The Chronicles of Sir William
Ch 15
Just a Phase
OPEN ON:
EXT. STREETS OF BONESBOROUGH - NIGHT
A pair of demons emerge from a sewer outlet and stealthily
creep down the alleyways. They both carry sacks of what
look to be human novelties.
DEMON 1
Man, these cost a fortune nowadays.
(delighted)
But they're worth it!
The demon takes out a Walkman and plays some music from it,
grinning to himself.
DEMON 2
Hey, put that away! Someone will
hear us! *gasp*
A group of teen hoodlums emerges from the shadows and
surrounds the two demons. They all carry what are clearly
nothing more than water-guns and foam dart-launchers, but
the demons look at them with fear.
HOODLUM 1
Yeah, that's right! These are human
weapons! Unless you'd like a
demonstration, I'd fork over the
goods.
DEMON 1
Alright! Don't hurt us!
The demons drop their sacks and run away. The hoodlums all
laugh to themselves.
HOODLUM 2
Heh. Stoopid witches.
Their leader steps forward. He is dressed like the others,
but wears the chipped mask and repaired staff of the Golden
Guard.
HUNTER
Let's inspect the loot, shall we?
He digs through the sacks, mostly discarding worthless
items.
HUNTER (cont'd)
Meh...trash...trash...Ooh! Score!
He takes out a gaming device and tosses it to his cohorts,
laughing as they fight over it.
HOODLUM
Hey, that's mine!
HOODLUM 2
You got one of those already!
HUNTER
Alright, you scrubs! I'm bored with
lifting this junk. Let's up the
stakes...
INTRO
SEQUENCE:
OPEN ON:
INT. BONESBOROUGH, HUMAN EMBASSY - MORNING
Luz busies herself with setting up her new office. It's
mostly a professional set-up with a few quirky flourishes
and decorations.
Gus appears at her door with Lord William behind him.
GUS
Hey, Luz. You've got a visitor.
LUZ
(cordial)
Lord Regent. Is this a social visit?
WILLIAM
I wish it were. I must call upon
your services as our ambassador.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREETS OF BONESBOROUGH - DAY
William guides Luz and Gus down the street, talking as they
walk.
WILLIAM
When we defeated Belos in your
world, we offered his human converts
a choice. Remove their bile-sacs and
remain, or come to the Demon Realms
and peacefully integrate into our
society. It seems some malcontents
are having trouble with that last
clause...
They see storefronts and vendor stalls vandalized with
crass spray-paint messages like "WITCHES GET STITCHES",
"HUMANS OWN THESE STREETS", or "THE GOLDEN GUARD LIVES".
As the shopkeepers repair the damage, they shrink away from
Luz.
LUZ
(dismayed)
I don't believe this. Bonesborough
must hate humans by now.
GUS
Don't worry, Luz. First impressions
are the important thing. And you
gave us a good one.
WILLIAM
So, let's ensure these hooligans
don't give your kind a bad name.
SERGEANT
Lord Regent. We have a lead on the
perpetrators.
They follow the Sergeant and his guards down the street,
arriving at a stone culvert beneath a bridge. It leads into
a chamber strewn with cots and beds, and decorated to the
taste of edgy teens.
Posters of nu-metal bands and figurines of spiky-haired
anti-heroes. Empty cans of body spray and hair gel. Dust-covered
covered racks of dumbbells and weights.
WILLIAM
The usual trappings of human
adolescents, I presume?
LUZ
(wincing)
Yeesh! I should hope not. Somebody's
going through a phase...
Gus drags his finger through the mold growing on a
discarded pizza.
GUS
Yick. Well, it doesn't look like
anyone's been here for a while. The
trail's gone cold.
Just then, Luz spots some bottles of white grease paint and
eye-liner on one of the end tables and begins pondering.
LUZ
Hmm...Maybe not. I have an idea.
CUT TO:
INT. ILLUSION COVEN DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT
Gus emerges from a changing booth, disguised like a
delinquent punk-rocker. He is joined by Luz, dressed like a
goth in white face-paint and black lipstick.
GUS
(grinning)
I didn't realize human teens dressed
so...moodily.
LUZ
(embarrassed)
They don't. It's just a subculture.
WILLIAM
(smitten)
I think I can see the appeal...Are
you ready?
LUZ
As we'll ever be.
Some guards hand Luz and Gus a pair of telepathic necklaces
matching one worn by William. He conjures a portal opening
up into an alleyway and they jump through.
They look around a corner to see a shop built into a crack
in a retaining wall. Luz clutches her necklace.
LUZ (V.O.)
Is this the place?
WILLIAM (V.O.)
We've suspected this to be a front
for smuggled human artifacts for a
while now.
GUS (V.O.)
I've been meaning to ask. Why did
you ban human stuff, anyway?
WILLIAM (V.O.)
It was at Mr. Wayde's request. He
didn't want something dangerous
slipping through and being mistaken
for a toy.
GUS (V.O.)
(conflicted)
Hmm. Probably for the best.
LUZ (V.O.)
Alright, we're in position. When we
find the trouble-makers we'll con
them into bringing us home to roost.
Then we'll call you in.
WILLIAM (V.O.)
Understood. Good luck.
Luz and Gus enter the storefront and are welcomed in by
Tibbles.
TIBBLES
Welcome! Come in! Let me guess, a
few homesick former humans looking
for some creature comforts?
GUS
(exuberant)
Yeah! You got any-
Luz elbows Gus.
GUS (cont'd)
Uh, I mean...
(aloof)
Yeah, bruh. We hear this place is
pretty lit.
TIBBLES
I don't know what that means, but
you probably heard right!
Tibbles pauses for a moment and glares at Luz.
TIBBLES (cont'd)
Don't I know you from somewhere?
Luz briefly panics, but resumes her bored, dour persona.
LUZ
*scoff*. You wish you knew me...
TIBBLES
Hmm...Well, I'm sure we'll become
good friends!
Tibbles' door bell rings again, with a masked Hunter and
his two toadies walking in.
TIBBLES (cont'd)
Ah, Hunter, my lad! Back so soon?
HUNTER
Got a fresh haul, Tibbs.
Hunter throws a sack on the counter, filled with goods
plundered from the Bonesborough stores.
TIBBLES
Hmm. I think I recognize these
wares.
(feigning
uprightness)
I'm sorry, sir. But I cannot accept
these for trade. I'm no fence!
After a brief beat, they both burst into laughter. As
Tibbles shells out some snails on the counter, Hunter takes
notice of Luz.
HUNTER
(flirty)
Hey. I don't think I've ever seen
you around here before, cutie.
Luz blushes a bit, but maintains her cover better.
LUZ
Eh. Bite me.
HUNTER
Heh. I like you.
WILLIAM (V.O.)
(growling)
I can't wait to throttle that little
punk and string him up by his-
LUZ (V.O.)
You're still on!
WILLIAM (V.O.)
I know.
GUS
We just rolled in. "The Man" wanted
to take our bile-sacks.
HUNTER
I hear ya.
(cocky)
The normies just can't handle us,
can they? They'd all die of envy.
Tibbles finishes counting out his snails and hands Hunter a
plump coin purse.
HUNTER (cont'd)
Here's some free advice, newbies.
Bonesborough's got all the best
loot, but it's a total gum-drop
parade. Latissa's the place to kick
back.
(flirty)
Why don't you come back with us to
our hideout? We'll throw you a
welcome party.
LUZ
Huh...I guess that wouldn't totally
reek...
HUNTER
I'm glad you see it my way.
The hoodlums exit the shop and mount their artificial
staves. Gus rides with one of the hoodlums, but Hunter
insists that Luz ride with him.
HUNTER (cont'd)
Hang on tight.
Luz grasps the salvaged staff of the Golden Guard,
recognizing it's power. She gets a mischievous idea.
LUZ
Good advice...you should follow it.
Luz takes command of the staff and brings them both
rocketing into the night sky.
HUNTER
WHOOAAA!
Hunter's toadies laugh and follow Luz on her joyride. She
takes them spiraling over rooftops and weaving between
smokestacks. Hunter struggles to hang on and keep from
being sick.
Eventually, they reach the wilderness and draw close to the
outskirts of Latissa.
LUZ
So, where's your pad?
HUNTER
*hurk*...Uh, over there.
He points to a sewer outlet jutting out from the city
walls. They land at its mouth and enter.
HUNTER (cont'd)
(awed)
Man, that was some sick flying. You
must have served in Belos' guard,
right?
LUZ
Something like that...
She smugly twirls the staff before handing it back to
Hunter. His cronies chortle behind his back.
HUNTER
(whispering)
But, uh...in the future. Don't show
me up like that again.
He then leads them into the sewers, arriving at an atrium
where other teen hooligans are busy lounging around.
HUNTER (cont'd)
What's ours is yours...
He removes his mask, plops into a ruined wingback chair and
starts playing video games on an old tv monitor. He motions
for his guests to sit in a torn leather sofa.
WILLIAM (V.O.)
Luz? Are you in yet? I have units at
the ready.
LUZ (V.O.)
Just give me a minute.
Luz looks around the bedraggled surroundings, trying to
start a conversation.
LUZ
...So, that mask. Are you, like...
the Golden Guard or something?
HUNTER
(smug)
Sure am. Belos took me in off the
streets and taught me everything I
know about magic. Said I was like a
son to him.
HOODLUM 2
(whispering)
Heh. Teacher's pet.
HUNTER
What was that?
Hunter sits up in his wingback and glares at his cronies.
HOODLUM 2
Uhh-nothin'!
HUNTER
That's what I thought...
Brooding, he sinks back into his chair.
HUNTER (cont'd)
Some of us don't act like it...
(admiring)
...but Belos changed our lives. Gave
us real power. A reason to live.
Least that's what I thought. How
about you?
Luz ponders a moment, her answer laden with a small amount
of sincerity.
LUZ
Kinda...yeah.
HUNTER
(smoldering)
But then that try-hard girl and her
loser friends had to swoop in and
ruin everything.
GUS
(playing along)
Yeah, don't remind us!
Luz looks disheartened by Hunter's vitriol.
HUNTER
And what I wouldn't give for a
chance to knock that white knight
"Lord Regent" off his high-horse!
WILLIAM (V.O.)
Be careful what you wish for. Ready
or not, Luz, we're coming in.
A portal appears in the middle of the hideout. Guards come
rushing out, sending the human delinquents scattering like
roaches.
HUNTER
WHAT?!
HOODLUM
We've been made! Everyone for
himself!
HUNTER
No, you dolts! We stand and fight!
Hunter takes his staff and duels with the guards trying to
arrest him. The other hoodlums have less success, getting
captured in bubble shields.
Gus and Luz huddle behind the sofa, trying to keep out of
the crossfire.
HUNTER (cont'd)
Don't just stand around! Aren't you
going to...?!
Hunter sees Luz's expression and pieces things together.
HUNTER (cont'd)
It was you! You sold us out!
Hunter and his cronies try to flee deeper into the sewers.
Gus and Luz take out their staves and pursue.
HOODLUM
Nice going, Hunter! You got us
busted thinking with your-
HUNTER
Shut it! How was I supposed to
know?! I just need to think of
something-
Another portal appears in front of their path. William
leaps out of it, dragging Hunter off his staff.
His cronies don't look back, continuing to speed away.
HUNTER (cont'd)
Come back here, you ingrates!
WILLIAM
Speaking of, why don't you come
along quietly? You might just make
it out of this with community
service.
HUNTER
Alright. Allow me to SERVE!
Hunter wriggles out of his cloak and attacks William. They
duel in the tunnel, trading fireballs and lightning-bolts.
Hunter manages to hold his own, but is still out of his
league against William.
A few moments later, Gus and Luz arrive to surround Hunter.
GUS
Give it up! You're surrounded, and
all your base be ours!
LUZ
Listen! We're trying to help you.
HUNTER
I don't need any more of your
"help"! How could you?! How could
you side with them?! They're trying
to take our magic away!
LUZ
*sigh*...Look familiar?
Luz removes her wig and wipes off some of her makeup.
Hunter's eyes widen in shock.
WILLIAM
Now yield! I won't ask again!
William tries to grab his arm, but Hunter reels away.
HUNTER
(frantic)
No! I'm not going back! I'm never
going back!
He swings his salvaged artificial staff as William's head.
He blocks it just in time, the force of the blow rupturing
Hunter's staff.
Arcs of red electricity leak from the crack, showing signs
of instability.
GUS
Put it down, man! It's busted!
Heedless, hunter levels his staff at William and charges up
a spell.
HUNTER
Don't you tell me how to USE MY
MAGIC!
Hunter's staff explodes sending a shockwave of energy
through the tunnel. The tunnel walls collapse, causing a
tenement building on the streets above to come caving in.
When the dust clears, Hunter's body can be seen poking from
the rubble.
LUZ
Hunter!
Luz frantically tries to dig him out as his vision fades to
black.
FADE TO:
INT. LATISSA PRECINCT, INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT
Hunter slowly blinks awake to see himself in a dark room,
sitting in front of a table. A bright lamp swings overhead.
WILLIAM
Twenty-eight injuries. Three in
traction...But, miraculously, no
fatalities...barely.
Hunter squints his eyes to see William sitting across from
him.
WILLIAM (cont'd)
Yet all of those people are now out
on the streets, without a home...
thanks to you...
Hunter tries to hide his guilt under bravado.
HUNTER
*scoff*. Nothing I haven't been
through...
William slams his hands down on the table, restraining his
rage.
WILLIAM
(grave)
I can arrange for you to say that to
their faces.
LUZ
Will, let me handle this.
Seated beside him is Luz, back in her normal clothes.
LUZ (cont'd)
It's not too late to turn back,
Hunter. I know what you're going
through.
HUNTER
(brooding)
No you don't...You don't know me.
LUZ
I know what it's like to want magic
in your life so badly...
(contrite)
...that you risk hurting people to
get it. But having magic doesn't
mean you can just do whatever you
want. Even Belos believed in using
it to help people.
HUNTER
Which he might still be doing if you
hadn't come along! You thought it would be all
glitter and rainbows with him gone, but you
don't know anything! you're just a sad,
naive little girl!
Luz tries to hide her indignation.
WILLIAM
(bored)
And you're just a deluded little boy who's
conflated his unearned jadedness with maturity.
Disappointed, Luz rises to her feet.
LUZ
(Professional)
I'm sorry you feel that way. We'll
be back when you're ready to talk
about your future.
She leaves the room alongside William. Hunter glares after
them, but sinks into his seat when he's alone, ridden with
guilt.
INT. LATISSA PRECINCT, BULLPEN
Luz pours some coffee for herself and William as they
deliberate in the break room. Gus joins them, his arm
wrapped in a cast.
LUZ (cont'd)
I'm sorry, I just had to get out of
there.
GUS
Hey, no judgment here. No use
fanning those flames.
LUZ
I'm not laying it on too thick, am
I?
I think I'm starting to sound like
my guidance counselors from school.
WILLIAM
You handled yourself splendidly. By
now I'd be beating him with a crab-
tree stick!
They chuckle to themselves.
LUZ
Well, you could do to be a bit more
sympathetic. You're saying you don't
relate to him at all, being a
stranger in a strange land?
WILLIAM
*sigh*...I suppose I do a bit...
William wistfully gazes into his coffee, seeing flashbacks
in its reflection. In one, he remembers himself as a boy,
pouting as he's being measured for a frilly tunic.
WILLIAM (cont'd)
What's more, when I was his age I
was a pampered young prince,
thirsting to prove his manhood by
learning magic.
In the next, he sees himself as a young page being
ruthlessly drilled in a boot camp.
WILLIAM (cont'd)
It was my mentor, Sir Bowen, who
showed me the amount of
dedication it took to truly master
magic.
In another, he kneels proudly before Sir Bowen, being
dubbed a knight.
WILLIAM (cont'd)
It was thanks to him I became a
knight and not what this young lad
is now.
GUS
Well, maybe Hunter just needs some
of what you had.
LUZ
I never thought I'd prescribe reform
camp, but I can think of worse
remedies...
WILLIAM
Maybe so. It won't be easy though...
(smiling)
...and it will still involve
beatings with crab-tree sticks.
They laugh again, but grow more composed as Mr. Wayde
marches into the break room to join them.
MR. WAYDE
Whatever your plans, I hope they
bear fruit. If this young man
doesn't shape up, the Bureau will be
forced to take drastic actions...
The tension mounts as they listen to Mr. Wayde's grim
warning.
INT. INTERROGATION ROOM
Hunter broodingly stares into the one-way mirror at the
back of the room when something in the reflection catches
his eye. A cloaked figure appears to be standing behind
him.
THE OBSERVER
Penny for your thoughts?
Hunter whips around, but sees no one. When he turns back,
he sees the Observer sitting across the table from him.
HUNTER
AAH! Who are you?! What do you
want?!
THE OBSERVER
A friend. And I only want to help
you.
HUNTER
I've been hearing that a lot
lately...
THE OBSERVER
My offer is genuine. These other
poltroons fear you-fear your power.
They only want to pacify you so you
pose no more threat to them.
HUNTER
(smiling)
Just what I wanted to hear right
about now...
(skeptical)
So, why should I believe it?
THE OBSERVER
If you won't take my word, take
theirs...
The Observer waves her arm over the one-way mirror,
conjuring images in the reflection. Hunter sees snippets of
conversation from earlier.
LUZ
"Yeesh! I should hope not.
Somebody's going through a phase..."
GUS
(laughing)
"Man, I had no idea human teens
dressed so...moodily."
LUZ
(disdainful)
"They don't. It's a subculture."
WILLIAM
"I can't wait to throttle that
little punk and string him up by
his-...By now I'd be beating him
with a crab-tree stick!
(threatening)
Let's ensure these hooligans don't
give your kind a bad name."
The Observer alters the images to give the speakers a more
derisive and mean-spirited tone. Hunter watches them with a
growing look of hurt.
HUNTER
(downcast)
I...guess for a second there I
actually thought-
THE OBSERVER
-That they were your friends? When
even now they conspire against you!
The images change to show the interior of the break room.
MR. WAYDE
We will request his extradition back
to Gravesfield where he will be
forced to undergo the procedure to
remove his bile-sack.
WILLIAM
If you believe that is what's best...
The image fades away, leaving Hunter in a wide-eyed panic.
HUNTER
N-no! They can't do this to me!
THE OBSERVER
Shh. I won't let them.
She clasps his hands, consoling him.
HUNTER
(trembling)
Wh-why would you help me?
THE OBSERVER
Call it sentimentality. You know, I once helped a young lad
like you become the Emperor a while ago.
HUNTER
You were Belos' master?
THE OBSERVER
Indeed. And I know you aspire to his
legacy...
The Observer takes something out of her cloak-the mask of
the Golden Guard. No longer chipped or cracked, it's
polished and gleaming as though it were new.
THE OBSERVER (cont'd)
...but why settle for being a Golden
Guard...
She waves her arm over the mask, turning it from a barn-owl
shape into one more resembling Belos' bird/weevil mask.
THE OBSERVER (cont'd)
...when you could be so much
greater!
The sight of the mask calms his nerves, inspiring his awe.
He then looks at the observer with a determined scowl and
smiles.
INT. BULLPEN
Lord William and Mr. Wayde finish their conversation.
WILLIAM
If you believe that is what's best...
But as for now, he is a citizen of
the Boiling Isles. I will not
expatriate him unless I'm left with
no other choice.
MR. WAYDE
Fair enough.
LUZ
(hopeful)
Come on. Let's go back. I'm sure
Hunter will see reason this time.
They all hear a commotion from the other end of the room.
The guards all scatter as The Observer comes flying through
the far wall like a ghost. She carries Hunter with her,
floating across the room and phasing out of the building.
WILLIAM
It's the Observer!
LUZ
And Hunter's with her!
GUS
Somehow, I don't think he's seeing
reason.
CUT TO:
EXT. LATISSA PRECINCT, ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Luz, Gus, and William storm out onto the rooftop to see The
Observer fleeing across the skyline. They mount their
staves and give chase.
Luz manages to gain on them, reaching out for Hunter's
hand.
LUZ
Take my hand!
HUNTER
Get lost! I'm not going back with
you!
Luz misses his hand, but reaches for his foot instead. They
both fall and tumble onto the rooftops below. Hunter groans
as he gets back to his feet.
HUNTER (cont'd)
You just don't quit, do you?!
LUZ
That's right. I'm not giving up on
you, Hunter!
HUNTER
I don't need saving. But maybe you
were right about one thing. Maybe I
was just "going through a phase".
Luz lights up in surprise.
HUNTER (cont'd)
Yeah. I heard you...
LUZ
(contrite)
I-I'm sorry. I should be one to
make fun of other people's
interests...
HUNTER
Don't be. You were right!
(determined)
But now I know I can become
something more than a lowlife street
punk.
LUZ
Yes, you can! But not by following
the Observer! You can't trust her!
THE OBSERVER
She's right, Hunter. You really
can't.
The Observer descends from the sky, hovering over the roof
edge.
THE OBSERVER (cont'd)
Not until I give you a show of faith
first.
She conjures a staff from thin air. It resembles Belos'
staff, but even more resplendent. She hands it to Hunter,
along with the mask she pulled out earlier.
THE OBSERVER (cont'd)
Now, show me your potential...my
apprentice.
Hunter eagerly accepts his gifts and turns back to face his
pursuers.
LUZ
(pleading)
Please, don't-
He fires a massive beam of red energy at them. William
blocks it with his bubble-shield, but it cracks under the
strain.
They fire back with their own attacks, but Hunter deftly
avoids them, flash-stepping back and forth. He teleports
behind Gus, seizing him in a sludge claw and tossing him
off the roof.
LUZ (cont'd)
GUS!
Luz disengages and rushes to save him. Hunter then turns
another beam on William, who blocks it with a torrent of
blue flames from his staff.
They continue jousting in this meeting of the beams, but
Hunter's power gradually overcomes William's and he must
leap aside to avoid destruction.
THE OBSERVER
(chortling)
Good! Good! I knew you were the one!
Hunter lifts his mask, grinning. The Observer then turns to
see squadrons of city guards arriving over the horizon.
THE OBSERVER (cont'd)
Let us be off. We will finish them
later.
Hunter rides his staff into the air as The Observer
transforms into a vortex that teleports them both away.
Luz helps Gus clamber back on the rooftop, looking up at
the sky with regret.
William confers with his guards.
WILLIAM
Double your patrols.
(troubled)
The Observer has a new protégé.
CROSSFADE TO:
INT. STELLAR OBSERVATORY, ASTEROID - NIGHT
The Observer finishes conducting Hunter on a tour of her
planetarium.
THE OBSERVER
...and this is the grand orrery. It
traces the paths of worlds in three
different dimensions.
HUNTER
(awed)
This place is incredible!
THE OBSERVER
You've only begun to see its
wonders. But the rest can wait till
the 'morrow.
INT. GUEST QUARTERS
The Observer shows Hunter to his room, already decorated
with his moody tastes in mind.
THE OBSERVER (cont'd)
Rest well.
The Observer departs, leaving Hunter to soak in his new
surroundings with relish. He reclines in his bed with a
smug grin until he's interrupted by a presence at his
window.
He turns to see it's not the Observer, but someone
resembling Belos.
HUNTER
Huh?!
BELOS
Get out...
The figure's voice echoes and he looks surrounded by an
ethereal aura.
HUNTER
What?! But I just got-
BELOS
GET OUT! NOW...!
Hunter shrinks away as Belos' ghost glows brightly and
morphs into his monstrous form.
BELOS (cont'd)
...While you still can! She's using
you! Don't be a fool!
The spirit slowly dissolves into thin air. Hunter pants
with fear, but gradually calms. He leans over his bed,
beginning to wonder if he made the right choice...
THE END
REVISION LOG
1. I've altered the events of episode 3 and 4. Before, Luz
and William had simply happened upon finding a second
volume of Philip's diary in Vulgrim's shop. I found this
scenario kind of forced after some thought.
Instead, Luz finds out that the last few pages of her own
copy of the diary were torn out by Vulgrim after he checked
it out of the library several decades before. This, among
other changes.
2. I've changed the name of King's Tribe in episode 7 from
the "Hell-Hounds" to the "Barghests". I just thought that
if these scripts were adapted into a show, they wouldn't
let me get away with saying "Hell" so many times. And I
found Barghest to be a better fit for King's species of
demon anyway.
3. I've overhauled the plot of episode 14 to be centered
more on Raine overcoming his stage-fright.
4. I've given thought to making this series a fully voiced
animatic/storyboard/comic on Youtube. Let me know your
interest in seeing or participating in this project in the
reviews section.
