NOVEL NEXT Road to Hell
Nine Months Since Summoning Day, Riley, Age 15
"I was just gonna ask if you wanted to come eat with us. You don't have a problem with that, right, 'Prince Xandric'?" I asked, holding out my hand to the fake. If we're going to preserve his identity, we need to go. He seems suspicious but nods and follows me without shaking my hand. We could easily eat at one of the higher level restaurants but the worm burgers here always felt like home to me so that's where we met. Burgers are probably the only thing I miss anyway. When we step inside the small restaurant, Cass and Jarred
"About time you got here, 'Princey'. What's the hold up?"
"Drop the act. You all have known for a while," the false Xandric scoffed as he sat down, looking at the menu, "So what's the plan? Is this where I die?"
"Calm down, dumbass. We don't want to kill you yet. For now, we just want to have a chat," Jarred answered, sipping down a full glass of water. To think, at first I thought this guy was some smooth talker. Turns out that was just the mask of the 'Gentleman Thief', covering for the vulgar street rat. "So, are there any questions your boss has for us? I'm guessing he knows what you know somehow right?" he asked, but the dummy just shook his head
"I am only here to keep King Zeddral in check while the Prince finds a way for peace. I know what he wants, but not vice versa"
"Really? That's a big thing you're telling us," Cass noted, not even looking to him. Her face lacked any sort of energy, not sadness, joy, or rage.
"You've already known for quite some time, correct? Surely you have fought the Prince in the field. What do I gain from hiding anything from you?" he answered, seeming unconcerned. Once our food was ordered and we were certain nobody would interrupt, he dropped the bomb of all questions, "Why did you all leave?"
We all looked around, Jarred even halting the consumption of his meal mid-bite. Our heads all slowly turned to him, our eyes each telling a different story. Cass could barely look at him, hiding her face behind her short blonde bangs that had been growing longer the less time we spent here, "It was, so we could stay..."
"Heroes have stayed in this world before"
"Not like us, man. Nothing like us," I answered and nodded between the other two. It was time we told him the full story
Six Months Before Summoning Day, Riley, Age 15
I could only groan as my vision came back. Last thing I remembered was my own death but here I was, in a dark room with a glowing circle on the ground. To both sides of me was a biker girl with short dirt blonde hair and a young man in a damaged suit, burns and cuts lining his body. Strange bracelets were on our wrists, containing gems of different colors. Almost immediately, we all scattered, tackling the white robed men
"Where the Hell am I?!" We each exclaimed in unison before turning to each other "Who are you?! Who am I?! I asked first!"
"Please calm down and release the summoners. You will not be harmed," a girl in a white dress. Despite her assurance, she had a small stick in her hand, glowing a bright light. The boy in the suit immediately released the robed figure and approached her
"Oh my, I just wake up and a lovely young lady is waiting for us. What's your name?"
"I am Princess Eliza of Zordonia. Now, if you'll follow me. All your questions will be answered," she replied without much care as she turned away. The boy began mumbling some less than kind things, his ego seemingly bruised by her dismissal as we followed her. From what I could tell, we were in some sort of Medieval castle, but looking outside showed me technology beyond my wildest dreams. When we made it to the Throne Room, we were met by her old man who explained where we were. The United Island of light was as close to a Utopia as possible. The only major problem they had was an army of Demons from some place called the Dark Island
"Now that you understand the situation, I offer you a deal. In exchange for defeating the Demons and their King, we shall return you home with the power we will grant you, directly at the moment of your death. Are these terms acceptable?" The old man asked and long story short, we agreed. We were just dumb kids, freshly snatched away from the pearly gates. We didn't realize what we had signed up for
One Month Later, Jarred, Age 17
A month would pass and we didn't do much fighting. We spent our time learning about Shadows, Magic and our Hero Powers, something your team didn't get the luxury of. It was such a pain in the ass, but we came out of it with one Hell of a head start. I was in the middle of training with Cass, practicing with our new weapons, "Waving Blue Weapon: Poseidon Chucks!"
"Piercing Yellow Weapon: Jove Saber!" We each called out the names of our weapons, rushing at each other. I struggled to even get a hit in, blocking her consecutive thrusts. It was a quick flurry that I could barely even seen. The fact I was unscathed was a miracle. When she showed even a second of delay, my chucks collided with her cheek. She was sent flying back before rushing me again. I had anticipated more thrusts but instead, her fist smashed into my nose, sending me flying. I groan as I struggle to get up. Just then, a hand reached out and pulled me up, much to my own annoyance
"You know, it'd be nice if I actually had a useful power. These eyes aren't doing shit in a fight"
"Wow watch the language! Not very gentlemanly," She teased, lightly punching my arm, "Relax. I'm sure you and Riley will learn your powers soon." As she tried to assure me, the castle began to shake
"Seems like now will be your chance to find out," Eliza said, standing up after watching us fight and we hurried out to look over the walls. Sure enough, Shadows were falling from the sky with a man in lion adorned armor leading them. Eliza looked to the three of us, seeming worried, "I'll go with you guys"
"Sorry sweet cheeks, but your old man said no," Cass responded, ruffling her head like a child
"We got this. Time to make our debut," Riley spoke up before rushing to the city. Citizens were rushing to their shelters, already prepared for this. They're doing their job. It's time we do ours, "Alright team, ready?"
"Ready!"
"Worlds Combine, Heroes Unite!" We called out, each transforming into our Hero forms
"With the Passion of a Dragon: Hero Red!"
"With the Power of the Storm: Hero Yellow!"
"With the Grace of the Mermaid: Hero Blue!" We each called out and I was annoyed that of all the creatures, I was trapped with the Mermaid. The man in the lion armor turned to us, cleaning his blade with his arm
"So the new batch of heroes has arrive. It is customary to exchange names. I am Leon of the De-" We didn't bother letting him finish, rushing him in unison. He blocked us all with his shield and sent us flying, "How rude. Very well, if that's how you wish to play it, I shall hold nothing back," he scoffed, raising his sword before seemingly swinging at air. My Mer Eyes though saw something else, a wave rushing toward Riley, I quickly rushed to tackle him to the ground, letting the wave pass as it cut through a building behind us, "Hmmm, so you have the Mer Eyes already. Then hiding it is futile." He then swung multiple more times, sending visible waves through the air. We had to dodge each one as every strike would be a killing blow. Cass would strike him with multiple consecutive stabs but none pierced his armor and she was launched through a window. Before she could even land, he was behind her, slamming her through the floor with his shield
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Burning Red Weapon..." Riley mumbled before a hammer appeared in his hand. He slammed it into the ground, creating a crack, "Hephaestus Maul!". Hopefully it would consume Leon while Cass Storm Stepped out. While Cass did escape, Leon hurried out as well, leaping off his shield before summoning it back and slamming Cass into the ground once again. He then turned his attention to Riley, rushing him and knocking him out with a simple strike to the back of the neck. I tried to fight him, dodging and striking at him but blunt force didn't seem to rattle him in the slightest. Before I knew it, my body went numb on the ground. He could have easily killed us but instead, he left with only a few words
"You show potential. Killing you would be the correct choice but that is not my assignment. Grow stronger next time we meet
Two Months Later, Cass, Age 15
The fireworks lit up the sky as floats of different Hero teams marched through the streets. Of course, we were on there, waving to our adoring public. I even got to see my beautiful new girlfriend at the forefront. Still, it was all a front. Over time, we got to know each other well enough to where we didn't even need to take our helmets off to know what we were feeling. Simply put, none of us were happy. The parade for Hero Appreciation Day was nice but that just made it hurt all the more that we would eventually have to leave, back to the world that didn't want us. We were a thief, a punk and a gang leader. Nobody would miss a bunch of troublemakers like us but here? Not only did we have people who actually loved us, we were revered. We would save the day once a week and people would cheer. It felt too good. Still, we pressed on, trying to be the good little heroes they saw us as until we could finally get off for lunch. Eliza immediately hugged me and I embraced her before removing my helmet to kiss her forehead, "Miss me?"
"Obviously," she said, giggling like an oblivious schoolgirl. She may be intelligent but she was much more outgoing before. We all went to sit down and have lunch, but the tension was pretty difficult to hide, "Is something wrong, you guys?"
"Huh? Oh no, just thinking..." Riley answered, trying to keep calm. Despite everything, he tried to be the strong big brother type. Still, the cracks in his mask were already showing. The silence persisted as we ate before finally Jarred spoke up
"Alright, enough moping, damn it! Eliza, have any Heroes before us actually stayed here?" He asked, getting straight to the point. Eliza was stunned but simply nodded her head, "How?"
"Simple. They asked or just didn't show up when it was their day to go home," she answered as if it were no big deal, "There's no reason to send them back. It's just that's what they usually want so that's how we reward them for saving us." Suddenly, hope lit up in all three of our hearts, only to be rudely interrupted by the rumbling sound of an invasion
"Oh come on! Why today of all days?!" We exclaimed in almost perfect sync before running out to fight
Nine Months Since Summoning Day, Riley, Age 15
"So what happened? It sounds like that should be the end of it," the fake Xandric asked, looking confused. I can't say I blame him. It should have ended there. We were told by the princess herself we could stay. I slam my glass on the ground and admit
"Yeah, we thought so too. But we were tricked..."
Three Months Before Summoning Day, Riley, Age 15
We returned to castle after the attack. It was fairly standard, just a bunch of Shadows. In the time before Generals besides Leon, there was nothing that could ruin our mood. We all kneeled before the king before he told us to rise, "So what is it you wished to discuss?"
"We want to stay," Jarred answered simply. We just wanted a simple answer. It wasn't up for debate. Thaddeus looked down at us, seeming somewhat disappointed
"I'm sorry... I can't"
"What?! And why the hell not?! You have so many teams just relaxing around this world!" Jarred exclaimed, anger exploding out. Our hope was crushed with just a few simple words. I was worse though, nearly leaping at him in a fit of rage if Cass didn't stop me
"One of the summoners recently talked with me. He told me that while the Space Between Worlds is vast, it is not infinite. Too many Heroes on this side can strain it. I'm sorry, but you must return home when this is done"
Those words absolutely shattered me. Once again we were tools, helping others and what do we get in return? Going right back to the same miserable world we hated so much! The answer was clear. We marched out. We all said our goodbyes to those we met and sailed for the Dark Island. Originally though, we didn't plan to join up. This world had scorned us just like the other. We may as well hurry up and get it over with
One Month Later, Jarred, Age 17
"Are we ready?" Riley asked, looking around. We were all uneasy. if not for the air conditioning in our suits, we'd be sweating bullets. The fact that we snuck into the the Demon King's Castle was a shocker. It almost felt too easy, like we were somehow expected. Still, without hesitation, Cass slammed the doors wide open with her bare hands. Sure enough, there he was. Zeddral sat on his throne, almost apathetic
"Ritto said you all would be here. I guess he was right. I underestimated your stupidity," he said, yawning. Does he really not care? Still, he got up and did some light stretching, "Sorry if I go too far. I haven't fought in a long time"
"You're awfully cocky for a three against one"
"A parent can easily spank his three disobedient children," He assured , immediately dodging one of Riley's explosions. Before we could even respond, he was already muttering a spell odanroT taerG!" The wind around him began to swirl and expand. The castle would collapse as chunks of the stone that made it up was pulled in. Cass tried to dodge but was struck by a stray bolt of lightning stronger than anything she could generate. I tried to create a shield of water so I could break through the tornado but instead, he just grabbed me by my throat and pulled me in
"St-Stop!!" I tried to command with my Siren's Song but he just casually threw me into Cass. I didn't have much time to recover before being set alight by green flames. Summoning his maul, Riley jumped into the tornado. I could only make out their outlines as Zeddral fended him off with one hand before pushing him into the ground face-first. We would continue to fight but the barrage magic kept us at bay and the few times we managed to actually get close, he'd launch us back with several broken bones for our troubles. Eventually, it got to the point that we could hardly move, but still we stood up. We have nothing to live for, a world that hates us, a world that uses us then throws us away. We were at our lowest so what else was there to do but fight? Suddenly, the storm stops and brick by brick, the castle is restored
"I can see why Ritto wants you. You have potential," he admits, slowly approaching us. With shaky arms, we try and hold up our weapons. He merely extends his hand, "You would be much better off on my side. Help me end this war, and you can stay as Heroes. Is that not what you wish?"
Nine Months Since Summoning Day, Riley, Age 15
For the final part of the story, we had already long since left. Our appetites were lost and we had one last thing to do. We walked down the many alleys between buildings, keeping him invested. After we were done though, we had reached the deepest darkest corner of the city. That's when he asked the last question, "Wait. You said you were tricked. Where was the deception?"
"Isn't it obvious? You're a spirit so you should've known that part about the Space Between Worlds being strained us bullshit," Jarred answered simply, shrugging his shoulder, "Ritto disguised himself as a summoner to lure us here. Can't blame the poor king. He never knew much about the Summoning Ritual"
"Yup. But don't worry, we'll get back at him..." Cass assured before easily grabbing the puppet and breaking its neck. From there, we beat on the 'corpse', making sure the face was clear enough to know who it was. Once we were done, we called for the guards who rushed his body back to the palace. All that was left was to wait
The Next Morning
We watched from the city walls as the army of Shadows prepared to be teleported. This is it. The final battle and after this, we'll have the lives we deserve. It's a shame we have to do this but if I was asked do I regret it, I'd say I'd do it all again. Giant, Bombs, and Hunter Shadows as well as a swarm of foot soldiers, each lead by a Warlord and at the head was the Demon King himself, fueled by rage at the death of his 'son'. We all looked to Ritto, grinning in delight as he thinks he's about to get what he wants, "I will stay at the Castle to produce more Shadows and watch over the Goliaths. Fume will protect me as well. I trust you to get the job done," he said before leaving. With that we each turned to each other, pressing in on our Shifters
"Worlds Combine, Heroes Unite!"
We each transform, surrounding in a whirlwind of our respective elements. Each time the element struck us, a new piece of the suit would come on before forming the helmet. WIth our suits complete, we did one last pose
"Explosive Flame of the Phoenix: Hell Hero Red!"
"Mighty Strike of the Oni: Hell Hero Yellow!"
"Fluidity of the Kraken: Hell Hero Blue!"
"Protectors of the Downtrodden, Humans with the Might of Demon Kind! Hell Heroes Unite!!" He all exclaim in unison, explosions at our backs before joining the troops. It's time we end this.