12. Betrayal

When Melvin saw Alfred’s face, he had a fearful expression. The mantis felt for him, but then he remembered his tasteless deeds. Velma’s hopeful face was the next one the mantis turned to: “How can I trust you?” “My hatred for this dynasty is much greater than you could ever imagine”, she told him, “I will do everything in my power to end him, Melvin. You could make an old woman’s dream come true.” Melvin paused for a moment, then said: “I will walk down the stairs. I want as much distance as possible. Then I will drop the bag and it’s yours.” Velma nodded excitingly and hastily opened the cage. She watched as Melvin went down the stairs slowly, sometimes looking back and seeming unsure. No one was truly sure, if he really made his decision or if this was all a trick. The bandits also distanced themselves from him. Finally, he reached the end, looked back one more time and dropped the bag. Then the mantis walked away, as the crowd parted for him and onlookers quietly watched. Velma wasted no time running down the stairs to grab the bag. As soon as she carried it to the top, Velma pressed it against Rubin’s chest who began repairing the battering ram with some of the bandits. The witch then showed why she was worthy of her title and began to prepare a magic spell just with her hands. Alfred became even more nervous than before. The battering ram was repaired even faster than anyone expected. Velma then enchanted the battering ram and wasted no time to call to action. The bandits positioned it, and it started to ram into the magic wall. The bandit queen was shaking with excitement. Betty grabbed a sword and prepared for their last stand. So did Ineptus, who now seemed to be able to wield a sword even with his situation. Alfred did not prepare for anything. He seemed thoughtful and pondered about something. The battering ram ultimately broke through the wall, and it collapsed into many small crystal shards, falling on the ground like a broken window. Before Velma could even think of entering the castle, Alfred held up his hand: “Wait!”, he paused for a moment, “We both know how much you want to send me to heaven. But this would be too uneventful for you, wouldn’t it? I propose a duel in the Royal Stadium! You and two other duelists versus me and my last two loyal knights.” She did not answer and Alfred felt the need to further argument for his position: “I mean look at me. I haven’t swung a sword in years. I am on the same level as Betty here. She’s a rookie! And my son is, well, my son is in a special situation.” Velma hadn’t noticed Impetuses’ state yet and had a puzzled facial expression. “We both know that I will lose, witch!”, Alfred seemed weirdly confident, “And when I do, you can dangle my head around in the air, while a massive crowd rejoices at my demise.” Velma pondered just as the king had before, closing her eyes in the process. After a while, the witch opened them up again: “You have a deal, Alfred. One hour of preparation. You will not leave this castle, my men will make sure of that.” Her bandits entered the castle to occupy it. Alfred sighed of relief. Around this time Thogan had reached Hell’s Chasm. He told Misses Tearbags to drive back to the kingdom and hugged her goodbye. He started his journey, climbing down to the bottom. While doing so, he carefully listened to potential sounds, that could hint at the serpent’s cave. Enveloped by darkness, he followed an orchestra of noises. They led him to the entrance of a gloomy cave. He knew that he had made it.