Knight Quests: Valorous (Legendseekers Part 3)

Troia could not sleep well for several nights after Yuhi’s defeat. As she tossed and turned in the cot she was allotted within the Royal Knights barracks, the corrupted moxyn’s voice and masked face haunted her, again and again, in her nightmares: 

“Perhaps she will never remember who I am…!“ 

Those words hadn’t stopped haunting her.

Troia remembered watching the Queen collapse on the march back to Moonreach and the panic that ensued from the choir of knights to return her home safely. She remembered listening to Queen Ryu’s proclamation to the public of Moonreach, detailing what had happened to Yuhi and what must be done with the relics. 

And as much as she did not want to admit it, she worried deeply for the fate of her sibling Athens. There was no time to search for him in the aftermath of the battle against the corrupted moxyn & their Corruption Beasts despite her insistence; Versailles had stopped her, and urged her to go home with everyxyn accompanying Yuhi to Moonreach. It mattered more that she was able to accompany the Queen than to possibly lose her life finding someone that may have never been there; and reluctantly, she knew Versailles was right. The chance of finding other corrupted xyns in the Corrupted Lands was debatable, especially once they had heard about how Moonreach had been besieged by corrupted xyns…

Athens had sacrificed herself at the battle of Wingfell to save Troia and send her away with a Moonsearch Spell- her fate was unknown to everyxyn left at the battle if they weren’t corrupted. If she were to help the Queens, she needed to find Athens first; perhaps if Athens was corrupted, it wouldn’t be too late to save her…

—

A night or so after, Troia arrived at Pantalaimon’s doorstep. Hesitantly, she rang their doorbell- and Pantalaimon burst out the door, tumbling into Troia. 

“TROIA!!! I was so worried for you!” Pantalaimon bawled. They clung onto her and hugged her tightly- perhaps a bit too tightly, for she almost couldn't breathe before they let her go. They licked her mask before stepping back. “I tried to ask the knights for days about how you were doing but couldn't get a hold of your status. They wouldn’t let me in or tell me anything other than to leave you undisturbed! Thank the queens that you’re here! Tell me, what is it that you need?

It took Troia a moment to find the words to speak, and she stood up too, gently shaking the dust from her fur and feathers. It felt nice to know that someone missed her. “Pantalaimon,” she asked, quietly. From the way she hesitated, she almost seemed reluctant to say what she wanted; she almost never asked favors of others. “Would you… help me find Athens? I need to find him... I can’t leave him for dead.” She looked away, so that she didn’t make eye contact with Pan. “I’m joining one of several search-and-rescue deployment of knights to save anyxyn we can outside Moonreach’s borders, before we all return here to focus on helping the populace and refugees. We’re going to Wingfell… that’s where Athens was last before she sent me away…”

Pantalaimon nodded in earnest, and winked, giving her a playful salute with their right wing. “Don’t even think twice to ask. Of course I’ll help find Athens!” 

Troia couldn’t smile through her mask- she hadn’t been able to smile underneath it in years. But she didn’t need to- Pantalaimon would know how she’d want to express herself now.

“Thank you,” she said, quietly. Pantalaimon leaned in to nuzzle the cheek of mask to comfort her, and she allowed it, without shoving them away. 

---

A day later, Troia and Pantalaimon arrived at Wingfell with a small troop of Royal and Lullay knights. They were a motley crew of about seven xyns in total, including her and Pantalaimon; only enough that had the energy find and save one corrupted xyns at a time, if any were left surviving here. It was a risk they needed to take if they wanted to take as many as they could home. The city felt eerily silent even when it was already known for being a tranquil and quiet place; the last uncorrupted xyns that lived here had already left recently to seek refuge within Moonreach’s walls. Trying to avert her eyes from the destruction of the city and leftover corruption residue, Troia tried her hardest not to remember what had happened to the uncorrupted xyns she saw the last time she was here. And she wouldn’t know how to feel if she couldn’t find her sibling- or worse, if they found him, then…

Something stirred from the rubble of a crumbled building. It was a blackened silhouette of a xyn with eyes crackling with some strange corrupted magic, a long flowing mane- and a unicorn’s horn.

Troia’s heart nearly sank into her stomach and her magicava felt as if nearly drained of all its magic at the sight. 

It was Athens. Her worst fears were confirmed. 

With a roar, she gave the signal to her troop to rally themselves, and they immediately assumed a defensive formation; Troia charged ahead, while Pantalaimon and the rest of the Royal knights stayed back to shield the Lullay knights as they cast an anti-corruption spell. She had no time to waste on fearing for her own life now; she Troia needed to do was pin the xyn down long enough for the Lullay’s corruption-healing magic to work. 

Troia, already shielded with an anti-corruption spell from earlier, exchanged blow after blow with the corrupted Athens, slashing at him with her claws or lashing out with the stinger on her tail. Athens could only howl and try to sink his fangs into her or pierce her with his horn; the animalistic brutality he had to resort to with the loss of his magic sickened her to see. It was nothing like the grace and dignity he would once carry himself with when he cast spells in battle- and she didn’t want to think of what life would be like if she could never see that again. 

Something was wrong with Athen’s corrupted state; with his strangely corrupted eyes, he was able to fight much more fiercely than any corrupted xyn she had seen previously. Though slightly taller than the average moxyn he was fighting with the full force of a grown Vexyn; and in minutes, he was already beginning to wear Troia's stamina out. She would not be able to last much longer; the anti-corruption shield that laid itself like a veil over her body was beginning to crack. 

Pantalaimon noticed this, and thinking quickly, leapt out from the group to blow a jet of piercing air at Athens- thouhg painful, it was not enough to wound her, but just enough to direct her attention towards  them. It worked- and Athens immediately snapped around, lunging towards Pantalaimon instead. Pantalaimon immediately dodged to the side and continued to blow jet after jet of piercing air at Athens- attempting to buy Troia enough time to recuperate and the remaining knights enough time to launch their corruption-purging spells at Athens. It was a gamble to distract Athens like this; Pantalaimon didn’t have the physical fortitude that Troia possessed. One blow from Athens could shatter their anti-corruption shield- a second blow could Corrupt them and spell their end. 

Athens had hit his limit with his patience. He snarled, and lunged towards Pantalaimon with a frightening speed, successfully charging directly into him and pinning him against the crumbling wall of a nearby building. Pantalaimon, slammed against the wall, gasped for air- they had no breath to scream. Their eyes bulged in fear at Athen’s face, and the gleaming horn she raised high above; about to plunge it into their throat. 

“PAN!” Troia cried out. Her heart stopped- but she knew that she had to push through with all the courage she had. The next few moments were a blur that she could hardly recall.

She felt herself charging into Athens.They barrelled over each other, struggling for control over each other. She felt herself hit the ground, and felt the tip of Athen’s unicorn horn reaching for her chest multiple times to plunge itself into it. She felt a weight lifted away from her as Athens was restrained by magical chains; she heard the distorted scream of a corrupted xyn; and the last thing she saw was blinding flash of warm Lullay magic flooding her vision, and soon overtaking everything around them.

—

Troia lay on the ground beside Athens, her vision spinning. Athens lay beside her too- while the corruption ooze had vanished entirely, parts of his fur were stained black and grey from the aftereffects of his infection.

It was several long, agonizing moments of silence before one of them could muster the energy to speak.

“Troia…?” Athens murmured, almost sleepily. “Is that you?”

Troia struggled to set herself upright, and then Athens did, too.

Troia felt something wet bead at the corners of her eyes behind her mask; and her throat choked up when she spoke. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this sensation- she almost didn't understand it. Why was she feeling something so intensely, for the first time in decades? 

“Brother…!”

She embraced him in both of her forearms, and clung onto him tightly. Athens, despite her pain, gently embraced her, too. Ever since they became estranged after the death of their father when she was a xynlet, it was the first time she allowed herself to feel vulnerable around Athens- she almost couldn't recognize what it was like to feel anguish and relief like this. Her mask halo would never betray the feelings she could bear on her face, always hiding them; but it couldn't hide what she felt deep down in her heart.

Pantalaimon and the rest of the Knights immediately surrounded them, clamoring and shouting in excitement that Athens had survived. But their cries fell on deaf ears; in this moment, Troia didn’t pay them any heed.

Athens was safe. 

She could be brought home now.