In the shadows of the night/When you face the darkness/Call the power of the light/Let your heart be fearless
Never give it up never give it up, if you're strong enough, get the power!
Huntik, keep the faith and you'll survive/Huntik, is the seeker you're inside
Shout it out and make it loud, Everybody huntik go!

There's a secret lost in time/There's an ancient story/One for all and all for one/Fighting for the glory
Never give it up never give it up, if you're strong enough, get the power!
Huntik, keep the faith and you'll survive/Huntik, is the seeker you're inside
Shout it out and make it loud, Everybody huntik go!

Ohh Yeahhhh... Everybody

Huntik!

The Huntik team continues their search, and soon they arrive at the foot of a mountain - the lair of the Legendary Titan of Endurance, Critas. Zhalia is chosen for the bonding attempt, and the battle is harrowing, testing her physical resistance. Zhalia endures the assault well, and wins the approval of the Legendary Titan, but the visions she receives leaves her flustered and uncertain. Events continue elsewhere as well, the Huntik Foundation finding the catatonic Organization Suits, and a plot by the Blood Spirals involving The Betrayer and Kiel...

"Coming Together"

Episode 73

Spirit World, Huntik

"Wow, you were actually serious, Sophie."

She smirked a bit, crossing her arms over her jacket. "Well, I definitely don't want a repeat in here, even if I'll get over it" she answered, only half playful, which Lok sorta chuckled at. Then she looked at Cathy, who was picking at the last bit of her fruit curiously, "And thanks Cathy, for being my lookout" she added.

Cathy slowly smiled. "No problem, Sophie."

"I'm still a little miffed at that" Den said, briefly gesturing toward her with his smores-styled stick (according to Eathon, it tasted spicier due to the higher energy state). "Don't you trust us?"

Sophie smirked again. "It's not a matter of trust, Den" she answered easily. "It's far more that I like my privacy, and didn't want to take chances."

Den just rolled his eyes a little. "But anyway, what's this all about anyway?" he asked, looking between them. "What 'repeat'?"

"Sorry, Den" Lok answered, sitting down beside them, slowly shrugging his shoulders. "That's a personal detail; I'm unlucky to know about it at all."

Sophie had to struggle to keep the red off her cheeks, but she still looked when Cathy discreetly leaned forward. "I know better than to ask, but whatever happened, was it truly by accident that he knew, Sophie?" Cathy asked under her breath.

"Completely" she answered, similarly low in volume. "And also-"

"Ah!"

"Den?"

Den thumped his chest, breathing out several times - with what looked a lot like smoke. "Wow, when you said spicy, you meant it, sir" he said, a little dazed, but still looking at Eathon with a little grin. "Trying it for as long as you did was too much heat for me, but a little less, and I could easily enjoy it."

"Glad I could help" the older man answered, before the corner of his mouth moved. "Perhaps I might not ever be a master chef, but you learn a few things about food when you're surviving."

Den opened his mouth to say something-

"Incoming!"

Cherit came down really fast, almost crashing into Den, and to a lesser extent Eathon before they regained their balance - luckily though, both just regarded the incident in good humor. "Glad to see you back so soon" Eathon told the Titan, who nodded eagerly. "What of Zhalia?"

"Oh she's coming down as we speak" Cherit said cheerfully, to all of them. "However, due to the effort she used in the test, she's climbing down the old-fashioned way."

Lok quickly stood up (she as well, slowly followed by the others). "You mean she's hurt?"

"What? Concerned about me?"

Surprised, they looked to their left, where Zhalia slowly emerged from the rocks - apparently she'd already gotten down, instead of taking awhile. When she glanced at Cherit, he just gave a double thumbs up and a grin, and she shook her head; ah, Cherit and his jokes. "Well of course we are, Zhalia" Sophie answered, watching as she got closer. "I mean really, you should have- wait, is that blood?"

Mostly unconcerned, Zhalia brushed a hand to her nose, where dried strains of blood remained. "Yeah, sure it is" she said normally. "I popped a vein up there, nothing more, nothing less."

Slightly irritated, she crossed her arms - though this was mitigated somewhat by Lok's arm on her shoulder.

Cathy was the first to walk up to her. "How exactly did this happen?" she asked, a little worried. "Were you hit?"

Zhalia shook her head. "No, more like I simply used too much energy too fast" she answered, one hand at her waist. "But I wouldn't worry too much Cathy; even when we use up our Seeker energy, injuries like this are rare. Usually we're just plain exhausted."

Cathy was relieved. "Really?"

"Really."

Cathy just smiled, even as Den stepped forward.

"So, how did you do?" he asked.

Zhalia raised an eyebrow. "How did I do?" she repeated, making a small 'Hmm'. "Well, let's see; I was tested on my endurance, mostly in the energy and mental departments, but some subdued pain was included. I and my Titans had to purposefully lose in a suicidal head-on charge, as was the point, and otherwise deal with a Legendary Titan who can't be harmed too well by such charges."

There was a small silence. She, Lok, and Den weren't really buying the whole 'this was about to go bad' angle she was trying to rile up - Cathy and Eathon initially might have, but after looking around their reactions, were just waiting.

Zhalia slowly opened her hand, where a bulky ring sat, not even glittering thanks to it's colors. "But it was worth it" she said more airily, with her usual manner, making most of them laugh and/or grin.

"Well worth it!" Cherit agreed.

And that was good, but really, what were they gonna do with her?

/

Huntik Beachhead

Solwing shifted on his shoulders, claws tightening.

"Not so tight, you'll leave marks" Dante lightly admonished his friend; still, using their bond, he looked through Solwing's eyes - and saw that he was looking over the hundreds-strong group of Silent Soldiers.

Hmm, yes, them... still strangely quiet, and even more so now, grudgingly going along with everything. Plus now they were starting to be a pain in logistics, thanks to the need to guard, police, and otherwise watch them like hawks. Solwing gave him a small look at that last part, but if anything, he was amused. He just smiled, going over a latest report from Santiago and LeBlanche.

"At this point, some other guy might ignore the suspicions of impending doom, and send you off to stretch your wings" he mused. "Then the suspicions turn out to be true, and you come in for the rescue."

Solwing tapped his head with a wing, a 'subtle' clue his friend was telling him there was no way he'd be that stupid; possibly genre blind as well, but you never know. He just chuckled, turning around to move - Solwing just took off, perching himself on a tree branch above him, keeping a close eye on the Silent Soldiers.

For awhile, Dante just walked on, looking over the report... then he looked up, seeing and hearing a Nexual portal forming about five feet away from him. And through it stepped-

"Guggenheim" Dante said, with a little smile. "What a pleasant surprise."

The blond man just chuckled. "Well, I had to; this place alone warrants the trip" he said mildly, before he turned back to the portal, where he helped the second person coming out. "Here, let me help you, Sandra."

"Oh, thank you."

"Well, well, well, things just got interesting" Dante said, crossing his arms.

Sandra overheard him, but didn't really mind, coming toward him. "Good to see you again, Dante" she said, stepping over a batch of Spirit World foliage. "I wish I had time to gawk, but, I'm sure you know why I'm here."

He nodded, already pulling out his Holotome. "Yes, ma'am" he said mildly. "I'd have to be stupid not to."

Guggenheim just silently chuckled behind Sandra, no doubt at how many IQ points he'd have to lose to get that stupid - Sandra's expression was slightly amused, but far more full of anticipation.

/

A little before

"Really, congrats Zhalia" Lok said sincerely.

"Thanks, Lok."

"She deserves it" Cherit said from his shoulder. "Especially by now."

Zhalia just breathed out. "Okay, don't start getting sappy on me" she said mildly, many of them laughing a bit. "Seriously."

Yup, just business as usual with her.

Beside her, Den shifted, "Zhalia, are you sure you wouldn't want to rest first?" he asked - Zhalia gave him a small eyebrow raise in response, so he raised his hands briefly. "Just asking" he said, before looking at them all. "So, anyway guys, shall we move on to this whole 'third Legendary Titan' part of the plan?"

"We sure can, Den" Lok answered, before looking over. "Dad?"

"Well, the third Legendary Titan is quite some distance away" dad answered, hand near his chin. "More so than the distance the last few times."

Beside him, Sophie put her hands on her hips. "If you don't mind me saying sir, no matter how far it is, we must get that last Legendary Titan."

"Y-Yeah, I mean, the sooner the better" Cathy added.

Even as she said that, Lok worried; he knew that when his sister said 'sooner, the better', she referred to getting these battles over and done with so she could 'properly' recover. He thought dad might have caught this, but it was harder to tell.

"Well, we could speed things up" dad answered. "Timaeus is capable of inter-dimensional travel after all; that involves manipulating spacetime."

"Wait, you mean that great a distance, dad?" Lok asked, surprised.

"It would take a lot of energy, but yes" his dad continued, with a little smile for a moment. "And I also believe that he might be able to traverse the dimensional boundary between Earth and Huntik - but I worry about the energy costs of that."

"Okay, wait a minute" Sophie interjected, stepping forward. "If Timaeus is able to do that sir, why didn't we do so earlier, after I got him?"

Dad got a little sheepish expression. "I was going to, but then Shauna attacked us" he started, "-and well, then it kinda slipped."

A little put off, Sophie soon looked at Lok. "Now I see where you got your personality, Lok" she said, half-playful - he just slowly did a 'hey, what can I do?' shrug, sheepish.

"Guys, guys, that doesn't matter right now" Den said, but clearly trying (and failing) to hide how amused he was. "If Timaeus can transport all of us, why not do it now?"

"I agree, and it sounds like a fascinating experience" Cherit said sincerely. "What do you think, Zhalia?"

When no answer came, they slowly looked around - Zhalia was inexplicably a distance away, with the reason why turning out to be her Holotome, which was open and working.

"Is she talking with Dante?" Lok whispered to Sophie, low enough that no one else could hear, but still nonplussed.

"I don't know" she breathed back, just as quiet. "But it also doesn't seem like she started the call."

Hmm...

Then, surprisingly, Zhalia looked right at them all. "Lok, Cathy, Eathon?" she called. "You're gonna wanna come over here."

Really surprised, he looked at Sophie (who had little idea), then at Cathy and dad (just as surprised as he was), before he slowly started walking. It wasn't long before Cathy was beside him, while dad followed - in addition, dad called over his shoulder: ""Okay... well, while we're waiting, you should call on Timaeus, Sophie."

"Uh, right sir... Let's play, Legendary Titan of Intelligence, Timaeus!"

"Whatever this is, it seems like really bad timing, Den."

"You could say that again, Cherit."

The three of them were soon beside Zhalia, and Cathy was first to speak up: "What is it?"

Zhalia glanced between all of them. "You'll soon find out" she said in a lighter voice, then to further surprise, she handed her Holotome directly to his dad and walked off.

Further confused, Lok watched Zhalia go before he looked back at Zhalia's Holotome, where-

"It's been a long time, Eathon" Dante's image spoke. "Even if we briefly talked about teaching us Curselock."

At that, Eathon's lip curled a bit. "Indeed it has, Dante" he said sincerely. "You're grown up, but you haven't aged a day."

Dante chuckled, "I wish we could catch up, truly" he said. "But another has already called dibs for this call."

And with that, his image disappeared, but the 'call' remained active, all of them reacting subtly... then-

"Mom! - S-Sandra!? - Eathon!"

"Mom! You're at the beachhead?" Lok asked without thinking, directly after the surprised reaction - he found himself doing a little mini-take over that.

Mom made a sound, not even bothering to answer that. "Oh, it's been so long" she breathed, clearly wiping at her eyes, "Are you okay, Eathon?"

"I'm fine, Sandra, I'm fine" dad breathed quickly, looking a little teary himself. "Oh, how I've missed you, my dear-"

"I know, I know-"

"W-We'll be okay, mom" Cathy breathed, a little weak, but that was the feels. "I'll... I'll keep dad and stinker out of harm's way."

"And I'll help" Lok said quickly, before giving her a little look. "Though I take issue with-"

Dad and mom's small laughter interrupted him. "Oh, Cathy, that's so brave of you to say" mom breathed, with a small little smile. "But I can see how hard this is for you-"

"But I-I'm fine, really" his sister quickly assured, even though it was partly for herself. "I'm still getting by."

"Just like what I'd say" Lok thought, despite all of them knowing it was more complicated than simply being 'fine'.

"-I mean, yeah, it's not easy, b-but I have help."

"Indeed, Cathy has all of us to help out" dad said sincerely, pulling Cathy close to him. "And she has your strength, Sandra."

Mom made a little sound. "Glad you finally noticed" she breathed, "but really-"

The image flickered wildly, her image disappeared (but the call didn't end), the muted sounds of explosions getting through.

"Mom? Mom!" Lok called, desperate. "Are you okay!?"

"Sandra!"

"Mom!?"

The image flickered wildly again, then they saw Dante, who looked to have been grazed across the cheek. "Sandra's fine, but we're having trouble" he said quickly, slightly grim. "We'll handle it, and call you back; you have my word on that Eathon."

Then the call ended for real, Cathy making a little motion as if to try and do something.

"Damn it!" Lok cursed; why did these moments always get interrupted!? Then a hand placed itself on his shoulder (tightly), and he saw his dad struggling - dad knew that she could handle herself, just as Dante would, but he still could barely keep the worry at bay. Slowly, Lok looked down, sighing as the same time as Cathy pressed herself against dad (and he returned the gesture).

...

Zhalia could tell things were going well, until the sudden instant increase in tension. "Oh great" she thought, suspicious about the Silent Soldier prisoners, as one possibility of things that happened.

"You know, I think I've changed my mind a little."

Glanced to the side a little, Zhalia saw Sophie and Den standing near Timaeus, currently oblivious to the recent developments going on. Not that she could claim what those developments were herself, yet still.

"How's that, Den?" Sophie asked gently.

He crossed his arms, but his expression was thoughtful. "Well, as you remember, my first thought was 'a dolphin?'" he said mildly. "My image of them was always these friendly, playful little guys - not exactly the idea of fighters."

Timaeus chittered at this a little, showing it's teeth in the process, it's eyes anything but playful (even when friendly).

"And now?" Cherit asked, sharing a glance with Timaeus, almost smug for some reason.

"And now" Den mused. "Well, clearly that's not how this one operates."

Sophie chuckled. "Well you're still half-right; dolphins are usually just playful creatures" she said, touching Timaeus's skin carefully. "But they use their own bodies in concentrated attacks to kill sharks, and occasionally harm their own."

"They really do that?" Cherit asked, worried.

"Not that this isn't fascinating, guys" Zhalia interjected, turning all their attentions on her. "But it looks like the call just ended."

She saw how they walked toward her: Eathon in particular was carefully guarding his emotions, trying to separate what he instinctively felt from what he knew could likely happen, and such. Lok and Cathy were less successful in doing so (or even wanting to), but there was an unspoken agreement to move forward, and not to unnecessarily worry, at least to some degree. Or maybe it looked unspoken to her, but the family had talked it over, as far as they could do under such a harrowing situation.

"It's done" Lok breathed, rather distractedly handing back her Holotome, which Zhalia took carefully.

"Lok-" Sophie started, already starting to walk forward. "What happened?"

"An attack, I think... I don't know for certain" he said, throwing up his hands, hanging onto his own words. "But the important thing is, they're all okay and they're gonna stay that way; Dante promised so."

"I certainly hope it works out that way, not that I doubt Dante's abilities" Eathon breathed, a little disquieted - but he soon found his daughter trying to comfort him, at least a little (and he appreciated it). Zhalia could see instantly though that Cathy was using that to try and not focus on her own worry, the sadness, the multiple reasons behind all that.

"Don't worry, Dante is one of the best there is" Cherit assured.

Den nodded as well, "Yeah, of course he is; they'll be fine."

For a moment, they all looked at one another, doing their best to take comfort/share the worry in all this - then when the moment ended, Sophie slowly put a hand on her hip.

"So, we're all ready?" she asked faintly of Eathon, who nodded. "Very well, sir... concentrate on the mental image of where the third Legendary Titan is. Timaeus will scan the place from your mind, and take care of the rest, or so he says. Everyone, stay close."

"Do we have to hold hands?" Zhalia asked faintly, mildly.

Apparently, Sophie saw that coming, as she wasn't even annoyed. "No, Zhalia."

Hmm... well, it still worked in lifting spirits, even for a little.

Huntik Beachhead

"Newfury! - Nullcurse!"

"Raypulse" Dante called, the three spells colliding and almost blinding them all. "Nimblefire!"

Because the soldiers were still recovering from the bright light, they couldn't stop Dante from blindsiding them - another soldier tried to attack him from behind, but Solwing clipped his legs, sending him skidding. Behind him, Guggenheim and Sandra also did their best ("Raypulse! - Augerfrost!"), but it was a near-literal horde of them in one place, and they could only defend so well.

Just then, three turned toward him.

"Honorguard!" he put up, just as they threw their spells.

The shield held for a good while, but they seemed determined to gang up on him... then, just as luck would have it, it went down as two others cast Nullcurse at him. He was pushed back by the first one, then sent spinning by the second, and he grunted trying to figure out his bearings. He barely managed to see one coming at him with Shadowspeed-

He was thrown aside by the newest arrival.

"Well, glad you could join the party" Dante said, a little mild, even as Caliban slowly prepared himself. And for a moment, Caliban and Solwing shared a glance - it wasn't much, but it had every indication of two old friends seeing each other again.

The one thrown aside by Caliban struggled to his feet, only to see Dante standing right by.

He smiled a bit. "Say hello to your friends for me" Dante told him, right before throwing Dragonfist at him. The Silent Soldier fell to the ground again, unconscious, right before his Spiral Mark glowed and he was slowly taken away... Dante tried to grab him, but was too late. At the same time this happened, Solwing threw a mini-hurricane at another batch of Soldiers, while Caliban protected Guggenheim and Sandra from a sustained gang-up. For a moment, he saw Viviane and Lucas among the chaos, but soon lost them again.

He hoped they weren't losing too badly, as he had his hands full with protecting Guggenheim and Sandra, for different reasons.

Solwing's vision briefly came over his; he saw the entire battlefield as it was, with surprisingly sharp vision everywhere. This included all their allies, the soldiers still fighting - including a cluster very near where Guggenheim and Sandra were, coming toward them fast, pursued by Santiago and LeBlanche. Dante lifted his hands, and in seconds, Solwing lifted him off the ground. "Stoneglove" he breathed, clutching the fist in question; hoped this would protect his hand well enough.

Solwing flew in low, about eight feet above the ground + their upcoming targets, then he let go.

"Dragonfist!"

Slamming his hand into the ground, the shock-wave knocked all five Soldiers off their feet, and then some - debris flew everywhere, including dust and sections of vines. However, even as they tried to recover, ropes magically whirled around them and hauled them away; Santiago and LeBlanche's work. And they weren't done; "Curselock!"

Three of them got away by (willingly) activating their marks, but the two that Santiago and LeBlanche held onto couldn't get away, to their immense displeasure.

"Stick around" Dante told the two soldiers, before nodding at the other men and running off; some would get away, but they still had to act fast. "Now, clear the way, Metagolem, Ignatius!"

...

"Sunlock!"

The soldier struggled, but soon his mark activated, taking him away completely.

"Damn it!" Lucas cursed, standing up beside Seraphim. "Stand and fight!" he called, thinking Sunlock was supposed to disable spells for a short time.

"Bubbleshot!" Viviane cast beside him, before Mythras shielded her from more soldiers. "They keep getting away!"

"Well, we should've learned Curselock by now" he breathed, disgruntled, even as he had Seraphim attack another group to his left. "It's only been days, but still. Though perhaps if the Huntik Foundation had-"

"Had us all guard them, for days on end?" she demanded, holding her shield to defend from spells ("Nullcurse! - Newfury!"). "What's practical about that?"

"Preventing things like this from happening?" he countered. "Putting us all in danger?"

"Danger is part of it all" she breathed, Mythras roaring and sending a blue beam over long-range opponents, even as Seraphim fought several soldiers. "I don't like it, but I've accepted it, seemingly unlike you, Lucas."

"Kindlestrike!" he blasted at another soldier, before this registered: "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Armorforge!"

Grr, the battle was separating them; if she didn't hear him now, she wouldn't until it was over.

Still, that meant they'd have words later, if her interpreted her tone right... of course, it could just be her teenage feelings beginning to overflow (puberty), but he wasn't certain that was all.

...

"This all of them?" Dante asked, trying to put pressure on the scalp wound; very shallow, but bled a lot, as they tended to... which was a problem since it got into his left eye.

"All within twenty feet, at least" LeBlanche said, though he looked to be out-of-breath; understandable - at the same time, Santiago was finalizing the restraints for the soldiers they had gotten. "The battle is still ongoing though."

"Indeed, but they're not going anywhere" Dante observed, Solwing and Caliban briefly standing guard for their small perimeter (the former from a nearby tree). At the same time, he could see Ignatius and Metagolem in his vision, the former blasting a barrier while Metagolem picked up a Titan and slammed him into the ground. "You two, go assist the others, and bring any others you can manage here under guard."

Solwing and Caliban acknowledged this, running off even as Dante turned to Guggenheim (who had two slashes in his clothing) and Sandra (who was unharmed but also out-of-breath). "Sorry you both had to come at such a bad time" he said sincerely.

Guggenheim gave him a little smile. "Usually it's moments like this I live for."

"And I would have braved far worse if it meant seeing my husband again" Sandra told him, her conviction coming through, even without her intending it.

"I don't doubt it, either of you" Dante answered, before looking at Guggenheim quickly. "But after this attack, I think things are gonna change real quickly; we can't all just sit here any longer. Guggenheim, would you like to take temporary charge of the beachhead, being our link between the two dimensions? I realize it's not part of your orders-"

"Are you kidding me?" Guggenheim asked, laughing briefly. "I wouldn't miss it! And my orders say in emergency situations, my previous orders can be discarded."

"Very good" he approved. "Now, here's what I want done-"

Before he could state it though, the still-around-for-now Nexual portal discharged another person; an aide by the looks of her. "Sir, important update from the Huntik Council" she said to Guggenheim, giving him a padd, and seemingly oblivious to the fact that a battle was still ongoing. Actually, perhaps that was just as well; didn't want to scare her too badly (the courage to plunge headlong into a strange new dimension was enough already).

"Thank you, Lily" Guggenheim told her, before going over it- but only seconds had gone before his expressions went from surprise + shock, then tightened. "Dante?"

"Hmm?"

Guggenheim turned the padd over, and they all saw it; what looked to be a usual NASA-esqe space photo of Saturn from a distance, it's rings only slightly visible at this near dead-on angle. However, very near it was something glaring red... asteroid-sized at that.

"Not good. Not good at all." Dante finally said.

The Red Comet was in their solar system again...

Even more reason that once they subdued the soldiers, they had to move now.

Wow, even through his eyelids, those lights looked a lot like the Nexual spell... he could have done without the insane high speed though.

Den stumbled a bit, but before his stomach settled (or tried to), he heard the roar of a waterfall. He was surprised for a moment, and had flashbacks to that moment back in Australia, though he tried not to think about... well, you know. Still, it didn't sound like water to him, because there was a repetition of heavy glops. "Well, that's just about par for the course at this point" he thought, shrugging a bit mentally.

So of course, when he opened his eyes, he was further surprised.

His waterfall thought was right on the mark; they were standing right next to it. The current moved for ten feet ahead of them, before falling down about twenty feet below - but that clearly wasn't water in it, because the stuff was thick and bright lime-green. Due to the edge being feet away, Den didn't see everything below just yet, but there was a big lake down below, filled with the same-colored liquid. Surrounding it was a lush forest, with small rivers occasionally weaving throughout the trees... just much less overgrown than the last one they went through.

Then he jolted himself back to the team, not the scenery.

"Wow, that's pretty... weird" Cathy breathed, looking at the river beside them, with a tone that said 'awesome' a little.

"I'll say" Sophie agreed, stepping beside her. "Though, the color is stretching my suspension of disbelief - you don't normally see this kind of thing except in video games."

"Hey, come on, Sophie" he said mildly. "As it's been said already, this is a whole new dimension."

"True, but that only justifies it so far, Den" she answered without looking, bending down for a closer look. "I like for things to have reasons, is all."

Beside her, Cathy looked like she could understand that, but also was a little sheepish on his behalf that she couldn't let a few things go. Den chuckled, sharing a glance with Cherit, who gave him a flying shrug with a smile. Anyway, at the same time, Lok was talking with his dad over Timaeus (who was thoroughly exhausted), while Zhalia overlooked the edge more closely than he had. He saw this in peripheral vision, at least until she fixated on something in particular, so he walked over quickly. "Something wrong?"

"More like things got interesting" Zhalia said, with a similar tone, still looking down at-

Woah.

"Ahhh!"

Down by the lake, on the stretch that he hadn't seen earlier, was this large horse Titan drinking from the 'water'. At this distance, Den couldn't judge relative size or too many details, but this one certainly seemed to be bigger than them - and light kept gleaming off it's body, suggesting armor or something.

"That's gotta be the third Legendary Titan" Den said, a little interested.

"You said it, Den!"

Everyone else was quick to join in, with similar reactions of 'cool!' and 'woah', more-or-less.

"Yes everyone, we've found him" Eathon said, just observing their reactions, but with understanding. "Now of course, for the update-" he continued, pulling out his Holotome, everyone tuning in to this.

"Hermos" it spoke, still slowed-down, but showcasing the image of the large horse (who did look armored). "Attack: 5; Defense: 4; Type: Legendary Warrior; Size: Large; Special Abilities: Shockwave Stomp, Energy Inversion."

"Okay, I get the first one, but, 'inversion'?" Lok asked, a little confused.

"Well bro, it means lower A = better B, essentially" Cathy answered, giggling a little at his expense - and also, after the initial surprise, Sophie's reaction was approving (plus amused), while Lok was trying to decide between sheepish and insulted.

"That sounds great" Den said, glancing at the Legendary Titan readout. "But what exactly does it invert with energy, sir?"

"Hermos is the Legendary Titan of Resolve, Den" Eathon explained, but not just to him. "In addition to it's own power, it reacts based on the energy of it's Seeker - the lower they are, the longer this one can last against enemies. There are limits of course, and Hermos doesn't actually get physically stronger or defensive, but still."

"A useful ability, for any Seeker" Cherit said cheerfully. "In fact, I want one!"

"That's cute, Cherit, but don't forget why we're here" Sophie told him, but kindly (he nodded), before looking around them all. "Now, to decide who gets this one."

Lok smiled. "Well, dad's survived for ten years, to make sure he found us again" he said sincerely.

Eathon slowly chuckled, holding Lok and Cathy closer. "Indeed I have" he breathed, looking between them. "And it's nice of you to offer, but I think I'll make do."

"You sure, dad?"

"Positive. I may not be out of the game, but I'm certainly not getting any younger - you kids can use him better than I could."

Zhalia slowly crossed her arms. "Well, if that's the case, perhaps Lok might try this one out" she said mildly. "He is 'the hero' in this group after all."

"Hey!"

They all laughed a little, including Sophie, who continued to answer; "Perhaps so, but resolve is related to willpower" she breathed, glancing up. "This is the ability to control yourself, to face something difficult, and stick to that course of action no matter what."

Cathy made a sound, but then she gasped. "Wait, facing something difficult" she breathed in a struck tone, slowly looking at him.

Den didn't get why, but then he slowly noticed everyone else starting to look at him - still confused, he looked at Zhalia.

Her little smile seemed to have a touch of proud in it. "The orphanage, and your brother" she said simply, arms still crossed. "That was difficult for you, but you kept protecting him for years. That included getting him back."

He blinked once, then even as memories surfaced, the impact of those words and 'something difficult' sunk in:

"Whoa whoa, me guys!?"

"Come on, Den-"

"No seriously, Lok! Guys! Me!?"

"Den" Sophie stated firmly, knocking him out of his shock, where she looked at him for awhile. Then she smiled, arms crossed, "You're no longer a beginner" she told him gently.

Den blinked once, twice, taking in her meaning from that day in Ireland - then he slowly looked around them all; none of them had any doubts.

"I-" he breathed, feeling overwhelmed.

Cherit settled on his shoulder, smiling gently. "You won't be alone, Den" he sincerely assured. "I was with Sophie and Zhalia during their challenges, even if I couldn't help at times - it's only right I go with you."

"Yeah, but I still- I mean, I just-...

"Is this gonna take much longer?" Zhalia asked him, almost amused, but still serious.

He opened his mouth, worked it a bit, and then slowly closed it. "I... guess I'm done" he said slowly, still feeling like this might be a dream.

"You'll do great, Den" Lok told him, smiling.

He slowly looked over. "I- maybe, but... I thought for sure you'd want him more, Lok."

Lok slowly rubbed his head. "Well, I could try with Hermos, but I'm not picky about this" he admitted. "If you want him, Den, I can pass over this one - it's not really an issue."

Den struggled... I mean, if he was fantasizing, then sure he'd be all for getting a Legendary Titan... but this was reality + right now, and he could barely answer. He slowly looked toward the cliff that overlooked the lair of Hermos - thirty feet down, fair walking distance after that, and impossible to climb back up by hand.

Not a problem really...

...

A little later

"Are you okay, Den? You've been rather quiet."

Den just continued numbly walking for a little, almost there, then stopped with a sigh. "Guess it just hasn't sunk in yet" he breathed, resting against a tree, not caring about the sharp-ish sensations right now.

Cherit flew to just in front of him. "Do you not want to?" he questioned, confused. "Or do you not think you're good enough?"

"No, no, no, that's not it!"

Cherit just continued to hover, while he slowly drew back.

"Sorry, Cherit" Den breathed, a little quiet. "And... maybe a little, on that last one. I mean, I know I'm a decent Seeker now, and I'm still learning and getting better and all that. I know my friends trust me, like me, and rely on me. But this? This is crazy!"

"Why?" Cherit asked sincerely.

"Because, that's a Legendary Titan sitting out there" Den said, pointing toward the break of trees they had yet to go over, near the lake. "To try and bond with them is the ultimate test of a Seeker, and I don't want to fail!"

Cherit was silent for a little, which he slowly found odd, before the Titan smiled. "Just like you didn't want to fail to protect your brother, before and after he joined the Blood Spirals" he said in a knowing tone.

"Huh?" Den breathed, confused.

"I think you hate failure, Den, just as much as you hate bullies" Cherit merely said. "I understand; when the first attempt to create a Nexual portal failed, I felt almost as angry as Lok did about being denied seeing his father."

He slowly blinked, unable to believe it. "You, Cherit?" he breathed. "Angry?"

The Titan was sheepish. "Briefly, very briefly, before I came to my senses" she said mildly. "It was most distasteful."

It took him a few moments, but Den slowly breathed out. "So, are you saying I'm... afraid?" he asked slowly.

"Well, afraid is a strong word, but you are hesitant" Cherit said, flying to his shoulder, entirely assuring. "You don't want to fail, or let the others down, which is perfectly understandable. This is what makes you unsure about yourself in places, as far as I can tell."

Hesitant-

Then it hit him; his hesitation at being a leader.

"Could it be?" he wondered to himself.

"-but as I'm sure the others would agree, you have what it takes, Den. You can get over this block."

It took him a full minute, partly for his thoughts, but Den did look back at Cherit. "Well, I was certainly going to try anyway, after the shock wore off" he said faintly. "But this hesitation thing was driving me crazy because I didn't know the source, and I didn't want to let the others down..."

He trailed off, but Cherit was patient.

"I'll- I'll still try not to" Den said slowly, raising his hands; he was hesitant to let the others down, and he accepted that. What he was not gonna do though, was let this thing control him, even if it took time; then he'd truly be letting them down, at least indirectly. "But now I'm doing this because I want to" he continued, determined; they thought he was good enough to test against a Legendary Titan.

Well, time to prove it, to himself and them - he clenched his fists.

"That's the spirit!" Cherit cheered.

He breathed out slowly, patting his friend. "Thank you, Cherit, seriously" he whispered, getting a smile, before he slowly breathed in, then out... then started walking forward again, much less numbly than before.

...

"I really hope he's okay" Cathy said, worried. "He looked pretty unsure of himself."

Sophie put a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be fine, Cathy" she assured. "He's got Cherit with him for advice, and frankly, he's needed a little confidence boost for awhile. Bonding with Hermos should give him that boost."

"I certainly want him to" she admitted. "B-but what if somehow, he fails?"

It took Sophie awhile to answer. "I shudder to think about it" she said slowly, troubled. "I really hope it doesn't come to that; the loss in confidence would be near intractable to recover."

Cathy agreed, slowly turning around on the spot, still worried - even as she did so, she saw her bro digging into their supplies for a drink, even as her dad approached Zhalia.

"Mind if my Titans go a round with Critas?" he asked.

Zhalia raised an eyebrow, interested already. "Is this some sort of 'bonding before the big battle' type of exercise?" she asked mildly.

"Yes" he admitted, chuckling slightly. "But more than that, it would do you good getting in some practice with Critas, as I understand Sophie has already done with Timaeus, and it would help get me back to the top of my game. Plus it'll be fun."

Cathy slowly breathed out, a little sheepish - dad always used to say her 'everything meaningful should also be fun'. He usually applied that to puzzles, but it did apply to a few other things too... plus she saw Lok catch this, and have a smile that said he was thinking much the same thing.

"Well, why not."

"This outta be good" Sophie said, stepping up beside her, sounding excited. And Cathy had to admit, she was a little herself; dad had to be good, not only to have survived here for ten years, but to be a great Seeker as she's heard.

A slight pause, to make sure they were far enough away and had enough room, and other 'in order' things...

"Break the enemy lines!" Zhalia called. "Legendary Titan of Endurance, Critas!"

"Radiate, Arkenstone!" dad called, using an amulet + ring. "Overwhelm, Legendary Titan - Leviathan!"

Of course, this being the Spirit World, they didn't come right away... honestly, Cathy still found that a little off, her first experiences being with the instantaneous version. And by the looks of it, everyone else but dad were out of instinct as well. Still, she looked up the sky, seeing nothing... wait, scratch that-

Critas landed first, with a literal thump they could all feel, and her first instinct was to take a step back; she knew elephants were big, but this one was as big a house! Critas slowly regarded the situation, and all of them, before glancing back at Zhalia (or as much as possible) - she said nothing, but the Titan slowly waited. That mental bond of theirs, no doubt - now just to wait again.

Luckily it wasn't too long-

The first light touched down, and formed into- wow.

"What is that?" Sophie wondered beside her, more interested than anything.

The Titan itself looked to be made entirely out of crystal, and thus caught and reflected the light around it, but low-key. It's shape was largely that of a round core, except, due to the crystal, it had many spires and facets that gave the Titan a spiky appearance. It floated there in mid-air, having no apparent eyes, ears, or anything else like that... though there was a subtle hum in the air.

"I don't know" Lok breathed, suddenly on Sophie's other side (must have moved while she was distracted). "But... let me..."

"Arkenstone" his Holotome read. "Attack: 1; Defense; 1; Type: Unknown Scout; Size: Medium; Special Abilities: Levitation, Continuous Energy Pulse."

"Unknown?" Cathy breathed, surprised, at near the same time as all of them; that was new.

Her dad slowly chuckled. "Allow me to explain" he said, even as the crystal Titan slowly floated beside him. "It's not an official designation, not until the Foundation says so anyway, but I call his species Azoic."

"Azoic?" Lok breathed, sounding slightly lost, looking at Sophie-

-who was amused to give him the answer. "Azoic essentially refers to having no organic life at all, or could mean conditions before life ever existed on Earth" she said mildly, glancing back at Arkenstone. "I find it an excellent name."

Cathy thought so too - it was kinda cool.

Dad just smiled a bit. "I think it works well too" he said, before looking at Arkenstone. "As for why you've never seen one before, as far as I can tell, this inorganic branch of Titans and their amulets never jumped to Earth from his dimension, much like Timaeus, Critas, and Hermos. Thus, you never knew they existed until now."

"I can't help but wonder if there are more branches we don't know about, because they never migrated to Earth" Sophie continued, even more excited.

"Well I hope so" her bro said, just as excited as her - at the same time, Lok kept his Holotome open, probably to continue the research no doubt.

"Yeah, me too" Cathy breathed, though mostly to herself; their excitement was of course bigger than hers, because they'd know about all this a lot longer than she (and didn't have her internal worry). Still, this was all so cool, even if at times overwhelming.

"Anyway Lok, better remember to advise the research branch about this when we get back, so they can actually update our Holo-"

Sophie trailed off as the shadows shifted across them; another point of light was rapidly approaching. Must be the other one her dad summoned, what was it's name again?

It landed with another great thump, then it seemed to uncurl itself, a low hissing audible.

"A sea serpent!?"

True to her thought, the Titan uncurling itself was snake-like, dark-green scales covering almost every inch of him. His body seemed to be roughly five feet thick, but his length allowed him to rise to Critas' eye level, and over that if he so chose. However, he didn't seem to purely be one breed of snake, but rather combined aspects of several Earth species - his head was cobra-like, with viper teeth (but no tongue, strangely), and it's previous curled position seemed to suggest anaconda... though admittedly that was a brief glimpse. However, when he hissed, she saw golden teeth, and now that she looked closer, golden lining between his scales.

Wait, was he Powerbonded!?

"Easy, easy" her dad said to the Titan, Leviathan - who gave him a low hiss, displeased, but not tense. "Seems we picked a bad time."

"Will we wait?" Zhalia asked.

Dad raised an eyebrow, but mostly that seemed to be part of his mental talk with Leviathan. During this time, Lok and Sophie also observed the Holotome again, under their breath but also listening in general. Cathy was just in time to notice: "Powerbonded Leviathan" it spoke: "Attack: 5; Defense: 4; Type: Legendary Aquatic; Size: Large; Special Abilities: Ice Breath, Spike Scales."

"Nah" her dad breathed. "He'll make do, Zhalia, but he's still not pleased. He'll hit harder than usual, so watch out - and his energy will amplified slightly by Arkenstone, here on the sidelines, to make it fair."

"Shouldn't be a problem" Zhalia said lightly.

From her spot on the sidelines, Cathy thought how amazing this all was - a fight between two Legendary Titans (oh yeah, way to go dad!) was nothing to scoff at, and the fact that one was gonna hit harder wasn't a cause for concern. Maybe they're all just used to stuff like this, because all the danger just made everything else look small by comparison. And yet, they still had worries; Den was still down there, facing the third Legendary Titan, and not sure about something. Plus while they dealt with danger, they still worried about it happening, especially the bigger stuff.

"This world, this Titans... they're amazing" she thought faintly. "But, all this danger..."

She could handle it, enough, but was she fit to handle it on a regular basis?

"What exactly is this mark, Shauna?"

"Why the sudden interest?" she asked, bored. "You only branded it on yourself thanks to knowledge from The Betrayer, out of practicality, and to exploit the knowledge of Eathon Lambert before he developed a counter."

The Professor grunted, returning his gaze to the mark. "True enough, but by all accounts, the magic in this mark is not of this world" he said carefully. "And more than that, the counter in question has only a limited effectiveness; there is no way to permanently lock the curse, or extend it as far as I'm aware-"

"We work to keep it that way."

"-but still, I think I'm entitled to a little explanation!"

She scoffed; the childish need of this man to be in control - to know everything - was astoundingly obsessive; how in the world had this man managed to control anything? "I thought that would be obvious by now" she told him scathingly. "We work to bring the Nullifiers; is that not enough?"

His eyes narrowed, but not entirely with suspicion she noted; there seemed to be a little pleased in there too.

"I will have to be on guard for that; he will make his big move soon, when everything is ready to proceed, if not during."

"A definitive answer is better than an educated guess any day" he said, grinning.

She merely glared at him before turning her back, walking away - there was no doubt in her mind it would be soon. Knowing The Betrayer had plans for it, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to ask how she could help with those plans, if possible. But in the meantime, Murdock and Wind overlooked the gathered Silent Soldiers who had previously been prisoners.

"The report?" she asked bluntly.

Wind said nothing, of course, and only observed the soldiers more, so it fell to Murdock: "About two-eights of our soldiers were Curselocked before they could return" he said, disgruntled. "The rest caused chaos, injuries, and everything else as you've ordered before returning, consciously or otherwise. But the Huntik beachhead will recover, Shauna."

"As is also the plan" she told him silkily.

"And what plan says riling them up to come after us?" he questioned. "You yourself said never to give heroes an inch to work, yet you seem to be doing the exact opposite at every turn. What am I not seeing?"

Shauna smirked dangerously. "You do not need to know" she said 'sweetly', "Knowing would only endanger our plans, but your silence will assure that it works out. Is that good enough for you?"

Under the surface, it also asked 'Or do I need to kill you where you stand?'

Murdock grunted, stepping back, physically and mentally - lucky for him.

In the meantime, Wind glanced at her, and she returned it with her eyes only.

They were the only ones besides The Betrayer who knew the majority of the full plan, if not all the details... yet. How they handled themselves during this last step, the 'final battle', would be crucial.

"Soon it will be time."

The words - The Betrayer's words - had an immediate effect on the Silent Soldiers, who got down on their knees, showing their obedience. She, Wind, and Murdock also showed their obedience - but to her disdain (expressed as a growl), The Professor did not show it, even if he did not scoff at his presence. Just ahead of them all, The Betrayer stepped forward into full view-

-to the understandable-yet-infuriating confusion of the soldiers.

"Do not despair" The Betrayer spoke with Kiel's mouth, which did not move from it's set grin, the eyes a fierce ethereal red. "I have strength enough now to take over another's form, as I did with the one named Kiel. My previous body is not combat-ready again, so it will rest while I 'borrow' Kiel's."

"No matter what form you may take, Betrayer, we still obey your commands" she told him, with slight pointed tone directed at the soldiers.

"Indeed. And now that the Huntik Foundation and their allies have been properly motivated, they will soon search us out, to try and put an end to our apparent plans. We must all be ready."

Yes, indeed they must.

"You have heard The Betrayer" she told the soldiers, standing up. "Make all necessary preparations!"

To be continued...

Yeeeah, that happened lol

Also, yes, that's what 'Azoic' means ;) I imagined that for some reason, not all Titans would've come to Earth with Lord Casterwill, all amulets of certain branches were destroyed in the war, or new breeds developed after that same war... a number of things could've happened in the timespan, so there's more that could be explored only in Huntik itself. Going with the other named branches, I had to find something that fit with crystal while also not being too obvious or restricting - fairly sure it all works XD

As for the serpent, those who've read the Huntik comics might recognize Leviathan - I haven't read them, and aren't sure how canon they are with the series itself other than taking place in it. Even still, I liked the design of him, and created another form (mostly) based off him.

Thirdly, Den? I'm sure you've all noticed the hesitation of not wanting to fail/let the others down has been throughout all the story, without overwhelming him or even being behind his every action. I based it as an extension of Den's previous experiences with Harrison + the orphanage; in some form, he didn't want to fail getting his brother back, or fail to protect him before that; so perhaps it would be a lingering issue of his personality. But the same time, he's kept resolve by facing the difficulty, rarely with hesitation, for years - imo, making him best to try with the third/last Legendary Titan, aside from Eathon (who declined lol).

Stay tuned.