[HIATUS] The Tide Rises

Chapter 16

Donning her helmet, now as black as the walls she stood upon, she couldn't help but ponder: how did I end up in this mess?

There had been no luck so far in locating her fellow knights thus far. From what she could gather from her scattered memories, this wasn't much of a surprise; they liked to stay hidden and out of public affairs. Even a steadfast knight set on her mission needed a break at some point, so after a nonstop search, she sat by a riverside for a rest.

A group of the island's inhabitants, all carrying a weapon and dressed in black, approached her. They were pushy, rough, and ordered her around before eventually just shoving various crates and small trinkets into her arms to carry. They led her to a tall, black building placed in what she assumed was the center of the island, and something was off about its aura from the moment she walked in. It felt... strangely hostile. Were these the rivals GHOST spoke of? SHADOW, their name was?

It had been several hours since then. She had spoken to their strange leader, who hid behind a gas mask as she did behind her helmet. Surprisingly, he was rather amicable, and had offered her payment and an alliance as if she were some assassin for hire, as well as insight on the location of the knights.

Eternal Knight had glanced at one of the walls; there it was, hanging high in the air, that strange symbol with a skull. It was a dark, unwelcoming contrast to the silvery hues of the icons showcased on the agents of GHOST, and if she had to be honest... it was rather unsettling in the way it stared straight back at her with its soulless eyes. If she were to join, it would be her emblem. She would become one of those soulless beings.

Though she heavily desired the information on the knights, she asked for a chance to think about it.

The deafening engine of an aircraft had whipped overhead. There were roars of boats from the southern sea wall. A plethora of men dressed in that signature black raced in, most of them carrying bags of unknown objects. "Is something happening?" She asked a group of these nearby henchmen, and she had received several different answers.

Something about bait, about luring "them" in. When asked to specify, they laughed and went on their way. It was then she made up her mind about joining and had promptly walked out, leading her to where she stood now, surveying the waters on the western sea wall as the sun slowly fell over the horizon. The knights... they were somewhere along these waters. She shouldn't have taken a break. Now, she was being dragged into a war she had already claimed not to want a part in.

"You don't want to join us, then?"

A woman with a hood approached her, an odd smile on her face. Eternal Knight reached for her sheath, and the woman laughed. "I got the hint."

Eternal Knight turned to the water again, keeping her hand on the handle of her sword. "I'm not sure I fit in with your people, nor have they even explained to me your ways in the first place. Your men mock me, never give a straight answer, and I'm not sure I want to remain in this environment. It's nothing short of hostile."

"Yep, a lot of people really take that hint about us," the woman said. Her green eyes twinkled under her hood, yet her smile softened, before turning to a frown completely. She glanced to the southwest, and Eternal Knight followed her gaze. There it was, the strange fortress floating on the surface of the ocean... she hadn't quite ventured that far, but it intrigued her each time her eyes fell upon it. The woman pointed to it. "We're trying to lure GHOST in. We captured one of their agent's son, so everyone here's prepping for an attack. We're ready for them, this time. We're convinced of it. Oh, yeah, and we ransacked one of their locations and framed someone they already barely trusted. Tech stuff. Horrible, right?"

Eternal Knight frowned underneath her helmet. "If you have come here to persuade me to join, you've done a terrible job thus far. I've made up my mind."