General Art The Newcomer

[Doc]

Imma start labeling my chapters now...Enjoy! I think you will... :yes:

Spoiler

Confrontations

Alex crept slowly through the bushes and snow. The moon rose high and shone bright. Drake and Hanna stood next to him, peering through the foliage at the town. The streets they could see were rather empty. None wanting to brave through the cold of January.

It was a wonder they weren't freezing. Perhaps adrenaline kept it off their mind or other circumstances. But with the thought, Alex felt the sides of his head chill. He pulled his black knit cap down lower.

Aaron and Pratt appeared out of the forests near the pawn shop. A pile of crates was set up outside, and the two bounded on top of them and to the top of a building. Alex saw that Pratt had found a large branch and carried it as a club. Pratt had issues with climbing up, but he was able to get up with Aaron's help.

Aaron turned to Alex and shot an arrow their way. The signal they were ready. Still silent, the three maneuvered their way closer to the town. The snow made their tracks obvious, so they would need to keep moving. From behind the corner of a building, Alex spied a silhouette walking through the streets alone, heading straight for the group. Aaron looked down to them, already having an arrow notched. Alex nodded, and Aaron pulled his bow straut, aimed, and released.

The arrow hit its target, but the thing yelped rather loudly. A spotlight flashed on, and Alex noticed a watchtower witch had been concealed by the darkness. The light shot down at them, blinding Alex. A siren blared loudly, and all at once, the town came to life.

Demon after demon came charging outside of the homes and stores. Alex sprinted down a street as fast as he could. Drake kept close behind, his sword unsheathed. Alex had completely forgotten about his weapon, and whipped out the one Balron had given to him. The sword seemed to radiate with light, the metal reflecting ever so perfectly.

Alex halted and spun quickly. There were perhaps seven immediately behind him. Alex charged at them, swinging his sword through the chest of the smallest. The man moved, but the blade went through his shoulder and Alex pushed it the rest of the way out. Drake came forward, and met the largest of the remaining six. This one lit his sword on fire with his own hands. The two sparred whilst Alex met the other five.

One managed to dodge Alex's initial stab and kicked out Alex's leg out from under him. Alex fell to the frozen ground. He opened his eyes just in time to see a glint flash in the moonlight. Alex rolled to the side, feeling the top of his head become surprisingly cold. The man who knocked him down was about to attack again until he hesitated and looked to Alex in horror.

Alex stabbed him through this pause, as Drake did to the pyro he dealt with. Alex looked down to see the reason of the sudden fear. His hat had frozen to the icy ground in the short while he had been down there. Two of the fighters ran off, screaming something about a White Hero. The other two saw their opportunity to become great, and came at Alex at the same time.

Alex parried their attacks as sweat rolled down his cheek. He grew exhausted and eventually became sloppy. He thrusted his sword deep through the abdomen of the weaker fighter, but was unable to rip his sword free before the stronger shoved him to the ground. Alex stared up at the demon, dreams of riches and fame in his blue eyes.

Just as he was about to swing down, the tip of a sword sprouted from his chest. His body was kicked down violently, and Drake helped Alex up. Drake laughed a little in relief, as did Alex. But then the White Hero looked around. "Where is Hanna?" He asked, his smile diminishing.

"We lost her and the air support after we were caught." Drake said, slowly.

Understanding that the mission must go on, Alex ran forward. He noticed a strange oddity in the sky, that it was darker in an area, no stars revealed themselves. "Another tower..." he whispered. Upon approaching it, Alex realized it was not a watchtower. The one they found was shorter, and this one was rather crudely built. As if it was built for some new purpose...

Alex sheathed his sword and vaulted up to a beam. He pulled himself up and bid for Drake to follow. He pulled himself up repeatedly, in some locations a narrow pathway could be used to go around the small square.

Drake looked down and snapped for Alex to look. They could see most of town from that point. The bar, the mansion, the ruins of the library. It was all there.
A shriek brought them back to reality. The voice was high and shrill, although it didn't sound like Nathan. But that was most likely because the kid always spoke like an adult. Now, that he was fearful, his voice ought to sound like a child's.

Alex climbed to the top, and large planks were extended out from the point. Two figures stood atop the tower, one small and tied up to two posts. The other feminine and holding something silver. "Alex!" The small one cried out.

Ebony turned with a smirk. "Good. I was afraid you would miss the show."



The light made Hanna look away, and the siren drowned out any other sounds. She hardly noticed when Alex and Drake took off. But by then it was too late to run like they did. So typical of them to leave her to do the work.

Hanna looked up and saw a fat man running out of a shop. He got down on all fours and jumped through the air. Large leather wings erupted from his back, and carried him with struggle. He went for Aaron, but Pratt was there and smashed the flying man-beast with his club.

The girl turned her attention back to the street, and charged forward. She bounded off of a wall, sinking her sword deep into the back of some woman's neck. Hanna ripped her sword out and put it back into the stomach of another. The demon crumpled forward and she pulled it back out.

"Where is Alex?" Pratt called out in his thunderous deep voice.

"He and Drake ran off. Stick with the plan! We keep going on until we reach the mansion!" She ordered him. She continued forward, faster than the other two. Trying to run along rooftops is hard. Doing it with one arm, near impossible. Luckily Pratt was strong enough to lift himself most of the way up. Aaron could help with the rest of the struggle.

Hanna kept going on, and the demons seemed apprehensive about fighting her now. "The White Hero of the gods has come..." she heard some say, before Aaron shot an arrow surprising them. They quit their chatter and attacked. Hanna cut down two, Aaron the other.

Hanna spied the mansion ahead and moved closer to the shadows. Aaron and Pratt were unable to see her. At the alley by the mansion, Ebony was jerked to the side. Two shadows passed overhead of her, her allies unaware that she stopped there. Hanna felt the grip tighten, and she cried out. She looked straight into the face of her attacker, and Winston "Dagger" Cunningham looked back at her in malice.



Jazz shivered in the night. Adrian kept saying how they had no chance, his dry wit humoured her a little. Their part of the plan was simple. They were more of a last resort solution. If the others were incapable of getting to the mansion in time, they would be the ones to get there. Jazz looked at the town, and felt the pistol in her pocket. She felt better having one back now.

"We go in a moment." Adrian whispered. Almost immediately, the light of a watchtower flicked on and the quiet siren let out through the air. Jazz took that as their cue, and leaped off the ground. She bounded through the snow and heard Adrian following. They came to the street, which was near baron. The town was all lead to the others, the plan going through perfectly. They heard the sound of fighting nearby but ignored it. Fighting wasn't their job.

A Throat intercepted them from nowhere, and Jazz aimed her pistol at his neck and fired, almost immediately. She was trained by Ajax to be the most skilled with a gun, and she showed it. Adrian carried a sword, yet still let his shotgun hang from his back. It was better against a large beast, but right now a sword would be more silent. The Throat fell dead, and the two continued forward.

"Nice shot. Maybe we can make it out of here alive." Adrian joked, and Jazz had to laugh. Adrian was serious back in the tunnels, so perhaps all the fresh air was getting to his head. She laughed a little to loud, and a Dog came immediately. Jazz hadn't noticed it, and the beast tackled her to the ground. Adrian whacked at its hairy flesh, allowing Jazz to get out from beneath it.

It turned its attention to the threat, leaving Jazz alone. The Dog managed to dodge Adrian's sword, its face snarling with the need to kill. Jazz reached to her pocket, realizing her gun rolled away in the scrabble with the thing. Adrian backed up against a wall and took out his gun. The Dog smacked it from his hands, leaving Adrian defenseless.

Jazz threw a rock at the Dog's face. The thing growled and turned back to her. It bounded forward and Jazz dove towards the ground. She rolled forward and grabbed the pistol. She whirled around, and shot the thing as it was diving forward. She felt the blood splatter on her, but she didn't mind.

They sprinted the rest of the way, keeping to the shadows and remaining hidden. Adrian was the first to notice the mansion, and he went ahead of her. He burst through the front doors, while Jazz stayed back for a second.

"How you doing?" A deep voice called down. Jazz looked up and saw her friend, Pratt.

"Better than you." She replied, smiling.

"Uh, Pratt tell her someone is in there..."she heard Aaron call out. "Someone besides Adrian...I can't tell who."

"What!?" Jazz sprinted in through the doors, and bumped into Adrian. They fell to the ground, and they looked up at a hooded figure. Jazz scrambled up, and pointed her gun at the figure. "Who are you!?" She demanded.

"You can call me StoneHeart. But I believe you know me by a different name." The woman removed her hood, and her dark curls tumbled down. Adrian took a step back, and his eyes widened. They knew who StoneHeart was...but that was not the person they imagined as her.

"Maria..." Adrian croaked out with voice of someone with a broken soul. "What have they done to you?"

 

[TatlTails]

...*explodes* THIS IS GETTING FREAKING REAL.

SO... MANY... CLIFFHANGERS!

 

[Myriadviper42]

Woo! This is getting good. I feel like it's close to being done, but I don't know, you could have more planned.

 

[Doc]

Tatl, I am the king of cliffhangers! Alright, I grant you another update...and Myriad. You may or may not be right...

Spoiler

Laughter

"Let me go, Winston!" Hanna shrieked jerking away. His grip was too strong, even when he was human he was stronger than her. Dagger pulled her farther down the alley and out the other side. In the open, a few demons looked at Hanna as a fresh kill, but Dagger's glare sent them running off for the others. Dagger tugged Hanna to a scenic forest trail in the woods. A pond was frozen nearby and a small bust of a squirrel was built. It would have been a lovely sight had Dagger not kidnapped her.

He threw her to the side and she stumbled forward. Her arm was sore from where he was holding, but she was just thankful to be free of his grasp. She reached to her side for her weapon, but realized that Dagger held it in his hands. She wasn't sure when he did that. "Why are you being so stupid?" He asked her.

"Me? Look at you. Corrupted by your sick father into giving up everything for immortality!? You know just as well as I do that demons get killed by humans!"

He smirked and wiggled his pointed finger at her. "We are stronger, and things are changing. And if you were smart at all, you would realize that there is no hope for mankind. Now, if you let me turn you right here and now, maybe Ebony won't kill you. She already hates you more than anything. I am doing you a favor by not killing you now. I suggest you do as I say."

"Shove it up your a**. We are fighting back. Not just us, but the White Hero of the gods too." She added the last bit, hoping it will frighten him.

Dagger broke out into maniacal laughter. "The White Hero!!??" He managed to say. "Do you even know who you are talking about?" Hanna looked at him silently, causing him to break out into another fit of joyous chuckles. "Alex! The White Hero is Alex." His face hardened and he approached her closer. "Don't you even think you can scare me with that idiot. I do not fear him."

"Your father sure did."

Dagger's hand flew up, slamming her in the face and knocking her to the ground. "Say that again!" He screamed. "I said say it again!!!" Dagger bent over and lifted her up by her neck. "Ebony sees the way Alex looks at you. So, I am going to save the pleasantry of killing you to her. And boy, will it be bloody!" He whispered in her air. Dagger through her into the snow, and spun around.

Hanna quickly dug through the snow and pulled out a large rock. She aimed and threw it, the rock slamming straight into its designated target. Dagger whirled and glared. "Screw you!" Hanna said through the darkness. Dagger's hand flashed to his pocket, and the projectile was already in the air before she realized what was happening. The dagger sunk deep into Hanna's shoulder and she crumpled to the ground once more.

Dagger strode over to her, and yanked it out. It was all she could do not to scream. The wound was not a killing strike. That much she was sure of. "What was that?" He asked her in anger.

"...screw you..." Hanna croaked out. Dagger left her there.

She was capable of getting up later, and she limped through the woods. She found an old shed, and in there in axe. It was better than nothing, so with her better arm she picked it up and left the trail.



"What did they do to me?" Maria asked. "They let me come back to this world better and stronger. I would ask you to try it, but you know...I don't want you here."

"Shut up!" Adrian snapped back. "Maria we can find a way to help you! We need you, and once you are better things will be like they used to be. I promise you." Jazz looked at him in pity. She knew she shouldn't have, she had no idea Maria was StoneHeart, but Adrian was being too optimistic.

"Adrian. There is no hope for her. She is dead and there is no chance of her coming back. That isn't Maria and you know it." Jazz tried to tell him. He would have nothing have it.

"Maria. Come on. We need to get you back." He pleaded.

StoneHeart had a look of pity as well, but she seemed to enjoy feeling it for Adrian. "I am not Maria. Your little friend has the right of it. Ebony has shown me the truth in the world, that it is only for the strong and powerful. She told me to choose my allies wisely, and that I must destroy the human inside of me. It was amazing advice."

"You will be better with us." Adrian argued.

"Better?" StoneHeart laughed. "You are as good as dead. Here, I am the leader of my own small army and have been promised a place beside Ebony in the end. Imagine it, me as her heir if anything were to befall her. She tells me things that you can only dream of. She trusted me with the task of getting her the book she needed. All you needed me for was to die in vain."

Jazz looked at her confused. "...but you failed in getting the book. I had the map..."

"What map?! She needed a spell book. Why do you think she is not here? I may be her heir, but the Queen still lives. She is off to get it over with now."

"Adrian, come on! We got to go stop her!" Jazz called out, but when she went to the door it was locked. "Let us leave!"

Adrian slowly walked forward and unsheathed his sword. "Tell me that there is no part of Maria still left in there." StoneHeart laughed and looked at him. "Tell me that now!" He roared.

StoneHeart stared forward, but then blinked slightly. She looked at Adrian quizzically, and in a soft voice whispered, "Adrian...what is going on? Is the ball over now?" She put her hand to her head. "My temple is pounding...what happened?"

"Maria!?" Adrian exclaimed, and rushed forward.

Maria began laughing. "Oh gods, I can't do it. It is impossible for me to do this. Hahaha! You should have seen your face. 'Maria!?' HAHAHAHA!!! I didn't think you would actually buy that!" StoneHeart gasped for air.

Adrian roared and his sword flashed through the air. StoneHeart backed away as it came down. She too brought one out and she kept dodging his attacks. Jazz would have helped, but she risked hitting Adrian with the gun. Adrian back her up into the wall. He thrust forward, but StoneHeart slid to the side at the last minute. The sword went into the wall, and shattered when he tried to bring it out.

Now, StoneHeart took the offensive. Adrian was using the remaining stub of the sword to block the attacks, but he wouldn't keep it up forever. StoneHeart threw her sword at him. Adrian was busy trying to block it to notice her coming at him. With perfect precision, she hit several areas around his torso. He collapsed to the ground, incapable of movement.

Jazz pointed her gun, but StoneHeart's intense stare made her hesitate. She picked her sword back up and raised it high over Adrian's head. "Goodbye..." She said, before glass above her shattered. Some pieces flew into her face and blood trickled down as she shrieked in pain. An arrow whizzed through the air, striking her in the shoulder. The a familiar figure landed down. He raised a blunt object and swung it down on StoneHeart's side. She winced and backed away, holding the area. "You cheated."

StoneHeart ran off and door slammed farther away. Pratt was about to go after her before Jazz called him off. "Let her go. She is gone."


"Ebony, let Nathan go!" Alex demanded.

"Why? All it takes is a little blood....And Nathan here has been a pain since he came to this town. Somehow he eluded my assassins, but now I finally have him. So why can't I just kill two birds with one stone? Don't you know how hard I work?" She complained.

"So you think you can just kill him?" Drake charged forward, sword in hand. He was about to swing it when Ebony kicked him back. He flew backwards and skidded off the ledge. Alex let out a scream, until he looked down and saw Drake hanging from a cable that was loose. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. He was boring me anyway." Ebony said, turning back to Alex. "Besides, I am only doing this for you. The way I see it, I need as many of you to fight against my men. That is the only way to prove to my brothers I am worthy of being a leader. A simple slaughter against a bunch of weak humans is pointless. With this, I am granting you three more days to train. And to ensure you don't sneak away. My brothers will arrive here, and be unable to enter. And then they can see what prowess you have. They will respect you and obey you."

"What are you doing?" Alex demanded.

"Offering blood to make people incapable of leaving or entering Laten, obviously. It was a long forgotten process, but now I have it."

"No, I mean with me!? I am not joining you. You are a Wicked Woman, and I don't intend on leading your family. I hope to keep things as they are!" Alex unsheathed his sword and pointed it at her. "Now let him go."

Nathan's eyes widened when he looked upon the sword, and Ebony recognized it as well. "You have been seeing him....where is he?" She said quietly and angrily.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Alex lied.

"Don't you lie to me! 'Wicked Woman', the sword, your stance! Where is Christopher!? Is he....is he in the town!?" She broke out into laughter. "Well, now I feel stupid." In an instant, the knife in her hand went down and made a shallow cut under Nathan's ribs. "I don't like to feel stupid." She did the same to the other side, and Nathan cried out in agony.

"Get off of him!" Alex screamed running forward. Ebony disappeared then reappeared behind Alex.

"Sanguis enim donum est donum Dei. Pro hoc, non erit terrae ingredientes et egredientes." She cried out. "A gift for a gift!" Alex began chopping at the thick ropes that tied Nathan. "A gift for a gift!" She chanted again. "A gift for a gift!"= The ropes gave away, and Alex pulled Nathan. But it was too late.

The blood that dripped from Nathan suspended in midair. A drop flew up into the sky, and the ground began to shake. "A gift for a gift!" A red wave of light spread out from the sky, and made the shape of a dome. It disappeared into the horizon. Then everything became silent.

"You will see things my way soon." Ebony whispered, shattering the silence. She was shrouded by the shadows and disappeared, waving with a smirk. Her words seemed to echo. "A gift for a gift."

 

[TatlTails]

Dude... STAHP BEING SO EPIC! I CAN'T HANDLE IT! THAT WAS LIEK SO OMG! DEMONS ARE COMPLETE AND UTTER BOSSES! EVIL, BUT BOSSES! Dagger, StoneHeart, Ebony, all of them! Just... GYAAAAAH!

 

[Doc]

Spoiler

Rest


Drake pulled himself up the cable, only to have to trek back down. Nathan seemed to move through the rungs with ease, once Alex even thought he saw him completely let go and fall for a half a second. Alex was still shaken by Ebony's words. She didn't underestimate them, she didn't want a ruthless blood bath. The dome she made was not to keep them trapped. It was to keep anyone else out.

Alex looked to the horizon. The red dome faded away, but Alex knew that it was still there. The rising sun didn't seem as bright as the last time he saw it. But being in the tunnels, he has no idea how bright it was the day before, or the one before that, or the one before that, and so on.

They dropped off the tower, and landed in the soft and dry snow. Alex was prepared for a fight, and unsheathed his sword. Even in the daylight it seemed to glow. No foe met them on the streets, but there was no sign of the others anywhere. They didn't find Hanna, so Alex hoped that she went on to the mansion and met up with the other groups.

They went back down the shaft and towards the refugees. The place was almost the same as when they left. People lay on the ground, conserving energy. Others would be playing some card game, betting money, as though they weren't prisoners trapped underground.

Drake lead Nathan and Alex to the small cave that became known as the Assembly Room. They sat there and waited for the others. Adrian, Jazz, Pratt, and Aaron arrived an hour later. Adrian was left with the civilians, he was still tense and couldn't move. They all boasted of their accomplishments, exaggerating or leaving out details, while they waited for Hanna. Drake was about to send a search party when she staggered into the Assembly Room.

A rag tied to her shoulder was soaked with red blood and her sword was missing. In place, she had an old and bloody axe. Jazz and Aaron jumped up to help her but she waved them away. "It is just a small wound. I can make it." She laid her axe on the ground beside her and leaned back.

"Well..."Drake said seriously, "We all made it out alive!" He shouted with glee.

"Who knows for how long?" Adrian added, but nobody paid him any mind.

"We need a plan." Alex said. "We all saw that dome cover the sky. We are trapped in Laten until Ebony kills us all. And we can't just hope she won't expect us to fight back. She knows everything we are going to do. She knew we would be there to rescue Nathan. Ebony was not surprised when she saw me and Drake."

"Dagger was waiting for me too." Hanna said out of nowhere.

"Wait, and he didn't kill you." Alex asked, looking at her. "Did he tell you anything?"

Hanna's eyes met his, and she quickly looked away. "Nothing important. He just wanted to convince me to join him. I said no and he tried to kill me, but I got away." She lied, highly convincing.

"We confronted StoneHeart. She is Ebony's heir....and she used to be Maria." They all took this in. Of course Ebony would turn her. She was sick, and a monster.

"Well, I think we should all rest. Tonight we will discuss things again."

They all nodded and left the Assembly Room. Alex wandered to the end of the civilization and sat against the rocky wall. His eyes fluttered shut and Alex was in sweet darkness. But then after the dark came images.

"Quiet...we can't let them see us." A pale and dark haired boy whispered. The environment was dark and rocky. They were in caves. But not like the ones of Laten. These caverns were made of a darker stone and purple gems glowed, protruding from the black rock. Other people were behind, shuffling and sneaking quietly. Alex realized he was not the one the boy was speaking to. He was not the one looking around in the dream.

A group of pale and wrinkly beasts ran through, chasing a large beetle. Once they were gone, the dark haired boy gestured for the group to follow. The eyes Alex looked through glanced around. Pale buildings of clay were built. The host pulled out his sword, it was the same Alex had. The boy made them stop once more. "There it is."

Chanting was heard, and the eyes looked ahead. A long ways off, in a large hole, a glowing purple gem stretched up from the hole to the top of the underground. It was perhaps 50 feet tall. Hundreds of people dressed in purple robes surrounded the great gem. They were kneeling and praising it. Alex then realized that the young boy who was leading them dressed the same.

"We have to stop them!" Someone behind called out.

"The Holy One will awaken soon." The boy responded. The previous speaker pushed her way through, but was stopped by the boy."Wait...look. There she is."

Alex's host peered back at the gem. The glowing slowed and faded, revealing a woman within it. She wore a dress of blue, and her eyes were shut. She looked slightly different, but Alex recognized the seeping body of Ebony. The rest of the world faded away, and Alex realized he was no longer just looking through someone else's eyes. He stared at Ebony trapped within the rock.

Her eyes flashed open, light flooding out of them. "A gift for a gift, Alex." She whispered. "A gift for a gift."

Alex woke with a start. He was unsure how long he was asleep, but Nathan and Hanna were standing before him. "Come on." Nathan said. Alex didn't need an explanation.

 

[Myriadviper42]

Shorter chapter than usual, but still a good job. I'm slightly confused, but I am sure that all will be revealed...

 

[TatlTails]

...Well then, Alex is definitely a chosen one.

 

[Doc]

Spoiler

The dream Alex had still poked at the back of his mind. He rarely had dreams and wasn't creative enough to have one that vivid. It was almost as though it were a memory. But not his own, someone else's. Thinking back, Alex realized that the clothing the people were garbed in was not that of the modern era. It was...different.

They went through the small passage and found Balron sitting on the steps in front of the stone throne, his head in his hands. When he heard them stumbling through, he looked up grimly to expect the worst. When he caught sight of Nathan, Balron broke out into a grin. He ran forward and lifted the young boy up into his arms. "Oh, you are so stupid..." Alex heard the wise man whisper.

Nathan only tried to push himself out from the old man's grip. Balron released the squirming child reluctantly. "I had good reason to go back to the town. We learned vital information. Ebony is making plans and now we know what they are." Balron gestured for him to continue. "She imprisoned us. She went to the library to find out how, and now we are trapped in town."

"What? She could easily destroy the town with one swift assault. Forming a barrier would be exhausting and time consuming."

"Her brothers." Alex explained. "She wants to make sure they can't interrupt the massacre and wants a full war against us. Then, when they see bodies riddling the streets, they will respect her." Alex made a note to leave out the part of him leading her family.

Balron took this in, but didn't seem the least bit worried. "You and your...uh...group, all use the same weapon?" Hanna shook her head. "Then what is that you use?"

"Adrian and Jazz both prefer a gun of some sort. Aaron likes a bow. Pratt uses a club, right, Alex? And Drake likes a light one handed sword." Hanna answered him.

Balron smirked. Alex realized a gray hair showing in his short beard. "Good. Not great, but good. You all should be able to accommodate to something slightly different."

"What is the point of what we like to use?" Hanna asked defiantly.

"The map, sweet girl! The map!" Balron strode over to the book that was Ebony's false goal. He flipped it open and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. "This has the directions to the weapons that are much like Alex's. The Wicked Woman is powerful, but these are all stronger than she could ever imagine. You will gather your band of heroes. Travel to the other palaces. The Holy Weapons will stand out."

Alex snatched the map from his hands. He studied it, and found a dot on their location. There were others of different colors and scattered around the page.

"Hanna, Nathan!" Balron called out. "Gather the others and meet up with Alex in the tunnels." The two turned back and shoved themselves through the crevice. Balron made sure they were gone before he left. "Have you dreamt since you rescued Nathan?"

"Yes...how did you--"

"Never mind that! Alex, that sword is powerful. You have used it and slept with it by your side. The memories of its predecessor will come to you in your slumber. Now I need you to ignore these dreams. They are not as they seem. What have you seen?"

"I was looking through the eyes of someone else. We were in a clay city within the earth. Purple gems were everywhere and in the center was one containing Ebony. She was sleeping but then woke up and said to me 'A gift for a gift.'" Alex explained.

"That dream contains truth. It also contains lies. You must ignore it entirely. They cannot exist within your mind. I never should have let you take the sword. In time, your friends will experience the same with the new weapons. Make sure they all stay true to themselves. Memories are powerful, Alex." Alex nodded. "I mean it. Now, spar with me once more before you set off."

Alex readied his sword. The mentor came at him, but Alex spun to the side and forced Balron to stumble forward. Alex advanced this time, Balron blocking all his attacks. The two continued on, neither one of them backing down or losing. Balron swung the flat of his sword at Alex, but the White Hero put his sword up to stop it. Alex deflected it and caught the sword by its hilt. In a sudden movement, her jerked the weapon from Balron's hands and pointed his own at Balron's neck.

The old man laughed sharply, but ended up coughing violently. "Good job, my boy. They will be waiting for you soon. Join them...stop the Wicked Woman. I will pray that you do."

Alex nodded and ran out. As he crawled out, he saw the small flicker of a torch. It came closer, and he realized that his friends were all advancing. "Well, Alex? You got some map to a cache of weapons? Take us to them." Drake said. Alex smiled back, and lead them forward.



"StoneHeart? Would you explain to me why none of them are dead?" Ebony asked fiercely.

"I had no idea they had an archer! He was present in the Ancient Library, I think...but I was paying him no mind! And it was not my fault that Dagger failed to inform me of those other two. The big one and skimpy one. I was prepared for two. Only two. Besides, where was Dagger during all this." She said defiantly, turning the attention to another.

Dagger glared at StoneHeart before turning back to Ebony. "I was busy."

"You were so busy escorting that Hanna to the woods. You were sighted, idiot!" Ebony snapped. They both failed her. Alex was supposed to be the sole survivor, the kid could have lived as well. But that was it! Not the whole band of fools running around with toy weapons! "While you two were out failing miserably, I actually got something done. The dome is surrounding Laten and my brothers will not interfere."

"P'raps it were better if they were here." Dagger muttered. Ebony chose to ignore him, she wasn't done with his aid.

"Out of my sight! Both of you!" The scurried off like rats leaving Ebony in alone. She looked around her dark and dismal hall. The Blind Glass was smashed, so she was forced to board the opening up. The lack of sunlight depressed her, but she could get through life still.

She looked towards the boarded ceiling and furrowed her brow. "Balron is trapped in the city..." She thought aloud, biting her lip. "Perhaps I should find him."

 

[TatlTails]

Gahbleknfsuwblah! The good guys have the upper hand again! And Dagger's still being a total boss! Awesome chapter!

 

[Myriadviper42]

Nice work. I'm really enjoying this. I only have one thing wrong with it, just a pet peeve, nothing major. StoneHeart seems weird with the capital.. Stoneheart would be better imo. Eh, not really that important, you don't have to change it. Just noting.

 

[Doc]

I agree with you Myriad. It was something I did by mistake in her first two chapters,and now it has just become tedious. I didn't change because I was worried you would have issues.

Spoiler

The First Cavern


The trek seemed long and boring. It seemed that since the rescue of Nathan, they all grew much closer. Jazz spent much of the walk with Adrian, and Pratt and Aaron talked quite a bit as well. Alex wasn't sure what they were doing while he was meeting with Ebony, but Adrian's connection to those three makes them more trusted among the group. Nathan was silent as usual, and Hanna and Drake were laughing and joking among eachother.

They kept trying to get Alex involved in their conversations, but he was too busy thinking. Will the memories affect me every night? Will they change me? How will the others react to this? Who will even have to carry the burden of others' memories? Alex kept thinking. He realized that there were only five other spots marked on the map. That means that two would not be given a new weapon. It would all depend on what they find.

"We must be nearing the first one." Nathan said. The kid took one glance at the map, and Alex saw him scrawling in that notebook of his, drawing the contours of the tunnels. He memorized things fast. "Keep an eye out for any holes or large rocks."

Nobody questioned why he thought to look for this but, instead journeyed ahead, looking at the sides of the ground. They did not have to look far to find what they were looking for. The sounds of rushing water reached was heard before they felt it. Salt water fell from the stalagmites of the ceiling, so Drake abandoned the torch. They found their way by feeling the walls and floor. By the time Pratt called to say they found something, most of them were soaked.

They went through a large opening, through a point of which the rock appeared smashed open. Alex shivered from the cold, and went in first. A bright light came up from the ceiling. Alex looked to see what it was, only to realize that there was no ceiling of this cavern. The rock curled inwards but then stopped. Above that lie the sea, somehow ignoring the bowl of the cavern. Water poured down from it and moonlight shone through. It was nice.

Alex bent down and felt the ground. Broken pieces of stone littered the ground, spreading out from the door. "Someone has been here before." Alex said quickly. "Not sure how long ago, but we might not find what we are looking for."

Drake laughed joyfully behind him. "Is anyone else seeing this!?" He exclaimed, completely ignoring Alex's statement from moments before. "This is incredible!"

Two reflecting pools in the center were untouched by the falling water, and lotuses floated within them. In the space between them was a path that lead to two thrones, just like in the palace Balron resided in. These two however were smoothed and covered in moss from the damp air. The water that fell didn't seem to be salt water. It no longer smelt fishy or stung Alex's eyes.

The others were looking around, but Alex walked between two columns into the next room. It was different than the one that Alex was used to, the rooms not in the same order. The entry hall was the only similar area. It was all unkempt and mossy. Alex was walking down a wet hallway when Nathan called for them.

Alex turned and felt the room grow darker. In a moment later, the light returned to normal. Alex looked up through the sea and saw a cloud near the moon. It is just the moon. Ebony has no idea where we are.

The others were already at the weapon when Alex arrived. They surrounded it and made it difficult for Alex to see. He pushed his way through and looked down at the most elegantly carved spear in his life. Wait, not spear. It had three prongs on it in a straight line. A trident.

One of them pushed Alex out of the way to view it better, but he didn't care. He got his look and had no need to look at it again. Alex's attention turned to what lay on the ground beside the wall of weapons. Sitting there and staring at Alex with a grin on its dead face was a skull. At least, it appeared to be grinning. Moss grew through the eye socket and stared at him.

"You guys, grab everything you can and leave." Alex demanded, the gears in his head turning.

"C'mon. Let's look around. We can learn something valuable." Jazz whined, like a little toddler.

Alex remembered the doorway already being broken into. Alex looked back to the unlucky head. The head of the trespasser. The room darkened once more, and Alex glanced up quickly. A figure was moving in the sea. Not anything human, more of a group of something small. He screamed for them to run, but it was too late.

The thing crashed into the ceiling of the cavern and the sea came crashing down upon them. They were all pushed to the side by the onslaught of salt water. Alex coughed and sputtered up the water and looked as the head was washed up beside him. A little tentacle appeared on the side of it, and then another. A pointed shell followed, hiding the eyes. The small creature searched the skull, finding a small bit of rotted meat the somehow was left behind. The shell resided, revealing three small blue eyes and pale flesh. Its mouth opened, they were all sharp and pointed, and swallowed the meat. The small sea creature then noticed Alex.

It screeched and leaped through the air at his face. Alex knocked the thing to the side and jumped up. The water was rising beneath his feet. The others were too getting up, Jazz helping Pratt. With horror, Alex realized none of them held the trident. He looked in the water, but the dark and murkiness of it all made it difficult to see.

The others began doing the same. Alex winced as something snapped on his hand. He pulled it out and saw one of the things hanging by its jaw. He threw it to the side and held his bleeding wound. He forced it back into the water, the salt burning his wound, and continued the search. The things began crawling up everyone's legs and biting any open flesh they could get a hold of. Alex swatted and stomped on as many as he could, but they just kept coming.

The water raised to his hips and he was giving up hope. With these things biting, he was too worried about not dying. He threw one against the wall when their small little bodies began all swimming away. "Looks like we scared them off." Adrian said.

They hadn't. Something came crashing down through the hole that water was pouring out of. The water hid its body, but it was definitely large. Everyone was silent and looking through the water. A small wave rose and halted. Air bubbled up. Silence.

A serpent crashed out of the rising water and let out a horrific scream. It moved quickly and wrapped itself around Hanna. Drake rushed and cut at it, but the thing wriggled avoiding the blade. Adrian plunged underwater, while the others went to battle this beast. Hanna's face was getting purple when someone landed a cut. The serpent jerked away and bit Jazz's side. Luckily its teeth weren't long. She cut the serpents eye and it disappeared into the depths.

Alex felt the slight touch against his foot and was pulled from the earth. The serpent's long tail hung him up in the air upside down. It held him above as its mouth opened, ready to swallow him hole. Alex looked to his friends for rescue, but it was pointless. Then, air bubbled up to the surface. Adrian splashed out of the water, clutching the trident. He threw it to the beast.

The prongs stuck the thing on the side and part of its head. It fell to the dark waters, hopefully dead. Adrian swam over to the body and jerked the trident loose. They plunged into the rising water and through the door.

Once outside, everyone coughed up whatever water remained. Exhausted, people sat down. "What the hell happened in their?" Pratt asked. Alex hadn't thought that his severed arm may sting.

"It was the guardian. I assumed that the guardians were people, that they were dead." Nathan explained. "I had no idea they could be beasts. We need to expect things like that at every single chamber. They all won't be some struggle. Some spoke of how they disoriented you and made it so you could never leave."

"Isn't that lovely!? Demons are probably chasing us down here and now we get to fight guardians? I can't wait!" Adrian exclaimed sarcastically.

"If these were easy to get, they wouldn't be important." Nathan added. "These chambers will challenge you to your extent."

 

[Doc]

Alright, and now we continue. P.S. Make sure you read the other chapter. No feedback. Not an issue, but I dont want yall to miss it and be confused.

Spoiler

The Thoughts Inside


Nobody thought to take the weapon from Adrian. After the events of the sea cavern, he seemed to be capable with it. The only issue was that once thrown, it couldn't be easily retrieved. But it had distance on it. Enough so he could dance around enemies until they grow tired and he could strike. That was his best tactic and the trident compliments it.

They all walked along further, and started up a fun game. Nathan told them that each was going to be different, but he didn't know what they were going to be. This brought a flurry of guesses, and soon enough they were making bets on it. It helped to lighten the mood, but Alex's thoughts were somewhere else.

The guardians. Nathan had little to none information on them. The small crab-squids caused enough issues, but then the serpent was awful. Images of terrible and horrific monsters flashed through his mind.

"We are nearing the next cavern." Nathan said. He was best with estimating the distances, so he held on to the map/

"Great." Drake said, unsheathing his sword. "Can't wait to see what beast we have to battle next."

"It could be dead..." Nathan countered, but he got no other replies.

They looked to the sides of the tunnel when Drake screamed. The torch disappeared and Drake's playful grumbling was heard. "There is a slope." He explained. The others slid down slowly and carefully. When examined carefully, they saw that had Drake not caught himself he would have tumbled forward into a ditch of spikes.

The group walked along the edges and came out the other side into a dimly lit area. Trees grew down there, stretching up and disappearing through the roof of the cavern. Alex assumed they grew up to the other side. Saplings grew in places and flowers bloomed. Their pollen made the air thick and hard to breathe.

It was a forest beneath the earth. It didn't appear to have separate rooms, but was just split by the trees. They were to thick to see past in parts. And in the center of the chamber, a large and thick tree stood. They began to wander around. Alex was drawn to the tree. The forest showed no sign of any civilization, so finding the weapon would be difficult. But he still went to the tree.

Its roots spread out to the edges of the cavern, thick roots you would have to climb over. Purple flowers grew off of them. Alex touch the moist bark of the tree, and an eye flashed open. Not like the blank ones of the door, but a yellow and bulbous eye ball. Alex fell backwards in shock, and was about to scream for his friends when the flowers began puffing out a gas.

Alex held his breath for as long as possible, but was forced to inhale the obnoxious fumes. He coughed at first and then felt slightly dizzy. He stumbled to the nearest tree and supported himself. The eyeball was gone now.

"Well, hello, handsome." Alex looked dizzily to the speaker. He almost collapsed from the fumes. Ebony stood before him, wearing a short red dress. The same he had seen the day he first met her. Alex was silent. "“What’s the matter, stranger? Never spoken to a girl before?” She smiled at him.

Alex backed up and bumped into something. He looked behind him, and Maria and Leal stood. "You brought this to us. You killed us, Alex. You killed us." They repeated this as their appearances changed. Leal grew sicker and then his chest began bleeding. Maria's skin paled and her eyes turned a sharp shade of blue.

"NO!" He roared, looking away. Where Ebony stood, there was but tall rock. Alex whirled back around to Maria and Leal. They were replaced by two trees.



Hanna decided to go her own way. Alex was acting weird, so she headed down turn after turn. Eventually she came to a small clearing. There was a small ravine where only grass and undergrowth grew. She stopped at the top when she saw a purple flower begin puffing out an orange fume. Intrigued, she went forward and touched it. Hanna became dizzy and her touch made the flower shut.

"Sorry, sweetheart." The flower opened and closed to the words with the voice of one Winston Cunningham. Hanna stepped away from it, and tried to call the others over. The flower kept repeating the same sentence. She crouched to the ground, the voice growing louder and surrounding. She clutched her ears to drown it out, but it was screaming. Dagger's voice echoing through her skull, until she was about to break.

Something touched her shoulder and Dagger was quiet. "Hanna? Are you okay?" Hanna stood and looked at her savior. Leal.

She threw her arms around him and brought him in close. "Leal! You are alive!" She cried with such joy. "I thought that Ebony killed you."

"No, Hanna. I am right here. We promised to be friends forever back in our little town. I would never forget that. Never."

Hanna wept. "Oh, Leal. I thought you were dead." She said again. "I love you. I love you."

"I love you too." This voice wasn't Leal's. Hanna pushed him away and stared at the new man before her. Leal's blonde hair turned black and his face slimmed out.

"Alex?" She whispered.

"I love you, Hanna." He said again. "We lov--" His sentence was interrupted and snuffed out by a sword protruding from his chest. Alex looked at her hopelessly and he crumbled to the ground. Ebony strode from behind his body.

"He loves you? Ha! He will never love you. He loves me. Get that straight, you stupid little girl." Ebony kept walking forward, standing taller than Hanna. Fearful for some reason, Hanna wept in sadness and retreated. And Ebony kept advancing. "Look at you! And look at me. I am going to kill you for what you feel for him. Do you hear me? You will bleed and Alex will love me as he always has!"

"No!" Hanna cried. Her hand whipped up and she gripped the handle of something. She brought it down and flung herself at Ebony. The demon woman retreated backwards until she was up against the great tree. Hanna brought the object down and swung violently. Ebony disappeared but her voice still rang. Hanna attacked, her anger getting the best of her. The wood of the tree splintered.

Hanna swung the weapon deep into the center and it lodged itself in. Hanna collapsed to her knees, crying violently. The dizziness faded away and the world became clearer. The others came and found her sitting there.

"Hanna...are you okay?" One of them asked. She wiped her eyes and stood up. "You found the weapon!" The person exclaimed.

"I am fine." Hanna said, turning back to the tree. Deep in the base of the tree, a longaxe stuck out. "I found it."

 

[Myriadviper42]

Oops! I didn't even realize you had posted a chapter before. Sorry about that. Good work anyway.

 

[TatlTails]

Ooo... See, I was in a really really bad mood before reading those chapters... And now I'm in a better mood. Thank you, Dr.. You cheered me up.