Chapter 91: Barrier
As night fell over the Kingdom of Camelot, Sir Lancelot made his way into the Shrouded Forest that lay north of Avalon isle past the Albion coastline before Camelot Castle. Once a healthy forest full of green trees with a little village within, Shrouded Forest was now overgrown with cursed fungi that released toxic spores over the entire area including the village, which was practically devoid of people, turning everything white as a result. While he plowed his way through Knights of the Underworld which appeared throughout the forest, his mind was torn. He hated Merlina for what she did, but at the same time Lancelot felt in debt to her for saving him from the Black Knight's wrath.
"Well, obviously, the reason she saved you was so you'd help Sonic get the Scabbard away from King Arthur," Shawn said appearing in front of Lancelot in astral form.
"I agree," Shadow said as he appeared next to Shawn. "If Merlina has the ability to see the future, then she knew you were still useful to her plans."
"Those things may be true, but it would go against my chivalric code to not feel grateful to Merlina even though she did betray us," Lancelot argued.
"To heck with chivalry!" Shawn snapped. "Merlina was playing all you knights for fools, including your king."
"How dare you speak that way about Sir Sonic!" Lancelot said raising his sword Arondight. "I would kill you right now if you had physical form."
"You know all this bickering isn't going to get us to the Barrier Stone faster," Shadow noted.
"True, we must stick to our course," Lancelot said and concentrated on the enemies in front of him.
"Fine, but I still stand by what I said," Shawn said as he vanished.
"Was Shawn as rude to you as he is to me?" Lancelot asked Shadow.
"Pretty much," Shadow said. "Though to be fair, I was controlling his body for a long time before he realized it."
"What for?"
"It's a long story, but the short of it is that I was protecting him from a dark force that would've made him to do evil things if I wasn't in control."
"Then he should be grateful to you."
"He hasn't gotten to that point yet, but I think he will someday."
Then as Shadow's apparition vanished, Lancelot continued slaying more Knights of the Underworld.
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By daybreak, Lancelot had reached the Barrier Stone in the heart of Shrouded Forest. It was a tall monolith-shaped rock with a stone anvil before it that had a wide enough slot for a sword to fit in. Without hesitation, Lancelot plunged Arondight into the slot which caused the Barrier Stone to turn red as a series of letters appeared in a language only Lancelot could understand.
"'This stone is but part of the ring that seals the Dark Hollow,'" Lancelot recited.
"Dark Hollow?" Shawn asked as his apparition appeared.
"Is this thing referring to Merlina?" Shadow wondered appearing after Shawn did.
"It is, but I think it's referring to something else," Lancelot said gravely. "Something Merlina will do in the near future."
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While Lancelot was in Shrouded Forest, Sir Gawain made his way to Great Megalith, which was west of Avalon. From the Albion coastline which curved in an arc-shape, Great Megalith was an ancient fort that lay in an open field of grass and stones. But by the time Gawain got there, the place was overrun by Knights of the Underworld and most of the people who were there which consisted mainly of tourists where imprisoned inside large wagons. Gawain made his way through the fort quietly by gliding on the winds allowing him to attack unsuspecting Knights in the process. He then proceeded to free the prisoners, claiming it was all part of the show the tourists seemed to assume was going on regarding the kidnapping under advice given to him by Chuck. Knuckles, on the other hand, was not amused.
"I should be the one saving those people, not him," Knuckles pouted in apparition form.
"I know, Knuckles, but you've got to lighten up," Chuck said next to him. "Gawain's the only one who can unlock the Barrier Stone because he has a Sacred Sword."
"Quiet, spirits!" Gawain commanded. "We're here."
Gawain had entered a large underground chamber where a monolith-shaped stone stood. He approached a small anvil and plunged the twin swords of Galatine into it. The stone turned red and words appeared on the surface.
"'When the Sacred Sword pierces stone, so shall return the Power,'" Gawain said reciting the words.
"What power?" Knuckles asked sarcastically. "The power to trap Merlina's magic?"
"No, it's referring to a different kind of power which can only come from Excalibur, the greatest of all Sacred Swords," Gawain answered.
"Oh, yeah," Chuck noted. "King Arthur had the Scabbard only, but not the sword. But surely one can't exist without the other being present, right?"
"That is correct," Gawain said. "In order for the Scabbard of Excalibur to exist, then the sword must be present as well."
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In a volcano-ridden valley known as The Cauldron which lay to the east of Avalon, Sir Percival was charging through an empty village occupied by Knights of the Underworld while she avoided falling into the pools of lava below. Yet even in the deepest part of the valley, Percival found a circular patch of fresh green grass with a monolith stone standing erect. At its feet, there was an anvil with a sword-shaped hole in it.
"This must be the Barrier Stone," Percival said as she plunged her fencing sword Laevatein into the sword-shaped hole.
The stone turned orange-red as words appeared.
"'Though the Power may be weak, the Fighting Spirit shall not falter,'" Percival said out loud.
"What does that mean?" Blake and Blaze asked in unison.
"I do not know, but it must be important," Percival replied.
###
On the southernmost tip of the Albion bay known as Dragon's Lair, Sonic made his way through a crystalline cave filled with Knights of the Underworld. As he made his way deeper, the temperatures seemed to get hotter. Then he got to a dark tunnel and heard enormous footsteps followed by a loud roar as a crimson wingless dragon appeared.
"I thought Nimue said the dragon wasn't real," Sonic said.
"She meant what she said," Caliburn said. "This dragon must've been created more recently by Merlina's magic."
"Well, here goes nothing!" Sonic shouted as he charged at the dragon while avoiding the fireballs it coughed at him.
Sonic then jumped onto the brim of the dragon's snout and slashed its top horn several times till it broke off. In response, the dragon roared in pain as it keeled over and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Inside the tunnel the dragon came from, Sonic discovered a monolith stone and a square anvil at its feet.
"Looks just like the Barrier Stone I encountered on the World of Camelot," Sonic said as he positioned Caliburn above the anvil. "Now let's see if it really works."
After plunging Caliburn into the sword-shaped hole in the anvil, the monolith stone lit up as words appeared on its surface.
"'When the Fighting Spirit triumphs, then shall the Kingdom see peace,'" Sonic said reciting the words on the stone. "Do you know what any of that means, Caliburn?"
"Either it's referring to our previous triumph, or a future one," Caliburn answered.
A sudden shaking of the ground caused Sonic to run out of the cave and into the open air where he saw the darkening sky over Avalon continuing to grow darker.
"Shouldn't that cloud be getting smaller?" Sonic asked.
"Perhaps the magic barrier is too weak after all," Caliburn said.
"Then we have no choice but to face Merlina ourselves," Sonic said. "You ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Caliburn replied.
To be continued…