[Celestial Arms | Solo] Darkening Skies -- Part 2

[Saber]

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[attr="class","nameBox"]Saber
Level 90 -- Assassin

[attr="class","statBox"]Words: [2844]

Tags: [Solo]

Skills Used: [-N/A-]

Notes: [Approaching the Temple]

[attr="class","titleBox"]This broken glass is all I've got left!

[attr="class","textBox"] The sun had long since set as Saber marched up onto a high hill, his eyes gazing down towards the distant coastline just beyond his reach. He could see dozens of small and large shadows alike dancing on the beachhead along with near the open fields. The monsters were out, and only the bravest adventurers remained to fight them. Their numbers were scarce, but their ferocity was not to be underestimated. Saber would have joined them in emptying the zone of its violent inhabitants, but his reason for appearing was not to sustain their foothold of the land. Tonight he was here as a mercenary and he had a job to complete above everything else. As much as he wished to draw his blades and lace the light brown sand with blood he would not veer off his path, for now at least. For now he had to keep his mind from wandering. It was the only way for Saber to keep from running off somewhere.

Tearing his eyes from the beach and using all of his will to quell his bloodthirst, Saber glanced towards the distant, black horizon. The sun had vanished completely just an hour or so ago as he approached the area and the moon was firmly placing itself in the night sky. The air was clear, the number of clouds was low, and the stars twinkled in their thrones above. It was a beautiful view from Saber’s perch and it relaxed his weary mind like a lullaby. The night was just beginning, and it would not end for a long, long time. His quest tonight would not be easy and completing it would take all of his power both physically and mentally. If his suspicions were correct then Saber wouldn’t make it out of this unscathed, and that was just how he liked it. Anything less would bring him nothing but pure disappointment. But, he did not doubt the stars. Behind that beautiful veil of light, their schemes lurked like a poison.

“Let’s see what you’ve got for me this time…” Saber muttered as he stared up towards the full, starlit sky. A moment after he spoke, a meteor shot into the atmosphere. A long, white trail extended from its entry point and followed the rock until it was ultimately reduced to nothing but ash; a shooting star was what the phenomenon was scientifically called. Saber called it an answer.

Pulling his cloak firmly around his body, the Assassin activated his hiding skills and vanished into the shadows of the marshlands. His boots barely left any marks in the ground as he headed towards the coordinates the Sage had provided him with. It was in quite the strange location and was nowhere near the actual coastline where the other adventurers were active in, which wasn’t hard to consider. If the Sages were the first people that had been into the temple, then it must have been tucked away in some kind of foreign location. For this amount of time to go by without any adventurers going inside, it must have been buried deep underground and out of sight. The Sage mentioned something about tunnels so they more than likely stumbled onto the area by chance while searching for something else. No wonder they were attacked; they were unprepared for such a discovery in the first place. What fools. They were digging for ancient artifacts and went without guards, and when they found something they just wandered inside? What, did the Sages think that the Gods would let them just walk in and take ancient items without a fight? Did they expect the artifacts to be gift wrapped and placed neatly on an altar for them to take? Fools, they were all fools and they made Saber sick. No wonder they hadn’t made any progress until now.

The marsh grew thicker and thicker the further Saber walked and soon the night sky became difficult to see through the canopy of the forest. It was dark and quiet in the forest as Saber moved forward, forcing the man to rely only on his personal sense of direction. The once warm and steady breeze became light and sent chills down the man’s spine each time it flowed through the path. The silence was unnatural and eerie, putting Saber on high alert. His ears perked up and his eyes sharpened as he steadied his heartrate. He lifted his head and glanced around himself, searching the tree line briefly for any signs of potential threats. The fact that he didn’t see anything move made the situation even worse. Usually, he at least heard the sound of crickets or frogs hiding in the brush. But now, he heard nothing. The forest was dead.

“I’m not even in the temple yet…” Saber let out a huff, stopped walking, and dug into his back pocket. Out from within the man extracted the map he had been provided with. He glanced at it, looked behind himself, and then looked forward as he got his bearings. He was heading in the right direction still based on the flow of the forest, good. Based on the map and its scale, he was close; the entrance was a quarter mile or so away. If he followed the trees forward for another twenty minutes, he would reach the entrance of the cave or at least have it in sight. Perfect, he was on schedule, or so he thought.

Just as he folded up the map and tucked it away into his pouch, a light snapping sound pierced the Assassin’s left ear. Instantly the man froze; footsteps, soft but heavy, large in size, quick, silent, non-friendly. Without even seeing the culprit, Saber had already begun to evaluate it and formulated a plan of action. Based on the sound of the stick snapping, it was large in size but was attempting to conceal its own presence. Not only that but it was moving towards Saber, not away. After the snapping no more sounds of movement occurred; it had paused as well and must have realized its mistake. So the problems would begin before he even reached the entrance? How nice. Good thing he was prepared.

The Assassin put on a mask of ignorance and began to walk forward again, following the unmarked path towards his destination. He kept his ears open and listened keenly to the world around him as he walked. As he moved, he forced his own footsteps to become silent and shifted his weight evenly on the balls of his feet. The entire forest seemed to mute itself but he was no child, he had been in this kind of situation before. Behind him and to his left, just a few yards out of his own sight, something stalked him from the shadows of the forest. He could feel its eyes digging into his back and could hear its attempt at silence. With all of its might, the being in the darkness was trying to remain hidden. However it was far too clumsy for such a thing. Every few paces, Saber could hear a light step, a crunch of a leaf, or the rustling of a bush. Yet he kept his eyes forward and continued to walk. Whatever was following him wasn’t new to the stalking game, which was obvious. If the terrain was different, there was no doubt in Saber’s mind that it would be a ghost in his mind… But this was Thames, not Avon. The amount of debris on the ground was far too much for most hunters. Even Saber had some troubles at times keeping himself quiet.

Then, the man paused. The wind started to swirl in the distance and he could feel the eyes on his back dig into him. The presence started to grow in intensity, the air grew heavier and breathing steadily became more difficult, and then the smell of rotting corpses filled the Assassin’s nostrils. The wretched stench caused the man’s eyes to narrow and his hands instinctively moved for his blades. This smell was not unfamiliar to him and it reminded him of when he came across a rotting Lander corpse in a cave. However this was far worse. It smelled as if a dozen or so bodies were piled up and left to bake in the raging summer sun. Then, just after the scent crept up on Saber’s back, he heard a low rumble from the location to his left. Suddenly, a gust of wind struck at Saber’s back. The Assassin snapped around on his heels and sliced at the darkness with his left arm. As he spun, his right arm moved to defend… but there was nothing. The instant he turned around, the presence vanished. The scent lingered for only a moment longer, but another light breeze pushed it away and the scent of the surrounding trees returned.

“Something doesn’t want me here…” The Assassin scanned the trees around him once more, but there was no trace of anything. It was dark, too dark, and he could barely see ten feet in front of himself. Even as he squinted he was left only to wonder about what had just happened. What the hell was that? After standing still and trying to get a grasp on his surroundings, Saber finally relaxed himself. He twirled his blades and then sheathed them. Whatever was there, it was gone now. Maybe it was just his imaginati---

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—A painful, merciless screech rang out from the forest as a black shadow darted out in front of the Assassin. Its face was sliced up, its eyes had been gouged out, and its mouth was a gaping, black hole filled with nothing but gushing blood. Immediately, Saber jumped backwards and ripped his blades from their sheathes. The beast sprinted at an inhuman pace towards the Adventurer, its two arms flailing violently at its sides as it clawed through the air. The instant Saber landed, it was on him. Its face was a pale white, its hair scraggly and thin, and its body was torn and burned all over; the source of the rotting flesh yelled its devilish scream right in Saber’s face.

“SHIT!” Saber shouted, sliced the creature with both of his swords. He stepped right and sliced through its left arm, cut off its head, and then sliced it in half at the waist. The muscle had almost zero density and his freshly sharpened blades cut straight through the bone. The nightmare fell to the ground, but the scream persisted like a curse. Out from the darkness to Saber’s left, another figure appeared! The man’s eyes opened wide as the creature lunged out at him fearlessly. Blood splattered out into the air as the being spit at him, but the Assassin evaded the liquid projectile. He shifted right and crouched beneath a violently swung left arm. With a heavy kick, Saber shoved himself forward and cut the being in half. Rotted internals poured out and exploded all over upon impact; the stench of death returned and Saber realized where he was.

“It's a trap!”

Another body straight out of the pits of hell sprinted forth, followed by another, and then another! Multiple bodies with their faces burned, cut, and their bodies contorted into grotesque shapes emerged from the shadows all around him! Saber forced himself into full combat mode and pulled down his hood, giving his eyes a wider field of view. He couldn’t see very well in the dark and the bodies of his targets were faint but the adrenaline in his body heightened his vision. Stepping left, Saber attacked the closest creature and cut through its right arm. Thick, black and red paste poured out of the wound and collected in a filthy pool on the ground. Before he could rejoice of his attack’s success, Saber was forced to guard. He blocked the left hand from attacking his face and shielded himself with his left blade; a mistake.

The creature clutched at the black metal and wrenched down, cutting into its own hand with the sword as to hold it still. Saber sucked his teeth loudly as the creature leaned towards him; the black, empty eye sockets leaked a black fluid and Saber could see true darkness within the two wells. A vile screech echoed out from shattered, broken mouth of the beast at a deafening level; the man winced in pain at the noise. Saber narrowed his eyes and strained his left arm, pushing the creature back to create some distance. Then, he released his own battle cry as his muscles strained.

“GET OFF ME!!” The man billowed out, shoving the beast back before slicing his right blade through its torso. His blade cut into the demonic being’s waist and gouged all the way up to its shoulder, cleanly splicing its body in half. Yet it held firm. As its lower half split away, the hand on Saber’s left sword persisted and held on only tighter. The Assassin grunted and out of desperation, twirled and slammed the dangling half into another beast. His blade cut through the dead hand and freed him, if only for a moment.

Another hand reached out of the darkness to his right and sliced at the air near Saber’s bicep. Seeing the sharpened, long nails, Saber instinctively moved his body left to escape the attack. Another nightmare shot out from that direction the moment he touched down, forcing him backwards. Just after he pushed and accelerated with all of his might away from the new enemy, his back slammed into a thick tree that was behind him. All of the air in his lungs escaped in a heavy gasp and a paralyzing feeling shot through his entire body; Saber’s eyes opened wide, his vision grew fuzzy. He coughed hard and wheezed as he slumped back against the tree trunk, his body heavy from the surprise impact. The grip on his blades loosened and the Assassin became disoriented as the loud screeches filled the air again.

“God.. Dammit!” The man seethed as he clutched his teeth, his grip becoming firm again as he looked up from his feet. There were dozens of them now… All around him… Their black, empty eyesockets glaring at him like hungry cannibals… Their nails were expanding and their feet shifted lazily. On the ground, the ones Saber had cut up dragged themselves towards him. What… What the hell was this?!

Saber let out a heavy cough and spit up a chunk of mucus, forcing it out of his throat. His mind began to stabilize and his vision was returning, but his breathing was still off. He needed to remain focused, he needed to calm himself. But this situation was bad, really bad. He needed a way out, an escape! What could he---Was there an escape..?

Saber’s eyes opened up as he glanced around himself; they were everywhere. All around where he stood, the black zombie-like creatures dragged their bodies towards him. The screaming echoed out from every direction and he couldn’t see any holes in the group. He began to panic. The pace of his breathes increased, his heart rate began to replace the sound of screaming in his ears and his hands began to shake. No, his entire body started to shake. His vision expanded, but it was blurry. There was no way out! He was going to die! No! NO! He couldn’t die! Not here! Not like this! He was the mighty Assassin! HE WAS SABER! No! He couldn’t die, not to these… these things! The was a way out! There had to be! Something! Someone! There was always a way out, always an escape! He needed a plan! He needed to collect his thoughts and he needed to think. Breathe. That was first. He had to relax. First, he had to find his bearings. He needed to collect information. Who were his enemies? The black creatures! How did they die? …They didn’t! He just had to cut them. He had to cut them enough to get them to stop! Right? He needed a hole, that’s what he needed!

“Pathetic…” A hard pound rocked through Saber’s body and the entire world seemed to freeze right before his eyes. His vision blurred and darkened. In front of him, barely four feet away, one of the rotted corpses stared towards him; its vacant hole of a mouth was now firmly pulled into a wicked smile…

“And to think… You’re my container…” A heat began to pour out of Saber’s chest and seeped into his body. A heat so hot that he couldn’t even feel the pain it brought to him. It stretched through his torso, down into his waist and then through his legs. His arms ignited with the invisible magma at the same time and soon, he went numb. The fire spread up into his neck, crept up the back of his skull, and then poured into his mind. His vision darkened further until finally… it was gone. Like a switch, he became blind.

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[Saber]

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[attr="class","nameBox"]Saber
Level 90 -- Assassin

[attr="class","statBox"]Words: [2326]

Tags: [Solo]

Skills Used: [Quick Draw, Malicious Intent]

Notes: [Two Sides of a Coin]

[attr="class","titleBox"]This broken glass is all I've got left!

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“Oh… This feels nice….”

The Assassin tilted his head back and raised his shoulders as he reinforced his footing; his mind cleared. The blades in his hands twirled slowly around and around at his sides, his breathing stabilized, and the shaking in his bones evaporated with the breeze. The foolish child found himself stuck, had he? He had taken the quest of the Sages so boldly without any care for a plan, and now he was in this position. His back was to the wall, his mind had collapsed, and all hope in his heart faded the instant his back smacked against the tree trunk. No wonder he had panicked. The bastard had let his guard down and slipped up, a fatal and pathetic mistake for a person who called themselves “a true warrior”. Saber was cocky and situations like this showed his true amount of experience. In the eyes of the man who was now standing in the “true warrior’s” place; Saber was just a pup.

“Let me show you how a real soldier handles this…” A deep, distorted voice cracked through the air from Saber’s lips. As he spoke, his mouth formed into a thin, crooked smile. There was no longer any hint of fear in his posture and his eyes showed nothing but joy. The vile screaming from the forest persisted like a curse, but the man simply ignored it. His hearing dimmed and he focused on his faint heartbeat and his breathing. He inhaled deeply, and then exhaled slowly to regulate his blood flow. Adrenaline shot out to his muscles and then he clutched onto his blades as his senses became heightened. He was going to enjoy this.

“COME ONE! COME ALL! TO THE GRANDEST BLOODBATH OF ALL!” The bold voice shouted loudly out to the hostile forest around him, his overpowering presence filling the black space as he keyed one of his skills; Malicious Intent. The Adventurer’s body began to glow a deep purple for a moment, illuminating his silhouette before his body darkened. All around him, the hungry, vicious creatures stopped in their tracks. The aura, which began to spread out from the man’s position, caused the air to become thick and difficult to breathe in. The stench of death was replaced with an insatiable blood thirst, overpowering the weaker aura with ease… The creatures, once brave and fearless, stared towards the seething player with their black eyes, unable to move closer to him.

“Are you afraid…?” The Elf muttered, his head tilting back once more. His eyes were open wide now as he gazed out to the crowd gathering around him and his scarf, unable to conceal the man’s face any longer, revealed a massive smile.

“You should be…” The Assassin clutched his two swords and then vanished. He reappeared right behind the nightmare which had once stood in front of him and his blades were crossed right in front of him. Suddenly, the creature split into several pieces, its black body splattering on the ground in a pool of its own slop. The black being that stood behind it now found itself staring straight into Saber’s eyes… No… This wasn’t Saber….

“Boo…” The monster whispered from behind his wicked smile before slicing his two razor edged blades through the black silhouette in front of himself. At the movement, the frozen crowd reawakened and collapsed in on the Assassin. They shouted with their demonic tones but their paralyzing noises fell on deaf ears. The being which replaced Saber thrived in this darkness and his blades danced without hesitation. The black bodies were sliced apart and the monster carved a path forward. The monster’s scale armor was sliced at and his clothes torn up, but his health remained stationary as he blasted through the undead corpses with ease. He twirled and danced in the shadows, the sounds of slaughter echoing out like a tune he had mastered. Left, right, over and under, behead the one to your right, deflect the hand on your left! Slash their legs, cut their throats! Devour their souls like the merciless demon you are!

In a fierce stomp, the monster shoved forward and sliced one of the black creatures in half with a violent vertical slash. In the same motion, he threw his sword towards the sky. With his left hand, he slashed hard to his right and then even harder back to his left. The power behind his swing caused the man to twist around on his heel. The instant he turned about, his right hand shot out and he grabbed the throat of the closest nightmare to him. Black sludge poured out of its lips as the Assassin applied pressure and suddenly, a massive cloud of smoke exploded all around from where the player stood. The grin on the Assassin’s face faded and he vaulted upwards towards the sky. The black being clawed at the hand on its neck in an attempt to free itself but to no avail. The gloved fingertips dug through the tender flesh with ease as the two bodies rocketed towards the forest canopy.

“Is this all you’ve got?!” The monster seethed through clenched teeth as he brought the dead being close to him. He growled loudly at the pathetic zombie-like thing and stared deep into the black holes it had for eyes. He peered through that dead veil and glared not at the nightmare, but at the soul which lurked deep within its mind. At that moment, the sludge-leaking mouth began to tremble. The Assassin grinned.

A hard kick separated the two and the black being dropped rapidly towards the forest floor. The Assassin, elevating himself further into the air, yanked a throwing knife out of the holster on his thigh in a flurry of movement. Just as he drew it, an orange seal appeared on its edge. Once the seal was complete he launched the dagger towards the falling creature. Upon release, he reached out to his right and snagged his sword as it fell back into reach. The dagger sped towards the ground and pierced the torso of the nightmare just as the falling body smashed into the hard dirt. An instant later, the sigil ignited. A massive fireball blasted outwards from the impact location, engulfing all of the creatures in the vicinity of the explosion.

Seconds after the explosion cleared, the agile player slammed back down onto the forest floor. His blades twirled violently in his hands and he took an aggressive stance, ready to fight once more. However, the crowd of black creatures had seen enough. They turned and clawed at the ground and the trees, running with all of their might back into the darkness from which they had come. Their eyes turned back only to ensure that the Assassin did not give chase but that was unnecessary. Seeing that his fight was over, the monster lowered his blades and simply watched the rats scurry back into their holes. The screaming faded into the moonlight and soon, silence returned to the forest. Blood splattered coated the forest floor where the fight had occurred and rotting chunks of meat were scattered all over. The smell of burning flesh now filled the air.

“Pathetic…” The Assassin spit on the ground and then flicked his blades out to the side, removing any remaining blood from their edges before sheathing them. He let out a low rumble and took a hard look around himself, checking for any stragglers. After seeing none, the Assassin knelt down and pulled his dagger out of a mound of flesh which could barely be recognizable as human corpse. He started to walk as he cleaned the blade on his forearm, taking his time to get all of the muck off. When its deadly sheen returned, he slipped the dagger back into its resting place on his thigh.

The shadow remained quiet as he walked and his mind was empty, clear of all thoughts as he marched. He pulled his cloak around his body, adjusted his scarf to cover up his bored expression, and then hid his head with his hood to erase his presence. There was no need to do such a thing but it was simply a habit now after months of performing the same action. A short time passed and then out from the trees, a small opening appeared. The forest remained thick all around and there was no wide clearing, but there were a pair of two massive rocks which erected from the forest floor out of nowhere. They leaned against each other and at the space between them; there was an opening to a tunnel. A lantern hung down from the top of the tunnel but its light had been extinguished. It was a purposeful movement as the Assassin could clearly see that there was plenty of oil left in the object. Deep down below through the entrance, however, there was a faint glow of a lantern inside. So, the Sages had blown out the outside lantern to keep the entrance hidden from the curious. At least they weren’t complete fools.

“Your turn, ‘warrior’... Don’t make another mistake.” The man muttered before closing his eyes. He took in a long, deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. A light breeze moved through the forest once more and it wasn’t until that breeze passed by completely did Saber’s eyes reopen. His breathing became erratic and his eyes expanded wide. He drew his blades and spun around anxiously, his eyes feverishly scanning the surrounding area as he searched for enemies. Then, he looked around out of pure confusion.

“What…? Where did they all go? Those… those things! Where? How!?” Saber continued to breathe heavily, his heart racing as he moved around in a small circle, trying to get a grasp on the situation at hand. Then, he noticed the tunnel. He glanced at the two massive rocks, the dangling lantern, and then down into the descending hole. How had he got here? Wasn’t he just in the middle of a fight?

“…What happened?” Saber slowed his breathing and glanced down at his own body. He blacked out, surely he had! He should be dead right now, but why…?

“Wait…” Then, it dawned on him. There was a voice. Right before he blacked out, something had called out to him and then he felt some kind of burning fill his body. It was an old feeling, that burning, and the voice was one he had heard before… Could it be…? No, he had made a deal with that thing. It wasn’t supposed to ever come out again! Had it lied to him…?

“Dammit…” A light, weak voice came out of the player’s lips and he squeezed at his swords. That was it, wasn’t it? Saber was too weak and too slow to fight those monsters. He had panicked and his mind broke down. In that same instant, the thing which had infected his mind back in the beginning took over again; just like it did during that fight with the Golem Phalanx. Yes he remembered that feeling, that feeling of helplessness just before it all went dark. Every time he felt it, Saber knew that he had made a fatal mistake, a mistake that should have caused him to die. But instead, he simply was ripped from his own mind and forced into a coma while the other thing, that monster, did the work for him… It was pathetic…

Saber grit his teeth together and his hands gripped down even tighter on his blades, so tight that his arms began to tremble. He was angry with himself, angry that he had let himself be cornered. The Assassin had sworn to himself that he would never let it happen again and that he would become strong enough to handle any situation! But now, after what had just happened, Saber realized that he wasn’t strong at all. Sure he had powerful weapons and tools, he was sharp and keen, but he wasn’t strong. All he had was a hollow will with nothing to back up his words. Even after his trials and even after his trip to the West; he was still weak… but he couldn’t stop, could he?

His eyes shifted from the ground and Saber stared towards the tunnel that remained open in front of him. If the other half of him wanted to, it could have let him die back then but no, it had pushed him forward and dragged him here against his will. Rather than let Saber die or bring Saber back to the coastline, it had walked the man to his destination. Why? Was it because they were the same person? No that was too simple. If that were the case, then the being could have just ran away or let Saber take back control after the fight was over. Maybe, just maybe, it wanted Saber to become better… Maybe it wanted to give Saber a chance…

“Then I’ll take it.” He narrowed his eyes on the tunnel entrance and the shaking in his arms stopped, but his grip remained firm. If the other side of him wanted Saber to grow and become stronger, then he would. The Assassin would become strong, strong enough to never need help again. He would become strong enough to carry the burden of his path. It was if he was starting from scratch again now but even so, he wouldn’t quit. Quitting now would mean throwing away all of the steps he had taken so far. He would be casting aside all of the people he had met so far, he’d be stomping on the words of the Ancient beings he had seen so far, and he would be throwing away all of the promises he had sworn to keep.

Without another word, Saber picked up his feet and marched into the tunnel. He would not quit, and he would not fail.

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[Saber]

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[attr="class","nameBox"]Saber
Level 90 -- Assassin

[attr="class","statBox"]Words: [5483]

Tags: [Solo]

Skills Used: [-N/A-]

Notes: [Always Another Trick]

[attr="class","titleBox"]This broken glass is all I've got left!

[attr="class","textBox"] One step after another echoed through the long, almost never ending passage. It was cold, silent, and void of every single sign of possible life. The only solace Saber had in the solitude was that it was well lit. Every twenty paces or so, a lantern dangled from the side of the passage, illuminating the way down. When he looked over his shoulder, all Saber could see was the lighting behind him; he could no longer see the exit and it made him wonder how far he had actually walked. Had the Sages really dug this far down into the rock without anyone noticing? Or was this some kind of trick? If the Sages knew of the temple, then they must have dug for quite some time to get this kind of distance down, and they must have used some advanced tools. On the other hand, the tunnel could have been premade and the Sages simply stumbled onto it. That was a possibility, as the entrance was a fair distance from any kind of civilization. Not only that… but the tunnel had a guardian angel that most likely kept any unwanted souls away.

Tch… Saber sucked his teeth and turned his eyes forward as he remembered being assaulted. He kept focused and pushed the prior few moments out of his mind. Whatever those things that attacked him were, Saber hoped he never had to see them again. Hopefully when he resurfaced it would be daytime or he would have no business in taking the scenic route. He internally wished for the former, as it would be much easier. Traveling any forest at night, nightmares lurking or not, was dangerous.

The tunnel continued on for quite some time and soon, even the scent of stone faded away. It was replaced by a stale, aged smell. If Saber hadn’t covered his mouth, he would have begun to choke because of how thick the air was becoming. He was also starting to have issues breathing in general. The pressure was much higher this deep and his muscles were beginning to feel the squeezing. The oxygen quantity was low, and its quality sucked, adding to his fatigue. He would have been better off scuba diving at the same depth. Yet, thankfully the lantern just at the edge of his view was placed differently than the others. As if it were a marker, it was placed in the center of the pathway and at a raised point. The closer Saber got to it, the higher the lantern looked, until finally he could make out what it was hovering over; an archway. The sight of the arch made the Assassin sigh of relief. He was getting a little tired of the incline.

The archway acted as an entrance to a massive underground cavern, opening up to the large space like some kind of portal. It was familiar to the one Saber had entered when he was searching for Albion, however this time there wasn’t much to look at. Just beyond the archway, Saber came to halt for a moment. He tucked the lower half of his face beneath his scarf and released a chilled breath, letting the warmth spread to his cheeks to heat them up a little. The room around him was wide and dark, with a single pathway stretching from where he stood to a massive building almost a hundred yards away. Now, that wasn’t bad, that single passage. What made it annoying to look at was the fact that it was stretched across an empty black pit. The path was also barely ten feet wide, allowing for maybe two people to walk safely side by side across it and it was supported by four, thin towers of rock. Thankfully there was no wind and none of the four lanterns dangling along the side of the bridge were moving. Without wind, there was no danger of getting swept off ones’ feet so that was good. Although the thought of something jumping out from the bottomless pit did not seem like an idea too far off. For the moment Saber let that thought slip by and began to walk forward, not wanting to waste too much time staring at nothing by black and rock.

The sounds of his footsteps echoed through the dark pit. Every rock which snapped beneath his heel made as much noise as a gunshot, and the Assassin grit his teeth together in annoyance. Silence here was impossible. No matter how light his footwork, the stone path beneath his feet groaned, crackled, snapped, popped, and hissed as the Elf navigated the narrow strip of stone. By the time Saber reached half way, he had given up completely on trying to remain quiet. His footsteps banged through the chasm and his armor rattled beneath his clothes, as if he was trying to wake the dead again. The man’s blades jingled at his waist and the few coins of gold in his back pouch rubbed against one another. This was the loudest Saber had ever been and it was painful to his ears. Each step rang out and bounced of the unseen walls multiple times, only adding to the pain Saber felt in his skull.

Then as Saber took the first step off the bridge, his feet became silent again. The moment his right foot touched down, the annoying cracking stopped. The floor was now smooth, free of debris, and no longer had anything to ricochet soundwaves off. Saber narrowed his eyes and glanced over his shoulder towards the open space behind him. It was strange, this place. To go from loud to silent in just one step seemed impossible but he did not doubt that there could be strange magics around him. After being assaulted by a horde of undead things with black sludge for blood, Saber wasn’t going to be surprised so easily. Instead, he took it all in stride and kept his wits. If he fell victim to the tricks of the temple, then he would find himself lost. With that in mind he did not linger at the end of the passage and moved towards his destination.

Saber turned his eyes towards the building, which now extended towards the ceiling in a brilliant show of size. The doors were open wide and the inner halls were dark from where Saber stood. On each side of the doors stood massive statues of knights, Saber counted four in total with two on each side. Their shields were almost twenty feet tall, their swords even taller, and their helmets far beyond that. The ceiling of the building had to have been almost a hundred feet into the sky, which was an amazing feat. Even Saber was amused with it. He did not come to admire the craftsmanship, however, so the man got to walking. The designs on the building were beautiful and almost begged to be looked at, but time was of the essence. Saber wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible, or at least when it was daytime outside. If he was correct, he had about four hours left before the sun would start to rise into the sky. If the building was as large inside as it was on the outside, there was a lot of ground to cover.

But before that, Saber opened up his menu. The Assassin swiftly navigated to his inventory and dug all the way to the bottom. There, sitting ever so patiently in his oversized and useless stash, were the rods the Sage had provided. In a series of three taps, Saber summoned the rods forth into the world and then slid them through the straps on his belt. The two rods were nestled comfortably beside one another and remained tight to Saber’s body. With them ready, he moved inside. The large steps guided Saber up passed two sets of unlit torch bowls and between two of the guardian knights. As he walked into the door, Saber felt as if the knights were glaring at him. It sent a chill down his spine.

“At least the sculptors didn’t give them eyes…” Saber thought to himself as he pulled his cloak firmly around his body, weakly fending off the chill. It was times like this that Saber wished he had brought company. At least he could have asked if he wasn’t going insane. But, then again, he wasn’t exactly good with people… Not anymore.

Inside of the building wasn’t much better than the outside. The room he walked through was massive and expansive with very little light illuminating his path; there were only a few lanterns that hadn’t been knocked over or destroyed remaining. Columns reached from the floor to the ceiling as they supported the top of the space, the floor was a singular, flat sheet of stone which had been cut from the rock itself, and the walls were finely decorated with carvings from times long before Saber was even thought of. He couldn’t decipher any of the images, but the stories that the images told were beyond him. Even if the man stopped to look at them, he wouldn’t have a clue of what he was looking at. Thus, he kept moving. The hall he passed through wasn’t very long and soon, the Assassin found himself at another entrance. This one was different than the others he had just passed through as beyond it, there wasn’t another tunnel.

Just before Saber stepped through the passage, he felt an excruciating pain shoot through his skull and it stopped him in his tracks. The player winced and his right hand instinctively shot up to his skull, cradling where his mind suspected the pain to have come from. It was as if someone was digging a sharp object into his eye socket and sent an electric current all the way from his forehead, to the back of his skull. What made it worse was the fact that it was a consistent, pulsating sensation. Every millisecond as if in tune with his heartbeat, the pain slammed into Saber’s brain and deafened all of his thoughts. Something, somewhere, just told him to leave. The pain wasn’t because he was hurt, but it was a warning. If he continued, he would probably feel a lot worse pains than this. It hurt, it really did. Saber’s right eye was forced closed and he could hardly breathe. All of his focus went to the pain and he forgot about everything else.

The pain forced Saber to stagger out of the hall and he grabbed onto the side of the door for support, his fingers digging into the structure to keep the man from falling over. He grit his teeth, groaned, and grunted in agony as the feeling tore through his brain cells. He felt as if he was dying, as if someone had their hands inside of his head and was just tearing his skull open. It was also similar to the feeling of getting a sledgehammer bashed down onto his forehead. It was unpleasant and almost knocked the man right to his knees, but just as quickly as it appeared the pain subsided. After a full minute, the deadly shock vanished and freed Saber from its grip. Yet even as it was gone, Saber’s body still reacted in defense to it; his heart rate remained high, his breathing was knocked out of balance, and he could barely stand. All of the strength in Saber’s body was gone now, forcing him to rely more on the archway than he initially planned. Saber sucked in a sharp breath of air and formed a fist with his stabilizing hand. With a hard push, he shoved himself back upright and opened both of his eyes, locking them open.

“This damned place…” He cursed, forcing himself forward and into the next room before he collapsed. The next room wasn’t much of a surprise; it was a hub with several doors and a central area in the middle. The area Saber stood on was raised above the lower zone, which could be accessed by a set of stairs on the opposite side of where he stood. The room was a large circle and there were several rooms at equal intervals around said circle. A few rooms had their doors broken open while others remained shut and undisturbed. The lower area was a small collection of bookshelves that mimicked the shape of the room and flowed in that of a circle. At their center was a single pedestal. It was empty, but even from the distance Saber could see that a book had once been sitting on it. Not only that but said book was there recently. The dust that should have accumulated was gone.

Saber glanced around himself and noticed that the room also had a set of stone knights standing guard in various positions around the area. It was suspicious and after listening to what the Sage had said, these knights were probably the defensive mechanism of the temple. That was given. For now though they weren’t a problem so he didn’t bother with attacking or bothering them. If he did, Saber had no idea what kind of traps or mechanisms he would trigger. He kept moving, glancing towards the silent knights as he walked around the edge of the balcony and then down the staircase. As he took the last step off the stairs, Saber glanced to his left and through the doorway which was there. It was the main passage and swirled down towards another area underneath the one he was in. Beyond his sight something lurked and he could almost feel its heavy presence. Glancing left, he checked the pedestal in the center of the room.

“I really hope that doesn’t mean anything.” Saber wiggled his nose and then released a light sigh. Turning his back to the hub-room, the Assassin began his descent down into the depths of the temple. The staircase was heavy and echoed quite loudly, but it didn’t seem to echo very far. There was a slight breeze and the air was as cold as ice. It nipped at his skin even with the several layers of clothes he war, causing Saber to tug at his cloak. It was a futile thing but he did it out of instinct. Pulling on his cloak gave Saber a false sense of security and warmth, and he knew it. Even so the mental boost it gave him was enough, as slight as it may have been.
The staircase twirled around a central pole twice before spitting Saber back out. This time, however, he was greeted. Standing in front of him about twenty paces off was a stone knight who stood about three feet taller than himself. The knight stood tall on his slightly raised circular stand and held both of his hands neatly folded on top of a sword, whose tip was pointed straight into the ground. Said Knight stood ready to defend the massive door at its back, and did not seem to be willing to budge. The room around the Knight was a large, empty cylinder room illuminated by magic fueled green gems that were embedded in the singular wall and the floor. The moment Saber stepped out from the staircase and into the room, he felt the rods on his waist twitch.

“…?” He glanced down at the rods, staring at them for just a moment before he heard the sound of grinding rock. Looking up, Saber witnessed the Knight coming back to life. Its body cracked and shattered, the stone shell breaking apart as the shining grey armor underneath bore through. The Knight did not move, even as the stones fell off its body. A magical spell was cast, triggered by the appearance of the Elven warrior and the soul of the Knight returned to its home. When the transformation was finished, Saber found himself staring towards a living being who wore a heavy set of metal. Then, he spoke. The Knight’s voice was loud, demanding, and crisp. He was no greenhorn to war.

“Stranger, why do you come to this temple?” The Knight called out, but Saber did not answer. He glanced around the room, checking for traps or some kind of spell caster hiding themselves away. Finding nothing, he looked back at the Knight. This Knight was a patient being it seemed, as if never showed any kind of urgency for Saber’s answer.

“I am simply a curious scholar, dear Knight. I came out of curiosity and decided to explore the temple upon finding it.” At the response Saber gave, the Knight let out a scoff. The armor’s head tilted downwards and the grip on the sword tightened. Saber narrowed his eyes and lowered his own head, hiding his eyes from the other warrior.

“A scholar armed so heavily? Do you take me for a fool, Elf?” How perceptive, but he was wrong. Saber was indeed a scholar, but he was one who was willing to seek out his own answers rather than rely on someone else. It was the journey that Saber enjoyed the most. Finding the answers to his questions were simply bonuses, sometimes.

“I travel alone. That requires me to defend myself in violent situations, thus I must have the proper equipment to do so. With the world so cluttered with thieves and vile creatures, traveling without a weapon is suicide. Do you take me for a fool, Knight?” The Knight stiffened, and Saber’s hands slowly lowered down onto the hilts of his own swords. The Knight remained quiet for a moment. His unseen eyes drifted down and his head twisted, as if the timeless being noticed the rods on Saber’s waist.

“If you are a simple scholar, then what are those if I might ask? Are you searching for something?” Was this Knight a soldier or a gatekeeper? Saber couldn’t tell. His questions were also like a quiz and the answers Saber considered might have been the deciding factor on whether he passed through to the next room or not, so he took his time with forming a response.

“Does the key require the truth, or does it simply require a slot to be placed into?” Saber’s pitiful excuse for a riddle caused the Knight to raise his head high. His hands relaxed on his blade but the Knight never looked away from the Assassin; he was taking in every movement Saber made and he did so without any sense of fear.

“Only the pure of hearts may pass through this door, Elf. The eyes you gaze at me with tell me that your passage has already been denied…” So, he had clairvoyance. A smart skill to place onto a guardian, but how far did it reach?

“…However, exceptions have been made.” The Knight relaxed his arms even further, tilting the blade back a little as if the Knight was growing tired of holding it straight up and down. It seemed as if Saber wasn’t going to get through the easy way like the Sage’s may have, simply because of his past. If he slipped, he would have to duel the Knight most likely or try to leave. Or, he had another option; speak the truth. The Knight was most likely just the guard. The true decider of the situation was beyond sight.

“I am here in search of answers, Knight. As a scholar, I have questions and I live to answer them. I have been brought here by a tablet, which was recovered by a group of Sages. You may remember them. The tablet, however, is incomplete, so I have returned to gather its pieces.” The Knight did not budge as Saber spoke. It was almost like the Knight had already returned to stone within its silvery shell.

“I am willing to die for these questions of mine, so I am willing to take whichever trial you will be told to give me.” After he added a few words, the Knight lowered his arms and pulled his sword from the ground. He lifted the weapon off to his side slightly and stepped down off the raised circular pedestal. Once he had stepped down, there was a loud clicking noise; something had been unlocked.

“It seems you speak the truth, Elf Scholar, and those words tell me more than your eyes ever could.” As the Knight spoke, the wall behind him split in half and the massive stone began to slide apart. The door behind Saber slowly closed shut due to the swirling walls but he cared very little. In front of him was something far more important; a massive circular room. All around the edges, the walls were engraved with pictures that told stories of war, tranquility, and a God’s romance. Twelve columns were evenly spaced out in the same circular pattern as the room and they held the ceiling up with ease. In between each of the columns, a large Knight statue stood tall and faced the center of the circle. Within the knight’s circle, there was a lowered platform that could be reached by taking six steps and in its center, there was a broken pedestal.

“You have been allowed entry but remain wary. This is a holy place.” With that, the Knight returned to his static position as a guardian. His body stiffened, his arms tensed, and the soul which lingered returned to its deep slumber. Saber waited a few moments, eyeing the Knight to ensure that it wouldn’t perform anything funny, but his worries were unnecessary. The knight had performed his duty and now he had been allowed to sleep again. It must be tough to live for an eternity as a doorman.

Striding by the knight, Saber entered the next room and walked in several paces before once again, he took in his surroundings. Rather than rashly stomp up to the pedestal like some others may have, the Assassin observed the room around him and scanned for any traps. He looked for doors, escapes, switches and levers, potential threats, and even for information on what kind of room he was in. It was all basic actions to ensure his own safety, but by just looking around Saber was able to establish a few extra details. For one, the stories on the walls were all in order; they were a tale of a God who had once walked the planet as well as its triumphs in war, its failures in love, and its ascendance to the heavens. On the other side of the room, directly across from where Saber stood, there was also a small slot in the wall. The engravings around said slot alerted the Assassin that it provided access to another area.

“Of course there’s another door.” The man sighed before he approached the center of the room, stopping just beside one of the knight statues. It was a large thing, that statue, and the knight had to have stood about nine feet tall. With its raised platform, the frozen stone being towered over the puny Elf. At the base of the knight’s platform there was a collection of rocks and dust; it had been moving recently.

“You can hide your face, but you can’t hide your past.” Saber glanced around at the other statues. Upon doing so, he confirmed that they all had a bit of debris all around their platforms. They were true guardians then. Judging by the state of the pedestal in the center of the room, the knights were activated by its destruction. Or it was broken in the battle after it was messed with. Just as the Assassin looked down at the pedestal the rods on his waist began to stir. Saber glanced down at them for a moment before pulling them free. He pumped them with some of his psyche and clutched onto their handles as they started to tug him forward slightly. Using the rods as a guide, the Assassin descended into the center of the room and stepped up towards the pedestal.

The pedestal reached up to the man’s waist as he walked up to it and from what he could tell, there used to be a slot for something to be placed into. From its size and shape Saber could only guess that the slot was where the tablet was placed. Removing the tablet must have keyed the Knights, and the pedestal’s destruction happened because of the Sage’s being unprepared for a fight. Though, why would the rods continue to pull if that were the case? Sure the tablet was broken and cracked, but the Sages may have done that during their escape. He should have come across the pieces above and somewhere outside, yet why now? Why were the rods still acting up now and why hadn’t they activated earlier?

Saber wiggled his nose curiously and pumped more power into the rods. In response, the rods began to glow a faint blue color and twisted in the Elf’s hands. Their tips turned inwards and they pointed directly at the pedestal, as if screaming that Saber’s answer was right in front of him. Yet it was still confusing. The pedestal was broken, the tablet was gone, and there was nothing but rocks in front of him. Saber let out a huff and cut off his supply of mana to the rods, sticking them back onto his waist even though they shook and wiggled against him. He knelt down and placed his hands on the pedestal, rubbing it down as he scanned the object. It was firmly placed into the floor and could not be moved. There were no seams on its main support beam and there were no hidden latches, switches, or seals. Its cracked top was also firmly placed aside from the broken left corner.

And that was when he saw it; the clue was right in front of him. After staring down at the pedestal, Saber investigated the front left corner; it was odd. The corner was cleanly broken off. The stone wasn’t very thick so breaking it would be easy but there should have been some kind of cracking effect or a crumbling around the break. There was no sign of either of those. Not only that but the top of the pedestal itself seemed to be slightly twisted. Saber wiggled his nose again and walked around the object. He knelt down and eyed the break point, and then looked just below it; there.

Saber stood back up and placed his hands underneath the top of the pedestal. He gripped onto it tight and let out a heavy grunt as his muscles tensed up. With all of his might, the Assassin lifted the top of the pedestal and removed it from its position. The stone square tile flipped off the top of the column beneath it, dropping onto the floor on the other side of where Saber stood. Dust and debris kicked up all around where it landed and beneath where it had been placed sat the key to the temple. Resting within the cylinder was a small stone cube; the key to the next door. A thin smile crossed Saber’s lips as he reached towards the cube, but then he paused. He felt eyes, a lot of eyes, painting him like a target. That harsh, violent feeling made the Assassin hesitant to proceed and his hand hovered over the cube, trembling slightly as he glanced around the room. The knights had not been activated yet but they were there, weren’t they? They were omnipotent guardians tasked with watching over everything that happened in the room and were tasked with protecting its secrets. If Saber grabbed this cube, would they attack him?

“There’s always a catch, isn’t there?” The Assassin narrowed his eyes and looked down at the cube. Based on the time it took for the other knight to break out of his stone barrier, Saber would only have ten seconds at most to get to the door and place the key. After that, he would have to wait for the door to open or for the panel to do its business; twenty seconds at most if he was correct. Once he had the cube in the door, however, he would have to fend off the Knights. They would most likely move to seal off Saber’s exit as well as protect the next room. Judging by their numbers, two would guard the exit, two would guard the next room, and two would move as supports, and two would move to attack. That would be basic combat strategy, or at least the strategy Saber would use if he wanted to use his units evenly. Then again, the knights could all just rush him at once. If that were the case, he would have an easier time moving. With everyone focused on him, all Saber needed to do was survive. Surviving was his strong suit.

“Ten seconds…” The Assassin’s hand tensed up and his breathing steadied. This was about to get rough, but he was prepared for this. After hearing about the Sage’s being attacked, he was ready for this kind of situation. Though, he wasn’t ready for the knights to be nine foot tall. That sucked.

“Three…. Two… One…” Saber snatched the cube and immediately turned towards the door, but then he stopped again; the Knights didn’t react. They didn’t so much as twitch when Saber grabbed the cube. Why? If they weren’t the eyes he felt, then who wa—

“You’re smart, Elf. Very smart but you forgot one thing.” A familiar voice sent a chill down Saber’s spine. He glanced behind him and the guardian Knight he had spoken to was now turned to face him. Beneath the metal veil of his visor, two red eyes shinned through to stare at Saber.

“You only have one way out.” Aw shit. Immediately, the door behind Saber began to spin closed. Saber sucked his teeth and glanced to his left towards the slot in the other wall and then he looked towards his closing exit. Crap, he didn’t think that the cube would key the closing of his exit! Dammit, that was the simplest of all the traps!

“You bastards.” Saber cursed and clutched the cube tightly in his hand. Now he had two options and fifteen seconds to act; go for broke on the cube or escape. If he escaped, he would have to fight the knight. That was a guarantee simply because Saber now knew the secret and he had the cube in his hand. The knights in the rooms above were probably also activating. If the temple was even more advanced, the doors above were also most likely closing shut. If said defensive mechanism was even more advanced, then once the doors closed… they would never open again. Ever. For anyone.

…That left Saber with one choice.

“I hate this crap.” Saber turned his back to his exit and bounded up the staircase. As he did so, the knights in the room began to spring to life. Their stone bodies began to break, their eyes shined with red life, and their blades sharpened for war. The Assassin narrowed his eyes and squeezed the cube tight as he stepped onto the upper section.

“Oh, so now they activated.” He snarled through his teeth and lunged towards the door. As he reached it, Saber matched the inscriptions on the cube to the engravings on the wall. With a hard shove he locked the cube into the slot and sealed it in. Just as he did, he glanced behind him towards the gatekeeper knight. The knight raised his head and stiffened up.

“Your choice has been made… and your fate has been sealed.” The Knight spoke, and then the stone walls sealed shut. Instantly, the room Saber stood in was illuminated by torches all around the room, allowing him to see a lot more clearly. Their flames were a bright blue and the lighting they provided was much clearer than the lanterns the Sages had placed. Though he had no time to worry about such things. The door was beginning to activate, but slowly.

Upon placing the cube into the wall, the cube began to glow a bright yellow and a yellow beam of light started to span the entire wall. It shot out from the cube and ran through previously unseen lines, illuminating the pictures that had been engraved. This was the opening mechanism, from what Saber could tell, but it was going to take some time. Time that he didn’t have; the Knights began to step down from their platforms and turned to face the intruder. Saber grit his teeth and reached for his blades, yanking them free from their sheathes harshly. These temples never failed to surprise him with their tricks.

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[Saber]

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[attr="class","nameBox"]Saber
Level 90 -- Assassin

[attr="class","statBox"]Words: [4526]

Tags: [Solo]

Skills Used: [Quick Draw, Shadow Bind, Explosive Sigil, Dimensional Shot, Curtain Call, Death Stinger]

Notes: [Sealing The Deal]

[attr="class","titleBox"]This broken glass is all I've got left!

[attr="class","textBox"] The columns were proving to be extremely useful as Saber moved, but the knights were much quicker than their size made them out to be. They were swift, agile, and extremely powerful. Their blades came down like hammers and Saber was having difficulties fending off the strikes. His arms strained to block them head on due to the force, leaving him only with the ability to deflect or dodge the attacks outright. Though, he could only hold out for so long. The knights were moving as a group and without Saber’s exit to worry about, they were aggressive. It was almost too much and Saber was left with only his speed to rely on. It was tiring, but the light was moving at a steady pace. He only had to hold out for another two minutes or so, and even then he would be pushing it.

The knights moved in a spread formation with all eight of them turning and shifting as Saber worked his way through the room. Their tactics were simple and Saber was under pressure no matter where he moved. One Knight was always on the attack, pushing in from Saber’s front while another consistently was at his back to keep the Assassin from simply running in circles. Two remained down by the pedestal, ready to shift if Saber tried to jump away without thinking. One backed up the Knight which was pressuring Saber, and one stood behind the Knight at Saber’s back to catch the Assassin if he slipped by. The remaining two eyed the Assassin from the complete opposite of where he was and moved around the edge of the circular room like mirrors. Even if Saber escaped, he would be under attack immediately on the other side of the room. This kind of formation could have been easily beaten in a party, but alone Saber was having trouble.

The heavy blade of the Knight Saber was currently dueling with blasted into the stone floor as it collapsed from the sky, cracking the floor and kicking up dust around the impact point. Saber huffed and thrusted his right blade forward, attempting to pierce through the Knight’s throat. His attack was easily guarded as the Knight shifted his shield forward, blocking Saber’s blade. The Assassin narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth, pushing off the tips of his toes as he shifted left. Another blade came down from behind but then it twisted and swept through the air. Saber, already moving backwards, tapped at the ground and accelerated just out of the sword’s arc. It whisked through the air a few inches from where Saber’s stomach was; that could have been his gut. His heels dug into the floor a moment later, stabilizing his body on the ground. He was getting tired.

The Assassin breathed slowly and steadily through his lips and nose, keeping his oxygen intake under control. If he let it get out of hand, he would tire even faster and might even become light headed. His muscles burned a little but this wasn’t as bad as his grinding days. He could keep at this for a while, but it was simply a matter of not making a mistake. One slip and those blades would easily slash off one of his arms or cut open his body beyond what he could handle. Without an escape, however, he was forced to continue. Glancing at the wall, he had a little bit of time left.

“It seems you’re getting tired, Elf.” One of the Knights taunted, chuckling through his armor as he pulled his sword out of the floor. Saber huffed and sneered. Tired? This wasn’t tired… He was just warming up.

“Stop playing with him! We don’t have much time left!” One of the Knights from across the room shouted out, his voice booming through the room. The four directly in front of Saber shifted and the one whom had just slashed through the air narrowed his eyes. Saber clutched his swords; he wanted to bring at least one medal of glory home with him.

“Gladly…” The Knight responded and stomped forward, raising his shield and sword. Saber shifted his feet, getting a solid base beneath him and lowered his hips. Judging by the speed of the light, Saber had a minute left. One minute left. Plenty of time, no?

“Yes, we don’t have much time…” Saber hissed; his body began to glow. The Knight which moved forward towards him raised his sword and struck, slashing harshly at the air. Saber shifted his weight, moved his body, and avoided the attack. The Knight’s arm dropped at an angle and almost hit the floor, but he was able to stop the motion. Saber, now at the Knight’s exposed side, drove his blade through the unprotected armpit of the Knight’s armor and pierced through flesh. Blood splattered out from the wound and the Knight groaned as he started to move back. Saber pressed.

The Knight’s left leg moved away but Saber kept up with the stride. He stepped forward and then twisted his upper bodyxxx down, cutting out the knight’s knee from the back. The powerful tendons ripped apart and the Knight’s balance was disrupted. As he started to fall, Saber twirled and raised his left blade to parry the second Knight’s weapon as it came down on him. Such a move was expected; “protect your brother’s back”. Again, Saber pinpointed the armpit of the second Knight and buried his blade in as deep as he could reach. He quickly pulled his weapon back out and stepped to his right, moving to the back of the two wounded warriors. However he didn’t hesitate. Once at the second knight’s back, he reached his right arm as far back as he could and then launched his heavily sharpened weapon forward with all of his might. Skin, muscle, tendon, and bone were hacked through and the only thing which stopped the blade was the iron on the other side. The blow did not dismember, but the Knight’s leg became useless. Like the brother he had just guarded, the Knight collapsed onto one knee.

Yanking his blade free, Saber stomped forward and twirled both swords into a reverse grip. He jumped up, planted his feet firmly on the Knight’s back, lifted his two swords up, and then drove them through the slot in the heavily plated warrior’s neck. He dug his weapons all the way down to the hilt into the Knight’s body, piercing through his spine, lungs, heart, stomach, and his digestive internals. The Knight hacked up blood inside of his helm as the damage was dealt. The room fell silent for a moment as the others looked on, watching as Saber twisted his swords and then yanked them free. Red liquid coated the black weapons now and the same liquid leaked out onto the floor as the Knight collapsed. Saber twirled his swords back into a forward hold and then flicked them to his sides, splattering the blood on them onto the floor. He narrowed his eyes on the knights in front of him and grinned beneath his scarf.

“Who did you say was tired, Knight?” Saber taunted before launching himself forward. The first Knight he wounded scrambled to get back to his feet, but he was too slow. Saber narrowed his eyes on the weak point in the almost invincible set of armor and drove his sword straight through it. The weapon pierced through the Knight’s spine with ease and then burst out from the warrior’s breast plate due to the force. The man let out a gurgled moan of pain and the grip on his sword weakened. Blood lined the edges of the black sword and dripped down to the floor. Saber peered out from behind the dying knight and glared towards the other two directly in front of him. He didn’t say anything smart or nifty and didn’t put out a pathetic one liner. Instead, he let the Knights feast on the sight of their two brothers being slaughtered so easily. Saber had waited long enough to strike back, and the walls were finally illuminating.

Saber twisted his sword in the Knight’s back and then yanked it free. The Knight tipped forward, his body no longer forced to remain upright, and flattened out on his stomach. He landed with a thunderous smack and blood pooled beneath his body. The Assassin hopped backwards, putting both of the dead bodies between himself and the two still breathing knights directly in front of him. Just as he made space, he prepared to move again and clutched his swords. Saber checked the walls; forty seconds were left. That was a lot of time in combat, time he didn’t want to spend at the moment. Yet his murders would not go unanswered, that would be too easy.

“You demon!” The closest Knight to Saber called out and raced forward, careful to avoid stomping on his fallen brothers as he closed in on their killer. The Assassin narrowed his eyes and twirled his left blade in his hands. As the Knight got closer, he flicked the weapon forward and threw it right at the Knight’s feet. The man let out a verbal huff and jumped over the flung blade, his own sword being raised up high. However the instant his feet hit the ground, he stopped in his tracks. Saber’s blade dug into the ground behind the Knight where the warrior had attacked before and stuck straight up. The same slit in the floor which the Knight had made was now an anchor. Dozens of invisible binding tendrils stuck out of the Knight’s shadow, locking him in place just a few inches from where Saber stood. His eyes opened wide. Saber lifted his right arm and then sliced across the exposed neck of the armored being, his blade splitting it easily.

After his strike, Saber stepped to his right and avoided the body as it collapsed onto the floor. The other knights looked on in horror as the body slumped down, a previously attached helmet clanging down in a separate location before rolling towards the wall. Saber didn’t look back as the third slain Knight passed on and pulled his thrown sword out of the ground. He twirled it once before snatching it tight, his grip becoming firm on it once more.

“Might I make a suggestion?” Saber said aloud, glancing towards the lone Knight to his left, and then towards the other four on his right. The Knight on Saber’s left stiffened up, and then also looked over towards his allies. They provided no answers, but one did answer; one from the pedestal.

“A suggestion?” He responded, confused as he stared towards Saber through his helmet.

“Yes. I don’t particularly wish to kill all of you Knights, or any of you for that matter. Fighting is something I wished to avoid from the beginning, as I am simply here in a quest for knowledge. If you are content with the blood which has already been spilt, I ask that we end our battle here. If not, then I will be forced to kill all of you even after the wall’s illumination is finished. I do not have any time to waste.” At Saber’s words, he received nothing but silence in return. The Knights looked at one another briefly for a moment, and then they started laughing. Their armor clanged as they billowed out their fruitful sounds; why were they laughing? This was nothing to wiggle a feather at. Saber was going to kill them! What was funny about that?

“Oh dear, Elf. You must be mistaken.” Mistaken? Saber raised his eyebrows and glanced at the Knight to his left, and then back to the two down below; more specifically the one who was talking.

“The cube does not open a door. It makes us stronger!” Suddenly, Saber’s eyes opened wide. His eyes shifted to the wall as the light sequence finished and then the entire room lit up. At the same moment, the armor of the Knight’s began to glow, their silver armor gleaming with the same color of the walls. The remaining five began to laugh again as the light fed their eternal bodies with strength. Saber grit his teeth together and squeezed his swords tighter than before; dear god what had he done?

“Did you think that the cube would be your escape?! Fool! Your only escape is to beat us!”….
….

“I hate this.”

Saber’s eyes narrowed and he glared towards the Knight on his left, eyeing him hard as the warrior’s armor began to lose some of its glow. The Knight lifted his sword and beckoned Saber to attack. Before the Knight could finish his motion, Saber’s body vanished for just a moment before he reappeared right in front of the Knight’s face. The Knight was caught off guard and as he started moving his shield to guard, Saber drove his left sword through the Knight’s throat. The Knight coughed inside of his helmet as the black blade stabbed straight through his neck, his eyes locking with Saber’s as the Assassin squeezed down on the black hilt. With a hard tug, Saber slashed his weapon through the rest of the Knight’s neck, removing his head; that made four.

As the Knight’s body began to fall, Saber separated himself and started to sprint around the edge of the circular room. The two Knights on the other side of the room watched as the quick Elf moved towards them and swiftly moved into defensive positions. They moved beside one another and locked shields. Saber hissed at the sight and his body accelerated as he pounded at the floor. The Knights stared him down, barking at one another to prepare to defend. The Assassin they faced wasn’t as green as they thought, however, so he wasn’t stupid enough to rush head on. As he ran forward, a sound came from behind the Knights. Suddenly, black blades pierced their backs. Blood splattered inside of the two sets of armor and the men released loud cries of pain. Their shield wall split open; Saber was behind them?!

The Knights looked over their shoulders and opened their eyes wide as they saw an exact replica of the Elf, his blades digging into their spinal columns. When they looked forward, another Saber lunged into the air and stabbed his swords through both of their throats. That was when they realized the trick; it was a fake at their backs. The doppelganger blasted apart into a dark mist as Saber shoved the two knights onto their backs, slamming them to the floor. Their initial wounds vanished, but the blades in their throats remained. With his swords acting like spikes, Saber released them and opened up his menu. In a flash, he summoned forth his bow and quiver, yanking his bow off his back the instant it appeared.

“What?! A bowman?!” One of the remaining two Knights shouted. Upon seeing the ranged weapon, the two Knights raised their shields. Saber grinned and nocked an arrow. He did not fire, however, and simply pulled back on the bowstring. He waited and aimed at his target as poison laced the his arrow’s black head. When his skill was ready, he fired it straight forward. The Knight he targeted shifted behind his shield, ensuring his defense. Then, just before impact, the arrow vanished.

“Wha--?” The Knight spat. Before he could even finish his sentence, Saber’s arrow reappeared above the Knight and then drove through the exposed slit. It pierced deep into the flesh and poison poured out into the warrior’s body. Due to the sudden change in the tides, the Knight’s heartrate had increased. The poison seeped into the warrior’s bloodstream and spread rapidly, increasing its potency. The Knight, struck out of surprise, leaned forward in his lowered position and groaned out of pain.

“Arthur!” The second knight called out, taking his gaze off Saber for just a second. The sound of snapping string caused the Knight to realize his mistake but before he could fix it, Saber’s second shot dug into the side of his helmet. An orange glow radiated from the arrow head, blinding the Knight for only a second before it erupted. The Knight’s helmet, and part of his skull, was blasted apart due to the fierce explosion. His body tilted and fell without a word. The poisoned Knight planted his shield down firmly into the floor and held himself up, fighting against the pain which was now filling his body. Saber waited for a moment, watching the wounded warrior to see what he would do. Satisfied, Saber returned his ranged weapons to his inventory and then pulled his two blades out of the ground. The trapped warriors flopped onto the floor and wheezed, gasping for air.

“Who… are you?” The poisoned Knight grunted, pushing off his shield as he forced himself back to his feet. Saber walked down from where he stood and approached the teetering warrior. The Knight lifted his sword and shield with his remaining strength, but the Assassin did not attack.

“My name is Saber, I am an Elf who seeks answers and I am willing to go to great lengths to get them. Now tell me, how do I leave?” Saber kept his distance from the Knight but the warrior kept ready. He did not answer Saber’s question for a few moments but then, he realized that his life was almost at its end. The Knight lowered his shield and dropped his sword, letting both fall to the stone floor.

“Defeated by a scholar… How pathetic…” The Knight muttered, falling to his knees as the poison sapped away at his remaining energy. Saber sheathed his blades and knelt down so that he could remain eye level with the knight.

“You beat us without even breaking a sweat… It was a mistake to trap you here in the first place… With us dead, the cube will guide you. I assume you have the tablet?” The Knight coughed and hacked between breathes, but he was able to spit out the instructions. At the question the Knight provided, Saber nodded and summoned forth the tablet from his inventory. It was cracked still, but now it letters began to glow. The Knight huffed and pointed towards the cube.

“Go. When I die, the cube will open the path. Inside is what you seek…” The Knight let out another loud and violent cough before he toppled over. The poison consumed his body and caused his heart to finally seize to a halt. Saber eyed the body for a moment and then let out a sigh. He pushed himself up to his feet, his eyes turning towards the glowing cube in the wall. A few moments later, the walls brightened to an almost blinding amount. Saber was forced to close his eyes some to keep from being completely blinded and when the light lifted, the bodies of the knights were gone. All signs of combat had been suddenly erased; the blood stains were gone, the knights were standing back on their platforms, and even the pedestal had returned to normal. The tablet had also been placed back into the slot on the top of the pedestal, as if the entire room had been reset to the way it was at the beginning. However, not everything was erased. The tablet’s letters still glowed, the walls still shined, and the cube was still sitting in the wall.

Saber glanced up at the Knights, checking each of them for any signs of life but he was met with empty stares. The souls of the timeless had been placed back within their cases and the locks returned on the latches. The Assassin bowed his head to the warriors and then approached the pedestal. The lines which were illuminated began to pulsate, as if calling for Saber’s voice. The Assassin narrowed his eyes and looked up towards the glowing cube. So, the tablet wasn’t what the Sages thought it was. It didn’t hold the answers… It was a key.

“We are Children of the Heavens, Seekers of the Light, Keepers of the Past, Travelers into the Future, and Guides of the Lost. We are Kings, Peasants, Gods, and Demons. We are Brothers bound by Metal and Scholars trapped within Books. We are the Celestials, and we are calling. Many will answer, but only a few will walk the path among the stars. Show your Might, and let the Light guide your way. What is your answer?”

The words of the tablet were a question and as he read, Saber felt as if it was talking right to him. He paused for a moment and glanced up towards the room around him. Then, he looked towards the cube once more. The Assassin eyed that cube hard for a few moments, but then he finally realized that it was waiting. Saber reached up and pulled down his scarf, revealing his face to the cube.

“My name is Saber. I have walked this realm and battled many monsters without fail. I have taken the trials of Gods, Goddesses, and I have begun the path to ascendance, however it is not power I seek. I walk this plane in search of answers to many of my questions, but mainly two. Why am I here? Why do I exist? Why is this world how it is? In search of those answers I have walked to far lands, read many tales, and sought out many beasts and creatures of the dark. I have spoken to and fought with Gods without hesitation. And now, I am here. I stand before you, Celestials, in search of knowledge. I wish to know about this world and all of its secrets and I am willing to go to many lengths to find my answers. You called yourselves guides, travelers, and keepers… Will you show me the path?” Saber extended his hand towards the cube as he spoke, as if holding it out for someone to reach back and grab at. Though he was not answered by a visible being. Instead, the cube began to glow even more aggressively. The light which flowed through it poured out into the engravings on the wall and the tablet flared to life as well. The entire room began to quake beneath Saber’s feet, but the Assassin remained firm. He narrowed his eyes and stared towards the cube as it rumbled within the wall. The lights grew in ferocity once more, forcing Saber to completely shut his eyes…

“You answer has been heard…” There was a whisper, and then the lights vanished. Saber lost consciousness.

When Saber opened his eyes again, he was laying down on his back in the center of the room. Standing over him was the Gatekeeper Knight. He looked down at the Assassin and waited for the Elf to move. Saber grimaced and sat up, looking towards where the cube had been; it was gone now. There wasn’t anything in its place and Saber didn’t feel any different. Had he failed? Maybe his answer wasn’t enough for whoever was listening… And who was that voice? It was feminine, but he couldn’t place it to anything. With a grunt, Saber pushed himself to his feet and turned to face the Gatekeeper.

“I guess I wasn’t good enough.” Saber said, brushing himself off. The Knight lifted a finger and pointed behind Saber. The Assassin furrowed his eyebrows and glanced over his shoulder. At the sight, his eyes opened wide. The tablet’s face had changed.

It was marked with a chisel and a hammer, as if noting that a specific tool was required. When Saber looked back at the Knight, the timeless being nodded his head. Saber nodded in response and opened his menu, summoning forth a chisel. He turned towards the table and carefully began to table at the center of the stone object. After just a few sturdy taps, the tablet cracked. A light shined through the splits in the stone and Saber carefully carved his way through the covering. When he was able to free what was inside, Saber got an eye full of yellow light again but this time only for a few seconds. The light dimmed once the tablet was completely uncovered and revealed the image of a fountain.

“Quite the opposite, Elf.” The Knight said as Saber stared at the tablet. This marking, Saber found it oddly familiar but he couldn’t but his finger on what it was. The person who would know would be the Sage, so he didn’t bother trying to figure it out. Rather than dwell on it, Saber cast the object into his inventory.

“Well done. It seems that you’ve passed the test.” The Knight spoke loudly as he faced Saber. The Elf turned back towards the Knight and nodded, pulling his scarf back over his face.

“Looks like I’ve got a lot ahead of me. You aren’t going to lock me in here again, are you?” At Saber’s jab, the Knight let out a chuckle and shook his head. Afterwards, he extended a hand towards the Elf. Saber smirked beneath his scarf and clasped the Knight’s hand firmly.

“I am Leonardo, Knight of the Celestials. Good luck in your travels, Elf. I hope to see you again, as do my brothers. You fought well, better than most.” Saber let out his own chuckle and grinned even wider.

“Most?” It was a bit rough to say the word, but Saber did not doubt the idea of there being others stronger then him. At his response, the Knight nodded a confirming ‘yes’. So, there were those even more powerful than Saber was. How interesting. Hopefully he would meet them one day.

“Now then, it is time to send you on your way.” The Knight pulled his hand back and then grasped the hilt of his sword firmly. Saber raised his eyebrows and watched as the Knight’s sword began to glow. A seal appeared on the side of the blade and power began to drip off its edges.

“Send me?” Saber asked curiously, staring at the sword as the yellow power began to encase it.

“Yes. Send you. Hold onto your tights, Elf.” Before Saber could say any word of disagreement, the Knight dropped his sword into the floor. In a second, Saber was blinded by a bright light and his body lost all of its weight as he was cast into some bright space. His body felt as if it was falling all of a sudden and he wanted to puke, but it lasted for only a moment. When he blinked again, Saber found himself standing at Londinium’s gates. He was dizzy and the weird feeling caused the Assassin to collapse right in the middle of the road. He let out a groan and coughed hard, his entire body trembled.

“Oi! You okay?!” An NPC guard shouted out to Saber, but the Assassin didn’t respond.

“Never… again…” Saber gagged and tried to keep himself under control. Well, at least he was back at Londinium.

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