Chapter 9:
Harold and Thomas navigated the dark depths of Camelot, listening closely for enemy footsteps. Every once in a while, they were forced to seek cover for whenever a mercenary passed by.
"Don't let them see your light," Harold whispered, while hiding behind a corner.
"I know," Thomas whispered, "This wouldn't be my first time sneaking about."
Harold sighed, "I've forgotten how much you've grown since I last saw you. Two years of adventuring have certainly changed you for the better – Made you more like your father."
Thomas was unsure of how to feel; though still enraged at Harold, he had finally uttered the words he had hoped to hear since returning to Hastings. Thomas wished it could have been under better circumstances.
"Thanks," was the most Thomas could say.
After walking for several more minutes, the duo arrived in a large hall line with stained-glass windows. Many of them were broken, but the few that remained intact depicted an angelic female figure with long, blonde hair and white dress.
"Looks like some sort of chapel," Thomas noted.
A statue of the same woman sat atop an altar at the end of the room. Even after centuries of wear, the face of the statue remained as pristine as the day it was carved. Thomas approached it for a better look.
"It's her," said Harold, "The fabled Lady of the Lake. It seems the people of Camelot really did worship her."
The statue's face was somehow both familiar and comforting to Thomas. He slowly raised his right hand to its cheek and cradled it.
"Crawley never believed her to be anything more than a figment of Arthur's imagination," Harold continued, "Yet, if the people of Camelot went through all of this trouble to pay their respects to her...Perhaps there really was more to her than meets the eye?"
Thomas snapped out of his daze as a piece of the statue's cheek broke off and fell to the floor, prompting him to pull his hand away from it.
"Whatever the case," he said, "There is no use in guessing now."
"You're right," Harold agreed, "Let us keep moving, then."
Eventually, Harold and Thomas wound up in the castle's foyer, on the second level. From the balcony they stood on, they were able to get a full view of the main hall below them. Much of the castle's roof and east wall had been crushed by rubble from the cave, sealing in the castle's main entrance. Some moonlight shone through small openings in the rubble.
At the rear of the room stood two staircases leading up to the second-level balcony. These two stairs met at the ground level. In between them, was a rather innocuous-looking wall.
"This is it," Harold whispered, "This is the foyer where the treasure is being held!"
"Sh," said Thomas, "There's someone here."
Thomas and Harold took cover behind a column and watched as three mercenaries and their Aval hostage approached the rear wall in between the two staircases. They shoved the young man to ground just a few feet away from it.
"You sure this is it?" asked one of the mercenaries.
"It don't look like much," said another.
"Yes!" cried the young knight, "I'm positive! N-Now, please let me go!"
"Not until you tell us how to open it!"
"I-I-I don't know! I..."
"Nevermind him!" said the third mercenary, "We have our own way!"
With that, the first mercenary drew a sword and plunged it into the Aval's back, killing him instantly.
"Oh dear God!" sobbed Harold.
"That is how the BoP reward loyalty," said Thomas.
"I know," sighed Harold, "I was a fool to think they'd actually give me immortality."
"Hold on," said Thomas, "What are they doing now?"
One of the mercenaries removed a small object from the burlap sack that rested on his back and rolled it near the rear wall. Upon careful inspection, Thomas realized it was a keg full of gunpowder.
"Those fools!" he snapped, "They're trying to construct a petard to blow open the back room! If that detonates in this cave, this whole castle will come crashing down!"
"We need to stop them," said Harold, "But how?"
"If we could just get them out of this room..."
Harold took a deep breath and sighed.
"Here goes nothing," he whispered.
"I'm sorry?" said Thomas.
Suddenly, Harold dropped his map near Thomas' feet, then ran down the balcony, waving his arms in the air in an attempt to get the mercenaries' attention.
"No!" snapped Thomas, "What are you doing?"
"HEY!" Harold cried, "Yes, you three! Just what do you think you're doing?"
"What the..." said one of the mercenaries, glancing upwards
"That's right!" Harold continued, "I'm up here! You'll never find the tablet that way, you morons!"
"Damnit!" growled the mercenary, "You two, go kill that man! I'll keep trying to get this door open."
The two mercenaries climbed the stairs in pursuit of Harold. Harold nodded to Thomas before bolting through a nearby door. The mercenaries did not see Thomas hiding and continued their pursuit of Harold until they were out of sight.
"God speed," Thomas whispered, picking up the map.
Thomas would need only to take care of the one mercenary left in the room before grabbing the tablet. Unfortunately, as he ran to the stairs leading down, he caught the man's attention.
"Hey, you!" the mercenary said, drawing a pistol, "Stop right there!"
The man fired, narrowly missing Thomas' head. However, the loud noise startled Thomas enough that he lost his footing and slipped, rolling the rest of the way down the stairs.
"Thought you could sneak up on me, eh?" said the mercenary, drawing a sword, "Not so clever now then, are we? Heheheh..."
Thomas, winded from his fall, lay helpless as the man prepared to strike the killing blow. Only, the man suddenly dropped dead with an arrow in his back. Upon glancing up, Thomas saw Christine enter alongside another Aval knight.
"Thought you could use some help," Christine laughed, as she helped Thomas to his feet.
"Am I glad to see you!" Thomas said.
"Where is the other man?" asked the knight, "The one who took our map?"
"You mean Harold?" said Thomas, "He ran outside to lead away a group of mercenaries. He may need assistance!"
"You two stay here," ordered the knight, "I will find him at once!"
With that, the knight ran up the stairs and out the same passage Harold went through earlier. As soon as they were in the clear, Thomas pulled out the map.
"Wait," said Christine, "You have the map?"
"Harold left it with me," Thomas explained, "I needed to get that knight out of the room, otherwise, he'd never let us leave with the tablet."
"I see."
"Also…I don't think he would have gone to rescue Harold otherwise."
"Of course. So, what does it say? Is the tablet in this room?"
"It's just behind that wall. We need to find the mechanism to activate it."
Christine nodded and immediately helped Thomas in searching the room for clues. After some time, they found an old cogwheel lodged into the side wall.
"This must be it," said Thomas, "Help me turn it."
The duo gripped the wheel as tightly as they could and slowly turned it. With that, the back wall began to rise.
"It's working!" said Christine.
Elsewhere, Harold continued to run from the mercenaries he had provoked earlier. He found himself atop a bridge crossing what was once the Camelot's expansive courtyard. Centuries without sunlight caused the lawn and all of the plants to die out, leaving it a cracked, barren wasteland. At about halfway across the bridge, Harold fell to his knees in exhaustion and began coughing violently.
"I think I've lost them," he muttered, wiping the blood from his chin, "I…Oh God, no!"
At the opposite end of the bridge, Fenrir appeared alongside a group of about eight mercenaries. Harold immediately pushed himself up off the ground and attempted to run back, but some of the mercenaries spotted him and fired their rifles. Half of the shots missed, but two struck Harold from behind; one in the shoulder, and another in the ribs.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Harold spread his arms out and fell face-first to the ground. The only sounds he could process were the slow marching of the men behind him, and his own pained wheezing. As a silhouette appeared above him, Harold closed his eyes and accepted his fate, though the figure did not harm him. Instead, he offered his hand.
"Get up," said a voice, "Quickly!"
Harold looked up and got a good look at the face of an Aval knight, the very same one that had accompanied Christine into Camelot. He helped Harold back to his feet before drawing his lance.
"I killed your pursuers," he said, "Head back the way you came. Your friends are waiting for you in the foyer."
"B-But," began Harold.
"I'll hold these men off," said the knight, "Hurry up and go!"
While clutching his aching chest, Harold limped his way back to the foyer. As he glanced back, he saw the Aval knight charge toward the oncoming mercenaries, succeeding in striking down two of them. However, despite his valiant effort, he was quickly overrun and slaughtered. Harold switched his focus back on the path ahead.
"We did it," said Thomas, "It's open!"
Thomas and Christine approached the rear wall, which had now been lifted, revealing a secret chamber. The room was dark, and filled with cobwebs. The duo raised their lanterns, revealing several treasures lining the walls of the room, one of which was a rotted, wooden table leaning against the wall.
"I don't believe it," said Thomas, rubbing his hand along the surface, "This is it; the actual round table used by Arthur and his knights. I never believed I'd actually see it for myself."
"This whole chamber is incredible," noted Christine, "The knights must have hidden all of their belongings before abandoning the castle. Who knows how much history is in here!"
After looking around for a moment, Thomas found the tablet sitting atop a small desk, surrounded by shields and spears.
"This must be it," said Thomas, picking it up, "The second piece of the puzzle."
"Good," said Christine, "Now we can…"
Suddenly, the duo heard a door slamming, followed by Harold's voice.
"Thomas!" he cried, "Thomaaas!"
Thomas and Christine ran outside of the chamber and found the injured Harold stumbling down the staircase. Thomas ran up to help his old mentor. As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Harold collapsed and coughed up more blood.
"You'll be alright, sir," said Thomas, "We'll get you help once we…"
"No you won't," Harold struggled to speak, "I can't go on like this, I will only slow you down!"
"But Harold…"
"Thomas, listen to me. The Dane is here, along with about half a dozen mercenaries, and they are encroaching on this location. I can stay here and slow them down."
"If you do that, you will die!"
"Look at me, Thomas! I'm going to die no matter what I do…But thanks to you, I got to experience more in one short week than I did in my entire life. I got to see Camelot with my own eyes…And, perhaps most important of all, I finally got to say goodbye to you."
Thomas glanced down in sadness. He was suddenly interrupted by the sound of mercenaries violently pounding on the door that Harold had shut behind him. It was only a matter of seconds before they would succeed in breaking it down.
"I will ignite that keg," Harold continued, "It will bring this entire cave down, killing me and any other mercenary still trapped inside the castle. But, as long as you and Christine have that map, you can still find your way out in time."
"There has to be a better way," Thomas pleaded, "I can't just…"
"You know there isn't! Besides, I don't see a more fitting death than to go out with Camelot itself."
Thomas and Christine chuckled.
"Alright sir," said Thomas, "If you insist."
With that, Thomas helped Harold back to his feet and led him into the chamber where they had found the tablet. After sitting him down, they rolled the gunpowder keg in with him and left him a lantern.
"Thomas," said Harold, as Thomas turned to leave.
"Yes?" said Thomas.
"I am truly sorry…For everything. You know I never intended to hurt you."
"I know, sir. And I'm sorry for all that I said to you earlier."
"You were right. I will not die alone."
With that, Harold smiled to Thomas one last time as he and Christine fled.
"Thomas," began Christine, "What was Harold talking about? What exactly is he sorry for?"
"Er," said Thomas, "Just some personal matter between us. It's in the past now."
Moments after Christine and Thomas left, Fenrir and his entourage of mercenaries broke the door down and entered the foyer, making their way down the stairs to the secret chamber at the back end of the room.
"I think there's someone inside," said a mercenary.
Fenrir scowled and commanded his men to investigate. There, they spotted Harold sitting on the floor next to the keg.
"I had liefer to die with honour than to live with shame," he quoted, "And if it were possible for me to die an hundred times, I had liefer to die oft than yield me to thee…"
As the mercenaries glanced downward, they noticed the broken lantern on the ground and the flames rising around the keg.
"Jesus Christ!" snapped one of the mercenaries, "Get out! Get out, now!"
A powerful explosion rocked the foyer, knocking Fenrir and his men down. An enormous fissure appeared in the rear wall and made its way up to the ceiling, causing tons of rubble to come crashing down. Fenrir, who was furthest away from the explosion, recovered first and fled the foyer; the other men were not as fortunate and were crushed to death.
Thomas and Christine felt the explosion as well, even from where they were. As they continued their search for the exit, they knew there was little time to waste now that the cave was collapsing. Pieces of rubble fell all around them, and the floor broke apart as the castle began to sink deeper and deeper into the earth.
"We must head for higher ground!" shouted Thomas, "Hurry!"
Using the map for guidance, the duo retraced their steps to the cave entrance, but remained unsure if they would make it in time…
Elsewhere, neither Edge Master nor Alura showed any sign of relenting.
"RAAAGH!" she cried, slamming her ringblade down several more times, "Why...Won't...You...Die?"
Edge Master successfully blocked each blow, and then pressed his staff up against her ringblade.
"You know," Alura chuckled, "You and I, we are not so different."
Edge Master grunted and pushed Alura back. The two then circled each other slowly.
"You believe yourself morally superior to me," she continued, "And to the dozens of Birds you've killed over the last century, but your life is just as meaningless as theirs; your soul, just as hollow."
Edge Master smirked, "You consider my life shallow?"
"Thanks to your immortality, everyone you've ever called a lover or a friend is long dead. You've no one left to fight for, to live for. Yet, you persist. Why? Because, like me, you revel in death and chaos, ja? Oh, you poor man, stop deluding yourself and admit it!"
"I am nothing like you, Alura. My immortal life has more purpose and meaning than someone like you could ever understand. And part of that purpose is to rid this world of scum like you..."
As Edge Master spoke, Alura's raven circled overhead. It dove for Edge Master, much the same way it had done to Geweldich earlier.
"And that," he continued, "Is exactly what I will do...Until the end of time!"
Sensing the raven's approach, Edge Master swung his staff behind him, striking the bird. Alura watched in horror as her beloved pet fell lifeless to the ground.
"NOOOO!" she screamed.
Blinded by rage, Alura charged Edge Master once more. The old man stepped back and slammed his staff down, crushing her guard. As Alura stumbled backwards, he shoved his staff through her ringblade and flicked it from her hands. Now weaponless, Alura was unable to block Edge Master's axe-kick that knocked her out cold.
"Stay down," he warned, placing the tip of his staff against her throat.
Just then, two Aval knights appeared behind him.
"Reinforcements are arriving," said one of them, "The mercenaries are starting to retreat."
"We'll take care of her," said the other, "You may head for Camelot. We'll send some men to guide you down."
Edge Master nodded and ran for the buried castle. However, before he even reached the hill, he began to feel the ground quaking beneath him. The large mound that housed the upper section of Camelot appeared to be collapsing on itself.
"Thomas!" he cried, "Christine!"
Despite the danger, Edge Master entered the cave and saw Thomas and Christine in the distance making their escape through the steep and narrow tunnel. The shaking had caused the suspended lanterns to fall and shatter, darkening the interior.
"Quickly!" urged Edge Master, "Follow the sound of my voice!"
Christine made it first with Edge Master grabbing her by the hand and escorting her out. Before Thomas could reach the exit, the ground gave way beneath him, causing him to fall.
"NO!" cried Christine.
Edge Master threw himself to the ground and grabbed Thomas by the forearm.
"I got you," he said, "Just hang on!"
After pulling Thomas out of the chasm, Edge Master led him outside of the cave. There was but a moment to spare as tons of collapsing rubble sealed off the cave entrance. Now safely outside, the trio ran far from the giant hill, which sank rapidly beneath the earth. With no way in or out, Camelot was now lost forever.