As He-Man pushed open the fifty-foot doors to Darksmoke he glanced back at his two companions.

"Now I should warn you, Granamyr is the oldest and wisest of dragons and he does command a great amount of respect."

"You needn't concern yourself," Storm Shadow said. "I would not think of giving a dragon anything but the highest respect."

"Well, he also likes his privacy and doesn't welcome visitors often" He-Man added. "So try not to be insulted if he's a little unreceptive."

"We'll keep that in mind," Nunchuck nodded.

As they approached Granamyr's chamber however, a large green skinned dragon suddenly flew down and blocked their path. Nunchuck's hand instinctively reached for his weapon, but Storm Shadow grabbed his arm and shook his head. Nunchuck had to admit to himself the irony of this since Jinx had sent him along to make sure Storm Shadow stayed in line.

"You may not pass any further intruders!" the dragon hissed.

He-Man put up his hands in a gesture to calm him. "Please, I must speak with Granamyr. I am He-Man friend to all dragons."

"I am aware of who you are He-Man," it snorted, "but I know not of the other two."

"They are my friends and allies," He-Man said. "I can personally vouch for them."

The dragon puffed flames from his nostrils. "You claim to be a friend of dragons, yet ones such as your companions attacked us but hours ago. Why should I allow you to enter the chamber of our leader?"

He-Man and the ninjas exchanged a glance of confusion and concern. "We know nothing about this," Nunchuck said. "We have come on an urgent matter that concerns all living things."

The dragon guard growled deeply and seethed through bare fangs, "You are strangers. You come uninvited bearing arms and hiding your faces beneath dark masks. I see no reason to trust you."

Storm Shadow suddenly pulled his two swords off his back. Nunchuck turned with a start, ready to restrain him, but then the ninja master threw them down and pulled off his hood and mask.

"Now you see my face," he said. "And as sign of my good intentions, I will leave my weapons behind. Besides," he added with a slight smirk, "is Granamyr not the oldest and wisest among you? Surely he would instantly see through any deception of mine."

The dragon regarded him for a moment then nodded. "Very well. If you will all agree to leave your weapons here, I will allow you to speak with Granamyr."

He-Man and Nunchuck nodded and laid down their arms. Though he was clearly acting with reluctance, the dragon turned and led them into the great chamber of Granamyr. Riches to tempt the purest of men were piled around a massive pit in the center of the room. As the group approached the pit, flames shot skyward and then, rising out of the inferno, came the mighty dragon himself.

Granamyr had to have been the largest creature either of the two ninjas had ever seen. Standing at least thirty feet tall he was a dark crimson color and his reptilian face carried the look of ancient wise and noble lord. His wings were folded along his back, making them look proportionally small for his body, but clearly had a massive span. Unlike the guard, Granamyr stood on his hind legs and his forearms were more humanoid in structure. As he looked down at them Storm Shadow fell to one knee and bowed his head in reverence.

When Granamyr spoke his voice was mighty, but somewhat softer than one might expect for a dragon. He also carried a kind yet clearly firm tone.

"Greetings He-Man, friend to all dragons."

"Greetings Granamyr, oldest and wisest of dragons," He-Man replied, bowing his head. "Please forgive me for coming without your invitation, but all of Eternia is facing a terrible crisis and I require something of you."

"I am happy to be of help to you He-Man," Granamyr said, "but who are these other two?"

"They are members of G.I. Joe," He-Man explained. "New friends and allies of Eternia from planet Earth. They can be trusted."

"I greet and salute you noble lord of dragons," Storm Shadow said, his head still politely bowed. "I am called Storm Shadow, last Grandmaster of the Arashikage ninja clan. My companion is my friend and former pupil known as Nunchuck. You honor us greatly by permitting us in your presence."

"A human who knows how to treat a dragon," Granamyr smiled. "My faith in mankind has been restored. Rise and be at ease Storm Shadow. And tell me how I may be of assistance to you."

"I'm not sure where to begin," He-Man said. "There is much to tell and time is our enemy. To be brief, we ask that you give us, or at least let us borrow, your piece of the Crest of Infinity."

Granamyr stiffened and cocked his head. "What you ask of me is no small request He-Man. The Crest of Infinity holds power that no man, nor even a dragon, should be allowed to wield."

"Normally I would agree with you," He-Man said, "but these are not normal times. I'm afraid the use of the crest has become a necessity. An evil organization from Earth known as Cobra has come to Eternia and allied with Skeletor and King Hiss. G.I. Joe are the sworn enemies and defenders against Cobra which is why they have come to help us."

As He-Man paused Nunchuck cut in, "It's a long story and we have little time."

"I understand," Granamyr said. "However, if I am to make such a decision, I must know everything. He-Man, if you would permit me, I will simply read your thoughts. It will allow me to receive the knowledge I seek in mere moments."

He-Man hesitated briefly. If anyone were to read his mind, they could learn the secret of his double identity, as well as the guarded secrets of Grayskull, but, with the entire universe in jeopardy, he had no choice. And if anyone could be trusted with those secrets it was Granamyr.

"Very well. I will permit you."

Granamyr held out his hand over He-Man and closed his eyes. In less than a minute however he withdrew his hand and nodded.

"Yes I see. You are right He-Man, in order to save all life, the crest must be used this one time. Furthermore, if I do not give it to you, Cobra will surely come again to claim it for themselves."

"Again?" Storm Shadow said in shock.

"Yes," Granamyr said. "Before you arrived we were attacked by a group of mysterious ninja warriors. I have no doubt now that they were members of this Cobra and were after the crest just as you are."

"But they didn't get it did they?" Nunchuck asked with concern.

"No. They were unprepared for my dragons and retreated, but I have no doubt they will not give up easily." Granamyr reached down into his fire pit and came up with the crest piece. "I have kept this here in my fire pit for many years, hoping the day it would be needed would never come. Foolish really. Old and wise as I am I should have known that it surely would."

He placed the sacred sliver in Storm Shadow's hands. "I give it to you. Use it to rid us of this evil menace. Afterward, I trust you to use your best judgment as to what to do with it next. My dragon guard will fly you back to your transport as swiftly as possible."

"On behalf of all my people, I thank you most noble one," Storm Shadow said and bowed again.

"And I thank you as well Storm Shadow," Granamyr grinned. "It does this old dragon good to know that there still exists humans with nobility and honor."


Teela put her hand up, bringing the others to a stop. They were standing before Skeletor's throne room and had not encountered anyone. Now, finding the throne room abandoned as well. Teela was growing increasingly uneasy.

"This isn't right," she seethed. "We should have run into some kind of guards by now. Skeletor's not one to leave his home base unprotected."

"They could just be investigating that loud noise we heard a little while ago," Fisto offered, trying to be positive.

Teela wasn't so sure. "I don't like it. Smells like a trap to me."

Fisto shrugged. "Better than smelling like Stinkor I guess."

"Will you be serious?!" Teela hissed. "I don't know how we're ever going to find that crest piece. We have no idea how big it is and this place is enormous!"

"Too bad we don't have your father's tracking device," Fisto said.

Teela nodded. "He only had time to build the one, and they need it to search the Harmony Sea more."

Suddenly Snake Eyes tapped her shoulder and pointed towards Skeletor's throne. Teela looked but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She wanted to ask him what he saw, but knew he couldn't rightly tell her. Years ago Snake Eyes had been involved in a tragic helicopter crash that had left his face scared and his vocal cords badly damaged. Though he had recently undergone plastic surgery to remove the scars, his voice was all but lost for good. As a result he spoke only in sign language, which, unfortunately, neither Teela nor Fisto understood.

Snake Eyes must have realized the problem however, because he pointed again. This time over Teela's shoulder directing her head to the base of the throne. It still took her a moment to spot it, but there embedded in the bony structure, was the missing piece of the Crest of Infinity.

"Good eyes!" Teela said in amazement. "I never would have seen that!"

"Right let's grab it and go," Fisto said stepping forward. Snake Eyes grabbed his arm and shook his head.

"What's wrong?"

Teela found herself agreeing with the Joe ninja. "He's right. This is too easy. And another thing, didn't Sorceress say the crest was hidden in the caverns?"

"She said 'in the depths of Snake Mountain', that could mean anywhere."

Teela let out a nervous groan. "I still think this could be a trap."

Snake Eyes stepped forward and signed to them, "You wait here. I'll sneak in a get it." Unfortunately both Eternians simply stared at him, with no clue as to what he was trying to tell them. Snake Eyes shook his head and put it in simpler terms. He pointed to them then to the ground where they were standing, then to himself, then to the crest. That they understood.

"Right," Teela nodded. "We've got your back."

"What makes him a better man for the job?" Fisto grumbled.

Snake Eyes answered him by rolling up his sleeve revealing the six red bar mark on his forearm. The emblem of the Arashikage ninja clan. The matter settled he quickly vanished into the shadows. Fisto soon had to admit Snake Eyes was much better suited for sneaking. The Eternian warrior could barely keep track of his movements. In truth all he could see were flashes out of the corner of his eye, but by the time he turned his head Snake Eyes was already somewhere else. It wasn't until Snake Eyes appeared on the throne and began prying the crest piece loose with a knife that he was truly visible.

Snake Eyes pocketed the crest piece and sheathed his knife. He seemed ready to get out of there when suddenly he jerked his head to the side. Before anyone could see what had caught his attention he flipped off the chair, drawing his two swords as he spun. Before the ninja touched down, three large razor sharp darts struck the throne where he had been.

"You're pretty fast," his assailant said leaping into the throne room and drawing a longsword in each hand. "That's all right though. I prefer using these anyway!"

The attacker's name was Blade and it suited him well. Aside from the swords he wielded with incredible skill, he had large daggers strapped to his boots, spike lined gauntlets -one of which contained the launcher for his darts- and even the bizarre headpiece he wore around his bald scalp was lined with deadly sharpened blades. His one eye lay under a patch but this added to rather than subtracted from his fierce appearance.

Wasting no time, Snake Eyes attacked with all the skills of an Arashikage ninja master. However, Blade was one of the few warriors on Eternia who was actually a match for Snake Eyes' swordplay. It was hard to tell who was on the offensive as each continued to lock blades, neither one forcing the other back.

Although Teela respected the honor of a fair duel, she knew that there really wasn't time to allow a proper fight right now. She was about to step in to assist Snake Eyes when the sound of gunfire drew her attention behind her. Mekaneck and Cover Girl came running around the corner, both panting for breath but not slowing to rest. Without a greeting or even a "there you are" they began signaling to move.

"Run!" they shouted. "Don't talk just run!"

Teela and Fisto did as they were told, running into the throne room. A moment later two B.A.T.s came marching around the corner, their weapons firing at anything that moved.

"What in Eternia are those things?" Teela shouted.

"Indestructible!" Cover Girl shot back, still running.

"We'll see about that," Fisto said and before anyone could stop him, he slammed his oversized fist into one of the B.A.T.s' chest smashing the circuitry to scrap metal. Fisto seemed pleased with himself until the robot suddenly pulled itself back together and stood up, realigning its weapons.

"Whoa! Never seen one do that before," Fisto said, presumably referring to any robot in general, as he had never seen a B.A.T. at all before.

"They're laced with nano-mites," Mekaneck shouted. "Until we can think of something better just try to get away from them!"

"Right, this way," Teela said taking charge. "Snake Eyes, come on."

But Snake Eyes would not come. Indeed both he and Blade seemed to be completely oblivious to what was going on around them. Fortunately the B.A.T.s appeared to be ignoring them as well. Teela and the others simply fled and prayed that Snake Eyes would be able to handle his opponent.

Luckily it seemed the ninja master would. He had a reserve of strength that few men could rival. Now he attacked with a ferocity that seemed to have Blade foiled. Snake Eyes drove his enemy back against the wall, keeping him on the defensive, pressing in on him steadily. Blade's face took on a frenzied look. He was getting nervous and Snake Eyes knew it.

"You're good," the mercenary said. "But aren't you worried about your friends? While you're here with me, they're probably getting shot to pieces!"

It was psychological warfare. A tactic meant to throw off an opponent's concentration. Blade had used it many times and felt no qualms about the underhanded deed. To him it was not a form of cheating. Any true warrior would not let it affect him as far as he was concerned. Unfortunately for Blade, Snake Eyes was a true warrior and did not falter in the slightest.

"Nothing to say to that?" Blade went on, quite oblivious to the fact that Snake Eyes would have nothing to say even if the tactic had been working. Sweat began pouring down his bald head. "So, you're the strong silent type huh? I can't stand that type. It shows you have no respect for your enemy's skills. It also means that you're the weaker one." Snake Eyes wasn't giving in. If anything Blade's tactic was backfiring, for he was loosing control of his temper.

"Say something damn you!" Blade shouted and dove forward in an attack. Snake Eyes easily parried the blow then struck swiftly. With a flash of steel and a spray of blood Blade's right hand was neatly severed from its wrist. Reflexively he dropped his second sword and clutched the bleeding stump to his chest.

Snake Eyes took a step back and sheathed his swords. He quickly signed a message to Blade that explained he could not speak, but did respect and admire the warrior's skills. Though he knew Blade didn't understand the exact signed words, he was fairly sure his gestures got the point across. After a moment he added, "Perhaps we can face each other again some day" then brought his hand down in a judo chop on Blade's neck directly above the collarbone. The evil warrior immediately slumped to the floor unconscious and Snake Eyes turned to catch up to his companions.