Chapter 14: The Color Of Courage

"Back for more, eh?" Mothro taunted as soon as he saw the heroes enter the tower. "Boy, you guys are stup-HUH?"

"Look who we found." Ox smiled. "Not quite as stupid as you thought, eh?" Mogu gravely pointed one huge claw at the little boy.

"Get out of my head."

"Bah!" Mothro spat, recovering. "So you found Courage. Big deal! That doesn't mean you've won! I'll be waiting at the top of the tower. Come and get me, if you dare!" Turning, he ran up the stairs.

"Time for the glass maze again..." Gobi sighed. Mogu shook his head.

"No... I have enough control back to take care of this." He concentrated, and the walls became visible stone. Ryu frowned.

"Well... actually, now we can't see the stairs, so we've got no clue where to go."

"Ah." Mogu sighed. "Oh well, back it goes." He let the walls become glass again, and they slowly made their way through the labyrinth. The second floor of the tower looked the same... at first. However, as they began working their way through it, faint images began appearing on the walls.

"What... are these?" Bo wondered. The one closest was a moving picture of Mogu playing with Anne. Both looked several years younger.

"Memories..." Mogu told them. "That was when I was eight... Anne had just learned to walk..."

"Elder Dugron said this was the center of your mind." Deis remembered. "Looks like he was right." As they moved through the labyrinth, more memories were played on the walls. Mogu learning under Elder Dugron, burrowing a tunnel through soft soil, going out to dig up edible roots, trying to fish on a far-away trip. And then, as they reached the third floor, the memories changed... became grimmer. The Dark Dragon soldiers coming, stomping through the caves underneath Gramor like they owned the place, pulling out some of the Mole Clanners to be hauled back to Scande for slave labor, and the rest to be humiliated and even whipped...

"I hate Dark Dragons." Ryu muttered simply, eyes burning. Nina watched him and the memories without comment.

"This definately ranks up on the top of our 'why-we-kick-their-asses' list." Bo agreed.

"Dark Dragons..." Mogu looked both sad and angry. "Do they... do this to everybody?"

"They would if they could." Ox nodded. "My people were under their control for a short time, and we weren't treated much better than this. As long as Emperor Zog and the Tiamat Unit remain in charge, this is what the Dark Dragons will be like."

"No... no way." Mogu said firmly. "That can't happen. The Dark Dragons can't be allowed to do this to everybody. They just can't!" Unknown to him, Ryu and Bo were watching him very closely. Bo inclined his head in a questioning manner, and Ryu responded by nodding firmly.

"Hey, I think this is it." Karn smiled as they reached the next set of stairs. "I see light." They emerged on the top of the tower, with only the muddy purple haze above them. The towertop was mostly bare, but four decorative pillars rose from the opposite end. Between them stood a tiny human boy.

"So you came... you are stupid!" Mothro smiled at them. "You should have stayed away. Now I have to kill you, for master Mote!"

"That's a laugh." Bo snorted. "You can't play the invincible god of this world anymore, so let's get on with the swatting!"

"Ha! Like I told you before, fighting in the dream world isn't the same as in the real world! Let's see how good you really are!" Mothro crowed as he leaped into the air. The same inky blackness spilled out from him to cover everything as he returned to his true form, the humongous butterfly. Ryu was transforming at the exact same time; when he hit the ground, he was the mighty Ice Dragon.

"You're getting the full ass-kick treatment this time, bug!" He roared. Mothro just snickered, hovering motionless in the air as before.

"Ooh, scary! Just try it!" Ryu obliged by spewing a wide stream of frigid air that would have put out the entire town of Drogen while it burned. It hit Mothro dead-on and... did nothing. It just vanished into him, like a rock tossed into a lake.
"What the hell!"

"Told ya! My turn!" A vivid green horn on Mothro's head shimmered, and Ryu felt something pierce his wing.

"Ugh! What the... oog..." He stumbled, feeling as if his blood had turned to molasses.
"Poison!" Ox cursed, raising his hand. The feeling disappeared, and Ryu raised his head just as Mothro howled.

"ARGH!" Little Mogu had dashed forward, and was now raking Mothro savagely with his huge digging claws. No visible wounds were appearing on the motionless dream beast, but it was evident that damage was being inflicted. "You stupid..." There was a sound like massive wings beating, and Mogu flew back. A moment later, Mothro was hit again by thrown knives and fired arrows.

"Have some of that, why don't you!" Karn laughed.

"Whoa! Too much going on!" Mothro laughed back fearlessly. "Time Out, pal!" There was a blue flash, and Bo was as motionless as Mothro... but in his case, it was real and not an illusion.

"Is he...?" Ox asked breathlessly, then blinked. "No, wait! Still moving... but very slowly!"

"Duh! I SAID Time Out, pal!" Mothro sneered. "Here, you too, knifey!" Another blue flash, and Karn was frozen.
"Hey, brat! Over here!" Deis yelled. "This wouldn't work in reality since you're airborne, but this place is just crazy enough for a shot!" Everything began rumbling, and a massive rift appeared in the darkness right on Mothro. It was gone for a moment, but the damage was obviously felt.

"OW! Here, you Time Out too!" The blue flash came, but all Deis did was curl her lip scornfully.

"Pssht. Like that'd work against me? I was casting spells thousands of years before your creator's ancestors were in diapers!"

"Oh yeah?" Mothro yelped, then screamed as hammer, pike and claws slammed into him simultaneously. "Oof! You want some of this, big guy?" His horn glowed, and Ox stumbled before raising his hand again and recovering.

"Nasty poison... but not enough!"

"FINE, then!" Mothro shrieked shrilly. "Time for the big guns!" His eyes flashed, there was a sound like thunder, and Gobi fell forward.

"Why... always... me..." The Maniro gasped before hitting the ground, hard.

"Gobi!" Nina flew down and checked the Maniro.

"Is he...?" Ryu asked tersely. Nina bit her lip, then shook her head.

"Phew... just unconscious!"
"Good!" Ryu growled, releasing more frigid gas into Mothro's face. This time, he heard the cracking sound of ice spreading, followed by it being broken by hammer and claws.

"You lousy-AWAY!" Mothro beat his wings again, knocking both Ox and Mogu off, then glared at Ryu. "That's it! You're down too, pain-in-the-ass!" His eyes flashed, and Ryu steeled himself for the knockout... but it didn't come as he saw a pink blur knock him out of the way. And then Nina was crumpled on the ground in front of him.

"Oops! Missed! Oh well, one down is one down!" Mothro laughed, then stopped as he saw something rushing at him, almost too fast to see. Something... that became instant, total and complete agony with rending claws and gouging teeth, colder than a glacier. Everything felt like it was being ripped apart.

"No... you've beat me... but you'll still be trapped here... forever! Master Mote!" Mothro shrieked as the image of the motionless butterfly exploded in bright golden dust. Ryu hit the ground and shifted back to his human form, running over to Nina.

"Nina! Ox, can you..."

"I only know the rudiments of white magic, boss." Ox shrugged helplessly. "Poison, sure, but that..."

"Come on, Nina... come to!" Ryu shook her. Nina moaned once, and slowly opened her eyes.

"Ryu... even when I'm sleeping, you..."

"You... little idiot." Ryu smiled, rubbing his eyes. "Why did you take that for me?"

"If you went down... no way could we have beaten him." Nina explained. "You... big idiot."

"I don't know about that." Ryu shook his head. "But whatever... I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking." Gobi called as he sat up. "Whoo... that bug had a hell of a haymaker, though."

"Look, guys." Mogu pointed up at the sky. They all followed his gaze. The muddy purple haze was brightening, becoming a pretty lavender.

"Mothro's interference is gone." Deis realized. "You should be back to normal now, Mogu."

"I think I am..." Mogu agreed, then blinked. "Hey, I'm... waking up..." He began disappearing, becoming almost ethereal, as everything became suffused with a soft golden light. The dream world wavered, then faded away. For a moment, only a second, they saw a vision... of a short figure hooded and robed in purple, with blood-red hands, glaring at them with glowing eyes and smile of the same color. Again, there was the sensation of falling... and then, like cannonballs being fired, the heroes were ejected from the Therapy Pillow to land in an undignified heap on the floor. Dimly, they became aware of the Mole Clanners watching them.

"What the... oh! Look! Mogu!" Mogu's grandmother gasped, turning away from them to point at the Mole Clan boy. Mogu's eyes were open, and he was looking at them all.

"Mogu!" Anne jumped up and down with joy. "I was so worried about you!"

"I... had a dream." Mogu looked at Anne. "You were in it... and you, and..." He trailed off, looking at all of the heroes. "And all of you. In fact... it wasn't a dream, was it? It didn't seem like it..."

"No, it wasn't, Mogu." Ryu shook his head. "We helped you in the battle for your own mind... and you won."

"Then my mind... my courage was real?" Mogu asked, somewhat incredulously. Ox threw back his head and laughed, long and loud.

"I'll say it was, kid! You were great! You've got the stuff pros are made of when it comes to butt-kicking!"

"Then..." Mogu rose out bed, jaw firmly set. "Then there's something I want to ask you."

"Mogu...?" Mogu's grandmother stared at him.

"Nana... I have to ask. Ryu... all of you... could I join you in this world as well?"

"Thought you'd never ask." Ryu smiled. "You know who we are, and what we're doing?" Mogu nodded firmly. "And you're willing to go where we go, take the same risks as us, and do the same things we do?" Another nod. "Then welcome aboard, Mogu. Glad to have you along."

"Are you... sure about this, Mogu?" Anne asked. Mogu smiled at her, and she blinked; apparently, he hadn't done that often before.

"I am, Anne. I have to do this... otherwise, the Dark Dragons will keep on treating our people like slaves. If Ryu and his friends take out the men at the top... things will change. So I have to help them do that. For all of our Clan."

"That's the spirit!" Deis grinned. "You're going to work out just fine." Mogu bowed to her and doffed his turban. As he did, something fell out of it. A small, beautiful but deadly looking red butterfly, dead. Ryu shook his head.

"So that's what Mote's dream beast really looks like..."

"Mote!" Mogu blinked, snapping back to attention. "The Red Dreammaster! I saw him for a moment when I woke up... and that reminds me! I overheard his plans... that's why he sent that thing after me!"

"Talk." Ryu was instantly all business. "What's he going to do?"

"He has a fix on one of the Goddess Keys... the Sky Key!" Mogu explained. "He and the Black Warrior were talking about moving on it, but the Gold Lord had called them back to Scande. Mote said that soon, he would return alone and find the Key! They said they were figuring on it being near the town of Spring, to the south."

"Spring... where Cort grew up." Gobi remembered. "We'll have to go there as soon as possible."

"Tomorrow." Ryu decided. "One night here to rest up, and then we leave for Spring tomorrow. You know the way, Mogu?" Mogu nodded. "Good. Then you can take us right to the Sky Key... and to Mote."

"Just let me at him." Mogu growled bravely, flexing his claws.

"Why do we always have to start the campfire?" Karn complained to Deis as the two of them gathered firewood. The heroes were camped at the south end of the Gramor wasteland, near a passage into the mountains that Mogu called the Winter Cave. Tomorrow, they would pass through it to reach Spring. Deis sighed and began counting off on her fingers.

"Ryu is catching fish, which we cannot do because we don't know how to fish. Bo is hunting, which we could probably try to do, but would not succeed very well at. Ox is collecting fruit by the bash-a-tree method, which we would also probably not be successful at. Mogu is digging up some edible roots, and we can't dig. Nina is keeping a watch out for enemies and inclement weather, which she is best at because she can fly. And Gobi will be doing the actual cooking because he is best at that. I don't think I'd want to try your cooking, and I KNOW mine leaves a lot to be desired unless it involves alcohol... which we don't have much of."

"You could have just said 'because Ryu said so,' you know." Karn grimaced, rubbing his ear. "Speaking of the boss, are him and Nina friends again?"

"Seems that way." Deis nodded. "She's been smart enough not to mention Ladon again, and their argument from before's been patched up."

"Good." Karn smiled, relieved. "The group just wasn't right with them like that, you know? Glad they're back together."

"Yeah..." Deis sighed a bit disappointedly. "But there goes any chance I had at him. Oh well, I've learned not to be picky. Plenty more opportunities in this outfit."

"Mogu's a kid, and Ox is already married." Karn pointed out. "And nothing personal, but you're about a bajillion years older than me, Bo and Gobi. Combined."

"No offense taken." Deis shrugged. "Doesn't really bother me, anyways... I always look the same."

"You did a pretty good job faking it back in Tunlan, then." Karn commented.

"Hey, I needed an excuse to give that brat a thumping." Deis shook her head. "Didn't mean to let Cerl get away, but nobody's perfect. Anyways, I've pretty much stopped caring about the age differential thing. I just try to enjoy any relationships as much as I can in the time I've got. Eventually, every time, I'll get the urge to go back to sleep again... and I know that when I wake up, everybody I knew will be gone... and there's nothing I can do about it." Her face changed from the cocky expression she usually wore, and for a moment, her eyes were distant. Karn shivered, realizing that she had never told any of them just how old she really was.

"That... must be lonely." He mentally cursed himself for not thinking of anything better to say. "Nobody stays around? Ever?"

"There's the spirits in Wisdon, but they're not the sort you can have parties and play card games with." Deis shook her head. "And then there's... well, I suppose you'd call them family. We're not exactly close, though. So no... not really."

"I can't imagine what that would be like." Karn admitted. Deis picked up a healthy chunk of firewood.

"I could tell you I got used to it after a while... that's what I usually say. But it's a lie. I don't... not really. But I have gotten a little numb to it... I suppose that's the best I"m going to get." She examined the firewood they had gathered. "Well, I suppose that's enough. Come on, let's get back to the camp."

Dinner that night was a quiet affair. Both Karn and Deis were still somewhat depressed after their conversation, and neither Ryu nor Nina were inclined to say much either; they simply sat next to each other and smiled a lot. Surprisingly, the roots Mogu excavated from underneath the huge lavender tuber plants native to Gramor were quite good, despite the expectations of most of the group. After the meal, Deis turned in early, pleading a headache. Ryu and Nina decided to take the first watch together, and the others all nodded solemnly and pretended to nod off while listening intently.

Well, can't put it off any longer. Nina sighed, steeling herself. "Ryu... about Ladon..."

"I know." Ryu interrupted. "I was angry... stubborn and reckless. I shouldn't have exploded on you like that. I'm sorry."

"No, no." Nina shook her head, confused. "I was going to say I was sorry for starting the argument, and trying to make you do something you were so deadset against." The two of them looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"If Deis was awake, she'd say we were both idiots about now." Ryu snorted. Nina nodded, giggling.

"She'd be right, too." She quickly sobered. "So... what ARE we going to do about Ladon?"

"I... don't know." Ryu looked away. "I'm not as angry as I was right after I left Gust... but I still don't like all of us being moved around like chess pieces between him and Myria. Maybe I'll decide on something after we deal with Mote... see if anything happens with Ladon there."

"Whatever you decide, we'll all follow you." Nina smiled. "Even if it means turning our backs on Ladon. We've followed you this far... what kind of friends would we be if we bailed out now?"

"Even when you were mad at me, you still..." Ryu realized. "Nina... you have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you." He turned his face towards hers, and slowly, they came together... and then Nina pulled away.

"Ryu... I can't. I'm... I'm sorry." Ryu's face was astonished at first... and then came realization, as if remembering something important from long ago.

"Nina..."

"I just... can't." Turning away, she flew off close to the ground into the wasteland. Finding a secluded spot, she sat there staring at the ground, until a hiss drew her attention. A dark blue skull, hovering and glowing, was about to dive on her when a massive object slammed into it, shattering it into chunky bits.

"A dangerous thing to do, Princess." Ox told her softly, dropping his sledge. "Going out into this place alone, especially at night."

"Did you...?" Nina whispered. Ox nodded.

"We all did, except for Deis. Bo's talking to Ryu right now." His rough face was creased with puzzlement. "I must admit, Princess... I'm confused as to why you broke away like that."

"It's because I AM a Princess... of the Wing Clan." She murmured sadly. Ox's face became even more confused.

"I'm sorry, but... I still don't understand. Leaders of the people take partners too. Elder Minos had a daughter by the time he was my age."

"It's different for the Wing Clan." She tried to explain. "I... told Ryu when we first met, so he knew. We... when we turn eighteen, we gain the ability to transform like Gobi... become a Great Bird."

"I've heard of that." Ox nodded.

"But... in order to do that, we must keep our bloodline pure Wing Clan, or close to it." Nina continued. "For the Wing Clan, marrying or... otherwise taking a partner from another Clan is illegal. One of our highest crimes. Brutal, but neccessary for the future of our Clan. And because I'm the Princess..." Ox's face lit with realization.

"You're the Princess... so you're bound more than anybody else by that. If you and Ryu... then the people wouldn't obey the law any more. They won't follow rules that their own leaders break."

"Exactly." Nina was starting to break down again. "So... eventually, I'll have to marry another Wing Clanner. And Ryu and I have to be... friends. Nothing more... ever." Ox held her in one huge arm gently, as if she weighed nothing, and was silent, not saying a word. The two of them went back to the camp, where the others met them with silence and understanding eyes while Ryu stood watch, his back to them all to hide his face.

The next morning, it was if none of that had taken place; they set off into the Winter Cave with the same joking and banter as usual. But occasionally, Ryu or Nina's eyes would dim for a moment, and they would stand still, not seeing what went on around them for a brief moment before moving on.

The town of Spring and the area surrounding it were perhaps the most beautiful place in the Lands of the West. All year round, the hills were covered with vibrant green grass and flowers of every color, surrounding the clear blue waters of the lake at the center of it all. Standing on one such hill, watching the humongous waterfall that roared as it filled the lake from the mountains high above, was a single short figure clad all in purple. The beauty of his surroundings were not lost on Mote, the Red Dreammaster.

"I can see why Blue always spoke so proudly of his home." Mote reminisced. "Any man would be fortunate to have been brought up here. I can only hope that even now, he is somewhere much like this. Perhaps we will all gather there when everything is over... it would be nice." He snorted at an amusing thought and dropped his serious mien for a second. "If Black was here, he'd probably make some comment about getting to see White in a swimsuit from Tunlan thanks to that lake, too. Brother..." He shook his head and gazed up at the sky. "Enough of being prosaic for now. Let's see... should be night in about an hour. Just enough time to catch some dinner and set everything up." Bringing down a deer was an easy task for the Red Dreammaster; the beast only saw another one of its kind approaching, and paid it no mind, even when spiderlike fingers closed around its neck and broke it with a single motion. Humming an ancient children's tune to himself, Mote made a campfire, then concentrated for a moment on wrapping himself in illusion. Any hungry monsters that approached during the night would see a huge Dark Dragon in its reptilian form, and realize that they had an appointment somewhere else. As the deer cooked, Mote finally took his first look up at the tower behind him.

"Spyre... Tower of the Sky." Mote smiled. "We should have seen it far earlier than this... where else could the Sky Key be hiding? Perhaps Ladon himself clouded all of OUR minds, even mine... I certainly wouldn't put it past him." Suddenly, the Red Dreammaster had a vision. Eight people, flying up towards him out of a deep pit. A Wing Clan princess... an archer from the Forest Clan... one of the near-extinct Fusion Clan... a Builder Clanner with muscles like oak roots... a fat Maniro with a huge grin... an ancient sorceress with the lower body of a snake... a Mole Clan child who somehow was also the pit below... and a Light Dragon with blue hair. As suddenly as the vision arrived, it was gone, and Mote was left breathing heavily and watching his deer burn. Automatically, he took it off of the fire and began to eat.

"So... Mothro is dead." Mote muttered after several bites. "Has to be... there's no other explanation for that vision. I wonder how the hell they managed to enter Mogu's mind... doesn't matter. They did it, and the method is inconsequential. The party of Light is now complete." He smiled slowly and cruelly. "A shame that ours cannot be the same any more... but if that is what Ladon wills, then so be it. However, I cannot allow myself to be caught by them out here. Let it be tomorrow, then..." Finishing his dinner, he reached into a traveling pack and removed a crystal ball, unknowingly identical to the one Deis had blown up less than two weeks back. He concentrated on it. "Red Dreammaster calling Scande... this is the Red Dreammaster, calling Scande. Is anybody there?"
"Mote?" Goda's face appeared in the crystal ball. The Black Warrior looked exhausted. "Are you at Spyre okay?"

"I'm fine, Goda." Mote sighed, then frowned. "How long have you been waiting for me to call? What have I told you about worrying so much that you don't even get any sleep?"

"Too long, Mote, and I didn't have much choice in the matter." Goda passed a weary hand as big as a chicken across his eyes. "Lord Jade went to pick up White from Tunlan, remember? They both only got back a few minutes ago... I was about to hit the hay and let one of them relieve me. Neither me or Silver have been getting enough sleep, since one of us has to be on this thing at all times."

"Well, get them all over here, already." Mote told him. Goda nodded and left the crystal ball. A moment later, it projected a wider image of the four members of the Tiamat Unit back in Scande. Cerl and Jade both had somewhat disgruntled looks on their faces, and Silver's was as obscured as always. The Red Dreammaster raised an eyebrow. "Problems with the Time Key, White?"

"No, we have the Time Key fine." Cerl shook her head. "It was the damned ship... the Quincunx ran into a reef near Scande. None of us will be using it again for a month at least... probably more like two." Mote giggled amusedly.

"Sorry I missed it."

"Don't be." Jade shook his head. "I've seen you try to swim, and it's a rough night out there. How are things on your end?"

"Absolutely wonderful." Mote couldn't resist. "Blue was right... this place is paradise."

"Save the vacation advertising." Jade growled. "What's your situation?"

"Right outside Spyre as we speak." Mote glanced upward for a moment. "I'll be going in tomorrow, bright and early. Ryu and company will likely be arriving a few days afterwards... they just wiped out the dream beast I sent after the Master Digger less than an hour ago."

"Already?" Cerl's eyes flashed. "How are they so fast? I just had an encounter with them at Tunlan!"

"They ARE our opposites, you know." Silver reminded her. "They may not be individually as good as we are... yet... but they're getting there in less than a tenth of the time it took any of us."

"Blue..." Goda rumbled, then shook his head. "Mote... will you be able to send another transmission from inside the Spyre?"

"I don't know... probably not." Mote shook his head. "Even if I make it to the Sky Key before them, though, I won't be leaving... that's where I'M going to make my stand against them, when they arrive."

"But Mote..." Goda started.

"No, Black." Jade cut him off. "Red's made his decision... he knows what he's doing." Cerl and Silver nodded.

"It's his call." Cerl agreed, and Silver put a gloved hand on Goda's arm.

"Black... I know you want to protect him, but this time, he has to take care of things himself... trust in him, and what he believes in... what we all believe in."

"...All right." Goda slowly agreed. "Mote... do what you have to. Make Blue... make all of us proud of you."

"I fully intend to, Goda. Blue gave everything he had for the service... I cannot do any less." Mote saluted them all, and they saluted back, before the image in the crystal ball faded and disappeared. The campfire went out a moment later, and the only light was from a pair of glowing red eyes that soon closed... but no smile.

"This Winter Cave lives up to the name." Karn muttered, teeth chattering from the cold. "This is worse than the nights in Arad. Is it always this bad, Mogu?"

"Not really..." Mogu scratched his head, puzzled. "It's cold, sure, but I don't remember it being this much so..." He blinked and pointed forward. "Hey, is that the way out?"

"Looks like it." Ryu nodded. "You've got good eyes."

"Not really." Mogu shrugged modestly. "It's just that if you spend as much time underground as I do, you learn to spot daylight easily."

"That makes sense." Ox nodded, then frowned as they stepped out into the open. "What the... something ain't right here."

"Gee, you think so?" Deis muttered sarcastically. They were standing nearby a vast lake. A large town was build on the bank, almost extending out onto it, and a huge, ancient tower was visible on the far side. Just north of the town, what must have been the world's bigest waterfall had once poured down from the mountains to fill the lake. Once. Now, everything was frozen. The waterfall and lake were both solid ice, and the ground around them was decked with fresh white snow.

"Tina said Spring was a place of beauty, seemingly untouched by the seasons..." Bo remembered. "This... this can't be right. Mogu?"

"I've never seen Spring like this." The Mole Clan boy whispered, awed. "No, Bo... this is not right. Not at all." They all stared out at the icy lake before them, and then Ryu began to chuckle darkly.

"We should have figured this... seen it, or something like it, coming. We should know by now... nothing EVER goes right for us. Come on, let's see what's up in town." Still chuckling, he started off towards Spring, and after a moment, the others followed.

"Let me try something." Gobi told the others, then wandered over to a passing woman and used his best ingratiating grin. "Excuse me, ma'am... could you direct us to a man named Ernie? I think he's the local doctor?"

"Old Ernie?" The woman pointed down the street, towards the lake. "Just keep going in this direction... his place is the last one there. He's really busy right now with this accursed weather, though, so don't expect to get in to see him any time soon."

"Our thanks, madame." Gobi bowed to her, then led the way. Old Ernie's place, as it turned out, WAS built over the lake; partially, at least. The westmost part of the house hung off the bank over the ice. Dimly, the heroes saw some kind of rotor trapped down there. The house itself apparently doubled as Old Ernie's clinic; there was a line of people inside waiting to be treated for colds and various other winter-related problems.

"Newcomers? Great, more problems." The rather heavy-set old man had a completely bald head, and above his white mustache was a nose as red as a tomato. "Get in line, I'll see you when it's your turn."

"Actually, mister Ernie, we just need to talk with you for a moment." Ryu explained. "We heard of you from Tina, and..." He hesitated a moment before continuing. "And from Cort." Ernie stared at him, eyes narrowed intently.

"From Tina and Cort, you say. All right. Hey, people! Give an old man a few minutes off once on a while, huh? Go on, get! I'll be open again in half an hour!" The line dispersed, and Ernie hung a "Closed" sign on his door before turning back to the heroes. "How is little Tina doing? I haven't heard much from her in a while..."

"She's met a guy named Nicholie... a bridge-builder. World famous." Nina explained. "The two of them seem very happy together."

"Good." Ernie grunted. "She deserves some happiness after what she went through ever since Cort blew up his house. Anyways. What brings guys like you to me? I know it's not just to tell me Tina said hi."

"We were hoping you could tell us what's going on here." Ryu explained. "This isn't normal weather for Spring, is it?"

"Not even close, son." Old Ernie agreed vehemently. "Last time it snowed even a little here was when I was just a brat. And then, two days ago, bang! This comes down out of nowhere! They'll have to change this town's name if this keeps up."

"What could make the climate change so suddenly, though?" Nina wondered. Ernie snorted.

"I'll tell you what, missy. Spyre! Some idiot's got to be messing around with Spyre!"

"Where the Sky Key is?" Karn asked excitedly, then covered his mouth, too late. Old Ernie was looking at them with his eyes narrowed again.

"Now where the heck did you hear about that... never mind. It's none of my business." He relaxed. "Yeah, the Sky Key's up at the top, at the heart of the weather regulation system. That's what's kept Spring so nice, you see."

"So this weather means... somebody's done something with the Sky Key?" Ryu asked, feeling a litle sick. Old Ernie shook his head.

"Nope, son. Spyre itself is the system; just stepping in there starts screwing with things. And it's supposed to be a nightmare to get through; there, the seasons change on every floor! No, I don't think whoever's doing this has the Key yet, if that's what he's after."

"Thanks, old man." Bo smiled. "We'll be heading there ourselves now... we'll try to get things back the way they should be."

"Just find whoever screwed with things in the first place and throw him off the top, that'll be good enough for me." Old Ernie muttered, opening his doors again. "Now beat it, I got people to doctor." The heroes nodded and left. To reach Spyre faster, they simply walked across the lake; the ice was thick enough to hold them easily.

"You sure about this, boss?" Gobi asked doubtfully as they walked around Spyre, looking for the door. "Shouldn't we rest up at the Inn for a night before heading in?"

"No time." Ryu replied tersely. "It's Mote... has to be. If we take even one more night off, he may escape with the Sky Key. We have to get in there and try to get it before he does... or at the very least, take him down before he can run."

"Ah... one question." Karn raised a hand. "How do we get inside?" They had gone around the entire Spyre and found no entrance. Deis shrugged.

"Guess I'll just have to make a door for us. Stand back, people."

"Wait!" Mogu cried. "I've found something." On the ground, in front of Spyre, was a massive dirt patch in the shape of a dragon's head. "This can't be a coincidence. I'll be right back." Bending over, he vanished into the earth like diving into water, leaving only a faint spray of soft dirt in his wake. A moment later his head popped back up. "I was right! This goes into a basement of Spyre!"

"God job, Mogu." Ryu smiled. "Can you make a wide hole we can all fit down?" Mogu saluted and quickly had a large hole ready. One by one, they jumped down and landed on a strangely purple mudbank in the middle of an underground river. This far down, the waters were unfrozen. Ox gasped, and everybody followed his gaze to piles of ancient weapons and armor, lying around like so much garbage.

"I don't believe it... some of this stuff looks like it dates back to the Dragon War! If I could just get a closer look at it..."

"We can do that later." Ryu said impatiently. "We'll come back down here and haul everything out later, Ox. But first, we need to catch Mote. Come on." The river was fast, but they were able to work their way along thin strips of semi-dry land to the stairs that led up in Spyre proper.

"This basement..." Gobi looked around disapprovingly. "This is so structually unsound, it defies description. The first time a really huge deluge comes down out of the mountains, it'll break Spyre out of the ground and wash the whole thing out to sea."

"Yeah, right." Karn snorted. "Maybe a deluge that would flood the entire desert of Gramor, too. Otherwise, not happening, fishman. This place has stayed up this long, hasn't it? Come on, let's go on up." Emerging from the basement, they found themselves... surrounded by bright green, grassy fields.

"Well, old Ernie warned us that this place was strange..." Mogu remembered dismally. Fortunately, the grassy fields were as tame as they looked; the strongest monsters were the Common Blue Slime and the Pink Mud-Creep. The next floor was even stranger; they were caught in a rainstorm so thick, they were unable to see anything.

"Feel for the stairs with your hands!" Gobi yelled, barely able to be heard. "No other way!" Fortunately, the monsters there weren't much tougher; Blurb fanged caveslugs and purple Manson Zombies. Still, it took them what seemed like an eternity to find the stairs."

"Imagine it would have been like for Mote." Gobi said in an attempt to raise his friends' moods as they went up another floor. "If he was by himself, only one pair of hands to... oh. Oh no. Oh HELL no." They were back in the Desert of Arad. Gobi slowly sank to his knees. "Why me, Ladon? Why?"

"Get back up, ham actor." Karn prodded him with the toe of his boot. "It's just one floor, not the real desert. Come on." After that, they all lost track of how many floors there were; they simply continued plowing forward through each change, each different world. Thick green forests where they ducked from tree to tree, led by Bo, in his element once more... Icy plains where huge, carnivorous blue flowers like the one Cort had grown stalked them on insectlike legs... aquatic coral reefs, with enemies cowering in fear of slams and punches from Karn's mighty Debo Fusion... walking above the clouds and a bright blue sky, and seeing firebird Phoenixes dive down all aglow... dark, misty graveyards where Ryu the Gold Dragon kept legions of zombies at bay... and then they emerged on what they all knew was the top floor as soon as they set eyes on it. They were standing on the night sky, with stars and moons and cosmic swirls motionless beneath their feet.

"I don't see Mote." Ryu frowned.
"We could easily have passed him in a lot of those places down there without knowing it." Bo reminded him, then shuddered. "I can't believe we made as good time as we did."

"Hey, look! The Key's still here!" Karn yelled, tired but jubilant. Atop a pedestal like the ones all the Goddess Keys but Earth and Time had rested on was a glowing green crystal orb. "Probably have to fight that cranky old Myst again for it, but we can take 'im easily now! Come on!" Putting aside a nagging feeling of doubt, Ryu walked up to it. Next to it, he saw a monolithic slab of stone like the one underneath Camlon, with a place for a Key.

"Huh... maybe this is where the center of the weather control is. Get the Key first, then see what we can do..." He stared at the orb. It pulsed, then shattered into millions of fragments, leaving a small key to clink to the ground. The Sky Key was made of silver, and the top resembled a sunburst, with blade-sharp spikes. Ryu picked it up, then turned to the others, smiling. "Looks like we did it-huh?" They had all suddenly turned white, and some of them looked like they were about to be physically ill. The Light Dragon looked at what he held in his hand, and dropped it with a strangled cry. It was his own severed head, mangled and bloody.

"Hee hee hee hee hee! That was wonderful! Truly, a superb reaction!" A high-pitched voice laughed cruelly from behind him. Ryu whirled to see a short figure, robed and hooded in purple, with blood-red hands like spiders. Eyes and a twisted smile glowed the same color from the hood. The familiar six-headed dragon emblem of the Tiamat Unit was on his robes.

"Mote!" The Light Dragon hissed.

"That's right." Mote nodded. "Mote, the Red Dreammaster of the Tiamat Unit. We who have no past and no future salute you, Ryu the Light Dragon and company."

"What... what do you think you're doing?" Mogu demanded, stepping forward boldly.

"Oh, hello Mogu." Mote greeted him casually. "I see you woke up... to be expected once the rest of your team arrived to pick you up, I suppose. Mothro was only a dream beast, after all, even if he was the best. They saved your sorry butt, didn't they?"

"Not at all." Ox shook his head. "Mogu kicked just as much of that thing's ass as any of us."

"Sure he did." Mote sneered dismissively. "Come on, give me another one. I'm laughing here." He bent over to Mogu, stage-whispering confidentially. "Take my word on it, pal... it never starts that way. The kid of the group is never as good as the others... you have to MAKE yourself as good as them. Takes time, but the results are worth it. Trust someone who knows."

"And you know this how?" Mogu asked, regaining some of his bravado. Mote stood back up, apparently considering something deeply... and then he reached up and pulled his hood back. Each and every one of them gasped or took a step back in surprise. Mote, the Red Dreammaster, was a child no older than Mogu. His skin was blood red, his eyes slanted and cunning. His ears were pointed, and his hair, a red like molten lava, rose to a higher point between them.

"You're... but the Tiamat Unit's been around for ten years at least!" Karn remembered. "That means..."

"Exactly, Prince of Thieves." Mote smiled. "I was breaking minds and killing people even before I learned how to read. Quite an interesting story, really... although not even I know the entirety of it. I suppose the only one who does is big brother Black."

"Black? As in the Black Warrior?" Bo blinked. "Wait, he's your big brother!"

"That's what I said, isn't it? I swear, you guys will have to keep up with me if you want to get anywhere." The Red Dreammaster's eyes glittered maliciously. "But then again, you haven't done a very good job of that so far, have you? You thought you had the Sky Key, but you were wrong! I beat you to it!"

"Easily remedied." Deis growled, holding up her cane. "We'll get the Key anyways, after we thrash you, just like we did Cort!" A string of fireballs with a dragon's head streaked forward and slammed into Mote, burning through... nothing.

"Oh, that was rich!" Mote hooted from their left. "I would have been in trouble there, IF I had been stupid enough to present such an obvious target as that!" He wagged a finger at them reprovingly. "Tsk tsk! Give me a LITTLE more credit than that!"

"I got your credit, right here!" Gobi yelled, diving forward with his pike extended. "Unlimited use, even!"

"I'll pass on the pike-in-face card, thanks." Eight Motes, standing around the group in a perfect circle, yawned. "Here, though... one for each of you. Try attacking, see what happens!"

"We're not falling for these sick games." Mogu growled, slowly angering. "We'll deal with you on our terms, not yours!"

"Oh, you poor fools... when has anything been on YOUR terms?" The Motes cackled. "Ladon told me about your little explosion, Ryu... the old boy was VERY upset. Did you HAVE to be so nasty with him?"

"We didn't like being pawns on a chessboard." Ryu growled. The Motes smirked.

"Why not? Chess is a great game! Look!" He waved, and suddenly they actually were on a chessboard, each of them a different piece. On the other side were the Tiamat Unit, with Zog and Admiral Cean filling out the back parts, and all the other officers they had defeated in front. Their own pawns were the leaders of the friendly lands. Mote waved from his place as a Bishop. "Care to play?"

"Like Mogu already told you, not interested." Ryu gritted. The Red Dreammaster sighed, disappointed.

"Spoilsport... oh well, not everybody can be as fun a guy as me." He waved a hand, and the chessboard image disappeared. "Fine. If you're going to be like that, I'll just deal with you right away!"

"And how do you plan to do that?" Mogu challenged him. "I heard more than your plans, Mote... you're not invincible! Your mind tricks won't work on us!"

"Mind tricks? How rude!" Mote clasped a hand to his chest. "I am an ARTIST! As you well know... and the rest of you do too, from your trip into Mogu's head. But what, I wonder, will you do inside a mind that's NOT on your side?" Before any of them could react, his eyes flashed, and everything shimmered. The last thing they heard was Mote's triumphant laugh, followed by a brief sensation of falling... and then, darkness.

Slowly, Ryu regained consciousness. They were lying in beds inside a small building. The others were starting to stir as well.

"Did anybody get the name on that ship that hit us?" Gobi muttered, holding his head. "And for that matter, where are we NOW?"

"That does seem to be the operative question." Deis looked around, eyes narrowing. "This doesn't look like Spring... not cold enough." She looked out a window, then drew in her breath with a sharp hiss. "Oh. Oh hell."

"What is it?" Mogu joined her. "Wait. That sky... crud." The sky was a roiling mass of golden haze, far darker than it had ever been inside Mogu's mind. "What Mote said..."

"Hey, there's more people outside!" Nina cried. A middle-aged man walked in and smiled as he saw them all up.

"Oh good... you're awake. You're the biggest group that's come so far."

"This is Mote's mind, isn't it?" Bo demanded. "We're trapped inside HIS head now." The man sighed and nodded, dropping the smile.

"That's it exactly. People who cross Mote, or just run into him at the wrong time... most he just kills, but a few, he takes in here. I'm from Spring... my name's Barry the Climber. As you can probably tell, I love climbing things... but when I scaled Spyre, Mote was at the top. Said he couldn't let anybody go who knew he was there..." He shook his head. "There's about half a dozen more folks here. Even some girl from Tunlan; none of us can speak her language, poor thing. And then there's... oh, here he is. Hey, Myst! They're awake!" Through the door, the green cloud spirit from Wisdon drifted in and glared at them.

"So, Mote took you as well..." He closed his eyes. "Sorceress... I'm sorry. I know I was supposed to guard the Sky Key, but against Mote... I could do nothing..."

"Forget it." Deis shook her head. "We'll get you all out of here soon... after we bust Mote's head open like a watermelon."

"Kill Mote?" Barry gasped. "No way! I mean... yeah, if you did it we'd all be out of here... but it's impossible! Don't you know who he is?"

"Oh, we do all right." Ox chuckled grimly. "And we've already killed his teammate, the Blue Alchemist. We'll take him down."
"Then you should head to the Nightmare Tower." Myst's eyes blazed. "Mote will be there."

"Gotcha." Ryu nodded. "Just sit tight, folks... you'll be back in the real world before too long." As they walked out of the cluster of houses where Mote's captives stayed, Ryu noticed a Dragon Temple that had been painted a bright red. Growling low in his throat, he passed by it without comment.

The terrain of Mote's mind was even rougher than it had been in Mogu's; the ground was covered with irregular chasms and rises. When they finally made it near the Nightmare Tower, the center of Mote's mind, they discovered that like Spyre, it had no door.

"Now what?" Karn groaned. "I don't suppose you can dig us in here too, Mogu?"

"Doubtful." The young Mole Clanner shook his head. "This is the dream world... everything here is a manifestation of Mote's mind. If the core of it is closed to us, nothing we can do can break in... hey." He blinked, looking around. "Thought I felt something..."

"Felt something?" Nina raised an eyebrow. Mogu nodded absently, walking away.

"Yeah... something pulling at me, I don't know what. Came from over here... ha! Look, guys!" The others rushed over to find a narrow cave entrance in a rock wall. None of them had seen it before. "Let's try in here!"

"My question is, what was that 'feeling' you had, Mogu?" Bo wondered. Deis pursed her lips.

"At a guess, Mote has a prisoner in that tower... somebody with very strong psychic abilities. They're hoping we'll help them out, so they sent Mogu some directions on how to get in."

"Well, you know that old saying." Gobi smiled. "The enemy of my enemy is my enemy.. wait, no, that's not right..." He continued muttering to himself, under his breath, as they entered the cave. At first, it was simple stone around them, but soon, the walls became carved, and the floor tiled. The odd thing was, it was all covered in thick dust, obscuring everything.

"What is this place?" Nina whispered, awed.

"Looks like... part of Mote's mind that he hasn't accessed in a long time." Mogu brushed off a section of a wall with one huge claw, and it displayed a moving picture. A tiny boy with red skin, only a year or two old, was awakened by the cries of a huge young man with skin the same color and a long mass of black hair, who was apparently having a nightmare. The tiny boy seemed to concentrate, and the man quieted down, fading into peaceful sleep.

"Is that Goda?" Ox wondered. "Has to be... a memory from years ago, then?"

"Yeah, looks like it." Bo brushed off another section of wall, showing another memory. Mote again, still very little, now reading a book with Cort's aid, both of them smiling. Another memory, of hiking through a thick forest with Cerl... and then one of sitting at the Dark Dragon court, watching Jade and Zog intimidate the lesser officers with awe and respect. Ryu's eyes narrowed particularly at the last one; he had never actually seen either of them before.

"These memories were all from the very start of Mote's life, looks like..." Mogu looked around. "But... have you noticed? Nothing about any sort of parents... maybe here?" He looked down a hall that was even filthier than the rest. Here, the walls would only be partially cleared; some of the dust refused to come off, obscuring the memories on the wall. The first one was not much... the cries of a baby, followed by a yelled curse, a blurry image of something rushing forward, and an impact. Everybody winced.

"On second thought, might not want to know about that..." Karn shook his head. "Come out of there, Mogu... I don't think we'll find Little Red himself down there."

"I suppose not." Mogu shook his head. "Let me just try one more." He attempted to clear another memory, again with only partial success... a sensation of movement, in the arms of a huge young man with red skin... Goda. Then being set down, and the sounds of a fight... and the intense urge to act, to do something to help... followed by a familiar face. Jade, looking just like he had in the memory of court, several years later. He was saying something, but it wasn't audible... there seemed to be two faces behind him as well, but again, these were unclear.

"We don't have time for this." Deis said impatiently. "Let's go, already... there's nothing useful here." They walked down the less dusty hall, which slowly became clearer... and then there was a barred prison cell at the end of the hall. Without thinking, Ox stepped forward and bent the bars apart with his bare hands. It was only then that any of them saw the cell's inhabitant... a short figure with pointed ears and even more pointed hair.

"Mote!" Ryu yelled, drawing his sword, then pausing. The prisoner's skin was normal flesh-toned, and his robes were sky-blue. "Are... you?"

"Yes... and no." The prisoner smiled sadly, a smile with none of Mote's cruelty. "I'm part of Mote, you could say... part of him that hasn't been active for a long time. Look." He gestured at the wall on the back of the cell, where a clear memory was playing endlessly.

"Goda..." Little Mote, only three years old, stumbled towards his brother, tripping over the hem of the purple robes he had to wear. "Big brother..."

"Hush, Red." Goda rumbled, not unkindly, as he picked the small boy up and carried him on his shoulder. "We're in public... you know you're supposed to call me Black."

"Black Warrior..." Mote shook his head. "I don't like it, big brother. When they all call you that, it's like you're somebody else..."

"Then we'll go into our Unit's quarters, and be private." Goda walked out of Scande's hall. Once they were alone, he set Mote down and sat in a chair. "Now, then. What's the problem?"

"Goda..." Mote hesitated, then blurted it out. "Are we bad people?"

"Bad... people?" Goda's face darkened. Mote nodded.

"All the people... the Knights and Generals and Captains, and the soldiers... they're all scared of us. They call us... freaks and... and monsters..."

"Do they address you by those names?" Goda demanded, fist clenching. "Show me which ones, and I'll-"

"No, no." Mote quickly shook his head. "Don't kill them, big brother... they just whisper those things, about all five of us, inside their heads... they never say them. Their thoughts..."

"Ah..." Goda shifted uncomfortably. "Mote... we're not really... bad people. Cort and Cerl... and Lord Jade, you like them, right?"

"I like THEM, yeah..." Mote paused for a moment, considering how to put his thoughts into words. "I like Cort and Cerl and Jade... but I don't think I like Blue and White and Gold... and I don't know if I like Black and Red either, big brother..."

"Mote..." Goda held his hands up, then let them drop helplessly. "We can't just be Goda and Mote anymore, we have to be Black and Red too. That's why Lord Jade took us in... to make us part of his Tiamat Unit. We're destined for that... you know all this. And..." He sighed. "That means... sometimes, Mote, you have to take the part of you that doesn't like the things that Red has to do, and put that part away in your heart... stop listening to it. We don't have a choice in that sometimes."

"Can we... do that?" Mote asked, awed. Goda stared at him for a moment, wondering if he had made a mistake, but the Black Warrior could not fully comprehend what his little brother was thinking.

"Yeah, Mote... that's what me, and Cort and Cerl and Jade... that's what we do. Like... when we're going to go to the Fusion Clan soon. We'll do that then."

"I'll try that, then... I don't like it, but I'll try. Thanks, big brother." Mote started to go, then stopped. "Goda... what about Emperor Zog? I can't get into his mind... it's a whirlwind. Does he... put away the part of him that's not a bad person too?"

"Emperor Zog... is something different." Goda's face darkened again. "He's... complicated. Too complicated... I'll explain it to you some other time." Mote nodded and ran off. At that point, the memory began to replay itself again.

"Mote... he took Goda's advice literally, didn't he?" Mogu stared at the prisoner who was barely taller than him. "So, you're... his good side?"

"In essence... yes." The prisoner nodded. "Mote's morals, his feelings, a lot of his emotions... he locked them all away, and has been doing almost entirely without them for nine years. Occasionally, he'll draw upon me for a minor bit, but not often."

"So... what do we call you? And what do you want to do?" Ryu scratched his head. Even the Light Dragon had been thrown a little by this revelation.

"Call me... Conscience, I guess." The prisoner shrugged. "And... as for what I want..." He smiled sadly. "The same thing you do, I guess. Mote... I... have seen a lot of things. The fight between you and him is inevitable... and I want him to lose."

"But that means..." Deis started. Conscience nodded gravely.

"Yeah. But it has to happen. Here..." He concentrated, and the back wall of the cell fell apart, revealing stairs leading upward. There was an angry rumbling from all around. "Go! This way leads into the tower proper. I'll try to keep Mote from just dropping the ceiling on you... if he gets too angry, he won't even care about what's supposed to happen any more. But I don't have as much energy as him... you have to find him and take him out, fast!"

"That's what we do best, kid!" Bo took off up the stairs, with the others following. The room they came out in had a pair of Springs of Life flanking a large vase on a pedestal, and a doorway behind that.

"Let's grab a quick drink, then motor." Gobi suggested. They did so, then climbed past the vase. As he passed it, Ryu turned his head back around on an impulse. Where it had been a moment before, the Spirit of Ladon was gravely watching them.

"Yah!" Ryu jumped. "What are you... doing here?"

"Watching you." Ladon answered. "Despite your anger towards me, I still have great interest in ensuring your safety and success."

"You do, huh." Ryu frowned. All the others were silent, watching the confrontation without a word. "And what about the safety and success of the Tiamat Unit?"

"I have watched over them for ten years and more already." Ladon spread his hands. "And they... they are prepared for whatever will happen to them."

"I see." Ryu smiled again, grimly. "Well, whatever. Now's not really the time for us to have this out. But when we're done with Mote, be at the Temple in Spring, okay? I'm not saying I'll let myself be turned into a chess piece again, but we do need to talk when we have the time." If Ladon was offended by Ryu's tone, he hid it perfectly.

"Whenever you need to speak to me, I will be there." The Dragon God nodded, then turned back into the vase again. Ryu watched it for a moment, then whirled and stalked through the door. What was on the other side made all of them stop and stare. Thin, fragile-looking glass formed narrow walkways that extended out over a starry black void. There were no railings, and the walkways were mazelike, bending and turning every which way.

"This isn't real." Deis somewhat nervously reminded them. "It's all the dream world. That glass is just a manifestation of part of Mote's mind."

"I'll go first." Ox decided. "If it doesn't drop me like an anchor, none of you will have any problems." The big Builder Clanner gingerly stepped onto the walkway, his hooves clinking on the glass. There wasn't even a crack. Shrugging, the others followed him on. There were no walls in this void; the walkways had dead-ends, but there was still starry darkness beyond them, never ending.

"Look for a door." Mogu guessed. "Probably just hanging without any wall at one of these dead ends."

"Just a second... got it." Bo nodded approvingly. "That way. Nice work, Mogu." Of course, actually getting to the door was somewhat more challenging for everybody but Nina, but eventually they managed it. When they left the glass walkway maze, they emerged back into the tower proper. Ahead of them were two staircases, both leading up. In front of the leftmost one was a glowing yellow floor tile, and in front of the rightmost, glowing purple.

"Now what's up with THIS, I wonder." Ryu muttered. Mogu frowned.

"Nobody touch those... I've got a bad feeling." Prying a pebble out of the wall with one claw, he tossed it onto the yellow tile. The pebble sizzled and blackened. Another pebble on the purple tile produced the same results.

"Right, no touching the tiles." Karn added unneccessarily. Unfortunately, as they climbed further up, that was easier said than done; the glowtiles were often strategically placed to make passage difficult and dangerous, sometimes even leaving no choice but to hurdle them, a method that got Deis a singed tail (and the others a lesson in cursing in extinct languages). To make matters worse, the memories were on the walls again, and this time they weren't so pleasant; Mote sending waves of fear through anybody who saw him, snapping creatures' necks like twigs with his long fingers, driving an unfortunate underling hopelessly insane with one thought, making another one's head explode in a fountain of blood... the heroes tried to ignore these mostly, but it wasn't possible to do so completely. Eventually, they reached a room with five seperate staircases stairing at them, each leading up.

"We don't really want to know where four of these go, do we?" Ox asked calmly. Ryu shook his head.

"No, I don't think we do. Any ideas, guys?"

"That one." Mogu pointed at the second one from the right. "Look. Wet footprints are on there... small ones. None of the others."

"Nicely spotted." Ryu congratulated the Mole Clan boy. "Let's go on up." Walking up that staircase, they found themselves in a large room. Two clusters of pillars with torches in their sides lit it at the front. And sitting in the back, on a simple stone throne, was a short figure in purple robes with blood-red skin, watching their every move. Mote's hood was still down, and he was smiling as cruelly as always.

"Ha! You fools... outsiders who think they can take control of MY world away from me!"

"This may be your world, but we're not part of it." Ryu retorted. "Mote, you made a big mistake bringing us here... now, we're going to take you apart, piece by piece!"
"Brave words from a Light Dragon who can't even control his own heart!" Mote sneered. "Ryu the Light Dragon, killer of the evil Dark Dragons! But you don't just kill them... you hate them, don't you? You want all the Dark Dragons in the world DEAD, Ryu!"

"...No." Ryu shook his head. "Maybe once... but not anymore. I just want them stopped. You, though... are an entirely different matter. Here and now, Mote... you die."

"We'll see if you can really pull it off!" Mote laughed, highly amused. "Come on, then! Give it a shot!" His hands darted out, blood-red spiders pulling puppetstrings, and the entire world changed around them. Everything was black... then red... than a variety of colors, shifting and flashing at lightspeed, blindingly. Mote hovered in the air, sneering at them. Growling, Deis threw out a chain of fireballs with a dragon's head. Mote laughed and sent the pieces of it scattering like a spilled bag of marbles. Ox and Gobi rushed forward, weapons ready... and pulled back just in time as they were turned upon each other.

"What did I tell you, fools?" Mote yawned. "I am the Red Dreammaster, and this is the world of dreams! You can do nothing here... I hold total command!"

"Not total!" Mogu yelled. "In my mind, your Mothro was able to take control... we can do the same here!"

"You fool, who do you think you're talking to?" The Red Dreammaster laughed maniacally. "I am MOTE! No creature alive can wrest control of MY mind from me!" He flicked a hand, and Mogu went sailing into Nina, knocking her out of the sky. Roaring angrily, Ryu became the Fire Dragon and released a stream of fire like the one Deis had summoned. This time, Mote did not scatter it, but turned it around and wrapped it around Ryu's neck.

"Damn it, there's got to be something!" Karn yelled as he and Bo threw and fired their weapons. In midair, they suddenly made complete turnarounds as well, heading for their wielders, who barely managed to dodge.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Mote snickered. "Come on, boys and girls... where's that destiny of yours? Where's the power of the Party of Light?" Suddenly, he disappeared, and each of them was staring at seven Motes where their friends had been. The Red Dreammaster's voice came mockingly from each mouth. "Give me a break! You guys beat Cort? Must have been a fluke... no way are you better than him!"

"Close your eyes!" Mogu yelled in sudden realization. "All of this is just illusion... Mote's tricking us! Close your eyes and he can't fool you!" The heroes obliged. "Well, Mote? Where's your bravado now?" The Mole Clanner taunted.

"Fool!" Mote laughed, and eight heads followed the sound of his voice. "You think I'm just... whoa!" He dodged left to avoid a thrown knife, then jumped an arrow before ducking under a stream of fire. "Not bad, but... yow!" More attacks came his way, as the heroes followed the sound of his voice. "Argh! Right, that's IT! No more Mister Nice Mote!"

"On the contrary." Mote's voice came from behind them, and they all turned around, opening their eyes involuntarily. Conscience was standing there, bracing himself against the nonexistent wall. "Mister Nice Mote is right here... to stay!"

"You!" Mote howled. "How did you... YOU! You all let him out!"

"Exactly." Conscience nodded, smiling grimly. "This is it for us, Mote... you know it as well as I do! Here and now is the end of the Red Dreammaster!"

"SHUT UP!" Mote screamed, growing hysterical. "You don't know anything! You've been gone for years!"

"No, I haven't." Conscience shook his head. "I've been here all along in the back of your head... you were never able to completely get rid of me. And now I'm back for the end of our life. Now stop all this fooling around, Mote... and fight them with your true power!" He turned to Ryu. "Get ready, Ryu... I'm going to block all of his tricks and illusions, so he'll have no choice but to transform!" The area around them stopped shifting, pausing on blackness everywhere.

"You TRAITOR!" Mote shrieked, beyond reason now. "When I'm done with them, I'll tear you out of my skull with my own hands! But first, I'll do what Cort couldn't!" Laughing maniacally, he rose into the air, glowing with seperate beams of light flying out from him in every direction. The beams dissipated, revealing... a blur. A blur of purple and red color, smeared beyond recognition, like trying to see through eyes squinted almost closed.

"What the..." Ryu blinked as well as he could as a dragon. "Never mind! Kill it!" He launched a chain of fire, which... passed right through the blur. He stared. "Huh?"

"Hee hee hee..." Even Mote's voice was distorted. "Even now, you cannot harm me!" The blur began flashing a rainbow of colors, and then it charged, smashing into Ryu. Growling, Bo sent a flurry of arrows, even though he expected them to go through harmlessly. They didn't. Mote screamed as the arrows lodged in his side. "Aaah! Filthy Forest Clanner, I'll rip out your tongue for that!"

"Rip out this!" Ox grunted, slamming his sledge home. Mote howled and went flying towards Gobi, who speared him away with a thrust from his pike. The Maniro blinked.

"Hey, look at him!" The blur was clarifying, becoming more visible with each attack that hit home.

"Good job!" Deis grinned, raising her staff. "Now it's my turn! Got something special, just for you, slime!"

"Wait!" Mogu yelled, but it was too late. Deis yelled, and there was a flash of bright light that blinded everybody for a second accompanying a tremendous explosion. However, Mote did not seem affected; he was actually blurrier than he had been a moment before!

"Ha... that felt good!"

"The HELL!" Deis swore. "What is the DEAL here?"

"Magic!" Mogu answered her. "He's immune to magic while he's blurry; just goes through him! Only physical attacks!" Demonstrating, he ran forward and carved into Mote with his claws, and the shrieking blur became more clear again.

"Sounds like a plan, Mogu!" Ryu grinned, diving forward with fangs and claws. "Dogpile on the Dreammaster!" Mote slammed around, ramming them one by one as they assaulted him, but he was unable to inflict any fatal injuries. Ryu and Mogu raked with fangs and claws; Nina and Gobi thrust with rapier and pike; Ox and Deis slammed with sledge and staff; Bo and Karn pierced with arrows and knives. Conscience watched the entire fight without a word. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Red Dreammaster's monstrous form was fully visible. It seemed like some kind of nightmarish fusion of a squid and a mushroom. The black cap on top was laced with red streaks, and below it dangled purple tentacles covered with suckers. On the front was no face but a gaping, ribbed red hole that was apparently a mouth.

"NOW, Ryu and Deis!" Mogu snapped with uncharacteristic command. "Magic! Hit him hard!" Without taking time to respond, the Light Dragon and the Sorceress complied, sandwiching Mote between the nova explosion and the Fire Dragon's deadly breath. Mote crumpled and fell to the floor... then rose back up, freshly blurred.

"Now... I'm... MAD!" He howled, and a pillar of fire rose from beneath Ox, completely immolating him.

"OX!" Ryu yelled, but the big Builder Clanner was down. Mote laughed, turning his front towards Nina.

"Ha ha ha! Come on, Light Dragons! Try and finish me off before I get you all!" Nina shrieked as the inferno blasted her and fell to the ground, hitting it hard. With strength born of desperation, the remaining heroes began plowing into Mote with everything they had, even as one by one, he turned the pillar of fire upon them. Nobody got back up after they were targeted; first Gobi, then Bo, and then Karn went down. Finally, Mote was clear again, and Ryu and Deis hit him with another double-whammy.

"Did we get the bugger?" Deis muttered, then yelled in pain as the fires covered her. Mote was so blurred, it was hard to see how much damage was done, but he was still going.

"Ha ha ha! Die! You can't do it! Die, all of you!"

"No... nobody's dying today, you scum!" Mogu yelled, charging forward. Before Ryu could stop him, the Mole Clan boy had dived on Mote, ripping and tearing madly with his claws without even pausing to think. "You... will... not... hurt... my... friends... ever... AGAIN!"

"Aaah!" Mote turned the flame upon Mogu now... and still the little mole kept attacking, despite the agony that had claimed the others.
"I was never... any good!" Mogu gritted between clenched teeth. "I was always the loser... the fool! The little kid trying to be better than he was! Then they came... made me one of them! Never treated me like... a failure! And I'm... not going to BE one! Do you hear me, Mote? NEVER AGAIN!" Mote tried to focus his flames again, but nothing came forth. Chunks of black and purple flesh were flying everywhere. Conscience suddenly yelled as he was pulled forward by some intense force.

"I... don't feel so good..." Mote warbled before Conscience knocked Mogu off of him and they came together with a flash. Suddenly, the black was gone. They were back at the top of the tower, and there was only one Mote standing there. A Mote with blood-red skin and purple robes, but also a sad smile and the eyes of a child. And he was fading... they could see through him, like a ghost. All of them could.

"Huh?" Ox muttered. "I'm... alive? I thought..."

"No... my fire only knocked you out." Mote shook his head. "And even that wasn't completely real. It's been fixed now anyways... you've won. You killed me. Mogu... killed me for all of you." He faded more.

"So... which one are you?" Ryu asked. Mote thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"I am both... and neither. And it really doesn't matter. I... have to thank you. I can rest in peace now." He stared up towards the sky. "I'm sorry... but I have to go now. Cort is... waiting for me... he always gets impatient when somebody keeps him waiting. Goodbye..." And then he was gone.

"Look... out the window." Nina pointed. The sickly yellow sky was changing color, becoming orange... and then a brilliant, ruby red. The dream world wavered and faded, and was gone.

"Huh...?" Barry the Climber said, none too brightly. The heroes, as well as the other inhabitants of the dream world, were on the top floor of Spyre.

"Everybody here?" Ryu asked.

"Yes." Myst nodded. "You must have killed Mote... good work!"

"Yeah..." Mogu nodded, glancing over to the pillar where the Sky Key had been. A small, crumpled body in purple robes was lying, lifeless, in front of it. Ryu silently walked over and took the Sky Key from the spiderlike fingers.

"We're not going to have to fight YOU now, are we?" Karn joked, and Myst laughed.

"No, no. Take it... you've more than proven yourself worthy of it." He disappeared. Ryu turned to the others.

"All right... Barry, was it? Do you know a way out of here? The way we came in is kind of... one way." Barry nodded.

"There are some low windows near trees we can jump into."

"Good." Ryu started to walk away, then stopped. "Right... fix the weather." Walking over to the nearby stone slab, he inserted the Key. "Does anybody know how to make this thing work... ah!"

Simply think what you wish, and it shall come to pass. A strange, obscurely familiar female voice whispered into his mind. Ryu shrugged and imagined Spring as Tina had told them of it... bright and green, and full of life. The machine hummed, then stopped.

"Let's hope that did it..." Ryu removed the Sky Key and placed it in the same pouch as the others. Suddenly, everybody else made assorted sounds of surprise. Ryu whirled around to see something he was already half-expecting. The Tiamat Unit member in the grey robes was standing there, holding Mote's body without much effort.

"The undertaker again." Ryu growled. "Who are you, buddy? Silver something? You must be something special for the Tiamat Unit to take you... as far as I know, you're the only addition since it formed ten years ago." The Silver whatever watched him silently, then nodded. Ryu started forward, and the Silver whatever jumped back, still holding Mote. A flash of light, and it was gone. Ryu turned around, shaking his head.

"That one... something wierd about it."

"We'll run into it and deal with it eventually, I'm sure." Nina sighed. "But for now, can we get out of here? A big meal, a warm bath and a soft bed back in Spring sound REALLY good right now."

"Ask, and ye shall recieve." Barry grinned. "For turning the weather back, the people in town will do anything you want. Come on, heroes, the lower floors are this way."