Far at sea, an island with two mountains is beset by constant storms. It is devoid of people, until lightning strikes. As the light dies down, the Knight’s silhouette is revealed on the peak of the leftmost mountain.
He replaces his amulet and examines a book. Nodding grimly, he stows both and begins descending the steep face, tattered cape whipping in the wind. Upon receiving the affirmative mental signal, @Zenith the Mew teleports adjacent.
Betwixt the mountains is a temple, or so his book claimed. It was mostly accurate, though “tower” would’ve been more applicable. However, as the Knight reached the tower’s entrance gate, he noticed a sign: “Where men commune with the gods”.
Zenith tugged his cape, pointed behind the tower and behold; a second, identical tower stood, initially obscured from view. Upon approach, they saw a similar inscription: “Where furries commune with the gods”. Some brief confusion, a shrug, and the duo entered the second tower. The gates shut behind them of their own accord.
All manner of minor mooks awaited the pair: sentient flames bent on their destruction, possessed suits of armor putting their swordsmanships to the test, and assorted undead creatures that politely attacked them one at a time. After the combat-fest of the first floor came the dreaded puzzle section, where the Knight had to cleverly go left instead of right to acquire a grappling hook to traverse bottomless pits. After some arbitrarily difficult pressure plate puzzles necessitating that the pair split up, the Knight and the Mew came to an empty hallway (save for replacement holy water, a max ether, and 2 health potions lying on the ground). This meant trouble.
The Knight opened the door, which dramatically shut behind him, cutting him off from the Mew. He found himself in a slightly flooded room, with an inch of water reflecting his cursed visage. He slowly traversed it, finding a locked door on the other side.
A sinister chuckle brought his attention back to the center of the room, where stood a dark apparition.
“Oh God, not another dungeon trope,”
lamented the Knight.
“Fear not, you’ll face no more after I’ve executed justice,” it replied, solidifying into a form resembling the Knight. “You’ve slain the innocent. Honor dictates you die.”
“@ssaannttoo? Innocent? That’s a laugh—“
“
What crime had he committed?” By now, the apparition was clearly a dark, ghastly version of the Knight, with red eyes that pierced through his curse (though he wished they didn’t).
“W-well, he abused false surrender, he, tried to kill me—“
“
In a fair duel, that you agreed to. And come on. You were just looking for an excuse to beat the tar out of him. Nobody thinks Ssaannttoo surrendered, not even you.”
“If—if it was such a fair duel, what’s wrong with me killing him?!”
The specter laughed.
“Why were you engaged in a duel to the death with a stupid teenager? Your offspring, no less? Who does that? You had all the power, and thus, all the responsibility.”
“I can’t refuse a duel! He made me!”
“He... made you. Listen to yourself. You could easily have refused, yet you took the chance to attack him. He was young, not in his right mind. Squires have no business in duels to the death, and you know it. You deceive only yourself.”
“I—I didn’t mean to kill him! I was making sure he couldn’t—wouldn’t get back up and sucker punch me—“
“Liar. You knew he was done.”
“H-how do you know?”
“Who do you think I am? I am you. “Justice incarnate”, right? Hehehehe... And now, as the noble Knight I am, I shall slay the guilty in only the most honorable
fashion.”
Suddenly, the Knight’s armor was like smoke, like the apparition’s. And its smoke solidified into blackness.
“
I’m armored, you’re not, an entirely fair and honorable duel in which to kill someone, wouldn’t you agree?”
The Knight had no words. With an icy laugh, the apparition leapt.
The Knight rolled beneath his foe, and with some quick thinking, froze the water at the apparition’s feet when it landed. It easily smashed the ice, but the Knight had enough time to grab his holy cross and set up area control.
After some fierce fighting (and not a few wounds sustained by the Knight), the apparition switched tactics. It threw its own holy water (red, like its eyes) and grappled the Knight until he was in the flames. This was a holy fire, unobstructed by mere water, and its heat reflected its power. The Knight writhed, but the apparition smiled. Now, he truly knew what he’d wrought.
The Knight shot the grappling hook to pull the apparition into the flames with him, but it was literally like grasping at smoke. It was gone.
He escaped the flames and held his sword at the ready, but his foe was nowhere to be found.
The doors opened, Zenith rushed in and offered aid, but Ari refused. He’d deserved what he got, and more still. Justice would demand that he die. How could he possibly slay another in justice’s name?
Together (the Knight limping slightly), they ventured past the bloodstained water into the atrium.
A receptionist welcomed them, gave the Knight a number and asked him to fill out some paperwork forgoing the right to sue should any accidents occur whilst conversing with the gods. Already burned and beaten, he wasn’t sure how much worse any accidents would leave him.
He entered the cathedral-like hall beyond the waiting room.
“I seek an audience with Selenlis!”