|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 1:19 pm
Hyperborea had sent Camelot an invitation earlier. She was going to her wonder tonight and she wanted to take him along since he had said he'd never been to a cosmos wonder and she felt like it was the least she could do after he had taken her to Camelot. She had asked him to meet her at the library roof tonight, since she didn't want to make him travel very far with his injury and it was the place they had meet at before.
She climbed the fire escape and was elated to see the Royal knight waiting for her.
"Merci! I'm so happy you could make it. I can't wait to show you Hyperborea!" Hyperborea said happily as she made her way over to Camelot's side.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 1:51 pm
Camelot was glad to get the invitation from Hyperborea to go and meet her. He actually did not get to visit many wonders outside of his own, at least not as many as he would like, so he could not help his excitement. It felt a little silly, like he was supposed to be above that kind of goofy excitement, but nope. He was still human.
And young at heart.
Adventure would always get to him.
Standing on the roof of the library, he waved when she climbed up over the edge of the fire escape and onto the roof. Grinning ear to ear, he moved to give her a hug in greeting, nodding his head.
"I can't wait to see it. I can't even begin to imagine what we might see there, as I've never been to a Cosmos wonder before. Ah, I know I've said that. Well, anyway, I'm certainly excited."
He chuckled bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. The roles were reversed from their first meeting, it seemed, and now he was the one waiting with anticipation crackling through him to go and see something new.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 2:30 pm
"I think you like it."She said with a grin, allowing her self to indulge in a bit of pride for her wonder. She took his hand and repeated the phrase she had said when she and Penthe last took the trip: "I pledge my life and loyalty to Cosmos, and to Hyperborea. I humbly request your aid, so that in return I may give you mine." And with that the pair vanished.
When Hyperborea opened her eyes the city of Hyperborea lay before them. The walls were crumbling but the main gate was still intact with its two huge deer statues carved about the entrance in the pose of a lion rampant. The city itself looked like something out of a text book on ancient greece only built for giants. And the acropolis towered above them in the center of the city. Behind them was the outer archway, Theseus had called it a gate, that was severly cracked at the top but ultimately intact and a completely destroyed bridge leading to what looked like a dead farm. Further out were the three purple suns circling Hyperborea. To their right was a temple, at least that's what it looked like to Hyperborea she didn't know if thats what it actually was or not, and it here a voice suddenly came from that made Hyperborea almost jump.
"So back again little heir. Here I was starting to wonder if you'd given up being a knight. Glad to see I was wrong, Kora. And another visitor." Theseus said as he appeared in the temple door way. He was wearing the same iridescent chlamys and white kilt and golden Greek style Helmet that concealed all of his face save his bright purple eyes and his long black braid that sat on his shoulder. "Not just any visitor it would seem." Theseus bowed at Camelot, almost to the point that his body was at a right angle. "Greetings Royal Knight, respect for your role is great here. Please forgive that we are unable to give you proper respects and greetings."
"Oh Camelot this is Theseus. My ancestor." She said a bit embarrassed at how formal Theseus was being.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 2:50 pm
Camelot looked around in wonder, surprised by the profound size of the place. It was beautiful, immediately, though it suffered the same damage as all wonders seemed to, from the passage of time and perhaps the touches of war. Still, it was impressive in its build, and there was so much left standing that Camelot had more than enough to gawk at.
He had never seen such suns before, either, as he looked up to the sky. It definitely felt like he was no longer on Earth, a place he was so closely tied. Even his wonder was still Earth, and that made it immediately easy to relate to. But this was foreign to him in many ways, and it was overwhelming.
In a very good way, of course. He was fascinated.
"This place is beautiful," he was saying, before another voice chimed in. He turned to see the ghost, and bowed in return. "Being allowed to visit here is more than enough, let me assure you. Thank you for having me here." He straightened up and looked at Hyperborea.
"Your Ancestor? Of course! I don't have one of my own, at least not own I can speak to. He must have a lot to teach you." He looked at Theseus again, knowing that some knights did not actually get along with the ghosts they were greeted by in their wonders.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 3:21 pm
"So you are the heir to Camelot. Well you seem a fine man to where the name." Theseus said before mentioning toward Hyperborea "As for Kora, I shall endeavor to teach her all I can though I must admit it is still distressing that my heir should not only be so small but a girl as well. Nonetheless she is my descendant and she was chosen by Hyperborea so clearly she is worthy in some way." He turned to face the said page "So Kora what can I help you with this time."
Hyperborea puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, she didn't like it when he acted as if she wasn't as fit to be a knight because she was a girl but she decided it wasn't worth getting in an argument. He was like a racists grandpa who didn't know he was being racists. "I was hoping you would show me and Camelot around."
Theseus nodded and motioned for them to follow him into the city. He lead them down the main street which was lined with statues of old knights some of the statues were falling appart others were still intact. "We Hyperboreans revered our knights, they were worshiped after death as beings close to gods." Theseus explained as they walked. "However really a knight's duty was only to keep the peace and ensure that Hospitium was kept when the city had visitors. Do either of you have questions?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 3:40 pm
Camelot blushed a bit, nodding his head in thanks for the ghost's kind words, though he winced a bit as Theseus made a comment about the fact that Hyperborea was a girl. That mentality, of course, was not surprising, as women had been looked down on far too much throughout the ages. It seemed even places like this were little different.
But Camelot knew that any knight awakened to face their potential was worthy of the calling, and he knew Hyperborea's heart was in the right place. She was meeting her destiny, one step at a time, and it was not for Camelot to predict where that would lead her.
Maybe it would just take a little time for Theseus to see what Camelot already saw.
Walking beside Hyperborea as Theseus led the way, he gave her a sideways look, smiling.
"He will see, in time, how worthy you are. Don't worry about that."
He realized he was not really paying attention to the lesson Theseus was sharing, and cleared his throat.
"Ah, no, that sounds incredible. I don't think I've ever been revered like a God." He laughed at that, though he was a bit awkward. "Uh. Is Hospitium something like a belief the Hyperboreans followed?" Camelot was not all that familiar with Grecian history or customs, of course, so his question was innocent enough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 4:09 pm
Hyperborea whispered thanks to Camelot and regarded him with a appriciative smile. He was so kind and thoughtful. Hyperborea thought he was almost like a second father.
"And you wouldn't be not alive anyway. A living knight of Hyperborea was respected but only as an arbitor of the city, someone trusted with resolving issues that threatened the peace. Once they died however a knight was considered a revered ancestor, which is why visiting knights were so respected here because they as well would one day become revered ancestors." Theseus spoke in a happier almost jovial tone. "It both is and is not a belief of ours. Hyperbreans practice ancestor worship and the greatest of our ancestors, the first knight Apollon is our god. He commanded that Hyperboreans should follow the practice of Hospitium. Hospitium itself is the practice of courtesy and respect to visitors. All strangers without exception were protected by Apollon and so we welcomed people into our homes and gave them food and lodgings. Once they were ready to leave we would split a die in half and give a half of it to the guest to symbolize our new found connection and promise to always give aid to them." He said.
After a bit of walking the trio reached the Acropolis hill. "I haven't found as much cool stuff as you have in Camelot but I can at least show you the cool place where I got my signet ring from." Hyperborea said excitedly to Camelot, she didn't know much about the city but she could at least show him the labyrinth.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 4:36 pm
"That's truly fascinating," Camelot said, his voice filled with awe. He loved learning about the other cultures of the past, the ones that he had no real knowledge of. It was always a real delight, to be able to learn about something like this, and he felt honored to have the chance.
She did not have to bring him here, after all. Wonders were personal, and he did not want to intrude.
He looked at Hyperborea, still adjusting to the story her ancestor had just told them, the information slowly setting in. He smiled at her, nodding his head eagerly.
"I would love to see where you found it. That's probably an important place, hm?"
He knew that everything was new and interesting for each knight that visited their wonder, and he was all too happy to see what they learned. Follow in their footsteps, so to speak, and hear the stories they had to tell. He nodded his head again at Theseus in a slight bow, thanking him for the tour so far, then turned his attention back to Hyperborea.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 5:10 pm
Hyperborea took he led since this part of her city she was familiar with. Theseus fell to the back of them as Hyperborea led the way up the hill. The way was lined with dead trees. "Those once bloomed rainbow cherry blossoms. They were the pride of Hyperborea. From all over the cosmos visitors would come to watch them bloom." Theseus explained with a slightly sad tone to his voice. after about five minutes of walking they had reached the entrance.
"I'm sorry to make you walk so much by the way. Your injury isn't bothering you right Camelot?" Hyperborea asked a bit concerned. They made their way into the court yard. A bronze statue holding what looked like a rounded javelin made of gold. "That is Abaris, another knight of legend. It was said he built the buildings you see on Acropolis. The gold javelin reflected the light of the three suns to direct travelers to the city." Theseus explained. Like the climb up, all of the grass and trees were dead here. There were many buildings around, most of the paint on them had faded leaving only white marble and gold accents. one building immediately caught the eye, the Knight's temple and home. It was almost the size of a foot ball field and a large hole had sadly been blasted into it's roof at some point. Hyperborea lead them in where they were greeted by a towering statue, crafted in gold and marble, holding a bow on his solders. " That is the god Apollon, this building was used for worship by the citizens and was home to the current knight." Theseus offered the explanation. "Just a bit further Camelot do you want to rest here." Hyperborea offered pointing to the worn down but still intact pews inside the building.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 6:19 pm
Camelot looked at the trees as they walked, wondering why they had died, and nothing had grown back in their place. Some places seemed more impacted than others by the war, and some were far more ruined than others. He knew his Wonder was lucky, since it had been able to grow and be beautiful, despite what happened.
He heard Theseus behind him, as if expecting the question that came to Camelot's mind, and he nodded his head slowly, turning a sad look back to the trees. It was a shame not to be able to see them in their bloom, as he imagined they were beautiful.
"Oh, walking is good for me," he said, smiling. Maybe he was putting a brave face, but he was at least limping along without the need of his shield or a cane. When powered he had much more strength than when not, so he was able to get around better. Even still, he had been healing much quicker.
Once they were inside the knight's temple, he looked at the statue of Apollon in wonder, nodding along to the lesson.
"That's incredible. Ah, no, I can keep going. Honestly, don't worry, I'll keep up and when I can't, I'll let you know." Unlikely. He was the type to hide his own issues from others, so they did not burden others. "Show me where you found your signet, I'm very curious to see it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 6:44 pm
"Ok onward then" Hyperborea said. She led Camelot to a back room where the the two giant stone doors leading down into the labyrinth remained open from when Penthe had used her magic on them. After a bit of walking down stairs the only light for them to see with was small glowing purple crystal embedded in the walls at irregular intervals. The little bit of light revealed a complex and shifting maze.
"The walls get a bit narrow here and its easy to get lost if your not a knight of Hyperborea, so we should stay close." She said as she took hold of Camelots hand and led the way into the maze. She retraced the path Theseus had shown her the first time she came here.
Eventually they reached a open area with four stone statues of faceless knights holding tablets with alien writing on them, surrounding a stone circle on the ground and pedestal where Hyperborea had gotten her ring. "This is the place." Hyperborea announced. Beyond the knight statues was a giant knight statue holding a scroll like the others, only the surface had a mirrored polish and more alien writing on it. "The four statues hold a philosophical poem from Apollon called The Laws, and the larger statue holds the creed of Hyperborean Knights." Theseus explained.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 8:11 am
Camelot looked at the crystals curiously, lifting his hand to touch one then chiding himself mentally for being so silly about it. He was not a kid, and he could look with his eyes, not his hands.
"I'll try not to get lost," he said, and he meant it. When it came out of his mouth, he thought he was making a joke, but the more he looked around, the more he understood that he probably would get lost in here, without her help. He limped after her as closely as he could follow, just in case.
He let her take his hand, smiling affectionately and wondering if this was what it was going to be like when his daughter was a little older, old enough to walk hand in hand with him.
Once they reached the wider area, he looked around in wonder.
"That's pretty amazing. There's so much history here, it's fantastic. They built this place with every intention of sharing their culture with the future: with showing the future knights what their duty would be. I've never seen a place so dedicated to the knights, past, present, and future."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 8:47 am
"This is the core of Hyperborea, if one part of the city were considered the true wonder, it would be this maze. It was said this is what Apollon constructed first when he founded Hyperborea and that he hide many treasures here. Right now we are standing on the first level of the maze but I was told by my predecessor that it goes much deeper." Theseus explained. "As for our devotion to knight I suppose part of it is the fact that Princess Cosmos was so distant and absent from our lives, and our people were philosophers who recognized the value of knights and so respect and devotion to them grew from that."
"Your wonder's the same, full of history and fantastic and wonderful. I guess all wonders are. Thats why they're called wonders." Hyperborea giggled at her joke. Then a memory struck her, a promise she had made and almost forgotten about in all the excitement of visiting her wonder with Camelot.
"Um Camelot can I talk with you about something not wonder related? Do you know a Negaverse agent named Merlinite? He got made into a half youma by Painite because he tried to purify, and I was wondering if you help purify him or maybe you knew a way to." Hyperborea asked hopeful that the Royal Knight could help.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 9:46 am
"Well, then, exploring this place should provide you with many things to learn from, I imagine. It should be an adventure each time you come here!"
Camelot marveled, and was almost a little jealous. He was sure there were plenty of things he still needed to find in his own Wonder, but this looked incredibly fun. He couldn't help but love it, and be excited for her.
When she changed subjects, though, Camelot gave her his full attention. He was surprised to hear about Merlinite, and what happened to him. The two had not encountered each other since that large battle that had left Camelot injured.
"Half youma?" He looked a little perplexed. It was something he had wondered about before, but not attempted. As far as he knew, based on everything he had learned about starseeds over the years, youma could not be purified because of the damage Chaos caused to their starseed. But what about someone that was still half human? Half Nega.
"I... I've never tried to help a youma before. It's something I would have to look into. I wouldn't want to make any promises but... if he still wanted to purify, I would do my best to help him. He has to come to me."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 10:06 am
"I knew you'd help!" Hyperborea exclaimed happily "Merlinite thought you wouldn't want to see him. But I was sure regardless of what happened if he wanted to be good now you'd help."
"Um I don't really know any other places to show you. Theseus is there anything else you could show us?" Hyperborea asked realizing that she had nothing left to show Camelot here.
"Nothing I'm comfortable having outsiders see. I hope you understand and can forgive me but even on Hyperborea there are places guests are not allowed." He said in an apologetic tone toward the Royal Knight.
"Well then do you want to go back or we can stay here for a bit." Hyperborea offered.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
