A/N: I'm back for chapter 2 of 'A Hyper-Lethal Hero'. It is a bit early, but I really want to finish this one soon, even though it'll probably the longest fucking story I've ever written. I don't own Halo or Fable; they belong to 343 Industries and Lionhead Studios. I hope you all enjoy!
Load game…Start!
*The Journey Starts Now*
"Did you see that Jasper? Did you see it?" Walter pressed eagerly, having seen two people use magic in the same day.
"I indeed did. Your mother would have been proud," Jasper told Amy, trying to hide his slight annoyance with Walter. The old soldier chuckled, "Well, I know I am. Come on." Walter stopped when he saw the passageway.
"It's somewhat narrow isn't it? Dark too," he commented.
"You never did care for confined spaces did you, Sir Walter?" Jasper asked in slight amusement.
"I never cared for having my eye poked out or having my head chopped off, what of it?" Walter snapped angrily. Serah knew where he was coming from. She too hated cramped spaces, as she was slightly claustrophobic. The Princess seemed to not care too much about the bickering males and she pressed onwards.
"Oh dear, I seem to have struck a nerve," Jasper murmured, hoping Walter wouldn't hear him. He did.
"How about a strike a butler on the bonce?" Walter growled, still pissed off. The passageway was lit by several small encased fires. It eventually widened into a massive cavern, and Walter seemed to be happier at the sight.
"Ah! Now this is more like it! Grand, spacious, a plentiful supply of oxygen; just the way a castle's escape route should be," he commented. Serah allowed herself to relax slightly.
"I'm sorry to intrude, but what is our plan? Other than leaving the castle far behind us, which I wholly approve of, obviously," Jasper intervened.
"It's simple: we have to stop Logan," Walter answered.
"And how the bloody hell are we supposed to do that? Even if Serah and I are Heroes, we're only two people," Amy pointed out nervously. Serah would've agreed with her, but the Spartan's pride took over, "What do you mean, just two people? I wiped out who knows how many enemies by myself."
"Congratulations on the achievement. You win a cookie," Amy returned sarcastically. Serah instinctively reached for her knife, but she remembered it was gone.
"That's why we need to find allies. And lots of them. Once you two prove what you are, people will follow you, and many of them will be willing to fight. Albion needs nothing less than a revolution," Walter answered, breaking up the little squabble between the two women.
They walked down a flight of stairs, and Serah heard a high-pitched chittering from a hole in on of the stone formations. A swarm of small, agile black forms flew out.
"Bats! Take cover!" Jasper yelled, covering his head with his hands. Serah and Amy charged their magic, balls of flame erupting from their hands. They aimed at the bats, and began to kill them. They died fairly easily, as it only took one small hit from a Fire spell to kill them. After the bats were killed, Jasper stopped covering himself.
"Excellent! Did you see that one?" Walter asked.
"Yes Walter. Your mother would definitely have been pleased to see you kill off her least favorite animals," Jasper answered in a bored tone.
"I'm proud of you too, old friend. I've never seen a man cower with such grace," Walter said in amusement.
"It's only a matter of hygiene! Bats are filthy creatures," Jasper protested.
"Anyway. I think we've just seen the start of what you two can do. Bats are only the beginning," Walter told them. Amy continued following Walter, and they didn't get very far before another swarm of bats attacked them.
"More bats!" Walter called, trying to shoot them with his pistol. Serah and Amy hit the flying creatures with accurate Fire spells, not missing a single target.
"I must say, you have very good aim for someone not from this land Serah," Amy commented.
"Well, I was a soldier back in my world. I specialized in precision weapons," Serah returned. They continued walking, and then Walter interrupted them with a warning.
"You might want to cover your noses from here on out. It's the Bowerstone Sewers," he advised. Serah got what he meant a split second later. The reek hit her nostrils, and she gagged. So did Amy.
"This is fucking disgusting," the Princess muttered, thankful she didn't wear her elegant outfit earlier. Otherwise, it would have gotten filthy.
Jasper sighed, "Very well." Walter unsheathed his sword and drew his pistol, "You might want to cover your eyes too Jasper. More bats! Time to exterminate a few more bats."
From the combined power of Serah and Amy's magic to Walter's pistol, the bats were dead in no time, and they pressed on.
"Ugh, what an unusual stench. I daresay we must be somewhere underneath Bowerstone Industrial," Jasper muttered.
"Very likely. It's not the safest place for us right now, but we can reach a safer place once we reach the surface," Walter shrugged. They walked through the sewers, and they spotted a small cavern on the right.
"It appears to be a dead end," Jasper mused. He was right; there didn't seem to any way to get out. Unless they walked all the way back and snuck out the ultra hard way.
"Not quite," Walter corrected. Amy and Serah walked in, and they noticed a strange device on the ground with the same symbol as the Guild Seal.
"What is that?" Amy asked.
"It's a Cullis Gate. It's a sort of magical transportation method for Heroes," Walter answered.
"I was under the impression that all Cullis gates were gone," Jasper said in confusion. Serah was still confused, "What the hell is this place?" she had not noticed Amy's dog, who had bounded over to her and was trying to lick her.
The Spartan let her gaze soften at the friendly creature, "Aww, so kawaii." She scratched Kyoki behind the ears, and the dog wagged her tail faster.
"Well, this is one is still here. Your mother must've left here on purpose," Walter guessed. Peering closely, Amy and Serah saw the symbol more closely.
"It's the same seal as the one by the tomb. Do you think it's activated in the same way?" Jasper asked.
"Only one way to find that one out," Serah said with a smirk.
"That's for damn sure," Amy muttered, charging her magic along with Serah. They both unleashed a Fire spell at the same time, and the Gate activated.
The Sanctuary
They knew they had been transported somewhere, but they had no idea where. Walter had his hand on his sword's handle, ready to strike. Amy and Serah were in fighting stances as well, while Jasper had passed out momentarily.
"What the bloody hell is this place?" Amy asked after a drawn out silence. Walter eased up, causing Serah to do the same. Jasper had also risen to his feet again. Walter looked around the place they were in. It looked to be a small chamber, with multiple doors.
"It must be…it is! It's your mother's Sanctuary! She used to speak of it, but I never thought it was a real place," Walter mused. There was a large, circular map in the center of the room, and on it was a book. Walter picked it up, "Jasper! I don't believe it. This book, it has your name on it."
"But that's impossible!" Jasper protested. He took a closer look at the book, "For Jasper? Well, granted it is possible but it must be a coincidence."
"There is no such thing as coincidence; there is only the inevitable," Serah said. Amy turned to face her, "Where'd you hear that?"
"It's something I've come to realize on my own. Everything happens for a reason," Serah explained.
"Jasper, don't be a dolt! The old Queen must've left it for you. What does it say?" Walter pressed.
"It's called the 'Book of Heroes'. How extraordinary," Jasper murmured, scanning through the pages.
"Does it tell us how to get out at all?" Walter asked, not liking the cramped space.
Jasper continued on his reading. He was completely obsessed by now, "This really is most remarkable. Everything we could possibly want to know about Heroes is right here in these pages." He closed the book and faced the two Heroes, a gleam in his eyes.
"This map functions as a traveling mechanism. Simply choose where you want to go, and well, it should take you there," he informed.
"Should?" Serah questioned, hearing the chance that it might not.
Walter ignored her, "Good, we can use that then. There will plenty of time to explore this bloody place later. But for now, we have a rather daunting task ahead of us."
"I have no clue as where to start though," Amy muttered, shaking her head. Walter looked over to Serah, as if expecting her to say something. She put her hands up, "I have no fucking clue either."
Walter sighed and looked at the map. He studied it before clapping his hands together.
"Of course! That's where it will all begin," he said to himself. He straightened up, and Serah could hear his bones crack. One downside to having near perfect hearing.
"Our first stop will the mountains of Mistpeak. There are people there who'll make great allies. They aren't the most trusting of people, but they despise Logan. If anyone can convince them to join our cause, it'll be you two," Walter told them. Jasper faced him, "I'll stay here in the Sanctuary. No doubt we'll need to make full use of its capabilities." Walter nodded in approval before facing the two Heroes again.
He motion towards the map, "Find Mistpeak on the map, and let's see if that bloody book is telling us the truth."
Serah and Amy sighed and looked for Mistpeak. It wasn't hard to find, as it seemed to be the only mountain chain in Albion.
"That looks to be a Dweller Camp. Select it, and you should travel there," Jasper urged.
Serah and Amy selected the Dweller Camp, and the map began to glow. After a second, Serah, Amy, Walter, and Amy's dog Kyoki were out of the Sanctuary and in the mountains.
Dweller Camp
Serah landed on one knee, "Shit!" She was still not used to the fast travel. Amy didn't fare too much better either. Walter clutched his sides, "I still haven't gotten used to this." In fact, the only one who seemed to be unfazed was Kyoki, and she was waving her tail in excitement.
"Show-off," Serah muttered. The dog only barked happily.
"Well, we made it," Walter commented as he straightened up. He immediately started to shiver.
"Brr! I forgot who bloody cold it is up here," he complained.
"To say it's fucking cold would be an understatement," Serah pointed out.
"That's for damn sure," Amy agreed. They walked down the path, and they saw a village with people on the paths begging.
"The people here are called Dwellers. They're tough, they're loyal, and like I said earlier, they hate Logan's guts," Walter explained. It truly was a sorry sight to see people suffering this bad, especially for Amy.
"Oh my God," she whispered, horror and shock on her face. Serah gave her a comforting hug, "It'll only get worse from here. Remember this when the time comes."
Amy leaned into Serah, allowing herself to be comforted.
Walter waved his arms in sorrow, "This is what Logan has reduced them to. He has started destroying these mountains, and they are starving."
Amy's green eyes almost wept when a young girl, no older than 7, walked up to her holding a doll, "I'll trade you my doll for some food. She's really good, honest. Her name's Sadie."
Serah could only stare at the state of this poor village. Its people were starving, and there seemed to be no end to their misery.
"The man we need to talk to is a man called Sabine. He leads the Dwellers, and if anyone is a good start for an army, it's him," Walter informed, trying to pry their attention away from the starving villagers.
Amy looked on, "How can Logan do this? It's so cruel." Serah wrapped an arm around her, "I don't know Amy. I don't know. But one thing is for damn sure. He will pay for making his own people suffer like this." The last words were filled with fury, and her stormy blue eyes were ablaze.
They had reached the end of the path, and were facing a large, wooden gate. Walter stroked his beard thoughtfully, "You know, perhaps it's best if I talk to him alone first. He won't offer his allegiance easily, especially to a Princess. Also, you both should find some new clothes while you're here. We don't want to attract too much attention."
"We already did," Serah sighed in exasperation. Walter handed them a pouch. When Amy shook it, they heard the rattle of gold coins.
"I only have a little bit of gold, but it should be enough," Walter said apologetically. He added, "Maybe you should spread the leftovers among the people. They need it way more than we do."
"Like that wasn't painfully obvious," Serah said sadly, gesturing to the starving people begging.
"Well then, wish me luck." Walter entered the gate, leaving the two Heroes alone. Amy pointed to a small shop at the far end of the camp.
"Look; it looks like a clothing store," she said. Serah followed her finger and smiled, "Good eye there. Now we can get some new clothes." They jogged down the path until they reached the store.
It wasn't much more than a wooden stand. It at least had a roof, and two mannequins on display, both with a suit of clothing. It was composed of furs, and it looked to be not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it would keep them warm.
The stall owner looked at them wearily, "What do you tow want then?"
"Two female suits of clothing please," Amy answered. The man nodded slowly and got two pairs of the female outfit.
"That'll be 600 gold," he said in the same tired voice. Amy gave him 650, and his eyes lit up. He started to tear up, "Thank you miss. Thank you."
Amy nodded in farewell, "It's the least I can do." The Heroes walked about two feet when they both heard a voice.
"Hello ladies? Am I talking through the Guild Seal? Wow, what a remarkable device. This is Jasper, and you must return to the Sanctuary, as I have found something you both need to see." It was Jasper, and it sounded important. They focused their Will and traveled to the Sanctuary, where Jasper was waiting eagerly.
"In the Sanctuary there is a Changing Room. If you would so kindly step through these doors," he invited, a door to his right opening.
Serah stepped in, "Wow, this place is a whole lot bigger than I thought." Amy pointed towards a pair of mannequins, "Isn't that our clothing?"
Serah nodded, "Yeah, but how the hell did it end up here?"
Jasper ignored them, "If you would both change into the Dweller outfits, I would be so happy."
Serah and Amy got off their clothes from before and got dressed in the Dweller outfits. Once they were done, they looked in the large mirror to look at themselves.
"You look just like Dwellers. I do hope this new clothing is as comfortable as your previous attire, though I suspect the odds of that are quite low," Jasper commented.
Amy and Serah focused their Will and left the Sanctuary, returning to the Dweller camp. The misery of the place was around them once more.
"I guess we better head on back to Walter," Amy sighed. Serah nodded, "While we do that, let's give this money to the villagers."
They stood in the center of the path, giving out the gold. The happy smiles of joy replaced the sorrow on the Dwellers' faces. They made their way to the end of the path with some cheers in their ears.
At the gate was Walter. He strolled over to meet them.
"How'd it go?" Serah asked. Walter shook his head, "I've spoken to Sabine, explained everything. I told you he'd be hard to convince. Come on in." He waved them inside.
On the other side of the gate was a small throne of sorts, and there sat an old man. This must be Sabine.
"So, royalty and the army come to our home. A princess and Lieutenant, no less. Do you like what your brother has done to our home, princess? We used to own these mountains, but now your brother is stripping them of all life. How do we know that you are any better?" he asked, a clam fury in his voice.
Sabine had every right to be filled with hate towards Logan; his people were starving because of the King after all. Amy tried to convince him, "You can trust me; you have my word."
Sabine scoffed, "We don't take much in words these days. We're simple folk. However, there is something you can do to show me you are worth following?"
"What is it?" Amy asked. Sabine motioned her to lean forward.
"I want proof. First off, prove to me that you two are in fact Heroes and not some bloody posers. This is easily done. There is a chamber beneath the Brightwall Academy, built by your mother years ago. Only a Hero is capable of surviving its obstacles. Bring me an object from within, and I'll believe you. Secondly, prove to me that you are capable of being a general. You can do this by slaying the mercenaries that plague these mountains. Finally, prove that you can be a leader. This can be accomplished by convincing the people of Brightwall to share what supplies they have with us," he told them.
"Is that it then?" Amy asked. Sabine nodded, "Yep, that's it. On you go." Serah looked at her watch, "Bloody hell he talked for a long time." As they walked out of the camp, Walter began to chuckle, "It's nice to see that Sabine hasn't mellowed with age."
"The old man's got quite a bit of fight in him, that's for damn sure," Serah commented.
"Anyway, I know of the place he spoke of. Your mother built it under the Brightwall Academy, Albion's greatest seat of learning. At least it was, until Logan closed it down. In the meantime, I'll go find some information on the mercenaries Sabine mentioned. I'll see you two in Brightwall when I have some information," he continued.
They had reached the exit of the camp, and the way across a small gorge was by a small bridge. As Amy and Serah crossed it, Walter muttered, "It sure makes a nice change doing something useful."
The Heroes rolled their eyes and crossed the bridge into the mountains.
Mistpeak
Amy shivered as a cold wind hit her, "It really is too cold up here."
"I don't know how they manage to live with it," Serah agreed. They walked down the mountain path, a twisting, winding road. They had reached a flat point on one of the mountain's sides when they heard a howl.
"Did you hear that?" Serah asked, her hand glowing.
Amy nodded, "It sounded like wolves." She too began charging her magic, and they only walked about five more feet before they came across the wolves.
The creatures had black fur, and their jaws were dripping as they snarled at the two. Their growls turned into yelps as both women began to hit them with their magic, the fire scorching them.
After the last wolf was killed, Serah wiped her brow, "That was actually rather easy."
"Don't jinx it," Amy warned. They crossed a rather rickety looking bridge, and Serah wasn't happy to see there were more of the wooden bridges up ahead. They had crossed the second bridge when they were attacked by wolves again.
"Too easy!" Serah crowed as she blasted the wolves with Fire magic. Amy had to agree; for something so important, this was extremely easy. Too easy.
They ran down the mountain, ignoring the unnerving creaks the bridges made when stepped on. At the mountain's base, they had to fight one last wolf pack.
"You know, I'm kinda bored with fighting these," Serah complained. She was used to fighting massive alien warriors that could kill you in a heartbeat. For the heavily trained Spartan, this was child's play.
After the wolf pack was killed off from the combined magic of Amy and Serah, they spotted a pair of ruins in the distance.
"What is that?" Serah asked, trying to get a closer look. Amy pointed to the sign that the Spartan hadn't noticed.
"Maybe this will say?" Amy suggested, amusement in her tone. Serah rolled her eyes, "Very funny." They continued past the ruins along the path to the town ahead.
Brightwall
Once they had entered Brightwall, they saw they still had quite a long way to go before they reached town. The path winded down a hill towards a much more stable looking bridge made of stone. The only scary bit was the massive fall if someone fell over the side.
"Now that is a long fucking way down," Serah commented, peering over the edge. Amy pointed to the large wooden gates ahead, "That's the entrance to the town."
They jogged down the bridge, which didn't take too long. Before they reached the wooden gates, they opened up, and a few merchants walked through.
Once they had entered the town, Serah marveled at the sight. On the left were a blacksmith, several small stalls, and a bridge leading towards the center of town. On the right were a pawnshop, a pub, and other small stalls as well.
They crossed the second bridge, going away from the hairstylist and up the winding road to the top of the hill. On their way up, Serah noticed several wells, and just how different Albion was. This land was much less advanced in technology, but there were still some modern inventions around.
Serah saw a massive building at the top of the hill, and she pointed at it, "I think that might be our destination." Amy nodded and followed her in.
Brightwall Academy
The inside of the Brightwall Academy was well lit, and it was filled to the brim with books. In front of the door, about a couple meters away, was an old librarian at a desk writing something. Without looking up, he began to speak in a bored tone.
"The library is closed by order of the King. We don't sell drinks, we don't sell chicken feed. Please leave before the soldiers suspect you of gaining real knowledge," he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Amy cleared her throat with a hacking cough, and the man looked up.
"Sweet papyrus, a real visitor!" he exclaimed. Amy nodded, "Erm, yeah we are." Serah smirked at the redhead's slight awkwardness. Amy turned around, "Don't tease me dammit!"
"Ladies, I'm afraid I was speaking the truth. King Logan has closed the Academy, and I'm little more than a custodian these days," the librarian said apologetically. Sighing, Amy and Serah pulled out their Guild Seals, a light sparkling from them.
The librarian jumped back, "By the Holy Bookmark! The Guild Seals!" After his slight shock at seeing two of them in front of his eyes, he calmed down, "I haven't seen that since the old Hero Queen last came here. Then you are…?"
"The Princess, yes," Amy said in her awkward tone, prompting Serah to smirk in amusement. The librarian turned to the Spartan, a confused look on his face.
"I wasn't aware that there were two seals. Who might you be?" he asked. Serah placed her right fist over her heart with her left arm folded behind her before answering, "Lieutenant Serah, sir."
The librarian nodded, and motioned for them to follow him, "Well then, please, come this way." He led the Heroes into the Academy, and he continued to talk, "Your mother once told me that one day a challenger bearing the seal would come to the Academy, seeking entrance to the Reliquary. But I never imagined it would happen in my lifetime."
He led them down a hall to the right, and they entered a room roped off and filled with small statues. At the end was a metal door, with some strange mechanisms engraved on it.
The librarian stopped in front of the door, "Here we are: the Reliquary. I can't tell you how many of our researchers have studied this door, hoping to unlock its mechanism."
"Way too fucking many?" Serah suggested, bringing a small fit of laughter out of Amy.
"You could say that. But I knew there would be only one thing that would ever open it," the librarian replied. Amy put her seal on the door, and the mechanism shifted, the gears spinning. The door opened and revealed a long dark passage, one that would surely test the Heroes.
Taking a deep breath, they gathered their courage and entered, the door shutting behind them.
Save game…Quit!
A/N: I started writing this yesterday, and I finished it today. If you're lucky, I might do two chapters in one day. But, no promises on that one. I'll see you on the flip side. Review?
Ja