lajosbringa

[lajosbringa]

Ivan's life story

So, me, the creator of the Sea Knight, Ivan Berilov, came up with this short story that tells his tale. Enjoy:

The Story of My Life

Welcome, readers! I got your messages that I should write my whole life story down for you to enjoy, and as I say, what’s a writer without his audience, so let’s get into it! First of all, to all new readers who found me through this story, my name is Ivan Berilov, your fellow knight, whose biggest contribution to knight society (along with my actions later), are his stories, which knights enjoy all around this world and Gallantia. But now, let the show begin! 

I was born 21 years ago, in the bedroom of my mother. I was instantly put into my own cradle, and that’s where my first memory came from. I felt something paper-like under me. I looked down, and it was a ton of paper money. My parents were quite humorous with that move. But a little about them. They were (and still are) insanely rich spice traders, with a whole fleet of ships, some even armed to the teeth, and a whole estate with a huge mansion, gardens with extremely rare fruits and flowers, and a whole wellness area in the basement. I loved life there, until it suddenly felt boring. My parents weren’t really workaholics, they mostly automated every process through a chain of clerks and even a whole printing house built into the main office, but still, they had to work 8 hours a day, and when that time came, there was no fun to be had for little me, as with most of the maids and servants being old and trusted workers of the household, but they didn’t have the nerves to endure a child breathing down on them. When I was 6, one day, my parents came to me.

-Ivan, we had an idea on how to make you less bored-my father said.

-We’re going to send you to school-my mother chimed in.

-School? I can read and write and count, what is school for? And as long as I know from one of the maids, school is a children’s prison where the teachers are paid to torture kids-I argued.

-School is what you make it to be-my father assured me.

-You will have fun there, take my word for it. So, Ivan, will you be a good boy and go to school?-my mother asked.

-I will, mom and dad, I will-I hugged them both.

I think most of you expect the rich sheltered kid that I was to go to a fancy boarding school, but heck no, I was sent into the public school in the city where I was living. Little fact about the city: most of it was working for my parents, and well, they could cause a lot of economic downturn if they wanted to. But that wasn’t really important for me, as I stepped into the school for the first time on that sunny September day. I met my new classmates, and as some weeks passed, the cliques appeared. The girls, the boys who are good at football, and those who weren’t. And you could understand what happens when this kind of formation makes up a class. The boys declared war on each other after the first P.E class, but it seemed that no one dared to even talk to me. I was dumbfounded back then about the situation, and decided to stay out of it. Until one fateful November day, the 6 jocks who conspired against the 3 nerds decided to use the good and proven method for them to show their dominance: beat them up. The girls just watched as the jocks closed down on the nerds who were running for their lives in the hall, and one even pulled out a bag of candy, and sat down to enjoy the spectacle. I just came out of the toilet when I saw the nerds running into the room, closing the door. And as the jocks got there, they suddenly ran away at my sight.

-You scared them away? Who are you, our savior?-a boy looked out the door.

-Ivan Berilov, your classmate, if you didn’t notice it-I said, a bit disappointed in him.

-Oh, sorry. My name is Peter Wilinsky. But how did you manage to drive them off?-he asked.

-I don’t know. Maybe I’m too scary-I said.

-Or they are just children of your workers. Like most of the school. And I think they were told to not even touch you, like my dad told me not to do it-Peter told me.

-Wait, you’re the son of Joshua Wilinsky? The one who survived Scylla? He taught me how to play chess when I was brought into the office-I said.

-Yeah, I am. But you won’t fire my dad because I talked to you?-Peter asked innocently.

-Do I look like some kind of monster? I won’t fire your dad. I can’t even do it!-I became a bit angry.

-Oh, I didn’t mean to anger you with that!-Peter said.

-Nothing. Now, if they fear me, maybe they’ll fear me enough to make amends with you-I lead the nerds out of the bathroom.

Upon arriving back to the class, the jocks were on their knees.

-We are deeply sorry for what we did! We didn’t know they were under your protection!-their leader pleaded.

-Fine, this will be forgiven. But let’s make up and live in peace-I said.

-Yes, we will! Peace?-the leader reached out for Peter’s hand.

-Peace-Peter shook on it.

-Okay, now everyone can stop licking Ivan’s butt, there is a math class to be held here!-our teacher walked in.

From that day on, no conflict rose up in our class. We had some rivalries with other classes, but those always ended in overwhelming victories, like the football championship of the school, where we even beat the 8th graders as 1st graders 4-1. My presence was basically enough to be used as an instant victory card, and this even applied to the teachers. They were the strictest, but best teachers in the curriculum, as the ones in higher classes told us, but they always went soft on us. Those 8 years were the most fun I ever had. I developed into a fine young man, the perfect heir to the mountains of money and possessions that my parents built. Everything seemed perfect. Until the last class field trip. As the last time this class was together, we went on a ship tour of the nearby sea. But when we arrived at the port, my eyes wouldn’t believe what they were seeing.

-Are we going with this cockleboat? Really?-I looked the principal dead in the eye, who was with us.

-This is no cockleboat, it has been serving our school for 70 years-the principal’s voice was stern.

-Do we really have to go with this piece of crap? It would only cost me a word to get one of our luxury ships from the fleet. There is one right there!-I pointed at the ship right next to the thing that could be hardly called a ship.

-I think your parents wouldn’t be happy if you just used their prized ship to tour your classmates. And don’t worry, it won’t sink-the principal held his ground.

-Fine…-I growled, and got on the ship.

We went out of the port, and started the tour. There were 21 of us on the ship. The teacher, Peter’s dad, who manages these tours, and everyone except Peter, who sadly got sick. I missed him, as he became one of my only true friends. But as we were sailing the high seas, a crack was heard from under the ship.

-We got a leak, everyone! To the lifeboat! Women and children first!-Captain Wilinsky shouted.

-We should’ve got life jackets…-the teacher fumed.

We were put into the lifeboat, but the captain didn’t come in. 

-Why aren’t you coming?-I asked as he started lowering the lifeboat.

-That boat is only for 20 people. And I shall sink with this ship-Captain Wilinsky answered.

But at that moment, I jumped out of the boat, onto the deck, and pushed the captain in. The lifeboat landed with a splash, and a wave instantly pushed it away.

-Warn the principal that my parents are gonna sue the shit out of the school!-shouted towards the lifeboat as it got further away.

I found the first-aid kit which had sleeping pills. I took a dose which was enough to put me to sleep as I sank into the ocean with the ship. But why did I let myself die this young? I don’t know to this day. Maybe I wanted to prove a point, or I wanted to save Peter from losing his dad, I’ll never know. It was an impulse decision. But back to the story. I woke up on the seafloor. My first thought was: How the fuck am I alive? Then, I felt something in my hand. When I lifted it, I saw it was armored. I looked down to my legs and torso. Armored too. And I have a tail grown out of my asshole. I looked at the book which I felt in my hand. It had two waves on it. I opened it, and started reading it. It was about something called knighthood, and people who sacrifice themselves for others can earn this second chance. It also explained that I am now a supernatural being, and I should have a Mortal Wound, where I could pull out my weapon. But I drowned! So, I started grabbing myself, and on my neck, where I felt openings, I grabbed into something metallic. And I pulled a whole trident out of my neck. I tried putting it back, and it worked. I read that I should serve humanity with this power, and I have a human form where I should hide my Mortal Wound. I felt really confused. Am I some kind of ancient hero, or did someone save me and I am in a coma? Suddenly, a whale approached me.

-Oh, I didn’t see around before. What is your name, fishman?-the whale said.

I really thought I was in a coma.

-My name is Ivan, and I am something that is called a “knight”-I said.

-A knight? You are one of those shiny, armored immortal folks? But you look different…-the whale looked me through and through.

-You know about them?-I asked.

-All of the sea knows about them. We helped them one too many times not to know about them. So, when did you become one?-the whale asked.

-Just now. I drowned because I was left on a sinking ship-I answered.

-Well, Ivan. Good to meet you. My name is whale noises. So, do you want to stay with us sea creatures in the sea? A long time ago, the knights protected us, but they all went to help the humans-the whale said.

-You know what? I’ll protect this place. So, what would be my job?-I asked.

-You can start with defeating that anglerfish demon that’s charging right towards us-the whale said, calmly.

I pulled out my trident, but it came with a shield this time. I charged at the demon, and it seems this whole knight thing was kind of powerful, as I impaled the demon just by swimming towards him. It evaporated like hot water, but a helmet was left there. I stuffed it into my neck, and it worked. 

-Congratulations! Now, let’s tackle another problem. The fishermen… They need to go-the whale said.

-No can do. This book said that I am not allowed to harm humans-I said.

-You can try to persuade them to leave. I don’t want to lose any more of my comrades-the whale said.

-Fine, fine, I’ll look into it-I said.

-Excellent! Now, I have to go. Bye!-the whale swam away.

I was left there to my thoughts. I decided on going back to my hometown to check up on everything. I jumped out of the water, and transformed back into myself, with the same sailor clothes I drowned in. I put a cape on my head to hide my face, and went into the city center. I saw that the doors were open to the public court, and the people were trying to get in. I wanted to check it out, so, I wriggled through the folk to the first row. And in the room, there were my parents, against the school.

-What is happening here?-I asked the person next to me.

-The Berilov kid died at sea, and now, his parents are obliterating the school. But be quiet now. The verdict is going to be announced-the person answered.

-I shall declare that the school has to take all responsibility for the accident, and the principal will be fired, with compensation paid to the deceased’s parents!-the judge smashed down the gravel.

The court erupted in cheer as the verdict was reached, but I left the room. Now, I couldn’t return as Ivan. My parents’ and my name would be scrutinized if I were to be alive. So, I jumped back into the sea, and searched for a new home. I found a suitable cave near the beach of my former home. A few days later, after I was introduced to all the residents of the sea, and was declared “protector and ruler of this sea”, I spotted a ship which belonged to Eresen Fishing and Transporting, a rival company to my parents’, and notorious for breaking fishing regulations. So, I swam up to them.

-Hey there, people. Can you please stop fishing here?-I jumped onto the deck, where guns were instantly pointed at me.

-Who do you think you are, that you can tell us what to do, fishman?-a fat man, presumably the captain, laughed.

-Well, if you didn’t go while I was asking, let the weapons speak for themselves-I pulled out my equipment.

Some of the crew shat themselves as I was doing it.

-Attack!-the captain shouted.

Bullets started flying towards me, but they were like pebbles to an iron wall. I started to attack, but they always dodged by an inch or two. In the sea, I am an unbeatable fighter, but on dry surfaces… As I was trying my best to use my still inhuman speed to catch them, something boiled in me with the increasing amount of anger. And when I had enough, I suddenly lost control of myself. Anger took over, and made me much faster, and much stronger, and it even transformed me. My tail got a stinger on the end, my armor glowed, and my hands had claws now, along with my mouth being filled with fangs. And then, the carnage started.

-I said that I won’t be arsing around here. So, one last chance, captain. Will you go?-I spoke.

-No, you monster!-the captain shouted.

-Who are you calling a monster? Cancer should eat your heart out!-I said.

(Little stop here for those who don’t understand, this is a swear from my old language.)

-What did you say?-the captain’s eyes gleamed with anger.

-Well, maybe, what I said should hurt less than what I am going to do-I answered.

The captain was in the water at the next moment. In pieces. Suddenly, my urges told me to reach for the water. I did it. And the water bent to my will, enveloping and pulling down the ship, and drowning the rest of the goons. In the next moment, I calmed down, and I was back in my standard form. What happened to me? I became a force of nature, an unstoppable beast that kills for fun, and nothing human can stop him, an Apex Predator. So, I naturally decided to continue my duty as the guardian, and destroyed more and more ships which wanted to fish here. Only some were spared. Those little barges, where the men fished for their survival. I looted a lot of money from those ships which I destroyed, and decided to sneak the bags on with a letter signed by the Guardian of the Sea. None of them came back ever again. As the days went on, and fishing boats are less and less common, I felt some emptiness in my stomach. I don’t need to eat, but it seems that my stomach didn’t realize it. I asked the fish where to find food, and they showed me a field full of algae. I tried eating it, and it’s quite bland, but it does the job. But I couldn’t just be some sea cow who eats seagrass, I need real food, like meat. So, I hatched a plan. A rather cheeky one, to say the least. I flooded the docks of my hometown, and the mayor instantly evacuated most of the town. And I could just walk in there, take all the good food, and get out, with the sea following me on the way back. But back to the flow of the story. One day, after another fisherman's ship was destroyed by my hands, I decided to take a trip back on shore to check on humanity. Upon arriving at the now rebuilt docks, I spotted a poster about the prohibition of fishing and other activities that would hurt the sea, not to anger its guardian. But as I was reading it, I was knocked out by something. When I woke up, I was strapped to a chair, with five knights surrounding me.

-Where am I?-I asked.

-In Gallantia-one of them said.

-That realm you teleport in and out of?-I asked.

-Yes, that’s it. But enough of your silly questions. You were taken here to be questioned-another one replied.

-About what?-I asked.

-About your crimes against humanity. 56 ships worth of crews, dead. How can you plead?-a third one asked.

-I am under oath to protect the creatures of the sea, and those massacres were necessary-I told them.

-And do you have any remorse for them?-a fourth one asked.

-They deserved what they got-I answered.

-Then, with these circumstances… You’re going to be locked up for 10 human lifetimes, or about 800 years!-the fifth spelled my fate. 

-What? You can’t do this to me!-I shouted as I was taken away. 

But while I was dragged through the lands of Gallantia, suddenly, a message appeared in all our handbooks: Scylla broke out of her cave, and all knights should search for her.

-Can you please stay here until we defeat her again?-the knight escorting me asked.

-Yes, I can-I said, and the knight teleported out.

I could stay there, but that didn’t mean that I would. And yes, I teleported back to my home sea, and started searching for Scylla. It didn’t take long until I met her at the opening of the sea.

-Well, well, well… What a sea creature. Where did you came from, cutie?-Scylla asked.

She was towering over me, as her head was just as big as my whole body. And we didn’t even talk about the six dog heads growing out of her thigh.

-I am a sea creature, yes, but secondly, I am a knight, and I hereby declare that I’ll put you back where you came from!-I put on my equipment.

-A knight… What pathetic creatures you are. And you really think you can defeat me? How laughable-Scylla initiated the fight.

It was a huge stalemate. I could easily dodge her attacks and even counterattack, but she always stopped me. The Apex Predator needs to come out. But I wasn’t angry enough. But when I remembered I had an 800 year prison sentence ahead of me, I transformed.

-You called upon some ancient power to help you? You are more of a loser than any knight I met-Scylla mocked me.

-We’ll see who laughs last, sea god fucker-I attacked.

(Graphic scene incoming!) 

One of the dog heads stopped me. But I sank my fangs into the head, and tore it off the snake-like body.

-What have you done?-Scylla cried out in pain.

-What you deserve, for all those sailors you ate. And maybe, I’ll tear off all the heads before I kill you, monster!-I looked her dead in the eye.

Scylla’s eyes were full of terror, as all her heads were torn off by me. And when I finished, I dug my claws into her neck, and pried it open, killing her. But when I looked at her remains and calmed down, it dawned on me: I am a monster in that form. The unstoppable force that is the Apex Predator form makes me as much of a monster that the captain or Scylla was. So, to honor her, I picked up all her heads and her body, and threw it into a volcano, while praying for her soul to be saved. Suddenly, a knight approached me.

-You killed Scylla?-she asked.

-I did. And maybe, I shouldn’t have-my voice was filled with remorse.

-Aren’t you Ivan Berilov, the one who slain all those fishermen?-the knight asked.

-I am. Now, bring me back into custody, and let me have my punishment-I gave her my hands.

-Why should I put a hero in prison? And even if you technically committed genocide, you had an understandable reason, and it seems you even regretted it-she said.

-It’s your duty to imprison rouge knights. You can’t just give me a royal pardon for my crimes-I countered.

-What if I can?-her voice was dripping with innocent teasing.

-Wait… You’re the queen!-my mouth dropped along with my head and torso.

-Yes, I am. I searched for Scylla, like all the others, and stumbled upon you giving her a proper cremation. You are one heck of a knight, Ivan. And you’re worthy of my pardon. But with two caveats-the queen laid out her offer.

-What are they?-I asked.

-First, if humans attack your domain, you should consult with me about the situation, and second, you have to write down the tale of your fight. You have a week’s time to send it to my handbook. I am interested-the queen gave me her hand.

-You have a deal, ma’am-I shook her hand.

It didn’t even take me a day to finish my epic. And when I wanted to go home, I had an unexpected visitor.

-I read it. It was amazing, more than worthy. Can you write more? Anything. Your adventures, or even some fiction… I can’t get enough!-the queen absolutely geeked out upon seeing me.

-But am I pardoned?-I asked.

-You’re not just pardoned. You’ll be given the title of the Sea Knight-the queen said.

-I’ll gladly take it. Do you have anything else to say?-I asked.

-Nothing! Have a nice day!-the queen teleported. 

So, that’s how my life went. Most of you know that the Scylla accident was years ago, so, what have I done since? I wrote a ton of stories, defeated a lot of sea demons, and found a new way to satisfy my meat craving. So, one day, I was swimming through the algae field, and I spotted an old ship. I swam into it, and found a ton of historical treasure. I decided not to deprive humanity of these wonders, I dropped them off at a valley near my home. Archeologists quickly found it, and left a package to the “mysterious donor”. When I opened it, it was full of food and other things. Seeing the profitability in this venture, I still look out for shipwrecks or underwater ruins to get some stuff to “trade” for food. But I always keep the best for myself, and when an important day for the family comes, I put some on shore at the beach of my former estate, my former home. So, life couldn't be more wonderful. I am right now writing a new story, about two girls fighting for the same crown, and the shenanigans that come with it, with the queen being a huge fan of the idea, so, stay tuned for that! Now, thanks for reading this, Ivan out!

[lajosbringa]

My oc

(First, let's say that I can't draw. This was made by first using my laptop as a copying board to draw a body, than, color it in MS Paint, and add the features. But let's get to the fun stuff, which I have quite the hand for, the story! I wrote this for @elmushterri in private, but I wanted to share it with y'all.)

Name: Ivan Berilov

Age: Early 20s

Height: 175 centimeters

Appearance:

Knight form: (seen on the drawing) He is a slender humanoid sea creature with light blue straight hair which is glowing lightly, blueish gray scaly skin, blue eyeballs with white irises, two holes for his nose (forgot to add it) ears like fins that are the same color as the skin, gills on the neck, and neck ends in a neck-piece which translates into a whole suit of medieval knight-like armor with Spartan elements, and only a fish-like, scaly tail of the same color as the skin is out of the armor (a bit chunkier than on the pic).

Advanced Knight Form (or as Ivan calls it, the Apex Predator): His hair glows blightly along the lines on his armor, fangs grow instead of his human teeth, claws come out of his armored hands, his tail gets a stinger on the end which can be used to bash or sting enemies.

Human form: He has dark brown, creoleish white skin color, is around the same height and figure as his knight form, has a weak moustache that teens have. He wears brand-new sailor clothes in human form.

Backstory:

Early life: He was born to two rich spice traders, and he was rolling in dough since the craddle (his parents literally filled his craddle with paper money). They were the avarage 8-hour work parents with the added benefit of a whole estate and cash. That meant he had a normal upbringing, and went to a public primary school. In 8th grade, on his last class field trip, the school put his class on a boat which he knew was a cockleboat. He insisted on asking his parents to lend one of the boats from the trade flottila, but the school said no. And well, the boat sank, but the lifeboat only held 20 people, and there was 21. He was put into the boat, with the captain willing to sink with the ship, but he jumped out, and shoved the captain into the boat as it was lowering (lore tidbit: the captain was the father of one of his classmates). His last words were: Warn the principal that my parents are gonna sue the sh*t out of the school!

Life as a Knight: When he was reincarnated moments later, he was dumbfounded. And it seems that the gods gave him a reminder of his death, because he became the fish-human he is now. He decided to settle into the sea he drowned in and where his parents' estate are. (The sea is about the size of Tokyo Bay, and it is more of a bay.) He quickly made friends with the fishes and the whales who live there, and was declared the protector and ruler of his home sea. And that meant protection from fishermen. He attacked the big companies, stole their loot, and scared away those who did it for survival, but secretly giving them the loot he stole. With these acts, his former home country banned fishing or harming the sea in any way, not to anger the "sea monster". This caused a rift between him and upper circles, and when he was called to Gallantia to answer for his crimes, he dug his claws into the cover of his handbook, and made two claw marks on it (this became his symbol). He rules the sea ever since, mostly uninterrupted.

Habits: He is mostly a vegan because of his pact with the sea creatures (and it's not appetizing when your dinner begs for mercy), but sometimes, he still eats meat. In the past, he used to flood entire cities for some cuts of beef or a piece of salami, but only like an inch to basically force them to evacuate. Now, he found another way to fulfill his cravings, thanks to another one of his hobbies. He, being a history nerd (more about that later), started collecting ancient treasures and put them on shore in a specific valley. This was soon discovered by archeologists, and for their gratidute, they left some gifts for him, including some meat. His last hobby is writing. Like some form of Knight Wattpad, he writes his stories to all who like it, and he garnered quite a fanbase, including the former Queen, which made along with his loyalty to his cause quite a beloved figure except in higher circles (they still hate him for killing humans who didn't run).

Personality: He can be defined as a loner, living in his sea, and only coming to shore or Gallantia for fan meetups or world-ending dangers. But with him missing his family for the latter half of teenhood, he is still unstable, reckless and can be quite agressive when angered (that being hurting his loved ones or himself). But he is brave (he didn't even fear death), and when warmed up to someone, he is loyal and kind. But thanks to his duty, he is slowly shedding his unstable nature, and becoming wise and strategical.

Likes and hates: He loves history, fighting, meat, duty, loneliness (but sometimes, he enjoys the fan who visits him), writing, his moustache (it looks out of place on him), and his family (lore tidbit 2: sometimes, he specially leaves gifts on the seaside beach of the family estate on special days of the family, like his or one of their birthdays). He hates his former school (lore tidbit 3: he flooded it after he got revived and the court case where their parents demolished the defence of the school), men who exploit the sea, his higher-ups (except the old queen), and sea demons.

Abilities: He has no Mortal Wound, but as a replacemnent, his gills function like it. His weapon is a trident, and he can also pull a shield with his symbol, an old helmet he excavated from a ship (it's a Spartan helmet without the colorful top). He, along with his transformation, can control the seas, create air bubbles, and talk to all sea creatures.

Fighting style: He starts out mostly defensive, with quick flurries for the win. But when he gets angered, his attacks become really agressive, but he still holds back, and tries to be merciful even when killing sea demons. But when they won't go down, he transforms into the Apex Predator, and goes nuts, while laughing and berating them, reveling in the carnage (lore tidbit 4: he was questioned for using it on humans, but was pardoned by the queen as his regret was genuine, and this caused the ongoing shift in him, but when in need, he still uses the Apex Predator).

Speech: He is really vulgar when just chatting with someone, using it to emphasize his point, with him even using swear words from his original language (that was Hungarian), much to the annoyance of others. But he can speak quite selectively, evident in his writings. He is also self-depricating and sarcastic, but he only uses it to not harm people, only for lightening the mood (except when hurt, he can be quite sharp). He also uses jokes, mostly sea puns.

Stance on the main plot (Sidra vs Jules): He is at the time, saddened by the former queen's death, as she was one of his most loyal readers (lore tidbit 5: he rushed to finish a story which the queen loved when he heard she is on her last legs), but he couldn't care less about the new conundrum. As long as he is not evicted out of the sea, he is willing to help both of them, and can be still called upon if a threat arises.

Leave your thoughts or ideas in the comments!