I am aliiiiiive! Extremely sorry about the damn long wait. Have to be excited for this new chapter, right?
If you can, leave a review. Helps me, makes both of us feel good. Or don', which is still good. Either way, I'm spreading happiness.
Enjoy!
They reappeared in a completely different place. It was a circular room, a huge 3D... thing was in front of them. In their different responses, Jasper pretended to faint, Sofia cowered behind her arms, Walter reached for his sword and Azmer and Yiva started up their magic, still back to back. When it was obvious that there was no threat, each person calmed down.
"What is this place?" Jasper asked, looking around.
"It cannot be..." Walter breathed. He walked forwards, taking in the sights. "It is. It's your mother's Sanctuary. She used to talk about it, but I never thought that it was a real place."
The group walked around the small chamber of the Sanctuary, dusting off some cobwebs that stuck to them whenever they walked too close. Azmer's dog found a small space for it to lie down at, only to be growled at by Yiva's husky and pushed away by it. The husky laid down on where the doberman was and the said breed of dog found yet another place to lie down.
Walter walked towards the model of Albion and another land, seeing something on it. It was a book, the symbol of the Guild Seal on its cover. And it held a note just inside the book.
"Well, I don't believe it." Walter breathed out. He looked over to who the note mentioned.
"Jasper!" Walter exclaimed, gaining the butler's attention. "There's a note with your name on it. Look."
Jasper was confused. "That's not possible!" Jasper exclaimed. He walked over to where Walter was motioning to and saw the proof himself. "'For Jasper.' Well, I grant you, it is possible. But, it must be a coincidence."
"Oh, don't be a dolt. The old Queen must have left it here for you." Walter groaned.
Jasper opened the front cover, taking away the note.
"What's it called, Jasper?" Sophia asked, coming to stand on the other side of the map.
"'The Book of Heroes.' How extraordinary." Jasper answered.
Walter groaned once more. "Does it tell us how to get out?" He asked, seriously annoyed right now.
Yiva and Azmer came up to the model of Albion, all of the, now looking at Jasper.
"This really is most remarkable. Everything that we could possibly want to know about Heroes and this place are right here in these pages." Jasper responded, but didn't answer Walter's question.
Jasper softly closed the book and swiped the dust off the front cover. He looked to each person, and dog, and took a deep breath.
"This map functions as a travelling mechanism. Simply choose where you want to go and... it should take you there." Jasper explained, finally answering the question.
Walter nodded and smiled. "Marvellous! Right, we can use that." Walter exclaimed, finally happy.
"Can we... uh..." Yiva began, but didn't know what to ask.
"We'll have plenty of time to explore this place later. Right now, we have a rather large task ahead of us." Walter interrupted, but seemingly knew what Yiva was about to ask.
Sophia stepped in. "Jasper and I will stay here. Get ourselves acquainted with this place." She proposed.
Azmer nodded once. "Agreed. Might be best. They can get to know this place and help us further." He said, elaborating on Sophia's proposition.
"But, we don't even know where to start." Yiva said, stating what was also on Azmer's mind.
There was a moment of silence. During that time, however, Walter was thinking. And by what the royals knew of Walter and him thinking, it wasn't going to end well.
"Our first stop will be the mountains of Mistpeak. There are people there that would make great allies. They won't offer their allegiance easily, but they despise Logan. And if anyone can persuade them..." Walter explained. When he stopped, he looked at Yiva and Azmer. "... Only Heroes can."
Azmer and Yiva looked at each other. A face each learned to trust somewhat. They whistled each of their dogs over and got them to place their paws upon the map.
"Right then. Find Mistpeak on the map and let's see if that book's telling us the truth." Walter said.
The three moved to cover a third each. Azmer, Yiva and Walter leant over the map, searching every square millimetre of it. Suddenly, a small yellow glow began to emit from the mountain in Albion's east, closest to Azmer. He watched a small settlement of caravans dug deep in snow emerge in full 3D on the mountainside. He gained the attention of the others.
Jasper looked over and looked to where Azmer was pointing at.
"Now, that looks like the Dweller Camp in Mistpeak. Select that as your destination and it should take you there. Just like that." Jasper explained, snapping his fingers on his last sentence.
"How?" Yiva asked.
Jasper picked the Book of Heroes up and flicked through the pages for the most relevant one. "Select destination by touching it with acceptance in mind. Keep hands on the edges of the map for the magic to work." He read.
Azmer nodded. His finger hovered over the Dweller Camp, his mind accepting that he wants to go to the Dweller Camp. He checked Yiva, Walter and the two dogs, checking to see if their hands or paws are on the edge. Knowing that they are, he closed his eyes and lightly touched the Dweller Camp diagram.
The first two things that he felt a second after was the cold and the light impacts of snowflakes upon his body. Azmer opened his eyes and they feasted on the sights of the highest points of Mistpeak civilisation. He was standing on another cullis gate with his dog, Walter, Yiva and her dog standing at the base.
Walter spread his arms wide. "Well, here we are." He exclaimed.
A sudden blast of cold wind hit them, making them all shrivel up slightly.
"I forgotten how bloody cold it is up here." Walter continued.
They started to walk down the snowy slope, the royals making their first footsteps outside of Bowerstone all together. They soon reached a small settlement of caravans, the people dressed in furs that obviously kept them warm enough. However, all of them looked starved, their rough clothing hanging off their forms, their skin clinging to their bones.
"The people here call themselves Dwellers. They're tough, they're loyal. And, as I told you two earlier, they hate Logan's guts."
Yiva looked around, grimacing. "It's not much, Walter." She remarked.
"Yep, it doesn't look like much, but this is where the revolution begins." Walter responded.
Azmer leant over to Yiva and whispered, "All this talk of revolution is making me not want to do it."
Yiva just stifled a laugh, smirking instead. "Yeah, same here. A revolution that could be taken a lot less seriously could happen." She whispered back.
A male Dweller saw the five coming and knelt up, his hands clasped side by side, palms up. He was begging, most likely for food or money. However, he got way up into Walter's presence, so the soldier shoved him back to the ground.
"This is what Logan has reduced them to. He's taken control of these mountains and started destroying its forests." Walter said after the beggar ran away. Yiva looked pissed, probably was. She was always an environmentalist at heart.
"I knew they had a hard time finding food, but I had no idea it was this bad." Walter continued.
"And they cannot hunt due to Logan. The bastard." Azmer said, mumbling the last sentence.
"That is true, brother." Yiva responded.
They came up to a set of makeshift wooden doors, most likely to recreate the royal scene. Two Dwellers stood at either side, a rifle on a sling behind them, eyeing the five newcomers very closely.
"The man we need to convince is Sabine. A proud old sod, but he's good man and a good leader." Walter said.
Walter turned to the wooden doors, Yiva and Azmer taking a step to follow. However, they were stopped by Walter's outstretched hand.
"It might be best if I speak to him first. He needs a bit of convincing. Maybe you two should find something less... royal-ly. We don't need this kind of attention." Walter explained.
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a pouch with a sizeable amount of money. "I only have a little bit of gold. Use it to buy some new clothes. And you two could possibly spread what is left amongst the people. They need it more than we do."
Azmer took it and held it firmly.
"Where can we find clothes, Walter? We don't know this place." Yiva responded.
"Oh, don't worry. You'll find someone willing to take that gold off you." Walter answered.
He was soon walking towards the double doors and they opened for him, only to close behind him immediately. Azmer and Yiva looked at each other, both shrugging at the same time in confusion. They turned back down the road, looking carefully at the caravans to see who would sell two sets of clothing for them. They came to the centre section of the Dweller Camp, turning around to spot something that resembled a store in these caravans.
Yiva spotted a caravan that was up a small incline, since Azmer was too busy trying to not get mud on his boots, which is impossible. They walked up and looked over the store. There were two mannequins. The one on the right looked like a man and the one on the left looked like a woman. They saw the price on all of the items of clothing.
For all of the items each, 259 gold pieces. And the gold that Walter gave them had only 500 gold pieces.
However, Yiva pulled out another bag. One with 100 gold pieces inside of it. Using both pouches, they bought both sets of clothing. All pieces were folded and wrapped in quality leather. They were handed to the respective person of the clothing, Azmer the male version in dyed blue leather, Yiva the female version in dyed green. They walked away from the caravan. They heard a almost silent humming coming from the Guild Seal.
"Uh... Hellooo." They heard a familiar disembodied voice.
"Jasper?" Azmer asked the very air.
"Is this... Is this how you use it?" Jasper questioned himself.
Both royals just looked at the other, seemingly unable to answer anything and garnering more unasked questions.
"I-I am speaking to you through the Guild Seals. What extraordinary devices."
That was the answer.
"It seems that whenever either of you carry the Guild Seal, we can communicate freely." Jasper explained.
"We just gained new clothes, Jasper. Is there anywhere in the Sanctuary that we can change?" Yiva asked.
"Ahh, yes. Sophia and I have discovered such a place. Come back to the Sanctuary, and we will show you two."
The humming faded away and stopped. The royals looked at the other, unsure of how they would be able to return. Suddenly thinking of how they got here and theorising that it is the exact same way to get back, they placed their hands on their Guild Seals. They thought of returning to the Sanctuary.
They felt an odd feeling. But it wasn't harmful. In truth, it was welcoming.
Both opened their eyes and they were inside the Sanctuary. Jasper was standing next to a closed double oak doors rid of the cobwebs. Their dogs, which were transported with them, laid down in baskets filled with cushions.
"The Sanctuary has a dressing room readily available. Sophia is inside waiting for you." Jasper explained. When he finished, he pushed the doors open and stood to the side for them to go through.
Azmer and Yiva walked through the door, Azmer allowing Yiva to enter first. They still held the Guild Seals on them, but they had no idea what they were walking into.
They saw Sophia pulling mannequins out of a separate room. She saw them and smiled.
"Ah, hello, Your Highnesses. Both of you can give me your Dweller clothing and I will place them ready to be changed into." She began. She placed the mannequin down upon a stand and turned to face them. "You can undress over there." She pointed to a divider at the outer edge.
The royals obeyed Sophia's instructions, giving her their clothing packages. When they looked behind the divider, there was only one spot to change in. Azmer, ever the gentleman, allowed Yiva to change first, much to her annoyance. When she undressed to almost nothing, Sophia set out the garments in order. Layer after layer were placed on, a leather jerkin with short sleeves assist the arms to resist the cold, long pants to keep the legs from freezing, the gloves were long to go over the jerkin and thick enough to ward off the cold, boots went on over the top of the pants to keep the snow from soaking through and making the feet frozen, the brown bandana with golden embroidery around the edge was placed over her hair and the furry jacket was placed over the top, the sash keeping it from unfurling and allowing the cold air to freeze their blood.
When Yiva got out, she was in her Dweller outfit. It actually suited her.
"I hope that the Dweller outfit is as comfortable as your royal attire, madam. Although, the chances of that being are quite small." Jasper said, walking in.
"It is comfortable, Jasper. Not as comfortable as them, though." Yiva replied, twirling a bit.
Azmer smiled and went behind the divider, undressing himself. He felt disappointed that he had to wear the garb of commoners, but it was for the greater good. Maybe he could wear his royal attire afterwards when he has the chance. However, Yiva most likely wouldn't give him that chance.
His Dweller outfit was almost similar. However, the sleeves were longer and the gloves only went to just in the first half of the forearm. His bandana was red, blue embroidery on the edge. He felt comfortable in this, the words of Yiva staying true.
Sophia brushed some imaginary dust off Azmer's coat, just like a mother. "There, you two look just like Dwellers." She remarked.
Azmer, Yiva and Jasper left the dressing room, leaving Sophia to place the clothes onto the mannequins she set up.
Azmer and Yiva used the same technique to return to the Dweller Camp. The position of the sun was the same and it must be like time stopped for them. Their dogs were transported back with them, Yiva's husky staying close and growling at any who passed by and Azmer's doberman bouncing around.
"Now that both of you are properly attired, it is time to meet with this Sabine we've heard so much about." Jasper explained, elongating the 'so' with a large amount of sarcasm.
They began to walk up towards the hill where Walter left them. Azmer checked the amount of gold coins they had. Only 82 gold coins left (A/N: That is, if the math in my head is correct. It usually is, anyways.) and if they split it to a sizeable 10 pieces for each giving, only eight of these people would be lucky enough. So while Yiva went on ahead to meet with Walter, Azmer stopped every once in a while to give 10 pieces to a the Dwellers since they need it more than them.
Yiva met up with Walter at the same wooden gates they split at before.
"Well, there's one of you two troublemakers." Walter quipped. Yiva smiled, knowing Walter's sense of humour. "Where's the other one?" He asked, looking around.
Yiva smiled almost devilishly. She pointed over her right shoulder with her thumb. "Right over there." She answered, her thumb pointing directly at Azmer.
She couldn't explain it in proper detail, but she felt like she held a deeper connection with her twin. She felt the same thing happens with Azmer, as well.
Yiva turned and Walter looked over to where she pointed. Azmer was crouching in front of a female child, no older than seven. Her face was dirtied with mud and the dirt and snow clung with claws and talons to her clothes. Her frame was small, even for a child. It seemed it made their predicament all the more worse when even children were affected most.
(A few seconds ago)
"Mister."
Azmer looked down towards the source of the small voice. A girl, no more than six or seven, looked up at him with hope in her almost dead eyes. Azmer crouched down to become almost eye level with her.
"What is it?" Azmer asked the girl gently, not wanting to scare her.
"C-C... C-" The girl tried to begin, but couldn't continue. Her eyes began to well up in tears.
"Hey. Hey. Breathe, ok." Azmer gently ordered. The girl obeyed, calming down.
"Can you spare a coin?" She asked, but she immediately looked away in shame.
Azmer looked into the coin pouch. Only twelve gold coins left. He looked back to the girl, seeing the very need of the money.
'They need it more than we do.' He heard Walter repeat in his mind.
He took out the ten gold pieces and gently held the girl's hand so that her palm faced skyward. He placed the gold coins into the small gloved palm of the child.
"There you go." Azmer said gently and accompanied by a soft smile.
The girl's eyes swelled with tears. Not those of shame, but those of happiness. She leapt up and hugged her arms around Azmer's neck. Azmer gently wrapped his arms around the small child.
"Promise to help us. Please." The girl whispered.
"I promise." Azmer whispered back.
They let go and the girl skipped away in joy. Azmer stood up tall and smiled. That's when he noticed the other two staring at him.
He stretched his arms out wide. "What?!" He exclaimed.
"Azmer would make a fine father one day." Walter said while watching the scene before them.
Yiva humphed. "Or a fine mother." She mumbled to herself.
Walter slightly heard what Yiva said. But he didn't hear all of it.
"What did you just say?" He asked.
Yiva sighed. "I said that Azmer would make a fine-" she begun to answer but stopped when Azmer was looking straight at them.
He widened his arms, as if in question. "What?!" He yelled at them.
Yiva cupped her hands on either side of her mouth. She took a deep breath in, the air ready to yell back in reply.
"You're a sucker for kids!" She yelled back.
"Oh, shut it!" Azmer yelled.
Yiva just laughed while Azmer made his way over to them. When he made it, Azmer pushed Yiva with smiles on both of their faces. It is as if they knew that each were joking. Walter looked between the two of them.
"The scruffy look suits both of you. Although Yiva more so." Walter complimented.
"Have you~...?" Yiva began, making small circles with her index fingers.
"I have spoken to Sabine, explained everything and... well, he's..." Walter began to explain, thinking of ways he could break it to them. The two royals just looked at Walter as if he failed in a mission. Walter just gave up and shrugged. "I told you he would take some convincing!" He yelled at them, as if pleading.
"Come on." He said, turning back towards the double doors.
They opened for him once more and allowed the group to enter. However, Walter stood just in front of the threshold while Yiva, Azmer and their two dogs continued onward. They came to a man that towered above them, his skin darker than most. His sash buckle held a skull and bones on its face. His left eye was milky white, blinded, and his right side was scarred.
To be honest, both of them were scared shitless if this was Sabine.
"Out of the way, Boulder. I can't see a thing." A voice said behind the giant.
The man, who they now know as Boulder, stepped off to his left and revealed a man that was more of their size. Old, indicated by the white beard and moustache, but his head was held high in pride. He was seated on a makeshift throne made of hand crafted wood that wasn't too royal like. Fitting for a leader of a people of nature.
"So, royalty walks into our home. And a prince and a princess, no less. Both of you are a long mile from the castle, Highnesses." Sabine said, a small group of Dwellers now gathered to listen in.
'Further than I usually go. Azmer only stayed in the castle except for a rare few occasions.' Yiva thought on Sabine's remarks.
Sabine got up off of his elaborate chair and stood. He limped down one step and stopped, now eye level with both of the royals.
"What do either of you think of our home, then? Do you like what your brother has done to us?" Sabine continued.
'If only he knew that we don't like Logan.' Azmer thought. 'Nothing he does or has done is right anymore.'
Sabine stretched his hand out towards the mountains. "These mountains have always been ours." He said, a dreamy look in his eyes. But his eyes turned to anger and his hand closed to a fist. "Now Logan's taken them and is stripping them of all life."
He turned back to the royals. Yiva's husky was still by her feet like a guardian but Azmer's doberman walked up to Boulder for a play, which it was currently being ignored.
"Oh, we are ready to go to war. But why should we follow Logan's kin?" Sabine questioned.
"You can trust us!" Yiva exclaimed.
"And you have our word." Azmer continued, although not yelling.
Sabine snorted. "We don't take much stock in words round these parts. We're simple folk." Sabine turned his head to Boulder. "Ain't that right, Boulder?"
Boulder grunted in response.
"Then what do you want?" Azmer asked.
Sabine motioned for the two to lean in. Boulder knelt down and Azmer's doberman stood up on Boulder's knee to join in on the conversation. Yiva's husky stayed down.
"Proof." Sabine simply answered.
"We may need more detail than that, Sabine." Yiva responded.
Sabine sighed. "Alright." He raised his hand up, one finger pointing towards the sky. "First, prove you are truly, as Walter claims, Heroes." He begun. "This is easily done. There is a secret chamber beneath the town of Brightwall, built by your own mother. Only Heroes can survive its trials and reach the relics within. Bring me one of these ancient objects and I will believe you."
He raised two fingers this time. "Second, prove that you are warriors capable of leading us Into battle. You can do this by slaying the mercenaries that plague Mistpeak Valley and have long since soured our existence."
Boulder is now patting Azmer's doberman. A smile was forming on his face.
"Third, prove that you are true leaders. Persuade our neighbours in Brightwall to share what food they have with us." Sabine turned his head to Boulder. "Boulder."
Boulder grunted and stood up. Sabine turned back to the royals.
"If we cannot eat, we will die. And the dead make poor allies."
"Is that all?" Yiva asked.
"Yep, that's the lot. Off you go then. Good luck. Nice knowing you." Sabine finished, putting a cigar in his mouth.
Both whistled their dogs to follow and they met up with Walter. They walked out of the small ground and the doors closed behind them.
Walter chuckled. "It's nice to see Sabine hasn't mellowed with age." He remarked. The group started to walk down the hill, the Dwellers getting back to their current meagre lives. "But anyway, I know the place he mentioned. Your mother built the chamber underneath Brightwall Academy, Albion's greatest seat of learning."
Azmer's and Yiva's eyebrows raised in surprise. How did something like that stay out of Logan's mind?
"At least it was, until Logan closed it down." Walter continued.
"Oh." Both royals responded. Nothing was sacred when it came to Logan.
"Just show the old Librarian your Guild Seals. He'll know what it means. I'll try to find out more about these mercenaries. I'll see you two in Brightwall when I have some information."
They just arrived at a makeshift drawbridge, which lowered when they came close to it.
Walter sighed. Not in annoyance, but in contentment. "It makes a nice change, doing something useful." Walter said.
Both royals completely agreed to that statement. They watched too long as Logan tore Albion apart, piece by piece.
It is time to do more than just watch. They will do things to help.