2"Holding steadfast in the face of certain death and danger is a special exploit of the human soul."
The owls began to hoot, shuffling awake atop the tree branches. The wind blew to the east with such fervor that it could extinguish candlelight, but in this case it was quite the opposite. In a small clearing beside a fallen log repurposed for seating, a lively fire slowly burnt the firewood placed on it by a giant of a person at six foot and two inches, which could be considered too tall for the average seventeen year old.
Garbed in chainmail, and gambeson, as well as white armor that showed signs of wear and tear prominent on the chest and arms. His armor has trimmings of gold on the edges and the helmet sports a T-shaped crescent visor. It is only half-plate and not full plate unlike his past comrades; now either dead or devoted to the cause of the Knights he was once a part of.
He shook his head–ruffling dirty blonde hair–before tossing more firewood into the flames, which gleamed the light off his armor while it grew in size. 'What am I supposed to do now?' He mused. Soft, brown eyes looked up at the broken moon as he shifted his hunched position, hands clasping together; the howls of Grimm echoing in the distance. He whispered a short prayer before glancing at the weapon leaning on the log beside him.
The battle axe's black shaft stretched to above his waist, the handle wrapped in cloth as does the head of the weapon, two sided, silver blades with sheens a darker shade. You could make out scratch marks and chips on this similar to his armor, with the base covered in brown cloth. The Rogue Knight held the axe aloft, examining the edge of the blades before stowing it away on his back with a leather strap along with the other basic necessities he carried with him. He stared at the flame for seconds, smoke rising from the tip before it disappeared under his feet. Cleaning his foot of ash he went on his way, his greaves squeaking against the grass and each step his armor clinking together with the chainmail underneath.
How far had he gone he wasn't sure, he only knows they'll find him sooner rather than later. Deep in the forest of emerald leaves, the Rogue Knight trudged forward, going off of his gut instinct to find his way.
Being a Knight, he was taught many things at a young age. He drew his axe, sensing the red eyes peering from the bushes. The weapon slammed onto the ground, kicking up dust and stones. He stood there unyielding, eye twitching in the presence of these horrid monsters.
One by one, they made themselves known, the moonlight reflecting their jet-black skin and bony protrusions, as well as the red menacing markings etched across their bodies. He turned around to a growl from behind him–another one–stood a head taller than the Rogue Knight with the same features as the others, but this one looked more like a bear than a wolf, large paws and claws that could tear through almost any armor.
Thankfully, his' armor was unlike any other, made of the same metal as his blades: Nox Ores. Pieces of metal hailing from the moon itself, only said to fall down on very rare occasions. There is no knowing when or where they will crash on Remnant, making them highly sought after by huntsmen and the Equites Lunae Fractae, or Knights of the Shattered Moon.
A Knight Order of Valean origin, dating back to the Great War. They follow a codex composed by their Lunar Goddess: Celestia. Who may or may not exist; the forbidden texts certainly gave him some insight. A sudden blur caught his eye–a single Beowolf, lunged towards him, claws out and fangs bared. The Knight dodged the Grimm by a hair's breadth, responding to its offense the next second with a bash from his axe's pommel followed by a swift hook to the beast's jaw.
Distracted, another one sprang into action aiming for his backside. It was however met with a backhanded strike courtesy of a gauntlet, launching the Beowolf a few feet away. In the moment of reprieve, The Rogue Knight heaved his axe in two hands, "C'mon, you lot! Let's test your teamwork, that is, if you know what the word means!" he proclaimed, lips stretching from ear to ear as he raised his voice, while flourishing the weapon he was holding.
The comment instilled something in the Grimm because they all rushed The Rogue Knight at the same time, leaving little room for error for the latter. Despite that, he cleaved three in one swing, kicked another flat on its back, punched two more, and bashed the brains of the Ursa Major. At the moment, only a handful remained, somewhere around thirteen or fourteen. Covered in claw marks and black ick, the grin on his face persisted; the younger ones began backing away snarling and barking while the older ones stood their ground against the human.
'People these days are always reliant on Aura to take the hits.' Helpful for semblances, yes, but nowadays, flashiness is all the craze: spectacular moves while incapacitating your opponent. He charged the nearest Grimm; The Rogue felt his Aura flicker and die out as the blood in his veins pumped faster, the muscles underneath his skin stretching and getting bigger.
He planted down his left foot firmly and swung at the Beowolf idiotic enough to not dodge from down under, starting with its chin all the way to its forehead. Reminds him of the time he cracked open a fruit in half. He carried the momentum of the axe and drove it down a Beowolf's shoulder clean in half, and that resulted in the axe getting a tight hold on the ground. He took his other hand to its neck and pulled, the Grimm saw it as chance; one jumped on his back and started digging into his neck, failing miserably, while another was about to knock him to his side.
The Rogue Knight snapped his head to the right, stunning the Grimm on his back and taking a scratch to the helmet from the other. Instead, it stumbled and fell behind him. The axe now free from its confines in the dirt, he threw the Beowolf on his back towards a tree branch that pierced through its side and snapped the neck of the other.
Now only one stood before him: an Alpha Beowolf. The Ursa must have just been muscle for the pack, maybe second-in-command. The Alpha lunged forward, its claws meeting the Rogue's axe. Sparks flew as bone met metal. The Knight swept his leg low, the Grimm staggered as it felt the impact on its shin. In one swift motion, the Knight sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a claw swipe by an inch of his armor. He took the opening it created, swinging his axe in a wide arc, but the Alpha twisted away, its snarl echoing through the clearing.
The Knight readied his axe for another clash yet was met with a punch to the stomach, launching him a few feet away. Once he regained his footing, the Grimm already moved in to give him another knuckle sandwich that he could not dodge; he is still reeling from the first punch.
He did react to the third one, cutting its right hand and dropkicking the monster. He got back up on his feet, his helmet falling to the ground with a clang. "You're a lot tougher than the rest, I'll give ya that." The knight ruffled the dirt out of his hair and wiped the blood on his lips. A wild, guttural laugh tore from his throat, the sound harsh and raw. His smile stretched wider, pulling at his cheeks, showing teeth, and on the verge of splitting his face apart.
"C'mon you big dumb wolf! Come get me!" The Knight gripped his axe tightly–the Alpha Beowolf roared and charged full force, leaving foot imprints in the dirt as it raised its left paw for a claw swipe. He rolled under the beast and caught its arm, separating the appendage from the Alpha's body. The Rogue Knight then reared back his leg and kicked the Grimm in between its legs, the beast buckled and lay on the grass writhing in pain while he prepared to behead the monster.
A moment later, its head rolled off its shoulders as the Grimm began turning into black dust. The Knight's chest rose and fell, pacing in shallow breath. Another–albeit hoarse–chuckle escaped his lips. He spat on the dissipating body of the Alpha, "When you meet your maker, tell em the Rogue Knight: Duncan Roswell, sent ya." Duncan fastened his helmet back on while the walls of Vale could be seen through the thick foliage.
"Would you look at that, I made it just in time." Duncan took one last look behind him before making his way into the city.
I just realized I switched the two letters in the wrong order, specifically: L, and O. Well, it's an easy fix. I can't say much, else I'd spoil it too hard, but you all already know what letter is next.
R