Kai steps through the portal and blinks the strange light from her eyes. As they begin to gain focus again she double takes at the strange sight that lies before her. The sky is a mixture of strange colors and patterns. The ground is laid out in twisting winding slender paths that snake up and down and in directions she didn't think possible. In the distance strange flying creatures twirl through the air. The air feels electric, like every movement she makes has a power behind it. She twists around confused and lays eyes on a large decrepit looking structure. It appears to be a large spire like palace with a wide open circular courtyard. The structure itself seems to be crumbling with cracks running the length of the walls and pieces broken off. The strangeness of the sight momentarily distracts her from Charmcaster who nonchalantly walks towards the strange tower.
"Hey!" Kai calls out. Charmcaster pauses and turns back.
"What's the big idea? Where are we?" She demands. Charmcaster scoffs.
"Oh relax. You're in Ledgerdomain. This is my place. I just needed to grab a few things from here and then we can go track down the Forever Knights." She explained. Kai looks between her and the rough tower of stone and marble. She smirks.
"This is your home? It's kind of a dump. I was expecting more." Kai taunts. Charmcaster turns to regard the palace and her face falls slightly as she takes in it's sight. But her expression hardens again as she stalks forward.
"I'm in the middle of remodeling so sue me." She calls back defensively. Kai follows her to the main doors of the structure. With a wave of her hands the enormous double doors swing open. Kai peers inside and isn't surprised to find the interior of the structure matches the exterior. Once beautifully decorated rugs now sit haphazardly with rips and tears on the floor. What little decorations there are sit smashed on the ground. Two large stair cases on either side of the foyer lead up to a second floor with broken banisters lining their walkway.
Charmcaster begins to ascend one of the large stair cases with Kai following closely behind. She leads them through long vaulted halls each with more damage than the next. They pass by multiple rooms with even more damage. Kai becomes concerned but Charmcaster doesn't seem to pay the chaos any mind, as though she was expecting it to be there.
"Geez what happened here?" She finally asked.
"None of your business." Charmcaster replied snappily. Kai winced and trying to change the subject asked another question.
"So what is it that you need to get from here anyway?" Kai asked.
"Oh just some equipment and stuff to help track down the sword." Charmcaster replied much more easily. Kai looked at her incredulously.
"I thought you said you knew where the Forever Knights were hiding it." Kai asked upset. Charmcaster turned around and looked slightly sheepish.
"I know approximate locations but not exact." She replied. Kai crossed her arms and glared at her, but Charmcaster waved off her concern. "It's fine, a simple tracking spell will get us there in no time. Why is this sword so important to you anyway?" She finally asked. Kai rubbed her arm self-conciously.
"Me and my grandfather were looking for it years back. We almost had it in our grasp too if Ben hadn't mucked it up. Come to think of it that was the first time we'd seen each other in years." She remembered fondly. Charmcaster only hummed in response.
"Speaking of Ben and his entourage. Where are they? Does it have anything to do with Gwen being off world?" She asked. Kai scoffed and raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"You're kidding right? You don't know about Ben?" Kai asked. Charmcaster looked at her even more confused.
"No why?" She asked. Kai shook her head and answered.
"Ben's been gone for the last 3 years. Nobody knows where he went. And now that trouble is coming back Gwen and her group have gone out to find him." Kai explained. Charmcaster looked surprised. "I can't believe you didn't know that. Where have you been the last few years?" She asked. Charmcaster glanced down the hallway with a faraway expression as she took in the sight of the ruined rooms and broken chandeliers and tapestries adorning the walls and ceiling.
"I've just been dealing with some personal stuff." She said quietly. Shaking her head Charmcaster continued down the hall until she reached a room on the end of one side of the large hallway. She opened the door and led Kai in. Surprisingly this room seemed the most intact of the ones that Kai had passed. It was a circular room with a cauldron in the middle. Booksheleves lined the walls filled with large tomes, assorted plants, and other strange magical artifacts. While the room did have a messy feel to it there was no sign of the destruction common to the rest of Charmcaster's palace.
Charmcaster set about the room collecting a few books and various materials. Some she stuffed in her charm bag and others she simply carried in her arms. She began dropping materials into the cauldron and lighting candles placed around the room in a ritualistic manner. Kai watched her from the side, leaning against a stone wall. She grew impatient as Charmcaster continued her work silently.
"How much longer will this take?" Kai asked.
"It'll take as long as it takes." Charmcaster replied simply. She began stirring the cauldron and speaking an incantation. The greenish mixture of liquid in the pot began to swirl and change color. First it glowed purple before resolving into a clear solution. Intrigued, Kai walked over to the cauldron and peered into it. As Charmcaster finished casting her spell the surface of the liquid rippled and revealed an image. It looked like a square concrete building surrounded by a green field with a blue sky overhead. Sparse trees and bushes were located around the building.
"Bingo." Charmcaster snapped her fingers. The image soon disappeared and another swirling portal appeared next to the duo.
"Well come on, we don't have all day." Charmcaster called before stepping through the portal. Kai followed suit soon after. In another moment she found herself in an open field in front of the concrete building from the vision. She looked around her and found a street of suburban looking houses and businesses behind her.
"Where are we?" Kai asked.
"Somewhere outside London. But more importantly Excalibur is in there." Charmcaster pointed at the older unmarked building. She started to walk towards the structure but Kai's hand grasped her by the jacket and ducked her down behind a large boulder.
"Are you crazy? We can't just go waltzing in there!" Kai scolded.
"Well why not?" Charmcaster asked annoyed.
"That building is probably filled to the brim with Forever Knights. Not to mention we know nothing about it's layout or defenses. We don't even know where the sword is in there. We've gotta do some recon before we go in." Kai explained. Charmcaster rolled her eyes.
"Fine, we'll do it your way." She sighed. Kai smirked and pulled out her phone.
"Wow you gave in a lot easier than I thought you would." Kai said as she began typing text. Charmcaster scoffed again.
"I'm trying to be more 'cooperative' as you might say." Charmcaster folded her arms and sat back against the boulder. For the next hour Kai spent time looking up information on her phone, downloading schematics and maps. Charmcaster meanwhile spent time rolling her charm beasts around her fingers, bored out of her mind. When Kai at last spoke up she was ecstatic.
"Ok it looks like this building is an old bomb shelter from during the blitz. Its got tons of underground tunnels and passages with store rooms. My bet is that they're keeping Excalibur on the lowest levels." Kai postulated. "Now we just need to figure out a way to get in, get the sword, and get out without being seen." Kai said.
"Uh hate to break it to you but there's no way you're going to be able to pull the sword from the stone." Charmcaster interrupted. Kai smiled smugly.
"Actually last time I encountered the sword it came loose just a bit." She said proudly. Charmcaster scoffed.
"Yeah right. Excalibur is a magic sword that chooses it's owner. Why on earth would it choose you?" She asked incredulously. Kai frowned and pointed a finger at her chest.
"Oh and you think you'd be worthy?" Kai retorted.
"Well I am one of the most powerful magic users in the universe." Charmcaster responded proudly.
"Not stronger than Gwen though." Kai replied with a smirk. Charmcaster balled her fists and looked as though she was going to erupt. But instead she let out a deep huff.
"Look, it doesn't matter. If you get me in there I can teleport the sword out with the stone as well." She finally said.
"Great, do you have any spells that will make us invisible?" Kai asked excitedly. Charmcaster looked surprised and then turned away sheepishly.
"I do but I… left it in my other spellbook? Hehe." She admitted shyly. Kai face palmed.
"You didn't think to bring that spell book for the stealth mission?" Kai asked exasperated.
"Hey you're the one that wanted to make it a 'stealth' mission. I wanted to bust down the front door. The only reason we're doing it your way is because you don't have any powers and I can't be there to protect you the whole time." Charmcaster rebuked. Kai looked offended.
"Hey I have plenty of talents! Like Judo, archeological knowledge, plumber training…" Kai began to list off. Charmcaster rolled her eyes.
"Alright then miss ninja. Why don't you lead the charge." Charmcaster glared at her. Kai met her gaze with an equal intensity.
"Why I'd be glad to miss witch." Kai responded before getting up to approach the shelter. Charmcaster furrowed her brow in frustration as Kai left.
"Oh you're almost as annoying as Gwen." She said under her breath.
Charmcaster and Kai made their way to the front of the building. A blue steel door stood as the entry way for the bunker. A panel next to the door stood out with buttons and a display screen. Kai tested the door and found it locked. She examined the keypad with a curious eye. She pulled out a device from her back pocket and connected it to the key pad with a wire. Charmcaster watched curiously from the side as Kai entered in some commands on her device. The device sent an electrical surge into the keypad which then beeped. A second later the steel bolt holding the door unlocked with a click. Kai pulled the door open and held it open for Charmcaster.
"Lockbreaker, standard issue for plumbers." Kai said proudly. Charmcaster rolled her eyes.
The pair entered the concrete building. The interior was fairly sparse. Steel shelves lined the walls filled with junk and empty paint cans. The floor was made up of rusty square steel panels. Fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling, giving an eerie light to the otherwise empty space. The room had the smell of old motor oil and damp mold.
"Let's see, according to these schematics the entrance to the bunker should be over there." Kai pointed to the far end of the building. Charmcaster looked over but saw nothing but an empty wall. Kai crouched down to the floor and began searching the space for something. At last her fingers caught on a loose panel which she pried up to reveal a lever in the floor. Pulling the switch caused a loud clanging noise to echo through out the facility. The far end of the floor started sliding backwards with a loud grinding noise. It revealed a wide dark passage sloping downwards into a tunnel.
"See, what did I tell ya?" Kai bragged.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Charmcaster said dismissively.
The pair began to descend into the dark hallway. The tunnel passages were lined only with brick and small caged lights like those in industrial buildings. The meager light was just barely enough for them to navigate the twists and turns of the passageway. Gradually the dirt and stone walls began to transition into metal siding and steel floors as they progressed further into the base. As they approached another turn they began to hear voices from far in front of them. Kai pushed a finger to her lips and beckoned Charmcaster forward quietly. They peeked around the corner and found two forever knights conversing in the hallway. Their armor was the standard form of most of the knights. Each carried a laser lance on their hip.
"Alright," Kai whispered. "We'll have to do this quietly and quickly so we don't alert the rest of the base. I'll sneak up behind one of them and put him in a sleeper hold while you attack the other one." Kai planned.
"Or we could just do this…" Charmcaster said raising a hand. "Somnias Potentiae." She whispered with a wave of her hand. Purple magic glowed around her finger tips and then appeared around the guards' heads. In a minute they both collapsed to the ground fast asleep. Kai stepped out from around the corner to inspect the guards.
"Impressive work." She said with a smile.
"Thanks, it's just a basic sleeping spell though. But it should keep them out for the next few hours." Charmcaster answered.
The pair continued working their way through the base. Following the schematics Kai had downloaded to her phone they were able to navigate the labyrinth of corridors and rooms fairly easily. As they progressed deeper into the base they began encountering more gaurds and knights. Luckily they were able to safely dispose of them through a combination of Charmcaster's magic and Kai's martial arts abilities. They hid the incapacitated knights in storage closets and side passages where they would be less likely to be discovered. Finally they came to a large room, lit by hundreds of fluorescent lights.
The girls headed inside, quickly hiding behind a large piece of machinery to assess the situation. The room they found themselves in definitely seemed to be the central chamber of the hideout. The floor was lined with banks of computers, machinery, and walls of readouts. Numerous catwalks hung from the ceiling. Dozens of Forever Knights milled around the space adjusting settings on the various machines and equipment. Looking around they saw numerous thick heavy cables running the length of the floor. Following the cables they saw them eventually thin and lead to their prize. In the center of the room, still embedded deep in the stone was the sword Excalibur. The sword had numerous metal clamps attached along it's blade and hilt.
Before the girls could decide on a plan of attack they noticed activity in the center of the room. They watched as the various knights ran around the room flipping switches and pulling levers. They began calling out numbers and figures to one another. The lights began to flicker and the hum of engines and machinery began to fill the air. They looked up to one of the catwalks as a voice called out.
"Are preparations for the test ready?" called the authoritative voice. Charmcaster and Kai peered upwards to see a figure dressed in royal robes and a crown standing on the catwalk above. He had dark black hair and a scar crossing down his right eye. He also had strange faintly blue marks criss crossing his skin.
"Ok so I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that guy's the leader yeah?" Charmcaster whispered. Kai nodded.
"Joseph Chadwick. After the main group of Forever Knights were disbanded or destroyed he took control of the remnants. He was the one who originally tried to steal the sword but he didn't succeed. Last I saw he sank under the Thames with the sword." Kai commented.
"So what are they doing with it now?" Charmcaster asked.
"I have a feeling we're about to find out." Kai responded.
"Men, ready the energy transferrence machine. Prepare to engage on my mark! 3, 2, 1, Mark!" Chadwick called out. The forever knights began flipping switches and turning dials. The hum of electricity grew louder and louder. Excalibur began to glow white as the rest of the room darkened. The glowing energy started to siphon off the sword and down the long cables attached to the blade. The gauges on the banks of computers began to elevate higher and higher. The energy drained off the sword into a row of large metallic cylinders lining the floor.
"Yes, yes, it's working!" Chadwick called out. But just after he said that the sound of an alarm began to go off. Red lights flashed on and off as the sirens blared.
"Sir, the machines are going critical. We have to end the experiment!" One of the knights called off. Chadwick growled and gripped the railing with clawed gauntlets. "Shut off the device!" he yelled out. The knights immediately began reversing their switches, presumably shutting down the device. Gradually the glow of energy from the sword dissipated as did the ever present hum of machinery.
"What are they trying to do?" Kai asked in a whispered tone.
"It looks like they're trying to siphon the energy from Excalibur." Charmcaster answered.
"We've got to stop them!" Kai said harshly.
"Ok so what's the plan?" Charmcaster asked.
"You go left, I'll go right. We'll disable the machines and then you can perform your portal spell to get us and the sword out of here. I'll run distraction for you." Kai said. Charmcaster nodded resolutely.
"All right, then let's go! Hey!" Kai shouted startled as both she and Charmcaster were lifted up from behind. Thick metal gauntlets wrapped themselves around their necks as they were hoisted up into the air. The girls struggled against their restraints to no avail.
"Well, well, well. Lookie what we've got here. A pair of saboteurs I take it." Said a rough british accent from behind them. They were just able to crane their heads around to see a large burly knight whose face was partially covered by a visor. He gave them a wicked smile with crooked teeth before he paraded them out into the center of the room.
"My lord look who I've discovered." He called out above as he carried both of them to the center of the room. Chadwick looked down from his perch and smiled wickedly. Kai and Charmcaster exchanged worried glances. This was not going to go well.
A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this little side adventure. It's short so the next chapter will be the end of this arc but I hope that it serves as a pretty good start for Charmcaster's redemption.