Snowdrop still looked a bit off when the teams flew through Dimensional Limbo in their Aerowings.
"You okay?", Adam asked her.
"I just can't shake this feeling.", she admitted.
Adam looked concerned.
"I know, I feel it too. Usually when something like that goes on, it's not a good sign."
Benny was seated a good distance away, but in his head, he was instantly regretting what he had done.
"How could I have been so stupid?", he muttered, "I can't believe I made a pact with-"
"A pact?", Clyde(who just happened to be nearby) asked, "With who?"
Benny sighed heavily. He knew he had been caught.
"I was just so upset about not being part of the action that made a deal with Lucretia to-"
"You made a pact with Adam's sister?!", Derek asked in shock, "What were you thinking?!"
Benny lost all sense of decency right then and there.
"I was thinking about how I never get to go with you on missions and how we just sit back and watch all this going on without being there."
"Guys, don't fight.", BRAWN said trying to help make amends, "What matters now is that Benny has to find a way to cancel his deal."
Derek tried to calm down. He knew BRAWN was right. Adam however looked a bit concerned.
"Well breaking this deal isn't going to be easy. What did my sister ask for in return?"
Benny looked thoughtful.
"She just wanted someone to report to her now and then on what's going on with us.", he reported.
Timmy looked a bit scared.
"So she can counter us?", he asked nervously.
Julia didn't look worried.
"So she wants a report now and then eh?", she said with a smile, "Then let's give her something to take in."
Danielle looked confused.
"I don't follow."
"Lucretia said Benny had to report to her now and then.", Julia answered, "She didn't say he couldn't lie to her, did she?"
/
Far off in Limbo, Lucretia settled into a ruined cathedral after adding her personal touch to it.
"Not exactly home, but it'll do.", she chuckled recalling her deal, "With the little rat keeping tabs on my enemies, I'll break Danielle's heart and the team's soul in a set of events. In only a matter of days, I'll be holding Wildwing's head in my hands."
Just then, a glass sphere nearby lit up and rang like a telephone and Lucretia's smile got bigger.
"Speak of the devil.", she cackled before slapping on a straight face and heading over.
The sphere then revealed Benny from afar, but he was looking her way.
"Well, anything to report to me?", she asked.
Benny looked nervous.
"Not much. Just got a call from somewhere near Nether Void and-"
"Don't lie to me.", Lucretia snapped looking sour, "We had a deal."
"And unfortunately it got canceled."
Lucretia turned to see Theo nearby disintegrating the deal in his hand.
"There's a little loop hole I discovered that if he reveals his loyalty to you, the deal is off.", Theo said smiling, "Never make hasty deals unless you know what you're doing."
The sphere showing Benny's face dispersed, but Lucretia looked ready to explode as Theo warped away. Luckily for her, she regained her mentality before she did.
"Okay, so the eavesdropping angle went flat.", she muttered looking deep in thought, "Original idea still on track. What to do about keeping a watchful eye on Adam without him knowing?"
Then she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see a skeletal shade hover near her and even though it didn't have eyes or flesh, Lucretia could tell it wanted to prove it could be effective.
"Eh, what do I have to lose? Everyone has moments, here is yours.", she answered as the shade's creepy smile grew, "Keep an eye on them and make sure nobody sees you."
The shade bowed still smiling and flew out the broken window nearby as Lucretia settled into a throne she materialized to replace the podium where the preacher would stand cackling like a witch. Things were looking grim for a second, but she wasn't the most known traitor on Puckworld for nothing.
/
Back with the ducks, Benny was still feeling pretty down that he had given in to Lucretia so easily, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Adam looking his way with a sympathetic smile.
"Don't feel bad. Lucretia did that to me too once."
Benny looked better already.
"You mean like that time she sold you out to Dragaunus after you got infused?", he guessed.
Adam nodded.
Then the Aerowing's radio beeped.
"Okay team, we're landing up ahead.", Wildwing informed.
Both planes halted in midair and landed on a floating airstrip which was surprisingly there and both teams filed out before Borg materialized not far ahead with V'Lara and someone new the ducks hadn't met before.
"Hello my friends.", Borg said smiling as the ducks came over.
"It's good to see you too Borg.", Wildwing said with a nod and turning to V'Lara, "Good to see you again too."
"Pleasure's all mine.", V'Lara answered smiling broadly.
"Whoa, he sounds like Elvis.", Timmy said in awe.
Wildwing noticed the other one and turned to Borg.
"Who's this?"
"I'm Bibo.", the third member answered, "I rule El Dorado."
"No way!", Thrash said in shock, "As in the lost city of gold?!"
"Yep, the very one.", Bibo answered with pride, "But we have little time and I suggest we make it quick."
Borg quickly pulled himself together.
"Right. Atlantis, El Dorado and Anaheim are still recovering and we discovered some of the other cities are still bound here in Dimensional Limbo. We need you all to go there and find a way to send them back to our reality before the strain of their state becomes too great and they get wiped out of existence."
Benny looked excited right away. Looks like he and his siblings would be going on an adventure after all. Bibo looked at Derek's kids and raised an eyebrow.
"You're accompanying the team I take it?", he asked Derek.
"We're more like the moral support.", Snowdrop piped up.
Bibo shrugged.
"Fair enough."
Canard stepped to Wildwing's side.
"So what cities are we looking for?", he asked.
"The cities of Shangri-La, Opano, Arcadia, and Mezzoramia.", Borg stated firmly, "V'Lara, Bibo and myself will lend whatever aid we can, but the path is for you to tread yourselves. Good luck my friends."
The three of them vanished away leaving the ducks alone, but soon they were back on the Aerowings and were flying off again.
"Saving lost cities in Dimensional Limbo.", Julia chuckled, "Can't wait to get started."
/
Back on Sauria, Charyus materialized outside the old and battered looking tower that stood in the center of the kingdom of Drux smiling. Siege, Chameleon and Wraith warped in behind him, but Siege looked disgusted.
"Why are we here?", he grouched, "This place is a dump."
Charyus turned his way with a sneer.
"Hold your tongue if you please.", he said firmly, "I have a reunion to make."
The moment he finished, several large armor rose from the ground looking rusted with time and old for a second before reforming into fresh and rune covered ones. Before they could come forward, Wraith conjured some fireballs and fried them to bits.
"Oh I missed being able to do this.", he said with a slight pang of pride in his usually gloomy tone.
"Oh Wraith, do you ever lighten up?", Charyus asked as he approached the tower doors, "Siege will watch for our targets while you and I make a long overdue visit to some old acquaintances."
Chameleon looked confused.
"Watch?", he asked, "Tempus said-"
"Forget Tempus.", Charyus said calmly, "We're where he wants us and he'll inform us of further orders when we permit it."
At that moment, the tower had reformed into a grand looking one as Charyus and Wraith stood before it.
"Charyus, wouldn't it be wise to bring Siege and Chameleon in case of back up?", Wraith suggested.
Charyus sighed heavily.
"Fine, but they walk five steps behind me no more and no less."
Siege frowned. He didn't like being ordered around like this, but Dragaunus had given him his orders. As much as he'd like to bash Charyus' head with the hard end of his tail, Charyus wasn't a renowned oracle and sorcerer for naught. Once the doors opened, the four were greeted by several young saurians practicing, but stopped and gasped as they saw who was there. Up ahead, several archmages were standing, but they all looked annoyed.
"Good afternoon gentlemen.", Charyus said cheerfully, "I must say that you've really kept this place in tact while I left."
One of the archmages' sneer darkened.
"You're not welcomed here."
Charyus gave a hurt expression, but they weren't buying a single moment of it.
"You defiled our ways by siding with that emperor you believed in.", another archmage said firmly, "You bring our world to the brink of death, and cast our race to the reaches of creation and almost extinction. This kingdom is left to us and we will defend it even from you."
Charyus' smile got bigger.
"Bold words for those who don't see reason. Though I applaud your speech, I insist you leave my tower."
"Over our dead bodies.", a third archmage declared.
Charyus' eyes started glowing.
"Is that a challenge?"
/
Back in Limbo and back at the Pond, Tanya and BRAWN were doing some scanning while Danielle helped Derek and Rosie get their kids into their gear.
"I can't believe you're going to let them come along for this trip.", Mallory said rolling her eyes.
Canard raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know Mal. They might come in handy some time."
"Underestimating one's size leaves your judgment in question.", Grin said sagely.
Thrash and Mookie were already more than excited.
"We actually get to see lost cities that people back on Earth refer to as myths? Awesome!", they said in perfect unification.
Wildwing rolled his eyes comically.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still need to form groups to which city we visit."
By that time, Tanya came back with BRAWN with a list.
"Okay, we got a city of ice, a city of mists, a city in a valley, and a city of magic.", she reported, "We got the coordinates for the rifts, and we've each got our own matter projection cannon to help seal the rifts and make the travel back to Borg stable enough so the city warps itself."
Duke looked thoughtful.
"I think I can take Mal and Grin to tackle the city of mists. After all, I'm good at blending in with the surrounding area."
"The dudes and I will take Morpha and take on that city in the valley.", Nosedive said mentioning to Thrash, Mookie, and Morpha who were nearby.
"That city of ice can be taken down by me.", Canard said proudly.
Wildwing looked unsure.
"Danielle, can you and Tanya accompany us there?"
Benny looked a bit miffed.
"Hey, what about us?", he asked mentioning his family, "Can we take that city of magic?"
Klegghorn didn't look so sure.
"This family isn't going anywhere without my supervision.", he said firmly, "Phil can come too."
Phil went pale.
"Me?", he asked, "But..who's going to watch-"
"Foxy and I can handle things here.", BRAWN reported cutting Phil off, "Clyde can come with Duke, Julia with Nosedive, and Adam with Wildwing."
Phil still didn't look on board.
"Guys, I just remembered that I-"
"Okay Phil.", Klegghorn said with a knowing smile, "We won't bring back any of that lost gold worth millions from those ruins."
Phil looked at the ready right away.
"When do we leave?", he asked pleasantly.
/
Draco almost slipped off the edge of the cliff side, but Gerazi managed to grab his arm and pull him back before he fell.
"Careful.", Harzep cautioned, "These walls haven't been tread upon for over a thousand years."
Darcel just kept a firm grip on the hand holds. As much as he advised that this way was not for the feint of heart, Harzep had insisted for keeping a low profile in case Drux would be unwelcoming.. Unfortunately when they got to the other side and the ledge widened, the skies above an area a good distance away lit up now and then with numerous colors and crashes like a force of nature was meddling with magical forces.
"That can not be good.", Gerazi said with concern.
Draco shivered. Something about those lights were off and he was feeling more than a bit nervous.
"Um..maybe we should come back later.", he suggested.
Darcel looked complimented.
"Someone actually agrees with my earlier decision.", he thought, "About time Draco saw reason."
Harzep didn't look like he was going to change his mind.
"No. It looks like there could be trouble there."
Darcel frowned.
"Trouble in a kingdom locked in the old ways of life that died out millennial ago. Probably a sign to scare off those they don't want to see."
Draco then looked upward and saw a light sphere fly out of the lights and head straight for him. It stopped short of the group and formed into a saurian sorcerer wearing his robes now torn and singed, but his gleaming staff of iron and glowing opals decorating the top if it still glowed with power allowing him to stand himself up although he collapsed and leaned on it.
"Lord Geoff.", Darcel said as if it were obvious, "I must say I admire the lights from your display earlier."
Geoff looked Darcel's way coldly.
"Normally I'd turn you into a dung beetle just to see how many times I can step on you, but right now Drux just had a visitor that we loathe."
Draco looked worried.
"Who was it?", he asked, "Can we help?"
Geoff looked Draco's way with a raised eyebrow.
"Ah, the heir of the Annectia Seas graces our disturbed solitude. Of course, we had a feeling you'd come."
"So you know we're here to help?", Gerazi asked.
Geoff's dark gray scales flared as his expression grew cold.
"We don't lend aid to cursebloods."
Darcel looked insulted and then furious.
"You want me to sheath my blade in your skull?!", he sneered, "Right here and now?!"
Harzep could see a berzerker rage coming on and he immediately pressed his palm to the ground allowing magical chains to form and bind Darcel before his friend could pull his blade out. Geoff's expression however didn't flinch. Draco looked confused.
"What's a-"
"It means foul born.", Gerazi said looking a bit miffed, "A curseblood is someone who is cursed by a patron of darkness in the pantheon. Destined to bring misery and destruction wherever they go and unable to feel peace or kindness until they die."
Geoff warped away still sneering his sneer, but Harzep could tell Draco needed further explaining.
"You see Draco, there are some saurians like the high ranked of Drux who think they are above everyone because they are what they called truebloods. But don't listen to it. Some saurians are not true and still they get accepted just as not all trues are so...oh what's a nice way of saying it?"
"Snobby?", Draco guessed.
Darcel who by now had calmed down enough so the chains were no longer needed eased up.
"Now you see why I was hesitant to come here?", he asked with a hint of an edge in his voice.
Draco took a breath and then looked determined.
"Yeah, and we're going to prove those egotistic peacocks that we won't tolerate such rude behavior."
Darcel smiled.
"You read my mind."
To be continued...
