Hero Gothic 1
Part 11
House. Bowerstone.
"I suggest you go and see Lady Grey" Whisper advised as we ate breakfast together "She'll be very unhappy if you do as she asked".
This idea was met with a complete lack of enthusiasm.
"I'll go see her before we leave" I told Whisper "We've got a lot to do before we go. I want to make sure that we both have the best equipment that money can buy and as much in the way of supplies as we can carry. I don't intend to be back for a year".
Plus there was something else I needed to do. I wanted to rent my house out so that when I got back I'd get some money from the rent, and someone would be around to keep the house in order.
"She is the Mayor of Bowerstone, farm boy" Whisper reminded me "She expects people to make time for her".
Whisper was never going to stop calling me farm boy, I had to simply accept that, or I could cut out her tongue, but that would be a tad excessive.
"Okay, I'll go see her now" I said with a groan.
I didn't want to see Lady Grey, as I didn't feel comfortable around her.
"And take her a gift" my sort of girlfriend advised.
I groaned again.
"Fine I'll pick up some flowers on the way" I said as I headed out the door.
Whisper had yet more advice.
"Buy her some black rose!" she yelled "I hear that's her favourite".
And I didn't doubt that they were the most expensive flowers in all of Albion. Just thinking about that made me glad that I won a lot of cash prizes for fighting through so many rounds in the arena.
As I left the house the dog tried to follow me, but I had no idea if Lady Grey would be offended by Oggy's presence so I told him to go stay with Whisper. Which he went and did.
"Hey, those are my socks!" I heard my fellow Hero shout out "let them go you mutt".
I had to laugh.
(Line Break)
After buying half a dozen black roses I made my way to Lady Grey's mansion. As I walked around the town many citizens of Bowerstone stopped to praised me on my victory at the arena. It made me blush because while I'd been thanked for doing heroic things in the past, it had never been like this. People had gone from merely respecting me to admiring me greatly, it was a little overwhelming.
When I arrived at the mansion, I nervously knocked on the door as I didn't know what to expect. Despite all my recent adventures I wasn't that experienced when it came to life outside the guild, as such I wasn't really sure how to behave around the nobility.
A maid eventually opened the door, she invited me inside and led me to a sitting room, before going off to get the Mayor. I stood there admiring the finery while waiting for Lady Grey to enter the room.
"My Lady" I greeted with a small bow "I brought you these".
I couldn't see how giving a woman flowers could go wrong, so I handed her the black roses, which she accepted with a sight smile.
"They are beautiful" she said before handing them over to the maid.
I assumed the serving girl would put them in a vase or whatever.
"Now come, sit with me" Lady Grey then invited.
I sat on the couch next to her, and soon found myself sitting uncomfortably close to a woman I barely knew.
"We need real Heroes like you in Albion" the noble woman was now saying "Heroes who are brave, powerful, helpful, and good-looking".
Lady Grey must have noticed that I didn't deal with women very well, as she seemed to be amused by me.
"Tell me, Gothic, do you have a girlfriend?' she asked.
I shook my head, and then realised that Whisper might count as a girlfriend if not for the fact that she would never let me call her that. She might possibly be the start of a harem, but she was still Whisper, and therefore not very easy to deal with or to categorise.
"You know I still haven't been able to find the right man to marry" the lady said.
Before I could comment on this the noble woman then ordered a maid to bring us some tea.
"Do you have any siblings?" was Lady Grey's next question.
I nodded, and then gave a more detailed answer.
"Yes, I've got an older sister" I said "She's called Theresa".
The woman nodded as if this just confirmed what she already knew.
"Then we have something in common" Lady Grey then informed me "I am the youngest of my family. I had an older sister called Amanda. She was such a kind hearted girl. She went missing the year I became Mayor, in fact it was because of her disappearance that I became Mayor".
I wouldn't be at all surprised if she'd killed her sister in order to become mayor.
"Would you do for a favour?" Lady Grey asked me "Would you be able to find my necklace for me? It is most precious".
That seemed harmless enough.
"Sure, I can do that" I said.
This greatly pleased the lady, although I had no idea how I would find her necklace, or if I would even bother to try.
"Thank you" the woman replied "Perhaps you could investigate around town, later on. Someone must know its whereabouts".
The tea service soon arrived, and the conversation turned to matter of no real importance.
(Line Break)
Once I left Lady Grey's house I went home and found that Whisper wasn't there, which was annoying as we were suppose to sorting out our supplies. Since I didn't know when she'd be back I decided to start seeking information on the necklace I was suppose to find.
While asking around I started wondering if Lady Grey was an evil witch or just a manipulative bitch, because now that she wasn't around I couldn't understand why I was doing her any favours. I felt no attraction towards the woman, in fact she repulsed me a little.
I soon learned that the necklace I sought was in fact Amanda Grey's necklace, Lady Grey's sister and that the mayor had gotten her hands on the necklace it when her sister went missing.
After talking to a few guards and villagers , I learned of two men who had been acting suspicious around the time of the necklace's disappearance. I managed to track the men down in the Oakvale Memorial Gardens where I overheard them talking about where they had stashed the necklace. As it turned out they'd hid it in between two boats down at the Oakvale docks.
So I headed for the docks and uncovered it, before going to the local guards and telling them about the men's crime.
(Line Break)
In the later afternoon I returned to Lady Grey with the item she had requested me to recover.
"Here is your necklace, my Lady" I informed the noble.
Without delay I handed it over.
"I don't believe it!' she said, happily "I thought I'd never see it again! Please, help me put it on".
She took it out of the box and handed it to me, before turning around. I awkwardly undid the clip and then clipped it around her neck.
"The two men who stole it have been arrested" I then informed her ladyship.
This also seemed to please her.
"You really are a wonderful Hero" Lady Grey praised "and you would make a wonderful husband to any woman, including me. I shall expect a proposal from you in a weeks' time⦠until then".
She then walked away, and I was left wondering what the hell had just happened.
(Line Break)
The Guild.
"You look troubled" the Guildmaster said when I arrived at the Heroes Guild "Is there something wrong?"
I'd come here looking for Whisper, but I'd run into the old man seconds after arriving.
"Lady Grey wants me to propose to her" I told my mentor "Apparently she thinks I'd make a good husband".
Which was sort of flattering, or at least it would have been if the words had been spoken by a woman I wanted to marry.
"I don't see the problem" the Guild Master.
The sigh I let lose sort of explained the issue.
"Listen, my boy" the old man was now saying "You are almost seventeen years old, it's time you started thinking about the future".
I'd long since forgotten my age, and I was surprised to hear that I was only sixteen. In my last life I'd still be a child in the eyes of many, but here I was an adult who needed to give serious thought to getting a wife and having some children.
"Marrying Lady Grey would be good for you" my old teacher was saying "She has money, power, respect, and she is beautiful. There aren't many women out there like her. Besides, if you don't, she could have you arrested, which would destroy your future".
Those were not good reasons to marry someone, I knew that people in Albion tended to wed for more practical reasons, but it seemed wrong to me.
"But I don't love her! I don't even like her for that matter" I argued.
In fact I was becoming increasingly sure that Lady Grey had murdered her sister in order to climb the social ladder, and that if we married she'd kill me if a more famous potential husband came along.
"You need to do what is best for you" the Guild Master advised me "Who do you want to marry?".
If I had to get married, there was only one woman I would even dare to ask, and she would hit me with her staff.
"Have you seen Whisper?" I then asked the old man.
He pointed towards the gardens.
"She's out in the training grounds" he told me "She's still determined to beat you one day".
I thanked the Guild Master and headed out to the training grounds. I found Whisper attacking a poor dummy with all her might, and for once I was very glad that I was not in the ring with her.
"You know if we ever attacked my straw men I'm just going to leave them to you" I told my long term friend "they wouldn't stand a chance".
She stopped beating on the poor dummy and turned to look at me.
"One day I'll be able to beat you, farm boy" she said with a grin as she walked over to me "So what are you doing here? I thought you'd be off proposing to Lady Grey".
I checked her expression to see how she felt about that, but sometimes she was very good at hiding her feelings.
"How'd you know about that?" I asked "She only just told me that I should propose".
Whisper smiled at me again.
"Oh farm boy, you're the most talked about person in Albion" she told me "Nothing is a secret when you're involved, and everyone knows that Lady Grey has been looking for a suitable husband".
I sighed, and Whisper came and sat next to me on the wall.
"We'll have to be careful" she then said "But a deal's a deal. I'll be your mistress".
That hadn't actually been a concern of mine.
"I'd rather marry you" I told Whisper.
That made her laugh.
"Oh no you're not going to stick me on a farm somewhere" she said "I don't want to end up raising your children all by myself while you run around having adventures".
That didn't sound horrible to me, but I could understand why she wouldn't like that.
"I know what'll cheer you up" I heard Whisper say "Let's go into the woods like we used to when we were kids".
Considering that we'd last done that a few months it shouldn't seem like something I'd done as a boy, but it sure felt that way.
(Line Break)
Guild Woods.
Without saying anything I pushed Whisper up against a tree and planted my mouth over hers. Soon I felt her fingers feeling my dick through my trousers, for once I wasn't wearing armour, and even with that distraction I was able push my tongue between her lips to french kiss her. This only made her hands work faster on my crotch.
Whisper pushed me off her and for a moment I thought something was wrong, but all did was pull up her top so that I could see her breasts.
As I so often had before I started kissing them and sucking in her nipples, she pushed her hand into my trousers and I felt the skin of her hand against the skin of my dick I stopped kissing and saw the triumph in her eyes.
"I knew you wouldn't fuck me" she said with a smile "as soon as I start rubbing your such a good farm boy for me".
That might have been true when we were still students, but I was an arena champion now. I wasn't going to let her decide how she pleasured me. She'd lost the bet, so now she belonged to me.
With that in mind I pushed her down to the grass and started to undress her. All the while we said nothing, she never asked my to stop, and I didn't give a damn about any consequences of what I was doing.
When I shoved my dick into her I relished the wonderful feeling of her cunt as it wrapped around me with warm wet flesh. She was just aroused as I was and more than ready for me. But I didn't really care about that all I did care about was that she felt good to shag.
I started fucking her rather frantically and she started moaning, and she wrapped her legs around my hips. I didn't last that long, as I didn't care to, and soon I filled her with my seed, and she kept her legs around me until I went soft while still inside her. Only then did we separate and I laid on the ground next to her.
We stayed like that for a while afterwards, and I wondered if I'd gone too far, but not for long as she reached over and pulled me to her in order to give me one more long passionate kiss.
"Now you've finally grown up" Whisper said as we sorted out our clothes "I was wondering when you start acting like a man".
I was very offended to hear that and felt the need to say something.
"I didn't know you wanted me to take charge" I told her "You started jerking me off before I was really interested in girls, and I really liked it. Anyway I didn't want to pressure you into doing more in case it ruined our friendship".
Plus after graduating I'd been really, really busy.
"You're sweet" said Whisper "and I never minded looking after you, but remember your a man now, and a Hero too. You can take what you want".
That was true I could just take what I wanted, and to a certain extent I could do whatever I wanted.
"Okay let's go find out if Lady Grey killed her sister" I decided "and if she didn't then we need to trick your brother into marrying her".
Whisper found that funny.
"You're still not marrying me" she insisted "I'm not going to sit at home with a bunch of screaming brats while you go out and have fun".
Now I was amused.
"We'll see" I said.
(Line Break)
Bowerstone.
"Avo is a kind god" the man behind bars was now saying "He would never allow someone as pure as you, Hero, to marry that witch"
Whisper and I exchanged glances and then looked at the glum prisoner. I'd never called pure before. I wasn't exactly evil, but I'd slaughtered more people than I'd had conversations with. Heck I'd killed three people before I'd even lost my virginity.
"Err yeah" I said to one of the men who'd been arrested for stealing the necklace "I just wanted to ask some questions".
The prisoner was hard to talk to because he was very upset.
"The Mayor's having me executed" said the prisoner "all because I asked too many questions".
He was a thief, but killing him over it seemed excessive.
"So she's executing you because you merely were asking questions?' Whisper asked.
The man behind bars was barely holding back tears at his point.
"She is a demon, and no one will believe me" he said.
While I was sure that Lady Grey was an evil bitch, I did think she was human.
"Her sister was an angel" the condemned man went on to say "She would have made a wonderful Mayor, and I know Lady Grey killed her!".
I was sure that she had, but I needed hard evidence to get the guards on my side before I took any action. Failing that I would have to find a way to get her to marry Thunder, because I sure as hell wasn't going to do it.
"Do you have any proof of your accusation?" I asked.
I doubted that since he was in a cell, but he might at least be able to point me in the right direction.
"No, but I know that she did" the prisoner replied "You have to help me prove it, Hero! If you don't, Bowerstone will remain in her clutches, I'll be executed, and you will be married to a demon, who will probably kill you once she grows tired of you!".
That was my concern also. Well not the town being in her clutches part, the being killed by a evil bitch part.
"What do you think?" I asked Whisper
We moved away from the cells before she answered me.
"I think you should go with your original plan" she said.
Which was to get Thunder to marry Lady Grey. This would be accomplished by letting him kick my ass in fight. He might kill me, but I doubted it if Whisper went and asked not to pound me into a sticky paste for her sake.
"But what if he's right?" I asked her "What if she is responsible for Amanda Grey's death, and what if she kills your brother?".
Whisper sighed.
"Well we best find out everything we can, and I guess someone's got to keep you out of trouble" she then said "You're really lucky I still think you're cute because this goes way beyond the whole harem deal".
After thanking Whisper I went back over to the cell
"So how do you prove that the mayor killed her sister" I asked the prisoner "Do you have any ideas?".
He better do because I sure didn't.
"All you need to do is get her dead sister to tell you what really happened" said the prisoner. "Amanda had a sweetheart called Rhodri. He's a nice guy".
I had another question.
"Any idea where to him" I asked.
It pleased me to find out that he did.
"He usually hangs out in Barrow Fields" the guy behind bars told me "If anyone knows how to entice her out of oblivion, it's him".
Back on the world I'd used to live in that would have sounded totally nuts, but here ghosts were a fact of life, and sometimes they even tried to kill you, or they gave you quests. It depended on the spirit.
(Line Break)
Barrow Fields.
After a bit of asking around, and using a Cullis Gate, Whisper, my dog and I found Rhodri hanging around a outside Demon Door.
"Are you Rhodri?" I asked as we approached the man.
He seemed surprised by my use of his name.
"Hold on. Aren't you the Hero of Oakvale?" he question "And aren't you Whisper, the Hero of Oakvale's lover?".
Well she could be described that way. Not that I would be stupid enough to call her that.
"Where did you hear that?" Whisper demanded to know.
She soon got an answer.
"Well that's what everyone was saying after he spared your life in the Arena" Rhodri told us.
That made some sense.
"Yes, well anyway, the reason we are here is because we were told that you knew Amanda Grey" I said the man "Is that true?".
The sad expression on his face confirmed it to be so.
"Yes, it is" Rhodri replied sadly "I think about her all the time. She was so beautiful, so pure. She was afraid that her sister would find out about us and use our love against her, stopping her from becoming Mayor. I'm no noble after all".
That didn't seem right given that I wasn't a noble, and given that Ablion wasn't even a proper nation, it also seemed odd that anyone could count as nobility. Albion was nothing more than a lose confederation of cites, towns and villages which traded with each other.
"So how did you see each other?" Whisper asked curiously "Did you have to sneak about?".
Again the man soon answered her.
"We'd meet in secret in the cellar of Grey House" he told us "I would sneak out to the stables and flash my lamp three times to let her know I was there".
That could be a way to summon Amanda's Grey ghost, but we would need more than just a dead person's words in order overthrow the mayor.
"Do you know what happened to her?" I enquired.
This subject was paining the man, I could see it in his eyes, but we needed to know.
"Yes, I do. One night she didn't come out, and I found the cellar door locked" he informed us "Her sister, Elvira, or Lady Grey as she's now known, told me she had died of some terrible illness. I never even got to say goodbye"
Rhodri then collapsed to his knees and cried. It was obvious that he had loved Amanda deeply.
"Thank you for your help, Rhodri" I said softy.
I then led Oggy and Whisper away so that the man could grieve in peace.
"If Amanda died of an illness, then why did Lady Grey tell me her sister went missing?" I wondered.
I was now more certain than ever of foul play.
"Maybe we should go to the Grey House and investigate?" Whisper suggested.
I pondered things for a moment.
"Meet me in the stables at nightfall" I instructed Whisper "I'll go fetch a lantern".
My fellow Hero quickly caught on to my plan.
"Oh clever, farm boy" she praised.
She was never, ever, ever going to stop calling me that.
(Line Break)
Grey House
"Over here" I said to Whisper when I saw her enter the stables.
I flashed the lantern I'd picked up earlier three times. At first, nothing happened, but then we saw the ghost of a young woman walk out of the house, before going down into the cellar.
"That was one of the weirdest thing I have ever seen" Whisper commented.
I smiled.
"Not long ago I met a ghost pirate who wanted me to give his hidden treasure to his wife" I told my fellow Hero "Now that was weird".
Rather than exchange more words we silently entered the cellar and started to look around. When we found the ghost I saw that she was looking down at a skeleton that was leaning against some barrels.
"Rhodri, is that you?" the dead woman asked
The ghost turned around before answering her own question.
"Oh, you're not Rhodri" she said sadly "I prayed that he would rescue me, but he never came".
He hadn't known she needed saving.
"Is that you?" Whisper asked "The skeleton I mean".
Which was a very strange question to hear someone say.
"Yes, that's me" the ghost confirmed "When the air ran out down here, I closed my eyes and imagined I was dying in Rhodri's arms".
I found myself becoming angry.
"So you didn't die of an illness, or go missing" I said "You became trapped down here and suffocated".
That was not a nice way to die. Not there were many good ways to snuff it.
"Whoever told you that I died of an illness?" Amanda asked curiously.
It wasn't me who told her.
"Your sister told Rhodri that when he came to visit, and you never showed up" Whisper answered "She told him that you had died of a terrible illness. He was heartbroken. Still is really".
The ghost became a little angry.
"That does not surprise me" Amanda said.
I moved back a little as the skeleton's hand was raised up.
"People must know the truth about Elvira" the ghost said "Take this letter and tell the world what really happened".
Amanda then disappeared and I recovered the piece of paper.
"I can't believe she killed her own sister" Whisper was now saying "And to think you might have married her, or she might have been my sister-in-law if she'd married Thunder".
We then turned to leave, only to find Elvira Grey blocking our way out.
"So, now you know the truth" she said coldly.
Whisper was not happy to see the lady, and neither was I for that matter. Even Oggy growled to express his displeasure.
"How could you?" Whisper demanded to know "How could you kill your own sister?".
I had a sister, and while we weren't close I could never harm her.
"Amanda was a weak, romantic fool" Lady Grey said to us "She didn't have what it takes to run Bowerstone. She would have turned the whole place into an egalitarian slum".
I didn't know why that would be a bad thing. Society needed to be more fair.
"So you killed her" I said "Seems excessive to me".
She could have used blackmail against her sister, that would have been less needlessly evil.
"My dear, if you were given the choice to choose power over your sister, you would choose power" Lady Grey stated.
Hopefully when that time came I wouldn't.
"We're going to expose you for what you really are!" Whisper declared.
The noble lady didn't seem worried.
"But you wouldn't do that to me, would you, Gothic" Lady Grey said, with a rather seductive smile "Wouldn't you like to be married to the mayor?".
It wasn't at all tempting.
"Think of the power" she was now saying "it can all be yours. You just need to hand over the letter".
I shook my head.
"No thanks" I told the noble.
Me saying that made her very upset.
"No one refuses Lady Grey" she yelled "No one!".
Then followed some villain ranting.
"You're just like the rest of those imbeciles, infecting my city like vermin" Lady Grey said "Tell everyone, if you want. See if I care. Have your moment of glory. But know this; I will return one day, and I will wash away all the filth with your blood. Remember that!".
When the evil bitch turned to run I triggered Assassin's Rush, so that I catch her, only something hit me and I fell down the cellar's steps. When things stopped being a blur I found that my face had somehow ended up between Whisper's legs.
"You can do that later, farm boy" Whisper said "Like when were not trapped in a cellar that's air tight".
This at least wasn't a concern. I just charged up powerful Force Push and blasted the cellar door off its hinges.
"Do you think you should take her threat seriously?" Whisper asked as we exited the cellar.
I did not.
"Nah, she was just being a drama queen" I replied "Besides, you're way scarier than she is".
Whisper laughed, and then frowned.
"Wait did you just insult me?" she asked.
Wisely I didn't reply.
"Oh you better be planning to put your head between my legs" she huffed.
Actually I figured she'd be using her mouth to pleasure me, but we could discuss that later.
(Line Break)
Bowerstone Jail.
When we arrived at prison we sought out the man in charge as I didn't want that poor bloke we'd spoken to earlier to be hung for no good reason.
"Hello, Heroes" the sheriff greeted "What can I do for you?".
Hopefully he'd be doing something important very soon.
"Here is a letter written by Amanda before she died" I told the Sheriff "You should read it".
The sheriff took the letter and quickly read over it. As he did this his face went from mildly happy to very unhappy.
"Its almost unbelievable" the Sheriff said "So Gethyn was right all along. I suppose we'd better release him".
I assumed that Gethyn was the man I'd spoken to earlier, who had been one of the men who had stolen the necklace from Lady Grey, which had once belonged to her sister. Looking back it seemed as Gethyn must have taken in the necklace as part of some plan to prove Lady Grey was evil. Although I couldn't see how unless he'd been planning to summon Amanda's ghost with it.
"That would be for the best" I agreed "We all him a big apology".
Maybe I'd have a nice pie baked for him. He had to be hungry after only having prison food to eat.
"We'll have to find a new Mayor" the sheriff was now saying "I don't suppose you'd be interested in the job? You have proved your worth after all".
I was surprised to hear this.
"You want me as your Mayor?" I asked, not quite sure if I'd heard that right "as in me running the city".
I didn't want to be mayor. It was a petty dream for someone like me. I could be king of Albion given enough time and resources, perhaps one day I would be.
"He'd love to be your Mayor!' Whisper declared.
I gave her a glare of doom, but she ignored it.
"Excellent!" the sheriff said "I will have an arrest warrant put out for the former mayor and the town crier will declare you as the new mayor first thing in the morning".
Long before there had been newspapers and television, news had been delivered by a town crier, a man who would wander around ringing a bell and then yell out important news.
"Where's your dog?" Whisper said, no doubt wanting to change the subject.
I looked around and realised that my faithful hound was not at my side. I called out his name and moments later we all heard a woman screaming, and then we saw my dog dragging Lady Grey, by her ankle, towards the sheriff.
"Well so much for warrant" the sheriff said "Maybe your mutt should be mayor".
He'd probably do a better job.
(Line Break)
Heroes Guild.
'What's going on?' the Guildmaster asked.
My shouting at Whisper much have gotten the old man's attention because not moments after we had arrived he had joined us in the map room.
"Whisper and I have just exposed the fact that Lady Grey murdered her sister in order to become mayor of Bowerstone" I told my teacher.
"And Gothic is about to become mayor" Whisper informed the Guildmaster
I glared at her. It had no effect.
"That's wonderful" said the old man "Congratulations, my boy. I'm sure your parents would be proud".
I sighed.
"Does anyone care that I don't want to be Mayor?" I wondered "or that I'm not at all qualified for the job".
My old teacher did, at least a little.
"You should take the job and assign someone more knowledgeable about the city than you as Deputy Mayor" the Guildmaster suggest "then after a while, if things have settled you can hand over the reigns to the Deputy Mayor, or you may even find you're very good at the job".
Whisper also had something to say.
"And now you have a proper house and a proper job you can ask me to marry you" she said "If you really meant it earlier".
Now I was wondering if Whisper was just as evil as Lady Grey, or maybe it was all women who were demons in disguise.
