Title: Hero of Will-Garth
Setting: Albion. Summer. The Tattered Spire.
Genre: Action. Suspense.
Rating: T-M (For violence, gore, and language)
Summary: The Hero is here to rescue me. I'm surprised slightly by this, but I'm unsure he'll be able to do this alone. Somehow, I must help him and remove our collars.
Garth calmly placed his research books in his shelf. It was midnight, and although all he wished to do was sleep, his bed wasn't exactly…the same as it used to be. Instead he carried on with his research on the Spire in his lab.
In the dimly lit room his Will markings glowed eerily, a great contrast to his naturally dark skin. He had only one ambition now. Lucien, his former colleague, needed to be stopped. The night he left Lucien's castle was the night he learned of Lucien's true intentions with the research on the Old Kingdom. He planned to rebuild the Spire, and gain enough power to create a New Kingdom, destroying the old one and everyone in it in the process. Garth refused to stand aside and let everyone die. Certainly since he knew so much about Lucien's plans.
He needed to focus, to find a way to cease such madness, but couldn't. There was too much, and such little time. There was so much to be done. To clear his clouded mind, Garth stepped out onto his balcony, located a floor higher than his research lab.
The night was clear and the stars twinkled nonchalantly above. The air was fresh, but summer was soon approaching.
"Garth, you shouldn't let your guard down." Garth spun in place to face the infiltrator. He hadn't even heard him, and his heart clenched when he made eye contact with the Commandant. It seems Lucien has found him. "You are coming with me." Garth retorted quickly, pulling a blade spell to protect himself.
"I'm never going back there! You hear me?" He angrily defended his ground, but knew to be cautious of this pale-skinned assailant. The spikes on the Commandant's head glistened. In the dark candlelit room his clothes were almost invisible.
To reassure his capture, before Garth could react efficiently, the Commandant used an inferno spell on a section of the ceiling to block the stairs. Alerted by another sound Garth looked beyond the blocked staircase. A young man, roughly in his twenties, stood uselessly behind the burning wood. He did not have much time to look at what he heard was the fourth Hero, the man he had been searching for, the man who was prophesized to stop Lucien.
"You're wrong." The Commandant said confidently. He had not noticed the Hero.
"You think I'm scared of you? You're a freak--Lucien's failed experiment…nothing more." The Commandant laughed harshly.
"You left too soon, Garth. Lord Lucien's experiment was a radical success." Garth had let his guard down again. He was too tired to deal with this. Outside, one of Lucien's shards was prepared to take them to the Spire. Without missing a beat the Commandant shocked Garth, lighting the room momentarily, paralyzing him with one strike. "You are coming with me."
~*~
Lucien stared emotionlessly at Garth through his cell door. Garth was standing, hands behind his back, in the middle of his small room. Behind him lay his bed, nothing more than a thin, dirty blanket. Striped of everything but a pair of slacks, to ensure he had no secret weapons, Garth could feel the cold air that griped the Spire. Carefully he inspected Lucien, as he was sure Lucien was inspecting and evaluating him.
Lucien had grown old since he saw him last in castle Fairfax. His once black hair, still pulled back in that same old ponytail, was now snow white. Wrinkles were beginning to make their appearance on his once handsome face. His choice in clothing hadn't changed much. The black fabric of his jacket and pants were obviously silk. It seemed out of place in the middle of a shabby place like the Spire.
"Garth, I should have known you were the Hero of Will. Your expertise in magic were always so satisfactory. It matters not now. You will be going no where until I get ,y hands on the rest of the Heroes."
"Can't you see this is wrong, Lucien?" He only smirked matter-of-factly at the statement.
"I'm building a New Kingdom, Garth. The old one is corrupt. You are the one who is blind."
~*~
Garth had been in his cell for months. Drained of Will, all he could do was stand there. When the Hero arrived dressed as a Spire guard Garth was taken off guard. The Hero was with another guard. Bob was the name he overheard. They soon stopped in front of his cell.
"Watch out for this fellow." bob warned. The Hero wasn't listening. He was staring at Garth. "His name's Garth." Bob continued talking, ignoring Garth and the Hero.
"I don't know how you got here, but I know what you are."
"Lucien sent a whole squad…" Bob continued. The Hero remained silent.
"It doesn't matter." Garth pointed to the collar around the Hero's neck. "Your power will do you no good as long as you wear that collar.
Bob cut in again. "Only the Commandant is aloud in his cell."
"Be patient." Garth implored. The Hero nodded and turned his attention to Bob.
"Doesn't give me any trouble. Do you?" Bob pointed at Garth. "Keeps nice and quiet. Anyway, can't wait to write to Lil. Tell her all about it. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow." The Hero smiled kindly at the other guard then proceeded to the Commandant's chamber.
~*~
Thirty seven weeks passed had since then. Garth had since started to strategize an escape route for the Hero and himself. He had overheard that the Hero was defying the Commandant, so it didn't surprise him to see the Hero heading toward the Commandant's chamber a second time.
As the Hero approached he seemed drained of life. His blue eyes were dull, his shoulders were slouched, and his skin was a sickly pale.
"Be patient, time has no meaning here." Garth stated calmly. "This place is powerful--but it is only a shadow of what it will become."
"I'm not sure how much more I can take." The Hero said. His voice was dry, scratchy, and tired. "I'm Blade by the way. It's only right that I tell you my name since I know yours."
"Can you hear it, Blade?" The Hero knew what he was talking about. The Spire echoed with a constant pulsing.
"At this point, it's all I can hear. It's like there's nothing else."
"That is the sound of our Will being sapped." The Hero was too drained to look surprised, but Garth could tell he had not known that. "I don't when we'll be able to speak again. The Commandant has threatened to move me somewhere deeper within the Spire. Stay strong. Don't let the, break you." Blade simply nodded and carried on to the Commandant's chamber.
~*~
Many years have passed since the Hero arrived. He never broke once, but it may only be a matter of time before he did. Garth knew this and acted quickly. He managed to escape, destroy his collar and a guard. Now he waited for the Commandant to make a mistake. It did not take long. The Commandant made the biggest mistake. He sent Blade to inspect the missing guard, where Garth waited for him. When Blade found the guard dead something clicked within his mind. Today he was getting out, or he would go insane. When he was sure no one was around he took the guard's clockwork pistol, cutlass and potions.
From the shadows lightning struck his neck. Blade thought he was done for. He would never see his friends again. He would never see his precious wife and child again. The Commandant had found him plotting to escape. Blade dropped to his knees.
"We meet again Hero. You came to rescue me but you're no good to either of us with that collar on." The lightning ceased and Blade's collar crashed on the ground. "There I've removed it." Blade stared up at Garth with a shock expression. Relief flooded him when Garth approached him.
"…How?" Blade managed. His body was adjusting to having less weight on it, and his Will steadily rebuilding. He was fairly light headed.
"It took me years to focus enough Will to destroy our collars--and that guard." He replied, gesturing toward the limp body behind Blade. "I've got nothing left. So when trouble comes, it's up to you." Blade nodded and stood carefully. "The only way out is through the Commandant's chamber. So ready yourself." Blade followed Garth through the grey-black stone halls. It wasn't long before some guards showed up.
"What in--that's the Will user!"
"And he's" he as in Blade "not wearing a collar! Get him!" Blade easily planted a bullet in each of the guards skulls before they could make anymore noise. The two resumed their path to the Commandant's chamber.
"There's nothing we can do for these men." Garth assured.
"I understand." Blade replied.
Blade easily took care of the guards from a far. He had more problems when the guards got too close. Although he was a master swordsman, it's been years since he wielded a sword. Using the cutlass was awkward, but he managed to get by with a few minor scrapes and cuts. Soon enough they reached the Commandant's chamber,
Garth ran to the large window in the back of the chamber. Blade followed.
"We're not leaving until the Commandant is dead. I know what you're thinking, but it's not revenge I'm after. Revenge is just a fortunate by-product…A new load of recruits is being brought in. Take a look." Blade obeyed and stared out the great glass window. Below a ship was being unloaded with thugs. They were to become the Spire's next victims. "Now we need to find the Comman-!" Garth was cut off as lightning struck his back. He fell, limp but not dead, on the ground. Alarmed, Blade faced their attacker.
"You…" The Commandant started. "I should have known you would betray me. Lord Lucien will kill me for failing to keep order. But I am obedient, and so before he does, I will eliminate you. Now come here. Obey me." The Commandant had placed an electric barrier around him and the guards that surrounded him. Escape was impossible. Fighting was inevitable. Blade calmly walked into the barrier.
With ease he killed all the guards with his pistol. Only the Commandant remained in a matter of minutes. Blade was not given the opportunity to shoot him. With a simple force push from the Commandant Blade's pistol was knocked from his hand. It skittered outside of the barrier. The Commandant laughed cruelly.
"You're an impressive shot, but face it, you're never leaving the Spire." Blade uncomfortably drew his cutlass and charged. The Commandant easily blocked with his Maelstrom. The fight went on for almost a half an hour, with the Commandant on the winning side.
Blade was heavily injured. Gashes covered his body, and blood seeped freely through his clothing. The pain made it difficult to move. Again the Commandant laughed at him Blade had enough. Before the Commandant could lash out Blade rolled behind him had slashed straight upward through the Commandant's back. Bone cracked and blood and innards splattered the ground. The Commandant fell without a sound.
A bright light blinded the injured Hero. When it diminished Garth was up and walking toward him. Brilliant blue lines covered his skin once more, showing his experience in controlling Will.
"At last." Garth stopped in the middle of the chamber, next to Blade. "I thinks it's safe to say you don't need to protect me anymore." The dim room lit up as Garth used his Will abilities to shock the cullisgates on both sides of the chamber. "We can use these to reach the docks. Now come on"
By the time Blade managed to catch up with Garth through the cullisgate he was already burning ships by launching fireballs from a far. He left one ship to use as an escape.
"I think I may have been over zealous." Garth stated. Already guards were approaching. "Here they come! Let me take care of them, you're too hurt to fight."
Garth did just that along the way to the ship. Any guard that got too close was stabbed by a fiery blade conjured up by the Will user.
"If you want to live, I suggest you all get back on the ship with us!" Garth shouted as they approached the remaining ship. Without incident or a word, as the men were terrified to see such magic, they boarded the ship with the Will user and the Hero.
~*~
They sailed for a couple of months before arriving at the Oakfield docks. When they arrived a woman dressed in an odd red and white gypsy cloak advanced with a dog.
"I thought I would never see land again. I thank you for your help."
"No problem." Blade stated with a smile. He had changed much since leaving the Spire although he was still so very quiet. He was much happier now that he was out in the sun. Garth gestured toward the woman and dog.
"Friends of yours?" Gently Blade lowered himself to the dog's level to greet him. Even though his wounds had healed, his muscles were still stiff.
"Yes. I've become quite accustomed to her." Blade ruffled the husky's white fur. "Hey there Lucky. How have you been?" The dog barked in response. Blade stayed on his knees when the woman approached.
"Your furry friend has been coming here every day for a week. He knew you would return, victorious even before I did."
"How long has it been?" Blade asked.
"Ten years…welcome back my friend. You have done the impossible." The woman turned to Garth. "And Garth--I welcome you too."
"welcome me? You're in my way. So please, step aside." The woman turned her head to the side, revealing a slightly disturbing smile.
"You know much about the Old Kingdom. Enough to know you cannot destroy the spire alone. We share a common aim. All I ask is that you listen to what we can offer you." Garth stood still. He did not know how the woman knew so much about him, but knew he must trust her, as Blade seemed to trust her with his life.
"All right. I'll listen, but I promise nothing." The woman turned to the Hero once more.
"I will go with Garth. Hammer is at the inn in Rookridge. You should see her before we talk again--she'll be overjoyed to know you're back. Oh and here, you'll want this." The woman held out a bag and Blade stood to accept it. "Take my hand Garth." The stranger held her hand out. "We have a great deal to discuss." Garth sighed in defeat.
"Do I have any choice?" reluctantly he took her hand and the two disappeared in a bright light before the Hero.