Knights of Anathaeum Arrival at the Fabled Knights' Domain

[Selene]

The two young men did not end up waiting all that long.

Lucky them, that Captain Selene, keeper of the Dusk Sanctum, was in town running some errands. The squire Lemock found her quickly, and spilled out his story in ragged breaths. Darkness surrounded the area that Lemock pointed her towards. Selene placed a hand on the young squire's shoulder, and urged him to stay put.

She approached the place alone.

"Ah ha, here's the source of all this ill will," Selene said as she came to stop in front of Hector and the stranger he stood vigil over. The burning sword didn't draw her attention. She looked instead at the tall young lad, her cool black eyes absorbing much. "Strange, that you were able to get past the barrier. I do rather pride myself in keeping Astenvale scourge-free."

Calm, fearless steps took Selene in a circle round the boy. As she moved, that darkness that surrounded him seemed to pool at her feet, stirring like silt in water. With a wave of her hand, she churned up that silt even more. The air began to clear. Darkness soaked into her palm, drained, until the day was balmy and bright again.

Above, the eyeless crows stopped cawing. The shadowy figure of the dog crumbled mid-lunge. The last thing to go was a flash of dark teeth, so close to catching the cat's tail. Then it all turned to smoke and shadow, and disappeared into Selene's grasp.

Satisfied with the cleanup, she tilted her head towards the young Sworn. "Hector," she said in simple greeting. "You called?"

Nacht Hector

 

[Hector]

Hector blinked, at the sound of his name.

The grim expression he had warn, suddenly wide with unspoken worry. "Captain Selene!" he sounded equal parts surprised as he was relieved. "Yes, Captain, I, well," he cleared his throat, and with a flick of his hand, a dash from left to right, the sword of flame broke into embers and sparks. Trailed through the air, as if a banner pulled across the way, tail snapping through the wind as it waned and not but smoke remained.

He straightened up again, and fixed his eyes on the stranger. "This boy," his eyes did not flinch. "He," Hector thought on it a moment. "It is as you said, Captain, he is the source of the ill will that darkened the area, spoke in a second voice, and," he stared intensely at the youth. "Either he pretends to be unaware, or has no idea of what rests within him,"

Selene Nacht

 

[Nacht]

"Here's the- I don't mean to upset you guys! I just want to talk to someone about my magic." Nacht protested, holding out his hands and waving them defensively. He stepped away from the burning sword, hands in the air now. His legs were less brave than his voice, evidently, given they wobbled like a leaf in fall winds. "Dammit, stop shaking." he said to himself, managing to cease his lower half's vibrating with a look of determination. "Wait, what barrier? It all just....seems like a forest to me." he asked curiously, touching the air as though that would suddenly make the obstacle they seemed to be talking about appear. Safe to say, he stopped that with a slight yelp as this mysterious woman came towards him. Would she drop a burning sword on him as well? Why did everyone seem to want to kill him?

The darkness all around them faded, sucked into the palm of the strange woman, the weird animals and in slightly sadder news his new dog going as well. However, that did not mean it wasn't SUPER AWESOME. The eyeless crows were creepy anyway. OH, wait...this was like one of the stories he loved to read, wasn't it. Apparently there was some kind of threat he couldn't risk moving around in the forest with it running amok, and obviously since Hector couldn't guarantee beating it he had called his commander or captain or queen or something? "Ha! This is so cool! Little sad about the dog, but you're like the captain or something of this place? That's neat! I would have went with queen but that doesn't seem like a knight thing." he'd ramble.

He shut up as Hector began speaking, realizing he was blabbing. "Captain Selene and Sir Hector...what pretty names." he muttered, wondering if a smooth sounding name was a requirement for joining. No, that was ridiculous...he hoped. All his life he had been aware his name was half word half throat sound, but it was pretty cool either way. Suddenly, something strange happened. Hector began speaking and a screeching sound came out of his mouth instead, the screams sounding very human. "Ok, that's fucking creepy." Nacht said, covering his ears. It got a little better before it got worse, the sound piercing through his hands and flooding his ears. Constant and crazy noises drowned out everything, his sense of balance and self thoroughly disrupted. "STOP, STOP, WHATEVER YOU'RE SAYING, IT'S FUCKING WITH ME!" he said, pleading.

Finally, his eyes went blank for a moment and then he fell back into his own body, feeling a strange sort of calm. All he could remember was their names. "Selene and...Selene and...Selene and Hector! What pretty names." he said, fully unaware he had just spoken that line seconds before. He pet his cat and tried to calm down, obviously scared for some reason he himself didn't know. Damn, his legs were shaking again.

 

[Selene]

The boy behaved oddly, but not so oddly that Selene rushed into action.

Instead, Selene placed a hand upon Hector's shoulder, preemptively steadying the young knight against reacting as the boy stumbled away from them, screaming.

"Hmm," she hummed, tilting her head to one side and looking at the boy. Speaking low, Selene kept her words close to Hector, as the stranger's expression went blank and unseeing. "Looks like a conditional curse. A nasty one, at that."

Curses with conditions were difficult to pin down, as the bearer appeared unaffected until certain circumstances were met. But Selene was learned about such things, and she could already observe one condition: discussion of the curse seemed to be prohibited. The boy's hazy repetition, and what Hector had said, showed that. A common affliction for patrons to give to their warlock charges. But that didn't seem like the whole story...

Squinting out a smile, she let go of Hector and took another step towards the young man. "And what is your name, dear?" Selene asked.

Hector Nacht

 

[Nacht]

"Me...I-I'm Nacht, Miss Selene!" He said, looking strangely relieved at the act of him remembering his own name. "Uh, why do you ask?" He wondered curiously, still feeling a bit weird. Given his previous reception, this could just be another way to get close enough to kill him, even though deep down he knew she could probably do so with less than a breath. Still, there was no reason to suspect that. So far it seemed as though the lady in front of him was actually rather nice. His body posture changed, his stance becoming a bit more relaxed. GET CLOSER! GET CLOSER, he thought randomly, and noticed how random it was too. Personally, the farther away she was, the less instant the kill would be if it came to that. "Huh?" he accidentally stuttered out. The thoughts continued unnaturally, like a child's chant playing jump the rope, and it eventually became too much to handle.

SHUT UP.

It was as simple as that, a serious thought that momentarily quelled everything. Finally, it was quiet once again. "Pardon, you were saying?"

 

[Selene]

"Pardon, you were saying?"

Present awareness seemed to wash over the young man once more.

"Actually, I was curious about what you were saying. You mentioned earlier, wanting to study magic?" Selene didn't put away the light smile she wore. The expression fit poorly on her face, but it wasn't out of deception. She was just the sort of person who preferred quiet conversation and solemn introspection. Still, she gave it her best effort.

"Don't be shy, now. It's not uncommon for travelers to seek knowledge within the halls of our Order." She pointed her staff off into the distance, at a large outcropping of bedrock that rose above the surrounding landscape. The flat grey stone stood out amongst the greenery of the forest, cutting across the sky like a sword. "See that lookout stone over yonder? Beneath it lies Astenvale Monastery, mine and Hector's home. It is a place which welcomes all -- though our hospitality does have its limits. For example, there is a ward upon the gates that won't let you through, lest you answer mine three questions true."

Now, that was a deception. There were plenty of wards and glyphics between here and the monastery, but Selene was making the rest up.

"The first question: Do you intend any harm to us?"

Hector Nacht

 

[Nacht]

“N-No! I don’t want to harm anybody!” He said, his tone genuine. If anything, it seemed like they wanted to harm him for some reason. He wanted help to learn how to control the dark, and not go crazy or whatever threat was so grievous Miss Emilee suggested he go find a fairytale for help. Well, he had found them, and for some reason everyone was suspicious. “I want to learn to control my power so I don’t hurt anyone around me. Besides, the drawback from my magic makes it hard for me to interact much with normal people.” He explained, once again truthfully.

“Not too much of a traveler, though. I’m just a kid from Astenvale. The town, obviously. Pretty nearby, I think.” He said, making a pathetic attempt at humor in a stressing time. “Wait, you’re serious? You’d take me on as an apprentice or something?” He asked excitedly. Just then, something weird happened. He had been telling the truth when he said HE did not want to harm anyone, but at this point energy from the little remaining darkness multiplied in size.

All of the sudden, a dark skeleton had their arms wrapped around him protectively. The boy was frozen, completely unaware. “Don’t. Take. My. Friend. Away. From. Me.” The skeleton warned, his voice halting but stern, jaw clacking into a gape as socketless eyes stared. “Or. Else. You. Will. Regret. It.” The corpse finished, sighing. It hung there and remained as Nacht slipped back into consciousness, faint whispers making him on edge. Could it really be going this well?

“All. They. Want. Is. You. Dead.” Nacht did not hear this, but looked visibly less comfortable. Everyone else would have, though. “Right, what’s the second question?” He asked, audibly a little less enthusiastic.

Selene

 

[Selene]

A grim hand wrapped around the young boy protectively, and Selene had to take a step back. Then another peeled its bony fingers across the boy's shoulders, and a skeletal figure appeared in the air behind him. Like charcoal, the bones of the skeleton were blackened and smoky.

And like charcoal, those dark bones crumbled away to dust when Selene tapped her staff against the packed earth. The glassy black stone that dangled from the end of Selene's staff glinted with a cold light. She turned her palm upwards, and soaked up the crumbling darkness, as she had done before.

"Now now, I'm trying to have a conversation with your host," Selene said, as the skeleton fell apart piece by piece, his grip on the boy decaying. "Please do not interrupt."

“All. They. Want. Is. You. Dead." Came the last words of the skeleton, before its jaw crumbled and finally stopped clattering.

Selene sighed, her head falling as her shoulders hunched wearily. "Helena is going to give me a hard time, for this one..." she said to herself.

It was unusual. That skeleton just now, and the crows and wolf from before... there was such a great variety, and in such a short span of time. Could it be possible that this young man was host to multiple malcontents at the same time? Now, that was a rare condition.

A dark and sanguine thought crossed Selene's mind. It surfaced as a peculiar smile. She wanted to study this child, like one of Edelbert's pet blight beetles.

"Right, what's the second question?"

"The second question," Selene repeated mildly, lifting her gaze back up to look at the young man. "If you learned the magic of our monastery, what would you do with that knowledge?"

Nacht Hector

 

[Nacht]

As Selene tapped her staff, he suddenly felt less tense and suspicious. Well, that was good, right? It almost felt as though a weight had literally been lifted off of him. Then, Selene started talking about perhaps a party or something and oh there it was that painful shriek that he had so recently come to passionately despise.

Finally, they got back to the point after all, and Selene inquired why he was so curious about learning magic. Nacht could finally relax, for this answer was simple, and one he had given Hector to no avail. Well, perhaps now that everything was settled, that truth could be more readily accepted.

“Thank you for asking, Miss Selene, but you might have overestimated my purpose. Learning about my magic so it doesn’t go out of control is my top priority as of now and even that goal seems far off. Everything else will simply have to wait.” he explained in a reasonable tone.

“I just don’t want people to get hurt because of me, Y’know?” He finished with a slightly tense grin, hoping that his explanation would be enough to mollify the very scary lady questioning him.

Selene Hector

 

[Selene]

Selene nodded along to what the young man told her. "A decent level of conviction," she responded once he was done.

"Alright, just one last question, and then I will give you your very first lesson in magic." In one hand, Selene gathered up her robes, so they did not collect the dew upon the grass. Her staff swung wide in the other hand as she set off across the meadow. She was going towards the edge of the woods, the tract of tended forest that lay between Astenvale the township, and Astenvale the monastery.

"This way, please," she stopped only long enough to call after Nacht. "The last question must be asked somewhere else."

Nacht Hector

 

[Nacht]

At the lady’s estimation of his conviction Nacht would silently let out whatever breath he was holding on to, relieved that his meaning had been significant to Selene. It was far better than the other options, which seemed to be getting turned to dust or stabbed by fiery swords. Her next comment gave him pause for that very reason.

He momentarily looked around in place, a tad suspicious. What if she intended to kill him in such a cruel manner for trespassing on the Knight land that others seeing would lose respect for her? No, no, she was nothing but courteous so far, so his wild theories were baseless and at this moment his only hope of actually learning anything was walking away with no signs of stopping.

“Uh…fuck it.” He said with a numb sigh, following behind at a jog at this point, just trying to catch up. “Wait, are you going to be my master or something? How does it work?” Normally knights were made knights by some kind of monarch and there did not appear to be a kingdom around so the title seemed more like aesthetics than anything, given to people with mastery over their power.

“No, that’s stupid. You have more important things to do as Captain, probably.” He said sheepishly, as though every single word he spoke had not been thought out at all. Ah well, time to shut up anyway. He was giving a nervous sort of energy in every way possible and generally it was said that nervousness was best not to feel around things that could kill you like bears and large dogs and necromancers.

Even so, it was hard not to be scared. "Where...are we going anyway?"

Selene

 

[Selene]

The place they ended up was not far into the woods. Just a few twists and turns down a wide foot path, and suddenly they were in an ancient-looking grove. A stream cut through thick banks of flowering moss, fed by a waterfall that cascaded down some distance away.

Once, long ago, this place had been a graveyard for the human city that been in the area before Astenvale was founded. The residents of the town did not use the area now, believing that disturbing the headstones would wake restless spirits.

They were partially right. A certain kind of magic was thick in this place.

Selene stopped at a nice, mossy boulder. She leaned against it as a weary traveler would, and set her staff beside her as well.

"The last question is not for me. You must show the spirits some of your intentions, you see. They've been here much, much longer than the rest of us, and they have opinions about such things."

She pointed to an outcropping of stones, all grown over with moss, that were arranged in a circle. White flowers sprouted around the stones, but none grew within the center of the circle. "Stand over there please, in that clear patch between the stones."

If the boy did what he was told, Selene would follow. She left her staff behind at the boulder, and came to stand empty-handed outside of the circle. She raised both her palms up towards the tree canopy, and closed her eyes.

"The third question: Is there something you're willing to sacrifice your life for?"

Nacht

 

[Nacht]

Nacht gasped as he took in the sights of the grove, the beautiful and somehow unfathomable grounds stretching everywhere around him. A stream lay by the wayside and added to the natural beauty of the whole picturesque landscape. “Whoa…” he stammered quietly, still just processing everything.

Nacht then noticed there were headstones around and stopped seeming so daydreamy. In fact, given that he didn’t even know if he was going to leave this place as a living soul, knight or not, he was unsure how he had so quickly let his guard down. Well, both Hector and Selene seemed powerful and easily able to kill him, so it appeared there was nothing to do but follow along like a rat to that evil, genocidal piper.

No, that was a cruel analogy. So far the lady had been nothing but courteous, so the least he could do was be trusting and not constantly look around every corner for some shadowy murderer. While he was having this revelation, the duo came to a stop near some rocks.

"The last question is not for me. You must show the spirits some of your intentions, you see. They've been here much, much longer than the rest of us, and they have opinions about such things."

“The spirits?” he said, looking a bit skeptical. Realizing it was probably not the correct time to question things, he just nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Sorry!” He corrected himself, looking a bit nervous. The air seemed so much more tense now that activity subsided, and he stepped forward warily. Upon entering the circle he didn’t explode, so that was a start, and everything seemed mostly normal from there.

Captain Selene, as he had heard her called, followed and stood before him, eyes closed and hands up. It was all very odd and slightly cult-y but nothing had hurt or gone wrong yet. The best choice now would be to just go with the flow. “Is there something I would sacrifice my life for?” He parroted, a bit surprised by the question. He had never really thought about it much, given how normal his existence had been thus far.

“I suppose it depends on the impact whatever cause I am fighting to the death for would have. If I had the power to do good things a lot, then perhaps it would be better to stay alive and contribute a lot in smaller ways as opposed to an individually bigger one.” He answered, trying to be reasonable.
The stories he read as a kid detailed such noble sacrifices and modeled for him who to be, but the dead in the real world were not so simply revived by a kiss or tears.

While he was deliberating the entire grove got just a small bit less bright, unnoticeable by a normal person. Suddenly, shadows around made by the cliffs and arches disappeared and a small circle of darkness surrounded his feet. A foreign thought came across his mind, as though placed there: Little friend, you have much to learn. Watch, then.

Selene

 

[Selene]

Mouth quirked up into a half-smile, Selene dropped the wizardly pose and lowered her hands. She shifted her weight to one hip and crossed her arms, as she gave the boy a bemused look. Again, she waited for him to finish speaking, and let the grove grow silent as the grave before she responded.

"Well, what do we think?" The Captain of Dusk asked the empty air around them.

"Faltering, unfocused," came a voice at her left shoulder. Soon after, a shadowy figure apparated beside her, floating about a head above the living with their feet on the ground. It was the form of a soldier, broad shouldered and well armored. His cloak and mail were stained ichorous black, save for a blue glow emanating from behind the slits of his helmet.

"Do not be so hasty in your judgment, brother," said another figure which shifted into existence at Selene's right. This one was more slender than the first, black robes fading into mist along the peripheral. "Is it not better to keep living for a humble hope, rather than to die for someone else's future, as the boy says?"

"A weak body can be trained, but a weak will cannot," the first spirit grumbled back. He stabbed a pointed black gauntlet at the young man. "Where is your warrior's conviction?"

"Hmm, seems like the spirits can't agree," Selene chimed in. She nodded to Nacht. "Perhaps you can find another way to convince them?"

Nacht

 

[Nacht]

"Maybe I should just recount my whole story. It's, uh, not too long." He said sheepishly, clearing his throat. "I learned of my magic in a surprising way." he explained, rolling up his sleeve and revealing a long scar on his arm that clearly disappeared farther into his shirt. "My parents barely saved me. That is to say, my drawback made them worried I had a curse. No, it was just my ability to do, uh, this.” He said, carefully demonstrating what little control he had over his power by drawing the darkness around him up and into a small sphere in his hand and then waving it off, allowing the midnight murk to rejoin the rest.

"Well, fast forward to a few hours before now, about a day or so, and I get told there's something wrong. My magic is acting in a way the town elders have never seen. One of them, a similarly magical lady named Emilee, told me that I should find, uh, you guys. Things don’t seem too bad to me, but I guess I don’t really know anything anyway." he explained, voice getting a measure quieter but spirit no less determined. He was not a warrior, sure, but nobody had ever given him a chance to be one. "I originally just wanted not to hurt anyone else, I guess. However, then Hector saved me."

"It was so cool and heroic that I decided I wanted to help others like that, however silly it seems. I get that my current attitude might not be what you're exactly looking for, but I'll work harder to succeed than anyone you've ever seen." he proclaimed in a slightly bold way before blushing. "Sorry, that was embarrassing." he said sheepishly, looking like he now wished there was a hole somewhere to just hide in. Suddenly, a voice popped into his mind. It seemed more powerful and serious than the same voice had ever before. You're right. That was embarrassing.

At those words, the boy fell to his knees, a pitch black hand on his shoulder. This was not the skeleton the dusk captain had previously seen, but instead a shadow of a man that stood about six foot three, sharp points of coat visible on his silhouette. Ordinarily, seeing sudden hope crushed is fun, but there's something in this for me somewhere. Shall we talk, "Captain Selene"? He thought, telepathically moving the words towards Selene's mind. She was probably strong enough to reject or block them if necessary, but from the information he had managed to find, that wouldn't likely be what happened.

 

[Selene]

The boy had more to say.

One of the spirits, the slighter one in robes, listened intently. He struck a pose midair as if he were sitting with legs crossed, leaned forward with one elbow on his knee. He interjected at well-timed intervals with a sympathetic hum or confirming nod when appropriate. The other spirit, the one in armor, crossed his arms and found a way to tap his foot impatiently against nothing.

But then another presence joined them, looming heavily over the boy Nacht. The scene of the sunny meadow fell away to shadow, bird song and trickling stream dampened to silence. In her mind's eye, Selene only saw that dark figure, and only heard the words pushed into her mind.

Selene's first instinct was to deflect the interfering magic, but she suppressed the reaction. This was, after all, what she had been hoping for.

Now, here's that sour taste in the back of my throat again, Selene thought, and knew that her thoughts would be heard. She stood up straighter, proud. I am the Lady Selene of Dusk, and I hear every dark and angry thing in these woods. Speak plainly your intent, and perhaps I will listen to you, too.

Nacht

 

[Nacht]

“I like your look. It’s almost as if you think me an interesting little bug. Only those with a certain pride have the nerve to do that, I’ve learned. Perhaps we shall manage to stay civil after all, Lady of Dusk.” He thought back in response, adapting his temperament to what he supposed would be most well received by someone as formal as the captain.

“I am not angry. In fact, your little elf servant and his petrified pseudo-halfling were rather funny to toy with. I’m entertained and hope that things continue in such a fashion.” He thought as crisply as one could possibly think something. Now, I was content to let this play out however it did, other than dying, but my little twit of a vessel was going to fuck up a rather fun game, He said, his shadowy facade shrugging without fear.

See, should you take him under your barely adequate wing, he’ll undoubtedly become stronger. Strong enough to hold me off permanently, possibly. However, as he gets stronger I get a fun little puppet that gets more interesting as time goes on and if he doesn’t manage to rein me in, well that’s all the better.

His power by itself is infinite, and if he were to be someone other than this burned and broken piece of crap I would have done something like this long ago. I suppose our wager then is over him, and whether I get myself a fun little weapon of destruction, should all go well, or you get an ally at least strong enough to be called a Knight in your crumbling institution.

With that he bowed, shadowy hand extended in a mock gesture of allyship.

Your response, good miss? Shall we have a bet?

Selene

 

[Selene]

An ally?

A cruel smile, a tilt of her head.

You're mistaken. Whether he lives or dies, the boy's fate is not my concern. Don't you have anything else to wager?

The smiled widened into a cheery squint. Selene raised her hand, palm open. Behind her, the two ghosts which hovered readied their weapons, waiting as if for her order.

Or... is that all you've got? Just one frail body, between you and oblivion.

Nacht

 

[Nacht]

“No, I could probably fight you off even with this deadweight. Granted, it would most definitely fuck him up permanently, but that’s no problem. Should worst come to worst, I shall simply find a different host. Now, please excuse me for one moment, I must speak to my pawn.” He thought back dismissively, waving a pitch black hand in a shooing motion and no longer sending thoughts her way. With that, he touched his other remaining hand to the boy’s forehead and disappeared.

Speaking of Nacht, he opened his eyes as this whole disappearing act occurred. Well, sort of, for his attention was clearly somewhere else, his gaze directly on the face of Selene but perhaps as though looking through the Captain of Dusk and not at her. What he actually saw was a small table and across from it a strongly built man, pale-grey skinned and of above average stature. How he had gotten there was a question he desired answers to, but that concern was quickly blocked out by his interrogator. "She's going to kill you. You know that, right?" they stated bluntly, looking a little exasperated. "Nothing personal, it seems, but the threat you could pose makes such action a possibility." he further stated, tone as though trying to get through to a obstinate teenager.

Such urgency on his part was entirely fabricated, of course, but he didn't have to let the boy know that. "K-kill? I, uh, thought things were going well. I guess it had always been a chance, though." Nacht responded, sounding a bit betrayed. He had been hoping for a better result, surely. "However, I'm willing to make you a deal. I can save your life so long as you give me control. Not for long and I won't unjustifiably hurt anyone, but I NEED CONTROL." He finished. "Also-" the mind-bendingly loud sound resounded even in wherever they were, cutting off his new acquaintance, or so he thought. "Fine. Fine. Can you stop that sound? Where's it coming from? Oh, whatever, just don't do anything bad if you can help it, like you said." Nacht responded with a bit of a shiver, as though the very thought of such an altercation was scary.

Disgusting, thought his possessor, silently cursing his luck at ending up sharing a soul with such a coward. Anyway, the deal was made. He could maintain just enough of a grip to take control of the boy's physical form now, for about a minute or two by his own estimate. As much as he hated to admit it, Selene's necromancy was in fact no joke. He stood up and observed the world through the boy's eyes once more, happy that he had managed to bewilder his unwitting victim into allowing him further control. "Right, how about this, you harpy? I'm so confident I can break him before he can learn to control me that if my vessel does so even once...I will simply let you experiment with whatever is left of me or turn me into one of those...things." He said with a sneer and jerked his chin in the direction of the two warriors.

"I assume their physical forms are partially your work, but correct me if I am wrong."

Selene