Tip. Tap. Tip. Tuk! The knight's mitten emerges over the edge of the hole. They soon pull themselves over and onto the ground above.
Huff Huff, Thud… The long, treacherous climb was over. The knight rested on the man's corpse in a cold pile of dust for a moment as they regained their breath. They base up, weakly fiddling with the rope as they slowly untie the man's corpse from their body and bundle the rope, before attaching it to their waist just behind the bone.
Swish. They look up.
Roowwr. Rap.tap. .tap. Reeegk, ssskkrrr. Again, faint groaning, scratching, and creaking in the distance, it seemed to be moving closer with each decrepit noise.
Sniff sniff. The short one sniffs the air, a faint oily scent with undertones of old pasture.
All around them, a dark grey stone hallway lacking doors, decorated with archways, and sconces with warm, bright candles. At the end, a wide staircase with an orange carpet with violet edges. The knight stands to their feet, hoisting the man into a fireman's carry once again before walking down the hall. They soon reach the end of the hall, without once setting the man down. Above at the top of the stairs, there's a faint, dim light coming from one side of the hall.
Pap. tap. Tuk. They hasten their ascent to the top of the stairs, upon reaching the floor, they slowly walk over to the window.
Wooooosh. The wind whistles through the windows of the hall, rustling the candles and cloak of the knight. A rare sight here, glimmering red, white, oranges, yellows, and blues, impossibly far away, shrouded by a fluffy cloud of the ever-radiant cosmos, and iridescent, waving rays of light only broken by the moon and ended by the shadow of the cliff.
The little knight sits the man down gently before the sky on the opposite side of the hall, pulling out a map, examining it, as they tilt their head, resting it on his shoulder. The knight looks down at the map before looking at the man. A glimmer flickers on their helm.
Swish, pap-pap-tuk. They sharply turn their head before running to the window like a child placing their palms on the sill, leaning forward ever so slightly.
Rays of light flash streaks in and out of the sky. They look back and forth between the man and the beautiful sight as they point to it.
As they settle, they clasp their hands together.
Maybe somewhere out there, a god would notice.
Sniff sniff. A musky scent with undertones of a slightly sweet, burnt smell. The knight turns to the tall man's corpse. They walk over to it, pulling a vial from his bag, examining it for a moment.
Pop, Sissssshhh. sssss. The knight pours its contents over his head and body. A warm gas forms a cloud over his body.
rerrrrr. The knight's stomach growled, they looked down the hall, which turned a dark corner.
Tip, tap, clatter. They grab a wire, a pot, a small metal tin of water, a tin of beans from their bag, a loaf of bread, and some dried meat, organizing it before themselves. They look at a sconce…
Tap, swoosh. Within moments, they suspend the pot on it and remove the candle, holding it, carefully unearthing the mixture of boiling water, beans, bread, and dried meat. Within the hour, it's done, Jerky Chowder.
Squash Mush Mush. The little knight sits down to eat for a moment before pausing. They look at the man, now quiet as ever before. They slowly crawl over to him.
Tip sloosh. They gently parted his lips, feeding him a spoonful of the warm Chowder, a spoonful he'd never swallow.