Chapter 85: Excalibur
Redbaron, Silverchris and Lucidreams were all tied up against the wall in some faraway fantasy castle. They were wearing brown tattered clothes and their hair was all a mess and had lice. They had been locked up here ever since Eldanen cast the Idea of No Gays, this is all they were. Prisoners.
“We’re the forgotten ones” Lucid said sadly. “I know we were never that strong compared to the other adventurers. Are we being punished for being weak?” he wondered.
“No…. we must have been locked up for a reason. We’re meant to do something good, I know it” Silverchris said.
“The last thing I remember is that huge bully-in-black destroying a building with one hand and then poof, I-I’m here. Tied up against the wall, getting dirtier and smellier with each passing day” Lucid said.
Suddenly, a white angel materialized in front of the three. She had strawberry-orange hair and wore a circular pendant. She was wearing a long off-white robe. “Yes, you three are the Lost Hearts of the 16types adventures. Half-demons who were saved by a dimensional trapping in the folds of time. You truly are humanity’s last hope” the wise angel said.
Redbaron blinked. “We? I-I’m just a naïve middle-class housewife that spinelessly agrees with what everybody says on internet message boards” Redbaron said. “I can’t possibly be a hero.”
“And I’m just a person who makes wishy-washy comments and I let Gilly walk all over me and I am vapid and empty and clear inside. It’s like I have no masculine core. Mommy help me I’m just a black white-acting nobody!” Silverchris shrieked.
“The Gods chose you because of your humility” the angel said. “They knew you were innocent and human enough to handle the power of the Mighty Sword Excalibur. You will use it slay the Idea of Homophobia’s corporeal form and bring balance and peace back into Earth.”
Redbaron frowned. “I t-think you got the wrong people I mean-“
“The Gods do not falter in such a fashion!” the angel said, her voice booming like an overbearing mother. “Now, I shall free you three of your chains. You must work together and overcome the trials in this castle. If at least one of you can reach the sword Excalibur, then humanity might be saved.”
“If it’s our destiny…why not just give us the sword ourselves?” Silverchris asked.
“You must still prove yourselves. Good does not force. Only Evil.” The angel then waved his hands and the chains bounding them were unleashed. “Play well, children. The very fate of humanity rests in your hands!”
“F-finally” Redbaron said. She looked around at her physical surroundings. There was a cold draft coming from all directions of the castle’s walls. They were way high up, when you looked out the windows you saw nothing but fast passing clouds. “Where are we?” Redbaron asked, but the angel had vanished- there was nothing here but the trio, although she sensed danger lurking in the distance.
“We can do this” Lucid said, trying to be confident. “We have powers, and stuff. I can heal….Silver you tank (because he’s black) man, and Redbaron you have strong magic attacks. Remember the basics, r-right?”
Silver stepped up. His body was trembling. “I-I’m not much of a t-tank b-but okay.” He took one step forward and heard rustling in the distance. A swarm of bats flew down toward the trio. They screamed and ducked down.
Redbaron squinted her eyes. “That tree, it’s just an illusion. What’s a tree doing in a castle?” She cast a fire spell on the tree but it bounced back and Redbaron was caught on fire instead.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Redbaron said. She was on fire now. Silverchris tackled her and rolled her down. Shit, second-degree burns. She’d be scarred for life. Lucid healed her, but his heals were never that good and were only enough to keep her alive, not get rid of the burn marks.
Redbaron started crying. Lucid went up to her and slapped her. “Get up. We can’t be wusses here.”
“But we ARE wusses. We aren’t cut out for this” Redbaron said.
“You should have known better then to cast spells on an Illusion” Silverchris said directly.
Rebaron apologized and walked further in the castle. She tripped over a vase and apologized to the vase for tripping over it. Both Lucid and Chris facepalmed at that.
“This is going to be a long dungeon” Lucid said.
Suddenly, a big red door like the end of a Super Mario World castle appeared before the trio. Apparently not that long. Behind the door, exclaibur could be seen shining and sparkling. They made it. There was text etched on the podium where the sword lay penetrated:
“What is hope but an illusion? An hope for a reality that well, isn’t real. But just because it isn’t real, doesn’t mean that it’s not. For the light of pure hope is the only thing that can save us when everything real has gone to shit. Like the gray steppe-ish upliftedness of pure poetry, only the power of a world not thought before can take us to the next one. Forged from humanity’s First Tears, this weapon can be used for one Pure Idea. I am not only Excalibur, but I am also the Idea of Hope. Anybody can use me though. Even Hope can be wield for twisted schemes, sadly. I hope whomever has discovered me, is truly worthy.”
Lucid read all that and felt inspired. He touched the sword and suddenly, holy rays of pure white light blasted out Lucid, Silverchris and Redbaron’s hearts. They collapsed on the floor together in unison. But they died being good guys fighting the good fight. Like Numbers, they died knowing who they were.
“Are they worthy, or is that just what we tell ourselves to feel better?” the angel said, materializing into the room and observing all the loss…all the destruction. She honestly didn’t know. “The sword killed those poor people…and then it fell back down to earth. Landed god knows where. I’m not sure if this is a good thing, or a bad thing. But I don’t want to say ‘it is what it is’ like jaded 20-somethings with no hope, that live the most mediocre, middle class lifestyles.” The angel sighed and went back to sitting in a chair in the castle. “It sucks being an angel sometimes” it said.