- Joined
- Jan 19, 2014
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Morzaria's autumn always unnerved Vlasta. Squire he might have been, he didn't have the constitution for his home province's pitch black nights. Not to mention he still had a page's heart when it came to the anxiety-inducing, sudden crunch of far off leaf-piles. He felt particularly prickly on this shift; the Paladin Gerolsbach had been absent for the past few weeks, after all. His jolly disposition often lit the stone rooms of the safehouse, and the dreariness left without him was so thick in the air Vlasta swore he could've cut it.
He didn't pay much attention to the passing groups of knights. As was custom, they were but a sea of black-leather cloaks or stark white jackets, and in the dim night he rarely thought to make out faces beneath their shrouded hoods. That was the job of his Knight-master, Ser Andrasko, after all.
Andrasko, too, was testy, in the absence of his superior officer. Keen to return to his bunker, he offhandedly allowed three returning patrols to enter without his usual thorough search. The roaming Ser Wagner, the artillerist, and the roboticist with his automatons. He had known the lot of them for five years by now. He assumed he'd find little of note in their pockets (beyond a few spare papers the artillerist might've forgotten to leave in his desk, again).
By sunlight in the morning, Vlasta and his knight-master's night-watch ended, and it was in this early hour that they tracked into the kitchen to thieve a meal before they might return to their dorms. Both were surprised to find the assembled, ragtag morning-knights all gathered around the dining table. With the absence of the Paladin, Knight-Major Diana (who herself was only placed in charge due to Gerolsbach's absence) had decided to host a group breakfast for sake of morale. The Ser and Squire were the last to sit.
One of the white-robed automated servants of the roboticist drew to the table. It bowed its head. This was enough for the Knight-Major Diana to raise a brow, for such customs of politeness were not designed into Lothar automatons. And the roboticist, who now did not recognize this one as one of his entourage, was already reaching for a hammer. Through this robot, a red-colored box now rested on the table.
They had been trained for this. The Squire leapt from the table and reached hastily for his rifle, but his panicked hands dropped it. The more seasoned knights withdrew and loaded in seconds, and mixtures of quicksilver and lead so thoroughly obliterated the automaton that its oculars popped out and rolled on the dining room's floors.
For all their speed, the Knights were too late. Its metal hand had opened the box. A red string of sinew and meat leapt out, and soon the Rank-Knight Elma died, her internals replaced by the monster that had just been hidden in the box. With a wave of her puppeteered hand, her body, as well as the bodies of every reloading knight in that room, transformed into any variable of flesh-beast and occult monstrosity.
The remaining knights were caught between barked orders and screams. The red within what had once been Elma expelled itself like a torrent of blood, and a dark haired, red-armed person formed a body from it. They simply disappeared down the stairs, toward the Vaults. Barely any knight noticed them, really, too caught up in their duels with lost and twisted comrades.
As this occurred, Vlasta impaled what was once Ser Bastian on the bayonet of his rifle. Just before he could retrieve his weapon from the corpse of the ribcage spider, Ser Andrasko grabbed him, separating him from his gun. The knight-master had resolved to not lose another Squire, and so he barred the doors to the dormitories and locked his apprentice into a closet nearby. He had hoped to escape through the front door, but the flesh-beasts had already begun to patrol it. They were camping out for Knights seeking reinforcements.
So, for two hours did the knight hold the barred door soundlessly. For two hours, he stalled his breathing when he heard something shamble by. For two hours, he'd lift his hand to shepherd his terrified squire to silence. For two hours, he ignored the screams of his comrades, entirely certain that he'd seen each of them transform already.
He didn't pay much attention to the passing groups of knights. As was custom, they were but a sea of black-leather cloaks or stark white jackets, and in the dim night he rarely thought to make out faces beneath their shrouded hoods. That was the job of his Knight-master, Ser Andrasko, after all.
Andrasko, too, was testy, in the absence of his superior officer. Keen to return to his bunker, he offhandedly allowed three returning patrols to enter without his usual thorough search. The roaming Ser Wagner, the artillerist, and the roboticist with his automatons. He had known the lot of them for five years by now. He assumed he'd find little of note in their pockets (beyond a few spare papers the artillerist might've forgotten to leave in his desk, again).
By sunlight in the morning, Vlasta and his knight-master's night-watch ended, and it was in this early hour that they tracked into the kitchen to thieve a meal before they might return to their dorms. Both were surprised to find the assembled, ragtag morning-knights all gathered around the dining table. With the absence of the Paladin, Knight-Major Diana (who herself was only placed in charge due to Gerolsbach's absence) had decided to host a group breakfast for sake of morale. The Ser and Squire were the last to sit.
One of the white-robed automated servants of the roboticist drew to the table. It bowed its head. This was enough for the Knight-Major Diana to raise a brow, for such customs of politeness were not designed into Lothar automatons. And the roboticist, who now did not recognize this one as one of his entourage, was already reaching for a hammer. Through this robot, a red-colored box now rested on the table.
They had been trained for this. The Squire leapt from the table and reached hastily for his rifle, but his panicked hands dropped it. The more seasoned knights withdrew and loaded in seconds, and mixtures of quicksilver and lead so thoroughly obliterated the automaton that its oculars popped out and rolled on the dining room's floors.
For all their speed, the Knights were too late. Its metal hand had opened the box. A red string of sinew and meat leapt out, and soon the Rank-Knight Elma died, her internals replaced by the monster that had just been hidden in the box. With a wave of her puppeteered hand, her body, as well as the bodies of every reloading knight in that room, transformed into any variable of flesh-beast and occult monstrosity.
The remaining knights were caught between barked orders and screams. The red within what had once been Elma expelled itself like a torrent of blood, and a dark haired, red-armed person formed a body from it. They simply disappeared down the stairs, toward the Vaults. Barely any knight noticed them, really, too caught up in their duels with lost and twisted comrades.
As this occurred, Vlasta impaled what was once Ser Bastian on the bayonet of his rifle. Just before he could retrieve his weapon from the corpse of the ribcage spider, Ser Andrasko grabbed him, separating him from his gun. The knight-master had resolved to not lose another Squire, and so he barred the doors to the dormitories and locked his apprentice into a closet nearby. He had hoped to escape through the front door, but the flesh-beasts had already begun to patrol it. They were camping out for Knights seeking reinforcements.
So, for two hours did the knight hold the barred door soundlessly. For two hours, he stalled his breathing when he heard something shamble by. For two hours, he'd lift his hand to shepherd his terrified squire to silence. For two hours, he ignored the screams of his comrades, entirely certain that he'd seen each of them transform already.
—
Lothar Order Intelligence Update
Morzarian Grauwald Chapter Safehouse placed under assault by Arken of Body.
Safehouse vault emptied, all items stolen by assailant, or by Occult scavengers.
41 honorable personnel lost to transmutation & death on duty.
1 relieved of duty for severe code violation.
Surviving & Off-Site Knights have been relocated or given necessary time to recover.
Glory to the Empire.
Lothar Order Intelligence Update
Morzarian Grauwald Chapter Safehouse placed under assault by Arken of Body.
Safehouse vault emptied, all items stolen by assailant, or by Occult scavengers.
41 honorable personnel lost to transmutation & death on duty.
1 relieved of duty for severe code violation.
Surviving & Off-Site Knights have been relocated or given necessary time to recover.
Glory to the Empire.
