Chapter 4:

The Siege of the Spire

The Queen hung weakly on the fence, trying to resist the woman's power. However, she felt her will breaking. She looked up weakly and saw the shadowy Ombra murmuring something in the enchantress's ear before Deresa pushed it away and growled.

"Ombra, I don't care what happens in Castile, just keep the Corruption calm. You will tell that thing to be silent, understood?" She yelled. Ombra bowed his phantom-like form, then faded away. The Queen lifted her head, and summoning most of her energy, spoke to the enchantress.

"So, your pets aren't answering your calls quite as proudly after that defeat are they?" The Queen asked. Deresa shocked her with the flick of her wrist.

"You will be silent, or I will make your tongue a necklace, understood?" Deresa shot back. The Queen, who was breathing heavily, raised her head and spat at the woman. Deresa wiped her face slowly and pointed a finger at the Queen's face in a terrible threat when suddenly something rumbled outside. She looked around suddenly, as if deeply concerned, then glanced back at the Queen.

"We aren't finished." Deresa raced away. The Queen, relieved to be free of the torture, tried to focus on the sounds. They were muffled, but they sounded like distant explosions, maybe avalanches, but perhaps something else...

"Cannon fire…" She whispered with a smile.

"All cannons, all swivel guns, anyone who's got a shot, fire!" Drusus yelled, sitting in his chair, trying to keep himself calm and not reopen his wound. Men were running back and forth on the deck of the Alban Ironclad, Sparrow, the incredible steam powered armored vessel which had revolutionized naval warfare in recent decades. The Francians had originally developed steam powered vessels, and Albion had put heavy armor around them, making floating cannon batteries which were seemingly impervious. The Aurorans, while having a superior navy numerically, actually didn't use steam power and instead wielded their great sailing ships. They blasted the Spire's sides with numerous cannon balls on long turning maneuvers, while the Francian and Alban Ironclads took positions around the side of the tower and basically remained stable as they blasted the stone walls. Black rocks collapsed into the sea in response to each shot and it seemed that the fleet might simply destroy the Spire without any resistance. Then great long sharp shards of the Spire walls broke from the sides and started moving toward the vessels. In addition, windows opened along the tower, and fired inky black balls toward the ships. These balls hit like regular cannons and sent wood and crew flying off Auroran vessels. However, the balls clinked and bounced off the ironclad ships of Albion and Francia, doing almost no damage to the great vessels.

"Ha! Now you know the power of steel plating on a ship!" Drusus yelled before the Sparrow was rocked violently. Suddenly, a giant tentacle rose out of the water and fell onto a Francian vessel. This tentacle was blackened and darkness seemed to seep from its pores. More tentacles rose from the water and the ships turned their cannons on this monster, which raised its spike tooth filled mouth and roared violently.

"It's a bloody kraken!" King Louis yelled from the Francian flagship, "Come about and fill it with cannon balls!" the Francian ships formed a circle around the tentacles and launched masses of cannonballs into the beast. It suddenly wrapped a tentacle around a ship and squeezed, sending splinters and sailors into the sea. Then the great sea beast again brought its mouth from the depths to consume its prey.

"Into its mouth! Fire!" King Louis yelled. He pushed one of his sailors out of the way and took over a cannon. He fired the weapon into the beast's horrifying jaws, which, along with several other cannonballs, began to rip apart the monster's face and eventually sent it back into the water, releasing the Francian ship as the water around the fleet turned red. The Francians cheered and just as they were ready to turn their guns back on the Spire, shards dropped golden armored minions onto the decks of their vessels, and then began launching spells at the sailors, casting fire, lighting, and vortexes.

"Fight on! Do not falter! For Francia, the world of free peoples, and you too, Gaston! Fight on!" King Louis yelled, twirling his weapons and stabbing a minion. Kalin and Drusus yelled similar commands across their respective decks as the Siege of the Spire commenced.

Meanwhile, Reaver stood on the deck of the Reaver, his small and light ironclad, his foot on the forward edge and his face the picture of determination. The ship was smaller and lighter than most Alban ironclads, but similarly powerful and indestructible. It was the rebuilt version of his great pirating vessel, which had also been named for him. Garth was next to him, his arms crossed and his face set in grim determination. Page was behind him, her hand on her sword and her manner cold like Garth. Ben was beside to her, holding his guns close. They looked quite dramatic, coats, and hair blowing in the wind, and focused only on one goal, finding and destroying Theresa. Reaver suddenly turned his head.

"If you so much as dent my ship, I will have your head, you hear me?" Reaver yelled to his helmsman, who saluted fearfully, then continued to drive the ship slowly toward the dock. As the ship entered the dock of the Spire, a sickening thrill filled the crew's hearts and the very world seemed to darken. They came to the pier cautiously, but none came out to stop them.

"Wow…" Page said, rubbing her chin, "Did they not see this coming? Was the attack that distracting?"

"It appears so. Do not drop your guard though. Quickly, off the Reaver." Garth yelled. He couldn't believe the fool had rebuilt his old ship and named it after himself again, but was too focused on his goal to care. The heroes disembarked and the Reaver started back to sea.

"I mean it about the dents, one scratch and you're done!" Reaver yelled as the ship was leaving.

"Reaver, come on." Garth said. He knew the Spire well, for five years he'd helped Lucien rebuild it and for ten he'd been a prisoner. He knew its twisting and shifting paths and stairs. Yet, the place still seemed to eat at the very fabric of his being. He still felt, after all these years, a sort of heartbeat pulsing beneath his feet, and soon it was in tune with his own. He hated the place with a passion, and wanted to leave. But he knew he had to continue.

Up stairways, down paths, and through strange tunnels they went, struggling to reach the top before whoever was leading the darkness threw something in their way to stop them. Garth suspected the person already knew they were coming, and the fact that they had not seen anything yet made him more worried. They suddenly reached a pathway and Garth stopped. He turned slowly and looked to the cells to their right, and staring at a single one for a long time. That had been his home, the only thing he'd known for ten years. He would have gone mad in there, had Sparrow not appeared one fateful day and given him the will to live. The hatred, the hatred which had seized his heart when he'd arrived to kill Reaver took his heart again. But this time it was not for Reaver. It was for whatever bastard had made him return to the Spire. Almost shaking, he looked forward and saw that the way forward was blocked by debris. He felt his anger rising and it showed as his will lines shined brightly on his skin. Feeling his anger pulsing into his fingers, he held his hand out, released the most powerful burst of fire and force he'd ever launched from his hand. It destroyed the debris in an explosion of dust and sound, leaving the path clear.

"I will kill the witch. She has destroyed my home, destroyed the Aurorans, attacks Albion and Francia, and now brings me back to this nightmarish hell. Tonight, Theresa will die!" He yelled, rushing forward.

Reaver, who'd only been to the Spire once when he was having the life sucked from him in a dark spell of Lucien, wasn't in any better mood than Garth. However, he could not help but wonder what he was doing. Sure, without Albion, there would be less fun in the world, less money to be made, and less whores to enjoy. But worth risking his life like this, he wasn't sure of. However, he felt some strange reason was driving him to follow Garth. It was to some extent the mage's charisma; he trusted Garth and knew that together they could conquer anything in their way. It was also in some part a weak sense of national pride, he was an Alban and if the country lost, it was like him losing too. But it was even something more than that…a feeling that made him want to help Garth because he felt that he'd done Garth wrong, and Garth deserved his help.

"Oh my…" he muttered, "this fool has reawakened my sense of guilt. How in Skorm's name he's done that I'll never know, but I must help him quickly before I am crushed by it." Reaver grunted and grabbed his heart, then hurried after the mage, who looked like he might bring the Spire down by himself.

Ben Finn thought he was going mad the entire time he was in the tower. The shadows seemed to move wildly around him, the stairs seemed like they were moving and other than the occasional muffled sounds of cannons and the scuffle of leather boots on stone the place was dead silent. He had to touch his ears constantly to remind himself they were still there. The very air seemed still, and Ben would feel like the place, the ceiling, the walls, even the floor, was closing in to crush him. But he continued, constantly looking to Page, who was the symbol of focus and dedication, and just followed her, trusting her strength, her courage, and her sixth sense. As they passed under an arch leading to a raised platform, he suddenly grabbed Page's arm stopping the group.

"Our time is short Benjamin," Garth said, obviously ready to fight.

"Hold please, just a moment." Reaver rolled his eyes and looked at Garth, but the mage waved at him, allowing the man to continue.

"Page…if we don't get out of this…I'll never get the chance, so I have to tell you now."

"Yes Ben."

"I love you completely and…" Reaver slammed his cane on the ground and interrupted him.

"We are not having a fairytale moment in here! We have to go and get to the top now or we will…" Garth interrupted him, putting his hand on the man's arm.

"Allow my niece this one thing." Reaver crossed his arms mockingly and had a look of a scolded child.

"Page…I've loved you from the moment I met you. I love you some much. I can think of nothing but you…I…Please, Page, will you…marry me?" Ben asked, rubbing the back of his head with one hand as his other extended and opened to reveal a ring.

"Couldn't even afford a box…" Reaver muttered. Garth shook his head with a smile, seemingly at both Reaver's comment and Ben's proposal. His hatred appeared to melt marginally, but Ben suspected it was just below the surface.

"Yes Ben, I will marry you!" Page said, hugging him.

"And I will happily give you away at the wedding. Now, we must continue on," Garth said, turning back to the pathway before him. Page and Ben both nodded and followed them, hand in hand and were ready to fight even harder now as fiancés.

Finally the four reached a small pathway. It was over a hollow crevice which revealed the inside of the entire Spire. Looking off the edge, one could see seemingly infinitely down. At the end of the path and seemingly in the middle of the Spire was a giant grey orb. Gates and a castle were visible from within the orb, and Garth knew right where they were.

"Here it is: Lucien's dreamscape. I remember, he constantly showed me the new world he would create in there. Even when I was imprisoned he would spend hours and hours here, and wasn't afraid to tell me. Theresa must've made it into the "Road to Rule." the path we found the seer on a couple months back, which is where the Queen is trapped now." Garth said, pointing to the great grey mass. He stepped onto the precarious path leading to the orb and suddenly a dark figure knocked Garth tumbling off the side into the abyss. Reaver threw out his cane and Garth grabbed it, hanging perilously from the edge. Reaver suddenly felt hands pushing him over the edge. He drew his pistol and turned over to see a dark figure floating over him. He shot at it but it went straight through the monster. However, it could touch Reaver and grabbed his neck, picking him up of the ground. The creature suddenly released the man with a roar, and Reaver saw Page's sword in its back. As she drew it out, the creature returned to the shadows. Ben grabbed hold of Reaver and with Page's help, dragged him and the mage back onto solid ground. Garth stood up quickly and pointed across.

"We've got to go, now!"

"What if that thing comes back?"

"Don't worry…I've got an idea!" Garth summoned all his energy and formed a light in his hand. As he extended his arms, the light formed a dome around the four and slowly they started on the path.

"Don't fall behind," Garth whispered. Suddenly a thump sounded, then another. Squinting through the light shield, shadows could be seen slamming themselves against the dome's structure like fish hitting glass; they twisted and twirled again and again, trying to break through the shield. However, they could not succeed, and soon the group reached the edge of the dreamscape. Though they could not break the dome, they were annoying Garth. When the heroes reached the grey entrance, Garth allowed the others through, then turning to the remaining shadows, drew in the power of the dome around him.

"You will not stop us!" Garth pushed the dome out around him with all his power. It flew to the corners of the room, knocking the shadows against one another and into the stone walls. Garth looked around and heard only quiet, then turned back and entered the dome.

"Garth…you cannot escape me, Spectre, the demon of invidia," Spectre pulled itself from the wall it had been shoved into. Its back was still marked with the Avo's Lamentation, but it did not care. It was chiefly concerned with its own success in stopping the heroes, which far from certain at this moment, "Garth must die… But by my hand! Yandu, do not yet consume him!" It hissed, calling to its ally.

The group all recognized this place and they raced through the destroyed and broken gates to the crumbling castle. However, there was nothing there, no Theresa, no monsters, no darkness, no Queen. The heroes looked around in confusion, until Page touched her arm and summoned an image of the Queen, and saw the throne room.

"Quickly! Inside the castle!" They raced in and found a dramatic representation of the inside of the castle. However the castle did not have its normal welcoming, a regal look; it was instead dark and disturbing. Page pointed forward and they raced up the steps, which seemed to increase they went up them. Eventually Reaver stopped and tapped his cane. The others stopped in response and looked back to see they'd run up only a few steps.

"What is this, what's happening?" Ben asked. Garth pointed up the throne room which seemed to be a distant tunnel.

"This is a dreamscape, the ruler can shape it as they wish."

"Then how are we going to reach the throne room?" Page said. Garth stood motionless, thinking. However, Reaver didn't have time for Garth to come up with some solution.

"Who controls this room?!" Reaver demanded.

"What?"

"You heard me!"

"Um…whoever has the most resolve can push out others and resist any of those attempting to reseize control of the dreamscape."

"Good," Reaver muttered. Suddenly the entrance to the throne room surged toward them and was only two steps away. Reaver walked up leisurely, and the others looked at him in shock.

"My resolve is unmatched, believe me." Reaver said, waving them up to the throne room. The heroes followed him and there, at the end of the throne room was a man. He was large, almost as big as Saker, and with a large black suit and gauntlets on his hands. His hair was pure white, and his right hand was clasped around the handle of a huge sword. He stood and drew his sword from the ground and pointed it at the group. It was steel and three fourths the size of a man.

"Wait a minute," Ben started. Page though the face was familiar too.

"Well, Mr. Finn, it seems I was not just another casualty of your heroic exploits." His voice was hoarse and demonic, like one of the undead.

"Muddy Mark?"

"That's right Mr. Finn." Page drew back in shock too. The man was clearly Muddy Mark, but he seemed so corrupted, so evil.

"This is my true form, Mr. Finn. My name is Yandu, and I am the demon of Acedia, and I will be the one who slays you upstart heroes."

"No, stop, I will be the one!" A shadow appeared and moved in front of Yandu, "I almost killed you on the path! I am Spectre, the demon of Invidia!"

"Silence you idiot!" Yandu threw his hand out and Spectre flew into a wall. He then turned to the group and held his sword out, it tip pointing to the ceiling. He then released it, and the sword stayed in the air, then suddenly started flying toward the group.

"Get ready!" Garth yelled. The group jumped out of the way, but the sword suddenly turned and started slashing at Ben. He blocked it with the barrel of his gun then pushed the sword back and shot at it. Page slapped him angrily then pointed at the man.

"You're shooting at the giant floating sword and not the crazy demon over there."

"Are you sure you're qualified to marry my niece?" Garth yelled, as he dodged the sword wild swings with incredible precision. As the sword made a stab toward him, he cast a spell and summoned his own swords around his body which blocked the demon sword's slashes. The demonic weapon stopped momentarily, and then split into four swords, each of which went for a hero. Reaver drew his sword cane and stopped it before it could behead him. Page blocked it with Avo's Lamentation, and Ben with Dirty Harriet.

"Good grief…" Garth grunted and tried to move but found himself sinking into a puddle of darkness. Spectre formed out of the puddle and stood before Garth.

"You are going to die today, mage!" Spectre yelled, revealing his true form. He was pink with the spiked head and many eyes of the Crawler, but he had no nose and a very pronounced mouth. It also had huge black wings and his hands were more like a birds talons. He resembled a vulture more than anything else, and as the thing tried to attack Garth, he suddenly drew a connection.

"Invidia, the old kingdom word for envy, and Acedia, the old kingdom word for sloth…these demons are based on Avo's seven deadly sins." Garth said, mainly to himself, as the creature raised its talons.