Chapter Text
Emma Riggs tuned her guitar at the side of the stage. It was an old Flying V her father named Clementine, apparently used in battle to save her mother and the land they lived in. She doubted the story, as Emma’s father had the tendency to exaggerate details. Even so, she loved her parents, and was very grateful for the life she was living in this Brütal Land of Metal. Despite living in the Shadows, helping others look good, her family were attending a gig in their honour as a thanks for all they have done to Queen Lita and all the people living in the Age of Metal. It was unusual, according to her father, but her mother thought that it was deserved. Emma’s mind drifts whenever demons and glorious battles are mentioned, mostly because she’s heard this story 1000 times before. But she was happy to help anyway she could with this show and thus, she sat backstage assisting the same way her father would for the bands of old. Satisfying her perfect pitch, Emma decided to test it by playing a song of old her father taught her as she strummed along as she sang.
“My my, hey hey
Rock and roll is here to stay
It's better to burn out than to fade away
My my, hey hey
Out of the blue and into the black
They give you this, but you pay for that
And once you're gone you can never come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black ”
Slow claps were heard and Emma turned to see where they came from. She smiled and relaxed - it was her partner, Heafy. “I know that angelic voice anywhere.” he said, smiling in return. Emma gently placed Clementine down and ran up to him, embracing him with fiery passion which he reciprocated in equal measure. “So, when are you planning on telling your folks?” he asked.
Heafy had asked Emma to marry him two nights before, and she said yes. However, their relationship wasn’t well known, mostly because Emma’s father turns into a very overprotective Papa Bear with anyone Emma dated, so she decided to just not tell anyone about them. This time, however, was too big to not inform them.
“After tonight.” she said. “Mom and Dad will be so overjoyed already, they won’t have room for awkward questions.” They got close for another embrace, but a loud sound from the stage made the two jump apart. They looked out to see Mangus and Eddie, Emma’s father, setting up the rigging.
“Dad!” Emma shouted. Eddie turned to see her peeking out. He ran up to the side stage to see his daughter.
“Hey little Em!” Emma looked unimpressed at her father.
“Dad, you’re not meant to be here, it’s a surprise for you and Mom!”
“And you expected the greatest roadie ever to NOT help rig this together?”
“Dad, that’s why we have the other roadies.” Emma pointed to the Roadies, a faction Eddie gathered together, who were setting up the Bladehenge Stadium. “A thousand of them make up one of you. Please Dad, Lita’s organised this for you and Mom, just relax.” Eddie looked unhappy, but resigned out of the Stadium. Mangus walked over to Emma, sighing.
“Your ol’man’s restless.” he said. Emma grimaced.
“I don’t think he’s used to being in the spotlight, that’s all.” Mangus then called Heafy over to help with the set up, leaving Emma to make sure the lineup was prepared, including a surprise performance from herself for her parents.
Finally, the time came, and all the citizens of the Brütal Land came together to celebrate Eddie and Ophelia. Lita, playing MC, was preparing backstage and hugged both Eddie and Ophelia upon seeing them arrive backstage with Emma.
“It’s great seeing you both.” she said, smiling. “I’m glad we were able to do this for you both.” Ophelia smiled, but Eddie looked unsure. Emma noticed this.
“Dad, it’ll be fine.” she squeezed her father’s giant hand. Ophelia turned to Eddie and kissed his cheek.
“You deserve this, Eddie.” Eddie pulled in her and his daughter.
“We all deserve this.” At that, Eddie hugged his family, slightly embarrassing Emma as she could see Heafy enter backstage.
“Right.” Lita continued after the Riggs’ pulled apart from each other. “I’m going to introduce you both, and we’ll then get some people to perform for you two.” Eddie breathed in and out, with Ophelia holding his hand tightly. Emma held onto Eddie’s other hand, knowing how much this means to him considering all he has done.
“Just as long as no one plays Kabbage Boy.” Ophelia giggled. Kabbage Boy, according to the many legends of Eddie, were the worst band in history. They apparently desecrated the sacred tunes and riffs that would make the Metal Gods weep. Emma didn’t believe this to be true, but stranger things have happened.
Lita took to the stage, receiving cheers as she walked to the centre microphone. “Thank you, thank you!” she began. “It is my honour to serve as your Queen and celebrate two individuals with you all. I know I speak for everyone when I say without them, we would not be liberated from Doviculus and find peace in this land. I know that my brother, Lars, would agree on this day to celebrate the two that inspired him to become the leader he knew he could be. They inspire me to this day to be the leader for you all. It might have been over 20 years since we were victorious, but it feels only days ago to me. I celebrate every day, so let us celebrate together, by putting your hands together for your favourite roadies, Eddie and Ophelia Riggs!”
The two enter the stage and are guided by Lita to take a seat on metal thrones next to Lita. Emma cheered for her parents from the side, though she could feel her nerves start to bubble up inside her. Heafy noticed this and put his hand on her shoulder.
“It’ll be alright, my love.” he said, giving a peck on her cheek. She smiled and held her hand on top of his.
“I know. It’s just weird, you know?” she remarked, still watching her parents. “They always keep to the shadows, making someone else look good, keeping someone else safe, helping someone else do what they were put here to do. But I’m not like that, Heafy. I want to be in the spotlight, be that metal god, that Titan. I want to shred the faces off all those watching and making that sweet music my Dad tells me about. I wanna be that star.”
“And you will. I promise.” Emma held his hand tighter, knowing that even just the support from her fiance was enough.
Suddenly, before Lita could introduce the first band, a roar could be heard. The Stadium went silent as a terrifying bone dragon soared down, with a Black Knight perched on its back. The crowd managed to disperse in time as the dragon landed and the Black Knight disembarked. Eddie, Lita, and Ophelia were shocked, frozen in place. Heafy held Emma close to him as the two were unsure what was happening. This Knight marched up to Lita, menacingly.
“Relinquish your throne and no harm will come to this land.” he demanded, pointing his sword of fire at Lita, who was trying to be strong, but no one had any weapons with them. Except…
Suddenly, the Knight was attacked by bolts of lightning. Emma ran on to the stage, ringing out chords from Clementine before Heafy could stop her.
“Emma, no!” Heafy called from backstage.
“Emma, get back off the stage!” Ophelia yelled.
“Get out of here, Emma!” shouted Eddie.
“No!” Emma screamed, playing more of the guitar as more electric bolts were directed to this Knight. “Leave my family alone!” the crowd cheered at Emma’s defiance at this villain. The Black Knight’s attention was turned to Emma, who started attacking her with his sword. She tried to duck out of the way as best she could, but whilst she was skilled musically, she was not the best in a fight. She tried to keep playing the guitar as she ran from the knight, sounding similar to ‘Eruption’ by Van Halen.
“Emma! Emma!” Eddie tried to yell as Emma kept running. “Emma Taylor Riggs! Get out of here now!”
“No, not until this fucker quits it!” she yelled back. It was obvious Eddie wanted to fight, but the presence of the dragon meant he and the two women were stuck where they were.
SWIPE! Emma suddenly felt a wave of pain up her back as she fell to the ground, clutching to Clementine for dear life. She turned to face this oppressor, who slowly walked to her in anger. She tried to back away, looking at her parents as fear took over her body. She could hear Heafy trying to call her back to him. She saw the Black Knight’s hands glow, then…she froze. Ophelia cried in horror at the sight of the Black Knight turning her daughter into a stone statue. Then he cast the statue aside and flung it deep into the past…
A young witch walked outside her manor into her small garden, decked out in black flowy drapery. She looked around at her surroundings, then frowned. A statue of a young woman with a guitar was standing where there was once none.
“Wretched statue!” she grumpily spoke to herself. “That’s the last time I try and change you into a person.” The witch walked up to the statue. “I know no one can see me, but that’s no reason to make fun of me just because I can’t do it.” She turned from the statue and began to ponder to herself. “Ah, to have someone in this manor with me, what a wonderful dream…they can pick my herbs, protect this land, do chores around the house…I must do it! I must!” At that, the witch turned to the statue and shot a spell from her hands in the form of lightning bolts. Unfortunately, the statue remained as is. She sparked fire from her fingertips and fired it forward, but still nothing. The witch ponders for a moment.
“CIALUM!” she begins to chant. “NOCTOIRUS MAGIA TRANSFORMAI STATUA IN CAVILARIOUS SERVICIUM!” Further bolts of lightning shot out of her hands and covered the statue. Unfortunately, nothing happened. The witch, now despondent, turned to hide in her home, feeling useless at what she considered to be the simplest of spells. When suddenly, the sound of stone crumbling caught her attention. The witch turned to see the stone move, then dispersed, with a young woman inside collapsing and breathing heavily. She opened her eyes, and noticed the witch staring at her.
“I-I remember who I am…I’m Emma. Emma Taylor Riggs.” She wrapped the strap of her guitar around her and hung it on her back, standing up slowly. “I, err, I was transformed into a statue by a powerful Black Knight who flew me back into the past. Please help me, young witch. I have to travel back in my own time and protect my-my betrothed. And my Queen, Lita Halford. My parents as well. I have to return, protect them and take revenge-take revenge on…on…” Emma faltered, but the witch swooped in, helping her up.
“There now, calm yourself Miss.” the witch helped Emma to her feet, but then looked puzzled by the words she spoke. “Did you say your Queen is Lita? But our Queen is Sharronne!” she thought for a moment, then spoke again. “Very well, I’ll help you. I’m Jett Dawson. But I, erm, I’m still an apprentice witch. I’m no more valuable than a tribune. But…the challenge will be exciting! Yes!”
Jett asked Emma to follow her to a small training area she converted to help her spellcasting, knowing that the latter would have a lot to do to send her back to her own time. Emma looked at her surroundings, taking note of the psychedelic influences in the garden as well as the classic feel and harmony in the air. This must be that early seventies time my father craved, she thought as she followed Jett to the first mannequin.
“You’ve been trapped in that rock for so long, you need to become reacquainted with your weaponry available.” Jett began, indicating Clementine. “With a long journey ahead, you need to be prepared for anything.” Emma looked at the mannequin, thinking for a moment, then she struck a loud and epic chord, blasting the mannequin with a large lightning bolt, almost singing it. Jett smiled at this.
“Amazing! It’s like you’ve mastered electricity with that instrument!” The witch spoke before guiding Emma to another mannequin. “Now, if you’re to defeat a Black Knight, a melee weapon is your best ally in your journey home.”
Emma nodded. “The Knight had a fire sword of some kind, took a heavy swipe at my back.” She lifted her shirt and showed Jett her injury. The witch reacted with pity, then softly guided her hand over it with a warm water bubble, which cleaned and healed the wound. Emma stretched, feeling her strength return across her body. She turned to Jett.
“You’re not a terrible witch, you know.” Jett frowned.
“I didn’t say I was terrible!”
“But I-”
“Forget it!” Jett waved the words away as she turned and picked up a long stick. Waving her hands, she transformed the stick into a beautiful sword, one that would rival the Black Knight in this magnificence and awesomeness. Emma couldn’t believe it as Jett handed it to her.
“It’s gorgeous.” she commented.
“Well, give it a wave!” the witch remarked, and Emma did at the mannequin, shocked that this came naturally to her.
“I don’t believe it!”
“You never handled the blade before?”
“No, thankfully, that was always stuff my parents did before I was born. Though more my mother, she was fantastic with two daggers apparently.”
“Who are your parents that you speak so fondly of?”
“I’d rather not say, just in case of space time continuum bullshit.” Emma walked to the final mannequin as Jett looked at her, confused. She shot some magic on the ground with her hands that caused her to teleport.
Emma looked unimpressed. “Did you really have to do that?”
“Walking sucks, teleporting’s fun!”
“Yeah…any chance you can teach me that?” Jett laughed.
“I barely cracked it myself, but I can teach you little bits here and there. Like this spell.” the witch handed Emma a manuscript of music. Emma sight read the piece, and tried her best to perform the solo on Clementine. Fire exuded from the guitar strings and lit the mannequin ablaze, leaving only ashes. Jett smiled at her little student.
“Fantastic!” Emma giggled in excitement, arching her guitar behind her back and making sure her new sword was secure at her side.
“Oh, I can get used to this.” she commented, before turning to Jett. “Right, how do I get back to my time?”
Jett pondered. “Well, I’ve heard rumours of a jewel that allows the user to travel through time. I’m not sure how, but it is named the Jewel of Rock. It’s said to be housed currently within the Fortress within the Town of Tonality.”
“Town of Tonality? Where may I find that?” Jett reached into her pocket and gave her another sheet of parchment.
“Here.” She said as Emma opened the parchment up. “It’s a map of the Land. You’ll need to journey through the Forest, past the Blackmore Monastery. Be careful though, there’s a lot of unrest at the moment within our people. Once you have the Jewel of Rock, come back and see me. I’ll look through my old manuscripts and see if I can find any further information about how to travel through time.” Emma reached out and hugged the witch, still in disbelief over her immense kindness.
“Thank you. I’ll return here with jewel in hand!” Emma leaps into action and heads off. “I’ll be back with the Rock of Jewel. Wait, the Rock? The Jewel of? Rock Jewel? Fancy gem thing!” Jett simply shook her head as she watched this future traveller sprint in the distance, wondering what will become of her and her quest.