It took a few more minutes of Walter's pleas for Elise to agree with him. "Only if I can come with you to the mausoleum." She sniffled a few times and whipped away her tears. Walter nodded his agreement and knelt down.
He put his arms under Spike's knees and shoulders. He stood up with a grunt, holding Spike close to his chest. Spike's head lolled back over Walter's arm. The three of them turned and walked to the throne room's doors.
The walk was slow and tortures with every step they took. Their hearts ached with every step and their lungs burned with every breathe they took. Even Drake seemed to be in pain. He whined every few steps and walked at Jasper's heel.
They walked out into the main hall to find it quiet and devoid of a single person. They walked down the steps, their footsteps muffled by the carpet the only sound. They reached to bottom of the stairs and turned left.
"What are you going to do when you leave?" Walter shook his head at Elise's question. "I don't know child. I don't know."
They fell into silence as they reached the gardens. Rain fell from the sky as if the sky was mourning the fallen prince. They made their way to the mausoleum and walked down to the door.
They entered the tomb and saw two stone coffins in the center of the circular room. On the far side of the room, there was a statue of a giant hooded angel with her hands folded over her heart. Elise looked at the statue and felt a tingle run down her spine.
The figure looked oddly familiar to her. Walter walked in between the two coffins and knelt down. He lay the prince down gently on the floor before standing up slowly. Elise walked up to Spike's body and knelt down to him.
She placed her hand on his face and kissed his forehead lightly. "I love you Spike, now and forever." She stood up and turned to Walter. He opened his mouth to say something when he was slapped in the face.
Jasper let out a light gasp and Drake lowered his ears against his head. Elise looked at him with fresh tears in her eyes. "You were supposed to take care of him." Without another word she ran out of the mausoleum.
Jasper walked up to Walter and put his hand on his shoulder. "She's just upset. She didn't mean it Walter." Walter sighed and looked down at Spike. "I know Jasper, but I still think she's right." He looked at the late king's coffin and he felt new tears form.
"I'm sorry old friend; I couldn't fulfill my promise to you." Jasper Knelt down to Spike and placed his hands on Spike's shoulders. Then he ran his hands over Spike's shirt, as if the smooth out the wrinkles.
"At least his shirt didn't stain." Jasper said wiping his eyes with his hand. Walter suddenly stiffened when he heard that. He looked down at Spike in shock.
"What? What's wrong Walter?" Walter just ignored Jasper and knelt down to the floor. "Of course! Why didn't I see it before?!" "What are you talking about Walter?"
"Don't you see Jasper? He was shot in the chest but there isn't any blood. How is that possible?" Walter reached to Spike's shirt and gripped the collar. He pulled the shirt down, past the bullet hole. For the first time, they saw a glint of gold.
Where the bullet struck, a small gold pendant lay on his chest. The bullet was embedded in the center of it. The pendant was strung on a thin golden chain. It was so thin that no one noticed it.
Jasper slowly reached his hand forward and touched the metal. Spike's eyes snapped open and he let out a loud gasp, sitting up as if electrified. Jasper fell backwards in shock and Walter just froze up. Drake gave a loud bark and ran around in a circle while Spike clutched his chest and took a few heavy gasps.
They all just sat there as Spike took heavy gasps of air. Spike winced in pain and looked down at his chest. His hand moved away and he saw his pendant. His hand closed around the metal and he lay back down slowly.
"Your highness, I'm overjoyed that you yet live. But where did you get that pendant? I've never seen it before." Spike just lay there and pointed to his mother's coffin. Walter finally found his voice and let out a booming laugh.
"You have got to have a guardian angel looking out for you son." Spike just smiled and sat up. "Are Elise and the others okay?" Walter nodded and helped Spike up. "We need to get out of here. Your brother's worse off then I thought."
"His rule will only lead to more chaos and death. This kingdom needs a change. It needs a revolution, it needs a new leader, it needs a hero." Walter looked at Spike expectantly.
Spike's face fell at Walter's words. "I can't Walter. No matter what he's done, he's still my brother." Spike's hand tightened over the pendant.
"I know you don't want to fight him, but there's no other way. You might think family is important, but Logan doesn't. He didn't even hesitate to shoot you, his own brother." Jasper put his hand on Spike's shoulder.
"I know you don't want to fight Logan, but think of all the people suffering under his rule." Spike let out a sigh and nodded his head slowly. He set his left hand down and pushed off the floor.
Spike stood up slowly and was hunched down when it happened. He felt pain flash across his chest and he let out a hiss. He fell to his knees and Walter rushed to his side. "Are you alright?"
Spike nodded vigorously and coughed a few times. Walter helped him up slowly but held on to his arm just in case. Jasper was holding Drake back so he wouldn't jump on Spike or hurt him unintentionally.
"What do we do now Walter? It's not like we can walk back out of here. My brother thinks I'm dead. I don't think he'll be too happy I'm still alive." Walter chuckled lightly at that.
"No I suppose not." "This is no laughing matter Walter! We can't stay here either. We have no food, no water, not even a change of clothes." Jasper was shouting and looking around franticly. Drake just sat there and looked at Jasper.
"Not to worry Jasper" Walter patted Jasper on the back. "There is a secret passage out of here somewhere. Though I'm not entirely sure where." He added under his breathe. Spike just kept looking at the statues face.
He slowly walked up to it while Walter and Jasper kept looking around. He reached out his hand and touched the statues knee. There was a blue flash that surged through Spike's eyes.
"Wha-" Jasper was about to say something but Walter put his hand out in front of him. He shook his head but kept his eyes fixed on Spike's back. Spike looked to the right and slowly walked to the column. He ran his hands across the columns base until he reached the middle.
He placed his right hand on the middle brick and pushed it. The brick slide back and Spike kept pushing until there was a loud click. The statues arms fell forward until they were an inch from the floor.
They were suspended off the floor by a chain connected to its wrists leading into its chest. In the statues palms was a small circular disk. The disk was dark blue with a golden insignia in the center of it.
"That's your father's Guild Seal. He said it was his most prized possession. He told me that these Seals choose people they deem worth. Those they believe have the potential to become legends."
Spike walked up to the Seal and reached out his hand. His left hand grasped the seal and he felt an immediate surge go up his arm. The seal shook in his hand and Spike held it tighter.
The Seal shook with unyielding force and Spike felt his grip loosen. Right before he left like it would rip out of his hand, everything suddenly stopped.
Spike blinked and he was no longer in the Catacombs. He was in front of a giant wrought iron gate. He could see a long winding path beyond it and mist throughout the air. In front of the gate stood a lone woman dressed in a maroon red robe.
"Who are you? What's going on?" Spike looked around wildly but the mist concealed everything from his sight.
"I am Theresa, the seer of the Spire. I guided your father in his greatest triumph. And I am here now to lead you to your destiny." She kept her hands folded in front of her waist and her head down. The hood of her robes blocked most of her face from view.
"What are you talking about? What destiny?" Spike was getting agitated and the serene atmosphere round him did nothing to ease his nerves. "I'm saying that the fate of Albion rests on your shoulders."
"This is the road you must take" she motioned to the path behind her with her left hand. "At the end, is the kingdom you were born to rule." She took a step toward Spike and held up her hand.
"But it won't be easy. Like any Hero's journey, it will be filled with peril and danger. That is not all though, the gates won't open for just you alone. You need to gain followers and the support of the people, if you are to succeed.
Spike just shook his head in disbelief. "This is impossible, I can't be a Hero. I don't even want to be a King, let alone save the kingdom." "But you must. Without you, Albion and its entire people will be destroyed.
"For now, you have the support of two friends. Jasper, who will serve you unquestionably. And Sir Walter Beck, who will be your greatest ally. You have taken the first step of your journey with their help, and it is enough to open the first gate."
Theresa vanished and the gate behind her swung open. The mist cleared enough for Spike to see a path leading to another gate. In front of the gate was an unopened chest. Spike
finally made his legs move, and he slowly walked to the chest.
The chest had only one marker on the top, a circular red ball of fire. Spike placed both hands on the top and slowly pushed it open. The chest was empty except for a single glove.
Spike picked up the glove and inspected it. The glove was made of brown leather and had the same symbol that was on the chest. It had the fingers cut halfway up and it was almost weightless.
Spike pulled the old glove off his right hand and he slid the new one on. The glove was warm to the touch and fit perfectly on his hand. Theresa suddenly appeared to Spike's left, smiling.
"You have a great power inside of you. You merely lack the means in which to unleash it. The gauntlet you now posses will help you channel the magic within you. Use it in your parent's tomb. It will help you open the way out of the castle."
The chest disappeared and Spike kept looking at the gauntlet. "You will return here when you have gathered enough followers to unlock the next gate. But for now, Walter and Jasper are waiting for you. You must enter the portal to return to them."
Theresa disappeared again and a giant smoke version of the guild seal appeared before him. Spike walked forward and there was a blinding flash of white.
Spike blinked and shook his head. When his vision returned, he was standing back in the same spot he was when he touched the guild seal. Walter and Jasper looked at him expectantly and Drake wagged his tail at Spike.
"Well? Do you feel any different?" Spike looked at them and then back at his new gauntlet. He turned his hand over a few times and then looked up. There was a stone symbol at the foot of his parent's coffins.
IT was the guild seal carved in stone, set into the floor. Spike walked over to it and ran his foot over the stone. It felt solid and it didn't look like it was moveable. Spike stood on it and looked down.
He concentrated on his gauntlet and he balled his hand into a fist. He felt a warm tingle in his fingers and then it spread to his whole hand. He felt the heat build and grow in intensity.
He let the power fill the gauntlet until it felt like it couldn't hold any more. He opened his eyes and slammed his fist down onto the stone seal. A ring of fire shot up around him in a circle, reaching two feet high.
There was a loud rumble and the floor in between the two coffins began to split open. "It bloody worked" Walter shouted laughing in surprise. Jasper and Drake just looked on in surprise.
The floor opened to a set of stairs and a path leading deeper into the tomb. "I never doubted you for a second Sir" Jasper said as if trying to quash any doubt in their minds. "Well neither did I. But it's still amazing to watch."
Spike felt a small smile grace his lips and he walked down the stairs. "Rather a small path it is. Rather dark too." Walter said nervously walking slowly behind Spike.
"You never did like dark places did you Walter?" Jasper said walking calmly behind Walter. "I never liked getting poked in the eye or having my head chopped off. What of it?" He snapped back at Jasper.
"Oh dear. I seem to have struck a nerve." "How about I strike a butler on the bounce?!" Spike stopped suddenly and turned around. "Enough fighting you two. Jasper, leave Walter alone. And Walter, I know you're uncomfortable. But that's no reason to take it out on Jasper."
The two nodded glumly and gave a simple 'sorry.' Spike turned and continued to walk with Drake at his heels. The tunnel opened up into a huge cavern. Walter ran to the edge and inhaled deeply.
"Ah, now this is more like it. Grand, spacious, a plentiful supply of oxygen. Just the way a Castle's escape rout should be." Spike chuckled and followed the path as it bent to the left.
They walked for a few minutes until Jasper voiced his concerns. "I hesitate to ask but what is our plan? Other then simply leaving the castle, which I wholly agree with." "Simple, we have to stop Logan" Walter said not even stopping to look at Jasper.
"How am I going to do that Walter? Even if I am a hero, I'm just one man. I can't fight an army by myself." "Exactly. That's why we need to find allies to help us. We'll need lots of them to help us fight. But for that, they'll need a symbol to rally behind. They need a person to lead them. Albion needs nothing short of a revolution."
They walked on in silence until they were attacked by a swarm of bats. Walter pulled out his sword and swung at them while Jasper ran in a circle with his hands over his head. Drake jumped up and down wildly, snapping at any bat he could.
Spike partially charged his gauntlet and thrust he hand forward. A fireball shot forward out of his hand and hit a group of bats. It exploded on contact and killed at least five of them. They fought like that for a few minutes until all of the bats were either dead or fleeing.
"Did you see that Jasper? He handles that power like a true hero." "Yes, yes. I'm sure your father would be very proud of you sir." "Well I know I am. And I'm proud of you too old friend. I've never seen a man cower with so much grace." Walter shot at Jasper with a chuckle.
"It is merely a matter of hygiene!" Jasper shot back in a flustered tone. "Bats are filthy creatures!" Walter just chuckled as they pressed forward. They made it to the bottom of the chasm when they were attacked by another group of bats.
Spike alternated between shooting fireballs and bringing up walls of fire as he fought them. They fought off the second group of bats with ease and continued on the path. They made it to a stone archway with a rusted old grate lying in a pool of water.
A foul pungent odor met them as they moved through the archway. "You might want to cover your noses from here on out. It looked like we're going into the Bowerstone sewers from here on out." Walter said holding his nose.
Jasper let out a sigh of disgust and held his nose. Spike covered his mouth and nose with his left hand and held out his right, ready to summon more fireballs if needed. Drake just ran around as if there was nothing wrong with walking into a sewer.
They made it a few steps in when they were assaulted by a third group of bats. Drake started to jump up at them again, splashing sewage all around. Jasper gave a shout of horror as his legs were splattered with muck.
Walter just kept swinging away at the bats, ignoring the sewage as it hit his clothes. Spike was getting annoyed with all the bats and his chest was starting to hurt again. He charged his gauntlet up and fired a 2 foot fireball at the bats.
The air was filled with the smell of charred flesh as the fire incinerated most of the bats in the blink of an eye. The bats retreated and the group began its trek into the sewers yet again.
Jasper made a comment about them being under Bowerstone Industrial but Spike just ignored him. His chest was hurting more and more, and it felt like a knife was scraping the inside of his ribcage.
He felt sweat pour down his face and it was getting harder to breathe with every step. They found a hole in the stone tunnel leading to another cavern. The path stretched a little further in and stopped a few feet into the cavern.
At the end of the path was a pedestal with another Guild Seal carved into the stone. The only difference was this one was painted blue and gold instead of just being etched into the stone.
Spike stepped on it and looked at Walter. "Why is this one different then the other?" Walter looked down at the seal and his eyes lit up in joy. "This looks like a Cullis Gate. Your father told me about these a long time ago. The hero's of old would use them to travel vast distances in the blink of an eye."
Jasper stepped on it and looked at it too. "I was under the impression that the Cullis gates were all gone." "Well it looks like there's still one left at least." Spike took a breathe and felt his chest contract in pain.
"How do we activate it Walter? Will it work the same way as the other seal?" "Well there is only one way to fond out." Spike nodded and charged his gauntlet with another burst of fire.
He slammed his fist down and the gate let out a bright light. The light enveloped them all and they felt the floor fall out beneath them. They were suspended in air for a few seconds before they felt ground beneath their feet again.
The light died down and they saw that they were now inside an old circular room. It had five doorways spread out across the wall. The center of the room had a large circular table and piles of books all over the place. The entire room was covered in dust and cobwebs; it looked like no one had set foot in here in years.
"This must be… it is. It's your father's sanctuary. He use to speak of it, but I never though it was actually a real place." Walter walked up to the table and looked at its surface. There was a single book lying on the table and Walter picked it up to read the cover.
"Well I don't believe it. Jasper this book has a note with your name on it look." Jasper walked up to him and looked at the book. "That's not possible." He grabbed the book and read the note.
"It seems as if the old king left this here for you. What's it called?" Jasper opened the book and read a few lines. "It's called 'The book of Hero's' how extraordinary." He kept reading it and walked to one of the piles of books. He sat down on it, ignoring the dust covering the books.
"Does that book of yours tell you how we can get out of here?" Walter said leaning against the table. Spike stood still on the Cullis gate, his arm holding his side in pain. It was almost impossible to breathe without feeling pain in his chest.
"This is most remarkable. Everything we would ever want to know about Hero's in right here in these pages." Jasper read a few more pages before he stood up. He walked to the table and set the book down on it.
This table is actually a map of Albion. It functions as a traveling mechanism. You simply choose where you want to go and it should take you there." Walter looked back at the table and blew at it hard.
Dust flew up in clouds to show that Jasper was right. It blew away to reveal everything, from the mountain's snowy peaks to the deep blue waves of the ocean. "Marvelous! We can use this."
Spike suddenly felt his vision blur and his chest contract painfully. He let out a sharp gasp and his body lurched forward. Walter and Jasper turned in time to see Spike fall onto the map with a low thud.
"Sir!" they both ran to him and lifted him off the map. The lowered him to the ground and Walter put his ear to Spike's chest. "He's still breathing" he pulled Spike's shirt off and they both froze.
There was a giant red bruise spread across Spike's chest. "It seems that Logan's bullet did more damage than we though. Jasper, go see if you can find any bandages or a health potions laying around."
Jasper ran out of the room while Walter balled Spike's shirt up and used it as a pillow for his head. Jasper came running back into the room with a dusty white bed sheet and s small dusty red bottle.
"I couldn't find any bandages but I did find a bed sheet." "That'll work" Walter took the sheet and began to rip it into strips. "Beat the dust off of these and pour some of the potion onto the bandages." Jasper took the strips and hit them a few times, sending dust everywhere.
He poured half of the potion on the sheet and handed it back to Walter. Walter took the strip and wrapped it around Spike's chest. He wrapped another two strips diagonally across Spike's chest.
"Jasper, lift his head so we can pour the rest in his mouth." Jasper lifted Spike into a sitting position and handed Walter the bottle. "Let's hope that potions don't have an expiration date."
He then poured the potion in Spike's mouth and they waited with baited breathe. Spike took a large gasp of air and then lay still. Walter put his ear to Spike's chest.
"He's breathing fine, I think it worked." Jasper gave off a sigh of relief and Walter stood up. "We'll let him rest for now; we're all pretty tired right now. I'll watch him for a few hours and let you get some sleep."
Jasper nodded and walked back into the room he ran into before. He came back a few minutes later with a couple of old moth-eaten blankets. They both sat down with their backs against the map.
They switched on and off for the next few hours on who watched Spike and who got some sleep.