Here's the next chapter. I'll hope you'll enjoy it.
Dikratsblim - Thank you so much as always. I'm glad you liked the sneak peek at Curious Village, I'm excited to start writing that arc after Azran Legacy. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, thanks for reading.
Djinn - Thanks so much. Edgar is definitely different from the other OCs, it's actually quite refreshing. Hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Guest - Thank you. I think Edgar is getting annoyed that people's lives are in danger, but the people closest to him are keeping essential information. People are asking him to trust them, but they trust him with the secrets. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Chapter 7: The Ruins Of Akbadain
Outside the Ascot Estate
Eighteen Years Ago
It was the morning of the expedition and Randall was eagerly waiting for Hershel outside his family's estate. On his back was a bag pack filled to the brim of everything essential like a change of clothes, water and, of course, archaeological equipment. Randall was almost jumping in excitement until he spotted Hershel making his way over, tiredly rubbing his eyes and really wishing that he was sleeping in bed. Hershel was feeling extra tired as he had to carry his own bag pack that he filled the night before. Randall enthusiastically waved to him, smiling from ear to ear.
"Ready to embark upon the first day of the rest of your life, Hershel?" Randall brightly asked.
Hershel yawned, "Did we have to get up so early? The sun's barely come up."
"We've got a long journey ahead of us, we need to get to the ruins before it gets too dark."
"I was afraid you were going to say that," Hershel muttered before they heard the footsteps coming their way.
They turned around and saw Henry approaching them from up the dirt road.
"Ah Henry," Randall called out, "Is everything ready?"
Henry nodded, "Yes, Master Randall. The cart is loaded and should be ready for your departure. However, there's also..."
He trailed off and moved to the side to show a slightly tired, but very focused Angela, surprising Randall. He wasn't expecting her to turn up at all.
"Angela!" he cried, "What are you doing here? Henry, is this your doing?"
Henry coughed uncomfortably, "...Yes sir. My apologies. It seemed rather important."
"Henry had nothing to do with it," Angela firmly insisted as she took a step to him, "I wasn't going to let you go without saying goodbye, Randall."
Randall hummed and adjusted his neck scarf, "I thought it'd be easier if you didn't see me go. I was going to have Henry deliver this, but since you're here..."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small circular stone pendent. The sides have worn slightly and unpolished, but the strange inscription around the centre hole was still recognisable despite it being unreadable. Angela took the pendent and turned it over in her hand, feeling the coolness of the stone and the brushing her thumb against the strange engraved inscription.
"Look after it for me. You can give it back when I return," Randall softly told her as he took her hands in his.
Angela nodded, "Yes. Yes, of course. Thank you, Randall."
With a small sigh, he released her hands and backed away slightly, "I'll see you soon, Angela. I swear."
"You will be careful, won't you?" Angela asked.
"Naturally. When I get back, we can have that picnic on the hill. How does that sound?" he told her before turning to Hershel, "Well, we'd better be off before my father spots us. Next stop: Akbadain!" he announced as the two began to walk to the cart.
"Don't shout. You just said that you didn't want your father to spot you," Hershel scolded crossly.
Angela and Henry watched them leave with grim expressions, neither of them taking their eyes of the two boys. Angela sighed, looked down and wiped away a stray tear before Henry could see.
"Goodbye..." she uttered silently, already wishing that he was back.
"Please don't worry, Miss Angela," Henry reassured her, "Master Randall has a remarkable mind. He'll find what he seeks and return soon."
"I hope you're right, Henry," Angela gently said.
If Angela had known what was going to happen, then maybe she would have done more to stop Randall. Beg him, tell his father on him, she would probably somehow get the police to arrest him, anything to make him stop going into the desert. However, she didn't know, nobody did, that this would be the last time she would set her sights on Randall Ascot.
A Few Miles Away
The noon sun beat down upon the the sandy landscape, making the arid desert glow a golden colour. There was little life growing the area except for a few tufts of dried grass and some cacti. In the distance, tall mountains boarded the entire desert, giving the impression that that anybody who happened to be wandering across the wasteland were trapped for all of eternity. In the middle of it all, was a small cart pulled by a brown horse, the wheels kicking up sand and dirt behind as moved. Riding in the front and avoiding the hear, was Hershel and Randall, staring head on at the landscape and listening to the gentle music playing on the radio Randall had brought along.
'On the first part of the journey / I was looking at all the life / There were plants and birds and rocks and things /There was sand and hills and rings / The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz / And the sky with no clouds / The heat was hot...'
"I'm sorry the 'heat was hot'?" Hershel questioned, "Isn't that a little redundant?"
"Oh come on, Hersh, it's a classic," Randall told him, "I thought it would be...atmospheric. You know, because of the desert. Except unlike the band we do know the name of our horse. Isn't that right, Mabel?"
Mabel whinnied in response.
Hershel sighed, "Did you bring another other music?"
Randall hummed as he took out his cassette collection, "I've got 'Big Iron' by Marty Robbins, 'Ghost Riders In The Sky' by Johnny Cash, 'Ringo' by Lorne Greene..."
"Any classical music?" Hershel asked.
"Oh yes!"
"Don't say the theme to 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'."
"Oh...then no."
"How about we continue the journey listening to the sounds of the desert," Hershel suggested with an irritated sigh, turning to the front.
"Spoil sport," Randall said as he turned of his radio.
"So, where do we go from here?" Layton asked as he gazed over the landscape, "Where is this Akbadain, exactly?"
Randall's eyes widened in excitement, "Oh yeah, I never got around to showing you, did I?" he reached behind him and pulled out the Mask of Chaos from his bag before showing him the inside. The interior of the mask was covered in the same inscriptions he saw previously on the Nowell Wall, "Look at this. Remember how I explained that the Mask's inscriptions are a sort of treasure map? I spent three months deciphering it all," he told him as he put the mask away, "But I found out where it leads: Thornley's Gorge, due south of Stainsbury."
"What about the crest?" Hershel asked.
"It's piqued your interest, has it?" Randall grinned, causing his friend to roll his eyes, "Well, I researched that, too. I searched through numerous academic works and analysed over 80 ancient symbols that were similar to the crest. My analysis led me to one overwhelming conclusion: these similar symbols all originated in the very distant past. The civilisation responsible for them is not connected to any culture we know from historical records. It's the Azran civilisation, Hershel! The mysterious Azran, known only from the most ancient of legends."
Hershel gave Randall an odd look, "The Azran Civilisation?"
"It's discussed in Rutledge's 'Ancient Histories' and there are many theories, but nothing has ever been proven. Until now, that is! Hershel, I think the Azran built the Akbadain ruins. This could be the first solid evidence of their existence. It'll be the find of the century!"
"B-but the Azran!" Hershel uttered, "You really think..."
"Enough," Randall interrupted as he pointed ahead of them, "We're almost there!"
Hershel looked at what he was pointing and saw that they were going towards the edge of a wide gorge. Randall stopped the cart, picked up his bag and hurried over to it. Hershel quickly followed his lead and looked down into the deep, dark gorge below and gulped as he saw how steep the walls were and the menacing stone spikes. Hershel had had some experience with climbing and abseiling before, but this looked way to dangerous for the likes of him. In fact, he would even stake money that even professionals would be deterred going down it.
Unfortunately, Randall was not the sort to give up at the first sight of danger.
"How on earth are we supposed to get down there?" Hershel asked before looking over Randall who was already taking out rope from his bag. He gave him an infuriated look, "You promised Angela we weren't going to do anything dangerous."
Randall didn't look up from his bag, "I know what I said, Hershel. What about, "No risk, no glory?" he said as if what they were doing was a normal activity, "This is the chance of a lifetime and we must seize this opportunity while we have it."
Hershel frowned, "Randall, this is-"
"I'm not interested in talking any more," Randall cut him off as he secured one end of the rope to a stone pillar, "I worked so hard for this," he said as he gave him a serious look, "You can go back home, if you must. But Hershel...I'd rather you were there."
Hershel stared uncertainly at his best friend for a few moments. He knew that this was so important to him and he's worked so hard, but this was becoming too dangerous. They could be killed. However, even he did go back, Randall would still continue and Angela would never forgive him for leaving him at the ruins. With his common sense silenced, Hershel sighed and nodded.
"Fine, let's go," he said, earning a small smile from Randall.
"Good, now help me secure the rope," he told him.
The Ruins of Akbadain
It was tough and there were a few close calls, but Hershel and Randall finally descaled the walls of the gorge and landed at the bottom. They must have abseiled at least one hunded feet from where the horse and cart were and now Randall was leading Hershel towards the entrance. At first glance, Hershel would of thought it was just a normal cave with roof a couple feet above his head, but after venturing in, he saw that it actually led into some sort of chamber. After inspecting the moss covered, stone walls with his lantern, he can now tell that this chamber was actually man-made.
"Here we are!" Randall proclaimed, his voice echoing around the chamber, "The Akbadain ruins. The Mask of Chaos led us right here, to unearth the ancestral treasures hidden within."
Hershel felt the cold, damp walls before shining his light at a dark passageway going deeper into the cave, "This place looks absolutely huge. We never planned for an expedition of this scale."
"I know. Isn't it brilliant?" Randall said with a bright grin, earning a grim look from his friend.
"That isn't quite what I was getting at..."
Randall laughed, "Come on, we have to work together. Who knows what traps and pitfalls we might run into?" he said as he dragged Hershel deeper into the ruins.
"You never mentioned traps before!"
They travelled down the passageway eventually turning right and then left into another chamber. They explored the room and soon found a stone door with intricate markings on the other side. Randall instantly went up to it and pushed it with all his might, but it didn't budge slightly.
"Damn it!" he shouted in frustration, "We can't come all they way out of here to Akbadain and then get stuck at the first door!" he said taking a step back.
However, much to his surprise, the floor tile beneath his foot sunk a little bit and made a clicking sound. He lowered his torch to see that he stepped on blue stone circle embedded in one of the tiles. He lifted his foot and the circle lifted slightly with another definite click.
"I think I found a switch," he said as he stepped on the blue circle, "See if you can find another one."
Hershel hummed and scoured the floor until he found another identical switch not too far away. Making sure Randall was on his, he pressed it down with his foot to which it made a clicking noise. Suddenly, they heard a rumbling sound all around them. It was as if the mechanism linked to the switches had just come alive after thousands of years of neglect. Then, as quickly as it started, it fell deathly silent until the door swung open with a creaking sound.
"Brilliant!" Randall shouted as he headed to the door, "Now we can move on. Of course, this also proves of the existence of a previous civilisation."
"Yeah, I know, I know," Hershel sighed as he rolled his eyes and followed Randall through the door.
According to Hershel's watch, they had been venturing through the ruins for over three hours. It surprised him slightly, because it felt like they had been down there for days. Winding their way thorough passageways, jumping over gaps in the floors, pushing boulders out of the way. Maybe he should ask Randall if they should rest for a bit, but he thought better of it. There's no telling what ancient trap that could accidently set off, so it was better to be always on the move.
They were walking down an unusually wide passageway which was big enough for them to walk side by side with their arms outstretched. Hershel wouldn't think twice about this usually, but it seemed to be the only passageway that has been purposefully widen.
That's when they heard a deep rumble from around them. They stopped and looked around trying to find the origin of the sound.
"W-what is that?" Hershel muttered in confusion.
"I don't know," Randall answered, just as baffled as he was, "You don't think we set off any-"
Before he could even finish his sentence, the rumbling got even louder before it stopped suddenly. But then...
BOOM!
Falling in front of them from a shaft above, was a giant boulder at least twice their size. And then it began to roll towards them, threatening to crush them.
"RUN!" Randall shouted as he grabbed Hershel by the sleeve and dragged him away from the rolling boulder.
They ran as fast as they can without having to drop their equipment, but the boulder was picking up speed and catching up to them. Hershel dared to look back and regretted it, there was no way of stopping something so big. That's when Randall shouted out to him.
"Hershel, do you remember how we turned right as to come into the corridor!"
"Yeah, that's right!" he shouted, feeling a stitch form on his side.
"As soon as you see the far wall, we need to jump left! Don't worry about the lanterns, I've got a couple torches in the bag!"
"Okay!" Hershel said as he spotted the far wall in the distance, "We're jumping in 3..."
The two boys' breathing were starting to stagger.
"...2..."
The boulder was almost on their heels.
"...1...NOW!"
They jumped to the left as soon as they saw the opening and landed painfully on the stone floor, the lanterns were thrown away and smashed against the wall and plunging them into darkness. However, they didn't need light to know that the boulder rolled past them and smash against the wall with a mighty boom, making the walls around them shake violently. After a few seconds of lying on the damp ground, trying to catch their breath and realising that they were still alive, Hershel heard Randall rummage through his bag. With a simple click, light filled the room and he saw Randall holding up two battery powered torches.
"So," Randall said through heavy breathing, "do you want the yellow one or the blue one?" he asked, offering the different coloured torches to him.
Hershel gave a tired sigh and chose the blue torch. He got to his feet and inspected the boulder that had almost killed them both. There was now a deep crack in the boulder where it rammed into the wall, causing him to gulp slightly at the sight. Randall shone his yellow torch on the boulder as well.
"Do you know what this means?" Randall asked gravely.
Hershel nodded, "Yes...we are in deep danger now."
"No, it means we are getting closer to our goal," Randall chirped excitedly as he started to walk back up the corridor again, "Come on, Hersh!"
The teen gave Randall an annoyed look before he eventually followed, "I hate archaeology," he muttered.
A few hours later, and they were still going deeper and deeper into the ruins. However, they discovered, much to there delight, that the walls were no longer built with grey stone, but now seemed to be made out of some sort of green brick. Not only that but, the tiles were more evenly paved and there with intricate designs on the arches of the doorways. It was clear that this level hold some sort of significance.
"We're deep in the bowels of the earth now," Randall told Hershel before he sighed sadly, "I wish Henry could have come with us. He'd have loved it down here."
"Henry had to stay behind to perform his duties and our escape," he pointed out, "You said so yourself."
"I know, but he used to go everywhere with me, but all that changed when my father decided to train him up as a butler."
Hershel ran his hand over the green brick as they turned down another passageway, "He's so keen. He left school to focus on his training, didn't he? I've never had much of a chance to talk to him."
Randall stopped suddenly with his head bowed and a deep frown, "My father really took to Henry. He's cleaver, hard-working, obedient - all the qualities my father values. Not like me, My father never valued anything that I...that I..."
He trailed off slightly, making Hershel worry, "Randall?"
The red haired boy's head snapped up with a bright grin, "Well, at least you're here, Hersh!" he said as he began walking again, "And we can take back the wild tales of our incredible adventures."
Hershel was slightly baffled by his sudden change in attitude, but smiled nonetheless, "Absolutely! We have to find something amazing, if only for Henry and Angela's sake."
Randall nodded in reply, but before he could say anything else, they had turned a corner and saw light coming from down the passageway. They instantly turned off their torches and headed toward the light where they entered a giant round chamber about fifty feet in diameter. The entire room was made of green brick and the exit was on the other side, but it also had ten doorways around them, all of which were sealed off by a giant stone slab. What was concerning was the number of skeletons at the side of the chamber, each one looking like they dies a gruesome death, and the massive gaping hole that was too dark to see down it on another side of the room. The floor tiles were designed in an intricate way, but before they could do anything, they heard a rumbling sound.
"Not again," Randall muttered.
Suddenly, the stone slabs, sealing off the doorways, slid open revealing a strange objects. At first, Hershel thought they were mummified remains, but, after a closer inspection, they actually looked like tall mannequins with dirty brown bandages wrapped around them. The torso was diamond shape and the bandages on its head were pulled down to reveal a piercing yellow eyes. The lower half resembled a sort of weird spinning top which ended with a sharp needle instead of feet. However, what really caught their attention was that attacked to their hands were two very sharp looking swords which were held up crossed over each other.
Without warning, the lower halves began to spin quickly all at the same time until they leaped out of the doorways and landed with their needles on the tiled ground. The two teens put their backs together as the robot mummies swarmed around them, blocking their exit out of the chamber. The closest mummy released the crossed-over sword pose and began to swing its top half violently as it kept his head still, turning itself into some sort vicious saw that charged at them. Luckily, they jumped out of the way before they robot mummy could sever them, temporarily getting its swords stuck in the ground before pulling them out. The rest of the mummies began to chase them, a few started to catch up to Hershel.
Randall had leapt out of the way of a mummy's sword and, to his luck, found a sword lying on the side of the chamber, possibly left behind from the last expedition party. He grabbed the rusty sword and deflected another attack from a mummy. Hershel was forced against the wall and found another sword passed through the eye socket of a skull and imbedded into the wall. He gave a mental apology to the skull and pulled his own sword out of the wall and swiped at one of the mummy's arms, cleaving them off with one swoop. Randall helped by swiping at the mummy's needle, rendering it completely useless on the ground.
Hershel leaped back and spotted a mummy behind Randall, "Look out!"
Randall ducked just in time and jumped out of the way. He ran up beside Hershel and with a nod in agreement, they posed as if they were fencing at the closest mummy and pushed it back with their swords.
They split up. Hershel took the closest mummy on the left while Randall took the closest mummy on the right.
Hershel parried a swipe from the giant and cut of its arm, making sure to duck under its other sword arm and deflecting it from behind.
Randall ducked under his mummy's arm before he swiped down and sliced it off. Seeing an opportunity, he pulled his sword back and plunged into its torso. However, before it could sink in through the bandages, his sword snapped in two. He had no idea if it was the sturdy body of the robot or how rusty his sword was that caused to shatter, but he did know one thing.
"Not good," he said, ducking under the mummy's sword before it could chop its head off.
"Randall!" Hershel cried before he sliced off his next mummy's arm and pushed it back with a kick.
He ran to Randall's defence, deflecting a blow that was made for him while Randall rammed it off balance with his shoulder.
"There's too many of them," Randall muttered, looking over the six or so mummies still in operation, "What are we going to do?"
Hershel looked around, trying to see if there was anything they can use. His eyes eventually fell onto the tiled ground, when he noticed the intricate grooves that the mummies seemed to moving along on. That's when he spotted the giant pit on the far side of the room. Suddenly, Hershel got an idea.
"Randall, keep them occupied for a moment," he called out, throwing his sword to Randall.
"What are you doing?" he called back, parrying a swipe from the mummy.
Hershel didn't answer. Instead, he began choosing particular tiles and tearing them off. Luckily, they were centuries old and came off pretty easily. He began rearranging them so that it formed one long groove. Meanwhile, Randall was struggling against the robot mummies, gritting his teeth as he parried and sliced off another mummy's arm.
"Are you done yet!?" Randall questioned as he ducked under a sword.
Hershel placed down another tile down, "Just hold on!"
"I am!" Randall shouted back.
With one more tile placed down, Hershel sat up and turned to Randall who had his sword swiped out of his hand, "Randall, lead them over to me!"
He gave his friend an odd look, but did what he was told. He walked backwards over towards Hershel making all of the mummies go after to him, being mindful of the sharp blades. As soon he got close to Hershel, Randall was pulled back away from the mummies. He was at first concerned that the mummies would just follow them, but instead the grooves lead them away. Hershel had managed to rearrange the tiles and the grooves in the way that it led all the mummies towards the pit. One by one, the mummies fell into the pit, causing the two boys to sigh in relief.
"We should have thought about that first," Randall said, earning a small chuckle from his friend.
Another few hours had passed and Hershel was exhausted. They had been down in the ruins for at least half a day and they hadn't stopped once to have a rest or camp for the night. His feet were blistered, his back was aching for carrying his bag and a few times he almost fell asleep, but managed to catch himself before he could fall over. However, Randall kept on insisting that they were almost there and they just needed to keep on going deeper. Judging by his watch, it was approaching eleven in the evening and Hershel would do anything to see a slither of sunlight or feel fresh air on his face, but he knew that going back would tire him out more.
He had no choice, but to help Randall find the Azran treasure and then they'll be able to make camp.
The passageway they were currently walking down widen a few feet and Hershel wondered if they were walking into another trap. However, Randall spotted something up ahead with made him stop suddenly.
"Hang on a sec. Is that...light?"
Hershel's tiered eyes looked over his shoulder and, sure enough, there was a speck of light right on the other end. Randall instantly took off running, but the other teen was more cautious.
"Randall stop! You could be running into another tr-"
The words were caught in his mouth as he stepped into a chamber completely different from the others they have entered. It looked like they had found an underground oasis with moss covered stone debris situated in it. The debris formed stepping stones which led up to a large temple. The temple was made of slabs of stones and tree roots had grown over the walls. A narrow flight of stairs in the middle of temple led up to a door into the massive complex. Around the oasis that separated them from the temple were tall stone pillars that would have held up a ceiling at one point and trees and other plants grew among the ruins, signify that nobody has been to this place in centuries. Hershel looked up and natural light pouring into the chamber from a hole in the stone roof. He couldn't belief that the ancient people would build such a temple in the earth and then leave it abandoned. Something terrible must have happened to them.
"Hershel, we found it!" Randall cried in absolute joy, taking the Mask of Chaos out of his bag and confirming that they were actually arrived, "We really found it! And look!" he pointed up to the temple door, "There's our way into the temple and our treasure. Let's go!"
With the mask in hand, Randall jumped onto the first stepping stone and jumping on another smaller one. Hershel followed him as they crossed the oasis eagerly.
However, as soon as Hershel jumped on one of the stepping stones, he felt it sink a little into the water. It then began sinking even more as the entire temple began to rumble and shake violently with pieces of the ceiling falling into the water.
"RUN! THE STONES ARE SINKING!" Randall shouted as he jumped onto the next stepping stone.
The oasis which was calm to begin with was beginning to swirl and splash ferociously into a giant whirlpool. It was as if somebody had pulled the plug from a basin of water and now it whipped violently, causing the other stepping stones to sink. Both boys landed on the last stepping stone before the safe temple steps and Hershel was the first to leap and land on the edge. Randall was about to jump after him, but the stone fell out from under his feet. He leapt as high as he can with one hand out to grab the edge and another holding the Mask of Chaos firmly to his body. Hershel reached back and caught his arm as the earth beneath the oasis gave way to a bottomless sinkhole, leaving Randall hanging over a dark abyss. Hershel gritted his teeth and tried to pull him up, but he wasn't strong enough. Randall could use his other hand to grab onto his, but there was no way he could let go of the mask.
"Just drop the mask!" Hershel shouted, "Give me your other hand, Randall!"
Randall growled at the thought of dropping the mask and instead tried to use his feet to climb up the side. However, the wall was too slippery and he couldn't get a proper grip to achieve it.
Sweat began to pour down Hershel's face as he tried to keep pull his friend up, "Randall, I can't hold on..."
Randall sighed and bowed his head, "I was so close," he muttered before lifting his head up to him, "I'm sorry Hershel. Tell Angela I'm sorry."
"I...can't pull you up! Now give me your other hand!"
However, Randall simply shook his head. He lifted the hand with the mask up to him, "Take it. It's yours. You must solve the last puzzle, Hershel."
"SHUT UP!" Hershel cried as tears formed in his eyes, "PLEASE JUST GIVE ME YOUR OTHER HAND! FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE CAN YOU PLEASE JUST DO WHAT IS SAY! PLEASE! PLEASE!"
Randall blinked up at him before he shook his head, "No can do. No can-"
And that's when Randall's hand slipped from Hershel's.
Hershel couldn't remember how he reacted when he saw his best friend plunge into nothingness. Did he scream? Did he shout? Did he attempt to grab his hand again? He cannot recall. Everything was a bit blurry to him even if was only happened in less then a second.
However, he did remember one thing and it was the look of Randall's face as he fell along with the Mask of Chaos: It was complete and utter shock. As if the world had suddenly casted him aside like a useless piece of garbage and his mind hadn't processed it yet. He didn't have time to show any other emotion: angry, despair, disbelief. And Hershel would never know if he did show any other emotion as his best friend was swallowed up by the shadows, never to see the light again.
He must have passed out, overwhelmed by exhaustion and grief. Hershel rolled onto his back onto the cold stone edge and stared up at the ceiling, feeling...nothing. Nothing at all. He was void of any sort emotion or thought, he wasn't even sure if he was actually conscious.
He found the strength to stand to his feet and look around the chamber as if he was on autopilot. His eyes fell on the stairwell that led up to the temple entrance and, in a trace like state, began to climb up. The moss covering in the steps made it hard for his shoes to have a grip, but he somehow managed it without slipping once. Hershel inspected the stone door in front of him and couldn't help but think of it looking like an ancient temple door from an adventure film that he and Randall used to watch. It was framed by thick, grey stones with intricate patterns carved into them while two wide slabs, one on top of the other, made up the lintel. The door itself was also carved with patterns as well, but in the middle of it there were nine square stones arranged in larger square. Each square stone had a different marking inscribed on them and Hershel, even in his dazed state, could tell that they were some sort of letters. However, there was no way he could decipher them, not without the mask anyway. However, that's when he spotted another inscription above the square which didn't look like letters he had seen before. From left to right, the first inscription looked like an 'r', the next a 'c', then an 'O', then a 'L' and finally the last one looked like another 'L' but backwards.
Hershel looked at the patterns above the square and then at the square itself. None of them looked like the letters on the square stones, but what happens of they don't represent the letters themselves. He took a closer look and saw something that he didn't spot at first. The spaces in between the squares formed the inscriptions above it, so all he had to do was press the right square that matches the inscription. He started with the one that looked like an 'r' and pressed the bottom right square, feeling it sink into the door slightly. Then the middle, right square to match the 'c', the middle square to match the 'O', the top right square to match the 'L' and finally the top left square to match the backwards 'L'. As soon as he pressed the last square, the temple started to shake violently and, before his eyes, the door lifted up and revealed the dark interior of the temple.
(A.N: This was so hard to describe, so if you want to know what on earth I'm talking about then I recommend looking it up. It's Puzzle 100)
Hershel stepped inside the temple and entered a round room, the walls of which were broken in places or overgrown by plants. However, what caught his eye was the massive pile of treasure sitting and waiting for somebody to claim it. The pile was taller then him and contained such precious items like gold coins and bars, gems the size of his fist and even a golden chest that he didn't doubt contained even more gold.
He had found it, the lost treasure of the Azran. Everything that Randall and countless others have been searching for hundreds of years and it was only a step away.
But to Hershel, none of it mattered. Not a single coin, jewel or rare items in the pile thrilled him in the slightest.
He merely picked up one of the gold coin of the ground and inspected it with a disinterested look before he fell onto his hands and knees, his sadness finally overwhelming him. He shuddered as tears fell from his eyes, he cried out in anguish and gripped the dirt underneath his hands.
"Randall..." he sobbed, "You gave your life for this. And what was it worth. Trinkets? Jewellery? The long lost treasure of the Azran...it should have been yours. I want no part in it!"
He continued to cry, grieve and mourn throughout the night. Wishing he could exchange all of the treasure before him, so he could get Randall back again.
Outside Stainsbury
It wasn't until the next morning that Hershel managed to get out of the ruins and it wasn't until that evening that limped and stumbled back to Stainsbury. He was covered in dirt and grime, his feet and legs were in agony and he was physically and mentally exhausted. However, he ignored all his pain and spent the journey back thinking of one thing:
How was he going to tell everybody about what happened to Randall?
It would seem he would have to face his fear as he saw Angela and Henry standing and waiting on top of the hill that bordered the town. It was Angela who noticed him first. Her eyes widened and she instantly ran down the hill to meet up with him.
"It's Hershel!" she cried, catching Henry's attention.
He stopped short when he noticed Angela running up to him, too frightened to even meet her gaze. The young woman slowed her run into a jog when she got closer with Henry not too far behind her.
"Hershel. What happened? How did it go?" she then asked the question he had been dreading, "Where's Randall?"
He didn't answer and just looked down at his shoes.
"Hershel," Angela repeated even a dreaded tone, "Where's Randall?"
However, he still didn't answer. Panic gripped Angela's heart and she grabbed on to his shoulders and shook him furiously.
"Where is he? Tell me what happened out there!" she demanded as tears formed in her eyes, "Why aren't you with Randall!? WHY!?"
And so he told them.
As soon as he finished, Angela and Henry were in a state of shock. Neither of them seemed to process what he told them for a while as they stared wide eyed at Hershel. Soon enough, Angela was the first to react. She held her hands over her mouth and screamed in despair.
"No! NO!" she wailed, "THIS CAN'T BE REAL!"
Hershel shook his head as tears rolled down his face, "I'm sorry," he uttered through sobs, "I'm sorry."
Angela fell onto her knees and bawled into her hands while Henry just stared at the ground in disbelief. He hadn't moved an inch ever since the words left Hershel's mouth and now he was completely petrified.
Layton's Room
The Present
"After that," Layton gravely told Emmy and Edgar as he sat in his chair, "everything changed. The entire town was in mourning, Randall's father formed search teams to investigate the ruins and...Angela never spoke to me again. It wasn't long that I decided to move to London and take up archaeology. I just couldn't bare being in that town for any longer. If the accusing stares from the other residents were bad, but the memories of me and Randall made it even worse. And that's about it, I...told you everything."
Emmy sighed sadly, "I'm really sorry, Professor. That must have been really hard for you to admit it."
Layton nodded wearily before glancing at Edgar. He had his head leaned against the palm of his hand and a deep thoughtful frown on his face as he stared at the wall. Layton raised an eyebrow at his behaviour.
"Edgar...is everything alright?"
The teen hummed and shook his head, "It just doesn't make sense," he muttered.
"What doesn't?" Emmy questioned.
Edgar lifted his head and looked at Layton, "There were only four people who knew about Akbadain and you're expedition, but we've already interviewed all the susp-oof!" he cried as Emmy hit over the head with a seat cushion.
"You're thinking about the investigation!" she yelled, "After everything he told you!"
"Well...yeah."
"You little..." she hit him with the cushion again, "...disrespectful..." she hit him again, "...bastard!"
"Ow! Stop that!" Edgar shouted, swatting the pillow out of her hand, "That thing has sharp corners!" he sighed and turned to Layton, "Prof, I'm sorry. I really am. What happened to you was awful. Dreadful. But that doesn't mean you had any right keeping it from the investigation."
"Edgar!" Emmy shouted.
"I was scared," he shot back, "when the people at the fairground disappeared, I was scared for the first time in ages. I didn't know what to do. I haven felt that way since Agatha," he told them, causing Layton and Emmy fell silent at his outburst. He sighed, calming himself down, "I know...that it's hard. All the things you could've done, should've done. You wish you could...go back and start all over again. But you can't. You just have to do what you can and keep on going and right now every single person Monte d'Or is in danger. Every single piece of evidence is essential in tracking down the Masked Gentleman and you have been holding back on us, Prof. So, please, is there anything else that we need to know before tomorrow? It's not fair to put so many people in danger because of your past."
"I..." Layton stammered.
"You wish you could have changed things when you had a chance. Stopped Randall from going into the ruins or even leaving town. Well, now you have another opportunity to set things right. So many people depend on us, please."
Layton gazed up at Edgar's pleading expression before he bowed his head, "You're right. I have been selfish. I let the events of my past haunt me that I lost sight in what was important," he looked up with a firm look, "Our priority is helping the people of Monte d'Or and I'm not going to let what happen that day impede us. Edgar, Emmy, I'm sorry for keeping back secrets. From now on, I'll make sure to contribute as much as I can."
Edgar smiled happily, finally they can get somewhere in this investigation. He was proud that Layton was able to overcome his trauma and finally focus on what was important.
"So, what else can you tell us about that day?" he asked eagerly.
"Oh, I already told you what I know," Layton said, making Edgar slump in his seat in despair.
"Great," he muttered, earning an apologetic look from the Professor.
Emmy chuckled, "Maybe, we should pick things up tomorrow. It's way too late to do anything else."
Edgar sighed and rubbed his face, "Yeah, I guess."
They assistants stood up and made their way to the door, "Good night, Professor," Emmy chirped with a small wave.
"Good night, you two," Layton said, However before Edgar could leave he called out to him, "Edgar," the teen stopped and looked back at him curiously, "Thank you," he simply said with a gentle smile.
Edgar looked at him in silence before he responded with a smile of his own and took his leave, shutting the door behind him.
Layton took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he recalled one last memory of Stainsbury before he left for London.
Memory Knoll, Stainsbury
Eighteen Years Ago
A few months has passed since Randall's death and somehow the sleepy town seemed quieter. Gone was the rustic charm and the warm sense of community. Now everything seemed grim and morbid.
Well..to Hershel it was.
He decided to spend his last day in Stainsbury up at memory Knoll, underneath the tree that Randall promised Angela that he will return. It now held a simple gravestone that marked the death of one of the town's residents.
Hershel stared at the gravestone, lost in his own little world. He thought of all the things he could have done, all the things he would have done and, most importantly, all the things he should have done. They swirled in his mind like a whirlpool and it was growing bigger and more ferocious by the second. He sighed and rubbed his forehead wearily as he thought of what to say to the gravestone with no grave.
"Hello Randall," he simply said as he kneeled by the stone, "It's been some time since..." he trailed of slightly, "Angela...hasn't spoken to me or actually left her room and Henry is still in denial. Dalston has barely stopped working on his hotel project...I think that's the only way he can cope. If you were here, I'm sure you would encourage them, cheer them up, make them...happy again. However, you're not...and I'm sure none of them want to speak to me anytime soon," he sighed and laid a hand on the gravestone with a gentle touch, "I'm leaving, Randall. I'm going to London to study archaeology. You would have loved that, wouldn't you? I...also managed to solve the last puzzle. The treasure was there, just as you said it would be. The discovery that would have made you famous. I told no one of it. It shall forever remain our secret," he took his hand away and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the golden coin he retrieved from the ruins and laid it foot of the gravestone, "Here is what you sacrificed your life for. It's yours," he stood to his feet and wiped away a tear running down his face, "Thank you for being my friend, Randall. The best friend anybody could have."
And with that Hershel turned away and headed down the Knoll as set off on his newest adventure. The golden coin leaned against the gravestone as it glowed and flickered with the light of the setting sun.
And that's it. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
There wasn't much original content in this chapter and that's because it's such an essential part of the game. Which is kind of ironic since I cut so much out from the game. Like most of the puzzles, the boulder moving game, the mazes, Hershel's spade falling down a pit of spiders etc, etc. It was just a lot to write out and I hope you guys don't mind. Anyway, I think the next chapter is the penultimate (or pre-penultimate if you count the epilogue) so I hope you are excited for the grand finale.
Thanks for reading :)
