The castle that once loomed in the distance now did so above the group; columns at either side of the grand pathway spiralled upwards to the top of a gate-house from which a distant voice called:
"By the order of king Str00f I am authorized to ask, what is your business at the castle?"
"We seek an audience with your king, good sir! Are we free to come in?"
A reply did not come for a few minutes, although a clunking and thudding could be heard from deep within the left tower. The noise gradually made it's way down to the bottom until a small door that had previously gone unnoticed creaked open and a short, heavily armored man wearing a fedora strode up to them.
"Hello gents!"
The man called out, appearing to wipe a brown smudge away from his lips.
"I do enjoy a good spot of rimming. I remember this one time when I was a popstar in India I met a fine gentleman..."
Lem interrupted him with a quick blow to the gut through a join in his armor.
"I ain't got tym 4 dis, u fkin ghey."
He pulled the shank out from the man's stomach and he crumpled to the floor vomiting and cursing. Lem pulled the keychain from his waist and hurried up to a large set of double doors inset into a huge marble cube with crenelations all along the top.
"Cum on u fgtz."
Lem said before creeping inside, followed by the rest of the group. A huge, empty hall adorned with gold and red curtains stretched in front of them up to a large, ornate staircase. Tim sped up into a hasty jog towards the stairs, eager to reach Str00f quickly but Fuzz quickly grabbed his arm before he could proceed any further.
"My fedora!"
He cried as his hat slipped from his head in front of him. However it did not hit the floor, instead being instantly burned on contact with a seemingly invisible laser.
"Do you really think that Str00f would leave himself unguarded? This hallway must be filled with traps, we're going to have to find another way around."
A voice called out from a shadowed corner to their right.
"Maybe I could help?"
It said as a young girl stepped out of the shadows.
"I'm Princess Maria, pleasure to meet you. I assume you're here to kill my brother?"
She laughed, pointing to a hidden staircase behind one of the curtains.
"One thing, though. Did a horse by the name of Brandon once accompany you?"
Tim had no idea how she knew the name of his horse, but she did.
"Why yes there was, but he died quite unfortunately a few hours ago."
"That's a shame, I really enjoyed flirting with him... anyway, this way!"
They headed down the small, dusty hallway. It seemed fairly well maintained despite it's dirty state, and Tim assumed that this must be the hallway that soldiers and members of Str00f's family used to get out of the castle. The fake hallway almost certainly wouldn't work for that. The outline of a doorway shone ahead of them. The light was incredibly bright compared to the dark hallway that they were in, and when they reached the end it opened with a thud.
"Ah, my sister. Maria, how are-"
Str00f stopped himself mid-sentence as he noticed the horde of people entering the throne room behind her. As Tim looked around it was huge, a lot larger than it looked from the outside. The floor was pure white marble and the walls were a dark granite with four alcoves carved into it, with one guard stood in each. It was clear they would be the first obstacle, but they hadn't moved yet.
"Who are these people Maria? I demand to know!"
"Friends, Dominic. Oh I forgot to mention, they're here to kill you. Have fun!"
Maria giggled before running to a doorway in the corner of the room and leaving the showdown to ensue.
