Knight Quests: Loss (Legendseekers Part 3)

They had lost.

Troia, Versailles, and the other knights surrounded Yuhi, utterly defeated. Their queen had fallen in battle; she lay on the ground, convulsing in pain and gnashing her fangs as the gash on her leg sparked and hissed with an unknown magic, the likes of which even veteran Lullay Knights haven't seen before. The corrupted moxyn faced them, looming over Yuhi, and the strangely possessed Corruption Beasts encircled them all in a column; it was tight enough that none of the uncorrupted xyns had room to retaliate or escape lest they face the wrath of the villain and their beasts.

The villainous moxyn stood before them all, and raised their head to cackle in triumph. “How pitiful that you could not catch me in the end.” They lowered their face to bare a venomous grin at everyxyn before them and their strange mask flared with energy. “Perhaps she will never remember who I am…!“

And with that, the villainous moxyn reared up on their hind legs, howling with laughter. Their mask shone brighter than it had before and air sizzled and cracked from latent Corrupted energy surrounding everyxyn; a surge of Corruption magic opened a black void, which swallowed the villain whole and took its corruption beasts along with it; and it immediately sealed itself shut with a “CRASH!” afterwards. The void then vanished from existence as if it had never appeared… and the villain had gotten away.

Troia stood, frozen, even as the other knights started to clamor in an uproar and the Lullay Knights rushed over to Yuhi to provide her medical aid.

How could this have happened? 

Troia wanted to feel something- anything- anguish, rage, sorrow, defeat; but her. She was bruised, cut, and seared; she and her fellow knights had fought with everything that they had against the corrupted xyn and their beasts. But what had all of their efforts amounted to?

Versailles stepped to Troia’s side, lowering her sinuous neck to Troia’s level. The grueling battle had also taken a toll on the vexyn; even Versailles, normally regal and proud, appeared exhausted past her limit. The stars and comets that normally surged with power beside her now slowed to a crawl in their paths, and her guiding star halo seemed to have a cracks rippling through it. 

Versailles smiled encouragingly at Troia, despite her own pain. Her lucky aura, though dimmed from her wounds, touched Troia for the briefest of moments with some semblance of warmth and comfort. “We all fought our hardest. We must make back to Moonreach with all haste to help Yuhi now.”

Troia remained silent, watching as the Lullay Knights, casting one enchantment after another, helped Yuhi onto her feet. Yuhi was putting on a brave face for everyxyn around her, but Troia couldn’t help but wonder how much anguish she was in by being defeated, past her physical wounds.

Yuhi didn’t discover who that mysterious corrupted xyn was. It may not be possible after what she had been through- if she could even recover.

Something stirred in Troia’s heart; perhaps it was some sort of resolve. Despite all odds, could Troia, possibly, find out in her place…?