Charyus waved his staff over his bauble for the fourth time in a row as Siege ran the Raptor's scanner.
"Well?", Dragaunus asked impatiently, "What's taking so long?"
"Be calm my lord.", Charyus instructed calmly, "The spell must have gone dormant again."
Wraith moved to the side as Dragaunus got up from his chair.
"You've felt it and we almost had it, but those miserable mallards intervened and now we're back to square one."
Dragaunus blew apart yet another drone, but Charyus was unmoved. Wraith had kept quiet from all this, but felt like it wouldn't be needed. Unfortunately Dragaunus looked his way before he even warped out.
"How soon can the gateway generator be operational?"
Wraith sighed.
"It's been overheated since the last time we used it my lord. Why?"
Dragaunus paused and drummed his fingers for a minute and then his expression lightened.
"Wraith, doesn't enchantium leave a trail of magical residue when it warps away?"
Charyus smiled.
"So you want me and Wraith to find the trail from the Wish spell and it will lead us right to it."
Chameleon came in carrying a mop and bucket of water only to trip and almost spill it, but Charyus reacted quicker and Chameleon was levitating before anything happened.
"Thanks.", Chameleon said as Charyus willed the mop and bucket aside.
Dragaunus looked Chameleon's way.
"Listen very carefully if you please.", Charyus said, "Dragaunus and I need you to get to this location, plant some of Pestilence's spare spores and be back as soon as you are able."
Charyus came over and gave Chameleon a small glass jar filled with gross looking moss and mushrooms.
"Can do.", Chameleon said noticing Dragaunus' sneer, "See ya soon."
He activated his teleporter and was gone in a flash of green light. The moment he left, Charyus went to his bauble again and went back to his monitoring. The spell was out there and he needed to keep the ducks busy so they wouldn't interfere and the spare spores from Pestilence's last visit should provide just that.
/
Thrash and Mookie got inside the base with Morpha following, but found nobody there.
"Hey, where'd everybody go?", Thrash asked.
As if to answer, Phil came in and clearly looking stressed.
"Oh this is bad, this is bad, this is very very bad."
Thrash and Mookie looked at each other and chose to ignore Phil as they activated their coms.
"Wildwing? Where are you guys?", Mookie asked as Wildwing's transmission came through.
"We're trying to find a powerful spell that trapped Nosedive and vanished."
"Dive is spellbound?", Thrash asked looking a bit worried, "What happened?"
"Never mind that.", Wildwing answered, "We're all out trying to find out where the spell went. Would you two mind keeping a look out on Drake One in case Dragaunus gets any ideas?"
"You can count on us.", Thrash answered smiling.
Wildwing hung up and Thrash and Mookie went to Drake One's control panel and started pressing in a sequence.
"Good thing we ran those computer trials Canard had us do in case this came up.", Mookie said as she got the radar up.
Thrash nodded and Morpha came over looking a little down and it's blue color markings turned black signifying it was nervous and a little scared. Thrash gave Morpha a pet on the head.
"Don't worry Morpha, we'll find our dude somewhere."
Morpha perked up a bit and Mookie was looking thoughtful.
"From Drake One's data, Mallory accidentally wished the spell to be hidden somewhere, but where?"
Thrash thought for a minute and then snapped his fingers.
"Where would an oil lamp go to hide?"
Before he could get an answer, Drake One sounded the alarm.
"Great, looks like that Pestilence character left a few spores behind.", Mookie said looking a little grossed out, "Should we call Wildwing?"
Thrash shook his head.
"We should deal with it right away before those spores release into the atmosphere and spread like fire."
Thrash and Mookie shifted into battle gear and Phil saw what was coming cause he started walking out, but he didn't get the chance cause Morpha had extended a tendril and dragged him over.
"Phil, we need all the help we can get.", Mookie told him.
"But I don't know how to fight.", Phil whimpered.
Thrash's smile got bigger.
"That's why you got Mook, Morpha and me."
Before Phil could object, he was on the back of a duck-cycle with Thrash and speeding down the street with Mookie and Morpha on another one riding alongside them.
/
Wildwing and Canard regrouped at the intersection as did the others.
"Any luck?", Wildwing asked.
Nobody could deny the worry in his voice and Canard could feel his aura was not in a good vibe.
"Nothing uptown.", Mallory reported.
"Museums, storefront both clean.", Duke reported.
Tanya and Grin both had no answer either. Wildwing turned to Canard with a desperate look on his face.
"Canard, please tell me your aura can find that lamp."
Canard sighed.
"I hate to say this buddy, but this object seems to be blocking my reading."
Wildwing's face fell.
"So Dive's gone?"
Canard put a hand on Wildwing's shoulder.
"Hey, we'll find him. I promise."
Then Mallory snapped her fingers.
"Hey, I wished for it to be hidden right?"
Wildwing looked her way.
"What's your point?"
Duke's face brightened.
"Meaning you had an idea where you sent it?", he guessed.
"Her haste to hide what should be reveals the flaw which she must fix.", Grin said sagely.
Canard looked thoughtful.
"Okay, so where would you hide it?", he asked Mallory.
"When I made the wish, I was thinking of the museum Phil had our photo shoot.", Mallory told him.
Wildwing's expression brightened with the realization.
"Okay, we'll head over there and see if we can find some kind of clue."
At that moment, their coms went off.
"What's up?", Mallory asked.
"We got trouble.", Thrash reported, "Pestilence seems to have left some spores that are spreading fast and we're on our way to try and contain it."
Tanya looked concerned.
"Don't let those spores get inside your heads.", she warned, "They'll take over you and you won't be able to control yourselves."
"Will do.", Thrash answered, "Any luck on Dive?"
"We have a good idea where to go.", Wildwing answered, "Grin and Duke will come over and give you a hand. The rest of us will keep looking."
"Sounds like a plan.", Thrash answered.
After Thrash hung up, Tanya went along with Duke and Grin to the Migrator and drove off. Wildwing invoked Flight and soon, he, Canard and Mallory were in the air and on their way to the museum.
/
Chameleon went through the rubble of the previous incident disguised as a construction worker.
"Okay, where is it?", he pondered, "Where is it?"
He had gotten inside the display where he noticed the statues from earlier and saw the lamp where it was originally.
"Well, that was easy.", he muttered.
He went over and tried to pull it out, but it was stuck good. He was about to shift into something more strong, but then his communicator rang.
"I trust you found it Chameleon?", Charyus asked when his face came on the hologram screen.
Chameleon looked uneasy.
"Well, I did, but it's stuck."
"Then it's a good thing I came along."
Chameleon looked to the side to see Charyus standing by the wall.
"Um Charyus, won't the humans be-"
"They're mind warped.", Charyus told him, "A little diversion for the incoming threat."
He paused as he came up to the lamp and examined it.
"Wait, this is not right.", he said waving his staff over it, "It seems that this lamp was a decoy."
The lamp vanished revealing nothing and Charyus frowned.
"Clever, but not clever enough."
He conjured a bauble and the lamp appeared inside it. After it zoomed out a little, Charyus smiled.
"So, the lamp hides itself there eh?
Chameleon didn't' get a chance to see what it was cause, Charyus warped them into a closed antique shop where numerous objects littered the shelves and tables. Chameleon shifted back into his true form as Charyus looked around.
"Ah, at last."
Chameleon came around a bend to see Charyus holding the lamp in his hand. Charyus smiled as he rubbed it and Nosedive came out.
"Finally, I've been cramped in there since-", Nosedive started to say until he noticed Charyus and looked shocked, "You?!"
Charyus' smile didn't fade.
"Genie, grant me my first wish.", Charyus instructed, "I wish to finally reclaim the enchantium crystal Prophecy."
Nosedive strained to not grant the wish, but his body didn't follow along. With a wave of the hand, he pointed at Charyus' enchantium pendent and the gem that was dull and transparent shimmered and became reddish violet with a glowing emerald green eye design along the middle. Charyus laughed out loud as he Chameleon and Nosedive warped out.
/
The skies darkened as Wildwing and his group paused.
"Something is wrong.", Canard said gravely, "And I have a hunch what it is."
At that moment, their coms went off again.
"We got Pestilence's infestation taken care of, so why is the sky getting all dark?", Thrash asked when Wildwing picked up.
"I don't know.", Wildwing said, "But I have a feeling we're about to find out."
At that moment the Raptor appeared in the sky alongside several other warships. A large hologram of Dragaunus came out and looked down upon the ducks with a devilish grin.
"Well ducks, it's been fun, but now here is where we say good-bye. My saurian comrades are prepared and this time, you won't be able to stop what's coming."
The point of the Raptor opened up and a massive portal opened up in the sky. The ducks saw numerous battleships all ready to invade. Wildwing didn't wait.
"Get the Aerowing!", he ordered, "We need to get up there now!"
His team flew up only to be met with heavy fire. They flew out of the barrage only to meet Charyus on the deck as they landed.
"Crashing the party so soon?", Charyus asked.
"Where's Dive?", Wildwing demanded.
Charyus calmly raised the lamp in his hand and rubbed it summoning Nosedive immediately. Nosedive looked at the other ducks looking apologetic.
"Sorry ducks, but I couldn't stop myself."
Charyus' smile got bigger.
"And now, for my second wish. I wish to resurrect the saurian empire here on Earth!"
The ducks watched in horror as Nosedive raised his hands and massive magical streams flowed out warping Anaheim into a huge city of ancient towers and palaces. Shining reptilian designs littered the walls and obelisks. Charyus looked at it all still holding the lamp.
"Isn't it glorious? The most powerful empire the universe has ever seen rises once again."
At that moment, large gusts of wind came forward with large slabs of ice. Both sides turned to see the Aerowing flying straight for the Raptor. Charyus laughed.
"Are you planning to fight me?", he asked raising an eyebrow, "If you are, then who am I to disagree?"
Even though it was three against one, the fight was even. Charyus summoned skeletons, flames, and warped all over tiring the ducks out, but they didn't give up. When Grin and Tanya landed on the deck with Duke, a flash of green showed up revealing Siege, Chameleon and Wraith who joined in. Dragaunus watched in anticipation and sat into his chair.
"And so Earth falls and in a few moments, the saurian war fleet will reduce this world to ruin and soon the galaxy will follow."
Charyus had pinned Wildwing down and Wildwing saw his fellow ducks getting worn out fast, but he looked at Charyus with determination.
"I'll spare you for a moment.", Charyus purred as he let go of Wildwing only to follow up with freezing him up like he did Dragaunus, "And now for my final wish."
He raised the lamp, but before he could say anything, a couple tendrils came out and lashed it off his fingers. He turned just in time to see one of his Anti-magic crystals sharpened into a point and aiming for his heart. Charyus warped away and Morpha kept the lamp with it until Charyus appeared again. Like lightning, Morpha swung his tendril around and pinned Charyus down with it while keeping the crystal near him. Wildwing felt the hold weaken and gained mobility again. Morpha handed the lamp over and Wildwing didn't think twice when he rubbed it.
"I wish Charyus' wishes were undone and Anaheim returned to normal."
Nosedive raised his hands again and in an instant, the city below shifted once again into Anaheim and the portal above started closing as the gateway generator blew. Siege, Chameleon and Wraith teleported away, but Morpha held Charyus firmly and the Anti-magic crystal prevented Charyus from using his magic. The ducks quickly got back on the Aerowing, but Wildwing stayed behind for a minute.
"Morpha, care to break that crystal on Charyus' pendent?"
Morpha's red coloring turned white as it used a couple tendrils to remove the Prophecy crystal from Charyus' pendent and smash it to bits. Only then did Morpha let go and the Anti-magic crystal dissolve. Wildwing and Morpha got on as the Raptor started plummeting to the ground, but Wildwing saw Charyus look his way.
"This isn't over!", Charyus called out as he warped away, "The saurian empire will rise one day!"
Wildwing smiled.
"But not today."
/
Back at the Pond, Wildwing still held the lamp and the other ducks watched in anticipation.
"So what's your final wish big bro?", Nosedive asked, "Just make a wish and I'm free of this spell."
"But we can't let this spell fall into Charyus' hands again.", Duke said, "He almost beat us up there."
"Not to mention almost enslaved the world.", Mallory added.
Canard put his hand up to halt the rising tension.
"Hey, Wildwing will make his choice."
He looked Wildwing's way and Wildwing smiled.
"Okay baby bro. I know my last wish. I wish for this spell to become an ordinary oil lamp so it can never cause any trouble again once you're free of it."
Nosedive smiled as the shackles on his wrists glowed and his attire returned to normal. The lamp glowed and then dimmed before landing on the floor with a clatter. Thrash picked it up and rubbed it. Nothing happened and the ducks embraced Nosedive in a group hug.
"Good to have you back baby bro.", Wildwing said smiling.
Nosedive blushed.
"Hey, I'm just happy I'm not a slave any more."
Canard rolled his eyes smiling.
"The team is not the same without you Dive.", he said ruffling Nosedive's hair.
Phil came in and clearly still shaken over what went on earlier.
"Did we win?", he asked.
"We did.", Mallory told him.
Phil sighed.
"What a relief. I just took on huge mutant mushrooms, stuffed into a storage closet, and witnessed the almost end of the world. I really need to sleep this off."
As he walked away, the ducks couldn't help but laugh. Afterward, they all split and went off to do their own thing. The saurians were still out there, but at least everything was back to normal.
