Day 4 - The Gunsmith's Gamble

[Corporal Light]

Three days later

The sound of wind coursed through the valley. The valley of grey. It was barren, with nary a tree or house or human in sight. The grass was monochrome in color, and the sky was as white as snow. He found his arms tickled by the blades, but refused to react. He had been here before. Many times, in fact. But he knew how to control it. All he needed to do was acknowledge its presence.

He slowly stood up, his hands bloodied from the sharp and delicate strokes as he met his specter.

It was a man of smoke. It bellowed from every part of his body, its gases wrapping around its arms like tendrils, forming a coherent shape of distinguishing features. He looked just like him, with the only difference being that his eyes were as monochrome as the area it called home.

"I do not have time for you. Speak your mind." He called, standing proudly in his spot, ready to defend himself if needed.

"You know why I'm here... Agern. Your... rabble have done an...adequate job with the work you've always wanted. But... it's not enough, is it?" replied the specter, its voice echoing throughout the landscape.

"I have done plenty."

"No... it really isn't."

"You cannot intimidate me, fiend. No matter how hard you try, I will not let you govern my actions and let you do.... the despicable things you want me to do."

"Now YOU LISTEN TO ME, RUBLEK!" The ghost shouted, its phantasmal ebony vapor flaring like fire. Its eyes gave off a blood red color just as quickly as the surrounding environment erupted into the apocalypse. Thunderstorms bellowed into the valley, lightening struck the ground as villages appeared with the images of the dead. The smell of rot and filth coated the landscape as the specter spoke.

"I know your desires! I KNOW what you wish to do! WHY FIGHT IT?!"

Agern took in a deep breath, his tongue tasting the rancid air. He grit his teeth, refusing to give in. "I will not give in. I must show restraint. For Camelot."

Suddenly, the scenery began to flicker. He started to stir.

"I'm afraid we have no time. We can continue this later... my friend."

Then everything turned to white.

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Agern woke up in a scratch cotton bed, his hands gripping the brown sheets on his torso. He was in the dorm room, filled with plenty of other beds of various sizes. Some held personal belongings like pictures, while others had bags filled with the same. The air was relatively clean, or at least compared to the smog of the demonic being.

"Agern! A-Agern, sir! Are you awake?"

A gloved hand had planted itself on his left shoulder. He gazed up towards the familiar face. His tactician and second-in-command.

"Jensen...what is it?"

"Didn't mean to interrupt you, sir, but, uh.... dinner's ready." Jensen replied, his hand curling as he lifted it from Agern's body.

Agern nodded, nodding slowly. "Alright... I'll be there in a moment."

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Agern brought himself out of the shower building, his plate armor shiny and seemingly new. He had gotten it appraised since Ballad had shot him, and now there was no sign of battle. Pure as Camelot. Just as it should be.

He walked outside into the hot, bright sun. It wasn't that smart of an idea to be moving out into weather like this with the stuff he was wearing at that moment, but he had to keep up images. His crew of so-called "bandits" were loyal to him for a reason. If he stayed resolute in the face of danger, than even they would never fall.

The village he resided in contained a total of seven buildings. The one he exited was more than twice his height, and its roofing was stacked with hay on top of cobblestone. All the other buildings were similar in looks, including the armory, the dorms, the showers, and the jails. To the front of the village (the one side that is closest to the forest) was a long gate constantly guarded by two or more of his own. It was surrounded by tall, wooden spikes that normally would get them caught and arrested. However, his group were well-known, or at the very least had enough of a reputation that bribery was more than enough to sway anyone nosy enough to take a look inside.

Hearty shouts sounded out from the building right across from the showers. It was indeed dinner time. Agern smiled as he strolled casually towards the abode, stopping at the entrance to take a look inside.

It was Moe. The giant was lifting up an entire table of food and drink and patrons. He towered over every other bandit within, and he had bulging muscles that were clearly visible, especially since he wore no shirt. His face was covered by a large mask that clamped around his jaw and seemed to almost dig into it judging from the scars all over his face. His eyes were small, but colored green, and the top of his head was spiked up with black hair. The tendons in his arms bulged outwards as he slowly set the table down onto the ground, roaring like a bear as cheers filled the air. He pounded his fists together, accidentally cutting open his worn out fingers as they smashed against each other.

"Goodness, Moe. Careful with yourself." Agern said, walking out of the shadows.

The entire cafeteria turned towards Agern, letting out a loud groan as he arrived to spoil their fun. Moe himself stepped forward, slapping someone behind their back as he passed them.

"Well, lookie who it isss." Moe hissed, his tone similar to that of other dumb brutes. "If it isn't our humble leader, Rublek Agern, come crying to usss over paper cuts. Have no faith in ussss, lead?"

Agern chuckled, his arms across his chest. "Those sound like fighting words, Moe. Have a problem with the way I run things?"

The cafeteria itself made room for the two, a circle forming around them as they started to prod Moe into responding. He walked to his right, looking down towards the comparatively puny Agern.

"Not that, ssssah... but you're growing weak. Time good ol' Metal Moe show you that you don't need ssssteel to be effective!" The bruiser shouted, his arms stretching out towards his side. He let out a battle cry as he charged forward, slamming into the iron-claden knight.

Agern placed his hands forward, taking the full brunt of Metal Moe's strength. His feet skidded across the ground as the sound of sandpaper rubbing against each other got absorbed in the cries of the crowd. He struggled against the mass of his top brute, staring into his eyes.

"Come on, Ager! Gimme all you got!"

"Your wish is my command." Agern responded, his body rupturing as smoke flung from the pores in his skin. He grunted as he pushed forward, falling on top of Moe as they landed on the ground. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as the gas slowly dissipated, breathing in what remained of the vapor.

Metal Moe laughed. Laughed harder than he usually did when they did this. He placed his left hand on top of Agern's metal back, the sweat causing it to slip slightly. "Ah... you beat me, sssaaah.." he said in a sarcastic manner. The crowd whooped and hollered as they stood up, shaking hands.

A few minutes later, the tables were reset, and the food was dished out. The clinging of glasses and the sight of drunken soldiers earning their rewards brought happiness to Agern. He noticed that they all still had the Camelot symbol on their cloaks they received when they first joined. It was proof that, even after all that has happened, and after all this time, they still believed.

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The dinner was jolly, and great times were had between its patrons. Jokes were made, particularly by Agern, and stories were shared throughout. Rublek had always encouraged everyone to get to know each other on advice from Jensen. His words were something like "They provide a sense of comradery and increases morale, s-sir.."

He smiled as he thought about Jensen. The man had probably helped him more than anyone else did. He was one of the first people he told about his... issue, and one of the first to convince the others of its relative safety. He was the main propagator of their plans, and almost all of them succeeded with very few issues. Hell, the one were they tried to get Ballad was one of the very few times they had failed, and yet they still almost succeeded.

But they still hadn't found him. It had been three days since they found him, and a lot had happened. One of his followers had informed him that they had run out of banishment circles, which prevented them from getting the most amount of Omnillium possible. He had sent out a request for more munitions from some employers a day ago, so the final piece of the puzzle was all that remained. The Bartender.

He stepped into the jail building, taking a moment to look around. The entrance was connected to a single room that was largely empty, which then connected to another room that held a good amount of jail cells. Each cell was around thirty feet wide, with a single bed and a toilet within. The walls were blocked off by three-foot wide cells, preventing any escape. They were always locked tight through screws and a lock that required a key. Something only he and Jensen possessed.

At the very right side of the room resided the Bartender. He was sitting down on his bed, hands on his face, looking away from the cell door. He did not notice Agern as he approached the cell door.

"Hey. Look at me."

Tender set his hands down to his knees, looking towards the black knight. He sighed, standing up before trudging towards the door.

"Come to execute me, bandit?"

"No. I just need something from you, and you will tell me, else I will have to use... more drastic measures."

"Do anything you want to me. I won't tell you a damn thing."

Agern closed his eyes, looking down towards the ground. He then opened them, his eyes glowing red as the smoke returned.

"So be it." He whispered, snapping his hand towards his neck. The bartender gargled in pain as mental images splashed into his mind. Various memories. Both present and past. He gleaned him clean, searching for what he wanted. There had to be something. ANYTHING that led to his quarry.

Finally, he found one. It was the two talking. Apparently, it was before he and Jensen had arrived.

"Nah. Been in the forest, living in a tree with a bunch of grass around it. Tried to use it for traps. It... didn't really work."

That's all I needed to hear.

"Thank you... my friend." He snarled, loosening his grip around Tender's neck. He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he gripped the metal bars. He was still whimpering as Agern left, searching for Jensen.

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"Th-That's where he is, sir?"

"Of course. All of it is as clear as day." Agern replied, pointing towards the map where he last remembered passing by the field. He had been spying on Ballad the whole time, though he almost got caught when he charged out of a bush. He was certain Ballad would go there.

"W-Well then... I... have an idea on what we could do, s-sir. Been thinking about it a while, and.... it might work."

Agern looked up from the map, staring at Jensen.

"Tell me."