Soul Cursed Protector

King Peregrine was sitting at the head of the table in the war room, joining him were Gawain, Micha, and William. Unlike last time, Ellyn, Leon, and Ulrich, were there as well. “Seeing how everyone is here, let the meeting on how to deal with the Reaper Cannon begin.” King Peregrine announced. “Who would like to speak first? Remember, speak freely and be honest with your thoughts.”

“If I may your majesty.” Micha said. King Peregrine nodded his approval for Micha to speak, “I believe we should assemble the Knights Of Wespington and storm the city of Odrela. When we make it inside, and we will, we can destroy the enemies weapon for good then deal with King Adan in the process.”

“I’m afraid that such a feet cannot be accomplished.” King Peregrine informed Micha. “Why is that, your majesty?”

“I’ve lost over half my knights on the battlefield.” King Peregrine said. “If I send out the rest of them to storm a city, then there will be none here to protect the people of Wespington.”

“Damn.” Micha muttered.

“I believe I may have a suggestion.” Gawain interrupted. “Go on.” King Peregrine responded.

“I say we sneak into the city of Odrela and destroy the cannon ourselves.” Gawain proposed. “King Adan would never expect such a brazen move.”

“Would that not be suicide?” Micha grumbled.

“Could be.” Gawain answered. “On the other hand it could possibly work in our favor.” “Who would even go with you?” Micha questioned. “What you speak of would be pure

madness.”

Leon slammed his hands down on the table, “Who are you to question Master Gawain, if not for him you would not be here.”

“Hey, lets get the story straight here.” Ulrich butted in. “If it wasn’t for me, the old man and Micha would both have perished.”

“Leon, Ulrich, that is quiet enough.” Gawain demanded. “This is not the time nor the place for such childish antics.”

“It’s quiet alright.” King Peregrine laughed. “It is good to know that your students think so highly of you, as do I.” he looked around the table with a keen eye, it didn’t take him long to notice just how quiet William had become, which wasn’t like him. “What say you William? You have yet to give an opinion of your own.”

William looked up at King Peregrine with a hint of desperation in his eyes. “It’s madness, yes it’s even a suicide mission.” he smiled. “But I like it, and I’m going along with them.”

“Why would you do such a thing?” Micha gasped.

“I shall be the one to destroy the cannon.” William answered.

“So what say you, Micha?” King Peregrine inquired. “If I allow this to happen, will you aid

them?”

“I don’t exactly agree with this craziness, but I shall go none the less.” Micha sighed.

King Peregrine looked at everyone at the table and gave a heartfelt smile, “Then it has been settled.” he said. “This mission is for the people of Wespington, their lives are in your hands. Please destroy the cannon and then the blueprints, but most of all, come back to us safely.”

That night all the preparations were made for their departure, horses were readied and Gawain,

Leon, Micha, William, along with Ulrich rode off towards the city of Odrela. It was a long ride, and rain pelted the ground, which added to the darkness of the night. The only light source they had was a small orb that Gawain had made using magic, like the time before. “Let us stop here.” William held up his hand signaling for the group to stop their horses.

“What is it?” Gawain asked as he rode up beside William.

“Look.” William pointed. There was a faint glow of light up ahead of them, “Do you see that?” “I do.” Gawain answered. “What is your point?”

“That glow is from all the torches lit at night in Odrela.” William answered. “We have reached are destination then, correct?”

William dismounted from his horse and gathered up his shield and spear, “That we are.” he replied without looking back.

“What is going on?” Micha asked after dismounting from his horse. “And why do you gather your weapons, William?”

William strapped his shield and spear upon his back, and sheathed a knife to his belt just in case. “We walk from here.” he said, walking past Micha. Gawain had already tossed his light armor to the side, wearing only his pants and tunic, with his cape strapped to his shoulders, his sword hidden underneath.

“Why have you tossed your light armor, Master Gawain?” Leon inquired, turning to see that Ulrich had done the same. “You too?”

“This light armor is old, and it seems to slow me down.” Ulrich joked.

“What Ulrich is trying to say, is that the silver from the light armor will be easy to spot. It would be wise to just dispose of the armor for the time being.” Gawain explained.

“That makes sense.” Leon said.

“Would it not be wise to keep the horses?” Micha interrupted.

“Do you expect they will just let us ride on into the city?” said William. “No.” Micha sighed. “But we need the horse do we not?”

“There is no need to worry about the horses, Micha.” William responded. “I trained them myself, the steads will not run away. Gather your things and remove your armor, it will not aid you in being stealthy.”

They quietly walked through the darkness of the night without the aid of Gawain’s orb. It was hard to see, and sometimes they had to crawl on the ground not to be spotted by the guards walking along the stone wall that protected the city from outsiders. “How do we get inside?” Gawain whispered, crouching up against the stone wall. William was feeling around the stone wall with the tips of his fingers, paying attention to nothing more. “William, how do we get inside?” Gawain asked again.

“It’s here somewhere, just be patient.” William was pushing on each individual stone until

one shifted slightly. “This is how we shall enter the city.” he pushed on a few more stones until part of the wall crumbled to the ground.

“How did you know of such a secret?” Gawain looked at him with wonder in his eyes.

William quietly laughed. “I have many secrets.” he turned and walked through the passage and motioned for everyone else to do the same. When they stepped through the secret passage not only did they find themselves inside the city, they were only a few feet away from the castle of Odrela.

“This was unexpected.” Ulrich muttered.

“You sound disappointed.” Gawain whispered.

“I was at least hoping for a fight.” Ulrich grinned.

Ellyn nudged Ulrich, “Do you want us to be killed or thrown in the dungeons?” she whispered.

Ulrich glanced back at Ellyn, “No, I don’t want that to happen.” he whispered back. “I was just hoping for a little fun, that’s all.”

William overheard the conversation between Ellyn, and Ulrich. “Don’t you worry about that

young one, there will be plenty of fun to be had inside the castle.”

Gawain was surveying the area to take in his surroundings, “How do you suppose we get inside.”

William motioned towards the castle, “Soon they will drop the drawbridge and a scouting team will come out. When that happens we get the drop on them, take their armor for ourselves, and walk inside the castle unnoticed.” he explained.

“What about Ellyn, Leon, and Ulrich?” Gawain asked. “How do we get them inside unnoticed?” “That’s simple.” William smirked. “They shall be our prisoners.”

Right then the drawbridge began to lower, then the soldiers came walking out of the castle yard and across the drawbridge. Gawain, Micha, and William made their move. With swiftness the three men got the drop on the soldiers, they hacked, stabbed, and slashed with their knives, dropping them in a pool of their own blood. After they had acquired the armor off the soldiers, William furthered his plans on getting into the castle. “Okay young ones, to make this work you will need to hand over your weapons.” he explained. “This will help us get by the guards inside the castle.”

“I don’t like this.” Ulrich voiced his frustrations as he was handing over his sword and bow to William.

“Its not like he’s going to keep them.” Ellyn giggled.

“Knock it off you two.” Gawain demanded. “This is no time for childish banter, we have a mission to accomplish, remember that.”

“I’m sorry, Gawain.” Ellyn frowned.

“Don’t let the old man get to you.” Ulrich whispered. “He’s just grumpy, that’s what happens when you get old.” that remark made her crack a faint smile. “That’s better.” he smiled back at her. Ellyn was the only person that could make Ulrich smile these days. Even though his heart was filled with hate and rage, she had a way of bringing out his good side.

“If you two are done flirting with each other, maybe we can get inside the castle before they close the drawbridge.” Leon grumbled, walking between them.

“The young man here is right.” William said. “We need to hurry along.”

“Okay you three, get into position.” Gawain told them. “Make this look as believable as possible.” he shoved Leon forward, “Move scum!” William did the same to Ulrich. It took Micah sometime because it was Ellyn that he had to be rough with, and that didn’t seem right with him. But with a little encouragement he finally joined in on the act and shoved Ellyn onto the drawbridge.

“I’m sorry, Miss Ellyn.” Micha whispered.

Ellyn turned ever so slightly, “You’ve done nothing to apologize for, this is just a ruse to get us inside the castle yard.” she whispered back. Micha nodded and cracked a faint smile which could not be seen underneath the helmet.

“Master Gawain. When we get inside the castle yard push me to the ground, and make it believable.” Leon whispered making sure not to look back at Gawain. If he gave off the slightest notion that he knew the man in the armor pushing him around, it could very well spell the end for them all.

When Leon was across the drawbridge Gawain shoved him to the ground with some extra force. As Leon lay on the ground he pretended to cry, which gave the signal to Ulrich it was time to get involved.

“What in the hell was that for?” Ulrich shouted.

William was quick to join in the ruse by kicking Ulrich to the ground beside Leon. “Shut ya mouth ya thieving little brat.”

One of the castle guards walked up, “What is going on over here?”

When Ulrich tried to get up William put his boot across his chest to hold him down, “These little heathens were caught stealing from one of the peddlers in the town square, not only that it was swords and shields that they had tried to take.”

The castle guard pushed William to the side and reached down to take hold of Ulrich pulling

him to his feet. “Tell me child, why were you taking weapons from the peddler?” Ulrich wanted to push the guards temper as far as he could by not answering. “Tell me.” he grabbed Ulrich by the hair and pulled his head back, placing a knife to his throat. “I shall not ask you again boy.” the guard pressed the knife harder to Ulrich’s throat causing blood to trickle down his neck. William grabbed the guard’s wrist, pulling the knife away from the young boys neck, “What do you think you are doing soldier, remember who the captain is here.”

“Keeping you from making a grave mistake.” William answered refusing to let go of the mans wrist. “If you kill this boy without King Adan getting his chance to have him questioned by his executioner, your head shall surely be put on the chopping block.” he warned.

The captain of the guards pulled himself free from William’s grasp, “Then take him and the others to the dungeons, I shall inform King Adan of what has transpired.” he pushed William back. “After this is all said and done, I shall deal with you later, soldier.” the man turned and walked towards the castle doors motioning for them to follow.

As they walked Gawain made sure to survey the surrounding area, plotting the best course for escape when they’ve succeeded with the task at hand. Moments later they found themselves inside the castle of Odrela. The walls were made from large stones that were smoothed and shined by the castle keep, and the floors were made from granite. From the walls hung paintings of kings from old, many of them Gawain had heard of and William had faced in battle.

“Follow me.” the man said, leading them down a narrow hallway that had different sets of armor, holding different weapons.

“Where are you taking us?” Leon hissed.

The captain of the guard turned and struck Leon upon his face, “Thieves are not allowed to speak.” he spate. Gawain fought the urge not to kill the man where he stood for striking Leon, it took all he had to suppress his anger. The man turned towards a wooden door that stood to his right. He

pulled out a skeleton key that was hidden within his armor, placing the key in the keyhole, he turned it and the door opened. On the other side was a steep stairwell that lead straight down into the darkness. The captain grabbed one of the torches from off the wall and lead them down the stairs. The stairs twisted and turned under their feet as they slowly descended into the castle deep, what waited for them at the bottom of the steps was the dungeon. It was a dimly lit and smelled of urine and feces. Both sides of the room was filled with nothing more than individual prison cells. “Stop here.” he said. Then the man proceeded to unlock one of cell doors using the same skeleton key that he had used before. “Throw the thieves inside.” he demanded

“I am afraid that we cannot do as you demand.” Gawain intervened.

“What was that?” the captain hissed. Gawain removed his helmet revealing his face, “You are not one of my soldiers.” the man gasped, placing his hand on the hilt of his blade.

Before the man could draw his blade Gawain hit him across the face with the helmet that he was holding in his hand. Then in a flash Ulrich took his sword from William and ran his blade through the guards back, killing him instantly. “What did you do that for?” Gawain grumbled.

“He deserved it.” Ulrich spat on the fallen mans body before wiping the blood from his blade, sheathing it back to his waist. “Besides, if he had lived someone would have eventually heard him screaming down here, and our cover would be blown.”

William turned to face Gawain, “The boy speaks the truth, even if he went about it the wrong

way.”

“These are my students, William.” Gawain said. “Do not tell me what is wrong and right.” “Of course.” William nodded. “My apologies.”

Leon noticed the skeleton key laying beside the lifeless body and bent down to pick it up, “What are you doing child?” Micha asked.

Leon stood back up showing Micha the key, “I have an idea.” he smiled. When he walked out of

the cell he stopped at the next and placed the key in the lock. “Do not open that cell door.” Micha told him.

Leon looked back at Micha with a perplexed look on his face, “Why not?”

“You have no idea what kind of criminals could be on the other side.” Micha responded.

Leon turned his attention back towards the door, “True, but I bet they will be willing to help us out to obtain their freedom.” he said without looking back. And with a turn of the key the lock clicked and Leon pushed the door open. Inside the cell were three scraggly looking men, they were skinny and frail looking, but the fire for vengeance still burned bright in their eyes.

“Come to torture more information out of us?” one of them hissed.

“No.” Leon smiled. “I am here to offer you a deal, for your freedom of course.” “What kind of deal?”

“Don’t trust them, Thomas.” the other said. “Three wear the armor of the enemy.”

“Calm yourself, Geoffrey.” Thomas replied. “He does have a point though, if you are not apart of the castle guard why do the ones with you still wear the armor?”

William removed his helmet reviling his face to the men, “Trust me my friends, we are not apart of the castle guard. My companions and I are here to destroy a certain cannon that King Adan possess.” he explained.

Micha took off his helmet and threw it to the floor, “Would castle guards take off their helmets to show prisoners respect?”

“They would not dare do such a thing, to them we are nothing more than scum.” Thomas answered.

“Now do you believe me?” Leon asked.

“It would seem that we do not have a choice.” Thomas said.

Geoffrey grabbed at Thomas’s arm, “You cannot put your trust in these people.”

Thomas turned and placed a hand on Geoffrey’s shoulder, “Either we take the deal and maybe taste freedom once more. Or we stay here and end up like him.” he looked over at the other man in the cell with them. Whoever the man once was, he had already been tortured to the point of madness and was no use to anyone.

Geoffrey nodded, “I understand.” he looked over at Leon. “What would you have us do?” “Take this key, open all the doors to the dungeons and let the prisoners out. Give them an option

to fight with you or stay in their cells, then storm the castle. That should give us the distraction we need to make our way through the castle.” Leon explained.

“So you plan to use us to lead the castle guard away from you.” Thomas said. “Is that what you are saying?”

“That’s the plan.” Leon replied. He held the key out for Thomas to take, “What shall it be?” “And if we refuse?” Geoffrey asked.

Leon lowered his head, he didn’t like what he was about to say next but this was not something he could give a choice on. He took a deep breath and looked back up at the men that stood before him, “If you refuse, we leave and the door will be shut behind us and you shall stay a prisoner until the king has you executed.” Leon held out the key once more, “That is all I offer.”

Thomas grabbed the key from Leon, “I cannot promise you much, but we will do what we can.” he held out his hand and Leon took hold of his wrist.

“Thank you.” Leon smiled.

“No, thank you.” Thomas smiled. “It’s been far to long since we tasted fresh air, even if it may be our last.”

“Hell with the air.” Geoffrey interrupted. “I long for the thrill of the battle, to spill enemy blood once again.”

“Only if we have no other choice, Geoffrey.” Thomas scowled. “Remember we are still weak

from starvation, and we have no blades to fight with.”

Gawain handed over the sword that he had taken from the fallen soldier from earlier, “Take this.

I’m sure it will aid you in your endeavor.”

William did the same for Geoffrey, “Aye, you need these more than we do.” “What of you?” Geoffrey and Thomas asked.

“Do not worry about us, we are still heavily armed.” Gawain answered. “These are the blades we stole from the scouts outside the castle.”

“There is also an armory above us, and I’m almost for certain that key you hold will give you access inside.” William informed them.

Geoffrey and Thomas gave their thanks before sneaking out of the cell, they could be heard going to each prison cell door opening them one at a time, then all was silent. “You could have handled things differently, Leon.” Gawain’s words broke the silence that filled the room. “I did not teach you to be so ruthless.”

“I did what was necessary.” Leon muttered.

“It is not necessary to gamble with the lives of others.” Gawain scolded.

“Lay off old man.” Ulrich barked. “If not for Leon we wouldn’t have this chance to destroy the Reaper Cannon.” he slapped Leon on the shoulder. “You should be thanking him.”

Gawain’s eyes were filled with rage, “Keep out of this, Ulrich.” he demanded. “This does not concern you.”

“Leon is my friend.” Ulrich snarled. “Do not stand there and tell me what is of my concern.” “I’ve watched you do the same, Master Gawain.” Leon quietly muttered.

“Speak up young one, let your words be heard.” Gawain hissed.

Leon looked at Gawain with tears welling up in his eyes, “I have watched you make the same deal with others. You have even decided who lives and who dies, is that not even worse than what I

have done?” anger was building up inside of him, he clinched his fist tight trying to hold it back. But the two were interrupted when shouting was heard above them, along with the scuffling of feet. “Sound the bell, the prisoners have escaped.” seconds later the bell tolls were echoing throughout the castle.

“The two of you will have to save that conversation for another time.” William interrupted. “I believe that is the sign for us to go.”

“Were to?” Ellyn asked.

“To the throne room.” a voice whispered from the darkness. “Who’s there?” William grumbled.

“Just a friend.” the voice whispered again.

William drew his blade, “Friends do not stay hidden in the shadows.”

“Lower your blade William, there is no need to be alarmed.” Gawain said. “You’ve had your fun, Shadow. Please show yourself and explain what you have found out.” Shadow slowly walked out of the darkness, the light from the torches flickered off the dark armor that she was now wearing. She also had throwing knives strapped around her waist, and her face was still covered. “That’s a different look for you.”

“A castle that is heavily guarded such as this, has to be approached in a different manner.” Shadow replied.

“Prepared as always.” Gawain smirked. There wasn’t much known about Shadow accept the fact she was a female, and very good at acquiring information. The fact that she could best most men in a fight and was very skilled with any type of blade, always had Gawain wondering where she haled from, and how she acquired such useful skills. “What shall we find in the throne room?” Gawain changed the subject back to what Shadow talked of first.

“Go behind King Adan’s throne, there is a switch on the floor, press it and a trap door will appear.” Shadow explained. “You shall find the weapon you seek on the other side.” like always, before

any could ask another question she was gone, disappeared back into the darkness. Gawain turned his attention back to the others and smiled before walking out of the prison cell.

At the top of the stairs the commotion on the other side seemed to be even louder, “It would seem as though some of the prisoners have decided to stay and fight.” William whispered to Gawain.

“It would seem so.” Gawain quietly replied. “Let me take a look and see if there are any soldiers laying in wait.” Gawain peeked his head out the door, the only soldiers around were the ones that lay dead on the floor. This is no doubt Shadow’s doing.

“What do you see?” William inquired.

“I see only a few soldiers and they lay dead on the stone floor.” “Then let us make haste while we have the chance.”

Gawain gave a slight nod, “I shall go first to make sure there is no other guards close by.” William didn’t make a response, instead he gave a hand signal to Gawain that he understood. Gawain faintly smiled in return and like the stealthy man he was, slowly crept out the door. He was swift with every movement of his body, and William watched with a keen eye, not once taking his eyes off the man. He moves like an assassin. Gawain used the walls and the suits of armor to his advantage, he slid along the walls hiding behind the empty shells of armor, staying out of sight. This man could cause me some unwanted problems.

Then a noise along with moving shadows caught Gawain’s attention, two castle guards were making their way towards his direction. The sounds of fleeting feet could be heard getting closer and closer to where he stood pressed against the wall. When William heard the footsteps he went to intervene, but Leon was quick to grab his arm.

“What are you doing child?” William asked. “Release me at once.”

“If you go out there now you will cause unwanted commotion.” Leon answered. “Master

Gawain has everything under control, have faith.”

William calmed himself after Leon released his arm, “Lets hope you have not misplaced your trust in this man, child.”

Leon peeked out the door, “Watch for yourself, then you shall understand why he is a master at the Academy.”

Gawain slithered behind the next empty shell of armor to hide his presence from the oncoming guards. When the armor cladded men had walked passed, Gawain pulled a knife from his belt and slowly maneuvered out from where he had been hiding. Without making even the slightest of noise he positioned himself to attack. And with cat like reflexes he pounced wrapping his arm around one of the men’s neck snapping it with a crunch of a bone. The other guard quickly reached for the hilt of his blade, but Gawain threw his knife it landing flush in the guards neck. The man gurgled his own blood as he tried to scream for help, however no words could be heard, before long he fell to the floor.

William watched the skills that Gawain had shown, he was in awe over what he had witnessed. “This man that you call Master Gawain, is truly something else.” William whispered.

“Did I not tell you so?” Leon smiled. “Master Gawain can handle any situation he finds himself

in.”

“Indeed.”

Gawain stood there stone faced looking down at the men that he had just disposed of, Leon was right about me, I do make the decision to kill when it is necessary. He looked up and over at the door where William and the others stayed hidden. “You can come out now, I don’t believe we shall be bothered again anytime soon.”

It wasn’t long before they had found themselves standing outside the king’s throne room.

Gawain was the first to make his way inside, followed by his students and Ellyn, then William brought

up the rear. With haste they looked for the switch that Shadow had spoke of, but could not find it. Gawain was so caught up in the search that he hadn’t notice William standing over his shoulder. Out of instinct he drew his sword, spun around only to see William there studying his every move.

“No need for that.” William held up his hands. “I did not mean to startle you.”

Gawain sheathed his blade back to his side, “Next time let me know when you stand behind me, or something bad might happen.”

William barely even cracked a smile, “Any luck finding the switch?” “No such luck.”

“Do you think your informant gave you false information?” “Shadow is one of the best at what she does, I believe in her words.”

“Have you found the switch?” Ulrich shouted from the other side of the room. “No.” Gawain answered. “And you?”

“Not yet.”

Leon was also looking over the stone floor near where Master Gawain stood conversing, but unlike him, Leon had seen certain symbols carved into four different stones. “You have been standing on the switch the whole time.”

“What was that?” William said.

“Look down at the stones beneath your feet.” Leon answered. “Notice anything that differs between them and the others?”

“These have carvings upon them.” Gawain’s eyes grew wide with excitement. “Very keen eye there young Leon.” he looked at William. “If you don’t mind, would you please step back. I know what to do with these compression plates.” Gawain stared at the four symbols that were on the floor before him. One was a symbol of what looked to be a wolf, the stone to the left had a dagger with a snake coiled around it, which he realized was the symbol of the Dark Ones. The stone to the right had a

carving of King Adan’s crown upon it, or so Gawain guessed. Lastly the stone that was closest to Gawain’s feet had the sun and moon intertwined carved upon it. This symbol he was unfamiliar with, but seeing it somehow made his blood run cold.

“I have to press the plates in a certain order to open the secret passage.” Gawain muttered to himself. He looked around the throne room, What happens if I press them in the wrong order? I doubt that I will want to find out. “I need all of you to get as far away from me as possible.” he informed them. “There is no telling what shall happen when I press the stone plates.” Gawain studied the carvings on the stone floor closer and painted a picture in his mind of what each could mean to King Adan. Then like a puzzle he put all the pieces together.

“I hope I’m right about this.” Gawain muttered. He reached out his foot and stepped on the stone plate with the crown carved on it, he heard click like a door being unlocked. Gawain breathed a sigh of relief that a trap was not activated, which meant that he was right in his belief so far. He took a deep breath steadying his nerve before pressing the stone plate with the carving of the wolf upon it. Again another click could be heard echoing throughout the throne room, as another lock was released. Gawain wiped the sweat from his brow and pressed the carving of the knife with the snake coiled around it, and again another lock released.

Now there was only one plate left, but Gawain was feeling reluctant to press it. “What are you waiting for?” William questioned. “Press the last stone plate and open the secret passage, we are running out of time.”

“Something is a miss.” Gawain mumbled. “I feel it in my gut.” “Just press it.” William grumbled.

Gawain shook his head, “No. This is to easy.” “Then what do we do?”

Gawain shot William a look of frustration, “Give me time to think this through.” he demanded. He looked the throne room over from top to bottom. Since he knew what he was looking for this time, it was easier for him to find other symbols. However there was a tiny problem, none of the symbols matched anything that he had pressed so far. “I knew it.” Gawain slammed his fist into his hand. “When you think you’ve figured the riddle out, it draws you into a false sense of security.”

“I grow tired of these games.” Ulrich groaned. “We are lucky that the castle guards have yet to come back and kill us all.” the young man removed his bow from his back, reached into his quiver to remove an arrow, Ulrich pulled back the string holding it steady.

“Ulrich, why do you aim an arrow at me?” Gawain nervously asked. “Boy, you best put down your weapon.” William warned.

Gawain raised his hands in the air, “This is no time for games, Ulrich.” William reached his hand for the hilt of his blade, getting ready to strike Ulrich down. “Stand down William, he’s not going to do anything stupid.” Ulrich released the arrow and sent it flying through the air, it went humming by Gawain’s ear missing him by inches and hit the back of the throne. A clicking noise was heard yet again as another lock was released.

When Gawain turned he had seen the arrow had hit a symbol almost like the ones on the floor, “Damn that kid for always showing off.” he hissed. “One day he’s going to get himself killed.”

“What, no thank you?” Ulrich smirked. Gawain nor William found his actions nor his remark to be funny. “No sense of humor I see.”

“Why did you do that?” Ellyn whispered. “Would it not have been easier to tell Gawain that there was a symbol on the back of the throne where King Adan sits?”

“It would have been.” Ulrich answered. “But where is the fun in that?”

William released his grip from the hilt of his sword, “Damn kid.” he muttered under his breath. Leon said not a word, he watched what Ulrich had done. This was a side of him that he was not

used to seeing. The Ulrich he knew was kind at heart, and full of honor and pride that would outshine most knights. But something had changed in his friend, the light that burned bright has now faded, and hate and rage has taken its place, a darkness brewed in him now. This is all that Caine guys fault, ever since Ulrich has been training with him he’s become hateful and nasty. Not only that he has been using Dark Arts in the heat battle, which seems to be leading him down an even darker path. Leon was deep in thought until he heard the last lock being released.

Gawain stepped on the what he thought was the last remaining piece to the puzzle. And he was right with his belief as the wall before him started to tremble and slide away, revealing the secret passage that they had been searching for. Gawain like always took the first steps inside the passage, it was enshrouded by darkness, and he found that he couldn’t summon another orb as a light source, as he did not have the strength in him to do so. It takes a lot out of someone who does not use magic as often as a Mage, but then Gawain remembered that he took a torch from the dungeon just in case.

Gawain reached into his bag that he kept tied on his belt and pulled out a flint. He held the torch close to the wall and hit the flint against the stones causing sparks to fly until the torch was lit. The light from the torch lit up the passageway, they could see it was a long narrow tunnel. “I hate tunnels.” he muttered before walking on. At the end of the deceivingly long tunnel was a large open area, and at the center was the Reaper Cannon.

“So this is the Reaper Cannon.” Micha said, starring at the large metal object that towered over

them.

“That’s it.” William smiled.

“Shouldn’t we quit gawking and just destroy the blasted thing.” Leon interrupted.

Ulrich walked around the cannon smiling excitedly, “Why destroy such a magnificent weapon.” he said. “Could you imagine what this could do for our kingdom if we brought it back in one piece.”

“This cannon is to dangerous for anyone to control.” Gawain barked. “Let alone the likes of Alistair, and Caine.”

“That’s Lord Alistair, and Headmaster Caine to you old man.” Ulrich responded with a look of anger. “Learn to have some respect for your superiors.”

“Tell me, William. How do we destroy this thing?” Gawain asked, ignoring Ulrich.

William pulled out the blueprints, “Move the torch a little closer, my eyes aren’t what they used to be you know.” Gawain leaned the torch in closer, and William yanked it out of Gawain’s hand. Out of instinct Gawain tried to take the torch back, but William swung the flame of the torch at his face, causing him to take a step backwards. “Don’t even think about it.” William held the blueprints over the flame, setting the parchment paper ablaze.

“What have you done, William?” Micha gasped.

“What is necessary.” William answered. Leon had his hand on the hilt of his blade, readying himself to draw upon the man. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, young one.” William barked. “If you you even try, then I shall be forced to kill your precious master.” he threw the burning blueprints to the ground. “Now that the blueprints have been taken care of, all that is left is the five of you.”

“Why?” Micha shouted. “You were my fathers best friend, it was you who taught me to fight for honor instead of greed. If not for you I would have never become a soldier, or joined the rank of the knights.” Micha couldn’t understand why William was doing such things and he wanted answers. “Why would you betray King Peregrine and the people of Wespington? Tell me!”

William laughed at his innocents, “You are still young yet, and do not understand the way of the world.”

Micha looked at William with disgust, “Then explain it to me.”

William sighed, “I don’t owe you or anyone else an explanation for my actions.” “Words of a coward.” Micha spate.

“I am no coward you foolish boy.” William snorted. “My son was killed long ago on the battlefield, I wanted revenge. But your great King Peregrine, decided that peace would be the best course of action. I was his loyal subject for many a year, when I needed his help he spat in my face, and declared a peace treaty just to spite me.” he explained. “Not long after my wife died of a broken heart and I was left alone with nothing but my grief. It was then I decided to leave the castle and live on my own so I could plot my revenge against King Peregrine, and King Adan.”

“If you had the blueprints the whole time, then how did King Adan build the Reaper Cannon?” Gawain interrupted, curious on how William managed this on his own.

“King Adan didn’t build the cannon.” William grinned. “I sold him the one that King Peregrine had ordered me to destroy.”

“And what of Hinz the blacksmith?” Micha interrupted. “Killed by his hand.” Gawain answered in William’s place.

“No doubt that friend of yours told you of this.” William hissed. “When I need information I know who to turn to.” Gawain smirked.

“Then yes, I killed him, and feed his body to the wolves. Seeing how you already know this.” William laughed. “But in my defense, it had to be done, I couldn’t let him live knowing the secrets to the Reaper Cannon.”

“I see.” Gawain ran his fingers through his hair, not once taking his eyes off William. “You sold the cannon to King Adan knowing full well he would use it at some point. When he broke the treaty you took advantage and whispered into the ear of King Peregrine to declare an all out war on the kingdom of Odrela. But you didn’t foresee outsiders interfering, or Micha making it back alive for that matter. Am I correct?”

William nodded, “Smart man you are.” he smirked. “It was a bit of snag in my plans, but I quickly came up with a new strategy, that’s what a war strategist does of course. And I had my new

pawns do all of my dirty work.” in that instant Gawain started to chuckle. “Odd that you would laugh when you are about to die.” William frowned.

“William, William, William.” Gawain laughed. “Does one think he to be the only smart one here, when in fact I knew you were a traitor from the moment we found you out in the woods. The only reason I didn’t kill you then, or have King Peregrine throw your sorry ass in the dungeons, was because I needed you to get us this far. Get us to the cannon so I could destroy it on my own.”

“Destroy the cannon on your own you say?” William mocked. “How are you going to do that without the blueprints?”

Gawain reached into his bag and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment paper. “Are you talking about these blueprints?” he smiled.

“What?” William stomped. “That cannot be, I burned the blueprints. How could you possibly have them?”

Gawain smiled again at seeing the look of shock on William’s face, “The blueprints you burned was a fake. That night out in the woods when you let me look them over, I switched them.” he explained. “I think the time for talk is over, give yourself up and throw your spear and shield to the ground, or you don’t make out of here alive.”

William, blinded by anger went mad. If he was going to die then was going to kill the person responsible for stopping his plans for vengeance. “If I die then so shall you.” he went to draw back his spear but Ellyn had already positioned herself behind him. When he went to lunge forward, Ellyn ran her blade straight through his back. It tore through William’s skin, breaking bones as it ripped through the front of his chest. William turned his head slightly, to face his attacker, “To think I would be brought to my end by a mere girl.” he muttered, before falling to his knees.

Micha looked down upon William without any signs of emotion, “I hope my father can forgive you when he sees you in the afterlife.” he unsheathed his fathers sword. “Because I will never forgive a

traitor like you in this one.” Micha swung the blade, cutting William’s head from his shoulders. “My father has been avenged.” he whispered, wiping the blood from the blade and sheathed it back to his waist.

“I am truly sorry that you had to lose William as well.” Gawain said, patting Micha on the back.

Micha turned his head ever so slightly, and smiled. “Thank you Sir Gawain, but I lost William a long time ago. This man that is dead before me is not William, and never will be.”

“Well said.” Gawain gave a faint smile in return to show sympathy. “Lets do what we came here to do.” he unrolled the blueprints, looking them over. “Well this is unexpected.”

“Sir Gawain?” Micha said.

Gawain walked past Micha and over to the cannon, he was whispering incoherent words to himself as well.

“Master Gawain?” Micha called to him. “Master Gawain, can we destroy this thing or not?” I cannot believe what breaths life into this abomination. Gawain thought to himself, ignoring all else. Leon approached Master Gawain next, “Can we destroy this thing, or not?” he stuttered. “Found it.” Gawain bellowed.

“Found what?” Leon jumped, forgetting his question from before.

Gawain took his knife from his belt and pried a wooden plank from off the side of cannon.

Reaching his hand into the hollow opening, it seemed as though he was searching for something. He didn’t say a word to anyone has he performed these actions. Gawain stretched his arm ever further until his shoulder touched the cannon itself, he ran his hand around every corner until his fingertips made contact with something cold and metallic. “I believe I have found what I am looking for.”

“Will you not tell us what that is?” Micha questioned.

Gawain still refusing to give answers, wrapped his fingers around the unknown object and

gripped tight in the palm of his hand, giving it a hearty tug. “By the gods this thing is hard to remove.” he exclaimed. Gawain readied himself and pulled on the object once again, but this time it had cut through his plated gloves and into his skin causing him to remove his hand hurriedly.

“Are you alright, Master Gawain?” Leon questioned with a look of worry on his face.

“No need to worry, Leon.” Gawain chuckled. “I will be just fine.” he took off his glove showing a small gash on his hand that was bleeding out. “Miss Ellyn, could you please tend to my wound?”

“Of course, Sir Gawain.” she chuckled, and took some cloth out her pouch that she had carried around with her, wrapping it around his hand snugly. “When we get back to Wespington, you will need a healer to treat that cut, we don’t want an infection to spread.”

“Will you at least tell us what it is you seek in that cannon?” Micha demanded.

“It’s something that breaths life into the weapon itself, without it the cannon is useless.” Gawain finally answered.

“Why didn’t you just say so, I’m sure one of us can get-”

“Move out of the way.” Ulrich grumbled, as he walked in between Ellyn and Gawain. Not even giving Micha the chance to finish his words.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Gawain snarled, trying to block the path between Ulrich and the cannon.

“I am going to retrieve the piece of the legendary blade from within the cannon.”

How did he know of that? I myself did not even know until I had looked over the blueprints closer, and yet I told not a soul. He glared at the young boy studying his eyes closely, not knowing what to make of the situation. “How did you know of what was inside the cannon?”

Ulrich smiled brightly, “I can feel the power radiating from it.” he answered. “The more pieces we gather the stronger it gets.” the boy was smart and when Gawain dropped his guard, Ulrich

sidestepped him and got to the cannon. He reached his hand inside the hollow space and pulled the piece of the blade out of the Reaper Cannon. Gawain was upset with the child, however at the moment he was more concerned with how easy it was for Ulrich to remove the item with little struggle, and without getting cut. Ulrich held the piece of the blade close, the item at hand started to emit a dark purple light drawing him in, at least his mind anyways.

Gawain watched in horror as the piece of blade that Ulrich held came to life, “Give me the artifact.” he calmly said. Ulrich did not respond, for he was in a trance like state as he stared into the purple light. “Ulrich.” Gawain shouted. “Give it to me now.”

Ulrich with a devilish smile on his face refused, “I finally understand.” he laughed. “Soon I will make my dream a reality, this world shall be shaped the way I see fit.” his voice was dark, evil, it was as if the Ulrich of old no longer existed.

“What has happened to Ulrich?” Ellyn frowned.

“It’s the object he holds, the dark power within has a hold on Ulrich.” Gawain explained. “How do we set him free?” Ellyn cried out.

“I do not know.”

Unexpected to the others, Ulrich fell to the ground, the piece of the blade that he held slide over to Gawain’s feet. Gawain bent down to pick up the cursed artifact, when he stood back up he caught a glimpse of Leon standing over the now unconscious Ulrich. “What did you do?”

“Does it matter?” Leon replied. “Instead of worrying about the how, I say we worry about getting him to his feet and getting the hell out of here, before the castle guards storm this room.”