Star Warden Slayer of Evil. Chapter 14 and 15

 

Before the Storm

14

Sam opened his eyes and his first sight was Sir Gareth.

“I have to say you weren't the first person I expected to see.”

“Naturally,” he said in a dry tone. He cracked a smirk and began to make a hearty laugh. Gareth explained why. “Your grimace is hilarious.”

“Yes, laugh at the wounded man's expense.” Sam rolled his eyes. “Though it is good to know you have a sense of humor. When we first met you were all doom and gloom. Where am I?”

“You're currently in one of the guest rooms of Joyous Guard. Her Radiance is resting as she was tending the other members of the Order. Commander Roland managed to save as much as the order that he could. He had the squires hidden behind a magical barrier he created from the sword Durandal.”

“Just like Dawnbringer. It drained his life to cast a miracle.”

“That would explain why he could hardly stand when we found him and why we found you into a critical condition. But he was still standing when we found him unlike yourself.”

“Demonic poison. If it wasn't for Kaguya's magic it would have killed me even if I did beat him. I should also be having a splitting headache considering all the magic I used from Dawnbringer but I guess my sleep must have let me avoid it. Thanks for watching over me by the way, I owe you one.”

“Consider us even because I owe you my gratitude. I am not sure how but you restored something I thought lost. Faith in myself. Which is one of the reasons why I wished to speak to you.”

“Before that what happened to Bridget?”

“She was awake the last time I saw her and in good condition. Though still in no state to fight she will make a full recovery.”

“Good. Okay, Sir Gareth, you have the floor.”

Sam was curious to learn more about the Milesian knight. He kept to himself during their times of rest and when he did speak it was to Kaguya instead of him. He understood the sentiment as she was a Faerie and the Celestial Emissary that was familiar to him, rather than the utter alien that was Sam the human. If Gareth were in the reverse situation the humans around him would talk to each other more before him.

Gareth took a deep breath as he explained some of his history, his voice wistful. He was the son of a Shepard in the land of Monmouth. Despising his lot in life he begged, borrowed, and stole whatever he could to make armor, painted it black, then traveled to a tournament to earn his name. He did well, more than well, for a young boy as he managed to unseat a seasoned knight during the joust. He might have won the tournament as well if he did not have to contend with Lord Commander Roland himself.

“After I became an initiate, I thought that soon I would be a knight famous and known and rich. Which was my goal; to have all the riches and power that one could have. Everyone would know my name and respect me.”

“Understandable goal. I wouldn't mind some money. Though no idea what I would spend it on these days.”

Gareth's voice grew cold as he continued. He was a skilled warrior but impatient and became a squire to a knight whose name he couldn't remember. A fact that shamed him as he was brave and honorable. Gareth's personal desires for wealth and recognition blinded him as his fellow initiates advanced in rank and became knights before him. It was only until the Stygian Domain invaded Monmouth when he realized his flaws.

Gareth fought well against them but he was reckless and wounded to the point that his knight was put at risk and died protecting him. He remembers seeing this look on his face as if he was trying to convey a message. The knight's mouth was filled with blood and unable to talk.

“After that, I received a battlefield knighthood, then you know the rest. The curse and our meeting at Trader's Landing. But what you do not know is that I prayed for death during that time. I desired glory and riches when knighthood was a service. The fact I lived defiles the station of a knight.”

His eyes looked down at the floorboards as he shook his fist in anger. “I wish I could have taken Bridget's place. Maybe with my larger size, the dragon would not have been able to block the shot and it would have taken me. Instead, someone else got hurt while I was spared my due punishment.”

“It seems to me you do a good enough job punishing yourself,” he said sympathetically. “You got a second chance to make up for your past. Your past deeds are done now.”

“There it is again. The exact reason I came to speak to you. How do you do it? How did you earn this certainty?” Gareth spoke, the desperation clear in his voice. “If the death can not satisfy my shame what does?”

“You are the only one who can remove it.” Gareth looked up in shock. “I can't remove that feeling of shame for you. The best thing you can do is use it as motivation to do better and live life one day at a time. Trust your gods to watch over you and lead you down the right path.”

“Even if I don't deserve it?”

“Mercy isn't given because someone deserves it. It's given because without it we have no reason to fix our mistakes. Look to your own faith. Through Kira's grace, you were saved and became a knight. If she forgives you then you should forgive yourself, deserved or not.”

Gareth sighed. “You make it sound so simple.”

“Some things just are simple. Never easy but simple. Well, I make it look easy, but this is me we're talking about it.” Sam smirked as he watched Gareth's face showed annoyance while trying to hide a smile, at his remark.

“You had to ruin the moment didn't you?”

“I was just trying to make you laugh, sour face.”

“Save your sense of humor for the Princess.”

“Fine be that way. But you're going to have to relax while you're going on your quest of atonement.”

“I can relax just fine. Your jokes are just terrible.”

A sound interrupted their conversation and they saw Princess Kaguya carrying a metal tray and tea set. “Pardon me,” she said while yawning. Her eyes were bleary and red.

“Your Radiance. I thought you were resting?”

“I had to make tea for Sam. In case of his nightmares.” She walked over to the bed and in an amazing display, the wood on the floor and the walls began to shift. A nightstand was built in mere seconds. When she laid the tray down the stand adjusted itself to accommodate the large tray.

“Whoa,” Sam said. He stared at the nightstand with a child's amazement. Gareth gave him an odd look.

“You are easily impressed as well.”

“A nightstand just came out of the wall. It's like the room is alive. That is awesome.”

Kaguya started to fall down and Sam rushed over catching her before she hit the floor.

“My apologies. I made you get up while you were healing.”

“No need for apologizes, baby.” He lowered her into the bed tucking her in. “I didn't have any nightmares.” He kissed her on the forehead. “But thank you for the thought. Did I ever tell you how blessed I am that you are in my life?”

“I am the Celestial Emissary. No wonder you are so blessed,”

“I see you're practicing your modesty.” Sam shared a laugh with her.

“And this is my cue to leave,” Gareth said trying and failing, to hide a smile but also rolling his eyes at the saccharine display. “Sir Roland will want to meet.” He stopped before he said in the morning. “He will want to meet to discuss the plan to attack Castle Monmouth as soon as you are able. Oh, and thank you for the advice.”

Gareth walked up to the wooden wall, the sound from before repeated itself as a section of the wall turned itself into a door. It opened automatically for Gareth and closed behind him. Then the door disappeared with no sign that it was there at all. Sam was amazed by wooden automatic doors and the ability to create them. He hoped the wonders of Aetherium never cease.

******

15

Sometime later Sam once again awoke from a nightmare. He was sweating all over his body and his heart was sprinting at a rapid pace. It was about him being hunted by the machines and trying to save people, each time he failed, he could not save his father or Kaguya. Soon the machines cornered him, he was naked and unarmed. Daimos step forward and the bright lights manifested beneath the mask. Sam fell to his knees as his body ignited, his screams drowned out by the maniacal chorus of laughter.

Carefully moving out of bed, as not to disturb Kaguya, he put on a simple tunic and took Dawnbringer. He figured out fairly quickly how to move around Joyous Guard, as the castle was able to sense intent and aid him. He traveled into an empty training hall and the castle created a wooden training dummy for him. It reacted to him grabbing a shield by growing its own and engaging in combat as well as a human opponent.

During the fight, he called upon Dawnbringer's power. A single rune appeared at the point of the blade. He felt a light pull upon his mind, he added a second rune and the pull became stronger. One swing and blue flames emerged from the blade and flew toward his opponent. A second later a new one was created to replace the destroyed one.

He continued working on controlling the flames sustaining them around the sword itself. Just like his training with the Enchantress, he focused on controlling the sword's power. She compared magic to like a muscle that constant exercise would make it easier for him to use. This only applied to Dawnbringer as other magics required much more spiritual study, and he neither had the time or patience for them.

He turned quickly as a sound startled him, only to see it was Kaguya clapping. Dressed in a nightgown covered by an open robe. “Splendid. You are doing quite well.” She had the tea tray on a nearby wooden table. The caste once again sensing his intent had the wooden dummy bow, which Sam returned, and then dissolve into the floorboards.

“Sorry I didn't mean to wake you. I just couldn't get back to sleep.” Kaguya warmed the tea with her hands. Sam walked over to her and a wooden chair formed next to Kaguya.

“We're going to be facing the Dark Lord again,” He said. The conviction in his voice was clear but the tone of fear was not far behind. He could feel the quiet shakes beneath his skin and his breath quickened in pace.

“Husband, you can fight him,” Kaguya said handing him his tea as he sat down. “You will win this time. I know it.”

“I know and I will. I just hate this fear.” The familiar smell of the tea brought back memories.

The first time he had this blend of tea was after that incident near the convenience store. His younger self never drank the stuff in his life. His first sip made him a fan of it for life, having years to think on he realized that it was the fact Kaguya made the tea than any qualities the beverage had on its own.

“Back in the day, it felt like nothing could bring me down. I could smile at anything, nothing stopped me. No nightmares, no fear of death, always a smile on my face. Now it feels like a lie.” He finished his tea in a way that indicated he was desperate for something. Something that could not exist physically, yet he hoped the tea could give him.

“I just wish I could go back to what I was before. That's all I really want when I felt invincible. The same attitude I had before I went into the navy and became an aviator. Agreeing to marry you I did with the same confidence. When I finally came here and dad told me about Daimos, I was ready to take on his entire army myself. But now it feels like I have to struggle just to get up sometimes.”

Kaguya listened intensely to his words. She placed his head on her chest and softly petted him. “Your smile is not false,” she said. “Your courage is true, the acknowledgment of fear is no indication of cowardice or fraud. You have always been as I have known you, brave and steadfast even in the darkest times.”

“Then why does it feel like it's a chore to keep doing this? It's not like I regret my choice to stay here and help. I just sometimes wish I could just lay down.” He groaned at his choice of words. “No that's wrong. People depend on me, I can't lay down and yet I want to. I want to give up and just sleep. What is wrong with me?”

“Nothing is wrong,” Kaguya assured him. “You survived an excruciating ordeal, it is only natural you seek respite from it. Even so, you fight on despite the onerous task before you. This is the truth, it is why your smile is not a false image to obscure your pain. It is your true self fighting to shine despite the pain.”

“I will say it as many times as you need to hear it. You are the Star Warden by choice because you have a warrior's heart and a hero's spirit. No one can exorcise that from you, not your doubts and especially not Daimos.”

Sam nestled in her chest and enjoyed the softness of her body. He took a deep breath and exhaled all his stress. The words soothe his heart and dispelled his anxiety, like a cool wind on the hottest day of summer. She would keep the faith even when Sam himself felt that he could no longer carry on. In those dark moments, the moments he would never show anyone else, she would be the light that helps him find home. Just like what he did for her all those years ago when they were young.

“Thank you,” he said. “For still believing in me.”

“Always.”

After more of the night had passed into what their bodies guessed were day. They would meet with Lord Roland and discussed plans for an assault on Port Monmouth and its Castle. Bridget, who was in a wheelchair, informed everyone about the contents of her delivery. It was this contribution to the conversation that gave Sam an idea for a plan.

The plan was a gamble but he was confident in it. As while he suspected Daimos would know about the demon's banishment and thus be on guard for an attack. Daimos like tyrants of all stripes had a blind spot. Sam's plan would take advantage of that blind spot and if he played it right with a little luck and a prayer he could win this.

Chapter 16

Chapter 13