Wildwing came up to the Pond with his mind still flooded with questions. He got in to see a bunch of kids looking like they were in high school practicing and clearly having trouble.
"So this is the team?", he asked himself catching his reflection in a nearby mirror, "This can't be right."
Taking a breath he turned to see a brawl about to get underway, but he blew his whistle gaining the team's attention before it happened.
"Is this how you plan to win the big game?", he asked harshly, "By acting like a bunch of neanderthals?"
The team quickly settled.
"Sorry coach.", a player said looking apologetic.
Wildwing would normally let this slide if they promised to behave, but something in his head told him that it was expected.
"If you're going to let off steam, you can do ten laps around the rink.", he said firmly, "No back in formation and from the top."
After several minutes, Wildwing was feeling stress building. Luckily for him, a timer rang and the team got off the ice allowing him to relax in what was Phil's office.
"Okay, this is getting weird.", he muttered.
Looking around, he noticed a photo of a high school hockey player that looked like him except younger and still sporting the platinum blonde hair and holding a trophy in one hand while the other gripped the hockey stick. He was about to get up when his phone rang on the desk.
"Hello?", he asked when he answered.
"Wildwing?!", Klegghorn asked in shock, "You're here too?!"
Wildwing's nerves steeled instantly.
"Klegghorn?!", he asked equally shocked.
"Okay enough of the shocked reactions.", Klegghorn said firmly, "We're in a situation here and I need you to come by the station."
"Klegghorn, I doubt that-"
"Relax, you're not under arrest or anything.", Klegghorn answered, "I'm pulling up right now."
"I'll be there.", Wildwing said before hanging up.
Five minutes later, he was outside and Klegghorn opened the passenger's side to reveal he was human also, but his expression told Wildwing that he knew something.
"What's up Klegghorn?", Wildwing asked as he got in, closed the door and fastened his seat belt.
Klegghorn took a breath and handed a note over.
"I found this in my office shortly after arriving here. And how come you're human?"
"I'm stumped.", Wildwing admitted, "It's like this whole area is an alternate universe or something and in this one, I'm human and was raised here in Anaheim."
Klegghorn nodded and hit the gas.
"Tell me about it. Now we gotta find out what's going on and solve it before anything else goes crazy."
/
Benny was reaching his end as his family made it back on to the black and white tile road that they had followed before getting lost.
"If I have to listen to one more annoying song, I'm gonna lose it.", he grumbled.
Snowdrop didn't look phased.
"I thought it was lovely."
"Stop arguing.", Derek said firmly, "We need to find out where we are and where the others are before anything bad happens."
Timmy looked a bit worried.
"Dad, I'm getting a little scared."
Snowdrop held his hand.
"We'll find the others.", she assured him.
By now Benny had regained his posture and the family continued until they reached what looked like a house beside the sea.
"Should we even bother to question if we're going in?", Derek asked himself as the whole family got up to the door.
Cautiously, Derek knocked a couple times and stepped back. There was no answer. Benny started feeling brave and gripped the handle of the door.
"Don't!", Derek said quickly, but he spoke too late.
Benny opened the door to reveal a hallway like any other house..
"Hello?", Rosie called out, "Anybody home?"
Still no answer, but Benny walked in striding like a champion.
"Benny! Get back here!", Derek said firmly stepping in after his son.
Not long after the whole family came in after them, they then found a room full of aquariums with fish and underwater life. Pipes ran along the walls and the dim lighting in the room was giving the place a creepy vibe. Near the back wall, Benny found a book on a desk and as about to open it when Derek caught up to him.
"Touch nothing.", he said firmly, "We don't know what this place is."
Benny looked a bit miffed, but settled.
"Dad, I'm thirsty."
Derek rolled his eyes as he went to look for a sink. While he was gone, Benny saw a table with rows of glass bottles and tubes with one large bottle appearing to hold juice. Snowdrop saw her brother just as he uncorked the bottle.
"Don't you dare.",she said firmly.
Benny however ignored her and took a sip. He set the bottle on the table just as he stopped, flinched and in less than three seconds, he shrank, grew gills, and became a fish before sliding through the floor and vanished with a splash. Derek came back and saw his daughter's expression and walked over to her.
"What happened?", he asked.
Snowdrop pointed to the bottle Benny drank from on the table.
"That bottle. I tried to stop Benny, but he didn't listen. He turned into a fish and fell into the water below this house."
Derek came over to the bottle and examined the label on the side.
"Instant-fishy Potion.", he read.
Timmy and Rosie also came out and saw Derek with the bottle.
"Where's Benny?", Rosie asked.
Derek looked determined.
"Well, there's only one way to find him.", he said before noticing another bottle near the first one labeled "Instant- fishy Antidote", "And we'll take this with us."
Timmy looked a bit unsure.
"Dad, will it hurt."
Derek sighed.
"I'm not sure, but we gotta find Benny before he's in too deep."
/
Nosedive and the rest met up in the lounge clearly blown away by the experience.
"I can't believe we're on the greatest ship in sailing history.", Thrash said.
"Don't get distracted.", Nosedive said firmly, "We need to look for clues to why we're here. Now let's fan out and see if we can find anything."
Julia looked impressed.
"Looks like your big brother is rubbing off on you.", she said to Nosedive.
Nosedive blushed.
"I learn from the best."
They hadn't gone far before Mookie picked up what looked like a boarding pass for the ship and quietly signaled the rest to join her.
"What did you find?", Nosedive asked her.
Mookie handed over the pass as she looked thoughtful.
"Okay, what do we know about Titanic?"
Julia looked equally deep in thought.
"It hits an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sinks in the middle of the North Atlantic ocean. But why?"
"Some say it was a curse, others think it was cause the watch that night didn't use their binoculars in time.", Thrash said.
Nosedive turned the pass over and saw nothing.
"Man, if I could just-", he started before lighting up, "Hey I know."
He whipped out Create and after a quick scribble, Wildwing's mask appeared and he started scanning the pass.
"Dive, how far can your spell go?", Mookie asked him.
Dive had finished his scanning and looked her way a bit confused.
"As in my limit?", he asked.
Mookie nodded.
"I'm not sure.", Nosedive admitted, "I tried sticking with small things cause it doesn't put too much strain on my mind. Larger objects are harder to maintain."
"So the bigger the object, the more focused you have to be?", Julia guessed.
Nosedive shrugged.
"I guess.", he said as the mask disappeared, "This pass had a poem on the back. Once grand and often proud can fall if not alarmed aloud."
"That's a weird poem.", Thrash admitted, "Maybe it's what we're looking for."
/
Duke waited as the storm of dust blew on contemplating what BRAWN had revealed.
"Life found death, act of kindness, what does it mean?", he wondered.
Mallory cracked her knuckles.
"If this is some kind of joke, I'm not laughing.", she said firmly.
Danielle put a hand on her shoulder.
"I know. I miss Canard too."
Mallory tried to calm down. She knew her friend was right. Then the winds began to get softer and Duke looked outside to see the storm passing revealing a deserted city in ruins further down. The group cautiously got out and made their way down a ruined highway leading directly into the city. Aside from the dusty atmosphere and broken roads, this place must have had earthquakes.
"Use lessons we learned.", Mallory thought out loud, "Obviously we had to learn what we did before we came here."
Tanya didn't look so sure.
"I don't know. Maybe this riddle isn't the way out.", she said before sneezing, "Man this dust is messing up my sinuses."
BRAWN pulled out an apparatus which Tanya placed on her nostrils.
"Thanks BRAWN. I can breath just fine now.", Tanya said.
BRAWN looked complimented.
"You're welcome."
Nearby on a ledge behind them, Pretorius and Chameleon observed the group.
"So it seems we have to cause a little chaos here?", Chameleon asked eagerly.
Pretorius smiled and pulled out several test tubes of stuff from the satchel on his belt.
"And if I'm right, there's a lab around here we can use to do just that.", he snickered.
Chameleon looked around and scratched his head.
"So, any idea where to start?"
/
Morpha was beside itself as it and Foxy got to the edge of the ice covered landscape. Morpha wasn't used to cold temperatures, but constant exposure to the chill of Puckworld helped build up a natural resilience to it. Foxy did a scan around the area and gave a apologetic look as the scan read negative. They had no idea where they were and clearly it wasn't going to be easy. Then a rustle of nearby bushes made them both pause and prepare for combat. The brush gave way and revealed a portal that they eagerly ran to. The moment they touched it, they were warped again only they landed on a ship's deck that was out at sea.
"Morpha?!"
Morpha stood at attention and turned to see Nosedive, Julia, Thrash and Mookie show up.
"And Foxy as well it seems.", Julia commented.
Morpha bound up to it's friend and tackled him to the ground covering his face with kisses only a dog can give.
"Okay okay, it's great to see you boy.", Nosedive said as he got his dog off him, "When did you two get here?"
Foxy held out a tail and it opened to reveal several spots with coordinates and video recordings labeled near each one.
"You guys have been to many places?", Mookie guessed.
Foxy nodded and folded it's tail back to normal.
"You guys met us on Titanic.", Thrash said,"Something is going on here and I think I know."
"What's that?", Nosedive asked.
Thrash looked thoughtful.
"We know Titanic hits an iceberg right? What if we prevent it? The clue said something falls if not alarmed which means if Titanic had known about the iceberg to begin with, it might have more time to turn before it got too close."
"And prevent the fated event.", Julia said looking impressed, "Nice thinking Thrash and Morpha and Foxy can help us out."
Foxy and Morpha looked attentive right away clearly showing they were on board.
/
Geoff drew some runes in the ground while Darcel made the circle. This would be the platform from which Geoff's spell would work. Draco observed with Harzep and Gerazi as the two finished drawing.
"Nice to see one thing you remember from Drux still stands.", Geoff commented.
Darcel rolled his eyes, but smiled.
"Just like when we were kids."
Geoff placed himself in the center of the circle and Darcel turned to the others.
"Stand in each circle beside Geoff. It'll help amplify the results."
Harzep and Gerazi joined Darcel as they each took a spot, but Draco looked wondering.
"What can I do?", he asked eagerly.
Geoff smiled.
"You're going to take notes for when you come of age and are then old enough to preform this level of magic."
Draco felt a little disappointed, but took out a notepad ready to write. He took notes as Geoff raised his staff and the rune circle lit up and started spinning. A smaller circle of runes came around the feet of Darcel, Harzep and Gerazi as Geoff began chanting some language that Draco couldn't understand, but clearly it was working cause lines of magic flowed from the edges of the circle and formed above it into a large mirror like eye that flew across the land and then stopped as it revealed Charyus standing in a similar circle and skeletal creatures around it holding enchantium making a wondrous display.
"Is it ready?"
Dragaunus came out looking annoyed and bored at the same time.
"Patience my flame tempered friend. You'll get what's coming to you."
Draco's heart froze as Zeral came on to the scene in all his tyrannic glory. Geoff looked alarmed as Zeral looked back.
"Cut the line!", Harzep screamed.
Geoff dropped his staff, but Zeral's fingers snapped faster. Instantly the whole circle and all who were in it were warped straight to Zeral's feet where it dispersed and magical chains appeared out of nowhere and bound the four as Zeral looked annoyed.
"It is rude to spy on your emperor.", he said coldly.
Darcel's expression darkened more than the other's did.
"Release me from these bonds Zeral, and I will show you the meaning of-"
Zeral twisted his wrist and Darcel's bindings tightened cutting off his speech.
"We may be caught, but you missed one.", Harzep said trying to sound brave.
Zeral gave a demonic smile.
"I ment to. Besides, Charyus should be finished by now."
They all turned to Charyus who was circling the enchantium from his undead support and they were drawing closer and closer together until a blinding light formed and a large opal colored gem the size of a baseball floated down into Charyus' hands.
"My emperor, it is ready.", Charyus said turning around as his circle dispersed along with the undead.
Zeral held a hand out and the gem floated to him and rested in his hand.
"Finally, the greatest enchantium in creation, is mine again.", he cackled, "At last I will take back my rightful place as ruler of our race, and the whole of the universe will bend to our might and our will!"
The clouds overhead flashed angrily as lighting danced across them. Far off, Draco saw this and his nerves froze.
"What do I do now?", he wondered.
"You stop Zeral."
Draco turned to see a duck with rust colored feathers and wearing battle gear and a hockey stick across his back while sporting a gold mask on his face.
"Who are you?", Draco asked.
The duck removed his mask and revealed his scarred face.
"Drake DuCaine.", he said, "I'm here to help."
To be continued...
