Timmy huddled behind his mother's legs clearly scared, but Benny wasn't about to back down.
"That's it? A hockey game? Please, we can beat your game with half our skill tied behind our-"
"Benny!", Derek and Rosie both snapped.
Benny quickly realized he shot his mouth off and piped down, unfortunately Lucretia heard just about every word he said.
"Then it's settled.", she said still smiling, "One game, ninety minutes precisely. Your side wins, I'll be gone forever, but fail, and not only will your friends be trapped in the void of Purgatory, but the rest of you will join them."
Wildwing felt the pressure and Canard did too but Nosedive didn't look phased.
"We have one thing to say Lucretia.", Wildwing answered.
And in perfect unification, the whole team(excluding Derek, his family, BRAWN, Foxy, and Morpha) said, "Bring it on!"
Lucretia's body lit up as the Pond's door behind her opened and a dark wind blew out again only this time, everyone got sucked inside. Inside the Pond didn't look that different, but the stands were gone and the rink was hovering over a seemingly bottomless shaft. Lucretia landed on one side of the rink and the ducks were all on the other.
"Time to choose the players.", Lucretia stated, "Pick carefully."
A timer above set itself for five minutes and began counting down.
"Okay, who's gonna be on this team?", Thrash asked eagerly.
Wildwing thought thoroughly.
"Canard and Tanya are a must. But without Grin or Mallory, who's gonna replace them?"
Duke looked equally deep in thought.
"Yeah, Grin always had the check power we needed and Mal was good at offense as well as defense."
Nosedive looked thoughtful.
"Hey, what about Morpha?"
Mookie looked confused.
"Why him?"
Morpha shifted into an exact duplicate of Grin and then back again to prove Nosedive's point. Wildwing smiled.
"Okay. Duke, you're in with Nosedive and Morpha."
"What about us?", Benny asked.
"We'll keep an eye out and be ready to substitute when needed.", Adam suggested.
Canard nodded.
"Good plan."
/
Drake flung his opponent into a conductor which electrified the thing and it fell to the ground dead as a doornail. Charyus had warped them into locations throughout the ship and clearly they had separated.
"Just my luck.", Drake muttered, "I'm now lost inside a massive warship about to wipe Sauria into a wasteland and the one operating it wants me dead."
He hurried down the hall avoiding the defense lasers, blades, and drones before coming to another room that looked spacious and bleak.
"Great.", he thought, "Charyus' first test for me."
He walked in slowly, but so far nothing seemed out of place until he reached the center where a circle of runes formed and lit up with dark light.
"Nice play in your victory over that guard back there.", Charyus purred as his astral image appeared, "You never fail to disappoint me."
Drake frowned.
"Coming from the guy who carried out Zeral's order to eradicate my race? You're sick."
Charyus looked complimented.
"Thank you. But right now, I have a world to cleanse and a short time for you to stop Zeral and myself. In the meantime, enjoy this little distraction."
He warped away, but a rift opened over the circle of runes and a dark shadow oozed out and reformed into an evil looking version of Drake.
"Now what?", Drake wondered.
His evil self attacked and Drake defended, but something was off. Every time Drake went on the offense, the shadow defended the same way he did when he went defensive.
"Geez, it's like fighting myself.", Drake thought before an idea came to mind, "Maybe."
Before his shadow could get close again, Drake ducked and as his attacker came close, he flipped out a puck blaster Wildwing had given him once and shot a couple only for the shadow to deflect them, but Drake had gotten out his stick and used it to cleave the shadow in half through the middle causing it to disperse instantly.
"That I learned from another great leader's younger brother.", he said with pride as the room became clear, "Now to get to Zeral."
As he put his stick away, he darted towards the door that appeared before him.
/
Wildwing and his team took their places on the ice while Lucretia hovered over her end.
"So where's your team?", Nosedive asked, "Cause we have six and you have one."
Lucretia's smile didn't flinch as she raised her hand and it glowed with dark light. Instantly five masked hockey players formed on her side and she took the goalie place.
"You're being the goalie?", Duke asked a little surprised.
"This will be a piece of cake.", Nosedive said eagerly.
Wildwing however didn't look so sure.
"Lucretia didn't have much goalie skill back before Dragaunus invaded, but why would she chose it?"
Lucretia chuckled.
"Poor fool, he needs all the hope he can get."
A timer above the fray set to ninety minutes as the other ducks in the stands watched eagerly with BRAWN and Foxy alongside them.
"This is it.", Derek said.
Benny however noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
"I..got to go to the bathroom.", he said fast.
Snowdrop didn't look convinced, but Benny was putting up quite a show that finally his parents gave in.
"Make it fast. We don't want to miss the game.", Rosie said.
Benny ran off, but Snowdrop followed with Timmy as well. It wasn't long before they got to the bathroom that Snowdrop saw that Benny had lied.
"What are you doing?!", she asked his when she and Timmy caught up with him, "Dad said-"
"I think something's weird.", Benny said.
Timmy looked nervous. Benny always was one to follow his gut, but Timmy was on the cautious side.
"Guys, I think we should go-"
A strange light down the halls by the locker rooms got all their attention.
"What was that?", Snowdrop asked.
Benny just went towards it with his siblings following. They came to the locker room door and Benny clutched the handle.
"Don't!", Snowdrop said quickly.
Benny didn't even bother to listen. He pulled open the door to reveal a large chamber with Grin, Mallory, Phil, and Klegghorn hanging over circles of runes and looking like they were in a very deep trance.
"Okay, this is strange.", Snowdrop admitted.
/
Drake was continuing down the hall until he came to the deck again and Charyus stood there smiling.
"I had a feeling you'd make it back."
Drake clutched his stick tightly.
"You set these terms Charyus. You can change them.", he said though he doubted it would persuade the sorcerer.
"Indeed.", Charyus said smiling more broadly, "Zeral has what he wanted, I'm at his side, and the empire will be reborn from it's own ashes as the mighty phoenix."
Drake frowned.
"Sauria has thrived and will do so, but not like this. What makes you think you're not just a weapon to achieve his ends?"
"You lead a rebellion against us when it wasn't necessary DuCaine.", Charyus answered in turn, "If your race had simply accepted our rule, I might have been tempted to try and persuade Zeral to reject the ideal of massacring the young."
Drake felt his anger boil, but he took a breath and let it go.
"Then it pleases me to know that their blood is on your hands and I was chosen to end your reign."
Charyus chuckled.
"So coy, just like your mother was. Too bad she didn't want to give you up. She did give me quite a run for my patience before Dawnbright and Nightslash finally got to her. Shame I didn't find you before Saria claimed you for herself and made it impossible for me or Zeral to lay a finger on you."
Drake had the feeling Charyus was only saying these things to delay him or just to mock him, but he had learned not to jump to conclusions unless he wanted a quick death.
"Zeral will fall Charyus. You can't change that fate."
Charyus sighed.
"Fate never had a hand in this course.", he said plainly this time and wearing an expression of knowing, "We just play it's game until we're done."
"Then why do you still defy it?", Drake asked, "Has Prophecy grown clouded?"
Charyus frowned.
"If you're trying to persuade me, it's not working."
That was when Draco and his guardians showed up and looking more than a bit winded.
"Surprised to see us?", Darcel asked.
Charyus raised an eyebrow.
"You're a hard one to kill servant of the mad patron.", he stated.
Geoff gripped his staff and it lit up.
"We prevailed over your trials sorcerer. Zeral must answer for his crimes."
"Crimes?", Charyus chuckled, "His only crime was serving a pantheon that couldn't see past our world."
Draco got mad.
"You condemned us to exile! Sauria was on the brink of death, because of you and Zeral! Our race was banished to another dimension, and we deserved it for our arrogance, pride and greed!"
Charyus' staff lit up as the sorcerer levitated towards the door behind him.
"You've grown in stature and courage little heir.", he grinned, "Pity about this."
A large circle of runes appeared and four huge skeletal behemoths came forward forming a living wall of bone, flesh and dark magic. Drake saw an opening closing and took a chance to finally jump through and looked back to see Draco and his guardians give a look of understanding before he dashed after Charyus.
"Brothers to the end huh Darcel?", Geoff asked.
"Always.", Darcel answered.
As the wall came for them, Draco's team rushed forward armed and at the ready.
/
Back with the ducks, things on the ice were getting odd. The score was 2 for Wildwing's team, but Lucretia still had that strange macabre smile which ment she was up to something.
"This doesn't make sense.", Nosedive said as he and Duke successfully stole the puck, "Lucretia talks of big game, but her team plays like the ones we did on Earth."
Tanya looked equally concerned.
"I just hope we win this before anything bad happens."
Duke got to the goal, but Lucretia didn't bother to make a move.
"What? No defense sweetheart?", he asked.
Lucretia didn't flinch as he took the shot, but that was when the puck instantly vanished and reappeared in the possession of one of Lucretia's players right in front of Wildwing that took a shot before the drake could react and score.
"What happened?", he asked.
Canard frowned.
"Lucretia happened."
Lucretia snickered.
"Now you see what trouble you're in?", she asked.
Even though she was in front of the goal on the other side of the rink, Wildwing and his team heard her clear as day.
"Looks like we're not gonna win so easily after all.", Wildwing muttered.
Canard took the puck and he could see the other team lining up. He got to the line and before they checked him, he passed to Nosedive who tried to catch the puck, but it skipped and flew to one of Lucretia's players behind him.
"Hey, that's not fair.", Adam said firmly.
Derek nodded.
"I'd say that Lucretia's cheating."
Wildwing tried to deflect the shot, but it got by him again and Lucretia's team scored again and the timer was now at thirty minutes. Before long, the time was fifteen minutes and Lucretia's team was now up by two points higher than Wildwing's.
"This is not adding up.", Nosedive stated, "We're playing our butts off and Lucretia's barely making mistakes."
Then before one of Lucretia's team players could take the puck, it paused and started to jerk in violent movements and Lucretia didn't look happy as Duke stole the puck and Nosedive got it to her.
"What's wrong Lucretia?", he mocked, "Team out of shape?"
Lucretia then tried blocking, but Nosedive got through her defense and scored. That was when Benny ran out of a hall with Snowdrop and Timmy right behind carrying a large control panel and started pressing random buttons like a piano.
"Hey!", Lucretia screamed, "That panel is not a toy!"
With Lucretia distracted, the ducks scored another goal and Lucretia now looked ready to blow.
"That's it! I've had it!"
The whole place rocked violently and then broke apart leaving the timer up and now the walls blew away along with the seats. Benny, Snowdrop and Timmy were almost blown into the unknown if Foxy and BRAWN hadn't caught them.
"We evened the score.", Wildwing muttered nervously, "For now."
Darkness and violent storms whipped around the rink as Lucretia's players then broke down and reformed as skeletal ducks in rotting uniforms and old looking hockey sticks. Lucretia however looked more than angry as dark magic formed around her and started covering the rink and all inside it.
"Oh great, now we made her mad.", Nosedive quipped.
/
Drake fell onto the deck almost out of breath as Zeral descended down the stairs.
"What? No sorcerer for you to hide behind?", Drake asked.
Zeral smiled.
"Charyus is..occupied with your little rabble. In the meantime, it's you and me now."
Drake stood up firmly. It felt unfair since he was clearly back from fighting and Zeral was at full strength.
"You set the stage, you can change them.", Drake said regaining his confidence.
Zeral drew his rune blade and his robes burned away to reveal his battle armor polished to perfection and deadly looking. Drake stood firmer and his stick became a blade also as his mask shimmered.
"Tell me, how is it you possess the same power as I?", Zeral asked.
Drake frowned.
"I'll tell you when I finish you. Except this time, I'm not going to be so merciful like last time."
Zeral's eyes narrowed.
"Wouldn't want it any other way."
Drake steadied and both him and Zeral jumped towards each other and their blades met with a deafening clang before they backed off, but then they were at it.
"You're weary.", Zeral commented as they continued, "Too many fights to keep up?"
Drake barely blocked Zeral's blade before it slashed his side.
"Didn't you tell me once that combat is the norm?"
Zeral looked commented.
"Arrogant to a fault.", he said slyly, "You haven't changed in five thousand years."
"Well if that's not the pot calling the kettle black.", Drake countered.
As they fought, Drake felt a loud charging going on and almost got impaled if he hadn't jumped aside.
"You have ten minutes before that beam inside this ship blasts a hole into the earth and once it hits the core, the whole planet will self destruct into an explosion of pure energy."
Drake's eyes narrowed.
"Don't you know that if that happens, you'll die as well?"
Zeral's eyes flared as he came at Drake again.
"So be it!"
Above them hidden cleverly, Servain and the others observed.
"Zeral has lost his reason and his mind.", Varc said plainly.
Servain nodded.
"Sauria hasn't recovered completely yet."
"What now high father?", Cerox said with worry in his tone.
"Pray for a miracle.", Servain said calmly, "That's all we can do. To interfere would go against our role."
They watched as the ship continued to charge. The fate of their world was with Drake now.
To be continued...