"Hunter! Hunter! Wake up! WAKE UP!"

Hunter groaned inwardly and rolled over on his side. Corona, who spent all morning trying to get him up was getting fustrated. She tried everything: A frying pan to the head, hanging him upside-down by his feet, and even a groin kick. Hunter still would not get up.

She couldn't blame him for being tired, though. Rebel Invectids had started attacking Arachna a few weeks ago, and he and ahis battle bartner, Shadow had been fighting alongside the Invectids that were trying to keep the peace that he established almost five years ago.

Corona couldn't understand why some of the Invectids had started a rebelion, even after the Oracle's Sun restored their land. Hunter and the rest of the loyal Invectids usually stopped the attacks of the rebels, but every time they did, the attacks would continue. And each time the attacks got stronger and stronger.

She sighed and leaned against the wall. If the rebels knew how Hunter slept, she thought, they'd try to kill him in his sleep.

"He's still not waking up?" a voice asked.

Corona turned her head to see princess Sparkle carrying a bucket of water.

Sparkle was a year and a half younger than Hunter. When she was only ten, she fought alongside the older Spider Riders during the war. Almost fifteen now, she had matured both phyiscally and mentaly. Her body was very shapley, and her breasts had grown to almost four times their original size. Add that up with her height and a more teenage like personality, most people thought she was older than she said she was.

"Nope. I've tried everything, Sparkle. The most I ever get out of him are grunts and groans."

'Then it's a good thing I came down here with this bucket of water," she grinned wickedly.

Corona chuckled. Even though she acted more mature, her childish side always shined when it came to fun. Or, in this case, pulling pranks.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"If this doesn't wake him up, nothing will."

"Ugh. Stupid cobwebs."

Vadell ripped the cobwebs from his face. He entered the temple less than ten minutes ago, and already encountered 15,000 diffrent spider webs. Several of which he ended up tangling himself into.

At least it can't get any worse, he thought.

Vadell walked cautiously through the temple, hoping to avoid any more spider webs, though the webs were the least of his worries. His biggest problem would be if he accidentally activated a trap, and ended up getting...

He shook his head. Don't think about that, he told himself mentally. If you do the worst will happen, and-

"Help..." a voice rang inside his head.

Vadell stopped walking. " What the hell was that?" he said out loud.

"Help us..." the voice called again

Vadell looked around, even though he knew there was nobody there.

"Please..."

Vadell shook his head and contiued through the path. "I'm probably just imagining things," he assured himself, even though the voice got louder as he continued through the temple.

"Y'know, you could have woken me up WITHOUT dumping a bucket of cold water on me," Hunter muttered bitterly as he walked through the halls of the Spider Rider compund.

"I did everything I could to wake you up, Hunter," Corona said. "I even hit you with a frying pan, and you still didn't get up. If Sparkle didn't show up when she did, you'd still be sleeping."

Hunter glared at the princess, who had a smirk on her face."And you think that was funny?"

"It was," Sparkle answered. "The way you reacted was priceless. You thought you were drowning...!" Sparkle covered her mouth to muffle her laughter.

Hunter frowned. "You still could've tried something else..." he said defeatedly.

"We did try other things Hunter, but you wouldn't wake up. Besides..." Corona pointed to a window that showed the Oracle's Sun. "It's two hours afternoon. If we had let you sleep, you wouldn't have woken up until late at night.

Sparkle suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. "Crap! I'm supposed to be somewhere right now! Corona, can you tell Lumen that I'll be gone for a couple of hours? Thanks!" Sparkle then sped off to the oppisite end of the hall.

Corona and Hunter stared at the princess' receeding form until she dissapeared.

"Where's she going?" Hunter asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she replied.

"What is that?"

Vadell looked at the statue of the Oracle. He'd seen other statues and busts, but he'd never seen one that looked so life like. He slowly approached the statue.

"Help..." The voice came again, this time, louder than before.

Oh great, this again, Vadell thought, rolling his eyes.

"Help... Gabriel... Touch... Statue..."

Vadell stopped in shock. It knows who I am! But how?

"Touch... The... Statue... Please..." the voice begged again.

Vadell swallowed hard. He didn't know what he'd get into by touching the statue - and he sure as hell didn't want to - but this was possibly his only chance to see Hunter and the Inner World.

Vadell approached the statue untill he was face-to-face with it.

I only got one shot, I might as well use it.