Nosedive ducked under another icy gale the dragon breathed. Thrash and Mookie were chopping like crazy against the ice with BRAWN assisting that had formed when the breath hit the deck. Julia was just trying to get out of range and assist as much as she could.
"We're cracking over here!", Thrash yelled.
Mookie looked more than worried.
"If this bow breaks, Titanic will go under in less than a few minutes!"
BRAWN looked thoughtful.
"If we can patch up that crack, we might be able to hold the water out for a while."
Morpha looked eager also, but stayed by Julia's side. Nosedive held out an arrow and launched it causing the dragon to fly off for a bit before he conjured Create and did a quick scribble allowing pendents to form around Thrash and Mookie's necks.
"You dudes gotta keep this ship from breaking apart if this beast is too much for me to tackle."
Thrash took a breath.
"I'm not sure we can Dive, but we gotta try something."
As their pendents shimmered, Thrash and Mookie dived into the sea. The icy waters stung their skin even though their feathers cushioned most of the impact and the freezing temperature already had them alert.
"Geez this is cold!", Mookie yelped.
BRAWN activated an explosive to help Nosedive out before he came down also with some welding equipment forming from his hands. Thrash and Mookie grew until they were each about the size of the ship herself before each took a side and pushed them together closing the crack that was forming. Up on deck, Julia took a breath and let Siren ring out. This gave Nosedive enough time to get a flaming black arrow and aim it.
"Black arrow you never failed me and I've always recovered you. I had you for my father and his kin. If you truly are forged by those under the mountain, go now and speed well."
He let the arrow fly and it speared the beast into the chest cavity where the heart would be. The beast roared in pain before it crashed into the ocean and sank. Thrash and Mookie came back up with BRAWN showing they had shrunk back to normal and were wet and shivering before Morpha came over and dried them instantly.
"Did we get it?", Thrash asked.
Nosedive gave a thumbs up.
"We did."
"Reciting J.R.R. Tolkien while ending a dragon. Impressive.", Julia said.
Nosedive blushed.
"Hey, it was a great book."
/
Wildwing and Canard bolted through the empty streets that looked normal, but Wildwing felt something was wrong. Behind them, Kleggorn and Phil were following and trying to keep up.
"Slow down already.", Phil huffed.
Klegghorn looked annoyed.
"When this is over Phil, you're going on a diet."
They hadn't gone far before a loud thud made them halt.
"That doesn't sound good.",Canard stated.
Before they could go anywhere, Tanya and Adam burst from a door and landed near them.
"Tanya?! Adam?!", Wildwing asked in shock.
Adam smiled weakly.
"Reporting for duty sir."
Klegghorn looked a bit concerned as Tanya and Adam recovered.
"Hey, where's Grin?"
Adam looked a bit sad.
"He didn't make it."
"Make what?"
They all turned to see Grin and Mallory seated nearby looking content.
"Grin?!", Tanya asked, "How did you get here?!"
"A hidden friend found me and spared me from death.", Grin answered sagely.
Wildwing looked unsure.
"And Mallory?"
"Saved Duke's team and Derek's family.", Mallory answered, "Though I gave my life to do so."
"So you two...died?", Phil asked growing pale.
"Almost.", Mallory answered, "Guess the Keepers didn't like losing us."
Wildwing's eyes narrowed.
"Or you're not who you say."
A cackle rang out as Mallory and Grin vanished like a mirage. Adam looked attentive.
"So this city is filled with mirages huh?"
Wildwing stood firm.
"Let's move, but if something is out of the ordinary, turn away right away."
He headed off again with the rest following though Phil looked a bit annoyed.
"Can't we just-"
"No!", Klegghorn snapped, "We're in a city with who knows what and fighting for the fate of the universe here!"
/
Duke strained to hold his grip on the edge as his other hand clutched Danielle's wrist. The blast from that grenade that flew at them almost sent them off a cliff, but luckily Duke caught Danielle before she went over.
"You guys okay over there?"
Clyde showed up and caught Duke's hand before it slipped too and held on. Danielle lifted herself and climbed up Duke's back and then over Clyde and back on to solid ground. Clyde helped Duke up and all three caught their breath.
"Is..is everyone alright?", Duke asked.
"I'm glad you're both okay.", Clyde admitted.
Danielle just looked a bit down.
"I know Angelwing.", Duke told her placing a hand on her shoulder, "I still miss Mal too."
Clyde sighed.
"Well we're not solving anything by standing around."
Then a piece of parchment flew over to them and caught on Clyde's shoulder. Duke took it and read it.
"Repeat the past to cement further events."
"What does that mean?", Danielle asked forgetting her doubts for a minute.
Duke looked thoughtful.
"Not sure, but I hope it helps us bring Mal back."
A clank caught their ears and they all turned to see Foxy appear nearby looking confused.
"Foxy?", Danielle asked.
Foxy nodded eagerly and one of it's tails opened to a screen and it showed Nosedive's team on Titanic.
"Well it looks like Dive has things under control where he is.", Duke admitted, "Too bad Mal wasn't-"
In that moment, Foxy instantly looked more eager and it's screen then showed Mallory and Grin floating in what looked like a space capsule.
"Where did you see this?", Clyde asked eagerly.
Foxy showed a clip of it being warped from Titanic to somewhere between realities and then showed it coming out of a rift in front of them.
"So Mallory isn't dead?", Danielle asked.
"That appears to be the case.", Clyde stated, "But how do we get to them?"
Foxy folded up it's tail and shrugged showing it didn't know. Duke however looked more eager than anyone.
"We find the rest of the ducks. Then we save our friends."
/
Derek and Rosie dashed down the railway as the huge beetle came after them with their kids keeping up with them.
"This is a nightmare!", Timmy screamed.
Benny however didn't look phased.
"This is fun!"
Up ahead, a mine cart was seen and the family jumped in.
"Let's move.", Derek said.
Rosie pulled the switch and the mine cart started off.
"Wait aren't we..."
Then the whole family noticed.
"Going back the way we came!"
Now they were going right for the giant beetle, but fortunately, they slipped under it and sped on gathering speed. Derek looked Rosie's way and they both had the same idea as they clutched the brake.
"One..two..three..pull!"
They did and the brake snapped the moment they tried. That was when the cart came to a very long drop and did so causing the whole family to feel their stomachs hit their throats and then back down as the cart went left and then right, loop de looped, and even up and down.
"Make this thing stop!", Timmy screamed.
Benny however looked like he was having the time of his life.
"Can't this thing go any-"
"Don't say it Benny!", Snowdrop snapped, "The moment you tell something to go faster-"
The cart sped up and caused the family to grip the edges to prevent being flung off.
"It does!", Snowdrop finished.
Soon, the cart was heading to a wall and the family could tell where this was going.
"We're gonna have to jump.", Derek said.
Timmy went pale.
"Did you say jump?!"
They looked down to see a lake that looked small because it was so far away. They were about to get up, but the cart hit the wall, the wall opened to a deep pit that they fell into and landed with a thud. Luckily nobody was hurt cause they had landed on some soft moss and the inside of the cart was padded. A whistle blew somewhere and a stair case appeared next to the cart.
"All ashore!"
The family scrambled to get out.
"Get me off this crazy thing.", Timmy said sounding relieved it was over.
When the family was off the cart, they took a few breaths.
"Well, glad that's over.", Derek admitted.
And then the ground gave way and the whole family was sliding down a long slide.
/
Dragaunus typed in a sequence and the Raptor fired up.
"Engine's online in five minutes.", Siege reported proudly.
Chameleon looked unsure.
"We're just abandoning our race?", he asked.
"Zeral and Charyus are both powerful and gaining.", Wraith said glumly, "It would be foolish to stand against them."
Chameleon looked annoyed.
"And need I remind us that we helped them?"
Dragaunus looked his way coldly.
"Are yous suggesting we help Drake DuCaine? The one who banished us to Dimensional Limbo?!"
Normally Chameleon would cringe, but all the time Charyus had with him helped build up a nerve.
"You're just gonna let Charyus regard us as mere stepping stones making us look like fools before he sends who knows what after us."
Dragaunus' nostrils smoked and his eyes flared.
"My decision is made Chameleon! Drake is more than capable of handling Zeral. And Draco's guardians are able to hold Charyus at bay. Once we return to our old foot hold in Dimensional Limbo-"
"We're still abandoning people who once praised us.", Chameleon said firmly, "If we let Zeral take hold of Sauria now, how long will it be before they lets us in again?"
Siege looked angry.
"Our lord has spoken.", he said firmly, "Shut your yap and hang on for the ride."
Then the Raptor let out an alarm.
"Now what?!", Dragaunus yelled.
Large plant vines sprouted around the Raptor and coiled around it anchoring it to the ground before large pods rose up and opened to reveal large mouths with rows and rows of teeth dripping something slimy.
"Oh I feared Zeral would catch on to us.", Wraith said gloomily.
Dragaunus only looked annoyed before turning to Chameleon.
"If we survive this, I'll reconsider your opinion."
Chameleon smiled.
"I had a feeling you would."
/
Mallory's eyes fluttered open as she noticed herself floating in space with grin not far from her.
"Where..am I?", she asked.
"Be still. You're not recovered yet."
Mallory looked around, but saw nobody. The chill of the place made her more than a bit scared.
"Am I-"
"No.", the voice answered, "Well, not yet anyway."
"Where are you?", Mallory asked.
A chill ran down her spine as if skeletal fingers were brushing alongside it.
"It was noble of you to sacrifice yourself for the sake of reuniting a team though the moment lasted briefly."
Mallory was losing her patience.
"I'm in no mood for games."
A wind whipped her face, but she couldn't move her body before a ghostly image of a skeleton with only a very thin layer of flesh covering it's whole being and what looked like torn rotting cloth sewn into a simple covering and carrying a staff that looked old and worn with a faintly glowing lantern on the end. It had no eyes, but two glowing embers shimmered where they would be.
"What do you think?"
Mallory was scared briefly, but got over it.
"If I'm not dead, than where am I?"
The skeleton smiled grimly.
"You and your friend there are now in a void between life and death. You've seen it before have you not?"
Mallory then noticed the scenery around them was Purgatory only this time it looked more grim and foreboding.
"Why are we here?", she asked not wasting time.
The skeleton didn't falter.
"Simple. You're recovering from your injuries. I suggest you stop yapping and just relax and let the procedure continue like your friend is."
Mallory noticed the radiation burns Grin had were slowly fading though he flinched now and again hinting he still felt pain. Mallory looked back to see that her visitor had vanished away and her own burns were healing also.
"Spooky.", she admitted.
/
Wildwing led the group to what looked like the city center where Drake's statue stood.
"Remember this place?", Canard asked.
Wildwing couldn't help but smile.
"The place we always hung out back in school. How well I remember, but we can't stand around."
Adam nodded.
"I agree. We should look for clues."
Tanya sighed.
"Too bad we don't have Drake's mask with us or this might not be so hard."
Wildwing gave her an understanding look.
"I know. Sometimes I have to rely on my own-"
He paused and then looked up at Drake's statue and noticed something.
"That's it!"
"What is?", Klegghorn asked.
Wildwing pointed.
"Drake doesn't have his mask on. What does that tell us?"
"That this is where the test really is?", Phil guessed.
"Bingo!"
They all turned to see Lucretia materialize on the statue smiling devilishly.
"Did you miss me?"
Wildwing frowned.
"Hardly."
Adam looked especially annoyed.
"When will you learn sister, your cheap tricks can't beat us."
Lucretia's smile only got bigger as darkness came over the area.
"Wanna bet?", she asked.
The ducks all got into battle positions, but Phil looked a bit worried.
"Why do I get into these things?"
To be continued...
