Roger the Barbarian and his band has set out their plans to take over the Kingdom of Evermore from the outside to the inside. His plan was to meet the soul breakers and known vampires that Sarge had created during her time in Evermore at nightfall. The Barbarian wasn’t the smartest people in the room but like Chisoutsa he knew what war was like and how to stay alive and fight in it. He expected King Chambers the man who put together the band would be holed up somewhere in the hidden sections of the castle. Chambers was not like the brave King Lion of the Legomen but he knew how to hide and work out smart battle plans to defeat his foes over time. The battle plans was on the table with all eyes on it.
“The band and myself will take the side of the front of the castle while you the Wizard and Chisoutsa go from the side,” Roger spoke about the plans.
“Where is Chris going and why are we going in from the side?” Wizard asked him.
“There are side sections in the walls under the castle where King Chambers might be. Pay attention to what I say,” snapped Roger.
“I am, I am,” replied Wizard trying not to anger the barbarian.
“Chris will be coming from the front with us. He will be safe. He will be useful if we come up against things that are not from our world.”
Chisoutsa came up to Roger from behind, “Sarge is mine you remember that when we are in battle. She got away from me when I was in battle with the Vampire Lust and then she disappeared until the Xtreme Squad showed up on their first case. She can’t get away this time.”
“You can have her. Just bring me her head,” Roger asked of her.
“You are a very charming person,” grinned Chisoutsa.
Walter came inside the tent planning room with a message, “The soldiers and people are ready to march. We are about to ride to the castle now. Let’s start our movement now.”
Roger pointed at Duncan, “Get the horses ready now we are ready to move.” Duncan rushed outside of the tent as Chisoutsa thought about something.
“I can’t think of anytime that I rode a horse in my life.”
“You should have done it once or twice if I can remember it,” I replied to her.
Duncan popped his head back in the tent, “Between the writer and character you two suck at remembering things. One of you two should the answer.”
“You shut your mouth you midget,” Chisoutsa snapped pointing her sword at Duncan.
“I’m not a bloody midget. I can swing a sword better than you and your fancy gun shooting,” Duncan snapped back.
Walter cut in between the two of them, “Chisoutsa I made the bad mistake of calling him a midget over ten years ago and for half our tale in The Legend of Evermore we just fought and exchanged bad words to each for quite a while. I of course was the kinder one always trying to stop the fighting,” he explained to the young female.
“Actually, you weren’t that good to Duncan too and it was Levi who was the peacemaker in you two fighting. Even him or Roger threating to cut your heads off during your quest. I should know I did write the seeds of that story,” I remained Walter.
“Well as you say than,” Walter answered in defeat to the author in the war.
“Haha, stupid wizard,” Duncan cried in laughter from outside the tent.
Walter kept his head down and headed outside the tent. Everyone followed him and we took to the horses. I sat up on my horse and so did Chisoutsa for the first time or so I can remember.
The army must have been in the hundreds since words came out that Roger the Barbarian has returned to reunite with the band. The army of horse started riding out over the plains of grass heading for the Kingdom of Evermore. There was some nervous people in the camps as they edged towards the castle hill were the army of Sarge was waiting for us.
“Who will leading the army? Sarge I would think?” Roger asked Chisoutsa riding with her to her left.
“Sarge will be in castle. She won’t be sticking her neck out for any common man or woman,” Chisoutsa replied back.
As the people’s army came to the top of the hill and looked down at the Evermore Castle they saw the figure on the horse who was to lead them. Walter, Levi, and Duncan minds was frozen by shock.
“Graford, how could this be? We killed him all those years back?” Roger cried.
“This is a elite soul breaker. He will look and act like him right with the personality to his death but he is not the real Graford. You must remember that. It’s Valentine who’s trying to put the fear in you,” I told Roger and the band coming up behind them on my horse.
“The four of us will take him on. You will push through with us too Chris. Wizard and Chisoutsa, remember to go to the side and find King Chambers, we will meet you inside the castle,” Roger ordered the group.
Roger rode his horse out in front of the army and held up his broadsword and the army started to push forward upon Sarge and Graford’s army. Roger approached Graford from a distance eyeing him off and gritting his teeth at him.
“You have come to die again at my sword?” he asked Graford.
“With the power of Valentine in me I will win this time and my real soul will escape from the fires of death.”
“You are not even the real Graford.”
“But I am in your mind.”
Roger swung his sword around his head for the sign for the army to attack and the hundreds came down from the hill in their numbers with their swords, spears and shields out to fight. The thundering roar of the people was about crash upon the evil that had taken over their beloved kingdom. The band shot off on their horses and gave chase after Graford as he turned around and headed off towards the castle. I took after them trying to keep up. I watched on as Levi took out his bow and fired arrow shot at Graford while Walter took out his staff and beams of ice to freeze the horse that Graford was riding on. Roger and Duncan decided to go up the sides of Graford’s horse in the mist of the hundreds of people fighting in the maze. Graford held up his staff and shot thunder bolts at the Barbarian and dwarf. Roger came up to his left swung his sword at Graford while he pushed it off with his staff and pressed on towards the castle drawbridge. The drawbridge has been lowered to allow the armies to come out and I turned the corner on my horse towards the drawbridge madly swinging my sword trying to make a hit on someone or something. The horse came onto the drawbridge and tripped over the damaged wood flipping me straight off the horse and landing me to the ground. I turned around on the ground as the horse was about to land me and I rolled out of it’s way and hurried inside the castle and turned to my right.
“Come on Chris, you wrote about this castle, where are the safe spots here!” I yelled to myself. I ran over to a small shop store and went inside and shut the door tight. I walked over to store table and put down my sword and looked at my chest. The power suit that I had wearing the whole war was damaged beyond repair. I spent some time trying to get the heavy suit off me and disconnected it from myself and dropped it to the ground..
“Without the power suit any arrow or sword could kill me. Well there’s no choice now,” I said turning back and picking up my sword.
“Now to remember the skills I learnt from Iron Hook. Thou this sword is not curved like a pirate sword. Right, let’s get out there and look for King Chambers.”
I came back outside where the people of Evermore was clashing swords and shields against Sarge’s army. I ducked my way through the terror and looked around the area. I had noticed that the Evermore castle had changed since I wrote about it over a decade ago meaning I wasn’t sure where locations were or if areas had disappeared altogether. Luckily because I was small and not noticeable I wasn’t going to be seen by Sarge or Graford in battle and I crossed over the drawbridge again and went around the side where Wizard and Chisoutsa was. I saw the band rushing into the castle over the drawbridge with Graford. I kept out of harm’s way and headed my way to the side of the castle.
Roger and the band had circled Graford on their horses in the town square markets where the fighting was happening. Graford pointed his staff towards the band, “Your small army is outnumbered Roger. How does it feel to be sending these women and children to death? You have gone soft over the years.”
‘They are fighting for Evermore which you never did yourself.” Roger replied.
Graford created a bomb of smoke around him and Walter raised his staff to blow some light wind towards Graford to uncover the smoke but he had disappear from sight.
“Where the hell did he go?” Duncan snapped.
‘He’s gone inside, likely to meet up with Sarge. Let’s go by foot by now,” Roger ordered the band.
The band hopped off their horses and rushed through the crowds of war as they hit and smashed rivals on the way to the castle main doors. Roger charged into the main entrance room which was limed with golden treasures and statues around the area. They were greet by a dozen figures at the end with fangs watching with intent.
“They look like the vampires that Chisoutsa was talking about. What do we do?”
“Stay alive for now and figure out a way to defeat them,” Roger said eyeballing them all in the distance.
I had made my way to the side of the castle where I saw Wizard and Chisoutsa walking through one of the known side tunnels. I slide down the side of a hill to where they were and waved at them.
“Hey, I’m here,” I shouted out to them.
They both turned around and Chisoutsa noticed that my power suit was gone, “Where’s your suit?” she asked.
“It’s too damaged now and I left it behind. No one can use it now. Is this tunnel we are going through now?” I asked the pair.
“Well it seems like the only tunnel here. Why would they leave tunnels that led into the castle itself?” Wizard wondered lighting up his wand and leading the way into the tunnel.
“King Chambers always panicked about the fear of being trapped in his own castle with no way out so he ordered that there would be some tunnels and secret exits to save him and his family. His top advisor wasn’t so keen on the idea by what I heard,” I answered Wizard’s curious thoughts.
We adventured through the tunnel which was quite dark and cold to say the least. However it was clean and no water was in it until searching the underground maze of The Librarian’s home. We came to a stop where a square wooden door was above us. Chisoutsa leaped up to push it open and climbed up into the room. There on the other side of the room was King Chamber with his eyebrows towards her.
“Oh it’s you. Com to save my skin have you? I have heard some terrible noises in the other section of the castle,” King Chambers cried.
Wizard and I came out of the tunnel and dusted ourselves off while King Chamber was pointing at the door to the other rooms, “There’s a female voice in the throne room. I have no clue she was but there’s vampires everywhere and I hope she’s not messing up my throne. You know how much it cost me to build that thing.”
“You’re very different to King Lion are you King Chambers?” Wizard asked him.
“I take pride in what I have achieved. Let me tell you who was the person who created the band in the first place and helped saved Evermore. You’re in my Kingdom now and I instruct you to bloody save me and my people.”
“Your people are the ones who are fighting this war you know,” Chisoutsa reminded him.
“Of course I know that. I’ll wave a sword around too. It’s just been a long time since I have done so. The throne room is through that door and to your left. Don’t get yourselves caught out,” King Chambers suggested to them as the three of us unlocked the door and headed out. We came out to see the throne room but hide behind a wall. Chisoutsa popped her head around to see Sarge and Graford discussing.
“So if you defeat the band you come back from the dead? That’s a nice offering,” Sarge mentioned to Graford.
“What is your prize Sarge?” he asked her.
“Control of Evermore. Valentine has little interest in a world that has little to offer him. I think I might like this place. It reminds me of the Death Lands, where I used to live until someone destroyed my dream,” Sarge replied thinking of Chisoutsa.
“The band will be here soon enough. Those vampires will make them work hard enough,” Graford noted.
Chisoutsa turned around and pointed in the other room beyond, “That noise over there must be Roger and the band against the vampire. Do you think they know what they’re doing in there?”
“They have a wizard and elf in there. It’s not their first fight you know,” I answered her.
The noises in the other section was indeed Roger and the band as they started their move on the vampires as they disappeared and reappeared in different spots in the room. Roger grew angry about the sudden movement and pulled Walter beside, “Use your magic to stop this. We can’t get a hit on them.”
Walter turned back his slammed his staff on the ground and bolts of flashes appeared from it. The vampires stopped reappearing from different positions in the room and Roger and Duncan went after four demons in the corner and attacked them. One vampire snarled while Roger put one in a headlock and Levi shot an arrow to its head. He dropped the body grabbed another while Walter hit and dodged his way through the section with his staff. Levi stretched out his hand used his own magic to move a table towards him where he jumped up, grabbed for his short sword and stabbed two vampires coming for him. The last remaining vampires headed for Duncan. He swung his battle axe at them, “Get away from me you beasts!”
He ducked down deep and slashed at their legs cutting a number of legs straight off and turned around to Roger and the rest opening the doors and marching on to Graford. He ran up to catch up with them when Sarge and Graford turned around to see them.
“So this is the band you have been telling me Graford. I am impressed you got here in one piece,” Sarge smiled.
Chisoutsa, Wizard, and I appeared from behind the wall to join the band. Sarge walked back and sat down on King Chamber’s throne smiling at Chisoutsa, “I could get used to this.”
King Chambers came out of this room and saw Sarge on his throne and pointed his golden sword towards her, “That is my throne and Kingdom you are sitting on. You won’t be there for long. I can tell you that one.”
“Stand back Chambers we have this sorted,” Roger said stepping forward.
The band snapped into attack mode and shot ahead to Graford while Chisoutsa started to transform into her demon form towards Sarge. Her wings stretched out wide. Sarge snarled her fangs jumped straight up to the ceiling in the throne room.
“King Chambers and Chris, I think it’s time for us to take a walk outside!” he shouted at us. We bolted the other way to make sure that I stayed safe. Roger’s broadsword and Graford’s staff clashed as they pushed each other into the other treasure room to the right of the throne room. Walter fired beams towards Graford but they kept on missing the target and he was trying to miss Roger who was in the fight.
Chisoutsa flew up high and pushed Sarge into the ceiling hard. Sarge grabbed Chisoutsa throat and the two fell down the ground making the castle walls shake with might.
“A rookie demon this is fun to watch,” smiled Sarge.
“I learn quickly,” replied Chisoutsa punching Sarge across the throne room.
She pushed Sarge against the wall and wrestled with her trying to keep her still. Sarge pushed Chisoutsa away and licked her own blood coming down from a side.
“I read in the news about your poor father. What a wasted death and to see you in the demon form. How much shame would he have to see you? You became the very thing he never wanted you to be,” smiled Sarge.
“He would never think that about me!” Chisoutsa roared. Her eyes turned red. She grabbed a sword by the side table in the throne room and charged it right into her. It was almost like Sarge wanted to die at Chisoutsa’s hand as she slid down the side of the wall. She started turning into a soul breaker and Chisoutsa’s eyes widen.
“It was a nasty trick I played on you but you did fear Sarge. Valentine killed her straight after he killed your father. Oh Chisoutsa, you don’t look well at all. You might need a doctor,” said Sarge the soul breaker with her final words said.
Chisoutsa turned around the room feeling tired and dizzy. All of her anger and fear had been overwhelming for her.
Across the room the band was pushed to their limits and wits as Graford continued to dodge their attacks and working them down. Levi came around next to Roger and holding his short sword, “Let’s time our attacks on him, one by one. He’s a soul breaker so he’s not as strong as the real Graford. Work together like we always did, like a team”
“You’re right, focus on his body. Make sure he doesn’t dodge us!” shouted Roger.
Duncan came into smashed the back of Graford. He wobbled on his feet when Levi shot an arrow from the corner of the treasure room and Walter fired a beam of ice to freeze Graford in his position. Out of the smoke of ice and snow Graford saw Roger flying in with his broadsword from the air and swung his sword and took his head off like a blade. Graford transformed into the soul breaker while the head rolled along the ground towards the door way where the band noticed Chisoutsa was standing still.
“Is she alright?” Duncan asked placing back his battle axe over his back.
Roger and Walter walked up to her and looked at her face, her eyes was still glowing red, “Are you ok?” Walter asked concerned.
“I’m not, I can’t transform. I’m not human anymore,” she answered him and she dropped to the ground. Roger and Walter helped her up and started to carry her.
“What the hell happened? She took care of Sarge, did she do something to her?” Duncan asked confused.
Levi appeared and checked out her face and body while Roger and Walter held her up in place, “I don’t know but she’s feels different to me. Like something has changed in her. We need to call for help.”
Outside the main castle gates, the people’s army had contained the battle and had overthrown most of the army of Sarge and Graford’s. The battles were still been fought out in the hills of the castle when the group came together in King Chamber’s private bedroom to discuss about the plan of attack in the Author’s War. Chisoutsa was rested on Chamber’s bed while Roger and Wizard discussed the updates from the other planets.
“This remote device from the Maris ship allows us to send short messages to the network of computers across our friends. The Time Cruisers have space travel due to the friendly commander who gave us the knowledge. Chris will be taken to LegoLand as there is one final area in our world that needs attention. I will be taking Chisoutsa with me and collecting Lucas, Mr, Umezu and Alan Richards too and going to Earth. Chris here has suggested that Hayden Norman an expert on spirits that include ghosts and demons can help us out here.”
Wizard turned to me for a moment, “Valentine has returned back to Earth and has been building up power again for some reason. The good news that we have built up our own power too and we can reverse his terrible deeds on these planets and return them to where they came from. Time travel and universe travel is also open to use again but we still need to make sure that it’s safe and meaningful to do so in these times.”
King Chambers was in a happier mood and start shaking everyone’s hands, “I like to thank you all for helping the Kingdom of Evermore and putting the faith back in the people. There’s been despair and sorrow in these times and all this run around that Valentine has done. It’s almost like he’s doing just to suck the depression and the darkness that clouds their minds. But anyway you all did a great work. No reward from me and to you the band. I did finally pay all that gold to you in your last adventure,” King Chambers spoke out.
“Yeah that took years for that to happen,” Duncan comment on the matter.
“What if that is what he’s doing all this time?” I asked the group.
“What do you mean?” Roger asked me.
“His power in the past was electricity at the start of the war to power the tower and it worked. After that he started getting us to run around the different universes while he destroyed and terrorized the people on those planets. What if he’s using that negative energy from people and using it for the final act of the war. We just don’t know what that is yet,” I answered him.
“That actually makes sense you know. King Chambers might have helped piece together the puzzle on why Valentine has been doing this,” Wizard noted.
“Glad to be of help but you all need to go and let’s return back to what we did best. Staying in our universes and looking after each other,” King Chambers said.
Roger stepped and nodded to everyone, “Thank you for all your help. Our planet will be returned when you leave. It is good that in other worlds people fight for what they believe in and do it with heart. Goodbye,”
“Thanks Roger and the band. It’s been great revisiting this past. Till we meet again,” I replied back smiling.
We took the damaged Chisoutsa outside until the Time Cruiser arrived to take me back to my first universe I ever knew. Than the Maris II took Wizard and Chisoutsa across to Chisoutsa’s world and then back to Earth to solve her problem of being a demon and why was sleeping.
