In the twilight room before him, on a large iron bed, lay a knight in black armor. He was motionless.
A long dagger appeared in the Cursed's hand. He approached the sprawled iron figure, lifted the helm's visor, and plunged the dagger multiple times to the hilt. Several clumps of black darkness oozed from inside the helm.
"You won't kill him that way," said an emotionless female voice from behind.
The Cursed spun sharply. At the far wall, a female figure sat on a stone bench, clad in armor. No helm covered her head. Blonde hair reached to her chin. Light-blue eyes pierced through.
"The Fallen Knight sleeps and slowly goes mad," she continued. "The Black Darkness is to blame. It devours his mind and body. He has lain here all day, and at midnight he will rise, take his terrible great sword," she pointed to the massive blade standing against the opposite wall beside the iron knight, "and kill you. That has happened to all who came here before you, whose heads now adorn the spikes and spears in the Court walls. That will happen to you, and to anyone who comes after."
"Who are you to speak so confidently, and why are you still alive?"
"Who I am, I do not fully know myself. Call me the Viscountess. I am the eternal prisoner of the Fallen Knight's Courts. I remember nothing of what was before them, but I remember myself from the very moment I appeared here. The Fallen Knight wants me to be his wife, but I hate him. Every night he tortures me, trying to break my will. Were I able, I would kill him without hesitation."
"Then let's do it. What must be done?"
The girl looked at him and laughed a joyless laugh.
"You must not be human for this."
"I'm something worse than not human."
He turned his face to her, and she, shuddering with horror, saw how magical writings lit up in the darkness on his cheeks.
When she spoke again, it was with a different voice.
"To kill the Fallen Knight, you must destroy the Black Darkness controlling him. Its source lies in the dungeons beneath the Courts. You must overcome three floors filled with supernatural enemies and deadly traps to reach it. You cannot do it alone. Someone familiar with these floors is needed. I will guide you."
"The third floor is guarded by a giant knight who shoots fires from his eyes. We won't make it running down the long corridor leading to the exit of this floor. Numerous piles of ash from previous adventurers prove it. Our only chance is the weapon. But no ordinary or magical weapon can kill the giant knight. Somewhere in the abandoned halls of this floor lies a weapon of the Courts. It cannot kill the guardian either, but it can neutralize him for a short time."
They stood at the very beginning of the long twilight corridor, parts of which were illuminated by moonlight streaming through the large windows of the side halls. Behind them were the double doors with the black helm emblem, through which they had recently passed. The doors were unlocked. There was no need to lock them. And in a few seconds, the Cursed would see confirmation of that. The Viscountess pointed forward into the corridor, where in the darkness stood the silhouette of a knight of enormous height. He stood motionless and seemed lifeless, like an inanimate giant exhibit in a horrifying, twisted museum. A perfect trap for anyone who didn't know the layout of the Fallen Knight's Courts.
The Viscountess waved her hand, signaling to move. They cautiously advanced down the long corridor, trying to stick to the dark areas. About halfway to the nearest side hall, the mechanical clanking of iron armor suddenly sounded. The giant knight's silhouette came to life. He turned his helm, and two orange flames ignited inside.
"Run to the hall faster! I'll distract him!" the girl shouted.
The Cursed dashed forward. He saw the Viscountess sprint along the wall with her feet, then perform a flawless side aerial, simultaneously dodging two streams of orange fire that struck exactly where she had been seconds before.
The Cursed flew into one of the side halls. Moments later, the Viscountess was there as well.
"We have a little time to catch our breath and find the weapon. He can't get in here. The ceilings here are too low for him."
She led the Cursed deeper into the hall, where ancient artifacts lay on the floor. He saw crossbows, bows, swords, and crystals, but something told him this was not what they needed.
After a while, the Viscountess picked something up from the floor.
"This will do. A magical lasso."
She measured the Cursed with her gaze from head to toe.
"I hope you can jump high. Even if you can't, I'll drop the other end so you can grab it directly. When the knight comes at us, I'll throw the lasso at the level of his helm. It will wrap around his neck. I'll hold one end, you catch the other. Then we'll twist him behind the back of the iron beast and bring him down. This will hold him for enough time for us to leave the floor."
They returned to the corridor. The giant knight was already waiting. Two enormous orange flames flared behind the visor of his helm. The giant knight moved toward them. The Viscountess and the Cursed ran toward him. The Viscountess ran up the wall, sprinting along it. The knight fired a few shots but missed her. She threw the magical lasso, which wrapped around the iron monster's neck, and ran on. The lasso coiled around the knight's neck several times with a whistle. The Cursed was already behind him. The second end of the magical lasso flew to him. He grabbed it and, using his vampire strength, pulled. The Viscountess ran along the left wall, pulling her end of the trap. For a while, they moved, and nothing happened. Then a loud crash came from behind, and the third floor shuddered.
The giant knight fell to his knees, clawing at his armor, trying to free himself from the trap. The Viscountess yanked her end with all her strength. A loud crack sounded. The giant knight's helm tilted to one side. The iron figure froze and slowly toppled forward. The third floor shuddered once more. For the last time.
The Cursed and the Viscountess left the third floor.