Chapter Text
“Avery..”
“Avery”
“AVERY”
The knight woke up, on a full sized bed with rustic hand carved frames, surrounded by furniture made of aged oak with lavish textures, exposed stone walls, a ground made of dark wooden planks, candles with a spicy and warm scent on dressers, and multiple paintings that seem like they’ve seen everything from the Stone Age until now.
He’s been having nightmares pretty often and the nightmares always had something in common. A mysterious person, made of slime..? He believes that this mysterious dream person is called Avery since, he keeps screaming that name. Oh well.
Derek almost forgotten that he was being -imprisoned- housed by the king. He’s been -stuck- living with the king for 2 years now. He’s glad that he has a -dreadful- wonderful king to look after him.
He should put on his armor and go eat breakfast with his king now.
Derek walked through the hallways in the castle. The hallways had the same exposed stone walls that his room had but, there was pillars supporting the castle. The castle was easy to getlost in. The hallways were long and confusing. It’s like a maze but, Derek managed to easily find his way through the castle. Only took him a week to get used to.
After Derek got out the long hallways, he arrived at the dining room. There’s a long table in the middle of the room that he usually eats his meals at. Plates are splattered all over the table, full of scrumptious food like, bacon, eggs, and what people normally eat for breakfast. At least that’s what Derek’s side of the table had. The other end of the table had plates with organs like liver, stomach, and other organs that Derek didn’t even want to try naming. There was a figure who had robes dressed in yellow and a face that was just black as shadows who was sitting at the other end of the table. The king in yellow, Hastur.
“Ah, valorous morning mine own knight.” Hastur purred. He was in the middle of feasting on an intestine. “Take a seat.” He commanded.
Derek followed Hastur’s command and took a seat. He was positioned pretty far from Hastur. Hastur almost looked like a beetle from all the way from here.
“Mine own knight, you’ve woken comely late. That’s a did bit unusual of thee isn’t it?” Hastur then took another bite of the intestine and spoke once more. “Hath anything interrupted thy slumber?” The king questioned.
“…No, my king.” Derek replied. Hastur could tell if Derek was lying. He signaled his disapproval to the knight by taking a pause from his feast, clasping his hands, leaning forward, and staring right at the knight.
Derek knows the looks of disapproval that the king makes and he doesn’t want to anger him even more so, he had to make up an excuse. “I-In the middle of the night, I just.. couldn’t sleep..” Derek spewed out.
Hastur didn’t buy that for certain because, he tensed up in irritation. “Is mine own knight spewing LIES to mine own visage??” Hastur spoke sharply.
Oh right. His king has infinite knowledge. He couldn’t stand a chance to make up a random excuse so, he had no choice but to tell him the nightmare that occurred. “Apologies, my king.” Derek said sheepishly. “The truth is that I had a nightmares occurring these few days and I haven’t been getting any sleep.”
Hastur calmed down a bit but, he still hadn’t stopped clasping his hands. He then spoke. “Explain these nightmares thee have.”
“I have been finding myself in a black void. Just standing there.”Derek responds. He had a feeling that he shouldn’t describe this “Avery” person so, he chooses his words wisely. “The nightmares have something in common. I’m always looking for this someone.. but, I don’t know who. I’m always screaming their name too.”
Hastur pauses for a bit. Probably thinking. You could never tell what a god is really doing. Then he speaks. “Describe this person shall thee?”
He shouldn’t tell what he looks like so, he makes up an excuse once again. “I don’t remember what he looks like nor remember his name. Everything is fuzzy.” He then starts to get nervous because, what if his king figures out he is lying?
“Alright mine own knight. Giveth me a description if thee find out.” The king replies. Derek was surprised that the king didn’t find out. He had some relief. While, he was basking in this relief the king spoke once more. “Well shouldst thee feed on thy meal?I’m comely certain it’s getting bitter cold isn’t it?” His king was right. The food is getting cold, he should eat it. He needs his energy since, he has a long day of playing his role of being a knight to his king today. Derek starts to eat the sausages.
While, Derek was eating his breakfast he kept thinking, what if that Avery was an important figure? What if that individual was someone he knew. That would explain why they keep appearing in his nightmares. Maybe, they were a symbol. Wait, how would he be a symbol if he appears to be a being? He has to figure out who this being is. He has to so, these nightmares could stop.
“Little lord? Thee has been nibbling on that sausage for a while now. Art thee practicing?” Hastur chuckled. Derek didn’t even notice he was taking multiple small bites on his sausage. He was lost in thought. “What is on thy mind?” The king asked.
What if his king had the answer to this? It wouldn’t hurt to ask for advice. “My king, I was thinking if the person from my nightmares is some type of symbol or an actual being I should look for. What shall I do?” Derek asked. He was looking forward to what the king would respond with. He hopes that he can receive all the possible solutions. “……….Nothing. Don’t doth anything.” The king commanded. “Those nightmares art just nonsense. Symbols don’t existeth in those nor actual humans. What I shall counsel thee to doth is to not bethink about those nightmares or their meanings. Remember this mine own knight, those art nonsense.”
Derek didn’t expect this response. He believed that he would receive some advice but, oh well. He follows his king’s command to not think about it.
After they both ate their scrumptious breakfast they went out and did their duties.
They were back at the castle. Derek was exhausted from his duties. Fighting off players so, Hastur’s robes would be squeaky clean from player musk was exhausting. He went straight to the hallways, on the route to his bedroom while, Hastur suppers on the players that Derek killed.
Derek kept thinking about that Avery person that he promised to the king to not think about but, they could never leave his mind. Even during his duties he was thinking about Avery sometimes, making him get off track on his fighting. He found himself thinking about Avery again while, walking to his bedroom.
Is Avery a real person? Who is he? Why is he always being attacked in some way in his nightmares? Derek arrives at his bedroom. Well, he doesn’t know if he’s really being attacked, Avery just seems to be…. han- wait… This isn’t his bedroom.
This bedroom has luxurious texture everywhere. A king sized bed with yellow floral blanket, hand carved dark brown frames, furniture that matches the color of the frames, candles that are on dressers, a huge yellow rug on the side of the bed, and a table that’s dark brown with a… diary on top of it? Wait.. this is Hastur’s room.
He shouldn’t be in here but, it wouldn’t hurt to look around while, Hastur is eating in the dining room. There’s extra things that Derek didn’t spot. Like documents on a dresser, a huge mirror in-front of the king bed, and the huge bed curtains. These are all fascinating to see but, the thing that spikes Derek’s attention the most is the diary.
Since when did gods think diaries are worthy of writing in? The diary looks like it has been touched recently since, it was on… page 50? Who knows? Derek just estimated the page number. Derek walked forward to take a look at the diary but, before he could even reached it, he tripped. Apparently the yellow rug is a bit of a trickster. Before Derek landed on the ground, his head hit the table. Which, made the diary fall over.
“GAH!” Derek cried out. Now that’s gonna leave a mark. He stood up and dusted off any particles from the floor and picked up the diary. Since the diary fell, it went all the way to page 1. Derek read the page.
Entry #1
“Mine own dram knight hath been acting liketh that he desires someone more than me. A knight shouldst beest obsessed with his king. Not a base existence liketh that… slime he’s been conferencing. I has ne’er been so frustrat'd. Ev'r since that gent met that slime… He’s at each moment hath found excuses to wend and spendeth tempus with that gent. I believeth he’s been having affairs with this slime too. It’s nay doubteth yond those gents slept with each oth'r.. I believeth that this slime is called “Avery” acc'rding to the books that mine own knight keeps writing. I necessity to doth something with these books so at which hour mine own knight looses his memories due to the emotional trauma I’ll inflict on that gent. That gent won’t regain those memories backeth.”
Derek was flabbergasted at this information. This Avery person is real. His king is preventing him from remembering Avery? He felt a bit of the memories coming back to him.
“Derek!”
“DEREK! Are you there?”
“Yeah yeah, I’m here. What’s wrong Avery?”
“Guess what, I managed to enchant my dog.” Avery gloated. He points at his dog, Oreo. “Isn’t that amazing?” Derek took a look at the dog. It’s black, has white splotches, and it has a glow due to the “enchantment” Avery added to it. “Did you just downloaded a mod just to make your dog enchanted..?” Derek asked.
“Uhh maybe but, it was worth it cuz look. My dog looks amazing now.” Avery beamed proudly. “You do know that we won’t be able to get achievements now because, you added a mod to the world.” Derek stated.
“…Uhh.. worth it!!”
Derek sighed.
Derek started to remember the memories he had with Avery. The memories were precious. He can’t believe that his king would prevent this from him. Why did he do this? Why would he keep this from hi-
The door behind him was slammed open. “To bethink that mine own knight wouldst ever snoop all over mine own personal business.”
Derek turned around and spot Hastur visibly infuriated at him. “Wait, wait my king I can explain please. Please!” Derek begged. Hastur lunged toward Derek and had his hands on the knight’s neck, almost choking him to death. “Why doth THEE has mine own JOURNAL?” Hastur yelled.
“Let me explain please my king!” Derek pleaded. The king and the knight had a moment of silence and then Hastur spoke. “Explain thyself.” Derek gulped and tried his best to explain clearly to his king. “My king, I accidentally stepped in your bedroom. I was very tired and dizzy. I didn’t understand my surroundings.”
“So dizziness and tiredness leads to accidentally stepping in to mine own cubiculo, forming loud noises, and snooping into mine own private journal? NONSENSE.” The king once again yelled out. “I knew thee wouldst eventually doth this after citing those nightmares and daydreaming all day.”
“I apologize my king. Please. J-Just let me go.” Derek entreated.
“You know what.”
“Thee shalt go. I’m in a glorious mood.”
“Really?”
“Ay forsooth.”
“Th-“
“You shall leave without any eyes.”
“….What? No. No..”
“No please please I beg of you don’t”
“PLEASE MY KING DON’T”
“NONONOnononono”
“PLEA-“