Author: Seraph of Enigma
Challenger: Stargazer 559
Someday
"No offence but you look like sheet," Shadow said as she sat down next to Seraph on the bench in the garden the Life Portal Master liked to maintain. The copper haired Undead Portal Master wished she had brought a hat or sunglasses, the sun was in her eyes and the best she could manage was a hand over her brow to cut down on the glare.
Seraph's brown eyes where protected behind what looked like a pair of sunglasses with thick lenses, most likely prescription. She never looked up from the gravel that she moved around with the toe of her raggedy old sneakers. The fatigue colored capris she wore was dirty on the knees and even her faded black tank top had seen better days. It was what she had dubbed her gardening attire. Her skin had seen a little too much sun and had started to redden on her shoulders and forehead. If not for the fact she had braided her long golden hair it might have been damp. It was however starting to come out of the braid and looked almost like a frizzed cat's tail.
Shadow looked to the other side of Seraph and her basket of gardening tools. The spade was still covered in dirt as was the claw. The knee pad she would place on the ground to keep it from hurting her knees didn't look to have seen any use. "Anything you want to talk about? Zoo Lou said you've been out here since first light. You've missed lunch and I really haven't seen you drink anything."
"It finally happened, Shadow," Seraph sighed. "That idiot pushed me too far."
"Ah," Shadow murmured. Seraph didn't have to go into detail; Shadow already knew what she was talking about. The Portal Masters were good sounding boards for each other when it came to issues back on Earth. It had been no secret that the man Seraph was seeing back home put her through hell a lot. Shadow really didn't understand why Seraph had put up with it for so long. Magic Portal Master Hootie had explained it as a hope that things would change and when small ones did occur it only cemented Seraph's resolve. "Should I ask or do you want to leave it unspoken?"
Seraph shook her head, "I found him cozied up to another girl at a coffee shop the other day. I don't even drink coffee, Shadow! I don't know what possessed me to go inside in the first place. When he tried to explain right there he only succeeded in runnin' both the other girl and myself out in a huff. I came here last night just to get away from the phone calls. My sister is watchin' the house on the off chance he comes by and decides to be a delinquent."
The other Portal Master flinched. "Ah man, Seraph. I'm sorry. I don't really know what to say. You gonna be alright?"
"Yeah," the older woman sighed as she rubbed at her brow. Her forearm was dirty and it only managed to transfer a smear of dirt across her forehead. "I'm not goin' to fall apart and cry on your shoulder, don't worry," Seraph laughed bitterly. "I did that last night. Sprocket's a good listener. I never would have pegged her as the consolin' type for this sort of thing. We went out with Smolderdash and Punk Shock for a girls' night out. We had a few drinks, got hit on by creeps. Got them kicked out by security and went on drinkin' and talkin'. We had to visit Whirlwind this mornin' to get rid of the hangovers. Ugh, never gonna do that again. Yuck. But I do feel better."
"And you're not drinking any water now!" Shadow smacked Seraph in the arm. "That stuff dehydrates you. You're going to pass out! And I'll get Wrecking Ball to give you mouth to mouth," Shadow grinned widely.
At least Seraph laughed at it. "Alright, alright! I think I've finished out here. The lilies will bloom in about a month," she pointed to a patch of recently overturned earth. "And I put a pecan saplin' over there," she pointed to a new tree. "Stump Smash was thrilled with that addition. The hedge maze is comin' along well. Camo keeps tryin' to sneak firecracker vines in there. I put up a fresh batch of warnin' signs today. I'm goin' to prune that dragon one of these days, I swear."
Shadow snagged Seraph's basket of gardening tools to expedite their departure. "Let's get you inside so you can cool off and rehydrate."
With her thirst slaked, shower taken and a fresh set of clothes on Seraph at last looked like herself. She brushed out her long hair as she sat with Shadow and Hootie in the library.
"So what do you ladies think, should we pay Iron Jaw Gulch a visit?" Hootie asked as she ended her pitch. She ran her fingers through her mid back length chestnut hair. Seraph's brushing had reminded her of how windswept her own locks looked.
"Its way over in the Cloudbreak region, it might be a trip of several days. Our magic isn't strong enough to get us that far in one go yet. We're goin' to have to take an airship," Seraph pointed out.
"Well I don't have anything pressing for a week," Shadow shrugged. "I'm in."
"My schedule's open," Hootie offered.
Seraph thought about then nodded her head. "I can make arrangements easily. Alright, let's pitch this to the Skylanders we want to take along then."
"Road trip! Woo!" Hootie exclaimed as she threw her arms up in the air. "And I don't have to drive, that makes it better!"
"What about Star, Prow and Jane?" Shadow questioned.
"If they show up before we head out they are welcome to come," Hootie nodded.
Plans were made, bags were packed and nearly two hours were spent trying to hire an airship pilot to get the Portal Masters and their chosen Skylanders to the Cloudbreak Islands. As a last ditch resort the three Portal Masters approached Flynn in defeat.
"I know the Cloudbreak Region like the back of my hand," Flynn grinned as he held a gloved hand up. He made a face at it and tried to scratch something off the back before he simply tucked the hand behind him. "We can get there no sweat! With Skyland's greatest pilot at the helm nothing can stop us. Boom!" the mabu posed triumphantly.
Shadow groaned and tilted her head back as she let her shoulders go slack. Hootie and Seraph exchanged glances that said they had a plan. "Thanks Flynn, no one else was willing to work with us on such short notice," Hootie admitted.
"Anything for you lovely ladies," Flynn said as he wiggled his brows suggestively.
"Yeah, thanks," Shadow snorted. She grabbed her small bag and threw it at Flynn. He gasped and nearly fell backwards with the force. "Help me carry that, please?" she said sweetly with a forced bat of her eyes.
Seraph and Hootie tried their best to suppress their own laughter as they handed off their bags to Flynn.
The three Skylanders they had chosen stood silently behind them. Stink Bomb and Night Shift smirked at one another while Blast Zone simply shook his head.
"I'm putting you guys in charge of keeping him off our cases," Hootie declared as she spun on the Skylanders quickly and pointed furiously at them.
"Yes, of course, milady," Blast Zone said with a flourish and bow.
"You're such a ham Broiler Britches," Stink Bomb remarked with a flick of his tail. The action made Night Shift nervous and the vampire teleported away to a position upwind of the skunk. "Yes of course my flower," Stink Bomb mocked as he went into a bow even deeper than Blast Zone's and was forced to use his tail as a counter balance.
Blast Zone nonchalantly tapped Stink Bomb in the back of a knee with his foot and the skunk wound up face first on the deck. "You are a crude individual for one trained so well in the art of being a ninja."
The skunk pushed himself up from the ship's deck and glared at the furnace knight when he drifted by. "Learn to take a joke, sheesh, Blast!"
"Did we pick the right Skylanders?" Shadow whispered conspiratorially to Seraph.
"Guess we'll find out soon enough," the oldest of the three Portal Masters shrugged.
Hootie leaned on the ship's rail as the gang plank was retracted and Flynn geared it up in reverse to back out from the dock on the Isle of Light. "Man the others are going to be so bummed they missed this." Hootie sighed and propped her chin in a palm as she glanced up to the pillar of light that signified the Core was active and holding the darkness at bay.
"Life often pulls us in strange ways," Seraph answered as she joined her friend at the rail. She caught Hootie studying her before she finally addressed the younger Portal Master. "Yes?"
"How are you holding up, I mean really? It looks like nothing's happened."
"I suppose all that can be said has already been done so many times. All the feelings that could possibly accompany the situation have flowed and ebbed for so long I'm numb to them. I'm fine, Hootie. Really. I feel… free." Seraph smiled and leaned into the wind when Flynn had maneuvered the craft to the open air and picked up speed. "I'm ready to move forward to the next adventure."
Light began to fade from the sky as the day wore on. To pass the time the ship's occupants had played various card games. After Stink Bomb was accused of cheating the games stopped and the passengers divided themselves up in groups; Portal Masters in one and everyone else in the other. It was the Portal Masters that pitched in to get dinner going.
The ship's galley was a small space in which the stove and sink could be reached from the seating area. It was crowded with seven occupants on the ship so the Skylanders had opted to let the Portal Masters eat first. It had been an adventure keeping Flynn back when the mabu expressed that he was dying of hunger despite the fact he had been eating almost nonstop since the ship set out.
On deck near the bow the Skylanders had taken to lounging around as the light faded into the starlit dusk of pre-night.
"You gossip like little girls," Night Shift snorted when the topic of conversation drifted to the emotional state of the eldest Portal Master. "You poke your noses where they do not belong. Let the woman move at her own pace." He waved a thick gloved hand then folded his arms across his chest as a signal that he was done with the topic.
"She just needs a little nudge, that's all," Stink Bomb shrugged. "To get her out of her funk."
"Funk?" Blast Zone questioned. His strange glowing eyes blinked as he looked back to the general location of the galley. "I do not think she's in a funk."
"Did someone say funk?" Flynn popped up suddenly. "We could so totally have a funk party on deck. I think I have a disco ball somewhere in storage and the music box is always primed for a party!" Flynn balled his hands into fists and slid around on the deck as if following the steps of some dance.
"Bah! Your tastes in music are lacking. Where is the drama, the raw emotion and the powerful movement of a story?" Night Shift sat up a little taller and motioned about as if perhaps he was speaking of opera.
Stink Bomb yawned, "When I'm ready for bed I'll let you play your 'stories' alright?" he grinned at the undead Skylander.
"No culture," Night Shift sniffed.
"Hey Flynn," Stink Bomb said as he turned around to the mabu, "Go dig out that mirror ball of yours after all."
Blast Zone groaned "Oh you can't be serious."
"If it gets him out of our hair I'll send him looking for whatever he says he might have in storage."
"Righty-o!" Flynn exclaimed before he vanished below deck.
Stink Bomb waited for Flynn's excited babbling to fade away before he glanced between Night Shift and Blast Zone. "I'm going to go for it."
"Beg your pardon?" Blast Zone asked while Night Shift screwed his lip up in confusion and only made his fangs that much more prominent.
"I'm going to put the moves on Seraph, coal for brains," the skunk explained as if speaking to a small child.
Night Shift put his glove up and by the way it was misshapen meant he held a single finger up over the rest of his balled ones. "My point is made for me. You are crude. The woman is fresh from a relationship. She is not ready for another."
Blast Zone nodded, "And you would be the rebound at that, Bomb. It wouldn't last. You set yourself up for heartbreak when she realizes she didn't give herself ample time before she was involved with someone else. You will be compared to this man that wronged her. You surely don't want her to look at you through such lenses?"
"Oh but I'm so much different than this moron," the skunk smirked. He laced his hands behind his head and leaned back. "I am suave, he was not. I am well behaved. He was not. I have discipline and the ability to read emotions as well as body language. I have an advantage already."
"You have an inflated ego," Night Shift scowled. He sputtered in annoyance when the skunk's bushy tail flicked up around his nose and ears.
Blast Zone simply shook his head again.
"Oh ye of little faith," Stink Bomb sighed.
Flynn never managed to find his mirror ball. By the time he returned from his fruitless quest the Skylanders had already eaten and Flynn found himself with leftovers and cleanup. With the mabu distracted and the Dread-Yacht on auto pilot it allowed the ship's other occupants to enjoy the night air.
Islands drifted past during their voyage, some uninhabited hunks of rock and others sprawling communities aglow with street lamps and alive with the sounds of night life.
"If we didn't have Flynn with us I would almost suggest a detour," Shadow murmured as she strained to hear the whispers of the music that traveled on the wind.
"Wheelock would appreciate a speedy arrival," Hootie reminded her. "His greeble problems aren't going to suddenly get better."
"You'd think by now he'd have sufficient defenses in place," Seraph commented. She sat propped up against the ship's railing with two books on hand and a piece of paper for notes. She looked up when Stink Bomb sat down on her right only to be followed by Night Shift on her left. The undead Skylander cast a warning glare to the one of life. Why was lost on Seraph but she really didn't like the thought of being between the two if some form of argument was going to take place. "Um, hello," the Portal Master said as she gathered up her items a little closer.
"What has your attention so captivated?" Stink Bomb asked as he reached out to tilt the book filled with Skylands runes so he could read it.
"None of your business," Night Shift answered for Seraph as he straightened the book out. "She is most likely working on something for Master Eon."
"And maybe I could help her," the skunk insisted as he picked up the book.
Seraph let her hands rest in her lap as her tome was taken away from her. She looked up with a sigh, Hootie and Shadow only offered shrugs. "It's nothin' Eon asked me to do. I just wanted to know a bit more about Skylands plants, soil types an' all that stuff. It's a book about gardenin'. Happy?" she asked Stink Bomb in slight annoyance as she tried to take it back from him.
Stink Bomb held the book out of her reach and forced the Portal Master to lean over him in an attempt to grab it. "Well I could help, you know. Make it so much easier."
"Yeah, I know," Seraph huffed as she tried yet again to take the book. Blast Zone liberated it from Stink Bomb with his sudden arrival and handed it back to Seraph. She thanked him then tucked it close to her to prevent another theft. "But I need to get more familiar with these runes. I'm gettin' better. I have some of the most common already memorized. Now if only I put this much effort into learnin' another language on Earth," she smirked at herself.
"Mystery solved!" Night Shift said as he lifted his boxing gloves up over his head. "Boring gardening, right Stink Bomb? Time to leave the lady alone." He drifted around in front of Seraph before he grabbed the skunk by an arm. "Come now, let her work." He gave Stink Bomb a firm look and the skunk gave in with a sigh before he let Night Shift help him up and move him away.
"So weird," Seraph murmured to herself as she opened the book back up.
When the morning light streamed into the cabin shared between the Portal Master's, Seraph found she couldn't sleep any longer. Hootie and Shadow had bunks that weren't in direct sight of the window so they were oblivious to the plight that refused to let Seraph return to dreamland. The Portal Master stretched, reached for her glasses on the little cabinet next to her bunk and swung out of bed and into the sandals she used as slippers. She pulled her black satin robe off the hook near the bunk and tied it around herself before she shuffled out into the ship's hall and made for the latrine.
As usual one side of her hair was pressed up higher than the other but her sleepy eyes didn't even register it anymore as she set about pulling out her personal care items from the little locker set aside for her. When she emerged she was presentable if still only dressed in a bathrobe and nightie.
The boards above Seraph's head creaked to signify someone else was up. With a great yawn she climbed the stairs to the deck in order to greet whoever it was. The sun was even brighter outside and Seraph grunted as she shielded her eyes. Lucky her glasses darkened in the light so eventually it became bearable and she was able to lower her hand. Stink Bomb was alone on deck; the skunk had his back to her as he transitioned smoothly from form to form. Most of them didn't look much like combat moves but as transition phases that got him ready for a strike or defense. Seraph always thought it looked like a graceful dance when there wasn't an opponent trying to hit anyone with those fancy moves. She leaned against the doorjamb and simply watched the Skylander go through his morning routine.
Eventually Seraph realized she needed to go get dressed before the rest of the ship's occupants had risen to see her prancing around half dressed. Paranoid she clutched at her robe even though it was already closed and opened up the door to slip away undetected and take the stairs silently back to her shared cabin to pull out that day's attire.
Stink Bomb smirked to himself when the Portal Master had finally left. He'd know she was there the whole time and went on as if nothing was amiss. It wouldn't do to embarrass her so soon the skunk thought. But to him it was a start; she had stood there to watch him silently for a long while. The Skylander brought his heels together then pressed his palms against the other before he bowed to the air in front of him and turned to take up the towel he brought with him. Once he gave her enough time to be out of the ship's one bathroom he would take it over. Skunk or not he didn't want to smell like he'd been sweating all morning.
"Okay ladies, so I was thinkin' about a detour today," Flynn proposed as he ambled into the galley with a map in front of his face.
"Flynn," Seraph warned with a chunk of muffin halfway to her mouth, "Wheelock is already being forced to wait while we take an airship to Cloudbreak instead of portals. We shouldn't add time to the trip with a detour."
"Oh but ladies, that's the best part!" he put the map down on the table right over the breakfasts the Portal Masters were enjoying.
"Hey! If I wanted my food to taste like paper I would have chewed on the map!" Shadow hissed. She tried to lift up the map long enough to remove her breakfast but Flynn kept fussily smoothing it down over her hands. Shadow eventually managed to slide it out and continued eating while she gave the mabu a death glare he was ignorant towards.
"There's this traveling carnival slash circus thing nearby called the Flying Fielding Farriers and Marvelous Mabu Matrons. They have some of Skylands most dangerous animals so well trained they can make them dance around in little pink tutus and ride unicycles! And the Mabu Matrons are the best acrobats in like, history! You'd swear they could fly with what they do!"
Hootie shook her head, her chestnut locks bounced with the action. "Oh Flynn, I love a good circus as much as the next person but as Seraph said: Wheelock is waiting."
"Pft," Flynn waved her off. "But the circus! It won't be there for long! Wheelock will always be in Iron Jaw Gulch. Whaddaya say?" he gave his best charming grin.
"Where is this carnival compared to Iron Jaw?" Seraph asked as she leaned in a little more interested.
"Uh…. Here and here," Flynn said as he pointed. At one point he put his finger right into someone's breakfast and the moisture ripped the map in that area. "Aw man, my map!" the mabu exclaimed as he lifted it up and looked at the back with all its food debris. "Now what did you go and do that for?" he sounded offended as he ran a hard look over all three Portal Masters.
"I'll buy you a new map," Seraph sighed. "Hold it up again, let me see?" She scrutinized the hole then looked up to where Iron Jaw Gulch was approximately on the map. "Where's the legend that shows distance?"
"At the bottom, duh," Flynn replied with an eye roll.
Seraph ignored him and studied it before she looked back up to gauge the distance between Flynn's carnival and their ultimate destination. "I think we can portal in from the carnival, actually," Seraph murmured. "So Flynn can go enjoy his carnival and we can take the Skylanders to Wheelock from there. It might actually shave some time off the ETA we gave Wheelock."
"Let me see?" Shadow asked. She slid out of her chair and took her breakfast with her. The copper haired Portal Master made sure to look over Flynn's shoulder and smack in his ear as she studied the map. Well, as she pretended to study the map. She trusted Seraph, Shadow merely wanted the chance to annoy Flynn.
With a snicker Hootie followed her lead so there were two Portal Masters leaning over Flynn's shoulder and smacking in his ear as they randomly pointed at things with used utensils and spoke with their mouths full.
"Augh!" Flynn exclaimed as he dropped the map and backed away. He curled his lip up and dusted imaginary debris off each shoulder. "Man you guys have some of the worst manners for ladies. Does Earth not teach you manners?"
"Just in a different way," Hootie said with a spoon in her mouth and a shrug. She grinned at him a moment later when Seraph brought a hand up to hide her smile behind.
"I'm just going to wait until you little animals are done eating before I have breakfast," Flynn proclaimed with a sniff before he folded his soggy and dirty map up into an awkward shape and strode out of the galley.
"Ha ha!" Seraph finally burst out with. "He just makes it too easy to rib!"
Shadow grinned proudly over the top of her plate and made a little bow before she returned to the table. "I wonder if the guys have this much fun messing with him."
Just around noon Flynn's ship arrived at the carnival. The mabu was so excited he forgot he needed to dock the ship. Blast Zone took over for him as the mabu bounced around near where the gang plank would be deployed like a child awaiting his chance to get on the rides.
"We do have some time to see the carnival, what do you ladies say?" Stink Bomb asked. With Blast Zone manning the helm and Night Shift practicing with a training dummy on the other end of the deck he had time to win them over without the other two bringing logic into it. Stink Bomb may have been a well-disciplined ninja but even he liked a chance to unwind once in a while. And the carnival was the perfect place to ease his way into Seraph's affections.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Seraph said.
"Oh come on!" the ninja urged her. "You said we could portal in and save some time. So that means we could at least spend a few hours here. With my ninja skills I can win each of you the largest plush animals the carnival has. What better souvenirs?"
"Actually, that would be kind of cool. To take them back to Earth and know that none of my friends would ever be able to get one," Shadow grinned as she thought about it. "Especially if they're Skylands animals!"
"Oh but, Wheelock has greeble trouble. If we can get there sooner," Hootie wrung her hands in worry.
Seraph shrugged, "It does feel wrong, Stink Bomb. I'm sure Night Shift and Blast Zone would agree."
"I would agree with what?" the furnace knight said as he rejoined the group.
Stink Bomb rolled his head back and let his shoulders slump, "Ugh. Okay. I'll make you a deal. Give me thirty minutes and I'll go scout the carnival, find the best prizes and win them. When I return then we can go. Deal?"
"Deal," Blast Zone agreed. "If it makes you compliant I can wait thirty minutes. But if you aren't back in time I'll urge the Portal Masters to leave you behind."
The green skunk blinked in surprise at the fire element, "You wouldn't actually do that. I'd be left with Flynn!"
Blast Zone's helmet face guard shifted in a way that looked strikingly similar to a smile. "Exactly."
With Flynn and Stink Bomb gone the ship was finally quiet. The remaining Skylanders sat down with the Portal Masters in the galley to discuss what they knew of greebles and how Wheelock had described the problem.
"So basically it's just a whole bunch of greeble bandits that strike and go hide in the caverns and mountains past the gulch?" Shadow questioned. "You'd think the dirt sharks and kangarats would have fine-tuned their response force by now."
"That's exactly what I said," Seraph raised a hand.
"They live under rules that are slightly different than what we feel makes sense. They have their sheriff and deputy but they spend most of their time in town policing the streets. They only deal with the bandits while they're present. Once the bandits leave they go by the rule 'out of sight, out of mind'. An annoying practice I think," Night Shift snorted.
"That is their way, we should not judge them for it," Blast Zone chided.
"Oh but I do not agree with it," the vampire bat retorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "It is a waste of energy and only encourages these slimy little greebles to act." He squinted at Blast Zone through one eye; surely the knight had to see it too.
Seraph propped her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together. "Regardless of how you feel we're here now. Maybe we can make a difference."
"And be careful," Blast Zone said as he swept all three Portal Masters into his gaze. "One of us will always be beside you but things can and will get hairy. If it gets too heavy portal yourselves back here," he pointed to the floorboards, "and wait for us. If anything happens to any of you we could never forgive ourselves."
A noise on deck made five heads swivel at the same time towards the galley door.
"Flynn or Stink Bomb?" Hootie asked.
"Eh, how much time has it been?" Night Shift looked to Seraph.
"Twenty three minutes," the blonde Portal Master replied.
"It is the skunk. Too bad," the vampire smirked as he drifted away from the table. "Let us go gaze upon the wonders he has won from this carnival."
"That's as big as a car!" Shadow exclaimed when she saw the first of three large plush animals on the deck. "Oh. My. Gawd!" If her eyes went any wider they might just fall out of her skull. "How am I going to keep that anywhere? I don't think it'll even fit through the door!" Her grey-blue eyes roamed over three distinct shapes. The first she had seen was a black and neon pink lizard like creature with six limbs that carried itself like a centaur and what she could only describe as 'Godzilla back spines' running down its back and tail. Despite the fact it was a cutesy plush she could tell the real thing was probably more ferocious. The nose was blunt and Shadow swore it had two sets of eyes. "Dibs!" she called before she flung herself at it. The plush was so large and fluffy she had no worries of hitting the deck.
The second plush was an equine figure with gauzy, translucent mane streamers colored in yellow, orange and red with the very tips a deep maroon. The streamers were repeated above the golden hooves and in place of the tail. The horse was a grey ash color with darker areas from the knee and elbow joints down as well as on the muzzle.
"Being from Texas," Stink Bomb said as he emerged from behind the five foot tall plush and addressed Hootie, "I thought you might enjoy a flame steed. Not a nightmare, no, those are more lizard-like and their fires are green," he said just in case the Portal Master thought he was trying to give her an undead horse. "These guys are fast as lightning and sure footed. Well, the real thing is. This is just a plush. But still, it's all yours."
Hootie approached the equine slowly, it was unique she had to admit. And huge. She was wondering the same thing Shadow was about storage space. Hootie glanced to the youngest of the three Portal Masters and nearly laughed aloud when she saw Shadow sitting astride hers like it was a mount for battle.
The third and final plush was a graceful deer-like creature with antlers that grew in such a way to resemble Celtic knot patterns. It was a soft green color with swirls of gold that ran along the animal's flank in stripes and capped each of the four dainty hooves. The deer's tail was much longer than any deer the Portal Masters had seen and ended in a tuft like a lion's or alternate style for a unicorn. Its long ears were split to almost look like two on each side and ended with a loose curl at each tip. The deer also had a thick tuft of white fur on its chest; the white was also present around the gold eyes to resemble a mask.
"The graceful beauty of the ceryneian was the only prize befitting of you," Sting Bomb bowed to Seraph. "Fleet of foot, quick of wit and cunning besides. The only thing that would have been better would have been a real ceryneian. They are nothing more than myths now. But should I see one I would claim it for you," the ninja bowed yet again in a much more formal manner.
"Thank you," Seraph said slowly. The plush was beautiful but the way Stink Bomb had spoken to her made her slightly edgy. She glanced to Hootie and Shadow only to see them looking at one another with Shadow biting her lower lip. Seraph turned back around and rather than make eye contact with the skunk looked over the top of her glasses at him so he was blurry. "That's very kind of you, Stink Bomb. And the ceryneian is gorgeous. Thank you."
"Yes, all lovely gifts. The ladies now have enormous plush animals that they can't possibly keep anyway. Now, let's stuff them in the cabin and go. The greebles won't catch themselves. We wouldn't be needed if that were the case!" Night Shift floated up to the ceryneian and hefted it up for Seraph. "Where would you like it," he spoke before Stink Bomb had a chance to butt in.
"Oh yes, here, I'll show you," the Portal Master trotted ahead of him.
Hootie didn't waste a moment and shoved the fire steed at Stink Bomb so he would carry it for her. "You can help me," she said. "It's so beautiful, thank you again! I know just where to put him when I get home. I think I'm going to name him… Sparky."
"Uber Zilla," Shadow proclaimed as she began to drag her giant reptile plush behind her. She allowed Blast Zone to help her when she realized it was too big a task to accomplish on her own.
With the plushies secured in the cabin the Portal Masters shared there was nothing else to keep them on Flynn's ship. A quick check to ensure everything was locked up tight led to a portal that deposited the three Portal Masters and their Skylanders in the middle of the desert town of Iron Jaw Gulch. Compared to the cool air that had surrounded them at the carnival it was a bit of a shock to suddenly be in the dry, aridness of the red rock landscape.
"Woo!" Stink Bomb exclaimed as he fanned himself, "Fur is not very forgiving here!" he looked to the three Portal Masters. All had come dressed in short sleeves and capris with worn sneakers in preparation of the location. None of them were strangers to heat and it didn't seem to bother them one bit.
"Oh the skunk is going to smell so pretty later," Night Shift jeered. To avoid retaliation he teleported ahead of everyone with a laugh. Shadow trotted off to join him, he had signed up to work with her after all.
Seraph and Hootie moved after them together and Blast Zone stopped Stink Bomb with a hand on the shoulder.
"Stop what you're doing, Bomb. Leave the woman alone. You're going to make her feel cornered."
"Hey, I gave them all a gift. It was fair, she shouldn't feel cornered."
Blast Zone sighed and released the other Swaplander. "Just give her space. If we get separated promise me you're not going to try anything."
"On my honor," Stink Bomb pressed his palms together and bowed.
Blast Zone turned to drift after the others. "I'll hold you to it."
Just as Blast Zone had predicted the three groups had ended up separated. Stink Bomb and Seraph were supposed to move around the greeble camp and flank them from the far side while Night Shift and Shadow moved in from the right and Hootie came in with Blast Zone from the left.
Seraph had her back to a hot rock as she listened to the ramblings of the greebles in the camp. Stink Bomb had moved away in stealth mode to scout and get a feel for the numbers as well as locations of every individual in the camp. He left the Portal Master on her own knowing she could take care of herself on the off chance the greebles found her. Seraph closed her eyes for a moment and simply listened; when her vision couldn't be relied upon she found her ears would pick up on things better. By her count the camp held sixteen greebles. At least outside of the tents, it was possible there were more that were quiet enough to escape detection. She heard the softest shifting of gritty sand on a rock and her eyes flew open just in time to see Stink Bomb crouch down beside her as he came out of stealth mode and the green mist that obscured him faded away. The mist obscured him but didn't entirely hide him; it was possible to be detected if anyone took notice of the strangely colored disturbance the skunk hid in.
"The others are in place," Stink Bomb said quietly. "If you're ready we can make our move."
"Bombs away," Seraph replied.
Stink Bomb grinned, "With pleasure." The skunk went into a meditative pose for a moment to summon a large acorn. He rolled it around in his palms as he murmured softly and mist like what obscured the Skylander in stealth mode permeated the acorn before he threw it behind him over the rock. A moment later the greebles began to cough and raised the cry of alarm. Stink Bomb sprang up and leapt easily over the rock with throwing stars in hand.
The Portal Master counted to ten before she stood up and raised her right hand high above her head. Dry brush around the camp shook as if the wind blew it before it exploded in growth and the brambles snared many a greeble to hold them in place. A wave of heat washed over some of the brambles as Blast Zone roared onto the scene and Night Shift teleported to uppercut greeble before he teleported away to give the impression of there being far more Skylanders than there were.
Hootie's magic brought the tent lines to life and the stakes pulled up out of the ground before they snaked out to trip up greebles that had managed to escape Seraph's brambles. Those that had been set alight by Blast Zone's fires often stumbled into tents to spread the flames further.
With what could only be described as a cackle Shadow rolled a dark cloud of what looked like purple mist over the camp that brought with it an unnatural chill. Bones rattled deep within it; the remains of animals that littered the camp either from greeble dinners or natural deaths were reanimated and clamored across the ground as half-finished skeletons to further assault the greebles. Without the corruption of petrified darkness to back them up the greebles were more timid and their usual yellow color rather than purple. It seemed to make them easier to deal with.
The greebles fell apart easily and were no match for the Skylanders or their Portal Masters. Rope that hadn't been burned was used to tie up the greebles in the middle of the camp. Seraph had further detained them with sharp pointed brambles while Shadow pulled together as many bones as she could from many different skeletons to form one large creature with no less than three heads to guard the greebles until Wheelock's men could arrive to take the greebles away.
"One down," Stink Bomb grinned as he dusted his hands off.
"Four to go," Night Shift finished. He ran a glove over his forehead to rub dirt off it.
Shadow stretched out wide with a grin, "So what are we waiting for? There are plenty of skeletons around here for me to get my necromancer on with!"
Night had settled over the gulch by the time the last greeble camp had been cleared. In the day the rock was red and unforgiving but under the blanket of the stars it looked blue and ethereal. Dust drifted lazily through the streets of the town when the wind kicked it up. Warm lights spilled out of homes as well as saloons and cantinas. Music was often times coupled with the boisterous sounds of the townies celebrating the end to their greeble trouble.
The team of six outsiders sat around a circular table in a saloon dotted with just as many dirt sharks as kangarats. A milk jug band plinked away on instruments made from common house hold items for music and the buzz of conversation set the mood for a western scene right out of a movie.
"What is sarsaparilla?" Shadow asked as she looked into the mug before her filled with a dark liquid. She was a little afraid to drink it.
"Root beer," Seraph replied. "Or on Earth it was the forerunner of root beer. It's well, a root. Oh don't look so impressed. When I was a kid my dad used to watch so many Westerns I would dream of John Wayne bein' one of my teachers in school."
Shadow sipped at it and made a face, "Its flat."
"No carbonation," Hootie laughed.
Seraph thumbed her nose and squinted at the other two through one eye, "Could be worse. I could have ordered everyone a shot of whiskey. Not that I would with you bein' underage and all."
Stink Bomb sat up straighter. "Oh but we can take you up on that," he elbowed Night Shift. "Uh, maybe not Blast Zone. He might spontaneously combust."
"I am on duty otherwise," the furnace knight replied.
"Have you ever had whiskey?" Night Shift eyed Stink Bomb carefully.
"No, I've had sake before. And the taste isn't for everyone."
Night Shift laughed, it sounded more sinister than anything. "Oh then whiskey it is."
Seraph blanched, she had only teased about because she had no intentions of drinking any. The Portal Master really didn't like whiskey at all. "Um, sure," she agreed reluctantly. She could shoot one and be done with it.
Night Shift's grin nearly overtook his face, "Ha ha! Your expression! Where is your bravery now, Master of Life?"
"Out there with the greebles," she hooked a thumb back to the door.
"I will buy," the vampire chuckled before he flagged down the serving maid.
"That stinks, are you really going to drink it?" Hootie nearly gagged when the shot glass was passed by her for her to smell. "Burns too, woo," she held her nose.
Shadow declined and merely looked back at the sarsaparilla she was trying to finish. For her that was enough, she didn't need the stench of alcohol stuck in her nose.
Seraph took the glass and swirled it around before she went for cinnamon that had been set on the table. She put a spoonful in and stirred it up as best she could. "Blast Zone," Seraph held her small glass up to him, "If I breathe fire after this promise you'll teach me how to control it." He looked amused as he drummed his fingers on the table.
The undead Swaplander next to Blast Zone snorted, "Cinnamon, really?"
"Fireball whiskey," Seraph replied. She watched the Skylander as she raised the glass and shot it back. The Portal Master shuddered and made a face before she coughed. "Next," she gasped.
Night Shift looked at his then back to the cinnamon. Stink Bomb beat him to it and lumped a spoonful in before he stirred and drank it down to prevent losing his nerve. The Skylander gagged and stuck his tongue out as he tried to scrape it. "Revolting," the skunk coughed before he went for Shadow's mug of sarsaparilla and finished it.
The Undead Portal Master didn't really like the drink but the fact Stink Bomb had taken it from her was reason enough to protest loudly and cuff him upside the head with a snort.
"Meh," Night Shift shrugged. He drank the whiskey straight and didn't as much as flinch. "Light weights," he smirked at the other two. Seraph sat up straight with the barest hint of distaste on her face while Stink Bomb frantically waved at the serving maid to bring him something else to drink.
Hootie propped her chin up in her palm and smirked at the antics around her. "Think we can get some food? I'm not really looking forward to meeting back up with Flynn so soon."
"Victuals it is, a feast for the heroes!" Night Shift proclaimed loudly. The rest of the saloon raised their voices in cheer. "It doesn't hurt to take advantage of the celebrations once in a while," he winked.
The celebrations eventually winded down late into the night. The group of six had stayed long enough to grow too tired for the Portal Masters to manage a portal. The town readily offered up rooms at the inn for them all. The opportunity to bathe was welcomed but unfortunately everyone was forced to put the same clothing back on with everything back on Flynn's ship.
Seraph kept picking at her socks as she sat out on the balcony at the inn. She could see the line of dirt on her socks where the shoes had for the most part kept it from getting under foot. She might have bathed but she didn't feel too clean wearing the same clothing. The night was considerably cooler than the day and the human found herself shivering at times when the breeze kicked up. It was incredibly quiet in the gulch and with the lights going off after a certain time it was also dark. Seraph enjoyed the stars above, so very different from what she had seen back home but familiar in the way knowing that somewhere out there was home and she could easily go back when she was ready.
The Portal Master's jaws cracked open with a yawn that she still hid behind a raised hand even if no one was outside with her.
"Couldn't sleep?"
Seraph's heart skipped a beat; maybe she wasn't alone after all. She looked up in time to see Stink Bomb sit down next to her. "Well yeah, I guess not," she answered. "I'm tired enough. Just couldn't manage it though."
The skunk made himself comfortable, he moved his tail around the far side of him and leaned back on the bench before he draped his arms over the back. "Yeah, me neither. Too hot indoors even with the window open. I had to come outside. I'm not used to this heat, how can you stand it?" he eyed the human next to him.
"I grew up in a place like this," she nodded her head out to the landscape. "Well, similar to this. It was a lot greener where I was. A lot more. But it got hot and trees were often scorched by the sun on the tops of their branches. It was a weird sight to see the dark green of summer foliage below and the burnt yellows and browns of crisped leaves in the upper reaches. Grass was more often than not dry and brittle. Still managed to grow but it wasn't much to look at."
"And you stayed there, you didn't think to leave?"
"My dad's work took us there to begin with," she shrugged. "And I got so used to the heat that anything in a milder climate felt wrong to me. So I never left when I grew up. There's a lot more dust in the air here, sure, but there's a familiar feel too."
Stink Bomb sat in silence next to the Portal Master for a while. Somewhere a wooden wind chime provided a soft musical accompaniment with the wind. Some of the roof tiles on the next building over whistled slightly as well when the wind came from just the right angle.
"You were amazing today," the skunk broke the silence with.
"Hmm? Oh, thanks," Seraph murmured as she came out of her personal thoughts. "It was a good experience for all of us." She meant the other Portal Masters, for the Skylanders it wasn't anything new.
"When you managed to make that cactus shoot out its needles," he laughed. "I didn't know greebles could jump that high!"
The Portal Master cringed, "I got Night Shift with some of them though. It didn't quite work how I planned."
"Ah," Stink Bomb waved, "He's a tough old bat. I bet he didn't even feel it!"
"I got a death glare out of him," Seraph shifted to lean against the arm of the bench. "I think he's goin' to keep me nervous and anticipatin' his payback for a long while."
"He'll have to get through me first," the skunk boasted. "He'll never even know I'm there."
Seraph kicked her shoes off and folded her legs up on the bench between her and the Skylander. "I don't think he'll actually do anythin'. I think he'll just keep me on my toes."
Stink Bomb was on his feet in the blink of an eye. "Hey, what do you say to a crash course in some martial arts forms? You know some simple meditative poses?" He held a clawed hand out for her. Seraph studied it for a moment before she slipped hers into his and let him guide her to her feet. "Well, sort of like yoga. Don't laugh!" he warned, "They're very useful."
Seraph had some experience with yoga, she had tried it once but it relaxed her so much she fell asleep. Maybe that was just what she needed. "Alright. Show me whatcha got."
The Skylander instructed her to stand with her feet shoulder width apart as he led her through some simple stretching motions. When it came to some balance ones he moved next to her so she could catch herself on him if she needed the extra support.
The Portal Master caught on quickly and easily glided through the different standing poses. Her balance was fairly well refined for one that hadn't trained in it. Stink Bomb was impressed with her ability to keep up. Her upper body strength wasn't anywhere near his but she did well enough with some of the muscle tenses anyway.
"Now on this one I need you to trust me," the Skylander said as he moved to stand behind Seraph. "Lean back. Not like you mean to fall but bend backwards and stretch back."
"Really, what does this one do?"
"It's an exercise in trust more than one in strength or balance. I'll catch you if you fall," he promised.
Seraph looked over her shoulder at him then shrugged. "You better. I see a cactus over there if not," she promised.
"I would never let you down."
Her arms stretched out above her head as Seraph began to reach backwards. She saw Stink Bomb move to the side to give her space as she tried to lean back farther when he prompted her to. Eventually she reached the point where she couldn't maintain her balance and gasped before she flailed and fell.
Stink Bomb laughed when she clutched his shoulders following his quick recovery of the Portal Master, "I told you. I wouldn't let you come to harm." He helped her stand and couldn't keep the grin from his face when the Portal Master ended up pressed against his chest.
She stepped away quickly and rubbed at her lower back, "Well it was a good stretch; I think I felt my back pop."
"You do well with balance exercises. I have some more if you're interested."
The human yawned again, "Maybe in the mornin'. I'm feelin' sluggish now. Thanks, you helped relax me enough. I think I can sleep now."
The Skylander was running out of time he realized, if she went in now he would lose the perfect opportunity to break the ice. There was no one else around to ruin it; Stink Bomb couldn't let it slip through his fingers. "Seraph, wait," he called to her. "Stay a little longer?"
She gave him a funny look, her expression was partially obscured by the starlight. "Is something wrong, SB?"
"How are you holding up?" he asked.
Seraph sighed, "I'm fine. Really. Why is everyone so worried? Is it because I'm not a weepy mess? Like I told others I cried everything out long ago. I'm free now. At peace. The weight is off my shoulders."
The Skylander reached out and took her gently by the hand, "Good. I'm glad you're not hurting. I couldn't stand to see you in such a way." He squeezed her hand gently.
"It never affected my magic if that's what you're worried about. The only thing that's ever managed to do that was fatigue or the other night when I drank way too much. I'm still the same old Portal Master."
"It wasn't your magic I was worried about." Stink Bomb tugged on her hand gently and got her to step closer to him before he closed the rest of the distance himself and brushed a stray lock of golden hair out of her face with his claws. "I was afraid it would affect who you are."
The Portal Master took a step back; she was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable around the Skylander and idly wondered if he was such a light weight that his one shot of whiskey had pushed all reason away. "I'm still goin' to be me. Maybe a little more quiet for a while or more wishin' to be left to my thoughts but I'm still me."
Stink Bomb's face fell slightly as she moved back. He didn't let it deter him and stepped up next to her so her shoulder was pressed against his chest. "If you want to scream about it I'll listen. If you want to hit something I can take it."
"SB, I'm fine," Seraph stressed again. She turned around to find the Skylander's face right there in front of hers. "I'm fine," she said softly.
He went for it and kissed the Portal Master. At first she was receptive but then she pulled away.
"I can't, SB. I can't."
"Seraph, why?" he asked her. "You've always been miserable when you talked about that idiot you were with. You always came to me because I listened and didn't judge. I thought that," he paused.
"I can't because I'm on the rebound right now, SB. Anyone I get involved with would be just a steppin' stone. Someone to get me over all the wrongs, someone to make me forget. But not someone I formed an emotional attachment to. I'm not that kind of person. I can't just use someone like that."
"Who's to say you would? Maybe it would be different?"
"I'm not ready, SB. I have too many worries, too many fears about… this," she waved between herself and the Skylander. "I want to forget about him but I can't scar someone else to do it. Not now, SB. Please, not now. Give me time. I'll let you know when I'm ready." She looked at the crestfallen Swaplander for a long while before she snagged her shoes and dashed back inside.
"Oh but there are just so many others to compete with," Stink Bomb sighed to the stars. He sat back down in the bench and gazed out over the town. Someday.
Note from Seraph: Because I do have a significant other in real life the part in the beginning about a relationship gone wrong is complete fiction. Just so those that know me don't think it was based on personal experience.