Brandy's Bizarre Adventure

by Von Reivanon

Brandy the Bandit lives happily with her king Oticat, her best friend Dan the Knight, and the rest of her fellow troops. But when the dark machinations of an evil King and an evil Clan start to tumble into motion, her life is thrown into chaos. Rated T for intense action, peril, heavy themes, and slightly suggestive content. And yes, there are lots and lots of JoJokes.

19. Chapter 18

Nearly 13 lightyears away from the planet where everything was taking place, there was a small, grey world, filled with sooty people and even sootier skies. It was not a typical planet,in the sense that it was not exactly round- no, it had offshoots from the large metal sphere that seemed almost like stalks off a plant. It resembled more a vast space station than a planet- but due to the proper definition of a Planet being a vast natural object that orbits a star, it was. What meager crops grew there were tasteless and colorless, purely a means to provide nutrients to the body and cash to the grower. Animals were in short supply, unless you were to count the nearly endless supply of bilge flies and toxic centipedes that covered the land like a carpet. The oceans were not much better- most of the life there was dead. It wasn't worth investigating.

It was not a very cheery place, nor was it very well known on the surface level. The only people that came there for any legal reasons were those who didn't have much of a chance anywhere else, or just seeking refuge after their very last funds for travel had run dry. Those who came there illegally were far more, but far more hidden as well. The undercrust slums of planet Danbmoor were vast beyond reason, making up almost 80% of the entire physical area beneath the surface. It was in those very dark, evil hallways of the decrepit, criminal scums that an oddly familiar trio found themselves, on a very specific mission.

Song: Tapion

Bailey sat on a large, flimsy plastic table, holding a soda to her lips, watching the dull crowd go by. She had been working for the SCP foundation for quite a while now- just a little over 3 weeks, in fact. She was getting excited for her one month anniversary of her new job, which she heard would bring lots of new benefits to her portfolio. It was necessary for her to move up- and that is what she most craved.

Her Bandit's uniform was no longer being used, now framed on her wall back at base as a reminder of how far she had come. She now was dressed in a pitch black shirt and long pants, flexible armor protecting her body all around. Her long boots had been replaced with more practical running shoes, edged with steel and filled with weapons. Her belt had been upgraded to a full on utility band, holding many secret items and useful tools for any situation. Her mask, of course- had stayed, for it was part of her skin. Her Dash had stayed as well, as she had been training extensively with it the entire time she had been a member of the foundation. She was only now learning just how useful it could really be, the full potential of the force beginning to enter her mind.

Right next to her sat Kurizas, tucking into a sandwich. He had just followed Bailey as soon as Lord Vetinari had explained the business opportunity for the three, right after their old lives had been basically wiped from the face of the planet. He was just happy that he was finally doing something that seemed to have real lasting consequences, rather than just messing around and doing whatever his dad told him to. He had been, out of the three, the quickest to adjust to the gargantuan culture shock of life in space. Whether that was from his previous consorting with demons or his lack of real intelligence was still unknown.

Unlike Bailey, he had requested to keep his uniform- but it had been heavily upgraded. His Prince's armor had been mixed with special alien metals, the mighty alloy hundreds upon hundreds of times more durable than it had been before. Magmatic and electric energy flashed up and down it, his lance sparkling with amounts of energy he could not have previously imagined. His pony, unfortunately, was currently 13 lightyears away in a field somewhere, but he had gotten a hoverbike from the Foundation. So it was all cool.

The third of the trio, Nidvaleer, sat right behind the table, calmly reading the newspaper. He sat silently against the brick wall, pushing it away from him with his gigantic bulk. He hardly even resembled a Mega Knight anymore, with his spiked short hair, his dark green and red uniform, and his switched out weapons. But that was the way he liked it. He had managed to find somebody who understood his grunts, a fine masked man who liked to play with fire.

He was quite enjoying his time in space so far, and was all too eager to head out on their current mission. The three were currently assigned to track down a Mafia Boss by the sinister name of Don Reiano, lord of the Danbmoorian underworld and the most wanted sentient being in the entire arm of the galaxy- except for something known only as Fredk.

"So.", said Bailey, and set down her drink. She reached inside her back left pocket for her standardized laser pistol, feeling the reassuring click of the metal. "We gonna do this, or what?"

Kurizas finished off the last of his pepperoni and peppercorn sandwich, and stood up. He politely pushed his chair back in, and left a small tip for the waiter in the form of a piece of Gold. He had still managed to keep some of his culture with him, even in the alien worlds he now lived. "Right, Bailey. Of course. But will Nidavaleer stand up with us?"

Nidavaleer, hearing his name, looked up from his newspaper and grunted. He pushed both hands to the ground, and jumped up at top speed, blowing away a few papers in the generated wind. He landed again with a loud thud, attracting the attention of several dozen people nearby. Some of them glared, but most of them truly did not care.

Once Nidavaleer, still rocking from side to side, stood up, Kurizas clapped his hands. He directed his attention to his motorbike, sitting at attention on the other side of the hallway. At the sound of his clapping hands, it turned on- and at his look, it almost jumped towards him. "Hover Bike!", he shouted, and the bike sped towards him like a hyper mouse, spinning around in circles around him and coming to rest at prime mount position.

"Alright, let's go.", said Bailey, and put her hand on Nidavaleer's. "Let's go, big guy."

Nidavaleer nodded, and started to slowly stomp his way to the tunnel on the other side of the interior hall. Brenda stared for a second, then stopped him from going the wrong way.

"Not over there, Nid.", said Bailey, using her nickname for him. "We're going this way."

She pointed to the opposite side of the tunnel, and nodded. A scowl crossed Nidavaleer's face- he was actually quite smart, and disliked it heavily when people underestimated him. But he was also smart enough to not care, knowing that their mission was more important than his ego. So he turned around, and began charging towards the darkened tunnel into the undercity beyond.

The lights on either side of the wall lit up, as the trio ran as fast as they could down its blackened length. Don Reiano would be a very, very tough man to find- even harder to capture, and yet even harder still to kill. Or so they had heard. The Don was a mysterious figure indeed, shrouded in mystery and wrapped in the unknowns of the world.

But, of course, they were not unknown enough for The Foundation to not be able to piece together and figure out. Don Reiano's location had been precisely pinpointed to somewhere within a very large building, towering up towards the top of the cave in an underground cavern. The group had not reached it yet- they still ran through the tunnels, the lights on the sides the only means of illumination that was available. They had no time for distracitons- they were there to finish the mission as quickly as they could. Get in, get out, get the cargo they had also been assigned to capture, and finish. There was to be absolutely no room for error whatsoever- for such was the way of the Foundation.

"Nidvaleer.", said Bailey, and pointed forwards. She flicked a small bit of blue light into the air, in the shape of a door. "Once we get there, remove the door for us. Kindly."

Nidvaleer nodded, and focused his immense strength within his mighty fists. He was unable to use Star, but his basic, physical strength amounted to just about the same level of destruction.

"Kurizas.", said Bailey, and jumped over a speed bump just in time. The other two noticed her doing so and followed suit- Nidavaleer's head smashing into the ceiling and carving a path through it at the same time. "He's going to have a lot of guards. That is, unless you take them out for me, which I know you will. Right?"
"Right.", said Kurizas, and saluted atop his motorbike. Even though its speed was that of a train, Nidavaleer's long, jumping strides and Bailey's incredible foot speed actually left him going third.

"Then what are you going to do, Bailey?"

Bailey grinned, and checked her wrist. There, strapped to the skin, was a tiny vial of glowing blue liquid, looking more toxic than an Elixir Golem. "Don't worry about me, Kurizas. That Don is as good as another head down and another trophy for my wall."

Kurizas shivered- Bailey's room back home was… interesting, to say the least. She had decorated it with all manner of trophies from her previous jobs- the eyes of a powerful sorcerer, which would still blink on occasion. The scraped skin of a mighty ogre warlord, right next to the grinning skull of a ferocious Dragon-man. But the prize, or would be prize, of her collection was an empty trophy board hanging up right above her bed, where she would post Don Reiano's head once the mission was done.

"Good, good.", said Kurizas, and looked around. Everything seemed to be in order- the lair of the Don would soon be reached, and from there it was a simple matter to kill him. He was worth a very impressive bounty at this point- Bailey would be interested in that.

"We're coming up on the tower!", said Bailey, checking her wrist. Her sensors were beeping in urgency. "Guys, get ready to-"

Then she noticed something else odd on the tracker. It seemed as though the terrain they had been passing through was suddenly ended, and… growing closer? That couldn't be right.

Bailey looked up from her tracker, just as an alarm bell sounded, the edge of the tunnel slammed shut, and the lights shot off into nothing, leaving the trio stuck in the dark, no way out, something very huge and heavy approaching them.

"Aw, shoot.", said Bailey, and looked around. She could not see anything, for obvious reasons, but it was the thought that counted. She tried every angle to get a better look at the door, but that was just illuminating the problem. The real, pressing issue was the rolling boulder, sliding down the thin and packed hallway, threatening to crush them into flat bits.

"We fell for it, clear as day.", muttered Bailey, and looked up towards Nidvaleer."Hey, Nid! Wanna start winding up those big huge fists of yours right about now?"

Nidvaleer sighed, and drew back his right arm. He slowly, surely, concentrated all of his arm's destructive power into a devastating fist. As the boulder rounded the corner, Bailey stared, Kurizas let out a little squeak- and NIdavaller bellowed, throwing his fist forward and into a straight collision.

The rock had been solid, and very strong, top trap-grade stone. But it was nothing when compared to the force of Nidaveleer's punch, the force tearing straight through the rock and cracking the floor on the other side. Both halves skidden onwards and outmost, slamming into either side of the hallway and spinning, gently, to a stop.

"Whew.", said Bailey, and gave Nidvaleer a nod, which he returned. "Now, let's see if we can't just figure out a way past this obstruction here-"

That, too, was a mildly disguised request. Nidavaleer sighed, looked towards the concrete and metal door standing between them and their target, and drew back his fist.

One muscle-fueled impact and explosion of steel later, the group spilled out onto a narrow walkway, overlooking an impossibly deep cavern. It was almost a mine, if mines held no ore and had no purpose except for sheer depth. The thin walkway they were standing on was supported by even thinner scaffolding, heading all the way down into the impenetrable darkness- either whoever owned it was too nicely off to care about people, or too evil. Based on the people who owned the area, it was probably both.

Bailey looked down, after brushing herself off from the fall. It was funny ,she supposed- had that emergency security measure not taken place, they might have actually gone too fast, falling off the edge and to their deaths. She was grateful for the rich's lack of sight- but she also knew they had all made a careless mistake. Something like that would not be allowed to happen again.

"Alright, we're here.", she said, and looked down- all the way to the Tower, about a thousand feet below the entrance. Gargoyles and fossils lined the rough red and grey stone all the way down, twisting the edges into unsettling shapes. "Or, we will be. Kurizas, the pods?"

Kurizas nodded, having been prepared for this specific occasion. Their background agents had mapped out everything beforehand, and given them the right tools they needed to get in without being seen. The things he now took out of his pocket and jangled in his hand were three Invisibility Pods- just activating one would create a bubble around the user, rendering them both invisible and much lighter. It was the perfect thing to float down to the Tower roof unseen, and assassinate the Don.

Song: #14- Crush

"Too right.", said Kurizas, and spun one of the pods into the air. It floated over him for a split second, before beginning to open wider like a stretchy resin flower. He held out his hand, and Bailey grabbed them away just before the bubble closed. Kurizas floated off the ground with a clean pop, and began to float down to the Tower below, leaving the narrow bridge and descending into the dark.

Bailey was the next to go, casting the protective bubble over herself and Dashing off the edge in one smooth movement .Being lighter than Kurizas, and without so much equipment, she floated down quite slower. Not too much slower, she hoped- they all had to reach the roof at around the same time in order for the plan to work. She just hoped Nidvaleer would get that-

But her hopes were dashed, as she saw the blurry shape of their titanic teammate fly past them, his tremendous weight only partially held up by the bubble. He should have been fully supported. She glared at Kurizas, who just shrugged. "I thought you got the extra strength!"

"Did I not?", asked Kurizas, and scratched his forehead. "Shoot. I'll get them next time, okay?'

"Next time?", asked Bailey, almost hissing. "There might not be a next time if you do stuff like that!"

"Well I'm sorry, Princess.", said Kurizas, a small hint of nostalgia sneaking into his voice from those words. "Maybe you can do the supply runs next time-"

His words were cut off as the two slammed into the roof, jostling them both from their bubbles and nearly sending them tumbling across the roof- but they grabbed the sleek beige material and took a strong hold. They both looked around for Nidvaleer- before their eyes both fell on a gaping hole in the roof, torn outwards in the way that only a rampaging Mega Knight could achieve. They looked at each other, groaned, and flung themselves towards the hole, heading into what was now a botched mission, and what would hopefully not turn into a total failure.

Nidvaleer did not know of their frustrations as he stomped happily through the hallways of the Tower, slamming aside a half dozen guards with each movement of his arms. Powerful laser weapons were turned on him, the private police and soldiers preparing to fire- only for their guns and bodies to be flung aside broken by fists the size of family couches. A few were still able to fire underneath the raging onslaught, the ones in the back row or the ones that had been waiting- but their attacks did hardly anything to get through Nidavaleer's powerful armor.

Nidavaleer could not shout. He could not sing the battle songs he wanted to, only able to hum them from deep within his powerful throat. He groaned in rhythmic fashion with each enemy he crushed underfoot, and beat his fists against the walls on the timing of the beat. He almost closed his eyes, but that would have impaired his vision too much to be worth it. He did dance to the song within his head, however- spinning around, dodging laser fire, bashing his head through the ceiling and catching the falling people, setting the civilians aside and breaking the soldiers down to corpses with the same general good mood. It was still a new thing to him, really- the very idea of corpses. That people, of all things, could have them.

But he didn't let that thought get him down, as he smashed his fist through a tank and let out another bellow. Let the others have their objective, he thought, relishing the destruction. I will have my fun, and fulfill my purpose. Slaughter, they told me- slaughter until there is nothing left to get rid of.

He felt the vibrations in another room as the guards set up a large gun, pulsing with destructive force. But he knew they would not get the chance to fire such a weapon- not if he punched his arm through the wall, crumpled the front of the gun into steel foil, and slammed the rest of it in either direction, throwing the guards to the other sides of the room. Which, of course, is exactly what he did. Figuring he might as well continue, Nidavaleer stepped through the wall completely and bellowed a challenge, daring any warrior powerful enough to come out and meet him. His vocal cords were broken- but the sheer vibrations from his throat and lungs carried through like a devastating foghorn.

"Crap…", said Bailey, as she and Kurizas jumped down through the hole that Nidavaleer had left. "That's not good. Everyone in the entire building is gonna be drawn to him-"

She blinked, and almost landed wrong on the floor below. But she was able to adjust herself, despite her sudden revelation. She turned to Kurizas, who's face lit up as he slowly got it too. "Everyone in the entire building is going to be drawn to him!"

"Perfect.", said Kurizas, and reached for his communicator. "But I'll call him to ask him what-"

He stood there for a second as he realized just what that would amount to, and slapped his forehead. "What am I thinking?", he asked out loud. "He can't talk."

"It doesn't matter.", Bailey said, and tapped her wrist. Her specialized TimeDisc beeped, as Kurizas's was synched with hers. "Just do your part, and I'll do mine."
"Right.", said Kurizas, and bumped fists with Bailey. Ever since The Incident, that was the correct way for members of the Foundation to address each other. "Secure, Contain-"

"Protect.", said Bailey, with a wink. Then they ran down the hallway, grey walls and bright yellow lights illuminating their passage, the sounds around them mostly comprised of Nidavaleer embarking on a merry rampage a few floors down and the guards failing to stop him.

Only a few seconds later, they came to the first of what would no doubt be many locked doors. It was a fairly simple office model, frosted glass on the front, and a solid handle that looked not easily broken. The lights seemed to be turned off within- a sure sign of secrecy.

"You have a key?", asked Bailey, searching through her pockets for one of her own. She always liked to collect them, so perhaps she would have one with her that would fit-

But her thoughts and actions were interrupted by the sound of Kurizas plunging his energy lance deep into the door's surface, melting the metal within seconds and leaving the locked door merely a pile of glowing steel in just a few seconds. The emptiness revealed a dark hallway beyond, a single square of light at the very end, unknown horrors between them and the other side. He flipped up the sun visors that had replaced his helmet, and flashed a snazzy grin. "Yes I do."

Bailey just rolled her eyes, and motioned with her hand. "Alright, we don't have all day. Let me get up on your bike and we'll-"
Only then did she notice with wide eyes that Kurizas had left his bike idling on the roof, instead of down with them. She looked up at him with fury in her eyes, and glared.

"You left your bike outside?", she snapped, and Kurizas nodded. Bailey put her head in her hands and shook it, mumbling to herself. "It's a miracle I even complete any missions with you two idiots bumbling around."

"I guess I have to carry you.", said Kurizas, and held out his arms. Bailey stared at him in total disbelief, watching Kurizas gently move his arms up and down.

"Oh, shut up!", she snapped, throwing her hand at him, and Kurizas let his arms fall. "Let's just run. I can move faster than you anyway."
The two took off down the hallway, past the darkened, secretive doors and the water coolers full of some unknown substance. Kurizas ran as fast as he could, but lagged behind the only jogging Bailey. "Then why don't you carry me?"

"Because you're too heavy!", said Bailey, then her feet skidded to a stop. She managed to cease her running right before she came to the edge of the hallway, Kurizas stopping behind her. "Woah, woah, wait a second. Something's not right."
"What?", asked Kurizas, taking a step forward. Bailey noticed with alarm that his foot now crossed out into the light, and she reached out an arm to stop him. "Wait-"

A second later, a huge fleshy wall full of teeth slammed down into the edge of the light. Kurizas jerked back his foot just in time, the teeth biting into the hard floor and sending cracks in both directions. They stared at the Maw Trap, then Bailey held up a small tool.

She knelt down, took aim, and, with a sadistic grin on her face, held the tiny flamethrower right up next to the monster's flesh. It took only a second for it to catch, and the beast screeched in pain.

It retreated in a second as the flesh smoked and burned, disappearing into the ceiling above with an agonized cry. Kurizas almost took another step forward- before Bailey stopped him, and held up the flamethrower again. She gently moved her foot towards the light, and-

The Maw Trap had no choice but to slam down again, the burned parts of its skin becoming extremely agitated from the movement. It screamed and launched itself upwards again, but not before Bailey had hit it with another blast of flame. This one was worse tha the last, adding on to the Maw Trap's damage. As Bailey stepped her foot across the light border once more, the Maw Trap sprung open, slamming down onto the floor- and collapsed into a pile of flesh and teeth, the fire damage and the friction too much for it to bear.

"There we go.", said Bailey, and put the flamethrower back in her pocket. She bent down and started running again, Kurizas running after her.

But hardly had they run just a few meters that Kurizas noticed something on the side of the room that caught his eye. It was a single door, regular size and grey- that read Elevator on the plaque.

"An elevator, eh?", asked Bailey, putting her hands on her hips. She flicked her cheek a few times, activating the tech within. For a moment her eyes glowed, and she pumped her fist. "Alright, no hostiles within. Let's go."

Bailey and Kurizas both stepped into the elevator, as it began to close. Bailey pressed the button D for Don- but also D for dungeon, the lowest floor. It was also where the pre-mission intelligence had told them Don Reiano would be during that time.

"So.", said Kurizas, edging a touch closer to Bailey. "I heard-"

"No.", said Bailey, and continued to stare forward. "I have not heard, and I don't want to."

Kurzas hung his head, and Bailey folded her arms. She didn't mean to be so mean to her friend- but this was a mission they were on. There was no room for small talk in the elevator.

Once the bell dinged, and the doors slid open, Bailey Dashed out like a shot. She went a little too fast into the narrow hallway, barley able to keep herself from sliding right into the door in front. She jumped back a few times and looked back for Kurizas- he was still running out of the door, all his fancy equipment in hand. "Come on, keep up!"

"I'm trying, Bailey!", Kurizas wheezed, now seeing why it was a bad idea to leave his hoverbike outside. Even though his armor and energy lance were very strong, they were also very heavy.

"Okay, try harder.", said Bailey, and looked forwards. The door was right in front of her, a simple wooden one, seeming in place inside of an old house. She put her hand on the knob and turned-

There, inside the room, was a crushing darkness, unlike anything she had seen since Grrshknn. The window on the far, far side showed a vicious thunder storm among palm trees, in total contrast to what was actually outside the Tower. The sensation of fearful screams filled the entire room- emanating most strongly from a hunched up figure in the corner. It had a large bald head, only sunken patches of skin for features, a sunken smile crawling upwards and out of the confines of its face. Its long, spindly arms were held closely to its lanky body, the rest of it held within a large black sock. Mold crept out from its spot on the ground, and it slowly turned its head to stare at Bailey.

The door slammed shut with a crash, Bailey flinging herself against it to keep that… thing from escaping. She had no idea what it was, and she had absolutely no intention of ever finding out.

"Bailey, what are you doing?", asked Kurizas, seeing her gasping in primal panic against the plantation door. "We're supposed to go this way."
"Right, sorry.", said Bailey, and pushed against the doorknob, hoping it was locked. She Dashed away from it as far as she could, not wanting to be near that thing any longer than she had to. It reminded her of one of the SCPs back home- Peanut maybe. But it had a far different aura to it than anything she had ever seen. She no longer wished to devote any thought to the dream demon.

Kurizas leaped over a fallen filing cabinet, seeing another one crash to the ground. They were back in the light again, running from the haunted area of the Tower. The walls shook from Nidaveleer's continued rampage up above- they had brought flamethrowers now, battering rams, stun guns- anything to try and stop him. But he kept on hammering on, crushing weapon after weapon, defeating guard after guard. He was doing an excellent job- with so many guards sent to defeat him, there were none left to try and stop Kurizas and Bailey.

Song: Tentacular Circus

"So, how much longer does it say until we get there?", asked Bailey, pulling up to match Kurizas in a matter of moments. Kurizas looked down at his tracker, and nodded. The Tower offices were not small- they were hundreds of feet across. But he and Bailey were sprinting at incredible speeds, and so it seemed that they were crossed in a matter of moments.

"About 5 minutes.", he said, and looked up. "But it could be longer, if we don't run into-"

He stopped, looking up at the bizarre display before him. It was in between a cork board full of children's illustrations and a schedule posting- a gigantic red and black door that read "Carpet Maze. Open now. Only way to Don Reiano's office."

"That.", said Kurizas, blinking in surprise. "We run into that."
"Oh, is this really the only way to his office?", groaned Bailey, and looked up. "That sucks. Oh well. Let's do this, Kurizas."

"Right.", said Kurizas, and once again bumped his fist with Bailey. Kurizas jabbed his lance deep into the door frame, melting it to a slugdge and revealing the darkened maze beyond.

It was only the very front of the maze they saw, but it was enough to set them off on edge. They had seen many, many horrors in even just their short time as members of the SCP Foundation, but there was something different about this place. It was somehow more primally terrifying than any place they had ever visited. They did not know why.

The maze was almost pitch black- the carpet was black on black foam in front of a black background. Black signs of lettering adorned the course, with the only non-black light coming from very deep purple lights scattered along across the side of the blocks. There couldn't have been more than 10 lumens, total, in the entire room.

But they had both been through worse- they had to convince themselves of that. So with hearts full of unexplained panic, but glowing courage, they both jumped into the maze, and into the dark.

Nidavaleer raised his foot above a soldier, relishing in the expression of terror the opponent gave him. He was just about to slam his giant boot down and through the floor, when a memory reached him from the first day he had arrived in the Foundation.

"Nidavaleer…", Vetinari had said. "I sense much anger in you. Much unbounded rage, yearning and trying to become free. I understand why. Things were done to you that should never be done to any living individual."

Nidavaleer had nodded, and his muscles had swelled with might.

"However.", said Vetinari, and tapped on his cane. "You will run into many opponents and foes on your line of duty. You must take care not to kill any but the ones in charge. For the faceless grunts are but people, only in because they have nowhere else to go."

Nidavaleer had thought about this, and grudgingly accepted it. He had nodded, and Vetinari had let a smile brush his face. "Good, good. We'll make a good soldier of you yet."

Nidavaleer put his foot backwards, and just put out his hand. The soldier stared at the one who had already killed dozens in confusion- before Nidavaleer yanked the soldier's hand, tossing him down the hallway and into a bin- alive, but very much out.

Bailey jumped through the black foam and carpet cave, barely able to see through the darkness. But she relayed on her wits and instinct, bounding high over the blocks, bouncing from one to another like a leaping cat. She had not spotted the exit yet- she hoped that Kurizas had. But judging from a quick look behind her, he was having too much trouble for that.

Kurizas flopped and floundered through the maze, his heavy weight slowing him down and keeping him down to the ground. He had already tried piercing through the blocks with his lance, but they seemed constructed of some mysterious, indestructible material, completely immune to energy and piercing damage.

Bailey sighed, again wondering how she could even get anywhere with Kurizas along. "Dude, keep up.", she said, bouncing over to him. She grabbed his shoulder with one hand, trying to pull him up. "We're running out of time, and we don't have long before Don Reiano notices that we're here. Come on."

"I'm trying, I'm trying.", said Kurizas, trying to jump, but he just squished further into a block. He briefly thought about leaving his lance or his armor behind, but knew he would soon be needing them both. "I just gotta- gotta-"

Unknown to either of them, they had already been spotted. The security cameras aligned in the room had picked them both up as soon as they entered, tracking their every move. Don Reiano himself sat in the chair, hands to his face, watching Kurizas struggle to move. He did not see Bailey, however- her clothes were too dark for his aging eyes.

"Having a little trouble, eh?", he said evilly, the silver bells somewhere in the room with him tinkling. He grabbed a dark purple switch, and yanked it all the way down. "Well, let's just fix that!"

Kurizas and Bailey both felt a peculiar sensation in their torsos- one of strange lightness, and worrying air. Bailey felt her feet ever so slowly move off of the dark blocks, the foam sponging back into place. Kurizas felt himself rise up below her, all of his weighted equipment now light as could possibly be. They were now floating, just a few feet above the surface of the complex maze.

"What the-", Bailey said, and looked up. "They… turned off the gravity in the room? But why?"

"Who cares why?", asked Kurizas, then actually thought about what he was doing for once. "I mean, you're right. This has got to be a trap!"

"And what do we do in case of traps, Kurizas?", asked Bailey, something deep inside of her sensing a teaching moment. She did not know what part of her brought that out, but there was certainly something that did.

"This!", said Kurizas, and closed one eye. He lowered his energy lance in front of himself, took careful aim, and immediately forgot the point of aim as he sprayed a vast amount of energy across the entire front side of the foam maze, breaking through the wall and exposing the dimly lit hallway and control panel beyond. The blocks, of course, remained intact.

"Very good, Kurizas!", said Bailey, and grabbed him with both hands. She closed her eyes and Dashed down to the ground, leaving a small shockwave behind her. They both landed right next to a vending machine, which seemed to hold too many sodas for its own good.

"Hey, old habits die hard.", said Bailey, and smashed open the glass. She grabbed one for herself and one for Kurizas, both ripping it open. "And some don't die at all."

They tipped the sodas down their throats, downing the fizzy cherry or black liquid in one giant gulp. They still hadn't gotten totally used to water-based sodas, much preparing the familiar taste of Elixir. But they weren't entirely bad.

"Alright, now what?", asked Kurizas, wiping the soda off of his lips. He looked to Bailey, who gulped the rest down and tossed the can into a garbage pin in the darkened side of the room. She looked around and pointed down the hall, to where Don Reiano was, according to her device, was highly expected to be. Kurizas nodded, and ran down the hall right beside her.

Don Reiano blinked, and sat back in his chair. He massaged his forehead with his hand, having no idea what to do next. He knew that removing the gravity for them both would be a risky move, but he hadn't expected it to go so wrong.

"Good thing I still have you all.", he said to his circle of advisors, and the shadowy figures nodded. He gestured to his private bodyguard, their hulking bodies and grim faces almost like chiseled statues in the low crimson light. "With you all around, those assassins won't stand a chance. And-"

An advisor whispered into his ear, and he smiled, leaning forward. "It appears that rampaging monster in the upper levels will be subdued in a matter of moments. I'm very glad to hear that."

Nidavaleer gave a mighty groan, smashing his fist through yet another wall. This one led to the Tower's cafeteria, which had been abandoned once his rampage had started. But the food still sizzled on the stove- three large pizzas and a chicken fried steak. The second Nidavaleer's eyes detected such delicacies, his hand went for them, grabbing them all right off the stove and shoving them into his mouth. He didn't mind the heat over the taste.

WIth another swift movement, he backhanded a killbot that had sent after him right into the wall, shattering it into bits and pieces of wiring, steel, and buzzing chips. Most of the soldiers that had been sent after him had already been defeated, lying on the ground in various stages of either unconsciousness or death. He had stopped killing them about halfway through his rampage, but the ones he had already killed did not benefit from that change of heart and reminder of morals.

Nidavaleer looked up, to where he could sense his two compatriots. He knew that he was holding up his part of the mission- but he could only hope they were doing theirs.

But there was no time to worry, for he could not affect them. He knew that more opposition was coming, and he had to tank it all. He could do it. Even though he no longer resembled one, he was still a Mega Knight, through and through.

Nidavaleer turned to face the army of killbots filing in through the doorway, and beat his chest in a challenging gesture. They lowered their laser guns right at him- and he leapt forward, fists out, ready to smash them all into pieces.

Bailey still sprinted down the hall, Kurizas lagging behind. She was no longer mad at him for his lack of speed- something in the soda seemed to have taken care of that. She wasn't thinking about that, though, nor the way her movements seemed to be slightly stiffer as she ran.

"He's just down this hall.", she said, and skidded to a stop. There, in front of her, was a pair of thick office doors, locked with a dozen locks and tied tight with chains. It would have been impenetrable for any normal person- except, of course, for a Troop turned Agent.

"Break it down.", she said, stepping aside to let Kurizas through. His breathing was slightly labored, both from the running, the weight, and whatever had been in that soda.

"Yes, ma'am.", he said, and Bailey flinched. But she was able to watch as Kurizas raised his lance, pressed the button, and a great beam of energy slammed into the fortified door, melting it to glowing, oozing, bubbling sludge in just a matter of moments.

Song: Megalovania

Bailey stepped through the door, and drew a single laser pistol from her pocket. She hardly liked to use it, as she had grown up melee, but it did get the point across. It was also, hopefully, quite effective, far more than just a simple punch.

Kurizas was right behind her, lifting his laser lance for another blast. He moved his heavy armor to right in front of Bailey, protecting all but her head and feet from any attack. They stared at the elite group of guards that had been summoned around Don Reiano, with their own multi-tool weapons drawn. They sparkled with light, the tips of their blasters ready to fire at even the smallest hair trigger. But they knew that as soon as they did, Bailey and Kurizas would unleash their own fire right into Don Reiano, killing him. There were more guards than Bailey and Kurizas could take out in a single attack. Bailey and Kurizas were both too strong for a single round each to put down. Neither side could make a move without losing their own lives- it was the perfect stalemate.

"You didn't have to do this, Don Reiano.", said Bailey, and began to feel her eyelids growing heavy. She had no idea why- perhaps she was just tired. But either way, she had to fight if off, and finish the mission. She blinked, and stumbled forward. "You could have surrendered."

"Oh, I could have.", said Reiano, and smiled as he noticed the difficulties his would-be assassins were having trouble moving. "But I chose not to. Do you know why?"

He stood up, his guards and advisors around him moving aside to let him pass. Bailey thought that know would be the best time to shoot him, and tried to focus her grip around the trigger- but they would not move. Her grip, all of a sudden, was not tight enough to work.

"Because the SCP Foundation is no longer a threat to me.", said Reiano, and walked right up to Bailey. He grinned, and traced her cheek with his fingernail. She tried as hard as she could- to shoot, to lash out, to do anything to him. But her body wasn't responding. "No one is a threat to me anymore. Not you, not your superiors, nor even their superiors. I have found power."

Bailey raged internally, but remained rigid and limp outside. Her body could no longer respond to her commands- it was like she was trapped inside of a concrete statue, almost falling asleep. From the lack of explosions on Kurizas's end, he was having significant trouble as well. Reiano noticed this, and snapped his fingers right in front of Bailey's face.

"Ah, it appears you did drink my Slowing Soda after all.", said Reiano, and laughed a haughty laugh. "I didn't expect anyone would actually fall for that, such a bizarre trap. But it seems as though both you and your friend actually went out of your way to activate it upon yourself! My, my, how convenient of you."

Reiano turned around and leaned back on Bailey's shoulder, plucking her gun from her hand. He flashed her a grin and tucked the gun into his pocket, rage burning in Bailey's heart and mind. "And now that you both seem to be my statues, why don't you just come into the back room with me?"

He looked up, and laughed again. "And don't think your large friend will save you. He is strong, but not strong enough to fend off all my killbots at once. I think they'll be delivering him here in just a few moments."

He grabbed Bailey's upper back, someone else latching on to Kurizas. He traced Bailey's jawline, tapping at her cheek. "Now, which room would you like to be in? What's that? You're sad? Well, someone should have just killed me when they had the chance-"

The scene, suddenly, ended. It was replaced with a jarring crash, a shattering kaboom, and a cloud of dust as a truly massive shape suddenly landed right in the center of the room, throwing the Don off his feet and everyone else in random directions. Bailey and Kurizas both fell onto the floor, the jolting pain of impact loosening the hold the Soda had on their bodies. Bailey groaned, and tried to move her arm, moving her head around slowly.

There, right in the center of the room, was Nidavaleer. The killbots had apparently done one of two things- failed to keep him from escaping and rescuing his friends, or taken the orders to deliver him a little too literally. But either way, he was there, growling up a ferocious storm, and looking around the room for the Don.

"Ni… Nidvaleer.", said Bailey, and pushed herself up off the ground. She leaned against him for support, pulling her spare laser pistol out of her pocket. She looked around for where the Don might emerge- but she had to ready for anything. That much was certain.

A head rose out of the rubble, and Bailey's shot was already on it. The laser pierced the head's eye perfectly, frying the brain beyond, and sending the now-lifeless body toppling to the floor.

"Alright, that's one.", said Bailey, and looked around again. "Now to find-"

Then she stopped, and looked down. There, right where the head had fallen, lay the dead body of Don Reiano.

"O- oh.", said Bailey, and laughed. She looked down again, seeing the unmistakable corpse. Surprisingly enough, he had been absolutely defenseless by himself. But she did figure that happened a lot outside of her own culture. There it made sense- the strongest was the leader of a group. Bailey still did not quite understand the other world's politics, but they were not exactly hers to judge."Nidvaleer. He's just dead."
Nidvaeeler grunted, and offered a hand to help Bailey up. He saw her laughing, and soon joined in with a few deep chuckles of his own. The elite guards and the advisors of the late Don Reiano all watched in horror, looking up from the rubble at the trio of assassins that had killed their charge so easily, laughing like they had just been told the funniest joke in the galaxy.

"Oh, don't mind us.", said Bailey, and wiped away a bit of tear from her mask. "We're just laughing about it, is all. Heheh."

"We should-", said Kurizas, and gripped all his equipment a little tighter. The shock of the group around them was starting to wear off a bit, and he knew that they would start attacking in just a few dozen seconds. Sure, they could probably beat them all, but it would certainly hurt. "We should go now. Everyone is waiting back at base, and I'm sure my bike wants us back."
"Right, right.", said Bailey, and took a deep breath. She tapped a few times on her wristwatch, trying to get the Return function online. It was really quite handy- all she had to do was show the device a picture of the defeated target, and they could teleport to wherever they had last left a large piece of tech. Which was ,of course, Kurizas's hoverbike. "Let's go."

Nidavaleer grunted in approval, and put his hands around his two much smaller teammates. He was almost glowing from the satisfaction of a job well done, despite the injuries he had taken. It was fine- they could be healed back at base. Even now, he could feel the damage healing up, his self-regeneration automatically taking effect. He bared his teeth at the guards that were beginning to get up, freezing them in place for a few seconds with fear, until he heard Bailey's device emit the small sound of a successful snap.

"Alright, there we go.", she said, and wrapped her arms tighter around her group. "Another successful mission, say Clash, guys!"

"Clash!", said Bailey and Kurizas in synch, a reminder of their past lives. Nidavaleer just smiled, blue light flickering around them as they all disappeared into thin air, leaving the shocked guards far behind.

They reappeared right where Kurizas had left his bike, which now spun itself around in circles once it saw them. It beeped and chirped with sheer happiness, even more so once Kurizas jumped right onto its back. Bailey nodded and looked up, knowing that in just a few seconds, they would be beamed up from the planet's underground to the SCP spaceship floating just a few dozen miles outwards in space. It was comforting feeling, to be returning home.

"And we're done.", she said, and grinned. "How long do you think it'll take us to-"
Her words were cut off, as the beam hit the roof of the beginning to collapse in some areas Tower, and the three were utterly vanished from inside.

Song: Low Tide

The spaceship of the SCP Foundation that Bailey, Kurizas, and Nidavaleer had taken to planet Danbmoor was nothing special for the organization, but it was still incredibly impressive for most planets. It was certainly far beyond almost anything on Clash- only the truly legendary Ship of the Gods could begin to measure up. If most people were merely to gaze upon the technological wonder, their brains would hardly even be able to take it all in, much less comprehend it.

But of course, through repeated exposure to wonder, the brain becomes accustomed. Shock grows weaker and weaker over time, until it becomes mere routine to see. And that is what had happened after just a short week to the trio, who now treated that particular ship as their home.

The Cracked Barrel, as it had been affectionately dubbed, was a standard model. Its official name was Ship 1387442, but that was quite a mouthful and felt special in no way. Bailey had named it that, after noticing how much it happened to resemble a Goblin Barrel with a long crack down its side. The "crack" was actually a highly specialized groove cut along the side in order to assist with flight speed and stability, but it was really the thought that counted in naming things. So "The Cracked Barrel" it had become.

Bailey sat lounged about on the front couch right on the bridge, holding a small ping pong board in her hand. She bounced the ball up and down off the board at incredible speeds, using her Dash to keep it going. She was always practicing with it, always pushing herself to go faster. So far, she had set a record for 43, 575 consecutive bounces, but she knew that record would soon be broken. She was up to 23,846 on this session- but now that number became inaccurate, as she got in a few dozen more bounces in just a few seconds. Her eyes flickered as she counted, straining less and less each time she did so.

"Yo, Bailey.", said Kurizas, who was sitting down at the table nearby, playing a game known locally as Table Golf with Nidavaleer. The rules were simple- flip your paper construct over the other player's head to win. There were turns involved, and you could retrieve your paper as many times as you needed. Kurizas had never actually managed to beat Nidavaleer, due to his colossal height and strength advantage, but he always kept on trying. "Where are we going?"
Bailey did not hear him at first, her attention focused entirely on her bounces. But once the words trickled through her ears into her brain, she mumbled out "I don't know."

None of them knew, really. The ship always did, though. It took information directly from the Main Hub on a planet mind-bogglingly far away, rumored to actually be a in a different universe. The reason they were playing such menial games was due to the long stretches of time that would always pass between missions- dozens of hours, days, or even sometimes an entire week. They had heard of some agents waiting months for missions, and hoped it would not happen to them.

Their schedule for now was quite dull in some lights- wake up, eat their food, go on their mission, return home, unwind with their games, maybe talk a bit, eat some more food, possibly stop at a nearby planet for supplies and the occasional entertainment, then fall asleep, Kurizas and Nidavaleer in one bedroom and Bailey in the other. But it was never dull- the planets they visited were always different every time. Always new, always interesting- for although the ship had gotten old, the traveling had not.

"Well, why don't you find out?", asked Kurizas, the silence having persisted for almost 30 seconds. He carefully flipped his piece of paper right towards the very top of Nidavaleer's head- and it bounced off his nose, landing in a spin on the table. Kurizas scowled, and Nidavaleer grabbed his own piece of paper to try. With a mighty flick that bumped the table, his paper soared right over Kurizas's head and skidded across the floor of the ship to land right next to the wall- just like the last 35 times. It formed a tiny part of the growing pile ,which none of them had bothered to clean up. Bailey had gotten on their case about it several times, but they always said it was important to leave it there as a reminder of competition. Kurizas said it anyway- Nidavaleer always remained mute.

Bailey briefly looked up, still mostly focused on bouncing her ball and paddle. She set her head back down, leaning further into the couch. "Well, I was thinking we should wait for our next mission to arrive. As usual."

Kurizas briefly considered getting up and grabbing another piece of paper from the cupboard, but he didn't really see the point of another game at that time. So he and Nidavaleer, as if one cue, both leaned back with their elbows behind their necks, and stared at the ceiling.

"Right, right.", he said, and traced the flight pattern of a very small fly against the tile. His vision had been steadily getting better and better ever since he joined the Foundation. He was grateful for that, even if he didn't know where the ability had come from. "We should wait."

And so wait they did. Bailey continued to bounce her ball and paddle, wondering if she should turn on the TV. This far out in space, they usually didn't get any good channels- just the basic galactic news, some random local planet's strongest programs, and Real Gobbowives for some truly unknowable reason. They had all put thought into finding out why, but the answer seemed impossible to crack.

But she saw the remote was over a dozen feet away, and she sighed. She could have easily gone over and grabbed it, but she would have to give up her paddle game. And that was something she was not willing to do- she was just a few thousand away from her all time record.

Kurizas glanced at Nidavaleer's face- he seemed a little bored. This was not actually true, for Nidavaleer was quite entertained with the way he was thinking about the slaughter he had given all those soldiers. It was one of his favorite things to think about, at any time.

But Kurizas thought he was bored, and so decided he had to cheer him up. He thought he would tell his favorite joke- that never failed to get a laugh.

"Hey.", he said, and looked up at Kurizas. Nidavaleer looked down, and raised an eyebrow.

Kurizas grinned, and put his hand on the table. "You know Barbarian Barrels?"
Nidavaleer nodded and rolled his eyes, knowing full well what was to come next. But he let Kurizas continue, if only because there was nothing else to do.

Kurizas slammed his hand on the table, and howled. "They put a Barbarian, in a Barrel! Funniest thing I've ever seen."

Bailey, as soon as she heard that stupid joke, snapped her head up. She held out her ball and paddle to the side, taking care not to let go of her record. "Kurizas.", she said, calmly at first, but growing in anger with each word. "Do you honestly think that's just as funny as the last 50 times you've said it?"

Kurizas turned to face her, seeing the red creep into Bailey's cheeks, glowing from under her mask. He looked up at Nidavaleer for guidance, who closed his eyes and chose to stay neutral.

"I feel like there's no good answer to this question oh my gosh-", he said, as Bailey slammed her hand into the ground, sending up a shockwave of Dash energy that hit the table, tipping Kurizas over onto the floor and Nidavaleer budging a little bit. Bailey huffed, and blew her bangs out of her face. "You're darn right."

Kurizas jumped up from the floor, and grabbed his energy lance from where it lay. He glared at Bailey, who surrounded her fist not holding the paddle with Dash. He made a threatening gesture, which Bailey returned in kind. "You wanna go, Bailey?"

"No.", said Bailey, and held up her paddle. "I have just 300 more rounds to go before I break my record, and I don't want that getting destroyed-"

"Behold, my special move!", shouted Kurizas, and leapt into the air, a maniacal grin on his face. Bailey yelped, as he stuck out his elbow. "The I-Don't-Care-Smash!"

Bailey knew she had to defend, and brought up her hand to block. She covered it with Dash energy, preparing for impact with Kurizas- only for Nidavaleer's hand to clamp shut on Kurizas, bringing him back to the Mega Knight's chest in an instant, holding him tight against the black cloth. Kurizas struggled, but Nidavaleer's hand did not budge.

Bailey knew what was coming next, and so did not resist as Nidavaleer's hand grabbed her as well. Within a moment she was up against his chest, just being held there, as his gigantic breath moved his chest up and down. He would do this sometimes whenever they were acting up- put them in a little cave, let them relax, solve the problem without violence.

After about 8 long, calm seconds, Nidavaleer let go. Bailey and Kurizas both dropped down to the floor, and stared at each other in not quite anger.

Nidavaleer looked to each of them, and nodded. He folded his arms and breathed out, a solemn warning to not fight anymore. Both of them understood, and they turned around- only for Bailey to let out a gasp of shock. She looked down in her hand, and groaned.

"My fricking-", she said, and tossed the paddle across the room. It landed on the couch, and Bailey gave the floor a vicious kick. It was grey and marked with white from all the times she had done this. "I was like 15 off."

"Oh, don't worry, Bailey.", said Kurizas, and gave a thumbs up. "You can just-"

A loud, red sound suddenly erupted across the bridge, and a screen slowly wound its way down from the ceiling. Bright lights flashed across the bridge, the trio rushing to the screen. It was not an ordinary screen- it was a Mission Briefing. That was big.

"What do you think this one'll be?", asked Bailey, as she sat down on Nidavaleer's shoulder. She had been sitting there more and more often lately- she did not know why.

"I don't know.", said Kurizas, and looked ahead at the screen. It was beginning to come to life, a faint image of a mysterious man silhouetted upon it. "We'll just have to see."

The screen was fully extended now, and all the way at the bottom. The shadowy figure on the screen now sharpened into a dark shape, clearly defined but not very visible. They all knew him as The Boss- the one who dispensed orders, to be followed without question.

"Agents Bailey, Kurizas, and Nidavaleer.", he said, in a creaky baritone voice that almost sounded mechanical. He never showed his face to anyone.

"Your mission, this time, and you shall accept it, is to help the native population of a nearby planet defeat a powerful, ancient entity before he destroys that world, and many others besides it. He is known locally as Dragonlord Rakastamos, and is currently tier 6-A in power. However, should he gain the power of the thing he is trying to, his strength may escalate to as high as 3-B. Your job is to make sure that never happens."

Faint flickers of recognition and meaning in the trio's minds turned to shocks of surprise as the map of the target world appeared on the screen, and The Boss pointed. "This world has no official name, although many call it Clash. It is part of the Tencent system. Go now, and do your duty."

He turned all the way around from the camera, and began to glow. "Serve. Contain. Protect."

Then he vanished, the screen starting to roll up into the ceiling, leaving the trio utterly stunned. Bailey tried to say something, but she was almost as mute as Nidavaleer. Kurizas could not even open his mouth, with all the thoughts running through his head.

"We're…", said Bailey, a spring of tears appearing in her eye. "Going home."

She stared at the spot where the screen had been for the next few seconds, as the Mission Box at the front of the room slowly dispersed their essential gear. It had been modified for each group based on their species's needs, and so held, besides other things, some food, a Rune of Elixir, a spare change of clothes, a small detonator, a handheld mirror, a backpack of Heal Potions, and a small Poison capsule as a last resort. Nidavaleer and Kurizas both wordlessly rose to receive the packages, but Bailey just sat there, a smile of real joy creeping across her face. She was hardly able to keep herself together just at the thought. "Home…"

Song: Now or Never

But although Bailey was overjoyed at the thought of finally seeing her precious home planet again, she knew that they could not just sit there. They had to get there first- and that meant planning. That meant driving. That meant someone had to sit in the pilot chair, read the directions, and steer the Cracked Barrel all the way to Clash.

"Kurizas.", she said, and pointed to him. Kurizas looked up, halfway through shoving an apple in his mouth. "Remind me… how good are you at flying?"

"Uhh…", said Kurizas, and thought. He winced, and held up his hands. "Not very good."
"Okay, that's fine.", said Bailey, and looked around for Nidavaleer. She was about to ask him how good he was, before a great jolt shook the ship that almost threw them all off their feet.
"Okay, wha-", Bailey hsouted, before seeing what had caused it. Nidavaleer had grabbed hold of the ship's controls, and was currently pushing them forward at an insane pace through space. His eyes glowed as he pushed further onto the steering, the acceleration allowing them to peirce through an entire asteroid.

"Woah, Nid!", shouted Bailey, and Dashed all the way across the room to him. She grabbed his shoulders, and tried to pull up. "Do you even know what you're doing-"

Then, she took another look at him. His hands, although massive, were moving with the delicacy of a watchmaker. His eyes were wide open and fully focused on the space ahead, not letting anything at all distract him. Bailey relaxed a bit, seeing that against all expectations, Nidavaleer was actually a pretty good pilot.

"Uh… okay.", said Bailey, and clapped her hands together. Her mind burned with the odd familiarly of the motion, but she failed to place her finger on it. "We have to get there ahead of schedule. Because you know what they say- early is on time, on time is late, late is-"

"Death!", shouted Kurizas, and grabbed his lance from where it had fallen. He tried to tuck it all into his bag, and failed due to the way physics worked in that part of the universe.

"That's right!", Bailey said, and spun around to check everything. "Now-"

A loud beep echoed from the warning bell, and Bailey rolled her eyes. "Oh, great.", she said, and looked out the window. "What now-"
There she saw the single most magnificent sight she had ever seen in her entire life, floating only a few thousand feet away from her- which, in space of course, was practically nothing. Kurizas and Nidavaleer, sensing her wonder, looked out the window as well, and saw it. They all fell totally silent, along with the entire Cracked Barrel, as The Ship of The Gods floated by.

They could not take their eyes off the legendary sight for a full minute as it passed, instantly recognizable by the three. They had never seen such a sight before, and they knew they might never see it ever again. They made sure to soak in every bit of the sight, before it too passed out of their sight.

"Oh…", said Bailey and Kurizas at the same time, and began to swoon. They both crashed down to the floor abruptly, leaving Nidavaleer the only one still conscious. "Oh my G-"

Song: Mysterious

On the great and wonderful world of Clash, there were six continents known to almost every single member of its varied population. Royale with its diverse climates and Brawltopia with its strange people to the technological east, one right after the other. The Boom Beaches to the far, heated north, with the Rushlands to the strange south. The Hay Day farms to the west, a mere speck in comparison to the mighty Continent of the Clans thay lay sprawling all across the center of the world, the Builder Bases running in a ring around most of its area. It was a familiar sight, one that almost every individual knew by heart. It was commemorated in rhymes that Villager children could often be seen reciting while they played, it was drawn in maps that hung in Castles. It was everywhere.

And yet, there were other lands, far beyond those. These lands were virtually unknown to most people- being known by only a select few.

To the far, far east, so far it was almost west, in the very middle of a vast ocean that stretched for hundreds of miles in every direction with no chance of seeing anything built by order, was a very tiny island known only as Line. There lived several odd, ancient beings- ranging from Bears known as Browns to Ducks known as Sally. Some knew the citizens of the land were connected with Brawltopia in some way. But only some knew how, leaving the rest to wonder about it.

But that place was small and rather insignificant compared to the truly immense, terrifying continent that lurked somewhere in the ocean, hidden by mists most of the time, its true location impossible to glean from maps and practice alone. It required a fair bit of luck, courage, and the willingness of the continent to be found at that particular moment. It did not have a real, proper name, at least not one that had ever been given by a reputable source. Instead, the ones who went there had assigned it a name that was quite fitting.

Nothing grew or lived there- absolutely nothing at all. The mountains were grey from the constant light rain of ash and dead soil, the clouds a dull white, filled with only air. No plants adorned the pathsides, leaving eve the most unused still quite clear. The flaura was only a mystery to everyone- not a single plant had been spotted living there in the last four hundred years. It was unexpected that any other should arrive anytime soon.

The fauna was not in any way better. No insects buzzed around, no Hogs rooted around in bushes. Not a single living thing lived on the vast continent, stopping only to get some rest, fail at finding sustenance, and then set off for liveable parts of the world.

For this was the forgotten continent, ruled by those who had been cast aside. It was-

"The Ghostlands.", said Bailey, and took another look her mission briefing. She nodded, and stared out the center window. "That's what the place is called, and that is where we are going."
"Huh.", said Kurizas, and tapped his fingers aimlessly on the windowsill. He took a glance out the window as well, before remembering that his seat was a little awkward and he could not see all that well. He tried to move it- but the seat he was in had been attached to the floor. "Funny.. I can't say that I've ever heard of such a place."

"Of course you haven't." ,said Bailey, and tapped the map again. "It says here that it's not on any Clash-printed maps. Apparently, most of the world doesn't know that it even exists."

"Same.", said Kurizas, and Bailey stopped tapping the map .She slowly turned to look at him, and blinked. "What do you mean, same?"

Kurizas nodded, and put his hand to his chest. "We are the secret protectors, Bailey. No matter what comes our way, no matter who we are being threatened with, we cannot let the people know. For to lose that is to lose hope."

Bailey nodded, knowing the motto. Then she stood up again, and wondered just how much closer to Clash that they were now. She thought about it for a few seconds, measuring math and physics in a single problem- before realizing that she could just Dash over to Nidavaleer and check. So, of course, that is exactly what she did.

"Alright, alright.", she said, and folded her arms. She looked over NIdavaleer's shoulder, to see him working the controls like an expert. Nidavaleer seemed not to notice, before Bailey appeared right next to him, winked, and moved towards a single button.

The events of the next second or so could only be described as absolute chaos. Nidavaleer raised a heavy arm in order to block- only for Bailey to essentially teleport around. She lashed out for the button, pressing it down all the way even as Nidavaleer's eyes grew wide in terror.

A gigantic pulse of metaphysical energy suddenly burst out from the cabin walls inside of the ship as Baileys finger pressed out at the same time, pushing the button down to its base with a terrifying click. Nidavaleer, knowing what he had to do, grabbed Bailey and tossed her away, trying to find what had been changed. There was a loud hissing sound coming from the right of the room- looked around, trying to find the source of it. But deep down, he knew he couldn't find it. For it had been caused by Bailey, and her sudden desire to Push The Button.

"Bailey!", shouted Kurizas, looking up from the floor where he lay. He had been pushed down by the bursts of energy that were flying around the ship. "What are you doing?"
Bailey looked back at him, from where she too lay on the floor, having been tossed. She rolled her eyes, and folded her arms. "Activating the Hyperdrive."

"Why?", asked Kurizas, and Bailey stared at him in a little bit of disgust. She sometimes forgot that he had never exactly been the most fast-witted of Princes.

"How else could we possibly get home in time?", she asked, and stood back up again. Nidavaleer seemed to have recovered from her sudden movements, and was once again directing the ship as well as he was able. Space and reality itself flew and twisted like a high-action river out the windows, the fabric of existence flashing by in all the seconds there were in the world. "It took us days to get anywhere, you remember. We have to get there today."

"Today?", asked Kurizas, and scratched his head in puzzlement. "Why?"

"I'm not sure.", said Bailey, and a single blue light flashed behind her head. It was noticed by nobody. "I just have a feeling. A real strong one."

"Hm.", said Kurizas, and made his way towards the window. "Well, I guess that the hyperdrive did work. We're almost there, I think. Nidavaleer?"
Nidavaleer nodded, and reached down. He counted to three inside his head, the magic number one should always use when turning off a hyperdrive, and flipped the switch- to see a terrifying sight right before him, straight out the window.

Song: Decisive Battle

He grunted, and grabbed the steering wheel as hard as he could. Yanking backwards, he managed to slow down the ship a little bit as it dropped out of hyperspace, but it was still going at incredible speeds. That was not bad on its own- the bad part was the planet straight in front of it, coming up at a pace too rapid for comfort. He could see every continent outlined, the slightly different visual realities of each quite obvious from such a height.

But, of course, he was not thinking about such things. The only thing he was thinking about was trying to get them not to crash, and for Bailey and Kurizas not to end up dead.

"Holy frick!", screamed Bailey, as she saw the planet rapidly approaching. She didn't know what to do- she was still a little exhausted from everything that had happened. She looked to Kurizas, who had frozen mid action, now standing in a rigid positon against a couch. He did not move.

"Kurizas, what are you doing?", she screamed, and yanked at his hand. He fell to the ground with her movement, staring straight ahead. She screamed at him again, without using words.

"If I do nothing, I can do nothing wrong.", he said calmly, continuing to act like a statue. Bailey was too furious to even really speak- she just huffed out of her nose, grabbed the back of his neck, and squeezed-

Kurizas yelped, and jumped back up again. He looked out the window as soon as he was on his feet, and almost collapsed once again- but Bailey delivered a hard slap to the side of hs face, and he was once again stable.

"Kurizas, we have to get ready.", she said, staring dead into his eyes. "We are going to crash, right into that continent right there."

She pointed out the window, right to where The Ghostlands were visible in all their nondescript, hard to see glory. "And if you aren't buckled the frick in, you're going to die. Got that?"
Kurizas nodded, and jumped over to where the emergency seatbelt buckles were kept, in case of such a thing like this. It only took him a few seconds to get his lock into his belt, and his harness over his shoulders like a case. It took Bailey even less, but she was using Dash to make it faster. Nidavaleer did not care for buckling himself- he still had the ship to run. Besides, his durability had always been his strong point. He could make it.

"Nidavaleer, come on!", yelled Bailey anyway, tossing her hand up. Her face was etched with worry, as she saw NIdavaleer not even budge. He just stared forward at the approaching planet, grim determination written across his expression.

Nidavaleer did not care for Bailey's cries of worry, nor Kurizas's attempt at reaching him. He just looked right at the Ghostlands, as the Cracked Barrel approached the clouds above the world. As they entered into them, heat flashing up and down the sides of the ship in a wicked angle, Nidavaleer still fought to keep the ship in a decent position to land. He had to keep the bottom level, both sides straight, and the top- yes. He had to keep the top.

"Nidavaleer, don't be an idiot!", yelled Kurizas, as Bailey started to unbuckle her straps out of desperation. If Nidavaleer was refusing to protect himself, then she was going to come out there and make him. "Dude! Nid!"

Kurizas kept on yelling, but Nidvaleer did not move so much as a single inch. His face grew red from both the yelling and the intense pressure of re-entry. "You're mute, not deaf! I know you can hear me!"

Finally, Nidavaleer turned, just as Bailey had undone the last of her straps. It took her a much longer time to get out of them then get in, as was the purpose of the design. They both looked at his face, baring only an insane grin and a thumbs up. He closed one eye, and again turned to the burning sky, flames appearing on the sides of the ship. They could all feel the sides of the ship start to crack, the one too many safety checkups bummed off finally catching up with them. Bailey closed her eyes, and hurriedly started to redo her straps. It was now too late to grab Nidavaleer back, with the cataclysmic collision only seconds away. Kuirzas turned his head away, just as Nidavaleer jumped right for both of them, his arms outstretched, now intent on shielding them from the crash. He closed his own eyes, as the fire finally burst its way through the damaged walls of the Cracked Barrel, the pressure reaching the crew and cabin in a blinding explosion of heat, light, sound, and sand.

It took a while for all four effects to clear. The crash had been a mighty one, throwing up attention to anything that was in almost 15 miles of the site. There was very little, of course, but attention was still brought. Once the heat cleared, Bailey and Kurizas could feel themselves alive, still in their harnesses. Once the light cleared, they could see the walls of the ship cracked open, white sand and fields beyond. Once the sound cleared, they could hear each other breathing, with the bitter cold winds of the Ghostlands just outside the doors. Once the sand cleared, they could see that the entire inner part of the ship had been destroyed, most of it burned and filled with dust- at least what was left. Who knew what had been lost in the fall down towards the surface of the planet.

"Oh, man…", groaned Kurizas, and sat up. He moved his fingers around to try and find the unbuckle button on the suits, looking around for Nidavaleer. "Hey Nid? Where are you, buddy?"

Bailey as well rushed to free herself, scratching at her harness with Dash. "Nidavaleer?"
She looked around, seeing no trace of her friend. She remembered that he had thrown himself in front of them to save them- then there was nothing. No trace of him at all. Both of their eyes began to water, despite their training. "Nidavaleer…"

They heard a loud sound of rustling from below them, and tensed up- but stopped once they saw the figure rise from the sand.

"N-", Bailey said, and jumped forward. "Nidavaleer!"

She wrapped him around the shoulders with a hug, and landed right on his head. Kurizas stood up from his seat, and stretched in relief at the sight. "Where'd you go? We were all worried."

Nidavaleer, of course, grunted- what else could he say? He was still mute.

Bailey wrapped her arms tighter around Nidavaleer's head, refusing to let go. She buried her head in his hair, not caring about how unprofessional it looked. She had just come very close to losing her friend, and very much wanted to keep him. "Don't die, okay? We need you. You're like… our rock. Our anchor. Our Tank."
Nidavaleer rolled his eyes, and nodded. He gently plucked Bailey off of his head and put her on the ground, running a finger roughly through her hair. He had never done such a thing before to her, and so knocked her clean onto the ground, sending up a poof of white sand. Much of it had flooded into the broken ship, leaving it practically part of the ground.

Bailey lay there for a second, staring up at the sky, watching her vision zoom in and out. She hadn't expected such a friendly gesture from him, nor that it would be like that. But as she saw Kurizas slowly fade into view right above her, she nodded. "We should-"
"Get going.", Kurizas finished, and nodded as well. He grabbed her around the shoulder, and pulled her up to a rough standing position. She was still a little loopy from all that had happened, but was very much able to stand. "You said it yourself, Bailey- we don't have much time to waste."

Bailey took a few steps forward, hopping and jumping out of the burned out wreck of the ship. It had taken far more damage than they had expected in the fall- such a sudden jump to hyperspace had certainly damaged it. Bailey felt a sharp pain of both guilt and loss, for she considred it her action that had led to what had been her home for the last few weeks now lying destroyed on the sand. But perhaps, if they finished their mission, they would be able to come back, and-

A small screen suddenly flickered to life on Bailey's wrist, and she yelped. Another Boss was calling, and she had no choice but to answer.

Nervously, Bailey tapped the side of her communicator. The sound from the sudden transmission went live, and the shouting caused the entire group to jump back a bit.

"You wrecked your ship?", the Boss screamed, her grey hair streaming out from behind her. Her glasses almost steamed with fury, Bailey backing away from the screen she held herself in her arms. "How could you possibly destroy your vessel upon a normal reentry?"

"It wasn't a-", Bailey began, but the Boss was not done yelling. She let out a short bark, and Nidavaleer recoiled in surprise. "You three have never been that high on my list of operators, and consider this incident a few pegs down. In fact, I have half a mind to remove all three of you from the Foundation entirely."

"What?", Bailey gasped, and jumped back. The Boss stared her down intensely, her hardened attitude trying to drill right into Bailey's soul. "But- but- why? We always complete all our missions!"
"With a seeming maximum of collateral damage.", said the Boss with a hiss. "And now with this? I'm not sure you deserve to keep those badges anymore. What with everything, and all."

"Everything?", Bailey almost asked. "What do you mean, everything? You've only said one thing!"
But she knew that she did not want to make the Boss angry, and so she just nodded. "I see. But please, if you'll just let us complete this mission-"
"Yes, yes, I know.", said the Boss, and responded with a nod of her own. Bailey grinned internally- diplomacy and her magic voice had worked. "This Dragonlord Rakastamos is quite the problem… we have calculated that if he completes his plot, he could potentially be a threat to this entire galaxy, and possibly beyond."

Nidavaleer stopped moving, and stared at what the Boss had just said. Kurizas set down his lance, and Bailey almost dropped her communicator. She would have, had it not been attached to her own arm. "W- w- wh- what?", she screamed, her eyes widening. "The entire galaxy?"

"Indeed.", said the Boss, and gave a polite nod. "Now, I would not be surprised if you died on this mission. If one of you dies, I will consider the rest of you not fit for reimplantation, and throw you off the team. Do I make myself clear?"

Bailey could hardly even believe what she was hearing. But she knew she had to accept it, and nodded again. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good.", said the Boss, and began to fade. "This is a warning, agents Bailey, Kurizas Ryus, and Nidavaleer. Goodbye, and good luck."

As the mission faded, Kurizas put his hand on Bailey's shoulder. Normally she would have just brushed it off, but this time was different. This time, she felt odd. More open, more accepting.

"This is a suicide mission.", said Kurizas, and Bailey nodded. She looked out towards the Ghostlands, searching for the ancient tower that was their target.

"I can live with that.", she said, and walked off towards the trio's fate, into the mysterious realm known only as The Ghostlands.

Song: Yuuki Rendan

Brenda ran down the hallway of Oticat's castle, the light now streaming in through the stained glass windows that adorned the entire building. Preparations had been made all night for what would no doubt be the most important battle in all their lives- the legendary fight against Dragonlord Rakastamos. Troops had been trained, given instructions, and would soon be loaded up to travel. Every single Troop of both Oticat and Spacekrakenx's had been upgraded to level 13 and then given as many Star Levels as were possible on top of that. Normally Oticat would not be able to assign Star Levels, as he was still only level 12 despite all the upgrading. But Spacekrakenx had been level 13 for a good long while, and was thus able to do it for him. Raw power emenentated from the massive building, as all the Troops were being taken into Askari's mighty army. Most of them had totally unable to believe what they were seeing at first- Brenda remembered that Chloe and Agatha had been totally taken aback at the sight of the Brawlers and the Great Apes. They were usually so composed, but Brenda guessed that much was enough.

Meg was running down the hallway as well- although really not so much carried as lifted high into the air, borne aloft by the magical arms of the Phantom. She felt the wind rush over her face and through her hair, squeezing her eyes shut against the buffeting currents. Despite having overcome most of her physical weaknesses with her magical moment with Brenda the night prior, Meg was still shy and calm by nature. Action like this did not come naturally to her.

"Come on, come on…", said Brenda, as she jumped over a pair of Wall Breakers charging down the hall, their bombs defused- for now. The time for that would come later, once they arrived at the Continent of the Clans. "Where is it…"
"What are you looking for- gack!", asked Meg, spitting out the spiderweb that had suddenly flown into her mouth. She snatched it out with her fingers and threw it out into the open air, where it gently floated down to land on a Goblin's head. He plucked it out from between his ears, ate the spiderweb, and tucked the Spider right behind his ear. He had always wanted a pet. "Where are we going?"

"Our room!", said Brenda, and directed The Phantom to hold on a bit tighter. He gripped Meg's thighs a touch harder, as Brenda dove and Dashed right under Marc the Giant Skeleton. He almost stumbled with his bomb, but caught it just in time. That was good- it going off in the castle itself would have had a less than positive result. "I left something there."

"What?", asked Meg, leaning down to hear better. "Brenda, what did you leave?"
"What?", asked Brenda, not really able to hear Meg through the intense sound of a bunch of Goblins running through the halls in the opposite direction. "I can't hear you!"
Meg was about to shout again, when Brenda's eyes lit up with excitement. She skidded against the floor, coming to a dramatic stop right in front of the two's room. With a flick of her finger and a knock of her hand, The Phantom let Meg down out onto the floor.

"What did you leave?", asked Meg, a bit nervous with everything going on. "Should I be helping you get it?"

She ran her fingers up and down her gun nervously, one hand flying up to try and adjust the glasses that were no longer there. She had to try and hammer that fact into her head- that she no longer had to wear glasses. That she didn't have to be nervous anymore, that she could shoot straight now, that she was no longer a coward- she was Meg the Musketeer, and she was invincible. She had a Stand. She could fight. She could-

"Meg?", asked Brenda, standing at the entrance to the door. Meg shook her head, and saw Brenda staring back at her. "We're going in now."

Meg, slightly embarrassed, let her head go down a little bit and followed Brenda into their room. The Phantom's finger snaked out long and tipped Meg's head upwards a little bit, leading to a slight smile and a brush of the purple hair behind the red-tipped ears.

The two entered the room, looking around, with one expression of nervousness and the other of excitement. They both knew this would likely be their last time in the room before leaving for The Battle- but neither of them knew just how long it was really going to be.

"Okay, I know it was around here somewhere.", said Brenda, and Dashed over to her dresser. Some couples shared clothes, but Meg and Brenda's were different enough that they would only get in the way. Brenda tossed a few spare uniforms out of the way, the Phantom swatting them aside before they could land on Meg. Brenda continued to dig through, her search growing wilder and more desperate with each thing she found that she was not looking for. "Come on-"

Then, with a shout of triumph, Brenda found it. She laughed as she held it aloft above her head- the glistening red, white and blue Stand Arrow, that had been gifted to her by Funny Valentine very nearly a month ago.

"I found it.", she said, and tucked it close to her chest. She laughed again, and prepared to toss it to Meg. "Here, hold on to this for me, will you?"
Meg nodded, and held out her hand. Brenda tossed the Stand Arrow to her, the light from the window reflecting off its immaculate shiny surface- which reflected back into Meg's eyes.

Allergies to bright sunlight were rare, but not totally unheard of. Meg, of course, was one of those people that was allergic to such a thing, causing sneezes when exposed too suddenly. This certainly counted, and Meg sneezed with sufficient force to knock her out of the way of the Stand Arrow's flight path. Brenda winced, Meg fell back onto the bed- and the Stand Arrow pierced straight through the arm of The Phantom, landing on the floor.

"Orfox, my man!", shouted Spacekrakenx, staring up at the towering Barbarian King. He would have been a touch difficult to recognize with his Pekka Skin, had he not figured out a way to take the helmet off and leave only the torso and legs. It would have been impossible for any other Barbarian King, but not the mighty Orfox. "How's it been hanging?"
They sat together in the Grand Ballroom, both of them ordering some last minute drinks from the Skeletons that ran the bar. They had been arranged into their pyramid shape for maximum efficiency, and were running around serving multiple customers. Orfox had ordered their biggest, strongest mug of Dark Elixir- a whopping 75 gallon. Spacekrakenx had ordered a small strawberry and elixir daiquiri from himself, and was taking small sips as Orfox took gigantic gulps. Orfox looked down at Spacekrakenx, thought about the question, and sighed.

"Ayy, laddie.", he said, darkness covering his brow. He took another gulp from the seemingly bottomless barrel, and slammed it down onto the table so hard it shook. "Not so good."
"Why?", asked Spacekrakenx, and took a small sip. "What's going on?"
"My lovely Archer Queen, Shallia, has vanished.", he said, with worry. "There's trouble brewing on the horizon- and lots of it."

"I get that.", said Spacekrakenx, and looked at his watch. He looked around for the Time feature for a few seconds, lost among all the others, the gave up. He turned his attention back to Orfox, and tried his best to look thoughtful land worried. "But who's Shalia?"
Orfox frowned, and drank the last of the Dark Elixir. Spacekrakenx gave hin a slightly worried look, with the sheer amount that he was drinking. But he assumed it was fine, and let Orfox continue. "I jest told ye.", he said, and growled. "My lovely Archer Queen."

"Oh, right.", said Spacekrakenx, and tugged at his kingly collar. "I wasn't quite paying attention."

"Oh, you better be.", said Orfox, and let the steam of his underlying anger rise off his body. He was filled with hatred for Rakastamos- for he suspected that he was behind his beloved Shalia's disappearance. He did not know how he knew, but he did. "You had best be taking all your fancy devices, and technology of these lands, and putting them to good use. We have quite the war ahead of us, and I don't fancy us losing."

Spacekrakenx stared at Orfox, in both concern and wonder. He did not know what had come over Orfox that last time he saw him, in the raid. Oh, how long ago that seemed now, and so insignificant. What matter was a mere evil Clan, when now the fate of the entire world was at stake? That was the question that echoed through his mind, both of them sitting together for several more seconds in silence, the rest of the castle all getting ready around them.

"Me neither.", he said, and finished off his drink.

Orfox tapped his ear, gaining the attention of the small communication device that was within. "I'd best be calling Shelly.", he grumbled. "I know she's in this blasted army somewhere, but I haven't the bloodiest idea where."

Oticat stared up at the titanic figure of Ape Lord Kragonbrock, who peered down at him between stone-encrusted eyelids. The ancient ape had a playful smile on his lips, although it could hardly even be seen through the thick coating of fur. His muscles were like iron cords, arranged in stacks where most Troops didn't even have places. His arms were folded in a gesture that was terrifying to Oticat, but mere routine to Kragonbrock.

Oticat stared at the various trophies that adorned Kragonbrock's person- the skull of a Dragon, hanging from his shoulder. The sword of a Pekka, strapped to his right forearm. The horn of a Yeti, lodged deep into the fur on his elbow. The cap of a Jesterbot, dangling from his left bicep, although Oticat had no idea what that one was.

An idea wormed its way into Kragonbrock's mind, and his ears perked up at the thought. He started to move his fingers around at a rapid pace, signing to Oticat. He fully expected the King to not know any sign language, for shockingly few people did. It was not a language that was very much used in Royale- hardly ever, in fact. And Kragonbrock's hunch was right. Otiat's eyes almost popped out of his skull, as he saw Kragonbrock attempting to communicate with did not matter that it was just random words- to him, mango river animal could have been a specialized request. He didn't want Kragonbrock to get angry and squish him, so he had to respond. His mind raced as he attempted to think of what to do, his lack of sign knowledge now staring him right in the face. Desperately, he flapped his fingers around at random angles, producing something that looked quite a lot like I hate your mother.

But Ape Lord Kragonbrock had a good sense of humor, and waved it off as a mistake. His right hand Ape thought it was an actual insult and flared up, jutting his jaw out in anger, but a single gesture from Kragonbrock sent him turning. The Ape Lord himself merely grinned, the sight of his massive teeth and sharp tusks sending Oticat into a sudden panic, stumbling backwards and falling against the shield of a Guard that had appeared to guard him.

Oticat stared up at the titanic Great Ape in fear- but Kragonbrock only laughed, uncrossing his arms. He slammed his entire body onto the floor, shaking a nearby Musketeer right off her feet and onto the back of an Ice Golem. She glared at the offender, but stopped once she saw Kragonbrock's immense size, scraping the ceiling with his 30+ foot height.

"Ha ha ha!", Kragonbrock laughed, and slapped his knee with a small shockwave. "Kragonbrock can talk. Kragonbrock play joke on funny King. Ape Lord Kragonbrock love funny joke!"

"Ah… ah ha ha ha…", said Oticat, his hand moving around to find the Guard. Once he grabbed on to its shield, he ducked behind it, staring up at Kragonbrock in fear. "Don't hurt me please."

Kragonbrock expelled a gust of air from between his lips, and chuckled once more.

"Funny King no worry. Askari told Ape Lord Kragonbrock to not hurt Blue King. Askari smart. Maybe even smart as Kragonbrock. Kragonbrock no hurt Blue King."

"Oh, uh…" said Oticat, and gulped. He relaxed his grip on the Guard a bit, and looked up. He looked over to the side of the room, where Agatha seemed to be teaching something to Sadie and Elizabeth. He did not know what, but he knew that he trusted Agatha with them. He looked back to Kragonbrock, who was currently munching on a dozen bananas that had been magically fused into one. That sight caused Oticat to lose his train of thought for a second, until he shook his head. "Well. I'm glad, Mr. Ape Lord Kragonbrock."

Kragonbrock paused with his banananana almost to his mouth, and looked down at Oticat. He flinched again, but stopped when he saw Kragonbrock smile wide.

"Mr. Ape Lord Kragonbrock…", he said, and scratched his mighty chin. "Hm. Kragonbrock like that title. Now Mr. Ape Lord Kragonbrock."

He leaned back, and picked his teeth. "Kragonbrock like when little people give names. Leon give Kragonbrock Ape Lord name. King give Kragonbrock Mr. name. Kragonbrock now Mr. Grand Ape Lord Kragonbrock."

"Ah.", said Oticat, and took a step back. He didn't know who Leon was, although he thought he had heard the name. Some flash of familiarity burned at the back of his mind, but he didn't know what to do about it. "Well, very good. I should go… uh… do… stuff. Kingly stuff."

"Kragonbrock is Kingly stuff.", Kragonbrock blurted out, and Oticat stopped in his tracks. A nearby Ice Wizard spit out his Elixir, all three of them just standing there like Minions in torchlight. Kragonbrock had absolutely no idea why he had said it- it had just slipped out.

For a full minute they stood there, all glancing awkwardly around at each other, feeling the tension grow so thick you could chop it up and sell it as paste, before Oticat broke it by coughing, mumbling "Excuse me", and running away as fast as he possibly could.

"Your name is…", said Askari, locking eyes with the Magic Archer before them. His eternal insane grin was clear upon his face, various buttons and wires beeping around his entire body. "Bowza, correct? You do seem to be the smartest one among this bunch…"

"That is my name, yes.", said Bowza, bits of Star and Rotation flickering around each of his hands. His bow was slung across his back, the arrow floating by his side. He knew full well that such ordinary weapons would not be of much use against the legendary opponent they would soon find themselves battling. "And yes, I do think myself clever."

"Good, good.", said Askari, and took in the readings around Bowza's hands. Recognition hit his brain, and he smiled wider. "Might you, by any chance, have some relation to that Mega Knight that is tearing up the Continent of the Clans? Because according to my many, many sources, you both come from the same King. And it appears that you two have the same powers…"

Bowza's thoughts immediately flew to Dan, but he thought about it further. Dan wouldn't go around "tearing up" a Continent, surely. It was not impossible that another Mega Knight could learn both Star and Rotation, but Dan was the only Mega Knight Oticat had. "Tearing up? Why, whatever do you mean by that?"

"Oh, just going around, killing Forgotten by the handful, destroying War Bases, flattening an entire landmark, that sort of thing.", said Askari, with a wave of his hand. Seeing Bowza's concerned expression, he knew to explain it further. "All according to plan, of course. The Forgotten are Rakastamos's minions- you ran into one yesterday. The Slime. And then without the destruction of the War Bases, you all would not have been upgraded, and he would not have discovered his vast potential. Clashcrush Swamp, however, could certainly have been avoided."

"So it is Dan, then.", said Bowza, and folded his arms. "How is his partner, Brandy doing then?"
"Partner?", asked Askari, and flicked his eyebrow up a few notches. "He doesn't have a partner- he has a group! But I assume you mean the Bandit?"
"Yes.", said Bowza, his mind reeling with this information. "Well then I assume she's fine- but please, do tell me about this group."
"Oh, there is plenty to tell!", shouted Askari, and stuck one finger far into the air. "Dan is the leader, Brandy is the… uh…"

He thought for a moment, before continuing. "Other leader. Then there's Leon, the Leon. Annabelle, the Archer, Trevor the Barbarian, and Bubble, who is quite unknown to me or anybody that I know. They are a fine group- they're almost at their destination."

"Their destination?", asked Bowza, with a shock of alarm. He tucked away the information that Askari had told him into his brain, to tell Agatha later. "You don't mean-"

"Oh, but I do.", said Askari, and put his hand down. "They're heading towards Rakastamos."

"How long.", said Bowza, staring Askari right in the eyes. It was not a question, the auras around them both oppressive. The ground cracked from the power. "Until they arrive?"

Askari told him, and Bowza looked up. "Frick.", he said under his breath, and started to run. "We have to move."

Bailey cast a look towards Meg, who reached an arm towards where the Arrow had landed. She had not gone far when she bumped into something, looked up- and gasped.

Brenda gasped as well, the sight a total shock to her eyes. She looked at the Phantom, who stared at his own hand. He looked up, and caught her gaze. "Mistress…"

Song: Esperienza D'oro

The spot where the Phantom had been pierced with the Stand Arrow was far different than the rest of his body. It glowed a pale silver, the hole in his hand looking like a silver shining galaxy. The plain white cuff links and chessboard jacket sleeves around the hand had been replaced by ivory bands inlaid with jewels, multicolored lattices wrapping around his arm. The change slowly crept up his arm, before stopping at somewhere around the elbow. His face, too, had begun to change- his mask had started to drip on one side of his face, revealing the hint of something far greater somewhere below. His eyes flickered between the normal brown and a brilliant pearl, casting a thin beam of light across the entire floor. His cape was no longer black on one seam- it shone a blinding white, casting out all the shadows that were in the room. A low hum emanated from his body, one that shook the bed slightly and sent a strange feeling through both of their foreheads. It was like standing next to a Furnace, but with unsettled fear instead of heat.

"H- holy Se'th!", Brenda screamed, and Dashed forward. She grabbed the sides of The Phantom's face in both hands, staring into his eyes. Some of the mask oozed onto her fingers, but she did not care. "Phantom, are you alright?"

The Phantom blinked slowly, and took another look at his pierced hand. The influence was ever so slowly beginning to fade, with the Stand Arrow no longer actually inside of his body. But it was still there enough to study, and so study he did.

"I… I believe so.", he said in his deep, baritone voice, although that was far different now than it had been, and Brenda let out a gasp of relief. His tone was purely scientific, merely trying to find out what was happening to him. "I feel no pain, or any discomfort. I still have a solid hold on myself, and on you. But I do feel quite different."
"Okay, what sort of different?", asked Brenda, her breath a little faster than normal. "Good different, or bad different?"

"This is a favorable different- I think.", said The Phantom, and experimentally raised his hand. A vase across the room was suddenly different, in some way that could not be explained. He let his hand fall, and the ethereal status of the vase went back to normal. "I still do not know what just happened to me, but we can figure it out."

"Hopefully.", said Brenda, and slowly released her grip from The Phantom's head. She dared not to recall him, not until he was back to normal. She too could feel and see the influence fade, bit by bit, his arm already starting to go back to normal. "Before it goes away."

Meg grabbed the Stand Arrow off the ground, and held it up. "I got it. Should I stab him with it, or-"

"NO!", the Phantom suddenly bellowed, and held out his hand. Meg's arm dropped to the ground as if pulled by a magnet, the rest of her body following and her helmet smacking into the bed frame. The Arrow itself flew forward at the same speed, flying into the Phantom's hand with a smack. He opened his fingers and gave it to Brenda, who held it close to her chest. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Meg. But we should hold off on using this on me again until we can figure out what it actually did."

"Yeah.", said Brenda, and Dashed over to Meg's side. She grabbed her with both hands, lifting her up and administering emergency medical aid to her forehead in the form of a kiss. Meg rubbed the spot where she had smacked her temple, and Brenda rubbed it as well. "Speaking of which… what did you just do?"
"I'm not sure, exactly.", said The Phantom, the last of the Arrow-induced transformation fading from his body. "I just know that somehow, I moved the action of movement from her arm to the Arrow, leading it to fly over to me, and then to you. And I do deeply apologize for hurting you, Meg. I am sorry."

"But, how?", asked Meg and Brenda at the same time, holding each other a little bit tighter. "Since when could you, uh, do that?"

The Phantom stared at his hands, and tried to do something like that again. It had come to him so naturally just a second ago- almost just point and click. But now he could not summon up the power to do it again, no matter how hard he tried. "It appears…", he said, and sighed. "Since never."

"Huh…", said Brenda, and tucked the Stand Arrow into a special pocket deep inside her cloak. "Well, we can figure it out later. Come on Nutmeg, let's go."
The Phantom bowed and flew back into Brenda, as she ran for the door. Meg was right after her in a heartbeat, having recovered from her fall. "Go? Where are we going?"

"We're going to the shore.", said Brenda, and her eyes glinted. "I think we're all gonna get on a Battle Blimp, go to the Continent of the Clans, kill a Dragon. Sounds like fun."

"The Continent of the Clans…", said Agatha, looking into the eyes of Sadie and Elizabeth. "It is a dangerous place, and one not even fully explored."

Her voice shook from many factors- worry, excitement, the memories of her first time being there. She put her hand on the twin Princess's shoulders, and summoned up Larry from the stress. He put his hands around Sadie's leg in a big bony hug, and squeaked.

"I need you both to be careful, okay?", she asked, her eyes wide. Through the thick purple, if the Princesses stared carefully, they thought they could see black irises, full of worry and full of care. "I can't have either of you dying."
Sadie nodded, not sure whether to accept or push away Agatha's motherly tendencies. Elizabeth however knew full well what she was going to do, and leaned in for a huge hug. Agatha summoned up a few more Skeletons, who danced around in joy before descending.

"Stay close to the group.", she said, making sure to infuse each word with the soul of her meaning. "Don't wander off. Listen to Askari- he's our commander for this war. Think of him as our King, okay? And above all, stay safe. If something attacks you, run. Because-"

She stopped talking for a second, trying to gather her thoughts. Both of the Princesses knew what she was going to say, but they let her say it. She looked up, with tears in her eyes.

"If you die out there, you don't come back.", she said. "There's no regeneration. No respawning, no anything. You're dead, and that's it. So don't die, okay?"
"Okay.", said Sadie, and grimly nodded. "But it's worth it, right?"
"Of course.", said Agatha. "We're saving the world, after all. Death is just the price of glory."

Elizabeth's eyes widened, and she let out a low whistle. "Dang.", she said, and glanced around. She looked at a Skeleton, and it ran off to grab something to write, both with and on. "Somebody better write that down, because that is a good quote."

The three plus the Skeletons remained there for a short while, soaking in each other's company, not wanting to let each other go. They knew the price of heading out there, but they also knew it had to be done. In mere minutes, they would leave their world behind, and head out to the bizarre land that awaited them. They knew this with all their heart- and yet, they did not want to go.

"Jol!", shouted Askari, and they all looked up. There he stood, his eye flashing, one fist in the air. "You three. Get to the shore. We don't have all day."

Song: Bouryaku no Hate

It was not a long walk to the beach- merely a quick stroll through a large field and accompanying marsh, the walk through the deep woods of the area, and a scaling of a cliff down to the bottom. The area of the continent known as Builder's Workshop, after the presence of the 6th Arena, bordered the ocean, with Oticat/Spacekrakenx's castle being on the very southern edge. There were only about 5 miles to go- nothing to the larger troops among them, and only small bit of effort for everyone else. In a culture where fighting was the main activity everyone was very fit.

And yet, despite the ease of travel, the overall mood of the vast army was one of trepidation. Nobody really knew what they were going to face, and that fact was clear upon every face. Whether it was confusion for the youngest of the Troops and Brawlers or haggard worry for the oldest and most experienced, a thin grey aura of toxic anticipation rose off the entire area like smoke, trailing away into the sky and vanishing upon the wind. Only a few among them could see it- Askari, Bowza, Kragonbrock, and Orfox. They alone knew what was coming, each of them having ancestral memories of the original battle with Rakastamos, all those years ago.

The knowledge of what he could do had been passed down directly from Askari the first all the way to the 15th, preparing him for his ultimate destiny. His mechanical mind swirled with strategy, based on what had happened last time. His ancestor had been too slow to prevent the deaths- but he would not be so foolish. With his Dragon Cannon by his side, Rakastamos would be a mere afterthought, erased by his hand.

Bowza knew what Rakastamos was capable of, as did all Magic Archers. It was a trait passed down from Fallon himself, although the knowledge was distorted. Bowza had only remembered once Askari had shown up, and was trying to use the memory to prepare.

Kragonbrock had known about Rakastamos for years, although he had not known it when he met Brandy's group. His father had told him, as had his father before him, and his father, and his father. The legend of Kragonbrock the first had been passed down for many generations- his name had been derived from both Dragon and Brock, to honor the sacrifice. He had no special plan, or strategy- he just knew he was going to bash the Dragon as hard as he could.

Orfox had learned about Rakastamos from Askari, once he had shown up to his village. Once he learned that it was him behind the Cyborg attack, Orfox had been all too eager to join the war. He had brought all the Golems, Pekkas, and Electro Dragons he could possibly train as well- they needed all the help they could get.

They were four among the Leaders, as they were called- the rest were Askari the 14th, with his special group, a Gold Mecha Bo of considerable age and power, Oticat and Spacekrakenx, who appeared either scared out of their mind or eager for the battle, and Tef the Grand Warden, who had returned from the other side of the planet to join the fight.

"Tef.", said Bowza, as they both rode on the back of a Golem. Despite his grand size, Tef was actually quite light. "Has your… Foundation offered up any more help?"
Tef thought for a moment, then shook his head. He had been away from base for too long to check, serving out a small mission still on Clash.

"I do not believe so." he said, and Bowza looked down. "However, I am still quite a capable force on my own accord. I am level 258, do not forget."

"Right-", said Bowza, then stopped. He looked up, slight irisis of pure shock almost seeable through his glowing eyes. "Wait, what? Did you say-"
"Oh, yes I did.", said Tef, and nodded. He glowed with a touch of pride, his staff slowly emanating a soft light. "258. I counted them myself. Dare I say it, but I might just be the strongest Troop or Hero in this whole entire army."

"I see.", said Bowza, and looked at his communicator. It was a very nice model, having been built by one of the Primal Builders from pure spare parts. One could not guess by looking at it, the solid, seamless construction almost like a finely polished river stone. "Well, that's good. I don't see how we'll be able to do all this without such strength."

"Yes.", said Tef, and looked forwards. With his legendary eyes, he thought he could see the shoreline of the Continent of the Clans, very far away. "That we do."

Askari rode on a mobile stormcloud, a product of his own marvelous engineering. It hovered almost 15 feet off the ground, although it could go higher. The reason why it was so low was because he was using it to speak to Oticat, who was riding on the shoulders of a Giant.

"So, you own those two Troops.", he said, and displayed a small image of Dan and Brandy on his hand. It was a picture of what they had looked like before they had set out for the mission, which was like most Bandits and most Mega Knights. "Impressive."

"Well, I wouldn't say own-", said Oticat, stammering for words underneath Askari's sheer unmatched charisma. "Because, you know, owning another person is wrong. But yes, they are my troops."

"Yes, yes, very impressive.", said Askari, leaning forward on his stormcloud to give himself a bit of speed. The Giant saw the action and sped up as well, pounding along the ground. "Tell me, what is your secret? I've never seen a Bandit or Mega Knight grow to such heights of power, such feats of strength, so quickly."

"Uhh…", said Oticat, and just shrugged. "I don't know, really. Bowza was the one to teach Dan the Star, and he went off and became a Mega Knight on his own. Brandy… well, I guess she did stuff on her own too."

"Hmm.", said Askari, the excited look on his face beginning to fade. He leaned to his left a bit, and the stormcloud flew right across the Giant's path. Askari turned back, and gave a remarkable thumbs up. "Well, I had best be going to talk to other people now. Good luck, Oticat."

"Oh, I'll need it.", Oticat said, watching Askari speed away. As soon as he was gone, leaving Oticat alone on the Giant's back, he slumped down and buried his head in his hands.

"Oh, what is going on?", he lamented, looking up to the sky. "I remember when I was just a King, just a person… not the fifth general of some army going across the world to kill a Dragonlord."

"Don't worry, sir.", said the Giant he rode on, and Oticat perked up. "I think you're doing a wonderful job. Real bang up operation, this whole thing is."

"Really?", asked Oticat, and leaned up a little more happily. "I'm doing well."
"Yes, sire.", said the Giant, and nodded. "Keep up the good work."

"You know…", said Meg, as they both rode atop a donation cart. There were various other methods of travel available- the Balloons, riding atop a Troop, or even just walking. But this was the best way for them to talk to each other, and so cart it was.

Meg looked at a small bird flying by, and nodded. "I've always related to those birds. Every time I look at them, I see myself in their little black eyes."
"Which birds?", asked Bredna, then looked around. She saw the still small bird, which had landed upon a branch, watching the vast army go by. "Oh, those."

Then she realized what it was that Meg had actually said, and turned around a bit. "You're a bird? How so?"
"Well…", said Meg, and looked at the bird once ore. It was a Crimson Season, coated with bright red feathers. That entire species was coated with bright red hues, until the winter season, in which the entire body goes white to blend it. But before that, underneath the red feather layers, there was one of pure sky-blue. "I just… it reminds me of me, you know?"

Brenda ducked automatically to avoid a low hanging brach, as they were still deep in the woods. She nodded, trying to listen as hard as she could. "Why? Is it because of the the feathers?"

"I-". said Meg, and stopped. She cast a shred eye towards everyone around her, but especially Brenda. "How did you know?"

"Well, it's obvious.", said Brenda, trying to pick her hair free of leaves. It was a painful process, but it was at lest something to do until they reached the shore. And that was now in increasingly short supply. "Those birds are red, until they're blue. They make a sudden and dramatic change, essentially changing their feathers in a single hour. And, of course…"

She looked directly at Meg, but with soft love instead of the regular intensity from such a stare. "They're super cute. Just wanna throw that out there."

"Oh, really?", asked Meg, her tension about the previous situation suddenly lessened. "Cause I just wanted to say… well.."

She looked up, and went in for a quickly answered hug. "They're kind of my spirit animal. So that's pretty neat."

"Spirit Animal, eh?", asked Brend, intrigued by the concept. She almost didn't notice that the trees were starting to thin, the army growing close to the forest's edge. "Interesting… tell me more. "

"Well, I guess that..", said Meg, trying to figure out how to explain it. If Brenda had never heard of the concept, then it might be a bit tricky. "If I wasn't me- if I hadn't been born a Musketeer, I would have been born as one of those birds. Like that."

"Huh.", said Brenda, and tapped the side of her head. "Then… what would I be?"

"Um.", said Meg, suddenly feeling a nervous chill run up the side of head. She did not know why, for she could not see what the army was soon to be coming up on. "Uh.."

She looked at Brenda, trying to figure out if there was something that would both fit Brenda and make her happy. Meg's mind raced, trying to figure it out. There had to be a balance, there had to be a perfect medium. She knew that everyone always had slightly different perceptions of everyone else and themselves, and it was up to her to figure out what would fit them both.

"A cat.", she finally said, and Brenda's eyes widened. Meg pointed, trying to figure it out as she went along. "Yes, a cat. Lithe and swift, mischievous and mysterious, and super friendly- towards some people, at least."
She continued the analogy, gaining confidence in it as she went along. With a few snaps of her ringers, her thoughts started to flow. "Fun to pet and get petted by, better senses than most people, a wonderful companion, and just so expressive. Super flexible and always taking your stuff-"

She grinned slightly, her breath starting to go back to normal. "But you know the best part?"

"What?", asked Brenda, as she prepared a "Best Part" of her own. She concentrated a tiny bit of Dash within her hand, ready to pounce on Meg in just a few seconds.

"The bird is the fragile little prey of the cat.", they both said, at the very same second. Meg's cheeks went red, as did Brenda's. Then they both narrowed their eyes as Meg opened her arms wide to receive Brenda. Brenda Dashed right into her grip, knocking Meg down onto the back of the cart- but softly, so as not to hit her head upon the hard wood.

As Meg hit the wood, her head lay backwards, staring up at the sight up ahead. She gasped, right as Brenda's hand slipped under her neck. "Brenda, look!"

Brenda looked up, and her mouth dropped open in shock. For there, right in front of them, was their target. In front of them was the sea.

Song: Friends or Rivals

"Johal!", shouted Askari, in a thick rugged accent. He held up his hand, a signal flare erupting from one finger and bursting high into the sky. The entire army stopped in a matter of seconds, except for a few clueless members which bumbled on ahead. But once those were calmed and put back in line, the army stood as one solid, organized unit.

"This is it, everyone!", he yelled, and turned to face his army. Askari the 14th stood next to him, with Tef by the 15th's right. They made an impressive display, heading what was essentially the greatest army the world have ever known. Askari hoped to Ill'ka that it would be enough to defeat Rakastamos and his forces, but he still was not quite sure. "This is where we leave!"

Before anyone in the army could interrupt with any meaningless questions such as "What do we leave on" or "How are we going to leave" or "What are we doing here, again?", Askari activated a small button deep within himself. In a moment, the cloaking device on his personal Battle Blimp was put back to sleep, revealing the massive modified Siege Machine on the sand.

"This is where Army Group A will be staying during the trip to the Continent!", he yelled, the built-in subwoofers in his lungs kicking in so everyone in the back could hear. "You are in Army Group A if you are-"

He looked at the gargantuan army line, and made some quick calculations. Factoring in the size of the Battle Blimp and the other vehicles he was using, plus the weight that his Dragon Cannon would- no, wait, that would be added to the army once they arrived at the continent. He didn't need to factor it in. He looked at the line, then back at his brain, then nodded.

"Everyone from the far left edge to the 500th rank inwards!", he yelled, and that section of the army snapped to attention. It was made of mostly Ivory Tower Troops, although Oticat's group made up most of the far side of it. They snapped to attention a little less quickly. "You are Army Group A, and will be entering the Battle Blimp! Please try not to pop or destroy it, or you will all fall into the ocean and die! Go!"

The group surged forward, Oticat's troops caught up in the press of Ivory Tower Troops. Brenda and Meg held onto each other, grabbing on to Webert as he passed by. Or at least they both thought he was Webert- it was difficult to tell. As the army pushed its way onto the sand from the hills and towards the Blimp, Meg began to feel a pain of fear.

"Oh, shoot.", she said, and gulped. This was it, she realized. There was no longer any chance to back out. Once she got on that Blimp, she would get off again in the Continent of the Clans, facing down an ancient Dragonlord who stood a good chance of killing every last one of them. The thought terrified her beyond belief, and she started to hyperventilate.

"Army Group B!", Askari yelled, and made another grand gesture. The second third of the army moved to action, this one made up of a healthy mix of Troops from all the continents that had been pressed into service. "You will be boarding the Terrorcloud, a Boom Beach Warship that is coming around the coast shortly! Once it arrives, you will file on neatly and without incident! We have a schedule to keep, and it is for the sake of the world's life that we must do so!"

The army saluted, and quickly moved forward to the edge of the shoreline. Some of them looked forwards, past the tall cliffs that marked the edge of the beach- and saw the Terrorcloud slowly steaming into view, apparently crewed by dozens and dozens of Ice and Fire Spirits.

Askari made some more arm movements, directing Army Group B into the Terrorcloud's direction. "Do not try and sink the ship! I repeat, do not sink the ship!"

Askari the 14th gave his son a funny look, putting his weathered hand on the mechanical shoulder. "Son, you're acting a little funny there. Did something like that ever happen?"
"What?", asked the 15th, letting his voice go back to normal for a bit. "No, no. I just think it's worth mentioning. This army is strong, not bright."

"I see.", said the 14th, and looked up towards the Battle Blimp. He saw that it was now becoming quite full as hundreds of Troops all flooded into it, with the exception of a few nervous Troops at the bottom of the gigantic ramp. "Say son, where are we going? I thought we would be staying in the Battle Blimp, but-"

"Oh, we are.", said Askari, with a wave of his hand. "We leaders are all staying in the front part of it, to give directions and orders. Of course."

"Well, good.", said the 14th, and silently motioned to his group. They had been practicing their posing in front of a floating Mirror, but quickly hid it behind a bush when they saw. With a fantastic flourish, they appeared around the 14th, posing even more. "Then we had better head aboard, before it gets too full to fly."

"Oh, Father.", said Askari, and once again raised his voice. "We designed the weight kink out many years ago. Now if you'll excuse me-"

He shouted once more, aiming it at the last third of the army. "All of you who are left, you are Army Group C! You are going in your Balloons, which should both be coming over the hill soon and are right over there, behind that large rock. Go and get them while they're good, there might not be enough for all of you!"

He stood up straight and tall, magnifying his voice as hard as he could. "Army Group C, you will be our advance group! Once you arrive, destroy anything that would attack us!"
A cry of following rose up from Army Group C, and Askari slammed his fist against his arm. "Army Group A, you will arrive there second! Make sure to secure anything Army Group C might have missed, and kill every single Forgotten you find!"
Army Group A responded with a mighty shout, and Askari returned it. "Army Group B! You are our heaviest! We will wait until your arrival to engage Rakastamos unless conditions are absolutely necessary!"

Army Group B erupted, and Askari knew it was time for him to move. He started a brisk walk towards the ramp to the Battle Blimp, the leaders in tow. Oticat was still mostly petrified- he had no idea what he was going to do once he got there. He had had the plan explained to him multiple times, but he still did not quite understand it.

"Remember, we have to stop by Builder's Bunker to pick up the mark 15 Dragon Cannon.", said Askari, explaining with his hands just as much as his voice as they all approached the Battle Blimp's boarding ramp. "Otherwise, we might not be able to kill him-"

He stopped as he arrived, the rest of the group all stopping behind them. There were Meg and Brenda, still standing among the throng of latecomers, Brenda rubbing Meg's head and Meg trying to keep herself under control.

"Why, what is going on here?", asked Askari, and took a closer look. To his actual surprise, they were the two Troops he had seen in the training camp the night before. "Is something wrong? May I be of assistance?"
"Uhhh…", said Brenda, as Meg continued to quietly sob. She shrugged, and winced. "I don't know. Not unless you can somehow calm her down."

"Why, what's wrong?", she heard Spacekrakenx say, as he stepped forward into the light. She swelled with relief, Meg opening her eyes at her King's comforting voice. "Tell me."
Meg, with intense effort ,managed to sit up out of Brenda's grasp. She took a few deep breaths, and gulped. "I'm afraid, sir. I am just so, so afraid."
"Oh.", said Spacekrakenx, and knelt down on his knees. He put his hand on Meg's shoulder, the scent of pine oil wafting into her nose. It was a tickling sensation, one that helped to offset what she was feeling. "Well, what are you afraid of?"

"What am I afraid of?", she asked, and grew slightly angrier, moving forward a foot. "A lot of things, actually. Onion Skin, wrestling pits, bunk beds- but you know what I'm afraid of?"

Her stoic, strong demeanor suddenly became softer, as she realized why herself. "I don't want to die.", she said, her voice now far lower. "I don't want to go."

Spacekrakenx, rather than trying to pursue the argument, just sighed. He grabbed Meg's shoulders tighter, positive thoughts flooding right through him all the way to her.

"Meg.", he said, making sure to affect her at the most personal level. "I know you're afraid. I"m a little afraid too. Facing down a Dragonlord can be tough, huh?"

"Yeah.", said Meg, and nodded. "I'm scared-"
Then, in a flash, two things happened. One was that Brenda lashed out with her finger, sending a stroke down Meg's face. The other was that Spacekrakenx tapped her forehead, giving her a little refreshing shake of the head. She sneezed, and fell back down onto the ground.

"See?", asked Spacekrakenx, and nodded. He looked up and saw the last of the vast army slowly entering the Battle Blimp, and knew it was time to move. He assumed the pilot would not take off without them, but it was hard to tell. AI was unpredictable sometimes. "Everything's okay, Meg. Trust us."

Meg thought that sentence would scare her- but to her surprise, it did not. She stared at her hands- they stood still, her legs not shaking either. The fear she had been feeling was nowhere to be seen, and she could not even remember what she had been afraid of.

"You're- you're right.", she said, and stood straight up. They all looked upwards towards the Battle Blimp now, ready to board. "I should be less afraid of everything. We all have a job to do."

As the group once again headed up the ramp, Meg thought for a moment. "You know…"

She put her fingers on Brenda's shoulder, her sudden surge in confidence brining the thought to her mind. "All Bandits are like cats, really. You all do a lot of the same things."

"Well, sis code, I guess.", said Brenda, and shrugged. As the group entered the main cabin of the Battle Blimp itself, the platform started to close. Brenda could see the rest of the army all spread out below them like so many ants. "Speaking of other Bandits-"

"Yes.", said Meg, and looked far away, across the sea. "I do wonder-"

"We are leaving now!", Askari shouted, with such force it almost deafened the two. He leaned out the window, delivering his commands even as the Battle Blimp began to move across the water. Balloons raced on ahead of them, soon to cross the horizon. "The second you arrive, fulfill your commands! Let's go!"

Meg waited for Askari to lean back in and wait a bit before asking her interrupted question. She looked out towards the ocean and spoke, as the army continued on towards its destiny and climax. "I wonder how Brandy's doing right now."

Song: Wind in the Wilderness

Dan poked his head up over the rocks, his sharp eyes zeroing in on the prey just a few hundred paces away. He made hardly any noise as he breathed, intent on not scaring it away. As far as the Deer was concerned, Dan wasn't even there.

"I see it.", he whispered, and Brandy nodded from her spot on his neck. She focused on the Deer's side, knowing the information was being shared with Dan's eyes as they spoke. It was a good use of their mental link. "Me too, Dan."

"Are you gonna shoot it?", asked Trevor, trying to find a good spot to see. He could not, of course, do so, as he was about 15 feet shorter than the large boulder they were all behind. But he kept on trying to find a way to look around, to see the target. "Shoot it."

"No, don't shoot it!", said Bubble, noticeable amounts of stress crossing her face. That was, until she put her hands together and mischievously smiled. "Kill it with your bare hands, Dad."

Annabelle stared down at Bubble in morbid shock, gently putting her arms around her in an attempt to calm her down. "Woah, Bubble. Maybe don't be so-"
"What?", asked Leon, swishing his lollipop around in his mouth. He shrugged, and gave Bubble a pat on the head. "She's my second sister with a thirst for blood."

I mean, if I count Nita, he thought, remembering the brief weeks he had spent in Brawltopia. Everyone always called her my sister, although technically she wouldn't be. Not that individual Nita, anyway.

"Okay, here we go.", said Dan, and raised his hand above the rock. He closed one eye, then opened it again, as he tried to get the best possible angle on the Deer. Almost no words were needed from anybody in the group by now- they were merely a decoration, a formality. After so many fights together, so many near-death experiences, so many pointless conversations as they traversed the seemingly endless road, they all knew each other like the hairs on their own head. A single gesture could be a complex command, a single word a book's worth of info.

Dan breathed out, and a single laser of gold electric light lashed out from his finger. It shot the entire distance in less time than it took anybody to blink, piercing straight through the Deer's head and bursting open the ground on the other side. The Deer didn't feel any pain before it died, it's entire brain annihilated by the shot.

"Yes!", Dan said under his breath, and stood up. Everyone knew he was about to go and retrieve the deer, and figured it would be best if they were to go around the other side of the rock. They figured the Deer herd would retreat, for obvious reasons.

But to their surprises, and Dan's most of all, some of the herd did not retreat. They stayed, moving behind the thing that protected them, huddling behind a massive individual, with horns wider than Dan's shoulders and blue fur that seemed almost like the ocean at night. Trevor gasped in wonder as he saw it, for it was a-

"A Skynight Alpha.", he said, the majestic sight almost glowing in his sight. He cupped his hands around his mouth, calling out to Dan, who eyed it with both caution and hunger. "Dan! Don't kill that one! It's rare and important!"

Dan looked back, and rolled his eyes a bit. It looked absolutely delicious, with meat that would keep Dan fed for almost two full days. It was almost as tall as he was, 17 feet at the shoulder. But he did know quite a bit about ecosystems, and knew Trevor was right.

"Okay!", he called back, hardly needing to try. "I won't kill it!"

He looked down to collect his already dead prey off the ground- but the Skynight Alpha had other ideas.

It bellowed, and charged forward. Putting its head down, the horns scraped up the ground like a steel plow through butter. A cone of dirt preceded it, as Dan looked up in surprise.

With a lightning fast dodge, Dan jumped out of the way. One foot slammed into the ground as he spun, the giant Deer charging right by him. Dan took the momentum of his movement and turned it into a light blow, reaching out with one arm and flicking the side of the animal's head with enough force, he hoped, to kill it without knocking it out.

To his joy, it worked. The Skynight Alpha groaned, its legs buckling as it fell forward into the dirt. A huge column of ground burst out as it fell, the herd finally retreating with their champion defeated. Dan didn't really care, however- he just wanted the deer he had killed. Without its head, the nutritious blood was slowly leaking out all across the ground and going to waste.

Dan hoisted the corpse over his shoulder and looked up straight ahead, to see the gigantic steel skyline of Iron Mountain , just about a mile or so along the path. The slate blue grass he walked upon was interspersed with bits of metal, no doubt growing more frequent as they would approach the mountain itself.

"This is an interesting place.", he heard in his ear. He would have spun around to dislodge the voice, had it not come from Brandy. He instead nodded, and walked back to the rock. "It is."

Brandy shivered, the sight of Dan's display still fresh in her mind. She always enjoyed it very much whenever Dan showed off his powerful strength- it sent tingles down her spine and trembles about her head. Even though his destructive rage the day before had been terrifying, Brandy also considered it one of the sexiest things she had ever seen him do.

"It's not often you see blue grass like this.", she said, and gently tapped out a rhythm on his neck. His muscles were tense from almost constant work, but she liked feeling them.

"No, no, it really isn't.", Dan said, and nodded. They were almost there at the rock, the rest of the group coming up to meet them. "I like this place. It's nice."

Brandy nodded, moving a little closer to Dan, making sure to avoid the corpse of the Deer that still dripped blood. She didn't need to eat meat to feel revulsion, no, she just had to be close to it. At least if it was raw and wild caught, still smelling like roadkill. She didn't know why she hated meat so badly, but she did. It was odd-

Hate meat desire yours

Brandy cried out, and almost fell off of Dan's back. She put her hands over her eyes, trying to block out what she had just heard. The voice was harsh and grating, like a sewer drain or spiked caltrop attempting to speak. Her head swirled with memories she had no memory of.

"Woah, what?", Dan asked, stretching out a hand to catch her. But Brandy grabbed on to Dan's neck, pulling herself back up. She gasped for breath, unable to get the thought of her mind. Those four words, spiraling in and out of her vision like a mad Goblin.

"Nothing.", she said, and shook her head. "I… just had a Dream. A weird one… I'm not really sure what it was. It was just four words, and some image I cant' get ahold of."

"Huh.", said Dan, and stopped walking. He had arrived at the makeshift camp, where everyone was waiting for some fresh Deer. "Well, what were the words?"

"Hate meat desire yours.", said Brandy, and shivered once again. A twinge of pain ran up the side of her body, but she was able to ignore it. "I don't know what that means- although I do hate meat. Eating it, at least. I don't mind you guys doing it."

"Right, right." ,said Dan, and scratched his beard as he thought. "Could it describe you, maybe? If you hate meat, and you got a Dream about it, that sounds likely."

"Maybe.", said Brandy, and hopped down from Dan's shoulder. She landed on his knee in a crouch, watching as Trevor hoisted his sword aloft to prepare the deer. Leon had been teaching him how to cook- apparently Leon had served as chef back where he had lived. It wasn't his own intention, however. Brandy shivered- that was all too familiar to her. "But what does it mean, desire yours? What is that talking about?"

Bubble piped up, after having grown bored of watching Trevor hack apart the Deer. "What are you talking about, Mommy?", she asked, and Brandy stiffened a bit.

"I don't know, Bubble.", she slowly admitted. "Me and Daddy are trying to figure out what we're talking about. We think it's a riddle of some sort… wanna help us figure it out?"

"Okay!", said Bubble, and jumped right up next to Brandy. "What's the riddle?"
"Hate meat desire yours.", said Brandy, and Bubble frowned. "We have the hate meat part down, but the desire yours is a little tricky-"

Then, and only then, did Brandy's deep subconscious finally figure out what it meant. She shuddered as the cracked code emerge in her conscious mind, and retreated into Dan's grasp. A low gasp came from her, and Dan looked down. "Woah, woah, what's wrong?"

"I figured it out.", she said, very quietly and small. "Meat. It's what a person's body is made of. Others desire my meat… because everyone wants my body."

Dan's face fell, and he hugged Brandy tighter. He wanted to tell her that it must have meant something else, that she was looking at it wrong- but deep down, he knew she was right. Brandy had been so targeted by so many people, that there was no other real option to what the phrase meant. If he could only figure out why she had Dreamed it, then maybe he could… could… do something. He wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"But let's not worry about that.", said Brandy, and tried to put on a weak smile. She looked around at the group, forcing herself to focus on each one in turn. "Because right now, it's lunchtime. So let's eat."

"Lunchtime?", asked Leon, looking up at the sky. It had been only a few hours since they had left Clashcrush Swamp far behind, and entered the Steel Valley. At first they had thought Iron Mountain was the third stop before their target, but that had just been an optical illusion. It was, in fact, the first. "But it's still mid morning."
"Yes, but we're going to be somewhere on that mountain by lunchtime.", said Brandy. "And from the looks of it, there's not going to be anything to eat."

Leon thought about this, and accepted it. He held out his hand, silently asking for some carved Deer from Trevor. The thoughts from the night before entered his mind, as they entered the mind of everyone around the circle.

Today, thought Brandy, as the rest of the group thought it along with her. Today, we kill Rakastamos.

"But we need to be well rested before that happens.", said Brandy, her motherly instincts kicking in. "Absolutely no one is fighting a Dragonlord on an empty stomach or tired feet, okay? We'll- we'll find a Village before we go up the mountain. There's gotta be one around here somewhere."

"Right.", said Dan, and grabbed a leg off the Deer. He chewed it thoughtfully and looked up towards the sky, in anticipation of what was to come. "Hopefully."

The deer tasted good to him- the tough meat was always his favorite part on an animal. Its taste was personally enhanced by the fact that he himself had brought it down, rather than someone else serving it to him. He knew that such a thing was perhaps prideful, but he didn't really care. If his strength was grand, then he could afford to have pride in it.

He swallowed and was about to take another bite, when he felt Brandy's influence in his mind.

Dan, she thought. Are you thinking about pride again?
Dan rolled his eyes, and chewed as he answered. Yes. You know that I think about it a lot.

Yes, Brandy responded, just sitting there on the rock. She was not going to eat the deer- not the same mistake as last time they had caught one. It had made her sick to her stomach for about an hour afterwards, and it hardly provided any nutrients from the slimy, dusty bite she had forced herself to eat. There was nothing around to eat in the strange field of blue grass and purple dirt, so she just sipped on the Rune of Elixir to fill herself. Should you?

Why, is there something wrong with it?, Dan asked, giving Brandy an arched eyebrow.

No, just-, thought Brandy, then blinked. Well, maybe. Too much thinking about pride can lead to an oversupply of it.

I don't think it's wrong to take pride in what I can do, thought Dan, and flexed his thighs a bit as if to add to his statement. I'm probably the strongest person I know. That's good, right?

Oh, it's very good, thought Brandy, and tipped the Rune of Elixir away from her mouth. Your strength is the only reason we're even this far along on the mission. But it's not perfect, you know.

Dan stiffened, and Brandy did the same a moment later. She detected a touch of anger deep within his mind, and she instantly regretted her words. Wait, I mean-

Dan raised his hand high above her, and Brandy's eyes widened. She almost dropped the Rune of Elixir, hearing Dan think. What was that supposed to mean? Do you think I'm not strong?

Wait, I didn't mean it that way-, Brandy thought, then yelped as she saw Dan's open palm heading down towards her. She scrunched up her entire body, preparing herself for the worst- but to her surprise, she only felt his hand gently go up and down her back.

Brandy, did you think I was going to hurt you?, Dan thought, his face softening. Brandy looked up at him, and nodded with a hint of guilt.

"Brandy, I would never do that.", said Dan out loud, now that he had finished his part of the Deer. He wasn't going to have any more, leaving it to the rest of the group. "We all say things we don't mean, honey. It's okay."

Brandy closed her eyes, and snuggled in close to Dan's hand. "Thank you, Dan. I love you, you know."

Dan smiled, and directed just enough Star into Brandy's skin to give her a pleasurable shock. "I love you too."

Leon stared at the two, and mentally shrugged. He went back to polishing off his Deer leg, his surprisingly sharp teeth making short work of the animal's flesh. He didn't know what they were talking about, but he knew he didn't really need to know. This was not the first time they had had a conversation in their head, privately.

As he swallowed the last of the meat, stood up, and stretched, he thought about how he had seen their relationship so far. His first brush with it when he had met them seemed rough and uninviting, but now that he had seen them without obstacles, he knew they really did love each other. He hoped that someday, he would have someone to love that way too- not right then, of course, but someday. In fact, that was something he had hoped to talk to Brandy and Dan about- in his dreams, he had been seeing faint, hard to place visions of a girl with tall height, strong muscles, a fur coat, and a head full of ginger hair. He hoped it wasn't a Valkyrie, but he did not know anyone else that fit that description.

"Alright, are we gonna head out?", he said, looking around at everyone else. Trevor and Annabelle were just about done with their food, Brandy had already climbed up onto Dan's shoulder, and Bubble- he did a double take. Bubble had apparently made her deer look like an ice-cream cake, and was shoveling it down by the handful. He knew that she did her, and so left her alone for it.

"Probably.", said Brandy, putting a hand on her brow. She looked towards the intimidating figure of Iron Mountain not too far off in the distance, and shivered. She knew they all had to cross it soon, for Trevor's route map had showed that way. But it still scared her a little bit- she hoped they did not have to meet the Cyborg along the way. Dan said that he and Orfox had destroyed its soul, but that could have been a trick. The last two times they had run into it, they had only won with help. Little natural help could arrive on such a mountain, and she very much hoped she didn't have to use the Ring of Three Wishes until they reached Rakastamos.

"Alright, here we go.", said Dan, and stood up. Trevor and Annabelle both ate their last bite within mere seconds of each other, and stood up as well. Bubble threw the last bit of food, which she had made look like a cupcake, into her mouth, and jumped up off her rock. She saluted Dan, and ran up to the front of the group.

"Are we missing anyone?", asked Brandy, thinking hard. She knew they weren't, but it felt like they were. "Cause it feels like someone isn't here."

"I don't think so, no.", said Dan, scratching his beard. "You, me, Leon, Bubble, Annabelle, Trevor. Yep, that's everyone."

"Good.", said Brandy, trying to keep her head clear. "Well then, let's go."

Song: Calm Sightseeing

The group started walking, Brandy and Bubble on Dan's shoulders. Leon wanted to walk- he thought his legs needed the exercise. Trevor and Annabelle wanted to walk as well. Trevor thought he was going to try to carry Annabelle either in his arms or on his shoulders at least part of the way there, but he wasn't sure when to ask her. Annabelle, of course, very much wanted him to ask her, but she didn't know that he wanted to do so. Brandy very much wanted them to both ask each other, but she knew that they were both very nervous about it. She knew from her experience that one should never rush a relationship, and this was no exception.

"Predictions, Brandy.", she heard Dan say, and her ears were at once at attention. "What do you think we'll find up there?"

Brandy looked at the mountain once more, its steel surface glinting the slight purple light of the sky onto the valley below. It didn't seem that tall, only about 1200 feet. But it did look rather wide, probably a few miles in each direction. The interior was possibly hollow- there could have been all manner of gigantic Forgotten inside of it. Or many smaller ones, which was the more likely choice. It might even be holding Dragons- Brandy thought it was weird that despite Rakastamos's goal to wipe out all non-Dragon life on the planet, they had only run into two so far. And one of those they hadn't even fought. Perhaps he was saving the Dragons for later, when they actually reached his lair. That thought filled Brandy with a mixture of excitement and sheer dread. On the one hand, the idea of actually, finally, killing Rakastamos seemed too good to even be real. Saving the world alongside her found family was something she never knew she dreamed of, until she had found them. But on the other hand, she knew she was actually going to have to face the Dragonlord. And what was it that Rico had said?

Ricochet's eye reopened, to reveal a ghastly sight. His melted eye had solidified, to reveal a warped and twisted glass plate, with broken flickering color coming from within. "Everything. You. Have. Faced. Or. Will. Face. On. This. Journey. Will. Be. Nothing. Compared. To. Him. As. If. They. Were. Merely. Scraps. And. Pieces. Upon. The. Wind."

Oh yes, that was it. Brandy shivered at the thought- they had gone up against some truly powerful Forgotten on the journey so far. And yet, even the likes of the Elecfirno Dragon or the Cyborg were like Skeletons compared to Rakastamos? The thought was almost too much for her to bear. She huddled up closer to Dan- and only then heard his words.

"Uh, Brandy?", he asked, and Brandy shook herself. Dan was looking at her with a slight smile on his face, standing upon a metal slate. "I said, what do you think we'll find up there?"

"Dragons.", said Brandy, making a fist. "Robots. Robot Dragons."

"A Boss Robot.", said Leon, Brandy looking down. He took his lollipop out of his mouth as it changed flavor again- to a strawberry, one of his favorites. "You know, big old robot that shoots rockets and lasers, punches stuff. Pretty nasty."

"That would be appropriate.", said Dan, and took a huge step up onto a solid steel overlook. The rivulets shook in their spots as his massive feet dented the metal- perhaps it was hollow. He grunted as he hoisted himself up, and looked up. "But enough guesses. It's time to go inside the mountain.

"In- inside?", Brandy asked, seeing that they had arrived. She must have been thinking to herself longer than she had thought. "Why are we gong inside?"

"The surface is going to get hot in the sun.", said Dan, and pointed at the metal. Already it was steaming as the sun emerged from behind the purple clouds. "Way too hot for us to walk on. And its better to face the Forgotten inside than have them ambush us."

"That makes sense.", said Brandy, and nodded. "Well then, into the mountain we go."
"Is there a door?", asked Bubble, looking over the gigantic steel expanse. There seemed to be no holes or entryways, merely a flare plain of steel leading all the way up.

Dan took a deep breath, and slammed his fist into the side of the mountain. A huge bell tone rushed all the way up its side, and the metal shivered from the impact. A clean hole large enough for him to go through appeared amongst the steam, and Dan gestured. "Yes."

Gathering everyone up onto his shoulders in a matter of seconds, Dan didn't wait. He jumped down into the hole, hoping there would not be far to fall.

Fortunately, there was not. He only fell for about 20 feet before landing on the steel floor, sending a loud crash throughout the darkened interior. He winced- that was probably too loud.

"Well, at least they all know we're here!", said Brandy, and folded her arms. "The element of surprise is overrated anyway."

"Why are you being so sassy, honey?", asked Dan, motioning to Leon. Leon didn't know what he meant until Dan made some circles around his eyes, and Leon nodded. He let his pupils focus, using his automatic dark vision to peer forward into the cave.

"I'm hungry, Dan.", said Brandy, and flared her nostrils a bit. "You know I get sassy when I'm hungry, honey."

"Well, I'll try and get some food for you.", said Dan, and crept forward a bit. "Just hold on-"

"Look out!", yelled Leon, seeing something in the darkness up ahead. He ducked as something was launched right at his head, clattering against the steel wall and falling to the ground, leaving scraped shards of steel behind, floating in the air.

Song: Throwing

"Oh, we got one.", said Dan, and took another breath. He brought up his fist high into the air, the shining Star wrapped around it illuminating the cavern for a hundred feet in each direction. But the choking darkness was strong, and prevented the light from going any further. Whatever shot the attack must have been beyond that barrier, for no one could see what it was.

"Of course we have another Forgotten.", said Brandy, sheer annoyance dripping off her voice in droves. She spun her hand around to gather some extra strength Dash, preparing to leap the second she saw the target appear. "We can't just rest, now can we? No, these Forgotten just seem to be able to find us no matter where we are!"

"Mommy, didn't you say they were specifically targeting us?", Bubble asked, as she thought about what to summon up to distract their target. An image of a lightbulb appeared over her head, as she realized she could summon up Rakastamos and tell the enemy to kill itself. But it went out again as she realized she had no idea what he looked like, only that he was a vast Dragon. So she decided to go the old-fashioned way, and hide behind Dan.

Leon looked towards where he had seen the shot come from, and thought. If it had hit the ground at that precise angle, then it must have been shot from a different precise angle, which meant that, if the enemy would move as expected in the direction he predicted, it would be right-

"There!", Leon shouted, and drew forth Hunter Killer from his jacket sleeve. He noted with dismay that it was still burned- perhaps he could get a new one after this was all over. With a pull on the trigger, hundreds of sharpened rounds blasted out from the barrels, spraying all across the wide area his target could have gone to. But as he felt his internal damage sensor and Super meter remain unchanged, he knew that nothing had hit.

Annabelle, however, had the upper hand in this situation. As her unparalleled eyes stared forward int the dark, she could see a shape creeping around, just on the lower boundary of her vision range. It was not moving fast, but the long strange strides enabled it to cover a lot of ground quite quickly. But if she extrapolated from its speed and direction, then-

"Dan!", she yelled, and Dan contracted his fist for a blast. The light was suddenly heavily reduced, but it was still enough to see by- and see where Annabelle pointed, right behind a gigantic steel rock.

"Overdrive!", Dan yelled, and launched the blast forward. With a mighty roar it tore off across the cavern floor, scraping up the steel as it went. It impacted against the rock and broke it to parts within a second, mechanical limbs going every direction from behind it, Dan running towards the target even as the blast shot. There was a burst of Elixir from the spot, mixed with a strange oil.

"Whew.", said Dan, and put his arm back down. He flexed it with a little bit of pride- but not too much, for Brandy's sake. "That one was pretty easy. Nice job, everyone."

"Wait…", said Brandy, and looked forward. The remnants of the thing that Dan had destroyed lay strewn across the metal floor, with a suspiciously familiar look. Robot arm, elixir, oil, Forgotten- yep. Everything fit. "Was that thing… another Jesterbot?"

Dan took a look of his own, seeing that the head of the robot was now totally missing. He shrugged, and stepped over the rock. "Could be. A little hard to tell."

Then he thought about it some more, and shook his head. "No, couldn't have been. Jesterbots are all dangerous, and that one wasn't. And they're all weird, and that one just shot stars or whatever."

Brandy wasn't quite sure this was true logic, but she would allow it anyway. So she chalked it up to just some fodder Forgotten, and laid back on Dan's shoulder.
"What if it was just wild?", askedd Leon, and Trevor stiffened in his tracks. "I mean, this entire mountain is made of metal, right? So what if it just lived here?"

Trevor was about to lay into him, and about to let him now that such a thing could not possibly happen. Even if some metal things were alive, such as Pekkas, they certainly did not arise naturally. But he knew that Leon did not know that, and just tried to relax.

"Probably not.", he heard his voice saying, and he resigned himself to it. "Mechanical things like that don't just… grow wild, you know? Sure, its old, but we donn't know how old it is."

"Well, why not?", asked Leon, and stepped a little closer to him. "I know plenty of robots back home. So belive me, Trevor, I think a know a little bit more about robots than you do."

"Honestly, it doesn't matter what it was.", said Dan, and continued to walk forwards. "What matters is that it's dead-"

No sooner had those exact words left his mouth than a thin barb shot through his neck, sending out a small bit of blood and clattering against the rock on the other side.

"Ow!", he grimaced, feeling the spot where he had been hit. It wasn't too bad, not threatening at all, but it was most certainly annoying. He looked around- there must have been another one hiding out there somewhere, one that he had not managed to destroy.

"That's annoying.", he said, and gestured to Brandy. "Honey, hit the floor as hard as you can. Trust me, just do it. It'll be awesome."
"Why?", asked Brandy, but she hopped down from Dan's shoulder, and landed right in a crouch. "I'm not so sure about whatever's out there."

She brought her fist up, surrounding it with a silver aura of Dash. With a short battlecry, she slammed her hand into the metal floor, sending a ripple through the entire surface like a Gold coin thrown into a pond. Dan could sense the ripples through his bare feet as they went, stopping and reflecting off of corners and obstacles on the way. He closed his eyes and saw it within himself, a gridlike pattern of gold lines spreading outwards. But there was one place he did not see them pass, instead jumbling up and unable to cross. Without opening his eyes, Dan aimed, took a breath, and shot. "Ha!"

A thin beam of Star fired outwards from his fingertip, right at the spot where the vibrations had broken. Not even a second later there was a loud metallic screech, and the sound of another explosion. Dan put his finger down- he had hit the second target.

"There…", said Brandy, and motioned to Annabelle. She moved up behind Brandy, and looked forward into the dark. "Are probably a lot more of these. We must be up against a swarm of smaller, weaker robots."
"Oh, that brings back memories.", said Leon, remembering his time spent doing Robo Rumbles. "I used to kill robots all the time, back at home."
"Great.", said Trevor, drawing his sword. He knew that it would not be of much use against ranged opponents, but maybe some would get close. "Can you give us any pointers?"
"Uh, well.", said Leon, drawing Hunter Killer out from within his sleeves. "I always fought them in broad daylight. And we were protecting a safe, not making our way through a mountain."

"Protecting a safe?", asked Brandy, in a little bit of wonder. "You guys have Heist mode?"
"You guys had Heist mode?", asked Leon in confusion. He didn't know at all how Royale battles worked, but that didn't make any sense to him. "I thought that was just a-"
Dan heard something coming towards them from high above, and he spread out his arms. Golden Star flickered between them- although he could not throw up a shield as strong as Brandy's, it still worked. "Stop talking! Unless you're fighting! Talk while fighting!"

"Right, sorry Dad.", said Leon, and spun around. He pointed Hunter Killer far away into the darkness, not sure where to fire next. He figured that the enemy all already figured out their position, so there was nothing to give away. He could fire in all directions.

Brandy peered ahead into the dusk, the only light a few electronic buttons on the walls and the faint shafts of illumination coming from the hole Dan had punched in the metal. She was not sure where to go from there, or what to tell the group to do.

"Alright guys!", shouted Dan, and took a massive breath. His entire body lit up with electricity that could power an entire Castle, and pointed both hands towards the ceiling. "I'm going to see if there are any lights in here! If there are, look around before I kill them again! If there are not, stay still and see what else I can get working!"

"Okay!", Brandy yelled, gripping on to his shoulder righter. She considered trying to grab the Star as it passed- perhaps she could use it for something. If it didn't hurt her.

Bubble gasped, as she saw something charge out of the darkness towards her. It appeared to be a Knight, although made of solid metal. Its emotionless face was almost blank as it ran, its sword raised high and preparing to cut.

Bubble screamed as it raced right at her at high speed- before a sudden blast to the face tore its entire head right off, sending it splattering into metallic elixir all across the floor. Bubble hit behind Dan once again, trying to make sense of the sight.

Leon blew on the edge of Hunter Killer, and looked down at the puddle. "That's weird… so we are up against robots then. Perfect."

Dan bellowed, as a huge shot of Star burst out of his hands. It flashed up into the air, hit the ceiling, and danced along the metal dome, landing on sensitive project after sensitive project, blasting torn and destroyed bits of metal down onto the ground, until it managed to find the lights. Like a Goblin climbing into a pit of Gold, the thunder seeped into the overhead light, lighting it up with a sheer intensity it had never before felt. The light surged brighter than it had any right to be, illuminating the entire dank cavern with a light almost as bright as the sun.

In the 5 seconds that followed, Dan and Brandy's eyes could see many things, for they were the only ones that adjusted.

The dead center of the room held a gigantic metal chair, a half finished humanoid body reclining in it. It spat with sparks and wires, although it hung totally lifeless. Its puppet-like limbs still had the joints on them, the mountain of wires leading down from its grey, clay-like skin to the busied floor, strewn with robot parts and spare tools. The mouth of the mechanical giant had only an array of sharp teeth, the insignia of Rakastamos displayed within .

The second thing they both saw was the sheer, insurmountable size of the army that was now rushing towards them, at breakneck speed. It held hundreds or even thousands of the metal robots, each of them brimming over with customized weapons. Several of them howled on four legs and ran alongside the rest, those far larger the the others. But they all rushed the group, no longer needing to hide under the darkness of the cave.

"Fire at them!", Dan shouted, gathering up some energy of his own. "Shoot them all!"

Leon noded, and slowly lowered Hunter Killer down to face level. He did not need to wait before pulling the trigger, spraying a storm of metal gashes all along the front line. A few screams were heard, but hopefully no one from the group. They did sound metallic in nature.

"Dad?", aksed Leon, hanging on to Dan's shoulder by one finger. He continued to spray and pray, he hoped that some spy was not hiding somewhere along would be awkward. "A little help, please?"
"Right!", shouted Dan, and took another deep breath. He aimed to wipe them all out in a single, overwhelming attack, but that could only work if Leon was keeping them at bay. "Just give me a minute, and then I can-"

"We don't have a minute!", yelled Leon, as one of the robots skidded up to them on-

Wheels. It raised its running chainsaw, aiming it directly at Dan's leg- only for its own leg to disappear, twisted off ina burst of Dash. It barely even had time to scream before there was another strike from Brandy, severing its head from its shoulders.

Brandy folded her arms, and closed her eyes .She tried to give a quick calculation in her head how many were left, and gave up at about 300. She decided to not worry about that, and just worried about smashing as many robots as he could. That could certainly be fun.

"Everyone, look sharp!", she yelled, and Dashed off of Dan's shoulder. Trevor had already started to move, as they both ran headlong into the horde. "Let's Clash!"

Dan shouted in alarm, but did not abandon his charging. He knew that he had to finish that first, and then he could pick the two up. But that didn't ease his worry. "Brandy! Trevor! What are you doing?"

"You killed master!", screamed one of the robots, looking up at the gigantic unfinished robot that sat in the center of the cave. "You killed the Cyborg!"
"They killed the Cyborg?", was heard down the line, moving faster and faster, until it hit the very back of the line. They moved back a bit, and Dan grinned. Physiological warfare was always a good strategy, and it could have maybe worked even against robots. But it had the opposite effect, for the anger in the army only increased. They turned on the group with speed, preparing to jump on them and tear them apart. "Seriously. What's wrong?"

"Haaa!", screamed Bandy, as she connected with the side of one of the robots with a loud clang. Her elbow was driven deep into the circuity, sending the body flying and exploding a second later. Brandy spun around on her heel, looking for the next one to smash. But she was not the only one that had been fighting- Leon ran past her, jumping off a rock, and landing next to a robot. The robot reached out to grab him, only for it to split clean in half and fall to bits.

"Hey, wait a minute.", she said, looking down at the spot where Leon had killed his opponent. The metal parts were quite thin, and quite empty. "Something's wrong about this."

She continued to stare, the idea coming together in her mind. They seemed and moved like robots, but there was no circuitry to be found. But this new army certainly weren't alive, unlike what the first two might have been. The huge strings on the metallic titan's body kept on moving around and around in her head, as the battle raged on around her- then it hit her. It made so much sense. That's what it was- they weren't robots. These things were hollow suits of armor, cobbled together and manipulated by some unseen force. That's why they hadn't seen any Forgotten in the fight- they must have been hiding. So engrossed was she in these thoughts that didn't notice one suit of armor sneaking up behind her, a massive stone club in hand, raising it right above her head.

Song: Stardust Crusaders

Brandy lashed out with her right hand, smashing the stone club into pieces and scattering it across the metal floor. The arm the suit had been using came off as well, skidding along the ground until it smashed into another destroyed foe. The suit barely even had time to register the blow before Brandy kicked its head off, scattering the loose bits further into the air.

"They're suits of armor!", she yelled, and concentrated Dash within herself in order to spin around. "Focus on their joints- those are the weak points!"

Leon, who had been trapped between two particularly large and nasty ones, heard Brandy's voice and nodded. He lowered Hunter Killer at the front one's knees, and opened fire in a rain of bullets. There was a huge cracking sound, as his target fell apart right at the knees. It fell forward into the second, Leon dodging out of the way ,and the two went down in a collision of armor parts that fell all across the floor of the cavern.

"She's right!", he yelled, fighting to be heard across the chaos. Even more suits of armor poured in from the cracks in the walls, some of them the sparking suits of Super Pekkas. Those were, in fact, just Super Pekkas- for there was never anything underneath. "Target their joints!"

Trevor slashed upwards, his sword connecting with that of a suit's. He slowly pushed his blade against his opponent's, until the suit's grip faltered, the plates that made up its fingers snapping. Trevor's sword plunged deep into its chest, and the suit collapsed into a dozen pieces.

Brandy had no time to check if anyone else was following her advice, not with all the suits within 20 meters converging on her at once. She just had to concentrate, follow her combat instincts, and take them all out.

A suit on her left, shield up high, sword swinging down low? Easy. Brandy jumped up over the sword, grabbed on to the edge of the shield, and planted her feet directly into the suit's face. Her boots went straight through the thin metal, and it collapsed onto the ground.

A suit with two swords, coming right at her like a Flying Machine's rotary blades? That one was a little tricky, but still doable. All she had to do was Dash around and behind it, give it a swift kick to the back of the knees, and let it fall forward to be chewed up by its own attacks.

A triple shielded suit, with seemingly impenetrable defense? No problem. Brandy jumped up above the shield, spun around, and delivered a powerful, Dash-boosted roundhouse kick that took the suit's head a few dozen meters away from its body.

Some bizarre monstrosity, with 6 swords and a pair of muskets, which it appeared to be misusing as clubs? She had to take a moment to think about that one. She could try and hit it from behind, but something that weird could have something from behind. She could wait a bit to see if it would work as an attacker, but that would lose her valuable time. She could coat herself with Dash and charge forward, using her momentum and damage invulnerability to simply break it? That sounded good. So Brandy crouched down, filled herself with Dash, and-

A single gunshot suddenly hummed right behind her head, about to enter her brain. She heard it just in time, and yanked her head out most of the way, the bullet piercing through her earlobe and blasting right into the heart of her opponent. Brandy didn't even notice that, however- she could only feel the immense pain flooding through her, the hole in her earlobe dripping blood.

Brandy didn't want to, but she had no choice but to scream in pain. Her lungs did it automatically, as she squeezed her ear to try and lessen the pain. But it did nothing to help, only really making it worse. Brandy felt her throat retch from the sensation, and she knew she had to fix it now. She couldn't fight like this. It was just not going to work.

Dan heard her screaming, and looked down from charging. He could tell that the blast was almost complete, but it had to be all the way done in order for it to work. He saw that Brandy was on her knees, screaming and holding her ear, and he almost let it go. He had to go to her, he had to help her- but he also had to fire the charge. That was the only way they could win against that many foes. Even now he could see them coming, streaming out of the hole in the far wall. It frustrated him to no end, but he knew there was no other way.

"Mommy!", Brandy heard right beside her, and she looked up. There was Bubble, holding a protective arm around her, staring up into the dozens of suits that now surrounded them both. "Don't worry, Mommy. I'll protect you."

"How?", Brandy groaned, trying to use tiny bits of Dash to cure the pain, but it didn't work. She didn't mean for her words to come off so angry, but the pain distorted her voice.

"Watch!", Bubble said, and threw out her arms. She concentrated on the nearest of the suits, and both their eyes lit up blue.

When Bubble said she was an illusionist, she was usually understating her abilities a little bit. Yes, she could make images of light in the physical world, but that was not all she was capable of doing. She was also able to directly alter what an individual person could see, effectively causing them personal hallucinations. And that is exactly what she did to the suit. Although it did not have a mind in the traditional sense, it could still see- all its teammates were now enemies, it the only one left to fight.

The suit drew its sword, and slashed it across the face of the one next to it. That one fell apart, the rest retreating in shock at the act of betrayal. Bubble, meanwhile, tried to pick up Brandy over her shoulder, but she was too heavy for the little girl. She strained and pulled, the hypnotized suit being overwhelmed with sword strokes from its fellows- when another pair of strong arms grabbed them both, and started to run.

"We're going back to your dad, kid.", Trevor huffed, somehow able to carry both Bubble and Brandy on his shoulders. His face was red with the exertion, but he didn't care. Annabelle and Leon were already there, picking off any suits that got too close. "He's going to finish them all off."

"Good.", said Brandy, still feeling her ear. "Kill them, honey!"

Dan nodded, and the blast above his head was finished at last. He looked down towards the army, and snarled. "Superdestructive Overdrive!"

As he threw the orb, the army charged forward into the light. They, or whoever was controlling them, somehow seemed to think that such a blast could be overwhelmed with just numbers, but it was not so. The blast of course enveloped them with pure energy, turning the entire army of suits into elixir and metal dust within just a few seconds. The screeching and screaming of the army went ignored by the group, for they had been enemies.

Two bolts of lightning flashed out from the orb as it dug into the ground- one towards a small rocky outcropping far above where the action had taken place, and the other towards the enormous half-constructed body in the center of the room. Only as Dan stared could he know tell what it was- the Cyborg had automatically started building a new body for himself once he left on his second mission. But now that Dan and Orfox had destroyed his soul, there was no one left to use it. It was now, and would forever be, a mere statue of wires and stone.

From the alcove that the first bolt had been attracted to, fell a portly figure, screaming as he went. He hit a rock on the way down, prompting a loud shout of pain each time he did so. After about 15 seconds of falling, he landed with a splat on the bottom of the cave, and did not move.

"Is he… dead?", Bubble asked, and everyone turned to stare at her.

"No.", said Brandy, and pointed forward. "See how he's not Elixir yet? That means he's still alive. But he's almost certainly a Forgotten, which means that we don't want him to be."

As soon as Brandy saw the portly figure stir, she Dashed over. The group watched as she appeared a second later a few hundred feet away, grabbed the man by his ankles and head, and Dashed back. She happily tossed him up to Dan, who held him by the back with one hand.

"And just who are you?", he asked, and the man whimpered. "A Forgotten?"
"Why, yes.", said the man, and put his hands together to beg. "My name is Glissener, sir. Yes, I am Glissener the Animator. You see, I used to be a Builder when I was young, but my abilities went far beyond mere upgrading. I was able to command the very buildings themselves to do my bidding, upgrade themselves for free."

Dan continued to stare, and Glissener made his case. "Please sir, I don't want to work for Rakastamos. He just snatched me up. If you'll let me go, I can make any base a Town Hall 12. Maxed. Please, sir, I-"

"He's too dangerous to be kept alive.", said Dan, and Brandy nodded. "Think of the sheer devastation that would unleash upon the world."

"Although it does feel wrong to kill him…", said Brandy, putting a finger to her chin. She looked up at the statue, thinking what could be done with it. "Dan, honey? Maybe you should just put him somewhere where he wouldn't cause any harm."

"Right.", said Dan, and stared Glissener right in the face. He abruptly tossed him in the direction of the statue, not even remotely making sure if he was alright. "Go play by yourself, pal. We have places to do, and a lot of things to be."

Dan took a deep breath, and then once again noticed Brandy's ear. It was still dripping blood, the redness swelling to other parts of her face. His expression turned from stone-cold hero to caring husband, and he dropped to one knee. "Brandy, what happened?"

"I got shot.", said Brandy, frowned, then winced again. "Could you make it better, please?"

"Yes, yes.", said Dan, and put his hand on Brandy's ear. She winced again, and squirmed a bit under the pressure, but was able to keep her composure. "I can heal it up- just hold still."

Brandy relaxed- until she realized that Dan's healing method was with Star. "Dan? Wait-"

But Dan did not. He focused a full healing charge of Star right into Brandy's ear, and she screamed. Her eyes crossed, she lost all control of her body, and she fell limp right in Dan's grasp. Her ear slowly but surely healed up- and as soon as it was full again, she fainted dead away. "Gaah.."

"Ooops.", said Dan, and winced. He gently put Brandy on his shoulder, handing her to Leon for safekeeping. Bubble stared in confusion, wondering why she had reacted like that. "Daddy? Why did Mommy-"

"No.", said Dan, and started to walk. They had conquered Iron Mountain, and would meet no other opposition while they were in it. Nor would anything really interesting happen until their next destination. "I will tell you eventually. Now, where are we headed?"

"Uhh…", said Trevor, and looked at his map. "It says Ice Mountain."

"Uh huh…", said Dan, thinking about that fact. "What's over there?"
"Well, I don't know.", said Trevor, shrugged. "Ice, I guess."

"Yes.", said Dan, and nodded. "I would guess that too."

Song: Crucial Situation

The desert that made up the majority of the Ghostlands was long, thick, and completely uncharted. No explorers had ever made their way through it, for the vast majority of the world's population did not know that such an area even existed. No maps even existed of the continent, at least none that anybody knew of. Perhaps in some far off, ancient treasure horde, some had been made, but that was knowledge unknown to the group that found themselves wandering through that very desert, the white sands blistering with upsetting heat that plucked at the strings of the soul more than the skin of the body, obscuring thought like a thick silver carpet.

Strange noises rose from the sands without end, taunting and crying out for anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves there to join them, to become a life of belonging instead of a death of suffering. The Ghosts of the Ghostlands were relentless and merciless, although the only power they had was that of persuasion. But due to the intense mental training the trio of the SCP Foundation had taken, such voices had very little effect.

Bailey stomped through the sand, her boots forming a tight seal against the bizarre heat. She put one hand to her brow, trying to see the sand through the thick barrier of clouds, but it was useless. The light of the sun had been long lost in this land, leaving only a a strange ambient light with no identifiable source. It, along with the endless white sands, led to a strange effect, almost as if they were walking along a gigantic blank piece of paper. Almost as if they were traveling through unused animation cells, rather than a desert.

"It sure is weird out here.", she said, taking a small bottle of Elixir from her pocket. She took a deep swig, making sure not to take her eyes off the road ahead. In a place like this, there was never any telling what could suddenly assault them. "Be sure to be on your guard."

"Right.", said Kurizas, keeping his energy lance close. He gently, slowly moved along on his hoverbike, the engine seeming almost to whine with fear. He gave it a reassuring pat on the handle, and it perked up a bit, with a slight burst of speed. "Be careful."

Nidavaleer slapped his hands together, with a booming burst of sound that made Kurizas almost fall off his bike and Bailey jump a full 8 feet into the air. Bailey whipped around with a face of fury, to see Nidavaleer silently laughing. Bailey's nostrils flared out of anger, as Nidavaleer slapped his knee. "Nida, don't do that!"

It took Nidavaleer a few seconds to recover, then he pointed forward. His expression was grim, as if seeing something that he did not want to see. Bailey and Kurizas turned around, to see that he was pointing at a sign, half hidden in the sand, right in front of a gigantic dune that hid whatever was behind it. Bailey couldn't quite see the sign- she Dashed forward to look, jumping right over a pit of quicksand that opened up as soon as her shadow crossed it.

Bailey shook herself, grateful she had not walked, and landed in front of the sign. She brushed some of the sand off, the letters now becoming visible. She squinted her eyes to see-

"Welcome to…", said Bailey, and stood back up. "Spooky Pop? What the Dr'ew is Spooky Pop?"

She heard the clanking noise of Kurizas stumbling through the sand behind her, and she turned around in panic. She knew he would not think to avoid the quicksand- she turned around to avoid him. "Kurizas, wait!"

"What?", asked Kurizas, right as his foot went into the puddle of quicksand. Bailey groaned, and gestured to Nidavaleer. "What is it- ah!"

Only then did Kurizas notice, as the entire front side of his body started to sink into the sand. Panic spread up his face, and he madly flailed despite his weight. He thrashed around in the sand, Bailey just sighing. "Ah! Shoot! Help me!"

"Kurizas, you're an agent now.", said Bailey, and put her hand on her face. "You can't just go around doing stupid stuff like this all the time. Nid?"

Kurizas yelped again, only to feel the tight hand of Nidavaleer wrap around his waist. He sucked in a breath and instantly lost it again as he was plucked like a carrot, deposited right next to Bailey. He shook himself off, took up his position once more, and saluted to no one.

"Right, thank you for wasting my time.", said Bailey, and looked up. "Our time, I mean. Now, we have two options. Either we get through this sand dune, we go over it, or we wait here in the middle of absolutelyfrickingnowhere."

"Wait a minute.", said Kurizas, and pointed down at Bailey's face. "Who made you the leader?"

Bailey aggressively jabbed a finger at the side of her head, and scowled. "Well, with one of you mute and the other dim- no offense guys- it looks like I'm the only one with a functioning brain cell. And as the sole holder of the brain cell, I get to make the decisions."

She let her magical voice seep into the conversation, the effects taking hold in both her teammates' minds. They found themselves nodding- that made sense.

"Anyway…", said Bailey, and gestured to the sand dune. "Nidavaleer, could you do the honors?"

Nidavaleer nodded, and brought up his hand. He took a deep breath, concentred, aimed, and-

He slashed his hand right into the sand dune, a fierce chop that blew up a huge gust of wind. Bailey and Kurizas both jumped out of the way, Bailey using Dash to carry her friend. The sand dune was blown to bits in the middle, the sudden action and swift heat turning the sides of the cut into glass. The impromptu walls held back the sand, although they would not for much larger. Nidavaleer grunted, and pointed through.

"Come on, come on-", Bailey said, and turned off from the sand. She Dashed through the cut still holding Kurizas, Nidavaleer waiting a few seconds before jumping in after her. He hit the oddly grassy ground on the other side, filled with faded smoke, right before the sand dune shut again with the sound of shattering glass.

"What…", Kurizas breathed, unable to belive exactly what he was looking at. There in front of him was a truly bizarre landscape, unlike anything he had ever seen before. He didn't know how to take it all in- the oddly shaped trees, the random desks thrown every which way, the square rocks forming a path, the grates in the ground seeping dark wind, the metal pipes sticking up out of the ground in every direction. But the oddest thing about the area were the dozens upon dozens of multicolored floating lights, floating about in semi-geometric shapes.

"What is this place?"

Song: Kyuutenchokka

"Well…", said Bailey, and scratched her head. "Spooky Pop, apparently. I don't know what to make of it- I've never seen anything like it."

"I think..", said Kurizas, some mote of intelligence sparkling in his brain. "This is… or was… this used to be part of a lost continent. Thousands of years ago."

"Really?", asked Bailey, amazed that Kurizas of all Troops would know such a thing. "How do you know that?"

"Well, look.", said Kurizas, and pointed at the shapes. "Those shapes seem to form some kind of pattern through the pathway up ahead, like a puzzle to be solved. It's some sort of system, just like Arena Battles back home. And if this is the Ghostlands, it makes sense that this is the place where a scrapped continent would end up, right?"

Bailey stared in wonder. She had always thought Kurizas was just a kind fool, but perhaps there was something in the head of his after all. "Well, shoot, Kurizas.", she said, and gave him an elbow cross. "You're not the idiot I thought you were."

"Why, thank you.", said Kurizas and posed dramatically, then stopped. "Wait, you thought I was an idiot?"

Bailey kept her laughter to herself, and slowly moved downwards to where the bubbles in the air were stationed. She put one finger close to one, feeling the static energy snap off of it in droves. "I'm guessing that if we line these bubbles up, then touch them… they dissipate, and we can pass?"

"Probably, yes.", said Kurizas, and strode up to a bubble, Bailey's previous words forgotten. "Let's see, if I can just-"
But as he touched a bubble, something happened that he did not expect. A row of strange beings popped up at the far side of the area, the ground breaking to bits upon their arrival.

They were strange, and five in number, the same as what could now be seen as the number of rows in the pathway. The bubbles were still arranged into the same shapes, but now they glowed brighter than before. The rows flashed with bits of light, and the monsters started to move.

"Combine the bubbles!", shouted Bailey, Dashing over next to Kurizas. She grabbed an orange red bubble, and started to yank it towards another one. "Combine the bubbles, it's got to do something!"

Kurizas nodded, and helped her yank the bubble. As it slammed into the identical one next to it, there was a bright flash of light, and a shot of energy popped off from between them. It hit the monster in the middle directly in the chest, bringing it down to the ground with a furious roar. The deepness defied the shape, a small jellyfish shaped ghost that rolled around on the ground. But as soon as it vanished ,still sparking bits of energy, the rest advanced relentlessly.

"Yeesh…", said Kurizas, and looked around for another bubble to use. "It's probably been thousands of years since anybody else has even seen this place, and this is still working fine as ever. A special surprise, just for us."

"Less talk time.", said Bailey, and grabbed a green bubble. She noticed that there was a stack of them between her and a couple of blues, so she grabbed the blues instead. "We need to kill these things before they reach us!"

Kurizas nodded, and ran over to a pair of red bubbles in the corner. He noticed with dismay that the line of strange ghosts had gotten closer, but there was no time to worry about that now. INstead he just pushed the two red bubbles together, snapping off a bolt of thunder that blew the ghost in front of him into oblivion. But no sooner had it disappeared than two more arose to replace the ones they had defeated ,looming up out of the ground like Skeletons from a Graveyard. Kurizas frowned, and looked around for more.

Bailey gasped, the exertion of pushing the blues out of the way starting to get to her. For being bubbles, the odd objects were incredibly heavy. But now it was time- right after the blues turned into a slash of energy that blew the arm off one of the ghosts, the greens collided.

There was a great flash of green light, and a burst of power spread across the entire area. Screams came from each of the ghosts, as they popped into nothing from the power of the green combo pop. Within seconds the light and the bubbles had faded, the area once again returning to darkness. It was odd- although the ambient light outside of Spooky Pop had been enough to see by, it was now dark as night.

"Huh.", said Bailey, and blinked at the destruction that the combo had caused. "Neat."

Then she turned around and glared at Nidavaleer, who was leaning back against a large tree. She pointed up at him, seeing that his eyes were closed. "Nid, you moron! We could have used your help back there! Why didn't you help us?"
Nid slowly took a step towards her, and Bailey's nostrils once again flared. "Maybe next time we run into something, you could actually help us instead of just-"

Her words were cut off, as Nidavaleer grabbed her head between his fingers, too fast for her to get out of the way. Her angry yells died in her throat, which was now rapidly ceasing up. Kurizas cried out, seeing Bailey's position. Nidavaleer now held her in a position in which he could easily kill her, in any number of painful ways.

As Nidavaleer grabbed Bailey's body, she thought about what to do. Then as he slowly started to turn her head, she abandoned thought, and went for words. "Woah, Nidavaleer, what are you doing? We talked about this!"

But her neck kept on turning, approaching the angle at which it would break. She spasmed with Dash, trying to get out of his grip, but it was just too strong. She screamed as she felt her neck reach the snapping point, and started to gasp. "Nidavaleer, what are you-"
Her words stopped once again, as her neck twisted the other way. With a swift, sharp movement, she was yanked to the opposite viewpoint, a satisfying crack spreading all the way dow her neck and a shiver rolling up her body. She was now silent in utter confusion, as Nidavaleer set her back down on the ground.

"Oh, uh…", said Bailey, and rubbed her kneck where it had been popped. "Thanks. I guess. I really needed to adjust myself, honestly. Could have gone without the sudden grabbing of my head. Let's not do that next time, okay buddy?"

Nidavaleer nodded, and pointed forward. He knew the complicated pathway in his head- but the others did not. He longed to tell them that they had just ended up at the very thin tail of end Spooky Pop, and could be through it as soon as they walked just about 50 feet. But that would be hard to explain without using words, so he just picked them both up with both hands and started walking, towards the other end of the Spooky Pop belt.

"Nidavaleer, what are you doing now?", Bailey asked, as he walked past a shack, falling apart and dilapidated by the eternal night air. He kicked aside a lampost that fell to the side of the path in a shatter of sparks, and Bailey folded her arms. "Won't there be more of them?"

"Oh, I bet there will be.", said Kurizas, and nodded. "But we better get out of there before there are any more. That was too close, and I would rather not do it again."

"Well, we have to beat them, right?", she asked, gesturing with her arms, as Nidavaleer walked over a stump. But Kuruizas just stared, his simple brain staring in confusion.

"Um, no.", he said, and Bailey blinked. "Why would we need to kill them all? We just have to get to where we're going. The mission log said nothing about fighting anything."

Bailey put her finger up and opened her mouth, then let them both drop. "Oh.", she said, and looked down. The area of skin right below her mask burned red, and she tried to conceal it.

"You have the brain cell, right?", asked Kurizas, and Bailey once again snapped to attention. "That's what you said. So doesn't that mean you should be the smart one right now?"

"What are you implying?", asked Bailey, and her eyes slightly narrowed, the cloth of her mask bunching. Kurizas got a grin on his face, and he leaned forward. His lean was far enough to just barely poke her in the chest, and he smirked. "That you're the stupid one right now."

Bailey's face turned a pure crimson, and she lashed out. Her hand slapped Kurizas on the side of the face, sending his helm spinning around his head. "Excuse me, you jerk?"

"You're excused.", said Kurizas, refusing to miss this chance to rub it in. "You are free to go miss info somewhere else."

Bailey struck out at him again, but Nidavaleer's arms moved apart at high speed, forcing them apart. They now hung about 15 feet away from each other, unable to reach at all. He grunted, and flicked his finger into Kurizas's forehead to even the score a little bit.

Kurizas's grinning face went limp, and his eyes closed as he lost consciousness. The flick of Nidavaleer's forehead, although light, was enough to knock him out cold. Bailey looked up at her gigantic friend and smiled, which Nidavaleer returned. He knocked over a pine tree with his bulk and another step, emerging out into the desert sand once again.

The second they left the area, the sky was once again day. The sun once again beat down hot upon them, although not quite as hot as before. For the day was still early, the sun rising higher into the sky- and the increased heat meant the opposite in the Ghost Lands. The decreased temperature, however, meant that it was no longer quite as oppressive as they walked to their next target, which the cold also helped significantly. None of them knew exactly what they would be running into at their next stop, but they also knew to be ready.

"Hey, Nidavaleer?", asked Bailey, and Nidavaleer looked down. His steps were gigantic as he walked, although not quite as large as Dan's. He nodded, for he could not answer.

"Do you remember…", said Bailey, and looked up into the past. She thought it was quite a ridiculous question- that part of their lives was gone now. There was no sense bringing it up, no sense remembering, no sense thinking about things past- and yet she could not help but wonder. "Oticat? That one King that defeated Ryus?"

At the mention of his father's name, Kurizas perked up a bit in his sleep. But he was unable to fully comprehend it, and so fell back asleep a second after. Nidavaleer, on the other hand, almost stopped walking. His mind suddenly swam with memories- of battling Dan and Agatha in the arena. How he had come so close to winning it all, only to be struck down at the last second. How he had been the one to save Kurizas and Bailey after the massive explosion that killed the rest of the Clan- his heart swelled with pride at that thought. His pace once again quickened, striding on through the sand with duty and purpose.

Bailey watched his reactions, and almost laughed to herself. "Well, I guess so.", she said, and prepared her next question. "What uh… what do you think ever happened to them?"

Nidavaleer shrugged. He had no idea- how could he? They all had been taken off the planet mere hours after the battle, and had not kept up since then. Within him was harbored a tiny bit of curiosity, but nothing that was much to go off of.

"I think they're probably doing well.", said Bailey, really just thinking out loud. She played with her fingers as she talked, a little habit of hers. "The other thief- Brandy, was it?- she's probably doing well. From the looks of it, I think her and that other Mega Knight got together."

Nidavaleer looked down at her in surprise, and Bailey shook her head. She flipped her fingers between her and Nidavaleer, then frowned and shook her head. Nidavaleer nodded and beat his chest once- they were just friends, and it was hopefully going to stay that way.

"And then, uh…", said Bailey, trying to think. She looked up and tapped her head, not sure what to say then. "I'm not sure why I brought this one up. I just thought I should. Felt like it, I guess."
"Well, good for you.", said Kurizas, and rolled his eyes. Bailey thought she could see something odd- a hint of blood red, deep within his eyes. "But can we talk about something else now?"

The red eyes were odd- to a degree. All Troops had aligned whites, very faintly shades of blue or tints of red. But this was different, darker, more intense.

"Kurizas, what's up with your eyes?", asked Bailey, her arm extended in a point. "There's something in them. Something that looks like it hurts. Let me see."

"What?", asked Kurizas, an aura of defensiveness coming off his body. He held out one hand to ward her off, but of course he did not connect. "No, there's not. I'm fine."

Bailey gave him a sideways glance, but she respected his wishes. "If you really are, then I'll leave you alone. But if there's something wrong, tell me. Remember-"
"A good Agent never withholds info.", said Kurizas, with a roll of his eyes. "I know, I know."
"Good.", said Bailey, and put her hands on her hips. "And you're a good Agent. We all are. The best."
"Right.", said Kurizas, but his words were a little bit less sincere. Bailey frowned- she had to help him on that one. She gathered up her magical voice, took a breath, and tried again.

"I said, we're good agents.", she said, small beams of magic coming from her mouth and eyes. Kurizas blinked, feeling his will swayed by her magic, and he shook his head. Once he came to, he saluted out of instinct. "Yes, ma'am."
They were jostled out of their conversation by Nidavaleer opening his hands and dropping them both to the ground, Bailey landing in a swift crouch and Kurizas landing in a heap, the blow softened by his thickheadedness. He slowly got up, rubbing his head, and saw why they had stopped.

"Battle Buddies.", said Bailey, leaning forward to read the sign. This one lay mostly intact, although the ground around it was rotting and cracked. "Huh. There's another one I've never heard of before."

"Well, we're hearing about it now.", said Kurizas, and Bailey thought that for just a second, she could see the dark solid red in his eyes once again. But then it disappeared, replaced by his usual cheery demeanor. "Anyway, let's go in!"

Nidavaleer looked up at the immense building before them, stretching up almost a hundred feet and far out of sight in each direction. It seemed illogical how it could have possibly crept up on them like this, but in an area like the Ghostlands, logic was hardly a factor. It ranked somewhere below reason and right above floor cleaning in the priorities of the place. He put a hand to his brow, trying to scout out movement within, but there was nothing. The windows were mostly shut, the only ones open revealing nothing but the occasional moth. The building had clearly been abandoned for some time, the aura of neglect pouring off of it almost as much as the dank, darkened smell.

"It smells like…", Bailey said, sniffing the air, trying to put the scent into words. "Like-"

"Like an old, dusty cabin up in the high icy mountains, with blankets stacked so high they're almost like a second wall, animal heads on the walls, multiple floors seeable from the main room in the middle on the first floor, something in the basement that everyone told you not to touch, and the floors going up so high you don't know if you could ever find the top, and maple syrup with a side of pancakes every morning for breakfast, all owned and operated by an old couple named Robert and Marge?", said Kurizas, and adjusted his helmet. "That's what it smells like to me."

Bailey slowly turned her entire body to look at him, as did Nidavaleer. All was silent for a few seconds, as they both tried to take in what he had just said.

"Uh…", said Bailey. "The what, dude? What was that referring to? Some weird mission you went on by yourself?"

"Sure.", said Kurizas, and nodded. He started to walk towards the entrance, leaving the two behind. "Let's say that."

Song: Rubicon

The interior of the building was about as dark as the three had expected, the only light the soft moonlight from above. Dust floated through the halls for the last time, the final motes beginning to come to a rest. No wind had disturbed the area for thousands of years, the only movement that of small insects and the passing ghosts. But even those had slowed to a crawl, and now-'

Now the door burst open with a mighty crash, disturbing piles of dust a foot thick with a wind that smashed its way through the entire first floor in a matter of moments. The door cracked and broke from the force of Nidavaleer's crash, the sound louder than anything ever made in the building, even the faint echoes of gunshots from thousands of years prior.

"Holy-", Bailey spat, and covered her face with her arm as the full force of seven thousand years of dust assailed the trio all at once. She closed her eyes as Kurizas slammed his helmet shut, Nidavaleer taking a deep breath to blow the dust away. But that had the opposite effect as he inhaled almost half a dozen pounds, his face turning red with a rough cough.

Nidavaleer reached around and smacked himself on the back as hard as he could, putting a little more effort into each punch, before finally dislodging the dust. It circled out of him with a blast of air that blew away the rest, the force turning the large particles into ones that could no longer be seen.

"Wow, this place is old.", said Bailey, and looked up. There were higher floors- or at least that's what she thought those shapes were. "It looks like it might even be older than the Continent of the Clans. Or the Boss's mother."

"I…", said Kurizas, and leaned over to look at a sign. Hidden behind high-tempered glass, the ancient print had somehow withstood the marching of time. "I think it is. See look-"
Bailey appeared next to him with a Dash and a flash, and Kurizas read out loud.

"The land of Battle Buddies.", said Kurizas, and nodded. "Established-"

Bailey's jaw dropped a bit, and she recoiled. "Oh my Se'th!", she said, and shook her head. "That means… this building is over seven thousand years old?"

Nidavaleer nodded nonchalantly, and kept on walking. He didn't know where the exit was, but he would find out soon enough. Bailey realized just how ridiculous she must have looked- they all interacted with things far older than the building on a near-daily basis as part of the Foundation. She didn't know why she was freaking out over this.

"I mean- yeah, its old.", she said, and hopped a bit to keep up with Nidavaleer. "That's cool, I guess… but we should look out for whatever's in here. In this old- I mean, in a building like this, there's bound to be opponents."
Nidavaleer nodded, keeping his eyes peeled. Based on what had happened in Spooky Pop, the foes would be totally unlike anything they had ever seen before. So they had to keep on their guard, no matter what…
Bailey saw a door right in front of her, that held a gigantic lock. It seemed almost comically large, clearly hiding something that was meant to be uncovered. So she did what came naturally, and kicked the lock as hard as she could. The door flung open, to reveal-

Nothing. It was just an empty room, dust still covering the walls, the very faint mark of a road on the floor. But as Bailey took a single step into the room, that too became hidden to her eyes.

"What the…", she muttered, walking through the room. The walls on the other side were corroded and full of holes, enabling her to easily step through. "There's… nothing here."

She looked around in frustration, and kicked the wall. It shattered upon impact, sending bits of wood all around her. "I thought there would be something interesting here, but there's just nothing!"

"I guess it's been too long.", said Kurizas, walking past her. He looked up to try and find a way through the building, but it was too dark to see. "Too long since anything's been here. It's just totally dead."

"Shame.", said Bailey, and kicked at a bit of wood. It flew off into the shadows, almost touching the wall- but there came no noise of such an action. It instead made several smaller, descending noises- the wood had fallen down a flight of stairs, hidden in the dark.

"Wait.", she said, and Nidavaleer stopped at the edge of the room. He had almost burst through another door, but he knew he could wait. "There are stairs here. Maybe they lead down to something interesting."

She turned to her group, her eyes shining. "Let's check it out. There has to be something cool down there!"

Kurizas rolled his eyes, and Nidavaleer sighed. "Bailey, we can't. I'm sure there's probably treasure or something down there, but we can't get distracted. We have to keep going."

Bailey looked down at the stairs, then back at her friends, then back to the stairs. She could still hear the piece of wood falling, the stairs no doubt hundreds of feet deep into the ground. Untold adventure lurked down below, she could feel it- and yet, she knew that Kurizas was right. They had a mission to fulfill here, one that dealt with the fate of the entire galaxy and even beyond. There was no time for distractions, no matter how tempting they may have been. "Fine."

And yet, as Bailey turned away, she gave a small wink to the stairs. "Later.", she whispered, and ran off to join her group. But that seemed it would prove difficult, for they had suddenly vanished, without a single word.

"Hey, uh… guys?", Bailey asked, and turned around. She had expected for Nidavaleer to leave something behind in his walk- a hole in the wall, footprints in the wood and dust- anything to mark his passage. But there was nothing, not even a breath of air where he had been. "Where did you go?"

Bailey jumped across the room, landing in the next one over- and her heart dropped in shock. The room was exactly the same. A quick check at the footprints below told her exactly what she didn't want to hear- that she had just jumped through some type of spatial distortion. She was in the room where she had been before, and trapped.

"Oh, that's not good.", said Bailey, and bit her lip. She thought of a way to escape- they had covered it in basic training. But now she couldn't remember, and that worried her. "What do I do…"

Nidavaleer blinked, for he knew not where he found himself. He had been walking along in the building just a second earlier, and was now within a far different room. The walls were no longer wood- they were a black and white checkerboard pattern, most likely built from marble or ivory. A solid wooden table stood in the middle of the room, bolted down by steel. Huge stacks of abandoned cooking equipment stood against the walls, the dim yellow and green lighting almost turning them unreal. Soft white mist crept in at the doorways, coiling around Nidavaleer's feet. He took a good long look at his surroundings- if he knew much about cooking, he would have been able to tell that he was inside what had once been a pizza parlor.

He wondered within his head what sort of strange place he was in, and how exactly he had gotten there. He could see windows in the room, but they revealed very little about his surroundings. However, the fact that they were frosted over with glass meant he was near the outside of the structure, and thus had a clear plan of escape. He grunted, pulled back his mighty fist, and-

And he stopped. The words of the SCP Foundation came back to him, flooding into his head.

"Remember, trainee, try to not destroy landmarks whenever necessary.", he had been taught, almost as soon as they had arrived. "It's bad for business and for culture."

So Nidavaleer sighed and put down his fist, looking around for another way to get out. There had to be ways that didn't involve breaking down the walls, and he would find them. He was Nidavaleer, after all. He may have been silent, but his intelligence was underestimated by all.

Turning over a few pans, he looked for a key, or a secret door, or whatever would give him an advantage. Battle Buddies gave him the creeps- that was something he would admit only to himself.

Only Kurizas knew what had happened. He was the one who had been warned previously that it would happen, and had chosen to leave Bailey behind and teleport Nidavaleer. It pained him to do such things to his friends, but he had no choice. Not if He was to be obeyed.

As Kurizas closed his eyes in a tall room at the very top of the building, leaning down onto one knee, he could feel the dark presence surround him. He had not felt it since his father had died, and would have hoped to never feel it again. But it had been following him for days now, weeks. Only now that Bailey had started to notice did he know it was time to put it to rest.

His entire body twitched and shook, expressions of pain crossing his body as the smoke left his eye. It swirled around him in an evil tornado, some of his vitality going with it. Two yellow eyes became visible in the smoke, and Kurizas gasped.

"Oh, my boy.", it said, and a sickly smile appeared. "How right you were to summon me."

Song: Un'altra Persona

"You…", Kurizas coughed, feeling his fragile mind in control once again. "What do you want from me? Please, you've already killed my father."

"Oh please, your father's death was no fault of my own.", said Grrshknn, lying through his gigantic teeth. His voice was sickly sweet, a rumbling that was soothing to the ears but heavy on the soul. "On the contrary- I tried to help him. You saw that in the Arena, did you not?"

"I don't care what you did.", said Kurizas, and struggled under the oppressive weight of Grrshknn's presence. "You led to the death of my father and my sisters. I don't want anything to do with you, demon."

He struggled mightily with the demon's aura, pressing down hard enough to crack the walls, and slowly, surely, managed to wrest one knee to a half position. Sweat dripped off his brow, and he gasped- but he would not give up. He raised his heavy energy lance, ignoring the burning in his arm that felt like a raging Inferno.

But Grrshknn sighed, and increased the pressure. The 10x gravity instantly increased to 20x, slamming Kurizas back down onto the floor with a groan. The wood cracked under his heavy weight, but Grrshknn insured that it would not break. He had invested far too much into Kurizas to lose him to a mere nasty fall.

"Get up, boy.", he said, and grabbed Kurizas's body within his mental grip. He sneered with utter contempt, yet he knew he was supposed to let him live. "You have far too many things to accomplish for you to stand here like this."

"What makes you think…", gasped Kurizas, a spurt of blood coming from his cheek. One of his veins had simply burst from the pressure, running down onto the floor. "That I'll ever do what you want?"

"Oh, what choice do you have?", asked Grrshknn, and waved his hand around. Kurizas was spun, crashing through the thin floor and into a wall. But he did not fall, for Grsskhnn had not released his grip. "Your father was totally under my command until your very foundation did him in. Therefore, I control you. That is just how it works."

"That…", Kurizas breathed, seeing that Grrshknn had only increased the pressure, this time to 25x gravity. He was beginning to black out, but knew he had to keep going. "That would be true. If the Foundation I made a new life with was the one responsible for his death!"

"Whatever do you mean?", asked Grrshknn, and sent out a thin slip of darkness, right for Kurizas's heart. "It was them who killed him-"
"No!", yelled Kurizas, and struck with all his strength. His arm knocked aside Grrshknn's grip, to the demon's utter surprise. "You fool, you idiot."

He took a deep breath before continuing, Grrshknn staring at him in fascination. "Did you not think that I would have accessed the records to see what really happened to him? Did you not think that you could snatch him from his cell and destroy him without it being noticed, without it being written down, without it being filmed?"

Oh shoot, that was filmed?, thought Grrshknn, and stumbled back a bit. His real form where he was millions of miles away was a little busy at that moment, and thus his power was far weaker against Kurizas than it would usually have been. "Oh, really?"

Kurizas snarled, realizing that Grrshknn's gravity hold had been severely weakened after the shock that Kurizas knew. He pushed upwards as hard as he possibly could, and heard Grrshknn's grip over his body weaken. He heard the force snap, and heard Grrshknn gasp.

"Boy- Kurizas…", said Grrshknn, going through his options. "Now, I don't think you understand just why I want you. My power is far greater than anyone on this planet- even the mighty Rakastamos. If you would join with me, I could make you the wonderful, perfect warrior you always dreamed to be."

Kurizas stopped, and thought about it. If what he was saying was true, then he could defeat Rakastamos. He could save the world, all by himself. He could be lavished in the admiration and praise of millions- no, billions! There would be no end to his fame or riches. Perhaps, he could even woo Bailey with such magnificent wealth.

And yet, he knew for a fact it was Grrskhnn saying those things. The truth was that Kurizas cared little for most material things. Rakastamos was just a mission, nothing more. And, of course, him and Bailey were just friends. He didn't want romance from her.

Kurizas snarled, and took another step. Grrshknn's mental avatar was now very weak, experiencing small amounts of fear. "What- what do you want? Anything? Because belive me, I could give you everything that your heart desires, just if you agree to me."

"Any- anything?", asked Kurizas, his hand slowly moving downwards. Grrshknn smiled, and waved his arms. "Yes, anythi-"

But his words were cut off as Kurizas stabbed his energy lance right through the apparation of Grrshknn, dissolving it into nothing, just flecks of black light. Grrshknn groaned as his tool was struck down, but he would make more. He would always make more.

Kurizas collapsed to his knees, feeling the pain wrack his body. He did not expect the meeting with Grsshknn to go like that- so right. He fully expected to have been dead by the end ,but he supposed that Grrshknn had other things to spend energy on. It was nice for him.

Yet almost as soon as he had fallen to the ground than the ground itself started to fall out from underneath him, the wood sliding away into the downbuilding. He swore out loud, trying to keep himself from collapsing, but it was impossible. He snarled and tucked himself into a protective ball as the wooden floor collapsed, a sound like spilling sand blasting through the halls.

He tumbled through the wooden and dusty deluge for a few seconds, feeling the walls crash to bits around him, until he landed right on top of the familiar hard head of Nidavaleer. It had not been helmeted for several weeks, but the bone itself was hard as steel.

"Oh, hey Kurizas.", he heard Bailey say from behind him, and she gave a little wave. He opened his eyes to see- they were sliding down a huge hill of wood dust, through a hole in the wall and out onto the grass behind the building. It appeared to be day in that part of the Ghostlands, for whatever unknown reason. "Fancy you should come on by."

"What happened?", asked Kurizas, his mind only slowly returning to normal. WIth such an expenditure of willpower, it made sense that he was tired. "Where are we?"

Bailey ticked the things off on her fingers, staring up into the sky. "Well, Nidavaleer punched a hole in the wall, and now we're riding that wave to safety. That was a boring place."

"Right.", said Kurizas, wishing that boring was all it had been for him. "Boring."

Bailey rolled her head back, and her eyes very nearly boggled out of her head. She turned around and pointed back at the building, before it was about to disappear through some trees. "Holy frick!", she screamed, Kurizas turning around as well. "Look!"
There, right down the middle of the building, far away, was a bite mark. It cleaved through the entire building almost, the wood rotting further around it. It appeared to have been from a Dragon- the jaw shape suggested it, as well as the fact that nothing else was even close to that large. If the bite mark alone was almost 150 feet long, then the Dragon that made it must have been at least-

"1500 feet.", said Bailey, and shivered at the very thought. "That Dragon had to be 1500 feet long at least. And that's if it had a big head."

She hoped that Rakastamos was not the one that had caused it- for the bite mark appeared almost as old as the building, and Dragons grew through their lives. She made some more quick calculations in her head- if it had been allowed to grow that entire time, assuming seven thousand years, the Dragon would be-

She looked up, and her face paled. Her mind swam with the thought- no Dragon, no form of life could be that large. It was not possible. And yet…

"Look out!", Kurizas shouted, and grabbed the back of Bailey's neck. He pulled her back onto Nidavaleer, as the Mega Knight dug his fist into the ground. A huge plume of dirt was thrown up, and they all stopped- right at the lip of a sudden canyon, yawning down infinite into the void below.

Song: Space of a Lone God

"Woah…", breathed Kurizas, and let out a loud sigh. "That was close."
Bailey looked over, able to see into the canyon below. But she could not see the bottom, so she grabbed a rock from Nidavaleer's shoulder. She threw it into the canyon and listened for the sound- but it didn't come. She waited some more, and it still did not come. Bailey waited a full thirty seconds for the rock to hit the bottom, and yet no sound of reassurance hit her ears.

"Crap…", she said, and shivered all over. She now dared not to peer into the depths, for reasons of overwhelming fear. "It's a fricking bottomless pit."

"A bottomless pit?", Kurizas whimpered, leaning over the dirt to peer into the vast crack. He could just barely see flecks of white energy flashing down in the depths, but he had no idea what they were. He also knew he didn't want to find out. "I didn't think those existed here. We've run into them a few times, but- not on Clash."

"Right.", said Bailey, and slammed her fist into her hand. A plan formed in her head, one that she had thought of many times before. "But we've dealt with them before, and we can deal with them again. All we need to do is plan A. Nidavaleer?"

She looked around for her friend, but Nidavaleer had disappeared. "Nidavaleer?"

A brief shock of panic ran through her heart, as she considered the possibility that Nidavaleer might have fallen into the pit. He would not have screamed as he fell, for he could not. Her breathing grew shallow, and her mask sweat. "Nidavaleer?"
But her panic was put at bay, as she heard a great cracking sound from her left. She turned to look, and saw that Nidavaleer was emerging from the pine treeline, holding a snapped trunk in each hand. He nodded towards the pit, nodded towards the trunks, and kept on walking.

"Oh…", said Bailey, and made a few gestures of her own. "You want to build a bridge with those? That's a good idea."

Nidavaleer rolled his eyes. Of course he did, but for some reason everyone always thought they had to be obvious with him. Everyone except a few doctors at the Foundation. So he just tossed the trunks onto the ground, making sure they did not fall into the bottomless crack of doom.

"Bailey.", said Kurizas ,and made some measurements with his eyes. Although he did not realize it, he was actually quite good at math. "I don't think they'll fit across. It's too wide for any tree branches I see… and there's no way for us to lash them together."

Bailey stared at the trunks, and made a few quick calculations of her own. She stared down at the ground, and spat. "Shoot."

They both looked up towards Nidavaleer, who had already known this moment would come. "Hey, uh… buddy?"

Nidavaleer gave a solemn nod, and made some gestures of throwing to signify he understood. Bailey and Kurizas both gave a single grim nod- they had no other option. Across it was.

Leaning down onto the ground, both of them knew exactly what to do. They had performed many similar operations before- Bailey would use her Dash to make up for Kurizas's added weight. They would both hold on to each other, and unlink once they reached the opposite side. Then Nidavaleer would jump across, his massive legs giving him the required boost.

"Three… two…", said Kurizas, as he grabbed onto Bailey's arms tightly. She wheezed lifting his weight above herself, but she was able to manage it.

"One…", Bailey coughed, keeping herself steady. She just had to think- this was routine. Normal. Nothing hard about it, nothing scary about leaping over her 14th bottomless pit.

Zero, thought Nidavaleer, and grunted. He grabbed Kurizas by the back, lifted them both up above his head, and threw them high into the air, as far and hard as he could.

The wind whipped at their faces as they flew, boosted by Bailey's Dash, smashing through the treeline like a blast from a Cannon. They both kept their screams tucked away- very unprofessional.

But once they landed against a particularly large tree trunk, smacking into the side and falling back down to the ground, they allowed themselves a groan. Kurizas had been protected by his armor and Bailey had been protected by her Dash, but it was still unpleasant to ram into a trunk at the speed of a shot Arrow. They let themselves lay there for a second, before both silently knowing it was time to go check up on Nidavaleer.

Even as fast as Bailey rushed through the trees, jumping through the branches with her Dash, she worried it would not be enough. She hoped that Nidavaleer had made it across the pit alright- it would be a tragedy to lose him.

She burst out of the treeline, and her heart dropped out. There he was, flying through the air, fists outstretched in instinct- but that was a very bad thing in this situation. He would come down on the other side in a devastating impact, one that would crumble the side of the cliff and leave him falling into the bottomless doom below.

He was already on his trajectory. Kurizas would not arrive in time. Bailey knew there was only one way to stop it- and so she swallowed her fear, Dashed over to where he was going to come down, and opened her arms.

Nidavaleer's eyes opened wide, as he saw what she was doing. He tried to backpedal in midair, but of course that was impossible. So he almost screamed as he crashed into Bailey- but stopped, as he felt himself stop. He heard Bailey give both a mighty roar of effort and a horrible scream of pain as pure Dash and adrenaline surged through her body, actually lifting him from his impact and boosting him back over the edge of the cliff, clearing the fall.

But it had taken everything out of her- and as she heard a snap, she knew she had done too much. Her mind shut down right before the pain hit, and she fell unconscious as the cliff crumbled, sending her falling into the bottomless pit.

Nidavaleer gasped, and snatched her right out of the air. He noticed he had grabbed her by her broken arm, but it was still better than losing her. Hoisting her up onto his shoulder, he tucked her around his neck, and thought. Well, crap.

Kurizas burst onto the scene, and almost screamed. He saw the crumbling cliff, and motioned for Nidavaleer to run, which he of course did. He saw that Bailey was out cold upon his back, one arm at a terrible angle. He winced with second hand agony, not quite sure what had happened.

"Uh, okay.", he said, and pointed forward. "We still do need to keep going… our destination is somewhere that way. About a few miles, give or take. Honestly, I don't know."

But Nidavaleer, although he walked, was not listening to Kurizas's ramblings. He looked only at Bailey, now in his arms, sleeping still, an expression of pain on her face. The long scar down her cheek across her left eye now seemed aggravated, pulsing slightly with each breath.

Bailey, he thought. I don't know why, or what you just did back there. But I guess it worked out… and I know you're smart. So thank you.

He leaned forward, knowing that Kurizas was not looking, and gave her a tiny kiss on the forehead.

You little thief.

The trio that had gone over the pit had missed one thing. It was not, in fact, bottomless. It had a bottom, although it was deep beyond thought. Beyond the white sparking void that lay at the bottom, beyond the destroying nothing that lurked at the bottom of the continent, was a being.

A great, tremendous, unknowable being, one that lurked below the world, one that most citizens of any continent could hardly even imagine. For now, he slept, but he was still aware of everything around him, and that which disturbed him. And as Bailey's rock fell ever deeper into the terrifying void, it came closer to That Which Was Below, in the truly darkest deep, and the thing that lurked there. And as it slept, it thought that it might move around a tiny little bit, just to remember what it was like. It had almost fed about three thousand years ago, and that thought excited it just a touch. And so the thought to move began to travel up its spine, but it would not be realized until later. Such was the sheer magnificent size of the beast, and the scale of its power.

About an hour later, the trio had recovered from their near death experience. Bailey was once again awake, with the pain from her arm having subsided. Nidavaleer's belt of Heal and Rage spells had come in handy after all. She still rode on his shoulder- she did not know why, but it just felt right. Kurizas walked, still keeping an eye out for anything that might attack them.

"Okay, so when are we going to get to something?", Bailey asked, feeling something tug at the edge of her brain. "We've been walking for about an hour, and it's just trees. And sand. And then it was trees again. And now it's a hill, and over it I bet there's-"

Nidavaleer put one hand on the bottom of the hill, and grunted mightily. He pushed himself up off the ground, Bailey holding on tight, and landed at the very top. She gasped, something totally unexpected greeting her eyes. "Sand…"

There, in front of them, was a huge white shape, sticking up out of the sand. It arced high into the air, a solid ivory parabola that pierced the sand like a bent arrow. There waws something very odd about it, that Bailey could tell, but it was impossible to pinpoint exactly what.

"What- what is that?", Bailey asked, peering closer. Kurizas leaned forward, thinking of what could possibly be sticking up out of the desert like that. Nidavaleer actually knew exactly what it was, although of course he could not speak.

"It looks like…", said Kurizas, and started to walk around it. He put one hand on the surface and gave an experimental rub, to see if it would move. It did not- but his fingers detected the texture of the massive object. And in that instant, he knew exactly what it was.

"A bone.", he said, and shivered. He looked back to his parters, who stared at him with traces of true fear. "This thing's a bone."
"A bone?", asked Bailey in sheer disbelief. "A- a- a bone of what? What could possibly be that big?"
"A Dragon?", asked Kurizas, and shrugged. "I don't really know… this one's super big. We can't even really tell what bone it is, only that it is one."

"Well…", said Bailey, and scratched the top of her head. "Maye it's a petrified tree. Those are huge and feel like bone."

"Maybe.", said Kurizas, but he wasn't sure at all. "Maybe. I still think it's a bone, though."

Nidavaleer gave a small nod, and Bailey trusted him. "Probably, yes. But we should keep going- bones like that don't just come from nowhere a lot of the time. I don't want to meet another one of whatever it belonged to."

And so they ran, as quickly but safely as they could, towards the range of hills on the horizon ahead.

It was about 10 minutes later that they came to that range of hills, which had appeared a lot larger from where they had seen the bone. But they were still quite large, about 30 feet in size. All three of them knew it must have been some bizarre optical illusion that had allowed them to remain the same visual size the entire way there.

"Boost me up.", said Bailey, and once again leaned down. "I need to get over that hill."

NIdavaleer nodded, and put out his hand. Bailey jumped on top of it, he lifted it up as high as he could, and Bailey was able to see beyond the hills. She gasped, and her eyes lit up.

There, outlayed in front of the trio, was an idyllic little valley. Bright green trees and blue little rivers wound through the geometric hills and single icy mountain, the ivory clouds floating only hundreds of feet above the ground. Tiny pressed rectangles were arranged into the ground at semi-random intervals- Bailey felt a surge of nostalgia, for they looked like Arenas. But the valley was totally unpopulated. There was no one to battle in there, no one to look after it.

"This… this is beautiful.", said Bailey, and slid down from Nidavaleer's shoulders. She patted him on the leg as she hit the ground, walking out to the tip of the hill. "I've never seen anything like this before-"

She stopped mid sentence, realizing that her feet were no longer, technically speaking, on the hill. She had taken a step too far, and now hovered midair. "Wait shoot-"

She yelped as she fell down the hill, sliding down in a flash of Dash, the grass shredding behind her to reveal grey dirt. She covered her face with her hands as she slid, bashing through trees as an unstoppable force. They too turned grey as she passed, the peaceful coating coming off.

Finally she landed at the bottom right in a river, with a huge splash of water. She shook herself and looked outwards, seeing no clear way through the area. It was beautiful, to be sure, but they could not stay long.

Song: I'm in Control

Not waiting for her group to catch up, Bailey Dashed right over a river. She jumped through one of the small arena-like holes in the ground, bouncing off a tree and alighting in another's branches. She could not help but feel a smile on her face in the beauty of the area- it felt far more upbeat than anyplace she had been for the last few days. She expected there would have been butterflies here, but she could not see any. That was the weird part.

She did a backflip into another tree, catching a glimpse of something odd on her way through. She had seen something very, very strange about the sky, although she could not quite see what it was. As she landed in the tree, she put some thought to it- then it hit her like a bolt of Lighting. She looked up again, and gasped. There could be mistake.

The entire area- the valley, the mountains, even the sky- it all lay under a truly vast ceiling, miles in height and miles in width. The entire area was somehow indoors, contained under a ceiling full of words that Bailey was not quite able to read. She stared harder, somewhat able to make out the words. "Smash… band? Smash… hand? No-"

She snapped her fingers, and jumped out of the tree. The sound attracted the attention of something nearby. She clicked her heels triumphantly, and made a pose. "Smashland!"

She heard a growl from behind her, and turned around, expecting an attack. That is exactly what she got- something huge looming out of the treeline, snarling, staring at her with hungry eyes and hungry paws.

Its thick blue and white fur was matted, clearly an old relic of whatever Smashland had been. Its eyes were small and black, the tiniest of pupils somewhat visible through the clouds. Its claws were long and sharp, its tusks even more so. Its nose was cracked, the purple having long since drained out. It beat the ground with its mighty fists, looking almost like an evil Yeti in the high mountains of Clans.

"Oh, shoot.", Bailey whispered, and Dashed back to a fighting positon. She searched her pockets for anything that might be of use- but she had left her favorite pistol back on the ship. Cursing her forgetfulness, Bailey realized she was just going to have to do it the old-fashioned way. She grabbed the nearest stick from the ground and brandished it at the creature, daring it to take her on. "Come on!"

The beast gave a might growl, and lunged forward. Bailey could see now that it wielded a mighty weapon of its own- a gigantic hammer, made of wood and magical ice. It swung the hammer down to crush her, Bailey charging up her Dash and striking upwards with her stick.

Of course, the ordinary stick shattered instantly under the weight of the massive hammer. Her Dash had gone into her arms instead of the wood, and thus protected her from damage- but the force still knocked her back into the ground, hitting her head on a rock. She spat from the blow and tried to think, as the monster raised its hammer for another blow.

"Crap crap crap crap-", she said, then felt something odd overtake her. She heard a familiar roar and a flash of purple, as a Rage spell flared to life around her body.

The strength of the spell filled her, her muscles growing stronger and her control lessening. But more effects piled on, ones that would not be given to just anybody using a Rage spell. Her hair flared up in some magical wind, her eyes glowed, and her voice grew deeper in a mighty roar. She lashed upwards with one fist, hitting the icy hammer dead on and shattering it into bits. The ice melted away when broken, the enhancement clearly shattered as well. The monster's hands kept on going, only to run into Bailey's vicious kick. It cried out in pain and hobbled back, as Bailey jumped up from the ground, vengeful fire in her eyes.

"You piece of filth!", she bellowed, with an oddly deep voice, and Dashed forward. With a Lightning-fast movement, she plunged her fist straight through the monster's head, erupting out the other side with a sickening crunch. It gave a low death rattle, then fell the other direction, falling down into a small arena. Bailey expected it to burst into Elixir, but it did not. Instead it slowly dissolved into dust, blue dust that flew into the air and slowly disappeared.

The Rage Spell too dissolved after the appropriate amount of time, and Bailey felt the insane energy fall out of her. She pitched forward, falling right onto the hand of Nidavaleer.

"Woah.", said Kurizas, who had seen the whole thing. "What was that?"

But there was no answer- from either the borderline asleep Bailey or the silent Nidavaleer. So Kurizas just shrugged, and knew he probably wouldn't get an answer.

"Well, no sense in staying here any longer.", said Kurizas, and pointed forward. "We still have a way to go before we get there. And this place, whatever it is, isn't helping."

They both began to walk, Kurizas realizing that once again he was without a conversation partner. Unless Nidavaleer somehow learned to speak in that time, but that was extremely unlikely.

He instead took the time to reflect upon just how odd the surrounding area was. How perfectly perfect it seemed, as though every square inch of the entire valley had been planned out.

He too had seen the ceiling while chasing after Bailey, but he had thought very little of it. It hadn't really sunken into his mind, for most things did not. But as they reached the edge of the Smashlands, something certainly sunk very deep into his mind the second he lay eyes on it, as it did into Nidavaleer. The shape of a truly colossal bite mark out of the side of the valley, revealing nothing but white sand beyond. It bit into the wall itself, something still moving at the very edges. It was an almost heart-stopping sight, one that invoked some truly ancient fear in both of them. They could not place it exactly- but it felt similar to the fear of death. Not their personal deaths by the hands of some predator, for whatever had created the bite had clearly done so a very long time ago. No, this was a far greater sense of danger, the fear of the death of everything.

"Hey…", Bailey croaked, beginning to awaken. "Did… did we do it?"

"Yeah.", said Kurizas, looking up at the automatic door at the edge of the valley. "We made it through… and I think we're almost to our destination, too. Just a few more miles or so, and we'll be there."

"Sweet.", said Bailey, her throat a little harsh from the Rage. She pumped her fist into the air, tried to get up off of Nidavaleer, failed, and plopped back down again. "Let's go."

And go they did through the door, out through the surprisingly narrow and thin wall, not letting Bailey see the tremendous bite mark. For if they did, they would be there all day.

As soon as they exited the Smashlands, they could once again see they were back in the seemingly infinite white sands that made up the majority of the Ghostlands. As far as they eye could see, there was nothing but sand dunes, bizarre pillars held in the sand, the strange low clouds, and the omnipresent light with no source. But even more bizarre was the fact that when Nidavaleer turned around, he could no longer see the building they had just been in. It was totally vanished, as if it had never been there at all.

"Where are we going?", asked Bailey, feeling the energy return to her body in the strange light. She leaned up and experimentally stretched, yawning as she did so. "Just straight ahead, right?"

"Right.", said Kurizas, and saw- saw- saw something in the distance. It was impossible to tell what it was from their current positon, hidden as it was behind the dunes and the obscuring heat of the wind. But it seemed like something interesting, and very much worth their time to check out. He didn't realize those thoughts were not his own, but the source was so subtle it was impossible to tell. "Over there. Towards that thing."

"Alright.", said Bailey, and grinned. "That thing it is."

The thing that they had decided on checking out, however, was far more ancient and far more dangerous than any of them could possibly have realized. From their distance, it had seemed like a mere sand dune, or perhaps another ancient building, lost since lost to time.

But in truth, it was neither of those things. It was something that none of them could even imagined, something that could not be comprehended by the majority of beings. It radiated with sinister dark energy, energy that turned the sand for hundreds of meters into glass and the glass within dozens of meters into smoke. It rose from the area in a constant cloud, falling back to the ground and becoming sand once more in a surreal cycle unique to the area. This was, of course unknown to most, as was almost everything about the intense Object that haunted the desert. Many who had attempted to study it either went mad, failed, or simply disappear without so much as a single drop of spilled Elixir to mark their passing. And thus, of course, it was unknown what happened, which caused many to attempt to try, which led to their inevitable failure. It was a vicious cycle, in a vicious land, caused by a being so great and terrible it would be folly to describe.

But as the trio advanced towards the titanic landmark, the waves of sand washing over them, they knew nothing of this fact. They only felt excitement, the thrill of discovery running through their heads. Morale was high, and they were getting rather close to their goal.

"Hey, uh…", said Bailey, and gave Kurizas a little nudge. She was standing next to him on the shifting sand as they walked in tandem, with Nidavaleer to their shared right. "Kurizas?"
"Yeah?", asked Kurizas, giving her a little shove back. He looked forwards to The Thing- it was now only a few hundred feet away. They had been walking for about 20 minutes now, at a rather brisk pace. Nidavaleer's gigantic steps and quick pace had made it easy going for him, Bailey keeping up with both her speed and her natural Dash. Kurizas was a bit sweaty under his armor, but he was managing. "What is it?"

"What do you think it is?", asked Bailey, with a sly little grin. "Some building? A mountain?"

Kurizas took another long look, and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we're going to find out soon, though."

"Well yeah.", said Bailey, and put her arms at a level above her head. She yawned, and Kurizas yawned as well. "But like, what are your guesses? It's not any fun unless you guess."
"Well, uh…", said Kurizas, taking a good hard look at the colossal anomaly. It was starting to become visible, as they approached the thin curtain of haze around it. "Another one of those giant buildings. That's my guess."

"Cool.", said Bailey, hardly able to keep her bizarre excitement contained. "I think it's a spaceship."

"What?", asked Kurizas, and twisted around to face her. "A- A spaceship? What do you mean, a spaceship?"

"I mean a spaceship.", said Bailey, with a shrug. "You know, the thing we came here in? The thing that you should be used to seeing by now."
"Yeah, but-", said Kurizas, and frowned. "I didn't think Clash had any."
"I didn't think any of these places existed before this mission.", said Bailey, putting just a little bit of magic into her voice. She saw understanding alight in Kurizas's eyes, and allowed herself to savor the victory. "And yet, here we are."

She heard a grunt of alarm come from Nidavaleer, and she looked up. There he stood on the top of the hill, right before the haze field, staring in with wide eyes of wonder and fear. "Oh shoot, are we there?"

"No, not yet.", said Kurizas, and looked into the hazy film. "We've still got a few hundred more feet to go before we reach the object itself. This is just a bizarre byproduct."

"Huh.", said Bailey, and pressed against the haze field. It bent to her touch as though it wasn't there, no doubt a clear entry ."Well, le'ts go guys! Can't stand around here waiting forever, right?"

She pressed herself up against the shaky barrier, and was shlorped inside without a word. Kurizas shouted and ran up against the side, as Nidavaleer punched his fist through. "Bailey!"

But to their relief, they could hear her voice just fine. It was full of wonder and awe, with a little bit of fear thrown in for good measure. "Oh!", she shouted, as she finally saw what the titanic beast was. "It's a Dragon!"

Kurizas almost stopped in his tracks, trying to keep himself from fainting. A Dragon at that size, from this far away, would have to be absolutely titanic. As in, crush entire Castles under his foot titanic. Change the weather patterns when it flies kind of titanic. End the world on a total whim kind of titanic. He called back, his voice slightly trembling- "A- a Dragon? Are you sure, Bailey?"

"Well, not really.", he heard back, and relaxed. "I mean, yes… but no."

"That doesn't help, Bailey.", he growled, and stomped his way through the haze. "I'm-"

There he stopped unable to move with the tremendous sight outlayed before him. It was totally unlike anything he had ever seen , and would hopefully never have to see again. What he had thought at first was a Dragon was instead-

"Well, crap.", he said, and gulped. "It's a Dragon's skull."

"Oh, yes it is.", said Bailey, rubbing her palms together with excitement. Static electricity sparked off of them and mixed with bits of Dash, flashing around her body with blue and yellow light. "From what must have been the biggest Dragon ever."

Kurizas and Nidavaleer looked at each other, and knew they had the same question. Could this gigantic Dragon skull have anything to do with those bite marks they had seen earlier? It would make sense that they did. Every continent had its own ruling Dragonlord… so why not the Ghostlands?

"I'm gonna go touch it.", they heard Bailey say, and they looked down in alarm. Kurizas spread out an arm to stop her, but she was already long gone. Running down the sand hills, sliding onto the glass, and using the slipperiness to achieve huge speeds with her Dash. Nidavaleer grimaced- it was going to take her almost no time at all to reach the statue at that speed. 30.86 seconds in fact, if his tiny in-brain computer was to be believed. He also knew the best time to start running after her was about 2 minutes ago, and the second best time was right then. So start running he did, pounding after his target with a thumping boom. Kurizas followed behind, wishing once again he didn't have to bring so much stuff to the planetary surface. It was getting a real pain to hold.

Song: Ancientry

The tremendous Dragon skull that Bailey ran to was not belonging to any Dragon that was dead- not in, at least, the traditional meaning of the word. It was made mostly up out of ancient, sun-bleached bones as white as the moon and thicker by far than other entire buildings. Its colossal eye sockets, able to fit an entire arena within their depths, could somehow see Bailey as she ran, sliding and slipping across the glass. It was tough, solid glass too- nothing like the regular type used for windows. This was thick and incredibly strong, able to withstand damage up to a Rocket with no ill effects. The gas that it dissolved into at the center, then- that was gas stronger than any that had ever been created. Many had no doubt died to prove that information.

But such thoughts were not what was going through Bailey's head. She just saw something to be investigated, something to be climbed upon- something to be interested with.

The snout of the Dragon, if it would be there somewhere among the many bones, was pointing upwards into the sky. Its jaws were a crack ajair, flame still coming from deep within the infernal destruction. The eyes smoked with the unimaginable fury of days gone past, as Bailey looked around, trying to see where exactly the ground ended and the skull began. The Thing knew that it would soon be time to wake a bit. No big plans- jut figure stuff out.

"Let's see…", said Bailey, as she finally reached the end of the massive stretch of glass. She made sure not to get too close to the rising column of strange smoke, noticing just how the cycle worked. It was very fascinating to see the glass constantly being broken and turned into smoke- it was a refreshing happenstance. "That's cool."

But the second she took another step, one foot brushing against the bone's outstretched spike, something very strange happened. She could have sworn, although she knew it was impossible, that the immense Dragon skull slightly moved one of its eyes.

"Gah!", Bailey shrieked, and shot right into the air. She zapped around the entire area like unto a mobile glitch, disappearing and reappearing a few dozen times in less than a second. Sheer panic pulsed through her entire body, as she slid back onto the glass, staring up at the immense skeleton in terror. She didn't see it slowly starting to move, sliding back into place. "It- it twitched!"

"What?", gasped Kurizas, sliding in right next to her. He too could see the immense Dragon skull slowly sliding back into place, as hundreds of small white whisps worked out the sides. Something began to drill into the ground behind, huge construction noises adding to the mystery. "What is that thing?"

"I don't know.", said Bailey, and stared up at the skull. It was still sliding, although back into place rather than any particular area. "I don't want to know. Some kind of Dragon, I assume. But- but it's dead. So how can it be sliding?"

She blinked, remembering what they had encountered earlier. "Wait. That bone… was that-"

She looked up at the skull, made the connection, and suddenly felt very small.

Nidavaleer appeared above them both with a growl of protection, seeing the massive hole being driven into the ground right behind the skull with utmost precision. He held them closer to each other and to him, the sound of construction oddly comforting.

"Uh, guys?", he heard Bailey say, but did not pay attention. He just stood there for a second, taking in the atmosphere and charm of the vast desert. It was not typical, but he was not a typical person at all.

"Guys?", Bailey asked, increasingly nervous about the thing that was now coming from the east. "No one's answered my question, and-"

"Okay, fine.", said Kurizas, with odd anger. "What's your question?"

"What's that?", asked Bailey, shaking her head. "Oh, right- how can it be sliding?"

Kurizas took a moment to think about that one, but had to admit defeat after a while. "I don't know.", he said, and shrugged. "I think we should research that."

"Yes, but after we finish the mission.", said Bailey, and folded her arms. "We can't go around getting into trouble all the time."

Then she remembered once again the actual reason why they had been about to leave. For over the horizon, just about a few hundred feet away, there was a massive lineup of ghostly, mummified remains of troops, that scraped at sanity with their appearance and seemed to break logic. The reason behind it was totally known, but not to Bailey. Her fight or flight triggers now were triggered, And it was all she could do to avoid running away.

"Nidavellir?", she asked, and looked up- only to see his grim face. "I think I-"

Nidavaleer grunted, and lifted up his arms. He could see the gigantic army heading towards his teammates, and know he had to stop it. So he cracked his knuckles, prepared himself, and jumped right towards the mess, growling as much as he was able to.

Song: Solid State Scouter- Sofland

Kurizas jumped back, along with Bailey. They landed on the other side of part of the Dragon's skull, making sure not to touch it again. They had no idea why the horde had come, or even how they existed. It made no sense- troops turned to Elixir when they died. And yet here they were, clearly dead but still moving. A Barbarian with no arms shambled forwards, next to a Hog Rider with a hole punched through his gut. Their eyes were clouded over and lifeless, but their bodies were filled with wicked vigor. Over and through the glass they crawled, staining the smooth surface with both Elixir and blood. A deadly growl tore through the air from the horde, as they rushed towards the trio, only Nidavaleer standing in the way.

He stood with one foot outwards, both hands up in a defensive position. He knew the weakness of such a concentrated horde, and that was self damage. If he just outran it, the position most of them were in would lead to the crushing of all the ones below. And then they could finish it off, and be on their ways. He raised his hands as the horde grew closer, and prepared to run.

But, of course, nothing is ever that easy. As it approached, Nidavaleer saw that the bottom layer of the shambling horde was not a layer of zombified troops as it had appeared ,but in fact just legs. It was just legs holding them aloft, able to take them in any direction they wished. And as such, they could not be just run out of energy.

Nidavaleer sighed, knowing he would have to do it the old fashioned way. But that was alright- he had always enjoyed hitting stuff. It was time to do it again.

As a rotting Giant lurched towards him, Nidavaleer lashed out with one fist. It collided solidly with the Giant's cheek, and it exploded into a burst of flesh. Then did it finally turn to Elixir, splattering all over the bodies of its fellows. That was good- they seemed to go down far easier than their living counterparts. If he could destroy a Giant with such ease, then he would likely be able to destroy all of them in just one shot. But it was the numbers of the group that counted, not the strength of each individual. For there were many ,and they still were coming.

A Barbarian raised its sword to strike, and Nidavaleer splattered its body across the horde. A few rotted arrows struck his skin, but they fell off without a single mark. Nidavaleer thanked his durability, and smashed the offending Archers into purple goop. As he raised his fists again to strike, he felt the sword of a Mini Pekka slice open the skin on his thigh, and he gasped. With one whirl of his foot and another smash of his fists, he broke the Mini Pekka in half and smashed apart a Royal Giant that had raised its cannon to strike him in the head.

"Should we help him?", asked Bailey, holding Kurizas a little tighter than usual. They watched as Nidavaleer grabbed a Dark Prince, throwing its body into the air and smashing apart a group of Minions that had been harassing him. A Pekka almost landed a direct hit on his back, but he arched it up just in time and smashed the Pekka's head open.

"No, no, I think he's got this.", said Kurizas, as Nidavaleer grabbed an Elite Barbarian and tossed it a Valkyrie, both of them blasting apart into Elixir. He grunted and jumped into the air, landing on a Sparky that had been just about to fire.

"No, Kurizas.", said Bailey, and once again summoned up her magical voice. She was not overly fond of using it, but this situation was a dire one. "I said, we should help him."

"Oh.", said Kurizas, and blinked. Bailey gave him an arched eyebrow, and Kurizas realized that of course they should help him. He, who was their friend, struggling madly against an entire horde of enemy troops. He, who's attackers most likely had something to do with the pit that had been drilled behind the titanic skull. "Right, right."

They looked at each other, nodded, and ran off towards the pit. They would have stopped to help Nidavaleer with his rampage, if he was capable of telling them apart from his victims during such a state.

Nidavaleer picked up a Bowler, and slammed his forehead into its. The Bowler fell apart, Nidavaleer's forehead continuing on and breaking apart a Mega Minion that had snuck in behind it. He smiled maniacally- for that is what he enjoyed. There was a gentle side to him, to be sure. But this is where Nidavaleer truly had his fun, in the slaughter that was allowed to him.

A Knight dug his blade suddenly into Nidavaleer's calf, and he grunted in pain. He whipped around and tore the Knight to bits with his palm, but the sword stayed. He reached down to try and pull it out, only for a bolt of electricity to strike him right in the tooth. He snarled, yanked the sword right out with a spat of blood, and stabbed it clumsily through the Electro Wizard. There was no cry of pain as it dissolved, no expression of agony as it met its end. For they already had- these were just empty vessels, magically reconstituted from Elixir.

Nidavaleer tried to stand up, only for a Mega Knight to slam both its fists right over Nidavaleer's ears. Nidavaleer was suddenly given a burst of Rage, bellowing as much as he was able to, and leaping out of the restraints. He launched a vicious kick upwards, smashing through his foe's head, and almost slipped on some Elixir. He managed to catch himself along the way- but thought about what would happen if he didn't. In the zombie horde, it would have been bad.

Nidavaleer narrowed his eyes, stuck out his fists once he tossed a few foes around, and let them have it.

Nidavaleer spun like a whirlwind in place, his hands moving faster than a Goblin on Haste. Most of the zombified troops tried to attack him from that angle- but they were torn apart in seconds, if not less. He growled as he spun, turning anything he touched into festering purple muck almost upon contact. Another Elite Barbarian? Cut in half. Another Pekka? Crushed. A group of Royal Recruits? Broken to bits.

And yet, even as he spun right, he forgot to watch out for his back. And thus, when he was too focused on killing, a sword from another Pekka stabbed out, piercing through the side of his torso. Nidavaleer spat, and grabbed the sword in his hands.

With a concentrated movement, Nidavaleer flipped the sword over through his body, incredible pain shooting up his nerves. He thought it would be nice if he could get a Heal, but his partners were apparently missing in action. And as he flipped the sword, the Pekka came with it, smashing into Nidavaleer's head turning into a pile of Elixir.

Nidavaleer took a second to just stop, and breathe. The tide had retreated for about a second, but that waws it. He began to get frustrated, as he saw opponent after opponent and basically nothing else. They weren't even fun opponents, really- there were just a lof them.

A Baby Dragon swooped in front above, fire bursting at the edges of its rotting jaws, only for a Cannon Cart to collide with its front at high speeds. Nidavaleer grabbed the Baby Dragon as it fell, smashing it along the ranks of the horde with a mighty grunt. Elixir flew from the point of impact like purple rain, splattering all over the scene of the battle. Goblins jumped out from the carnage, only to get instantly impaled on Nidavaleer's fingers like marshmallows on a roasting skewer. He immediately whipped around and buried those same fingers into the face of a Golem, the weakened stone crumbling under the assault and falling to bits. Even as the Golemnites appeared, Nidavaleer stomped them underfoot to mere rubble.

He felt something else strike his body- an arrow pierced through the side of his cheek, fired by a ghostly Magic Archer with glowing eyes. Being highly magical troops, whatever turned these troops into Zombies had turned him into a ghost instead. But ghost or no ghost, Nidavaleer would take him down.

A pair of Goblin Brawlers clamped down their jaws onto Nidavaleer's arm, and he grimaced. But he was able to keep his concentration, and breathe in with all his might, right in the direction of the Magic Archer. It gave a yell of panic as it was sucked right into Nidavaleer's lungs, then expelled with a burst of air from his nose. Nidavaleer turned around once more, slamming both his fists into a Cannon Cart with enough force to break the Cart and the Cannon simultaneously, bursting a hole open right in the ground.

Come on, come on!, he thought, breathing heavily as he stared at the still approaching horde, right out of the hole behind the Dragon's skull. How many more do I have to kill?

Bailey and Kurizas ran alongside the horde, seemingly all of them distracted with Nidavaleer. It made sense- that was his job in each mission. Distract and defeat the grunts, while Bailey and Kurizas went after the main enemy. But it was a total unknown in this case if there was a main enemy. They had not seen one, and it could have been they were just coming from the ground naturally.

"But we still would have to plug up the ground, right?", asked Kurizas, and Bailey shook her head. "Wait, what?"

Bailey realized she had been thinking out loud, and shook her head again. "Right. We just have to get to wherever they're all coming from, and stop it. Before Nidavaleer is overwhelmed."

I really hope that doesn't happen…, she thought, as they rounded the corner, closing in on the mysterious pit. I really, really hope…

Nidavaleer spat right in the eye of a Mini Pekka, then squashed it with a direct stomp to the head. A storm of Darts hit him right in the chest as a squadron of Dart Goblins made their move, but they failed to peirce his body armor. Nidavaleer swept out with his immense arm, the zombie reflexes of the Dart Goblins failing to account for time. They were swept aside like chaff, and turned into moldy old Elixir. He grinned in triumph- when a bomb struck him right in the shoulder. He looked up in pain, and saw an entire Ballon parade looming up above him.

Grabbing a couple of Goblins in his fist, he threw them at one Balloon. They pierced the side, sending it crashing to the ground with a mild explosion, but there were still dozens more.

As they dropped their next volley of bombs, detonating on Nidavaleer's back in a burst of pain, the rest of the horde began to move away. They knew by now that if Nidavaleer had nothing to throw, he had no way to get rid of the Balloons. No ranged attacks. No weapons. They were too high for him to jump to. Nidavaleer knew this as well- he was trapped.

Bailey and Kurizas jumped over a sand dune, rolled at the bottom, and stood up, ready to take on whatever was creating the zombified troops. That very idea ran around in their heads for a few seconds, pondering the sheer ridiculousness, then was shoved to the back. They could think about that later, when they weren't right in the middle of a fight.

They looked around, searching for something leading- then they saw him. A very old, very tall figure dressed in black robes, waving his hand and moaning mysterious incantations at the pit. With almost every word he spoke, another zombie Troop would arise from the depths, and shamble on towards Nidavaleer. They were starting to slow down, but their were still hundreds upon hundreds of them.

"Hey!", yelled Bailey, and stuck out her finger like a gun. The figure turned, raising its staff in defence. But Bailey continued to yell, sticking a finger into her pocket. "Who are you? What are you doing? And who do you work for?"

But the figure said nothing. It merely pulled back its hood, revealing a leering skull filled with bits of flesh, a truly horrifying display. Bailey and Kurizas, however, were used to such horrors at that point. In their line of work, they had seen many things.

"I would not normally introduce myself to such beings.", said the figure, its creaky voice somehow very rich and deep. "But you are fools, and will not live long enough to spread the news."

As Bailey warmed up her hand, and Kurizas slowly prepared his blaster, the figure rose its arms up into the air. "Allow me to introduce myself- I am the Necromancer. With my powers of the manipulation of the dead, I can raise an army as vast as I wish. The very laws of nature are subject to my whim- notice how they are not Elixir, but keeping their normal bodies!"

He pointed off to Nidavaleer, who was dodging around trying to avoid the Balloon bombs. "I see my tools have already taken care of your associate… that is good. Now I will just have to defeat you as well…"

Nidavaleer grunted in pain, as more bombs blasted against his skin. Although his armor protected him, he still felt it as much as he would otherwise. He had to get down, he had to protect himself, he had to survive- Nidavaleer dropped to the ground on his knees, putting his arms over his head. He didn't care how it looked, all that mattered was getting out of there alive. He groaned in pain and frustration, knowing that he didn't know how he was going to do that. The force going up against him seemed impossible for him to destroy, only delay. And now with the Balloons, not even that.

"Yes, he will make a fine addition to my collection." ,said the Necromancer, and strode forward. His tall shadowed figure loomed immense over the two, and his evil crack of a smile upon his face the only thing visible. "And come to think of it, so will you-"

There was a sharp crack. There was a burst of laser light, so precise it could carve diamonds. And there was a total stop in the words of the Necromancer, as he fell backwards into the sand, his eyes wide open in shock. The last thing he had seen was Bailey, ultra duty laser pistol out of her pocket- her face disappointed, as Kurizas had fired his Laser Lance first.

"Hey, sorry Bailey.", said Kurizas, and gave her a pat on the back. "You can't get them all."

"Oh, whatever.", she said and folded her arms. Her ambivalence turned ot shock as she saw the zombified Troops collapsing into old elixir, the lined up horde along the path becoming a purple oasis in the sand. Both of them just watched for a second, before turning back to Nidavaleer.

"We should go check on him.", she said, and Kurizas nodded. "Right."

Nidavaleer blinked, seeing the Balloons that had been raining pain now suddenly gone. He looked around- there was now only white sand the Dragons' skull, nothing to hurt him anymore. He sighed in relief, and stood up to his full height. He had been pressed down while on the ground, but now he stood as tall as he could.

He saw Bailey and Kurizas heading towards him, running and slipping over the sand, Kurizas seeming proud of something, although Nidavaleer did not know what. Maybe they were just happy that they were all alive- which was a good thing to be happy about.

But, as much as he wanted to just sit there and talk with his best friends, he knew that was not all they had to do. They were there on a mission, and would be expected to finish it within a day.

He grunted, and pointed up on a sand dune, high above the still running carnage. Kurizas looked where he's going- and saw the message as well.

"Ghost Town.", he said, and Bailey shivered. "That doesn't sound not-okay at all. Let's go."

"Woah, hold back.", said Bailey, as Nidavaleer moved up next to her. He grabbed her around the waist, and started to walk west. "You said that was not okay at all? What does that mean?"
"It means, that's not okay." ,said Kurizas, who was now coming up behind them. His armor was heavy and absolutely weighing him down. "That's what it meant."

"Oh.", said Bailey, and gave herself a little thumbs up. "Um… okay.", she said.

As Nidavaleer pulled himself up the sand dune, they once again found themselves without anything really to talk about. It had been an exhausting, crazy, bizarre sort of day, and it was most likely only to get worse. They had just come up against a Forgotten without having any idea what it even was- something with a particularly horrible effect.

"So, uh.", said Bailey, and cast one more look at the gigantic Dragon Skull they were now leaving behind. Everything that had happened had taken place in its gigantic shadow, no doubt able to fit entire Castles into its observant eye sockets. She pointed, her finger trembling a little bit. "What do you think that is?"

Kurizas looked over, and shrugged. He looked a lot more tired than either of them- his mental battle with Grrshknn had left him on the edge of his Elixir. The bags under his eyes were deeper than could be fixed with a mere nap and a good meal. The same went for Bailey- although her eyes were quite harder to check. One had to look for the powder that collected around her mask, the small white bits of dead skin that resulted from not enough washing. She didn't realize it, but none of them looked that good. Kurizas turned back, and looked up towards the top of the hill. "I don't know. Something huge, I guess."

"Oh, so huge.", said Bailey, and stretched. She hadn't really been feeling like herself for the last hours- she was feeling a lot less serious, and a lot more- what was the word- oh yes, bubbly. It unsettled her a touch, that she would be feeling like this. But she guessed that being on at least the same planet as her childhood home would do that. Nidavaleer and Kurizas, however, seemed unaffected. It had to be something about her. "So very, very huge."

She almost let herself yawn, but she knew that she would need to conserve herself for whatever lay beyond the dune. WIth her luck, she would run into enemies the second she closed her eyes to relax. It was an impossible decision- so she just sipped on the small cup of Elixir she had poured herself, and stared outwards into the desert.

Finally, Nidavaleer reached the top of the dune, and sighed. There it was- the small door that he and Kurizas had sighted from the base. It seemed totally out of place, a small wooden door at the top of a white sand dune. But nothing really made sense about the entire place, so they decided to just go with it.

"Alright, Bailey, you first.", said Kurizas, and put out his hands as a gesture. Bailey startled, and gave a look at Kurizas that would dissolve diamond. "Excuse me, what?"

"We all have to go in there sometime.", Kurizas said, and nodded. "You're on the closer shoulder, so go in. There's a slide in there."

"A- a slide?", asked Bailey in disbelief, and Nidavaleer opened the door just a bit more. Then she could see there was indeed a slide, one that lead down to their next destination. Judging by the incessant quiet beeping of their scouters, it was the area they had been looking for.

Bailey thought about it, and bit the side of her lip. Throwing her shoulders up into the air, she made her decision. "Fine… but I'll take my t-"

Kurizas ignored her. He was getting tired of the Ghostlands, and just wanted them to over with. So as Bailey put herself on the ledge, he slapped her lower back- and she went speeding down into the tunnel, her screams of surprise echoing all the way up.

Through the metal tube she fell, at speeds that were unknown, but incredibly fast. The metal blurred by her with the speed, until she could no longer tell if she was going backwards or forwards from sight alone. Everything was just a blur, and her eyes trained against the wind. It seemed almost impossible that she was going so fast- it was just a medium angle. And yet she zipped along like greased lightning in a Cannon, twisting and turning around the corners like the world's worst and most painful waterslide. She surrounded herself with Dash after she took a nasty knock to the elbow, and tumbled down in a field of immunity.

But even though the slide seemed to be impossibly long, there was of course an end. After about 30 full seconds of slip and sliding at maximum speed, Bailey was pressed down into the metal at the bottom of the slide. Half a second later she found herself out of it, flying over a field of dust, about to land right in a particularly huge pile. She could see the landscape well from up there- a river of black dust stretched across the entire area, smoke rising from all across it. A few dead trees rose up, but nothing that could be considered stable in any way. Bailey didn't have a of time to look over it, however, before she landed in the dust with a poof that blew up several meters into the air.

"Whew.", she said, and stood up as soon as she could. Brushing herself off, she saw that neither Kurizas or Nidavaleer had come out yet. They must have had trouble fitting through the hole. But that wouldn't stop her- she would go on without them. Kurizas had been getting on her nerves lately anyway, and she needed a break from his presence.

"Okay…", she said, and took a look at the river. It boiled over with steam and darkness, seemingly very hot and dangerous. It would be wise not to touch it. But it was wide- a bit too wide, she thought, for her to jump across. She would have to find a different way.

Looking around, Bailey grabbed a brach that had fallen from one of the dead trees littering the banks. The banks were almost rotting, torn to deadly shatters by the river's constant influence. She thought that perhaps she could pole-vault across, using her Dash at the top of the arc to get the rest of the way- but she had to test the river's effects first. Such a mistake could prove fatal if she were to miss. So she slowly bent the stick into the river, and screamed.

The black climbed up the stick, eating at it in seconds, heading right for her arm- and she threw the stick away, into the black dust. It vanished completely, becoming one with the river's destroying essence.

Song: Tapion

Bailey shivered, and sat down. She had seen things like that in training- but for the life of her, she could not quite remember how to get across. She knew there was some mathematical formula she could use to cross, but she had never been that great at math. Such operations would require some real thinking from her, not just a quick solution.

As Bailey sat by the side of the banks, she allowed her thoughts to flow unhindered. She let herself relax, and immerse herself in the thoughts, losing her grip on the outside reality. Such a thing was her secret weapon- she called it her Bailey Closet. It was almost like entering a dark closet, where nothing existed but you and whatever you chose to have with you.

Her body slowly ceased all movement but the basic functions, and even those were slowed to a crawl. Her breathing became very slow and methodical, slowing to about 5 breaths a minute. Her heartbeat was slowed as well- the only thing increasing was her brain power. That part of her rocked with strength, the brain waves flowing unhindered- and then, in a flash of inspiration, she had it.

Bailey stood up, her mental stanet going back to normal, awake, and alert. Bailey grinned, feeling the answer in her head, and knowing how to put it into action. She pressed her feet against the ground, feeling Dash build up within, and pushed off- streaking through the air, up against the cliff she had fallen down from. There was a reason why the slide had not pushed her past the river- the angles were all wrong. The angles of the entire narrow canyon were wrong- they were designed to leave people stranded and fall into the river. The entire area was just a giant predator, funneling prey into the dark waters. But Bailey the Bandit would not be easily fooled. Those were her thoughts as she landed on the side of the canyon, digging her fingers in and holding fast with an iron grip.

Building more Dash up in her feet, Bailey prepared herself. She knew that if she missed it, it would mean death- but she wouldn't miss it. She was an elite SCP agent, the best of the best. She told herself with her magical voice, in order to make sure it was true. She counted down form three, opened her eyes, and-

Bailey pushed off from the fragile cliff with all the force she could possibly muster, blasting off into the air, hopefully at an angle that would let her pass the river. She rocketed through the air at high speeds and a good angle- she was going to make it! That is, until a curious shadow fell over her head, and she looked up.

Bailey shrieked, seeing Kurizas and Nidavaleer bearing down on her from above. She cursed herself for not waiting a second longer- that could have been enough to avoid the collision. But as it was, they were going to smash right into each other, sending all three of them into the river.

"AAAHH!", she screamed, twisting around her body in an effort to dodge- but it was useless. With nothing to push off of, she could not change her course. "You idiots!"

With her screaming, Kurizas finally noticed her. He slapped Nidavaleer's head and yelled at him to pull up- but there was no way he could do that. The distance between them grew smaller and smaller, both of them yelling in panic, until-

They collided, with a peal of sound that rang out across the entire canyon. Bailey screamed in frustration, only to feel her course not changing. She looked up, to see that Nidavaleer had stopped on her back, and was being carried along with her. She almost laughed- of course! Her Dash rendered her immune to attacks. And Nidavaleer's body crashing into her certainly counted, which was a good thing in this case. Not in any others.

As her Dash began to flicker around her, Bailey once again started to panic. She looked up, seeing the rocky cliff they were going to crash into. This time, there was no door. This time, there was no slide, or passageway, or window to break through. There was nothing but solid rock ahead, and raging black river below.

"Uh, guys? Rock!", she said, and Kurizas looked forward. His eyes almost bugged out, seeing the rock. He looked downwards, and Bailey looked at him with panic in her eyes.

But although his partners were beginning to panic, Nidavaleer was not. He saw the rock, a mere paper door in front of the goal. He knew that their destination was right on the other side, and there was nothing to worry about. He knew exactly how to get through the wall.

He made sure Kurizas was holding on to him as tight as he could- that was good. He knew what Bailey was doing, and that it would not be enough in a second- so he grabbed her with one hand, slapping her next to Kurizas, and stuck out his other hand in a fist.

"Nid, what are you doing?", Bailey screamed, taking cover behind Kurizas. She started to charge up her Dash again- maybe she would be able to survive, even if they would not.

Nidavaleer just smiled, and wrenched his whole body around in the air. He spun like a gigantic, spastic drill towards the wall, his passengers screaming along the way- and just before he hit, faint blue spinning shapes appeared at the tip of his fist.

There was a fantastic crushing cacophony, as spinning fist met unyielding stone, and forced it to give up the first part of its name. The sound was like a garbage disposal trying to slice up a solid hunk of stone, metal crashing against stone and both of them breaking. The dust erupted on both ends of the surprisingly thin cliff, in a twin-headed corona of black sand and grey gravel, pouring out into the black river on one side and the odd land on the other.

As a huge chunk of the entire cliff collapsed into nothing, filling the area for miles around with fine dust in the air, the sound burst into being at well over 150 decibels. It roared like a dying Dragon, alerting just about every single living being within a hundred miles that something had just happened in a very particular spot.

The trio bounced through the collapsing rocks and burning sand to skid across a very odd path, with immaculate cobblestone, red and blue bricks, and small decorations of crowns alongside. But none of them had any time to notice that- they only saw the chaos, as they slammed through the odd town and smashed right into a building, finally ending the rolling in a groaning pile of three bodies, all of them fortunately alive.

"Ooooh…", groaned Bailey, and rubbed her head. Although her Dash had protected against most it, it had not lasted the entire time. "Where… where are we?"

Kurizas, in a daze, looked up. Then he looked down again, looked to the right, then he just looked. "I don't know.", he said. "It's hard to say. This is a weird place."

Nidavaleer looked up, unable to say exactly what he thought about the place. But from his confused expression, it was easy to tell that he too did not know where they were.

Song: Killer

It looked like an old, abandoned town, filled with run down houses that stretched at uncomfortable angles into the air, two stories but only about 10 feet tall. They were constructed from evil-looking wood, the only colors available seeming to be black, dark grey, and the occasional splash of off-white, for effect. Spikes and twists were thrown at random across the designs, gates in the middle of the path that blocked off nothing effectively. Every window was dark, the only light within the small village coming from the eerie lamps arranged about every 10 feet. Blue and red cobblestones were decoratively arranged along the path, their muted colors only adding to the overall creepy atmosphere. Trees soared high above the buildings, but they were trees with scratching branches and long-dead leaves, leering faces carved into the evil bark. A blanket of fog rolled and smote across the ground, creeping up the legs of the trio as quickly as it settled upon the houses, like an old cat sitting upon somebody's lap. The only noise that was hearable with any regularity was a mysterious, ancient sounding hum, broken occasionally by the caw of a Raven or crow. Had any of them been to Brawltopia, they would have described it as a Mortuary, but even more so.

They were standing near the center of the town, a huge Clock Tower just a few paces in front of them. Gargoyles of Minions and Bats hung from it, their distorted features pouring a strange black liquid into the river that wound its way around the entire town. Somewhere, a faint clicking sound could be heard, like the legs of a beetle across sensitive glass.

"Woah.", said Bailey, and gave a low whistle. "Looks like somebody turned the creepy factor up to 11 around here."

"Yeah.", said Kurizas, and moved one foot slowly across the dusty, foggy ground. He crunched up a few leaves as he stepped, and almost jumped into the air. It wasn't that he was afraid of his surroundings- but there was an unmistakable aura of fear throughout the entire area that sunk deep into his bones, heart, and very soul. "We had best be careful."

Nidavaleer said nothing, and instead leaned back his head. He took a deep sniff, attempting to sense for any moving or living beings in the area. If there were enemies, he would be able to spot them. But to his slight disappointment, the only things he detected were his very own group- for obvious reasons- and a single Raven sitting high on a branch in a dead and thickened tree, watching the world go by.

Bailey took a few more careful steps forward, making sure not to disturb anything. She didn't want to bring something down they were not capable of handling, or at least putting back up.

She saw a single inkling of movement off to her left, her head moving around to spot it. There, in a shop. A single candle had abruptly turned on, showering the previously dark shop in a burst of light. It remained on for a few more seconds as Bailey turned, then was sputtered out by the wind. But the light of curiosity within her mind had stayed on, as she moved towards the shop.

"Bailey, where are you going?", Kurizas hissed, making a motion with his hand. "We have to stay together! Especially in a place like this!"

"I know, I know, SCP protocol.", said Bailey, and rolled her eyes. "But this… this is important. We could find something out about this place. Something important."

"How?", Kurizas hissed, not even noticing that Bailey's magical voice was having an effect on him. "I mean- I understand, but how are we doing that?"

"This shop.", said Bailey, and decided it was worth it to dash. She jumped across the ground and into the storefront, her movement disturbing some of the fog. It blew across the ground, revealing a shape in the air that looked like a young girl, hands folded to the sky. "There's something about this shop, I just need to-"
She landed within the door, which abruptly slammed shut behind her. The action caused her to yelp, and take another jump deeper into the mysterious building. With a huff of indignation, Bailey adjusted her clothes, looked up, and gasped at the wonder.

The entire shop was lined to the brim with knicknacks, curios, trinkets, and antiques galore. Golden objects and silver linings sparkled by the rich candlelight, which had erupted across the ceiling the second she had entered the store. There was so much to take in- books, candles, models, weapons, sculptures, ancient scrolls, Gems, even the occasional card- that Bailey didn't think she could ever possibly look at it all.

Bailey knew from years of instincts as a Bandit that every shop had a keeper. Every treasure store had something guarding it, or someone to oversee all transactions. No supply of wealth ever went without someone in charge of it, or at least no supply that lasted very long. And judging from the layers of dust on the store, it had clearly been there for a very long time. That meant there was someone- someone to talk to about where they were.

"Hello?", asked Bailey, and braced herself for the worst. But after a few seconds of nothing, she relaxed. There was nobody- but perhaps there would be somebody, once she tried again.

"Hello?", she said again, a little louder this time. She had seen the shop from the outside, and knew that is was not very large. There was no way anyone could just avoid it like that.

Bailey looked down in confusion, at last knowing the truth. "There's…", she said, a little sadly, although she did not know why. "Nobody here."

Wow, the Ghostlands are boring, she thought, and sighed. All this time spent here, and we still haven't run into a single Royal Ghost-

But that particular well of thinking ran dry, as the glowing sword of just one of those suddenly entered the top of her view.

Bailey shrieked, and dove back. She landed in a battle crouch along the far wall, ready to strike back- but reconsidered that course of action after a second look. There was not just one Royal Ghost- no, there were several, five of them emerging from the wall to attack. Each of them held a stern expression, and each of them looked ready to kill. Bailey winced, and Dashed the other way, blowing the papers off the walls and flying out the door.

She skidded on to the cobblestone, and spun around to see Kurizas and Nidavaleer, looking every which way in confusion. She didn't know what they were doing, but that didn't matter.

"Guys, we're not alone.", she said, and they turned around to see her. "I just went inside that shop, and there are Royal Ghosts, and-"

"Oh, you too?", asked Kurizas, and jerked a thumb at the Clock Tower. "We just saw some too. There were a few of them over there. We're staying here to see if they come back."

"Okay, because I think the ones that I saw are gonna come out really soon.", said Bailey, and Nidavaleer shifted in his stance. "Like, really soon-"

Song: Kyuutenchokka

All at once, the horrors of the village were truly revealed. The doors of every single building in the village- the Clock Tower, the shop, every single one of the houses, the oddly shaped building in the upper right corner- burst open, each and every single one of them revealing at least one Royal Ghost. They didn't look happy, their red capes bursting with bloodlike intensity.

As one collective unit they soared towards the center of the village, no building blocking their way, floating in a menacing circle around the trio. It was odd that they were all visible, but perhaps they had chosen to be as a means of intimidation. But whatever the reason, they were all fully revealed, their massive weapons and thick armor shining silver in the purple moonlight, red eyes narrowed in full menace. Within mere seconds they had surrounded the trio, forming a tight line in which there seemed to be no escape.

"Oh-", said Bailey, and gulped.

"Crap.", finished Kurizas, and held up his energy lance. He made a threatening gesture, but the Royal Ghosts did not care. They simply each took a single step, the circle closing in around them. Kurizas snarled and fired the beam- only for it to pass harmlessly through them, crashing into a house and blowing it up.

"Guys, these aren't regular Royal Ghosts.", said Kurizas, and Bailey stared. "They can-"

"Yeah, no crap.", she said. "They can phase and stuff. That's bad."

Yet even as she stared at them, trying to anticipate their movements, something strange occurred to her. That one Ghost, in the front row- his face seemed… familiar, somehow. Almost as if she had seen that slightly squished eye and those bony cheeks somewhere before.

"Bailey, get back.", said Kurizas, noticing that Nidavaleer seemed about to try something. "I think Nid's gonna-"

"No.", said Bailey, a fantastically crazy idea coming into her head. It only had a small chance of working, but if it did, it would work true wonders. "Hold on. Just let me talk to them."

"Talk to them?", asked Kurizas in shock, and Nidavaleer blinked. "What do you mean, talk to them?"

"I said talk to them, and I mean talk to them.", said Bailey, as she continued to stare at the Ghosts. There was no longer any doubt about it- she had seen that one before. The rounder beard of the one beside him was also familiar, as were the sunken eyes of the one to his left. Even more sunken than normal. But the thing that stood out to her the most was his almost fatherly aura, barely detectable to even her senses.

Bailey took a step towards the Royal Ghosts, Kurizas stretching out a hand to stop her. But she slapped it aside, and stopped in front of the one with the aura.

"The…", she said, as the Ghost began to raise his sword. "Thesenate?"

All at once, the vengeful look in the Ghost's eyes vanished. His grip on his sword broke, and it clattered to the ground. He stared at Bailey with a stunned face, and slowly brought his hand up to her cheek. His voice cracked from unuse, but the emotion in it was clear.

"B… Bailey?"

The two stood there for a moment more, before embracing each other in a tender hug. Even across the bonds of death, even across the immense distance of both space and time, King and Bandit had found each other at last. They never thought it could happen- and yet it did.

"You're…", she breathed, as the entire circle of Royal Ghosts slowly dropped their weapons. "You're alive. Well, I mean- not technically alive, but like- here. On the planet. We can talk to you."

"Yes.", said thesenate, and slowly broke off the hug. "We are here. You see, when a King dies, he becomes a Royal Ghost- and when our entire clan died, we had to live somewhere, didn't we?"

"Wait.", said Bailey, looking around the circle. "You mean- everyone is-"

"Indeed.", said thesenate, and brought his finger slowly around the circle. "There's LeChris over there, in front of the Bell Tower. There's Thebaldbalancer, there's Odurawaz, there's HurtJohn, there's SinIster… you get the idea."

Kurizas, having seen and heard the conversation, slowly came over. He wrung his hands, not sure if he was ready to hear the answer to his question. "Er, is Father-"

"No.", said thesenate, and Kurizas's face both fell and lightened up at the same time. He expected for his father to not be there, on account of what had happened, but he just had to make sure. "Ryus, well, we still have not found him. We're not entirely sure what happened to him, in fact. We waited here for a while for him show up, but he didn't, and so I won Leader status from LeChris in the gardening competition. So I'm the Leader now."

"Wait, a gardening competition?", asked Bailey, and arched her eyebrow. "You guys garden now?"

Thesenate sighed, and gestured to the village. "There's not much else to do. We garden the shadow plants- Duskroses and all those. And yes, we gave up being evil and kidnapping Troops and consorting with demons and all that- that was really mostly Ryus's territory. We just keep to ourselves now."

"So then, what's our- your Clan name?", asked Kurizas, scratching his head. "If you're not TheEvilOverLords anymore, then what are you?"

"Well, we're not technically a Clan anymore…", said thesenate, and thought for a moment. "But I suppose that our old name- Me and the Boys- will do just fine."

"Heh.", said Bailey, figuring it was time to spring the news. "Well, sir, we three work for something called the SCP Foundation now. And we need to find some information on a certain individual… anything you can find, really. Like, now."

"What's the individual?", asked thesenate, casually polishing his sword. "I'm sure we can help."

"He goes by the name of…", said Bailey, and thesenate dropped his sword again as soon as he said the name. "Dragonlord Rakastamos."

"Ah.", said thesenate, and shook himself to limber up. He almost faded out of view, before turning around and waving his hand. "Well then, come with me. We have much to discuss."

And so the trio followed him to wherever he was going, and whatever vital information he was going to share.

Song: North- Paul Mounsey

Ice Mountain, as the name might often imply, was quite an icy place. It was a place where the biting, chilling winds howled high over the surface of the world, where the light danced fantastic above the frozen surface, the zero peak home to things that could barely be imagined, where the snow and ice itself would walk in colossal shapes that froze the air around them. Where the long-lost calls of long dead warriors and travelers would carry on through the air for years and years, bouncing off the mountain and freezing in the air, the sheer mythology and flavor of the place so rich it could barely be described.

Strange beings whirled in the air above, ethereal incarnations of frozen beauty that danced upon the frigid clouds and swirled through the constant snowfall that never abandoned the mountain's side. The white and blue air mixed with the silvery sheen of the snow upon the mountain's surface, dancing in a blur of frost and wind that was so tightly packed that it was hard to tell where either of them began.

But although the entire mountain was brimming over with sheer natural beauty, it only reached the minds of The Group in very small amounts. They were tired, hungry, and looking for a place to get out of the cold- that was it at that point. Their underlying, smoldering rage overshadowed most of the appreciation they might have for such a place. They raged at nothing nearby- no, they raged at Rakastamos. They knew they would, in a matter of hours, be meeting him. And they knew beyond any doubt that they had to be ready.

Dan slammed his boot down into the crusty snow, the howling wind biting overhead. His veins beat with the force of his Star, his hot blood keeping him warm- but it was more than he could say for the rest of the group. Even though they were in as close of contact with him as possible, the agonizing cold of the mountain was getting to them on dangerous levels.

"Everyone doing alright back there?", he asked, and turned to see his shoulders. There was a cracking sound, as the ice that had collected on his neck shattered.

"So- so- so cold.", Brandy said, and shivered. She wrapped her arms and cloak around herself, trying to keep warm, but it was all but impossible against the mountain's oppressive cold. She grabbed Leon, who seemed to be doing only slightly better, and held him as close as he could. His cheeks went a little red- but that was intentional. The flow of blood would help.

"Mommy, Daddy, I'm cold!", Bubble whined, and wrapped herself inside of Annabelle's cloak. She shivered as well, the edges of her nose and fingers a bright red. The very tips of her cheeks were a little blue- that was worrying. At least until she waved her hands, a bright burst of illusion magic changing her appearance to that of a little snowman. "I need warm."

Annabelle, in turn, pushed herself up against Trevor, who had pushed himself up against Leon, who was still leaning against Brandy. All of them relied on each other for warmth, but none of them were quite capable of supplying it. "Yeah… we all need a little warm right now. I mean, a lot warm. We need a lot of warm, and we need it now."

Dan looked down as he took another step, a frozen rock dislodging as his foot landed. It fell past the narrow outcropping they were on, falling through the open, frosty air, and colliding against the side of the mountain. It hit the ground a few seconds later, cracking open from the frozen effect. Dan estimated it had taken about 15 seconds for the rock to fall down the dizzying height- they were up high. Dan grimaced, trying to look around for any sign of warmth.

"When's now?", he asked, although he already knew the answer. "Cause I-"

"Daaaaaan!", Brandy moaned, pushing herself up against his body. She Dashed in place a few times, the resulting movement waking her up a bit. "I think we just all need warmth right now. Now are you going to figure out a way for us to get it, my big strong man, or are we going to have to get it ourselves?"

Dan knew exactly what she was getting at, and rolled his eyes. Sometimes the way that Brandy said things told him what she wanted him to do, rather than the words themselves.

"Blazing…", he growled, and drew back his fist. He took a deep breath, unfettered by the biting cold, and aimed for a specific spot on the icy mountainside. "Fire…"

Leon opened his eyes, having closed them from the cold. Although he was not, in fact, a reptile, he shared the occasional property with one. "Dad, what are you-"

"Overdrive!", Dan roared, and threw his fist forward. A burst of orange flame erupted around it as he did so, and it crashed into the mountain's side with a sound like an erupting volcano. There was a tremendous crash of snow, ice, and flame, a massive area where he had punched blown entirely away and into the cavern below. There, faintly visible in the flickering fire that remained, was a rocky tunnel into the mountain's unknown interior.

"See?", Dan said ,and slowly positioned himself to enter. "There we go. Now we can go inside and-"

A slight cracking sound reached his ears, and he looked up. He almost spat out a curse as he saw a huge payload of snow beginning to fall, right towards their position.

"Dang it!", he shouted, and drew back his fist once again. He had not made the hole large enough the first time- he would have to try again. "I just caused a fricking avalanche."

"What?", Brandy yelped, and looked up. She saw the avalanche, and almost lost it too.

"Everyone grab hold as tight as you can!", Dan shouted, and punched. The fragile, frozen stone burst to bits from the blow, opening a hole large enough for him to fit through. He had almost flung himself through- when he heard Bubble scream.

"Bubble!", Brandy screamed, as she saw Bubble snap free of Annabelle's grip. She slipped off of Dan's back and into the snow below, as the avalanche came closer. "Bubble!"

But Dan did not notice. He only knew he had to get into the mountain before the avalanche hit, no matter what. So even as he heard Leon shout in panic, he grabbed the side of the hole, flung himself in, and entered the mountain just as the avalanche crashed down with a sound that obscured Brandy's tortured scream of despair.

"Dan.", said Brandy, very, very quietly. Her arm twitched, and her hair slowly moved in some unknown wind, as she stared at the entrance. She knew that no one had managed to grab Bubble before the avalanche had hit. "Bubble… she was out there."

"What?", asked Dan, still getting up. He looked towards the hole in panic, now blocked off. "What do you mean Bubble was still out there? She was on me!"

"She fell off.", Brandy said, and began to feel something strange take ahold of her. She thought she could hear a bell in the faint corner of her hearing, and see the bright wing flaps of a mysterious bird. A dark twinge of anger worked its way up her heart, the only light from Dan's body affected by her won intense heat. "Dan… we just lost her."

A single bolt of purple found its way into Brandy's eye, and her mouth tugged down.

"Brandy…", said Dan, and moved upwards. He stared out the hole, at a total loss to how it could have happened. He swore he could, even now, feel Bubble upon his shoulder.

Then he blinked, and looked down. It was not just his wishful thinking- he actually could feel Bubble's weight upon his shoulder. That didn't make sense- unless…

"Hi Mommy!", shouted Bubble, appearing right next to Brandy in a flash of light. Brandy almost screamed- then stopped, as she remembered who she had just seen. "Bubble?"

As Brandy stared, her odd feelings stopped. The music faded away, the bird vanished, and her purple Rage went back dow into her subconscious mind. The tears of sorrow dried away, replaced with both tears of happiness and slight anger.

"Bubble, oh my Se'th!", she shouted, and grabbed Bubble with both arms. She spun her around a dozen times, boosted by Dash, and hugged her as tight as she could. But remembering what she had to do, she put her down, put her hands on her shoulders, and stared Bubble right in the eyes. "Don't… don't do that, okay? I already promised Dan- Daddy, that we wouldn't make him think we were dead anymore."
"Yeah, but I didn't promise.", said Bubble, and shrugged. "So I don't have to do anything."

Brandy stared at her, and sighed. She hugged her tightly again, rubbing the back of her head with a nervous hand. THe other snuck into her pocket, and pulled out a rock Bubble had found- there had to be punishment for such actions. "Just… don't do that again. We had thought that we lost you. And what happens when you're actually in trouble, but we don't help you because we think you're just kidding?"

"You can't take that risk.", said Bubble, and put her hands on her tiny hips. "That's what."

Brandy stared at Bubble, and sighed. "Oh, you know us. But still, try not to freak us out. It's not good for anyone."

"Okay, Mommy, I won't.", said Bubble, and they once again hugged. "I promise."

They both held there for a few seconds, until they broke off the hug, and smiled at each other. "Okay.", said Brandy, and tensed. She suddenly had Bubble upon her shoulder, and was standing on the rocky ground, ready to progress. "So… are we warm now?"

She looked to her group, who sat in various states of warmness. Annabelle and Trevor had held on to each other, rubbing each other's backs in a hug. Dan was of course already warm, and Leon seemed ready for anything in his surprisingly thick hoodie.

"We do seem to be good, for now.", said Dan, and nodded. He put a single burst of fire onto the tip of his finger, and shot it out towards the darkness. There was no result, save a burst of light as it burst upon the wall. "Just watch out for anything dangerous. I"m sure there are things."

"Well yeah, there are things.", said Brandy, and grabbed Dan's back legs. She decided not to jump up, as there was the ceiling in the way. But that didn't' really matter, for she slid onto his shoulder perfectly anyway. "But I think there's more than things… we'll probably find yet another Forgotten in here. That much is certain."

"Oh, that's not a possibly.", said Dan, as get up fully. He too began to walk, the light on his finger guiding the way. "That's just true fact."

"Right, right.", said Brandy, slowly slipping down into Dan's arms, the rest of the group beginning to follow them. "Now let's keep going?"

"Indeed.", said Dan, as the Group walked further down into the tunnel. "We should."

Dan, in the low light of his own fire, could see a line of unlit torches along the walls, ripe for lighting and ready to be burned. So he breathed onto his finger, winced only slightly, and brought his burning nail to the first torch. It burst into flame with a rush of sound, the rest of them illuminating all the way down the dirt tunnel via some unknown technology.

As it was illuminated, Brandy realized that it wasn't all just dirt. There was metal as well, slammed up against the side seemingly at random- although upon closer inspection, they were in fact very methodical. But the dirt had been placed there to obscure it.

They seemed almost like hatches or maintenance entryways the more she looked at it- a very strange thing to have in the frozen interior of a mountain. But there was certainly something about Ice Mountain that, somehow, had it all make sense. She could not put her finger on it, but she knew that something was there.

"What's all this metal for?", she asked, and hopped down off of Dan's shoulders. Putting her hand to the metal, she was surprised that it was not actually that cold. It was slightly warm to the touch- although that could have just been that she was herself cold. "It's strange."

"It's for metal.", said Bubble, and tried to hop down too. But she considered against it, and just pointed. "Obviously."

"And what does that mean, Bubble?", asked Annabelle, folding her arms. She had been blowing into her hands to keep them warm, Trevor rubbing his sword against her cloak without her noticing. "What does For Metal mean?"

Bubble opened her mouth, not sure what to say, then found herself getting defensive. She crossed her arms and turned away from Annabelle, staring at Brandy down below. "Well, I don't know. But that doesn't mean I'm not right."

"She didn't say you weren't ri-", started Trevor, before Annabelle put a hand across his mouth and gave hims a shush look. "I know, Bubble. It's just a silly thing to say, is all."

"Well, I'm silly.", said Bubble, and retreated back onto Leon's lap. He was still asleep. "So it all works out, doesn't it?"

She looked up and around at the interior of the mountain, and tilted her head. The arrangement of the metal and odd bits of scaffolding reminded her of something- although for the life of her she could not quite remember what. "This looks familiar. Why?"

Brandy, too, thought it seemed as though she had been there before. As she saw the faint outlines of ropes along the walls, faded from immense amounts of time, it triggered a beyond ancient memory deep within her. But she too could not quite place just what it was from.

"I don't know, Bubble.", said Brandy, and kept on walking. She could not see the tunnel up ahead beyond where it curved, but she knew she would have to find out.

She looked down at Dan's feet, crushing the dirt a bit lower with every step he took. She didn't know exactly why she had chosen to look at his feet- until just a few seconds later, when she saw what he was about to take his next step onto.

"Dan, look out!", she yelled, and leapt forward to stop him. Her arms were outstretched to catch his step- but it was too late. Dan took a step forward, sinking his foot into a trap tile that sunk deep into the ground, a low rumbling coming from the walls.

"Dan!", Brandy screamed, and looked around, trying to see where the attack would be coming from. She was almost panicked- until she saw Dan, holding a huge spear at arm's length in between two fingers, almost amused.

"That wasn't much of a trap.", said Dan, and bent his fingers. The spear snapped, sending bits of wood flying every which way. He lifted up his foot- and a huge block of solid cement came crashing down from the ceiling, breaking the dirt and stone, and collided right onto the top of Dan's head with a hard thud. He blinked, moved his head upwards, and the cement cracked into dozens of tiny bits that fell around is shoulders. "Neither was that."

Brandy slowed down, and skidded to a stop right in front of Dan. She had somehow forgotten just how durable he was. Sometime, after all this was over, they would have to test just how strong he really was. She had no desire to test it out in the wild.

"That was cool, Dad.", said Leon, although he appeared still asleep. One of his eyes moved upwards to check the ceiling for himself, another staying straight ahead. "Real cool."
Trevor startled at Leon's action, and Leon moved his eye downwards. He cast a look to Trevor, who could feel his skin crawl. "What?"

"You- your eye.", said Trevor, and pointed. He didn't mean to be rude, but he was just shocked. "What did you just do with it?"

"Oh, you mean this?", asked Leon, and pointed to his eyes. He rolled them around in two different directions, secretly relishing how green he could see Trevor turning. "Yeah, that's just a Leon thing. We can all do that."

"Uh… cool.", said Trevor, and the edges of his mouth pulled down. He blinked hard, and turned away from Leon. "That's cool, I guess. Just don't do it while anybody with taste or vision is looking, okay?"

Leon frowned- he thought that Trevor was being a little unreasonable. But he didn't care very much, so he just folded his arms and went to sleep once more.

Brandy ran her fingers along the wall, noticing how the dirt came off with each movement. Behind it there was ice- although it was not the regular type of ice from frozen water. No, it was a far stranger type of ice, the type that moved. It was the ice that grew, and walked on two legs, and soared through the air. It was the type of Ice that gave birth to Ice Golems and Ice Spirits- wild ones, that frolicked about and danced on the wind. Brandy wondered if they would see any while they were here- it would be odd not to.

As Brandy came to the corner of the tunnel, she slowed down. There was no telling what could be found there- perhaps a Forgotten, or an Ice Spirit party. Perhaps there would be another teleportation matrix, or a store of ancient weapons, or a-

Brandy turned the corner, not wanting to wait anymore to see what it was. And as she did, she gasped at the strange, beautiful sight.

There, sparkling in the middle of the open, icy and rocky cave, was a bright blue waterfall. It ran with the force of a crushing Earthquake, falling down into a dark hole at the bottom. It was surrounded with a crumbled stone wall, the edges of the rocks eaten away from erosion. The rest of the cave was arranged in a circle around it, various odd mining tools and ancient props littered around the sides. Imprints in the dirt every dozen feet or so marked some sort of rudimentary line to the waterfall, then presumably out the other side. Tall pyramids of ice-blue crystal lined the walls, popping up through the floor in random spaces. A rickety wood and iron platform sat against one wall, the ropes still in good condition. They seemed to lead up to somewhere in the ceiling, although Brandy could not tell where.

"Woah.", she said, and took a step back, feeling the others come up behind her. "What is this place?"

"I'm not sure.", said Dan, and scratched his chin. "It looks like…"

He pondered for a moment, trying to decide what it looked like. It too tickled his memory, but there was nothing solid. The only thing he could get at was that it seemed like a line to enter an Arena's spectator stands- a very little bit like Frozen Peak. "Huh."
He looked around, trying to find a way out- but there was nothing. The path seemed to stop right at the waterfall, and there were no stairs to be seen. He briefly thought about going back where they had came and breaking another hole in the mountain, but that was ridiculous.

"Everyone, spread out.", he said, and started moving towards the back. "Find some way out of here. I know it's beautiful and all, but we don't have time to stay."

He gently put Bubble and Leon from his shoulders down on to the ground, and pointed towards the back."You two ,check the back. There's gotta be a way out of here somewhere."

He pointed towards Annabelle and Trevor, who he had deployed on the ground as well. "You two, check the right. We'll check the left, see if we find anything."

"Alright.", said Brandy, and Dashed over to the left wall. She put her hands up against it, trying to find anything with her Bandit's sense. If there was something valuable within the immediate walls, she could find it. She didn't know why she was searching for valuables, but perhaps it was just that she had not gotten to do so for a while.

Leon and Bubble walked over to the back, around the waterfall, and entered a darkened area that had not been previously visible. There was very little to be seen- except for a small circle of doors, arranged in a menacing pattern. Strange lights rose from them, blue and purple shapes in the air rising up and floating away.

"Leon, those are scary.", said Bubble, and pointed to one door. She thought she could hear strange voices coming from it, in a language that she could not recognize. "I don't like them."

"No, no, don't worry.", said Leon, and put his arm over Bubble. Hunter Killer spun out from his other hand with a flourish, and they both stepped forward. Leon slowly, gently leaned towards the first door, and gave Bubble a reassuring squeeze of the hand. He went to grab the handle of one door- then realized something. One hand held Bubble, and the other held Hunter Killer. If he was to let go of Bubble's hand, then she would be scared- but if he were to dismiss Hunter Killer to use the door, it would leave them both defenseless. It was a hard decision to make- but Leon knew what he had to do. He turned to Bubble, and squeezed a little tighter.

"Bubble, I'm going to have to let go of your hand.", he said, and Bubble's face turned a little white. "Otherwise, I can't shoot whatever's going to come through that door."
"Something's going to come through that door?", asked Bubble ,and buried her face in Leon's side. "Oh, don't let anything come through!"

"Well, it's not up to me.", said Leon, and slowly eased his hand out of Bubble's. She grabbed it again a second later, and he sighed. "Bubble, I have to let go of you. Otherwise we can't open the door, and we won't find a way out, and not only will we not help Mom and Dad, we'll be stuck here forever. So just Bear with Me a little here, okay?"

He flinched at his pun, but Bubble appeared thoughtful. She pondered it for a few seconds, then tilted her head. "We're helping Mommy and Daddy?"

"Yes, we are.", said Leon, and nodded. Bubble closed her eyes in excitement, yanked her hand out of Leon's grip, and hid it behind her back.

"Open the door, Leon!", she said, and grinned. "Do it, big brother…"

Leon's face burned a little red, but at least now his hand was finally free. He placed it on the frist doorknob, took a deep breath, and yanked it aside to find-

Nothing. The door swung open to reveal a very small space, probably for storage, containing only air and a small bit of dripping ice. His face fell, but he supposed it was for the best. It was better to find nothing than to find a Forgotten.

"Okay, fine, next one.", he said, and grabbed the next door. He could feel Bubble's face pressed into his back, but he tried not to let it distract him as he prepared himself. "Aaaand-"

There wasn't nothing this time, but there wasn't that much of anything, really. A single coiled up wire and a plastic bucket of unknown use and origin sat in the small room, covered with ice and dust. They had obviously not been used in a long time.

"Bruh.", said Leon, and frowned. He slammed the door shut and moved on to the next one, actually a little mad. He wanted to find something, whatever that something was.

"Bruh?", asked Bubble, her eyes going wide with excitement. "What does bruh mean?"

"Wll, uh-", said Leon, and fell quiet. He knew full well what bruh meant, he just didn't know how to explain it. It meant… meant…

He stopped moving, and put his fingers to his chin. That was a tricky one- and he knew he had to get help. "Hey, Mom?", he shouted, towards where Brandy was working. "What does bruh mean exactly? Like I know the definition, I just don't know how to explain it."

Brandy heard his odd question, and took a slight break from the stone she had been working at. "It's kind of hard to explain!", she shouted across the room. "You really just have to know what it means!"

Leon rolled his eyes, and turned back to Bubble. She stared up at him with wonder, still waiting on a definition, and he frowned. "Well, see, it's like this. It used to mean male friend, like bro. But then it started meaning all sorts of things, and now its just an all purpose word."
"Wow, all purpose word?", asked Bubble, and held on to Leon a little tighter. "What does that mean?"

"Well, it means that-", said Leon, and swung open another door. There continued to be nothing, and he wondered if the rest of them even needed opening. "It means that you can use the word for anything you want. Like you could use it to refer to a friend, or as a complaint, or a compliment ,or really just to say when you don't know what to say."

"Bruh…", said Bubble, and turned back towards the doors. Leon was on the last two now, for yet another door had revealed nothing but an extremely dead fossilized spider. With a careful hand, he grabbed the doorknob, threw open the door- and shouted in surprise.

A sudden blue tentacle lashed out, grabbing and snatching at whatever was around it. Leon grabbed Bubble and threw her out of the way, pushing her against a pile of soft snow. The tentacle detected the movement and lunged towards Leon, pinning him down to the ground.

"Crap!", he spat, and raised Hunter Killer. Whatever was on the other side he bet that being shot a few dozen times would make a good deterrent. And he was right- as he unloaded shot after shot form Hunter Killer into the thick blue hid, the tentacle thrashed around in pain, It let go of Leon as soon as it could, and slid back into its broken door, leaving sucker marks on Leon's leg.

"Shoot.", he said, and jumped back up. He looked behind him in alarm- there was no Bubble. The same was to his right, and the same to his left. He spun around in confusion, then stopped once he saw that Bubble was in front of him, and had been the whole time.

"Bubble, stay with me.", he said, and stuck out his hand. Bubble took it, and frowned. "Okay…"

"Aw, don't be so unexcited.", said Leon, stumbling over his word choice. "Now let's open the last door, and then we can go to Mommy and Daddy. I'm sure they're having more success than we are."

Bubble nodded, and Leon grabbed the last door. As he opened it, he realized that had been what the odd feeling and strange voices were coming from exactly.

What appeared to be the entrance to a gargantuan mine soared in the room, dozens of people within, all mining, walking around, or just watching Bubble and Leon. They sang as they did so, strange deep voices echoing out as vibrations into the larger room.

"Um.", said Leon, and gently closed the door. "Now, let's go see how mom and dad are doing, shall we?"

Bubble nodded, and Leon turned to leave, only to run right into one of the pieces of mining equipment that lined the area. He expected for it to let loose a metallic clang, or at least a wood thud. But the sad-sounding thwump suggested it was made of something else entirely.

"What the-", he said, and knelt down. Taking the tool in his hands, he made another few sharp knocks, with the same results. He frowned. "These aren't real tools. They're just plastic."

That strange discovery spurred something within him- the goal of finding out just what Ice Mountain really was. But it would, of course, have to wait- they had to leave first.

Trevor and Annabelle, meanwhile, had been looking at the other side of the cavern. Even though Annabell's magical eyes scoured over the rock like a fine brush, there was very little found- for there was very little to be found. It was impossible for her to find an exit that simply was not there.

"You found anything yet?", asked Trevor, gently tapping the rock with the side of his blade. Perhaps the exit was hidden, or behind some false wall. "Cause I haven't."

Annabelle scowled, and kept on looking. Her eyes ached from the effort- they were meant to be used in far scouting, not close quarters distance spotting. They could be used for that, but it was like using a Skeleton Barrel to counter a Minion Horde- not its main purpose. "No."

"Well, keep looking.", said Trevor, and moved along the wall towards Annabelle. So distracted was he that he didn't even notice that he was doing so, and neither did she. "There had to be something around here somewhere that we can sneak through-"

Then, he went just a little bit too far. His blade slipped off the rock and propelled him along with it, sending him falling to his right, and directly to where Annabelle still was looking.

She shrieked as he flailed past her, grabbing the back of her skirt to try and stay upright, but failing. He shouted as she screamed, both of them falling onto each other, right into a patch of unusually soft snow. Both their weapons fell to their sides, leaving them looking up into each other's eyes, all four cheeks red.

"Gah!", Annabelle yelped, and pushed against Trevor's chest. She jumped off of him awkwardly, stumbling away and landing on a different patch of ice. She breathed hard, trying to pass it off as awkwardness- but in reality, it was excitement.

"Ah!", Trevor grunted, and scooted his hands across the floor, bumping up against the wall. A patch of snow fell directly onto his head, blocking his sight, mercifully, from seeing Annabelle. It also blocked his now rosy cheeks, and his slightly quivering mustache.

"Everyone okay over there?", said Brandy, from where she and Dan were working.

"Yeah!", said Annabelle, trying to get up with her shaking legs. It was difficult, and she fell again into the snow. "We're okay. Just uh… we just fell. Kind of."

Trevor hurriedly brushed the snow from his face, and stood up, bumping his head on a rocky shelf. But so deep within his own stirrings was he that he didn't even really care. Although he had pretended to not enjoy the encounter, he so very much had- and it pained him to know that he had to fake it. But soon, he would tell Annabelle how he really felt. Soon.

"Okay, as long as you're all alright.", said Brandy, and turned back to her own searching. "Then I guess it's okay. Go back to searching."

As Annabelle and Trevor once again took up their searching positions, their cheeks still a little red, Brandy and Dan continued to scour the wall, with mixed results. Dan kept on employing a certain method- he tapped on the wall with one fist, then the other, trying to use echoes to find a way through. It had not achieved great results so far, but he was still hoping.

Brandy, meanwhile, had taken an attention in the roped platform in the middle of the wall. She knew that there was some way it led out of the chamber, she just didn't know what. There was certainly some hollow space up above, but there was no way to tell where it went, or even how high it was. That was, unless-

Brandy Dashed over to the ropes, and gave them an experimental tug. She fully expected the ropes to break, from no doubt hundreds of years of unuse- but to her surprise, they pulled like they were newly installed. The platform rose into the air, only the smallest of squeaks burdening its path. It was almost as if it had been recently used. That tickled a small alarm bell at the back of Brandy's head, but she thought it was okay for now to just ignore it. But the thing that attracted her attention the most was the pattern the circles made on the rock floor- one that led directly to the platform.

"Hey guys?", she asked, attracting Dan's attention. He put down the rock he was tapping, and came over to Brandy's side. She pointed at the platform, and nodded. "I think I found a way."

Dan put one hand on her back, and leaned down to take a look at the platform. "Well, that's good.", he said. "But how do we all get up it? It looks wide enough to fit me, and then fit us all, but-"

His thoughts paused, for he needed more information. "Brandy, try that rope again."

Brandy complied, pulling the rope up and down, and Dan thought. "Hmm. It looks as though one of us needs to be on the outside for it to work… that could be tricky."

"What if one of us stayed behind and pulled it, and then once we all were up, we could pull them up?", asked Brandy, sticking her finger into the air. "I mean, of course it would have to be you, but-"

"That would be tricky getting me up.", said Dan, continuing to think. "You're strong, but I'm not sure you could lift me. Let's see if I could jump up."

Dan lit a single finger with burning light, and held it up beyond the platform. He thought he could see some upper ledge, presumably the spot where the platform got off, but it was impossible to tell. He just shook his head, unable to decide. "I'm not sure. Maybe if-"

"Yeah, and if I leave them both here my crocodile will eat my goat.", said Leon, striding up to the two. "Looks like we have a problem on our hands."

Dan and Brandy both stared at him for a few seconds, unable to really understand what he had just said. Dan's brows raised, and Brandy's mask shifted. "Wha- what?"

"Oh, you know, the riddle.", said Leon, and walked between his parents. Bubble had gone off to see Trevor and Annabelle. "You have a goat, a crocodile, and a basket of leaves. There's a river, and you can only carry two across at a time. If you leave the croc, the goat eats the leaves. If you leave the basket, the croc eats the goat-"

"Okay, I get it.", said Dan, and waved a hand. Just thinking about it made his head hurt. "And yeah, I guess we're a little logistically stuck. Mind helping us out here?"

"Sure.", said Leon, and leaned down. He looked up into the shaft, and scratched his head. "So… one of us has to stay behind, right?"

"That is correct.", said Dan, and looked around. There appeared to be nothing they could use to rig up the rope to pull automatically- or at least not with the amount of engineering skill they had.

"Well, what if we-", said Leon, thinking he had a brilliant idea, but was interrupted by Trevor coming up from behind. He turned around, to see Trevor's grim expression.

"I'll do it.", he said, and gripped his sword tighter. "I will stay behind."

If he was hoping for it to be a dramatic moment, then his hopes were futile. Brandy just rolled her eyes, and hopped up onto Dan's shoulder. "No, Trevor, you aren't staying behind. Nobody is. Watch this."

She gestured to Annabelle, who had been running behind Trevor, but was now slowed down to a slow walk at Brandy's words. "Hey, Annabelle? You see that hole at the top of the waterfall?"

"That hole?", asked Annabelle, and pointed up at the top of the waterfall. Brandy nodded.
"I see it… what about it?"

"Shoot into it." ,said Brandy, her mind racing. "I have a really cool idea, but I'm not quite sure if its actually going to work or not."

"Uh… okay.", said Annabelle, and nocked an arrow, then another. She let them both fly towards the hole, although only one of them made it .But as the other slid its way in, Brandy listened intently. She could hear it clanging around, feel it banging into things. But as she heard it fall into the shaft, landing on the ground with a soft thump, her suspicions had been realized.

"I need to go up the water.", she said, and Dan's eyes widened. "There's a spot up there that connects to the shaft. I think…. I think it's some sort of control point for whatever it was."

Dan looked up, then at the water, then back down at Brandy. He knew that she was capable of getting up there- but it might hurt. "Are you sure? That looks painful."

"Oh, don't worry honey.", said Brandy, and winked. She turned away towards the water, staring at with brilliant intensity, about to find out its weakness. "I got this."

Song: I'm in Control

Brandy jumped along the ground, dodging piles of snow and ice as she went, making her way to the waterfall. She thought she could see something in the area above the flow, a room vastly different from the realm of cold that was the rest of the mountain. It intrigued her to no end- what could possibly be up there? Just what was Ice Mountain really hiding?

As she landed on the side of the small pool that the water landed in before falling and disappearing out of sight, she felt her foot hit a small button. Brandy sucked in a breath and held absolutely still- but it was too late. Whatever the button was supposed to trigger had already started.

"Good morning, and-", was all the voice blaring from the overhead loudspeaker got to before a quick blast from Dan slammed into it, blowing it apart in a shower of sparks. Bubble flinched from the rudeness of the situation, but she was the only one who did so.

Brandy let out the breath again- whatever it was, Dan had taken care of it. And whatever the voice had been referring to, it likely no longer mattered. All that did matter was going up the water, getting into the theoretical control booth, and letting the group advance.

Brandy saw the water, and knew she could not wait any longer. With a ferocious yell, she Dashed as high as she could, right up the edge of the waterfall, and towards the ceiling.

But of course, she had not put as much force into her Dash as she thought she had, and she felt her force run out before she hit the top of the water. Her face twisted in panic as she felt herself falling, towards the black pit the water plunged into before vanishing.

Brandy's eyes glinted with determination, and she jabbed her hand right into the falls. She didn't' really know what she expected- but feeling her hand actually grab on to something was a pleasant surprise. Her entire body jerked to a stop on her arm, hanging there from the in-falls pillar like a piece of fruit hung out to dry.

Brandy growled, and charged up another round of Dash deep withing herself. She had to make this one stronger, had to make it count. She just had to-
"Honey?", she heard, and her grip almost slipped from the broken concentration. She bit her lip and readjusted herself, not a fan of the ice-cold water. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!", Brandy yelled back, and was finally able to grab on to the pillar with both hands. "Just gotta do something and get somewhere and not die!"

"Understandable.", said Dan, and sat back down. He looked down to the bottom of the falls, and let out a deep breath that he had been holding. A thin net of Star jumped across the stone and spread itself across the entrance to the void, a safety in case Brandy should fall. But she wouldn't. Dan knew her too well for that to happen. "Have a great time."

Brandy rolled her eyes, and grabbed on to the pillar even tighter. With a great burst of effort, she Dashed upwards, blowing away much of the water, sending a shockwave throughout the entire cave, and scraping away the thin layer of dirt that lay on the ice making up the cavern. She vanished into the room above the falls, twisting in the air as soon as she entered, landing on the floor in a neat crouch. The falls were behind her, the room was in front of her, and her goal was accomplished. She grinned. Let's go.

The group below stared in wonder at the walls, in total awe of the thing that the breaking of the dirt had revealed. Leon let his hood fall, to better see. Dan stood up, in almost a kind of reverence. Bubble didn't know quite what to make of it, and so hid behind Annabelle, who let her hand move over to Trevor's shoulder, whose mouth was open in shock.

Before them, encased in the ice, was some sort of otherworldly object. It appeared to be almost frog like in shape, although covered with scales that, despite its icy coating, still shifted in colors.

Mysterious, cosmic lights floated around it, in shapes ranging from triangles to plasmic miasmas. The entire front was some form of glass, able to be seen through, although it was impossible to tell what was inside. The glare from the lights was too much, and the ice was still a thin shade of blue, blocking the view. Eight pipes that ran down to the back, an oddly floating light in each of them. It was truly bizarre how the light was stuck in the ice, but nothing really made sense about it anyway.

But the strangest thing about the object was the sheer aura that surrounded it, almost is if the thing were alive. It clearly was not, given the thickness of the ice- unless something was off. "What…", asked Dan, almost at a loss for words. "What is it?"

"Is it… an organ?", asked Trevor, thinking the pipes could be used for music. "It looks like-"
"Holy Ry'an.", said Leon, and took a step back. He could hardly even belive what he was seeing, but there was nothing else that it could be. It couldn't be- and yet, it was.

"What?", asked Bubble and Dan at the same time. "Leon, what is it?"

"I'll be fricked.", said Leon, and took a step forward. He put his hand up against the glass and looked up, staring right at the godsend. "It's a spaceship."

Brandy looked round the room, taking in the strange area. The walls were a wooly brown, in almost painfully stark contrast to the rest of the mountain. A few filing cabinets sat along one side of the room, thousands of years old coffee stains adorning them like paintings. A long abandoned cup of instant noodles was perched on the overly busy desk, which was covered with paper stacks almost four feet high. A ceiling fan still ran somehow, the wood perfectly, bizarrely clean. In fact, as Brandy looked around, it seemed as though whoever had occupied this place had been there recently. That was a bit unsettling…

Looking around the rest of the room, the overall vibe sent a shiver up Brandy's spine. The fourteen separate clocks along one wall- who needed that many clocks? The bizarre amount of macrame owls on the tan metal shelf, the typed and graded papers, the wire wastebasket full of shredded papers and chewed gum- it was unlike anything she had ever seen.

But, fortunately, Brandy was not there to gawk. No, she was there to get everyone out of the cavern, and into the rest of the mountain. SHe looked around for anything that could raise the platform automatically, for she knew without a doubt she could not possibly raise all of them. Not unless she got mad and let her Rage fully overtake her, but that would cause even more problems. .

Brandy looked around, trying to ignore the single overbearing portrait of a clown that hung right above the clock, seeming to stare right at her. She didn't even know what it was. Finally, she saw it- a single lever on the wall that read "Raise Platform."

"Ah, finally.", she mumbled, and jumped over the desk to flip it. But as she did, and landed on the other side of the table, a splash of warm liquid assaulted her back. WIth a hiss she spun around- and saw that another cup of instant noodles had been overturned. But that one had been hot. Which meant the occupant of this strange place was still around. Which meant-
"Oh, crap.", said Brandy, and rolled her eyes. She almost flipped the switch, before yelling downwards into the shaft. "Hey, everybody on! I think we're about to be attacked by another Forgotten!"

Song: Danger Draws Near

Dan was the first to hear Brandy's voice, and he jerked back in surprise. He figured that there wasn't really time to ask Leon what he knew about spaceships, or what they were. Hearing the news of another Forgotten put him into Dad Mode, and right now that mode meant getting everyone in his arms and jumping onto the platform. "Guys? Platform. Now."

"Aw, but I was just about-", said Leon, but his words were interrupted as Dan grabbed him around the waist, slapped him together with Bubble in his other hand, and reached for Annabelle and Trevor. "No, no talk time. Platform only. We gotta go."

"Daddy, why are you being so rushed-", said Bubble, as she was tossed on to Dan's back. She landed on Annabelle's leg, and held tight. "Annabelle, why is he being so rushed?"

"I don't know.", said Annabelle, and shrugged. "I think your dad is silly."

Trevor rolled on to Leon, who just stared at him. Trevor shrugged, and Leon closed his eyes.

Dan stomped towards the platform, making sure not to trigger any trap tiles along the way. So far there had only been three, but that was three more than they had ever encountered on the rest of the journey. So careful it was. "Guys, we gotta move now. Brandy's- Mom's waiting for us up there."

"Yes Dad, we get it.", said Leon, and grabbed Dan's arms to avoid being jostled around. "You've told us like three times."

With a worrying crash of wood, Dan stepped on to the platform. He grabbed on tight to the ropes, and yelled up to Brandy. "We're on! Start the lift!"

Up in the room, Brandy nodded, took a deep breath, and threw the switch. There was a cracking sound of winding gears as the ancient mechanism started up once more, and the platform soared into the air. She had seen that the lift went beyond the room she was in, past the window and up towards another ledge. The window was thick and one way glass- but she didn't know that. She expected to jump out the window and land on the platform, but perhaps the window had other plans.

"Good day, travelers, and welcome to the wonderful Ice Mountain!", came a strangely recorded voice from somewhere in the shaft. Dan raised a hand and looked around for the speaker, but it was nowhere to be found. "Please, as you continue to ascend to your own legendary adventure, please keep all limbs and everything inside the lift. We wouldn't want any accidents, now would we?"

"What is it going on about?", asked Dan, and growled internally. Leon moved his foot to keep Bubble from touching the wall, and scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know, Dad. I don't know."

From up above, they could hear a crashing, a repeated thumping, and the sounds of frustrated shouting. Dan moved his aim to where the sound was coming from, a regular looking patch of dirt in the middle of the shaft. He had no idea what the sounds were, but he wasn't going to wait around to find out. Brandy had said they were about to get attacked by a Forgotten…

As the energy in his hand continued to build up, the sounds got louder and the lift continued to rise. Dan realized his actually didn't know where Brandy was. He had heard her shouting, and assumed she was somewhere up here, but it looked like she was nowhere to be found. Shoot, had the Forgotten already gotten to her? Dan's face darkened, and he prepared to blast the odd voice with a surge of Star that was now more green than gold.

"Dad, wait.", said Leon, his ultra sensitive ears picking up on the voice, about to burst from the wall. "I think you should hold your fire just a bit. Just wait until she comes out-"

Finally, Brandy burst through the plate glass, one way window. With a face full of frustration, a mouth full of donuts, and a cape full of glass, Brandy fell towards the rapidly approaching platform, leaving papers streaming out behind her. She landed on Dan's hand with a grunt, and swallowed the donut she had taken from the room. She didn't know how old it was, but that didn't really matter. She looked up at Dan, and gave a little wave. "Hey Dan."

"Oh, hey honey.", said Dan, and looked up. Light was beginning to enter the lift, as it approached the second floor of the Mountain. Or really it was more the 32nd floor, as they had entered it close to the very top, after hiking the arduous path. "I was wondering where you went."

"Oh yeah, turns out its actually one way glass in that control room.", said Brandy, and shivered. She still thought it was creepy. "But it looks like now everything is fine-"

"We are now coming up on the final stretch!", boomed the voice, and everyone jumped. "As you prepare to board, be sure to have all carry on items with you- and please, attend to small children. Have a great trip!"

The air was then filled with the sounds of rhythmic snorting and odd barks as the voice repeated the instructions in Gobbish, or at least everyone assumed they were the instructions. They could have also been directions to nearby toothpaste mines.

But finally, the air turned light and once again freezing, as the lift came to a smooth stop, letting out a cool hiss. Brandy almost smiled at the wonderfully friendly atmosphere of the new room, ice once more covering the walls and several booths arranged randomly around the pale blue floor- until she saw the thing standing there, right in front of a selection of small, strange cars, the insane smile on its face almost as unsettling as the Jester's cap upon its mechanical head.

Song: Buu is Fighting

There it stood, right on top of the ice, in the dead center of the gigantic room. The icicles in the ceiling high above all seemed to point directly down towards it, giving the impression of a makeshift, almost mockery throne. That was appropriate for what it was- a Jesterbot.

"Welcome, welcome.", it said, and turned its palms outward. Its body was strange, a tall and thin mechanism, seeming to have no weight to it at all. What little body it had was wide and thin, almost a single metal sheet somehow held aloft on its thick arms and legs. Perhaps it was the aura of nonsense that surrounded it that kept the Jesterbot from collapsing to the ground- but it was impossible to tell. "I've been expecting you."

"You…", said Brandy, and pointed forward. "You're the one who left behind that soup, weren't you? And the one who was in charge of that room."

The rest of the group stared- they had no idea what soup she was talking about. Neither, for that manner, did the Jesterbot. He had been standing there, in that same pose, for almost an hour, just waiting for the group to arrive. He had actually briefly considered helping them, just to get his kill mission over and done with faster. But that was a ridiculous course of action, and not the type of ridiculous he or his master enjoyed. It was just inefficient.

"What room?", it asked, grinned, and began to size up its opponents. He had heard about the group from the other models and the other Forgotten, but this was the first time he had seen them in person. He had to find out as much as he could about them before he attacked, to maximise his chances of victory. "I've been up here the whooole time."

It took a step forward, the sudden footfall sending a long thin crack down the ice. A burst of black water sprung up from the hole, then spread across the crack. It froze in place almost instantly, but the menacing effect had been achieved. "And soon, I'll be the only one up here alive once more."

"You'll be long dead before we leave.", said Dan, and took a battle stance. "So you had better rethink that possibility."

The Jesterbot almost laughed at the cleverness of the comeback, but his anger and duty were too strong. He pointed at the group, feeling the effects of his preparing begging to kick in far above. "You killed every single one of my brothers, monsters. Now it's time to pay the price. For I, the final Jesterbot, even the Jesterbot 6.0, shall be the one to finally do you in."

Dan took a deep breath, and yelled. He threw out one hand, firing a beam of light across the floor and right toward the Jesterbot that melted the ice as it flew over. But the Jeseterbot had seen it coming, and spun around in a huge circle to dodge the blow.

"It's no use, fools.", it said, continuing to spin like a crazed top. Annabell's arrows and Leon's spinner blades flew past it, impacting harmlessly on the wall behind. "You stand no chance against me. For unlike the others, I am new."

He stopped spinning and took a moment to just pose, relishing his soon to be victory. "I was created for the sole reason of killing all of you- I'd expect that I'd be quite good at it."

There was a rush of air from Dan, and the Jesterbot jumped almost 40 feet in the air before slowly coming back down again. "For you do take great pride in your powers, do you not? Yes, your powers are indeed great. But suppose we were to add the funny to the mix, and…"

The Jesterbot hoped backward onto a huge metal ice sculpture. With an extremely rude gesture, he mentally asked the group to come and get him. "Messed them up?"

Something in the Jeseterbot's words seemed far too insane- and yet, all too real. Dan prepared another huge blast of Star, just in case the Jesterbot were to try anything. "What are you talking about?"

Leon thought that right about then, as they were both distracted, was the perfect time to attack. He withdrew Hunter Killer from ihs pocket and aimed it at the Jesterbot, an invisible threat. Or at least he hoped it was invisible- it would be a bad thing indeed if the Jesterbot was a Stand User.

Brandy prepared herself to attack, trying to zero in on the Jesetrbot's precise location. But it was difficult, with the way it kept on jumping around and not staying still. In order to get a precise lock on the enemy- it had to be containeable within her eyes.

Bubble still didn't' really know what was going on. Save that they were being attacked by yet another Jesterbot, and this one seemed to be far more evil than the rest. She just ducked behind Brandy's skirt, deciding to just hide that one out.

The Jeseterbot charged forward, arms extended like flails and the sides let out a long, intense screech as it rammed through the air, leaving small explosions on the ground as it charged.

"Haaa!", shouted Dan, and let out the blast of energy he had been building. It soared across the ice like a cannon shot, hitting the arm of the Jesterbot- and blowing it clean off. But there was no pain, or even slowing down- It just kept on flying, towards the group.

"You have such fun using those abilities.", said the Jesterbot, and banked up hard into the air. "But I wonder… what happens when they turn against you?"

Brandy felt a jolt of panic shoot through her heart. She had felt something like that once before, and did not wish to ever feel it again. "Dan! Shoot him!"

Dan drew back his fist once more, trying to gather enough Star into his hands to properly attack. It was hard-for the thing was still approaching. It was running over the ice as fast as Brandy could, jumping in between the arrows fired, until-

Dan grabbed the energy into his fist, and aimed it right at the Jesterbot. He was just on the very cusp of firing before the Jesterbot jumped over a rock, waiting to have plunged its hands into the ground. It grinned, as a thin red shockwave tore its way through the entire room, splashing up against the walls with a terrifying tone. "It's too late now."

Dan tried to shoot once again, but found he could not. He could not expel the energy he was gathering from his body- no, it stayed firmly inside, and his hand felt red hot. Not only that- but his body itself was now difficult to move, as his muscles had increased in size of a point where it was almost ridiculous, his body almost immovable. He grunted- but no sound came out other than a low rumble, as if he was a talking mountain.

Brandy cried out, trying to run over to him- but it felt wrong as she did so. She saw the distance to Dan growing longer and longer with every passing second, his body growing even larger, along with the rest of everything. Oh wait, that was it. Of course.

Brandy was shrinking, even as she was running. She was only 2 feet tall now, and still growing a few inches shorter with every step. Brandy snarled, and stopped running- she had to go to the place where it would be safest for her. She spun around, trying to see how it all looked- everything looked huge, a thing to be climbed on. Of course- all those times anyone had called her cute, called her small or short- the Jesterbot had suddenly found out about all that. And he had used it to make her shrink to the size of a small bird, no more than 6 inches tall, one of her personal favorite qualities reduced to a glaring weakness.

Annabelle gripped her eyes, and screamed out in pain. She tried to ignore the crushing feeling that weighed down upon her face- but it was simply too much. The Jesterbot's spell had turned her farsight into less than an option- she had it on all the time. She could now look at distance targets just fine, but trying to see anything within 500 feet of her was now an excruciating experience. She closed her eyes and didn't look at anything- but that did very little to her current pain. She kept on screaming, as Trevor desperately attempted to console her. Leon felt himself totally overcome with a sensation totally unlike anything he had ever been part of before. It felt like he was going invisible- and yet he was not. Or, no, wait-

In the blink of an aetherized eye, the world became invisible to him. His eyes widened in shock as he, for the first time, saw the vision of the blind. It was not blackness, nor mere blank space. His mind and soul reeled in immense agony as he took in the true value of Nothing, yawning infinite all around him.

Bubble saw her family fall to the ground all around her- then she, too, saw what she was up against.

All around her, closing in, were hordes of nightmarish warriors and unimaginable beasts. Dread ships of steel flew down from the ceiling, scattering tentacled abominations like rain from a cloud. Toxic drippings of putrescent mass flupped and holloped their way across the ground towards her, their gargantuan maws opening up to reveal even yet more monstrosity. Bubble screamed at the sight and cowered to the floor, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around her head in terror. She knew that they were but illusions, or at least assumed so. But despite that knowledge, she found herself totally unable to rise. She continued to scream, for it was the only thing she now knew how to do.

The Jesterbot laughed, seeing the group stagger before him. He looked from member to member, seeing how they were now all but helpless. Brandy jumped onto Dan, attempting to speak to him, but his groans of effort blocked out her words. Annabelle screamed on the ground, her cries going quieter as she lost breath. Leon had fallen onto the ground, slowly trying to raise his hand, the space between his fingers flickering. Bubble was face first into the icy floor, no longer moving, most likely lost consciousness. Trevor was- was-

There, in the middle of the room. Standing, as though absolutely nothing was wrong. At all.

"What?", asked the Jesterbot, and recoiled. He brought up his fists in front of his face, to prepare for a duel, but he knew his body was fragile. He had not expected this. "How are you still functioning?"

"Take a guess, metal foot.", said Trevor ,and drew his sword. He began to walk towards the Jesterbot, slowly swinging his steel. The Jesterbot took a step back, in fear. "And it might not be what you think."

"You-", said the Jesterbot, and growled. "You can't have resisted it. There is no magic you could have used that could have deflected my attack. You're just a Barbaria-"

And then, deep within himself, he realized it. The Jesterbot gasped, a single socket blowing deep within his body. "No. No, no, no, no, no. My master did not build and program me from the very last of his supplies, specifically tailoring me to defeat you, just to be foiled by- by- by this foolishness! No-"

"That's right!", said Trevor, and pointed to himself. "Your plan fails here! For I, Trevor the Barbarian, am just that! I have no special abilities!"

He steeled himself, and rushed forward. "Besides, of course, my flora and fauna knowledge. But you can't really use that against me, can you?"

"Oh, maybe I could.", said the Jesterbot, and jumped back on its spring loaded legs.

"No, you couldn't.", said Trevor, still running. "Or you would have done so by now."

Trevor, having finally closed the distance, rushed forward with his sword. There was a dramatic upsweep, and his bladed metal collided directly with the Jesterbot's hasty block. A ring echoed through the chamber, only slightly muffled by the screams. Trevor leaned in, and spat right into the Jesterbot's eye.

"You think you're so tough, huh?", he asked, and pushed harder. The Jesterbot's legs screamed as it was pushed down towards the floor, down towards defeat. "You think you can just come here and take down my group? I tell you no. I was assigned to protect this group and guide them to the Clashcrush Mountains, to slay your punk little bugger of a master. And that's exactly what I'm going to do."

The Jesterbot did not respond, instead sending out a silent plea to his master for support. His beam of radio information flew from Ice Mountain to a few mountains over, reaching the chaotic mind of the Jester almost instantly. Master…. Help!

The Jester did not respond with words, having thought this very scenario might happen. Instead, he activated his special mode he had installed into the Jesterbot, and several things happened.

One was that a great rush of wind suddenly erupted from the Jesterbot's body, blowing Trevor back across the ice and sending the Jesterbot into the air. Another was that a sword erupted from each of the Jesterbot's hands, doubling its combat strength. The third was that the Jesterbot's once frail body suddenly became encased by armor, now making it a formidable opponent. It slammed back down to the ground, and Trevor got up.

"No, you will not.", it said, its voice now deeper. It swung its sword like a Flying Machine, approaching Trevor with menacing steps. "You're going to die like the rest."

Trevor almost backed up- but he knew what he had to do. Everyone else in the group was disabled. It was all up to him- so he gathered his training, gathered his strength, gripped his sword, and ran forward at the Jesterbot. "It's Trevor time!"

Song: Caveliere

As Trevor ran towards the Jesterbot, his clownish foe smiled. It was two swords against one, heavy armor against bare skin, metal against flesh. There was no way it could lose.

It shifted into a battle stance, spinning its swords around in a defensive position. It waited until Trevor came closer, closer, closer, within reach- then swung both of them right at his head.

But, of course, Trevor had anticipated the move. He grabbed the ice and swung himself downwards, using its slipperiness to his advantage. With a cry of deference, his sword slipped past the Jesterbot's armor and slashed directly through steel tendon, completely severing a leg from its body.

The Jesterbot howled, and spun around on its screw of a torso. It immediately stabbed its swords right where it had expected Trevor to come up- but to its surprise, Trevor had already left that square of the room. The Jesterbot wondered how it could have happened- then cursed as it realized it had forgotten to account for the slipperiness of the ice. It made a mental note to not let it happen again, and charged forward.

Trevor spun around on his sandal, and was once again upright. It saw the Jesterbot jumping forward on one leg, a wheel having grown from it. It had shifted to the middle of its torso- the engineering of The Jester was nothing but brilliant. Readying his sword once again, Trevor prepared to strike.

"You think that will work on me more than once?", the Jesterbot growled, and raised its right hand. The sword held within shifted into a gigantic hammer, slammed down into the ice with tremendous force. A smile cracked all the way up its mask of a face, as it saw Trevor stumble and fall to the ground. "Well think again, fleshbag!"

Then it saw something, right in the corner of its eye. Something alien- a gigantic blue and gold lobster, rushing directly for it. The Jesterbot almost tried to dodge, before realizing it was almost certainly just Bubble's illusions. She had somehow figured out a way to-

His train of thought was interrupted by a single bullet that landed on the side of its head, a dozen more flashing by. It turned around to see both Leon and Bubble standing there, hands outstretched, eyes closed.

"You can't trick me anymore.", said Bubble, courage in her tiny voice. "I know illusions when I see one."

"You thought a little thing like losing my sight would stop me?", asked Leon, breathing heavily, Hunter Killer phasing in his grip. "You're still loud as ever."

The Jesterbot scowled, and drew back its fist. One of its fingers flowed and transformed into an airblaster- very small, but no less effective. "You fools don't' realize what you are doing. Your demise was quick, and I gave you that. Stop trying to make it anything different!"

The finger blaster was fired, a huge jet of air slamming into the siblings, knocking them off of their feet and back onto the ice. Bubble landed on the back of her head, and was instantly out cold. Leon flipped over onto his back, pulling a muscle, and was unable to rise.

The Jesterbot smirked- then spun around again, sword once again drawn, to block a desperate strike from Trevor. They locked eyes, and the Jesterbot laughed. "Let's finish this, fleshbag!"

Brandy crawled all over Dan's face, pulling at his skin, trying to get him up again. He was struggling as hard as he could, but it wasn't working. His muscles were now too heavy to be lifted by themselves, and his Star burned inside of him, feeling hotter and hotter against the inside of the skin.

"Dan!", Brandy shouted, although it came out as a squeak. "Talk to me, honey!"

We can talk in here, thought Dan, reopening their mental link. I think I have a plan to beat this guy, but you're going to do exactly as I say.

Yeah, of course, said Brandy, and nodded. She gripped Dan's skin tighter, ready to listen. I always do that anyway.

I need you to cut open my skin, said Dan, and mentally winced. I have too much Star, and need to get rid of it. Cut open my skin to the vein, and let it flow towards the Jesterbot.

Cut- cut you open?, asked Brandy, and her face fell. But- I don't want to do that to you. And I'm too small, anyway. I could never possibly-

No, you have to, thought Dan, and his eye gleamed. Brandy could feel his skin start to heat, so much overpowering Star threatening to destroy him from the inside. You have to, and you are going to. Do you understand?

Brandy didn't want to- but she felt Dan's fire. She felt his soul beat within her head, propelling her onwards to impossible things. She felt his red golden aura mix with her seagreen silver, and she nodded. Clenching her fist, she raised it above her head, and filled it with Dash. "Yes."

With a diminutive yell, Brandy slashed her hand downwards, a trail of Dash following it. It slashed deep into Dan's skin, with a tiny wince from him, and stopped somewhere in his thick flesh. Brandy breathed hard, and once again raised her fist. "Sorry honey, I'll try again. I didn't go deep enough for you-"

That's what you said, thought Dan, and Brandy stumbled. She stared at Dan, and could feel him laugh behind his eyes. She rolled her own, and once again slashed.

As Brandy's hand hit the vein, she felt Dan roar within their mental link. She startled in shock- as a flood of golden Star erupted from his skin, bursting out in a strength that sent Brandy flying, rushing through the room towards the Jesterbot, who now stood with both swords up against Trevor's neck.

Trevor had been still fighting, still slashing at his metallic foe. But even though he knew he had to win, the Jesterbot had been made to do so. Even though determination filled his heart, his attacks were not quite as fast or strong as his opponent's. And even though his training and skill were far the leaders in the fight, his opponent's superior might eventually won out.

"So, this is it.", said the Jesterbot, and leaned down over Trevor, who still mightily struggled. "You made a truly valiant effort, but here is where you die. Right here, unable to-"

The Jesterbot heard the rush of Dan's Star, and looked up. "What the-"

It ducked as it saw the freight train of energy blast right towards it, allowing the force to blast through the back of the room, continue onwards through thousands of feet of ice, and explode into the air in a gigantic boom that echoed across the continent. It smiled to itself, thinking that it had won- but it forgot to account for one very specific thing- it had let up its swords to dodge. And Trevor was still underneath it. That is why it felt Trevor's hand close around its throat.

The Jesterbot turned its head around, and laughed. "You fool…"

That is, until it suddenly found something else wrong. That thing was Trevor's sword stabbed all the way through its head and out the other side, its elixir slowly flowing out of itself and splashing all over the ground in defeat.

Trevor lay there for a second, feeling joy within his heart as Annabelle's screams finally stopped. He heard gentle gasping instead, but he assumed that was good.

"Hey guys, I did it!", he said, throwing his hand about himself to get rid of the Elixir that had been left behind. It was very old and slimy, partly from the oil that had been mixed into it. "That was cool."

He stood up and let the purple muck drain into the ice, into one of the many cracks that had opened up. He saw Dan slowly shrink and turn back to normal, embracing the overjoyed Brandy, now back to full size. He saw Annabelle get back up, and slowly feel her eyes. Bubble and Leon both held on to each other, neither of them wanting to get back up quite yet.

Brandy looked out, seeing the same, and her heart swelled. Even though the attack by the Jesterbot had been far too sudden, and far too dire for her comfort, everything had been fine. The only casualties were a hole in the wall and a little psychological scarring, but she had plenty of the latter by now. A little more couldn't really be that bad.

All at once, the speakers on the sides of the walls crackled to life. The group braced themselves, as a truly vast hum became known at every angle.

"Are we about to get attacked?", asked Brandy, annoyance dripping from her voice. "Because if we do, I swear to Se'th that-"

"No, I don't think so.", said Dan, and put a hand on her shoulder. She calmed down at his touch, feeling his heat upon her skin. "Feel the sound? That's benevolent for sure."

Brandy smiled, and Dan smiled back. Then they both looked up, to see what awaited them.

In the ice all along one wall, a vast shape became visible. It was that of a smiling face, truly kind, no trickery at all. It boomed with a titanic voice, using the speakers around it for added effect. "Thank you, travelers, and welcome!", it shouted. "To Ice Mountain! I truly cannot thank you enough for removing that Jesterbot for me. He, or his compatriots rather, have been here for ages! I've been closed for hundreds of years, and it just breaks my heart to see it all go so unused."

"Wha-", Brandy said, scratching her cheek. "What do you mean, you've been closed?"

"I'm Ice Mountain!", boomed the face cheerily, and gestured. "And I am, of course, a world famous ride! Surely you've heard of me?"

There were glances exchanged through the group, and shakes of heads. Bubble was terribly excited for a second before she realized she did not know it, and Brandy cupped her hands around her mouth. "Uh, no. This is the first time we've heard."

"Oh, oh my!", boomed Ice Mountain, and its face grew saddened. "To think that such a thing could happen- for the wonderful, well known halls of Ice Mountain to grow dark and weary, unknown, cast off to the shadows! But no more, for you have saved me. Now as your reward…"

They watched as the animated avatar of the mountain pointed downwards, revealing a large car at the very beginning of a looped track. A huge spray of blue and white confetti burst into the air, with a trumpeting of randomly played horns. "You all get a totally free trip down the mountain, down my sides, to the route to the next! And yes, you are all able to fit inside of this car. So don't be worrying about that on me."

"Okay.", said Dan, and started walking forward. He gave his shoulders a friendly bounce, and relaxed a little bit. "Come on guys, we get to go for a ride! This'll be fun."

"Dad, you know this is probably a trap, right?", asked Leon, hanging back. "There's pretty much no way that it isn't."

"What?", asked Ice Mountain in shock, and the sides of the walls slightly shook. It stared at Leon, who felt the ice tremble right underneath his feet. "Well, for your information, young green skinned one, I have wanted that Rakastamos gone for centuries now. All he ever does is roar and boast and hold loud rituals and scare people away from me. He eats them, you know. Terrible one, he is. I'm glad you're going to kill him."
"Wait, you know about that?", asked Brandy, her cheeks turning a little red. "How?"

Ice Mountain gasped in excitement, and the display changed. This one was of their various accomplishments, taken by seemingly hidden cameras- a selfie of Jonah the Fisherman as they battled the Kraken. A picture taken from the Grand Goblin Hotel as they chased after the Gorgon. A short, repeating video of the battle with Bonoome, and a photo of their second fight against The Cyborg. "Why, everyone knows by now! Or at least a lot of people do. By now, the legend of The Wanderers has traveled throughout all the land. I hear it's even reached other continents by now."

Brandy's heart lit up. She had always assumed that very little people had known- so to hear about it like this, that their battles had been caught on camera, that they actually had a following, a legend- it made her shiver.

"Now, now, off you go.", said Ice Mountain, its motherly tones ringing in all their ears. "Otherwise, you won't be able to kill Rakastamos in time. You don't have a lot of it left, apparently."

Dan's eyes raised, and he shouted upwards. "Uh… what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Oh, you know.", said Ice Mountain, waving its animated hand. "Rakastamos has been bragging lately about how he's almost done with his plan, and the Blood Elixir is just so close to full. He never quite says exactly how full, but I hear he's almost finished with it."

Brandy looked at Dan, who looked at Brandy. They knew, in that moment, there was no longer any time to dawdle. They would have loved to ask questions- but there was no time. They had to head out, now. They knew that each other knew, without even words.

"Alright, thanks for your time and info.", said Dan, and ran over to the cars. They passed a small booth as they did so, Brandy stealing a small coin on the way. She didn't want that particular set of skills to go to waste. "How do we use these cars?"

Ice Mountain beamed, and waved its hand. In an instant, the entire group was inside the front blue car on the tracks- even Leon, who had been intentionally dragging behind out of caution. Dan was in the back, followed by Brandy, Leon, Trevor, Annabelle, and then Bubble in the very front. They all looked around, trying to figure out how to get comfortable, but the voice was too loud for them to really concentrate.

"Alrighty now, let's be off.", said Ice Mountain, and the car started to move down the tracks, into the black void beyond. A small door opened slightly, revealing a small blue light. "Make sure to keep all your heads hands arms and limbs inside the vehicle at all times do not attempt to exit the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion please exit your vehicle as soon as it stops moving and not before be sure to hit the most high value targets and not before here are these instructions but in Gobbish but none of you five speak Gobbish now do you and be sure to have fun out there!", shouted Ice Mountain in a rushed, yet joyful voice, and gave a boost to the cart.

"Wait, what-", shouted the entire group, as they went through the door, screamed, and vanished without a trace. Ice Mountain sighed, wondering when the next group would come along.

"Ah, wonderful kids.", she said, then brightened up. "I wonder if Chuqualita knows about them. I really think she should… perhaps I will message her. One primal force to another."

She began to think, and smiled to herself, as she felt the group begin the course. "Yes, I think I'll go do that right now."

Song: Waluigi Pinball

The group screamed not out of fear, but out of a deep seated instinct to do so. They did not know why, for none of them had ever been on something like this before. And yet they did.

Before them lay the track, or at least what of it they could see. It was a wooden one, leading all the down a worryingly thin icy tunnel. There was only darkness beyond, darkness which they were rapidly heading into.

"What did she say?", Brandy screamed, twisting her head around to try and look back. "Shoot the high level targets? What is that supposed to mean?"

"I think it means there are going to be targets popping up.", said Dan, as the cart started to head downwards. There was a rush of icy wind, and the light vanished from all but Annabelle's eyes. She could still barely see the sides of the tunnel. "And we have to shoot them. Leon, Annabelle, get ready. We're the ones who can shoot."

"Right.", said Leon, and spun out Hunter Killer from his worn jacket sleeve- but Brandy wasn't so sure. She had a feeling that it might have meant something else, something they were not prepared for. Annabelle nodded as well, and nocked her bow as Dan took a deep breath.

The cart suddenly slammed upwards, the tracks banking a hard forwards. The group was thrown against the limits of their restraints, and Bubble coughed from pain. But even before she landed there was another bank, this one to the right. The cart swung around in a smaller tunnel, the edges of Dan's head almost scraping against the ceiling, before bursting out into what would be the first of many caverns.

It was as icy as the rest of the mountain, but much darker in scale. Needlessly high amounts of scaffolding lay against each wall, rickety wooden ladders reaching up high and stabbing into the ceiling itself. A gargantuan statue of a Yeti stood on a giant pedestal, so realistic it almost seemed that it was alive- but the largest known Yetis were only about 25 feet tall. This one was more around the likes of 50 or even 60. The tracks led down into another tunnel, shrouded by darkness and surrounded by burning Torches.

"Where are the targets?", Brandy asked, trying to think of what ways she could help. She looked around, seeing strange lights dancing on the edges of the walls. They seemed almost menacing, in a way she could not quite place. "I don't see any!"

"Shoot the Yeti!", Dan yelled, and brought up his hand to aim. His eyes narrowed, as his hand glowed gold. "Overdrive Cannon!"
A burst of Star shot from his outstretched palm, detonating on the gigantic Yeti. Dan waited there for a few seconds, eager to find out what would happen next- but once the smoke cleared, it was clear that something bad had happened. The Yeti was not, in fact, a statue.

"Crap!", Dan shouted, as the Yeti cleared its face, and started running towards them. It beat its chest and bellowed, the Yetimites surrounding it almost a stream of purple. "That thing's real! Go!"
"We can't go faster!", shouted Brandy, and slapped the side of the cart. It was going at very high speeds, faster than most of them could run, but that was still slower than the Yeti. "It's on a fixed path! Gravity only!"

"Then watch this!", Dan shouted, and raised his hands. With a grunt of effort, he slammed them down against the ice, scraping up the track a bit, and pushed the cart forward. It put on a burst of speed, and the Yeti tripped over the flurry of snow that had been thrown up. It hit the ground in a burst of white, the Yetimies screaming in fury and rage.

"Good!", Brandy said, and looked a little upwards to watch the rest of the group. "How's everyone doing?"
Leon and Annabelle sat with eyes strained against the icy wind, keeping their eyes peeled for any target. There were so far none, but there would most likely be some soon. Trevor lay with his head down, trying not to throw up from the intense rocking and shaking. Bubble sat with her hands straining against the sides, face forward, no emotion on her face at all besides hardly suppressed fear.

"Okay.", said Brandy, and saw the second tunnel approaching rapidly. "Well, just get ready guys. We probably have a lot of mountain to get through."

Dan ducked, as they entered the second tunnel. The darkness once again surrounded them, and a slight hologram lit up on the cavern walls alongside the rushing cart.

"Player Dan.", said the hologram with an impossibly cheery voice. "We're sorry, but it appears that you have broken three rules! From now on, please only use the provided blasters for shooting, don't shoot anything that isn't a target, and do not touch the ride area!"
Dan rolled his eyes, and growled. "What provided blasters? You didn't-"

He stopped, as he felt a single bullet slam into the side of his head. It was followed by two more- one for each rule he had broken. They did nothing to harm him, of course, but it was the thought that counted. And that thought was-

"Guys.", he said, as he saw the light approach. "We can't break any rules now. If we do, we get shot. So uh… just don't shoot. It's a bad idea."

"What?", Annabelle shrieked, and held herself tighter and closer to the cart. "What do you mean, we get shot? With what?"
"Bullets.", said Dan, and winced. "Like from a Musketeer."
"Oh, that is just not fair.", said Annabelle, as the light from the end of the tunnel opened up to full, and the group entered the second chamber.

This one was not quite as large, but no less strange. It seemed to depict an odd scene- one of a huge herd of furry Elephants crossing a huge chunk of ice, Goblins and Barbarians all chasing after them. The cart was currently crossing under a small bridge of decorative ice- and from the tracks ahead, it would curve around, go under the bridge again, curve some more, and then go out the other side. But before that, there was something in the way.

"There's a rock in the way!", Dan shouted, and motioned to Annabelle and Leon. He could see the rock- there it lay, on the tracks, a few hundred feet away. "Shoot it!"

Leon nodded, and raised Hunter Killer. He slowly brought it up to his eye, aimed- and the cart jostled with an almost hiccupy sounding catch. Hunter Killer dissipated in his hand, and he almost fell back into the bottom of the cart. Annabelle nodded, raised her bow, and the same thing happened- but not before she let off a single arrow, which shattered against the rock and did nothing.

"Okay, I'll do it!", said Dan, and raised his hand high. He took in a deep breath, aiming towards the rock- and it suddenly vanished from view, as the group's cart rounded a corner. All he could see now were trees upon trees, as they entered the Icy Forest area of the scene. He scowled, wishing the Elephants no longer blocked his vision.

"Mommy, I'm scared.", said Bubble in a very low, very quiet voice. She held on to the cart like her life depended on it, and her hands were gripped with white joints. "This is scary."

Brandy knew what she had to do. She grabbed Bubble's shoulders, and whispered into her ear. "Don't worry, Bubble. It's okay. Mommy's here. And nothing's going to happen to you."

Trevor looked up, saw a Barbarian sinking his sword into the tail of an Elephant, and weakly smiled. Then he fell back down again, and resumed his unconsciousness.

The cart once again rounded the corner, and the boulder lay across the tracks. It was now their only obstacle before they once again entered a tunnel- destroying it seemed very important.

"Overdrive!", Dan shouted, and let loose a blast of energy. It collided with the rock in a blast of gold, blowing the stone to bits and revealing the entrance to the chamber beyond.

"We're heading in!", shouted Dan, and settled back into his seat. He gave Bubble a reassuring tap on the back, and looked out to his right. "Get read-"

Then he saw it. There was something jumping and dodging among the pieces of scaffolding, brushing against the bricks like paper, something fast enough to keep up with the cart. It mirrored their positions and movements incredibly quickly- yet it seemed to avoid the sheer ice parts of the mountain. He didn't' know what it was, seen through a thin sheet- but as they plunged through the tunnel, he knew it was going to be important.

Almost the second the cart stereaked into the third tunnel, the holographic force appeared right near. It found no need to even smile this time, rather, it just told him what it didn't like.

"Player Dan.", it said angrily, and fired a single bullet. It bounced off of Dan's'head, and Dan sucked in a sharp breath. "You have once again failed to comply. Continue, and you two will be met with dramatic force. Your choice- now remember, mandated weaponry only."

"What am I supposed to use?", asked Dan, in frustration. He threw his hands up, Star bursting out of each of them. "You didn't give me any!"

The cart seemed to notice his aggression, as the track suddenly, dramatically tilted. It slammed against the side of the window,

But the hologram was gone, and the light at the end of that tunnel growing closer. Dan growled in anger, rolled his eyes, and steeled himself for what was to come.

As the light burst open, the group was suddenly confronted with what they had not expected to see. A gigantic mass of tracks decorated the entire chamber, crisscrossing in and out and very which way, and the illumination came from a trio of silver lights.

Dan looked around, trying to see what awaited them in the new cavern. There it was, leaping along behind the thin drywall, no doubt a Forgotten waiting to ambush them at precisely the right time. He thought he could hear it snarl- but that was best left for later. RIght now, there was another problem to take care of.

Bubble screamed, seeing the first problem dead up ahead. She pointed, and Brandy leaned up and over to see what was bothering her. "Bubble, what is-"
"Waterfall!", Bubble yelled, and buried her face in the seats. "There's a waterfall coming!"
Dan bit back a curse, and looked forward. There, pouring right over the track, was a powerful looking waterfall. It seemed to beat with all the melting ice on the entire mountain- then Brandy realized it was almost certainly the same waterfall she had jumped up. It was funny how things worked out that like sometimes.

Dan held out his fist, ready to attack- when the cart suddenly twisted, throwing him off balance, moving all the way over to the right. It reached a 90 degree angle and kept on going, forming into a perfect corkscrew- a common maneuver on one of the types of rides that Ice Mountain was. But it did not typically come in 8's, which the one they had just endured through did.

"Guys.", said Trevor, shouting to be heard over all the screaming. "What are you doing? Just enjoy the ride."

He was stopped on that line of thought by a hard elbow from Dan, knocking him back and into the seat. He lay there in a broken daze, hearing Dan yell at him. "Are you crazy?"
Dan looked up, seeing the tracks about to enter yet another corkscrew. Then it would go into a super tall inversion, then a menacing cobra roll. Dan knew without a doubt not everyone in the cart could handle it- so he looked out ahead, and saw an extremely inviting track switch.

"I have an idea!", he shouted, and prepared his hands. He knew that it would attract the attention of the hologram, but it was far better than crashing again. "Just hold still!"

"What are you doing?", asked Brandy, fighting to be heard. She turned to her left- and her heart ripped out of her chest as she saw it. There was the thing that had been following them- it had torn through the drywall surrounding the ride's course, and was now coming straight for them.

It had a huge muscular torso, and four sclashing limbs. Its body was the color of toffee, eyes the color of insect blood. Claws the size of people were arranged at the ends, its mouth endlessly roaring and screaming. It was long, tall, and thin, perfectly adapted for flight, most likely. It pounded along the ground like an angry Spirit, scraping at the snow, its thin small eyes filled with a thirst for blood.

"Dan…", Brandy said, and filled her own arm with Dash, just in case. She had not yet done anything in this fight, if it could really be called that, and it caused her distress.

"I know, I know.", said Dan, and drew better into position. He read the monster's likely attack pattern, seen offensive pattern, and speed. "I think we can-"

Bubble shrieked, as the monster made a gigantic bound. Only then did Leon and Annabelle apparently remember they had weapons, and began to unload shots on the monster. It did nothing against the reptilian skin, except for slow it down- but it did that well.

The monster made one last leap, about to land directly on the cart- before Dan grabbed the switch and pulled as hard as he could. The cart spun away in the opposite direction, heading towards a very small door at the bottom of the cavern.
"Dad, what's down there?", asked Bubble in terror, and covered her eyes.

"I don't know.", Dan answered, knowing to be truthful above all. "Hopefully nothing too bad."

But they truly did not know, as they continued onwards down the track, and into the tunnel.

The light vanished as soon as they entered, as was expected by now. But to their horror, the course inside the tunnel was not merely darkened ice and fringe snow- no, it almost appeared to be some sort of storehouse, or basement. The walls were a pure soft white, but they dripped with menace and radiated evil on an inexplicable level. It did not take long before they found themselves zooming through something that appeared to be a long abandoned living room, complete with staticy TV, old mysterious paintings, and horrifyingly disfigured mannequins, all strewn about in poses that defied physics, sanity, and any good taste.

"Gah!", Brandy shrieked, recoiling as soon as they came near her. The lights were low and darkly atmospheric, giving the illusion of movement to the haunted figures. "What the-"

Dan threw his arm over her, and spat a burst of flame at one. It burst into burning ash, and gave a scream so utterly lifelike it sent shivers through Dan's soul. "Stay back!"

The cart itself screamed as it careened through the dark hallways off the main room, continuing into even further depths of madness. The mannequins were even further back into the encroaching nightmare, posed in such painful contortions it looks impossible even for their soft plastic frames. Not regular mannequins were they, where the joints were clearly defined and the faces were blank- but highly different, where the joints were as that of a regular human and the faces were hewn visible upon their faces, the soft white cloth reflecting every inch of their torment. The cart zipped past a fallen room, full of destroyed mannequins, bowing to a man in red. A microwave beeped insistently, the tone unlike any they had ever heard, its red light casting a shadow across the walls, the feeling that of a nightmarish lack of sleep. Carved hieroglyphs soon became visible upon the haunted walls, showing nothing but draconic fury, and endless death.

"Mommy!", Bubble screamed, her mind unable to handle the sudden onslaught of horror. She tried to bury herself in Brandy's grasp, but the tight restraints denied her movement. This caused her even more agony, and she screamed again. "Help!"

"I'm trying!", Brandy yelled, wrapping her arms around Bubble as best as she was able, but the distance between them seemed almost to be growing larger. "I'm trying-"

As Brandy reached for Bubble screaming out in pain, but unable to help her, unable to help her own daughter when she needed her most, she felt something come over her. It sounded like the bells of a bird, softly singing at the end of her vision.

Then, as soon as it came, it ended. For a very brief second, the nightmarish halls of darkness and truly bizarre, almost specific childhood horror ended, and the group found the cart riding over a high, air-time filled hill in a massive castle. It was not unlike the Castles of Royale they had at home, and Brandy and Dan found themselves homesick for half a second. It was red and black in color, however, so the homesickness was faint- but the thing that really stuck out was the tremendous organ, blasting at maximum volume throughout the entire place. But it was not a long bit of the castle, and thus they flew past the candlelit wonderpalace in just a few seconds.

Once they left that place, it was as if they were flying. They felt no weight upon themselves, and the imminent sense of dread The Basement had inflicted upon them had all but drained away. They were left with nothing but relief, and a sense of giddy wonder.

As Brandy opened her eyes, she saw the room they were now in. It was, once again, a vast icy cavern, but this time there was no Yeti. No Forgotten bearing down on them. No missing targets to shoot, no pressure on their bones, no overbearing stress that had been inflicted on them before. Now, there was only the sensation of flight over the gently curving hills, the giddiness of the drop in zero gravity, and the wonderment of the astonishingly beautiful landscape beside them.

"Woah.", said Brandy, and gently held on to Bubble a little bit tighter. Bubble held her tightly too, the space between them now gone. Brandy felt the bird's song slowly grow quieter, and change to one of peace, piped in directly through the speakers in the gigantic room. "That was… that was something, wasn't it?"

The cart went all the way up a hill again, and several giggles were heard from the group. Dan let himself cough, and lit up a bit of Star on his finger. Arranging its burn like a knife, he combed over his face, burning away all the spiderwebs that had been clinging on to him.

"Yeah.", he said, as the cart went through a gentle helix at a nice 45 degree angle, sloping down to the ground. He could see that they were now exiting the mountain, and would soon arrive at the ground below. "That was intense for some reason."

"What the frick were those things?", asked Leon, his eyes wide and his fingers in his hair, having apparently discovered his white stripes for the first time. "They were like… robots? But not."

"I don't know.", said Trevor, and shrugged. He tried to play it cool, but his arms were still shaking like an Ice Spirit on sugar. Annabelle was simply asleep, having quite simply fainted away.

"I didn't like those, Mommy.", said Bubble, and hiccuped as the cart went over another few bumps in the wooden track. "They were like mummies. I don't like those."
"Mummies?", asked Brandy, and scratched her cheek. "What are those?"
"Those.", said Bubble, and shivered just from the thought. "Those weird things."

"Ah.", said Brandy, and nodded. One hand flew through Bubble's hair, undoing the tangles, while the other went to her own mask to check if it was there. That was a strange thought- of course it was there. It was always there- her mask was part of her skin. If it had come off, she would have felt it. And yet… "Yeah, I don't like those either, sweetie."

"Heads up!", said Dan, as the end of the rails approached. A large water feature lay at the end, to slow the cart down and avoid crashes. "We're coming to the end now! Don't get-"

Everyone startled and grabbed on to the cart, as the railways shuddered their last few shudders. In a groaning scream of metal and wood, it slammed down onto the final stretch- and splashed up a huge wave of water over the entire group that drenched them all, Bubble opening her mouth to catch some. Dan winced, and took a deep breath. "Wet…"

Oddly enough, the cart had stopped right in the middle of the water, not at the end like it was likely supposed to. It was most likely just due to incredible amounts of misuse, or Dan's added weight, but it was inconvenient all the same.

Bubble crossed her arms, and huffed her hair out of her face. "I don't want to get wet, Mommy.", she said.

"But Bubble, you already are wet.", said Brandy, noting her dripping hair. "So what's the harm in-"
"I said, I don't want to get wet!", said Bubble again, a little more forcefully this time. "Somebody carry me out."

Brandy stared at her, trying not to attempt the comprehension of her strange, child mind, and shrugged. She hopped out of the cart, almost landed on the water- then tried something she had wanted to try for years, but had never gotten really the chance.

Brandy took a deep breath, filled her feet up with Dash, and- she Dashed across the water, leaving a spray of plume in her wake, only the bottoms of her boots ever getting wet. She landed on the other side after only 3 steps, and jumped high into the air.

"Guys, did you see that?", she asked, and squealed. "I just walked on water!"

Dave gave her a tired thumbs up and a wink, and she giggled again. With another Dash, she jumped on to his shoulder, then back onto the ground. Dan knew how to transport the cart- he slammed one hand into the ground, and jumped forward, bringing the entire thing back on to dry land. He took a stance by the side, and waited for everyone to get out.

"Alright, everyone.", he said, and pointed to Trevor. "Trevor. Map."

"Yes, sir.", said Trevor, and unrolled the map. It had, thankfully, been undamaged by the water, and was still able to be read. Trevor looked over it, and nodded. "Ancient Mountain. Just uh… west. West of here, Dan."

"Fantastic.", said Dan, and turned west. He set his eye on the massive figure of what looked to be Ancient Mountain in the distance, and started walking. "That way it is, then."

Annabelle walked beside Trevor, trying to work up the courage to ask something. But she could not, and so just said something instead. "Hey, uh… thank you for killing the Jesterbot back there."

Trevor turned his eye, and Annabelle almost retreated. But she held her ground, and continue to speak. Her voice was nervous, but her face was trying to be calm. "And- and- and it said it was the last one, right? So that means we won't have to go up against any more, right?"

Trevor took a second to ponder this, then slapped his knee. "Well, shoot.", he said, and nodded. "I guess you're right, Annabelle. That was the last of them."

"Now we just have to find this Jester.", said Dan, with a low rumble. "And take him out."

"Right, right.", said Trevor, and turned to Annabelle. He intended on talking to her, and nothing was going to be able to make him stop. "So, I saw how you were doing when-"

As their conversation bloomed, but trailed off as Brandy jumped up to Dan's shoulder, she decided to talk to him about something. It had been bothering her the whole day, and she wanted to speak up about it. "Dan, honey?"

"Yeah?", asked Dan, and raised his finger. Brandy felt a tiny shock of Star run through her ear, and she shivered. But that was not the reason why she wanted to talk to him. "You've been… acting a little strange lately. Upset, I guess. Why?"

"Why?", asked Dan, and sighed. He looked down at the ground, and Brandy could feel the raw, bubbling anger boil up from deep inside of him, like purple brimstone. "I'll tell you why."

He clenched one fist and looked up at the sky- then back down, towards the massive Clashcrush Mountain that loomed in the distance. He let out his breath- and Brandy almost cried out. For the first time since the War Fields, she could feel the fullest force and fire of his fury, like a volcanic eruption just lurking below the surface. She saw just how immense of a man and powerful of a force he really was, striding gigantic over the world's surface, able to destroy entire islands with single attacks. She saw the look of rage and hate on his internal face, and shivered with fear. Yet she knew his thoughts were not for her- no. They were for-

"Rakastamos.", said Dan, and clenched his fist. "I always knew we were going to kill him, but… now that it's so close, well… I truly do want to kill him. I do, and I'm going to enjoy it. I'm going to get rid of that bastard, and no more people will die just because an insane Dragon wants them to."

Brandy sat there in awe, marveling at Dan's speech. His power. Just what he could be, despite his kindness. Even though his kind self was his true self, there was this part of him too.

Then the cloud of wrath cleared up, and Dan turned back to Trevor. He stroked Brandy's back with one finger, to ensure that he hadn't forgotten about her- and Brandy hugged his hand, to acknowledge his words. "Hey, Trevor! What are we gonna run into in Ancient Mountain?"
Trevor looked at his map, and frowned. He looked up, and shrugged. "Dinosaurs."

"Dinosaurs?", asked Leon, with wonder. "Aren't those extinct?"

Trevor nodded, and Leon grinned. He pushed Bubble further up onto his shoulder, for she had chosen to fall asleep. "Epic."

And so the group continued their journey into fate, away from the mysteries of Ice Mountain, and into the prehistoric wonderment of the Mountain that was Ancient.

Song: Sekikamen

The wall of rock off the Ghost's Village was old beyond measure, grey as the infinite space between stars, and crumbling. The only way through it, a darkened tunnel full of cricks and cracks and ghostly fractures of countless dead, was not a particularly easy hike.

Thesenate floated easily over the sharpened, blade-like gravel, leaving Bailey to cautiously hop over it, Kurizas to float over it using his speeder- he had summoned it from the ship, although it had taken a while for it to arrive- and Nidavaleer to stomp over it, his thick soles and thick skin simply ignoring the rocks. The bridge to the actual rock was very thin and rickety- but it would not take a genius to guess it was the only way to the tunnel itself.

"Uh, sir?", asked Bailey, for old habits died hard, and some did not die at all. "Are we really going all the way up there?"

Thesenate turned, nodded, and turned back around. "Indeed we are. For it is only in there, through the route of truth, that the Chamber of Knowledge is located. And there you can find the information that you seek."

Bailey rolled her eyes, but she knew she had to do it. She was an SCP agent, after all. What was a little climb, through razor sharp rocks, in a still unfamiliar land? The one bright side- she could trust thesenate. She was sure he would not try and betray them- at least, mostly sure. For although she recognized him- he was certainly her King, albeit dead- she did not know how he had changed. Death tended to change people.

"What's the matter, Bailey?", asked Kurizas, as the group of four stepped tenderly onto the bridge. Thesenate had already floated over, unaffected by rough ground. Bailey stepped next, in front of Kurizas and Nidavaleer, cautiously toeing the rock. "Afraid of a little fall?"

"No, you smooth brain.", scoffed Bailey. "I'm just making sure it can hold our weight. This looks like it's only really been used by ghosts before, and they don't weigh anything."

Her eyes narrowed, as she put her other foot on the bridge. "Usually."

She looked at the bridge- there were no cracks in the rock that hadn't been there before. She took a few steps forward, and it held perfectly. She breathed out a sigh of relief, and kept on walking. "Okay guys, it'll hold. Proceed with caution."
As Bailey Dashed across the bridge, she looked back to see Kurizas about to head out. He slowly floated above the bridge with his floater bike, an expression of boredom on his face. Okay, that was good- he would not affect the bridge either. But that left one very big problem. And that problem was-

"Nidavaleer.", said Kurizas, looking back as he reached the other end of the bridge. He gave a little wave, as the massive Mega Knight looked down at the thin bridge. "You coming, buddy?"

Nidavaleer put his hand to his chin, and thought. He knew he needed to get across, but he also knew he would most likely break the bridge. There was always the option that he could jump across, but that might damage the bridge with the impact, and there would no longer be any way for them to get back. Not to mention the damage it might cause to his teammates, which would be a true disaster. He was not quite sure what to do, yet he could not ask for help.

Finally, Nidavaleer made up his mind. He took a strong, confident step forward, onto the rocky bridge- and retreated almost instantly as he heard a loud crack. A crack had appeared in the rock, forcing Nidavaleer off of the narrow stone ridge.

Well, shoot, he thought, and braced his legs for jump. I guess it's plan B then.

Bailey saw what he was about to do, and shouted. "Nid, wait! You're gonna bring down the whole structure-"

But of course, Nidavaleer had already seen through this outcome in his mind. He knew that it, although destructive,, was still preferable to the other outcome of falling off the bridge. So he ignored Bailey's shouts, bent his legs, and jumped into the air with the force of a gale.

Bailey almost tackled Kurizas out of the way, before he wrenched himself a few dozen feet away with his hoverbike. She instead tackled thesenate, pushing him aside with her Dash, skidding across the rocks as Nidavaleer made impact. There was a huge burst of dust, then a truly tremendous crash of sound and stone as the bridge, unable to take the shockwave, collapsed.

"Well, you're not walking back that way.", said thesenate, floated out of Bailey's arms, and promptly began to head towards the hole in the great rock wall. "But you're special space forces now, right? I'm sure you can find some way to get back here."

"Wait, are you not gonna tell us?", Bailey asked, as she followed him. "Why not?"
"I'm dead.", said thesenate, and gave an old laugh. "I don't have to do anything."

Bailey rolled her eyes- and stopped. Her mind went to how it felt to tackle thesenate, and it reminded her of the last time she had done so. It was back during the raid, back when she had still lived in the Castle. She had been running towards the door with thesenate and-

She blinked, stopping right before the entrance to the tunnel proper. "And Meg."

Kurizas saw her standing there, and gave her a little shove on the back with the nose of his bike. "Hey, Bailey?", he said. "Are you gonna go?"

"Right, right.", said Bailey, and nodded. She hopped through the dark entrance, and took a deep breath, savoring the last clean air before the dusty, fusty tunnel. "I'm going."

She walked right behind thesenate, wondering just what Meg had gotten up to. She knew she had survived, for she had seen her at that final Arena Battle. She had been about to go over to Red- Bailey was now glad she had not, for it would have almost certainly meant her demise.

Bailey took a second, still remembering, then she knew it for certain. Meg had last been seen sitting on that other Bandit's lap. What was her name? Brandy? No, that was the other one, the one that Bailey had fought, and bore a strange resemblance to. Jessie? No, that was the one she had met once and then never talked to again. Brenda, that was it. Bailey's eyes narrowed a bit, and her fist clenched out of instinct. If she ever were to run into Brenda again, she would teach her to steal Meg from her like that. Meg had been, and still probably would be, her friend- if they were ever to meet, of course. But that was unlikely.

"Oh, Meg?", asked thesenate, and Bailey was startled out of her thoughts. Thesenate laughed, and tapped his hand on the nearby wall. "I've been keeping an eye on that one. Nice young Musky. If a bit broken at times."

"Wait, what do you mean you've been keeping an eye on her?", asked Bailey, raising an eyebrow. "How can you do that? Is that like a Ghost power or something- no, wait. Don't tell me she's here!"

"Oh no, no, neither of those.", said thesenate, and pointed forwards, into the dark tunnel. "This is the Chamber of Knowledge. I can see many things in the world from here- including young Meg's activities. I can see her work in the arena, interact with her friends, I could even watch her sleep!"

He realized what he had said, and tried to back up. "I mean, if I wanted to. I don't. Of course, I was just giving an example. That's it. Only. I'm serious."

"Okay, okay, whatever.", said Bailey, and jumped forward, catching up with him. She grabbed thesenate by the shoulder and looked dead into his dead eyes, her voice slow. "Tell me where to find this chamber. I know it's ahead, but where ahead? Because if we get access to this, we might be able to save the world."

"Oh, I know.", said thesenate, with the crazy old look in his eye of a crazy old man. "It's just up ahead, Bailey. If you run, you might be able to catch it before the door closes."

"Thank you, I-", said Bailey, then stopped. Her eyes widened, and her grip tightened. "Wait, what do you mean the door will close?"

"The door will close.", said thesenate, and nodded. "You see, there's a door that blocks the chamber off. It's solid Bridgestone- you won't be able to get through. It closes at around this time of week, and won't open once it's closed for another few days."

"What?", Bailey shrieked, and grabbed him so tightly it would have drawn blood if there was still any to be drawn. "Why didn't you- why would there be- how long?"

Thesenate took a few seconds to look at his watch, and smiled. "One minute."

Bailey fumed through her nose, and looked back. Kurizas and Nidavaleer were still lagging behind. She didn't want to leave them- but on the other hand, she knew she had no choice. She had to find out the information, and she had to complete the mission-

"Feather?", she heard thesenate say, and turned her attention back to him. There was his outstretched hand, holding what had been her trademark feather. His face was inviting, and the feather even more so, sending out such a pulse of nostalgia Bailey almost had no choice but to take it and tuck it into her hood. She snarled. "Yes…"

Then without further waiting, she turned around, ready or not, and Dashed off into the dark.

Song: Road to the Chamber

Bailey Dashed along the ground at the highest speed she could manage, rocks and dust flying up behind her, pumping to beat all, cursing madly under her breath. She cursed thesenate for not telling her earlier, she cursed herself for not going faster- but most of all, she cursed whoever had such a door installed. It didn't even make sense for one to be there- so why put it? It frustrated her to no end. But she knew she had to keep going as fast as she could, so she grit her teeth, narrowed her eyes, and kept on running.

Strange visions flashed by her eyes, ones of floating ghosts and crawling Skeletons, but the skeletons of troops. Ticking clocks and beating drums were outlayed in chalk along the walls, sending a strange music into Bailey's mind. It surged urgency and poured direness, but was strangely motivational. She didn't have time to think about it- she just had to run.

Bailey leapt over a cinder block, landing on a chunk of petrified wood and pushing off of it, skidding alongside the wall in a single continuous movement. She pushed off the rock and was once again on the floor- she could see something in the distance. She couldn't quite tell what it was- but it looked a whole lot like some sort of Chamber.

Bailey put on an additional burst of speed, praying she could make it before the door came. If she didn't, the entire trek through the Ghostlands would have been all for nothing. She didn't know what she was going to do once she found out the info- if thesenate had been correct, the door remained there for several days, no way else in or out. She would be stuck there, no supplies, for days on end- but that was okay. She would have fulfilled her mission, and she would have the world to watch in her final-

No, wait. If she was stuck in there, no one else, there would be no way to relay the information back. Kurizas and Nidavaleer would have to wait outside until the door lifted- but by then, the mission would be over. It would have been far, far too late.

Bailey screamed in frustration, and pounded out the last few steps. She could see the chamber grow closer, closer, closer, until she could practically just reach out and-

"Bailey.", she heard a voice inside her head say, and she became aware of her own body standing still. "Would you like to learn your real name?"

Bailey didn't even really pay attention. She just reached out with her entire mind and tore the influence away, once again starting to run. "I already know my real name! It's Bailey!"

Then, to her utter shock, she became aware of three individuals beside her. Kurizas stared at her in confusion, Nidavaleer stomped on forwards, and thesenate tried to contain his laughter.

"You-", Bailey gasped, realizing it. She had clearly been in that state for far more than a minute, but there was no door. There never had been. "You tricked me!"

Thesenate laughed, and gave her a friendly bump on the shoulder. "Oh, that's my girl.", he said, and Bailey scowled. "Always has such an ethic for finding things out- ow!"

That came from Bailey's smack on the head, and thesenate grumbled while fixing his crown. He supposed he deserved it somewhat, given that he had tricked her in a cruel manner.

"Okay, so…", said Bailey, and looked froward. "This is then? The Chamber of Knowledge?"

The chamber was not much to look at- merely a roundish cave, filled to the brim with dirt, more dirt, and the occasional odd crystal, root, or book. Nothing moved in the cave, save for a single switch at the middle's floor.

"Oh, no.", said thesenate, and reached for the switch. He gave a long wink, and gave the switch a yank. "This is."

All at once, the dirt fell away to reveal an incredibly beautiful laplace, with crystals lining the walls, roots intertwined in a double pattern, and a powerful, humming computer sitting at the middle. Bailey let herself gasp just a little, but she retained her seriousness.

"Alright, so…", said Bailey, and walked towards the computer. "What do I do?"

"Put your hand on the computer's interface.", said theseneate, and Bailey moved her hand up. "No, that's the screen. It's a weird screen, but it is one. A little down more, and- ah! Got it."

Thesenate floated down to behind Bailey, and nodded. "Now, tell it what it is that you want it to show you. But be careful what you say."

Bailey nodded, and thought about it. After about two seconds, she nodded her head, and spoke into the computer as loudly as she could. "Computer? Show me Meg."

The computer all at once swerved to life, blue lights and purple beeps flooding the room. The screen turned on with a pleasant yawn, and a serious looking blue face appeared on the screen.

"Showing Meg.", she said, and the screen became replaced with an image of exactly what Meg was doing at that very moment- en route to the Continent of the Clans, held tightly in Brenda's arms, taking a quick rest before the invasion.

"Um.", said Bailey, and thought about that for a moment. She decided it would take too long for for her to think about it, and so it was time to move on to the next thing. She slapped the keyboard, looked up into the screen, and made her next request with pride.

"Computer.", she said, not thinking about her words. "Show me everything."

Song: Dark Energy

All around the blistering, dark-shrouded peak of Clashcrush Mountain, where the evil flowed in thick rivulets and the menace poured off the black stone like blood off a cursed blade, where lightning flashed from the dark surface of the mountain and screams echoed like the bellows of a great leviathan sleeping below the ocean's surface, there was an aura of dark determination.

Past the levitating rocks and slash marks burning with molten lava lay the massive entrance, a single vast gate of unknown material barring all entry from invaders. Rakastamos had had it newly installed after the last incursion of Troops- for he no longer wished to be disturbed. The smaller invasions had been helpful for his purposes, but he no longer needed them, in his current state. Now he was ready for the final phase of his plan, and the steps needed to carry it out.

Past the gate, through the vast dripping maw of a cavern and into the gullet of the mountain, death floated like Bats off the walls. Countless lives had been lost in the entryway to the Lair of the Dragonlord, and he hoped that many more would soon stain that patch of rock.

The mountain's interior was composed of dozens upon dozens of caverns of various sizes and shapes, all dedicated to a single purpose each. Beyond the first, the so called "Greeting Area", was the place where they all split off, descending further into evil.

Right below that was the Jester's Lair, a land of chaos and debauchery so totally unhinged that even Rakastamos dared not to bother himself with it. It, sometimes, made him shiver. The only reasons he even kept the Jester so close by were one, his overwhelming power, arguably the greatest of all his Forgotten- but nowhere near Rakastamos himself, of course. The second reason was if he were ever to leave his lair, the world beyond would be corrupted into a state that Rakastamos could no longer rule with an intact stomach. So he kept the Jester in his lair, like a vial of poison hanging from his proverbial belt.

Past the Jester's lair were his own personal chambers, where he slept, made plans, and spent many a long, wiley hour staring into the hundreds of feet of Mirror up against his wall. It brought him no solace to do so- and yet he did, for deep in his aching heart, he did not want to recover from that which brought him sorrow.

Past that was the truly gargantuan War Chamber, in which his armies were situated. Immense and terrible armies were they, tens of thousands of Skeletons, Mouse Droids, Minions, mechanical Troops and the like all ready for battle at any given time. Usually each chunk of Troops would be headed by a Forgotten, but they were all either out or dead at the time. It was also where Rakastamos conducted his experiments- where he had learned to reverse engineer the Sparky in a matter of minutes, and where he kept his Blood Elixir Drill. That was all in a pristine condition up against one wall, still dripping into the immense glass container where he kept his future liquid ascension. Sometimes he would just sit there and watch it drip, in dark anticipation of the day when he would finally get to drink it- and he knew that day was now very close by. Very close by, indeed.

Past that were the Teaching and Rearing chambers, where the Baby Dragons under his care were taken care of. There were always some Skeletons moving around, helping him when he was too busy to do it himself, as well as some regular Dragons for advanced care- for the Skeletons were not Dragons, and thus could not hope to understand just what it was that a healthy young Dragon needed. A fresh diet of meat and Elixir, room to stretch their wings, intellectual stimulation from the massive bookshelf along one wall- but most importantly, the constant reminders of just who they were. Tales of the golden age gone past, the time when Dragons decisively ruled the world, and words of reminder that soon, so very, very soon, that time would come again.

It was there that Rakastamos found himself, in the chamber with the little ones, attempting to quell his excitement by telling them what was going on in the world outside. It was his version of course, but the Baby Dragons did not know that. They only knew what he taught them, what he told them. To them, he was the benevolent, all knowing, all merciful and wide Father Rakastamos, and no one could possibly tell them anything different.

Rakastamos sat immense along the one wall, the scars on his back intentionally not visible to the young ones. He looked down at their wide eyes and open mouths, and let himself have the smallest hint of a smile upon his face.

"The Tailbiters are almost upon us, young ones.", he said, with a bit of a growl in his voice. "They've made their way past Ice Mountain, and the poor old Jester is now out of robots to attack them with. Do any of you bright young minds have any idea what to attack them with?"

The eager mouths of the Baby Dragons fell shut, as they began to think. Some of them tapped the ground with their feet, some of them swished around with their tails, and some of them just drooled a little onto the rock. It took them a few seconds, but one eventually responded.

"Where exactly are they going, Father Rakastamos?", he asked, and Rakastamos smiled.

"Ah, that is a good question.", he said, and beat his tail upon the rock. "It is always important to find out as much information as possible before offering a suggestion. Very good, er…"

"Dablia, Father.", said the Baby Dragon, and scratched his head with his foot. "Dablia."

"Ah, Dablia.", said Rakastamos, and nodded. "That's very good, Dahlia. But in answer to your question, they are going to Ancient Mountain next. They are currently en route to it."

"Then should we just let the natural lifeforms of Ancient Mountain take their course, and perhaps do the attackers in?", another asked, and burped. "That seems like the logical thing to do."

"Oh, perhaps it does.", said Rakastamos, proud of his young ones for being so articulate. But of course they were speaking in Draconic- to an outsider, it would have seemed to be mere squawks and grunts, bellows and the occasional roar. "However, these…"

He blinked, trying to regain his composure. Almost any mention of The Group made him angry, and this time was no exception. "These Tailbiters seem to be quite exceptional at making their way through just about any situation. Every Forgotten we've sent in so far has failed to stop them-"

His voice suddenly grew far deeper, and fire flashed in his eyes. "And it appears that we are starting to run out."

The Baby Dragons were silent for a few seconds, none of them wanting to break the silence. The Forgotten had been their primary caretakers before they had been starting to head out more, and hearing that they had been lost was uncomfortable for many. It was not like losing their parents, but it was like losing a particularly nice old uncle that you only met once.

"But.", said Rakastamos, and turned his attention ack to the task at hand. "You all. You're going to get to help me perform strategy today. Now look at these."

Rakastamos grabbed a smallish- although really the size of a house- leather bag off the side of the wall, and tipped it out onto the rock. He withdrew over a dozen stone figurines, five of them hastily made and a little shoddy and the rest clean and perfected. "These represent all the players in this situation. You see, here are the Tailbiters."

He tipped them up and arranged them in a circle, almost intentionally tipping some of them over.

"And here's the path to where we are right now.", said Rakastamos, and let loose a small blast of flame. The Baby Dragons all gasped and clapped their wings in excitement as the rock glowed with a map of the mountain range, Iron Mountain at one end and Clashcrush Mountain at the other. Two spots glowed particularly bright- the pathway between Ice Mountain and Ancient Mountain, the location of The Group, and Rakastamos's current location. He took the figures of The Group and placed them on the first spot, then tipped the figures of his remaining Forgotten onto the rock. He gestured to them and the Baby Dragons, then nodded. "Go, my little ones. Show me your best strategy for today."

As one the Baby Dragons ran around, grabbing the figures from off the ground and pushing them around, snapping at each other's tails, breathing jets of flame at each other's positions, and squabbling like baby birds. They slammed figures into spots, only to have them stolen and placed elsewhere. This continued on for several minutes, Rakastamos watching in mild amusement, but finally the Baby Dragons stopped, looked up, and awaited Rakastamos's approval.

"Um.", he said, and took a look at his Forgotten's positions. "I… I see. That's an interesting strategy, I suppose, but-"
"We put them together so none of us would argue!", said one of the Baby Dragons, and a few others nodded. "All where we are so they could come and see us!"

Rakastamos stared, and picked up the figures, tossing them around like dice. "Yes, but we are conducting warfare, not a party. Maybe once this is all over they can come to you. Now, Dahlia… why don't you try?"

Dablia looked up, and nervously nodded. "I'll try, Father Rakastamos."

"No, you will do.", said Rakastamos, and smiled widely. "Isn't that right?"

Dablia set his jaw, and grabbed the first figurine. "Yes. Yes, it is."

He began to move the figures around, as Rakastamos watched. At first he did not know what Dablia was doing, but soon it began to become clear to him. Rakastamos's eyes lit up with wonder, at the young one's genius.

Dablia put the last figure into place, and looked up at Rakastamos. "I did it!", he said, and beamed. "I put them all in sideways alphabetical order!"

"What?", asked Rakastamos. "Sideways alphabetical order- what does that even mean?"

"It means I put them in random order.", said Dablia, and sneezed. "Kind of."

"Random order?", asked Rakastamos, and inspected the figures further. "No. Oh no, no, no. This is no random order, young Dahlia. No, not at all."

Rakastamos laughed to himself, and memorized the layout. It all made perfect sense. That one would be perfect for Ancient Mountain- he alone could take full use of its lifeforms. And then those in Dark Mountain- that made even more sense. And then to leave them where Dablia had suggested- it was pure genius. He looked down at Dablia, and crinkled his eye. This one clearly showed true signs of battle genius, he just did not know it yet.

"Why, this is the best order even that I myself could have come up with.", he said, and let loose a great booming laugh. "I must give you my personal congratulations."

"Th- thank you, Father.", said Dablia, and bowed. "I am truly honered."

"Well, I suppose that this can be over for today.", said Rakastamos, and waved a dismissing hand. "Thank you all for coming. Next time we meet, I shall have-"

But then, something happened. None of them thought much of it at first, but it would soon become something that would haunt the young Baby Dragon's minds forever.

Song: Hakai

"Father Rakastamos, sir?", asked one of the regular Dragons, a mere level 1. Beside him was a Baby Dragon, shy, being escorted. "The little one here would like to ask you a question."

"Oh, what is it?", asked Rakastamos, turning around. "I always have time to answer some questions."

"Well, it's about mortals.", said the Baby Dragon, and Rakastamos's brow ridge slightly raised.

"Yes? What about them?"

The Baby Dragon gulped, clearly nervous, but found the courage to continue. "Well, you always say that they're inferior to us Dragons, right? That we are the rightful rulers of the world, and that mortals will always be and always have been below us in every way?"
"Yes, yes, I do.", said Rakastamos, but felt a slight twitch at the base of his skull. From across the room, Sophie the Archer Queen watched, with a slight smile. She had been the one to put the question into the Baby Dragon's head, as a means of small revenge. She had slipped it to him while feeding him, pretending to talk to herself about it. "Do go on."

"If they're so weak and we're so strong, then why did they take over the world?", asked the Baby Dragon, letting the words all flood out at once. "How could they seal you away, when you always say that you were at the height of your power? How come-"

At those words, Rakastamos felt a sharp bolt of white hot rage flash down his spine. Reason left him as his ideology was so ruthlessly challenged, and his jaws swung downwards automatically.

"How.. how come…", said the Baby Dragon, stumbling over his words at the sight, and his face grew white. "Fa- Father… Rakastamos?"
"You…", Rakastamos growled, in a tone of voice that sent biting chills all the way up the spines of every Dragon in the cave. "You would dare… say those words to me?"

The Baby Dragons began to grow scared, seeing their Father Rakastamos in such a state. They all rapidly backed up- except for the one who had asked the question, his all encroaching fear practically gluing him in place. Rakastamos moved his head down towards him, and fire burst from his scales all down his throat. "I, Rakastamos?"

"Lord Rakastamos, he's sorry, I'm sorry, he didn't mean to-", the Dragon started, but a single glare from Rakastamos forced his breath out of his lungs. He fell to the floor choking, while the Baby Dragon almost fainted dead away. But Rakastamos's glare kept him awake, kept him staring, kept him afraid.

"I will not have dissenters among my ranks, do you understand me?", Rakastamos bellowed, and the Baby Dragons broke out into a run. They ran as far away as they could- and yet they could not help but see it, as Rakastamos grabbed the offending Baby Dragon and regular Dragon, bringing them up to his raging, roaring mouth. "I will not have-"
As every Dragon in the cavern gasped in horror, Rakastamos bit down on the two, killing them both within a single second. Their blood sprayed across the cavern, and he gulped them both down in a splatter of meat and Elixir that brought uncontrolled horror to the Baby Dragons watching. Rakastamos gulped them down, and roared upwards. "Dissenters!"

He stood there for a second, letting his rage once again subside, feeling the blood drip down his face, regretting absolutely nothing about his actions. They were entirely justified in his mind- if they dared to question his teachings, then they deserved only death. He was the almighty Dragonlord Rakastamos, and none dared to defy him that lived.

"Now then…", he breathed, seeing that he was now practically alone in the chamber. But that was alright- he did not care for others right now. Not with the blood on his chin, death in his eyes, and true, total victory so close within his grasp. "Where were we?"

He looked down at the figurines, and grinned. "Ah, yes. I should tell them all right away…"

Rakastamos stomped towards the great gate that blocked off the world, knowing that it was now time to open it. He had something to do- something vitally important. It could not wait.

Song: Super Perfect Cell

Rakastamos stomped towards the gate with his gargantuan force and mighty body, feeling the power surge through him like a million volt battery surges through a TV remote. He savored the feeling, letting it crackle over his body in the physical form of lightning and fire, laughing as he crashed through a massive stalactite. The gate began to move downwards, the Skeletons that attended it having long since seen him coming.

"Yes…", he breathed, knowing what he had to do. It had been such a long time since he had done something like this, unleashed a reminder that he was there. But it would feel so good to do so, even if it meant giving away his position- but then again ,what did that matter? The gods were in space. If a group was going to meet him, they were already likely on their way to do so. So there would be only benefits to showing off, to spread inescapable fear across the entire continent- no, even the entire world. There was no more important thing to him right then, for some reason he could not quite place. "This… this will be wonderful, masterful!"

He felt his voice crack and change on a word, but he did not care. He did not care about what was happening, only that he felt glory on a truly unmatched level, coursing through his entire body. It did not hurt, no, it felt good. "This is my triumph, soonest at hand!"

As the gate slammed open and crashed into the rocky ground, Rakastamos gave a titanic roar, stepping outside as the air itself shook with unimaginable horror. It had been thousands of years since he had last left his cave- for it was now, without any longer a doubt, that the dread Dragonlord Rakastamos had finally returned.

He opened his wings in a dark crescendo, as the winds began to howl around him. "And let the hearts of mortals no longer await each day with eagerness! Let their minds and souls know only fear till the end of all creation, for I have come to bring balance, and wipe them off the face of life itself, like even unto the insects swept away from a fouled garden!"

He knew full well that his voice was changing, becoming somehow even deeper and more menacing with every word he spoke. Sometimes he did not even truly recognize that dark and terrible voice that boomed from his throat, but he knew for sure that it was not his own.

And yet he allowed it. For there he was, at the height and the summer of his power. There he was, crackling with unlimited dark energy and true frothing fury, the perfection of his form a terror upon the world. He took a deep breath and savored it- he, Rakastamos, the perfect being.

"When the dark, long shadows of the night fall upon the land, they shall know only peace from now on!", he boomed, not caring who heard him- in fact, he wished that many would. "For at last shall the great mother surface have her blisterings washed away, and her truest children brought to their fullest glory!"

As he spake those evil words, Rakastamos could feel his mouth frothing over, and his skin burning with white hot flame. He beat his tail upon the rock, savoring the rich bell tones that it produced. He could even hear some strange, otherworldly music in his ears now- that of his glory, his strength, and his true destiny as the World's Savior.

"Who shall dare to oppose me on my rightful path?", Rakastamos screamed to the sky, and the gathering storm clouds above. "Who dares to challenge me, and my warriors? For look what and who I wield!"

Rakastamos roared once again, and breathed a burst of golden fire right into the sky. A dozen or so bolts of lightning flashed from the clouds above right into the flame, splitting it into the shapes of several Forgotten. Rakastamos laughed, and beat his colossal wings.

"Who dares to face the mighty maw of ages past?", he laughed, and the mountain shook with his pride. "Who has the strength to face down the One Who Kills With a Single Blow? And who can possibly face She Who Cannot Be Hurt?"

He thought for a second about just who might be able to face them down- the Tailbiters and Chuqualita. He still did not yet know about Askari, not even from the Jester. For some reason, he had failed to tell him. "And those… yes, those."

For a second, the gathering storm was quieted as he thought long and hard. But then he once again began to laugh, as he remembered his forces, and where he had commanded them to go.

"Yes… yes!", he shouted, and the clouds once more began their relentless march, all funneled into a colossal tornado, right over his head. It tore at the rock and beat apart the sand, but Rakastamos was not as weak as a mere mountain. He stood his ground with ease, enjoying the feeling of such power rippling all around him. "Those fools will not stand a chance against Them… and I have a special surprise for my dear sister if she ever tries to to come knocking."

Like a titanic, evil conductor, Rakastamos raised his right hand. Down below a stream of lava burst from the ground with a mighty rumble, joining and swirling into the clouds far overhead. He raised his left hand, and a stream of black ash did the same. Together they swirled in the sudden thunderstorm, lava and lightning flashing in equal measure, the black ash surrounding the toxic rain.

"Now let the world know this!", Rakastamos screamed, blood flying from his lungs at the sheer force of the bellows. "And let the world fear its rightful master, until there are no more left to fear!"

With a truly immense bolt of lightning that lit up the skies in a bright flash that could be seen from all corners of the world, the storm finally began to spread. It rushed across the sky at the speeds of a sonic boom, soon to reach all across the continent, bathing it in smoke and ash.

Rakastamos's rage and intense emotions finally reached a fever pitch, as he screamed into the sky for all he was worth. His face, then his entire body lit up with intense energy, filling his veins and wings with an unbelievable darkness that fueled him like the sun fuels a planet.

"FOR THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR THE MORTALS OF THIS WORLD!", he screamed, the sheer volume reaching out for hundreds of miles in all directions. Even now he could feel, even taste the fear beginning to creep out of thousands upon thousands of villages, entering him like a fine wine. He breathed it all in, and laughed.

Nobody happened to be watching him directly at that precise movement. But if they were, they would have seen something truly horrifying happen.

The entire left side of Rakastamos's body began to bubble, turning into a gigantic black cloud of mist and smoke. Thousands upon thousands of yellow eyes burbled out from the depths, laughing in a dark chorus that echoed Rakastamos. He did not notice- he was too busy wallowing in the purest depths of his insanity. He did not notice as his voice slipped fully into that of the demon that possessed his body, nor would he have cared if he had.

"AND LET NO VOICE SPEAK OF HOPE!", he screamed, as the raging storm grew to a full crescendo.

"LET NO HINT OF HEAVEN'S INFLUENCE REACH THIS LAND, FOR UPON IT THERE SHALL BE ONLY DOOM!"

Blood dripped from his mouth, and he enjoyed the taste. The air rippled with heat, and he savored that fact. "ALL SHALL BECOME AS IT ONCE WAS- UNDER I, THE GREAT-"

He took a deep breath, and unleashed his final words. The storm burst out once more, covering the entire sky with a thick blanket of grey and red in less than a second.

"DRAGON EMPEROR RAKASTAMOS!", he screamed, and such was the blast of blinding energy that erupted from the top of the peak that light itself was temporarily driven back.

Once the darkness cleared, and the fragile light timidly crept back in, he stood there bleeding. Grrshknn's influence had left him, and he gasped for breath. He sensed The Messenger running up to meet him, and he held up a hand.

"Get... ", he said, and took a few seconds just to breathe. "Get me a tall drink of Dark Elixir. And a few hundred Hogs. I sense a great battle on the horizon."

His eyes narrowed, as he looked towards the borders of the purple and green Ancient Mountain, its volcanic shape curving around the giant lake in its center. "It's going to be with a very certain group of individuals… and I need to be ready."

Song: Fields of Fright

The immensely dense foliage of Ancient Mountain would have been renowned across the entire world and potentially even beyond, had it not been a place known to only a very few. It would have been perhaps known by many more had almost all of the attempts to settle or map it failed, every explorer fallen to unknown causes. Some suggested the wildlife- but some suggested it was far more sinister reasons. In reality, it was both.

The sheer heat hovering over the area like an overprotective parent was in stark, almost painful contrast to the frigid temperatures of Ice Mountain, only a few miles away. It was unknown how the bizarre temperature magic worked in the Clashcrush Mountains, but it was a mystery that nobody had ever bothered to figure out. Perhaps it was due to its location at the center of the world, perhaps it was due to its age. Among the very few and little- they were Goblins- scholars who had studied it, the structure and environment of Ancient Mountain had remained unchanged for almost 35 million years. Such a staggering amount of time was difficult to think about for many people- that was before the first Troops had evolved, before even the Hay Day Farms had been established, before even the places that made up the Ghostlands had been created. It had been a land of wilderness and survival, where Dragons fought with Dinosaurs fought with things that no longer had written names. It had been a time when volcanoes and chaotic rivers ruled the land, when the seas were hot and shallow, rumored to be a time before even the gods were worshipped. It was a time when-

"When Dinosaurs ruled the world.", said Bubble, carefully sounding out each word on the sign in the group's way. She looked back at Dan, who blew out a deep breath to keep himself from overheating in the muggy, overpowering sun. "Daddy, what does that mean?"

"Uh…", said Dan, and yawned. Within seconds, everyone else in the group was yawning as well. Brandy decided she would finish the sentence, leaning off of Dan's shoulder. "Dinosaurs were a type of Animal that lived a super long time ago, sweetie. And this mountain was made back then."

"Made?", asked Bubble, scrunching up her face in confusion. "Made by who?"

"Well, the… mountain makers, I suppose.", said Brandy, sticking out her tongue with a flip before Dan could interject with the correct answer. "They must have been a cool bunch."

"Mountain makers?", asked Leon, with an arch of his brow. "Mom, what are you talking about? Mountains are formed by natural geological processes, not people."

Brandy gave Leon a little bit of a Look- he was acting sort of strangely. His hair was a little messed up, and his hood lay a little crooked. Brandy reached out an arm to address both problems. "Oh, yes they are."

"But they're not.", said Leon, and winced as Brandy adjusted his hair. "Hey, quit it!"

Brandy, a little taken aback, stopped running her fingers through Leon's hair. "Quit it? What do you mean, quit it?"
Leon leaned away from her, pulling his hood further over his face. His cheeks burned unseen, and Hunter Killer almost flickered into view inside his hoodie sleeve. "I just don't feel like being touched right now, Mom. Okay?"

Brandy felt a little bit of her heart ache, but she nodded. Leon was responsible, she had seen that- and if he didn't want to be touched, then he didn't want to be touched. It was a bit sad for Brandy, but she just had to let him be him.

"Actually, they are.", said Dan, and stepped between a huge pair of leaves. He burned away another that was in the way, revealing a lush path beyond, filled to the brim with enormous flowers of every size, shape, and color that swayed in the breeze. "Anghammarad, the Primal Golem, is responsible for each and every mountain that you see."

"Ang...hammarad?", asked Leon, not familiar with the name. "Yeah, and who is that?"

"You know, the Primal Golem?", asked Dan, and started moving down the path. "Oldest non god being in the world, built each continent, and now resides deep under the sea?"

"Uh, no.", said Leon, and shrugged. "They never taught me that. No one did."

"Oh, that's sad.", said Brandy, and suddenly hugged Leon from behind. He stiffened and sucked in a breath at the contact, his tail winding upwards. "Did they not treat you well over there?"

Leon grabbed Brandy's arms, pushed them away from his body, and scrambled over to the other side of Dan's shoulders. He stared at Brandy with a touch of anger in his eye, then pulled his hood over his face once again. "I said, don't touch me. And no, they did not."

Brandy knew she should go to him- but she also knew she shouldn't. Her motherly instincts had already overcome her thoughts once in the moment, and she knew she shouldn't let that happen again. She huffed her bangs out of her face, and folded her arms. "Okay, fine."

She had hardly had a moment to sit by herself when she heard Dan's voice inside of her head- it was a slightly strict, but of course still loving tone that he used when he wanted to talk to her about something important. Brandy? Can we talk?
Brandy put her head on his neck, and sighed. Sure we can, honey. Talk to me about whatever.

You've been acting different, said Dan, not even bothering to prelude his words. This was too important. And not entirely in a good way.

Almost immediately, Brandy's face fell. She looked up at Dan in shock, wondering what he could have meant by that. "What…", she said out loud, then corrected herself. What?

You've been acting a lot less… mature, he said, and scratched his chin. And kind of more so, at the same time- but it's kind of like the worst of both. I'm not sure how to say it…

Brandy leaned back, and thought about his words. She could tell there was no anger in them, or malice. He was telling her these words out of love- so why was he saying them?
And I'm only telling you these things because I love you, said Dan, and nodded, ducking under a massive branch. I want to help you get better than this.

Brandy slowly nodded, and looked up at him. Okay. Tell me what I need to do.

Dan's mouth slowly bent up into a smile, and he gave her a slight shock on the back. "See? There you-"

I mean, see? There you are. That's my Brandy.

Brandy continued ot stare, confused. What? What did I do differently?
Well, said Dan, and popped his neck loudly. Some leaves stirred from the sound, but it was nothing too major. You've been acting like, well… a ditzy support mom. That's the term I was looking for.

Brandy blinked, and put her hands on her hips. But Dan, I am a supportive mom! I hope.

Yes, but you are most definitely not ditzy, said Dan. You are smart, and wonderful, and I feel like you're acting differently. Why is that?

Brandy sighed, and looked down at the ground. She knew full well, but had not wanted to admit it until now. I'm hungry.

Yes, that's part of it, said Dan, and nodded. But keep on going. What else do you need?

I need Leon to let me hug him, Brandy thought. And I need a real bath, and I need to stop going through all this extreme weather, and I need to stop almost dying, and I need to-

She buried her face in Dan's shoulder, and he slowly pushed her upwards.

Woah, woah, none of those are your fault, he said. They're Leon's and the journey's fault. But there are some things that are your fault, and they need to be addressed.

Without even waiting for Brandy to respond, he turned up the volume of his own voice inside of her head, and spoke. You're being too soft. Too… indecisive. I know this journey has exhausted you, but you need to keep your wits up. Remember, this is the day we face Rakastamos.

Brandy listened in wonder, each word that Dan said hitting her straight in the heart- but they did not hurt. They felt like an upgrade, only increasing her emotional strength.

You need to be strong, Brandy, said Dan. I know you. I know you're strong, and smart, and witty, and spontaneous, and-

Spontaneous?, asked Brandy, and stuck out her tongue. She formed both of her hands into a V and closed her eyes, whirling forwards around Dan's arm and back to a seated position. Like that?

Sure, thought Dan, and nodded. But above all, you need to stop… well. I mean, I know that you're a mother. We're parents now. But the doting mother type… I feel it's just not for you. No, you're the cool mom, and trying to be anything else than what you are is kind of having an effect on you.

Brandy felt her eyes water, and she almost fell forward onto Dan's arm, but she remembered what he had said. She instead straightened her posture, looked up- and felt it. She felt a small golden spark within her, replacing the soft white light that had been there before. She suddenly knew know that the golden spark had been there for far longer than the white light- that was her normal state. She needed to get back to it, and to stop sleeping while she was awake.

But she was pulled out of her thoughts by the sounds of Leon and Trevor shouting at each other, and she immediately whipped around.

"Trevor!", shouted Leon, and shoved his foot forward. It beat against Trevor's, both of them refusing to give ground. "Stop shoving into me with your shoulders!"

"Yeah?", asked Trevor, and almost started to go for his sword. "Well, maybe you should-"

"Stop fighting like a pair of idiots.", said Brandy, suddenly appearing between them. "That's what you're supposed to be doing. Because I kind of get the feeling we're about to come up on something, and you had better be ready."

Leon almost said something, but Brandy pushed her finger against his mouth. "No, come on. You know that, Leon. Let's not fight. We need to keep ourselves together."

Leon nodded, for he knew arguing against her would only be tiring for both of them. He instead turned his attention towards the sky and the actual large mountainous landscape they were marching towards- when his enhanced eyes and ears picked something up.

"Uh… guys?", he asked, seeing the great shape emerge from atop the Clashcrush Mountain. "What is that?"

Annabelle looked up from her game of rock paper scissors with Bubble, and gasped in horror.

" . Frick.", she said very, very quietly, and straightened up. Her eyesight alone could see many thousands of meters- she could see what it was atop the mountain.

"That's…", she said, now barely even speaking, talking only in a whisper. "That's him."

"Him?", asked Brandy, and looked at the same spot. A shiver ran all the way down her spine, traveling down into Dan's skin and the through the ground, going on to shiver the next person. A slow burning of panic started to rise in the back of her throat, as she realized just who it was.

"Oh- oh my Se'th.", she said, and moved behind Dan's shoulder. "That's Dragonlord Rakastamos, isn't he?"

Annabelle nodded, and Brandy felt her face turn white. She looked up at the widely gesturing, absolutely insanely huge being, and a single tear ran down her face.

She had known that the beast they would soon face was huge, and terrifying, and very very powerful. But it did little to describe just what she saw on the mountain, visible even from miles away. It was hard to belive that the sight truly was him- he had been existing merely as a name, a faceless goal for her to overcome eventually. But now he was more than that. Rakastamos was now visible, and heart-shatteringly real. It hardly felt real, however- it was comparable to seeing a wild Tornado or Earthquake happening just outside your window. You knew it was real, but you could hardly even belive it- a wavering sort of off white feeling that numbed the senses and accelerated the heart, primal fear in its purest form.

"That's… him.", she said to herself, and knew that Dan was right. Although she had enjoyed being the doting mother so far, she knew she had to upgrade, to adjust to her new situation. It was time to be strong again, a deadly fighter again- Brandy the Bandit, rather than just Brandy.

That thought should have triggered at least some sort of existential crisis within her, but it did not. She was about to say something else- then noticed something very, very wrong. Despite the clear, hote skies, a single raindrop had just landed on her head.

"Hey, what-", she said, and looked up. A group of rainclouds had suddenly gathered, despite the peaceful weather before. A bit more rain started to group up in one, and a single bolt of lightning flashed across the sky between. Brandy's eyes narrowed. "What…"

At first, Brandy had not been aware of it. She had heard the noise, yes, but it had merely faded into the background noises after a while. But now that she was paying more attention, she could hear it- an impossibly deep background chant, perfectly in synch with the gathering storm.

"Oh, shoot.", she said, and let out a soft whistle, looking around for a place to hide. "Guys, I'm pretty sure we should-"

"Run!", shouted Dan, knowing full well what was about to happen. "We have to get out of the way!"

"Quick, in that mountain!", shouted Bubble, pointing towards a split hole in the mountain.

"There's a way!"

"Right!" ,said Brandy, and started to just run, right off of Dan's shoulders, "Into the mountain, everyone! We have to keep time~no lagging behind!"

The group ran towards the entrance to the mountain as fast as they could, as the storm overhead began spill over. Brandy had no idea what the storm meant, or what to do- but as she saw the sky grow dark overhead and felt the biting chill of a devastating spell at her heels, she knew that it didn't matter. She had to get out of the way, now.

Dan grabbed a huge rock off the ground and threw it at the entrance, breaking it open to a size he could fit inside. With a collective shout, the group all jumped inside of the mountain, Dan once again punching the ground to throw up a rock wall, just as a shocking wave of black ice and thunderous rain slammed up against the mountainside with a tremendous boom, right as the world went dark.

Song: Jurassic Marsh

"Did we die?", asked Bubble, covering her face with her hands. "Are we dead now? I can't see anything."

Brandy slowly peeled Bubble's hands off of her face, and sighed. "No, Bubble, we are not dead. We made it inside the mountain just in time."

Bubble looked around and blinked, then frowned and crossed her arms. "But I still can't see anything. So we're dead."

Brandy frowned, and stroked the back of Bubble's head in an effort to calm her. "No, we're not dead, but- Dan, honey? Can you give us a light?"

"Wait, you smoke?", asked Trevor, with an air of indignation. Even though there was a lack of light anywhere in the cave, he could still feel every single member of the group turning around to stare at him. "What? When you say give me a light, it means you're gonna set one blazing, right?"

Dan rolled his eyes, for he knew what Brandy meant. He took a deep breath and let it out onto his finger, lighting it up with a flash. He stared at Trevor, who turned around and examined the wall. He was immediately glad he did, for he saw something that sparked his attention.

"Hey Annabelle.", he said, and Annabelle appeared by his side. "Look at these markings. Are they familiar to you at all?"

Annabelle put her hand to her chin, the other hand gently touching her bow. It was a nervous habit- as was Trevor's mouth pulling down. "These do look interesting… I think I saw things like these once in my Pre-cultures class. They're hieroglyphs of some sort, but I'm not sure what type of people they're from. Certainly too large for Goblins, but-"

"Oh my Se'th.", they heard Brandy say from the other side of the tunnel, and they turned around to look. There she stood in front of a huge carving of a monstrous animal, wearing a pair of glasses and a simple top hat. "They were made by Dinosaurs!"

"How?", asked Dan, and scratched his beard. "I thought Dinosaurs were unintelligent. Basically just giant reptiles, like Lizards or something."

"Well, some of them were.", said Trevor, walking up between Dan's legs. "But-"

"But some of them were actually highly intelligent.", said Annabelle, pointing to the markings on the wall. "The bipedal ones were theorized to be as smart as smart Dragons- some say they even evolved into Dragons. Of course-"

"Well, that doesn't make any sense.", said Brandy, and tapped the cave wall. It made a ringing sound, like there was something behind it- but it was probably best not to investigate for now. "If Akulamastar was the first life form in the world, and he was a Dragon, then how could Dinosaurs have come first?"

"Wait, you belive the primal theory?", asked Annabelle, and took a step back. "Why?"

Brandy and Dan looked at each other, looked back at Annabelle, and tried to contain their very strong emotions. "Because we literally met a Primal.", said Brandy, unable to belive that Annabelle somehow thought the existence of the Primals, a widely known fact, was a mere "theory." "We met Juno a few days ago. Fallon too. We talked."

"And Jonathan.", said Dan. "I met Jonathan."

"Uh huh..", said Annabelle, and folded her arms. "Why would three Primals talk to just you? I mean, no offense, you're both awesome people, but… why you?"
"Maybe because we're on a quest to save the world.", said Dan, noticing that Brandy's nose slightly flared. "And we've killed dozens of Forgotten and Rakastamos probably wants us dead more than any other person on the planet. Not to mention that they all saw the potential that we both have, and wanted to help us expand on it."

Dan nodded, and Annabelle's face turned a little red. She turned around and walked off with Trevor, who had moved his arm from her shoulder to her upper back. "Okay, fine."

"What's gotten into her, Bubble?", said Brandy, feeling that Bubble was right beside her.

"I don't know, Mommy.", said Bubble, and frowned. She hugged Brandy's waist a little tighter.

"I like her. I hope she doesn't stay mad."

"Me too, honey.", said Dan, his low rumble reverberating off the walls. He picked them both up and put them on his shoulders, walking towards hopefully wherever the exit was in the gigantic mountain. "Me too."

"I thought Mommy was honey.", said Bubble. "And I was Bubble."

"Yes, but you can be honey too.", said Dan, and tapped Brandy on the head. "And Brandy can be my thief. Just like she always is."

Brandy smiled, and let herself relax a bit. She could be happy for now. She didn't have to be hard yet.

Annabelle and Trevor waited until they had gotten enough distance from the three before stopping, looking around, and breaking into silent laughter.

"I can't believe they bought that!", Annabelle hissed, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I know!", Trevor added, his chest moving in and out from laughter. "We've both taken science classes! Did they think we didn't know about Primals?"

"Well, you didn't say anything.", said Annabelle, and Trevor rolled his eyes. "You missed your cue."

"You know, Annabelle, you're a-", said Trevor, then the words caught in his throat. He found himself unable to say the words, for he knew not what they were. "You're a good friend."

Annabelle smiled, but inwardly felt a little pang. She knew she would have to confess her own feelings sometime- but now felt not the right time. "You too."

Leon walked down the tunnel, making sure to keep an eye on every angle. They had been attacked almost nonstop since entering the mountain range, but he supposed that was no different from the rest of their journey. He wondered how his parents had handled it, just being attacked and attacked since their own journey began- but then he realized two things.

The first was that like himself, they had come from a culture of combat. They had likely fought every single day of their lives, and this was nothing new to them. Even though they were facing bizarre, deadly opponents in true life or death scenarios, it was still just life. But that revelation shattered in the face of the second- for he knew that they hadn't handled it.

When he looked at them, he saw the effects of the journey on their faces. When he looked at Brandy, he could see the mixture of exhaustion, frustration, and increasing worry weighing down on her, her mask a little powdery and her hair a little more stringy than when they had first met. He saw the responsibly of protection on Dan's face, the bags under his eyes visible. His own beard was scraggly from combat, and his eyes were a little bloodshot- and yet, he could still feel the burning energy from both of them. He had no doubt that once they were in the lair of Rakastamos, they would defeat him- or at least, that is what he liked to think. The truth was that Leon was afraid. He too had seen the shadowy figure of Rakastamos atop the mountain, and it shook him to the core. The Rico he had caught said that none of the Forgotten even came close to the Dragonlord's power, and yet the monsters they had fought were already beyond his wildest dreams of strength.

So absorbed was Leon in his thoughts that he almost did not notice the rock in front of him until it was too late. He seized up abruptly- and smashed his face right into the stone, falling over onto his back, or rather into Brandy's hands.

"Leon, are you alright?", asked Brandy, holding his back in her arms. A stream of blood ran down from Leon's clearly broken nose, but he held up a thumb. "Yetp. I'mb fine."

"No, no, you're not.", said Brandy, and picked Leon up to a sitting position. She held her arm against his nose, his blood leaking into her sleeve. Normally she would abhor such things- but it was her son. It didn't count. "Dan, can I get a Heal?"

"We're out.", said Dan, and Brandy scrunched up her face. She let out a long exasperated sigh, and cursed under her breath. "But watch this."

"Huh?", asked Brandy. Dan leaned over Leon and put his hands on his face, taking a deep breath. Leon's eyes widened, and he tried to get out. "Heyp Dad waitb-"

There was a flash of golden light, and Leon almost screamed. But he did not, as he felt his pain slowly dwindle to nothing. Dan got off of him and Leon sat up- his nose unbroken. There was still blood all across his chest, but it was no longer flowing. "Oh. Neat. Since when could you do that?"

"Since a while ago.", said Dan, and the group kept on walking. "I healed Brandy's leg a few days ago like that."

"Oh yeah, that's right.", said Brandy, and hopped back up onto Dan's shoulder. "It was-"

When we faced the Gravity Elf, she thought, and internally gasped. She realized that the Gravity Elf- Sonjia? Sonia? Whatever her name was, she was still out there. She also didn't know if she was on Rakastamos's side or not. She had said she wasn't, but it was impossible to tell.

She too was slightly worried. So far the Forgotten they had fought were incredibly strong- it was only through luck and strategy they had survived this far. And Rakastamos was most likely saving his strongest for last- could they beat them? Brandy was a little afraid to find out.

"Daddy?", asked Bubble, and her stomach rumbled. "I'm thirsty."

"You're hungry?", asked Dan, and Bubble's face turned into an angry betrayal.

"No, I'm thirsty!", she said, and pouted. "I need water."
Dan looked up- and blinked in surprise. There, right in front of them, was a sparkling pool of crystal clear water. It appeared totally unguarded and clean, as if put there for Bubble to drink.

"Well, whatta you know.", he said, and pointed forward. "There it is."

Bubble gasped, and jumped out clear into the air. Brandy yelped and grabbed her foot, jumping along with her, landing and skidding along the ground without a scratch. She bumped up against the side of the pool, and winced.

"Bubble, try not to do that.", said Brandy, and sat down by the edge. "You could get hurt, you know."

"No, I won't.", said Bubble, and smiled. "Because you'll always be there to protect me."

"Yes, but-", said Brandy, and sighed. She put her hand on Bubble's shoulder, and looked into her eyes. "I won't always be there. Sometimes, you're going to be alone, and you have to take care of yourself. I mean, where were you before we found you?"

"I don't remember.", said Bubble. Brandy waited for her to say anything else, but she did not.

"Okay.", said Brandy, and rustled Bubble's hair. "That's fine. Just be careful, okay?"

Bubble nodded, and Brandy closed her eyes. She knew that she wanted to be there for whoever needed it. She needed it. She needed to be needed. And yet, she knew she could not always be there for everyone. She was only one person- but she could keep on trying.

"MOM LOOK OUT!", she heard Leon scream, and her body snapped to attention. She didn't even need to open her eyes- she just grabbed Bubble and Dashed back towards the group, as the black and red freight train of teeth, claws, and scales crashed by, stomping over the fountain and slamming into the stone with its colossal feet, the sound of its roar echoing through the long tunnels and sending vibrations through the bones of everybody there.

Song: Clash

"Oh, shoot.", said Brandy, and lifted up Bubble to make sure she was okay. Other than wide eyes and an open mouth, she didn't have a scratch on her. "We got one."

"Mommy, what is that?", asked Bubble, pointing at the vast animal as it turned around. Its Ramlike head was decorated with a pair of short horns, its shorter arms strapped uselessly by its side. Its massive jaws were filled to the brim with sharp teeth, a pair of powerful legs propelling it forward. Its black and red scales seemed almost to shift in the low light, and its eyes projected a beam of light in front of it. Its tail was long and stout as a counterbalance, gently swishing back and forth as it slowly moved forwards. It growled, a sound like a rock smasher.

"It's a Dinosaur!", Dan bellowed, and ran forward. He brought one fist high above his head, and took a deep breath. "Tell me something, Trevor!"

Trevor stumbled a bit over his words as he struggled to recall his knowledge- but to his surprise, he had barely any. This particular type of Dinosaur was thought to be long extinct, so there was very little information published. "Um… this is called a Carnotaurus!"
"Okay, great!", said Dan, grabbing Bubble and Brandy with one hand. He gave them a gentle toss back to the group with one hand, and held out his other for a charged shot. They landed right next to Annabelle and Leon, Brandy cancelling the impact with her Dash. Bubble held herself close to Brandy's chest, and closed her eyes. "Now tell me something useful!"

The Carnotaurus took a step forward towards Dan, and gave a mighty roar. It measured almost 40 feet from head to tail, likely almost 9000 pounds in weight. It was built like a spiked barrel, and its eyes gave the impression of calculated evil. It bit at the air a few times in experimentation, then charged without a bit of warning.

"Sorry, but there's nothing!", Trevor said, and painfully shrugged. "No one knows anything about these guys other than their name."

Dan nodded, growled, and unleashed his blast of Star. It was not a very powerful one, for he wished only to stun the beast at this point. Even if it was aggressive, it was still only a wild animal, and they were intruding upon its territory. It had every right to attack.

The Star smacked right into its face, and the Carnotaurus screamed. It shook its head and stomped its feet- but was largely unfettered. It continued to charge forward, bringing its head within impact distance, and-

A bolt of electricity leapt out from between the horns on its head and zapped Dan right in the chest. He gasped in surprise, but he felt something increase inside of him from the charge- his Star. The slight burst had charged it up.

Right before the Carnotaurus's head crashed into his chest, Dan moved to the side. Reaching out one arm, he looped it around the Dinosaur's neck, slammed his knee to the ground, spun his other arm around, and flipped the entire 40 foot beast over his shoulder, slamming it into the wall with a massive crack that shook the tunnel walls.

The Carnotaurus flailed wildly, its tail thrashing out at anything nearby. Brandy stepped back, holding Bubble closer to prevent damage. It worked, and she was not hurt.

The Carnotaurus roared, and dug its tail into the ground. With a huge roar of effort, it pushed itself back to a standing position and roared- only for a direct uppercut from Dan to slam right into its lower jaw. Such a blow would have broken the rock around them- but the Carnotarus was still only slightly harmed. It staggered back, swept its tail, and charged once more.

This time, it was not messing around. It knew to go for the head of its prey every single time, particularly heads with no armor like this one. It opened its jaws and lunged forward, then stopped. It tried to close its jaws, but found out it could not.

For there stood Dan, arms wide open and the enemy's jaw wide apart, straining at the bone to counteract perfectly the Carnotauru's's thousands of pounds of biteforce. Low, intense growls came from the both of them, as they locked their own forces in combat. "You…"

After a few seconds of this, the Carnotaurus began to panic somewhat as it felt pain, starting right underneath his right foot and spreading up his leg. It tried to get away but could not- Dan's grip was far too strong. The Carnotaurus gasped in fear as it saw his skin light up.

"You big ugly thing!", shouted Dan, and and kept on pushing. The fear evident n the Crarnotaur's face was likely due to the fact that as Dan pulled, something had to move as a result. And that something, much to the terror of the dinosaur and the disgust of everyone else, was the monstrous beast itself.

WIth a horrible ripping sound, the Carnotaurus quite simply burst apart all the way down the middle into its body, into mostly two halves. One of them landed among the group, blood spraying all over them in a sudden display of gore. The other half went the opposite direction, little bits of meat chunks flying off in random directions. Dan stood still in the middle of the room, posing with hands over the head in his skill position, with a slight huff. Dan smiled a bit, seeing how dead his opponent excessively was.

Brandy picked a section of slime and guts off of her hood, trying not to throw up from the sheer grossness. Bubble hadn't even bothered to resist it, and was currently bending over a stone outcropping, throwing up into the dark void below. "Well, that was… something."

"I guess that wasn't really that much of a threat.", said Dan, and flexed his muscles. He forced a breath out of his nostrils, blowing away the remainders of the monster's corpse on him with a burst of steam-like Star. "Plus, we have food now."
"Won't it just turn to Elixir?", asked Bubble, holding her arms bent above her head. "Everything here does."

"Not animals.", said Dan, and bent down. He grunted as he tore a chunk off the Carnotaur's leg, taking a huge bite. He spoke as he chewed. "They just… don't know. Die."

"Dan?", asked Brandy her eye twitching. Dan swallowed, and looked up. "What?"

"Are you eating raw meat?", she asked, and stood up. She Dashed over to him and slapped the meat out of his hands, Dan's eyes following it as it hit the floor. "I know that you're hungry, but at least cook it first!"

For a single second, Dan's eyes were sharp, and animalistic. He stared down at the meat with sheer hunger, and a low growl escaped from his throat- then it was gone. He blinked as his eyes turned to normal, then breathed out a burst of Star. "Sorry honey, I'll cook it."

The Star flowed over the entire half of the dead animal, flash firing it to perfection in just a few seconds. Dan grabbed the same bite he had been working on and once again began to eat, giving Brandy a friendly wink. Leon and Trevor stepped forward to grab some bites, but the girls all held back. "There we go. Is that good, honey?"

"Yes.", said Brandy, and hopped up onto Dan's shoulder. "But we should probably keep on moving. There's no way in anything that was the only thing like that in here."

"Right.", said Dan, and gulped down another piece. He made sure to take a mental note of how many calories he thought it was worth, probably around 6000. He knew that just living for him consumed several thousand calories an hour, and each burst of energy, every attack, used up several thousand more. He had to keep on eating, or else he would not be able to continue. He had managed to store several dozens of thousands of backup rations deep within him, but they would soon run out. The dead Dinosaur was a gift.

He heard Bubble happily gulping down the water from the fountain, and he thought that everyone else should take a drink break as well. It was hot in the tunnels.

He reached for the Rune of Elixir, and had a slight shock when he found it missing- only to then see it being passed from person to person, each taking a deep swig before passing it on. Dan smiled, and tucked back into his meat.

Song: Across the Desert

"Alright, let's go.", said Dan, after estimating he had eaten about 18000 calories- enough for now. More food could be found later. He stood up and walked away, deeper into the tunnel. "We're heading out."

Trevor looked up from shoving the smoking meat into his mouth, and hurried to catch up with Dan and Brandy as they walked away. "Ook!", he shouted, and they turned around.

"I mean, uh, wait up!", he said, and laughed nervously. "I- I don't know why I just said that."

He stumbled a bit as he walked next to Dan, waiting for Annabelle to catch up with him. He waited a few more seconds, then turned around.

There was Annabelle, to his relief. She walked beside Bubble, holding her hand- who in turn held her other hand in Leon's. It made the traveling a little slow for all three of them, slowed down by Bubble to a practical crawl.

"Hey, Annabelle!", said Trevor, and waved forward. "Why not catch up!"

"Oh, I will.", said Annabelle, but Bubble pouted. She frowned and tugged on both their hands tighter, and Annabelle winced. "Or not. I couldn't tell."

"It's alright.", said Trevor, and turned back around. He had the sudden urge to scratch his armpit and beat on his chest, although he couldn't quite explain why. He smelt bananas in the air, an incredibly strong scent that almost made his vision fuzzy. "Ack…"

"Woaw, it smells like bananas!", said Bubble, and happily sniffed the air. She let herself be lifted up off the ground by Annabelle and Leon, savoring the wonderful scent. "I like bananas. They're yummy."
"You remember when Trevor was scared that there were no bananas left?", asked Annabelle, and Leon snorted. "Right before we ran into those Great Apes?"
"Trevor is so silly!", shouted Bubble, but Trevor seemed somehow not to notice. He was walking a little lower to the ground than usual, but that was likely not the case. "I like him."

Bubble abruptly sneezed, and shook her head. "Ah! Ah!"

"What?", Leon asked, and turned his head down to look at her. "Bubble, what's going on?"

Bubble blinked, and tilted her head. "Nothing's wrong, silly."

"No, no, there is.", said Leon, and leaned forward. "You just screamed like-"

"Like... a... monkey.", said Annabelle, and let go of Bubble's hand. She stared forward at Trevor, not wanting her suspicion to be correct. "No, no, no."

"What?", asked Bubble, and scratched at her arm. "Annabelle, what is it?"
"There's- I've heard of this.", said Annabelle, trying not to panic. "The monkey gas!"
"Monkey gas?", asked Leon, staring at Annabelle incredulously. "The heck is-"
"It makes people act like monkeys!", Annabelle screamed, and jumped up into the air. "Trevor! Trevor, over here! Talk to me!"

Trevor turned around- and Annabelle screamed, as he stared at her with two wide open eyes. "Ook?", he asked, and beat his chest once.

"Shoot!", Annabelle yelled, and gestured for Leon to run. He ran forwards, presumably at Trevor, but he really had no idea where he was going. "Grab Trevor, don't let him wander off!"

"Annabelle, what's going to happen to me?", asked Bubble, starting to breathe faster. "Am I going to act like a monkey?"

"No, no.", said Annabelle, and ran forward as well. Hopefully Dan and Brandy would know what to do. "Not if you keep yourself safe and clean and don't breathe in too hard and-"

Her words were cut off by the terrifying sight of Bubble yawning, hanging from Annabelle's arm like a monkey hanging from a tree. She opened her eyes and spoke- "Gack?"
Annabelle yelped, and held her finger to Bubble's mouth. "No, no, don't do that. Don't freak me out, okay? Don't make illusions of you-"

But as Bubble bit down on Annabelle's finger, Annabelle was forced to change her plan. "Okay, crap.", she said. "There should be a source tree around here somewhere… we have to find the source tree."

"What source tree?", asked Leon, holding Trevor over his shoulder. He had figured that just knocking him out would be the easiest course of action. "What are we looking for?"
"Every gas infestation has a source tree to dispatch the cause of the gas, and if we destroy it the monkey brain goes with it! We have to find that tree!"

"Okay!", shouted Leon, and instantly drew Hunter Killer from his jacket sleeve. He aimed it down a random tunnel, and it appeared that there was nothing in it. But just to make sure, he shot a few rounds. They continued onwards without finding anything, finally vanishing against the furthest wall.
"Let's keep on looking.", said Annabelle, knowing that Bubble was soon going to become fully monkey brain from the gas within seconds. She grabbed her by the arm and tossed her to Dan and Brandy, not skipping a beat. "We have to get it now."

Bubble looked up at Brandy, who stroked her bangs with care. "Bubble, hold on. I know you want to-"

Bubble yawned, rolled over, and fell asleep right in Brandy's arms. She hoped that was not a symptom of the monkey gas, for it would be bad. "Okay. Fine."

Brandy tossed Bubble to Dan, who snarled upon contact. He looked outwards across the tunnel- and his eye glinted as he saw something vital on the other side. There was a particularly odd looking tree sprouting up from the rocks, its huge size only making sense from a certain perspective. It sparkled red and gold, with a slight carving of a banana at the center.

"There it is, Brandy!", he tried to say. "Let's go and get it!"
But as he spoke those words, all that came out were ever deepening grunts, going from possibly intelligence to minor earthquake. He scratched at his skin, feeling his shirt beginning to fray from the stress he was putting upon his body. A titanic growl flew out of him, scratching the sides of the walls with the sheer force.

"Dan?", asked Brandy, looking up at him in worry. His eyes were bloodshot, and the sides of his mouth were almost tearing with the size of his magnificent snarl. The gas released the wild side of every humanoid- and that included Dan's ferocious, underlying rage. "Dan, keep your rage under control. Dan! Dan!"

Dan wanted to tell Brandy that it was alright for now- he still had himself under mostly control. But there was no way to tell her, and time was running out. Already he could see the rest of the group losing their minds, jumping around on the ground like crazy. So without any further words, he grabbed Brandy, tilted her back amongst her yells of panic, and threw her directly at the source tree.

Brandy had no idea what Dan was getting at. First she had felt him tense, then snarl- then he had picked her up and thrown her across the cavern, without even so much as a word. She had not seen why- and as he looked back, he could see him smash his fist into the ground, letting loose a mighty roar. The rest of the group all were doing their own thing- Annabelle jumped around screeching, Trevor stood there looking dumbfounded, Bubble was asleep and Leon had simply vanished entirely.

"Ugh…", said Brandy, looking up at the sky cave in confusion. "Dan… why did you throw me?"

She got her answer after just a few seconds of laying there, and saw what would be the first of many miracles.

There was the ancient and withered tree, its remote location and tall height able to prevent just anyone from reaching it. Brandy looked up and sighed, and prepared to jump.

"Airhg, how do I figure this one?", and she took a step forward. "Annabelle said there was an easy way through it… I just have to find it."

She heard the screams and grunts of the group behind her- and suddenly saw what she had to do. She drew back her fist, took a deep breath, and Dashed, right at the tree's center.

Her fist smashed into it, with a sharp crackening of bark and wood. Although the tree was certainly tough, it could not withstand a full Dash. She thought she could hear the tree screaming silently, and she was sorry for causing it pain- but she also knew what had to be done. Brandy whipped out her hand and put it straight through the other center of the tree, both cores destroyed, and a cry of agony reaching her ears.

Within an instant, Brandy heard the screams behind her slow to to a crawl, then stop entirely. The monkey sounds began to be replaced with the individual voices of her own group, and she breathed a sigh of relief. That was close.

Brandy decided to sit down with her legs crossed for the moments until the rest of her group caught up to her, just to mediate a little bit. She had not gotten much of a chance to rest at all for hours now, and it really made her feel relaxed. She just took a few seconds to breathe- in, and out. In, and out. Her mouth curled upwards in a slight smile- that felt pretty good.

As she stared at the wall, letting her mind wander, Brandy could not help but recall that monstrous Thing they had seen in Ice Mountain. Last time it looked like it had died pretty decisively, plummeting thousands of feet down into a glacial cave. And yet, it looked strong. Perhaps it had survived- although Brandy had no idea why she was thinking these things. She was however, and that thought worried her.

She heard something scratching in the tunnel up ahead, but ignored it. That sort of stuff could wait until her group returned.

"Brandy!", she heard, and turned around to see Dan's familiar face. He was no longer monke, but his shirt had sustained dozens of tears. But to Brandy, that was not necessarily a bad thing. "That one was pretty close, huh?"

"Yeah, probably a little too close.", said Brandy, and held out her hand and Dan took it, lifting her onto his shoulders. She was glad his rage had not been unleashed too fully- it could have potentially brought down the mountain. "Good thing you threw me."

"Right.", said Dan, and almost beat his chest. He did that naturally ,but it was best for all of them to avoid such an action for now. "Otherwise, we would have become monkey."
"And then what would we have done?", asked Brandy, snuggling up to Dan's shoulder. "Just a bunch of-"

Then it hit agan, the sound of breaking metal and crumbling stone. It was as if something was drilling its way through the ground, and was getting closer and closer. Brandy, without even skipping a beat, knew what was about to come next.

"Oh, we got one.", she said, and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You wanna see how long it takes? It's like we can't even go five minutes without being attacked by some sort of-"

Then the thing that had been in Ice Mountain burst out from the wall, showering everything in a mixture of broken stone and screaming spit. Brandy stopped counting down from 2 minutes, threw back her head, and screamed.

Song: Decisive Battle

"Oh my Se'th, could you not?", she yelled at the top of her lungs, with a tone of voice that could shatter ice. The monster skidded to a halt and looked down at her curiously, it's long snout pointed directly at her. Its body language was no longer aggressive- no, it was actually sort of friendly. "We are just trying to get through this mountain so we can get our fricking quest done already, and we are sick and tired of you all getting in the way of it! Frick!"

The monster, not used to such harsh language, found it had almost no choice. The only one that had ever even dared to speak to it that was a prime Forgotten, and even the galloping, lowland monster didn't know what to do.

"Seriously, just go away.", said Brandy, and the titanic monster almost complied. But another thought surged through its head- a pulsing, burning picture of Rakastamos, telling it to burn and slaughter until its master won. It threatened the monster, and its primitive brain was spurred into action.

Leon instantly pulled out Hunter Killer, and let fly a few dozen rounds. They smacked into the front of the monster's snout, but failed to penetrate its tough skin. The only thing that happened was it got angrier, pushing against the stone as it leapt directly towards Dan.

Dan snarled, and pushed one foot deeper into the ground. He twisted on his ankle, sweeping Bubble out of the way of the monster and into Annabelle's grip, then gave the monster a hard smack on the back as it charged past him, unable to stop. It howled in pain as it crashed into the bottom of the ground, skidding along the stone- until it abruptly vanished into the tunnel, leaving behind only a small breaking of the rock.

"Oh, it can burrow.", said Dan, and looked around. Brandy tried to strain her ears to listen for the next place it would strike from, but she could not. She could only hear the sounds of the group.

"How about we call it The Burrower then?"
"Sounds good to me.", said Dan, and built up a charge of Star in his hand. "Although I'd rather just call it dead."

Bubble dodged out of the way of a sudden rumbling sound behind her, and ran off down the tunnel. It was a good thing that she did, for not even half a second later the arm of the Burrower burst out from the stone, grasping wildly at the spot where she had been. It retreated once it felt an arrow prick its skin, vanishing back into the stone.

"Annabelle?", asked Brandy, and Dashed up to the spot. There was now nothing in there. "Next time an arm appears, let one of us handle it, okay?"

"Okay, whatever.", said Annabelle with a huff, and put her back up against Trevor. They circled around, apparently not even noticing the intimate contact. "I'll do."

Dan, having finished charging up his Star, gave a mighty shout. With a Lightning-fast motion, he slammed his fist into the wall with a flash of lightning that scoured down both directions of the tunnel and out of sight. It took a bit, but then he heard it- the faraway screech of The Burrower, far away in the rock. He smiled, for he had hit his target well.

"Okay, that sounded far away.", he said, and backed up. His back was to the group, trusting everyone else to look out for themselves. He wanted to be everywhere at once, but he could not be. "So just get ready, it's gonna come again. And no, we can't ignore this one. It's in its prime placement here. If we ignore it, it'll just keep on attacking."

Brandy was busy hearing his words, so she just barely heard the low rumble of drilling right behind her. She knew she should, and very easily could, get out of the way- but she suddenly thought better of it. It was better that the Burrower grab her than it grabbed any other member of the group- other than Dan, she had the highest chance of surviving it. She had also gotten an idea- an idea on how to kill it without too long and exhausting of a fight. So she closed her eyes, folded her arms- and to Bubble's shriek of horror, let herself be yanked into the tunnel as the Burrower's arm burst out, snatched her up, and burst back in.

The yells of the group grew quieter as Brandy felt herself get pulled through the tunnels, the speed of the dragging almost taking her breath away. She only slightly regretted her decision, however, as she felt herself hit open air just as quickly. She did some quick calculations- they were almost 200 feet from the tunnel her group was in. She had to finish the monster alone-

Her breath dropped out of her lungs completely, as she was spun around and came face to face with the proper beast she had been dragged to. "Oh, frick.", were her only words.

In an instant, Brandy knew she had miscalculated. She saw the Burrower that had grabbed her fly towards the center of the colossal cavern on flimsy glider wings, and rejoin the back of the truly enormous Spider that lurked there. It must have been at least 100 feet wide at the body, dozens of legs stretching out in multiple different directions. Thousands upon thousands of meters of sticky string were laid out in an array of death, one right in her flight path. She could still see the skeletons of dozens of animals laid out upon them, no doubt the hive's food. But of course, Brandy knew she was not going to join them.

Brandy spat on her hands and brought them up to the rope-like webbing- then had a better idea. She concentrated, surrounded her hands with Dash, and grabbed on. Her plan worked, and she slid like greased oil down the rope, right towards the Spider's waiting mouth.

The Spider shot out a pair of tentacle like appendages right for her, and Brandy yelled. She reached up a hand and cut off the rope she was on, shooting it right at another. She just barely was able to dodge the feeding tentacles, swinging out widely over the seemingly bottomless void from below where the Broodmother hung, feeling the wind blow at her angry face, then landing on another rope and skidding down that one. She aimed right for the Broodmother's head, intent on smashing it straight through.

The Broodmother shrieked, and turned her head. With a silent command and a nod of the head, dozens of Burrower minions began climbing up the rope, right towards where Brandy was coming down. She grit her teeth in frustration, for it seemed there was no end to the Broodmother's crap she could pull off. But Brandy knew she was the uncontested Queen of pulling off crap, and she would not let herself be beaten by some stupid, disgusting, bloated animal living in some stupid cave, sitting lazily over a stupid bottomless void.

Brandy once again charged up her hands, and jumped high into the air, so high she landed on a different layer of strings. It seemed that those ones fed all the way up to the top, to prey upon animals at the surface. But she didn't worry about that right then.

Brandy charged up her feet, and began to Dash from web bit to web bit, cutting each of them off with a hard chop. Bits of web flew into her hair and face, but they were burned away by the silver aura of Dash that surrounded her like flame.

Down below, the Broodmother began to shake. A slight shock of fear ran through her body as she felt her supports being cut one by one, the bottomless pit below her now feeling very near. She bellowed, commanding her Burrowers to attack upwards, but intelligence had never been their strong suit. They just kept on climbing on the webs, looking for a way to get up, apparently having forgotten that jumping was a thing.

As Brandy cut another web, the Broodmother decided it was best to take matters into her own hands. She turned her head directly upwards, positioned her mouth parts just right, ratcheted through her options of weaponry, and finally shot a new web, right at Brandy's location.

Brandy heard the woosh of an incoming projectile, and spun herself around on the web she was about to break. She assumed she had dodged it as it flew past- only for the sensation of a cold, wet rope to fasten around her leg, threatening to pull her down to oblivion.

Brandy let out a yelp of disgust, and struck. Her hand cleaved through both the web that had grabbed her and the web she was on, leaving her falling through the air. She grimaced and Dashed upwards, landing on another of the webs, but teetering, trying not to fall.

The Broodmother snarled, and bit back a shout of terror as she was once again jostled. A full half of the webs keeping her afloat upon the upper layer had now been snapped, and it appeared that Brandy was not going to slow down. Her Burrowers were no help either- many of them had fallen off from the constant vibrations, vanishing into the vehement void below. So she spit out another round of webs, two pairs of them coming from different directions.

Brandy jumped from another web to another, cutting down two supports. She could see that the upper layer was almost done- that was good. Just one more to-

In her mind's eye, she saw two pairs of webbing grab her from behind, yank her from her footing, and toss her down into the pit below. Blue lights flickered from behind her head, she snapped back to reality, and jumped 20 feet into the air. The webs smashed against each other, wobbled, and became one solid rope. From the looks of it, it would be too difficult to cut to even really bother. Brandy snarled, began to jump- and then realized the way to win here.

Brandy jumped up and down, gesturing at the rope. The web turned and lashed out at her, only for Brandy to cut the one she was on, grab it in her hands, and swing downwards, right at the edge of the tunnel, running along the edge.

The fired web followed her, as did dozens upon dozens of Burrowers. The Broodmother fired shot after shot after her, all missing by a few dozen feet- it seemed that the monstrous mutant Spider wasn't good at aiming or object permeance. Brandy smiled as she saw her plan come together- she saw the rope she had been running from slowly wind around all the ones supporting the Broodmother, forming them together into a tight column in the middle. The rope she was using to run was running out, so she grabbed another one as it fell.

Finally, Brandy could tell her plan was ready to pull off. She saw the thick column of web in the middle grow to a stopping point, twisting tight around itself. The Broodmother seemed not to notice, and the Burrowers had only surface-level intelligence- so it was time to act.

"Ha!", Brand screamed, and charged up a massive burning of Dash within her fist. She looked up, aimed true, and Dashed- right towards the central column, dozens of Burrowers jumping to their doom after her. The Broodmother looked up and shrieked, only now realizing what Brandy had been up to- but it was far too late to notice.

With a tremendous punch and shout of both effort and pain, Brandy slammed her Dash-enhanced fist into the Broodmother's last remaining supports, all gathered together. The product of only four webs had seemed tough, so she was a little worried- but those worries were unfounded, as she tore through the supports like wet paper. She had read somewhere it would be stronger than steel of the same thickness, but what was steel to her at that point?
The Broodmother screamed as it started to fall, slashing out with dozens of evil arms at everything that it could reach. It tried desperately to grab on to Brandy, to drag her in to the bottomless pit as well, but it was unable to locate her. It felt a bump on its head and looked forward, seeing Brandy use its head as a Dashing off point.

Brandy turned around and performed a rude gesture, then stuck out her tongue. "Get wrecked."

The Broodmother's last sight was of Brandy grabbing the edge of the tunnel and sliding down, right before it hit the top of the water thousands of feet below. It laid there for a second, before a pair of titanic jaws closed around it, spelling the gigantic Spider's final doom in a spray of blood, Dark Elixir, and webbing.

Brandy slid down the tunnel, and laughed to herself. That had been such a fun fight, she hadn't even felt how close she had come to dying. She gave herself a hug- for defeating such a powerful Forgotten on her own, if that is what it was, she deserved it.

As soon as she burst out the wall and slid into the main tunnel, she posed- and was instantly swept up in an airtight hug from Dan that almost knocked her out cold.

"BRANDY!", he shouted, and let up a little bit. Brandy popped out and rubbed her head, then put her face into his arm. "Brandy, what was that?"

"There was a hive.", said Brandy, and winked dazily. She flicked her finger off her head, and stuck out her tongue once more. "Now there's not."

"Uh, okay.", said Dan, and nodded. He slung Brandy up onto his shoulder, and once again began to walk down the tunnel. "Does that mean the Burrower is dead?"

"Oh, they're dead.", said Brandy, and sat up. She yawned and wrapped her arms around Dan's neck, although she could not fit all the way around. "All of them."

"Wait, what do you mean all of them?", asked Dan, and turned to look at her. "Where there-"

"Oh, there was a hive.", said Brandy. "I told you. And there was their leader too- a gigantic spider. But I took care of that one too. See, look."

Brandy took a bit of leftover webbing from her skirt, and held it up. "Spider."

"I see.", said Dan, and ducked under a stone outcropping, which held a bit of straw for some reason. "You know, I've noticed something."

"What?", asked Brandy, ducking as well.

"Well, I noticed that each mountain we go through takes about twice as long as the last one.", said Dan. "The metal mountain didn't take long at all, and then Ice Mountain took a bit, and now this one is taking a while. I hope Dark Mountain and-"

"And Clashcrush Mountain don't take that long?", asked Brandy, and gripped her arms a little tighter. "Me too. I mean, there's not anything in Dark Mountain, right? And Clashcrush Mountain should hopefully just be we get in, we kill Rakastamos, we get out. Easy."

"Right…", said Dan, and stopped. There in front of them was a thin pile of loose rocks, light shining in through the cracks and crevices. "Easy."

Dan drew back a fist, and the group dodged out of the way. "ORA!"

With a great smash, Dan blew open the entrance to the chamber in front of them, and the group all gasped in wonder at the sight.

Song: White Whisper

The central cavern of Ancient Mountain, in which they now found themselves, was almost beautiful beyond words. Soft light blazed in from an unknown source, illuminating the thousands of plants across every square foot of the ground. Every single color of every possible rainbow found representation among the intense flora, almost blinding in the sheer intensity. Trees stretched up high towards the cavern's ceiling, scraping the stone a hundred meters above. Bushes and flowers rolled across the ground in a soft sort of biological harmony, rainbows abounding in every sense of the word. Flowers a dozen feet or even meters across blossomed widely, spreading across the dozens of waterfalls across the sides of the cave. There was not a single spot in the entire cavern where plants did not roam free- except for a small, thin path leading to the other side.

"Woah.", said Dan, and stretched out an arm as if presenting. "Pretty nice place, isn't it?"

"Yes.", said Brandy, and gave a high whistle to show her appreciation. She could see small figures moving about in the jungle below, and hoped they were not evil. She didn't want to kill again. "We should move through it though… I feel like we're spending too much time here."

Dan motioned for the group to climb up onto his shoulder, and they moved upwards as a single unit. They had done it many times before, and so no longer needed any help. Once he felt them all upon his shoulders, Dan slowly shuffled down the steep stone slope, noting where the rocks he had punched had fallen into the formation of plants. He hoped that the figures that he too saw approaching would not be angry at him for doing so. He did want to fight some more, but not such little, fragile beings. Except if they were Forgotten. Then it was fine.

Dan made sure to not stray from the path, making extra sure to dodge stepping upon the flowers that spread across the very thin line of dirt. He positioned his feet horizontally, creating his own roadblocks to avoid falling, shuffling through the pathway and down to a level position.

Once he had reached the bottom, he stood up straight, and resurveyed the area. From here, he could see that there must have been no more than a thousand or so feet from end to end of the cavern, lengthwise. Width, however, appeared to be many miles long. It also looked to be hundred of feet in height, larger than even the very largest of Clan Castles. There would also be Dinosaurs in here- the group would have to watch out.

"This is a cool place.", said Annabelle, and looked down, off of Dan's head. She could see that several largish Spiders- probably around four inches across, skittered along the dirt path. They seemed to be heading towards something, and Annabelle looked up to see it- then gasped in wonder, as she saw what it was.

There, perched on a huge leaf, appeared to be a giant Spider. It looked around 3 feet across, very hairy, relaxed looking, typical for a large individual of its kind. But the atypical thing about it was the shell it bore, looking to have come from some sort of cone snail.

"What is that?", asked Trevor, looking up. "It's a Spider… wearing a... shell?"

"That's exactly what it is!", said Annabelle with excitement, and stared harder. She had never seen anything like it before- it would have to be recorded in her field journal as soon as everything was over. "Have you ever seen anything like it?"
"No.", Trevor said, because he hadn't. "I have not."

"Let me get closer, Dan.", said Annabelle, catching Dan's attention. She leaned forward, trying to grab it- when a huge planty maw suddenly leaned forward across the gap and fastened itself around Annabelle's waist.

"Annabelle!", shouted Trevor, and drew his sword. Panic coursed through his system as he hoisted it high above his head and stabbed hard- but the Trapplant thrashed back and forth in an attempt to swallow, causing him to miss completely. "Hold on!"

Annabelle tried to wriggle out, but her position was all wrong. She tensed up with terror as she felt the trap fasten tighter, preparing to draw her in. She scrambled for her bow, but it was impossible to reach from the angle she was at. The plant thrashed again, Trevor's sword once again missed, and-

"Dorra!", Brandy shouted, and Annabelle saw light. She gasped in relief and for oxygen as the entire back half of the plant fell away, the half that had grabbed her turning into Elixir. She scrambled back on to Dan's shoulder, and took a heaving breath.

"Sheesh.", said Brandy from beside her, and put her arms around the shivering Archer. "Can we not go 5 minutes wthout something trying to eat us here?"

"No.", said Annabelle, and shook her head. She could still feel a bit of the digestive acid on her skin, but it was nothing too bad. "No, we can't."

"Dad?", asked Leon, and pointed forward. There they could all see the strange figures they had seen before, but at a much closer distance. They were able to see their strange features, taller and thinner than any humans, almost like living Skeletons. They carried very tall spears, taller than they were, that came up to Dan's chest. They also wielded very tall shields, seeming to be patterned after the gigantic leaves that were arranged around the cavern's trees. But their most distinctive features were the lithe helmets that obscured all view of their heads, and the long thin tails stretched out behind them. "Who are those? And what are those? Are they-"
"Ah, good morning.", said one of them, and Bubble suddenly jerked awake. She looked around, saw the strange beings, and broke out into a huge smile. "Are you well?"

"That depends.", said Dan, and folded his arms. He made sure to make it sure that he could snap them in half if he wanted to. "Who are you to ask?"

"Ah, yes.", said the apparent leader, and reached up to remove his helmet. He shook his head as he pulled it off, revealing the head of a Gecko. His tongue slid out and in once, and he titled his head. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself. You see, my name is Jake."

He seemed not to react to the stares of the group, as he kept on talking. "I am the leader of this people. You may know us as the Gecko People, but you also may not. Either or."

He brought his spear up towards the ceiling, as did his small group of warriors. "Me and my soldiers had tried and failed to bring down that monstrous Broodmother for weeks now. We owe it to you and your group for defeating that obstruction. Tell me, who was it among you that we must owe our gratitude?"

Brandy raised her hand, and her cheeks turned a little red at the Gecko People's reactions. As one they dropped their weapons and bowed to her, thrusting their fists into the air. "Ah. All thank the woman, for her noble deed."

They stood up again, and Jake noticed the state of Dan's clothes. "Ah, strange Giant. Your clothes need attending to… please, allow us. As a token of our gratitude. We cannot detect anything wrong with the woman, and we also sense your deep connection to her. Therefore, we sense this reward will be acceptable."

"Well.", said Dan, and thought. "I'm not a Giant and we can't go to your village, but you are very correct about those other two things. So-"

"Oh no, we need not return to our town.", said Jake, and held out his hand. "Watch."

There was a flash of green light, and Dan's entire chest glowed. The light systematically faded as it went down his chest, leaving behind a thick green layer of iridescent scales. Dan could feel the soft texture upon his body- it was, indeed, a shirt.

Once Jake was done, he let down his hand and bowed. "I hope this will be to your liking, Not-Giant. We will wish you well in whatever quest you are on, for we sense that you are on one. Is that correct?"

"Yes.", said Dan, and clenched his fist. "We are on our way to defeat Dragonlord Rakastamos, before he drinks the Blood Elixir and kills every single non-Dragon form of life on the entire planet."

Jake made no expression, but he noted the words. Nodding, he turned to his soldiers. "Very well then. That is indeed a noble cause. We still indeed do wish you luck on it. Now go."

Dan nodded, and started walking. He looked up towards the far side of the cavern, which seemed to have no entrances or exits upon it. That realization gave him pause- until he figured out that if there was no way to exit, then it had to have been the edge of the mountain itself- and finally, at long last, a way out.

Dan started walking faster, intent on making time, Jake and his soldiers watching him go by. He made a signal to hold, to simply watch them instead of returning. He thought it was important, for some far ancestral reason he could not simply place.

Several small Gecko children watched them pass, hidden perfectly in the bush, no emotion visible upon their reptilian faces. One of them held a small radio communicator, for reasons he knew not quite what for.

As they walked towards the exit of Ancient Mountain at last, Brandy decided it was time to ask Trevor about some things that had been on her mind for a while. Specifically, they were things that he had told her and she would like to know more about- his tics.

"Hey, Trevor?", she asked, leaning over his shoulder, her tone of voice telling Trevor everything he needed to know. He nodded, and without even speaking, tried to once again boot up their mental link. Of course, he was very new to such things, having been introduced only the day before yesterday, and nothing happened. He stared at Brandy for a second, who sighed and took it into her own hands. She blinked and the room was opened, both of them hearing the hum of each other's mental presence. Trevor's was calm with tones of nervousness, while Brandy's was hyper yet well strung. Thanks.

"Thanks for what?", said Trevor, then remembered. I mean, thanks for what?
For talking to me about this, thought Brandy, and smiled. You said I could ask you if I ever wanted to know more, and well- here I am.

That's right, I did say that, thought Trevor, and scratched the back of his neck. Well, I guess you can ask your questions now. What is it that you want to know?

Well… what started it all?, Brandy asked, and leaned in a bit. A large leaf suddenly appeared in front of her face, and she ducked as they passed by. Your tics, I mean.

That…, thought Trevor, and looked a little nervous. Is an excellent question. I do not know the answer. At all. To be honest, I guess I've always had them.

Hmmm, I see, thought Brandy. What is it like, having them? Are they automatic, or do you have to do them?

Well, yes, Trevor replied. Well, no to the first question. It honestly just sucks. But the second one, kind of both. You see, it comes from the buildup of a super uncomfortable sensation both in my head and on my skin, that can only be reduced if I perform a simple action. Sometimes I need to clench my jaw. Sometimes I need to scratch my cheek. It all depends.

Wow, thought Brandy, as Trevor did exactly both of those things. That does sound like it sucks.

Oh, you know it, thought Trevor, and sighed. Brandy could see the edges of his mouth slightly pull down from the stress of the situation- no matter how beautiful and serene their surroundings were, it could not distract from the inevitable. That soon, in a matter of mere hours, they would be facing Rakastamos.

So, uh…, thought Trevor, and his mind sort of became clouded in Brandy's vision. About Annabelle.

Brandy snapped to attention, putting her hands up to Trevor's face, staring right into his eyes. This was a moment she had been waiting for for days. Yesss?
Once we get through Dark Mountain, right up ahead after this one, Trevor thought, and squeezed his eyes shut tight. Once we get through there, I'm gonna tell her how I feel about her. And I'm not gonna Goblin out of it either. I'm really gonna do it.

Brandy stared at him, taking in that information. She stared perhaps a few too many seconds long, for Trevor's look shifted from determination and excitement to one of mostly worry. Um-

Brandy squealed mentally, almost scaring Trevor clean off of Dan's shoulder. But her sudden and hard grab kept him from doing so, instead roping all the way around him for a solid hug.

Oh, Trevor, she thought, and smiled wide. I knew you could do it.

Trevor's face turned a little redder, and Brandy let go of the hug. She supposed that he reminded her of Leon in some ways sometimes- his natural embarrassment being one of them. Leon certainly seemed to become embarrassed easily- that was a bit strange. She didn't know where he could have gotten it from. Certainly not her, and certainly not his-

Brandy's face fell darker, and she curled up, knees to her chest. She almost didn't notice Bubble tapping on her leg until she looked down and saw it.

"Mommy?", asked Bubble, her wide eyed innocence providing some much needed warmth. It had only been for a second- but a bit of darkness had been trying to sneak its way in to Brandy. But upon Bubble's contact, that bit shriveled up and died away. "Why are you sad?"

"What?", asked Brandy, and unlocked her knees. She straightened her position and brushed up her hair, ruffling her hand through Bubble's bangs. "Mommy's not sad, honey. I just had a-"
She stopped, the words catching in her throat. She turned to one side, the colors of the flowers no longer seeming quite as bright. "A flashback."

"He's dead, Mom.", said Leon, and Brandy turned around. Leon gave her a kind look, and flipped back his hood a little bit. "I destroyed his soul forever."

"And you destroyed his body.", said Dan, taking one last step upwards to the edge of the interior mountain. "You ripped out his heart with your own hands. It was sexy as frick."

Song: Glam - 12" version

Everyone except Brandy turned to look at Dan, with various states of confusion.

"She ripped out who's heart?", asked Trevor, for he had not been listening that well until Dan dropped the Rocket on the conversation. "What?"
"Wait, who is this?", asked Annabelle, for she had not quite been listening either. "Who died?"

"How is ripping out somebody's heart sexy?", asked Leon, his eyes wide open in shock. "I mean it was good, but-"

"What does sexy mean?", asked Bubble, scratching her cheek in wonderment. "Is it good?"

"Uhhh…", said Dan, and looked towards Brandy. SHe gave him a huge smile with all her teeth, even the gold one in the back, and jumped right over his head, landing on the rock in front. It appeared to be a thin wall when she knocked on it- perfect for smashing down.

"Well, Brandy did it, and Brandy is sexy.", said Dan. "Therefore, if she did it, it is sexy."

"That goes for you as well, hot stuff.", said Brandy, and leaned up against Dan. She tilted her head back and saw the group- all deciding that the most interesting place to look was anywhere but directly in front of them. She laughed, and stood back up. "Also, break this rock."

"Oh, but of course.", said Dan, and breathed in. He drew back his fist, aiming it directly at the rock, knowing that beyond it, there was only one more obstacle to go. They had been through so much- but soon, it would finally end. "OOOOORA!"

From the outside, it looked as though a volcanic eruption had momentarily begun, changed its mind, and then just exploded as a blast of natural gas. Bits of green and yellow energy flew outwards from the shattering rock, the group becoming visible in the haze mere moments after. To an outsider- they would have looked menacing, a group of ancient warriors emerging from inside of Ancient Mountain- until a few seconds later, when everyone behind Dan began launching into a fit of violent coughing.

"Dad!", shouted Leon, pulling his hood all the way over his face. "Next time, try to get the dust fling outwards, instead of right towards us!"

"Sorry.", said Dan, and reached out with his arm. He grabbed the group with one swoop and brought them up onto his shoulder, and looked outwards towards the landscape. "I was just ready to finally get outside and-"

The first thing he noticed made him frown. "Oh.", he said, looking up at the tumultuous sky. "It's still storming."
Indeed it was, the black clouds overhead smashing and roiling together like an ocean turned upside down. Thunder flashed and lightning spat, lighting up the darkened sky like a momentary lamp every few seconds. Dan looked outwards more- and the second thing he noticed made him snarl.

"OH, are you KIDDING me?", he shouted, a sudden crater appearing around him, sparking green and yellow. He pointed towards an empty flat plain in the direction they had been about to go. "We just came out the wrong end of the mountain."
"Oh.", said Brandy, and frowned. "Well, should we go back in, or should we just-"

"It'll take too long to go through that place again.", said Dan, and turned towards the edge of the mountain. He pointed forward, mapping a route in his mind. "Not to mention we'll just run into more things, slowing us down even more. No, the best route to go would be around the mountain, through the small valley, and then to Dark Mountain. Then you know, up there, through the-"

The rest of the group repeated it- they had all heard it a dozen times. "Through the mountain, then the shortcut, up the Clashcrush, and Kill Rakastamos."

"Right.", said Dan, and started walking. "There's a river or something up ahead, according to Trevor's map, so keep an eye out for that. Bubble, you can get a drink from it probably."

Bubble nodded, and spun her hands together. A small package of illusionary clay appeared in her hands, and she instantly unwrapped it, beginning to sculpt and build.

"Leon.", said Brandy, and gently put her hand on Leon's shoulder, but he didn't respond. He just kept on staring straight ahead, arms folded, a single spinner blade slightly visible from his sleeve. "Leon?"
Brandy tapped on his shoulder, said his name one more time, and Leon whipped around. His eyes were sharp and his expression sharper, his teeth sharp as well. "What?"
"You're upset.", said Brandy, and put her hand firmly on Leon's shoulder. He tried to squirm away, but her Mom Grip was too strong. "Why is that? Tell me. Now."

Leon's face was one of ferocity- Brandy thought she could see some ephemeral line connecting the back of his and Dan's necks. She was curious about what it was, but it was better left for later. Leon snarled- then stopped halfway through. He sighed, and let his ferocity die down.

"Okay, fine, I'll tell you.", he said, and gestured downwards to the grey ground. They both tensed and jumped, jogging along to keep up with Dan's gargantuan steps. "Just we can't let anybody else hear, okay? This is kind of private."

"That's fine.", said Brandy, and hopped over a rock. "Let me hear it, my boy."
Leon looked up at Trevor and Annabelle on Dan's shoulders, and he felt his eye twitch involuntarily. "Well, you do remember when Annabelle hit on me a few days ago, right?"
"Right.", said Brandy, and nodded. "And I remember you didn't like it. At all."

"That's the thing.", said Leon. "I kind of… did. I didn't realize it at first, but… to have a girl actively seeking my attention for something other than maternal or violent attention… it felt good. It felt nice, and… I want more of it."

"Oh, that's what this is about?", asked Brandy, and stepped sideways, a little bit closer to Leon. "You're lonely?"
Leon thought for a bit, then nodded. He let himself fall behind Brandy a bit, as if not wanting to touch her. "Yes. Yes, that is exactly it."

"And let me guess.", said Brandy, that part of her brain kicking into gear. She spun and pointed at Leon, one hand on her hood, not letting her feet slow down. "You're jealous of Trevor because despite his lack of abilities and perceived lack of interesting features, he still has a far better relationship with Annabelle than you do, despite the fact that she showed interest in you first."

"What?", asked Leon, and recoiled. "No!"
Then his face fell, and he looked down. "Yes."
Brandy sighed, and moved closer to him. "Leon, it's okay. The reason why they're together right now is because they've known each other pretty much their entire lives. His sheer head start on a relationship would be enough to beat out anyone. Not to mention the help that they both got from me to advance their relationship along-"
"What?", Leon shouted in shock, so loud that Annabelle and Trevor heard from up above. They looked down at Leon and Brandy, saw them simply running in silence, shrugged, and continued to talk and laugh up above.

"You- you- you would do that?", asked Leon, a single tear beginning to form in the corner of his eye. "You would rather help some random Barbarian with relationship advice than your own son? Mom, what the frick?"

"Leon, it's not like that.", said Brandy, putting an arm on his shoulder to keep him from jumping away. "I promise you, they would work better together than you and Annabelle. You'll find someone soon someday, I promise-"

But Leon would not hear it. He snarled, flipped up his hood, and vanished into thin air, reappearing exactly six seconds later on the other side of Dan, now jogging even faster.

Brandy frowned, and considered going to him- but knew it would accomplish nothing with his current mental state. She also supposed it could not be helped, for the thought of the battle ahead would drive anyone to such states. She hoped she was not in a similar frame of mind, but it was impossible for her to tell. So she just kept her eyes ahead at the path, ran, and tried not to cry.

"Alright guys, we're coming round the mountain.", said Dan, and pointed forward. "I think once we get around this rock, there should just be smooth running up ahead-"

But alas, he was wrong. But of course, he was wrong. For the landscape that greeted them as they skidded around the mentioned rock was far from smooth.

A thin, somewhat wide river stretched across the bottom of the small valley, filled with chunks of metal and burping olive green gas up at seemingly random intervals. Two wide beaches of gravel lined the river, both with craters in them a few meters wide each. Father down the river there were a pair of rocks that stretched up high and solid, the water visibly flowing through it at the end. A selection of small caves stood at one end of the beach, a far thinner exit at the other. The only way through the small valley appeared to be going through the river, and the slicing metal and toxic muck that lined the slow running waters.

But, as Dan looked closer, there was good news. A line of nonagonal rocks slowly wound their way through the river, ending in a perfect path to the break in the rocks. They looked wide enough to step on for all of them- it was as if somebody else had put those rocks there for them. But considering what else had happened on the journey, they probably had.

Each rock bobbed up and down in the water, and Dan narrowed his eyes to take a better look. It appeared that they too could go below the waves- perhaps it would be best if each member of the group split up, and took their own rock. It seemed risky- it also didn't make sense how such solid looking rocks could float. But he supposed that each was just something they had to get through on their journey- they had been through worse.

"Rock hopping!", said Bubble, and clapped her hands. She jumped off of Dan's shoulders and almost ran for the river, but was caught by Brandy just in time. She scrambled in her grip, trying to get to the rocks. "I love that!"

"Bubble, wait.", said Dan, and took a few cautious steps forward. He took a sniff of the air- there it was. He could sense the smell of danger lurking around, not sure of the source. It could have been the caves, but it could also have been beyond the rocks at the edge of the river. But one thing was sure- he had to be careful. No ambushes would be allowed on his watch.

Especially not the rush of air that suddenly came from one side, as a bright purple Pterosaur suddenly lunged down from its perch, right towards his shoulders. It streaked past the rocky cliff wall, full of strange dotted patterns and randomized fossils, its wide beak open to snatch up whatever it could- until Dan's fist lashed out even faster than it, catching its head and slamming it directly into the side of the mountain. There was a cry of pain that lasted for half a second, then a spray of blood that splattered across the faces of the group. Most of it got onto Dan, but some of it got onto everybody else as well. He kept on walking, the silence of everyone else only proving his point further. "We need to be careful."

But as his feet splashed down into the river, he suddenly felt a lot less cautious. Perhaps it was the disappearance of the danger scent from his nose. Perhaps it was the relaxing feeling of the cold river itself, flowing through his bare feet. Perhaps it was Bubble reaching into his senses, concentrating all her magical might, trying to get him to relax and let her play on the river rocks. It was hard to tell. But whatever the reason, he suddenly had a change of heart.

"Okay guys, get on your rocks.", he said, still remembering why. "And don't be afraid to jump."

Brandy shrugged, and Dashed down to one of the rocks. She performed a few light skips across, the floating rocks not even budging from her light weight of 105 pounds. After hopping across a half dozen, she turned to the group. "Guys, it's fine."

Bubble was the next to go, her enthusiasm outweighing her caution. She jumped down onto the rocks, leaving Dan slightly wondering why he had just let them all go alone. She stuck her arms out to one side and her tongue out the bottom of her mouth, hopping across some of the smaller rocks. She teetered a bit as she did so, but managed to recover quickly.

Leon rolled his lollipop around in his mouth, and jumped to the ground. He tapped almost as lightly as Brandy on the rocks, catching up with her in a matter of moments. He let out a breath- and Brandy abruptly locked elbows with him. He sucked his breath back in, but let himself be held.

Annabelle and Trevor weren't quite sure how to get down, until Dan leaned over. He placed his back to the ground, and stood up once he sensed they had gotten off, and onto a teetering rock of their own. They took a look at each other as their hands automatically gripped, and grinned.

As the group moved slowly down the river, refusing to go faster than Bubble, their slowest member, some things around the brightly colored hideout began to listen. Right above the petrified body of a truly immense Sauropod sticking out in profile from the wall, there sat the very smallest of security cameras. But its tiny size did not mean a lack of definition- for the feed was displayed directly into the eye of Something waiting inside the largest cave, on the other side of the river. He watched the group in anticipation, his gargantuan jaws and hundreds of teeth clicking, clacking, and drooling in hunger.

Bubble jumped from one rock to another almost carelessly, humming an aimless tune. She didn't very much care that they were on their way to battle what was most likely the single most powerful entity on the entire planet- she just had her family. She had her friends. She had some rocks to jump on, and wasn't particularly hungry or thirsty. To her young mind, life was good.

She almost slipped on a mossy patch of rock- but she backpedaled just in time. She jumped backwards, and almost slammed right into Annabelle. Had she, the impact might have taken all three of them into the raging yellow and green river, but she had not.

"Hi Annabelle.", said Bubble, and continued to hum. She jumped to the next rock alongside them, and Annabelle decided it was time to ask the question.

"Hey Bubble?", she asked, and Bubble looked up. "Yeah?"

"Why do you like me so much?", she asked, and Bubble's face brightened. "I mean-"
"It's cause you're super cool!", said Bubble. She would have given her a hug, but they were hopping. So micro-hug it was. "That's why."

"Bubble's right, Annabelle.", said Trevor, and nodded. "You are cool."
Annabelle stopped hopping for a moment, not really noticing that now they were in three groups. Leon and Brandy in the front, the three in the middle, and Dan bringing up the rear. She put her hand to her heart, and squeezed Bubble's cheek. "Aw, you guys-"

"Guys!", shouted Dan, and Annabelle almost stumbled. "We have something!"

Song: Scary Monsters (and super creeps)

Rumbles sounded from the caves, and the sounds of Dinosaurs echoed outwards like a delayed storm. Dan's eyes went to the exit at the top of the river- but it had been suddenly fused shut for some unknown reason. He scowled, turning his attention back to the caves. If there was to be stampede right at them, then so be it. They would have to stand their ground and fight.

"Leon?", asked Brandy, and unlocked his arm. He nodded, and drew out Hunter Killer from his sleeve. His whisps of white hair floated in the air for some reason. "Got it, Mom."

"Bubble, get ready.", said Annabelle, and drew her bow. Trevor drew his sword, while Bubble conjured up an illusion of a sword within her grasp. It was blue, spiked, and immense- but unfortunately, it was made of pure phantasmal light. It would have no effect. "Okay."

Dan just squared his feet, took a deep breath, and prepared himself. It didn't matter how long it took- by the time he was done, everything that came at him would be dead. That is how it always was for him, and that is how he always wanted it to be. Even though the thought should have distubed him, he truly did enjoy battle. He enjoyed the slaughter of foes before him, to see victory overwhelming in his favor. He supposed that such bloodthirsty behavior was also the source behind his overwhelming rage that always threatened to-

He heard a sharp bellow, and snapped back to attention. He saw a huge Triceratops bearing down at him like a Battle Ram, and stepped to one side just as it reached him. He gave a harsh yell and ran his fist upwards, plunging his hand straight through the Dinosaur's body and bursting out the other side. He withdrew his hand with a vicious snarl, letting it fall dead upon the gravel.

"Dan!", shouted Brandy, and gestured. It had been the only one for now, but there would soon be more. "Don't kill them! They're not Forgotten, they're just animals!"
"Yeah!", shouted Trevor, closer. "It'll be bad for the ecosystem."

Dan rolled his eyes, and stepped away from the carcass. He saw the rest of the wave beginning to emerge from the caves with waves of thunder, and once again prepared to fight.

The first line of the stampede charged out from the dark caves, a rank of Ankylosauruses that beat the gravel below them into dust. Light shone off their heavy armor as they waddled forward at the speed of joggers, the line behind them trying and failing to jostle their way through.
"If we can't attack them, how are we supposed to fight?", asked Dan, and thought about beating his chest- but he knew it would do little. The animals were already hysterical, and that's why they were stampeding.

"Try just deflecting them!", shouted Brandy, as the first Ankylosaurus approached her. She jumped into the air, moving forward about a half dozen feet, and grabbed the Dinosaur by the head. She gently twisted it to the right, jumped back- and was safe as it turned to the right and kept on going by. "See! Like that!"
"Well, alright! I'll do that!", yelled Dan, and grabbed the one that charged for him by the head. He turned it gently to one side as well, and it confusingly stumbled that direction. But it was hard going. As the rest of the Dinosaurs came for them, Dan knew he would have to be faster.

Charging towards them were hundreds upon hundreds of Dinosaurs, ranging everything from thick Hadrosaurs to ferocious Megaraptors. There were stout-faced Ceratopsians like the first one, and even more low to the ground Ankylosaurs. Tall and lanky Theriziosaurs ran through, their claws looking like a Mini Pekka's swords each. Hundreds of tiny Compsognathi sprinted as fast as the could through the pounding feet of their fellow stampeders. Dozens of therapods ran in the group- a panicked Giganotosaurus, a few startled Utahraptors, and a single Tyrannosaurus, looking as though it was trying to lead the stampede on.

"Aim for their weak points!" , said Anabelle and fired her bow off randomly into the stampede. She had no idea how to tell if it had hit something or not- there was likely to be no reaction from the Dinosaurs they weren't already doing. "Wherever those are."

"I'm pretty sure they're weak in the eyes.", said Trevor, stretching his arm to prepare for combat. "And you-""

"Oh, yes.", said Annablle. Her own eyes zoomed in to a Hadrosaurs face, and drew a single arrow to nock. "Belive me, I checked it out."

The Tyrannosaurus gave a gargantuan bellow that sounded like a solid wall of vocal assault, and charged. The rest of the stampede increased in speed along with it, partly out of fear, partly out of wild bloodlust, and partly out of whatever wild, untamable instinct is it that causes animals to stampede. The sound of every one of them hitting the ground at once was beyond deafening- it was an impenetrable white wall of noise that blocked out any would be communication. Dan tried to shout to the rest of the group to form to him, but even his mighty words were barely even able to be heard. They all then knew as one that when the stampede proper hit, they would not be able to communicate with each other. They were all on their own owns.

Dan reached up into the sky, and held his hands out. A single white cloud overhead began to spark, the invisible force of Dan's Star flashing upwards immensely into the cloud. The cloud began to grow larger, the fluffy white darkening to grey- until he felt the armored side of an Ankylosaurus suddenly slam into his torso. He twisted around and grimaced, then shoved the Dinosaur aside with a powerful blow that sent it reeling. Scarcely had he done so than another was right up against him, pushing viciously up against him and trying to knock him over- but another powerful shove moved it aside enough so that it would pass. Dan growled- he wished they were Forgotten. That way, he wouldn't have to be so gentle.

As a Triceratops charged straight at him, horns laid down and ready to impale, Dan jumped off the ground with one leg. He swung the other in a graceful arc, landing directly on the Dinosaur's side and sending it skidding off towards the river. It splash awkwardly through the shallow water, and was knocked down by another of its charging fellows .WIthin seconds it had vanished, no doubt crushed to a painful death.

Brandy spun around on her heel, narrowly dodging the frantically swinging tail of an Ankylosaurus. She Dashed upwards in the air at the height of her arc, landing delicately behind some sort of lumbering proto-Sauropod. Leon landed next to her, and flipped down his hood.

"Mom, you might want to do this too.", he said, and jerked his entire body to one side, dodging the slashing claw of a Therizinosaur. "It widens your field of view."

"Oh, alright.", said Brandy, and flipped off her hood. She narrowed her eyes, the sudden increase in vision width a bit of a shock. "Yeah, you're right."
Leon looked at her for a moment's time- then noticed something strange. He had known she wore earrings for a while- simple gold hoops, too small to dangle. But for some reason, they now gleamed with a pulsing silver as bright as the noonday sun.

His sight was cut off from Brandy abruptly, as a massive leg slammed down in between them. There was the Giganotosaurus, no longer nervous- no, after being spurred on by the Tyranosaur's roar, it looked starving for carnage. It let out a colossal roar almost as large as it was, and threw its head down towards the gravel, right between them- at an angle precisely, somehow calculated to make it seem to both at once that he had went for the other. There was a massive burst of gravel as its jaws impacted, and a low rumble from its throat.

Annabelle, even knowing Trevor's warning, fired shot after shot towards anything that moved. She knew that a mere shot from an Archer's bow, even a good one, would not be enough to harm any of the giant creatures for long. Instead she aimed for the most sensitive parts of the body- the noses. The skin of the cheek. With any luck, it would be enough to conceive the insane monsters to stampede elsewhere. A single shot spun out from her bow and stuck into the scales of a single Utahraptor. It did nothing.

Trevor waved his sword around in what he hoped was a menacing circle, the flashing steel hopefully enough to scare the Dinosaurs away, but it didn't really look like it was working. Truth be told, he felt a little silly as the vast creatures charged all around him, a single Barbarian swinging his sword.

Bubble sat behind the two, trying her best to keep her concentration, intent on summoning up a masterwork illusion that would scare the Dinosaurs all away. But it was hard, almost impossible to do so- with the constant beats of giant feet around her, the roars and bellows, and the continuing blasts of battle all reaching her ears. She was on the ground in a cross-legged position, eyes closed, face shaking from the effort, and legs about to give out.

Dan gave a powerful shout, and reached one hand up to the sky. The cloud he had been trying to summon flashed once again, a slight spark of lightning flying down and into his hand. He took a deep breath and blew it between his fingers, a fine electric spray settling down over the charging Dinosaurs. There were barks and grunts of alarm as they felt the sensation, but they soon dwindled into nothing as they realized it would do them no harm. Then it was back to the roaring of an out of control speed, and a frustrated growl from Dan.

He brought one hand up behind him, and swiped it back down again at incredible speeds. His grasping fingers found a small Deinonychus, and he flung it somewhere behind him, high into the sky. He let himself let out a small roar, but managed to contain his Rage. He knew he had to, no matter what. For if he let himself truly go, there was no telling what absolute devastation upon everything such an event could be wrought to bring to pass.

Leon and Brandy both let out a cry of alarm, having thought they had seen the other snapped up- but their unparalleled, inherited hearing both heard the other, and realized it could be not true. The Giganotosaurus realized this as well, and its head reared up to strike for real. It let out a mighty roar, all 85 feet of its body flexing with raw, untempered, primal might. It raised its tail to strike the ground, and raised its right foot to do the same.

Such processes were suddenly interrupted by a spinner blade neatly flying out of Leon's sleeve, cutting through the salty air, and lodging itself deep into the Dinosaur's skin, right below its eye. It gave a gigantic roar and thrashed its head around, trying to dislodge the blade, but the serrated steel edge remained firmly enrooted.

Mom, come on!, Leon signed, hoping Bandy would understand him. She did not, but his body language helped. We have to get to Dan.

The two both nodded, and started running towards Dan, hopping along and over the backs of Dinosaurs, the stampede somehow still going on. The gravel beds had been utterly annihilated, the green, green grass of the biome visible beneath, but yet still from the cave they poured, like a huge, fleshy, scaled and spiked river.

Annabelle and Trevor ducked as a small Velociraptor jumped overhead, landing on the head of a Hadrosaur rapidly fleeing. Their weapons had appeared not to be working at all- none of the Dinosaurs had even really noticed, choosing for some reason to go around. The two had decided that their best bet at the time was to protect Bubble, who still trie to summon her master illusion. Her teeth grit with fury, her little cheeks heating up, as rocks began to float around her mediating in a menacing aura. Soft flecks of blue light tore around her in a chaotic whirlwind, some gravel from below taken into the cloud. Her eyes began to shine, chaos flickering all around her like a tangible blue and white curtain.

Dan lashed out with his right hand, and swiped down a random Pterosaur trying to attack him from behind. He struck out with his left foot, sending a tall Triceratops spinning backwards back int the rest of the Dinosaurs, with a large and panicked crash sounding immediately after.

He took another deep breath, and barked a series of commands up to the sky. The lightning began to flash once again, but far larger and far, far stronger this time- perhaps it was the double exposure, or Dan's own adrenaline.

But either way, he was going to-

A mighty roar blasted outwards from somewhere in front of him , and he stepped backwards. As he did so, his foot splashed down into the river, attracting the attention of something.

He felt his foot immediately become engulfed by a fleshy protopod, and he pulled his foot back. On it was the thing that had been touching him- a truly enormous, sucking Amoeba. Dan snarled and breathed out, leaving a flash of Star striking down onto the Amoeba's body, turning it to steam within a moment. It would have been a powerful opponent for any with its regeneration- any but him.

"How many more of these guys?", asked Brandy, and jumped over a huge shape. Leon was right behind her, landing right next to Dan. The battle was still raging, battle grounds of prehistoric fury. There seemed to be no end to the sheer amount of Dinosaurs exiting the caves.

But all their actions paled to compare to the thing that was now making itself properly heard. Dan looked towards the source of the roar, and sighed. There was the gargantuan Tyrannosaurus, all 145 feet of it, gulping down entire chunks from the Giganotosaurus, One Dinosaur had chosen weakness, and the other had punished him for it. The monster roared and unleashed another roar, the last of the stampede finally beginning to exit the caves.

Dan struck aside a few more Ankylosaurs, looking up to see the rest- and stopped. The very last of the gargantuan Dinosaur stampede was now moving behind him, only the gigantic Tyrannosaurus left. It snarled in wild ferocity as it bit down the last of the meat the Giganotosaurus had to offer, and thrashed its tail at the sight of Dan.

Next to the truly gigantic monster, even Dan seemed small. It was his 24 feet of height vs the Dinosaur's 45, and 145 feet of length. It must have weighed at least 70000 pounds, if not more.

And yet he approached it, one fist sparkling with strange golden light. It seemed somehow different from his Star, in a way he did not how. But here it was, some strange power concentread, ready to apply the beatdown.

The Tyrannosaurus's instincts told it to flee- and it did. It gave a short roar at Dan before turning around and heading back into the tunnels, vanishing within seconds, leaving only the assorted corpses of several Dinosaurs that had died in the stampede behind. It was more than Trevor would have liked, but it was better to have the group alive than a few random Dinosaurs.

"Haha!", shouted Bubble,and opened her eyes. A vast hologram of a mighty Dragon soared up above her, complete with scales, spikes, and several tons of fire. "Now I-"

She saw for the fist time the empty battlefield, and sighed. The Dragon sighed as well and disappeared, Bubble falling to the ground- or, rather, in Brandy's rapidly appeared arms. She hoisted her up her shoulder, feeling Bubble's intense pangs of disappointment through the area.

"It's okay.", she said, and walked towards Dan. He kept on staring at his fist, also a little disappointed that the Tyrannosaurus had fled before a battle. "You'll get your chance next time. And yes, there will be a next time. There will be far too many next times."

She gently set Bubble down on Dan, and she climbed up to his shoulders. "Trevor!", she said. "We just go through that valley to Dark Mountain, correct?"

"Right…", said Trevor, looking up from his conversation with Annabelle. "Just through there."

"Well, alright.", said Brandy, and Dashed into the air. She landed on Dan's shoulder and scratched the back of his neck, admiring the sweaty layer of muscles. "Dan, take us out of the canyon."

"Why, sure.", said Dan, and drew back his glowing fist. He exhaled his breath in a special manner, almost seeming to concentrate the Star right on his skin in a semi-solid lump. "Just.. watch…", he said, through a strained voice. "This!"

"Dan, what are you-", asked Brandy, before Dan struck, "Layer Punch Overdrive!"

Dan's fist rushed forward, and slammed into the side of the mountain. Even though it had been blocked off, it almost cracked as a huge crater spread outwards. Dan took a haggard breath and smiled- but he was not done yet. His arm shivered, as the full effects of his attack took place.

There was another punch of equal force, although his hand had not struck. It broke the rock even further, the smashing power rending the cliff face wide open. Finally, the third blow finished it off- and the rocky wall sealing them in Ancient Mountain's borders burst to bits, revealing the small valley beyond, and Dark Mountain at the end.

"We're heading off!", said Dan, his breathing a bit harsh, but walkable. He started to move out towards the valley, Trevor and Annabelle running to catch up. Leon vanished and reappeared a few seconds later right next to Bubble, lazily turning his lollipop around in his mouth.

Dan stopped to let the two on, Trevor and Annabelle climbing up just before Dan left the rocky cliff. Annabelle looked up towards Dark Mountain, her vision seeing more than she would like, then looked back down again. She looked at Brandy, and once again accessed their mental link. It had been a while since they had used it, but this was an important message.

I'm gonna tell him, she said, and Brandy's eyes shot open in shock. What?

I'm gonna tell Trevor how I Feel, she thought, making sure to verbally capitalize the word. Once we get past Dark Mountain… I feel like that's the best time to.

Brandy tried to keep her excitement in- until she couldn't any longer. She let out a mental squeal and embraced Annabelle in a very physical hug, pushing her up against Dan's neck. After a few seconds she let go, and squealed again. Annabelle, YES!

"What was that all about?", asked Trevor, not overly defensive- but still a little bit. Bubble and Leon also stared.

"Oh, nothing.", said Brandy, and gave Annabelle a sneaky high five. "I'm just letting Annabelle know that she's awesome."

"Well….", said Trevor, and sighed. "That she is. That she is."

But before they could finally head off, they heard something cracking behind them. It seemed to be coming from… from…

"The caves.", Dan groaned, and bent down. The group began to get down from off of him, to prepare for a fight. "Guys, I think we're about to-"

There was a near sonic boom, as the entire side of a section of the mountain fell away. They could see a truly gigantic jawline emerge and snatch up a passing Hadrosaur, keeping it dangling from its jaws. The entire animal stood outwards a second later, clearly a mutated form of the Tyrannosaurus that had escaped. It stood almost bipedal now, covered with spots, and long grabbing arms. It grabbed the Hadrosaur with one hand and stuffed it into its mouth, devouring the hapless animal in a second, then turned towards the group.

"You're next…", it said in a voice deeper than the sea. "Robber!"

Song: Burning Colosseum

"Wait, RObber?", asked Brandy, her voice cracking from nervousness. "Is- is he talking about me? What does he mean, I'm next?"

"I'm going to devour every last one of you.", rumbled The Rex, as it lumbered forward like an approaching glacial extinction. Each colossal footstep shook the ground, almost 200 feet of monster rising upwards into the air. "First the girl, then the little ones, then the fodder… then I'll have the big one for desert. How does that sound?"

"Well, first of all, it's dessert, not desert.", said Brandy, and charged up some Dash in her hand. "You might want to work on your speaking, big guy."

The Rex narrowed its eyes and growled- it had never been able to think of comebacks. So it just lowered its head and charged to beat all right at the group, unleashing a roar that seemed to shake the very air with its raw intensity.

"This guy's big.", said Dan, and jumped backwards. "LIke, really big. Have we fought anything this huge before?"

"No.", said Brandy, and thought. "Well, I guess there was the Kraken, but even he wasn't as large as this one. He's- he's huge."

Indeed he was, rising as high from the ground as the very highest spires of any Arena. His head was a gargantuan maw filled with teeth the size of entire people, his powerful legs propelling him forward. His tail rested on the ground behind him- although his appearance was rather ridiculous, his sheer size allowed no emotion other than fear. He kept on charging, closing the gap of hundreds of meters between him and the group within mere seconds.

"Overdrive!", shouted Dan, and thrust out his fist. He tried to harness some of that power he had unleashed during the Elecfirno Dragon's battle- he knew that such untempered strength would be enough to finish the monster easily. But try as he might, he could not.

The flash of light he fired streaked through the air, detonating directly on the Rex's jaw. It knocked his head back for a bit, before the charge faded from his massive body. And within seconds he was back to charging again, seemingly not even noticing the burning electric flames dripping from his torn skin.

Annabelle and Trevor had tried to fight- they really did. But upon the mere sight of the monster bearing down at them, rising high into the sky and opening its jaws to bite, they could do nought but gasp, grab on to each other, and faint, right in Dan's arms. Bubble had once again closed her eyes, intent on summoning the illusion of the Dragon she had before, even though she had a suspicion that it might not work.

The Rex once again bellowed, and brought its head down close to the ground. It lunged for Brandy in a massive bite- before it felt a solid punch to the side, Its head turned to one side whilte Brandy Dashed away, leaving Dan standing there a little winded.

With the sound of creaking bones, the Rex once again turned to stand at the ready. It started charging at Dan, its hands outstretched, and eyes full of hatred.

"Or perhaps, I will start with the big one!", he shouted, just about to strike. He took a few steps forward, and started accelerating. The Rex's arms were outstretched to the side, not sure exactly why. "Just because you-"

The Rex cried out, as a simple spear of crudely crafted stone suddenly hit it in the cheek, lodging deep within its mouth. Its words were cut off as it looked down below, to see Dan actually-
Dan was using his Star to send up bolts of energy from the ground, grabbing spears and swords along the way. The circle of weapons flowed all around him and he snarled, preparing to launch them all at once.

Another few shots made their bang, and Leon ran past Dan. He let out a few shorts, then continued to do whatever he was trying to do just was not worth it. Hunter Killer was drawn back into his sleeves as he leapt over the remnants of the river- he did not know where he was going. But he figured that if anyone were to stop the charge, then it would not be him.

The Rex let out another bellow, and shook its head back and forth to clear its sight. Once that was done, he once again started forward, intent on going after Brandy clearly written in its colossal, diabolical face.

Brandy considered for half a second the possibility of jumping at it- but shook kher head. The Rex was gigantic. Even if she managed to carve off 6 feet of flesh with a single strike, the Rex would be almost entirely unaffected. There was just too much animal.

As the group all ran, the Rex almost laughed. "Oh, are you running already? I thought you would be more… but I do enjoy chasing down a group!"

Dan, upon hearing those words. Stopped running. Stopped jumping around, instead just trying to see the Rex as it rushed them. He drew back his fist and took a mighty breath, deeper than any he had ever done before, intent on finishing the monster with a single blow.

But of course, it was not to be for that moment. The amount of power his tired lungs could hold was not quite enough for that. He gathered up his fullest concentration of Star, and so had to make due for the moment.

The Rex saw him, and swung its tail. Even though it was moving at fairly low speed, it still moved at astonishing swiftness across the narrow valley. The sudden impact caught Dan clean across the chest, sending him flying backwards over a hundred feet- he was fine, but a little injured. He rocked and rolled all the way to the edges of the forest, then stuck out his thumb. "Don't worry, everyone!", he shouted. "I'm okay!"

But he could not be heard, over the deafening roars of the Rex's rampage. He brought up one foot and slammed it back down to the ground, sending up a rippling wave of ground that rivaled even the mightiest of Earthquakes. He took a colossal bite out of the ground, filtering the rocks and dirt from his mouth via a powerful blast- he hadn't taken anyone, which was good- and constantly laughed in the middle of his roars, seeing the small ones before him scattered and scared. "Oh, oh, run!", he bellowed, and stomped again. He saw Brandy Dash out of they way, and go up right behind him. "I'm here for you!"

Bubble, somehow, was underground at that moment. She sat in a miniature cave of somebody's, presumably her own, and was meditating as fast as she could. She had to summon up something that could distract The Rex long enough to kill it. There was no other option. But it was very loud at the surface and mediation was hard.

Trevor and Annabelle lay behind a well placed tree at the end of the field- they had still been on Dan when he had been launched. He knew that not only would they be useless against the Rex, they would get in the way- but he himself was running towards the Rex, gathering up Star in his lungs and hands, getting ready to attack.

Brandy jumped around like mad, Dashing from one spot of ground to the next, mere seconds before a pair of consuming jaws broke the ground into dirt. She twisted over in the air like a Dragonfly avoids a swatting human, and slid along the ground like ice. She felt another one of the Rex's attacks coming- one foot to impact her position in exactly 3 seconds. She counted to one and ran away, caring more about her safety than specifics. And sure enough, at the appointed time, the Rex's foot came crashing down, but it no longer mattered. She was far enough away- under the monster, in fact, that she dodged it.

"Hey!", heard the Rex, right as he was about to look for her. He turned and saw Dan, charging in right at him, two twin balls of Star in each hand. "Fight me!"

"Oh, I suppose.", said the Rex, and opened its mouth."If you want to, then-"

Dan screamed, and thrust forward one of the energy balls. Such was the perfect crime to be famous in rage, a gigantic sphere of power rushing from him.

The Rex smiled, and moved itself aside. The ball of energy moved on harmlessly past, and failed to detonate. The Rex laughed, and started a slow walk forward.

But despite his apparent failure, Dan didn't give up he just kep on. He kept on firing blast after blast, putting all his angry heart and soul into each one, not even noticing that they seemed to all miss. Right before the Rex actually arrived at Dan's location, he stopped, watching for a bit, and spoke. "Hey buddy, you might want to work on your aim-"

"OH, I did it alright.", said Dan. "I'm sorry about that."

The Rex looked up, to see dozens upon dozens of floating spheres of energy rotating around at hight speed. His eyes widened, right before Dan closed his arms and send them all flying.

Before the smoke cleared, Dan stood there with his arms outstretched, heavily breathing. He wasn't sure if his plan was going to work or not- he had put a lot of his strength into making those delayed blasts. The Rex seemed to be very strong indeed, but-

Then the smoke cleared, and Dan scowled. Despite some burn marks on its scales and what appeared to be a deep mouth wound reopened, his attack had had no effect on The Rex at all. It appeared almost indestructible, its skin truly impenetrable. "That hurt."

The Rex started to walk around again, looking for Brandy, his original target. But she had hidden well wherever she had hidden, and it looked like Dan was going to be the only good target available for a while. So he leaned down, and opened his mouth wide-

Only for Dan to fire off another hidden blast right into the Rex's throat, and use the next second to suddenly streak forward. The Rex coughed as smoke and white-hot Star filled its mouth, electric burns flashing across its tongue, while it felt something grab its foot.

"That's a lot of size!", shouted Dan, and latched his hand on to the Rex's foot. He began to shove as the Rex was still getting its mouth sorted out, feeling the monster's sense of balance slipping. "Just not a lot of place to use it, huh?"

The Rex swept his arms down, trying and failing to grab at Dan. He couldn't quite reach, now regretting that very specific body plan. It had changed during the battle- but it still hd one weakness. Its arms were very short.

"And now…", groaned Dan, and lifted the Rex's foot off the ground. "You're going to face those consequences."

He gave a tremendous shout, and threw the foot upwards- causing the Rex to violently stumble through the valley for a hundred or so yards, trying desperately to right itself, until it finally managed to do so. It turned around and growled at Dan, even that suppressed noise earshaking.

"Okay, that didn't work.", said Dan. "What now?"

He thought about his next move. His Circular Bombardment had offered more sheer Star than most of the things he could pull off- and it had done very little, if anything at all. Physical moves would have to be the way to go, but getting close enough to do them would be tricky. Of course, there was always that- but he shook his head. He needed that to be a tool for when he really, no other choice needed it. And here, he still most likely had a chance.

The Rex saw him pondering, and charged forward, arms outstretched and jaws open wide, hoping to make a quick kill- but stopped abruptly. It stood there in silence for a few brief, sweet moments- until then, the shouting of pain started.

The Rex's eye gushed from its blood red pupil, a single neat hole drilled directly through the center. Blood and eye fluids ran in equal measure, and the roaring of agony was enough to deafen the trees. It thrashed around like a living earthquake- not quite hard enough to dislodge the small figure of Leon on its face, Hunter Killer still gripped in one hand.

"What?", it spat,the words coming out gargled as blood began to drip from its throat. The shot from Hunter Killer had managed to pierce not only its eyeball, but a single part of its brain as well. One arm hung from its side, completely useless, and the other was experiencing random twitches. Spikes on the creature's body jutted up and down at random, forcing Leon to get to the highest spot possible, the very top of the Rex's head. From there, he considered, it would be possible, perhaps, to fire another shot- this one into the monster's proper brain. "How?"

Dan looked up at what was going on, and felt a swell of pride. Up there was his boy, his son, having just dealt a monstrous blow to the single most tremendous creature either of them had ever seen. It felt good, pride in someone else- but especially his own kin. He stuck a fist into the air, and formed the other into a single finger. With a quick exhalation, the burst of Star lashed out, streaked towards the Rex- and perfectly pierced the other eye. But then the Rex did something no one expected- It bellowed again, and jumped into the air.

Leon felt his grip loosening as the acceleration increased, and knew he had to let go. But as the Rex grew higher, the force of its jump almost as powerful proportionally as that of Dan's, the height was far too much for a safe landing. And yet, he knew he had to, but he couldn't, but-

But his thoughts turned out to be meaningless, as his grip failed and Leon was thrown out into empty air, a fall of almost a thousand feet below him and nothing to save him before he hit the ground.

"DAD!", Leon screamed, hoping that he would be able to catch him. "Dad, catch me!"

"Leon, where are you?", Dan shouted back, scanning the sky. He knew where Leon's voice was coming from, but there was no young boy to be found. "I can't see you!"

Leon thought about that for a moment, then realized he must have still been invisible. He mentally slapped his forehead, concentrated- and became visible again. He twisted around, and saw the ground coming up at incredible speeds. He almost panicked, before getting ahold of himself again. "Dad, I'm right here!"

"I see you, I see you!", shouted Dan, running over to where he thought Leon was going to come down. It was hard to calculate exactly, but judging from the wind vectors, the way he was twisting around, and the Rex falling alongside him- oh, no.

Dan growled at the sight of the monster's body also returning to the ground. He knew he had to catch Leon, but he also could not ignore the vast creature's impact. It was also the prime opportunity to kill the beast- a blast right through the heart, with it not in a position to defend. But that didn't matter- Leon did. He thought. Did it? Would not killing the Rex lead to Leon's death anyway, or should he just catch him and take his chances?

"I'm gonna catch you!", he bellowed ,and held out his arms. He exhaled through his nose, creating a soft cushion of Star for Leon to land on- if he didn't, the catching forces would be the same as landing. "Just hold on! You're gonna be-"

At those words, a tremendous flock of bright blue birds erupted from the ground, right towards the Rex. They screamed as one, spiraling upwards in a gigantic sapphire tornado, Bubble jumping out from the ground below in a shout of triumph.

"Bubble!", Dan roared, and Bubble's grin vanished. "What?"

"I can't see Leon anymore!", Dan said, and Bubble cried out. "I can't catch him!"
"Where is he?", Bubble yelled, looking everywhere for her lost brother. "I don't see him either!"
"Get rid of your birds!", shouted Dan, getting angry. "I need to see him!"
"I can't!", shouted Bubble, the shadow of the Rex falling over the group. "I- I-I-"

For a moment, overcome by the sheer frustration of the entire situation, Dan's eyes turned a bright red. His hair flared up, surrounded by green energy, and a roar louder than any other sound uttered during the entire encounter ripped outwards- while a flash of blue and green faster than the eye could see suddenly whipped its way through the occurings, picking up Bubble, knocking Dan out of the way, and catching Leon in her arms, skidding to a stop on the muddy blue-green grass of the valley. Brandy took a moment to celebrate- before the Rex itself crashed to the ground, obscuring all in a cloud of dust that reached up to the actual clouds above and shaking Ancient Mountain at its roots.

Song: Cornered

Once the smoke cleared, the Rex stood there, still as healthy as ever. Something it had done in the clouds had apparently healed up both of its eyes, and it was now free of injury. Its building sized form stalked towards the group, each footfall creating pond-sized craters, the growl in its throat loud enough to break Builder's Huts.

Dan looked up, and took a deep breath, as deep as he possibly could. His chest and lungs expanded with the force, his fist crackling with vast amounts of Star energy. He drew back his fist, knowing that he had only one shot to finish it.

"Brandy.", he said, without looking her direction. "That Dash Swipe. Use it on him. If we destroy that indestructible skin of his, I can get in there… use my Star to blow him up from the inside."

"Right.", said Brandy, and concentrated Dash in her own hand. She put it in her legs as well, her entire body glowing from the energy it took. "That's a good plan."

"Come, little mortals!", the Rex bellowed, relishing each fear-inducing step it took towards the group. "I want to taste your flesh!"

"Don't listen to him, honey.", said Dan and Brandy both at once. "He's just trying to get inside of your head. Nobody is getting eaten,"

They looked up at each other and grinned, then looked back. "Ready? Yes. Go."

They both yelled and took off at once, the force of Dan's rush and Brandy's Dash burning a silver and gold streak in the almost marshy grass. The Rex was a little astounded at their speed, but kept his footing. He too lunged forward, the two small flashes of energy rushing towards the titanic beast at a speed that the wind envied.

"6-Stroke…", Dan rumbled his fist enlarging to match his words. His previous time had been 3- but he was angry enough. He could do 6.

Brandy said nothing, because she did not intone her moves. She just did them, although she liked it when Dan said his. But she was ready to perform hers at a moment's notice, as they both approached the Rex- then slid on the wet grass on their knees in perfect synch, dodging the monster's jaws as they flew overhead.

Brandy Dashed upwards, and reached the scaly, yellow belly. With a shout of fury she swiped with all her strength, the seemingly indestructible skin opening up just a bit, a single thin cut appearing in the scales. The Rex grimaced, and looked down- to see the sight of Dan, jumping up towards where the Rex was now completely vulnerable. "Layer Punch Overdrive!"

The first punch hit with the force of a meteor, blowing the Rex both up and backwards. It gasped from the pain, and blood erupted from the site of the blow in a rough circle. The second punch was almost as bad, blowing apart a good deal of the skin and spreading it across the grass. The third punch started to drill into the stomach itself, spreading even more blood in an arc across the air. Some of it landed on Dan's face- but in his wild state, he relished it. The fourth punch finally reached the creature's guts, pummeling organs into submission and the Rex into incredible heights of pain. The fifth punch could not be seen, but its impacts were felt- and heard in the form of both horrific squelching, and the Rex's agonized gasps. The location and true effect of the sixth and final punch was anyone's guess- but judging from the Rex's squeal, it could not have been fun.

Dan beat his chest twice and gave a mighty shout- but it died away in his throat, as he saw something.

Right as Brandy had slashed open the Rex's stomach, it had seen its golden opportunity. It had sent a single member of the nest of tentacles between its arms to grab her- she had been flying through the air at that time, and had not noticed. In her exhausted state, she had been unable to struggle enough to escape. Upon grabbing her, it had instantly taken her to the Rex's mouth- and that is what Dan saw. Brandy falling down the monster's gullet, her arm reaching out for help and her scream echoing outwards- and the Rex's orange jaws snapping shut with the sound of dark triumph.

For a second, Dan couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He could do nothing but stare at the creature's ungodly throat, as a very small bulge traveled down it and entered the area of the stomach. He felt no emotion, oddly enough, nor heard any sound- save the steadily rising flow of lava in his soul, and the quiet enough to be almost silent tinkling of bells. He felt the Rage he had been attempting to suppress try to contact him- and as the sight of what he had just seen fully soaked in, he told it to come on in.

Then his Rage erupted, and what had happened with the Elecfirno Dragon happened once again. Dan's hair stood up straight and spiky, a bright green instead of blond. His chest and muscles expanded, although the scales granted by Jake stretched to stay on. A burning, blazing aura of sheer hate surrounded him, almost blinding the other members of the group. His teeth grew long and his eyes turned a bright red, his pupils snapping into nothing. But this time was perhaps even more so. He knew that it was not Bubble that had done such a thing- he assumed. But perhaps it was less- for if she was swallowed whole, there was a chance she was still alive. And that was a chance he had to bank on.

"Oh, who was she again?", mocked the Rex, starting to get up. His natural regeneration had started to kick into gear, and his stomach wound, although sopping, was healing. He rubbed his stomach with one spare hand, making sure to emphasize the fact that he had just eaten a member of the group. "A friend? A girl? Your-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!", was Dan's response, along with a gigantic rush of energy from his fist, the likes of which had never before been seen, flashing along the marsh grass like the power of some ancient god. Every single blade of grass within a hundred miles was bent to the side, even affecting the rock and ice on other Mountains. Even the storm clouds above were slightly parted- but he was not even using Star. It was just the shockwave of his punch, and nothing else.

The Rex barely even had time to respond before two things happened. One was that the blast of Rage-fueled wind slammed into its head with the force of a continental hurricane, turning its head all the way to the side, then the other side, then the other side- all in the same direction, the corkscrew action turning all its neck bones into powder within an instant.

The second thing to happen was that its stomach burst open from the inside with a vast speluge of blood, its insides spilling all over the marsh grass like a burst watermelon. The Rex had no time for any last words- the combined force of two fatal blows at once simply killed it at once. The gigantic creature burst apart into Elixir, a veritable flood of it that washed across the marsh grass, staining that area purple for what would be weeks to come.

Dan stood there, his berserker Rage subsiding, and his body returning to normal. His eyes scanned the area for Brandy- it must have been her that burst through the stomach. There was no other option for who, or what it could be really. She had to be there somewhere, had to have survived, had to-

He heard something strange in the corner of his hearing, and tilted his head to hear better as his hair once again fell blond around his ears. There it was, coming up to him from the left, it was-

"Ew ew ew ew ew ew ewewewewewewwe-", he heard, and knew exactly who it was.

Brandy Dashed over the small hillside he was on, sheer disgust on her face, still covered in digestive juices. "Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew-"

She landed on the marsh grass and rolled herself across it, sliding down with a little Dash. She wiped herself off on the soft wet pillow of the land, and tried not to throw up. "Ew ew ew-"

Then she was grabbed from behind, embraced in a very familiar pair of titanic arms, and the air almost left her lungs. She almost struggled out of instinct, but she knew it was Dan. He didn't need to say anything. She could just feel his presence around her, sparkling with golden light. She allowed herself to relax, for she knew that she was safe. And yet- she couldn't let him touch her.

"Don't touch me.", said Brandy, and Dashed out of the grip a second later. "Don't you dare touch me right now."

"What?", asked Dan, and reached out his arms for another hug. "Why not?"

"I'm gross.", said Brandy, and pouted. "Look at me. I'm all covered with slime and blood and sweat and stomach stuff and Se'th knows what else and-"
But her words were cut off, as Dan took a gigantic step forward, grabbed her head in one hand, and kissed her. Star flashed across her skin, burning away the muck she had been talking about, leaving her clean, if a bit dry-skinned. He held the kiss for several long seconds, before breaking it off, leaving Brandy with an exhausted smile on her face. "No, you're not. You could never be gross."

Dan clapped his hands, and Brandy immediately jumped up onto his shoulder. Leon and Bubble wearily crawled up there as well, after taking a second to hug their mother.

"We're off to Dark Mountain now.", said Dan, and yawned. He stretched his arms, looking to where he had left Annabelle and Trevor- yep. There they were, awake now, and coming towards them. "Just one more obstacle. And hey, how hard could it be? After a fight like that, I don't think even Rakastamos could be that hard."

"We can certainly hope so, Dad.", said Leon, and sighed. He figured that now would the best time to try and get some sleep- they would be getting into another fight soon, no doubt. They started to walk towards Dark Mountain, and their penultimate goal. Something would await them there- they knew that. "We can certainly hope so."

But at that raw time of happiness and celebration, when morale was high and the joy was higher, none of them could possibly imagined just what was prepared for them, in the inky corners and and dusky spires of the undeniably evil Dark Mountain. None of them, truly, were ready.

Song: Vegeta- Saiyan Enigma

For several long minutes, Bailey's mind swirled with the untold knowledge that her request had granted unto her. For an eternity she fell through what the ancient mysterious computer had given her- for she had told it to "Tell her everything". And that it did- or at least sort of. It had told her everything it kew that could in any way be applicable to her situation. So not quite infinity, but still an awful lot of things.

She staggered across the room, Nidavaleer, Kurizas, and thesenate all trying to hold on to her- but she evaded their grasps without even looking, her body automatically attempting to keep her safe. She did not even know it was doing such a thing, for she did not feel as though she was in her body anymore. She didn't even feel like she was in the third dimension.

Finally, once the visions of pure insanity ended, Bailey slapped her hand against a desk. She breathed in and out, trying to make sense of the fantastical knowledge all rushing through her head like a raging River, threatening to overwhelm her with things that she was never have supposed to have known. Her eyes flashed with her life rushing before her eyes- bits of her life that she wished she could forget, even after just seconds of having known them.

"Oh…", she groaned, her voice deep and raspy from the stress punding inside her head like a raging fire trying to crawl and slash its way out of her skull. "Oh, Se'th!"

She leaned over the crystal desk and stared into the floor, trying her hardest not to throw up. "I- I- that kid! And that… guy? He said he was… the president? That place… oh Se'th…"

She no longer tried to hold back- she just wretched forward, lost control, and threw up. She almost hit her head on the blue crystal floor, before Nidavaleer pulled her back to a standing positon. She leaned up against him, feeling her entire body simultaneously shake and shiver with bizarre fear, absolute disgust, and just general confusion at the knowledge she had been granted.

Bailey held her forehead in her fingers, and groaned again. "Oh, no wonder I look exactly like her! I-"

He stomach once again retched, and she fell forward into NIdavaleer's other hand. Her head swam with the knowledge like a Shrimp swims through lava, but she thought she was just barely able to take it all .if she just shut her eyes, opened them again ,stared forward at the wall, and tired not to think about any of it.

"Hey, uh…", said Kuriza,s taking a single step closer. "Bailey, are you okay? What did you see?"

Bailey groaned, and rolled her eyes along with her head. "Yes.", she croaked, and flupped back down into Nidvaleer's arms. Thesenate moved over to the group's right, seemingly preparing for something.

"Hey, it's not any worse than those memetic kill agents they made us test with at the beginning of training!", said Kurizas, and gave Bailey a friendly knock on the shoulder. "Right?"

Bailey looked up at him, and delivered unto Kurizas a Look of such withering intensity that many smaller, weaker troops would have been annihilated in an instant. But Kurizas was of course no ordinary Prince- and thus he just felt his skin flare up a little. "Oh. Uh… okay then."
Bailey shakily got ot her feet, and looked over to what thesenate was doing. "Yeah. Uh… but I think I'm doing fine now. Not fine. I can stand. Right, I am good enough to stand."

"That's good.", said Kuriza,s and Bailey turned to see thesenate preparing something. "I wouldn't want you to be hurt."

"Miss Bailey, would you come and look at this?", asked thesenate, and Bailey hobbled over. "I think this is information you might need to know."

"Sure, sure.", said Bailey with a scratch in her voice. "Show me already."
Thesenate nodded, and slammed it right in the center of the table. Bailey wasted no time, and instantly Dashed to where she could see better.

They could see the book weighing down enormously on the table, the sheer aura of age almost palpable. Voices seemed to come from it like an ancient choir, the words uncertain.

"So uh…", said Bailey. She pointed at the book, and gave it a poke. "What is this?"
"This?", asked thesenate. "This is the Book of Knowledge. It is the computer from before, just in a different form."
"What?", asked Bailey, and looked up. "Then where's the computer-"

As if to answer her, she saw that the very shape of the chamber had been changed. No longer was it a sleek, modern room- no, it was more the classical era of decoration, but far darker. The only sources of light they could see came from the Book of knowledge, holes in the walls, and a single lingering bit of illumination.

"Oh.", she said, and looked back down to the book. "I see. Well then, uh- let's get reading, I suppose. No sense asking what's in here when I can just read, after all."

Bailey put her hands on the book, pulled back the first page, and began to read.

Her eyes suddenly lit up with a shining blue light, the sheer power and wisdom of the book filling her mind and overtaking her completely. She almost screamed, but such efforts were overcome by the fantastic hum emanating from her like an ocean's wave. Kurizas took a step forward to try and help her, but was held back by thesenate. "Wait. She is fine. This is normal."

"Are you sure, sir?", asked Kurizas, seeing Bailey's hands stuck to the book's glowing pages. The light streamed from her like a spotlight, lighting up the walls and ceiling with an azure glow.

"Yes.", said thesenate with a nod, and gently smiled in reassurance. "I am."

"Bailey…", said the Book of Knowledge, its voice echoing inside of Bailey's mind. "You wish to know about the Dragonlords. Is that correct?"

"Ye- yes.", said Bailey, and nodded, although her voice was hearable only to the book. "I do."

"Well, good.", said The Book, and Bailey felt the words flow into her mouth almost as soon as they entered her brain. "Then take this knowledge. Speak it to the minds of all who surround you."

"Dragongod Akulamastar.", said Bailey, her voice echoing with the power of the Book. "The mightiest of all troops, the ancient king of the Dragons, the first form of life to be born in all the world's time. With his all-encompassing power, the very planet itself was seeded with vast creation, and brought to the god's visions."

"Her- her voice is different!", said Kurizas, pulling at thesenate's grip. "What's happening to her?"

"No, Kurizas.", said thesenate, pulling on Kurizas's hand a bit harder. "I know she's fine, so should you. Just hold on."

Nidavaleer stood there, listening to the cosmic words. He was just genuinely interested.

"But he had to leave the planet, for his great and mighty size had grown too large.", Bailey continued, and the images of Akulamastar that had lit up the walls vanished.

"But his children that he left behind were all combined nearly his equal in power, to govern over all life in his stead. Each had their own continent, and each had their own style."

An image of the Dragonlord of the Hay Day Farms was projected on to the walls from Bailey's glowing eyes and mouth. "Talak the Peaceful was the eldest, although the weakest by far. But his wit and his age allowed him to resolve disputes between his siblings peacefully, and without conflict. Resting he is, although sleep he does not."

The pictures of Talak vanished, replaced by the now familiar images of Rakastamos, in poses of rage, hatred, and deep philosophy.

"The next eldest was the mighty Rakastamos the Just.", boomed Bailey, stirring up the dust around the entire chamber. "He always had the mind for the common being, seeking that which was downtrodden. But he is now a dark, dreaming rager, seeking to destroy all mortals- in the name of the justice he once pursued. He lurks awake in his lair, having broken out of his stone prison by unknown means."

"That's our guy, right?", asked Kurizas, giving thesenate an elbow. Thesenate scoffed, and shrugged his ghostly shoulders. "Well, I don't know."

"The third eldest was Bonaralman the Mysterious.", said Bailey. "Ruling over the island chain of the Boom Beaches, he was always one to keep to himself. Never did he interact much with his brothers and sisters, but his sleep now grows ever more fitful. Soon will it end."

Nidavaleer started to get curious about what Bailey was saying, but he didn't let it get to him. He also got a little bit worried about what she was going to say next, for he had some vague thoughts of what terrors were to come.

"The third youngest was the truly powerful Auinruar the Great.", continued Bailey, and shivered a bit from the raw power constantly racking her body. "Said to be almost equal to his father in some respects, his battle prowess was beyond even that of some of the gods. But now he sleeps in a slumber deeper than space, unable to be awoken."

Thesenate, too, began to feel something strange. He could feel Bailey screaming in pain from inside her mind, but she knew she had to keep on going, for the sake of the mission, the world, and possibly even beyond. He knew these things- for despite all that had happened, he was still, in fact, her King.

"Now, after the creation of Auinraur, great Akulamaster knew it was time for his children to have sisters, for balance.", said Bailey, smiling a little bit through the pain and through the light. "And so Reshpalatai the Swift was created, the queen of the land of Brawltopia. Strange are her movements and meanings, yet awake she rests far beneath the surface. She formed an unbreakable friendship with her sister, the youngest to be born-"

Bailey took a deep breath, and finished the final paragraph of the Verse of the Dragonlords. "Chuqulita the Wise, the youngest and most idealist of them all, ruler over the Rushlands. She is now awake, flying from continent to continent, intent on stopping Rakastamos's plan by any means. She hates to do her beloved brother in, but knows it is for the sake of all life that she must."

"And that's all of them.", said thesenate, and Kurizas stared to move for Bailey. "Now we can-"

"These are the Dragonlords known to all.", said Bailey, and began to shake from intensifying fear. "But there is yet another- the long lost, truly ancient, brother of Akulamaster."
"What?", thesenate hissed, and drew back. Kurizas started to run for Bailey, who was now shaking almost as much as her voice.

"He who cannot be stopped.", she said, and tried to pull her hands away from the book. Bailey screamed as she saw something coming right for her, in the field of black that was her vision. It was a gargantuan Dragon's skull, burning with infinite power and endless flame, its jaws coming at her from all directions. She tried to scream, but could not before the Dragongod. "He is who all the end, and all the base. He who holds the powers of the departed, and all shall join him eventually. The grand ultimate king of creation and its unavoidable deminse, Rashkang the Dea-"

"D… huh?", asked Bailey, now finding herself laying down on the floor, cradled in Kurizas's arms. He stared down at her in worry, as did everyone else. "What… what?"
"You were freaking out.", said Kurizas, and gently helped Bailey to her feet. "We had to pull out out of there before something bad happened."

"Oh.", said Bailey, and nodded. "Uh, thanks. But we still need to-"

She looked around, and rolled her eyes. "Oh great, not again."

The chamber had once again redesigned itself, the dark castle walls and slightly burning torches replaced with a slick black surface and tiny penlights that illuminated hardly anything. The group now found themselves on a tiny walkway, one bulb to stand on and an immense screen rising up above them. It was impossible to tell what lay beyond the thin metal bridge into the unknown abyss, but none of them were going to try and find out. A large keyboard was right before the screen, right in front of a single swivel chair, the only thing beeping upon the screen a mysterious question mark.

"Jeez, this thing just keeps on changing.", she said, and hobbled exhaustedly over to the chair. She slid dow into it and groaned, her damaged body making things difficult. She still felt the pressure of the cursed, gifted knowledge in her head, pushing on her skull like a vise. "What now…"

She tapped a single key, and the screen unlocked. The background was that of Rakastamos, and Bailey almost jumped from the sight- but she kept her training in mind, and calmed herself down. "Computer?", she said, and cleared her throat. "Tell me Rakastamos's plan."

But nothing happened. Bailey adjusted herself in the seat and prepared to say it again, when she realized the keyboard must have been put there for a reason. She looked down and typed- the words Rakastamos's plan appearing on screen. This time the computer gave a massive, underlying beep ,and went to work.

Song: Kronos Unveiled

With a glitter of digital markings, a map of the entire world appeared on screen. Each and every continent was arrayed in perfect detail, each colored coded- purple for Royale, yellow for Clans, orange for Brawltopia, light green for the Farms, blue for the Beaches, and pink for the Rushlands. There was a digital representation of a sinister looking vat at one side, with a readout that said "0%". A number right below it read "Mortals Killed", also at 0. The third displayed number was "Days Passed"- also, of course, at 0. A digital readout hovered in front of the entire display- "Would you like to run simulation of plan? Y/N."

Bailey took a deep breath, gulped from nervousness, and cautiously pressed Y.

The screen's output began to change, the number of days passed jumping from a 0 to a 1. The Blood Elixir Vat remained still at 0- for now. The number of mortals killed increased, however, going from 0 to 15. Rakastamos must have struck some unfortunate explorers on that day, or at least some of his Forgotten. It was impossible to tell which one.

"What is he doing?", asked Kurizas, whispering for somer reason. "What do all those mean?"
"Maybe if you watch, you'll find out.", hissed Bailey in response, and continued to watch the screen in earnest worry. A veritable army of red dots had appeared right in the middle of Clashcrush Mountain- his Forgotten had apparently begun to mobilize.

The display flicked from day 1 to day 2, and very little changed at all. The red dots moved outwards, a single gargantuan pulsing one remaining at the center of the peak- no doubt representing the Dragonlord himself. Bailey watched as several more dots of equal size appeared on the map, each of them in their respective continent- the other Dragonlords.

A single drop appeared in the vat of Blood Elixir once day 3 dawned, as well as the number of mortals killed jumping up from 15 to a slightly worrying 45. Bailey thought about that number for a bit, before deciding she didn't really need to. The dots spread out more, some of them beginning to take positions along the vast Continent of the Clans.

The moment day 4 began, things began to happen. The red dots spread out all across the entire landmass, some of them even crossing into the ocean and to other continents, one staying in the waves. The Blood Elixir Vat increased to 2% full, while the number of mortals slaughtered went up by about 15. The Dragonlord Dots did not move, seemingly unaware at that point of what their brother was doing.

Once day 5 hit the screen, Bailey almost jumped out of her chair. The Blood Elixir Vat was filling far fast now, at a rate of almost 1% per second. At that rate, they would have only mere days before it was filled. Bailey realized she didn't know when that part of the plan had taken place- she and her entire group had been off planet at the time. But she hoped to All That Was it had not taken place a while ago, and Rakastamos had already completed his dark and evil plan. She had seen annihilated worlds before, and it was not a thing she wished to see again.

To round off day 5, the Forgotten had finally been assigned their stations, and stopped moving around. The number of mortals killed was now in the hundreds, steadily ticking upwards towards the thousands as they all watched.
But of course, Day 6 was not much better. They could see the auras of the other continents, now becoming clouded and greyed over. Rakastamod's sheer aura was working all the time to overwhelm then, feeling them growing weaker, waiting until it was his time to finally strike without influencee. The Dark Elixir vat was now fuller ever fuller, and the number of mortals killed was growing second by second- now at almost 3000..

Bailey leaned back in the chair and put hand to her forehead at the sight before her, not quite wanting to come to terms with how it was all playing out.

Day 7 appeared on the screen, with a rush of energy that signified the weekend. The dot Bailey assumed was Chuqulita began to stir, staying non the Rushllands for that moment, but would soon be leaving. The Blood Elixir jumped up to 18%- and the number of sacrifices worked its way up to 18000. Bailey shivered, not taking long to figure out just why it was called Blood Elixir.

The Forgotten stayed up late, however- ready to kill whatever they could.

As Day 8 flashed on to the screen, patterns began to become noticable. One was that the rate in which the Blood Elixir filled up was roughly that of 5% a day now, but i would soon change. It was always moving and changing, for reasons Bailey could not understand.

What she did notice, however was that the death count was now far higher than it had any right to be. It was now at nearly 45 thousand Troops.

Day 9 appeared on screen- and showed even more of the same. More Forgotten spreading out. More of the Blood Elixir filling up, and more of the screams that Bailey could not hear, but feel.

Skip to the end, she groaned, and typed out he request on the computer.

The computer somehow seemed to understand just what it was that she was talking about, and mixed up the display in a dizzying update. It was possible to count down her information- but with far more peace and less violence. So she just trusted the computer- and soon enough, it pulled up exactly what she had been looking for.

There was the frightful day 21, dozens upon dozens of Forgotten leapfrogging all the way to the towers. An evil smoke covered the sky, the handmade image of Rakastamos'ss eye visible upon it. The Blood Elixir Vat was now up to 60% full, but that was approximately. Meanwhile, Bailey became aware of a few certain individuals that apparently Rakastamos considered a threat to his plan- a silver dot in the south, and a couple of dots in the east.

As more and more Forgotten flooded the display, and the crazed laugher of Rakastamos half began to be heard, Bailey felt increasingly uncomfortable- yet for some reason, she knew she had to keep on going. She knew she had to find out the truth behind Rakastamos's plans.

So focused she had been on seeing the dots that she almost did not notice as days 22 and 23 swept by. Once those two were over, not only did she notice a movement in the two dots to the east and one coming in up from the south, she also noticed a significant drop off in the number of red dots. She guessed that the newcomer dots, whoever they were, must have been killing the Forgotten.

And yet, there were still days to go.

Day 24 came to pass- and the Blood Elixir Vat sloshed out to 85% capacity. The number of mortals killed was now at a ridiculous number- then, as Bailey watched in utter horror, it flickered to 1%. That did not seem large at first- until she realized it meant that even just a few days ago, Rakastamos had already managed to slaughter 1% of all mortals in the entire world.

The red dots continued to vanish to the seemingly invincible invaders from the east, and they were joined by the one from the south. Bailey could not help but wonder just they were.

The silver dot of Chuqulita suddenly appeared at the lair of Rakastaoms. She was only there for a brief second before she went back to across the sea, after a brief stop at the silver dot on the south of the continent. That one paused there fro a second, before heading upwards. Bailey decided it would be best to sit back and look at the grand picture rather than follow the dots, regardless of the horror it caused her. She saw the Blood Elixir Vat reach 90% capacity, and shivered.

Day 25 began its run, and the three silver dots from the east were joined by three more. Countless red dots began to fall before them- but that is not what Bailey was focused on any longer. No, she was focused on something else entirely- a mysterious box marked changelog at the upper right hand corner of the screen.

Atmosphere shield added, it read. No entry without crash allowed. No one will be bothering me.

Bailey felt a spark of understanding, knowing that is why the ship had crashed after all. She looked at the Vat- and almost felt her heart stop as it reached 93% capacity. The number of the world's mortals killed flickered upwards to 1.2%, and Bailey thought she was going to be sick. That was over 1 in one hundred people- almost everyone, statistically speaking, would know somebody who had died. Why was this not common knowledge on the planet?

But then she remembered why. Villages typically had very little communication with each other. If an entire village were to simply disappear one day, very few people would complain about it…

Day 26 dawned with a raging burst of vanishing red dots, and Bailey vowed to find out what was going on. But as another box flickered to life, she looked at that one. It held several news reports, the reporters all looking scared for their actual lives.

As the simulation progressed into extremely recent times, the edges of the screen began to flicker with orange Dragonfire. To the group, it was fear- but to Rakastaoms, it represented his looming ultimate victory.

The changelog now was talking about how the gods had already left the planet- there was to be no one that stood a chance. And yet, Bailey didn't think that was true. The silver dot from the south had been speeding around the entire map, picking up dot after dot. Chuqulita was still awake, and the silver dots from Royale seemed to be all but unstoppable, now getting closer and closer.

Day 27 flashed onto the screen- and Bailey realized with a start that she could see her own group spawn on to the map. They had caught up with the present- but wait. If the silver dots were anything that Rakastamos considered a threat, then-

Bailey gulped, at the implications. Then even though they were threats, Rakastamos had done nothing gto stop them. With the power of his plan, he thought he would become truly invincible, able to be defeated by no one.

The simulation suddenly stopped, and now appeared to be in real time. End of simulation, read the text box on the screen. Extrapolate from current situation? Y/N.

Bailey shrugged, and pressed Y. If she was to find out as much information as possible, she needed to go all the way.

The simulation sped up again, and Bailey held her breath. The silver dots she had been following, including her own, all converged on the mountain, and Rakastamos. They all seemed to blend together in a great red and silver mash- only for the silver dots to suddenly all vanish, and the red- now gold, shining bright- to stand alone, unopposed.

Bailey's heart dropped out of her chest, and sunk into her falling stomach. The gold dot zoomed around the entire map systematically, each tile of territory that it touched going dark. She saw that the Blood Elixir Vat had reached 0% capacity- and the number of mortals killed soared. It went from 3% to 18% in a matter of seconds, then 24%, 68%, 73%-

Then as the gold dot of Rakastamos reached the final square of the world, the number at last hit 100%. A low buzzer sounded, signifying the death of all mortals, and a final victory for the Dark Dragonlord.

Bailey, although intense emotions racked her heart, could not allow herself to get distracted. She just put her hands on the keyboard, shook her head, and typed. How long until Blood Elixir drunk?, she asked, and put her finger above the Enter key. It just hung there for a bit, as she thought. The moment this was pressed, there was no going back. It was now or never, the final home stretch to save the world.

As the group looked on in silence, and Bailey's finger hit the button, the only sound that could be heard was that of destiny holding in the balance, and a single quiet tap.

The second Bailey saw the number, she gasped in horror. A single digital timer hung in the air, counting down- 6:59:59. 6:59:58. 6:59:57.

Bailey got up from the chair, almost falling over her own feet, and Dashed right into Kurizas's arms. She picked him up and went for Nidavaleer, who put both his arms around them. They all stared at the timer, counting down the seconds until the end of the world, the harsh red light spilling all across the chamber like a raging river full of blood. 6:59:54. 6:5:53.

Bialey, even though she shook on the inside, still pulled out her communicator.

"He- hello?", she asked, forcing her voice to be strong. "Headquarters and dispatch?"
"Hello, Agent Bailey the Bandit, what can I do for you?", asked the voice on the other end, unsettlingly cheery. Normally it would be welcome, but now it just felt strange.

"We're gonna need some Thaumiels.", said Bailey. "Probably some containment mechs too- series 8, the ones with the giant chain blades. Colored black."

"Alright, can do.", said the man on the other end, jotting down some notes in his notebook. "Any requests?"
Nidavaleer grunted into the phone, and the man on the other end understood. Bailey piped up. "Uh… I think 4606's been wanting some action lately.", Bailey said, and scratched hr head. "And 4586 will probably want to come with."

"Sounds good to me.", said the dispatcher, and leaned back in his chair. "And uh… 682's been wanting some action lately. Think you'll need him?"

"Oh, definitely.", said Bailey, and nodded thankfully. "He's hard to kill."

"Alright, we'll get those to you in a bit.", said the agent, and nodded. "We have your coordinates already- now go. Secure! Contain! And Prooooootect!"

He hung up, leaving the group alone in the now darkened chamber. Bailey looked up at Kurizas, who nodded. "Well, no sense in being here anymore. We should go now. To… to Rakastamos. Hopefully, that won't come true if we're there."

They began to leave the chamber, thesenate going the opposite direction. They left the timer to doom slowly counting down, every second one bit closer to the end of the world.

6:58:57.

6:58:56.

6:58:55.

6:58:54…

Song: Cell Games Announcement- TFS

Darkness still reigned supreme inside the deep caverns of Clashcrush Mountain- but this time around, the darkness was different. It was not so much the darkness of an absence of light- it was the darkness that one was left with when the light was standing right beside it, all the darker for the contrast. It was the sinister darkness of a long-forgotten farm on a deeply haunted field, and the dripping black heart of the hallway of an abusive family, the abuser coming home. It was the darkness of an empty, cold streetway, of someone locked up in a shut building and left to die by the hands of whatever lurked there.

And in the middle of all that darkness, right in the epicenter of the storm that continued to engulf the entire Continent of the Clans, was none other than- who else could it be, after all- Dragonlord Rakastamos.

He sat next to his now favorite of the Baby Dragons he raised- Dablia, the Strategist. Dabila was a little nervous from the incomparable size of the mighty Dragonlord, but he knew that Rakastamos meant him no harm. The look on his face, however, indicated that he most definitely meant a great deal of harm to somebody. Or even multiple somebodies- his mostly internalized rage was certainly deep and raging enough for that.

"Oh, my dear little Dablia.", he rumbled, and brought Dablia closer to him. Dablia shivered at Rakastamos's touch, feeling the power rush through him just from basic contact. "It appears that so far, our Forgotten placements have not worked against our greatest enemies. The Broodmother and the Rex stopped one group before, but even they were no match against the might of the Tailbiters."

"Oh no…", whimpered Dablia, and put himself up against Rakastamos's tail. Deeply indoctricated, he felt nothing against what he was hearing. "Does that mean they're going to come here and kill us all?"

"Oh, no, no, my dear little one.", Rakastamos said, and thrummed deep enough to set the entire mountain vibrating. "For although they are strong, they can never get through me. I know that for a fact."

"But Father, what about the Evil One's army?", asked Dablia, and pointed forward. There was a roughly real time chart of the world, strikingly similar to what Bailey had seen inside the cave. In fact, it was practically identical- the Chamber had taken Rakastamos's plan directly from the source. "Aren't they coming as well?"

"Well, yes, but no.", said Rakaastamos, staring forward at the magical chart upon the wall. "It is true that they, whoever they are, have conjured up a mighty force indeed, but even they are inconsequential compared to what I am capable of unleashing."

He neglected to mention the arrival of Bailey and her group- for he had not noticed. Even though his magical scroll had logged it, he had quite simply not even bothered to check.

"I've already run the numbers, Dahlia.", he said, and tapped on the ground. "My chance of victory here is well over 85%, more if my other plan comes to fruition. You need not worry about anything."

Dahlia, still slightly worried, looked up. "Only 85%?", he asked in confusion. "Isn't that super low?"

"No.", said Rakastamos, and slowly to began move forward. "For that is in a vacuum. This is 85% chance of my victory, until I drink that which i most desire. Once I do, it becomes 100%."

"But won't they attack you and stop you from doing that?", asked Dablia, and tilted his head.

"They can try.", said Rakastamos, and began to laugh. His laughs built up bit by bit, and he threw back his head and howled in perfect tune. "Oh, no no no.", he coughed, and stood up straight. "You see a terrible fate awaits any who try to stop me on my path. You know what by now, don't you all just-"

But the he realized with a start that there was almost no one around him. The rest of the Baby Dragons had fled once Rakastamos had eaten one of their own. The darkness still choked at the edges, the torch lights having been effectevely reduced. He pressed on his hands under his chest, and chuckled to himself.

"Dablia…", Rakastamos said, and held his hand in his hands. "What am I going to do now?"

"What do you mean, Father Rakastamos,?", asked Dabli, who looked up at him with a hint of worry.

"I'm fine." said Rakastamos, and laughed. "I just wanted to make sure that many come here."

"What?", asked Dablia in surprise, and looked genuinely confused. "Father, what are you talking about?
"I know they're all coming here.", Rakatamos rumbled, a black and white gleaming in his eye. He began to rear up to his fullest height, the shadows in the cave still mostly hiding his terrifying body. "To me, and to their deaths. For what purpose can they possible bring their armies for? What use is the common footsoldier, no matter how many, against my power?"

As if to accentuate his point, Rakastamos lashed out with his tail. A huge section of the ancient rock trembled, stopped, then fell to the floor, despite having not been contacted at all. They spun away into the darkness, Dablia shaking his trembling head.

"Yes… yes!", shouted Rakastamos, and brought up his right hand. "My power is the strongest in all the world! Even the gods and primals will be unable to face me, once I-"

Then he looked down, and saw Dablia shaking in fear. Rakastamos almost instantly went back to normal. He swooped down and put a hand over Dablia's face, telling him to be quiet through a great rumbling shush. And shush he he did- he had to, or else he would lose. "Sh!"

As Rakastamos pressed down on Dablia's face and pressed, Dablia grew quiet. he sniffed, looked up, and smiled. "Thank you, Father."

"No, thank you.", said Rakastamos, and sat down. He gently stroked Dablia's back with his finger, getting ready for the upcoming battle in just a few hours. "I shouldn't be so forceful. I am a good Dragonlord- I just get a bit carried away sometimes. Wouldn't you agree?"

Dablia nodded, and Rakastamos smiled. "And besides, don't worry about the Tailbiters. I have a very specific group of troops to do them in…"

He gave the ground underneath him a little tap. "And as for Chuqulita and her minions… well. I have something ready for them as well. Yes- I suppose I have cooked up a few little surprises…."

He threw back his head and laughed, feeling the excitement of ascension on the dark horizon.

Not overly far away, silence covered the grey and cloudy sky. Where there had once been villages winding along the peaceful Clashcrush River in the small, idyllic valley, there was no such thing. Where the sun had once stood, there was not an impenetrable river- not only of the rapidly flooding water from something up ahead. It was a single burning grey light, right at the base of the footsteps that whatever it was left behind with almost every step.

Through one destroyed village it slowly walked, every single building have been reduced to rubble faster than anyone there could say "Oh no-"

The village lay in absolute tatters, the remnants of its inhabitants now broken to bits of nothing.

The Barracks and Army Camps had been reduced to dust, and the leyline undeath it destabilized. There would be no regeneration for the village fallen.

The Gold Mines and Elixir Collectors had long since been turned into loot for Rakatamos, each of them destroyed in but a singe blow. It also went for the Dark Elixir Drill, and the Storages.

But most shocking of all, each and ever single of the defenses had been totally destroyed. The Eagle Artillery lay half on its side, slowly sinking into the muck that had brought about by the slaughtered army. The Inferno Towers had exploded trying to defeat the unstoppable monster that had rampaged through their village, and the one before that, and the one before that, and before anyone had seen it. The rest of them had crumbled into brick and stone, their lack of defensive power leaving the few Villagers that still roamed around, easy pickings for anything that might come by. They had been joined by the ones from the next over, each of their armies defeated. Ground or air, it didn't matter- the monster had slaughtered them all the same, leaving the ground slick with Elixir. They had all been forced to watch, helpless to resist, as it had defeated their villages, and taken-

Their Heroes. The monster was of course a Forgotten, and also all too happy to fill its master's request for pet Archer Queens to have. So for each village he had wiped off the face of the planet- 5 on this trip, he had done the same to the heroes. He had left each Barbarian King in a state of extreme injury head first underground wishing for death but unable to truly die. He had just straight up killed the Grand Wardens- but the Archer Queens he had had sleeping, dragging the behind him by their hair. So far he had collected two defaults, an Ice Queen, a Gladiator Queen and a Valkyrie Queen. Rakastamos would be happy with him, for skins on Heroes were something he thought that mortals had actually managed to do well. That is why he collected them, or at least one of two reasons. Both because they looked nice, and to start his highly experimental Dragon-Hero breeding program.

The monster continued onwards towards the next village, bounty in hand, leaving behind only permanent destruction and sorrow that had not been felt in many, many years, on a scale that would cause an Ice Golem to weep without end.

Song: Yuuki Rendan

The Group's passage across the misty, moisty, blue and green marsh flats had proceeded without any real incident after the defeat of the Rex, except for that Bubble had gotten a blister in her toe. But after Brandy had expertly retrieved it and Dan had healed it up, Bubble had stopped complaining.

"Hey uh…", said Leon, aimlessly rolling his lollipop stick around in his mouth. "Mom."

"Yeah?", asked Brandy, also laying down. She stared up at the storm above, watching the Lightning flash by as she had been doing for the last several minutes. It was almost surreal, the calmness she could feel right before the ultimate storm that was Rakastamos.

"Why do you wear that mask?", asked Leon, and tapped the side of his head. "Is it like-"

"It's part of my skin.", said Brandy, and rolled her eyes. She squeezed them shut, feeling just how tired she was, and opened them again with a yawn. "That's why."

"Huh." ,said Leon, and nodded. He felt his own face- it was darkened around the eyes. He didn't know why. Perhaps it was just because Brandy had given birth to him, or maybe it was a thing all Leons had. He knew that Nitas had a similar thing, but he had only met another Leon once. He had not shown his eyes.

"Why do you have that lollipop?", asked Brandy.

"It's just a Leon thing.", said Leon, and rolled it around in his mouth some more. "Nothing really that strange… glad to have it though. It keeps me entertained when there's nothing else to do."

"Mmm.", said Brandy, and nodded. "Are you still upset?"
"Upset?", asked Leon, and sat up a bit. "Over what?"

Then he remembered and laid back down, trying and failing to find the perfect spot where he had been comfortable before. "Oh, right. That. No."

"Good.", said Brandy, and beamed. She stretched, feeling that they would soon be moving. "I'd never want you to be upset."

She thought about just how the relationship between them had changed even on such a short journey- he had went from tentative loner to clingy son to brooding teenager in just a few days. She hoped he would snap out of his current phase soon- she didn't like it when he was brooding like this. It almost made her yearn for just a few days ago, when the pressure had not seemed so high- but she knew times were better now. For it was during that time that Dan had been fighting with her- and that was the worst time of her life. Nothing else really compared to the pain of even the possibility of losing him at all.

"Okay, but…", said Brandy, and put an arm on Leon's waist. He stiffened a a little, but allowed the contact. "I want to make sure that you're okay. Promise me?"

"Promise you wha-", said Leon, and felt Brandy's grip tighten. He winced, and changed his words. "Okay fine, I promise. I'm fine."

"Are you really?", asked Brandy, and gently relaxed. "Because sometimes you-"

"I promise that I'm fine with not having a romantic relationship right now.", said Leon, and twitched. "Even though I really do want one eventually, maybe even soon, I know that it's not the best idea for our current situation at all. I also want to improve on myself before I do anything like that. And fight the right girl. And maybe level up a bit. And-"

"Why, what level are you now?", asked Brandy, with a bit on an arched eyebrow. "Isn't the max level for Brawlers 9?"

"10, actually.", said Leon, and rolled around a bit. "Once we get a Star Power, we're level 10. I'm actually power 18 right now… just like you two are level 58 and 94."

"What?", asked Brandy, in shock. She leaned closer, and whispered into Leon's ear. "Which one of us is which?"

"You're 58.", said Leon, and Brandy shivered. "And Dad is 94."

Brandy looked down at Dan's shoulders, and rubbed her face all over the skin. She licked her tongue aginst Dan's bare skin, savoring the taste. "Mmmm… that man."

Leon pursed his lips together, and looked away. He almost did not hear the next question that Brandy gave him. "So… what kind of girl do you want to get with?"

The tips of Leon's ears reddened a bit, and Brandy scooted closer to him. "Or guy. Whatever, how you roll. But tell me…."

"I don't know yet." ,said Leon, pulling his hood closer over his face. "But I hope she's nice."

"Oh, I'm sure she will be.", Brandy said ,and winked. "Otherwise I won't let her get you."
Leon was about to protest that particular sort of wording, when he felt Dan stop. Brandy felt it too, as did the rest of the group. They all turned to look, at what Dan had found.

"So.", said Dan, and stood up on a rock as the group started to come into view of the colossal peak. He looked out across a few miles of air, and saw Dark Mountain. It was black as night across the entire pitted and charred surface, hence the name. Black smoldering clouds hovered and spat around its high and pointy peak, the seconde tallest in the range. Evil shapes flew around it in an oddly terrifying manner, giving off the sensation of a needlessly frightening dream. A low hum rose from across the entire area, setting the entire group on edge, like the scratching of nails on a fridge magnet 3 feet wide.

Next to the peak itself could be seen what looked to be a canyon, bizarre sounds floating up from the bottom almost constantly. It looked several miles wide, far larger and likely deeper than even the canyon that Brandy had fallen into a couple of days ago. It too gave off a threatening aura- but not as much as the mountain itself. It was almost possible to see the fright seeping and oozing off the darkened peak as words, literally telling them it was a bad idea to proceed. The entire mountain was shaped like an evil thorn or a venomous fang, the true horrors that lurked deep within no doubt absolutely unspeakable in their evil and terrorous might.

Behind the terrifying mountain was a sight even more intimidating- a neat slab of rough and stone rising up miles high into the sky, darkness obscuring it from view underneath the storm's influence, and their final destination. Clashcrush Mountain.

But Dan's view was not on that- no, it was on the obstacle that now presented itself.
"That's it, then.", he said, and his eyes narrowed. His hands lit up with Star out of habit, in a subconscious desire to protect himself and everyone else. "Dark Mountain."

"So… we just go in?", asked Leon, and looked forward. He flipped his hood back to take a look, and saw what seemed to be a gate right at the very bottom of the mountain, clearly an entrance.

"Because that right there seems like a perfect way to get in to me-"

"No.", said Dan, and took a step back. He motioned for Trevor to bring out the map, and he began to rummage through the pack. "I have a bad feeling about this place… and look."

He pointed to either end of the entrance to the mountain itself, the twin canyons each with a barely swinging rope bridge. "I know those ropes won't hold us- but those are still alternate ways across. Through those canyons."

"Uh…", said Trevor, rapidly unfolding the map. "Yeah, bad idea Dan. Look."

By now, the group had left Dan's shoulders. Trevor called Dan over to the edge of the canyon, to where the green and blue grass turned to black. Dan hurried over, and looked over the edge. His eyes widened in shock. "Oh."

"Brandy?", Annabelle asked, and Brandy looked up. "Yeah?"
"Do you uh…", asked Annabelle, and blinked nervously. "Do you have a bad feeling about what's coming up next? I mean of course we're gonna face Forgotten, but-"

"Are you asking me if I feel something particularly powerful in the cave?", asked Brandy, and Anabblle gave a nod of surprise. "And you know that I can tell the future, so you're asking me if three's going to be any trouble up ahead."

"Uh, yes.", said Annabelle ,almos stumbling over her words. "How did you know?"

Brandy shrugged and opened up her arms wide, cracking a wide grin. "I already said that I can tell the future. This counts, right?"
She leaned in a little closer, and winked. "And I can read people. The better I know them, the better I can read them. And even though I've only known you for a few days, I feel like it's been a lot longer than that."

Annabell smiled ,and she clutched her hands to her heart. "Aww, thanks Brandy! I feel the same way."

Brand grinned again, and they high fived. Then Brandy once again tried to remember what the thing they had been discussing was. It was hard, for she did not know.

RBBut then she remembered, and she blurted it out. "There is trouble up ahead, Anny. The truth is… I can feel something inside of that cave. Something beyond any force of Forgotten never ever seen before. I don't know what it is… but it's gonna be tough. And we have to get ready."

"Okay.", said Annabelle, and clenched her fists down by her side. "First we get through that tunnel. Then I tell Trevor. And then-"
She stopped, but both of them could think it. It was really all that had been going on their minds for the last day or so- only in different forms or wording. "Then we kill Rakastamos."

Dan looked into the black canyon again, and gave a whistle of somewhat approval. It was bad on one hand, for the would all be standing in their way- but good, for the appreciation of the unspeakable things that he saw.

"Dar'ia's playground.", said Trevor, and took a step back. "Its said that whenever Da'ria up with a new troop type, he tests it here before doing anything else. They're kind of like Forgotten, I guess.

"Kind of like Dre'w, then.", said Dan and thought. "Do they follow Rakastamos?"
"Probably not.", said Trevor, thinking back to when he had learned about them. "I mean, most of them are animals anyway."

He took a moment to think about what he had just said, and mentally slapped his own forehead. "I mean- that is, not to say that we haven't gone up against animal Forgotten. We just barely fought one. But like, smaller animals. Although, not really-"

He struggled a bit with word choice, then finally just sighed. "Yeah, you had better just come and take a better look." He gestured to where he had been sitting, a slamm platform with a camera on it. "Look through here."

"Okay…", said Dan, and struggled to even fit within the small chair. He looked down through one eye, and saw what he had not been expecting to see.

A vast array of wild and dangerous animals all fought for at least some shred of dominance on the rocky canyon floor, through, over, and somehow below the raging river. It stood dozens of meters apart at the top, and a great ivory tooth at and around the bottom areas.

A giant Turtle slowly walked up onto to the shore after a good morning's sleep, It yawned, began to eat a bush- then as the bush suddenly grew eyes and legs, the Turtle backed up rapidly. It almost spun back into the water, when the bush started to go a little too far.

Almost the second the bush touched the tranquil looking water, something shot out at incredible speeds. It grabbed the bush in half and flicked it away, biting it apart and cutting it down, gulping it to shreds almost instantly, Dan could almost not even see it. But he saw the Mosasaurus clear as day once it was lifted up out of the water by a tremendous tentacle lashing out from the side of the rock wall, which was in turn clamped down upon by pair of gigantic metal jaws on tiny bounding legs that ran through the canyon like a hyper Goblin. But this too was soon struck down- if the sounds that came next were to be given as a baseline. They sounded like the roarings of an ancient beast and the twisted sound of broken metal, the awful screeching just one sound in the constant cacophony streaming from the Black Canyon.

"Okay, we are very much not going down there.", said Dan, and got up. The combat that no doubt awaited anyone that went there seemed truly endless, to be constantly assailed by waves upon waves of monsters. "We just fought some Dinosaurs already, and we do not need more."

Trevor nodded and hurried to catch up, Dan's gigantic legs giving him a boost.

"Oh.", said Trevor and thought. "Then does that mean we're-"

"You bet it does.", said Dan, setting his face a grim steel block. He didn't exactly relish the thought of going through such an obviously evil and trapped mountain. "We haven't really gone hardly anywhere this whole trip that we haven't been attacked. And yes, I think it's a fair assumption to say that we'll get attacked inside of there."

He started to go fo the rest of the group, Trevor running to keep up alongside him. "And yes, that thing I feel? That worries me a little bit. But not as much as the prospect of going through that canyon. I know without a doubt it is not the right thing to do here at all."

As if to reinforce his point, a flower petal the size of Trevor's arm suddenly floated up above the canyon's lip. It was pink and sickly purple, with a pair of oddly human lips- but they did not see the monstrosity for long. Within seconds, it had vanished behind the locked jaws of a jumping Fish- which was then bitten down on by a larger scaled serpent. That too suddenly vanished, pulled into the maw of a tremendous Dragon. Dan struck a pose, ready to fight- but the Dragon simply flew over the group, in the opposite direction of Rakastamos. That one was, at least, a relief. Or so he thought. "Yeah, no."

"Hey guys!", he shouted, and cupped his hands to his mouth. "We're going through the mountain!"

"Okay!", he heard Brandy shout back, and relaxed a bit. He slowed down from a jog to a crawl, and saw a green and blue streak of light as Brandy Dashed from her location to his. Trevor vanished then reappeared at the group, Brandy obviously wanting to talk to him about something.

"Wh- what?", stammered Trevor, as he was pulled aside by Brandy. Her face beamed with excitement, looking up at the mountain. "What's going on?"

"You have something to tell me.", said Brandy, and steam rose off her body from sheer excitement. "Don't you, Trevor?"

"Uhh….", Trevor said, and scratched the back of his neck. Sweat dripped from his brow, and he tried everything he could to avoid Brandy's persistent, almost drilling gaze. "Do I?"

"Oh, yes you do.", said Brandy, and gave him the best smile she possibly could. Trevor felt his knees grow weak from the pressure, and he finally caved in. It was time to tell the truth. He looked from side to side, making sure that Annabelle was not listening- fortunately, she was not. She was off to one side, talking to Leon and Bubble about something. Most likely the frog she had found, a Striped Buttersworth. It was not edible, despite the name. It was also only hardly striped, so t was really anybody's game as to why-

Treor realized he was getting distracted, as he saw Brandy leaning right into his face. He stammered a bit, then whispered into her ear. She shivered form it. "Once we get through this mountain…", he said, then stopped."

"Yes?", asked Brandy, knowing what came next. "Cone on Trevor, you can do it!"

Trevor squeezed his eyes shut, and forced it out of his mouth. "I'm going to tell Annabelle how I really feel. Once we get through the mountain, we will no longer be just best friends. No, we shall be lovers."

As Trevor clenched his fist, Brandy felt a clean green and white energy building up inside of her. She let out a squeal ,and gave a high five to Trevor. "Trevor, yes! I'm so fricking proud of you."

She had felt it the night that she and Dan had confessed their love for each other- both times. She knew that it could only be one thing, and that was the energy of young love.

It crept into her mind that despite all that they had been through, she and Dan were actually quite a young couple. They had been married for not even a month now- no, in fact, their one month anniversary was coming up in just a few days. Hopefully by then they would be home to enjoy it, not still wandering across the continent.

As she felt herself get lifted up onto Dan's shoulder, and the group move forward once again, she remembre that technically, it was their second honeymoon. Technically ,when they had started out, they had planned to stay in a hotel.

How utterly quaint that idea seemed now- to stay in a hotel. How strange it all seemed really, to be anywhere other than what they were doing now- to be wandering across the continent, fighting Forgotten, having conversations, living off the land- and yet, she knew it had to end. For despite how long it had seemed to take, every journey had to come to an end eventually. And that eventually was very nearly there- just through the mountain and up another. It made her shiver from the thought of finally, after so much, facing Raka-

"Hey, honey.", said Dan, and Brandy felt her thoughts snap back to reality. She startled a bit, and looked around. "Wait, what?"

"We're singing a song.", said Dan, and snapped his fingers rhythmically. "You wanna join in?"

"Oh, I would love to!", shouted Brandy, and readjusted herself on Dan's shoulders. "What song is it?"
"It's called… uh…", said Dan, and thought. "Okay, I don't actually know. I just heard Juno and Fallon singing it once at Star Camp, and it got stuck in my head, and now it won't get out."

He thought for a bit more, stopped snapping his singer,s and scratched his head. "Wait, no. I think it's actually two songs, but they sound pretty similar. I'll start us off with the words, and then you can join in."

"But I don't know the words-", said Brandy, but Dan gave her A Look. "Yes, but you are connected to me.", he said, and Brandy felt her uniform get a little hotter. "So you can sing it."

"Oh, you're right.", said Brandy, and grabbed on to Dan's shoulders harder. "You're so, so right."

Dan cleared his throat, giving Brandy a tiny, almost imperceptible shock on the ear. He began to sing in his incredibly deep voice, his true voice, his "sexy voice", not the lighter one that he used to speak to most people.

"The red sun burns hot up on the hill…", he sang, getting the lyrics a touch wrong, but he did not care. It was the thought that counted in this situation anyway. "The winter's bride, the summer's king-"
Brandy felt the next few lines of the song enter her brain, and she opened her mouth to sing in her higher voice. "I tramp those acres and I feel, once upon some time…"

They sang together the next few lines, their deep and high voices reaching a lovely harmony that blended together in mid air, a perfect hum that vibrated throughout the entire group's bodies. "Then it seemed that everything you, you saw and touched was realllll…"

Dan put his head down, and stared at the ground as he walked forward. He saw the Black Canyon on either end as he walked through, Dar'ias playground, the constant battle and chaos making him glad they had made the decision to go through Dark Mountain insead. He quite liked the name Dar'ia. Perhaps if he was ever to have another kid, he would hame them that. It was quite gender and Troop neutral.

"And then there are a few other lines I can't quite remember.", said Dan, and put his hands to his chin. "Yeah, and then I think it goes-"

He looked up once again, towards the massive gate of Dark Mountain, and burst into triumphant song. "Once in a lifetime, you live and love... once in a lifetime, you dieeeee…"

He finished off the verse with a mighty shout and a flare of Star, Brandy joining in. "Once in a moment, the sun goes down- protecttt and survivvvvveeee…."

The song faded away into the bright afternoon air, as did Bubble's beatboxing, Leon's drumming on Dan's shoulder, Trevor's sword banging, and Annabelle's bow string plucking. Dan searched his deep memory for the next song, and found it within moments.

"Yeah, and then there's this next one.", he said, and cleared his throat. It was quite an emotional song, and he needed to get it just right.

"Hame…. Hame… hame…", he sang, each word hanging in the air, as they approached the gate. "O hame fain wad I be…"

He drew back his fist, preparing to smash their way into entry. "O hame, hame, hame, to my ain contree!"

Right before he broke down the door, Brandy piped up. "Is that one supposed to be fast?", she asked. "Because I think it should be slow."
"No, no.", said Dan. "I'm singing it fast because otherwise it would be sad. And we're not sad right now. Morale is high, after all. We'ver beaten everything we've come across, we're strong as frick, we've all survived absolutely everything- there's nothing to worry about, my thief."
He kissed her on the cheek ,and threw his fist forward. "We got this. ORA!"

The door shattered, revealing only a dark realm beyond. Brandy and Dan gave each other a fistbump- and the group finally, finally, entered the mysterious Dark Mountain.

Song: Propaganda- Simpsonill

The magnificent Boat of Destiny, as several of its passengers had unofficially dubbed it, sailed through the bright blue waters of the sea between both continents of Clash. Normally the journey would be about a few hours long- but to such a well crafted, high level ship, the trip was only one. Such speed was only accessible to those that built at the silver tower.

The ship itself was absolutely huge- even larger than the Battle Blimp that floated above it. That too was far larger than a regular one, being just a little over 300 feet long instead of 50, but the Boat of Destiny was approaching a thousand, larger than an entire village and no doubt dozens of times as durable. From its bright blue sides and red trim, to its richly carved wooden quarters and solid metal structure ,it was a sight to behold in every way. It soared above the waters like a skiing missile, its solid metal hull able to deflect most assaults from would-be sea monster attackers. There were those, of course, that could pierce through such a metal hide with ease- but for those, the ship had other measures. Great Cannons larger than a dozen regular ones lined the side in the dozens, each of their laser-guided barrels aimed right at the water, their overenthusiastic Goblins easy to shoot anything that came flying out with a dozen rounds of cannon fire.

High above the solidly built deck soared the immense superstructure, sonar beams and radio towers piercing upwards into the sky, constant beeps and hums tossed back and forth between the mand the Battle Blimp up ahead. That one was largely empty now- for the leaders had decided it would be best for them to all concentrate on the deck of the ship.

The way the army was arrayed upon the Boat of Destiny was nothing short of genius. Obviously not all of them could fit, even in shop of such tremendous size, but Spacekrakenx had fortunately offered up a situation. The Clan Boats of both Oticat and Space had been drafted into service, roaring down the ocean like they were made for such a thing. Dozens, if not actually hundreds or even thousands of smaller ships ran alongside the main one like Goblins around a Goblin Giant, using their small size and light weight to expertly maneuver around the hulking transport. Balloons and Stone Slammers floated above the fleet, carrying even more Troops. Each Balloon held about 3 or 4, with the larger, leveled up ones holding 16. Each Stone Slammer about 30. The entire invading armada was one that would inspire fear into any sane living being- it was only hooped that it would do the same to Rakastamos. For sane was not exactly one of his strengths at his current point.

At the front of the deck was none other than Askari the 15th, making sure once again that absolutely everything was in order. For no matter what, he could not lose this fight. His army could not lose this upcoming fight. No one could or would, except for Rakastamos.

He knew full well what would happen if they did lose. He also knew, fortunately for everybody, what to do in order to make sure that never happened. For he did in fact, have a plan to kill Rakastamos- but he would not divulge it until it was too late for the Dragonlord to anything about it. Rakastamos's special forces were everywhere. At least one of them would be able to hear that thought, and it looked like that wouldn't be the best thing to do.

He spoke into his radio communicator that had been built into the front of the ship, the signal bouncing off and going a dozen different directions, to a dozen different ends- the Battle Blimp, The Builder's Bunker, the dock on Clans, and every single leader in the army, and also one mysterious one that seemed to lead straight up.

"How is it coming along?", he aksed, and hand-sent the message to Builder's Bunker. "Because you must understand, I need that not even by today. I need it in about 4 hours. Now."

"Uh… well, we're almost done.", said the Builder on the other end, and Askari could hear him scratch his beard. "Yeah, we just hav like… 45 minutes lef. Is that okay, bro?"

"Oh, that is acceptably perfect.", said Askari ,and tilted his head around. "We can and will be there shortly, in order to pick it up."

He hung up the phone, and Askari decided to Gather even more information .It was probably fine- but He sensed there was something he could be doing that he had not quite thought of yet.

"Oticat.", he said, disturbing the King that sat next to him, causing that day's newspaper to fly straight out of his hands. The top story for that day was about an entire Arena full of spectators and Troops falling asleep without apparent reason the day prior, as well as several Castles- the King and every Troop within them- suddenly going missing.

"Huh?", Oticat shouted, looking around. He had just been about to drift off to sleep, when he heard Askari's voice. He wasn't loud when he wasn't shooting, but it was the type of voice that carried through anything unchanged. "What? Wassat?"

"Oticat.", said Askari once again, his dim patience for the King not exactly growing brighter. "Do you think you are ready?" .

"Uh, yeah.", said Oticat, and nodded. He took a moment to smooth out his beard, giving it a lick of Elixir sap, and looked up with eagerness. "A Dragon? Oh, a Dragon's nothing. Why, there was this King once that had been possessed by a demon, and-"

"Do not attempt to compare your previous experiences with what we about to undergo, Oticat.", said Askarith a glare, and Oticat began to feel his face get very hot. "Your opponent was nothing, in the long run- her merely wished to pay off his debt. This, on the other hand, is going to be the greatest battle the world has ever known."

"Oh.", said Oitcat, and turned around. He folded his arms and tried to act dignified, but it was hard with Spacekrakenx right next to him, attempting to hold in his laughter.

"Yeah, laugh it up why don't you-", he said, but Askari was still not yet done.

"Yes, this is it.", he said ,staring straight ahead, his fist clenched in front of him, Spirit filling his eye. This was not the mere bravery of Troops going up against another- it was the bravery of throwing oneself head long into a constant torture of combat, and hoping you would come out aliright, if you come out at all. This is no mere battle, where nothing is at stake but your trophies."

His words were filled with mechanical fire, and organic heart. They were the spirit of his ancestors passed onto him, swelling him to flaming with heat and passion. Such was his drive and emotion that everyone there could swear they saw it pouring out of him and lighting up the entire ship, speeding up the motors and carving the woodwork a new layer.

"Uh…", said Oticat, and slowly reached for his newspaper. "Very well spoken, Mr. Askari. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to-"

"You fool!", shouted Askari, and grabbed Oticat by the collar. Oticat was lifted up into the air with piston like arms that could break rock, and he startled from it. "Do you not understand? Your Troops need you to lead them! You cannot read the newspaper!"

"Well, I'm sorry.", said Oticat, somehow managing to keep myself calm despite Askari yelling right into his face. "I need to keep myself composed while I do that, and reading the newspaper has always calmed me down. I assure you, this is for the best of everyone."

Askar stared at Oticat for a fe seconds, then slowly let him drop onto the floor, so as to avoid damage. He turned and walked back to the bridge, but not before letting a single phrase come out of his mouth, and almost hit Oticat right in the face.

"You do you, oticat. Just don't screw it up."

Oricta let himself crack a small grin- he had just spoken with the World's Protector, a truly massive celebrity in some circles. and he emerged actually composed. That, for him, was a victory.
"Thank you sir.", he heard from right next to him, and he looked down. There he saw the Ratzo brothers leaning against the wall, Ram right next to them, one eating a sandwich. He took a bite out of the roast beef and nodded, looking up as well. "Yeah. Thanks."
"Thank you?", asked Oticat in surprise. "Why, whatever for?"
"For standing up for yourself?", said one. "That was impressive what you did there. I hope Mr. Cyborg Wizard doesn't mind."

Oticat nodded, and put his hand on the shoulder of one. "Well, I suppose I should thank you, Ratzo Brothers, for telling me that. Also, thank you for just being so-"

"Dave.", said the one on the right, and Oticat blinked. "What?"

"I'm Dave.", said the one on the right again, and pointed to his lefty. "Chuck."

"Oh.", said Oticat, and looked down. "I'm sorry, I never actually heard your name before now- it seems weird, bit's true for some reason."

"Oh, don't worry about it.", said Dave, and stretched. "Happens all the time."
"In fact-", said Chuck, pointing to the walls. "We were just about to go and yell at each other. Good natured though, sir. But you're the first person we ever told, besides each other."

"Huh.", said Oticat, and scratched his head. "Well, if you're sure I guess…"

"I think there's someplace you have to be, sir.", said Chuck, and Oticat jumped into the air. "Space said it was pretty urgent, and that you might want to get on it right away."

"Oh!", said Oticat. He did not even bother to ask basic questions such as- where? Why? Or how- no, he asked great questions. He asked "Oh crap!", and ran away out the door. He did not ask where it was.

As Meg and Brenda sat on the long boat, laying down across each other on the hot wood, watching countless Goblins run past the ships in the water and dozens upon dozens of Troops spar right in front of them, it was understandable that they might get a little bored.

After all, such things- combat, Goblins, the constant stress of everything collapsing. They dealt with it on every level, and wouldn't call it anything, really. That was just life.

"Hey.", said Brenda, and tapped Meg on the forehead. Meg opened her eyes, staring up at the sun, and closed them again with a wince. She could feel her both above and below her, contorting her smaller body to take care of Meg as much as she could. "Guess what?"

"What"?", asked Meg, her fingers intertwined in Brenda's hand.

"It's hot out here. Maybe if you take off your uniform, I'll tell you what to do.":

"Okay.", said Meg, and reached for her uniform- only for her face to turn red. "Wait, what are you talking about?", she asked, and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not going to take off my uniform in the middle of all these people/"

"Why not?", asked Brenda, and winked widely. "You like it, don't you?"

"N- no!", shouted Meg, but Brenda had already started. "I just eeee!"

That last eeee was, of course, what happened with Brenda stuck her hand under Meg's shirt and pulled up her skirt, then letting her flip onto her back.

"See?", asked Brenda, and Meg gasped. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

"Yes…", whimpered Meg, and clutched Brenda close to her chest. "But let's not ever do that ever again."
'Okay.", said Brena, and tapped Meg on the nose. "It's okay."

They lay there again for a second, thinking of what to do until they got to the Continent of the Clans, when they heard the now-familiar bootprints of Spacekrakenx at their side. They looked up to see him, his face carved with worry. "Hey.", he said. "I heard you needed help?"

"Uh… not particularly.", said Brenda, and Meg nodded. "Why?"

"I don't know.", said Spacekrakenx, and sat down by their side. "I definitely heard that one of Oticat's needed help, and I guess I just thought you might need it too. Mind if I sit here? No? Good, I'm your King."

Spacekrakenx sat there for a few seconds, before turning to who were probably his two favorite Troops right then. "You girls doing okay?"

"Uh… yeah.", said Meg, and Brenda smiled. "I think we're alright. We might have been a little upset last evening, but it wasn't with each other, and we're over it now."

"Ah.", said Spacekrakenx, and turned away. He looked towards the sun in the sky, the air starting to become grey in a few areas around it. "That's nice. I like that you two can get along so easily."

Meg looked at her King, and something seemed off to her. His beard was a little crooked, and his eyes sagged behind his sunglasses. His arms seemed a little listless, and his fingers dragged. She knew it was not the nervousness of the upcoming war for the world- no, that would normally set him alight with excitement. This was something else.
"Yeah, we're okay.", said Meg, and leaned forward. 'But are you?"

Song: Sekikiman

"What do you mean?", asked Spacekrakenx, but he was clearly a little standoffish about it.

"Well, I've been doing some research on this place before we came…" , said Meg, and smiled as Brenda rubbed the back of her neck. "And there are huge things- Troops, Heroes, called Barbarian Kings. There are also their counterparts, Archer Queens."

"Yeah, so?", asked Spacekrakenx. "What about it?",

"Well…", said Meg, unsure on how to phrase her next question. SHe had never seen anyone talk about this before, and she didn't want to seem stupid. But with Brenda's lap beneath her, she felt confident enough to say it. "You're a King. Does that mean you have a Queen, too?"

Brenda would have spat out her drink, if she had one to spit out. Spacekrakenx's sunglasses fell right off his face and a passing Goblin locked up and fell over, his cup of Elixir spilling all over the deck. Meg winced, and wrapped her arms around herself again. "Wait, I mean-"
"Indeed.", said Spacekrakenx, and the surprise that shot through both Meg and Brenda was enough to shut them both up. "I did have a Queen… once. I think. It's been so long… she's so hard to remember now. But every day I try harder to remember her, and it works- but I fear the day that it won't. I hope that day never comes- but she's been gone so long."
"Where…", choked out Brenda, trying to speak through her shock. She had never heard of anything like that before. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know.", said Spacekrakenx, and sighed. His grip on the deck grew weaker.

"When will she be back?", asked Meg, and Spacekraken frowned. "I don't know."

They both looked at each other, and asked one more question. "Well, what was her name?"

In contrast to the previous two questions, that one caused Spacekrakenx to light up. His tired body seemed to sag a little less, and a smile came over his face. He looked up into the light of the sun, feeling the warm current run over his face. "Emmaline."

"Emmaline…", said Brenda, and smiled. "That's a nice name."

They all just sat there for a little while, enjoying each other's company- when they felt an extremely metrosexual presence bearing down on them from the right, waiting for them to look up.

So they did- and saw the Tilial Force, all standing there in a pose that pushed the boundaries of sanity and physics, in various states of uniform. The Mega Knight in particular was almost not dressed, having only his gloves, his boots, and his metal kilt to cover himself. The Pekka was in full armor as usual, for that was her body. The Colt had changed his Royal Agent skin to a mere Outlaw so as not to get his fancy skin dirty during the trip, and Tilial himself stood in full uniform. The Goblin wore overalls like normal, but his face was absolutely plastered.

"Hey, ladies.", sadi the Mega Knight, in the lowest, most gravely, pick-upist voice he could possibly muster. "You look… really bored. What if I show you how to be not bored until we, as a group, reach our destination?"

"I'm gay.", said Meg, and sat up a little bit. She twirled her Stand around in her hand and set it back down on the ground, after blowing a bit of excess smoke from the barrel.

"Same.", said Brenda, and winked. "Well, no, I'm bi, but I am with my girlfriend right now, and I don't think we're interested. Right nutmeg?"

"Right.", said Meg, and turned her head away from the surprised Mega Knight.

"Oh, don't worry.", said the Mega Knight again, still keeping the same exact tone of voice from before. "I apologize for assuming you two were interested in men at the moment, and will take great care not to do it again. However, seeing as you both are Stand Users, I would like to invite you to get to know our specialized group of elite warriors, in a purely platonic fashion and manner. I heavily approve of you two's relationship, and I do think that you two look awfully cute together. I do suggest working out a pose of some sort, to further signify that you two are together."

"Too correct!", shouted Tilial, and posed. The rest of the group had been holding the pose for the entire conversation, and they were almost starting to waver a bit. "Tilial force, away!"

The entire group jumped away to another part of the deck, borne aloft by the force of both the Mega Knight and the Pekka.

"Well, that was weird-" ,Spacekrakenx said, then felt his communicator vibrate. He looked down, saw who it was, and jumped straight up int the air. "Oh! OHHHHHHH!"

He ran down the ship, towards the back. "Oticat!", he shouted, trying to get his friend's attention, wherever on the gigantic ship he even was. "Oti, come and look at this!"

Song: Yuuki Rendan

Oticat heard his shouting, and looked up. He had been wandering around the ship, in a wooden and white hallway, trying to find Spacekrakenx. But once he heard his shouting, he whipped around where he stood, flinging a small Goblin off a stepladder that hd been trying to grab his crown. "What?"

Hardly had he yelled when Spacekrakenx burst through the wooden wall, knocking down the same Goblin and flinging him into the wall, a look of intensity upon his face. He stare at Oticat, in abject excitement. "Otidat, here's something I want you to see."
"What?", asked Oticat, and ran over. The two Kings high-fived, for some reason. "What is it?"

Outside, those on the upper and lower decks of the massive ship had already seen what it was. They ran to the side of the ship and pointed downwards at what was now rapidly approaching them, in a mixture of both wonder and apprehension. Most of them had no idea what was going on- but a couple of Stand Users on the top deck had every idea.

"Ahoy there!", shouted Chupualickytwact, and waved his hand from atop his personal Clan Boat. The decent size ship bobbed up and down in the waves, its smallish decks filled to bursting with all manner of his finest Troops. Not all of them could come- but the ones that could come were prepared in every sense of the word.

Edward the Prince sat nervously on top of his pony, his lance slowly spinning in the sun. He still shook sand off of himself- he had accidentally fallen off the boat as they passed by Shipwreck Island. His pony had not forgotten the experience, and would most likely remember it for the rest of its life- however long or short that would be.

Nikoliias the Electro Wizard sat next to him, tinkering with something he held in his hands. It appeared to be some sort of grey metal cylinder, blue light coming from one end and orange flight from the other. No one around him knew its true purpose- but he still kept at it. The moment he had heard what they were about to do, he had gotten on it.

Both of Chupilickytwact's Princesses sat behind him, nervously fiddling with her bows and doing each other's hair. They both tried to remain calm- but could not deny the shuddering that shook their bones, spreading through every single Troop on the smallish boat.

Behind the leader was the rest of the Clan, each Member, Elder, and Co-Leader each expertly piloting their own ship. They too had selected their very finest Troops to enter combat- Star level 2 Pekkas and Giant Skeletons, maxed out Mega Knights and Golems. Royal Giants and Lava Hounds, although one of those were flying above the ships rather than actually on it.

"We heard what you two were up to!", he shouted, as the Clan Boats struggled to pull up to the mighty ship of grandeur. "And we thought we might help!"

"Yes!", shouted Oticat, who had arrived by now out on the deck. He pumped his fist into the air, and waved to a few dozen Guards and Skeletons to drop a few lines. "We welcome your help!"
Spacekrakenx stood next to him, and was about to say something. Something inspiring perhaps, or something funny- but he did not get the chance. It was interrupted by the shout of Askari the 15th right next to him, crossing his hand over his chest. "Jawol!"

"Wat-", said Spacekrakenx, and Askari pointed his finger down at Chupalickytwact's Clan Boat. "Who are you?", he shouted, his regal accent and voice booming out across the entire ocean. His finger shifted and morphed into a gigantic machine gun, brimming with high-tech weaponry and ready to fire. "Identify yourself, before I identify you to the bottom of the sea!"
"Woah, woah, Askari.", said Oticat, and nervously chuckled to try and defuse the situation. "It's fine, it's fine. We know these guys. They're our clanmates."

"Ah.", said Askari, and retracted his finger cannon. It turned back into just his ordinary finger again, and he blew a bit of smoke off the nail before tucking it into his pocket. "Well then by all means, let them come aboard. We could always use some more help."

Chupalicktwact took that as an invitation to come aboard- which by all means he rightfully should have. He extended his hand, and caught the line as a squadron of Guards threw it out to him. He started to pull- then realized there was no logical or real way to get all his troops abord by lifting them with a rope. Even if they could all go up it, which the heaver and more complex ones almost certainly would not be able to, they would have to stay behind and keep the boat from drifting off and away. He considered his options, and let go of the rope.

"Sorry.", he said, and shrugged. "I think we should stay in the boat after all."

Askari's face twitched, but his Lightning-fast mind too saw Chup's course of thought. He nodded and turned away, for other things on the bridge no doubt demanded his attention. "Alright then.", he said, and swirled his arm around. It abruptly turned into a pre-steaming kettle, which he then used to pour a swig of boiling Elixir Tea straight into his mouth. "I should be-"

He stopped, and thought about something else. A single timer beeped in the back of his brain, and he shot a single bolt of electricity to turn it off. But it had reminded him of what he needed to be doing right then, and he left to go and do it.

Chupalickytwact sat back dow nin his boat, preparing himself mentally for the upcoming warfare. He had been in something like this once before- but if the legends of Rakastamos and his dread Forgotten Army were to be believed, tha would be like a marshmallow before an Inferno. The upcoming battle would be a spectacle remembered forever, regardless of who won or lost. But it had to be them that won, of course. It had to be-

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of furious, intense paddling from the ship's right. He turned around to follow the sound, and was absolutely shocked to see what appeared to be a Giant rowing at insane speed, heading straight for the ship's side. He tried to say something, but by then the Giant was right at his destination, already jumped onto the ship's side and climbing up with nothing but his fingers, the wetted wood ,and sheer tenacity and grit.

Askari walked as fast as he could down the deck of the ship, determined to reach his destination in time. He had to. He absolutely had to- he heard something tinging in his ear, his remote alarm sonar bell going off.

His walk was interrupted by the wet, meaty slap of a Giant's hand right on the ship's railway, and he jumped back. A dozen Guards instantly rushed at the offending hand- but why were stopped by the sheer, unmatched, bizarre charisma floating off the Giant. It was impossible to trace exactly just who it was, but-

With a great triumphant heave of exhaustive effort, Alex Jones the Giant fell over the side of the railway, landed splat on the deck with splash of hot seawater, and screamed into the sky.

"Oh my.", said Askari, not sure if he should lean down to help him up or not. His coat flapped in the breeze, and it was his favorite. He did not wish to get it dirty. "I do belive I know you from somewhere, but-"

"You.", said Alex Jones. "You're Askari. The robot Wizard guy."

"Yes.", said Askari, and shifted his weight onto his back foot, his arms lighting up with energy. His fingers cracked into a set of guns, and his eyes began to glow. "I am."

"WELL.", said Alex Jones, and cracked his knuckles. "I have a message for Rakastamos."
"Oh, you do?", asked Askari, and relaxed a bit out of curiosity. Both what the message was, and why he was telling him. "Well then, relay it to me."

A small video camera flew out of Askari's shoulder and hovered over Alex Jones, and he knew he was about to have his moment. He looked up, into the camera, knowing full well there were thousands of Troops watching at home, and began his rant.

"Rakastamos.", he said, and bunched one hand into the other. For some reason, he seemed to know Rakastamos's actual, true plan. "You want to wipe out all mortals? You want to blame the world's problems on those that have solved it? Well listen here, buddy. I've never used cussing in 23 years but- but the gloves are off."

He threw his arms up into the air, and red faced, began to shout. "Listen you son of a b-, what the f-'s your problem? You want to sit here and say that I'm a g-, f- problem. You get in my face with that I'll beat your g- a-, you son of a b-. You piece of s-. You f- g- f-. Listen f-, you have f- crossed a line. Get that through your g- f- head. Stop pushing your s-. You're the idiot that has tried to f- this world over and ruin the s- out of it and lost your mind. So stop shooting your mouth off claiming we're the enemy. You got that you g- son of a b-? Fill your hand. I'm sorry, but I'm done. You start calling mortals the problem instead of you f- Dragons, those are f- fighting words. Excuse me."

He coughed into his elbow, and Askari stared at him in wonder. He began to clap after a few seconds, and slowly nodded his head. "Welcome to the team."

Song: Determinazoine

Chloe sat on her chair in a small room she had found, private on the ship and largely abandoned. Even though she was a normal Princess now, she was still very nervous about what was going on. Old habits died hard, and old traits really never died at all.

The room was quiet, a good distraction from what the rest of the ship was doing. Goblins abounded in droves, making it almost impossible to concentrate anywhere else. Hundreds of Ivory Tower Troops drilled almost constantly, and Askari roamed up and down the ship, shouting complex and often hard to understand orders at random people. It had just gotten a little too much for Chloe to bear, and so she snuck off. Once she found the room she had laid in there for about 20 minutes, jus sitting on the chair, staring at the wall.

The white wall brought her comfort, for some odd reason- yet it also tickled some sort of scare gene at the very back of her mind. The whiteness of the walls all around her, the slight blue shapes arrayed at the edges, the tub of blocks at the far center corner of the room-

She blinked and looked again .That didn't make any sense. What would a bucket of building blocks be doing in a warship's hidden room. But even as she looked again, she was sure. There they were, just sitting there. Waiting, she thought, to be played with…

She would have gone for them, had she not been a big Princess now- but then again, she was alone. There was nobody around to see her, absolutely nobody to giver her any judgment .She was pretty sure she had locked the door- but even if she hadn't, it would only take her a second to cover up any evidence at all. So she slid out of her chair and over to the blocks, carefully lift off the lid, reaching in- and beginning to play.

She grabbed a large piece and stacked it on top of another one, noting how much it seemed to look like an Ice Golem. She moved around a bit towards another stack of blocks -that one looked like a Red Tower.

"Ahhh!", she whisper yelled, pushing the Ice Golem into the tower. She made an explosion noise with her mouth, and scattered the tower blocks all over the place. "Oh no!"

She mad the Ice Golem do a little dance, a few impromptu audience members made up of single blocks getting up and dancing alongside it. "Blue one, Red zero!"

She turned around, ready to start another little mock battle with her tiny wooden block Troops- when she saw Dave the Knight standing there, a slightly curious look upon his face, staring right at her hands, still full of the blocks.

"Uh… Chloe?", asked Dan, pointing a single finger at what she was doing. "Were… are you-"

"NO!", Chloe screamed, and pushed all the blocks to the side at once. She sat in front of them and folded her arms behind her back, scrambling hastily to her feet and staring upwards at Dave in shock. "No, I wan't. I was uh… doing stuff. Training."

"Where did those blocks come from?", asked Dave, and Chloe's face reddened. She jumped forward, not caring that it left the bucket exposed. "They are not building blocks!"

"Yeah, okay.", said Dave, his simplemindedness apparently working on Chloe. He just stared forward as she yelled at him, not really caring much at all. "Uh, there's something outside I want to show you. Something that's cool."

"Okay.', said Chloe, her own face turning a little less red. The deep blush followed all the way up her skin, vanishing only when entering her crown. "Let's go."

The two started to walk out of the room, Chloe still hoping that Dave would not think less of her for doing such a thing. Even though she was technically an "adult" Princess, Chloe had still kept som of her childish tendencies. She sniffed- it wasn't her fault that there had been a bucket of blocks in the ship. She didn't know whose fault it was. Maybe she should go and kick him in the shins. Whoever had left them had made her look stupid, and-

"Look, Chloe.", said Dave, and pointed upwards. Chloe gasped at the sight that Dave had brought her to- the magnificent regal form of Sophia the Archer Queen.

"Uh… hey?", Sophia said, as she saw Chloe staring up at her in abject wonder. She had always been a very sheltered Princess, and thus had never seen an Archer Queen before. She had no idea that they even existed, even the very concept of Heroes being alien.

"Yeah, can I help you-", was all she managed to say next before Chloe jumped forward and sqealed, wrapping her arms around Sophia in the tightest hug she could manage. Sophia's eyes widened a bit from the sudden contact but she supposed that it was not all bad.

"Who are you?", she asked, and Chloe looked up at her with beaming eyes. "I'm Chloe!"

Then she remembered what she was supposed to be like, and stepped back. She smoothed out her skirt, adjusted her golden crown, and performed a slight bow ."Uh, I mean- I'm Chloe. Chloe Oticat."

"Woah, why so formal?", asked Sophia. "If we two are meeting each other on the grand eve of battle, does it make sense to be so reserved?"

Chloe tried to make sense of this sentence, a feat which Dave did not even attempt as he leaned against the wall, merely watching their interactions. But she gave up after a few seconds.

"What does that mean?", she asked. "I don't get it."

"We're probably gonna die anyway.", said Sophia under her breath, and took out a bottle of Elixir Wine from under her dress. She unscrewed the lid, took a hasty drink, and held it out to Chloe. "So we might as well be friendly, right? Want some?"

Chloe excitedly reached for the bottle, but Dave's hand blocked the reach. "No.", he said, and authoritatively nodded. "She can't have any. She's too young."

"No, I'm not.", said Chloe ,and stood up to her full height of 4'8. "I'm back to my old self. I'm not a kid anymore, Dave."

"Oh, right.", he said, and withdrew his hand. Chloe grabbed the large bottle of Elixir Wine, far too large for her but just the right size for an Archer Queen, and tipped a single swallow into her mouth.

Within a second, the rich taste hit her tongue, flooding her senses with aged Elixir and perfected spices- and she yelped, tears streaming from her eyes. She spat it out all over the deck of the ship, trying to rid her tongue of the sensation. It felt like Fire Spirits were doing a dance all across the inside of her mouth, only far far worse. She gagged and almost threw up, but somehow managed to contain the awful, indescribable flavor.

"Whaaaat-" she spat, and opened her mouth, trying to let the sensation leave. "Whaaaat was that?"

"Aw, what?", asked Sophia, and defensively grabbed back the bottle. "You don't like my custom flavored wine?"

"Blech, no, I don't like it!", shouted Chloe, not even caring about being rude, not caring that Sophia frowned. "What flavor is it, Poison?"

Sophia huffed, and held up the bottle. They could now all see that it displayed a small picture of a chili pepper, and a few random cacti. "Hmph. Little miss Princess, I will have you know that this is flavored with nothing but the very finest of Sriracha Peppers, and I-"

This time, she was interrupted by Chloe's uncensored gags and groans, as she violently expunged the contents of her stomach over the side of the ship. Sophia groaned, rolled her eyes, opened up her bottle of Elixir Wine, and took a deep gulp. She took her communicator out of her pocket and looked at it- it appeared that somehow, Herb was still busy. He had said he was just going to go and meet with a few new friends of his he had met on the way- a Barbarian King named Orfox and… something… named Kragonbrock.

Orfox roared in laughter, and slapped both Herb and Kragonbrock on the back. Herb stumbled and almost spat out his coffee, but Kragonbrock hardly even felt the mighty blow. He laughed aswell, making sure to show off his gigantic 14 inch incisor teeth to his new friends. He knew that humans tended to smile when they were happy, with all their teeth. It was all lip for Great Apes, but he knew he had to fit in. He slammed back another shot of his Dragonfire-Roasted banana daquri, and laughed his approval. He couldn't even remmber what Orfox had said, but it had made them both laugh.

"Hey uh…", said Herb, and winced. He could tell he was clearly the small one of the group- for although he was a mighty level 33 Barbarian King, Orfox was a mutant and Kragonbrock was some sort of ancient monster. He simply did not measure up. "Tell it again."

Orfox managed to contain his laughter and leaned forward, right into the center of the circle. With trembling lips he said it, that word that had sent them all howling- "Monke."

Kragonbrock turned his face up to the sky, howling in rambunctious laugher. He let go of the Barbarian King's hands and performed a full flip backwards, landing right in the middle of a table full of Goblins, half a deck below. They stood there all for a second, totally quiet- until they all burst into cheers, throwing their hands up into the air at the amazing sight.

Sophia watched from the upper deck, and shook her head. "Idiots. I wish Herb would stop trying to make himself look tougher than everyone. I mean he's tough, but he's not that tough."

She poured herself another gulp of her Wine, and sighed. "Huh Chloe?"

"Men are weird.", said Cloe, and nodded. "Except for Daddy. He's nice."

"Yes, being in a relationship changes every man.", said Sophia. "But those that are single… who knows what goes through their heads all the time."

"I know.", said Dave, for he was but a single man. "Want me to tell you?"

Sophia looked at Chloe, who nodded. They both turned to Dave from their respective chairs, and raised their hands into the air. "Sure."
Dave spread his hands, and cleared his throat, as if sharing some divine wisdom. He spoke- "What does balsa wood taste like?"

The two were just about to comment, when they heard a loud banging from down below. They all looked down to see what it was, and saw Askari the 14th banging loudly on a pot lid.

"Everyone!", he shouted, and waved to the upper decks. "All of you, pay attention. My son is about to make his speech."

Song: Prelude to a Comeback

There Askari the 15th stood on the slightly elevated platform of wood, his calf length coat flapping in the salty sea breeze. It was solid black, perhaps to show off the rest of his clothes- bright purple and red, deep blue and maroon flashes all across. His boots were jet propelled, and his hood almost solid mendable steel. His fingers continuously sparkled with golden light, an expression of absolute seriousness across his face. His hair at this point was salt and pepper- soon it would become pure white, to signify the true strength and destiny of the Askari bloodline.

"Everyone.", he said, his voice kicking in across the entire ship across hundreds upon hundreds of hidden spots. One of them was actually occupied by a Royal Ghost and had been sealed up tight for the last 4 years, but nobody knew about that part. "Some of you may know me already. You have followed me before, and I know that you shall take up your arms in eagerness, and follow me again. But for those who have not, well…"

He took a deep breath, and began his ritual. "My name is Askari the 15th. I am the 15th and most recent member of the Askari Line, as you have most likely guessed by now. And I have a very important announcement to tell you all. Not just all of you- but you personally."

He seemed to look and wink to dozens of individual troops from across the room- all in perfect tandem, and yet somehow also at each one, in an individualised gaze. "For I have something very important to tell you all."

He snapped his fingers, and the display behind him began to light up a deep, luxurious purple, in dark foreshadowing of what was about to come. "I know that we are all from different places in this great, tremendous world of ours. Look at you all."

He pointed outwards to the crowd, ponting at a Cryoneer, a Heavy, a Healer, a bunch of Barbarians, and a Shelly. "All of you, so different- and yet here we are now, united under one common banner."

He thrust his fist into the air, and the display began to play quiet music, determined yet mysterious. This was his only chance at this speech- and the needed to make sure it was as good as he could possibly get it. "For one purpose, that unites us all- that is, the will to survive. The will of mortals, to live and thrive. That is what our enemy Rakastamos would deny us."

A shiver of fear ran across the army- exactly as Askari had predicted. He knew that fear, properly administrated, would prove the fighting boost that his army needed. But he could not allow it to overtake them- so he continued his planned speech.

"But that, of course, is where we come in.", said Rakastamos, and clenched his fist. "For we are that light, that world's flame, that mortals' survival. We are the ones who had come to put an end to Rakastamos, and avenge that which he has already destroyed."

He pointed to a random group of Barbarians in the crowd- from their helmets, he could tell they were Clans Barbarians. Perfect. "You there! Barbarians! What suffering have you been through at the hands of that Dragonlord we seek?"

One of the Barbarians nodded, and slammed his fist against his chest. "Our village was utterly annihilated by Rakastamos's dread army while we were gone. We shall not rest until he and all who follow him are erased from this world."

Askari spun around and pointed to an Archer, then changed his mind and pointed to Meg, who had just come down from the upper decks. "You! Muskete- no. I recognize you. Meg. What has Rakastamos ever done to you?"

"Uh…", said Meg, and held on to her weapon, locking up her legs at the sight of the crowd. "Well, I don't really know him that well-"

She felt Brenda's hands on her shoulders, and a soft "Don't worry, I got this" in her ear.

"Our friends are over there.", Brenda said, pointing to the location of the Continent of the Clans. "Rakastamos might get to them- and that is a risk none of us can afford to take."

"Yes, yes!", shouted Askari ,and spun around once more, his long black cloak scraping the ground. "For that is what Rakastamos brings. His promises are of a golden age- but the things he would bring are nothing but death."

"Son, they all know that.", he heard in his ear, and saw the 14th whispering into a microphone from across the deck. "We all know Rakastamos is an evil git, we don't need convincing. Now inspire them."

"Right, right.", the 15th whispered under his breath ,and stood up to his fullest height. He spread out his arms- then dropped them again. He turned around, and the audience let out noises of confusion. But he did plan to talk to them, all the same.

"You.", he said, and pointed to a random direction. That direction landed on Dr. Jakko the WIzard, who almost dropped his various papers. Jakko stumbled, and looked up. "Y- yes?"

"You sound smart.", said Askari, and let down his hand. "Would you care to tell everyone what a hero is?"

"Uhhh… sure.", said Jakko, and cleared his throat. "Uh, Hero. Noun, archaic. A hero is a specialized, immortal, incredibly powerful Troop, typically born from Dark Elixir-"

"No.", said Asakri, and raised his hand. Jakko immediately stopped talking, and looked down at the ground. "What does he mean, no?"

"That is, to be fair, certainly one definition.", said Askari. His voice reached across the entire assembled area- from those on the front frow of his show to the very back, to any of those still loitering on the other decks, to those down below in the cargo and maintenance hold, smoke rubbing against their Goblin eyes. It reached those that sailed behind the mighty ship in their Clan Boats, tiny mechanized speakers hovering in the air. It even reached the Balloons floating a few hundred meters back, the sound quality somehow perfect as it bounced off the air and into their baskets, perfectly calculated. "But in truth, there is another."

He clenched his fist, and held it out by his side. "For as strange as it may seem, there was a time when Heroes as we now them did not exist. There was something far simpler, and a stranger definition-those that lived in villages simply lived. And the ones among them, the ones who promoted bravery and true strength at every turn- they were know, in those early days, as heroes."

He waited a few seconds for the audience to respond, before he finally decided that he had to do it himself. He spun around- then back to his previous position. "Do you all know what I'm getting at here?"
He waited exactly 4.86 seconds for the time to pass, and then know it was enough. He turned around ,and faced the army he had assembled. "Listen, all of you. For this battle, I am giving you all the chance to be heroes."

His eyes shone with a sparkling brilliance, and his skin around his eyes tightened at the power he felt surging through his veins. "For in truth, it does not matter what you have done or who you are or where you have come from- this battle is harder."

He punched the sky with another fist, pushing it to the limit, sparkles starting to fly from the impact point. "But with the golden hearts and slicking blades of the world, I know that Rakastamos cannot defeat us. I know that despite all of us being mere mortals, we can topple Dragonlords with ease."
His voice started to rise, and the temperment of the crowed began to heat up. A few Skeletons danced and chattered, the confidence dripping off of Askari's voice very much to their liking. "For although his army is great, ours is greater. No matter his will, ours is stronger. And no matter how powerful he thinks he is, the world's might is strong enough to defeat him."

He abruptly beat his fist on the table in front of him, a few troops already following along.

"He cannot kill us!", he shouted, and the crowd started to get truly excited. "He cannot silence our power, nor delay our coming! We are that fighting spirit, and that will to live!"

As the music behind him swelled to a powerful, long crescendo, he screamed at the top of his lungs, the crowed yelling alongside him. "We are going to go in there, and find out what he's doing and finally do the Dragonlord in!"

HIs eyes glittered with the power of all his ancestors lighting the way for him- the way to victory, Through those that he had used and those he had not, he knew what he had to do.
"WIll you fight?", he asked and pointed in a random direction. An Archer Queen nodded, and clenched her wrist. "Yes."

Askari smiled, and turn to the next one. "What about you, Knight?" Will you fight?"

The Knight nodded and Askari clapped his hands. "Good. We need every last chance that you can give."

Asakri turned back to his stage, and almost bowed. But he knew that there was still one last bit to his speech, and he would deliver it. That was no question.
"All of you!", he shouted, and the excited crowed shouted back. "Are you ready to fight, in the name of all?"
He continued. " And are you ready to enter the final stretch? To finally kill Rakastmoas and save the world?"
The crowed responded with an a mighty shout, and Askari pumped his ffist into the iar. "Yes!", he shouted and grinned. Everything was going exactly by the plan. "I have them now, I have their will to fight. Just a little bit more, and-"

Up in one of the Balloons, Kars had been watching the proceedings with great interest. He had been hardly able to hear Askari at first, but as the speech had gone on, he had been easier and easier to listen to. Funny that now one he was done, Kars could barely evene remember what he had said… but that was a thing for sometime different. The thing that he and Webert both saw swimming right in front of the ship in the murky and bright water was a thing for now.

"Askari, sir!", shouted Kars right as he had been about to finish the last few paragraphs of his speech. He saw Kars looking to the front and shout, his finger trembling. "Sir, there's something up ahead!"

Knowing full well that Kars would not be able to communicate it quickly enough for it to matter, Webert shouted as well. "Mr. Askari, there's something in the water!"

Song: A Moment for Shuddering

Askari's advanced mechanical hearing picked up on the call, and he spun around instantly. He jumped up onto the rim of the deck, staring down into the pitch black water, looking around for anything that might have been a threat. He did not even bother to try and get anybody else to help him- a mistake he might have later regretted. He stood alone on the deck, sweeping the seas with his vision, trying to find whatever Kars and Webert were trying to warn him about.

"Come on, come on… what is this…", he muttered, but he saw nothing. There was nothing out there in the great sea, nothing but the crashing waves, the smell of salty fear, and the great bulging shape of something rising up out of the water- there! There it was.

Askari raised his hand high up above his head, the flesh and bone melting into high-level steel. His fingers became guns and his palm a portable Cannon, holding it downwards to the sea. He had almost fired upon the shape, when it brake the surface with the mighty, violent crashing of a huge wave, sending him jumping back in a defensive maneuver.

Asakari the 14th had seen him jump up onto the ship's side, and assumed that he would know how to handle himself. But once he fell, he knew he needed to step in. "Son!"

Askair the 14rh ran as fast as he could towards Askari- but he fell first onto a group of spider like legs that automatically extended form his back, leaving both the arms of his father and the arms of a Pekka empty. He didn't bother to put himself upright- he just let himself lay down, staring in both wonder and hope at the tremendous figure that now loomed up above them.

It was almost beyond huge, emerging from the water like a mountain that had learned to fly. With skin blue in some places, tan in others ,but mostly orange all around. It was a sight that demanded attention like a blazing star, sending gasps of both shock and horror throughout all the passengers of the ship.

Two gargantuan, strong wings stretched out on either side of the immense body, blowing gale-force winds down with each flap. Several smaller passengers were pinned down to the deck by the gusts, Chloe hiding underneath Sophia's skirt. The great tail of the Dragon, for that is what it was now obvious to be, snapped and crackled in the air, full of thunder and Lightning, stuffed to the brim with electric death, bubbling over with Star.

And yet, despite the power of the Dragon, a power that dwarfed by far anyone there, and most likely even all of them combined, Askari was overjoyed at the sight. For he knew exactly who she was. He reached out to the sky, and yelled.

"Lady Chuqulita!", he shouted ,and she started to turn her head. "You have come! You made it!"

Chuqulita turned around, to reveal something pink and vaguely shrimp-like stuck between her teeth. It was huge, to be sure- but nothing before her 1800 feet of length and weight of nearly 25000 tons. She bit down once more and swallowed, the assassin Rakastamos had sent to take down Askari defeated before it had even got there.

"Ah, Askari.", she boomed, her voice even larger and deeper than before. "I knew I could find ou here. I assume you are here to fight my idiotic brother as well?"

"Indeed!", Askari shouted, struggling to make himself heard over the mighty winds Chuqulita generated. "And if you are here to lead us, then we shall gladly accept that offer."

"I am.", said Chuqulita, looking far ahead. She could see, with her holy vision and high vantage point that which lay beyond the waves. They were very soon coming up to the Continent of the Clans- perhaps in just a few minutes, they would be within sight. "For I was previously no match for Rakastamos the last time we fought- but I took it upon myself to grow. I absorbed a portion of my brother Auinraur's power, and now I am his equal at least."
She looked down at the waves, and bit back a tear. "I do hope he won't be mad when he wakes up."

"That is very good news!", shouted Askari, having turned his right hand into a megaphone and his left into sound speakers. "Your power will no doubt be the turning point in this war!"

"Yes, I'm sure it will be.", said Chuqulita, and nodded. "However, that Dragon Cannon of yours shall be a boon as well… not to mention this gigantic army you've constructed. Very nice. I brought a few of my own."

Chuqulita banked and dived, revealing a huge flock of Dragons, each with her own color scheme, fliyng out the clouds. They were her Guard- for each Dragonlord had one. And atop her Guards of Wisdom, taking extra care to hold on, were Troops from the Rushlands- Pitchers, Gorillas, BIGS, and so forth. A ray of light beamed from the clouds and hit her face, revealing the worried look in her eyes.

"Hopefully, they shall be enough."

Askari proudly saluted, knowing that Chuqulita would see. He also knew she no doubt had a master plan- her title as "The Wise" had not come from nowhere. He knew that now, the burden of leadership was lifted off his shoulders, for he had done his part. And now all he had to do was sit back and command his Troops- always his favorite part.

"Father, we're going to win.", said Askari the 15th, as he saw his father come up from behind him. "There's no way we're not going to. With Chuqulita on our side, we-"

"Woah, woah, slow down." ,said the 14th, waving his hands. "Are you sure, son? Rakastamos is said to be strong. Veryyy strong."

"Yes.", said Askari, and grinned. "But despite all is strength, there is only one of him. We have our own Dragonlord, and countless soldiers from all across the world, all ready to battle. We have the Ape Lord, and his followers. We even have our own Dragons. We have my Dragon Cannon, and your Tilial Force. Father, we cannot lose."

"Yes, we do have those things.", said the 14th, and somberly nodded his head. "But do not forget about Rakastamos and his army. The Forgotten."

"I didn't.", said Askari, and lifted his wrist. On it the 14th could see several red bars- slowly going down over the course of several simulated days. "But those Forgotten are being defeated as we speak. Once we meet up with the ones who are responsible, Rakastamos will be completely undefended."

The 14th took a step back in respect, and nodded his head. "Well then.", he said, and laughed. "I suppose we do have an advantage here."

He put his arm on his son's shoulder, and they watched as Chuqulita flew above their heads, an archonic figurehead of justice spearheading their assault on destiny itself.

The entire ship watched in eagerness as they rounded the last wave before Clans territory- then gasped in shock, as they saw what had happened to it just a few hours ago. Chuqulita's own face fell, knowing that there was only one being responsible for what possible could have happened. Her eyes narrowed with annoyance. She hated flying under such conditions- and again, there was only one person who knew that as well.

Rakastamos's storm flashed and burned high above the continent, covering it in its entirety like a blanket woven from the darkest evil. Red and black it churned and roiled, bolts of continuous Lighting flashing down from cloud to land every second. Evil draconic faces ran and danced in the clouds, their unbelievably deep laughter reaching even the great ship that far out, rattling through the army's bones like a biting, bitter wind of fear and death.

The clouds the storm was made of were not the fluffy clouds of regular thunderstorms, nor the thin and wispy clouds of snowblasts. No, they were sharp and harsh, almost hateful, burning with as much bloodlust as their twisted creator. Their edges turned downwards, seeming almost to grab at the edge of the land, attempting to cover it completely.

"What…", asked Meg, shivering in Brenda's arms. She did not want to. She wanted to hold on to her courage she had found the night before- but in this strange, terrifying situation, it was getting harder and harder to do so. "What is that?"

Brenda held Meg tighter, not sure what to say. She had no idea such a thing could exist, or even really what they were up against. None of them knew really, what waited them inside of Clashcrush Mountain. None of them knew what they were going to do once they arrived, other than go after Rakastamos. But to many members of the army ,that seemed pointless before the storm. It ate at their morale like a hungry Goblin, chilling them to the bone.

"It's just an obstacle, Nutmeg.", said Brenda, hugging Meg closer to her for as much of her own comfort as for Meg's. "It's just something we get past and then go on to the next thing, is all. Nothing… nothing more."

"Are you sure?", asked Meg, and Brenda nodded. The Phantom appeared with but a single thought and at once channeled positive feelings into both of their heads, as they traveled towards the storm as part of the largest army the world had ever, ever seen, a Dragonlord at their head and practical demi-gods in their ranks- but it did little. For Rakastamos was now making his true being known, no longer a Dragonlord of Justice- but his truest self, his new being, and that was a Dragonlord of Fear.

Song: Kyuunchentaka

Right before Dan entered Dark Mountain, he remembered something vitally important. He took a few steps backwards and stumbled out of the entryway, much to the chagrin of his passengers. He started to say something, but stopped.
"Dan, what are you doing?", Brandy asked, holding on to him tighter. "We're supposed to be going in!"

"Hold on a minute.", he said, and stabilized himself form his stumble down the black rock of the mountainside. "I just remembred something. Um…"

"What", asked Brandy, scratching at his head. "What is it, honey?"
Dan shook his head, regained his composure, and looked up. He pointed to the section of the mountain that was right up above the vast tunnel that they were just about to enter, to a place that was elevated so that only he of the group could see. But what he could see told him it would be a bad idea for them to all go in there together. "Look."

Brandy stood as tall she should atop his shoulder, but he still did not know what she was supposed to be looking at. She just was not tall enough to see. "Uh… at what?"

Dan sighed, and brought out his flat and empty palm. Brandy gently hopped on top of it, as Dan raised it up as high as he could for her to see what lay ahead- and she gasped in shock.

All across the run, stretching out miles and miles into the distance, was very little but black and jagged rock, the lightning flashing all across the sky serving to illuminate just how sharp the rocks really were. But that was not all she saw- no.

Hordes upon hordes of nesting Dragons covered the top of the cliff like Bats in an upside down cave, only far larger and far more dangerous. There must have had been thousands of them there, ranging in size and level from plain looking Baby Dragons to fire-tailed, white-horned Dragon adults. It was impossible to tell just how many of them there really were, so much was the way entirely blocked. But the Dragon blockade was not what bothered Dan- no, the thing that he had noticed were the holes leading in to the cave below. They appeared just large enough for a Dragon to fit through. Not only that, but the air from above the hold seemed to be blasted into the cave hard enough to keep anything in, and allow things to get in quite easily through them. That is what set his brow wrinkled, and his face frowning. It took a minute for Brandy to realize what she was looking at, and frowned as well.

"Well, crap.", she said, after not even trying to estimate the odds of getting through the draconic minefield. "That's bad."

"No, no, it's fine.", said Trevor, and spun his sword around in his hand. "Those are just regular Dragons, really. Maybe middle Draconic. But either way it doesn't matter. They're not even really bothering us- and hopefully, they will continue to be that way if we leave them alone."

Brandy had just been about to say that he had a good point, when Annabelle just rolled her eyes. SHe grabbed a slice of meat that she had been saving for some unknown occasion- apparently this one, and tossed it right at them.

The meat flew through the air, and slowly wafted into the minds of the Dragons that were sleeping. As one they slowly blinked or wakefulness, strange sounds began to come from them as a whole, and they woke up- until one of them, with bared teeth, saw the slice of meat that Annabelle had thrown.
Within seconds they were all over it, tearing and ripping into the meat with their teeth. More and more of them goblinpiled on, scrabbling and scraping at the hard rock, bits of torn Dragon flesh flying outwards in a bloody mess as the Dragons that had grabbed for it first were torn to pieces. Elixir and blood spurted out from the Dragonball in equal measure, splattering across the front sides of the entire group watching. Then all as suddenly as they had started, it ended. The Dragons, having finally realized the meat was utterly exhausted, retreated. They once again flew to the their posts and laid their heads down on the rock, yawned, and went for a nap. The display had been some feet down the mountain, so it was visible to the group.

"Well.", said Trevor, and gulped. "Never mind then. Let's not go that way."
"I have to.", said Dan, and stood up his full height. "It's the only way we can make it out of here alive."

"What?", asked Brandy ,and looked at Dan sideways. "What are you talking about? We can totally just go underneath, right?", said Brandy, and Dan nodded- then realized what he had done. "Yeah- mean, no. No, we cannot."

"Well, why not?", asked Brandy, then it suddenly came to her. The perfect idea that could solve both problems. Her eyes lit up, and she snapped her fingers- but Dan still had more to say.

"If we go below, the Dragons can attack us at their leasure. If we go above ground, the Dragons will be too numerous.", said Dan, and tapped his fingers against each other. "We can't just kill them either- that will take too long with you guys. We will get hurt."

"So, let me get it straight.", said Trevor, tapping his head. "We can't go either way."

Trevor blinked and grimaced- getting that right was less intense than he had thought.

"That appears to be correct, Trevor.", said Brandy ,rubbing her hands together in anticipation of her idea. "I am a big fan of that idea, Dan but-"

She looked from side to side, seemingly about to share forbidden knowledge. She leaned forward and whispered into Dan's ear. "What if…"

Her eyes shone. "We split up?"

Dan recoiled violently, almost sending Brandy flying. His initial reaction was one of toal shock - and the one after that, and the one after that. He leaned in again and grabbed Brandy by the ear, his huge fingers leading to her reddened face. "Brandy, what are you thinking? We can't just split up! There is no way I'm letting any of you go anywhere alone."

"But we won't be alone.", said Brandy, her eyes watering slightly. "We'll have each other. You're gonna be the one going up- just taking down those Dragons, not needing to hold back. You'd like that, right?"

Dna frowned, for Brandy was right. He did enjoy wading through hordes of enemies, taking them down one by one or in small groups- it was something most Mega Knights enjoyed. And he was still somewhat one of them. "Okay, but-"

"And come on, Dan.", said Brandy, her arms heating up. "We have managed to defeat every single Forgotten we've gone up against so far. Not most of them, not a fair portion- no. Every single one of them. There is no way we're gonna stop now, and very little chance to run into anything stronger. He- Rakastamos, I mean- has to have used up his strongest Forgotten by now, right?"

"Uh… wow.", said Dan, and scratched the back of his head ."This is surprisingly well thought out for you."

"What is that supposed to mean?", asked Brandy, with an arched brow. Her ear was still gripped in Dan's fingers, and she felt the pulsing blood rush through her hotly.

"Well, you do things sometimes so fast you don't really think of them.", said Dan. "Not that that's a bad thing, it's just a thing that you do."

"I know, just-", said Brandy, and abruptly stopped. She let out a small whine, surprised herself that she had done so. She looked up, and Dan realized what he was still doing.

"SHould I let go of your ear?", he asked, and Brandy nodded, her eyes squeezed shut. Dan let go, and Brandy sighed a sigh of relief.

"So are you sure.", he said, staring right into Brandy's eyes, blue vs green. It was not a question. "Because if you're wrong, and you run into a Forgotten too strong for you, I will never be able to forgive myself. Not ever."

Brandy closed her eyes, and put her hand on Dan's nose. He brought his hand up to his nose, and Brandy put her hand on that one as well. She stared deep into his eyes even harder than he had stared into hers, putting power into each and every word she spoke to him. "Dan.", she said, and breathed out. "I know. I know that you always want to be here to protect us, and you've been here for us for… pretty much this entire time. But this time, you have to go on your own. And we have to be without you. It won't be long, I promise. Just till we get to the other side of the mountain. And how long will that take? Probably about half an hour, right?"

Dan tried to speak to her- but found he could not. Even though he wanted to, he knew he could not say no to her face. He was still not sure if she was right- but he had to know if-

"Okay, but are you absolutely sure?", asked Dan again, and Brandy almost laughed. She rubbed her hand against his face. "Dan, yes!"

"Sure as I love you?", he asked, and gave a small spark of Star to her ears. She blushed deeply, and turned her head. "Well, no. Nothing's as sure as that… except for that I love you. But I'm still pretty sure about it."

"Okay.", said Dan, and slowly let her down onto the ground. "Well then, if you're that sure, I can let you go off on your own. But just for a little while, you understand?"

Brandy rolled her eyes, and sighed. This, this particular style of play and banter, was something they did quite often. She had missed the last time they had done it- the trip had seemed to take forever. She waved up at him, and winked. "Okayyyyy!"

Dan gave a look towards Trevor, and nodded. "Hey bro. When I get back, I'm gonna teach you Star. Understand?"
Trevor nodded, excited- but before he could respond, Dan was already climbing back up the mountain.

Brandy put her fingers into a V and gave a wide grin, posing on one leg. Dan returned the smile and a sharp salute, before placing his hand on the black rock that led up the way to the rest of the mountain. He pulled himself up leg by leg and hand by hand, Brandy watching his gigantic body go.

Once he finally climbed up and out of sight, she could hear his roars start to echo across the mountaintop. Brandy was not worried about the outcome of the impending battle. She had absolute faith he would prevail against the Dragon host- he was her Dan, after all. He was invincible, and she knew that with all her heart.

"Mom?", asked Leon, and Brandy turned around. She tried to hide her distraction, spinning her finger around on her thigh, and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Yeah?"

"Are you coming?", he asked, and pointed forward. The rest of the group was heading into the cavern, Trevor and Annabelle right ahead of Bubble. Leon hung back, opening his arm for Brandy to grab. "Cause we are."

"Oh, right.", said Brandy, and jumped up into the air. She Dashed forward, landing right in front of Annabelle and Trevor, leaving Leon's hand open. His eyes grew dry- before he felt himself get yanked forward and dragged to the front ,the wind blowing back his hood and mussing up his hair.

"You ready, my boy?", asked Brandy, and hopped over a sharp rock. Leon jumped as well, his face scrunched up in embarrassment. Brandy noticed that, and raised a brow. "What?"
"Could you not call me that, Mom?", asked Leon, and grimaced. "It's embarrassing."

"What, my boy?", asked Brandy, and grinned. "What's wrong with it?"

"It makes me sound younger than I am.", said Leon. "And I don't like that."
"But you are young.", said Brandy. "You're only like, a month old, technically speaking. And yeah, I know that Leons are 16, you said so before. But I'm your mother. So you're my boy."

As they walked, she put her finger on her cheek and scratched. "Although if you really don't like it when I call you that, I won't."

"No.", said Leon, very quietly. Brandy looked at him in a confused expression. "No?"

"No, you can keep on calling me it.", said Leon. "I know it embrasses me, but… I guess I kind of like that. Beng embarrassed, I mean. Should I? I feel like I shouldn't. After all, isn't that a bad feeling? I mean I know it is, but… I like it. I don't know why."

"Well honey, everyone's got their own things that they like.", said Brandy, and took another step. She did not notice that it put the last of the group past the reaches of the gargantuan gate, until a few seconds after the fact. "And you can-"

Suddenly the gate slammed shut with a crash that sounded like a collapsing tectonic shelf. Bubble screamed and jumped into Annabelle's arms, Annabelle yelped and jumped into Trevor's arms, Trevor grunted and tried to hold them both up, Leon said nothing and disappeared, and Brandy shouted and took a stance, as all the darkened depths of the mountain erupted around them.

Song: Name Redacted

"Everybody circle up!", Brandy shouted, Dashing around to each member of the group in turn. With Dan away, she was the leader now. "Arms up, eyes up, everything up! We got ghosts incoming, and we better not join them!"

With silver light and flashing eyes, a horde of Ghosts all flew around them. These were the not the familiar forms of Royal Ghosts- no, they were just regular Ghosts, if such a thing existed. But then again, they had to exist- for they were right there in front of them all, swooping and swirling like a dark wind in a hurricane- one that beat down trees and stole the breath right from one's lungs. They flashed like lightning through the pitch black tunnel, the only source of light in the dark cave. It was almost impossible to gain any depth perception at all, for the only things visible were the rapidly moving and shifting forms of the attacking Ghosts. There were many, to be sure, but they moved so quickly and so fluidly that it was practically impossible to gain any sort of insight on them at all. Unless, of course-
"Annabelle!", shouted Brandy, and pointed back to where Annabelle stood. "What do you see?" Experimentally, Leon flicked a few dozen spinner blades forward at the darkness. They did nothing- and that thought slowly turned itself over in his head.

Annabelle stared forward with her magical eyes into the piercing darkness, trying to see what lay beyond. The legions of Ghosts swirling around the group, drawing ever closer, distracted her to no end- but she was still able to see the ground, in some bit of detail. She could tell where everyone was ,and she supposed that was important. "I see… the ground. The ghosts. Um…"

She panicked a little, and grabbed the side of her head. "What am I supposed to say?"

"Tell us something!", shouted Brandy, spinning her gaze around from the top of her head to try and see all of the Ghosts at once. It was an impossible task- for they swirled around the group at incredible speeds. "I don't know, anything!"

"Uh… okay!", shouted Annabelle. She bit her lip, and squinted her eyes. "They're flying up above the ground! They look to be hugging the walls!"

"Okay, that's something!", said Brandy, and thought. Then she yelped. "Wait. If they're hugging the walls, then how are they coming up to meet us?"

Annabelle took another look, and gasped in horror. "The- the walls! They're closing in around us!"

"Ooooh frick.", said Brandy, and cursed under her breath. "That's not good."

"Leon, shoot the walls!", shouted Trevor, as his mind raced. "I have an idea!"

"Okay!", said Leon, and spun his hand in a circle. Hunter Killer came to life right in the middle of it ,and he aimed it right at the center of the wall, where most of the Ghosts were circling. With a few short, solid rounds of fire, a hail of bullets slammed right into the rock. It was eaten away in several places and covered with holes, seemingly about to break- but that was not the part that interested Brandy. It was that the Ghosts seemed unarmed.

"They weren't touched!", she said, and groaned. She shifted back in a defensive stance, seeing Bubble do the same.

"Of course they weren't.", said Annabelle. "They're Ghosts. Ghosts, true Ghosts, can't be touched by physical attacks unless they're attacking too!"

"But that wasn't physical!", shouted Leon, Hunter Killer sparking with alarm in his tightly gripped, white knuckled hand. "These are Stand Bullets- AKA, a soul's energy!"

Annabelle stared at him with alarm for a few seconds, then blinked. "What?"

"A Stand is the metaphysical manifestation of a soul's power!" ,shouted Brandy, struggling to be heard under the shrieking force of the Ghosts. "It's-"

"Mommy!", she heard Bubble scream, and she immediately stopped talking. Her instincts took over, and she backflipped through the air to land right next to Bubble. She grabbed her by the shoulders and waist, and lifted her up into the air. With another flip they took off, and landed back in the circle, Brandy giving Bubble a slight pat on the head. "There. You're safe."

"Mommy!", shouted Bubble again, clearly exasperated. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about!"

Brandy started to respond, but she was cut off by the grinding of the walls coming closer. She steeled all fo the muscles in her body to prepare to punch through the approaching wall- but she still made sure to talk to Bubble. "What is it then?"

"I can sense illusions!", Bubble said, and Brandy's eyes widened. "Wait, what does that mean that-"
"Those Ghosts aren't real, Mommy.", said Bubble. "They're illusions, just like I make."

"Oh.", said Brandy, and allowed herself to relax a little bit. "Well, that's good I suppose. What about those rocks though? The wall that's slowly coming closer from all directions, and is almost right on our feet?"
"Oh no, those are real.", said Bubble, with an odd degree of calmness. It only took a second for Brandy to start screaming, followed by everybody else in the group. Except for Bubble for whatever reason- she just stood there as cool as an Ice Golem, watching the Ghosts come ever closer, perhaps in awe of their technique- or perhaps she was just too scared to move. But whatever the reason, she knew she still had to get them out of there.

As the walls closed in, Brandy surrounded her clenched up arm with Dash. She raised it into the air, grabbed everyone in the group with her other hand- and slammed it down.

"DORRRRA!", she screamed, the shockwave blast emanating outwards and slamming against the oncoming walls, blowing them back a bit. The ground broke and crumbled under the might of the blow., and Brandy let go of everybody for a half second. She would have to have both her hands free for this bit, and they sure weren't going anywhere.
"DORARARAARARARARA!", she screamed, her attack cry slightly different than usual, and pummeled both fists into the black rock as hard as she could. Shale and hard obsidian broke and shattered around her as the group fell into the expanding hole, the walls finally slamming shut with a dismal boom right above them- but it was too late. They had escaped.

Well, as escaped as they could be, plummeting down a tunnel of their own making into a totally unknown territory, even more enemies likely to pursue them- but they were alive, and that is what mattered.

Brandy continued to strike and pound the expanding shaft, breaking apart the rock with continuous, Lighting-fast strikes. Sweat dripped off her brow, and her arms ached, but she knew she could not stop. She had to keep on digging, digging until they found a natural cave, or else they had no way out the tunnel. Yet as she dug, just barely keeping everyone following, the leather on her gloves wearing down and falling apart. They tore and fell off, flying up into the shadows below, as rock continued to break down below. They had to find a cave. They had to. There had to be some sort of cave in the system, some sort of cave in the mountain-

Then there was a crack louder than usual, and a flash of particularly fragile rock. The light burst open, and the group fell into the open air of a cave. Before Brandy had even landed, she grabbed everyone in her hands, and activated her Dash, hitting the ground like a pillow instead of a rock.

As soon as they hit the ground, Leon jumped up. He instantly jumped to the pillar next to him, almost turning invisible- but he decided to save it. He didn't know how many Supers he had left, or when he would get the chance to charge one. Normally he would be able to answer that question, but his internal feelings were completely messed up. "Hoooooly frick."

"Mommy?", asked Bubble, and rubbed her head. Brandy sat up and rubbed her back, even though the Dash field had negated all damage. "Yeah honey?"

"I want Daddy.", said Bubble, and sniffed. "Daddy has light. On his finger."

Brandy sighed, and held Bubble close. "Yes, Mommy wants Daddy too. We all wish that Daddy was here right now. But he needs to be out there. Otherwise the Dragons would get us-"

She blinked, realizing that it was now completely moot. They had fallen so far she doubted even a Gold Dragon would be able to reach them at their current depth, and the light from Dan's Star would have been incredibly useful. She turned to her shoulder ,and cursed.

"But.", she said, and looked up towards the hole they had fallen through, taking Bubble up into her arms. "It looks like there's no way for us to go up… so we have to go through. Wherever this is going to take us… I guess."

Trevor and Annabelle both got off of each other, although Brandy noticed it had taken a little bit more time than usual for them to do so. She let herself smile at that thought, giving Bubble a reassuring pat on the back and walking up beside Leon. He was staring at the wall, in abject wonder. "Leon? What's going on?"

Leon didn't even look up, so interested was he. He just kept on staring, running his finger along the strange surface. "Look at this.", he said, and tapped the wall. "Look."

Brandy looked, and saw something that astonished her. The wall was not one solid chunk of material, or even a loose collection. No, the impossible smoothness, perfect lines, and ease of touch only meant one thing. "The wall's… made of… blocks?"

"I don't really belive it either.", said Leon, and tapped the wall. It wiggled a bit as she did so, the pure obsidian apparently begging to be taken out. "But I guess there are a lot of things weird about this place, after all."

"Right…", said Brandy, and curiously grabbed the obsidian. It slid out without a hitch, and she was able to easily bounce it up and down. She was interested by its properties, and the things she could do it, and the very fact that it even existed- until she saw something out the corner of her eye and a turn that made her forget all about it.

There, lurking right behind where the obsidian had been, was a shining green cube of astonish beauty. It it up the room around her, exposing everyone that there ina soft green light - and seeing Brandy totally aflutter.

"Oh my goodness.", she said, and leaned forward to check ."That's… that's a solid Gem. That's where Gems come from…"

Her face slightly reddened, and she stroked her ringer across the bright green surface. She could see her face reflected in the glass, although it was a bit warped from the shape. She sighed as she saw it- the blood, sweat, and tears she had worked up since last time. But of course, not matter what happened to her, she was still herself. Brandy. Mom. Mom. "Mom?"
"Huh, what?", aksed Brandy, and spun around. "Are we going now?"
"Well why don't decide that?", he said. "Aren't you being the leader?"

Brandy took a moment to think about that, before slamming her fist into one palm. "Yes.", she said, and huffed some air through her nostrils. "I am."

She juped to her feet, tucking the SuperGem into just one of her many deep pockets along the back of her uniform as a Bandit. Even though she had lost her gloves, her boots were worn down, and her hood was deeply frayed in many places, her nature still remained, both inexorably drawn to riches and a way to easily keep them.

"Okay, we're moving forward.", said Brandy, and nervously shivered. "Looks like we're just through that hallway and… past whatever's beyond that…"

She stared at the dark hallway at the end of the tunnel- it had a chill, an air of foreboding around it that could almost be felt. Brandy realized it could be felt- the air that blew from the perfectly geometric, the eerily silent, the absolutely terrifying calmness of the hallway bend was cold indeed.

"Very good!.", said Leon and shivered. "Very uh… very. Very good."

The group started to go forward, into the shivering realm of the deep dour down below of Dark Mountain, where no living thing should ever touch, where no one should ever tread.

They passed through the hallway in total and complete silence, not a single one of them daring to disturb it, for fear of what they would hear. The morale that had seemed so high before they had entered seemed to have vanished with Dan, leaving behind only ice-cold fears and shivering worry. Brandy knew there was something lurking deep within the mountain- she knew that for certain. It felt dark, it felt absolutely terrifying- yet somehow, for some reason, it also felt oddly personal. She did not know why.

Song: Space of a Lone God

As they left the pitch black hallway, Brandy gave her ears a quick rub to get rub of the ice on them. She had considered asking Leon, but she wasn't about to do that to her own son. Then as the thing in front of them flared up, she realized there was no point in rubbing the ice off. It would have done so on its own.

In front of the group, almost as soon as they had left the hallway of ice and darkness, was a huge river of pure magma, flowing through the unholy bellows of the mountain at unnatural speed. The tint was off-orange- it made Brandy sick just to look at it. None of it felt right at all.

"Oh, crap.", she said, and rolled her eyes. "Of course there's lava. Of couuuurse there's lava."

"Mom, don't freak out.", said Leon, and looked forward. There was a thin trail of the strange, perfectly rectangular rocks across the lava- they also appeared to be ribbed, perhaps to serve as ladders for whatever sort of strange creatures worked there. If there were any. It would be strange to have something so suited for mining, and not anyone to mine. It made him think of the Miners back home- but he couldn't think of those right now. No matter how much the aura of fear in the air made him try to retreat back into his own memories and mind, he could not.

"It's just a path, see?", he said, and quickly hopped to the next. Brandy almost cried out, but she saw him land on the rock without a hitch. He stuck out his arms and jumped to the next one, trying to ignore the bellowing of some highly distressed creature or rock formation from up above. He turned around and nervously smiled, trying to get everyone else to hop on as well.

Brandy supposed that she might as well try it- but not before everyone else had too. She motioned for Bubble, who already seemed to understand her without the use of words. Bubble nodded and scrunched up her legs, leaping from the base to the first pillar. Leon had already cleared the second ,and was going on to the third. She landed on the first pillar with a tiny bit of a stumble, trying desperately to ignore the bubbling magma rushing by down below.

Trevor and Annabelle were next- they too jumped across the empty dread space in the air, clearing the lava and sticking the landing. One at a time, of course- Trevor went first, once Leon had jumped forward a few times. He was going along a a rather rapid clip, having gotten to the sixth, then the seventh, then the eighth. Bubble had reached the fifth, by the time Trevor jumped again to the second. He took a careful look behind him, making sure not to fall- and saw Annabelle balanced on he first pillar, shooting Trevor a careful thumbs up.

Leon jumped across the 12th and final pillar, landing on the other side of the large magma river with a triumphant skid on the black dirt. The light was still low on that part, leading into a vast stretch of nothing with an even lower ceiling. "Leon in the lead!", he whispered to himself. He knew that if he said it out loud, it would be the wrong time, and the wrong place. But he felt he had to- it was just part of who he was.

Bubble reached the 7th pillar- and slipped a bit as she did so. A single bit of rock became dislodged from the pillar's top, and fell into the magma below. It should not by all rights have caused something- but it did.

Faraway, on the other side of the vast, wide cavern, something broke. A dam shattered, a wall fell, and a gargantuan flood of magma began to race its way towards the group, bubbling and boiling through the very air, sending a shock of absolute cold fear all the way through Bubble's sensitive heart.

"Shoot!", Trevor yelled, and tried to jump- but he could not, for Annabelle was still in front of him. If he jumped, he would knock her off and they would both be lost to the deadly magma down below. "Annabelle, jump!"

"I can't!", Annabelle said, panicking a bit. "Bubble is in front of me! Bubble, jump!"

Bubble looked at the pillars in front of her, and hesitated. She bit her lower lp so hard it drew blood, and her eyes started to waver from the pressure. "I- I-I-"

"Bubble!", shouted Leon, and slapped his knee. He waved to her, and put on his best grin. "Bubble, come to me. Don't worry. Your big brother's got you."

"Big… brother.", said Bubble, and her face lit up. "I have… a big brother. Yes!"

"Yes, good.", said Leon, and gestured again. He looked to the magma flood, and almost had a heart attack- it was now only about a hundred feet away ,coming closer every second. "Now-"
Fortunately, BUbble didn't have to be told twice. She run and jumped as fast as she could towards Leon's waiting and open arms- clearing the way in just a few seconds. She jumped into Leon's grasp, and turned to see Trevor and Annabelle both jumping as well.

As they jumped, Leon gasped in relief. They were going to make it- but then, as he looked beyond them, his blood ran ice cold. The magma wave was now only about fifty feet away, and to his horror, Brandy had still not budged.

"Mom!", he yelled, as Annabelle cleared the final pillar, skidding to a stop on the dirt. The magma wave was now only 40 feet away, and she was just standing still. "Run!"

Trevor slid next to Annabelle, but Leon hardly cared. The magma wave was now 20 feet away, and closing every second, and she had just taken her first step. "MO-"

Then, abruptly as a bolt of blue-sky Lightning, Brandy Dashed. She landed on each pillar with a single harsh tmp, sending a bolt of force down its middle that broke it into bits within seconds. She landed on the other side in a very neat tuck and roll just as the magma wave crashed into the collapsing pillars, vanishing beyond a dark wall in a splash of pure heat.

"Whew.", she said, and got up. She posed a bit, although tired, and grinned. "That was close. But I couldn't start running until you guys were across. I might have knocked you down."

Leon's eyes trembled, and he wrapped his arms around Brandy in a hug. Even though he was two inches taller than her, it felt like the other way around. "Whatever Mom. I'm glad you're alright."

Brandy hugged him tighter, and let him go. Her morale was up a bit now, from the intense moment and the hug. "I love you Leon."

Leon, in that moment, realized it was the first time anyone had said that to him directly. Even though he knew it was no time for celebrations, he let it get to him inside. "I love you too Mom. Now let's keep on going."

Leon jumped forward a bit, trying to gain some distance from the group so no one could see his red cheeks or slightly crying eyes- nor his hardly suppressed smile. It wasn't the first time he had been complimented- but it was he first time that it had felt truly sincere. He was a little more confident witout Dan around- although he knew that Dan was his father, and no longer wanted to turn Leon into dead, he still caused nervousness. He tried to laugh it of, as he turned a corner around a solid black square and pillar- and came face to face with a nightmare.

She appeared to be a Bandit, but… not. Her skin was white- not just pale, but pure white. White as snow, white as her hair. Her clothes, instead of the natural shades of green, balck, and blue, were all either pure white as well or very light grey. Her eyes were the only part of her that weren't white or grey- they were silver irises, to be sure, but the pupils were a deep jet black. Her entire body seemed to be made of smoke or at least some sort of gas, malleable tendrils of mist rising up off of her with every slight movement that she made. She exuded an aura of pure, absolute fear that was unlike anything he had ever felt before, even when facing the strongest Forgotten. There she sat on a rock, one hand on her thigh and the other grabbing a rock up above, staring right at him with a gaze that was almost completely empty- but not quite.

Hey, kid., her eyes seemed to say. You're a long way from home.

Leon waited exactly one second, then screamed. He jumped backwards, turning invisible on instinct ,and hurried back to the group using his Smoke Trails. It took only a second for him to find them- and he uncloaked as soon as he did.
"Woah, Leon, what's wrong?", asked Brandy, although she could feel it too."Is there-"

"Yes.", said Leon, and gasped. "There's a Forgotten- I think. But it's a weird one. It kind of looks like… like you."
"Like me?", asked Brandy, and was about to ask Leon what he meant, when she saw her. The strange figure rounded the corner, letting out a single tap to signify her presence, staring at the group with cold eyes.

"Who are you?", aksed Brandy, holding out a protective palm. "Identify yourself!"
But she just kept on standing there, not moving a single ghostly muscle, with eyes that bored into their souls.

"Stay- stay right where you are!", shouted Brandy, starting to get worried. The look of the Forgotten frightened her to no end- it was as if she was staring into a dead mirror of herself. "Don't come any closer."

But that was, of course, exactly what the Forgotten did- she took a single step forward, her light boots scratching scars. Her footfalls caused In the rock with every step she took. few steps forward, her body and shoulders shifting to the left and right, forward and back, with every step, continuing to stare forward with those cold, judgemental, unblinking eyes.

Song: Crucial Situation

"Stop!", shouted Brandy, her voice cracking. She grabbed on to Leon and Bubble, trusting that Annabelle and Trevoer would run backwards fast enough to keep up- they had to. "Listen, I don't know what you are, or what you are, but we're busy here. Now go away." Her words were calm, but her tone of voice was anything but. One hand was outstretched before herself as if to ward off the strange apparition, who was even now still coming.

She took another step,edging any closer to Brandy, who tried to stifle a scream. It was almost like looking into a Mirror- great personalized Mirrors, showing them the thing they least wanted.

For Brandy then, she guessed, it was to be dead- to finally just be well and truly Dead, your body left far behind and your soul cursed to wander the land forever that evermore. That thing in front of her slightly resembles a normal Bandit, with her long, stringy hair, her dead eyes, and the way she carried herself- low to the center of the gravity. She moved just totally unlike any other Troop- even save for maybe a Royal Ghost-

But as the Ghost Bandit took another step, as Brandy decided that is what it should be called, she knew she had to do something about it. SOo she gathered up her courage, grabbed everybody else in the group- and Dashed away, focusing on the other sie of the vast tunnel in which they found themselves. If she could not-

Then she slowed down, and thought for a moment. Why exactly was she running? She could handle it, no problem. It was just a- it pained her to think about it, even the very concept sending shivers down her mind and body- but it was a Ghost Bandit. She had fought Royal Ghosts, and she had fought Bandits- so what was the harm in just both of them at once? She motioned for Leon to get ready, as he had somehow managed to slip off of Brandy's shoulders and now was running as fast as he could right beside her, trying to outrun the Ghost Bandit. But with her speed that deified all laws - Dashing, yet remaining in the same place as before, walking slowly, yet still indeed coming far closer- it was like trying to outrun fate.

"Mom?", asked Leon, and Brandy nodded. Before Leon could even ask his question she nodded, pushing the thoughts into his head with desperation- a forceful Yes!

Leon nodded, and drew out Hunter Killer from within himself. He drew it back, pointed it directly at the Ghost Bandit- and fired. THere was a storm of bullets that ripped and tore through the air, striking the Ghost Bandit head on- and dissipated into metal bits at the spots of the marks, turning the rock behind into dust but leaving the original target completely unarmed. She just continued to walk, hands by her side, gaze looking straight ahead, her walk terrifyingly calm.

"Mom?", he asked, worry creeping into his voice. "It didn't work."
"Oh, crap." said Brandy, and thought. She shrugged and kept on running, determined to book it. "Well, uh… keep on running, Leon. We'll figure something out."

So they did, but they could feel the presence of the Ghost Bandit behind them. She just kept on walking, somehow right on their tails every time they were to look back. It did not make sense- but it not have to. All that was needed was to accept that the Ghost Bandit could not be outrun, and that she was coming. Still coming right after them, unable to avoid.

Trevor concentrated as hard as he could as he ran, trying to figure out how to do just what Brandy had done with him on multiple occasions. He knew that he knew Annabelle well enough, and he knew that he needed to do it here. He could not waste precious breath on speaking, not when there was much running to be done. So he blinked repeatedly, taking as much eye-closed moments as possible and shoving them towards Annabelle together with all the power that his thoughts could muster. He let out a deep sigh, and tried to talk.

Holy crap, he heard Annabelle think, and his eyes shot open with joy. Trevor?

Annabelle, yes!, he heard, and also said out it out loud as they ran. You can hear me?

Yes, I can hear you, thought Annabelle, and flashed a weary smile. Did you just-

Running won't get us anywhere, he thought, and mentally slammed his fist into his open palm.

We need to make a plan.

Brandy yelled, her utter frustration at not being able to escape the Ghost Bandit getting to her now. She had always been incredibly fast, the fastest Troop that she knew in an open footrace, Dash allowed. And now that she had been allowed to train, her speed was incredible, matching even Arrows in flight- but she still could not go past her chaser. Every single time she looked back, there she was, in the exact same slow but blistering walk, serous silver in her eyes. Her fists were clenched with bizarre anger, and the white mist rising off of her constantly scraped against the ceiling.

"You!", shouted Brandy, her anger overcoming her fear. "Stop chasing us, alright! If you're going to do whatever you're gong to do, just hurry up and do it already!"

The Ghost Bandi, for half a second, appeared confused. She shifted back on her legs- then allowed herself to grin. She crossed her arms, breathed out, and vanished.

"Oh, shoot.", Brandy siad, realizing what she had just triggered. If her suspicions were right, she was about to reappear attacking one of them- and there was absolutely no way to tell which one. Only Kings could see Ghosts when invisible, and even then only a bare approximation of their shape and location, a mere focus of concentrated, sparkling cells. "Guys, run-"

Bu they didn't have to be told twice. Trevor and Annabelle were already off running, Bubble not far behind. She guessed that Leon was far ahead of them now, for she could not see him. She hoped that it was just because he had gone invisible and was now using Smoke Trails, but she was not sure-

Her current train of thought was shattered and broken apart by a sudden gloved white hand appearing out of where and heading right for her throat. Brandy knew better than to hold still, and Dashed out of the heavy part just in time. The hand slammed shut on empty air, revealing the arm of the Ghost Bandit still there- and Brandy struck.

She lashed out with a strong punch, right at her foe's arm- and it went straight, clean on through. She could be seen only a pair of legs closing a door.

Brandy extracted her arm, and jumped back. She thought of jumping again but knew that it would be worthless- she had to make sure an attack for them would not work.

So she-

She gasped, as the hand shot out from the air once again. It slammed around Brandy's throat and tightened before she tried to escape, the breathing in her almost panicking at the pain. But now, as she lifted Brandy high up above the ground, then clutching her to her chest, it was just confusion. The Ghost Bandit did not say anything- Brandy did not know why.

But even though most of her body seemed to be unable to be damaged through physical touch, there was one part of her body that surely Brandy knew would get a rise- if her foe was truly a Bandit. But she bet she was. And so as the Ghost Bandit's face twisted into regretful pleasure, and choked harder, Brandy reached out with both hands, grabbed the Ghost Bandit's ears and twisted them both around all the way as hard as she possibly could, grunting in the motion from the force required to do it. She winced. "Sorry."

The Ghost Bandit let out a silent yell higher than Brandy could hear, one that would shatter glass if there were any around and cause certain species of Bird to drop dead on the spot. She grabbed her ears and let Brandy fall, who Dashed away almost instantly, back to her group.

The Ghost Bandit stood there for a second, staring down at the ground, tears of pain dripping down her face and splashing down onto the black dirt. For a very brief moment, she considred giving up and going back to her hiding spot, her favorite nook in the world- until that image of Rakstamos popped bck into her head, showing exactly what happened to Forgotten that did not follow his orders. She, the new girl, was of course overjoyed that he had managed to somehow take her in- but that did not mean for a second Rakastamos did not terrify her.
But whatever, she supposed. She had a job to do, and she was going to do it. So she squared her jaw, let out a deep breath, and once again began to walk towards the group.

"Mommy!", Brandy heard Bubble say, as she caught up with the group. "What happened?"

Brandy rolled her eyes, and let out breath. "It looked like she's not totally invulnerable after all. Her ears are vulnerable- I managed to hurt her when I squeezed them."
Hey, like mine, thought Leon, but he dared not to say it. That would have been bad. "Okay so.. We lost her for now, I'm going to assume. We should go faster."

"Actually, no.", said Brandy, and thought. "I… I feel like I need to appear to her again."

Leon stared at her, with a look that could only be described as Bruh. "Yeah, let's just keep running, That'll be good-"

But then, he saw something horrible out of the corner of his eyes. The flickering of silver white light at the back of the cavern, the Ghost Bandit still yet approaching, still following them, still non their path. He felt a shiver of fear run down his body- she seemed totally impossible to escape.

Brandy somehow knew what Leon was going to do before he even did it. Perhaps it was her instinct as a mother, perhaps it was the single blue light that flickered behind her head. But whatever it was, she saw a sudden image, a vision of Leon performing his next action.
"Leon, don't!", she shouted, and stretched out an arm towards him. "Wait!"

But Leon did not care- his frustration was too great. He yelled and leapt forward, drawing a handful of spinner blades from his sleeves. He juped high above the Ghost Bandit as she swiftly walked forward with her unnatural, terrifying speed, and flung a half-dozen directly at her.

But as they just passed straight through her ethereal body and clattered harmlessly upon the floor, her expression turned from one of quiet inditmiaton to one of annoyance. Her hand shot out and grabbed Leon around the neck before he could get away, bringing him closer to her face. He stared right into her eyes in fear, as he felt his body go almost numb from her ghostly grip, his skin turning ice cold. She opened her mouth to speak- and Leon could hear her in his head. Get out of my way, Kid. I'm not here to hurt you.

Leon relaxed a bit, as much as was able to in the face of such danger- then she immediately appeared to contradict her words, as she bit down hard on Leon's nose.

He gasped in pain, and felt the feeling return to his body at the worst possible time, as he was thrown towards Annabelle and Trevor at the very front of the group. He sailed across the low cave, smacked his head on a hanging stalagmite as he passed, and landed right in both their arms, only barely keeping himself from slipping into unconsciousness. A stream of blood ran down his face, and he groaned in pain.

Brandy saw exactly what had happened to him- and she felt a Rage grow from somewhere deep inside of her. She balled up her fist, her fingernails pressing against her skin and beginning to draw blood from the sheer pressure. Her mouth turned down at its side, and her eyes flashed a purple spark. "You… you…"

"You worthless ghostly thief!", she screamed, and Dashed forward, right at the Ghost Bandit.

But as bad luck would have it, her ethereal foe was not impressed. She just slammed her fist against the wall- and it began to shake. A huge rock dripping with both darkness and magma in equal measures fell down directly in front of her, and she was forced to stop before impact. She jumped back and skidded along the rock in frustration, the entire tunnel now completely blocked by a solid wall of still smoldering rock. It could have been broken through ,but it would take effort- effort that none of the group saw any reason to take.

"Okay, I think we just-", said Brandy, when she saw Trevor running up to her out of the corner of her eye. He seemed incredibly excited about something, but Brandy could not tell what.

"It worked!", he said, and raised his hand for a high five. "Our plan worked!"

"What?", asked Brandy in slight confusion, but returned the high five. "What plan?"

"Me and Annabelle came up with it.", he said excitedly. "We knew that if we just kept on rushing her, then she would have to block off the tunnels eventually- and she did! Thank you two for doing it by the way- we would have done it ourselves but-"

"We might have just straight up died.", said Annabelle, and shuddered. "She seems really, really tough."

"Oh, is that why you told me to rush on her?", asked Loen, appearing behind the three, still holding his bleeding head. Bubble stood behind him, a frown on her face. "Because I'm sure me my bleeding head wound totally enjoyed that plan!"

"Woah, don't freak out bro.", said Trevor, and Annablle nodded. "It all worked out. She's trapped now, and we can just relax and-"

His words were cut off, as he saw the ghostly white figure of the Ghost Bandit suddenly emerge from the stone, looking a curious mixture of bored and playful, a devilish grin in her eye. One hand held a spike of sharp rock, the other was open in a finger pointing right at him.

"Okay, never mind.", he said, and stared to run. "But if it makes you feel any better, you can slap me or something. It's cool."

"Wait, really?", asked Leon, and felt something rise up inside of him. "You mean it?"

"Well sure.", said Trevor, and grinned. "I did just-"

What he was going to say next was never revealed. For Leon's fist struck out at incredible speeds, a very slight tinge of green light flickering around it, slammed into Trevor's jaw, and sent him flying across the tunnel, hitting the side of the the cavern with a dull thump.

The Ghost Bandit was given slight pause in her chase, as she looked at the scene in front of her. It appeared that now they were infighting- the sheer terror granted by her presence must have done that to them. She allowed herself a glimmer of pride, but kept on in pursuit.

"Leon, what the frick?", Brandy shouted, Dashing ahead and picking up Trevor's unconscious form. She hoisted him over her shoulder, feeling his worryingly ragged breath as she ran. "We have enough to worry about here, and you have to go and knock him out?"

"Well it's not like I meant to!", Leon shouted back, picking up Bubble and carrying her with him. He was fast enough so that she didn't slow him down too much. "He told me to slap him, and I did! Not my fault I'm strong!"

Brandy stared at him, a great manner of responses flowing through her mind. But the one that she chose was simple, yet effective- a simple turn of the head and "You sure are your father's son."

"Well, yeah.", said Leon, and gave a gentle grin. "What else would I be?"

Brandy almost responded, but she supposed that the answer gave her a small amount of happiness. It was not enough to offset the crucial situation- but it was at least something, a single glimmering light in the darkness of the mountain.

"MOM LOOK OUT!", screamed Leon suddenly, and Brandy halted in her tracks. She skidded to a stop in seconds- right before she would have fallen into yet another river of lava, this one moving even faster.

Brandy looked behind her- there was the Ghost Bandit, still following them at that maddingly swift, yet strangely slow, highly likely to be magical, pace. She looked ahead of her- there was a single blok stone pillar poking up out of the lava flow. She looked beside her- Annabelle and Leon looked ready to jump, while Trevor and Bubble had already lost consciousness. She grimaced, and knew what she had to do.

"Alright, everybody on!", she shouted, as she felt the Ghost Bandit draw closer. There was something oddly familiar about her, but she could not quite remember what. But it didn't matter- they had to run. Against an enemy that could not really be hurt, what other option did they have? "I need you to get on my shoulders! No questions, understand?"

Leon looked at Brandy, and nodded. He jumped up onto Trevor's shoulders, unabel to know if his mom could handle it or not- but to his surprise, she could. Her teeth clenched on each other, her lungs shuddering with every breath, she was able to hoist the whole weight of 510 pounds- then 625 once Annabelle climbed on- above her head.

Struggling under the weight, Brandy let out a yell of hatred. Just as she felt the dark swipe of the Ghost Bandit brush her feet, she pushed off and leapt- Dashing over the entire river of lava, and tumbling down on the other side.

Brandy screamed from the pain, her ankles struggling but ultimately refusing to give out. She felt everyone land, cushioned by her own body's impact, rolling off and landing safely on the ground. That gave her a weak smile- until she fell to the ground once again, holding her legs, trying not to collapse entirely. It didn't matter that she had been damaged- everyone else was safe.

"Mommy?", asked Bubble, going up to where Brandy lay. "Why didn't you Dash?"

"Huh?", asked Brandy, a confused look on her face. "What do you mean-"

"You can Dash and become invincible.", said Bubble. "Why didn't you?"

"I-", said Brandy, and shakely got up. She groaned as she felt her back, and stood up to he full height of 5 feet, 2 inches. "I did, sweetie. Just forgot to sustain it until I got back down, is all."

WIthout even waiting for a response, she pointed to the Ghost Bandit on the other side of the lava river, and laughed. The pillar had collapsed from Brandy's shockwave dash, leaving only a 20 foot gap. "Ha! Looks like someone's on the wrong side of the-"

The Ghost Bandit said nothing, only taking a single step forward. Her foot alighted on empty air as she kept on walking, relishing the smile dropping off from Brandy's face.

"No.", Brandy croaked out, the frustration in her face clearly evident. "No. No, no."

The Ghost Bandit alighted on the other side, her mute and almost unchanging expression still mocking Brandy completely. Brandy felt the anger rise up inside of her again, and she screamed. "No!"

Before everyone had even had a chance to settle, Brandy grabbed them all with a single, incredibly swift Dash. She rocketed backwards down the dark hallway of stone, not even caring about anything but running away anymore, bouncing off the ground as she needed to, vanishing entirely within just a few seconds.

The Ghost Bandit smiled, enjoying the chase thus far. But even though something about the Bandit she had been assigned to pursue seemed familiar and interesting, she still had a job to do. So she charged up her Dash, activated her special vision, saw both Brandy's current location and her extrapolated path, and prepared to finish her off.

Brandy slid along the tunnel bottom for a few more seconds, then stuck out a hand the opposite way to stop herself. She shakily tried to rise to her feet, but failed, collapsing down onto the ground. "Did… did that work?"
The entire group grew silent as they all tired to listen, all four sets of ears straining- but there was nothing, only the sound of the various water and lava systems doing their things.

"Well, we did only go forwards.", said Trevor, and raised his arm. "So technically she's still going to find us, it'll just take a bit longer-"

Those words were silenced by Brandy slapping her mouth over his mouth, while moving the other arm over to his right to stop him from leaving. She just stood there and listened, her arms horribly and painfully contorted, but that was a small price to pay for-

She saw the Ghost Bandit a half second before she felt her, and before she heard her. With a bright burst of white speed, she Dashed right at Brandy- only to become sidestepped and slam her head right into the wall. She blinked hard and withdrew at the sudden, unexpected resistance but it hardly mattered. It had not hurt her in any way, and her quarry seemed to be running out of energy practically by the second. She had already vanished besides, no doubt gone back down the tunnel again. There had to have been another way for her- but the Ghost Bandit would not let it be known. The sooner she could catch them the better- so she just concentrated, held her breath, and ran headlong towards a wall.

Brandy flew over the surface of the cave's floor, her left leg aching and burning from the pressure that she had needed to use to Dash this distance with it alone. From what she could tell, the current part of the cave they had been going through seemed to be very crisscross and laid out, a series of lines looping back in a string-like fashion, zigzagging back and forth. It could have been a lot shorter, she was thinking-

But even as Brandy thought those words, the Ghost Bandit leapt of the wall right beside her and delivered a powerful kick to the head.

Brandy cried out, the Dash on her legs only protecting her from a small portion of the head assault she had just undergone, and felt the rest of the group go flying from her hands. She herself skidded alongside the rock and slammed up against the walls, letting out a gasp of pain as she hit. "What the-"

She looked up, and saw the Ghost Bandit standing over Bubble, staring down at her. Even though she stared at her so, for some reason, Brandy could detect no real malice in her. "They'll just be of no use anymore. So we have to get the big guns."

"What?", Brandy shouted, and they both looked up. Brandy thought that it was the Ghost Bandit who had said something about the guns. But Bubble realized she had abolutely no idea why any of it was happening either, and leapt towards Brandy once they were done.

"We gotta move!", Brandy screamed , and once again pushed against the ground, bursting them all to the other side of the cave within a second. SHe went even past that, however- Brandy kept on going. She zoomed around the corner, ricocheted clean off the edge of the tunnel, and came back rushing past the odd collection of oversized dollhouse parts along the rock. She concentrated again, ready to push as the energy from the last one grew too weak. Brandy bit her lip, almost touching the ground, and-

She felt another strike against her face, this one directed right her cheekbone, It felt another than the last one- in terms of actual force, not what get you as she saw herself slowly come back to reality, sprawled out on the floor, face down in the rock, having once again failed to protect herself for some reason.

But of course Brandy would not go down without a fight. She picked herself up and threw her fist up in front of hr face, trying to be as strong as possible. Maybe it wouldn't do anything- maybe. But she had to hope that it did.

Suddenly time seemed to slow down. Suddenly the truth of the next few seconds was introduced in her vision, burning in her eyes.

For a brief second, she saw her team. She saw them becoming getting absolutely wrecked by the Ghost Bandit, and she was-

Brandy could see it. Brandy could see that if she protected herself, then the Ghost Bandit would go after all of them all at once. And that was something she was not prepare to to take. So she just grit her teeth, planted her feet, and-

Another strike slammed into the side of her head, blowing her backwards once more and twisting her jaw. Brandy's mind swirled with confusion- she had charged up a Dash shield that time. The Ghost Bandit's attack should not have been abele to go through her protection- but then once she thought about it, as she saw the ethereal, Lightning-fast figure of her foe Dash in and out of the walls surrounding the group, saw and barely heard her group cry out in pain, it all made sense. As she felt another blow to the gut, then to the back, twisting her around in multiple directions at once and sending blood flying from her mouth in a clean arc across the cavern, she knew she had figured it out.

Whoever the Ghost Bandit truly was, her Dash was strong and strange. She had somehow figured out how to use it in order to actually destabilize or bypass Brandy's own, piercing her impenetrable shield with its own self. It was a genius strategy, one that Brandy now knew she had to use herself- if she was to survive the encounter first. Her thoughts were oddly calm for such a dire situation- but she supposed that was her. She always did it like that.

On the next pass, Brandy was ready. The white lightning of the Ghost Bandit rushed right at her- and Brandy threw out her own hand, making sure to rotate it as she surrounded it up with Dash. With any luck, the reality signature would be different enough to- yes! There it was.

She could see her opponent now, her own fist vibrating, two Bandits from different walks of life faced up against each other. One dead and one alive, one beaten down and the other full of vigor. But one had a secret weapon that the other didn't. And as Brandy continued to stare into the Ghost Bandit's eyes, a single gust of wind blew away her bangs.

Brandy's grip faltered, and the Ghost Bandit pushed harder. Brandy skidded backwards and fell into the waiting arms of Leon on the wall, who instantly pushed a bandage up against a thin stream of blood that Brandy hadn't even noticed was running. The Ghost Bandit walked closer, charging up a punch- but Brandy no longer cared. For she now knew exactly where she had once seen that very face.

Song: DBFZ- Broly Z

Atop the mountain stood Dan, staring down the still approaching horde of Dragons, Baby Dragons, Inferno Dragons, Electro Dragons, and even some bizarre skeletal Dragons that he had never seen before. But of course, that was now par for the course. There were some Minions and Mega Minions as well- he wondered if they were biologically close enough to Dragons for them to be considered friendly to the flock. But one could not tell that just from looking at him- all they could parse was his raging spirit and insane battle lust.

He roared a roar of challenge, his massive muscles bursting past their limits, sending an aura of absolute destruction and anger high into the sky. His hair stood far above his head, a burning green of alien wrath and yellow of sheer, concentrated Star. His pupils were gone almost in their entirety, leaving just barely enough for him to see. His fist was clenched tightly enough to draw blood, almost- but strangely enough, it was not anger that had summoned the form. It was the very idea of the Dragons before him, each and every one of them an obstacle to be bypassed, an enemy to be slain, a limit to break. Which, of course, was exactly what he was doing.

Dan rushed headlong towards the enemy lines, the dark hard rock breaking into bits and pieces of flat shale beneath every wrathful footstep, the roar raging in the air only slightly less deafening than that of an erupting volcano. The assembled Dragons roared back in defiance, but it was nothing compared to Dan's colossal bellow that seemed to part the very clouds above just from his volume. He reached the first of the third set of Dragons within a second- for he had already finished off the first and second flocks while his group down below were having their own troubles. As he reached out for the Dragon in front of him, he was glad that they would just reform somewhere else when killed. Otherwise Bubble would most likely be upset.

Dan closed his hand on the Dragon, crunching its skull into powder and blood. It turned into Elixir within a second, Elixir that he splattered across the ranks of the Dragons with a flick of his arm. It blinded some of them, but left the rest unharmed- unharmed, that is, until Dan slashed a strong ray of Star all across their ranks. They too splattered into Elixir, spraying into the air, some of it landing right on Dan's face. He drank it in a celebration of the battle, and continued to fight. For although he was noble and kind most of the time, he could occasionally indulge in such violence, such absolute elixirshed. It was, in some strange way, therapeutic to him.

An Electro Dragon hovered overhead, gathering up energy in the spikes along its back, preparing to fire. It aimed the electric charge right at Dan, determined to attack, when it was suddenly met with a bolt of thunder that far exceeded its own. The Electro Dragon's entire face melted clean off, dripping down onto the ground, then turning into a puddle of Elixir that splashed onto the barrel of an Inferno Dragon, rendering it temporarily useless. That was all the time that Dan needed in order to step forward, charge up his hand with Star, and melt the Inferno Dragon into electric oblivion.

He felt the jaws of a single Baby Dragon clamp down on his knee, and Dan grabbed it roughly by the neck. Yanking it clear off his leg, he stared into its eyes- and saw the fear.

Dan thought for a second, almost crushed it in his grip, then just threw it a few thousand feet in a random direction. He saw it sail onwards for hundreds of meters until it somehow managed to stabilize itself, flying off in the opposite direction, clearly having no intent on rejoining the fight.

But Dan didn't really care. He just continued to smash his way through the Dragon army, breaking apart scales with every punch, slashing through flesh with every movement, burning wings and tails with every Star-laced breath he took. It invigorated some part of him- the blood and Elixir splashing across his entire body, the knowledge that he was doing all of the slaughtering in order to protect what really mattered ,the countless foes to appear before him, but all to fall. He felt strong, he felt confident- he felt like he was ready to climb up the further mountain right that very second and take on Rakastamos. But first he had to take out the smaller, waker versions- and that involved snapping the jaw of a Dragon, folding an Inferno Dragon clean in half, and biting the head right off of a smaller Electro Dragon. He roared again and beat his chest with his free hand, the other shooting a massive barrage of Star into the charging Dragon battle lines.

The Dragons continued to charge at him- not for thought they could bring hin down, or desire to protect their roost -but because they didn't really know what else to do. Their master and leader had already told them to attack anything that attacked Dark Mountain, and they would be killed if they did not comply. So they supposed that they had to- any chance of victory at all, even a small one, was still far, far better than a guaranteed and painful loss. That was the main thing to go through their heads as they charged at Dan, jaws open and claws ready to strike- but the last thing was usually some part of Dan's body, or at the very least a strong blast from his Star.

That is what was going through Dan's head as well- the burning urge to destroy everything in front of him, to just be able to wade endlessly through his foes, leaving nothing behind but scarred ground and spilled Elixir. It was part of being of Mega Knight, he supposed- even if he barely was one at this point. He had more in common with a rampaging beast during his certain mindsets than anything royale- but he did have to think about it. He did have to hold on to it, or he risked losing himself completely .And regardless of the power boost such a thing would no doubt give him, the consequences would certainly be far more dire. With nobody around to calm him down, he would just keep on going and going for hours, able to destroy all life in the area. That, of course, would be a very Bad Thing.

An Inferno Dragon flew high above Dan, and took very careful aim. It shot a single beam of focused fire onto Dan's shoulder, hoping that he wouldn't notice- then only a single second later saw the beam coming up closer to him. It wondered just why that was, until the truck-sized chunk of hard rock that Dan had hurled and covered in Star hit the bottom of its jaw and blew its head clean off, sending it spiraling down and splashing into Elixir among the still incoming hoard. It landed atop a Dragon's head, moments before Dan's fist rammed straight through it and slammed into the rock on the other side, a solid wave of Star rushing outwards from the impact point, turning every Dragon within a few dozen meters of it into dust. He panted for a single second from the exertion, then threw his head back and roared. He felt it- the Rage overbearing, both bursting out in supreme combat power and yet threating to take him over completely. Both overwhelming in strength and overwhelming in pain was his form of pure wrath- but he had to use it. The stamina it gave him was unlimited, and his speed and strength were both dramatically increased. It was just quite simply the most viable option.

A Dragon almost landed a direct shot on Dan's arm- and Dan snarled back. He grabbed the Dragon directly by the throat, putting out its burning tail with a pinch of his fingers, and began to spin it in a circle. The hapless Dragon became a blur, before Dan launched it right at a Minion Horde and another Inferno Dragon overhead, every single one of them turning into bare Elixir.

Dan took a deep breath, wanting to see just how many he could finish off all at once. As a few Baby Dragons all charged forward, about to attack, he let out his breath.

The resulting explosion rocked the entire side of the mountain, no doubt dozens of even hundreds of Dragons all killed in the last. The air itself boiled from the powerful heat unleashed, scarring even the tip of Dan's own hairs. Star was usually unable to hurt its own user- and yet, there he was.

Dan looked forward as the smoke cleared, eagerly anticipating the next fresh batch of kills- but to his surprise, they were actually starting to thin out a bit. There was no longer any sea of Dragons that charged him, no carpet of foes. But that made sense from his last strike, so powerful that it could likely even be felt from down where his group was. Or so he hoped. That would have been cool.

Dan stepped forward, preparing to finishing off the last of the Dragons- when he saw the reason they were all just standing still. The mountain itself rumbled as he saw a magnificent golden horn appear- a great and mighty Archetype Dragon. Gold were its scales, and white was its eyes- it was called a Great Dragon among some, Gold Dragon among others, but he called them Archetype Dragons. It was fortunate he made the distinction, for he knew how to-

The Archetype Dragon roared, and Dan knew it was time he got serious. He had to reign himself in now. His wrathful form was great for power and for speed, but not so much for control at all. And if he was to take down this particular enemy, which he certainly needed to do, control was of the essence.

He concentrated, as the Archetype Dragon reared up. He felt his hair fall down over his head again and turn from green to dark blond, his muscles not quite as large, but still very much just as strong. His pupils reappeared, a glowing azure blue filled to the brim with soul. He clenched his fist and planted his feet, staring up at the Archetype Dragon, just daring it to attack him.

The Archetype Dragon growled, speaking before the fight- as was customary. "You… you dare to attack my flight? You think you can just come here and tear through us like paper just for your own enjoyment? How dare you?"

"Well, are you just going to let me pass?", asked Dan, throwing out his arms to either side. "Were you going to let me get through without a fight? Were you ever, and are you now?"

The Archetype Dragon thought for a second, then narrowed its eyes. It began to lean forward, judging the proper angle for attack. "No."

Then it rushed forward, jaws wide open to bite, flame rushing forward from the depths of its throat, its wings throwing forward a huge gust of wind to prevent any escape, its tail rearing up with the dark stormlight of the continuous thunder overhead reflecting off of its steel tip.

Dan took a breath, and placed one hand on the ground. He shot up off the rock with that hand, filling the other with Star, jumping just right past the edge of the Dragon's mouth. He flipped over as he did so, staring the Archetype Dragon right in the eye, and flashed a beam of Star.

It collided directly with the Dragon's rapidly closed eyelid, sending the energy in a dozen different directions. Dan flipped in mid air to reflect them all off of his own body, sending them back onto the Dragon and causing multiple burns in multiple locations. The Dragon growled, seeing that Dan was rapidly falling back to the ground for another Star volley, and unleashed its last attack. Its steel-tipped tail flashed forward at incredible speeds, aimed right for Dan's head- only to bounce off of a hastily made Star shield, slamming into the ground and throwing up a pile of dust that obscured Dan as he spun back down to the ground.

The Archetype Dragon coughed, and shook its head in frustration. It had taken some damage from Dan's Star attack, but not enough to do more than annoy it. A circle of Dragons had begun to form up around the two as they stared each other down, each of them looking for a weakness in each other's guard.

"That tail…", said Dan, and concentrated Star in his hand. He knew that a Star incantation always strengthed the attack, and he needed every advantage he could get. "Is a perfect conductor!"

"What?", the Dragon hissed, and raised the tail again. "This tail? You mean this tail, my tail? Well, I'm not letting you anywhere near it-"
"Conduction Silver Overdrive!", shouted Dan, pointed, concentread, and let it fly. A thin beam of silver and gold light flew directly into the Dragon's tail, vanishing in a blast of sizzling electricity- but that was not the end of the attack. No, it was only the beginning.

Through the Dragon's entire nervous system it went, sparkling brighter and brighter and stronger and stronger, each new bright spot that it hit only adding to its power. The beam of electric death within a single second had raced through the Dragon's throat, giving the illusion that it had shot the beam- but in actuality it was the entire attack that had ravaged the Dragon's systems. It gave a harsh cry as it collapsed to the ground, its sparking nerves not allowing it complex movement. But it was still capable of speech, and it used that to its full effect as it stared at Dan, who landed on the ground next to its face. "You… you… piece of… that won't keep me down forever you know…"

Dan just stared, gathering up as much energy as he could. He did not even notice that the flocks of Dragons had left in the opposite direction, as if something was approaching right behind the Archetype Dragon. "I'm going to kill you-"

His words stopped right in his throat, and he gasped. As Dan watched, he abruptly began to turn to Elixir, his gasps of pain becoming wet gurgles of absolute agony, until within seconds there was nothing left of the mighty Archetype Dragon save a gargantuan puddle of Elixir, sloshing in between Dan's feet and draining out off of the mountainside. In its place stood something- something that for the first time since the journey had begun, sent a shock of real, white hot fear all the way down Dan's spine.

Song: A Powerful Enemy

Right in front of Dan, right where the Archetype Dragon had fallen, was something that Dan thought he had heard about once. Had heard about- but he never thought it would ever come true in a thousand lifetimes. But then again, if it was ever to come true, it would be here, on this very quest.

Behind the terrifying foe lay a disturbing sight- a tied up bunch of Archer Queens, all of them unconscious and in various states of damage. A Valkyrie Queen lay with a black eye, her head worryingly lolling to one side. A Gladiator Queen had a few missing teeth and a bleeding arm, while a default Archer Queen had her entire-

Dan averted his gaze, and shook his head. Such things were distractions from his main goal- defeating this new opponent. But as he once again looked, he knew it was going to be absolutely, extraordinarily difficult.

"You're…", said Dan, and pointed at his monstrous, evil foe. His finger slightly shook, although he did his best to conceal it. "You're…"

The monster before him laughed, his bizarre face moving up and down with every sound that he vocalized. "That's right, Dan.", he said, and began to shift his weight. "For I am that which you fear the most, as all Mega Knights have every right to fear."

The gigantic monster was strange, yet all too familiar. He stood just a few feet shorter than Dan himself- then Dan looked again. He was actually taller, but about two feet.

Its entire body was made of a shining, dark blue metal, true evil pulsating throughout the entire construction. The dark purple and black light of the overhead storm mixed with the light of the dark October sun glinted off of its body, sending dancing shadows across the grey rock. Its arms were long and powerful- they had to be, to hold its weapon. One hand lay empty, save for a sparking mixture of various electric bolts jumping back and forth between fingers, but the other held a sword that was clearly not of the world.

The blade glowed a sinister vantablack, its impossibly dark surface sucking in all light. The sides of the blade were spiked and gnarled, brimming with teeth and serrations to better catch enemy guards and swords. To even call it a weapon was a strange term to use- it looked, seemed, and sounded more like a hole in reality.

The legs of the monster were like tree trunks of solid deathsteel, to hold up such a titanic being. It must have measured at least 10 feet across at the shoulder and 26 feet tall at the head, its construction of pure metal granting it the weight of entire hills. But even the hills seemed nothing compared to the sheer presence of the terrifying entity that stared down Dan, the dark aura behind it spilling out over the hills and into the dark blue plain far below.

"I am the wielder of that which cannot be measured.", it said, its head moving with every word. Its head ws the strangest part of all- for although most of it seemed like that of a metal bucket helmet, its jaws were almost like that of a Mega Knight, the familiar rounded shape now harsh and cruel. Two eyes of blazing purple burned outwards from right above the mouth, no nose to be seen. And right on top of the monster's head were two horns- although they could hardly even be called that as well. They looked like a pair of tears in the air, their vantablack surfaces intricate and crooked first to the right, then straight upwards. The entire effect was terrifying behind belief- no doubt anyone but Dan would have fled. But even he had to calm his heart.

"I am the bringer of death to all those who oppose my master Rakastamos.", said the being, and brought its sword up behind its head. It spun it around in a circle and stopped right before it hit the ground, for it did not wish the mountain to be destroyed. "I am He Who Kills With a Single Blow, that which cannot be defeated. Even Rakastamos will not face me in open battle. I was went here to kill you, Dan- and trust me, it shall be hardly worth my time."

It spun around once more, its sword slashing a gash in the very air that took a few seconds to close. "For with the unequaled power of my INFINITE DAMAGE, there are none that can face me. You shall just be another foe to defeat!"

It posed one last time, and the mountain cracked under its weight. Dan stared straight forward, gathering up his courage- then thought of the rest of his group down below. He realized that it was this he had been sent to fight, not the Dragons, and squared up his jaw. It was time for him to bring out his fullest strength to battle, no matter what. For although he dreaded the idea of going up against this particular opponent, he knew he truly had no other real options.

"I am Taklastos, the Mega Pekka", it shouted, and raised its sword up to the sky. A bolt lightning flashed around it on cue, draining into the dirt and coming out the other side. "And you, Dan the mere Mega Knight, are dead."

Dan stood for a second, still gathering up his courage. The prospect of going up against such a foe aggreatveted him- he had always taken immense pride in his ability to tank, to soak up damage, to just not die. But against the Mega Pekk, he had but one chance. One shot. Only one hit, no matter how small. If it broke the skin at all…. Dan would be dead. "Well, you forgot just one thing."

Dan took a pose of his own, and began to breathe in hard. He knew that if he struck hard and struck fast, the Mega Pekka would not get a chance to attack back. "I'm not a Mega Knight."

""Oh?", asked Taklastos, and gestured. He started to check Dan's guard for weak points, but did not bother writing them down in his head. He did not need to. "Then what are you?"
"I'm the man who's going to kill Rakastmoas.", said Dan, and grinned. He stuck his fist in the air, and took in one last, gargantuan breath. "And before that I'm going to kill you. And any other Forgotten your idiot of a master wants to throw at me- I've killed every single one so far. And you to me are just another victory, waiting to happen."

The Mega Pekka said nothing, but started to run. "I see."

Song: Overdrive

As the Mega Pekka approached, Dan said nothing. He just leaned back on his foot, concentrated in his hand, aimed sharply, and-

Taklastos roared a metallic roar, and slashed right at Dan's head. Dan ducked and rolled right under the attack, and slammed his entire white hot hand into Taklastos's metal face. There was the screaming of steel and the screaming of his foe as the Star flowed into him liberally, then Dan took off his hand and jumped away, right as the return stroke from the Infinite Blade slashed the air, right where he had been just a second before.

Dan growled, and spun around in the air, looking for his next target- only for the hand of the Mega Pekka to suddenly grab him around the ankle. Although Taklastos was temporarily blinded, he was still able to tell where Dan was through instinct and sound alone. And just as he tried to go for his ankle with his sword, Dan twisted around in his grip once again- the metal hand almost unscrewing as he did so. Taklastos noticed just before his hand was screwed right off, and let go- allowing Dan to fly out of the range of his strike. He spun around in the air as he did so, light blue and golden strands of Rotation appearing around his body like spun spaghetti around a fork, sparking up around him along with his Star. He stuck out an arm and abruptly stopped in the air, falling down to the ground and expertly skidding to a stop, one hand out above his leg, the other on his knee as all four were extended.

"You're…", said Taklastos, and growled. "A clever one."

"I've taken down every single one of the Forgotten just like you.", said Dan, knowing that if he were to taunt the Mega Pekka, he would be thrown off his game. "Bonoome. The Charger. The Rex. The Cyborg. The Kraken. All of them acted just like you, and every one of them died. You know why?"

Taklastos, formulating a plan in his head, rolled his eyes. "Why?"
Dan took a deep breath- and grinned. "BecausetheyalljustletmechargeupwhileItalkedandtheytalkedbacklosersayswhat!"

"What-", asked the Mega Pekka, then his eyes squinted automatically at the tremendous beam of Star that was flung straight at him.

"Overdrive Shatterer!", shouted Dan, unleashing the beam. It enveloped Taklastos like a wave of the sea, washing down the mountain and exploding on the ground below. The entire top of the mountain the Mega Pekka was on was blown away completely, completely vaporizing the rock and leaving that part of the mountain a few dozen feet shorter.

Dan stood there, just breathing, letting his handiwork settle, and finally set down his arms. He didn't see the Mega Pekka anywhere, even though he had been letting the dust settle for a few seconds. Perhaps, he thought, that was all it had taken. Perhaps Taklastos was dead, and he could go on to-

But, sadly enough, there was no such luck. Dan saw the menacing figure of the Mega Pekka approaching, its form completely unmarred, still unharmed- save for one thing that made Dan begin to laugh. The spot in space where his right limb should have been was empty, Taklastos's sword arm torn off in its entirety.

Dan chuckled, then laughed, then threw his head back and loudly guffawed. He knew that he should not have been doing such a thing, for BMing an opponent before one knew for sure that they had beaten them was dangerous, not to mention extremely rude. But being rude was fine in his case he supposed- the Mega Pekka was an evil forgotten. He needed all the BMing and rude behavior he could get.

"You- you think that's funny?", asked the Mega Pekka, and stomped forward in its rage, the left side of its body lurching heavily forward with every step. "Do you?"

""Oh, it is hilarious." ,said Dan, and bent down his arms to his side. He took in a deep breath and prepared to fire, ready to finish off his foe before he could attack. It was enough BMing for one fight, in Dan's opinion.

"Well…", said the Mega Pekka, and grinned, its entire face splitting upwards in a mirthful crack. Dan barely even had time to wonder what it was, before- "It's not as funny as this!"

The Mega Pekka leaped out of the shadowy dust cloud, only now revealing its sword arm that it had tucked behind its back at a perfect angel, thus creating such a good illusion. Taklastos roared in anger as he soared towards Dan- who thought that the Star energy in his hands could now suddenly be put to a far greater use.

He breathed in and out, the Star flowing from his glowing palms to his straight wrists. A pair of energy vambraces shone to fly upon his forearms- right before the blade of Taklastos struck, its infinite damage cutting open the very air.

Dan moved his arms to deal with the blow- not quite block, for he knew he couldn't. Not quite parry, for that would overwhelm him too. Instead he just guided the strike, using his guarded arms to ever so gently push Taklastos's sword out of the way, and finally guiding it into the air, where it slashed open yet another bit of air.

Song: Fight to Antagonize

Taklastos growled, and jumped back. He stood there for a second, trying to think of what to do- then in a flash of inspiration, he had it. He knew when the clouds behind him were going to part, and exactly what he was going to do with that information.

Dn stared at his foe, and saw the evil in whatever could possibly pass for a heart deep inside of it. It seemed as though it was impossibly strong- then he realized it was. But there was a way to defeat it, Dan knew. And so he carefully charged up a very special blast, one that would hopefully rid the world of the Mega Pekka forever.

Taklastos, in that moment, felt it. He felt the breath of a draconic command take root behind him, and the dark stormclouds patrolling over the entire continent began to crack in a single, special place.

Beautiful sections of light shine down on him, sparking on his armor- but his time, it was mostly on his sword. He charged up the absence of light in the sword, preparing to unleash it all at once, just like Dan was doing. Or perhaps, now that Dan looked at it, he had a far different plan.

The Mega Pekka blinked, signifying that his charge up was done, and grabbed the edge of his sword, each of them vibrating with despicable light. Dan was almost done charging up his attack too- when the Mega Pekka turned the sword on its side. The light from the clouds reflected clean off the vantablack somehow, shooting a beam of darkness in every direction, magic pulsing off of the action. Dan, preoccupied with firing off his ray, did not notice until it was too late- and by then, all he could do was close his eyes. His eyes were then closed until Taklasos threw the sword with extreme fury and prejudice, the blade of void cutting through the air like paper cuts through tissue paper.

Dan, obviously, was not defenseless- no, far from it. He could still hear the attack coming even if he was blinded, and twisted around in a shining circle, dodging the blade as it passed by and clattered harmlessly to the ground, lying on its benign side-

Except.

Except.

Except for a single, small, not been seen before chunk of metal that Dan had missed, slashing right into his bare exposed wrist and coming clean through the other side. He gasped as the Mega Pekka bellowed, the sky, for a half second, turning a shade of red.

The great God of Balance Se'th sat alone in his room, counting some various strange currencies. They appeared to be small coins or chips, each with the picture of a King. ONly he and a few other gods knew precisely what they were- and that was soul chips.

It had long been a discussion question among many people when the Pass system was first brought to the land- what would it be bought with? Gold? Gems? But the answer was obvious or those Kings that dealt in such matters- soul chips.

These strange currencies were in fact tiny, mostly imperceptible bits of a KIng's soul- but still, they did add up over time. Only through them could certain Shop Deals be purchased, including the most famous and most bought of all deals- Pass Royale.

Se'th was counting them then, trying to get a hold of just how many he had. And out of every single being in all the lands, only the gods knew exactly just what they did with soul chips. It was a bit strange, and a bit gruesome, but they were, after all, chips. And in truth, what else would sustain a god?

Se'th popped a soul chip into his mouth, and noted that one down on the paper. He knew that it would return to the King eventually, in some way that not even he knew. But it was a well recorded phenomenon, that sometimes Kings that dabbled in soul chips would have them abruptly returned, most likely when they were trying to sleep. It did make him feel better, to not have to worry about the Kings he may have been harming with such a practice. He had been one himself, all many thousands of years ago, and knew what it was like. Or at least, he very much hoped that he did.

The door burst open, and Se'th looked up in surprise. He was not expecting visitors at such an hour- least of all Juno and Jonathan, both with their hair messed up and their faces sweating in panic. Juno Dashed up to his desk, put both her hands on his pile of soul chips, and stared right up into his eyes with a furious kind of intensity that only she could muster.

"Buff Mega Knight.", she hissed, and Se'th raised his brow. But before he could say anything Juno pointed her gloved finger into his face. "You better do it, Se'th. I'm serious."

"What?", asked Se'th, leaning back slightly. "Why? Mega Knight's doing fine. Seriously, go ask him."

Jonathan slammed his own hands down on the desk with a louder slap, disturbing the piles. He too stred tight into Se'ths eyes, Juno ducking underneath to give him room. "We're serious, Set'h. Do it. The fate of the life of the world is at stake here."

"Uh…", said Se'th, and nodded. He figured that it had something to do with Rakastamos, but he knew that he didn't have time to figure out what. "Okay."

Se'th concentrated, feeling the essence of every Mega Knight everywhere- then opened his eyes. "Okay. +25% damage buff, and speed to Very Fast. How about that?"
Juno nodded, and Jonthan sighed in relief. "Thank you, Se'th."

"Hey, no problem." ,said Se'th, and nodded back. But in his head he was disturbed- Boy, those Kings are not going to be happy. At least Mega Knight counters Egolem double Witch…

Dan groaned in pain, and knelt down to the ground. He clutched at his wrist, so tightly that no blood fell down to the ground. Yet as he heard the Mega Pekka's insane laughter in his ears, his Rage started to steadily build, almost fighting to come on out. He closed his eyes, and groaned.

"Oh, and that's it.", said Taklastos, and laughed once more. "The mighty Dan, felled by a single scratch on the wrist. What a sad, ignoble ending for a sad, ignoble-"

Then he looked again, and his blazing purple eyes almost very well just popped clean out of his head. For he saw Dan remove his hand from his wrist- and there was no cut. No blood, no injury to deal infinite damage. There was not even so much as a scrape or a cut hair- only the warped flesh of his wrist sliding slowly and clearly back into place, the fabric of Rotation slowly and surely spinning around it. Dan looked up, and flipped his middle finger on both hands.

"Wh- what?", asked Taklstos in shock, hardly able to believe what he was even seeing. "How- how did you- no one survives my strike! No one! This cannot possibly be happening!"

"Well…", said Dan, and slowly rose to his feet. "I guess there's a first time for everything, huh you butterfly lover? Now if you and your sad excuse for a sword will excuse me, I have to go be with my family now."

Dan made a gesture with his right hand, and the Mega Pekka fumed. "Now turn around so I can slice your head off. Go on. Do it now."

He spoke in the tone of voice he sometimes used to command Brandy, thinking it would trigger Taklastos beyond any belief. He of course was correct, for the Mega Pekka was not gay.

"You…", Taklastos spat, his entire body beginning to shake. He looked up towards the sky, and a single bolt of dark blue lightning flashed from the sky to his body, spitting out across the entire area and slamming into Dan, knocking him back a few feet. "You… piece of…"

Another bolt of lightning shot downwards and enveloped the Mega Pekka's entire body, rocketing through him like Rage through his entire deadly system, increasing his size by almost 25%. His attacking power no doubt increased as well, likely by the same amount- or not. Because 125% of infinity was still infinity.

The Mega Pekka stared forward at Dan, and leapt straight for him like a bolt of Dark Lightning- which, at this point, he essentially was. "I'm gonna kill you!"

Song: Decisive Battle

Dan brought up his arms to block- when he suddenly felt a surge power roll through him, like he had never quite felt before. It was as if his entire essence had suddenly received a massive boost- which of course it had, for he had just barely been buffed. BUt there was something at the edge of it that somehow denied him access, some strange technicality that denied he enter.

"What the-", he said, but realized he had forgotten to fully defend. He was able to jump out of the way of Taklastos's sword- but only just barely. He skidded along the rock as he went, jumping on one foot and trying to avoid another swipe. That one hit a rock- and Dan realized that it was the first time the Mega Pekka had actually hit something so far. The rock had been thrown up into the air- and it was totally and completely vaporized, turning into nothing but nothing within a single second. Dan shuddered to think of what would happen if he was to be hit- but he also knew that he could not devote any time towards thinking about it. He just had to dodge his enemy's attacks- dodge and weave, bump and roll, skid along the rock and look for a counterattack. He did not know when one would be coming, but he hoped to Se'th soon.

"Say still, you peskey Mega Knight!", shouted Talkastos in immense rage, swinging his sword around wildly- yet still taking the utmost care to not strike the mountain itself. For if he did, the entire thing would vanish, and his own life would almost certainly be ended as he plunged into the world's magmatic core. "Let me erase you!"

Those words stuck in Dan's head- Mega Knight. Mega Knight, Mega Knight, Mega Knight. He jumped and rolled behind a large rock, thinking of why they sounded relevant- then as he jumped once again, it hit him. He was a Mega Knight- but then again, not really. He hardly looked the part. His armor was completely gone, absolutely no trace of it left behind. His hair was a bright and beautiful blonde, unlike the black of most Mega Knights. He fought with Star and Rotation now, hardly even using his fists like he used to. Then it hit him like a Zap- that was why the buff wasn't working. He was torn between his status as a Mega Knight and… whatever he was at this point. Whether he was something new or something in between he did not quite know. But if it blocked him from his new strength, then he would have to concentrate on what he had once been, and leave his growth for later.

"You're not a Mega Knight, are you?", asked the Mega Pekka, and Dan's throat tightened in shock. Could it read thoughts?

"Well, no.", said Talkastos, and brought his sword up above his head. "But you're thinking so loudly that really, anyone could just pick it up!"

Dan jumped up onto a rock, noting with some dismay just how close they were getting to the side of the cliff. He would have to mount a counterattack soon, or else he would not get another chance. Taklastos stared, and plotted his next moves. "Buf if you're not a Mega Knight...then what exactly are you?"

"I am a Mega Knight.", said Dan, and performed one more powerful jump. He landed far enough up above the Mega Pekka that he thought he could close his eyes and concentrate without too much fear of death. There was still some, but he was just going to have to risk it. "And…"

He concentrated as hard as he could on the essence of being a Mega Knight, and remembered. He remembered the mountainside where he had first become one, thought back to cheering crowds and giant lights of the Arena- and thought back to Brandy, who was his first rescue after becoming one. He concentrated, bent over- and his eyes flashed with silver light.

The Mega Pekka placed one mechanical hand on the rock that Dan had jumped up- when he was suddenly hit with a tremendous silver shockwave that blew him backwards, sending him flat out on the rock, groaning in pain, his sword skidding away and landing horizontally a few dozen meters from where he lay. He looked up in shock and saw Dan, wrapped in an armor of silver steel, preparing to jump right where the Mega Pekka lay.

"That is what I've always been!", he roared, and jumped. He swung himself downwards to face his prone foe, one fist stretched and ready to smash. "I've accepted it!"
He spiraled as he went ,and took a deep breath to cover his fist with Star. But to his shock and a dissolving feeling in his stomach, he found that he could summon very little. He tried to summon up more, but nothing happened besides a few small puffs around his knuckles. He grimaced as he hit the Mega Pekka clean in the chest, a direct hit with all the force that he could possibly muster- and bounced off.

Dan bounced off as soon as he hit, being flung into the air and spinning around away from his foe. He landed on the ground and once more slid along the rock, bumping up against a few outcropping stones and landing standing up on his back, his once-shining armor cracking to bits, hanging on by just a few threads, sweat, and blood.

"You…", the Mega Pekka groaned, and got up. He did not even bother to grab his sword- he just drew back his fist and punched Dan in the face, blowing his jaw to the side with a burst of blood. "You fool!"

Dan tried to get up- but the Mega Pekka delivered another punch to his jaw, bursting open his bottom lip. Another blow was a vicious kick to the chest that broke the rock behind him and sent him flying backwards, bumping on the rocks and ending up laying prone. "Did you think that the power of any mere Mega Knight, even a buffed one, could do anything to me? I did it, didn't I? I convinced you to throw away your power, and you've really gone and done it!"

Song: Crisis

Dan slowly, painfully got to his feet ,and gasped. He flexed his muscles and tore at his skin, throwing away the rest of his now useless armor. He cursed himself for his foolishness- of course he should have stayed what he had would he ever go back? Why would Dan the… Dan the…

He concentrated like mad on filling that new space, trying to think of something as the Mega Pekka retrieved its sword. Soon he would be coming for Dan, and Dan knew that he would have to be ready. He just did not know what ready meant, exactly, nor what part of him would be ready when the time came- if any. BUt he had to figure it out.

"So we've already established you're no longer a Mega Knight.", said Taklastos, and rolled his neck as he picked up his Voidblade. He gave it a few powerful swings, and grinned underneath his metal maw. "But then… What are you? What will your obituary read, what decoration shall head your gravestone? For surely you know what Rakastamos shall build it himself- a tribute to his greatest annoyance."

"Yeah, yeah, sure.", said Dan, and coughed. He jumped back, trying his hardest to concentrate- when he felt a spark of green light flash out from his blonde hair. And then he had it, in a burst of thought. He realized that feeling, nurtured it, letting it grow deep inside of him like a bubbling volcano, ready to smite the dark landscape like a bolt of holy lightning. "Because…"

The Mega Pekka stopped, sensing that Dan was about to try something. He slung his sword into a defensive position, truly curious for what Dan was about to try next. Could it be that bright green flame that had been occasionally seen, that legendary-

"I am no longer Dan the Mega Knight.", said Dan, and let his Rage overtake him. His muscles swelled to bursting, and his hair flew up green. He would once again assume the form he had used to defeat the Dragon army, no matter the cost. "I am now Dan…"

He let loose a gargantuan roar, and his Star arua flared up lime green around his massive body. The ground cracked around him, and his pupils turned to white. "THE BERSERKER!"

He rushed forward, the very air burning behind him, his full power restored from wherever it had gone. BOth fists burned and cracked with the power to kill Taklstos, and lightning snapped all around his body in an almost solid shell- but the Mega Pekka just sighed.

He sidestepped Dan's attack with ease, and almost struck with his sword- but he realized that Dan's energy field would have conducted the void right back to him. So he grabbed a huge rock from the side of the ravine they were fighting in and slammed it right into the back of Dan's head, sending him slamming down into the ground with a confused roar.

The Mega Pekka decided to sheathe his sword, sliding it into the specially made pocket on his back. Until Dan let go of his protective shield, it would be useless. He had remained lucid enough to gradually read the sword's energy signature, and forged a protection specifically to counter it. So Taklastos would just have to do it the old fashioned way.

As soon as Dan jumped up and turned to face his foe, his mouth snarling and full of teeth, the Mega Pekka slammed a metal arm right into his throat. Dan gasped in pain and bit down unexpectedly, the Mega Pekka snarling in surprise. But he managed to throw Dan off, sending him back a few dozen feet- only for Dan to instantly close the gap, close his hand around Taklastos's throat, and send him flying all the way over the wall, crashing down right near the cliff at the edge of the mountain. Dan didn't hesitate- he jumped as well, letting his powerful roar be heard throughout the entire valley and potentially even beyond.

Dan saw the Mega Pekka scramble to his feet, right where Dan was about to come down and smiled to himself. He saw that his sword had once again been shot off to one side, still a few dozen feet away, and concentrated his energy shield fully into his fist. He brought it up to strike-

And the Mega Pekka shot out his right horn, straight for Dan's throat. Dan startled and bent out of the way, the dark horn traveling onwards and leaving Dan falling backwards, no longer in a good position to strike from. He tried to spin around as he fell, trying to generate Rotation for a follow up attack- but did not expect a sudden strike from the Mega Pekka, Taklstos's fingers right in his throat, piercing through and hitting a nerve.

Dan coughed a spurt of heavily aerated blood and managed to jump away, feeling his Berserker energy drain away from the peculiar form of a nerve attack. He let it leave, knowing that if it remained, it would just cause him damage in its half there form. He landed exhaustively on the rocky ground, breathing hard, not sure what to do anymore.

That question was answered for him as he felt the Mega Pekka grab him by the throat and toss him towards the edge of the cliff, then unsheath his sword. Dan slid along the rock and dug in his fingers, managing to stop himself before falling off the edge completely. There he stood, watching the Mega Pekka approach him, still mostly unhurt.

"And so it ends here.", said Taklastos, with a grim smile. "You never truly knew what you really were."

He raised his sword above his head, ready to strike, as Dan began to fall to the ground. "But don't worry. Once you die, I'm sure you're going to end up in a better place… probably. And you're going to see your family again not long after that."

The Mega Pekka would look back on those words as the very moment that he had messed up. For at those words- the threatening and mockery of his family- something clicked, deep within Dan's mind. It was not a snapping like his previous limit breaking- no, this was far more of a snap, everything perfectly falling into place.

Song: UI Vegeta- Friedrich Habetler

"What…", said Dan, and looked up. His eyes, filled with a godly silver and golden gleam, met the Mega Pekka's in a dead on glare- and Taklastos felt his arm freeze, the cursed Voidblade stopping, as Dan grabbed it from the sides in a hard lock. He forced the arm down, and stared with a gaze that could boil space and freeze the sun. "What the frick did you just say about my family?"

"The family…", said the Mega Pekka, and grimaced hard. He tried to push his blade down to Dan's skin, but the grab was too strong, far too strong for even his metal muscles to power through. "Is a weak, outdated concept. I had my family once- and I abandoned them. And now my power is the greatest in all the world!"
"Then think about what it could have been." ,said Dan, and took the deepest, most powerful, heartfelt breath he had ever taken in his entire life. He felt it all flowing in through and into him- the power of a Mega Knight, the power of the Berserker, but most of all- the power of him. He brought his hand out behind his back, and glared. "Or don't. Because you're just gonna die."

Taklastos pushed harder, trying to break past Dan's grip on his blade, but it was impossible. Whatever fueled Dan at this point, borne aloft by his nobility, rage, and absolute, utter refusal to lose, was just too powerful for the Mega Pekka to handle. "How… how? You're just a-"

He stopped, realizing that his old taunts had absolutely no synergy with this new one. "Just… a…"

"I am not just anything, fool!", Dan growled, and kept building up the energy in his hand. It sprinkled intense, even more stronger and bright than the one he had used to level the entire Clashcrush Swamp. "And I know now-"
He leaned forward, the handle of the Mega Pekka's sword creaking as it bent. "That I am not just anything! It doesn't matter what I am- all that matters is who I am!"

He pressed his left hand, the one holding Taklastos back, forward on the rock, and he slid backwards away from the cliff, bizarre terror in his eyes. "And I am not someone who just throws away what he has! I'm not like you- not evil like you, not sadistic like you- and most importantly, not weak like you!"

Taklastos brought his sword up to block Dan's impending blow- but by now, Dan had seen through his robotic, easy to predict movement patterns. He swung his hand right under his opponent's guard, and detonated the full power of his Star Eruption Overdrive right against the waist of the Mega Pekka. "HAAAAA!"

The explosion was absolutely tremendous, far eclipsing anything that had been previously unleashed in the battle. The cloud of dust that came from the rock for hundreds of feet bursting into ash became a cloud in the sky within moments, the force of the wind blowing it high into the air. And once the smoke cleared, there was a distinct marking on the Mega Pekka's chest right where it had hit. It was round and impacted, bleeding oil and elixir from every circlet- Dan's strike had, for the first time, laid a true hit on the seemingly invincible Taklastos.

"No…", Taklastos gasped, as much as in disbelief as in despair. He felt his waist in confusion, completely unable to believe that Dan had, against all odds, harmed him. "No-"

His words were interrupted as Dan laid a savage kick right on his cheek, blowing the Mega Pekka backwards a few dozen feet. His jaw helmet had begun to crack, some of the attaching mechanism shattered by the force of Dan's attack. His mind reeled even as his body stabilized, rolling back and forth on the stone with wheel-like feet newly extended. He looked up, and saw Dan preparing to strike once again. "This- this cannot be-"

Dan jumped forward, and Taklastos hurriedly brought up his vantablack Voidblade- but Dan had, of course, expected that as well. He delivered his first blow to the Mega Pekka's wrist, knocking his sword upwards and out of the way, then began to lay about his foe with strike after strike of his tremendous, glowing, Star-enhanced fists, driving him backwards with each and every connecting punch.

"What is this, scrapyard reject?", shouted Dan, his eyes and body burning with Rage- but controlled anger, able to be channeled to its full effectiveness. He beat the Mega Pekka's face and head up and down, back and forth, round and around, every single punch he landed on the metal plates knocking it back a few feet, towards the massive wall. "You call this strength! This is nothing! What sort of infinity wields such weakness?"

Taklastsos brought up his hands to block, flinging his sword out in front of him- but Dan still knew what to do. He jumped up, put his hands on the ground, spun around in a divine flip, and kicked- the Mega Pekka let out a tremendous ring and a pained groan, as Dan's shining feet impacted the side of his head with the force of an 8.0 Earthquake. Scarcely had the Mega Pekka even had time or room to breathe then Dan followed it up with a savage punch to the bottom of the jaw, sending Taklastos hurting backwards and into the rock wall behind the two, crashing against it with a shower of stone.

Taklastos groaned, and tried to think. His arm hurt like insanity- the one he held his sword with. That was not good. Even less good for him were the constant breaks and bruises around what he thought his whole life was an invincible body- now receiving heavy, worrying amounts of damage. He stared at Dan one more time- how was it possible? How did he suddenly have this much power? He had not been able to even scratch Taklastos before, and now here he was treating him like a training dummy!

"You're just a Pekka, aren't you?", asked Dan, kicking aside the outstretched part of Taklasto's jaw that had been broken off by the kick. He looked up and sneered at the "Mega" Pekka's face- now broken and scarred, Elixir oil bleeding from it by the second. "Without your mouth and your sword, you're just an annoyingly durable Pekka. Which means that you're metal!"

Dan sucked in a breath- but did not bother this time to turn it into Star. Instead he lashed it outwards as a powerful, ice cold breath, slamming against the Mega Pekka's sword arm joint in a burst of cold. "And funny thing about metal, you know- it contracts under cold, and expands under heat!"

As burst after burst of ice detonated upon his arm, the Mega Pekka tried to think, tried to fight back- tried to do anything, really. But his sword arm was no longer responding, and his horns seemed useless against the monster that was now approaching him, steaming over with holy rage. But he knew he had to at least try, so Taklastos just-

Dan grabbed the horn in one hand as it flew towards his upper chest and neck, not even moving his eyes to look at it. As he let out one last burst of cold air that froze the joint where Taklasto's sword arm was attached, Dn snapped the horn in half and threw it somewhere behind him, where it violently detonated with a burst of dark flame. Taklastos audibly gulped.

"WIth that cold…", Dan roared, and slammed his foot into the ground. The rock that had been underneath the stomp suddenly flipped up just from the sheer pressure, taking Taklastos along with it. He flew through the air in a curved parabola, landing with a rocky crash near to the edge of the cliff- and startled, as he saw Dan rapidly charging right at him.

"Your arm is weakened!", shouted Dan, and dropped low to the ground as Taklastos attempted a half-done swing, slicing open the air- but completely missing Dan. "And now for heat!"

Taklastos bellowed in confusion and pain, as Dan gathered a massive burst of white hot Sar deep within his palm, flipping around the Mega Pekka at speeds too fast for him to see. He tried to turn around- and was suddenly met with a searing burst of pure white heat, right at the base of his poor, damaged sword arm, the metal screaming as he did so.

Dan smiled, and jumped clear over the Mega Pekka's head. He almost didn't even bother to dodge the slow sword stroke in midair- but he still did it. It wasn't as though the Mega Pekka was going to be using it for much longer anyway….

Dan grabbed the joint of the arm with one hand and the forearm with another, in a specialized Caiman Lock that refused his foe movement. Taklastos tried and tried to move, to struggle, but it was useless before Dan's goldy strength. Talkastos knew what Dan was about to do, and tried to do something that he had never done before in his entire three thousand years of life.

"Please don't break my arm.", he said, and Dan's grip almost loosened. "Okay."

"Really?", asked the Mega Pekka, suddenly hopeful, but Dan just smiled. "No."

The Mega Pekka screamed, and Dan screamed as well- but in sharp contrast to Taklastos's scream of terror, pain, and disbelief, Dan's was one of triumph, of power- but most of all, of pure unrelenting battlerage, and the true joy of combat.

There was a great and terrible screaming of ancient beyond ancient metal that drowned out both of them as Dan continued to push, continued to pull, the pressure only ever building, until-

There was a great flash of dark green and grey light, quickly taken over by Dan's shining silver and blazing gold, as the Mega Pekka's sword arm was snapped off in a tremendous burst of both pent up energy and flying bits of torn metal. Dan used the last of his movement inertia for the motion to flip the Mega Pekka over his head as well- the sword arm flying off into the void beyond the dark cliff, and the Mega Pekka colliding into the ground.

Taklastos, although the situation looked dire for him, knew that he still had one shot. He stretched out his other arm, calling his sword to him as he had done so many times before. He could hear it now- scuttling over the cliff wall, emerging up over the side, coming to him like a magnet approaching its fated partner-

But it was abruptly halted in its tracks by Dan's foot slamming down onto its side, the Mega Pekka's hand recoiling as it felt the blow. He groaned and tried to get up- but as Dan grabbed the sword, threw it off to one side, and began to charge up another blast, he knew it was hopeless.

"You want your arm, idiot?", asked Dan, and looked around the area, carefully mapping out the select points to break in order to pull off his plan. "Then go take it!"

Taklastos's eyes widened in fear and in shock, as he realized just what Dan was about to do. But in his prone, lying helpless state, he could do nothing at all to stop it.

Dan jumped up into the air, and took a gargantuan breath. He allowed the Star to flow freely from underneath his feet, keeping him in the air for a few seconds, as he unleashed all the rest of it at certain choke points around his opponent. As they one by one hit the ground, fragile sandstone bursting into bits of loose sand and shale snapping into onion skin, the ground itself began to move.

Dan let himself hit the ground, as the part of the mountain that the Mega Pekka was on began to slide away. It rolled down the foundations of the hillside like a falling avalanche, picking up speed as it went, gaining rocks and debris, the anguished cries of the Mega Pekka only adding to the overall effect. Dan looked on in triumph, his foe falling to no doubt his doom- wait a second.

Dan looked over the falling rocks- and realized that he had forgotten one crucial step of his grand plan. The ground below was just ground. There was nothing down there that could kill the Mega Pekka. It would no doubt recover from the fall, find its arm, eventually find its sword, and then doubtlessly turn up at the last opportune moment for Dan and the group. But then Dan thought for a second, and grinned. That was it. Of course. He had in fact made sure to touch the Mega Pekka on the hand multiple times, and that was after he had already-

Dan flexed his muscles, and ran off towards the falling stone to put the very last part of his plan into gear, and finish off his opponent for good.

As Taklastos fell, his own mind was reeling with any way out of the situation. He knew that it was a very long way down- and without his sword, his durability was highly lessened. But he still had his world-destroying, god-killing, Infinite Damage- to a degree. If he really, really concentrated on it and poured his entire self into the single attack. It was no longer infinite, but enough of the sword had leaked into his own body that he could destroy essentially anything he could come across with but a single punch. That was the moment that he realized something. That was it. He may have been about to die, but that did not mean that Dan would walk away. No, it meant quite the opposite.

The Mega Pekka saw Dan approach the side of the still crumbling mountainside, and laughed to himself. That was perfect for he needed Dan to see. He needed to watch his plan fail, to see everyone die, to witness his final failure at the hands of his true hard counter. For once the Mega Pekka pulled his plan off, it would all be over, with no second chances.

"You fell for it, fool!", shouted Taklastos, and spun around to face the ground. He extended his fist towards the medium blue grass, energy that could break worlds sparking from his fist. "If I can't beat you…"

He howled with his final satisfaction, streaking towards the ground like an apocalyptic asteroid. "THEN I'LL JUST DESTROY THE ENTIRE WORLD!"
Once he knew for sure that his voice had reached Dan, he laughed once more. "How about that? Everyone you know dies- because you didn't just finish me off when you had the chance! YOu wanted to toy with me, didn't you? Well, it will be the last mistake you, or anyone on this entire wretched planet will ever have the chance to make!"
As his laughter reached Dan's ears, Dan would have panicked under any other circumstances. But this was, in fact, still part of his plan. Not the whole world getting destroyed thing- no, that was rather nasty. But the Mega Pekka's position, his power- all that slotted neatly into place, the perfect interaction to end off a perfect fight. He concentrated his next words carefully, making sure that the Mega Pekka could hear him. But as Taklastos fell, he could even do more than that.

He saw Dan right in front of him as a spectral hologram, his arms folded and a powerful expression upon his face. He leaned forward, and snarled. "No. You."

Back up on the cliff, Dan knew he had only seconds before Taklastos hit and destroyed the entire world- but that was all the time he needed. He took a deep breath, stuck out his fingers- and with a single triumphant gesture, activated the Rotation he had hidden in the Mega Pekka's hands, just a minute earlier.

The Mega Pekka, mere meters away before making impact with the blue valley below, felt his hand turn to face him. It flew upwards at amazing speeds- but his head, right in front of it, did not. And as they both collided as a result of those paths, the last thing to cross through the Mega Pekka's head was shame.

There was a gargantuan explosion as infinite force met mortal head, and a huge column of true force flew upwards like a raging beam of infernal flame. It passed by the rocky cliff where Dan still stood and continued onwards into the clouds and into space, where it would only stop at a specific location at a specific time, both unknown to anybody there. The rush of wind was enough to scrape meters off the side of the cliff, sending Dan jumping back a few feet and erasing the grass around the blast for thousands upon thousands of feet. The Mega Pekka's body exploded in a gigantic show of pure light, Taklasos's dark greens and blues becoming replaced with Dan's silver and gold as every bit of metal that had once been part of him was turned to a curious mixture of both Elixir and ash, spraying outwards in a violent splatter that reached all the way up to Dan's face, a single droplet of the black liquid landing on Dan's straight nose. He stared down in pride as it happened- pride in himself, for he allowed that to happen very occasionally. It was not through anyone else's strength that he had won the day- although, truly, it was. For it was the thought of everyone he had to protect that had allowed him to triumph, but it was still mostly him. It was his fists, his Star, his Rotation- so he let himself be proud. For he had, against impossible odds, won the day.

Dan traced his finger alongside his forehead, and turned back to the cliff. The Archer Queens Taklastos had brought with him were still in need of assistance, and Dan suspected that his Voidblade was still on the cliff somewhere. Perhaps if he were to find it, it would prove most useful.

So Dan turned back from the scene of his victory, immortalizing the scene in his mind forever, and ran towards where he had last seen the Queens. His next actions were- help them, recover the sword, make his way down to the bottom of the mountain, and then finally be reunited with his family, the menace that would destroy them vanquished.

Song: Approach

The Ghost Bandit raised her hand above her head, ready to strike- when Brandy made her move. She didn't know if it would work or not- but she had to try.

"Julia, stop!", she shouted, and the Ghost Bandit's hand froze in midair. Her eyes almost sprung open, and a single tear began to drip from each one of them in shock. She stared down at Brandy, opened her mouth- and for the first time, spoke.

"How… how do you… know my name?"

"You-", said Brandy, and stood up to collect her thoughts. "I mean- I- when we-"

She cleared her throat, and held out her hands. "Look, lemme guess. Tell me if I get something wrong."

She stared into the Ghost Bandit's eyes, their silver irises trembling with raw emotion.

"You were kidnapped by Ryusei_Nakao69, taken to his castle, and had your spirit separated from your body. He used your body for… whatever he did… and left your spirit to wander. Eventually you found Rakastamos somehow, and he convinced you to work for him, and now you're here trying to kill us. Is that all right?"

Julia blinked, and staggered up against the far wall. Her entire body flickered with emotion, and she clenched her eyes shut, trying and failing to stop the ghostly tears from falling. She choked out her next words, trying to keep it all in her. "Y- yes. Yes it is."

Her eyes narrowed in mock anger- but behind it, Brandy could clearly see the fear. "HOw do you know about Ryusei_Nakao69?" she asked, and snarled in fear. "Did- did he send you?"

She pointed forward with angry hands, in the manner of a drunkard or a raving lunatic. "He sent you, didn't he? He sent you to take me all the way, and have his way with-"

"Julia…", said Brandy, and tried to keep herself from smiling. SHe knew the good news, but she needed to wait until she told Julia to smile. "He's dead."

"Well I refuse to go back!", Julia hissed, her arms and hands shaking. "And I will never, ever submit to you-"

She stopped and stared at Brandy in shock. "Wh- what?"
"Ryusei_Nakao69 is dead, Julia.", said Brandy, and finally smiled. "He's dead."

Song: Break in the Battle

Leon looked at Brandy in confusion, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about. "Mom? Who is she? Do you know her? Who's Ry-"

"Oh, shut it kid.", said Julia, and staggered forward. Her arms were shaking, and she was very clearly trying to go in for a hug, based on the way her hands were outstretched. "The thieves are talking."

Trevor instinctually put his hands over Bubble's ears from the use of such language. Brandy hesitated- she still didn't fully trust Julia. Even though she was putting on a good show of-

Julia pitched forward and wrapped her arms around Brandy's back, pulling her into a tearful hug. She felt Julia's ghostly tears run down her neck, and decided to just go with it.

She patted Julia on the back, feeling all the pent up emotions of months of torment flow out of her and into the air, slowly dissolving with the bright flame of hope burning in the air, borne aloft from Brandy's words. "There, there. It's okay."

Julia slowly moved her hand up, invisibly, to Brandy's neck. In it was clutched an equally sharp knife, ready to plunge deep into the skin- but as Julia felt Brandy's tender embrace filled with nothing but genuine care and sympathy, Julia unclenched her fist and let the weapon dissolve into the wind. She put her head on Brandy's shoulder, and sobbed some more.

"How-", she choked out, trying to get her words out in between the flows of tears. "How did you- know about him?"

"He took me too.". Brandy said, and scratched her fingers long up and down Julia's back, barely feeling it- but knowing that Julia felt it just fine was good enough for her. It was hard to believe that even just a single name could bring Julia, who had been such a cold hearted killer before, to her knees- but Brandy knew what PTSD could do to a Troop. She understood. "Who was it?", asked Julia, and looked up. Her body shivered with the mention of such an occurrence, and she let Brandy's smaller, but caring form hug her tighter. "Was it-"

"Their names were Chad and Rick.", said Brandy, not even noticing that she no longer shivered at the mention of their names. "But don't worry. I killed them too."

"Chad and Rick…", Julia said, and deeply sighed. "They took me too- wait."

She looked up into Brandy's smile, and gentle rubbing of Julia's hair. "You killed them?"
"Yes.", said Brandy, fondly remembering the moment. "I put my hand right through their chests- I guess you could say I… stole their hearts."

Julia let out a little laugh- the first time she had done so since she had died. For dead she was. "So… they're dead now. Ryusei_Nako69, Chad, Rick-"

"Not just them.", said Brandy, and tapped the side of her head. "The entire clan was killed as well. I"m still not sure exactly how, but… Theeviloverlords are no more. They haven't been for a while."

Julia's lower lip shook, and she retreated from Brandy's hug, flickering through her arms. She stood there for a while, just letting herself breathe, still not sure what to think about the situation. She thought it was a wonder that such a thing had happened- but she still had some more questions to ask Brandy, so she turned around and sat down.
"What happened to my body?", asked Julia, and Brandy internally winced. "What did they do with it? And answer me truthfully, please. I know it'll probably hurt, but-"

"I don't really know.", said Brandy, truthfully for the most part. "I know that they brought it out and made it talk to teach me a lesson, to intimate me. But beyond that, I really don't know."

"Oh my Se'th…", said Julia, and looked down at the ground. "Anything else? Like, are you sure they didn't do anything with it?"

"Julia, I don't know.", said Brandy, and shrugged. "I wasn't exactly paying a lot of attention to a lot of things while I was there. Besides how to escape, of course."

"Right, right.", said Julia, and looked up. "Wait. How did you escape?"
"Well, my Clan came and rescued me.", said Brandy, and nodded. "We killed their clan, then they actually came back to life a few weeks later, and then we battled them in the arena and then they were destroyed forever by some unknown force. And then I got married, and then we went out on the quest to kill Rakastamos, and here we are."

"Wait, you're married?", asked Julia, suddenly brightening up. "I never would have guessed it… you look so young!"
Brandy waved her hand, and winked. "I am young. But you know- he's a Mega Knight. I couldn't bear to wait too long."

"Aww, a Mega Knight?", asked Julia, then seemed to see everyone behind Brandy for the frist time. "I knew a Knight once- he was my friend. Useless once I was taken but let's not talk about that are these all your kids?"

"Trevor and Annabelle are my friends.", said Brandy, and gave them a point. "But Leon and Bubble are our kids, yes."

"They're adorable.", said Julia, and put her hands to her cheeks- then became serious once again. "Now, I bet you're wondering just how I came to work for Rakastamos."

Brandy nodded, and the two once again kicked into conversation. Trevor and Annbelle saw the two Bandits talking and laughing, sympathizing with each other across the barrier of even life itself. Trevor extended his hand, and Annabelle grasped it.

"Brandy's pretty cool.", said Annabelle, trying to test the waters. "Don't you think so, Trevor?"

"Uh… yeah.", said Trevor, and saw Annabbelle's face dip. "Not nearly as cool as you though."

"Come on, Trev.", said Annbelle, and gave him a playful shove. Trevor felt his nose light up, and he coughed. "How am I cooler than her?"

"You're you, Anny.", said Trevor, and Annabelle felt her arms go weak. "That's how."

Annabelle and Trevor, all at once, felt a shock of emotion go through both of their hearts. They looked up at each other, and mentally nodded. Now was the time- the time to finally tell each other how they really felt. They-

They were interrupted by the sound of Leon loudly clearing his throat next to him, and watching a few spinner blades around in his sleeve. "You guys are pretty cool.", he said, and coughed. "I mean, we're all pretty cool. But I think I'm cool too."

Both Annabelle and Trevor chose not to say anything. Leon had ruined the mood, and they would soon have to try again. They let go of each other's hands and moved slightly away, ready to resume in just a few minutes. Almost 15 of them passed before Julia had finished telling Brandy the full details of her epic tale, and poured out her heart and soul.

"Okay, and one more thing.", said Julia, and Brandy nodded. "You cannot tell anyone what I just told you, okay? No matter what, for any reason. Promise me."

Brandy nodded, and Julia stood up. She sighed deeply, and gave Brandy one last hug. "Now if you'll excuse me… it's time for me to go."

"Wait, go?", asked Brandy in alarm. "Go where? Is there someplace you need to be?"

"Yes.", said Julia, and nodded. "Home."

Brandy understood, and gave Julia one last hug in return. She stepped back and gave a small bow, allowing Julia as much room as she could. Julia nodded, gave Brandy a sharp salute, then turned her head towards the sky, a small white light appearing in the air. "Thank you.", she whispered, and began to fade. "For everything."

It did not take long for Julia the Ghost Bandit to disappear- for she was very accepting of her final rest. She had entered the white light in mere seconds, leaving no trace of her ever being there behind besides a few marks on the ground, a sparkling of white dust, and the memory in everybody's minds.

"Well, that was… fortunate.", said Brandy, and wiped the sweat off her brow. "Are we gonna go now?"

"You mean, out of the mountain?", asked Leon, and looked around. "Cause I think that's gonna take a bit of time. We still don't know exactly where we are in it, and-"

"Yeah, but we can find our way out.", said Brandy, and waved her hand. She let out a single whistle, and winked. She was glad that the encounter had ended on such a benign note from such a terrifying, painful start- for now the dark presence that she had felt before heading into the mountain was gone. Both of them, in fact- she guessed that Dan must have dealt with the other one. Now there was only victory, high morale, and the courage to go on forth. "We're smart. We can do that."
Leon rolled his eyes, although partially hidden under his hood, and walked forward. He tapped Bubble on the top of the head- for she had fallen asleep on Annabelle's leg. She had taken quite a liking to her in the few days that they had spent together. The truth was that so had Leon, but he knew that Trevor knew her better. Or at least that is what he was trying to get himself to think. The truth, deep down in his heart, was that he too wanted to be with her- far more so, even, than Trevor did. But he didn't want to say it- he knew without a doubt that he had to earn it.

"What? Wazzat?", asked Bubble, jerking awake. "Who's and waht's going on?"

"We're going, Bubble.", said Annabelle, and stood up. She pressed out into a deep stretch, attracting the gaze of both Trevor and Leon. "Out the mountain, into the fields, and-"

"To kill Rakstamoss!", shouted Bubble happily, then put her finger to her chin. "Or, Rataksmos. Or however you say it. Umm…"

"Rakastamos, Bubble.", said Brandy, who had Dashed to right behind her. "That's how you say it. And yes, we are. In just a few hours… we'll have saved the world. We'll be heroes."

She looked around to the group, and smiled. "All 6 of us."

"So are we going to meet up with Dad outside the mountain, or can we wait in here?", asked Leon, not sure where to go- whether with Brandy and Bubble, or Trevor, Annabelle, and… BUbble. It appeared that she had switched places while he was busy blinking. He thought for a moment and decided to go with Trevor and Annabelle- if he wanted to get with her, he had to start now. And perhaps Bubble could go with Brandy to keep her company-

Or, perhaps not. It looked like Trevor had split off from the group, wandering on over to Brandy, a slight flush in his cheeks. Leon grinned under his hood- good. It looked like he knew what Leon was attempting to do, and was going to let him do it.

Brandy saw Trevor slide on over to her as the group once again began to walk through the strange blocky tunnels of Dark Mountain, only a strange, dim, ambient light without an apparent source lighting the way. She looked at his flushed face, his tensed body language, and his hand clutched tightly to his chest- and she smiled, both internally and externally. If that is what she thought it was, then she was overjoyed. What better way to end off Dark Mountain and the final obstacle before the boss than a pure expression of young love?

The thought warmed her heart so much that she thought she might just say it out loud- had Trevor not abruptly slammed a finger over his mouth, giving her the hush expression harder than he had ever emoted in his life. His eyes were bulging with raw emotion, and his heart beat fast with both the thrill of success- and the potential agony of failure. He knew that Brandy had told him about Annbelle's same feelings- but what if it was a trick? Brandy was a Bandit, after all. Tricks and pranks were her speciality.

Trevor, are you going to do it?, he heard in his head, and stiffened at Brandy's voice. He swallowed, gathered his feelings, and to Brandy's squealing delight, nodded.

I am, he thought, trying to calm his shaking nerves. I'm going to tell her. My lifelong friend Annabelle- about to be so much more.

Brandy could hardly even contain her excitement- but she somehow managed to. It reminded her so much of when she had proposed to Dan- or, rather, they had proposed to each other. But she still had proposed semi-independently, and it reminded her of that. She forced her mouth to remain shut and herself to remain quiet, no chance of alerting Annabelle. That would be spoilers, and to spoil something wonderful for anyone was something that Brandy had long since promised herself she would never, ever do. Not unless the situation was dire- but this was not one of those times. She was appreciative of that.

Annabelle as well tried to contain her beating heart, shivering so badly she almost dropped her bow. Bubble looked up at her in confusion, and Leon decided it was his moment to move in.

"Hey, uh… Annabelle.", said Leon, and moved his hand towards hers, signaling a grab. Annabelle hesitated a bit, then squeezed his hand with such excitement it turned his tan skin white. Leon winced, but kept on going. "You uh- you're looking a little strange there. Everything okay?"

"Oh yes, Leon.", Annabelle whispered, then looked over to Trevor, who was still engrossed in conversation with Brandy, as she let him know her top tips for confessing love. "I just have to tell Trevor something, and I cannot wait."

Leon smiled reassuringly, and squeezed her hand a little tighter too, his voice a little bit deeper than normal. "Well, I'm sure that-"

Only then did he actually hear and register what she had said, and he scowled darkly, glaring at Trevor in barely suppressed hormonal anger. "Oh. Well. Tell him, I guess."

But even as those words left his mouth, he was still angry. He was better than Trevor, that he knew. He was a Legendary. And Trevor was just a- well, Leon guessed that he didn't actually know just what Trevor was. But he certainly seemed common- he had no abilities to speak of. The fight with the fifth Jesterbot had reminded them all of that.

Leon?, he heard in his head, and he almost jumped. It was the voice of Brandy- and Bubble joining in with a hello of her own. Uh… yeah?
Don't be mad at Trevor, honey, Brandy said, and he could hear Bubble nod in affirmation. You'll have your own girlfriend soon, I promise.

Leon rolled his eyes, but he forced his own anger to fade. Brandy gave a soft smile- then thought of one more thing. Just… don't make her a Bandit, okay? That would be too weird.

A Bandit?, asked Bubble excitedly, and gasped- both internally and a little bit out loud. Mommy, is that what you are?

Brandy nodded yes, and Bubble let out a sound like a collapsing tire. Then Leon would love Mommy- but wait. We do love you.

Aww, thank you, Brandy thought, and put a little more spring in her step, Trevor jumping a little bit more to catch up. I love you guys too- all of you. Not just you two, but Trevor and Annabelle too. And Dan, of course. But they're all different kinds of love, you know.

Without saying any actual words, Leon and Bubble indicated their understanding. Brandy heard it- as well as hearing the even louder beating in Trevor's heart, even picking up Annabelle's from across the room. They had gone ahead now, Leon's high natural footspeed outpacing Brandy's and Trevor's. But all Trevor could think about was what he now held in his hand. A collection of stones, gained from various locations of significance and meaning- a bit of brick from the building where they had trained together. A pebble, picked up along the path of the accidental donation cart that had brought them to the group. A shiny bit of metal from the Goblin village they had stopped at, and a smooth stone from the Clashcrush River. A bit of torn steel from the Cyborg's first and second bodies, and a bit of driftwood from the Clashcrush Swamp. A single rivulet from Iron Mountain, a bit of polished wood from the interior of Ice, a colorful ammonite fossil the size of his thumbnail from Ancient, and as he grabbed a tiny chunk of black stone from the wall- that finished off his collection, one last and final bit from Dark. He clutched the collection of rocky memories close to his chest, gathered his courage, and nodded. It was time to tell Annabelle how he felt.

Brandy did not even notice that Trevor had stopped to look at his rocks, stopping a few feet behind her. She just kept on going, hopping and skipping over the black stone- when she saw something that caught her eye. It was the now familiar green glow of a Gem on the ground, sticking out invitingly between the rocks. She licked her lips a bit as her forehead tingled, bending down to pick up the Gem, feeling the whoosh of air upon her back.

She brought herself back up again, smiled, and tucked the Gem into her pocket, giving it a soft pat for later. She didn't know when or how she would come to spend it, but she would.

"That's pretty neat, huh Trevor?", asked Brandy, and put her hand on her hips. She waited a moment for Trevor to respond- but there was no answer. "Trevor?"

She turned around- and a chill ran over her skin as she saw nothing. There was no one behind her, no sense of moment of any kind, where Trevor had been just a bare moment before. "T- Trevor? Trevor, where'd you go?"

As she continued to sweep her vision back and forth, sheer, raw panic started to set in. He had just been there- that she knew for a fact. And yet now, he was gone without a trace. "Trevor?"

Her breathing became labored, raw fear and panic starting to set into her mind, the back of her skull gripped in a terrifying red haze. "Trevor? Trevor? TREVOR!"

By now her cries of fear had started to attract the attention of the rest of the group, Annabelle looking back, worry dripping down her face like a waterfall. "TREV-"

Then, to Brandy's unimaginable horror, she saw it. A pair of sandals lay alone on the ground where he had been- still smoking, no Barbarian within them.

Song: Shoot Towards the Decisive Battle

"TREVOR!", shouted Brandy, and her face drained white. She stared at the sandals- they had once been him. Just a few moments ago- but now there was no more. He had been taken.

Annabelle lunged outwards, letting go of Bubble's hand. Bubble ran to Brandy, falling on the hard stone ground, hyperventilating as well. ANnnabelle too was panicking, her breaths lashing out in horror-sewn bursts, unable to believe what had just happened. She too could see the sandals with her magical eyes- now a curse instead of a gift. For in her raw emotional state, she could see the pain that still rocked the area.

"Trevorrrrrrrr!", Annabelle screamed, her cry of loss turning into a pained wail by the end. Her vision began to blur up with tears, and she felt her entire body began to shake. She hoped he somehow was still alive- but deep in her heart, she knew that he was gone. Her best friend, her partner in schooling for years upon years, the one she had been about to profess her love to cut down in the space of a single moment. It broke her. It cleaved her heat in two, it crushed her soul with the weight of a dying star. The only thing worse than seeing her best friend dead in front of her was the fact that she had not even seen what had done it. There was no way to tell- there were only Trevor's shoes laying on the ground, still smoking from his death.

But even as that pain rocked her soul, there was still one beyond it. And that was the knowledge that out here, in the deepest wilds of the world, there could be no bringing him back.

And yet even as she thought those cursed, evil thoughts, that tore at her self and ate away at her- she saw it. She saw it with the magical vision she had had since birth, as she slowly turned around. She saw what approached at incredible speeds behind her, closing in on the group, still smoking with unholy power and undeserving strength. And in that moment of pure fate that hung in the air like a blue flame, she knew what she had to do.

"Bubble! Brandy!", she shouted, and leapt right towards them, using all the strength she had in her entire body to close the gap before It arrived. "Get down!"

Brandy and Bubble both barely even had time to respond before Annbelle knocked them to the floor with all her might, and looked up towards the approaching abomination. It seemed to spiral in her vision, streaking towards the lone Archer's heroic bravery, until-

With a terrifying sound of a cracking boom, Annabelle's entire body was blown apart. A massive hole almost as wide as she was appeared in her torso, only the edges of her limbs and the top of her head remaining, her terrified eyes screaming one last message to Bubble and Brandy- to run.

As the last of her collapsed into Elixir upon the ground, Bubble let out a sound that could not be described. It was the sound of pain, of loss, of encroaching panic- but most of all that sound of a child confused beyond reason, shoved into something that nobody, let alone a young girl, should ever, ever have to see. Her entire self rocked and wheeled at the sight of Annabelle, who she had almost considered her aunt at this point, blown to bits by some unknown, unseen force.

Brandy's face was white with absolute shock and horror, staring forward at the evil blue something that seemed to be collecting in the center of the tunnel. As she watched, hardly even able to believe her eyes, a pair of arms formed, grabbed Trevor's shoes, and shoved them into a gaping hole in the world, dissolving them into dust with a cataclysmic boom. The sight caused Bubble to once again scream, her physical form shaking and shifting into different shapes out of absolute, all-engrossing fear.

"Your friends… are gone.", the thing boomed, and it began to form into the shape of a tall, sadistic humanoid, clutching a gigantic sphere of empty space in front of its thin body. "Reduced to nothing, and utterly destroyed. They are dead."

"No…", Brandy said. She tried to shout it- but it came out as only a mere whisper, nothing compared to the hellstorm unleashed in front of her. It was so sudden. Too sudden. "No."

"For where Julia failed, I shall succeed.", it said again, and raised its Void. "I, Taklastamoss the VOID WIZARD, shall render you nonexistent!"

Brandy gasped in horror once again- but even as she did, some spark of courage lit up inside of her. He was a Forgotten. And thus he had to be defeated, no matter the price. She jumped up haphazardly from her spot she had fallen, grabbing the still sobbing and changing Bubble. "Bubble, Leon, get behind me. Stay- stay up. Sta-y- stay…"

She looked around, and saw only one child. "Leon?"

There was no answer, as the Void Wizard began to approach. Brandy felt the sensation of the primal, truest form of fear and horror settle into her deepest soul, ragged energy surrounding her, as Leon didn't answer. It was unlike anything she had ever felt- despite all that she had been through in all her life, these last few minutes had been the worst of all. It felt like her soul left her body and went off to somewhere else entirely, someplace beyond all of known reality- but, terrifyingly enough, she could not yet do such a thing. And she was trapped with the Void Wizard, an inconsolable daughter, and the deathly lack of anyone else. She screamed that scream that only a mother could scream- "Leon! Leon?"

"LEON!"