In the bubbling waters of the Toxic Wastes, hardly any creatures were stirring. The area was a massive marshland of acidic waters and fumes, meaning that few trees dared to grow along the sparse bits of earth that populated the area. The main settlement of the Poison Tribe was further to the north, nestled above large platforms of floating wood, a tribe that was said to eternally drift throughout their lands. According to those who lived there, the water was acidified by cracks at the bottom of the swamps. The tribe used their powers to remove the acidic substance from the water for their village. The acid they extracted could then be used in the creation of fertilizer for plants in other tribes and as important agents in the Metal Tribe's processing of ores. It often put the tribe in a position of interdependence with the other tribes, but with the way their territory was situated, invading them was near impossible.

Towards the southern part of the territory, large and twisted trees began to sprout up, forming a swampy area of forest that bubbled and hissed. Within this forest, bits of solid ground poked up in large clumps, allowing for someone to traverse. Walking through the forest would be a near impossible task for any army, or nearly any force that would wish to invade. Going over the land would take time, and to brave the acidic conditions would take longer.

That was, until the sound of an engine buzzing split through the quiet wastes. A hovercraft, built from the pieces of the Mechdragon using its secondary engines to act as the thrust to carry them over the acid, split through the waves. Massive curved walls made from its smooth sides prevented the acid from getting into the boat, even as those inside nervously huddled down against those walls in case any space droplets did. In the center of the hovercraft was a strange and awkward mash of pieces made from leftover bits, and on the front of the craft was the dragon's head. Lulloyd piloted it with his control sticks, which he found was a relatively difficult way of actually controlling something like this.

"How much further?" Monty, who was sitting in the dead center of the ship, taunting those unwilling to risk any potential acidic sprays, called out. The SoS was planted in front of him upside down, with his hands both placed on the bottom of the hilt with outstretched arms.

"N-Not much further!" The guard that had informed the group of the location called out, "We should be approaching the treeline soon enough!"

"Good," Monty growled, "We need to get this done with, and soon."

Lulloyd gulped nervously, navigating them further through the awkward patches of land and forcing them to slide over bits that he couldn't. The bottom of the craft was pure metal, taken from the rails leading to and from the Summit and built up to be a floor. The acid in the water wasn't strong enough to melt anything in this state, but Lulloyd heard it would eat through skin slowly and would kill if drunk. Whenever they went over land he looked down to the floor as if he was ready for it to completely break apart.

Despite the panic in them traveling over literal acid, Lulloyd soon did indeed see the treeline off in the distance. He slowed their speed, quieting down the engines as they approached it. The ground there was far more solid, and soon he found a large enough slab of earth for him to actually bring them up to gently slide onto. As soon as they were grounded, all those occupants on the boat quickly disembarked onto solid land.

Lulloyd jumped off and struck the boat, causing it to break into pieces and metal rails. With a few kicks, those rails sank down into the acid, disappearing rapidly down into depths. A few more seconds for him to build his dragon from memory and activate it, and the brick for the dragon was back on his back.

The group that stood in front of them was twelve in number, including the four universal travelers. Among them were two mind users, Chamille, two members speed users, a wind user and metal user, and Rina. Lloyd had asked for volunteers for this mission, and this had been what the group received. Many of the others were either injured, recovering, or wanting to return home to defend their tribes. Monty had muttered he would have liked a light user for some invisibility, but Paleman was nowhere to be found nor his tribe.

"Okay… so, let's get this started," Lulloyd turned to Chamille, "You said you could disguise the four of us, right?"

"Yep!" Chamille grinned, "Easily. You made me miss out on those raids you pulled, after all."

"Well then let's get to it," Monty yawned, "We don't have all day." He took out the SoS, planting it in the dirt for the moment.

"Alright, time for me to work my magic!" Chamile smirked, "I'm thinking… oh, you're already green, let's just go with nature!"

The power of form slowly began to leak out of Chamille's hands. Both Harumi and Lloyd closed their eyes, and when they reopened them Chamille led them over towards a puddle for them to see. The two had been shifted to look exactly like the denizens of this world, in every way. Harumi ran a hand over her newly colored skin, and Lloyd stared at his new fingers. The two wore simple robes with leather armor strapped around their arms, forearms, legs and chests, colored in deep green, brown and small accents of red. Harumi now had deep blue eyes with brown hair that grew out past her shoulders, while Lloyd had red hair with matching freckles and hazel eyes.

"Now, all I did was shift your outward physical appearance," Chamille shook her head, "I didn't actually change your bodies. If you got any weird powers like your friend over there, don't use 'em. You got about a half hour if I don't reup these. Oh, and don't let me get hit," She gave a toothy grin, "If I go down, you're all going with me. Get over here, Lulloyd."

The master builder nodded, walking over to her. She placed a hand on him and focused, causing his body to turn as well. Rather than wearing the colors of the Nature Tribe, however, Lulloyd was now wearing almost no armor at all, instead sporting the navy and light green shirt and pants of the Wind Tribe. His hair remained blonde, but his eye color was now yellow. Lulloyd walked over to the puddle to look down, and as he did, the others noticed that his elbows and knees remained fixed in place as normal. Walking looked… almost more unnatural like that.

"I suggest you try not to get seen too much," Chamille waved her hand, "Your… weird body is hard to disguise. This is just an image that other people are seeing. You don't have knees and your elbows don't move so… well, changing what you look like won't change how you move."

"I uh, I don't like this, it feels weird…" Lulloyd continued to look over his body, "I'm… I look so, not… you know…"

A sharp smack to the back of his head made Lulloyd raise his arms all the way behind his back to defend from it. Monty had just finished drawing his hand back. When Lulloyd gave a look to him, Monty sighed.

"You're just looking different, don't go complaining about looking different until you actually become it," Monty turned to the other two, "We going to have problems?"

"I've handled being possessed before," Lloyd looked pointedly straight towards Monty with a frown, "So looking different isn't anything different to me."

"And I trained with my entire team for years, including Ren," Harumi added with a scowl, "I can handle weird things."

"I'm ready when you all are," Rina gripped her fists. Unlike the last time they'd seen her, she now held a small short sword that she replaced into a sheath.

"You… know that this'll be dangerous, right?" Lulloyd looked up to her, "I know you saved me back then, but, you don't have to push yourself to do this. This'll be really deadly if it goes wrong."

"You said you were going," Rina smiled to him, "A general follows their warlord, right?"

"Heh… yeah, of course they do," Lulloyd turned, "Then, let's do this."

As Lulloyd walked to the front of the group, Monty raised an eyebrow, "So, you're a warlord after all now, eh?"

"Y-You weren't there…" Lulloyd muttered awkwardly, "A-Anyways! Let's get to the plan! Everyone listen up!"

The group turned to look at Lulloyd. Inhaling, Lulloyd pointed to the trees, "Firstly, Amdala and Cereb," He looked to the two mind users, "You two will hang back as soon as we get in sight of their base. Keep a mental link between us so we can communicate. If someone comes your way, let us know and then run. Don't get caught, okay?"

"No worries on that front, sir," Cereb, a male with glistening and slicked back black hair, bowed his head, "Amdala and I are apart of Neuro's personal guard. We're used to keeping links between people all across the tribe."

"Perfect," Lulloyd nodded, "When we arrive, Lloyd will scout the area for anything we need to know. Rina and Baux," He gestured to her and the metal user, "You two will get in close and survey the area. If they have any tanks, it'll be up to you to disable them. Make sure they can't escape quickly if we have to run for it."

"Kine and Veloc," Lulloyd turned to the two speed users, "You two will hang back until we figure out a way to get to the place where Skylar's group is being held. It'll be your job to help get them out and away from the base. Take them to a safe place. Okay?"

"No problem," Veloc, a girl with flaming purple locks, smirked at him, "We got it."

"Okay, and Gale," Lulloyd finally addressed the wind user, "You're on support. You'll start by helping Rina and Baux. If we need you, then you're the most mobile. Chamille will sneak into the camp to lead anyone away if it looks like we might get found out."

"Finally," Lulloyd looked to his three allies, "Lloyd, Harumi, Monty, you three will make your way to the captured group and work on getting them out. While you're doing that, I'm going to prepare our escape route. Once they're all out, you three will join Veloc and Kine and meet us at the escape point. Once they're all rescued, that's when we'll have the others meet us there and get out together. Anyone have any questions?"

"He really did learn everyone's names…" Harumi muttered, impressed. Nobody else said anything. Lulloyd nodded.

"Then let's get moving out," Lulloyd tapped his brick, "Once we get in there, though, it'll be up to Lloyd, Harumi and Monty to call the shots. So listen to them once we get there. Until then…" Lulloyd turned around, "Let's get moving!"

Lloyd looked off towards the treeline and nodded. Lulloyd took point, followed by Amdala and Cereb behind him. Monty took his spot behind them, followed by Chamille, Lloyd and Harumi. Next were Rina and Baux, who both nodded to each other in preparation. Finally, Veloc, Kine, and Gale took the rear.

"Not the worst plan," Monty turned around to Lloyd and Harumi behind him, "Looks like he can lead a group."

"You haven't met his dad," Lloyd shuddered, "Like… you really haven't. I'm a little concerned he called himself a warlord…"

The Toxic Wastes were in the northern part of the Poison Tribe territory, sharing borders with the Shadow and Metal tribes. With that in mind, the group had approached from the south, so as to ensure they wouldn't run into Vermillion that would for some reason be crossing the poisonous sea. The Vermillion had to have entered from the north to go in from dry land into the swamp. Thus, the group began to run their way north to begin the search.

The footing was uneven, and having the mind users in front ensured that nobody would run fast enough to make someone trip. With thin slivers of dirt that were surrounded by ponds and puddles of acidic water, it was imperative that their steps be clean. Lulloyd was thankful for it, since it meant he could show any areas to the ones behind him where they needed to step. Monty didn't seem overly worried about the poison, and he guessed since it wasn't fully water, it wouldn't kill him outright.

Given the situation, they had three main targets to worry about: Machia, Blunck, and Raggmunk. While the group could likely fool a random Vermillion warrior into thinking they were just some regular user, it wouldn't take long for those three to figure out something was up. Machia was the highest priority. Lloyd had been tasked to identify them right away first, then survey the area otherwise. Once they had, it would be up to the group to manage the operation.

Lulloyd had thought of this plan as thoroughly as he could. It'd been a full day since they'd located the tribe, and thus he's spent almost all of that time memorizing the layout of this land. In truth, while he could tell everyone around him thought he was confident and powerful… he was barely holding down pure anxiety at having to lead this. Outside of his team… this was his first time ever making a plan and leading people into battle. Would his dad be proud of him?

Suddenly, the mind users flattened to the ground, followed right by Lulloyd. Monty immediately vanished, signaling the rest to do the same. Lloyd's face was only inches away from water, and just seeing how it bubbled and fizzed, he didn't want to get any closer. The sound of a motor filled the area. In the distance, a Vermillion bike was driving off in the distance. The treads churned up dirt, and seemingly were able to withstand the splashing acidic waters. As soon as it vanished, Monty reappeared and gestured to it.

Lulloyd had them resume their run, this time following the vehicle. While they soon lost sight of it, it left a clear track through the forest, and thus was simple to follow. After another ten minutes of following the tracks, the group saw it parked off in the distance. They could see that there was something up in the distance, and Vermillion were stalking through in and around the trees like patrol guards.

The group split up into teams of three, each sliding along from tree to tree to hide as they approached the area. Lloyd pointed up his tree and gave Lulloyd a nod. Once Lulloyd twisted his hand in affirmation, Lloyd slowly scaled it. Silently, Lloyd climbed. Each time his shifted hands with those weird 'fingers' was in front of him, he felt a weird sensation go up his spine.

Lloyd slowly leapt from tree to tree until he could see an encampment. When he did, he got a strange sense of deja vu. Large wooden platforms had been built up almost like scaffolding, with several Vermillion cocoons placed into the ground around them. A large red flag bearing the Time Twins signal flapped in the air. A single Vermillion tank and three of those tracked bikes were parked around the camp. There were four of those wooden structures, in a rough diamond shape as it seemed. The largest of them was notable for the massive set of bars on the bottom floor of the structure. It looked near identical to what they'd found in the swamp in his own universe.

Seeing two familiar faces among the snake crowd, Lloyd quickly scaled his way about, using Airjitzu to silently speed through the air towards the camp. He found a tree that overlooked the area, gauging the distance between that tree and the top of one of those structures. Once he had, he focused and summoned Airjitzu again, floating first to the tree, then taking a large and fast leap out to the top of the structure. When he landed, he flattened down immediately.

Steadily, Lloyd made his way down the structure. The Vermillion were randomly standing guard about the area, some hissing at each like wanting to fight. He took care to very quietly and very nervously make his way around them. He made his way down to the bottom of the structure, flattening his back out as he saw the figures standing near the edge of the camp.

"...We did our jobs, and somehow Machia gets to take all her troops back to Iron Doom?" Raggmunk scoffed, "Not fair!"

"Well, we did fail to capture our targets," Blunck sighed, "But yeah, you're right."

"She gets all the praise!" Raggmunk raised his voice, "Just because she's smarter, a little more clever, a bit better bred…we were all bred the same way, Machia!"

Both noises cut off. Lloyd blinked and risked a glance. Both of them were clutching their heads as if in pain. When they looked up, both of them knocked their hands against their helmets and sighed.

"Stupid hivemind, why is she listening to us anyways?!" Blunck growled, only to wince again, "Okay, okay! We'll watch the prisoners! Sheesh, you know they won't find us anyways!"

"Heh, yeah, we're the stealthier group!" Raggmunk grinned, "And trust us, we won't let them get the better of us!"

Lloyd heard all he needed to know. He made his way back up the structure, climbing his way to the top and one more using Airjitzu back to the trees. Getting out was a bit more tense than getting in, but Lloyd trusted in his skills for the moment. Once he was outside the camp, Lloyd slowly made his way back to the group and looked to Monty.

Don't say it out loud, Monty's voice rang out in their heads, Cereb and Amdala have us mentally linked up.

It's Raggmunk and Blunck, Machia isn't here, Lloyd reported, They have one tank and three of those bikes. The bikes are on the edge, but the tank is in the middle. I think I counted around fifty Vermillion but there's probably more. There are four wooden towers, the biggest one is at the other side of the camp and that's where I'm sure the prisoners are.

Then we need to make sure they don't follow us, Lulloyd entered in, Okay. We'll do this like we planned. Rina, Baux, you two get in there and start working on disabling those bikes. Take Gale with you.

You got it, general! Rina affirmed. Lulloyd felt mocking snickers from Monty over their link.

If you mean those big things I've heard, I got that, Chamille spoke up cockily, I'll say I'm taking it out on patrol to get it away from here. Once we're out there, we'll wreck it.

The Vermillion are a hive mind, and I haven't heard them speak, Harumi butted in, You can't go up and speak to them, and I don't know how to simulate a hivemind.

I'll handle the tank, Monty grunted, You work on keeping those two generals distracted.

Then the plan goes on like normal, Lulloyd affirmed, I'll get working on our escape point. Cereb and Amdala will stay back here and keep the link open. Kine and Veloc, you two come with me. Once we get the signal, it'll be your time to get moving.

Chamille broke off first, making her way around the camp towards where Lloyd had spotted the two generals. Lloyd and Harumi were joined up by Monty, who drew the SoS and turned invisible. Rina and Baux snuck their way by floating in the air under Rina's power over any Vermillion patrolling the area, landing near the parked bikes. Gale followed in after them, green hair billowing behind her as she landed beside the two and nodded to them.

Let's get this over with, Monty ordered, I'm sure we all have things to do today.

Chamille smirked, Oh I do, and gladly. The woman stood up from the foliage where she hid, brushing her hair back as she focused. Slowly, she began to shift. Her skin turned to red snakes coiled around each other, and steadily, she gained a helmet and armor. Within a few seconds, she looked exactly like a Vermillion soldier. She slowly worked on her voice, coughing out until she was hissing and growling like one.

If they talk to you, nod your head if they put their hand on their head and their eyes glow, that's them giving you an order through the hive, Lloyd told Chamille, who scoffed to him.

You're talking to the leader of the Form Tribe here, Chamille grinned, I got this.

Chamille slowly stalked forward, making her way out of the treeline. She hunched herself over, making herself look a bit more animalistic. As she approached the camp, she made her way slowly through the throng of snakes. None of the Vermillion seemed to pay her mind. When she saw one holding a sword, she walked forward and yanked it out of the warrior's hands.

The warrior turned on her, hissing violently into her face. Chamille simply hissed back, raising the sword towards it. The warrior slowly looked to the sword and then growled ferally, stepping back. Chamille resisted the urge to smirk and slowly walked her way over to where two snakes that looked different from the rest were. She stopped as she approached the two, blinking and waiting for confirmation she'd gotten them right.

The darker one is Raggmunk, the orange one is Blunck, Lloyd told her, They can command the hive mind, so if they order you make sure you, you know, obey.

Chamille looked to the tank. The large thing was parked towards the middle of the camp, and Vermillion were all around it. She'd thought there would be some sort of distinction between generals, but it didn't look it. If she tried to use that excuse, she'd be found out.

Alright, tiny change in plans. Rina, Baux, Gale, once I get this going, get ready to sneak in and take this thing out. Monty, you go with your friends. Before the group could ask what she meant, Chamille stalked up to Blunck and Raggmunk and began spitting and hissing at them.

"Huh?" Raggmunk turned towards her, raising his eyebrow, "Is something the matter, soldier?"

Chamille hissed again, raising her sword in the air. She made two little jabs with it, then pointed to both of them. Both of them stared at her in confusion before Blunck cocked his head and crossed his arms at her.

"Are you trying to challenge us to a duel, soldier?" Blunck growled, "Clearly you must be from a defective brood. We're your superior commanders."

Chamille hissed even harder, swinging her sword again. Other Vermillion began to take notice, slowly turning and converging towards their commanders. Blunck and Raggmunk looked around at them before Raggmunk growled and raised his hand up to his head.

"Stand down, soldier!" Raggmunk's eyes glowed, "We're not interested in this challenge."

Thinking quickly, Chamille put her hands to her head, spitting more and shaking her head as she doubled over, simulating being hurt by their order. Both commanders looked to each other again, drawing their attention away. As soon as they did, Chamille slowly and jerkily raised her head, then flung the sword at them. Raggmunk yelped as he dodged the weapon.

"I think we need to make an example of this clearly defective warrior," Blunck reached onto his back to draw a massive bladed hammer, "Give them that sword and let's get this over with."

Raggmunk tossed Chamille the sword she'd flung. She caught it, mimicking rubbing her head as if recovering from resisting an order. Once she did, Blunck had hissed and swung his hammer overhead at her. Chamille shot the sword up, catching the hammer with it. Almost instantly, she felt the sheer strength inside of his swing, and she momentarily felt a small pang of fear. She forced the hammer back, staggering back and holding the sword up.

"Make this fun for me," Blunck hissed happily, "I need to relieve some stress."

As the two began to trade blades, more Vermillion began to steadily make their way to see the fight. Vermillion from all around the camp began to move towards the fight, coming to see the duel. As Chamille engaged the two, attention was steadily drawn away from the rest of the group. Rina, Baux, and Gale hunkered down behind the bikes, looking over their shoulders to wait for Vermillion to be far enough away to get ready to start.

Meanwhile, Lloyd took advantage of the chaos to move himself, Harumi and Monty closer. With Monty being invisible, Lloyd had to assume he was there. He climbed his way up one the closet wooden tower, followed by Harumi and presumably Monty. When they reached the sound level, they waited to see that none of the Vermillion nearby were able to see them. There was one tower between them and the larger one that he still believed held the cage they were looking for.

Now! Rina stated over their bond. Baux reached out with his hands, running them along the treaded mechanism of the bike. Rina increased the weight of the center of the bike, aiding in the process, while Gale kept a lookout. The bike was soon crippled by the two elements destroying its internal systems and crippling the space for the snakes. The two moved on to the other two bikes, repeating the process. The third bike sparked somewhat as they crushed it, and Gale, seeing a Vermillion starting to turn, grabbed them both and blasted them into the underbrush behind them. The sparks died down long enough for the warrior not to pay them more mind.

Lloyd reached out and opened his arm to Harumi. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Lloyd leapt into the air. He'd found one benefit to Airjizu was that it was almost silent after the initial windup, and he formed the cyclone to carry them up into the air. The two soared through the air like a twirling toy towards the next tower. Monty followed behind them. Lloyd gripped the top of the next tower, gearing himself up for the next jump.

Chamille, how are you doing? Monty asked, affirming he was still there, Having fun yet?

Chamille had just gone onto her back, hissing out and groaning as Blunck had scored a hit on her. She snarled through the snakes as she shot back, I'm holding back here to make this last longer. Worry about yourself.

Great. I'll handle myself here, Monty nodded, Lloyd, Harumi, get to it.

Lloyd and Harumi took one more leap into the air and use of Airjitzu. Carrying Harumi made his form slightly more awkward to pull off, and the weight made them not gain as much height. The two one more twirled through the air down towards the ground. They landed on the third platform of the larger tower. The Vermillion were still preoccupied with the match of generals and warrior. Giving each other a nod, they climbed down the back of the tower to the ground. They slunk around the side of the tower, finding themselves at the prison they were looking for.

The bars seemed to be completely made of wood, and Harumi looked to the metal look as soon as she arrived. She formed a Rhotate disc in her hand and reached forward, cutting through the metal and gently opening the door. Lloyd looked around, ensuring no snakes saw it. Harumi went first, followed by their Lloyd. He closed the door behind them, then turned to the inside of the cell. Monty appeared behind them a second later, giving a sigh as he did.

We're in, Harumi spoke up, Rina, how are you all doing with the bikes?

The bikes are out, but the Vermillion are getting rowdy, Rina replied, We can't go after the tank until we draw their attention somehow. They aren't focusing on where you guys are right now.

Kine, Veloc, you see where they are? Lulloyd asked over the link.

Yep! Veloc's chipper voice came through, We're ready to get them out once you're ready. Lulloyd had got the escape plan ready too.

Harumi looked around the room. There were perhaps twenty people in the room. Given that Skylar had left with thirty, she put the thought as to where the rest of them were off for now. They were hanging from the walls by chains, with the interior shaped like a large circle. To her right were Alacr, Dorian and Ray. To her left hung Nya and Griffin Turner. Between them were the rest of their collective group. All of them had been stripped of their armor and weapons, and most of them looked rather badly beaten. Nya had the worst of them all, with angry cuts and scrapes along her body that looked incredibly painful to the touch.

"...Wha…?" Griffin raised his head, his eyes blearily opening, "You… you aren't snakes…?"

"Shh," Harumi shushed, "We're here to get you out. Are any of you hurt?"

"Are… you here to help?" Alacr slowly raised his head. Across his chest was a massive and angry slash that looked in desperate need of attention, "Is… is Skylar here?"

"No," Lloyd informed him, "We need to be quiet. We're working to get you out right now. We're using form right now. I'm Lloyd, that's Harumi and, well, Monty isn't using anything."

"Did they do anything to you?" Monty asked pointedly.

"Machia… she said she had to go meet her masters, and then she would start some 'experiments' on us," Griffin shook his head, "This… this is all of us. They were planning to separate us as soon as she gets back."

Lloyd nodded, making his way over to Nya. As soon as he walked to her, however, his hand recoiled. On her neck was a red serpent, biting into the flesh. It looked asleep, but touching it would likely wake it up. When Lloyd stopped, Harumi turned to him in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Harumi asked, only to narrow her eyes, "Why is that there?"

"They… they put that on her… when we got here…" Dorian lifted her head, one of her eyes swollen shut, "They… said that if we escape, or disturb the serpent it'll… bite. Since, she's the worst off we… we can't do anything to escape."

"Can you use your powers?" Lloyd asked. Alacr shook his head and nodded to the chains.

"They brought these chains from somewhere," Alacr tugged on them, "We can't use our powers in them."

"That looks like vengestone… they must have harvested it while in Monty's world," Harumi mused, "So we'll have to take them off to get them out… and when we do, it'll tell them something's up."

"What's your plan for getting us out?" Griffin looked around, "Most of them aren't gonna be waking up to be doing any running."

"We have two of your soldiers, Kine and Veloc, waiting nearby," Lloyd explained, "We'll get you all out one by one and to our escape plan. Lulloyd had something waiting for us."

"Does anyone else have a chain snake?" Harumi asked. Alacr turned his head to show one around the back of his neck. Griffin did the same.

"We need to do this carefully then," Monty sighed, "Start with the rest of them, then leave these three for last."

Kine, Veloc, get going and start taking them back, Lulloyd ordered, Chamille, how are we looking on that tank?

I'm WORKING on it! Chamille hissed over the link, These guys aren't exactly easy to deal with!

Harumi walked over to Dorian, looking at her and then forming a Rhotatae disc in her hand. Rhotatae itself wasn't connected to elemental power, but she was forced to spin it incredibly fast to cut through the chains. She grunted in effort, forcing it through until the chains finally snapped. She repeated the process on the other side, taking nearly a minute to fully undo Dorian's chains.

Monty and Lloyd guarded the entrance to the place. They held the bars open enough for Kine and Veloc to come through. Soon enough, the two speed users had sped their way into the room and looked to where Dorian was shakily standing. Ray came down next after another minute. The two took hold of Dorian and Ray on their backs, then zipped out of the room.

Keep buying us time, Chamille, Lloyd asked her, We need time to get them all out!

I got maybe ten more minutes of… eight more minutes of fight left! Chamille growled back to him, Rina and the others are waiting to do something about that tank!

Lloyd looked out the bars to where Chamille was fighting. She was indeed locked in fierce combat, and she looked to be tiring. She was holding up rather well, all things considered, though. Monty was holding the SoS out, looking into it and then looking towards the entrance to the cell to see if anyone was going to attack. Without any Vermillion coming, he nodded.

To help the process along, Lloyd began hacking away at the chains with his swords. It wasn't good for the blades, but Harumi was going to get completely drained cutting them one by one. Minute by minute, Kine and Veloc arrived to take two at a time. It took a total of eight trips to get all but Griffin, Alacr and Nya. During all of it, Monty was looking into his sword, a tense feeling of the plan proceeding filling the room. It was imperative right now none of them do anything to jeopardize the plan.

Finally, an exhausted Veloc and Kine delivered the last unconscious soldier back, waiting back with the other rescued victims. Lloyd and Harumi took a long few moments to figure out what to do about the snake that was holding up the remaining three. They dared not cut their chains for fear of waking their snakes up.

"Can we do something to startle the Vermillion?" Harumi asked, "If we can distract them with something big, we can cut these snakes without alerting them."

"But what can we do that's big enough to do that?" Lloyd asked in turn, "We can't just go and fight them outright!"

I got a bit of an idea Monty asked, Rina, how strong are you with gravity?

I'm average, Rina informed him, Why?

Can you and Baux move that tank with just your powers? Monty asked.

...Uhm, I mean… very slowly and, not for long? I could barely rip up stairs. Maybe if Baux helps me lift it? But, they'd be able to tell that someone is going on right away. You'd have to be ready to leave right away.

I think I see where you're going with this, Lulloyd added, Okay, Rina, when I give the signal, push that tank towards the Vermillion.

Lloyd and Harumi stood, Lloyd ready with his katanas and Harumi with her Rhotate. They both readied themselves to simultaneously cut the trigger snakes apart. Monty put the SoS away and instead got ready to draw his pistols as needed. Chamille was still desperately fighting, and looking rather slugged out. Blunck was still going strong against her.

Now! Lulloyd ordered. Rina and Baux stood up from the treeline and focused their powers. Rina lightened the gravity as best she could on the tank, while Baux used the metal to guide its direction. With a controlled heave, they flung the tank straight towards where Blunck and Chamille were fighting. The tank hovered over the ground straight towards them, then dug into it. It kicked up dirt as it went. Chamille and Blunck both dodged, panic filling the hivemind as the tank tipped over onto its side, coming crashing down over the top.

Lloyd and Harumi acted as soon as the tank was causing the most panic. With two katanas and a disc, the three snakes were cut in half. They immediately turned their weapons towards the entrance, expecting Vermillion to figure out what had happened. After almost fifteen seconds of waiting, none did. It seemed the distraction had worked!

Right on cue, Kine and Veloc arrived. The two took hold of Griffin and Nya, apologizing for the rough ride before they both zoomed off. This left only Lloyd, Harumi, Monty and Alacr, who was slumped against the wall. Harumi moved over and helped Alacr to his feet.

"Alright," Monty turned to the two, "I can get away being invisible. Lloyd, you'll use Airjitzu, and Harumi you'll hitch a ride along with Alacr. We'll meet up at the point like Lulloyd said."

"You take orders surprisingly well," Lloyd blinked, "I just realized that."

"Because it isn't a stupd plan, unlike Ronin's usual ones," Monty waved his hand, "Lulloyd actually thinks things through. Not that I like following orders, mind you."

Guys! Lulloyd's nervous voice filled their heads, Are you still in that cage?!

Yeah, why? Lloyd asked. The sudden sound of slithering outside answered his question in the worst way possible.

They're heading right for you! Lulloyd frantically called out, Kine, Veloc, you have to get them out of there!

The snakes are already swarming them! Veloc protested, We can't get in there to help them!

"Great…" Monty looked out the bars, seeing the Vermillion indeed starting to converge on them, "They figured us out."

"Was it the snakes?" Harumi frantically looked down to the dead trigger snakes.

Chamille got away when that tank fell, I think they're looking for her! Lulloyd gulped nervously, We, we have to get you guys out of there!

"Search the camp!" Blunck's command shouted through the air, "I don't know where that one went but I wasn't finished!"

"What do we do?!" Lloyd backed up, drawing his twin katanas, "We're surrounded!"

"Leave me…" Alacr groaned in Harumi's grasp, "If… you leave me, you might have a chance at escape."

"We're not leaving anyone behind, no matter how much they might want to be," Monty shook his head, "Mage would kill us if we left you here."

I-I'm sorry guys… Lulloyd gulped, I, I didn't know they would think to search the cells like this!

We'll distract them while you all fight your way out! Rina shouted, We can help you all escape!

Without any choice, Lloyd, Harumi and Monty all readied themselves for battle. Harumi formed green power in her hand and pointed it towards the door. Monty drew two pistols and trained them on the entrance. Lloyd spun his katanas in hand and gripped them again. Alacr turned his head away from the entrance.

There, there has to be something we can do! Lulloyd began to think, desperately working to deal with this new development, ...Wait a minute! This entire thing is built on top of dirt that's all soaked in poison, right?

Yes, Monty responded to him, What's your point? The slithering just seemed to get closer and closer to the entrance.

Rina! Lulloyd shouted over the link, When I order you to, I want you to increase the gravity of the dirt around the cage!

"What?!" Monty turned to look at Lloyd and Harumi, "How's that going to help?!"

"...If we increase the density of the dirt, then… it'll force anything of lower density up from the ground… like water… and destabilize the structure!"

I'm on it! Rina informed Lulloyd, Just tell me when!

With a strong kick, the wood to the bars broke apart. Several of the Vermillion rapidly swarming inside ready for a fight, swarming the space to put the three in for another fight for their lives.

NOW! Lulloyd shouted, Just do it now!

As the disguised Lloyd, Harumi, an invisible Monty and impared Alacr readied to face the horde, the building suddenly began to shake. Harumi looked down, seeing something beginning to seep out of the ground. A Vermillion stepped in it, causing his foot to begin to hiss angrily.

"Let's go!" Harumi shouted, blasting the Vermillion with a disc. With a shout of support, Lloyd dragged Alacr forward as the two made a rush for the Vermillion just as the tower began to sink and collapse into the acidic ground.

Flanked by two Vermillion warriors, Krux' stepped his way down into the mouth of the massive black cave. It had recently rained, a small stream of water flowing down the center of the entrance as a result. He scoffed at it and raised his Time Blade into the air, calling on a bit of its power to charge it to act as a lantern. The Vermillion, able to see in the dark, simply hissed to him.

"I've returned!" Krux' called out, "You can show yourselves to me!"

There was no response. Krux' sighed and walked further into the cave, moving until the light of the mouth was far behind them and he was deep enough that he could feel the moisture in the still air. Rolling his eyes, he reached out and tapped his foot on the rock in front of him, flashing his blade once more and stepping back.

Steadily, the rocks in front of him began to shift. Like the pages of a book, two massive rock slabs began to open up. Large clawed hands wrenched them open, and a red light shone from the massive hole that they revealed. The arms thrust the slabs aside as those hands, both several times larger than Krux' himself, thrust out and gripped the edge of the hole. Steadily, a large beady red eye lifted up and shone down on Krux' and his escorts, bathing him in red.

As the head rose, the rest of the body did as well. Steadily, it raised until the massive dial that Krux' had come to be known as the 'Time Matrix' (not to be confused with the one he used to wield) was shining a strange filtered light over him instead. Through the opening between the neck and that massive circle, however, were the two faces that he wished to see.

"What?" The double to his brother, Acronix, yawned to him.

"For what reason have you summoned us?" Krux, thankfully looking far different from himself for differentiation, spat, "You know that you can communicate to use through our horde."

"I have taken care of Lloyd," Krux' bowed, "He will no longer trouble us."

"Wait, really?!" Acronix leaned over the console, a massive grin on his lips, "Did you really?! Wow, and with that blade? I would have thought you'd need the reversal one for that!"

"This is a very welcome development…" Krux nodded his head, "I believe that means we are ready for our next phase."

"Oh?" Krux' leaned upwards and looked out to the cave, "You are ready to attack the Time Tribe?"

"No… you are ready to attack the Time Tribe!" Krux laughed, "You know the plan."

"Of course I do, I simply make clear that I know my place in your plans," Krux' smirked, "I'll attack the Tribe with your massive machine, and when I do I will drive the war between those two sides further apart than ever before. We'll start by turning that Teran my brother left in charge of the tribe. The first domino will fall and I will have my people back."

"With us as your advisors, of course," Acronix added, "But yes, you will have what you want. And we will have it through you. Do you understand this?"

"I do," Krux' smirked, "Let us go right away, there is no time to lose!"

"Perhaps not right away," Krux frowned, "We have had to devote quite a number of Vermillion to intercepting that foolish plan made by those pitiful leaders. It would be best to await their return."

"Why?" Krux' shook his head, "Your machine is strong enough to take on entire armies without even moving! Whatever you faced in your former worlds, it will not happen here. And if we win with just what we have, will that not mean that when we fortify your machine with all of the Vermillion, they will be underprepared to counterattack?"

"He makes a good point!" Acronix pointed out, "And besides, we were already ready to go a week ago!"

"Hrm… it is a tempting idea," Krux nodded, "Very well. But you will stick to our original plan, understood? You can leave no witnesses that would tell the others of our attack."

"Of course," Krux' smirked, even as he stepped forward and reached his hand out. The Iron Doom bent forward and Krux reached out, taking hold of his hand and hoisting Krux' into the machine.

"Appearances aside," Acornix let Krux' take his seat as the Iron Doom began to climb its way out of the hole it had been in, "You have surpassed all our expectations. I am impressed that you have managed to do so much in so little time!"

"It is all about planning ahead," Krux' smirked as the Iron Doom slowly slithered its way out of the cave with a massive groan, "One that doesn't plan ahead is one that fails to take more than a single step."

"Well said," Krux nodded in approval as the Iron Doom finally slithered out of the cave for the first time in months.

From the massive gaping mouth of the cave, the Iron Doom stood on a small plateau. Behind them, they could look to see the ruins of the Amber Tribe. The land had been abandoned sans for Skylar, who was too disgusted by the ruins of her former people to ever dare look for them. With the Vermillion operating from another location, the Twins had remained perfectly hidden for months. Beyond those ruins, they could see the mountains that would lead to the Time Tribe, and the start of their conquest. The three inside the Iron Doom all smiled together as they readied to being their full domination of the world in the final step of their plan.

Suddenly, a massive rumbling filled the area. Krux' turned the Iron Doom around, only to feel dust billow up to cover the machine. He rapidly moved the arms to clear the dust away, only to see that the entrance to the cave had been covered by a massive stone slab. The dirt was perfectly straight, and standing on top of the stone was a figure in golden robes.

"You?!" Krux' spat, "But, I left you for dead!"

Mage didn't say anything. He lowered his head, his fists gripping. Krux' lifted the Iron Doom's left arm to swipe him directly off the slab. Mage kept his head lowered and thrust his right arm out. The arm suddenly struck a seemingly solid wall of air and recoiled hard, snapping backwards away from him. The force caused the Iron Doom to slide across the rocks, the sound of it scraping carrying on in the air with massive screeches.

"I've finally found you…" Mage raised his eyes, his pupils on fire with rage, "It's time to save my world."

Author's note:

And thus, we come to a confrontation that has been building with Mage!

A quick note I wanted to make: in this case, Krux' is read as "Krux Prime" to establish that he is the Krux of Mage's universe. Generally, which one I establish as the Prime is based upon the importance of the character. It's relative to which universe the group is currently in. I got the idea from an old fanfic I read a long time ago that designated them with * instead. I've learned too much calculus, so I used ' instead. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!