Remember the two-parter chapter I did? Well here's me getting back to Swarm and where he disappeared off to.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Road Companion

Swarm had flown for days. He was aware of only that. He wasn't sure where he was, or how much time had exactly gone by. His adrenaline was too high for that. He just knew that he had to get away from that lab. All that Swarm needed to do was find a safe place to hide and wait for the Giants to find him.

Was it even safe to stop now? He didn't know. This whole world held danger in it.

His eyes shut momentarily, opening again when he realized that he was falling. Oh heck! Swarm flapped his wings once more, just as he hit trees. His timing was too slow to avoid them, and he crashed, tumbling down. He collapsed onto the forest floor, limbs aching, but otherwise safe from injury. Only now did his incredible fatigue register to him. Flying for days, without food, without rest.

Nevertheless, he picked himself up off the ground, limping north. Swarm couldn't stop just yet. Not without a place to hide. So he kept pressing forward, trudging past the undergrowth. He gave his wings a quick flap, groaning at how sore they were. Firelight could be seen toward his left as he moved on, so Swarm trudged in that direction in the hopes of finding an actual shelter. Maybe whoever was in this forest beside himself knew how to avoid the Arkeyans.

But when Swarm reached the source of the firelight, he didn't find a simple campfire.

He found a slumbering fire golem with a flaming head.

That's definitely what the creature was. A fire golem. They were approximately the same gigantic size, so the golem was no immediate threat to Swarm. The Arkeyans that had captured the wasp weeks ago were much bigger than he, creating a more difficult struggle. These were dangerous times to be alone, he knew. Everyone talked about how stragglers in the woods were immediately captured by the robot overlords. If the fire golem felt safe sleeping out here, there couldn't be an immediate threat to their danger, right?

Swarm touched a hand to the golem's shoulder. That warmth alone made him feel drowsy. He shook the fire golem gently, whispering, "Hey, can I speak with you for a moment?"

The fire golem woke. Feeling threatened, he stood up and faced Swarm in a menacing position. Flames danced on his body. Swarm found himself collapsing to the ground, falling on his abdomen. His heart thudded in his chest, and he feared that the fire golem would kill him.

"No no no! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Swarm gasped, holding his hands up. "I'm not trying to hurt you! I just needed to ask you a question!"

The flames died down on the golem's body, the one on his head remaining. He let out a sigh. "Right, you're just a simple tourist," he grumbled. "All you tourists are good for is ruining my sleep. What are you, anyway?"

"A-a wasp. My name is Swarm."

The fire golem chuckled. "A wasp? No, can't be. Wasps are tiny. For me, squishing a wasp would be no problem."

"I can't explain it."

"Alright, so you're a wasp. What do you need me for? Need info on the flora? Fauna? The best place for a massage?"

"Are the Arkeyans a living threat in this area?"

The fire golem sat down, this time laughing more than chuckling. "I wouldn't say a 'living' threat. No, I took care of them. They ran away from here with their tails between their legs. That should tell the Arkeyans not to mess with this island for a while."

Oh, that was good. "That's all I needed. I won't bother you again."

Swarm pushed himself up, intending to press on. His arms wobbled, and he collapsed onto the ground. Now he knew how much his limbs felt like jelly, and there was no more pressing on at this point with that knowledge at hand. This seemed apparent to the fire golem, who looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Swarm must've looked like he'd flown into the center of a tornado.

"Hey, don't hurt yourself," the golem decided. "Sleep here tonight."

"Are you sure?" Swarm mumbled.

"Yeah."- the golem set his arms on his knees, and that's where his forehead rested- "Just leave me alone."

Swarm found that he wasn't contented just yet. "What's your name?"

The golem lifted his head slightly. "That's on a need-to-know basis."

"Well...I 'need' to know because I um...want...to say good night."

"Oh jeez!"

"I just don't feel right without saying it."

"Fine. It's Hot Head."

He smiled slightly.

"Don't giggle."

"Sorry."

No comment.

Swarm's eyes slid closed. "Good night, Hot Head..."

"Yeah yeah, good night."

Electricity flowed through Swarm's entire body. Electricity, or something of the sort- he wasn't sure. He was too stressed out to decipher what it was, however. Pain filled every part of his being, and Swarm screamed as the sparks traveled up his spine. Tears flowed down his face, saliva dribbled down his chin, and blood dripped from his nose- this had gone on for a while.

It only ceased when the red-and-yellow metal man turned off the machine he was hooked up to.

"I will ask again," the metal man growled. "Tell us what you know about the Arkeyan defector. Where he lives. How he orders you 'Skylanders' around, everything."

Swarm panted, tasting blood above his lip. They'd been interrogating him for hours, asking him nonsense questions. "I don't know a defector," he insisted. "I literally know nothing."

The metal man pulled the switch down again, and the pain returned. The next time the switch went up, Swarm felt himself on the verge of blacking out. He could almost hear a voice speak to him.

Perhaps beckoning him to some kind of afterlife.

His growth had been unnatural for a wasp. Impossible, even. Swarm thought that this torture session would finally give his heart more than it could handle.

Swarm's senses quickly recovered enough to keep aware of the current situation. The strange voice came in clearly- saying "I'm so happy you're okay." That wasn't a wish for death. That was a prayer for the wasp's survival.

From his old friend, Swarm decided.

Clicking on a panel was heard. Swarm couldn't see what the metal man was doing- it was already too dark in this room. When the metal man returned to the switch, his voice became even colder.

"Tell us what we need to hear," he said, "or this next shock will be the very last thing you feel in your miserable life."

Swarm kept his teeth gritted. That threat meant nothing- he'd been prepared to die for months. "Screw you!" he spat.

The metal man prepared to pull the switch down, ready to end Swarm's life-

"My liege!" a voice shouted. Another metal man opened the door, the flooding light blinding Swarm. He stepped up next to the first metal man.

"Can't you see I'm busy?" the metal man, the 'Liege', spat.

"Sir, we've reviewed the information we have on previous sightings of these 'Skylander' pests," the newcomer explained. "None of them fit the description of the prisoner right here."

"So he really does know nothing."

"Affirmative."

"Kill him anyway. We'll do it in the courtyard, where the rest of the slaves can watch. They might not know who all are acting as 'Skylanders' so it will not matter. This creature can be made an example of, to show them why you should not mess with the Arkeyans!"

Swarm had hated everything about this new world when he'd first emerged from his old hive. That had slowly changed, as he saw how beautiful it could actually be. Then he began hating how hypocritical everyone could be. He remembered his scheduled execution, and how angry the slaves were at him- they'd hated him before because he was a scary-looking beast, and they hated him at that moment because they knew he wasn't a Skylander and thus, wanted nothing to do with them. Couldn't they make up their minds?

Over the past few weeks, he'd learned not to hate the people. They were forced into this kind of situation.

No, the Arkeyans deserved all of his hatred toward them, for everything they had done.

A warm smell hit Swarm's nose the next morning. It was like some kind of food thing, and it made his stomach growl. Oh, his stomach felt so empty. Swarm opened his eyes, noticing that the fire golem, the "Hot Head", had gathered fish on a stake and was roasting them above the flame on his head. Swarm couldn't help but giggle, thinking of how cute it was.

"Oh hey, look who's up," Hot Head greeted him. "Figures that food would be the only thing to get you up."

"You tried to wake me before?" Swarm yawned, rubbing an eye.

"You've reached the end of my hospitality. I was trying to get you up so you would finally leave, but apparently you were dead tired. Then I thought that food would rouse you, and decided that this would be the end of my hospitality."

"You made me breakfast?"

"Hope you've enjoyed your stay at Casa del Hot Head- now get out of here."

The stick was handed to Swarm, the fish steaming on it. Swarm bit off one part of a fish, and then he began wolfing them down. He didn't mind that the scales had been left on them, or that the bones were still inside- everything eventually went into his gullet. Swarm noticed Hot Head watching him, a fearful look in his eyes.

"What?" Swarm asked.

"Oh, I just had a sudden, bad thought," Hot Head stammered. "You're not going to...you know...die after eating those fish, are you? I should've asked that first."

You're not going to die, are you? The question hit Swarm in the chest. His family had asked that before he left, wondering if his growth spurt would kill him. Someone else had died from the same thing, and since Swarm was a prince, that concern was raised tenfold. He told them that this wasn't the same, and somehow, he knew he would survive that growth.

"I'm fine," Swarm promised Hot Head. "Unless the fish is poisoned. But you wouldn't want that, would you?"

Hot Head sighed with relief.

"Why do you care? You want me gone."

"Not gone gone. I'm not like those Arkeyans, alright? I hate them."

"Me too!"

"That's not anything special, kid. Most non-Arkeyans hate Arkeyans."

"Well they don't exactly make it hard."

This brought about laughter in Hot Head. Swarm noticed that the fire golem was smiling. Genuinely smiling. Before now, he'd always put on a tough exterior, absolutely refusing to show weakness.

"What have the Arkeyans done to you that brought about your hatred to them?"

The laughter stopped, Hot Head's glare returning.

"Got it, personal business. Sorry."

"You're not a Skylander, are you? I don't need that kind of trouble in my home."

"I'm not a Skylander yet. I only worked with them on one mission, and then we got separated. The Arkeyans aren't following me, if that's what you're worried about."

"I suppose you worked out this whole 'Skylander' deal before you got 'separated' from them, huh?"

"They said I'd be safer if I fled the scene before I officially became a Skylander. Probably didn't want the Arkeyans to associate me with them just yet. I was actually supposed to hide somewhere and wait for them to find me. Who knows where they are at this point?"

Swarm got up, walking in the direction he had come from last night. That was his best bet at finding the Giants again. Surely they knew how strong he was. They had to be seeking him at this very moment. Maybe he could find them first. As he walked, he was aware that Hot Head was following him. Swarm turned around to see him, noting that the fire golem seemed worried.

"...It's dangerous out there," Hot Head explained. "It would be selfish of me to just send you off into the unknown."

"I've been fine on my own for the past few months," Swarm insisted. "And I know this whole situation makes you uncomfortable-"

"You can't stop me."

So they continued together, Swarm secretly admitting to himself that he was happy to have a companion.

Hot Head was an interesting guy. He seemed to say one thing when he meant something entirely different. He liked his distance, though he stayed close to Swarm on more than one occasion. (Hot Head insisted that it was to keep Swarm safe, but the wasp knew that this whole endeavor made him nervous.) It was like the fire golem couldn't admit something to himself over the days they traveled together, though his temper flared up when Swarm tried to ask questions.

Swarm actually saw his old friend Dax in Hot Head. Dax had been a great friend...or maybe a brother? Swarm had so many brothers, he had no idea which of his peers wasn't related to him. It didn't matter- Dax was basically a brother, and much better than the brothers he did know about. While Dax liked to stay by himself most of the time, he enjoyed Swarm's company, and they often got into trouble together. Of course, Swarm knew that Hot Head was nothing like his old friend- the fire golem was much too secretive for that.

Maybe he was just projecting? Because he'd been alone for so long?

For a while, he didn't think of that. He was just glad to have some company for once.

It happened one night that Swarm noticed footprints in the ground on a grassy island that he and Hot Head had come to. The tracks were small (compared to Giants like them,) but Swarm immediately knew who they belonged to. Arkeyan soldiers, much like the ones at the laboratory he'd been imprisoned in. What was over there? What could the Arkeyans be interested in on a backwater island like this?

Swarm followed the prints, looking for where the Arkeyan soldiers had been going. Hot Head followed behind, the flame golem's nervousness becoming more apparent. Eventually they found a small village among a few boulders, with Mabu happily attending their daily activities. Not a single Arkeyan was in sight.

"The Mabu don't even look like they're in danger," Swarm pondered. "But the prints are fresh. Why did the Arkeyans even come by here?"

"Those soldiers were probably scouting the area to see what they could find before bringing their forces here."

"But the island's too small to set up a lab or factory, and there are very few mineral resources to be had. There's nothing here that the Arkeyans could want except..."

"Potential slaves?"

A few Mabu glanced at the Giants. Some of them had wary looks on their faces. Maybe they were scared of Swarm, just like everyone else was. It was also very likely that they were afraid of Hot Head- even the flame golem knew that he was a threatening figure. Had these villagers even seen Arkeyans snooping around? Did they now just realize that their idyllic lives could come to an end at any moment?

"We should go," Hot Head decided. "Get out before the Arkeyans come here in larger numbers. How much do you know about the power of those psychotic madmen?"

"More than I'd like to admit," Swarm muttered.

"Then you know that they also have the power to capture someone at our size. And you know the size of the forces sent out to capture people for enslavement. We still have time, so we should-"

"You really are a coward!"

Hot Head stepped back, surprised at Swarm's tone of voice. Swarm had surprised himself as well, but he was too angry to care. The Skylanders knew the dangers. All the same, they were willing to jump into danger to save people. He remembered how Dax would stick his neck out to keep him out of trouble. This flame golem was nothing like them.

"You sense danger coming to this island," Swarm continued angrily, "and instead of wanting to protect those that can't protect themselves, you yearn to save your own hide! Survival of the fittest- that's your motto, isn't it? Would you abandon me if you thought it would save your life?"

"The only reason I'm even out here is to cover your hide!" Hot Head argued. "I had secured my home, made it perfect for living a nice, easy life, and then you come along wanting to be a hero and joining those idiot Skylanders! Just a stupid, stupid kid, trying to make his own way in the world! I decided to help him find his hero friends, or at least make sure he doesn't die before he finds them! We can't stop the Arkeyans- they're much too powerful, and they're bound to enslave all of us if we don't get away!"

"That's exactly why we have to help! If we can't stop them, then we have to make sure the people stay safe! I can do something here! So can you, but you'd rather run off without me!"

"I wouldn't abandon you, kid!"

"You know what I want! Would you die for me if you thought it would keep me safe?"

No comment.

Swarm could feel his heart breaking. He didn't reply.

The wind picked up. They could hear the spinning of rotor blades- Arkeyan Autogyro blades. To the west, a fleet of the Autogyros had arrived, larger than necessary for capturing potential slaves, but very much effective in getting the job done. In a minute, foot soldiers would be hopping out of the Autogyros in order to complete their job. This was Swarm's stand. It was now or never.

"You don't know what I've been through, kid," Hot Head said darkly. "What those Arkeyan monsters have done to me. How they've made me suffer. I have to hide, if only to preserve my life. That's all I have left."

"And you don't know what I've been through," Swarm concluded. "I can assure you that I've suffered much worse. I have nothing but my life left, too. But it's not about me, and it's not necessarily about defeating the Arkeyans. If I can keep that same kind of suffering from being afflicted onto some other hapless soul, then I know my life meant something."

"You don't care if you die?"

"A life without risk isn't worth living."

And Swarm took off, leaping into the air and flying after the armada. He rushed through, punching wave after wave of Autogyro out of the air. He shot barbed stingers at some of the falling soldiers, ensuring that they never reached the ground to carry out their mission. Slash and sting he went, zipping through the air at each Autogyro he came into contact with. But there were just too many Autogyros to take care of. For every one that Swarm shot down, ten of them were still up to allow soldiers to fall to the ground.

Luckily, he wasn't alone.

At one point in his struggle, Swarm detected a whiff of smoke in the air, the scent growing stronger as time went. While the regular tang of the smoke itself was there, he also smelled some sticky, musty scent, stronger than the exhaust coming from the Autogyros. Swarm looked at the ground, noticing flames sitting on the grass. Hot Head was all fired up, (literally,) torching the foot soldiers and dowsing them with a thick black substance, setting that on fire. A barricade of flames had been made around the village, leaving only one entrance open so the Mabu could flee for safety.

Swarm watched him, distracted, surprised. Had his words gotten through to Hot Head?

A grapple attached itself to Swarm's ankle. Three more attached themselves to his other ankle and his wrists. Swarm turned his head to his right, noticing two Autogyros with green colors painted above the windshields. The Autogyros flew away from him, keeping the grapples on, stretching his limbs out so he couldn't move. Swarm tried desperately to shoot a barb at the Autogyros grappling his arms, but they fell weakly off the solid hulls.

These specific ships were designed to capture Giants.

The same kind that had captured Swarm before.

Sparks traveled down the grapples, and as soon as they reached Swarm, the pain was all he knew. It traveled through his entire body, running down his spine, sitting in his gut, pulling at his heart. He felt himself flash back to his torture session, where that Arkeyan Liege guy just kept pulling that lever down to deliver the shock again and again and again. Swarm cried out, afraid that struggling would make this endeavor worse.

"Swarm! You have to do something! I can't reach you!" a voice called out- Hot Head's voice.

That voice brought Swarm back to reality. He stopped screaming, looking down at the ground. Hot Head had left his spot, running up to the Autogyros that had captured him mid-air. The fire golem was desperately jumping up into the air, trying to shoot fire at the Autogyros in the hopes of getting them away. But the airships were too high up for him to reach, and the foot soldiers had directed their attention to him, hounding him down and grabbing onto his body.

Swarm had to help him. That meant helping himself.

The wasp lifted his head, closing his eyes. He caught his breath, keeping that steady as the pain kept up. He eased his muscles, relaxing. The pain was no longer evident, Swarm making sure that his breath remained in that same steady pace. Instead of the pain, he could feel a kind of magic inside of him- the same kind that had caused him to grow to this size, he realized.

He was connected with this magic, and would always be, no matter what.

Swarm took in another breath, and let it out, using the magic to free himself by splitting apart.

The grapples fell down, retracting into their specialized aircrafts when the pilots realized that they had lost their victim. Swarm could see this- from many different angles. He felt his spirit in several thousand tiny wasp bodies, all witnessing the same thing, all feeling the same thing, but all in different positions.

These Tiny Swarms could go anywhere.

So he commanded them to.

He spread them out everywhere, each group attacking at least one Autogyro each. The Tiny Swarms took control of the aircrafts, crashing them into the ground. After that, they left to take control of another Autogyro. Hot Head, now without the burden of trying to save Swarm, was able to get the Arkeyan foot soldiers off his back. They were broiled in fire that rose from his body, and Hot Head chased off the remaining soldiers from the crashed Autogyros. In no time at all, the area was clear, foot soldiers fleeing for their lives. They wouldn't dare come here again.

"Hey kid, mind showing yourself?" Hot Head asked. "You almost have me worried."

"Almost?" the Tiny Swarms smirked.

The Tiny Swarms gathered near the ground. As soon as they were all accounted for, they merged back into one. Swarm regained his full consciousness and body, staggering forward slightly. He could still feel the magic inside of him, and with that knowledge, he knew it would never go away. And he was happy about that.

"Well, of course I knew you had it covered the minute you turned into itty bitty bugs," Hot Head scoffed.

"There's nothing wrong with being worried," Swarm promised him. "But I thought you wanted to get out of here."

"Right, cuz you were doing so well without me."

"Alright, fine."

The flames died out hours later. Many burnt up patches of the black stuff remained, as they would for a long while. The village, with the outskirts slightly scorched, was intact. The Mabu villagers returned, looking for the two Giants that they knew had saved their lives. They weren't the 'Skylanders' that everyone had heard from the rumors, yet they seemed to seek that kind of title. They had to be congratulated.

But Swarm and Hot Head were long gone by the time anyone decided to seek them out. They walked on, hopping to the next island, content with saving the village. Swarm listened to Hot Head babble about what they did, smiling half-heartedly as they walked. They were staying together after all- he had feared that Hot Head would leave him once they found the Giants. That should've made him happy, but he just couldn't feel it.

"...And I thought to myself, 'Well I don't know how to fight, at least not in this kind of way', and that nearly deterred me from the battle," Hot Head blathered on. "Then I just decided that it had to be the same way I chased the Arkeyans off my island- just wave my arms around like a madman, shooting fire and oil everywhere. I really think that's the best form of fighting."

Nod.

"Before today, I never imagined I could do something like this. I always thought I would die if I ever tried to attack an armada like that head on. I mean, I could always die, but it might not happen in the ways I thought. Am I just too awesome or what?"

"Double H for the win," Swarm said meekly.

"Yeah man! Say, do you really think I'm a good fit for these Skylanders? I mean, what if they're looking for something more in me than what I can give them?"

"You're more than good, Hot Head. The Skylanders aren't looking for anything special. They just want allies who are willing to help for the good of the people. And they're not perfect, either. Random creatures, some who would never associate with one another in normal circumstances, others who have never fought in battle until this union, have come together to try and save the world."

"It is amazing, I'll grant you that."

"That's what their name means. Skylanders- those who have united together for the good of everyone in Skylands."

"Your whale friend tell you that?"

"He'll be your friend, too."

"We're just going to blow them all away with our awesomeness. Think about it. Hot Head- the angry fire golem who will boil you in oil of you get on his mean side or pick on his friends. Swarm- the giant wasp who will sting you or tear you apart with his little friends if you hurt the innocent. Together, they are Skylanders!"

"You really are serious about this. What made you change your mind?"

Hot Head shrugged. "Watching you go out there," he began, "hardly thinking of your own safety as you sought the safety of others, it made me realize that I was tired of running and hiding. I wanted to do something about those awful Arkeyans. I wanted to stop being a coward in the hopes of being a fifth as brave as those Skylanders. Maybe our quest is fruitless, but I don't care- we'll never know unless we try."

Swarm stopped in his tracks, aware that something was caught inside himself. "Hot Head...," he stammered.

"Yeah?" the flame golem asked, concerned.

Swarm leapt toward Hot Head, wrapping him in one tight hug. He wanted to tell the flame golem about everything he had gone through- his prison ordeal, his execution scare, his time spent as a guinea pig, everything. But he only sobbed, tears flowing down his face. The threat of liquid dousing his flames didn't deter Hot Head, and the flame golem hugged the wasp back.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"...Just don't go anywhere, if you can help it," Swarm begged him. "Stay for as long as you can. I don't want to be alone anymore!"

"You've been alone for a long time, haven't you?"

Swarm stopped sobbing, just allowing his tears to come out. His crippling loneliness was apparent. That one thing was apparent. No matter how much pain had been inflicted on him, or how much he had suffered, nothing could ever be worse for him than being alone.

"I've been alone for months," Swarm pouted. "It started when my friend died. He went through a growth spurt, too, but his heart couldn't take it, and...that was the first time I ever felt alone. Then the same growth spurt happened to me- I lived, but I couldn't stay with my family. I've been roaming around for months, rejected from town after town, and all I could think was 'I want to have my family back. I want to have my friend Dax back.' I miss him so much. I miss them so much."

Hot Head had started rubbing Swarm's back. "And your family's still alive, which makes it all the more painful as you can't go back," he understood. "You really cared about Dax, didn't you?"

"I swore I could hear his voice one night. I'm not sure what it was- maybe just his spirit or something of the sort- and it said 'I'm so happy you're okay.' He wanted for me to survive that growth spurt."

They stood like this for several minutes. While the tears kept flowing, Swarm could feel a weight in his chest disappear. He hadn't even been aware of a weight. Perhaps with everything going on in the past few weeks, he had become numb to it. With it going away, he felt a bit better.

"Oh, you poor kid," Hot Head sighed. "You poor kid. No one should have to go through that. I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to say that," Swarm insisted. "Nothing to do about it, anyway."

"You never have to be alone again. I promise I won't go anywhere. Those Arkeyans can't take down Double H without a fight, I assure you. And you'll have all those Skylander dudes on your side as well. Heck, that's five people that you'll have in your brand-new family. It won't replace your old one, but it'll be there in this great big world. You'll never be alone."

Swarm pulled away from him, wiping the tears off. He smiled, enjoying the idea of gaining a family with Hot Head and the Skylanders.

"It's getting a bit dark out, don't you think?" Hot Head decided. "Would be good for you to get some shut eye. I'll take first watch. Does that sound okay?"

"Can I lay near you?" Swarm asked.

"Sure."

Hot Head sat up against a tall pine tree. Swarm sat near him, settling on his back. The sky ahead was tinted red with mixes of pink and purple thrown in. Maybe if he squinted hard enough, he could see a few of the stars come out. Yes, the world of Skylands really could be beautiful, and Swarm smiled about that.

"Are you going to say good night?" Hot Head asked quietly.

"I thought you found that annoying," Swarm questioned him.

"Well, I've gotten used to it. I haven't had family in a long time, either. It feels good knowing someone is going to say good night to you."

Swarm turned on his side, eyes shut. "Good night, Hot Head," he yawned.

"Good night, kid."

The nickname at the end comes from the game Beyond Good and Evil. I connected a few dots and couldn't help myself.