A Knight's Vows

By: Yanea Posted on: May 19, 2004

I grinned widely as I handed over the sack of smelly rat bodies to Jorj. He quickly counted the bodies, and handed me a small sack, brimming with sparkling, golden sovereigns. "Thank 'ee kindly," he said with a wide, toothy grin. I grabbed the sack eagerly and nodded politely. "Such a nice boy..." Jorj muttered to himself fondly as I walked away with a friendly wave.

"Such a nice boy," I mimmicked, sitting myself down on the steps of the courthouse of Cyrene and setting my broadswords down beside me. I shook my head and struggled to untie the small bag. "Who does he think he's kidding, the old man doesn't even know me," I continued as I pried the bag open. Frowning a bit at the difficult knot, I ran my hand through my long, black bangs in an unsuccessful attempt to get them out of my face.

With a rather hard pull, the sack burst open, spilling a couple of the glimmering coins onto the ground. My breath caught in my throat for a moment, before I came to my senses and scooped up the spilled gold pieces.

Somebody said something on the guild channel. Vaguely annoyed, I gave a quick, "Algiz protect," before tuning them all out. I never liked talking on that channel anyway. Then I began to count my money. One, two...

"Unwin said so!" screamed an indignant voice. Hearing the familiar name, I looked up. A group of overenthusiastic novices were standing together, talking about something. Decked out in Official Runewarden Novitiate shirts and pants, Colbey-forged swords in hand, they were truly... well, novices.

They were having some kind of argument about a requirement for their first right, and I was about to shrug it off. But one of the Novices, a naive-looking Atavian with dirty white wings and messy amber hair, caught my attention for some reason. I watched him as he cluelessly wandered a couple steps away, chasing a baby rat and pathetically missing it with his sword about four times in a row.

There was something about him that enthralled me. Maybe it was how me moved so clumisly and awkwardly, yet never seemed to fall on his face. Perhaps it was his slightly asymmetrical wings, and how they seemed to twitch weirdly of their own accord every so often. I wasn't sure what it was, exactly, but I stopped counting my gold and smiled wryly as I watched him chase the little rat around, in hot pursuit.

Then I suddenly tired of it. The rat came speeding in my direction, and I expertly slammed my sword into it, literally skewering the thing. The Atavian barely stopped short of getting his toes chopped off. I wondered vaguely- and a bit guiltily- whether I was happy about that or not.

The Novitiate stared at the rat's body sadly, and for a moment I thought he was going to cry. I felt a little bad, so I slid the thing off of the blade of my sword and handed it to him. He face lit up, and I almost immediately regretted my act of kindness.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed, his indigo eyes 'sparkling with amusement'. Oh, wonderful. He smiled broadly before continuing. "I'm Nyte. What's your name?" he asked me.

I blinked at him once, not exactly sure how to respond for a split second. His wing twitched. Then I leaned back against the stones of the steps I was seated on, and looked at him, smirking.

"Hey, Nyte. My name is Ravajo. This your first time in Cyrene?" I replied, a mocking smile playing on my lips. I don’t think he caught any of the sarcasm dripping off that sentence.

"Yes, this is my first time here, ever!" Nyte exclaimed.

"Well, have fun," I added with equal sarcasm. I stood up and stretched, indicating I was done talking to him. But that naive little novice just wouldn’t take a hint.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but how do you become a REAL Runewarden?" he asked. I gaped, unsure whether to just walk away or to smack the little bugger.

'What?!' I thought. 'This KID is a Novitiate already, and he doesn't even know what a rite is?' I sighed with frustration. I wasn't in the mood for this anymore. "You have to take some rites of passage and be 'honourable' and all that for a long time, plus do other stuff," I tried half-heartedly to explain. "It's all in the Runewardens Library in the Spire," I finished. Novices. How annoying.

"Oh, I see," said Nyte, obviously unconvinced. His wing twitched again, and I had a sudden urge to snap the thing off. "And what exactly does a Runewarden do?" he continued.

I was about to tell this guy to go have a nice, long talk with Romeo or Juliet, they'd be happy to explain. Or possibly a Mhaldorian, since I was in such a sour mood. But then, I suddenly had a better idea of how to show this joker what the Runewardens were all about.

"You know what, I'll show you what a Runewarden does," I smirked. Nyte’s smile grew a mile wide when I told him that. So easily amused. "Follow me," I said, starting in the direction of Ainghaeal's Nest.

I walked confidently into the arena, Nyte shuffling along behind me. I smiled cockily and announced, "Who wants to duel me next?" I could see Nehuy’s enthusiastic expression as many people volunteered.

I challenged someone randomly and we began to spar. My opponent was an arcanist, and I knew she was good- I had noticed her shooting some nice spells off when cashing before. Soon, we were deeply immersed in the heat of the battle.

My heart started pounding as I slipped into a steady rhythm of attacking and blocking. Neither my partner nor I knew each other's tactics well, but if her frequent shouts of "Wait, I'm not ready yet, I need to get my defenses up!" and her fumbling were any sign, I had a certain advantage over her. I certainly wasn't about to let such an opportunity pass me by.

Relentlessly I chased her and pounded her with all I had with both of my broadswords. Little by little, despite her best healing efforts, her condition went from good to bad, then to worse. Barely clinging to consciousness, the unfortunate magi let out an exasperated noise as darkness overtook her.

Finished, I right past Nyte, ready for praise and awe from him. Nyte fell into step behind me as I walked. "Why did you hurt her? That wasn't very nice."

"Sparring isn't about nice," I replied coolly. "It was a battle, and the best one, me, won."

"Oh, okay then." There was a short pause. "But she couldn't fight back, right, Ravajo? So where was the battle?"

"She had her chance before the fight, it's not my fault she didn't use her time correctly. Stuff like that is all part of the fight", I explained, growing annoyed.

"But where's the fun in beating a defenseless enemy?" Nyte persisted.

"It's not meant to be fun, it's a DUEL," I told him bluntly. Then I stopped walking and turned to face him. "Listen, if I hadn't killed her, she would have killed me," I said, trying to find the words to explain what had always seemed so evident to me.

"It just doesn't seem very... knightlike to me," Nyte said with a sigh. "I'm not sure I want to become a Runewarden anymore..."

I was outraged. Who was this novice to judge me? I was going to prove to this little idiot what a great honor being a Runewarden was. "So what if you aren't impressed with dueling? That's only one small part of it. There's forging, and runelore, and the honor, and... you get a falcon..." I said, frowning as I tried to list things that might appeal to Nyte.

"And are those fun?" asked Nyte in his innocent way, wing twitching. I felt deeply scrutinized, as if I was being examined under a powerful microscope by every God and Goddess on Sapience. I gave myself a good shake and let the feeling float away. This is only one meaningless Atavian novice, I told myself.

"Yes, tons of fun!" I said, trying very hard to sound enthusiastic. "Well, I've never liked the whole 'runelore' thing myself, I've always found it boring. You get a falcon, though, even though I haven't called mine out of its Sanctuary in awhile," I tried desperately to explain.

"But forging is great!" I exclaimed suddenly, "Really great! Nothing like standing in front of a burning forge all day, hammering the metal into the exact perfect shape you want..." I said, trailing off towards the end. I had always like forging, but Nyte seemed less enthusiastic.

"Sounds... fun. Do you do that often?" inquired Nyte, politely. His wing twitched.

"Oh yeah, I can make almost anything you want me to," I answered smugly.

"Must get kinda dull after a while."

"Well..." I faltered.

Nyte continued. "Out of all the things you make, how often does it turn out bad?"

"Never," I boasted.

"So you just make the same things over and over again? I mean, there isn't much fun in that, is there?"

"Listen pal," I said, my eyes narrowing into angry hazel slits as I felt my face go red. "You seem to know an awful lot for a Novitiate Third. You don’t need to keep following me around. So quit it now, or I'll get you in trouble with Unwin himself for harassment! Now goodbye, I have more important things to do that sit around with some freakish wannabe like yourself!" I spat.

"Indeed. And what stuff might that be?" Nyte asked with a laugh. He seemed unphased.

"Not that it's any of your business," I replied venomously with a scowl. "But I'm going to go ratting. Satisfied?" I spat out. Why didn’t I hit him?

"Ratting," pondered Nyte. "I see."

I turned on him. "Okay, you don't have to ask!" I exclaimed, very much frustrated. "Ratting is fun at first, though it gets boring after awhile. But yes, you don't have to point it out. After bashing daily for a few years it does become rather mundane, yes, okay, we get the idea. Happy?" I hissed.

"Whether I am happy is beside the point, Ravajo," Nyte explained condescendingly. "What matters is whether you are happy." He nodded sagely.

I don't know which God or Goddess it was that held me back, but somehow I managed not to impale the annoying Atavian. I took a deep breath and regained my composure.

"Well... I'm happy when I recieve gold from Jorj for killing the vermin," I ventured cautiously, unaware of what Nyte was getting at. I hated being unaware.

"I'm glad that makes you happy," he said with a disgusting sincerity. "But have you ever stopped to wonder exactly why that brings you joy? Honestly?" he asked.

"I guess I'm happy because I'm getting gold..." I replied suspiciously. I hated this little game of his. His wing twitched again, and my hand twitched along with it, wanting so badly to snap it in half.

"So it is the gold that makes you happy?" Nyte continued.

"Everyone likes gold, you know," I stated blatantly.

"Do they?" asked Nyte with a calm smile. "And what is so great about gold that it should be the universal standard of happiness?"

I blinked. "Well it... it allows you to buy stuff? Stuff you want? Stuff you need?" This was getting out of hand.

Nyte nodded thoughtfully, before saying, "Indeed. And how does this action of buying work?"

I laughed mockingly at the innocence of the question, consideraly cheered up by knowing the answer. "Well," I explained. "You give sovereigns to another person, and in exchange they give you something they have and you want. It's a system of trade, one good against another," I added, figuring that I might as well play along with this guy's supposed Novice state until I uncovered his little scam.

"The money is a good in itself then. Alright." He paused a bit, then asked, "Who are these other people you speak of?"

"Look around you, you idiot. Other Runewardens like myself, obviously," I replied haughtily. "I can also make gold by forging something and selling it."

"So making gold is what makes you happy."

"Well, yes."

"If they want what you can make so badly, why didn't they try to make it themselves, Ravajo?" Nyte inquired.

"Well, sometimes they do..." I admitted. Great. And I thought I had this game of his all figured out.

"Interesting. And what happens then?" inquired Nyte.

"That depends. If you’re in Cyrene, then they will make offers to buy whatever it is. If it’s outside of the City, then that can still happen... or they can just try to kill you for it. Runewardens don’t do that, though," I added as an afterthought.

"Yes, obviously. Is that all that can happen?"

"Well, there's always sparring. You can spar someone and bet on that."

"I see. Much would be at stake then. What happens in those cases?"

"Well, isn’t it obvious? You both make a bet, and the winner takes both," I said matter-of-factly. "All in all, it's pretty blood-pumping," I explained.

"And as a Runewarden you do this often."

"Yes, quite often," I answered, frowning.

"And this is fun...?" asked the novice.

"Like I said, it's blood-pumping, so I'd say that yes, it is fun," I replied with a sharp edge to my voice.

"Indeed. Is it fun when you are the one losing?"

"I barely ever lose, but... no, not at all," I said. Nyte opened his mouth to speak again, but I stopped him with a raised hand. "That is the risk you take," I said to him.

"Yet it is still fun to inflict such a loss upon others, upon those who are, in your own words, Runewardens like yourself?" questioned Nyte. His annoyingly pleasant smile had not faltered throughout the conversation. His wing twitched again, but I hardly noticed.

I shrugged, and replied, "That's how things work around here, in my eyes. Survival of the fittest."

"That sounds extremely cruel," Nyte stated neutrally. "And totally contrasting to my definition of a Runewarden, in any case." There was a small pause, and Nyte's grin widened a bit.

I lost it.

"Who ARE you to judge us? To judge ME!? You're nothing but an aggravating, idiotic NOVICE who doesn't know anything about Cyrene, the Runewardens, or this entire world, works!" I shouted. I began to take a step forward, but stopped myself. I felt a swerve of dizziness and the world seemed to pause around me.

My hand flew to my throbbing head, and I leaned against a nearby tree to keep from falling down. Everything but Nyte and I stopped. The rest of Sapienece seemed to freeze around us. Citizens walking down the streets stopped in mid-step, the wheels of the carriage down the street stopped turning, and nothing seemed even remotely animate but Nyte and I.

"I am the novice you once were, Ravajo. I am everything you once had, which you strived so hard to lose along the way!" Nyte's annoyingly polite voice seemed to come from everywhere around me as my hands flew helplessly to cover my ears. What's going on!?

"Wha.. What are you?" I managed to mumble. I shuddered violently as one hand went to the hilt of my broadsword in the scabbard at my hip.

Slowly, the voice explained in that patronizing tone, "I am the conscience, the innocence, the compassion you once had. I am what you left behind, what you thought you had to get rid of, and today I have returned to give you a talk that you desperately needed."

Somehow, somewhere, deep down... I wasn't surprised. Not in the least. In fact, I was even relieved. I felt, weirdly, as if a tremendous weight had been lifted off of my chest, my mind, my heart, and my soul. A weight I hadn't even realized was there.

I nodded slowly, contemplating, and then said, "I guess... you are right..."

My vision focused and Nyte's voice returned to normal. I stared blatantly at the Atavian form in front of me, gleaming white shirt and sturdy Novitiate vest.

"But, Ravajo," he said. His voice seemed feable and thin now, in comparison. A smile, secure smile was on his lips. "I could never teach you anything that you didn't already know. Look inside yourself, and you will find what you really need."

'Could that line have been any cornier?' I asked myself in the back of my mind. But it didn't really seem to bother me like it would have before.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and stopped thinking, stopped feeling, and I tried to just simply... be. Then something clicked inside of me, and I heard city noises surround me again, I felt the bustle of city life enveloping me once more. I smiled. I opened my eyes and everything was, indeed, normal again, and I was where this had all begun. No Nyte.

I saw this, and at first I didn't know what to do. I mean, how does someone react after an experience like that?

What I decided on, was walking up to the group of Novitiates and answering their questions. "Yes, you DO have to have a newly forged sword for your first rite, you can't use the one Colbey gave you. Do you want me to forge some for you all?" I asked.

The novitiates beamed and followed me excitedly to the forge. I looked back and flashed them a genuine, good-natured smile.

-----

As Ravajo walked out of sight, Jorj handed an adventurer a bag full of sovereigns. The adventurer thanked him and walked off, tending to his own business. Jorj gave a toothy smile as he watched the form of the powerful Runewarden stride away towards the forge with a flock of Novitiates in tow. "Such a nice boy..." he mumbled to himself with a blank, content smile. "Such a nice boy..."