In the forest, with darkness surrounding them and their only source of light is the moon and the small campfire near them.
Michael and the others stood before their assailant, who's now tied up and leaning against a tree.
"Release me, you blaggards!"
The so-called knight struggled to break free from his restraints. He even tried to force himself to stand up, but it was to no avail since his hands were tied behind him.
Nolan scrutinized the man's face and leaned towards Glenn's ear. "Why is this guy trying to talk like he's some kind of a noble or something? Maybe, we've actually travelled to the past when we entered this forest?"
Glenn slowly turned his head towards him and looked at him as if he was some kind of an idiot. "I think you two would get along well."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Nolan became confused.
Daryl turned to look at Michael and said. "He won't talk man."
Michael didn't answer him and instead kept staring at the face of the man who had attacked them.
'Why does this guy look and sound the same as Chris Hemsworth? Is he Thor or something?' He thought with some confusion and bewilderment at the situation before him.
Daryl walked over and tapped his shoulder. Michael was a little startled and quickly turned to look at him. "Yeah.. what?"
"Are you okay? You've been really silent since Nolan took that guy's helmet off. Don't tell me you actually know him?" Daryl suddenly became curious and the others who heard him were too.
Michael chuckled and responded. "No, it's just that a lot of weird things happened today. I think finding out that there's a group out there that sacrifices children to some demonic entity is just a little too much to take in. Now, there's even a guy dressing up like he's some kind of a knight and even talks like one."
Dylan shrugged his shoulders and said. "For one, I think those things you mentioned aren't that really shocking compared to the dead people rising again, and to add, that guy is just as weird as Nolan, they have the same air around them. Unfortunately for our friend Nolan, that guy is more badass than him."
"That's mean!"
"How dare you compare my esteemed self to this plebeian before me?" Mr. Knight also complained when he heard his words. Though his face remained calm rather than complaining.
Nolan frowned and looked at him funny. "Man, are you high?"
The little kid beside Natasha tugged at her arm.
"What is it?"
"Why does he keep talking like that? Is he sick in the head?" The kid asked with innocence in her voice.
Natasha chuckled listening to her. "No, he's just weird. So don't copy him, okay?"
"Okay, but he's really good looking though. Do you like him?"
"What?? No, he's weird." Natasha wore a funny expression on her face since she wasn't expecting those words from her.
"Enough." Michael said in a stern tone as he stepped towards the unknown knight. Everyone became quiet and started to watch his actions.
"I'm Michael, the leader of this group here. I apologize for their behaviour, but for whatever reason you had before you attacked us, you're mistaken. We're not related to the people who did the things here. We arrived at this place just a couple of minutes before you appeared. So yeah, I hope this clears up the misunderstanding we have here. But if you keep insisting, then I would apologize in advance for whatever happens to you next." He already has a grasp on the gist of things when he remembered the guy calling them heretics earlier, but the way Michael delivered those words to him in a calm nonchalant manner chilled the man. Daryl and the others were not surprised in the least, but Natasha was surely terrified and had even started imagining things and that made her even more scared than she was supposed to be.
"You lie, I can smell death on you." The so-called knight just sneered at his words. He might have felt scared for a moment, but it quickly disappeared when he was reminded of the many times he had danced with death.
"You say that, but aren't you the same? You have blood in your hands too." Michael smirked and knelt on one knee before him, their eyes now level.
Mr. "Knight" stared straight into his eyes and responded in a grim tone. "We are not the same. Those people deserved death for doing despicable things to children. They should be honored that they died under God's champion."
Listening to his words, Michael was really amused with him as he couldn't believe what he's hearing. "Champion? Did you hit your head when you were born or something? And you've been constantly mentioning God this and God that, who even is your God?"
"Jesus Christ." The Knight calmly replied, and his answer made everyone look at each other since they weren't expecting to hear those words from him.
"What..are you like the Templars or something?" Nolan immediately voiced his thoughts out when he heard him.
The Knight turned his eyes to Nolan with a slight quint and a raised eyebrow. "You've heard of us? Are you an associate of the Brotherhood?"
Nolan became slightly flustered and looked around him since he wasn't expecting to hit home with just a random thought. "Uhh..no, it's just a common group of people you find in games. I was guessing earlier, but I didn't expect they'd actually exist..?"
The Knight took a comfortable position. "The Brotherhood had existed since a thousand years ago and had been protecting this world from the dark schemes of the Unseen Synods."
"The Unseen Synods?" Natasha asked out of curiosity and that the sudden turn of events suddenly became interesting.
"They're a council of several churches and people from high society. Who seek to control this world through any means necessary, even at the cost of billions of lives. They worship an evil entity called Baal and sacrifice children to it to gain his favor. I've been going after a group of them who's active in this area, but it's obvious I was late tonight,"
"That's when you arrived and attacked us without even understanding the situation first." Michael said with a slight frown. Though he felt that the man's story were interesting so far, he still doesn't buy it one bit.
"And I apologized for that." He says that, but he doesn't look like he regrets doing it one bit.
Michael just sighed and lightly shook his head. "Alright, let's say what you've told us is real."
"It's a fact."
"Shut up, and let me finish. "
Michael reprimanded him before he continued. "So, let's say it's real, but the way we see it. I don't think your so-called brotherhood is doing a good job protecting the world."
The Knight scoffed and chuckled. "I think we did a good job protecting the world."
"Good job? Millions have probably died already. Maybe even more, and thousands are probably dying everyday too!" Daryl became incensed listening to him and started raising his voice at him. "And you call that a good job? You're a delusional man."
Nolan leaned towards Glenn. "Aren't we getting too sidetracked here? We just came to check out this place, but I think we've learned something we shouldn't have. I don't think this is good at all."
Glenn smiled lightly. "Indeed so, but we're already in this situation. Might as well learn more about what's really happening, than nothing at all."
Nolan looked at the man leaning against the tree and frowned. "What if he's just making shit up just to avoid getting killed?"
"Then I guess he's just a really good story teller, but only time will tell. Since no one here knows if he's really telling the truth or not, and we can only listen to it since it still wouldn't really be surprising even if it turns out to be true. Besides, there were a lot of conspiracy theories about these kinds of people before, it must be why Michael is still willing to listen to him. I do too since Michael is also not the normal kind, you know. Maybe he actually knows some things that we don't."
"Hmm..makes sense." Nolan nodded in understanding.
While Nolan and Glenn are whispering with each other, the Knight just shook his head at Daryl's words and reasoned. "Everything happens for a reason, and I never mentioned they were the ones behind what is happening to the word today. Do not assume anything since even I don't know if it was them or just a turn of unfortunate events."
"But if you think of this from their standpoint, wouldn't something like this be the greatest offering they could offer? They could also do things more above board now that society had become messed up.." Natasha also reasoned, her hands slightly shaking since she was suddenly reminded of the horrific things she had seen.
The knight noticed her hands shaking, lightly raising an eyebrow. "I see you've seen things you shouldn't have seen, child."
"Shut up and just answer the question." Daryl angrily said.
"And he's talking normally now, I told you that accent is fake. What a weird guy." Nolan whispered to Glenn, who also looked at him with a weird expression on his face.
"Unfortunately, I don't know. The Brotherhood had been scattered since the outbreak of the disease. Rendering me unable to find the latest information." Not minding his tone, the man just answered calmly while shaking his head.
Michael was quietly listening to them, trying to digest and piece together everything he had heard so far. "Wait, you're still committed to your duty even if you don't know if your organization is still there?"
"Yes, even if I'm the only one left." The man looked at Michael with an unsure expression.
"And you've been pursuing the group behind the events on this site, right?"
"Yes, what are you going on with this?"
"Hmm, that's weird. You're alone, but I'm sure this group you're pursuing has more people and I'm guessing armed too. It's weird because you're alone, and they're just letting you do as you please? Did they never even try to kill you? Are you invulnerable to bullets now or something that they had to be constantly on the move just to avoid you?" Michael's words suddenly made everyone realize that point in his story that they missed or never bothered to question.
The man's eyes squinted while looking at Michael. It took a moment before he responded. "I suspect you've mistaken me for a man of far less… discerning faculties. I'm not a fool. Why would I attack them if I can see that I'm outnumbered and outgunned?"
"Is that the reason why you suddenly came out of nowhere and just started attacking us?" Hearing him, Natasha also realized things.
"Sadly yes. I thought you were the ones that were left behind to clean this place up and get rid of any evidence." He answered, embarrassed.
"Though I don't think that's even necessary anymore, but once again, I apologize for my transgressions."
Michael sighed and stood up. He gathered the others and stood a short distance from the man and started discussing what they learned so far.
"What do you think?"
"Seems legit so far and looking around us, it seems Natasha wasn't lying about what she saw before." Glenn answered Michael.
"Or he's lying and these two are actually in cahoots with each other." Daryl argued and pointed out another possibility.
Natasha quickly denied it though. "That's impossible, it's my first time seeing that guy."
"We're honest, we've been living in the hospital for." The kid with her defended her too and started counting on her fingers before she quickly added. "Two months I think. We always avoided people."
"She's right, we've always refrained from meeting people until today. It was to protect ourselves from people whose darkness has now consumed them." Natasha also added while feeling nervous. She's afraid that they'd really think that she's with that person.
"Why don't we take him with us for now and keep him under observation?" Glenn suggested.
"Will that apply to us too?" Natasha carefully asked.
"Of course. Any newcomer undergoes that, there's no exception."