Charyus warped into the chamber looking curious and noticed the shackles on the floor.

"It would seem that Asteroth's little captive got loose."

Asteroth warped into the room looking angry and shocked.

"You told me those shackles couldn't be undone.", he said firmly.

Charyus looked concerned.

"Apparently Borg had help, but we can't let that distract us from the spell."

Asteroth took a couple breaths, but didn't calm down.

"And how pray tell are you going to do that?"

Charyus smiled.

"Never underestimate a saurian oracle turned sorcerer.", he answered before his cauldron appeared with a set of ingredients he started to add to it, "Corrupt soul dust, petals of a white rose, horn of bull, blood of salamander with three hairs from a whale."

The cauldron's contents bubbled and frothed furiously as the ingredients were added and changed color while doing so. Asteroth watched in awe as Charyus added a couple more ingredients.

"Flesh of pig and the poison glands of a poison arrow frog. Stir in the light of the full moon and then mix through a thunderbolt."

A large bolt came out of nowhere and zapped the contents under the pale light that appeared making it spark and then flow into a large bottle that Charyus held out until the bottle was full. Charyus corked it and handed it over.

"You did all that for a potion?", Asteroth asked, "I thought you were making a spell."

Charyus' smile didn't fade.

"A few drops on the ground at each location and the spell will do the rest."

Asteroth cautiously took the bottle and felt the dark forces just dying to get out as he held it in his hand and he was loving it.

"Let's hope this works.", he thought to himself as Charyus vanished with his cauldron leaving the wizard alone.

/

The waves at the beach looked normal, but Canard and Mallory both knew there was more. Grin stood by at the ready as Canard took the scroll out.

"Okay, now what?", he wondered, "The Sphere is under the waves somewhere, but-"

He was cut off as another part revealed itself.

"Part the depths through effort although grave. Remember to stay strong and be brave.". Mallory read before looking to Canard, "What's that mean?"

Grin noticed a shell horn nearby and pointed to it.

"Perhaps the depths need to be heard so they can depart."

Canard noticed the shell horn and took a step towards it, but paused.

"What is it?", Mallory asked.

Canard's aura flared which ment something was up. At that moment, the sands began to churn and large claws of rock formed out followed by large bodies of bone and scales.

"Something tells me that this was once a graveyard for dragons.", Mallory stated as she pulled her puck blaster out.

"Something has disturbed their slumber.", Grin said sagely, "Dark magic is twisting their minds."

Canard's eyes narrowed.

"Seems like Asteroth has some new magic or someone we know is assisting him."

"Yeah, this has Charyus written all over it.", Mallory said firmly.

The dragon corpses all gave a loud bellow and attacked. Canard stood firm and remembered the rhyme.

"Don't flinch.", he instructed.

"And let them kill us?", Mallory asked.

"Trust him.", Grin said, "If they see we mean no harm, they might show compassion."

As much as Mallory wanted to fight, a part of her knew they were right so she lowered her blaster and the corpses paused right in front of them before falling apart and sinking back into the sands. And that was when hobgoblins on wyverns showed up only they looked more demonic and the wyverns looked more fierce than before.

"These ones we can fight.", Canard said smiling.

They got into fighting positions, but then the dragon corpses from before rose up again and met the hobgoblins in midair making the ducks turn and see the waves give way to a large pedestal with a dull sphere on top that burst into light and hung there.

"Well, looks like we got our distraction.", Canard stated, "Mal, can you get the orb?"

Mallory nodded and ran to the pedestal. She gripped the orb and slowly took it away. The waves began to fall back in and Mallory barely made it to the shore before the water got to her. Luckily it wasn't too deep and up to her waist so she could walk back to shore and hand the orb to Canard.

"One down.", Canard said, "I hope the others are doing okay."

/

Wildwing braced himself as the huge ax hit Shield. After going into what looked like an ancient tomb, the ducks had encountered a rank of mummies and wraiths led by a huge lich carrying an ax and the torn and rotting leathers it wore suggested it was a executioner in it's past life.

"This is why I'm not a horror movie fan.", Tanya stated as she used Nature to bind several mummies in place but then flinching, "Not sure how long we can hold out."

Duke's eyes narrowed as he used Smoke to try and blind the wraiths, but no luck.

"Evil that rises will not return, until that which is left behind burns."

Wildwing felt the strain on his heart intensify and Shield faded slightly. The lich took another swing, but Duke managed to cleave the ax shaft apart letting the bladed head fall to the ground Wildwing then noticed a torch on a nearby wall and an idea came to him.

"Which is left behind burns eh?", he thought as he made it to the torch and removed it, "Then I think I know what it means."

He ran to a room on the side where the wraiths seemed to stem from and noticed a large mound of remains obviously left here and he tossed the torch inside causing the room to go up in flames. The wraiths paused and gave out earsplitting shrieks as they twisted and turned in the air looking in agony before fading into nothing. The lich had repaired the ax and seemed angry, but Tanya noticed a large urn nearby and in a quick motion one of her vines whipped the urn and it fell over spilling ashes in a large floor and the lich paused and grabbed it's chest like it had a heart attack coming on. Duke used a stick to light the flames from the burial room and threw it to the ashes which erupted in flames with the lich following. The mummies then fell to the ground and their bandages disappeared as their bodies became dust the moment the lich had stopped burning and left behind a few strands of burned flesh. The ducks paused and caught their breath although they felt strained as their spells returned.

"We better fix this fast.", Duke stated, "Right after we find the urn."

Wildwing didn't look so sure.

"I think we destroyed it to stop the lich."

"Then what's that over there?", Tanya asked.

The other two looked to see another urn where the first one was looking dark and foreboding yet small enough to be able to carry someone's ashes like the ones from funerals. Duke walked over and retrieved it.

"Now let's get out of this creepy place before something else ugly and dead shows up.", Wildwing stated.

The other two couldn't disagree with that.

/

Nosedive stepped over a tile bearing a blue eye and placed his foot on a tile with a tan hourglass. Thrash and Mookie were following the same pattern even though they were in the open and not in a cave or anything.

"Time is key, so don't miss your footing. Remember the first verse and the Staff you'll be looting.", Thrash repeated, "So what happens when we touch another tile?"

Mookie took a pebble from outside the path and tossed it to one with a set of red fangs painted on it. The moment the pebble landed there, a pair of flaming jaws clamped over every red tile on the path. Nosedive was close to one and quickly reeled himself back.

"I had to ask.", Thrash said rolling his eyes.

They had taken a step further when a set of clicks were heard.

"That can't be good.", Nosedive said cautiously looking back.

A large wall of spikes was forming at the start and all three ducks were stunned a moment.

"And now we have to pick up the pace.", Mookie said plainly.

That was when the wall charged with the spikes extended. The ducks picked up speed, but they reached the last three rows and not a single tan hourglass was seen.

"Now what?", Thrash asked.

Nosedive took a breath.

"Jump!"

They did and barely made it over the tiles before the wall caught up to them where it paused and faded like a mirage. The ducks caught their breath and Thrash noticed a set of staffs on pedestals or in the hands of statues with many kinds of patterns and designs.

"I wonder.", he muttered.

Nosedive and Mookie observed as Thrash closed his eyes and took his nunchaku out and held the ends out.

"What are you doing?", Nosedive asked.

"Shh.", Thrash said calmly without opening his eyes, "One must not rush that which is thorough."

Thrash then moved forward and paused at a staff held by a statue of a monk that looked bright on one half and dark on the other. The middle had a red band that looked wide enough for a hand to cover. Thrash opened his eyes and put his nunchaku away.

"How did you know?", Nosedive asked.

"I asked Grin if I could get a few lessons in my spare time.", Thrash answered as he came down from the statue with the staff in his hand.

"Now what do we do?", Mookie asked.

"How about not delivering it to who you should?"

The three turned to see Borg with the Star Sword and looking pretty desperate.

"Borg?", Nosedive asked in confusion.

Borg nodded.

"Listen to me, you can't bring the staff, urn and sphere to Anaheim, you're all in danger."

"Danger?", Thrash asked equally confused as Nosedive, "And aren't you the one who sent us to get this staff to prevent that?"

Borg sighed.

"I'll explain on the way back. We need to find the other ducks before Asteroth does."

Borg waved his hand and the four warped away.

/

Asteroth observed from his lookout on the rocky ledge.

"Those pests should be arriving any time now.", he muttered, "I try this potion Charyus gives me and it barely even does a thing."

Then he felt a tinge of magic in the air and he knew too well who it was.

"So the princeling shows up alongside the staff. Good thing I held on to a bit of magic from earlier."

He tapped his new amulet around his neck and instantly he formed himself into Wildwing before Nosedive, Thrash and Mookie warped in with Borg.

"Big bro?", Nosedive asked confused, "Where's the other ducks?"

Asteroth thought fast.

"We got a bit separated, but we got the urn. How goes the staff?", he asked sounding exactly like the drake.

Thrash came forward with it and paused.

"Hey, how come you're not wearing your mask?", he asked backing away.

Asteroth tried to think, but then Borg brought out the Star Sword and blasted him with a magical flare that burned his illusion away.

"So you thought you could fool me foul sorcerer?", Borg asked.

Asteroth grew angry and pulled out the potion Charyus gave him.

"Guys, what is that?", Mookie asked drawing her saber.

Asteroth uncorked the bottle and drank the potion. The moment he did, colorful flames covered the wizard's body and grew into a tower of menacing magic and formed into a large dragon with the flaming wings of the phoenix and demonic features among the scales and a pronged tail causing the ducks and Borg to look in total shock.

"I've seen magical creatures in Anaheim, but this one takes the cake.", Borg said.

"And it probably ate it too.",Thrash added.

And then Asteroth opened his mouth to send out roaring flames.

"Look out!", Nosedive screamed.

The group scattered, but the flames then became blazing armor with ghostly knights which then assisted Asteroth.

"Give me the staff!", he bellowed.

Thrash pulled it out as Asteroth sent another blaze his way. Thrash however took hold of the staff and spun it around forming a barrier although Asteroth kept sending the flames. With the flame knights and Asteroth's new monstrous form, things did not look good for the ducks.

/

Wildwing climbed the ledge with the others right beside or behind him.

"Wing are you sure Nosedive's up there?", Duke asked.

"Believe me when I say he knows.", Canard stated.

"His bond with his brother is most strong.", Grin said sagely.

They had almost reached the edge, when Mallory slipped and the sphere slipped from her belt and plummeted downward. Tanya reacted quick and used Nature again, but the vine only got the sphere for a moment, before it started to wither and die. Duke fired his grappling hook and lassoed the sphere just as the vine had dried up and fell and Tanya clutched her chest area.

"Ow! My heart!"

Don't worry it wasn't a heart attack. Just a bad strain, but it cost her a fall, but Grin caught her since he was behind her. The time they got up there, a horrible sight met their eyes. Asteroth stood over the place with Thrash pinned down with flames surrounding him, Nosedive and Mookie were trying to hold off the flaming ghost knights but with no luck and Borg trying his best to hold the beast off, but the odds were far from even. Wildwing then noticed the sphere and urn shimmer and an idea came to mind. Canard knew that look and he was on board in a heartbeat. Tanya had recovered from her strain, but she now knew better than to use her magic now.

"Play 52?", Canard asked smiling.

Wildwing nodded returning a smile of his own. After a brief exchange, the others went around the edge while Wildwing and Canard emerged with the urn and the sphere.

"Asteroth!", Wildwing called out.

Asteroth looked their way, but by now had Bog pinned and the Star Sword hovering hear his huge scaly head and a wicked smile spread across his face.

"So all the relics are finally here.", he cackled, "Now I have what I need."

"Release our friends and we'll hand over the relics.", Canard said firmly.

Asteroth's expression darkened with suspicion.

"No. Not until you hand over the relics first."

Duke had made it to the Star Sword's location and had just grabbed the handle when Asteroth looked his way and gave a loud roar. Fortunately though, Mallory emerged with the sphere and the flames Asteroth sent dissolved. He turned to see Canard and Wildwing smiling and their hands were empty revealing the relics they had were fake. But then Borg came forward and embedded his sword into the side of the beast causing it to roar in pain. Unholy magic flowed from the urn and wrapped around Asteroth binging him down and shutting his mouth as the sphere glowed brightly and added magical chains to the wrappings. Thrash threw Wildwing the staff and Wildwing jumped forward causing the staff to glow brightly and become a spear which he stabbed into Asteroth and Duke used the Star Sword to stab from the other side. Asteroth's painful cries grew as he disintegrated once again becoming his wizard form again.

/

Before the ducks could do anything, a dark mist flowed around Asteroth and pulled him in before it vanished leaving the group spellbound.

"Well, that's that.", Borg said sheathing his sword.

"Is he gone for good?", Mookie asked.

Wildwing's eyes narrowed.

"I wouldn't count on it, but for now I'd say so."

Borg smiled.

"Oh what a wonderful tale this will be sung by the bards and passed down through the ages."

The ducks handed back the relics, but Borg passed on the Star Sword.

"It's better with you.", he said, "I'll make sure these three relics will be returned to their resting places."

"So how do we get back to our Anaheim?", Thrash asked.

Borg turned to Wildwing who took out a green amulet similar to Asteroth's only a little more simple looking. The ducks touched it with Thrash and Mookie slowly following suite.

"Now we just say 'There's no place like home'?", Mookie asked.

At that moment a magical wind flowed around the ducks, and in less than a minute, they were back at the Pond and in the very room they first entered.

"Now that was a quest.", Thrash said as the whole team settled down to rest.

"Yeah, but how did our enchantium get linked to us?", Mallory asked.

Wildwing smiled.

"Guess that's a quest for another day.", he said.

At that moment Phil came into the room looking both stressed and annoyed and Morpha alongside him.

"Where have you been?", he asked rather firm, "I've got thirty different opportunities for public appearances on my desk and you guys just vanish out of the blue."

"Believe us Phil, you wouldn't believe us if we told you.", Canard said smiling, "We danced with death."

Phil went pale.

"D..d..danced with...death?"

Then he fainted while the others(excluding Morpha) laughed out loud.