Heart of Fire #2
"There is a castle I'd like to get a closer look at," Merlin said quietly.
"On the map, that section is grayed over, but you can just barely see a castle marker.
The creators have been spare about details, so I couldn't find any info, just a bunch of bluster and talk.
Still, its surrounded by dense woods and the edge of an enormous lake is just visible, and the whole area is called Kingdom of the Lost. It's confirmed to be a late-game quest, so we're far from ready for it, but… " He shrugged and stared at the fire.
But he hoped it was home. Camelot. Given the game was apparently just their entry point to a pocket universe where they would fight the battle of Camlann all over again… logic followed there must be a Camelot.
"I miss Camelot, but I'm not going to lie, I hope this version has a lot of modern conveniences."
Merlin laughed, poorly muffling the noise with one hand. "We'll make certain of it, never fear, because I for one have no desire to ever again piss in a bucket or where the wind can rush up my ass."
"Can't say it's wholly awful to be able to appreciate how far the world has come in such a unique way," Lancelot said, looking out over the cave, though there was little more than darkness, save where the lichen grew.
He munched on the food in his inventory, amused that component lingered, despite the whole pocket universe thing, and then he and Merlin heaved to their feet to tidy the camp and continue the journey.
Unfortunately, the map they called up was of little use, only lighting up portions of the cave complex as they traveled them.
Eventually, though, after a particularly hairy crawl through a narrow passage, they spilled out into an enormous chamber that could have been a meeting hall or something.
A temple sanctuary. High above was a hole that seemed small but was probably several feet wide, shining down brilliant sunlight and setting the whole room ablaze in golden light.
Lancelot called up his map. "Temple of the Sun. Yeah, saw that coming."
Merlin snickered. "Where there's a temple, there's a totally normal entrance, which is the best news I've heard in hours."
Yet as they looked around, Lancelot could find no sign of an entrance. Sharing a look with Merlin, they each picked a direction as they ran the circumference of the sanctuary, a hand on the wall the entire time. When they met at the opposite end, Lancelot huffed. "So much for an entrance."
"Could be hidden or otherwise rendered inactive," Merlin said thoughtfully. "So players can only wander so far off course and get so far ahead. I suppose I should devote some time to cracking all those blocks, so we can move through the game uninhibited, but that will take days of work."
Lancelot shrugged one shoulder. "Skip it, at least until it proves necessary otherwise. We always seem to be able to go where we need, so far." He squinted up at the hole in the cave ceiling. "Though, I admit, an easy and obvious entrance would be nice right now."
Merlin tapped his chin thoughtfully, eyes gleaming in that way of his that Arthur had always lovingly joked spelled trouble. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong place. Worship of the sun is all in the rising and setting. So…"
"The floor," Lancelot said as he dropped his gaze.
"The sanctuary isn't where you immediately enter anyway.
There should be the nave at the very least, though this is a temple, not a cathedral, so I don't actually know the proper terms." They'd never been much, contrary to so-called history, for the Christian faith.
They had walked and talked as they must, but the knights and citizens of Camelot were children of the moon and sun, earth and sky, blood and bone.
Their church had been the wild woods where once Merlin had wandered in madness, and the lake that Lancelot had made his new watery home, a place where he could be his mother's son, and even reach out to her when he needed.
An ache washed through him, thinking of her. Was she all right, wherever she was? Had she lived well after his passing, after the fall of Camelot? He hoped her sister and handmaidens had given her comfort and solace while she waited for his return. Hopefully he could seek her out soon.
Dragging his mind back to the matter at hand, Lancelot turned his attention to the floor, prowling about looking for signs of a door. One would think such a thing would be designated, for safety reasons at the very least, but Lancelot wasn't certain he really knew anything anymore.
They found it at the same time, Merlin following markers or something he'd found hidden in the dirt and dust, and Lancelot by stomping around listening for hollow spots. Exchanging a grin, they knelt and cleaned away dirt and debris until the door was revealed.
A small piece of stone lifted away revealing metal hooks, and after pulling rope from his inventory, Lancelot heaved the door up and tied it off to matching hooks buried in the wall, high and sunken enough they hadn't seen them the first time.
Below the door was a set of stairs. "Thank fuck for that.
" Merlin called up lights and Lancelot drew his sword, following the lights down, eyes sweeping the room that was revealed.
Columns, torches, benches to either side, soft rugs to ward against the cold stone floor…
and set high in the far wall, more sunlight pouring through it, a stained glass window of the sun with the cycles of the moon forming a ring around it.
There was also a device on this side for raising and lowering the door, though it still seemed weird to him that once inside the sanctuary you could be easily trapped without strength enough to lift the stone door.
Well, whatever. They were out. That was a problem for another time or, preferably, never.
"Let's get the fuck out of here." He called up his command screen just out of curiosity and wasn't surprised when the ability to leave didn't work.
"May as well head for the mysterious Kingdom of the Lost."
"So no dragon?" Merlin asked, mouth quirking.
"I mean, we can try to find the bastard, but we're so far off course at this point, there doesn't seem to be a point."
"Fair enough."
The space was empty, warm, and safe, but Lancelot kept his sword drawn anyway. Something was crawling along the back of his neck, and they were still in Camelot Mode. "I don't like this, but fuck if I know why."
"There is magic on the wind," Merlin said grimly. "I think while we were in the cave, we couldn't be sensed. The kobolds were luck, mostly, as Maleagant—or whoever is doing this on his behalf—knew where we vanished. After that, though…"
"Now we're free, we're trackable." Lancelot sighed.
"I wonder—" He stopped as something caught his eye.
"What's that?" He strode across the room, not waiting for an answer, until he reached one of the side chapels, of which there were four to each side of the nave.
Now he was looking closely, each chapel displayed some sort of treasure.
Armor. A book. The one that had caught his attention, though, was a sword.
A sword he knew.
"I'm so stupid," Merlin said from beside him. "Arondight. Excalibur. Now Caliburn. Of course we would need the three swords before we could go any further. I was so focused on waking Morgan…of course Morgan isn't next. It would have to be—"
A roar cut through the air, distant but not distant enough. "Please don't tell me that's the fucking dragon."
Merlin grimaced. "I mean, I won't tell you, but…"
Groaning, Lancelot snatched up Caliburn from where it lay on a bed of dark blue velvet.
Pulled from stone by the blood of Pendragon after curse and tragedy had locked it there. Briefly lost, but eventually found again and gifted by Arthur to Mordred.
Excalibur, made and bestowed by the Lady of the Lake after Caliburn was lost.
Arondight, sister sword to Excalibur, gifted by the Lady of the Lake to her beloved son when he'd left home to see the world and meet his destiny.
The three swords together were a force to be reckoned with, especially wielded by the king himself, the greatest of his knights, and the deadliest of his knights. More than a few had often called the three of them the sun, the moon, and the night.
Tangled threads, Merlin had called all of them. In pairs, in threes, crossing and overlapping, an intricate weaving that none could tear asunder. Until Maleagant had, by way of dark, forbidden magic and enough spilled blood to drive a river.
It made perfect sense, pathetically obvious now, that they would need all three swords before they could wake Arthur. They would also need Morgan, which was why they'd assumed she was next…but they'd forgotten a step, and so gotten the order wrong.
Caliburn secured to his back, Lancelot bolted outside with Arondight in hand and Merlin the Wild at his side just as an enormous black and purple dragon came into view, still high in the sky but quickly approaching.
"Martin!"
They both snapped around and stared as a vaguely familiar figure came into view. It took Lancelot a moment. "That's— That's your friend from the other day, right?"
"Yes," Merlin said, brow furrowed. "David, what are you doing here? I thought you were working."
David drew to a stop in front of them, bending over gasping for breath.
"Fuck, why do I feel so tired from a damned video game?
I don't have those settings—Anyway, sorry, sorry.
" He lifted his hands to ward off Merlin's glower.
"I had a weird feeling, something screaming at me to get into the game and find you.
I tried to ignore it, but I was on the verge of having a fucking panic attack over it.
Took me ages to find you. What the fuck are you doing all the way up here? "
"Get back!" Lancelot bellowed, shoving them both over and down as dragon fire poured down right where they'd all been standing.
Lancelot grunted into the dirt, blood dripping from his nose where it had taken the brunt of the landing.
Above him, Merlin was holding back more fire, pouring sweat from the heat of it.
Lancelot swept his gaze around, and sighed in relief as he saw Arondight.
Snatching the sword up, he heaved to his feet and called up his magic.
"My shield won't hold much longer," Merlin bit out.
"Its fire won't last forever either," Lancelot said. "When it pauses, drop your shields, and I'll take a turn. My water—"
"Will turn to hot steam and just make this whole situation worse," drawled a familiar voice from behind them. "Not every problem can be solved by drowning it, fish boy."
Lancelot's breath caught in his throat, but before he could say a word, or even turn, something dark and quick surged past them, beyond Merlin's barriers, dodging dragon fire and vanishing from sight.
It was only then that Lancelot realized his back was bare. Somewhere in the scuffle, he'd lost Caliburn. He could see the sword nowhere.
Had the sneaking suspicion that it had been returned to its owner.
He'd barely finished the thought when an unholy scream rent the air, the dragon fire stopping like a breaker killing a circuit.
Another scream, and as the smoke cleared, Lancelot could see the dragon thrashing about, slit open from the base of its jaw down to its stomach, spilling blood and ichor everywhere, dislodging boulders that came crashing down atop the dead dragon.
As the dragon finally ceased to move, slaughtered like it had been little more than a toy when Lancelot would have struggled bitterly and come out the worse for it, the wind swept away the last of the dust and smoke.
Revealing David, who might be unfamiliar in appearance, but wore a smirk Lancelot knew well. "Hello, fish boy. Madman."
Lancelot rolled his eyes. "You don't look like you. We do. Why are you different?"
David blinked at him, then at themself. "Oh, right. Hang on." Their eyes went distant as they clearly went into their settings. A moment later the avatar blurred out in a mess of faded colors—then sharpened again, like a lens being adjusted.
To reveal a figure tall and willowy, with soft brown, olive-toned skin and black hair far, far longer than was practical for a knight.
They had once described themself as not simply male nor female, but rather both and neither.
Eyes the color of a midnight sky, and freckles that had disarmed many, a long scar down their face from the fight that had won them Arthur's eternal friendship.
Caliburn was held lightly in one hand, and that damnable smirk was back in place.
"Mordred," Merlin said with a smile. "Still an arrogant upstart, I see."
"Dred," Lancelot said, closing the space between them to hug them tightly. "It's so good to see you again."
"And you," Dred replied gruffly, hugging back just as tight. Drawing back, they looked at Merlin. "What in the world have you done, Merlin of the Wild?"
Merlin laughed. "A lot. Let's get off this fucking mountain and we'll talk."