military Knight Hunters are not part of the military chain of command. Their orders come from the High Inquisitor who is appointed by house Blackblade. The second child of house Blackblade is most often chosen High Inquisitor.
Numbering more than ten thousand the Knight Hunters actually spend very little time actively hunting. A large portion of their recourses and time is taken up by analyzing raw population data. Legal constrained against brain scanning, data mining is their only way of discovering Knights hiding among the normal wizard populace.
Primary analysis units focus on analyzing data collected from the entire population. They look for any anomalies such as displays of heightened intelligence or athletic ability. Their job is to find what is exceptional and ascertain if it is beyond the parameters of what a normal wizard could do. The Hunters also employ a secondary analysis unit that focuses exclusively on schools. They scour all school records for any anomalies consistent with a Knight. Once flagged by one of these units a suspect will be further investigated by intelligence agents. These agents make call whether or not to bring in one of the Hunting units.
Aside of analysis the Hunters also provide rapid response teams to be dispatched in case of a sudden attack by Knights. There are dozens of Knight Hunter bases in all five wizard cities. One of these bases will be publicly known, the others secret.
Only three units of Knight Hunters spend their time actively engaging Knights. When a potential Knight is discovered one of these units will be dispatched to eliminate the target. Their mandate allows only for one result. The Knight must die. Occasionally a false positive will occur and a wizard will prove not to have been a Knight. False positives are never publicly acknowledged.
Though trained the Knight Hunters are skilled only to the degree of a Pre-Ocean regular soldier. Consequently their tactics for dealing with Knights rely on brute force application of power. They overwhelm a target with saturation fire from as many directions as possible. Hunters prefer to ambush a potential Knight in order to minimize response.
Despite dealing with Knights on a regular basis there has been erosion in the skill of the Knight Hunters over the years. Hiding their skills atrophies a Knight's power leading to easier Hunts. They have not faced a true Knight, let a alone a Harrower, in five hundred years.
Glossary
1)Cords – the Reigh is categorized by six separate elements differentiated by color and what they control. In active spells or when used individually those elements are referred to as cords. Shades vary somewhat from individual to individual but generally they are yellow for air/wind/gas, blue for water/liquid, brown for earth/solid, red-orange for fire/heat, violet for lightning/energy, crimson red for shadow/spirit.
2)Refers to the arm wearing a gauntlet that generates a constant shield providing protection from most attacks.
3)Web – Wizards spells are sometimes referred to as webs because their pictographic representation resembles a spider web. The number and color of the radial arms representing the elements to be used their length representing their proportion and the connections representing interaction.
Playlist
1)The Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash
2)Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvan
Next Time
After a year spent covered in the muck and blood of battle and death Vlad has changed. The wraith has become infamous. He's fought and there have been victories losses and sacrifices and nothing has changed. It's time for a new direction. Unfortunately the only way forward goes through the wizard criminal underworld. He's here to make a deal and he's willing to pay in bodies.
Collections
A Rising Knight Volume One: Everything that has an End
He was a killer by fifteen, a warrior by sixteen, a revolutionary by seventeen, a legend by eighteen, he won't live to be nineteen. These are Steps Vlad will take to define his destiny. He will spit at the feet of god and slay his angels.
A Rising Knight Volume Two: Born for War
Welcome to the game. It wants to kill you. Now the stage had been set it's time for the real show to get started. All three story arcs from volume one are continued in explosive fashion. It's time to go play with monsters.
A Rising Knight Volume Three: Destruction's Children
He was a killer by fifteen, a warrior by sixteen, a revolutionary by seventeen, a legend by eighteen, he won't live to be nineteen. These are Steps Vlad will take to define his destiny. He will spit at the feet of god and slay his angels.
A Rising Knight: Eagle
Twenty thousand years before the Blood Ocean and the Fall that came after, the Harrower Knights, the Deathwings, ruled the sky. Sent on a grave mission in the midst of a desperate battle, one Knight will find her moment. With the fate of her legion and a city hanging in the balance will she be able to seize it? In an age of Heroes how do you rise to the top? You do what no one else can do.
Individual Stories by Story Arc
Wraith: Year One
Remember that kid in class who looked at you like you weren't there. This is why you don't mess with that kid.
ARK-010 Awakening
ARK-011 Rebirth
ARK-015 Stalking
ARK-016 Naming
ARK-017 Hunting
ARK-022 Learning
ARK-023 Migraine
ARK-024 Apathy
ARK-031 Inherently selfish
ARK-032 Jarheads
Resistance Revolution Revenge
Sometimes we fight for ambition. Sometimes we fight to defend others. Sometimes we fight for justice. Sometimes it matters. Sometimes we just fight.
ARK-001 Carnage
ARK-005 Meeting
ARK-006 Family
ARK-008 Alliance
ARK-009 Declaration
ARK-013 Assault
ARK-014 Champion
ARK-026 Heir to Sin
ARK-027 The Brothers Blackblade
ARK-028 Safe Passage
Searching for a Symbol
Every army needs a standard, every nation needs a flag, and every legend needs a symbol.
ARK-002 Negotiator
ARK-003 Thief
ARK-004 Collector
ARK-019 Pretender
ARK-020 Superhero
ARK-021 Failure
ARK-033 Fire’s Shadow
ARK-035 The Black Hammer
ARK-036 Creating Destruction
Stand Alone Chapter
Some stories stand alone.
ARK-007 Betrayal
ARK-012 Enemy
ARK-018 Cleaners
ARK-025 Dropping the Gauntlet
ARK-029 Limits
ARK-030 Holy ground
ARK-034 In the Dark
ARK-034.5 Bonus Footage
About the Author
Vladimir Duran is a man who loves a good story no matter what form it takes. He's into everything from comics, manga and anime to the epic poets and classic cinema. A good story is a good story is a good story. Vladimir lives in New York City where he pretends to be a legal clerk when he would rather be writing. He spends his free time Drawing and Playing Mass Effect. He also likes to build magic systems based on classical philosophy.
Connect with Me Online
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARisingKnight
Website: https://ARisingKnight.com
Email: [email protected]
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