Solo Missing Knight Part 5

[Kynier]

21st of Fall, 518 A.V.

A few Dragoons were making their way down the cobble road towards the walled off area ahead. Kynier would've called it a structure, but it was too wide across and looked as though it was an open-air compound. Walking just a little slower than most on the street allowed him to really examine it from the exterior. The main gate had more people flowing through it than he had seen at The Gold Lodge. Dragoons, as well as a few normal citizens of Sunberth from the look of it, were going both in and out of the place. Several guards were stationed at the entrance, barring some from entry. Kynier hesistated for a moment before falling in line to approach the place he had heard referred to as "The Proving Grounds".

As his place in line slowly diminished, Kynier was taking glances at those around him. Men and women of varying ages and builds were with him. Those before him were revealing their indications of membership. Guards forced others out from the line. Kynier grew anxious, wondering what sort of trouble he’d be in if they didn’t believe his forgery. He pulled up the edge of his sleeve as he came to the front of the line. The nearer guard looked at the marking on the back of his hand and nodded before he even held it up for a closer inspection. Kynier nearly hesitated to walk inside. He expected the guard to be more thorough. Perhaps he was lucky, and it had been near the end of the guard’s assigned shift.

Stepping through the puddles, the grunts and shouts of the training field grew over the sound of the rain lightly impacting on the hood of his cloak. There was a section of the grounds that was built like an arena, where only a few people were gathered. A woman was shouting directions to someone, while the others appeared to simply watch. As for the rest of it, there were target dummies suffering the abuse of archery and melee weaponry. A large group was gathering around a certain area, which caught his interest. The spy made his way over to that place and joined those that had gathered.

Several of the people were shouting, trying to be heard. They were… suggestions? A woman with an expression of mild annoyance stood with her arms crossed, surveying those that were shouting things. “This is the advanced bell!” She hollered over everyone. “And we will not waste the chimes with such basic concepts. I asked if there was something in particular that people wished to improve upon, and the only shyke I’ve heard could be done by a one-handed barmaid!”

“Duel Wielding,” a voice called immediately in the following silence. “Deflection and riposte.” Eyes turned to an angular faced man. There were grumbles among those in the crowd and some walked away.

“Fine,” the woman said. “Everyone picks their own weapons. Find a partner with different weapons than what you choose. Those of you that don’t have practice weapons yet, hurry the petch up! And pay your training dues!” People started to scramble at that. Kynier quickly looked around for a place where practice weapons could be acquired. Some people were huddling around a place and walking away with wooden weapons. Kynier went over and set down five gold for two wooden short swords and another twenty for the lesson. As he walked away, people were quickly forming pairs and establishing claims to where they would train. The man that had purposed the training regiment was standing with his arms crossed, waiting. Kynier arched an eyebrow and approached the man.

“Ah,” he said in mild amusement. “Someone actually willing to spar against me? Normally the last one ready gets to work with me.” Kynier gave the man a once over. There was some bulk to his frame, and thick stubble around his jawline. Well groomed, and in good physical condition. The man drew his wooden weapons, a longsword and a battle axe. Kynier reaffirmed his grip on the wooden short swords as he stepped closer.

“Just a new Raider that doesn’t know any better,” Kynier said with self-mocking lightheartedness. The man gave a dry laugh.

“The man has some wit,” he commented aloud. “Well, step forward. I was hoping to learn more that teach today,” the man’s tone was that of disinterest. The spy furrowed his brow slightly. Who was he getting involved with now? The man held the battle axe with his left arm, and the longword in the other, but held the longsword forward and the axe up high behind his head. Kynier took a slightly wider than shoulder-width stance with both weapons held up before him. Not the stance he preferred, but he needed to display something other than his normal self.

“Deflection,” the woman from earlier said loudly for every pairing to hear, “is not the same as blocking! Blocking against someone with two weapons will get you killed quickly. Alternate between attacking and deflecting with your training partner.” Without delay, Kynier’s partner was bringing his sword down at his head. Kynier took a small side step and pivoted his weight on that foot, bringing other behind him so that the sword would miss entirely on its own. Kynier took his left-hand weapon and brought it up to deflect the attacking weapon.

Rather than just let the attack end and allow the man to freely retract his weapon, Kynier continued to push down on the attacking weapon before leading it down and away in a circle so that he could easily step in and attack. Stepping forward with his back foot, Kynier brought his right-hand weapon up to come down on the man’s head. The man’s movements were a perfect reflection of what Kynier had just done. He stepped out of the way and brought his battle axe up to deflect and redirect the attack, to follow through with another attack with the longsword. A rhythm was established that Kynier fell into rather comfortably. Once he did, the other man smiled with half his face.

He changed the attack to be a circular slash from the side as he stepped in.

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

[Kynier]

For a half of a tick, Kynier was flustered by the attack. The rhythm had been comfortable, and the sudden change was disorienting. He took a large step back with his left foot and made a fast, wide, overhead circular sweep with his right-hand weapon which had just been deflected. Kynier brought his weapon down and assisted the motion of his partner’s attack but also redirected it to swing wide, exposing his partner’s back to him.

Kynier stepped forward and lunged for the man’s back, feeling “victory” within his grasp. The spin that the deflection had sent the man into was continued into a complete rotation. His battle axe arced around and came down on Kynier’s attacking weapon hand. His wrist was caught between the curve of the axe and the haft. The man wrenched down and stripped the weapon from Kynier’s hand. The wooden texture rubbed rather uncomfortably against his knuckles and fingers as his grip broke. As Kynier’s attention was on the pain of his hand, he was struck on the shoulder with the longsword with a loud thwack.

His training partner had a smug smile on his face as he stepped away and waited for Kynier to pick up his other weapon. Kynier took the chance to glance around at the other pairs that were practicing. Most of them were awkwardly moving around as though they were trying to figure out now to not hit themselves with their own weapons. “You have some decent skill for a Raider,” the man said as he turned back to face Kynier. “How was it that you weren’t made a Guardian?” Kynier gave a sigh and cut at the air with feigned annoyance.

“They were not very impressed with my wit,” Kynier said as he mirrored his partner by walking in a small circle. The man gave an amused laugh. “What’s worse,” he said as he stepped in and attacked with his left-hand. The man began another endless rhythm of deflect and attack. “It also got me pointless punishment work because my Sergeant has no sense of humor.” After a couple of cycles of their practice, Kynier changed the rhythm before his partner could do so. Kynier switched which hand would deflect and brought the other in an upward slash that missed his partner’s leg by inches.

“You’ll find that a lot,” his partner said as he attacked Kynier’s opening without bothering to deflect. “Command wants results, not sarcasm.” Again, Kynier was disarmed and then beaten by a practice weapon, this time in the ribs. The third round of practice turned out nearly the exact same as the first two. Kynier was disarmed, yet again, and hit during his momentary distraction of discomfort. It was causing him to really want to land a strike on his training partner. While other pairs were interrupted to be shown a few tips, the two of them appeared to be deliberately left alone. “What is it that you’re wanting from the Sun’s Birth?” The man asked as he began the next round.

“You mean… besides a place to sleep? And a wage to live off of?” It did not escape Kynier’s notice that their attacks and motions were growing faster the more they worked with each other. They were doing less of the infinity drills and developing more into outright sparing. Before it could get too far outside their learning objective, Kynier got disarmed by a well-placed strike to his fingers or knuckles. His digits were growing very sore and his grip was weakening.

“So then… you don’t seek… a command… or to rise high… in the ranks?” Kynier stepped inside one of his partner’s attacks and deflected with the weapon that would’ve been his lead hand. He intended to have the other weapon slip under the other arm and poke his partner’s chest, but the axe connected with the back of his knee before that could happen. Kynier was forced to the ground on one knee and he was hit in the back.

“Haven’t decided yet,” he said as he got back to his feet. Kynier exhaled heavily once before initiating the next round. The muscles of his back and shoulders were getting sore. In one part, it was from swinging the wooden weapons around with so much repetition. The other part was that he kept getting hit in the shoulders and obliques, as well as disarmed. Sweat generated on his brow and ran down the sides of his face. Chime after chime, they continued. “Why do you ask?”

“Because… I’m always looking… to advance… and want to surround… myself with great combatants.” Again, Kynier’s hand got hooked by the battle axe for a disarm. This time, the spy released his short sword and took hold of the haft of his partner’s weapon. When the disarming pull came, Kynier pulled just as hard, bringing them close together. Kynier poked the man hard in the ribs with his remaining weapon, getting a grunt of discomfort from his partner. “Well done,” the man admitted. “Too bad you had to die so many times to learn that.”

“Isn’t that the point of this practice? To learn without actually needing to die?” he bent down and picked up his weapon. The grip was slick from the rain and his fingers did not enjoy the prospect of closing their grip entirely. How much longer was this practice going to continue? “What’s your name,” he asked his training partner. The mand stood a little straighter and smiled.

“You must be new then. Most learn about me in a short amount of time.” He gave a miniscule bow, “Chevalier Tobias Lerrone.”

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

[Kynier]

What Kynier came to realize about working as Lerrone’s partner, it didn’t feel like training but conditioning. Bells passed as he continued to attack the Chevalier only to get walloped by the wooden weapons that the man held. Already, he could feel the stiff bruises forming on his back, shoulders, and upper arms. As much as he wanted to blame his pain on the Chevalier, it seemed as though he had asked for it on each occasion. Mentally, Kynier wanted to at least once get a debilitating strike on his training partner, but the man was too talented in comparison.

Swinging and thrusting with each arm felt as though it were growing slower. The Chevalier took smaller motions to avoid or deflect the attacks. While Lerrone’s brow was too covered in beads of sweat, it was more likely from how long they had been practicing than from pushing his own physical limits. When it was Kynier’s turn to be the offender, he did what he could to not repeat his motions. To alternate attacking with each weapon arm with enough variation to make an unpredictable pattern. Using thrust lunges, slashes, and stabs from the nine different directions. Yet no matter what impulsive attack Kynier elected to employ, the seasoned warrior fell victim to none of them.

Was it the armor? The extra weight was likely a major contributor. It was a small difference from how Kynier normally moved and operated, but small, cumulative bits of exertion would take their toll on anyone. For some time, his training partner had been silent. At first the Chevalier would make little quips but appeared to have grown bored of the whole thing. That stung Kynier’s pride more than any of the disarms or hard hits to the body. How the other pairings were improving was something Kynier had stopped checking on periodically. Lerrone had his entire focus, and Kynier intended to get the man at least once more.

The mage groaned loudly as the wooden blade of the battle-axe struck his ribs. After taking an instant to savor the pain, Kynier repositioned himself for the next round. The Chevalier began with a downward slash with the axe. Kynier took a diagonal step forward and raised his mirror-side weapon above his head. Loosening his grip enough to allow the wooden weapon to lean back and rest against the forearm, creating a surface the battle-axe hit and slid down. Rather than bring his other weapon around to attack as he had been doing for bells, Kynier tightened his grip on the short sword that had just made the deflection and brought his arm down as he did.

The Chevalier had expected the other weapon, which would’ve taken longer to come to threatening range. Kynier’s attack came down and struck the clavicle. Lerrone’s face contorted in a wince as Kynier stepped around and brought the other weapon to jab him in the ribs during the distraction of the first strike. The man staggered back just as a whistle pierced the air and drizzling rain. The woman that had been shouting out generalized advice during the training session was lowering her fingers from her mouth.

“Practice is over! Return any borrowed equipment and get your lazy asses back to where they need to be!” Kynier sighed and let his arms hang at his side. The practice weapons were his, he had bought them, so he added them to the collection at his belt. It was unusual increasing the number of weapons to six. Having so many protrusions to move around made his extra motions feel strange. As he was heading towards the opening of the Proving Grounds, someone came up beside him.

“Excellent practice,” the Chevalier said. “Though, you never mentioned what your name was.” Kynier only had a deep breath’s worth of time to consider his options. A moniker would be a better idea than his own name.

“Hashimer,” he said while offering a hand in greeting. Lerrone eyed the hand skeptically for a few steps before Kynier lowered it.

“Well, Hashimer, you don’t know if you want to rise up in the ranks, but you’re too good of fighter to have joined simply for the meager wages a Raider receives.” Kynier remained silent. There was no question put forth, so commenting on anything would highlight what his deceptions would be should the Chevalier be suspicious enough. After a silence that was long enough for them to exit the Proving Grounds together, Tobias spoke again. “Who’s your Sergeant? I’d like to have a word with them about transferring you to my Squad.”

Shyke.

“My Sergeant is currently looking for an excuse to have me thrown out of the Sun’s Birth. If I were to just stop checking in with him I’m certain he wouldn’t think twice about it. Right now, he’s got me investigating a Guardian’s disappearance just to keep me out of his way. Someone by the name of Niqolas Garret.”

“Niqolas Garret?” he asked with keen interest. “I wasn’t aware that he was missing. He and I were part of the same Section a few years ago.” Kynier walked down the cobblestone street without a destination in mind, and the Chevalier stayed with him.

“When was the last time you spoke with him?” he asked. Tobias smirked slightly, raised the back of his hand against Kynier’s arm gently, and came to a stop. Kynier stopped with him.

“Before I answer any of your questions, I would appreciate it if you would answer a few of mine first.” Tobias’ gaze lowered, and his voice grew softer. “Tell me, why is an impersonator like yourself,” The Chevalier’s smile broadened to display his full set of teeth, “would be interested in Garret’s whereabouts?” Kynier tensed and was about to take a step away from the man. Tobias latched onto the vambrace above the hand with the fake brand. “You didn’t really believe you could get away with this pathetic forgery, did you?”

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

[Kynier]

Though his heart was beating fast and hard in his chest, Kynier kept a firm gaze on the Chevalier. With a quick rotation and pull of his arm, Kynier’s wrist came free of the man’s grip. He suspected that the seasoned warrior could’ve held on had he wanted to. The mage did not back away but crossed his arms in front of his chest. Running would’ve been pointless, and Lerrone had proven himself a much more capable fighter by “winning” a hundred practice spars to Kynier’s two over the last few bells. As the silence prolonged, Kynier wondered what it was that motivated whatever Tobias was doing.

He knew, Kynier had been impersonating a Dragoon. A forged branding and probably Kynier’s combat abilities in comparison to others of his pretend rank. Instead of exposing him or cutting him down, he confronted the mage. Tobias had admitted to wanting to rise higher in the ranks, wouldn’t catching an imposter help his reputation? “There are people outside of the Sun’s Birth interested in Niqolas’ well-being. From the looks of it, they have more interest than Niqolas’ comrades.” The last remark was expressed as more of a challenge. Iselda had said that Lerrone and were well acquainted at one time.

“So, you’re merely an investigator paid to find out where someone is?” Tobias asked a little disbelievingly. Kynier turned and started walking down the street as though the tension he felt didn’t exist.

“An accurate description. And I was hoping to ask you a few questions about someone named Greigan.” This time Tobais stopped in surprise and looked at Kynier with a hard expression.

“What does Greigan have to do with any of this?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out, Sir.” Kyneir stopped and closed the distance between him and the warrior. “From what I’ve gathered, Niqolas was asking questions about Greigan. Which is interesting, because Greigan was a Raider, that had been sold to slavery several years ago, probably before Niqolas even joined the Sun’s Birth. So, why ask about a former Dragoon that is a slave on a Night Eyes Pulp Plantation?” Kynier’s question carried a rhetorical tone. One that made Tobias shift his gaze to scan the vicinity.

“Greigan’s dead.” Kynier looked at the Chevalier skeptically.

“How do you know?”

“Because, that’s what I wanted Niqolas to find out. And he did.” Kynier stared at Tobais he mentally arranged the pieces that he had gathered. He pointed a finger at the Chevalier.

“You kept in touch with Greigan, didn’t you? Though he was a slave, you used him as an informant. A former comrade positioned somewhere that earns a rival organization a healthy sum of mizas.” There was a moment of silence between them. “But how did you convince him to endanger himself like that? A promise to buy his freedom at some point? Favor for favors?” Tobias scoffed and started walking with a stride driven by annoyance.

“The man had a Runari gnosis. He was god-compelled to satisfy the needs of those around him. I didn’t need to offer anything because he always wanted to help me.” Kynier was impressed and disgusted at the same time. That Lerrone would use a former comrade in a terrible situation like that was sickening. But with a Spy’s perspective, it was a brilliant tactic.

“So, after the fire, you wanted Niqolas to discover Greigan’s fate?” The Chevalier grunted. Whether it was dismissive or an acknowledgement, Kynier wasn’t entirely sure, so he assumed acknowledging. “And he discovered that your informant had died. Most likely due to the fire.” Tobias rounded on him and held up a finger of warning.

“Should you utter a word about this to anyone, I will hunt you down and personally dump your corpse onto the Slag Heap,” he said with a venomous whisper. Kynier met the man’s glare and refused to balk.

“I don’t care about the little arrangement you had with a dead man. My concern is about the one you sent to verify the man’s fate. He’s been missing since the ninth.” Tobias lowered his hand and arched an eyebrow.

“The ninth?” The Chevalier began to chuckle and smirk. “Well then, there’s nothing that can be done about Niqolas.”

“What do you mean?”

“Surely, you’ve heard about what happened all over the city on the tenth. People disappeared, with little tin coins left on their beds. Messages from the Night Eyes about seeking revenge. A few had disappeared from the Barracks as well.” The Barracks. That would be the next place for him to investigate. As he turned to leave, Lerrone had grabbed him by the shoulder. “Before you go, there’s still the matter of your impersonating a Dragoon,” he said threateningly. Kynier gave him a hard glare as he waited for the man to make up his mind.

But he didn’t just wait. Kynier took a shallow breath and forced all thoughts not related to the man holding him out of his mind. He was reaching into the depths of himself for his djed, knowing that drawing a weapon against the Chevalier was a pointless endeavor. Magic may turn every person in the Sun’s Refuge on him in an instant, but his odds of surviving that felt better than trying to survive a real duel with Lerrone. “How about this? I won’t do anything, and you’ll owe me a favor?” It was Kynier’s turn to arch and eyebrow. “Niqolas was an inquisitive person. With him gone, I find myself needing someone with a similar skillset. Someone like yourself, Hashimer.”

A tick of silence was the only delay there was. “Agreed.” It was strange how comfortable Kynier felt agreeing to that. With the Viper, he didn’t have a choice and there was no exact end in sight to the arrangement. With the Chevalier, it was a one-time arrangement. One he might be able to avoid. The Chevalier released his shoulder.

“Don’t think you can avoid paying back the favor. Sunberth is not as large as you might think,” he said as he brushed past Kynier to walk off on his own.

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

[Kynier]

Outside the barracks he stood, gazing at the building with his hands on his hips. Having heard several stories about things that occurred inside, it was… he appreciated the ability to see the building to better understand. It wasn’t as large as he expected it to be due to its reputation for housing the vast majority of the Sun’s Birth. It seemed he was standing outside and staring at the building for a little too long. One man was coming out of the building and noticed him. A man appearing to be at least ten years older than him and dressed in finer apparel than what nearly every Dragoon wore had his hand resting on the hilt of his rapier. “Looking for something?”

Kynier feigned a smile tugging at his lip. “Someone actually,” he said as he lowered his hands and took a few steps forward. “A Guardian by the name of Niqolas Garret. He’s been missing for some time.” The man audibly groaned as though he had something better to do. Kynier quickly looked the man over again, subtly, for indications of rank. There was nothing except for the Kill-Cuffs along the ridge of the man’s ear. There were a lot of them. Kynier couldn’t quite interpret how many rival gang members the man killed, or what their significance had been.

“Couldn’t you talk to Prak about this?” the man asked with a little bit of a whine. Kynier refrained from allowing his skepticism from showing on his face. He hadn’t intended to talk about this with this man. If he hadn’t wanted to get bogged down, then he could’ve just kept walking. The man scratched at the back of his head as he seemed to try and think. “Garen… Garen… I don’t know this man.”

“Not Garen,” Kynier said gently, “Garret. Niqolas Garret.” The man groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“No, I don’t know who that is.” Kynier looked a little more closely at the man when the hand was lowered from his nose. There was a tint of red to the man’s eyes. Of course he didn’t know who the man was. This fellow was too busy being drunk to care about the other Dragoons. Perhaps a different approach would yield some results.

“The night of the 10th, was anyone missing from the Barracks? All over the city people were gone and had tin coins left on their pillows.” The man gave Kynier a leering look as though he were mentally unstable.

“Tin coins?” The man groaned as he seemed to think harder than he normally would during the day. “There was something about that. A pair had been found on a Guardian’s bunk. But that doesn’t have anything to do with your lost Raider.” His lost Raider? Kynier suspected that he wasn’t going to get anything more out of the man. He appeared a bit dissociative. And while Kynier couldn’t tell what the man’s rank was, he decided to play it safe with the rank that he was impersonating.

“Thank you, sir, that helps.” The man waived him away dismissively as he left Kynier outside of the Barracks. So someone had been taken by the Night Eyes. Someone of Niqolas rank too. With how difficult and dangerous it would be to get inside at night, and to handle a trained soldier like a Guardian, Kynier had yet to find proof that anyone else would have been taken. What was he to do now? Finding a Night Eye was no small task. Even if Kynier could find one, and if they knew about Niqolas, they would most likely just confirm what he already suspected. One gang member had been missing for twelve days and had likely been abducted by a rival gang that he had been indirectly investigating. There wasn’t much more that he could do without wasting his time. So, he turned around and started taking his leave of the Sun’s Refuge.

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

[Kynier]

Outside of the Run’s Refuge, Kynier was making his way towards the Western Heights while on his way to the Aquillar Hot Springs. There was enough to make an educated guess about what happened. And if the Night Eyes were out seeking revenge on the people responsible for causing the Plantation fire, the last thing Kynier wanted was to get their attention. He was the one they were looking for after all. They just didn’t know it, and he’d prefer to keep it that way. The Viper was enough unwanted attention to deal with.

As he walked down a narrow alley, a chill ran up his spine. It suddenly felt rather cold despite his cloak’s enchantment to keep him comfortable. Kynier stopped and looked around, sensing something was nearby. It was an unusual sense, like knowing someone had quietly called for you despite failing to hear it. He shuddered once in response to the cold as he looked at the empty alley. There was nothing, but Kynier wasn’t convinced by what his eyes were telling him. With a deep breath, he delved down to his Djed and pulled it forth. The mystical energy fueled his eyes to open his Sight. As auras came into view, there was one that was floating in a condensed mass before him.

Kynier took a cautionary step backwards as he focused on that aura. A restless sensation welled up in his chest that felt like desperation. What for? “Hello?” he said quietly to the ghost. The aura began to swirl around itself as a new feeling washed over Kynier’s skin. His jaw tensed, and he clenched his teeth as something… frustration… came from the dead soul.

“Help… me…” a voice echoed. Kynier stared at the aura as it took a more humanoid shape. It still could not be perceived by his human eyes. One extension of the aura that was likely akin to an arm, reached out towards Kynier, who kept out of its reach. “Please…”

“Who are you?” Kynier demanded. “Identify yourself!” The limb returned to join the rest of the mass.

“Syliran… Knight… Garret… 2nd Wing… Brown… Company… 1st Regiment… Silver Quadron.” Kynier remembered hearing Syliran Knights give their full address from when he lived back in Syliras. This wasn’t some sort of trick or illusion. He relaxed slightly as he continued to stare at what others couldn’t see.

“I was looking for you,” he said. The swirling mist of an aura drifted closer.

“Why?” the dead knight asked in an echoey voice. It sounded strained, like he was carrying a great weight.

“I…” Kynier knew that Niqolas hadn’t been a ghost for long. Anja had told him that it was difficult for recently slain ghosts to manifest or make contact. He needed to get straight to the point before the apparition became too weak. “For a report soldier,” he said with a militant firmness he was unaccustomed to.

“Sun’s Birth… struggling… working on… reclaiming… territory. Lost… informant… on… Night Eyes… operations. Full… report… is with… Steward Knight… Max.” Kynier sighed. The man had given his life far away from his own home, and for what?

“Report. On how you died Knight.” Kynier said with the same edge he used earlier. While it was dangerous to force a ghost to confront such moments, Kynier needed to know in order to convince the retired Knights outside of the city. The aura flared with fear and Kynier’s heart raced. The urge to run, resist, and survive surged through his limbs as a result. Niqolas was scared, perhaps terrified, when recalling the final moments of his life.

“Night Eyes… killed… me. Took body… to… Slag… Heap. Apologies… sir… for not… beating… them.” Kynier almost chuckled with sympathy. Niqolas had a strong mental fortitude to talk about his own death like that. “What… am I… to do… now… sir?” Kynier looked at the spirit.

“Rest now. Your mission is done. The Steward-Knights will send the full report back to Syliras.” The aura began to fade from his Auristic empowered sight.

“Thank you… sir.” Kynier closed his eyes and cut off the flow of Djed to his eyes. The man died in service to Syliras and wasn’t bitter about it. Kynier questioned if there was anything like that that he was so fully devoted to. Truthfully, he didn’t know. As the last of the cold dissipated, Kynier turned around to continue to the hot springs. Now certain of the fate of the missing knight.

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

[Kynier]

Grades!

Skill Rewards

• Acting +3
• Duel Wield +3
• Endurance +1
• Intelligence +2
• Interrogation +2
• Investigation +3
• Impersonation +2
• Spiritism +1
• Weapon: Short Sword +3

Lores Learned

• Duel Wielding: Deflect and attack
• Greigan: Use to be with the Sun’s Birth
• Greigan: Is allegedly dead
• Investigation: Talking to someone’s superiors
• Location: The Proving Grounds
• Location: The Barracks
• Night Eyes: Are searching for who started the Plantation Fire
• Night Eyes: Abducted a lot of people on the 10th of Summer, 518
• Self: Owes Tobias Lerrone one favor
• Tobias Lerrone: A Sun’s Birth Chevalier
• Tobias Lerrone: Always looking to advance
• Tobias Lerrone: Used to have an informant in the Night Eyes
• Tobias Lerrone: Really good at duel wielding

Rewards

• Two wooden practice short swords.

Penalties

• -30 gm for training and practice weapons.