Disclaimer: I don't own Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, the Black Arrow, or anybody else you recognise. The plot is mine, and that's it.
Feedback: Is Skinner slightly annoying? Of COURSE I want some!
AN: Picture Robin Hood, Little John and Maid Marian as being portrayed by the actors who played them in 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'- in other words, Robin is Kevin Costner, Marian is Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Little John is Nick Brimble. However, I am portraying them as they were from the book by Roger Lancelyn Green, and not as they were in 'Prince of Thieves', so don't be surprised by any contradictions there may be.
queerquail: Glad you thought it was creepy; I was trying my best for that kind of atmosphere. Anyway, hope this chapter meets your expectations.
Sean Malloy-1: This soon enough for you?
Stallion: As always, I do what I can
Andrew: I tried my best with the demons, and sorry about the death scene, but I thought it worked well enough.
The Fellowship of Extraordinary Men
Outside a large castle, looking like it could withstand several sieges and keep standing, a horse was riding for the door, a tall knight riding on its back. The knight's armour was a simple grey, but it gleamed so brightly in the sunlight that it almost seemed to be silver.
Stopping the horse outside the castle, the knight got off it and, looking up at the tower near the gate, he called out, "Hello!"
After a few seconds of waiting, a large figure appeared at the top of the tower. It was hard to be certain of height and appearance from so far away, but the man appeared to be almost seven feet tall, with a determined- looking face and a thick beard and hair.
"Yes?" he asked, looking down at the knight. "Who are you?"
"My name is Sir Edward," the knight replied. "I come from King Richard, with an urgent message for Robert Fitzooth, Earl of Huntingdon. May I come in?"
"You may," the tall man replied. "Give me but a couple of minutes, and the door shall be opened."
The man's figure vanished from the tower, and Sir Edward stood still, waiting for something to happen. Eventually, the door was opened, and Sir Edward walked into the castle. He nodded his thanks to the tall man, and the two of them walked into Locksley Hall.
After going through a couple of halls and doors, Sir Edward and the tall man arrived in the main room of Locksley Hall, where two figures were sitting beside the fireplace.
One of them was a tall man of around thirty-five years of age, with a determined expression on his face and in his eyes, and he looked to be in very good physical health as well. A longbow and a quiver full of arrows were lying beside him on the seat, and a sword hung lazily from his side.
The second figure was a beautiful woman, with smooth skin that provided a vivid contrast to her dark red curls. Her lips were full and soft, and her eyes were a brilliant brown colour, and she, too, looked like she would perform better in a fight than her living conditions would suggest, and had a longbow and quiver near her.
Sir Edward was prepared to guess that the two of them had recently come in from a hunting trip or shooting practice of some kind, and was briefly relieved to see that the man still practiced his shooting whenever he could; after two years, a man could loose his edge if he didn't practice now and again.
Upon hearing the door open, the man got up from his seat and looked towards the two men.
"Who is this man, Little John?" he asked the tall man, looking curiously at Sir Edward.
"He says he is here from King Richard, with an urgent message for you," Little John said.
"Really?" the man said, turning to face Sir Edward. "What is the message?"
"It is thus, Robert of Locksley..." Sir Edward said, before he suddenly stopped talking. "I shall assume that you are indeed Robert of Locksley, he who was once known as Robin Hood?"
"I am," the man replied, as he indicated the woman. "and this is my wife, Marian Fitzooth. Come, sit down and tell me what it is that Richard wants of me."
"Thank you," Sir Edward replied, as he and Little John sat down alongside Robin and Marian. "England is in peril, Earl Robert."
Robert smiled a little at that statement. "It seems to be a rare day that it is not in some kind of peril," he replied, looking over at Sir Edward as he spoke. For reasons unknown, Sir Edward had not removed his helmet or any part of his armour for the conversation, but he decided not to inquire as to the reasons; he would presumably discover what they were in due course.
"The King requires your services," Sir Edward explained, as he raised his visor to expose his brown, determined eyes. "We need you- England needs you- to command a team of select individuals like yourself, to combat this danger."
"Really?" Robert asked, looking at Sir Edward with a renewed curiosity. "What is the situation?"
"That cannot be revealed yet," Sir Edward replied. "However, I will reveal it once the time is right, assuming you accept this offer. So, will you?"
Robert sat there for a short while, his chin in his hands. Then he looked up at Sir Edward, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
"Is there any chance you could tell me more about what I shall be dealing with should I accept your offer?" he asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
"I shall answer that question," a voice said from behind them. "Us."
The three men and the one woman spun around to look in the direction of the voice...
And stared at the sight behind them in horror.
There were four monsters standing at the door to the main hall, covered in dirt and what appeared to be blood- evidently, they'd killed some of the people they'd run into while heading for the hall. However, all four creatures looked remarkably different from each other.
The first one, apparently the one that had spoken, was a long creature that looked almost like an overgrown centipede, but the front four legs were longer and thicker, and it had a skull for a head rather than an insect's head.
The second creature appeared to be just a badly sculpted model of a man, lacking true definition around the arms, legs and head. Its eyes were just a couple of random dots around its head, and the only things on its arms were a few claws. However, it did have one very distinguishing feature about it; a large mouth in the centre of its chest, with some extremely nasty teeth inside it.
The third thing more resembled a robot, although none of the people there would have had anything to compare it to. Its entire body almost appeared to be covered in joints, and it had on a transparent helmet that revealed that its head was a human skull, or at least looked like one.
The fourth monster was almost worse than any of the others. Over seven feet tall, with six legs, bulging glowing blue eyes, light brown chitin and one set of transparent wings, its front two legs almost looked like swords, especially given that it wasn't using them to walk.
The skull-headed centipede walked forward, it's eyes fixed on Robert.
"We have come with a message for you, Robert of Locksley, he who was once known as Robin Hood," it said to him.
"Really?" Robin asked, now partly recovered from his initial shock at seeing the creatures. As he spoke, his hands slowly inched their way towards his bow and quiver, lying on the chair behind him and hidden from the view of the demons. . "What message would that be?"
"That, should you accept the offer that Sir Edward has given you, you shall lose all you hold dear," the creature replied.
Robin sighed. "I once faced that possibility every day of my life, you foul creature," he replied, staring down at the skull-centipede with a look of contempt on his face. "It did not deter me then, and it shall not deter me now, though I now face the legions of Hell itself."
The skull-centipede's eyes flashed red. "Then you shall die," it informed Robin, as it reared up onto its back legs.
Instantly, Robin kicked out at its chest, knocking it back towards Little John. No sooner had it reached John, than the former outlaw had his massive arms clasped around the skull-centipede's waist, slowly squeezing it.
As soon as the skull-centipede was immobilised, however briefly, the demon with its mouth on its chest charged forward, only to be stopped by Sir Edward striking it in the side with his sword. The blow didn't do much damage to the demon- it was so hard that the sword only slightly cut its side- but it was enough to turn the demon's attention away from Robin and onto Sir Edward.
Smiling under his helmet, Sir Edward slashed at the creature with his sword, driving it away from Robin and Marian, who were using the temporary reprieve to grab their swords, bows and arrows. Before the remaining two demons could attack themselves, Robin had drawn his sword and was struggling with the bug demon, while Marian was duelling with the robot- like demon.