Rescue Part 1

"Guts, Glenn. What are you two doing here?" Casca asked in a simple tone.

"Captain Guts is back!" One of the Hawk's Raiders shouted as they crowded around him.

Guts wanted to celebrate with the rest of the group, but they didn't have time. They were forced to move the encampment to another location since their current one was ousted.

After moving near a river, Casca worked on getting things settled while the rest of the group caught up with Guts and Glenn.

Glenn could see that they were still using the equipment he gave them. Though the armors were a little dinged up, their weapons were still in tip-top condition.

Glenn received thanks for the armor and weapons, Judeau, Pippin, Rickert, and even Corkus said that it helped them numerous times.

Guts talked about his experiences training and explained why they haven't come back sooner.

"So, you were up in the mountains training?" Judeau asked in surprise.

"Like some kind of Hermit?" Rickert followed up.

"It wasn't boring. Kind of hard to be when you have a master swordsman to fight with every day," Guts said as he eyed Glenn.

Everyone looked at Glenn with an expression of surprise.

In defense of the intense stares he was getting, Glenn threw his hand up and pointed to the longsword on his back before saying, "What, did you think that making maps was the extent of my abilities?"

"Is he any good in a fight?" Judeau asked.

"He's stronger than me," Guts said, making everyone go wide-eyed.

"Well, I think that's enough attention on me. I'll go help tend to the wounded," Glenn said while excusing himself from the conversation.

Corkus was the most stunned. Sure, Glenn had a strong build, but he wasn't as tall or as bulky as Guts. So the thought, "How the hell is he stronger than him?!" kept repeating in his head.

He thought that Guts was lying, but then he remembered, Guts isn't the type to brag.

Guts then shook his head and said, "Never mind us, what happened to you guys? Why is the Band of the Hawk in this kind of shape?"

Judeau sighed before he explained that Griffith was arrested and that they were lured into a trap.

Guts felt fury for the pain of his friend. He wanted to march down to Wyndham and kill the King with his bare hands.

However, Judeau mentioned that they were sneaking in to rescue Griffith and that he was just in time to help.

After relaxing a bit, Glenn brought out a bottle of Scotch called Kamikaze Bomb Scotch.

They drank into the night and slept by the fire pit.

During this time, Casca brought Guts away to have a little chat.

Glenn lifted a closed eye and saw them walk towards the waterfall with a smile on his face.

Glenn then mumbled, "Heh! Well, someone's getting lucky," and then went back to sleep.

The next morning, Casca rallied the troops and hopped on her horse. Glenn saw her wince in pain before she gave Guts a sly look.

Glenn elbowed Judeau on horseback as he said, "You see that?"

Before Judeau could answer, Casca yelled out, "To Wyndham! To save Griffith!"

The Band cheered as they rode out for the week-long journey.

The entire ride to Wyndham was uneventful. They met up with some villagers to hide the army and went ahead with a smaller group.

Guts, Casca, Glenn, Pippin, and Judeau all went ahead, while the rest stayed behind.

Thankfully, through some kind of 'cough' miracle, all of the injured were healed overnight, and no one was left behind.

Guts gave Glenn a funny stare before having to play along with his cluelessness.

Glenn didn't want Rickert to leave just yet. He had plans for the boy.

After a few more hours riding through forests, dirt roads, and trails, the group ended up at a graveyard long past nightfall.

"What are we doing here?" Guts asked as Casca was inspecting the tombstones she passed by.

"We're looking for a secrete passage into the castle's interior. We need to gain access to the dungeon Griffith's in, and that's inside the castle walls. Our informant said there was a secret passage here," Judeau answered.

"And you think you're going to find that here? This could take hours. If these things were as easy to find as you make it sound, then I'll retire my sword," Guts declared as Casca rubbed her hand across a tombstone with moss on it.

"Found it!" Casca announced.

Pippin and Glenn chuckled as Judeau turned to Guts and said, "Well, retirement, it is!"

Pippin stepped up and pushed the tombstone revealing the secret passage.

Guts looked down the cave and said, "Kind of narrow,"

"Okay, first, we'll head down and meet up with our informant in the castle. Then they'll lead to Griffith. This path is our in and out, so we have to make this quick," Casca gave out orders like a proper leader.

Guts waved his hand before saying, "Wait, I understand us going, but you're our leader. We can't have you getting hurt…"

Casca stopped Gut's sentence mid-way. She then stood on the tips of her toes before placing her plate-mail against his chest, looked him dead in the eye, and said, "Worried? Give me a break. When it comes to sword fighting, you know I'm better than even those two. You're a professional mercenary right now, so act like it."

After scolding him, she turned around, and faced the entrance of the passageway. She then cocked her head over her shoulder and said, "I can at least watch your back. Don't forget that."

Guts nodded his head while mumbling, "Right!"

Judeau, Pippin, and Glenn all chuckled at their strange way of flirting. 

Casca saw them, blushed, and then sighed before saying, "Let's go!"

They all followed her down the path and ended up at a narrow stairway up into a closed lid.

Pippin lifted the coffin lid and placed it next to the fake grave marker. They then stepped out the hidden passageway and into the inside of a Mausoleum for Royalty.

"Out one grave and into another," Guts mentioned as they looked around.

After walking a few steps into the distance, Casca and Guts spotted an oil lamp lighting up nearby.

Who's there?!" Guts shouted as he reached for his sword.

Casca threw her hand in front of Guts to warn him, "Stop! They're on our side."

Guts relaxed before a voice called and asked, "Are you from the Band of the Hawk?"

The light from the approaching strangers revealed two cloaked figures. The one who wasn't carrying a lamp shook as she saw the group that came to rescue Griffith.

"Thank goodness, I was worried about what would become of us if you did not arrive. I almost expected to see ghosts here." The cloak figured said.

"Who are you?" Guts asked.

The thin cloaked figure then looked at Guts and pointed before saying, "Ah, you're the one that shouted 'Hey Pal!' at Lord Julius when you were with Lord Griffith!"

"You did what?" Casca asked as she gave Guts an exhausted expression.

"Do you remember me? I'm Charlotte. How do you do?" Charlotte said as she revealed her face to everyone.

"You're the Princess! The Princess is our informant?" Guts said with a look of surprise.

The one with her was obviously her attendant, Anna.

"You're being rude!" Casca said before pushing Guts into a forced bow.

"I don't mind! Really!" Charlotte said as she waved her hands.

"I'm Casca, the acting Leader of the Band of the Hawk. Your highness's devotion and effort have made it possible for us to stand here today. The entire Band of the Hawk offers you their eternal gratitude."

"Ah, I remember you! You're the one who I asked to protect Griffith on that morning when the army set out for Doldrey," The Princess said with a happy expression.

"Yes, that was me," Casca answered.

"You're a woman? I wonder why I didn't notice back then," Charlotte said with a puzzled expression.

While Guts and Judeau chuckled, the Princess showed a flustered expression as she waved her hand up and said, "But, I knew it at first glance this time!"

Casca blushed and lowered her head while Judeau looked at Guts and her before turning to Glenn, who was nodding at him.

"It's just cause its dark that she mistook him for a woman," Guts joked with Judeau, breaking the tension as Casca hit him in the head with her lamp.

While Guts recoiled from the blow, the Princess looked worried and asked, "Is he going to be alright?"

"Your highness, we have more important things to worry about. We mustn't lose a second when rescuing Griffith. There isn't much time until dawn breaks."

"Yes. Let's go!" Charlotte said as she put her hood back on and turned around before leading the group onto the castle's bailey.

Walking through the courtyard, Casca realized that once again, Charlotte was still Griffith's best chance at the throne.

She hated that she still felt jealous and held Gut's hand to comfort herself.

Judeau and Glenn gave Pippin a knowing look when the Princess spoke up, "Miss Casca, I must apologize."

Casca pulled her hand off Guts while Charlotte looked over her shoulder and continued to apologize, "My Fa…The King's behavior towards Lord Griffith and you all a year ago..."

Charlotte then gripped her chest and said, "As his blood relative, I feel I must apologize from the bottom of my heart."

"No, there's no reason for you to do such a thing. It's because of you that we were able to get this far," Casca replied.

"However, we're never going to clear the air like this. If you know, could you enlighten us why Griffith was arrested in the first place?" Judeau asked as he crossed his arms.

"I...understand," Charlotte said as she blushed and looked away.

"Your highness!" Anna called out in worry.

"It is okay, Anna. They should know. That night, when Griffith was arrested, he came to my room."

"Who goes there?!" A stern voice called out alongside the clanking of armor moving. Two knights out on patrol slowly walked closer to the group.

Guts and Judeau got ready to attack, but Charlotte held them off and walked ahead to present herself first.

"Who in God's name is out here this late at night?" One of the guards said as they held up their torches next to Charlotte's face.

"Princess!" The guards shouted in unison.

They both bowed as the other knight said, "How rude of us!"

 "It matters not. Please, lift your heads." Charlotte responded.

"What brings you out here so late?" One of the Knights questioned.

"I sought the night breeze, so I came out for a walk," Charlotte answered.

"But, wasn't the King's order for you not to leave the palace?" The other knight followed up.

Princess Charlotte then sighed as she waved her hand, "It was just too stuffy inside, and I found it unbearable. Please don't tell anyone you saw me out here. I'm perfectly safe as I have bodyguards with me."

Charlotte then waved her hand at her attendant and said, "Anna! Please."

Anna ran forth and gave the men a handful of small silver coins.

"It isn't much, but please consider this a thank you," Anna said as she closed her money pouch.

"Oh, if that's the case then, we didn't see anything." One of the knights said as they pocketed the money.

"I wish the best to you and your bodyguards!" The other knight said as they walked away.

"Not bad." Guts said as he walked up next to the Princess, "And here I thought you were just a timid sheltered Princess."

"I beg your pardon?" Anna said with an offended expression.

The Princess then let out a sigh of relief and fell backward. Anna and Guts caught her while she said, "I'm alright, just a little nervous. But it looks like I was of some use."

"Get your hands off of her!" Anna shouted at Guts.

"It's just as you said, I'm a sheltered little girl who nothing of the world. Even I can't believe I was able to do that. I feel like...it was Griffith who gave me the strength to do it. Yes, because of Lord Griffith, I was able to act," Charlotte said while shaking off her nerves.

 "Come on, we must continue," Anna said while helping Charlotte walk for a few seconds.

Guts turned back to see the dower mood on Casca's face before he placed his arm around the back of her neck and asked, "What me to hold your hand?"

"Let's go!" Casca said as she pushed him away.

Guts clicked his teeth and turned around. As he walked to catch up with the group, Casca grabbed his cloak and held on to it until they reached the Tower of Rebirth.

"That's one old-looking tower," Guts stated as he looked at the massive construct.

"The Tower of Rebirth," Judeau called out as he looked upon the rustic building.

"You know something about this?" Guts asked.

"A little. Among Wyndham, this is the oldest and most ancient tower. They say it was built during the foundation of the Kingdom of Wyndham. But some say it's even older. I don't know if any of that is true. What I do know is that it was used during wars and the inquisition to lock up prisoners and heretics," Judeau answered.

"It's still being used for that purpose even now. Griffith's cell is on the lowest floor in the dungeon," Charlotte followed up.

"Thank you so much for your help, your highness. But we'll take it from here. If it's discovered that the Princess isn't in the castle, it could cause a city-wide panic," Casca stated as she bowed to Charlotte.

Judeau tapped Casca's shoulder and gestured for her to speak in private.

They walked away a bit when Judeau and Casca started to speak back and forth.

When the Princess heard the word 'Hostage.' she realized what they were talking about and said, "About that, if you'll allow it, I want to take you up on that offer. I want to come along. I want to be with Griffith."

"Princess Charlotte! You can't! Do you know what panic you would cause our people? What heartache you'll give your Father?" Anna tried to dissuade her.

"I don't care. I no longer consider that 'man' my Father," Charlotte answered.

"Your highness, to say such a thing," Anna said with a shocked expression.

"Never you mind!" Charlotte yelled out as she turned her back on Anna and took Casca's hand.

"Please! Miss Casca. Take me with you," The Princess pleaded.

Casca averted her eyes and said, "I'm against this."

"Why?" Charlotte questioned.

"Think about it. It will be hard enough to escape on our own. If we take you with us, we'll have to protect you too, and it will make this a nationwide issue. The King would go through any means to get you back. Even if we make it across the border, if you are with us, we still can't avoid the proclamation from the King and will be hunted even there," Casca explained.

"But still!!!" Charlotte shouted out as Casca raised her hand and stopped her from speaking.

"Also, if we do as you say, you risk staining Griffith's name. Once word gets around that we used you as a hostage, Griffith will be forced to share the shame of that stigma for the rest of his life. It would be the end of his path to success," Casca followed up.

"But, I just want to be with him," Charlotte responded.

"Casca, I think it would be a good idea to take her with us," Glenn spoke out.

"We don't have to use her as a hostage. We can be the ones rescuing her," Glenn said while holding out his finger.

"Just listen, Griffith has been imprisoned by a King. His reputation is already in ruins. However, if...I don't know, we spread a rumor, say, the King has gone mad, and we're rescuing the Princess, then don't you think we can force the King to abdicate the throne? Charlotte will become the future Queen of Midland and take control,"

"It could take us a while. We might have to build up the Hawk's ranks if we want to wage war against the King's forces. But it is doable," Judeau pondered out loud.

"We would need for the King to actually be mad for that scenario to play out," Casca replied.

"He is!" Charlotte shouted at the top of her lungs.

Everyone placed their hand over her mouth and breathed a sigh of relief that no one was around.

Casca pulled her hand off and said, "Quietly, tell us why the King is mad."

A disgusted look came over Charlotte's face when they removed their hands and listened as she said, "He...he...tried to...ra...rape me. My own Father."

Everyone, including Anna, sucked in a mouthful of cold air.

"That'll work," Judeau said, making Casca hit him while calling him insensitive.

Casca looked at the desperate look on the Princess's face before sighing and saying, "Okay, fine. You can come along. But you have to listen to my orders. However, in the event that Griffith tells you it's impossible, you have to listen."

The Princess wanted to argue, but seeing the serious expression on Casca's face, she caved in and pouted as she thought, "I'll just scream again if they say no."

They all gathered up and let Judeau take out the guards with some fast and deadly throwing knives.

The two guards didn't know what hit them as the blades entered their throats, silencing and killing them at the same time.

Judeau ran forward and grabbed the keys before entering the tower.

The group then marched down what seemed to be an endless set of stairs that burrowed deep into the surface of the Earth.

Glenn whistled before Guts said, "Impressive, it's even larger than the tower above."

Charlotte looked frightened as she peered into one of the cells and was jump-scared by a tortured prisoner.

Both Guts and Anna caught her again before Guts sighed and said, "Maybe you should've waited up above."

"No, I want to go. I will go." Charlotte steeled her nerves.

Impressed with her attitude, Guts decided to reward her by helping her up while he said, "I hear ya. Stand up."

"I...I can't." Charlotte whimpered with an embarrassed expression on her face.

"This is why I can't stand Nobles," Guts thought as he turned around and held his hands behind his back before saying, "Come on, I'll carry you."

"I...I couldn't." Charlotte embarrassedly said as she looked at Gut's back.

"Come on, we're wasting time!" Guts said as he picked her up and started marching down.

Glenn noticed Casca's expression and couldn't help but snicker. He jabbed Judeau's elbow and whispered, "They really suck at this relationship stuff."

Judeau nodded his head in agreement while they walked down to the lowest level. As they made their way into the pits of the kingdom, princess told them the origins of their land. How it was back before Wyndham got its name. She told them of the endless wars, the environment for the people, and the King who brought peace to the land.

When Charlotte mentioned the skull helmet, both Glenn and Guts gave each other a similar look before Glenn nodded his head.

"How is that possible? It was thousands of years ago!!!" Guts thought to himself. He then remembered what the Regen Spell did to Godo, "Did he preserve his life with magic?"

"I've heard of that one," Judeau announced, "The tale of the Skull King, right?"

"The King forced labor and built up a massive kingdom. The Nobility led lives of luxury while putting heavy taxes on the public to the point it was killing them. Eventually, God punished the King for creating such a forsaking and sent down 5 angels to deal out judgment," Judeau explained.

"Weren't there four angels?" Casca asked.

"Oh, yeah. I think you're right," Judeau corrected himself.

"What's that fairytale got to do with this tower?" Guts asked.

"It wasn't a fairytale," Charlotte shot back, "At least, the city existed. Apparently, the name derived from it was Midland, and that city perished by way of a natural disaster. It is said to be sleeping still, just as it was then, in a place untouched by sunlight or wind, at the bottom of this hole."

"Is that all true?" Guts asked as he looked over the side of the stairs.

"From what my teacher says, yes. I don't know if it's all true. But it seems after the Emperor's death and the collapse of the Imperial Capital, the Continent gradually became the territory covered with the assorted countries we know today. The Emperor had no children, so it isn't a direct line...but it is said that even out of all those countries, the Midland Royal Family is the only one that carries Gaiseric's blood," Charlotte said as she looked down.

Casca looked back at the Princess before Charlotte said, "Also, it is a fact that investigative teams have descended this hole many times. But not one person returned. It is said that the Tower of Rebirth was built in order to seal that unclean past."

"You don't say," Casca said as she looked back at the hole.

"So is that it for our walk down memory lane? Hmm… you know, if this place has that much history, we might see some GHOSTS!!!" Judeau joked as he held the lamp close to his face and made a scary expression.

The Princess screamed as she held Guts tighter and choked him.

Casca looked back and gave a jealous look before she hit her head on the edge of the dungeon rock wall.

Accidentally dropping the torch down the pit, Casca cursed while Judeau said, "Bummer."

"What are you doing?" Guts cried out.

Before Guts could say anything else, he thought he heard something behind them. Guts turned to look but didn't see anything.

"My imagination?" The giant man pondered.

Judeau took notice of Gut's expression before he asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing at all. We should focus on the task at hand," Guts answered as they continued to descend.

After they stopped talking, Glenn tapped Guts on the shoulder before whispering, "She's jealous of the Princess getting a piggyback ride. That's why she wasn't looking ahead."

Guts lifted a brow before smirking at Casca's occasional glance over her shoulder.

It only took them a few more minutes to reach the bottom. The moment they saw the door, Charlotte got off of Guts and ran over to Griffith's cell, and started banging on the door.

"Lord Griffith! Answer me, Lord Griffith!" Charlotte cried out, but there was no answer.

Casca and the others looked spooked. Guts placed his hand on Casca's shoulder and helped her relax.

Casca took the keys and went through them until she found the right one.

Opening the prison cell door, the group entered the cell and saw that it was pitch-black in the room. There was no lighting, it was cold, and smelled like piss and shit.

"Talk about inhumane," Glenn commented as Casca called out Griffith's name.

"Maybe's he's in another cell?" Judeau questioned.

Gut's eyes wandered around the room until he could make something out on the ground nearby.

"There's someone here," Guts said as he approached the blurry figure.

Guts called out to Griffith, but after seeing there was no response, he rushed to his side and saw the damage done to his friend.

Gut's face contorted with rage as he picked up Griffith and examined his body, "His arm and leg tendons are cut. His tongue too..."

Guts cocked his head over his shoulder and said, "Casca, the key!"

Casca had turned into a quivering mess. She couldn't think straight or move until Guts suddenly shouted, "Casca!!!" snapping her out of her trance.

Glenn walked over, took the keys from her hand, and knelt down beside Guts.

After going through them all, they unlocked the helmet and pulled it open to see a disfigured and grotesque blob that was Griffith's face.

Guts instinctively prepared his Cura Spell when Glenn stopped him and said, "Don't. Not here."

"You think I care if they see?" Guts looked at Glenn with fury in his eyes.

"I didn't mean that. After seeing this, I honestly don't care if people learn that I'm a mage. But if you heal him now, you'll cripple him. We have to remove the necrotic flesh before healing his body. Griffith needs surgery for that, and this isn't the place for that," Glenn explained.

Casca wanted to move forward when Guts snapped at her to stay back.

"It's okay, Griffith. We'll fix you up. I promise," Guts said as he closed the helmet and hugged his friend.

Griffith started to stir and groan as he awoke. When his eyes opened, he looked up to see Guts and thought he was hallucinating. He wanted to choke Guts but didn't have the strength.

Guts winced as he cried and hugged Griffith closer.

When Griffith realized that it wasn't a dream and Gut's tears were real, he relaxed and lowered his arm.

Glenn pulled out a cloak from his bag and covered Griffith up, and while Charlotte and Casca were panicking, the door closed behind everyone.

"Who?!!!" Casca shouted as she turned around.

"I think that far enough." A grotesque and deformed man said with broken and slurred speech as he peered in through the door's bars.

Anna and the Princess screamed and showed a scared expression when the jailor said, "No need to be afraid of me, your highness, I'm the jailor here. I know I'm kind of a mess to look at. Anyway...you people can't get away now. I locked the doors. I called the soldiers too. They'll come running soon, so give up nice and quiet."

The deformed man then said, "Your highness, please be patient here a bit longer. Hehe, with you guys here, other than the Princess, I got some new toys to play with. And his majesty will be happy with me too!"

"Hey?" Guts said as he stood up, "Are you the one who did this?"

"It's no use getting mad. This door is four times the thickness of a normal door. Even if you hit it with a hammer, it won't budge. Besides, his majesty said I could do whatever I want. So, it's not my fault. Hehe, I've never had a charge as pretty as him before. I put a lot of effort into torturing him," The jailor said with an ecstatic expression.

The deformed jailor then went on to brag about the horrendous torture he put Griffith through before holding up a tongue and saying, "Look at this! This is my prized possession. It's my good-luck charm. A tongue. His tongue."

Guts stamped his foot down and drew his massive sword before charging through the door like a mad bull, impaling the deformed midget through his torso.

After Guts' sword ran through the jailor's stomach, he lifted him off the ground and held his body over the ledge.

Everyone except for Glenn showed a shocked expression.

Guts didn't have the Dragon Slayer out because he couldn't ride a horse with one without breaking its back. But even if he did have it in hand, he wouldn't want to waste it on scum like this.

Guts growled as he pulled his knife out and cut at the jailor's tongue and said, "You think scum like you is going to be rewarded by the King. Nah, forget it, your breath stinks too much. A better place for you is hell."

Before Guts lowered the sword, Glenn cried out, "Grab the tongue, I'm not sure if I can regenerate an entire body part."

Guts ripped Griffith's tongue off of the deformed midget neck and listened to garbled screams for help before saying, "What's that? I can't hear you. Speak clearly."

Guts then lowered his sword and watched the jailor fall to his doom.

Before anyone could say anything, Guts lept back and dodged an arrow before hearing someone shout, "Nobody move!"

Guts tossed Glenn the tongue and made him say, "Ew…gross," as he put it in his bag.

Casca peered out of the doorway and saw a legion of archers mounted on the narrow spiral stairway.

The Princess offered herself to be a shield, but Casca refused and turned to Guts just in time to see him move towards the enemies like a bolt of being released from a quiver.

"Keep up with me," Guts said as he rushed towards the platoon and started slaughtering them like flies.

With every swing of his basic great sword, Guts killed and cleaved through multiple limbs at once.

The guards loaded their bows in a panic and shot a volley towards Guts. In response, Guts jabbed his sword through the torso of a knight and used him as a shield.

The arrows pierced through the guard's back while Guts proceeded to run up and use the dead body as a club.

As he smashed through the enemies, their bodies flew over the ledge and into the bottomless ravine below.

"Wow, it's raining dead bodies," Judeau said as he watched the soldiers falling off the floors above him.

While the Princess sobbed over Griffith's mangled body, Casca got the group together and focused on getting Griffith out of there.

"Pippin, hold on to Griffith. Judeau, watch over the Princess," Casca ordered as she drew her sword and rushed out.

"Don't fall behind, Guts! Let's go!" Casca shouted as they ran up the stairs together.