Chapter 5: The Quest For The Princess

*The following chapter was written based on events later described by Mullenkedheim.

     "Come on, Weimar," Mullenkedheim shouted at Weimar through the crowded streets of Alexandria. Weimar had, of course, stopped to chat with a local woman in town.
     "Just a minute, Mull," Weimar shouted back, then resumed talking to the woman. During his entire conversation, he never once looked at the woman's face.
     Mullenkedheim started to walk toward Weimar when suddenly two large men in his path fell into each other, both wildly throwing punches at the other. Finally a solid left hook from the man on the left connected with his opponent's right cheek. His head slung back, but without much pause, the man began to retaliate when a man in a full suit of maroon-lined armor intervened and held the two men apart. They continued to try to attack each other, at which point one of the men threw out a punch that collided with Haagen's nose. He was startled by the punch, but did not break his hold on either man. He instead grabbed both men by the shirts, pulled them in close, then hurled them to the ground on either side of him. Then in the same motion unsheathed both swords on his back and pressed the tips gently into each man's neck.
     "Calm down angry citizens," Haagen addressed them in a superhero-like manner, save for the fact that his eyes were tearing up. "I can't control my fury, so control yourselves or else."
     Mullenkedheim walked by Haagan and started pulling him by the back of his armor's collar. "What part of low profile do you guys not understand?"
     "Hey, come on, Mull," Haagen responded as he broke free of Mullenkedheim's grasp and sheathed his swords. "I have to uphold the peace. Without law there'd be-"
     "Tears?"
     "Oh that's not fair. He hit me in the nose! It's a natural response."
     Mullenkedheim finally reached Weimar's location and pulled him away from the woman by his ear. "Come on, guys. We need to save the princess. We also need to find Doje, because if he is as bad as you two at keeping a low profile, then something is going to explode."
     "I'm cool," Dojebon said from over Mullenkedheim's shoulder. "I've been behind you the whole time."
     "Good," he responded. "Let's go then." He led the three toward the town's exit, when they noticed that the city's guards were beginning to run around the city frantically. The four resumed their walk toward the exit, but now were trying especially hard to blend in, which was hard with Haagen dressed in full knight's armor.
     "Sore thumb," Weimar commented quietly to Haagen.
     "No, nose," came the reply. Haagen had the back of his head slapped for this.
     "Guys, quiet," Mullenkedheim whispered. He held his arm out to stop the others from advancing. They crouched beside a stone fountain in the middle of a large, moderately empty cobblestone court. On the other side of the fountain was the city's entrance. It was also the city's exit, which was the greater concern for the four, but it was guarded by two of the city's soldiers. Like the rest of the soldiers, they were women in what can only be described as green bathing suits with added chest armor and helmets.
     "Okay, Weimar," Haagen said quietly. "This is your area now. How do we get past two female guards?"
     "Watch and learn, guys," Weimar said. "Follow me and don't say anything." Weimar emerged from behind the fountain with his entourage following silently behind. He smiled at the two guards as he approached. "Hey ladies, what's shakin'?"
     "Hey, Wei," the guard on the left said.
     "What's with the sudden security, Barbara?" Weimar asked the left guard.
     "Apparently we're supposed to apprehend the Knights of Pluto. Something about a breakout and an execution. I kinda wasn't listening. So who're your friends?"
     "Oh them," Weimar said, motioning over his shoulder at the other three knights. "Just some of my buddies from work. And we're gonna be late too if we don't get moving. We're on call to umm... that tiny town not far from here."
     "Dali," Haagen added.
     "Riiight, Dali," Weimar said before thrusting an elbow back intended for Haagen's chest, though instead he hit his plate mail. He scrunched his left eye and started rubbing his elbow while resuming his conversation with Barbara. "So anyway, we've gotta take off. See you later, Barbara. Tanya."
     "Byyyyye, doctor!" the two guards said in a tone unfitting for guards and more fitting for bedazzled teenage girls.
     "Doctors," he corrected. "There are four of us. And we're all doctors."
     The guards smiled and waved as the four knights exited the city. The knights walked out proudly and tried their best to discuss doctor-related things, though none were very knowledgeable about actual illnesses and anatomy. Mullenkedheim was the closest, while the others talked more of miracles than actual medical cures, such as Haagen's supposed feat of saving a man from anti-skullitus (a man who lost his skull in battle) or Dojebon's man who had a ruptured vertibole.
     The knights trekked through the grassy plains and shielded their eyes from the morning sun as they did so. The sun shone brightly on the high cliffs where Alexandria stood and was amplified by the sunlight reflecting off of the thick mist in the large valley to the southwest. The knights reached the cliff's edge and looked out into the mist filled valley. Some distance out was a faint lingering of black smoke forming a spire through the mist.
     "They did crash," Dojebon said. "At least judging by the smoke I don't think they all died."
     "Nice, Doje," Mullenkedheim said sarcastically.
     "Hey, it's a good thing. Sure, maybe a couple died, but I'm sure Captain Steiner is okay. And if he's okay, then the princess is okay."
     "Wait a minute." Mullenkedheim squinted and held his hand above his eyes to block the sun. He glared through the mist to the base of the smoke spire. "Did they... Crash in the Evil Forest?"
     "What're the odds," Weimar muttered. "One tiny forest and they land in it... I mean-" He glanced next to him at Haagen, who at the mention of the Evil Forest had started climbing down the cliff side somewhat unsuccessfully. He plunged one of his swords into the side of the cliff, hoping to use his swords as a ladder to climb down progressively, but his sword only broke a piece of rock and left him flailing to find a better way to hold onto the cliffs. Weimar bent down and took his hand. He pulled Haagen up and gave him a strange look.
     "What?" Haagen asked. He panted and put his sword away, then turned back to the other three knights. "The princess is in horrible danger. We need to get down there and fast."
     "But how?" Mullenkedheim asked.
     "Am I the only one that doesn't know what makes the Evil Forest evil?" Dojebon asked.
     "Waterfall!" Haagen shouted.
     "I don't think it has a waterfall, nor are waterfalls evil.... Haagen?"
     Nobody was listening too intently to Dojebon since Weimar and Mullenkedheim were too fixated on Haagen, who had realized that there was a beautiful waterfall pouring over the cliff side. The river ran through Alexandria, so they had been walking beside it the whole time, yet nobody paid much attention to it until now. Now everybody paid attention because Haagen had already removed his chest plate and thrown it into the waterfall. Then, much to nobody's surprise, Haagen leaped into the river and swam toward the falls.
     "His fury is... boundless," Mullenkedheim said. He watched with the others as Haagen flew over the side of the falls. The remaining three watched him plummet down the side of the waterfall and splash down in the waters below.
     "He okay?" Dojebon asked.
     "Strangely, I think so," Weimar said. "I guess we should follow him then."
     "Are you crazy?" Mullenkedheim asked.
     "Nope," he responded. "We're crazy. Knights of Pluto stick together!"
     "Except that we separated from the other four already," Dojebon added.
     "There's a gate not too far away that goes down there," Mullenkedheim said.
     "Too late," Weimar said as he jumped into the river and casually floated toward the waterfall. Mullenkedheim rolled his eyes and Dojebon shrugged, then both leaped into the river with Weimar and floated over the waterfall together.

     Mullenkedheim blinked his eyes open and stared at the mist-covered sky. He looked side to side and saw Haagen, Weimar, and Dojebon all ringing out their clothes and hair. Dojebon was hit the worst with water since he wore a robe, which was now soaked. He walked as if wearing his own suit of armor like Haagen, only the wet outfit was possibly heavier than Haagen's.
     "With this mist blocking the sun, I don't think I'll ever dry out," Dojebon whined.
     "Guys, he's awake," Weimar noted as Mullenkedheim sat up.
     "What happened?" Mullenkedheim asked.
     "Dunno, but you were floating face down. I had to drag you out of the water."
     "Well we shouldn't wait around here forever," Haagen said. "We're here."
     Mullenkedheim got to his feet and stood alongside the dripping knights. They all looked on at the forest ahead of them. The trees were tall and eerie with many vines resting on the limbs. There were several vines that blocked the entrance to the forest and everything about the forest seemed off, mostly by the gray coloring of everything.
     Haagen approached the entrance alone and unsheathed one of his swords. He sliced at the vines, but it only resulted in sparks flying everywhere and painful noises that sounded much like nails on a chalkboard.
     "This doesn't look good," Mullenkedheim said, holding his hands over his ears.
     Weimar and Dojebon pulled the fingers from their own ears. "What?"