Chapter 10: War With Brevon
"Natalya?!"
Lilac, Carol, Milla, Miguel and Lela all leapt about a foot in the air at the sight of their hated nemesis. Of all the people who could have emerged from inside the escape pod, Natalya was the last person they had expected. Nevertheless, Lilac was quite pleased to see Natalya standing before them. It meant they didn't have to spend so long looking for her and Brevon. They could just force Natalya to tell them where Brevon was and then unleash all hell on him. But there was something that didn't seem right about the dragon. The two Chasers, Torque and Terra, could see from her body language that she didn't seem to be intently hostile despite being face-to-face with Lilac and her friends. They also noticed the multitude of cuts and bruises on Natalya's body and especially the broken nose and the scar she now had drawn across her face. She looked dreadful. What had happened to her? Lilac seemed to notice this too.
"What the hell are you doing here you witch?!" she screamed angrily, "And…what on Avalice have you done to yourself? You look terrible!"
"Looks like somebody gave her what she deserved." sniffed Carol.
"Ungh…you'll be surprised…but Brevon…did this to me!" Natalya croaked, "I tried…to betray him…but he had the…same idea…and then me and him…got into a fight. I managed…to escape luckily."
"More like UN-luckily." the wildcat grumbled.
"So you and Brevon were plotting to backstab each other. What a shock." Lilac muttered, "I should have known you two wouldn't be BFFs. So…I guess you lied when you told Carol you wanted Avalice destroyed as well as Brevon?"
"Of course I did!" snapped Natalya, "You seriously…thought for a moment…I was being serious?! I could…never destroy this planet! What way…to honour the great…dragon from ancient history…would that be?! A dragon…who wants Avalice destroyed…is no dragon at all."
"I remember how mom and dad used to tell me that…" the teen-dragon murmured briefly.
"OK enough dragon talk, why are you here your Royal Bitchiness?!" demanded Carol angrily.
"To give you this…" the leather-clad woman responded.
She tossed her rolled up leather trench coat to the grass. The coat landed before the heroes and as it landed, it unrolled slightly and revealed what was wrapped up underneath it. An ominous purple glow twinkled in the moonlight. The heroes stared at the thing in horror.
"The Dark Stone!" yelped Milla.
"Get away from that thing Lilac!" cried Torque, "We're not letting it corrupt you again!"
"It's OK Torque, I'm not gonna touch it." the dragon insisted, not moving from her spot, "Though this does beg the question as to why Natalya's brought it here…"
She marched towards her former leader, ignoring the Dark Stone. She stared straight up into Natalya's fearsome red eyes. They didn't seem so fearsome now she was badly hurt but Lilac could swear that her eyes looked a little sad, almost regretful. Had something happened that made her regret what she had done? Lilac didn't trust Natalya's eyes so she decided to play it cautiously for the moment.
"What's the big idea Natalya? Why have you brought the Dark Stone here?!" the Avalician heroine snarled, "Don't you think you've done enough damage to me already?! Shang Mu's scared of me and they want me arrested, I feel horrible for what I've done as that thing and I feel that I may never really recover from this nightmare! Haven't you had enough yet?! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?"
Natalya looked away as if ashamed to look into her favourite student's eyes.
"You're right to distrust me Sash Lilac…" she said solemnly, "And maybe I deserve it…I've been beastly towards you all day…and I regret every minute of it."
"Yeah right, I'm not falling for that old trick…" Lilac growled, "You'll never deceive me again Natalya!"
"I know, that's why I'm NOT trying…to deceive you." Natalya responded, "What I've just said is the truth. I regret my…actions greatly. I've been a terrible…person and a total…monster to the people of this world. And for what? A goal…that I will never achieve."
The last part of the sentence caught Lilac completely by surprise. It was already surprising that Natalya seemed to be a completely different person all of the sudden but she was labelling her goal to conquer Avalice as one she will never achieve? Brevon must have hurt Natalya pretty badly! Still cautious of any possible signs of deception, Lilac narrowed her eyes at her nemesis.
"What…what do you mean?" Lilac asked.
"Lord Brevon had done something…that nobody has ever done before…" the leather-clad woman replied, "He has made me realize…that my goal is nothing but a fantasy. I wanted to take over Avalice so I could…unify the kingdoms and put an end…to the petty confrontations they have. But Brevon pointed out to me…that that's not possible. All I would be doing is creating new conflicts. That…that isn't the world I want…so I am relinquishing my ambitions to conquer Avalice…and am now trying to save it from his menace. Working with him…was a mistake…a mistake that I'm willing to fix. That is why I have given you the Dark Stone. Hide it away. Make sure Brevon never finds it. And…" she paused as she rubbed some of her aching body better, "…and please, for our sake…send him packing. Or better yet, make sure… he NEVER, EVER…comes here again."
The dragon finished by turning her head away sadly and hugging herself, clearly showing deep regret for what she had done. Team Lilac stared at Natalya, utterly dumbfounded at what they had heard. It couldn't be true could it? Natalya had realized her goal was pointless and thus, was willing to give it all up and turn good?! It seemed far too good to be true, especially after what Natalya had done last Christmas and how horrible she had been towards them. Carol in particular seemed extremely adamant to believe Natalya.
"You really think we're that stupid Natalya?" the wildcat growled angrily, "Why can't ya stop lying to us and tell us the truth for once?!"
"No wait Carol, I…I might sound crazy here but…I think she's serious!" Lilac gasped, "Her change in character is sudden that much is certain but still, I think she might well be telling the truth for once!"
"Lilac's right." Torque put in, "The way she was acting and the delivery of her voice was way too genuine to be an act. Not even the best actors can flawlessly deliver an act like this, her presentation was way too real. I think she's being honest too."
"When you're a Chaser, you learn to be good at reading body languages. It's useful during interrogations." Terra chimed in.
"So is Natalya a good guy now?" asked Milla hopefully.
"It…it seems that way…" the lilac-scaled girl murmured, "If so then Lord Brevon has actually done something good for once…"
"I'm still not convinced." Carol muttered, "Natalya's gonna have to do a lot more than that to convince me she's on our side now…"
"I echo your statement young lady." said Miguel grimly, "But we can't be too ungrateful at the most. The woman's given us the Dark Stone so now Brevon no longer has it. That's something to thank her for."
"As weird as it feels to actually be thanking her…" Lela mused, "Either way, at least that monster can't use it against us."
"Yes…yes indeed…" Lilac agreed, "But still…this doesn't automatically redeem her for me. She's damaged me far too much for me to forgive her so quickly." Her voice was bitter yet a little sad as if she felt somewhat guilty for saying those words.
"Perfectly understandable." said Torque, nodding his head slowly, "Though as Miguel says, let's not be ungrateful. We have the stone, we can keep it safe from Brevon. Avalice won't be destroyed."
"That much I am grateful for." the dragon murmured, "And at least I have only one enemy to worry about now."
Lilac turned and looked over at Natalya. She noticed that the woman seemed to be leaning against her escape pod. Was she so hurt that she needed support? Or was she just so depressed that she couldn't really stand properly anymore? The teen-dragon walked cautiously up to Natalya as if stepping straight into a snake pit. As far as she was concerned, Natalya was deadlier than a snake pit. The mauve-dragon didn't turn around. It was almost like she didn't hear her former student coming towards her. Lilac reached out nervously and touched Natalya's arm. The woman ignored her. She didn't deserve the girl's tenderness, she wouldn't return it.
"Natalya?" Lilac asked, "Just know that while I can't forgive you for what you've done to me and my friends…not yet anyway…just know that I'm glad you've come to your senses. Thank you for getting the stone away from that monster Lord Brevon."
"You're welcome Sash Lilac." Natalya muttered, "And I'm not expecting you to forgive me. Perhaps you shouldn't forgive me. I don't deserve anything but scorn and hatred from you. I've been horrible to you Lilac…and all for nothing! Just know…that I'm deeply regretful…and I humbly apologize for everything I've ever done. I mean it…EVERYTHING. Dawn would be so heartbroken if she saw all the terrible things I did now…"
Lilacs ears pricked up at the mentioning of the name "Dawn".
"Dawn? Are you…referring to my mom?" asked Lilac curiously.
"It's a long story my child, I'll explain it some other time." Natalya replied bluntly, "Or perhaps it's best you don't hear the story at all. Either way, we haven't got time to waste. We must stop Lord Brevon before he tears our world apart to find the Dark Stone."
"I agree on that." said Carol bitterly, "So are we going over to Shang Tu to get that blue robot thingy Lilac used last year and then use it on Brevon?"
"Yes." Lilac confirmed with a wink, "But first, we all need a dip in The Magister's healing spa. We need to be in perfect condition. Especially…ahem…Natalya." she added, coughing uneasily at having to include her, "And I need a change of clothes. I can't keep walking around in Miguel's vest, it doesn't look right on me. And Miguel must surely feel awkward walking around with no shirt on."
"I kinda do honestly…" the male hound said with a blush.
"OK so we're gonna tell The Magister everything, heal ourselves and then get into action." Torque deduced, "And the stone?"
"I'm sure The Magister will have a safe place to put it." Lilac suggested, "So let's not waste anymore time. Team, let's get over to Shang Tu!"
The heroes did not wait to be asked twice. They all took to their heels and ran through the bamboo forest with Carol and Milla leading the way. Having escaped the Royal Palace of Shang Tu last year, they knew their way from Jade Creek to the palace easily. Lilac would have taken the lead but she had stopped to look over at Natalya. The dragon had not moved. She was still leaning against the pod feeling sorry for herself. Maybe she was going to cry. The teen-dragon never believed it was possible…but she found herself somewhat pitying Natalya. It must feel so awful to have a goal only to find that said goal was impossible to achieve. What a waste of life that must feel for her former boss.
"You coming?" Lilac asked curiously.
"Why bother?" Natalya sighed, "I've done my part. It's time you do yours."
"But Natalya, if you want to redeem yourself then help us beat Lord Brevon!" Lilac protested, "You deserve a shot at him every bit as much as I do! Fix what you've done and help save our world!"
"No…that is your task my dear." the dragon said solemnly, "You're the Heroine of Avalice. I'm a lowlife crime boss. I do not deserve to take the glory that is rightfully yours."
"Would this "Dawn" person you mentioned earlier want you to sit this one out?" the young girl asked, "Would she be happy if you just sat there and did nothing?"
"She'd be happier to see you save Avalice than me…" Natalya muttered, "You've done great things for this world, you deserve to save it. Me? All I deserve is life in prison for my actions."
"Maybe you do. But just remember Natalya…life is full of second chances." Lilac said softly to her former enemy, "And I believe even somebody like you deserves a second chance. Don't waste it Natalya. Please…come with us and help save Avalice."
Natalya stared over at Lilac as if seeing her beloved student for the first time ever. She smiled weakly at the teenager.
"You really are wise beyond your years child…" she mused, "Very well…I'll come. I suppose it'll be the first good thing I've ever done in my pathetic, wasted life." she added, her voice slightly hard as if trying to beat herself up with just her words.
"I'm glad to hear it." said Lilac, "Looks like Lord Brevon really did open your eyes after all."
"And for the better no less…" the older dragon murmured.
Now they had come to an agreement, the two dragons sped off into the night, heading towards the Royal Palace of Shang Tu. Lilac could almost imagine how surprised The Magister would be to see her and Natalya together. But she was certain that the reasonable ruler would listen and give the crime mistress a chance at redemption...
Over in Shang Tu, The Magister was gazing thoughtfully out from his balcony to the night sky up above. The shining moon looked absolutely beautiful tonight, looming up above like a beautiful blue pearl. It was a pity for him that Shang Tu itself wasn't as pleasant to look at as it usually was at night. The city was still badly damaged from Natalya's blowing up of the drainage tunnels earlier and there was a lot more work to do. The royal ruler of Shang Tu doubted that they'd get the repairs done in less than a few weeks. It could even take a month for all he knew. At the most, The Magister was relieved that nobody had been killed when the destruction had happened. It had also been a while since he had last seen Lilac and her friends. Were they still over at the Cave of Malevolence and guarding the Dark Stone from the Red Scarf Leader? Had they been killed in their attempts to defend it? The Magister certainly hoped that wasn't the case. And now he was almost ready to go to bed and sleep for the night. He wasn't sure how well he'd be sleeping tonight though. He was interrupted from his relaxing gaze at the stars above by the sound of pounding feet. He knew who was coming into his room without even needing to turn around. He'd heard the heavy footfalls of General Gong enough times to recognize the sound whenever he came lumbering into his chambers. The doors burst open and in ran General Gong. He stopped before his master and saluted him graciously.
"Your excellency!" the general panted, "The dragon girl and her comrades have returned! They've got Natalya too!"
"So it seems they succeeded in capturing her…how fortuitous." The Magister mused, "Send them in general."
The panda nodded and he left the room to fetch in the Avalician heroes. A few minutes later, The Magister turned around to find himself looking at a surprisingly bigger group than he had expected to see. Lilac, Carol, Milla, Miguel and Lela were there as expected but they had two more associates with them. There were two aliens, one green and one turquoise and the green one looked a little familiar. Was it the shell-duck man who had accompanied Lilac and friends last year and shown him the fragment of one of Brevon's mechs? He had heard that the shell-duck man was merely a disguise for the alien. The turquoise alien must be his comrade. The Magister's cold eyes fixed on another person who was with the group. As Gong had said, Team Lilac had Natalya the Lead Scarf with them. She looked pretty bad. They must have beaten her up well. And yet the crime boss seemed to be missing her usual display of arrogance, hatred and anger. She looked sad and defeated. What did that mean? Shrugging it off, The Magister looked at Lilac, noticing she was wearing Miguel's vest for some reason. He didn't comment, it was none of his business why Lilac was dressed like that.
"Good evening dragon blood." The Magister said softly.
"And to you Royal Magister." Lilac said, bowing before the firm but fair Avalician, "We have a horde of good news…and some bad news for you."
"I take it the good news has some to do with your capturing of Natalya?" the faceless ruler asked, pointing at the mauve-scaled dragon behind Lilac.
"No, quite the contrary." Lilac replied, "She's here to help us. You see, she's had a change of heart…or at least I hope she has. She doesn't wanna conquer Avalice anymore."
"It's the absolute truth." Natalya added, "I've seen the light and I no longer wish to be the would-be-world-conqueror I once was."
The Magister stared at Lilac as if she had just grown a head on each of her shoulders. Natalya had turned good? Well he hadn't expected that, but he was pleased to hear it. A good Natalya was better than an evil one. The Magister narrowed his eyes uneasily at Lilac.
"I see…" he boomed, his deep voice filling the room, "So what other good news do you have or is it straight onto the bad news?"
"There's more good news." said Lilac, throwing down the rolled up leather coat onto the floor and showing The Magister what was inside, "Natalya managed to retrieve the Dark Stone. We're giving it to you for safe keeping since there's somebody worse than Natalya who wants the Dark Stone."
The Magister stared for a moment at the Dark Stone, unable to believe he was actually looking at it right now. He would make sure it was put in a very safe place now it was in his hands. He looked back at the teen-dragon before him.
"And who else is trying to apprehend this doomsday gem?" he asked.
"Lord Brevon." Lilac responded, her voice heavy and serious.
"He's back Your Royal Facelessness." Carol added, "And he's badder than ever. He wants Avalice destroyed and he wants to use the Dark Stone to do it. He used it on Lilac and caused her to destroy part of Shang Mu, hence why she's not in her usual clothes."
The robed figure with the fancy headwear could only gape at the heroes, unable to believe what he was hearing. Lord Brevon?! Back?! Wanting to destroy Avalice?! After the Dark Stone?! This was worse than he had imagined. Avalice's biggest enemy was after the doomsday gem itself! It was very fortunate that Natalya had gotten the stone away from Brevon indeed. It seemed the crime boss had saved the world for once.
"Lord Brevon…has returned?" he gasped, "This…this is troubling. I never believed we would ever hear of Brevon's cursed name again. How did he hear about the Dark Stone?"
"That was my fault." Natalya admitted guiltily, "I teamed up with him to spite Sash Lilac here but I also intended to kill him, knowing that he was going to destroy Avalice if I didn't do so. I tried manipulating him so he wouldn't suspect a thing. But he had the same idea and thus I was forced to fight him. I was forced to retreat but I got the Dark Stone away from him as you can see. Now we intend to stop Brevon before he tears the world apart looking for the gem. I am truly sorry about what I have done. It was a mistake I wish to rectify."
The Magister nodded, surprised yet thrilled to hear Natalya was willing to redeem herself for what she had done. Looks like today was looking up for him and his people after all.
"It really sounds weird hearing Little Miss Creepypants over there actually apologizing for being a jerk." snorted Carol.
Natalya ignored her former student. It was better that she did.
"Carol, that's quite enough." said Lilac firmly, "Let's not give Natalya a reason to hate us again. Anyway," she added, looking over to The Magister, "Royal Magister, in order to stop Lord Brevon for good, we require first a session in your healing spa. We're all a little pooped from earlier and we need to be in fighting condition to stop him at last. And then we'll need that robot that contained the message about the dragons. We can use that to stop that monster. And finally, I really need some new clothes." she added sheepishly, looking down at the vest that was all she had to cover herself up.
"Your wishes are my command Lilac." The Magister said kindly, "General, see to it that our esteemed guests are given a moment in the healing spa. I'll send Neera to obtain some new clothes for Lilac and I shall get the robot they require for their mission."
"This way everyone." said Gong briskly, "Even you…Natalya." he added, his voice as hard as steel as he set his eyes open the formerly evil dragon.
"If you want me to apologize for knocking you out earlier general then I suggest you drop that tone." Natalya muttered.
"Say, when we get to the healing spa, can Natalya wait until we're all done?" asked Carol, "I'm not sharing a bath with her."
"I don't want to either!" cried Milla, "She maybe good now but she still scares me."
"We girls will go in first." Lilac announced, motioning to herself, Carol, Milla, Lela and Terra, "Then Torque and Miguel can have their turn and then Natalya can bathe on her own, if she's OK with that that is."
"Fine by me." said Natalya gloomily, "I didn't think any of you would want to share a spa bath with me…"
Lilac looked back at Natalya, almost feeling sorry for her. She had done a really nice thing by keeping the Dark Stone away from Brevon and yet everybody was still acting as if she was a time-bomb waiting to go off. How long would it be before the poor woman got any respect or any forgiveness? Lilac herself wasn't sure how long it would take her to forgive Natalya for anything. Maybe she shouldn't do? But that would be cruel. She was many things but spiteful was not one of them. She should give Natalya a chance after all of this was over. Maybe it would make her former enemy feel better and be happier to be on the good side. Lilac pushed the thoughts aside as Gong led everybody away to the healing spa. Natalya wasn't important now. Lord Brevon was and she had to be focused on him and nothing more. She could hardly wait to make Brevon pay for causing her to crack and be corrupted by the Dark Stone. And hopefully…Mayor Zao would realize she was innocent and forgive her for what she had done in Shang Mu…
A few moments later, Lilac, Carol, Milla, Lela and Terra had stripped off all their clothes and stepped into the luxurious spa bath that was known as the healing spa. The spa was somewhat magical in nature in how stepping into the water immediately healed all physical and visible injuries with just a few moments soaking in the steaming, warm water. Nobody really knew how The Magister obtained such a magical bath and how it worked. All they knew was it was definitely a miracle of health that only few people ever got the pleasure of stepping into. Lilac lay back and closed her eyes, feeling relaxed for the first time in a long time as she soaked up the lovely warm water. If she didn't have a mission to do after this session, she'd happily lie there all night if she could. Carol lay back and closed her eyes too, already feeling the effects of Brevon's earlier torture on her disappearing with every minute that passed. She could imagine how Lilac must have felt when she was in this bath after Brevon tortured her last year. The wildcat was enjoying the luxury of lying in the soothingly warm water and having a moment to relax after what had happened. She had exhausted her body greatly by forcing herself to chase after Lilac earlier and now she was lying in the spa bath and relaxing, she could feel waves of relief sweeping over her. Milla sat close to her mother, enjoying how warm the water felt. It was like having a soothing bath back at home for her. Terra was sitting by herself, a mixture of contention and fascination on her face. She was fascinated by how simply being in this spa bath could heal any injuries sustained in battle. She was already feeling much better just sitting in the water. Avalice truly was a fascinating planet. No wonder her best friend was so keen to protect it from Brevon earlier.
"You guys sure live on an amazing world." Terra said in amazement, "You have a bath that heals people! That's amazing! How does it do that?!"
"We don't know." said Lilac with a shrug, "The Magister got it somehow and he never tells how it heals people or where he got it from. I don't think even HE knows. Either way, it definitely is a miracle bath. It's healed me well the last two times I used it and it's doing me good again."
"You know Lilac, if this is gonna happen after every big adventure you have why don't you just live with The Magister full time so you can use it at your leisure?" Carol snickered.
"Oh very funny." the dragon scoffed, smiling cheekily at her best friend, "Though you do bring up the point of what we're gonna do for living space now my house is gone..."
"Maybe you could live with me and Torque?" Terra suggested, "Join the Chasers and help us defeat intergalactic evil. I'm sure you'd love that."
"Sorry but I'm gonna decline your offer." said Lilac softly, "My place is here. I can't leave Avalice. I love it too much to leave it."
"Yeah, we're gonna stay here if you don't mind." added Carol.
"Fair enough." The Chaser said casually, "So Lilac...um...this is the second time you're going to be fighting Lord Brevon right?"
"It is." Lilac said, her face full of concern, "And I'm quite nervous. Can I beat him again? Will I...survive? Will any of us survive? Will he kill us all?"
"I hope he doesn't turn me into a monster again!" squeaked Milla, "It was so horrible when he did that to me! I don't want it to happen again!"
"Oh baby, it won't happen again." said Lela softly, embracing her worried daughter, "We'll remain close together on the mission and we won't let that fiend get near you."
"Me in particular." added Lilac, "He won't lay a finger on you Milla, I promise you."
"Thanks mommy. Thanks Lilac." the dog replied graciously.
"Welcome honey." the mother dog said sweetly, "I will say, I hope me and Miguel and land a few punches on him for turning our baby girl into a monster...it makes me sick just thinking about it!"
"At least you weren't there to see it." Lilac muttered, "I watched her transform in front of my eyes...and I had to fight her. Carol did too. We were both so scared...we thought she was gonna die after we stopped her. I never let a day pass without being thankful she survived."
"Otherwise you and Mr. Basset would never have reunited with her last Christmas." added Carol, looking over at the two dogs.
"I know...what a dreadful thought..." Lela said, shuddering, "But enough about that. I'm a little curious about something Lilac dear."
"Really? What is it?" the teen-dragon asked.
"Do...do you think that Natalya really has turned good sweetheart?" the hound asked.
The dragon gaped at Lela, surprise to receive such a question. It was definitely an interesting one and as Lilac turned the question over in her head, she found the perfect answer.
"If I'm to be honest, I really do Mrs. Basset." the draconian heroine replied, "I mean I don't necessarily trust her fully and I still can't forgive her for what she's done yet but I honestly do think she has turned over a new leaf. As Torque and Terra pointed out, the way she's acting is too convincing to be a fake. She seems genuinely guilty over what she's done and regretful that her life's ambition has driven her so badly that she failed to realize that it's all for nothing. She even told me she thinks she deserves punishment for her actions. The Natalya I know would NEVER say that. Whatever it is that Lord Brevon said to her...it's truly broken her."
"I still think it's an act. She's probably trying to manipulate us into beating Brevon for her and then once Brevon's defeated, she'll use the Dark Stone and kill us all." Carol spat, "She can't fool me."
"Oh knock it off Carol!" Lilac snapped, "Torque and Terra made it very clear already that she's not putting up an act! Natalya's many things but she's no actor. She's always blunt, brutally honest and straight to the point. It's highly unlikely that she's putting up an act, especially since she seems pretty depressed upon realizing her life's ambitions are nothing but a fantasy she's dwelling in. She even seemed a little sad that we don't wanna share this bath with her. So as suspicious as you are Carol, I don't think you should keep being mean to Natalya. She might end up turning on us again if we keep being hostile to her. If she's turning good than we want her to stay good."
"I want Natalya to be good!" piped Milla, "It's a lot better than her being mean and nasty!"
"I definitely agree on that dearie." said Lela, "After the way she treated me and Miguel, it would be nice to see her make up for her evil actions."
You know...I think I agree too." the wildcat murmured, "I definitely would prefer Natalya as a good dragon than an evil one. Maybe I shouldn't be so suspicious of her..."
"We understand why you feel that way buddy." said Lilac softly, "As I said, I don't fully trust Natalya yet. But I'm gonna play it by ear with her and see how she goes. If she even remotely shows any signs of defecting back to her evil deeds, I'll deck her. I'm just cautiously letting her join us at the most since we need all the help we can get against Brevon. Though I will say...as weird as it is for me to say this...but I kinda feel sorry for Natalya."
The girls stared at Lilac in amazement.
"You...feel...sorry...for her?" Carol said slowly, "Um...why? After the way she treated you, why would you feel sorry for her?"
"Well...the reason is that Natalya's realized her desire to conquer Avalice won't get her the world she wants." the dragon explained, "So in a way...she must be feeling as if her life's been nothing but a lie. How horrible must it feel to think your life's been wasted trying to achieve something you can never achieve? I remember how she considers herself special because she's a dragon. Well...how special must she feel now she's a dragon with no purpose anymore? Those are really sad things to think about and because of this...I really do feel sorry for Natalya. I just hope that she can find a new purpose and not be sad anymore."
Carol, Milla, Lela and Terra all took in Lilac's testimony and turned the words over and over in their heads. Despite not really knowing Natalya, the female Chaser had to admit that Lilac had some good points. The wildcat and dogs, despite still being unsure about Natalya, thought that Lilac's reasons for pitying her former nemesis were reasonable enough. One of the most terrifying things in life is the lack of purpose. A lack of purpose often gave people no motivations to live. What would the point of living be if you didn't have a purpose that gave you a reason to live? Despite what Natalya had done to them, Carol, Milla and Lela found themselves also beginning to feel sorry for the leather-clad dragon. The tomboy feline looked over at her draconian best friend.
"You know…I think you're absolutely right Lilac." Carol said softly, "I guess you have every right to feel sorry for her. If I was in her shoes, I don't think I'd feel very happy thinking my life's got no purpose anymore since my original purpose was nothing but an impossible task."
"I hope she finds a new purpose now she's good." said Milla, "Then she can be happy and have a nice, happy life like we do!"
"That would be very nice for her, as well as us." Lilac agreed, "We won't have to worry about her wanting us dead anymore and she can do good things for Avalice. I wouldn't mind if that became her new purpose, to protect Avalice from harm. She'd be really good at that."
"That I definitely agree on." said Lela, "Given her savage might, I doubt anybody would cause problems for Avalice ever again."
"Say, if Natalya's on our side now then…what's gonna become of the Red Scarves?" Carol asked curiously.
"She could well disband the group." Lilac shrugged, "She'll probably tell everybody where they are and get them thrown back in prison where they belong. I can't imagine Spade being too thrilled at this but when it comes to that jerk, I don't give a darn."
"Me neither." the wildcat muttered, "Murdering little toe-rag, daring to kidnap me and get me tortured by Brevon…"
As she brought up that fact, the green-furred feline suddenly noticed something. The injuries she had sustained from the torture had all disappeared! She felt better and was now ready for battle! Carol flexed her arms enthusiastically, pleased to feel back at full strength again.
"Hey! I feel all better now!" she cried out loud, "My injuries are all healed up!"
"I feel better too!" piped Milla.
"That's the healing spa for you, it's great at healing injuries and restoring people's strength." Lilac said brightly, "OK girls, let's give Torque and Miguel their turn in the spa and then we can prepare ourselves for battle."
"A battle that will hopefully see Lord Brevon stopped for good…" growled Terra, clenching her fists angrily.
The dragon nodded, understanding the Chaser's anger. Brevon was quite possibly the only thing in the galaxy she hated more than anyone else. He had caused chaos on her world last year and was here to cause trouble some more this year. He had to be stopped otherwise Avalice would never sleep peacefully again. Climbing out of the bath and drying herself off, Lilac thought about only one thing…Brevon's defeat. She would stop the maniacal alien even if it killed her…
A while later, everybody had had a dip in the healing spa and were now preparing to fight against Lord Brevon at last. Even Natalya, despite still looking a little glum, was ready for battle and could hardly wait to have another shot at Lord Brevon. And this time, she would win and send him packing for good now she was with her four former students and three others to make it harder for Brevon. She remembered how Lilac had often talked, maybe even boasted about beating Lord Brevon last year. She had become legendary for that. It would give her great pleasure to see her favourite student fighting against Brevon. As for Lilac herself, she had been given new clothes as requested earlier. Neera Li had given her a new blue vest, some new blue shorts, blue boots, blue gloves and a blue belt with gold buckle. They were the exact same clothes she always wore. Shang Tu sold plenty of clothes like that, hence why Neera Li had no trouble finding them for the dragon girl. Now Lilac felt as if the incident with the Dark Stone had never happened and Miguel was now free to have his vest back.
The heroes and former villainess all stood outside the Royal Palace, wondering how they were going to find Brevon's ship. They had the blue Syntax-lookalike robot floating beside them now, the robot waiting to use its mysterious but potent power. It made Terra feel uncomfortable to think that they had a lookalike to Syntax on their side and had wondered where Lilac had found it. The dragon had explained and had also told her the robot was not one of Brevon's machines. To prove it, she had asked it about Lord Brevon only to receive the response she had received when she had found it last year.
"That name does not exist in our database."
Upon hearing this, Terra had relaxed and no longer feared the robot. Torque on the other hand could hardly wait to see Lilac use it on Brevon. The dragon that the robot had made had been enough to destroy many of his forces up in the snowy glaciers. It would easily take out Brevon's ship. As for Brevon's ship, Torque had informed everybody that it had powerful blasters that could easily level a city if Brevon wanted to and the ship would have some kind of shield to protect it from heavy fire. The plan was that they were going to infiltrate the ship and lower the shields and then they would use the blue Syntax-like robot to become a giant dragon and destroy it with Brevon hopefully still inside it. It had been agreed that Brevon had to die or at least be captured in order for the galaxy to be safe at last. Despite having lines she didn't cross, Lilac was not going to argue with that. She would happily have Brevon killed if it meant she would never see him again.
"So now we have our plan ready, we need to find Brevon's ship." Torque declared.
"Do you have any idea where it is Natalya?" asked Lilac curiously, looking over at the solemn looking dragon.
"We were just over the mountains of Shang Mu when I ejected from that hideous vessel." explained Natalya, "The pod took me all the way over to Jade Creek as you know. He'll likely come this way looking for me."
"So we could either go over to Jade Creek and see if he's there observing the crashed escape pod or we could wait for him to come over here and then we attack." suggested Terra.
"But won't Brevon just cause damage to Shang Tu?" asked Miguel worriedly, "I mean, the city's had enough grief as it is given…ahem…what our former enemy did to it." he glanced briefly over at Natalya, "We can't let any more damage be inflicted on this city."
"Daddy's right." said Milla, "We must have the battle away from this place."
"Then let's hope Brevon's at Jade Creek." declared Lilac, "Nobody lives in that place, we'll have no causalities and any damage done to the forest can be replaced with new trees. Let's go team!"
Nobody waited to be told twice. With Lilac in the lead, the team of heroes all ran off towards the outskirts of the city, leaving the Royal Palace behind as The Magister watched them leave with serious but hopeful eyes. He prayed to the ancient dragon that had blessed the world of Avalice that the heroes would all return safely and with good news.
A few minutes later, the heroes had left the city of Shang Tu behind and were running through a field of grass that led the way to Jade Creek. The clouds in the night sky were heavy with water and lightening flashed, streaking through the sky and illuminating the whole scenery around them. A clap of thunder followed. It was going to rain. Nobody cared though. Brevon had to be stopped no matter what the weather was like. But as they were halfway towards Jade Creek, Lilac screeched to a halt and stared up into the black sky. There was something coming towards them. That something was Lord Brevon's ship. It loomed up in the sky like some evil creature waiting to swoop down and swallow everybody up. They had found their target. Now the plan could commence. Lilac grabbed onto the blue robot and allowed it to carry her up towards Brevon's ship whereas Milla carried Carol and Lela carried Miguel up after her. Torque and Terra grabbed Natalya by each hand and flew her up together towards the evil vessel above. Natalya glared at their target, repulsed that she had to set foot near it again. But this would be the last time. She wouldn't see that ship again after they had finished with Lord Brevon.
Once everybody had flown up onto the ship, they were greeted by the expected company. Brevon himself was standing top of the vessel, his huge cape blowing out behind him like a waving flag. Serpentine and Syntax were with him, both piloting mechs as usual. Serpentine was in the mech he had used to fight Terra earlier, only the damages had since been repaired. Syntax was in a silver mech that was designed like a giant, mechanical crab with a hovering system underneath and two gigantic claws that concealed lasers. Brevon surprisingly enough wasn't in a mech. He seemed so confident that he could win that he clearly wanted to get his own hands dirty. The alien smirked at his resistance. They were truly a fool-hardy bunch to dare take him on so abruptly. Lilac jumped down onto the ship and took up a battle ready stance. Her eyes radiated hatred and her body was rigid with anger. She had never been so angry to be staring face to face with the alien before. Not even in their last battle.
"BREVON!" Lilac bellowed angrily.
"So surprised that we're meeting face-to-face again so soon are you little one?" the alien crowed, "I'm not…so how did it feel destroying a city that you once swore to protect along with the rest of this tainted world?"
"It felt horrible and now because of you, Shang Mu thinks I'm a traitor!" snapped Lilac, "You teamed up with Natalya to make my life miserable and made me vulnerable to the Dark Stone's power! I swear on the blood of all Avalicians everywhere that you will never live to ruin another life again Brevon! You are dead!"
"So you thought when you challenged me last year." snorted Brevon, "Now instead of wasting my time, how about you just hand over the Dark Stone and allow me to continue with my plans? Given the other dragon's treachery earlier, I assume she's hidden it somewhere."
"You're mad if you think I'm going to do that gruesome!" the dragon retorted, "I will never tell you where the Dark Stone is! All you're getting is a beating from all of us! I'm giving you one chance Brevon. Get out of our planet and never come back! If you do so, I might let you live!"
"I'm not one to follow the orders of those who ruin my reputation and make me a laughing stock in front of the whole galaxy." the alien snarled, "You want me out of Avalice? Then face me!"
He drew out his dagger and positioned himself in a battle-ready stance.
"Your friends can have fun with Serpentine and Syntax if they want. But you. You're MINE!" Brevon declared.
"And you're mine too so we're even!" snarled Lilac, "Team, keep Brevon's minions busy, I'll take care of the lord himself!"
"Kick his ass for us Little Miss Heropants!" cried Carol, cracking her knuckles eagerly.
"We'll fight strong and hard!" Milla promised, "We'll take care of his sidekicks!"
"If you need help, just give us a call." said Torque, "And be careful Lilac. I…I don't want to lose you."
"I beat him before, I'll do it again." boasted Lilac, "Alright team, ATTACK!" she screeched at the top of her voice.
The moment her sentence had concluded, lightening flashed and a clap of thunder boomed all around in the sky above. And then it started to rain. Heavy drops of rain hammered down onto the ground below, drenching it instantly and dampening the grasslands. Everybody sans Serpentine was soaked instantly by the heavy rain. Serpentine was nice and dry inside his mech. Nobody seemed to care that it was raining. Rain or no rain, the battle had to end now. Lilac curled up into a ball and dragon-boosted towards Brevon in a snarling rage. Brevon lunged towards Lilac, arm drawn back and dagger in hand; ready to slice her in half. Lilac hit Brevon before he could make a cut, the alien hurling backwards across his ship and towards the engines at the back. Brevon managed to save himself from falling off the ship and he lunged towards his reptilian nemesis again. Lilac poised herself, waiting to receive his attack. She jumped up into the air to dodge Brevon's slash but the alien had tricked her. He wasn't making an attempt to slash her, he had instead drawn out a laser gun and lunged towards her. Now Lilac was airborne, was vulnerable to an attack from her alien enemy and Brevon took advantage of it. He shot Lilac in the stomach and knocked her back down onto her back. The dragon cringed, feeling the hot laser blast on her stomach. Brevon came thundering towards the girl again, his footsteps as loud as the booming thunder that tail-ended yet another streak of lightening.
Lilac jumped up onto her feet, pushed down on them and then kicked upwards. She had flicked rainwater into Brevon's eyes and now he was momentarily blinded, the dragon unleashed a Dragon Cyclone attack on the monstrous warlord. She spun around like a tornado, walloping Brevon with her tendrils. The alien tried to shield himself but Lilac's attack was too heavy hitting. Lilac then finished her attack with a roundhouse kick to the face. Brevon was thrown aside by the attack and he hit his arm as he crashed down. Ignoring the pain in his arm, he picked himself up and shielded himself with his arms held out in an X shape as Lilac unleashed another Dragon Cyclone. Her tendrils hit the armour gauntlets on his lower arms, doing no damage to the alien himself. Brevon then swiped his arms out, smacking Lilac and throwing her down onto her back. Lilac tried to pick herself up but the alien grabbed her and hoisted her up off the floor and to his eye line. He drew his arm back and slugged Lilac as hard as he could in the stomach. It felt good to be slugging the little brat. How dare she make a fool out of him! She was finally going to pay for her actions and it seemed he wouldn't need the Dark Stone after all. The dragon coughed heavily from the punch. Brevon didn't stop there though. He slugged her again, his punch as solid as rock, and then he slugged her a third time. Then he tossed Lilac up into the air and waited for her to come back down. The dragon screamed as he plummeted back down towards the ship. Brevon spun around on his heel, timing Lilac's descent perfectly, and he drove a powerful roundhouse kick into the dragon's body, throwing her far across the ship and nearly sending her falling off. The teen-heroine just managed to save herself from falling off as the extra-terrestrial villain came marching towards her. Lilac picked herself up and stood her ground. Water trickled down her body as rain pitter-pattered all over her.
"Knock me down all you want freak, I'll never give in!" she declared, "You'll never stop the dragon you've unleashed!"
"So you've said before…" purred Brevon, "But will it be worth it? Will stopping me really be that worth it child? You forget, the damage has been done. You've ended up damaging one of your planet's kingdoms and I'm pretty sure you have a death toll on your hands. Does the one you call Zao believe you're innocent? Will he get over what you've done when you kill me? Or will he fear you and thus, you end up living your life as a subject of fear. So why waste your time trying to stop me? It won't fix anything."
"It'll fix everything!" the dragon retorted, "Natalya's on our side now so she'll admit the truth and then Shang Mu won't fear me anymore! And with you gone, Avalice will hail me as a hero once again! Your damages will not be permanent!"
"I bet it won't be as simple as that…" sneered Brevon, drawing out his trademark dagger and preparing to fight again.
Roaring savagely, Brevon charged at Lilac like a poisoned arrow. The dragon reacted quickly and leapt over him in a neat rainbow arch as he attempted to slice her in two. She landed behind Brevon and roundhouse kicked him in the back, knocking Brevon off his feet and onto his stomach. Lilac then stomped down on his back as viciously as she could. The alien cried out but his body armour protected him from most of the impact. He then turned onto one elbow and used his other elbow to knock the dragon off of him. He jumped back up onto his feet and just as his female opponent got back up, he slashed her across the face with his dagger. Lilac screamed in agony, clutching her face and wincing tensely. Brevon took the perfect moment to slash her across the arm while she was clutching her face. Lilac screamed again, clutching her arm as the pouring rain trickled into the fresh cut and made it sting. Brevon then positioned himself for a slash attack that would take Lilac's head off. That head of hers would make a wonderful trophy. He would hold it out to show those who dared to resist him what had become of the one who had inspired them to take action against him. He'd have no more resistance after they saw the dragon's head.
But Lilac was just quick enough to throw herself onto her side, leaving the evil warlord to slice through empty air. Lilac picked herself up and kicked the dagger out of Brevon's hand, sending it flying into the air. The alien jumped up to grab it but Lilac pushed him back and jumped up for it. She grabbed it by the handle and threw it straight at Brevon's heart. The alien blocked the attack by holding his arm up and letting the dagger ping off of his arm gauntlet. But that attack wasn't entirely meant to kill him, it was meant to distract him. Lilac activated another Dragon Boost and rocketed straight into Brevon's torso. The alien grunted as the dragon slammed into him and sent him hurling through the air. He crashed onto the ship's wing and fought hard to keep himself from falling off. The rain had made the surface slippery and he had to fight very hard to keep himself from sliding off. He just managed to save himself and he stood back up just as Lilac came charging towards him. Frowning in annoyance, Brevon drew his arm back and uppercut Lilac in the chin just as she came within reach. Lilac's head jerked backwards and her whole body was whisked up into the air. Spasms of pain jolted through her back from the attack. She then came down heavily onto her stomach, grunting loudly as she hit the heavy metal surface.
Brevon smirked and then came charging towards her again. He jumped up into the air and came hurling towards Lilac like a meteor. He crashed down before her and slammed a fist straight down into her face. To Lilac, it was like being hit by a rock. Brevon then grabbed the dragon by the face and slammed her down onto the floor as hard as he could. It was like he was trying to break every bone in Lilac's body by slamming them out of her. But just as he raised Lilac up for another slam, the dragon jabbed him in the collarbone with two fingers. The move numbed Brevon's arm long enough for him to let go of the dragon. Lilac dropped down and she roundhouse punched Brevon in the face. As Brevon keeled sideways, the reptilian heroine kicked him in the stomach, causing him to double over and leave him vulnerable for a blow to the head. Lilac clasped both fists together and slammed them down on Brevon's head. The alien was momentarily distorted from the attack and Lilac took advantage of this. She grabbed the ridiculously large unibrow that was perched between Brevon's eyes and yanked on it. The alien roared in a mixture of rage and pain. Nobody ever pulled his unibrow and lived! He kicked Lilac in the legs, forcing her to let go and tripping her up. Just before she could stand back up, the alien delivered a crippling kick to the face that threw Lilac into the air and onto her side. Her mouth trickled with blood and she spat some out onto the rain soaked surface of the ship. She felt like her face was broken and she felt it just to make sure it wasn't. It was intact, amazingly enough. Lilac forced herself back onto her feet only to then be knocked over again by a terrific punch from Brevon. The dragon was thrown down on her side but she wasn't down for long. Forcing herself back up, she came spiralling towards her enemy again with another Dragon Cyclone attack.
Meanwhile, the rest of Lilac's team were doing well in their fight against Serpentine and Syntax. Serpentine had of course, chosen to fight the two Chasers while Carol, the hounds and Natalya fought against Syntax. Serpentine's huge yellow mech lumbered towards Torque and Terra as they took flight and began shooting at him. The shots hit home and Serpentine was forced to block the attacks with his mech's arms. Terra took advantage of this and flew around behind the enormous machine. She aimed the guns at the back of the mech's legs and fired at them. The shots slammed into the legs and caused Serpentine to trip up. The snake general cried out in surprise as he found himself falling over. Torque gave Terra the thumbs up and he fired at the legs, hoping to break them clean off. Serpentine picked himself up but with Terra and Torque both shooting at his mech's legs, he wasn't up for long. The legs were broken away and he was brought crashing down once again. Serpentine tried to get back up but then the two Chasers landed on the mech's torso section and they pointed their guns straight at him. The cockpit window wouldn't survive heavy bombardment from their guns, he had to get them away. But before he could try anything, Torque and Terra both started firing at the cockpit window. The general couldn't see a thing with the laser fire blinding him and the cockpit window began cracking under the heavy onslaught it was being dealt with. Then the cockpit window smashed to pieces and Serpentine now found himself vulnerable and getting soaked by the rain. The two Chasers kept their guns pointed at him, preparing to shoot him if he tried anything foolish.
"I'd stay there if I were you." said Torque coldly, "Lest we be forced to shoot you."
"Believe me, when Torque makes a threat, he makes a threat." warned Terra, "He's not as meek as he may look."
Serpentine did as he was told and remained still. He wasn't defeated yet. Syntax could save him.
As for Syntax, she opened up her crab claws and fired lasers at her opponents. Milla summoned a shield in front of her and used them to deflect the shots. The laser blasts hit the shields and came hurling back towards Syntax. The robot piloting the crab mech commanded the mech to jump up and avoid the blasts. But Milla had angled her shield for some of the blasts so not all of them came straight back towards her. The blasts that had been sent flying upwards ended up hitting Syntax as she jumped up. The blasts were powerful and heavy hitting, throwing her back down onto the surface of the ship. Then Milla summoned a block above her head and threw it at the face of the mech, exactly where Syntax was positioned. The block hit the robot, making the mech step backwards a little. Carol and Natalya then came charging towards Syntax and they unlashed a raid round of fisticuffs on the robot's chassis. It felt weird for Carol to actually be working with Natalya but she didn't dare to complain. She was thankful the woman was helping her and her friends instead of trying to kill them for once. The wildcat and dragon hammered the robot servant mercilessly but Syntax managed to get them away by raising her crab claws and preparing to slam them on top of the two. If she had succeeded in hitting them, she would have crushed them. As is, Natalya and Carol had jumped back to avoid the blow, leaving the silver crab mech to slam on empty space.
Syntax aimed the claws at the cat and dragon and they launched straight off of the wrist sections like missiles, heading towards them and preparing to slice them in half. Carol and Natalya leapt over the claws and charged back towards Syntax. The claws hurled towards Milla but the dog destroyed them by summoning a rectangular shield to her hands and then firing an energy blast at them. Syntax was defenceless now. She couldn't protect herself as wildcat and dragon began attacking her again mercilessly. Miguel and Lela ran forward and began kicking at Syntax's "face" section. The robot tried desperately to protect herself from the attacking Avalicians but they were utterly relentless. She couldn't stop them as they clawed and kicked at her. And then Milla came in to finish the job, running towards Syntax with another rectangular shield in front of her. The Avalicians made way for her as Milla ran forwards and fired another energy beam, hitting Syntax square on and destroying her instantly. The robot was reduced to scrap metal, a bent and buckled shell that had once been a working machine. The crab mech was useless without its pilot now. Milla whooped with joy, pleased that she had destroyed Syntax.
"Yay! We beat that robot!" she cried out excitedly.
"We sure did!" cried Carol, "We rock! Even you Natalya!" she added, "You did a good job out there."
"As surprising as it is to receive thanks from you Carol Tea…I appreciate it." the dragon said kindly, "It felt…good to be fighting to protect Avalice I must admit."
"That's good to hear." said Miguel brightly, "I bet Brevon really regrets causing you to turn on him now."
"I intend to make sure he does regret it…" Natalya muttered.
Then suddenly, Natalya jumped as something big and heavy came crashing down behind her. It was Brevon. Lilac had knocked him down onto his back again with a Dragon Cyclone attack. Everybody stared at Brevon and then they watched as Lilac came hurling towards him like a bowling ball. The alien warlord didn't have time to defend himself as he was stricken by yet another Dragon Boost attack. The attack sent him hurling past Syntax and Serpentine and he crashed down heavily onto his back. He picked himself up and found himself being glowered at by the whole of Team Lilac. To his amazement, Syntax had been destroyed and Serpentine was being held at gunpoint. Everything was going wrong for him! He was going to be humiliated by Avalice again! Why could he never win on this stupid world?! But it wasn't over yet. He could still win somehow. Now if he could just get a hostage…
Lilac stepped forward and she pointed sharply at Brevon, rain dripping off her finger.
"It's over freak!" she declared, "We've won! Your cronies are beat and I've given you a good beating! You haven't a hope of winning!"
"Isn't it usually considered illogical to claim victory before you actually win?" the alien sneered.
Then suddenly, moving at a speed that defied all belief, Brevon rocketed towards the heroes with his arms stretched out in front of him. He was like a monster from a nightmare, rushing out to grab whatever stood in his way. He snatched up Milla as he passed her and charged down towards his dagger, which was still lying on the floor just ahead of him. Lilac gasped in horror as Brevon scooped up the dagger and held it at Milla's throat. The dog whimpered in terror, trying desperately to get away. Bad memories came back to her, memories of when Brevon had turned her into a monster and used her against Lilac and Carol last year. It could well be happening again. Miguel and Lela let out horrified gasps at the sight of their daughter being held at blade point by Brevon. It made their hearts ache to see their daughter looking so scared. Milla was in tears, the rain mixing in with them as they trickled down her face.
"M-mommy! D-daddy! L-Lilac, C-Carol! H-help me!" she whimpered.
"MILLA!" Miguel cried out.
"MY BABY!" Lela shrieked.
"Let her go right this minute Brevon!" snarled Lilac.
"Oh no, I think you fail to grasp the situation little girl…" Brevon sneered, drawing the dagger closer to the terrified puppy's throat, "You see, if you make any wrong moves, this little brat's head will be separated from her body. There is only one way you can save her pathetic little life. Tell me where the Dark Stone is. Otherwise this child will end up a few inches shorter!"
He slowly drew the dagger across Milla's throat, leaving a thin cut across it. The dog howled in terror and pain. The cut wasn't bad enough to start bleeding but Lilac knew Brevon wouldn't stop there. He would do it some more until eventually; Milla's head was separated from her shoulders. The dragon found herself in utter torment. She couldn't let Brevon have the Dark Stone! But she couldn't let Milla die either…
Damn...just when things were looking up too...how will our heroes get out of this one? Find out next time in Chapter 11...