"Good, keep it coming," Jinx said as Dree Elle continued her assault- against her. Dree Elle had convinced Jinx to begin training her in the ninja arts. Jinx had pointed out that proper training took years and she could only show her so much, but she would not be swayed. So Jinx agreed to teach her as much as she could in the time they had, provided Dree Elle continued training on her own afterward. Now, however, she was amazed at the rate of Dree Elle's advancement.
"You're progress is incredible," she said as they took a brief breather and leaned against the side of the Attak Trak's cabin. "You've accomplished in a few hours what I spent weeks studying."
"You're just saying that," Dree Elle chuckled. "There's no way I could ever be better than you. No matter how long I trained."
"Don't shortchange yourself," said Jinx. "You still have much to learn, but it's like you were born to do this. I think it may have something to do with your magic."
"How so?"
"To achieve perfection of these moves I'm teaching you, you need to have perfect balance," Jinx said, standing tiptoe on one foot to demonstrate. "Your magic helps you achieve that balance better. Particularly your levitation ability. You don't need to worry about falling over when you can float in midair."
Dree Elle shrugged. "On the other hand my short legs and my robes make it difficult to deliver a good kick. Plus I don't have a lot of muscle in my arms."
Jinx shook her head. "Doesn't matter. The martial arts aren't about being stronger than your opponent. Seldom does the fight go by where my enemy isn't physically stronger than me. A large part of winning is using your adversary's strength against them. You're small and agile. Instead of a weakness, make that an advantage."
Dree Elle nodded and the two continued their sparring. Jinx was still able to block and dodge everything thrown at her, but the young Trollan didn't let it discourage her. The mere fact that she could maintain pace with Jinx, and keep her on her guard, was enough to fill her with deep personal pride.
Dree Elle became so engrossed with her training that she almost forgot about their mission, but soon the Attak Trak was pulling up in front of Central Tower. The fortress was dark and disturbing with its giant lion's head carved into the cold blue stone. The fact that Viper Tower, with its massive snake coiled around the mountain of stone, stood in plain sight nearby only added to the overall feeling of uneasiness.
"Not exactly the most inviting of places is it?" Orko chuckled nervously.
"Don't worry," Man-E-Faces assured him. "Central Tower is a place of neutrality. Its magic is meant to keep the powers of good and evil in check. Since we're attempting to restore the balance of the universe, the fortress' defenses should let us pass." After a moment he added, "Keep on your guard though."
"Let's hurry," Dree Elle said. "I don't like being this close to Viper Tower."
Suddenly a raspy voice called out, "No one but a Snake Man should."
Everyone looked up in surprise as what they had thought to be a stone gargoyle jumped down from the fortress and landed in front of them. Man-E-Faces instinctively drew his blaster but Jinx stopped him from shooting.
"Our paths seem to keep crossing Saurod," Jinx smiled. "One would think you were keeping tabs on me."
Saurod tilted his head with a hint of amusement. Jinx couldn't help noticing that the wounds he had received from the Night Creepers were all but completely gone. He was indeed a fast healer.
"You seem to keep getting in over your head," he chuckled "One would think you needed watching"
Jinx shrugged. "What can I say? I enjoy a challenge. So what are you doing here?"
Man-E-Faces scoffed, "Like he said; Only a Snake Man would be comfortable this close to Viper Tower."
"Imbecile!" Saurod growled. "I am no Snake Man! I'm not even from this planet! I am a Saurian warrior. You insult me greatly to even suggest I am one of those disgusting creatures!"
Jinx had to admit she could easily see why someone would think Saurod was a Snake Man. She didn't say this aloud of course. In truth Saurod actually looked more like a lizard than a snake. In fact, if dinosaurs had evolved into humanoids, this is probably what they'd look like. Jinx was more curious now than ever as to what was beneath that foreboding mask of his.
Saurod took a few deep breaths and seemed to regain his composure. "You should know that Skeletor knows all about the Crest of Infinity and intends on collecting it before you do."
"So that's why you're here." Orko said, his eyes narrowing. "Skeletor sent you to stop us and collect the crest piece."
"No," Saurod said plainly, causing everyone except Jinx to draw back in surprise. "Skeletor doesn't know I'm here. I figured since my loyalty is to no one I would be able to enter Central Tower and obtain this piece easily. I would then hold it until the others were collected."
Man-E-Faces leveled his gun again. "So you want to use the crest for yourself is that it?"
Saurod shook his head and folded his arms in front of him. "You really are an imbecile. Do you think I want to see the universe destroyed? Skeletor, Hiss, Cobra Commander, they all think that they can use the threat of Armageddon to their advantage. They'll kill us all before they let you win. They're all fools."
"I'll be sure to tell them you said that," came a cackling mechanical voice.
Turning around the group of warriors saw nothing but could only hear a strange whirring sound. Suddenly the dust began flying up as though something was digging up from underground. With an explosion of dirt a small tornado burst from the ground, flew up into the air then landed and began rotating its way towards them.
Jinx felt like she was in a Tasmanian Devil cartoon as the miniature cyclone drew closer and closer. Finally, when it reached the stone, the whirlwind slowed to a stop revealing the source. It was an Energy Zoid, and an ugly one at that. Like the now departed Rotar he had a gyroscopic system in place of his legs, but his face was twisted and grotesque with a sickly green skin.
Saurod however laughed at the sight before him. "Twistoid. I haven't seen you around for some time. I had thought Skeletor realized how pathetic you were and disposed of you."
"Skeletor rewards those who remain loyal to him," Twistoid sneered in a voice that made Jinx cringe. She was still trying to determine if he was an actual living being or some kind of robot.
"Your only reward will be your demise," Saurod snarled. "Do you honestly believe even the combined forces of Skeletor and Cobra can appropriate the whole crest before it's too late to undo the damage to the universe?"
"They could," Twistoid spat, "if you would help destroy these do-gooders instead of wasting time talking to them like old friends!"
"You fool!" Saurod growled. "Don't you realize it's better to aid a foe than to die? If you had half a brain in that misshapen dome of yours, you'd help me before we all perish."
Twistoid scowled at the Saurian. "My dear Saurod, did your brush with death teach you nothing about defying Skeletor? My loyalty is to my lord. You however are loyal to no one."
Saurod looked over his shoulder at the heroes. His eyes came to rest upon Jinx as though contemplating something. Finally he turned back to Twistoid.
"This young ninja saved my life. My loyalty is to her."
Jinx smiled. Saurod may not have been the nicest guy in the galaxy, nor would he win any beauty contests, but she could tell he was not the evil creature he was made out to be.
Twistoid sighed and held his arms out to his sides. "So be it. Then you shall die along with her."
Saurod laughed again. "What are you going to do? Make me so dizzy that I vomit to death?"
Twistoid ground his teeth in fury. "You have mocked my power for the last time!" With that twin blades shot out of his arms above the wrist and he began spinning towards the group. Everyone dove to the sides to avoid the deadly barrage, save Saurod. At the last second he leaped into the air, flipped over the evil Zoid and landed behind him. He was amazing more agile than his appearance suggested.
"So you can spin really fast," he scoffed. "You don't even create whirlwinds like Sy-Klone. You call that a power? I'll show you what true power is!"
Saurod inhaled deeply through his mouth. Simultaneously his back and chest began to glow. Then the glow formed around the mouth opening in his mask. Jinx knew nothing of Saurian warriors, but she had seen every Godzilla movie ever made so she knew what was coming next. Finally, when it seemed Saurod had filled his lungs, he whipped his head forward and released. Instantly a stream of glowing electrical energy shot forth from his mouth, slamming into Twistoid and sending him tumbling head over heals. Or in this case head over gears.
Saurod quickly shouted to Jinx. "Go. I can handle this. You just worry about that crest. Remember what's at stake here."
Jinx nodded. "Be careful."
As Jinx and the others ran into the tower Dree Elle glanced back at the reptilian mercenary with a look of uncertainty.
"Are you sure we can trust him?"
"Yes," Jinx said, and left it at that.
Saurod watched them go then turned his attention back to Twistoid who had finally managed to get himself upright again.
"You know you're no match for me, Zoid. It was foolish of Skeletor to send you here alone."
Twistoid suddenly grinned and laughed, "Who said I was here alone?"
"What?"
"For all your talk, you don't think things out properly do you?" Twistoid sneered. "If I was here by myself, why would I be hiding outside instead of going inside and getting the crest?"
Saurod's eyes shot open and he glanced over his shoulder at the tower's entrance.
Twistoid chuckled with sinister delight. "Now who's the fool? You just sent your new friends right to their deaths!"
"I can't believe you enjoy doing this kind of thing," Gwildor said as he spat out another cobweb.
Tunnel Rat laughed and ducked under a web himself. "I guess it comes out of my childhood. I was a bit of a rough kid. Usually found myself in some kind of trouble, whether it was from authoritative adults or some rival punks. Unfortunately, I wasn't exactly the biggest kid around, and my diverse family tree offered me no immunity either. I tried to avoid conflicts by escaping through drainage tunnels and underground passages. This place has got nothing on Brooklyn's sewer system."
The two looked up as Zoar flew in over their heads and transformed into The Sorceress.
"I've searched the far caverns," she said. "The crest piece must be somewhere nearby."
"Especially since we've searched every other cavern down here," Gwildor grumbled. "I may know my way around these tunnels, but I don't like it."
"I don't mind being down here," Tunnel Rat said. "What bothers me is that the castle could be attacked any moment and we'd have no way of knowing."
"Don't worry," Sorceress said assuredly. "I am able to sense any danger that may threaten Grayskull. Besides, Duke and the others are up there in case something does happen."
"To be honest," Gwildor added, "you should be more worried about what may happen down here. Remember, Grayskull was He-Ro's fortress and he was no fool. He probably set up some mystical protection around the crest."
"Yeah, like tunnels that don't lead anywhere," Tunnel Rat sighed. Are you sure we aren't going in circles. Everything looks the same."
The Sorceress nodded. "That's the point. It is meant to confound intruders. I can assure you though we are not lost." As if to demonstrate the point, her staff began to glow and pull down into the dark passageway.
"What's going on?" Tunnel Rat asked.
"The Staff of Zoar," she said. "It senses the magic of the crest nearby." Suddenly the staff pulled free of her grasp and took off into the darkness.
"Quickly, follow the trail!"
Sorceress transformed into her falcon form and was barely able to keep up with her staff. Tunnel Rat was close behind her, running as fast as he could. Gwildor, on the other hand, was not built for running and lagged far behind panting for breath.
"I don't like adventure," he complained. "I really don't like adventure!"
The staff turned right, then left, then right again and finally came to rest in a dead end cavern. A small beam of light shone through a crack in the wall and fell upon a small pedestal. And there, sitting as if in a sacred position, was the missing piece of The Crest of Infinity. Sorceress became human again and slowly approached the pedestal.
"There it is!" she said.
"And there it shall remain!"
Sorceress jumped back just in time to avoid being incinerated by a wall of flame that erupted around the pedestal. She glanced around quickly and saw a figure speeding through the shadows. No sooner did she turn the light of her staff towards it, than the figure darted away again, casting a fireball to cover its escape. A barrage of mystic blasts followed from all around as the unseen assailant circled The Sorceress.
Teela'na managed to raise a mystical shield around herself for protection, but could not get a bead on her attacker's whereabouts. At that moment Tunnel Rat managed to catch up to her. Ducking under a flame, he pulled out his Uzi and opened fire, but only struck stone.
"I've been waiting many years for someone to come and challenge me," the voice called from the darkness. The voice was strangely young sounding, almost childish. "Is this truly the best that all this time can offer? If so the rest of Eternia must have gone straight to hell!"
Tunnel Rat growled through clenched teeth, "Tough talk from someone who hides in the dark. Why not come out and fight where we can see you?"
"Why not?" the mysterious aggressor laughed. "It won't make any difference in the end result. I prefer a straight fight anyway." With that he stepped into the light
Tunnel Rat gasped in shock. "My God, it's the kid!"
And indeed it was. There, standing proud and looking exactly as he had in the living portrait, was He-Ro's young apprentice Derrick.
Well, it doesn't look like anyone beat us here," Orko said as he lit another torch. "All the torches are still on the walls, and none of them were lit."
"Doesn't mean they couldn't have their own light source," Man-E-Faces pointed out. Rotating his face to his robot mode he activated his scanners. "I'm not detecting any thermal signatures though. In fact, it actually seems a little colder than it should be."
"How about you, Jinx?" Dree Elle asked. "Do you sense anything?"
Jinx nodded slowly. Her internal instincts, that nagging sixth sense she got, were detecting danger. However, when she tried to pinpoint the location of whatever was triggering it, she found, for the first time, she could not. The danger seemed to be coming from all around. It was not as though there were many attackers surrounding them. She would still be able to pinpoint the individuals if that were the case. No, it was as though evil itself had enveloped them.
"For a place of neutrality," she said. "I'm sensing an overwhelming amount of darkness."
"Well, as long as Saurod keeps Twistoid off our backs, we should be able to handle things in here," Dree Elle said. "That is, of course, assuming he actually does take care of him and isn't playing some kind of trap."
"We can trust him," Jinx insisted. "He's helped me out three times already. And besides, no matter how nasty he may actually be, I'm confident that he's smart enough to realize how foolish it would be to try and stop us."
Dree Elle shrugged. "Well, he did say, 'It's better to aid a foe than to die'. And he was always one of Skeletor's smarter lackeys."
"Let's just worry about our part, and let him do his."
"How many others are there?" Saurod shouted.
Twistoid chuckled with sinister pleasure, made all the worse by his mechanical voice. "Just one. But he's more than enough to handle a whole army."
"Who is it?"
"Don't you think you should be more concerned with your own safety?" Twistoid sneered.
Saurod scoffed. "Your feeble skills, if you can even call them that, are no match for me. Tell me what I want to know and I might consider letting you live."
"I'm so scared," Twistoid muttered sarcastically. "Your threats sound almost as dumb as you look."
Saurod growled and let fly another blast of his electric breath. Twistoid had apparently anticipated this move and easily dodged it, launching into another spinning charge. As he drew near, Saurod once again leaped over the Energy Zoid, but this time Twistoid raised his one blade and slashed. The cold steel found its mark in the unprotected section of Saurod's leg. The Saurian stumbled as he landed and put his hand to the bleeding wound.
Twistoid laughed at the sight of his injured opponent and licked the blood from his blade mockingly. "It's been fun Saurod, but I'm going to have to wrap this up. Your friends should be running into my friend about now, and I don't want to miss the show."
Saurod's eyes narrowed and he growled low in his throat as Twistoid spun towards him in one final attack. He would never be able to leap over him with his wounded leg. Twistoid's laughter infuriated him, but he kept his temper in check, concentrating on his one chance of victory.
At the last possible second Saurod sidestepped to the left. Twistoid easily corrected his trajectory, but the split second was all Saurod needed to gain the upper hand. Putting his full strength behind the blow, he swung his muscular tail around and bashed into Twistoid sending him crashing off balance. Wasting no time, he followed through. Razor sharp metal blades sprung out of his gauntlet's fingertips, like retractable claws, and plunged into Twistoid's gears, ripping and shredding them to pieces.
"Now," Saurod sneered, turning his immobilized foe over and staring into his face, "Who is inside the tower? Tell me now, or I'll kill you and find out for myself."
Twistoid hesitated only a moment until Saurod began powering up his breath. The evil warrior knew he would not survive a blow at point blank range. "All right! I'll tell!"
"Who is it?"
Twistoid told him and, for the first time, Saurod trembled in shock and fear.
"You see now why you should just walk away?" Twistoid coughed. "If you try to help them you'll share their fate. No one can withstand his power."
Saurod knew that he was right, but there was no other choice. Ignoring the pain in his leg he began climbing the steps as fast as he could go. In his haste however he did something a Saurian warrior never does, and turned his back on an injured prey. The click of a laser pistol drew his attention back, as Twistoid leveled the gun towards him.
He never got the shot off though. Fueled by pure rage, Saurod spewed forth his mighty breath straight down Twistoid's throat. The overflow of energy was too much for Twistoid's body to handle and the evil warrior burst like an overfilled water balloon.
"Pathetic," Saurod muttered as he limped his way up the stairs.
"Derrick?" Sorceress shouted in disbelief. "How is this possible? Even if he was still alive, he should be an old man, but he doesn't seem to have aged one day!"
"I must admit I'm amazed and flattered that you know of me," Derrick said. "However, you obviously don't know enough. It is my sworn duty to protect The Crest of Infinity from any who would use its power. If you want it, you'll have to fight me for it. And I am not easily defeated!"
"What an obnoxious little brat," Tunnel Rat spat in disgust.
Indeed, Sorceress thought. This boy is not like the Derrick I read about in the Eternian histories. Though he was very young, Derrick was a proud warrior, but he wasn't brash and cocky. His loyalty to He-Ro was of the utmost, and he was inseparable from his master. Gray would not have left the boy alone here for untold time. Especially before his training was complete. None of this makes sense.
Finally she said aloud, "If you are truly Derrick, pupil of the great wizard He-Ro, then know that we are not your enemies. The order of the universe has been thrown into chaos. We wish the Crest of Infinity only to restore the balance, nothing more."
Derrick scoffed, "You come here seeking the power to reshape all matter, and I'm supposed to just give it to you on your word? What kind of fool do you take me for?"
Sorceress spread her arms in a gesture of peace. "It is no trick. I speak the truth."
"Enough!" Derrick shouted. "Even if what you say is true, I cannot allow you to have the crest. No mortal should be allowed to wield such power. You will have to kill me before it can be yours."
"I do not wish to fight you," Sorceress pleaded. "I am Teela'na, Sorceress of Castle Grayskull. You and I should be allies."
Derrick's eyes widened in incredulity. "Sorceress of Gray's Skull? Well, I too have been empowered by Gray's magic. Let us see who wields it better."
"I don't want to fight you!" Sorceress said again.
"Yes, well, that's too bad," Derrick smiled. With lightning fast movement he whipped a magic wand out of his cloak and sent a spiral of magic energy careening towards her. Teela'na held out her hand and the energy deflected off her palm. Tunnel Rat was forced to dive for cover to avoid the uncontrolled blasts. Derrick attempted the trick again, but this time Sorceress was ready for him and, much too his astonishment, absorbed the energy into her hand.
"Your master taught you well, young one," she said. "but you still have much to learn."
Derrick grinned, "I'm just getting warmed up." Adding a rather bad, and highly predictable, pun to his statement, he pointed to the flames still surrounding the pedestal and mystically commanded them to surround her. Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot brought his focus to Tunnel Rat, who had fired into the air to attract attention.
"That's enough kid," he yelled. "We don't have time for this. I've never killed a child before but, if I have to, I will fire."
"You stay out of this," Derrick sneered and fired his wand at the wall behind the Joe. Before Tunnel Rat could move, a giant hand of stone erupted from the wall and seized him. "I really should take this more slowly," he said, turning back to The Sorceress. "I haven't had any real fun in years. I ought to make this more interesting."
Derrick extended his arm and began to slowly form a fist as though gripping and squeezing an invisible substance. Simultaneously, the fire surrounding The Sorceress closed in around her. The only escape was up, so up she went, turning once more into the falcon Zoar. The flames collided beneath her, barely missing her tail feathers, and dissipated. Derrick fired repeated blasts at Zoar, but in her falcon form she was too swift for him to hit. The young wizard was forced to duck as she flew over him and snatched the wand from his hand.
Having disarmed Derrick, Sorceress landed and returned to human form. "Do you yield?" Derrick simply stared at her as if to say, 'are you kidding'.
"I am apprentice to the most powerful wizard in the universe. Do you honestly think I cannot function without my wand?"
"This is pointless," Sorceress sighed. "Our magical powers come from the same source and could therefore be equal. We could go on for hours or even days before one of us managed to outclass the other, but we don't have that time!"
Strangely, Derrick actually seemed pleased by this. "Very well. If this cannot be decided by our skills in magic, than it will be decided by our skills in swordplay!" With that he reached under his cloak and drew out his hitherto concealed sword.
"I can see there will be no reasoning with you," Sorceress sighed. With that the Staff of Zoar began shrinking and morphing. The headpiece moved down the staff forming a hilt at her wrist. Finally, in a flash of light, a glowing blade materialized out of the hilt forming a fierce sword.
All this transpired in a matter of seconds, so when Derrick jumped at her with a ferocious swing, she quickly parried and returned the swipe. Derrick countered with another blow, but that too was blocked. Eyes narrowing and teeth grinding in frustration, the young warrior flew into a barrage of strokes that no man should have been able to stop, but stopped they were. Sorceress successfully matched every move he could make.
Words would be insufficient to describe the skill of the boy fighter. Nevertheless, nothing he tried got through. Eventually his energy drained. His blows became slower and feeble. That's when Teela'na attacked. It was as though the two fighters had swapped roles. Derrick was forced onto the defensive, parrying, blocking and sometimes completely dodging the blows coming his way.
As Tunnel Rat watched helplessly, he began to realize that, whereas Derrick's attacks were aimed to kill, The Sorceress was striking with the intention only to injure or disarm the boy. He couldn't blame her. The child was not evil, merely misguided.
As their blades locked in a grapple of strength, Sorceress regarded her young opponent. "You are not at all what I expected, Derrick. Although history has told me little about you, I thought I knew enough to judge your personality. However, now it's as though you're the exact opposite." Suddenly her eyes shot open wide and she straightened with a burst of realization. "Like a mirror image!"
Sorceress drew back then re-attacked with a heightened fury that took Derrick completely by surprise. It soon became clear she had rescinded her earlier strategy and now was attempting to deliver a fatal blow. Finally, Derrick was forced to duck under a mighty swing, fast enough to avoid being decapitated, but not quite fast enough to escape unscathed. The blade sliced though his hair neatly severing his ponytail, which fell to the ground…
…and shattered as if made of glass!
"Just as I thought," Sorceress said with pleasure. Taking a step back she held out her arm and began chanting an incantation. At the same time her body glowed with energy and a strong wind whipped up, seemingly out of nowhere. Derrick tried to move in for the kill, but the powerful gusts forced him back. The wind then intensified until the young warrior was blown back and pinned to the wall by the force. Still pinning him down, Sorceress hurled her sword forward impaling Derrick through the chest. Tunnel Rat gasped in shock as the boy gave one final cry of pain and exploded!
But instead of a shower of blood and guts, there fell only broken shards of glass. Sorceress picked up her sword from among the debris and freed Tunnel Rat from his prison of stone just as Gwildor hobbled into the room panting for breath.
"Did I miss something?" he said looking around.
"I can't believe you killed that kid," Tunnel Rat whispered as Sorceress took the crest piece from its resting place.
Sorceress smiled. "Relax my friend, that was not the real Derrick."
Tunnel Rat stuttered in confusion. "Huh? Than what the hell was it?"
"Let's go back up to the castle," she said. "I'll explain everything.
"A doppelganger?"
"Yes," Sorceress grinned as she finished explaining what had happened to everyone back in the castle. "When I realized that Derrick was behaving in the opposite way he should have been, it all became clear."
She-Ra shook her head in awe, "So Derrick set his own double to guard the crest. That way he could always be there to protect it. The doppelganger was his living mirror image so it would have all his skills, but it would never age."
"And furthermore," Sorceress added, "because its personality was backwards, it would fight with more ferocity, unhindered by emotions or conscience."
"But what I don't understand is, why didn't He-Ro use his own double?" Duke asked.
"That I don't know," Sorceress admitted.
It was She-Ra who answered. "Derrick must have thought it up himself. That boy was a genius! If I ever have a son, I'm going to name him after Derrick!"
"Now that you mention it," Tunnel Rat said, "you two kind of resemble each other. Do you think Derrick could have been a distant relative of yours?"
She-Ra glanced at Zodac, knowing he would have the answer. However, the Cosmic Enforcer paid her no mind and continued to look out the window. Did he not hear them? Or, was he avoiding the question? And if so, why?
