Disclaimer: Thundercats and all related characters don't belong to me.
Embracing Dark Desires.
By
Dr Facer
Chapter 12
-0-
Cheetara's room was crowded. After Wizz-Ra's arrival she had gone out to the hall and found Tygra carrying a teapot and cups in the hallway. After a quick explanation she asked him to gather every other Thundercat in her room for an emergency meeting and now all of them were there. Lion-O sat in a chair in front of Wizz-Ra, paying close attention to everything the wizard said. Pumyra sat on the left bed, staring at the white mage with great curiosity, which was not surprising since she hadn't met him before. Panthro stood by the door and leaned on the wall with his arms crossed, listening carefully to what was being said. Tygra and Cheetara sat together on the right side bed.
"…And that is how I came here; the Ancient Spirits of Goodness agreed to grant me my freedom in order for me to help them stop the evil threatening this world," Wizz-Ra concluded. He had spent a few minutes retelling his last meeting with his Holy masters and how they had finally released him from the Seventh Dimension.
The white wizard waited for his allies to reply, wondering if they would agree to help him carry the desires of the Ancient Spirits of Goodness. Despite how dire the situation was, Wizz-Ra's eyes were no longer tinted with the same fear and urgency as before, though one could still glimpse a hint of unrest in them. Now, what one could mostly see by looking at the ancient sorcerer was a veiled sadness and perhaps regret whenever his sight fell on the beautiful woman of the cheetah clan who had moved well beyond his reach.
"Is there some way we could help you?" Panthro inquired from his place near the door. "I'm sure we can work together to defeat Mumm-Ra. It wouldn't be the first time, right?"
"Panthro is right," Lion-O concurred. "If your goal is to stop Mumm-Ra we'll do all we can to assist you."
"The aid will be welcomed," Wizz-Ra smiled in honest appreciation. "The most important thing we need to do is to make sure our foe can't open his portal to the Underground again. I'm sure he'll try to do that very soon."
"What portal to the Underground?" Tygra interjected. "If you're talking about what I'm thinking, then Panthro and I took care of it; we blew up the arch and that should be enough to close it."
"Yes, you are correct. Since you destroyed the arch that acted as the key-point between realities the portal closed and it would normally be enough to keep it that way forever," the wizard agreed, his voice turning grave and somber as he continued. "Unfortunately, it takes time for the fabric of reality to become as strong as it was before Mumm-Ra tore it open, and you know that evil monster will take advantage of that fact to open his dimensional gate a second time."
"And that means…" Pumyra started, already fearing the worst.
Wizz-Ra took in a deep breath and lowered his eyes. "It means Mumm-Ra can still summon as many Demon Beasts as he desires unless we stop him."
"If he opens it again he could find even deadlier creatures to use against us," Pumyra realized while assessing the chances they had to defeat another attack similar to the previous one.
"We obviously can't let that happen," Cheetara said then, sitting straighter as she felt the need to do something surge through her. "What can be done to prevent this, Wizz-Ra?"
"I want to restore and strengthen the barriers between this plane of existence and the Underworld," the wizard responded. "To fulfill this task is one of the reasons why I was allowed to leave my prison… though doing so would take much of my power, which would leave me vulnerable afterwards."
"One of us could go with you and protect you," Lion-O offered. "I could even do it myself but… I'm afraid I can't afford to leave the city unprotected."
"As you can see, we aren't in the best of shapes," Cheetara admitted, a tint of shame in her voice. "Mumm-Ra's recent attacks have taken a toll on us."
"Indeed, the only Thundercat who's not injured is Lion-O," Panthro said. "Even Tygra and I are still recovering from almost being blown up."
"He is injured," Pumyra interrupted then. "I gave him a strong anesthetic to keep his back pain at bay, but if he strains himself he could give himself a very nasty injury."
"You say the pain was only muscular!" a flabbergasted Lion-O exclaimed, turning to face the medic. "You said it wasn't serious!"
"And it's not serious, as long as you don't go around fighting all of a sudden! I was counting on a shipment of Sanare fiber to use on you so that you would heal faster, but it won't arrive until early tomorrow," she responded, unflinching under the questioning gaze of the surprised monarch. "Look Lion-O, it's already worrying enough that you insisted in helping carrying the medicine, you fight again now and you're risking tearing the muscles on your lower back and suffering permanent damage!"
"If you wish I'm sure I can help you," Wizz-Ra offered, cutting in on the conversation; he had noticed how uncomfortable the other Thundercats were getting and had decided to intervene in order to stop this useless friction between the king and the healer.
"Help us? What do you mean?" Cheetara inquired, taking this chance to try and distract both Lion-O and Pumyra from their rather rude exchange.
"I mean that I can heal everyone present in this shelter," the wizard declared, smiling softly at the cheetah. "It wouldn't be polite of me to ask for your assistance without giving you something in return… and it would be my honor to help you all."
"Can you really do that?" Lion-O rejoined, his attention no longer on the healer. "I would truly appreciate it if you could."
"I can make a potion that will heal any wound, no matter how severe, if I could get my hands on the right ingredients," Wizz-Ra explained. "Even if this isn't Third Earth, I'm sure your healer will be able to provide me with herbs equivalent to those I will need, and I'm confident that she already has them here."
"Of course! And if you need one we don't have I can arrange for it to be brought here in no time!" Pummyra offered enthusiastically as she stood and approached the holy wizard. "Can we start now?"
"It will take me an hour to prepare the potion and one more before you can actually use it," Wizz-Ra warned. "So perhaps you wish to go and close the portal first?"
"There are people here who might not last the night, Lion-O," Pummyra interjected, not revealing that besides her desire to help the wounded, her other interest in the potion was helping O-Celot heal so she could ease the guilt she still felt over his wounds. "I suggest we obtain this medicine before we do anything else; we need more people to protect the city, don't we?"
Lion-O was not expecting to have this choice thrown at him so suddenly for while he could see the importance of going to close the portal right away, he also wanted his people to be healed. Not willing to fully listen to his heart the king looked to his right side where the other three Thundercats were. A glance at Cheetara's leg and the cane she kept close was all it took for Lion-O to remember Aliona and how she also got hurt because he had not been there to protect everyone. Guilt swelled up inside him, which made him think about the other wounded Thunderians in the shelter and how it was his duty as their king to make sure they were safe; a duty he had not excelled at by any means since before he entered the Book of Omens.
It was no surprise to the other Thundercats, who had noticed the guilty look on their King's face, when they heard what his decision was.
"Please Wizz-Ra, make the potion for us," Lion-O pleaded. "I swear I'll go with you anywhere else afterwards but heal my people first. That's all I ask in exchange of my help."
The ancient sorcerer stared at the Thunderian king and for a moment, tempted to request they close the dimensional fissure immediately, but the almost tangible guilt Wizz-Ra felt emanating from the lion was all it took to convince the wizard of the need to help the people here before doing anything else. Besides, the Ancient Spirits of Goodness had sent him here both to close Mumm-Ra's portal and to help the Thunderians any way he could; it was fortunate, then, that the Spirits did not ask him to do those things in any certain order.
"Very well, Lion-O," Wizz-Ra agreed. "I'll prepare the potion for you."
Amidst the thanks of Lion-O and the other Thundercats, Pumyra led the holy wizard to the medical storage room.
Later…
Lion-O stopped by to look into the kitchen of the shelter, where Wizz-Ra and Pumyra had ended up working together. The wizard was using a large metallic pot to create a concoction which was far from pleasant-smelling. The holy mage focused on mixing herbs while reciting several incantations and constantly asking the Thundercat healer for herbs that he added to the mix. His curiosity sated and not wanting to interrupt the work of the sorcerer, the young king retreated to the hallway and returned to the common area, intending to give the people working there a hand.
Back in the room Wizz-Ra reached for a handful of Redmark root which he promptly crushed with both hands before tossing it into the pot along a new incantation, something Pumyra had noted he did every time he added a new ingredient. The puma was memorizing the many herbs and roots the wizard was using for his medicine (which had required virtually everything she had in stock), and while she knew that the ingredients Wizz-Ra had asked for each possessed many medicinal uses, she was certain that she could never recite spells like the white wizard had while mixing them, which she was willing to bet were the key to making the potion as potent as the holy mage had promised. Still the doctor was sure that if she used this same recipe she could make a very powerful medicine, good enough to treat several serious conditions even if it lacked the magical element Wizz-Ra was enchanting the potion with.
"It's almost done," Wizz-Ra announced. "Even now this is a very potent medicine."
"I noticed that, yes," the puma smiled. "A shame I can't use magic to power it up like you did."
"The spells I've used so far are nothing but means to prepare every ingredient to release its full healing potential," the white wizard indicated. "The most important step, the one that will turn this medication into a truly magic potion capable of healing any wound is the next spell, the one that will transform this into a true elixir of healing."
"That's the name of this potion, isn't it?" the healer guessed, "The Elixir of Healing?"
"Yes, it is," Wizz-Ra confirmed as he proceeded to sink his fingers into the hot liquid. He closed his eyes as he started reciting a series of verses in an ancient language Pumyra had never heard before. His hands started to glow and so did the potion. When the holy wizard finished the spell, the medicine had changed from a bubbling, brown liquid full of pieces of plants into a clear, thick, golden solution which reminded the healer of recently collected honey.
"I must thank you for your first rate ingredients, they helped make it better than usual. Be careful with it, I believe this is the last time I'll have the opportunity to prepare something like this."
"I promise to be careful. How much should we give to our wounded?"
"A fair question," Wizz-Ra conceded, reaching for a tablespoon he found nearby. "Let the potion rest for an hour. After that administer one spoonful of it for non-life threatening wounds; two for those suffering or recovering from grave injuries."
Pumyra did some quick calculations and came to an alarming conclusion. "There's barely enough… by the time I give all the wounded a dose, we'll be almost out of elixir."
"I'm sorry," Wizz-Ra regretted, hiding the fact that using the spell which powered the elixir had required him to use a small, yet still sizable, portion of his power. "I wish I could have prepared more for you but this is all I can do with the herbs you had here."
"No need to mention it, I'm… I'm sorry if I sound too pushy," the healer apologized. "It's just that we have so many people here who need help…"
"I trust the Elixir I made will be enough for everybody," Wizz-Ra assured. "But please, make sure you save at least two spoonfuls of it. I have the feeling you will need them for one of us before the night is over."
Not liking the foreboding omen the white wizard had shared with her, all Pumyra could do was offer him a nod.
"Good, now if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to Lion-O."
Wizz-Ra then left the kitchen, hoping to quickly find the lord of the Thundercats. He crossed paths with Tygra as he entered the corridor, but neither he nor the tiger exchanged any words and simply nodded at each other, as both had their minds busy with very different situations that demanded their full attention: the well-being of the woman he loved for the tiger, and the permanent closing of that dimensional crack for the wizard.
Back at Cheetara's room…
The tension in the room was almost palpable and it was making Panthro extremely uncomfortable. Tygra had gone to prepare Cheetara some SweetLeaf tea in order to help her sleep, leaving him and the woman he loved alone. Panthro had been planning on telling the cheetah about the talk he and Tygra had shared earlier but now that he had the chance to do so he was finding that this was probably the most difficult thing he had ever attempted.
"Panthro… can we talk?" Cheetara, not leaving her seat by the window, called with a faint whisper. "There is something… something I need to… confess."
"You don't have to say a thing," Panthro offered, struggling against the sadness in his heart and keeping it at bay as best as he could. "I already know."
"You know about…?"
"Tygra. Yes, I know, I heard you both," he confirmed in a low voice. "I wish I could say it's not tearing me apart inside, but that would be a lie."
"I-I'm sorry," the cheetah started, pain evident in her voice as she tried to put her feelings into words. "Panthro, we can… we can try it again if you want… Tygra and I haven't… we haven't done anything… I could try to…"
"Cheetara," the engineer interrupted, standing up and walking to her side, "as much as I would like for us to be together… you and I know our time is done."
"But… I don't want to hurt you."
Panthro reached and softly cupped her face in his hand, caressing her as gently as he could. He immediately wished he hadn't done that. The truth that he would never be able to hold her in his arms or touching her and feeling her warmth like this was almost too much for him to bear! Still, he had to be strong for her; strong enough to let her go because he knew quite well she was capable of sacrificing her own happiness for his, and the last thing Panthro wanted was to see her miserable. With that indisputable truth firmly in mind he was finally able to release her.
"It would hurt me more if you force yourself to be with me," he finally confessed. "I… talked to Tygra about this earlier… he reacted like you are reacting now, and that is why I asked him."
"You asked him… what?"
"If he truly loved you," Panthro revealed, retrieving his hand. "And something tells me I should ask the same question to you, Cheetara… do you love him?"
"I…" Cheetara hugged herself and closed her eyes, not ready to see how the panther standing in front of her would react to what she was about to admit. "I do love him. I love Tygra so much. Ever since I was a cub I've always… I've always felt something special that links me to him. I just never realized until recently what that feeling really was. I-I'm sorry, Panthro… I wish things could be different, but…"
"I never had a chance, did I?" Panthro mused then, the half smile on his lips failing to keep the sadness he felt hidden.
"Why are you torturing yourself like this?" the woman asked, the pain in Panthro's face driving a knife through her chest.
"Because I discovered today that I am the one who can let go," the engineer replied, his words sounding more confident than before despite the sorrow still mixed within. "I spent the day working in the new power generator and thinking about this situation. That is when I realized that I'm the one who can let go."
"What are you trying to say? I don't understand."
"I think you and Tygra can't let go, Cheetara," Panthro told her. The Thunderian paused and prepared to do what had to be done. When he felt confident his voice and resolve would not break, he steeled himself and said the words which would free her.
"The bond you share is just too strong, so strong I'm convinced your souls belong to each other. I've seen the avoided glances, the caring in both your eyes. I'm certain that if something were to keep you apart now… it would only make you both suffer, and I… I don't wish that for either of you. He is my best friend and you… I simply want you to be happy with the one your heart belongs to, Cheetara… I care for you both, and I only want the best for you."
The cheetah couldn't find words to respond to what the panther had just told her; all she could do then was to walk up to him and hug him.
"Thank you," Cheetara finally muttered after several minutes of embracing Panthro in gratitude for what he had just done. "I will never forget this…"
Panthro broke the hug and gently pushed the woman back. He caressed her face one last time and then walked to the door of her room. He had no reason to be there anymore, and he wanted to leave before Tygra returned, which would be for the best.
"As long as you find happiness, I will be well rewarded."
With these words Panthro left the room at last, leaving Cheetara sad having causing him pain but also relieved that their separation happened like this, with both of them remaining friends.
In the hallway Panthro brought a hand up to dry a single tear which had started to slide down his face. The panther had no time for further lamentations, as Lion-O entered the corridor and rushed to meet him…
Meanwhile, in the desert near the Black Pyramid…
Cool wind swept over the hard, crystalline surface which extended across the desert like a semi-buried jewel sticking up from the sand. It had appeared here when Tygra and Panthro had detonated their mightiest bomb, melting the sand into crystal and completely destroying the majestic arch which Mumm-Ra had used to create a gate to the world of darkness. For the Thundercats the destruction of the large construction had been a difficult victory; a victory the demon priest was not willing to allow them.
"I must admit what those felines did here is actually impressive," Mumm-Ra, in his ever living warrior form, acknowledged as his eyes roamed the crystallized sand. "A shame they survived the blast, but that detail will be remedied soon enough."
The dark wizard lowered the torch he carried and looked behind him. He noticed his disciple didn't appear to be as interested as he was in their surroundings; he was simply staring in the direction of the Dark Pyramid. "She will be here soon. And until then I need you to pay close attention to what I'm about to do. This is an important lesson you need to learn, so clear your mind of all distractions!"
WilyKat, actually afraid of waking his master's wrath, cursed himself for allowing his mind to wander and turned to face Mumm-Ra immediately. "I'm truly sorry for my lapse of attention, my lord, I promise it won't happen again."
"Make sure it doesn't," the wizard intoned gravely. "I will do this only once, so you had better memorize the way I manipulate the magic energies around us, is that clear?"
"Yes, it is."
"Good. Now watch, my son, and learn." With this invitation, the dark wizard dropped his torch and started to move his hands deliberately slower than he normally would when casting a spell, an effective way to show his student his movements.
And WilyKat did not waste this lesson. He also threw his torch to the ground and concentrated on silently memorizing and imitating the gestures his master did, moving his fingers just like the other sorcerer did but without summoning any magical energy to him in order to avoid disrupting the spell his mentor was preparing.
Then, with a final twist of his wrist, Mumm-Ra shot his right hand forward, unleashing a blast of golden energy which cracked reality itself in the same place the portal had been, opening it once again. The devil priest followed this movement by spreading his arms as wide as he could, the size of the portal growing exponentially as he did so.
"And this is how you channel the residual energy of the spell used to pierce reality and reopen a closed dimensional portal when the physical door has been destroyed," the evil immortal asserted. "Do you have any questions?"
"No, I have it," Kat assured, repeating again the same gestures Mumm-Ra had just made.
"Excellent, make sure you don't forget this."
"I promise I won't forget it, my lord," Kat nodded to himself. "What will we do now, sire?"
"We gather an army" the ever living one revealed. "An army that will unleash such horrors it will make Lion-O wish he had never been born!"
Mumm-Ra's laughter filled the night as a horde of Demon Beasts began crawling out of the portal, surrounding him and his disciple and waiting obediently for his commands, just like a loyal army would. The dark wizard allowed this to continue until the last of his infernal creatures slid out of the portal.
"It's time I stop playing games and recover control of my world," Mumm-Ra announced solemnly. "It doesn't matter how much Lion-O and his Thundercats fight, they can't defeat an army of Gadruul this big."
"By the time they are through, the Capital City will be nothing but ashes," WilyKat agreed while looking in awe at the hundreds of Demon Bests his master had summoned. "And there should still be enough slaves left to rebuild the cities in your image, my lord."
"Indeed," Mumm-Ra said, greatly pleased by the way in which his disciple thought. "And when it does I shall take the Sword of Omens from Lion-O's crushed corpse! At last, I will be able to corrupt the Eye of Thundera and use it to expand my influence to worlds without end!"
This vow made the dark wizard shifted his focus to the Demon Beasts around him, appreciating the way they all had knelt in reverence, waiting for his commands in silent anticipation. This wasn't surprising, as Mumm-Ra had destroyed their previous master a few years ago, earning the right to command the Gadruul until he himself was defeated in front of the beasts by someone more powerful and evil, an event highly unlikely to occur any time soon, especially as Mumm-Ra had gazed into the Underworld months ago and had found that the Demon Lord who ruled over it was still in a deep sleep.
"Will we attack the city now, milord?" the young wizard asked, bringing his master back to reality.
"No, we won't; not all pieces are in place yet," Mumm-Ra answered, placing aside his thoughts about the Lord of the Underworld. "But those pieces will be ready soon, and then we shall strike!"
"Forgive me, master… but I don't understand," Kat said, confused by the mummy's refusal to obliterate the Capital. "We have the numbers now and the Thundercats are weak… isn't this the perfect time to destroy them?
"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" Mumm-Ra countered. "You're still impatient, boy. There are things that must be done before we launch our final attack on them."
"What things?" the disciple pressed. "Is it my sister? Are we waiting for her?"
"I admit it would be a shame if your sister misses a chance to be involved in this battle, but her presence is not the reason I want to wait," the mummy replied. "I'm afraid you can't know my reasons, my son… but I assure you they are important and once I've dealt with them, we'll be able to destroy the Thundercats without fearing an attack from a second front."
WilyKat crossed his muscular arms and mentally analyzed the situation. The only real threat he could come up with would be… "Is it Wizz-Ra and the Ancient Spirits of Goodness?"
Mumm-Ra laughed and placed a firm hand on his disciple's broad shoulder. "You really are clever, my boy! You are right, that pest from the Seventh Dimension will try something very soon, and he could ask his masters to do something like sending Mumm-Rana here."
"Yes, I'm concerned about what some Ancient Spirits might do," the evil wizard continued his gaze drifting back on the direction of the Black Pyramid. "And we will not attack until I'm absolutely sure they will not interfere, and I'm certain arranging that won't be easy."
"If it's that difficult… do you think there is a way for me to help you?"
Mumm-Ra was honestly surprised by the concern and willingness he identified in the voice of his student. The demon priest could not recall the last time someone had expressed those emotions while addressing him, and it left him momentarily speechless.
"I'm afraid you're not ready for that yet, my son," Mumm-Ra looked at his disciple for a moment, still not really believing how eager the boy was to help him, or the worry he saw in those eyes. This was completely alien to the wizard and it made him feel strangely proud and satisfied.
"Something's coming this way," WilyKat announced suddenly, having noticed a glittering object in the sky that approached their location. "Perhaps my sister came back early?"
"Your sister hasn't crossed the vortex I made to Water-O; I would have felt it closing after she did. There is only other person who knew we would be here, have you forgotten?" the dark wizard reminded WilyKat.
"Calico, I expected her to be here later and not to come here using a… spaceboard?"
"It appears she borrowed either your or your sister's toy," Mumm-Ra nodded. "Either way, I am pleased that she arrives soon, I have something very important for her to do."
Not too long after Mumm-Ra went to inspect the Demon Beasts WilyKat saw her arrive in his Space Board, just like his master had guessed. She hovered above him for an instant, eerily beautiful in her black and grey clothes, her raven wing hair flowing freely to the wind, the pale moonlight granting her features a glow which made her shine like a deadly angel of the night. After an instant she lowered the board until it was almost at the level of the ground.
"I'm here, my love," she greeted him with a soft smile while extending her hand to him. "Help me down, please?"
"With pleasure," Kat responded doing as she requested. "I didn't know you could ride a Space Board."
"Neither did I, but these artifacts are easier to ride than I expected," the huntress replied.
"Come closer, children," the dark wizard called suddenly from where he stood surrounded by the deadly Demon Beasts. "I have work for both of you."
Obeying one gesture given by the ancient mummy, the Demon Beasts lowered their heads in servitude and moved to open a path so the wizard apprentice and the vampyr could approach their dark lord. Once the couple stood in front of him Mumm-Ra addressed the huntress first.
"My legion of Gadruul is now under your command, huntress. You will lead them to the forest surrounding the Thunderian Capital where they will hide and wait until I give you the order to attack," he said as he motioned for Calico to look at the beasts. "You will raze the city to the ground once I say the word. You will guide my army as they kill the weak, the old and the wounded, but make sure to spare the children and the healthy adults, for we will need new slaves once the war is over. Do you have any questions?"
"No, my lord," Calico assured him. "Your orders are clear. I shall take your Demon warriors to me and we will win the battle for you. However… what are your commands for the Thundercats, should I destroy them too?"
"No, if they are still in the city, you are to drive them into a corner and then capture them if you can," Mumm-Ra ordered.
"They won't defend the city?" the vampire inquired. "That is certainly out of character for them."
"I have foreseen the Thundercat nobles will choose to do battle with me directly, huntress," the wizard revealed with an annoyed tone. "For that same reason, you will need only to focus on the orders I gave you: Destroy, purge and capture!"
"As you wish, my lord," Calico, afraid of angering her master, said as she bowed and took a step back. She knew the dark wizard was now about to talk to her beloved and she did not want to interrupt their conversation.
"For you, my son, I have a very different, but very important task," Mumm-Ra started, placing a hand on his disciple's shoulder. "You will remain here and guard this location. I feel Wizz-Ra is already in New Thundera, and I also know the first thing he will try to do is to close our portal for good. It will be your duty to stop him and to bring his head to my throne."
Before, WilyKat would have expressed doubt about his ability to defeat or even hurt the holy mage Wizz-Ra; now, however, the young Thunderian felt confident that he could carry out his master's orders without failing and he, in fact, was already pleasurably anticipating the opportunity to test his new power and his own dark magic against a worthy opponent.
"It will be done, my lord. Wizz-Ra shall die here," Kat promised. "I won't fail you."
"I know you won't," the mummy agreed. "You have grown strong, strong enough to challenge that pest. I trust you will make me proud…"
Mumm-Ra paused, having felt a small flux in the power balance inside the Black Pyramid which caused his attention to go from his disciple to what had happened inside his home. For a moment he feared the Ancient Spirits of Evil were behind this, but he soon relaxed. The Spirits were not responsible for what he had felt. The change he felt had come from the vortex he had opened earlier. Someone was coming through, and he knew quite well what that meant: his kitten was about to return.
"Is something wrong, master?" WilyKat asked, his gaze too fixated on the pyramid, though his senses were not yet advanced enough to feel the small imbalance his master had detected.
"Your sister will return from Water-O soon," Mumm-Ra informed. "But don't worry, I'll send her here to meet you."
WilyKat, who had not expected to be given permission to return to the Pyramid along with his master, nodded in agreement. He could not leave his post until Wizz-Ra had been taken care off. At least his sister would come to see him soon, which eased his mind and allowed him to keep his mission in mind.
"I would appreciate that, my lord," the young wizard stated.
"And I would appreciate that you do what I requested," the wizard reminded his apprentice and the huntress before vanishing in a gust of wind.
Once alone Calico approached her lover again, hugging him from behind so she could feel him close to her once more. It had been too long since she had felt his warmth and she couldn't stop herself. "I'm sure you will be victorious when you face that Wizz-Ra person, my beloved."
"And I know your mission will be successful as well," WilyKat replied, reaching for her hands so he could hold them between his. "I'm confident I'll finish here before you attack the city, and with some luck I'll be able to join you there."
"I would like that very much, my love," she purred in his ear. "Fighting side by side with you will be a first, and I'm sure it will be a magnificent experience."
Kat turned so he was facing Calico and held her by the shoulders. "Let me look at you again… It has been so long… so long. I never forgot about you, Calico. You are so beautiful."
She caressed his face and smiled tenderly at him. "You're so kind, WilyKat. I will never be able to repay you for bringing me back, or for loving me the way you do… I don't deserve you."
"It is I who don't deserve you," Kat corrected, briefly remembering the way he had gained her love, but having her in his arms made it easy for him to forget what he did to her and dismiss any lingering remorse. He had Calico's heart, she truly loved him, it felt right and that was all that mattered to the dark wizard. "But I'll make sure that I'm worthy of having you, my love."
"You already are," she whispered at him as she once again embraced him and slowly rose to meet his lips with hers, kissing him deeply, hungrily, trying to make up for the time they had lost.
WilyKat broke the kiss gently and took in a deep breath, smiling as he enjoyed the smell of her scent. "Parting ways will just be more difficult after this."
"It's only a temporary situation," she reminded him, running her fingers over his sculpted chest. "The Thundercats will fall soon, and after that we will be able to stay together as much as we want."
"I'm looking forward to that," he told her as he picked up the torch he had discarded before, which by some miracle still burned. "I wish that you could stay, but I believe it is better if you take the Gadruul to the Capital. I don't think we should test lord Mumm-Ra's patience."
"Agreed," the huntress nodded, glancing at the army of Demon Beasts waiting for her at the entrance of the imposing crag not too far ahead. "The master still trusts me; I'd hate to lose his favor."
Saying nothing else she hopped on WilyKat's spaceboard and hovered to where the monsters waited. She did spare a second to wave the magic-user goodbye before entering the serpentine road between the tall cliffs that separated the desert from the extensive forests and fertile lands on the other side, lands which would soon would be theirs to rule again.
Once alone Kat looked around and not finding an adequate place to sit used his magic to raise part of the crystallized ground in front of him. It was not comfortable, but it was much better than sitting on the sand. The young mage set his fire at his feet, then closed his eyes and waited for Wizz-Ra to arrive. He began to ponder the current situation. Kat had no doubt that Mumm-Ra would win back control over the planet, and he was also absolutely sure that his master would be successful in corrupting the power of the Eye of Thundera, so instead of that, his thoughts wandered over more earthly matters, such as the number of slaves that would be left after the Capital was retaken and how that would affect production at the Thundainium mines or if people from the farms would need to be brought in. If the numbers of Thunderians ended up being too low, Kat was sure that some could be captured in nearby worlds or even taken from Third Earth.
"Third Earth…" WilyKat mused, wondering then if Mumm-Ra would choose to return there once the Thundercats were defeated. He decided that it was quite possible his master would not go there again, which made the apprentice wonder if his mentor would mind if he went there in his place. Perhaps, Kat rationalized, since Mumm-Ra would rule New Thundera along with WilyKit, he and Calico could go and rule Third Earth in his name. After all conquering that planet and destroying all opposition should not be difficult and even if Third Earth's holy guardian Mumm-Rana resisted, Kat trusted his lord would be all too glad to help him crush the female mummy permanently.
His mind filled with these dark thoughts of death, conquest and glory, the gifted apprentice continued waiting for his prey.
In the Thunderian shelter...
It took Wizz-Ra longer than he felt comfortable with to find Lion-O, who had gone from the medical area to the shelter's garage to help unpack some supplies which had just arrived from Port City. That unnerved the wizard a bit, as he didn't want to give Mumm-Ra more time to reopen the portal to the Underworld.
When he located the young king Wizz-Ra found him giving instructions to another Thunderian, so the wizard waited until Lion-O had sent his subject away before approaching him.
"The medicine you requested is complete," Wizz-Ra informed the ruler. "The ingredients still have to mix with the magic properly, and that will take another hour. Don't worry; I already gave your healer the instructions necessary to use it."
Lion-O smiled and placed his hand on the wizard's shoulder. "Thank you, Wizz-Ra. You have my gratitude."
"You're welcome, Lion-O," the white wizard said before turning serious. "I did what you requested, my friend. Is it possible now that you will go with me to close the portal to the Underworld?"
The royal lion had not forgotten about his promise, but was still torn because he did not want to leave the shelter unprotected. "Is it necessary that we do that tonight?"
Wizz-Ra gave him a nod. "If possible, yes. It has to be done quickly!"
"Forgive me Wizz-Ra, but is there something you aren't telling me?" the king asked, as he felt the wizard was not being entirely honest. "I understand your desire to do this before Mumm-Ra can summon a large quantity of Demon Beasts, but I don't think the Ancient Spirits of Goodness sent you here just to do that. You know you can trust me, so please tell me what's bothering you."
"…I can't find where the portal was on my own as fast as I would like to, Lion-O," the white wizard admitted after a moment of hesitation. "It would take me hours to find it and we don't have that long. But the Eye of Thundera can give you sight beyond sight, allowing you to find the rift instantly."
"And that is the reason why we can't do that tomorrow, Wizz-Ra?" Lion-O pressed on, "Something tells me there's more, am I wrong?"
"…Yes, yes there is more," Wizz-Ra sighed, deciding it was for the best to be fully honest with the sovereign of the Thunderians. "Mumm-Ra is not the worst part of the problem with the rift between realities; there are beings in the Underworld who could… no, make that will open the gate when the opportunity presents itself."
"I doubt anything in the Underworld is worse than Mumm-Ra and the Ancient Spirits of Evil."
"Do not underestimate your possible enemies, Lion-O," Wizz-Ra warned. "You can't begin to fathom the horrors hidden in the depths of the Underworld."
"Horrors?" the lion inquired, intrigued by Wizz-Ra's affirmations and wondering if things more terrible than Mumm-Ra and his evil gods could possibly exist. "What types of horrors?"
"Terrible things, Lion-O, terrible and powerful things, and I've seen them firsthand," the white wizard revealed. "You already know how fearsome the Gadruul, or Demon Beasts as you call them, are in battle. And I am sure you understand that unless we close that rift Mumm-Ra will never stop sending wave after wave of Gadruul against you."
"We might be able to do something about that," Lion-O offered. "Panthro has been developing this machine, an Anti-Magic Field Generator he devised. He only started actually building it a week or so ago, but his first prototype is almost complete. If it works as Panthro expects, the generator will neutralize, absorb and use for itself any type of magic cast against it. I assure you that if we install it around the portal, it will keep it contained, and the force field will stop any living being, magic or not, from crossing it, too. That is why I think we can keep the portal under control while you close it; you don't need to be so concerned about this."
"Could that mechanism stop an army of the malevolent Yigkin, a devious race of insectoid demons which wield powerful magic? Or what about their King, the Demon Lord Tatsoughee, who is much more powerful than the four Ancient Spirits of Evil combined? Could Panthro's Anti-Magic Field contain that?" Wizz-Ra questioned, not truly believing a machine could ever hold back a Demon Lord as powerful as Tatsoughee.
"It is them I'm here to stop, Lion-O. Tatsoughee and his minions rose from their sleep two nights ago and they will soon find the remains of the portal! For Tatsoughee it will be child's play to use that rift as the means to open the portal again. He will take this as the perfect chance to invade this dimension! Do you really want to trade one evil for another that is much, much worse?"
Lion-O remained silent at this revelation; he had never truly considered a possibility such as Wizz-Ra described, and merely contemplating it was sending chills down his spine. Mumm-Ra alone had managed to almost defeat them and drive them to extinction. Thinking what someone far more powerful and evil than the mummy and his masters would do to his people was almost too much for the king to even imagine.
"Lion-O," Wizz-Ra called. "I urge you to come with me so we can seal the dimensional rift before it's too late."
The king turned to face the wizard, still afraid of leaving the capital unprotected. "What if the Demon Beasts attack while I'm not here? We're not ready to fight them!"
"Did you not call for help today?" The wizard asked. "Pumyra told me your allies from Third Earth should be here in a matter of hours. Please, Lion-O… it's barely past midnight! If we work together we can be back before sunrise."
For a moment, which felt too long for both men, Lion-O simply stood there in silence, weighing his options until finally he nodded at the wizard. "Fine, Wizz-Ra. We will go to close the portal now."
"I'm grateful for this," the wizard nodded back. "I know it is troubling you so I promise not to keep you away from the city any longer than necessary."
"That would be appreciated, but don't forget I'm in your debt for making us the healing potion," the king replied with a weak, but sincere smile. "I'll ask Panthro to finish that Anti-Magic Field, it will be best if the machine is complete and operational before sunrise; I'll feel safer… Should the Gadruul attack before we're back perhaps the Anti-Magic Field will be capable of keeping those beasts at bay."
"Understandable, I'll wait here while you do that. I'm sorry to say this, but please hurry."
"I will, don't worry," Lion-O replied as he entered the shelter again.
A few minutes later the young king reentered the garage. "Done, Panthro will take care of finishing the Anti-Magic Field. With some luck he'll have it completed in less than three hours."
"If all goes well we won't be gone for that long," the wizard assured. "So… what vehicle will we use?"
"You can't teleport us there?"
"I could if I knew the exact location where the portal used to be," Wizz-Ra explained. "Since I don't, using a teleporting spell is not an option. I'm sorry."
Lion-O sighed in defeat. "Fine, if you don't mind the wind, we'll use one of the Sky Cutters."
And so the White Wizard of Third Earth and the ruler of New Thundera left the Capital in order to complete the mission given to the holy mage by the Ancient Spirits of Goodness. Lion-O hoped they would not need too long to finish this quest so he could return to his people, while Wizz-Ra grew somber and more pensive as they approached the desert, hoping that the holy spirits he served would not abandon him now.
And in the frozen Mermaid Cathedral of planet Water-O…
"It doesn't matter how immortal you are, lassie!" Soulmate warned, her phantasmal voice resonating above the deafening roar rising from the pit. "There is no way you can defeat the Dragolem!"
WilyKit did not reply for the room was filled with a cold fog which chilled her bones and suddenly, with a final howl, the beast climbed out of the chasm. The thing was immense, its thick, serpentine neck snaking high into the air, terminating in a massive head where two eyes shone with endless malevolence. The rest of the thing's body, hidden by the cold mist, hinted at a large and solid mass resting on thick, powerful legs.
The thing hollered with earth-shaking force, clearing the freezing fog and revealing its gigantic form. Before her WilyKit found an abomination born of magic, a gargantuan dragon formed of ice and many large pieces of stone, the final guardian of the sword of ice she had just claimed, the deadly Dragolem.
"I hope you enjoy being ripped into pieces, I'm sure not even you can survive that!" Soulmate taunted and, not waiting for a response, vanished, her mocking laughter the last thing Kit heard before the beast fixated on her.
"You shouldn't be so certain about that…" Kit whispered, her eyes not leaving the creature in front of her, waiting for the moment it decided to attack her.
And attack her it did. With a roar the Dragolem twisted its neck back and shot its head down, jaws open and icy fangs gleaming like diamonds, to where WilyKit stood. The creature aimed to swallow Kit whole, and its gaping maw was certainly large enough to accomplish the task.
The impact was terrible; the head of the Dragolem cracked the ground and lifted a cloud of snow which covered him momentarily. But when the monster's head rose, it saw that its intended victim was neither inside its jaws nor a broken figure writhing in pain within a blood-stained crater. Roaring in frustration the creature turned its head from side to side, searching for the one who had stolen the sword it protected.
Kit had jumped away at the last moment, sliding behind the altar where the Dragon Fang had been locked and was now considering her options as to how she could best deal with the beast which was trying to crush her into pulp. The female warrior was no stranger to fighting golems, as she had battled with and destroyed plenty of Mumm-Ra's Rock Soldiers in the past, but she had never faced one as large as this Dragolem.
WilyKit didn't have time to think of a proper strategy, for the creature found her almost immediately and swung its tail at her with startling speed, crushing her along with the altar she had been using for cover. Kit found herself trapped not just under the rubble of the altar, but also pressed down by the weight of the monster's freezing tail.
She hated this. It made her feel weak and defenseless, reminding her too much of the humiliation she had recently suffered at Lion-O's hands. Then there was also the pain, sharply biting at her right arm and leg while her body struggled to heal the damage as quickly as it could.
Then the pressure keeping her pinned to the ground vanished and Kit was able to look up just in time to see the Dragolem's tail arc high into the air, ready to crush her again. She tried to regain her feet but she was rewarded with a flash of pain for her efforts. Still she couldn't just stay there and allow the creature to hurt her again. A sliver of genuine fear lodged inside of her as the tail started its descent.
Rock met rock with a loud crash, and the Dragolem roared in triumph as its tail lifted a new cloud of dust from the point of impact. But then the beast's roar of celebration changed to a furious snarl. To his right, leaning on the wall but somehow managing to stand, was the thief it had imagined was now nothing but a mangled corpse beneath its tail!
WilyKit had forced her body to react, and thanks to her left leg being in a much better condition than her right one, she had managed to jump out of harm's way at the last second. Now, even though she could barely stand, she showed herself defiantly to the monster, ready to pay it back somehow for hurting her. To Kit's advantage was the fact that her dark blood, now covering most of her right side like black tendrils of solid night, was almost finished repairing the damage the Dragolem had caused her; it would be just a matter of seconds before she was fully healed.
Seconds the Dragolem was not willing to give her. With a great roar it charged, large claws thundering as they hit the ground, ready to bite its victim in half. Kit, her body still repairing the damage, waited where she stood; her leg was almost completely healed and when the creature's jaws were close enough she tensed and jumped as high as she could. A quick spin in midair allowed her to land safely on the draconian golem's side, from where she vaulted until she reached the base of the monster's neck. WilyKit quickly crouched once she was there, and grabbed a firm hold on the cracks between the rocks that formed the Dragolem's body.
"You don't like this, do you?" Kit mocked as the creature trashed around in an effort to shake her off of him. WilyKit had noticed that the creature's body, made of rock for the most part, lacked the flexibility which would have allowed it to twist its neck all the way where she was now perching and waiting for her body to finish healing. The Dragolem then did something she already expected, and smashed its body against the wall to their right, hoping to get rid of her this way, something that Kit found easy to avoid as she simply climbed to the opposite side of the beast before the impact, remaining relatively safe.
Her pain stopped then, and a quick look confirmed to Kit that her wounds had all healed. Making sure to climb to the other side of the beast to avoid being crushed on the wall, the young warrior decided it was time to take this monster down once and for all, something she already had an idea of to how to do. WilyKit had fought several golems in the past and was well aware of their strengths and weaknesses; she knew Golems couldn't feel pain or fear, something that made them relentless fighters who would not stop until the magic animating the materials they were constructed of faded. The spells used to give life to golems, Kit remembered, tended to last for either a ridiculously short time, for centuries or even forever. It was obvious, then, that the spell powering this golem was of the permanent type.
"If that's the case, there must be a power source inside the Dragolem that I'll need to destroy…" Mumm-Ra's concubine reasoned, her eyes scanning the creature's body, trying to find anything which would hint at the magical source of the monster's artificial life. "But where is it?"
Just then, as if it had listened to her and wanted to flaunt how inaccessible its weakness was, the Dragolem answered her question by twisting its head back and opening its jaws wide, revealing a shining orb right where its throat should have been. Hitting the glowing sphere, however, would not be easy, for the monster exhaled a gust of cold energy at her which blasted her back to the ground, covering her with a mountain of sharp hoarfrost which pierced her skin like steel needles.
Which, compared to surviving being crushed by the Dragolem's heavy tail or being blasted with holy lightning, was nothing to WilyKit but a small annoyance. Groaning her fury the young warrior jumped out of the sharp ice cage and reached for her new sword, which she willed to extend to its full length. Her jump carried her to the monster's back, and she quickly dashed towards its neck, intending to stab it in the throat in order to finish it once and for all.
The Dragolem rose on its hind legs in an attempt to get rid of the female attacking it, but it was of no use, WilyKit continued climbing with her superior speed and agility, reaching the neck in a flash and, with one last grunt of effort, pushed herself all the way to the head of the monster. Sword at the ready, Kit aimed for the Dragolem's open jaws, prepared to deliver the finishing blow. But the stone dragon blocked this by closing its mouth, trapping the sword between its frozen fangs.
"No, damn you!" WilyKit shouted furiously, trying to pull her sword free but to no avail, the Dragolem's bite was so strong that not even she could force its jaws open.
The monster twisted its head violently upwards; catching WilyKit off guard and making her lose her hold in the Dragon Fang. Once again in the air, Kit quickly assessed her situation and hatched a plan she hoped would work. Maneuvering her fall so she landed between the large horns crowning the Dragolem's head, she hastily grabbed a hold of one and knelt atop the monster's head. WilyKit was able to press her back to one horn and her feet to the other and then she pushed with all of her amazing might.
The result was a loud crack as the horn at her feet broke and tumbled unceremoniously to the ground damaging the head of the Dragolem enough for her to start the second part of her plan. The creature, while unable to feel pain, had noticed the damage it had suffered and was now trashing desperately, trying to detach the obnoxious pest that was causing it so much trouble. Kit noticed the creature had dropped her sword, but she didn't dive for it; she was not yet done and she could always retrieve the Dragon Fang once she had defeated the Dragolem. She returned her attention to the results of her work and smiled in sadistic satisfaction. As she had expected, breaking the horn had revealed that the insides of the Dragolem were made of rather small pieces of rock covered by a stony exterior instead of it being made out of large rocks. The young warrior smiled at this discovery, which would make destroying the monster far easier.
Reaching for the edge of the opening she had created in the monster's head, Kit raised her fist and punched the rocks in there with all of her fantastic strength. One, two, three times and after the fourth hit, the creature roared as half its head crumbled under the immensely powerful attacks of the mighty fighter. Made bold by this result, WilyKit grinned viciously and quickly slid so she stood on the now exposed lower jaw of the beast. Kit didn't wait for the Dragolem to try to shake her off, immediately grabbing a firm hold of the inside of the still undamaged half of its head and pushing up with incredible force, effectively detaching it from the rest of the head and revealing the monster's power source, which still shined brightly, resting between three pieces of rock that emulated the creature's esophagus.
"It's the end, you miserable beast!" Kit screamed and, her eyes shining red with fury, she stomped the glowing orb, shattering it into a thousand glimmering pieces which immediately evaporated. Deprived of its power source the huge Dragolem cracked and fell apart, crumbling to the ground with a deafening roar.
WilyKit, for her part, had simply somersaulted from the top of the neck to the ground, landing flawlessly and far away enough from the Dragolem that the rubble falling behind her didn't even touch her. Once the dust had settled she turned to see the monster was now nothing but a pile of frost-covered rocks. Satisfied Kit walked to where her sword had fallen and picked it up with a smile. It had been complicated, but she finally had the means to evenly fight Lion-O and make him pay for humiliating her, and not just him! She would make every Thunderian kneel before her, and kneel they would!
"I-I can't believe this…" a voice stuttered, a voice Kit now knew too well. "You… defeated it! What… what kind of m-monster are you?"
WilyKit turned to her left and saw that, indeed, the pirate ghost had reappeared, and was floating near the fallen golem, staring at the pile of shattered rock in absolute disbelief.
"Nobody had ever even scratched the Dragolem, and you… you destroyed it! With… with your bare hands! It is impossible!"
"Not the result you were hoping for, I imagine?" WilyKit asked, slowly walking towards the specter, stopping when she stood right in front of her. "And you said I would be ripped into pieces."
"I never thought that you could… ACK!"
Eyes wide open, unable to believe that she was actually feeling pain, the spectral pirate looked down and found the blade of the Dragon Fang piercing her stomach and much to her horror, she couldn't move away from it.
"I didn't think the Dragon Fang could do something like hurting a ghost," WilyKit announced as she twisted her hand, sending a new flash of pain through the phantom she had silently stabbed with her new sword, more interested in discovering an ability of her weapon than in the suffering she was inflicting. "It's actually quite impressive."
"W-Why are you doing this…?" Soulmate managed to ask between painful breaths.
"Why? Because I can," Kit replied with a sinister smile. "And now, enjoy spending an eternity trapped in ice… lassie."
WilyKit released a wave of power through the blade of the Dragon Fang, which expanded over Soulmate's form, encasing her in a prison of nigh unbreakable ice.
The last thing Soulmate saw before she completely froze and entered a deep sleep was the menacing red glow in the eyes of the terrible young warrior who had killed the Dragolem, and those awful eyes would continue haunting her nightmares until the end of time…
In Cat's Lair…
Tygra, carrying a tray with a kettle and two cups, was intercepted by Panthro who had been waiting for him in the hallway. "Lion-O wants the Anti-Magic Field Generator finished before sunrise."
"A request by Wizz-Ra?" the tiger guessed.
"He didn't say," Panthro replied. "I'll need your help to make it in time. You can work a set of circuits while I finish the ones I'm already working on."
"Sure, I'll help you," Tygra promised. "I'll just need to take this to… her."
Panthro nodded, managing to hide the pain he still felt. "Try not to take too long. This is urgent and from what Lion-O said it might be the only defense we have in case of an attack."
"I'll be with you in less than ten minutes."
"Good," saying nothing else, the panther moved to the side to give Tygra room enough to pass and then marched to his room. "Ten minutes, Tygra!"
"Yes, ten minutes… or less!"
When Tygra, his mind now busy with thoughts about the circuitry style Panthro favored, finally entered Cheetara's room, he found her standing by the window, staring out into the night. She had opened the window, and the cool wind played with a few loose strands of her golden hair, the dim light of the room bathing her warmly and making her thoughtful expression clash with the rest of the scene.
"Everything alright?" Tygra asked, truly concerned.
"Panthro set me free," Cheetara said, not really turning to look at the tiger waiting at her door. "He ended our relationship… said that of the three of us, he's the only one who can let go."
"I wasn't expecting he would do that," the tiger admitted as he placed the tray on the night table besides the bed. "How… how do you feel?"
"I honestly don't know," she made her way back to her bed and sat slowly. "I feel really sorry for hurting him but at the same time I… I also feel relieved, for both him and me."
"Do you want to go back to him?" Tygra crouched and placed his hands over hers. "I know he ended what you had because of me, and I don't want to cause him pain."
Cheetara retrieved her hands and then reached up to cup his face with them. "Tygra… I can't go back to him. Do you know why? Because he is right; he can let go of me, but I can't let go of you… I can't let go."
"Cheetara…"
"The thought of losing you… I can't bear it," she confessed. "The moment you let go of my hand and jumped down from the building to fight the Demon Beasts was the moment where I realized that if you die… if you leave me alone… I won't have anything left. My life would be empty without you." (1)
"I feel the same way," Tygra whispered, finally understanding the feeling of dread he had experienced every time he had saved her from certain death. Without her his days would be meaningless. "If I lost you, Cheetara… my life would have no meaning."
"It seems Panthro was right…" the cheetah smiled softly. "We can't let go of each other."
"And I wouldn't have it any other way," the tiger reassured her. "You?"
She shook her head no and closed the space between them. "Of course not," she whispered, her lips nearly touching his. "Because I…"
"…love you," he completed for her as he brought his arms around her. "I love you, Cheetara."
"Not fair," she murmured enjoying the feeling of his strong arms circling her, making her feel safe and protected, just like he always had done. "I wanted to say it before you… but I will be the first to do this."
Without a warning she moved up and kissed him. She kissed him softly, hesitantly at first but little by little gaining confidence as they both found a common ground. She felt him take charge of their kissing, and had no objections, because for Cheetara it was as if she would melt in his warmth embrace, with the taste of him filling her, the soft movements of his lips making her feel that even her soul was being caressed by him as the kiss progressed. When their lips parted, she looked at him with tenderness and offered him a shy smile, which he returned with one of his own. Cheetara tightened her embrace and pressed herself against him, enjoying the way he followed her lead as he hugged her tighter.
"That felt just right," she said in a whisper as she was still catching her breath.
"Yes, it did… and I'm sure this will feel even better," and with this, he kissed her again, earning a moan of pleasure from her as they continued expressing, at long last, the love they had shared in silence for far too long.
In the end it took Tygra more than ten minutes to go to Panthro's workshop.
Somewhere else…
WilyKit fell to her knees and cursed at the weakness which had abruptly invaded her. She had started feeling drained halfway through her descent from the top of the mountain, and it had taken almost all she had before she managed to get to where the vortex Mumm-Ra had created was. She blamed it on the massive amounts of damage her body had received as well as the cold. She had not rested after her battle with Lion-O so it was probable that she had finally reached her limit. It was logical, even Mumm-Ra had to rest sometimes so it was not surprising that she would need to do so too.
Forcing her legs to move, Kit managed to stand up and tried to take a step, but all she achieved was to fall again and roll down the stairs. She stopped just a few steps away from the vortex back to the Black Pyramid. She noticed it was smaller now, half the size it had been when she arrived to this cursed water planet. The girl felt fear spread through her as she saw the vortex shrink a little more; if she did not get up and enter it soon, she would end up stranded in Water-O.
"No… I refuse!" she weakly protested, forcing her shaking arms and legs to carry her to the portal. Once there she somehow got back on her feet and stumbled into the vortex.
It all happened in a flash for the warrior maiden, it took her less than a second to go from the frozen mountain to the dark Throne room of her master. The vortex closed behind her and she weakly tried to move forward, only to collapse as the last of her unbelievable strength finally abandoned her.
WilyKit might have fallen prey to despair but she didn't because she was back home and she knew nothing here would dare disturb her or harm her. Taking her time, Mumm-Ra's concubine managed to sit up and reach for the sword that she had tied to her waist. It felt heavier than when she first held it in her hand, a result of her obvious lack of energy, but as she appraised it, Kit noticed the sword seemed to fit better in her hand, as if it actually liked being held by her.
"Good, good," she told the sword. "You better get used to being in my hands, because you're mine now and you will be mine for all eternity."
"I see you were successful, my dear."
The raspy voice of her master made WilyKit feel instantly better, and she looked to her right to find Mumm-Ra standing by the Throne Room's entrance. Her lord was approaching her now, and he changed as he did so, going from his massive warrior form to the smaller, but far more attractive, shape of her lover, the gorgeous man she called Amon-Ra.
"Yes, my master," she then made an effort to raise the small sword, showing it to her king, who was already standing in front of her. "I have the Dragon Fang."
"I expected nothing less from you," Mumm-Ra praised, reaching for the sword as he spoke but not actually taking it. "You have made me proud today, WilyKit."
"I live to serve you," Kit said then, her voice low and tired.
Then, and much to her surprise, WilyKit found herself being lifted by her master, who proceeded to carry her bridal style out of the Throne Room.
"You did well, my beloved," the undead priest told her, enjoying the strong emotion his words sparked in the girl's eyes, for it was an unquestionable confirmation of just how completely she belonged to him now. "It is time for you to rest. You will sleep tonight, and when you wake you'll be replenished and ready to help me conquer this planet again."
"It will be a privilege," she muttered, finally falling asleep in the arms of the man who was, along her twin, the most important person in her life.
Pleased again by her loyalty, and still surprised that she had managed to acquire the Dragon Fang, the warlock carried WilyKit to her chambers. Once there he carefully laid her in her bed and watched her sleep for a couple of minutes, feeling quite pleased at what she had become under his guidance, at how well he had molded her into the willing agent of darkness she now was. The demon priest had taken her from Lion-O and changed her destiny completely. She and her twin were, undoubtedly, two of his greatest triumphs.
The evil wizard returned to her decayed form then and started to leave the room, but a glint on his concubine's torso caught his eye. The Dragon Fang. Feeling curious about it, Mumm-Ra reached for it in order to better appreciate the sword in dormant state. He had learned about this blade eons ago, and had wanted to have it in his possession for centuries now. The fact that only women could wield it had always stopped him, but thanks to the lovely kitten sleeping before him that was no longer a problem and since he absolutely owned the current wielder of the Dragon Fang, then the sword was as good as his, and it would be used to help further his designs. This pleased the mummy as there were few things he enjoyed more than to getting his own way even if it had to be through such a roundabout method as this. Mumm-Ra tightened his grip on the sword then, which caused a reaction he had not expected at all; the sword woke in his hand, and it started sending wave after wave of biting cold into his arm. It didn't take long for his hand and forearm to be covered in a thin layer of ice. Annoyed, the demon priest flexed his arm to break the frost and, quite surprised by how negatively the sword had reacted to him, decided to place the Dragon Fang next to Kit's pillow, which was enough for the sword to cease hostilities.
"You are magnificent," the wizard praised as he ran his fingers through his sleeping beauty's silky scarlet hair, "Only a magnificent woman such as you could have gotten this sword of ice, WilyKit. With you and your brother beside me, I will regain control of this miserable planet, and you both will be standing by my side when the upcoming battle is won."
His promise made the immortal one strode from the room.
In the desert close to Mumm-Ra's pyramid…
Lion-O landed the Sky Cutter a little beyond the place where he had rescued Panthro and Tygra and thanked the Thunderian engineer who had installed the inertial dampers on the machine, for those had allowed him to stop instead of sliding over the crystallized ground. The location was as deserted and desolate as the last time he had been here, with the howling of the wind being the only thing which broke the oppressive silence. The wind, however, had carried a considerable amount of sand to this location, and the king realized it would be a matter of a day or two before the sand buried the glass-like ground on which he and Wizz-Ra now stood.
"Well, here we are," Lion-O announced. "Should I try to find any traces of that rift now, or do you need to do something else first?"
"I can't do anything until you find the residue of the portal," Wizz-Ra reminded him. "Please help me with that."
Lion-O nodded and reached for his sword. He brought the hilt up to eye level and prepared to scan the area for anything strange the sword could reveal to him. "Sword of Omens, I command you to give me sight beyond sight!"
The Eye of Thundera did as it was bid, enhancing the young king's vision and allowing him to see a thread of ethereal sparks which Lion-O imagined were the traces of magic floating in the air. It surprised him the Eye of Thundera was able to do this, something it had never done before. Glad that the sword was being this helpful the lion's gaze followed the shiny orbs until he found what looked like a crevice made of light floating in the middle of the air, with small tendrils of energy licking its edges in a way Lion-O found quite unnerving.
"I found it," the king announced, lowering his sword and pointing at where he had just seen that fissure in reality. "It's over there."
Wizz-Ra hurried to where Lion-O was pointing at and extended a hand as he chanted a spell. "You are correct, Lion-O, it is very faint, but I can feel the dimensional rift here."
"Are you going to close it now?"
"Yes, I will."
"Good, I don't want to be here any longer than we have to, Wizz-Ra," Lion-O announced as he dragged the Sky Cutter closer to where the white wizard was working and turned on the vehicle's lights in order to help the wizard better see what he was doing. "This place feels wrong, it's too quiet and there's something here that is making my skin crawl."
"I'll do this as fast as I can," Wizz-Ra promised. "I just need to concentrate and then…"
The wizard's words were cut short by a growl from the Sword of Omens. The warning of incoming danger came too late, however, since before Wizz-Ra could react he was struck by a wave of blue lightning which threw him several steps away. The wizard cried in agony as he struggled to regain his footing after the savage attack, a task which proved worryingly difficult.
"Stop, whoever you are!" Lion-O demanded as he jumped, blade at the ready, in front of the white wizard to offer him protection. The young king had brought his sword up, and used it to halt the barrage of azure electricity; for a moment, the charge increased in its intensity, but it ended almost instantly after that.
"We meet again at last, lord of the Thundercats," a voice mocked. The owner of the voice was talking to them from behind the Sky Cutter's light and only his silhouette could be seen, but despite its still unfamiliar adult deepness Lion-O knew this voice, knew it quite well. But to think it was actually him was impossible!
"Wily… WilyKat?" the young king managed to get out, still not completely recovered from the surprise seeing a dead man in front of him had caused. "I-impossible, you're… you're dead! Mumm-Ra killed you!"
"You shouldn't believe everything you see, Lion-O" WilyKat replied with a cold voice. "I'm better than before, which is something I won't be able to say about you when I'm through with you. I'm sure my master will be pleased if I deliver your broken body to him!"
Something in Kat's hands glowed in the dark then. There was a quick flash of light and a wave of power sliced through the Sky Cutter, exploding it into flaming pieces. Only Lion-O's miraculously quick reflexes allowed him to use the Sword of Omens to block the shockwave generated by the deadly attack.
"You blocked my slash wave," WilyKat lamented as he walked through the flames of the wrecked flying vehicle.
"It really is you…" Lion-O muttered, the fire's light had finally given the young king a good look at his former comrade, who wore similar attire to what Mumm-Ra wore in warrior form except that Kat's clothes were an immaculate white. The lion recalled Jackalman's words about Mumm-Ra having a student and then it all fell into place. "You're Mumm-Ra's apprentice!"
"It could not be any other way," Kat mocked, satisfied by Lion-O's discomfort. "My master saw the potential in me, something you Thundercats could never do!"
"It's…" Lion-O started but his words were interrupted by a new blast of electricity Kat assailed him with. The attack had come faster than the king had anticipated and that, combined with him being distracted by Kat's presence, was all it took for the lighting to stike him hard, sending him flying all the way back to where Wizz-Ra was just starting to get up.
"He took me by surprise," the white wizard admitted as he finally rose. "But that won't happen again. Don't worry, Lion-O, I'll take care of Mumm-Ra's apprentice."
"No, this is a Thundercat matter; I'll deal with it," the king declared. "You came here to close that portal, so go ahead and do it. I'll handle this."
"You'll handle me?" WilyKat, who by then was only a few steps away from Lion-O, mocked. "I doubt it. It is I who will be handling you both. Wizz-Ra will die and you Lion-O, you I will break for what you did to my sister!"
"Your sister…" Lion-O growled and aimed the tip of his sword at Kat. "It was probably you who convinced her to return to Mumm-Ra's side!"
"WilyKit made that choice on her own," Kat corrected with a smirk. "You can't blame her for making the right one."
"You two are Mumm-Ra's slaves now!" Lion-O countered, "How is letting that cursed mummy manipulate you the right choice?"
Much to the lion's suprise, Kat laughed at his last remark. "Manipulate us? Lion-O, I knew you were stupid but not to this extent! You think Mumm-Ra is forcing us? Mumm-Ra rescued us after you and your friends, the other Thundercats, betrayed us! He is the only one who has truly helped us!"
"He's turned your sister into a killer! How is that helping her or you?"
"The lives of the slaves mean nothing to us, Lion-O," the wizard in training declared. "If you were a true king you would understand… And he's not going to close that portal!"
WilyKat jumped at Wizz-Ra, his scythe at the ready, with the intention of cutting the holy wizard in half. Lion-O was ready this time and intercepted Kat in midair with a rising swing of his sword. The maneuver surprised Kat, who was pushed back and barely managed to land on his feet, while Lion-O had no trouble touching ground perfectly just a few steps ahead of Wizz-Ra. Despite his graceful landing, Lion-O felt a little flash of pain shoot up his back, something he made sure to hide.
"How long before you finish what you're doing?" the king asked, never taking his eyes off WilyKat.
"A few more minutes, the rift in reality is wider than I expected," Wizz-Ra informed, pausing the casting of the containing spell for an instant. "Can you buy me that time?"
"I think I can… but I really don't want this fight."
"You shouldn't have started it then!" Kat interjected. Mumm-Ra's apprentice dashed at Lion-O with amazing speed and took another swing at him, which was again blocked by the Thunderian king, who used this opportunity to push Kat away from Wizz-Ra.
"This is madness, WilyKat!" the lion argued as he parried or blocked his former friend's attacks as best as he could, all the time ignoring his protesting back. "Think about the people, do you really want to see them suffer? That's not what the Kat I remember would do!"
"The Kat you remember was a stupid child and he is gone!" Kat shot back as he increased the startling speed with which he swung his weapon. "Do you think I care about those miserable slaves? To me they are nothing but disgusting, expendable things!"
WilyKat was able to slid under his opponent's defense in that instant, and used this chance to deliver a powerful kick to the king's torso, sending him stumble a few steps away, he followed this successful strike with a new swing of his weapon, which the lion was barely able to block by locking the Sword of Omens with his magic scythe.
"You can't be serious about that!" Lion-O grunted then, ignoring the wave of pain going up and down his spine. Though he didn't possess the spectacular physical power of his sister, WilyKat was at the very least as strong as Lion-O was, and the king was finding it quite difficult to use his full strength without hurting himself more and more. "…The ones you call slaves are Thunderians like you, how can you say this?"
"Because they are inferior!" WilyKat responded as he kept pushing forward, trying to untangle his scythe from the king's sword. "Their lives are ours to take as we please! And I have taken so many…"
"So you have killed too," Lion-O, taking advantage of the way Kat had moved his weapon, pushed to the left, using the Sword of Omens as a lever and finally managing to free it.
"Of course I have," WilyKat replied calmly, moving his scythe from left to right as he assessed Lion-O's defense, searching for an opening he could use and wondering why the Thunderian king seemed so hesitant to fight. Curious about the lion's behavior, Kat decided to buy some time by revealing some of the executions he was responsible for. "The first one I killed was Bengali, I'm the one who encased him in crystal; then there are all those rebels I helped capture… and I recently killed a miserable farmer who dared shoot at me. I killed many to harvest their souls and gain control of this fine weapon, and don't forget I am the one who helped Mumm-Ra open the dimensional gate."
"You're worse than a traitor," Lion-O accused with an angry whisper, feeling his rage increase as he listened to WilyKat's evil boasts. "You have become a monster!"
"Does that make you angry?" Kat said with a laugh. "How would you feel if I told you I murdered your dear friend Snarf?"
"Wha… what?" Lion-O felt his body freeze the moment he heard those words; up until then Lion-O had blamed Mumm-Ra for Snarf's death, focusing all the rage such injustice made him feel on the dark wizard. But now, the one responsible for cutting Snarf's life short was standing right in front of him, admitting to his crimes with prideful arrogance. Torn between the rage, the burning need for revenge and the notion that the one responsible of causing him such pain was none other than a former Thundercat, one that he had always thought of and cared for as a younger brother, Lion-O could do nothing but remain still, lost in a sea of turmoil and conflicting emotions.
WilyKat noticed the king's hesitation and did not waste this new opportunity. His main goal still in mind, the young apprentice made a dash around Lion-O and prepared to behead Wizz-Ra before the latter could complete the spell he was casting. It seemed as if WilyKat would be successful; Wizz-Ra, still concentrating on his task, did not see the upcoming attack and Lion-O, distracted by the recent revelation reacted too late; there was no way he could intercept Kat on time.
Mumm-Ra's apprentice was convinced that he had won, he could almost taste victory. He didn't care much about Wizz-Ra closing the portal since he knew opening it was something that could be done again. What he cared about was fulfilling the mission he had received from his master, and that mission was almost complete. He was about to jump and decapitate the white wizard when a powerful blast of energy hit him on the side and sent him flying to the ground. The blast sent him skidding over the glass surface and he was forced to use the blade of his weapon as an anchor to force himself to stop. WilyKat tried to get up, but the energy around him increased in potency and managed to keep him on the ground and it was also making him feel sick. Kat felt his intestines twist and his dark, empowered blood started to boil, burning him from the inside as it ravaged his body.
Using all his strength the young wizard in training managed to look up, and what he saw confirmed his fears. Lion-O was using the Eye of Thundera to keep him restrained, just as the king had done with his sister. He, however, had not imagined the pain would be this unbearable! It was no wonder Kit had resorted to trickery in order to escape it.
"I made the mistake of letting your sister go, but you… you murderer! I'm never letting you go!" Lion-O declared, his voice filled with barely contained rage. "I'm taking you prisoner, WilyKat, and you will stand trial for your crimes!"
"You… are no one to… judge me!" Kat growled. Struggling, the young apprentice slowly got on his knees and brought his scythe up. WilyKat felt as if his stomach and lungs would burst any minute, but he managed to endure it and then, with a scream, Kat focused all his magic on the blade of his weapon, which in turn amplified the magic being fed to it into a shield that not only managed to block the energy the Sword of Omens was attacking Kat with, but to also deflect it to one side.
"How did you do that?" A surprised Lion-O muttered. The king kept his sword still up, not sure what to do about Kat now that the option of incapacitating him appeared to be out of the question.
"You are not the only one with a magic weapon, Lion-O!" WilyKat bragged, dashing forward as he tried to impale his adversary. "This is Mongor's scythe, forged by Mum-Ra and the Ancient Spirits of Evil centuries ago! I've unleashed its true power!"
"Liar, Mongor's scythe was different," Lion-O disputed while blocking Kat's attack and countering with a swing of his sword. "But it doesn't matter how strong you think you are or how powerful your weapon is… you will come with me!"
"You talk as if I have to obey you," Kat replied, jumping back to avoid the lion's blade. The dark apprentice surveyed the field, trying to find a way to turn things in his favor. To his right Wizz-Ra was still focusing on his magic, and attacking him would mean giving his back to Lion-O, which was not an option but… WilyKat noticed something very interesting behind the king: the spilled fuel of the Sky Cutter was still burning. Smiling, Mumm-Ra's disciple realized just what he had to do to win this fight.
"I wouldn't expect a traitor to obey me," Lion-O too focused on protecting Wizz-Ra, replied then, not noticing where Kat was looking. "But I fully expect you to pay for your crimes!"
WilyKat did not answer Lion-O's words; he instead swung at him with his scythe several times, going for both low and high attacks with a ferocity and technique which surpassed what the young king was expecting; surprised by this display of extraordinary skill, the lion was pushed back several steps, towards the still burning remains of the wrecked Sky Cutter. Not being able to look back, Lion-O was distracted when the flames licked his leg, causing him to drop his guard for an instant, which was just what Kat had planned for.
"You will die here!" WilyKat screamed as he took his chance, aiming to deliver a blow to the Thunderian king he was sure would slay the monarch.
Lion-O's eyes opened wide in fear as he realized that he had no time to block or parry the attack, and his hurting back all but ensured he would be too slow to dodge it. The king understood he would have to take the blow and prepared to move in order to minimize the damage; unfortunately, considering how he stood and the angle of Kat's blade, he'd still end up with a very serious injury no matter what he did.
Except Kat's scythe never touched Lion-O. A flash of light sent a wave of energy all around them, dropping Kat like if he had been savagely punched in the face. A strange reaction, since the lion had not experienced any discomfort. The light faded soon, and what the young king saw then was simply Wizz-Ra standing a few steps away.
"What did you do?" the lion asked as he kept his sword aimed at Kat.
"Not me, them," Wizz-Ra replied, gesturing to the four sources of warm light hovering behind him. "The Ancient Spirits of Goodness. It was their power flowing through me just a moment ago, Lion-O. We used it to seal and fortify the barriers between this dimension and the Underworld. Neither Mumm-Ra nor the Demon Lord Tatsoughee will be able to open a portal from here again."
The white wizard looked down at WilyKat and shook his head in defeat. "He's been corrupted beyond redemption by the darkness if this is how he reacts to the power of my masters. A tragedy, since I remember the innocent child he used to be."
The light released by the glowing forms of the Ancient Spirits of Goodness dimmed little by little until it completely vanished, leaving only the lingering fire to illuminate the place. The guardians of good had only come to close the portal and could not interfere any further. All the Spirits could do was to hope for things to end well, with Light and Good prevailing over Darkness and Evil, the same way they had done since the beginning of time.
"Mumm-Ra has completely corrupted him," Lion-O lamented as he pressed a hand to his lower back to rub some of the pain away. "A shame the Spirits of Goodness had to leave so quickly; we could have used some help getting back to the lair."
"The Spirits can't get involved in this more than what they already have, Lion-O," Wizz-Ra answered. "They can't force the light on living beings, they can only guide them and assist them in order to protect it."
"Is that why they didn't help us before?" Lion-O wondered as he contemplated the possibility of using the Sword of Omens to call for help.
"They did what they could," Wizz-Ra said, his eyes still on the tall, whimpering youth on the ground, feeling pity for a child who had fallen so far. "Mumm-Ra and the Spirits of Evil covered Thundera with such a thick veil of darkness my masters could hardly use their power here. What little influence they could send through the darkness, they used it to silently guide the one who took you out of the book."
"Snarf?" the lion looked at Wizz-Ra with overwhelming emotion. "How so?"
"Your friend was pure of heart, he might not have been able to consciously listen to the Spirits of Light, but he did allow them to guide his steps until he found the key he needed to open the Book of Omens and orchrestate your return."
"Why do you know all of this?"
Wizz-Ra smiled softly and placed a hand on Lion-O's shoulder. "Because even from my prison on the Seventh Dimension I was able to see it. Your loyal Snarf was the one light on this world, shinning brightly as he crossed the darkness, never giving up hope for a better tomorrow."
The lion nodded and returned the smile. "Yes, that is what he always wanted… for us to build a better tomorrow."
"…Lord Mumm-Ra won't forgive… this insult!" WilyKat suddenly interrupted. His strength had almost returned in full since the Spirits of Goodness were no longer present, and he was not going to let himself be captured; not with his sister arriving soon and with Calico waiting for him to join her. He had to end this, and he had used the time his two adversaries had spent talking about the stupid Snarf to make a plan he was sure would work perfectly.
"Stop it, Kat, you're in no condition to…!"
Lion-O couldn't finish the sentence, because WilyKat shot a blast of magic at both his adversaries, surprising them both enough for him to manage to get back on his feet and put some distance between them. The young apprentice didn't stop, and shot a blast of yellow energy at Lion-O, accompanied by a quick incantation. The lion was able to block the attack but strangely enough, Kat's spell did not dissipate like Lion-O thought it would. It instead turned into a bright ring of light that circled the king, liquifying the glass under his feet so quickly Lion-O found himself almost immediately inside a pool of liquid crystal from the elbows down.
All it took was for the crystal to solidify in less than a second for the Lord of the Thundercats to understand that WilyKat had not aimed at drowning him, he had meant to trap him! A quick look revealed the king that the Sword of Omens had also fallen into the liquid crystal, and it was now trapped under him deep in the glass!
"It seems you can't interrupt me anymore, Lion-O…" Kat announced as he kicked the incapacitated king in the throat, causing the sovereign to cough uncontrollably "And you won't be calling the sword anytime soon either!"
Mumm-Ra's apprentice turned to face Wizz-Ra then, his eyes shone red as he stared at the white wizard, and aimed his scythe at his target. "I will take your head, Wizz-Ra!"
The holy wizard did not answer and simply summoned his scimitar, taking a few practice swings to prepare for what was to come. "Take it if you can, boy!"
Tired of being attacked by surprise, it was Wizz-Ra who made the first move, with a low swing aimed at the dark apprentice's legs. Kat had no trouble blocking the attack and counteracted by spinning his scythe, bringing down the blade so quickly that Wizz-Ra only managed to block by some unspoken miracle. The white wizard untangled his sword from his opponent's weapon and took a cautious step back before changing strategies and going instead for high blows, all of them aimed at breaking through WilyKat's defense, a feat the ancient sorcerer was finding easier said than done.
"I shouldn't be surprised by his skill," Wizz-Ra realized as he redoubled his efforts. "This kid is a not just a former Thundercat; Mumm-Ra also trained him well and I'm too rusty a fighter to last long unless I do something quickly!"
"You're boring me, old man!" Kat berated after blocking his opponent's last attack, which he then countered by bringing his scythe down fast, effectively breaking through Wizz-Ra's pathetic defense, finally letting the edge of his blade drink the blood of the holy wizard, who could do nothing but recoil in pain, biting his lips to keep a shout of pain contained.
"I admit you're a better fighter than me," Wizz-Ra conceded, his left hand covering the wound on his chest. "Unfortunately for you, I'm a much better wizard than a warrior!"
The holy wizard dropped his blade and unleashed a wave of white power at Kat, who tried to block it by rising up his palm. This proven to be a mistake, as Wizz-Ra's power quickly overwhelmed him and he was pushed back several steps, evenloped in a containing spell that would paralyze him soon. Kat had to grit his teeth as he used all his power to dissipate the magical blast Wizz-Ra was trying to contain him with. Looking up the young apprentice noticed Wizz-Ra didn't seem to be weaker after using such a powerful spell. He was even healing the wound on his chest!
"Cheater," Kat complained. "Fight me without magic!"
"The situation is too dire for me to indulge you," Wizz-Ra said. "I can't let you win this battle, child. But don't worry, I won't kill you. All I need to do is to distract you until Lion-O can escape from the crystal, because I doubt you can fight both of us at the same time."
WilyKat bared his teeth in frustration. The wizard was right; there was no way he could defeat them if they fought him together. He would have to find a way to circumvent that advantage. A glance to his left showed Kat that Lion-O was still coughing, but less violently than before; it was a matter of seconds before the lord of the Thundercats could call for his sword and use it to get free. He also noticed Lion-O was less than five steps away.
"I advice you to give up now, boy. Go back to Mumm-Ra's side and tell him I'm not going to let him do as he desires," Wizz-Ra ordered, hoping the kid would do as he was told.
"The game is not over yet, old man," WilyKat replied. He brought his hand up, releasing a flash of incandescent blue light that blinded Wizz-Ra, who was not expecting such a tactic. Before the holy wizard's eyes recovered, he heard Lion-O screaming in agony.
Forcing his eyes to respond again, Wizz-Ra found a terrible scene before him: WilyKat had stabbed Lion-O. The blade of the dark wizard's scythe had gone through Lion-O's scapula and emerged from his chest. The gaping wound was bleeding abundantly, and it spurted like a fountain when Kat removed the blade of his weapon.
"I guess that instead of telling Mumm-Ra that you defeated me, I'll tell him how you couldn't stop me from killing Lion-O," WilyKat laughed at the fear in Wizz-Ra's face. "And you're insane if you think I'm leaving this spot until Lion-O has bled to death!"
"WilyKat!" It was all the white wizard could do, alarmed, shocked and afraid to see Lion-O die, the ancient mage could do nothing but scream the name of his youthful adversary.
"I see you're angry, old man," Kat laughed again. "Perhaps you can still save him, if you can make me move… but you better hurry, he won't last long."
Wizz-Ra, struggling to keep control and be calm in the face of this horrible development, couldn't help but try to blast Kat away with his magic, but he miscalculated in his haste, and Kat was able to dodge the attack with a well-placed jump, landing right behind of the white wizard thanks to his superb feline agility.
"For someone so old, you really are a fool, Wizz-Ra!" Kat admonished as he swung his arm back, stabbing the wizard from the side, the tip of his weapon going through the sorcerer with amazing ease. Kat tried to pull his weapon back in order to cut the white wizard in two, but he found that he could not move his sycthe at all. Wizz-Ra had grabbed the haft of his weapon and was not letting go of it.
"This is the last time you use this…" Wizz-Ra promised as he unleashed a wave of power which forced the evil apprentice to let go of his weapon. Then the white wizard growled in pain as he proceeded to pull the long blade from his torso.
"My scythe!" Kat yelled. "Give it back, you old bastard!"
"…Never!" Wizz-Ra weakly swore as he used his magic to make the weapon disappear.
"What… what did you do?" WilyKat demanded. "My magic attacks are weaker if I don't have the scythe with me!"
"Teleported… your toy somewhere… far from here," Wizz-Ra explained as he slowly made his way to where Lion-O was. The wizard kept his hands over his open torso and was using his magic to keep his body together, but the wound had been extremely brutal, and the blood loss was weakening him more and more with every step.
Behind him WilyKat kept cursing at him as he continued calling for his scythe with hands stretched out. The boy's obssession with power was keeping him distracted, and that was good for the wizard; let Mumm-Ra's apprentice waste precious time trying to recover the weapon he had just lost while the white wizard did what had to be done.
Wizz-Ra arrived to Lion-O's side and knelt. Struggling with the pain, he reached up and removed the jewel which adorned the front of his helmet, which he then put it in the right hand of the young king. "Lion-O, can you hear me?"
"Wizz… Wizz-Ra," the lion weakly acknowledged. "This is bad…"
"It is, my young friend…" the wizard agreed with a pained voice. "But you will live… I promise you that."
"What is… what is this?" Lion-O asked, noticing the small stone the wizard had placed on his hand.
"Smash it and… rub the powder on your wound… it will heal you," Wizz-Ra explained. "Tell Pumyra… she can do it for you."
"Smash it? I… I don't understand…"
Wizz-Ra realized the Thunderian ruler was about to go into shock, and he could not have that. He needed to get Lion-O out of there and fast. Unfortunately, with his wounds, performing the spells he needed to do that would put him at a terrible disadvantage, but this mattered not. Lion-O was the hope of every Thunderian in the planet, and losing him would mean the end. There was no choice; Lion-O had to live.
The white wizard placed his right hand over the blood-stained ground and focused, ignoring his own pain as he used his power to evaporate the crystal trapping Lion-O and then levitate him out of the hole along with the now inactive Sword of Omens. "This is too… difficult, can't black out… now," Wizz-Ra muttered as he felt his body strongly protested his actions.
"Don't die!" Wizz-Ra ordered to the almost unconscious lion and then, in a flash of light, both the young king and his sword were gone; and just in time, too, for WilyKat had managed to summon his scythe back from the other side of Thundera.
"Wizz-Ra, I will kill you!" Mumm-Ra's apprentice swore while making his way to where the wounded sorcerer knelt. "I'm going to split you in half!"
"Lion-O's going to live… I already… won," Wizz-Ra boasted in a weak voice. "And I still… have some tricks… left, you arrogant kid."
Kat decided that he didn't care and once again brought his scythe down, aiming to finish the white wizard once and for all. But he found his weapon bounced over an invisible force which surrounded the sorcerer. Closer examination revealed Wizz-Ra's golden helmet had slightly changed color, growing brighter than an instant before.
"Using the magic of your helmet to protect yourself," Kat realized. "How clever… but useless in the end. You're still bleeding to death, old man."
"I'm not bleeding anymore," Wizz-Ra corrected his voice steadier now. "We wizards are very difficult to kill, child. I'm still too weak to teleport but… my healing spell is already working and soon I'll be well enough… to depart."
"No, you're not leaving!" Kat shouted, furiously slashing at the force field protecting the wizard but to no avail, his attacks had no effect.
"The shield generated by my helmet will last for days," Wizz-Ra revealed. "I've done it before."
WilyKat, boiling with rage, circled the holy wizard as he tried to find a way to break through the field protecting him. He tried shooting lighting at it but it proved to be useless as the magic shield simply absorbed it. For an instant, the wicked apprentice considered leaving and going back to the Black Pyramid, but he was too prideful to return empty-handed. Desperate, Kat focused all the magic he could into his Scythe and shot a massive blast against the force field, which managed to resist the powerful attack, but…
"It got smaller," WilyKat noticed. Wizz-Ra's shield had absorbed his magic, yes, but it had weakened somehow after doing it. That meant, of course, that a powerful enough blast would pierce it. But Kat did not wish to waste his own energy on repeated attacks; that would weaken his magic and give Wizz-Ra time to heal. He needed something extremely strong and he needed it fast.
And then he remembered.
Smiling evilly, WilyKat started chanting in an ancient language, preparing a spell that he was sure would be the end of the man in front of him. The clouds above him darkened and a strong wind started blowing over the dark prodigy, followed by the deafening crash of thunder high above. The clouds turned red then, and started circling faster and faster until they formed a crimson whirlwind in the sky.
"This is the end, Wizz-Ra," WilyKat swore as he raised his scythe up and prepared to finish the casting of the most powerful of all the unholy spells in his arsenal. "Hear me now, ancient spirits of the night sky! I command you to unleash your crimson light of destruction, give to me the red lightning!"
Loud Thunder was heard as if replying to WilyKat's plea and immediately, a pillar of crimson electricity descended from the heavens and into the Scythe of the young apprentice, supercharging it with electric power which it could barely contain. Struggling for a moment in order to control the massive power of the red lightning, WilyKat managed to point his weapon at the white wizard and then, not saying anything else, he unleashed the electric inferno he had summoned.
Wizz-Ra, unable to move as he still was too weak to do so, could only gaze in amazement at the breathtaking power the young man Mumm-Ra had corrupted had managed to display. He could not help but lament that someone with so much potential and determination had given in so completely to the darkness.
Then, when the red lightning hit his force field and began cracking it, the holy wizard simply smiled for the last time. Though he had fought it with all of his might, the destiny the Ancient Spirits of Goodness had shown him had still come to pass. He had helped them stop Tatsoughee from entering this realm, which was the only reason they had kept him safe in the Seventh Dimension. Now that his mission was complete, the death he had escaped for many millennia had finally come for him. Strangely enough, Wizz-Ra felt no fear; he had been ready to die for so long that this was the final release for him, a most welcome one. No more Seventh Dimension, no more riddles from the Sphinx, no more torture from the evil magicians of the prison dimension. He could finally indulge in sweet, sweet release.
And he could go with the satisfaction that he had stopped a Demon Lord from destroying this realm, and had also saved the life of the one destined to always stand in Mumm-Ra's way.
Wizz-Ra had no regrets.
The lightning hit him with such force that his body simply started to disintegrate and the wizard's last thoughts were not for the Ancient Spirits of Goodness or for the life he had just left. His last thoughts were for a woman.
"Cheetara… please be happy with him."
And with that selfless wish, Wizz-Ra, the greatest servant of the Ancient Spirits of Goodness and a noble protector of justice died at last, finding the peace he had so long hoped for.
In the Capital City…
Pumyra could not be happier. She had finally finished administering the Elixir of Life to each and every wounded Thunderian with excellent results. Dozens of her kin had been saved thanks to Wizz-Ra's potion, and she could not deny the fact that seeing O-Celot back on his feet so quickly was one of the main reasons she felt so pleased. She would have to thank the wizard when he and Lion-O returned from the desert.
The only problem, however, was that she had run out of potion, as she had also taken some herself to heal her arm. She knew Wizz-Ra had asked her to keep at least two spoonfuls of it but since it seemed it would not be necessary she tried not to think about it and the fact that everybody was healthy again helped her forget about that detail right away.
What happened next, however, made her wish that she had not taken any Elixir for herself.
She was in the middle of the medical room along with a now recovered Cheetara when a flash of light stopped them where they stood. The light faded instantly, revealing a bleeding Lion-O standing in front of them. The lion could not stand, though, and fell backwards. He would have hit the ground, but Cheetara caught him in a flash.
"Wizz-Ra, I don't understand… Pumyra… smash this stone?" Lion-O weakly muttered while Cheetara and the puma placed him in a bed. "And rub the… powder in the wound?… Why?"
"He's bleeding so much!" Cheetara said almost in a panic. "What shall we do?"
"I'm working on that!" Pumyra replied, strongly regretting not having followed the wizard's recommendations. "Nurse! Bring me a roll of Sanare fiber, antibiotics and something to sew this wound with! QUICKLY!"
In their panic, none of the women noticed the jewel Lion-O held firmly in his right hand.
Later, in the Black Pyramid...
WilyKat, leaning on his scythe, staggered into the Throne Room, where he found his master gazing at the cauldron. He tried to walk up to the front of the room, but his strength abandoned him and he fell to his knees after just four steps. This was humiliating, and all the more so because he could simply not understand why he had started experiencing such weakness so suddenly.
"It seems you have reached your limit, my young apprentice," Mumm-Ra stated as he walked towards WilyKat. The mummy knelt and touched Kat's forehead, nodding when he noticed the boy did not have a fever. "Just like your sister. I, however, hope that you can recover faster, since you're more in tune with the magical energies that power your body now."
"I'm sorry, master… Wizz-Ra closed the portal," WilyKat whispered. "I'll… work hard in order to open it again for you."
Mumm-Ra laughed. "The portal is not important right now, my boy; not with the number of Demon Beasts we have here. Besides, you killed Wizz-Ra! I would say that more than compensates for the portal being closed."
Mumm-Ra, of course, had watched WilyKat's fight with Lion-O and his white counterpart, and was extremely pleased by the fact that Wizz-Ra was finally dead. There were other unexpected benefits as well; the fact the portal was closed guaranteed Tatsoughe would not enter his dimension and that was incredibly convenient, as Mumm-Ra knew quite well he would face complete annihilation if that Demon Lord were to attack him. Still, the demon priest could not help but wonder why the Spirits of Evil never told him about that detail, and quickly reasoned they had been hoping Tatsoughee would destroy him. The traitorous bastards.
"Lion-O is wounded… too," Kat offered, bringing his master back from his thoughts.
"I'm aware of that as well," Mumm-Ra replied. "You have earned your rest, my son. Sleep now, for tomorrow we shall bring Thundera to its knees!"
WilyKat nodded and, his weakness finally defeating him, fell asleep. The mummy raised his hand and four Flesh Puppets entered the Throne Room. The marionettes walked to their master's side and stood still, waiting for his commands.
"Take him to his room and wait for him to awake. Make sure you tend to his needs as best as you can."
"Yes, Lord Mumm-Ra," the four girls said in that monotone voice of theirs. "It shall be done."
The dark wizard walked back to his cauldron and observed the puppets lift his apprentice and carry the boy out of the hall. Alone again the mummy turned his attention back to the bubbling waters, paying close attention to the happenings inside the shelter where Lion-O was being treated by a frantic Pumyra. It seemed no one had yet noticed the magic jewel Wizz-Ra had given his nemesis, a fact Mumm-Ra could not help but be vastly entertained by.
Outside the Capital City…
The sun would rise soon and with its coming the protection of the night would was a problem for the woman who rode the Spaceboard ahead of the large army of Demon Beasts as they made their way through the tick forest that surrounded the Capital of New Thundera. She lifted her hand and the monsters stopped where they stood, all of them looking at her, waiting for further commands. Calico, WilyKat's beautiful vampiric lover, turned to both her left and right, amazed at how the Gadruul army had managed to cross the forest without breaking a single twig. Their stealth, as amazing as it was, would be useless under the sun and besides, she could not attack until Mumm-Ra contacted her.
But she had not expected to reach the Capital so quickly. Pondering the situation for a moment, the vampire floated higher so that all the Demon Beasts could see her. "This is as far as we can go. We must wait for the master's orders before we proceed. So bury yourselves, hide under the dirt, the leaves and the roots! Rest, dream and prepare for the next night, for you shall feast on Thunderian blood!"
The Demon Beasts responded with an excited roar that lasted for several seconds and when it died down, the Gadruul did as they had been told with surprising effectiveness. In less than a minute, the entired army had vanished, leaving no trace of their presence. Calico knew she had to find a place to rest as well, and she had to do it soon, for sunlight would weaken her tremendously and she knew her full strength would be needed in the battle to come. Leaving the spaceboard hidden under a large mound of drying leaves, she started looking around until the vampire found a rather large tree with a deep hole in its trunk, a hole big enough for her to fit in and still have room to spare. A nice finding indeed.
But just as she was about to climb into the hollow tree, the faint sound of scared voices caught her ear. With a frown the vampire quickly identified the source of the noise a few trees away from where she was. Intrigued and not wanting to have her location revealed, she pressed herself against the tree and allowed her body to turn into mist. In this ethereal form the huntress had no trouble finding those who had seen her: two teenagers, a male and a female no older than fifteen, who were now busy trying to decide how to escape her.
Calico would have smiled hungrily had she been in a solid form. These kids would be a nice meal for her, and she was starting to feel hungry.
"We need to leave!" the female begged. "It is too dangerous to stay, didn't you see those monsters? They said only the king can kill those things!"
"I'm far more worried about the woman they follow," the young man, a teen from the Lynx clan, replied. Pensive and collected as those of his clan, he quickly made his choice. "I'll go see what that woman was doing by that tree, you go back to the city and tell the Thundercats. I'll follow you as soon as I can."
"Are you stupid?" She disputed. "She's going to kill you!"
"She's right," Calico interrupted, materializing right behing the boy. "I am going to kill you."
Before the young man had time to turn, Calico used her strength and speed to tear his chest open and rip his heart from between his broken ribs, killing her victim instantly. "Now, my dear girl, what should I do about you?"
"P-please don't hurt me," the girl pleaded. "I-I'm sorry… I promise I won't tell the Thundercats!"
Calico finished hanging the boy from the branch and then vanished, simply to reappear behind the girl. "I know you won't tell them, darling. But you will tell me what I want to know. Say, what were you doing here so early?"
"We… we came from the farms… there's a big shelter in t-the capital!" the teenager muttered, her fear making her voice sound strangely high-pitched. "We… we saw you coming and we climbed here… to hide."
"Interesting. Is someone waiting for you over there in the Capital?" Calico inquired.
"No… our parents are in the farm… we are alone."
"Are you being honest?" the vampire asked while smelling the girl's neck. Not detecting any traces of deceit in her smell, Calico smiled and caressed the teenager's hair. "Good girl, you know when to tell the truth."
"Let me go… please."
"I normally would but you see, I am a little hungry," the huntress said, tenderly holding the trembling girl from behind. "I could feed from the two of you, but he'll be enough… you, my dear, I think I'll try to do something different with you. What's your name?"
"C-Caracalis of the… the Lynx clan," the girl muttered, not daring to move as she knew it would mean certain death.
"You look not like a Lynx from the main branch of your clan…" Calico smelled the girl's hair again and then she recognized the scent. "You're from the desert branch, are you not?"
"Yes… my parents…"
Before Caracalis could continue, the vampire followed her instincts and sank her enlongated, even for a Thunderian, fangs on the girl's neck. Calico brought her head back, splitting open an artery and watched calmly as her victim bled. When Caracalis was near death, the vampire bit her own wrist open and offered it to the dying girl.
"Drink, my dear… drink and be mine, be my child," she invited. Calico had to admit this was strange for her but at the same time it felt completely right. It was as if Itzpapalotl, the vampire queen of the night, the one who had made her, was now guiding her.
Caracalis, too afraid to die, did the only thing that made sense to her in that moment. She brought her lips forward and drank the cursed blood flowing from the undead huntress' wound.
Later…
Calico swallowed the last piece of the young man's liver, which she had torn from the now hidden corpse and made her way back inside the hollow tree. Inside Caracalis slept an uneasy sleep, her body trembling as it changed into a creature just like Calico was.
The huntress smiled at this, thinking that her beloved WilyKat would surely appreciate the idea of adding a new member to their little family, for Calico already considered Caracalis as her first daughter and she was starting to warm to the idea of adding more children to her family once the Capital City was destroyed, if WilyKat and lord Mumm-Ra allowed it, of course. And she hoped they did.
Her hunger sated for the day and feeling quite pleased by what she had done, Calico closed her eyes and descended into a deep sleep, confident that the following night she and her love would conquer and bathe in the blood of the slaves hiding in the city on the other side of the forest.
To be continued…
Notes:
First of all, extra thanks to Adam for beta-reading this chapter and for his continued support!
Also, I would like to extend Adam's thanks to constant reader and reviewer Lynn. Lynn, Adam thanks you for your compliments and invites you (and everyone else) to read his own story "The Icarus Reversal", which you can find by copy&pasting the title on the search function.
I can honestly say that The Icarus Reversal is a very well written and narrated tale, it is highly recommended and I'm sure Adam will appreciate if you read it and let him know what you think.
1.- Cheetara is referencing the events from chapter 8 of this story.
