Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Here's some art I drew basically giving a new look to my two favorite lil bastards, and of course a tasty lil bonus boi

It had all been going so well, his best friend Aaron inviting him to perform at the Knighting ceremony, his meeting with the king went great, he'd even managed a few jokes that got the whole room going!

Why had it all gone so terribly wrong?

One misstep, and his careful balancing act had all gone to pieces, every plate, every ball, all of it came crashing down around him. And worse yet, he'd made such a mess of the whole stage trying to keep from falling that by the end of it he really did look like a fool.

And they were laughing at him...not his jokes, HIM...

Jestro the Jovial

He had thought that if he could gather what little dignity he had left that he could at least give the stage a bow...

But then he saw Aaron.

LAUGHING

His best friend, the same one who had stood up for him at the Academy, who had been there for him even when he finally quit. Who had given him the idea to become a comedian because of how funny he said he was. Who had given him the chance to perform in front of the Royal Family.

At that point, he couldn't recall how long it had been before he was able to calm himself. His sleeves smudged with ruined makeup, bones still aching from the fall he'd taken. He barely recognized the fact that he'd hidden himself away in the Royal Library.

Maybe he was destined to rot just like the rest of the books in here...

"Jestro...?"

Looking up he briefly saw the trail of makeup he'd left before catching eyes with his so-called 'friend'. Where only the previous memory of him laughing came to mind, his brows scrunched up and hid himself away again.

"Go away..."

He could hear their feet shuffle along the floor, see their shadow mesh with his against the faint candlelight from above.

"Dude...why are you crying? The crowd loved your act!"

Something cold caused his back to shiver, and suddenly he snapped.

"Act..?? You call that an ACT?!" He glared back at Aaron, his hand catching the shelving of a bookcase as he stood himself up. "You call me bustin' my bricks an ACT?! Look at me!! I looked like an idiot out there!!"

Aaron took a step back, but he could see the disdain in his eyes.

"I thought that was the point of the gig?"

"Are you kiddin' me?! You're kiddin' me right now- y-you- you SERIOUSLY think, NO AARON! I'm a COMEDIAN!! I tell JOKES!! I do TRICKS!! I-I don't know what makes you think I'm anything like those CLOWNS that--"

"Woah dude, calm down-"

Rushing forward Jestro shoved Aaron back.

"DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!! I just had the ENTIRE AUDIENCE OF KNIGHTONIA LAUGHING AT ME!!"

"DUDE!!"

"My whole future was bet on today!! Now I'm just gonna be known as that idiot that made a fool of himself at the Knighting Ceremony!! They probably won't even let me back into the Comedy Club cuz of this!!"

His eyes were beginning to ache and sting with how much he'd been crying, but he couldn't help it. Jestro had had enough. He'd worked his butt off trying to make a name for himself in this kingdom. To show that you didn't have to be a Knight to be somebody.

"You need to calm down dude. You're freaking out about nothing! So what if you messed up?? If you take it in stride at least you'll look better than you do now..."

Jestro barely felt his eye twitch before he shoved Aaron aside. Suddenly he felt his arm being grabbed.

"Let go of me..."

"Jestro-"

"LET GO OF ME AARON!!"

He knew that in a fight of sheer strength he was no match for Aaron. Though weaker he was, the guy had better stamina and was used to straining his hands with a bow.

"I'm not letting go until you calm down!"

That just made his face burn with worse embarrassment. And maybe it was some sliver of resentment that Aaron got to be a Knight instead of him that caused him to turn and slug the guy in the face.

It wasn't a heavy one, but it was enough to get him to let go. However as soon as he tried to turn and leave, he felt the guy make a grab for him again, and shove him back into the corner from before.

His hat was too askew for him to see the full expression Aaron wore, and a dull noise arose from his throat as he moved to swing at him again. Only for Aaron to grab and force him back down, the two becoming entangled as both fought to overcome the other.

"Just let me go already!!"

"Not until you chill out!!"

"BRICK YOU!!"

It wasn't until Aaron shoved his head into the wall around the 5th time did he feel it give, and for a moment he felt Aaron release him. Though that was probably due to the fact he was now falling down a flight of stairs with him.

His vision was pretty blurry by the time he gathered himself together, his head aching about as bad as the rest of him did.

"Ugh...dude..what the brick..."

Ignoring the groan of his previous altercation, he opted to squint through the dark in an attempt to find his footing. Only to flinch as the corridor they were in became filled with light. It took his eyes a second to adjust, but when he was able to make out the space ahead of him he felt his jaw drop.

Strange torches aligned the walls, only instead of fire they glowed with an odd blue light. But as his eyes followed them he grew more curious at the fact that they were in a sizable room where the only real thing in it was some pedestal holding a dusty old book.

Maybe it was the dampness of them being in such a dark and decrepit place but he felt like he shouldn't be here.

'Release me...'

Jestro blinked for a moment, looking back at Aaron who was still on the ground regaining his bearings. If that hadn't been him then...

'Power...'

His eyes gazed back at the large tome resting, staring at it as his brow scrunched together with thoughts. Power? Is that what this book had? Or maybe it was a powerful book that could give him power.

Judging by the fact that there were rusted chains on it, tied together with tattered seals, he wondered for the truth. For why else would a book be locked away in such a dark place?

'Closer...'

Shuffling towards the odd whispering book he felt the voice in the back of his head clearer.

'I can feel the hatred within your heart boy...'

"You..so it is you talking? The book I mean..uh..."

'Yes...Such hatred like yours...it is wasted where it is now...But if you release me...I can give you unimaginable power...'

Wiping some of the sweat from the back of his neck he squinted at the book, power was...all he ever wanted, but if it was being offered by some weird whispering book, he had his reasons not to just jump at the chance. "Why should I trust you? Some weirdo book all locked away in a place like this doesn't exactly scream trustworthy..."

'I was betrayed...by a friend long ago...'

"Boy do I know that feeling..." Jestro huffed, as if assuming Aaron could hear the entire conversation.

'The king holds many dark secrets...I am but one that remains alive...'

Did that mean that the king wasn't...entirely a pacifist??

"Wait so...-"

"Jestro...??"

Looking back, he caught Aaron on his knee, nursing his arm. He didn't look too banged up, and he knew how durable the guy was. Even so, the look in his eyes made him bite his lip.

"Jestro what...where are we??"

He turned to answer, but the voice from before loudly detested his question.

'WRETCHED FOUL KNIGHT!!'

"Ow-..." Holding his head Jestro winced, "Geeze book man you don't gotta yell I'm right here!"

'THEY ARE THE WRETCHED UNDERLINGS OF MURLOK!! The very same man who locked me away!! I WILL DESTROY ALL OF THEM!!'

"Jestro?? What's going on??" He could see that Aaron's face held just as much confusion as his right then. "I...look man, Jestro..I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you earlier..Can we just..get out of this place? Smells like death in here..."

"I-"

'LIAR!!!'

Jestro winced again as the same voice from before added to his splitting migraine. Causing him to hunch a little this time as he held his ears as if to silence them. "Shut up!! Stop yelling at me!!"

"Wuh??"

It was already frustrating enough having his friend laugh at him, and then try to make him calm down, now he was having to deal with some creepy yelling book??

'Release me!! Free me!! Grant me freedom!!'

Turning back to the book Jestro finally had enough and slammed his fist into the book, disregarding the bite from the chains as he yelled, "SHUT IT!!"

Suddenly he felt a shock that leapt up his arm and froze him altogether, images flashed, filled with monsters and fire, not only that, he could see himself at the center of it all...when he felt his hand finally pull away, he could feel something else buzzing towards his core.

'A taste of your future...'

That could be him, the center of something bigger than a joke. With confidence and power that he had only ever dreamed of!

"Jestro!"

A hand grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to turn away from the book and look back at Aaron. His gaze held concern, but it was for nothing.

He had made up his mind.

"Back off! This power is mine!" Jestro pushed him away, causing Aaron to stumble back as he caught himself.

"What the- What are you talking about?!"

"I finally have a chance to BE somebody! I don't have to play nice with all those snobby know-it-all's just to find work! I can be someone better!"

"Aren't you already though??"

The question was enough to have him pause, before his face scrunched up and looked away from Aaron. "You don't get it Aaron..."

"All my life I've been nothing but a joke...the class clown..."

"I'm done playing in your shadow."

Reaching back he grabbed one of the tattered seals and ripped at it, pulling hard at the chains that bound the book. All the while ignoring the voice calling out to him from before.

-SNAP-

There was silence between the two as one of the chains slid from the book and to the ground. Jestro blinked for a moment, and stared at the book with wonder if he really had just gone mad.

He didn't have to wait long however, as smoke began to bellow from the book, and a wicked voice cackled from between the pages.

"FINALLY!! AT LAST!!"

As the smoke swirled, Jestro found his throat suddenly closing up as the smell of rot invaded his lungs. He tried to swat at the stench, but he found himself blinded by the smog that surrounded him, leaving him suffocating as his mind grew numb.

"I may no longer hold form, but you shall serve me well boy! And as promised, I shall grant you power, enough to fell the strongest of Knights!"

Despite him hacking a lung, he managed to hang onto the pedestal and bear witness to the wispy form that spoke. Eyes of molten rage filled his soul with a shivering fear as the chill of death crept through his veins. It wasn't until he felt like he was going to pass out did something finally shift altogether in his core. That feeling from before...

Power

It began to surge through him like that same shock from before, only this time it stayed, and the longer it stayed, the more it burned.

It was probably best he didn't see Aaron's face as the agony that bellowed within his screams left him at the brink of madness.

Finally though, it ceased, his body slumped against the pedestal as the smoke shifted eagerly around him.

"Jestro?..."

Despite how numb his mind felt, he couldn't help but let out a weak laugh at the name. It was such a stupid name, thought up on a whim for his stage name, but it was the one he'd been called for so long that he had just let himself live with it.

Suddenly his voice cracked and he began to cackle with glee.

He didn't have to live with it anymore though, he had the power to change his destiny, he could make the name into something people would truly find intimidating.

"Oh now that would be funny..." He giggled to himself with glee.

Turning around he looked back at Aaron, and watched his face shift from concern to horror.

"Jestro what...happened to you??"

"Geeze what hasn't happened to me?" He twisted a grin as the smoky apparition from before let out a dark chuckle. "See? This guy gets it!"

He watched Aaron take a step back, but that only egged him on.

"What's the matter Aaron? Don't tell me you're afraid... "

Stepping forward he suddenly felt a burst of energy push him closer, and stopped short of an inch. He reached up then, and watched Aaron react by the time his hand was within reach of his face.

Only to flinch when Jestro flicked him in the forehead.

-snrk-

"Hehehe, too slow!"

Oh man did it feel good to finally get one over on him!

"Your semantics are amusing, but it'd be best if we made our escape before any more Knights attempt to approach us boy..."

Turning back to the shadow of smoke he squinted as the figure floated effortlessly near.

"Pssh, what's the rush for? I thought you said I got the power to diss anyone now?"

"While true, your body is so weak that it will take time for it to adjust. Too much could kill you at once...I dare say, more than a single Knight may best you."

"Tsk...Always a gimmick with making deals with smoking book apparitions..." Turning back towards Aaron who could only stand there in shock, he cracked a smirk. No matter, he'd still get stronger with time. "Still, one Knight..."

Aaron flinched at the dull threat, "Hey, don't let that monster give you any ideas!"

"Hah!! You are afraid of me!! I knew it!!" Jestro laughed for a moment, and cracked a grin as he leaned in close. "Next time then."

Pushing past he made his way towards the bottom of the stairs, only pausing briefly before looking back. "Oh and by the way Aaron...We ain't friends no more. Byeeee~!"

Chapter Text

“I knew I shouldn’t have ignored that omen…This news spells doom for the entirety of Knighton…”

King Halbert sat upon his throne, brow stuck in an worrisome crease as he was regaled by what info was brought forth upon earlier.

“Father…what does this mean?? What’s going to happen?” The young yet aspiring voice of his only daughter spoke up from nearby. Having arrived just in time to hear the news of what happened.

“What’s going to happen is you’re stepping down as a Knight!” He exclaimed as he looked her way, his voice stern with worry.

“What?! But you said I was allowed to graduate!! I passed every exam just like you asked!!”

“That was then! Being how things are now, I want no part of you out there, this…” He shook his head, “This is the end of the ages!”

“My love…” His beloved's hand, ever the patient saint she was, tried to urge him to see sense over his panic. “We have kept our kingdom strong and at peace with the other lands, our generations have prepared us for this moment. You must have faith in our Knights…”

A heavy exhale filled the room as the King looked to the few Knight’s included within the situation. 

The Heir of the Blue Knight legacy, Clay Moorington. The one who had done his due diligence in protecting the Royal Family since his Knighting Ceremony many years ago.

Alongside a fresh graduate of this year's Knighting Ceremony. Aaron Fox. Their eyes held a spark much like many fresh graduates did.

The younger one had been the one found at the scene of the crime, bruised from what he assumed to be a fight he’d gotten caught in. It was admirable for them to try, but he wasn’t surprised at their failure to stop what had happened.

“You said that an acquaintance of yours released this tome…and ran off elsewhere? Not a clue as to where?”

The young Knight looked up to the King before shaking his head, taking the time to explain himself further. “N-no. But I swear to you, Jestro isn’t evil! He was upset and wasn’t thinking clearly. Something about that book just…it felt like it was forcing him to open it. He’s never done anything like this-...”

“I figured…” Lowering his hand King Halbert stroked his beard, “That book is nothing short of evil, it would make sense that it coaxed them enough to open it…Even the purest of heart would wane against its touch.” He slammed his fist, “Should’ve burned it when I said so…”

“My king…?”

“Regardless, we will need to retrieve it. No doubt it’s causing trouble already out there, and with it having an aide it will surely only make it easier for them. I will have to assemble a small handful of troops to hunt them down.”

“W-wait!! What’s going to happen to them?? The...t-the aide??”

Pausing from the interruption, Halbert shifted on his throne. He didn’t like the idea of violence, but knowing what was at stake made it all the more harder for him to rescind his vow.

“I suppose it depends on whether or not they put up a serious fight…”

That caused the poor Knight’s shoulders to slump, their brow creasing with worry at the thought.

“M’lord…if I may…perhaps this young Knight could aid in the quest to apprehend this cursed acquaintance of theirs?” A new voice spoke up, this time from Clay. “They might even be able to pry them from the book’s power, weakening it enough for us to strike it.”

“Mmm…” Halbert nodded slightly, “Ever the thoughtful one Clay. Even without knowing the extent of the history you’ve yet to face. Truly the wisest Knight we’ve ever cared for in your lineage.”

“Very well…but know this! You will be tasked with selecting the other Knight’s to join you on this quest. I trust your judgement in this regard after how much you’ve aided in training our becoming young Knights throughout the years. Should you have need of anything, it will be yours.”

Taking a bow the Knight thanked them in kind, “I will waste no time then in gathering a team of Knightonia’s finest.” Standing straight, he winked a little before dismissing himself. Unbeknownst to the king, he’d already chosen his second Knight. Patting the shoulder of the younger Knight to follow suit, he made his way out of the room.

“Wow you…are you really okay with letting me on the team??” Aaron spoke up as he hurried along to match his superior’s pace.

Clay Moorington was a legend in regard to Knightonia’s guardsmen. A Knight bound by honor, where no matter how tame the feat, he would aid those in need.

“Of course, I’ve seen your credits. I think you would make a good addition to the team.” Clay replied as he nodded to a passing guard.

“W-wait, really?! I mean, that, wait- you’ve seen my credits? ”

A small chuckle escaped Clay as he made a turn down the hall, heading towards the main gate. “Of course, I’ve seen everyone’s credits. I keep an eye out for any stragglers and well, any hidden gems that might be faking it just to make their parents happy.” He smirked a little.

Aaron felt his cheeks warm up as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Ah…” Only then did he flinch a little when he felt a pat on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I understand the feeling of not wanting all that responsibility that comes with being a Knight. Trust me…But when it comes down to it, when the people need someone to look up to for hope in their darkest hour, I’d rather be that support for them than watch them drown…I just wish I’d gotten to your friend sooner before he quit…”

“So you knew…”

“Jestro the Jovial…I thought the name rang a bell. You two started in the same year, I believe I overheard the name a few times.”

“I really thought he’d make a great comedian, I mean…he was better at drama and poetry than he ever was fighting.” Aaron sighed.

“Not all Knight’s are cut out to be fighters. A good handful of them seek simpler jobs handling lesser quests within Knightonia. Helping the elderly find their way home at night, getting cats out of a tree, simple yet…it’s the little things that keep the community strong as it is. The people depend on us.”

Coming to a stop just outside the gate Clay turned to Aaron, his face showing a stern look. “I will too if you choose to join me. There may come a time in battle where I need to call upon you, where you may very well end up on your own. Do you think you would still be able to fight with me?”

Aaron shifted a little being put on the spot like that by someone as regal as the Blue Knight. The guy had been through stuff worse than Aaron probably ever had, but he still had enough modesty to give him the choice to join and help him?

Swallowing the lump he had Aaron put on a brave face and gave a proper salute as the set behind them, “I would be honored.”

“So you’re sayin’ I gotta help you find a buncha stuff an I’ll get stronger??”

“That is the jist of it, yes.”

“Uuuuggghh, but I wanna be stronger now!! What’s the point if I can’t go around an do stuff when I wanna do it?!”

The sun had set yet they were still on the run, well, walking now. With the smoking book being his only guide at that point, not that he had any clue on where they were going.

“You’re an impatient one…” The shadow hissed.

“Pssh, s’why I dropped outta the Knight’s Academy.”

Suddenly the shadow swerved and poised before the corrupted jester. “You’re destined for greater things than becoming some lowlife fledgling of the king’s!”

Raising his hands Jestro backed off from the guy, “Geeze, I get it. But it’d be nice if I could have a name to the guy I’m gonna be following around instead. I mean s’kinda hard to take a talkin’ book seriously…”

Squinting at the insolence of the jester, the shadow straightened themselves, “Monstrox.”

Jestro tilted his head a little as he thought about the name, “Sounds familiar…”

“It should!! I terrorized these lands nearly 500 years ago!! If it weren’t for the Wizard Council, I wouldn’t of been left to rot in this tome!”

“Musta’ been some age with you around then.” The jester snorted.

“Oh but it was! ‘The Dark Ages’ they called it. My creations roamed the lands, causing chaos wherever I saw fit. My magic had never been more at its peak, and the Council…” They forced a weak laugh, “Were scrambling like a flock of chickens trying to stop me! It was quite amusing.”

Jestro wondered if the guy liked to brag just as much about his past accomplishments as he did anything else.

“Sooo…these magic macguffin’s are what n’ where exactly?”

Pausing mid-ramble, the smokey apparition looked to them, before shifting to reveal the very book at their core. It’s pages ruffling before coming to rest on two pages. One of them depicted a figure, surrounded by three objects. The second page depicted the same figure surrounded by an array of shapes and faded colors.

“Three relic’s are required to free me from this tome. Once that is done, I will use my new form to scour the lands in search of the curses those wretched wizard’s stole from me.”

“And make me stronger, right?”

“Yes yes, but to find these relic’s we will need to craft a spell. Thankfully those idiots didn’t tear out my lesser spells. They’re simple enough to where even a child couldn’t mess them up.”

“I dunno man, I ain’t the best at cookin’ much a anything…” Jestro mumbled as he squinted at the page they had turned to for the spell. “Looks like someone’s messed up idea for a grocery list…”

“Nay, these regents are rich with latent magic, only when mixed together will they provide us what we need.” They snapped the tome shut, letting its edges sink back within the smoke.

“If you say so…”

“I do say so! It will be a lot easier to deal with finding where the relic’s are hidden.”

“Which are…? The relic’s, what are they exactly?” Jestro knew enough of what a relic was, they had plenty of them sitting around in the library of the Knight’s Academy.

“The horn’s of a beast long since slain within the heart of a volcano. Forged there with the very magma it once lived in. A demonic eye stolen from a beast said to incorporate thoughts into reality. And finally my staff, to which was crafted by yours truly from but the finest of darkwood.”

“We’re not gonna have to go into a volcano are we? I don’t think magma would help with my complexion.”

“I doubt it, even if they wanted to be rid of them, these relic’s are far beyond the age of man.”

“Waitwaitwait, are you sayin’ you just found some horn’s an a eye??”

“Well you can’t expect me to of done all those feats myself! At the time I was more encased within my work on monsters than the darker arts.”

“I mean YEAH I kinda did!!” Jestro stopped with a frown, “Startin’ to get second thoughts about this whole business if I’m bein’ honest. Cuz all this talkin’ don’t feel like it’s doin’ much for ME!”

Monstrox paused and Jestro could’ve sworn the guy rolled his eyes, but before he could comment further he found himself surrounded by the smoke.

“Until I am given a body, you will aid in MY conquest to recollect MY relic’s so that I may rule MY domain once more!”

Jestro stared back at the blazing gaze Monstrox loomed over him with, the jester finding it hard to breathe suddenly as static caused his body to freeze in place.

“This was the deal that was sealed upon you releasing me from my imprisonment. And should you break it, I’ll make sure your body is broken just as well…”

A bead of sweat rolled down his face as he shuddered from the sheer lack of feeling he felt while being so close.

“Understood?”

He only managed a weak cough of confirmation before the smoke finally receded and the numbness slipped away. Leaving him gasping for air as the dark edges of his vision cleared.

“Good. Now keep moving, several of the regents we need are found only when the moon is high.”

The jester stood there for a moment, watching the shadow float ahead, his foot shakingly taking a step before he found his rhythm again alongside his breath.

One thing Jestro knew for certain, Monstrox wasn’t the type of guy to double-cross.

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.”

Chapter Text

The afternoon sun shone brightly through the clouds, making the day warmer than usual. And with no shade in sight, only the breeze from where they were riding was all the relief the Knights had at the moment.

Clay had taken the lead, guiding their group along the roadway towards the nearest town. There weren’t many towns nearby Knightonia, so it was as good a place as any to check.

“Can we pleaaaase take a break already??” Lance’s voice begged from behind him.

Clay sighed, “I know it’s been a few hours since our last break, you do know there’s no shade though right?”

“I’ll take the blistering sun over a sore rear any day!”

“I’m kinda with Lance, my bricks are really starting to talk to me. These mech’s are fast but not comfortable for long distances.” Aaron spoke up.

Even Clay had to admit they were right, “Alright alright, a short break. Then it’s back to the road. The town’s nearby and I don’t want to waste any more daylight getting there.”

Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the small reprieve as they slowed to a stop.

“Sweet freedom…” Lance sighed with a stretch as he felt the feeling return to his legs. All the while residing within the weak shade of his mech.

“Kinda wish we’d stopped further away from this hill, it’s blocking a good breeze.” Macy noted as she took a swig of water.

“Hope town has good food, not much to forage around…” Axl stated as he scrounged around for any snacks in his baggage.

“It’s a decent size from what I recall.” Clay replied after taking a drink for himself, wiping some sweat from his forehead. “Hopefully we’ll get some answers there…”

“What if we don’t…?” Aaron asked, genuinely curious as to what their next step to finding Jestro would be.

“Probably running around until we find any sign of him…” Clay sighed, “That’s how it usually goes for me when I’m hunting down bandits. They get tired of hiding eventually…”

“So our chances are better here than anywhere else?” Macy asked.

“I would say so. Considering elsewhere is surrounded by wilds. Even if he ran all night an day the farthest he’d get is here.”

“I swear he better not have gotten himself eaten by a beast…” Aaron rubbed the sweat of his temple with a sigh. Only looking up when Axl patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find them…” They paused for a moment to sniff the air some more. “Mmh??”

“If he’s smart he’ll keep to the roads and make it easy…” Clay noted before looking at Axl’s behavior. “What is it Axl??”

“Smell smoke…not good kind.” He frowned while pointing towards the top of the hill.

“Shoot…I’ll go check it out. I’ll signal if it’s anything serious.” Clay stated as he put his stuff away and hauled himself back onto his mech. Rearing back briefly until they shot ahead at a quickened pace.

“I swear, how the heck is that guy still single?? He’s a literal Knight in shining armor. You’d think he’d be getting more than grandma's all over him…” Lance complained, mostly to himself as the other’s watched their leader eventually disappear over the hill.

“Please, you think he doesn’t have admirer’s? He gets a bundle of stuff every month from people all around. He’s just better at not bragging about it.” Macy replied with a smirk, glancing back at the glint of something from the hilltop. “That’s the signal. Move!”

“Hothothot!!” Lance hissed as he hopped back onto his now uncomfortably warm seat and shot after the others that had started ahead.

It didn’t take long for them to catch up, and eventually they saw why a signal had been needed in the first place.

“Woah…” Aaron blinked.

The town before them was a fairly large one, however at the same time black smoke rose from various houses as the smell of burnt wood wafted past.

“Looks like it was attacked. Whether by our target or a beast, I can’t say yet. But we need to get down there and help.” Clay explained as he gestured ahead, “Look for survivors, ask for info, and keep an eye out for any trouble. Got it?”

“Got it!”

…

Thankfully, as they entered town, most of the damages didn’t look too severe. Some minor fires here and there, broken carts and loose livestock were all that really plagued the town. Even so, Clay asked for a report from the town’s stationed Knight.

“It was like some kind of man-beast!...Running around, laughing and trashing everything. I thought it was some kind of bandit, but when I got close it managed to get the best of me, even picked me up and threw me!” They explained, patting at the claw marks on their armor, “Thank Nexo for this armor, without it I feel I wouldn’t be here…”

“I’m also glad you’re alright Sir Griffiths, though can you recall any description of this man-beast?”

“Well it was..ahh..I think it was green…I know it had red eyes?? Held a crazed look in em.” He scratched his chin, “It was so dark though, the clouds had covered the moon and left the town scrambling to protect itself.”

“That really doesn’t give us a lot to go on…” Clay sighed.

“Lookin’ for someone?”

“A person, yeah…They’re not in their right mind though. We were sent out to capture them just yesterday.”

“Well I can tell ya right now, I certainly wasn’t expecting any action so close to the city!” The older Knight laughed.

“I’m just glad no one else was seriously injured, that would really put a rank on the guy…”

“For sure…Attacking a Knight though, you know I’m gonna have to report this, yeah?” Sir Griffith stated, giving Clay a stern look.

“I’m aware…I can only hope we find them before anything else becomes of it…”

“Clay!” Macy spoke up as she hustled over, “I think I have a lead!”

“May Nexo have mercy on them.” Sir Griffith shook his head as he waved Clay off.

…

“It smelled something horrible…Like…rotten meat.”

“A suspicious dark smoke that smells of death…” Clay overlooked the nodding young girl and glanced back at Aaron. “Sound familiar?”

“Very…” His face grimaced, “B-but he’s never been like this before…He’s never even been able to beat me in arm wrestling!”

“He must be getting stronger then…” Clay frowned as he looked at the slightly trashed home. “Why he would attack a town is beyond me. The fact he was able to do all this is more concerning.”

“He might still be nearby, they said the attacker didn’t flee until Sir Griffiths got a hit off on them.” Macy replied, “Apparently they targeted him once he showed up. Even managing to steal his medallion.”

“That is very suspicious…A Knight’s medallion is engraved with the name of the Knight it belongs to, and is given a blood seal so it can’t be abused. It’s worthless to anyone besides its owner.”

“Could’ve taken it as a trophy?”

“Without killing the owner? I seriously doubt it…” Clay shook his head. “Any bandit would finish the job, otherwise they’d get outed as a faker for defeating a Knight. It’s a decent lead but…it still isn’t enough to really give us a direction…”

“Well then what are we supposed to do? Charge in some random direction and hope to bump into him??” Lance approached then, apparently finished basking in what little admiration he got upon helping some of the younger women with corralling their loose fowls.

Axl steadily approached from nearby as well, having been helping move some broken debris out of the doorway of a house. “Running in circles if we do…”

“Maybe, but we’ve no other leads. All we’ve got is a trashed town, and a missing Knight’s medallion. If he went towards the nearby forest it’d be a hassle trying to defend ourselves while trying to find him.”

“Uhm..mister Knight?” The young girl from earlier spoke up then, prompting him to look back at her.

“Yes? Have you something?”

Her hand pointed to his hip then, “Does your sword always glow like that?”

“My sword??” Clay frowned while unclasping his hilt and sliding the sword from its scabbard. The blue sheen was giving off a faint white glow along the tip, the steel cool to the touch as he examined it. “This is new…”

“What’s it mean??” Macy spoke up, just as curious.

“I’m not sure…However the King did say it was meant to aid us against the foe we’re after…” As he pulled it away from the girl, its glow faded. “That’s strange…” He moved it closer to her and it began to glow again. Causing him to eye her curiously, “Hold very still miss…”

As he drew the sword closer to her, the glow grew a little bit stronger. It wasn’t anything blinding though it did give him an idea of where to look. And after a moment he leaned in and took note of the dark blotch on her shoulder. “You’ve blood on you…”

“From the beast last night…When they stood before me, Sir Griffiths managed to get him with his sword.”

“Interesting…” Slowly turning away he watched the glow fade, until he looked to the rest of his team. “Looks like we got our lead.”

“I’m not goin’ in there!”

“We must!! The spell is leading us there!!”

“It looks as cursed as I do!”

“Because it is! One of my cursed relic’s must be in there!”

Two figures stood before the yawning chasm that opened up into a labyrinth of endless twists and turns. The dark stone walls standing strong despite nature desperately trying to reclaim it. 

The swamp surrounding them croaked endlessly as the sun was just beginning to set.

“I swear this thing better not be leading us into a mud pit. I’ve heard what those things can do to a guy. One second you’re fine, the next, you’re gone!”

“Oh quit your squawking and hurry on! If it is here then the charm will lead us true.”

Monstrox didn’t hesitate to push ahead, floating through the vegetation that filled the entryway, leaving nothing but decay in his path as Jestro hurried along behind.

The tunnel was crowded with vines and roots to the point the only real lightsource coming through were the faintest stray bits that slipped through the cracks. Thankfully, Jestro’s eyesight had improved significantly overnight, leaving it easy for him to notice the small etchings going along the walls.

“Hey, what’s all that??”

“What is what?”

“This wall, it looks like there’s something on it…” Jestro tilted his head from where he stood, leaving Monstrox to turn around with an annoyed huff and look back at their musings.

“Hm…” Something about it seemed familiar, the particular patterns along the edges moreso than anything. “Move aside.”

Shifting around he ascended high into the air, before placing a hand against the vines that spread across the wall. Slowly but surely, the touch of rot began to eat away at it, and bits and pieces of it shriveled and fell, eventually giving way to a cleaner view.

It wasn’t until he pushed himself away to gain a better view did he realize why it looked so familiar.

“Elagast…”

“I had almost forgotten, of course they would have sealed everything away. Probably even split all the piece’s just to make it all the harder…” He frowned at the mural.

“Who…?” Jestro spoke up finally.

“One of the Council Members…” Monstrox spat, “If my relic’s lay here, then no doubt they’ve made it nearly impossible to find them. Probably enchanted the entire area just to make it so.”

“What does that mean for us??”

“It means we’ll have to do what any other mage would do.” Monstrox claimed, “Use magic to overcome magic.”

“Steady, don’t keep too close, the ground is uneven.” Lance warned his group as he kept a slow pace.

“Is the sword really leading us into a swamp of all places??” Macy piped up from behind while ducking under some vines.

“It must be. The light on it has been growing stronger the further we go.” He looked down at the blade, having been using it to chart his course.

“Could it really not have picked a worse place to point us?? Why not a beach, or an orchard?!” Lance spat, swatting at the constant bugs that swarmed him.

“What kinda evil wizard would hang around a beach?” Aaron looked on, unamused at their antics.

“Mmm, Axl always wanted to see the beach. Sounds warm.” The larger Knight noted from the back.

“Well maybe it will lead us there, or maybe it won’t. Either way I think we’re gonna have to get off here. There’s something up ahead.” Clay pointed off into the distance.

Macy gawked at the structure, the way it appeared looked like a giant mound of vines. “Woah, it’s huge…What is it??”

“My guess? The place where Monstrox is.” Clay stated while jumping down from his Mecha Steed. “If we’re lucky this might be the only way out.”

“It might also be a place that has something he wants…” Macy noted, “Maybe if we go in there and check it out we can prepare an ambush. Take him out before he finds whatever is in there.”

“That might work, but we’ll have to be quiet. Stick close and if we get split up, use your medallions if there’s an emergency.” Clay stated while everyone got ready.

Once they were, they approached the entryway, noting the clear force of entry, as well as the mural.

“They’re definitely in here…I can smell it.” Aaron grimaced at the stench as they carefully moved through the long hall. Their only source of light at that point being their Nexo infused armor.

It wasn’t until they came to a complete stop did Aaron see a problem.

“Looks like there’s five different halls…” Lance frowned, shaking his head. “And only five of us, great.”

“Should we split up?”

“Hm…” Approaching one of the halls, Clay held out his blade, letting the blue glow guide him. “I think…perhaps this way?”

“Better than splitting up, Axl can cover us from behind while Lance and Aaron take up between me and him?” Macy looked back at the other three, who nodded in agreement.

“Let’s go then.”

Chapter Text

“Holy BRICK that was terrifying!!”

“That??? That was just a hex snare!! A child would have dealt with that easier than you did with all your squirming and screaming…”

“Hey!! It is a completely natural survival method to squirm and scream!”

“Heh…”

That had been the fifth trap they’d run into since entering within the maze. Most of it had been wasted walking into the occasional dead end, despite Monstrox saying it was close and then using the enchanted little trinket they had to guide them.

Jestro was just tired of being the one to trigger all the traps…

“Ugh…how much farther?? Feels like we’ve been walking for hours.” He groaned.

“Quit your whining, we’ve been lucky so far without triggering any guardians within this place.”

“Guardians??” Jestro balked.

“Of course, every cursed relic has its guardian! It is the standard Wizard method.”

“Right…” Glancing along the faded walls, Jestro caught sight of yet another mural, this time it looked like that wizard from earlier, only it appeared that they were fighting back several monsters.

“Sooo…what made you quit it? The wizard council I mean.” Jestro asked, mostly just to keep his mind off his aching feet.

“The Council…?” Monstrox asked as he glided effortlessly ahead, his tone growing cold at the memory, “They tried to eliminate me before I could truly harness the power of my work…”

“Your evil work??”

“Well, not quite…I’ve never seen my work as evil.” Monstrox claimed, “Nothing is truly evil in this world. It is something that is made. A festering mess of feelings, powered by grudges until it manifests itself into this world. In my case, I call it Summoning magic.”

“You see, when I was brought into the council, it was due to my unique mastery of Beast Summoning. I had always admired the creatures that roamed the wilds, even more so the magic they harnessed to fuel their survival in the world. Most people saw them as dark beings, demons that used dark unknown magic. But I saw them for what they truly were…”

“What were they??” Jestro asked, actually interested.

“Creatures that feed off fear!” Monstrox exclaimed, sounding almost just as giddy, “Creatures with magic so powerful, it would’ve put the Magic Council to shame! Just the knowledge alone was maddening enough to the average peasant, yet when I shared my findings, I was approached by a wizard that went by the name Murlok, and he invited me to the council to further study it.”

“Hey I know that guy!”

“You and everyone else in Knighton…” Monstrox sneered, “How funny is it that his name lived on in infamy, known even now, while all mine did was grow forgotten, where not even a jester knows of my deeds…”

“I mean…I think I heard something about you in one of the history books at the Knight’s Academy…”

“Feh…Well it certainly won’t be long until my name is brought to the front lines once more. Soon enough I’ll have the other kingdom’s quaking in their castles.” He chuckled to himself.

Jestro thought a little bit about what a mess that would be, but honestly, he figured once Monstrox got what he wanted, he’d be able to just split and make a name for himself elsewhere. He hadn’t put much thought into things, having been running off smoke for the last few days…

“I wonder if I’d make a good wizard…” He thought aloud, only jumping a little when Monstrox cackled back at him.

“You?? Now that’d be quite the sight!”

“Hey! I think I’d do better with magic than some big bulky suit of armor!”

“Perhaps…” Monstrox chuckled, “Any can learn magic, few have the patience and tenacity to persevere through the tedious trials that they bring. Even fewer survive…”

“Euh…maybe not…”

“Magic isn’t just silly little tricks, it’s understanding the fundamentals of what make up magic itself. Such components if crafted together without care is just asking for punishment.”

“Guess that’s why Knightonia made it basically illegal for anyone to really practice it outside the Knight’s Academy…”

“Of course they would’ve, anything to protect the royals…all the while the weak suffer the brunt of their wrath,” Monstrox hissed, “Magic isn’t something to tame, it is as wild as the weather, those fools in the council may have taken the basic components and made it so even a child can harmlessly harness it, but it will never be as powerful as the magic of beasts!”

He would show the world the true potential of magic, he would make it so.

“I sense something…”

Jestro came to a stop behind Monstrox, watching the shadow shift their gaze about.

“A monster??”

“No…” They held their gaze before squinting, “Nexo…I sense Knights!!” He hissed.

Jestro looked back quickly, as if expecting to see them right behind, but when none appeared behind the corner, he eased up a little. “Geeze…What do we do now??? Unless there’s another exit, they’re gonna corner us at this rate!”

“Relaaaax, I don’t expect you to fight them, not until the horns are found.” Slowly he floated over to the side of the wall, feeling along it. “If any of the magic in this place is as similar as it were back then, I should be able to deal with them myself…”

“What about me?? I don’t know any of that Nexo magic stuff! What if I get caught by a trap or or-”

“QUIET YOU LITTLE FOOL, I’M THINKING!!”

If there really were too many Knights, they would easily be able to vanquish the two of them. The maze’s magic seemed receptive to the medallion they had stolen off the Knight from the nearby town, making it so fewer traps were let off. That didn’t mean they were all safe, as it was clear Elegast had taken precaution in case someone nefarious came to steal its treasures.

Perhaps if he could encode his own essence within the network of Nexo that enchanted the place, he could very well traverse the maze. It would take a lot out of him though…he had been absorbing most of his energy from the moon and hiding within his book whenever the sun was high. High risk, high reward as he always said…

“I will deal with them, simply follow the signs I give you.” He stated while feeling along the walls, looking for a conduit for him to…there!

Jestro jumped as he watched the smoke seep into a spark in the wall, leaving the book that kept his presence to fall to the ground with a loud ‘THUMP’

“O-okay?? Not really given’ me much choice here…” He frowned, waiting patiently as he looked down both aisles of the hall he was in. He was beginning to grow restless when he saw a spark light up the wall, as a line of light began to trace itself down the hall and around the corner.

Well that made things much easier!

“Feels like we’re going in circles…” Lance spoke up as he swatted some cobwebs aside with a shudder.

“That’s a maze for you, just when you think you’re getting somewhere you hit a dead end…” Aaron replied. He felt the same way. The path they had been wandering seemed untouched, unlike the entrance.

“Should’ve brought snacks…nerves making Axl hungry…” 

Clay had been leading his group steadily forward, and so far all they had run into was a minor trap or two. Nothing seriously deadly, inconvenient if anything, and easily avoided. But the further they went on, the more the sword brightened their path.

Suddenly, he held up his hand, causing everyone to freeze in silence.

“It’s getting brighter…”

“Well yeah, aren’t we in the same place as them?” Macy prompted.

“No…it’s getting way brighter! Something’s coming!”

No sooner had Clay warned them the blinding light of the sword flashed and turned red, and suddenly the floors and walls began to rumble around them.

“Move!!”

The group hastily charged forward just as the walls around them began to shift and seal off their exit. It wasn’t until they had run into a completely new room did they narrowly miss getting crushed by a sliding wall.

“That was crazy!!”

“It’s not over yet!”

The room they had run into was rather sizable, with four large pillars and three other exits on each other wall. It was very dark, but two unlit braziers sat on either side of them.

Not a second sooner did the sound of stone begin to slide, as something shifted in the shadows. And in a flash, several green lights began to swell out of nowhere.

“Something’s over there, get ready!”

Right when Clay had ushered the warning, something was flung their way. Where they thankfully avoided getting hit by moving aside. A wet noise slapped the wall behind them, where now a glob of ooze sizzled and ate away at the stone.

Lance shrieked at the heinous display, “Please tell me these aren’t slimes?!”

Disregarding his comrades' complaints, Clay summoned his shield, signifying the others to do the same. “Tight formation!! Keep your shields ready! If you get hit, fall back!!”

Right when he said that another glob shot itself his way, this time he stopped it with his shield. Where thankfully the Nexo infused metals easily dealt with the acid.

It was hard to see what they were fighting, they needed light.

“Aaron! Think you can shoot some light arrow’s and give us a view??”

“I can try!”

Pulling an arrow from his quiver Aaron used his shield to enchant the tip of it before aiming towards the ceiling. “Ready!”

“Fire!”

As soon as the tip had hit the roof, a flash of light gave them a brief clear look at their surroundings.

Monsters, a small horde of them that were no bigger than their shields. Their skin was a dark earthy green covered in vegetation. Some which flew had leafs for wings, while others crawled around on roots with sharp teeth and snouts that oozed. All of them however had eyes which glowed a ravenous lime that shone through the dark, probably strong enough to see them.

There were so many that if they weren’t careful they would fall just as quickly one by one. The horde itself squirmed and became agitated with the light, and immediately began to charge the others. Some were already closer, flying over.

“Incoming monsters!!”

Aaron made swift work of the few that were in the air, but the rest of them were forced to cover their archer, hacking and slashing away at the ravenous horde as they bit and slashed at them.

Thankfully, one or two hits were enough to defeat them, however where one fell, another quickly took its place. Leaving them at a standstill.

“They just don’t stop coming!! This is getting ridiculous!”

“Aaron’s right Clay! We need to cut them off at the source, wherever it is!” Macy spoke up as she slammed her weapon into the side of a spitter.

“I think I saw something in the center, if we can make our way there we might be able to figure something out!” Aaron exclaimed.

Nodding, Clay looked back to their biggest asset right then, “Think you can clear us a path Axl??”

The large knight let out a huff before lowering the front of his helmet down with a ‘clank’. Letting out a battlecry, prompting the other knight’s to move out of the way or risk getting flattened.

He made quick work of the endless stream of monsters, stomping and smashing them aside like they were butter. Leaving his allies to catch up behind.

“Remind me never to get him angry!” Macy quipped as she hurried along.

“Or leave him hungry!” Lance chided behind her.

Moving closer towards the center of the room did reward them, but it also became a hellscape of terror as the majority of the spawn were concentrated there.

A large unlit brazier sat atop a short pedestal within the center, and surrounding it sat four more smaller unlit braziers. The four braziers appeared to be the culprit, as flashes of magic showed that they were being spawned from something within the braziers themselves.

Clay had relayed this to the others amidst the skirmish.

“So what, we destroy the braziers that keep making the monsters?!” Macy yelled.

“I don’t think so! This room has a lot more braziers than we’ve seen around the rest of the maze, I think perhaps if we light them, it might trigger something!” Clay called back as he slashed a small snapper in two.

“Or it could just as easily summon more of these horrifying monsters!” Lance shrieked as he stabbed two more, before having to duck as Axl swung his way.

Aaron had already been lighting the end of his bow, this time with a fire enchantment, “Only one way to find out!”

No sooner had the arrow been shot, several of the critters flung themselves out of the way of its arc. And upon striking one of the four braziers, a large bonfire exploded to life, leaving several of the monsters near it to screech and scuttle away.

“Looks like we’ve got a plan! Keep shooting Aaron! Everyone else, activate your fire enchantments!” Moving a hand onto his chestpiece, Clay uttered something and the color of his suit changed to a flaming red. His shield and sword followed suit.

This seemed to change the tide of the fight significantly, as a lot of the more physical monsters backed off entirely while the spitters took up more of an offense. All the while the Knight’s kept a more steady approach while covering their archer as he loosened arrow after arrow, lighting up all four braziers.

Lance had noticed their efforts first, “Why aren’t they stopping?!”

“Maybe ALL the braziers need to be lit!!” Macy called back, blocking a rather nasty hit before retaliating.

“I better have enough for this…” Aaron breathed, squinting at the other braziers as he took aim. It was dark, and it took his eyes longer than he’d like to admit to see them. But after a while he was able to get into a bit of a rhythm of things. Shooting, then switching positions, rarely did he have to waste an arrow to shoot down a target that got too close.

By the time he was nearing the final brazier on the wall from where they came in, he failed to check his side as he set up to aim once more.

“Aaron lookout!!”

He saw the faintest glint of green out of the corner of his eye before the world became a blur, and for a second he thought he’d been hit. Only come to find out he’d just been shoved aside.

Macy had caught his fumble, and had managed to push him out of the way of getting a glob to the face.

He fumbled a moment, going for his shield rather than his bow as he sat himself up. His eyes squinted through the dark until he caught sight of Macy and crawled his way over to give her some cover.

“Macy! Are you alright??”

She let out a grunt of confirmation, but he could hear the sizzle from a glob of acid that she’d been hit with, and smelled something burning, leaving him to raise his visor up so he could see where it was.

Her arm, he could see it seeping into the nook that sat where her joints were. And tried to use his glove to swipe it away so no more would get to her.

“S-sshoot…”

He looked up to her then, not that he could see her behind her helmet, “What??”

“Shoot! D-don’t worry about me!!”

“But your arm-”

“I can take care of myself! Save all of us first!!”

He grimaced but gave a nod, it made sense to put his focus more on saving all of them instead of just her in the heat of the moment. “I need some cover over here!!” He called out, coaxing Axl to pull back closer to the group so he could grab his bow again. Only pausing briefly to check his sides better this time before he finally shot the final arrow.

Apparently that had been the correct decision on Macy’s part, because as soon as the final brazier caught fire, the main brazier in the middle which he’d shot an arrow at earlier suddenly caught fire as well. Slowly the four smaller fires in the middle slid a small contraption shut, and the monsters finally ceased their advancements.

“Everyone alright??” Clay called out once they had finished squashing the remaining stragglers.

“Just peachy, save for the sweat I worked up.” Lance replied as he disengaged the fire enchantment on his armor. Axl followed suit with a haggard grunt.

“I’m okay, Macy took a hit though.” Aaron replied as he slid his visor up.

Clay immediately made his way over to her, though she waved him off before he could even get a look at her. “I’m fine…Just a small burn.”

“Still, we don’t want to risk any poisoning or infection.” He sighed before looking at the other three Knights. “Check out the rest of the room for an exit. And be careful about floor traps or other enchantments. I’ll take care of Macy.”

Splitting off from the group probably wasn’t his best decision at the moment, but given the fact that they were short on time, he needed to work fast.

“Seriously Clay, I’ll be fine.” Macy grunted as he unclasped the armor covering her forearm. “You act like you haven’t seen me break a bone before.”

“It got your dominant arm…” He stated bluntly, “That’s a death wish out here. And you know it.”

“...”

It had only taken them ten or so minutes before they had searched the whole room without finding an exit. However even then, after the previous skirmish, everyone was on edge.

“I get the feeling that something’s messing with us.” Clay stated as he finished helping Macy put her forearm’s armor back on.

“You think it might be that Monstrox guy?” She asked, the pain now a dull throb more than anything.

“Maybe…but this place feels like it was built by the Knight’s of Knightonia. I recognized the Knight’s insignia in a few of the mural’s we passed by. I would think that with our medallion’s we would be less targeted…” Clay pondered.

“Old magic, old rules?” Aaron spoke up as he came back from sweeping the room. “Maybe the exit of this room will only reveal itself through magic.”

“Maybe…” Clay looked around, trying to find anything familiar. Only pausing when Macy grabbed his arm.

“Your sword is glowing!”

Right when he went to pull it from the scabbard a distant booming noise was heard, it sounded like footsteps the way it was paced.

“It’s getting closer, everyone get ready!!”

The remainder of the group gathered closely as Macy got herself back up and ready to fight, by the time she had put her helmet back on there was a loud force slamming itself up against one of the nearby walls.

Slowly but surely a spider web began to crack through to their side, until one final smash caused it to crumble. And a large dark figure stomped through the dust and debris, glaring at them with a red pair of eyes.

“We’re bricked…” Lance groaned at the behemoth.

“Not so long as we stand together, look for any weak points and keep out of its range.” Clay raised his sword towards it, guiding its attention with his glowing blade. As soon as it saw it he dashed aside, prompting it to lunge at him.

“Clay, are you crazy?!” Aaron called out, watching the guy coax the thing after him.

“He’s always been like that, don’t let his efforts be in vain!” Macy huffed and readied her weapon, charging in behind to try and test its durability.

The thing was huge, and ugly. But it primarily looked made of stone, and if there were any visible cracks to be found, it wouldn’t be long before it fell.

That being said though, the thing swung like a log. Slow but strong. It took them everything just to keep out of its range while swinging for its legs.

“Anyone see a weak point??” Macy called as she dodged yet another low blow.

“I think there might be one underneath the arm, but it’s too hard to gauge with how much it keeps moving!” Aaron claimed, having been watching from a distance. “It might be best to just outrun it, or use a trap to snag it instead.”

“You seriously think the traps would target it instead of us?? Hah!!” Lance shrieked when he saw the thing raise its arm to strike him, immediately doubling back to avoid it before stabbing it in the wrist.

“Unless you got a better idea?!”

“I think we might be able to defeat it! It looks no different than the training golums we had at the Academy. If possible there should be a Nexo core to it somewhere. Look where there’s the most Nexo!” Clay stated.

It was hard to gauge where, given that it was covered in plant matter. But with the amount of stone there was chipped and broken, Aaron caught a glint of something. “I see it! On its right shoulder! Under that bit of moss!”

Sure enough when it was pointed out, something did catch their eyes beneath the mess of moss. But at the same time, the goyal seemed to shift tactics, favoring its left arm now instead.

Clay caught it and frowned, a golum didn’t listen to a callout of its weak spot. It simply followed whatever command it was told, usually simple and only one at a time. Like attack. Not attack and defend.

“Aaron, I think you’re right in that we need to run!” He called out while watching the goyal react. Watching how it glanced to the only exit there was in the room before taking a swing at Axl.

“What?? But you just said-”

“It’s not a golum! It’s something else! It understands us!”

Looking closer they saw it too, how it stomped back a ways closer to the exit, picking up debris in an attempt to thwart their advances.

If it really was capable of understanding their words, then it was even more dangerous than before. And they wouldn’t be able to get past it easily with just brute force alone.

Knowing this, Aaron moved back to avoid the incoming debris. Choosing to follow with the others until they were behind a pillar.

“How is it smart enough to know?! It’s just a big chunk of rock!” Lance wheezed after having run literal circles around the thing.

“It looks like a golum, but it’s reactions to our words say otherwise. It’s either smart, or someone’s controlling it to keep us stuck in here. And my coin is on the latter…” Clay huffed.

“So what now? If we just run at it, it’ll squash us eventually when we start getting tired.” Macy pointed out. Her arm was already starting to ache.

Clay thought for a moment until he looked at Aaron, “That light arrow you shot before, how bright do you think you could get it?”

“Like the sun if I infuse enough Nexo into it.”

“We’ll use that then, and charge past it. We can’t let it keep us here, because the enemy is out there. And every second wasted is another step towards their goal.”

“But the traps!” Lance hissed.

“We’ll have to be fast, I’ll try to push ahead with the sword so I can guide us. Then Macy, Lance you’re with her. Aaron with Axl. If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to get through this hopefully unscathed.” Clay nodded.

The others seemed uncertain, but he hadn’t led them astray yet.

“In for a penny…” Lance sighed while shaking his head.

…

Clay was the first to move from behind the pillar, using his sword to catch its attention. While the others ran from the other side. The goyal seemed indifferent then, choosing to chuck smaller stones at the lot of them. But as soon as an arrow struck its eye, it bellowed out a thundering cry, and thrashed itself against the ground, leaving the exit exposed.

They said nothing, simply choosing to run through as quickly as they could. And thank goodness they did because when the goyal rose, its attention snapped to them like a hound and it yelled.

Clay sheathed his sword and chose to use his shield for the path ahead, “Here it comes!!”

Its steps were just as loud as before, crushing the floor beneath it as it lumbered after them like a wild animal. And for good reason as its one eye was now fractured and seeping Nexo from its socket.

Axl was slow, but even his pace was steady enough to keep up. And thankfully, Clay was doing everything he could to trigger or lead a path over whatever traps he passed.

That being said his luck did eventually fall short, as he found himself stumbling into a spike pit trap that went off before he could even trigger it, leaving him to stab the ground before him so he wouldn’t fall in.

That proved his theory then. They were being messed with by the enemy.

Just as he looked back to alert the others, he caught sight of the wall Macy was passing by. It had been another spike trap, but he had already set it off so he hadn’t minded it then. But watching it his eyes widened as he saw them shift.

“Macy!! Shield left!!” He yelled.

No sooner had he said that he watched it shoot out, and his heart nearly stopped when it threw her to the side. A loud CLANG ringing out as her shield took the brunt of the hit.

He couldn’t help it if he ran back to her, no better than Lance could’ve shielded her instead.

“Macy!! Macy!...”

He helped her up, but she was favoring her right arm while heavily leaning on him. “Brick that smarts…”

“I got you. Come on.”

Aaron was calling out to them that they were getting closer. They hardly had much time, and with Macy’s arm out of commission it left little in her favor that she would make it in a fight again.

Just then the floor began to rumble and shake, and he watched the walls begin to shift once more.

“Clay!! The walls!!” Lance called out as he looked between him and the others.

“I can hold myself with Macy! Stay together as much as possible! Finish the mission!” He stated. Even if they got split up, at least with the three of them together it would make it easier to find them. He and Macy could fend for themselves, they’d done it before.

As soon as the last glimpse of his team was shut out of view, he held his sword ready.

…

“Where’s Clay?!” Aaron called out to Lance as he caught up to him.

“The walls! They’re moving again, we need to stay together and finish the mission!”

“What about the others?! We can’t just leave them!”

Lance gestured to the wall, “His words, not mine!!”

“MOVE!!!”

Axl’s big shout jolted the two and prompted them to get moving again, as if it wasn’t clear that they were still being chased by the goyal from before. Only now they had to be just as careful with their trap guide being out of bounds.

“Can’t you fire another arrow at that thing and make it blind?!” Lance shouted from in front.

“It would take too long! Focusing all that Nexo into one point takes time!! And concentration!! I can’t exactly concentrate with a monster chasing me!!” Aaron shouted back, narrowly avoiding the same pitfall trap that Clay had.

The hall they were in was becoming increasingly more narrow also, as he saw it, there were two paths ahead that split off from a wall. It was only a matter of time before they’d either fall prey to a trap or the goyal. And the thing could break through walls…wait!

“Maybe we can use it to forge a path ahead! This place is a giant maze, and the walls are against us. Let’s use its own trap against it!”

“Are you crazy?!”

“You got any better ideas?!”

Lance smacked himself in the side of the head in irritation that he didn’t, “Fine!! But I’m not going to your death ceremony if this kills you!”

“You and Axl speed up and split off when I give the signal, ready?”

Both gave a grunt of affirmation.

“GO!!”

Aaron watched as they rushed ahead of him, making decent time. While he slowed down barely, just enough to have the goyal focus on him. All the while he unhooked something from his right arm and tried to aim it towards the ceiling between a crack.

Closer the goyal got, he could practically smell its breath as it snarled at him.

Now

A shot rang out as a harpoon soared high and snagged itself in the stone, and instantly Aaron leaped, catching the wall he was about to run into with his feet and looking back. Just in time to see himself face to face with the goyal before he pushed himself off and jumped harmlessly over it.

A loud crash thundered throughout the halls, the sounds of stone crumbling as dust and debris filled the air.

Aaron could only hang helplessly from the ceiling as he looked down, breathing heavily as he tried to get a reading on the scene. It looked like it had worked, more or less…

“Did it work??” Lance’s voice piped up from around one of the corners. Axl’s armor shining through the dark of the other.

“I think so!!” Aaron called. Watching the two make their way through the mess of stones.

“How the heck did you get up there?!”

“Just a lil something I made while in the Academy.” Aaron stated while he lowered himself back to the ground. “Watch out for the end piece.” He warned as he whipped it free and steadily reeled it back in.

“You’re insane, that- whole idea was insane!” Lance wheezed a little, groaning from the ache in his lungs.

“It worked though, yeah?” He chuckled, flinching a little when Axl patted him on the back.

“Smart and crazy.” He rumbled with a laugh.

“Heheh, thanks…” Looking back though, Aaron couldn’t help but worry about the others. “What about our Captain?”

“I told you, he said to finish the mission. I think he thinks that if we find the center of the maze we can stop all this madness and save ourselves the trouble of finding a way out…I hope so at least.” Lance sighed.

“I hope you’re right…”