CHAPTER 2: Trouble

Darkness loomed over the Overworld Capital.
Nothing stirred in the city, but in the castle in the midst of it, was full of commotion.

"My. . . . my leader. . . ." a nervous guard spoke. He was shivering with dread, as his armor rattled.
He knelt in front of a tall creature, standing upright, his green skin was barely made out in the darkness of the hallway. A light constantly flickered on the wall far behind him. His strange dark markings adorned on his skin had started to glow faintly.
"What is it?" his deep voice asked. His golden eyes stared at him with alarm, perplexity, and irritation.
"My. . . . leader. . . ." the uneasy guard repeated. He swallowed hard.
"I am growing impatient with you!" the Overworld leader yelled. "What is it that you want to speak to me of?"
"Um. . . . it. . . . escaped," he muttered.
"What?"
"The. . . . creation. . . . sir. . . . it. . . . escaped. . . . sir. . . ."

There was a silence.
The anxious guard still shook with apprehension, and Maxxor's teeth gnashed.

"When. . . ?" he asked, his eyes closed, his voice deep with rage.
The guard jumped, and slowly looked up in misunderstanding.
"When. . . ." he repeated, "did it. . . . escape?"
"Um. . . . not too long ago, sir. We got word just a few minutes ago sir."

He threw his hand down off the cold brick wall.
He whispered quietly, "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!"
His eyes then flashed a bright red.
"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I couldn't trust him!"

The guard continued to quiver and his leader turned to him.
"Well what are you waiting for?!" he yelled, "Search the area! Everywhere! We need that creation back before it's too late. HURRY!"
"Yes sir!" he saluted as he ran.

"Mommark," Maxxor muttered to himself. "I warned you not to make a mistake."
He hurried down the hallway, the flickering flames a blur.

Frantic, the creator quickly cleaned up the broken remains of the capsule, repeating over and over, "No no no no no no no no no no no NO!"

A large crash was heard from downstairs.

He paused.

He stared at the wall.

"They're here."

The guards pointed their firearms and cautiously walked through the damaged doors.
"Be careful," a guard warned, "he could use his creations for a defense."
Maxxor walked in amongst the other guards, the green standing out among the blue.
He looked around.

"Mommark!" he yelled. "Come out! You can't hide from me!"

In front of them, a familiar blue blur attacked the guards.
Blinded, they fell.

Maxxor blasted at the blur and sprinted towards it.
"Gespedan!" he yelled.

The tall, slim blue creature came to a halt as Maxxor continued to run towards him from a distance.
"Gespedan! You serve me!"

"Sorry Maxxor," he said in a somewhat high-pitch voice, "It's Mommark's orders. I cannot fail him."
Then a large bomb blasted in front of the Overworld ruler.

"Gah!" he yelled as he coughed. It wasn't an ordinary bomb.

It was gas!

Maxxor pinched his nose together, and tried to call out to the guards not to breath the air.
But it was too late.

Many of them fell, all at once.

He looked at Gespedan, which suddenly came at him.

Maxxor frantically searched around in his sack.

The blur headed towards him fast.

Maxxor then held a blue Mugic sphere high with one hand, and holding his nose with the other.
Stunned, Gespedan stopped abruptly, and gazed nervously at the Mugic.

The Mugic floated into the air, and as Gespedan was taking a few steps back, jaw open, once he heard the first three notes he dashed towards him with the greatest speed he had.
The fourth note played, and he came within a few feet of Maxxor.
The fifth note played, he was within a few inches.
The sixth note played, and energy swirled around his fist.
The seventh note played.

"Song of Stasis!" he yelled with his nose plugged.

Gespedan froze, with the energy still around his fist.

"You serve me!" Maxxor repeated, as Gespedan's eyes stared at him.

"Maxxor!" a few of the remaining guards yelled. He turned around and saw them with Staluk, Ettala, and a few other creations captured.

"Good," Maxxor smiled, "Now for Mommark. . . ."

"Maxxor!" a voice was heard from above.

All the creatures looked up.

The green creature in violet stood on the balcony, his red hair slightly flopped down.

"MOMMARK!" Maxxor screamed on the top of his lungs.

He jumped, almost falling off the balcony, but kept his balance.
"Maxxor," he called down, "It's all a mistake! Trust me!"

"Yeah, trusting you is the mistake! FIRE!"
The guards fired at the balcony, and the creator ran.

"Don't let him get away!" the leader yelled as they proceeded up the stairs, leaving their captives behind.
Maxxor followed quickly behind them, making sure that his Mugic didn't wear off yet.

They entered a hallway, and Mommark was nowhere to be seen. The guards carefully proceeded, and once Maxxor finally caught up with them, the door locked behind them as in front.
"Maxxor!" a loud voice came from the speakers. "You must understand. It wasn't meant to go like this!"
"That's the same thing you told me about all of your other experiments!" he yelled back as he blasted the speakers.

The lights turned off and they kept on their guard.
"Find a way to open those doors! Fast!" Maxxor ordered.
They fired at the doors and they soon broke through.

Maxxor ran ahead of the squad, going towards Mommark's quarters.

Mommark looked up in surprise when Maxxor burst through the door.
Before he could say anything, Maxxor yelled, "How many mistakes before your satisfied Mommark? You really want the destruction of Perim?!"
"I. . . . I. . . . It's not what you think, Maxxor. . . ." was all he could murmur.
"Oh is it?"
"I can retrieve her back!"
"No you can't."
"Believe me! I can! I can! I myself can get her back! I just need time to plan. . . ."
"Well then you can plan it in prison!"

His arms were held by the guards as they took him out of the room.
Maxxor looked around, and saw the plans on his desk.

He picked up the tattered papers, and said quietly, "What have I done?"

"Get in there!" one of the guards yelled as Mommark fell onto the ice cold, hard ground behind the bars.
He staggered up as they slammed the door hard behind him.

He turned around and grasped the cold metal bars.
"I've should've did this to you ever since your first creation!" said Maxxor furiously.
"Please! Maxxor!" he pleaded but he saw the Overworld leader walk away, Intress right next to him, not paying any attention to his cries.

I hope that creation doesn't go to the Underworld as so many of his creations had, Maxxor thought.
His second in-command stared at him with concerned emerald eyes.

"Maxxor. . . ." she tried to speak, but Maxxor paid no attention to her, just staring at the ground as he walked.
"Maxxor?" she tried again.

His thoughts were interrupted and finally asked, "What is it now Intress?"
Her jaw opened at his irritation, but simply asked, "What should we do now? Should we have someone look-!"
"NO!"he yelled. "I cannot afford to lose any time. That creation is more powerful and more dangerous than anything Mommark made before."
"What do you suggest then?"
"I'm going to speak with Najarin. I'm sure he can locate that creation and its whereabouts."
"But you might not make it in time!"
"Not without a telebracer!" he said as one of the guards passed it to him.
Intress' eyes widened, surprised how fast Maxxor planned everything.

The castle glistened over the shimmering waters.
Auroras of greens, pinks, blues and other hues painted the night sky.

"I want that Mugic!" a deep voice called out as a figure in the water dodged an attack.
"Underworlders!" a great large brown bird squawked out to the castle.
"How many?" the old Muge inquired.
"I don't know, but there are many!"

The wise creature peered out the window. There were not as many as he suspected, but it was clear that his help was needed.
In the water, Mezzmarr battled fiercely, keeping the Underworlders at bay.

Akkrean flew high above the assailants, attacking them from afar.
Najarin ascended through the air as well, Mugic in hand.

The battle went on, and they almost had the Underworlders defeated.
"Song of Fury!" one of them cired out.
Before Najarin could do anything, Akkrean fell to the water.

He dashed down to rescue him.
"NAJARIN! WAIT!"

He halted in midair at that familiar voice. He turned to the leader of his tribe, with a gleaming red telebracer on his arm.
"Maxxor!" he called out, "I have to save Akkrean! He's badly injured. We're under attack-!"
"I know!"

He stared at him, surprised by his callous nature. Maxxor did nothing, just stare at the Muge with stern golden eyes.

"But Maxxor-!"
"More Overworlders will fall if this is not done now! And so will all the creatures of Perim!"

There was no other choice Najarin could make except say, "What is it you want me to do?"

"I see," the Muge said, sitting in a chair in front of Maxxor, hearing explosions outside the castle, and fearful that Mezzmarr can hold them back by himself.
"I need you to locate the creation," Maxxor demanded. "I don't care how, I just need to know it's location right away."
"I can try," said Najarin.

Maxxor patiently waited outside the doors, leaving Najarin to concentrate.

The blue light faded from in between the crack and Maxxor entered.
"Any luck?"
"Unfortunately, no. This creation has no Mugic energy in it, which is strange, because isn't that what Mommark uses to create them?"
Maxxor took no time to wonder about that.

"Use the Song of Futuresight then!" he ordered.
Najarin hesitated, but could not disobey the leader of the Overworld.

They walked into the Mugic chamber, and millions of Mugic floated in the air of many kinds, red, blue, brown, yellow, gray, and black.
Once he extended his hand, all the Mugic flew in different directions as one gray one remained.

"Song of Futuresight!" he called, "Show me the future that lies ahead!"
And as his eyes shone with a white glow, Maxxor looked outside the window and at the sky, paying no attention to the war beneath it.

The aurora shone brightly.
"This is all because of that creation. . . ." he said. "And now something bad is going to happen, I know it. . . ."

"Maxxor," Najarin said behind him.
He turned around and asked, "What did you see?"

He was silent as his face almost camouflaged with his beard. He stared at him with terror.

"What did you see Najarin?" Maxxor asked, even more concerned.

"Perhaps you can alter the future that I just saw," he told him.

"How?" he inquired.

"If that creation is stopped at all costs."