Chapter 3
Escape the Cave, Meeting an ex-Assassin, & Renown Problems

Anthony jolted awake when a hand slapped him across his face. He sat up as pain returned to his knee, causing him to hold it. A new pain rose as he used his left hand to hold his cheek. "Gow! That hurt!" he shouted at Shared who was smirking down at him. "Well, you were sleeping and started to get really heavy." Anthony just glared at him as he then tried to stand up, using most of his will to ignore the pain on his knee. "We're going to need to get that knee checked out when you guys reach Oakfield." Shared suggested. Anthony stared wide-eyed as he accused him, "You've been stalking us? Aw god, you're gay!"

Shared just bonked the boy's head with his crossbow, causing another pain to arise as Anthony continued to glare at him. "I was following you two with the help of one of my spies, dimwit, and I'm not gay. I'm straight." Anthony let out a breath of relief as he then noticed where they were. There was a corridor blocked by a metal and wooden door, as the man was trying to find a way to open it. Behind it was a figure of a child who seemed a bit eager to get out of there. "Okay, where are we? I mean, I know we're in the cave, but I'm getting a bad feeling just sitting here like a duck." Anthony asked, hearing a small growl echo through the corridors. At first, he thought it was Doogal, but the dog was nowhere to be seen nor was Sparrow.

As if hearing his thoughts, Shared said, "Sparrow and that weird dog went off to look for another way around here." Relief flowed through Anthony as he then noticed that the man had finally opened the door. Even though he had felt relief, Shared suddenly shouted toward the man, "Get away from the door!"

Anthony was confused for only a second when he saw a deformed midget standing in the doorway, holding a club with spikes. His face was distorted, but it seemed so much like a child. He watched as the distorted child hit the man on the back, piercing the skin and bone. The man fell forward as he tried to stand up, but the midget kept on pummeling him. Shared took out a knife and tackled the thing down, making it leave its weapon in the man's back. Anthony stood up and limped toward the man as Shared slit the monster's throat. "Hey, you okay?" Anthony asked, but he wanted to slap himself for that. Of course, the man wasn't okay. He has a spike club in his back for crying out loud!

He saw blood now seeping through the man's mouth, dropping on the stones on the ground. Anthony stared at him as the man spoke in a sad but delirious voice. "I was too late... he was... they turned my son into..." Anthony then realized as he then turned toward the dead creature as Shared turned to look at Sparrow who entered the hallways with Doogal. She walked toward the man as he continued, "I always told him those stories were made up... but they were true."

He then fell forward just inches in front of Anthony. The blond watched as his blood spilled under him as Shared helped him up and said, "Come on, we got to get out of here now."

"You should get out of there."

"Huh?" Anthony said as he looked around frantically as Sparrow just stood there, looking at the ceiling.

"Head for the surface, quickly."

"Okay, am I the only one who is hearing that just now?" Anthony said aloud, catching the other two humans' attention. Shared just stared at him awkwardly while Sparrow had a surprised look. "You can hear her?"

"Uh, if you mean that echoing voice that sounded like Theresa, then yes, I can," Anthony stated in sarcasm, which got him a frown from the female. However, the attitude changed as growling echoed through the corridors. "Okay, I know it's been three days since I got here, but I really want to go home now."

"Well, we're going to have to fight our way out of here," Shared said as he held his crossbow while supporting Anthony who was now holding a Iron Flintlock Pistol that was in his sweater pocket, the reason why his stomach was hurting badly after the diving. As they continued forth with Sparrow leading, they soon came to a large cavern with a narrow path held up by many stone columns. Anthony looked over the edge to see that the fog covered the ground, concealing the height of the drop. "Wow, one step and we're dead," he commented as he then heard the growling again, only this time it was clearer and closer. Looking ahead, he saw Sparrow holding up an Iron Long sword as she charged at some of the same looking creatures from earlier.

"Jesus, what are those things?" he shouted aloud as Shared shot an arrow into one of the creatures' heads.

"Those things are called Hobbes," Shared explained as he hurried after Sparrow as she took down the small squad of them. "Tales say that Hobbes were once children who were drawn into darkness."

"That sounds too much like Kingdom Hearts," Anthony stated, receiving a confused stare from his support. Seeing the look, Anthony sighed as he said, "Never mind..." He then saw that Sparrow was about to be ambushed as he brought up his pistol and shot at the Hobbe, getting its attention as it growled and charged at him and Shared.

"Oh great, you got it mad," Shared said as he quickly ran forward with a pair of Iron Katanas and sliced off its head, sending it into the fog abyss. Without any support, Anthony fell back as he saw that another Hobbe was coming from where they had just exited. He aimed his pistol carefully as he pulled the trigger, shooting right between the eyes. Rolling over, he saw the creature fall forward with a loud thud as he got to his knees. "Oh yeah, who's fucked now?" Anthony cheered for himself as he then felt himself carried again, only now he was on Shared's shoulder.

"Aw dude!" Anthony shouted in pain. "My stomach still hurts!" Shared was obviously ignoring him as he continued to carry the boy, making him watching his own back. He didn't get to watch the fighting that the other two seemed to be getting as he only had killed one Hobbe. Pain returned to his stomach area as he tried his best to breathe. "Okay, you got really boney shoulders, man," Anthony stated as he kept feeling the older man's shoulder bone in his stomach region.

"You're not walking and slowing us down, besides," he heard Shared saw as his movements stopped. "We're almost out of here."

He felt himself now standing on the floor again as Shared gave him a piggyback ride. Looking back, he saw that a few more Hobbes was going to ambush them. His pistol was still in his hand as he aimed and shot at them.

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"Do you think that he actually survived that fall?" said one of the bandits to his friend as they stared down at the edge.

"I know we were supposed to be patrolling this area for the boss, but I didn't expect that girl to jump," said another one as he too was staring down at the water below.

"I knew she would jump, at least she listened to me," said the third one, getting glares from his comrades. They heard a loud crash as they turned to look at the abandoned carriage station, seeing that the cellar was now open. They saw the girl they had seen dive earlier emerge and their boss after, holding a male teen on his back.

"Boss!" they shouted as they hurried toward their leader. Sparrow was already out as she had her sword out, ready to fight them off when she felt Shared's hand on her shoulder. Turning to look at him, he still had Anthony on his back as he said, "Don't worry, they're with me." Sparrow just nodded her head as she placed her sword behind her while Shared carefully let Anthony sit on the ground. "Thanks for your help, man," Anthony said as Shared went toward the three bandits. "But why were you down there in the first place?"

Shared stopped walking as he then turned to look at Anthony. Sparrow knelt by the blonde's side, tending to his wounded knee. Shared then said, "Like I saw before, I was following you two. It's seems you guys are doing some big quest and I would like to offer some assistance." He then whistled as suddenly a man jumped out of nowhere and landed right next to him. Anthony freaked out a bit as he shouted, "Oh no! It's the rape ninjas all over again!"

Sparrow just stared at him with a blank stare as the dog returned to his proper spot of sitting on the blonde's head. The new comer just stared in shock by the comment while Shared was trying his best to suppress the laughter that was bound to come. It wasn't easy for his followers as they were already rolling on the floor, laughing.

"Shut up before I kick all your asses!" the new comer said.

"Now, Tuck," Shared said as he patted his head. "There is no need for you to get all anal about the situation." That's when the bandit leader started crack up as the humor grew. Sparrow just shook her head, feeling bad about how these people were the ones that would terrorize a village. She then looked over to Tuck.

He had long black hair that reached his waist, but it was tied back into a ponytail. He lets some of the hair out, bangs forming around his face and his blue eyes. He wore a blue tunic that was open and over a white shirt that was tied together with small rope buttons. His blue tunic was tied together with a black belt around his waist. He wore black gloves and a pair of black pants that were tucked into knee high boots. He was just a few inches taller than Anthony if he could stand as Shared said, "Tuck here is going to accompany you on the rest of your journey."

"Why should we need help from a bunch of bandits?" Anthony retaliated as Sparrow was about to accept the offer. "I mean, you guys are more going to help us so you can get the money!"

The three bandits behind Shared laughed as the middle one said, "The lad doesn't know our boss too well like we do."

Anthony was caught by confusion as Tuck then bent down to be eye level with them. He then explained, "Shared is one of the most honorable people you would ever meet here in these parts of Albion. He stops any of our rival bandit gangs from attacking any of the camps that settle around these parts."

"You make him sound like some Robin Hood," Anthony stated bluntly and immediately regretted it when he got confused stares from Sparrow and Tuck. As he told them to forget it, Sparrow then said, "You have a really big imagination, Anthony."

Not sure if she was joking or being complimentary, Anthony just grunted a "thanks" before he tried to stand. He let out a curse word as Tuck and Sparrow helped him up, each under his shoulder to give him support. However, due to the difference in height, Sparrow was getting more of the weight from the boy. "Looks like you guys could use a way to get there without this hassle," Shared said, mostly placing the hassle problem on Anthony who laughed sarcastically. They soon were able to fix the wagon that was inside and found a well-fed horse.

"Wow... that's a bit convenient," Anthony muttered as he now was sitting in the cart while Tuck sat in front, taking the reins. Sparrow thanked them as they bid farewell while Tuck rode them to Oakfield.

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Thanks to the new kind of transportation, they were able to get there a day early but they arrived during the night. Tuck then had them stay at the Sandgoose as he relayed the message of an audience with the Abbot in the Temple of Light. In one of the rooms, Sparrow was placing a bandage around his wounded knee. Lucky for him, it was only a scrape and sprain. He stared down at the now bandage wound as he tried to flex the leg, only for the small pain to return. He yelped in pain, making Sparrow shake her head. "Even though we healed you, doesn't mean you should be moving around," she warned as she stood up, placing the ointments and bandages back in the small pack.

"Hey, I'll heal fast, you'll see," Anthony reassured her as he lay back on the bed. "At least we can rest before we meet this... Pilgrim?"

Sparrow took out the deck of tarot cards and searched for the "Pilgrim". She finally found it as she then looked at the picture. It was a person wearing a white robe and the hood shadowing their face. The stood before a naked tree as the moon behind it all gave off an enlightening glow. "Maybe this person is a mage," Sparrow said as she threw the card at him. Amazingly, he caught it with ease as he then looked at the picture. "So... we're looking for a man?" he questioned as Tuck entered the room.

Sparrow just shrugged her shoulders and said, "I'm not really sure. We'll find out tomorrow."

"You might not be able to find out at all," Tuck said, interrupting their talk. He then stood, leaning against the wall that was next to the door. Sparrow stared at him with curiosity and asked, "And why is that? Did the Abbot say we can't meet him?"

Tuck looked at her and replied, "He said that he wants you to prove that you are worthy."

"Oh great, is this going to take us forever?" Anthony said, not feeling good about having to prove himself, even though it wasn't him who they were wanting to know better. Sparrow then said, "Maybe someone in town needs help. If it's a really bad problem, we could fix it and then the Abbot will let us help him."

"God, if this guy wanted out help, he should have just let you stroll in and inform you about whatever he needs," Anthony stated as he then got glares from the two other occupants of the room. He shrugged it off and said, "Look, you're going have do whatever quest without me since my leg is a bit fucked up right now."

"It'll heal by tomorrow," Tuck stated as then Anthony retaliated, "Well, I don't want to deal with bandits for a while. I mean, I have to start running faster than I do now just to get away from those hammers. And by the way this adventure is turning, I have to train a bit before I can do anything to help. So good night!"

He then plopped on the bed, bouncing a little before going to sleep. Sparrow just shook her head as she then noticed Tuck was staring at her. Feeling a bit awkward at that exact moment, she then said, "Uh... are you okay?" Tuck immediately snapped out of his trance as he then said, "Oh, sorry. I was just... thinking. Good night." He then stood and left the room, going to the one next door since there were only two beds in the room. Sparrow just shrugged her shoulders as she then went to bed, not noticing that the blond was chuckling at the moment.

"If he's Tucker from Red vs. Blue, Francy would flip," he mentally noted as he then went to sleep. "But then again, this isn't Francy I'm talking about..."

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It was now morning on his fifth day of being in this world as he yawned loudly, stepping out of the Sandgoose Inn. He left his black striped beanie at the room, his short blond hair revealed to all who happened to see. However, he didn't care much since he noticed that when he woke up, Sparrow's bed was made and he was nearly left alone with the bandit. He noticed that he was sitting at one of the small tables, reading a book he "found" in the inn. "Yo, have you seen Sparrow?" Anthony said. Tuck stared at him like he was crazy as he said, "My name isn't 'Yo', it's Tuck. And also, I heard she went to do something for an old friend."

"And you didn't wake me up because?" Anthony asked, wondering how come he isn't there with her.

"This is her quest, not yours, young man."

Anthony nearly jumped ten feet when he heard the old woman's voice, spinning around to find her. "Okay, how the fuck do you that?" he demanded, not caring that he had voiced out his question aloud. Tuck took it offensively as he said, "Excuse me? I didn't do anything, you nearly bald teenager."

"Not you, the old lady!" Anthony shushed the older man as he kept looking around. "What old lady?" He heard Tuck ask, but it was covered by Theresa's voice.

"You should learn some manners, young man. As I said before, this is her quest, not yours. You are only here to assist her when it is needed."

"Oh and you think that she can do this on her own," Anthony said as he stood proudly and asked to the sky. "Who was the one that helped her fight through the cave?"

Both Theresa and Tuck said bluntly, "That was Shared's doing." Slightly annoyed to hearing two voices, he glared at Tuck and exclaimed, "Just shut up and read!" He saw the man smirk before hiding his face in the book, realizing that it read something about the History of Albion. Finally deciding to go back inside to finish his mental talk, he reached the room and began to shout again, "What is with you and talking through minds? Do you and the Guild Master guy find entertainment in talking to people in their heads?"

"I don't know you are talking about, and I am wondering how you can hear my voice without a seal," he heard her and began to think really hard, which he hated the most. After giving up just seconds later, he then asked, "Can I at least do something instead of waiting for the main character to return?"

"You could raise her popularity," the old woman's suggested.

"And how the hell do you suggest I do that?" Anthony asked, but at the back of his mind slightly regretted asking about it at all.

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"Twenty gold for just a stinkin' song?" Anthony stared at the bard in shock. "I could just buy a drink and sing whatever I song I want!"

"Actually, it'll be twice the amount, lad," the singer corrected as he folded his arms, looking at the teenager as he seemed to be impatient.

"Dude, you seemed nicer in the videos," Anthony muttered to himself as he then saw that there wasn't much time. Sighing in defeat, he handed him twenty gold pieces and said, "Here…"

The bard smiled happily as he took the twenty gold pieces and took out a lute, started singing on about all the things that Anthony told him about Sparrow. As the man sang about their start of the journey up to the cave of Hobbes, he sat with Tuck who was now eating brunch with two plates on the table.

As he sat, the bandit gave him the plate he wasn't eating from, showing that it had scrambled eggs and fried ham. "Eat up, kid," Tuck said as he took a bite from the bacon strip he had. Anthony just stared down at the food before eating it carefully, not really trusting the bandit. Silence soon enveloped the two when the bard was done singing, gaining praise from the audience and also renown for Sparrow. Feeling awkward, Anthony then spoke.

"So, I saw you looking at Sparrow last night," Anthony blunted said, catching the man off guard. Tuck nearly choke on his drink as he stared at the boy, his chin covered with the ale he was drinking. Anthony cackled at the "reply" as he pointed at the man. Tuck told him to shut up as he quickly cleaned his face as he then said, "I thought you fell asleep!"

"I only sleep when I want to, mister," Anthony said, using the name the kids at Bowerstone had called him. "So, you like her or something?"

"What? You like her?" Tuck retaliated. Anthony made a disgusted face in reply as he replied, "Dude, she's a friend. Plus, she reminds me of someone else that I can only see as a friend. That and I can't really imagine myself with her." As he thought about it, he cringed slightly.

After cleaning his mind of the thought, he then asked again, "So, you like her or something?" Tuck just stared at his food as he then shrugged. "I don't know. She's pretty and all, but I'm a bandit. The way you just talked about her earlier, she's some hero. How can you see her going with me?"

"Just a little hunch, man," Anthony muttered quietly as they continued eating, changing from different subjects like what happened in the cave and checking out the maids that happen to pass by.

After what felt like two hours, they had seen about ten maids when they felt someone smack their heads with gloved hands together. Rubbing their foreheads from the pain, they turned around to see that it was Sparrow who was now glaring at them with displeasure. Anthony laughed nervously while Tuck just glared at her. Doogal then popped out of nowhere on to the table and jumped on to Anthony's face, licking him and smother him with his tongue and fur.

"Oh god! The mop's killing me!" he cried as Tuck started cracking up. The older man then looked at the girl and said, "So, how'd the hunting go?"

"Terrible, that bandit named Dash wouldn't stop running around when I finally got him cornered," she complained as she sat in Anthony's seat who was still be smothered by the dog.

"Dash? Wow, looks like a thanks is in order from Shared," Tuck said, catching the girl's anger off guard. She had a questionable look as he then explained. "Dash used to be one of our best guys at recon when he then wanted to become second command. Apparently, I got promoted which really pissed him off. He then took some of our youngest members and swore that he would kill me and Shared. I was ordered to kill him."

"So you're saying I just did your job?" Sparrow stared at him with disbelief. Tuck leaned back on his chair, looking relaxed. When he nodded his head, he felt his balance fail him when he felt a plate hit him square in his chest. His head hit the floor hard as he cringed and curled into a ball, holding his head in pain.

Seeing that the two men were down, she then decided that to go somewhere and show off her knew trophy. As she walked away, she whistled to Doogal causing the little dog to bark and jump off Anthony's face. The boy was unconscious with his face covered with dog saliva.

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After a couple more hours, Sparrow and Anthony were sitting in the room, waiting for news from Tuck. He entered with a pleased look as he said, "The Abbots heard about you and would like to speak with you. He's just up the path through the small woods.

"Finally!" Anthony said as Sparrow just stared at him and stated. "It only took half of a day."

"Yes, but it was just at that time, we could have used to do something else than making you famous more," Anthony stated, getting a blank stare from the other two. Realizing that no one was going to agree with him, Anthony just grabbed his Iron Katana and Iron Pistol. Sparrow got her Steel Pistol and Iron Long sword as they followed Tuck to the Temple of Light.

As they reached a small lake that was being fed by a waterfall, Anthony asked Tuck, "Tuck, does this Abbot guy want us to protect someone or something?" The older man looked surprised at the blond and said, "How'd you know?" Anthony just laughed nervously and said, "Lucky guess, man. Just tell me before I do some fortune telling shit and sound stupid." Tuck just stared at him before explaining, "The Abbot wants someone to protect one of the monks. It has something with the Golden Oak ritual or whatever it's called."

"What the hell is the Golden Oak?" Anthony asked as he caught up with Tuck before noticing that the dog wasn't walking on the floor. He then noticed a heavy weight on his back as he looked over his shoulder, seeing a black furry mop clinging to his sweater. He then glared back at Sparrow who had an amused face and demanded, "Does your dog have a fetish for my clothing or something?"

"I guess it could be that he likes you a lot, Anthony," she said, getting a groan from the blond as the dog continued to make it small climb to his head. It would be a long walk toward the temple even though it was just around the corner.

To Be Continued

Lisa: Yeah! Chapter 3 is up!

Izzy: You go work on the other chapter three's for the other stories while I reply to UltimateKeyMaster.

UltimateKeyMaster: Thanks for the review and yes you're right, the reference will never end... not sure if we had one in this chapter. -shrugs- That damn Doogal really likes Anthony's hat!

Please review. We'll update soon.