Chapter 35: The March of the Heavies
Once Gerald's message reached Rottenburg through an old radio located in King Terenti's home, he and the other Mercenaries made plans to leave for Bigrock at once. Naturally, Mickey wanted to come but Aonghus wouldn't allow it knowing that there would be an entire army of Robots waiting for them and he feared for the Scout's safety. Though Ivana was put in charge of Rottenburg until her father King Terenti returned, she was constantly insisting that he take her along. But King Terenti harshly refused, and went to lead the other Heavies as they marched out of Rottenburg. While Aonghus, Matthias, and Gavin joined them, Mickey watched them go on the sidelines till he was suddenly picked up by a Heavy and placed on his shoulders.
"What the heck are you doing?" Mickey demanded.
"Hush, little man," the Heavy said harshly and handed Mickey an Invis Watch that was similar to the one Freddie wore. "Wear this at all times."
Mickey glanced at the watch, then after recognizing it, he looked back down at the Heavy. "Miss Ivana?"
The Heavy winked up at him in response.
So Mickey did as the Heavy said and activated the Invis Watch, which made him invisible to all the other Heavies he and the disguised Ivana passed by.
A couple days later, the Heavies rested at the Viaduct Area, which was covered in snow but they managed to find shelter inside the Scullery. It was a small house located near the Control Point and while the windows were constantly open, the Heavies managed to block the cold wind by bolting wooden planks onto the widows with Gavin the Engineer helping them. Matthias in the meantime did a bit of exploring, and then he came back to tell Aonghus about it.
"What do you mean you found a magic door?" Aonghus asked after Matthias described what he found.
Matthias shrugged. "That's just it. I was walking along the old railway bridge above us when this door suddenly appeared. Naturally, I got curious and was about to step in when I suddenly felt cold, like I was about to die, and so I backed off."
"Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall an old legend that said this place used to be haunted on Halloween where the Monoculous would appear before the Mercenaries and send them to the Underworld. Fortunately, a white door would appear in the Underworld and allow the Mercenaries to return so that they could continue fighting the Monoculous. But if this door you describe is the same one from the legend, then what's it doing here?"
"I'm not sure I want to know," Gavin piped up with a nervous edge to his voice.
"You're not afraid of ghosts, are you?" Matthias asked mockingly.
"Shut up, Sniper!" Gavin snapped. "I ain't afraid of no ghosts. I'm just considering if we should tell Terenti about it or not."
"Let's tell him so none of the Heavies wander into it by accident while we decide what to do about it," Aonghus said and walked back to the Scullery along with Matthias and Gavin.
Later that night, Aonghus was woken up by King Terenti, who told him that a visitor was waiting in the RED Base. Confused but curious, Aonghus got up and walked over to the RED Base despite the chilly winter winds that blew in from the mountains. Once he got there, he was greeted by a large hooded figure.
"King Terenti says you wanted to see me," Aonghus said cautiously.
"Indeed, Demoman," replied the figure in an Australian accent. Then the figure lifted his hood in the firelight that came from a trash-bin in the middle of the spawn room.
"Saxton Hale!" Aonghus said, recognizing the bulky man standing before him. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to deliver news and a gift. Which do you want first?"
"The news, if it's important."
"It is. As you know, I sent my daughter Ava Ebony away to Manhattan to join the other Snipers who are leaving America. But yesterday, she decided to turn around and stay at Mountain Lab until this war is over. Her reason for doing this is that she claimed she had a vision where you were standing with a little boy, presumably a son, while she herself was watching them."
"I see." Aonghus touched the red sash that Ava gave to him through the Administrator. "Will she be safe?"
"For now, but it all depends on you," Saxton said grimly. "I know you will be facing many battles when you get to Bigrock. Not only will you be taking Gray Mann's Robot forces head-on but you will also be confronting the Sergeant for control of Bigrock, which is rightfully yours as it belonged to your Demoman ancestor Iomhar, the first conceived son of a cloned Mercenary. So to face these challenges, I hired Engineers from Gavin's home Area Thunder Mountain to re-forge the Claidheamh Mòr sword that Iomhar used to kill Gray Mann during the Alliance between the Hales and Mercenaries."
Then Saxton reached into his robe and pulled out a long sword with a sharp tip, two spikes near the bottom, and a hilt decorated in a blue tartan pattern. Aonghus took the blade in his hands, and stared in wonder. Next, he tested its strength by swinging it at a safe distance from Saxton before putting the sword back into the special hilt that Saxton gave as well.
"A fine blade, it is," Aonghus mused. "But since it is no longer stained by the blood of its previous enemies, the sword must be renamed."
"Yes, and we have already done that," Saxton replied. "What you hold in your hands is not the Claidheamh Mòr, but the Lahnin Géar sword, a sharp blade that will pierce all its enemies which you will need to face the Skeleton King."
"The Skeleton King?"
"The white door that has now appeared on the old railway bridge is a gateway to the Underworld and its the eternal prison for the Skeletons. A long time ago, they were all Mercenaries that were stationed at Bigrock, but when Gray Mann's Robots attacked during the Machine Wars they took the money they were promised and fled here to Viaduct out of fear. They were not prepared for this Area's harsh weather, and soon they starved and died here, but their spirits did not rest. As a result, their bones came to life and they walked the Earth as cursed Skeletons. Their reign of terror lasted for several weeks until Merasmus trapped them inside the Underworld, only letting them out to haunt the Mercenaries stationed at Hightower every Halloween.
"But now that Merasmus is dead, these Skeletons are forever trapped in the Underworld unless you free them, Aonghus. They wait for the day when a Demoman descended from Iomhar will ask for their help in order to redeem themselves of their cowardice, and only then will they move on to the afterlife. I'm guessing their leader, the Skeleton King, must have sensed your presence and opened the white door in this plane of existence so that you may enter. However, the Skeleton King isn't going to let you command his forces that easily, at least not without a fight. Before dawn, I want you to take your two companions and journey to the Underworld so that you may gain a powerful ally that will help you save Bigrock from the forces that now threaten it."
While Aonghus was speechless, Saxton left the RED Base without a word. Afterwards, King Terenti came in and stared at Aonghus' new blade in bewilderment. Aonghus then removed the Eyelander sword he had been carrying since the beginning and replaced it with the Lahnin Géar sword.
"Who was that man, and what did he want?" King Terenti asked.
"Just an old friend, and he came to give me this special blade," Aonghus said, patting the hilt of the Lahnin Géar and then he gave the Eyelander to Terenti. "I'm going to wake up Matthias and Gavin and we're going to explore that strange door I mentioned earlier. I don't know what will happen to us once we're on the other side, but I want you and the Heavies to continue on toward Bigrock as planned if we're not back by morning. Hopefully, we'll meet you along the way with…extra help."
"First Gerald promises reinforcements and now you." King Terenti scuffed, gripping the Eyelander in his beefy hands. "I will keep the Eyelander with me until you return."
"Nah, keep it. It's my way of thanking you for all the help you've provided."
"Alright."
After Aonghus told Matthias and Gavin about what Saxton told him, they immediately grabbed their weapons and followed Aonghus up onto the railway bridge. The white door shimmered in cold white light that made the three Mercenaries feel a sense of dread. But they continued up toward and were about to step in when they looked at each other.
"If you want to turn back, I suggest that you do now," Aonghus said firmly.
Matthias and Gavin looked at each other and then they shrugged.
"I'm ready," Gavin said.
"Let's have a go at it," Matthias added.
"Well, alright." Aonghus nodded. "Come on!"
The next morning, the three Mercenaries hadn't returned from the white door, which vanished after they went into it, and so King Terenti kept his promise and ordered the Heavies to pack up and move on towards Bigrock.
End of Chapter 35