Whiparella and Lavaria were rudely awoken by a loud continuous knock on their door. They looked out the window to see what time of day it was. It was still dark out. Lavaria groaned as she stumbled out of bed while Jestro sat up with a tired yawn. Whiparella watched as Lavaria opened the door.
"What?" The sneaky woman growled in a grouchy tone.
Lavaria fell silent when she saw Beast master standing there. He had a worried and scared look on his face; fidgeting with the straps on his chest.
"Beasty? What's wrong?" Lavaria asked as she rubbed her eye.
"The boss wants everyone up and dressed. He wants everyone downstairs ASAP."
Whiparella turned around as she heard Beast master speak. Lavaria blinked in confusion.
"Why?" She asked.
"I don't know. But he looked mad. And he said bring Jestro." Beast Master answered before running off.
Lavaria went wide eyed when she heard him say bring Jestro. She looked back as Whiparella got their boy out of bed. What was Monstrox mad about, and what did Jestro have to do with it? She nervously swallowed a mouthful of her saliva as she turned to the pair.
"Beast Master says we're having a meeting." Lavaria said before telling them to get dressed.
Jestro blinked in confusion as Lavaria and Whiparella held his hands and led him downstairs. He was still a bit tired from waking up so early, but he knew what was happening around him. Everyone was downstairs; talking amongst themselves and having no idea why Monstrox wanted them up so early. Whiparella walked up to the twins.
"What's going on?" She questioned, getting their attention.
"Heck if I know." Moltor answered with a shrug.
"I didn't even have time to brush my hair." Flama added with an irritated growl.
Book keeper laughed when he noticed that Flamas' hair was more wild than usual. But that laughter quickly disappeared when they heard the sound of a door slamming open. Everyone looked to the top of the staircase to see Monstrox coming out of the giant doorway; the one no one ever used or opened. Jestro hid behind Lavaria when he thought the necromancer was looking at him. Roberto felt a drop of sweat go down his forehead when Monstrox gave the group a malicious grin and held up his staff.
"Good morning to all of you, my loyal disciples." He greeted in a rather cheery tone despite everyone else being tired and grouchy. "I know it's a bit early for most of you. But do any of you know why you are here?"
Everyone stayed silent as they knew Monstrox was still going to talk.
"Quite a few reasons. Some of you were just teenagers when you joined the cause. Some of you, I found you homeless and took you in out of sympathy. Or I just came up to you and said, hey wanna help me overthrow the government."
The necromancer laughed as he remembered. Everyone else just gave each other weird looks. Magmar stepped forward.
"Master? What exactly is this all about?" The general questioned.
Monstrox grinned before turning to the doorway.
"Come and I'll show you." He spoke with a snicker.
Jestro kept a tight grip on Lavaria as everyone hesitantly followed Monstrox into the large doorway. Whiparella held Lavarias' hand as she felt fear growing in her stomach. Monstrox lead the group into a giant dark room and told them to stop. The necromancer turned and held his staff high above his head.
"BEHOLD! The dark arena." He announced dramatically.
Moltor raised a brow before turning to his brother.
"Didn't put much thought into a name, did he." He whispered in mockery.
Flama nodded in agreement until everyone felt rumbling beneath them. Everyone watched in shock as Lava began to pour down from the walls and filled up a giant pit in the middle of the arena. But Jestro was scared of something else. He held onto Lavaria as the light created by the hot lava revealed what looked like an army of monstrous looking stone statues. Big ones, little ones, winged ones and all kinds of nasty ones in between. Monstrox grinned as he looked at everyone's fearful faces.
"I most congratulate you on your work, Roberto." He spoke as he fidgeted with his staff.
Everyone stared at the artist with confused faces. The sculptor bit his lip nervously. Monstrox held his staff high above his head as electrical sparks came out of it.
"Because today, we will make history!"
Long and large lightning bolts blasted out of the necromancers' staff and hit the stone statues. Everyone backed off when one of the statues started moving. Then another one; then all the rest. As Monstrox began to laugh manically, the now living statues growled and roared like ferocious animals; making everyone hold onto each other for protection. Lavaria knew what was happening. She grabbed Roberto and pulled his collar; glaring at him with furious intent.
"You said he wasn't going to do anything for five more years!" She yelled at him.
"I really told you the truth, but he changed his mind last night!" Roberto said in complete honesty.
Monstrox stepped forward towards his peers; holding his staff with an iron grip. Jestro watched as the necromancer smiled in devilish delight.
"Soon, it will be the time for our attack." He announced loud enough for all to hear. "Soon, we will march down to Knighton, storm the castle and take it for ourselves! And anyone is not with us will be against us! Anyone who gets in our way will either be made as a slave or they will he eliminated! Their choice."
Jestro watched as the stone creatures laughed and cheered upon Monstrox and his speech. Jestro tried to process what Monstrox really meant. Anyone who does not do as he says will get hurt. Anyone... including...
Jestro went wide eyed when he realised that Clay was going to be one of the people who would get hurt because of this. Jestro let go of Lavaria and ran up front. Whiparella tried to stop him, but he was too fast. Jestro stopped and stared up at Monstrox.
"You can't do this!"
Monstrox stopped smiling and looked down at the boy as his monsters stopped laughing. The gang and Roberto watched with fear as Jestro stood his ground. Monstrox tilted his head to the side as he looked down at the child.
"What are you doing?" He raised a brow at the boy.
"This isn't right! You can't take over the kingdom and hurt people! They never did anything to you!" Jestro shouted as loud as he could. "I won't let you!"
The gang watched with fear for Jestro as Monstrox just stared at him. But the necromancer started smiling. Then he started laughing. Jestro watched in confusion as the stone creatures began to laugh as well. Monstrox looked down at the boy with a mean and sadistic stare.
"You won't let me!?" He continued to laugh. "How're you gonna stop me!? By making me float!? What're you gonna do, joke boy?!"
Jestro clutched his fists as Monstrox and the stone monsters continued to laugh at him. The sound was deafening to him. Unable to take it anymore, Jestro snatched Monstroxs' staff in a quick and forceful motion. Monstrox stopped laughing and went wide eyed as Jestro held the staff over his knee.
"Hey!"
Monstrox tried to grab it, but it was too late. Jestro slammed the staff over his knee; creating a blast that made everyone cover their eyes to avoid being blinded. When the blast cleared everyone looked back to the middle and gasped in shock.
Jestro was standing over the two broken pieces of the staff. Monstrox was still as he looked at the one thing that made him powerful; broken in two separate pieces. But his face soon twisted into a glare of pure unbridled rage. Jestro quickly noticed, but he could not run away before Monstrox grabbed him by his hood and lifted him off the ground.
"YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BRAT!" Monstrox shouted as he threw the boy to the floor.
The gang all gasped in horror as Jestro let a pained noise when he hit the hard floor. They ran forward, but a group of stone monsters stopped them and blocked them from going forward.
Jestro looked up at Monstrox as he towered over him and pointed to the broken staff on the floor.
"You've ruined everything!" The necromancer snarled as he looked down at the boy with disgust and hate in his voice.
Jestro tried to back away from the necromancer as he stepped forward. Roberto watched with regret as a terrible scene was about to unfold. The gang all struggled against the monsters as they shouted and yelled for Monstrox to leave Jestro alone. Jestro began to cry in fear as Monstrox towered over him.
"I, I couldn't let you." Jestro shuddered and quivered. "I couldn't let you hurt him."
Monstrox stared at Jestro as his eyes started glowing red and yellow.
"You ruined the plan for someone?" He questioned. "Who!?
Jestro did not respond. He was not going to tell the necromancer about Clay.
"WHO!?" Monstrox raised his voice.
Jestro stayed silent as more fear induced tears fell from his eyes. Monstrox looked down at his apprentice and shook his head in disappointment.
"After all these months." He started circling around Jestro. "After all these months I spent training you so you could take my place when I'm gone. I tried to help you reach your full potential, but you just mess up the whole plan. Why? Because you have morals? I don't think that's it."
Monstrox grabbed Jestro by his collar and lifted him off the ground. Lavaria and the gang all struggled against the stone monsters; yelling and screaming at their master while Roberto watched in stunned silence. Jestro watched in fear as Monstrox stared at him with his glowing yellow and red eyes.
"Because you're weak. You've always been weak. I had high hopes for you! You made me feel proud! But now I see that you have no place in my army." He spoke harshly to the fearful jester child.
Jestro held his breath as the bracelet on his masters' wrist began to glow in an eerie purple hue.
"A curse upon you and everyone you love." The necromancer spoke as he dropped Jestro to the floor.
Jestro grabbed his throat as he caught his breath. Monstrox continued to speak.
"Unless you find someone who will love you as you are... you shall forever remain a beast!" The necromancer concluded with a shout.
Jestro looked up as his master looked down on him with a look of disappointment. The boy put his hands on his chest when he felt a zapping sensation. He let out a painful cry as it turned into electrocution. Monstrox looked down at the boy as his expression softer and saddened.
"Sorry, kid." He whispered unemotionally.
The gang watched in horror as Jestro began to cry out in pain. Monstrox walked around him and grabbed Roberto from the rest of the group. Lavaria and the gang looked at the duo with angry resentment.
"What did you do to him!?" Magmar yelled out.
Monstrox looked at his wrist as the bracelet continued to glow.
"You'll see in a minute." The necromancer began to disappear along with Roberto, his broken staff and some of the stone monsters.
Roberto looked at the gang with a stare of sad regret as he disappeared with Monstrox. When the duo and half of the stone monsters were gone, Lavaria and Whiparella quickly ran over to Jestro. Lavaria bent down and tried to ask what was wrong, but Jestro just groaned and moaned as he held his chest. Everyone watched with wide eyes as something began to happen.
Jestro opened his as eyes as he breathed heavily with pain induced tears. He looked down at his hands as his skin slowly and painfully changed colour; turning blue with marks moving like lightning. The boy sat up and screamed as giant bolts of lightning blasted out of his skin; hitting and destroying the monsters that Monstrox left behind. The gang all watched as Jestro continued to cry and scream as he turned into an uncontrollable battery bomb.
"GET DOWN!" Magmar yelled out; knowing something was going to happen.
Whiparella and Lavaria did not listen. They tried to reach their boy. But they were caught in a blast of light and electricity.
Lavaria opened her eyes slowly. She saw only blurs and heard nothing for the next few seconds. She opened them again and saw things clearly. The woman groaned as she sat up and rubbed her aching head. She wandered what happened to make her black out like that. But that was replaced with another question.
Lavaria noticed that something was different about her. She looked at her hand and gasped. Her skin was no longer a light brown tone. Her skin was now red; covered in dark spots on her shoulders, midriff and knees. She could not see it, but her eyes were now yellow and her teeth were now sharp and fang-like. She started breathing heavily as she tried to process what has happened.
"Stay calm, Lavaria; stay calm." She told herself.
She looked up when she heard the sound Whiparellas' voice. Lavaria looked to her left and saw something lying next to her. A woman was trying to get up off the floor. Her skin was now also red with dark scale-like marks on her midsection that resembled her dress. But that was not the only thing that changed. Her legs were gone and replaced with a snake tail. Lavaria shook her head in disbelief as she could not believe that was her partner.
"Whippy?" She called her by her nick name.
Whiparella opened her now yellow eyes with fear as she looked at her partner.
"Lavaria? What happened to you!?" She questioned.
"Same thing that happened to us."
The pair turned to see who they thought was Beast master. But his skin was now red, his teeth were sharp with drool and his good eye was yellow. A pair of ball shaped monsters hid behind him.
"What are those things behind you?" Whiparella questioned as she sat up.
"Those 'things' are my babies!" Beast master broke down crying; holding the two changed creatures. "Oh my precious; what did he do you?"
Lavaria looked around. Everyone was turned into some kind of lava monster. Magmar almost looked the same apart from the red skin, rocky markings on his shoulders, sharp teeth and yellow eyes. Book keeper was now a red skined goblin creature with pointed ears and weird looking yellow eyes. Flama was turned into a creature made completely out of fire while Moltor looked he was made of charcoal black rock; his fists turned into boulders.
"What the heck is this!?" Moltor shouted in fear.
"Where are my legs!?" Flama panicked.
Burnzie and Sparkks turned into monstrous rocky magma covered giants. Burnzie into a red monster with sharp teeth, yellow eyes and devil horns while Sparkks was now a charcoal black monster with wings too small to use, hot glowing horns and one big giant eye. The two looked at each other and screamed.
"What are you!?" Burnzie screamed.
"What are you!?" Sparkks screamed back.
Everyone was shocked and worried by their new appearances. But something caught Magmars' attention.
"Where's Jestro?" He raised a brow as he questioned.
Everyone wandered the same. Just then, they heard something that sounded like shivering mixed with crying. Lavaria and Whiparella looked towards the middle of them; gasping when they saw Jestro curled up on the floor. Everyone quickly ran to him; Burnzie picked Whiparella up and carried her. Lavaria and Magmar bent down as they observed what happened to Jestro. The boys clothes were torn to shreds; missing the left sleeve of his hood and the right leg of his pants. The middle of his hood was torn as well; leaving his torso exposed. The colours were changed from blue and light purple to yellow and dark purple. But that was not what had them worried. Jestros' skin was glowing blue; with marks on him that moved on their own. His hair turned snow white and his ears were now pointed. Everyone watched anxiously as he turned his head; now able to see his face. Jestro opened his eyes as black tears poured out. His eyes were no longer the bright green that Lavaria and Whiparella loved. They were a beastly yellow and the whites of his eyes were now soul stealing black. Jestro took heavy breaths as he tried to speak, put he could not get anything out. Lavaria put her hand on his back; telling him that everything was going to be okay. Even though she did not know for sure... No one did...