It was an early time of day, the sun had not risen yet, and all was still and quiet. Walter sat in complete silence watching Jasper and Spike sleep. Jasper was slumped against the Albion map; his head slumped to his right shoulder. Drake was lying next to Spike, with his head on Spike's lap. Walter was sitting next to the Cullis Gate, his weapons at his side.
He was just starting to nod off when Spike suddenly stirred. He let out a low groan and his eyes opened slowly. Walter jumped up and rushed to Spike's side.
"How are you feeling lad?" Spike looked around in confusion.
"What the hell happened?" He moved to sit up but winced as his chest throbbed in pain.
Walter put his hand on Spike's shoulder, to stop him from rising again.
"You collapsed on the map while we were looking at the map." Drake lifted his head up and looked at his master. He let out a happy bark and wagged his tail in joy. Jasper jumped as the sudden bark startled him awake. He saw that Spike was up and hurried to his side.
"How are you feeling young master?" Spike gave a nod and grabbed Walter's wrist. Walter let go of his shoulder and moved his hand behind Spike's back.
He helped Spike sit up slowly and Jasper moved to Spike's other side to help. Spike sat up and lightly touched his chest. He looked down and saw bandages and the edge of a bruise under them.
He hooked two fingers under the bandages and lifted them slightly.
"Well, that's pretty" he put the bandages back and grabbed the edge of the map. He pulled himself up and looked around.
"What were you saying before I collapsed Walter?" He held his arm close to his chest and he looked at Walter expectantly.
"You shouldn't be moving just yet, your wound isn't fully healed." Jasper held his shoulders lightly. Spike shook his head and gave Jasper a small smile.
"There's no time for that yet. We need to start collecting allies and provisions. I'll take it slow but we can't stop moving." Walter chuckled lightly and there was a merry twinkle in his eyes.
"He's right Jasper; we need to keep moving forward. Our first stop will be the mountains of Mistpeak. The people there would be great allies to our cause. It won't be easy to getting their support, no matter how much they despise Logan. It will take no less than a Hero to secure their aid.
It's called Dwellers camp and it's in the mountains." Walter pointed to where the settlement was located. It was clear across the map. It was half way up the mountains on the eastern shore.
"Very good, I however will remain here. I will further acquaint myself with this Sanctuary. No doubt we will need to use its full facilities soon." Spike laughed a little and Walter just smiled at him.
"Ok Jasper. We'll get some supplies at the dweller Camp and bring them back to stock up the Sanctum. Now how do we get there" Jasper picked up the book and flipped through a few pages.
"It appears that your seal works as a portal. You simply pick a place on the map and concentrate some of your magic or will as it's called into the seal. It will then teleport you to your destination."
"But Jasper, I've never been anywhere but the Castle and its grounds. How am I going to teleport to the Dweller Camp?" Spike looked at him puzzled and Walter looked at the map deep in thought.
Jasper flipped through the pages again, he read the words under his breathe as he went. He finally stopped and smiled.
"Aha! It says here that you can take others with you but only from one Cullis Gate to another. It will also let you teleport to other Cullis gates of your choosing. It appears the old king wrote down the location of all the Cullis gates that are left.
It appears there are only two left that we know of. One is the one we used, and the other is at the outskirts of the Dweller camp. It appears your father left it in the care of the Dwellers for safe keeping."
Spike shook his head with a smile on his face. He looked at the ground, searching for his shirt. He turned around and saw Drake wagging his tail at Spike. Spike's shirt hanging from his mouth. Spike took his shirt from Drake and patted his head lightly.
"Let's get going Walter." He slowly pulled his shirt over his head and walked to the Cullis gate. Walter gave Jasper a small pat on the back and walked to the gate. Spike turned to Jasper and waited for Drake and Walter to step onto the gate.
"See you in a bit old friend." Spike charged up a fireball and activated the gate. The three of them were enveloped in light and then disappeared. Jasper turned around and looked at the dusty room.
"Now to get some cleaning done."
Spike felt the same weightless feeling the first time he used the Gate. He felt his body float through the air and then the sudden rush of ground beneath his feet. The light faded to reveal a snowy mountainside.
The Cullis gate was clear of trees and there was a set of stairs leading forward. The sun was starting to peak over the horizon and cast the landscape in a yellow glow. The Dweller camp looked to be nothing more than simple huts set in clearings in the forest. Some had wheels and looked like old wagons that were missing wheels or had holes in their roofs.
Other huts just looked like they fell into disrepair and were never fixed. Spike saw people starting to rise for the day ahead. Some opened stalls while others grabbed axes or baskets to forage with.
"Brrr, I've forgotten how bloody cold it is up here." Walter rubbed his arms, trying to generate more heat. Drake barked and jumped into a pile of snow. Spike and Walter walked down the steps slowly.
"This place may not look like much, but this is where our revolution begins. The people here are tough, loyal, and they hate your brother's guts. Look at what your brother has reduced them to. I know they had a hard time finding food, but I didn't know that it was this bad."
There were people sitting along the path or huddled next to braziers. Their clothing had holes in them and there was dirt on their faces. Spike looked at the downtrodden people. His heart ached at the sight of these people.
They followed the path to a large wooden gate, with a red banner on each side of it. There were two men with wooden spears guarding it. Walter stopped a few feet away and looked at the top of the gate. Drake ran up to the gate and sniffed it; the guards looked at Drake in confusion.
"The man we need to convince is Sabine. A proud old sot, but a good man and a good leader. He doesn't give his allegiance easily, especially to a prince. Why don't you let me go in and talk to him first? Why don't you go look for some new clothes?
"We don't want to draw attention to ourselves. Try to find something slightly less princely. I don't have much but it should be enough to get a set of clothes, there should be a little left over for you to use on what you want."
Walter handed Spike a bag of gold and walked to one of the two guards. Spike turned and walked back down the path. He walked around the village for a few minutes until he found a stall with a clothed mannequin in it. He walked up to the owner and tapped him on the shoulder.
"How much for the whole set of clothes?" The man looked at him with a questioning look then at the mannequin.
"301 gold pieces and not a penny less." Spike nodded and counted out the coins he had. He handed it to the man and took the clothes from the mannequin. He turned and walked away from the shop.
"Uh- hello- hello- my prince? Can you hear me? I'm talking to you through the guild seal, what a wonderful invention it is. It appears like we can communicate as long as you have it on you. It also appears that you can teleport to and from the Sanctum at will."
Spike sighed and looked at Drake. He held the dog's collar and concentrated on the guild seal. He felt the ground disappear and the flash of light. He blinked and felt the ground hit his feet and he light faded.
He was back in the Sanctum and it looked much neater then it was twenty minutes prior. There were less dusty piles and a few less cobwebs. Jasper had done some major cleaning in an amazing amount of time.
"Ah hello, the Sanctum is coming along nicely." Spike walked up to Jasper looking around.
"Jasper how did you get this all done in lest than twenty minutes?" Jasper looked around in confusion.
"I'm far from being done, but this is nothing. Now I have cleared out the Sanctums changing room. You can change your clothes in there now." Spike nodded and walked to the only doorway not obstructed by cobwebs.
He walked into the changing room and let out a whistle. The room was half a circle and half square. It had dark green wallpaper covering the whole wall. There were shelves covering most of the circular part of the wall. The left side of the room had three mannequins on it and the right side had a shelf and a changing screen.
Spike walked up to the screen and started to disrobe. He was half way through pulling his shirt off when he stopped suddenly. His chest throbbed painfully and he put his hand on his bandages.
"Note to self don't lift arms above head." He sighed lightly and continued to disrobe. Spike pulled down his pants and kicked them over the screen. He grabbed the new closes and started to put them on.
"I see that your dressing habits are still the same." Spike stuck his head around the screen and chocked back a laugh. His pants were hanging off of Jasper's head with one of the legs wrapped around his neck like a scarf.
"Sorry Jasper, my ribs don't like me bending right now." Jasper quirked and eyebrow and turned to his left. He pulled the pants off and put them on a shelf. Spike moved back and continued to put on the new outfit.
He stepped out and looked at himself in the mirror. The outfit had brown fur boots, a dark grey pants, a brown fur vest with a red short sleeve shirt on under that. The outfit was completed with a red and yellow stripped bandana and brown fur gloves.
"Ah well you look like a dweller now. I hope it's just as comfortable as your princely attire." Spike smiled at Jasper and shook his head no. Jasper nodded and they both walked out of the room.
"I'll be back with supplies as soon as I can Jasper. It doesn't look like the dwellers have any to spare but I'll get some from the next town over." Jasper gave him a smile and stopped at the map.
Spike activated the gate and teleported back to the dweller camp. He was halfway up the path when he remembered the leftover gold he had. He looked at the people and his face fell. He pulled off his bag of gold and jingled the contents.
A little girl with a yellow bandana ran up to him. She held out her doll in front of her the whole time.
"I'll trade my dolly to you for some food, she's real good." Spike bent down and looked at her.
"You don't have to give me your doll. Here" he opened the bag and gave the girl five gold coins. The girl gasped and looked at him in joy. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a hug.
"Thanks mister!" She ran off giggling happily, Spike stood up and watched the girl go. He looked at the others and then down at his money. He walked through the village at a slow pace and handed out what was lefty of the gold.
He handed over his last few pieces of gold and then walked to the gates where he left Walter. He walked up to Walter outside the gate and Walter gave a laugh.
"Now that's more like it. The scruffy look suits you." Spike just shook he head and nodded to the guards. They opened the gate and Spike walked through them. The gates opened into a clearing. There were five houses in a half circle, there was only one man and he stood in front of the center house.
The man was huge, standing at over 8 feet tall. He had on a fur hat and a sleeveless fur vest. He wore no undershirt and showed off his body. His chest was big but a solid wall of muscle and sinew. His arms and legs were as wide and solid as cannonballs. He had a large belt with a circular buckle.
He had a scar going down the left side of his face and another one over his left eye that ran down from the edge of his eyebrow and down to his nose. Spike looked at the man and couldn't help feeling intimidated.
Drake ran up to the man and jumped up his leg. He man bent down and pet the dog with a smile. Drake wagged his tail and barked at the man.
"Out of the way Boulder, I can't see anything." Boulder gave a grunt and stepped to he left. He revealed a short little man sitting on a wooden throne on a small platform with a few steps in front of it. The man was dressed in a yellow fur vest and yellow and purple stripped pants. He had a long white mustache with four rings wrapped around it to keep it neat. He had a large yellow hat with a point at the top and a feather sticking out of the middle of it.
"So royalty walks into our home. A prince no less, you're a long mile from the castle prince." Spike walked up to him, stopping at the foot of the steps. Boulder was to Spike's immediate left and kept his good eye fixed on Spike.
"What do you think of our home then? Do you like what your brother has done to us?" He voice was laced with sarcasm and anger. Spike just stared at the man trying to gauge how he could appeal to the man. Sabine waved he hand out motioning to the village.
"These mountains have always been ours. Now Logan's taken them, and is stripping them of all life. Oh, we're ready to go to war." He put up his hands into fists and furrowed his brows.
"But tell me this, why should we follow Logan's kin? How are you any better than he is?" Sabine fixed him with a pointed stare as if waiting for Spike to lie to him. Spike looked down at his hands and flexed them a few times. He finally looked up at Sabine and sighed.
"I don't expect you to trust me just yet. You have no reason to believe me but I give you my word." Sabine gave him a harsh snort and turned his back on Spike. He walked back up to his throne and sat back down.
"We don't take much stock in words round these parts. We're simple folk, ain't that right boulder?" Boulder gave a grunt of approval and crossed his arms.
"If I have to prove myself before you believe me then so be it. What do you want?" Spike crossed his arms and Sabine stood up. He walked down the steps and stopped in front of Spike. He leaned toward Spike and so did Boulder.
"Proof. First you must prove that you are truly a Hero, as Walter claims." He held up one finger as he spoke.
"This is easily done. There is a secret chamber beneath the town of Brightwall, build by your own father. Only Heroes can survive its trials and reach the relics within." Drake gave a bark and jumped up on Boulder again. Boulder chuckled lightly and sat down on the ground.
He pet Drake while Drake licked his face and barked happily. Spike gave them a quick glance and felt a smile grace his lips.
"Bring me one of these ancient objects and I will believe you. Second, prove you are a warrior worthy of leading us into battle." He held up two fingers as he spoke.
"You can do this by slaying the mercenaries who plague Mistpeak Valley and who have long soured our existence. Third, prove you are a true leader. Persuade our neighbors in Brightwall to share what food they have with us. Boulder."
Sabine looked at Boulder and Boulder turned to face Sabine. He gave a sad grunt and stood up, stopping his fun with Drake.
"If we cannot eat, we will die. And the dead make poor allies." Spike nodded and Drake walked to Spike and sat down next to him.
"Is that all you want? I can do that for you, I would have helped you with the food problem anyway." Sabine looked taken aback for a second and then gave a smile. He walked back up to his throne and sat down again.
"Yep, that's the lot. Off you go then" He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Good luck, nice knowing you." He pulled a pipe out of his pouch and gave it a puff. Spike pat his leg and turned to leave. Drake jumped up and followed him out.
The gates opened up for him again and he walked out to meet Walter. Walter gave him a smile and patted his back. Spike smiled lightly and shook his head.
"It's good to see Sabine hasn't mellowed with age. But anyway I know the place he mentioned. Your father built the chamber under Brightwall Academy, Albion's greatest seat of learning." Spike and Walter walked at a brisk pace back down the trail.
"Unfortunately I heard that your brother closed it down. But all you have to do is show your guild seal to the librarian. He'll know what it means." They stopped at the town entrance and Walter turned to Spike.
"I'll meet you in Brightwall after I see what I can find out about these mercenaries." Spike nodded and watched Walter walk off. He looked at the path leading to the guild seal and Drake gave a small whine.
Spike walked around the village for a few minutes before he turned and left through the village's gates. As soon as he walked through it he was hit in the face with a cold wind. Spike rubbed his arms to try and warm them up.
He walked down the path until he hit a fork and looked up at the sign. It had an arrow pointing to the left path and the word Brightwall underneath it. He went to take the left path when Drake ran off up the right path.
"Drake not that way!" Spike ran after Drake and saw his tail whip around the corner. Spike ran through the snow and felt the cold sting his face and arms where the wind hit him.
He finally caught up to Drake at the end of the path which was at the top of a small bluff. There were ruins around the top and a small wooden chest was in the middle of the bluff. Spike walked up to it and gave the top a gentle tug.
The chest stayed firmly shut and Spike gave a small huff. He looked at the lock and saw that it was rusted with age. Spike looked at his gauntlet and then back at the lock. He placed his hand on it a channeled a fireball into his hands.
He saw the metal begin to glow red with heat and continued to charge his gauntlet. He stopped when he saw steam coming off of the lock and he grabbed a handful of snow. He threw it on the lock and saw the snow melt with a hiss as it hit the lock.
He threw more snow on the lock until it was cold again. He then raised his left leg and gave the lock a hard kick. The metal shattered with a loud bang and a shower of metal shards.
He opened the chest and looked inside of it. There was a small bag of gold, a small square cut emerald, and an oval cut piece of jet. Spike collected the contents and turned around. Drake was sitting in front of him wagging his tail in joy.
"Its not food but we can still use this to get some supplies in Brightwall. Good job boy!" He scratched Drake behind the ears and set off back down the path.
They made it half way down the trail before they heard a loud howl. Drake crouched down and bared his teeth while Spike looked around for the source of the noise. There was a light pattering of paws and they saw five wolves running at them.
Spike charged his glove and fired a fireball at one of the wolves, it hit the wolf in the head and the wolf tumbled to the ground dead. The other four kept running at them and Drake launched himself at one of them.
The lead wolf jumped at Drake and they collided in midair. They hit the snow and wrestled around snapping and growling at each other. Spike shot a second fireball at another one but it jumped to the side avoiding it.
The fourth and fifth wolves jumped at Spike but he rolled to his right. The two wolves missed him by inches and he saw they streak by. He felt something hit him hard on the right side of his torso.
The wolf that dodged the fireball had tackled Spike to the ground. Spike cried out in pain as his ribs throbbed in pain. He shoved his right hand under the wolfs ribcage and let loose another fireball.
The explosion threw the wolf ten feet and it hit a tree with a sickening crack. Spike rolled over in the snow to smother the fire on his clothes. His hand hit a log and he grabbed it quickly. The two wolves bore down on Spike with menacing growls.
One jumped at him and he swung the log full force at its face. The log hit the wolf and exploded in a splinter of wood and blood as it spilt the wolfs head open. The other wolf snapped its muzzle down on Spike's right hand and thrashed its head around.
Spike yelled at the wolf and punched it in the side. The wolf held on and continued to thrash around. Spike felt its teeth dig deep into his arm and his blood start to spill out. He grabbed its muzzle and tried to pull the wolf off.
The wolf bit down harder and Spike shouted at it. He looked around but couldn't see and more logs he could use to pry the wolf off. He growled in frustration and looked back at the wolf.
He could hear Drake and the last wolf still fighting in the background and gave the wolf on his arm a kick. It let out a yelp but stayed glued to Spike's arm. Spike groaned in disgust and charged his glove.
"This is going to feel so gross!" He unleashed the fireball down the wolfs gullet. The result was instantaneous, the wolfs chest exploded in a shower of blood and fur. Spike panted a few times to catch his breath, he refused to look at the wolfs remains.
He grabbed the beasts muzzle and pulled it open to free his right arm. Spike heard a sudden whimpering howl and a growl. He looked up in time to see Drake grab the last wolf by the throat and crush its throat.
Drake held onto the wolf until it stopped twitching and then released its throat. He walked over to Spike and gave a soft whine of sadness. Spike held his arm and gave Drake a small smile.
"I'll be ok boy. Come here and let me check you for any wounds you got." Drake walked over to Spike and sat down. Spike made sure there weren't any cuts the could get infected and then looked at his arm.
The wolf didn't tear much flesh but it did cut deep into his arm. Spike pulled off the bandana and placed it on his knee. He grabbed some snow and rubbed it on his arm to clean the cuts. After he cleaned the wound, he wrapped the bandana around his forearm tightly.
He flexed his hand a few times and rolled his wrist. There didn't appear to be any nerve damage but it still throbbed painfully like his ribs. He stood up and walked down the path with Drake at his heels.
They made it the rest of the way to Brightwall without having to fight anything else. The town was on the other side of a large stone bridge. Spike walked across the bridge looking at the various spots of damage along the bridge.
He made it inside the town and saw a giant statue of a scholar. He walked up to the nearest guard and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. The guard turned and looked as spike with distain.
"Excuse me but where is the general goods store?" The guard looked him up and down before he answered him.
"It's to the right of the stalls." Spike gave him a polite 'thank you' and walked to the store. He reached the store and walked inside. He was greeted by a portly man behind the counter.
"Can I help you with something lad?" Spike smiled and walked up to the man.
"Yes, I was wondering if I could get some supplies here. I need a basic first aid kit, a few cleaning supplies, and a weeks worth of food rations." The clerk looked him up and down and gave a sniff of dissent.
"And how will you be paying for all of that?" Spike looked taken aback at the mans attitude. The man just glared at Spike as if Spike was a filthy tramp.
"I do have money and a few trinkets to trade with."
"And where did a filthy dweller like you get the money from?! Did you steal it from some unsuspecting traveler?!" Spike looked at him not sure why the man was so hostile.
"No, I got the money legally and I found the gems out in the mountains." The clerk eyed him suspiciously. Then he collected all of the items that Spike needed. He placed them on the counter and looked at Spike again.
"Your total will be 650 gold coins." Spike opened his coin purse and counted the gold he had.
"I only have 500 gold coins but I also have a cut emerald to trade for say 200 coins." The clerk gave a sniff and stuck out his hand.
"I'll need to see the gem before I agree to anything." Spike pulled out the emerald and handed it over to the man. The clerk looked over the gem and even held it up to the light.
"150 for the emerald." He set it down on the counter.
"That's ridiculous. That emerald goes for over 300 in the Bowerstone market place, and I'm willing to part with it for only two."
"Well we're not in Bowerstone now are we!" The clerk began to yell at Spike now.
"No we're not, but you could find plenty of people here who would want a gem like that. Plus you could sell it for double and no one would argue." Spike stared back at the clerk in defiance.
The clerk stared at him for a few minutes until he let out a disgusted sigh. "Fine! 200 for the gem and the rest for 450 gold coins."
"Deal" spike placed the money on the counter and gathered the supplies. He put them in a sack and walked out of the store and out the town gates. He activated the seal and teleported to the Sanctum.
The sanctum was looking a lot better now. The dust was almost gone, the cobwebs were all removed, and there weren't any piles of sheets or books on the floor. Spike looked for Jasper but didn't see him anywhere.
"Jasper?!" He called out to Jasper and set the sack down on the floor. He heard a loud thunk from room on the far left. He walked inside and found Walter coughing with a wooden box at his feet and dust floating in the air.
"Are you alright Jasper?" Jasper coughed a few more times and waved the dust out of his face.
"I'm fine sir, just cleaning up this room. I found a box with a note addressed to you sir." He pointed to the box on the floor. Spike walked over to the box and picked it up. The box was at least four feet long and three feet wide.
He carried it out the room and Jasper followed behind him. Spike set the box down on the map and ran his hands across the seams. He found the latch and pulled it opening the box. Inside the box was four items a hammer, a sword, a pistol, and a rifle.
The hammer had a three foot wooden handle bound in leather straps. The head was six inches tall and a foot long. It had two rounded steel heads and a small insignia at the top. The bottom of it was capped with a two inch steel cap.
The sword was a simple steel sword. It had a handle much like the hammers; wooden and wrapped in leather. The blade was three feet long and it was finely sharpened.
The rifle looked like a simple musket with leather wrapped around its stock. The pistol looked the same as the musket and also had leather wrapped around its handle. On top if the weapons lay a single piece of paper.
Spike picked up the paper and read it.
Dear Son,
I leave you these four weapons. At first glance they look like simple weapons but looks can be deceiving. They are in actuality Hero weapons, meaning they are enchanted with strong magic.
The magic enables them to grow and change as if they were alive. They grow according to the wielder and how he uses them. It is safe to say that in the right hands, they could be the strongest weapons in existence.
They are not the only thing you need to know. On your quest you will come across special emblems. They are called flit switches. There are three different kinds of flit switches. The blue ones are melee switches.
You must simply hit them with a sword or hammer and it activates them. The red ones are magic switches, and as the name implies you just hit them with any magic spell. The final switch is called a shot switch. A single shot from a pistol or rifle will activate them.
I know these weapons will serve you well on your quest, and I hope you use them well
Signed,
Your loving father, the King.
Spike put the note down and ran his hand across the hammers handle. He picked up the sword and saw a leather sheath underneath it. He attached the sword to his back and picked up the pistol.
He attached the pistol to his hip and he attached the rifle to his back. The rifle and sword formed an x across his back.
Spike walked to the dressing room and grabbed his second set of clothes. He changed out of the Dweller outfit and back into his princely garbs. He handed Jasper the Dweller outfit and smiled.
"It's more comfortable to be running around in this and not fur." Spike walked out to the map and activated his seal once again. He teleported back to the town of Brightwall and walked inside.
It was a quiet trek to the library for Spike. His thoughts kept going back to the note his dad had left him. 'How could Dad have possibly known that I was going to be a Hero like him? It doesn't make any sense; it could have been centuries before another Hero was needed.'
He reached the library and pushed open the doors. The library was cool and quiet; it had the musty smell of old books. Spike walked through the entrance hall and stopped at the counter. There was an elderly gentleman leaning over a book on the counter.
He heard Spike's footsteps but didn't bother to look up at him; he just kept reading the book.
"The library is closed by order of King Logan. We don't sell drinks or Chicken feed. Please leave before the soldiers suspect you of gaining any real knowledge."
Spike just looked at him and waited for the man to look up. The man read the book for a few more minutes until he realized Spike was still standing there.
"Oh! Sweet papyrus, a real visitor. I-I am afraid I was speaking the truth before though. King Logan has closed the Academy and I'm little more than a custodian." Spike reached into his pocked and pulled out the guild seal. He showed it to the man and the man let out a surprised squeak.
"By the holy bookmark, the guild seal! I haven't seen it since the old king was last here. But then that makes you…"
"Yes I'm his son, the prince. I was hoping you could let me into the chamber under the academy, there is something I need to get out of there."
"But of course. Your father told me to let anyone who had the seal into the reliquary." He motioned Spike to follow his and they walked through the library at a slow pace. The librarian took Spike to a large metal door.
Spike's sight was locked onto a small circle crafted into the door. He pulled out his guild seal and placed it into the circle. The seal let off a sudden glow and then a deep rumble could be heard. The door started to unlock itself and opened with a loud groan.
Spike gave the librarian a smile and crossed the thresh hold. The entrance room was large and made of cold gray stone. It had three floors to it and a stained glass window in the far wall. There were shelves upon shelves lined with books.
The air was cold and carried the musty smell of old parchment. The chain torches hanging from the ceiling held balls of fire and looked as if they had never bin put out. Spike walked slowly through the room and looked around at the books.
"Look at this place Drake! There are hundreds of books in this room alone, imagine the knowledge they hold. We have to come back here later and see if we can salvage any of it." Drake gave a small bark and sniffed the nearest shelf.
Spike made it to the next room and let out a low whistle. The room was large enough to fit a small mansion in it. The path spilt left and right and turned into stairs leading deeper into the catacombs.
Spike followed the right path and was puzzled by the numerous candles that were flickering with light, illuminating the path. Why were the candles lit, let alone placed along a path for him? Weren't the catacombs sealed years ago by his father?
He felt a million questions burning in him as he followed the path down. He had to stop when he saw that the path was gone. The stone bridge was missing but it didn't look as if it had broken but simply vanished.
There was a small round emblem floating in front of the missing bridges path. The emblem was blue and had a picture of a blade on it. Spike recognized it as one of the emblems his father had written about in his note.
He pulled his blade from its sheath and swung it at the emblem. It exploded in a shower of blue light and shot across the gap. The light hit the wall and a bridge extended itself out of the wall and stopped in front of Spike.
He walked on the bridge and stopped in the small room. There were a dozen little blue lights flitting around the ceiling of the room. He reached the middle when the lights suddenly halted.
They all shot toward the ground and disappeared, and then the ground began to rumble and break. Spike saw skeletal hands rise up from the breaks and a dozen skeletal figures armed with swords and rifles crawled out of the ground.
Spike walked in horror as the figures all turned to face him and let out angry groans, as if telling him that he wasn't welcome. They advanced on Spike brandishing their weapons but he didn't move.
His legs felt like they were made of stone and his heart beat so fast, it felt like it was going to explode from his chest. Drake let out a bark and jumped on the nearest skeleton. Spike felt his legs loosen up and he sung his sword.
His sword hit a skeleton and sliced right through it. The skeleton fell to the ground and turned to dust. The other skeletons stopped a moment and looked at the pile of dust. They looked at Spike and started on him again.
He felt his body move on its own as it sliced through the skeletons and as it danced away from their attacks. He could see Drake jump at more skeletons and tackle them to the ground. The fight only lasted five minutes but to Spike it felt like an hour.
He could see the arch the blades swung in, and it looked like they moved at an impossibly slow pace. He could almost feel the contact of the attacks before then even hit him. When the fight was over, there were mounds of dust along the floor and Spike was standing in the middle of them.
He stood frozen in place in a crouched position from where his final attack hit the last skeleton. He was panting lightly and his face was covered with a light sheen of sweat. Drake was crouched next to him and he was still growling menacingly.
He finally lowered his sword and he looked at Drake. "Are you as freaked out as I am?" Drake sat down and looked up at Spike, his eyes holding sympathy in them. Spike took a few more deep breathes and felt his heart rate return to normal.
"This journey is going to seriously mess with my head isn't it?" Drake just barked at Spike and walked on ahead of him.