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The excruciating pain in Tinker’s back was unbearable; however, he had to reach the Tower of Fate by the scheduled time. He’d rather not know what the Enchantress would do to those who were tardy. A small shiver traveled throughout the inventor’s not-so-tall body. This emergency meeting was scheduled due to a certain knight’s visit to each of the Order in the past week. This shovel wielding knight had actually trespassed into Tinker’s tower a couple days ago. A quiet growl emanated from his throat. He was sure victory was on his side that day. One of his greatest inventions was done just in time for a test run. However, test runs should be completed before they are used for their intended purpose. He knew this, yet…His ego got the best of him. He was supposed to win! He was close! He most certainly was! Tinker Knight was the best inventor in Pridemoor! He deserved respect for goodness sake!
After fuming about the situation in his mind for some time, he was finally standing in front of the tallest tower in the land. His head slowly moved up to gaze up at the sky. The top of the tower wasn’t visible due to the thick, dark storm clouds surrounding the tower, making it look even more ominous. No one would dare step close to such a cursed place. Well…All except the Order of No Quarter. …Not that they even had a choice to begin with. As a child, terrible stories were told about those who had ventured into this very tower. These brave souls never returned, having been turned into slimes or even skeletons. Some say they were cursed to wander there forever. Or simply…Death had greeted them during their exploration. Even to this day, he didn’t know how true those stories were. He suspected they had some merit, but wildly exaggerated for entertainment. However, he knew it was most certainly cursed now. That was for sure.
Enough with the old tales for now. It was time to achieve the next goal…reaching the dining hall at the top of the tower. Usually, a Wizzem was standing guard outside the entrance to teleport authorized guests. However, it seemed no one was there today. Tinker pushed against the massive door with the bit of strength he had left. He continued this for a few more minutes, his anger rising by the second. It was no use. That door was not going to allow him entry. The inventor muttered an obscenity and kicked it, causing him to curse louder. This was certainly odd. Something must have happened…This was quite a dilemma. Even if he could open the door, it would take him many more hours to reach such a height. Tinker wasn’t exactly the most physically fit of the Order. The small knight sighed, his shoulders sagging at the thought of having to take another step. It was true that moving his legs was good for him since he was usually cooped up in his own tower, working day and night. However, having to walk a few hours then walking up countless flights of stairs? The rain wasn’t helping with his mood either. Plus, his back pain and now his legs…How on earth was he going to get there on ti–
A sudden touch to the right shoulder caused the pondering engineer to jump. He quickly turned around with his trusty wrench in hand. The adrenaline coursing throughout his body was ready to make him swing when he realized…
“AACK! DON’T TOUCH ME, YOU UTENSIL WIELDING BAST–……Ah! It’s only you. Whew…I thought it might have been Shovel Knight. Don’t do that!!” Tinker Knight scoffed, lowering his arm.
“It’s good to see you still have your energy even when you work as much you do, Tinker!”
That whiff of strong cologne Tinker caught moments ago was not him being too exhausted after all. This gentleman was none other than the ruler of the skies, Propeller Knight. Tinker’s eyes immediately focused on the broken and cricked signature propeller on his helmet. Must have not been too long since Propeller battled Shovel Knight too it seems. He’s definitely seen better days. That’s another one added to the already long to-do list.
“Now, let’s get out of this rain, shall we? My outfit is completely soaked!” Propeller complained loudly as he motioned at his said clothes with his arms.
“We can’t. The door won’t budge. Ugh…” The inventor frowned beneath his welding helmet.
Propeller Knight rushed past Tinker, placed both hands upon the door, and pushed. It didn’t take long for him to give up. Not even half a minute. “Hmph. This is no way to treat guests! Looks like another job for moi. Hang on, Tinker Knight~!”
“I agree. I don’t understand why it’s not ope–Wait. Hang on? Hang on for whAAAAAAAA!”
Propeller Knight quickly turned the smaller knight around so they were facing the opposite direction, wrapped an arm around him, and zoomed towards the skies. He needed the other arm for controlling the propeller. Before Tinker knew it, they were a few yards above the ground. He let out quite a distressed yelp since he was not prepared for the take off. Due to the broken propeller helmet, the flight was actually slower than usual. However, Tinker wouldn’t notice this since he had never flown with Propeller before. He gave himself a mental pat on the back for managing to make a contraption work so well it still functions even when hit with a metal shovel multiple times. It’s amazing what hard work can accomplish. The inventor held onto the taller knight’s arm as he gazed at the tower before them. They flew past many gargoyles that looked too real, making him feel uneasy.
The flight was slow and smooth…for the most part. The winds became stronger the higher they flew, causing them to swing to and fro a few times. Regardless, Tinker stopped being anxious after getting used to the movement. However, an alarm was going off in Tinker’s head when Propeller flew past the balcony, both still soaring higher and higher. They would easily be able to enter the dining hall that way. What on earth could the sky captain be planning?
Tinker Knight didn’t have to ponder for too long.
“Ohohoho~!”
The sky captain gracefully burst through a stained glass window with a flailing Tinker Knight. What followed next could only be described as chaos. Various voices, all yelling and screaming, echoed throughout the dining hall. Plague Knight’s loud cackling added to the noise. Sounds of chairs being forcefully moved against the stone floor filled the room, a few even falling over. Everyone had moved to avoid, or at least attempted to avoid, the glass shards. Numerous amounts of broken glass were scattered around the broken window, on the table, and on the floor. Only Specter Knight and Polar Knight remained in their chairs, stoic as ever. Polar was even chewing on a turkey legs while all this occurred.
The tall knight landed onto the stone floor, immediately releasing Tinker Knight. Tinker fell onto his rump. The noise from just a mere seconds ago was now nonexistent. It was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Well…It was silent until…
“Have you gone mad?! Why did you have to go and do that?! If the Enchantress discovers this, we’ll all be punished, you flying maniac!” Tinker Knight had so much fury in his voice, pointing up at Propeller accusingly.
“Why, my fellow Tinker Knight. Why so upset? We arrived safely and on time, did we not? Hon hon~ I thought my entrance was quite grand.” He turns to a certain monarch, looking confident all the while. “King Knight, you agree with me, yes?”
“Hmm…I admit the pieces of glass were a nice touch! However, my confetti is better by far. I’m afraid nothing can surpass my entrance. It was fantastic! Glorious! Powerful!” King Knight raised his scepter up towards the ceiling with one fist on his hip.
“You arrived through the door like everyone el–”
“Cannot be surpassed!” He retorted while remaining in that same position.
Tinker Knight scowled at Propeller, who didn’t notice thanks to the welding helmet. The taller knight simply made his way over to King Knight, chatting it up as if nothing happened. Now this…This really angered Tinker. He should be used to the disrespect by now. He thought maybe…just maybe…he would at least be recognized for his knack for creating. He thought at least one positive result would come out of being forced into joining a group lead by such a cruel, evil mistress.
“Tinker, that’s not your chair! Come on.”
The inventor’s head quickly moved up to blurt out something not-so-nice before he realized who the voice belonged to. His voice died in his throat. Thank goodness for that. He almost took out his anger on a friend. Mole Knight picked up the smaller knight with ease and started walking towards Tinker’s assigned seat. Tinker absolutely loathed being touched without permission, but he’d allow it this one time. Tinker wouldn’t admit it out loud (at least not with the others around) that he appreciated the archaeologist for doing this. His legs were really killing him. Maybe it was good he had a short temper tantrum, remained on the floor, and avoided receiving more humiliation trying to stand up with weak, wobbly legs.
Propeller Knight and King Knight were still going on about something as they passed by. Tinker couldn’t hear over the noise from the others in the room. Not that he really cared. Plague Knight was busy sipping his signature swirly straw from a pear-shaped glass full of some unknown green liquid. No one really knew what it was. The small knight assumed it was a health potion. Many had attempted to ask. Plague Knight refused to answer every single time. Tinker knew he was doing this on purpose. He wanted to keep everyone guessing for his amusement.
Plague Knight was an enigma.
The alchemist’s laughter had ceased at this point. However, it picked right back up as soon as Mole Knight walked by. Plague Knight was always laughing. Always. Tinker kind of envied him. Being able to laugh about your problems sure would make his anger easier to manage. Plague Knight could be a handful sometimes, but he was another good friend of his. They both respected each other’s craft. Tinker gave him a quick wave, and Plague returned it with giggles to boot.
Mole Knight gently placed the inventor onto his assigned seat before heading back to his own. Tinker managed to quietly thank him before the friendly digger left. Now…The engineer should be taking a seat, resting up after the earlier catastrophe. However, he refused. His pride needed to be protected. He’d been humiliated enough today. And so, Tinker remained on his tired feet. He hated to admit it. There was no way he was going to be able to reach most of the dishes on the table himself. He definitely wasn’t going to ask Treasure Knight or Specter Knight for assistance. At least he was able to see everything around him.
In the corner of his eye, he caught the sight of Specter Knight, who was quietly looking straight ahead (or at least Tinker Knight thought he was). Tinker did the same, staring at the rain-covered windows across the room. Propeller Knight really should have landed on the patio, but, of course, he had to be extra. The small knight huffed.
The next hour or so was uneventful for the most part. Everyone was either talking among themselves or dining on the many dishes provided by the Enchantress’s underlings. Tinker managed to have a short conversation with Treasure Knight. The diver wasn’t the most talkative; however, he was friendly enough when he did. Specter Knight remained still in his seat, not talking to anyone around him. Tinker was still quite bitter towards him for barging into his workshop uninvited that one night, destroying his prototype, and forcefully dragging him to the evil tower they were sitting in now. Being interrupted while knee-deep into his work was a huge pet peeve. Even the Cogslotters knew better than to walk in without knocking. Some were even too nervous to do that. Instead, choosing to figure out their problems on their own, which usually causes more problems…which causes Tinker to become even more angry…
A loud noise above brought him out of his thoughts. Everyone grew quiet as the grand chandelier on the ceiling started to rock wildly before it made its descent, ultimately crashing onto the dining table. Many of the knights quickly moved out their chairs to avoid injury.
Deja vu.
Tinker climbed back onto the chair to observe the damage. He squinted his eyes, needing to adjust to the darker room. The only sources of light in the room were the various candles on the walls, the flames on Mole Knight, and the lightning from the raging storm. The long dining table was broken in half due to the impact.
Specter Knight, who had not moved from his seat, suddenly materialized his scythe into his right hand. “You…Why have you come here?” His words were cold and threatening.
The rest of the Order was confused by this. Who on earth was he speaking to? It was just a broken chandelier.
A dark figure could be seen slowly rising from the mess. A sudden flash of lightning revealed the identity of the uninvited guest.
“SHOVEL KNIGHT?” Everyone had either yelled or muttered out loud.
The shovel-wielding knight hopped onto the broken table, wobbling slightly from the rough landing. He quickly shook it off and brought his weapon close to him, ready to strike at anytime.
“Order of No Quarter, I did not mean to intrude. I…err..apologize about the mess. I merely wish to reach the Enchantress! Nothing more. We do not have to battle, my fellow knights. We have done enough of that. Surely you all agree? Stand aside and there shall be no violence today.”
“Absolutely not! I–WE can’t let you walk out of here after humiliating us, you cerulean menace!” King Knight yelled out, his scepter pointed at Shovel Knight. (Tinker could have sworn the room became a little brighter.)
“Yes! Hee hee! My lab is an absolute mess no thanks to you!”
“And my workshop! My poor tank…All of that hard work…GONE. JUST. LIKE. THAT!”
The other members of the Order joined in, yelling out their frustrations (except Polar Knight and Specter Knight, of course).
Shovel Knight steps back, shaking his head. “Please. I do not wish to fight–”
Excited cheers filled the dark room as a large figure could be seen charging towards Shovel Knight.
—————————————————————————
Everything around him was spinning. The dark green storm clouds, rain, and various other colors of his comrades were all swirling together. He continued to hold onto Mole Knight’s leg for dear life with both arms. It was eerily quiet. All the small inventor could hear were the sounds of raindrops hitting against their helmets and whimpering (whether it was from King or Propeller he wasn’t sure). It seems even Plague Knight couldn’t laugh in such a situation. He hoped Polar Knight, who was the first to jump into the battle, was attempting to reach the ledge at this moment. He was too dizzy to observe this himself. Besides, all he could see above him was red, round armor. The inventor cursed at his height and size.
As Tinker was starting to lose his grip, he suddenly felt movement. The chain most of the knights were grasping onto was moving up towards the broken balcony.
It most certainly wasn’t Tinker’s fault. His tank definitely didn’t explode, causing the whole wall and balcony to collapse.
Certainly not.
Before he knew it, Tinker was brought back up into the tower by a quick swing of a shovel. It took the inventor a few more seconds to realize he was still holding onto Mole Knight's leg, who only chuckled as Tinker slowly moved away while clearing his throat. The Order of No Quarter all stood in silence. Did Shovel Knight just save their lives? Even after they tormented so many lives of this land for months? Not that they wanted to in the first place...
“Err…Well, I suppose I should be on my way. Take care of yourselves, Order of No Quarter.”
Most of the knights could only nod as they were too tired, exhausted, and surprised by tonight’s events. The Order of No Quarter continued to stand in silence as they watched the cerulean knight nod and rush out of the room into darkness. Deep down, Tinker Knight hoped he could vanquish the evil which imprisoned and forced them to commit awful acts. The inventor wanted to be respected for how helpful and wonderful his crafts were, not how much destruction they could cause. Fixing and building were in his blood, not chaos and devastation. If Shovel Knight succeeds, Tinker vowed to fix what he had broken.
Good luck, Shovel Knight. We’re counting on you.