Please note that this chapter takes place before the first two chapters.
Chapter Three:
The Little Tyrant
His mission had been to strike terror into the hearts of the Mabu there in Shattered Island, and he vowed to not let his master down. He had done so quite some time ago—actually, only a few months before—and he'd been punished for it. While the punishment hadn't been like torture, something another of his allies had received, it definitely hadn't been pleasant, and he wished he had never been forced to experience it. If he succeeded here and now, then he wouldn't have to worry about it later, or maybe ever again. That was his main hope.
The last time he had failed his master, it'd been on a mission to the Mabu location called the Mistlands. It was there he and an ally known as Deathmatch were supposed to take over a village, only to be thwarted by the experimental new team of Skylanders. He'd hated the sight of them, and he had hated that they would have ever allowed those such as Spyro the Dragon to join. He had been greatly shocked when he'd learned Eon had allowed the Black Dragoness known as Cynder, once under Malefor's control, to join.
But he couldn't keep his mind on that for much longer, for there was yet another mission he was going to have to accomplish. While this little man was not the most-respected villain in all of Skylands, he was still feared by many people. This little tyrant's name?
Kaos.
"When can we stop walking, master?" Glumshanks inquired him. "It's becoming tiresome to follow after you all the darn time."
"Is that what you really believe, Glummy?" Kaos asked him. "Well, I would have never believed you would think something like that. Also, please note that while you call me 'master' here, know that we both have another master…a true master."
"Yes," Glumshanks agreed in a nonchalant voice. "And if we do not do what he wants us to do, then he'll likely punish you again."
"Why do you know about that?" Kaos demanded as he whirled around upon his servant. "Who told you? I thought our master vowed to me that he would not tell anyone about that night!"
"Well, I wouldn't have known, likely, if some of our other allies didn't like to talk," Glumshanks said, "and if we hadn't all heard your screams as your punishment began. Trust me, I don't want to know what was done to you, and I'm sure that no one else wants to ever know that, but it's not exactly easy not to know anymore. That cave really echoes."
Kaos slapped a hand to his face and cursed himself. He wished he had not screamed at all, but at the time he had been unable to help it. This was one of those things that Glumshanks was actually correct on (although Kaos believed the Goblin was not right on many things, and that he and his master were right on all things). He would not tell him that, for fear that Glumshanks and their other allies wouldn't stop rubbing it in his face, and for fear that their master would punish him once more.
The creaking sound reached Kaos's ears again, and he cursed once more, but this time it was directed at the condemned ship they were on currently, trying to get over to the Skylands Realm known as Shattered Island. The longer he was on this ship, the longer he felt he would throw up.
"Let me go talk to the captain and see how close we are to Shattered Island," Glumshanks said. "I don't think it can be much longer, though, because I saw the Ruins far in the distance, with the Core of Light and everything, and Shattered Island is one of the closest areas to it, if you know what I mean."
Kaos did not do anything, not even nod, as Glumshanks finished speaking, leading his Goblin servant to leave the room and do what he was hoping to do. During the time that he was gone, Kaos began to mull things over. Thinking it all through was nowhere near easy, but it helped him keep his mind off the problems that he had faced in the last few months since his defeat and Deathmatch's demise in the Mistlands.
How could the Skylanders have possibly won? Everyone in Skylands knows that I am the strongest one around, other than my master, perhaps, and the fact that the Skylanders were able to defeat me is going to ruin my entire reputation! he thought angrily. Never before have I been forced to retreat in the way I had to there at the Mistlands! If I don't scrape something up fast, then I'm going to be tortured. There's no other way around it. That defeat was very humiliating, and the fact the Skylanders were able to come together despite all their issues shows that I'm no match for them on my own. Maybe the master will allow me to track down Spyro and Cynder and stop them once and for all! If I could find them there at the Ruins in their sleep, then I could possibly kill them in that way! Then I would be rewarded for my efforts, and I would be considered the strongest of my master's allies! Yes, it's the only way, and it has to happen! But how in the name of God can I make it happen? It's certainly not going to be easy, and I'm sure Eon has placed a lot of defenses around the Ruins. So, how could something like this work? I'll need to think it over a little more.
But when it comes to this place, Shattered Island, then I'm going to need to figure out what it is that I can do while I'm over there. Once again, none of this is going to be easy, but I think I'll be able to succeed without too much trouble. Why do my thoughts seem to always be so repetitive? I guess it's just the way I was raised. Anyway, back to my plans for Shattered Island! If I can take all the Mabu down once I arrive, then I should be able to attract the attention of some of the Skylanders! They probably won't send their leaders, which is unfortunate, but it doesn't matter. I'll be able to take the others down with ease! Maybe the leaders will send Spyro and Cynder to me! Once that happens, everything will be easier!
As Kaos thought to himself, Glumshanks walked through the decks of the ship, glad he was finally able to get away from Kaos. While things had been going a bit easier since Kaos's punishment, which had stopped the little tyrant from punishing him as much as he once had, being around him made things so difficult.
Their master had helped somewhat with allowing Glumshanks to have some control over what it was that he wanted to do, but he still wasn't allowed to leave their cave unless on a mission. This gave the Goblin much less to do, and their allies that lived in that cave with them didn't exactly help. He couldn't talk too badly about them, because they had actually done a lot to help them succeed in their next missions, but at the same time they weren't the ones whom Glumshanks believed would help them all the way to greatness. This led to Kaos hating them even more than before, and that also led to Glumshanks receiving some of the punishment that had occurred before their master had put his foot down and told Kaos to never attempt that again, so long as he was alive. That allowed Glumshanks to have some breathing room.
When he reached the top deck, he heard one of the main doors open, and when he looked around he found the First Mate, T'Elias, a rabid Canine whose species Glumshanks was unable to tell without trouble. His fur was a golden color, similar to the common color scheme of a Tabby Cat, but Glumshanks was sure that was not was T'Elias was. Drool dripped from his lips, and his eyes seemed crazed. However, the captain still trusted this Canine despite his look, and even though he looked this way, T'Elias was quite sharp. He and Glumshanks had gotten to know each other over the week-long voyage, and through their different meetings with one another, they had been able to learn a great deal from the other.
"Well, if it isn't the Goblin scum known as Glumshanks," T'Elias growled, before smiling large and wide.
"Well, if it isn't the mangy, drooling mutt known as T'Elias," Glumshanks retorted, before smiling large and wide.
Then the two of them embraced, as they felt as though they had a common distrust in Kaos, something Glumshanks had found out when the little tyrant had been in one of his drunken stupors one night. Remembering that night brought a smile to Glumshanks's face, though he knew not to ever speak of it around Kaos, for fear the rule of him never being punished again would be broken.
"What are you doing?" T'Elias asked.
"Going up on deck to see what the captain's up to," Glumshanks replied. "I'm also hoping that I can find out how long we have before we reach Shattered Island."
"Well, you don't have to wait too long for that," T'Elias said. "Come along, lad." With the rabid Canine leading the way, Glumshanks followed him out onto the top deck, where they found the captain in the bridge.
Before reaching the bridge, however, they were stopped by one of the other crew-mates, one whom T'Elias and Glumshanks hated immensely: Jones, another Canine who seemed to resemble a common Labrador, with one missing eye and one torn-off ear, both on his right side. There were many scars all over him, as well.
"If it ain't the mangy, drooling freak T'Elias," Jones said. "I should have locked you up in the brig! You have no reason to be First Mate, and everyone around 'ere knows it! So, how did you succeed in getting that from the captain, you condemned fool?"
"I think it was because I actually did something he saw as right," T'Elias replied coolly. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to have to get away from you and see the captain about something. If you don't want to take it up with me, then please, take it up with Glumshanks here. His master is Kaos, whom everyone knows is the Little Tyrant. If you don't allow us to see the captain, and if Kaos doesn't hear what it is that he wants to hear, then you might be the next to walk the plank…if you know what I mean!"
Jones growled and stalked away from them. Glumshanks couldn't help but release the laugh he had been holding in. It hadn't been because he was in fear, but because he wasn't one of those who enjoyed offending others. That was Kaos's job, not his.
"Well, hopefully we won't have to deal with him for the rest of the trip," T'Elias said. "I'm tellin' ya, Glum, these fools are wired and are ready to take me down. Ever since the captain made me his First Mate, I haven't been able to sleep with both eyes closed, if you know what I mean. Did you know, by the way, that I'm not actually rabid? I just do this to make it seem that way. I'm insane, I'll admit, but it's not the worst problem in the world. Once the captain and I get back to our main spot over near where that one big Ape's castle is, then I think we'll be done with all of this."
As he spoke and as they walked to the bridge, Glumshanks looked all around them, and he realized they were in some kind of tunnel. There were bright lights shining all about them, and giant structures seemingly made of crystal jutted from above and below. While they gave off a major glow, he knew that wasn't the only thing giving off a source of light.
Soon he realized that T'Elias was looking at him, and he opened his mouth to say something, only for the rabid Canine to smile again. "Trust me, I know it's beautiful around here," he said. "We've been going through these caves for fourteen years, and I still can't get over just how beautiful they are. The lights you're probably seeing—those that aren't given off by the huge gems around us—are Spores. Not like mold spores, but Light Spores. They give this beautiful light that I can't help but love, and I wish I could see it longer. But you know, life doesn't always give you what you always want to see, if you know what it is that I'm saying."
Glumshanks nodded, satisfied. "I've always felt like you say that last part a whole lot," he observed. "The 'if you know what is that I'm saying' part. Why is that?"
"Who knows? I think it's just who I am, if you know what it is that I'm saying," T'Elias replied jokingly. This made Glumshanks smile again, and he hoped their friendship could last forever. While he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to do that, much to his misfortune. But that did not mean that he could not try and hope for the best.
They finally reached the bridge, and before they had even reached the door that led into the interior, the captain burst out, and he found the two of them. A smile appeared on his lips. He was a Grey Wolf, and so far as Glumshanks could tell, he was a good leader.
"Captain Roarke, how good to see you," T'Elias said. "I brought Glumshanks along so that he could ask something for Kaos's benefit. Hopefully you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all," Roarke said. He turned and walked back into the bridge. Glumshanks and T'Elias followed. Almost everything in the bridge was the way it had always been, with polished seasoned oak acting as the floors, walls, and ceiling, though the controls were technologically advanced. While there was a wheel, Glumshanks saw there was an Auto-Captain mode activated on the dashboard. He couldn't help but think of how much the Realms had changed since their creation. "We aren't far from Shattered Island," Roarke continued, "and once we arrive, I was just wondering: should we return to where your master is hiding? Or should we go ahead and return to our camp?"
"The camp would probably be the smartest thing," Glumshanks said. "I don't know how the master would react if you were to return to the cave without us."
"I thought we were supposed to stay at the dock in case you needed to run back on and get you out of there," Roarke said.
"Trust me, I wish that could be what you could do," Glumshanks said. "But Kaos and I aren't sure if the Skylanders are going to suddenly appear there, and if you're at the dock when they arrive—if they do—then you could be implicated in our trial. Even if we're not caught and put on trial, if they realize you're allied with us our our master, then you could be put on trial yourselves."
Roarke nodded. "I see," he said. "Well, then, that makes me realize we need to get out of here as soon as the timing is right. I don't like leaving you behind, and you and Kaos bring us perfect challengers all the time, but I'd prefer not to be found out when it comes to that."
"Good, because I'd prefer you not be around at all!" Kaos said as he walked into the bridge. "I thought I told you, Glummy, to find out what was happening, and then come back and tell me!"
"Well, I was," Glumshanks said. "It's just not as easy as you might think to get all this information and come back down below. Unlike you, not everyone here has power over Magic."
Kaos looked at him as though he had sprouted another head, then sighed. "For once, you're right," he said. Then he turned to Roarke. "Well, do you think we'll be able to get there within the next twenty minutes?"
"Less than that," Roarke answered. "If you look ahead here, then you're going to see the first main island of the archipelago."
Glumshanks did just that, and sure enough, he found that they were coming closer to the cavern's end, and just as his eyes adjusted to the sudden burst of sunlight, he found the large assortment of islands about six minutes ahead of them, from what he was able to tell.
"Perfection," Kaos said.
"Yes," T'Elias said from Glumshank's left, having moved over from his right. "And now that you've confessed all of this, the Skylanders will be happy to know what will possibly happen here. You will all be on trial soon, and I can't wait to see that done finally come."
Glumshanks looked right at his former friend and found that the crazed, rabid look he'd once had was now gone, and while the torn ears remained, his appearance was completely different.
"You condemned Jackal," Roarke hissed. "I should've known to have never trusted you, or any of your kind! But one thing I cannot help but wonder is, how are you going to summon the Skylanders? From what I can tell, you have nothing that you can contact them on. You have no device, no kind of mental ability, or anything like that. So, how is it possible for you to do that?"
T'Elias held up a transmitter. "Actually, I do have something I am able to contact them on." He looked over to where Glumshanks stood. "I know that you know that you don't really belong here. Come with me, and we can stop the reign of terror that Roarke and his cult have started! Please, you know that this Grey Wolf and your supposed masters are truly insane! I know you're not, however, and I want nothing more than to help you!"
"It's too late for that," a voice drawled, and all of a sudden, the Second Mate appeared behind T'Elias and took the Jackal by the neck. Jones snarled. "I should've known to never trust you. So, the best punishment for someone such as you…" He twisted T'Elias's neck sharply, and a loud snap sounded through the bridge. Moments later, T'Elias's body hit the floor.
"My, my," Roarke said. "I should never have doubted your prowess, Second Mate Jones. Welcome to the rank of First Mate, my friend." He held out a hand to his new second-in-command.
"My name is not truly Jones, if you must know," the Second Mate said. "My true name is Karis. Jones was just the name of a victim of mine, and I took it because it felt right."
"Perfect," Roarke said. "Welcome to the new rank."
At this, Karis took Roarke's hand and shook it vigorously. Watching this, Kaos smiled brightly, as he had believed T'Elias was too soft and friendly. That is what led to his demise, and that is why we must disembark. I do not want another thing such as this to happen. Once we are able to get off this ship, then we won't have to worry about something like that any longer.
It took them another twenty minutes to reach the port at Shattered Island, however, because, as Roarke explained, there were great winds stopping them from getting there at the fastest possible time. While Kaos understood, despite his nature usually not allowing for him to think in such a way, he wanted to get there as soon as possible so that they wouldn't let down his master.
When they finally arrived, Roarke yelled out, "Land ho!" They made their way to the main deck, with Karis dragging the former First Mate's body. Glumshanks could not help but look at the body, which now had blood dripping from the nostrils and mouth. The Jackal seemed to still be in shock, though the Goblin knew he would never again exhibit emotion.
They reached the gangplank, and after it was set down on the ground, Kaos and Glumshanks started stepping off. Roarke watched them intently as they did so. He looked to Karis and nodded. As a result of this motion, Karis threw T'Elias's body overboard, into the eternal skies of Skylands, where the body would fall forever.
"I wish we could join you in your endeavor," Roarke said. "But we must return to the camp. Did you know that they actually call our camp a 'Cult?'" He threw back his head and laughed. "Well, they can call it all they want, but I know what it truly is, and it is no more than a camp! So, while I wish we could stick around, we must depart! There is the possibility that we could stop by the cave and report your progress, if you want."
"NO!" Kaos shouted. "Doing that is a really stupid idea! It's not that I don't want our master to know that we have been doing really well, but who knows what might happen if he realizes we played a part in a mutiny on one of your crew?"
Soon after this, the gangplank went up, and Roarke went on his way. Kaos felt this would not be the last time they saw one another, though he was not sure when their next sighting of one another would be.
Not caring to keep his mind on all of that, he instead focused on the mission at hand. If he could find someone he and his servant could terrorize, then all would be good. However, he knew he would have to deal with the possibility the Skylanders could show up at any given time. He didn't know if they had been initiated into their Elements, or who the Captains of the respective Elements were if they had been initiated. He wished he knew, but he realized he couldn't keep his mind solely on that, for he had something else he needed to get done.
"Let's be quick about it, Glummy!" Kaos said. "The master said we needed to be able to strike fear into the hearts of those around here, and now we need to find out where the main village is, so we can do what it is we were sent for!"
"Well, master, I would think the village would be over that way," Glumshanks said, turning about two-hundred degrees away from his master and pointing in the direction in front of him. "I can hear children screaming over there, and—"
"Silence! Wait, I think I know where we can find the village!" Kaos turned in the direction that Glumshanks was facing. "I think I can hear children screaming over there, and if I am correct, then we should be able to find someone we can terrorize!"
The two of them hurried that way, with Glumshanks staying somewhat behind Kaos so that he could roll his eyes without getting into any trouble for doing so. All he wanted was to be able to punch Kaos at least once, though he wasn't sure if that chance would ever come.
When they arrived where Glumshanks had heard the children, they found the village was actually a little farther away than they had first believed, and this resulted in Kaos becoming a little angrier. Despite this, he did not do anything to Glumshanks like he had done to him in the past—likely because of what their master had said about it—and Glumshanks felt quite relieved. Without the punishment, he felt that his life was slowly becoming the way that he had wanted before being forced to serve Glumshanks when his family was taken in by the family of Kaos.
The running resulted in Kaos feeling like he was out of breath, but he was able to get to the village much easier after this, and when he stepped foot on the soil of the village's main path, there was a sudden gasp. Looking around for the source, Kaos found a shopkeeper standing in the front of his shop, a young Mabu girl next to him.
"Well, well, here's someone I can terrorize!" Kaos said. "I think we've hit the jackpot, Glummy!"
Glumshanks said nothing.
"Please, don't hurt anyone!" the shopkeeper pleaded. "I'm just a lowly shopkeeper who works day and night to support his family! There's no reason for you to come in here and terrorize anyone! Please, just go! Please, just go away!" During the time it took for him to say this, the little girl whirled around and ran away.
Kaos continued walking forward, and soon enough, even though the Mabu father was doing his best to move away from him, the Little Tyrant reached him very quickly and had already grabbed him by the neck.
"You will be my slave soon enough!" Kaos hissed.
"But…you can't kill me!" the Mabu father said. "Please…I have a family! I know what your reputation is, but you have to have some kind of mercy in you!"
Kaos threw back his head and laughed. "If only that was possible for someone like me," he said. "I've been waiting for this moment for a while, and now that my master has allowed me to come back out into the world after my last failure, I'm going to be able to strike more fear into the hearts of the population!" He laughed again, but because of how he liked to overdo the laugh, the Mabu father was able to slip away, and all Kaos could do was curse himself once more for having allowed this.
He ran after the male Mabu, wishing he could have already strangled him. He got through the store, finding it was filled with knick-knacks, including snow globes and other souvenirs. While he wanted to destroy the Mabu father's livelihood at the same time, he wouldn't do it just yet, for he believed in causing the terror first.
He used his Magic to blast through a door that stood in his way and continued forward until he found the father and his family. Looking them over, he could not help but laugh. While he wanted to kill them, his master had explained to him that killing someone would only allow the suspicion to come right back to him.
"Please, I beg of you, don't harm us!" the father said. "We are just a poor family that have to work day and night in the store! We can't give you any money!"
"You know me well-enough, though, don't you?" Kaos asked. He looked to Glumshanks, who merely shrugged so that he didn't have to get into it as much. He loathed threatening others, to be honest. "I am Kaos, one of the greatest villains that has ever existed!"
"Well, you're not the very worst," a little Mabu boy said from behind his mother. "There's someone even worse than you."
Kaos trembled with rage. He sighed, trying to take the anger off, but it did not work. Cursing himself again, he raised his hand and blasted the mother in the chest with his Magic.
She screamed as she was hit, and he watched with glee as she fell backward onto the wood floor. She gasped in great pain, tears leaking from her hazel eyes.
"Please," the husband pleaded again as he knelt beside her, "just go on your way! We didn't do anything to you! Why are you hurting us?"
"Because I have no other choice than to strike fear into the hearts of those I hate!" Kaos announced to him and the rest of the family. "I may not be the worst monster in all of Skylands, but I know for sure that I am one of them! You cannot escape me, so don't even try! Just watch as I torture your wife until she gives me what I want most, which is the recognition as one of the worst in all of Skylands!"
"You'll never be satisfied in such a way!" the father said. "I won't allow it. The only thing I will allow is the Skylanders to take you down and make sure that you can never again terrorize us! When they arrive, you'll have no other choice than to surrender! Do you hear me?"
"I hear you loud and clear, but I don't think you're going to be able to summon them!" Kaos said as he held his hand up once more. Then he remembered the creature on Roarke's ship, who had summoned the Skylanders through that device he had held, and he froze. "Wait…how will you summon them?"
"Because they gave me a device to do so in the case of any danger," the mother replied coolly, despite the obvious pain her eyes. "I've already gone ahead and activated it, and they are now on their way. There is no way…you…can get…out…of this." The pain seemed to be increasing, as her breath was coming out in even shorter gasps than before, and she was groaning as she spoke.
Kaos's eyes widened, and he looked around quickly, resting his eyes for a moment on Glumshanks before looking back at them and saying, "I will get my revenge! Nothing you can do will prevent me from getting what I want most! Not even summoning the Skylanders!"
With that, he turned and ran out of their home, running through the store and reaching the outside. Just as he reached that spot, he heard voices approaching him. Looking around for a moment, he saw Glumshanks had followed him.
"What do you think the call could be?" came the familiar male voice that struck fear into his heart. Spyro, the Purple Dragon who had freed Cynder from the control of Malefor and helped defeat him and Deathmatch in the Mistlands.
"Who knows?" another voice replied, and Kaos recognized that voice as Sunburn, the Phoenix-Dragon Hybrid. "I'm just glad we get to help the people around here."
"True. I've never had any problems with anyone in the village, other than that one weird kid," a female voice chirped in, and Kaos believed that was Sonic Boom, the black-feather Griffiness.
"You mean Quigley, right?" That was it; that was the voice he had been fearing most. The voice of the Black Dragoness that Spyro had freed from Malefor's corruption. If Cynder was here, then that meant…she was a Skylander.
Kaos looked around himself again, hoping to find where they were approaching from, and saw their shadows appear from the west. He looked to the east and ran behind a barrel. Glumshanks followed him once more.
He watched as the Skylanders approached, and he could not help but wonder how Cynder had been allowed to become a Skylander. It just didn't seem right. After all, she was a monster, and all the other Skylanders had to know that by now.
"Help! Please help!" Kaos heard the voice, and he recognized it as that of the Mabu father. "My wife is injured! She needs medical attention!"
Kaos heard the footsteps, and he guessed by this time that the Skylanders were inside the home. At this moment, he decided that he and Glumshanks needed to get out of there. He did not think it was a good idea for them to stay there, or they might be discovered.
"Let's go!" he hissed to Glumshanks, who merely nodded and continued to follow him away from the scene. They would have to commandeer a vessel to get back to their cave, but he knew it would be easy once he found a good one.
Now that the Skylanders were around once more, though, the one thing that he knew for sure was that there was going to be trouble, and while he did not want to have to face the Skylanders again, he could not help but feel that there was a part of him that welcomed it.