The Crumbling Castle
The next morning, the Knights and a squirebot named Kyle were helping Merlok pack a few boxes of fireworks into the back of a traveling carriage for the two hour trip to Festaville. Merlok was to be escorted by Aaron, Macy, Axl, Lance and the squirebot while Clay was to stay and watch over the study.
"That's all of them." Aaron announced as he put the last box in the carriage. "I think we're just about ready."
While Aaron, Axl, Lance and the squirebot were ready to go, Macy was saying goodbye to her father and mother were Merlok was saying goodbye to Clay.
"Now Macy, are you sure you want to go on a mission like this so soon?" King Halbert asked worryingly. "Festaville is so far away and there could be monsters out there."
Macy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, as well as her mother.
"Dad, it's only a two hour trip to the other side of the mountains; I'll be fine." Macy tried to reassure.
"And there hasn't been any monsters seen in decades, Sweetie." Queen Halbert agreed with her daughter.
The king and queen hugged and kissed their daughter goodbye; telling her to be home in time for dinner and how much they love her.
"Well Clay, if you're not coming with us, at least let me bring something back for you." Merlok said as he shook the Knights hand.
Clay thought about it for a moment; smiling when he thought of something.
"Just a rose, please." The knight asked politely of his mentor.
"A rose? You always ask for that whenever I go out of town." Merlok replied with a hearty chuckle.
"And you always bring me one." Clay smiled warmly.
"Princess Macy, Merlok, are you ready yet?" Kyle the squirebot asked; ready to go.
Macy and Merlok quickly made their way to the carriage and hopped inside. When everyone was in, Kyle the squirebot made the carriage go as everyone inside waved goodbye. King and Queen Halbert and Clay waved back before the carriage made it outside the castle gates and into town. While going through town, a majority of people saw the carriage; some even waving as it passed by. But in the shadows, the hooded man and his accomplice Roberto watched as the carriage containing the royal wizard and four of the five Knights left town for the time being. The hooded man smiled under his hood; revealing an almost demonic looking grin with his yellow teeth.
"Now's our chance." The hooded man said with delight. "You have the watcher, artsy boy?"
Roberto reached into his pocket and pulled a golf ball sized stone.
"Here you go. I made it with all my love." He handed the stone into his masters' hand.
"You say that about all the soldiers."
Roberto rolled his eyes as the hooded man tapped the stone with his finger. In a few seconds, the stone cracked like an egg; turning into a small bat like creature made from stone. The creature let out a high pitched screech as it awaited orders.
"Go to the castle and spy on Moorington. Report back if anything comes up."
With that, the creature flew out of its masters hand took off towards the castle.
"So are you going to try and offer the knight a better job again?" Roberto asked as he cleaned his nails on his cloths.
"Please; you know that's not what I'm really doing." The hooded man answered. "I'm getting old. If I ever become ruler of this land, I'll need a new vessel so I can rule for as long as possible."
"But why him?"
"He's a knight. He's probably fit enough to lift two people on his shoulders."
Roberto turned his back to his master as he flicked a bit of fluff off himself.
"Shame that was what the other boy was for... right, Sig Monstrox?"
The hooded man went wide eyed and put his hand over Roberto's mouth; scaring the sculptor.
"Don't call me that out in the open! Everyone thinks I'm dead, and I want it to stay that way. For now." Monstrox whispered angrily.
Roberto nodded quickly; not wanting to be suffocated. Monstrox let go of the sculptor to let him breath before looking towards the castle; planning to approach Moorington when the midday bell rung.
Two hours away from Knighton, the carriage with Merlok and the four Knights was halfway to its destination. The weather above them was looking very cloudy with high chances of rain and thunderstorms. Kyle the squirebot looked at the map in his robot hands; thinking or at least hoping he was going the right way.
"Are we there yet?" Aaron asked in a bored voice; laying back in his seat.
"Still a long way to go, Aaron." Merlok reminded the archer.
Macy looked out the window as the carriage went through the woods. The dark trees and the clouds up above made the view look like something from a horror story. The princess Knight turned her head back into the Carriage to see Lance combing his hair(again) and Axl was holding his stomach in discomfort.
"You ok, Axl?" Macy asked the big knight.
"I'm a little hungry." Axl answered as his stomach growled. "And I didn't bring a snack."
"Hey don't worry, big guy. When we get to town, we can get a big roast boaring for lunch." Aaron reassured.
Just as Axl started thinking about how delicious roast boaring would be, the carriage came to a halt; making Lance fall out of his seat. The rich Knight quickly sat back up and ran his hand through his hair.
"I've been combing my hair for the last two hours!" He said in an angry and sad voice.
Macy poked her head out the window to see what happened. Her eyes went wide when she saw that a large tree had been struck by lightning and fallen over; blocking the path to town on the cross road. Merlok poked his head out the window and also went wide eyed.
"Oh my." The wizard gasped at the sight.
"What happened?" Aaron asked curiously.
"I-i think the tree might have been struck by lightning at some point." Kyle spoke with a nervous stutter. "Should I take the other path?"
"I suppose we'll have to. Kyle, go that way until we find another path." Merlok ordered; pointing at the unblocked path.
"Yes, Merlok!"
Kyle made the carriage go forward into the open path; looking a bit nervous. As the carriage went further into the path, the forest turned dark and the trees around were dead and lacking leaves. Macy and Aaron looked out the window and noticed something odd about the ground. It started out all green and grassy, but as they moved foreword it slowly turned white and the trees were covered in white.
"Is that snow?" Aaron questioned; baffled by the sight.
"In the middle of June?" Macy added in disbelief.
As the carriage went further down the unknown path, Merlok began to feel uneasy. As if something bad was about to happen. The wizard rubbed his head, trying to sooth the feeling.
"Are you alright, Merlok?" Axl asked out of concern.
"Something is amiss." Merlok said in a worried tone.
Kyle gently stopped the carriage when everyone heard a howling noise. The squirebot started shaking as he looked around for what made the sound while everyone else stayed still. A low growling noise from behind the carriage made Kyle stop shaking and freeze up. Lance and Aaron looked behind the carriage to see a pack of wolves with piercing yellow eyes. Everyones nerves went up when the vicious and aggressive animals growled louder.
"Kyle, step on it!" The Knights shouted in unison.
Kyle did just that and put the carriage on full speed as the Wolves chased after them. The carriage was going fast enough to bump against the road; making some of the boxes of fireworks fall out of the back. But that wasn't enough to stop the wolves. Kyle kept his eyes on the road ahead as Lance order him to go faster. Macy, Aaron and Axl looked out front to see a big iron gate ahead. Kyle rushed the carriage through the gate, but came to a halt at a bridge beyond the gates.
The Knights watched as the wolves closed in, but the gates shut on them. The wolves barked, roared and growled as their pray got away, but Macy and Aaron stared as the predators retreated.
"Did those gates close by themselves?" Aaron questioned; thinking he imagined it.
"I think they did." Macy answered in disbelief.
Axl got up out of his seat and climbed out of the carriage; making it shake as he stepped out. The big Knight looked around while scratching his head; wandering where he and his friends were. Axl looked at the bridge in front of them. But he went wide eyed at what was beyond the bridge.
"Hey guys; get a look at this!" Axl called everyone to come out.
Macy, Lance, Aaron and Merlok climbed out of the carriage while Kyle climbed off. They looked in the direction where Axl was looking, and they went wide eyed as well.
Ahead of them was a giant castle made of red stone and rock. Most of the towers on it were pointed and crooked; giving it a semi gothic look. But it looked like it was falling apart and covered in a thick layer of snow.
"Whoa; that place looks wicked, man!" Aaron said in amazement.
"It looks terrifying!" Kyle said opposite of Aaron.
"Who would put a castle all the way out here?" Axl wandered.
"Someone who's rich and loaded, of course." Lance answered.
Merlok put his hand to his head as the uneasy feeling became stronger. Macy noticed how the wizard was struggling and quickly gave him support.
"Merlok, what's wrong?" She asked in worry.
"There's something in that castle." The wizard stood back up; using his staff for support. "Someone in there is in great pain."
"You think someone in there is hurt?" Aaron questioned; looking towards the castle.
"Well we gotta go help them!" Axl proclaimed; readying his axe.
"Wait! There's dark magic surrounding this place." Merlok warned. "We must proceed with caution."
"Please; caution is my middle name." Lance boasted proudly; readying his lance and shield.
Aaron laughed a bit as he readied his energy bow.
"I thought it was Leslie!" Aaron joked; getting an annoyed glare from Lance.
Kyle looked at the group nervously when Macy readied her mace and the group started making their way towards the castle. The squirebot looked back to the gate; jumping in fear when he heard a howl. The squirebot ran after the Knights and the wizards.
"Wait; don't leave me alone, please!" He shouted as he caught up to them.
Kyle ran behind Macy as the group crossed the bridge. Axl looked over the side; feeling a little sick when he saw a moat full of lava. How could lava and snow exist in the same place? Merlok said that he could sense dark magic; maybe that had something to do with it. The group reached the front entrance to the castle; being towered over by large iron doors. Axl was about to push the door open. But it opened inward on its own. The Knights took a step back as the iron doors made a metallic creaking sound. Merlok walked ahead and entered; followed by the brave Knights and the fearful squirebot. When inside, the Knights looked around; noticing that the inside of the castle looked a bit less grim then the outside did, but it was dirty and unkept. Macy looked up a giant set of stairs; wandering if there was anyone here at all.
"Ummmm. Hello?" She gently called out. "Is anyone here?"
"We don't wanna barge in or anything, but our friend said that someone here is great pain!" Aaron called out a bit louder.
"And we got lost in the woods!" Axl added.
Lance looked around the large entryway of the castle; appalled by all the dirt and dust. Kyle the squirebot followed the Knight closely; looking around with a fearful squeak.
"Sir Lance, I think something might be watching us." The robot said in paranoia.
"Oh calm down, Kyle. It's not like some horrible creature is going to jump out at us." Lance disagreed; making Kyle freeze and look over his shoulder nervously.
Axl looked at some cracks on a wall; thinking the place could be old and falling apart. Axl stopped thinking about it when a small reached his nose. The big Knights eyes went big as he sniffed the air as he tried to figure out what it was that he smelt. A huge smile appeared on his face when he recognised the scent.
"Roasted boaring!"
Axl laughed excitedly as he followed the scent; going into another room lit by a fireplace on the other end of the room. The hungry Knight gasped when he saw long dining table stacked with freshly cooked food. A bowl with various fruits, a plate of bread rolls, a saucer filled with gravy... And two roasted boarings.
The sight made Axl made his stomach growl and rumble. The hungry Knight was tempted to take a leg from the big meaty boaring, but he didn't want to take anything from the table without permission from whoever lived in the castle. Axl looked around to see if anyone was in the room.
"Hello?" He called out. "This is a nice looking lunch you have out. I don't wanna be rube and intrude. But would it bother you if I took a leg off of that roasted boaring?"
Axl stopped smiling when he was answered with silence.
"Ok, but can I have a roll, maybe?... Please?"
The hungry knight twiddled his thumbs as he was answered with silence again; starting to feel creeped out. A light thump from behind made him turn around to see what it was. There was nothing there when he looked. Just a second later, a roll flew over Axls' head, hitting the wall and flying towards him. The Knight caught the roll in his hands; smiling before he turned around to thank who ever threw it.
"Wow, thanks pal; I was getting really-"
Axl fell silent and stopped smiling when he saw a flame creature standing across from him. The creature was shaped like a person, but its body was made from lava and fire with its head as a shapeless flame. Axl stood completely still as the creature sighed and rubbed the back of its neck.
"My brother said I shouldn't show myself because it might be scary." It said in a shrill voice. "Sorry."
Axl blinked before calmly putting the bread roll into a pocket in his armour for; feeling like he lost his appetite.
"That's ok. I don't mind." He said in a calm voice.
After few awkward seconds, Axl bolted out of the dinning in panic. Back in the entrance room, Merlok and Macy noticed that Axl disappeared from the group. The wizard and the mace wielding Knight looked around but he could not see him anywhere.
"Wait, where's Axl?" Merlok questioned.
"He was here a minute a-"
Before Macy could finish, Axl came charging in and picked up Macy by the shoulders; making her panic as he shook her.
"There's monsters in this castle!" Axl shouted in panic as he held Macy up and shook her up and down.
Before Merlok and the Knights could calm Axl down, a monstrous roar erupted from the top of the stairs and a soccerball sized creature flung itself at Kyle; making the squirebot fly backwards out the door and into the snow. Merlok and the Knights watched in horror as two giant monsters jumped from the top of the stairs; both made out of rock and lava with monstrous looking horns, while one had massive fangs and the other had one giant eye. A massive amount of smaller red devil like monsters and more ball monsters followed. Kyle got up out of the snow as the ball monster tried to attack him again, but the squirebot fought back and kicked it like a football; sending it flying back into the castle. But the iron doors closed shut; leaving Kyle outside in the snow.
"Ahhh! Oh no; this isn't good!" The squirebot panicked as he tried to open the doors; having no luck at all.
Kyle started running back and forth as he tried to think of what to do.
"I need to go get help! I need to Hurry!"
The squirebot ran across the bridge at lightning speed; running so fast he didn't bother to use the carriage. He had to get back to Knighton to get help for Merlok and the Knights.
Inside the now locked and monster infested castle; Merlok and Knights fought back against the hoard. But the sneer amounts of numbers were too much for the group of five and before they knew it, they were trapped in a rope and iron net. The Knights struggled against the net while Merlok stared in shock and horror at the monsters surrounding them. The monsters growled and snarled at the intruders.
"Let us go, you ugly monsters!" Macy shouted in retaliation.
"I can't be captured; I have a date tomorrow night!" Lance begged in a less then dignified way.
Arron and Axl continued to struggle and the monsters continued to intimidate the captured Knights.
"SILENCE!"
The growling and snarling immediately stopped upon hearing the command from atop the stairs. Merlok and the Knights looked up to see a figure jumping from the Stairs and landing on the ground floor. The monsters moved out of the way as the figure made his way to the captured group; the two giants even bowing as he passed. Merlok and the Knights watched as the mysterious being stopped in front of them. Upon closer inspection, he seemed thin but he was wearing a cloak that concealed most of his body and a yellow and dark purple hood resembling a pair of horns that hid his face. He stared down at the intruders; showing a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Merlok and the Knights could feel chills going up their spines as the figure continued to stare.
"Who are you?" The figure finally spoke in a voice filtered with electricity; gashing a set of white sharp teeth through the darkness of his hood. "What're you doing here?"
Everyone stayed silent, until Lance tried to explain.
"W-well we got lost in the woods and-"
"Not you!" The figure shouted; making Lance quiet.
Everyone tensed up as the figure pulled his cloak open and pointed at Merlok. The Knights stared at the figures hand and arm; freaked out by the blue colour of the skin and the moving marks resembling lighting.
"Speak, wizard."
The monsters watched as Merlok prepared to speak.
"We mean no harm." Merlok warned. "These Knights and I lost our way in the woods, and I sensed a got deal of dark magic here that was making someone stuffer."
The figures glowing eyes went wide when Merlok finished talking. But they quickly went back to being angry.
"Well, you found my castle." The figure spoke calmly. "But you're not welcome here, so you're trespassing!"
The monsters backed up as the Knights tried to explain themselves, but it just got worse. The flame creature from the dining room poked its head out the doorway to see what was happening.
"Look man, this is just a big misunderstanding." Aaron looked up at the figure as he tried to explain. "We were just trying to get to the next town."
"But the road was blocked." Axl added.
"Yeah, so we-"
"What are staring at?" The figure interrupted.
Merlok and the Knights didn't realise they were staring right at their captor. The monsters backed up a bit more; knowing what was coming next.
"We weren't staring at anything!" Macy still struggled against the net.
The figure did not listen.
"So you've come to stare at the beast, have you!?" He shouted at them in his electrical voice.
"No, we don't want any trouble!" Lance tried to reason.
"Too bad! You found trouble the second you barged in here!"
The figure looked at the two giant monsters; making them stand up and pay attention.
"Burnzie! Sparkks! Throw them in the dungeon!" He ordered.
"Yes, boss!" The giants both spoke with deep voices as they carried out the order.
The smaller monsters began to growl and snarl again as Burnzie and Sparkks grabbed the iron net and carried it downstairs into the dungeon. The Knights began to shout and beg in protest while Merlok watched through the tangles of the net as they were taken into a dark basement; the light disappearing as they went deeper into the depths of the castle.
AN: Gee. I wander who that was.