CHAPTER THIRTEEN  ⨾  Merlin & Excalibur.

PREVIOUSLY ON AFTERGLOW . . . Vivienne clumsily falls her way into being the Emperor's bride. DeStorm settles his debt. The Emperor's wedding ends in a blood bath, and Alex takes a new path.

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THE ARMAGEDDON CLOCK WAS AT 1:30 AM.

"Guys, we only have a couple hours before we turn into setting powders!" Bretman warned. The group heard a shattering glass sound before anyone could tell a remark.

Gabbie: Like the logical people we are we follow the broken glass sound. Because...obviously you follow the danger!

Joey: As we entered the round room, we see a lot has changed. There's goblets on the table and an arrow shot into the chair. So that's where Alex's arrows went.

"There's a note! It says "Camelot has fallen, the Black Knight has plundered the land and murdered align Arthur. He now guards the next jeweled key. To defeat him, you must pull out Excalibur from the stone. The only blade he fears."" Joey read.

Alex: To defeat him, we need the power of Excalibur.

"The most holy among you must kneel before the cross, to know Arthur's will." Joey read.

"The most holy? Tana, you're out babe." Gabbie spoke.

"That means I won't be kneeling." Tana comments through gritted teeth.

Tana: Gabbie, shut up, you are literally just as unholy as me.

"Holy typically means a good natured person..." Colleen said.

"Do we have any virgins here?" Alex asks, looking around the room to no avail. "No?"

Bretman: Oh my god this is how we're all gonna die, we're all unholy bitches.

"I'd say, Vivienne you're probably the most holy." Joey spoke, to Vivienne's genuine surprise.

"Me? I shoplifted a book fair at 12." Vivienne spoke.

"But you are a Catholic!" Rosanna says.

"Yeah but like..." Vivienne tried to excuse herself.

"Just kneel!" Tana demands.

"Oh my gosh then I will, okay!" Vivienne kneeled, the box opens.

Vivienne: So I am the most holy? I wasn't joking about shoplifting a book fair at the 7th grade. But my religion saved me here? Thanks I guess, Holy Spirit. Please let me live through the night if you're here.

"Why is there alcohol in here?" Vivienne picked up the bottle.

Gabbie: Inside is a bottle of wine, a note, and if there's anything you know about a Hollywood star...we love our wine!

"To find the pathway to Excalibur, fill each of the seven chalices with wine. once they are filled, all must touch the cross to hear the story of the knights of Camelot. After the story, each of you must take a seat before a chalice, and drink together like knights. However, listen carefully, as two of the chalices are cursed. Names of those who drink of them will go into the voting pile." Alex read.

Colleen: So we fill them all with wine, and we have to pick our poison. Two of us are going to get screwed.

Rosanna: I'm part Italian, I love wine! I would just be so sad that when we're drinking wine that's when I get cursed.

Vivienne: I am not a big drinker. I just ate dumplings!

"Now we have to put our hands to the cross." Alex orders, then a voice was heard. Perhaps it was the story of the Knights of Camelot.

Alex: I'm pretty sure we should be listening, because our life depends on it, but it's long!

Bretman: All I could think about was I'm ready to drink, hello?

Colleen: We're hearing this story and I'm trying to put two and two together and figure out which one of these goblets are cursed, I'm trying to follow, I'm trying to remember! And then I realize, none of my friends are remembering anything.

"There's no way for us to know which ones are cursed." Tana comments.

"If you were paying attention you'd know. Honestly I'm confident none of us were listening." Vivienne spoke.

"I was paying attention!" Colleen spoke. "Y'all! This is life or death, pay attention to the clues!" Colleen exclaims.

Colleen: Fine, it's not like our lives are on the line or anything.

Bretman: So we just pick cups based on our personalities.

Alex: The wine tastes pretty good! my pallet was quenched.

Rosanna: It was a very sweet red, perhaps a Pinot Noir?

"Oh Gabbie has a rusty one." Vivienne points out.

"Mine is lighting up!" Tana placed down her cup, and it looked the same as Gabbie's chalice.

Bretman: And of course, Gabbie and Tana get the cursed ones. Like I said, our personalities.

"I mean it tasted good though, shit, might as well drink it all." Tana took another sip.

"What? You guys it's cursed!" Joey says.

"Too late now!" Gabbie said. "Might as well."

"And it's good too." Tana spoke as everyone shrugged it off and cheered their cups together.

Rosanna: If I was her, I'd probably do the same. Bottoms up, gonna need it!

Alex: The box opens, and inside is a map. And that map is going to lead us into Excalibur.

"Speak the chant before the stones." Gabbie quickly read on the map. "We didn't get a chant yet, right?" Gabbie asks the group, who shake their heads.

"What chant? I don't even see a map." Colleen spoke.

Joey: I'm going to to actually see the real Excalibur in real life? This is crazy!

Rosanna: I'm really hoping that Merlin is there. I'm a huge fan, I love Merlin!

The group walked outside to the Britannia Exhibit. A place that was full of trees. "Do you see a sword in a stone? King Arthur? Merlin? Do we see anything?" Rosanna asks.

Colleen: We follow the map, and go down this pathway, and we hear a horse.

"Is that Arthur?" Gabbie asks.

"No, that's the Black Knight." Joey answers.

Tana: This Black Knight is so scary. It's like is he gonna run us over right now?

Joey: If the tails are true, and this black knight killed King Arthur, we better get the hell out of here!

"Who dares seek the sword of Excalibur!" The Knight questioned.

"Us!" Colleen answered.

Tana: I just want peace I don't want any beef with you and your horse. We just want the sword! We just want to live!

"Leave my kingdom, or die!" The Knight yelled, and took out his sword.

Gabbie: If you wanna show us the exit I'll gladly leave, kid.

"Is there a third option?" Alex asks.

"Did you not hear me!? I shall have your head!" The Knight got off his horse, running after the group. Everyone yelled in fright and began to run.

"Guys he got me!" Gabbie shouted, being in the hands of the Black Knight.

Colleen: The Black Knight captures Gabbie and takes her away!

Alex: Well...Gabbie was slowing us down anyways.

Bretman: And you can't miss a bitch with ostrich feathers!

Colleen: Once the black knight is gone, we all come out and find this old man chained up. This is weird.

"I remember you taking much longer to get here!" The voice said.

"Merlin?!" Rosanna and Alex exclaim.

"I am indeed Merlin!" Merlin answers.

"I'm a big fan!" Rosanna smiles brightly.

Rosanna: I am fangirling right now!

Bretman: This is not the time to fan girl.

"I live backwards, so all my memories are from the future. However, ever since the Collector, who didn't like my meddling, locked me up here." Merlin explained.

"So use your spells, wizard." The Sorceress spoke.

"Oh you! I remember! Yes, you lost your magic too, isn't it?" Merlin asks, and the blonde woman took offense.

"Say it again and I'll dig your eyes out!" The Sorceress threatened, going up to his face.

"Well the eye doesn't see what the heart will grieve over." Merlin comments.

Joey: I'm sensing a lot of tension between Merlin and the Sorceress. Now, I don't know if this tension is sexual, she's been kinda locked up for a while...but she's definitely thirsty for some magic.

"Sir, do you know how to get the sword out of there?" Vivienne asks.

"It's easier said than done..." Merlin answers.

"Well, we're running out of time so let's just take it out!" Colleen suggested.

Colleen: Thus is way harder than I thought, who knew that pulling sword out of stone would be rough?

"Let me try! I got it." Joey said, yet he didn't get it.

Joey: Honestly, I've used all my strength in the last challenge where I had to do the pull-ups. So, I think that's probably why I couldn't pull the sword out.

"What's the note say?" Alex asks, as Tana was trying to lift it up with no avail.

"It says only the true King of Britannia May retrieve the sword. There will not be another for a thousand years." Colleen read.

"A thousand years? That's a bit of a downer, isn't it?" Merlin comments.

Colleen: That time frame doesnt really work for us, we don't have a thousand years, we have a few hours before we all turn to dust.

"If you can free me, I can get my magic back, there's a spell that can turn one of you into a king." Merlin spoke.

"We need it by tonight." Bretman spoke.

"They do say, that the light of the fae can reveal secrets the eye cannot." Merlin adds.

"The light of the Fae..." Tana mumbled.

"Why don't we just look for it?" Vivienne suggests.

Vivienne: So we head into this cave, and there's this magical light that reveals some sort of saying on the back of the map.

"The light of the fae awakens the day. Abolish the stain, dispel the chain." Bretman read the saying.

"So this is the chant we have to say." Colleen comments.

"It sounds like a rap." Tana said.

"The light of the fae awakens the day. Abolish the stain, dispel the chain." The group chanted.

Tana: Why does this chant sound like a rap song! Like who wrote this? Lil Wayne?

"Okay let's go." Joey grabbed the map.

"Oh it looks a little lemony over there." Vivienne comments seeing the Sorceress and Merlin. Mortimer and Calliope stood by the group and whispered to each other—likely gossiping.

"Vivi who cares!" Joey whispers, walking up to Merlin. "Hey, we found the spell! We're gonna speak it." Joey said.

"Okay, we got this!" Rosanna mumbles.

Suddenly the Black Knight came out again. The group all hid behind a tall rock.

"Where are they, old man?" The Knight asked Merlin.

"Hey, enough of the old! I'm actually getting younger! In a hundred years, or so, I'll be a youth. Whereas you won't even be a twinkle in your father's eye." Merlin chuckled.

"I tire off your tongue." The Knight threatened.

"Oh cut it out, by all means! I'm sure The Collector will thank you for messing up her exhibit." Merlin spoke wisely, the Knight sighed of frustration, walking away from the exhibit.

Tana: Merlin lied to the Black Knight for us!

"Let's start this chant." Joey gathered the group, who all held hands around Excalibur.

"The light of the fae awakens the day..."

Tana: Abolish the stain, dispel the chain...

"Oh it opened! It's a crown." Vivienne held it out.

"Who gonna be king though?" Bretman asks.

"Oh there's also a crown." Alex spoke.

Bretman: Oh my god am I being crowned Miss Purgatory of 1940 or something?!

"That looks like it could fit me!" Colleen comments.

"I already have a crown on my head, it's my sailor hat." Vivienne said, placing the crown near her head.

"Oh you found my wand!" Merlun exclaims.

Rosanna: And now, Merlin has got his magic back!

"Now, stand right in front of me." Merlin orders, Vivienne handed Alex the crown, he stood forward. "Turn around twice, wave the wand around a bit, point it at my face, chant these words..."

"Seyor." Merlin adds.

"Seyor." Alex chanted, putting the crown to his head.

"That's it! You freed me!" Merlin's chains broke, the group celebrated clapping and squealing in joy.

Rosanna: And this is one my proudest moment! I never thought I'd help save Merlin.

"I can't believe that the fairies stole Arthur's crown. It belongs in the center of his table. The spell can turn one of you into king for an hour or so. It's in my spell book, which is hidden...which is hidden...in the Egyptian exhibit! The Collector thought it'd be really funny, but it's not." Merlin explains.

Joey: We find out we're gonna have to split up. One group is gonna have to go find Merlin's spell book, the others are going to take that crown to the table and figure what to do there.

Rosanna: Group one, which was me, Vivi, Joey, Tana, and Bretman had to find Merlin's spell book!

Group one walked inside the Ancient Egyptian Exhibit.

"The mummy is long gone in his tomb, we'll be fine." Vivienne comments.

"I'm sure it's just a matter of tapping." Merlin spoke.

"Tapping?" Rosanna and Bretman question.

"Tapping a nose. Who knows if it's a nose." Merlin jokes.

"Haha, very funny, Merlin." Vivienne sarcastically said.

Suddenly the door shut closed on them. "Are we locked in here?" Joey turned around.

Tana: Who slammed that door?

The group yelled as a vase fell, "Something's happening. Look at the candles." Merlin spoke. Candles were going blunt, "Dark magic is at work!" Merlin pointed his wand at the candles.

Bretman: Oh my god, this is too much!

Joey: Then a vase falls off the wall. It reveals a clue.

"The Collector built the trap in case Merlin tried to recover his spell book." Joey read the clue.

Joey: Of course there would be a trap.

"When the last candle goes out, everything in the room will be incinerated."

Rosanna: Everything in the room is gonna be incinerated, including us!

"Okay, guys, let's just look for the spell book!" Vivienne advised.

Rosanna: We are racing against time before we're all done for!

"Another one went out, you guys!" Vivienne noticed.

"I found a clue right here!" Rosanna squatted to find the paper. "It's backwards..." she adds.

"Okay good job, Ro! Bring it to this table." Vivienne pointed.

"I feel the pull and..." Bretman tried to read.

"Oh are these backwards?" Tana asks, Joey nods.

"In the trees, I take what I want." Tana read.

"Wait, how can you read that so easily?" Joey questioned, shocked.

"I can always read things backwards easily." Tana replies.

"Okay then this is your game! Be our translator!" Vivienne smiled.

"I look up at what I have built." Tana read another note Vivienne found.

Rosanna: This is one of her hidden skills that nobody knew she had, and it's coming in handy so much at the moment!

Tana: I'm kinda running around being everyone's translator. Like haha, y'all need me!

Bretman: So I open this vase and I find these tarot cards were inside so I think we match up the tarot cards with whatever the words were saying.

"Another one got out!" Merlin announced.

"Quickly, guys! Tana read this one." Vivienne grabbed Tana's hand to the clue. "I sit with friends and enemies alike. I feel like a fool doing that. So it could be the fool." Tana spoke. "Or a blind man."

"Maybe the gambler?" Vivienne suggests.

"Oh yeah, maybe the gambler will be with them to play Poker or whatever." Bretman agreed.

"Okay, put the card there for now, we can always change it afterwards." Vivienne advised.

Tana: Bretman and I are killing this right now! Vivienne, might have some competition...

Bretman: There were like six cards but there was only five plaques in there so there would be one left out. So we had to really march it up.

Vivienne: To be honest, not doing all these riddles for once is kinda relaxing. Thanks Tana and Bret!

"Uh oh we have two candles left!" Rosanna warned.

Joey: We double check the cards and we realize two of them could possibly be switched so let's try it.

The box opens, revealing Merlin's spell book.

Joey: The box opens up and reveals the spell book.

Vivienne retrieved the book and gave to Merlin.

Vivienne: We are saved from that incinerator trap. Thank god.

"You guys!" Colleen called out, group one met back with group two.

"Is Merlin good?" Gabbie asked.

"Yes." The group answers.

"You guys be careful, the Black Knight is everywhere. He came in and tried to kill us." Colleen explains.

Rosanna: Luckily, Gabbie has been freed. We meet up with Colleen, Gabbie, Alex, Mortimer, and Calliope who have found a crystal.

Colleen gave Merlin the stone they'd found. "This is the guardian Angel stone. Save this for your rainiest days." Merlin explained.

Rosanna: Tonight is cloudy with a hundred percent chance of rain.

Gabbie: It's like a guardian of angel stone, not a diamond, but valuable, I guess.

"Place this on the pendragon symbol to activate it, when the time is right." Merlin spoke, then the Black Knight arrived behind the hall.

"I've seen you left your exhibit, Merlin!" The Knight called out.

Joey: Out of nowhere, the Black Knight appears and Merlin decides he's going to take him down.

Merlin walked forward to cast a spell on the Knight, green magic coming from his wand. "Be careful!" Rosanna warns.

"Guys we have to go." Mortimer spoke, leading the group to the lounge.

Joey: I'm not sure Merlin made it out of there alive.

"Did Merlin just die?" Colleen asks.

"No, not Merlin!" Tana and Rosanna exclaim.

Rosanna: I didn't even get his autograph!

"Guys we have the book, the tears of the lady of the lake have the power to transform our person into a king. Two must be selected by vote of a group to return to standing stones to cast a spell." Joey read the spell book.

Rosanna: We need the tears of the lady of the lake to transform one of us into a king to save the day.

Gabbie: Once again, we gotta vote who's gonna battle this one out.

"Does anyone have their names in the voting pile already?" Alex spoke.

"I do." Gabbie replies.

"So do I!" Tana adds.

Alex: Gabbie and Tana already have their names in the voting pile because they chose the cursed chalices.

"I'd like to talk to you separately to hear your point of view what happened in your group." Joey spoke to Colleen.

"Sure." Colleen went with him. "Just talk amongst yourselves to who you wanna vote for, I guess." Colleen advised to the others.

"Are you saying that because you're going off with Joey..." Vivienne mumbles, highly suspicious.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Colleen asked.

"Your alliance. You're planning to vote against us." Tana spoke up.

"What are you guys talking about? We just wanna speak of what happened in our groups." Joey spoke.

Joey: We're just trying to get all the facts. in group settings sometimes that can't happen.

Vivienne: Okay as what Mat would say, "my detective senses are on high alert".

"It's difficult but it's a conversation we need to have." Joey replies.

"Okay..." Vivienne and Tana sigh.

Tana: Joey is all about all of us teaming together until he wants to run away with Colleen. It's like this is just Joey's afterworld and we're all living in it.

"Why don't we just vote for both of them? You and I already have a vote, we can't afford to get another one." Gabbie said.

Colleen: I might wanna vote for Ro, last time I saw her in Everlock she was shoving me into a box of spikes. (Mf I swear to god Colleen would not let go of this, we get it, you got murdered.)

"You've apologized. She hasn't. Vivienne didn't even touch me and was clinging to Mortimer." Colleen reasoned, "I can't do that to Ro."

Joey: Ro is just the sweetest little cinnamon roll. I can't have Colleen voting for her.

"I know she feels so much pain for what she's did to you, as much as I do." Joey reasons back.

"Joey did bring us here, and he hasn't even been in a single challenge yet." Vivienne spoke.

"I think we have females going into the competition..." Rosanna added.

Bretman: The scroll said that we needed a King and it sounded like they were wanting Colleen to go in, but I'm like, what if it only worked with a boy.

Rosanna: So we're thinking, Joey is our leader, he should be king. He is king material!

"I wanna survive this. I don't want to pick the wrong person to go die." Colleen spoke to Joey.

"Wait so we should vote Joey and or Colleen?" Tana asks—loudly.

Colleen: All of a sudden I hear my name being talked about by everyone else. And I am pissed! I've been pulling my weight all night and working my ass off. Now all my friends wanna vote me in to die?

"Listen, all we said was let's get Joey and Colleen so that we can all vote." Vivienne lied to the two.

"Yeah, vote already." Bretman adds.

"Okay fine, let's do it." Joey said.

"Tana and Gabbie have drunk from cursed chalices. I will put their names into the voting pile." Calliope announces.

"Nice knowing you guys." Tana spoke.

Colleen: I need the strongest people here to help me survive. So I haven't seen Tana solve any puzzles so I'm voting for her.

Alex: I vote for Joey, Bretman, Rosanna, Gabbie, and I'm sure Vivienne voted for him as well. He will highly be in there.

Joey: I get up to the table and I see that my pile is so low, and has been shoveled. Who the hell is voting for me? Someone, or some people voted for me, and I'll get to the bottom of this.

"I will now shuffle and draw two." Calliope announces. "First person going into the challenge is, The Hollywood Star."

Gabbie: Really wish I didn't get cursed.

"You got this, Gabbie." Vivienne encourages.

"We'll see." Gabbie responds.

"Second person, the Pin-Up girl." Calliope announces, the room gasps.

Tana: I just read all of these backward anagrams, I got the spell book, why would anyone vote for me?

"I'm having flashbacks." Gabbie joked.

"We've been here before." Tana adds.

"Who won the last one?" Alex asks.

"I did, but Tana didn't die. Jesse died and we both lived." Gabbie explained.

"Well we both lived last time!" Tana realizes.

"I just have a feeling it won't be this time." Gabbie said.

Gabbie: The last person I see before I die might be Tana?

Bretman: It's gonna be the battle of who wore pink best. Only one girl can wear pink.

Vivienne: Tana did it better.

"I wanna say something. I saw that my pile was moved, someone here voted for me." Joey spoke.

"We talked about voting a male in because we thought that the scripture said king." Rosanna explained.

"Why does the king have to be a man?" Colleen asks.

"Then it'd be grammatically incorrect." Vivienne answered.

"It's what the scripture said!" Rosanna adds.

"Did you vote for me?" Joey asks.

"Yeah. But I thought it's because you could take the sword out of the stone." Rosanna explained, making Vivienne sigh.

"Rosanna!" Joey exclaims.

Joey: Here I am defending Ro five seconds ago, and to find out she and others were conspiring against me? Doesn't feel good.

"I honestly always had your back even when I was talking to Colleen I made sure that she was not gonna vote for you, I said 'I could never, never vote for Ro!'" Joey explains.

Joey: I think Bretman, Alex, and maybe Gabbie might've also been in this conspiracy.

"Well how would Ro know about that? The whole time you were having your private session discussing with Colleen!" Vivienne defended.

"Yeah, she's right, you're now telling us this?" Bretman agreed, Alex nods in agreement as well.

Alex: Vivienne was smart about that comment. Because it shut up Joey and Colleen.

Vivienne has her hand with Rosanna's shoulder, "I always have your back, at least much more than Joey does." Vivienne whispered, making Rosanna crack a smile.

"Thank you, best friend!" She quietly replied.

Alex: A few minutes later, realizing two of our friends are out there fighting to the death. It didn't sit with me correctly.

Alex stood up, after minutes of silence. "We have two friends out there, fighting for their lives, there's six of us here! Altogether we're much more than just one Black Knight."

Alex: We are six. the Black Knight is one. We don't have to be scared of him.

"I'm sick of sitting here." Joey spoke.

"Then let's go." Alex encouraged.

"We're gonna save the girls." Bretman stated.

Joey: Alex suddenly has this burst of energy and wants to go to help the girls in any way we can, so let's go do it.

The group reached outside, immediately seeing Tana and Gabbie run away from the Knight. "He killed Tana!" Vivienne exclaimed, a hand to her mouth out of shock.

"No, Tana!" Alex said.

Gabbie: I watch him kill Tana, and then he looks at me.

"No! Please!" Gabbie backed away as the Knight stabbed her in the stomach, killing her.

"They both just died!" Joey exclaims.

"Damn that's like me and Ro!" Vivienne comments.

Rosanna: The Black Knight comes in and kills Tana. Then Gabbie!

Joey: It's all happening again, two people loosing one timed challenge. This has happened to Rosanna and Vivienne with those witches.

Rosanna: He's gonna come over and kill us too.

"Let's go, fake hearted villain I haven't finished with you yet!" Merlin spoke.

"Do the puzzles, do the puzzles!" Vivienne said.

Vivienne: We don't have the tears of the lady of the lake, we're done for unless we finish the puzzles.

Joey: If we don't get the key, they're gonna die in vain.

Rosanna: We quickly solve this puzzle so fast!

"There's another one! Over here you guys!" Vivienne ran.

"We solved it!" The group exclaimed.

Colleen: all of a sudden this rock opens up. I run to it and inside are the tears of the Lady of the Lake. I drink that bish up, I'm pretty sure that means I'm the king now.

"They got Merlin too!" Vivienne yelled.

"Merlin no!" Rosanna exclaims.

"Take it out!" Alex called to Colleen, who lifted the sword from the stone.

Colleen: I pull that rock and I've never felt more powerful in my life. I'm the king, bitch.

Colleen runs to the Black Knight and stabs him in the stomach. "Finally!" Vivienne clapped.

Colleen: I kill that mother-trucker and I stole that jeweled key, honey, I am the king.

Bretman: All hail King Colleen, your majesty.

"Okay back to the lounge." Vivienne said, before everything was comprehending in her mind.

Alex: The Black Knight is pretty much dead. But with his last breath, he blows this horn.

Joey: Seeing Gabbie and Tana lifeless on the floor. I realize that the message came true. Death was coming. It has arrived.

"That was cool." Colleen smiled.

"How was it?" The Sorceress asked.

"Good, I'm now a king."

"Well, we lost two of our friends." Vivienne reminds.

Bretman: It honestly wakes me up that we could literally all die any second now and we wouldn't even know.

"Well we shouldn't waste any more time. Put the key in." Vivienne suggests.

"Okay, I'll put this in. Let's try to get out of here alive." Colleen spoke.

"Agreed." The group replies.

"Wait. Once I put this key, we still have to get five more keys. There's only six of us left. One of us will only live." Colleen points out.

"Only one of us?" Vivienne asks.

"Well just put it in! We'll be together, we got this." Rosanna says.

"Next time we unlock something else in this museum, none of us will die." Colleen says.

Joey: Everyone that's voted for me to be in the challenge except for Colleen. I can't trust anybody but her.

The only thing that opened was the clock. "There's a note in here. The Black Knight has called the gorgon home from her expedition. None of you will ever leave." Colleen read.

"A gorgon?"

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Do we all see this next chapter? 😜