Episode 26: Camelot Pt. 3
After having an encounter with the black shuck again, Katie finally caught up with the rest of her team; trailing behind them. At that moment she continued to be lost in thought about the malicious dog. Katie felt like her head was going to explode with all this thinking she was doing. So she took a deep breath and returned her attention back to their primary mission.
Jocelyn glanced over and noticed that her best friend had fallen behind. Even with Katie`s face concealed behind her visor, she knew that something was on her friends mind, but decided not to pry. Jocelyn knew that Katie would come to her if there was a problem, right now they had to keep their focus on finding Erebeth and Abanor.
The paladins followed Mason as he led them through the grand hall. The wizard used his staff to light up the darkness, treading carefully with weapons drawn. Looking around, they didn't seem to find anything out of the ordinary, just one big empty hall. They continued to move forward until their path came to a stop at another door. This door was twice as big as the previous one, but it didn't seem to be locked in any way.
Hoping that on the other side were Erebeth and Abanor, Mason walked up to it, "Alright everyone prepare yourselves." He said, pushing the door wide open and revealing what lied beyond.
Once they entered through the second door, they all stood in surprise at what was going on. Erebeth and Abanor were currently fending off a Questing Beast, the two subordinates struggling to keep it at bay. The mythical monster barked viciously at the two, hoping to scare them off but they stood their ground. The beast did the same, pacing back and forth while glaring at the two viciously.
Theo gave out an exasperated sigh and raised his hands in the air, "Just our luck. There just had to be a Questing Beast here."
"Isn't that the thing you fought off to get the Lute?" Oli asked.
He nodded, "Yeah, which can only mean on thing that-"
"The Questing Beast is guarding something." Mason interrupted.
"Guarding what exactly?" Trevor wondered.
Peter then pointed out at the area near the beast, "Perhaps it is protecting that over there."
Everyone looked to where the Questing Beast stood, behind the monster just a couple of feet away, was a peculiar item. Sitting on top of a pedestal, looked to be some kind of urn. The urn itself didn't seem like anything special, but whatever was inside had to be important if a Questing Beast was protecting it.
"Why would it be protecting an urn?" Sasha asked, confused.
Jocelyn looked on, "Who knows, but that must be what Erebeth is after so desperately."
"Well now we have a bigger problem with the Questing Beast thrown into the mix. Theo, you fought this thing once. How do we beat it?" Trevor asked, turning to him.
The yellow paladin summoned the lute, "I used the lute to calm the one last time, but Erebeth ended up defeating it."
Trevor nodded, "Got it. Looks like it will be tricky, but I think I have an idea."
"What is it?" His sister asked.
"Theo was alone last time, but now we`re here with him. So he and Mason will go and use the lute to try and calm the Questing Beast. Meanwhile, the rest of us will distract Erebeth and Abanor."
Mason nodded, "Sounds like a good plan as any."
Theo agreed and stepped forward, "Then let`s get this show on the road!" The yellow paladin cried out leading the charge towards the fight.
Erebeth and Abanor, including the Questing Beast were all surprised at the sudden appearance of the gang. Trevor, Jocelyn, and Katie attacked Erebeth while Sasha, Oli, and Peter took on Abanor. Only a few feet away were the questing beast stood guard; did Mason and Theo go after it.
The yellow paladin and the wizard slowly approached the beast, raising their hands in the air to show that they weren't going to harm it. The Questing Beast backed up defensively; hissing at the two. It did not seem too happy that there were more intruder's invading its territory.
Theo tried to reassure the beast that he wasn't a threat, "Easy does it there. We`re not going to hurt you, we just want to be friends. Isn't that right Mason?"
"Yes, but I`m not sure that it wants to be friends with us."
"Nah, just look I think it`s starting to warm up to us." Theo said as he slowly reached his hand out towards the beast.
The questing beast didn't appreciate what Theo was doing at all and snapped at him with its fangs. The yellow paladin pulled back his hand quickly and looked at Mason, "Yeah, maybe we should just use the lute."
"We probably should have started with that." He replied.
Theo began to play a soothing tune with the lute, hoping that it will catch the beasts' attention. The questing beast perked up and listened carefully as Theo played the lute.
"Alright, I got its attention. Go check out the urn Mason." Theo said, not letting up as he played the instrument.
Mason nodded and made his way past the questing beast, arriving at the pedestal. Although, before he could reach out for the urn he was shocked by an invisible barrier that threw him back. The trap snapped the questing out of his trance and hissed at the wizard violently. Theo instantly went after Mason as he pulled him out of the way just before the beast could strike at him.
"What was that?" Theo asked.
"It seems that there is a repelling barrier that I could not detect. Looks like it's an extra measure at protecting the urn."
"So what do we do now?" Theo asked as he kept his gaze on the questing beast.
Mason looked towards the others, "We`re going to have to figure out something soon."
Only a couple feet away were Erebeth and Abanor trying to keep the paladins at bay. Abanor did his job at keeping Sasha, Peter, and Oli on their toes, but Erebeth proved to be the trickier one. The witch was doing her best to get away from Trevor, Katie, and Jocelyn; using a flurry of strikes to keep them at a distance.
Trevor jumped and did a front flip through the air, bring his sword down on her. Erebeth used her staff to block his attack, she then kicked him back and noticed that she was able to use her magic. The dark witch created an instant clone of herself, which she then sent directly at Trevor. Katie came to his defense as she began to take on the imposter, this gave Erebeth the chance to head for the urn.
"Theo! Mason! Watch out!" Jocelyn shouted.
Mason instantly created a barrier to block the witch`s path. Erebeth smirked as she ignited the tip of her staff with fire, "It seems that whatever was interfering with my magic earlier can't hold me back anymore." She thought.
With Erebeth able to use her magic again, she struck Mason`s barrier with great force and broke through. Camelot had enhanced his magic, but it also enhanced hers as well; making her more powerful than she already was. Erebeth grinned as she knocked Mason and Theo back, in one smooth motion she spun around and struck the questing beast. The beast became instantly seared out of existence by Erebeth`s fire.
She then moved to break the barrier surrounding the urn. Without much effort the barrier broke and Erebeth grabbed a hold of the urn, "At last I have found you."
The yellow paladin rushed at her with his Morningstar, but Erebeth simply used her staff to summon a gust of wind and blow him away. She cackled, "Nice try, but I am stronger while in this land. With the urn now in my possession, I don't have to fight you paladins anymore."
Erebeth dispelled her clone as she made her way towards Abanor. Theo, Mason and the other all regrouped around Trevor, ready to take on Erebeth again.
"What the hell do you want with that urn Erebeth!?" Trevor exclaimed.
She scoffed, "That is none of your concern. Just know that this urn contains your demise."
"If that is the case then use it already!" Abanor demanded.
"Shut it you bumbling Ox! Now is not the time, at least not yet."
Katie stomped in front of the group, "Whatever it is that is inside of that urn we will gladly take it from your hands! You have one chance Erebeth!"
Erebeth cackled, "Oh I don't think so child. I came all this way and you simply think I`m going to just hand it back to you."
"Not unless you want to get hurt." Katie threatened.
"Hmm, I believe you have that backwards!" Erebeth shouted, raising her staff.
The dark witch did not hesitate and fired a stream of lightning at Katie. In that moment, Trevor also did not hesitate, putting himself in front of his sister and taking the blow directly. With Camelot enhancing the witch's powers, the bolt of lightning was much more powerful. Trevor flew back from the shot with great force, flying past his sister and slamming onto the wall. The red paladin collapsed onto the floor as he was knocked unconscious, his armor dispelling in the process.
"Trevor!" His sister cried out, running to his aid.
Everyone also ran behind Katie to try and help, but they gasped when they saw Trevor. The attack left him with a wound on his abdomen, which started bleeding profusely.
Katie de-morphed and took him in her arms, "Trevor! Can you hear me? Come on little bro, you have to stay awake." She pleaded as her eyes began to swell with tears.
Jocelyn de-morphed as well while kneeling down, stunned at the state her boyfriend was in. She looked at Katie and then back to him, taking his hand with hers. Jocelyn then looked at his wound and then at Mason, "Mason, do you think you can heal Trevor? Is that something you can do?" She asked.
Mason took a second to examine Trevor`s wound, "I-I don't specifically excel at healing, but I`ll do everything that I can."
"Please Mason do it!" Katie exclaimed.
He nodded, "It looks like his armor took most of the hit, but the attack still penetrated through."
"Can you save him?" Jocelyn asked, scared.
Mason looked at her with a worried expression, "I hope so." He then placed his hands over Trevor`s wound and began to chant an incantation.
From across the room Erebeth and Abanor laughed menacingly at the sight of the paladins. Erebeth pointed her staff at them, "Look at you pathetic paladins trying to save your leader. Why even try? Soon the same thing will befall you all."
Jocelyn stood up furiously, making her way to the front of the group and faced the evil witch, "Just shut the hell up already! I am so tired of you Erebeth and everything you have done! You hurting Trevor is the last straw!" She claimed.
The witch simply grinned, "You dare speak to me that way child!? I say that I am doing you all a favor, the red paladin has been a thorn in our side for too long."
Jocelyn balled her fist in anger, "Now you`re going to get it!"
"We shall see about that!" She barked back, preparing to launch another attack.
"Brace yourselves guys." Peter stated.
Katie watched as her friends prepared themselves to fight off Erebeth. Hoping that it would buy more time for Mason to heal Trevor. She thought back to when she saw the black shuck earlier and wondered if what was happening to her brother was part of the omen. More tears began to form as she shook the thought out of her mind and returned her attention to Trevor. Katie hoped that somehow she would be wrong.
"You`re going to be alright, little brother." She whispered to him.
Erebeth then shot off another powerful bolt of lightning at the paladins, before they were able to react; something strange occurred before them.
To everyone's surprise, an orb of white light appeared before them and conjured up a shield. The magical shield deflected the lightning away from the paladins. The orb of white light then proceeded to return the favor with an attack of its own. The strange anomaly shot out its own stream of lightning against the two evil beings, not letting up on its attack.
Erebeth and Abanor did their best to deflect the continuous attack of lightning bolts, surprised at the strange appearance, "What is the meaning of this Erebeth?" Abanor asked as he deflected another bolt with his axe.
"It seems something or someone is interfering. Not only that, but it is powerful." She explained, creating her own shield, "It does not matter, we got what we came for. It`s time to leave this pathetic place." The witch then disappeared in the cover of black smoke along with Abanor.
The white orb of light ceased its attack, noticing that Erebeth and Abanor did escape. Everyone was stunned at the sight of what happened, nobody knew what this thing was. Except for the fact that it just saved them.
"What in the world is that?" Sasha asked.
"Whatever it is, it helped us just now." Jocelyn replied.
Oli patted his helmet, "Maybe it's another fairy?"
Jocelyn shook her head, "I don't think so. Who are you?"
The strange orb made an intangible sound, as it whizzed over to where Trevor lay. Mason looked at the anomaly as he continued to chant his incantation. Katie held her brother close, but was amazed at what happened next.
The orb hovered over Trevor`s wound and instantly covered it in a flash of white light. To everyone`s surprise, the orb healed Trevor`s injury and made it looked like nothing ever happened. Trevor then opened his eyes and quickly sat up, placing a hand onto his head.
"Trevor!" Jocelyn yelled, kneeling down and kissing him.
"What the hell happened?" He asked.
"Erebeth`s attack knocked you unconsciousness and you started bleeding out. You scared me half to death." Katie explained, wiping her tears away.
Trevor held his side, "Holy crap, is that why my side hurts?"
"Don't worry you`re all healed up now. Thanks to this mysterious being." Mason added.
Katie stood up and walked towards the orb, "Thank you for saving my brother, but what are you?" She asked.
Again the orb made an intangible sound and started to take shape. Everyone was astonished at how the orb of light began to take the form of a man, the bright light shined blindly. In the place of the orb now stood an elder man with a long grey beard. He had shoulder length grey hair and kind eyes. Withered dark blue robes covered him from neck to toe and he carried a beautifully crafted staff.
The mysterious elder smiled as he spoke to the bewildered group, "Hello, I hope I didn't scare any of you. I should have interfered sooner before it got out of hand." He said in a somewhat scratchy tone.
"What do you mean? Have you been watching us?" Katie asked.
"I was watching Erebeth and Abanor. It was a surprise when you paladins showed up as well." He explained.
"Guess we`re pretty famous in Camelot." Theo commented.
The elder chuckled, "But of course! I was the one that created your powers after all."
Everyone gasped in surprise at what the elder just said. Mason quickly stood from his position and was the first to speak up, "I don't believe it….Merlin?"
Merlin nodded, "It is I. Glad to meet you all."
All the paladins couldn't believe that the man who stood before them was the one and only Merlin. Even Trevor was flabbergasted at the sight of the wizard, "Unbelievable." He commented."
Katie spoke up, "To think that we are speaking to the most powerful wizard of all time. How? Have you been alive this whole time?"
The ancient wizard gave a slight chuckle and began to pace around, "No, I perished many centuries ago. Once the war with Gremdon was over, I sealed Camelot away at the request of King Arthur. Before I passed I left behind a part of my essence in order to guard the castle, just in case anything like this ever occurred."
"Incredible, I don't have any words, but we have so many questions to ask you. Especially me." Mason said.
Merlin walked up to the young wizard, "I know, but there is little time now that I am in this form. Ask only the most important questions."
"Alright I got one. Why did Erebeth and Abanor go through all the trouble to find this place just to steal an urn?" Trevor asked."
The ancient wizard sighed, "I never would have thought anyone would be able to discover this land. King Arthur was the one who brought the urn to me and pleaded that I seal it away along with this place. It was the only way to keep England safe from future harm." Everyone listened intently as Merlin continued, "I did exactly what my king commanded and hid this place away, leaving only one entrance just in case he needed to come here."
"The portal." Jocelyn said.
"Yes. King Arthur then proceeded to ensure that his descendants would hide the portal and keep it protected. He disappeared after that, no one ever saw him again."
"And the urn?" Mason asked.
Merlin ran a hand through his beard, "The urn, it contains the ashes of….." He began to say, but fell silent.
"The ashes of whom?" Peter asked.
Merlin gave a deep sigh, "The ashes of Mordred."
Jocelyn, Katie, Peter, and Mason were the only ones surprised at the answer. The four of them looked to each other in bewilderment, not saying a word. Theo, Trevor, Oli, and Sasha stood confused as to why the others looked so surprised at what Merlin said.
"Okay, can someone fill us non-Arthurian experts in on what's going on?" Trevor asked.
"Yeah, who is this Mordred?" Sasha added.
Mason was the first to speak up, "Mordred, he was one of the knights who served on the round table. A good friend of King Arthur; though most experts say that he was his illegitimate son, but we don't really know."
"He also betrayed King Arthur and they had a long final battle against each other, dubbed the Battle of Camlann." Peter explained.
Jocelyn agreed, "It is believed that is where Mordred was defeated and where King Arthur was fatally wounded. My dad believes that it all happened here in Camelot."
Katie crossed her arms, "Well looks like King Arthur did survive and after defeating Mordred he brought him to Merlin and sealed him away."
"Why though?" Mason asked, facing Merlin, "Why was Mordred sealed away?"
"It all began after I created the virtue stones. Mordred was unhappy that King Arthur did not choose him to become a paladin that is when he betrayed the round table." The old wizard explained.
"That`s when he fought King Arthur?" Trevor asked.
Merlin shook his head, "Not quite. You see, Mordred wanted power and he believed that by becoming a paladin he could acquire that power. Unfortunately, King Arthur did not find him worthy of being chosen by the virtue stone and after discovering that he left. He sought power elsewhere."
"I`m going to take a wild guess here and say that he joined sides with Lord Gremdon?" Katie assumed.
"That is correct. After joining his army, Mordred somehow gained incredible power. I don't know how, but he became fully embraced by the darkness and was able to fend off your predecessors."
"So that is how we almost lost the war against Lord Gremdon." Mason added.
"Yes and I did everything within my power to enhance the paladins own powers, but Mordred seemed to get stronger every time. In the end, King Arthur was able to defeat him somehow and that's how he ended up here; sealed away for centuries."
All the paladins looked at each, but didn't say a word. They all still tried to grasp the newly revealed information to them and what to do about it. Mordred seemed like a dangerous individual and now his ashes were in the hands of Erebeth. Knowing her, she had some sort of plan up her sleeve to use against all of them.
"So what now?" Oli asked, breaking the silence.
"Easy, we go after Erebeth and Abanor, retrieve the urn and seal it again to prevent them from getting back. Right Trevor?" Theo asked.
He gave a sigh, "I`m not sure it's that easy. Erebeth went through a lot of trouble just to get here and get Mordred`s ashes. The real question is what is she planning to do with his ashes?"
"I have a feeling that she will more than likely want to bring him back to life." Mason chimed in.
"I hate to say it, but that seems like the most likely outcome." Jocelyn agreed.
Merlin also agreed, "I`m afraid you are right. That is the highest possibility, bringing back Mordred will be a huge asset to Lord Gremdon and his fight against all of you."
Katie puffed up her chest and gave a proud remark, "Well looks like we`re just going to fight ten times as hard now. There`s no way that we are going to let Erebeth bring Mordred back, so let`s get to it! Who`s with me!"
"You got me all fired up Katie! Let`s go take that bloody witch down!" Theo exclaimed.
Trevor smirked, "I`m with you there sis, but how about we take it one step at a time? Our main priority now is to go after Erebeth and Abanor. Thanks for all the information Merlin, but I think we`ve spent too much time here already."
The old wizard smiled, "Yes, I have kept you all here for far too long. My time is up too, my essence will soon fade from here."
Mason frowned, "I suppose I won't be able to ask you anymore questions, I have so many."
Merlin walked up to his fellow wizard and put a hand on his shoulder, "I`m glad to know that my magic lives on within you and your family."
"Wait, how do you know about my family?" Mason blinked in confusion.
"I can sense my spirit of magic within you Mason. You are a fine wizard and a great mentor to these young paladins. Continue what you are doing here and keep the spirit of my magic alive."
The young wizard smiled and bowed, "I will not let you down."
Merlin returned the smile, "Good, now before you and the paladins depart I have a gift for you all. But first, hold out your hands Mason."
Mason did as instructed and held out his hands. The older wizard then waved his hand over Mason`s and manifested an ancient tome. The large book contained the same insignia as the paladins, along with some sort of lock attached to it.
"That tome contains all my knowledge and events that transpired throughout my life. It is yours now Mason, it will help you in the fight against Gremdon." Merlin explained.
The young wizard was stunned, "I-I don't know what to say, but I`m grateful to you. Thank you Merlin."
He smiled, "Now for the next gift. This will drain the last of my power, but you paladins deserve it and may it suit you well just like it did with your predecessors."
Merlin then waved his staff and used up the last of his powers to engulf the paladins in a glorious light. From within the light the paladins emerged fully donned in their armor with a twist added to it. They were now clad out in full on armor from head to toe, replacing the parts covered in chainmail only. The crest on top of their helmets stuck out more, a robe wrapped around their waist now came down; fashioned in different Arthurian designs. They also carried shields now that sported their coat of arms along with their main weapon.
Each of them took a look at their new armor and felt a surge of power coursing through them. Trevor was the first speak up, "What is this? I feel a lot stronger."
"That is your new form of armor. You may call upon this new power whenever you deem necessary, I believe Sir Galahad took to calling it their Supreme Paladin form." Merlin explained.
"Incredible, to think we had access to this kind of power." Jocelyn commented.
Sasha twirled around, "I know and it doesn't even feel like this new armor is wearing us down. I feel so agile."
"Thank you Merlin. You`ve helped us out a greatly." Trevor said.
"The pleasure is all mine Sir Trevor. Now it is time for me to go and for you all as well." Merlin explained as his essence began to fade away. The ancient wizard gave one last smile as he waved the paladins and Mason goodbye, fading out into the air.
Trevor and the others powered down as they waved at the last bits of Merlin`s essence. They all gathered around as Mason stuffed the tome away with his magic, "Alright everyone looks like our job is done here."
"Yeah, now it's time to go after Erebeth and Abanor." Katie declared.
Her brother nodded, "Then let's not waste any more time. They probably left Camelot already, let's go before they get away."
Everyone nodded in agreement and began to rush out of the castle. They had learned a lot from Merlin, the discovery of Mordred`s ashes and the truth behind him was a new problem that could arise if they let Erebeth revive him. They would have to hurry if they had any chance to stop that from happening, but thanks to their newfound powers they might just be able too.
A/N: Whew! Sorry about taking so long to update everyone. I fell behind on many important thing so I had to catch up with everything first. Anyways hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter! I think this beats out on of the other chapters for longest chapter, but its my favorite one so far! Next chapter will be up soon and its only going to get better from her (I hope) Until the next one!