Old Files: Caleb Ilano's Knightly registration.

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb Ilano, age 37

Caleb rushed to the castle, surprised and proud to be soon inducted to the royal knights. He was anticipating glory, heroism, respect, and other heroic things. He was going to make it into the storybooks, he'd be a whole new White Captain. He stepped into the big old castle, followed by a few other bright faced applicants. I'm sure they're all looking forward to this.

[Caleb Ilano]

The seven fresh faces followed into the barracks, greeted by a gruff looking Sergeant.
"Alright, you mc-MAGGOTS!"
The room shook, simply from the recruits jumping in fright. Caleb noticed that one of the seven has fled. Leaving only six recruits. Wow, look at them, so- ready. Caleb looked at the recruits, seeing them all. There were two mages, an axeman, and a pair of archers.
"Listen up!, not all of you are going to pass, in fact, I've only got three spots, one magician, one archer, and one squire!
The group looked hesitantly at each-other.

[Caleb Ilano]

"I will be choosing the teams!" The sergeant yelled over the recruits' silence.
"Team Alpha! Will be! Matthew, Percival, and Caleb!"
The large group split up into two lines, somehow knowing they were supposed.
"Team Beta! Well, that's everyone else."

He tossed each team a map, marked with the location of some gem mine.
"What are you waiting for!? Get going!!"

[Caleb Ilano]

Team Alpha looked at their map, seeing the mine to the north-west.
Team Beta meanwhile was already off, moving swiftly to their assumed target.

"Alright, this place looks to be about 9 kilometers from here." Percival noted.
"Then I say we get going." Matthew responded.
"Very well then, let's be off." Caleb concluded.

The three of them took horses from the stables and rode off towards the mine in silence.

[Caleb Ilano]

They made it to the mine after Beta team, successfully late.

"This is just wonderful" Matthew started.
"Fashionably late?"
No response.

They entered the mine, greeted only by the dim glow of white gems scattered on the floor. Their were echoes around the large room. The three walked into the nearest tunnel, seeing the tracks of beta team. The tracks led on for about a kilometer, then got cut from three to two, then one.

"Do you think they split up?"
"Maybe they died off..."

[Caleb Ilano]

The group came upon a large cavern, with gems lighting the ceiling. Inside the room was what seemed to be a battle, between many hooded men and the leader of Beta team.
"We have to help him!" Matthew cried out.

Apparently that got their attention, as the hooded men took the distraction as a good way to finish him off.
"You blasted fool!" Percival roared as he shot lightning at the men to provide cover. The group dived behind some rocks while their hooded pursuers chased after them.

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb panicked, he decided to get in between the assailants and his team members. He took stance with his rapier. "Oi roight cran ya magey braugshusts!" Caleb didn't understand this man's thick accent, but took it as a threat. He deflected a swipe from the man's cutlass, tossing the blade aside.
He took the oppurtunity to swing for the man's head, hoping to knock him into a wall to incapacitate him. Instead, his steel met steel as he saw a dagger protruding from the man's mouth, catching the rapier. From his thigh the brigand drew another, very curved short blade he kept curled around his leg, he swung it around Caleb's sword and took hold of his dagger with his free hand.
"All right, chap, now it looks like you have met your end, DIEEEEE!" The man yelled as he spun into Caleb with his dagger, tearing the rapier from his hand with the hook blade.

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb was not quite prepared to die yet, even with all the years he'd had he felt it a bit unfair to die so simply, this bandit's dagger was about to tear into his chest and tear open his lungs, or something brutal like that.
He braced himself and closed his eyes-
"HIYAAAAHHH!" Matthew screamed as an arrow flew behind the bandit, missing and hitting another one in the leg."Oy!! that's moy adventuring knee!!" the bandit collapsed, not saving Caleb's life at all.
A shot of lightning did, however, save Caleb's life. A surge of magical electricity tore the bandit's weapons out of hand. "ARHAGGAHHH ME 'ANDS!" The bandit cried at his singed palms, he recuperated quickly while Caleb gathered his rapier.

Caleb stood, only to see the man pulling out two more knives from his boots. "Don't worry lad, I've got enough for ever-AHGAHGAHGGG!!" The bandit tried to say, recieving more lightning, this time in the face.

[Caleb Ilano]

Foe vanquished, Caleb stepped wearily past the very dead body. He looked towards the center of the area they had entered, seeing not one, not two, but a whole swarm of bandits. A swarm of three, that is.

The one wearing the most villanous cloak turned to him.
"Ahh, I see you prefer the rapier." He pulled out a similar blade of his own, much more fancified and pretty.
"I've a proposition, my liege." He directed to Caleb, adressing him as a superior. He bowed. "A duel. Simple enough, the man who holds a blade to the throat of the other leaves with his intent."

He ushered his men towards the tunnel that Caleb had just walked out from. They both took swings at supports and the entrance collapsed, leaving the two of his allies trapped behind. Caleb felt surrounded by the men. He saw them rush towards the torches in the room, killing the lights one by one.
"Not so much a proposition, my apologies but time is everything."

Caleb held up his palm, casting an ilumination spell, igniting the room. The two other men were gone and the cloaked man was standing but a meter from him, sword caressed in his hands.

"Why fight? We can settle this-" Caleb recieved a slice to the arm. He backed up and held his blade.

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb took a step back and swung at his opponent, missing by a hair. The cloaked villain faked a lunge at Caleb, making him jump. He laughed heartily at the boy, unfurling a cowl just to curl a devilish mustache. His face was rather jagged in features but very clean and refined.

Caleb swung again from the left, meeting his blade with not but air. The man in the cloak flew backwards again, towards a small pool of water. The man jabbed his sword into the ground and promptly took out a pipe.
"Excuse my manners, but I have my guilty pleasures." He said, striking a match to light his pipe, he took a puff from this exquisite ornament.
Caleb, now confused and part angry drew in close and spun towards the man, swinging upwards at the end of the spin. His hand was caught by a hand as his blade was turned away, he recieved a puff of smoke in his face and a kick to the back of his knee, he stumbled and fell to the ground rolling.
"Come on, lad, as I said, I haven't all day!" The villain gathered his sword, pipe in his mouth, and punched him in the back as he tried to get up.

[Caleb Ilano]

Caleb's ilumination magic grew weak, he could see very little. He decided against swinging randomly at his enemy, knowing somehow that that probably wouldn't work. He instead asked a question into the darkness. "Do you have a name? I'm Caleb, a knight in training, you could say." He waited for a response.

"My name as of yet, lad, has been of no consequence to the likes of you!" The man yelled, sounding to be from everywhere in the echoing cavern. Caleb's light finally went out. Caleb asked again. "Well, you seem like an interesting fellow, I'd like to have something to call you by, at least."
He heard the man chuckle. "Well, Caleb, you may call me Uther. It's always good when people are interested in their history."

Caleb guessed at where the man would be from his voice, and lunged at the sound. His knee caught in Uther's gut, and he heard a wail of shock and enjoyment from him. He grabbed hair and held his blade along his throat. "Very well, Caleb. You've won this time." He let out a whistle and two torches were lit, iluminating the cavern. "Drop the loot. We're leaving this place, it seems that we bandits have been defeated by these knights."
Caleb let the man drop to his hands and, honouring their agreement for some reason, let him and his two remaining thugs go. "Keep in touch, lad." Were his departing words.

He picked up and checked the pipe, he kept it to further examine later. He was swiftly rejoined by his companions and they departed the mines together in silent contemplation.

[Caleb Ilano]

The three returned to the castle and the gruff sergeant. The hall they were in was less glamerous then when they had first set foot in it. The sergeant looked impatiently at them. "Only three of you made it back!? Perfect! That means no judging and dismissing of young hopefuls for me. You're all knights now by the power of something and King Durand's blade, you catch my drift. Get to your dorms and I'll see you all in the morning." The smell of cooked fish was lingering in the hall, but food was not on the recruits minds.

Caleb did not see the other two much from then on, only in large gatherings or official business did they all see eachother, mainly he was stationed places as a guard or sent to work under a more veteran knight. This life was suitable for him, he decided.
He still wondered about the mysterious Uther, a very odd villain. He had the pipe checked over by the Castle's craftsmen and was only pointed westward, towards the coasts. He never did venture out there, his occupation kept him in Kotal-Din for most of his early days.

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