Completed Missing Knight Part 3

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A lawless town of anarchists, built on the ruins of an ancient mining city. [Lore]

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Missing Knight Part 3

Postby Kynier on November 24th, 2018, 4:05 am

20th of Fall, 518 A.V.


There was a noticeable difference between walking half armored and not armored at all. Steel sheets guarded his arms and legs by being tightly bound by buckles. It was not just the weight of it either that Kynier noticed, but the insulating warmth too. Damp sweat was saturating the clothing that was tightly pressed against his skin by his new steel shell. Wandering through the streets of the city, he felt how each step was heavier and the pull on his arms from the easy swing his hands performed as part of his stride. It would require some getting used to, though the mage found it difficult to imagine how warriors could tolerate being completely encased in steel.

Where he really noticed the difference was during the climb. The Dust Bed rested at the top of a ridge that overlooked the sea. Whether there was an official path to the place, Kynier didn’t know. He had only been there a few times before, and none of them had followed a road of any sort. The entrance he had chosen was one that the Ghost Hunter had shown him last season when they had a quick exchange of magic disciplines. It was another thing on his ever-growing agenda, it seemed. Practicing Spiritism so that he could comfortably defend himself from malignant spirits and apparitions.

The last time he had been to the Dust Bed, he had been possessed by one such spirit. The echo of a brute he never had the misfortune of meeting during his life but had heard more than a fair share of vile tales about. The experience had discouraged Kynier from returning to the Dust Bed, but this was not for personal reasons. Today’s visit was required for the job at hand. When he reached the crest of the ridge, he paused to catch his breath. His legs and feet were stiffening with the ache of exertion. No wonder why armored men were thickly muscled. Kynier suspected that if he peeled off the steel plates from his body that he would be so light that he could practically fly.

Fingers wiped away the sweat from his brow as he looked over the Dust Bed. Tombstones and rocks protruded from the ground over a vast field while sections of it were completely barren. There were a few people walking around the stones, seemingly with a purpose. Kynier was not sure where the bodies of the dead were piled, or how they were disposed of when brought here, so he approached someone that was walking between the stones of the dead. The man was holding a lantern that was not yet lit. Syna was still providing enough light for someone to safely walk through the unsteady grounds.

“Excuse me,” the mage called to the man to get his attention. The man was slightly older with the first patches of gray settling into his thinning hair. A pair of stern old browns turned on the mage as the man grunted in acknowledgement. “I’m looking for someone,” Kynier began as the man looked at him with mild disinterest. “But the man I’m looking for could be dead, and I wanted to check on the bodies that have been recently brought here.”

The older man huffed through his nose. “You wanna talk to Jeb,” he said as he turned away. Kynier had heard the name before, but that was all it was to him, a name.

“Who’s Jeb?” he asked. The older man glared at him over his shoulder. The look he had indicated that the thought Kynier was an imbecile.

“The big guy that embalms the bodies.” The man said no more and left Kynier where he was without direction to find Jeb. Kynier cast his eyes over the field of stones to try and identify a destination to where he might find this Jeb. Deeper into the fields he saw a few structures that could’ve been either crypts or buildings for the workers. Further east he knew was the tent that the Ghost Hunter and his Strider stayed. But he felt certain that Anja was more concerned with he ghosts of the dead rather than the disposal of their bodies. So, Kynier set off to make his way across the field, towards those structures that he saw on the western side.



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Last edited by Kynier on November 26th, 2018, 8:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Missing Knight Part 3

Postby Kynier on November 24th, 2018, 4:07 am



It turns out that they were crypts and not structures meant to assist the undertakers of the Dust Bed. Over the doorways were etchings of what Kynier presumed to be the family names of those that were kept there. The letterings on many of them were in the common tongue but a few were in languages that Kynier did not understand. The carved stone used to make the crypts had been tanned, cracked, and worn smooth any Tanroa’s domain. Kynier sighed as he looked around the landscape again for a sense of direction. “Of course, the citizens have to be as chaotic in death as they were in life. It would be too convenient to have a clearly indicated place for someone to come and ask questions,” he grumbled under his breath.

For a few chimes, he wandered through the spaces in between the crypts. The stillness of death was tangible in the air as the mage walked around. The lingering silence of it set him on edge, making Kynier feel as though he were violating something by breathing too loudly. Something in the atmosphere made his skin stand on edge. A restlessness that unsettled the mage. Kynier glanced around and noticed how there was an absence of Akajia’s children. His brow drew together at the unusual nature of that.

“Hey!” Kynier felt his heart leap towards his throat as the booming voice cut the silence. Half turning, half jumping in the direction the voice came from, Kynier saw the impressive figure that had somehow walked up on him unnoticed. A man that towered over the mage and was much broader. A long leather coat encased the man’s fierce some bulk and a wide brimmed hat cast a shadow over his eyes. The shadow did not conceal the man’s expression from the Nightstalker, but it was intimidating none the less. “Do you feel that?” the large man asked.

This must have been Jeb. A human that rivaled Akalaks with his size. It took a moment for Kynier to come out of the daze of the man’s sudden appearance and size to realize the question he had been asked. Kynier did not speak but nodded his head slowly. Jeb bit his lower lip and sucked on it loudly as he eyes wandered from crypt to crypt. “Someone’s not resting well tonight,” he muttered aloud. Jeb strode past the mage, uninterested in his presence. It was then that Kynier noticed the sword strapped to the man’s back. An executioner’s blade that had been hidden by Jeb’s massive form.

“Are you Jeb? The caretaker in charge of the Dust Beds?” Kynier asked once he managed to find his voice again. He followed behind the man as he wandered around at random. A grunt echoed as the man stopped to examine one of the pillars supporting the upper section of a crypt. “I’m looking for someone. Someone that might have been killed. A Dragoon.” The large man gave no acknowledgement to Kynier’s inquiry before turning to roam between the tombstones nearby. The man’s gaze was flicking back and forth as though he too were searching for something. “Have you received any dead from the Sun’s Birth recently? Or the corpses of any Dragoons?”

“Shhhh,” the man said as he raised a finger to his lips. “The dead don’t like a lot of noise. This is their new home after all. Anyone would find it rude to have a stranger come and walk over their beds and talk so loudly,” Jeb’s voice may have only been a few notches above a whisper, but it could still be heard clearly in the field of dead. “Dragoons tend to their own. Making arrangements to honor fallen comrades to appease the spirit. Others are trash like the other empty shells they expect me to burn or bury.” A moment of silence followed as Jeb stopped stared at a specific tombstone.

Kynier felt a chill rush over his skin as they stood there. “Right,” he said in a whisper to match the grave keeper’s. “But have you received a body with a Dragoon’s branding? To either burn, or burry, or… making honoring arrangements for?” Jeb’s eyes finally left the tombstone that had enveloped his attention so thoroughly. Only they were slowly scanning the landscape for something.

“Maybe…”

Kynier’s curiosity got the better of him. He too looked around as though he might see whatever it was that the man was looking for. All he saw were tombstones, rocks, and the darkening horizon as Syna was descending to rest. Upon seeing nothing, the mage brought his eyes back on the large man who was still scanning with an intense gaze. “What do you mean ‘maybe’? Each Dragoon is branded on the hand. Don’t you know if any bodies were brought that had such brands on the hand?” Kynier’s voice was still a whisper but one filled with his frustration at Jeb’s lack of clarity.

“They’re just empty shells when they come here. Doesn’t matter who they were so long as they can find rest,” Jeb said, his eyes finally settling on Kynier. “No way of knowing if the person you’re looking for is here. Not unless you ask the spirits.” Then Jeb began walking through the graveyard again. Only this time Kynier did not follow him. It was clear that there was not going to be a definite answer to Niqolas’ disappearance from here. Kynier looked around once more to gain his bearings before he made his way south towards Baroque Bay.



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Missing Knight Part 3

Postby Kynier on November 24th, 2018, 4:09 am



“Hello Gem.” A fire erupted in the hearth as soon as Kynier entered the Great Room from the balcony entrance. He hung his cloak by it to dry and set his boots next to it as well. Afterwards, he went into the master suite and began to undo the straps that kept all the armor in place. One by one, he removed the vambraces, rerebraces, cuisses, and greaves from his limbs. The clothes that had been covered by the armor were plastered to his body from being half dried with sweat spots. He stripped the clothes off and set them aside to be washed later. Dressing himself in simple clothing made from cotton, Kynier went back to the armor pieces he had set on the top of the chest that lay at the foot of the bed.

Kynier redid the straps to one piece of each pair so that they were closed and not flopping around freely. Then, he set the closed vambrace inside the open one then strapped it in, so the pair was bound together for storage. The same was done with the rerebrace, the greaves, and the cuisses before he set all four inside the chest. Kynier removed the leather armor from his pack, folded it up, and set it down on top of the steel piece mail. He dug around the rest of the contents to relocate the longsword with the Sun’s Birth’s eight-point sunburst near the top by the armor. Before closing the lid of the chest, Kynier stared at the collection for a moment with a long sigh.

Snapping it shut and locking it, Kynier left the master suite and sat in one of the couches in the Great Room. The muscles of his thighs and calves were filled with a dull ache of fatigue. Kynier slid on the couch to lie down on it with his legs draped over the armrest nearest the fire. While he was not cold, the heat from the flames was soothing to his legs. A sigh of relief escaped him as he enjoyed being off his feet. Kynier stared at the ceiling as a wrist rested on his forehead. While his body rested his mind grew a little anxious as he thought about what he had to do.

If Jeb had been more helpful, or at least more prone to pay attention to details, Kynier could have called an end to his investigation already. He would have been able to return to the Aqulliar Hot Springs and tell the former Sylirian Knights that Niqolas was dead. Part of him suspected that they did not care to know how the Dragoon would’ve died. They only cared to know if they needed to send their collected knowledge on to someone of authority in Syliras. Now, he was going to have to enter one of the more dangerous parts of the city to find some answers. Dangerous, because it would normally be obvious that he did not belong there. The armor would assist in fooling the watchmen into thinking he was one of them, but there was something of critical importance that was still an obstacle.

The brand.

Whatever trickery the longsword could provide to the disguise would only work on those that were indolent. One Dragoon that had more experience or intelligence would know that the sword probably carried very little validity. The Dragoon he had stolen the sword from in the Spring most likely had received a serious reprimand for losing the weapon. The Sun’s Birth had the most funding but could not afford to so easily lose their equipment. There was no telling exactly how many pieces of armor or weapons had been lost or stolen. Which was why they relied on the branding of the hands. Kynier could attempt to wear gloves to conceal it, but many would not recognize him. And to say he was a new initiate would not work if he wore a glove over where he was supposed to have received a fresh burn. Which left him to wonder… how was he going to get past that obstacle?



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Missing Knight Part 3

Postby Kynier on November 24th, 2018, 4:15 am



The longer he was on the couch the closer he came to sleep. The Midnight Gem’s welcoming warmth helped to ease and comfort him. His eyelids were not growing heavy, yet they settled themselves to being mostly closed. Thoughts were coming to him slower and were not as clearly heard in his own mind. A part of him told him that if he was to sleep then he should at least move back into the master suite to do so. And every muscle in his body rebelled against the idea by being still. Nysel had nearly encapsulated him when the clanking of dishes from the kitchen broke the soothing silence.

Hazel eyes opened wider as the sound continued. Whose night was it to cook? Was it his? A moment of brief panic made him sit up and pull his legs off from the armrest of the couch. It was the twentieth, meaning that he had cooked just a couple of days ago. No, it wasn’t his turn to cook. Kynier sighed with relief as he collapsed against the back of the couch. Last thing he wanted was a house full of hungry Kelvics, each of whom had an astounding appetite for their size, and an Isur with no meal preparation. It was already growing late and to even suggest they wait for him to go out and get ingredients for the meal would not bold well for him.

Wide awake and unable to find a solution to his problem at hand, Kynier stood up and went to the kitchen to see if there was anything he could do to help. Sometimes, the answer could not be found, only discovered when one wasn’t searching for it. As he stepped around into the kitchen, he saw Ember’s back as she was moving back and forth along the counter with single steps. The young mouse was not as young looking as she appeared to be. While she did not look to be a young woman yet, Ember appeared to have aged more than the half season that he knew her for.

Kynier entered the kitchen properly, “Anything I can do to help?” Ember paused long enough to look over her shoulder at him. The mouse squinted her eyes thoughtfully at him for a moment. Most of the time, it was Ember helping Kynier to cook and not the other way around. Sometimes it seemed like a game to them. Where Kynier could only win if the meal still resembled what he had intended to cook, rather than following all her suggestions and end up with something else.

“Sure,” she finally said as she jumped right back into whatever it was that she was preparing. There were stacks of vegetables set all over the counter along with small glass jars filled with spices. “You can help by peeling the vegetables first,” she said as she tossed him a potato. Kynier caught it with a hand and stepped up to the counter. Being human, he did not have the long nails that resembled the talons or claws of the others. Kynier took one of the shorter knives and started shaving the skins off, attempting to remove as little of the potato as he possibly could.

“So, Ember… How’re you adjusting to living in Sunberth?” The young mouse was dicing vegetables as he asked that. Her hands gave no pause and her expression did not change.

“Fine, I suppose,” she said with a quiet tone. Kynier looked down at the side of her face with a curious expression.

“Only ‘fine’? Sounds like you’re not entirely happy about it.” Ember clanked the side of the chopping knife down on the cutting board. She looked up at his a little sideways with wideset, incredulous eyes.

“All I said was ‘fine’, Uncle Kyn.” Then she turned back to her cutting.

“Mmm-hmm,” he smiled. He finished peeling the potato and set the skins aside to add to the compost later. Then he grabbed another and started peeling it as well. “How many potatoes are we going to need?” To answer his question, Ember grabbed two more potatoes from the pile and set them down in front of him. She definitely didn’t seem fine. Ember usually was more light-hearted and talkative than this. Instead, a long silence passed as he finished peeling off the skins from the next two potatoes. “Alright,” he announced as he gave her shoulder a gentle nudge with his elbow. “Talk to me, Ember. What’s bothering you?”

Ember scoffed. “Nothing,” she said defensively without looking at him. And only a few ticks later… “It’s just… I wanted to see more than just the Cobalt Mountains and K’etir Keep. I want to see more of Sunberth, but Aunt Kels won’t let me. She keeps saying that its too dangerous.” Kynier did his best to keep his amusement from spilling out into laughter. He managed to keep his lips tight and looked back at the potato was slicing. The irony of it all. “I’m a mouse, Uncle Kyn… I know I won’t have a very long life. So… I want to see all that I can. If that makes any sense.”

“Makes perfect sense Ember. But your Aunt isn’t wrong either. Sunberth isn’t that great of a place to be. Your Aunt has managed to make a very special place in a city that usually grinds everything into filth and obscurity.” Ember looked up at him sideways again with a challenging expression.

“If it’s so terrible of a place, then why do the both of you stay here?” Kynier snorted a single laugh. At least she hadn’t lost her ability to ask very pointed and bold questions. But he quickly got his laughter under control as he thought on her question. It wasn’t a bad one either. He and Kelski had spoken about it briefly, though not in a serious fashion where it was spoken about as an option to consider.

“I cannot speak for your Aunt, in this regard, but I can tell you why it is that I’m still here. Why I chose to be here. I want to change something I do not like about the world. And if I can make that minor change here, then I feel it would ripple elsewhere. And over time, it may have a lasting effect.” He looked down at Ember who had paused in her chopping to listen to him. “Does that make any sense?” She nodded silently as she went back to chopping.



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Kynier
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Missing Knight Part 3

Postby Kynier on November 24th, 2018, 5:40 am



Half a bell later, they were done with the meal preparation. Ember kept the food simmering over the hearth to keep it warm until the rest of the residents were gathered for the meal. Kynier was cleaning the knives and pots while Ember filled pitchers with various juices and wines for the evening’s beverage selection. This portion of cleaning the dishes was easier. The food had not yet congealed to the pots and plates, making it easier to scrub them off. There were a couple of times Kynier had to wash off the washing rag due to how much was collecting on it. When he was putting the last pot away was when Ember came up to him and playfully hit him in the tricep. “So, what is it Uncle Kyn?”

Kynier looked down at her questioningly. “What do you mean, Ember?” She raised her eyebrows at him in a disbelieving way.

“You rarely help me with the cooking. And when you do, its because you need me to do something. So, what is it that you want to ask me to do?”

“Is it really so hard to believe that I just wanted to help?” he asked incredulously.

Ember raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes, “Yeah, it is.” Kynier scoffed as he folded the towel up and used it to sweep most of the scraps into the composting container they had set aside. There were still a few trash items that they could not throw into the compost, lest they attract vermin. Kynier stared down at the collection and imagined a space of completely nothingness. Then he channeled his will to imbue that space with Djed in order to create a gateway to The Other Side. After almost a full chime had passed, the rift opened. Kynier pulled on its edges mentally to stretch it open wider. Without bothering to activate a Pull, he swept the trash off the counter and into the Void.

Ember watched with fascination. She raised a hand to place through the gateway, but Kynier stopped her by gently setting his own in her way and shook his head. When the gateway collapsed, he looked at the young mouse. “Really, Ember, I was just helping. I also needed a distraction from this problem that I’ve… been…” the words faded from his tongue as he looked down at her. Ember had some khol around her eyes to compliment her features that he had only just now noticed. Ember noted the sudden increase of his attention of her and shifted her head back with a wriggle of her nose.

“What?”

Kynier smiled. “Nothing, I just found the answer that I wasn’t looking for.” Ember squinted her eyes at him, her mouth slightly agape.

“That doesn’t make any sense, Uncle Kyn.”

“What it means, Ember, is that I actually could use your help with something. I just didn’t realize it before.” The young mouse shifted her weight and looked at him expectedly.

“Okay. So, what do you need help with?” She said with the same tone she used the first time she asked.

“I could use your assistance with cosmetics.” Ember’s eyes widened as a laugh was stifled in her throat.

“I’m sorry,” she giggled lightly, “But I don’t think I have the skills to,” she gestured at his face as her laughter increased. Kynier gazed down at her, more than slightly baffled.

“What? No! That’s not… Am I that unsightly?” Ember only seemed to laugh more at his reaction as she held a hand up to conceal her face in a futile manner. Whether she was merely jesting with him or not, he could not really tell. Young females were one of many things that he never really had exposure to before. After about a half of a chime, her laughter died off.

“Oh… No, Uncle Kyn,” she said with assurance in the wake of her laughter. “Why do you need cosmetics?”



NaNo Post: 656

Credit for the boxcode goes to Luminescence!
Kynier
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Posts: 851
Words: 1156083
Joined roleplay: May 13th, 2018, 3:14 am
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Missing Knight Part 3

Postby Kynier on November 26th, 2018, 8:26 pm

Grades!


Skill Rewards
  • Cleaning +1
  • Cooking +1
  • Endurance +1
  • Interrogation +2
  • Investigation +2
  • Logic +1
  • Organization +1
  • Planning +1
  • Socialization +2
  • Voiding +1

Lores Learned
  • Ember: Knows she won’t have a long life
  • Endurance: Walking with armor tires you faster
  • Investigation: Checking the Dust Bed for the recent dead
  • Jeb: A very large man
  • Jeb: Burns or buries the dead
  • Logic: Finding the flaws in a plan
Kynier
Player
 
Posts: 851
Words: 1156083
Joined roleplay: May 13th, 2018, 3:14 am
Location: Sunberth
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Journal
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Medals: 7
Featured Contributor (1) Featured Thread (1)
Overlored (1) One Million Words! (1)
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