Hello again! For this chapter, it's more of a filler, as I'm trying to get some spacing before we reach the next important scene in the game *cough**cough* ;) The rest of it will be finished in the next chapter, and I may add one other thing before that scene.
Daydr3am3r-25 - Thank you! :'D
Feisty Totodile - I used to like Elliot. . . then I started liking Ben. . . and it all went downhill from there lol XD I actually did know that! Lionhead Studios truly made the right choice when it came to picking an actor for Ben, and the same for the rest of the characters!
Thanks again for all the reviews and people who've favorited/followed my story! I love getting notifications that more people are enjoying the story so far!
Reaver smirked from above at Ben. "Well, now, aren't you the hero?"
"You just don't know when to stop, do you?" Page muttered as Ben approached.
On the balcony, Reaver gestured to a large wheel that stood upon one of the walls. The exquisite device looked like a clock, but symbols replaced the numbers. "The Wheel of Misfortune!" He announced. "It's rather simple: I spin, you die, we watch! Really!" He began to laugh. "It's, it's a riot!"
Suddenly, the hand on the wheel began to spin. Soon, it landed upon a ghastly face.
Reaver grinned. "Why, no other than the most ugly, most obnoxious creatures ever to contaminate this world. Super."
To the right, a door opened up, revealing a hallway. Above, the party guests disappeared, and the door they'd entered shut tightly and clicked as it locked. With no other way to go, the three rebels walked through the new door. Unlike the rest of the beautiful mansion, the floor was dirt and the walls were made of cold red bricks. At the end of the hall, they emerged in what appeared to be a cave.
Reaver and his guests were perched up on another balcony.
"You will laugh, you will cry, you will have your sinews gnawed upon." Stated Reaver. "Bring out, the hobbes!"
Immediately, snarling could be heard. Emerging from the crevices, hobbes surrounded them, wearing raggedy old cloths for clothing and splintered wooden clubs for weapons. Their flesh was grey and when they growled, yellowed fangs became visible. Juliette pulled out her rifle, shooting the creatures as they dashed for the three. Page and Ben joined her as they fought.
"How in bloody hell did you even get here?" Juliette asked him as he shot beside her.
Ben grinned. "Let's just say I did some breaking and entering into some poor bloke's house and when he wakes up, he'll find himself a little short on clothes."
She laughed once as her blade sunk down into one of the hobbes' skulls.
"Honestly, though." He continued. "You don't know me well enough if you don't expect me to find a way to get here." As another hobbe appeared, Ben fired a clean shot through his head, sending him flying down the cave's pit.
The waves of the creatures kept continuing. Oddly enough, a few of them had managed to get a hold of shotguns, and once one appeared with enough brains to control magic. As the hobbes advanced on them, Juliette began to charge her own spells.
"Stand close!" She ordered her allies. Ben and Page pressed their backs against hers, shooting and swinging at anything that came close to them. Juliette let out a roar, releasing her fiery vortex onto the adversaries. The waist-high creatures were thrown up in the windstorm, crashing into the cave walls and their fellow hobbes. Their bones cracked in the winds, and when the storm died down, they laid limp on the floor.
The silence was broken with a chuckle from Reaver.
"One almost feels sorry for those repugnant beasts." He stated. "Then one shrugs and waits for the next piece of carnage."
Just then, the door that led back to the empty ballroom opened again. Reaver and the nobles left, and the three returned back to the Wheel.
Many hours passed. Reaver's wretched Wheel of Misfortune decided their fate. After the hobbes, the three rebels found themselves facing hollow men, mercenaries, and mysterious sand creatures that none of them had ever faced, Sand Furies, by what Reaver called them. They were very agile and quick; it was nearly impossible to avoid their attacks if one could not roll away to safety in time.
The last of the sand ladies dissolved into the sand that filled the chamber. All of them were scratched and bruised from their never ending battle. Their clothing was ripped and splashed with a variety of substances; blood, a sickly green goo that covered hollow men, water, mud, and much more. Juliette's muscles were sore, and she was beginning to feel tired from her exertion of magic. Reaver and his guests were of no help as they fought; the whole time, Barry commentated on their performance with an obnoxious tone.
"What now?" Page asked them after the creatures were defeated. "We can't keep fighting forever!"
"I think we're nearly finished. . ." Juliette gasped as they emerged into the ballroom.
"You holier-than-thou idealists," Reaver called from above. "Always thinking in the most simple, most binary of ways. But, I quite agree; this game grows tiresome, and my guests, they grow. . . restless."
From behind Reaver, Barry got another of his mischievous smiles as he eyed the woman next to him. Reaver's Wheel began to spin again, the three exhausted rebels eyeing it intently to see what monstrous creatures they'd have to fight next. The Wheel's hand finally landed on another monster. Juliette studied it, realizing with fear what it was.
Suddenly, a growl sounded from above, including the scared yells of Barry Hatch.
"Ay! Reaver! H-help!" The man cried to his master. Beside him, a tall, lanky, dark monster towered over Barry, staring at him with hungry eyes. The creature leaped on Barry, and like the mercenary in the Mistpeak woods, it ripped him to shreds as he cried with a strangled gasp underneath.
Reaver hardly flinched as he scolded, "Do you brutes know how hard it is to find good staff?"
The balverine lifted up its now bloody head, glaring down at the trio, a look of shock and fear on their faces.
"Still. . ." Reaver sighed. "One mustn't complain. What's the use of a secret society without a little secret, after all?"
The balverine howled and jumped down into the ballroom, it's hungry eyes laid upon them. Above, more of the guests ripped out of their clothing, transforming into the beasts and joining in the ballroom.
"This can't be happening. . ." Gasped Page. "What are they?"
Neither Ben or Juliette answered. The beasts were even faster than the Sand Furies; they could jump high into the air as you tried to attack and land behind you in the next second. Their swords were useless; all three of them pulled out their firearms, shooting the balverines with the best accuracy they could deliver.
"How are we going to get out of this?" Juliette asked Ben nervously as they shot from their rifles. She remembered the bandits in the woods were not able to take down a few of them by themselves.
"Stay close, and hope you hit them in the right places." He replied. As a balverine tried to rush at him, Ben shot it in between the eyes. The beast fell limp, replaced by two more.
More of the balverines were swept up in another of Juliette's windstorms, slamming into each other and the ballroom walls. Unfortunately, many of them survived, yet weakened from the storm.
She pulled out her blade, slicing the creatures down to the ground. Page and Ben's shots fired behind her while she massacred the fallen beasts. She sheathed her sword, looking up to the two with exhaustion.
"This is the last party I take you too." She sighed.
Suddenly, Page's eyes filled with fear.
"Look out!" She cried.
Juliette grabbed her sword hilt in surprise, suddenly aware of another presence. She turned her head behind her just as another balverine landed right behind her, howling into her ears. Another gunshot rang, and the balverine's head exploded. She cautiously walked away from it's still squirming body, careful to make sure it was dead. It howled once more before finally falling limp. Behind her, Page breathed heavily, her smoking pistol in her shaking hand.
Their heads flashed back up to Reaver as he said, "Well, you've made me out to be a somewhat poor host. Rather rude of you to dispose of all my guests!"
Page glared up at him, raising her gun.
"Now it's your turn, Reaver." She growled, firing the gun another time. Suddenly and absolutely impossibly, Reaver flicked the bullet away with his cane like it was a mere annoying bug. The little bullet went flying back at them, landing at the feet of the shocked rebels.
"Oh my dear girl," He cooed. "Let's stop all this bickering. The four of us could go up to my quarters and have a private party!"
"Do you have any idea who this is?" Page retorted, gesturing to Juliette. "It's Logan's sister, the princess!"
Juliette frowned at Page. How could she give her identity away like that when she's so focused on not being caught by Logan's men?!
"The king's sister, a bona fide Hero." Reaver chuckled, staring at Juliette. "Well, I wouldn't dream of coming between siblings! Well, that's not strictly true, there was that time. . ." He began to turn around, a dreamy look on his face, and headed back through the double doors behind him. "Anyway! Best of luck with this whole revolution lark."
Page angrily fired another bullet that missed, yelling after him, "Hey! Come back!"
"Perhaps we'll meet again one day!" He called, ignoring her and shutting the door behind him with a, "Tatty-bye!"
Juliette sheathed her sword again as Page muttered, "Bloody coward. . !"
Above them, the cage Kidd had been trapped suddenly began rattling. "Will someone please mind getting me out of here now?" He shouted down to the three.
Another hour passed as Ben and Page worked to get Juliette hoisted up onto the balcony Reaver and his guests had been perched on. Once she had pulled herself up, she pulled the cage's mechanism down, lowering the cage until it landed back down in the ballroom. Ben worked through the lock, using Page's hairpins to pick it. Finally, the padlock snapped off, clattering to the floor. They found Kidd absolutely fine, a few cuts and bruises, but fine other than that.
Outside, the sun was just peeking over the horizon, illuminating Bower Lake with fresh sunlight. Page turned around to Ben and Juliette with a sympathetic look.
"I think I have some apologizing to do." She admitted. "I never thought that a noble or soldier would ever help me, or the downtrodden. You proved me wrong when you and Mr. Finn came along. I have only one more request before I accept to assist you in overthrowing your brother.
"Promise to change things when you take the throne; poverty, children forced to work, people living in fear, you have to make it stop."
Juliette offered her hand to Page, "I promise."
They shook hands formally as the sun began rising. Page even gave Ben one as well, though she didn't seem too happy about making contact with him.
"Good." Page smiled. "We should head back. We've got a revolution to plan."
They trudged through the Millfields forests. The woods were strangely quiet; no howls rose in the distance and the roads were deserted. Eventually, they made it to Bowerstone, sneaking through the roads to avoid attention. Soon, they entered into the safe haven of the Resistance headquarters. Kidd gave them his thanks as he Page walked off.
Ben exhaled beside her before returning to his cocky grin.
"Well that was. . . exhausting." He gasped.
"Couldn't restrain yourself, could you?" Juliette remarked with a smirk.
"You guys needed my help! I took down most of Reaver's lackeys anyway. You guys would've been mutilated if I hadn't shown up!"
"You took care of most of them? Where were you when I took out all those hobbes? And that mercenary that would've lopped your head off had I not shot his first?"
"That balverine was about to make you dinner!"
"Page killed him, did she not? You certainly didn't help at all!"
Ben returned a smirk to her. "Well, obviously there isn't enough room in Albion for two amazing marksmen, huh? Only one person can take the crown for that, which I'm certain we all know is yours truly."
She frowned at him. "Is that a challenge?"
"Only if you're up to it."
Juliette grinned. "Fine. This afternoon, how about we go on a little mercenary massacre? Then you can see who truly is the best marksman in Albion."
"Sure you can handle that without getting stuck in a tree?"
Her face turned red with anger. "Maybe those smugglers from Bloodstone will be there and will be ready to kick your arse!"
"They'll see the ground quicker before they can see my handsome face!"
Juliette opened her mouth to throw another remark, but she couldn't find one. Ben smiled with satisfaction at her loss for words.
"Don't start a war without any ammunition, princess." He said sarcastically. He turned around to head further into the base, a lighter spring in his step.
Juliette frowned angrily, calling after him, "Oh, shut up, Ben!"
"Sound the alarm! There are intruders!"
Suddenly, the heavy clashing of a bell sounded. Mercenaries popped out of their damp cabins, tired and confused and possibly a little hungover. They retrieved their swords and firearms as soon as they saw Ben and Juliette. The camp was nestled away in the Silverpines forest, visible from Bower Lake. The lookout men had hardly given the warning before they met their ends.
As one came close, aiming with a pistol, Ben rose his rifle and shot the doomed bandit straight in the head. As the man fell, more mercenaries showed up behind him. Others were perched up in lookouts, firing at the two with very cruddy aim. Annoyed only at their shooting skills, Juliette aimed her own gun at a conveniently placed barrel of gunpowder beside them. Her bullet shot straight through the casing, and the bandits went flying through the air, along with scraps of shrapnel.
Beside her, Ben observed her with confusion.
"What do you want, Finn?" She asked him with irritation in her tone.
"Since when do you wear a dress willingly?" He shouted over the gunshots.
Before they'd set out, Juliette had changed out of her masquerade costume and switched into her old practical princess suit. It was odd for her; she hadn't worn a dress since Brightwall, save for Reaver's party. Even stranger, she'd actually chosen heels as her footwear.
"Does it matter? And you chose now to ask?" She replied. Another mercenary headed her way. As he tried to get close, she shot his legs, incapacitating him. The bandit fell to the ground, and as he glanced up at her, he found a bullet in his brain.
Ben smirked. "No, it doesn't, but it does provide a lovely view amongst blood and explosives."
"Just shoot, you persistent arse!" She called, killing a man sneaking up behind him. Ben whirled around as the man let out a cry.
"That's twice nowI save your life because you don't pay attention." Juliette remarked.
"Are you certain that I'm the only one that doesn't pay attention?" He replied, shooting one of his looks in her direction.
She smirked in return, shooting her rifle over her shoulder as another mercenary came up behind her as well. Ben laughed in response.
"Okay, I'll give you that, but can you do this?" He asked her. A bandit rushed forward, but before he could swing his sword, Ben kicked him in the crotch, quickly grabbing the stunned mercenary's shoulder, threw him to the ground, and shot his head.
Juliette scoffed. "Hardly worth a clap!" Another adversary appeared in front of her, making annoying remarks. Before he could shout another at her, Juliette flipped herself onto his shoulders, snapping his neck between her thighs.
Below, Ben took his rifle at an approaching enemy, quickly shooting him in both arms and legs before firing a blow to his stomach. Juliette hopped down from the now dead man, strapping her rifle to her back and switching to her pistol. Not too soon afterwards, another enemy showed up. She threw her pistol over his head and rolled over behind him. The distracted bandit watched as she caught the pistol behind him and shot him through his skull.
The next hour was filled with a competitive air as Ben and Juliette both dispatched their enemies with ruthless and beautiful efficiency. The mercenary gang diminished as they continued through the camp. The ones that remained were joined by their towering leaders, bulky and strong, their bodies covered with tattoos and bulging muscles. The bullets the two fired at them hardly seemed to hurt them, but after a few more shots, they too joined their men to the grave. The remaining bandits got a scared look on their faces as they watched their leaders fall to the ground.
"And now for the grand finale. . ." Juliette smiled. Both rose their firearms at the rest of their adversaries. Suddenly, all of them went flying through the air as a line of explosives went off. The gunpowder barrels disintegrated into ash, along with the scorched corpses of the bandits. Smoke, shrapnel, and screams filled the air, then died down, leaving a desecrated mercenary base.
Juliette grinned from ear to ear as she balanced her rifle on her shoulders with satisfaction.
"I win." She joyfully said.