An Ilderon tale of the Knight

Solserii Knight 

written by Emi Kennedy

The young soldier bit a piece of charred meat off the small cooked bird leg he held in his hand. The flickering campfire had a way of providing a unique flavor of its own despite the lack of spices in this distant corner of the world. Karis chose not to partake of the meal. Something about the wild game of Outrider Isle was unnatural.

They guarded a supply route, and with the offensive efforts of Nozeram going so well, passing caravans were happy to part with some extra rations—rations that were shipped from Galken and Seadale. The creatures of Outrider Isle were corrupted by twisted magics Karis did not understand. The same magic that ripped a soul out of a man and turned them into a Tierii was the same magic that made the creatures so irregularly enhanced. 

The young soldier offered a piece of the hunted bird towards Karis.

Karis put his hand up and chuckled lightly, "I'd rather keep my strings untainted."

The soldier laughed, "Where you from old timer?"

"Ardorserii." Karis responded. His warm smile contrasted against the harsh sound of his gruff voice.

"Ardorians," The young soldier pointed at Karis while looking at the other soldiers around the campfire. "They've never known a damn thing about Riicraft. We're out here on the other side of the world fighting against Tierii with yellow nosed mountain folk." Some soldiers began to laugh at the young man's joke.

Karis laughed too, smiling.

One middle aged soldier next to Karis seemed to be offended, "Careful boy. Show some respect, you don't know who you mock."

The young soldier looked around the darkness at the outpost they guarded. "Who is it that I mock? You realize we're guarding an outpost of a supply route in the middle of nowhere in the northlands. We're the outcasts of the outcasts guarding a stretch of land no one cares about."

Karis could tell from the man's lack of military decorum and perceived knowledge of Riicraft he was from Alilnegi. "You're lucky the captain is meeting with the forerunners tonight. Otherwise you'd be punished for underestimating the importance of this post."

The young soldier laughed again then took another bite of the meat in his hand. "Our forces are pushing Southwards towards Plaguespine. That's where I'd rather be, down there cutting apart those undead filth."

"If we lose this supply route we can't hold the town of Murkwaters against a siege." Karis spoke basic tactics that the young soldier overlooked, "If we lose Murkwaters we lose our control of the Darken Straights and the Southride Straights."

"Yeah, but in order to hit us up here, the Tierrii have to press through our entire offensive front—a fighting force composed of the armies of three different nations." The young soldier flippantly wagged the leg of meat in his hand at Karis.

Karis chuckled and laid back against the grass-less dirt, "I suppose you're right."

"Regardless, if they do break the front, they still have to get pass my sword." The young soldier's voice sounded against the crackle of the fire.

The stars of the night sky in Outrider Isle were as vast as they were in the night sky of Ardorserii. Everything about this isle is unnatural. Karis thought to himself. The constellations even tilted irregularly in this region of the world. Stars sat in different portions of the sky than where Karis was taught where they should be.

"To serve her presence," Karis chanted to the stars with a melodic softness in his voice. "My calling to fulfill." 

"Aside my pilot engaged," the Ardorians of the group joined Karis with the verse of the night chant, "to do my master's will." A star in the night sky flashed orange then its light began to burn a deep violet. To the four we send you soul to ascend forever more.

"Alilieus," Karis spoke in an ascetic voice as he sat up off the ground. "The guiding star of the eye of the goddess..." He turned to his companions around the campfire. "Put out the fire."

"Those stars don't mean anything, it's just superstition." The young soldier scoffed at Karis' comment.

"Put the fire out." Karis stood up. His sudden posture revealed the powerful warrior he hid behind his old man demeanor. The flicker of the fire light intensified his intimidating presence.

The non-Ardorian soldiers grumbled and snuffed out the fire. The embers' smolder caused smoke to rise into the air, but the sacred guiding star was still completely visible. The guiding stars were a set of colorful stars that followed no recognizable pattern of any other star in the night sky. However, the seemingly random appearances of the guiding stars aligned themselves with major historical events.

"Somewhere a king is dying right now." The middle aged soldier remarked as he gazed upwards at the violet star.

"Or somewhere a king is being born." Karis quipped with a smile in the darkness. "With that, gentlemen, I think I shall retire for the evening for I can think of no better way to sleep than under the light of a guiding star." 

Karis made his way towards the outpost. The outpost itself was a large stone tower that with a small wooden barracks for sleeping quarters attached to the side of the rising building. He slumped against the dark wildwood wall and dozed off. The violet light of the guiding star was a soothing silent lullaby.

Muffled screams broke Karis's slumber. Flames blurred into view as he blinked clearing his vision. The seats around the vacant smoldered campfire were empty.

The screams emanated from the nearby watchtower. Small fires burned atop the wooden watchtower from where the guards should have been posted. The torches were missing from their wall mounts. Was there a struggle?

Karis rose to his feet and looked around. A tiny glimmer of light sparkled to his left. Flames reflecting off metal. He turned quickly to see a night cloaked assailant lunge at him with a forward thrusted falchion. The blade craft was of Nozeram's own fashion. Whoever was attacking him had looted the weapon from a Nozeram cache.

Karis spun catching the attacker's arm and pushed them to the ground. The attacker dropped the sword. He held his grip and began twist the arm in the socket to break the attacker's appendage. Rushed footsteps sounded behind Karis. He turned to see a dagger slashing towards him.

Instinctually his battle hardened mind knew to dodge the dagger and sweep the new attacker's feet from beneath them, but Karis's aged body could not keep up with his experienced mind.

Instead he let go of the pinned attacker's arm and rolled over the body and grabbed the falchion. His dodge failed to be a complete success; the arc of the dagger grazed Karis's shoulder.

As his shoulder bleed the second attacker inhaled sharply. Karis felt a portion of himself grow weaker—not any particular muscle, but a small portion of his will faded.

"Damn soul sucking Tierii." Karis cursed. He waited patiently.

The first attacker rose to their feet and inhaled too, feeding off the energy of Karis's rii.

The second attacker lunged forward with the dagger again. Karis stepped forward into the swing and parried the attack. In a surprising swift action Karis spun and decapitated the unarmed first attacker. He didn't need two Tierii circling him siphoning his soul away. 

The second attacker whistled sending some signal to any surrounding Tierii. Karis stepped forward and feinted a low sweep of his sword at the attacker's legs. The man moved his dagger into the proper position to counter attack Karis, however, the attacker was not trained in the high arts of Solserii swordplay. 

Karis brought his sword up swiftly and cut off the arm that wielded the dagger. He stepped forward, yelled, and planted his falchion into the man's chest. The assassin fell to the ground lifeless

Footsteps sound from the barracks as the door swung open. Seven Nozeram militiamen carrying various weapons poured out of the building. The young soldier emerged first, he was surprised with the sight of Karis standing over the bodies of the two dispatched assassins. 

Shadows moved around the edges of the guard post. Whatever other Tierii were lurking in the passing war band were fleeing at the presence of the now equipped alert Nozeram warriors. 

"What happened?" The young soldier exclaimed.

"Arch Blight assassins trying to take us in the night." Karis said as he wiped off his blade on the garments of his fallen foe. "Someone put out those fires," he pointed to the guard tower. "The rest of you can go back to bed. I'll keep watch for the rest of the night." Karis rolled the bodies over, pushing them a good distance from his resting spot on the side of the barracks.

"Old timer," the young soldier called to Karis. "The way you hold that sword... I've never seen anyone with a style like that. Who are you?"

Karis did not respond. He walked back to where he once rested and instead sat down with his legs folded. The falchion rested on his lap.

"That's Karis Bredrick." The middle aged soldier from earlier answered the young soldier's question. "He was the leader of the Bredick family and Caluh provinces back in Ardorserii. Next to the Celestial Magnate of Ardorserii and the Sky Queen of Alilnegi, you're looking at one of the most affluential Serii in the world."

"What in the bridge is he doing all the way out here?" The young soldier exclaimed.

"No man can serve his people from Keeps and palaces. I gave it all up to fight a fight that really matters." 

A new sense of respect radiated from the young soldier. "Of the moon I shall be vigilant in my respite." The young soldier chanted a tenet of his faith and stood behind Karis. "It will be an honor to keep watch with you. Sir?"

Karis chuckled in the growing darkness.