Knights of Anathaeum So She's a Spider, So What?

[Selene]

ACT I: MASTER BEATRIX LECLAIR, THE YOUNG FLAME

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Parchments scraped against each other as Selene peered lazily at the missive in front of her. The Master of Flame, Syr Beatrix Leclair, waited impatiently in front of the Dusk Captain's desk, picking at her cleanly polished nails.

"Its been known to happen," Selene mused, looking done her nose at the letter of recommendation. "Very well. I'll approve the nomination."

One Nasrin Fyldirae, nothing wrong with her really. Raised by the order, a proficient combatant and quite compatible with many of her squire companions. A recent foray into the Deep had brought her to the forefront of the Master's minds, and her actions there had earned her a swift nomination to being Sworn in.

Except, the nomination letter fell into unexpected hands. Master Leclair ought to be standing in the Dawn Captain's Sanctum right then, breathing the sun-dusted air and arranging the neat and tidy ceremony of an exemplary knight of Fire and Life. Instead the Flame Master was cloaked in shuttered lamplight, layers of jewelry lost some of its gleam in the dimness of Selen's office.

"You aren't going to question my motives?" Beatrix asked, not surprise in her voice but disappointment. The two women enjoyed arguing with each other, a welcome reprieve from the usual mundanity of the diplomacy they had to publicly engage in.

Her hand held halfway towards her couched quill, Selene paused. "I am," she responded, then continued the movement forward. The nib of the quill hovered over the page, drop of ink wobbling at its tip. "We will do an inquiry by trial. If young Nasrin wishes to be a spell-slayer of my Sanctum, we will give her a monster to slay, and see how she fares." Ink dark eyes looked up to Beatrix. "Are these terms agreeable to you?"

Master Leclair smiled a grim smile, and then she threw her head back and laughed loudly. "Such an old tradition. Fine, I'll agree to it, but I get to pick the proctor that accompanies her."

Selene broke her gaze with a nod. She signed the agreement, and with a slick swoop of her pen, sealed Syr Fyldirae's fate.

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ACT II: SYR GUERNOT THE SEABEARER

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The kivren trotted a merry pace down the wide path through the woods, "I have to say, this is quite the lovely walk to your trial. I'm a bit jealous, Rin," he called back to the squire behind him. "They made me trek through a swamp for mine." He chuckled good-naturally at the memory, pushing up a low-slung tree branch far enough to duck his head under. He paused there, stepping out of the way with the branch still held up so that Rin could safely dodge under it too.

"How are you feeling, hm? Excited, nervous?" He asked as he waited for her to pass through.

Syr Guernot was a natural choice to oversee the squire's trial, few would disagree. A Pursuant of Dawn, he shared a pursuit with her, and was well liked by the younger knights and upcoming squires. He was also a peculiarity, much like Squire Fyldirae, in that he had chosen a rare path, and earned his place in the Dawn sanctum by Trial of the Sworn. An archaic ritual, not often used any more. It was much more likely to see young squires nominated for their swearing by two or more Pursuants, and a general discussion was had by Masters and Captains to see if a candidate was suitable. Such was the size and nature of the order now, that all had a good measure of the young squires and their abilities long before vows were said and the Twin Flame lit. These days, Trials were only given to those with unusual circumstances.

Her circumstances aside, Nasrin's trial was a straightforward enough one. Slay a monster, bring back its trophy as proof of her bravery, and she would be granted entry into the Sanctum of Dusk. The monster in question was the SPIDER OF GILDFANG GROVE, a creature who had grown too gluttonous in her appetite and had begun to prey on that which lay beyond her grove. The first pair of knights that had been sent to see why she had expanded her territory did not return, and diplomacy was no longer an option.

Thus, the spell-slayers had been called in, and if Rin passed this test, she could be counted among their ranks.

Nasrin Fyldirae

 

[Nasrin Fyldirae]

The young squire couldn't believe that she was finally to this point. That she'd started on the mission that would be her trial. She was partnered with Syr Guernot, a kivren from the Pursuant of Dawn, someone that at least in terms of the Knights of Anathaeum, would be her opposite should she pass her own trial. The trip had been largely quiet as they trekked through the woods. They'd had to leave their horses tied up as they traveled into the thicker part of the woods where the spider dwelled. It was probably safer in the long run and Rin would have hated to see Ghost hurt or worse killed by the giant spider. As it was, she was not excited to deal with the creature.

"I'd rather walk through a swamp then deal with a giant spider." She said as she shivered at the thought of the gigantic arachnid. "I am nervous." She admitted, "but I feel that's a reasonable response when finding oneself face to face to a very large monster." She felt a healthy dose of fear was important on these missions, those knights who were fearless tended to be reckless. Charging into situations before they could be properly evaluated tended to lead to death as often as it might success.

As they moved forward, the thickness of the forest continued to increase to the point that light seemed to barely make its way through the canopy of trees. She imaged that the closer that they got to the creature's lair, the thicker the brush would be. She hoped there would be some kind of indication, maybe webs draping the trees. She had to image fire would serve her well in this situation, both as a weapon and just being able to light there was as it become darker. Leaves crunched under their feet, but that seemed to be the only noise of the forest now.

 

[Syr Guernot]

As the soon-to-be-sworn admitted her fear of very large monsters, Syr Guernot let out a light-hearted, but not cruel chuckle.

"Ah, about that," Guernot squinted his eyes up in apology, though what he was apologetic about was a bit ambiguous. "Miss Gildfang is known to change shape, so she could show up as anything, really. Stay alert and be on the lookout."

Of course, the warning was not needed. Nasrin showed plenty of awareness as they trekked deeper into the woods. It was not quite as bad as the swamp of Guernot's past had been, but the underbrush was still dense, and the light filtering through from above sparse. There were the normal amount of spider webs that were always in a forest, but nothing that looked like it had been spun by a great beast. The signs were much more subtle - there was no signs of animal life anywhere, no deer trails or rabbit hollows, no sounds of birdcall or the usual rustlings in the underbrush. The woods were eerily quiet, and the weight of that quiet became more unbearable the further they went into the spider's territory.

"There, up ahead," as if afraid to break that silence, Guernot spoke barely above a whisper. Crouching down, he strayed from the path and slinked behind an elderberry bush. Though the effort didn't do much to hide his bulk - as flashy as his fins were, stealth had never really been his strong suit. Beyond the bushes lay an open clearing, a vine-tangled cabin sitting in the center of it. Still no webs, though. "See that cabin over there? That's her old haunt, and last known whereabouts. We used to send emissaries there every now and then, till the last pair got run off. Thank the spirits they found their way back alive. That means we'll be able to take our time approaching."

The first pair of knights that had been sent to check in on Gildfang, initially presumed eaten, had shown back up in a nearby village a few days ago. They'd been desperate and dehydrated, but somehow they'd escaped mostly in one piece. Of course Guernot was glad to see his comrades back home safe, but his relief had another, more practical layer to it. Rescue missions were tricky, time-sensitive affairs, and it would have complicated things. He didn't like complicated things. That was more Syr Edelbert's domain.

At the lack of an immediate threat, Syr Guernot sat up a little straighter and spoke a little louder. "Well, I know what I would do, but this isn't my trial." Ember red eyes looked to the young woman. "So, lead the way."

Nasrin Fyldirae

 

[Nasrin Fyldirae]

A shape-shifting spider woman.

Rin was certainly not surprised, but more resigned at this point. She supposed she couldn't expect anything easy in her trial and she imagined this was likely going to be the hardest mission that she'd been on to date. All she could do was to do her best and to come back alive. To worry or stress about the situation now, could mean death for either herself or her partner.

The squire picked her way through the brush, thick as it was with particular care and grace. Watching where each of her steps were going and looking for anything that might indicate a trap waiting to be sprung on the unsuspecting. Spider's webs were hard enough to see regularly, but on this dark night with the light barely breaking through the trees it felt impossible to catch it all. A glint in the moonlight had her stopping her foot and adjusting her step. Maybe it had been a trap set by Gildfang, maybe not, but better safe than sorry.

Guernot crouched down and Rin did the same, catching sight of the cabin that was pointed out. "Why did we send emissaries to check in on one this dangerous?" She asked curiously. She knew that oftentimes there were dangerous creatures that just wanted to live unbothered and in that case, then it wasn't right for the knights to jump straight to removal. Perhaps that was the case of Gildfang? If so then why had she suddenly changed her behavior? She couldn't help but wonder if there was more to this than just a rogue creature with the intent to eat people.

As a member of the Dawn, she suspected that Syr Guernot would go in to try and talk to the creature and Rin was inclined to take that road right now as well. Especially if this was out of the ordinary behavior. The squire, hopefully soon to be Knight, stood and moved toward the cabin with purposeful, but cautious steps. Her weapons were still sheathed, maybe they'd get lucky and Gildfang would wish to talk. "Lady Gildfang?" She called out wondering if the spider woman was even here. Rin was tense, ready in the event that there was an attack instead of a civil response.

 

[Syr Guernot]

"Why did we send emissaries to check in on one this dangerous?"

"Everything's dangerous! I'm dangerous," he pointed at his own chest, then jabbed two webbed fingers at Nasrin. "You're dangerous. What the hell's the metric in a place like this, anyway?" His shoulders scrunched up in a sonorous shrug, rustling the bushes with a scrape of sound that was harsh in the surrounding silence of the wood. "Gildfang used to talk to us, so we sent people to talk. You gotta ask your new Captain when we get back, if you want a better answer than that."

Guernot spoke with absolute certainty, as if there was no doubt that the young squire would succeed at this trial and be sworn in as a spellslayer. Unbeknownst to the Dawn knight, he started to voice Nasrin's internal concerns. "The better question is why she decided to stop. The two who made it back alive said they were attacked unprovoked, as far as they could tell."

Not soon after, Nasrin rose from their cover and walked toward the hut. Like a proud parent, Guernot sauntered a few steps behind her. Red eyes gazed out across the open yarn surrounding the hut with calculated shifts of movement, despite his otherwise casual air.

At the door, Nasrin stopped and called out for the spider spirit. There was no vocal response. A sliding skittering sound could be heard behind the door, taps and clicks as if someone was knocking on multiple surfaces at once. Then, a soft, organic ksh ksh ksh. Perhaps the lady was in giant spider mode, after all.

After the initial burst of movement, there was a long stretch of silence.

Coming to stand next to Nasrin on the steps of the old hut, Guernot leaned off-kilter over the little woman. "Hey, this is great," he said in a loud stage whisper. "Really appreciate the moxie. I think we'll have to open the door, though."

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ACT III: THE SPIDER OF GILDFANG GROVE

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​

Inside the hut, there wouldn't be a giant spider. Instead, a woman with dark hair and pale features stood in the middle of the single room. Around her, golden strands of silk were spun delicately across the floor and over the furniture. They were not sticky to touch, and would not impede movement. But a practiced magic user would notice the invisible tug of the silk, as if each strand was tangling up within their anime - their very essence.

If approached, or if she caught sight of the two, the woman wouldn't respond right away. Instead, she would smile compellingly, and beckon them further inside. Waiting for one of them to say something first.

It looked like Lady Gildfang was in a talking mood, again.

 

[Nasrin Fyldirae]

"That was my next question." Rin assured him. "If we had sent emissaries before and she didn't attack them, then what caused that to change? It was clear that we had some kind of mutual agreement prior to the attack otherwise the emissaries wouldn't have been sent in the first place."

The young squire, while not a knight yet, did consider many different angles. She didn't believe that slaughter would always be the answer and while Dusk largely dealt with dealing with those creatures deemed too dangerous to live they often traveled partnered with a Knight of the Dawn. The two were meant to complement each other, to be able to work together and anticipate the needs of each other. It was important that both made it out fine.

Rin moved to the hut, her companion close behind her observing the area closely. At the door she stopped and called out, listening intently at the door to try and prepare for whatever lay beyond. The squire pursued her lips together at Syr Guernot's overly loud whisper.

"I was trying to be polite." She said back with a hissed whisper. Before she reached a hand out and pushed open the door cautiously. It swung open with no more protest than the wooden creaking sound. In front of them, the in pale light from the moon just lighting the room up to see was a woman with dark hair standing in the middle.

The golden stands staggered about did not go unnoticed and she was not willing to move through that puzzle just yet. She stepped slightly in to the doorway, but only as far as she could go before running into the first golden thread, careful not to cross it.

"Good evening Lady Gildfang." Rin said speaking to the woman. She didn't seem like she intended to attack yet. Shouldn't this be Guernot's job? The speaking role as the Dawn Knight? But Rin guessed as her trial she was in charge of all aspects of it. "We've come to check in on you this evening. A couple of knights came by recently, but they were surprised to be unwelcome. Has something changed that makes you unwilling to interact with our knights now?" Rin saw no reason to jump about with an overly flowered exchange, preferring to jump right to the point.