Work Text:
It had been a long day of work for Elbor. Every day the knight for hire wondered if this was what he truly wanted to do - get to the end of each day with his bones sore and muscles aching, feeling as heavy as a bunch of bricks, all for a slightly decent reward. Alas, someone had to keep up the honor of the family name, and it sure as hell wasn't gonna be his good for nothing brother.
Elbor finally arrived at the local tavern. He didn't know this town, but he'd heard good things about the drinks here. He pushed the door open and immediately crashed onto a stool by the counter, getting the bartender's attention. "Something strong, please. Been a long day."
Soon a small glass was pushed next to his elbows. Elbor inspected it briefly out of curiosity, small bubbles rose in the transparent liquid, the smell was pungent enough that his eyes almost watered. Perfect. He sipped in half the glass and immediately a chill went through his body as his throat burned - just what he needed.
With a sudden blast, the door was wide open, turning many heads. When the culprit was in view, whispers arose, but he didn't seem to mind. A hulking figure strode into the place with loud, heavy steps, and despite all the other stools being empty he immediately took a seat right next to the lone knight. He already hated this guy, and made no effort to hide a glare. The only other stupidly smiled at him and nodded in greeting.
"Bartender, give something strong. Some horrifying beasts out there tonight, I gotta get this strength up 'fore i get back." His voice was obnoxious, but at the mention of "horrifying beasts", Elbor thought he remembered something. He looked over at the other man again and saw how he wore diverse, enormous beast pelts as well as various bones and teeth. Elbor knew who this was - if anything, his disgustingly overwhelming metal scent gave him away.
"So you're the legendary Rust Knight, huh?" Elbor taunted. He wanted this guy to know that his fame had no good influence on his opinion of him. "What do they call you a knight for anyway? Aren't you out there just hunting deer for plebs or something?"
The Rust Knight turned his eyes to him like he wasn't fully expecting him to talk - but soon his teeth peeked out to form a stupid grin. "HAH!" He turned around to face Elbor, who despite feeling utter disgust didn't falter, and stretched out his long legs and pushed Elbor's feet out of the way, to occupy the footrest of his stool, then rested his elbow on the counter, leaning back. Elbor felt just about ready to breathe fire at him with how angry he was.
"You're funny, toothpick! The work I do out there would leave you crying in the night for the rest of your life!" Despite his obnoxious laugh, he now spoke as if only Elbor was supposed to hear him. The smaller knight gripped his glass until his knuckles turned white under his gloves - but just as he was about to reply, the Rust Knight's drink slid onto the counter as well. Elbor could have sworn it was the same thing he was having, but the beast hunter's glass was much larger and before anything else could happen, the Rust Knight downed all of it.
With his coat of pelts he got up, slapped a few coins on the counter and spoke to Elbor again, now loudly like before. "Gotta get back out there, can't let those deer wait around!" He patted Elbor's back harshly and he felt just as ready to go right after him and punch that stupid ugly grin off his face - but when the hunter reached the door a small child approached him, jumping up and down with a big smile. The Rust Knight only pushed it to the side and with the same booming energy, pushed the door and disappeared into the night once more.
Elbor sighed heavily, asking for a second round of his drink. He sure as hell hoped he never had to see that bastard again.
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The wandering knight didn't have too much to drink after that, only took his time to savor the ambiance of the place now that the other idiot had left it. When he passed the door the night was deep, illuminated only by the almost full moon.
Just as he took in his surroundings, remembering the path to the nearest inn, a horrible stench of metal struck his nose - it was disgustingly overwhelming, and unmistakably came from the Rust Knight. Was that overrated jester still around? Elbor had a few things to say to him, something to get him off his high horse and back onto the dirt where he belonged.
Mainly through instinct, he navigated the street for only a few minutes until it led him to the back of the tavern. And there the mighty Rust Knight was, staring back at him, his expression difficult to understand in the dim lighting. Elbor squinted and opened his mouth to speak - but he saw there was something in the hunter's hands. A figure, covered in dark, sticky blood. The smaller knight's heart sank as his vision adjusted - the Rust Knight's mouth was black with dripping blood and moving as he chewed, his entire chest completely red too, where it brushed up against the unrecognizable, broken body of what used to be a person.
Elbor's breath froze in his lungs, his muscles became as if stone, and then the hunter looked away from him, back ahead. He sighed slowly, deeply, closing his eyes. He was so content, so relaxed... Elbor could run away, he could stab this horrifying degenerate right there - but he couldn't move, he couldn't even breathe.
Then the Rust Knight unceremoniously dropped the body into the floor with a disgustingly wet sound and began advancing towards his former drinking buddy. He went right up to him, and Elbor could see lumps of something littering his face, some of it sliding onto the ground. The lower face was unrecognizable from all the blood, but Elbor could perceive a smile from the crinkling of his eyes. "Those deer, eh toothpick? G'night."
Just like that, the hunter patted the other on the shoulder with a red, lumpy hand and went on his way, strutting slowly, taking his time. Elbor did not move, he didn't even breathe, he couldn't even see. The body was still there on the lower edge of his vision, a dark mound of gore and flesh on an impossibly big lake of blood. The knight didn't remember moving, but he made his way back inside the bar, back onto the same stool.
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Elbor did not sleep. He sat on that stool and as long as he kept drinking the Bartender, who seemingly did not care for anything else, let him. A blinding light was the first thing that brought the patron back into reality - morning was here. He realized that his head hurt a lot, the previous evening was only a blur and the knight could barely muster a thought.
He let out such a grunt that he didn't even hear the door open. What other idiot besides him would be drinking at such an hour? A familiar sound of footsteps flooded the place, but not nearly as much as that stench did and it all came back to the drinker. The body, the blood, the smell, his shoulder - it was still red. His breath was stuck in his chest again, becoming impossible to let out. His vision was flooded with things he would never forget, mind racing with horrors he never expected to witness - until his feet were lightly kicked from under him again and his footrest occupied.
Elbor couldn't drag his face to meet the dirty green eyes of who he knew was next to him. "Didn't sleep all that well did'ja?" No response. The sound of a glass slamming on the counter was heard and the door opening and closing followed. It was as if nothing had happened again, but now Elbor's shoulders were horribly stiff, he could barely shudder a move to look at the bartender - he wanted to ask for... Something. Help, information, goddamn comfort - but the man only looked at him with indifference.
The knight turned around on his stool. Only two patrons were there with him. Both stared at him indifferently, but they knew. They knew and they didn't do anything.