*The new year had finally started. Knights who were out of town had returned and those who were on holiday break were back to working. Morrison was driving down the road in a black car known as a Bestla. He soon pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant known as Tomgomery Inn: Rib and Steakhouse. After parking his car, he got out and headed inside. He wore black dress pants and a black jacket over an emerald green shirt and carried his signature cane. He entered the restaurant and walked over to the service desk where a young elf with dark blue hair and red eyes was waiting for him. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt with black pants and black shoes*
(Server elf): Welcome to Tomgomery Inn, home of the famous ribs and- huuuh~ Commander Morrison of the Black Tortoise Order! Sir!
*The server salutes Morrison!
(Morrsion): *Chuckles* At ease, son. I’m here for a meeting. I believe the reservation is under General Walter’s name.
*The server stops saluting and checks the computer for Walter’s name where his name immediately pops up*
(Server elf): Yes. He’s reserved the whole upstairs area. Please feel free to use the elevator down the hall, sir.
(Morrison): Not necessary. I’ll take the stairs. Thank you, son.
*Morrison begins to walk up the stairs with ease much to the surprise of the server all watched him to make sure he wouldn’t fall. As he watched, the manager of the establishment came by to catch a glimpse of Morrison. He was a middle-aged man with black hair, brown eyes, and black beard/goatee combo that was cut short*
(Manager): Ah~, Morrison finally made it. That should be all of the guest accountant for.
(Server elf): Um, sir, if you don’t mind me asking, what is Commander Morrison doing here?
(Manager): Well it’s the start of the new year. General Walter usually holds a lunch party for the commanders of each order as a way to celebrate the new year and thank them for their service. Commander Korone and Arslan should have arrived by now.
(Server elf): You mean the most powerful people in all of Brister are right above us?
(Manager): Yes. I can only imagine what they’ll talk about during this meeting. No doubt important matters concerning the kingdom.
***
*Morrison reached the top of the stairs and made his way down the hallway to the room where everyone else was. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Walter, Korone, and Arslan sitting at a table. Walter wore a dark blue suit with a white buttoned shirt underneath. Korone wore a white turtleneck with black dress pants. Arslan wore a red sweater with light brown pants. Off to the side was a elf chef who was also the owner of the restaurant. He wore a red bowtie along with a white chef’s hat, a white apron over a short-sleeved white shirt, and black pants. He was preparing the food for his guests*
(Morrison): Chef Zeck. Good to see you again as always. Happy new year.
(Chef Zeck): Happy new year to you as well, Morrison. Take a seat I’ll have your ribs and steak ready in a minute.
(Morrison): Much appreciated, Chef Zeck. Thank you again for hosting us.
(Chef Zeck): Like I could refuse a request from two of my former workers.
*As Morrison walked over to the table where the others were at he started to reminiscent about him and Walter being kids and working as chore boys when the restaurant first opened. They weren’t the best workers and often got beaten for their antics but they enjoyed their time there and always praised Zeck for cooking the best ribs and steaks in the whole kingdom*
(Morrison): Hello everyone, happy new year.
(Korone): Yaay~ Morrison is here!
(Arslan): About time you showed up. Here, let me pour you a drink.
*Arslan pours some red wine into a glass and hands it to Morrison*
(Morrison): Thank you.
*Morrison takes a seat next to an empty seat with a reserved sign in front of it*
(Morrison): I see the commander of the Golden Knights didn’t show up this year as well.
(Walter): Afraid not.
(Korone): I really don’t get why you keep sending them invites. They never show up.
(Walter): It’s the courteous thing to do.
(Arslan): Oh who cares. It’s their lost. Let’s get this party started.
(Walter): Yes. Thank you all for your hard work last year. A lot happened but we prevailed and kept the kingdom safe. I couldn’t ask for better commanders leading the orders. I’ll be counting on you again this year. To Brister.
(Morrison, Korone and Arslan): To Brister!
*They all toast their drinks and down them in one gulp*
(Korone): Ahh~, that’s the stuff.
(Walter): Now that the pleasantries are over, it’s time to get down to the real reason we have this meeting.
(Morrison): Agreed. So who’s going to start?
*Everyone was silent*
(Arslan): Alright, I’ll go first. My rookie knights this year are the best! Look at what they’ve accomplished. We’ve got Scarlet Helios who is my pick for knight of the year. That girl has to have taken down more Eclipses than any other rookie knight. She’s a natural born leader as well. Even our more senior knights are impressed by her work. Along with her we’ve also got Sera who has stepped up ever since returning to the field and another rising star I’ve been keeping an eye on is Kazuma Blaise.
(Walter): The younger sibling of Ember? Yes, I have to admit those three are impressive. I’m a little jealous that they choose to join the Red Knights over the Blue Knights. However, our rookie knights are by far superior. The young squire Keanu’s resourcefulness and field work has been great. Robbie Shinri is without a doubt the strongest of the rookies. I haven’t been amazed by a knight’s strength since I first saw the Blazing Knight himself. Finally, there’s Trey Percival. Scarlet may have scored the highest in the graduating class but I am positive he could defeat her in a one-on-one battle. Not to mention we have the Farguson twins and Bastion Taylor who is making waves in the realm of golem magic.
(Korone): Boys. If we’re talking about success, then look no further than these three knights. First up, Zaito. Scouted by Constantine himself, became the youngest knight to join Caspian, and scored the highest on this year’s written tests. Along with him we have Rowen Inari and Fei. Rowen’s diligence speaks for himself and Fei has the most arrest out of all the rookie knights. These three will be a force to be reckoned with down the line.
(Arslan): Your mystery elf, cat, and fox are impressive, but they fall short when compared to my knights.
(Walter): Now, now you two. Why don’t we let our judge decide. Morrison?
(Morrison): Sorry, but this year, I’m participating. Need I remind you that I too recruited new knights for the order? Those knights are Jin Hephaestus, Gael Tristian, and Alita.
(Korone): Hey, that’s not fair! Those knights are members of Shadow Eye.
(Morrison): And yet they are titled as Black Knights on paper. While I admit their activities in Shadow Eye are impressive, these three have also done work for the Black Tortoise order. Together these three have completed almost five hundred missions within the city and have received rave reviews online from the citizens. If we were to count their activities in Shadow Eye then I think you’ll see these three more than earned their place as the top knights this year.
(Arslan): Well, this is a first. We’ve all got great knights this year and neither of us want to yield to the other.
(Morrison): As if that wasn’t bad, I feel like there are other knights this past year that we left out. Usually it’s two or three knights who are standing out, but this past year it was a multitude of them.
(Walter): Just by looking at their magic stats from when they first entered the academy to when they graduated and now to almost a year in the field, their growth is exceptional.
(Korone): It’s a promising class. You know what the people are calling them? The Generation of Pillars.
(Morrison): The Generation of Pillars? I quite like the sound of that.
(Arslan): Care to fill us in on why people are calling them that?
(Korone): Apparently these are the knights that will go on to hold up the kingdom in the future. Let’s face it, we’re not getting any younger. The kingdom has prospered under our leadership but we can’t keep this up forever. The time is coming for a new generation of knights to take the stage.
(Arslan): Ay. I have to admit, I have been feeling a change in the air. This new generation of knights is very interesting. They’ll definitely be the new leaders of the kingdom and when they take over it’ll be something special. However, I have no intention of handing them the keys until they’ve proven they’ve surpassed me. Both mentally and physically.
(Walter): Agreed. I may be getting up there in age but I won’t let those cheeky brats take my spot as long as I’m drawing breath.
(Korone): I’m excited for this generation but they’ve still got a lot to learn. They’re about 200 years old away from earning my complete trust.
(Morrison): And they won’t be able to get that trust if we don’t take an advent interest in them. We must keep watching over them until they are ready to take our roles as protectors of the kingdom. We can’t allow them to make the same mistakes we made in the past.
*Walter looks down at his chest remembering the scar he has there*
(Walter): You really think those kids will be forced to face the consequences of our past?
(Morrison): I pray that they never have to. Life rarely goes the way you want it and I believe it’s important to prepare for whatever lies in the future. But for now I say we let them be. They’re still kids so why not let them play the part for now?
(Korone): I agree. You only get to enjoy youth once so let’s continue leading the kingdom until they’re ready to take the reins. I have no intention of going anywhere.
(Arslan): Likewise.
(Walter): I’m here until the end. Still, my knights are the best.
*As the group just arguing over all has the knights, Zeck arrived at the table with their meals*
(Zeck): Geez, you’re a competitive bunch. Enough trying to one up the other. You’ve all got talented knights and you’ve done a great job leading them as well as keeping the kingdom safe. I know it’s not much but on behalf of the kingdom, I thank you guys for everything you do. Now enjoy your meal.
(Arslan): Zeck’s famous ribs and steaks.
*Arslan’s picks up a rib and bites into it. Savoring the rich flavor and texture of the meat*
(Arslan): Ohh~, how does he make them so good?
(Walter): I’ve been trying to figure that out for years.
*Walter and everyone else begins to chow down enjoying the ribs and steaks and having a good time with each other*
(Zeck): It doesn’t take much to shut them up. I sure hope those young knights aren’t as competitive with each other as their commanders.
***
*Meanwhile inside The Wall on one of the sparring mats, Jin, Gael, and Alita were getting ready to face off against the Farguson Twins and a mechanical golem soldier. Above and around them were a bunch of other young knights taking bets and cheering them on*
(Malakai): You guys sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to-
(Gael): Shut up and ring that bell.
*A bell rings signally that the fight has begun and the young members of Shadow Eye charge ahead*
Author’s Note: Another chapter down. Once again it’s a slow chapter but has an interaction I’ve been wanting to do for some time. Putting the major players of Brister’s orders in a room, having them brag about their knights, and talking about the next generation. While we’ve been focusing on Jin, Gael, and Alita, the other orders have knights who are also standing out just like them, and will be integral to Brister’s future. They recognize the potential of these knights and know that someday they will lead the kingdom. However, they’re also afraid that these knights will face the consequences of their past mistakes and they want to protect them from it. I thought it would be funny to set up in this scenario of everyone thinking the commanders are talking about serious stuff, when in truth they’re arguing over their knights like parents at a school event, and the one spectator hoping the other knights aren’t following their example, only to see them getting ready to fight at the end of the chapter. What led to this fight? Tune in next week to find out. Thanks for reading and I’ll see oyu next time on Project Nitsuj.