MediEvil: The Eternal Knight

(A MediEvil Self-Insert Mega-crossover.)

Special thanks to Xelor117 for being my Beta Reader.​

Disclaimer: This the second story I am writing with AI assistance. I tried to limit it use as much as I can. AI is a tool, a powerful one, but one that can easily become a poison pill if used to much. It must not become a crutch, or you forget how to walk. I only use it to either spell checking or get suggestions on how to write better. But I might use AI generated stuff to help me overcome a writer's block or when I cannot bounce off ideas with my friends/beta readers.

[Synopsis + Prologue] => [Next Chapter]

Synopsis

"Don't be afraid to fail. Don't waste energy trying to cover up failure. Learn from your failures and go on to the next challenge. It's OK to fail. If you're not failing, you're not growing."– H. Stanley Judd

For once upon a time, there was... A Legend. A Knight.

The fickle finger of Fate is an unpredictable one, for it gives as readily as it takes.

It can grant a lying fraudster and arrow fodder a second chance—a chance to redeem himself, become a true hero, and finally live up to the legend after his untimely death by the very first arrow fired in the first volley.

And it can doom that same hero to an endless loop through time, forcing him to rise, fight, and defeat his archenemy again and again... For all Eternity.

Each cycle takes a little more from him.

Each battle stretches his soul a little thinner.

Until, eventually, there is nothing left inside his body for the legend to inhabit.But what happens when the hero who was supposed to complete his destiny is no longer there to do so?

Time itself goes askew.

Warping. Twisting. Buckling beneath the strain.

History begins to unravel, and the fickle finger of Fate, finding itself in something of a panic, reaches for the one solution available.

A quick fix. Then there was...

Me.

Out of place and out of time, I awoke in a strange land somewhere within the age of myths and legends.

Only something was horribly wrong.

I had no heartbeat.

No breath. No flesh. No blood.

My body was nothing more than a pile of bones. Literally.

And somehow, impossibly, I was alive.

Or at least... Something resembling alive.

I only remember fragments of my past life. I do not remember how I died. I do not even remember why Fate chose me.

But one thing soon became painfully clear:

The mistakes of my predecessor had left a terrible mess behind.

The villains were tampering with the Hands of Time.

History was becoming increasingly unstable.

Gallowmere stood on the brink of disaster.

And somewhere within the broken machinery of destiny lay the truth about the knight whose name was supposed to become legend.

Now, I must follow in the footsteps of a dead man.

Undo the wrongdoings he left behind.

Defeat the forces meddling with time.

Save the Kingdom of Gallowmere.

And, perhaps most importantly, discover whether someone who was never meant to be here can truly become the hero Fate intended...

Can I find redemption?

Can I become a true hero?

Can I save Gallowmere?

Can I even live up to the legend of Sir Daniel Wigginbottom Fortesque IV?

My past life and former deeds are lost to me.

For now...

And perhaps forevermore...

I am...

MEDIEVIL: THE ETERNAL KNIGHT

Prologue — The Hero of Gallowmere

An Excerpt from the "History of Gallowmere: An Official Historical Account by Royal Decree."

In a time long ago, off the shores of Old England, in the rough and cold waters of the North Sea, there lay the Isle of Gallowmere.

There, upon that ancient island, stood one of the Nine Kingdoms of Medieval Britain—the Kingdom of Gallowmere.

A land of rolling green hills, thick forests, peaceful villages, and mighty castles, ruled by fair and just kings. Its people were kind and happy, its knights were brave, and war was unknown. Even children were polite and helpful at all times—and not just when mooching for chocolate.

Truly, Gallowmere and its lands were said to be blessed by fortune itself.

At the head of this prosperous realm sat King Peregrine, a wise and just monarch who cared deeply for his kingdom and its people.

And, all in all, he was a decent chap.

A fond admirer of philosophy, literature, and, most inexplicably, pictures of kittens in bonnets, King Peregrine was considered by his subjects to be a thoroughly enlightened ruler.

But among his retinue was an official court magician: a brilliant, but arrogant and unscrupulous man by the name of Zarok.

This pitiless sorcerer despised his fellow citizens for their simple and peaceful ways. Before long, he began conducting horrific experiments upon the bodies of the dead, delving into forbidden arts that no decent man would dare touch.

Of course, people tend to get rather sensitive about their deceased loved ones, so it wasn't long before the King discovered what Zarok had been doing and had the sorcerer banished from the land.

Zarok skulked away into the wilderness, where he continued perfecting his experiments, raising the dead and summoning demons, all the while seething with rage and practicing his diabolically evil laugh.

At last, with an army of demons at his command, he set out to seize the realm for himself and bring Gallowmere under his foul dominion.

The King's champion, Sir Daniel Fortesque, led the militia into battle against this unholy horde.

Songs are still sung of how he spearheaded the charge deep into the accursed multitude, how demons fell before him like wheat before the scythe, and how, at last, though mortally wounded, he pressed onward until he confronted the infernal sorcerer himself and destroyed him utterly.

True, these songs don't have particularly catchy choruses, but people cared less about chart success in those days.

Fortesque went down in history that day as the Hero of Gallowmere, and there came upon the land a time of peace.

A time of harmony.

A time of tranquility.

And a time of quality wines at affordable prices.

A peace which was to last for one hundred years.

And then...

The sorcerer returned.

And this time... he was not alone.

[Synopsis + Prologue] => [Next Chapter]

I have few Mod suggestions/requests, hope that someone take these ideas and make them real as I have no idea how to mod to save my life.

New Hero Idea - The Mage/Scholer

Based on Oddschool - Concept Art Final Project - "The Invasion" Video and Concept Arts by João H. L. Sousa, the Scholer/Mage looks an interesting character, a man of science and reason who find a way to control/manipulate/influence reality.

https://preview.redd.it/x935ly33zygh1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f36aae9b3c25f7e3eb84075dc01196afe15c7fb6

https://preview.redd.it/7eciodw5lzgh1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa55a78e1114af288c0d083ff54cb59ee0f6a28f

New Enemy/Miniboss Idea - Book Golem - Ruins

A new enemy and or miniboss idea.

This hulking monstrosity of literary knowledge would fit perfectly in Darkest Dungeon.

As an enemy, the Book Golem can only appear in the Ruins, or maybe when interacting with the Stack of Books (Shared), Bookshelf (Ruins) and/or Pile of Scrolls (Warrens) Curios. While it can appear in the Warrens or other dungeons (due to the Stack of Books Curio), it has much higher chance of appearing the ruins.

Or as a mini-boss, it can be summoned like the Shambler, but using a Torch on a Stack of Books or a Bookshelf with the ruins, with 50% of getting a Stress +100 "The hero destroyed knowledge, and now must bear the guilt of it!" or summon the Book Golem filled with wrath of an angry librarian.

And based on which level of dungeon you choose to fight this mini-boss, it can be either a Book Golem (Apprentice difficulty), Literature Golem (Veteran difficulty) or Library Golem (Champion difficulty).

Defeating one grant you a Journal Page as reward, but as your collection of Journal Pages grow, there will be higher change of this hulking literary monstrosity will roam the other dungeons looking for his missing pages.

https://preview.redd.it/vyvja3ivlzgh1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=4b95fceea95a2da7960898fcb026d56c4066f7bf

There have been quite a lot of IEYTD fan theories over the years. From the Intro Song is sung by the villain of the game, the identities of Zor, the Handler or the Phantom and so forth.

While we solved or gotten answers from the developers, there still so many unsolved mysteries and questions.

So, here my question: what is your favorite IEYTD Fan Theory? Which ones you think were the funniest, interesting or thought provoking.