Jet and the Black Knight
LoZ © Nintendo
Chapter Six: Jail Break
After a cruel and torturous battle, Jet finally discovered Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. The pure goddess promised to reveal the secret of the Black Knight's powers, but only if the emerald hawk would prove himself worthy. And to add to the pressure of the tasks, he was given only three days to complete them. Unfortunately, time proved to be a factor against them. By foolishly allowing Lancelot to escape, the Phantom Knight was able to return to the Black Knight and warn him ahead of time. After receiving the message, the Black Knight ordered soldiers to station themselves at every road and trail. This forced Jet to ride off the path, eliminating one of his three days.
The scene opens to the higher regions of Camelot City. Appointed at the top of a steep hill, a dark and dreary castle overlooked the town with a ghostly eye. Anyone who had a sane mind knew to avoid the castle that was formerly inhabited by the Black Knight. After the king's departure, the castle had been converted into a prison, which has recently been packed with unjustified prisoners. Currently, Jet and Caliburn were standing at the ramparts of the outer walls, close to the giant crossbows and across from the stone statue of the Black Knight.
"There it is." Jet stated softly, looking through a pair of binoculars he stole. "I can see the entrance to the dungeon from here, but there are guards everywhere you look. It could take all day to get by them."
"But we don't have time to wait." Caliburn said impatiently. "We already wasted enough time because of your mule's terrible sense of direction."
"Hey, back off Epona!" Jet snapped, forgetting to keep his voice down. "If it wasn't for her, we would have been caught on the way out of Misty Lake!" He smiled slightly. "You gotta love a creature with a sense for danger."
"Regardless, we only have two days left." Caliburn said pointedly. "We have to be – what was that?"
A soft tapping sound could be heard from the back of the wall, making it sound like something was climbing up the structure. For a fraction of a second, Jet was prepared to draw Caliburn from his scabbard. But as the clacking sounds drew closer, Jet could see a faint flicker of orange before Gron's head appeared from the side. The Blacksmith had helped smuggle Jet and Caliburn into the city to avoid detection and offered them his assistance.
"A little help here." Gron moaned, waving his free hand.
"I gotcha, buddy." Jet said as he pulled the blacksmith up. "Hey, thanks for your help, Gron."
"It is I who should be thanking you, brave knight." Gron said pleasantly. "I have watched the king abuse his power too long and unlawfully judged his people. I want this chance to pay his back."
"And that is the sign of a true knight." Caliburn said haughtily to Jet. "You could learn from him."
"Shut up!" Jet growled.
"Found anyway inside yet?" Gron asked curiously.
"Not from what we can see." Caliburn informed. "There are guards posted at every entrance of the castle and several guards also stations at the windows. We could try to dig our way under the castle, but then we would have no clue where we were headed. And an aerial assault would alert the guards and they would shoot us down."
"I think the only way we could get in is if we surprised them." Jet commented.
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Gron questioned.
The emerald hawk shrugged and tossed his binocular over his shoulder, seeing as he no longer had any use for them. But the simple action created a chain reaction that could not be expected. The binoculars flipped an open barrel lid, which scared a sole mouse, which ran knocked over a torch, which landed underneath the holding rope of the crossbow. With the holding rope slowly burned away, the large arrow holstered upon it snapped forward, piecing the statue of the Black Knight. The trio of heroes stared with wide eyes as the statue slowly toppled backwards, shattering at the knees. The few guards that were watching barely uttered a single cry as the statue smashed through the wall, opening a wide gap into the prison. It took a few moments for the heroes to regain their senses after watching the unexpected catastrophe.
"Well, that works." Jet commented.
"We're doomed." Caliburn muttered.
But the sword knew that this was their one opportunity to break in. With the guards caught in mid-shock and left speechless, Jet and Gron were able to slip behind them without raising an alarm. As they climbed the rubble of the open crater, a piece of stone cracked from one of the stone Gron stepped on, vibrating across the courtyard. Fortunately, the guards were too deep in conversation to notice them. Once reaching over the wall, Jet pulled Gron inside.
"Think we were spotted?" Caliburn asked quickly.
"If we have, they certainly not very good at their job." Gron commented, looking over the clutter of guards.
"Whoa..." Jet said amazingly, gazing around the inside of the castle. "Look at the size of this place."
'Whoa' was certainly the term to use inside this monument. The outside of the castle made it appear small, but the inside was an entirely different story. The spacious stone structure reminded Jet of his adventures to the Gigan Rocks during the adventure for the Arks of the Cosmos. The floor was wet from recent rainfall that escaped through the cracks in the roof, extinguishing many of the torches the lit the dreary domain. And just across the room were nearly twenty levels of cells, each containing a cramped number of prisoners. There was a rush of mutters and whispers as the prisoners stared through the bars of their cells for a chance to see the disturbance.
"There are so many." Caliburn said aghast. He directed his words to Gron. "Are you certain you can free them all?"
"Most of these prisoners are actual criminals." Gron informed. "We'll have to weed out all the criminals and those who were unrightfully imprisoned."
"How long will that take?" Jet asked.
"If we work fast enough, we'll be done by the end of the day." Gron answered.
"But we don't have that kind of time!" Jet exclaimed frantically; Caliburn agreed with him. "The Lady of the Lake said we only had three days to complete the tasks and we've already wasted one!"
"Thanks to the mule." Caliburn commented; Jet smacked him across the wall. "Ouch!!"
"Than we'll have to work faster." Gron stated.
"Not fast enough."
The growling ethereal of the voice was a cause for much fright at the heroes' expense. With barely a moment to react, Jet released quickly drew Caliburn from his scabbard and summoned a barrier to surround him and Gron. And just in time as twelve of the Underworld Knight dropped from the different levels, swinging down their blades. The barrier forced the knights to stagger backwards, allowing Jet to release the barrier and kick away at two of them.
"Move swiftly!" Caliburn cried to Gron. "We will try to bide you some time."
"Be careful!" Gron warned, jumping to the first level.
"A good chance of that happening." Jet grunted, raising his blade to block. "How am I supposed to take on twelve soldiers at once?"
"You must strike them down to diminish their numbers." Caliburn advised over the clangs of metal.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Jet sneered as he kicked away one soldier and flipped over another. "I follow the code of Babylon. I refuse to take the life of another person."
"But these creatures aren't people!" Caliburn exclaimed, ignoring the throbbing from the opposite blades. "King Arthur has summoned these creatures from the bowels of Hell itself. These creatures have no heart or soul because they are darkness encased in solid form."
"You're not just pulling my leg, are you?" Jet murmured weakly; he was getting tired of blocking.
"Just swing." Caliburn requested.
Jet was once again caught in another moral dilemma; he seemed to be having a lot of those recently. If what Caliburn said was true, then these knights were no different than the Black Clones once formed by Eggman. But what if he was wrong? The emerald hawk had no choice to answer as one of the knights charged at him from behind. Closing his eyes while doing so, Jet held a tight grip on Caliburn's handle and swung backwards across the knight's chest. But instead of heard the sound of ripping flesh, Caliburn's edge clanged against the stone of the floor. Intrigued by this phenomenon, Jet opened his eyes just in time to see a wisp of black smoke escaping a clutter of dark armor.
"I told you." Caliburn said satisfactory. "They are nothing but darkness in bodily form."
"Then it's impossible to kill them." Jet said, grinning menacingly. "This is going to be fun."
"Uh oh!" The knights scream simultaneously.
Without the moral restraint to weigh him down, Jet began his rampage through the flock of knights. In a single swipe, the emerald hawk cut through two knights at once and kicked one in the head before decapitating him. Four of the Underworld Knights attacked at once, which was once again blocked by Caliburn's powers. Jet reversed his hold on the sword and swirled around in a mighty circle, cutting through the pack in one turn. While one of the knights foolhardily charged forward with an ax overhead, Jet threw Caliburn into the creature's chest, instantly dissolving the beast. With their comrade destroyed, the three remaining knights stumbled backwards through the hole in the wall.
"We can't let them escape!" Caliburn yelled.
"Gron!" Jet called out. "I'm gonna do a little pest control! You take care of the prisoners!"
"Oh, certainly!" Gron replied sarcastically; one of the prisoners caught him in a headlock between the bars. "I'll just set everyone free and then we'll all have a lovely tea party together!"
"That's the spirit!" Caliburn shouted amusingly.
At the moment they left exited the prison, Jet caught a few curses from the blacksmith that would make Rodrigo look like a sweet little boy. Skipping from stone to stone, it didn't take long for the emerald swordsman to catch up with the escaped soldiers. In fact, the three Underworld Knights were waiting patiently for him to arrive.
"They've stopped." Caliburn said curiously. "But for what purpose?"
"Maybe they've given up." Jet said hopefully.
But the accusation could not have proven to be more wrong. At the instant their prey was visible in the light; the Underworld Knights released their essence, leaving behind piles of armor. The shadowed wisps glided close to the clouds, culminating into a smokescreen of darkness. As the sword and hawk gaped at the scene, the dark shade slowly drew closer to a physical form. An extended neck grew from the top, a lashing tail expanded from the opposite end, and a pair of clawed wings emerged from either side of them. A pair of legs grew beneath the winds and the cloud dematerialized into the form of a black-scaled body. The dragon-like monster reared its head to the sky, echoing an earsplitting screech.
"Did you know they could do that?!" Jet screamed shrilly.
"In fact, I did not." Caliburn said nonchalantly. "Though being able to take the shape of a wyvern is very admirable."
"Yeah, we should start a fan club." Jet said sarcastically.
The Underworld Wyvern ushered a second screech and dived forward to the ground, aimed for the green knight. The wyvern was definitely much faster than a dragon, barely allowing Jet enough time to dive away. But even as he tumbled sideways, the Wyvern snapped it's extended head close to the hawk, nearly taking his legs. With barely an inch between them, Jet rolled to his side and stabbed Caliburn forward into the monster's snout, leaving a large gash. The Wyvern screeched painfully, shattering the glass in tow, as it raised its head to the sky. Unfortunately, Caliburn was still stuck to the monster's nose, pulling him away from Jet's grip. The Wyvern must have felt Caliburn's presence while swinging its wings to knock the sword off and driving it into the ground nearby.
"You all right, rusty!" Jet shouted, jumping backwards from the Wyvern's tail.
"Does it look like I am all right?!" Caliburn yelled with intensified anger. "A real knight would never release his grip! You are quite possibly the clumsiest, smelliest, and most short minded squire I have ever known!"
"That's kinda harsh." Jet murmured silently.
The Wyvern brushed its wings against its snout, feeling the scar remaining. It hissed in momentary pain before craning its head over to stare down upon its prey. With Caliburn no longer in his possession, Jet was render defenseless with the exception of the Ark on his left wrist. But without the Master Ark to continually power it, he could not risk deleting whatever remaining energy it had left. The emerald hawk considered running for a moment before he realized the Wyvern wrapped it's tail in a circle around him. He was now alone.
"Well, I lived a nice life." Jet said hopelessly. He closed his eyes as the Wyvern teeth drew closer, but returned his gaze once short neigh reached his ears. "Epona?"
Miraculously enough, the young mare somehow managed to bypass all the guards and made it through the entrance to the courtyard. The Wyvern turned its head away from the green knight for a moment to snarl at Epona, allowing Jet to sneak through its legs. And by the time it discovered its prey was missing, Jet had already saddled himself upon the mare as she passed by. They made a quick trot to the other side of the courtyard and Jet swiftly pulled Caliburn out of the ground.
"I believe you owe someone an apology." Jet grinned.
"I know when to admit my faults." Caliburn said generously. "Epona, I have wronged you greatly. You are a magnificent house more worth than King Arthur's steed."
"I was talking about me!" Jet snapped.
"Silence your tongue, knave." Caliburn commanded.
Jet wanted to retort, but the deafening screech of the Wyvern returned his mind to the battle. The shadow beast kicked off the ground, beating its wings fast, and shot towards the green knight like an arrow. Epona proved to be the faster of the two creatures as she galloped to the side before the Wyvern had a chance to stick out its neck. With an opportunity present, Jet pulled at the mare's reins, telling her to run backwards into the beast. While the half-dragon turned its head left and right, searching for its prey, it remained unaware of the emerald hawk beneath its belly. As Epona cantered across the field, Jet thrusted Caliburn upwards, cutting into the monster's torso. The Wyvern screeched once more; it's voice ready to shatter the stone structure of the castle. A clean cut was forced through the shadow beast as Jet reached the other end. The Wyvern dropped on its side, weakly grunted from the pain.
"I think that oughta do it." Jet smirked victoriously.
"Aren't you going to deliver the final blow?" Caliburn questioned confused.
"What for?" Jet shrugged. "It's not like that thing's going to do anything."
But the moment those words breeched his beak, the Wyvern toppled on its back, stretching its head backward for the emerald hawk. Jet and Epona barely had time to recognize their attacker until the beast's jaws were on either side of them. But before they could snap shut, a powerful explosion erupted from the pinnacle of its skull. The Wyvern moaned for a few seconds, its jaw twitching, before fading into nonexistence. Turning their attention back to the castle, they spotted Gron standing at the top of the Black Knight's statue, tossing a small bomb in his hand.
"Mind lending a hand?" Gron requested.
"Sure thing, buddy."
The scene alters to the forest in the eastern region of Arthur's realm. After assisting Gron release the unjustified prisoners, Jet was allowed free passage out of Camelot City. But before leaving, he received a piece of useful information that claimed Gawain was somewhere in place called Stonehenge. But by the time they had left the city, Caliburn pointed out that the sun was slowly setting over the horizon, close to ending the second day. But at the speed Epona was racing, it would seem that they would arrive at Stonehenge before nightfall.
"It was close, but you actually did it." Caliburn complimented. "The first task has been completed."
"Heh! That was nothing." Jet boasted. "And when I beat Gawain, that'll be two tasks down."
"Do get cocky, knave." Caliburn said sternly.
Jet grimaced. He looked through the trees to see the sun gently falling through the bramble bushes. They were cutting it very close and Jet still had no idea what he was going to do about Nimue's final task. Being a thief, Jet had never really done anything to be charitable to others. And fighting the Dark Rulers was for his own selfish gain. But as mind worked furiously to resolve this matter, a faint sound entered his range of hearing. He gave a hard tug at Epona's reins, forcing them to a stop. While ignoring Caliburn's interrogation, the emerald hawk spotted the source of the sound. A small human girl was sitting on the edge of the dirt path, sobbing into his knees. Feeling sorry for the kid, Jet trotted up to the side of him.
"Hey, what's the matter?" Jet asked kindly. "Are you lost or something?"
"A great big dragon attacked my village." The child chocked through her tears. "It took my mommy and my daddy and everyone away."
"Knave, we don't have time for this." Caliburn said coldly. "We need to be moving." But to his irritancy, Jet refused to move. "Knave, are you listening! We have a serious matter to attend to. Knave? Knave!!"
But despite all of Caliburn's efforts, Jet did not move or speak, only watched. He could feel a pang in his heart as he stared down at the helpless child. The scene that occurred before him reminded Jet of the day his own father vanished.
---Flashback---
"Do you have to go, dad?" A seven year-old Jet asked innocently.
"It's very important, Jet." Accel said kindly, ruffling his son's head feathers. "Besides, I won't be gone long. After all, I am the fastest thing alive. I'll probably be back by tomorrow morning."
"You promise?" Jet asked.
"No guarantees." Accel said playfully. But this was clearly not the kind of answer Jet wanted to hear. Hoping to cheer his son up, Accel reached into his feathers and pulled out the Babylonian's most prized treasure: the Crystal Box. "Jet, can you do me a favor? I want you to hold on to this until I come back."
"But that belongs to the leader of the Babylon Rogues." Jet asked amazingly, hesitantly taking the treasure.
"And someday, you will take my place." Accel stated. "As leader, I expect you to be brave and strong in honor our ancestors who protected this treasure with their lives. Do you think you are strong enough for this responsibility?"
"I'm ready!" Jet smiled, saluting the elder hawk. "You can count on me, dad!"
"That's my boy." Accel chuckled.
After ruffling his son's feathers one last time, Accel took his Gear and raced across the horizon. But even as Jet continued to wait for his form returning, the elder hawk never appeared. And after seven years of waiting, Jet had realized the truth: he wasn't coming back.
---End Flashback---
Jet had unconsciously pulled out the Crystal Box, staring through the clear substance. He could see the girl through the clear surface for a moment before he could see his own reflection. This child had suffered as much as he had, but had not lost of seeing her family again. A spark of determination could be seen in the hawk's eyes as he stowed away the Crystal Box. He slowly leaned over the side of Epona's saddle, resting a hand on the child's head.
"So, you know where the dragon is, kid?" Jet asked politely.
"It's in the big cave." The child hiccupped, pointing to a distant peak. At the bottom of that mountain."
"Don't worry yourself, kid." Jet smirked confidently as he resettled on Epona. "I'm already on it."
"Hold it!" Caliburn exclaimed. "Don't tell me you're going to slay a dragon now!"
"Yeah, I am." Jet said sternly. "And there is nothing that's going to stop me."
"But what about the Lady's tasks?!" Caliburn screamed frantically. "We barely have enough time as it is! If we run off now, we will never make it in time for the third sunset! Are you willing to risk such a threat?!"
"At this point, I don't really care." Jet said, smirking lightly. "Besides, I am Jet the Hawk, leader of the Babylon Rogues. And as such, I play by my own rules." He unlatches Caliburn's scabbard and places it in Epona's saddle. "You'll do well to remember that."
"This is going to end badly." Caliburn muttered.
As with that, Jet pulled at Epona's reins and galloped towards the distant mountain.
A fleeting memory begins a heroic journey. Will Jet succeed in rescuing the captives? Will he be able to complete Nimue's tasks in time? And will be strong enough to survive the upcoming battles? Find out on the next chapter of Jet and the Black Knight!
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