He turned his head to me and raised an eyebrow.
Vortiger: "Who are you?"
"I am Jürgen Müller. I was led here by your Black Priors"
Vortiger: "Erzebet you only brought this man? You were supposed to bring an army"
Erzebet looked to Vortiger and spoke.
Erzebet: "Him and I struck a deal. If he gave us food and other supplies then I'd spare the people of his village. Though it's inevitable that the village will be destroyed since it no longer has his protection. I got most of what we needed"
Vortiger: "Still. One man will not be enough"
Before Erzebet could say anything more the person sitting in the black throne stood up and spoke.
???: "You're a Warden, yes?"
"I am"
The person stepped down from the throne and stood only a few feet away. Clearly observing me.
???: "Good work Erzebet. Now leave us"
Erzebet smirked and looked to Vortiger with a smug look.
Vortiger: "What? how-"
Erzebet: "Thank you, Apollyon"
Apollyon gestured for them to leave.
Vortiger: "I suppose we will speak later"
The two Black Priors left the room.
Before I was going to turn and leave Apollyon grabbed my shoulder. She pulled me aside so we were looking out of an open window. The window overlooked most of the fortress.
Apollyon: "Tell me Jürgen. Why did you decide to become a Warden?"
I was scared. If I answered wrong I would surely die.
Apollyon: "There are no wrong answers"
She spoke as if she had read my mind. Apollyon moved away to a table by her throne. There was a pitcher and a cup on it. She took her helmet off and poured whatever was in the pitcher into the cup. I couldn't see the front of her head, only the back of it.
I swallowed the knot in my throat and spoke. I decided on telling the truth.
"I saw things I obviously wish I hadn't. I became a Warden so I wouldn't become a weak beggar in the streets of some insignificant town. I became a Warden so I could protect the weak. I want to shield the weak so they don't have to witness the same things I had seen all of those years ago when I was a child"
Apollyon put her helmet back on. She came up behind me and put her left hand on my right shoulder. She looked out to the world from the window and spoke.
Apollyon: "Not to be rude but what did you see?"
I clenched my hand and swallowed another knot.
"I saw my village get raided. I watched my friends get slaughtered in the streets. I... I watched my family get killed, raped and burned"
I clenched my fists harder, making my hands burn.
Apollyon: "I see what you mean by wanting to shield the weak from what you described"
Apollyon went to my other shoulder and did the same with her right hand as she did with her left hand.
Apollyon: "But what made you strong, what made you a man, was what you had witnessed all those years ago"
"What?"
Apollyon: "You're strong because you learned from your village. Your village was raided because it and the ones defending it were weak. The strong, in your case the vikings, took the opportunity to destroy the weak to take supplies in order to survive"
I felt a dark feeling in my heart.
Apollyon: "Am I wrong, Jürgen?"
I turned my head to hers and spoke.
"I... suppose not..."
Apollyon: "You're a wolf because you are strong. You are strong because you learned from a first hand experience like myself. My family suffered the same fate as yours when I was just a child"
"I'm sorry for yo-"
Apollyon: "Don't be sorry. I don't need anymore pity from anyone"
She went to her black throne and sat down.
Apollyon: "Come here Jürgen. I want to tell you my story since you told me yours"
I went to the front of the throne and stood silently.
Apollyon: "I was raised in a small village much like yours. We were all farmers. During the spring and summer we would plant and harvest the wheat. We were only a short distance away from the Ashfeld, Valkenheim border"
Apollyon put one leg over the other and spoke.
Apollyon: "One day a Lawbringer came to my village. He told us about a large viking attack force that was coming for our village. In his warning message he told us we were weak and undeserving of protection. He said that we should seek refuge elsewhere. We all thought he was crazy. But when the attack came there was no help. The Iron Legion abandoned us. My family was raped. They were slaughtered like street dogs. I was the only one who survived. As I got older I hopped from village to village, joining gangs to steal money and food. When I was about the age you are now I trained to be a Warden and believe it or not I passed the training. I took up the mantle of chivalry. While I was a Warden I saw what it was like to shield the weak from the dangers of the world. But over time I began to realize something"
She looked into my eyes.
Apollyon: "We weren't shielding them from the dangers of the world. We were fattening them up like sheep. Sheep who were waiting for slaughter. So I dropped the code and forged my own path. Myself and fourteen others formed the Blackstone Legion. Myself and seven others wished to be the warlord of this legion. As you can see, I'm the last one standing"
"What happened to the Lawbringer? Just curious"
Apollyon: "I dragged the decrepid bastard out of his shit hole of a home and publicly executed him"
Ouch.
Apollyon: "Now that I've told you about my life you are free to leave. If you want to of course"
"I do have one more question"
Apollyon: "What is it?
"Why did you need an army? You have plenty of soldiers to fight"
Apollyon: "I needed to see who would be willing to fight. I needed to see who would be strong"
"But why?"
Apollyon: "The truth is I'm not going to show mercy to anyone who comes across as weak. In order to exterminate the weak the Blackstone Legion will sweep through Heathmoor and wage war. War of any kind will uproot the weakness of this land and allow the strong to flourish"
"War? What about seeking peace? Everyone I know is tired of fighting"
Apollyon: "Peace? Do not ever say that word again. Peace is a poison that has corrupted the minds of the strong. The code of chivalry, kinship and honor keeps the strong from taking over the weak and releasing their full potential"
"I believe in peace"
Apollyon stood behind me again and snuffed out all of the candles in the room. It was darker now with the sun at least an hour before it will set.
Apollyon: "Tell me Jürgen. What would you do if you found the Vikings who raided your home and killed your family"
"I don't know"
She stood behind me again but this time I felt the cold claws on her fingers go against the back of my neck.
Apollyon: "Answer me"
"I..."
She's interrogating me. Why the hell is she interrogating me?
Apollyon: "What would you do?"
She dug her claws deeper into my neck. I could feel them slightly break the surface of my skin.
"Get off of me!"
I tried to break free but she had a strong grip on me. I gripped the hilt of my sword and prepared to attack. Apollyon must have seen my hand in the darkness and kicked the back of my right leg. I dropped my sword from the sudden action and fell onto my right knee.
She stood in front of me now and drew her sword. She used the blade to force my head up. This left a cut on the bottom of my chin.
Apollyon: "I'll ask again. What would you do if you found them?"
I stayed silent. I'm not giving up that easily.
Apollyon: "Fine, I guess you'll answer me through screams of pain"
"Wha-"
She lowered her sword and cut the inside of my left thigh.
"GAH!"
I grabbed the inside of my leg.
"Damn you!"
I lunged forward as an attempt to bring her to the ground but Apollyon stepped back. I landed on my stomach. I forced myself up with my arms.
Apollyon: "What would you do? Tell me and I will stop"
She placed her right foot on my back which pushed me down to the ground. She took her sword and put the tip of the blade against the back of my neck.
I moved my head over to my right and was in complete shock at what I saw. I wasn't in the fortress anymore. I was laying down in my old home. The roof was on fire. My parents were dead on the floor. I saw Eli getting taken away. I heard screams to my left and saw Sarah. She was being raped by a large man.
My breathing got heavier. I felt my heart become cold. I saw the bodies of my parents getting covered in a sticky black substance. A Valkyrie held a torch, hovering over their bodies.
I saw a knife next to my right hand and grabbed it. The weight on my back was still there. It made me not able to move. The Valkyrie threw the torch onto my parents and laughed as they burned. Four more vikings entered the home and took everything that once belonged to us. Silver, food, water. Even my fathers long sword.
The weight on my back disappeared, giving me the opportunity to stand up. I grabbed the knife that was next to me and stood up. I blinked and looked up. I wasn't in my old home anymore. I looked to my hands and saw I wasn't holding a knife anymore. I was holding an arming sword. I was also holding a kite shield that was in my left hand.
I wasn't wearing my normal white and bronze armor. I was wearing black iron and a black cape on my back. In the distance was a fire. I walked to the fire and saw three dead bodies around it.
???: "You were... supposed to protect us. Why did you turn your back on us?"
I turned around and saw a young boy on the ground. He had a small axe lodged in his abdomen. I ran to him and held the wound down with my hand.
"W-Who did this?"
The boy turned his head to his right and pointed to a group of five vikings. They were staring at a burning building, laughing as screams could be heard from inside. I recognized the building. It was the village court from the village I was protecting.
???: "Avenge us..."
(Play Music Above Title From 1:13 To 2:45)
The boy inhaled and went limp. My body shook. It shook with anger. I laid the boys body down in the dirt and stood up.
"YOU!"
The vikings stopped laughing and turned their heads to me.
"YOU WILL BURN IN HELL!!"
I ran to the group with my sword drawn. They ran to me as well. I used the kite shield I had and swept two Vikings from under their feet. They landed had on their backs.
The other three lunged at me. I cut off the first vikings lower leg and bashed him in the jaw with my shield. The hit to the jaw broke his neck. The second Viking who followed the first was a raider. He threw a left side heavy attack. I lowered my body behind the kite shield and used it to flip him over my head.
When the raider hit the ground I threw a right side heavy. My sword cut open the raiders stomach. Blood spewed all over my sword and right arm. I used the momentum from my last heavy attack and kept the attack going. My sword found itself lodged in the third Vikings left leg. He was a berserker. He was also missing an axe. This hairy bastard.
I ripped the sword from his knee and drove it through his neck. I got the blade out by hitting the side of it with the shield I had.
The first two Vikings finally stood up and got into fighting stances.
"Tibi omnia morte!"
(DEATH TO YOU ALL!)
The remaining two Vikings attacked me at once. I flipped them both like the others before. I turned around and drove my blade into the Valkyrie's chest. The other Viking who was a Warlord stood up and hid behind is small shield.
"Inmunditia tua bloodlines autem vivere iam!"
(Your impure bloodlines will no longer live!)
The Warlord went for a head butt. I dodged to my left and found an opening to attack. I shield bashed him and drove my sword into the side of his stomach.
"JUST DIE!"
I ripped out my sword. The Viking dropped to his knees. I swung the blade as hard as I could and aimed for the mans head. The warlords head came clean off. Blood spewed from his exposed neck.
Once the adrenaline wore off I looked around me. The whole village was burning down the ground. Dozens of innocent people were dead on the ground. The front gates to the village opened. Nearly fifty Vikings were on the other side.
I went to the body of the boy from earlier and covered him with my black cape.
"Sit autem mors melior quam vita"
(May death be better than life)
I turned to the Vikings and stood in a right guard stance.
"COME ON!"
The Vikings rushed me at the same time. Just before they were in striking range I closed my eyes.
(End Music Here If It Played This Far)
When I opened them I was laying on a stone floor. I stood on my knees and rubbed my face. I saw my bronze armor and sighed in relief. What I felt was real. Too real.
I saw Apollyon standing in front of me.
Apollyon: "You passed out"
I stood up, grabbing my long sword and leaned against the inside of the window Apollyon and I were previously looking out of. My left thigh burned from the cut that was left by Apollyon.
"I know what I want to do to the Vikings. Not just the ones who killed my family. I know what I want to do to them all.
Apollyon: "What may that be?"
"I want to kill them all. Leave none left to keep their filthy bloodlines going. Their reign of terror on Ashfeld has gone on for too long!"
I took my sword I had picked up and slammed it to the ground, driving the blade into the stone vertically. I felt rage. A fire in my chest that I was struggling to contain. This isn't me. Not at all. I shook my head.
"What the hell is wrong with me?
Apollyon: "What you must've seen when you were out cold was your true self. What your true calling in life is"
"That isn't the real me. I stand for peace! Nothing more and nothings less!"
I pulled my sword out of the ground.
Apollyon: "You say you stand for peace yet you wish to cover Valkenheim in blood and ash"
"What I said before I didn't mean. It was just an outburst because I was angry"
Apollyon: "We'll see"
She held her hand out.
Apollyon: "But for now, welcome to the Blackstone Legion"
I hesitated. I have to. I have to or else the people of my village will die.
I pulled myself together and shook her hand.
Apollyon: "Now you need new armor. What you're wearing won't do at all"
(Westlake, Ashfeld, Two Hours Ago)
Standing in her bedroom near a window was Sarah. She held the bronze helmet she had gotten from the night before in her hands. A knock on the door was heard.
Sarah: "Come in!"
The door opened to reveal Alex.
Alex: "I brought you fresh clothes and your armor is outside of the door. Your father wants to see how far you've come with your training since you've been away"
Sarah smiled.
Sarah: "Thank you Alex"
Alex smiled back and closed the door on his way out.
Sarah set the bronze helmet on her small desk and opened her bedroom door to get her freshly cleaned armor. She took the armor and went back into her room to change. Once Sarah was changed she went to the training area her father had set up for the guards.
Arthur: "Took you long enough!"
He said with a smile.
Sarah: "Good to see you still have your humor father"
***
After hours of dueling Arthur and Sarah stood behind a wooden fence, leaning their arms against it.
Arthur: "You fought well Sarah. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
Sarah: "When I was traveling I found plenty of Knight fortresses. Many Knights taught me how to get into specific stances and how to use certain attacks"
Arthur: "Well it seems you learned from the best since you beat me"
Sarah: "I only beat you because you're old"
Arthur: "I don't think so"
Sarah: "Of course you don't"
Arthur patted Sarah on the back. He looked to the setting sun and smiled.
Arthur: "This was the first place you and I came to when Mary and I took you in. Back then you were so skinny and weak. Now look at you. You're a strong woman now"
Sarah moved to her father and hugged him.
Sarah: "Thank you for loving me"
Arthur hugged her back.
Arthur: "I will always love you"
(The Myre, Ashfeld Border, Present)
A young man in gold armor sat on a dry patch of land in the swamp of the Myre. He was meditating. He learned the technique from the Samurai. Speaking of Samurai, an Orochi and Shinobi began sneaking up behind the man.
The man in golden armor opened his eyes and stopped his meditation. He knew something was behind him. The Orochi quietly drew his katana and raised it above his head. The Shinobi took her kusarigama and hid behind a tree, ready to ambush the man if anything went wrong.
The Orochi made a downward strike to the mans head. The man turned around and blocked the attack. The Orochi stood there. He thought he the drop on him.
Orochi: "N-Nani?!"
The man pulled the Orochi down to the ground and held him down my the neck. He took his sword and beat the Orochi in the face with the bottom of its hilt.
The Shinobi revealed herself and threw a side attack. The man caught the hook mid air by the chain and pulled the Shinobi to the ground. The Shinobi hit the ground hard. Her head ricocheted off of a tree root. The man in gold pulled the Shinobi to him. The man stabbed her in the chest then cut her throat. The Orochi stood up and attacked the man, throwing sloppy light attacks.
The man every attack and decided it was time for the Samurai to die.
He kicked the Orochi to the ground as he was mid light attack. The man struck the Orochi with a side light attack and punched him once. The Orochi flew to the ground. The Orochi flipped himself up. His katana was only a few feet away. But the man in gold ran to him. The Orochi froze. The man threw his sword at the Orochi. The Samurai heard the blade strike something. He opened his eyes and saw the sword was in the ground. The blade was stuck in the ground only a few inches away.
When the Orochi looked back to the man he spoke in a language he didn't understand. He also didn't understand why this man was even here. He wasn't from the Myre.
"Pugna non perfecta est!"
The man uppercutted the samurai who flew back to the ground, not able to stand due to the pain. He pulled the sword from the soft ground and twirled it by the hilt. He walked to the Orochi who put his right arm out to block any incoming attacks. The man shoved the Orochi's arm away. He twirled the sword again and stabbed the assassin in the heart.
"Quisquiliae" (Trash)
The man spit on the Orochi and turned away. His meditation time was ruined due to two assassins. Who was dumb enough to send two assassins to kill a Centurion?
The man heard someone yell his name in the distance.
???: "Elias! Elias where are you! We need you back right now! It's urgent!"
The man now known as Elias sighed and cleaned off his blade.
"Oh what now? I leave for twenty minutes and those idiots can't keep themselves from hurting one another"
Elias trudged through the water, avoiding crocodiles and water snakes. When Elias made it back to camp the soldier who called for him took him to the main tent. When Elias entered the tent he saw someone standing behind a large battle map of Heathmoor.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
The person turned around. He was a Warden with Bronze armor.
"My name is Hervis Daubeny. I need your help"
-To be continued-
Hello there. It's me again. I would like to thank you again for the comments and votes. I really do appreciate it!
Also I'd like to know what your favorite Hero in For Honor is. For me it's a toss up between Warden, Black Prior and Centurion. But what about you? Who's your favorite? Like I said I'd really like to know. What do you think about the Chimera Banquet event as well? In my opinion I like it a lot. I like it a lot more than the Horkos event earlier this year.
If you enjoyed this chapter or if you've liked the whole story so far then please leave a vote! Thank you!
Elias Armor Set-
Helm- Creta Helm
Chest / Legs- Creta
Arms- Creta
Blade- Crocea Mors Blade
Hilt- Crocea Mors Hilt
Guard- Crocea Mors Guard
Ornament- Century (Peacock Elite Outfit / Year One Bundle)
Embossing- Sword Angel (Left Arm) (Rep 12, Level 20)
Symbol- Laurel Crest (Rep 14, Level 2) (Standards)
Color- Love Apple (Rep 1, level 20)