Sir ? Hello , sir ? Are you still alive ? No movement . Whoever was in there was dead in some way or another . The body sat covered in coal dust and dried blood , streaks of dirt caked in layers across his chestplate . It seemed the plate rose slightly in a steady cadence of breath , subtle but noticeable . I took a step closer , my sandals crunching upon the loose gravel . The suit rattled with a cough , and then it raised a hand , Water . sire , give my water , it spoke gravely . Lords be damned , I haven ' t drank in ages . I unlatched my waterskin and placed it in his wavering hand . He was no doubt a man , perhaps of forty years . Deftly , he slid the opening to his mouth and drank . And drank . And drank . A gallon of water emptied within seconds . Perhaps I was too charitable . He moved the pouch from his mouth and black oil spilled forth from his helmet . The greasy pitch dribbled down his armor and dripped onto the mine cobblestone , in great blobs too black to be blood . He threw the waterskin to the ground . Give me your food too , boy . Do not make me ask again . Perhaps it was the noontime sun baking my brains , or the fatigue of my trek , but I had never felt such rage before that moment . I grasped my knife tenderly and spoke through tense lips . Why ? Who are you even ? Know that you are at the mercy of a stranger . A monk , yes , but not a bastard simpleton . The man sat quietly for a bout , then pushed himself up slowly clearly a great exertion for him . Pardon me . I forgot , what are they . manners , The suit rattled and clanked like an old washbucket . Would you help me were I to tell you my tale ? I just need your name . I came on the Hadfeld ' s Solstice simply to seal this place for the year . The sealing magics are greatest during the summer . The man turned his head towards me . I am Hadfeld . He looked at me somberly , I assume , as a panoply of emotion crossed over my face like an overflowing river . Yyou . are the Knight Hadfeld ? He nodded . Beast slayer , banisher of wicked rites , the Great Stone ? He nodded again . How dost the fair Queen and her Court ? I hesitated , tapping the pommel of my knife anxiously . It . it is the people ' s Court now . She is . no longer queen . A great silence became him . He seemed to be swallowed up by the inkdarkness of the mineshaft behind him , unfocused , but wholly tangible . There was revolution whilst I bled for the people ? Yes . When you had left , the Brotherhood went through some tribulations . It split into factions , enforcing separate fiefdoms of their own . The mines rest in neutral territory , tended to by the neighboring temples . He stepped about quietly , walking over dead weeds and grasses poking through the gravel . His suit shone in the sunlight , gleaming almost white in contrast to the spots of darkened blood and dirt . The air was thick with the smell of putrescence and feces , unwashed garments and coal . I grimaced and tossed him the cooked fish I had brought . He tore off his helmet , and the first thing I noticed was the wispy gray hair and beard , dirtmatted and filthy . His face was pale , hidden for so long from the sun , marked with a bevy of scars and lines I had only seen upon my grandfather . Hadfeld had been only twentyfive when he ' d left . He bit into the fish ravenously , spittle falling to the floor with the oily coagulates . His eyes were tired . Rather , his one eye . His left eye was gone . Simply a hole , a tree knot , a place for critters . It sunk into his gaunt face and looked out , seeing something that it could not forget . He began to cry , and his shoulders shook with the weight of a broken man . The Hadfeld we had known was a proud man , protector of his people , and one of great honor . Who was this beast ? Thank you , kind stranger . Thank you . I forgot what cooked food tasted like . Everything there is slick with coal . He waved to my other waterskin like a child . I tossed it to him , and took a deep breath . Did you complete your mission down there , Hadfeld ? Did you bring surcease to the evils and beasts haunting the underground ? He looked up at me , his palms full of greasy fish skin , staring at me through that one damned hole . Heh . It winds and mazes like the mind of a bastard architect , but I have . fought valiantly . But have you ended it ? He stood silently for some seconds before answering . His voice was like the hollow ring of a bell . No , he said . We must go deeper . He crouched to retrieve his sword , then stumbled towards me . What is down there , Hadfeld ? I grasped my pommel again . We must go deeper . His face lit up , lines ingrained like an oak tree , as he shuffled closer to me . The armor groaned with each heavy movement . Hadfeld . Answer me . For your people . What is down there ? I could feel the sweat , damp on my nape , as I moved back . Treasures . Sorcery . Greatness , he laughed gleefully . But at a cost . Everything ' s at a cost . He stuck a gloved finger in his eyehole and gripped his face , then lunged at me wildly . I swung out my knife and lashed his throat , sidestepping as his body fell to the ground . Black oil dripped from the wound steadily . He squirmed and groaned like a dying cattle on the gravel path . Shafts of sunlight dwindled away as the sun hid behind the clouds . This is no warrior ' s death . I ' m sorry , I knelt by his body and said a short prayer . This is the fifth year that I have come to place these holy seals upon the site . Every year that I ' ve returned , they have been torn apart and shredded . This is the first year where I have returned to see none . I would make sure to bring help this time . Hands trembling , I placed the first seal and walked back to the temple . I made sure to not look behind me .