Black Knight

Black Knights are soldiers within The Underworld Army and are Temp's main non-magic troops. They are trained by his Black Knight Captain, Umbra in the Underworld's Barracks.

Ranking System
Black Knights are ranked based on their level of skill with weapons and battle prowess. The training is a lot more battle-based than a Dark Mage's and as such they are ranked slightly differently. Graduation Matches between knights to see who should progress to the next rank of tutoring are held in The Arena.

Rank 0
Rank 0 is the rank given to Black Knights who have recently started their training. This is the only rank that has no battle-based learning in it as to progress to Rank 1, they only need to be physically capable of becoming a Black Knight. They have no decorations on their armour.

Rank 1
Black Knights at Rank 1 start to get introduced to battling and sparring and also have a small gold bar on their shoulderplates. They are taught basic combat techniques and are currently finding their preferred weapon which can be practically any weapon found in any kingdom.

Rank 2
Once they have found their preferred weapon, the basic combat techniques taught in Rank 1 are then built on and are also slightly adapted to fit the weapon wielded by the Black Knight. They are characterised by two small gold bars on their shoulderplates.

Rank 3
Rank 3 Black Knights are then introduced to more advanced combat techniques than the ones taught previously, again adapted to the specific weapon. This is also the first Rank where Ranged and Melee Knights are taught seperately, as will be the case for all the proceeding Ranks as well. They have a third and final gold bar on their shoulderplates.

Rank 4
If a Knight achieves Rank 4, they are rewarded with a gold square to replace the bars on their shoulderplates and are then introduced to dual wielding. As was the case with their first weapon, their second weapon is their choice although most Black Knights tend to have a shield in their off-hand and a weapon in their main-hand.

Rank 5
Most Knights who start training eventually reach Rank 5 and are rewarded with an onyx embedded in the back and front of their breastplate. Rank 5 covers defending against magical attacks and disabling Mages because some Knights may want to enlist in the Underworld Army at the end. It is also considered the longest and hardest of the main Ranks. Knights who wish to continue their training into the special ranks and are deemed able to do so by either Temp or Umbra duel each other, whereas Knights seeking to be placed in the Underworld Army are sent to duel with a Dark Mage who is Rank 5 as well. In any of the proceeding Ranks, Knights may opt to join the Underworld Army and are again, sent to duel with a Dark Mage who is the same rank as them.

Rank 6
Rank 6 is the first of the 'special' ranks and Knights who ascend to this position are respected by all in The Underworld. If a Black Knight reaches this far, the onyx gems on their breastplate are exchanged for rubies. Rank 6 covers the most advanced combat techniques for their specific weapon and Black Knights here have reached the final stage in their weapon training.

Rank 7
Rank 7 Black Knights are rewarded with a ruby embedded in the tip of their helmets. This Rank involves the first part of the Knights' move to the Mage School as they learn some basic defensive magic to protect themselves in battle with other forces. Knights tend to make friends with some of the Rank 7 Mages there and Temp is very careful to not endanger any of these by making them duel each other.

Rank 8
Knights who achieve Rank 8 gain rubies on the back of their gauntlets too. This rank constitutes the second part of the Knights' move to the Mage School where they learn enchantments for their weapons and how to use these effectively in battle.

Rank 9
After achieving Rank 9, Black Knights gain a single gold pentagram centred on the ruby on the front of their breastplate. Rank 9 covers a lot of the more basic techniques but adapted for other weapons which allows the Knights to gain knowledge and skills in using different weapons other than their main two.

Rank 10
This is the final rank and Black Knights here are the most powerful in the Barracks. Black Knights here learn about all of the different weapons so they can be combat masters in any situation. This is the longest rank out of any of the Ranks and Black Knights who make it through here are respected throughout the whole Underworld. They have a second gold pentagram centred on the ruby in the back of their breastplate.

Other Ranks

 * Rank 11: This is the fake rank that Umbra has since he is the most powerful Black Knight in the Underworld.
 * Enlist: All Knights who graduate to the Army are assigned the rank of Enlist
 * Tutor: Some Black Knights stay on at the Barracks to help teach lower ranked Knights and are assigned the rank of Tutor.

Appearance
Black Knights are clad head to toe in obsidian-black metal armour. They have a helmet that obscures their face and no visible skin or other feature whatsoever. Their gauntlets can sometimes have thin, faint Mana Veins on them since they are used as the catalysts for the basic spells learnt in Ranks 7 and 8.