to the one lying dead beside him.

“Honour… in death,” he whispers before picking up his weapon.

Then with an inhuman speed, he flings himself towards his target!

Without notice, one of the knights' gasps as a blade punches through his cuirass! Karter spins, ripping the blade free before landing it upon the neck of the last!

“I shall never fall,” Karter states before a loud crack splits the air.

An extreme force strikes Karter’s side, causing him to stumble away from the last knight! Although only a small blood trail trickles out from a small pinhole in Karter’s chest.

He turns to meet the lord holding a somewhat still steaming flintlock pistol.

A chuckle etches into his throat as he rises in posture. However, he chooses not to advance as the other knight gets to their feet.

“Y’... y’r not…” the lord question as a grin covers Karter’s face.

He was somewhat thankful they couldn’t see underneath his helm. A shallow wheeze escapes his lungs as he turns to meet the last knight.

Without a word, he raises the point of his sword to their neck. However, all he receives is a frozen stare in response. That is before they turn to their lord.

“There’s no honour to die with y’,” the knight’s words fall through the rain as they drop their weapon, “rot ‘ere… with my brothers.”

They turn away disappearing within the darkness of the storm.

“Y-Y’ disgrace! Get back ‘ere! Get…” the lord’s shouts are smothered out as Karter steps towards him.

“Where is the girl?” Karter’s eyes burn as his grip upon his weapon stiffens.

“She ah… the girl… y’ mean–of course, of course-of course… uhm, I ‘aven’t moved ‘m yet! Yes, the storm stops all shippin’ on this river! I can lead y’ to her, to-to-to ‘m!” the lord pleas as Karter keeps his advance.

He stumbles and falls onto the muddy docks before Karter grabs him by the collar.

“Please… don’t… don’t kill me! I’m… I’m… I’m just following orders, yes, I’m just–”

“Where. Is. She?”

“Yes… uh, they’re-she’s in the keep’s dungeon… ‘At’s where I–”

Before he can continue, a blade pierces his stomach.

He gags for a moment while grabbing at the knight’s arm. However, Karter only releases him before pulling the blade from his stomach.

“Let your soul find no peace,” Karter states within the pouring rain without ever looking down at the man.

And as his last breath passes, the knight departs back to the keep from which he’d come. The lord’s words mixing with the warrior’s.

He lied to us.

He lied to me.

Kill him.

Gladly.

↢ ⬥ ↣

Thunder crackles as the light of the keep’s windows dance along the courtyard. The rain tried as best it could, yet still the grass remained soaked in the foul red. Bodies crowd the space, however, the doors still perfectly stand in view.

There were more bodies than when Karter had left. Some guards, some not.

It matters not to me.

The thought crosses his mind quicker than he can silence it as he passes the bloodied field. And it isn’t until he steps into the grand hall that he realises just what happened.

They got here before us?

It would seem so.

Without stopping, he shakes his head before ascending the steps. An old memory playing in the back of his mind.

Just how many times have you repeated these same actions?

Just how many times will you repeat your past?

His pace slows as the corridor is brightened by sudden flashes. These weren’t of lightning strikes from the storm.

And for a moment he could see the city outside warring amongst itself.

A sigh left him before he turned to the opposing wall. It was lined with statues and paintings of old rulers, old faces he’d thought he’d forgotten.

“Ah, and so the knight ‘as returned,” the warrior’s voice echoes down the corridor, breaching the knight’s questioning gaze, “y’ did kill ‘im didn’t y’?”

The hall illuminates a silver-blue as light cracks through the clouds. And Karter only responds with a slow turn towards where the warrior stood.

“It would’ve been just too easy if y’ weren’t ‘alf as smart as y’ look…” he snickers before pulling free a crystal, “no ma’er, one of y’ friends thought it smart to bring one of ‘ose things with’m… And now, I’ve got the perfect cage for an Undead, such as y’rself.”

The tip of Karter’s sword juts up to point towards the man’s throat before either could blink! A vile fire burns within the knight’s eyes as his mind wraps around the warrior’s words.

“What have you done?” Karter’s words fell across the hall at a thick, slow pace.

“Haha! Now ‘at’s what I like to see! More aggression! More fight!” he shouts before lilting his head back to look at the knight under his nose.

Before another word could be drawn from his mouth, Karter’s blade catches the warrior’s barrier! He stands there for a moment bewildered by the knight’s movements.

“Ha-ha… quite rude, don’t y’ think? We ‘aven’t even introduced ourselves?”

Karter only gives a glare in response as he rips the blade free from, what appeared as, thin air.

“My name is Erickson Valdemar! The, soon-to-be, lord of ‘is city. And of course I ‘ave y’ to thank f’r ‘at. So, I’ll give y’ an offer…”

“You have nothi–”

“As it would seem I do.” The warrior raises his head once more causing Karter to freeze in place. “Y’ want ‘at girl, right? The one with the golden eyes?”

A cold sweat breaks over the knight as soon as the last two words land.

He has her!

Kill him!

Rip him apart!

Karter remains motionless as the voices scream within him. He wants to move, he wants to follow their orders, he wants to kill the man holding the one thing dear to him.

Yet, he can’t move.

“Seeing as y’ did my dirty work within the midst of all ‘is chaos… ‘at y’ no doubt ‘ad a hand in. I’ll let y’ walk outta ‘ere with her in tow. No fight, no catch, just take her and leave my city.”

“Why let me walk?”

“‘At is actually easy to answer. If y’r gone and I don’t have to activate ‘is, and ‘ere’s no one I need to fight any longer. Then I get to take over my vile older brother’s city. I have nothing to lose in ‘is instance… only a single thread, which I can’t necessarily win against.”

A smirk runs under his helmet as he explains. The catalyst still pulsates with the same energy as it had when the Shade had been trapped within.

“So, what’d y’ say?”

Karter shifts for a moment, weighing his options. If he were to take El and run, would she be happy? What would happen to her disciple?

But if he were to take a chance…?

He turns back to the lord, a breath escaping him for a moment. Then he reaches out a hand.

A smile splits the lord’s face as he begins to return the gesture, taking his hand. “Good choice.”

Without hesitation, he pulls in Erik’s arm! And while dropping his weapon, he wraps him into a chokehold! He could feel the barrier trying to push him out, yet failing due to his grip on the caster.

Then within only a single movement, Karter draws and slams a thin knife into the crystal! It explodes both of them back as the Shade bursts from the broken rune!

And as its howl echoes throughout the hall, Karter takes up his sword!

↢ To be continued ↣