CHAPTER ELEVEN
"The Call of Destiny"
Teela woke up to something wet licking her face. She moaned a little bit as her eyes opened and focused. Cringer grinned and stopped licking her. "Teela!" he cried. "You're awake!"
"What's happening?" she asked. "Are we still under attack?"
"Yes."
"Adam! Where's Adam?"
"Up there!" yelped Nell, who had apparently been floating nearby. He pointed up a huge portion of the Palace had been shifted up. It was burning and the flames were hard to see past, but Teela saw Adam duking it with Master Chaos.
"Should we get help?" asked Nell.
Teela paused in thought, then answered. "No. We need to find the children. Adam can take care of himself. Come on!"
***
"Stay still, damn you!" yelled Man-At-Arms as he blasted at Tough-Stuff. The laser beams kept missing her as she jumped and flipped to dodge him. Frustrated, he stood up and began to chase after her. He almost had her . . . until she disappeared around a hunk of debris that had fallen during the attacks.
"Where are you . . . ?" he whispered, trying to find her.
"Gotcha!" she shouted, kicking Man-At-Arms in the back. He was sent against the debris. Just as he pushed off, Tough-Stuff smashed his face into it. Once, twice . . .three times. About to lose consciousness, he realized that he wished he had spent more time training.
"Leave him alone!" yelled Snowball, who unleashed a chilling wind against her body. It was immediately incased in ice. She began to push against, but it would take time to bust right through it. Just as Snowball was beginning a second layer, flames circled around him.
Flame grinned. Anything that Snowball was trying to make while surrounded was melted immediately. "Not so cocky now, are you?"
Meanwhile, Basher and Smasher were chasing down Horn and Tail. Their gigantic fists kept slamming the ground, stopping them from going any further. But Horn spun around, holding his brass horn, and released a sonic wave that shook Basher's iron armor. A few bolts rumbled off, and steam blew out from one of the arms.
"Smasher! I'm down!"
"Let me at 'em!" Smasher replied, about to bare down on the pair. But Tail leapt up and delivered a decisively exact kick to Smasher throat. The gigantic warrior fell flat on his face.
"We don't have a lot of time!" she yelled, Horn following her as she ran. "Call out! We need to re-group!"
Horn yelled to the others - his voice heard probably all across Eternos. "RE-GROUP!"
***
"Where are we?" asked Amelia as she and her siblings arrived in a large forest. "I don't remember father's story about Skytree ever involving so much . . ."
"'Growth?'" finished Tullamore. "Aye, yes. This was all grown when Hordak invaded Eternia. Protection. Come come!"
The four of them walked through the trees and suddenly found themselves nearly tripping over all the roots. The sun was just about blocked out due to the large canopy. After a few minutes of walking though, the group found themselves staring down an area where there was no growth and the trees seemed to designate a path.
"Right down there!" yelped Tullamore. "Right down there, your destiny awaits!"
"Destiny?" Emily asked. "What destiny?"
She turned around, only to find the Treeperchaun vanished. "Where'd he go?" Joshua wondered. He looked around, hoping to find the little man, but with no luck.
"Come on," said Addison, leading the way. "Let's keep moving."
Slowly and unsure, the children of the royal family did walk. As they grew closer and closer to the end of the path, they noticed that the sounds of the forest increased. Birds chirped loudly, bugs buzzed merrily, animal talked softly. Even the trees themselves seemed to move and sway with no wind.
And then, the path ended and Emily, Joshua, Amelia, and Addison stood in circular opening in the forest. In the center of this opening was a gigantic tree - the likes of which they have never seen before in their entire lives.
A face seemed to appear - with eyes and a mouth - and the tree appeared to come alive - and spoke! "Greetings children of Eternia!"
All four felt compelled to bow before the great wood. "Skytree," Addison spoke for his family, "great Skytree, we are honored to meet with you."
"I see! I see! Stand now, this is no time for squatting! This is a time . . . for destiny!"
As the four began to stand, Emily felt a wave of uneasiness sweep through at that word. 'Destiny.' She found it a bit . . . intimidating.
"Worry not, young Emily!" announced Skytree. "For what you find with this adventure is no confirmation of fears that you hold!"
Emily blinked. "How did - !?"
"I am very old, you know. I can tell these things. But now is not the time to speak of me, young ones. We must speak of matters that call you and this wonderous world!"
"What do you mean, Skytree?" asked Amelia.
"Since the beginning of our knowledge, there has always been one constant on our planet," spoke Skytree. "Good and evil. It is a balance that shall forever remain in check. Where this is good, there is evil. Where this is evil, there is good. Night and day, they are like. Moon and sun. Even the bright stars have a background of darkness. Just as above the dark clouds, there is a bright sky. Forever locked in balance of motion. Constantly shifting, but always in check. As it has been since the beginning days before the Ancients."
Joshua spoke. "But I thought that it was the Zodak that created the balance?"
Skytree laughed, which sounded much like the laughter of a man mixed with the ruffling of leaves. "Young one, the Zodak only caused the balance to grow more extreme. It heightened the awareness of the balance. No, the Zodak did not create the balance. The balance of good and evil outlives us all.
"But it is the actions of the Zodak that bring you to me now," Skytree continued. "Because of Zodak, the balance of good and evil sometimes requires the necessity of champions. Things are unbalanced because of the arrival of Master Chaos to the playing field. There needs to be a counter for him. In short, a champion - or champions - of good. You four shall be those champions!"
"Us?!" Amelia sounded.
Emily felt herself smile. "Really?"
"No freaking way!" yelled out Joshua, a smile on his face.
"Wow," muttered Addison. "How do we do this?"
A branch came down from the top of Skytree and leaned down close to them. Four large nuts sat on this branch. The four of them pulled off the nuts.
"Open them and you find a talisman that will transform into the greatest of warriors!"
They cracked open the nuts and inside each one was a small, round, gold talisman that could easily sit on a chain. For each of the talismans, there was a shape. For Addison, a diamond. Amelia had a circle. Joshua's was a square. Emily possessed a triangle.
"Now what?" asked Joshua, fingers running against the talisman.
"Lift them . . . and speak the words that come to your hearts!"
The four of them glanced at one another with smiles, feeling the love for each other that seemed to have gone hidden underneath bickering and rivalry.
"BY THE HONOR OF ETERNIA . . ." the called out. ". . . WE HAVE THE POWER!"
Light flashed, energy flowed and each felt a sudden transformation take hold of their bodies. Power entered into them and Skytree spoke as they changed into warriors for the first time.
Addison felt his body began trimmer and stronger. He was definitely taller. A new armor covered his body - white and lightweight, but still stronger than he ever would have expected.
"Addison," spoke Skytree, "you will posses the power of flight, as well the ability to produce energy beams from your very eyes. You will be called Captain, in regards to your rank in the Royal Guard."
Amelia's hair grew longer as her entire body seemed to shift. She felt stronger in the legs and the arms, but also felt oddly more beautiful. Her mind also seemed to expand.
"Amelia," spoke Skytree, "you will be gifted with telepathy and telekinesis. You will be known as Order, to counter Master Chaos."
Joshua's muscles and bones grew huge as an armor seemed to appear on him. He gained at least three feet in height and nearly two hundred pounds in pure muscle mass.
"Joshua," spoke Skytree, "your strength has been increased tenfold. You will be larger and stronger in all ways. Thunder will be your new namesake."
Emily suddenly felt trimmer, taller, leaner, and much more mature. Her body was thinner that it had been and she noticed that she was now wearing a tight black bodysuit.
"Emily," spoke Skytree, "you are now far more faster than you were before. Your name shall be Speedster."
With a clap of energy and light, the four new heroes appeared in place of the four siblings. Much to their shock, a mere second was all it took to transform.
"Go forth, now!" Skytree told them. "Go forth and save Eternia!"
***
The word 'SHIELD' blocked an explosion from Bombshell, but it wouldn't handle another one. Poet somersaulted and ended up behind a hunk of debris and decided right then and there that he needed to go on the offense.
He scribbled out 'BOW AND ARROW' and one appeared in his hands, the letters taking the shape. Poet stood then and fired, the arrow striking her right in the leg. Bombshell lurched, allowing Poet to write down another word.
'EXPLOSION'
And, of course, the ground beneath her feet exploded and she was tossed backwards. Poet emerged, ready for bit more of a fight.
Elsewhere, though, Stinger was ensnared in some sort of living, snake-like chain created by the dark powers of Exile. "Get off of me!"
"Not a chance, you pretty little honey-bee!" Exile snorted, his fingers controlling chains. He was just about to tighten them - when a huge, exo-skeleton energy fist smashed down upon him!
"Why don't you listen to the lady!?" Exo shouted, punching the evil Trollian once more.
"My thanks, Phillip."
"No prob. Tail wanted us to regroup, so why don't we - "
"MY WINGS!" yelled Talon suddenly. Two energy beams were hitting them, during them into glass. Courtesy of Glass himself, naturally.
Stinger took the skies, her harpoon primed and ready. She shoved it right through Glass's chest, shattering the villain. Shards of him fell to ground. As they did, Talon's wings returned to normal.
"Are you okay?" she asked of him.
"Fine, fine. Come on, let's finish this."
"Right."
As the pair ran towards the heart of battle, Exo was about to join them. But before he could take another step, a cord slapped against his energy armor. He spun around and found Sensor as the origin point of the assault. Immediately, then, the energy armor began to disrupt and fade.
But a giant blade - created by the word 'BLADE' - snapped the cord, sending Sensor backwards. The blade slashed a bit into Sensor before it disappeared.
"You all right?" asked Poet.
"Fine. Come on," responded Exo.
As the heroes began to regroup, the Vile Enemies began to surround them. But before anyone could say anything - a sudden wind picked up.
Both Flame and Exile felt a hundred lighting-fast punches.
Two huge fists smashed against Basher and Smasher.
Crimson energy beams hit Sensor and Bombshell.
Glass and Tough-Stuff were suddenly thrown backwards.
And then - THEY appeared. Captain, Order, Thunder, and Speedster.
"Vile Enemies!" shouted Captain. "Your day is done! We are the champions of Eternia, the warriors of good! Order, check on the status of the king. Thunder, Speedster, get ready for an attack."
"What is this?" Flame asked.
Tail smiled across the way to the villain. "Don't you believe in miracles?"
Order telepathically reached out to King Adam, then grimed. "He's fighting Master Chaos, but it's not going very well."
"GO!" shouted Man-At-Arms. "We can take these losers!"
And then, before anyone could act, Man-At-Arms launched a small missile as the Vile Enemies. Captain nodded and the four headed towards the throne room . . . or whatever was left of it.
"It's over, King Adam," Master Chaos said, gripping the king by the throat. "It's too bad, too. I was hoping to share with you my big, fat secret."
"The only thing you'll be sharing . . ." Adam gasped, the hand on his neck tightening, ". . . is a place on my win list."
"YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!" released Thunder, who charged through the fires and punched Master Chaos.
"What is this!?" shouted the villain. He turned his staff towards Thunder and shot a beam of energy from it. Thunder shrugged it off and kept on moving. Master Chaos was about to try it again, when . . . he staff was suddenly missing from his hands.
"Looking for this?" asked Speedster, twirling it in her hand.
"YES!" he exclaimed, clawing his hand.
A burst of blue energy shot from it and Speedster was thrown backwards. Thunder stormed forward, definitely not happy that.
"Leave her alone!" he shouted.
Adam, who had been watching from afar, took note of this, but just kept continuing to watch.
Master Chaos brought his staff over swiftly and unleashed a heavier blast at Thunder. This one shot him to the ground. Chaos was about to finish both him and Speedster over . . . when his mind was assaulted by Order.
"How's that feel, big guy?" she asked with a grin.
"Come in a little more, honey."
Order's eyes grew wide as her mind was pulled into his own. She could feel darkness and pain and fear and anger. She pulled herself out of his brain suddenly - an action that caused Master Chaos to stumble.
"Stay down!" yelled Captain, blasting at his back from above.
"NEVER!" shrieked Master Chaos. He spun around and shot Captain to the ground. "Is this all you have to offer?"
"This is just the beginning . . ." Captain answered. "Now!"
Swift punches from Thunder racked against Master Chaos' body. They pummeled him, but he was down. Not yet. Or at least not until Order began to pelt him with rocks and telekinetically pulled the staff from his hand. Speedster then stepped in, hitting him with lightning-fast kicks and punches. Captain delivered energy beams from his eyes.
"No no no no no - NOOOO!" yelled Master Chaos. He threw his hands up in the air, tossing the four heroes back slightly. "This does not end here!"
He snatched up his staff and muttered a few words. In flash, he was gone.
Outside, as the Heroic Warriors were giving the Vile Enemies a run for their lives, beams of energy teleported them away.
"Damn," complained Exo, "and right when it was getting fun, too."
As Captain, Order, Thunder and Speedster began to recover, King Adam jogged over and smiled at them.
"Kids," he said with a knowing smile. "Great job out there today."
"Thanks Dad - I MEAN - . . . aw, shit," Thunder cursed.
"Josh, come on," Speedster groaned.
"No, no," Adam replied. "I know. You four are my children."
Captain piqued an eyebrow. "How did you . . .?"
"A father knows," Adam replied. "Plus, I guess after all these years, I can just tell these things. And your transformation doesn't seem very cosmetic."
"There you are!" yelled Teela, entering into the shattered throne room with Cringer and Nell in tow. She hugged and kissed each child. "I had a feeling something like this was going to happen."
"And how did you find out!?" asked Order, shocked.
"A mother knows. And Cringer smelled magic down there."
Adam contacted the Heroic Warriors as the four gave a quick explanation of the story. Most of the royal guard had made it out there before many people were hurt. There were only one or two casualties, but everyone was mostly taken care of. He turned back to the his children in their super-hero forms.
"So, Skytree gave you these powers, huh? Hmmm," Adam thought out loud. "I suppose now all we have to do is determine where Master Chaos came from."
"I have that answer for you, King Adam," Lynn said as she and Ninjor appeared in the ruins of the throne room.
"Lynn?" Adam questioned, surprised to see her here.
"What's going on?" asked Teela.
"These are your children?" asked Ninjor. "Then the rumors are true. We had heard they were given powers from the villagers when we entered."
"Great. Secret's out," Captain muttered.
"There goes any chance of a peaceful day at school," Speedster spoke aloud.
"Lynn," Adam addressed, "you said you had information on Master Chaos? What is it? Who is he?"
Lynn paused and then closed her eyes. "Master Chaos . . ." she began, then paused for a moment. "Master Chaos . . . is my son."
"What?!" Adam exclaimed.
"Yes," Lynn answered.
"Are you serious?!" Teela said then. Lynn nodded.
Adam blinked. "Lynn . . . who's the father?"
She took a deep breath. "That's the tricky part, King Adam. I am the mother, but the father is . . . is . . ."
"Who? Who is he?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Skeletor."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I hate to leave with a cliffhanger, but I'll be in North Carolina for the next week. What does that mean? I can't up-date until next Sunday! (gasp!) But just wait - because we're going to figure just what this shocking revelation means to our new heroes and what Master Chaos is REALLY up too. Take care and enjoy, gang! And thanks for the feed-back. It's really encouraging.
~W~