The giant door lies solemnly in the underground area. There is not a sound to be heard aside from the breathing of those who have made their way here.
Of course, death is silent. Not even the most glorious reign can change that fact.
Siege
The Mausoleum of Kings... Just as its name suggests... this is the resting place of all Victoria's kings.
Siege
Do you hear something?
Dagda
Nothing besides our breathing.
Siege
......
There is no mistaking that there is some kind of sound echoing throughout this space.
Is it a murmur she hears, having woken up from her dream, or is it a groan she owes to her fatigue?
They are staring at her.
Victoria is staring at her.
The moment she comes to realize this, a sense of agitation immediately follows.
What do they expect? What kind of future are they envisioning for her?
She grew tired of these days on the run long ago.
And it has been a very long time since she last heeded the call of that golden creature.
Golden mane...
Siege
Come. We need to finish this mission as fast as we can.
Siege
Rhodes Island and the Corps will need our help.
Totter
—
Totter
Stop!
Totter
What's this... on the ground...?
Indra
It's too dark here... I thought this was some of that upper crust posh decor.
Indra
This is blood.
Totter
Signs of a fight here.
Totter
An utterly tragic battle... No, this place is a mire soaked in death.
A meandering trail of blood can be found having slithering down the pathway and past the gap beneath the door. Or perhaps it crept its way out the large door.
The trail of blood has long since dried, leaving the shattered bricks on the ground covered in its twisted, dark crimson stains.
Likewise, there are tattered bolt heads, sword fragments, and craters left behind by Arts explosions, all submerged under the bed of dried blood.
There are also marks more massive in scale, such as the numerous scars on the door, each one by itself more than enough to tear the silence of this place asunder.
Although there are no bodies to be seen, everyone who seen war before can easily work out what transpired here.
Two groups, both prepared to fight to the death, battled each other. Evidently, they got their wish.
Totter
Judging from the color of the blood, this must be at least several years old.
Allerdale
Several years... You don't mean...
Dagda
The Sarkaz.
Dagda
Sarkaz died here.
Dagda
I recognize their weapons. They're... the same ones the Sarkaz warriors who attacked the Knights of the Tower used all those years ago.
Totter
They're different from what the Sarkaz outside are using.
Dagda
Completely different.
Dagda
The blades that the Sarkaz use now are all made in the munitions factories in Highbury, and they're very similar to the standard weapons used by the Victorian Army.
Dagda
They're not as crude, and nowhere near as... barbaric.
Dagda
I still remember... the sounds of their rusted blades cutting through my fellow knights. They were heavy, and they'd shatter bone before crushing armor.
Morgan
Dagda, are you alright?
Dagda
I'm fine.
Dagda
If the sight of these battle scars was enough to stop me in my tracks, I probably wouldn't have been able to manage a single peaceful night since my escape from Londinium.
Allerdale
Vina... The situation's not quite what we expected.
Hmph, this was my chance to fight right beneath the palace!
Morgan
I just hope they don't actually run into anything that calls for a fight.
Indra
Eh, you should know what a big sacrifice I'm making for you. If someone whacks you in one go, you've got to have a friend to yell for the others, right?
Morgan
Haha, my silly Hannah.
Morgan
......
Morgan
Do you remember how Vina looked when we first met her?
Indra
How could I forget?
Indra
She was real cocky.
Morgan
She was tiny, but she was full of herself, she hardly talked. You couldn't even tell when she was angry, but when she fought...
Morgan
Haha... Who do you reckon taught her how to fight?
Indra
She said it was her teacher.
Indra
And I thought she had some brawler from Norport for a teacher.
Indra
Then we found out about who she was, and it all made sense. Probably a knight with muscles for brains.
Indra
Seriously, though, aren't princes and princesses all meant to wear frilly clothes and have trouble running? What kind of teacher would have her fighting like she's facing a wild beast?
Morgan
Haha, when she first told us who she was, I thought she was having a laugh.
Indra
Vina wouldn't kid about something where life and death is concerned.
Morgan
I thought it was a new gang looking for trouble with Glasgow.
Morgan
But it turns out it was an operation to assassinate the heir to the throne? Hah.
Indra
They were pretty tough, though.
Morgan
I thought it'd be a lot more fun to follow a crown princess on an adventure than living the thug life. Besides, this princess has got a special place in my heart.
Morgan
Before I knew it, we were following Vina out of Londinium, wandering the world with her, and making it back here.
Morgan
Now... If the heroes in the legends had a choice, they'd rather lie down on the sofa and gulp down a cold beer, wouldn't you agree?
Indra
Having second thoughts?
Morgan
Of course not. We've come this far already.
Morgan
I started on my memoirs already, and I'm going to make a huge with the book! It's called The Legendary Vina and Her Legendary Mates. All I need now is a publisher.
Indra
With your sorry vocabulary? Forget it!
Morgan
Vina said it was cool!
Morgan
......
Morgan
This reminds me... of that pub that we smashed the sign of.
Indra
That was the first battle we won with Vina leading us!
Morgan
That night, we drank all the booze in their cellar. In the end, Baird carried us back to the lorry, one by one, and drove us home before the police got there.
Indra
Are you bloody daft? I was the one who carried you on my back. Baird was so off her trolley, she tried to steer the loo! And you wanted her to drive?!
Morgan
Haha.
Morgan
All I'm thinking is... No matter where we are, we can still come together and make a name for ourselves, right? Even if it's just taking over a pub from the other gangs.
Morgan
Say, Hannah...
Morgan
We've been back for days already. Why hasn't Vina so much as suggested paying Glasgow a visit?
The Doctor told me that Dr. Kal'tsit negotiated for this... Only this can open the door that leads to the Mausoleum of Kings.
Siege
I know this key once belonged to a Draco.
Siege
......
Siege
...Allerdale.
Siege
Do you know... where the other key is?
The other key.
The key that belonged to the Aslan royal family. It, too, can open this door, and it should have been passed to her by her father, but she has never seen the key herself.
Allerdale
Why ask me that, all of a sudden?
Siege
I just remembered... another legend about the Sighs of Kings.
'With the sword in his hand, the Aslan padishah tried to conquer the last swath of foreign land.'
'The Draco king's fire Arts flew straight toward him. His armor burned away in the flames, disappearing in purplish drops. However, his sword was far harder than his armor.'
'The moment it pierced the Draco king's body, only half of the Aslan padishah's sword remained.'
'And so, the Draco king lived, and the Aslan padishah lost his right hand.'
'After the Draco and the Aslan signed their treaty, the sword was reforged, and it has since become the symbol of Victoria's centuries-long glory.'
Siege
My ancestors... once nearly killed a Draco king.
Siege
And now I hold the key of the Red Dragon's descendants...
Siege
...to open the door to the Mausoleum of Kings.
Allerdale
Here, it doesn't matter whether one is Draco or Aslan—
