Ripred stood over them, smirking malevolently. After a few seconds of surprise, Gregor came back to his senses. Turning to his friends, whose screams he could see building up, he said, "Don't freak out."
Gregor turned back to his fellow rager. "What are you doing here, Ripred?" he asked cautiously.
The rat sank to the ground upon hearing his name. "Wow, that's the greeting I get after all these years?" Stretching out on the ground, the rat began to groom his fur, as if their situation was casual.
"No, 'Hey Ripred! It's been so long! How have you been'?" the rat said, imitating Gregor's accent. Snorting, he continued.
"And you're not even going to introduce me to your friends?" The rat looked at the two strangers before him. He lifted his muzzle at Larry and Angelina. "Who are they?"
"Who the hell are you?" Ripred looked over to Angelina, who trembled a little bit, but held Ripred's interrogative gaze. Standing up to Ripred so quickly earned her points for bravery in Gregor's book.
Ripred yawned in trademark laziness.
"Other than a giant, talking rat?" he questioned, almost existentially. Angelina shuffled her feet.
"Well then, I am your friend's teacher, mentor," Ripred said, putting his arm around Gregor. "Some would even say his first love."
This time, it was Larry's turn. His voice quivering, "M-Mentor in w-what?" Larry was starting to hyperventilate again. On top of his asthma, he was just a naturally nervous person, leading him to a slew of breathing problems.
Ripred looked over at Gregor in an annoyed tone. "You really didn't tell them anything?" he sighed. "I thought you would've let out a peep at least… this will take a lot longer than I thought then…"
Ripred began to pace, in such an abrupt way, the trio didn't dare interrupt. After about thirty seconds of mumbling and turning on his heels, Ripred stopped and smiled. This wasn't any smile though. It was a devious smile, a maniacal smile, one that made your spine shiver.
"So," Ripred breathed. "You want to know who your friend really is?" Gregor felt Angelina's hand slip into his.
"What is he talking about, Gregor?" She said, tears forming in her eyes. Gregor looked away. "You'll find out soon." Gregor stood up, getting Angelina to release his hand.
Ripred held his paws up in feigned relief. "Good. Not like we have all the time in the world." They were just about to go, when Gregor spun around and punched Ripred in the face. The blow had done next to no damage, but Ripred couldn't evade it completely. He snarled at Gregor in annoyance. "I suggest you don't try that again."
"You have some nerve! What makes you think the second we get back to Regalia I won't kill you? You show up here, scare my friends, want me to leave my family, and don't tell me why?
"Do you really want to stay and discuss this here? Now let's go!" Ripred crossed to the boulder, and pushed it aside. Ripred jumped into the cavern, and took off. Gregor went in next. He looked back at his friends, who seemed paralyzed. His eyes softened. "You don't have to come." Angelina wiped the tears off her eyes. "No, we do. You're our friend. We can help you, Gregor." Larry just nodded.
Gregor shook his head. "You have no idea what you're getting into. Stay here."
"If you think that after seeing that," Larry gestured awkwardly with his hands. "that we can just go back home and watch Netflix, you're out of your mind."
"There's nothing you could say to stop us, Gregor." Angelina said, trying to hold Gregor's gaze.
Gregor sighed. He was exhausted from lying all these years, no one outside of his family knowing who he was, what he was; all he could do was try and rationalize enabling their passage down the rabbit hole.
"Fine." He said. If anything, he could protect them, or at least have Ripred sneak them out. By the way things were going, the rat was going to owe Gregor a few favors by the time this was over.
"Let's go."
After a long run through dark, twisting caverns, they managed to catch up to Ripred, who'd been impatiently cracking his tail in agitation. "Great, the cavalry is here." He said, familiar loathing echoing through the tunnel. Gregor didn't even dignify Ripred with a response, and motioned to his friends.
"It's not far now."
Gregor managed to navigate them to Regalia. He stopped them about two minutes away to try and prep them for what they were about to see. Both Larry and Angelina were a little winded from the run anyways.
"There are things I need to attend to." Ripred said, his register different from earlier. "Make your rounds, and we'll talk later." With a flash of his tail, Ripred was gone.
"Come over here you guys." Gregor said, pointing to a shelf of rock large enough for them to sit on. Larry and Angelina gratefully sat down while Gregor just leaned against the wall next to them. "Gregor," Angelina asked between breaths. "What is this place? It's enormous!" Gregor waved his hand out across the area. "Welcome to the Underland." Larry looked a little quizzical.
"The Underland?" he asked. Gregor nodded.
"Yeah, that's what the inhabitants call it." Both Larry and Angelina looked to him at this.
"Inhabitants?" Larry asked. Gregor nodded.
"Yeah, there are people that live down here." Before either of his friends could answer, he said, "Not all of them are like Ripred; you'll see in a bit." Gregor began to walk down the tunnel.
Larry and Angelina scrambled to get close to him, afraid of who else they might discover in the large expanse of dark caverns and tunnels. After a short walk, the trio made it to the mouth of Regalia. Before entering, Gregor pulled them aside. "Just follow my lead." They nodded in consent, and Gregor led them into the arena.
Just like when Gregor had first arrived, there was a ball game going on. There was commotion from both the audience and from Gregor's friends. The acrobatic game slowly came to a standstill. Gregor looked around; scanning the crowd for anyone he might know. He sensed a scared feeling from behind him, he looked around to find his friends terrified. Approaching them, he smiled. "Don't worry, you guys. They won't hurt you." As if to prove him wrong, a deep voice rang out. "Guards!"
Gregor turned around, seeing heavily armored Regalians surround him and his friends. A vibrantly dressed Underlander jumped off his silver bat, landing about ten feet from Gregor. The figure was tall; he wore a red cape, and black Underland robes. His face had hard features, and a crescent shaped scar was under his left eye.
"Who dares trespass into the Arena of Regalia? Identify yourself!" His voice ordered. Gregor, after arguing with Ripred, was not the mood to be bossed around. Leaning back and crossing his muscular arms across his chest, he retaliated, "Where I'm from, we say please when asking for something." He felt a hand on his shoulder. Glancing back, he saw it was Larry.
"Larry, buddy, now's not a very good time."
"Gregor, they have swords."
"I know, now just be quiet for a bit, okay?"
Gregor returned his attention back to the flamboyant Underlander. Boy, he did not look happy! His face was contorted in anger, and he was gripping the sword at his side. "How dare you-" Gregor's hand caught him in the throat and slammed him into the ground. His other hand ripped the sword from his scabbard and stuck it to the man's chest. "No," Gregor growled. "How dare you disrespect me? Now I want you to do something for me." The man must have realized his utterly hopeless situation.
"What?" The guard grumbled. Gregor smiled a devilish smile.
"I want you to stand up and order your guards to stand down." The man looked incredulous.
Gregor stabbed the sword into the man's chest enough to break the skin. "Yes, I do dare. Now DO IT!" Gregor bellowed. The man gulped, and yelled in a voice half as deep then before. "Stand down!"
The guards looked around in serious confusion. After a few seconds, the guards went back to where they came from. Gregor smiled at the turmoil. "Get up." He told the man. The man slowly got back to his feet. "Good," Gregor said. "Now walk over to my friends." The man slowly approached Larry and Angelina. "Bow and say you're sorry." The man begrudgingly got to his knees and said, "I apologize." The two were still scared, but felt better after seeing Gregor take down the lead guard.
"Now get another sword." The man did as told; Gregor felt his rager senses controlling him. The funny thing was, though, he didn't care. Gregor felt on top of the world, and wasn't about to lose this euphoria so soon. Returning with the sword, the man came at Gregor. Sighing, Gregor closed his eyes. In one swift movement Gregor threw his sword up in the air, grabbed the man's wrist with his right hand, and stabbed a knee into the guard's chest, probably crushing a rib or two. The man fell to the ground in agony, coughing up blood. Gregor stuck his hand out in time to catch the sword, which would've impaled the man had it fallen.
There was utter silence. Gregor observed a frown on his face. Then something made a sound. A laugh. From Gregor. It was a sadistic laugh, one that was not him. Realizing what he just did, Gregor clasped a hand over his mouth. Why had he found that funny?
"My rager sense".Gregor thought. "It's been waiting for this".Gregor took a few deep breaths, calming himself, pushing the rager half of him back.
Gregor was just about to begin speaking again, when a flash of gold lit up the arena. A split second later, Gregor was airborne. He managed to land on his feet, but was still surprised. Standing in front of him, was a girl. Flowing blonde and silver hair ended at her waist. A gold band was pushed up on her head, looking heavy. The girl was athletically fit, and after five years, looked more like a queen than ever. He spent barely any time on this, as he was absorbed in her eyes, a silken violet; arrogant, but there was kindness behind them if you searched.
"Luxa," Gregor gasped, barely audible. He reached out a hand to her, but before he could move, something hit him in the back of the head and he fell to the ground hard. Things were blurry, moving in and out of clarity. A furry form glided into his vision, picking him up. "Be quiet, boy." Ripred whispered in his ear. "Just play along. They don't know who you are yet." Gregor mumbled affirmative before blacking out.
(Angelina)
Angelina watched as Gregor fought the guards, going ballistic on the leader. "Gregor," She whispered. Ever since they were little, Gregor had always been a peaceful guy, sturdy even. That's one of the things she really liked about him. Now seeing him fight so viciously and without mercy, it scared her more than that rat, Ripred, or the enormous bats in the arena. To Angelina, Gregor had always been a guy that tried to work things out peacefully. She was just about to yell at him to stop; stop this meaningless fighting.
Before she could, however, a silver haired girl dropped from a golden bat, stopping Gregor in his tracks. The girl was beautiful; her flowing silver hair and purple eyes were a killing combination. Angelina was actually kind of jealous of the girl.
Out of nowhere, something grabbed her and pulled her around the corner of the entrance. "Ok now, it's just me." She looked behind her and saw Ripred was the one detaining her, and Larry too as she realized. He removed his paws from their mouths and they gasped for air. "What was that for?" Larry said, or tried to. He was coughing heavily from lack of air. Ripred smacked Larry with his paw, and it somehow restored his breathing. "Now, listen, you too." Ripred began. "There's something I need you to do."
(Gregor)
Gregor woke up, groaning. Man, his head hurt! Looking around and finding nothing, Gregor resorted to echolocation. With a jolt, he realized he was in the same dungeon Solovet had put him in all those years ago.
WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?
Ripred's voice rang through his head. Gregor scooted back until he was against a wall. "What is my plan?"He thought. In the Overland, Gregor had added a few steps onto Ripred's original advice to make it more effective. "What do I know?" Gregor asked himself.
Then he remembered what Ripred had told him before he blacked out. "Just play along, they don't know who you are yet."
Gregor hung his head in sadness. Did they really forget about him? Even Luxa? That thought stabbed him in the heart. After going through all of that; fighting King Gorger, finding the baby Bane, searching for the plague cure and finding Luxa. Then there was their ill-fated picnic where he and Luxa had finally gotten closer. His short, yet amazing time with Luxa in the museum, and their kiss. His faux death and fight with the Bane. Could they really just forget about him?
Suddenly, there was mumbling outside. Arguing,Gregor realized. After a few more seconds, a clicking noise sounded and the door slowly slid open. A slumped over figure stood in the frame. After his eyes adjusted to the torchlight, Gregor gasped at who it was.
"Gregor," Vikus said. "I am really sorry we had to meet again under such sad circumstances." Gregor sat where he was, taking the old man in.
The left side of his face had sunken down a bit as a result of his stroke, and his back had started to give out. When he spoke his voice shook, as if unsure. Vikus' hair had grown longer, but there were parts missing.
Gregor bit his lip, trying to remain strong. It killed him inside to see Vikus like this. However, what Ripred said took precedence; the rat must have a plan in place.
"As am I." Gregor said, standing up. "I assume you want me to come with you?" Vikus nodded and sighed. "There is someone that wishes to speak with you." Gregor raised an eyebrow in question. "May I ask?" Vikus smiled a very weak smile.
"Our Queen."
Gregor walked in a trance up to Luxa's private quarters. "Does she know it's me, too? He thought. They turned the corner, and it was in site. Gregor grew exponentially nervous with every step he took towards the doorway. Vikus and the guards stopped in front of the doorway.
"Luxa waits." Vikus said, walking off. The guards remained, flanking either side of the doorway. With a deep breath, Gregor stepped into Luxa's room.
Regalian royalty had always been extravagant in the year that Gregor had visited, but the standards now blew those out of the water. Fancy drapes lined small windows; lavish couches surrounded what looked like a fireplace. A balcony overlooked the city and all its wonder. A voice came from a room off from the balcony. "These days, there are very few fighters with as much talent as you." Gregor looked over and saw Luxa.
She was dressed in what looked like a silk nightgown; silver hair pulled back in a ponytail, and violet eyes as stunning as ever. Luxa crossed over to what looked like a small bar, taking out two glasses and a tall bottle of dark liquid. Pouring it into the glasses so they were about half full, she returned the bottle to its original place.
"To take a head guard and humiliate him as you did," Luxa shook her head in shame. "We need to retrain." Walking over to a couch, she sat down and laid the glasses on the table in the center.
"Sit." She told him. Gregor hesitantly walked over to the couch, afraid. Luxa wasn't stupid; you don't take a public enemy and treat him to drinks with your leader. Luxa was a capable fighter, but, as a rager, he could win against her, easy. There was no doubt she was scheming; what she was scheming, now that was the question.
"I suppose you wonder why I do this." Luxa said. "Would you like me to explain?" Gregor cautiously nodded. "Right now," Luxa explained. "Regalia is on the precipice of war. My intelligence network report the Cutters have decided the time has come to annihilate the humans." Luxa leaned back and took a sip of her drink.
"We still suffer from The War of Time, five years ago." Luxa looked down, seemingly sad.
"Frustratingly, the personnel resources we have are not the same. It took a year, but an Overlander gained my trust. He is known as the Warrior to us." Luxa continued, wistfully.
"I was twelve at the time, but I felt closer to him than I did anyone else. After killing the Bane, he left. Gregor was his name." A single tear tried to slide down Luxa's cheek reminiscing Gregor's departure from the Underland, but she fought it off.
At this point, Gregor wanted nothing more than to tell Luxa who he was; the only thing stopping him was Ripred's words to him in the arena earlier. Biting his lip, Gregor continued to listen in silent agony.
"I still have Ripred, my bond and the best fighter in all the Underland. However, I fear that is not enough." Luxa turned to him.
"You do not like your drink?" Gregor took the drink in his hands and took a sip.
"Whiskey". Gregor thought. Thankfully, his dad let him take sips because Gregor was barely able to hold it down as it was. Swallowing, he set the cup back down on the table. Luxa also took a sip, then another.
"What I summoned you here for, is to ask your assistance against the Cutters." Luxa said, voice slightly wavering. She swallowed, and took another long sip of her drink. Gregor couldn't bear to see her like this. "I think that's enough, Highness." He said, attempting to taking the drink from her. "No!" Luxa ordered, her voice getting suddenly angry. "Give it back!"
Gregor ran over to a sink like mechanism by the bar. Pouring the liquor down the drain, he took notice to three empty glasses.
"Oh, Luxa." He mumbled under his breath. He set the glass down by the others.
"What did you do?" He heard Luxa scream. She pulled out a dagger, and came at him.
"Shit!",Gregor thought. He grabbed Luxa's wrist holding the dagger, spun it around and squeezed it, forcibly making her drop the dagger.
Of course, the guards heard the commotion and came in and see Gregor "attacking" their Queen. Gregor scooped up the dagger, shoved Luxa behind him, and fought the guards. One sliced to his head, the other to his legs. Gregor jumped up on the bar and kicked a guard on the side of the head hard enough to indent metal into his head. He also did a number on his foot. One guard left. Gregor felt the rager sense consuming him.
A slash came down from the guard' sword, but it never reached Gregor. He dove between the guard's legs, used the hilt to strike him where it hurts, and ripped one leg out from under him. Within a split second, both guards were down. Gregor regained his senses and, realizing what he just did, checked both pulses. Both were alive.
Gregor returned his eyes to Luxa, who was wide eyed in fear. "W-What did you j-just do?" she asked.
"You really are a lightweight, aren't you, your Highness?" Gregor said. He'd never heard her stutter when sober.
"I am not!" Luxa said, her voice changing pitches. Gregor smiled. Stubborn as ever.
"You are! And since you probably won't remember, I need to tell you something, Highness." Gregor said.
"What is it" Luxa asked, her voice trying to be serious.
"It's me, Luxa." Gregor said. "It's me, Gregor."
