Regaleon: The Forgotten Knight

Caelestra was the first to notice the subtle gleam in Valmyr’s eye...

While the rest of them had been engaged in further discussions revolving around the mystery of the corpse and the ruined temple, the failed Vanguard had been staring at the other two unopened coffins with the same glint that appeared whenever he was about to do or suggest something questionable, reckless, or outright foolish...

Caelestra followed his gaze and immediately, her eyelids twitched upon seeing the objects of his attention. Call it intuition or a premonition, but the failed Merchant already knew where this was going, and she did not like it one bit.

And just like she feared, Valmyr suddenly turned back toward the rest before speaking...

”Guys...”

He was yet to complete his statement when Caelestra instantly shut him off.

”Don’t!” Her voice carried the kind of finality a mother used for a misbehaving child.

Valmyr raised a brow in response. ”What?”

Clearly, the failed Vanguard was confused by Caelestra’s sudden outburst.

”Whatever you’re thinking about, stop it,” Caelestra warned.

The bickering immediately caught the attention of the others as they turned toward them.

”What’s going on?” Regaleon asked, his deep voice carrying both authority and curiosity.

”I have no idea.” Valmyr shrugged helplessly before pointing at Caelestra. ”She started it first. I haven’t even said what I wanted to say when she suddenly shut me up. It’s rude, you know.”

His tone was aggrieved and slightly indignant, as though he had suffered a grave injustice.

Caelestra folded her arms across her chest and replied. ”Why won’t I shut you up? I know what you were thinking, and I’m against the idea.”

The failed Vanguard looked genuinely offended.

”Why do you have to automatically assume I’m about to suggest something reckless? I was merely going to suggest that we investigate the remaining sarcophagi.”

”And there it is.” Caelestra pinched the bridge of her nose. ”The reckless suggestion...”

Valmyr ignored her comment. Instead, he turned toward the rest and pointed toward the remaining unopened coffins.

”Think about it. Since we’ve already opened one, why shouldn’t we just go through with it and open the rest of them?”

”And why should we do that?” Veyrath immediately shouted.

The failed Alchemist looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He pointed at the still kneeling knights before continuing.

”Are you trying to get us killed? We literally spent the last hour trying not to get murdered by an army of ancient statues, and now you’re suggesting we do something that might somehow provoke them.”

Valmyr waved his hand dismissively. ”I’m not so sure about getting us killed. I mean, look at them. They’re already inactive, so we’ve got nothing to fear. Besides, are you not also curious about what might be in those coffins?”

”Dead corpses, that’s for sure,” Vaelorin commented.

His voice was calm and dry, carrying a hint of sardonic amusement.

Valmyr paid little attention to the remark. Instead, he focused his gaze on Regaleon.

”You see, I’m not just suggesting we open the coffins on a whim. I actually have a good reason for it.”

”Oh? A good reason, he says.” Vaelorin scoffed. ”You literally almost caused our deaths by stepping into a formation you didn’t understand. How is that for a good reason?”

”Hey. That was a mistake. I didn’t know, alright? Besides, had Kaeloris talked faster then, I might not have stepped into it.”

Kaeloris stared at him in disbelief and pointed at himself. ”Me? What did I do? Weren’t you the one in a rush just because you thought some treasures would be buried in the coffins?”

”That was not my idea...”

Valmyr refuted, then immediately he pointed toward the fourteen-year-old standing beside Aureleah.

”It was Sylveris’ idea. I merely supported her.”

”Oh, so now you’ve become a supporter.” Caelestra’s voice dripped with disdain. ”If I remember correctly, weren’t you the one who literally rushed ahead before any of us even had time to figure out what we were doing? Besides, why can’t you just admit you’re wrong and stop pushing the blame onto others?”

Seeing that the argument was getting out of hand, Regaleon finally intervened...

”Okay, okay, let’s all calm down.”

The failed Knight stepped between them and raised both hands in a placating gesture.

”Now is not the time for an altercation between ourselves, so let’s just talk civilly.”

Hearing that, the group gradually quieted down...

Regaleon then turned toward Valmyr.

”You said you have reasons for suggesting we open the coffins. Care to share some of them?”

”Not you. Please tell me you aren’t supporting his reckless idea.” Veyrath looked at Regaleon accusingly.

The failed Knight rubbed his temples. ”You know what? I think Valmyr actually has a point. But first, let’s hear what he has to say and then decide whether we go through with the plan or not.”

Veyrath looked thoroughly unconvinced, his expression filled with reluctance and apprehension, but he ultimately remained silent.

With that, everyone’s attention returned to Valmyr.

A grin slowly spread across the failed Vanguard’s face as he started speaking.

”Actually, my suggestion isn’t without basis. Now, I know most of you think I suggested this because of the greed in my heart, and I want you to know that isn’t entirely true.”

Several skeptical looks immediately appeared but Valmyr pretended not to notice them...

”Think about everything that’s happened since we entered the crypt. Rather than provoking the Terracottas further when we opened the coffin, it actually helped in deactivating the knight statues and essentially saving our lives. In other words, opening the coffin directly led to this progress...”

His expression grew more serious.

”If whoever built this place wanted the coffins left untouched, then opening the first one should have triggered a punishment. Instead, it solved one of the biggest threats we faced. That tells me these sarcophagi might be connected to the purpose of this crypt itself. If we’re trying to understand what happened here, then ignoring two-thirds of the available clues doesn’t make much sense.”

That actually caused several members of the group to pause because surprisingly, the reasoning was logical.

Aureleah nodded slightly before speaking.

”He has a point. We already opened the first coffin and nothing serious happened. If anything, it helped us solve our problems. What could possibly go wrong with opening the other two?”

Regaleon also nodded.

”You’re right. Since we’ve gotten this far, we might as well go all the way. Besides, we’re still yet to discover why a temple was built in the middle of the forest, and why a crypt was buried beneath it. We might not find the answers inside the coffins, but we could at least uncover some clues.”

Sylveris’ eyes sparkled.

”Also, we might even discover treasures in them...”

”Enough about treasures already.” Veyrath immediately cut her off before speaking in a furious manner.

”Your desire for treasures was what led us here in the first place.”

Then after rebuking her, he turned toward the others. ”Guys, seriously I really am not comfortable with this plan.”

”No one needs you to be.” Valmyr flashed him a smug grin.

”So we’re doing this, right?”

”Yeah,” Regaleon replied. ”Let’s do this.”

Caelestra looked like she wanted to argue further, but seeing that the majority had already made up their minds, the failed Merchant simply shook her head.

Inwardly, she could only pray that this would not lead to a problem far greater than they could handle.

Immediately after the decision was made, the eight of them moved toward the leftmost coffin.

The central sarcophagus was closer, but Valmyr had insisted on saving the largest one for last. Perhaps, it might end up giving them the most surprise...

Soon, they stood around the ancient stone structure.

Time had weathered its surface, leaving behind countless cracks and scars. Strange patterns decorated its exterior, though centuries of erosion had rendered most of them impossible to decipher.

Just like before, four positioned themselves on each side.

Regaleon’s golden eyes swept across the group as he asked. ”Ready?”

The others nodded.

”Push...!”

Immediately, everyone placed their hands against the stone lid; muscles tensed, boots dug into the dusty floor as they all pushed against the stone slab...

For a brief moment, nothing happened...

Then a low grinding noise echoed throughout the chamber.

GRRRR!

Then slightly, the heavy lid shifted...

A layer of ancient dust cascaded from the edges as the enormous slab moved fraction by painstaking fraction.

The resistance was immense and even with eight people working together, the progress came slowly.

Their arms trembled under the strain.

Their shoulders pressed forward.

Stone scraped against stone, producing a harsh, grating sound that reverberated throughout the crypt.

Valmyr gritted his teeth, Regaleon’s jaw tightened, and even Vaelorin and Aureleah were forced to exert considerable effort but still, centuries of stillness did not surrender easily...

The grinding noise gradually grew louder as the lid shifted farther and farther from its original position.

Dust billowed into the air.

Fragments of stone broke loose and scattered across the floor.

Finally, after several moments of continuous exertion, a narrow opening appeared between the lid and the coffin itself.

A stale gust of air escaped from within. It had the same scent as the first coffin that they opened previously...

Several members of the group instinctively stiffened as their gazes immediately darted toward the kneeling knight statues... But thankfully, nothing happened as the stone guardians remained completely motionless.

It was only after they confirmed this that the tension ease slightly...

”Again...!”

Regaleon spoke with quiet determination.

The group renewed their efforts.

The gap widened.

The grinding intensified.

More dust erupted from the coffin’s interior, forming a hazy cloud around them.

Bit by bit, the enormous slab continued sliding aside.

Eventually, the lid shifted enough for the contents inside to become visible...