Black Eyes To Blue

- 5 -

As the pair approached the large looming door, the light shining through the cracks became more vivid. There was no more doubt that there was someone inside. The anxiety began building in Mardston's chest. The looming feeling of foreboding was starting to suffocate his lungs as his subconscious screamed through every fiber of his nervous system, 'Danger. Get away. Run.'. Taking a deep swallow, he forced the cowardice back down where it belonged.

"I'm brave. I killed two men this morning. I can handle anything." He thought to himself, as he raised his hand to pound on the large reinforced door.

Suddenly remembering Soris at his side, and her ability to read his thoughts at will, he glanced down at her to see if she was listening. She wouldn't take too kindly to him using his earlier murders as a justification for anything. To his relief, she didn't seem to react, she just continued looking straight forward at the door. Arms hugged tightly around her chest, looking just as afraid on the outside as he felt on the inside. With one last deep breath for good luck, he brought his hand down on the heavy door in a series of three booming thumps.

The pair held their breath as they waited. The moments stretching together feeling like an eternity. "Maybe they're sleeping, or no one's home?" Soris said softly, her voice squeaking out harshly and unevenly. Making no attempt to hide the fear contained within it.

Unwilling to knock again, Mardston chose to reach for the latch to open the door. Instead of waiting for whatever was on the other side, it felt better to take the initiative and face what was waiting for them head on. The sense of danger coursing through his veins was screaming that he had just committed to making a critical error, causing his hands to tremble as he began to wrap his large fist around the latch. Just moments before he was able to get a grip, the latch was violently torn out of his fingers as the large double doors swung open.

Standing before them was a Knight in full plate armor, of exceptionally exquisite craftsmanship. Mardston froze at the sudden motion. For while his imagination ran rampant of what could have been on the other side, a Nobleman Knight in full combat apparel was nowhere on that list. As he opened his mouth to address the unexpected figure before him, the Knight raised his heavy armored gauntlet and sent a fist crashing into Mardstons skull.

Sending a lightning bolt of pain through his nerves, and a constellation's worth of stars across his eyes. As he recoiled, he watched helplessly through spotted vision as the figure grabbed Soris by the front of her dress and tossed her behind him deeper into the far side of the building.

"How nice of it to have some uninvited guests! I always love a good bit of company!" The Knight said cheerfully in a menacingly low voice that would send a shiver down the spine of the most fiercest of Paladins. "Finding new victims is so much easier when they come banging on my door!"

Taking a few steps backwards in the direction where he tossed Soris, he looked at Mardston. Just now starting to recover from the brutal sucker punch to his eye socket.

"In fact, I think you'll not only make a fine specimen, but a wonderful test of my minions!" Said the knight, the cheeriness fading quickly into pure distilled menace. "Kill him. Make him into one of you, and try to not damage him too much! I don't have the materials to patch up one that is this large back together. I'll handle the small one myself, I would like to run some different tests on her."

Then with a gesture of his hand, he turned fully around and began to walk towards Soris, who was crawling backwards along the floor trying to get as far away from this monster as she can without taking her eyes off him.

The stars clearing from Mardstons eyes as he recovered from that surprise blow, they went straight to meeting the eyes of his companion. The overwhelming fear exploding from her was more than enough to send him straight into action. Planting his feet into the ground bracing himself to charge down the foolish Knight who picked a fight with him, on today of all days, he was cut off with a shout from Soris, "Watch out!"