The stones have arrived and the prophecy has been spoken. Enjoy the chapter.
Jacob's portal opened in the Hall of Heroes. He looked around and saw that there were two figures sitting at the table. He walked over and found the Time Master and Levi Gladio sitting at the table. They looked at him when he arrived as if they were waiting for him.
"Take a seat. We have important matters to discuss." Levi said when he saw Jacob.
The Time Master smiled. "I see you survived your trip. How was the 17th dimension?"
Jacob sat in his chair. "It was… eventful. I got the prophecy and I'm not sure what to make of it."
"We will discuss the prophecy later." Levi said. "A more important matter has arrived."
"The elementals have awakened." The Time Master said. "They missed out on a few centuries and I want you to make sure Nature is fully awake."
Jacob groaned. "Why do I have to go visit her? She'll be fine."
Levi smacked him with his sword. "Respect her. You know she can be a bit sluggish when she wakes up. She just needs some help to get going."
"Why do the elementals have to wake up now?" Jacob asked. "We have enough problems and don't need any more."
The Time Master's staff glowed brightly. "Watch your tongue, boy! The elementals need to wake up for a few centuries and make sure their element is surviving. If their element dies, then they die."
Jacob stood. "Is this it? Is this all you needed me for? If that's everything, then I'm going to the library so I can figure out this prophecy."
"Maybe you can pull the 5th hero from his books." The Time Master said with a sigh. "The stones arrived yesterday and you're going to track them down and capture them."
Jacob groaned. "Why do I have to do this? Levi doesn't have anything important to do."
"Levi wasn't the one who threw them through time! It's time for you to fix your mistake and find these stones that you lost!"
The Time Master didn't raise his voice often but when he did, Jacob knew he had no choice. He grabbed his trident and walked back to the hallway.
"Which dimension?" He asked over his shoulder.
"They landed in the 4th." The Time Master said with a much calmer voice.
Jacob opened a portal and was about to return to the 4th dimension before remembering he had to go somewhere else first. He changed the course of the portal and went to the 20th dimension. He landed on a bridge and saw a small town beneath him. This town was quiet and peaceful. It had a tall statue of a lumberjack and a water tower. On the water tower, the town's name could be seen: Gravity Falls.
Jacob jumped off the bridge and startled a few animals when he landed. He walked to one of the various forests surrounding the town. He continued walking and found nothing abnormal except for a few gnomes and the occasional deer. He eventually found a large boulder and growing on top was a pine tree. Its roots stretched over the boulder and into the ground.
Jacob approached the tree. "Come on, it's time to wake up."
Two small, horizontal cracks formed in the trunk and yellow light peeked through them. A long and thin crack formed under the smaller cracks and a voice came from it.
"Is it that time already?" Its voice was female and aged. "I haven't even uprooted yet."
The roots pulled themselves from the ground and lifted the tree off the boulder. The roots carried the tree to Jacob and lowered itself to the ground.
"Come on, Nature." Jacob said. "I have to get you back to the first dimension so you can spread your element."
Jacob opened a large portal and Nature pulled herself into it. Jacob followed and found another forest on the other side. There were wolves around but it didn't bother Nature. She looked around before turning back to Jacob.
"Where are we?" She asked. "I have not seen this part of the first dimension."
Jacob looked around. "The humans call this place Yellowstone. They won't bother you here. No one is allowed to come in this part."
"That's nice." Nature said as she buried her roots in the ground. Immediately, different plants began to sprout around her.
Jacob opened a portal and returned to the 4th dimension. He landed on a hill overlooking the bay. The town was quiet, which isn't what he expected to see. The stones would have destroyed the town by now but nothing was out of place. This thought lasted until he turned around.
The lookout stood behind him but something was definitely wrong. There was a crater in front of the doors. The lights were out and the doors were completely removed. The glass in the doors was shattered and littered the ground around them. He ran inside to find that the room wasn't in the best shape. The TV had cracks in it but didn't fall off the wall, the food dispensers were on their sides, and the lights were torn out of their fixtures.
He ran to the elevator to see that the elevator car was stuck a few meters below the floor. Ryder was stuck inside of it. He looked up to see Jacob staring down at him.
"Have you come to save me?" He asked
Jacob sighed. "Something like that."
The metal groaned as the elevator car shifted and slid a few meters down. Why are mortal structures so fragile, Jacob thought as he observed the situation. It didn't appear that any of the elements could be used to save Ryder and prevent the tower from collapsing. Before he could do anything, a large, green hand grabbed his arm and threw him across the room. He hit the floor and looked to see a man made of vines standing at the elevator.
This creature stood at a massive 9 feet tall and was very humanoid. Its body was made of interwoven vines and was wearing a vest made of moss. Its head looked to be made from leaves and its hair was a mess of thin vines. Its eyes glowed a bright green as it observed the elevator.
The vines in its arms began to unweave and became five large vines on each side. These thick vines began to grow as they pried open the door and slid down the elevator shaft. Smaller vines grew off the larger ones and began to wrap around the elevator car. The creature pulled the car to floor level and Ryder crawled out. It dropped the elevator and it fell to the bottom where it exploded.
Ryder turned to face the creature that saved his life. "Thank you."
"Gratitude isn't needed." Its voice was deep and conveyed no emotion. "I'm just doing my job."
The vines returned to the creature and wove to form its arms. This wasn't a creature that Jacob has seen before. He has seen something similar but this creature was different.
Jacob pointed his trident at the tall being. "What are you?"
"That's not important." It responded.
"Do you have a name?" Ryder asked.
The creature turned to face him. "You may call me Overgrowth."
It looked at Jacob. "But you know me by a different name."
"Do I?" Jacob asked. His trident was still pointed at the creature but it didn't care.
In response to this, the vines in its chest unwove to reveal a small, green stone at the center of its chest. A simple leaf was carved into the stone. The vines wove once again to conceal the precious stone.
"I saved the boy but that doesn't matter." It said. "You see that stone and all you see is a monster."
Jacob's trident erupted with fire. "You're the jade."
The jade backed away from the fire. "Yes and no. The jade chose me as its host but I am not it. I am better than what the jade was. It chose me to replace it but I will not be that monster."
"What are you saying?" Ryder asked.
"The stones require hosts." The jade said. "They turn their hosts into monsters that they control. The jade couldn't break me. I'm smarter than it and I know how to stop them."
Ryder stepped forward. "Then, who are you?"
The jade approached the boy. It pulled Ryder's hand forward and opened it. It held its own hand above Ryder's. The vines shifted as a small object was dropped into Ryder's hand. Ryder looked at his hand to see a green pup tag with a crack going across it.
The jade stared at the boy. "Green will always mean go."
Ryder stared at him in disbelief. "Rocky?"
"Overgrowth." The jade corrected as it grabbed the pup tag. "I am not a stupid mutt."
Jacob had enough of this interaction. He threw a ball of fire at Overgrowth and he quickly caught fire. Overgrowth attempted to put himself out before running out the door and into the forest. Ryder ran to the door but Overgrowth was already gone.
"Why did you do that?" He asked Jacob.
"That thing is dangerous and needs to be imprisoned again." Jacob said as he put out the fire that was still lingering on his weapon.
"I'm not letting you put one of my pups in some prison. There has to be another way."
Jacob thought for a moment. "There is another way. If I can remove the stone from him, then he should return to normal. It will be difficult but it should fix what happened to him."
Ryder stared off into the distance. "I hope so. If this is what happened to Rocky, I can't imagine what happened to the others."
Jacob started fixing the various objects in the room. He looked down the elevator shaft before deciding that it was a job for later. He started looking around the room for something before walking outside and looked around in the crater.
Ryder turned his attention to the forest. "I'm going after him. He said he knew how to stop them and I'm hoping he'll tell me."
Jacob sighed. "I can't stop you. Do what you want. I'll stay here and try to find the tablet. It landed here so the pieces should be around here somewhere."
"What do you need the pieces for?" Ryder asked.
Jacob jumped into the crater and poked around with his trident. "If I find the pieces, then I should be able to rebuild the prison and seal the stones inside of it."
Ryder got on his ATV and drove to the forest. Along the way, he didn't find anything unusual. There were no signs that the jade came this way but he knew that a creature of vines would hide in a forest. He arrived at the forest and slowly drove down the path. He knew his pup was still in there. He just needed to find him before someone else did.
He drove around for a while before getting off his ATV. An idea came to his head and he pulled out his pup pad. He swiped to Rocky's pup tag and called it. A green light appeared on the path ahead and he walked over to it. He leaned down and picked up the green pup tag. He stared at it before putting it in his pocket. A large shape dropped from the trees and landed in front of him. Ryder looked up and saw the jade staring down at him.
"Why did you come?" Overgrowth asked. His voice remained emotionless.
Ryder took a deep breath. "I came to find you. We need you."
Overgrowth scoffed. "You only want to take away what I have. I'm keeping the jade until I stop the others. I have a job to do."
The jade began to walk away but Ryder stepped in front of it.
"You said you knew how to stop the other stones." Ryder said. "Come back to the lookout and help us stop them."
Overgrowth pushed him out of the way. "I'm doing this alone. I don't want you to get hurt. Go back to the lookout. I'll bring the others when I find them."
"You can't do this alone." Ryder said.
The jade turned around and stared at him. "Give me one reason why I should return. That god only wants to imprison me."
Ryder stood straighter. "This team needs to stick together. The only way that will happen is if we try. I need you on this team and I'm not leaving without you."
Overgrowth stared at the boy in front of him and considered his options. Doing it alone would be suicide and trusting the son of darkness is a risk. The difference between certain death and possible death was small but no other option seemed great.
"Fine." Overgrowth said. "I'll come with you but if you try to trap me, I'll show you what nature can really do."
Ryder gulped and nodded. He got back on his ATV and began his drive back to the lookout. The jade followed behind him at a distance. Overgrowth kept his eyes on the boy and looked for any possible traps that may be hiding.
Meanwhile at the lookout
Jacob stared at the next problem that faced him. He already fixed the crater and most of the machines in the lookout but this new problem was an issue. He stared down the elevator shaft at the broken elevator car at the bottom. It should've been an easy fix but he didn't know where to begin. He could improve the elevator or keep its original design. His thoughts were interrupted when the sound of an ATV got closer.
Jacob went to the door to see Ryder driving up the hill with Overgrowth not far behind. Ryder drove up to the door but Overgrowth stood at a distance. He watched Jacob with a look of distrust.
"I see you found your pup." Jacob said as Ryder took his helmet off.
Ryder looked at the creature standing at the bottom of the hill. "It wasn't difficult. I just searched where a creature made of vines would hide."
"Get him up here and I'll take the stone from him. He doesn't have the experience needed to defend himself. It'll be easy."
"Maybe we should let him keep the stone." Ryder said.
Jacob was furious. "I don't think you understand what's at stake here."
"He isn't hurting anyone." Ryder objected.
"That doesn't matter! The stones are dangerous and need to be put back in their prison."
"What did he do?"
"It's not what he did, it's what he's going to do."
"You don't know that."
"I've seen what the stones can do!"
"Then, show me!"
Jacob grabbed Ryder and pulled him into the lookout. He closed the doors behind him and let Ryder go. He walked over to the TV and put his hand on it. An image appeared on the screen. It was a large creature made of vines. Thorns covered the vines and skulls hung from them. These skulls were different from one another. A large axe was in its hand and the handle was a large bone. Its face was scarred and wore a gruesome smirk.
"This is the monster I fought around 2 million years ago." Jacob said as Ryder stared at the image.
"Is this the jade?" Ryder asked.
Jacob shook his head. "The stones turn their hosts into monsters. They break the mental stability of their hosts and bring out the worst parts of them. The jade may not have broken him yet but it will find a way."
"How do we stop it?"
"The best way would be to remove the stone from the host or we could find the anti-stone."
Ryder turned to Jacob. "What's the anti-stone?"
Jacob removed the image from the screen. "The anti-stone was created to fight the stones and keep them under control. The energy it creates is the only thing that can stabilize the stones and stop them from controlling their hosts."
"Where is it now?" Ryder asked.
"It was sealed in the tablet with the stones. It was the only thing that kept the prison from breaking. The prison broke and that means that it's out there somewhere. We need to find it if we want to fix what happened to the other hosts."
"What about my other pups? What happened to them?"
Jacob sighed. "If they were there when the stones crashed, then they were probably chosen as the other hosts."
Ryder was about to speak when a large shadow stood at the door. They looked to see Overgrowth looking through the glass. He looked at them before knocking on the glass. Ryder opened the door and Overgrowth stepped inside.
"I fear we have run out of time." He said.
"What do you mean?" Jacob asked.
Overgrowth walked back outside. Ryder and Jacob followed him. The jade looked across the horizon before pointing to a distant hill.
"They're already leaving." He said. "We're too late."
Jacob looked at the hill and saw two figures. It was too far to see clearly but he could make out their shapes. The smaller figure looked humanoid and held a long staff. The larger figure was larger than the average human. Its broad shoulders and large head were easy to see. It had large fists and its movements were rigid. The small figure raised its staff and lightning struck it. When the light faded, the two figures were gone and the hill looked scorched.
"Who were they?" Ryder asked.
Overgrowth continued to look where the figures once stood. "I'm not sure. The other stones chose new forms to avoid being recognized. I have my guesses but I don't know."
Jacob poked Overgrowth in the back and this caused the giant to turn around. "Have you seen the pieces to the stone tablet that held the stones?"
"Yes." Overgrowth immediately answered. "I have most of the pieces in my pup house. I was putting them away when you arrived."
"Could you… give them to us?"
Overgrowth nodded and walked to his pup house. He pulled open the door with his vines and pulled out chunks of stone. He assembled them until the pieces fit together but some pieces were missing.
"Where are the last pieces?" Jacob asked.
Overgrowth pulled another piece from the pup house but this one was different. Three stones could be seen inside of it. They didn't glow but they gave off a strange energy that they could feel..
"These were unlucky." Overgrowth said. "When the tablet shattered, these were still trapped. It can be easily broken but I think it would be best to leave them in there."
"There is still a piece missing." Jacob said. "Where is it?"
Overgrowth sighed. "It's… gone. Someone could have taken it and I'm guessing it was one of the other stones. Without it, we can't fix the tablet."
Jacob and Ryder nodded. Overgrowth put the pieces back in his pup house and Jacob looked over at the forest. Something didn't feel right. He could feel the energy coming from the forest and he knew it well.
"Are the other stones still here?" He asked.
Overgrowth thought for a moment. "I don't remember much about what happened after the stones crashed. I woke up in the forest and found the pieces of the tablet laying near me. I heard things moving around me and saw a large shape climbing the mountain. I ran from the forest and took the pieces here. They're hiding."
"Why are they hiding?" Ryder asked.
"They're waiting." Jacob answered. "They're waiting to see if the one who captured them is coming. They'll come out of hiding when they see that he isn't coming."
"Who captured them?"
Jacob turned to the boy. "I aided in their capture but I was not the one responsible for it. That honor goes to the archer known as the 12th hero."
Overgrowth slammed his fist into the ground. "We don't have time to wait for them! There has to be some way to track them."
Ryder thought for a moment before pulling out his pup pad. "I put trackers in all of the pup tags so I would be able to find you. If we get to the top of the lookout, I should be able to use the computer to find the others. The only problem is that the elevator is broken."
"I'll fix it later." Overgrowth said.
Overgrowth wrapped his hand around Ryder and jumped. He landed on the balcony at the top. The doors wouldn't open so Overgrowth used his vines to pull the doors open. Ryder ran to the large computer and attempted to turn it on. The screen remained black. Overgrowth walked over and pulled off one of the panels on the control panel. He looked inside and poked around a bit before a wire zapped him and he quickly pulled away.
Jacob came up the elevator. "You could have waited for me to fix it."
Overgrowth yelled in anger and slammed his fist into the control panel. "This thing won't work! The energy released from the crash must have fried it. It'll take a miracle to fix it!"
Jacob walked over and put his hand on the control panel. A wave of energy came from his hand and the various buttons and screens fixed themselves. Overgrowth looked into the hole he made and saw it close.
"How did you do that?" Overgrowth asked. "There isn't an element that fixes technology."
Jacob took his hand off the panel. "Using multiple elements at once has interesting effects. The elements are stronger together than divided."
Ryder turned the screen on and a map appeared on the screen. He pressed a few buttons and icons appeared on the map in various places. Each icon was one of the pup tags. One was at the lookout, three were in the forest, one was in the bay, and one was in the mountains.
Overgrowth looked at the map. "We're missing three."
"This doesn't make sense." Ryder said. "This should be able to track them wherever they are on the planet. Where are Rubble, Chase, and Skye?"
"They're not on this planet or in this dimension." Overgrowth said.
"Where are they?" Ryder asked.
"I'm not sure."
"What are they doing that requires them to leave the dimension?"
Overgrowth looked at him. "They could be searching for the Source, they could be destroying the dimensions, or they could be plotting against us. There are many things that they could be doing. We need to find out what they are doing."
He turned his attention back to the map. "I'll figure it out."
"Hey, guys." Jacob said with a worried tone.
They looked at him to see that he had been observing the map.
"We have a problem." He told them.
"We have many problems." Overgrowth said. "Could you be more specific?"
"This might need to be handled now." Jacob said as he walked up to the map. "Zuma's on the move."
They turned their attention back to the map to see that the orange pup tag was indeed moving. The icon was moving from the water to the beach. It was fast but it slowed down significantly once it reached the beach. It continued moving towards the town.
"Is there a chance that Zuma wasn't taken by one of the stones?" Ryder asked with a nervous smile.
"Maybe." Overgrowth said. "But we can't be too sure. If he is, then those people are in trouble."
"What are we going to do?" Ryder asked.
"We're going to stop him." Jacob said. "We have to save the people."
"We'll save those we can." Overgrowth said. "There's no telling what he will do."
Before Ryder could question what he meant, Overgrowth ran out the door and to the bridge. He unraveled his arms and used them to climb the cables of the bridge. He climbed up the cables and jumped down at the other side of the bridge. Ryder got on his ATV and was about to drive off before Jacob stopped him. Jacob turned himself into the same pup he was the first time he came to the 4th dimension. Her trident turned into a pup tag with a light brown background and had a black trident on it. It hung on a collar that was also light brown and was currently around her neck. She jumped in Ryder's lap and he looked down at her.
"Can't you just walk or fly or something?" He asked.
Lucy sighed. "This is faster."
Ryder laughed. "I didn't know my ATV was faster than a god."
"Just drive."
Ryder began driving down the hill. They quickly made it to the bridge and crossed it with ease. The situation on the other side was a bit strange. People were crowded on the beach but kept their distance from what was happening on the beach. A small puddle of water was moving around the beach. Overgrowth was picking up large rocks from under the bridge and throwing them at the puddle. The strange puddle was faster than him and quickly dodged each rock. Eventually, one rock hit the puddle and that was when things became weirder.
The puddle stopped moving and more water began to appear around it. As the water came, the puddle began to change shape. It became a large lizard-like creature made of water. It crawled forward a bit before standing on its back legs and looking at Overgrowth.
"Why do you fight me?" Its voice was smooth and the words flowed easily from it. "That's not cool, dude."
Overgrowth released a low growl. "You're fighting on the wrong side!"
The eyes on the water creature narrowed. "My allegiance is ever-changing. I go with the flow and choose the winning side. I heard that the Source has been asleep for quite some time and won't be waking any time soon. Join me and we will drown the Source in its lies."
"Hey!" Lucy said as she changed to her normal self.
Before Jacob could do anything, the lizard creature ran into the water and disappeared. Jacob ran to the water but could only see small ripples as the creature swam away. Overgrowth grabbed a larger rock and threw it into the ocean but narrowly missed a bystander in the process.
"Rocky!" Ryder called in anger.
"What?" Overgrowth said in its low voice as it turned to look at him.
"You almost hit somebody!" Ryder said. "You have to be careful."
Overgrowth turned away with a huff. "They shouldn't have been in the way."
"You're supposed to protect the people."
"I said I would protect those I can. If they get in the way, then that's their problem. I will do what's necessary to get the job done."
"So, you're willing to kill somebody?"
Overgrowth walked over until he towered above the boy. "Lose one life to save hundreds? I will take that deal any day."
Jacob was observing the water but couldn't see any trace of the creature that had been there. He sighed loudly and gave up looking. He walked over to Overgrowth in hopes of an answer.
"Does anybody want to tell me what the thing was?" He asked.
The jade turned to him. "My fear has become a reality. Zuma has been taken by one of the stones and it is a difficult one to fight. In its element, the aquamarine can be impossible to track and capture. Its fluid body can slip through any crevice and can be impossible to see in the water."
Katie slowly approached the group. Her eyes were drawn to the large man of vines. Overgrowth looked down at her and fear crept through her. Her curiosity was the only thing that allowed her to speak.
"W-what are you?" She asked.
Ryder decided to answer this question. "Long story short, this is Rocky and that creature was Zuma. We should go to the parlor before we talk about anything else."
Katie was speechless and just nodded. They went into her parlor and Overgrowth had to duck into the door. He walked to a corner and sat in it. The others stood around one of the tables.
Katie looked at Jacob. "I'm guessing you're Lucy?"
Jacob nodded. "I think that's the least of our worries."
"I think we should focus on tracking down the next stone." Overgrowth said from the corner.
"I still don't understand what's going on." Katie said.
I'll explain everything later." Ryder said. "We need to find the other stones before they hurt someone."
Ryder pulled out his pup pad and opened the map. Zuma was now far from the shore and wasn't moving. One of the icons moved to the scrapyard. The two in the forest remained where they were. They were moving but avoided the edge of the forest. One of the icons was alone in the mountains. A plan formed in Ryder's head.
"The map says that Everest is back in the mountains." He said as he turned towards Overgrowth. "What are the chances that one of the stones chose her?"
"If they didn't return to the lookout after the crash, then there's a good chance that a stone took them." Overgrowth said.
"What stone would hide in the mountains?" Ryder asked. "There's nothing there but ice and snow."
"The sapphire," Jacob responded. "The stones like to hide in their elements. A cold mountain seems like a great place for the stone of ice."
"Can someone explain to me what's going on?" Katie asked.
Ryder began walking out the door. "I'll explain everything later. We have to find Everest first."
Overgrowth began running towards the distant mountains and Ryder got on his ATV. Jacob became a dog again and jumped in his lap. The drive to the mountains was long and the sun was beginning to set. They got there before it got dark and Ryder began looking for any signs of a large monster. Jacob changed to himself and noticed that the jade wasn't moving. It was staring up at the mountain.
"Are you going to help?" Jacob asked.
"Sometimes I worry, Jacob." Overgrowth said. "Sometimes I don't feel like myself."
Jacob shrugged. "I don't know what you mean. You seem fine."
Overgrowth looked at him. "I risked someone's life to hit a creature that was already gone. I am far from fine."
"I can't do anything to help you unless you give me the stone."
Overgrowth turned away. "I'll give you the stone after we save Everest."
Jacob crossed his arms. "What happens if you don't give it to me?"
Overgrowth turned back to him with a serious face. "I want you to take it from me. Do whatever it takes. If this stone makes me tempted to keep it, then I shouldn't have it."
"Hey, guys!" Ryder called from a distance.
They ran over to see that he found a cave. Snow surrounded the entrance to the cave but the inside was ice. Jacob looked along the wall to see ice spikes coming from the floor and ceiling. Some came from the walls as well. The cave was dark and looked like a long tunnel.
"This isn't natural." Jacob said. "Something made this."
"How can you be sure?" Ryder asked.
Jacob ran his hand along the walls. "Ice requires water to form. It isn't possible for water to cover every inch of this cave and freeze on every possible surface. Something wanted to surround itself with ice and I think we know who."
"Should we go in?' Ryder asked nervously.
"I don't see why not." Overgrowth said as it began walking through the cave.
The other two followed through the long tunnel. The ice continued throughout the cave and there wasn't a light in sight. A fire appeared on the end of Jacob's trident and they could see that they were approaching a large chamber.
The chamber was mostly empty. It had ice spikes in many places. A tall throne of ice sat at the back of the room. Sitting in the throne was a large creature made of ice. The creature was 12 feet tall with broad shoulders. It had spikes of ice on its back. It had large hands that were resting on the sides of the throne. Its head was simple and had very little features. The eye sockets were empty and hollow. The massive creature sat unmoving as the group entered the room.
"That's definitely the sapphire." Overgrowth said.
"What's that?" Ryder asked as he pointed to something that sat in the middle of the room.
In the middle of the room was a circular slab of ice. It was around 5 feet across and had a spike going through the middle. The spike was around 4 feet tall and had something frozen in the center. Ryder walked forward to get a better view and gasped at what he found. Frozen in the ice was a teal pup tag with a silver pine tree.
Ryder reached out to grab it and the room started shaking. He quickly ran back to the entrance of the room and the room stopped shaking but they had a new problem. Blue light filled the sockets of the ice creature and it jumped down from the throne. The ground cracked when the sapphire hit the ground. It waved its hand and the slab of ice moved to the side of the room. It turned its attention to the group.
"Why must you disturb me?" Its voice was loud and echoed off the walls. "What have I done to deserve this?"
"You took my pup!" Ryder yelled. "We came to take her back."
The sapphire laughed. "Without your pup, I will fall back into dormancy. Her soul gives me the strength to stay awake."
"You're holding her hostage!"
The sapphire sighed. "Everything comes at a price. This is just a small price to pay for salvation."
"I'm not letting you keep her." Overgrowth said. "I'm taking that stone."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Jade. Why join their false crusade? You should be helping me protect myself from these intruders."
Overgrowth's arms began to unravel. "My name is Overgrowth. I am not the jade. The difference is that I have a saying."
The sapphire's eyes narrowed. "What is this saying?"
"Green means grow!"
Overgrowth thrust its vines into the ground and they pushed through the dirt and stone. The vines resurfaced in multiple places around the sapphire. They attempted to wrap around it but the sapphire grabbed the vines in its large fists. It laughed as it watched Overgrowth attempt to pull itself free. Jacob stood nearby and observed the situation.
The sapphire smirked. "I have a name, too. Call me Frostbite."
Ice spread from Frostbite's fists and down the vines. It continued spreading until it reached Overgrowth. Frostbite clenched its fists and the vines shattered. Overgrowth stumbled back at its sudden loss of arms. New vines began to grow and wove to form new arms.
"You're outmatched." Frostbite said. "The ice is my domain."
"Then, let's heat things up." Jacob said as he lifted his trident.
He slammed the butt of the trident into the ground. A wave of heat came from it and melted all the ice in the room. Water began to drip from Frostbite in the hot environment. Ice attempted to form around it but it melted quickly. Frostbite looked back at the throne that was now a large puddle of water that was evaporating.
"You can't do this to me!" Frostbite yelled in anger. "Where there is heat, there will always be cold!"
Jacob's trident erupted with fire and he threw it at Frostbite. The trident hit it in the chest and the massive being exploded into a thick cloud of vapor. The group approached the vapor and watched it dissipate. When the vapor cleared completely, they could see a small, blue stone and a small husky. Ryder reached down and picked up Everest while Jacob picked up the sapphire.
"Will she be okay?" Jacob asked.
Ryder looked up at him. "She appears to be sleeping but I'll take her to Katie to be sure."
Jacob looked at the stone in his hand. "That's one stone down."
"Make it two." Overgrowth said from behind.
Jacob turned around to see the jade in Overgrowth's hand. He held it out to Jacob and tried to get him to take it. Jacob stared carefully at Overgrowth.
"Is this some kind of illusion?" He asked.
Overgrowth smiled. "Illusions are only as real as you believe them to be. I can assure you that this is very real."
Jacob looked at the stone that was offered to him. "Are you sure?"
"Take it before I change my mind."
Jacob took the stone and the vines began to wilt. They eventually crumbled to ash and a small, gray head popped out the ashes. Rocky jumped out of the ashes and shook himself off. He smelled himself and grimaced.
"I'm gonna need a bath." He said with a sigh.
Ryder laughed. "It's good to see you again."
"So what's next?" Rocky asked.
Jacob looked at the stones in his hand. "I think we should take a break and rest before going after the next stone."
"Do you know which one we're going after next?" Rocky asked.
Jacob smiled. "How about Neo?"
I know it's been a while since I posted a chapter. I've been sick and busy with school work. The next chapter will be out in the next few weeks.
Leave a review if you want to. I would love to answer some questions people may have.
