abstract | - The next day, Sparrow awoke and was convinced that his birthday had just been a dream. His theory, of course, went flying out the window when his eyes fell upon his birthday presents. Smiling, he grabbed his Fate Cards and went downstairs. No one else was up yet. He sat at the dinner table and began to read his Fate Cards. He closed his eyes and removed everything from his mind, everything except for a question. His question was in regards to whether there was anyone that needed his help. He shuffled the cards before spreading them out across the table. There were three cards upside down. He took those three cards out and examined them. One card spoke of love, another of rebirth, and the third mentioned the dead. Sparrow stared at them blankly. He ended up being that intent in his card reading that he didn’t notice the other occupants joining him at the table. He didn’t even hear their greetings. ‘Something must be interesting.’ Reaver yawned before jumping – though he denies that he ever did – when Sparrow yelled, ‘So that’s what it means.’ He then noticed his friends bewildered expressions. ‘How long have you been sitting there?’ he asked. ‘For about ten minutes,’ replied Hammer, who was sitting next to him. ‘What did the cards tell you?’ ‘The gravekeeper in Bowerstone Cemetery needs help with – with… well, I’m not exactly sure I got the last part of what he needs help with right,’ replied Sparrow. ‘I’ll go there after breakfast.’ ‘Can I come?’ asked Hammer, hopefully. ‘I don’t see why not?’ Sparrow grinned at her, before looking at everyone else. ‘What is everyone else doing today?’ ‘Sam and I will be following Theresa’s example and will be going home,’ replied Clive. Theresa had returned to the Spire last night. ‘I’ll be going home too,’ added Reaver. ‘I’ve got to deal with some things.’ The companions enjoyed their final breakfast together before going their separate ways. ‘It’s good to be back and going on quests with you again,’ Hammer said cheerfully to Sparrow as they headed towards the Bowerstone Cemetery Mansion. ‘Feels just like old times.’ ‘Exactly like old times?’ Sparrow questioned. ‘Well, you are much better company now.’ ‘Thanks.’ When the Heroes arrived at the Bowerstone Cemetery Mansion, Sparrow knocked on the door and waited. ‘I’m not in!’ someone yelled from within. ‘Then who’s talking to us?’ Hammer asked, trying not to laugh. Sparrow, however, did. ‘Well… I’m in, but I’m busy,’ Victor the gravekeeper said amending his previous statement, ‘doing absolutely nothing abnormal.’ ‘Which means he probably is,’ Sparrow sniggered, making Hammer snort. ‘Are you going to speak to us or not?’ he added to Victor. ‘Go away!’ the gravekeeper yelled. ‘Unless… how would you like to assist in this century’s most important scientific experiment?’ ‘That’s why we are here,’ said Sparrow. ‘You-you are? But how -?’ ‘I can read Fate Cards,’ Sparrow said dismissingly. ‘They told me that you needed a hand with something.’ ‘Yes. I need you to collect a few precious bits of corpse,’ replied Victor. ‘Excuse me?’ Hammer said, wondering if she had heard right. ‘What I meant to say is some totally above-board and non-creepy gathering of various anatomical specimens.’ ‘Do you know where the “various anatomical specimens” are?’ Sparrow asked through the door. ‘Yes; the first, um, scientific expedition is to Rookridge. There should be a fine body part hidden away in a cave. Good luck.’ ‘That was helpful,’ Hammer said sarcastically as they left the mansion grounds. ‘How many caves are there in Rookridge?’ ‘No idea, but I bet there are maps of Rookridge and all its caves at the Academy,’ replied Sparrow. ‘I guess we’re going to Brightwall then,’ Hammer said sounding slightly disappointed. When the Heroes arrived at Brightwall Academy, Sparrow was beyond shocked at how many people were inside. ‘What are you gaping at?’ asked Hammer, looking highly amused. ‘Samuel told you that the Academy was doing well.’ ‘Yeah, but I didn’t think it was doing this well!’ Sparrow replied. Hammer chuckled. The Heroes ended up finding Samuel at the information and greeting desk sorting out some books. ‘Did you even unpack your belongings or did you come back to work the moment you arrived home?’ Sparrow asked when he got to the desk. ‘Blessed index cards!’ Samuel jumped and dropped the books he was holding. ‘Sparrow? Hammer? What are you doing here? I thought you were on a quest.’ ‘We are, however, we need some help,’ replied Hammer. ‘Do you have any recent maps of caves in Rookridge?’ ‘Of course! This way.’ Samuel led them down a hall passed many rooms. Hammer stopped outside one and looked in. ‘You even made a kids room! How adorable!’ she said, gazing in at all the children reading, drawing and playing. ‘Well, I doubt the adults would appreciate children running around screaming, so we made a place just for them.’ Sparrow smiled as he watched all the happy children. The children, who were completely engrossed in what they were doing, didn’t notice the three adults watching. That was until one little girl looked up from her picture book and saw Sparrow. Her eyes widened and gave a squeal of joy. ‘It’s the Hero Sparrow!’ she squealed running over to him and grabbing hold of his arm. Before the Hero knew it, he was surrounded by excited children. ‘Can I have your autograph?’ ‘Me too, please!’ ‘Can you tell us a story, Mr Sparrow?’ Slightly overwhelmed, Sparrow looked to Hammer for help. She ended up being no help whatsoever. ‘Of course he can,’ she laughed. ‘Mr Sparrow will gladly give you his autograph and tell you a story while we go and do some boring research. See you soon, Sparrow.’ She walked off with Samuel, laughing. ‘Wait! I don’t know anything about looking after children!’ Sparrow yelled desperately after them. ‘Just tell them stories and give them autographs, and you’ll be fine,’ Hammer yelled back. ‘It’s not like you’re fighting a troll.’ Sparrow didn’t look convince. Sighing, he looked down at the children around him. ‘Who’s got paper and something to write with?’ he asked the children around him. A little boy with curly brown hair hurried over to a nearby desk and returned with some paper and a green crayon. ‘Right, who wants an autograph?’ Sparrow asked as he accepted the paper and crayon. All around him, hands went flying into the air. Once all the children had autographs, they began to argue amongst themselves about which story Sparrow should read them. ‘No! I want a princess story!’ ‘That’s boring! Let’s hear about pirates! ‘No! Trolls!’ ‘Why don’t we ask Mr Sparrow to retell one of his adventures?’ a little boy suggested shyly. ‘Yeah, let’s hear of a real life adventure!’ ‘Will you tell us about one of your adventures, Mr Sparrow?’ ‘I guess so,’ Sparrow said, taken back by their eagerness to hear stories about him. ‘Um, let’s see… who here has heard of Captain Dread?’ Only two children raised their hands. ‘I thought as much. Well, roughly two hundred years ago he was the most feared and vicious pirate in Albion; even after death, he is still feared.’ Sparrow began to explain, sitting down on a nearby chair. The children sat on the floor around him, while a cute little five year old girl in a baby pink dress climbed into his lap. ‘He was known as the “Pirate King” –‘ ‘I thought Reaver was the Pirate King? That’s what my daddy says,’ one boy said knowledgeably. ‘That is true. Reaver is now the Pirate King, but that only happened when he killed Dread. When Reaver killed Dread, he also killed the vicious pirate’s crew when they tried to revenge their fallen captain. However, unlike most souls, the pirate and his crew didn’t more on. They stayed amongst the living in the Sinkhole off the part of Bloodstone, protecting the Marianne, Dread’s pirate ship. For years they haunted the Sinkhole Cave, unnoticed –though if their presence was noticed, the adventurer that saw them was never seen again.’ ‘Then how do you know that he haunts the Sinkhole Cave?’ a confused six year old questioned. ‘I know, because a year ago, I saw him with my own eyes.’ Sparrow looked around out all the wide eyed children. ‘When I was in Bloodstone dealing with a continuous problem of Toby – a con man – and visiting my friend, Reaver, I met an old pirate named Salty Jack. He told me that he saw Captain Dread, but no one believed him.’ ‘Except you?’ asked a chubby boy. ‘Oh no… even I thought that he had had too much to drink,’ Sparrow admitted, ‘however, when he asked me to prove it, I accepted, though I had no idea how I would prove his theory. Anyway, when I entered the Sinkhole Cave, a cold male’s voice echoed around the cave warning me to turn back. Now of course, me being as intelligent as I am, I ignored his warnings and continued to search the cave – if that ever happens to you, children, leave the cave immediately. It was in there that I found the Marianne. Now, by this point, I am starting to believe Salty Jack’s ramblings. However, in order for me to take the Marianna, I had to fill the cave with water. To do this, I had to find a lever, which was hidden in Dread’s bedroom. Sounds easy enough, right?’ The children nodded their heads. ‘It wasn’t. To get to Dread’s room, I had to fight the spirits of his crew, something I had never done before. It made me wonder, can you kill a spirit? Turns out you can… or at least, make them leave this world. So I managed to defeat the crew and retrieve the lever. Once I had the lever, and the cave had enough water in it for me to take the Marianne, I boarded the ship and came face to face with Captain Dread and the rest of the crew. There was no doubt in my mind now that Salty Jack was telling the truth. ‘Defeating Dread and his crew was no picnic, but I eventually managed to defeat them, whilst gaining a couple of scars. With my enemies defeated, I went to the wheel only to have the ship automatically sail me to Dread’s Secret Island where he hid most of his treasure. I managed to find it all, before sailing back to Bloodstone and proving Salty Jack was telling the truth,’ Sparrow concluded. ‘What did you do with the treasure?’ a pair of twins asked in unison. ‘I kept some, spent a bit on the Academy and donated the rest.’ The children looked at Sparrow in awe, before the little girl on Sparrow’s lap asked quietly, ‘Can you tell us another story?’ ‘I’m sorry, kids, but I’m afraid I have to steal Mr Sparrow,’ Hammer said from the doorway. The children all grumbled, but they nevertheless said goodbye to Sparrow. ‘Goodbye, children,’ Sparrow said, leaving the room. ‘Maybe you should come here more often and read to the children,’ Samuel suggested. ‘Maybe I will.’ Sparrow looked thoughtful. ‘In the meantime, did you find any caves?’ ‘Yes, but we believe that the first piece of corpse is in a cave underneath the Rookridge carriage house,’ replied Hammer. ‘Otherwise there is a cave that we’ll have to swim to, filled with water and gems, or there are the old mines.’ ‘Not to mention that cave where you defeated that troll last year to help the Rookridge innkeeper,’ added Samuel. ‘And here I was thinking this would be easy.’ Sparrow sighed. ‘We’ll see you later, Samuel.’ ‘Good luck.’ Fortunately, the first piece of corpse - woman’s lower body – was in the first cave; however, they also found out that the cave was infested with Hobbes, who were determined to kill the Heroes. With the corpse in hand, and with a trail of dead Hobbes behind them, Sparrow and Hammer headed back to Victor. At the mansion, Hammer knocked on the front door while Sparrow took the corpse out of his bad. The Heroes agreed that it wouldn’t be a wise move to be seen carrying a woman’s lower body around; people would be bound to panic. ‘It’s open! I’m upstairs and to the left!’ Victor yelled from within. Sparrow motioned for Hammer to go through first and he followed. The moment they were before Victor, Sparrow handed him the corpse. He was glad to get rid of it. ‘Oh… it’s her! It’s really her!’ Victor said. His voice was full of emotion as he looked at the corpse lovingly. Sparrow and Hammer exchanged a look; a look that stated that they both were a little grossed out at the way Victor was reacting to the corpse. ‘I might as well tell you the truth now.’ Victor turned to the Heroes. ‘This is Lady Elvira Grey; well, a bit of her. She lived a long time ago in an awful, barbaric time, and she was the Mayor of Bowerstone. Some people… well, they didn’t like her very much. Couldn’t see what a wonderful person she really was. They called her a witch and… well, they chopped off her head.’ And then the Hero of Oakvale killed those who did it slowly and painfully, Sparrow thought. ‘They then buried her body in three different places,’ Victor continued, ‘but let’s not waste time on such awful tales. The second part of her is hidden in a tomb between Bloodstone and Wraithmarsh. Please find it.’ ‘We can do that,’ said Hammer, not sounding too thrilled about having to go to Wraithmarsh. Sparrow felt the same way. ‘Any idea of how many tombs there are between Wraithmarsh and Bloodstone?’ Sparrow asked Hammer. ‘I wish,’ she replied. ‘Does this mean we have to go back to Brightwall?’ she added with a groan. ‘No. I was thinking about going to Bloodstone to ask Reaver. He knows that area better than anyone, and it’s not like it is out of our way.’ ‘And you think he’ll know?’ Hammer looked a little sceptical. ‘He might. Seeing as Lady Grey died maybe fifty years before he was born, he was most likely taught something about her and the tombs between the two regions.’ ‘Alright… what have we got to lose?’ Reaver was surprised to see his fellow Heroes when they arrived on his doorstep late on next a few days later. ‘Sorry, Reaver, did we wake you?’ Sparrow asked, following Reaver into his sitting room. ‘No, I was already up,’ Reaver admitted. ‘What can I do for you?’ ‘We need to pick you brain about something,’ Sparrow said, taking a seat next to Hammer while Reaver sat across from them. ‘About what exactly?’ ‘You know the area between Bloodstone and Wraithmarsh pretty well, right?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘How many tombs are there in that area?’ ‘There are hundreds. Why do you ask?’ ‘There is a guy who is after Lady Grey’s corpse, though we have no idea why. He told us that there is a piece of her corpse hidden in a tomb between Wraithmarsh and Bloodstone,’ Hammer explained. ‘He actually found where the Witchspotters’ hid her corpse?’ Reaver looked amazed. ‘Well, there were heaps of small tombs built around her death, but all of them had names clearly written on them.’ ‘So you have no idea where her body would be?’ Sparrow looked disappointed. ‘I can only guess that they Witchspotters hid her body in with someone else’s tomb.’ ‘That doesn’t narrow it down much for us,’ Hammer groaned. ‘Actually, it does,’ Reaver disagreed. ‘The Witchspotters viewed Lady Grey as evil, as a witch, hence, they would have not put her body in with a mere farmer. They would not wish to taint their final resting place. No, if they were to put her body in another tomb, it would be in someone’s tomb they viewed as being just as evil. The only person I can think of that they would consider being evil, who was buried there, is Twinblade. To them, a bandit would be just as bad as a witch.’ ‘But wouldn’t people know if she was buried there?’ Hammer questioned. ‘Surely some historian or adventurer has been there?’ ‘Only those who were stupid enough too,’ Reaver informed them. ‘The place is said to be infested with hollow men and that Twinblade’s ghost haunts his tomb. It is for this reason that it is the most likely place for her to be. He did die years before she did.’ ‘Makes sense to me,’ Sparrow said, jumping to his feet. ‘Thanks for your help, Reaver.’ ‘Don’t mention it, but I suggest you get some rest before you go gallivanting into Wraithmarsh.’ ‘We’ll be fine,’ Hammer said confidently, also getting to her feet. ‘Your funeral.’ The torso of Elvira Grey did end up being hidden in Twinblade’s tomb as were an army of hollow men. However, the Heroes did discover that Twinblade’s ghost haunting his tomb was in fact a rumour. Once more they returned to Victor, and just like before, he was overjoyed to see the next bit of corpse. Maybe it’s a gravekeeper thing, Sparrow thought before Victor sent the duo to Fairfax Garden’s where Lady Grey’s Tomb was located. Hammer and Sparrow were grateful to have at least one easy task. The worse thing they had to experience was giant beetles. In no time, they were handing Victor Lady Grey’s head. They found him in the basement. ‘Oh… at last!’ Victor exclaimed when he accepted the corpse head. ‘I never thought this day would come, my sweet lady!’ ‘What day are you talking about exactly?’ Hammer asked, voicing Sparrow’s own thoughts. ‘Well… you see, I’ve been in love with Lady Grey for many years… ever since I found a picture of her,’ Victor admitted, ‘and I have invented a machine that will not only reanimate dead tissue, but also make her fall in love with me. We’ll be so happy. I’ll take care of her forever, just like she deserves.’ While Hammer looked amazed and happy for the gravekeeper, Sparrow look totally and utterly disgusted. ‘That is gross!’ he said. ‘She’s over six hundred years old! She married the Hero of Oakvale, my ancestor, and had his child before she was convicted of being a witch! That’s just – You’re going to marry my great-great-great-great-great grandmother, plus or minus a few greats. I’m out of here! Good luck!’ Sparrow practically ran from the room and waited outside for Hammer. She appeared ten minutes later. ‘It was a success,’ she informed Sparrow. ‘I don’t want to know!’ Sparrow said quickly. ‘I don’t want to know about my ancestor marrying someone my age. Let’s just go home.’ ‘Actually, Sparrow, I was wondering if you’d come with me to Oakfield to visit my father’s grave,’ Hammer asked hesitantly as they walked away from the mansion. Sparrow didn’t answer immediately. He just walked in silence looking straight ahead well-aware that Hammer was watching him intently. He did not know if it was wise for him to go to the one place he had been avoiding for years. He was ashamed for what he did and regardless of the letter from the People of Albion, he was sure that Oakfield wouldn’t react to well to his presence. However, Hammer was asking him to join her, which meant that she wasn’t confident enough to go by herself. ‘Okay, I’ll come with you,’ Sparrow said eventually. Out the corner of his eyes he saw Hammer smile brightly and began to walk with a slight spring in her step. He couldn’t help but smile too.
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