I won't call this a filler chapter since it is arguably the most important chapter for character development in the entire story.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own MapleStory or its characters (owned by Nexon) except my own OC's.

CHAPTER 21: Nightmare

I woke up. I still felt tired despite an hour of rest. An explosion rocked the building. I ran through a series of broken walls until I arrived outside. The sun was setting and many hi-tech aircraft swooped in above the skies, each one coming down to blast people with laser weapons. Some warriors managed to catch the aircraft with their weapons, shredding the jets as if they were foil. Many footsoldiers used energy cannons and swords to deal with land resistance. Some were using flamethrowers and grenades to destroy any buildings. But they all had the sign of a scorpion on their armour, weapons or wings. I drew my sword and dealt a punishing blow to a lone trooper. I picked up his A.R.C. Energy Cannon, shaped like a gatling gun with a field of electricity at the end, and sent a volley of energy at a group of enemies. I ran as fast as I could towards the potion store, praying to get there in time. As soon as I got there, a soldier threw a grenade in the shop and it went up with a bang.

"No!"

"Forget it missy. They're probably dead." said the soldier, with a massive grin on his face. I revealed my A.R.C. Energy Cannon and pulled the trigger. The blasts mutilated the soldier, ravaging his face and upper torso. I felt handcuffs. Turning around, I saw a man. He wore futuristic armour, kind of skinny and was in his late thirties. He was tall and had jet black hair, and a very long but thin moustache.

"Pffft. You are not worth killing. You are weak."

Said statement made my blood boil.

"Your pitiful town, Perion, shall fall to the Scorpion Kingdom!"

"Shut up! I'll beat you to a pulp!"

"Haha! You think you're a match for me? Tell you what, if you can survive a swordfight with me for two minutes, I'll let you go. Watchya say?"

"Challenge accepted!"

The man drew out his thin blade and severed the handcuffs. I took my sword out and stared at the man.

"Did I mention I am the king of this empire? So prepare to die!"

"Empires are ruled by emperors, not kings."

The king ignored me and rushed up. I did the same and our swords clash. The king suddenly disappeared. I looked around. Not left. Not right. Not behind. Above! Too late, I realized I had been impaled in the back. It hurt. I felt nauseous as I fell down to the ground.

"Only the Scorpion Kingdom have true power. You are a mere warrior. You are measly. Now stay down and die."

I woke up. I was still in the coliseum, in the same room I fell asleep. Arms, check. Legs, check. Some nightmare... I then felt a familiar energy for an instance. It felt like Jake's aura. What was going on?

Kero woke up. The alarm had gone off.

"I want more nap..." he muttered.

"Get up!" an unfamiliar voice said. Kero shot up and saw a slightly familiar face. A face that was on wanted posters and crimewatch on TV. Kero shot back down under the covers.

"I ain't here to kill you kid. Get up."

Kero slowly poked his head out again. It was definitely Spearhead of the Xingshati. What was going on?

"Kid, consider yourself lucky. I'm telling you. Get outta here before sunset. A new threat will kill you all."

Kero scratched his head. "Which is?"

"The army of a lost kingdom. It is the Scorpion Kingdom of Ariant! You must flee Perion. Do not return."

Kero rolled his eyes. "Who are you really?"

"Do you want me to drag you unconscious out of Perion or not?"

Kero quickly brandished his sword, only to have Spearhead disappear. The next second, Jake and Sabrina were at the door.

"Talking to yourself?" he asked.

"No..." said Kero, punching the air where he guessed Spearhead was. He felt flesh. "You sound like my brother" he muttered at the Xingshati member, a bit too loudly.

"You have a brother?" asked Jake.

"..."

"I'll take that as a yes but something went wrong."

As the three walked off, Spearhead reappeared with a bloody nose.

"Stupid Mizrak."

A young boy, no older than seven, held a short sword in one hand. He stared down his foe. This was it. He spun his weapon and accidentally dropped it. He picked it up again and stared at the one-eyed monster. They were about the same height. He charged at the stump and smashed it with his sword. The stump jumped back in fright and rammed the boy, who fell over. The stump hopped in the air and landed on the boy. He stabbed the stump in the eye, making it run around like crazy. The boy smiled and attacked it a few more times, until one final blow split it in two.

"Yay! I beat a stump!" he said, jumping up and down.

"You remind me of myself when I was little." said a nonchalant teenager. He had black Dragoon robes and held a polearm in one hand. His hair was a brownish red and it was messy.

"Did you see me bro?" said the little kid.

"Yes Kero, I saw you. Now watch me!" he said, jumping high above his younger brother towards a herd of stumps. He surrounded his weapon in a purple aura and smashed the earth in the middle of the pack. Massive purple shockwaves went in every direction, blowing stumps away left and right. He then kicked one up into the air and unleashed a fast and furious combo on it, before sending it into a group of surviving wood, instantly turning them into splinters. He then spun on his toes, holding his polearm out, spinning round and round, obliterating any remaining stumps.

"Wow Lance! That was really cool!" said Kero, jumping up and down again. "I wanna do that too!"

Lance walked towards his younger brother and ruffled his hair. "Maybe someday..."

"And then I was like in awe at him."

Jake burst into laughter. He had managed to cheer Kero up at last and now they were telling stupid tales of their childhood with Sabrina.

"And you could barely kill a stump when you were seven?" asked Sabrina. She then shivered for some reason.

"Nope." said Kero.

"And what happened to Lance?" asked Jake.

"Remember that honour student who disappeared five years ago?" asked Sabrina.

"Oh, that's him..." said Jake.

"Shouldn't we be starting to get to the tournament? The next part is about to begin." asked Kero.

"True." said Jake. As the three walked ahead, Sabrina felt an odd energy. It was coming from Jake again. It was giving her a headache. She took an aspirin from her potion bag and continued ahead.

I have nothing to say here. Until next time. Oh and just in case you didn't figure it out already, the dream was Sabrina's.

Find out next time on Naruto...I mean MapleStory: Warrior Brothers.