The body goes silent, the blade gives off an iridescence like no other. You feel drawn to it but you know better than to be lured by a blade embedded in a headless body.
Your companion on the other hand simply walks up to the now fallow body. It begins to sniff around the body, glowing slightly as it does so.
Without any hesitation, it bites into the blade and rips it out in one swift motion. The blade gives off an inauspicious aura but Draalsar remains completely stalwart.
It walks over to you and drops the blade at your feet. You sense nothing but acrimony residing within it.
The blade is a rapier, a straight two-edged blade with a narrow pointed blade. The craftsmanship is truly immaculate. This blade was crafted for only one person. That individual must be the one laying before you, their own blade plunged into them and seemingly dealing the final blow.
" Take, " Draalsar nudges the blade towards your feet. " It is yours now. "
The foreboding aura still radiates from within, but now, you have grown used to it. You reach down and grab the hilt. A wave of trepidation engulfs you. You feel something watching you, something malevolent.
You feel a familiar presence. Draalsar stands in front of you, waves of power rolling of it. A ring of blades manifest above it.
" Leave, " Draalsar growls. " Or suffer a fate worse than death."
The presence disappears, and so do the blades around Draalsar. Veering around, it gesture to the blade within your grasp.
The blade has grown inert. You look around, trying to find something that might serve as a temporary sheath for it. The search is fruitless and so, you carefully slip it into the space created by the sash of the pouch around your hip. Your armor makes it difficult but you manage to find a way to keep it sheathed.
You gaze upon the cadaver one final time before moving on. The second headless corpse stands idly by a wall. Like the first one, it too has been through quite a lot. Armor in some places is completely gone while the remaining few areas that have armor have been distorted.
It too holds a weapon, a great sword. You are less willing than before to interact with this headless corpse.
Draalsar picks up on this and seemingly decides to take matters into its paws.It walks behind you and stays there for a moment before walking up to the corpse, which occasionally jerks. Things move faster than you anticipated as Draalsar moves at a breakneck pace and yanks the blade out of the body's grasp.
" Take, " Draalsar's voice manifests within your mind. " This too is yours. "
You look at the great sword, its intricate design easily shows that this was made from the very best of materials. You pick it up but nearly drop it due to its considerable weight. You instinctively place it on your back and a click is heard. It appears Draalsar modified a part of the satchel to create a makeshift sheath for it.
You follow Draalsar out of the room. Around you is nothing but death and destruction. Sensing your uneasiness Draalsar quickens and you follow suite.
Soon you reach the walls of the dead kingdom. You preambulate the borders and out into the open expanse, your eldritch four legged companion by your side. The expanse before you consists of lush greenery.
After running for a considerable amount of time you decide to take a break at a creek hidden away in a forest, you remove both the rapier and the great sword and lay them carefully on the ground next to you. As you approach the peaceful body of water, you decide to peer into it and what you see leaves you baffled.
Your clothing, an old suit of armor has multiple areas covered in coagulated blood. Your hair is completely white, a telltale sign to your age. Across your throat is a laceration. You hesitantly touch it. The sensation is surreal. You get over this and wash your face.
Draalsar, who's been quite calm all this while suddenly rises to its feet, growling in a particular direction.
You hear voices, and they are getting louder. Soon a group of people appear out of the bushes, two males and three females.
"... And you thought I was lying, " you hear one of the males say.
They all freeze in their tracks. Who could blame them? It is not everyday that one comes across an old person with multiple weapons near them and a dog that is anything but normal.
One of the males breaks free from the spell of shock and steps forward. He has a muscular physique and dons armor made of leather and steel. On his left hip rests a mace. His hair is dirt blonde and eyes are a chestnut
" Who are you? " He asks, slowly reaching for his mace.
You pay attention to the rest of his comrades, each being different from the other, some being a different species. You look to Draalsar who has grown silent.
" No need for that," the other male says as he interdicts his companion's hand. He too dons armor made of both leather and steel. On his back rests a bow and a quiver full of arrows. His hair is jet black and so are his eyes.
" Don't be in a rush Gellius," he says. " Forgive my friend here. He tends to act more and think less. "
The one known as Gellius scoffs at this. He reluctantly steps back, never taking his sights off you.
" And these are my esteemed associates," the oddly cheerful man gestures.
" The one to the far right is Aellae Teasenatear, a high elf who is the best at tracking in our group. "
The mentioned individual is completely identical to a human, if said human was sculpted by the gods themselves, save for the shape of her ears. Her armor favors more leather than steel and you catch a glimpse of a pair of hilts within her coat.
" To her right we have Tevaga Silver, half human half orc and one of our strongest members," he articulates.
The lady he speaks of has a greenish tone to her skin while the lower pair of her incisors stick out from her bottom lip. Her armor is solely made of steel and a steel great sword rests on her back.
" And then we have Egga, our local fauna and flora expert. Although she can be a handful sometimes," he says.
The person he is talking about is a female reptilian creature. It possess a humanoid figure and wears armor of only leather. Her tail sways idly.
" And I am Veranus Vant, " the man says as he performs an exaggerated bow." The brute with the mace is Gellius, just Gellius. "
" Enough theatrics," Gellius all but growls. " Who are you and where did you get all that? " He makes a circle gesture with a finger.
You look at your armor and weapons. They look old yet to you they feel slightly used. You rise to your feet and equip your items before facing the group.
" You are a Forgotten Knight, aren't you? " The elf asks.
" A Forgotten Knight? " Veranus turns to the elf. " Aren't they supposed to be a myth? "
" I assure you they are not, " she says. " And one stands before us."
A Forgotten Knight? Why does that title seem familiar yet foreign? You look at your armor's reflection. It is old and battered, a clear testament to what it has been through. Yet you remember nothing. No matter how hard you try only a dull aching pain rewards your effort.
" What do you know about this Forgotten Knights? " Gellius asks Aellae.
" Not much, records about them is exiguous. But from what I was able to gather, they were elite warriors from a long forgotten kingdom and they were an omen of death. Wherever they appeared, death and destruction followed.
None could be truly defeated as they would rise from the dead and continue on as though nothing ever happened. Most of the today's region was under the control of that kingdom, which mysteriously disappeared three centuries ago," Aellae construes.
You look over to Draalsar, who simply nods, confirming everything she just said.
" So you're telling me this person here is over three hundred years old? " Veranus questions as he gestures towards you.
Aella simply nods.
" I have something to say, " Egga, the reptilian speaks up, a slight hiss in her voice.
" Do not attempt to fight, " she raises a finger and points it at Draalsar first then you, " they are more skilled and deadly than all of us put together. That dog is no ordinary creature. "
" Is that right? " Geillus mutters.
" We still don't know your name, " Veranus states. " Any chance you might be willing to share that piece of information? "
Before you can make a gesture to respond, Aella speaks up once again, " I'm certain he does not have a name. "
" Should I ask why? " Veranus lets out a forced laugh.
" Forgotten Knights were what the name implied, forgotten. No name, no unique identity, not even a number. " Aella elucidates.
" For someone who claims to know little you certainly know a lot about them," Geillus says.
" I said information on them was rare, not that I knew little about them, " Aella says, irritation evident in her voice.
The atmosphere is tense as the two enter a stare-off. Tevaga and Egga watch on with interest.
" Enough. Both of you. " Veranus says.
" Listen friend, we were on our way to a nearby town, " Veranus says, clearly putting on his best voice and charm. " Why not come with us? You might find something useful. "
The group exchanges looks amongst themselves but make no opposition to his offer. They are weary, and their justification for that is not misplaced yet you bear no ill will towards any of them.
You consider his proposal. Five in number but you have a feeling that they could not do any harm to you and they know this. And besides, perhaps there might be something that would aid you to remember your past.
You turn to Draalsar, waiting for his verdict. " You choose, I follow."
You look back at the group and nod. Veranus lets out a relieved sigh, clearly glad about the way things went.
" Well then, come along friend, we must make haste. "