Chapter 6: Fight For The Stone

Time seemed to be at a standstill. Time often had that effect on those who waited, sitting around staring either ahead, above or below with nothing to do. It was amazing to think just how differently time worked between somebody busying themselves and somebody doing nothing.

To Lilac, time felt as if it was no longer functioning. It seemed to have stopped completely as she sat on a rocky stump at the foot of the Cave of Malevolence. The dragon girl was fixed firmly on her task at hand. With the knowledge that Natalya would likely be coming to this cave to swipe the Dark Stone from its plinth and use it for whatever unspeakable horrors the dragon likely had planned, Lilac was determined not to let her hated nemesis get anywhere near the cave. She had enough nightmares about Natalya as it was, the last thing she could deal with as Natalya unleashing a nightmare upon Avalice. She would guard the Dark Stone with her life if she had to.

There was a downside to guarding something very devotedly and doing nothing but guarding something…it got boring very fast. The lilac-skinned dragon was already finding herself getting bored as she sat on the rock stump and waited for something to happen. She preferred to get straight into the action as opposed to waiting for it to happen. It was more exciting that way. Lilac had no idea how long Natalya was going to take to get to the cave. For all she knew, the dragon villainess was going to wait about a day or two, maybe a week, before deciding to track down the Dark Stone. The waiting for Natalya to come not only bored Lilac, it worried her too. When would she show up? When would she attack? And would she be able to stop her from getting the Dark Stone? With her friends by her side and willing to put their all in, the dragon knew that she didn't need to worry about losing to Natalya. Her former boss wouldn't have much of a chance against her, Carol, Milla, Miguel, Lela, Torque and Terra all at once. She could possibly arrive on the scene with a huge squadron of Red Scarf ninjas but none of them had Lilac concerned at all. The Red Scarves were more a minor annoyance than anything. Spade was the only one other than Natalya to worry about though Lilac had had plenty of practice with him. She wasn't concerned in the slightest about losing a fight with him. That left Natalya as the sole person to worry about and with her and her friends mainly focused on her, she would have a harder time getting past them to the Dark Stone.

As of now though, the boredom seemed to be creeping around like a bad virus. Lilac was already feeling half-asleep from the boredom she was feeling and the Bassets looked as if they were wishing they were somewhere else wanting to do something more exciting. Miguel and Lela were sitting together wondering how long they had been sat waiting and Milla was trying to amuse herself by playing "I Spy". Sadly, her parents didn't seem very enthusiastic about the game so Milla tried to find something else to do. Torque himself even looked a little bored but not as much as the Avalicians. Torque was used to waiting for a long time due to his long experience as captain of a crew in the battlefield. Because of this, waiting seldom bored him. Lilac stared at him, noticing his perfectly controlled composure and grim expression. She could tell that the alien was used to this. How many times had he had to sit and wait for the enemy to leap out and attack? The purple-scaled dragon had a feeling she couldn't possibly know. All she did know was that Torque was preparing himself for the coming battle. Would he fare well against Natalya when she arrived to claim her prize? Hopefully he would. Lilac shifted a little closer to Torque. The silence of doing nothing was getting to her and Lilac just wanted to end it. She cleared her throat uneasily, making Torque jump slightly. It was as if he had been in some kind of trance and the sudden sound of throat clearing had woken him up. Torque looked over at Lilac, finding himself gazing into her beautiful rosey-pink eyes. If there was one thing he could say about Lilac, it was that she had very beautiful eyes, maybe more so than Terra's.

"Oh, um, hey Lilac." he said, trying to keep his composure.

"Hey, um, I just thought I'd stir up a conversation." said Lilac, "I mean it's pretty boring just sitting here right now so we may as well do something to pass the time."

"OK but make sure you keep vigilant." the Chaser insisted, "We don't want this Natalya person to catch us off-guard."

"I know." said Lilac hastily, "And Natalya's one of the things I wanna talk about right now."

"I see. What's Natalya like then?" asked Torque, "Is she dangerous?"

"Pfft, you have no idea." Lilac muttered, "Dangerous doesn't begin to describe that vile woman. She's quite possibly the worst person I've ever had the misfortune to meet…aside from Lord Brevon that is. But still, she's a nasty piece of work Torque."

The Chaser nodded, taking in what Lilac had said. He had noted that the dragon had mentioned Lord Brevon's name and made a mental note not to bring up the fact he had attempted to invade Avalice. He could tell his Avalician friend had enough on her plate as it was worrying about Natalya coming to get the Dark Stone, he didn't need to give her something else to worry over. It was best she didn't know.

"What's so horrible about her then?" asked Torque.

"She's cold, ruthless, menacing and very cunning." Lilac explained, her face turning sour as she spoke, "She has strength and agility like you've never seen before, being able to floor me, Carol and Milla with ease the first time we fought, and she doesn't take no for an answer. She forced me and Carol to re-join the Red Scarves and join her in her big plan to ruin Christmas for everybody and rule Avalice last year. She used Milla as a hostage to make sure we played nice too. But the most sickening part of all is how racist she is…" she concluded her sentence with an angry sigh.

"Racist?" Torque piped quizzically.

"If you're not a dragon, you're not special in her eyes." the teen-girl grumbled, "She only considers me special because I'm a dragon and thinks that dragons are the superior race just because they inspired the three kingdoms we inhabit today. She's a sin to the dragon name and I hate her so much! Maybe just as much as Brevon, maybe more, maybe less, I don't know…but all-in-all, I can't stand that witch. Especially since she has the gall to say she loves me when in fact, she doesn't and was just trying to sweet-talk me. Well once she shows her ugly face again, I'll show her just how much I "love" her!" she spat venomously.

"Whoa, Natalya must really be a big deal for you…" Torque gasped.

"Ya think?" snorted Lilac, "Brevon's your personal arch-enemy right? Natalya's pretty much my "Lord Brevon" if you know what I mean. And given how she's native to Avalice, she's a personal enemy who won't be as easy to be rid of as Brevon. At least he's presumably run away into some dark corner of space and will never be seen again, leaving me with nothing but nightmares to remember him by. Natalya however, she can always return at any point and given we're on the same planet, I can't "escape" her so to say. Once she's thrown in jail for her crimes against Avalice I'll be free of her at last."

"Well me and Terra are happier than ever that we could lend a hand Lilac." said Torque kindly, "After all you've done for me, its our pleasure to help you deal with your biggest enemy."

"Thanks Torque." Lilac replied appreciatively, "That means a lot to me."

"You're welcome." the Chaser said with a kind smile on his face, "So this um, Dark Stone you're guarding. Didn't Milla say earlier that the Dark Stone turns people into dragons who want to destroy everything?"

"She did, and that's what the Dark Stone's evil power is." Lilac confirmed, "But I still don't get why Natalya's interested in the stone. This isn't her character at all, she doesn't want the world destroyed! So why would she want a doomsday gem like that?"

Torque thought for a moment before replying.

"Maybe she doesn't know what it can do?" he suggested.

"No Torque, she had a scroll about the Dark Stone itself. I'm pretty sure it would have told her what it can do." the draconian girl murmured, "I fear that maybe Natalya's gone so far off the deep end that she wants the world destroyed. I hope we can keep it out of her reach, I really do…"

"We will Lilac." Torque insisted, absent-mindedly putting his hand down on Lilac's and staring even deeper into her eyes, "I know we will. If we could stop Lord Brevon from succeeding at his goals then we can stop Natalya. She can't possibly be worse than Brevon."

"You're right, she's nothing compared to Brevon." Lilac agreed, "She hasn't got a big ship and a big army of mutants and robots or anything. It's just her and the Red Scarves and me and Carol have had plenty of practice with those jerks. Even Milla fared well against them when we fought them last year. Natalya won't beat us. I don't know what I'm so worried about."

"It's OK to be worried Lilac." the green alien replied softly, "We can't be brave about everything all the time. It's only natural for people to worry, no matter how brave they maybe. I should know…I'm a bit worrisome too. Something that Terra kinda wants me to get over."

Lilac nodded, sympathizing with Torque greatly. She could scarcely imagine the kind of situations he got himself into as a member of an alliance between worlds that possibly involved life and death. She imagined Torque must have worried a lot whenever he got into a fight with Brevon, especially since said fights resulted in the death of his original crew. She also remembered how the Chaser had worried over her, Carol and Milla when they had attempted to storm Brevon's ship. She and Torque were quite alike in some ways. Then the dragon noticed that Torque's hand was on hers and she smiled slyly at the Chaser.

"Are you touching my hand?" she snickered.

Torque suddenly realized what he was doing and he took his hand away quickly as if afraid Lilac's hand was going to burn him. He blushed bright red upon realizing this.

"Oh, um…sorry about that…" he blustered.

"No, no, it's OK. I was just…surprised that's all." Lilac insisted, "Pleasantly surprised that is."

Relieved that she was OK with this, Torque put his hand back down on Lilac's. He allowed himself to smile meekly at the dragon, still blushing as his friend smiled sweetly back at him. She looked so cute when she smiled and Torque wasn't sure why. Maybe Lilac was just a naturally wonderful looking creature.

"OK then." he said, "I'm still kinda surprised I did that though."

"It's fine Torque, honestly." said Lilac casually, "Besides, I really enjoy your company Torque. You're a great friend and if I'm honest…I wish I could see you more often. I miss you when you're back up in space fighting against whatever aliens there are out there."

She stared into Torque's handsome eyes as if trying to find something in them. Torque stared back into Lilac's beautiful eyes, not sure what to say. He could feel his heartbeat quickening as the two stared at each other. What was he feeling? Was he feeling affection for the beautiful dragon? Maybe he was in love? No, he couldn't be. He didn't have time for love, not in his line of duty. He couldn't be in love. Love was a weakness in the army. It was why Terra was only a friend to him and why he was only a friend to Terra. The Chasers couldn't be in love. Love could be exploited by the enemy and love could also do more harm than good for he or any of his crew. Yet he couldn't help but feel entranced by his purple-skinned friend. Could he break protocol and show that there was no shame in being in love? No. He couldn't. He couldn't break Lilac's heart, not when a relationship between them couldn't work with him devoted to his duty and having to serve in the Coalition of Planets. He couldn't give that up. But would rejecting Lilac break her heart even more? The Chaser had no idea what to do. He supposed he could give Lilac some comfort while he was here and then try and talk it out with her when they didn't have to worry about Natalya. He was sure Lilac could understand. Holding the dragon's hands, he cleared his throat.

"I'm…I'm glad you like me that much. I'm sorry that…that you miss me when I'm gone." Torque said, trying not to trip over his words too much, "If I could come to Avalice more often, I certainly would. Especially if it would make you happy Lilac."

"That's very sweet of you." said Lilac brightly, "I'll make sure to make the most of any visit you have to Avalice in return."

"That'll be swell." Torque responded.

Then the two did something strange. Lilac and Torque both closed their eyes and prepared to lean forward for a kiss. Lilac was rather excited as their lips were about to lock. She'd often wondered what it would be like to kiss a boy, especially a boy like Torque. The alien captain however was willing himself not to do it. Don't kiss her, you'll only make it worse for yourself! That's what his head was saying. But his heart ignored the protests of his head and he carried on leaning closer to Lilac. He wanted to give Lilac some pleasure to ease her anxieties, this would be the perfect thing to comfort her. She would like it, it would make her happier and that was what he wanted for his friend. But just as their lips were about to touch, Milla suddenly let out a shriek of terror. The dog was wide-eyed, alert and on her feet, jumping up and down frantically as if dancing on top of hot coals.

"Natalya's here! Natalya's here! And she's got the Red Scarves with her!"

Both dragon and Chaser stopped what they were doing and leaped onto their feet. What a rotten time for Natalya to show up! Now Lilac had more of a reason to subdue her and have her arrested for The Magister. With her locked up, she and Torque wouldn't be interrupted again. Lilac clenched her fists and readied herself for action as her hated nemesis and the Red Scarves all came into view. They were marching in unison with Natalya in front and Spade beside her. As usual, Spade wasn't too pleased having to be beside his abhorrent boss. He'd have much proffered to be as far away from the four-horned dragon as possible. Natalya stopped the march and held up a hand, telling the Red Scarves to stop marching and wait for her next command. The Red Scarves halted, a deadly silence falling all around as nobody moved or made a sound for a tense moment. Natalya's eyes narrowed in rage at the sight of Lilac and the Bassett family. She hadn't expected to run into them at all and was livid to see that they were once again, waiting to ruin her schemes. Couldn't that impudent child leave her alone for a minute?! She also caught sight of Torque and was instantly repulsed by his appearance. Who on Avalice was that thing with Lilac? An alien? No matter, just another body to add on her kill list as far as she was concerned. Lilac stood rigid, facing Natalya and staring her down as if hoping to magically cause her to burst into flames. Natalya ignored the Bassets and Torque and focused squarely on Lilac. The big-headed teen was all who mattered to her. Not wanting to show anger and annoyance in front of her former student, Natalya smiled an icy smile.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't my sweet little Lilac once again?" she purred, "Good…I still owe you an early grave."

Her smile quickly disappeared and was replaced by a scowl, the kind of expression she seemed very comfortable with expressing more than any other facial expression lately. As Lilac stared viciously at her former boss, Torque took a moment to observe his opponent. This must be the Natalya woman Lilac had been talking about. She looked draconic in appearance and Lilac had described her as being a dragon so it had to be her. Compared to Lord Brevon, Torque considered Natalya to look really underwhelming although he knew that being an Avalician, she wouldn't be as fearsome looking as Brevon. But he knew he couldn't even dare for a minute to underestimate her. Lilac had made it clear she was no pushover and thus, he couldn't treat her as such. He readied his blaster and prepared to shoot as Lilac answered Natalya's remark.

"Hey Natalya. Didn't expect to see me so soon did you?" she snarled.

"I will admit, I wasn't expecting you to be here lying in wait for me." the mauve-skinned dragon muttered bitterly, "Let me guess, you somehow know that I'm here for something and are here to stop me."

"Yes I am!" declared Lilac, "We found a scroll about the Dark Stone in your lair Natalya and…"

"You went into my lair?!" shrieked Natalya angrily, "How dare you! How dare you nose about my lair! You could have gotten yourself killed in the explosion I had set up in it to damage Shang Tu!"

"Why are you mad about that?" asked Milla.

"If Lilac had died in my lair, I wouldn't have had the pleasure of doing it myself!" ranted Natalya, "Though I suppose it would have been better if she had died so she couldn't take the scroll and find out what my next plan was…never mind. You've just set yourself up for a killing Lilac and if you don't get out of my way and let me claim the Dark Stone then I'll rip you to pieces! I'm feeling generous since I don't have time to waste so I'm giving you the option of standing down and saving yourselves an unnecessary beating while we take what's ours."

"Fat chance of that Natalya!" growled Lilac, "We're not moving! You're not getting the Dark Stone and you're not destroying Avalice you maniacal maniac!"

To Lilac's surprise, Natalya's response was just a loud, witchy cackle of mockery as if the teen-dragon had just said the most stupid thing in the world. How is it that she had beaten Natalya to a pulp last year and the villainess wasn't even remotely taking her seriously?

"You are such a fool Lilac! A great big fool! I'm not planning to destroy Avalice!" crowed Natalya, "Goodness me no, that would be an insult to the honour of the dragon that blessed us all with its grace and beauty. No…I'm going to use the Dark Stone's power to aggrandize myself. I'll study the stone and learn how to control it and with the power of the stone running through my veins, NOBODY will stop me from taking over this wretched world! Avalice will bow down to me and the dragon race will take its rightful place as ruler of the world!"

"Huh, you didn't tell me she was insane in the brain…" snorted Torque, "I think even Brevon's more sane than she is."

"She is indeed quite, quite mad Torque…and it's why we won't let her get that stone!" Lilac exclaimed, "She may not want to destroy Avalice as I had suspected but we still can't let her get that stone! Everybody, don't let her get into that cave! The Dark Stone must not fall into Natalya's hands!"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Milla.

"We'll defend that stone with our lives!" Miguel declared.

While the heroes were talking, Natalya leaned over to Spade and whispered to him.

"Me and the Scarves will keep the traitor and her playschool group busy, you sneak into the cave and get the stone. If Carol Tea is in the cave, kidnap her for me. I have a use for her." she hissed.

"Got it." Spade whispered back.

He knew why Natalya suspected Carol was in the Cave of Malevolence. Lilac NEVER went anywhere without Carol She wasn't around at the moment so she had to be in the cave. She couldn't be anywhere else. Spade had to wonder what Natalya had in mind for Carol. Hostage? Test subject for the Dark Stone? He would find out in good time. For now, he stood and waited as Lilac and her team prepared to attack. Natalya and the Red Scarves bent down into battle-ready stances, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. A tense moment passed before Natalya broke the silence with a loud cry.

"Red Scarves, ATTACK!" she bellowed.

The order was followed immediately. The red hooded ninjas all sprang into action and charged towards the Avalicians and Chaser. They knew that they weren't meant to kill either of them. They were only a distraction while Spade made off with their prize. But to make sure nobody suspected anything, they wouldn't be lenient in the fight. They couldn't make it too easy for them. One of the ninjas drew out a double mace, a long pole with two spiked balls attached to the end, and he began to swing it around. He aimed for Lilac, swinging the deadly weapon at the dragon but purposefully aiming for a spot that wouldn't kill her if he hit her, namely her legs. Lilac jumped up into the air, the mace sweeping past underneath her feet, and just as she was about to land back on the ground, she threw a kick straight into the ninja's face just above his nose. The mercenary stumbled backwards from the kick but soon found himself landing callously onto his back as his draconic opponent swept his legs out from underneath him with a roundhouse kick. The ninja groaned loudly and allowed himself a precious moment to recover from the attack. Smirking, Lilac turned away from the ninja and braced herself as two more Red Scarves came charging towards her. One was armed with a naginata; the other was armed with a katana. They both stabbed at Lilac but the dragon jumped up out of their way, leaving them to stab at the ground instead of their opponent. Lilac then curled up into a ball and boosted straight into the ninjas, leaving a trail of shining sparkles behind her as she attacked. The ninjas hardly knew what hit them as they were sent catapulting up into the air and crashing down metres upon metres away from the dragon. How was Lilac always able to beat them? They would never know though the Red Scarves often theorized that being a dragon might be the case.

With the Red Scarves out of the way, Lilac set her sights upon Natalya. Milla, her parents and Torque could handle them easily; they didn't need her to fight the Red Scarves. Natalya was hers and hers alone. The trench-coated woman herself seemed to have the same idea. She was already waiting for Lilac to attack and as the former Red Scarf came hurling towards her, she made her move too. Natalya ran at a speed that defied belief and she drew her hand back. She then launched a powerful punch and hit Lilac directly between the eyes just as she prepared to attack. Lilac's head snapped violently backwards from the punch and she found herself crashing down heavily onto her back. Her neck started throbbing like mad and she winced as pain flooded up to her skull. Had she just suffered whiplash? Didn't matter, she wouldn't let it slow her down. Lilac picked herself up just in time to dodge a powerful kick from Natalya. Her booted foot stomped down on empty ground as her opponent evaded her. Lilac then punched Natalya in the cheek, sending her stumbling sideways and giving Lilac the perfect opportunity to use her Dragon Cyclone attack. She twirled around and walloped her loathsome nemesis repeatedly with her tendrils. It was like being smacked by a demon spinning top. Natalya grunted with every hit her former student's attack landed on her and just before she could recover, Lilac bent down low and then kicked her in the knee. As the crime boss knelt down in pain, Lilac spun around on her heels and roundhouse kicked Natalya in the face. The mauve-skinned dragon fell down onto her side, grunting in pain and anger. She couldn't lose to this impudent child again! She wouldn't lose to her this time! Not now, not ever!

Lilac ran towards Natalya, eager to strike her down before she could get back up. But Natalya rolled out of the way and left Lilac to skid to a halt. Those precious seconds lost gave Natalya the time to pick herself up and strike back. She threw a punch at Lilac's solar plexus, hitting her exactly where she aimed and knocking the wind out of her. As Lilac tried to recover, Natalya spun around and whipped her with her scaly ponytail. Lilac grunted as she was walloped and just before she could regain her sense, Natalya threw an uppercut into the teen-dragon's chin. Lilac was whisked off her feet and sent hurling through the air in a rainbow arch. She crashed down back first onto the ground. The impact left her feeling winded, bruised and achy. It felt like she had been battered by a steel pole. Natalya was always a heavy hitter and Lilac knew that she couldn't let herself be hit by her too many times or Natalya would win. Forcing herself onto her feet, she yelped as her opponent came thundering towards her. Lilac spun around to the side, allowing her to dodge her opponent's attack and get behind her. She grabbed Natalya's coat and pulled on it, yanking the crime mistress's upper body backwards and causing her to overbalance. She fell down and Lilac took a moment to kick her in the shoulder before she could get back up. Yelling in pain, Natalya struck back with a claw to the chest on Lilac. The girl screamed as fresh, bloody cuts spread across her chest and she put a hand over them instinctively. This allowed Natalya to kick her, once again, in the solar plexus. It was her favourite target and a very effective one at that. Lilac coughed and spluttered as she tried to keep the air in her lungs from escaping. Laughing menacingly, Natalya ran towards Lilac and kneed her in the gut. Lilac collapsed onto the ground, coughing even louder. She swore that she was about to hack her own lungs up if this carried on. Natalya then pinned Lilac down with her foot pressing firmly against her back.

"Come on Lilac, I thought you could do better than that." snorted Natalya, "You beat me last year remember? Then again, you only beat me because I was distracted by Carol. Well I don't see her anywhere so I guess she can't distract me this time. That might explain why I'm winning."

"I'll beat you even without Carol!" snarled Lilac, "As long as I live, I'll always fight you and I'll never stop fighting until you're thrown in jail for the rest of your life!"

"I didn't know you cared about me so much." snorted Natalya, "Maybe my fondness for you is rubbing off onto you Lilac."

"Me? Fond of you? Like that's ever gonna happen!" retorted Lilac, "All I want is to see you incarcerated! That's how "fond of you" I am!"

She then freed herself from Natalya's subduing by elbowing her just above the ankle. Natalya yelped as she found herself falling forwards and just as she tried to regain her balance, Lilac picked herself up and rammed herself into the side of the dragon. This caused Natalya to lurch sideways and slam straight into the ground shoulder first. The pain that flooded through her shoulder and down to her hand was agonizing. The four-horned dragon worried for a moment that her right arm was going to go numb from the impact. She picked herself up, moving her arm around in circles to stop it from going numb. Lilac lunged at her but Natalya leapt out of her way and grabbed her tendrils with her left hand. She yanked on them, pulling Lilac backwards and making her screech in pain. Lilac was pulled backwards straight into Natalya, giving the perfect moment to kick her in the back and throw her forwards. Lilac landed on her hands and knees but the dragon refused to back down. She forced herself back onto her feet and caught Natalya's hands as she lunged at him. She kept the dragon's hands firmly away from her face as Natalya tried to claw her.

"While I'm glad you're not planning to destroy Avalice, I can't let you take the Dark Stone Natalya!" Lilac declared, "What if your plans go wrong? What if it still turns you into a destruction craving dragon? You can't meddle with such a deadly artefact! There's hundreds of ways your plans go wrong and the Dark Stone will cause to destroy the world you want to rule! Please, listen to me and stand down! It's for the good of the planet!"

"The day I listen to you will be the day I declare I'm not a dragon…which is never going to happen!" snarled Natalya, "Unlike you and your what-ifs, I'm going to try taming the stone's power and once it's under my control, I'll be unstoppable and you will be dead!"

"Not a chance!" Lilac screeched.

Then then pulled on Natalya's wrists, bringing her closer to her so she could thrust her head forwards and into Natalya's nose. The head butt hit home and left Natalya screeching in agony as blood oozed out of her broken nose. Despite training herself to be tolerant of pain, no amount of training could possibly have taught her how to deal with pain as great as this. Lilac had literally become the first Avalician ever to hurt her enough to make her scream in pain. The former Red Scarf just smirked; pleased Natalya was in so much agony. Her loathsome nemesis deserved it. As the mauve-dragon continued screeching and wiping away at her nose, the lilac-dragon threw herself into Natalya's stomach and brought her crashing down onto her back, intending to give Natalya much more pain to add to the pain in her nose.

Meanwhile, Milla, Miguel, Lela and Torque were having an easy time with the Red Scarves. One ninja came charging towards Milla with a look of death in his eyes and he had a double mace in his hands. Milla screamed and summoned a shield in front of her to protect herself as the ninja began swinging the mace at him. The deadly weapon whacked feebly against the shield, doing no harm whatsoever. Milla's shields were not easy to break through. Not even Serpentine's guns had been able to penetrate them. The gifted hound then fired a beam from her shield, hitting the Red Scarf and throwing him off his feet. It felt like he had been punched in the face by a really powerful fist. Another Red Scarf threw shuriken at Milla but she blocked his attacks with ease, the ninja stars ricocheting off of the shield harmlessly. The Red Scarf then charged towards Milla, hoping to viciously harm her but the child thrust her shield at him, walloping him full on and throwing him backwards. The dog then summoned a magical green cube to her hands and held it above her head, waiting for another Red Scarf to attack her. One did, this one armed with nunchakus. He charged towards the young puppy but Milla threw the block and hit him in the face. The blow knocked him out instantly. Milla cheered, pleased she was doing so well in the fight.

Miguel and Lela were both teaming up to fight off their opponents. Having been forced to join the Red Scarves themselves by Natalya long before Brevon ever landed on Avalice, they knew some of their moves and could fight well enough against the Red Scarves. They considered this fight getting even with the scarves for forcing them to be part of the gang. A Red Scarf lunged at Lela with a katana in his hands. Lela stepped aside and grabbed the ninja's hands. She twisted his wrists, numbing his hands and wrenching the katana out of his grip. Then Lela spun the katana around and slashed the ninja in the leg. She didn't like using a weapon but she supposed it made her more even since unlike her daughter, she didn't have powers to fight with. A weapon was better than nothing. Another Red Scarf came running towards Lela with a sai, a three pronged dagger, in his hand. Lela swung the katana and clashed weapons with the ninja. The katana was a weapon with a longer blade so Lela could attack without having to get too close. The mother dog swung the curved sword at the ninja, nearly knocking the sai out of his hand as the weapons made contact again. Then Lela kicked the ninja in the groin, stunning him long enough for her to wallop him on the head with the handle of her katana. The hound smiled as her opponent crumpled. She didn't like fighting much but she admitted, this was kind of satisfying. Her husband seemed to agree with her as he flat-punched a ninja just above his nose and knocked him down onto his back. A ninja with a staff came charging at him and swung the staff at the red-haired hound. Miguel ducked and then grabbed the staff. He and the ninja wrestled with it, trying to keep hold of it and yank it out of the other's hands respectively. Miguel won the fight by kicking his opponent in the gut. The staff now in his hands, he swung it around and walloped the ninja in the side of his face, knocking him out instantly. The father dog smiled, strangely finding himself enjoying what he was doing. Maybe learning to fight had been more fun than he could have imagined.

Torque didn't have to do an awful lot against the Red Scarves. He had jet boots that allowed him to fly and keep out of the way of the attacking ninjas. They could barely reach him and they certainly couldn't hit him. The Chaser fired his guns, the pistols set onto stun mode for he wasn't interested in killing any of them. They were thieves and assassins but it was not his business to determine their fates. That was Avalice's decision to make, not his. The Red Scarves ran for their lives, fearing they were going to be killed by the laser blasts. Torque fired at them, sending them scattering like ants and keeping his eyes open for any attacks. He sighed to himself a little contently.

"Well this is a breath of fresh air compared to Brevon." he said, "These guys aren't even trying to beat us. I guess it helps that they can't hit me though. It's hard to believe Lilac used to be one of them."

Try as he might, he couldn't even for a minute imagine Lilac in a Red Scarf hood and neckerchief. The image just seemed impossible to associate with a hero as noble and heroic as Lilac. He pushed the image out of his way as he fired more shots at the Red Scarves. He did manage to hit one of them, the stun blast knocking him out before he knew he had been hit. Pleased, Torque turned his attention to any remaining ninjas. There was still plenty of them left but he could see that the hounds and he were winning. He glanced over at Lilac and caught her throwing an uppercut into Natalya's chin. She seemed to have her fight under control too. But little did he or anybody else realize was that one Red Scarf was missing from the battle. It was Spade, and he was already inside the Cave of Malevolence, leaving his gang and leader to fight against the Red Scarf deserter, her hound friends and the alien with them. He could hardly believe his luck and knew that his luck was going to get better when he reached the Dark Stone…


Deep inside the cave, Carol and Terra were sitting with their backs against the wall and staring intently at the Dark Stone as if wishing something interesting would happen to it. As far as Carol was concerned, the stone spontaneously combusting would be definitely be interesting. It would be nice if the stone could destroy itself and save everyone a load of grief. Time had passed slowly in the cave and Carol was finding herself getting increasingly bored of just waiting for something to happen. Terra seemed equally as bored but her purple eyes never once wavered away from the Dark Stone. The wildcat presumed that Terra was a dedicated woman, never letting anything divert her attention from the task at hand. Would she willingly sit here forever if it meant doing her duty? She seemed capable of doing that. Hoping she wouldn't mind, Carol decided to break the silence.

"Hmm…so um…Terra? You feeling bored at all?" she asked.

"There's no such thing as boredom Carol. There's just anticipation for the enemy and the action that follows." Terra replied, still not taking her eyes away from the stone, "We wait for action and then when action comes, we react. We can hardly afford being bored. That doesn't make action come any quicker."

"Eh, I suppose you're right…" Carol murmured, "Anyway, you don't mind having a conversation do you?"

"Eh, why not? After all, I'm new to Avalice so maybe I could learn some things about it while we pass the time." the female Chaser replied, "So tell me Carol, what's it like living on this world?"

"It's pretty cool." the feline tomboy replied, "I love my world. It's beautiful, there's major cool places to visit and the rides I have on my bike are totally awesome! Avalice is the place to have a ride on a cool motorcycle like mine! And also, it's awesome spending time with my best friends. Lilac and Milla are the best."

"You seem quite close." said Terra kindly, "It's like my friendship with Torque. We're very close too."

"Cool. So um, do you like Torque…as in like REALLY like him? Ya know? Like a boy loves a girl?" asked Carol curiously.

"Oh no, nothing like that at all." the turquoise alien responded, "I don't have time for romance, especially when you're fighting against Lord Brevon and trying to save the worlds he conquered. No, me and Torque are just friends. True he's kinda cute but honestly, I'm not interested in romance at this time."

"Bummer." the green-furred cat murmured, "Though I suppose Lilac's happy about that."

"You think she has a thing for Torque?" giggled Terra.

"She seems a little too happy to see him for it to be just a friendship thing." snickered Carol, "I think she loves him. Which I don't mind of course, I think Lilac and Torque would make a cute couple."

"I hope Lilac won't be too disappointed to learn that a relationship between her and Torque can't work." Terra sighed sadly, "Torque hasn't got time for love either. I'm sorry but when you're a Chaser, you can scarcely afford to bother about sentimental feelings like that."

Carol wasn't sure she liked the sound of that. Being a Chaser sounded like you had to be closed off and nothing but focused and serious. It sounded pretty boring a life to live. Surely she could convince Terra that there was more to life than just doing one's duty? She decided against it, she didn't want to offend the young lieutenant. The wildcat decided to change the subject.

"So um, how's it going with Lord Brevon?" she asked, "He kinda got away after Lilac beat the tar outta him so we don't know anything about what he's been up to lately."

Terra cringed. Did Carol have to bring up Brevon?! She was hoping she could spend the whole visit without having to talk about him but now she had no choice but to answer Carol.

"Oh he's been suffering quite badly from his defeat here." she explained, "He's a laughing stock of the galaxy and nobody takes him seriously anymore. "Lord Brevon, the guy who got beaten by a puny animal girl! What a lark!" is what a lot of people say about him. Even Torque's new crew doesn't take him seriously. But since he killed my brother, I still can't help but fear him somewhat…I'm amazed I managed to sneak on-board his ship, spy on him and tell Torque what his next plan was so we could foil them."

"And what plans were they?"

"Just another take-over attempt. We sent him running away with his tail between his legs though."

"Awesome!" squealed Carol, "I bet you'll catch him eventually!"

"I bloody well hope so…" sighed Terra, "I want him dead or imprisoned after what he's done to my best friend's previous crew and all the other heroes that fell to his blade…especially Phoenix. His death is the one I want him to pay for the most, being my brother and all."

"You and me both sister." muttered Carol, "I'm still mad at what he did to Lilac…"

Her sentence was cut short by a strange noise. It sounded like somebody had accidentally kicked a stone somewhere in the cave. Carol leapt up onto her feet, all her senses alert for the faintest sign of danger. Somebody was in the cave and Carol didn't think she liked that thought. Was it Natalya? A Red Scarf? Somebody else? Maybe it was just Lilac checking on her. Carol stepped towards where the sound had come from and peered into the darkness. The Dark Stone's malevolent glow only lit the cave up for so far and even then, it didn't light it up all that much. Carol was sure she could make out a faint shape just outside of the area of the stone's glow. What was it? The wildcat hoped that it would turn out she was seeing things and that she could forget about it. But then suddenly, a razor-sharp object shot out of the shadows and narrowly missed Carol's arm as she dodged. Terra was up on her feet in seconds and she watched the object embed itself into the Dark Stone's plinth. What was it? She ran over and picked it out of the plinth. It was a playing card, an Ace of Spades. Carol knew what card meant. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, glaring at the shadows ahead of her.

"Alright Spade, show yourself! You can't hide from me!" the wildcat snarled.

Strangely enough, Spade did as he was told. The ninja panda emerged from the shadows, smirking at Carol and Terra as if he, in a way, held all the cards in his hand. That cocky smirk annoyed Carol more than anything else about him. The wildcat had once thought Spade was cool but then after he had committed a murder, she wanted nothing more than to beat him up and make him sorry he ever crossed the line. Terra looked at the Avalician curiously.

"Who's the weirdo with neckerchief then?" she asked.

"Spade. He's a scummy murderer who works with the Red Scarves and he's a total jerk who grinds my gears!" growled Carol, "And I bet he's here to get the Dark Stone! What's the matter Spade? Is Natalya to chicken to fight us anymore after Lilac beat the crap outta her?"

"Natalya's outside fighting Lilac right now." snorted Spade, "She's the distraction. I'm here to get the Dark Stone and if you don't get out of my way, I'm gonna cut you to ribbons!"

"Fat chance of that asshole!" retorted Carol, "You get out of this cave before I kick the stuffing out of you!"

"I'd like to see you try." the panda scoffed, "Fancy a game of cards? I have some smokin' aces up my sleeve…"

He then proceeded to swipe his hand through the air, sending a horde of razor playing cards hurling towards Carol and Terra. All of them were kings and queens. Carol threw herself down low as Terra whipped out her pistols and shot at all the cards, not once missing one as her pistols blazed away. With the cards now destroyed, Carol then sprang back up onto her feet and scampered towards Spade on all fours. The panda boosted towards her and threw a terrific kick to the cat's face. He felt no regrets upon kicking his former comrade. Carol was a traitor and she deserved to be beaten up for it, even if he had no love for his boss. The wildcat cried out in pain as Spade's foot slammed hard into her face and knocked her back. Spade then jumped into the air and threw a bunch of cards at her, four jacks and two diamond cards. Carol dodged the attack and waited for her card-wielding nemesis to land down on the ground again. The moment Spade landed, she jumped towards him and unleashed a rapid kicking attack that threw Spade across the room and into the wall upon impact. The Red Scarf winced as he hit the wall. He'd forgotten how tough Carol was but he wasn't about to let her beat him now, not if it meant being punished by Natalya again. He picked himself up and boosted into Natalya, leaving strange, green afterimages as he did so. He and Carol ended up unleashing a rapid round of fisticuffs on one another, blocking and striking each other several times. Terra decided to turn the odds into Carol's favour by running up behind Spade and kicking him in the small of his back. The panda screamed and Carol took advantage of this, roundhouse kicking Spade across the room and into another wall. She punched the air triumphantly.

"Oh yeah! Score one for the wildcat!" she cried "Thanks for the help Terra."

"Welcome." Terra said casually, "After all, we girls gotta stick together. Girl power you know?"

The two girls then high-fived. Carol turned back around to face Spade but to her surprise, the panda had disappeared! The wildcat cursed loudly. Spade was well known for being able to meld into the shadows somehow. She shouldn't have taken her eyes away! She looked around desperately for Spade, wondering where he was. Terra looked around too, her senses vigilant as she searched for the ninja. Then suddenly, she felt a sharp clout across the back of her head that made a surprisingly loud sound for a simple smack. Terra collapsed onto the ground just by the Dark Stone's plinth, knocked unconscious from the blow she had received. Carol gasped in horror and ran over to Terra.

"Oh my gosh! What happened?" she asked frantically, "Wake up Terra! Wake up!"

Then something strange happened. Somebody reached out behind Carol and untied her trademark red neckerchief from around her neck. Carol spun around, expecting to find her fist colliding with somebody's face but she saw that there was nobody around. Spade was being very elusive, that much was certain. Carol, scanned the scenery, hoping to find Spade and take him out. Then suddenly, her red neckerchief returned, but it didn't tie itself back around her neck. Instead, it tied itself around her mouth and the back of her head! The wildcat let out a muffled yelp as Spade gagged her, laughing smoothly at her.

"I still wonder why you wear that red scarf considering you're not one of us anymore." he sneered, "Well now it's silencing you. The Red Scarves always strike back as you know."

Carol grumbled angrily from behind her gag and she tried to break free of Spade's grip. But the panda was strong, surprisingly so. He had the body of an agile athlete yet he seemed to be as strong as he was fast. Spade cackled at his rival and then he smacked Carol in the temple. The blow knocked her out instantly and Spade found the weight of Carol's body suddenly increasing as she slumped. Spade dropped Carol onto the ground, purposefully doing it carelessly, and he walked over to the Dark Stone. He took out a bag that he had attached to his belt and making sure not to touch the stone, he slung the bag over it. The stone wouldn't harm him now it was in a bag. Natalya had warned him what would happen if he just grabbed it with his bare hands and thus, had given him the bag to use. Spade hung the bag back on his belt and then slung Carol's unconscious body over his shoulder.

"Sorry to take you with me Carol, but Natalya would like a word with you…" he murmured.

He still wondered why Natalya wanted the treacherous feline. Hopefully it involved whipping her and she'd get more lashes than what he had received. Satisfied, Spade proceeded to walk out of the cave with his prizes. He left the unconscious Terra alone in the deep dark cave to wake up and be scared that she can't see. He had succeeded at his task and Natalya was going to be so pleased with him. He ran out of the cave and found himself back outside in the bright sunshine again. He loved the dark but he didn't mind being out in the light again. He could see that his gang were losing the fight with Lilac and her team. Even Natalya seemed to be struggling, her nose still oozing with blood from the head-butt she had received. Spade smiled. Seeing Natalya bleeding for once made him happy. Any pain Natalya received made him happy. Pity Lilac couldn't just knock her out already but he supposed that could come later. Spade ran over to Natalya, catching the dragon's attention as he waved his free hand to her. The crime boss saw Spade and abandoned Lilac, running over to her faithful henchmen as quickly as she could. Lilac tried to chase her but some Red Scarves stopped her from running after her. Once the two were face-to-face, Spade gave her the news.

"I've got the Dark Stone and I've got Carol!" he declared, "Mission complete!"

"Well done Spade!" cried Natalya, wiping away the blood snaking down her nose to her lips, "The plan is a success! We're on a winning streak lately, I'm impressed."

"Seems fortune favours us." said Spade casually, "Shall we go now?"

"Yes, let's." agreed Natalya, "We'll return to the hideout and then I'll take Carol and the Dark Stone somewhere that I can start studying the Dark Stone. Carol will make a nice test subject."

Secretly, she was actually going to bring both items to Lord Brevon so they could commence with their plan. But she couldn't let Spade know that she was working with Lord Brevon. She knew that Spade hadn't been pleased with him killing his father. If he knew, he would jeopardize the mission. She had to keep him in the dark for the plan's sake. Then once she'd disposed of Brevon, she would become an unstoppable menace and kill Spade and the Red Scarves. What use would she have for them when she was an invincible force of nature? Spade nodded, understanding Natalya's plan. He wondered why she had to be secretive about her studying of the Dark Stone but he didn't dare ask. He just went along with his boss as Natalya turned around and called to the Red Scarves.

"SCARVES! We're retreating! Back to our hideout NOW!" she bellowed.

The Red Scarves obeyed and any who weren't unconscious quickly picked up their unconscious comrades and ran off after Natalya and Spade, leaving a bewildered Lilac to only stand and watch despairingly as her worst enemy got away again. But what puzzled her was the fact the Red Scarves were retreating. Why? Surely they wouldn't give up so easily, especially Natalya? The hound family and Torque watched the Red Scarves leave, utterly perplexed at their sudden forfeit.

"Is that it?" asked Torque, "They just run off home?"

"We beat them! Yay! The Red Scarves are beaten!" cheered Milla.

"I don't think they were…" said Lilac gravely, "They never give up this easily. Especially their leader…something's not right."

"Not right indeed." murmured Lela, "By the way, did anybody see Spade in the fight at all? I don't recall seeing him anywhere…"

"Neither do I." said Miguel.

"Yes, I didn't see him either." Lilac mused, "Could it be that…oh no…oh no! NO!"

"What is it Lilac?" asked Torque worriedly.

"Spade must have sneaked into the cave while we were fighting!" the dragon screeched, "Natalya was just distracting us! And if they've retreated, it must mean they've got the Dark Stone! Damn it! She's outfoxed us AGAIN!"

Lilac stomped the ground in rage. This was the second time today that Natalya had made a complete fool out of her! Why couldn't she ever be a step ahead of the evil dragon?! Was Natalya really too smart for her? Was she really fighting a battle she couldn't hope to win? Lilac only knew one thing: she had lost yet again. But worse was yet to come. Just as Lilac finished letting her anger out, somebody staggered out of the cave, looking very groggy as she did so. It was Terra, clutching her forehead and holding a pistol that had a beam of light stretching out ahead of it. She switched off the light, no longer needing it now she was out of the dark cave.

"Oooooh man, Spade must have hit me really hard…" she moaned, "My head's killing me!"

Spade. She had mentioned Spade. That only confirmed Lilac's theory on why the Scarves had retreated. Lilac ran up to Terra quickly, anxious to hear what had happened. Torque ran up to Terra and put an arm around her.

"Terra! You OK? What happened?" asked Torque.

"Did Spade get the Dark Stone?!" shrieked Lilac worriedly.

"I'm sorry…I'm really sorry…but he did. And worse…" Terra muttered sadly, "I think he's got Carol. After waking up, she wasn't there and I couldn't find her no matter how many times I swept my gun's torch over the area. I'm very sorry…"

Lilac's blood ran cold. Spade had not only stolen the Dark Stone, but he had kidnapped Carol?! Why had he done that?! Lilac didn't think about that. All she could think of was Carol in Natalya's claws, vulnerable and helpless before her as she inflicted great harm upon her. Or worse…used the Dark Stone on her! Upon hearing the news, Milla burst into tears whereas Torque and the Basset parents gasped in horror. Lilac began to shake. Was she about to faint? She wasn't sure she could even do that. All she could do was shake frantically over what she had heard.

"NO!" shrieked Lilac, "Spade's got Carol?! Oh no…Natalya's gonna kill her, I just know it! Oh no, Carol!"

"We've gotta save her!" whimpered Milla, "We've just gotta!"

"Why the hell did you let this happen Terra?!" snarled Lilac, pointing accusingly at the she-alien, "You were supposed to guard the stone with Carol! Why didn't you stop Spade?!"

"Well there's the tiny insignificant fact I was KNOCKED OUT!" bellowed Terra, "Don't you dare blame Carol's abduction on me! Spade sneaked up behind me and knocked me out! How was I supposed to stop that?!"

"Lilac, I know that you're mad at the fact Carol's been kidnapped but you can't go pointing fingers at people." said Torque firmly, "It's nobody's fault we lost. If anything, I shouldn't have sent Terra in there with Carol. She's not familiar with Spade and that was our disadvantage."

"You're…you're right…" said Lilac sadly, "I'm, I'm sorry Terra. I'm…I'm just so scared for Carol right now! Oh what's gonna happen to her?!"

"Well I'm claiming responsibility for her abduction and because of that, I'm gonna help you get her back." declared Terra, "It's the least I can do."

"Thank you, I appreciate it." said Lilac graciously, "For now, we've gotta get back to my treehouse and rest for a minute. We're in no position to rescue Carol after that tough workout. Once we're ready, we'll find the Red Scarves and save Carol. And also get the Dark Stone back."

"Hopefully we won't have to tell The Magister that we lost it…" said Miguel nervously.

Lilac nodded. She had promised The Magister she wouldn't fail this task, and yet she had done so. She didn't want The Magister thinking she couldn't be trusted for a task anymore. Sighing, the defeated heroes began walking away from the Cave of Malevolence. As they walked away though, they didn't notice that they were being watched. Syntax had been keeping out of view for the whole fight and now it was her turn to come into play. Silently, she followed the heroes. Once she followed them to Lilac's treehouse, she'd give the coordinates and then they could destroy it in order to give Lilac more grief for the Dark Stone to feast upon…


Jesus, Lilac just can't win can she?! The Dark Stone's been taken and Carol's been kidnapped! How can things get any worse?! Oh shit...I really shouldn't have said that! Join me next time to see just how much worse Lilac's situation can get...