Author Note

This was something I started writing years ago. I found some word files on an old USB stick and I decided to do a little editing before posting them. The story is a Fable 2 self insert which follows the plot of the game.

Hero Gothic II

Part 1

Wanderer Camp

It had been three months since I had found myself wandering the streets of Bowerstone, and had then been found by the blind seer who had brought me to this camp. It had taken time for me to accept that I was stuck in a magical land that was the setting for the Fable video games, but the evidence had been overwhelming.

During my time here I had let my hair grow out a little and that was the least of the changes I'd undergone. I could tell that I had gotten stronger, faster and more agile as the weeks had gone by. Thanks to hard work and some combat training I had lost some weight and I now had muscles.

Also my senses seemed to have improved. I could see things more clearly and even hear better, so when I heard the sound of soft footsteps I looked to my side to see that Theresa, the blind seer, was approaching me.

"Ah there you are and your faithful friend too" she said.

My 'faithful friend' was Oggy, a black and white coloured dog, who was as intelligent and as brave as any man.

"Good morning, Theresa" I greeted.

Theresa was the older sister of the Hero of Oakvale and she possessed prophetic powers due to her ancient bloodline. She was also centuries old, she could teleport, and most likely had other powers as well

The woman had found me wandering around Old Bowerstone, and had brought me to this camp so I would have a peaceful place in which to processes what had happened to me, and to come to terms with what I needed to do in order to save this world.

"I promised that when the time was right I would help you in your mission" the sightless woman said "And that day has come".

She hadn't explained much to me when we'd first met, but from what I understood Lucien, the big bad of the game Fable 2, had killed both Rose and Sparrow, which meant there was no Hero around to stop him. Apparently Theresa had been contacted by a powerful being who had offered her a new Hero, she had accepted and that had led me somehow being inside a video game. Not that this place was a video game. It was very real. Things I touched felt real, they smelt real and when I hurt myself the pain was very real.

"Today you will leave the safety of this camp and seek out Lucien, the journey will not be easy" she then said.

Having played the game I knew that she spoke the truth. I would face many dangers in the future, and have many strange adventures. I would make powerful allies and battle deadly foes. If I succeed in this very important task I would not only save the world I would be rewarded. However if I failed then most likely everyone might die or at least end up being enslaved by Lucien.

"I'm ready" I told the blind woman.

That part was completely true. I would never be ready for what lay ahead, but there was nothing else I could do here to prepare.

"There's a chest near your caravan" I was told "Your patron left a few things that might prove useful".

Theresa had told me little so far about the entity that had brought me here, and I doubted she knew that much about the being, but one of the few things she did know was the fact that me being here was suppose to be some sort of reward.

Given how much danger I was in it made sense that this patron of mine would give me some good equipment, as doing so would make this whole thing less of an impossible mission and more of an adventure.

"Meet me by the gates when you're ready" Theresa instructed while walking past me.

Without delay I ran down to the caravan. When I got to it I opened the chest to find a rather decent looking sword that had skull on the pommel, a revolver that looked like it had last been used by a cowboy, a health potion, a dog elixir, a dog collar, a pouch that was way bigger on the inside that it should be, and a sharp looking dagger.

I flung the sword over my shoulder and secured it in place using the belt that was attached the scabbard. Next I put the gun, which was in its holster on my belt. I then strapped the knife to my boots, as it was always good to have a hidden weapon. Everything else went inside the pouch and I also secured that to my belt.

"Here boy" I said to Oggy

When my dog came over to me I put on his new collar and he barked

"Gothic" a female voice said "Is it true that you're leaving?"

The person who had asked me that question was Laura, she was the eldest daughter of a family of travellers who lived in this camp. She was about my age, which was younger than I had used to be as I seemed to have regained some of my youth, and she was the closet thing I had to a friend.

Laura was also rather pretty, her dark skin was exotic, it didn't match any shade I'd seen on my world. She wore the traditional clothes of her people, which covered most of her body, yet somehow she managed to make them look a little sexy, and that most likely had something to with her impressive cleavage.

"Yeah I'm leaving now" I told the young woman.

She seemed upset, but she hid it well.

"I'll come back" I assured her "So don't let anyone use my caravan".

It made sense to make sure that I had somewhere to rest should I need it. Adventuring could be a tiring business.

"Sure no problem" Laura said as I walked past her towards where Theresa was waiting for me "And wish me luck".

I also knew that I might never return to this place, that was a little sad but there were dangers out that needed dealing with and I was the only one who could face them.

"Now come with me" Theresa said when I reached the closed gates.

Given the perils that were out there the gypsy like people here had put up walls and had also put up a big gate to help keep them safe.

"Open the gates!" a voice shouted out.

When the way was clear I began walking towards the bridge along with Theresa. She then stopped, turned to face me and then held out what I knew to be the Guild Seal.

"Take this" she instructed.

I didn't ask what it was but the blind seer explained anyway.

"It is a powerful artefact. All Heroes once carried one such as this, it will grant you access to places others cannot go, it will also allow me to talk to you when necessary" she said as we walked onto the bridge.

The idea of having voices in my head wasn't very appealing, as it was a sign of madness, however I knew the trade off would be worth it as I would need help during this quest.

"Now look down towards the lake, the seal will allow you to enter that tomb, and in its darkest depth lies the chamber of fate, when you come out again you will be stronger much stronger, now go" Theresa then said to me

Since there was now no reason to say I ran down towards the lake with my faithful hound, and got ready for a nice swim. The water was freezing cold, but I didn't let that stop me from making it across the lake.

Once out of the cold water I walked towards the tomb doors and I saw where I needed to put the seal on the door. So I then placed the seal on the doors and I heard a clank as the gears got to work. Soon the heavy metal doors swung open.

I looked down the dark tunnel and wondered how I was going to find my way as it was pitch black. Then once I was inside I could see torches all along the walls as they lit up.

"Don't be alarmed, I'm speaking to your threw the guilds seal" Theresa said as I reached large hole in the ground

As I'd expected having someone else's voice in my head did make me feel like a crazy person. However I did my best to focus on reality, assuming this was reality, and waited for my guide to speak.

"You'll need to jump into the hole to continue" the blind seer then told me.

I had a fear of heights, and somehow not being able to see the how long the drop was made it all worse. Still I knew that Heroes didn't tend to die just from a hard landing and after throwing a small stone into the whole I heard the water.

After taking a very deep breathe I jumped into the hole and landed in water with a loud splash. My feet soon touched the bottom, and when they did I kicked up and swam to the surface.

"At this rate I'll never get my clothes dry" I muttered.

Once I got to what passed for dry land around here I heard Oggy hit the water and seconds later he was shaking himself dry while standing next to me. Which resulted in me somehow getting wetter than before.

In the next part of this ruin more torches lit themselves and I saw a giant beetle rise from the ground.

"I hate bugs" I said while pulling my sword out of its scabbard.

Oggy began barking as the bug moved towards me as I and I bashed the creepy little thing with my sword when it got close enough.

Now that it was dead I expected to see a glowing orb of energy that I could collect however there was nothing and I didn't feel any stronger. I assumed that either I had to unlock my full powers before that happened or that I needed a lot of experience before I'd noticed any change.

In the next tunnel there were a total of ten beetles that attacked me and my dog, and we destroyed them without mercy as even normal sized bugs made me cringe.

Oggy and I then continued down the tunnels as even more huge beetle appeared and they ended up dead to. My dog tore a few apart with his mighty jaws and I stomped the rest.

Then we walked across the bride and down into another tunnel I could see more god damn beetles that crawling about the roof of this tunnel. Since I couldn't yet throw fireballs around or shoot lightening from my fingertips I had no choice but to shoot them.

The gun I had been given as part of my starting equipment was far more modern in design than what they had in this world even it was still out of date back home. The bullets in the gun were unlike what they used here the projectiles made here were lead balls. I would have to find a skilled weapon-smith to replicate the ammo for my weapon.

I shot one of the bugs with my pistol and as I hoped the rest of the beetles dropped the ground. From what point on it was easy for me to squash the rest of them.

Then I had to fight my way across some bridges. After crushing the life out what I hoped were the last of the overgrown incests I reached the other end of the room. There I encountered one of those switches you had to either whack, shoot or cast magic at.

"You'll have to shoot the orb to open the door" Theresa said to me.

That advice wasn't needed, but rather than comment on that I shot the ball and it flew towards me and turned blue. So I then hit the orb with my sword. It flew back and turned yellow which led to me shooting it again. When the doors opened I entered the next area.

"Beyond these broken doors lies the heroes guild" Theresa to me as I walked towards a large room that had light was flowing down towards another circle platform.

"For centuries this academy trained the supremely gifted sons and daughters of Albion, bound together by the blood that flowed through their veins, once worshipped by the people of Albion the great heroes became feared and hated, no man alive today remembers the night the guild burn and now it lies forgotten, but the heroes are not all gone, you are here and that same heroic blood flows through you" Theresa then informed me.

As I walked towards the light my guide spoke some more.

"Now step into the light and learn the true power of heroes"

I walked into the light and I felt what I could only label as a great power flow through me as I was lifted off the ground.

"Your blood is awakening you can now channel the experience you gain into the Hero disciplines of Strength, Skill, or Will" Theresa explained as I touched the ground again and dropped to my knees.

I could feel it, there weren't words to fully describe the sensation of having these abilities, and somehow I already knew how to make use of them. I was stronger now, and I could feel some sort of energy inside me. I would call it magic because that was what it had to be.

"Before you is a Cullis Gate, it reacts to the one who seeks to use it, you have not been able to use Will yet but the simple act of reaching this place has given you the experience you need to access that power. Use it to activate the Cullis Gate" Theresa said as I approached the gate

This wasn't a video game. There were no handy menus that I could use to select spells and talents, so I had to figure out how to use my new gifts. Thankfully that proved to be rather easy. There was an energy inside me, it was just a matter of expressing that power.

I'd played the game enough to know that the Will abilities a Hero started off with were Force Push, Fire Ball and Lightening Bolt. Anyone of those would be a good choice, but I could resit the idea of getting to shoot lighting from my hands.

Mentally I took hold of the energy within me and felt it run down my arm, as it did I focused and picture the power leaving me as lightening. When it left my hand it was I had wished. A bolt of lightening which activated the Cullis Gate just as planned.

"Well done you are now ready to begin your journey, use the Cullis Gate" Theresa advised.

My loyal dog and I stepped into the Gate, a moment later blue light engulfed us both.

(Line Break)

When the light faded away I could see that I was at the top of a rock that overlooked Bower Lake. Also I was totally surrounded by beetles.

"Use your new found ability to defeat the enemy" Theresa instructed me.

I did just that I blasted the bugs with lightening and those that got too close met their end thanks to my blade

"Make your way to Bowerstone" Theresa then said "I will met you there".

There was no glowing path to guide my way, and I could bring up a map either. but I did have a general idea of where I was going and there helpful signs on the road to Bowerstone. However that the path was blocked by a barricade and there several guards as well.

"Apologizes citizen the road to Bowerstone closed due to the bandit activity, I'm afraid as long as the bandit Thag is alive the road stays closed" one of the armed men explained.

I'd completely forgotten about this part. I had to deal with the bandit Thag before I could make to the town of Bowerstone.

"If you're in a hurry like you could always take care of Thag yourself" the guard suggested

Before he had even finished speaking I was heading down the path that I just knew the bandit camp was.

"So the road to Bowerstone is closed, it would seem Thag has been capturing traders on their way to the Bower Lake Camp, he is a danger to all and must be dealt with, with your new power you should be able to defeat Thag and his gang and continue your quest, no doubt they are at his camp near Bower Lake" Theresa said.

I saw no sign of a bandit anywhere even as I got close to the cage that held a couple of the Wanderers. I knew that were setting up an ambush, and since they would know the area a lot better than me there wasn't much point in me trying to take them out one at a time.

"Keep your wits about you it may be a trap" Theresa said.

Hearing that made me realise that the Guild Seal didn't allow her to read my mind. If she could then she would already know that I knew the bad guys were setting up an ambush

That was when bandit began to jump down from trees, jump out of bushes and charge of the ramshackle buildings so they could surrounded me.

"Well what have we hear? Another lost waif" one of them said.

I had no idea what a waif was, but I felt very insulted so I zapped the guy who had spoken and then drew my sword.

"What the hell was that?" one of them said as I took out my gun,

"He's one of those Will Users, kill him!" someone explained

The men who I did battle with seemed to move slowly. There moves were clumsy, as they hadn't had any real training near as I could tell, and the one of the crossbow only ended up killing a guy on his own team.

When the last bandit was dead my dog headed over to cabin, but I called him off. Which was good because a second later the door to the cabin came off its hinges and a large bandit with antlers on his head made a needlessly dramatic apperence.

"No one defies Thag the impatient, I'll gut you myself! I'll give you three second to get ready, no wait two! Oh sod it RAR!" he said while pulling out his sword

He came running at me, and I could have shot him, however I knew I only had one shot left so I stashed the gun and got ready for a proper fight.

I blocked his swing with my sword and despite the fact that I had super powers Thag was able to keep his sword in place. He even managed to force me back a couple of steps.

Which meant he was stronger than me, however this wasn't a big a problem as it might seem as while he was indeed mighty that didn't mean he was quick on his feet or that smart. I shifted my weight so that Thag ended up going past me and as he did I span on the spot so that I could slash him across the back. Amazingly he barely seemed to feel the attack, and I knew I had hurt him because my sword had fresh blood upon it.

Thag then charged me again. I once more used the fact that I was a lot faster than him to avoid the blow and I was also able to slice the bandit leader open again. This time the cut did hurt Thag and he looked as if he was getting a little sleeply.

I knew that it was time to end this so I sent some lightening at Thag, and while the electricity was making him have a sort of fit I went in for the kill. I charged forward and slashed the bandit leader's neck. That got a lot of blood cover my sword and a few moments later Thag was lying on the ground dying.

"Well done I'll tell the guard of Thag death" Theresa said once my work here was done.

Rather than bother to reply I went over to the poor people who were trapped in a cage.

"Where's the key?" I asked once they had begged to let them out.

I had to wait for them to realise that I was already willing to set them free before they answered.

"Thag keeps the key in the cabin it's in a chest" the locked up man told me

I went inside the cabin and got the key from the chest. Then I looted the place and found a few coins scattered around the place. It wasn't much, but every little mattered since I had no money.

When I left the hut I reached for my sword as I saw that a man was approaching. He was dressed like a bandit so I figured that I was going to have to kill him too.

"Don't even think about setting those slaves free" a bandit said.

I intended to do just that.

"Oh yeah and who going to stop me?" I said as I walked over to the cage.

Given that I'd killed a dozen men without even blinking I had no problem with ending this guy either. It shocked me how little I was upset about killing other human beings. Crushing bugs was one thing, something easily forgotten about, but ending of the lives of people should be bothering me. However it wasn't and I put it down to becoming a Hero. I'd undergone some major physical and mental changes.

"Look I don't want any trouble, how about I make it worth your while" the man said while holding up a bag of gold.

Clearly he was a slaver of some kind

"No don't listen to him!" the male gypsy said.

"Shut it!" the bad man yelled.

"You wouldn't sell us, would you?" the female gypsy asked.

"I said shut it, I'm not going to tell you again!" the crook said to the woman before he turned it to me

"Well what do you say?" he asked me

I walked over to the cage and unlocked it rather than answer the evil enslaving bloke.

"Were free, free to wonder the path with no master but the wind it's self like...like what the word I'm looking for Reg?" the man asked the woman.

"I don't know and it's Regina, well I'm going now thanks again" she said.

Reg wasn't exactly a sexy nickname for a woman.

"Yeah thanks" the man said as they both took off.

"I can't believe you turned down hard cash!" the bandit shouted as he stormed off like an overgrown toddler.

"They will never forget your kindness, meet me at the Bowerstone clock tower" Theresa said.

I intended to be there, but first I needed some money and there was guy slowly walking away from me that had a bag of cold. It was time to commit a crime: mugging.