An: OK, I know. I said I'd have this update by Monday, and it's now been over three years. For that I'm sorry. But I'm finally back on track. I hope.

This chapter still is nowhere near as good as I would like, but I've realised that it's unlikely to ever be.


Blind panic set in as the soldiers assault turned into a rout. Making for the cover of the woods, they scrambled over each other as they attempted to escape the quarrels of electric death bolting out in their direction. Some of them blind fired back behind them but it served only to highlight their positions and seconds later they had fallen. By some chance, a handful made it to the relative safety of the woods.

But their foe was close behind, firing at every one he saw. Of the forty or so of the soldiers, less than five made it back out, the others struck down under the trees.

Shortly after, Chip marched into Rootcore and looked at Clare, who was hugging Fireheart possessively.

"I've driven off the lizard raiders for now, but I have little doubt that there will be another attack soon. I don't think Moltor will rest until he has Fireheart." Chip said, adding "Is Itassis not back yet?"

Itassis had left early that morning with Maddie and Vida. The northern villages were reporting Hidiac raids at an alarming rate and Mystic Force had been obliged to act. Chip was starting to suspect however that this seemingly random plundering was just to split them up, for there were just Chip, Xander and Matoombo should super powered battle be required in the mystic wood or Briarwood.

Although, Chip realised, Clare and Fireheart could certainly put up quite a fight if they tried.

Chip looked at his training sword before deciding to practice with his bow instead. Slinging his quiver round his shoulder he just about managed not to get it caught on his cape. Then he picked up his bow and went back outside to the target range. Clare followed him indignantly.

Chip quickly put arrows through all the tree stumps. Eventually Clare got fed up.

"Chip, I think you can split a leaf at forty fathoms, don't you have anything... No please don't test it. Archery is the one thing you don't need to improve."

Chip lowered his bow and turned to her.

"It's the best thing I can think of doing. Sword training requires a partner. So does every other form of combat training."

"Really?" She asked.

"Well, I guess you can get something like a rotating scarecrow to practice with but I don't think Rootcore has one."

Clare looked at him sympathetically. Chip was taking his training seriously, even in the absence of a trainer. And the constant attacks were not helping to lighten the mood either.

"Well Chip, you need a break."

Chip thought about it for a second. The last time Clare had said that, he had passed out shortly after. Very begrudgingly he gestured to the dragon head.

"OK, back inside?"

Chip and Clare headed back into Rootcore and sat down.

Chip however couldn't relax even for a second. Frankly Clare was worried, this was not the happy and laughing Chip that she was used to.

In a sense she was grateful. The Mystic Realm needed as many defenders as it could get. But she and Chip had never really mixed during the long fight with The Master, and she didn't want to go back to barely acknowledging each other again.

Thankfully Xander and Leelee soon arrived, and Clare ushered them over.

"Chip, is there nothing else in your life you want to talk about?" She asked.

"Uh, well, I'm meeting the woodland planning committee later..." He said with sudden excitement, everyone else suddenly looking even more exasperated than before.

"Except that one." Leelee put in. "Although if for some bizarre reason they actually pass it for serious consideration I want a ball hall. Oh and modern kitchens and plumbing."

"Oh yes, definitely." Said Xander.

"Agreed." Said Chip. "I had sort of assumed they would do that. That may have been my stupid thinking."

Daggeron surveyed his hastily cobbled together train. When he got back he was going to have to give it a major overhaul. It was no longer so much a Solar Streaker as a loud chugging metal thing. It would do given the circumstances however so he and Jenji got in and powered up the boiler.

Luckily the magical tracks still worked and they bounced at a steady if slow pace towards the Ice Palace. As they rode along over the Earth, Daggeron got to thinking about who had attacked the train in the first place. Imperious was powerful, he did not doubt that, but he was never powerful enough to destroy a train moving through another dimension. This meant someone or something else had fired the blast. Thinking over who it could be, Daggeron concluded that the sooner he reached the Mystic Mother the better. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Jenji, who was pointing at the dials in an alarming way.

Quickly, Daggeron deduced what was wrong. The boiler had been weakened and was starting to spring leaks. Putting Jenji behind the controls, Daggeron powered up into Ancient Mystic Mode and grabbing some spare metal he hadn't used earlier, hurled his way onto the side of the train. He soon saw one of the leaks and made his way through many a hazard to get to it. When he reached the jet of water he was relieved to be in his most powerful form. Unmorphed that water would have both the heat and the pressure to rip him apart. He snapped off some of the scrap metal and, again using his powers, welded it over the leak. Hearing from Jenji that the fall in water pressure was slowed but not stopped, Daggeron started looking for another leak.

Moltor looked annoyed as his Lava Lizards returned once again in failure. If his monsters didn't get their act together soon, well... No, there was nothing else for it. He would have to make another attempt to take that scale in person. And the whole dragon if he could.

He gathered together five monsters and another group of lizards, and headed out. Quickly he had come to the edge of the Mystic Wood and sent fireballs in challenge, and the border trees were set aflame. Now he just had to wait.

Back in Rootcore, those that were left were very worried to see the forest ablaze, and Chip and Xander went out to see what was happening.

Moltor stood ready to great them.

"You again ranger. When will you people ever learn? Get them." A small number of Lava Lizards charged them, but Chip and Xander both saw that the main group did not.

Feeling cautious, they both powered up and transformed their staves. During that time however Moltor had jumped towards them and flying kicked Chip to the ground.

Xander tried to encase Moltor in vines. However Moltor quickly set them alight and ripping them from the ground, whipped them back at Xander. He attempted to dodge, but the flaming vine coiled round the axe and with a sharp pull, Moltor had torn it from Xander's grip before giving him a cross slash with his swords. Costume dissipating, Xander fell.

Chip rolled so he was facing up and fired several bolts at Moltor. The first few hit but then the other monsters got in front and started blocking them. The main body of Lava Lizards had now lunged forwards, and even as Xander stood up, he was forced to fight the creatures.

Xander swung his fists into the first Lava Lizard and it fell to the ground. He then feinted a high kick on the second before sweeping the legs out from under it. But when he pulled his arm back to punch a third, another Lava Lizard caught his arms, and the group started taking it in turns to punch him.

Fortunately for Chip and Xander however they soon had help, for Matoombo quickly arrived. The Terror summoned his bladed-staff through one of the monsters and electrified it, blowing it up in a shower of sparks. He then sent an energy wave at the Lava Lizards, and the ones nearest Xander shattered.

Xander staggered back and recovered his wand. He morphed again before using the spell, "Neramax Tryn Unios" summoning his muscles. By now the onslaught had recommenced but now battle was more even. Xander flung the Lava Lizards left and right. But still they kept coming...

Moltor seemed to take particular interest in taking down Matoombo. He fought hard, and several trees fell around them, but for all Moltor's power, Matoombo could not be moved.

Chip was still dealing with the four remaining greater monsters. He soon realised he would need more power and transformed himself into his Legend Warrior Mode. His Lion Staff brought lightning down on the monsters but they kept coming, and Chip was soon using the staff like a rod, batting away one which resembled a bipedal salamander before sticking it between the jaws of an alligator type creature, attempting to puncture its weak insides before he let loose with a blast, pushing it back.

A third monster was standing back from the others, firing at Chip and keeping him at a good distance. However, this was a wood and Chip jumped into a nearby tree, emerging from a blazing oak behind his opponent. He drove his staff into the monster like a rapier, then pulled it out and span around with the tip charged, and the monster exploded.

The forth monster, a golem appropriately named Golem, however was proving to be impregnable. Bolts of lightning did nothing to it and even a stray blast from Matoombo only caused it to stagger backwards a step. Chip found swinging his Lion Staff didn't help either as it bounced off.

It lifted Chip into the air, held him over a fire for a second, before hurling him into Xander, just as he was punching a Lava Lizard. Instead the punch connected with Chip and smashed him out of Legend Mode, laying dazed on the forest floor.

The golem then charged at Xander and they punched each other simultaneously, both of them flying back. However now the remaining Lava Lizards were able to overwhelm Xander, through away his wand, and held him against the ground, kicking him in an attempt to cause him to demorph.

Chip forced himself to stand up, and staggered towards the lizards. However he had no fight left in him, and they soon held him as well.

Matoombo bashed Moltar in the head and rushed to help them. In the two minutes that followed, Chip learned exactly why he was counted among the Terrors. In his flurry, pieces of Lava Lizard soon filled the air and even the golem was too scared to advance upon him.

But Matoombo certainly had no fear of advancing on it, and he was within stabbing distance...

There was a sudden chill, and everyone was rooted to ground by a foot of ice. The fire had been completely extinguished and where there was intense heat there was now a blizzard.

Chip's first thought was that this was Udonna, and she'd come to help them, but he was not that lucky.

"Brother." A sinister voice approached. "I'm afraid you have failed."

"Come out Flurious." Moltar yelled, as he melted his feet free.

Flurious did so, emerging from some tree. Behind him were some of his footsoldiers, holding Clare and Leelee, bound, gagged and lashed.

"I'm afraid that the dragon is already on its way to my hideout."

"Curse you brother." Moltar leapt through the air towards Flurious, who easily batted him away.

Flurious then turned to Chip and Xander.

"And I can make use of you as well." He smirked, and turned to some more of his footsoldiers. "Take them."

Flurious teleported away along with Clare, Leelee and several of his soldiers. Chip saw four more come up to him and a few were slowly approaching Xander. They grabbed him with their freezing hands and started to teleport him away.

But as they did so, Chip saw something that made him hope they wouldn't get Xander too. As they reached the green mystic, Matoombo broke his ice shackles and blasted towards them with an energy wave.

Then mid way through the trip, Chip finally passed out.


An: I'd like to say when the next updates coming, but I don't trust myself that much.