45 Chapter 45: Meri IV

" So who was this knight?" Prince asked.

" When I was a child… my house was attacked by a murderer named Byron the Manslayer"

"Byron?" Prince said as his eyes grew wide."I've heard of him, he's a ruthless bastard… Sorry… go on"

(8 years ago)

" Princess Meredith, we must get you away from this place!" A man called Meri.

They ran down a set staircase as the screams of men and women being emaciated filled the halls.

"What's happening! Where's my mom!" Meri asked the knight.

As they dipped into a long corridor at the end of the staircase. their feet became soaked in sewage.

" We will venture through here and get to the city! This man is an animal! I've never seen so many men slaughtered in my life!" The knight said.

" But where's my mom and dad! Where's Duke?" Meri asked, shedding tears as she was carried away.

" They… are not here…" The knight said. " Meri, listen to me, right now your only focus is to survive! You hear me! You must survive at any cost!"

As the knight spoke an eerie sensation filled the corridor.

" Meri run!" He cried.

In the depths of a corridor was a large pillar. From the light of the lamp posts next to the pillar was a long shadow. Coming out from the shadows depths was a pair of extraordinarily large black eyes. The eyes paced back and forth, scanning the area until it landed on Meri and her companion.

" Hehe Hahahah!" A voice called from the shadow. "

" Meri, get out of here now!" The knight yelled.

" What about you!" Meri said.

" I will be fine, you must go on, child!" The knight cried. " Go on! Leave this monster to me."

"Ok!" Meri said running

"Meri hehehe!" The voice yelled. " Meriii"

"Stop it you fiend!" The man called.

The eyes that lay deep within the shadow slowly disappeared into the darkness, but within moments, were replaced by a set of pitch black hands. The hands slowly reached out of the shadow, accompanied by a head, then shoulders, and soon an entire man came out of the shadow.

He had skin as black as tar. His whole body seemed to be encased in some kind of silhouette that masked his features.

He held one hand over his right eye, laughing menacingly as the knight challenged him.

"Do you really think you can challenge me? Byron? The man who has killed hundreds with his bare hands! With the power of this new artefact the shadows are mine! You have no chance! Begone and let the child be mine!"

" I may die here, but A knight's honor is to serve his house! And I pledge my name to house Niche! That pledge is worth more than my life! I will happily die so that this young woman can escape!"

"Fool! I will slay you in an instant and then I will happily feast on the girls carcass!"

Byron disappeared into the shadows laughing to himself quietly.

" Heheh where will I appear next?' he laughed.

" Ok, there are 6 shadows on the ground right now." The knight thought. "Two he cannot appear from, the girls and mine. And 4 he can. two by the pillar, one on the ceiling and one by the corner… If I'm Byron, my target is the girl! I'll choose the corner."

Surely enough a long black silhouette with a set of daggers came out right behind Meri.

"Meri had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb, little lamb! What the hell!" Byron yelled as a long reaching around his neck choked him.

"My artefact allows me to enlarge my body parts!" Your mine Byron!" The knight yelled.

"Sir knight!" Meri cried

"Fool Didn't I tell you I'll kill you in an instant!"

In an instant the Knight escorting Meri was hit with a series of knives, going straight through his armor instantly impaling him.

"Mr Knight!" Meri cried.

"Hehe now where was I- Why can't I move?"

The knight still had his large arm wrapped around his Byron.

"I I won't let go!" He screamed.

"Die!" Byron said, throwing another dagger into his heart. Still the man held on.

"How!!!!" Byron said in disbelief as the man held on.

"I can make any part of my body larger or smaller! Even my organs!" The knight cried.

"You Bastard!"

The Knights armor suddenly burst apart. His arm burst through the armor becoming the size of a giant, followed by his legs and torso. Soon enough the knight was so huge he was taking over the whole corridor.

"Die!" Byron said, throwing another set of daggers at him.

"Mr. Knight!" Meri cried.

"Go on, live my princess." The knight said.

"Why! Why are you doing this!" Meri cried. "Because, this is why I became a knight" The man answered. "If I can't save little girls from monsters like this man… why be a man at all?"

Meri's eyes flooded with tears. She reached out her hand watching as Byron impaled her knight with more and more daggers.

"Live Meri," The knight said. "I never had a wife… or a child so I cannot understand how your parents feel about you but I can imagine it. I would never want to lose a child to this monster! The only thing I have is my duty and my honor, that's the way I have lived. So please don't cause me to fail my duty. Let me die, knowing I am protecting something important to me."

"Mr. Knight!" Meri cried.

"It was a pleasure, my princess!" The knight cried as Byron impaled his eyes with daggers.

Meri ran down the corridor filling her eyes with tears.

"I'll never forget you Mr. Knight!"

(Back to present)

"I never even got his name… he was so into his duty to protect me, he didn't even care if I remembered him, all he had was his duty, and I remember thinking how admirable that was.

"What a man, a man of great integrity" Prince said shaking his head. "He died to the hands of a monster, it was admirable how he protected you."

"I know, I have spent my life trying to become like him." Meri said.

"Is that how you want to die? With nothing but your honor and your duty?" Prince asked.

"Yes, I want to spend my last moments protecting something important." Meri said.

"That may be but how do you want to live?" Prince asked.

"Excuse me?" Meri said.

"The life of a knight is a very tough one, one is always on a job or expedition, and the tasks assigned usually involve killing one man in the name of another. I understand how you want to die, but is that how you want to live?" Prince asked.

"I… I don't know," Meri said.

"In the meantime, follow me then," Prince said. "I won't ever force you to kill another man, I can't exactly make you my knight right now, but can you be my guard," Prince said.

"Guard?" Meri said

"Yes a guard, I'm a vigilante man, but I have weaknesses, I need you to cover those weaknesses," Prince said.

"But what are your weaknesses?" Meri asked.

"I have no Idea, that's the job of my advisor to find them."

"And who exactly would that be?"

"Jimi!" Marlin shouted. Jimi had dragged him all the way to the forest next to the plantation and was forcing him to stand in the middle of a body of water. He had his sword raised over his head, trying to bring out the flames out of it.

"How long do I have to stay in this position?" Marlin asked.

"Until you can produce enough flames to produce steam!" Jimi said.

"How are you so knowledgeable about artefacts anyway?" Marlin asked.

"Unlike you I didn't receive mine as a gift! I had to fight 100 warriors to achieve mine, so I figured I would learn everything about it."

"Story time?" Marlin asked turning his head

"Tell you what, you get me that fiddle and I'll tell you anything you want."

"Well start talking!" Marlin said, building up some flames.

"Hehe, fine, but by the end of this story I want to see some sparks!"