Spyke found and crossed the river with relative ease, vaulting over it with a makeshifte spike javelin, which he tossed aside. The other Morlocks, if they followed, would not be able to get across as quickly, with the quick currents.
Good. He didn't want them to see what he was going to do to the Hungan.
Spikes angrily sprang from his arms, red-hot tipped, as his thoughts filled with vengeance. Not just for Callisto, but for all the Morlocks he'd nearly killed, and even for his Auntie O, who'd nearly become his mindless slave. For all of them, the Hungan was going to pay.
Finally, he found the temple.
More of a cave, really, it'd been carved into the hill, the entranced marked by the wooden pillars, covered by the fanged serpents that were the symbol of the Hungan. No guards, and likely none needed. No one would be foolish enough to try and take out the Hungan on his own ground. Growling, Spyke stepped inside, firing a short spike out of his wrist and catching it, setting the tip alight as a makeshift torch, to allow him to see in the dark as he made his way down the tunnel to the main temple.
Suddenly the ground gave out, and Spyke cried out as the floor his feet rested on gave out, and he fell. Thinking quickly he thrust out his arms, thick, sharp spikes shooting out and slowing his descent, stopping him inches above the bottom of the pit, lined as it was by deadly serpents.
"Whoa... okay... definently need to thank Logan next chance I get," he stated without much humor.
Jutting out some spikes from his feet and using all four limbs to haul himself out of the pit. Another makeshift torch and he was off, more cautiously this time, his eyes alert for signs of danger. A few simple, crude traps had been set up for any visiting the Hungan, but it seemed that the worst of it lay ahead of him, in the temple itself. Spyke passed around the last of the pit traps, and then passed under a low archway to the heart of the temple.
Torchlight lit the room they were in. Big, dark and old, about the size of the Danger Room. It had the look and feel of an ancient temple, though no symbols or religious relics lay anywhere. Only a great circled carved in the floor, and a dozen or so burning braziers along the walls. And there, in the center of the circle, stood the Hungan.
"You have finally come, God," he stated quietly, though despite his choice of name for Spyke, his tone was condescending more than anything else.
Spyke growled, and spikes burst from his body, ready to use them. But not before he got some answers. "Why did you kidnap Callisto?!" he demanded angrily.
"The woman is not vital to my plans," replied the Hungan haughtily, holding up the glowing scepter that glowed with an eerie light. Spyke growled upon seeing it, remember all too well how it had glowed when it held Auntie O's spirit. A number of short, jagged spikes appeared along his right forearm, tips flaming, as he prepared to unleash them upon the Hungan's tool and shatter it once again. "But she has served her purpose. Bait, to lure the foolish prey..." he stated, the white skull tattoo glowing eerily in the light from the braziers.
"That's stupid! Storm has no interest in Callisto, it's..." and then he stopped, as he realized the full horror of the situation. "You don't want her, do you? You wanted me, all along."
"You have grown even more powerful than the Windrider," stated the Hungan, with an admiring wave, pointing at Spyke's flaming spikes. "With you under my control, I shall be able to rule Africa, as is my right."
"I will never serve you!" roared Spyke angrily, his eyes blazing with inner fire, as his voice echoed off the walls of the temple. The Hungan did not even flinch. Instead he smirked, and made a gesture behind him, in the darkness between the braziers. A shadowy figure rose up, though Spyke couldn't yet get a clear look at the features from the dim lighting. Plus, he didn't want to take his eye off of the Hungan.
"Oh, but you will," stated the Hungan, as he stepped back, out of the circle. "But like the Windrider, you too possess too much power to be controlled as you are now. First, your spirit must be broken," he added, as he gestured, and the figure entered the light.
Spyke gasped.
It was Callisto.
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Author's Notes:
I admit I don't understand the full extent of the Hungan's soul-stealing powers, but I do recall he took a lot of time with Storm to wear her resistance down. Thus, I presume he has to do the same with Spyke. Poor Evan, forced to fight his loved one. Is there a more cruel fate I can inflict upon the characters I my stories? Probably, but this'll do for now.