The bard and the knight enter through the thick fog. Garth readies his weapon as a hand comes out! Will jumps, but his heart settles.

The branch of a dead tree shakes, warning them to turn back. Their hearts thud louder than a drum as they near the castle. The bard knows he will have to fight a zombified Drago. But he questions whether he will be ready for that. A grip on his shoulder brings him back to reality.

"We will make it," the knight assures him.

"There's an epic story for me to sing for those to hear. I'm not letting that pass," Will strums louder to overcome his fears and doubts. Also, to send a message to the Queen that she will pay for what she did.

The black insignia flares up at the gate. The blind bard and knight clutch themselves. The wind exiting the kingdom gnashes past the armor they're wearing. Will puts his right hand near his mouth. With an exhale, his warm breath lands on it.

Their noses are the next thing attacked. The foul odor of corpses almost makes them gag, but they swallow their vomit.

Garth recollects himself. "I will translate the insignia. The living who enter shall never return. When you die, your soul shall fall under my absolute obedience. Turn around if you value your lives."

William feels through his suitcase and wears the large coat over his light jacket and gloves that allow for dexterity of his fingers. Even with the warm clothes, the wind still bites at his skin. He strums his instrument while digging deeper.

"May this spell give us warmth to weather this cold,
Let our blood get strong and bold.
Let our strength and magic intensify,

Amplify Garth's vision to his eye,

For we shall annoy the Queen like a gadfly.

"May Garth's sword swing true,
Leaving the enemies black and blue."

Let us be nimble and quick,
To avoid an enemy's trick.
May our defenses be stronger than any shield,
To an onslaught, we will not yield."

Garth feels several things happening to him at once. His muscles swell up again against his breastplate and armored legs. The bone-cold shivers melt away from the pleasant warmth of the sun that can't pierce the fog. A thick green cloud above splits between them. Their clothes receive a coating that gives them confidence.

The knight's claymore glows red before dimming down.

Will keeps playing his mandolin with a serious look on his face. "Let's finish this."

The bard and the knight walk past the overhanging insignia to enter the kingdom. The door then slams shut behind them!

Their feet almost leave their boots. Will keeps playing notes as Garth surveys the dark kingdom.

The holes and craters left by the former heroes that tried to stop the Skeleton Queen. Glass shards from broken windows litter the streets that lead up to the castle. A gust of wind whistles through the open doors of houses. Red window panels knock against the yellow walls.

The raven perches itself on a roof while observing them. Kraa-kraa! it taunts at the duo. Like they wanted their wish to die come true.

Garth sees something coming and jumps to the side. Will clings to the frame of a door for cover. Arrows clatter against the cobblestone street!

The knight makes out an archer on a rooftop almost two miles away.  The archer has rotting, green skin with a large hole where his heart used to be. The knight also notices the red lion patch on the archer's jacket. He groans while reloading.

"It's Drago!" Garth yells.

Will's heart thuds against his sternum. Arrows fly towards Garth, but some plunge into the corner while the others bounce off the defensive coating. The ones that plunged into the corner steam and eat away at the stone house.

Garth slides into the next house. Drago, while in the air, throws out daggers that ricochet towards his targets. Will ducks down as the dagger passes overhead while Garth blocks with his green shield.

The blind bard hears the silence from his musical notes. "Garth, pour the vial over the arrows!"

He takes a breath as Garth gets out of cover to douse the arrows with sacred water. Tears run down William's face as memories flood his mind. The drinking games they used to play, the banter during their missions....

 He concentrates to "save" his friend.

"Red arrows that fly through the night,
Return to tear through the archer's sight.
End his pain and blight,
So he can be in the land of light."

As zombie Drago lets more red arrows fly, they flip in mid-air and aim for his eyes. Drago jumps off the three-story building and deflects them all with his bow. The arrows that landed on the street return and pierce through his eye sockets. The zombie's body crashes to the ground. Will hears it all, including the silence of groans.

He wipes his tears as his friend can now rest-

The screech of a blade has him jump back!

Garth's blade connects with the spear head that is wielded by a clean-shaven dwarf with a torn off nose. The dwarf swings his spear at his legs that Garth jumps over and back. In the middle of a downward swing, he gets struck twice in the side that leaves a dent in his armor.

He turns and recollects himself as Anzan's red hands hit his shield. Garth thanks the gods his chainmail kept him safe, but the defensive coating has weakened from the strike.

Will goes to play his incantation but crouches and rolls onto the street as an ice spear exits the doorway! Despite ducking, he can feel the intense cold pass over him.

Helia, he thinks as he kept playing.

He sidesteps as the monk performs an axe kick that leaves a hole on the street. At that moment, the ice mage summons an ice bear to maul him. Will acts quickly and pulls the monk into place who shatters it with his palm strike. Anzan then kicks a chunk of ice that bounces off of Will's defenses.

The monk rushes in to interrupt the bard's music. A slight interruption will secure his victory for the Queen.

The bard dodges a roundhouse kick that transitions into a tornado kick. On the ground, he jumps back, but the ice arrows trap his coat. Anzan jumps high and falls with a heel aimed at the bard's neck. All he hits is the cobble street as Will slid out of the coat in time.

The zombie loses balance on his right side as his ankle was cut off! Anzan falls but pushes himself back up with just his index and thumb. Music is heard despite the mandolin being on the street.

Will does a battle pose with his left hand near his head and his right-hand strumming near his waist. Blue blood on the bottom of the silver wires his left foot is on. He strums as the monk leaps at him.

At the same time, Garth cuts the spear and dwarf in half. His survival instincts kick in as he uses his shield. A bolt of lightning hits his shield as his wooden bracer and Will's spell hold him steady. The stout salt and pepper bearded caster keeps blasting away which reveals his missing eyeballs. 

As Will dodges Anzan and Helia's combination of attacks, the vibrations tell him to move. He jumps to the side in time as Uruk slams his Warhammer onto the street!

In the middle of his evasion, he bends his torso backwards to dodge an ice spear attempt. A full step back prevents the Warhammer from crushing his head. He ducks as Anzan rebounded off the side of the hammer head for a turning knee strike.

 With each step, he keeps strumming with his weapon. Despite being the undead, their muscles and movements tell him what they're planning to do. He cannot afford to stop playing as they chase after him.

A wall of ice cuts off his steps. He slides underneath the ice spears the fly out! Before he can stand up, a kick to the gut from a bald female monk sends him flying into a wall. Iron crimson escapes his lips with a cough. Even then, he doesn't stop playing to avoid the hammer and arrows from another archer. 

"From behind!" he cries out to Garth.

A zombie rogue in blue garb jumps down to plunge his poisoned knife into the knight's exposed neck. He kicks the rogue in the direction of the thunderbolt which obliterates him. His shield raises to block a stream of fire emitted by a plump red-haired female mage.

Steam leaves his golden hair from almost getting roasted in his armor.

The male caster helps by combining his attack with hers. The shield begins to glow from the damage it's receiving as Garth crouches behind it.

"Reflectere!" he shouts. The crackling bolt shoots back at the fire mage while the roaring flames head for the lightning caster. The fire mage touches the ground, raising an infernal wall that eats the attempt. With a push of her hand, the wall charges forward. Garth jumps into a house as the embers almost touch him.

William slides his feet as he dances around Uruk, Helia, Anzan, and the monk in a tight alley. He jumps above to knock the bow out of the archer's grasp. The archer brings out his knife for a quick kill but gets trapped by the wires. Will circles him while sliding to intercept a rogue who tries to stab him with a dagger.

"Them Captionem!" the blind bard sings with the strum of his fingers.

Circles light up under six of the former heroes. Their bodies jerk as they try to resist the hold that was placed on them. William's fingers increase in speed.

"Zombie warriors possessed, you tried your best,
We will take over, so go to your place of rest.
We will set things right for you,
So know our motives are true!
Burn brightly, we ask politely!"

He strums the final note which expands over himself and Garth's enemies. All of them combust into flames at the same time. Groans of anguish cut short from the contained explosions. Ashes left in their places.

From the notes in the air, he's relieved that the knight is still alive. "I will come to you!"

He runs back while picking up his mandolin and follows Garth into an abandoned house. The knight does a sweep of the house before closing the door. Will follows him to the basement for the best protection without windows.

He shakily takes out a candle and lights it as Will keeps playing. No threats detected as their breaths are the only occupants of the house. He stops playing to rest his hands for the moment. He wipes the blood from his mouth as he sits back against the wall. Laughter escapes the bard's mouth as it all settles in.

Garth doesn't question his behavior. Out of all the fights he had seen, this one tested all of his limits. His journey could have crashed to a halt without William's help. He hears his music again.

"Recover our health to 100%,
Take away our physical wounds and torment."

Their bodies glow green, melting their pain away like butter on warm bread. The knight sees him resting the mandolin next to him. They let their breaths get steady from each other's presence. After some time...

"You did great out there," Garth tells him.

"Thanks for saving my life. Once we're ready, let's keep it moving. I don't want to stay any longer than needed."

Garth takes off his armor to repair the dent as Will eats some soda bread, ham, and dark chocolate to build back his magic. The warrior notices Will is in deep thought as he looks up to the ceiling.

"Are you thinking about the woman you mentioned?" the knight whispers.

"I wish I got to talk with her if this would be the last time."

"It won't be. What is she like?"

"Oh, how to describe her? Beautiful, witty, emerald eyes, strong muscles," he grins.

"A warrior type?"

"Out of all the women in my life, she made me feel different."

Garth senses some shame while hammering out a dent. "She's really special to you. See her again and let her know you feel."

"If she isn't taken by that point. I'm not a believer in one love forever, but I want what my parents have. Maybe a family as well. Do you want children, Garth?"

"Not really. I prefer to be with the woman of my dreams, even if it's not Elizabeth."

"Got it. What will you do with the reward they would give us?"

The reward of riches and fame awaits those who could stop the Skeleton Queen's madness.

"I wouldn't need it once we're done. This kingdom was meant for me."

Will tilts his head. Something's amiss. "Explain."

"I apologize, but I wasn't exactly truthful. My father, Arthur,....was the groom."

The bard shoots up onto his feet. "What else haven't you told me? Spit it out right now."

"Her kingdom, although small, was popular in the area for their white wine. She told my father she wanted to expand production so her people will prosper. She agreed to marry him in name only while she remained the sole ruler of this place. My House and her would have been prosperous with their red and white wine collection until her unexpected betrayal. That is the truth."

The bard processes his words as he simmers down. He thinks that Garth lied to the king and queen about the truth of the trade deal. If they knew, they wouldn't have commissioned him for this mission.

"I know I just spilled a lot on you and that wasn't fair. Not only am I looking to avenge my father, but I'm also securing his legacy."

William can't argue with that because of what he confessed to Garth. "What will you do with this place once it's purified?"

"I will just take the barrels of wine and replicate it for everyone to have."

"Hmm," the bard utters while tuning his mandolin for the final fight. The music tells him about the wine bottles in the cellar. He feels for the wine rack and takes a bottle. "Is this it?"

Garth checks it. The bottle of white wine has the insignia of an adult woman drinking from a chalice as her flowing hair spreads across the label.

"I believe so."

Will shakes it and hears how much is left. "How about a little motivation before we face her?"

"I will pass. It will taste better once it's done."

He takes out the cork and sniffs it first. The blend of fruity and floral scents surprises him. Like he's walking through a meadow of fresh carnations with the scent of crisp apples. He takes a sip. Not too sweet and it is as smooth as water as he ingests it. He finishes the rest of it out of respect.

"This wine is dangerous. I could drink more bottles of it," he chuckles.

"That's good to know."

The bard feels the engraved logo as well as something else. His fingers trace over the letters on the back of the bottle and the words form--

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Their hearts almost erupt out of their chests from the sudden noise.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Something is outside the basement door and wants them to join it. Will gently whispers while strumming:

"I call upon the earlier spell of enhancement to proceed,
We warriors will face death and not concede,
Even after playing, don't let it yield."

A defensive coating glows around them before disappearing. 

Squelch.

The duo hears something dripping to the ground. They instantly recognize the smell of iron.

Splatter. Dash dash dash, scratch. Tap.

The disturbing sounds finally stop.

Garth reaches for the doorknob with claymore ready. He opens the door and thrusts ahead.....to find no one there or around the corner. What's on the door stops him. "T-The queen was here!"

Will's heart drops past his stomach. If she wanted to, she could have ended them right then and there without a second thought. 

"She's inviting us to her castle to end things," Garth reads to him.

The bard steels his resolve and heart, using his loved ones for encouragement as he plays. He follows Garth outside and keeps his ears active to listen for any potential ambush. Bumva, be with me.

"Left turn right here.......Another left," Garth instructs.

The collection of their boots, breaths, and clinking armor are the only thing heard on the streets. They come to a stop before the open castle gate.

Statues of gargoyles accent the top of the gothic castle. The fence topped with gold would have been beautiful in the daylight to admire, but they only bring a feeling of dread as two skeletal guards with halberds stand by it.

"Kraa!" the raven heavily croaks as it sits on the railing.

As Will plays, there's no movement from the guards. He and Garth step forward as empty eyes stare into their souls. Their hearts beat against their chest as they begin to pass through....

Will's heart almost leaps out of his chest. Garth drove his sword through one of the guards!

The other guard swings his halberd down at Will, but Garth blocks with his shield and bashes it. The bones scatter onto the castle grounds.

A torturous wail pierces the dark sky. The vibrations make them cover their ears until it stops.

Will turns his attention to Garth and pushes him. "What the fuck was that all about?! Why did you attack?!"

"You really think she would have let us through unharmed? You can't trust her."

"They weren't attacking us until you started it!"

"Even then, reducing her army down will weaken her power. Don't forget your mission."

"I haven't! I know you want to avenge your father, but this will not honor his memory."

Garth shoves him to the ground. "I know you would have done the same if the roles were reversed! Don't you lie to me, William."

Will gets up and shakes the dirt off of him. He can't shake off the truth that Garth had put into his mind. His white pupils narrow at the ascending footsteps of Garth.

He exhales while bowing his head. "You were people before all of this. I'm sorry about my partner's behavior. May your souls be at rest," he whispers.

"Follow me!"

The wood of the mandolin creaks from his grip before running up. Unbeknownst to them, something is watching. It decides to act as it slips back into the shadows.

They travel up the stairs and walk through a narrow alleyway that leads to giant oak doors that are left wide open. A murky lake travels underneath the castle several stories below. The damp violet blood on the doors tells Garth where the throne room is.

"Will, we are getting close to the Skeleton Queen. Be ready," he whispers.

Just as Garth enters through the door, a skeleton with a hole in its chest cavity and cranium pounces on Will. It drags him over the 15 feet ramparts....

Splash!

It's too fast for Garth to do anything to help him. He looks over to the lake where the blind bard was dragged into. Ripples appear on the surface only to stop. The warrior bangs his fist on the stones. He would now have to face the Queen all by himself with the bard under her possession.

So be it.

There's no thought of the promise he made to Will's parents and guild members to keep him safe.  His top priority is finishing the mission for House Vinum no matter the cost. He could just lie that the Queen killed William as he fought with everything he had. Saving his soul should make up for that.

The shimmering red blade reassures him as he goes to fulfill his duty.