Temple of the Dragon
Chapter One
Disclaimer: "He-Man and The Masters of the Universe", their characters, and concepts are the property of Mattel.
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"Why have you summoned me?" Teela stood before Zodak in the Evergreen Forest. Zodak sat in his chair, as usual.
"I have need of your … services," said Zodak. "I have a relic that requires … safeguarding."
"What kind of relic?" Teela asked.
"A necklace," Zodak replied. "A necklace … of great power. A necklace so powerful … Skeletor desires it for himself."
"I see," said Teela. "What you want ME to do?"
"I want you to retrieve the necklace," said Zodak. "I want you to retrieve it … before Skeletor does."
"What does this necklace do?"
"It is a repository of great mystical power," said Zodak. "If Skeletor were to acquire it first, Eternia would be in jeopardy."
"Where is this … necklace?" Teela asked.
"A place called The Temple of the Dragon," Zodak replied. "Far to the north of here." A map suddenly appeared in Zodak's hand. "This is a map to The Temple of the Dragon," he said as he handed the map to Teela. "Your journey will not be an easy one. You must first journey through Shadow Canyon. From there, you will head north to the Crystal Caverns. Within the Crystal Caverns lies The Temple of the Dragon itself. The necklace itself lies inside a heavily guarded vault within the Temple. You will use the key to unlock the vault."
"Question," said Teela. "Why are you sending ME? Why not He-Man? Wouldn't you feel safer having 'the most powerful man in the universe' tackling this assignment?"
"I have my … reasons," said Zodak. He then added, "You must leave at once … Skeletor is on his way there right now."
Uh-Oh … This IS serious, Teela thought. If there's even a CHANCE of Skeletor getting his hands on this thing, I'd rather not risk it. "I'll do it," said Teela.