A different kind of Knight

Chapter 18

(Author's note: Expect slower updates than usual since I will be reviewing for and trying my luck for upcoming college entrance exams. Sorry, ya'll but I will be trying my best to find time to update this.)

*THUD!* The two halves of his body landed onto the stone floor almost simultaneously. I've won. I feel victorious! I feel triumphant! I feel... Sleepy. *Creeaaaaakk!* The Imperial Knight fell backwards, the gyroscopic stabilizer deep inside madly whirred as it overworked itself to its metaphorical bones. *THUD! EEeeeEEEE!* A cloud of dust envelopes me, further worsening the visibility from the cracked and burnt pict-screen. The fall only made things worse as the sword was driven further into me, pain flared across my body as the Knight groaned and creaked. "Argh!" The sudden jolt of intense pain made me exert a demeaning grunt. This hurts, too muxh hurt for my own liking. I no longer want to endure any more of this, I want to be free from the confines of my iron body. Fingers wrapped around the cylindrical body of the male MIU neural jack, the iron-clad appendages gave it a testing tug. I tighten my grip around it as I close my eyes and brace myself. Something foolish will be done but anything will be done to be free from this pain. *Hooh, hooh.* Breathe in, breathe out. I recited the ancient Terran Mantra of Calming and its actions. Then... *Click.* The port was pulled so suddenly to the point where I felt the pain of sudden disconnection from the Throne Mechanicum. My psyche was then instantly thrown from one body to another like a ball in a game of batball. Feelings and sensations from both bodies clashed and mixed, turning into a concotion of potent neuron-frying juice. My mind was wracked with a barrage of mind-melting headaches. The maddening sensation made me involuntarily close my eyes as I began to see colors that never even existed before. I grab my skull with my own two hands as hard as I can to try to drown the pain of a million headaches with the pain of a crushing skull. Or at least trying to crush my own skull. I began to thrash around as I started turning, kicking, flailing, crying, and screaming while the armaplas webbing held me down oppressively. As the sensation still ravaged the poor pink thinking-organ inside my head. Each agony-filled second felt like an hour in passing. I can only do nothing but weep. And so I wept, hard. "WAAAAH! AAAHHHH! HAAAAAH!" Salty snot and tears dripped into my mouth as I vocalized my pain embarassingly. Finally, the sensation began to subside as I marinated inside the Knight pilot suit that was filled to the brim with sweat. The waterproof fabric was meant to ensure that I stay comfortable in wet situations while also providing some protection against deathly environments filled with undesirables that you do not want to have inside you. But now it is doing the opposite. All it's done at this moment is ensuring to make me feel trapped as my almost-shattered mind currently does not have the working mental faculties to open it. "HURK! BLLLLEEEEEEUUGH!!!" The half-digested rations in my stomach decided that it would be no longer staying inside of me as my stomach seems to have a dislike for its tenants. It quickly climbed up my throat and shot out of my mouth like a mock draconic display from one of those old amusement motion pictures. The brown fluids of my own making coats my suit alongside the cockpit's floor as it slowly dribbled down. Drool drips from my lips as I stare at the disguting stew of steaming shame absent-mindlessly. Wait... What just happened? It takes a while for the appropriate feelings to settle in me as my damaged mind slowly but surely, begins to think again. Why, I just desecrated a holy relic of House Phaeron with my own bodily fluids. It makes me feel sick to think about what I did. There is another painful contraction deep in my bowels. I should exit the Imperial Knight before my stomach would decide that a brown interior would look nice. *Tic.* The pilot harness falls off and it no longer holds me snugly to the Throne Mechanicus. *Click. Hissss!* Pressurized air leaks out of the cockpit as I weakly pushed the hatch open. The place is noticeably brighter than before as the cave no longer seems to harbor that evil kind of darkness. I crawl out of the cockpit and try to hold myself steadily as I stand on the carapace. Unfortunately, the slippery surface covered in all kinds of bodily fluids and bits of organs along with a doozy mind made me slip and fall down. *Thud!* I fell down backwards and it seems my occipital bone was very eager to meet the floor. Ow. But it didn't end there as I rolled and fell down again but from the height of 5 meters. This time, the kinetic energy of the fall is more spread out since I landed with my body splayed outwards thus, the pain is less severe. However, it doesn't change the fact that pain is still pain. *THUD!* Ouch. I am now completely miserable, vomit on my lap, covered in head-to-toe with gore, suit jiggjling around with a massive volume of sweat in it, and the finishing touches of misery sprinkled onto this fine celebration pastry. I shakily stood up and called for my companion's name since I am in need of assistance. "ALICE! ALLLIIICCCEEE!!!" I summoned the strength to yell out her name with my still painfully sore throat. "Luke?" She weakly calls out my name somewhere in front of the Knight whereas I landed to the rear. I walk around to find her as she seems to be rather close-by, judging by my hearing. Her voice seems to be coming from the front right where the two halves of the beast lie. And she seems to be... Crying? I ran towards the direction of her weeping to see if she is
Possibly hurt from the battle. I stumble and fall a few times along the way.
"Alice!" I croaked her name with a heavily abused throat. "Luke?" She responds with a pained voice possibly due to weeping for an extended amount of time or injuries. Hopefully it is the former. Anyone would be distressed over the death of what used to be their friend, but Alice seems to be more distressed than the usual victims of grief that I encounter, almost as if she came from a different world. "Lad. You. Are. In a different world." The nobleman's regal voice said the obvious as if I hadn't noticed it before. Well my mind is still recovering from the assault on it so I hope he understands that at least. "Only the weak make excuses! O-Oi! What do you think you are doing!" Lelelelele! I can't hear your constant nagging, old man! "Unruly little son of a..." He spat before realizing that this is an unwinnable battle, he retreats and waits for a better opportunity to continue his so-called 'lessons.' The focus of my unfocused and still struggling to focus eyeballs look to the yellow blur, Alice. Then the two red blurs, Trelbjor. Now how did you get corrupted, you oversized chainsword training doll? Quite puzzling, just how the Forces of Chaos or to be more specific: Khorne, was able to establish a foothold in this world. Although, the voice clearly said that this world is residing in a dífferent universe from mine. So how did Trelbjor get himself corrupted by one of the Dark Gods? Perhaps the voice was lying all along and it could possibly be using Me for something else. From now on, I will treat the voice with suspicion and try to extract some truths from it whilst putting it under the false pretense that I'm still loyal to it. "Luke." The weak voice of my companion brings me back to reality and I should probably focus on the current issues that is very much real compared to conspiracies that
are yet to be proven. The amount of light spilling forth from the almost 200 meter tall entrance was enough to outline her robed figure but not enough to illuminate any more any of her distinct cat-like features. I slowly approached her, not knowing how she might react to the person responsible for her friend's death. There she is, kneeling on the stone floor close to the right half of Trelbjor's face. Gently, I lowered myself beside her as I folded my legs to sit down. "I'm sorry." I whisper as I look into
the eye of the corpse. "Don't be." She whispers back, but it is unclear whether she was saying to me or to 'him.' "Are you perhaps... Hurt?" I asked, hoping for Alice to say that she is fine but what I see says something different about her. "Y-Yeah. I'm feeling as bright as a lemon. Wooo." She said that she is as bright as a 'lemon' and I do not know how bright a lemon or what even is a lemon, nor the meaning of that phrase. But it was said with a potent amount of... Hmmm, shuffling through knowledge of years of private tutoring. Ah, sarcasm. A form of comedy. Clearly, she must be thinking that this is a good time for comedy! Comedy is a proven way of coping with grief! What a great show of mind prowess! Therefore, laughter shall rid her of anguish! "Hehohuhuhahehehi! That is a good one!" The suit jiggled annoyingly from the laughing, and I truly feel no joy at this moment. But I want to comfort her, so laugh. I complimented her joke with an attempt of laughing at a joke that I have no understanding of while giving praise. Her face immediately soured. "Why are you laughing?" She said wordlessly as she stared at me with disgust. The feelings of guilt immediately crushed any forms of positivity as I began to regret. Staring awkwardly at anything that isn't an infuriated cat-girl while I moved away from her should be enough to convey that 'I am sorry.' She sighs and begins to rub the bridge of her snout as she closes her eyes. "Physically, no. Emotionally, very." She responds seriously this time to the question about her well-being. With a tired and exasperated tone. I breathe a sigh of relief that she is in fact still fine. But what do I do if someone is experiencíng emotional 'injuries?' I know next to nothing about it since everyone or mostly everyone, had to be strong to survive back in the Imperium and it was either that or be dead! But dammit I do not want her dead! But what do I do? I
will just have to try then. "He must've been a very good friend?" I will attempt to comfort her and I've enacted my first step. I pray to the Emperor to grant me success in my endeavor. "Yeah... Used to be." Again, she responded without enthusiasm. At Least she knew that my actions which led to Trelbjor's death is justified, finding something in common is a great way to comfort a comrade! "Indeed, it seems that something
must've influenced him. What I slayed isn't Trelbjor but a maddened beast." I Gave hints on what could've corrupted her dragon friend and what could have corrupted me if the battle were to last a little longer. "Don't call him that." She made her disagreement known to me as she spoke shakily. Oh no! I didn't Mean to hurt her! She wipes away a
tear with her right hand. Perhaps I should apologize for what I said earlier. "I am sorry for insulting him." I try to mend my situation with her by apologizing with sincerity. *Apology..." She cuts off her response and it leaves me worried at the prospect of denial. The air in this cave is starting to feel stuffy. The silence fills me with dread. The heart thumps loudly in my ears, scolding me for following it. The mind remains silent, as it does not know how to respond. The eyes refuse to close, ensuring that they punish me with maximum anguish as I stare at the moment of defeat. "Accepted." She finally finished her response not with a dismissive attitude since there is a trace amount of mischief in her acceptance of the apology. My body, which was completely tensed up, relaxed as her response comforted me. But why am I the one being comforted? I should be trying to comfort her since her friend passed away, at my hands too no less. This will be difficult, but surely nothing will go wrong, right?