The knight who appeared in the throne room was completely clad in black armor, making it difficult to discern any physical features, but he was tall, very tall, and an imposing aura emanated from him, as did a red glow from the gaps in his helmet. He slowly approached the throne, his deep breathing echoing through the hall as he drew his large sword. His eyes glowed in the darkness, and his black armor glowed with the light of the fire that Linus and Kaizen carried.
Finally, the knight stood before the throne and raised his sword, pointing it at the intruders. A tense silence filled the chamber as the two men watched the knight, not knowing what to do or say.
Kaizen and Linus were paralyzed for a moment. Their hearts pounded with tension. They had both heard of the existence of creatures beyond mythic rank, but they had never imagined that they would encounter one in this place.
The knight stood a few feet away, and then a message appeared on Kaizen's screen.
[You have initiated a challenge against Lord Varkin, optional boss of the Minotaur Labyrinth.]
A large health bar appeared at the top of the screen, and it had not one skull like Lucia's, but three. This creature was on a level above everything else, and as Kaizen looked at this knight, he realized that the aura emanating from him was as intense as that of the Guardian of the Forest of the Lost that he had met in the Tower of the Magi, which showed him, even without using <Analyzing Eye>, that this Lord Varkin was of Legendary rank or perhaps above.
Kaizen knew that he could not face this thing, not with his current strength. Trying to fight it was the same as asking to die, it was utterly foolish. Still, Kaizen smiled with excitement as his hands trembled holding a fireball.
Above the boss's health bar was his full name: Lord Varkin, Sigurd's Successor.
'Sigurd...' It was the last name Kaizen read, and the only one that held his attention.
This name, Sigurd, came from none other than the Guardian of the Gates of Niflheim, whom Kaizen had defeated long ago during the attack on the Tretidian capital.
Immediately, Kaizen's mind began to work as he tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together in his mind.
What was a guardian of the gates to another world doing there, in a completely different place than when the Eye of Hermodr summoned Sigurd? And why was Varkin called his successor? Was it because Sigurd died at the hands of Kaizen, or because Sigurd had already left his post as Guardian when he was summoned? After all, Sigurd looked old.
There was definitely something bigger at stake, something Kaizen could not yet fully understand, at least not without bigger ones.
While Kaizen tried to unravel the mystery, Linus, who was equally tense, decided to act. He lifted the torch with one hand, and with the other, he first picked up the dagger he carried at his heel. He knew that if he were to fight this creature in front of them, his hands would not be enough to even scratch the armor of this thing.
"Wait, Linus," Kaizen said, trying to calm the man in the hat. "It hasn't attacked us yet, nor has it said anything. Let me try to communicate with it, maybe we can find some answers."
Linus did not answer, but took a step back, agreeing with Psyker.
Then Kaizen looked at Lord Varkin, who stood motionless with his sword pointed at the intruders, and inquired:
"Are you the keeper of this place? What are you doing here?"
The knight remained silent, ineffable. Kaizen had the slightest feeling that the boss was hesitating, and for a moment Kaizen had the feeling that the knight was trying to communicate with him telepathically, but the feeling quickly faded.
Suddenly, Lord Varkin moved his sword and took a step forward. Kaizen and Linus were surprised and unsure of what to do next.
"Isn't he going to attack us, Psyker?" asked Linus, raising his dagger even higher.
Kaizen looked at the life bar on the screen and thought again. Nothing had changed, and Kaizen was pretty sure that if he crossed a certain threshold that Lord Varkin seemed to be setting, the battle would probably break out, which he didn't want.
Again, he hammered the information into his head, trying to find an answer to the impasse that was this situation. They had two options now that the first, the attempt to communicate, had failed, and these remaining alternatives: retreat and prepare, or fight with everything they had right now.
Kaizen thought for a moment before deciding on his next move. He knew that facing Lord Varkin now would be an unnecessary risk and could end in a difficult and potentially fatal battle that could result in the irreversible death of Linus.
"Let's stand down for now, Linus." Kaizen said, lowering his arms in a sign of surrender. "We need more information before we act again."
Linus seemed reluctant to retreat, but eventually put down his dagger and followed Kaizen as he took a few steps back.
Lord Varkin stood motionless as he watched the two intruders retreat. When they finally left the room, the great stone door began to close, and at the back of the throne room, the knight in black armor lowered his sword, bowed his neck slightly, and said:
"I await your return."
At that moment, Linus and Kaizen looked at each other in shock.
Kaizen and Linus walked down the stone corridor in silence, processing what had just happened in the throne room. They knew that they had risked too much by entering Lord Varkin's territory, and now they were more uncertain than ever about how to proceed.
"What do we do now?" asked Linus, breaking the silence.
Kaizen thought for a moment before answering. "We will retreat to the capital and prepare to return here to defeat this knight. He is a legendary creature, so it won't be easy, so I don't want you or anyone from the Order of Dalamyr involved. I know you're strong, it's just that I need people who I know won't die in battle, and I know the right people for that, and I know where to get the information I need to defeat him.
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