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 Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:53 am
He hated his wonder.
It was a dismal place. Upon his first visitation, he had hoped to find a slightly dilapidated place that only needed some attention and simply to gain what he needed and leave. It was a place of the past and to him, it was the past that had failed so poorly to make the current mess last this long. The expanse of years had done nothing to resolve anything and he didn't have any high hopes to some assigned location he was forced to guard simply because he was a knight.
However, he did know of duty and exchange. No power at any side came without a price. The senshi were tied to their dying moons and planets. The Royals puppets to the bidding and wants of their worlds. Thr Negaverse were leashed to Chaos, Metallia, and the strict rules imposed upon them. With a bitter taste, he was reminded of this and the Code came forward as his new celestial supervisor. A body of power no doubt with it's own goals and so far only showed that was very easy to be corrupted and take down the entire network of knights in one go.
But necessity opened his fists and he went to see his wonder only to find it worse then some dustbowl town abandoned to the elements.
His wonder was of Gevaudan. A place linked by the influence of Ganymeade and suffered for it. As the nobility lavished itself in the finer details, gluttonous on flaunting wealth and becoming bousterous patrons to any artist or sculptor, it had left the world about it in ruins.
Gevaudan crumbled in the soft-palmed hands of it's royalty. The place was decorated in all manner of gothic architecture and wrought-iron accenting. Angelic-winged maidens poor depictions of the trust and bitterness of senshi were half-destroyed. Statues of knights were tarnished with neglect from the people who turned their backs to the ones who failed them. Fires dotted the stairs, closed walkways and became ashen piles, and filth-littered cobbled streets. Decayed bodies laid slumped at the feet of closed doors. The larges spires blotted the sun and casted long shadows over darker tunnels and dripping bridges and among the fetid drains came the howling winds that echoes and ran in the cold streets.
In it's final chapter, thr last residents had been the monstrous dogs. Black half-wolves with exposed spines and ribs who fed upon their straved brothers and ate what few creatures came from the surronding forest that encircled the town. They had been the knight's own, once glossy-furred and regal but freed and went ravenous with starvation amd ate upon any lone villager in the streets. Villages too weak from empty stomachs and bad water to fight.
It had taken trial after trial to search the place and often he was left cornered, gasping for air as the spaces closed about him and gripped panic of capture inside his chest. If the spaces had been wider, the place a bit brighter, he could have moved more easily. But the old fears of the past came too strong. Confined places. The smell of fire. Flesh. Blood. The distant noises in the dark. The movement of shadows in the corner of his eye. He was far away from them and yet he doubted the DMC's reach.
It took over a year to find it. The heart of his wonder. The old stone church chambers where a pile of ash and armor showed the final betrayal of a frustrated people at the failed Royalty who covered their ears and doors to their lands. All the while the knights who tried to dispel their mounting anger at the lack of food, the murders in the street, and the knights' dogs who were let loose upon the city. The dogs who had guarded the people turned upon them and wished for a hearty stew from either dog or man when rumors of knights being pampered by royalty must have made them soft and tender. When the horses were picked clean and small children went missing.
He stood there, a shoe pushing the ash and the few burnt blades plunged in for good measure among the fires of the past. He was pledged to death and misery. He bent the knee to suffering and cruelty. This was his knighthood. His bannerflag.
His eyes moved up to the broken cathedral and torn banners. The scorch marks crawling up the sides and carcases of rodents and birds bright on the rafters.
"I need to talk to you? Do you hear me? Code? I want to know something."
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 6:44 am
The Code may have seemed a fickle thing to Knights who regularly tried to summon it; it was rarely it ever seemed to respond when called. There were times when it would simply glow lifelessly at whatever alter it had been placed at, or occasions where it almost seemed to want to float away, but it did not often speak. Today, it did. "I am here," the glowing orb announced, in a voice with no emotion. It was a sentient thing, but it was by no means a human. It could talk like a human, communicate, hold a conversation, but it had no face or form here. No emotions, no warmth. It was simply a glowing orb that radiated a faint energy and, despite not having eyes, seemed to watch Gevaudan with a piercing gaze. The Code, spared human anxiety or concern, had no issue getting to the point; no time was wasted when it asked, "What do you want to know?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 7:04 am
He didn't feel warmth from the code. So often as a Negaverse agent he had wondered if Order associated their energy to that of a warm hearth that comforted them and radiated the will of justice and morality. Something had to excuse their unweilding ideals that they were good and right. But once he crossed over, he felt it held no more warmth then lukewarm water to him. Tempid and weak.
What bothered him was that the power for knight's struck too close to Metallia. This Code. While he had met Metallia in its chamber, it had been pitch dark, but even as his eyes adjusted he could sense it was unnatural. It had no form but a crushing presense of power that left him sick with awe and weak with fear. In comparison, the Code was a light bulb. Dim. Floating. Despite it having no face you felt it had a direction it could turn to watch you and that it was watching you. It was unnatural energy with no indications of its desires yet Gevaudan knew it had them.
He wondered what this piece though this abnormality of the hive-mind whole of the code. What did it see when he saw his wonder? When it saw any wonder in such a state and rotting in the past. Did it feel any remorse of the mistreatment of the knights offered to senshi?
He doubted it felt at all.
But it spoke and that was more than he had expeced.
"When I was purified, I swore an oath to a Royal senshi. To serve and protect. Is that my only purpose? Have I no obligations to the people who suffer by the lazy neglect of the Royal Senshi who fail to lead their people? Who rest themselves comfortably on the breaking backs of their knights and the people who look to them to help end the war?"
His fingers twisted into fists. "If I am to protect from those who do harm, what if those on my side are the cause? What then?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 7:16 am
Without an expression or body, it was difficult to read the Code--and yet, in its own way, it seemed curious. "Your purpose is your own," it said bluntly. "You serve no one but yourself." It did not end its answer there, but it seemed to be gathering the energy to speak, to continue. "Your owe no Senshi an oath. What you arrange with them is on your own terms, but the Knights are not sworn to obedience to any living creature. The nature of a Knight is to protect and uphold the Code. The nature of the Code is to uphold balance. The nature of balance is to ensure the proper stasis of the universe, by which to allow continued growth and success." The light, while still hovering in its area, grew brighter, illuminating the room a bit more. "It is to yourself that you owe allegiance, first and foremost. You must trust your instinct and your drive to do what you feel is best. For you, for the people, for the universe. It is to this Wonder that you owe purpose. You protect it, and the Code. The Code, myself," it clarified, "grants you the power to do this, and the trust to do it well. You are not obligated to serve any soul, Royal or not. Know though, the source of your power is not so different from theirs. A Royal gains power from their homeworld. Your power comes from the Code but it would be a lie to say that the magic you wield is not an amalgamation of the Code's power and the power of the world you serve. It is why, when all wonders have a piece of the Code, your magics can be so different. But." A seriousness spread across the room. "I have said that balance can be difficult. Evil does not always come from Chaos. A darkness exists in the heart of all living creatures. All souls can be swayed by its presence. Tell me," it said, for the first time sounding almost gentle, almost encouraging. "What is it you see that bothers you so? Who has told you you must serve another?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 8:01 am
He listened, the light welcoming in such a cold and dark place. With the Code's illumination, the details of the church came to life. The intricate carvings on the pews to the tilework that circled a blazing sun on the center before the pedestals. Candelabras glinted in small patches where the rust hadn't taken hold, and the broken shards of stained glass littering the ground twinkled and reflected about the walls and moth-eaten tapestries. Old books in languages he couldn't read sat dusted and molding as their leather-bound covers detailed in swirling designs slept on the stones. And at his feet the ash-covered swords that had been plunged into his successor recalled their former polish.
He was surprised he had met no opposition, and instead smiled at the assurance that he had no master. Even this entity to which he borrowed power cared nothing other than it's own protection.
They seemed to all be the same. Different goals, personalities, but in the end their own preservation was the first and foremost rule. Even gods feared death it seemed.
The knights are not sworn to obedience to any living creature.
Living. The Code wasn't actually alive, now was it. It was the exception. You are my pawn and you swear to me and in return I give you this power to do with what you will.
He breathed in as the Code seemed to speak his own thoughts.
It is to yourself that you owe allegiance, first and foremost. It was refreshing, but he could taste the bitter aftertaste of such a statement being applied to the whole of the knighthood.
It was selfishness. You were not expected much and in return you were granted power. Power many knights wasted in inactivity or lacking direction. The freedom that allowed Gevaudan to do with what he pleased allowed him to pursue his goals with ruthless vigor and reckless abandon. But the other knights rested on it like a crutch. If nothing was expected, they failed no obligations and with nothing asked of them they could not fail. In that, they felt themselves succeeding as knights.
Looking about, he glanced over the wasteland of his own wonder. Protecting a dead stone was easy. It had nothing here aside from the Code piece that served any value. Gevaudan was not interested in pawning off the items about the place and maybe aside from tidying a small area for his own personal use, knew there was no point in restoring it. It had no former glory. It was a gravestone that even flowers could not improve.
The seriousness settled, but it was no change for the already stern officer. "Your knights are lost. The freedom they enjoy is a double-edged sword. While they have an endless amount of possibilities to go after the sources of evil and corruption, they remain idle and complacent that as long as they walk in circles in uniform, then they not only deserve the power they have been given but grow lazy with their morality. They do not seek to dirty their hands and ignore the very basics of war. They are cowards to pick up the swords they have been given to fight and are only called to action out of necessity. I have been told by others they serve their senshi due to the colors and symbols they wear upon their person. I'm not sure if this is by choice though I feel it's more that they feel obligated by their uniform and are too fresh-faced to question it."
Then there was his own purification. "Even Camelot stated upon my becoming a knight to serve the White moon. It seems even your highest ranking is placing his own beliefs upon others."
But that wasn't the only thing that bothered him.
"While the senshi's mechanics of power might be similar to you, to us, they also suffer the same disease. The freedom to act and the power granted to them, but no one has conditioned them to fight. No on expects anything from them and they raise their haunches whenever anyone of power or authority tries to rally them. They throw tantrums like children being scolded when all they want to do is have recess instead of doing work. I have seen the meetings. Each one climbing upon the other to be heard. Most of all, the senshi Royalty is as worthless as the one that destroyed this wonder in the past. They command no respect and they do not act. They do not gather troops and they do not plan attacks. They turn their nose at it. As if they are far too good while those like the Dark Moon Court run wild in the streets."
"If we owe no alliances, then those who allow evil to grow and fester are no less guilty of corruption than those with Chaos signatures and does that not go against your rules. Does that not jeopardize your well-being that the knights who keep their hands soft and clean will fail to protect and strike down the opposition?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 12:49 am
The Code did not seem intimidated or without answers. It continued to hover, light shifting as it listened, as it spoke. "Your idea of balance is not always the idea of others. There are warriors. There are healers. There are creators, innovators, scholars. You have seen battle," it recognized, "That perhaps others have not. You are willing to strike where need be. But something drove you to this. Not all Knights have been put to such a test." It was quiet for a few seconds. "Yet." The ethereal state of the orb made it look sometimes both solid and hazy, but always now it seemed to be watching Gevaudan, as if it recognized that he deserved its full attention. "Sometimes you do not need to strike down an enemy. Sometimes they will be stronger than you, stronger than you will ever be. Sometimes you must use tact, or kindness, to win them over. I cannot speak for all Knights or all entities of Chaos, for there are too many to simplify. The universe is an expansive place. If violence was the only answer, all life would have died away long ago." A brief pause, to let it sink in, and then, "Who you serve is your own decree. Perhaps you choose to ally yourself with the Senshi that wears your colors. Perhaps you operate alone. That is your choice to make, and the choice of others to make for themselves. You may follow the ideals of the White Moon, for in older days it was indeed the ideal era of peace. But you do not serve any Master. There are those who may guide you, and those that may seek for your guidance, but in all instances you must uphold the balance. Chaos cannot win. And you cannot let yourself fall to it. Corruption is everywhere. What will you do to combat it?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 6:49 pm
He only stared back, feeling the Code's gaze upon him. It knew of the corruption that was forced from his starseed. It knew where he came from. No doubt it would have concerns that one of it's soldiers would be corrupted again.
"I will fight chaos as I have been fighting it." He just had no need to tell it what side of Chaos he was fighting. The Dark Moon Court was his target alone.
"And I will keep a watchful eye on those who bask in the light of Order and yet do more damage than that of Chaos. I have witnessed first hand what evil can come from Order Senshi. The Blood Moon Court was created out of the neglect of the senshi and the side of order to remain watchful on all sides and take action. Such things shouldn't happen again."
"And what can I do to better serve you? To become stronger still? To fight those evils?"
And he stepped closer. "Is there something even the knights do not do for you?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 3:13 pm
"Your Wonder is in decay," the Code said. "While I cannot guarantee it will give you more strength, it would not be unbecoming of a Knight of your rank to put in a little more effort in its restoration. In older times, times long past, when the Wonders flourished, so did the Code and, therefor, the Knight. Time has not been kind to most Wonders, and some are so badly damaged that the Code piece there cannot function. Yours is in a bad state, but it is not irreparable. I would think spending time here would fulfill you in a way that fighting would not." The Code flickered with the unnatural light that made up its form, but it never shifted so much that any change was directly noticeable. "But I cannot ask for more than what any Knight is willing to provide. Serving your Wonder is voluntary. There is no punishment, no obligation to fulfill, except the goals you set for yourself. Perhaps, at one point in time, things would have been different. The mantle could have been passed to a more willing volunteer. But now, so many things have changed. You can do only what you are willing, that is all I can ask of any Knight. But there is a solace in knowing your Wonder is well cared for, I think. And a power that comes from it. Most Knights have not managed to restore theirs to any great capacity. I long to see that. But I do not know there is much I can offer you by way of guidance otherwise. What do you do already, on Earth?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 4:37 pm
He stood still, the defensive stance and straight back slacking just a bit as he looked around his, brow creased with concern as he stared at the scorched remains of the church.
"Repair......this?" How was he supposed to restore this to any former glory? This would take ages to fix. "Rebuild a whole town?"
He wasn't a mason, a glass-smith, a brick layer, or any other kind of specialized craftsman. He only graduated highschool and that was after dropping out to dedicate his life for the Negaverse. He only got his GED a few years ago online. He never even built a birdhouse before.
Moreso, despite there being no tone to grasp from the Code, he felt as if he was being reprimanded like a child with a messy room. That a clean place was a happy place - or in this case The Code piece.
However, there was an insinuation. A sort of hopeful dream that a wonder could be restored and if so, maybe that Knight could become stronger by having a Code Piece that could flourish in a place akin to where it was first placed. The real question was how was he ever going to rebuilt an entire town?
Maybe he should just focus on the church itself.
The last question had him turning his roaming gave back to the Code. "What do I do?" It was a loaded question. "I've...been patrolling. Collecting information and tracking down the DMC."
And what else was there to mention.
"...and work a normal job just to pay for my living." His civilian life was to pass time to nightfall. That and to take care of General, his dog.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 10:06 pm
The Code seemed to watch, in the strange way that it did. It wasn't unfriendly, just there. Just curiuos, about him, and all the things it couldn't see. Its place was here, at his Wonder--the same as it was for all other Knights. "The DMC," it repeated, partially a question. "The Negaverse is still the primary threat to Knights?" it then asked. No hostility, no anger, only a desire to understand. "I trust that you are doing what is best for you. It is your discretion how to uphold the balance. As long as you are not abusing your power, you are part of a solution, are you not?" It was an assurance, a faith, that the Code was palcing in him. "Fight for the good of the universe, and you will make your impact. And, when you need down time, come here. Come to your Wonder, and let it clear your mind, let it restore you. And in turn, you can restore it as well. If you want direction, that is all I can give you. You have a light in your heart that will guide you. It is why you wear this mantle. It is why you are the Knight of Gevaudan."
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