-NOTICE-

For some reason, the site was bugging out. I'm trying to get this chapter to upload right, hopefully it works this time.


Chapter 38: To The Top


The Tower of Doom

Level 4

Darkstalker leapt off of a thin chunk of pavement, the concrete shattering into pieces behind him as it collided with the top half of a building floating nearby. He landed on a long strip of black roadway, dropping to the asphalt and rolling beneath a thick steel beam that came sweeping towards him.

Darkstalker stood, panting, and briefly turned to look behind him. The bizarre creatures were in hot pursuit, their shadowy forms leaping and diving through the floating debris in time with the music.

He sighed, and continued sprinting down the roadway. Hidden was a little ways ahead, leaping off of glass paned walls and swinging off of overhanging streetlights with an excited grin plastered on his snout. The SandWing cast a quick glance back at Darkstalker, and slowed his pace, until he and the NightWing were running side by side along a lopsided building.

"Better hurry up, those things don't look happy!" Hidden shouted to Darkstalker over the booming music.

"What even are they anyway?!" Darkstalker shouted back.

"I dunno, dubstep space ninjas?!"

"What?!"

"Your guess is as good as mine!"

The duo leapt into a wide concrete sewer pipe, sliding on their bellies down the smooth stone tunnel and falling out onto a grassy chunk of land with a single park bench hanging precariously over the edge.

Two of the creatures leapt off of the top of the pipe and dove down towards them, Darkstalker stunning them with a blast of electricity and Hidden leaping in to sweep them over the edge with his tail.

"I don't need your help." Darkstalker growled, warily eyeing the horde surging over the fractured rooftops.

"But, at the same time, you kinda do." Hidden remarked back, before leaping off of the grassy island onto a long strip of floating sidewalk. Darkstalker snorted out an irritated puff of smoke, and leapt up after him.

As the two continued further through the torn up city, the debris began to stretch and contort, streaming out towards a bright point of light further ahead. Buildings and roads blurred as they were pulled towards the light, their surfaces becoming increasingly indistinguishable in the distance.

"There it is!" Hidden shouted enthusiastically. He quickly picked up his pace, forcing Darkstalker to pick up his as well.

The terrain began to level out the closer they came to the light, the fragmented platforms fusing into long strands of unknown material that flashed and pulsated along with the music. The creatures were still on their tails, and in addition, colorful bolts of energy rained down from an unknown source, small bursts battering the terrain like hail while long thin tendrils swept about.

Darkstalker could barely manage to avoid most of the onslaught, a few stray energy bolts striking him with searing pain, despite not causing any physical damage to his body. Occasionally, one of the creatures would catch up to him, forcing him to divert his attention to blasting it with some of his lightning.

This'll all be over soon. he thought, staring ahead at the bright light, now engulfing most of his vision. And then you'll be done with this madness….

One of the creatures grabbed hold of his tail, but Darkstalker ignored it, the light mere moments away. Another landed on his back, grabbing his shoulder with one arm while it swiped at his head with the other. Darkstalker could feel his pace slowing, the weight of the dark creatures weighing him down as more surged toward him.

"Hold on!"

Darkstalker felt a pair of talons grab one of his forelegs, turning to see Hidden standing just in front of him. The SandWing crouched down, throwing all of his body weight into hurling Darkstalker forward, out of the grasp of the horde. The SandWing leapt after him shortly after, the two diving into the blinding light, leaving the final gauntlet of the Tower of Doom behind them.


The Tower of Doom

?

Darkstalker groaned.

His muscles felt like they were ready to fall right off of his body, his legs aching from exhausting almost all of residual energy he had left in the final challenge. He clawed at the ground, struggling to get to his feet, hearing the scratching of his talons against the rough stone brick floor.

"You made it!" Darkstalker heard Ricky shout. He opened his eyes, squinting ahead at the dark chamber around him. The SkyWing was standing over next to the RainWing and mechanical dragon, casting a relieved smile at the almost equally exhausted Hidden.

"You alright?" Xavier asked, noticing the two of them gasping for air. He and Ricky seemed only mildly tired, Reggie likely sitting in his dragon suit just fine.

"Yeah, we're...*wheeze*...fine." Hidden gasped. "Three moons this guy is…*huff*…heavy."

Darkstalker glared up at Hidden, and slowly managed to get to his feet. He stood up straight, suppressing any signs of exhaustion to the best of his ability.

"So, did we win?" he asked impatiently, looking around at their surroundings.

They were in a large, circular chamber, with a stone brick floor and smooth stone walls that seemed to be about the same diameter as the tower as they had seen it from the outside. It was quite dark, save for a soft light emanating from the top of a long spiral stairway winding around the side of the chamber.

Hidden immediately rushed over to the stairway, Darkstalker striding over after him, eager to get this over with. The glass nodes embedded in his talons clinked against each stone step as he made his way up, the other three following close behind him.

They emerged onto a flat, stone platform, the smooth stone walls replaced by twelve intricate pillars holding up the tower's roof. The bright blue sky spread out as far as the eye could see, a quick glance over the edge revealing the vast snowfields of the Ice Kingdom spread out like a map below. Darkstalker could just barely make out the Salvation, a tiny speck of gold against a sea of white.

At the center of the terrace was a wide, flat pedestal, a massive ball of glowing blue energy floating just above it. Hidden slowly walked up to the ball, eyeing it curiously as it hovered in place.

"I must congratulate you on making it here." a voice called from behind the glowing energy ball. The group turned to see Winnifred stepping around the odd centerpiece, adjusting his bowtie as he stepped up to them.

"Hey! Winnie! How's it going!" Hidden began.

"Quite fine, until now." Winnifred stated bluntly, casting a look of disdain towards the SandWing. He paused, adjusting his spectacles as he turned to the glowing energy ball. "Now then, if you would kindly step up to the prize ball…."

"Prize ball?" Hidden asked skeptically, staring back up at the ball of energy.

"Y-Yes, now just step up to it and…." Winnifred continued, before Hidden cut him off once again.

"Hold on, are each of us getting a prize from this thing, or is it just one prize for all of us?"

"One prize for all of you, now could you please…."

"Really? That's...disappointing."

"Well I don't make the rules here! Now step up and claim your prize already!' Winnifred growled through gritted teeth, talons clenched.

"Oh for moons sake…." Darkstalker started, pushing past the other four and stepping up to the "prize ball". He stared at it for a moment, before cautiously holding out talon, the others watching him curiously.

Please don't kill me…. he thought in the back of his mind, as he reached out his talon towards the pulsating ball of energy.

Suddenly, a large device popped out of the prize ball, flying straight at Darkstalker. He had just enough time to step back and hold out his foretalons, barely catching the heavy contraption before it could slam into his face. He paused, staring it over curiously, unsure of what exactly it was.

The device was roughly shaped like a two-taloned energy cannon, though with some odd modifications. At the end of the barrel was a device resembling an amplifier, on its side a miniature turntable. Its shell was a sleek white, accented by colorful bands of light reminiscent of the ones he'd seen on the dark creatures from the final challenge.

"Let me see that." Hidden said, walking up to Darkstalker, a twinkle in his dark eyes as he stared at the device. Darkstalker passed it over to the SandWing, who began turning it around in his talons, carefully inspecting every part of it. He finally crouched down on his hind legs, pointing the device's amplifier out toward the bright blue sky beyond.

"Do be careful!" Winnifred began, just before Hidden pulled the trigger.

A bright burst of colorful energy erupted from the front of the device, streaming out into the sky in a dazzling display. The sound of electronic dance music filled the terrace, rocking through Darkstalker's mind as it had during the final challenge.

"Shut it off!" he shouted, clutching his ears. He'd had just about enough of that awful music.

Hidden slipped his claw off of the trigger, staring down in shock at the device in his talons. A small grin began to creep across his snout, as Reggie strode over in his mecha.

"D-Dude...is that…?" he began.

"Yep." Hidden replied enthusiastically, "We got a dubstep cannon!"

Hidden and Reggie marveled at the device, Ricky stepping over to join them. Darkstalker stood to the side, silently staring at the trio gawking at their new toy.

"We went through all of that…." he sputtered, muscles tensing in disbelief, "All that trouble, for an energy canon!"

"A dubstep canon." Hidden corrected.

"How is that any better than the one you already have?!" Darkstalker snapped back.

Hidden shrugged. "This one plays music."

Darkstalker clenched his foretalons. All this time they'd spent climbing the tower, all the pain and humiliation he had suffered, all for a lousy energy canon. He felt a talon touch his shoulder, and turned to see Xavier standing beside him, staring at the trio with a somewhat amused grin.

"Personally, I was expecting a new car or something." the RainWing said, briefly glancing at the NightWing beside him.

Darkstalker huffed. "This whole thing was completely pointless." he stated. Xavier silently nodded in affirmation.

"Yeah, it kind of was." he replied, stretching out his back, "To be honest, I was a bit on the fence about going in here myself at first."

Darkstalker turned to Xavier, mildly surprised. Though, the RainWing had always come across as a bit of a follower to him. He turned back to the trio, watching as they took turns firing off the dubstep canon into the vast blue sky beyond.

"Why do you always follow him." Darkstalker asked, nodding towards Hidden, who was busy helping Ricky aim the device.

Xavier paused, taking a moment to consider Darkstalker's question. "Well, it's cause he needs me." Xavier finally replied, "And I need him."

"What do you mean?" Darkstalker asked, not fully understanding the RainWing's response.

"I guess you could say that I'm there to help rein things in when they start to get out of talon." Xavier explained, "Though, I can't say I'm very good at it." He chuckled, turning to Darkstalker. "I wouldn't have gotten half as far as I have in life had Hidden not been there to push me forward, and he wouldn't have made it as far as he has without me there to help with some of his more...eccentric plans. Haven't you had anyone like that?"

Darkstalker froze. For the briefest moment, old memories began to surface, memories which felt dreamlike and surreal, as if they belonged to a past life he had never lived. He quickly shoved them aside, turning to face the prize ball and stepping away from the RainWing. Now wasn't the time to be dredging those up, especially not around these dragons.

"You're not planning on leaving, are you?" Xavier asked.

Darkstalker paused, turning back to the RainWing. "What makes you ask."

"I mean, we're all honestly pretty shocked that you're even still hanging around with us. Hidden figured you'd be gone the moment you were healed."

"The device I used to travel between timelines was taken from me." Darkstalker bluntly explained.

"Yeah, I heard." Xavier replied, "Though something tells me that wouldn't stop you."

"Hey Xavier, Dark! Wanna give it a try?!" Hidden shouted, despite being only a few paces away from the two of them. Darkstalker cast the SandWing a disinterested glance, and Xavier stepped over, crouching down with his foretalons extended.

Hidden grinned and tossed the canon over to Xavier, who slid back across the stone floor from its weight, losing his grip and accidentally dropping it. The dubstep canon catered to the ground, a stray burst of energy sailing across the terrace and out into the vast blue sky, nearly hitting Winnifred square in the head along the way.

Xavier quickly scooped up the Dubstep canon, Hidden casting Winnifred an apologetic glance. "Sorry about that!" he said sheepishly.

Winnifred growled, glaring at the SandWing. "I think it is about time that you took your leave." he hissed through gritted teeth. The spectacled NightWing sighed, glancing up above him, as if silently conferring with some invisible entity above him. A relieved grin crossed his snout, and he turned back to the group, having regained his composure.

"Thank you for climbing the Tower of Doom." he said congenially, snapping his claws.

In an instant, the five of them were standing back on the frigid wasteland of the Ice Kingdom, the Tower of Doom having completely vanished. The blizzard had long since passed, though the frigid cold still struck Darkstalker like lightning.

Great…. He thought, just as piles of blankets dropped upon each of the four dragons. Darkstalker quickly began bumbling himself up in them as he had before, the others doing the same. Here's hoping I never see that horrible tower ever again.


AN:

I'm a little iffy about this chapter. The first third or so seems pretty good to me, but the conclusion at the top of the tower feels a little rushed. I probably could have put in some more lines of dialogue and inner monologue, but I wanted to get this chapter done by today, and I spent most of this week not working on it, what with school and a new campaign on the Halo MCC distracting me. The biggest hurdle was probably figuring out how to explain why Darkstalker won't just leave after this episode, as he is supposed to stick around with the group. There doesn't seem to be any reason for him to stay with them from his perspective, at least, extrinsically speaking, so the biggest motivators I've employed are that he doesn't really have anywhere else to go, and that deep down he does kind of enjoy being there. Or perhaps maybe he's just too lazy to bother stealing a shuttle? Other bits like Hidden bugging Winnifred and Xavier talking with Darkstalker about Hidden are also a little iffy to me too. Not that they're not good ideas, I just feel like I could do them better if I had more time, if I had less other things to worry about, and if I wasn't constantly fighting with writer's block. Again, I could always come back and rewrite this story in the future, when I'm a more skilled writer and can look back on it as a whole, but it still bugs me that it doesn't live up to my unrealistic expectations. What do you think, was the conclusion alright? And what did you think of the Tower of Doom episode as a whole, as crazy as it was?

With that, the most absurd part of this story comes to a close. Only one more POV is left before we get into the endgame, who could it be? Stay tuned!