The Fallen I

'What is this?'

The lizard at the controls didn't initially respond, for once Silthe's anger did not get the response he demanded, harshness and injustice, it was a visual language that was expressed at his kind for a long time. For every spec of selflessness expressed had been smudged over by oppression, wronged, and that waned feeling of self-obscurity, with the conflict in his life shedding away his core character till nothing but bitterness and bared hate remained.

The towed metal tombs, bearing the mark of Mumm-Ra made a long procession of grief. Each tomb held a lizard, and each was pushed by the remaining comrades, deep into the darkways of Mumm-Ra's vessel. At that moment there was a feel of his old core within him, Silithe for a long time felt vulnerable.

'What is this?'

'Sir...I...it was awful...please sir can we just go home'

'What happened soldier? Tell me!'

The spoke with dry eyes, exhausted by all the grief. 'We had orders, to go down in the deep abyss, that cursed chasm below us! A division was sent to scout'

'And?'

'They were taken apart, winds came from that darkness...there was no mercy, we were cast out like nothing'

Winds within a cave? The Elephants had a door that opened a dimension, Silithe could wrap his around that as it was a magical construct, but the environment itself? What madness was this, and why now?

'But we don't have this many in a division?'

'You don't'

Silithe heard Vultaire, his glare was more intense than before. The bird continued.

'I had them send down another, and another'

'What are you trying to accomplish here with my men?'

'Not just men Silithe, sorry didn't Mumm-Ra tell you? I been adding the women, as well as the younger members of your scaled community'

'All this. Behind my back?'

'You're an independent variable, my friend. How can this be behind your back when you're not even tied to the chain of command'

The others...Addicas and Kaynar had arrived, yet their timing with the Lunatacks was not coincidental, it was a gathering of hatred and of the dead, the tombs were not the only dead for the Lord himself was present and stared at Silithe, the assurance felt false but the creeping feel of Silithe's powerlessness was real.

'Do not despair Silithe' Mumm-Ra walked closer 'They have elevated themselves to earn hero's death, servitude is life and they have fulfilled it'

'This. This is your idea of Fulfillment?'

'Is that a problem?' A number of the remaining lizards paused, the value of Silithe was evident he still commanded their authority, how far some would go for him would depend what he had to say.

'...No my Lord, I was just taken back..by the cause as it is'

Despite the evident frustration, the status quo resumed and the lizards returned to their carting of their fallen.

'Our families though-'

'We are all in this together, I have given your kind the means to win a war, but the bloodline thief of my stones still eludes you. Till that line is dead and the stones are mine you are still indebted to my hospitality. Looking round at his mercenaries and criminals. 'Join them, to venture what lies beneath.'

'What do you suggest on having to defeat whatever it is that is casting my men to their deaths?'

There was a unsettling chuckle from the dead lord, it became almost hysterical. There silence, even from Kaynar, a testament to the communal unease.

Than came a cat.

She was resistant, defiant, but Mumm-ra had brought her back and with his magic compelled her to serve him as a tailored weapon of choice, confident that her speed would be the weapon needed to break the defence within the dark chasm.

With a flicker of his hand sparked dark energy and Cheetara twitched, for a cruel moment her true self was brought out only to be tortured visibly before her conscious was forced under the barrier of inaction. Powerless to move of her own accord but seeing the eyes of her enemies stare or mock her, see movement from herself but not command it.

'Be proud cleric, you will pave the way for my final victory'

The body lowered it's head to acknowledge but inside cheetara was still screaming to be free.

They had watched him for some time, the cat and his 'child' maybe? All they know is that the young adult was referred to as 'Lion-O' and he carried a stone, it resonated with the on the blade. The warriors surveyed, on this ground that their ancestors had to call home, did they prowl with perfect silence, uniformed in tattered red and black, discipline and rank still maintained but their ways were breaking down into a slow decay. They were maiden warriors of a dying culture, but warriors all the same, trained and approaching fast, one of the two a blonde woman, slowed down to see the still Lion-O walking at the side of the child, despite holding a weapon he did not bear any tension or hostility.

Immediately however she felt the stare of her compatriot reminding her they were being watched, by their overseeing authority, a woman masked in the decorative uniform, identical save for the colours, as the founder of their fallen civilization. Their overseeing authority was the physical representative; a priestess.

The blonde woman swallowed hard knowing her "hesitation" has been spotted, and critique of it may be lessened depending how this went. She moved quickly to the cover, the status quo had remained in that they were still the unseen watchers biding their striking moment. Her compatriot, unpacked her bow and brushed her dark hair back.

'Nayada. he has a child with him' She didn't listen, still putting the bow into place. 'Nayada, there's a child down there'

'How can you say that Adora? We exist' A pat on her uniform 'Because of them! It's what we trained for, and because there's a thing you consider as a 'child' that we should...we're not having this discussion'

Nayada was equipped, arrow in one hand and bow ready took aiming position. 'Now get to the side as agreed, we can't hesitate now'

'He's anticipating the shot?'

'Do as your told Adora!'

'Look!'

While she had her doubts, she would make a stand on her own view when needs be when the stakes mattered, they were not exempt from feeling the bite of pressure in getting this ambush right.

'His slowing his stride a little, Nayada. I can see him clenching the gauntlet, he's expecting something. I'll drop down-'

'No, because he won't see it coming!'

With that the arrow let loose, making the faintest of a whispering streak of a sound it was cut apart by the sudden draw of the cat's blade, Nayada wasin shock before drawing another shot yet Adora predicted, there was no pause she took the jump from the first shot, risking every leap down on jagged terrain or anything to break each stage of the fall while moving fast.

Every drop was a gamble, a crippling break would had ended her role as a warrior maiden, and may even have been scorned as a burden. That part felt as it would be certain with the last fall being too much of a drop, crashing and feeling weight of herself bash the legs with force. Knees were meant but she cursed in agony and staggered, she feared the worst but she was moving, and didn't stop.

Seconds, literally seconds since her mad jump had proven a form of sanity with the cat commanding a red glow from his sword aimed upwards, her mind was on Nayada.

'HO-!'

Adora lunged, taking no chances and every risk on her own life, swung her sword at that burning moment. The cat, this "Lion-O" quickly saw her and moved desperately, adjusting the angle of his sword that was posed in unleashing the eye of thundera, to now reacting to a flanked attack. The cat still held onto his sword despite the strike but the sword's eye still lashed out hitting no longer upwards but to much closer solid terrain, and in an instant a blast followed..

Rock. Dust, and a deafening sound of howling destruction bellowed at the maid and the cat who staggered around momentarily lost, Adora though shook it off injecting anger to fight through it,

She lunged with a full swing, intending to disarm the cat a second time only to see him react with a sighting sense restored, and with a metallic clash, the two blades dueled

Heated dust was funneling away from the fight as it continued, but from the gray mask did the Priestess watch, expressing nothing but absorbing the fighting style of this cat, only her own personal guard, a giant man battle scarred across his exposed chest could guess what she was thinking.

She said nothing to him, but a click of her hand where it gestured to and he knew immediately what to be next and moved with impressive speed. The fight was a justification not to send the wind guardian on the two cats, for the adult carried the stones and must be treated differently. The guardian was more suited in dealing with the other lesser invaders.

Admittingly Adora was surprisingly adept, for now, and Nayada was picking herself up to get back in but the priestess wasn't expecting much from either.

The fight though, would help establish the cat's fight, and a chance for a more decisive moment, and show Nayada how it was to be done.

She was their leader for a reason.

AN: It's been a while since I covered Lion-O but I do have a large cast here, and well it was inevitable his exploration would result in contact.

Given I'm been out of this story for so long I'm trying to ensure there is still continuity from I set up earlier. Incidently I do have a drawing on this on my deviantart profile 'thebritwriter' titled the fallen same title as this, so it was something I had in planning for quite a long time. Visual spoiler though to warn!