Chapter Five – "Further Developments"

"We need to know what's going on."

Queen Marlena sighed and looked across all the various holograms before her. Hawk of Avion, Garth of Insectia, King Paw of the Cats, King Jade of the Bears, Princess Nami of Aquatica, Queen Valena of Ahberron, Queen Sumara of Arcadia, Princess Raya of Targa, King Marianius of Moriana, Counselor Cyril of the Golden Isles, Prime Minister Pangas of Tahrin, Lizard-Man of Lizardia, King Stephen of West Eternos, and Queen Johanna North Eternos. It seemed almost too many for her, but she was queen and she needed to speak.

"Currently, the military alliance still stands," Marlena addressed. "But right now, you all are needed to remain where you are. Vipera and King Hiss are concentrating mostly on Eternos, the Great Towers, Snake Mountain, and soon, Castle Grayskull. For any of you to engage them now would only bring Vipera's wrath upon you all."

"So we are to just sit here and wait?" questioned Valena.

"Preposterous!" shouted Pangas.

"What needs to happen now, ladies and gentlemen, is a small strike force. Commandos are going to storming Eternos as soon as King Hiss and Vipera make for Castle Grayskull," Marlena explained. "If we fail, it will be up to you all - as a unified force - to take on the Snake-Men."

"Just what makes you think that they will attack Castle Grayskull?" asked Paw.

"Trust Marlena, King Paw," Lizard-Man interjected.

"If this is what they believe is for the best, then we here at the Golden Isles will follow your lead," Cyril stated. "I would hope the others will fall in line with us."

"For the moment, yes, so shall Aquatica."

"And Moriana."

"Tahrin as well."

"Lizardia agrees."

"So does Arcadia."

"Targa too."

"As well as Ahberron."

"The Bears stand by this decision."

"The Cats will trust in Eternos . . . for now."

"Avion will remain prepared, but we will agree."

"So will Insectia."

"Excellent. I shall keep you up-dated. Castle Grayskull out."

All holograms save Hawk, Garth, Lizard-Man, Pangas, and Paw flickered off. Marlena addressed the remainders.

"Thank you for remaining on the line. I will be frank. While it would be best for you to remain away from Eternos at the moment, we are in need of super-powered beings and warriors. Lizard-Man, I am formally requesting you reactivate your Heroic Warrior status."

"Of course, Queen Marlena!" Lizard-Man yelped.

"Prime Minister Pangas, can you send Celice? Her magical voice will be of some help."

"At once," Pangas responded.

"Garth? Could you offer us some assistance?"

"Yes, I shall be there," Garth replied.

"And what would you want of me?" King Paw questioned.

"Kittrina. Her skills will be a lot of help," Marlena answered.

"She will be there at once."

"Hawk? Do you think you could battle in your brother's stead?"

"Absolutely," Hawk responded.

Marlena pressed a few keys next to her. "Good. I am sending you the coordinates. Meet us there by dawn. We will ride to Eternos after that."

The holograms then blinked out, leaving only Marlena with Johanna and Stephan.

"And what about us?" asked Johanna.

"You two both need to lock down your cities and prepare your armies. If this fails, the Snake-Men are more than likely to take it out on you."

"Let us send you help, Marlena. We are one kingdom, don't forget that," Stephan pushed.

"No. Not now, at least. Just be ready."

"Good luck, then," Johanna conceded.

"To all of us," Marlena replied.

The final two holograms faded out and now Marlena was alone in the communications room of Castle Grayskull. It was in the northwest tower, which contained technologies far advanced than that of any other the queen of Eternos had ever seen.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Duncan from the door.

"Quite sure, Duncan."

"As Man-At-Arms, Marlena, I have to question your reasoning for going into battle. Not to mention working side-by-side with Skeletor's minions."

"It is my kingdom, Duncan. It was taken from me and I shall be the one to take it back. Simple as that."

Duncan sighed and nodded. "As you wish, your majesty."

The evening sun was setting fast as Battle-Cat and Swift-Wind came to their destination in the Sands of Time. The rode fast, avoiding paths and cutting along the lands that only animals could pass. No one gave them a second glance as they rushed to the place they knew they had to be.

As they approached the ancient tomb, both Battle-Cat and Swift-Wind approached slowly. The creature they had come to release had been slumbering for 1,000 years, though it has spoken to them on occasion. In whispers that only animals could hear . . .

The tomb was stone and at least twenty feet in length, twenty feet in height, and fifteen feet wide. A large statue of a lizard-like creature was on the top.

"This is it," Battle-Cat informed Swift-Wind.

"I can see. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Then let it be done."

Swift-Wind flapped his wings and rose up to his back legs. From his unicorn horn came a beam of white energy that struck the creature on the top of the tomb. Battle-Cat released a mighty roar and from his eyes came a pair of white energy beams.

After a few seconds, the beams halted and both creatures watched as their actions produced results. The creature at the top sunk into the tomb itself. The tomb then slid backwards . . . and a mighty beast emerged.

He was huge and long, and made completely of pure white bone. A skeleton of a creature and as soon as he emerged onto the sand, a green flame engulfed his entire body.

"Long have I slumbered . . . kept alive pure the power of Grayskull . . . fellow companions of warriors . . . you have summoned me!"

Both Battle-Cat and Swift-Wind bowed their heads as if a king addressed them.

"Battle-Beast . . ." whispered Swift-Wind.

And indeed it was Battle-Beast, the former stead of He-Ro. But as the creature of old looked at himself, a sound like a guttural laugh came from his bare mouth.

"Battle-Beast? Not any long, I fear. From this point onward shall I be called BATTLE-BONES!"

Vipera awoke, eyes flying open. She sat up in her bed, which was that of King Randor and Queen Marlena. Nothing had been changed since Eternos had been taken, simply because Vipera did not care. She walked along floor, red hair tumbling across her shoulders, scales bathed in the evening sunlight.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Teela's body had progressed in its transformation. The face was flatter, the nose less pronounced. Teela now looked the part of a Snake-Man female, but there was still more to go.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," she commanded.

The doors opened and King Hiss entered. "I am glad to see you have awakened."

"The battle with the Sorceress drained me, but I have regenerated. What news do you bring me?"

"He-Man and Skeletor remain opposed to us. They have attacked the Great Towers and I believe they seek to collapse the White Hole."

Vipera shrugged Teela's shoulders. "And? Just how does that effect us?"

"I am not certain . . . yet."

"He- Man and Skeletor shall fall to my might," Vipera stated matter-of-factly.

"Of that, I have no doubt. However, my mistress, they are still a threat."

Vipera nodded and turned from the king of the Snake-Men. "Tomorrow morning, Hiss, we make for Castle Grayskull. Leave your army here and have the Reptons take up position at Snake Mountain. Only your elite shall go to Castle Grayskull."

"Why is that, my mistress? Why not take the army?"

Vipera smiled and looked back to him. "I wish to prove my power."

"Ah yes . . . of course. And . . . my mistress . . . what of mating?"

"We shall conceive a child after this battle is completed."

King Hiss smiled broadly. "Yessss."

Vipera's smile diminished a little as she turned away from the master of the Snake-Men. She tapped the Serpent's Ring. A pulse of green energy across Teela's scaly skin, and suddenly, his legs formed into one, turning into a massive tail. She was snake from the hips down; a Naga.

"Our time is coming, Hiss. You and I shall see this world bow before us."

Malik looked long and hard at Orko, then turned his back to the Trollian. Orko glanced over to Kareen, hoping for some support. Kareen just shrugged.

"Um . . . what do you mean?" asked Orko.

Malik sighed and turned back to Orko, leaning against a table with bubbling and fizzing bottles, open books piled upon each other, and open boxes of medium sizes.

"You asked me if I could give you some spells you could use to fight off Vipera. Which, honestly, I can't."

"And why is that?"

"Because, well, Orko . . . there's no beating around the bush. You suck."

Orko gasped and fell immediately to the floor. Kareen giggled and hauled him back up. "Now, now, Orko. He's doesn't mean that like you think he does."

"Of course not," Malik replied and turned back to the table. He pulled out one of the open books from underneath and above two others and started to flip through the pages, casually looking for something. "Let me ask you something."

"What's that?"

"On Trolla, you were a great wizard, weren't you?"

"Yep! Orko the Great!"

"And you had the madlion, didn't you? The one you lost when you arrived, correct?"

"Yeah, but I found it . . . and then I lost again." Orko's eyes perked up. "Are you going to help me find it?"

Malik opened up a long, slender box and pulled out a two round pieces of wood. "As much as I would like to go traipsing around the Tar Swamp in the middle of the night, I have other plans. Orko, did they teach you anything about the theories behind magic and sorcery?"

"Ummm . . . no. But to be honest, I didn't really pay . . . attention . . . in class."

"Well, that wasn't very responsible of you," Kareen said with an amused smile.

"I was a natural, so I figured I didn't need school. I just used my powers and my madlion and poof! I could just do it!"

"Not on Eternia, you couldn't. Didn't you notice that on your last few visits to Trolla, your spells have worked perfectly?" Malik pointed out. "There is a theory, Orko, that not all worlds are able to use sorcery like Eternia, Etheria and Trolla. That, as the universe expands and continues to expand, certain forces like gravity and time and energy create bends in the matrix of reality. These bends allow various people and objects to change the nature of reality around us. This is but a theory of course, but there is some truth in it. Because if it is true, then each world affected by these bends in reality would be different from the other. And that . . . would explain your magic's refusal to work properly on Eternia."

Orko blinked in realization. "Ooooh. Well, that explains it."

"Exactly. Now, here you go."

Malik pulled out a wand. He tossed it to Orko and the Trollian caught it. Immediately, there was a sudden powerful connection between him and the object in his hands.

"Whoa . . ."

"Bet you're ready to go kick some ass, then?" Kareen asked, smiling away.

Orko waved the wand around, watching as small magic tendrils followed it. "Oh yeah!"

He-Man and Skeletor rode to the edge of the Valley of Storms. Below, in front of Snake Mountain, was a small army of Repton warriors. The beam that fueled the White Hole streaked across the ash-gray sky from the mouth of Snake Mountain. He-Man pulled out his Power Sword.

"You can probably hit that from here," He-Man said.

"You're an idiot. Don't you understand?" questioned Skeletor. "I was sent on this mission because of my knowledge of White Holes. You keep me in line; I close up the White Hole. And I can't destroy the beam correctly from this angle."

"Then what do you plan on doing?"

Skeletor waved at the army. "We're just going to have to go right in. I need to get directly under the beam within fifty feet of its origin. To do that, however, we're going to have to cut our way though this army."

He-Man pulled out his shield. "Then let's do it."

Skeletor made what could be seen as a smile. He pulled out his Havoc Staff. "Lets. And for the record, muscle head, I plan on killing you when this is all over."

"Thanks for the warning."

Skeletor shrugged. "I felt I owed you the warning seeing as how chummy we've gotten."

"Nice."

And then the two enemies rushed into war.