Of Ages Long Past

Knowing when to speak and when to remain silent is a skill that is overlooked by many. As an Oath knight, when my father was working, I would observe quietly. As knight commander, I would remain silent and work quickly, intent on giving my subordinates an exemplary role model. As an exile, I remained quiet out of principle.

Now, sitting in this room before both Utbrot and Cartor, I remained quiet out of respect and consideration.

They seemed to still be processing Kerrii's resuscitation, and were lost in their thoughts. They had barely spoken a word since Norns departure, only telling me directions, and which room to enter.

Now they were utterly silent, with the only sound being the occasional wooden creaking as Utbrot adjusted herself. She was laying against a cushion attached to the rectangular face of a simple A frame style structure. Centaurs had no use for chairs, and the comfort of a bed was not appropriate for this setting. Thus it seemed that this centaur cushion, when paired with a thick kneeler allowed for them to be seated and comfortable for extended periods of time. Her husband sat nestled between her two sets of legs and against her belly. [1]

It was a strange sight, given that centaurs were always either standing or slightly lowering themselves in my world. 

Watching the duo for a moment more, I then decided to stow my thoughts on the decidedly strange imagery for a moment and focus on a different subject.

The enemies I had faced so far were decidedly weaker than I would've expected. As a warrior who hails from the first of nearly nine generations of Oath Knights, I wield a significant amount of power and knowledge. Two hundred and forty five years of experience was nothing to scoff at.

But when I put all my strength into that blow against Yaril, and felt her flesh and bones cave and tear, I began to get a feel for the beings of this world.

Looking at the humans of this world and assessing their structure and capabilities, I surmised that the humans of my world were three times stronger than the ones here.

Of course there were many variables to consider, from experience and vitality, to other things like their capacity for magic. Even so, I could feel that the monsters or mamono of this world weren't really that much weaker. The Ogres were comparable, if not the exact same threat level as the ones on my home world.

So how did humans even manage to survive before the mamono came into existence? Did they simply rely on sheer numbers and their ability to summon heroes?

Or was there something I was missing?

Was Firmina's mana perhaps much stronger against the demons of old?

That would certainly explain the current state of helplessness that the humans were experiencing.

It would also explain the state of the dragon veins as seen from orbit.

That means that while the sheer power of Firmina was keeping everything together, the power of the mamono lord was slowly breaking down the careful balance.

'Perhaps my intervention… No. I will focus on what I was told to do for now. Animum is not one to make decisions without reason. If he wanted me to finish this task swiftly, he would've told me that from the beginning.'

"Acros?"

"Hm?"

I looked to the couple who seemed to have come to some kind of conclusion within their thoughts. Now that I think about it, perhaps I should've simply stood outside to offer them more space.

"We wanted to ask what really happened back there."

"We're… a little confused to say the least."

"I see, give me a moment to think."

I put my finger to my chin, thinking about how I could possibly explain to them what had happened without telling them about any sensitive topics.

It didn't take long to come up with a reasonably satisfying and cautious answer.

"I'm sorry if this seems a bit vague, but Kerrii is quite important, and her existence is quite draining. So even though I got to interact with her for a moment while she was properly awake, she had to go back into suspended animation. If Norn gets to see the end of the era of the mamono lord, perhaps she will be able to live with Kerrii for a time."

Cartor sighed, scratching his head as Utbrot smiled at him wryly.

"I kind of knew you wouldn't get a straight answer honey."

"I knew it too, but Norn's not gonna like this."

"The idea of her liking the outcome of this debacle never crossed my mind. I simply came here to get answers for questions I haven't even gotten to ask, only to have more questions than before. I may not be distraught like Norn is, but I am certainly annoyed."

I sighed, considering whether or not to simply call off this conversation here and now. After all, it seems that this rather ill timed plight had been quite taxing.

"I know this whole meeting was my idea, but are you two okay to keep going? This meeting is not so important that I would force it."

"No no, its fine Acros. We were just surprised by what happened. We don't really have much of a connection to Kerrii compared to Norn, Nimmy, or even Kwart. It was just surprising to see her moving is all."

"I see. Well then, allow me to ask a little bit about knights."

Cartor grimaced as soon as he heard my question, something that did not go unnoticed by Utbrot who immediately pinched him.

"Ouch!"

"Ignore my rude husband for a moment, what would you like to know?"

"Well I would like to know why people dislike and show such disdain for them."

Utbrot's small smile at her husband's cheeky behaviour diminished slightly.

"Cartor, I think it'd be best if you explain."

"Alright."

Cartor pushed himself into a proper upright position as he rested against Utbrots bulk.

"Well it's a bit of a long story so I might be a little off, after all this is mostly from word of mouth."

"I understand, and that is more than enough."

"Well it all began with the minor chivalric orders. Knights were very common before the age of the former mamono lord, so common in fact that local knight orders that came from towns were not rare. That was the minor chivalric orders."

"So they were like local defence forces?"

"Not exactly. Chivalric orders were their own entities from the towns they inhabited. They were more like mini Adventurers guilds who specialised in extermination. They were heavily privatised, and thus much more expensive."

"Did they serve nobility then?"

"Yes. They were the garbagemen of the nobles to be quite honest. They took care of problems where local armies couldn't reach. However they all had a common chivalric code that they all followed. This is why they were collectively known as Minor chivalric orders."

'They sound like honourable mercenaries. Then again, I have met knights like that as well.'

"When the Mamono Lord first began spreading miasma, they were the first ones to face her. They generally focused on extermination in small groups, something that was later to be proven to be a terrible tactic against the newly reborn mamono."

"So they were essentially the first "casualties"."

"Yeah, and because of that the same Chivalric orders who initially warned their nations were also seen as the ones who fed the problem with rash and reckless decisions. Even when they focused on aiding in the many evacuations of border towns and villages, they were being attacked and captured in large numbers. This led to the national chivalric orders involvement.

They were the knight Orders of the many nations that came before the empire. They had led the counter attack for quite a long time, and for almost a good seven hundred years they fought alongside various armies heroes from different kingdoms, empires, and republics. And it was them that inspired the idea of knight hunting in the mamono. 

Knight were prized as "premium humans" to the mamono. They had a lot of skill in combat, strength, and stamina. So when they became incubi, and their morals got flipped on their head, they retained some twisted sense of chivalry as well. To the mamono, the stronger the knight, the more fun they were to break."

The more I heard, the more I was beginning to see what had happened. It did not bode well for my chances of rebuilding a knight order.

"When they finally broke, they usually still retained some of the charisma and honor they once had. Plus, catching them wasn't that hard as they usually would stand and fight despite being outmatched. The way they fought was in a sense, alluring to the mamono. They always fought to the last, and that gave catching them meaning. It meant you worked to gain your partner. For some species, taking a knight as you're husband was a badge of honor."

"Actually, even some Centaurs would take knights as their riders and betray them in battle to make them their husbands. It was a disgraceful moment in our history."

"Even so, all this shows that mamono valued knights, not why currently they are viewed as disgusting."

Cartor and Utbrot looked at each other for a moment, before Utbrot nudged him to finished.

'Well… there was a final nail in the coffin. It was already hard to recruit knights, or even function under the old Chivalric ideals. But around two hundred and uhm…"

"Fifty honey, it was two hundred and fifty."

"Thanks dear, yes, two hundred and fifty years ago there was the north eastern campaign by one of the three active Lilim at the time."

"Active Lilim?"

"Oh! You probably don't know about that. Only two Lilim appear to be active at the moment. There used to be three but one was killed."

"I see."

'So the precedent that killing them is possible has been set."

"Anyways the hero at the time was working with one of the last knight orders in existence, the Eunma imperial knight order.

It was around this time that the remaining nation came together under the Larinian royal kingdom to form the empire of Larinia. The Church supported this decision stating that humanity needed to work together in their time of dire need. So they created a knight order called the Eunma Imperial Knight order and they worked under the one woman army, known as the great dragon hero."

Now that, that was interesting. It sounded close, but Animum rarely allowed two of us to be sent, let alone sending master and student to the same world. It was likely a coincidence, but I would have to make sure later.

"During that battle, the invading Lilim was slain, and the Eunma order was supposedly showered in her miasma following her death. No one really knows the specifics of why they turned traitor without first becoming Incubi, but when the next two Lilim pushed them back to the final defensive post in the north east, the imperial mountain, the hero was betrayed by her forces and was forced to kill herself to avoid capture."

So it was that one that Firmina had mentioned.

"From then on, becoming a knight was seen as a way to attract mamono. Or a direct defection from the side of mankind as a whole. "

Silence settled for a moment, leaving me to think.

It seems like centuries of conflict, betrayal, and failure had set the idea that knights were nothing but violent, traitorous harlots.

"I see. It seems this will be far more difficult than I initially considered."

No mission offered by Animum was ever easy, but this was particularly problematic.

"You said you were trying to start a knight order right? If you want, I can help you find recruits and put something together. Me and Utbrot may be merchants, but we could certainly help you with minor things like that."

I contemplated his over, mulling it over for a moment. It would certainly expedite the process, but…

"No, for now I will continue as I have. For now I must make sure certain prerequisites are met before starting anything akin to a proper order. This process is not one that I can afford to rush. First, I must explore this world for myself."

"That makes sense, so what do you plan to do for now?"

"I plan to make a name for myself. For now, I must focus on accruing fame, infamy, and feats."

"Infamy? Why Infamy?"

Cartor put up his hand, motioning me to allow him to explain.

"Being famous on both sides of a war has many advantages. But to gain fame while being antagonistic means gaining infamy."

"It appears that you have an idea of what I plan to do."

Cartor smiled sporting a dry smile as he tried to look me in the eye.

"I'm a history nerd you see, and I kind of have an idea of what kind of tactic this is."

"Really? Then praytell, what might be some of the historical outcomes of this tactic?"

"Well I can think of three examples of kings who did this throughout the war. Two were forgotten over time, and one was forever immortalised as a living hoax."

…

In the end, I came out of the conversation with very few answers, and far more questions than I initially had.

After our conversation, I walked the couple back to their home and started heading back to the guild. The streets were quiet, and carefully lit near alleys and backstreets. I had asked about it on the way back to confirm my suspicions, but there was a general unenforced curfew that most people followed. 

Mamono were more active at night, and the ones who could sneak into cities were not exactly the easiest to catch at night.

Looking around, it was as though I were walking through a ghost town.

The tedious grey cobble and stone brick slowly melded in the shadows, making everything seem as though it were sculpted from one large piece of clay. The thatched roofs were like layers of hushed serpents, their forms shifting and slithering in the dark. They were only broken up by the occasional wood tiled roof of expensive stores and inns, the wicks of the lanterns that once lit their entrances having long since extinguished.

Suddenly, I came to an abrupt stop as my right pauldron began to glow slightly as the light it emitted slowly coalesced. It quivered and thrummed before flattening into almost the same sigil as the one upon my shoulder, except this one had a pair of wings.

"Hello Champion of Animum, I believe you are due some explanations."

"Indeed, but I believe we should walk and talk."

"Very well, I'll indulge you."

Once again on the move, light slowly passed across my armour as street lights slowly swung in the night breeze. I didn't have a lot of time, did I?

"So then, I believe I should explain to you the current situation pertaining to Lilim."

"That would be quite helpful."

"Where to begin, well let's start with the important information. Currently, all but two Lilim are sealed away in a place called the Makai. Utilizing my genius intellect, I created a trap that kept the Lilim trapped within their own domain, which grows in power alongside them! Unless some ridiculously powerful being undoes the curse upon her, as long as she continues to grow in power, she cannot escape. And unless her children surpass their foolish mother, they will never escape either. 

The second thing I did was render her infertile. Another curse, alongside a puncture wound to the womb from my sword left her nearly unable to have children. However for some unholy reason, the demon managed to have one more child before the curse truly set in. 

This means that two different Lilim currently exist, and while they have no chance of ever bring anything as powerful as themselves into the world like that abominable anomaly did, they remain dangerous. One is a Lilim dubbed "The queen of hearts" by the humans. She currently lords over the central continent and is intent on securing the south east where the Makai lays dormant in the name of her mother and her own twisted delusions. 

The north east remains under human control purely due to her superfluous childlike strategies, and the sheer devotion of the eastern Tatryu empire's rejection of her rule. 

As for the Northwest, that is under the control of two different factions. The pharoahs who rule the central north, and the Lilim Loraveer who protects the north west. She is inexperienced and cowardly, having seen one of her sisters die at the hand of one of my heroes. Even so, she remains a Lilim. Despite the Larinian empire and my churches best efforts, she remains in power across the northwest."

"Then there only two human empires remaining?"

"Indeed! You catch on quick. However other races resist in their own ways. The elves in the south west have been making great strides in repelling the queen of hearts. The dwarves however did not fair as well. The northern monsters were already extremely powerful, and the miasma infection simply magnified there already ridiculous strength."

"So then should I focus my effor-"

"Oh, it seems our time is up. Duck."

Passing by an alleyway with no lantern, I managed to make out a minacious glint just before a knife came whirling towards my skull.

*CLANG!!*

Swinging my arm out, I slapped away the flying blade and sent it careening into the street.

"Impressive! Well then, I'll leave you to it."

The sprite flew back to my sigil and disappeared within it as I shifted to a wider stance. Peering into the dark alley, I could make out a few threats and traps within it.

Sucking in a deep breath, I leaned forward, and leapt towards the alley.

…

I had heard his approach. It was strange, listening to the sound of quiet metal footsteps. I had heard what people sounded like in armour. 

They sounded like shambling zombies covered in bells.

The only sound this man made was simple metallic steps, with each having a certain ping to them as they stepped. 

I gripped onto the knife I had in hand, waiting to see him move around the corner. I cocked my hand back to grant myself a better angle as I prepared to throw. I then squatted slightly, twisting my waist I slowly felt the tension within my core build. 

He was getting closer.

The scrape of his sabatons on the cobble road seemed to hiss in the warm night air, like a snake warning it's predators.

I remained undeterred.

*Sss-Cling!*

My vision began to tunnel as the walls seemed to reach past me, elongating into a corridor not unlike those I once practised in.

*Sss-Cling*

A small bead of sweat ran down my forehead until it hit my eyebrow. Even so, I didn't dare to wipe it.

*Sss-Cling*

And suddenly from within the darkness, I saw a glint of silver.

*SHING!!!*

The moment he appeared in my vision, I threw the knife.

*CLANG!!*

However it was all for nothing. He backhanded the sharpened blade like it was nothing. A strange ball of light flew beside him, but it didn't illuminate anything. In less than a second, it then disappeared, leaving me to wonder if it had been a illusion.

None of that mattered now though.

For a moment, I looked into his visor, looking to see if there was anything beneath.

Yet all I saw darkness. 

He the leapt into the alley without a second thought, hurtling trip wires and dodging the trap tiles I had painstakingly set up.

*CROSHK*

His left hand then slammed into the wall, allowing his momentum to pull himself up and forward. 

"Wha-"

I nearly exclaimed before shutting my mouth and throwing another dagger at a trip wire. If he wouldn't set them off, I would. 

A balled up net flew past me, unfurling till it covered the whole width of the alley. It was then, that a burning blade ejected from his vanguard and cleaved into the net, sending the two halves hurtling past him.

I immediately drew my own short sword, putting myself into a standard stance. Instead of responding in kind however, he retracted the blade and landed before me with a metallic dull thud. 

He then drew himself to his true height, before reaching behind him and pulling out a bar of metal that began to splay itself out.

Unwilling to give him a chance to finish the transformation, I dashed towards him and thrusted. 

Even so, I was too slow.

In seconds it folded into a kite shield and he blocked the blow allowing it glance off his shield.

I immediately retreated to take some distance, but he stepped forward as well, leaving me with less space than before.

*SHRING!*

My blade clashed against his shield again and again as I tried every conceivable way to push through his defences in this small space. But his defence was near perfect.

*THUMP*

"PUHA!"

Spittle flew out into my mask as his other fist hit my gut, making my head begin to spin. I tumbled out into the street as I heard careful yet swift steps follow. I had to run.

…

The person tumbled out into the moonlight, giving me a good look at her. She was a fairly short woman wearing a black cloak and mask. She wasn't as short as Norn, but certainly less than 5'7.

The woman pushed herself to her feet and stumbled a bit, clutching her stomach. Her eyes were turquoise and a much lighter grassy green that twinkled in the moonlight. Suddenly she pulled a hook out from under cloak and threw it at a nearby building before swinging up onto the roof.

She then looked back one more time, before continuing to flee.

In all honesty, at first I considered her a threat. 

Now though, I reckoned that I could simply wait for her to show herself again.

After all, she was most definitely human.

Reference:

[1] https://mmvalentine.tumblr.com/post/652336497603887104/how-do-the-centaurs-sleep-and-how-do-they-stretch