Chapter One has been previously posted.
https://www.youngwriterssociety.com/work/Chaser/The-Revolting-Knights--Chapter-One-141066
This is an afterstory to a fantasy. The one before was much more inspiring. In it, the noble knight Vyria slew the Demon King and began a reign of prosperity. It is now late in that reign. Rebel groups have risen up to try and topple Vyria, and each one of them is more dysfunctional than the last.
The story takes place in a typical Dragon Quest-ish setting. There are monsters in the wilderness, slimes, mimics, harpies, and dragons, as well as demons. The current government is a medieval bureaucratic, with politicians skimming off a bit more than usual.
Magic is taught and used by humans, though not all have the aptitude. It is done through incantation, though usually with wards to protect the user if the spell is interrupted.
The Protagonists!(?) Aidan's Assassination Crew!
Aidan: A mysteriously charismatic and childish man with the sole stated intent of killing Queen Vyria. Solicits the help of Devil Dragon Mestra, bearing her curse in order to attain power. Fights with the Devil Dragon curse, which turns him into a greedy dragon so long as he carries Mestra's gold. Has no magic aptitude or fighting skills.
Quinta Starblood: A swordswoman who is fifth in a line of heroes destined to defeat the Demon King. Since the fourth one actually accomplished this, she is at a loss of what to do. She looks to continue her bloodline as well as find evil to defeat. A stoic woman who picks up after Aidan's rampages. Uses an old, frail sword, passed down through her family. Is averse to using magic due to tradition, but picks it up later.
Mestra: Devil Dragon Mestra, the Scourge of Westland, a dragon older and more terrible than the demon king. She has accrued all the gold in the world, and with that gold losing value as currency, she has been shut off in a defunct dungeon for the past century. Aidan promises to fill her lair with treasure, so she grants him her curse. Though her body remains in her lair, she communicates with Aidan via a mark on his hand. She is often the one to more actively rebuke him, acting a bit like a mother.
Spiro Agnosia (Jackie Volare): An amnesiac who is actually the infamous general Jackie Volare. Upon realizing this, the others decide to keep this secret from him for as long as they can. Turns out he doesn't care about his old life, and just wants to have fun and meet people. A magician specializing in buffer magic, to the point where he can punch lightning.
Vaaksi: A World Magic incanter who fought in the war. Has had a curse placed upon her that will kill her if she speaks six words. A very kind old woman who enjoys the company of others.
Sora: A young woman who poses as merely Vaaksi's caretaker, but in reality is one of the seven "World Magic" users, with dominion over time. She hates her magic, since it slices a year from her lifespan for every second she alters. A terse and brisk person.
Haku Beastman: A Beastman, a magical half-man half-animal creature created during the war. A prideful man and a cheat, he does reprehensible things in the name of creating a great legend for the Beastmen to look up to, and to improve their social standing. He serves as Aidan's main rival in rabble-rousing.
Charen: Haku's publicist, a woman who absolutely loves political turmoil. Seemingly carefree but calculative, she will stop at nothing to see him succeed. Deals with Haku's loneliness on occasion, and sometimes manipulates his feelings to push him forward.
Schuen Macto: A magician travelling the world in the hopes of acquiring a family. "Adopts" Haku upon meeting him. He uses a special "life-alchemizing" World Magic, which grants him a multitude of abilities. It was with this magic that he created the Beastmen during the war.
Julie Dragnorak: A sentient slime adopted as the family pet. Bright and cheery, and a big fan of fantasy tropes. Mentions that Haku has to "level up" in order to become a great hero.
The Holies
Anata: A young girl who became a judge, jury, and executioner thanks to her own World Magic. She can literally see evil, but nothing else. As a result, she relies on her caretaker Diabou to guide her towards evil. Calm, but a bit exasperated with the people around her. Kills without hesitation.
Diabou: Anata's caretaker, and a very evil demon. A swindler and gambler who flirts with everyone, he is the consistent evil presence in Anata's life. However, he also cares a great deal for her. Occasionally, he is subject to outside prejudice as a demon, so she helps with that.
Krakan: An iron chef who states that his cooking could make anyone into a champion. Very hot-blooded, but no magic.
Eldin: A bard who sought to become Mestra's acolyte. Has become a dark bard with a spatial World Magic. An all-around nice guy.
The Government
General Grashen Cabal: Main general of Vyria's army, serving as a proxy antagonist. An unmatched swordswoman with the "Nullify" World Magic, she and Quinta will face off quite a few times. She's known Jackie since childhood, and now has to come to terms with the man he has become. She regrets not marrying him when she had the chance.
Sergeant Alms Dhampir: A sergeant wielding a vampiric thief magic. He's an excited magic scholar who often comments on fighting. Though cordial, he has a very savage combat reputation.
Queen Vyria Macleod: The final boss, a paladin and World Magic user who trains day and night for a worthy opponent to come and fight her. This is the reason she casts everyone away, including Aidan, who is really Kestrel Macleod, her son.
Throughout their mess of interactions, I can only hope to resolve everyone's arcs, which include but are not limited to:
-The last generation's heroes (Vyria, Schuen, Vaaksi) reconciling
-Diabou leaving the Holies in order to fight a one-man war
-Vaaksi betraying the assassination crew, and Sora coming to terms with her magic
-Schuen admitting what he has done to Haku, who is unsure how to feel
-Grashen having to win back Spiro while simultaneously going to war with him
-Charen having to reevaluate her relationship with Haku, and strive to be better to him
-Quinta fighting Grashen, over and over again, and both of them having to let go of their pasts (Quinta to her traditions, Grashen to her lover)
-Eldin challenging Aidan to a fight out of jealousy
-Aidan and Vyria and Mestra all facing off
-Dhampir going rogue to try and hunt Vaaksi's World Magic
And who can say where it will go from there.
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