Tragedy and Ascension

The group were standing near a wall of the cave, they had nowhere to go as most of the walls had collapsed in on themselves. Despite this, the Loudmouthed Officer had assured everyone that things were going to be fine… soon. Whatever soon meant, and whatever assurances she had for this certainty were up in the air though.

“Man oh man! If you had told me as a kid I’d be getting cheered on by a fairy? I’d have celebrated like there was no tomorrow! I always told my mom and dad I wanted one as a birthday gift.”

“I’d have probably asked about their anatomy~”

“Ha Ha! You Would Try To Dissect Me! Priceless!”

“Well I shouldn’t say yes~”

“Uhh, I’m pretty sure that would be murder. Please don’t ruin my childhood dreams?”

“Hmm~? Don’t worry about it… I only dissect what's already dead~”

“Hee Hee Hee… Isn’t She Funny Sir Knight? Concerning? Oh You're Just Jealous!

“So umm, if you don’t mind me asking, madam Fairy could I ask you something about him, the Knight.”

“Oh Your Gimmik Is Ever So Adorable! And Yes, You May.”

“Are uhhm, how aware is he… you seem to be talking to him so I figured… Can you communicate with the Knight?”

“Yes! I Can Speak With Him. Ever The Charmer He Is!”

“So could I? Speak to him I mean, through you. Would you mind acting as a go between for him and I to speak?”

“It’s No Problem! Ramble Away!”

“Ohh, ohh my this is… speaking of dreams this… this is a good dream made real… this is real right?”

“Sir Knight Says He Thinks It's Real, Though He’s Not Sure For Some Reason.”

“Oh I realize, I realize of course, it’s a term of speech for something unbelievable.”

“Oh, Anyway Quack If You Were To Dissect Me, Would-”

The Delinquent spoke up at this sudden change in subject.

“I think we all still have a few more questions!?”

“Huh…? But He Asked His Question Already? Oh…? Sir Knight Says I’m In The Wrong Here? Well Sir Knight, I Think You’re Being Rude.”

The fairy crossed her arms, yet appeared receptive to more questions. It was the Delinquent who spoke up first, a question he had since childhood finally rearing its head.

“I gotta ask… why are you or the Dragon even HERE Sir Knight? I mean knights aren’t exactly a thing in these lands you know? I mean we have equivalents but not quite your sort?”

The Fairy paused, not to consider the answer but to listen to an answer no one else could hear.

“He Came To Follow The Dragon, Just As I Came Here Following Sir Knight! He Also Said That, Before You Ask, The Reason He Was Chasing The Dragon In The First Place Was Because He Wanted To Save His Princess!”

This was quite a shock to the whole group, the idea of a knight coming to save a princess is obviously classic, but to think it was ACTUALLY the reason was a bit surprising. But the Fairy was not quite done.

“Well, Sir Knight Says There Were Actually Loads Of Other Reasons, But The Rest Are Boring!”

“Well, we HAVE time~ I think it would be quite fascinating to finally hear some of the other reasons.”

The Fairy Vigorously shook her

“No! No No No No! Boring! Boring! Sir Knight Fights The Dragon Because He’s Sir Knight, The Hero Who Everybody Knows By Title… Hmmm? What Does That Mean Sir Knight?”

The Fairy seemed to pause suddenly, mid rant. She looked surprisingly concerned before turning to face the group.

“Sir Knight Asks… What Am I To All Of You?”

It was an odd question, and one which the Clown surprisingly answered first.

“You are well… I mean it goes without saying your… your heroics incarnate! The platonic ideal of goodness and… and heroism, tempered together with civilization and justice! The hero… the quintessential…”

“He Responds: There Were And Are Heroes Before And After Me.”

It was the Delinquent who responded next.

“What's the matter? Scared ya can’t measure up?”

An unbearable eternity of silence was the response to this daring question, though it technically only lasted a few seconds with the Loudmouthed Officer mercifully putting it to bed.

“I mean you gotta measure up right? If you don’t we’ll all die!”

“Sir Knight Is Saying… That Isn't It! He Says It’s Maybe Close, But It’s Not Quite That.”

“Well whether you measure up or not~ I don’t really care~!”

A look of sheer perplexment was the response to this outright bizarre statement, prompting the quack to explain happily.

“I met quite a few interesting people~ Did things I would have never dreamed of~ Met a fairy in the flesh~ Really I can say this has been a exciting day~”

The Delinquent could not help but retort.

“Which will end with your death if things go wrong.”

“But if I don’t~”

“You said ‘whether you measure up or not~ I don’t really care~~~~!’ so listen to yourself?”

“I don’t believe I said it in that tone?”

“Not. The. Point.”

The Quack smiled and, for the first time, looked a little embarrassed.

“I know~ I am scared you know? I just… I think if we do live, it will make one heck of a tale right? So it’s a worthy risk~!”

“Don’t go freeing ancient evils to satisfy your adrenaline addiction.”

“Oh don’t worry~ This time will be like a snowflake~ Special in how its like will never happen again.”

“Ain’t that snowflake thing just a myth? If I remember right my buddy told me-”

The Loudmouth could not help but jump in.

“WHAT?! You have to be kidding me?”

This prompted the clown to speak as well.

“The umm, isn’t the finger print uniqueness thing also… I mean isn’t that a myth if I remember right?”

“Oh GOSH! Forget murdering my childhood! Y'all just destroyed my entire world! No Dragon necessary!”

A laugh was held by all, except for one particular existence.

The Fairy had not paid attention to these past few lines, she was focused on the coffin, listening once more to something none could quite hear.

“The Knight Has A Big Question… Have All Of You Heard Tales Of Me?”

The Delinquent looked up for a moment before answering.

“Well YEAH, but we’re a kinda funky sample size, I mean three of the four of us were directly involved in the old order. What about you loud-pig-miss officer?”

“Nice save. Anyway I think I heard a few as a kid, but I can’t say for sure if they were SPECIFICALLY about you or just… about some generic knight? I mean stories about you in particular are kinda fading into just this general zeitgeist of ‘Knighthood’ and such.”

“I’ll Have You Know Sir Knight Is Not Generic! In Fact He’s The Standard, The True Standard All Are Judged By The-You Really Have To Stop Interrupting Me Sir Knight… Thank You For The Apology, And Yes I Will Ask… Does Anybody Remember The People Who Helped Sir Knight Get Here, To These Lands?”

A look was exchanged between all of them.

“The One Who First Found The Dragon,

“The One Who Sacrificed Himself During The First Battle,

“The One Who Saved Sir Knight From The Dragon’s Rage As A Child,

“The One Who Taught Sir Knight… Are Any Of Them Known?”

The look remained clear and constant, none of them had ever heard of these people. The Quack didn’t seem to care too much, the Clown was wracking his mind for the answer, the Loudmouth wasn’t quite sure what to say, and the Delinquent had a guilty look on his face. The Fairy did not seem particularly concerned with this, as a majority of her concern was aimed pointedly at the Knight.

“Oh, Sir Knight Said… You Don’t Have To Bother Answering, He Can Tell The Answer Is No…”

The Place was silent, in both a literal and figurative sense now. But perhaps this could be considered the calm before the storm.

In mere moments, as though the earth itself grew sick of silence, a fresh batch of earthquakes erupted. Calling their current location a safe haven would clearly not hold up for very long.

Cmmmooonnn, where are you?!

Frankly, all hope seemed positively lost, but then the Loudmouthed Officer heard something on her walkie talkie, and blew a sigh of relief.

“EVERYBODY GRAB THE COFFIN! THEY'RE COMING IN HOT!”

The group obeyed without question or grumble, recognizing no alternative. After lifting said coffin the Loudmouthed Officer directed the group to move as far away from the cave wall as possible, before yelling into the walkie talkie.

“NOW!”

This prompted a tremendous crash through the cave wall, and the Delinquent could not help but stare in bewilderment at the dirty fire truck which was now sticking out of said wall.

The fire truck began to back away slowly, giving the group a chance to run forward to escape the now collapsing cave.

They moved as fast as they could with the cargo they had, desperate hope simmering within them.

Debris began to fill the once safe space, slowing the group down despite their efforts.

First out were the Loudmouth and the Quack, stumbling through despite the Quacks utter exhaustion. They were nearly out, nearly free to execute their next move.

But then, just then, everything went horribly wrong. The cave itself collapsed fully, the walls became a horrible trap falling on its unsuspecting captor.

The Bookworm jumped out of the fire truck to assess the damage, he needed to see if his friend was safe.

It was fortunate then, that the Delinquent, and the coffin itself for that matter (though he was not fully certain of what it was, he could guess) were out of the cave fully. The Bookworm felt a sense of relief, but this feeling turned to dread upon looking at his friend's expression, and became further horror as the Bookworm followed his friend's line of sight.

Just outside the newly formed wall of debris, where grass met stone, there laid a single man. Most of his body appeared normal enough despite all the dust and grime, but that was only the part of his body which could be seen.

The Clown, the Delinquents father, just as he was making steps to reconnect with his son… was not going to live another day.

“DAD!”

The Delinquent cried in despair, as he dove to the ground to get to his father. In some small hope things could be fixed, that the situation could be undone.

“S…son…”

“Dad… dad no, PLEASE! Just live a little longer you hear me?! If I, IF WE, can dig you out-”

“I’m… ah I’m, really, sorry my son but… but I don’t think that will work.”

“Dad-!”

The Father hugged his son tightly, doing all he could to console him despite the horror of the situation.

“You… you remem… member that old… that old mantra? The old mantra I told you as a… as a child?”

The Delinquent could barely speak through the tears, despite all his wishes to the contrary, it was clear what was to happen next. Despite this he still grabbed his fathers hand, holding on desperately for the dear life of his father.

“Yes… yes I- I remember it perfectly!”

“Than please… please repeat it after… after me? I always loved saying… I always… It was the one place I didn’t stutter… ha… ha…”

“I always liked it… I… thought it sounded real cool…”

“It was… in fact… in fact I would say, it was cool in the… haha… the corniest way possible…”

“Yeash… let's do it.”

Both father and son paused for a moment, and spoke in tandem, as best they could at any rate.

““To the ends of humanity,

““To the end of the earth,

““To the end of all there is,

““In spite of,

“War,

““Tyranny,

““Corruption,

“And evil in itself,

““May justice… and heroism endure,

“Because it’s right,

““Because it’s decent,

“And because…

“It's the only way we can honor those who came before…

““And those who come after.

“That is…

“The role of a knight,

““To the bitter end.””

The Clown spoke his final words, and died on the ground he laid at.

“Goodbye… dad.”

The Delinquent closed the Clown’s eyes, and stood up.

“We’ll give you a proper burial when this is all over.”

He turned to see the fairy crying, a look of sorrow staining her normally pure face.

“It's… It's All My Fault…”

“How do you mean?”

“I… I Am Beyond The Realm Of Your Reality… I Turn Assumed Meanings And Associations… Into Reality, When He Told Me He Would Sacrifice Himself My Magic… I Must Have…”

The Delinquent laughed, it was stark and hard to believe, but it still drew the attention of all present.

“Could that association thing kill the Dragon?”

“No… He Is TOO Powerful, But Your Dad He… He Was Not.”

The Loudmouthed Officer considered her words carefully.

That must have been why the coffin got lighter, she brought the trope she mentioned to life… he got stronger so he could sacrifice himself properly.

“Well then, that’s too bad. Could you use that to do other things? Like maybe make a weapon that can destroy those lava creatures?”

“I Could But- You’re Not… Angry?”

“I’m upset that my father is dead but, no I can’t be angry. I don’t blame you in the slightest.”

The Delinquent looked to his father once more.

“I just remembered, when I was a kid… I really wanted to be a knight, after finding out my dad encouraged me.”

He smiled wistfully.

“I’m a screw up, a moron, and all sorts of other things that probably disqualify me from the profession but… but there's one thing I refuse to do, and that's betray my dad, or myself.”

And looked up, just as he did so, a shadow crossed over them for a few seconds before making its way towards their home.

“I’m gonna do what's right, forgive the mistaken, save the innocent, and most importantly.”

The Delinquent looked towards the town, a determination clear on his face.

“I’m gonna stop the horrors and evils which plague my home, no matter what.”

“Well said.”

A new voice came out from behind them all, and the group turned. They all marveled as they saw someone they had never formally met, but knew all too well.

“Now, worthy heroes of this tale, let us end this saga. Let us bring about a climax worthy of centuries build up.”