Skylanders Academy: Song of the Hunt
by andresponce2002
Chapter 8) One-Eyed Ashes
Cloudcracker prison was basking in radiant sunlight. The inmates were calm and the guards were at ease. Unless you happened to be a new inmate being dragged into the confines of the concrete walls.
And as such, it was not a good day for Unulus.
The tall, skeletal cyclop was being escorted to the lower wing of the prison. He was in chains, shackled and surveyed by about a half-dozen guards who were pulling him around by thick lengths of rope that extended from a heavy iron collar that had put around his neck.
The small, weary mabu looked miniscule and frail to Unulus. Their chubby builds and quivering expressions made Unulus feel like he could just, turn around and calmly stroll away, leaving the guards helpless but to be dragged behind him.
However, he restrained himself. The weak guards were not his only concern. There were many more guards around, nevermind two Skylanders in the prison to keep watch over him.
One of them looked like a really big crocodile had somehow learned to stand on his hind legs. The clear blue hue of his scales and peculiar leather armor made him stand out from the rest of the guards. The second Skylander was a burly, muscle-bound man. He wore scant armor that exposed his red skin and was wearing a hat which held an open flame, like a candle.
The duo kept a watchful eye on Unulus. The cyclop gathered that powering through them and twenty semi-competent mabu guards would be a bit of a stretch, even for him. So, Unulus limited himself to let a tiered sigh when he was brought to a strange lower level of the prison, sealed away from the rest of the building by a large green metal door.
After a brief pause, one of the mabu pulled a nearby lever, then quickly returned to restrain Unulus.
After the door was lifted, Unulus was faced with a gloomy, damp-looking hallway, lined both sides by heavy, rusty cells bars which outlined a total of six cells.
"Well, take a minute to take it all in," The blue skylander behind Unulus began. "Because you are going to be here a long time."
"Yeah, that's right," The red one picked up. "Your evil-doing days are over." He stated. Unulus found his accent quite peculiar, so he had to put conscious effort into not letting out a small chuckle.
"Come on now," The blue Skylander spoke up. "Let's get you to your cell, prisoner!" He ordered, causing the mabu to tug Unulus through the hallway.
As he was dragged through the hallway and his gaze wandered to his sides, Unulus noticed there were a number of people in the cells down here. There was giant blue head with braces and a pink bow, a red pepper monster dressed up as a chef, and a small wizard dressed in green, muttering to a sock puppet of what to Unulus appeared to be a chompie.
After he was dragged to the very end of the hallway, Unulus noticed there was a last pair of cells. To his left, was a cell occupied by a muscular, brown werewolf wearing black leather pants. He was lying down on the cheap prision bed on his cell, not paying any mind to Unulus.
When he turned to his right, Unulus saw a cell, strangely distinct from the rest. It might have been the fact that it was completely made of gold. Bars, furniture and walls, shimmering faintly with yellowish light.
"You should feel honored, rufian," The blue skylander spoke up as he swung the gonded cell door open. "This used to belong to royalty." He chuckled mirthlessly, then gesturing for the mabu to drag Unulus into his new cell.
After this, Unulus was positioned facing to the wall of the cell. He then felt as the mabu guards kicked in the back of the knees. He bent down silently and waited for the guards to remove his shackles and collar. Afterwards, Unulus heard the cell door close behind him. The cell was rather small for Unulus, so the cyclop had to remain crouched down in order to not scrape the ceiling of the room with the spikes on his helmet.
"Well, now that we're in a more, manageable environment," The blue Skylander spoke behind Unulus' back. "Why don't we get some conversation going, hmm?" He suggested, his tone making very obvious implications.
"We know there are still more cyclops out there," The red Skylander stated. "And we know you are their leader." He added.
"We also know," The blue Skylander picked up. "That they have a henchman of your's leading them now."
"If I may," Unulus spoke up, cutting off the Skylanders. "I'd like to take an educated guess as to what it is you want and hopefully save us all some time." He stated. Unulus hated when people didn't cut to the chase, so when silence came from the Skylanders and dragged itself out, he decided to take the initiative. "You want me to tell you where my fellow cyclops are, correct?" He asked.
Unulus heard one of the Skylanders draw breath, as if they were about to speak, indicating that they handent goten the fact Unulus' question had been rhetorical.
"Listen," Unulus spoke in time to cut of the Skylander. "Not only would I never tell you where they are, I don't even know where they are to begin with." He explained. "They aren't under my lead anymore and he who leads them now-" Unulus paused, memories of his brand new second-in-command, flashing through his mind. "-Has aver diferent mind than mine. I truly do not know what he plans to do." He admitted.
"Why would you let him take over your forces?" The red Skylander asked. "And why did you go to face off with Spyro on your own? That seems like a really bad move." He stated.
"I assessed that Spyro," Unulus responded, saying the purple dragons name with a mix of spite and respect. "Would be too much of a threat to the Legion; so, I resolved to eliminate him. However, since I had just come from a skirmish with your other, non-draconic Skylanders," Unulus continued, bitterly remembering the strange team of Skylanders that attacked him at his meeting with Muno. "I wanted to keep as many of my kin away from the danger this battle would pose."
Then, Unulus let out a long, low sigh, lowering his gaze from the wall to the floor. "I just hope he can protect them now." Unulus added in a lower tone, more for himself than for the Skylanders.
"What is that supposed to mean?" The red Skylander asked, sounding entitled and making Unulus hiss in frustration. "You are the bad guys, you're the last people who needs protection."
"Everyone needs protection," Unulus growled, clenching his sharp fists. "From those who don't understand them. Because when someone doesn't understand something, they fear it. And when you-" He hissed loathingly, finally turning around and looking at the Skylanders. "-When you fear something, you scorn it, you cast it out and step all over it." He accused, glaring at the Skylanders, causing them both to take a step back from Unulus' cell and tense up.
"But it matters not," Unulus picked up, his voice losing its power. "The wrongs of old will always haunt my kind," He said, lowering his gaze again, looking at the palms of his hands. "Regardless of how much we regret them." He finished somberly, turning back around to face the wall.
"I believe this has been a truly excellent welcome to your prison, gentlemen," Unulus said flatly. "Is there anything else?" He asked in a tiered tone.
There was silence for a moment, and then for another. Then, after hearing a low sigh come from behind him, Unulus heard two sets of footsteps slowly walk away, leaving him be. After a few moments, the sound of gears turning and of a heavy iron door slamming shut echoed through the hall, indicating that the Skylanders had left.
Then, there was silence and Unulus was allowed to be left in peace. The glittering, golden light of the room mad Unulus' eye hurt, making him squint and lower his gaze to the floor.
The cyclop the let out a low sigh and slowly closed his eye. "Muno," He called his comrades name. "Please, be the leader they need you to be." He pleaded, hoping beyond hope to be heard. "Succeed where I have failed."
Stealth Elf was waiting at the Academy Infirmary. The she-elf was leaning against the wall of the building's entrance, arms crossed and tapping her foot. The sky above Stealth Elf was clear blue, the day was sunny and the sound of birds chirping nearby made her feel relaxed while she waited. She hummed to herself quietly, smiling a small, pleasant smile as she saw her fellow Skylanders going about their day nearby.
Stealth Elf was waiting for her friend Jet-Vac, to be healed from a nasty injury he had received recently. The senior Skylander had been shot by some Cyclop named Muno, a high-ranking cyclop who was second-in-command to Unulus, and who could fire powerful lasers from his eye.
However, Stealth Elf was not particularly concerned about the whole thing. Not only had Jet-Vac been brought to medical aid in time, according to what Master Eon had told her and her friends, Unulus had been captured and sent to Cloudcracker Prison, right where he was meant to be. She had also been told that it was none other than her favorite purple dragon, Spyro, who had made this happen.
Stealth Elf then picked up on something, a strange sound. Her long ears moved upwards slightly as she heard footsteps approaching her, coming from the inside of the nursery.
In just a couple of seconds, Stealth Elf saw the blue doors of the infirmary open beside her. From within these doors, came an elderly, avian Skylander, sporting a wide, energetic smile.
"Hey, JV." Stealth Elf greeted mellowly.
Jet-Vac quickly turned to his right, to where Stealth Elf was. His smile widened when he laid eyes on his friend. "Hello, lass," He began, giving Stealth Elf a small wave. "How have you been?"
"I think I should be the one asking you that," Stealth Elf stated. "You were shot, remember?" She reminded her friend, giving him a serious glare.
"Oh please!" Jet-Vac exclaimed, waving away Stealth Elf's concern. "It would take much more than a little laser to take this Skylander down." He stated proudly, pointing at himself with his thumb.
"Riiiight," Stealth Elf sighed, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, If you really are feeling better," Stealth Elf picked up. "We should head over to talk to Master Eon and Kaossandra. We still have a job to do."
"You're quite right," Jet-Vac agreed. "However, I must say," Jet-Vac paused, looking over to the horizon as he scratched his chin. "I do believe it's been awhile since I've seen Spyro." He stated, suddenly reminding Stealth Elf herself of that fact. "I wonder how the young chap is doing."
"I'm sure he's fine," Stealth Elf said, trying her best to sound reassuring. "I just imagine he's pretty busy. Training six dragons can't be an easy thing to do." She sighed.
The she-elf couldn't help but feel a little down. She hadn't had a chance to even say hello to her friend in a while now. In between then having to deal with the One-Eyed Legion and Spyro having to handle a whole new team of Skylander trainees, the old group of friends hadn't had a chance to catch up with one another.
"I know it's a downer," Jet-Vac picked up, putting a hand on Stealth Elf's shoulder. "Things have taken a sort of turn for the strange as of late, but I'm sure we'll get back on track eventually." He promised, patting Stealth Elf's Shoulder softly.
At that, Stealth Elf let out a small smile. "Thanks Jet-Vac," She replied. "We should get moving now. The headmasters will be waiting for us."
"You're right, we should get going," Jet-Vac agreed. "Wouldn't want to get back on duty on a low note!" He said, stretching his arms, trying to look cool.
"Yeah," Stealth Elf replied with a small giggle. "You do that JV." She said, before tapping her friend on the shoulder and walking a few steps away.
When Stealth Elf turned around, she gave her friend a mischievous wink and wave and waited just long enough to see Jet-Vac's eyes widen with realisation, creating a priceless expression just seconds before Stealth Elf teleported away.
Stealth Elf was in the Academy common room, waiting for her friends. Eon and Kaossandra were not in the room right now, so Stealth Elf guessed they were in the Relics Room, discussing something of importance.
Stealth Elf's thoughts were interrupted when the sound of the Academy gates being swung open filled the room. At this, the she-elf turned her head toward the entrance to the room. There, she saw many familiar faces. Her friends, Pop Fizz, Eruptor and Jet-Vac were just arriving.
"Hey Elfy!" Eruptor greeted, giving Stealth Elf a wave. "What's up?" He asked, taking a look around the room.
"Nothing much," Stealth Elf responded with a smile. "Just waiting on you guys."
"Well," Pop Fizz stepped in. "You wouldn't have to wait so much if you just walked with us instead of teleporting around and leaving us behind." The blue gremling mocked.
"Amen to that." Jet-Vac said, patting Pop Fizz on the back and giving Stealth Elf a short glare, expressing his distaste for Stealth Elf's prank a while ago. However, the senior Skylander's gaze softened and before long, he rolled his eyes as a small chuckle escaped his throat.
Before the Skylanders could continue their conversation, the loud sound of heavy bookcases sliding through the floor, indicating the vault to the Relics Room had been opened.
In response to this, Stealth Elf and the Skylanders focused their attention on the common room balcony. There, they saw Kaossandra and Eon, standing over them.
"Hello everyone," Kaossandra began in a friendly tone. She then focused on Jet-Vac, giving the senior Skylander a slightly worried glance. "Jet-Vac, are you feeling alright?" She asked.
"I am, Kaossandra," Jet-Vac answered steadily. "And I'm ready for anything you can throw at me." He stated with a confident smile.
"Well, if that is the case, old friend," Eon started up. "I believe we do have quite an important matter for you all to tend to." He stated making the Skylanders focus.
"As you know," Kaossandra picked up. "The One-Eyed Legion is still at large. Despite Unulus being caught and sent to Cloudcracker Prison, their faction is still operational."
"It appears," Master Eon continued. "That the cyclop called Muno, is in charge of things now. As long as these creatures have a leader to rally to, they will continue to be a threat."
"But, we have good news," Kaossandra interjected, making the Skylanders listen eagerly to the sorceress' words. "We have received reports of the One-Eyed Legion's whereabouts. The coordinates for their general location have been provided to us by an ally of ours." She explained, making Stealth Elf wonder who this ally could be.
Kaossandra continued speaking however, making Stealth Elf focus. "This means that if you are all up to the task, we could finally put an end to their chapter on the Skylands." She said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving the Skylanders a severe look.
"Heroes," Master Eon spoke up. "Are you all ready to embark on this mission and face it's many dangers?" He asked in his dramatic voice, stretching one of his arms in front of him in a theatrical fashion.
"You bet we are!" Eruptor exclaimed energetically. "I can't wait to give those punks a good bruising after shooting my friend!" He declared, slamming his fists together.
"You can count on us," Stealth Elf stated. "We won't let these guys get away anymore." She promised, determined to make her words come true.
"I know you will," Kaossandra said softly, focusing a warm gaze on Stealth Elf. "You go and show them, dear."
At that, Stealth Elf's felt herself smile. She was happy Kaossandra still thought highly of her, even after all this time. She then gave Kaossandra a firm nod, which cued the sorceress to do a small head bow.
"Alright everyone!" Jet-Vac began. "Let's get going, we have cyclops to stop!"
"Yeah!" The Skylanders cheered in unison, ready for their next mission.
Stealth Elf was standing around her friends at the Academy Portal Gates. They were waiting for Sprocket to hand them their Relay Badges. The bronze-skinned Skylander walked up to the group of friends with a small copper box, which she then opened, revealing the small, circular, dual-colored devices within.
"You guys are off to put a stop that Muno guy, right?" Sprocket asked while the Skylanders each grabbed a Relay Badge and placed it over their chest.
"Yeah, that's the idea, Sprocket," Eruptor responded as he placed his badge onto place, causing the blue rim to glow faintly against his chest.
"I was told the coordinates for your mission by the headmistress," Sprocket stated, making the Skylanders listen eagerly. "So, if you're ready-" She gestured at the portal Gates platform while she stepped toward the large monitor to the Skylanders' right. "-I'd imagine you have quite a lot of bad guys to catch." She said as she started pressing buttons on the monitor and putting focus on it's screens.
Stealth Elf then walked onto the platform, soon followed by her friends. Then, after a short wait, Stealth Elf's world was overtaken by a pure, white light. She felt a sensation similar to what she experienced when she teleported, only bigger somehow. She felt like she was skydiving, even though she was standing still.
After a few moments, Stealth Elf felt herself touch down on solid ground once again. She turned her head around, her eyes slowly adjusting to her new surroundings. However, Stealth Elf quickly furrowed her brow in confusion.
Even though she felt herself land after being transported through the Skylands by Sprocket, her vision was still pure, bright whiteness. As her eyes focused further, Stealth Elf managed to notice that she had indeed been brought to a diferent location by the Portal Gates, it was just covered in pristine, stark-white snow.
Stealth Elf was about to call out for her friends, but was stopped when a strong wind blew over her. The air current was cold enough to convince Stealth Elf winter had suddenly dropped over her. It made her start shivering and almost instinctively wrap her arms around herself and haunch over.
"By the Skylands!" A familiar voice exclaimed behind Stealth Elf. "It's freezing around here!"
"Jet-Vac?" Stealth Elf called at the sound of her friend's voice.
"Stealth Elf?" The senior Skylander responded.
"Pop Fizz!" The blue gremlin energetically shouted his own name out of nowhere.
"Eruptor?" The magma Skylander finished the terrible joke with a confused note.
Stealth Elf then turned around to see her friends, all shivering and hugging themselves. All except for Eruptor who had a confused expression on his face as he looked awkwardly around, one of his eyebrows curved upward.
"G-Guys, where are we?" Stealth Elf asked, trying to speak steadily through the cold. "Is this were the Legion was sighted?" She wondered
"Well, it's cold and far away," Jet-Vac started up, taking a look around. "I'm not sure I know."
"Well, I do, fellas!" A new voice shouted from the distance.
Stealth Elf's face lit up and her eyes widened. She remembered that voice, it's thick scottish accent and energetic tone were unmistakable. With a smile steadily spreading through her lips, Stealth Elf turned back around, to the source of her old friend's voice.
After this, Stealth Elf looked up to see a blue she-elf, sporting iron armor and waving cheerfully at her and the Skylanders.
"Avril!" Stealth Elf called her friend's name as she waved back, the cold surrounding her slightly diminishing.
"Hello my friends!" Avril greeted back. "It's good to see you back around here!" She said, slowly descending the snow-covered hill she was on.
"Well," Stealth Elf began, slowly composing herself and standing up right. "We did promise to come visit." She said, remembering the promise she had made last time she had seen her friend.
"Ah, it's so good to see you all!" Avril cheered as she rushed over and bear hugged Stealth Elf, making her let out a strained breath from the tight embrace.
Before Stealth Elf could hug back, Avril let go and proceeded to hug Pop Fizz, then Eruptor and then finally Jet-Vac. When the she-elf hugged the senior Skylander, a strange crackling noise came from his back, accompanied by a small, bird-like yelp.
Afterwards, Avril looked around for a second, almost as if she was looking for someone. She then turned around and looked at Stealth Elf. "Oi, where's your friend? That, Spyro fella?" She asked, waiting patiently for an answer.
At that, Stealth Elf felt a bit of the cold around her creep back in. Her eyes drooped slightly and her smile wavered as she was reminded of the fact her friend was not around.
Avril seemed to notice this, and looked like she wanted to speak once again, however, she was cut off by Jet-Vac. "Spyro's busy right now. He has a bit of a personal assignment to tend to while we handle things over here." He explained.
"Oh, I see." Avril sighed. "Shame, I liked the guy. Anyway, I suppose you lot will probably want to get somewhere warmer, right?" She asked, nudging Stealth Elf's shoulder.
"That would be great Avril," Stealth Elf said with a smile. "Besides, we have a lot of work to do." She said, her assignment clear in her mind.
"Alright," Jet-Vac began, letting out a sight as he rested his weight on the wooden table he was looming over. "Tell me the whole thing again, just a little slower, please?" He pleaded, lifting his head to look at Avril.
The senior Skylander and his companions had been taken to Winter Keep by Avril. The frost elf had gathered them all in the main hall of Winter Keep bastion and made them stand around a large, ancient-looking map of the region they were in.
Avril let out an exasperated sigh before she began repeating herself. "Look, our scouts said they saw cyclops returning to this area," She began, gesturing at the map. "Our best chance at finding Muno and his goons is their Great Hall," She stated, pointing at an area on the map. "It's not that far away from here and I believe a large building decorated with animal skins can't be too hard to find." She said as she tapped her finger over the map.
"Can we expect any backup from the frost elf guard?" Stealth Elf asked suddenly, leaning into the table.
"Unfortunately," Avril began in a down note. "We have a bit of a problem. Ever since mister purple eye sacs-" Avril spoke in a mocking tone, naming who Jet-Vac assumed was Cyrus. "-Blew a hole on our outer wall and had an army of cyclops gift half out troops a full set of casts, we've been a bit…" She paused, considering her words. "Restricted, in our ability to scout the area. So, I'd say the best you guys can get in the ways of backup is little ol' me." She said, gesturing proudly at herself.
"I think that's more than enough," Stealth Elf said with a chuckle.
Jet-Vac then saw the two elves exchange a friendly fist bump and respectful nods.
"Alright then," Eruptor spoke up. "So the plan is; we go to their Great Hall place, beat everyone up and take this Muno guy back to Cloudcracker prison, right?" He asked, glancing between Jet-Vac, Avril and Stealth Elf.
"Yes Eruptor," Stealth Elf began. "That's the plan." She sighed.
"Allright, no doubts from me," Eruptor said merily. "Just point me to where the fighting is and I'll do my part." He said in a relaxed tone as he picked up a nearby chair and leaned down on it, smiling cockily.
"Riiight," Jet-Vac began, glancing from Eruptor to Avril. "Well Avril, I imagine you've kind of been dealing with these one-eyed hooligans for quite a bit longer than us," He stated, causing Avril to focus on him. "Any advice?" He asked.
Avril took a minute. She glanced away and held her chin, as if she was thinking. "I don't think I've met this Muno character," She began, scratching her chin a little faster. "But. If he's one of those spell caster ones, the ones with the big magnifying glasses?" She paused, waving an imaginary magnifying glass in front of her face, as well as jogging Jet-Vac's memory about the robbed enemies. "Then my personal recommendation, is that you guys smash those things. They can't focus their fire otherwise." She explained.
"Huh, why didn't we think of that?" Pop Fizz asked, scratching his head.
"Because," Avril began. "You lot, haven't been fighting these punks for longer than a month." She said proudly. "Anyway, if we're really going to do this, we should get moving now. If you think this place is cold now, you don't want to get caught oth here at night." She warned.
"We'll take your word on that," Jet-Vac said, just the idea of this place being any colder sending chills down his neck. "So, everyone?" He picked up, looking at his teammates. "Are we ready for this!?" He asked, trying to get his friends into the mood.
"You bet we are JV!" Eruptor stated boldly, slamming his frists together.
"We're ready." Stealth Elf stated confidently, pulling up her bandana and giving Jet-Vac a steady nod.
"I'll be ready when someone gets me a coat," Pop Fizz said. "That cold out there is not good for my health." He stated as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
Everyone in the room let out a collective groan at the blue gremlin's lack of cooperation.
"I'll get you a coat," Avril promised. "But, again, we really need to get moving. You guys are gonna have a really bad time around here if nighttime catches you." She warned, giving the Skylanders a serious look.
"Alright then, Avril," Jet-Vac began, speaking steadily. "Let's do this."
But, before anything else could be heard, the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat echoed through the room, making Jet-Vac release a low, tired sigh. "After we get Pop Fizz' coat." He finished in a defeated tone.
Stealth Elf walked beside Avril, followed closely by her fellow Skylanders as the group traversed the snow-covered terrain that surrounded Winter Keep.
Avril had been leading them through the region in a steady, certain trail. Despite the frost elf not having brought a map, she led the Skylanders with unhesitant drive. It was almost as if she knew the place like the back of her hand, and her confidence made it so that Stealth Elf couldn't bring herself to question her.
The others however, weren't so inspired. "How much longeeeer?" Pop Fizz, who was in a large, fuzzy brown winter coat, complained loudly as he dragged his arms through the snow behind him.
"My legs are getting sore." Eruptor groaned. "Are we there yet?"
"We're almost there, friends," Avril responded, keeping her eyes forward. "It should be through that valley." She stated as she pointed forward.
At that, Stealth Elf came to a stop and looked to where Avril was pointing. She saw a large clearing between two large hills which were covered in ice. Across this clearing, Stealth Elf saw a large, brown construct standing above another hill, undamaged by the snow and wind.
"Is that their Main Hall?" Stealth Elf asked, keeping her eyes on the structure.
"Yup, that's the one." Avril confirmed. "But, something's off." She said in a strange tone.
That made Stealth Elf feel a little concerned. "What's wrong, Avril?"
"There's no one standing guard," Avril stated. "And the place looks abandoned." She added.
The group then proceeded, slowly entering the clearing just before the Main Hall. Just like Avril had said, there was not a single guard in sight, and now that Stealth Elf was closer to the Main Hall, she could tell there was actually a decent amount of wear and tear on the wooden, fur-covered external walls of the building. She guessed it must have been from long-term neglect.
The building had a large wooden door, which was decorated with an intricate, red ink pattern that resembled a huge eye. The wood and ink were rotting and the door was hanging slightly ajar, allowing Stealth Elf to get a miniscule peek at the inside of the building.
Avril then suddenly rushed up the hill and came to a stop just before the wooden gates of the building.
"Avril!" Jet-Vac hissed. "Be careful!"
Stealth Elf felt a little worried about her friend's lack of hesitation in this situation. For all they knew, this could be a trap. Avril however, continued to very slowly push the wooden gate open and then peeked inside. The frost elf the pulled her head back out, not a scratch on her. Avril then waved everyone to come closer, apparently the coast was clear.
Stealth Elf and the others walked up to the hill, keeping their eyes on the wooden door. Stealth Elf was a little put off by how dark the inside of the Main Hall was. The only light that reached the empty space within, was the one that came from the opened door.
"Are we really going in there?" Pop Fizz asked shakily. "That's really dark."
"Don't worry my friend!" Jet-Vac began suddenly. "My vac gun had a flashlight function integrated into it." He stated proudly as he began pushing buttons on his weapon.
"Of course it does." Eruptor whispered as he rolled his eyes behind Jet-Vac.
After a few seconds, Jet-Vac's weapon ejected a small lightbulb from it's barril. The lightbulb then began emitting a bright yellowish light, which Jet-Vac shone at the dark interior of the Main Hall.
"Well then," Avril spoke up. "I guess we'll be following you, friend." She said as she nudged Jet-Vac to enter step through the wooden gates
At that, Jet-Vac just stared blankly at the darkes inside the Main Hall. Then, with no warning other than a small twitch of fear from the senior Skylander, a small blue egg drop from between Jet-Vacs legs, rolling away down the snowy hill.
"A-Alright everyone," Jet-Vac started, trying his hardest to steady his voice. "Let's do this thing." He said, swallowing hard before kicking the wooden door open and stepping inside.
Stealth Elf the saw as Avril, Eruptor and Pop Fizz followed Jet-Vac inside, slowly walking behind the senior Skylander.
Stealth Elf then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then flung her eyes open and drew her daggers, spinning them in her hands before tightening her grip around them and going in after her friends.
As Stealth Elf entered the Main Hall, and joined her friends, she was faced with a single large open room. Ih here, the faint blue light that came from the Skylanders' Really Badges The darkness made it difficult to properly see any details, and the ones Stealth Elf did manage to see weren't very pleasant.
Strung up on the walls of the room were several tusks, skins skulls of large beasts, placed in such a way that made them seem like trophies. However, the light from the open door behind Stealth Elf and the faint glow of Jet-Vac's flashlight made the decorations look exceptionally macabre. All it took was the sight of what to Stealth Elf looked like a pile of cyclop skulls, to make the elven Skylander shiver and try sticking closer to her friends.
"There should be some braziers or something around here," Avril's voice echoed through the hall. "Oi, maybe that fancy vacuum cleaner of your can light them up?" Avril asked Jet-Vac.
"No, sorry," Jet-Vac replied. "I don't have a lighter in this old thing." He stated, shaking his vac gun slightly.
"Well, there don't seem to be any cyclops in here," Eruptor began. "Are you sure this is where we're supposed to be looking?"
"If they returned to the area," Avril began. "Then they must be in here somewhere." She stated. "Keep looking, there might be some sort of secret room or something." She suggested.
At that, the Skylanders kept moving through the dark hall, following Jet-Vac's light. After a few moments however, they reached the end of the hall. There, between two large metal braziers and elevated off the ground by a few stone steps, was what looked like a throne.
It was made of dark, grey carved stone and had the tusks and skulls of large beasts decorating it's sides. A thick, rather comfortable-looking rug of animal fur covered the seat and armrests of the throne, making it look worthy of some sort of barbarian king.
"Cool chair." Pop Fizz said as he made his way over to the stone throne. The blue gremlin then sat down on the grimm throne, leaning back into the oversized seat and getting comfortable.
"I guess that means there is no one here," Eruptor said, flinging his arms in the air. "Now we're going to have to go wander in the snow again!" He complained.
"This is really strange," Avril whispered. "They should have come back here. This is kind of like their home." She said, holding her chin in thought.
"Oh boy, this is kind of disappointing," Jet-Vac said in a down tone. "I was looking forward to putting those one-eyed villains behind bars." He admitted, lowering his arms.
Stealth Elf couldn't help but also feel disappointed. She really wanted to put a stop to the One-Eyed Legion, since they had been such a constant thorn on everyone's side. As she came to terms with the fact they were just going to have to try again, Stealth Elf lowered her had, looking down in disappointment.
But, as Stealth Elf lowered her gaze, something caught her eye. Because of Jet-Vac lowering his arms, his flashlight's glow was hitting the throne at a different angle, closer to its base. As she squinted her eyes and leaned in closer, Stealth Elf noticed that there was something unusual about the floor around the throne.
"Guys?" She called, stepping closer to the floor near the throne's right side.
"Yeah, Elf? What is it?" Jet-Vac asked, sounding slightly confused.
Stealth Elf kneeled down and with the light coming from Jet-Vac's flashlight, she was able to see several wavy, irregular horizontal lines, scratched onto the floor, stretching a few feet from the base of the throne's right side. As she traced her fingers over the cold stone, letting her feel the small gashes made by the scratches, Stealth Elf figured out something.
"We have to push this thing." She stated simply, standing on her feet.
"What?" Jet-Vac asked in a confused tone.
"Look here," Stealth Elf instructed, pointing at the scratch marks on the floor. "I think this thing slides to the side and leads down somewhere!"
"I think she's onto something!" Avril stated, brightening up suddenly. "C'mon everyone-" She picked up, rushing to the throne's left side, where she started grunting and pushing. "Let's do this!"
"Alright!" Stealth Elf agreed as she walked over to her friend and leaned into the throne, pressing her hands against its surface and pushing.
However, despite her and Avril struggling, the large stone structure didn't seem to budge. At this, Stealth Elf noticed how Jet-Vac and Eruptor quickly rushed over and also began pushing, groaning loudly from the strain.
"How heavy is this thing!?" Eruptor demanded in a strained voice.
"I wouldn't know," Pop Fizz voice suddenly answered. "But I can tell you how comfortable it is." He suggested, sounding relaxed.
The blue gremlin had remained sat down on the throne, comfy in his warm brown coat even after Stealth Elf and the rest had began struggling to move it. This caused everyone to angrily call the lazy Skylander's name in unison.
"Alright, alright, jeez!" Pop Fizz soothed, putting his arms up before getting on his feet and getting off the throne to help his friends.
After everyone put their backs into it, Stealth Elf felt the large stone throne shift. After a couple of final grunts of effort, the throne slid to the right, giving the skylanders time to let out relieved sighs and catch their breath.
As Stealth Elf put her hands on her knees and leaned forward, she looked down to where the throne previously was. There, she saw a square trapdoor, made of wood and iron. It had a rusty black handle and was wide enough for at least two of the Skylanders to descend at the same time.
"Well, I think we found that secret room I was talking about." Avril cheered, stretching out her hand to grab the black handle.
"Yeah, that we did." Jet-Vac said, shining the light from his vac gun over the trapdoor.
After a strong pull, Avril lifted the trapdoor open, revealing a gloomy, dusty stairway that descended into an unknown darkness beneath the Main Hall. Upon closer inspection however, Stealth Elf noticed a couple of things, vage details that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
Vaguely printed on the dust of the ancient steps, were footprints. Someone had been here before them, and they were here recently.
"Someone is down there," Avril said in a severe tone.
"Well that's kind of why we're here, isn't it?" Eruptor asked. "Who wants to go in first?" He dared, taking a peek at the dark stairway.
"I'll go first." Jet-Vac stated, taking a step forward and looking down at the stairway and shining his flashlight down it's steps. After a short pause and a long exhale of breath, Jet-Vac straightened his posture and proceeded to take the first step down the stairway, and then the next and the next.
Without thinking twice, Stealth Elf went to follow her friend, taking the dusty steps down to meet him. She then heard as the rest of her companions followed after her, making her turn her head around, confirming they were all indeed following her.
They all moved slowly, keeping so quiet Stealth Elf could hear her blood in her ears. The light from Jet-Vac's flashlight was bright enough to let him traverse the dark stairway without much trouble, however, it left the path behind him in complete darkness. This made the glowing rim of the Relay Badges on Stealth Elf and the Skylander' chests, shine like bright rings of an electric blue hue. It also made it so that Stealth Elf missed a couple of cobwebs that got caught in her long ears, causing her to groan and brush them off her head violently.
However, after what felt like a whole minute, Stealth Elf heard something that compelled her to come to a sudden stop. "Everyone," Jet-Vac called in a hoarse whisper, suddenly coming to a stop in front o f Stealth Elf. "Hold on a second."
"What is it JV?" Stealth Elf asked in a low tone, weary of the senior Skylander's behaviour.
"There's a door to another room up ahead," Jet-Vac stated. "And there is light coming from the other side." He warned.
After hearing this, Stealth Elf couldn't help an urge to peek ahead of her friend. She stood on the tips of her toes and leaned a bit to her left, managing to get a look at what was in front of Jet-Vac. A couple of meters away from where she was standing, illuminated by Jet-Vac's flashlight, Stealth Elf saw the outline of an ancient-looking stone door.
Had it not been by the gloomy air that surrounded it, as well as the sheet of sust that laid over its surface, the door would have looked quite splendid. It was a large, double gate, which had bronze carvings of cyclop warriors, clad in thorned armor and wielding jagged axes. Their eyes were made up of large, green jews, that shimmered weakly under the light cast onto them by Jet-Vac.
However, after a few moments of contemplation, Stealth Elf drew her attention from the door's decoration, to more important details. Just as Jet-Vac had said, there was light coming from the other side, indicated by the thin lines of bright orange neon that leaked out of the door's outline.
"Alright everyone," Avril spoke up, making Stealth Elf turn around to face her. "Chances are there will be a great many cyclops through that door." She stated. "Are you all ready for a big brawl?" She asked, sounding more daring and bold rather than supportive.
"You bet we are!" Eruptor hissed, lifting one of his fists for Avril to bump.
"That's what I like to hear!" Avril whispered, bumping Eruptor's first energetically. "Alright!" She picked up turning her focus toward Stealth Elf and Jet-Vac, still speaking in a hushed tone. "Whenever you are ready friends!" She finished, giving Stealth Elf a thumbs up.
At that, Stealth Elf pulled up her bandana and drew her daggers, gave Avril a firm nod and turned over to Jet-Vac. "Let's go."
"Alright," Jet-Vac responded as he began walking over to the door, allowing Stealth Elf and the rest to follow. When Jet-Vac stood in front of the stone door, he switched his vac gun from flashlight, to his usual weapon configuration by twisting a red dial on the side of the tool's barril. After this, Jet-Vac turned his head back and gave Stealth Elf and the rest a serious look. "Everyone ready?" He asked, lifting his vac gun.
Jet-Vac then received a firm nod of confirmation from each of his companions, including Stealth Elf.
"Very well then," Jet-Vac began, cracking a smile. "Let's go!" He shouted, turning around and kicking the large stone doors open.
After this, Jet-Vac ran into the new room holding his weapon tightly. He was promptly followed inside by Avril, Pop Fizz and Eruptor, who were all letting out loud battle cries.
So, without a moment's hesitation, Stealth Elf followed her friend's example. After focusing briefly, Stealth Elf teleported, appearing in a flash of green mist beside her friends inside the new room, daggers out and in battle pose.
However, a few seconds passed and Stealth Elf noticed a couple of things. The first was, that her louder friends, had abruptly stopped their battle cries and were now in an awkward silence. The second thing she noticed was that, to her surprise, neither she, nor her friends were being attacked, by cyclops or otherwise.
"Uhhh, guys?" Pop Fizz began. "Where are the bad guys?" He asked, sounding genuinely confused.
Stealth Elf was wondering the same thing. As she relaxed her posture, she scanned the room they were in. Once she focused on her surroundings, Stealth Elf couldn't help but let out a small wow.
The room was a massive, cavernous opening, very roughly circular. The walls and ceiling were pristine bedrock, which made the room feel even more like an actual cavern. However, on the floor of the room, were two rows of large, dark metal braziers. The metallic bowls contained blazing orange flames, that showered the room with heat, and made the shadows on the walls dance around the Skylanders.
But despite all this, what called Stealth Elf's attention the most, was what lay at the edge of the huge room across from her and her friends.
It was the statue of a massive cyclop head, carved right out of the cavern's stone, roaring menacingly at the Skylanders. It's bulging, stone eye, which seemed to stare right through Stealth Elf, the jagged horns on the sides of its head, and the fact all of the statues fierce features were brought to life by the shifting orange light and shadows of the braziers beneath it, made Stealth Elf sweat a tiny drop of sweat and take a step back.
However, the most disturbing thing about the statue, was the fact that, out of its fanged mouth, a large purple crystal descended, making it seem like the stone cyclop was spewing the crystal out of its roaring mouth. The huge gem, shone and glimmered sinisterly, emanating a sinister air that made Stealth Elf feel goosebumps around it.
"Well, that's welcoming," Avril chuckled nervously behind Stealth Elf.
Stealth Elf had to agree, the stone structure, in this ambience was rather intimidating. She felt a sense of unease as the massive, stone-cold eye of the humongous statue loomed over her.
"Yeah, that's one big cyclop," Pop Fizz spoke up. "A lot bigger than that other one." He added.
At that, Stealth Elf snapped into focus, her ears shooting up. "What do you mean, that other one?" She asked, suddenly very on edge.
"I believe he's talking about me." A new voice answered, echoing through the large room.
At that, Stealth Elf instinctively tensed up and held her daggers tight. She heard her friends shift and get into battle pose around her. She heard Eruptor growl, Jet-Vac draw his vac gun and Avril shift her stance, all in reaction to the stranger's voice.
Stealth Elf focused, searching the room for the source of the stranger's voice. She quickly located her target when she spotted a figure, sitting down on the smooth floor, more than a couple of metres away.
The figure was facing toward the giant cyclop statue, turning their back to the Skylanders. The figure's silence and stillness, coupled with the much more eye-catching giant statue, had made Stealth Elf miss it completely when she first scanned the room.
However, now that she was focused on it, she managed to get a couple of details. The figure was wearing a long, red and gold, hooded cloak. She also noticed that it was wearing a dark brown belt, from which two, large magnifying glasses hung down.
"Heya, Skyguys," The figure spoke again. "How's it been?" He asked in a honeyed voice.
After Stealth Elf heard the figure speak once again, all the information she had just gathered clicked into place in her mind. "Muno," She called, remembering the green-skinned cyclop's name. "What are you doing here?" She demanded, keeping her daggers and her guard up.
"I mean," Muno began, still looking away from the Skylanders. "This is our home. I should be the one asking you what you're doing here." He retorted calmly.
"We're here to apprehend you," Jet-Vac spoke up. "We're here to stop you and put an end to the One-Eyed Legion!" He declared heroically.
At that, there was silence. Muno took a moment to respond, followed by another. The cyclop's science struck Stealth Elf as quite suspicious. She narrowed her eyes and kept focused on Muno, ready to react should he try anything.
But, what happened next, made Stealth Elf furrowed her brow in confusion. Muno let out a laugh. His dry, mirthless chuckle echoed through the cavern, lasting more than a moment.
After he composed himself from his outburst of laughter, Muno spoke up. "The One-Eye Legion is done, my friend," He stated dryly. "You got us!" He added in a mocking tone while her shook his hands in fake celebration.
Stealth Elf was taken back by this, she shook her head and tried processing the word Muno had just said. "The One-Eyed Legion is-"
"Done!" Muno cut her off loudly. "Over, finished, terminated," He said bitterly. "It's a funny story actually, because see, I was supposed to keep us all together." He said, pointing at himself with his thumb. "But, as you would know, not just anybody can just boss the One-Eyed Legion around. The Legion needs a leader!" Muno stated in a strangled voice. "Someone who is strong, who is brave, who knows how to speak to the hearts of the people! Someone who commands respect!" He shouted desperately, slamming one of his fists on the rock floor beside him.
The impact made Stealth Elf get back on guard, weary of the cyclop in front of her. However, Muno was hunched over, still facing away from the Skylanders. His arms were slouched over and he seemed tired.
"And apparently," Muno picked up, speaking in a sad, low tone. "I'm none of those things. No one wanted to follow me after Unulus was captured. They all went their separate ways, giving up." He said with a low sigh. "I think a couple of them wanted to become painters or something… not that it matters much, I guess." He finished somberly.
Stealth Elf was speechless. She slowly lowered her arms, and slightly softened her expression. She had truly not expected the One-Eyed LEgion to disband so easily. She didn't know how to feel. She wanted the Legion gone, she just never imagined it would be gone this way. It didn't exactly feel, satisfying, much less heroic.
"But then why did you come here?" Avril asked suddenly. "We saw you lot gather and head back here. If no one stuck arrond, why did you? You must have known we'd come and check this place." She interrogated.
"Yeah, you know?" Muno started up. "About all that, I'm actually a bit happy you are all here." He said, suddenly speaking with a smidge of resolve, which made Stealth Elf narrow her eyes suspiciously.
"Why is that?" Jet-Vac asked carefully.
"You see," Muno began in a narrator-like tone. "A cyclop usually becomes a chieftain, by earning the people's respect," He explained. "This usually happens through great deeds, like, say, slaying a Fire Viper, or ten gear golems, or inventing icicle cannons," He listed.
"Then, to consolidate the right of leadership," Muno continued, lifting his head to look at the large purple crystal coming out of the cyclop statue's mouth. "The new chieftain is bestowed with a bit of Polyphemus' Blood." He said, pointing up at the cyclop statue. "It was said, that with the power of the fist cyclop, the chieftains would become strong enough to protect their people, for a great purpose had been given to them."
Stealth Elf looked up at the statue, focusing on the sinister purple crystal. She was surprised by how little she knew about cyclops or their culture. Then, her eyes went wide with realisation as a though shaped itself in her head while she remembered previous information and pieced it together with what she had just learned.
"So, Enumat and Unulus," Stealth Elf spoke the two chieftains' names as diferent thoughts came into her mind. "They had this, Blood of Polyphemus thing, right? That's why they were so much stronger that the other cyclops, and why the looked… like that?" She wondered.
"You're very correct," Muno confirmed. "They earned their position as leaders, which is part of the reason I could never be their leader." He added in a down tone. "Which is why I was actually hoping to bring you guys here!" He stated, in a voice that sounded like he was forcing himself to cheer up.
"Why did you bring us here?" Jet-Vac asked, sounding concerned as he steadily aimed his vac gun at Muno.
"Well, as I was saying," Muno picked up. "Chieftains usually get the Blood of Polyphemus after, doing a great deed," He repeated. "But, you know-" He continued, standing up suddenly and making the Skylanders flinch. "-I think, we can afford to do things a tiny bit out of order this time." He said maliciously as he turned around and finally faced the Skylanders.
Muno was holding a roughly twelve-inch long purple crystal in one hand. The shimmering rock was sharp and pointy, not to mention pulsing unsettlingly. The pattern at which the purple crystal glowed bright and darkened up seemed to be emulating a heartbeat, almost as if the crystal itself was alive.
"What I was thinking," Muno picked up suddenly. "Is, I use this-" He said, lifting the purple crystal to eye level and shaking it slowly. "-Kill you all-" He added, pointing at Avril and the Skylanders with his free hand. "-And then parade your heads through the Skylands. That ought to count for a great deed right?" He asked derisively, shrugging exaggeratedly.
"Muno," Stealth Elf called, drawing the cyclop's attention to her. "You don't have to do this." She said, trying to sound calm. However, the fact she was getting back into battle pose and holding her daggers so tight her fingers hurt, might have dampered the effect.
Muno just stared at her in silence, unmoving. Then, he spoke in a weak, tired voice. "Yeah I do," He replied. "He trusted me to do it." He said simply.
Then, Stealth Elf saw as Muno quickly grab the crystal with both hands, raise it over his head and close his eye tightly shut, as if he was bracing himself for something. Then, before anyone could react, the cyclop swung down the sharp rock, burying it through his chest. This made a gross, wet sound echo through the room, followed by a breathless gasp from Muno.
Stealth Elf let out an astounded gasp when she saw, Muno crumble down to his knees, still clutching the crystal tightly. She saw the cyclop's bulging eye wide and dilated.
Stealth Elf was about to reach over to try and help, but something made her reconsider. Muno was catching fire.
An unnatural, dark purple flame was spreading through the cyclop's body, originating from where he had stabbed himself with the crystal. As the purple flames passed through his body, they caused him to bend back and squirm violently as he let out a horrible howl of agony, which echoed through the room, resonating horribly and making Stealth Elf and her companions cover their ears in discomfort.
The sigh of Muno screaming and frantically trying to extinguish the flames that were engulfing him, was as horrible as any Stealth Elf had seen. She shut her eyes closed and cover her ears, pressing them tightly against her head, desperately trying to keep Muno's suffering out of her head.
Moment after moment passed, and then, just when Stealth Elf was about to have enough, the screaming stoped. Abruptly and without warning, Muno's cries of pain were no longer heard through the cavern.
So, slowly, Stealth Elf let go of her ears and opened her eyes. She then quickly turned around to see her friends, making sure they were fine. They were unharmed, but all had disturbed, wide-eyed expressions, and were all looking at a fixed point behind Stealth Elf, slowly getting into battle positions.
At that, Stealth Elf's face lit up. She then turned around quickly, holding her daggers tight and keeping her eyes open.
When she did this, Stealth Elf had to resist an urge to gasp again. Because standing a few meters away, was a very diferent cyclop than she remembered.
This cyclop was burlier a full head taller than Muno, who was already taller than Jet-Vac. He was also wearing a deep, jet-black cloak with golden lining and the fabric of which, had patches of faint, smoldering purple glow. This cyclop was hunched over with his head hanging low, covered by his cloak hood while his arms were hanging slack by his sides. The skin on his hands was pale purple, and the tips of their fingers were long, sharp crystals, slightly hooked into claws.
There was also a long, pointy crystal, which pulsed with sinister light at the rhythm of a heartbeat coming out of his chest, on the same exact spot where Muno had stabbed himself.
Stealth Elf noticed there were small, pointy crystals poking through the dark fabric of the cyclops cloak through a straight line on his back and on his shoulders. They were all about an inch long, and looked exceptionally sharp.
However, it was when the cyclop lifted his head, that Stealth Elf unconsciously took a step back, adopting a more defensive position as a drop of cold sweat trailed down her temple.
The cyclop's face was a pale, unnatural purple tone, contrasting with the solid, dark pink of his eye. The vertical slit, white and vivrant was dilated with ecstasy. The cyclop then took in a breath of air, holding it for a minute and letting it out in a long, calm exhale, which made Stealth Elf focus on the creature's mouth, which was lined with small, jagged, crystalline teeth.
"Wow…" The cyclop began, speaking in a familiar, yet disturbingly distinct voice. "That was a rush." Muno said, smiling malevolently.
Then, Stealth Elf saw as Muno clenched his fists, lifted his arms and tensed them up at his sides. He then lowered his head for a second, only to lift it and let out a roar of newly flowing might, which was followed by an intense purple glow to focus on his eye.
"Look out!" Avril shouted at the top of her lungs.
The only warning for what followed was the fire on the large braziers through the room becoming dark purple, just like the flames that had covered Munoa few moments ago. Then, a flash of crackling purple light, accompanied by a sound like an electric explosion filled the cavern, blasting Stealth Elf backwards and spreading a sensation of faint, yet lasting, electrifying pain through her body.
When she felt herself hit the ground again, Stealth Elf's first instinct, was to look for her friends. As she quickly turned her head to her sides, she found her friends laying beside her, struggling to get back up.
"Everyone!" Stealth Elf called, getting on her feet, grunting and wincing from the pain that pulsed through her body. "Come on! We need to leave!" She said, keeping her eyes on Muno, who now a greater distance away, was slowly walking toward her and her fallen friends.
"Yeah, I agree with Elfy," Eruptor groaned, still on the floor. "Let's get out of here." He said, tapping his Relay Badge twice in quick succession, the motion that would bring him back to the Academy safe and sound.
However, there was no flash of light and Eruptor stayed right on his place. This caused the Skylander to get up and look at his badge in confusion. "Huh? What's wrong?" He asked, before tapping the device again.
When this didn't work, Eruptor began to franticly tapp the badge, to the point where he was pounding his fist against his chest. But even then, nothing happened and a sensation of dread began spreading through Stealth Elf's body.
She then noticed something. The badge on Eruptor's chest, did not have a glowing blue rim. The ring on the coppery device's edge was black, indicating it had stopped functioning.
Stealth Elf then slowly lowered her gaze to her chest, to her own Relay Badge. She then felt her heart stop for a second, because her badge to, was dark.
"That fiend's attack must have damaged out badges!" Jet-Vac stated in a panicked voice.
"Well we can still walk out of here, right?" Pop Fizz asked calmly, turning around to where the entrance to the room was. "The door is right the-" He stopped abruptly, worrying Stealth Elf.
When Stealth Elf turned around, she felt her dread take a sudden growth spurt. The heavy stone doors at the end of the room, were shut close, preventing them from leaving.
At that, Stealth Elf turned her head back around. She saw Muno, slowly grab the two oversized magnifying glasses on his belt and lift them up to eye level. Once there, The cyclop held them in place as his eye began glowing intensely once again, alerting Stealth Elf of what was about to happen.
"Everyone, run!" She cried, as she began sprintin to her right.
Stealth Elf only had a moment to look behind her to see Avril, Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz start to run, scattering through the room. However, Eruptor was too slow. The magma elemental looked to his right and began running in that direction, then he seemed to reconsider and turn around, heading left, only to stop once again and turn back around.
"Eruptor!" Stealth Elf called desperately.
When he heard Stealth Elf's call, Eruptor came to a sudden stop and turned his head to face her. That's when Stealth Elf saw a focused beam of bright, static purple energy fire from Muno's eye and shoot through the room.
The cyclop aimed his attack in such a way, that once fired, all he had to do was lift his head slightly to make the purple beam vertically slice through Eruptor's body, leaving a traced line of smoking purple burns through the Skylander.
Stealth ELf felt her stomach drop when she saw Eruptor split in two halves, each one falling over to their corresponding side.
Stealth Elf was about to cry out her friends name, when something strange happened. "Guys, for the last time!" Eruptor's voice shouted. "Regeneration powers! Worry about that guy, not me!" He shouted.
"Oh right," Stealth Elf sighed, suddenly no longer feeling very alarmed about her friend. Instead, Stealth Elf focused on Muno.
Stealth Elf then saw Muno turn around and take aim at another one of her friends, one without regeneration powers. She saw Muno take aim for Jet-Vac.
Stealth Elf then took a deep breath, focusing. She then activated her power. She teleported through the room, right beside Muno. Once there, she did a small hop due to the cyclop's newly increased height and then shifted her body and stretched out her leg, giving Muno a powerful kick on the side of the head, which caused him to stumble to his side.
As she was falling down, Stealth Elf teleported away, standing ready for Muno's counterattack.
The cyclop responded to this by turning around and aiming at Stealth Elf, holding booth magnifying glasses steadily. However, before Stealth Elf could do anything to avoid Muno's attack, the cyclop found himself unable to launch it to begin with.
Stealth Elf saw no other than Avril, jump up behind Muno and take a hold of his head. The frost elf groaned and grunted as she tried to cling on, arms and legs onto Muno's head, despite the cyclop being almost twice her height.
"Get off of me!" Muno ordered angrily as he began bashing Avril's head with the end of the handles of his magnifying glasses.
Avril let out pained hiss and shut her eyes in strain when Muno's blows landed on her blue iron helmet. When each hit landed, Stealth Elf noticed a deep dent appeared on Avril's helmet, indicating the massive strength behind each attack.
"Stealth Elf!" Avril shouted, snapping Stealth Elf back into focus. "Hit him!" She called.
"Oh no you don't!" Muno declared spoke over Avril.
The cyclop then straightened his back, did a small hop and allowed himself to fall, backwards. He landed in a loud thud, crushing Avril under his weight. The frost ef let out a loud, drained groan and seemed to loosen her grip on Muno, because when the cyclop stood back up Avril did not hold on.
Now on his feet, Muno placed his magnifying glasses in front of his eye and tilted them both strangely, making Stealth Elf think he was planning something, causing her to get on a defensive stance.
"Hey!" Someone shouted behind Muno. "You ain't done with me, pal!"
At that, Muno lower his tools and turned around, focused on someone Stealth Elf couldn't see. However, Stealth Elf saw who Muno was focused on soon enough. After all, he was holding up a whole, still flaming brazier.
Eruptor had lifted one of the large bronze bowls that made up the braziers in the room. Stealth Elf knew Eruptor could lift boulders from time to time with relative ease, but she couldn't help but feel a bit surprised by this. He looked like he was about to blow up though, his face was strained and his arms and legs were shaking under the weight of the brazier. However, he was focused on Muno, who looked at Eruptor nervously.
"Take..:" Eruptor groaned. "This!" He shouted, roaring from the strain as he tossed the bronze brazier up in the air, directly at Muno.
Muno let out a frightened yelp, apparently as surprised as Stealth Elf at Eruptor's feat of strength. But, not losing all his cool, the cyclop grabbed his two magnifying glasses and after a brief wound up, he fired a beam of purple energy at the bronze brazier. As he fired his beam, Muno slowly tilted one of his tools, adjusting its angle as the brazier above him fell. As Muno did this, the beam changed angles as well, effectively having it's trajectory altered to slice through the whole brazier vertically. This caused the bronze bowl to split in half, each half then landing beside Muno rather than on top of him with loud, metallic crashes and only covering Muno in small embers and cinders.
"Hah!" Muno mocked proudly, unharmed.
But, before Stealth Elf could sweep in and wipe the arrogant smile off Muno's face, she saw Eruptor run up to Muno at full speed and ram a flaming fist into the cyclop's stomach, causing him to let out breathless gasp and be knocked back several feet.
"That'll teach you!" Eruptor laughed, doing a strange motion with his lumpy hands that resembled someone cracking their knuckles.
"Teach me what?" Muno asked, getting Eruptor and Stealth Elf to focus. "How lame you are? That barely hurt!" He stated mockingly.
"That was just the warm up," Eruptor stated. "You're in for it now! Right Elf!?" He called, looking over to Stealth Elf with an energetic smile.
"That's right!" Stealth Elf replied boldy. "Let's take this guy!" She said, turning over to Muno and holding her daggers tight.
"Alright then!" Muno snapped. "Come on, show me what you got!" He goaded.
"If you insist!" Eruptor responded as he began firing a volley of firebolts at Muno.
To counter this, Muno kick up one of the split halves of the bronze brazier, holding it up as a shield and hiding behind it. As Eruptor's firebolts collided against the metal surface, they created loud gong-like sounds that echoed through the cavern.
Stealth Elf was about to teleport behind Muno to catch the cyclop b surprise, but she then saw a beam of purple energy burst through the bronze brazier, slicing through it as it traveled sideways. Moving at about waist height for Stealth Elf, the beam moved faster than Eruptor could react, slicing through his body, horizontally this time.
"Aw come on!" Eruptor complained as his two halves slid apart and fell to the ground.
Stealth Elf however was still in danger. She quickly teleported through the room in a burst of green mist, avoiding Muno's beam. When she rematerialized, Stealth Elf was behind Muno, who was holding his magnifying glasses in a funny way as he kept firing his beam through the bronze brazier. Stealth Elf didn't waste time though. She quickly jumped up, spun in the air, and gave Muno a powerful kick straight in the back.
The impact made the cyclop crashed against the heavily damaged half of the bronze bowl he was hiding behind. When this happened, the metal object broke in half and Muno stumbled through it. Then, groaning, Muno began to get back on his feet.
"You shouldn't gang up on people." He growled at Stealth Elf.
"It's called teamwork, jerk." Stealth Elf retorted, getting into a defensive posture, awaiting Muno's next move.
She then saw Muno lift his magnifying glasses in front of his eye, holding them in awkward positions. She noticed he tilted the tools and shifted their position. Why he did this was beyond her, and she didn't have time to dwell on it. She was sure the cyclop was about to fire his lazer beam at her, something she really didn't want to get hit by.
However, tilted one of his tools strangely. When he did, Muno just smiled, a thin, wicked smile. "I. See. You." He hissed maliciously.
Stealth Elf raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. Had Muno forgotten she was right in front of him? But then, Muno's eye began glowing brightly, indicating he was about to fire.
Stealth Elf was more than ready to react to Muno's attack, staying calm and keeping her eyes on the cyclop. However, when Muno's lazer fired, it didn't hit Stealth Elf, because to her surprise, it wasn't aimed at her. The beam of purple energy bounced off the crystalline surface of Muno's second magnifying glass, abruptly changing directions.
When Stealth Elf turned her head to see where the beam had been redirected to, her face went pale. She had reacted just in time to see Muno's attack land against Pop Fizz's arm, burnig through the sleeve of his brown coat and hitting his flesh. The blue gremlin was sneaking behind Muno, holding in one arm a slim vial of a pink potion. She recalled the potion to be a kind of knockout gas, something that would have been quite useful in this situation.
However, more so than the potion, Stealth Elf was concerned about Pop Fizz himself. The blue Skylander fell to the ground after being struck by Muno. He stayed motionless and with his eyes closed, smoke lines emanating from his arm, which was now covered in black burns, still clutching the knockout potion tightly.
"Pop Fizz!" Stealth Elf heard Jet-Vac cry. "Don't you hurt him!" He shouted at Muno.
Stealth Elf then saw Jet-Vac release a volley of pressurised wind blasts at Muno. The cyclop however, began dashing to his left, moving out of the way of the incoming projectiles. Stealth Elf noticed than Muno wasn't just dodging Jet-Vac's attacks, he was circling around him, quickly closing the gap between them. Stealth Elf then saw Muno alter his trajectory, no longer circling around Jet-Vac, but rather charging straight at him. When this happened, Jet-Vac hurriedly began pressing buttons on his vac gun, no doubt to change its current function. But Stealth Elf knew he wouldn't have enough time. She saw Muno leap up in the air, clutching his magnifying glasses tightly, about to swing them down on Jet-Vac.
That's when Stealth Elf closed her eyes shut. "Be the ninja." She thought to herself, focusing her thoughts. "Be the ninja!" She repeated, more determinedly, griping her daggers tightly and steading herself. "Be the ninja!" She said out loud, opening her eyes as a feeling of focus settled over her.
She saw the world move slowly around her. She saw the fire blazing on the braziers shift and dance with the shadows of the room and, more importantly, she saw Muno, still in the air, about to put some serious hurt on Jet-Vac.
Without wasting time, Stealth Elf rushed over to the scene. Once there, She grabbed Jet-Vac by the arm and tugged him away from Muno's reach. She then returned to face the cyclop, taking a moment to look at the frenzied expression on his face before tensing up one of her legs, getting ready to give the cyclop a powerful kick.
However, something stopped her, something Avril had told her before they had come here. "Break the magnifying glasses," Stealth Elf repeated her friends tip on handling these kind of cyclop. "Right!" She said with a smirk as she quickly walked behind Muno. Once there, Stealth Elf grabed the two magnifying glasses and, with some effort, janked them out of the cyclop's grip.
Afterwards, Stealth Elf took a couple of steps back. Satisfied with her work and weary of the sensation of nausea using her power for this long was causing her, she let out a zen sigh and relaxed her body. And just like that, the world began moving at normal speed once again.
This included Muno, who had just pounced at and swung down on thin air, with empty hands. Stealth Elf could feel herself smirk as she saw Muno quickly glance between his open, empty palms, then at both sides of his belt and under his black robe, a very confused look on his face as he did.
"Wh-What!?" Muno howled, sounding as confused as he looked. "What is this? Where are my things!?" He demanded.
At that, Stealth Elf whistled sharply, causing the cyclop to suddenly stop doing what he was doing and hold his position for a second. Then, very slowly, Muno turned around, to face Stealth Elf. His face was contorted and his cyclopting brow was knit, expressing a strange mix of confusion and anger. He looked like he wanted to say something to Stealth Elf, since he opened his mouth and began raising an arm at her.
She wasn't aiming to strike up conversation though. Without giving him a chance to react, Stealth Elf swung one of Muno's magnifying glasses at his head with all the might she could muster. When the impact landed, the crystalline tool shattered against Muno's face and caused the cyclop to stumble and shift toward his left. Then, Stealth Elf swung Muno's second tool, smashing it against his head and causing the cyclop to stumble to his left.
Then, when Muno was shifting and struggling to keep himself on his feet, Stealth Elf tensed up her legs and one of her arms. Then she released this tension, leaping up in the air and giving Muno a powerful uppercut so powerful, the cyclop crumbled and fell to the ground back down, tongue out and eye closed, like a knocked out cartoon.
Stealth Elf was breathing hard and felt drained. She sat down on the stone floor, keeping a watchful eye on Muno while she caught her breath. "Guys?" She called, looking around. "Guys!?" She called again after hearing no response.
"We're here!" Jet-Vac responded, rushing over to Stealth Elf. "Are you alright?" He asked in concern.
"Of course she is!" Eruptor's voice cma from behind Stealth Elf. "She kicked that one-eyed punk's butt!"
"That she did," Another voice spoke up, causing Stealth Elf to turn to her right and see its source. "She's a tough one," Avril said with a smile as she removed her battered helmet and tossed it to the side, revealing her short, bangs of deep blue hair. "But… your friend," She added, darkening up. "He looks pretty bad."
At that, Stealth ELf remembered. "Pop Fizz," She uttered her friend's name. "He got hit by Muno! He needs help!" She said, springing onto her feet and looking over the battle torn room for her friend.
She saw him laying down, on the same spot he had been knocked down by Muno.
"We need to take him back to Winter Keep," Avril stated. "We have very good healers there who can help your friend." She explained as she walked over to Pop Fizz and took a closer look a the damage.
"But guys," Eruptor spoke up. "After all that, how are we gonna get to the the Academy?" He asked in a worried tone.
"What do you mean, lad?" Jet-Vac asked.
"Well, our Relay Badges don't work," Eruptor began, tapping his chest, which had no badge on it. After Eruptor noticed this, he let out a loud groan. "Augh, that jerk must destroyed mine!" He complained, making Stealth Elf recall how Muno had sliced Eruptor into halves a couple of times. "Anyway, as I was saying, we don't have our badges and last time we got here with Flynn's help." He recalled. "And since he's not here either, we've got no way home!"
Stealth Elf though in silence. "Avril?" She called. "You don't have anything to get us home?" She asked.
"Nothing to get you through the distance between here and your home," Avril stated in a down tone. "Sorry, sis." She apologised
At that, Stealth Elf felt like a huge weight had been dropped on top of her. She let out a sharp exhale as she realized...
They were stranded.
The Outlands were a desolate place, devoid of any ecosystem well-rooted enough to sustain life. Whatever monstrously adaptive creatures managed to survive were wiped out by some sort of massive volcanic winter or a black lightning hurricane.
Well, all except two apparently. Walking steadily, two cloaked figures made their way through the Outland's barren isles. One of them was tall and walked with poise. This figure was walking in front of the other and was looking at an old, worn map, guiding the duo through the Outlands. The other figure was considerably smaller and walked with a severely hunched back, it picked up and dropped several diferent rocks it found half-buried in the ash, letting out displeased sighs whenever they failed to meet some standard the figure seemed to have made up.
"Are you sure you're reading that thing right?" The smaller figure asked it's companion in a grating, creaky voice. "Ich bin am verhungern." The smaller figure added in a lower voice, speaking a diferent language.
"Ne t'inquiète pas, mon ami," The larger figure spoke in a modulated, composed tone, staying focused on the old, torn map it was carrying. "I am certain we are almost…" The figure paused, coming to a sudden stop. "There…"
"What's wrong?" The smaller figure asked, focused on it's companion.
"Cela ... a l'air ... différent…" The larger figure said in an entranced maner, focused entirely elsewhere.
This caused the smaller figure to look forward. When it did this, ot saw what its companion was seeing, and let out an astonished gasp. "Ahhh, wie gut ist es, wieder grün zu sehen." It sighed.
"Yes... indeed..." The larger figure agreed as the duo contemplated the sigh of the Skylands, silently admiring the golden light of the sun, showering over the vivran green grass covering its floating isles as they stood against the pristine blue sky dotted with graceful puffs of stark white clouds.
"Too bad we won't be able to enjoy it much." The smaller figure croaked.
"Yes, it is a shame," The larger figure agreed with a disappointed sigh. "But… we do have a job to do." It said, composing itself.
"Yeah, you're right… as usual, mein freund." The smaller figure replied, staying focused on the Skylands. "Alright then… let's get this show on the road." The figure said maliciously.
Author's notes
Hello guys, here's the next chapter as promised. A bit late once again, but hey, when I say theres gonna be more, there's gonna be more. So, be patient because there are definitely more chapters incoming!
- Our heroes, stranded!?
- Something stirs in the Outlands...