The Young Keepers all climbed down the ladder after they hopped into the cauldron.
It led them all down into an old tunnel.
It almost looked like a cave, and it was very very familiar.
"I feel like I saw something like this in a movie," said Dylan.
"Well this is a Disney place," said Logan.
"No this isn't like any Disney movie I've seen," said Dylan.
"We can't focus on this," said Jason. "Follow the tunnels and we'll get the artifact."
Everyone nodded and headed down the tunnel.
They were all lit with torches across the walls.
Soon enough they began to feel a cool breeze.
And then they came across it.
A passageway, and filled with spider webbing.
"Oh god," said Francesca backing away.
She unfortunately got her Arachnophobia from their Aunt Willa.
"I'll check this out," said Dylan.
"Be careful," said Melody.
Dylan walked up slowly, still feeling like this was familiar.
He tried to avoid spider webs as he walked through it.
He felt the breeze getting colder, until suddenly he thought he heard a voice.
"The Breath of God," whispered a voice. "Only the penitent man will pass."
Dylan froze and listened more carefully.
"The penitent man will pass," whispered the voice. "The penitent man will pass."
Dylan realized it was the wind talking in the breeze.
"The penitent man," the breeze kept repeating.
"The penitent man…is humble," said Dylan finishing a sentence it was saying.
Suddenly he saw what looked like the spider webs ahead moving.
"The penitent man…kneels before God," he said.
He suddenly realized what this was.
"Oh god…KNEEL!" he yelled.
He suddenly hit the ground as a blade swiped towards him and almost took off his head.
He then did a somersault as another blade came up from the ground.
He kept dodging blades until finally he came to the end and saw on the wall gears moving and controlling the blades.
He noticed a rope and pulled on it, which ended up stopping the gears, and blades in process.
As the blades stopped, Dylan just stared at what happened.
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?" he asked himself. "Does this mean the artifact is…"
"Hey bud!" yelled Logan. "We good?"
"Yeah we're through!" yelled Dylan.
Everyone slowly walked towards Dylan, avoiding the blades even though they weren't moving.
They regrouped with Dylan at the end.
"Is this what I think it is?" asked Logan.
"It's apparently the trails from Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade," said Dylan. "I think our next artifact may be the Holy Grail."
"My god," said Jason. "IMMORTALITY FOR EVERYONE!"
"No!" yelled Francesca. "We are not drinking from that thing. We need it to save the world."
Everyone nodded and Jason sighed.
They started walking down more.
"What was next up in the movie?" asked Melody.
"Something with God's name I think?" asked Logan.
And surely enough, everyone came across room will tiles that had letters on them.
"Jehovah," said Dylan. "We must spell out Jehovah."
And right away before anyone could stop her, Melody jumped on the tile with a J on it.
She stepped on it and immediately it broke away and she began to fall and scream.
Before she could fall into the bottomless pit below, everyone grabbed her hand in time.
"You idiot!" yelled Jason. "Jehovah begins with an I in the Latin alphabet!"
"Well how was I supposed to know!?" cried out Melody as everyone successfully pulled her up safely.
"Allow me," said Dylan pushing Melody aside.
He carefully found the I and jumped on it.
"I," he said.
He then continued down the letters spelling it out.
"E, H, O, V, A, and H," he said jumping on each tile.
Suddenly, everyone heard a rumbling sound and Dylan began to see all the tiles that weren't the right letters break away.
"Well this wasn't in the movie," he said.
Once every letter but the ones that spelled out Jehovah were gone, the letters that were right moved and formed a straight pathway to the other side.
Everyone stared at the pathway and then at Dylan.
They all smiled and then walked carefully across and continued on.
"And we all know what the final trial is," said Logan.
And surely enough, it was the leap of faith, which everyone got across successfully.
And now that it was over, everyone walked into the final room, where they could see light brighter than the torches.
They all walked ahead, and found themselves in a humongous room that looked more like a galactic realm.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Francesca. "This is…amazing!"
"Hey look!" yelled Jason. "Up ahead!"
Everyone looked up ahead and saw it across the vast river, which is what the room practically was.
On another rocky platform sitting on a pile of stones, was a chalice covered in strangely glowing copper.
Glowing water trickled around it and the jewels around the cup shimmered brightly.
"The Holy Grail," gasped Logan. "It really does exist."
"Let's get it!" yelled Melody starting to run ahead.
Again, everyone stopped her.
"You are so impulsive!" yelled Jason.
"I'll go check it out," said Dylan. "In case it's a trap."
Everyone nodded and Dylan stepped ahead.
He didn't care about taking off his clothes to swim across, nor did he even need to because when he put one foot in the water, it stopped right on top of it.
He was standing and walking on the water.
Everyone was amazed.
"This is trippy," he said.
He slowly walked across the water until finally he made it to the platform.
He stared down at the Holy Grail, and then he bent down and reached for it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said a voice that immediately filled up Dylan with fear.
Dylan slowly turned around and saw the Horned King standing on the other platform.
Everyone was being held up by their necks in the air.
Dylan immediately made his sword appeared in his hand but the Horned King put up his finger and shook it.
"I don't think so," said the Horned King. "I've come so far not to fail like Scar did."
"What happened to Big Hero 6!?" yelled Dylan.
"They're fine," said the Horned King. "Beaten and bloodied but still alive."
Dylan clutched his sword angrily.
"Put that sword away now," said the Horned King.
"Fuck you, you walking corpse!" yelled Dylan.
"It would not be wise to insult me boy," said the Horned King. "As you see, I am the one with leverage."
Everyone screamed out and begged for mercy.
"Give me the artifact and I will give you your friends," said the Horned King. "Fail to do so and each will suffer a slow and painful death, starting with me gutting your girlfriend and spilling her across this enchanted river."
Dylan growled angrily but then sighed.
He made his sword disappear and stared at the Horned King.
"Release them first!" he yelled. "Then I will give it."
"I don't think so," said the Horned King.
"Why not?" asked Dylan. "You're blocking my only way out. I have no tricks up my sleeve, and I don't mean my sword."
The Horned King thought for a second, and then nodded.
"You make a good point," he said.
He waved his hand and everyone Young Keeper was released.
Everyone coughed and tried to stand up.
"Come to me guys," said Dylan.
Everyone nodded slowly and began to walk towards Dylan.
However, Logan did not move.
He stayed behind, while the Horned King stood above him.
"Logan what are you doing?" asked Dylan. "Come here!"
"Better listen," said the Horned King. "Or else I will burn you brains until your mind melts."
Dylan stared at Logan timidly, but then saw a smile on his face.
"Dylan may not have a trick up his sleeve," he said. "But unfortunately Bone King, I DO!"
Logan suddenly pulled out from under his sleeve one of his sparklers he bought in town and lit it.
He then took it and stabbed it right in the Horned King's chest.
It immediately began sparkling and the Horned King yelled out in pain.
Logan and everyone just watched as the Horned King flailed in pain, until suddenly the sparkler made him burst into flames.
"Logan get away from him!" yelled Dylan.
Logan attempted to run, but then suddenly the sparkler blew and the Horned King exploded, with Logan right near him.
Everyone gasped out as Logan was literally thrown across the river and onto the platform everyone was standing on.
They ran up to him, finding him covered in terrible burn marks and deep wounds.
They could even see some bone from ripped off flesh areas.
"Oh god," gagged Jason.
Francesca and Melody vomited.
Logan just screamed out in pain nonstop.
"He's going to die at this rate!" yelled Jason.
Dylan didn't know what to do, until he saw the Holy Grail.
He stared at it, and then at the dying Logan, and nodded.
He took the Holy Grail and then filled it up with glowing water that trickled down the rocks.
Everyone watched as he brought it over to Logan.
"Let's hope this doesn't sting like a bitch," said Dylan.
He brought the grail to Logan's mouth and made him drink it, pouring it into his mouth.
Everyone watched as Logan drank the water, and immediately he started screaming out in pain.
He waved his hands in pain, and ended up knocking th grail out of Dylan's hand and spilling the rest of the water.
Dylan was about to start panicking when then he looked over and saw a miracle.
All of Logan's wounds immediately began to heal and close up.
It took about a minute for everything to heal, and then Logan was up and running again.
"Whew!" he exclaimed. "What a wake up call!"
"My god it worked," said Francesca.
"So does this mean your immortal?" asked Jason.
"Let's worry about finding out that later," said Dylan. "Right now we…"
Before he could finish, everyone heard a loud howl from inside the smoke where the Horned King blew up.
From out of the smoke, the Horned King stepped out, only he did not have any of his tattered skin.
Only a skeleton stepped out, completely walking perfectly.
And he was angry, for his eyes were glowing red.
Everyone was about to bring out their weapons, when suddenly the entire room became pitch black.
No one could see anything, not even their hands in front of their face.
All they heard was the Horned King's voice say one word.
"Fall," he said.
Immediately everyone felt themselves grow terribly weak.
One by one they all fell to the ground and couldn't get up.
Dylan struggled to move but he couldn't.
He could hear the footsteps of the Horned King walking towards him.
He then began to laughing menacingly.
"You are alone, child," he said. "You have no one to help you. No friends, no family, and no magic."
Dylan growled and struggled to move.
"I have dwelled on the world for longer than you can imagine," said the Horned King. "Disney had always been a curse upon me, and now with Mr. Dark, it can grant me power I've always desired."
Dylan struggled harder and harder to get up. He was now on his knees at least.
"With that power, I shall use it to raise an army of the dead," said the Horned King. "I will bring forth legions and armies of thousands and millions, and we shall march across the entire land, enslaving all."
Dylan stood up and made his sword appear in his hand, but he was not strong enough.
He fell right back down on the ground, but also felt his hand touch something wet.
He realized it was the spilled Holy Grail water.
"You are strong Whitman boy," said the Horned King. "But I am beyond strength, and when you are dead and so are your friends here, there will be no one to stop us from taking over the world."
The Horned King was now standing over Dylan.
He began to reach out to his head with his boney hand.
"I am the end of you," he said. "And I have come for you Dylan. Prepare…for the end."
At that very moment, Dylan could suddenly see the hand right near his face, even though it was pitch black.
"N…n…NOOO!" he yelled out.
He took his sword and began swinging it back and forth.
"GET AWAY!" he yelled. "GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM ME!"
The Horned King continued to head towards Dylan's head, ready to grab it.
But then, Dylan slapped the Horned King's hand with his hand the had the Holy Grail water on it.
Immediately, the water began to sink into the Horned King's boney hand.
He gasped loudly, and then the whole room became light again.
Dylan blinked a couple of times and heard the Horned King yelling out loudly.
He looked up and saw the hand he touched with Holy Grail water morphing.
It was turning into flesh and skin.
Human skin!
The Horned King stared at his hand and yelled out loudly.
"What have you done!?" he yelled.
Dylan stared at the hand, and then at the water.
He then smiled.
"You don't like this stuff don't you?" he asked.
He grabbed more of the water, and then flung it onto the Horned King's chest bones.
He yelled out loudly and more skin and flesh formed from the water.
It was almost horrifying to watch as eyeballs suddenly popped out of the empty sockets.
Everyone suddenly regained conscious and saw what was happening to the Horned King.
The water turned everything into flesh, and then finally it all turned into skin.
Everyone saw the Horned King, no longer the Horned King for he no longer had horns, now fully covered in skin, and completely naked.
He then collapsed on the ground, and shocked everyone.
"Ow," said Logan. "Right in the doorbell."
Everyone just stared at the man who was once the Horned King lying on the ground naked.
Everyone tried not to stare.
Dylan then shook the man gently, and slowly the man stood up.
He stared at Dylan, and then at everyone else.
"I can't believe it," the old man said. "You have released the curse that has possessed me for centuries."
"Curse?" asked Dylan. "Who are you?"
"Oh I'm sorry," said the old man. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is King Horgarath."
"King Horgarath?" asked Jason. "You're a king?"
"I was centuries ago," said Horgarath. "Until I sought out the evil power that cursed me into that demonic creature who was the Horned King."
"You mean you were real?" asked Logan. "You truly have a connection with Disney?"
"I do," said Horgarath. "I was the king…that the wizard Yen Sid served."
Everyone gasped.
"Yen Sid?" asked Francesca. "The powerful wizard of Disney?"
"Whom Mickey was apprentice to?" asked Melody.
"Yes," said Horgarath. "For so long I was the Horned King, and then Walt Disney sealed me up in a story, which was The Black Cauldron."
"And now we have freed you apparently," said Dylan.
"Yes," said Horgarath. "The Horned King is gone, and now I will gladly help you, Young Keepers."
Dylan smiled and handed Horgarath the Holy Grail.
"You can get this to Mickey Mouse in Disneyland," he said.
"And you can find some clothes too old man," said Jason.
"Hey you are talking to a king!" said Melody.
"No it's okay child," said Horgarath standing up and covering himself with the Horned King's burned robes.
He then picked up the Holy Grail and the Young Keepers lead him out of the place.
Dylan stared at Horgarath, and then the Holy Grail, and smiled.
"Two artifacts down," he said. "And now Mr. Dark has lost a follower."
He sighed happily.
"We are on a roll," he said. "Mr. Dark cannot be happy right now. But I sure am."
Wow! This was a long chapter. The Holy Grail was the next artifact and the Horned King's connection was revealed. Amazing isn't it? What will happen next? Stay tuned to find out!
See you next update! Review please dearies!
From your favorite Fanguy,
Jacob/Hades/Rumpelstiltskin/Sonicphantom47