Knights Apocalyptica

Chapter 22: Maid To Be A Knight

"It is of vital essence to divide the strength of our noblest Knights and have them form Orders. These Orders shall press forward their values and knowledge to strengthen the next generation.  

Through this specialization, the interests of the State and its peoples can be divided and represented in our top tier of Knights. We cannot function like the soldiers of the eras before; with mankind's Blessing, some will inevitably rise to status and power impossible to even the most decorated warriors of the world before.

It is through a definition of these distinct Orders, by establishing their traditions and pressing their individualized values on those within their ranks, that they may keep one another in check. Through this balance of power, mankind can prosper and mitigate the risks of one strong Knight or Order usurping the interests of the State and its peoples."   - King Restfos Crisimus, Creation Of The Orders (137, 3rd Era)

The Order of the Verdant Oaks dorms was laid out in a simple yet effective way. The four students shared a communal living space, and each had their private bedroom completed with a bathroom that fed into the living area,

For a Knight Order—and by default, populated mainly by noble blood- the decorations were rather sparse and simplistic. A couch, a few comfortable chairs, and a small rack of bookcases packed with old-world and new texts.

Though, there was a chess board that Erec had no clue how to play. Supposedly a hit with the higher nobility, as it was a game of gentlemen and gentlewomen.

What impressed him the most about the room was the expansive windows and the plant life inside of their dorm that coated its surface. They’d allowed the plants to grow wild and turn half of the living space into a jungle bathed in light. Twisting vines and bushy ferns were the most common.

On the side of the entrance to the room was a smaller space filled with four personal racks, labeled for their convenience.

Erec deposited his Armor on his assigned rack and then looked over the names of the people he’d be spending the next couple of years with.

A smile broke out on his face at the rack next to his. There was a small plate behind it listing who it belonged to. Garin Honestus.

As he read the next plate, the joy withered away into a reluctant sigh. Colin Nitidus. Of course, it would be him. He didn’t doubt that the Duke’s hand was in this too. Knights first, nobles second, eh? Guess time would show how well that phrase held up; because even for nobles second, they still seemed to have damn near a lot of say in how things went.

Though, he did make a vow. Perhaps he should be grateful that the Duke was helping him fulfill it. If Colin had belonged to a different Order or lived in separate quarters, how much harder would befriending him and spying be? Erec scratched his head as he took in the last rack.

Olivia Gratuiti? Erec racked his brain through the ceremony, trying his damnedest to place a face to the name.

Nothing came to mind. He’d been too checked out for most of it, stressed about Garin getting in, that even if this girl had gone ahead of him, he couldn’t picture her. Out of the twenty-one accepted into the Order of the Verdant Oak before him, he’d lost track of names and faces relatively easily. He wasn’t like his friend and didn’t particularly care about those he hadn’t met or their status. Maybe Garin would know her background?

Erec shook his head and made way to his room; it was quaint. Spacious compared to his previous bedroom, which doubled as a family office. There was a drawer for clothes, a desk for study topped by a small lamp. The bed was unmade, and he supposed that would be the first thing he got around to doing. And a window gave a lovely view into the lush wild garden around the Verdant Oak quarters.

Aside from that, the room was a blank slate. He could fill the walls with decoration—banners or trophies of his past. Yet he had none of that. Nor any desire to. There was a beauty in the simplicity here. Erec made his bed, put his things away, and tucked his mother’s letter in an old-world book he brought on his desk as he sat on the bed and visualized his goal. And that which he needed to do to chase after his mother. The woman who left this Kingdom and strode into the wastes.

Strength. I need more Strength.

— - ☢ - — - ☼ - — - ☢ - —

The first to join him in the dorm was Garin. He arrived the day after the ceremony with a giant smirk. He rushed to throw his stuff in his room and then joined Erec on the couch, then he tossed an arm over his shoulder.

“Miss me?” his friend chuckled, scanning their new living space. Garin had been in such a rush to rack his Armor and toss away his things; it surprised Erec that he’d checked out the plates already. “So, Colin’s going to be crashing here too?”

“Yeah, about that.” Erec set down his book. An old-world tale about a warrior named Beowulf, who slew a monster. At the time, the concept of this warrior was mere fiction, but reading it after the end of the 2nd Era… It was a bit more relatable than it should’ve been. “Before our ceremony, Duke Nitidus forced me to meet with him.”

Garin stopped smiling and scooted a bit away on the couch to study his expression. “Whoa. Holy shit? The Unbroken General? I’d have pissed myself in your shoes. Wait—if you’re here, then what did he want?”

Yeah, he would be quick to catch on to that. Erec rubbed his neck. “He made me vow on the goddess’ name to befriend his son, then uh, spy on him. That was his contingent for pulling the strings to let me into this Order.”

“Well. That’s pretty awful, and really—a spy?” Garin shook his head. “How are you going to go about befriending him? Guy’s a total prick. I hate to say it, but playing nice now isn’t going to do you any favors since you bashed his face in during the trial, making him look like a total idiot.”

“I—well, I thought playing nice would be the way to…”

Garin’s face scrunched up.

“Yeah… To be honest, I’ve been avoiding thinking too hard about how to go about it. I thought once I got into the Academy, I’d be able to sort it out, but the more I’ve thought, the more impossible it seems.” Erec said.

“A tough challenge to tackle…” Garin tapped a finger to his chin, and his eyes focused on the ceiling. “If you didn’t screw yourself, you could’ve pandered to his ego. But that won’t work. Hmmm…”

“Can you please help me? It’s like I’m doomed and, no matter what I’ve come up with, it has no shot of working. I feel like a trapped squirrel.”

Garin gave a small uncomfortable laugh and tugged at his collar. “…well yeah, you’re the loner who’d rather work on his Armor and take a long trek through a bio-cavern than spend five minutes with people you don’t know. Of course, you’re a hopeless pick for this job. That’s why I like you. There’s an authenticity to that mindset. I’ll think it over. But why did the Duke pick you for this anyway?”

“He said, ‘From respect comes mutual understanding. And from that may come friendship.’ But I find it hard to picture Colin respecting anyone, even if he thought that me knocking him out brought it.”

“Huh.”

Erec shrugged and marked his book, and set it on their table.

After Garin finished unpacking and switching into his Academy uniform, they made their way around campus together.

Erec already had brought his Vallum to a workshop the night before to take a look under the plating. With VAL breaking down his discoveries this morning, he had a good grasp on the capabilities of the Armor. The Vallum was a piece of generalized Armor with no strong slant in any Virtue’s direction. But those specialties that geared it more towards scouting did give it an irregular edge.

He’d also gotten a look at the default model for the Order of the Lotus. An extremely sleek design with minimal plating; enhances its pilot’s speed and strike force at the cost of protection. An interesting difference in design philosophy left VAL wondering if some underlying subsystems made it more sustainable. But it wasn’t like the two could break it down and take a look inside like they could with the Vallum.

Of course, Garin got his own Vallum as well—his trial Armor was his father’s. But, unlike Erec, his friend wasn’t very interested in picking apart how it worked—citing that their courses would train them enough.

No, Garin wanted to take a look at the rest of the new students filtering in and where they’d be staying.

Erec went along mostly to explore the campus, so the two looked around at the rest of the quarters.

The Order of the Silver Flames was a somewhat predictable design—their building looked more like one of the church temples than a Knightly Order—complete with pillars shaped like swords and a statue of the Goddess by their entry. Erec begged them away after a quick glance about. The church always stirred up mixed feelings in him after their scathing assault on his House's name.

In contrast, the Order of the Azure Tower had a damn near whimsical feel to it, with several spiraling towers that rose above the rest of the Academy. They hung impossibly high in the air—their blue cobalt bricks were distinctive from any distance. No doubt they used some sort of spell-work to break the laws of gravity. Elective courses take place at the top of each tower.

The one that rang closest to his heart was the Order of the Crimson Lotus. They kept their quarters a restrained and serene beauty. Where the Verdant Oak went wild with its plants, everything in the Order of the Crimson Lotus was deliberate. Their building formed a ring around a massive central pond of knee-height water. A thousand red lotuses floated on it's still surface. The building was a restrained architecture, enhancing and drawing the eye towards the central pond, conveying a sense of peace and harmony.

Eventually, the day passed by, and the two made their way back to their dorms. Erec felt exhausted from all of the chatter with random people, while his friend was in high spirits.

There was someone in their dorm.

A girl with bright blond hair sat on the couch, feet kicked up on the coffee table, and a mug filled with cold tea perfumed the room. She snored as they closed the door. Garin looked to Erec, who shrugged.

Garin cleared his throat loudly.

The girl shot up and released a small gasp before her eyes hit them; she looked to her tea and then back to them. “Oh! I was waiting for you to get back!”

“Uh, yeah. We were just out exploring.” Garin said, striding in. Erec followed behind him and rubbed his eyes. It’d already been a long exhausting day. He’d been hoping they’d get back and call it a night, expecting the others in their dorm to arrive tomorrow. I’ll make this quick and get some rest.

“Well, I’m Olivia Gratuiti; it’s an absolute pleasure to meet you both.” She shot up from the couch into a practiced pose, even giving a small curtsy. “So our dorm shall have a future duke, baron, and…” she tilted her head at Erec.

“Second son of an unlanded Lord.” Erec sighed. “I’m inheriting nothing.”

“Oh! My deepest apologies if I offended, but you’re a Knight now, right? Such circumstances like your title matter very little since you’re going to make your own name!” She walked a little closer and smiled at them both. “Let us all give this our best.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m unfamiliar with the House of Gratuiti?” Garin asked, squinting a bit. That’s odd. He usually made it a point to know other nobility or, at the very least, their houses. The fact this girl stumped him left Erec feeling flatfooted.

“Oh! No need to apologize; there’s no way you’d have recognized it. My mother and I served the Luculentus Estate—My mother is a maid there. As was I. However, I am Dame Olivia now. First to form my own House, if my dreams bear fruit.”

“Oh, that’s amazing! Well done. I’ll be wishing you the best.” Garin matched her grin.

Erec turned the information over in his head. This girl served the Luculentus Household, the same duchy from which the odd Lyotte came. He fought to keep the frown from his face, but Olivia must have caught it since she tilted her head and widened her eyes.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No—just tired. I think I’m going to call it a day.” Erec fired back quickly, unable to determine what was going on. It was too much of a coincidence, but why? He waved off their invitations to stay up and talk longer, heading to his room. Better to collect himself before revealing anything and to process how to deal with this.

On the one hand, she seemed genuine, and her circumstances were… well, like his own in many ways. But was she a spy? A spy on one ducal line to another… but Lyotte had been so strange to him and pushy. Olivia didn’t seem to recognize him, but what if it was an act? Was that suspicion narcissism in disguise? He threw himself on the bed and called it a night.

A white stag leaped over a mountain in his dreams; beneath it, the world burned.

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