Book of the Underground

  Sheila and Rocky arrived at Dultona’s castle where Charlie and Ted were now captured, and crept up slowly around the edge of the woods until they spotted the entrance door.

  “Alright, on my command, okay?” whispered Sheila to Rocky.

  Rocky nodded, grunting in response.

  Sheila examined her hand. She was wearing her brother’s ring which lit blue, warning her of enemies.

  A couple of guards stood at the entrance door to the castle, both appearing to be asleep but still standing.

  “They’re asleep,” said Sheila. “Let’s go.”

  The door guards continued to snore as Rocky and Sheila then crept up alongside the castle until they reached the edge of the wall where right around the corner one of the guards stood.

  Rocky quickly grabbed one of the guards from around the corner and pulled him back towards him, knocking him out with his powerful strength. Even though the guard was a pretty big monster, a green guy in armor, Rocky knocked him out and then grabbed his armor.

  Rocky then stood looking down at Sheila a minute later, now in gray and silver armor, hovering over the guard, as if waiting for a compliment.

  “You look excellent,” commented Sheila. “Now let’s get the other guy.”

  Rocky turned around the corner to the entrance doors to see the other guard standing on the other side. He walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, waking him up.

  “Huh?” the guard mumbled as he awoke.

  Rocky then punched him straight in the face, knocking him out as well.

  “Alright, let’s go, Rocky,” said Sheila.

  She opened the entrance doors slowly to see an entrance hall, and quietly she and Rocky sneaked in. They were now inside the castle.

  Inside the castle, a group of Dultona’s followers were huddled in the center of the entrance to the giant stairwell leading into the halls.

  “What are you two doing here?” yelled the first to notice.

  “Rocky, let’s kill them!” ordered Sheila.

  Rocky then became fiercely angry and charged at them, knocking out a few within a couple of seconds.

  The rest of the followers removed their hoods to reveal demonic-like faces with horns and big evil-red eyes.

  A few leaped up onto Rocky and began to pierce their long and pointy claws in between the rocks that Rocky’s arms were made of, the perfect weakness points for a rock-made monster.

  Rocky screamed in rage!

  Sheila turned completely into the creature she was cursed to become and leaped at one of the demons. She stuck her long pointy claws right into both of its eyes, blinding it. The rest backed off.

  At the same time Rocky swung one of the demons off of him, throwing it at a few others, wiping them out.

  Sheila then shrieked at a couple of the demons, intimidating them as a warning to step back from her now that they knew how strong she really was.

  Rocky let out another roar of rage, then yelled “DIE!!” as he knocked out four in a row with one fist.

  A few demon followers took off to their master, who was somewhere deep in the castle, most likely in his throne.

  Not far into the castle, a couple more of Dultona’s followers heard the sound of Rocky’s voice coming from the entrance room and began to walk towards the sound of it. Before they could get out there, one of the followers from the entrance room hurried up to them with a look of fright in his eyes.

  The frightened one then got his neck grasped by one of the two who were unaware of what is going on.

  “Who’s here?”

  “One of Bouldan’s men, the one who helped the boy escape!”

  “Why are you running?!”

  The frightened demon-in-a-cloak swallowed his breath, unsure what to say... because Sheila was standing right behind the two followers unaware of the situation.

  The demon getting his neck grasped pointed a finger towards Sheila, whose wings were spread out, ready to attack the remaining demons in sight.

  With one motion, Sheila broke both of the necks of the two whose backs were turned to her with her beastly hands. They fell to the floor, lifeless, their red cloaks spread out on the floor.

  The frightened demon continued to stare up at Sheila in fright. She then attacked it.

  Demonic cries were still heard from the hall leading back to the entrance room, where Rocky was taking out the rest of the followers at that end.

  Rocky took out the last remaining follower with his fist, then ran up the stairway and down the hall to meet back up with Sheila, who was now wearing a red cloak.

  A naked demon was lying there completely dead next to two others, still in their cloaks.

  From under the red cloak, Sheila put up a finger to her lips to signal Rocky to keep quiet. She then signaled for him to follow behind her, and together they quietly continued down the hall to try and find Charlie and Ted before it was too late.

  Dultona sat in his throne, tempted for Joe James to

  arrive soon with the Book of the Underground and for his chance at power over the human civilization to finally be put into action. Also, his chance for revenge, not just on the guy we all know as Charlie James but also on the man who escaped his premises twenty years ago... Ted Grey, who is now finally imprisoned once again in his castle.

  Dultona began to mess with the lake of lava surrounding his throne. He created small waves, then a whirlpool… and then it dropped, and the waves fell back to the surface. He laughed evilly.

  Sheila and Rocky continued to make their way through the castle, still in hopes to find Charlie and Ted and free them before it’s too late.

  Down a wide-spaced castle hall were pictures of demons, humans fighting dragons, numerous monsters, and strange places hung up along the walls on both sides. Torches lit up their way. The hall smelled like sulfur.

  At the end of the hall, a giant painting of a throne with horns risen up from the other side was placed on the wall. Dultona’s throne. In a painting… how likely.

  Sheila and Rocky stepped up to the painting of the Dark Master and examined it.

  “A bit conceited, don’t you think?” commented Sheila.

  Rocky grunted in response.

  Sheila then clawed the picture from top to bottom in anger, and magically the painting started to bleed a black liquid. “It’s been enchanted with demons’ blood,” she said as she examined it, tasting the blood on her fingertips.

  Rocky said nothing of it.

  “Let’s get going,” instructed Sheila.

  They then took a left down another hall, Rocky punching a hole in the painting before walking away. Demons’ blood rushed out of the painting.

  After two or three turns though the castle halls, a big roar and the smell of smoke then struck their attention. Muri’s dragon.

  “This way,” ordered Sheila, and Rocky followed.

  Ted’s ring started to light up again dramatically.

  As they continued down the hall towards the roar and the smoke, a faint voice was then heard from the room it was coming from. Unable to make out what was heard, Sheila signaled Rocky to stop then continued alone towards the room.

  Suddenly, a group of followers were heard from around the corner near the room.

  Sheila quickly looked at Rocky and made out the word ‘hide’ silently.

  Rocky stepped back into a space in the wall next to where he was standing.

  Sheila was still wearing the red cloak she took from one of the demons earlier, so she wasn’t too worried herself.

  She stepped up to what appeared to be the right door leading into the room with the dragon and hid herself behind it until the group of Dultona’s followers turned the corner and began to walk into the room.

  Sheila followed them in from behind. She fit r
ight in with them, and with her head down under the red hood of the cloak she was wearing, she couldn’t give away her identity unless asked to speak.

  “I see you all have come to join us?” welcomed Muri from inside the room, who stood next to what was his dragon and Bouldan, who was placing some sort of mechanism over the dragon’s mouth to prevent it from breathing fire.

  The dragon appeared to be chained to the floor, but directly over what appeared to be a gray-colored circular-like stone platform about a foot off the ground. And as the dragon struggled to break free of the chains, what appeared to be symbols were engraved into the stone alongside of it... a portal.

  Judging by the portal being guarded by the dragon it must be the portal back to the well! A way back home as soon as she finds Charlie and Ted.

  Also, set across a small table where Bouldan stood lay two swords... but where was Charlie’s ring?

  The group of demon followers all lined up alongside the wall of the room, and Sheila did the same.

  The room was pretty dark other than the light from the torches surrounding half of it. Against the wall it was even harder for Sheila to be noticed.

  Muri then began to speak. “Welcome, demons. This raging beast of a dragon here is my first prized possession, Nightwing.”

  The dragon Nightwing growled in anger. It couldn’t breathe fire now that the mechanism holding its mouth shut was there.

  “He has lived many years to this day,” Muri

  continued. “I raised him from when he was just only an egg about to hatch.”

  Who would have known this guy would own a dragon? thought Sheila.

  “The last ten years he was taken from me and used as a weapon, a monster, in the Black Cave for use in the final challenge. I was just given the opportunity to free him from the cave if I bring the boy to the Dark Master.”

  Where’s my brother? thought Sheila.

  “The boy is now back in his cell along with another man, a man we all know as one of the four who have escaped twenty years ago. Ted Grey.”

  I need to get out of here... I have an idea where you are now.

  Muri continued to fill Dultona’s followers in on the details and ended with these final words... “And tonight, Dultona will become powerful enough to rule the Earth.”

  The demons then let out a strange growling sound of applause, their faces still hidden under their cloaks.

  Sheila quickly mutated her face slightly into the creature she was cursed to be and mimicked the growl quietly, trying not to give away her identity.

  “Now, let’s go to the Dark Master, shall we?” ordered Muri. He then began to lead the group of demon followers out of the room. “Come on, Bouldan,” he assisted Bouldan, who was fascinated by Nightwing.

  He turned to his dragon. “Goodbye, Nightwing.”

  Muri then exited the room, followed by Bouldan and the followers.

  Sheila waited to exit the room after the last follower, staying close behind the group until they took a left at the corner they came from earlier, and she stayed behind.

  Once the sound of footsteps was gone, she turned around and quickly walked back into the room to grab Charlie’s and Ted’s swords from the small table. She then returned back to the hall to where Rocky still stayed hidden in the space in the wall. “Come on, big guy, the coast is clear,” she said to Rocky, who appeared to be about to doze off to sleep from standing there too long.

  Rocky then stepped out from the space, still in the armor he took from one of the entrance guards earlier.

  “Okay, listen, they’re keeping Charlie and my brother in a cell,” said Sheila. “Any idea where we need to go?”

  The cell room.

  “This way,” replied Rocky. Rocky then led Sheila down the hall, and at the end of the hall he took a right.

  Sheila followed straight behind him.

  Down the hall they continued to go, and after a few left turns they were standing in what was a big room with a bunch of imprisoned monsters in cells.

  The monsters raged in anger. A black reptile-like creature with long pointy claws and big eyes stared at them as they made their way through the Room of Cells.

  The gargoyle let out its shriek again.

  The striped one with the missing eyeballs that quickly shifted from one side of its cell to another swiftly planted itself at its cell’s bars, causing Sheila to jump.

  You’re all kept here as slaves, Sheila thought.

  What sounded like Charlie’s voice was then heard. “Someone’s coming.”

  Sheila and Rocky then hurried over to the cell where Charlie and Ted were indeed imprisoned.

  “Sheila, Rocky!” responded Charlie in relief.

  “I knew you would come,” responded Ted.

  “Alright, shh,” whispered Sheila. “Keep your voices down.”

  “Charlie,” said Rocky, happy to see him alive.

  “What are you guys wearing?” questioned Charlie.

  “I managed to steal a cloak from one of Dultona’s followers, and big guy here took some armor from one of the entrance guards,” replied Sheila.

  “Excellent,” said Ted.

  “Hell yeah,” said Charlie.

  “I’ve brought you your weapons as well,” said Sheila, handing them their swords. “Here.”

  “Thank god,” responded Charlie.

  “Now how do we get you guys out of here?”

  At that moment the cell-keeper entered the cell room. “What are you two doing here?!” the old hunchbacked creature yelled.

  Sheila then spread her wings, ripping the cloak apart, and leaped up into the air at the cell-keeper. She landed on top of him and broke his neck.

  The cell-keeper fell to the floor dead.

  In his hands were a bunch of different keys, all a rusty brown color.

  “Which one is it, Rocky?” asked Sheila.

  Rocky stepped up behind her.

  Sheila picked up the keys and examined them.

  Rocky shrugged his shoulders, grunting.

  A creature from one of the cells then spoke. “The one with the cross in the ring.”

  Sheila acknowledged this. “Thanks,” she said to what appeared to be the striped monster.

  Now with the set of keys Sheila walked back up to Charlie and Ted’s cell and used the key with the cross in the ring at the end of it to unlock it. Finally.

  The second they were out Ted gave his sister a big hug, and Rocky patted Charlie on his shoulder.

  “Nice to see you made it, Rocky,” said Charlie. “You look pretty intimidating with that armor you have on.”

  Rocky smiled.

  “Okay, I found you a way out of here, Charlie,” said Sheila.

  “Really?” exclaimed Charlie.

  “Yes. But we’ll discuss it later.”

  “You’ll be home soon,” informed Ted.

  After a few moments of welcoming each other back, the four heroes began to walk away from the cell room. They stepped over the dead cell-keeper while they made their way out... then Sheila had an idea in mind.

  “I can’t leave them here like this,” she said, taking a glance back at the monsters in their cells.

  Charlie looked at her in confusion. Are you kidding? He thought.

  “They can help us fight,” said Ted, stepping in, reading Sheila’s mind.

  “They can, but right now they’re weak,” said Charlie. “Every prisoner gets injected with some sort of serum every hour so that they aren’t strong enough to break from their cells.” He pointed to a belt around the cell-keeper’s waist, which held multiple shots of a strange liquid. A liquid to make the monsters weak.

  “It’s been a little over an hour,” spoke the striped monster. “Shortly, we can fight. The drug is wearing off.
”

  The monsters then let out a roar of agreement. Rocky grunted in respect.

  “Well, not a bad idea,” commented Ted.

  “Alright, as long as they’re on our team, I want to stay and help them fight,” said Charlie. “Maybe it’s part of my destiny.”

  And with that Sheila began to unlock the first monster’s cell... then the next.

  Charlie took the keys and unlocked a few cells.

  Ted unlocked the gargoyle’s cell, stepping out of its way as it fiercely barged out of its cell desperately.

  Rocky’s hands were too big to help with the cells.

  Eventually all of the cells were unlocked and the monsters were free!

  “Now, shall we begin?” announced Sheila.

  The monsters let out a loud roar of revenge. A fight was about to begin.

  “Monsters vs. demons,” said Charlie. “This is gonna be epic.”

  Chapter 26