Fall Of The Empire
Rating: T (for now.)
Disclaimer: I don't own this. If I did, the second season would have been out already, and I would be all over that like white on rice.
Author's Notes:
1.) Whattup? Another chapter, another section closer to the end of Sn. 1! After this one, all that's left is: Recipe for Disaster, Soul Sever, and What Lies Above. Are you excited? Because I'm pretty much excited. I told you all when school was finished I was going to try to make short work of this. I want to get the ball rolling on Sn. 2 - expect delays.
Spoiler alert: I only really have vague ideas for how to begin and launch Sn. 2. . . lol. You thought I had this all planned out from the beginning didn't you?
2.) Thanks to Anne and Moon. I love talking with my partners in crime. It's pretty rad! We're all getting to the end of our stories, crawling slowly and surely to the finish line. And to Momo, most definitely don't want to leave you hanging. . . But unfortunately, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Until next chapter.
3.) Not much else to say. Guess I better transcribe the next few episodes so I can crack them out.
Shit's about to hit the fan, , just gonna preface this with telling Echo, "yo, pot, kettle says hi." Somebody was a bit of a hypocrite this chapter. You'll see!
4.) To all those who support the Lion-O x Echo pairing. . . how d'ya like dem apples?! You'll get it. I promise. Also, this is really weird, but lately my chapters have been getting shorter. I honestly can't explain why. But I like the feeling this one had. I so thought this one was gonna hit 12k+, but surprise. Only 9.5K. Huh.
Don't worry. I'm pretty sure I'll hit 12k with Recipe for Disaster. Gotta turn a boring episode into an exciting one!
Warnings: Nothing, except for stylistic things FF loves to om nom. Mild cursing. If you see anything with the first-person in it, it should be italicized. That is all. Present tense is how I transcribe eps, if you see any confusing verb tenses, tell me and I'll fix them!
. . . this text is here for a mysterious reason.
We have a little time, Echo noted, taking in the distance of the army, an hour. . . maybe an hour and a half, tops. Not that much time.
"How could they have found us?" Lion-O hissed to himself.
Cheetara bundled up Plun-Darr in a makeshift sling, careful not to touch with gauntlet with her hands. Once it was ready, she passed the sling to Lion-O, who shouldered it. The massive gauntlet and sword combo sat, a bulky addition, and Echo had to hide a smile as she heard Omens hissing in displeasure as it neared its brother. Plun-Darr beamed happily - which was weird enough in its own right - and completely ignored its sulking twin, whining and begging to be held.
"Too late to worry about that now. But if we move fast, we might be able to slip past them using the same trail as the cat slaves."
"What?" Echo sputtered in shock. Their group would easily outdistance the cat slaves. And if Mumm-Ra's army caught up to them. . . well. Slaughter wouldn't quite cover what would happen. Maybe the term genocide would fit a hell of a lot better. Echo stared at Panthro, mouth moving, but no words readily came out. Pumyra, however, was fully prepared to take up the mantle.
"Are you crazy?! Do you wanna bring Mumm-Ra right to them? We didn't free our people just to see them slaughtered!"
Lion-O cut the cat with a sharp stare. "Do you have a better plan? I care about my people, but if Mumm-Ra gets this sword, there won't be a Third Earth for us to call home."
Cold. Harsh. Echo looked at her friend, unsure how to take this new, determined Lion-O. With time, she could probably get used to it, but man. It sounded brutal, hearing him talk about the truth that way. Amazingly, Pumyra didn't offer a tirade of insults to the lion. She glanced at the approaching army, and then to Lion-O, ideas whizzing through her pretty brown eyes.
"If it's the Sword of Plun-Darr and the gauntlet he's after, let's use them to draw his forces into the mines! I know its tunnel system better than anyone. It'll give the slaves time to escape."
Panthro bristled, eyes slitting as he almost glared at the puma. "If we're caught, Mumm-Ra will have everything he needs to rule Third Earth. Do you understand? There is no room for failure."
"Then let's not get caught. I know it's dangerous, but you owe it to your people. . . your majesty." It was an icy barb, but somehow, strangely sincere at the same time. Echo knew it cut Lion-O deeply, because she could see the pain in his eyes.
"Now isn't the time for that, Pumyra." Echo spoke up, rounding on the ex-soldier. The puma looked at her, a strange mixture of anger and urgency in her expression.
"Now is the perfect time. If he wants to be a king to his people-"
"Then the best course of action would be to stay alive. And that means keeping a level head. Why do you think we headed out the first time? It wasn't to abandon the cats, it was to get the power we needed to defend them."
A bit of a stretch of the truth, but it would work well enough. Pumyra actually bared a bit of fang at her, and Echo resisted the impulse to open her mouth and curse at her in a language other than Thunderian or English. Man, I wish I was with the tank right now. I really need my journal and my fairy tale book. I have all kinds of unique curses I could throw at her.
"Enough." Lion-O cut over them. He took a deep, steadying breath of air, momentarily closing his eyes. When he opened them again, Echo saw his resolve was set. He was prepared to do whatever he was planning. "Panthro. You, Cheetara, Tygra and Echo get to the tank. Pumyra and I will catch up after we lose him in the mines."
Without waiting, Panthro sprinted away, calling after Tygra and Cheetara to follow him. A moment of hesitation, and both other cats followed, disappearing from sight, and booking it for the tank - both to get it out of the line of fire and to provide a secure escape route. Echo remained where she was, refusing to budge an inch. She cast a distrustful eye on Pumyra, not liking at all where this was heading.
And leave you alone with psycho kitty? Not a chance.
"I'm going with you, Lion-O." Echo protested, standing her ground. There was no way she was going to leave Lion-O alone with the mood-swinging nutjob, the threat of Mumm-Ra, and Mumm-Ra's personal sword. If he thought she was going to follow his orders idly, he had another thing coming.
"You'll only slow us down, human." Pumyra snapped, looking her up and down, and Echo knew what she was seeing. A shorter, slightly less muscled human, incapable of some of the insane feats the cats could do on a daily basis. Echo wasn't insulted, and Pumyra's barb didn't slow her down. She would go with them.
"Three on one sounds like better odds." Echo continued, ignoring the puma. Pumyra glared, not at all used to being ignored.
Lion-O looked at Pumyra, and then to her. "Pumyra's right. We'll move faster with just the two of us-"
Echo shook her head. "If Mumm-Ra's there, you'll need me."
That gave Lion-O pause, and he looked at her, like he was searching right into her, just like he always did, blue eyes illuminating everything. "What do you mean?"
"This is ridiculous," Pumyra said, throwing her hands up into the air, "We don't have time for this-"
"Quiet, Pumyra." Lion-O barked at her. The ex-soldier looked surprised that Lion-O had acted somewhat hostile to her, but she recovered. While she did shut up, she leveled an acidic glare in Lion-O's direction, fur standing on end.
"In the Black Pyramid, I was taken away, remember?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know if it was to be showy or what. I really don't. But Mumm-Ra is a collector of all things dangerous and lethal. He cast a spell over me, and he copied my power. He has the same power I do now."
"What?" Lion-O said, jumping in surprise. "That's not. . ."
I'm the best liar in town, baby, she thought. The fables that fell from her tongue were becoming greater and greater in intricacies now. Soon, Echo didn't think she'd be able to keep track of everything she was lying about. But she'd have to have this moral dilemma later, when Mumm-Ra wasn't so close on their asses. She'd do anything to keep Lion-O and the others safe, and if that meant lying her ass off, then so be it. She'd done far, far worse things than lie in her life.
"You got a lot of freaky stuff up in that head of yours?" Pumyra jibed.
Echo didn't let it rile her.
"Which power?" Lion-O demanded, his eyes flicking with scenarios.
"The telekinetic kind," Echo replied, refusing to look at Pumyra, "Look, Lion-O, you might have the Spirit and the War Stones, but he can lock you down with his mind. I know, because I experienced it. You wouldn't have a defense against that. I can counter it. I can be your mental shield."
"Why would he-" Lion-O started, curiosity in his voice. Echo cut him off with a shake of her head.
"I'll tell you later. I don't know what it means, but I have theories. But now's not the time to discuss them. We need to get into those mines and make sure the cats get out of here alive."
Lion-O made a snap decision. He nodded his head, accepting her into the fold of their group, and Echo breathed out a secret sigh of relief. She wasn't used to bartering and manipulating her way to get what she wanted, and she was glad that her bluffs and lies had worked. Yeah, she would be able to counter Mumm-Ra's mental holds, but chances were she wouldn't be able to do it for very long. But, with her a part of the group, Lion-O gestured for her to follow, and they were off.
Adrenaline helped Echo to keep pace with Lion-O and Pumyra, who were all-out sprinting to the surface of the mines. They hopped down an incline, the cats jumping from rock to rock and sliding down the surface. Echo didn't hesitate a second as she jumped after them. Hills were not her forte, and she knew she would slow them down if she just tried to go down the slope. So, instead, Echo hopped, going airborne, and imagined herself standing on a platform. The air solidified under her feet, and she hopped from telekinetic platform to telekinetic platform, keeping pace with them well enough.
Pumyra stared at her when they reached the bottom at a run, her expression guarded.
"What sorcery is that?" She asked, looking at Echo with another, much more attentive and examining eye.
"Special human power." Echo responded, shooting her a smile. "I'm al naturale."
"Human. . ." Pumyra murmured. Echo looked at her - it sounded off, like she knew the word, or it rang some bells. Echo though Pumyra had heard it all evening, it almost seemed as though there was a tinge of recognition in her eyes.
"Is it a familiar to you?"
"No." The puma answered instantly, "You're the first human I've encountered."
And that ended that conversation. The puma separated from her, grabbing a light-torch from a pile of junk, and passed it to Lion-O. A few moments later, they rushed into the caves, and slowed to a walk. The din of everything - the storm, the conversations of freed cats, the distant sound of an approaching army - quieted. Silence fell, and it was almost a little serene, and actually somewhat peaceful, although Echo knew it was a lie. They would have to fight soon, but she prayed that they could get out of the caves before it came down to it. Still, it was nice to have a small eye before the impending storm, from the battles (and knockouts) they'd endured.
"Why does it feel like coming in here was a mistake?" Lion-O asked. He held the light-torch, but the tiny stick was doing a dismal job of illuminating the cave's innards. The red thundrillium crystals glittered in the dim light, flashing a muted red in the darkness.
"Well, if you came for the slaves in the first place, we wouldn't be running for our lives!" Pumyra snapped testily, body posture turning aggressive.
Echo rolled her eyes at her. "Seriously? You pick the best times. Cut it out."
Pumyra ignored her, and Echo glared, not liking how the shoe fit.
"You're never gonna give me a break, are you?" Lion-O demanded.
"You've got a lot to make up for, your majesty." Pumyra shot over her shoulder.
"You are a bipolar schizo." Echo said, tone emotionless.
Pumyra hissed at her.
Echo didn't care. Pumyra was quickly becoming good at grating on her nerves and for doing infamous 180 mood swings. One minute she was sweet and flattering, blinking her large doe-eyes at Lion-O, and the next she was all barb-y and porcupine. . . y. Tension hung thick in the air, and Echo clenched and unclenched her fists, just wishing for an opportunity to come up. Just one revenge hit, that's all she wanted. Just one.
"Let's just keep-"
Plun-Darr lit up on Lion-O's back, surprising them all. Echo froze in her tracks, her heart pounding. Was Mumm-Ra near? He had to be, or else the sword wouldn't be reacting. Both Pumyra and Lion-O stopped as well, eyes darting around, seeking forms in the darkness. Plun-Darr is lighting up the place better than Lion-O's torch-light, Echo noted morbidly, looking at the sword. Happy for her approval, Plun-Darr beamed more brightly, glad to be of service. Now if she would just pick him up and wield him-
Omens let loose something like a gusty, exasperated sigh.
Brothers, reunited. Almost sounds like another pair of brothers I know. . .
The gentle purple light emanating from Plun-Darr didn't feel evil, or malevolent. It just felt like a purple light. . . And that, Echo supposed, was what freaked her out the most. The sword didn't feel evil. It just. . . it just felt like Omens. They were just swords. Pumyra, animosity forgotten, stood closer to Echo and peered at the sword in interest.
"What's it doing?" She asked, her voice quiet, hushed - almost reverent.
Echo tore her eyes away from the sword, and Plun-Darr whined, begging to have her attention again.
"The sword is connected to Mumm-Ra." Lion-O said, peeking over his shoulder. "He's calling to it. It's so evil. . . I can feel it - all the death and destruction it took to create it."
No, Echo thought, it's as evil as the hand that wields it. Omens is just as stained in blood as Plun-Darr.
But she didn't dare say that out loud. A flash of fear coiled through her. Had Mumm-Ra somehow infiltrated her mind or something? There was no way that the thoughts she was thinking could be hers. Besides, how could she be thinking something like that? Plun-Darr was Mumm-Ra's sword. Omens was a hand of righteousness.
"And it's calling back. Let's go, we don't have much time."
Plun-Darr beamed, giddy, glad to have someone to talk to after centuries of lying embedded in crystal. Another thing that freaked Echo out - the sword didn't seem to care that it had been crafted from the blood of billions of lives and had killed people. It was just so damn happy. She'd expected it to be brooding and nasty, not. . . bubbly.
Pumyra turned to her, brown eyes sharpening in interest. "What do you mean? First this power of your mind, and now. . .?"
"She can hear the swords. Her and Cheetara both. It's a power they both share."
"You're just full of strange abilities, aren't you, human?"
"Echo." She replied. "My name is Echo. And I know. But I can fill you in on all of it later, when our lives aren't on the line."
Pumyra nodded, agreeing with her (for once, hell froze over), and led the way once more. Resuming their trek, Echo took the rear, watching their tails as they continued deeper and deeper into Mt. Plun-Darr. The sword happily brightened on Lion-O's back, glad to be their lantern, and Omens grumbled in response, but Echo ignored the two of them. The swords could have it out later (and how odd it was, that they weren't spitting and hissing at each other), when they weren't about to get trampled by Mumm-Ra and his forces.
After a while of walking in silence, Lion-O sighed.
"These tunnels all look the same!" He said, exasperated. "You sure you know where you're going?"
"Perhaps you should lead us out, your majesty!" Pumyra offered sarcastically, "After all, you've done a great job of that so far."
"Oh my god, could you stop?" Echo snapped. She was seriously getting tired of Pumyra's crap. She was the queen of bipolar mood swings, and if she didn't cut it out soon, Echo was strongly considering walking up to the volatile cat and slapping her across her face. Just for funsies.
"Let's just focus on keeping ahead of Mumm-Ra's generals." Lion-O grated.
The tunnel ahead of them exploded, and Echo rolled with the shockwave, coming into a crouch and drawing her swords. Her ears rang as she stood, shifting her weight apart for a better defensible stance, and she surveyed the gaping hole yawning in the wall. There, highlighted against the night, stood the form of Kaynar, backed up by a battalion of lizards, who were all grinning down at them in wolfish glee. The jackalman smiled widely as he looked down at them.
"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!" He crowed, before throwing his head back and laughing.
Echo's hands clenched into fists.
I so knew this day was gonna end badly.
"Ah-ah-ah!" Kaynar tsked, "That sword doesn't belong to you, naughty kitty. Now give it back!"
Lizards trained their guns onto them. Wisely, Echo didn't move to draw her swords - if she was asked to drop them, chances were likely she'd never see them again. Her swords had been to hell and back with her, and there was no way she was going to lose this last part of herself. That Thunderian steel was one of the last reminders of her time in Thundera, and there was no way she was going to allow it to be abandoned in a dark, dusty cave.
She did, however, have a feeling that when the action started, it was going to be quick, and painful. Kaynar began to make his way down the incline, quirking his head at them. Lion-O took the chance to draw Omens, blade flashing in the light, and Echo fingered the hilts of knives tucked into her arm bracers.
"Maybe not, but this one does!" Omens crackled with blue energy, just raring for a fight.
On Lion-O's back, Plun-Darr flashed, clearly. . . pouting.
"You're like a toy that never breaks!" Kaynar grinned, leaping into the air and laughing insanely, "I love it!"
Lion-O and Kaynar squared off, the cat meeting the jackal in midair. Pumyra rushed forward to deal with the lizards, and Echo watched as lasers struck the ground near her feet, singing her fur. She sighed, knowing she'd have to put aside her emotions (I think it would be hilarious if one of the lasers hit her foot though. . . ) and help out the puma. Maybe it might even aid the damn cat in realizing just how bitchy she was being. Echo lifted her hand, and with a flex of her mind, she projected a shield. The air in front of Pumyra rippled, and the lasers deflected harmlessly off of it, pinging against the dirt of the cavern walls.
For a beat, Pumyra looked confused. But then she grinned, her fangs peeking over her lips. "Oh, I could get used to that!"
Echo smiled. "Comes in handy."
With frightening accuracy, Pumyra dispatched the lizards with her wrist-bow. Echo's shield wavered, the air rippling, telling her that it was about to break. Much as she'd practiced, she still wasn't all-powerful. "Pumyra, only a few more seconds!" She called.
Echo caught the puma giving her a quick nod of the head, and Echo felt her grip collapsing - and the shield broke just a moment later. Laser fire peppered her, and on instinct, Echo cast mini-shields as she hopped out of the way, hands moving, acting as a channel for a concentrated, tiny version of her larger shield. I am not losing my swords in this mine, she thought vehemently, I love them too much. Trying to find her way to safety, she almost lashed out when Pumyra appeared behind her, dropping out of thin air, and grabbed her shoulder, yanking her out of the path of a bolt. She dragged them both behind Lion-O, who lifted up an arm and urged them back farther.
"Stay close!" He yelled.
With that, he lifted Omens, who fired a blast of strong, red energy at the wall. It left a gaping, burning scar in its wake, but he continued, pressing his assault, and the rocks began to tremble and fall from the ceiling. Boulders fell from the roof of the cave to the ground, and quite rapidly, the entire structure became very flimsy. Kaynar and the lizards ran frantically, scattering for cover, and Echo's breath hitched in her throat as she cast a nervous glance up at the ceiling. She'd already been (almost) buried alive once. Now Lion-O wanted her to go through the experience again?
Echo jumped when she felt a hand grab her own and squeeze it. She jerked her head, and her jaw practically hit the floor when she saw Pumyra standing there, expression tight, nervousness and fear in her eyes.
"Are you trying to kill us?!" Pumyra yelled to be heard over the din. Echo could see that glimmer of fear in her eyes growing.
Who knew. You get scared, too. . .
Their resident puma, did, in fact, have chinks in her armor.
"Trust me!" Lion-O called back, but over the sound of the rocks hitting the cavern floor, they almost couldn't hear him.
Echo squeezed the puma's hand back, her throat going dry. The cave was already unstable. If Lion-O kept going. . . it was sure to collapse. And Echo had a feeling they wouldn't be so lucky to survive the cave-in a second time. Pumyra turned her head down to her, and then stared down at their hands dumbly. Apparently, the puma hadn't even realized what she'd been doing. But. . . Pumyra's grip increased, and she could practically see the cat thinking, please don't let go.
"We'll make it through this, Pumyra. We always do. I'll protect you."
Yeah, Pumyra could be nasty, even sometimes downright cruel. But even she didn't deserve to die a nasty death. And truth be told, Echo really did want to see the friendly side of the puma. And the only way to do that would be to forget her irritation, her anger, her grudge. She just had to let it go. Pumyra stared down at her, eyes wide, her mouth dropping open, expression completely flabbergasted. The dust and darkness began to cover them completely, robbing Echo of her sight, and she closed her eyes, preparing to gather up every speck of mental energy she had to form the strongest barrier she could. She might dislike Pumyra, but there was no reason for the cat to die this way. . . For any of them to die this way.
In the darkness, there came a small, golden sparkle - and then a bright, powerful pink light blossomed around them, bathing them in warmth and assurance. The Spirit Stone protected them all, forming a strong dome around them, rocks and dirt skittering harmlessly off the side of it.
Echo looked through the barrier, and breathed out a shaky sigh of relief. Pumyra released her hand, freeing herself, and stared at the barrier in shock and wonder. One general - and obstacle - down, and who knew how many more to go.
Slithe, Addicus, and the big bad himself were still unaccounted for. They didn't have much time left if Kaynar had tracked them down. The pained groans of lizards filled the cave, the torch-light extinguished and broken. Plun-Darr happily became brighter and brighter, eager to shine the way. . . but it would very much love it if she grabbed the hilt-
Echo glared at the sword, and Omens hissed at its brother, displeased with it.
Lion-O grabbed Pumyra's arm, the shield around them dissipating, and started dragging her away. Echo followed close behind them, running behind the pair.
"That'll slow them down. But we have to keep moving. So long as we have the sword, Mumm-Ra can find us."
Pumyra, recovering her wits, sprinted ahead, and Lion-O urged Echo in front of him. She kept pace with the cats, determined not to fall behind.
"At last! The way out is just through here!" Pumyra said.
Echo was ecstatic. She was tired of running.
They raced out onto a bridge made completely of thundrillium. It was beautiful, deep and red, and wide enough for three people to walk over shoulder-to-shoulder. It connected two open doorways, and if Pumyra was right, then they didn't have much longer before they hit the outside. If they could get to the tank, everything would be alright. Mumm-Ra against the six of them wouldn't have much a match. Echo would pull out all the stops.
Plun-Darr couldn't call back into his hands.
The bridge was surprisingly coarse and bumpy under her feet, providing plenty of traction. Any worry Echo had about stepping out onto it melted away. Ahead of her, Pumyra stopped, sliding to a halt, and Echo ran into her, losing her balance. The puma helped her up, holding her steady. Echo peered over her shoulder, wondering what had caused her to stop. . . and oh. Well, that was an answer to one question.
Addicus stared at them, face stretched into a wolfish grin as he loomed in the doorway.
"It was so nice of you to light the way for us!" Addicus grinned, twirling his weapon in his hands.
Echo spun around, about to pull Pumyra to run back the way they came - surely there had to be another escape route somewhere - but she stopped on a dime when she found Slithe and another battalion of lizards in that doorway. They were trapped perfectly, nowhere to go.
"Hand it to me while you're still alive, or I'll take it from you while you're dead!" Addicus threatened, advancing on them. Slithe copied his movement, he and his lizards closing the distance. Echo shifted her weight from one foot to the other, uncertain of where she should go, what she should do. She glanced at Pumyra, but the puma was staring down Addicus, unafraid and raring for a fight.
"You want it?" Lion-O said, projecting his voice, "Then you can have it!" Echo whirled around in shock, sucking in a surprised breath as Lion-O drew Plun-Darr, and drove it into the bridge under their feet. Plun-Darr physically repelled him, a bright flare of magic forcing him away.
But the job was done. The thundrillium bridge shattered under their feet, and Echo looked at it, watching mutely as part of it collapsed under her feet. She peered at Lion-O, just once, wondering if he was insane - but then the bridge dropped away under her feet, and Echo was falling.
"You're crazier than Kaynar!" Addicus shouted.
It was the last voice Echo heard.
Huge crystal shards and chunks of rock covered her, falling alongside her. Echo curled in on herself, projecting a shield, but the heavy rocks that crashed beside it were too strong for it. It shattered, and Echo became free game to the falling debris. She smacked against a few of them, her head whipping forward - and her forehead cracked against a red crystal. . . and blackness found her.
Immediately, more strange lucid dreams plagued her. She was running through a thundrillium mine, swallowing against a tight dryness in her throat, flashes of Markata glimmering in every crystal she ran back. She couldn't escape him, no matter how fast she ran, or how many turns she took - he was just there, staring at her with those flat, ancient eyes. She heard booted footsteps, and she turned another corner, looking for an escape - but she hit a dead end.
She saw, in a crystal right beside her, a reflection. A hand was reaching to her, brushing white hair aside, trying to brush against her skin-
And Echo woke up, eyes snapping open. Her body was bruised and aching (that's the third time I've lived through a cave-in), but luck had spared her. This time, she was freed of rocks, and had been spared being buried alive. A pained groan left her as she slowly made her way up to her feet, and she surveyed her surroundings. She was alone, and although she was surrounded by unconscious lizards, it meant she needed to get the hell outta doge. She needed to find Lion-O and Pumyra, and that meant searching for them - and hopefully reunited with them before any of the lizards woke up.
Echo began to walk, already mentally groaning at the climbing and hiking she'd have to do to find the two. As she passed by a pile of crystals, a small voice cried for help.
Plun-Darr brightened, cheery purple light dancing around the blade. Echo stilled, staring at the weapon. She couldn't feel Omens, but the all-too cheery voice of Plun-Darr was very much present. It was begging her not to leave it behind, to take it with her. It gently pawed at her, and had it a body, Echo was fairly certain it would have been giving her puppy eyes. I've been alone for so, so long, it pleaded with her, I was meant to be with somebody. Please don't leave me in the dark again.
She approached the giant sword, looking at the dark blade. Lion-O had said that he could feel the evil radiating from it - but Echo didn't. She looked at the blade, and she just felt pity for the sword.
"You're not evil," Echo murmured, her voice somehow quiet in the cave, "That's like saying a gun kills a person. The hand that pulls that trigger is responsible."
If Plun-Darr was evil, then so was Omens. The weapons were as evil as their wielders.
Echo glanced around her, peeking at the unconscious lizards. She had no idea where Addicus or Slithe were, but it was likely that if any of their subordinates woke up, they'd take Plun-Darr to them. . . And they'd deliver it to Mumm-Ra. So, she had no choice, really. She had to take Plun-Darr with her. Looking down at her palm, Echo stared at the ugly bruise that still radiated pain. What if it happened again? What if it was worse? There would be no hiding it. Her sleeves were ripped beyond repair from all of the wonderful damage she'd taken that day. She was damn lucky that she'd tinted her skin while she'd been sick, or else everyone would be getting a good eyeful of her tattoo.
But there was also her vision to consider. She'd been holding Plun-Darr, her clothes had been ripped (although she'd worn another outfit almost immediately after), but she'd been holding the sword. She had no idea why her hair had been cropped short, why it had just melted away, but it had to be a sign. Plun-Darr has physically repelled Lion-O, but it had only severely bruised her. . .
Still. She couldn't leave it there. Slithe or Addicus would get it if she did.
Plun-Darr practically beamed in joy as she reached a hand forward and wrapped it around the hilt. Echo wrenched her eyes shut, fully anticipating a terrible blast of energy that would send her screaming. . . but nothing happened. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at the sword warily, but Plun-Darr simply rubbed against her mind like a cat would, ecstatic that someone was paying attention to it. Echo tugged on it, and when that proved fruitless in freeing it from the crystal it had been embedded into, she put her foot on it and tugged harder.
Plun-Darr came free with a shing. Echo held the heavy sword with both hands (the hilt was still much too large for her), and looked down at the blade.
"Well," She said, "That was easy-"
Unfiltered agony raced through her arms as energy slammed into her. Echo screamed in both surprise and pain, but she couldn't let go of the sword. Electricity crackled over the blade, and in her grip, Plun-Darr bit at her, again and again. Echo staggered, wanting to drop to her knees, but her body seemed locked in place and unable to move. Echo tried. She really did, but it hurt. Echo watched in muted horror as the bruises spread further up her arm, coiling around her skin like a snake in ugly bands. They kept spiraling up, creeping over inches of her skin. It disappeared through a rip in her clothes, and she knew it was curling up further - there was no telling how far it was going, or what it would do if it reached her head, her neck - her heart.
Despite the pain, Echo sucked in a deep breath, and commanded Plun-Darr to stop, to quit fighting against her. She gripped the sword hilt tighter, tears in her eyes as the pain escalated and her skin practically screamed. Plun-Darr cried in her grasp, asking for forgiveness, trying to stall out what it was - and finally, finally, the violent energy stopped.
Magic, Echo realized as the torrent of energy finally subsided, the blade was protected by a magic spell. . . Sorry, Jaga.
He must have cast it on the blade to repel further animals from using the weapon, after Ratilla.
. . . But Echo wasn't an animal.
In her grip, Plun-Darr shivered in delight, glad to be held by someone again. Echo cursed, low and strong, as the pain beat through her. Who knew magic could hurt that much?
A shadow loomed behind her, and Echo glanced at a reflection in a crystal - and then brought Plun-Darr round. It clanged forcefully against a borrowed gun Addicus was wielding, a snarl on his face. Amazingly. . . it stopped. No shivers as she fought against the strength of the ape, no shakes as she tried to keep her ground. Plun-Darr was much, much stronger than she'd anticipated. She grinned, and Addicus actually had the sanity to look worried, before she pushed.
The ape staggered back, and she pressed her assault, hands wishing that she could snap the sword in two, wield it like she wielded the ones on her back-
A purple flash, and Plun-Darr shortened, a second blade jutting out of the hilt, the swords glowing as heat shimmered alongside the edge. Though the weight was wrong, sheer muscle memory took over. Echo spun the blade around somewhat clumsily, yet somehow artistically, and knocked the gun out of Addicus's hands, and swiped at him with the other hand, slashing through his fur.
There was no blood - only the smell of burning skin as the sword immediately cauterized the wound.
But Addicus went down like a ton of bricks, not even groaning as he just passed out, leftover bolts of energy skittering over his body.
Echo breathed in deep pants, but looked down at the sword as the second blade disappeared, joining back into one blade. She felt. . . god, she felt exhilarated. The one time she'd held Omens, and the others when she'd helped Lion-O - it would never compare to the copious amounts of raw power coursing through her. It felt like every single bit of her was alive with energy, all of her nerve endings firing and crackling under her skin.
She felt like she knew how to fight with a sword that combined into two blades, though she'd always preferred them separately-
A scream filtered through the air. Pumyra!
Echo started running, fingers tightening around Pun-Darr, sprinting to the noise.
She'd promised Pumyra she would protect her, and if Mumm-Ra was nearby. . . Dark and gritty determination flooded through her. Pumyra didn't deserve to die at the hands of that monster, and she'd be damned if she let that happen.
In her hand, Plun-Darr pounded, the pulses rather like a nervous heartbeat, as though it sensed that its true master was near. Anticipation and excitement anxiously beat through the blade, and in the distance, Echo swore she could hear Omens crying out in both fear and anger, telling its brother not to approach, to not make the nightmare a reality.
"Sorry, Omens," Echo murmured to herself as she ran, "You and I both know what has to happen."
The floor she was running along came back to the ruined cavern - somehow, the falling debris had carried her into a separated room. She looked around, spotting Lion-O in the doorway they'd tried to make before he'd collapsed the bridge. He was staring at the other side of the cavern - Pumyra was wrapped in ribbons, chained to a crystal. She was unconscious.
"Pumyra!" Lion-O shouted, his voice laced with worry and concern.
Echo spurred herself into action again, using her telekinesis ability to boost her from crystal to crystal. If Pumyra was there, than so was Mumm-Ra. But as she moved to save the puma from Mumm-Ra, Echo couldn't help but feel. . . almost wounded. Lion-O didn't even look like he'd been searching for her. Why hadn't he been calling her name? Crying out, asking where she was-
Well duh, she thought acidly, the main priority is the sword. Get your stupid heart out of the mission!
Mumm-Ra laughed, dark and oily, the sound echoing all through the cave.
"Look what I found, Lion-O. . . but where is the missing piece?" Mumm-Ra held up the empty gauntlet, and the lion snarled, glaring death at the bag of bones.
If I'm lucky, he doesn't know where I am, Echo busied herself, hoping to catch him off guard.
Which meant she only had one chance.
Echo hopped up the crystals, silent as death, and ignored the happy beaming coming from Plun-Darr the closer they got to Mumm-Ra. She had to stop him - here, now, with his own sword. Plun-Darr would forgive her for stabbing it through its owner. She knew it would. . . hopefully. Hopping up, Echo stuck to the shadows, and then took a running leap off of a crystal, flicking the sword hilt down, intent on driving it through Mumm-Ra's stomach -
But ribbons lashed out and wrapped around her, Mumm-Ra whirling around and catching Plun-Darr's bare edge in his hands.
"Oh, there it is. Silly me, not having noticed it earlier. . . And oh, look, my favorite human, attempting to murder me as usual. . . And what's this? Plun-Darr likes you. . . too bad I am its master."
Purple shocks raced through the bandages, and Echo uttered a sharp scream and the energy exploded, blowing her backward. She vaguely felt herself flying through the air, completely blind and senseless, hovering on the brink of unconsciousness. Her arms burned, like she'd dipped them and acid and scoured them with a wire brush, but any further thoughts were interrupted as she hit the crystals.
The landing was so rough that Echo very nearly lost consciousness. But somehow, she groggily stirred to life, and began to get to her feet, forcing her hands to work and grab onto the nearest thundrillium crystals to help her up. She stared at her arms, and even in the darkness of the cave, Echo could see how disgusting they looked. I get points for trying.
"Run!" Pumyra shouted. "Don't let him get the Sword of Omens, too!"
A bright purple light flashed from above her, and Echo heard Pumyra scream in agony before it tapered off.
"Quiet, my dear," Mumm-Ra chided, as if to a child, "We're talking. But she is right. You should run."
"There's not a chance I'd leave her with a monster like you!" Lion-O snarled.
"Generations passed, and still, your species is weakened by emotion." Mumm-Ra grinned knowingly. "This is power, Lion-O! This is life!"
Plun-Darr sounded almost ecstatic when Mumm-Ra wielded it, a pale cry from the power she'd captured when she'd held it in her hands. Echo shielded her eyes as Mumm-Ra let a blast of energy, at least three times larger than what Omens could manage, at Lion-O, who just barely managed to block the attack. Plun-Darr purred, happy as a kitten, to have an owner once more, but Omens was snarling in rage and fury.
Mumm-Ra tried again, and struck, and Lion-O went toppling over the edge, Omens clattering away from his grasp. Echo shook her head as she got up and started walking, gingerly picking her way over the cavern floor. Pumyra. She had to make it to Pumyra and help the poor cat.
"With this weapon, nothing in the universe can stop me!" Mumm-Ra said, his voice bleeding power.
For once, Echo ignored him. She kept walking, slowly and surely approaching the unconscious puma.
She could hear Lion-O and Mumm-Ra talking, yelling and fighting against each other, but their voices were muffled because of the distance and the cave's strange acoustics. Echo was glad for it, though, because she certainly didn't need any distractions. She had a mission to rescue Pumyra, and that did not entail helping Lion-O fight Mumm-Ra. . . plus, with her hands on fire, she doubted she'd be able to hold her swords for very long.
She kept walking, tenderly picking over the crystals. She was slow, tired, wounded, and it felt like poison was leeching through her body. Jaga's magic had done a number on her, and she needed time to recover.
Power radiated in the room, springing up out of nowhere, and the force of it slammed into her like a shockwave. Echo hunkered down, preparing for what she knew was coming.
"Ancient Spirits of Evil, transform this decayed form into Mumm-Ra, the Ever-Living!"
The magic dissipated, eddies disappearing as the seconds went by, but the presence of the power remained. Mumm-Ra was up to full strength, grotesquely muscled body now equipped with his most powerful weapon. He didn't have the stones, but if Lion-O lost the fight, well. . . Echo could kiss her existence on Third Earth goodbye. Lights streaked across the room, and the cavern collapsed in a few places, red thundrillium crystals raining down on them all. Echo ignored what she could, and swatted away large bits that threatened to try and take her out. Another force of power rose as Omens screamed in defiance, hissing and spitting at its brother blade.
"Thunder. Thunder. Thunder! ThunderCats, HO!"
The fight began anew. The room seemingly shattered, crystals shattering thousands of times over. Echo ignored it all, heart pounding in her chest as she finally reached the crystal that Pumyra was strapped too. The cat was so out of it that she hardly noticed as Echo approached, and much less as the human stood on a crystal and began to tug on the wrappings around her. Echo cast a tired, weak smile to the sleeping cat.
"Don't worry, Pumyra," She whispered, "I'll help you out. I told you I'd-"
A shadow fell over the pair of them, and Echo whirled around just in time to have a giant hand latched onto her, wrapping up her torso. Echo struggled, futilely kicking and squirming in his grasp, but she was weak. Mumm-Ra hefted her up, red eyes boring down at her, and Echo stared up at him, breathing heavily. This is how I die, she panicked, he's going to squeeze me until I pop like a cherry or something.
Instead, Mumm-Ra offered her a smile, sharp teeth poking out of decaying gums. "It wouldn't do to have you die here, would it? There is no honor in such a defeat."
And he threw her.
Echo gasped as she went flying through the air again, and let loose a cry of pain as she came to messy tumble on the cavern floor - and smacked into a wall. For a moment, reality spun around in her sickening circles, and blood stung as it dripped down the side of her face, but it gave Echo time to recover. Shock and disbelief were on the forefront of her mind - why the hell had Mumm-Ra thrown her? A glorious defeat? A fan of theatrics? Both opportunities had been present. Lion-O, her best friend, had been standing there and watching, she was sure.
Killing her in front of him would have wounded him in a way nothing else could. . . she hoped.
Shaking her head, Echo dragged herself onto her elbows, and forced her vision back into a working semblance of order. What the hell was happening in the cavern? She vaguely swore she heard Mumm-Ra talking, but a buzzing in her ears drowned out his voice.
A flash of purple light, and Pumyra cried out in fear as she fell through the air, still bound to the crystal. Echo managed to get onto her hands and knees (I bet I look graceful), and crawl forward, in an attempt to survey the fight better. Lion-O, a streak of red, raced down, bounding over the crystals in an effort to reach Pumyra.
"I didn't think so." Mumm-Ra purred, pulling Plun-Darr from a crystal.
Whether it was through divine providence, or extreme luck, dappled rays of sunlight began to pour into the cavern, glittering in the red thundrillium and making the entire cavern shine. Mumm-Ra screamed in pain, smoke curling from his body as the sunlight touched it. Thinking fast, he raised Plun-Darr and blasted a hole in the ceiling, before spreading his leathery wings and flying through the gap.
"We will meet again - soon!" He voice, voice laced with a promise.
The battle done, Echo collapsed onto the overhang, glad she could finally relax and drop her guard. She closed her eyes, briefly wishing for the reprieve of sleep, before she heard soft voices. Groggily thinking Cheetara had somehow found her bruised and aching body, she opened her eyes again, and felt her fractured heart begin to crack as Lion-O gently laid Pumyra down, half-cradling her body.
Echo was pretty certain her heart shattered entirely when Pumyra placed a gentle hand on his face, and Lion-O smiled affectionately down at her. For some inexplicable reason, tears burned in her eyes. God, look at me. There's no time to cry, but that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm crying. Get over it already. But only if it were so easy. Echo laid there, taking time to gather herself again, and by the time she did, Lion-O and Pumyra were on the move.
Pumyra was the first to find her, scaling the room and entering the doorway.
"Echo!" She said, reaching down, her hands fluttering over her, "You survived."
"More or less." She gritted, her voice hoarse. "I could use Cheetara right now."
Pumyra nodded, and helped her up to her feet. "I should look you over. . . by Thundera. What is that?"
Without waiting, Pumyra latched onto her arms, roughly shoving the sleeves up to see the nasty, discolored skin that lied beneath. At that point, her arms felt damn near useless, the pain beginning to subside, but still very much present. Lion-O took that time to join them, and whatever he had been planning on saying to her died as a shocked gasp left him.
"Echo - what - how-!" He elbowed room away from Pumyra, and looked at her arms in disgust. Lion-O gently reached a hand out, claws running over her skin - and Echo pulled her arms away from both of them when pain flared to life in her skin, nerve endings screaming.
"I'm fine." She said sharply, gently massaging her skin. It did nothing to help make the pain go away, but psychologically, it made her feel better.
"It's magic," Pumyra announced, "I can't dress this wound."
"You were a medic?" Echo asked, the inside of her feeling hollow. She needed anything, a conversation, a walk, to distract her from the flirting and the face-touching and the affectionate gazes. . .
Pumyra nodded her head. "A combat medic. But the cleric may be able to heal these wounds. Come on, let's get you some help."
They began to walk, Lion-O leading the pack, Echo shoved into the middle, and Pumyra bringing up the rear. As they trekked, it was oddly silent, Lion-O depressed, Echo in a bleary trance, and Pumyra was simply quiet. But the human didn't mind. Using a few of the man-made entrances the lizards had forged, they cut their hike by a decent amount, and before Echo knew it, they were on the outside, breathing in fresh, sunny air.
The cats were there to greet them, the mobile fortress of the tank standing just behind them, hangar door open.
As they drew closer, Echo cast a longing gaze onto one of the bunks. She fully intended to sleep everything away - the pain, the heartbreak, the memories. . .
"Mumm-Ra has the Sword of Plun-Darr." Lion-O announced.
"Then we better make sure we find the next stone first." Panthro replied, the most grim Echo had ever seen.
"The balance has shifted. . . We're looking at a whole new war." Lion-O continued, just as bleak.
"Regardless," Cheetara said, "I'm glad that everyone made it out alrig-Echo! W-What is that?"
She rushed over, immediately capturing her hands, probing with magic. Echo glanced down at her arms and nearly felt herself blanch. In the sunlight, it looked at least three times worse. It looked as though she was severely bleeding on the inside of her arms, thick bands of purple and black winding up her skin and curling into her palm. It was utterly silent as Cheetara probed her with magic, hands glowing as they ran over the skin, a soothing balm to the fire that raged just underneath.
"This is - this is Jaga's magic. An attack spell. Laced with Plun-Darr's energy. . . Echo, what did you do?"
The cleric looked at her with worried, concerned eyes, although her attention was divided into splitting as much healing energy into her as she could.
The attention of every cat was focused onto her, and Echo really didn't like being the center of attention, but damn, she was too tired and hurt to care.
"I wielded it." She answered simply. "I picked up Plun-Darr, and I wielded it, just like I did with Omens."
"You did what?" Lion-O demanded furiously, stalking up to her, glaring death and destruction her way.
"But. . . But that sword repelled everyone." Cheetara murmured, at a loss for words.
Tygra and Panthro looked equally as speechless. Done with her healing (for the moment, anyway), Echo took her arms out of Cheetara's hold and flexed her hands into fists, examining her skin. The bands of black and purple were lightening, just slightly, making all of her scars stand out in stark relief.
"It's just a new scar-"
"Why did you?" Lion-O snarled, his voice bordering on a yell. "Tell me why! You picked up the sword of that monster and fought with it!"
Oh, no. No, no! You do not get to get pissy with me! Not after all I did today!
"I did it for you!" She shouted, rounding on Lion-O, her hands clenching into tight fists at her sides.
"That doesn't make any sense! Why would you wield the sword of my enemy for me?"
"It does!" Echo protested, "I did it because I had to!"
Lion-O spluttered, completely confused and at a loss for what to say. Echo reeled, furious and pained, as she remembered the way Lion-O hadn't even glanced at her. She'd been in agony, holding Plun-Darr, and he'd just hopped to Pumyra. Did he even look for her when that bridge crumbled? Or was he going to come back and rescue her, months later, like he had the cat slaves? Suddenly, in that strange, clarifying way arguments made people see, Echo could totally understand the core of Pumyra's rage.
"It's obvious." Pumyra interjected, standing beside Lion-O.
"What?" Lion-O snapped. "What is so obvious?"
Pumyra looked at him as though he were a moron.
Echo's stomach fell from her gut and into the core of the earth. Her lips moved, tried to tell the puma no, to stop, but no sound came out. She knew the realization and understanding in Pumyra's eyes. Somehow, the ex-soldier had managed to put two and two together after having only known her for a day.
"What?!" Lion-O barked. Pumyra had been silent for a moment too long.
Pumyra did not take kindly to being yelled at. She bristled, all soft, kind traces of the puma gone.
"She's in love with you, idiot!' She yelled, glaring at Lion-O crossly.
Maybe Third Earth exploded. Maybe Mumm-Ra had ripped her in half, and she was dead. But either way, it felt as though her entire reality had shattered, and she was standing in the wreckage of it, staring at the glittering, glimmering fragments. Echo clamped her hands over her mouth in horror, stemming the thousands of words that she wanted to say, that threatened to come pouring out. She turned her eyes away from Lion-O, looking anywhere but the lion.
Her eyes looked the farthest away from Lion-O that she could, her gaze landing on Tygra instead. She saw his reaction - Tygra glanced away, jaw set into a tight line. Next was Cheetara, who had her eyes cast to the ground, and Panthro looked on, calm but sympathetic. But for some reason, her eyes didn't stop surveying the crowd, and the next face she found was Pumyra's. She looked. . . remotely ashamed. She just realized what she's done. Still, she looked at Echo, and then to Lion-O, her eyes flicking back and forth, taking in the scene, appearing intrigued as she took in their reactions.
And then. . .
She made contact with those eyes, even though her heart begged for her to stop, that her eyes were burning with tears again, that she didn't want to see what was sure to be there, she looked at him.
She locked gazes his eyes, those sparkling blue eyes, suddenly wide with a plethora of understanding.
Houston. . . I think. . . I think the cat's outta the bag.
Echo couldn't look away, even when a few stray tears fell down her cheeks, burning as they slid over her battered and bruised hands.