Not the best chapter I wrote, but I'll be damned if I didn't put it up.
Enjoy
Yiva was sitting against the wall, crying her eyes out. Sophia was trying desperately to calm the grieving Princess. Azmer was clutching the frame, the wood threatening to break under his now white knuckle grip. Jasper walked into the small corridor, coming close to Azmer for consolation. But he saw Yiva crying as well.
"Both of you mustn't blame yourselves. I don't think any of us realised just how far he'd fallen into madness." Jasper said to both, mostly to Azmer.
"We should've DONE SOMETHING!" Azmer yelled.
"We have to do something. We can't just stay here." Yiva explained between tears.
The door opened, a familiar figure walking through in red cloth. "Neither of you aren't. All of us leave the castle tonight. This kingdom needs nothing less than a revolution. It needs leaders. It needs... Heroes." Walter explained. "It's time to see if both of you are ready."
"For what?" Azmer asked.
"To be your mother's children." Walter replied.
Azmer let go of the doorframe and Yiva stood back up, her resolve regained.
"Very good. Sophia and I shall pack some essentials." Jasper said.
"There's no time. We take nothing." Walter responded.
"Not even... pyjamas?" Sophia asked, but Walter had already began leaving.
The other four began to jog through the garden, which was now giving off a really bad vibe.
"There's something rather... sinister about this garden at night." Jasper remarked, stating what was on everyone's minds.
They jogged down the steps, heading further into the gardens.
"Where are we going? I thought we were leaving the castle." Azmer said, finding it rather strange.
"We are. But there is something we must do first." Walter replied, keeping vague on the details.
They headed towards the large mausoleum at the edge of the garden. And by the way most of them were acting, they didn't like it. They descended the steps and came up to the door to the grave.
"It is time we paid our respects to Albion's last Hero." Walter concluded.
He pushed open the door, the hinges being soundless to the outside world.
"I never thought I'd enter this place again." Sophia whispered, but her voice was amplified in the silence.
"We should've known better." Walter quipped.
They all entered the mausoleum, Walter closing the door behind them. For Azmer and Yiva, it was bringing back memories of the past. Both good and bad.
The group stopped just inside the door, before the steps.
"The night your mother died, I promised her that I would bring both of you here one day, when you were old enough and strong enough." Walter explained.
They slowly began to walk up the steps.
"This is your history. This is your legacy." Walter continued. "The world has been too long without a Hero. But I'm hoping it would have two soon enough."
They came to in between the two coffins. On the right, their father, who they remembered as being as wild as fire. On the left, their mother, the Hero Queen, who deviated from her regular task but always accomplished what was needed, like lightning. Walter walked past the coffin of the King and knelt towards the pillar. He reached out, placing his hand upon and brick, and pushed the brick into the pillar. The huge statue, who kept a hooded vigil over the graves, her hands fell away from her neck and onto the floor. In her palms were two weird looking discs, an odd design on the top.
"These were your mother's most treasured possessions. The Guild Seals. It chooses those who have the power inside of them. Those who have the potential to become legends." Walter explained further. He took a step away, holding his arm up towards the Guild Seals.
"Take one each." He ordered.
Azmer and Yiva both walked up and followed Walter's order. When they did grab one each, they took one step back and looked at the Guild Seal and others.
"Is something supposed to happen?" Azmer asked.
His timing was either perfect or terrible. Because just after he said that, both of the Guild Seals began to glow with a bright light. They felt that their bodies were being ripped apart.
Both were falling through a grey passage. Yellow tendrils of light were stretching in all directions and converging at some places. The light grew brighter and they reappeared on a narrow path, the ground beside the path covered in deep fog. A gate was in front of them, a hooded woman in front of the gate itself.
"Who are you?" Yiva asked the hooded woman.
"I am Theresa, the Seer of the Spire. I guided your mother in her greatest triumph, but you two have even greater destinies ahead of you. The Seals awoke at your touches, at it would at no one else's." She explained.
She stepped slightly to the side, revealing the winding path that ended with an exact lookalike of Bowerstone Castle.
"Like all Heroes, you will face many trials, but you cannot pass through these gates alone. You will need to gather followers and gain the support of the people." Theresa explained further. "This means that the fate of Albion rests on the shoulders of both of you. Before both of you lies the path you were born to take. And at its end, the kingdom that both of you were born to rule."
Theresa stepped back to her original position. "For now, you have the support of three friends. Jasper and Sophia, who will serve both of you always..." Theresa said. However, when she said the names of the servants, visages of them appeared."... and Sir Walter Beck, who will be your greatest ally." A visage of Walter appeared. "All together, you have taken the first step in your conjoined journey. Walk through the gate and claim your rewards." And with that announced, Theresa disappeared.
Azmer and Yiva looked at each other. Azmer shrugged and walked forwards. They each placed a hand on one side of the gate and pushed together. When the gate opened, two mannequins appeared, one on either side, dressed exactly how they were. They saw two chests beyond, which they walked up to.
When they did, they saw something unique on them. The one on the left read 'Azmer' on the lid, the other read 'Yiva.' But a picture of the Guild Seal was plastered above them. Both took out their respective Guild Seal and placed them onto the lid. The Guild Seal began to glow heavily, but the light died down soon afterwards. Both opened their respective chests.
Out of both, a gauntlet rose. Yiva's was glowing orange, same as the fires that war was associated with, and Azmer's was glowing blue, same as the lightning strikes that plagued Albion for three weeks straight ten years ago. Theresa reappeared between the two chests.
"There is great power inside of both of you. You merely lack the means to unleash it. Take these." She said.
The gauntlets spun and attached themselves to their respective owners' right hand. Both were looking at the gauntlets, seeing the colour difference as well as the odd effects that were coming out of their palms.
"The gauntlets will channel the magic within both of you. Use them by the tombs in the mausoleum, and the way out of the castle will open for you." Theresa explained. Then, without warning, she clicked her fingers and a bright light filled the space.
The light died down for both of them, revealing to them that they were standing back in the mausoleum. But both were standing on the carvings of the Guild Seal. Yiva was standing in front of their father's tomb, Azmer their mother's.
"Well? Do you... Does any of you feel any different?" Walter asked.
The prince and princess looked at each other and only shrugged. "We don't." Yiva answered.
"Try casting spells. They are supposed to be our only way out of this place." Walter said.
"You might've mentioned it earlier, Walter." Sophia quipped, obviously unhappy.
Walter turned and looked at Sophia, a look of amusement on his face. "And spoil the surprise?" He asked.
Azmer and Yiva looked at each other. Then both of them felt a prick on the palms of their right hands. Then an odd feeling filled their bodies, flowing through their blood. Yiva tried to call upon this hidden power Theresa spoke of, by focusing on her revenge on Logan. She began to move her arms, small fires glowing in each palm. But a look of struggle was on her face. She released all of that energy, a ring of fire blazed around her feet. A long line of red energy began to glow on the right side and stop at the sculpture.
Azmer had to begin his try. He searched his mind for this hidden power, but he couldn't find it. He focused on his gauntlet, small blue sparks coming out. The power was then unleashed, his palms filling with small blue orbs. He dropped his arms, a circle of electricity flowing from his feet. A line of blue energy began to glow on the left side of the sculpture.
Two lines of yellow energy flowed from tombs, joining in the centre, and flowed towards the sculpture. It then split once more, but the stones that was within the boundary dislodged and fell away to reveal a small flight of stairs.
"It bloody worked! You really are Heroes!" Walter exclaimed.
"I never doubted it for a second." Jasper said.
"Well, of course, neither did I. But still... it bloody worked." Walter said, not making sense now.
Walter, Sophia, Jasper and the two dogs went down the top step, but stopped when they noticed that neither of the royals were moving away from their mother's tomb. Azmer placed his hand on the coffin and Yiva placed her hand on top of his. They mouthed a 'thank you' to the golden coffin before retracting their hands and rejoining the others. None of them knew that the coffin was empty.
Together, they descended the stairs and into a small raw rock hallway. Walter seemed to get fearful, a complete change from his usual confidence.
"Somewhat narrow, isn't it? Dark, too." He mused.
"You never did care for confined spaces, didn't you, Sir Walter?" Jasper asked.
"I never did care for being poked in the eye or having my head chopped off, what of it?" Walter snapped.
"Oh dear, I seem to have struck a nerve." Jasper quipped.
"How about I strike a butler on the bonce?"
The group of five, dogs notwithstanding, came to the end of the small tunnel and into a large expanse of rock beneath the castle.
Walter took a deep breath. "Ah, now this is more like it. Grand, spacious, a plentiful supply of oxygen... Just the way a castle escape route should be." Walter said aloud, his voice echoing in the large cavern.
They turned to the left, a path having been made in the rock.
"I hesitate to ask, but what is our plan? O-other than leaving the castle far behind us, which I wholly approve of obviously." Jasper asked.
"It's simple. We have to stop Logan." Walter replied rather bluntly.
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Azmer asked.
"Even if we are Heroes, we are just two people." Yiva added.
They stopped at a junction, where Walter turned to them. But Yiva was gone, seemingly disappeared from view. Two seconds later, she came back with a silver key on her left index finger.
She looked at Walter. "What were you about to tell us, Walter?" She implied.
Walter crossed his arms and shook his head. "It is true that just two people doesn't a revolution make. That is exactly why we need to find allies. And lots of them. Once both of you prove who you really are, people will follow you, and many of them are willing to fight." Walter explained. He looked at both of the royals. "But they need leaders. Some people to believe in. Albion needs nothing less than a revolution."
They continued over the precarious stone bridge that looked too thin to withstand even Azmer's weight, and he was smaller than usual for a male of 19 years. But they made it across without any trouble. The group heard a distant chittering, accompanied by the sounds of the flapping of multiple wings. And it was getting louder each second that went by. Suddenly, small shadows began to enter their fields of view.
"Bats! Take cover!" Jasper exclaimed, covering his face with his arms. Sophia bent down and covered her head.
Walter took his sword and pistol out, aiming the firearm towards the swarm of bats which clustered in front of them.
"Well, young Heroes. This is your chances to show us what you really have!" Walter yelled, pulling the trigger on his pistol and hitting a bat in the process.
Azmer and Yiva began to channel their magic once more, releasing short bursts of orange and blue darting towards the flying foes. About thirty pistol shots later, the swarm of bats was no more, now reduced to a scattered pile of bones, scorched skin and bat wings.
Walter was laughing, placing his weapons away. "Excellent! Did you see that, Jasper? Sophia? Did you two see it?" He asked excitedly.
"Yes, Sir Walter." Sophia responded.
"Indeed, your mother would be proud of you two, sir and madam." Jasper agreed.
Walter chuckled. "Well, I know I am. Come on."
He jogged ahead, the other four following him. However, Yiva could see the wheels in Walter's head turning.
"And I'm proud of you too Jasper, old friend. I've never seen a man cower with such grace." The old soldier joked, prompting the two royals to laugh along with him.
"It is merely a matter of hygiene. Bats are filthy creatures." Jasper responded, louder than normal.
Walter laughed a bit more, shaking his head. "Anyway, I think all of us have just seen the first proof of what you two can do. You are the Heroes than can lead this land in a revolution. Bats are just the beginning."
They descended the incline and came to a split in the path. One to the left and behind, another to the front and right. Azmer and Yiva looked around the left road, seeing a golden door that felt like eyes were preying upon them. Disturbed, they took the only route that didn't end quickly. They kept going down the incline and came to a set of stairs.
There, they heard yet another bunch of flaps accompanied with black shapes. They all repeated the exact same procedure as before. Jasper and Sophia cowering, Walter shooting them and Azmer and Yiva flinging their spells. It took slightly longer, since it was a larger swarm of bats. When the bats were a pile of bones, scorched skin and wings and the two royals were praised once more, they descended the remainder of the stairs.
What awaited them at the bottom were small puddles of mud and muddied water. Azmer, as he cares for his own image, was upset at his boots and pant legs being dirtied. Sophia and Jasper skirted around the puddle, much to Azmer's chagrin, while Walter and Yiva walked right through without a care on Albion. After wading through an extremely small muddy stream, they came to an entrance to the sewers, an odd and terrible stench emanating from within.
"You better cover you noses from here on. It's the Bowerstone Sewers." Walter announced.
Jasper sighed, looking absolutely defeated. "Very well." He said, raising his left hand to pinch his nose.
Sophia just did as she was asked to, placing her hand under her nostrils, and, apparently, so did Azmer, using his left wrist. Only Yiva and Walter kept their noses unblocked and unconcerned with the smell. The flapping of bats were heard once more.
"And you better cover your head, Jasper. More bats!" Walter exclaimed, smiling while he just shot a bat.
Azmer sent bolt after bolt at the flying menaces while keeping his nose covered with his left wrist. Yiva was flinging fireballs at them once more, but some missed and scorched the brick that held the pipe in its shape. When the bats were no more, as in no trace of them were left, and the customary praises from their allies, they pressed on into the dank sewers. Azmer's boots and pant legs were now getting an irreversible stink to them from the water that was being collected in the pipes.
Sophia removed her hand from her nostrils and sniffed the air. When she did, her face scrunched up and placed her hand back under her nostrils once more.
"Ugh, what an unusual stench. I daresay we must be somewhere beneath Bowerstone Industrial." She said, her voice slightly muffled due to the position of her hand.
Walter sniffed the air. He nodded his agreement. "Very likely," as he put it.
"Not the safest place for us right now, but we should be able to find a way out of the city once we reach the surface." Walter finished.
He directed them towards a break in the brickwork of the sewer pipe. The group of five went through single file and the sight excited no one. In fact, most of them were disappointed.
"It appears to be a dead end." Jasper remarked as he entered the small space.
"Not quite." Walter responded, pointing to a small rise in the stonework.
There was a circular price of stone, a three steps leading up to the flat top. The symbol of the Guild Seal was placed in the centre of the top, shining bright and proud. Excluding Walter, all were confused at what the thing was.
"What is that?" Yiva asked.
"Same here." Azmer agreed. However, his voice changed from masculine to slightly feminine, but he was quick to rectify it after coughing a cover up.
"I'm pretty sure it's a cullis gate." Walter speculated. The two dogs, Jasper, Sophia and the two royals all looked at him for clarification. "Sort of a..." He continued, lengthening his explanation to find something to compare it to.
He clicked his fingers, finding a word. "... Transportation system for Heroes." He finished, successfully satisfying their wont for knowledge.
Yiva and Azmer walked up onto the flat top. Azmer jumped onto it, thinking that his action would make it work. It didn't. Yiva kicked her heel down onto the Guild Seal symbol, also thinking that it would work. The result was the exact same to Azmer's.
"I was under the impression that Cullis Gates were all gone." Jasper said.
"Jasper, you must've been wrong." Sophia responded.
"Well, it looks like there's one left, at least." Walter said to himself, but his voice echoed in the large expanse which they occupied a fraction of a percent of.
"Your mother must've placed it here in case she ever needed to use it." Walter speculated, but he wasn't certain.
Jasper walked up and looked at the symbol of the Guild Seal. He rubbed his chin in thought. "It's the same symbol that we saw by the tomb." He deduced.
"Do you suppose it is activated in the same way?" Sophia implied.
Azmer and Yiva looked at each other.
"Do you want to do the honours, Yiva? Or shall I?" Azmer asked.
Yiva shook her head at both questions. "We made it here together. We activate this together." She replied.
Azmer smiled, satisfied with the answer. He could always count of Yiva for an equal viewpoint. They linked their left arms together and casted their spells at the same time. A mix of sparks and flames coated the Guild symbol and the Cullis Gate activated. It enveloped all of them, including the two dogs, in magic unseen in Albion in fifty years.
Their journey has begun.