Chihiro Hatsuki's Skylanders

by Tilde-Heart

Chihiro Hatsuki is an ordinary Earth kid whose life is turned upside down when the Skylanders, the magical guardians of another world, land in her backyard and promptly tell her that she's a magical portal master! Now, Chihiro must help the Skylanders defeat their archenemy Kaos and restore the Core of Light that protects their world. (Canon-divergent retelling of SSA)

28. Chapter 28

Chapter twenty-eight is here, and the first chapter in our lightning round of weekly updates! But before the chapter itself, we have review replies!

Greenswitch: As a casual fan of Undertale/Deltarune myself, I can totally see where you're coming from and I approve of the comparison! Ignitor does actually speak in Medieval English in some of his lines (For example: "Thou hast been vanquished!"), so it was more me just playing it up rather than an intentional reference! And I can see why the fire spirit town would remind you of Spitfire - he is a flame spirit, after all! Fairly similar in name and such... (And the issue you talked about has been fixed!)

Watch Seeker: Good to hear that Flameslinger was worth the wait! Trust me, this won't be the last you see of him! To be honest I actually thought a bit about Golden Queen when I was writing that, so you're not the only one! And I can see where the Hobbit comparisons would come from - though I'll admit I had to look the scene up at first. (I'm not really into Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, ironically enough considering most of my family members are big fans of it)

TwinightAtom892: Thank you for the kind words! As for your question, I find it hard to pick a specific favorite, but in general I have a soft spot for the Spyro's Adventure 'landers mainly for nostalgia reasons! As for you other question, I cannot say anything without spoiling a lot of the things I have planned down the line, so all I can say is that you'll have to wait and see!

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Kaos's face soured as he stepped into the cold, metallic confines of his army's hub room. Normally these halls were oddly peaceful for an army's gathering place, but for some reason his obnoxiously loud and disconcertingly sparse forces had decided today was the day to be as loud as possible!

All he had gathered at this point were the evil fire minions, about thirty-some of the stray greebles, and a few fire spell punks, all a mere sad shadow of what his army used to be. By all accounts, with how few there it shouldn't be this loud… But he could barely hear himself think!

So, Kaos grumbled some curses under his breath as he summoned a magical microphone, then turned around and urged Glumshanks, who had his hands full of papers detailing Kaos's magnificent evil plot to end all evil plots, to come forward. As the two of them stepped onto the metallic stage Kaos had the greebles erect just for this moment, Kaos tapped his magic mic and frowned.

"Hello, hello, is this thing on?" Kaos asked as he tapped the microphone's top and pressed it so close to his lips he could practically taste it, "Hello?"

A sonic boom of feedback sounded off through the whole room, which was only amplified by the gigantic speakers he also had erected for this very moment, and shook Kaos so hard he dropped the mic and covered his ears. Augh, stupid microphones! Kaos grunted and shook his head, then turned his head back to the crowds of minions.

Well, at least the feedback wave had shut them up. That crowd of noisy, blabbering minions had been reduced to laying on their knees as they covered their ears and shook their heads… Then one greeble perked up and gasped as it basked in Kaos's magnificent evil greatness, turned back to the others and chattered. All at once the minions stood rigid and tall as they fixed their eyes on their mighty evil overlord (as they should), and their mouths finally zippered shut!

Kaos couldn't help but grin as they all basked in his ultimate evil greatness, then he bent down and collected his microphone from the floor.

"Ah-hem! Since I know this thing works now…" Kaos started as he dusted the microphone and held it up tall, "I'm sure you're all wondering why your almighty evil overlord called you all here today!"

The minions all nodded, then tittered and rambled at once as they turned to each other once more! And he had just gotten them to be quiet, too!

"SILENCE! ALL EYES ON ME!"

Another wave of feedback resounded, and Kaos's stupid minions all froze and shifted their attention back to Kaos himself once more.

"Now that's more like it!"

Kaos grinned, but that grin quickly faded into the cold, serious look of a leader as he cleared his throat.

"Now, it's no secret that things are… A little bad for us right now." Kaos forced a grin as he paced back and forth across the stage, "So, we may have a lost a few components of the Core of Light to those stupid Skylosers and a village or two may have broken free of our empire—"

"Lord Kaos, that's a bit of an understatement," Glumshanks incredibly rudely interrupted as he poked his head around the stage, "After all, the Skylanders are nearly done with the Core and—"

"SILENCE, GLUMSHANKS!" Kaos glared at Glumshanks and snarled, "I DIDN'T ASK YOU!"

Glumshanks just sighed and turned back around the corner, while Kaos regained his composure as he looked back over towards his forces.

"Anyhow, we may be in a bit of a pinch now, but I, your ULTIMATE EVIL OVERLORD KAOS…"

As Kaos finished his sentence, the speakers blasted regal, powerful music befit of a king while confetti and banners that displayed Kaos's name in bright, blood red lettering dropped down from the ceiling.

"Ah, I never get tired of doing that~" Kaos grinned as the confetti cascaded down onto the stage, then raised his eyebrows at the crowd, "Anyways, I have come up with an ingenious plan to bring the Skylanders' progress in the core of light's reconstruction to a grinding halt!"

Kaos leaped over a small pile of confetti as he went back to pacing around the stage, all while a black screen unfurled against the wall behind him. "Now, I'm sure you're all thinking, 'Oh, Lord Kaos! What could this masterful, perfect, absolutely foolproof plan be? Someone as small and lowly as myself couldn't possibly understand—"

"GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!" Cried a stupid spell punk from the crowds as they shook their fist at Kaos.

Kaos shot a glare back at the spell punk while his eyes flared red. "Keep that attitude up, Fred, and I'll feed you to my mega mutant monsters of monstrous DOOOMMMMM!"

A soft gulp echoed around the chambers as the room fell silent once more, then Kaos adjusted his lapel and grinned.

"Anyways, our evil plan for today is simple." Kaos gestured to the screen behind him as it slowly started to light up. "We will head to the Lava Lakes Railway, home of the Core of Light's next component, the Eternal Fire Source..."

The screen behind Kaos finally flickered on and showcased a drawing of the Eternal Fire Source in all its glory. This was only for a brief moment, however, as it soon swapped to a short show of pictures, all hand-drawn by Kaos himself, and he had to say, his art skills were almost as magnificent as his evil brain! The show cycled through images of the stupid Skylosers and that extra stupid portal poster being hindered at every turn by his minions, from having rocks dropped on their heads to being tossed in lava to even being burnt to a crisp by Kaos himself! Oh, just the very sight made Kaos shudder with anticipation for the mission ahead!

Kaos grinned and turned back to the crowds, then held his microphone back up as he gestured to the screen.

"You will hinder those Skylosers and their obnoxious portal pest at every given turn…"

The scene behind them then shifted to that of Kaos striding towards the Eternal Fire Source and claiming it with a magnificent evil grin on his face.

"While I, your almighty Lord Kaos, go into the heart of the railway and take the Eternal Fire Source!"

As the screen turned back off, Kaos was so giddy that he couldn't help but jump into the air! Right across the stage, scarecrow dummies made in the image of the Skylanders and the portal master sprouted from the stage and stood firm, and they were perfectly poised for him to destroy!

"And once I get the Fire Source, not only will the Skylosers be completely unable to finish their stupid Core of Light…"

Bright blue flames crackled at Kaos's fingertips, then those flames turned into a flock of bright fireballs that slammed into the dummies and set them alight!

"But I'll burn them to a crisp!" Kaos proclaimed as he jumped up and down, "I'll make ashes out of them! I'll set them alight! I'll blaze them like a birthday candle! I'll fire them!"—Kaos stopped for a moment and rubbed his chin—"Actually, they don't work for me so that last one doesn't really work…"

"Are you done yet?" Fred groaned as he raised his hand.

Kaos snarled, then snapped his fingers and grinned as the floor opened up beneath Fred!

And Fred, oh, he tried to escape his inescapable doom, he really did! But before he could hover out of the way, gravity pulled him in and dropped him down into the hole like that obnoxious pest deserved! Well, at least he had the honor of serving as an example to the other minions, who all watched in horror as Fred's screams filled the room. The floor panel closed up right as the sound of ravenous beasts gnashing their teeth reverberated up the way, and all eyes turned to Kaos once more.

"Does anybody else have any smart remarks?" Kaos asked as he released his fingers.

One spell punk raised their hands, while Kaos snarled and got ready to snap… His fingers, that is.

"WAIT, WAIT, LORD KAOS, PLEASE DON'T BANISH ME, I WASN'T GOING TO MAKE FUN OF YOUR EXCELLENCY! YOU ARE THE MOST RADIANT EVIL GENIUS OF OUR TIME!"

Kaos chuckled as he loosened his fingers.

"Well, I am quite excellent~" Kaos narrowed his brows and snarled, "Make it quick."

The spell punk jolted up and looked side to side, then leaned down and twiddled their fingers. "Well, er, what is it exactly that we're all supposed to do beside stop the Skylanders?"

Kaos blinked, then grinned and clapped his hands. "Wow, a question that's not absolutely idiotic!"

Kaos turned back around the stage and ushered to Glumshanks, while Glumshanks stumbled onto the stage with papers still in hand. Kaos yanked a paper off the top, then cleared his throat.

"Now, to ensure this plan goes flawlessly, I have mapped out every possible problem and action we must take to ensure the plan goes off without a hitch…"

§

Chihiro frowned as she leaned back and forth in front of the small, red and gold train that Diggs happily polished as he whistled away to some tune Chihiro only half-recalled the name of. It was pretty, sure, but…

"Is it really that safe to take a train into a mine? Or for that matter, a mine located in what used to be an active volcano?" Chihiro remarked as she pressed her hands against her hips and pouted, "I mean, I've never heard of taking a train into a mine… Wouldn't all that rumbling cause an earthquake?"

"Chihiro, I've already told you," Hugo replied as he walked up to Chihiro with his face pressed inside a book, "Trains like these are specially made to ensure the utmost of safe travel in these conditions. In fact, they use them to travel through mines all across Skylands! It won't cause an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption, or wake up a colony of hungry cave bats like you keep saying."

"Hey, cave bats are a serious issue! It said so in your book and everything!" Chihiro shot a glare back at Hugo, then frowned once more as she glazed over the train, "And besides, something about this still feels wrong…"

From inside the train, a window propped open as Eruptor stuck his head out and sighed.

"You're telling me!" Eruptor grumbled as he looked back at Chihiro, "I still don't think taking this train is a good idea, but nobody listens to me!"—Eruptor looked aside and winced—"Besides, trains make me queasy…"

Chihiro flinched as her eyes went wide. Being in a small, cramped space with a queasy Eruptor was a recipe for a molten, fiery, absolutely awful time and she was not in for it.

"Well, if you two are gonna whine so much," Diggs grumbled as he washed the train's side a little more forcefully than before, "Then you can get the Eternal Fire Source on foot!"

Chihiro frowned, then both she and Eruptor looked aside and made defeated sighs. For as much of a pain and safety concern as this was, it would take a lot longer to get the Eternal Fire Source on foot. And with it being one of the Core of Light's last components, Kaos would surely be pulling out the stops to get it! They had to get there as soon as possible!

"Alright, we'll take the train," Chihiro sighed yet again as she shoved her hands in her pockets, "So, when are we shoving off?"

"Well…" Diggs rubbed a few circles against the train as he tapped his chin, "I was gonna get going once the train's all polished and cleaned up…"—Diggs whipped back to the train and grinned as he caught sight of his reflection—"And would you look at that, I'm done!"

"Already?" Chihiro gasped, then took a look behind as Diggs stumbled into the train, "But, Flameslinger and Sunburn still aren't here…"

Chihiro bit her lip as she tugged on her sleeve. For some of the fastest members of their team, the two of them sure were taking their sweet time! She'd hate to leave while understaffed, but she couldn't just lollygag all day! After all, this is the mission to retrieve the Core of Light's next Eternal Source! Kaos was surely gonna—

FWOOM!

Chihiro jumped back and screamed as a burst of flames appeared out of nowhere, then from that burst of flames came none other than a familiar bright orange phoenix dragon who shone like the sun!

"Sunburn!" Chihiro called with a grin, "You made it!"

A faint zoom sounded off in the distance, followed by the crackle of flames as Flameslinger darted up to Chihiro so fast that pillars of fire were left behind in his wake!

"And Flameslinger too!"

"Alright, Flameslinger, I won the race!" Sunburn proclaimed as he flared his wings and raised his brows at Flameslinger, "That means you owe me lunch when we're done with this."

"That's assuming we even get back in time for lunch, Sunburn," Flameslinger teased back as he adjusted his bow and quiver.

Chihiro giggled, then skipped up to the train and yanked its door open.

"Well, everybody's here now, so let's get going!" Chihiro exclaimed as she hopped up the stairs and jumped inside… Then stopped in her tracks from sheer amazement!

For a train that so small and toyetic outside, the inside was way bigger and not to mention a lot fancier! Bright red cushions that were soft to the touch made up the seats and were backed by golden frames, and they even had tables with complementary brochures and playing card decks! Chihiro hadn't even heard of a train with complementary card decks before! She grinned as she bounced around and pressed her face to the window glass, then waved back at Hugo as he waved to her.

"Somebody sure is enjoying herself," Flameslinger remarked as he and Sunburn stepped inside the train.

Flameslinger made a small grin as he leaned against a gigantic gold pole, then jolted up as the doors slammed shut behind him.

"Er, testing, one, two… Is this thing on?" Diggs said over a loudspeaker that sat on the train's ceiling, "We'll be departing soon, so everyone please take your seats! Please keep all arms, legs, wings, and other assorted limbs inside the vehicle, and…"

Chihiro, Flameslinger and Sunburn all took their seats as the train slowly glazed along the tracks, and Chihiro couldn't help but bounce in her seat from sheer excitement! Trains were way cooler than she ever imagined! Though maybe that was because she hadn't exactly been on one since she was really little. Ah, it didn't matter!

Chihiro grinned, then slid closer to the window as the scenery of Ancient's Peak changed to rocky mines full of shiny red crystals that like the area around like lanterns. The glow was soft and felt kind of foreboding… But it was cool!

"Ugh," Eruptor groaned as he slunk down in his seat and stared at the ceiling, all while his stomach groaned and growled, "I think I'm getting trainsick."

"Eruptor, the train just started moving!" Chihiro exclaimed as she tilted her head, "How on earth can you be trainsick already?"

"Don't ask me!" Eruptor shot a tired, tired look at Chihiro, then slid closer to the window, "Something about trains just messes with my stomach. And cars, and ships, and balloons, and—"

Eruptor gasped as his eyes went wide, then he shut his mouth while his cheeks puffed up like a squirrel! He made a series of frantic mumbling noises as he raced to the window, then yanked it open! Or at least, he tried, but with no fingers it was kind of hard.

"Eruptor, what's going on?" Chihiro frowned as she watched Eruptor look back at her with those same, wide eyes and frantically point towards the window…

"Crap!" Flameslinger exclaimed as he dashed over to the window and yanked it open.

Everybody screamed as Eruptor hacked a massive magma ball out the window, then Chihiro gingerly shut it and twisted back to Eruptor with a wince.

"Sorry," Eruptor hiccupped as he pressed his face against the cushions, "I really can't handle train rides…"

Chihiro frowned, then popped over to Eruptor's side and gently rubbed his back.

"I'd offer you a soda," Chihiro said with a slight chuckle, "But unfortunately I don't have one."

Eruptor groaned and turned around as he released another hiccup. "I appreciate the thought."

As the train picked up speed and the sights outside started to blur, Chihiro couldn't help but frown. It seemed awfully peaceful around here, perhaps even moreso that it should have given the circumstances. So, she leaned her head against the window and sighed as she pulled the complementary brochure off the table. She took another peek out the window, and for a moment she could've sworn she saw a pink and purple blur pass by… But it was probably just her imagination, given that it vanished with a shake of her head.

Aside from her and Eruptor, Flameslinger had returned back to his seat with Sunburn, and the two of them had absorbed themselves in a card game of sorts, eyes fized on their card decks and everything.

"Got any threes?" Flameslinger asked as he shuffled through his deck of cards.

"Go fish," Sunburn replied with his eyes fixed on his cards.

Flameslinger sighed as he pulled a card from the pile. "You know, it's been awful quiet around here. Maybe a little too quiet."

Chihiro's ears perked up, and for a moment she pulled away from tending to Eruptor. Seems as though she wasn't the only one who though something was fishy around here… So, she turned her eyes to Flameslinger and Sunburn.

"Don't jinx it!" Chihiro whispered as she clenched her teeth.

"Shouldn't that be a good thing, though? After all, if Kaos isn't around, that'll make our job easier," Sunburn asked as he took a glance at Flameslinger, "Anyways, got any fives?"

"I wouldn't be so certain I were you, Sunburn." Flameslinger sighed as he handed over two cards to Sunburn, "For all we know, he's probably got some big ploy to get the Eternal Fire Source lined up for us. By the way, got and sevens?"

Sunburn shook his head and grinned as Flameslinger collected another card.

"Eh, I still say things'll be fine. For all we know, he probably just decided he has no chance anymore and gave up!"

"That doesn't exactly sound like Kaos, though…"

Chihiro winced as all the red flags she had seen in TV shows popped up in her mind at once, then shook her head and thumbed through the brochure she had picked up. It talked a little about all the fancy stuff in the train, like heated seats and entertainment cars and a refreshment car… Wait, a refreshment car! Maybe that would have something to ease Eruptor's woes!

"Hold on a sec, Rupty," Chihiro whispered as she gave him one last pat on the back and skipped out of her seat, "I'll see if I can find somethin' for your stomachache!"

Chihiro hummed a tune as she skipped up to the door at the back of the cab and slid it open, then hopped inside and grinned as the door slid to a close behind her.

Yep, this refreshment car really was some kind of luxury thing! A fancy bar lined with shelves full of all sorts of drinks, from sodas and crystal water and juices to stuff she was definitely not old enough to have sat at the back while beside it, fancy dining tables lined the right and sat with a windowside view, and cabinets of all sorts hid snugly behind the safety of the bar's sleek wood. It seemed so classy and sleek, like just standing there was an expense in itself, and the smooth jazz music that played over the intercoms only added to the feeling.

Chihiro ran up to the bar and hopped onto its wooden surface, then walked up to the shelves and glazed them over. The sodas were pretty easy to find, but which one would be best? She liked the sweet, fruity sodas, but those probably weren't the best thing to give to someone with a stomachache. Chihiro hummed as she drew her finger across the various cans and bottles, then turned her attention to the windows…

Wait a second. In that very moment she turned her head, another pink blur dashed past the window! Chihiro blinked, and a few more passed alongside a red one! Now she knew she wasn't imagining things!

Chihiro hopped off the bar, the dashed towards the back of the refreshments car and slammed open the door that lead to that sole outside deck. Chihiro jumped outside and grabbed on the railing right as the door slammed behind her, then summoned a magical pair of binoculars and took a look. Though it was kind of hard to make it out given that she was standing on a moving train and all, she could've sworn she saw some things gathered around something!

"Zoom in!" Chihiro whispered as she gripped the binoculars tighter.

The binoculars glowed and grew clearer as they fixed in on that weird collection of… Pink, tailless monkey things? Chihiro wasn't entirely sure what they were, but they all surrounded some kind of giant wooden barrel. They all talked among themselves, then turned around as a spell punk clad in red and yellow robes ran up to them and started gesturing towards the train! Then, a burst of purple and red flames burst up beside them and both the monkey things and spell punk practically jumped out of their skin! That burst of flames quickly took the shape of some kind of bird, then out from it stepped an identical clone of Sunburn made entirely of dark purple and red energy with blank eyes and an evil aura. Wait, wait a second!

"Oh crap!" Chihiro exclaimed as her binoculars slipped from her hands, "I knew it was too peaceful around her! I've gotta warn the others!"

Chihiro whipped around and yanked the door open right as a nasty screech flew over the train, then paused and turned her head up… Just in time to see a gigantic barrel that sizzled like a bomb soar over the train's roof! Chihiro gasped, then dashed back in and teleported over to the passenger room's door.

"Guys, we've got trouble!" Chihiro exclaimed as she slammed the door open, "Kaos's cronies—"

Before Chihiro could finish, however, a gigantic explosion sounded off from outside, and a little too dangerously close for comfort to boot! The whole train rumbled so hard that everybody fell to the floor, all while said floor started to heat up at an alarmingly fast rate! And just ahead, the sound of screaming poured out from the driver's car. Oh no, Diggs!

Chihiro gasped, then jumped back to her feet and dashed down to the door that lead to the driver's car! She yanked her hardest against its handle, and yet it wouldn't budge a bit. So she growled and magically yanked it open before she dashed inside!

There, Diggs seemed to be just as frantic as Chihiro herself was! He leaned against the conductor's seat as he yanked and pulled on a big, bright red lever, but no matter how much he pulled or pushed or yanked, the lever absolutely refused to budge! And on top of that, everything around him was bright red… The panels, the controls, the floors, everything was colored in the red of burning heat! Diggs grunted as he turned his head, then yelped and jumped out of his spot as he caught sight of Chihiro!

"Oh, wait, it's just you!" Diggs exclaimed as he shook his head, "You couldn't have come at a worse time! We've got a big problem here!"

Diggs winced as he grappled for the lever, which now glowed with a suspiciously warm red light, then cried in pain and yanked his hand back the moment he touched it!

"The train started going super fast all of a sudden, so I tried to stop it!" Diggs clenched his teeth as he turned back to the train's control panel, "But no matter what I do, this lever won't budge!"

Diggs frowned, then rubbed his hands together and yanked on the lever once more. "STOP, YOU STUPID THING!"

Diggs' lips twitched as he pulled down on the lever, all while it glowed even brighter with the increasing heat, then completely snapped in half!

Diggs and Chihiro both blinked as they looked down at the broken lever in Diggs' hands, then leaped into the air as the heat underneath their feet grew unbearable!

The whole train was coated in a red light as everything around grew unbearably warm, like the whole place was going to catch on fire and burn! And on top of that, the outer sounds became that of metal grinding against metal as sparks and flames flew outside the window! Just what was going on?

Chihiro wiped the sweat that formed against her face, then stomped her foot against the floor and teleported away in a flash. Maybe if she got an outside perspective, she could figure out what was going on!

In yet another flash of light she manifested outside of the train tracks… And unfortunately, she got her answer!

The whole train had been set ablaze, with bright, warm-colored flames stretched so far up the top that they nearly brushed against the ceiling! The metal underneath the train turned to much brighter shades of red and gold, and parts of the metal had already started to melt and seep down under the heat… But while one question was solved, another was found. What had caused this?

Wings manifested on Chihiro's heels as she dashed down the hall, then came to a stop the moment her feet hit sharp, splintered wood! Chihiro winced as she stepped back and magically yanked splinters out of her soles, then peered down at the floor to find the splintered remains of a barrel and small trails of gunpowder… Wait a second, that gunpowder!

Chihiro bit her lip and teleported back, then dashed down as she tried to keep pace with the train. Though, even with her speed augmentation spell, she could only barely keep up! So, she took one last bound forward and teleported back into the conductor's room! The moment she arrived, the heat cascaded down on her like sunlight, and not the good sunlight, but the kind of harsh, unbearable sunlight only found on the muggiest, hottest day of the year! She was practically bouncing on her feet the moment she hit the floor!

"Found our problem! The train's on fire!" Chihiro exclaimed as she gestured towards the outside between yips and jumps.

"You're telling me!" Diggs shot back as he turned back to the controls, "This whole place is hotter than the beach on the hottest day of the warm season!"

"No, I mean, it's literally on fire—"

"Ugh, work already! Molekin weren't made for this kind of heat!" Diggs wailed from back in the conductor's seat as he banged his fists against the masses of controls, though not a single press or flick would work!

The buttons and switches stayed still and firm in their positions, almost like they had been melted to the spot! In fact, the metal around them had started to turn slicker and goopier in position, like some gross, slimy concoction had frozen and melded around them. Surely, all that heat must have started to completely fry the train's controls and stick them tight, and if the air conditioning wouldn't work, then surely the brakes wouldn't work, either!

Diggs scowled as he glared down at the control panel, turned his attention back to the window ahead of them, which glowed bright with heat… Then he wailed as he went back to frantically pulling at levers and pressing buttons!

"ACTUALLY, FORGET THE AIR CONDITIONING! STOP THE TRAIN, WE'RE GOING TO CRASH!"

Chihiro gasped, then turned back to the window and jumped a foot off the floor, albeit not from heat this time. Rather, it was from what awaited them up ahead!

Right ahead of them, the path ahead had been completely sealed off by a solid-looking wall made entirely of rock! And if this extensive heat and fire didn't kill them, then surely slamming straight into a sturdy-looking rock wall would probably do the trick!

"Diggs, stop the train!" Chihiro spat as she bounced from foot to foot.

"I'm trying!" Diggs shouted back as he slammed buttons to button, "But if you couldn't tell, the main brake's busted! And I don't know which of these is the emergency brake!"

"Didn't you say this was your train?" Chihiro placed her hands on her hips, then yelped and jumped up once more as her feet started to burn, "How could you not possibly know where something as important as the emergency brake is?"

"I DON'T KNOW, I DIDN'T THINK I'D HAVE TO USE IT!"

Chihiro frowned as Diggs went back to pressing buttons and blowing off his fingers from the heat, then dove under the control desk and looked around. Surely there has to be some kind of emergency break here or something, right? Wait, what did the emergency brake on a train look like, anyways? She knew she had read about something like this in a book, but the heat had gotten to her head and made it impossible to think!

Chihiro shuddered as she scoured the masses of hot, red metal for some kind of sign, but nothing except for sleek metal panels that slowly started to become less sleek and solid were seen. She frowned as she crawled a little further under the control desk, then jolted up and banged her head on it as the door slammed open!

"HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?" Eruptor exclaimed as he, Flameslinger, and Sunburn burst through the door, then promptly fell face-first as the train jolted forward.

Flameslinger and Sunburn both screeched and jumped off the floor, but Eruptor seem more mildly annoyed than anything as he lurched up and groaned.

"This train's going way too fast! I've already slammed into the seats five times!" Eruptor exclaimed as he shook his head and groaned, then looked back at the control panel and gasped, "And why's that lever broken?"

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later!" Chihiro exclaimed as she crawled out from under the control desk and went back to frantically pressing buttons, "And preferably when we're not about to crash into a stone wall!"

"Wait, we're going to crash?" Eruptor's stomach rumbled while he paced around Flameslinger and Sunburn as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him, all while lava-like spit spewed from his mouth. "This is bad, this is bad!"

"Eruptor, chill out!" Sunburn shouted as he grabbed hold of Eruptor's shoulders, "Freaking out about this won't help anyone!"

"Isn't there a break on this thing?" Flameslinger asked as he stepped forward and frowned.

Diggs whipped his head around and glared at Flameslinger as he gestured towards the broken lever. Though Diggs' eyes were small, the glare he gave was threatening enough.

"Do you think I haven't tried that already?!" Diggs demanded, "This lever here's completely fried!"

"And we can't find the emergency brake, either!" Chihiro butted in as she slid back under the control desk, then squeaked and popped back out while she blew off her burning hands.

Eruptor gasped as his eyes turned small, then he dashed around in even faster circles while he spewed even more lava than before!

"THIS IS BAD, THIS IS REALLY BAD! THE BRAKE'S BROKEN, THERE'S NO WAY WE CAN STOP!"

"Eruptor, calm down!" Flameslinger and Sunburn shouted as they cast him glares.

Flameslinger and Sunburn both grimaced, then jumped towards the control panel and did everything they could surely think of! No button was left unpressed, no switch was left unflicked, every lever was pulled up and down at least once… But despite their hard presses and stubborn pulls, it did little to help! The metal had completely fused the controls to the panel, so trying to get anything done with them would be impossible!

Flameslinger yelped and blew off heat-scorched hands as he finished slapping a whole row of buttons, then as his hand cooled he turned his attention to a half-melted lever that swung from the ceiling and occasionally banged into the walls.

"Sunburn, look at this!" Flameslinger called.

Sunburn flew over to the lever and examined the melty, warm surface that dripped tiny pools of molten metal onto the floor, while Chihiro hopped over and poked over their shoulders from sheer curiosity.

"'Emergency brake, pull in case of brake mishap,'" Sunburn read before he grinned and turned back to Flameslinger.

"You found the emergency lever?" Diggs asked with sparkles in his eyes, sparkles that quickly faded away with a stern shake of his head, "Well don't just stand there, pull it!"

Flameslinger tried, but it was so hot and covered thick in melted metal that the moment he touched it he yelped and yanked it back! Well, that showed that it was far too hot for anyone to touch under normal circumstances…

"Step aside, boys!" Chihiro exclaimed as she summoned a pair of thick, magical gloves and slid them on her hands, "Lemme take care of this!"

Chihiro grunted as she latched onto the slimy metal surface of the emergency lever and pulled it down… But no matter what she did, nothing stopped the train! In fact, she was pretty sure her pull made it run even faster! Maybe she wasn't pulling it hard enough? Chihiro closed her eyes and channeled the magic until a new strength ran through her body, then pulled on the lever once again with all her might!

But, it was perhaps a little too much might as well, because she just yanked it straight out of its casing! Chihiro made a shrill gasp, then chuckled and tossed the broken lever aside.

"Did you pull that emergency lever or not?" Diggs demanded as he waved his hands, "Cause this wall's coming in way too fast for my liking, that's for sure!"

Chihiro giggled as she kicked the broken emergency lever behind her, which then promptly tripped a panicking Eruptor. Whoops, sorry Rupty.

"He, he, forget the emergency lever!" Chihiro chuckled, "Isn't there any other way to stop this train?"

"Not at this speed, there isn't!" Diggs bit his lip as he turned back to the window, "We're gonna crash in two shakes of a rattlesnake's tail!"

Chihiro turned back to the window, but only for a few seconds before another firm rattle and clunk from the train forced her on her knees. She yelled in heat-induced pain and leaped off the hot, hot floor, then yelled again as she caught a better view of the sights ahead!

That wall really was coming in fast! The train bolted to the wall's surface right as the heat from around seared through the open window and started to melt its glass down onto the control panel, while the red lighting that flooded the control room grew to an intense sun's heat!

"THIS IS IT!" Eruptor wailed as he pulled his face off the floor, "I KNEW TAKING THE TRAIN WAS A BAD IDEA!"

"Eruptor, now's not the time!" Sunburn shouted as he soared across the searing floor, "We'll just have to bolt out of this place!"

Flameslinger zipped out the conductor's door, then zoomed back in at the same pace!

"I don't think so, Sunburn!" Flameslinger exclaimed as he jumped from foot to foot, "The heat's completely sealed the doors shut! They won't open no matter what!"

"Then we'll just teleport out!" Sunburn looked back at Flameslinger and held out his claws, "Hold on!"—Sunburn turned back to Diggs and Chihiro—"Diggs, Chi, get in here!"

"No way, chicken boy!" Diggs proclaimed as he leaned back in the conductor's seat, then leaped off from the sheer heat! As his feet danced across the flaming floors, Diggs glared down Sunburn and snarled. "This train's my pride and joy! I'm not going to leave it behind!"

"You literally got it this morning!" Sunburn snarled back as he twisted his eyebrows, "Unless we stopped time or something, there's no way we can get out of here and still save it!"

Wait… Stop time, that was it! Chihiro gasped as she turned back to where Sunburn and Diggs argued, all while the inklings of a plan formed in her mind. Now, she had never really tried time-stopping magic before, it was pretty advanced stuff after all. But, now wasn't the time to worry!

"Alright," Chihiro whispered as she clasped her hands tight and held them against her chest, all while the magic flooded her veins, "LET'S DO THIS!"

Chihiro flung her arms out wide while her whole body glowed with a bright, magical aura, then she dashed over to Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn and stroked her finger against their backs.

"TIME, STOP!"

The bright, cyan aura around Chihiro exploded into a bright, cyan explosion that lit up the entire room around the four of them! Chihiro bit her lip as she glazed around the endless blue space, then as the light faded her frown transformed into a smile. Everything around save for her, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn had turned grayscale and frozen! She had pulled it off!

"What the…" Sunburn whispered before he turned to Chihiro and grinned, "Wait a second, you overheard me, didn't you?"—Sunburn held up a claw to Chihiro—"Nice one, Chi!"

Chihiro, however, just grabbed hold of all three of them, then sparkled with magic and closed her eyes.

"You might wanna hold off on celebrating for now!" Chihiro shouted as they were all enveloped in cyan light, "Looks like it's up to us to stop this train!"

Chihiro's eyes flashed open before anybody else's as the light faded, then she scowled as she found herself right in front of the speeding, flaming train! It looked a bit less intimidating than before given that it was coated in monochrome and frozen still, but who knows how long that spell would last! She couldn't stop and linger on it for very long!

"Wait, we're back outside!" Flameslinger exclaimed as he turned back to Chihiro, "What's going on?"

So, Chihiro stomped her feet a few times while the strength of a thousand flowed through her veins and the magic flared within her.

As her body ached with a new energy, she ran behind Eruptor, Flameslinger, and Sunburn and tapped on their shoulders! With that simple tap on her end, the strength she had poured into them and made them glow with cyan light as well! They all grinned as they stretched and flexed… But Eruptor was quick to frown as he examined the floor.

"Hey, why's the floor flickering?" Eruptor asked as he looked down and tapped the rocky earth beneath his molten feet.

Chihiro jolted her head up, then gasped as the world around shifted between the rocky, dark red colors of the world at wake and the grays and white and blacks of her time-stopping spell! It was wearing off already? The flickering grew faster and more intense as Chihiro raced in front of Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn, then finally the spell completely buckled and the world return to its proper time once more!

Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn all screamed as the train bolted down towards them with full speed and full flames, but before it could crash and turn them to paste, Chihiro dashed in front of them and cast out a cyan shield!

The shield spread across the tunnel just before the train could slam right into them all, but it was bound and determined to! The train pressed and ground against the shield, but behind that shield, Chihiro held out her hands and gritted her teeth as she tried to push the shield further! She pushed with so much effort that magical sparks scattered everywhere and lit the floor like glitter! And yet, the train was still just as quick to push back…

Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn gasped as they examined their still-glowing bodies, then Eruptor bolted up to Chihiro and slammed a round hand against the shield! Flameslinger was quick to follow as he dashed to Chihiro's other side and pressed both hands against the shield, while Sunburn flew over them all and held up the top! Though Chihiro didn't take her eyes off of the shield, the smile that crossed her lips was more than enough to show that she had taken notice of their help!

Now, it was the four of them against one red-hot, flaming-mad train that was giving its all to burst through, but would their combined strength be enough to bring the train to a halt? They all dug their hands into the shield and burrowed their heels into the ground (Except for Sunburn, who stayed firm in the air), all while the ear-bleeding screech of grinding metal rang out from the train as it pushed harder and harder. It was an intensive game of tug-o-war as the train pushed against them, and they pushed the train back, with neither side willing to relent!

Finally, Chihiro started to pant as sweat dripped down her brow, all while her hands slipped down the shield's surface. With the keystone loosened, the train pressed through and pushed them right towards the stone wall! Chihiro screamed as streaks of blue crossed her face, then she punched the shield with such force that it blew the train back down the tracks! Like a raging bull the train charged forward, but then… What could only be described as a miracle happened!

The train started to slow as its flames petered down, and that fire only grew slower and slower as it barreled back down the tracks. Then, finally it ground to a halt while the flames completely extinguished in one last blast of fire, just inches away from that thick sheet of stone! Okay, so the train was still red-hot, but at least it wasn't going to burn to ashes with Diggs still inside. And hey, it didn't crash into the walls either!

"Phew, close one," Chihiro panted as she released the shield and wiped her head, all while those streaks of blue vanished from her face.

She grinned, then dashed up to Eruptor and hugged him tight!

"You guys rocked!" Chihiro shouted, before she looked down and snickered, "Heh, get it? Rocked, mines?"

Flameslinger chuckled as he ruffled Chihiro's hair, and in response she leaped away from Eruptor and hugged Flameslinger! Flameslinger yelped in surprise, then grinned as he returned her hug. As she released from Flameslinger, Chihiro turned her gaze to Sunburn as he cascaded down from the skies and latched him in a tight hug as well!

"Hey, personal space, Chi!" Sunburn chuckled as he patted her head and watched her release, then turned back to the train and gasped.

"Wait, I forgot Diggs was in there!"

Sunburn bolted forward while flames crackled around his feathers, "I've gotta—"

The conductor's door creaked open, and out from its side came a hot and dizzy Diggs! Though his face was red and kind of sunburnt, and he spun around in circles as his feet hit solid, cool rock, he did seem mostly okay… Mostly.

Flameslinger frowned, then yanked off his blindfold to unveil another blindfold, this time colored in yellow. He handed the red blindfold over to Chihiro, who in response summoned a magical water bottle and poured it over the blindfold's cloth before she handed it back to Flameslinger.

Flameslinger wrung out the blindfold a bit, then dashed over to Diggs and laid the cloth on his forehead.

"Actually, I think that was worse than the beach," Diggs panted as he looked back up at the train, then winced.

The train had finally cooled back down, but it was completely burnt and fried! And that didn't even touch on the melted bits of metal that dripped down onto the wheels. There was no way they could ride this down now…

"There's no way we can ride this train now!" Diggs exclaimed as if he had read Chihiro's mind in that very instance, "What could have possibly caused this?"

Chihiro bit her lip, then stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"Actually, that was what I was gonna tell you before everything got set on fire!" Chihiro said before she chuckled and looked aside, "Literally!"

As all eyes fell on her, Chihiro winced and bit her lip.

"You see, when I went to the refreshments car to get Rupty a soda, I saw something dash past the window!" Chihiro held out her hand and spun it around as she spoke, "So, I followed it, and outside, there were these guys messing with some big gunpowder barrel!"

"Guys?" Eruptor and Sunburn repeated as they looked back at Chihiro.

Chihiro nodded while her gestures became more grandiose and wild.

"See, there were these spell punks and these weird purple things that kinda looked like tailless monkeys, but, most importantly…" Chihiro frowned as she turned her gaze back to Sunburn, "There was this purple and red dude who looked just like you, Sun!"

Sunburn gasped, then snarled as the feathers that coated his body glowed with a warm, radiant heat.

"There's no mistaking it!" Sunburn exclaimed as he scratched his claws against the earth, "Those have to be Kaos's dudes!"

"And if Kaos is on the move," Flameslinger said as he zipped back to Chihiro's side, "Then we can't waste any more time! Surely he's already en route to the Eternal Fire Source!"

However, Eruptor didn't seem to mind at all as he grinned and stretched his arms to the ceiling, then pounded his hands together with an eager glint in his eyes.

"So what are we waiting around here for?" Eruptor exclaimed, "We need to find Kaos and make him feel the burn!"

Flameslinger chuckled as he tilted his head towards Eruptor. "You seem awfully eager all of a sudden."

"Well, my stomach feeling a lot better now that I'm out of that train!" Eruptor chuckled as he took a breath in and out, "Ah, nothing like nice, fresh hot air to ease your stomach!"—Eruptor let his arms fall back to his side—"It just takes care of all your problems!"

"I wouldn't say that, Rupty," Chihiro interrupted as she frowned as she scratched her head, "I mean, the train's completely busted…"

"And even if we did fix it, there's not much use in using a train if the train leads to a dead end!" Diggs added as he hobbled up to the train while he wiped his forehead with the wet blindfold, "Oh, my poor, poor train…"

Chihiro frowned and rubbed her chin, because Diggs did have a point. Without a track they couldn't exactly run a train, even if they had fixed it! Her eyes drifted across the caverns, then towards the tracks that lead ahead. Hmm, what was that silvery rail beside it?

Chihiro perked her head up as Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn discussed their options among themselves, but it quickly became background noise in her mind. Chihiro hummed, then leaped onto the track and walked down the way. All around her, the surroundings got darker as the track diverted further down into the path, so dark that she had to light a sphere to see!

While the blue light tinted the walls a shade of purple, Chihiro skipped a few more paces ahead, then stumbled back as the room became bright out of nowhere! Chihiro shook her head, then peered up at the walls where a torch burned bright. Wait, if there was a torch here, then surely… Chihiro stepped a bit further ahead, then grinned and released her sphere.

There ahead of them, the tracks she had followed had stretched into another functional railway! There was another way out! Chihiro grinned, then paced in place with so much energy that she could barely sit still!

"GUYS, GUYS!" Chihiro shouted as she bolted back down the tracks, "I'VE GOT GOOD NEWS!"

Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn all jolted their heads away as Chihiro came back into view, then they all frowned as she gestured down.

"These tracks, they lead to another railway! We can still get out of here, all we have to do is reroute them!"

Eruptor, Flameslinger, and Sunburn all grinned as they turned to each other, then the three of them dashed back up to Chihiro's side.

"Alright!" Chihiro exclaimed as she hopped up and down, "We'll take care of re-railing the tracks, you fix the train!"

Diggs saluted Chihiro, then yanked a toolkit out of nowhere and sighed as he looked back over the train.

"Take your time, kiddos," Diggs said as he yanked his toolkit open, "Something tells me this train's gonna take a while…"

Chihiro just blinked and tilted her head. Just where was he keeping a fully functional toolkit, anyways? Something of that size couldn't possibly fit within his pockets. But, Chihiro just shrugged it off as she, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn disappeared down the tunnels.

§

With Eruptor as the lamp that lit the dark tunnel surroundings, Chihiro, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn trekked down the spanning halls with a slight sense of caution. Everything was serene and quiet, and yet the anticipation from earlier still brewed in their minds.

"Say, Chihiro," Sunburn asked as he looked over at Chihiro, "Where'd you say you find this route?"

Chihiro hummed a tune as she walked down the tracks with her arms held out to keep her balanced.

"Just look for a torch, it's not far from there!" Chihiro replied, then peered up and beamed as they all passed by the warmth of torchlight, "And there we are!"

Chihiro hopped off the tracks and gestured ahead to the room dimly lit in warm, flaming tones by the torch. Down below, the metal tracks had diverged into twin paths, with the first one branched well past the tunnels and spanned over a warm, open space ahead like a rollercoaster while the second split off into a cavern lit by stark, yellow light with flares of orange and red painted across the walls.

"Here's our track!" Chihiro puffed out her chest as she glazed over the tracks, "Now, we've just gotta find the lever to re-route this thing and we'll be good as gold!"—Chihiro grinned, then jumped back on the railroad tracks and balanced her way down the second railroad path—"And I'm sure these tracks'll show the way! After all, they usually have a switch somewhere down the tracks, right?"

That song Chihiro hummed resounded around the cavern walls, and her smile refused to leave even after she passed into the cavern. That kind of cheer was so infectious, it made even the stark and lonely atmosphere of the tunnels seem a little less daunting than usual.

"Stay on the tracks, stay on the tracks, gotta stay, gotta stay, stay on the tracks~" Chihiro sing-songed as she passed further and further into the caves.

Flameslinger chuckled, then hopped on the tracks and tip-toed across their metal railing with just enough speed that he could still keep Chihiro's pace, but wouldn't risk melting them underfoot! Behind him, Sunburn hopped around and crept along the rails a bit more clumsily than Flameslinger and Chihiro as he tried to keep balance with four paws.

Eruptor sighed, then reluctantly jumped on the rails and walked along as well! His arms were held out straight as planks as he tip-toed along the rails, his mouth a wary frown as he watched Sunburn and Flameslinger come into view… Then his balance slipped just a tad!

"Whoa, whoa!" Eruptor shouted as he windmilled his arms and swung back and forth, then finally stomped both feet on the ground and wiped little pebbles from her forehead, "Close one!"

Steam and shrill hisses floated up from the ground below, while Eruptor frowned and looked down.

"Is something burning?"

Oh, something was burning, alright! It was none other the tracks underneath him! The lava that made up Eruptor's feet seared against the railroad tracks' metal and turned them a bright red as they melted underfoot! Eruptor squealed and stumbled back, then breathed a sigh of relief as he examined the tracks. Though they were still red-hot and had round dents in them, at least they were mostly intact!

"Well, hopefully nobody's coming down here anytime soon!" Eruptor remarked with a forced chuckle. He scratched the top of his head as the rails cooled down… Then frowned and perked that head of his back up.

Soft grumbles and chatter reverberated around the tunnel, kind of like the sounds that people made when they talked in their sleep! At first it faded out pretty quickly, and it seemed as though it might have been misheard. But as they all crept further down, it only grew louder and more prominent.

"Eruptor, is that you?" Chihiro asked as she stopped and turned around with her arms still held out wide.

Eruptor just shook his head. "Wasn't me!"

Flameslinger and Sunburn both shook their heads as well, while Chihiro frowned and turned back around.

"And it definitely wasn't me! I'd know." Chihiro's whole face clenched as she scratched her face a bit harder, "Is it more of those minions?"

While Chihiro contemplated, her foot slipped out from underneath her and she conked her head against the wall! Chihiro cried out as she slunk down against the wall and rubbed the nasty bump that formed on her head, then blinked as the chattering noises grew shriller and angrier. Chihiro staggered back up to her feet, then crept around the corner ahead and carefully poked her head around the massive, arching entryway that bridged the room ahead with the tunnels below.

As it turned out, none of Kaos's minions were ahead. Well, unless he had gotten a colony of sleeping Fire Imps and Lava Kings in the time they had last seen him! The entire colony was piled on top of each other like plushies at a toy store, all snug tight as they snored away. But more importantly, in the center of the lion's den was none other than a railroad track switch!

"There it is! The switch!" Eruptor exclaimed as he bounded ahead and got a look for himself, "Too bad those lava kings decided to take their nap here. You don't you wanna wake those guys up! They're nasty, trust me, I ran into a couple when I—"

A few of the lava kings started to groan and turn in their sleep as if they were getting ready to awaken, then the lava imps that laid on their bellies rolled off and yelped! These tiny actions created an entire ripple effect that caused the entire colony to turn and toss in their sleep!

Chihiro slapped her hand against Eruptor's mouth and shushed them as all eyes turned to the sleeping colony… And those worried eyes turned to relieved ones as the whole colony just grumbled and went back to sleep!

"Phew! Close one!" Chihiro whispered as she wiped the sweat from her brow, "If we got those guys angry, it'd been a pain to fight them all off!"

They all shushed each other once more, then Sunburn flapped his wings and teleported right over to the switch! Hot sweat trailed down his face as he grabbed the switch with his beak and carefully cracked it… Then flinched as it made a soft beep! Sunburn clenched his beak tight as he looked back to the sleeping colony, but once again they only grumbled in their sleep and turned around. So, he flicked away the sweat and teleported back to the others.

"Alright, that's been taken care of!" Chihiro chirped as she wiped her hands, "Now, let's see if it worked!"

So, they all crept back down the halls and hit the intersection between the two tracks, fully ready to get their journey back on track…

But what they didn't realize was that while they were walking off, another figure was walking in! Out from the shadows, a slender hand drew the string of a shining, red and purple bow with a chuckle.

"Now, ready, aim…" Whispered a voice not unlike Flameslinger's as the hand positioned the arrows directly towards where the lava colony slept, "Fire!"

With one quick snap, the bowstring was plucked and a trio of arrows soared into the lava colony's nap room and exploded! The hand drew back from the shadows as the lava imps and kings alike growled and squealed from the rude awakening, then a small chuckle lingered in the air as someone dashed away so fast that flames formed on the ground below!

Though the mysterious laughter vanished quickly, the cries of the angry, grumpy, and very tired lava colony rumbled throughout the tunnels with such intensity that it made the ceiling crumble just a bit, and that included where Chihiro, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn stood!

However, they didn't seem to particularly notice as they all examined the tracks below their feet.

"Yeah, I'd say that's probably lined up and ready to go!" Chihiro chirped as she stood up and nodded with her hands on her hips, "Now come on! Last one back to the train is a—"—Chihiro paused as something dropped on her head—"… Rock?"

"A rock? You usually come up with better than that, Chi!" Sunburn teased as he flicked his tail, "Heat busted your brain?"

Another ferocious roar shook the halls, and once again the ceiling crumbled and released showers of dust and rock cascaded down below! Everybody coughed as they fanned the clouds away and rubbed dust out of their eyes, then Eruptor turned back to the side hallway and grimaced. The stark, yellow light of the side pathway had turned harsh and bright amber, all while pounding footsteps sounded ahead.

"Uh, guys?" Eruptor said as he pointed towards the halls, "I think something's going on in there!"

Chihiro brushed the rocks from her head and turned around, then hissed and clenched her teeth as the light from the tunnels grew bright and warmer in tune with the rising volume of stampeding noises.

"Hey, Eruptor?" Chihiro said as she bit her lip and whipped back to Eruptor, "You said it would be really, really, bad if those lava kings woke up, right?"

Eruptor paused for a moment, then frowned and tightened his brows. "Why are you asking this now?"

Chihiro gulped as the side tunnel's light shifted to a bright, dangerous red and the smells of burnt, molten rock wafted out of its entrance.

"No reason!"

Well, that was a big lie, because there definitely was a reason to be asked! Right down the hall, that colony of lava kings and imps had awakened at last, and they didn't seem very happy about it! They all wailed and stomped around like cranky toddlers as they stormed through the tunnels, all while lava spewed from their mouths and burned the ground below! The rocky floors turned molten, crystals melted into puddles of goo… But more importantly, the railroad tracks below their feet burned and withered like dead flowers!

"Crap!" Chihiro shouted as the lava colony stormed further, "If they go any further, they'll completely melt the tracks!"—Chihiro turned back to Flameslinger, Sunburn and Eruptor—"We've gotta stop them!"

"Well, we can't just fight them right here!" Eruptor exclaimed, "Then the tracks really will get busted up!"

"I know!"

Chihiro signaled to Flameslinger, then turned back around and fixed her eyes on the rampaging lava colony. She stomped her feet and grinned and wings formed on her heels, then dashed forward right as Flameslinger beaned the lava colony with a burst of arrows!

"Hey, you walking lava rocks!" Chihiro shouted right as the lava kings swiped the arrows away from their faces, "Bet'cha can't catch me!"

The lava kings growled and turned tail, then bounded after Chihiro as she dashed down the hallways, further and further back into where their little napping crevice was located. A quick glance back showed that Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn held up the rear as the three of them followed after, not that it mattered much as the lava colony was more focused on Chihiro than anything else!

Chihiro made a sharp turn into the crevice, then whipped around and breathed heavy, body-shaking breaths as everybody else piled in. With a snap of her fingers, the crevice's entrance was completely sealed up with a magic barrier—and now, the real fight could begin!

The lava kings roared and spewed out more lava imps that immediately shot towards Chihiro! Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn all rushed in front of Chihiro with full intentions to attack, but Chihiro just stepped forward and blasted the imps with a gigantic magic laser! Chihiro beamed as the imps were evaporated in the laser's light… Then screamed and jumped back as one of the Lava Kings charged right towards her!

"You might wanna cool down there, buddy!" Chihiro shouted as she summoned a magical water bucket and splashed the lava king with a magical water burst!

The lava king stumbled back and groaned as the water seeped into its cracks, and before it even knew it, its lava had cooled and hardened into solid rock! And that included the lava that comprised its feet and stuck it to the ground! As the lava king tried to get unstuck, Eruptor freed it with a magma blast that slammed it against the wall! Eruptor grinned as the lava king slunk down, then his eyes went wide as a bunch of lava imps latched onto his feet and started gnawing on them!

"YOWCH!" Eruptor cried as he leaped into the air!

As he fell down, Eruptor ran around in circles as he tried to shake them, but it was of little use! Those imps were far too stubborn to be shaken!

So, Flameslinger drew his bow and pointed his arrows towards Eruptor!

"Hold still, Eruptor!" Flameslinger cried as he pulled back the bowstring, "I'll take care of those little pests!"

Eruptor froze in his spot, then he turned back to Flameslinger and screamed as he stumbled back!

"WAIT, NO! DON'T POINT THAT THING AT ME!" Eruptor cried as he flailed his arms, "YOU'LL SHOOT MY EYE OUT!"

Flameslinger plucked the string, and out from his bow swept a flare of arrows that completely wiped the imps away from Eruptor's feet! Eruptor blinked, then grinned and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You actually did it!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Flameslinger asked as he slung his bow over his shoulder, then bent down and turned towards the crowds of lava imps that ran around the floor.

In one swift dash, he ran around them and summoned a circle of fire that evaporated them all with its intense fire… And for that matter, seriously heated up the room they battled in! It had felt less like a tunnel and more like an oven!

"You know," Chihiro panted as she snapped her fingers, "It's getting hot in here…"—Chihiro made a weak grin as the barrier trailed down—"Why don't we get somewhere cooler?"

So, they all bolted out the way, but as they left Chihiro turned back and narrowed her eyes. After all, that flaming pillar Flameslinger had created kind of looked like it had a face in it! An angry face, one that was joined by the vague silhouette of a body… Then out from the fire leaped a lava king! Chihiro screamed as the lava king roared and got ready to attack…

But before it could, Sunburn burst forward and tackled it backwards! The lava king was so taken aback that it took the blow head-on and crashed back on the ground!

With the lava king incapacitated, Chihiro flicked her hand and tossed a magical cloud of powder straight in its face! The lava king wailed as it stumbled back up and shook its head, then lurched down and clicked its tongue. Its eyes drifted up and down as it sat down on the floor, then laid down and went back to sleep!

Chihiro, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn all shushed each other, then tip-toed away from the caverns. Once they were out of range, Chihiro grinned and leaped onto Eruptor's shoulder, then wrapped her arms around Flameslinger and Sunburn's shoulders as she teleported them all away!

In a flash of surprisingly quiet blue light, they were all returned back to where the train had stopped! And thankfully, they had arrived just in time, because the train was as shiny and new as it was when they left! Geez, Diggs really worked fast.

Speaking of Diggs, he sat down next to the newly-repaired train and wiped his brow, but the moment he caught sight of them he yelped and jumped to his feet.

"Took you long enough!" Diggs cried as he stumbled up to the conductor's room's door and slammed it open, "Let's get this train rolling!"

And that's just what they did as they all hopped inside! As they took their seats in the passenger's cab, the train veered down the newly-switched tracks and chugged into the depths once more…

§

The train's whistle rung through the caverns as it sped down the railroad tracks, all while the scenery changed from dark tunnels to large structures and voluminous caverns walls made of volcanic rock that hung above wide-open pools of lava. The lighting was a bright mixture of blue and red, and though it looked awfully pretty…

Chihiro couldn't help but feel a bit discontent as she peered out the windows. After all, Kaos's minions had already struck them once now! Surely they'd have something else up their sleeve, but what? She couldn't spy any trace of them among the masses of lava and rock and heat!

"Still no sight of 'em," Chihiro said as she pulled herself from the window and knocked her knees together, "Think they just got bored and left?"

"I wish," Flameslinger scoffed as he crossed his arms and laid his feet on the table, "But I wouldn't be so sure just yet. There's no way those lava kings awakening out of nowhere was a coincidence."

Chihiro's knees stopped knocking as she tugged on her sweatpants. Even though she hadn't seen any sight of them since the train got set on fire, she doubted they'd just give up like that! After all, this was one of the very last components of the Core of Light! They all knew that Kaos's defeat would come when it was completed, and surely he'd pull out all the stops for something like this! Just the thought of those minions lurking in the shadows, ready to strike and bring about their failure made chills run down Chihiro's spine, then with brows furrowed tight she peered out the window once more.

"Just where are those creeps lurking?" Chihiro asked as the scenery passed her by.

Chihiro frowned as she brushed her hands against the window, then a sharp screech resonated throughout the train as it jerked to a hard stop! The feedback from this stop tossed everyone onto the floors right as Diggs bolted out of the conductor's room as fast as his little legs could carry him!

"We've got trouble, again!" Diggs exclaimed as he flailed his arms, "The track's been sabotaged!"

"SABOTAGED?!" Chihiro, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn all exclaimed at once as they lifted up the windows and poked their heads outside.

The outside world was as hot as its exterior looks suggested and made them flinch a little, but more importantly, it also showed that Diggs was right! Just ahead of them, the tracks had been completely twisted and pierced like someone had taken an ax to them! The damage had stopped right before the tracks passed over the rocky island cliffs they were forced to stop on, so it wasn't the worst thing to happen… But it still posed a problem.

"Just who did this?"

That was what Chihiro pondered as the doors opened and she hopped out the train, though her question was hardly a question to begin with. She was sure it was one of Kaos's creeps, but who? Well, that didn't matter much right now, did it?

"Well, whoever it was, they really screwed us over! After all, how can we get there without a train?…" Chihiro frowned and scratched her chin as she contemplated the possibilities, "Well, however we did it, it would be super hard, that's for sure!"

"I wouldn't give up hope just yet, sonny!" Diggs shouted as he popped his head out the side window of the conductor's door, "Those tracks may be busted up, but they're still repairable! We just need something to fix 'em over!"

Chihiro grinned as a bit of relief came over her heart. Seems like whoever messed up those tracks didn't do nearly as good a job at throwing them off as that person thought they did! All she'd just need was something to build those tracks over… And it seemed those large, molten blocks that rested on the lower part of the island would do just the trick! Chihiro clapped her hands, and one by one they rattled with magic as they all slid into place underneath the tracks!

Chihiro grinned as she ran back up to the train's doors and hopped back inside, then this time Diggs was the one to jump outside and work! He yanked out that mysterious toolbox from his pockets once more, whipped it open then grabbed his tools and went to work! Chihiro hummed along as Diggs whistled away while he repaired the tracks...

But, that song and grin of hers quickly faded along with the tracks' disrepair. Those tracks surely were sabotaged, but was the saboteur still around? Though the caverns surrounding were eerily quiet, it felt almost too quiet, like there was something amiss. In fact, maybe she was just hearing things, but she was sure something was dinging in the distance.

"Alright!" Diggs chirped as he waddled away from the tracks and jumped back into the conductor's seat, "The tracks are good as new! Now let's get this train rolling!"—Diggs grinned and slammed the door shut, all while the windows around slammed back down and locked themselves into place—"At least, I'm pretty sure that's how the saying goes…"

The train rolled along and the eerie silence was replaced by the churn of the train's engine and the sound of Diggs whistling over the intercom, and for a moment Chihiro's wariness had started to ease up. The repaired tracks were passed over with ease as they chugged closer and closer to a cave tunnel ahead, all without a hitch! Maybe she was just worrying a bit too much? Yeah, they probably had left by now, so Chihiro just kicked back and took in the sights the cave had to offer!

The tunnel they passed into glowed with a bright, warm light as their walls gradiated from red to orange to yellow and sparkled with a bright light, almost like they were made of a smooth crystal, and the world that came after was just as lovely! Everything was hot and painted in red, but its rocky surfaces held a bit of a warm magic to them thanks to the red crystals that stuck out from their exteriors and glowed against the heat. The magma was more watery in tone and looked more like bright orange soda rather than magma (Mmmmm, orange soda…) and all around, lava imps played on the round, stone islands that floated across the magma seas. It felt less like a magical artifact's hiding place and more like an actual community!

Something about it enraptured Chihiro so much that she drew her face closer to the glass, then once again the train jerked into to a stop! Chihiro squealed as she slammed face-first into the glass, then pulled herself off and dashed back towards the other side of the cab.

"Attention, passengers!" Diggs groaned over the intercom, "Due to the tracks ahead being broken, your ride will be coming to a close for the time being!"

"Not again!" Eruptor cried as he peered through the window, "What is it this time?"

Chihiro jumped on the seat between Eruptor and Flameslinger, then pulled the window up and peered outside, with Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn quick to follow.

"Wait a second," Eruptor said as he craned his head away from the train, "It kinda looks like someone messed with the tracks again!"

Chihiro poked her head over Eruptor and snarled, because unfortunately it looked like he was right! Just like before, the tracks had been twisted and broken and carved, but this time there was undeniable proof it was sabotaged! Just a little further ahead, far enough that it was kind of hard to make them out, some tall, green figure slammed away at the tracks with a pick-ax!

Chihiro snapped a pair of magical binoculars into existence, then peered through then and frowned. That figure was a lot easier to see through the binoculars' lens, and had taken the form of a lanky, green-skinned troll looking dude dressed in rags with a face that made it seem like he hadn't slept in weeks!

"And I think I know who did it!" Chihiro proclaimed as she passed the binoculars on to Eruptor, "Look!"

Eruptor took a peek through the binoculars, then completely dropped his jaw. "GLUMSHANKS? WHAT'S HE DOING HERE?"

"Glumshanks?" Flameslinger and Sunburn repeated with utter disbelief in their voices that paired well with equally-lowered jaws.

"Glumshanks? Of all people?" Chihiro echoed before she blinked and shook her head. She was sure she heard Kaos say that name before during a prior fight, but for some reason it wasn't ringing any proper bells. "Wait, who was Glumshanks again?"

"He's Kaos butler and right-hand troll," Flameslinger explained as he quirked a brow, "Usually, though, he never actually leaves Kaos's fortress. He's not exactly good at fighting… Or, much of anything, really."

"So what's he doing out here?" Sunburn questioned as his feathers burned a bit brighter.

Chihiro grunted as she popped out of Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn's miniature crowd, then climbed on the edge of the window as magic crackled around her.

"Well, whoever he is," Chihiro exclaimed right before she teleported away, "He's going down!"

Chihiro popped just above the twisted rails, then summoned a magic sphere and tossed it just close enough to grab this Glumshanks guy's attention, but not close enough that it would knock him into the lava. As the sphere whizzed just inches past Glumshanks' face, he screamed and tossed his pickax into the air, then yanked it down and turned back to Chihiro.

"THE PORTAL MASTER!" Glumshanks cried as he stepped back, then squeaked and scrambled ahead before he could fall into the lakes.

His teeth chattered as the magma sloshed underneath him, then he screamed and bolted down the tracks! But he wasn't going to get an easy escape, oh no—just before he could hit the next volcanic rock island, Chihiro teleported back in front of him!

"Sorry, but you can't shake me that easily!" Chihiro said as she crossed her arms, "Just what are you doing here? Where's Kaos?"

Glumshanks gasped and stumbled back. "That, that, Lord Kaos told me not to tell you that!"

Glumshanks turned around and sprinted towards the islands beside him and Chihiro, but before he could reach safe, rocky, ground, a gate made of magical spears popped up between the island and the tracks!

"Don't think you can avoid the question, buddy!" Chihiro stepped forward as her hand flared with magic, "We all know your boss is here, and I'd really hate to have to do anything nasty to you. I mean, you seem like a decent enough guy for one of Kaos's cronies and I—"

But while Chihiro rambled, Glumshanks scrambled for the gate and climbed over it like his life depended on it!

"WAIT A SECOND!" Chihiro exclaimed as her eyes practically popped out of her head, "YOU CAN'T JUST CLIMB OVER THE GATE RIGHT NOW! I WASN'T DONE TALKING!"

Chihiro groaned, then snapped her fingers and vanquished the gate right before Glumshanks could finish climbing! Glumshanks landed face-first onto the ground, then shook it off and sprinted down a ramp that lead to the lower levels of the rocky island they laid on. Chihiro wanted to pursue but… Hold on, was that a face she saw on the wall?

Just across from her, a pair of bright, blank eyes manifested on the caverns walls that loomed above the island, then it pulled itself off and dashed straight into Chihiro! It burned with a fire so hot it seared into Chihiro's whole body and made her ache like she got a nasty sunburn, and its force was so great that it knocked her back onto the broken railways. But, it was hardly enough to discourage her! Chihiro grunted as she held her arm and lurched up, right as a burst of flames landed in front of her and exploded into the form of that Sunburn clone she had seen back at the tunnels!

"You!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pointed a finger at the Sunburn clone, "You're the one that hit us with that gunpowder barrel!"

The evil Sunburn clone scowled as it shot Chihiro a glare.

"I had a feeling someone was watching us," the Sunburn clone groaned before it cleared its throat, "Anyways, yes, that was me, the Evil Phoenix Dragon,"—The Evil Phoenix Dragon leaned down as flames twirled around its body—"Not that you knowing my name matters, because once I'm done with you, you'll be burnt to a crisp!"

The Evil Phoenix Dragon dashed towards Chihiro once more, but she was quick to slide out its way and grimace. Just in the background, she could spy Glumshanks making his great escape via a teleporter's light! She wanted to make chase, but before she could catch him, the Evil Phoenix Dragon zoomed in from of her once more and threw her off-balance!

Chihiro squealed as she fell on her back, then tumbled over the tracks and slipped towards the magma! Though she was quick enough to grab onto the busted tracks, she wouldn't be able to hold on for long… And though the magma seas below her looked like orange soda, she highly doubted that it would be as sweet! Chihiro grunted and kicked her legs as she tried to push herself back up, then something zoomed right past her with such speed that it heated up the tracks and turned them a bright red!

The heat it was so intense it made Chihiro yowl and release her grip… And before she knew it, she plummeted into the lava!

The orange light encased Chihiro as her eyes went wide, and with a scream she teleported back onto the tracks! Though the heat had faded from their metal, Chihiro still felt a bit hot under the collar. But, maybe that's what nearly being burned alive does to a person.

"Phew, close one," Chihiro remarked as she wiped the sweat from her brow and snarled.

Two flashes of light formed beside the Evil Phoenix Dragon, and from them came purple and red clones of Flameslinger and Eruptor, all with those blank eyes and evil energies. The Eruptor clone shook dripping hot magma from its head, while the Flameslinger clone only scoffed as it brushed the flames off of its shoes.

"Took you long enough to get here, Evil Elf Archer, Evil Lava Monster," the Evil Phoenix Dragon scowled as it flicked the Evil Elf Archer's face with its wing.

"Hey!" The Evil Elf Archer squealed as it pushed away the Evil Phoenix Dragon's wing and shot it a glare, "I was going as fast as I could! If anything…"—The Evil Elf Archer pointed to the Evil Lava Monster—"The Evil Lava Monster was the one being slow!"

"I was the one being slow?" The Evil Lava Monster grumbled as it shot that point back with a glare, "You were the one taking your sweet time!"

"HEY!" Chihiro shouted as she summoned a sword and slashed it between the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster!

The three of them all gasped and leaped out the way of Chihiro's sword, then snarled as they fixed their eyes on her.

"What're you doing here, anyways?" Chihiro demanded.

The Evil Lava Monster only scoffed as it pressed a hand that boiled with molten magma towards Chihiro's chin.

"Isn't it obvious, child?" The Evil Elf Archer asked, "Lord Kaos wants to get the Eternal Fire Source before you or any of your little Skylanders do, and we're helping him along! Who do you think set off those lava imps?"

Chihiro gasped and drew back with her sword still held tight in hand. "So that WAS you!"

As she hunched down and clenched her brows and teeth, Chihiro turned her gaze back to the train, where Diggs was spitting out orders she could barely hear to Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn. Surely they were going to try and repair the tracks… Looks like it was up to her to keep these creeps from finding out!

"Well, I've only got one thing to say to that!" Chihiro shouted as she spun her sword around and brandished it in front of her body, "You'll get the Eternal Fire Source over my dead body!"

However, the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster didn't seem intimidated or even angered in the slightest by her display of swordsmanship! They just blinked for a few moments, then cackled like she had just told them a joke!

"Ha, ha, the kid says we'll get it over her dead body! What a classic!" The Evil Phoenix Dragon cackled as it wiped a tear from its eye and slapped its front paws on the Evil Elf Archer and Lava Monster's shoulders, "You can prattle all you like, but without those train tracks you won't be getting very far!"

Chihiro hissed and went in for the kill, but before she could launch an attack, the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster all teleported away in a burst of flame! All she could do was fall on her face with a grunt!

"Hey, get back here!" Chihiro demanded as she jumped off the ground and swung back and forth, "I wasn't done with you yet!"

The sound of cackling echoed through caves, and yet there was no indication of them making a reappearance! Everywhere she looked, all she saw was rock and flame. That is, until something slammed into her back and pushed her off the cliff!

"Well, you did tell us to show ourselves!" The Evil Phoenix Dragon shouted.

Chihiro grunted as she grabbed onto the cliff with one hand, then swung around and gripped it tight with the other. The Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster cackled down on her as she tried to pull herself out, and intense heat brushed against her face as if they were going to launch an attack… But then it faded.

"Wait, what are those Skylanders doing?"

Chihiro poked her head up to find that the three of them had completely lost interest in her! Instead, their eyes were fixed on Flameslinger, Eruptor and Sunburn as they pushed molten volcanic rocks towards holes in the ground below.

"Wait, don't tell me they're going to try and repair the tracks!" The Evil Phoenix Dragon exclaimed with a snarl as its body glowed bright. The Evil Phoenix Dragon hissed, then leaned down and leaped ahead. "NOT ON MY—OOF!"

But before the Evil Phoenix Dragon could even reach Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn, Chihiro flipped back onto the battleground kicked it in the gut! The Evil Phoenix Dragon spun backwards for a few moments, then shook its head as it caught itself and swept down.

"Sorry, buddies," Chihiro said as she summoned a sword and shield, "But they're not your opponent, I am!"

The Evil Lava Monster and Elf Archer huffed as they narrowed then brows. Seems they knew she was serious.

"But can you really take on all three of us?" The Evil Phoenix Dragon asked as it swept down and stepped ahead of the Evil Lava Monster and Elf Archer.

Chihiro took a step forward and clanged her sword against her shield. "Bring it on!"

The Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster all snarled as they lunged for Chihiro, while Chihiro just held out her shield and widened its range! They all smacked against the shield, and in an instant they were tossed aside! As the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster pulled themselves up to their knees and shook their heads, Chihiro snuck a peek back down at Flameslinger, Eruptor and Sunburn and frowned.

"I'll take these guys!" Chihiro shouted as she turned back to the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster, "Just hurry!"

The Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster all snarled, but Chihiro didn't relent as gazes hot like bright suns burned her down.

"Take this!" Chihiro cried as she swung a magical boxing glove at the Evil Lava Monster and smacked it straight in the face!

She lurched down and heaved heavy breaths as the Evil Lava Monster coughed and rolled along the ground, but she wasn't done yet! After all, the Evil Elf Archer and Phoenix Dragon were headed right her way, and they didn't seem like they were in the mood for friendly conversation!

Chihiro yowled as her whole body glowed a bright blue, then all around her spheres of light popped out from that glow and morphed into functional boxing gloves! She screamed again as she punched the air before her, and those boxing gloves swung forward and punched down the Evil Phoenix Dragon and Elf Archer!

The three of them may had been thrown down on the ground, but Chihiro wasn't going to relent just yet! She just kept punching and punching, all while her magic boxing gloves flew forward and nailed the minions down the moment they tried to stand! But, as she kept punching them down and nailing them to the ground, she got so absorbed in her punching fit that she didn't notice anything around! Everything just sort of molded into one big blob as she punched away, and her mind went completely blank… But the sharp pain of something kicking her in the back quickly brought her back to reality!

Chihiro grunted as she stumbled forward, her concentration and spellcasting now completely broken, then winced and turned back as the Evil Lava Monster and Elf Archer sprang to their feet. Behind her, a low cackle a bit like Sunburn's laughter, but devoid of any friendly warmth gave her a pretty good idea of who her attacker was! She turned around and went to launch an attack, but before she could attack the Evil Phoenix Dragon, it teleported away in a burst of flame!

The Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster all grinned as they shot out a trio of arrows, flames and burning lava towards Chihiro, but she just closed her eyes and teleported away! While their triad of attacks slammed together and exploded in midair, they all turned around and scanned the battlefield for any sort of indicator to where she went… But thanks to a sneakily-cast invisibility spell, nothing could be seen! No traces of magic, no sounds of footsteps, nothing!

"Alright, hide and seek's over!" The Evil Lava Monster rumbled as it stomped forward and looked around, "Now where did you go?

"I'm right here!" Chihiro shouted.

With a flash of light, Chihiro turned visible as she raced up to the Evil Lava Monster, then summoned a hammer as she leaped over it and slammed it on the head! While the Evil Lava Monster tried to get itself back together, Chihiro swung her hammer around and tossed away the Evil Elf Archer before it could get a good shot in, smirked and swung her hammer over her shoulder as it flied away… Then shrieked as her feet caught on fire!

Chihiro ran around in circles and rapidly stomped her feet in some attempt to put the fires out, and yet nothing seemed to extinguish those flames! "Come on, come on, go out already!"

With one last stomp the flames finally extinguished, and Chihiro finally got to stop and catch her breath. She smiled as she wiped the sweat from her brow, then turned around and grumbled as she turned to a cackling Evil Phoenix Dragon! Chihiro gripped her hammer tight and swung… But rather than aiming for the Evil Phoenix Dragon, she swung backwards and parried a flaming volcanic rock like a baseball!

Chihiro heaved heavy breathes and slumped her shoulders as it flew off into the distance, then turned that gaze of hers back down to the lower levels as Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn worked away. Seems like these guys had their fair share of cheap tricks... Hopefully Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn could get that track finished she was finished off!

§

"Alright, move that block a little further left!" Diggs ordered as Eruptor and Flameslinger pushed a block close to one of the many holes that peppered the ground below, "No, actually, a little to the right!"—As they pushed the block right, Diggs frowned and hummed—"Actually, nevermind, it should be fine on the left!"

"You know, you sure are content giving a ton of orders when you're not even doing any work!" Eruptor shouted.

Diggs only scoffed and looked aside. "I can't work right now! I can't risk wearing myself out before I work on the tracks!"

Eruptor growled and furrowed his brows like he was ready to burst, but before he could blow his top, the sound of screeching overhead caught his attention! He lifted his head up, then yelped and ducked as a stray flaming arrow from the overhead battle flew over his head!

"Hey, guys!" Chihiro shouted as she swung around and looked over the lower half of the island they stood on, "Are those tracks done yet?"

"Nearly there, Chi!" Flameslinger proclaimed as he pulled himself away from a block, "We've just got these last three!"

"Got it!" Chihiro grinned and gave Flameslinger a thumbs up and turned back around, "I'll just keep these guys occupied until—"

Chihiro gasped and jolted back, hair on end and all, as the Evil Lava Monster and Elf Archer bolted across the battlefield and swung over the cliffs!

"Crap!" Chihiro gritted her teeth and bolted off, "Get back here! I wasn't done with you!"

"And I'm not exactly done with you!" The Evil Phoenix Dragon proclaimed as it teleported in front of Chihiro and blocked the way off!

Chihiro grunted and slid out the way of a flamethrower it threw, then teleported aside and tried to shake it… But it just teleported in front of her once more! She teleported again and again and again, but no matter where she went it would just block her off once more!

Chihiro gritted her teeth, then summoned a sword and glowered. "You really wanna play, don't you?"

"I suppose you could say that." The Evil Phoenix Dragon smirked as it manifested in front of Chihiro once more while flames crept down its back.

Chihiro gritted her teeth, then yelled out as she bolted forward and slashed her sword down, only for the Evil Phoenix Dragon to teleport away once more! She dashed after it and slashed again, then jumped back as it vanished in a burst of flame!

But while Chihiro and the Evil Phoenix Dragon chased and slashed against each other, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn had their own hands full with the other two minions!

Diggs cowered behind Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn, who in turn scowled and bared their teeth as the Evil Lava Monster and Elf Archer lurched towards them. For a moment, then entire atmosphere was tense and thick as they all took slow, steady steps towards each other… Then finally, the Evil Lava Monster bounded forward and shot an entire rockslide of flaming volcanic rocks right at them!

Eruptor countered it with a wave of lava blobs that crashed into the rocks and melted them to goo, then grinned as he stepped forward. Beside him, Flameslinger lifted his bow and flames crackled at Sunburn's beak in accordance with Eruptor's steps. They were ready and prepared to fire at any given moment!

"Is that all you got?" Sunburn asked as he narrowed his eyes.

The Evil Lava Monster, however, just grinned.

"Not at all!" It proclaimed as the veins of murky red lava in its body glowed bright, "In fact, I'm just getting started!"

The Evil Lava Monster was engulfed in a bright light, then out from those cracks in its body spewed lava at all ends of the battlefield!

Flameslinger and Sunburn both jumped on their toes as they stepped back from the lava, but Eruptor was less fortunate as it splashed him right in the face!

"My eyes!" Eruptor cried as he tried to wipe the lava from his eyes, "It burns!"

But while he was stumbling around in a burning haze, he didn't even notice that Flameslinger and Sunburn were right behind him! Before he even realized it, he had crashed into them and sent them all tumbling down on the floor! They all groaned as they pulled themselves off the ground, then shook their heads as a burst of flames passed them by!

Before they could follow, however, a wave of lava raged forward and got ready to splash them all! The three of them all yelled and jumped back as the lava crashed down, then Sunburn wrapped his wings around Flameslinger and Eruptor and teleported away right as another lava wave engulfed the patch of rock they sat on.

They reappeared in another flash of light and paused for a moment as they caught their breaths, but even that only lasted for a precious few moments as lava lapped at their feet like the salty waters of the ocean. And if that wasn't concerning enough to them, familiar cries of fear from close by grabbed their attention!

"Let me go!" Diggs cried!

Eruptor, Flameslinger, and Sunburn all gasped and turned around, while the Evil Lava Monster just grinned and crossed its arms.

Right before them all, the Evil Elf Archer held Diggs tight in its arms, all while it pointed a bow loaded with flaming arrows at the side of Diggs' head! It sneered as Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn stared at it with pure rage, almost as if their angry glances only fueled whatever evil desires it had in mind for poor Diggs.

Flameslinger winced as he lowered his bow, while Sunburn snarled and flapped his wings as he stepped forward… Then immediately jumped back as the lava started to pool further around him! The lava that the Evil Lava Monster had created pooled further and further around Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn until they had been trapped in a round island of stone that floated within a shallow sea of lava… And even that shrank by the minute!

"Surrender or the molekin gets it!" The Evil Elf Archer threatened as it pressed the arrowheads closer to Diggs' head!

Diggs whimpered and struggled even further, all while he forced out a few chuckles.

"I, I'm not saying you should surrender or anything," Diggs chuckled as he forced a smile, all while sweat dripped down his brow and clearly betrayed his true feelings, "But, I've still got a lot of things I really want to do, and dying as a hostage is a really bad way to die…"

"Silence, mole!" The Evil Elf Archer snarled as it waved the arrows around, then smirked as Diggs yelped and covered his mouth with his hands.

Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn pursed their lips and stepped back. They couldn't possibly give up, but they couldn't risk getting Diggs killed, either… What would they do?

Well, it seemed as though they weren't the only ones who had to make that decision! From up on the upper levels, Chihiro winced as she dodged another flaming dash from the Evil Phoenix Dragon, then turned around and gasped! Her eyes had fallen on Diggs' kidnapping, then steeled as she turned back to the Evil Phoenix Dragon and huffed.

"Hey, look over there!" Chihiro shouted as she pointed to the right, "I think I see Kaos!"

"LORD KAOS?!" The Evil Phoenix Dragon exclaimed.

"Got'cha!"

Chihiro slugged the Evil Phoenix Dragon right in the face, then while it stumbled backwards, she teleported back to the lower part of the island!

"Clock's ticking, Skylanders!" The Evil Elf Archer crooned as it drew back the string of its bow, "And your molekin here doesn't exactly have all day!"—The Evil Elf Archer grinned as it basked in Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn's snarls—"And if you make any smart remarks, I'll just go ahead and do it!"

The three of them drew back and clenched their brows as the Evil Elf Archer cackled, so purely absorbed in the angry looks it was given…

So absorbed, in fact, that it didn't notice Chihiro teleport behind it! She grinned as she popped behind the Evil Elf Archer, then slapped it on the back and pushed it forward! The Evil Elf Archer screeched as it stumbled forward and tried to regain its balance before it fell in the lava, and in the process Diggs completely fell out of its grasp!

Chihiro yanked Diggs out of the air before he could fall into the lava pools, the teleported away and dropped him off at a safe, decidedly not magma covered spot!

"You alright, Diggs?" Chihiro asked as he stood up and shook his legs.

"Somehow," Diggs panted as he scratched his head, "I think I saw my life flash before my eyes…"

"Eh, it's not that bad after the first five times!" Chihiro shrugged, then turned her attention back to the lava and narrowed her eyes.

With a snap of her fingers, a gigantic magical mop manifested over the battlefield, then slammed down and mopped up the lava in broad, rapid strokes! In mere minutes the battlefield was free and clear of lava once more!

"Now that takes care of that!" Chihiro chirped as she wiped her hands and turned her attention back to the upper levels of the island… Then frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Wait, wasn't that evil bird there a second ago? Where'd it go?"

"You're not the only one who can teleport, you know!" The Evil Phoenix Dragon hissed in Chihiro's ear!

Chihiro shrieked as she whipped around and found herself staring in the eyes of the Evil Phoenix Dragon, then teleported back onto the upper level! And of course, the Evil Phoenix Dragon was quick to follow. She grimaced as she teleported across their battlefield and went to shoot an attack, but before she could it teleported away once more!

"BOO!" The Evil Phoenix Dragon cried as it teleported behind Chihiro!

While she whipped around and stumbled back from shock, the Evil Phoenix Dragon smiled and raised a mouth full of flames hot and broiling, then shot out a full-blown flamethrower!

"Guys!" Chihiro shouted as she dodged the flamethrower and spun around, "Hurry up and get the tracks working!"—Chihiro squealed and twirled around the fires of another flamethrower, then shot an energy sphere back at the Evil Phoenix Dragon—"I don't know how much longer I can hold this guy off!"

"That's easier said than done, Chi!" Eruptor shouted back as he blocked off lava-filled blows from the Evil Lava Monster, "These guys just don't give up!"

And Eruptor was right! He, Flameslinger and Sunburn had their hands full as they tried to hold off the Evil Lava Monster and Evil Elf Archer, who only blew back their attacks with even more relentless blows! Eruptor lobbed a few magma blobs, but the Evil Lava Monster just countered those blobs with its own!

And while the Evil Lava Monster grinned as the lava blobs smashed against each other and melted into the rocky floor's cracks, Flameslinger dashed behind it and tried to gun it down with his arrows… But before he could, the Evil Elf Archer intercepted him and body-slammed him down onto the ground!

Sunburn snarled, then finally he seemed to have enough of fighting! While Eruptor and Flameslinger kept the Evil Lava Monster and Elf Archer occupied, Sunburn teleported away to one of the blocks and pushed it right into a nearby hole! He grinned as it sunk down into the magma seas with a firm plop, then dashed past the battle across from him and moved towards the second!

But while Sunburn paid little mind to the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster' battle with Eruptor and Flameslinger, the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster certainly seemed to mind!

The Evil Lava Monster grunted as it held up its arms to shield it from a blast of lava courtesy of Eruptor, then turned around and dropped its jaw as it caught sight of Sunburn!

"Evil Elf Archer!" The Evil Lava Monster called as it whipped around and shook a hand at the Evil Elf Archer, "Do something about that flaming chicken! It's almost done fixing up the tracks!"

The Evil Elf Archer, however, just grunted and skidded backwards as it shot a round of explosive arrows towards Flameslinger, who wove between each one and grinned as they exploded behind him!

"Can't you see that I'm busy right now?" The Evil Elf Archer shouted back as it turned its head towards the Evil Lava Monster, "Why can't you do it?!"

"Well you're faster than I am!" The Evil Lava Monster jumped aside of a rolling, flaming volcanic rock and shook its head, "If I tried to do it, that Skylander would just outspeed me!"

The Evil Elf Archer jumped out the way of a flaming arrow barrage and balled its hands into a fist.

"But you're stronger! You could probably wipe that thing out in a second if you wanted!" The Evil Elf Archer dashed up to the Evil Lava Monster and pushed a finger in the Lava Monster's face, "Why do I have to do all your dirty work for you, huh?"

"It's technically your dirty work, too!" The Evil Lava Monster smacked away the Evil Elf Archer's hand and growled, "Lord Kaos assigned us all to make sure nobody else gets the Eternal Fire Source!"

"You can say that all you want, but you're the only one who hasn't been doing a thing! I had to wake up those lava imps, the Evil Phoenix Dragon set the train on fire—"

Right in the midst of their argument, the Evil Phoenix Dragon manifested between them both in a bright flash of crimson fire!

"Just what are you two idiots arguing about?" The Evil Phoenix Dragon demanded, "Can't you see that the Skylanders are nearly done with that railway? Do something about them!"

The Evil Lava Monster and Elf Archer turned to the Evil Phoenix Dragon and paused for a few moments, then their eyes went wide. They cast one last glance at each other, then scoffed and crossed their arms.

"That thing is what you were cloned from, right?" The Evil Lava Monster asked as it scoffed once more, "Why don't you do something about it?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" The Evil Phoenix Dragon clenched its beak while fire puffed from its nostrils.

"Well, if you were cloned from it, you should be evenly matched!" The Evil Elf Archer pointed out, "Why make us do it when you'd be the better choice?"

"Well in case you haven't noticed, I have a stubborn portal master on my tail! I have better things to worry about!"

As the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Lava Monster and Elf Archer got absorbed in their petty argument, Sunburn looked back at them and rolled his eyes. He pushed the second block in without a moment of hesitation, then teleported over to the third and sent that one into the magma as well!

"Diggs, it's done!" Sunburn shouted as he whipped back around.

"Got it!" Diggs cried back as he waved back to Sunburn and pulled out his toolbox!

In one swift movement, Diggs flipped open the toolbox, pulled out his tools and dashed back to the tracks above them. And for such an old and small molekin, he worked fast! As he sped down the broken tracks with such velocity that he was little more than a cloud of dust to the naked eye, the tracks behind him became shiny and strong like they had just been laid!

The Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster pulled their heads out of their argument and turned to Diggs, but by the time they realized what he was doing, it was too late! Diggs was nearly done!

As Diggs nailed down the last track, he grinned and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"I've gotta say, that's probably a new record for me!" Diggs proclaimed as he packed up his tools and bounded towards the train, "All aboard the Molekin Express! Next stop, the Eternal Fire Source!"

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?" Chihiro asked with a wink, "That's our stop, after all!"

Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn all grinned to each other as they bounded up the volcanic rock ramp that linked the upper and lower levels, while Chihiro smiled and teleported away in a flash!

"Well, what are you standing around for?" The Evil Lava Monster exclaimed as it turned back to the other two minions, "Don't let them get away!"

The Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster bolted up the ramp right as Chihiro, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn jumped into the train, then the three of them stumbled back and froze as the train's whistle blew and reverberated around the caverns!

The Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster turned back around and gazed at the train like deer in the headlights… Then screamed as the train charged towards them! Their screams carried across the cavern as they bolted down the tracks, then jumped off onto a nearby volcanic rock cliff right before the train could mow them down! They all panted and fell to their knees, then scowled as the train's whistle sounded off yet again just to rub their crushing loss in.

"Quick!" The Evil Phoenix Dragon said as it held out its claw, "We've gotta get there before they catch up to Lord Kaos!"

The Evil Lava Monster and Elf Archer scowled as they placed their hands on the Evil Phoenix Dragon's claw, but their focus was less on it and more towards each other.

"This is your fault, you know," The Evil Lava Monster said as it glared at the Evil Elf Archer.

"No way! If anything, this is your fault!" The Evil Elf Archer scowled back as it squeezed the Evil Phoenix Dragon's claw.

"SHUT UP, YOU TWO!" The Evil Phoenix Dragon cried as flames burst from its beak.

The Evil Lava Monster and Elf Archer groaned as a swirl of bright, burning flames wrapped around them.

"Fine…" They both whined as they vanished into thin air.

§

The train hissed to a stop as the tracks themselves came to a conclusion, and in the blink of an eye all the doors in the passenger's cab unfolded at once!

"Passengers, we have arrived at our destination!" Diggs proclaimed over the intercom, "Please be careful exiting the train and make sure to take all personal belongings with you when you leave…"

Chihiro tuned out Diggs' droned-out speech and rolled her eyes.

"It's kind of pointless to make speeches when we're the only ones on the train," Chihiro remarked as she skipped down the stairs and landed back onto warm, red rocky ground with a hup, "But I can't fault him for wanting to make it feel authentic."

Eruptor groaned and trudged down the stairs with Flameslinger and Sunburn close by… Then all three of them jolted up and shuddered.

"You sensed something, didn't you?" Chihiro guessed as she turned around and while they all grinned like they had been filled with a new life.

"You bet!" Flameslinger beamed back, "There was a huge surge of Fire Element energy close by! The Eternal Fire Source can't be far now!"

Chihiro grinned, then rounded the tracks and peered over the path ahead of them.

The warm, burgundy molten rock they stood on now lead to a series of islands made of solid lava rock that stood well against the temperature… But more importantly, all of them were guarded! Albeit quite sparsely, with a spell punk who twiddled their fingers here, a few greebles there, maybe a lava imp that skittered from platform to platform before it jumped back into the lava that pooled around the islands. If Kaos wanted to keep them away from the Eternal Fire Source, they might not have even noticed it!

Chihiro frowned and placed her hands on her hands on her hips, then shook her head and grinned. With how little staff there were, they'd have no problems getting the Eternal Fire Source and getting out in a flash! So, she bolted towards the volcanic rock slant that lead down to the first island and got ready to slide down… Then something hit her in the back and send her rolling down!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Chihiro screamed as she tumbled down the slant, then came to a stop as she slammed headfirst into a particularly large rock!

"Hold it right there, portal master!"

Chihiro grunted as she sat up, then turned around and found a spell punk clad in red and yellow robes as it emerged from a burst of flames with a sour look on its face!

"This is as far as you'll go!" The spell punk demanded as it swooped down in front of Chihiro and readied a ball of fire, "Lord Kaos didn't want you or any of your buddies anywhere near the Eternal Fire Source!"

"Really?" Chihiro replied as she looked back at the barely-guarded islands ahead, "Cause this place is barely guarded for somewhere he didn't want us touching."

The spell punk cringed as the flames in its hands vanished instantly, then it sighed and scratched the back of its head. "Well, you see, we're kind of short-staffed at the moment…"

"That's good enough for us!" Eruptor boomed from above!

The spell punk gasped and whipped its head around, then screamed and ran into the distance as a volley of flaming magma blobs rained down from above! Well, that was fast.

Eruptor grinned as he bounded down the slant with Flameslinger close behind, while Sunburn teleported beside Chihiro and grinned as he fixed his eyes on a pair of greebles that absentmindedly paced around the island ahead.

"Time to do what I do best…" Sunburn whispered as flames enveloped him until he was no more than a vaguely avian flaming shape, "ROAST AND TOAST!"

Sunburn dashed across the bridge that lead to the second island, then slammed into one of the greebles and teleported away as the greeble screeched and patted down its flaming back!

The greeble snarled and hollered out something in its gibberish greeble language as it pointed an accusatory finger towards the other, then both greebles launched at each other and fought so hard that their little circle dissolved into a big ball of dust and violence!

Chihiro chuckled as Sunburn reappeared back at her side, then waved over Eruptor and Flameslinger once they hit the bottom of the slant. The four of them tip-toed across the bridge, then slid past the fighting greebles and bolted across the chain of stone islands!

"Man, this is easy!" Flameslinger remarked as he dashed across, then frowned and came to a slow stop, "Almost… Too easy."

Chihiro flinched and froze just before she wandered up the ramp that lead to the cavern, while Eruptor and Sunburn stopped and hesitated as well. Flameslinger did have a point. Something about this went a little too faster than it normally did, and that was never a good thing. After all, even with his big old ego, Kaos wasn't stupid by any means. Surely if he was as short-staffed as he was, he'd at least consolidate his forces around the places he didn't want them reaching the most, right?

"Oh, don't worry about it, Flameslinger!" Sunburn said as he teleported to the top of the ramp and strode towards the cave, "Let's just get in there, get the Eternal Fire Source, and get out so you can get me lunch!"

"OH, YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Boomed a deep, threatening voice from above!

Eruptor, Flameslinger and Chihiro all gasped as they bolted up the ramp and joined Sunburn just in time to catch a burgundy-colored cloud of smoke that churned in front of the cavern's entrance, then transform into a swirling vortex!

"After all, Skylosers!" Crooned another voice that echoed from the vortex's heart, one shrill and completely unlike the menacing voice heard earlier, "Even if my no-good minions may have failed to stop you, I, KAOSSSSSSSSS, certainly won't!"

The vortex of smoke spat out a cloudy staircase, then out the vortex and down the stairs bounded Kaos! And not just the holographic head he favored for confrontations such as these, but the actual, flesh and blood Kaos! Kaos grinned as the stairs vanished before him, then stretched his hands as they flared with magic.

"You may have bested me all those other times, but you only got lucky!" Kaos proclaimed as he stepped forward and grinned as he took in Eruptor, Flameslinger, Sunburn and Chihiro's scowls and threatening looks, "Today, your luck runs out!"

Chihiro gasped and stepped back as Kaos pierced a glare directly back at her, then shook her head and forced a steely look.

"You can say that all you like, Kaos, but we're not going to quit!" Chihiro vowed!

"Yeah!" Eruptor cried in affirmation as he leaned forward, "We're not going back home until we get the Eternal Fire Source!"

Kaos, however, just grinned as bright, flaming red magic orbs formed in his palms.

"We'll see about that!" Kaos cried as he stepped forward.

Chihiro, Sunburn, Flameslinger and Eruptor all stepped forward as well and readied their weapons, then all parties leaped forward and got ready to strike…

"HEY, WAIT FOR US!"

Then froze and stumbled back as a burst of red and purple fire sprung out of nowhere in the middle of the battlefield! That burst of fire extinguished itself as quickly as it ignited, and out from it came none other than the Evil Lava Monster, Elf Archer and Phoenix Dragon!

"Hah, hah…" The Evil Phoenix Dragon panted as it shook its head, then turned to Kaos and bowed in his presence, "We've arrived, Lord Kaos."

The Evil Lava Monster and Elf Archer both bowed to Kaos as well, then all three of them cried in pain and reeled back as Kaos bonked them on the head with the magic orbs he had summoned!

"YOU'RE LATE, YOU STUPID MINIONS!" Kaos cried as he shook a fist at the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster, "BECAUSE OF YOUR INCOMPETENCE, I HAD TO CONFRONT THE SKYLANDERS MYSELF INSTEAD OF GETTING THE ETERNAL FIRE SOURCE! YOU ALMOST RUINED MY GENIUS EVIL PLAN!"

The Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster winced as they held their heads lower.

"We're very sorry, Lord Kaos," they droned as one.

Kaos scoffed, then bonked them all on the head once more before he turned them around to face Chihiro, Eruptor, Sunburn and Flameslinger.

"Now, if you don't want to be blasted to your very essence, you'll stop those Skylosers so I can get the Eternal Fire Source!"

The tired, pained looks that were once on the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster' faces completely vanished, now transformed into grins and eyes glinted with pure anticipation as they licked their lips.

"YES, LORD KAOS!" They all cried as they readied their weapons and rushed forward.

Kaos grinned as he floated around and dashed towards the cave, while Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn gasped and bolted after him.

"FORGET THE CLONES!" Eruptor cried as he bolted forward, "Get Kaos!"

"Not on my watch you won't!" The Evil Lava Monster cried as it swung a lava blob at Eruptor and tossed him off-balance!

Eruptor sputtered as he stumbled about and windmilled his arms in some attempt to regain his balance, then slammed both feet on the ground and snarled as he flung a glob of steaming hot lava right towards the Evil Lava Monster!

While Eruptor and the Evil Lava Monster traded blows, Flameslinger dashed forward with his sights set towards Kaos… Then flicked his ears and changed course as a row of flaming arrows struck the path where he once ran! Flameslinger dropped and rolled out the path of another wave, then held out his own bow and arrow with his sights set on the Evil Elf Archer!

And while they shot at each other, Sunburn had his own little problem to deal with! He kept trying to teleport towards Kaos, but every way he went the Evil Phoenix Dragon tailed him! He teleported to the left, the right, everywhere! But no matter where he went, the Evil Phoenix Dragon was quick to pop in front of him and block him off!

"You just don't give up, do you?" Sunburn asked as he glared down the Evil Phoenix Dragon.

"I could say the same for you!" The Evil Phoenix Dragon crowed as it vanished into a burst of purplish-red fire in the vague shape of a phoenix!

Sunburn teleported away as it tried to charge into him, then with the flames still warm and eager at his feathers' tips, Sunburn himself was enveloped in fire before he dashed right into it! The two of them smashed into each other as they tailed each other around the battlefield, then finally Sunburn swept left and disappeared in a burst of fire! He grunted as he appeared behind the Evil Elf Archer, but the Evil Elf Archer hardly noticed his appearance as it drew its bow towards Flameslinger!

"Flameslinger, look out!" Sunburn cried as he teleported away once more!

Flameslinger and the Evil Elf Archer both jolted up and looked around in confusion, but while they searched for Sunburn, Flameslinger's grip on his bowstring slipped! Without even realizing, he had shot an arrow directly towards Eruptor! Luckily Eruptor whipped around and dodged in the nick of time, but he still didn't seem particularly happy as he turned to Flameslinger and snarled,

"Watch where you're shooting!" Eruptor shouted as he waved a fist at Flameslinger, "You could've—"

Before Eruptor could even finish chewing out Flameslinger, the Evil Lava Monster smacked him in the gut with a lava blob! Eruptor stumbled back and snarled, but that snarl turned to a queasy look as he hacked up magma that spilled all cross the battlefield!

Sunburn winced as he teleported away from the spilling lava and landed closer to where the Evil Phoenix Dragon was dashing away from it, then flapped his wings and got ready to teleport as well… But before he could, lava seared his claws and forced him to leap into the air! He hissed as he blew off his claws, but while he tried to cool them down, he didn't see the Evil Phoenix Dragon teleport right behind him. By the time he heard it caw, it was too late! It had already charged into him and tossed him back onto the stone floor!

Chihiro, meanwhile, just stood and bit her lip as the battlefield around her unfolded into a mess of fiery fights and flaming wreckage! The Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster weren't going to relent anytime soon, but Kaos was already so close to the cavern's entrance!

"I can't just let him just waltz right in there and take the Eternal Fire Source!" Chihiro proclaimed as she tapped her feet and steeled her gaze, "I've gotta do something!"

Chihiro dashed ahead and weaved through the intermingle of lava, flaming arrows and fiery bursts that surrounded the battlefield, then ducked her head and rolled across the warm stone floors! As she skidded away from Sunburn, who was tossed back by another blow from the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Chihiro bounded towards the cavern entrance and summoned a magic sphere.

"Stop right there, Kaos!" Chihiro ordered as she smacked the sphere right towards Kaos!

Kaos grunted and didn't even bother to turn around as the sphere ran towards him. He just snapped his fingers and it disappeared in an instant!

"Well, well, seems I forgot a link in the chain!" Kaos remarked as he turned around and snarled, "Eh, I can just take care of it RIGHT NOW!"

Kaos's hands turned bright red as he summoned and shot off waves of spheres, and in response Chihiro teleported out of each one's path and shot off spheres of her own! Not that hers were any more effective than the ones Kaos threw out, for each and every one was parried by a sphere of Kaos's own. Chihiro winced, then glanced aside for just a moment… But in that moment she turned away, Kaos blasted her at her feet and tossed her off the cliff! Kaos grinned as Chihiro soared down the cliff, but that grin quickly dour as she grabbed on the cliff's side and backflipped her way back onto the top.

"Sorry Kaos, but you're not shaking me that easily!" Chihiro proclaimed as she leaned over and heaved heavy breaths, "I'm your opponent right now, whether you like it or not!"

"Oh, so you can do a backflip now, how impressive." Kaos scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Are there any other tricks up your sleeve?"

Chihiro made a scoff of her own as she summoned a handful of magic orbs. "Oh I'll give you some tricks, alright!"

Chihiro tossed her orbs to the sky, and in return they transformed into magical shuttlecocks and expanded until they were the size of dragons! While they hovered in midair, Chihiro leaped up, summoned a gigantic tennis racket and shot them down at Kaos in one mighty blow!

Kaos gasped, then summoned some large magic spheres of his own and fired them at the shuttlecocks… But they just flew out of the spheres' way and stormed straight towards Kaos! Kaos turned wide-eyed as the shuttlecocks' collective shadow cast upon him and his jaw dropped wide open.

"Uh oh."

All at once, the shuttlecocks crashed into Kaos and left a nasty, smoky crater in the rocky ground below!

"Yes, finally! It finally landed!" Chihiro cheered as she bounced up and down. Just as she hovered in midair, however, the sound of a screeching energy blast made her shriek and dart away!

"I wouldn't be so cocky, if I were you!" Kaos sneered as he stepped out of the dusty crater, "Something like that wouldn't keep me down forever!"

"Yeah, I figured!" Chihiro spat back as she summoned another sphere, "But trust me, I'm not letting you get off that easily!"

Kaos just shrugged his shoulders and stepped away from the sphere Chihiro threw at him.

"I don't know~! If I were you, I'd be more concerned about those Skyblunderers of yours! After all, they're losing pretty badly!"

Chihiro gritted her teeth, and for a moment her gaze turned back to the battlefield where Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn fought against those Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster.

The three of them tried their best, but each blow they cast was evenly matched! And conversely, every blow the minions threw at them took just as much out of them as if it was of their own strength! They tried their hardest to hold out… But just then, Eruptor was lava-blasted down to the ground by the Evil Lava Monster, Flameslinger was trapped by firewalls created by the Evil Elf Archer at every turn he tries to take, and Sunburn got tackled and cast aside by a nasty tackle from the Evil Phoenix Dragon's!

They all screamed as they crashed onto the ground, and Chihiro herself let out a gasp of her own as the screams hit her ears!

"Rupty, Flames, Sun!" Chihiro cried as she watched them reel from the heat of battle, then shuddered as Kaos cackled behind her.

"It seems those incompetent minions can handle those Skylosers well enough!" Kaos crooned as he turned around, "In fact, I'll ahead and get the Eternal Fire Source!"

Chihiro gasped and turned around, but just as quickly as she looked ahead, her gaze trailed back to Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn as they struggled down below. It was almost like she was hesitant, perhaps even indecisive on whether she should stop Kaos or help them!

"But first…" Kaos snapped his fingers and grinned as he ran in, "I'll leave you with a little present! A nice, hot shower of BRIMSTONE RAIN!"

The sound of burning flames ignited above, and before even knew it gigantic chunks of flaming brimstone poured down like a rainstorm's torrents!

Down on the lower half of the battlefield, the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster were quick to dash away and take shelter as the rain started…

But Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn were left so weakened by their battle that they could only wince as the brimstone rained down! They winced as it drew closer and closer to them, them jolted up from shock as a cyan shield came over them! They gazed in wonder as the brimstone bounced off the shield and extinguished itself as it rolled off, but that gaze of wonder turned to shock fast enough.

"Wait, where's Chihiro?" Eruptor asked as he looked behind the shield, "She was just there a second ago!"

They all gasped as they looked around, then Sunburn turned his head up to the caves and dropped his jaw!

"There!" He cried as he pointed a claw to the caverns.

Eruptor and Flameslinger both followed Sunburn's gaze, and just barely caught a trace of Chihiro's back as she tailed a familiar black cloak into the cavern!

"Oh sweet Ancients!" Eruptor cried as the shield vanished, "Don't tell me she's going after Kaos herself?"

"She's gonna be toast!" Flameslinger cried as he slung his bow around his back and started to run, "Come on, we've gotta catch up with her!"

The three of them bolted towards the ramp that lead up to the caverns, but before they could, the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster leaped out of their hiding places and raced in front of the way!

"Forgetting someone?" The Evil Lava Monster asked as it held out his glowing hands.

Eruptor snarled as his own mouth glowed with bright hot rage, then he leaned forward and slugged the Evil Lava Monster right in the face!

"We don't have time to deal with you!" Eruptor exclaimed with such intensity that drops of lava spat out of his mouth!

The Evil Lava Monster groaned and wiped the lava from its own mouth as it heaved heavy, body-shaking breaths.

"AND WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE TO YOU!"

The Evil Lava Monster flung Eruptor back with a series of magma blasts, while the Evil Elf Archer and Phoenix Dragon took this as a cue to attack once more! The two of them shot off twin bursts of flames at Flameslinger and Sunburn, then snarled as Flameslinger and Sunburn quickly jumped out of the way!

Once again the battlefield was lit with the burning flames of war as Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn battled away, but this time they were much less focused. Their attacks were slow to fire and quick to be dodged, and they themselves seemed almost preoccupied with something as they tried to dash and dodge the minions in favor of speeding up the way just to get blasted away or blocked! As the three of them were tossed off their path yet again, they all grunted and lunged down, their breaths pained as they held their chests and lurched over... But even so, a light of worry shone in their faces as they turned their attention to the path ahead.

And who could blame them? After all, Chihiro was in there alone with Kaos, and it was unlikely that she'd be able to hold her own against him by her lonesome! But, these minions just wouldn't relent, and they were evenly matched for power so overpowering them was unlikely. And yet, there still had to be some way to stop them…

Flameslinger grunted as he shot a barrage of flaming arrows at the Evil Elf Archer, who just dashed off and grinned as Flameslinger's arrows were absorbed by the flaming wall it left behind! Flameslinger hissed as his stiff posture loosened a bit, then gritted his teeth and darted away from an arrow rain above him.

"How in Skylands are we gonna stop these guys? Everything we throw at them, they throw right back at us!" Flameslinger hissed under his breath as he swerved out the way of an arrow-born bonfire, "They've completely matched all our attacks…"—Flameslinger stopped in his tracks and dropped his jaw—"Unless…"

Flameslinger grinned, then zipped in between where Eruptor and Sunburn faced their evil counterparts, and in the process ignited a wall of fire that stretched towards the ceiling. And more importantly, he completely blocked off the Evil Phoenix Dragon, Elf Archer and Lava Monster!

"Flameslinger!" Sunburn shouted as he shook his head and turned back to Flameslinger, "What're you doing? I just about had that guy!"

"Listen, I've got an idea!" Flameslinger said as he grinned and stashed his bow.

"Huh?" Eruptor and Sunburn uttered as they raised their brows, then frowned as Flameslinger whispered into their ears.

Eruptor and Sunburn nodded as their eyes dawned with realization, then all three of them turned around as a harsh screech sounded off outside their flaming barrier!

The flame walls evaporated in puff of embers and crackling sparks as the screech disappeared, and unveiled that down on the floor resided a sparkling pile of purple and red spheres! Above that pile, the Evil Lava Monster and Evil Phoenix Dragon both sighed and shook their heads.

"We told it that was a bad idea, but does it listen to us?" The Evil Lava Monster groaned as it pinched its brows, or at least tried to given its lack of fingers, "Not at all!"

"What was a bad idea?" Sunburn asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Running into the fire walls, of course!" The Evil Phoenix Dragon scoffed, "We try to warn it, we both said 'Just because you're a fire elemental doesn't mean—'"

The Evil Lava Monster and Phoenix Dragon blinked, then looked back towards Sunburn and leaped back!

"Actually, what are we doing blabbing around?" The Evil Phoenix Dragon cried as it leaped towards Sunburn, "We've got a fight to finish!"

Sunburn grinned as he teleported away right before the Evil Phoenix Dragon could dash into him, then popped over across the battlefield! The Evil Phoenix Dragon snarled as it teleported forward and dashed towards Sunburn once more, but once again Sunburn just teleported away! As he reappeared a couple feet away, the Evil Phoenix Dragon dashed forward and teleported away… Then as it reappeared, it squawked in shock as it found that Sunburn was no longer there!

"Sorry buddy, I'm right here!" Sunburn cried as he teleported behind the Evil Phoenix Dragon, then teleported away as it charged after him, "Whoops, actually I'm over here!"—Sunburn grinned as he reappeared, then disappeared once more—"Sorry, too slow!"

The Evil Phoenix Dragon's beak twisted into a snarl as Sunburn teleported around it, and in that moment it was completely stopped in its tracks! Its head whipped around as it tried to figure out where Sunburn would come from next, but it was near impossible! Sunburn moved faster with every single teleport he performed, until he was moving by the split-seconds!

"Over here!"

"Over there!"

"Up high!"

"Down low!"

Sunburn's cries rang in the Evil Phoenix Dragon's ears, but it paid little mind to him. By that point, Sunburn had teleported so much that the Evil Phoenix Dragon stopped in its tracks as it tried to figure out just where he'd go next! Finally, it growled and opened its beak as it got ready to shoot off a barrage of flames… But what it released instead was a shrill squawk as Flameslinger's arrows shot towards it and pierced right through its back! The Evil Phoenix Dragon froze with wide eyes as it made a few more hoarse, pained squawks, then finally it exploded in a collection of purple and red spheres!

Flameslinger smiled as he blew off the smoke that lingered around his bowstring, then flicked his ears and jumped away as the Evil Lava Monster lobbed smoking hot magma blobs at him! Flameslinger turned around and went to fire his arrows once more, but the lava blob storm was so intense he didn't get the chance! He would load his arrows and prepare to fire, but before he could get into position, another lava blob would force him out of the way! So instead, he waved a hand at Sunburn, then waved to Eruptor and dashed back and forth in front of the Evil Lava Monster, who snarled as it spewed out a whole shower of flaming hot magma!

But what the Evil Lava Monster didn't realize was that while it was melting down the arena, Sunburn teleported behind it and dashed right into its back! The blow tossed it off balance and tossed it face-first into the lava puddles. While it sat up and brushed the lava from its face, Flameslinger released his bowstring and shot a round of arrows straight at its face! However, with the Evil Lava Monster being made of hard volcanic rock, those arrows did little aside from bouncing off of its body and making it very annoyed.

"What, did you really think a few arrows would stop me?" The Evil Lava Monster asked as it got up and laughed.

"Nope!" Flameslinger chirped as he proudly shook his head, "But I'm pretty sure a few rocks could!"

The Evil Lava Monster gasped and turned around to find itself face to face with Eruptor, who spat a burning, hot flaming rock in its face! The impact was great enough that its whole back popped open before its whole body exploded into a shower of purple and red glowing spheres.

But, this was hardly of notice to Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn, who immediately made a beeline for the caverns above…

§

Chihiro heaved faint, shallow breathes as she tailed the sight of Kaos's black robes down the corner of the caverns. Everything around was so hot that it made her whole body boil, and yet the heat barely bothered her at all as she pursued Kaos! After all, he hadn't seemed to notice her yet. This would be the perfect time to catch him by surprise and snag the Eternal Fire Source! As the two of them bolted down one of the hallways, Kaos came to an abrupt stop out of nowhere! Now was her chance! Chihiro's hand glowed blue as she got ready to shoot… But that glow shorted out as Kaos whipped around and grinned!

"Awfully stubborn, aren't we, portal poster?" Kaos sneered as his grin stretched further while he gave Chihiro that snide look that made her sick to her stomach.

Chihiro snarled, but dug her heels into the ground as she flicked her hand and made it glow blue once more.

"This is the end for you, Kaos!" Chihiro vowed as she prepared to shoot, "I'm not letting you get the Eternal Fire Source!"

Kaos just snapped his fingers and summoned crackling, crimson flames in an instant. "You know, you said the same thing at the Fairy Kingdom, right before I nearly brought about your doom!"

Chihiro gasped, and for a moment her mind completely shut down as memories of her confrontation with Kaos rang back into her mind. His twisted laughter, the snarl on his face, how he came so close to ending her life right then and there… Her whole body started to lock up, but Chihiro just shook her head and shot off an energy sphere!

"I've gotten a lot stronger since then, Kaos!"

"I don't know about that~" Kaos parried the sphere like a paper plane and smirked as it diverted into the ceiling and exploded into a shower of cyan sparks, "I mean, I completely wiped the floor with you and those pathetic Skylanders when you tried to steal away my Eternal Undead Source!"

Kaos's grin curled around his cheeks as he shot off a round of flames.

"FACE IT, PORTAL POSTER! YOU'RE FAR TOO WEAK TO EVEN FACE ME, MUCH LESS BEAT ME!"

Chihiro gulped as the flames came towards her, then steeled her brows as she dove under one, dodged the next, then ducked right as twin flames barreled towards her and grinned as those twin flames crashed into each other! With the danger out of the picture, Chihiro smirked at Kaos and laid a hand on her hip.

"I don't know, Kaos, if that's the strongest you have to offer, I think I'll do just fine!"

For a moment, Kaos's grin faded into a snarl, but he just shook his head and stepped forward as more flames ignited in his palms. He tried to keep that cool, calm, aura, but the sweat that dripped down his head completely betrayed his shock.

"Oh, that was just a warm-up, portal poster!" Kaos warned as the flames grew as big as Kaos himself, "I've got way worse things in store for you, things a measly imposter could never handle!"

Kaos cackled as the flames grew bigger and bigger, to the point where their flames lapped against his head and heated the room at least a full twenty degrees hotter! Crap, that would be a problem!

Chihiro gulped, and this time it was her who tried to hide her concerns as she glanced around the room in search of some sort of escape or help… Then finally, she gulped and stood tall with a sly grin.

"Okay, I give, I'd probably be too weak to hold off your attacks..."

Kaos lifted up his head and raised an eyebrow, almost as if he was intrigued to see Chihiro so quick to admit defeat. The sight made her own smirk grow wider as she hid a glowing hand behind her back and snapped her fingers.

"But, oh, I don't know, that guy behind you seems pretty tough!"

A mighty roar blew Kaos face-first onto the ground, then with a started yelp he turned around and screamed—for behind him, a gigantic, cyan dragon nearly completely closed off the halls! It snarled as it opened up and got ready to bite… But instead of eating Kaos in one gulp, it exploded into an encroaching cyan light!

Kaos wailed in pain and flailed around, but Chihiro just chuckled as she whipped on some magical sunglasses and darted ahead! Truthfully she'd have to perfect her larger magic minion spells, but at least this one bought her some time!

"OWCH!" Kaos cried as Chihiro stomped on his hand, "WAIT, WHO STEPPED ON MY GLORIOUS EVIL HANDS?"

Chihiro's grin grew even wider as she rounded the corner while the bright, cyan light faded into the background enough that she could magic away her sunglasses. Chihiro cast out her hand and summoned a magical skateboard, then leaped on and skated down the pathways! Now, she'd surely leave Kaos in the dust! Chihiro grinned as her skateboard swerved down a tunnel, then perked her head up as screeching echoed from down the halls. Wait, screeching? But she didn't see any bats around here! Chihiro turned her head backwards, then jolted up as a bright red blast dashed past her!

"Did you really think you could leave me in the dust, you stubborn little imp?" Kaos proclaimed as he turned around and flared with bright red magic, "Well, you were a FOOL to think that!"—Kaos's hands lit up even brighter as he shot off a trio of magic blasts—"NOW LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT WE DO TO FOOLS LIKE YOU!"

Chihiro gasped, then caught some air as she leaped over the second and swerved out the way of the third as she finally hit the ground! Though she had shaken the first two, the third wasn't exactly going away any time soon! It screeched hard and fast towards her, but Chihiro just smirked and blasted it down with a magic blast of her own!
As the spheres exploded into colorful sparkles, Chihiro leaped through the light shower and teleported straight in front of Kaos!

"You're not the only one who can do magic tricks, you know!" Chihiro responded as she swung forward and spun her skateboard straight into Kaos's gut, "Take this!"

While Kaos shot into the ground and coughed, Chihiro leaped off of the skateboard and raced back down the halls! After all, a nice punch to the gut like that would definitely keep Kaos down for a while! Surely she'd be up to the Eternal Fire Source before… Actually, nevermind.

Chihiro stumbled backwards as a burst of lava flared up ahead of her, then winced as she glazed over a series of tall stone platforms that stood firm and wide over a bright, burning pool of magma! Chihiro bit her lip, then teleported onto the first platform and fixed her eyes on the second. Maybe if she got a running start, she could leap onto the second! Chihiro bent her knees and got ready to make a break for it, then leaned backwards and stumbled as the platform ahead of her started to turn sideways!

Thankfully she caught her focus right as the platform split in half and sank into the magma ocean, but how? They looked stable enough! Chihiro jumped away to the side as a threatening screech filled the air, then gasped as several bright red orbs flew down from the halls and slammed into the next several platforms' bases with such force that they all collapsed!

"HA, HA, HA!" Kaos wheezed as he hobbled down from the depths and held his stomach, "That's me laughing at your futile attempts to stop me! What are you going to do now, huh?"

Chihiro hissed, then flew over to the first collapsing platform and leaped to the second from its stone surface! Though the world crumbled around her and Kaos's blasts were still coming, she had seen enough wall jump techniques to know how to get out of here! This would be a breeze!

"HEY, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO JUMP FROM THEM! THAT'S CHEATING!"

Before she could jump, though, something popped off behind Chihiro and startled her enough that she turned around and caught Kaos, who had teleported right behind her! She grunted, then scaled the platform she stood on and leaped aside right as he charged after her!

As she landed on the platform after, she bent her knees and got ready to jump… But before she could, the platform crumbled underneath her feet and cascaded into the depths of the deep, hot magma! Chihiro leaped forward and floated in mid-air, then snarled as a floating Kaos held out a hand that brimmed with magic.

"Guess I'm gonna have to wing it!" Chihiro proclaimed as she spun around.

Magical, cyan-colored angel wings popped onto her back in a flash and flapped off with such might that it propelled Chihiro straight through the halls! Chihiro spun around and propelled through the tunnels like this was something she was born doing as the hot air caressed her hair in a kind of warm, comforting way. Now she supposed she understood why people loved flying so much! This was fun!

Chihiro glided away from a string of low blasts that drilled through the remaining platforms, then corkscrewed ahead and grinned as the other side of the tunnel came in sight! She screeched to a halt in midair, then her wings gently flapped and provided a soft, cool breeze around her as her feet hit the stone floors! While her wings vanished into thin air, Chihiro strode forward and bolted down the halls, but another pop behind her told her she wasn't the only one running here!

"Get back here, portal poster!" Kaos cried as he shot off a round of magical flames, "No amount of running will save you from your ULTIMATE DOOM!"

Chihiro yelped and jumped aside as several of the flames singed the ground behind her, then turned around and shot a blast of magical water straight at Kaos as she dashed back down the halls!

Kaos yelped in surprise, though his cries were drowned and distorted under the water's gargles, then shook himself off and floated back down the halls as he summoned a magical sword!

"Oh, you may be able take the long range attacks perfectly fine," Kaos proclaimed as he zoomed up behind Chihiro and swung his sword, "But what if I make it UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL?"

Chihiro instinctively drew her own sword and slashed it back at Kaos as the two of them bolted down the halls, neck in neck as they traded slashes and cuts and blows!
Footsteps and clashing metal echoed throughout the halls as the stone walls turned redder and hotter and brighter with every step Kaos and Chhiro took, though they were so fixated on fighting each other they didn't even notice the change in scenery!

Chihiro skidded backwards and screeched to a stop as she stood in front of the entryway ahead, all while her sword ground against the might of Kaos's blade! But while those two blades fought, she merely held out her hand and summoned a second sword! With a grunt, Chihiro flung both swords in front of her body, cast in the shape of an X as they blocked another swing from Kaos's end, then she spun forward and slashed the ground around her! She had become a sharp, magical metal hurricane that carved through the air and rock around her, and Kaos was completely taken aback! She had struck so fast, she snapped against the hilt of his sword and tossed it straight against the walls! The sword disappeared in a flash, while Kaos let out a grunt of shock!

"FINE! IF YOU WANT TO PLAY WITH KNIVES," Kaos proclaimed as he summoned a swirling red cloud around him, "I'LL GIVE YOU ALL THE KNIVES YOU WANT!"

The red cloud around Kaos transformed into an entire array of sharp, pointy magical swords that swarmed straight towards Chihiro!

Chihiro gripped her swords' hilts tighter, then slashed ahead and tossed the swords aside… But, something started to feel off. She felt exhausted not necessarily from combat's fatigue, but rather from heat! Everything around had grown muggy and swollen with warmth, and it made Chihiro herself just as warm and tired! Her movements became slower and less precise as her vision blurred from the heat, but the swords struck just as eagerly as they did before!

Finally, Chihiro just grunted as she tossed her swords in the air, then struck them with a magic bolt that forced them to explode! Right as Chihiro dashed away, the swords' explosions coated the halls in a thick blue fog, the perfect cover for Chihiro to escape under!

"Hey, wait, what's going on? Why am I back at the castle?" Kaos cried as he let out a series of pants, "And… When did it get so hot around here? Did somebody turn off the air conditioning?"

Hallucinatory mist! Now that was a spell Chihiro was glad she picked up while studying, because she had completely shaken Kaos and dashed down the halls. As she ran forward, the walls around her burned brighter and brighter with heat… But why? Just what's going on?…

Just ahead, the entrance shone with a bright warm light doused in red, and Chihiro couldn't help but burst through as the warmth vanished! Chihiro stopped and held her head as the heat swelled further, then lifted it again as the bright red light crossed her face and gasped!

She had found herself in a sleek, stone cavern that shone bright from the red crystals that stuck out from its walls, but that was hardly of note. Rather, the crown jewel of the room was a bright, red oval that radiated with both light and heat, probably thanks to the white-hot flames that crackled within its heart! Just being around this oval made Chihiro feel like she was going to melt into a puddle… Yes, this had to be the Eternal Fire Source!

Chihiro grinned and dashed forward, then leaped up to grab the Eternal Fire Source, but at the last moment, something exploded by her feet and tossed her across the room! Chihiro grunted as she slid across the hard, burning earth, then pulled herself up and winced.

"FINALLY!" Kaos crooned as he floated in with a sickening grin on his face, "I'VE REACHED MY PRIZE!"

"Kaos!" Chihiro cried as she staggered back up and slouched down a bit, "How'd you shake that mist?"

Kaos cast a glare at Chihiro and snickered. "Did you really think a cheap trick like hallucina-something mist would stop me, the greatest evil portal master of all time? WRONG!"

Kaos turned his eyes back to the Eternal Fire Source and cracked his knuckles.

"Nothing can stop me from taking what's mine! Once I have the Eternal Fire Source, you and your stupid Skylosers will be nothing more than ashes in the wind!"

Chihiro growled, then leaned in and bolted towards Kaos!

"NOT IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!"

In one swift movement, Chihiro grabbed Kaos by the shoulders and tossed him right towards the wall! Kaos screeched as he flew back, then shook his head and stopped mid-trip! As he hovered in mid-air, Kaos summoned a series of orbs and shot them straight at Chihiro… But she just summoned a row of shields and charged down each one! As both the shields and the orbs exploded in mid-air, Chihiro summoned a magical hammer and charged towards Kaos once more!

"Take this!" Chihiro shouted as she bounded forward and slammed down her hammer, "HYAH!"

Kaos slid out of the way right as Chihiro's hammer hit the ground, but that wasn't enough to discourage her! She swung it around once more, then as he dodged that, she bolted down and slammed her hammer every which way she could! Kaos growled, then held out his hands and shot a round of magical flames right at Chihiro! Chihiro gasped, then stumbled back and gripped her hammer tighter, while the hammer itself transformed into a magical baseball bat within her grasp!

"PLAY BALL!" Chihiro exclaimed as she swung her bat and batted each and every one away.

This wasn't that much of a feat, given that at most these magic flames weren't bigger than an actual baseball… Save for the last one, which bloated in size as it flew until it was at a meteor's weight!

Chihiro froze, ducked down as she tossed her baseball bat above, then cringed as the flaming blast snapped her bat clean in half! Chihiro gasped as the broken fragments of her bat fell to the floor and vanished in a flash of magic… And unfortunately, this gave Kaos the perfect opening! While the bat disappeared right before her eyes, Kaos shot another sphere right towards Chihiro and slammed her into one of the piping hot cavern walls!

Chihiro screamed in pain as the heat seared into her back, then winced as she slunk down. She wanted to get up, but the burns hurt her so bad that it completely sucked the energy out of her. As she groaned and rubbed her aching arms, Kaos crept up to her and cackled.

"Seems we know who the victor is here, portal pest," Kaos smirked as he looked at the Eternal Fire Source, "Now, be a good little pest and stay there while I take my prize and finish you off!"

Chihiro shook her head and clenched her teeth so hard she was sure they'd almost snap. The battle wasn't won yet! Even if her entire body seared with pain, she still had fight in her, and she wasn't going to give up now!

"NOT THIS TIME, KAOS!" Chihiro exclaimed as she leaned up and stampeded forward, "I'M NOT LETTING YOU WIN THIS!"

Though her balance was uneven and she swung from side to side as she ran, Chihiro kept the pace long enough to spring forward and tackle right into Kaos! It was so unexpected, too, that he could only turn around and watch as she grabbed him and pinned him to the ground!

"HEY, HEY! LET ME GO!" Kaos demanded as he squirmed and kicked, but Chihiro had no intention of doing that anytime soon!

Instead, she hissed as she swung her head back and conked him right in the head with her own!

"OWCH!" Both Kaos and Chihiro cried as they sat up and stumbled about. Admittedly, hitting Kaos head-first probably wasn't the best idea for an intervention… But it worked well enough!

The two of them groaned and collapsed to their knees as they rubbed their aching heads, then both of them perked up as faint footsteps crossed the air amid the sounds of screeching heat and crackling embers.

"That's Chihiro's voice!" Cried a gravelly voice that was without a doubt Eruptor's!

Right as Chihiro and Kaos both came to their senses, a trio of footsteps reverberated around the halls right as Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn dashed into the room!

"Guys! You made it!" Chihiro cheered as Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn burst through the entrance, then smirked as she turned to Kaos.

"You're really in for it now, Kaos!"

Kaos whimpered as he fell to his knees and broke into a nasty coughing fit, then snarled as he leaped up and floated in midair, all while bright red and purple magic swirled around him!

"We're not done yet, portal-poster!" Kaos warned as his eyes turned back to the Eternal Fire Source, "After all, nobody's claimed the Eternal Fire Source yet!"

Everybody gasped as all eyes turned to the Eternal Fire Source, while Kaos himself teleported over and reached out to touch it… But before he could, a volley of flaming arrows broke through!

"You'll get that Eternal Source over our dead bodies!" Flameslinger proclaimed as he dashed forward, "LET THE FLAMES BEGIN!"

Flameslinger dashed forward and leaped for the Eternal Fire Source, but before he could, a crimson magic orb slammed into his side and tossed him back onto the floor! Flameslinger grunted as he pulled himself off the stones, while Kaos himself just cackled as he glowered over Flameslinger.

"Over your dead bodies, huh?" Kaos crooned as his hands burned with bright red, magical flames, "I could do that!"

Kaos tossed his hands to the ceiling, and in response they formed into a bright red cannon that shot flaming brimstone down onto the ground! As Chihiro, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn danced around and tried their hardest not to get hit, Kaos grinned and let out a cackle! That is, until a tiny brimstone pebble bonked him in the head!

"Watch it, you stupid brimstone rain!" Kaos exclaimed as he turned around and shook a fist at the flaming red cannon, "I'm your creator, don't you dare hit me!"

While Kaos cursed out the flaming cannon in spite of the fact that it was technically not sapient in the slightest and couldn't respond, a thin smile stretched across Sunburn's beak. With a flap of his wings, Sunburn teleported between the stony raindrops and yanked out the Eternal Fire Source!

"I've got it!" Sunburn proclaimed as he held up the Eternal Fire Source!

However, he ended up proclaiming it a little too loudly, because Kaos yanked his head away from the brimstone cannon and gasped.

"GIVE THAT BACK, YOU FLAMING CHICKEN!" Kaos cried.

In a flash of red light, Kaos teleported behind his brimstone cannon, then turned it upwards so that it fired straight at Sunburn! Before he could even prepare, Sunburn was shot down by a storm of brimstone and tumbled to the floor, all while the Eternal Fire Source rolled out of his talons and hovered over the floor. Kaos grinned as he ran over and grappled towards the Eternal Fire Source, right as a burst of flame swept through and snagged it off the ground!

"Sorry Kaos, but you're in a line of fire!" Flameslinger shouted as he tucked the Eternal Fire Source underneath his arm and whipped out his bow, "MINE!"

With a pluck of his bowstring, Flameslinger shot off a swarm of arrows around Kaos, while Kaos instinctively flinched and threw his arms across his face… Except, the arrows didn't strike him! Rather, they landed in a circle around him and trapped him in a circle of fire! Kaos let out a mighty cry as he doused the flames with a sweep of his arms, then held up a hand set it ablaze with a snap of his fingers.

"You're not the only one who can play with fire!" Kaos proclaimed as he shot a string of fireballs towards Flameslinger, "TAKE THIS!"

Flameslinger gasped, then pursed his lips as he danced around the fireballs Kaos shot. But at the last minute, one fireball diverted out of the way! This sudden swerve threw Flameslinger for such a loop that he tripped over his own feet and tossed the Eternal Fire Source straight at Eruptor!

"I'VE GOT IT, I'VE GOT IT!" Eruptor cried as he bounced up and reached for the Eternal Fire Source right as it soared right past his head, "ACTUALLY, I DIDN'T GET IT!"

Kaos grinned as the Eternal Fire Source soared right towards him, then spread his arms wide as it came within catching range.

"COME TO PAPA!"

Kaos grinned and stretched out his hands as the Eternal Fire Source came closer and closer… But before he could snatch it up, somebody else zoomed by and snatched it right up!

Chihiro caught her breath as she flew through the air, then held the Eternal Fire Source close to her heart and held out her hand. If she could just channel its power, even a little, Kaos would be toast!

"YOU LITTLE PORTAL PEST!" Kaos cursed as he zapped over to Chihiro's side and swiped at her, "Give me back the Eternal Fire Source!"

"Never!" Chihiro proclaimed as she ducked and slid out of Kaos's grasp, all while she squeezed the Eternal Fire Source tight, "I'm not giving up until I bring the Eternal Fire Source back home!"

Chihiro winced and held out her hands while they crackled with those same, magical sparks that always crackled when she cast her magic, but then Kaos completely vanished from view! Crap, where'd he go? Chihiro yanked her head left and right as she tried to find him, but it seemed as though he found her first!

"I wouldn't quit your day job, portal-poster!" Kaos shouted as he blasted Chihiro in the back with something hard and burning!

Chihiro cried out in searing pain as she stumbled across the floor, and in the shock of the moment, her grip on the Eternal Fire Source released!

"Chihiro!" Flameslinger called as he dashed to Chihiro's side and pulled her up, "Are you alright?"

Chihiro winced and screwed her eyes shut as the pain coursed through her body. She wasn't sure if it was the heat or the shock, but that hurt way more than she was used to! Though the pain had numbed her senses somewhat, though, she could feel a distinct emptiness in her hands…

"The Eternal Fire Source," Chihiro gasped as she looked down at her empty hands, "Where is it?"

"RIGHT HERE!"

Chihiro turned her head back to Kaos, then gasped again before the pain overwhelmed her and caused her to stumble closer to Flameslinger's grasp! Now, the pieces of the puzzle fit themselves together. Before she even realized it, when Kaos hit her, the Eternal Fire Source must have flown out of her grasp and straight towards Kaos!

Now, Kaos grinned as he gripped the Eternal Fire Source, then stroked it and turned his attention to the ground below.

"Well, you tried, I'll give you that… NOT!"

The Eternal Fire Source brimmed with a threatening crimson aura, and all around them the whole room turned red with heat! Chihiro herself screamed and yanked herself off the ground from the shock as the heat around became completely unbearable!

"ETERNAL FIRE SOURCE! SEND THESE INSOLENT FOOLS TO A MAGMA-Y GRAVE!"

§

As Kaos grinned and teleported away, the sound of broiling, bubbling magma poured out from the halls below, all while the heat grew more intense! The ground underneath them rumbled and crackled with the heat… Then finally, the rocks shattered and spewed out hot, fresh magma!

Sunburn jumped to his paws and scurried away as a magma fountain spewed out from where he laid prior, then slammed straight into Eruptor as Eruptor tried to escape a row of magma geysers!

"Come on!" Chihiro exclaimed as she stumbled forward, but before she could say anything more another surge of pain dropped her to her knees!

Looks like that blow really did a number on her… Chihiro grunted as she tried to force herself to stand, then her body turned light as something pulled her to the ground! While the area around them rumbled and fell apart, Eruptor and Flameslinger yanked her off the ground and carried her down to the next exit!

"EVERYONE!" Sunburn shouted as he dashed down in a burst of flame, "AFTER KAOS, NOW!"

Eruptor and Flameslinger dashed in accordance with Sunburn, but Sunburn had quickly left them in the dust! By the time they had rounded the tunnel's first corner, he had already passed them by! And worse yet, magma was spurting all around from the cracks in the walls! Eruptor screamed and stumbled back as one spurt of magma nearly blasted him in the face, then ducked down as another poured from the ceiling!

Flameslinger winced as his head spun all around, then finally he relented and dashed ahead with literal rapid-fire speed… But it was only a spurt before he slowed down and panted. He tried to race again, but surely with the extra weight Chihiro and Eruptor posed to him it was a lot harder to run off.

Chihiro bit her lip while tears stung her eyes. They had come so, so close, and yet Kaos still managed to make off with the Eternal Fire Source! And worse yet, this wreckage from the crumbling caverns was catching up fast. They'd all be buried if they didn't speed up, in more ways than one! But, another surge of pain reminded her that she was still in no shape to run around, much less fight! In fact, she had to be carried by Eruptor and Flameslinger, and surely she was dragging them down,

So, Chihiro tried to yank herself away from Eruptor and Flameslinger's grasp. It wasn't easy given how much stronger they were compared to her…

"Chihiro, what are you doing?" Eruptor asked as he looked over at her, "All this yanking won't get us any fast—"

"Eruptor, let me go!" Chihiro exclaimed, "You need to leave me behind!"

Eruptor blinked and completely froze, then screamed and leaped out the way of a falling rock before Flameslinger dragged him and Chihiro further into the caverns.

"Chihiro, what are you talking about?" Flameslinger looked back at Chihiro and frowned.

Chihiro sniffled as the rumble and pound of exploding magma filtered in every which way.

"I'm only slowing you down!" Chihiro shook her head and wiped away her tears as she continued to try and wriggle out of Eruptor's grasp, "At this rate, we'll lose the Eternal Fire Source to Kaos!"

"So?" Eruptor and Flameslinger said in unison.

Chihiro completely froze from the sheer shock of hearing this, then shook her head and snarled! "What do you mean so? If we lose this, how will we finish the Core?"

"Chihiro, we can take on Kaos and get that Eternal Source back at any point! Heck, we already did it once!" Flameslinger explained as he looked down at Chihiro, and though his eyes weren't visible, his frown was cold enough to get his emotions across, "But, if we lost you, we'd never be able to get you back!"

Chihiro blinked back tears while her lip started to twitch. She had wanted to shoot back with some kind of response, some kind of argument, anything! But at the same time, those words echoed in her head and kept her from saying anything more, almost as if they kept her silent until Eruptor and Flameslinger finished.

"Yeah!" Eruptor chirped as he gently ruffled Chihiro's hair the best he could, "You're more than our portal master, you're our friend! You're just as important as any of those Eternal Sources!"

Flameslinger nodded to affirm Eruptor's words, his smile gentle and sincere.

"But, but…" Chihiro sputtered, then nearly jumped out of her skin as magma bubbled behind them. Seems as though the magma was catching up, so Chihiro grunted and pulled away.

"Looks like we'll have to speed things up a little!" Flameslinger exclaimed as he squeezed Chihiro's hand a little tighter than before! He knelt forward, then dashed ahead until Sunburn was back in their sights once more!

"And if speed's the problem…" Eruptor said as he looked back up at Sunburn, whose tailfeathers could just barely be seen around the corner, then waved over and jumped up and down. "Hey, Sunburn!"

Eruptor grinned as Sunburn teleported over to his side, then both of them leaped back as a rock fell down between them! Behind them, the magma poured around the corner and started to seep through the path behind.

"Hold on to me, you three!" Sunburn spat out as he held out his paws, "Seem like we'll have to take the teleport express!"

All three of them latched on to Sunburn's paw, then in a flash fire, Sunburn whisked them further down the cavern path in bits and spurts! As they popped in and out of the gentle, radiant warmth that was Sunburn's flames, Chihiro turned her gaze down at the ground and pursed her lips.

You're more than our portal master, you're our friend!

That's… That's what Spyro said, too! That she was their precious friend, the glue that held them together with that heart of hers. She had forgotten for a bit in the heat of the moment, but now those words had her mind captive and had forced her to think. After all, by all accounts they would probably have had a better chance of succeeding if they left her behind, but they would rather lose the Source than lose her! They were willing to sacrifice so much for her…

And heck, not just Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn, either! As she closed her eyes, those faint, faint memories of all her past missions came back to her, of all the times the Skylanders—her friends—protected her from harm's way and did their hardest to cheer her on through everything.

When she had gotten cursed that past time, Boomer and Trigger Happy and Drobot did everything the could to rush her to the infirmary, and everyone took turns spending time with her and cheering her up when she was still bed-bound and recovering! When she accidentally activated that Guardifound and got the whole island invaded by monsters, they still made sure she was safe and helped her clean the whole mess up! Even when she lost the Eternal Undead Source, they all banded together with her to figure out where it was, with no sort of grudge held towards her failure. And that wasn't even touching on all the times Spyro had saved her and helped her through some of their worst moments…

Just know that we are all quite proud of you, young Chihiro.

Those words Master Eon said to her returned to mind as her mind filled with memories of all the times they shared together, the good, bad, and in-between, something made those worries she used to have of losing them and not being what they needed seem so small and distant and irrelevant. Now, just from seeing how they were so determined to see this to the end together, she had finally started to understand.

As the realization finally dawned on her, the pain in Chihiro's body subsided enough for her to leap out of Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn's grasp and bolt down the halls, and she had good timing, too! Just ahead, light poured out from an open space that was surely the exit to these caves! With a new spring in her step, Chihiro sprinted outside and was blasted with intense heat and the sound of cackling!

She was back outside on a particularly large lava rock island with a firm crack in its heart, but she wasn't the only one, either. Just across form her, Kaos grinned as he toyed with some kind of communicator on his wrist, all while the Eternal Fire Source hovered beside him!

"To think, my plan's gone off without a hitch!" Kaos crowed as he toyed another knob, "There's no way those Skylosers and that portal poster haven't been buried under six feet of volcanic rock at this point! Now, I can finally have the Eternal Fire Source all to my—"

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, KAOS!" Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn cried at once as they all burst out of the caverns!

Kaos gasped, then lifted his head up with a snarl as he caught sight of the three of them and Chihiro. As he swept away his hand and let his sleeve cover his communicator, a subtle red glow of power emanated from his hands.

"How?" Kaos exclaimed as his snarl grew wider by the second, "How are you still alive? That explosion should have completely taken out those caverns!"

"Sorry, Kaos!" Chihiro shouted as she leaned back and smiled, "But it'll take more than an explosion or two to knock us down!"

"Yeah!" Flameslinger cried as he whipped out his bow, "You can throw whatever you want at us, but we're not gonna give up until we get back the Eternal Fire Source!"

Eruptor and Sunburn both nodded as their bodies grew bright with flaming warmth, and Chihiro herself summoned a magical sword and clasped its hilt tight. Confidence bubbled in her soul as she glared down Kaos. In this moment, she was entirely certain that they'd be able to stop Kaos and get back the Eternal Fire Source!

And yet, Kaos didn't seem any more intimidated that he did before as he stood before them. In fact, he seemed even more confident as he held out his arms and grinned.

"You can say that all you want, but there's little chance for you to win now!" Kaos proclaimed as he gestured to the Eternal Fire Source, "After all, I have the Eternal Fire Source! With it, I'm much more powerful than all of them combined! How can you possibly hope to stop me now, huh?"

Kaos grinned as he watched Chihiro step forwards. "And especially you, portal poser! You're being ridiculous if you think you stance a chance against me!"

Chihiro bit her lip and twisted her hand into a fist, then stepped further up with her head hung low. In that moment, she was sure she gave off… A different kind of energy than she usually did, a kind of cold defiance that turned all eyes on her, and yet it wasn't enough to break her concentration.

"You might be right, Kaos," Chihiro admitted as she bit her lip, then shook her head and lifted up eyes filled with fire, "I might not be as strong as you are, and I might not be as experienced either… Heck, on my own I might as well be toast!"

Kaos cackled so hard, he reeled forward like his sides had hurt.

"BUT, I CAN'T GIVE UP!"

Kaos jolted up and broke out of his laughter as Chihiro drew a circle in the earth and shoved a hand into her pocket.

"After all, I've got my friends right with me!" Chihiro grinned as she turned to Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn, then turned back to Kaos with a new confidence in her eyes. "And not just here, either! Back home, everyone's cheering me… No, they're cheering us all on! They're counting on us to take back the Eternal Fire Source and add it to the Core!"

"So?" Kaos said as he hands flared red, "What does that have to do with anything? How does that matter?"

"Oh, it matters a lot!" Chihiro narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward, all while cyan magic crackled around her and wings sprouted on her heels, "As long as I have them, as long as they're there to cheer me on and fight by my side, I can't give up! No… I WON'T give up!"

Chihiro dashed forward in rapid, zig-zag motion, so fast that not even Kaos could keep track as he whipped his head from side to side!

"The Skylanders, Hugo, Master Eon, all the friends I've made since I came here…" Chihiro leaped above Kaos, "They're what gives me the strength and will to keep fighting, even when things seem hopeless!"

Chihiro crackled in the heavens like a sparkling cyan comet, powered solely by her raw determination!

"So, you know what, Kaos? I'm not gonna let you scare me away from the fight! In fact, I'm gonna take you head on!"

And just like that, Chihiro launched herself at Kaos like a crashing comet! Kaos had looked up and gasped as she rocketed towards him at the speed of light, but by then it was too late! She slammed him against the warm stone, then grabbed him and tossed him against the walls of the cavern's exit! Chihiro chuckled as she stood up while the magic around her vanished. Man, it felt good to finally get one over Kaos for once! But, she couldn't let her guard down just yet. After all, despite being tossed into a stone wall, Kaos quickly jumped off and snarled.

"HOW DID YOU GET SO FAST? HOW?" Kaos demanded.

"Speed augmentation spell!" Chihiro smirked and snapped her fingers, "Rule number twenty-five of TV! Fancy monologues are the perfect distraction for your secret plot unfolding!"

Chihiro grinned as she turned back to the Eternal Fire Source. "And now, I'm going to get myself a little present~"

Chihiro bolted towards the Eternal Fire Source, but before she could reach it a magic blast blew her off her feet!

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Kaos cried as he dashed towards Chihiro, "I'm not going to let a STUPID PORTAL-POSTER LIKE YOU RUIN MY PLAN!"

Kaos snarled as he went to toss another magic blast at a recovering Chihiro, but before he could Eruptor sprung forward and tackled him out of the way!

"How about some stupid Skylosers then?" Eruptor asked as he pinned Kaos to the ground.

Kaos snarled, then slapped a glowing hand on his chest and kicked Eruptor away with a new strength! He leaped back to his feet and ran towards the Eternal Fire Source once more, but once again he was stopped, this time by a wall of fire! Kaos leaped away from the wall just in time to avoid getting burnt, but unfortunately he couldn't say the same for the arrow that Flameslinger shot at his toes!

"OWCH! NOT MY EVIL FEET!"

Kaos yanked the arrow out of his shoe and hopped around as he blew the flames off of his feet, then snarled as he turned back to Eruptor and Flameslinger.

"Oh, you'll pay for this!" Kaos reached out his side, "ETERNAL FIRE SOURCE, TO MY SIDE!"

But, it didn't come! Kaos just grappled at nothingness, then turned around and snarled.

"I SAID, COME TO ME, ETERNAL FIRE SOURCE! BURN THESE SKYLOSERS TO A CRISP!"

"Sorry, Kaos!" Chihiro proclaimed, "You won't be doing any more burning any time soon!"

Chihiro grinned, then brandished the Eternal Fire Source like a first-prize trophy! Its warmth poured into her body and filled her with a new energy, a new kind of power that made her invincible!

Kaos gasped, then snarled and teleported in front of Chihiro before he swung his arms towards the Eternal Fire Source!

"YOU'LL GIVE THAT BACK!" Kaos demanded as Chihiro teleported out of reach and followed after her, "I WON'T LET YOU ADD IT TO THAT CORE OF LIGHT! IT BELONGS TO ME! ME I TELL YOU, MEEEEEEEEE!"

Chihiro grinned and teleported again, and once again Kaos followed! Soon, it turned into a battle of teleports as Kaos popped in and out of existence to fling attacks at Chihiro or try to snatch away the Eternal Fire Source, all while she just popped away again and again! And no matter what he threw or did, she managed to escape every single time!

Finally, Chihiro popped back to Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn's side, then grinned as she held out the Eternal Fire Source.

"Ready to kick Kaos's butt?" She asked.

The three of them all grinned as they fixed their eyes on Chihiro, or more specifically, the Eternal Fire Source in her hands.

"You bet!" They all cried at once!

A wall of fire shrouded Eruptor, Flameslinger, Sunburn and Chihiro from Kaos's prying eyes and barrage of attacks, while the Eternal Fire Source glowed with an even more brilliant scarlet light than before! All at once, that same scarlet light spread to Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn, who all puffed out their chests and grinned as they glowed with that same warmth and power that the Eternal Fire Source held! The flames cascaded down soon enough, and when they did, they greeted Kaos with their powered-up selves! He seemed a bit taken aback as he stumbled backwards, but then snarled and stretched his fingers.

"I'd be prepared for a beating if I was you, Kaos!" Chihiro grinned as she hugged the Eternal Fire Source like a warm blanket.

Kaos, however, just scoffed.

"Alright, so you may have managed to get the Eternal Fire Source and give yourself a little power boost," Kaos said as bright red glows swirled around his arms, "But even without it, I'm still the ULTIMATE EVIL OVERLORD OF ALL SKYLANDS! I DON'T NEED A FLIMSY ETERNAL SOURCE TO SEND YOU TO YOUR DOOM!"

Kaos shot out his hands, and out from them came burst of magical fire that hurtled straight towards Eruptor and Flameslinger! Before those flames could hit, however, a massive birdlike figure made entirely of raw, white and blue flames seared through the magical fire blasts and made them explode in midair!

"WHO DID THAT?" Kaos demanded as he shot his head left and right, "WHO'S THERE?!"

Sunburn grinned as he stopped behind Kaos and flared his wings, all while his mouth crackled with fire… But before he could shoot, Kaos whipped around and shot Sunburn down with a gigantic magic blast! Sunburn squawked in pain as he skidded along the floor, but Kaos only grinned as he reveled in Sunburn's pain!

He whipped around and shot off more magic blasts towards Eruptor and Flameslinger, then Eruptor stepped forward and windmilled his arms around! Out from his hands came flaming magma blasts that shot towards Kaos's own magic blasts and incinerated them before they screeched towards Kaos! Kaos growled and teleported away, then hovered and held out hid hands like he was prepared to shoot more… Then screeched and teleported away as a barrage of gigantic flaming arrows headed right his way! Kaos teleported back on the ground and wiped his head, but the crackle of flames behind him told him he wasn't done yet!

As he whipped around while the arrows tailed him across the island, Kaos gasped and ran away! His breath was heavy and frantic as he tried to shoot back magic blasts at the arrows, and yet every single thing he threw their way, the arrows dodged! They spread out as he shot magic blasts in their center, skidded away as he tossed lasers their way, and only grew bigger and more powerful as they absorbed his flames!

While the arrows grew in size, Kaos screeched and dashed off, but he wasn't paying attention to where he was going at all! Before he knew it, he had run straight towards Chihiro and got slammed with a burning blue fireball!

Kaos grunted as he rolled backwards and just underneath the fleet of arrows, then frantically patted himself down as he tried to blow out the flames… Then he went flying yet against as a magma blast blew up beside him and tossed him into the air! Kaos grunted as he hung in midair, then shuddered as a burst of flame sounded off behind him.

"FEEL THE FLAME!" Sunburn cried as he manifested from the flames and dashed right into Kaos's back!

The force tossed a screaming, disoriented Kaos back down to Chihiro, who just smiled as she crackled her knuckles.

"This is going to be very cathartic," Chihiro whispered as the Eternal Fire Source glowed beside her.

Kaos snarled as he shot off a round of magic blasts, but Chihiro just snapped her fingers and flung her arm across the open space! A series of blue energy spheres that crackled with bright, hot blue flames manifested in the space she swiped, then burst through Kaos's spheres, launched themselves at Kaos and tossed him every which way!

"OWCH! OWCH! OWCH! OW! THAT BURNS!" Kaos cried as he was tossed left, right, up, down and all around as the fire spheres punched into him!

Finally, the last sphere smacked straight into his back and tossed him right into the heart of the rocky island! Kaos landed into the ground with a massive crash that left a decently-sized crater, then groaned as he crawled back out. He tried to stand, but couldn't even bring himself past his knees! After all, that battle had left him decently worn. His face was covered in nasty bruises, and his breath was heavy and strained from wearing himself down so much. Even the magical glows that usually surrounded him had completely faded, and left behind a sad, nasty little man…

Kaos snarled as he trudged around and forced himself to stand, then pointed a finger towards Chihiro and the Skylanders. "You… You haven't won… Won, just yet! I, I—"

"LORD KAOS!"

An orange pillar of light formed behind as that Glumshanks dude, who now held a half-melted pickax in his hand and was covered from head to toe in soot, teleported onto the battlefield.

"Glumshanks!" Kaos whipped around and frowned as he held his chest, "You… You look different, somehow… New haircut?"

Glumshanks let out a sharp hiss as his brows tightened, but as he got a closer look at Kaos, he shook his head and frowned.

"Forget about me! Look at you, Lord Kaos!" Glumshanks gestured towards Kaos's very worn form, "You need to get back home and rest!"

"But, but!" Kaos stumbled forward and fell to his hands and knees as he lifted his head back up at Glumshanks, "I can't leave now! I can't leave until I bring back the Eternal Fire Source!"

"With the state you're in, we'll be bringing you home in a body bag if this keeps up!" Glumshanks's eyes went wide as he yanked Kaos off the ground, "Besides, we've already activated out backup plan!"

"BACKUP PLAN?!" Chihiro, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn exclaimed at once.

Kaos gasped, then grinned as he looked back at them.

"That's right!" Kaos squirmed around in Glumshanks' grip and shook a fist, "Fine then, take the Eternal Fire Source! It's not like you'll be able to bring it back to the Core of Light when this volcano explodes!"

"Explodes?!" Chihiro stormed forward and scowled, "Kaos, what's going on here?!"

Kaos just chuckled as he pressed a hand against his chest.

"You see, in the unlikely event that my absolutely brilliant evil plot was foiled, I concocted an equally brilliant backup plan!" Kaos's eyes narrowed as the whir of a teleporter sounded around him, "My minions have tossed dynamite straight into the railway's volcano! With all that disruption, the volcano will explode and blow you insolents to bits before you can bring home the Eternal Fire Source!"

Chihiro let out a shrill gasp, then snarled as she tackled right for Kaos, but before she could reach him, he and Glumshanks vanished into thin air!

"HAVE FUN DYING~" Kaos cried as the teleporter light started to fade.

§

"You get back here, Kaos!" Chihiro demanded as she shook her fists towards the flash of teleporter light where Kaos and Glumshanks once stood, "Or, I'll, or I'll—"

Chihiro fell on her butt as a massive rumble shook the entire cavern, then scuttled back and screeched as boiling hot magma leaped from its pools and splashed against the rocks! As the magma cooled against the rocks, Chihiro skirted around it and winced as she examined the magma around them.

The once tepid and peaceful magma had completely changed in demeanor, its orange surface turned to a bright, violent red as it bubbled and shook like crashing waves, all while it slowly rose and ate up whatever stood in its path. Looks like Kaos wasn't lying about making the whole place blow!

Chihiro gritted her teeth and hastily stumbled backwards as more magma spurted from the ground, then lost her balance and fell back into the open center of their rocky battleground that started to completely fill with magma!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—" Chihiro screamed as she windmilled her arms around in some desperate attempt to regain balance!

But, right before she hit the lava floors, something warm in the good way formed behind her as something pushed her back to her feet.

"Careful there, Chi!" Sunburn warned as he flew around beside Chihiro, "If it weren't for me, you'd be a lot crispier right now!"

Chihiro giggled, then breathed a sigh of relief as she whipped around to Flameslinger and Eruptor.

"I don't know about you guys," Chihiro said as she turned her attention to the other side of the platform, where a stone bridge stood firm, "But I don't feel like becoming barbecue! Let's go out of—"

Chihiro bolted towards the bridge, then gasped and jumped back as the bridge was eaten up in one gulp by a massive magma blob!

"HERE?!"

Chihiro winced, then turned her attention back to the ground as the magma's bubbling and heat grew more intense. The magma had gotten a lot more aggressive, and not only that, it had started to sink the platform entirely! Though it wasn't super noticeable now with only a slight tilt, the whole place would go under before they knew it!

Eruptor and Flameslinger seemed to have noticed as well, because they both dashed towards the cavern entrance from where they came… But just before they could run inside, the rocks poured out from the ceiling and completely sealed off the entrance way!

"Now what?" Eruptor grumbled as he and Flameslinger stepped back, "There's no way we're getting off of here alive!"

"I wouldn't be so quick to say that, Eruptor!" Chihiro shouted as she bit her lip and scanned the premises before them, "There's gotta be some other way out of here!"

At least, Chihiro wanted to believe that. But, everywhere she turned, all she saw was bubbling, scorching hot magma, bright red rocks and structures made with those rocks, and even those didn't last long before the magma ate them up! Just how would they get out of this one? Chihiro winced and held the Eternal Fire Source close, then as its bright red light flared so bright it forced her to look away, Chihiro gasped. She had found her answer!

Just ahead of them, a fleet of stone rafts that sat firm atop the rocky magma sea sailed between series of tall, stone pillars, with the final one just a few feet away from the path they took to get to where they stood now! It would be a long shot, but if they could teleport there…

"Sun, Flames, Rupty!" Chihiro shouted as she waved them over, "I found out how we're gonna get out of here!"

The three of them dashed to Chihiro's side and followed her finger as she pointed towards the pillars and rafts, then Chihiro gave them a soft, confident smile.

"Sunburn, think we can teleport everyone over there?" Chihiro asked as she gently nudged him with her shoulder.

Sunburn's beak twisted into a frown, but he shook that frown as he peered back up at Chihiro.

"Who do you think I am, Chi?" Sunburn asked as he flared his wings, then turned back to Eruptor and Flameslinger, "Hands in, you two!"

Chihiro held out her hand, which was soon joined by Sunburn's claw, Flameslinger's hand, and Eruptor's… Well, whatever that rotund magma orb at the end of his arm would be considered. Though the magma bubbled and broiled and stole away the rocks around them, Chihiro screwed her eyes shut and tried her best to drown out the noises of her impending doom.

Rather, her entire focus was set on teleporting! She just envisioned that first, tall pillar and its smooth, hopefully not scorching hot surface, and she could only assume Sunburn did the same as his claw squeezed Chihiro's hand tight. Finally, the sound of magic and crackling flames swirled around Chihiro!

The ground disappeared under her feet for a few moments, then her sense of gravity returned to normal as her feet hit something that felt kind of like hot concrete on a scorching summer day! She popped her eyes open, and grinned as she found not just herself, but Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn on top of that pillar!… Albeit squeezed together so tightly that you could barely move your elbows without hitting someone, but it was better than getting burnt to a crisp.

"Owch!" Eruptor exclaimed as Chihiro accidentally jabbed him in the back, "Watch it, Chi!"

"Sorry, Rupty!" Chihiro shouted as she turned around, then giggled and held her head, "In my defense, this place looked way more spacious from way down below!"

A loud pop sounded off, then Chihiro blinked and shook her head.

"We don't have time to talk!" Flameslinger shouted as he looked back down at the ground and wince, "That lava's getting faster!"

Chihiro turned her eyes down to the ground and winced as magma splashed against the base of the pillar! The magma had started bubbling faster than before, and it had already gotten halfway up the pillar they stood on! It wouldn't be long before it completely enveloped the entire system! If they wanted to make it out alive, they'd have to be fast.

"Alright guys," Chihiro shouted as she tapped Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn with a glowing hand. while the three of them radiated with a blue glow in response, "We're gonna have to book it!"

Chihiro turned back ahead, where a simple stone bridge linked the pillar they stood on now with a second pillar that held a simple bounce pad.

"LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Chihiro knelt forward, then dashed across the bridge and stomped on the bounce pad! That simple leap launched her high in the air, so high that her head nearly brushed paths with the stalactites that barely hung from the ceiling, then finally she landed right on a lower pillar's bounce pad as well!

"WOOO-HOOOOOOOOO!" Chihiro cheered as she flew ahead, then turned around and grinned.

Flameslinger and Eruptor both dashed across and leaped from pillar to pillar, complete with Eruptor screaming as he flapped his arms in the air in some kind of attempt to keep balance. Sunburn, however, forwent the bounce pad route as he swept down, latched onto Eruptor's shoulders and teleported him onto the second bounce pad!

As Eruptor dropped down onto the bounce pad and flung forward, Chihiro gripped and whipped back around!

Her feet hit the next bounce pad and launched her in the air, then she pirouetted in mid-air, leaped onto a stone raft and sprung up to the raft ahead of it and teleported onto the next pillar! Chihiro grinned as she watched the path ahead, for there were only a few more pillars in sight! It wouldn't be long before they got back! Unfortunately, the popping of magma bubbles down below reminded her that it wouldn't be long before the magma caught up, either!

In fact, it had gotten dangerously close to just gobbling up the last few pillars entirely! There was only a little more space left before the first few pillars before the train went down… But, judging by the distance between where the train rested and where the first pillar was, there was no way they could make it without at least one teleport! Just when will the others get here?

"Eruptor!" Flameslinger shouted in the distance, "Hurry up!"

"I'm trying, Flameslinger!" Eruptor shot back, "I was built for strength, not speed!"

Something told Chihiro that this meant they wouldn't be back very soon… Chihiro winced as she cast some springy shoes around her feet, then leaped across the pillars and slammed down on the first pillar's bouncepad! She soared through the skies in a mere instant, then narrowed her eyes and teleported in mid-air to the train's side! With her feet on ground that was safely high enough to escape the magma for the time being, Chihiro whipped around and held her hands out.

"Alright," Chihiro said as her hands flared with a bright blue light, "Give me the strongest bridge you've got!"

Chihiro's hands crackled and popped, then out from her palms came a massive, solid magic bridge that crashed down on top of the pillars' surface, just before the magma pulled the first two pillars under! It took all Chihiro's might to keep it up, and every muscle in her body ached like she had just run a thousand-mile marathon… But despite the exhaustion and the oppressive heat, she had to keep this going! She wasn't going to leave her friends behind!

Flameslinger and Eruptor gasped as they hit solid, magical ground, then Flameslinger grinned and dashed up the ramp so fast it left a huge track of flames behind him!

"Close one," Flameslinger sighed as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

Eruptor, meanwhile panted as he dashed up the bridge, then screamed and stumbled back as nearly ran face to face with Flameslinger's flames! The shock threw him off balance, and before he even knew it he was skittering and stumbling about!

Chihiro gasped and yanked back, and in her brief moment of shock her bridge completely let up and vanished underneath his feet!

Eruptor hovered in midair for a few moments as he flailed about, then looked back down and blinked.

"Uh-oh," was the last thing he said before he started plummeting down towards the magma!

"Eruptor!" Chihiro called as her eyes went wide!

The magma below him was growing faster and faster, higher and higher, and something in Chihiro's gut told her that he wasn't going to float! Chihiro leaned down and crackled with magic as she got ready to teleport…

But before she could, a bright swirl of flames darted down across the magma seas and grabbed Eruptor before the flame swirl itself erupted into a bursting inferno! Chihiro jumped back as another burst of flames manifested before her, then grinned as it evaporated into Eruptor and Sunburn!

"Phew, close one!" Eruptor remarked as he wiped warm pebbles from his forehead, "For a moment, I was really starting to regret not learning how to swim!"

"But, why would you know?" Chihiro asked, "Why would they have pools in—"

The whole world rumbled around while decently-sized rock chunks fell from the ceiling and smashed against the ground, a firm reminder that the eruption was not going to wait for some small talk!

With all four of them reunited, they all dashed up to the train and tried to yank open the doors, but they were closed shut! So, they did the next best thing…

"DIGGS! OPEN UP THE TRAIN!" They all shouted at once as they banged on the side of the conductor's cab!

The magma seas bubbled so high that when it popped, its magma sloshed and lapped against the cliff they sat on! And of course, that only made them more frantic as they banged even faster!

"SERIOUSLY, DIGGS!" Eruptor cried as he continued to bang, "THERE'S AN ERUPTION WAITING TO HAPPEN! AND I DO NOT WANT TO GET CAUGHT IN ANOTHER ONE!"

Finally, Diggs rolled down the window while the sounds of heavy metal blared out the window at what was probably the highest volume they could go at! Heck, it was so loud that it nearly blew everyone away! Diggs groaned at first, then his grim expression turned gleeful as he caught sight of Chihiro, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn!

"Took you long enough!" Diggs chirped as he looked back at Chihiro, "So, didja send Kaos running home to his mom?"—Diggs' grin turned wider as he laid his eyes on the Eternal Fire Source—"And ya got the Eternal Fire Source too! Tell me, just what happened?"

"There's no time to talk!" Chihiro shouted, "This volcano's about to blow! We need to get out of here!"

Diggs just blinked and held a hand to his ear. "What was that? I've got my music up, sonny! You're gonna have to speak up!"

"I said…" Chihiro heaved a deep breath in and out as she summoned a magical megaphone, "THIS VOLCANO'S GOING TO EXPLODE! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE FAST!"

Diggs was blown back from the sheer force of Chihiro's voice, then blinked for a few moment as he cleaned out his ear.

"Say that again? I couldn't hear you!"

Chihiro snarled and gritted her teeth as she went to scream once more… Right as another rumble shook the entire caverns once again! This one was bad enough to make everyone fall to the floor, all while the magma rose higher and higher against the current and eat up the islands below!

Diggs blinked as the quakes receded, then the sounds of bubbling magma rising up the way caught his attention! He turned his glance out to the rising lava seas… Then he screamed and jolted back to the control panel!

"ACTUALLY, THAT CAN WAIT!" Diggs yanked down a lever and the passenger cab's doors flung open, "GET IN!"

"You don't have to tell us twice!" Chihiro exclaimed as she sprinted into the passenger cab and plopped down in one of the seats.

She bit her lip and hugged the Eternal Fire Source tight as Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn dashed in, then screwed her eyes shut as the train spun around and zoomed off! Everything around turned so fuzzy and shaky from the intense speeds that for a moment, it felt like the whole world had vanished! Chihiro popped her eye open just to make sure that wasn't the case… Then screamed and screwed her eyes back shut as magma splashed against the windows!

And she wasn't the only one who watched their little race against the oncoming explosion, either! Flameslinger and Sunburn both grimaced as they pressed their faces against the windows while the rising magma charged after them like a herd of raging bulls. Beside them, Eruptor groaned as he was rolled from side to side… Though Chihiro wasn't entirely sure if that was out of fear or trainsickness. Maybe a little bit of both.

Chihiro winced, then shuddered as the warmth of the Eternal Fire Source flooded into her body and made her hot under the collar. She pulled her arms away from it, then held out her hands and trapped it within a magical cylinder… And yet, the heat didn't seem to reside! For that matter, this whole cab was concerningly, blisteringly hot, and she wasn't the only one to notice this given that Flameslinger panted and tugged on his shirt's collar across from her.

The sound of sizzling and searing popped in her ears and gave her a headache as it sounded off nearby. Wait, sizzling? Searing? Chihiro clenched her teeth, then laid the Eternal Fire Source on her seat and dashed over to the dining car's door. With a firm yank, Chihiro pulled open the door and gasped!

The dining car had been lit with bright orange fire that burned away at the wood and metal, all while magma seeped in from open holes and cracks formed from the flames! And at the very back of it all, waves of magma flooded in and melted down the very back of the car until it was little more that hot, rocky sludge!

Chihiro gasped, then knelt down and scanned the floors. If that dining car stayed attached any longer, the magma would catch up with them in a flash! Surely there had to be something keeping this car attached that she could release.

"Chihiro, what are you doing?" Eruptor groaned as he rolled past Chihiro, then promptly cried out as he smacked his face into the side of the car.

"Come on, come on, where's the connector thingie?" Chihiro asked as she pressed her hands against the floor, "All train cabs have one, right?"

Chihiro narrowed her eyes and shuddered, then those narrow eyes went wide as she caught sight of a small, metal latch that linked both cars together.

"THERE!"

Chihiro snapped her fingers, and in response the latch came undone! Chihiro grinned and stood as the dining car rolled back down into the magma…

But another jolt from the train pushed her over and she lost her balance! Chihiro screamed and flailed about as she tried to regain it, but the force from the train's gathered speed was so great that she couldn't! She was pushed over in an instant and would have toppled onto the tracks had somebody not grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back!

"Careful now, Chi!" Flameslinger warned as he yanked her back into the passenger's car, "I don't think this is the time to play on the railways!"

Chihiro giggled, but her frown turned a bit solemn as she turned back and caught a glimpse of the dining car's last remaining bits before it was completely swallowed by the rushing magma. That should at least buy them a little more time, right? That's what she'd liked to believe as she slammed the passenger's door shut.

Chihiro bit her lip as she sat down back on her seat and hugged the Eternal Fire Source once more. She hoped that they would make it out safely… But the sounds of rushing, churning magma told her otherwise!

"It's catching up!" Sunburn exclaimed as he turned away from the windows!

Chihiro looked back down at the windows and froze, because Sunburn was right! Just behind the, the magma flood had turned to a raging storm that chased after them like a tsunami's waters, harsh and fast and unrelenting! It wouldn't be long before it swallowed them all whole!

"Wait, what's going on?" Eruptor asked as he popped off the floor, climbed onto the seats and took a peek out the window, then screamed and stumbled back.

"I don't want to be a downer," Flameslinger said as he bit his lip, "But something tells me we aren't gonna make it!"

They all froze in fear as the magma climbed higher and higher, when the sound of crackling static over the intercom made them all jump out of their seats!

"THAT MAGMA'S NOT GONNA MELT MY TRAIN!" Diggs proclaimed over the intercom, "NOT IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!"

The intercom crackled as Diggs cleared his throat.

"ATTENTION, PASSENGERS! WE'LL BE GOING PRETTY FAST, SO HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS!"

And just like that, the train dashed at bullet speeds, so fast that the only sounds were that of metal screeching and screaming! Everybody was blasted back and practically plastered to the walls as a massive explosion blew them forward and made their train soar in the air… Then their train landed back on the tracks and chugged along. Behind them, the sounds of bubbling magma finally drew to a quiet gurgle. Had they outrun it?

Everybody peered out the windows, then breathed sighs of relief as the magma streams behind them became little more than a slow trickle. They had!

The train chugged slower as sunlight poured through the windows, but not the kind that was harsh and overbearing. Rather, it was the soft, pleasant sunlight of their objective, of getting back home!

"Last stop," Diggs panted as he hobbled out of the conductor's room and leaned against the seats, "… Ancient's Peak."

Eruptor, Sunburn and Flameslinger breathed sighs of relief as they pulled themselves away from the windows, all while their very, very, very dizzy heads finally settled, then slumped down in their seats and sighed.

Chihiro popped off of the seats and stumbled about, then turned her gaze back under her arm and grinned—for despite all that travel, the Eternal Fire Source was still intact!

"Man, talk about an intense day!" Chihiro chirped as she patted the Eternal Fire Source's top, "But this baby makes it worth it!"—Chihiro's grin stretched to her cheeks as the tunnels and rocky walls made way for raw, unfiltered evening sun—"Especially when we can finally put it in the Core!"

The train finally ground to a stop, and everybody stumbled out on dizzy, shaky legs as the doors drew open. Chihiro was the first to pop out as she skipped down the stairs, followed by Flameslinger and Sunburn as they heaved out a very tired and very woozy Eruptor.

Outside, a tense, anticipating crowd chattered among themselves, but quickly drew to a stop as Chihiro stepped forward, grinned and held out the Eternal Fire Source! Though she said no words, the message she brought with her was clear—we won!

And that wasn't the only victory had today, either! Chihiro couldn't help but smile as her triumph against Kaos flashed back into her mind and made her heart swell with fires as warm as the ones back in the railway. After all that time she spent worrying, the times she trained and fought and stayed awake wondering, she could finally rest her heart. She had beaten Kaos at last, and more importantly, she finally proved to herself that she had what it takes! Not just to beat Kaos, no, but to protect the ones she loved and fight alongside them without worry, too! It almost made her worries of the past seem kind of silly and pointless, but she couldn't hold it against herself. Rather, she just breathed in the crisp, cool evening air and smiled. If anything, all those worries she held only served to make the victory that much sweeter, like the cherry on top of the sundae!

You did it, Chihiro, Chihiro thought as her smiling face was dappled by evening sunlight, You're finally strong enough.

"Pardon me, coming through!"

Out from the back of the crowd, the Skylanders parted ways as a pair of furry brown paws shuffled through the masses, then out popped Hugo! His eyes went wide as he dashed up to Chihiro, then grew smaller as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come along, now!" Hugo exclaimed as he grabbed Chihiro's hand and dashed towards the Core of Light.

"We can't waste any more time! After all, who knows what could happen now! Kaos could ambush us out of nowhere with a surprise attack, or an earthquake could happen, or the Eternal Fire Source could roll off the side of the island—"

Of course, while he was running Hugo didn't take notice of a rock underfoot, then tripped and took Chihiro with him! The two of them got up and shook their heads… Then Hugo screamed as he found that their hands were both barren! That is, until Chihiro yanked the Eternal Fire Source's container off the ground and placed it back in his paws.

"Or we could trip on a rock?" Chihiro teased as she jumped back to her feet.

Hugo chuckled as he got up and dusted himself off, then he lead the charge as they all crowded around the Core of Light. The anticipation was vast as Hugo pulled off his book, then dusted it off and turned to one of the later pages in the book.

As he recited the incantation from the pages, the Eternal Fire Source shuddered and rocketed straight into the Core of Light's heart. In minutes, it vanished into the depths of the Core… But the impact it left was astounding, for bright flames ignited from the Crucible and swirled around the Core's lower half!

Chihiro jumped to the skies and let out a cry of raw, utter cheer as her work finally came to an end… And yet, the others couldn't feel as comfortable as Chihiro did. They all seemed so tense as they gazed at the Core in complete, quiet silence.

"What's got you so glum, Flames?" Chihiro asked as she walked up to Flameslinger and patted his shoulder, "I mean, we got the Eternal Fire Source and everything! Shouldn't we be happy right now?"

Flameslinger lifted his head, then shook it and forced a smile back at Chihiro.

"I'm not upset, Chi, it's just…" Flameslinger said as he looked down at Chihiro, then turned back to the Core of Light, "True, it looks pretty! But even so, it's still incomplete."

Chihiro pointed a finger towards the Core and swirled that finger around. "I guess I get what you're saying. It's still super slow and it kind of looks… Empty, if you know what I mean."

Chihiro looked back at Hugo, who seemed to share the others' concerns as he poured through the pages of his book.

"Then what do we need?" Chihiro asked as she turned to Hugo and gestured with her hand, "After all, I'm sure whatever it is, we can get it no problem!"

Hugo's page-flipping came to a stop as he glazed over the last few pages of the book, then he frowned and shook his head.

"I wouldn't be so certain about that!" Hugo proclaimed as everyone around tensed and frowned, "After all, the last components of the Core are the most elusive ones by far! So elusive, in fact, they haven't been seen for millennia!"

Hugo turned around the book and held it out for all to see its final pages, which depicted a diagram of an oval with a gigantic star in its center and a flask of some kind of liquid.

"The magical oil known as Quicksilver, and the Core of Light's last Eternal Source, the Eternal Source that binds the entire Core together… The Eternal Magic Source!"

---

Trivia time! The scene where the Evil Lava Monster gets enveloped in light and explodes into lava is actually a bit of a nod to an early version of Eruptor's lava barf ability, where originally lava would just explode out the cracks of his body. This was changed, however, after the development staff got wind of the lava barf commercial for Spyro's Adventure!