𝖪𝖭𝖮𝖷.

𝑨𝑪𝑻 - 𝑰
𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑳𝑨𝑽𝑬.

“You must go before me.” He says. “If they come again from down here, I’ll will be ready this time.”

With one last glance —- a flicker of something unspoken. Recognition, maybe. Or the faint unease of seeing how failure in battle could cost them everything.

“You held your ground when others would’ve run.” Knox says to Kee, following behind —- the faint ruffle of leather echoing in the hollow space as he gestures to Sybella.

Knox would nod to Kee’s suggestion.

“I do not speak for my Empress, but I am more than inclined to join you. Whatever this darkness be —- it needs to be removed.”

“I am fine.”

He says to Sybella, with emotion —- without falter. He had never felt something like that. That pain —- that ache that felt like an itch he could not scratch. It felt. .unreal. Like magic he did not know could exists. (c)

For a moment, he doesn’t move —- just stares, jaw tightening, as if weighing whether to smash the whole damn thing to splinters.

“Cowards, more like. Hide behind shadows, send their pawns to do the bleeding for them.”

He steps closer to the desk Kee had searched, resting a hand on its edge as his eyes linger on the parcels.

“Secretive? That’s one way to dress it up.” His voice is rough, low, the kind that carries even when it isn’t raised.

Although he would usually put up a fight to any sort of medical treatment, Knox is not one to play with magic. Especially dark magic —- which maybe terrified him more so than he’d like to admit.

He allows her hand to fall from his elbow —- a dancing feeling of her touch left on his skin.

He’s quiet —- maybe more so than ever before. Watching as her hand touches to his elbow, and for a brief moment there’s a smile to his face.

It leaves him as quickly as she commands the next.

He is held —- and the darkness that rises up Knox’s arm begins to fade. Crawling back to his wrist, his fingers, and finally gone. It feels like the fire is gone, like his breath comes back to him, and he can stand again. Although weakly.

He felt an immense pain in his arm, as if fire crawled up from his wrist and to his shoulder.

His right hand moved to clasp the other —- as a decaying black shadow began to move its way up. Turning fingers to gray, skin to mold. He did not yell, not yet anyway. But the pain became him.

But as he stood, a whisper came to his ear —- as if it were only meant for him.

“Undone.”

It spoke. Like the first wind of winter, telling the poor souls in its way, that only death comes.

Knox began to help himself up, slowly letting out a cough, he wasn’t dazed —- not for very long anyways. More so, the soldier couldn’t believe he was that. . .careless. Could it have been without order, without men to guide, he had seemingly lost himself. His way. His confidence.

Its head finds true to the wood panel below his foot, breaking into chips and shattered materiel —- Knox steps, missing, his hands slip from the ladder.

Thus falling quicker than he was climbing and landing to his back with a thud and a “OOF.”

There are no more words from him, and soldier through and through —- as danger appears so does his hardened vigor.

He hurries his way down with the rest, but alas things aren’t as easy as they seem. A black spear, thrown by unknown, rattles its way towards him. Cutting through air on a mission.

“Kee. . .” Knox says, his voice soft —- maybe more gentle than it’s ever been. It’s a call, to get her attention.

He’s half minded to reach for Sybella —- but he knows she capable. More than that he knows he’s capable —- if they were to come for her, then he would not hesitate.

But then he sees her, at the foot of the ladder, and Knox takes the lead without a thought.

He didn’t hesitate, he never did —- even the War of Englem, one of the deadlier ones from their home world, Knox was on the front line. Six months and 12 days.

This here, was nothing to him. “Be mindful, Empress. Shadows move before you see them.”

Knox’s sword was. .anything but subtle. He removed it from the holster upon his back, letting the blade push out from under his cloak lifting it then to rest upon his shoulder.

He pays it no mind, only for the subtle curl of his lip.

“Aye, me neither. Take us there —- we can help.”

He did not know those words, but he knew their purpose. A calling that even if unknown to him, almost felt like home; but through a rough voice Knox responded with his own.

“Above Death and Glory.”

He let Sybella speak further, before adding.
“We don’t mean her harm. I fought with her.”

| decimated all accounts that aren’t fantasy related, im sure I’ll return to the cape world one day, but for now its just not for me

Knox moved instinctively —- placing himself between Sybella and the stranger. Under his lengthy coat, his right hand stayed steadily upon the hilt of his sword. Watching the man without a word, but with eyes that told all.

“I haven’t a clue.”

He looked defeated, or more so frustrated within himself. He needs to pay more attention. Every detail, from now on, matters more than the rest.

“I. .no. It’s alright, it was a mere dream to believe we’d find her again. It’s a land we do not know, a way forward we cannot quite see. It is not your fault, but mine.

I could only think that she went after the cultist —- and perhaps we’d find her there. But where their hideout was

“Aye. May we.” Which came with two meanings —- one of his own personal drive, and the other of what was needed for them.

Knox followed closely, his solider and commander like attitude coming back to surface. There was many things Sybella could do —- bringing Knox alive again was one of them.

“Keeana. I believe.” Although now he feels like he can’t remember, or that maybe he wasn’t paying too close attention when she had told him.

“Forgive me, Empress, if this does not serve us well.”