The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

[dmronny]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

"Our order prefers to keep the headquarters a secret from prying eyes. The servants of the betrayer can be found almost anywhere."

Emma said as she gestured for Huldah to follow her. Once Huldah had dismounted she gave the horse a slap and it galloped off around the corner of the church. Emma then lead the way through the monuments and stones to an ornate mausoleum before turning and looking about before retrieving a piece of cloth about the size of a blindfold.

"I realize this has been a rather unnerving evening for one like yourself but I ask that you trust me a bit longer. You need only wear the blindfold till we are safely within the safety of my brothers and sisters haven."

Emma held the cloth out with her unsmiling face transfixed on Huldah's. Something in the woman's pale gaze made Huldah realize that she probably didn't have much choice in the matter.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

"You aren't going to tie the horse up?" The smith's daughter replied, watching the steed fly off around the edge of the church.

She looked quite hesitant about the blindfold as well, looking at the thin cloth with trepidation. "I..." She started, her gaze meeting the other woman's. She had to, her guardian wouldn't allow any different, she could tell.

Giving a short nod, she let Emma close and blindfold her, following her carefully until she was free to look around again. The woman's hands were so cold...

 

[dmronny]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

Emma tied the blindfold around Huldah's eyes tightly and after ensuring that the young woman could not see took her hand. The woman's hand were so cold that Huldah could not help but shiver as she was lead forward. The woman seemed intent on confusing Huldah as they turned several times during the trip before stopping. The sound of stone grating against stone reached her ears before she was quickly lead downward into a passage.

The passage itself twisted and turned several times before she felt herself lead into a larger room. The blindfold was removed and she found herself at the entrance to a large chamber of hewn stone. Several pews and an altar with a cross behind it made clear that she was in a church, though the lack of windows and candles was odd. Behind her stretched an incredibly dark passage going upwards.

"You will be perfectly safe here. I must speak with the master but I will return shortly. Do not leave this room, the rooms beyond can be confusing." Emma said as she nodded towards the pews before exiting back down the passage they had entered.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

It didn't take too long before the smith was lost, with all the twists and turns. She figured they couldn't have gone far though, a chill passing through her when she guessed they were entering one of the mausoleums scattered about the graveyard.

The passage they entered seemed just as long and winding as their above-ground route, but finally they stopped, her guardian taking the blindfold off. Huldah looked around, noting the lack of windows in the church they were apparently in, and the pitch black passage going upwards, the way they had come. "An underground church?" She asked, but gave a nod anyways. Emma strode off the way they had come, vanishing into the black without a torch to light her way, making Huldah frown. The woman made her uncomfortable, but she believed her when she said it was safe here. Not knowing how long she would have to wait, she moved to one of the pews, sitting and fidgeting lightly as she waited, eyes drawn to the rest of the room, taking in every detail over time.

 

[dmronny]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

Thankfully the nave was lit enough that Huldah could look about the room while she waited. The underground church was rather simple compared to most she had ever seen, though it was rather cold. The space was also much smaller than any church she had seen, with enough room for the altar and two sets of pews on either side of the aisle. On the walls a number of banners containing various coats of arms hung. Huldah knew little of such things however so she did not recognize any of the coats of arms.

The noise of the door to her left opening drew Huldah's attention as someone began to step into the room. Or was it something, the figure she saw might have been a man, but the face was beyond hideous. The figure seemed shocked at her presence and immediately spun around as it ducked down and hid it's face beneath a cloak. A phlegmy voice cried out from the now stooped creature as it began to move towards the shadows in the room.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

"Who's there?" Huldah asked, turning at the sound. The sight that greeted her was mortifying, making her hair stand on end, but at least the... thing, seemed just as afraid of her. Despite the look of it, the smith's daughter was transfixed, hands gripping the seat of the pew as she watched it slink towards a dark corner of the room, eyes wide in surprise and fright.

 

[dmronny]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

The skittering sound of rat's claws on the stone of the church floor drew Huldah's shocked eyes to the side for the briefest of seconds. When she had turned back the hideous creature had disappeared from sight, almost as if by magic. She knew she had seen the creature for the door remained opened where it had stepped into the room.

She could not have imagined up the hideousness of the being she had seen, but where could he have gone. There was more than enough light to illuminate the church even if the corners were cloaked in shadow. And that horrible cry like some creature in pain or in utter fear. It had been moving towards the far corner when it disappeared but now it seemed to be simply gone.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

The woman was frozen in fright. Was it hiding? Did it flee? She didn't know anything could move as fast as it must have done in that brief moment she looked away. Her heart hammered in her chest as she started glancing around, staying in her pew. The room looked empty, but without standing to check all the corners, she couldn't be sure...

(Sorry for the wait. Life has been stupid, of late.)

 

[dmronny]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

The room was empty but there was no way she could have made a mistake about the creature. She had seen it and it must still be in the room with her or nearby somewhere. Too frightened to move from the pew where she sat she glanced around behind herself and to the sides. Nothing, it was if the creature had simply disappeared in plain sight. She sat in paralyzed fright glancing at every sound for another minute before hearing soft steps behind her.

Huldah never would have expected to be relieved by the appearance of Emma but she was. Her frightened eyes glancing back into the room as the pale woman stepped into the room towards her. A questioning look on her face as she noticed the look on Huldah's face.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

Huldah's spun at the sound of footsteps, calming a bit as she saw Emma, despite how much the woman unnerved her. She saw the questioning look, immediately starting to tell Emma of what she saw, and how it disappeared so quickly.

 

[dmronny]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

Emma stopped at the base of the stairs as though blocking the exit from the room. Her face showed little surprise at the fantastic story Huldah told her, not that she had shown any emotion before. Still it was a bit unnerving for Huldah to tell this story and see the pale woman who was protecting her simply look about the room intensely.

Huldah could do nothing but nervously sit in her pew as Emma stared intently into each corner of the room. The young blacksmith couldn't help but notice the dagger in her companions hand, it had seemed to appear from nowhere as she looked towards the darkest corner off the room. Eventually she slid the dagger back before beckoning Huldah to follow her and moved towards the open door through which she had seen the creature enter.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

Huldah glanced around as well, though of course the creature she had seen was nowhere to be found, just as before. "It had come from there." She said cautiously, glancing back at Emma and the weapon she held, following after a moment, watching behind them as they left the room.

 

[dmronny]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

Huldah could not help but glance behind her for the frightening creature she had seen one last time. Of course the ominous demeanor of Emma had done little to set her mind at ease during the entire evening. Huldah was far to unnerved by the events of the evening to do anything but follow her pale companions orders however.

No sooner had Huldah slipped past Emma into the room beyond, when her companion practically burst back into the chapel slamming the door behind her. Emma had moved with such grace and speed that it seemed almost supernatural and the sounds of fighting soon reached Huldah's ears. She could hear Emma shouting in an unfamiliar tongue and the equally loud guttural shriek of the creature. The sounds of the fight seemed to echo off the walls as the two fought beyond her sight in the next room, ending with the sound of something heavy slamming against the door and silence.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

The smith gasped when Emma burst back into the chapel, slamming the door between them and sealing her off from what sounded like very sudden violence. She glanced around the hall she was in for something she could use as a weapon, grabbing one of the torches from a sconce on the wall, and tried the door back to the chapel, just as something heavy landed against it from the other side.

 

[dmronny]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

Huldah was able to push the door open with some effort and finally it burst open as she put her shoulder into it. Holding the torch in front of her fearfully she looked on the carnage in the small chapel. At least two of the pews were broken into pieces and much of the room's decoration was thrown about. Emma sat half on her side facing away from the door, her leg sitting at an awkward angle.

Worst of all the hideous monster she had seen was laying next to one of the shattered pews. Though it was not moving it's face seemed a grotesque mix of pustules and blackened skin, as though infected with some horrid disease. To even look on the creature filled Huldah with such horror that she looked away. The sound of hurried footsteps from the stairs drew her attention back as Sir Daniel burst into the room with his sword drawn.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

The woman grunted with effort, but she was stroganoff enough, and eventually the door slid open, scraping the remains of a pew out of the way to do so.

The carnage was spectacular. She couldn't believe it had taken only seconds. She gasped when she saw Emma's state, sitting silently with her back turned, but even louder when she saw the... thing, she had fought. It was horrible enough to nearly make her retch before she turned away, seeing Sir Daniel come down the path they had come. She remained still, glancing between him and Emma, at a loss for words, the torch shaking in her grip slightly.

 

[dmronny]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

Daniel looked about the room with a bit of shock at the amount of destruction, though he remained where he was standing. He looked towards where Emma was attempting to stir, an angry grunt coming from her throat as she tried to stand. He began to hurry forward as though to offer aid when his eyes seemed to catch sight of the torch in Huldah's hand froze him in place for a moment.

"Are you alright, milady. I trust Emma was able to keep you safe?" He asked from the position he had stopped in. Emma stumbled back to the ground with a pained growl, her leg obviously broken from the struggle.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

"Y-Yes. Please, see to her."Huldah's answered, stammering a bit in her confusion. She went over as well, trying to see if there was anything she could help with as well. "What... was that, thing?"

 

[dmronny]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

Daniel held up his hand as he moved towards Emma as though to ask Huldah to stay where she was. His gaze seemed to be more on the torch she held in her hand as he said. "I'll check on her but it would be better if you stayed back just in case. Just keep an eye on that thing as best you can, just don't get too close to him, milady."

Emma seemed to be struggling with an immense amount of pain which was not surprising judging by the state of her leg and the room. She was practically growling with pain as Daniel reached her side and knelt to one knee with his back to Huldah and the creature. Huldah could hear him speaking soothingly as he carefully reached his hand forward and touched her leg. An animalistic growl escaped her lips before quickly fading away.

Huldah did not know what to make of any of this and she certainly didn't like the idea of keeping an eye on the hideous monster. Still she had recognized the sign of worry in Sir Daniel's voice and she thought it might be better to do as he asked.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Knight's Tale (Huldah)

The woman stopped when Daniel raised his hand, torch held high to light the space between them as he spoke. "Are you sure? Alright then..." She answered warily, glancing over at the creature's corpse, before moving a little ways away from it. It didn't seem to be moving or breathing, but either it's look, or the low growling coming from Emma, unnerved her.

((Haven't posted anywhere in two months. Ugh, trying to get back in the swing of things.))