It's hard to say for sure when the MEDUSA War began to change - it seemed to most that battles were erupting all over the globe one day, and suddenly the next day hardly a shot was being fired. Knighthawk knew it had not been so sudden as that, but there was no doubting that something had changed, and he had a bad feeling about it.
He knew better than to think the lack of activity over the last few months was a sign of a cease-fire or of any other peaceful endeavor. He knew what it was, alright -
the calm before the storm, he nodded in agreement with the thought. In fact, Knighthawk knew more than most what had changed, and he was preparing for the worst. For Knighthawk had seen otherworldly things in the jungles of Cobra Island, and had been preparing for a new kind of war ever since.
Knighthawk had talked to only two people regarding what he had seen, because he was fearful that others - even those he trusted most - would think he'd cracked.
The first man he had called was the man they called Ghosthound. He was a former Joe that most people refused to take seriously, and who many forgot had ever been on the team at all. But he needed his expertise and insight - Ghosthound had been on the hunt ever since.
The second man he called was already an insider to Knighthawk's current problem. That man was known simply as
The Templar. The Templar was one of EXCAL's original Paladin Knights, and knew the inner workings of the organization well enough to tell Knighthawk he could NOT report what he had seen. The Templar, Knighthawk knew, had lived through a similar dilemma. He had learned the hard way that nobody could be trusted.
It was during the first year of open conflict, right after MEDUSA had declared itself the successor to the Cobra Empire. The Templar had been assigned the honor of being Merlin's personal Paladin protector. Merlin, at that point, still had the ear of the EXCAL Directorship, and was viewed as a trusted advisor by those who turned a blind eye to his obvious attachment to the dark arts. The Templar, more than any other Paladin, was suspicious of Merlin's dark intentions, but did his duty nonetheless.
It was during an off duty return to his home in the Pacific Northwest that things changed. While taking a respite at an isolated campground, deep into wilderness largely untouched by man, The Templar witnessed what can only be described as a "portal" of energy open before him. Through this rift of time and space emerged several otherworldy beasts, heavily armed – alien yet magical in their own way. However they might have been described, The Templar was sure of one thing – they weren’t friendly. Using the element of surprise to his advantage, despite being unarmed, The Templar sprung into action. Before the first beast had become acclimated to his surroundings, the unarmed Paladin had been on him, twisting his head until a satisfyingly gruesome crunch was heard – yes even aliens had spines, it seemed. Knowing the second beastie would be more prepared, The Templar snatched up the first thing he saw on the first fallen foe which might help him with the second. That thing was something between a shield and an immense double bladed piece of destruction. The Templar knew at once he would beat his next opponent, for this shield was light as plastic, stronger than steel, and when twisted just right seemed capable of slicing through almost anything. Lucky for him, he had caught this one by surprise, he thought, for if he was staring down the business end of this weapon, he might already have been sliced and diced.Thereafter, The Templar reported what he had seen to Merlin, the long and short of it is that Merlin betrayed the Templar, and tried to banish him through the portal, lest he tell his tale to others, and Merlin’s own plans become known by all. In an epic struggle before the shimmering, open portal, Merlin thought he had the Templar thrown through, when the sharp tip of the shield caught him in the side and hoisted Merlin through the gate instead. The dark wizard was swallowed whole, and the portal sealed itself shut thereafter.
The Templar has since removed himself from the active roster of Paladins, so that he may stand vigil over the Wizard’s Gate (as he has since named it), to protect this world from Merlin’s dark design, should he attempt to venture back into this world through that same portal again. The irony has not been lost on The Templar, not only that his task is not unlike that of the Templars of old, standing watch over the holy grail for the remainder of time – but also because he has not yeet moved on from his mission as Merlin’s Paladin Protector.
Thanks for looking, and thanks for reading if you did. This is a figure I painted up for Tim - tanstys - to make a Paladin version of him. I'm hoping he digs him.
_________________
Kwinn_Lives wrote:
you have now won more JCAs than anyone in the history of the award.
Mysterious Stranger wrote:
You sir are the definition of a Renaissance Nerd... you do it all so damn well.
