Chapter Text
“Long ago when the Kingdom of Knightonia was first forged, magic roamed freely, causing chaos and misfortune. Because of this, the Wizard Council was founded and meant to serve the capital of Knighton as a means to study and control the magic that plagued our people.”
“Within the Council there were 12 members. But only two are needed for this story. Murlok the Magnificent, and Montrox the Monstrous. Both wizards played their parts in studying various magic’s to aid in the creation of the Nexo Network. A carefully crafted study of elements used to spellweave the various spells to which we use today.”
“But of course with such potential, there was bound to be one who would misuse this new found craft. Monstrox, who had been the head study of Mythical Beings and Monsters, took advantage of such magic. And used it to spread chaos and corruption throughout the lands.”
“Murlok and the other 10 members of the Wizard Council fought many years before they were able to finally defeat Monstrox and his army. But due to his affiliation with the dark magic’s used in his spells, nor he or his book, were able to be easily destroyed. Because of this, Monstrox was sealed away within his tome, and both the relic’s he used to power his magic, and the pages that contained his devious curses, were split apart and given to each member of the Wizard Council.”
“The Kingdom of Knightonia has always been indebted to the Council, and though Murlok kept the tome in his possession, he knew that eventually the day would come when Monstrox would find his way out. And in turn created the lineage of The Blue Knights to protect and keep watch over Monstrox, while also sealing himself away so that his wisdom would never be lost.”
“This story has been passed down throughout each generation of Knightonia’s Knight’s. However it is this generation who shall be the one to finally serve and protect the people.”
Lord Halbert shut the book he’d been reading and placed it aside, before allowing his gaze to fall onto the chosen Knight’s that his Blue Knight had brought before him to witness.
Aaron Fox, a young yet daring Knight that held high esteem with his peers.
Lance Richmond, a bold yet aspiring Knight whose family donated graciously to the Academy.
And…Axl, an odd but gentle individual who’s appetite seemed as ferocious as his fighting.
There were only four aside from Clay, but given the circumstances, he trusted the Knight’s judgement.
Even if his judgement also included his only daughter…that had been a rather heated evening at the table.
Rising from his throne, Halbert moved over to the sword that he had arranged to be delivered to him. And picked it up before stepping down so he could stand before the Knight’s.
“This sword was forged and enchanted by Murlok himself, it is said that his wisdom and power will aid only his blood through it when the time is right. The name chosen for it…
“Techcalibur.”
“Step forward, Clay Moorington.”
Watching him approach, he unsheathed the sword, where the blade shone an odd yet majestic blue. “Please kneel.”
In doing so, he lightly touched their shoulders while reciting an old yet important verse that was used to bless those going into battle.
“And with that, I bestow onto you, your great great great great GREAT, uncle's sword.” He nodded as he placed it into his care. “May it guide you through your darkest hours.”
“Thank you, my king.” Clay nodded, before turning then to the rest of his newly yet to be founded team. “Rise!”
“For the longest time I’ve known my legacy, and where my future would lead me. Even now when the forces of evil conspire to upheave the peace of our kingdom, I sought out the finest Knight’s to aid me in my quest. You all have shown beyond exceptional abilities within the Knight’s Academy, and even moreso, you hold a righteousness that seeks to protect. That trait alone is what holds true in the heat of battle. I am honored to have you fight by my side, as both equal and friend.”
“Aaron?”
The youngest of the Knight’s who wore green armor looked up, a little confused as to why their name was being called.
“I know this mission means a lot to you. The foe is but a former friend of yours whose mind was corrupted by the true evil we’re after. I know it will be a harsh battle, but I have faith in you, in all of you.” Clay looked at the other’s. “That we will prevail and return peace to this land once more! So hold your heads high, and renounce the vow that we swore ourselves to.”
“‘To protect the weak, and foster the unjust. I give my courtesy and show my valor in honor of the Kingdom. This I swear, for these mark the true qualities of a Knight.’”
“With that, I now dub you all Nexo Knights! May our newly founded group triumph over evil and obtain victory!”
“‘YEAHHHHH!!’”
…
“Man that was…long…” Aaron groaned as he adjusted his shoulder pads after standing in place for too long.
“Yeah, if I had known we would have to listen to a story, I would’ve brought snacks!” The boisterous voice of his new comrade Axel spoke up from behind.
“Seriously, do all those that serve the king have to stand that long?? I think I might end up needing a back brace at this rate…” Lance complained with an arrogant huff. “That vow at the end wasn’t too demanding at least.”
“Relax, we won’t need to do anymore of that until after we get back. Which my father’s blessing will ensure, that’s the whole reason for it in the first place.” Macy, ever the confident one, replied as she walked alongside their leader. “Right Clay?”
“Of course, unless you’d rather us get eaten by a giant monster as soon as we leave the Kingdom’s Gates?” He smirked back.
“Uhhh, no?”
“Nuh-uh…”
“Definitely not!”
Clay chuckled to himself, “That’s what I thought. Once we leave we’ll need to be on constant guard, the era of magic still roams plentifully. Even though we’ve been given a powerful relic, we’ll need to be mindful. So you’ll follow my lead, as well as your Wilds Training when we leave.”
“Speaking of leaving, how exactly are we going to be travelling? I hope you don’t expect us to run after this ‘Enemy of Ultimate Evil’. I’ve had enough endurance training to last the rest of my bloodline.” Lance commented.
“Don’t worry, His Highness arranged us something with the help of the Academy’s finest artificer’s. We’ll not need to worry about taking ages to get to the next town.” Clay assured them while they passed through the Castle’s front gates.
Aaron had been excited throughout most of it, considering he had spent a good few years in the Academy, it would be nice to get outside of the Kingdom’s walls. However, despite his initial thoughts, he found his gaze wandering to the sword that hung scabbard’ to his leader’s side.
“Oh my word!!”
Aaron’s attention was pulled away at Lance pushing him aside as he ran ahead. Only to gawk at the arrangement of colored machines that sat before them.
Five sizeable creations, crafted by the finest steal and enchanted with a variety of spells, all stood proudly dressed in the colors similar to their riders.
“Woah…Are these Mecha Steed’s?” Aaron piped up.
He had seen them before in the testing zone, they were compact and quick, yet oddly enough they didn’t act anywhere near like that of the horses they were based off of. Not only that, they were powered by the light of the sun!
“They almost look just like the horses back at the Academy! They even got the cute little snouts… ” Lance paused mid-ramble, before looking back and clearing his throat. “Uhm, yes, these will surely do.”
Clay walked over and pulled an amulet with the Knight Academy’s crest on it, and pointed it to the blue steed. “They only move once you put the Academy’s crest into the slot on its back. Once they start up you can control it with the use of the handles.”
Grabbing hold of the side, he hopped up onto his and inserted the amulet into a notch. A noisy hum buzzed through the air as the gems began to light up with power. “I’ll run you guys through the basic’s while we make our way through town. We’ll take the less populated streets so it’ll be easier.”
“WATCH OUT!!!”
“SLOW DOWN AARON!!”
“YOU WATCH IT LANCE!!”
They had managed to make it partially through the city, and thankfully, with how few people there were, there were little casualties. That being said…
“The steering on this thing is as' bricked as a real horse!!” Aaron exclaimed as he tried to slow his Mecha Steed down. All the while Clay and Macy followed at a more leisurely pace, righting whatever they had managed to knock over.
“Haha! They’re almost as bad as you were when you first rode one.” Macy nudged Clay as she watched Lance hang on for dear life.
“The real mistake was letting you watch.” Clay smirked before revving ahead and catching up to Axl who had almost come to a full stop. “You alright there Axl?”
“Axl doesn’t understand Nexo very well…” He grunted.
“Hey it’s alright, it’s not the easiest thing to understand.” Clay pointed to the handles, “Just give them a gentle touch, and ease into it.”
“Like mincing meat for stew??”
“If that’s what helps, sure.” Clay shrugged, and watched him slowly speed up a little. “Now steer it more to the left to avoid those barrels. Just ease up on the right and it’ll follow.”
“Ah-! Woah!! Haha!!”
Clay looked off to where his other two comrades had galloped off to, and watched as Lance managed to nearly crash into a crate nearby, only to get his to leap over the thing. And caught up to him just as he swerved to get back onto the street.
“Not bad Lance! But you might wanna slow down, we’re gonna stop at the upcoming crossing.”
“Tell that to Concordo! They’re just as eager to escape this city as I am!”
“You named it??”
“After my own! But of course!!”
“Well ease up on Concordo, because we’re picking up our supplies here.” Clay explained as he helped him slow down before catching up to Aaron to do the same.
“How long do you think we’re gonna be on the road for??” Aaron piped up as he carefully steered his Mecha Steed around the small cart that Axl was helping load while Clay attached it to his Steed.
“Probably a few months?” Clay shrugged, “It really all depends on how far your friend plans on running…Sometimes they just want a taste of something and realize it’s not worth it. Others…well…”
Aaron furrowed his brow before he looked over at Macy, who was helping Lance adjust the settings on his Steed.
“Still find it a lil weird that the princess of Knightonia is joining us…”
“They have women at the Academy.” Clay affirmed.
“Well, yeah but…she’s the princess. Doesn’t she have like…more important stuff going on?” Aaron had seen and talked to a few of the girls at the Academy. Though their dorms were completely separated, he had a few friends that were girls. He was pretty sure some of them were admirer’s though.
“Listen, Aaron, I helped train Macy, and believe me when I say this, she’s probably more capable than I am when it comes to a fight. She’s never been out of the kingdom on the open road without her parents watching her and all that, sure, but she’s smart enough to survive on her own if she had to.”
Standing straight, Clay wiped a bit of sweat from his brow before smiling back, “You’ll see, in the heat of battle, that’s where she’s in her element.”
“Huh…”
“Little Blue…?”
Both turned their heads to see an elderly woman approaching them with a basket in hand. “Oh thank goodness I heard the news, otherwise I would have never been able to see you off.”
“Nana…” Clay tilted his head with a soft look as he approached her, “Prying confidential information out of the guards with your sweets again?”
“Oh you know there’s nothing else to do around here. And what do you know, the day I baked my special apple tart you happen to be leaving.” She smiled wisely, to which only made Clay laugh.
“You are just as sweet, I can’t say I won’t miss you sneaking sweets my way once we leave.”
A gentle laugh escaped the old woman as she patted his hand, all while handing the basket to him. Clay caught the strange look coming off Aaron and shot him back a smile. “Nana, this Knight here is Aaron Fox. He’ll be travelling with me alongside the other Knight’s.”
“Oh now aren’t you just as cute as a Laural Apple.” The old woman approached and gave the youngest Knight a pat on the hand.
“O-oh! Uhm, thank you, ma’am.”
“Don’t be too shy, she’ll only bite if you try to steal her recipes.” Clay laughed.
“Oh you bet I will. They’ve been the cornerstone of my family for generations! Our business would rather burn than ever give up such a priceless heirloom.”
Her spunk got a surprised reaction from Aaron, but he managed a smile all the same. “I’ll have to try them sometime then.”
“Oh you can try them later! I baked enough for a whole family. I know how much Little Blue likes to hide them for himself.”
“That was one time Nana…”
“Little Blue?” Aaron snorted a little.
Clay sighed, brushing his hair back as he scratched his cheek. “An old nickname…I uh…may have snuck out and tried to steal a hand pie when I was a kid…”
“You should have seen the look on his face when I snatched him up! He was red as a beet!” Nana laughed heartily. “The poor boy begged me not to tell his teacher, of course when I found out who he was I couldn’t help but send him off with a few treats.”
Aaron looked at Clay who was slightly blushing with embarrassment at that point, the shock that someone like the Blue Knight had done such a thing so long ago was…it was hilarious…but it also painted a picture to just how many sides his superior had.
“Really Nana, must you always bring up such stories? I have half a mind to scorn you…”
“You won’t, you’re too modest.” She then gave a forlorn smile, “Besides…these days I find it harder to remember such things from long ago…Sharing them with others sometimes helps.”
Clay’s face remained stoic, with but a gentle smile that he gave her when he reached to give her a hug. “Then when I return we shall have to catch up again. Hopefully by the time I come back the season’s harvest will have come in.”
“Oh now that would be lovely…”
…
Aaron offered a wave to the old woman once they had managed to collect themselves and their supplies. Eventually leaving the city, and in due time, were able to keep a fair pace throughout the rest of the day. Only stopping once for a break, and soon after when the sun began to set and they stopped on the side of a clearing to set up camp.
“Man my bricks are killin’ me…” Lance groaned as he sat down on his sleeping bag.
“Better get used to it, the open road is nothing but sore butts and sweaty pitts.” Clay replied, earning him a ‘gross’ from both Aaron and Macy.
“What? That’s how it’s always been out here. The season is warm, and the nights aren’t too cold, we lucked out there. But there’s still bugs, monsters and sickness we’ll need to worry about.”
“I’d rather worry about the foe we’re after. I zoned out of half of the King’s storytime…” Lance
“Axl is also not very good with bigger words.” The largest of the Knights replied, “Lots of them…Axl do not know…”
“Why do you keep referring to yourself in first person???” Lance looked at him with minor annoyance.
“Big family. Ma an Pa mix Axl up with others. Even though I’m biggest.”
That must be frustrating…”
“Very.”
“Also, come from Diggington. Big mines. Not big schools though.”
Aaron came over after starting the fire, dropping a few bits of kindling nearby, “What made you wanna join the Knights? Aren’t you like a pacifist?”
“Mmm…” Axl nodded before holding his chin, “Bandits attack home a lot, hurt Pa. So I fought back. Not good enough though…Then Knights come, fight good. So I join.”
“To protect the weak…quite a noble reasoning.” Lance nodded slightly before shifting to take off his boots.
“What about you Lance?” Aaron asked, figuring if he asked it might help him get a better idea on the kind of guys he’d be fighting alongside.
“Me?” He paused with his foot in the air, “Hm! Well since you asked…My family has always been quite generous with their fortune in supporting the local kingdom of Knightonia. Especially considering we hail from a lineage of knights! They wanted me to join and well…as much as I find it wasteful to fight, I quite enjoyed the more artsy classes they had. Drama especially…I think I fancy the stage more than the field of battle…Not that Father would ever approve…” He sighed.
‘A poor miner with poor grammar skills and a pacifist to boot. And a rich guy who wants to act more than fight…Not exactly the kind of teamup I was thinking of for something like this…’ Aaron thought while looking over at Clay, who was setting out rations for them to pass around.
“What about you?”
“Hm?” Aaron looked back at the two.
“Why’d you join?”
“Ehh…” Aaron sat down on his bedding, “I didn’t, my parents forced me to.”
“My, you must have been a real case.” Lance chuckled.
“If by case you mean the only guy with a spine in the family, then yeah. That I am.” Aaron replied, not really taking offense. “I did too many dangerous stunts and eventually my parents got fed up and shipped me off to the Academy. I’d have probably liked it there more if there was less studying and more fighting.”
“Honestly I could’ve done without either and just sat basking in the admiration of my fans.” Lance sighed, only to frown and look back at Aaron and Axl when they both started snickering. “What???”
“You?? Having fans???” Aaron chuckled, “I’ve never even heard of you, do you even have any merits???”
Lance scoffed, “Never heard of me?? I’ll have you know I hail from the Richmond family!”
“Never heard of em.”
“Ah!!”
“Alright alright, settle down you three. We’ve a long journey ahead of us and I’d hate for there to be bad blood over a quarrel on our first day.” Clay stated as he came over with a pot of stew, “I think we’ll all feel a lot better with some warm food and a night's rest.”
“Food sounds good!!” Axl chimed with an excited nod.
“Easy now big guy, you get two portions and no more unless there’s leftovers. Them’s the rules.” Clay stated as he sat the pot down and began handing out portions.
“It’s certainly nothing as good as the academy…” Lance sighed as he took his and gave it a hesitant sniff. “Ugh… definitely too much garlic. ”
“Garlic’s good for fending off bugs, trust me, you’ll learn to like it in your meals.” Clay commented as he handed Macy her portion before serving himself. “Anything out there?”
“Nothing I could see. I doubt we’ll get much action while we’re still pretty close to the gates.” She replied.
“Maybe, but it never hurts to be certain. We’ve seen some beasts migrate along these roads before. The grass closer to the city is much greener than the dry stuff out here.”
Taking a bite of his stew, Aaron chewed thoughtfully for a moment. Thinking as to what monster they’d come across first, if they ever did before they found Jestro.
Jestro…
He wondered how he was doing out there in the wilds. Did he have any food to eat? A warm place to sleep? Back in the city he stayed at the inn, helping with chores and earning himself a room to stay in every night. Even sometimes getting the chance to perform late into the evenings if the crowd was in the mood enough for a joke.
Something bitter welled up in the back of his throat then, making the chunks of stew go down harder than they should’ve.
That fight they’d had was nothing like the ones from before. Sure they had argued and debated on occasion, but they often made up for it. Usually when either Jestro made a pun or Aaron apologized.
But this was…it was bad.
‘Oh and by the way Aaron...We ain't friends no more. Byeeee~!’
Just the memory of him leaving so casually burned at him, like their whole friendship hadn’t even mattered. His eyes had been filled with nothing but madness but even so, surely he still felt something?
“Aaron…?”
“Huh??” Looking up he realized all eyes were on him as he sat there, stew growing cold.
“I was debriefing about what our plan is once we find your friend.” Clay explained.
“My…? Oh…right. Sorry.”
“Hey it’s alright. I wasn’t too deep into it.”
“So the enemy is a mutual of yours?” Lance shook his head sadly, “That’s quite the betrayal…”
“He didn’t betray me!” Aaron furrowed his brow, “There’s just…something’s wrong with him. That book cursed his mind. It’s making him think wrong.”
“Yeesh, touchy subject…”
“That’s right.” Clay nodded, “He’s not himself, but we might be able to free him if we get that book away from him. The King explained that it can corrupt anyone that handles it, even my great great great great GREAT uncle Murlok wasn’t able to save himself when he started probably going mad. That’s why he locked it away.”
“We just have to find him, trap him, and deal with the book in a way that won’t ruin us.” Macy nodded. “There’s plenty of strategies in the Knight’s Handbook that we can use if one doesn’t work.”
“Right…” Aaron nodded a little, showing he understood, despite the pained look on his face.
“Once we’re finished eating I’ll take the first watch, then Macy, Aaron, Axl and finally Lance.”
“Sounds wonderful, I need as much beauty rest as possible if my looks are going to survive this journey.” Lance replied with a stretch, disregarding the snort from Axl as he got up to begin his knightly routine.
“I’ll have Lance wake everyone up at sunrise, I want to be able to make it to the next town and ask around if anyone’s seen Jestro. Hopefully someone will have seen him.”
Aaron put his bowl aside, having only eaten half his portion. His appetite wasn’t really all there with the thought of having to probably fight his previous friend. Just then he felt a tap on his shoulder and looked to Axl. “What, you want the rest?” He offered.
“Uhm…well, if you don’t want it…but also, Axl thinks that maybe you would like to talk about what is making your face so upset?”
Aaron looked between his leftover portion and the giant, the guy could probably eat 10 whole pots of stew and still have room. He thought about the offer, before he shook his head, he didn’t want to share his problems when they needed to get up early.
“Nah…thanks for the offer though.” He handed his bowl over before getting up to use the bathroom. Ignoring the look Axl gave him as he trudged into the tall grass a ways away.
“Don’t worry Axl he’ll come around.” Clay piped up as he handed over the rest of the pot. “He’s just missing his friend, that’s all.”
“Mmm…”
The moon was high as the shadow of an eager little jester waded through the brush towards a small encampment he’d made for himself.
“Now crush the Palmeta and extract the juice from it.” Monstrox’s voice spoke aloud as he tailed behind him, ever the lingering shadow of the jester since they had been released.
“Do I seriously have to??”
“YES!!”
“Ewwwewewewew…”
Jestro shuddered at the sickening crunch it made when he crushed the poor bug. It was bad enough having to catch them, hold them and carry them all the way back to the temporary shelter he’d made for himself in the woods. But killing them just felt like he was going a bit too far.
“Ugh…it’s done, now what?”
“Take the bug juice and mix it in with the powdered Seraf Moth wings. Make sure you mix it well, otherwise it won’t stick like it should.”
“Gross…”
“So you’ve said around a THOUSAND times tonight…Honestly if I’d known I’d be stuck with such a weakling for a servant I would’ve taken my chances with that damned Knight.”
“Hey! You leave him out of this!” Jestro hissed back, before he found himself face to face with the same monster of a man that he’d been stuck with all night.
“Ohh? Still grasping onto what little remorse you have with them?”
“It ain’t like that!” Jestro’s face scrunched up before he looked away, “Quit riling me up. You’re as annoying as the bullies at the academy.”
“How dare you!! I’m worse than a bully!!”
“Next!”
“...Rrr…” Thankfully Monstrox pulled away, making a vague pointing gesture, “Take the mixture and place it within the light of the moon.”
Picking up the small makeshift bowl Jestro placed it atop a stump before looking up at the Moon. It was pretty bright, not as full, but good enough to see through the night…Actually, maybe it was just him, he’d been seeing things a lot clearer than he used to.
Feeling an energy he hadn’t felt since he was a kid.
“Now all that is needed is a piece of Nexo.”
Jestro blinked out of his stupor before he looked back at the wispy cloud of old ages, and thought for a moment. “Nexo…like that magical blue stuff Knight’s use for their magic right?”
“Yes…it was quite a rare ingredient used in many Nexo rituals. Plenty of mages used them to fuel their-”
“Like this??”
Jestro had pulled a small charm from his suit, he stared at it, a small bracelet that hung a gold bead connected to a small blue shard that shimmered in the light of the moon.
“Yes!! That is exactly it!! A perfect specimen…Where in evil’s name did you find one??” Monstrox squinted suspiciously at the jester, who merely shrugged.
“Just something Aaron gave to me before I quit the Academy…”
“A trinket of sentimental value, how cute. You two really were close.” Monstrox sneered.
Jestro squinted back at them, “Yeah, we were , it ain’t like that no more though.”
“Are you certain? Though you’ve aided me so far I can’t be sure you won’t simply throw me away at the first chance you get.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“You’re the jester…you tell me.”
“Tch…” Looking away Jestro massaged at one of the beads along the charm. Even now Aaron was still helping him, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Ever since he quit it seemed like all he did was try to help him. And at the time Jestro…was grateful for it.
But a part of him always did feel a little resentment that he needed it in the first place.
That he was too weak to do anything else on his own…
A feeling of something else bubbled in his gut as Monstrox spoke aloud, still whispering his corruption even now.
“If you cannot find it in yourself to follow through then perhaps I should find a better servant.”
“No!”
Jestro wasn’t about to let the destruction of his friendship be all for nothing. He needed this! Or else he’d have nothing!
“No…?”
“No, I…”
Monstrox dug his gaze into their back, “Perhaps a bit more is in order for your compliance…”
“More…?”
Suddenly Jestro found his vision askew as the smell of rot invaded his lungs, only alongside the burning that made his eyes weep, he felt a zap to his core, the same one from before that had kept him running for an entire day.
His mind flooded with glee, but at the same time, a primal urge caused him to swing at the apparition that fueled his lust for power. A suffocated yell gargling from the back of his throat as he wretched.
“There it is.”
Jestro found the side of a tree nearby that allowed him to lean against while his nails dug into the bark. His lungs burned as he gasped for air, drinking in the cold night as sweat dripped off him. And despite his knees shaking, they held him as he growled at the wizard.
“Feeling better?”
He did, actually, he felt so much more awake than he had before. The ache in his legs, the headache he had from crying, all the fatigue was gone. Even so…his stomach growled with hunger, even evil needed food.
“I’m starving…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to guide you to a town so you can sate yourself. And maybe even let you try out some of that power I’ve given you.”
Was that what that was? It felt so sickening…but at the same time, the more he felt it, the better he felt. It was almost like he needed it…
Slowly pushing himself up once his nausea had subsided, Jestro looked back. A wicked smile spread across his face.
“Sounds like fun.”