A Talk with the Teacher


Hurt, but already recovering. Temulin has made camp beneath the open sky, far from other people. The first stars have started showing in the cold blue sky. The fire burns and crackles while she roasts some freshly caught meat above the flame. She throws some scraps of meat towards the massive bird next to her.

Another figure arrives, tall and in elaborate black and white armour. "You disappoint me Temulin. I thought you knew what the stakes of being a Dark Knight are." The fellow greets.

Temulin doesn't look over. "You were hurting my friend. And if she was totally in the wrong I wouldn't have minded nor cared. But she's right, we were doing more harm than good." She turns over the meat, making sure it gets roasted evenly on all sides.

"I told you. People suffer for the indecision of a Dark Knight. You flout the law, you flout the system, so that justice can be done. That is what it means to be a Dark Knight. People will denounce you for your deeds, even those you think of as friends. Once you set upon a course, you cannot waver." The figure answers in turn. "A Dark Knight who wavers in his convictions will end up being consumed by their Darkness."

The roast finished, Temulin takes a bite out of her meal. "I'm stronger than that, and you know it." She offers some to the other Dark Knight, to her mentor.

The figure turns around, "Give some thought to what I said. When you are ready for your next lesson, come and find me. I will be waiting where we first left our Star."