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)

29. Chapter 29

Second chapter in our weekly update lightning round incoming, and more importantly, it's the first chapter in CHS's final arc too! The Core of Light is almost complete... I wonder what challenges await our heroes from here on out...

Ohma flame: I'll admit, seeing Chihiro and the 'landers finally get the better of Kaos after so long was very cathartic to write indeed~

Greenswitch: Honestly, same here! Fred's name was too good a joke to resist~ And yes, we're getting plenty of Arkeyans these next few chapters!

Watch Seeker: I think I get what you're talking about, and while it wasn't an intentional nod it still made me chuckle quite a bit! Seems the Evil Elf Archer isn't the brightest bonfire on the campsite... And as for your second part, well, they'll definitely be tricky alright! That's all I can say~

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It was a chilly autumn day in the Skylanders' corner of Skylands, with cold, bitter breezes far more befitting of winter than fall which carried away withered, crumbling leaves that haplessly floated in the abyss. The normally-blue skies of Skylands were more of a dull, sleepy gray instead with masses of thin clouds scattered like dust bunnies around the open world…

And Ancient's Peak was a mess.

Among the heart of the island, books, scrolls, anthologies, scrap paper and all other sorts of written medium had piled up until they formed a sort of mock fortress, all of which were half-read before they were hastily thrown aside to stack into stacks so high and precariously that even the gentlest breeze threatened to completely bowl them over onto the nearest unsuspecting passerby.

And in the center of it all, Chihiro, Hugo and a handful of the Skylanders poured through those stacks of books and scrolls and tomes, all with keen eyes and the most disgruntled looks they've ever had. Chihiro's eyebrows twitched as she thumbed through a thick, intricate book of fairy tales, legends and myths from all corners of Skylands, then finally she groaned and leaned back. With one loose motion she tossed her book into a stack of books behind her, then sighed as the stack promptly teetered over.

"That's it, I'm finished," Chihiro whined as she laid down and groaned, "If I have to look at another page, I think my eyes might melt."

"Wait, not the books!" Hugo cried as he dashed towards the collapsing books, in spite of the fact that he was far too late to stop them, "Those are some of the library's most—"

Hugo squealed as the books promptly toppled over him in a pile of paperbacks and nasty papercuts, then rummaged his way out and popped out of the book pile with a groan.

"Heavy books."

Hugo groaned as he wiggled his way out of the pile, then winced as he examined the nasty papercuts on his hand. With a sigh, he rummaged through his jacket's pockets and yanked out a box of bandages.

"Have you found anything over there?" Spyro asked from the other side of the pile, where he, Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy poured through small stacks of scrolls, "Cause we don't have anything over here!"

"'Fraid not," Chihiro groaned as she poked her head up, "I swear, that book has to be pulling our legs or something, cause I haven't found a thing about the Eternal Magic Source!"

Chihiro sighed as patrols of Skylanders popped out from the portal building and conversed among themselves. "It's a good thing Master Eon took over portal duty for today, cause this is practically a full time job!"

"Not that we've found anything." Spyro sighed as he rolled up a scroll and tossed it aside, then yanked away a scroll that Trigger Happy had folded into a hat and straightened it out, "I swear, we've tried every history book, myth, legend, fable, old wives' tale, everything!"—Spyro skimmed over the scroll, completely oblivious to Trigger Happy's pouting, then sighed and tossed it aside as well—"But there's nothing in here about the Eternal Magic Source!"

"I hate to say it, but I can't help but wonder if you're right," Hugo groaned as he finished applying bandages to his paw and wiggled his fingers, "I've pulled out everything from Master Eon's study and the portal building's library, and the most I've found are vague allusions! I'm starting to run out of places to look."

Hugo turned to his side, where Double Trouble conversed with a green-skinned orc clad in chartreuse warrior's clothing accented by the massive, ivory dragon skull atop their helmet.

"Double Trouble, are you sure you don't know anything about it?"

Double Trouble turned to Hugo and sighed, then went on a long, lengthy speech in his own language as he scratched his head with his staff.

"He said that unfortunately, he's just as confused as you are," the orc explained as they straightened out the creases that lined the pages of a worn, dusty scroll, "His travels to study magic may have taken him far and wide across Skylands, but even there the Eternal Magic Source isn't spoken of in anything more than faint whispers."

"Ohhhh," Hugo said as he made a sagely nod, then turned his eyes back to the orc, "You wouldn't happen to know anything, would you, Voodood?"

Voodood's neutral gaze turned a bit solemn as he shook his head. "It's a mystery even to me. For as masterful of magic as my people was, the Eternal Magic Source far predated us—"

"Excuse me," said a hollow voice as cold as the breezes that whipped around them, "Did you say something about the Eternal Magic Source?"

Hugo shuddered for a moment, then peeked over the hardback fortress walls and grinned as Chop Chop leaned over them with what seemed like a piqued curiosity.

"Yes, we did!" Hugo exclaimed as he grabbed a book without even realizing, "We've spent the entire day looking for its location…"—Hugo looked aside and grimaced—"But unfortunately, not even the Far-Viewer can find it, so we've had to take the more traditional route. All we know is that it was taken out of the Core of Light and given to the Arkeyans, and that they hid it away for their own use."

"Well, it's only natural that the Far-Viewer couldn't locate it." Chop Chop sheathed his sword and placed it aside, "We Arkeyans hid it in a place so carefully enchanted that not even the most prying of eyes or finest of instruments could retrieve it."

Hugo froze and completely dropped the books he was holding, then stumbled around and nearly toppled over the walls behind him as he looked up at Chop Chop.

"Say that again?" Hugo asked with sparkling eyes.

Chop Chop frowned as he toyed with his sword's hilt. "Well, we Arkeyans hid the Eternal Magic Source away in our empire—"

"CHOP CHOP, THAT'S JUST IT!"

Hugo wailed for joy as he jumped out of the paper fortress and practically pinned down Chop Chop with a tight hug, all while he sobbed waterfalls of joy!

"WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS EARLIER? WE HAVE ACTUAL ARKEYANS ON OUR TEAMS, WE CAN JUST ASK THEM!"

Chop Chop, however, didn't exactly seem as pleased as Hugo was as he tried to push Hugo out of his grip. "Er, Hugo, please—"

"Sir, what is going on here?" Drill Sergeant whirred as he rolled over and lifted Hugo off of Chop Chop with a simple pull of Hugo's jacket, "It is true that the Eternal Magic Source was possessed by the Arkeyan Empire, but—"

"FINALLY, WE'VE GOT OUR ANSWER!" Hugo wailed as he spun around with a smile like he had just won a million dollars, "AND I THOUGHT WE'D NEVER FIND ANYTHING!"

Hugo slammed his feet down and came to a stop, then his grin stretched concerningly wide as he looked back to Chop Chop and Drill Sergeant.

"So, where's the Eternal Magic Source?"

"Er, well, about that…" Chop Chop said as he finally heaved a sigh, "Unfortunately, I cannot be of service here,"—Chop Chop stashed away his shield—"As a footsoldier, I was not privy to any information more than its existence."

"And my memory banks were damaged when I was unearthed, I am afraid," Drill Sergeant beeped, "I remember precious little about our old empire."

And once again, everyone heaved a collective sigh as they turned back to the endless stacks of books and scrolls that were practically laughing at their struggle at this point.

"You, you don't know?" Hugo asked as he froze, smile stuck on face and all, while his eyes completely shrank.

"In layman's terms, yes, that is correct," Chop Chop replied.

Chihiro frowned as she poked up from the hall that had been formed in the fortress's walls.

"Why would you think they'd know this, Hugo?" Chihiro asked as she slammed a book shut.

"Well, we were both Arkeyan creations," Chop Chop replied as he pulled out his shield and pointed to a fancy crest carved in the center of its body, "It's only natural to assume that we'd know the many secrets of its vast empire… Unfortunately, the Eternal Magic Source's location was not one of them."

"Vast empires?" Hugo said as he froze in the midst of his celebration and blinked. He wobbled for a moment, then completely toppled over and fell face-first onto the grass with a grunt.

"In all my joy… I completely forgot how big the Arkeyan Empire was."

Hugo sighed as he sat up and brushed dead leaves from his chest. "I guess that means it's time to hit the books."

"I mean, it's just one empire, right?" Chihiro said as she hopped out of the fortress and peered over Hugo with her hands behind her back, "It can't be that hard to find, right?"

"Chihiro, the Arkeyan Empire wasn't just any empire!" Hugo jumped back to his feet and shook a finger at her, "It was probably the biggest empire of all time! By the time it fell, it had conquered over seventy-five percent of all Skylands!"—Hugo turned aside and rubbed his chin—"And for that matter, that leads to a different problem."

Hugo kicked up dead leaves as he paced back and forth. "The Arkeyan Empire was disassembled by the Elder Elementals thousands of years ago, and most Arkeyan civilizations are in ruins! The majority of their texts are gone now, so where else do we have to look?"

Hugo started to pant and heave a bit like he was going to flip his lid, but rather than doing that, he just sighed as he glazed over the massive fortress of books.

"Well, I suppose I can put some of these away," Hugo said as he plucked a few books from the top of a stack and shoved them in his hood, "I'll see if we have any more books in the libraries about the Arkeyan Empire that I missed. Failing that, I suppose I could drop a letter to the Warrior Librarians—"

"WE'VE GOT BIG TROUBLE!"

Everyone poked their heads over the book fortress as Flynn practically balled over everyone in his path with his eyes wide and his head in a cold sweat, almost like he had seen a ghost! Flynn wasn't normally to type to get panicked over nothing… Heck, he almost never panicked! What was going on here? Flynn's eyes nearly popped out his head as he dug his heels into the earth and skidded just inches away from crashing into the book fortress. He stopped for a moment to breath a sigh of relief, but as he wiped the sweat off his brow, he lost his balance and fell straight into the walls of the book fortress!

"FLYNN! Watch where you're going, you buffoon!" Hugo scolded as he stormed over to Flynn, "Some of those books have been out of print for centuries!"

Flynn sat up and hastily brushed off his jacket, then leaped to his feet and grabbed Hugo's paws.

"Oh, who cares about some dusty old books? We've got bigger things to worry about!"

"Buh, bigger things?" Hugo shook his head and sputtered as Flynn dragged him over to the beachside cliffs, "What could possibly be more important that locating the Eternal Magic Source?"

"I don't know, but I think a weird moving statue in the ocean is a pretty big problem!"

Everybody else peeled themselves away from the books and crowded around Flynn and Hugo as Flynn pointed towards the oceans with a shaky hand he barely steadied.

Sure enough, there among the crystalline blue seas that made up the edges of Ancient's Peak and rested on a stone platform that remained firm and steady despite the cold chilly waters surrounding, was a statue! It was as big as a giant and made of rusted tan and gold metal, and bore six arms and an intricate face. It seemed kind of disoriented as it looked around, like it had been dropped of in the wrong place, or perhaps the wrong time, given the aged look of its appearance… After all, parts of its body had turned dull and calcified, almost like a relic of a time long past brought to life in the modern day.

"I was just taking a nice stroll on the beach to celebrate my latest accomplishments as Skylands' best pilot, you know, like you do, when I saw that thing right out the corner of my eye!" Flynn clenched his teeth and forced a smile, "I didn't think anything of it at first, but then it just jumped and started moving around like a person!"—Flynn chuckled and adjusted his lapel as sweat dripped down his brow—"Of course, something like this isn't enough to terrify someone like me, one of the best pilots in all Skylands…"

Chihiro frowned as she pushed past Double Trouble and Gill Grunt, then peered over Hugo's shoulder.

"Has that statue always been there?" Chihiro asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"I certainty never noticed it before," Hugo remarked as he pulled away from Flynn's grip and adjusted his jacket, "But whatever it is, it is worth checking out! Just in case and all."

Chihiro and Hugo both dashed away from the crowds, but before they left for the steps, Double Trouble grinned and turned to Voodood. He waved his staff as he let out an excited shout, while Voodood just smiled and nodded.

"A strong magic signature?" Voodood remarked as he readied his ax, "I suppose something like this would catch your attention, wouldn't it?"

The two of them tailed Chihiro and Hugo down the stairs, though not very closely given the headway the former two had on the latter. By the time Voodood and Double Trouble had reached the foot of the stairs, Hugo and Chihiro had already jumped on the docks and were prepped to leave!

Chihiro held her hands over the water and grinned as a cyan light filtered over the deep blue of the cold ocean, then manifested into a magical wooden raft complete with a fully-functional paddle! Chihiro stepped onto the raft and sat down on her knees, while a wary Hugo followed after her and cringed as the ocean water splashed against his feet.

"Hey, DT, Vood!" Chihiro shouted as she turned around and waved to Double Trouble and Voodood, "You wanna check out the weird statue too?"

Double Trouble nodded, then waved his staff above him and Voodood! The staff sparkled as it let out rays of purple and pink magic, and in a flash, both of them were teleported right onto the raft!

Hugo cried out and latched onto Voodood's back as the raft dunked down a bit from the added weight, then sighed and scooted a little closer to the center as the raft settled.

"All aboard the S.R. Hatsuki!" Chihiro cried as she pointed to the statue, "Next stop… Weird statue rock!"

Chihiro hummed a jaunty sailing tune as she paddled the raft closer and closer to the strange statue's hideout, all while chilling breezes wafted through her hair and cold water brushed against the side of her raft.

The statue, meanwhile, still seemed quite disoriented as it turned its gaze to Chihiro's makeshift ship… Then screamed and withdrew a mass of swords out of nowhere!

"What, what's going on here?!" The statue screamed as it sharpened its blades together, "Be on guard! Though my camouflage mechanisms may have failed me, as an Arkeyan Weapon Master of the bladekind, I have a fearsome array of weaponry in my display!"

"Arkeyan?" Hugo sputtered as he and Voodood shared wide-eyed looks.

"Portal… Masters?" Chihiro uttered as she tilted her head. Chihiro let out a soft chuckle, then parked the raft next to the statue's resting place and hopped off. "I'm the only portal master here, silly!"

Chihiro gestured back to Voodood as he helped Hugo and Double Trouble off the raft.

"Voodood and Double Trouble are Skylanders, and Hugo…" Chihiro looked back as Hugo shot her a glare, then chuckled and looked away, "He's Hugo!"

The Weapon Master blinked, then withdrew his weapons in a flash and leaned back.

"Skylanders, Hugo? What are you beings doing here?" The Weapon Master looked back up to the cliffs, "After all, this is Ancient's Peak, the Elder Elementals' base of operations, is it not?"

Hugo clenched his teeth as he tapped his claws with the kind of awkward energy that came with having to tell someone something that they definitely didn't want to hear.

"Er, excuse me, mister statue," Hugo interrupted as he padded up to Chihiro, "But if you wanted to meet the Elder Elementals, I'm afraid you're too late! They've been gone for the past ten thousand years!"

"TEN THOUSAND?" The Weapon Master's mouth gaped open as he looked down at Hugo, "IT CANNOT POSSIBLY BE THAT LONG!"

The Weapon Master whipped his head around as he took in the sights surely so new and foreign to his eyes, then snuck a peek back down at his own body and gasped once more.

"My armor, how did it get so calcified and rusted? I had only taken a short nap before…"

The Weapon Master winced as he scratched away at his hard, rocky body... Then the glow in his eyes flickered on and off in a few rapid blinks.

"My mission!" The Weapon Master whimpered as he looked down at his hands, "I came here to inform the Elder Elementals of the Eternal Magic Source's location, but even that I was not able to do!"—The Arkeyan Weapon Master buried his face in his many hands—"Surely, they're all long dead by now…"

But while the Weapon Master broke into soft, mechanical whimpers, Double Trouble, Voodood, Chihiro and Hugo all gasped and looked towards each other! Their eyes sparkled as bright as their grins as they shared in the same thoughts—they had found their answer at last!

"Well, look on the bright side." Hugo walked up to the Weapon Master and patted the Weapon Master's base, "At least you didn't get wiped out when the Arkeyan Empire fell!"

The Weapon Master let out a shallow, breathy gasp as he stared off into the silver skies.

"The Arkeyan Empire… Has fallen?"

The Weapon Master's eyes flickered on and off, but quickly solidified as Chihiro snapped her fingers in his massive, carved face.

"Hello, buddy? Skylands to weird robot dude!" Chihiro shouted as she placed a hand on her hip, "Yeah, yeah, empire's fallen and all but more importantly… Where are you guys keeping the Eternal Magic Source? After all, you Arkeyan guys guarded it, right?"

The Weapon Master's eyes flickered red as he looked straight in Chihiro's face with such intensity that it made her gulp and jump back!

"And why should I tell you?" The Weapon Master exclaimed as he summoned his swords once more, "The Eternal Magic Source has powers beyond anyone's comprehension, even my own! How do I know that you won't just hand it right back to the Arkeyan Empire or use it for evil?"

"Didn't you hear Hugo?" Chihiro scoffed as she pointed back to Hugo, "Your mighty empire isn't around anymore, buddy!"

Chihiro scrunched her brows and groaned as she tapped her foot, then shot probably the nastiest glare she could make back at the Weapon Master.

"Now, the Core of Light's in pieces and we need to restore it before it's too late, we've been searching for this Eternal Magic Source all day and I'm getting tired of looking through old books, so spill the deets!"

The Weapon Master flinched and backed away as Chihiro pointed a finger that radiated with pure magic towards his face, then finally he sighed and clasped his hands.

"Well, if all that you say is true, then I suppose I can tell you," the Weapon Master admitted as he hung his head, "Perhaps I should use this as an opportunity to finish what I had started."

The Weapon Master cleared his throat and scattered so much dust across the stones that everyone else broke into intense coughing fits.

"Now, before I can divulge the location of the Eternal Magic Source itself, I must ensure that it will be in safe hands."

Chihiro gasped with relief as the words hit her ears, but Hugo, Double Trouble and Voodood just shot each other very worried glances.

"Therefore!" The Weapon Master raised a finger, "It cannot be just anyone who takes it! It has to be someone that I can ensure will protect it with all their might, someone who not only desires to stray away from evil, but someone who has the strength and sharp mind necessary to protect it from forces of evil…"

Hugo, Voodood and Double Trouble's worried glances grew a little less stiff as the Weapon Master spoke further.

"And I know just the test."

Chihiro grinned and gave the Weapon Master a thumbs up. "Fire away then, buddy! I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle!"

"I wouldn't be so quick to say that, if I were you," the Weapon Master scoffed as he crossed his arms.

He paused for a moment to clear his throat, then held his head high and beamed a holograph of an intricately-decorated palace from its eyes! Or at least, it seemed fairly intricate, given that the holograph had the quality of a grainy VHS tape that obscured most details with its noise.

"While Arkus studied the Eternal Magic Source under the one of the Ancient Elementals, one of the things he learned was that its powers could only be honed within technology via help from the Quicksilver, a special kind of magic oil."

As the Weapon Master spoke, the holographic image changed to that of human figures accompanied by massive machines entering a cavern, all of whom were helmed by a pale-skinned, elderly man in red and gold robes and a floating wisp of light. With a point of the elderly man's finger, the robots and other humans tore through the cavern and siphoned massive amounts of a shiny, blue and silver liquid that sparkled like a river of jewels.

"After he and his forces were lead to the last supply of Quicksilver in all Skylands, he took it all for his machines and locked it in one of his strongest vaults!"

As the holograph flickered out, the Weapon Master turned his gaze back down to Chihiro, Hugo, Double Trouble and Voodood.

"If you believe that there is someone among your ranks who is truly worthy of Eternal Magic Source, I will use the Chain of Eternity to take them back to the Vault." The Weapon Master stood tall and crossed his massive arms. "It has been armed with the most advanced security measures the empire has to offer, and if they can conquer each one, then I can know for sure that the Eternal Magic Source will be in safe hands."

"What luck!" Hugo cried, "We actually needed some Quicksilver for the Core of Light as well!"

Chihiro grinned and clapped her hands as she peered back at Double Trouble and Voodood.

"Well then, I know just the people for this little mission!" Chihiro chirped as she teleported behind Double Trouble and Voodood and pushed them forward, "Double Trouble and Voodood!"—Chihiro grinned as she gently nudged Voodood's arm—"Vood, you were a bigshot warrior in your home, right? And Double Trouble, you know a whole lot about magic! Who better for a task like this than you two?"

Double Trouble's tension loosened up as he chattered and scratched his head with his staff. Though nobody could quite decipher what he was saying, the way he glanced back to the Weapon Master with that burning curiosity spoke enough.

"Well, you do have a point," Voodood said as he cast a smile and a glance back at Double Trouble, "And we do need the Eternal Magic Source, like it or not."

Voodood cleared his throat and stood tall as he held his head back up at the Weapon Master.

"Well, I suppose if you put it that way, I have to agree." Voodood withdrew his ax and banged it against the stone, "Arkeyan! Bring my companion and I to this Quicksilver Vault which you speak of."

"Very well then," the Weapon Master said as he cast out a glowing hand, "We shall leave immediately. "

The palm of the Weapon Master's hand glowed even brighter, and out from it spat a magical, silver chain that was a sparkling diamond at it stretched into infinity against the cold, gray skies! The chain hovered in midair for moments, then finally it slammed against the ocean with a loud splash!

"Now follow me."

The Weapon Master swiveled in place, then uprooted himself from the stone slab he sat on and floated across the chain. As the Weapon Master made his leave, Double Trouble and Voodood both shrugged as they looked back at each other, then hopped onto the chain and trailed down behind it.

Chihiro crept forward and tried to trail forward, but before she could, a brown, furry paw snatched the back of her vest!

"And where do you think you're going, Chihiro?" Hugo asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"To help them finish that test and get the Eternal Magic Source, of course!" Chihiro exclaimed as she yanked around and pulled herself out of Hugo's grip.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Chihiro frowned and tilted her head as she pressed her fingers against her lips, then shook her head and grinned.

"Nope!" Chihiro frowned as Hugo shook his own head, "Was I supposed to remember something?"

"You have a test of your own!"

Hugo gestured back to the heart of Ancient's Peak. "Now that we have the Eternal Magic Source worked out, you need to take your final portal master exam!"

Chihiro gasped and jumped up.

"That's right!" Chihiro giggled and ruffled her hair, "I was so worried about the Magic Source that I completely forgot…"—Chihiro shook her head and beamed as she hopped on the raft once more—"But no worries, I'm sure I'll pass it!"

Chihiro knelt down and grabbed her oar, then waved Hugo over and grinned as he boarded their boat back home. Things were oddly peaceful as Chihiro sailed them back to the beaches, and yet something still seemed to bother her as she glanced down at her knees.

"Hey, Hugo," Chihiro said as she turned her glance back at Hugo, "Just what was up with those Arkeyan dudes anyways?"—Chihiro leaned her head aside as the raft parked against the beach's sands—"That Weapon Master guy didn't seem all that fond of them for being one of their guys…"

Hugo winced and tapped his claws together as he and Chihiro stepped off the raft. After a few moments of forced grins and awkward finger twiddling, Hugo took in a deep breath and adjusted his glasses.

"Chihiro, back on Earth, did you happen to study any ancient empires, by chance?" Hugo asked as he gazed back to Chihiro.

"Well, of course I did!" Chihiro grinned as she balled her hands into fists, "We learned about a ton of them in history class!"

"Did you ever learn what exactly caused these empires to fall?"

"Well, I don't know, I never paid that much attention in history class." Chihiro frowned as she turned her eyes to the skies and placed a hand on her face, "I think my teacher said something about how their leaders got so bad that they all just got tossed out like yesterday's garbage, or they got torn down by people from other countries and empires and stuff while they were down…"

Chihiro's eyes went wide as she slowly pulled her head back down and blinked. "Oh."

Hugo winced and made a wary nod, then both of them coughed into their hands and trailed up the beach's stairs.

"Anyways, onto my final portal master exam!" Chihiro cried as she pointed to the path ahead.

§

The mission simulator room was thick with tension as Chihiro holed herself up in the corners of its cool, stone walls that had only grown colder with the chilly air outside and bounced her legs in anticipation. She'd occasionally peek over to where Hugo, Master Eon and Drobot toyed with the mission simulator… But every time she did, her whole stomach got ready to burst, so she'd just go back to hiding in her little corner. After all, this was her very last exam! Who knows how hard it was going to be, what trials she had to face, whether or not she'd even pass? For as confident she was earlier, it felt like the moment she stepped in this room and the preparations began, all her confidence swirled down the drain!

"Calm down, Chihiro, freaking out isn't gonna help you any," Chihiro whispered as she knocked her knees together and scratched her head, "I mean, you literally beat up Kaos himself not a few days ago! Something like this should be nothing, right?"

A thin smile stretched across Chihiro's face as she reveled in those sweet, sweet memories of Kaos's defeat at her, Eruptor, Sunburn and Flameslinger's hands. Yes, she had beaten Kaos and came out unscathed! Heck, she'd been on tons of perilous, life-threatening missions at this point! Whatever challenges that this final exam had to offer her surely would be nothing at this point, right?… Chihiro took one last peek back at the mission simulator, and once again a jar of butterflies opened up in her stomach.

She had hoped she could infer something about the mission's contents from those soft, sneaky whispers Master Eon spoke into Hugo's ears, but his voice was too soft even for her sensitive hearing! And even Drobot seemed to have seriously lowered his usually booming vocal synthesizers… Guess they were really serious about this being a secret.

"Maybe if I practice a few spells, I'll calm down," Chihiro reasoned as she flicked out her hand, "Yeah, that sounds good!"

So, Chihiro summoned a magic sphere, giggled and bounced it up and down, then grinned and summoned one, two, three… Before she even realized, she had summoned enough magic spheres that she had to juggle them to keep them from exploding! Chihiro's giggles turned to hearty laughter as she juggled around her sphere collection, but in her moment of simple joy her hand slipped!

The spheres flew out of her grip and bonked her on the head before they exploded into masses of blue sparkles, save for one that leaped across the way! Chihiro coughed and shook the sparkles out of her hair, then gasped and scrambled to full height!

"Wait!" Chihiro cried as the sphere soared over to the room's door right as the door creaked open, "Look out, there's a runaway sphere!"

Hugo, Master Eon and Drobot all pulled their faces away from the simulator's screens as Chihiro dashed over to retrieve the sphere… But before Chihiro could, a vortex popped out of the doorway and sucked in the sphere, then the vortex itself disappeared in a flash!

"You have to be more careful where you're throwing those things, Chi," warned a windlike voice, "Somebody could seriously get hurt!"

As the door swung towards the wall, Chihiro grinned and tackled the voice's owner in a tight hug!

"Whirlybird!" Chihiro cried as she squeezed Whirlwind tight and giggled, "What're you doing here?"

Whirlwind shared a laugh of her own as she gently pried herself out of Chihiro's hug.

"Drobot asked me to help with some of the special effects, so to speak."

"Affirmative," Drobot interjected as he turned back to Whirlwind and made what seemed like a grin, "Though I may be the one championing the technological aspects here, Whirlwind is what really brings these simulations to life. She understands color theory quite well."

"I work with rainbows and weather, Dro~" Whirlwind said as she winked and flew over to Drobot's side, "How could I not?"

Drobot made what sounded like a mechanical chuckle, then pushed aside and tapped a claw on the screen. He seemed pretty distracted right now…

Looks like Chihiro had the perfect chance to catch a glimpse of what was going on! So, Chihiro grinned as she tip-toed across to their crowds as quietly and non-attention-grabbingly as she could. Her footsteps barely sounded across the closed quarters of the mission simulator's room as she stepped. Heck, she was so quiet that none of them noticed her at the back of the group! Too bad they were crowded so tightly that she could barely see what was going on.

"Now, for this part of the test, which colors would you believe would best to depict…" Drobot clenched his jaw as Chihiro attempted to lean over and sneak a peek at the screen, "Intruder detected!"

Chihiro giggled and stepped back as everyone turned around and shot her very tired glances, then yelped as Hugo pushed her aside.

"Chihiro, I've already told you!" Hugo scolded as he sent Chihiro back to her corner, "You're not getting any previews of your final exam, no exceptions!"

Chihiro crossed her arms and pouted. "Awww, why not, Huges?"

"Because that would defeat the point of the exam, young Chihiro," Master Eon said as he floated away from the mission simulator and joined Hugo.

"This final exam's exact contents are supposed to be unknown because it is meant to see how well you can apply everything you've learned until now when faced with unexpected challenges. Thus, if you knew beforehand it would be pointless!" Master Eon gently nuzzled Chihiro's head before he floated away. "But, you won't have to wait for much longer. We're almost done with the final tweaks, so just wait there for a moment."

So, Chihiro reluctantly nodded, then sat down and sighed as she crossed her arms over her curled-up legs. So much for planning out what to do beforehand… Chihiro frowned as she blew strands of hair out of her face, and before she knew it her knees started knocking yet again.

Chihiro's hands clammed up as Whirlwind whispered something to Drobot, then Whirlwind nodded… And flew back to Chihiro's side? Guess Whirlwind was done with those special effects Drobot wanted help with.

"You worried about your last exam, Chi?" Whirlwind asked as she sat down next to Chihiro and wrapped a wing around Chihiro's shoulder.

Chihiro smiled a soft, weak smile, then looked aside and nodded slightly. For as nervous as she was, being around Whirlwind always seemed to calm her nerves. Maybe that was some secret power of Whirlwind's, how she always knew just what to say or do to ease your worries.

"Well, I'm sure that you'll come out on top no matter what!" Whirlwind nuzzled Chihiro's head and grinned, "Sunburn told me what happened back when you got the Eternal Fire Source, you know. If you could hold off Kaos, I'm sure you could handle anything at this point!"

"I hope you're right, Whirls." Chihiro bit her lip and sighed, "I mean… For as much as I wanna believe that, this is my last exam! This is the last thing that stands between me and the title of a true portal master!"

Chihiro jumped to her feet and paced around in a circle as she gestured with her hands.

"After all, what if I'm super unprepared for something like this? Surely there has to be some kind of hidden twist, some kind of super-powerful, completely unbeatable problem or monster that I can't handle, or some secret trick I don't know about, or an inconveniently-placed quicksand pit that I'll fall into…"

"You know, rather than just guessing," Hugo said as he turned around from the mission simulator's panel, "You could come over here and find out for yourself, because we're finally done!"

Chihiro tore her head from the wall and looked back to the mission simulator, which, sure enough, beeped and glowed at full power! Surely it was finally time, time for the moment of truth she had waited for ever since she had started her studies underneath Master Eon, but at the same time, it seemed like her feet had glued themselves to the ground! Chihiro winced and tugged on her vest as she looked back at Master Eon and Hugo.

Master Eon, in response, glowed a gentle green as he flew over to Chihiro.

"Now, do not fret, young Chihiro," Master Eon whispered as he laid on Chihiro's shoulder, "Should anything go wrong, we'll pull you out of the simulation immediately."

"Not that it should," Drobot pointed out as he clacked a few keys, "I have taken extra precautionary measures to make sure that no glitches and bugs occur within the simulation,"—Drobot turned back to Chihiro while his eyes flashed with a gentle light—"We cannot risk anything going awry during your final exam, after all."

Chihiro let go of her vest and made a smile of her own. Just the sight of their smiles encouraged her enough that the butterflies in her stomach had flown off—yeah, she had this! So, Chihiro bolted into the machine and grinned as the door sealed itself off.

"YOUR MISSION WILL START IN FIVE… FOUR… THREE… TWO…"

All around her, the mission simulator's rainbow lights whirred and danced in the chamber while the mission simulator booted up her final mission! What would await her, she wondered? A massive treasure hunt? A great war that she had to bring an end to? A trip through an ancient temple full of traps and treasure?

Chihiro peered back at the glass that separated her from her spectators, then made a small, excited gasp! There, Hugo, Master Eon, Drobot and Whirlwind waved and cheered for her! Even though the glass was soundproof and kept her from hearing anything they heard, Chihiro knew just what they were saying.

"Good luck, Chihiro! You can do it!"

The rainbow lights washed away the spectator's window from sight soon enough, but Chihiro couldn't help but wave back and shout, "I will! I'll make you all proud!"

Those words that she hoped would will her success in existence hung in the air for a few moments more, then finally vanished along with the bring, rainbow light as the mission simulator began to boot up the world around her…

§

Double Trouble grinned as he and Voodood slid down the chain, then grunted as he bumped into the Weapon Master! He made a low groan as he shook his head and collected himself, then floated around the Weapon Master's massive body and gasped!

For such an ancient place, everything was so clean and polished, and better yet completely rife with magic! From the cold, dark teal stones that glowed with magic power to the vast blue space these stones hovered above, to even the various strange devices, contraptions and thingamabobs that were scattered across the room… Even the pottery with its silvery and blue carvings was alive and sparkling with a kind of mysterious wonder!

"This is the vault?" Voodood asked as he joined Double Trouble's side and held his ax tight, "I was expecting something more… Primitive?"

"Now why would you assume something like that?" The Weapon Master asked as he crossed his arms, "I know ten thousand years is a long time, but it can't be that long…"

"Structures made entirely of hover blocks? I've never seen the oldest ones outside of pictures!" Double Trouble cried as he floated over the edge and pointed towards it with his staff, "A magic liminal space, too?"

Double Trouble turned his head up, then hovered above and grinned.

"A skyscape! It's off by a couple hours, but I suppose it's alright!" Double Trouble floated down and held his staff over his eyes like some kind of shield from a sun that wasn't present. "And self-moving blocks, too! I knew they were old, but I didn't think they were that old!"

"You really seem to pleasure these things, don't you?" Voodood asked as he walked over to Double Trouble and looked over the edge.

"Pleasure?" Double Trouble chuckled as he gently nudged Voodood's cheek with his staff, "I think you meant 'enjoy,' Voodood. We have two different words for that, you know!"

Voodood made a small laugh of his own. "Oh, I had forgotten! I always seem to get them mixed up…"

"What exactly are you two talking about?" The Weapon Master interrupted as he crossed his second set of arms.

Voodood and Double Trouble both turned back to the Weapon Master and shrugged.

"Well, I suppose we're just taking in the scenery!" Voodood explained, "It's a bit surprising to see the olden versions of such commonplace spells and magic objects…"

The Weapon Master raised an eyebrow. "So these things were common in your time? But these inventions were made solely for the use and construction of Arkeyans!"

"Not anymore!" Double Trouble chirped as he spun around his staff, "Nowadays, we have them all over the place! They're a lot nicer than the stuff here, too…"

The Weapon Master just frowned and raised an eyebrow at Double Trouble, and in respond Voodood stepped up.

"What my companion said is," Voodood said as he cleared his throat, "In our time, the things here have been discovered and used by all for years!"

The Weapon Master raised his eyebrows a little higher, then smiled and shook his head.

"How intriguing," the Weapon Master said before he frowned and floated up to Double Trouble and Voodood, "But anyways, onto the important matters."

The Weapon Master came to a slow stop, then lifted his head and showed those same, grainy holograms, though this time they depicted three rooms, one of which was the room they stood in now! The second was some kind of open ballroom, the third a blank, black abyss… Just what were these places?

"If you wish to prove yourselves worthy of the Eternal Magical Source, you must brave two trials."

The Weapon Master whirred and frowned for a moment as his eyes turned to spinning circles, and all the while the other two holograms faded away while the first took center stage and flickered through a series of room pictures.

"The first trial is a test of intelligence!" The Weapon Master bellowed, "Within these vaults are several incredibly challenging puzzles that only the brightest of our scholars could solve! In order to pass through, you must solve these puzzles and unlock the gates!"—The Weapon Master coughed into his hand—"The gate beside you holds your first puzzle. Good luck... You will surely need it."

And with those faint wishes in the air, the Weapon Master disappeared in a slow flash of light!

Double Trouble and Voodood looked towards each other and shrugged, then turned their attention to the space across from where they stood now.

There, a dark blue and silver gate held some kind of shiny, bronze box with a keyhole carved into its surface… But just what kind of puzzle was is? Double Trouble floated up to the box and peered into its keyhole, then found a round, shiny marble magnetically stuck to a floor with a few shining spaces!

"Wait a second, I think I know what this is!" Double Trouble proclaimed as he grabbed onto the box's sides, "This is just a really old lock puzzle! That's a cinch!"

Double Trouble shook up the box just a little bit and grinned as the marble slid across each and every glowing space in accordance with his movements!

Those spaces all glowed with a bright shine, then the sound of unlocking echoed around the vault as the box unlatched itself from the gate and crashed to the floor! The gate slid down in response, and unveiled a simple, stone platform with an old teleporter that faintly sparkled with light, though that light seemed much more prominent against the dull stones that made up its resting place.

Double Trouble grinned as he floated onto the teleporter and sat down… But nothing happened. He just stayed put where he was! Double Trouble frowned and scratched his mask as he tapped his staff against the teleporter.

"Is this thing broken or something?" Double Trouble asked as he tapped his staff a bit more. Was this a part of the puzzle?

Well, he supposed not, because in moments the teleporter's light flared before it whisked him off the floor and into a dimension full of liminal white light! Double Trouble hovered in place for a few seconds, then with a few blinks he was dropped off back in the vault.

Admittedly, his new spot was a lot nicer compared to the older one. Whereas that one was made of stone, this was made of sleek silver and blue metal that seemed immune to rust and decay, given that it shone bright in spite of being here for thousands of years. But, that wasn't all! It had so many ancient, magical artifacts, like it was a veritable treasure trove of ancient magic history!

Double Trouble grinned and clapped his hands as he soared over to a stack of magic cubes that drew him in like metal to a magnet. The magic cubes he knew would give off fireworks shows of magic spells and ancient knowledge and so much more when used… Surely these would do the same, right? Double Trouble grabbed one and twisted it around, but all it did was let out a few pitiful puffs of magic smoke! Talk about underwhelming.

So, he tossed it aside and flitted over to a massive crystal that shot a beam which pulled a magic platform back and forth, surely a predecessor to the crystal puzzles they used for security today! He hopped onto the platform and hummed as it carried him to a second one, where something interesting was bound to be found… Or not.

That platform took him not to an ancient treasure or a collection of spells and magic crafts, but just a place with a few stockpiles of gold coins. Boring! Double Trouble huffed and frowned as the platform brought him back, then hopped off and dug through a box of crude magic artifacts.

"I see someone's found a treasure all his own," Voodood remarked as he walked up behind Double Trouble.

Double Trouble just grinned and turned around with a stale potion bottle in hand. For as much as Double Trouble didn't really enjoy perfect strangers sneaking up on him in the midst of his work, Voodood was the one exception. After all, he cherished the magic arts just as much as Double Trouble himself, given the Ooga Warrior clan was revered for both their warriors and wizards alike! It would be only natural that they were kindred spirits in the magic realm.

"Ah, I wish," Double Trouble admitted as he uncorked the potion and poured it across the floor, then frowned as it steamed for a bit and crafted a pitiful sprout before it evaporated, "Unfortunately, for such an ancient empire rife with lost magic history, these findings have been pretty underwhelming."

Double Trouble paused, then sniffed what remained of the potion bottle's contents before he held it up to Voodood.

"This is supposed to be a floral insta-grow potion, and it's still fresh by the scent! That's one of the basic potions they teach every child old enough to hold a bunch of herbs, but look!" Double Trouble gestured to the ground, "I don't know about you, but I don't see any flowers."

Double Trouble sighed as he picked up his staff and swung it around. "Talk about a disappointment."

CLICK!

Wait, what did he just hit? Double Trouble blinked and turned back at the button he had just pressed with his staff, then frowned as it pulsed red.

"I have a feeling that wasn't a good button," Voodood remarked as he examined the button and tapped its smooth surface.

Just beside them, the ground below shifted and turned as holes formed in its surface, then out from those holes in the metal ground popped red and gold blasters and an entire squadron of Arkeyan knights!

The knights bore an uncanny resemblance to Chop Chop, though their armor was bulkier and drowned in shades of red and gold, while their "bones" were made entirely of shiny metal! Within their hands, they held giant, spiky magic maces, and with the way their helmets' eyes glowed red, they seemed intent on using those maces!

The knights all charged towards Double Trouble and Voodood, who brandished their weapons and charged back in turn… Then Voodood and Double Trouble gasped and scattered back as the blasters shot at them!

While Voodood ducked and covered, Double Trouble just flew back and stood his ground. Double Trouble pressed his staff's jewel against his palm, and it response it made a bright, rainbow glow as it raised a shield between them and the onset of Arkeyan robots!

While the knight was quick to stop, the blasters shot away—but their blows just ricocheted back at them and blew them to bits!

Double Trouble smirked and blew off his staff as the shield rescinded, then gasped and flew away as something tried to chop his head off! He snarled and whipped back around just in time to catch one of the knights as it dragged its mace across the metal and created obnoxious shrieking noises with every step! Double Trouble had wanted to shoot back at it… But those noises were so grating that it made him completely lose his focus!

"Perhaps you should fight someone of your skillset!" Voodood exclaimed as he got up and dashed forward, ax in hand, "Have a slice!"

The knight turned around and completely forgot about Double Trouble as it flung its mace in front of its body and created a shield!

The shield absorbed Voodood's attack and blew him back, but even though Voodood was sent rolling he didn't give in! He just jumped back into the fray and slashed at the Arkeyan knight once more, but it threw its shield out and absorbed the blow! Voodood pulled his ax back and swung out of the way as the knight swung at him with its mace, then sliced forward with the ax. But this time, it was the mace that took its blow! They slashed and sliced and swung at each other, sword versus ax, knight versus warrior, old versus new… And yet, Voodood couldn't get a single blow in!

"For old tech," Voodood panted as he slid back from another failed attack, "This thing holds up really well!"

Voodood snarled, then gripped his ax tight and spun it above his head before he slammed it back into the ground once more.

"Perhaps I should find another way to trip you up!"

Voodood jerked his ax out of the metal ground, and from it came a purple tripwire that crackled with magical electricity! He stepped backwards and beckoned for the knight to come after him with his hand, then grinned as it bolted straight for the tripwire!

The knight charged after him with all its knightly might, but it was so focused on Voodood that it didn't even notice the tripwire underneath it! Before it could get a single blow in, the tripwire wrapped around its legs and sent it crashing down onto the floor! And now that it was vulnerable, Voodood finally had the opening he desired! Voodood swung down his ax and slashed the knight's chest wide open, then pulled his ax out with a grin… But not for long! The knight's opened chest sparked and crackled with cyan smoke and electricity before it completely exploded right as Double Trouble and Voodood dashed off!

The smoke coated the room so thickly that it was hardly possible to breath for a few moments, but eventually the thick, cyan mist let up right as angry chatter filled the room.

As the mist finally let up, it unveiled a massive crowd of nasty, glowing blue-green imps that bounced and gnashed their teeth as they fixed their eyes on Double Trouble and Voodood!

Double Trouble and Voodood readied their weapons, but before they could even strike, those nasty little imps completely swarmed them up to the knees! Instead of fighting back, they danced along the platform as they tried to shake the imps!

"Get off of me, you awful creatures!" Voodood cried as he yanked several of the imps off his pants and tossed them aside, while more imps immediately took the fallen ones' places, "Just what are these things, anyways?"

Double Trouble grimaced and as the imps Voodood tossed aside slammed into the floor and exploded in puffs of teal smoke, then his eyes went wide! That was it! He knew exactly what these obnoxious things were!

"Seems you've got a lot of buddies here!" Double Trouble exclaimed as he raised his staff well over the sea of imps and waved it around, "Good thing I've got some of my own too!"

With one last spin of his staff, a bunch of tiny Double Troubles manifested out of thin air, then soared back into the crowds of imps and exploded! And when one explosion wiped out a few, the feedback from that wiped out more and more, until it sent out a chain reaction that made all the imps explode at once!

"Gnashers, nasty little things," Double Trouble remarked as he straightened his skirt, "But, if you can blow them up close to each other, the resulting explosion completely disrupts their chemistry and blows up all the ones near them!"—Double Trouble winked at Voodood—"I know that from personal experience."

Voodood chuckled and rolled his eyes, but his playful looks quickly solidified into wonder as he turned ahead.

"That has to be the next puzzle!" Voodood cried as he ran ahead.

Double Trouble followed Voodood's gaze, then grinned. He didn't know how he missed it, but right at the end of the platform lied another one of those gates with those crude lock puzzles! So, Double Trouble teleported beside it and tapped the box with his staff. In moments the box shifted and slighted around, then finally it completely unlocked and collapsed at Double Trouble's feet!

The gate collapsed in tandem with it, and unveiled that instead of a teleporter, the way ahead was brought by a massive, shining silver chain that laid over the magical abyss below them!

Voodood peered around the gates, then gulped and turned back around as he caught sight of the long way down below.

"I'm not sure if this is particularly safe, Double Trouble…" Voodood whimpered as his whole body shook.

Double Trouble, however, frowned and tapped one foot against the chain. He tried to pull it up a few times, but no matter how many times he lifted that foot, it was immediately pulled back down to the chain! It was almost as if something glued it to the first link, in fact! He placed a second foot on it, then swung and wobbled around a bit just to be safe…

"Double Trouble, what are you doing?!" Voodood demanded with wide open eyes.

Double Trouble turned back and grinned at Voodood.

"This is one of those magic chains! It keeps you feet stuck to the chain until you reach your destination!" Double Trouble explained as he held a hand out to Voodood, "There's no way you can fall off!"

Voodood whimpered and seemed… Almost a bit hesitant, even if he didn't want to admit it. Surely, a proud warrior such as himself would never want to admit that he had a fear of heights. But, finally he nodded and receded as he took Double Trouble's hand. Voodood took one gingerly step onto the chain, then another, and finally the both of them cheered as they slid down the chain's surface, magic sparkles and all…

§

Chihiro frowned and rubbed her very bleary eyes as the world around her finally solidified into some kind of coherent landscape. Though everything around her was blurry and blobbish, she could make out rich green vegetation against yellow pathways and blue skies… Was she in some kind of forest or jungle? Her vision cleared further and greeted her with masses of tall, tropical trees and crops of tall, leafy plants occasionally entwined with thick vines and brightly-colored flowers. Yep, definitely a jungle.

But, most importantly, stationed outside the jungle path was a panicked, bearlike mabu dressed in simple, yet colorful clothing! The mabu muttered to themself as they paced around in circles, their eyes wide as dinner plates as they held on to a shaking hand. Though Chihiro wasn't quite sure just what it was, she could see a bit of red poking out from the hand they held… But why?

"Hey, what's going on?" Chihiro asked as she walked up to the mabu, "Is something wrong?"

But, the mabu didn't even notice her! They just went back to muttering and pacing with no attention paid to her, not even when she waved her hands in front of their face! Clearly they were pretty darn panicked…

"Hello? Hello? 'Scuse me?" Chihiro frowned as she hopped and waved in front of the mabu in some desperate attempt to catch their attention.

With a groan, she snapped her fingers in front of the mabu's face, and that at last seemed to catch their attention judging by how they jolted up!

"Wait, who are you?" The mabu whimpered as they stepped back and sweat, "When did you get here?"

"Hey there!" Chihiro chirped as she placed a hand on her chest, "I'm with the Skylanders, and I came here to see if—"

"SKYLANDERS?!" The mabu cried as they turned around, "NOT THEM, ANYONE BUT THEM! STAY AWAY!"

Wait, what?! Normally, hearing that the Skylanders were around was enough to ease most civilians' nerves, but this one seemed terrified! Before they could run further into the jungle, Chihiro teleported in front of them and stopped them in their tracks!

"Hey, buddy, calm down!" Chihiro said as she placed her hands on her hips, "I'm not gonna hurt you!"

"That's what those Skylanders said, too!" The mabu wailed as they flung out a wounded paw rife with crimson blood, "And look what they did to me!"

Chihiro gasped, then frowned as she examined the hand and tried to stifle her shock. Skylanders, wounding civilians willy-nilly? Now that was definitely a problem she had to investigate, but before she could she had to take care of this injury.

"Now that isn't right!" Chihiro summoned a roll of magical bandages and wrapped them around the mabu's hand as she spoke, "Code number two of the Skylander code says that Skylanders can't harm or kill civilians without good reason!"

The mabu only scoffed. "Tell that to those so-called Skylanders that went rouge in our village!"

"Yeah, I'd like too!" Chihiro cut the bandage as it finally finished wrapping, then put her hands on her hips, "I'm a portal master, and if Skylanders are acting out of line then it's my job to set them straight!"

"Really?"

The mabu looked up at Chihiro with wide eyes, then twiddled their fingers and looked aside as Chihiro nodded.

"Well, you see, some people claiming to be Skylanders came in to help protect a special treasure at our village's temple, but they stole it under our noses!" The mabu looked back up at Chihiro while their eyes shimmered with worried, "Now the whole place's in chaos! Without the treasure to keep the temple's magic in check, it's turned this whole jungle upside-down! There's monsters all over the place and the flora's grown out of control, and our whole village is terrified!"

Chihiro frowned, then summoned a magical notepad and pencil and tapped her pencil's tip against the shimmering paper. "Can you give me some descriptions of these Skylanders?"

The mabu frowned and rubbed their chin.

"Well, there was a bunny in a strange suit with a weird gun, and a guy with orange skin in these weird clothes who was riding a big wolf, and a big skeleton dressed up like a hockey player—"

"GOT IT!" Chihiro cried as she scribbled down her artistic interpretation of the mabu's descriptions. Before the mabu could even finish or be heard any more, Chihiro stashed her notepad away and dashed into the jungle… But not before she turned around and gave the mabu a thumbs up.

"Thanks for the info, buddy! I'll give those guys a good talking-to!"

And just like that, Chihiro had delved deeper into the thick of the jungle, where any sort of civilization had been long displaced by endless forest and greenery. The calls of birds and songs of insects mingled with the leaves as they brushed against the leaves… Like the one leaf that smacked into Chihiro's face right at the moment!

Chihiro grunted as she pushed aside the leaves of a particularly large flower, then as it pushed in front of her once more, she summoned a sword and chopped it off with a battle cry! She grunted as she pressed ahead and slashed through the endless thickets of vines, leaves and weeds that practically ran this jungle town… Then froze.

For a moment, she was sure she could've heard footsteps, and not just hers! Large, heavy footsteps, like that of some kind of beast! It could've been one of the jungle wildlife, but… Didn't that mabu say something about one of those rogue Skylanders having a monster buddy? Chihiro whipped out her notepad and flipped through its pages as the greenery around her rustled and shuddered while the footsteps grew more prominent, then gasped as she landed on a page with an illustration of just that person! Yes, that had to be the one the mabu described, the weird dude who rode on a wolf…

Low growling rumbled from the forest as the leaves shuddered and shook with such an unnatural ferocity, then finally something leaped out of the shadows and lunged right towards her! Chihiro tossed the notepad aside and flung up a large shield, then grunted and stepped back as her would-be attacker flew off the shield and rolled back onto the ground!

That would-be attacker was indeed, a ferocious wolf with fur that was coal black… Wait, it wasn't just coal black, its entire body was made of literal coal and rocks smashed together over a flaming hot fire base! It donned a metallic armor suit carved with fancy bronze markings, and its amber eyes glared with an intense flame! With how angry it looked, it would strike at any time now!

Chihiro whipped around and bolted off as the shield faded away, but the wolf was big and fast and determined, which was not a good combination! No matter how fast she ran, it bolted after her with an army's speed! Chihiro tapped her shoes and dashed off as a speed augmentation spell burst within her, but even that wasn't enough to discourage the beast. For every step she ran, it pounded behind her with such an intense fury it made the entire jungle quake!

"You're a pretty stubborn one, aren't you?" Chihiro asked as her hand glowed with a furious aqua light, "Guess I'll have to put you in the doghouse!"

Chihiro skidded around to a stop as her little energy flare glowed with the size and heat of the sun, then leaped up and spiked it down at the wolf! She hovered down with a grin as the wolf tumbled onto its back and whimpered… But that momentary confidence vanished the moment the wolf rolled around and flipped back onto its back!

"Seriously?!" Chihiro exclaimed as she stepped back while the wolf leaned down and growled at her.

Chihiro snarled and balled her hand into a fist as she got ready to fight once more… Then completely froze as a cackle shuffled through the leaves! Somebody else was here, and she was certain in her heart of hearts that it was this little puppy's owner! Chihiro whipped around and tried to get some sense of where the voice came from, but she couldn't seem to find anything! All she saw were rustling leaves and embers that crackled in midair!

"Who's over there?!" Chihiro cried as she lifted her glowing hand and jumped out of the wolf's way as it lunged over at her, "Get out here and face me!"

"Well, you asked for it!"

Right out of the bushes behind her, a bright flame rocketed forward and tried to crash into Chihiro, but she was already on top of it! Before it could catch her, she whipped around, cast out her hand and trapped that flame in a firm bubble! The flame rolled and pushed against the bubble, but that bubble was far too strong for it! In fact, the bubble won over it, as it completely extinguished its flames and unveiled the person underneath!

They were a human with bright orange skin covered in curvy red markings, while atop their head was a cream-colored mohawk. They dressed in brown, gray and red clothes that reminded Chihiro of some odd hybrid between knights and Vikings, and their bright, orange eyes rang with an even brighter fire as they pushed and struggled against the bubble… But too bad for them, they weren't leaving until Chihiro got some answers!

"Alright buddy, spill the beans!" Chihiro shouted as she pointed an accusing finger at the person, "Who are you, where are your little friends and what do you want with this place's treasure?"

The person just scoffed as they glared back down at Chihiro.

"Like I'd tell you that!" The person said as they whipped out an ax and slashed the bubble open!

As they fell back down to the ground, the person pulled down their eyelid and stuck their tongue out at Chihiro (How rude!), then bolted down the path once more!

"HEY, GET BACK HERE!" Chihiro cried as she knelt down and bolted after the flame person! Thankfully, her speed augmentation spell hadn't worn off quite yet, so before long she was neck in neck with that mystery fireball!

The person gasped and dashed further ahead the moment they caught sight of Chihiro, all as flames crackled and burned around them… But before they could make another grand escape, she snapped her fingers and trapped them in a magic net! The trick was so sudden that they dropped their ax just out of reach, much to their shock. They pressed and burned against the ropes as they tried to reach for their ax, but it was no use! Those ropes weren't budging no matter what!

"Sorry, buddy!" Chihiro shouted as she snagged his ax off the ground and smirked, "You're not getting out there until I get some answers!"

The person groaned, then turned away from Chihiro and crossed their arms with a huff. Well, seems as though she wouldn't be getting answers from them anytime soon. Chihiro frowned as the sound of pounding footsteps echoed in the distance, then squealed and jumped away yet again as that person's wolf tried to launch at her.

"Wait, that's it!" Chihiro proclaimed as she banged her fist against her hand, "If I can't get that guy to talk…"—Chihiro turned back around to the wolf and held out a hand—"Maybe I should ask someone else!"

Chihiro grinned as her hand sparked and flared with magic. "Alright boy, speak!"

A magic bullet jumped out of Chihiro's hand and shot towards the wolf, but the wolf just launched a flaming fireball that completely nullified the bullet and hurtled straight towards her! Chihiro jumped out of the way just in time and slung back some magic spheres, but once again they just harmlessly crashed against the wolf's pelt and vanished! The wolf lurched open its jaw and shot out another round of red hot fireballs, but this time Chihiro backflipped away and cast a bouncy shied that reflected the fireballs back at the wolf!

The wolf barked in surprise as it tried to turn tail and run, but before it could its own fireballs slammed into it and knocked it aside! Seemed as though a taste of its own medicine was all it needed, as finally it laid down and stopped attacking.

"Alright, boy," Chihiro said as she teleported in front of the monster and held a glowing hand in front of it, "If you tell me what your owner's friends are doing here, I'll give you a nice, juicy bone!"

The wolf yanked up its head as its eyes went wide, all while her blue glow burned around its body, then it jumped to its paws and wagged its tail.

"Owner and his friends came here because they wanted the treasure in the big building! They said they wanted to sell it for pretty gold!" The wolf panted as it looked down at Chihiro, "Can I have my bone now?"

"YOU STUPID MUTT!" The person cried as they swung against the magical net, "DON'T JUST TELL THEM THAT!"

Chihiro chuckled and rolled her eyes, then turned back to the wolf. She pieced together about that much from what she had heard, but it was good getting some confirmation.

"Almost!" Chihiro chirped as she held up her hand, "Just how many friends are there, and where are they now?"

"There's two more, and they're at the big gold building!"

Chihiro chuckled, then held out her hand and summoned a magical bone that she tossed to the wolf! She couldn't help but smile as the wolf caught it and chewed away, but she couldn't exactly linger here for long.

That temple was her next destination, and she had to get there fast! She dashed down the jungle path with a new spring in her step… But not before she turned her eyes back to the net and reinforced its ropes with a firm snap!

"Don't go anywhere!" Chihiro shouted as she raced off, all while the flaming person snarled and cursed her out in the distance.

§

Double Trouble and Voodood both stretched their arms to the ceilings as they hopped off the other side of the chain. Man, Double Trouble hadn't ridden one of those chains in so long, he had forgotten just how much fun they were! He made a little snicker to himself, then turned back and shook his head in a playful, teasing sort of way as Voodood stumbled about.

"All that sliding makes you dizzy at first, doesn't it?" Double Trouble chuckled as he floated behind Voodood and grabbed Voodood's shoulders, "You get used to it after a while~"

Voodood chuckled as he finally steadied himself, then nodded as a slight, dark green blush dusted his face. Wait, was Voodood blushing? But, why? It wasn't particularly hot in this place!

"Greetings, challengers," echoed the Weapon Master's voice, albeit with a somewhat distorted quality, as a blue light fell across Double Trouble and Voodood's faces, "Do not fear, for I am speaking to you through a holographic message, or 'hologram.'"

The two of them turned around, and there out of a golden spout came a hologram of the Weapon Master! It wasn't anything like the holograms Double Trouble was used to seeing, given how grainy and glitchy its appearance was. Heck, it practically shorted out every five seconds!

"Oh, it's you again!" Double Trouble chirped as he held his staff upright.

The Weapon Master, however, frowned and blinked. "The hologram isn't a shock to you?"

"Oh, holograms are super common nowadays!" Double Trouble grinned as he spun his staff like a baton, "They're convenient, but not exactly groundbreaking. Heck, I could make one half-asleep with my eyes closed!"

"Holograms are very common in our time," Voodood explained as he turned to the holographic Weapon Master.

The Weapon Master just pursed his lips as his eyes went wide with a tranquil sort of shock, almost.

"Oh," was all he said before he shook his head, "Nonetheless, I must warn you that the puzzles here are even harder than the last. Do not take them lightly."

And just like that, the Weapon Master's hologram vanished into a puff of smoke and magic sparkles!

Voodood seemed awfully concerned as he squeezed the handle of his ax, but Double Trouble wasn't worried in the slightest as he grinned and toyed with his staff!

"You aren't concerned?" Voodood asked at last as he looked up at Double Trouble.

"Nope!" Double Trouble beamed back at Voodood, "After all, those last few puzzles were child's play, what's one more?"

Double Trouble hummed to himself as he juggled his staff in midair, but his playtime came to a sharp close as something zapped in the back!

"Hey!" Double Trouble snatched his staff out of the air and whipped around, "Who did that?"

Cackles sounded off from nearby, and yet the entire area was completely blank save for Double Trouble and Voodood! So, with a wave of his wand, Double Trouble cast a no-sell spell that blanketed over everywhere but the tiny circle where he and Voodood stood and unveiled a mechanical spell punk clad in purple and yellow star-print robes that held a rainbow-colored orb tight!

The spell punk gasped as it realized that it was visible once more, then held out its hands like it was going to cast a spell. But, unfortunately for it, nothing came out! With the no-sell spell it couldn't do a thing! No magic or spells came from its spindly arms…

"Hah, what're you going to do now?" Double Trouble sneered.

So, it went with the next best thing. The spell punk snarled back at Double Trouble, then took its orb and slammed it against a big red button that sat just across from it, then dropped the orb and dashed off!

Alarms screeched across the area as holes formed in the platform, then in came Arkeyan knights and a massive Arkeyan Ultron! And they were more than ready to fight, especially given they had their shields up and ready!

Double Trouble winced and floated back. "I really shouldn't have said that."

Double Trouble and Voodood both frowned as the robots stared them down, then finally they jumped forward weapons-first!

And yet, the Ultrons were the first to attack as they held out their arms and shot out massive rockets!

Voodood and Double Trouble gasped and jumped out the rockets' path, then both of them got smacked and tossed aside with one blow from a knight's mace! Double Trouble winced as he skidded across the floor, then jumped to his feet and shot an eldritch magic beam towards another swarm of rockets that shot their way!

The beam blew up the rockets before they could hit, but the Ultron was hardly discouraged as its shields lowered while its arms raised… Wait, now was his chance!

"Voodood!" Double Trouble shouted as Voodood staggered off the ground beside him, "Get that thing's attention!"

Voodood pulled himself tall, then nodded and held out his ax. With one swing, its blade dug into the Ultron and pulled Voodood forward like a zipline! The Ultron stepped around and raised its arms to fire…

But before it could, Double Trouble jumped in and fried it with a magic beam!

As the Ultron burst into magical flames and fell down, Double Trouble and Voodood turned around and fixed their eyes on the Arkeyan knights, who already had their weapons raised! Their shields started to flicker out right as they went to swing… But unfortunately, they were fast and numerous! Neither Double Trouble or Voodood could get a blow in before they had to dodge a mace swing or two.

Seems they'd have to get a bit creative! So, the two of them pressed back-to-back against each other, each of their eyes fixed on one half of the whole fleet.

Double Trouble waved his wand, and in a flash his clones soared down from above and rained on the knights! While they were busy swatting the clones away like annoying bugs, Double Trouble swung over and blasted them with a massive laser beam of magic!

Meanwhile, Voodood and the other knights traded blows, then finally they all raised their maces at once… But he just swung his ax and slashed them all down in one fell swoop!

The knights all twitched and stumbled back as magical sparks flew from their injured bodies, then finally they exploded into gnashers, which in turn created a massive string of explosions around! By the time the dust cleared, nothing was left on the platform aside from Double Trouble and Voodood… And a simple golden key that rested among shattered, rainbow glass!

Double Trouble grinned as he lifted the key off the floor, then turned back to the end of the platform, where a gate stood firm with… Two locks. Dang, so much for an easy out.

"But where would we look for a second?" Double Trouble whispered as he spun the key around with his finger.

"Perhaps wherever that teleporter leads?" Voodood suggested.

Double Trouble perked up and turned around to Voodood, who pointed towards a teleporter that rested amid the stretching metal plains of the platform. Well, that was a good a place to start as any!

The two of them leaped on, then were whisked away from the confines of this room to… A seemingly empty room with nothing but blank, magical space? After all, everything beyond the silver platform that Double Trouble and Voodood stood on now was a lavender and cyan-dyed, sparkling liminal magical space with what seemed like no bottom. He'd hate to fall down there, but at the same time, something in his gut told him that there was more to this room that met the eye.

Double Trouble frowned as he examined the space, then summoned a clone and pushed it forward. The clone frowned as it looked down, then hopped ahead and whistled as it walked across a perfectly solid walkway! It was just as Double Trouble suspected, a test of faith!… Or so he thought. Rather, while he was celebrating, the clone screamed as it fell into the nothing!

Double Trouble hummed, then stepped forward and waved his wand. A rainbow of magic cascaded onto the abyss, and in moments of warbling shudders, a string of silver platforms not unlike the one he stood on now unveiled themselves! And better yet, at the very end of that platform string was the second key they sought!

Double Trouble grinned as he jumped on the first platform, then skidded across the next few with a grin. As he screeched to a stop, Double Trouble narrowed his eyes and waved his staff around. Perhaps, maybe, he could levitate the key right towards him…

But in that moment, the visibility spell faded away and everything became invisible once more!

Double Trouble gasped as he turned his eyes back down, and just his luck, he completely lost his balance! Double Trouble stumbled backwards and windmilled his arms as he teetered between the platform's edge and the abyss below!

"Double Trouble!" Voodood cried from across the path, but Double Trouble didn't get to respond!

Before he knew it, Double Trouble had tumbled off of the platform and down to the abyss! All he could do was scream as he flew down into the liminal space!…

Or not!

Rather, before he could fall down, his hand had gripped onto the side of the platform! Double Trouble winced and placed his staff on top of the platform itself, then winced again as he tried to pull himself back up onto the platform. However, unfortunately he didn't have nearly the amount of upper-body strength required!

He just grunted and groaned as he pulled himself up to his chin before he slunk down again, and with every attempted pull his arms grew more and more exhausted. As they shuddered and twitched, Double Trouble himself started to pant from sheer exhaustion, and it became clear to him that any more pulling and he might go tumbling down below. So, Double Trouble panted as he kept his grip tight on the platform, but even that was starting to slip as his palms grew sweatier. He needed to think of something, fast!

Double Trouble screwed his eyes shut and tried to manifest some kind of teleportation spell… Then popped them back open as the sound of footsteps clacking against marble echoed behind him!

He lifted his head as a shadow cast over him, then grinned as Voodood leaped overhead and looked down at him with a confident smile! Double Trouble beamed as Voodood slammed down onto the platform that Double Trouble hung from, then grabbed Double Trouble by the hands and yanked him back onto solid, invisible ground.

"Careful there," Voodood warned as he watched Double Trouble get situated back on the block, "It's a long way down."

Double Trouble chuckled, then grabbed his staff off the ground. With another simple wave on his end, rainbow light pulsated from the jewel at the staff's tip, then cascaded back over the space and unveiled not only the platforms, but the key as well!

Voodood turned back around, then narrowed his eyes and whipped out his ax as he fixed his attention on the key. With a simple swing, the ax's head sprung forward via a lengthy silver chain, then wrapped around the key and yanked it back to Voodood!

Double Trouble grinned and teleported them both back to the beginning with a wave of his wand. Once they were settled back on the first silver platform, the two of them leaped onto the teleporter and were whisked away in a flash!

They returned just as quickly back to where they started just as quickly as they hit the teleporter, then grinned back at each other as they sped over to the door.

Double Trouble fished the first key out of his skirt, and in perfect sync he and Voodood pressed the keys into their locks and turned. What would await them beyond the gate's limits? Another chain, more puzzles, perhaps even more of those obnoxious robots? Double Trouble's gaze tensed as the gate swung open and unveiled…

Yet another teleporter. Well, at least it wasn't obnoxious robots.

So, Double Trouble and Voodood both hopped on as the magic fired up.

§

Chihiro frowned as she pushed aside a few leaves, then crept out of the foliage right as they slapped back into place behind her. That strange wolf-tamer dude was left in the back of her mind for a while at this point, and yet she still couldn't find any sights of the golden building their wolf had mentioned! Assuming she hadn't gotten lost among the massive, untamed flora of the jungle's wilderness, that is…

Chihiro winced as she trailed down the beaten dirt paths and balled her fist tight. Her heart leaped with every tiny sound she heard, from the rustle of leaves to what she could've sworn were sticks breaking around her, but she couldn't entirely help it. All around her, the jungle imposed over her with its overgrown and dangerous-looking flora and creepy sparkles in the distance, and in that moment, Chihiro had started to realize just how small she was compared to it. She bit her lip and winced as another stick broke, then balled her other hand into a fist as a third broken stick sent chills down her spine.

After all, breaking sticks were never a good sign! Chihiro turned around and backed away as eyes poked out from the dark—bright, topaz eyes that shone like cats who hid in the shadows, ready to strike their prey! More and more of those eyes that shook Chihiro to the core popped out of the leaves, all while growling echoed around.

"Please don't let that be what I think it is," Chihiro gulped as she took a few more shaky steps back.

Unfortunately, it was just what she thought it was! One by one, gigantic jungle monsters all came piling out from the grass! From massive tigers to razor-beaked toucans and mammoth-sized mosquitoes, they all growled and slobbered as they piled onto the path, all ready to get their next piece of meat!

Chihiro winced, then held her hands up as she walked further back across the path. She tried to force a smile and quell her nervous sweat—monsters like these could smell fear, after all—but after a while it became clear that she couldn't temper her fears… So, she had to try the next best thing instead.

"Heh, hey, there, guys!" Chihiro sputtered between the frantic chatter of her teeth, "You seem like really nice jungle monsters and I'd really hate to be someone's next meal, so why don't you just let me go and I'll be on my merry way?"

The monsters, however, just growled and buzzed even louder as they launched themselves towards Chihiro!

"I should've guessed that wouldn't work!" Chihiro cried as she dashed underneath a mosquito and winced, "Guess this is the part where I run for it!"

With a tap of her feet, Chihiro bolted down the jungle path in an incredible burst of speed! But, not incredible enough, given that the monsters were hot on her tail! Their breath was hot against her neck as their footsteps shook the ground below, while the beat of flapping wings was so mighty it nearly blew her off her feet! Seems shaking these guys wasn't going to be easy!

Chihiro squealed and leaped ahead as one of the monsters snapped at her back, but as she flew through their air, her eyes locked on a staircase of gigantic, awfully rubbery-looking mushrooms! With a few kicks of her legs, Chihiro dashed in midair and landed on the first mushroom, then leaped off of its soft, bouncy surface to the next!

"Man, if this is what that stolen treasure's doing to this place, I really need to finish this up!" Chihiro cried as she bounced from mushroom to mushroom, then screamed as the toucan monster snapped at her feet, "But before I do that, I should probably shake these monsters!"

So, as she leaped off the third and final mushroom and flew just inches above the jungle canopy, a pair of magical angel wings manifested on Chihiro's back! She flapped the wings a few times just to test, then once she was certain they worked Chihiro dashed through the skies! The bounce gave her enough of a speed boost that it propelled her far away from those monsters… In fact, their cries were nothing more than distance echoes at this point!

And that was music to Chihiro's ears as she lowered back down to the jungle path and twirled in midair! Flying was so fun, she could just do it forever! In fact, it almost felt like she could as she barrel-rolled and corkscrewed her way through the path with such force it shook the leaves off the trees… But unfortunately she didn't get her wish, as in her moment of elation, she forgot to look where she was going and crashed straight through a nearby particularly tall tree. Chihiro screamed as she darted through its massive thicket of branches and leaves, then once she popped out of the mass, her wings vanished!

"Huh?" Chihiro exclaimed as the sparkles flew into the skies, then she peered down at the massive drop below and gulped.

"Oh boy."

Without anything to fly with, gravity took hold and sent Chihiro crashing down! She screamed all the way as she vaulted down below, then crashed down with such velocity that she dug a trench into the dirt paths behind her. As her rough landing finally came to a stop, Chihiro groaned and shook herself down.

"Okay, I shook the monsters… But at what cost?" Chihiro moaned as she brushed dirt out of her hair, then jumped to her feet and dusted off her vest.

As she brushed herself down, she couldn't help but get the nagging feeling she was forgetting something, but what? In her haste to escape, it had completely slipped her mind! Chihiro bit her lip and groaned as she tried to remember, though nothing but blank space filtered through her mind… Then she screamed and reeled back as a bright, golden light completely blinded her!

Was it evening already? It couldn't be, evening light wasn't nearly this bright!

The light relented just a bit, and Chihiro shook her head as she peered up to the source of the light. It had come from a massive, golden temple that towered over the entire jungle, like a monument within the confines of a small village. Wait a second, she vaguely remembered something about a wolf and a golden building now. Was this what she was looking for?

"Yes, that's it!" Chihiro cried as she pounded a fist against her hand, "This must be the temple those dudes were raiding! I guess I know where I'm going next!"

Chihiro's earlier exhaustion completely vanished as she bolted down the jungle path, all while the massive golden temple's stairs came closer and closer into view.

Magic sparkled around her as she took one last step, and her grin only grew wider. With her next step, she teleported halfway up the stairs, then all the way to their top before she paused and looked inside.

The temple's doors were wide open, and yet there was nothing but darkness inside. Who knew what kind of trials and tribulations would await her? Well, guess that was for her to find out.

Chihiro walked through the doorway, and the moment she stepped foot in its golden halls, a row of torches lit up beside her and illuminated the world around! Not that there was anything more to see other than massive stretches of gold walls and flooring that sparkled just as brightly as the temple's outsides did, though. Chihiro frowned and tapped her foot for a moment, then shoved her hands into her pockets as she whistled and walked down. Everything was oddly quiet save for her song and the crackle of torchlight, and while that should have been a good thing… With an exam like this, that was only an omen of things to come.

Chihiro stopped as something rumbled beside her, then turned around and screamed as a gigantic golden block leaped out of the walls beside her and screeched towards her! She jumped out of the way right before it could slam her against the wall, but it did make a nice little dent in the wall beside her before it retreated back to its hiding place. Well, guess Chihiro got her answer now.

She winced as the block crept out and slammed against the wall once more, then skipped past it as it retreated… And heaved a deep sigh.

Right ahead of her, tons of blocks crashed and banged against each other as they popped in and out of the temple walls! Though she couldn't easily count them, there were a lot, at least enough that they closed off a good bit of the hallway ahead. But, that wasn't enough to intimidate Chihiro!

So, Chihiro ran forward and dove right through a pair of blocks as they smashed together behind her, stepped back as another pair of blocks crashed into each other, then dove to the floor as more blocks banged together just ahead of her! For a moment she wiped the sweat from her brow as everything seemed peaceful, but the rumble of the ground underneath her showed it was anything except that!

Chihiro screamed and rolled away as the block she laid under jutted out and soared away into the ceiling! Yeah, there were way more flying blocks here than she thought. Chihiro gritted her teeth as she examined the area around. Every which way she looked, it seemed as though there were more and more blocks to be found. Every opening had a block inconveniently jump out and soar away, every tiny spot had a hazard to be held—and it made mapping out an exit a chore, that was for sure!

"ALRIGHT!" Chihiro cried as she slammed her hands against the floor, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!"

Bright, blue ripples of magic shuddered and echoed out from Chihiro's slams, and in that moment everything shifted from colorful yellow to a still monochrome as the blocks around slowed down, then finally, everything ground to a halt as time completely stopped!

Chihiro crawled out from the block that soared above her and grinned as she stood to full height. For what was maybe her second time performing a time-stopping spell, it sure turned out great! She let out a soft, satisfied laugh as she basked in her work, but only for a moment before she scrambled over a few blocks and ran towards the exit!
Though the block storm was thick at first, it quickly let up as she climbed over a trio of blocks stacked a bit like a staircase, then finally she reached…

A dead end! No paths beside her, no doors or anything, just a thick, golden wall.

Of course, by now she knew that dead ends were never truly dead ends. There was always some kind of hidden passageway or secret code to be inputted, sometimes even illusions to be released! But what, exactly, was it? Chihiro frowned as she turned back to the block storm, while her gaze drifted up from a functional, lengthy staircase of oddly-positioned blocks to a large platform up above!

"Huh! That was easy!" Chihiro remarked as she placed her hands on her hips, "Should've guessed it was the classic secret staircase!"

Chihiro dashed up to the first of the golden block stairs, then hupped as she leaped above that one, then the one after that… But before she could get on the next, something below her started to rumble! Chihiro frowned and peered back at the block, which inched away so slowly it could barely be noticed while the color slowly returned.

Wait, returned? Crap, her spell must have been wearing off! Chihiro gasped, then teleported two blocks up at a time while time itself raced her to the finish line! The world around her flickered between yellow and grayscale as she teleported further and further up, and with such speed that it was dangerously close to beating her out... But in the end, Chihiro was the winner!

She had managed to teleport back on top right as time resumed!

"That was close."

Chihiro peered back down as the blocks went back to smashing and crashing, then screeched and rolled aside as one zoomed up beside her and smashed into the ceiling! Chihiro winced as it sunk back down, then jumped up and turned her attention to the rest of the platform.

While there didn't seem to be anything of note on the platform itself save for an odd statue shaped like a head, the walls were a different manner! There on the wall itself was a gigantic wheel with eight wheels carved into its golden surface, each with a symbol carved into slices marked with bright coats of sparkly paint, though from this distance, it was hard to tell just what those symbols were.

Chihiro skipped up to the first wheel, which had a streak of orange painted just above it, then grinned as she examined the symbols. Gears, stars, raindrops, flames… These were all the symbols of Skylands' elements!

"But, what do wheels and symbols and stuff have to do with all this?" Chihiro asked as she frowned and tapped her chin, then turned her attention back to the statue head. "Well, guess I'll just ask!"

Chihiro snapped her fingers, and in moments the head was surrounded with a ring of shiny blue magic that seeped into its stone! The statue seemed still as rock for a few moments, but then its eyes flickered open as it hopped around until it faced Chihiro.

"You who wishes to enter the sacred altars," the statue bellowed in a deep, gravely voice, "To unlock the way, you must arrange these wheels with their proper markers. Match them all, and you will proceed…"

The statue's eyes flared red as it hopped back in its proper place and became still once more.

"But fail, and you will be locked away."

Chihiro gritted her teeth and hissed as she looked back to the wall of wheels. Well, that wasn't ominous at all! She could already feel herself clamming up as she turned her attention back to the wall, but Chihiro tapped her foot and tried to center herself as she examined the wheels…

They all had the eight elements' symbols and all, but something was off. The Tech Element's color was orange, but its symbol, a round gear with three little circles in its center, was carved into the wheel's purple slot! And the Magic Element's shining star was engraved onto a sparkly silver slot instead! So matching the elements with their associated colors was out of the question. But if that wasn't the case, then what was?

Chihiro frowned as she brushed her fingers against the wheel while rainbow sparkles brushed onto her fingertips, then fixed her eyes onto the purple slot of the wheel. The Tech Element symbol, matched with the Magic Element's striking purple… And for that matter, the Magic Element's star paired with the Undead Element's silver… What was the connection there? What connection did Tech have with Magic, or Magic with Undead?

"Wait a second. Didn't I read something about this in those books Master Eon lent me?" Chihiro whispered as she looked down and shook a finger, "Each element has an element it's strong against, and another that it's weak against…"

Chihiro snapped her fingers and grinned. That was it! These wheels were arranged based on elemental strengths and weaknesses!

"Now, Tech is strong against Magic, and Magic is strong against Undead," Chihiro said as she turned back to the wheel, "So these slices must be based on strengths."

And that just left one last piece of the puzzle—those weird stripes at the top of the wheel! Orange was Tech's signature color, but if the wheels' slices were based on strength… Then maybe those were based on weaknesses? Just what was Tech weak against?

Chihiro frowned, then her eyes trailed down to a bright, orange slice of the wheel that had a stylized mountain range carved into it and grinned!

"Tech is weak against Earth, so maybe," Chihiro whispered as she spun the wheel so that the orange slice faced the stripe, "If I put it like that…"—Chihiro jumped from each wheel and spun the wheels one by one—"And this in this order…"

Chihiro stepped back and clasped her hands, all while she glazed over the wheels that were arranged so that each matching-colored slice faced the top… Then grinned as the wall rumbled and drew back! She was right! So, she relaxed her arms and walked ahead.

The walls around her had shifted from a bright gold to a flaming ruby, from the tops of the ceilings to the floor beneath her feet… But unfortunately, that ruby wasn't fiery enough to light the way, so Chihiro summoned a light sphere and nudged it forward.

The light sphere bounced up and down like it was nodding, then zipped down the pathway with intense speed! Chihiro grinned, then laughed as she followed the sphere down the halls and straight into a bright light at the end of the hall!

All around her, the light parted ways and unveiled a beautiful room made entirely of ruby like the halls before, but its floors and walls all had intricate carvings drawn into their surface that depicted ancient battles and breathtaking historical events. Crisp green vines crept down from the ceiling and over the walls, and in the center of it all, faint red light poured down on a bright red pedestal with a shiny red jewel suspended above it!

"Seems like those thieves must not have hit this room yet," Chihiro reasoned as she beamed over the surroundings, "Good thing, too! This place is beautiful, I'd hate to see it torn up!"

"SORRY, BUT YOU'RE WRONG THERE!" Bellowed a massive, ghastly voice that echoed around the room!

Chihiro gasped and whipped around, then leaned out of the way as a puck flew out from nowhere and slammed against the walls! As the puck fell down and clattered against the floor, a soft, warbling sound paired with deep laughter resonated as someone manifested out of nowhere, like a ghost unveiled by a spell!

This person was some kind of skeletal undead being, with maybe only their torso and arm covered in sickly, bluish-green flesh so pale it was practically white, while the other half of it was all stark, white bone. Their face was masked by a white hockey mask that covered everything but their glowing yellow eyes and wispy white hair, and black and red sports gear decorated the rest of their body, from a torn jersey and pants to gloves and skating boots. In their hand they held a massive, hockey stick-like scythe with a blade at its end, and in the other they held a worn, but full, sack!

"I don't know who you are," Chihiro snarled as she balled her hand into a fist, "But you better not take that jewel!"

"Did those mabu really think a kid could stop me, the Penalty Killer?" Penalty Killer sneered as he leaned against his scythe, "Man, they really are dumb!"

Penalty Killer whipped his scythe forward as he drew closer to the pedestal.

"Now, go run along and do your homework, kid…" Penalty Killer slashed the air with his scythe, "Or I'll have to slice you down!"

Chihiro hissed as Penalty Killer reached out towards the pedestal, but before he could grab the jewel, she leaped forward and kicked his arm! He yowled as he pulled away, then grabbed his scythe with both hands as his eyes flared red.

"ALRIGHT, YOU ASKED FOR IT!"

Penalty Killer slammed his scythe down on Chihiro, but she just flung up her arms and created a shield that caught it mid-swing! As she tossed the scythe back, Chihiro balled her hands into flaming fists and punched, but Penalty Killer blocked every single punch with his scythe!

"What is that thing, anyways?" Chihiro asked as she flung another punch, "A scythe?"

"It's not a scythe!" Penalty Killer yelled as it blocked Chihiro's punch!

Chihiro, however, just drew back her arm and shot another punch. "A hockey stick, then?"

"IT'S NOT A HOCKEY STICK, EITHER!"

Penalty Killer snarled as he flung Chihiro back, but she only skidded a bit against the floors and stood her ground.

"THEN WHAT IS IT?" Chihiro shouted back.

"IT'S THE BEST THING TO EVER HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF SPOOKEY! WITH THIS, YOU…"

As Penalty Killer rambled away, however, Chihiro caught something jump towards the pedestal and leaped right in front of it! Once they both crashed and stumbled back, Chihiro smirked as the strange blur was knocked down by her blow.

It was now unveiled to be a rabbit in some kind of fancy suit with a blaster at their side, and it was a dizzy rabbit at it! The moment it came to, it stumbled backwards and rammed into Penalty Killer!

The two of them were ripe for the picking, so Chihiro held out her hands and got ready to shoot a nice, magical cage in their direction… Then gasped and cast a shield instead as a flurry of carrot-shaped bullets dashed right towards her! The bullets fell to the floor as Chihiro's shield disappeared, and with a snarl she turned her eye on the rabbit.

"Hah!" The rabbit smirked as it looked back at Chihiro and loaded its blaster with a simple pull of the lever, its voice a bit like that one gray cartoon bunny Chihiro had seen on old-timey TV cartoons, "You think one little smack is gonna take down Gust Bunny? Well, here's what I have to say to that!"

Gust Bunny pulled his blaster's lever once more, and out from it came a flurry of sharp, missile-like carrots!

"EAT CARROT, YOU LITTLE SNOT!"

Chihiro gasped, then narrowed her eyes shot her own flurry of energy blasts with such intensity that it blew her back!

She screwed her eyes shut as a burst of light formed from the resulting crash, then popped them open right as Penalty Killer reached towards the jewel once more! But, he wouldn't be stealing anything on her watch! Chihiro snapped her fingers and created a magical effigy of a sword, then pointed towards Penalty Killer and snapped her fingers! Chihiro nodded as the sword soared towards Penalty Killer, but her cool composure broke as he whipped around and sliced the sword clean in half!

Penalty Killer narrowed his eyes and hunched down, then shot a puck of raw energy right at Chihiro! Chihiro jumped out of its path, but lost her balance and fell flat on her face! With a wince, she pulled herself up and cast a shield that reflected the next puck he shot at her. The energy puck bounced off the shield like a rubber ball, then…

Oh no, the jewel! The energy puck slammed straight into the jewel and knocked it off the pedestal!

Everyone gasped and dropped their weapons as they fixed their eyes on the jewel, which glowed with bright, crimson light as it hovered above the ground. That couldn't be good...

§

The teleporter flashed and popped as it spat Double Trouble and Voodood out onto the marble floors of the room surrounding, then with its passengers delivered, its light faded and flickered out once again.

"Just where are we?" Voodood asked as he sat on his knees and looked up.

Double Trouble frowned and scratched his chin with his staff as he examined the room. It seemed a bit like a ballroom with its fancy purple and gold walls and its sleek, metallic floors, but large chunks of the floor had been carved out into metal pits accentuated with large stone blocks that glowed with purple magic. Was this perhaps the sight of their next trial?

Voodood seemed to wonder this as well, given how he looked around the room… Then jumped back as another weak, holographic projection of the Weapon Master popped up from a golden spout in the floor!

"If you are seeing this," said the Weapon Master's hologram as he crossed his arms, "Then that means you have passed the trial of intelligence. I suppose some praise is due here."

Double Trouble and Voodood grinned as they looked back at each other.

"But, your trials are only just beginning. Now, you must face your second exam, a test of strength."

The Weapon Master turned back to the massive stretch before them, as did Voodood and Double Trouble, but…

It didn't exactly look tedious. After all, there were just some block puzzles, and that seemed simple enough to finish! Where were the swathes of enemies, the tough foes, the massive obstacles and other things that made trials, well, trials?

"It may seem simple." The Weapon Master turned back to Double Trouble and Voodood and clapped his hands, "But, I will advises you not to underestimate this trial… It is much more challenging than you surely believe."

And just like that, the Weapon Master completely vanished! Kind of an ominous note to leave on, but whatever.

Voodood and Double Trouble both blinked as the last of his hologram's sparkles vanished into thin air, then turned to each other and frowned.

"Just what was all that for?" Voodood asked as he scratched his chin.

Double Trouble frowned and scratched the chin of his mask as well, then practically jolted out of his skin as sirens blared all around!

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" Blared a mechanical voice from above!

The entire area was dyed red as the pits in the floor flipped open, and out from their newfound entryways poured hundreds of Arkeyan robots! Massive blue Ultrons with cannons for arms, knights armed with maces, blasters with spider-like legs… You could find the entire gallery here, and they were all fixed on Double Trouble and Voodood! Yeah, all of a sudden, they both understood why this was called a trial now.

"I'll take care of the robots!" Voodood proclaimed as he gripped his ax tight and looked back to Double Trouble, "You just find a way out!"

Double Trouble nodded, then flew away to the blocks and waved his staff. With a bright burst of magic on his end, the blocks all lifted off the ground and flew down into the first open spaces they could find. Double Trouble grinned as the blocks all sectioned themselves away, all while he didn't even have to lift a finger. That was simple enough…

But the Orcish cries that drew his attention behind showed that Voodood wasn't having as simple a time! Back on the ballroom floor, Voodood immediately went to tango with the robots!

An Ultron was the first to start as it bounded towards him, but before it could lift its arms and shoot Voodood slashed it in half with his ax! The Ultron exploded and sent Gnashers flying everywhere, gnashers that were short-lived as Voodood swung his ax at one!

This brought about a chain reaction of nasty explosions that fried the robots below, all of which exploded and released more gnashers. The moment these gnashers hit the surface, however, the intense shock blew them up as well and created another intense chain reaction of explosions that ravaged the battlefield!

Voodood slammed the base of his ax into the floor and reeled back as a magical barrier shielded him from the explosions, then sighed and wiped his forehead. As the explosions faded, he frowned and poked his gaze over his barrier.

"Is that it? Voodood asked.

He frowned and held his ax tight, as if he couldn't believe this was the end, then gasped as the pit panels flung open! Voodood jumped to his feet, then held his ax tight as more robots poured out from the floors.

"Seems not!"

With a spin of his ax, Voodood summoned an energy beam, then slammed it right into the chest of one particularly large Ultron and flew towards it with the beam as his grappling hook! Once he was in range, Voodood pulled his ax from the beam, slashed the Ultron clean in half and kicked its halved parts right at the rest of the robotic crowd!

The gnashers popped out of the broken halves and exploded right through the crowd, but as the chain reactions rocked the floor, several of the robots wove through the detonations and charged forward with weapons held high!

Voodood just grunted as he held his ax tighter, then slashed the air and sent out gigantic magical shockwaves that froze the robots in place! He honestly looked so cool as he fought his hardest against the robots, a warrior who couldn't be stopped no matter what!

Double Trouble was so awestruck, in fact, that he completely forgot about the puzzle as he just stood in silence, his eyes transfixed on Voodood…

"Double Trouble!" Voodood cried as he turned back to Double Trouble and breathed heavy breaths, "Is that puzzle taken care of?"

Double Trouble gasped, then shook his head and grinned.

"Almost!" Double Trouble shouted back as he gestured towards the blocks, "I think I only have a few more—"

Double Trouble's eyes went wide as one of the robots pulled itself from its state of shock and bounded towards Voodood.

"Voodood, look out!"

Unfortunately, Voodood turned around just a little too late! The robot smacked him aside with its mace and tossed him right into Double Trouble!

Voodood cried in pain as Double Trouble caught him with magic, then floated over to one of the blocks and propped him against it. Voodood winced and held his side, and though he bit his lip and tried to suck it up, it was clear that blow did a number on him.

"You're hurt…" Double Trouble whispered as he brushed his fingertips against Voodood's side. Double Trouble held Voodood close as he fixed his staff between the two of them. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Voodood's pain seemed to fade for a moment as he peered back at Double Trouble with those gentle amber eyes, but only for a moment as a surge of pain crumpled him back into Double Trouble's grasp. Double Trouble leaned forward and held his staff high as waves of magic washed between the both of them, and for a moment the entire world seemed to vanish around them…

But then the robots started shooting and reminded Double Trouble they were still in the middle of a battle! Double Trouble winced and pulled both himself and Voodood down as blasts of raw magic smashed into the blocks above then, then snarled as he turned back to the robotic army.

"YOU REALLY HAVE SOME NERVE, TRYING TO KICK SOMEONE WHEN THEY'RE DOWN LIKE THAT!" Double Trouble exclaimed as he held out his staff, which glowed with a bright rainbow of magic so furious it shook the staff to its core, "HOW ABOUT YOU GET A TASTE OF YOUR OWN MEDICINE!?"

Right as Double Trouble said this, his staff leaped from his hands and spun around so fast that the magic swallowed it whole! From this furious storm, magic bombs leaped out and slammed into the ground below, then exploded into a fury of color and energy!

All around, the ballroom had dissolved into chaos. The robots were knocked down and blown to bits while the explosions charred the floor and swallowed everything in their light…

But this momentary distraction was just what Double Trouble needed! As his staff returned to his grip, Double Trouble grabbed Voodood's hands and pulled him into the maze.

"That should buy us some time!" Double Trouble panted as he peered into the eyes of a stunned Voodood, "Let's get going!"

So, the two of them dove into the block puzzle maze with no hesitation, then rounded corners and crossed stone bridges as the explosions and light faded into the distance. Thankfully, it seemed as though they had shaken the robots… But now, a new problem presented itself before them.

In the center of the maze, the blocks had blocked them off into a room with a dead end that was filled with lasers embedded into the walls, all trademark of a beam puzzle. But, there were no crystals to be found, not even the lock crystal that usually signifies the end of these puzzles! With no crystals, how were they supposed to adjust the lasers and make it out?

Double Trouble hummed as he examined the lasers, then perked up and turned around as Voodood limped over to the wall and laid down with a groan. The interrupted healing spell clearly wasn't enough to properly fix him up… So, Double Trouble nodded and clutched his staff.

"You just rest," he whispered as he turned his attention back to beams and held up his staff, "I'll take care of things from here."

Double Trouble floated back to one of the lasers, then turned his attention to the wall it burned into. This was a test of strength, so surely the answer will have something to do with strength, right? But those walls looked too thick to destroy with his own magic. Double Trouble peered back at the laser, then lifted his staff so that its crystal hovered just inches above the laser. Perhaps a different sort of strength was in order here? Double Trouble gently jiggled his staff, then narrowed his eyes as a laser of his own transferred into the laser below.

As its energy fed into the laser, it grew brighter and thicker while the room around heated up… Then a sizzling sound hit the air as the laser completely melted the wall it dug into! With the stone wall no more than a puddle of goo, the laser zapped into a large crystal that transferred its light to another crystal beside it, then the next one and the one after. As the laser leapt to each crystal, the stones that walled off the crystals glowed with a pinkish purple light and not only slid back into the ground, but revealed the gate to the next area!

Double Trouble grinned and clasped his staff tight as he looked back to Voodood, who smiled as he lurched off the floor… But Double Trouble's grin faded as Voodood stumbled back down.

"Don't push yourself," Double Trouble warned as he flew over and helped Voodood back off the ground, "You're still hurt, you know!"

Voodood grimaced, and for a moment it seemed as though he was going to retort, but instead he pursed his lips and made a reluctant nod. He clung closer to Double Trouble as Double Trouble floated down the short, unveiled pathway that in turn fed into one last, blank, wide-open room that was short of all decoration… Save for a teleporter that was just ahead of them!

"There it is!" Double Trouble cried as he and Voodood untwined from each other, "We can finally get out of here!"

Double Trouble grinned as he dashed towards the teleporter at speeds he didn't know that even he could go… But right before he could reach it, a shadow cast over the room! He stopped in his tracks, then teleported away and reappeared right as a gigantic Arkeyan Ultron fell in front of the teleporter and blocked them off! Of all the times…

Double Trouble snarled as the Ultron pounded its feet so hard it shook the ground, but he stood tall as he whipped his staff around and shot a round of magic bombs right at the Ultron! The Ultron refused to move as the bombs shot towards it, then with one mighty shake it dispelled all those bombs in an instant! Double Trouble grimaced and jumped back as the Ultron slammed a fist into the ground, then with a swipe of his staff he shot off every offensive spell he could think of in that moment… But nothing worked!

Magic storms? Swept aside like thin clouds against a tough breeze! Clones? Squeezed like oranges! Magic beams? Cut clean in half!

Double Trouble would have tried more, but, a glance behind showed Voodood wincing and holding his side as he watched the gigantic Ultron in fear. Double Trouble couldn't risk Voodood's safety with such a harrowing battle! So, he teleported back to Voodood and grabbed Voodood's hand.

"Hold on tight!" Double Trouble cried as he was surrounded by a cloud of cyan magic, "We're gonna have to book it!"

That's what Double Trouble thought they would do as they teleported behind the Ultron and dashed towards where the teleporter laid… But it had been completely blocked off! Double Trouble stopped short before he could ram into the stone wall that blocked off the teleporter, then winced as he turned his attention back at the Ultron. Surely defeating this guy was the key… But how?

Double Trouble clenched his teeth as the Ultron lurked ahead in search of them, then got pulled out of his thoughts as something nudged him in the shoulder. He turned around, and found Voodood's ax as Voodood held it right in front of him!

"Go ahead," Voodood winced as he laid the ax in Double Trouble's free hand, "Work your magic."

But, Double Trouble couldn't bring himself to even brush his palms against that ax! Instead, he winced and looked up to Voodood with a bit of concern. That ax was so precious to Voodood, after all… Voodood seemed to pick up on Double Trouble's hesitation as he raised an eyebrow, then smiled and nodded.

"If there's anyone I'd trust to use it, it would be you."

Double Trouble's jaw gaped open in shock as he hesitantly wrapped his hand around the ax's handle, then finally he clenched it tight as his hand glowed purple. That purple glow swirled around the ax for a few moments, then the ax flew out of his hand and straight towards the Ultron! The Ultron, however, was so distracted looking for Double Trouble and Voodood that it didn't even notice the ax hurtling towards it… Until the ax hacked off both its arms!

The Ultron let out an unholy, robotic screech as its arms crashed down to the floor and revealed the bright, shining orbs that were embedded in its torso! They radiated with such magic, surely these were the source of its power!

As the ax whipped back around, Double Trouble snatched it out of the air and handed it back to Voodood, then gripped his staff tight as he flew up to the first power core! His eyes narrowed as he held his staff straight and firm… But his firm look loosened as a massive blast shot out of his staff and shattered the core to bits!

The Ultron's cries became distorted as it stumbled across the floor, all while the glow from its mechanical face faded in and out, but Double Trouble paid them no mind as he whipped around and did the same thing to the second power core!

The sound of shattering glass shot through the ballroom along with the Ultron's dying cries, then finally its lights went out as it collapsed face-first onto the floor!

While it landed with such a heavy thud that it kicked dust and grime up everywhere, Double Trouble floated back down to Voodood, who now stood tall and proud. Seems as though Voodood had finally gathered his bearings, thank goodness!

And better yet, the stone block that walled off the teleporter had rescinded! They could finally move on! So with no hesitation, they both bolted towards the teleported and teleported up, up and away…

§

Chihiro winced and bit her lip as a massive, bright red feline monster formed from the bright, glowing blob that was once that shiny jewel the thieves had tried to steal! It looked a bit like a giant sabertooth tiger with the stripes that streaked across its muscular body, the massive tusks that jutted out from its upper jaw and its whiplike tail… And with the way it snarled and snapped at the thin air between it and Chihiro, it seemed every bit as deadly as one of the real things!

"Sorry, kitty," Chihiro said as she summoned a gigantic energy sphere and shot it towards the tiger, "But I don't really have time to play with you right now!"—Chihiro stepped back and balled her hand into a fist as the sphere rocketed towards the tiger—"Just turn back into that jewel and—"

SMACK! That was the sound of Chihiro's sphere being batted away by the tiger's massive paws like it was no more than a rubber ball!

"Okay, magic spheres maybe aren't the best thing to attack a cat with!" Chihiro exclaimed as she tossed her hands into the air, "HOW ABOUT THIS?"

In moments, swirls of magic burst from Chihiro's palms, then shaped into sleek dragon-shaped missiles and darted down at the tiger!

The tiger snarled as the dragons drew closer and closer to it, then dashed away from the first one and bristled its fur as the dragon crashed into the floor! With the first one gone, the tiger launched itself at the second, bit right into it and tore it apart like a toy, then shot its two broken halves at the remaining dragons!

The tiger scraped its claws against the floor and heaved heavy growls as it turned its attention back to Chihiro, who gulped and winced in response! Seems as though those weren't a good idea either! Chihiro wanted to rack her brain and think of something to get this thing off her tail, but she didn't have much time, for the tiger had decided that she was its next target!

Chihiro screamed as she leaped out of its way before it could tackle her into a wall, then summoned a magical boxing glove and punched it aside… But the boxing glove just bounced off of its side and exploded! The tiger turned around and snapped its jaws just inches away from Chihiro's hand, and in response she teleported away and held out both her hands.

"Okay, seems you're pretty cranky!" Chihiro cried as a vortex of magic formed at her palms, "Maybe you need a little nap!"

Right as she said this, a burst of magic dust flew from Chihiro's hands and smacked right into the tiger's face!

The tiger groaned and reeled back as it sniffed in the dust—surely, that would put it down for the count, right? Nah, it just sneezed and shook its head! If anything, all that did was make it even more annoyed, because immediately afterwards it growled and leaped towards Chihiro!

Chihiro screamed and teleported away as it opened its jaws and got ready to bite, then teleported behind it right as it snapped at blank air! As the tiger whipped back around and got ready to make chase after her, Chihiro snapped her fingers and summoned a burst of magical fire that blazed towards it, but that fire extinguished the moment it hit the tiger's pelt!

Chihiro screamed and teleported away as the tiger charged once more, then summoned another swarm of magical elemental attacks… But with little luck! The magical waterfall barely rusted it and just poured down its side like water rushing down a rock, the most the magic jewel darts did was chip its pelt, the vines it tore in half with one snap… Just what would stop this thing?

Chihiro clenched her teeth as she fell down to the floor in tandem with the tiger, all while the thieves laughed in the background!

"Man, we really lucked out!" Gust Bunny proclaimed as he slung his blaster against his hip, "Who knew we'd get such a strong buddy on our side?"

"I don't know," Penalty Killer replied as he tossed his stick/scythe/thingie over his shoulders, "But I think we should leave our new buddy to play with the kid, hmm?"

Gust Bunny nodded, and the both of them immediately turned tail and headed for the halls! Crap, they were going to escape!

Chihiro lunged forward and went to chase after them, but it seemed as though the tiger had the same idea!

A shadow cast over her as the tiger leaped in front of the hallway's entrance, then bristled its fur as it snarled back at Penalty Killer and Gust Bunny—who, in turn, had completely lose the confidence they held earlier.

"Er…" Gust Bunny mumbled as he stepped back and held up his hands, "Nice kitty?"

The tiger, in fact, was not a nice kitty. Rather, it just roared and swiped away Penalty Killer and Gust Bunny with one mighty blow of its massive paws! It narrowed its eyes as the two of them crashed into the walls, then once again the tiger turned its glare back on Chihiro!

With another bristle of its fur, a mass of crystalline darts shot out and rang straight towards Chihiro! Chihiro gasped, then swiped out her hands and stopped the darts in mid-flight. With a snap of her fingers, the darts turned back around and shot right into the tiger! The tiger yowled in pain as its pelt chipped off, then shook off the darts and leaned down as its eyes glowed with an even brighter, angrier shade of red than before! The tiger hissed as it stomped around and slashed at everything in sight, and this time, it wasn't Chihiro, but the temple that became the victim of its little hissy fit!

The walls caved to its slashes and the ceiling crumbled with them, while the floors gained a bunch of nasty dents and bright ruby slabs and boulders crashed down all around!
Chihiro shrieked as one crashed down and made a nasty hole on the space beside her, then teleported away as another one slammed through the space where she once stood. With how nasty these quakes were, it was like the whole temple was going to collapse!

Chihiro winced as the floors quaked with such intensity that it tossed the wreckage and ruby fragments up in the air… Then she completely forgot about the quaking surroundings as the tiger leaped over her! Luckily Chihiro had rolled out of the way right before it could catch her between its paws, but that was the end of her luck! She rolled herself right into a corner, and hit her head to boot!

"Owch!" Chihiro squeaked as she got up and rubbed her head, then turned around and squeaked as the sounds of growling found her once more.

Chihiro gulped as the tiger blocked her off from any sort of exit, then raised its paws and got ready to claw her into tomorrow… But before it could, a gigantic whip shot out from nowhere and wrapped around that tiger's raised paw! In one swift moment, the tiger's raised fur flattened back down and its face turned docile and kind of sleepy.

"Sorry for the wait, guys!" Shouted a familiarly shrill voice as the whip's owner flew out from the halls and landed on the tiger's back, "Those ropes took me a little longer to get through than I thought they would!"

"Beast Flamer!" Penalty Killer and Gust Bunny exclaimed.

The two of them gasped and cheered in the background, but Chihiro could only blink and lift her head in shock. This Beast Flamer guy… It was that same fire-starting, wolf-taming guy she had trapped when she started the exam!

"You again?" Chihiro exclaimed as she stepped forward, "How'd you get out of my ropes? Those were magically enforced!"

Beast Flamer, however, only chuckled as he petted the tiger's head, all while armor like the armor that flaming wolf wore before magically manifested around the tiger's body.

"You've got a lot to learn if you think ropes can stop a guy with fire powers, kid!"

Beast Flamer made one of those smug, self-satisfying grins that made Chihiro's skin crawl, then turned the tiger back around and leaped over to Penalty Killer and Gust Bunny.

"Alright, guys! Your ride has arrived!" Beast Flamer grinned as he patted the side of the tiger, "Now let's blow this pop stand!"

Penalty Killer and Gust Bunny didn't need to be told twice, given that they immediately leaped onto the tiger's back, then as they grabbed on tight the tiger darted back down the halls!

Chihiro snarled, then tapped her soles against the ruby floors and narrowed her eyes while energy flooded through her veins. If those guys managed to make it out of the temple on that thing, she'd definitely have a big problem on her hands! So, Chihiro sped forward and dashed down the halls, all while the tiger bolted ahead of her and left her well in its dust! Even with her speed augmentation spell, that thing was well too fast for her! She had to stop it so she could get it out of Beast Flamer's control… But how?

Chihiro panted as she dashed after it, all while her head remained blank as an open sketchbook. It was taking all her effort just to keep up with these guys, so she could barely find the brainpower to think up a plan! Chihiro grunted and hung her head as she forced herself around a corner, then gasped and ducked as a series of large, crystalline darts flew over her head! As the darts smashed through the temple walls and sent a warm, tropical breeze through the temple, Chihiro pulled herself up and found the tiger as it stood still in the halls, all while the thieves laughed in her face!

"You just don't give up, do you?" Beast Flamer asked as he cracked the tiger's whip, "You're outnumbered and outpowered, kid! Just quit the hero act and let the grown-ups do their thing!"

Chihiro, however, just gritted her teeth and stood, all while her fist shook with indignity. That was it, now she really needed to take these dudes down a peg or two! Her head went so dizzy with anger that for a moment she lost her footing and stumbled into a statue, but she shook her head and collected herself.

The statue she had bumped into looked a lot like a soldier, with its broad body, stern face and the weapons it carried. For that matter, so did all the other statues that lined the walls like guards who stood in anticipation of the enemies they needed to finish off… Wait a second, guards, that was it! These statues weren't just there for show, they actually were guards—or rather, Guardifounds!

"Geez, how could I forget, after all the trouble these guys caused us?" Chihiro chuckled as she held out a hand charged with magic energy, "Alright, buddies, wake up! You've got some thieves to catch!"

One by one, magic lightning bolts zipped out of Chihiro's hands and plunged into the Guardifounds' hearts, then all those Guardifounds popped out of their resting places and lined like soldiers, fittingly enough.

"Now…" Chihiro pointed down the halls, where the tiger's tail could barely be seen around the corner, "Stop that tiger!"

The Guardifound soldiers all saluted Chihiro, then let out garbled war cries as they dashed down the halls! The sound of clanging metal intertwined with surprised shouts and yowls as they rounded the corner, followed by a loud cry of pain!

"HEY, WATCH THE MASK!" Cried Penalty Killer, "IT'S ONE OF A KIND!"

Chihiro grinned, then teleported down the hall and rounded the corner to find that her little ploy had worked!

The Guardifounds had completely cornered the tiger at every which way, and their spears and swords prodded and poked at Penalty Killer, Beast Flamer and Gust Bunny! And better yet, they were so preoccupied with their company that they didn't seem to notice Chihiro's appearance at all!

Now with that taken care of, Chihiro could focus on step two, getting the tiger out of their control! Chihiro fixed her eyes on the rope that Beast Flamer held tight still, then summoned a pair of scissors and giggled as she snipped them a few times!

Chihiro wove under the crowd of Guardifounds, then crept closer and closer behind the confused tiger and angry thieves. She was only a few steps away from that whip, and if she could just snap it, then surely the tiger would be completely freed of Beast Flamer's control! As she finally broke out of the soldier crowd, Chihiro rolled under the tiger's belly, then lifted her scissors up to the whip and drew the blades closer…

"Wait, what?!" Beast Flamer exclaimed as he pulled up the whip and glared down at Chihiro, "When did you get here?!"—Beast Flamer shook his head and snarled—"Actually, forget about it! Quick, we need to get—"

SNAP!

While Beast Flamer was panicking, Chihiro teleported to his side and completely snapped the whip in half! Beast Flamer's eyes and jaw went wide as the snapped rope slipped out of his hands from his loosened grip, but while he lingered in shock, the tiger was the polar opposite!

The tiger's eyes went wide and its mouth broke into a rumbling snarl as it leaped on its hind legs with such force that it knocked Beast Flamer, Penalty Killer and Gust Bunny right off! While the Guardifounds poked and prodded at it with their spears, the tiger just snarled and batted them away like flies!

Penalty Killer, Beast Flamer and Gust Bunny all screamed as they backtracked down the way to the ruby room amid the broken, shattered remains of the Guardifounds, but Chihiro just stood cool and calm. Step three was upon her now! She had to turn this thing back to normal, but how?

If I knock it out, that's bound to take it down a notch, Chihiro thought as she stepped back, But none of my attacks work! The only thing that hurt it was those jewel darts!—Chihiro's eyes stretched as she took a step back—Wait, jewel darts…

Chihiro grinned as the tiger fell back on all fours and glared down Chihiro, but she wasn't scared at all! Rather, she just waved and bolted down the hallway!

"HEY, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, YOU BIG FURBALL!"

Chihiro's cries echoed through the halls as she got a running start… But before the tiger could make chase, Chihiro teleported back in front of the ruby room's doorway and held out her hands.

"Alright, you may be able to handle some flimsy jewel darts," Chihiro whispered as a crystalline kaleidoscope of magic levitated in front of her stretched, open palms, "But what about a full on JEWEL CANNON?"

As Chihiro said that, the crystalline magic shards stuck together one by one until they formed the vague shape of a magical, crystal cannon with a gigantic opening that flared with light! The tiger's footsteps shook the ground below, but nothing shook Chihiro's concentration as the cannon charged further and further, until something sharp and shiny emerged from its open light… Then right as the tiger rounded the corner, Chihiro swept both her arms aside.

"FIRE!"

The moment Chihiro said this, a gigantic, crystal bullet shot out from the cannon with such intensity that it blew Chihiro on her back! Chihiro grunted as she sat back up right as the bullet slammed right into the tiger's chest and rammed it right into the walls and explode! Chihiro coughed and masked her face with her arm as bright crimson smoke poured into the room, then as the smoke cleared she grinned and skipped ahead.

After all, the tiger was no more! Rather, all that remained was a shiny, red jewel that rested completely untouched on the floor.

§

As metal bits set alight with magic fire flew everywhere the ruined remains of the gate they burst through, Double Trouble and Voodood sat down and wiped the sweat off of their brows.

"I'd call that a close one for the ages," Double Trouble chuckled as he wiped the sweat from his brow, "Man, I thought we'd never shake those guys!"

THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!

"Actually, I don't believe we have!" Voodood cried as he whipped his head back around, "Look!"

Double Trouble grimaced, then readied his staff and set it alight as he poked back behind the halls they had just sprung out of. He lowered his staff and positioned it like a gun as those robot soldiers slammed against the doors and left some small, unnoticeable dents… But as one made a robot-sized imprint in the door, Voodood grabbed Double Trouble by the arm and pulled him down the halls.

"I don't think we should sit around and wait for them, Double Trouble!" Voodood cried as he rushed towards a shining red and gold teleporter, "We'd best get out of here!"

Voodood bent his knees and let out a warrior's yell as he leaped directly onto the center of the teleporter, then the two of them were caught in the swirls of bright, shining light as they vanished from the room!

Double Trouble blinked once, just once, and yet the light still persisted, almost like it was buffering or something! He and Voodood just kind of, hovered in mid-air before finally it vanished and dropped them in a yellow-tinted, dimly-lit room. Maybe portal travel had spoiled him, but Double Trouble really hated it when teleporters lagged. If a teleporter was supposed to whisk you away in a flash, then by all means it should do just as advertised, right?

Well, whatever. Double Trouble frowned as he held out his staff, then swirled it around a few times and flicked it towards the ceiling, where it created a burst of light bright enough to decently illuminate the room around them.

The room itself was big and dusty and kind of plain compared to the rooms of fancy pottery, big ballrooms and carved ceilings and floors. Everything was a stark, dullish shade of yellow and lit only by the upside-down torches that hung from the ceiling like primitive spotlights, and there was nothing of note in the room… Well, unless those weird, blue mounds that stuck out from the ground could be considered of note.

"So you have bested the trial of brawn," the Weapon Master said as he manifested from a hologram projector beside Double Trouble and Voodood, "You have done quite well."

The Weapon Master turned around and gestured towards the strange blue mounds, and in a flash their centers open to reveal bright lights in three colors—one red, one yellow, one green!

"The Quicksilver's vault is upon you… Once you pass through this gate, that is." The Weapon Master turned back to Double Trouble and Voodood as he crossed his arms, which he seemed to do a lot, "All you have to do is strike the centers of these three seals, and you will be allowed passage."

"Well, that sounds simple enough!" Double Trouble chirped as he spun his staff around, then grabbed it in midair and held it out, "We'll be in and out of this place in a flash!"

"I'd be wary of saying things like that, Double Trouble," Voodood said as he glanced back at Double Trouble and held onto his ax like it would vanish the moment he let it go, "There has to be some kind of trick to this. It can't possibly be so simple!"

The Weapon Master said no words, but merely snapped his fingers!

That snap resonated across the large, empty room, and it must have been pretty powerful too as the floors started to shake and rumble! Had an earthquake struck at the worst possible time?

Double Trouble winced and leaned on Voodood as the two of them struggled to keep from keeling over, then pulled his head back to those seals. Okay, maybe it was just the rumbles and shaking playing tricks on his eyes, but had those seals begun… Moving? Double Trouble gripped his staff tighter as he teleported himself and Voodood over to where the seals laid, then floated back as dust from the seals' tops crumpled onto the floor.

The seals themselves ascended higher and higher while long arms popped out of their sides, then as they nearly hit the top they lifted out giant legs and took steps that shook the entire room once again. Wait a second, those seals aren't actually seals! No, they were actually giant Ultrons! Thankfully, though, despite their size it seemed as though they were gentle giants. After all, they have no weapons whatsoever! So maybe Double Trouble was a bit wrong about their exact identity, but this was surely going to be a breeze, right?

Double Trouble screamed as he narrowly dodged a gigantic red laser that singed the ground between him and Voodood, then turned his gaze back up right as the red-eyed Ultron withdrew a hand with a large, red light in its palm.

"Lasers cannons?!" Double Trouble exclaimed as his jaw dropped, "On top of their size? Are you kidding me?"

"How is this possibly fair?" Voodood demanded as he turned back to the Weapon Master.

"Unfortunately, it wouldn't be a trial if it was easy!" The Weapon Master replied before he coughed and vanished into thin air!

Voodood and Double Trouble both grimaced as they looked back up at the Ultrons, then readied their weapons and got ready to attack… But before they could, the yellow and green ones held out their arms and shot out lasers that tore into the ground before them! As chunks of stone flew everywhere, Double Trouble and Voodood pulled themselves away and scrambled away from the lasers! The two of them split up as they dashed up the halls, but unfortunately so did the lasers!

Voodood rolled aside as the green lasers tailed after him, then swung his ax into the ground and yanked it out as a magical, electrical tripwire formed underneath the aftermath of its blow! Voodood dashed away right as the laser hit the tripwire and blew it to bits… But at the very least, the surprise from the blow was enough to make the Ultron stop lasering and lean back from shock.

Double Trouble, meanwhile, swept his staff across the air and summoned a trio of clones! These clones tittered and squealed as they bounced around the yellow laser, and in that moment the Ultron completely froze as it tried to figure out which to strike first!

But finally, the Ultron's power core narrowed like it was narrowing its eye, and it just increased the power of its hand laser so that it encompassed all three clones and blew them to bits!

Not that they were supposed to last particularly long, as they just needed to buy Double Trouble enough time to regroup with Voodood and catch sight of the Ultrons once more. The two of them fell to their knees and panted, then grimaced as they balled their hands into fists.

"How do we stop these things?" Double Trouble spat out as he panted heavy, sweat-tinged pants, "They're huge!"

"Don't let their size intimidate you! Even the mightiest foes have their weaknesses!" Voodood cried as he gripped his ax tight, "Now, if they're anything like the last Ultron we fought, they'll have their power cores within their arms! We just have to strike them down, and we'll be on our way!"

"But that's easier said than done!" Double Trouble gestured back towards the Ultrons while their cores glowed suspiciously bright.

A sound like something reaching full power but thrice echoed through the halls, then a trio of lasers shot into the ground and blew up the ground below Double Trouble and Voodood's feet!

The two of them were tossed into the air, then crashed down below and skidded across the cold, dusty floors! The friction was so massive it burned against Double Trouble's back, and a shudder ran through this body as he slammed the base of his staff against the ground and used it to pull himself back up.

"It not just their size that's the problem," Double Trouble grunted as he staggered back up and glanced over the Ultrons, "There's three of them and they have massive laser arms… What're we going to do with them?! We're outmatched!"

Voodood frowned as he forced himself back to full height, then his frown deepened while he clasped his hand.

"Actually… I have an idea," Voodood whispered as he looked back to Double Trouble, "Double Trouble, can you send us up to them?"

Double Trouble frowned, then clasped his lips and petted his staff.

"Like, with a spell?" Double Trouble looked back and grinned as Voodood nodded, then turned around and held out his staff. "I have just the thing!"

Double Trouble's staff glowed with a bright light, then in moments he and Voodood hovered over the ground like birds in flight! Double Trouble winked as he zipped towards the Ultrons, while Voodood just leaned on his belly, held out his arms and soared like a bird through the atmosphere! The Ultrons lifted their hands and attention as they shot lasers right towards Double Trouble and Voodood, but levitating wasn't the only benefit that came with this spell! Double Trouble and Voodood moved so fast, they dodged the lasers right before the lasers could hit them!

Though the lasers intended for them crashed against the walls behind and made those walls crumble to bits, Double Trouble and Voodood's concentration was hardly broken as they zoomed forward with one last burst of speed and jumped down onto the red-eyed Ultron's shoulder!

The yellow-eyed Ultron creaked as it turned around, then raised its arm and shot a laser right towards Double Trouble and Voodood… But they leaped away just in time! The bright yellow lasers intended for them hit the shoulders of the red-eyed Ultron instead! The red-eyed Ultron made a low, growling creak as it stumbled back, but as it fell down to the ground, it raised its own, burned arms and shot out two last red lasers towards the yellow-eyed Ultron's arms in one last act of defiance!

The red lasers blasted into the yellow-eyed Ultron's shoulders and charred their tops, then as the two Ultrons got ready to fire again, Voodood hovered between them!
He grinned as the two Ultrons shot one last laser at each other, then floated away right as their lasers slammed into each others' eyes! As the Ultrons screeched and sparked, they both fell on their sides with their two lasers fixed on the space ahead!

Voodood grinned, then peered ahead to a balcony with a gate that blocked off its open path and three round plates above its top, two of which glowed red and yellow respectively as the red and yellow lasers locked onto them. He nodded as the plates glowed for a bit more, then floated away to where Double Trouble was in a spat of his own with the green-eyed Ultron!

"You've got no chance, you walking rustbucket!" Double Trouble cried as he shot a series of rainbow lasers at the Ultron, though the lasers did little against its tough metal carapace, "After all, my beams are laser sharp!"

Double Trouble teleported away as the Ultron shot a bright green laser towards him, then reappeared behind the Ultron and swished his staff in midair.

"Abra!" With another swing of the staff, a bright vortex of magic formed above the Ultron, "Kadabra…"

Double Trouble grinned, then held his staff towards the Ultron like a smoking gun.

"ALAKABOOM!"

The eldritch magic storm rained down on the Ultron with such strength and force that the storm caused the Ultron to veer back and blink, but even that storm only left a few smoking dents!

At the very least, though, it bought Voodood enough time to float down and join Double Trouble!

"Voodood, took you long enough!" Double Trouble beamed as he held his staff tight, "Ready to help me finish this dude?"

Voodood grinned, then both of them swerved around and hovered in front of the Ultron! The Ultron lifted its arms and got ready to fire at them… But before it could released a single laser, Voodood flew away and hacked at its shoulder with his ax! The Ultron whipped around and beeped as it aimed for Voodood, then Double Trouble blasted its eye with a massive laser!

The Ultron screeched as it stumbled back and fired its laser at last, but while it suffered at Double Trouble's hands, the final plate atop the gate glowed to life as the Ultron's laser locked onto it instead of him!

The three plates glowed even brighter, then with a friendly beep the gate whipped open and revealed a dark, purple opening!

Voodood, meanwhile, hacked through the Ultron's left arm with one last cut, floated back to Double Trouble right as Double Trouble finished blasting the Ultron, then held out his ax.

"I think it's about time we finished this," Voodood said.

Double Trouble nodded, then tapped Voodood's ax with his staff and grinned as it glowed a bright purple.

Voodood held his ax tight, and one by one he hacked through the Ultrons' arms and exposed the shining, crystalline power cores behind them… Then shattered them completely! As the Ultrons powered down with a distorted whir, Vooodood flew back up to Double Trouble.

Double Trouble and Voodood grinned at each other as they fell directly on the gate's balcony, then dashed straight inside and landed in tandem on the teleporter! Once again, the teleporter took its sweet time as it beamed them from a pocket dimension of light and soft colors to where they were supposed to go next, but at least it got them to where they needed to go.

Double Trouble brushed his finger against the crystal atop his staff as he and Voodood arrived in a massive hall made of purple velvet floor and shiny purple gold walls accented with regular gold markings, framed paintings and pillars… And yet, it seemed so sad and empty.

"You've done well, being able to make it this far," the Weapon Master said as he appeared via a flickering, blue hologram, "But, you are far from being able to catch your breath."

The holograph flickered out, then transformed into a gigantic blue blast of light as he appeared in person from his spot!

"I will personally accompany you for this final stretch." The Weapon Master floated up and cracked his knuckles as he drifted down the halls, "Follow me."

Double Trouble wrung the stick of his staff as he and Voodood trailed down the hallways and took a look around… Then promptly winced.

Just the sights of what lined halls made Double Trouble sick to his stomach! Who in all Skylands thought this would be good room decoration? Well, he supposed that the Arkeyans would find countless paintings of their soldiers leveling villages of poor, helpless mabu, razing down the forests and capturing the powerless beings who lied within and tearing down entire cities while their soldiers killed and took as they pleased some good decoration.

Double Trouble let out a low groan, then turned back to Voodood and leaned into his ear.

"You're not exactly enjoying this either, are you?" Double Trouble asked as he cupped his hand around Voodood's ear, just to give their conversation a little layer of privacy, "Cause looking at these is making me more sick than the time that one potion went wrong!"

"I, I can't help but agree," Voodood whimpered as his face turned pale as a sheet.

The two of them winced as they tried to escape one particularly gorey painting, then their stomachs churned as they caught sight of a picture depicting King Arkus as he sat on a mechanical, polished throne over the bodies of countless dead humans, mabu, elves, trolls and more. Arkus's gaze seemed so smug as he sat and posed, oblivious to the mountain of bleeding corpses underneath him…

It made Double Trouble so ill, and yet he couldn't bring himself to turn away. The painting surely had hexed him, and not in the magical way.

"Ah, so it seems that you've found the paintings..." the Weapon Master noted as he floated over to Double Trouble's side, his tone resigned as he averted his eyes from the smug glance that Arkus bore in the paintings that lined the other side of the halls, "To think they'd waste the arts on things like these."

The Weapon Master turned back to the halls and glared all those awful, awful paintings of conquest, tyranny and unrepentant greed with such rage that his eyes flared a bright red... Then sighed and settled himself.

"We could have further revolutionized technology, birthed a massive renaissance of the arts and education, pioneered the pursuit of knowledge and brought Skylands the biggest surge of growth it had ever known… If not for him."

The Weapon Master sighed as he buried his face in his hands.

"All Arkus ever wanted was a power trip and nothing more. And look what it brought about! Tyranny, war, ruin..."

The Weapon Master frowned as he clenched his hands into fists, and his calcified skin started to crack as he clenched those fists tighter and tighter. Then, he turned back to Double Trouble and Voodood.

"You're from this present era, correct? Then please, tell me... What ultimately became of the Arkeyan Empire he brought about?"

Double Trouble and Voodood clenched their teeth and made soft, uncomfortable hisses as they looked back at each other. They said no actual words, but the way they looked at each other said basically all the words they needed to. Finally, Voodood urged Double Trouble with a nudge of his arm, then Double Trouble nodded and waved his staff.

In a flash of light, a kind of worn book popped into the stratosphere and landed into Double Trouble's palms. Ah, "Everyone's Guide to the History of Skylandian Magic, Part One," Double Trouble had always held a level of fondness for it. After all, he had picked up the book when he left home to pursue further knowledge of magic, and reading through it was what taught him how to read Common! Just looking at it eased the ills he felt from locking eyes with those nasty paintings… But that wasn't what he brought it for.

"You might want to read this," Double Trouble said as he held the book towards the Weapon Master, "It'll explain things better than we could."

The Weapon Master frowned and raised an eyebrow at Double Trouble, but he seemed to understand what Double Trouble was saying well enough as he took the book from Double Trouble's hands and flipped it open.

"Why, we're one of the first things mentioned!" The Weapon Master exclaimed as he flipped its pages, "Now, what does it say further..."

The Weapon Master's flipping came to a stop, and Double Trouble and Voodood looked at each other with very concerned and wary glances as the Weapon Master cleared his throat…

"'The Arkeyan Empire was a tyrannical empire that conquered the majority of Skylands approximately twelve thousand years prior. Though little is known about it before its rise to power, studies of ancient sites show that their first proper king, Arkus, received the secrets of the Magic Element and the power of the Eternal Magic Source from one of the the Ancients, which was theorized to be an act of revenge against the other Ancients on that Ancient's end after being exiled from the Ancients' home as punishment for unleashing the Ultimate Evil across Skylands. The Arkeyans used this power to reinvent their home and combine magic with their advanced technology, and empowered by this, Arkus decided to expand his kingdom's reach all across Skylands…'"

Oh, he definitely didn't seem very happy now. The Weapon Master frowned as he flipped a couple pages ahead and shoved his face further into the book.

"'During the time of their empire, the Arkeyans cruelly conquered the majority of Skylands. Under their reign, many countries were captured by the Arkeyan Empire, and thousands died under the hands of Arkeyan control. Ultimately, their reign of terror came to an end when the Elder Elementals defeated their second king, Arkilles, in a massive battle…''

The Weapon Master pulled his head out of the book and shook it furiously, then his frown furthered as the book slipped out of his massive, chalky hands and hit the floor.

"So they did succeed in taking down the empire after all..." The Weapon Master whispered as he grabbed the book off the ground, gently brushed his massive fingers across the pages and forced a chuckle, though it was more resigned a laugh than joyful, "Thank the Ancients..."

The Weapon Master's eyes dulled as he glazed over the next couple pages.

"'After Arkilles' defeat, the city of Arkus, the capital of the Arkeyan Empire, was buried and its location remains unknown to this day, which caused a ripple effect of the remaining Arkeyan strongholds collapsing underneath the weight of revolution and unstable rule. Though some of their crude technology and rudimentary sites have been discovered, to this day much of the Arkeyan Empire has been lost to the sands of time…''

The Weapon Master's eyes flashed blue as he flipped through the rest of the book and scanned its pages, then he gingerly closed the book. His eyes rang with pensiveness as he turned towards the floor, a glance aside of the paintings' accusing eyes and Double Trouble and Voodood's frowns.

"I knew something like this would happen if we kept going down the path of conquest," The Weapon Master said, though his voice wavered just a bit, "I just hoped it would never come to that point..."

"Excuse me," Voodood said as he stepped up to the Weapon Master, "But, what are you talking about?"

"Not all of us agreed with Arkus's decisions, you know."

The Weapon Master's eyes turned blue, but a more solemn, desperate shade of deep blue as he twisted back to Voodood,

"Many of us refused to fight, for we didn't believe in Arkus's desire to wage war and conquer innocent lands. We wanted to focus on the arts, on sports, on the pursuit of knowledge, on anything else! But..." The Weapon Master sighed and released his clenched, cracked fists. "Ultimately, we were outnumbered by those who wanted an empire over a proper culture. Everyone ate up Arkus's promises of power and money, and those who didn't go along with him were drowned out by the others... Or worse."

Double Trouble winced, then hastily floated up and snatched the book from the Weapon Master's hands. Though, as he got his book back and smoothed it out, he peeked up at the Weapon Master just a bit and caught sight of those blue eyes and their glimmer of cold, cold rage.

"Those who tried to reason against him peacefully were reprogrammed, tortured, killed even! The sight of those bodies makes my oil run cold... And it was what drove me to use my swords against them," The Weapon Master said as his eyes' blue glow lightened just a bit, "I had hoped that I'd be able to tear them down by giving the Eternal Magic Source to the Elder Elementals before things got worse, but it seems in the end I was able to do nothing."

The Weapon Master pursed his lips for a moment, but then finally he smiled and lifted the grim aura around the halls just the bit. "But, to know that they failed, and that the world around was able to recover and thrive... I'm more than relieved."

The Weapon Master floated down the last stretch of the halls and gently creaked the door at the end open.

"Nonetheless, your trials shall come to an end soon. After this room lies the Quicksilver we seek! If I had to guess, the guards here should have been deactivated ages ago..."

The Weapon Master urged Voodood and Double Trouble to come forward, then floated back inside as the two of them quietly trailed after him.

"However, you'll still need to be as quiet as you can..." The Weapon Master whispered as he slowly closed the door back up, "These rooms should still have had some kind of trap laid within their walls..."

Double Trouble groaned and adjusted his mask as he tried to get a better look, but the darkness coated the area so much that he could barely see. Well, not that there was much to get a grasp of, as it seemed that all there was to the room were oddly clean surfaces that seemed to be made entirely of marble! Or at least, some other material that was so sleek your feet clacked with every step.

Double Trouble, the Weapon Master and Voodood took a few steps forward, as perfectly quiet as they could go... Then they all froze as a shimmer of gold glistened against the darkness of the room and unveiled a tall, red and gold door against the wall at the very back of the room!

"That must be the door to the Quicksilver!" The Weapon Master cried as he rushed ahead!

He held out a hand as he reached for the door, then froze in place as a series of bright white spotlights activated!

The spotlights shone down on an area above them, and unveiled… More Arkeyan weapon masters! They were completely unlike the one who had brought them here, all shiny and bright and new with their glossy red and gold metal and bright, wide eyes, bright wide eyes full of raw judgment.

"WHO DARES ARRIVE AT OUR VAULTS?!" They all bellowed as one.

§

Chihiro grinned as she walked over and claimed the jewel from the floor, then smiled as she gave it a quick runover. It didn't seem to be cracked or harmed in the midst of that explosion… Thank goodness.

"Y'know, you caused me a lot of trouble!" Chihiro said as she raced back into the ruby room, "But that's no biggie, we'll just get you back into your pedestal and all our problems will be…"

Chihiro gasped, then skidded backwards and grimaced as Penalty Killer, Beast Flamer and Gust Bunny dashed in front of her!

"Not over."

Chihiro gripped the jewel tight and turned her attention back towards Penalty Killer and company as they stood in front of the pedestal. They were all panting heavily and shaking with rage as they glared back at her, their weapons held tight as if they were ready to attack at any second.

"Y'know, I'd love to take care of you guys myself," Chihiro said as she stashed the jewel in her pocket and clapped hands that flared with magic power, "But, I'm in kind of a rush here!"

With another clap, the Guardifounds that were once scattered across the floors behind her had completely reassembled themselves and dashed behind her, a loyal army that flanked its master and were ready to attack at the slightest command!

"So, I'll just leave you guys to play with the guard!…" Chihiro chuckled as she made a catlike smile, "Ifounds, that is!"

All at once, the Guardifounds rushed past Chihiro and screamed out as they leaped right towards Penalty Killer, Beast Flamer and Gust Bunny in unison, then completely dogpiled the three of them! The place where they once stood became a squirming, rainbow, crystal mess where only the trio's hands could be seen as they tried to squirm out of the pile to no avail!

Chihiro giggled as they tried and failed to escape, then as their hands were finally drowned among the sea of guards, Chihiro dashed forward and leaped over the pile! The trio's heads popped out from the pile as they tried to catch their breaths, and Chihiro couldn't help but hop on them like stepping stones towards the pedestal, towards the final stretch her mission!

As Gust Bunny cried out in pain while he indirectly propelled Chihiro towards the pedestal, Chihiro grinned as she pulled out the jewel and raised it high, ready to toss it back into its place… Right as a rocket fired up behind her! But, how? She turned around, and before she even knew it the jewel was snagged out of her hand!

"SO LONG, SUCKER!" Gust Bunny cackled as he dashed across the room on a carrot-shaped rocket!

Chihiro snarled as she fell down to the floor, then in a flash of magic she summoned a pair of wings and flew down after him! Thankfully, Gust Bunny didn't seem to notice her as she flew down the halls… In fact, his head was hung completely low, which she was pretty sure wasn't good driving practice.

"I'm gonna make a ton of money off of you, baby!" Gust Bunny whispered as he licked his lips, "I wonder how much gold you're worth? Ten thousand? Fifteen thousand? Oh, it doesn't matter, as long as it's enough to get me at least a few mansions!"

"You won't be getting anything, buddy!" Chihiro cried.

With a firm grunt, she barrel-rolled through the halls and rammed straight into Gust Bunny's back! He was so completely taken aback that he was tossed straight off of his rocket ride and could only watch as his rocket bust a hole through the walls and flew off into the distance… But not enough for him to release his grip on the jewel.

"You again?" Gust Bunny growled as he looked back up at Chihiro and clenched the jewel tight, then scoffed as he narrowed his eyes, "You sure won't give up, will you?"

"Of course I won't!" Chihiro balled her hands into fists as she shot that glare right back at Gust Bunny, "There's a village in total chaos because of everything you stolen from this temple, don't you realize that?"

"There's always gonna be a few causalities when making money, kid!" Gust Bunny smirked as it staggered back up, "Who cares?"

"I DO!"

The intensity of Chihiro's resonated not just within the temple walls, but outside as well! While her words echoed out the wrecked holes of the walls, the rabbit snarled and glanced back at her.

"You misused the Skylanders' name to take advantage of innocent people's trust in them and hurt them…" Chihiro's lips quivered with rage as she summoned a sword and spun it around before she held it in front of her, "As portal master and guardian of all that is good, I won't stand for this!"

Gust Bunny, however, just scoffed as it yanked out a full-fledged blaster loaded with carrot missiles!

"TRY SAYING THAT WHEN YOU GET SHOT DOWN, KID!"

With a yank back of the blaster's handle, Gust Bunny shot a full-fledged barrage of carrot missiles at Chihiro, but she just slashed each one in half then swept away as they exploded and backflipped back out of their range! Gust Bunny snarled, then with another crank he sent more missiles at Chihiro and grinned as she stood perfectly still with closed eyes… But right as the missiles closed in, her eyes shot open and they all exploded in midair! With Gust Bunny taken aback by the surprise explosions, Chihiro dashed forward and shot a round of magic spheres at him!

Gust Bunny shook his head and pulled up a shield just in time to nullify the spheres, but unfortunately he didn't stash it away quick enough to keep Chihiro from jumping on it! With her feet firmly planted on the shield, Chihiro twisted around and snatched the jewel right out of Gust Bunny's hands before she kicked him back into the Guardifound swarm!

Chihiro grinned as her feet fell back to the floor and peered down at the jewel she reclaimed, but her relief was short lived as the whole temple started the crumble! Just around her, parts of the floor starts to cave and sink into the depths, almost like… The temple was falling apart!

Chihiro gasped, then dashed back into the ruby room and slammed the jewel back onto its pedestal! She grinned and stepped back as the jewel hovered above the pedestal, then sank into its spot and latched in with a firm click.

The pedestal, in turn, sank into the depths of the floor before it became nothing more than another panel in the ruby tiling. Surely this would ease those quakes a bit, right?

Wrong! Rather, everything around just got worse, as the ceiling started to cave and the floors quickly followed! Ruby bricks popped out of the walls, the Guardifounds all froze and immediately fell to pieces…

"What's going on here?" Chihiro cried as she frantically tapped the floor while the pedestal popped back up, "I put it back in, so why isn't it fixed?"

As the jewel popped back out of the pedestal, Chihiro slammed it back in and let the pedestal sink back into the floor, but the temple still continued to rumble and shake! So, she summoned the pedestal once more, popped out the jewel and twisted it around before she put it back in, but that didn't solve it either. Rather, the temple seemed to shake a little faster!

Chihiro stomped her foot and summoned it once more, but something else caught her eye before she could fiddle with the pedestal. Right on its pillar, there was an inscription, an illustration of four jewels being placed in four pedestals amid some kind of crowd… But what did it mean?

"OOF!" Cried Penalty Killer, Beast Flamer and Gust Bunny as they crashed against the floors!

Chihiro turned back around as they struggled to push themselves back up, but that wasn't the thing that concerned her most. Rather, just below them, they sat on a massive sack that spilled out tons of gold coins and treasure… But most importantly, there on the treasure pile sat three jewels colored in yellow, green and blue respectively! Three more jewels, just like in that illustration!

Penalty Killer screamed as a part of the ceiling caved in and smashed through the floor, then he held on tight to Beast Flamer and Gust Bunny as another part buckled close by! While the world around them shook and shuddered, they all started sobbing and crying out some nonsense about not wanting to die…

But, they weren't the biggest concern on Chihiro's mind. Chihiro trailed around the pedestal, and as she walked around it, the inscription changed of some dude snatching away the jewels while a building crumbled and buckled behind him, only to get smashed by a rock before he could make a grand escape. Wait, was that one jewel not enough to fix everything?

Seems so, Chihiro thought as she turned back to the gold pile. Chihiro dashed back over, then snatched the jewels from the top of the pile!

"Hey, wait a second!" Cried Gust Bunny as he broke out of his sobbing fit, "What're you doing?"

"I'm taking these back to their proper place!" Chihiro shouted over the increasing rumble of destruction, "And meanwhile, you're going to return the treasure you stole!"

Gust Bunny, Penalty Killer and Beast Flamer snapped out of their crying fit and glared down Chihiro as they held their sack of gold close like children unwilling to share their favorite toy.

"No way!" Beast Flamer cried, "It took us forever to gather all this treasure, we aren't just going to—"

All three of them screamed as the halls behind them crumbled to bits, then Chihiro kicked up the coins that fell out of the sack and tossed them back in.

"You'll do it if you value your lives!" Chihiro snarled as she pointed an accusing finger at them, "Now get going!"

They all hissed at her, but nonetheless they dashed down the incline the wreckage had created and disappeared down into the depths of the temple. That was one thing taken care of… Now, Chihiro just needed to figure out where these jewels went.

CRASH!

And fast, too! Chihiro jolted up as a wall beside her caved in… Or so it seemed.

Rather, its outer layer had crumbled away to reveal an illustration of what seemed like a map, complete with four color-coded rooms. That must be the places where those jewels belonged! Dang, that was convenient!

Chihiro peered up at the map, then snapped her fingers. In turn, a smaller, magical replica of the map formed out of thin air, rolled itself up and flew right into her pocket. With her new map created, Chihiro dodged another storm of falling debris and bolted off on her not so merry way…

§

The white lights of the spotlights above filtered through the room and illuminated it at last, its cold, dark exterior revealed to be an intricate, red and yellow room akin to some kind of ancient courtroom! Above them, the more polished weapon masters took their seats on benches made of solid gold and glowered down at Double Trouble and Voodood… But the two of them were more shocked than anything!

"What're these robots doing here?" Double Trouble exclaimed, "Why are they not attacking? What's going—"

"CEASE YOUR CHATTER, WORM!" The head of the weapon master council proclaimed as they slammed a fist onto their podium's desk, likely the judge of this court, "EXPLAIN TO US WHAT YOU ARE DOING HERE?"

Double Trouble and Voodood grimaced as they stepped back, but the Weapon Master just cleared his throat and hovered forward.

"These two beings believe themselves worthy of possessing the Quicksilver!" The Weapon Master explained, "They have sought an audience with you—"

"SILENCE!"

But before the Weapon Master could finish, the judge slammed his palms against the bench and sent a bolt of lightning that completely fried the Weapon Master! As the Weapon Master screamed in pain and slunk down to the floor, the judge held his mechanical gut and spat shiny quicksilver spit over the benches.

"These beings? Worthy of possessing one of our greatest treasures?" The judge cackled as he slammed his hand against the podium, "Stop, I'm going to bust a gear!"

The judge's laughter faded with his smile as he raised a metal eyebrow, then sat back down in the podium's seat and crossed his arms.

"Now tell me, what are you two doing here?" The judge repeated as the frown he bore grew deeper, "And make it snappy before I fry you too!"

Double Trouble and Voodood both winced as they turned back to the Weapon Master, who groaned and shuddered as lightning coursed through his body. A bolt like that had done so much damage to such a mighty robot, and if they got hit, they'd be way worse off. So, Double Trouble cleared his throat and put his staff aside as he stepped forward. He… Wasn't entirely keen on giving these Arkeyans his case after all this, but it seems as though he had no choice.

"Okay, I know this is going to sound strange to you," Double Trouble said as he held out his hands and looked over towards the council, "But in the world outside this vault, thousand of years have passed, and the Core of Light is no more! Without it, evil's taken over all Skylands, and we need both the Quicksilver and Magic Source for the Core of Light's complete reconstruction…"

Above him, the jury members frowned and whispered among themselves as they shot Double Trouble ugly looks that twisted his mouth completely shut. What exactly were they saying? Was it good or bad? He couldn't possibly tell when he could barely hear them!

"We can't understand a word you're saying!" The judge shouted, "Speak in Common or don't speak at all!"—The judge sneered as they leaned back in their seat—"Unless, of course, you're too stupid to actually know it."

The rest of the jury's panel chuckled among themselves as they shot down teasing, mocking glances towards Double Trouble, and in response Double Trouble gritted his teeth while a well of anger boiled in his soul, one that made tears like twinges of pain sting his eyes. Beside him, Voodood laid a hand on Double Trouble's arm while he stepped up to the panel.

"My companion is saying that in the time you've stayed here," Voodood explained, "Skylands has—"

"Silence, you!" The judge exclaimed as he pointed a finger at Voodood, "Your 'companion' was the first one to speak, therefore they will be the one to testify! If you speak for them, how do we know they're speaking the truth?"

"Exactly!" Cried the rest of the jury.

Voodood twisted his lips into a frown as he looked back at Double Trouble, then back towards the jury.

"Well, you're Arkeyans, if you're as great at magic as you say you are, then surely you know plenty of magic!" Voodood retorted, "If you don't trust my words, can't you just use translators, or some kind of lie detection spell to see for certain?"

However, the jury really didn't seem to like this idea! Though they had stopped laughing at Double Trouble, their faces turned red in more ways than one as they glared back down and scowled.

"SILENCE, INSOLENT!" The judge roared as he pounded his fist against the podium, "How dare an inferior being like yourself try to suggest that we, the mighty Arkeyans, stoop to your level?!"

"Exactly!" Cried another jury member, "If you can't bother to speak our language and adjust to our own kingdom, we won't accommodate you!"

"Who do you think you are, making demands of us?" Demanded a third, "Someone as insolent as you has no business desiring our treasure!"

As the angry chatter and infuriated insults and remarks of the jury turned to a crowing chorus, Voodood's mouth became a twitchy scowl while he held he head.

"Making demands?" Voodood whispered as he slammed his ax's base against the floor.

The clatter of his ax echoed through the courtroom, and once again the silence and attention of the entire jury turned to him and Double Trouble right as Voodood raised a furious face with bared teeth and burning eyes!

"YOU'RE THE ONES WHO SHOULDN'T BE MAKING DEMANDS, IF ANYTHING!" Voodood yelled back as he pointed his ax back at the jury, "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO FORCED ALL SKYLANDS TO SERVE YOU AND BEND TO YOUR STANDARDS!"

The entire room drew shocked gasps, and that included Double Trouble as he drew back from sheer surprise. Double Trouble grimaced as he squeezed his staff. After all, Voodood was normally such a cool and collected type, so the sight of him so infuriated… This couldn't be good.

"You're all tyrants, all of you!" Voodood exclaimed as he looked back to the judge, then towards the jury, "It's brought up in every history book, every tome and text of times before us! Your armies would capture the citizens of innocent nations so your empire could be the only thriving part of Skylands, so your faces could be emblazoned across the entire world! You made all Skylands quake in terror for—"

"SILENCE!" The judge roared once more as he gripped the podium and leaned over so his steaming, bright red face glared down Voodood.

Voodood's eyes went wide for a bit, but he quickly steeled himself as he glared back at the judge.

"IF ANYTHING, WE WERE DOING ALL OF SKYLANDS A FAVOR!" The judge heaved heavy, angry breaths as his eyes glowed with such a red light they were practically miniature suns.

"WHY WOULDN'T THEY WANT TO BE PART OF OUR VAST EMPIRE? WE WERE CHOSEN BY AN ALMIGHTY ANCIENT HIMSELF!"

Voodood went silent with quiet, seething anger as the judge rambled on, but while they were locked in their rants, Double Trouble frowned and withdrew his staff. Seemed as though he was going to have to give Voodood some backup. So, he held the staff tight while it glowed a bright purple and pressed it to his lips.

"WE WERE BESTOWED THE SECRETS OF THE MAGIC ELEMENT AND BUILT INTO GREATNESS! ANYONE WOULD HAPPILY SERVE US WITHOUT SECOND QUESTION…"

"Actually…" Double Trouble said as he swept up to Voodood's side, "Your little Ancient buddy, the one you worship so much? THEY WERE A TOTAL FRAUD!"

Once again everybody gasped as all eyes fixed on Double Trouble, but not just because of his words… But the language he spoke them in as well! For he speak not in his own language, but rather in perfect, fluent Common!

Even Voodood was beside himself with astonishment as he looked over to Double Trouble, but Double Trouble simply waved his staff and brought up his magic history book once more. Another wave of the staff, and its pages were projected like a slideshow against the wall behind them.

There, its pictures depicted a floating wisp of light lifting the Eternal Magic Source out of a crude drawing of the Core of Light, then floating away and handing it to a man dressed in red and gold robes.

"Why," the judge gasped as he looked over the projection, "That's the Almighty Ancient and King Arkus!"

"Your Ancient didn't think you were anything special, they only gave you the Eternal Magic Source as a means of getting back at the other Ancients!" Double Trouble exclaimed as he turned his staff on the judge, "They were mad at them for exiling them after they unleashed the Ultimate Evil on the universe, the very thing that resulted in the Core's construction in the first place!"

Double Trouble then snarled as the projections changed to images of Arkeyan robots being built, burning down villages and capturing their fleeing residents. "And that's too fitting, given the Arkeyan empire's state…"

This time, they shifted to that of Skylandians of various species, dressed in rags and screaming in horror as fancy robots chased them out of illusions of villages.

"You built your empire on tyranny and intimidation, on strong-arming those weaker than you into submission!" Double Trouble's brows tensed as his staff glowed with a raging red light, "You're nothing but selfish, underhanded cowards!"

The Weapon Master, in spite of the coursing electricity and massive pain he was surely in, looked aside while a bit of what seemed like rage shone in his eyes, but his tempered anger was more that could be said of the rest of the jury! The jury were as angry as ferocious wild animals as the jurors pounded on their pews and screamed out angry shouts!

"LIES AND SLANDER, ALL OF IT!" The judge proclaimed as he grabbed the pew so hard it cracked underneath his grasp, "THE ARKEYANS ARE THE MIGHTIEST OF ALL! WE'VE SPREAD OUR EMPIRES TO ALL CORNERS OF SKYLANDS, BROUGHT IT UP USING OUR MIGHT AND MINDS, CREATED THE MOST INNOVATIVE OF TECHNOLOGICAL AND MAGICAL ACHIEVEMENTS! TO CALL US SUCH THINGS SPITS ON ALL OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS!"

"I wonder about them, hrm?"

Double Trouble smacked his staff against his palm as the images behind him flicked further and further on, of the Arkeyans' empire crumbling to dust and vanishing, then to those of all kinds of species as they cast spells, poured potions and brought their creations to the public, all while the judges' faces dropped in shock as they scanned the projections before them.

"All those who you conquered and tried to quell?" Double Trouble said as he looked back up and pointed his ruby-red staff at the judge, "The moment you fell, they thrived and surpassed anything you could have even dreamed of making!"

Double Trouble chuckled as he drew his staff back and stroked its jewel while the book flashed back to the pages of the Arkeyans' buildings and empires collapsing into ruins. Oh, this was going to be good.

"And as for your mighty empire? Well…" Double Trouble made the most smug, satisfied grin he could manage, "In the end, it contributed nothing to Skylands but tales of woe, of pain and tyranny! You're remembered as nothing more than petty children who just wanted the thrill of power!"

Double Trouble smacked his staff's base against the floors. "Your king died at the hands of those he tormented, your empires crumbled into ruins thanks to the Elder Elementals, and you're nothing more but a painful distant memory!"

"DISTANT MEMORY?!" The judge repeated with such shock that his spittle flew into Double Trouble's face as he finished absorbing the projections' knowledge, "NONSENSE, OUR EMPIRE IS THRIVING!"

"'Fraid not, buddy!" Double Trouble whipped his staff between himself and the judge and magically slammed them back into their seat, "While you were sitting on your hands in this little vault, thousands of years had passed! Your little empire? It's just something kids learn about in history books!"

The jury made the most undignified gasps and dropped jaws they could have possibly made, while their eyes all flickered in a rainbow of color from sheer shock.

"What my companion says is correct! In fact, it proves you truly are as despicable as you were spoken of!" Voodood spat out at last as he stormed forward and held on to Double Trouble's shoulder. He snarled for a moment, then whipped out his ax and pointed it at the judge.

"What are you blabbering on about?!" The judge demanded.

"It's like I tried to tell you!" Double Trouble exclaimed as he waved his staff back at the judge, "Thousands of years passed now, and the Core of Light's been destroyed! We need the Quicksilver and the Eternal Magic Source to remake the Core of Light so we can stop the spread of evil its destruction unleashed!"

Double Trouble drew back, and in response Voodood stepped forward and glared down the judge.

"Even now, as evil encroaches upon Skylands and threatens to destroy it, you hoard the keys needed to finish the very weapon that would drive that evil away!" Voodood exclaimed, "You still cling to the dying threads of your glory while pointlessly stroking your own egos! You're more concerned about keeping secrets than you are the well-being of everyone around! If anything, you owe it to the people you harmed to give those secrets up!"

The jury's chatter turned to mixtures of shock, denial, anger and everything in between, and for it moment it seemed as though all the chaos had lit the entire room red with fury!

"Thousands of years have passed? That has to be a lie!"

"There's no way our mighty empires would fall! Especially not to those insolent Elder Elementals!"

"But, the Almighty One couldn't possibly be a fraud! He's an honorable Ancient!"

Double Trouble and Voodood both heaved heavy, rage-filled pants that shook their entire bodies, then turned back to the Weapon Master… But, the Weapon Master didn't even look them in the eye! He just turned away and snarled as he clenched his shaking, still static-ridden hands into fists, as if he was only moments away from completely losing his temper!

"SILENCE!" The judge demanded with such anger that it rumbled the entire room, "I, THE JUDGE, DEMAND YOUR SILENCE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

§

Chihiro spat out labored pants as she dashed down the shaky, crumbling halls of the temple around her, all while she kept her map and the jewels firm in her grasp. According to this map, she shouldn't be that far from the room where the blue jewel was supposed to go…

Actually, hold that thought! Before she could worry about that, she had to worry about not getting caught in a cave-in first! Chihiro jumped away as a large piece of the ceiling smashed down and created a nasty hole in the floor where she once stood and winced, then turned her attention back to the halls ahead. Wait a second, amid the dust and crumbling ruins of the temple, Chihiro was sure she could spy a gentle, blue glow that stuck out among the solid gold walls!

Chihiro stashed away the map and jewels, tapped her feet and zoomed off the moment the magic hit her veins! The entire world was crumbling and shattering around her, but that was of little concern as she dashed away from cracked masonry, leaped over caving craters in the floor then finally side-stepped just out the way of another cave-in to find the room!

Chihiro ducked through its doorway, then breathed a sigh of relief as her feet hit solid, stable ground. Thankfully, it seemed as though this room was a lot less shaky compared to the hallways ahead, which still rumbled and shook like a waking giant.

Rather, the solid sapphire walls carved with fancy runes and symbols that all acted as functional canals for the crystal-clear waters the poured from the ceiling were absolutely tranquil and pure! The many canals all fed into one giant moat that surrounded a stone platform with a sapphire pedestal on it which sparkled with a magic radiance… Perhaps this was where a jewel was supposed to lay?

Chihiro pulled out the blue jewel, then skipped across the floors and laid the blue jewel back onto the pedestal! The jewel hovered in midair for moments, then sank into the pedestal with a firm click! For a moment, all remained quiet and peaceful while the pedestal itself sank into the depths of floor… But the moment it vanished, the entire floor crumbled underneath Chihiro's feet!

Chihiro screamed, then instinctively flung out her arms and formed a bubble around her body! The bubble slammed down onto the pile of crumbled sapphire that once was the floor, then rolled down and slammed her face-first into the floors underneath! The bubble popped immediately and she was met with a face full of hard rock, but it was better than getting buried alive!

"Ugh…" Chihiro groaned as she slunk down the floor, then shook her head and jumped up. Just where was she?

The floors underneath felt like some kind of sewage system, what with their cold, less polished stone walkways that acted as formal paths above the masses of still water they sat over. There were a few fancy carvings of monsters or people or odd messages in ancient languages on the walls… But other than that, everything was stark and barren!
And that didn't do Chihiro any good! If she didn't have any sort of landmarks to tell her where she needed to go, then how was she supposed to get where she was going?

"Maybe I should use a locator spell for this?" Chihiro asked as she scratched her head and tapped her feet, "After all, what else do I have that could lead me…"

Wait a second, lead! Chihiro dug back into her pockets, then grinned as she unfolded her map. In all this chaos, she had completely forgotten that she had it! And according to its carvings, if she had entered here from the blue room, then she was already en route to the green room!

"Phew, close one!" Chihiro whispered as she rolled the map back up and stashed it away, "Just need to take a few turns and I'll be there quicker than you can say dragonfly!"

Chihiro bent down and grinned as she dashed down the waterways' massive stone paths and around the corner, and held out her arms just like she was that dude in that one ninja show she watched! Even though she was stuck in a dank and kind of dark sewer, it hardly stowed her thunder! She'd be at her destination in no time!

Chihiro yanked out her map once more as she bolted down the path and skimmed it over for mere moments before she poked her gaze back up. Now, if the map was correct, she just had to keep going straight, then take a turn here and a right there… Wait, was it just her, or was the ceiling shaking?

Chihiro stashed her map away and screeched to a halt as the ceiling above her rumbled and shuddered like a quake. Yeah, that definitely couldn't be a good thing! She took a few more steps back, then turned around and jumped so high she nearly hit the ceiling as the path behind her was sealed off by a collapsed ceiling! Another smashing noise turned Chihiro's attention to the path ahead right as that was sealed away too, but she didn't really have much time to linger on it as everything around her started to collapse! The ceiling's stone panels slammed into the path behind her in rapid succession, and if she kept standing here she'd be next!

Chihiro turned back to the other path, then teleported away in a flash and bolted down the adjacent pathway, but the moment she turned the corner she hit a dead end! The entire path had been covered in a mountain of dirt and rock!

Chihiro grunted and teleported away right before another stone slab could squish her, then sprinted down the path beside that one!

Thankfully, this one seemed to be a halfway decent one, as the rumblings grew slower and quieter the further she ran down. By the time she had hit her first turn, the quakes had slowed enough that she could sit down and rest… But she didn't exactly feel relieved.

Chihiro sighed as she unfurled her map and scanned it over with a frown. Those quakes had completely thrown her off, and she had absolutely no idea where she was now! How was she supposed to get these last two gems to their rooms now?

"Guess I'm gonna need that locator spell after all," Chihiro groaned as she stashed the map away and pulled out the green gem. She narrowed her eyes as she clasped the gem's base tight, then placed it close to her heart and sighed.

"Alright, gem," Chihiro whispered as the blue glow of her hands intermingled with the gem's verdant light to create a beautiful seafoam glimmer, "Show me where your proper place is!"

Chihiro loosened her grip on the gem enough to let it float out of her hands, and for a few moments it hovered in the cold open… Then its light completely enveloped it as it turned into a massive serpent! Crap, that definitely wasn't what she had in mind when she wanted a guide!

The serpent hissed at Chihiro for a few moments, then turned around and smashed through the wall beside her!

"Wait!" Chihiro exclaimed as she scrambled to her feet and leaped onto the other path, "Slow down!"

Chihiro panted as she dashed over the serpent, but it was hard to keep pace! This serpent was just as slick and fast as an actual one, and she could barely tail its tail as it smashed and turned from one broken wall to the next! Finally, as it disappeared around the corner, Chihiro fell down and groaned.

"No more… No more running…" Chihiro whined as her entire body ached from exhaustion, "Please…"

Chihiro whimpered as her aching muscles drained the life from her and pinned her down to the cold, stone floors of the path she had landed on. She knew she needed to catch up, but if she took one more step she was sure her whole body would spontaneously combust! If only there was some way to cure her ills… Wait, cure! That was it!

With all the energy she could muster from her aching soul, Chihiro held out a glowing hand and massaged her shoulder. As she rubbed her shoulder's pains away, the magic crept across her entire body and evaporated the pain like water on a hot day!

Chihiro grinned, then got up and stretched as the energy swelled in her mind and heart once more!

"Alright, now that I've taken my break," Chihiro said as she pumped her fists and skipped ahead a bit, "Time to catch my snake!"

With a few taps of her shoes, Chihiro was off like a rocket! Speed flowed through her body as she leaped and bounded after the snake, its path marked by the massive holes in the walls…

And what did she know, she was in its room before she knew it! The walls and floors were made of shiny emerald, with fancy faces carved into the walls like a gallery of masks! Gentle, mint-colored light rained down from the ceiling and dusted the surface of a simple, emerald pedestal, but most importantly, that simple, emerald pedestal had the green jewel rested at its base!

Chihiro grinned, then dashed over to the jewel and lifted it off the ground… But right as she did, the room around her hissed and shuddered! But why?

Chihiro turned her attention back to the walls, where those faces' eyes glowed bright as they popped off in swarms! The faces spun around the room for mere moments before they formed torsos, arms, legs… And it was in that moment that it hit Chihiro. These were no ordinary faces, no! These were Guardifounds!

"Dangit, not these guys!" Chihiro cried as the Guardifounds slammed onto the floor and growled.

Chihiro clenched her teeth as she shoved the gem into her pocket, then held out her hands and snapped her fingers! In moments, large magical dragons formed behind her and dashed down rows of the Guardifounds with such forced that it forced the Guardifounds back into their statue forms, but the Guardifounds she knocked down weren't the only ones among their ranks! So, Chihiro swept out her hands and summoned a massive wave of magic blasts that slammed more of the Guardifounds against the walls! As they dropped back into their statue forms, Chihiro grunted and drew back, ready to let out a seismic punch at the ones who drew closer…

But a rumble reminded her that this place wasn't going to last forever! So, Chihiro clapped her hands and summoned an entire minefield of magic orbs that cropped up across the floors and exploded all at once!

And while the orbs knocked the Guardifounds down a few legs and a body, Chihiro dashed off to the pedestal, tossed the jewel on and scrambled towards a glowing yellow light from the hall about it! No doubt about it, that would lead her right to the room she needed to put the yellow jewel in! So, she dashed ahead and grinned as she pulled the jewel out of her pocket.

The dull, yellow light around her grew brighter as the opening ahead unveiled a room with golden panels that had a bunch of holes in their walls, all of which poured out white light streaked with rainbows. But most importantly, Chihiro could catch a sliver of a pedestal from the opening! That had to be what she was looking for! So, she took one last stride forward and dashed through the opening…

Then screamed as she bumped into something and bounced off! Chihiro grunted as the jewel flew out of her hands and landed on the floor, then as she lifted her head up, she gasped and snatched the jewel back with a snarl.

There around her were bright, yellow light effigies of a troll, a drow, a skeleton, a pirate dog and a gremlin all buffed up and dressed in magic armor… But in the center of the pack was a bright yellow Kaos clone who sneered as he glared down at Chihiro!

"Well, well, look who we have here!" Crooned the yellow Kaos clone as he stepped up the way and held out a hand flared with magic, "The portal poster, here for her ultimate doom!"

Was this thing trying to scare her? Chihiro groaned and balled her hand into a fist as she glared down the Kaos clone, then whipped that fist up right as a magical boxing glove formed around it!

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" Chihiro exclaimed as she dashed forward, "I'VE GOT A BROKEN TEMPLE TO FIX!"

Chihiro teleported over to the troll effigy and knocked it out cold, then grabbed it by the leg and swung it into the effigy of a drow witch! As the two of them flew into the walls and crashed, Chihiro teleported behind the gremlin and smacked it away with a magic hammer like it was a golf ball!

As the gremlin skidded against the floor, Chihiro sped over to the pirate dog effigy and bonked it on the head with her hammer! While it stumbled around in a dizzy haze, Chihiro spun her hammer around and slammed it aside! Two cries of pain came from her blows rather than the one she expected, and when she looked down at her feet she found a broken pile of bones.

That was most of them taken care of, now all that was left was the Kaos clone! She turned her head back up as it beckoned for her to come forward with its hand, and by god did she take the bait! Chihiro cried out as she dashed forward and went to swing… But the moment she did, the clone teleported away! Chihiro stood and blinked for a moment, then turned around and cast a shield right as a rain of fireballs shot towards her, courtesy of the Kaos clone! She snarled and released her shield as the fireballs burst into embers, then punched her arms forward and summoned twin magical gauntlets!

"What, do you really think those things are going to stop me?" The Kaos clone gawked as it placed a hand on its chest, "I can withstand anything you throw at me, FOOL! I, Kaos, am—"

"BUZZ OFF, YOU CREEP!" Chihiro cried as she yanked her arms back!

The gauntlets clicked like a loaded gun, and with a series of furious punches from Chihiro they shot off a round of bright, flaming lasers! The lasers were so fast and close, the Kaos clone didn't even stand a chance and was blown right into the wall!

The blast cascaded golden dust down onto the Kaos clone as it laid on the rim of the wall's crater, then it groaned as it and all the other effigies vanished into thin air!

Chihiro scoffed and rolled her eyes, then as the gauntlets vanished she dug into her pockets and yanked out the yellow jewel! Her momentary frustration vanished as she skipped back up to the pedestal and dropped the jewel into its center!

The pedestal accepted the jewel like the rest did, then it sank right into the ground with one last rumble… And finally, peace. The moment it locked back into the floor, the whole temple came to a standstill as the quakes subsided! Seems returning those jewels was the trick after all!

Chihiro grinned and ran her hands against the walls one last time, then closed her eyes and flickered them open to find that the wall she leaned against was gone! In lieu of its firm surface, a gold hallway with an open wall that loomed over the jungle below stretched before her!

Chihiro grinned, then sprinted down the halls as the breeze tickled her face… Then as she caught a slight glance of the long drop below, she gulped and steadied her sprint to a brisk walk. Didn't wanna risk slipping and taking a tumble down the castle's side, after all.

"Ugh, I can't believe we got our butts handed to us by some kid," groaned a voice across the hall, the voice of none other than Gust Bunny!

Chihiro quirked an eyebrow, then pressed herself against the walls as she raised an ear.

"I know, right?" Moaned Penalty Killer's voice, "I already planned out everything I was gonna do when we brought that treasure home, too!"

"Stupid temple, stupid treasure, stupid rocks!" Cried Beast Flamer all while the sounds of someone kicking and stomping sounded off, "I hate them all! But most of all, I hate that stupid kid!"

"Oh, I dunno…" Chihiro remarked as she snapped her fingers and strode into the heart of the temple with the smuggest grin on her face, "I'd say bursting into an ancient magical temple and stealing all the treasure you could take is pretty stupid too!"

Gust Bunny, Beast Flamer and Penalty Killer all gasped as they turned back to find Chihiro right in the doorway, but before they could react, magical rope ties appeared out of nowhere and tied around their hands! They gasped, then grunted as they pulled and tugged and bit at the ties… But no matter what, those ties just wouldn't budge!

"You guys are coming with me!" Chihiro proclaimed as she teleported behind them and yanked them by the rope, "You have a lot of apologizing to do to the villagers you messed with, after all!"

Chihiro grunted as she dragged them down the floor, then in one bright flash she teleported right down to the temple's foot!

And luckily, it seemed as though she was spared the pain of trekking back through the entire jungle, because all the mabu had gathered right at the temple's base! The crowd was big enough to stretch a good bit across the temple's golden walls, and all the mabu seemed fairly worried as they spread their fears in hushed whispers… But then, at the head of the crowd, the mabu who had their hand bandaged by Chihiro waved their hands and shushed the others around! Everybody else looked up, then gasped as Chihiro dropped Gust Bunny, Penalty Killer and Beast Flamer off in front of the crowds!

"Don't worry, everyone!" Chihiro proclaimed as she wiped her hands and grinned, "Your temple is safe! I've made sure its artifacts were returned to their proper places…"—Chihiro gently nudged the thieves with her boot—"And I gave those thieves the what-for, too!"

Gust Bunny, Beast Flamer and Penalty Killer snarled as they glowered back up at Chihiro, but their glowers quickly turned to whimpers as the mabu all swarmed them and imposed over them like angry wildcats.

"Don't worry about taking care of these riff-raff, portal master," said one of the mabu as they cracked their knuckles, "We'll make sure they pay their dues!"

"Pay… Our dues?" Beast Flamer whimpered as he gulped down a lump in his throat, "What, what do you mean?"

The mabu gestured back towards the temple. "Why, you're going to help clean the sacred temple, of course! If you have plenty of time to steal, then I assure you, you have plenty of time to make amends!"

The three of them groaned and hung their heads, but reluctantly stood as the mabu prodded them. The villagers all surrounded them as the crowds dispersed back to what was surely the village's location… But that mabu Chihiro had tended to lingered back still.

"Hey, you're gonna get left behind if you stick around any longer!" Chihiro remarked as she looked down at the mabu.

"Oh, I'll catch up!" The mabu replied as they turned back to Chihiro, "But, before I went back, I just wanted to thank you! If you hadn't stopped those thieves, I don't know what would have become of our village!"

"Oh, you don't need to thank me!" Chihiro leaned back and lifted up a hand, "I was just doing my job!"

The mabu grinned as they gently nudged Chihiro with their elbow. "Well, you did a great one, alright!"

And with that, the mabu dashed off into the jungle path, right as everything was tinted with a slight white light.

"Goodbye, portal master! Thanks for everything!"

The mabu disappeared into the jungle path right as everything around Chihiro started to dissipate into a swarm of bright, rainbow-colored lights. Yeah, this meant that her work here was definitely done! Chihiro gasped a little as the lights swarmed her, but then nodded and grinned as she turned back to the path.

"No problem! Farewell!"

Chihiro grinned as she waved back to the path, even though a part of her knew there was nobody there to see, then finally she made a soft, content smile as she closed her eyes and let the light swallow her.

"Mission complete!" Buzzed a voice from the skies above as a loud ding echoed through the void…

§

Despite the judge's demands for silence, the jury still rang with angered, undignified mutters and whispers that they carried solely between themselves… Though the dirty looks they shot at Double Trouble and Voodood clearly showed the target of this anger.

"So? What's your conclusion?" Double Trouble said as he crossed his arms, "Are you going to stop hoarding the Quicksilver and the Eternal Magic Source like selfish children and let them be put in their proper place?"

Double Trouble whipped out his staff and shook it in the judge's face. "Or are you going to keep them to yourselves and let the rest of Skylands suffer, just like you—"

The judge slammed his fist so hard against the podium that it completely cracked and crumbled underneath the judge's mighty blow.

"WHEN I SAID SILENCE, THAT ESPECIALLY INCLUDED YOU!" The judge exclaimed as he floated away from the destroyed podium and glared down Double Trouble, all while his red-hot, furious gaze only grew in anger as Double Trouble and Voodood refused to relent.

Thick, choking silence echoed throughout the courtroom with the judge's screams and the jury's whispers, then finally the very shaky Weapon Master lurched up from the ground, stepped forward and raised a quaking hand.

"Er," the Weapon Master trembled as he tried to force a steely face, though the flickering red of his eyes betrayed his true feelings, "Have you come to a verdict?"

"Have I come to a verdict? HAVE I COME TO A VERDICT?" The judge screamed as he loomed over Double Trouble and Voodood, now seemingly much larger than before, "OH, I'VE COME TO A VERDICT, ALRIGHT!"

The judge jabbed a large finger in Voodood and Double Trouble's faces.

"THESE LESSER BEINGS RUN THROUGH OUR VAULT, HAVE THE AUDACITY TO FACE US DESPITE THEIR LOWER STATUS, THEN SPEND THEIR TIME BLABBING SUCH BLASPHEMY ABOUT THE GREAT ARKEYAN EMPIRE TO THEIR FACES AND DEMANDING OUR PRECIOUS SECRETS IN SPITE OF ALL THEIR INSOLENCE!"

The judge snarled as he punched his hands together.

"QUITE FRANKLY, THE ONLY THING THEY DESERVE IS DEATH!"

The moment the judge said this, it was like something had been activated in the previously reserved jury! They all started hooting and hollering as they tore down the benches and stampeded into the center of the courtroom, then completely swarmed the Weapon Master, Double Trouble and Voodood!

"YES, FINALLY! I WAS GETTING SICK OF HEARING THEIR YAP!"

"DEATH! DEATH! DEATH!"

"KILL ALL THOSE WHO DEFY OUR GREAT EMPIRE!"

Double Trouble and Voodood immediately brandished their weapons, but even they were a bit hesitant to attack first. They stepped back and shot each other wary glances as the entire angry jury closed in on them, for they were much bigger and surely much more powerful than the two of them alone!

"Er, your honor, with all due respect," the Weapon Master snarled as he backed up further, "Perhaps maybe you should think your verdict over?"

"SILENCE YOUR FOOLISHNESS!" The judge cried.

In one swift movement, the judge summoned a sword and tossed it right at the Weapon Master! The Weapon Master gasped and hastily leaped out of the way, then winced as the sword hit a member of the jury right between the eyes!

"YOU DARE TO INSINUATE THAT SOMEONE SUCH AS YOURSELF KNOWS HOW TO DO MY JOB BETTER THAN I? FOOLISH!" The judge swept his arms aside as he stormed up to the Weapon Master and shoved his face in the Weapon Master's own, "THESE FOUL COMMONERS HAVE DISRESPECTED OUR MIGHTY EMPIRE, OUR GREAT KING AND THE ANCIENT WHO BLESSED US ALL WITH IT IN OUR OWN QUARTERS! THEIR PUNISHMENT IS WELL DESERVED!"

The judge growled, then swung his arms right into the Weapon Master's chest and tossed the Weapon Master down on the ground! The Weapon Master grunted as he collapsed, then looked back up at the judge with faded, shocked eyes… But the judge only huffed and crossed his arms behind his back as he turned around.

"Wait, I know those eyes... You were the one who betrayed our ranks, who abandoned your purpose all in favor of those awful Elder Elementals and their hogwash, correct?" The judge scoffed as he floated back, "Why should I listen to a faulty machine who couldn't even do its job right?"

And with that said, the judge summoned another bolt of lightning and shot it right in the Weapon Master's chest! The Weapon Master let out a distorted, mechanical scream as he slammed into the wall with such force that it left a gigantic dent in its metal surface, then he slunk down and collapsed on the floor as the light in his eyes faded out...

But while Double Trouble and Voodood gasped and ran up to the Weapon Master's unconscious side, the jury hollered and yelled in sheer ecstasy as the judge extended his arms and made a simple thumbs down signal.

"I PROCLAIM THE DEFENDANTS GUILTY AS CHARGED! JURY, EXECUTE THE PUNISHMENT!"

And just like that, the jury members all stormed towards the Weapon Master, Double Trouble and Voodood! Double Trouble gasped as they all leaped in for the kill, but before they could strike the killing blow, Double Trouble whipped his staff around and teleported himself, Voodood and the Weapon Master out of the fray!

As they all reappeared just outside of the Arkeyan dogpile, Double Trouble turned to Voodood and joined hands with him immediately. They spoke no words, and yet both of them perfectly understood what needed to be done as Double Trouble waved his staff and levitated them off the ground!

"Axe first," Voodood cried as he readied his ax and shot towards one of the Arkeyan jurors right as they all got up and recuperated, "QUESTIONS LATER!"

Once he drew close enough, Voodood swung his ax back and slashed through the juror's head… But all it did was leave a particularly nasty scratch! Voodood gasped and floated back as the juror quickly shook it off, then swatted Voodood away like an annoying fly!

"VOODOOD!" Double Trouble cried as he swung his staff and shot out a blast of magic that turned into a magical cushion which caught Voodood in midair!

Double Trouble spun around as Voodood floated down to the ground, then teleported into the fray and summoned an entire swarm of floating clones! With one swipe of his staff, they all shot towards the other jurors and exploded, but even their explosions did little more than leave magical dust on their armor!

"I JUST HAD THAT POLISHED!" Cried one of the jurors as they slammed their hand into Double Trouble and blew him away!

The spell's effects lifted from Double Trouble's body as he crashed down onto the floor, and Voodood quickly joined him with another grunt. As the jurors cackled above them, the two of them grunted and pulled themselves up.

"I don't think anything we can do will stop these guys," Double Trouble panted as he sat up and grabbed his staff tight, "I say it's time for Plan B!"

"What was Plan B?" Voodood whispered as he pushed himself off the ground.

Double Trouble grabbed Voodood's hand and dashed away. "We let them take out each other!"

The jurors all clamored and chased after Double Trouble and Voodood, but right as they hit a wall, Double Trouble just teleported away and wove between the jurors' tightly-packed ranks! One of the jurors tried to chase after them, but before it could snatch them, it conked into one of its fellow jurors!

"Hey, that hurt!" Cried the second juror as it waved a fist at the first, "Watch where you're going!"

"You need to watch where you're standing!" The first juror retorted as they waved a fist, "I almost had them!"

"You two, knock it off!" Scolded a third, "They're escaping!"

"BE QUIET! WE'RE HAVING A DISCUSSION!"

Double Trouble smirked as the jurors bickered among themselves and seemed as though they were on the brink of fighting among each other, then turned his eyes back to the door ahead. Surely, this would be their ticket out of this place! They just had to get out of this kangaroo court and gather their bearings, then they could finally get the—

CRASH! Went the ceiling as it opened up and dumped an entire army of Ultrons and knights on the ground!

Double Trouble floated back and pulled Voodood backwards with him, then grimaced and clenched his staff.

"Well, so much for that," he whispered as he held his staff close.

Double Trouble let go of Voodood's hand as he swiped and spun his staff around, then summoned an array of magic spheres, storms and every other magic spell in his book! Even a few of his clones were summoned and exploded among the fray! Sweat poured down his face as he fought back, but as he swung and cast spells, his body started to ache and forced him to take a breather. Why now, of all times? He was almost out of here, he didn't have the time to get fatigued!

An Orcish war cry sounded off beside Double Trouble as Voodood tried ax against mace once more, for he was locked deep in combat with another Arkeyan knight! But while he was fighting, he didn't notice that a second knight was ready to strike!

So, Double Trouble whipped out his staff and shot a magic blast that burrowed straight through the knight's chest for a few moments! The knight flew back and sparked for a few moments, then exploded into bits and gnashers… But the explosion was so mighty it blew Voodood forward! Double Trouble gasped and went to grab Voodood away, but he was too slow! Just as he grabbed Voodood, the Arkeyan knight Voodood fought smacked them both in the gut with its mace and tossed them backwards!

Double Trouble and Voodood both cried out as they tumbled across the floor, then winced as they sat back up and glazed over the crowds around them. To their front, the infuriated judges and jury closed them in, and to their back, knights and Ultrons and other robots finished the circle! The Arkeyans all readied their attacks, but Double Trouble was so worn that he couldn't possibly fight back… Even his staff fizzled out like it was completely done for.

And Voodood, he didn't exactly seem to be in a better position as he leaned down and held the side that had been injured earlier. His ax clattered to the marble floors, and finally he was so pained that all he could do was collapse down and lean closer to Double Trouble! Double Trouble gasped and held Voodood close, then winced as something loomed over them both.

Above them, the judge had whipped out a massive, sharp cleaver that surely had both their names on it!

Double Trouble snarled, then held Voodood tighter as the judge only sneered down. If this was how they went down, Double Trouble was not going down crying and begging!

"This will be extremely satisfying," the judge crooned as he licked his mechanical lips, then swung down the cleaver in one massive, slow motion, "JUSTICE IS SERVED!"

Double Trouble gritted his teeth and shielded Voodood as they both closed their eyes, fully prepared for the end… But what came next wasn't the cutting of flesh or the metallic stench of drawn blood, no! It was a firm SHING, like the cleaver had been stopped in mid-transit!

"WHAT YOU SERVE NOW IS NO LONGER JUSTICE, YOUR HONOR!" Cried what sounded like the Weapon Master!

Double Trouble popped an eye open, and sure enough the Weapon Master had saved them! He floated between Double Trouble, Voodood and the judge, all while his many arms held the cleaver tight with all the strength his trembling body could muster! Though he grunted and growled as the cleaver tried to fight against his grasp, finally the Weapon Master managed to grab complete hold of the cleaver and toss it aside!

"WHAT, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" The judge demanded as he stepped back with a gaping jaw, one that soon turned to a massive glower as his eyes flashed red, "DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE BETRAYING MY JUDGEMENT AND OUR GREAT EMPIRE FOR SUCH FILTH YET AGAIN?!"

"It's bold of you to assume there's anything left to betray!"

The Weapon Master's own eyes glowed red in tandem with his low scowl as he lowered his arms.

"Everything you fought for was built on lies and slander! The empire you fought for wasn't a paradise, it was a tyrant's playground! Your beloved empire caused the suffering of thousands, the deaths of thousands more… All so that accursed man could get drunk with power!"

The Weapon Master shuddered, his eyes bleary as he looked down at his quaking hands, but with a shake of his head, he steadied itself and clenched his hands into fists once more.

"To believe, I was created for such an atrocious, unworthy cause…" The Weapon Master scowled as he turned back to the judge, "But, I refuse to fight for it! The day I left our empire, I vowed to never turn my blades on the innocent ever again. You, however, are far from innocent!"

The Weapon Master turned back down to Double Trouble and Voodood and held out his hands.

"Now, to bring an end to this!" The Weapon Master cried, "Please, lend me your aid!"

As the Weapon Master looked down at them and nodded with such determined, set eyes, Double Trouble grinned and held Voodood's hand once more. With his free hand, Double Trouble waved his staff, and though it sparkled and crackled for a little while, its power soon returned! Thanks to a bright glow from the staff's end, all three of them were enveloped in a magic wave that not only healed their injuries, but gave them all some serious power as well!

Double Trouble grinned as the energy seeped through his veins and made him want to burst if he stood around any longer, and the way Voodood and the Weapon Master flexed and examined themselves showed they felt the same! With that new power in their veins, the three of them turned back to the massive Arkeyan armies and readied their weapons! Now, the real fight had begun!

The Weapon Master tangoed with the jurors and tore through them one by one as he slashed them away with massive swords and pushed them into the walls, but he wasn't the only one doing some heavy lifting!

Voodood gashed through the small Arkeyan robots with his shiny, sharp ax, and as they exploded, Double Trouble zapped away the gnashers they left behind and used them as effectual mines that blew down the other robots! The robotic carnage piled throughout the room as they razed through the Arkeyan forces, then as the last of the robots fell to the siege, Double Trouble and Voodood turned their attention back to the door once more.

"The doorway that leads to the Quicksilver reserves!" the Weapon Master proclaimed as he hovered beside them, "Quick, go to it while there's a lull in the fight! I'll buy you time!"

Double Trouble and Voodood both grunted as they dashed forward, their eyes fixed on their target at last. As they drew closer to the halls, the ones that gradiated from gold and red to silver and blue, both their hearts beat in sync from sheer anticipation! Finally, they could get what they came here for!

"DON'T YOU DARE MOVE ANY FURTHER!" The judge cried!

The judge snarled as he slammed his fist against a suspicious dent in the wall, and out of nowhere, massive, spiraling golden gates slammed down in front of the door!

Double Trouble and Voodood leaned back right before they could get skewered, then turned back as the judge slunk out from the crowds of mechanical corpses and closed in on the two of them.

"You pests are stubborn, I'll give you that," the judge said as he cracked his knuckles, "But even the most stubborn pests will be exterminated sooner or later!"—The judge grinned as he summoned his cleaver once more—"THIS IS THE END FOR YOU, COMMONER SCUM!"

"Not if I have anything to say about that!" The Weapon Master cried!

He tackled straight into the judge and pinned the judge against one of the walls with such force that it completely dented and cracked the walls, while the cleaver the judge once held slid out of his hand and skidded against the floor.

"You will not lay a hand on them!"

The Weapon Master pushed the judge further into the wall… But while the Weapon Master gave his best, the judge seemed hardly concerned as he grabbed onto the Weapon Master's arms in exchange! The two of them were locked in a tight-knit wrestling match, where both parties were so stubborn that neither could be moved!

"Hah, what a sad sop you are!" The judge cried as he pushed back against the Weapon Master, "You were created to serve a powerful empire birthed by one of the Ancients themselves, but then you heard those sob stories from those accursed Elder Elements and left? Why would you abandon the mighty Arkeyan Empire for some common worms?"

"THE MIGHTY ARKEYAN EMPIRE IS NO MORE, YOU FOOL!"

The Weapon Master leaned his head back and smashed it into the judge's head, then pushed the judge back as he released and heaved heavy breaths.

"Or rather…" The Weapon Master knelt down and pressed his hands against the floor in pattering motions, almost like he was searching for something, "Or rather, it will be no more when I'm through!"

The judge let out a horrified gasp. "What nonsense are you spewing?"

The Weapon Master pursed his lips, then finally clasped one of his hands and hid that hand behind his back.

"The Arkeyan Empire has been gone for thousands of years… Our cities are no more than ruins lost to sand's times… All that remains is these vaults. These times have changed!" The Weapon Master stood back to full height as his eyes glowed red.

"In such a short time, I've been show that in those thousands of years, the world has grown and discovered all sorts of amazing magic and powerful beings, ones put at risk by this ongoing threat the outside world holds…"

The Weapon Master slowly drew that hidden hand out from behind his back.

"And I will not let my homeland's tyranny hamper them! What I believed in was an era of progress, of wonderful discoveries and knowledge, not an empire built on blood and innocents' backs!"

The judge snarled as he balled his hands into fists and got ready to attack, but before he could, he gasped and relented—for the Weapon Master had balled straight towards him and unveiled nothing other than the very cleaver the judge held!

"AND IF THE ARKEYAN EMPIRE'S REMNANTS NEED TO DIE FOR THEIR ERA'S SURVIVAL, THEN SO BE IT!"

In one swift, almost invisible blow, the Weapon Master rushed forward and sliced the judge clean in half with the very cleaver the judge wielded! The judge let out some kind of distorted, garbled nonsense as the light in his eyes faded, then his top half completely slid off the bottom half before both halves collapsed on the floor and spilled out dulled Quicksilver oil!

The Weapon Master scoffed as he flicked the cleaver and scattered that Quicksilver blood across the floor, then turned back to the gates and slashed them open in another swift blow! He snarled as the gates fell apart, but that snarl softened as he gazed back down at Double Trouble and Voodood.

"Now," the Weapon Master said as he held a lower hand out to the two of them, "Shall we obtain the Quicksilver?"

Double Trouble just blinked with such sheer awe that he couldn't even move as he tried to process everything that had just happened, but finally Voodood pulled him ahead and seated them both on the Weapon Master's hand.

As the two of them passed through the halls, Double Trouble rubbed his eyes and fiddled with the feathers on his staff from sheer boredom… Then he turned his gaze ahead and gasped!

There, among the sparkling, silver walls carved with intricate blue markings were vast waterways and canals that poured out shining, silver liquid that glowed like diamonds! And not only was it beautiful, but it radiated with such a powerful magic essence that it made Double Trouble's whole body shudder. Yes, this was definitely the Quicksilver they sought.

"Please, take as much as you desire," the Weapon Master said as he lowered his hand and allowed Voodood and Double Trouble to jump off, "We no longer have any need for it!"

Double Trouble giggled and hopped off, then teleported over to one of the canals and magicked up a bottle. With a pop, he uncorked the bottle and swiped up a good bit of Quicksilver, just enough that he supposed would be good for the Core. He almost wanted to take back some more for his experiments and magic spells, but that was quickly forgotten as conversation pricked his ears.

"Though I wasn't able to bring a stop to the Arkeyan Empire back then…" The Weapon Master admitted as he bowed to Voodood, "I'm glad that I could at least help you along now. This time of yours seems quite wonderful, and I hope that I will be able to witness the further wonders it has to bring."

But as the Weapon Master bowed, Voodood just smiled and patted his shoulder.

"I'm glad to hear it," Voodood replied with a warm, gentle smile, "Once we finish the Core of Light, there's a lot we could tell you about. Plenty of things have happened in these past ten thousand years, after all."

Double Trouble smiled, then waved the bottle high.

"I got the Quicksilver!" Double Trouble proclaimed as he waved the bottle high, "Time to get back home!"

The Weapon Master nodded as Double Trouble floated back over to where the Weapon Master and Voodood sat… But as he arrived, the Weapon Master pulled out a small, red and gold disk and pressed it into Voodood's hands.

"This disk contains the location of the Eternal Magic Source," the Weapon Master explained, "When used in tandem with my Chain of Eternity, it will take you directly to its vaults!"

Both Double Trouble and Voodood grinned with sheer glee, but Voodood was the first to steady himself as he coughed and bowed his head.

"Thank you for everything," Voodood said as he looked back up at the Weapon Master with a look of genuine joy in his eyes, "This will serve Skylands for years to come."

"Think nothing of it!" The Weapon Master started to glow as he gave Voodood a small, but just as genuine smile, "If anything, I should be thanking you for letting me finish what I started!"

The Weapon Master's glow became brighter as he shook his head. "But I digress. You should return this to the Core of Light."

In a flash of light, the three of them were returned back to the very stone platform where they started, but they didn't linger for long. In moments, the Weapon Master cast out the chain once more and all three of them made their way back to Ancient's Peak…

§

The light faded in a massive vortex around Chihiro, and before she knew it she was back out of the mission simulator room once again! Chihiro blinked and rubbed her eyes as the last of the lights drifted away and the door opened with a slow, sleek hiss. Though a part of her was almost terrified to know the results, so scared that her legs were practically jelly, the other part of her was more curious than anything! So, Chihiro stepped out of the mission simulator while thin steam caressed the floor below and vanished underneath her feet, then cleared her throat and grinned as four pairs of eyes fell on her.

"So," Chihiro spat out at last as she shoved her hands in her pockets, then paused and took a breath, "… Did I pass?"

"Well, all I have to say is," Master Eon said as he floated over and paused for a bit, all while his light faded in and out. He stood stagnant for a short while… Then finally his colors changed to a soft, warm yellow.

"Congratulations, young Chihiro."

Chihiro made a shrill, gleeful gasp as her eyes sparkled with that same kind of joy that filtered into her voice. Her head felt fuzzy and kind of strange as if she was dreaming, but no, she wasn't! After all this time, she had passed! She'd passed all of her portal master exams! Chihiro stood there in joyful shock for a few moments, then finally she broke into hapless laughter as she grabbed Master Eon and wrapped him in a tight hug!

The two of them laughed together as she spun around, then finally she let him go and bolted towards Hugo, Whirlwind and Drobot.

"So, so? Did you see me down there? Was I super cool?" Chihiro asked as she bounced between giving the three of them tight hugs and practically smashing her faces into theirs from sheer excitement!

"You bet we did, Chi!" Whirlwind chirped as she flew up and hugged Chihiro right back, "You were amazing!"

"Affirmative," Drobot whirred as his eyes projected a holograph of a hundred percent mark, "You passed with flying colors, after all!"

Hugo, meanwhile, broke into shrill, happy sobs as he pulled his glasses from his face and wiped them with his jacket.

"Hugo, are you alright?" Chihiro asked as she jumped from Whirlwind and wiped the tears from his eyes, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, everything's just fine, Chihiro, I just, I just," Hugo sputtered and sobbed as he hastily threw his glasses on his face and hugged Chihiro so tight it practically squeezed her out of her own skin, "I'M, I… I CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE FINALLY SEEN THE DAY YOU'VE PASSED ALL YOUR EXAMS! YOU'VE GROWN UP SO MUCH SINCE YOU FIRST STARTED STUDYING, IT FEELS JUST LIKE YESTERDAY WE WERE TEACHING YOU YOUR BASIC SPELLS…"

Hugo let out a couple more snotty sobs as he let go of Chihiro and buried his face in his paws. "Is this how parents feel when their kids graduate?"

Chihiro just spun away and giggled as she ruffled her hair. She wasn't entirely sure how to respond to Hugo's sudden crying fit, but she had to presume that it was a good thing, right?

"Don't mind Hugo, young Chihiro, he's just very, very proud of you," Master Eon said as he floated around Chihiro, "In fact, we all are!"

Well, Chihiro didn't need to be told that to know! After all, just seeing everyone so happy in her presence filled her own heart with glee! She turned her gaze back to Master Eon, but he just glowed a startled shade of white.

"Oh, speaking of graduating!" Master Eon exclaimed as he flitted about, "We need to hold your graduation ceremony right now!"

A graduation ceremony? Chihiro gasped as her heart did a backflip in her chest. She'd get a fancy graduation ceremony and everything! Man, graduating was the best!

"Actually, that can wait," Drobot whirred as he twisted a knob on his helmet, "According to my hearing mechanisms, it seems Double Trouble and Voodood have made their return!"

"REALLY?" Everybody else exclaimed at once.

Drobot nodded and zoomed over to the door without a moment wasted. "Come now!"

And so, everybody shook themselves off and bolted after Drobot down the endless fleets of stairs that lead up to the mission simulator room.

But, even with Voodood and Double Trouble's return, Chihiro still couldn't help but fixate on her win! Finally, at last, all her hard work had paid off! She was now a true portal at last! Just the very thought made her bubble and burst with so much excitement, she just wanted to bolt out the door and scream!

In fact, that's just what she did as she jumped off the last of the stairs, sprinted towards the portal building's doors and slammed them wide open.

"HEY, WORLD!" Chihiro cried as she bounded outside and leaped practically a foot in the air, "I'M A TRUE PORTAL MASTER NOW!"

As Chihiro floated back down to the ground, the crowd of Skylanders, Flynn and Cali looked towards Chihiro, all completely silent with excited anticipation. It felt so strange to just blurt that out loud all of a sudden, but it felt so good, too! And all the extra attention definitely felt pretty nice, too!

"Chi, is that really true?" Spyro asked as he zipped out from the crowds and grabbed Chihiro's hands.

"You bet!" Hugo exclaimed, his voice still a bit hoarse from crying so much, as he exited the portal building alongside Master Eon, Whirlwind and Drobot, "Chihiro's passed her final portal master with flying colors!"

Everyone around beamed with wide-eyed pride, then their silent excitement became loud and excited as they all yelled out their congratulations!

"CONGRATS, CHI!"

"I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!"

"GO CHIHIRO! WOO-HOO!"

Chihiro let out another soft, breathy gasp without even realizing, then giggled as warmth flushed into her cheeks.

"Geez, guys!" Chihiro giggled as she scratched her head, "You're making me blush!"

But, that did little to discourage the residents of Ancient's Peak as they hooted and hollered out their cheers for Chihiro's success! Though their voices all started to blend into one singular chorus, it was a good chorus, the best kind as a matter of fact! She couldn't help but bask in it forever, at least until Voodood and Double Trouble shifted their way out of the crowds.

"Well," Voodood said as he gave Chihiro a nod of approval and pulled something out from behind his back, "It seems as though we have two causes for celebration today!"

Chihiro shook her head and chirped as she tilted her gaze down to Voodood's hands, then broke out into a smile. After all, there rested in his grasp was a flask of that same shiny liquid that was no doubt the Quicksilver that Weapon Master dude talked about!

Double Trouble grinned and said something as he nudged Voodood in the shoulder and winked, while Voodood just smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright, we're getting there," Voodood said before he turned his gaze back to Chihiro, "He says that we need to hurry and add it to the Core. After all,"—Voodood turned back to Double Trouble and winked—"He didn't upstage a court case and bring to light an entire empire's tyranny for nothing!"

"Wait, upstage? Tyranny?" Hugo repeated as he rapidly blinked and spun his head, "Just what did you do down there?"

"We can talk about that later."

Chihiro beamed as she took the Quicksilver from Voodood's hands, while Double Trouble pulled out a round, flat device and pressed it in Hugo's paws. Double Trouble said something as he tapped the machine's surface, but Hugo seemed completely lost for words, literally.

"That machine is a map that contains the coordinates to the Eternal Magic Source's location," Voodood explained as he turned to Hugo, "When we're ready, the Weapon Master will take us."

"Oh," Hugo uttered with a nod, then shook his head as he turned to the Core of Light, "But first, we need to get the Quicksilver in the Core!"

Hugo stashed the device away in his pockets, then everybody crowded around the Core of Light with Chihiro and Hugo at the head of the charge! Chihiro stepped forward, then gently uncorked the bottle and poured the Quicksilver into the Core while Hugo whipped out his book and chanted the incantation for it…

Then the Quicksilver shone like liquid diamonds in a blue tinted rainbow within the Core's veins before it finally seeped into veins of the Core! The runes on the Core's based glowed with a silver light as it turned around with a heightened speed and smoother rotation, like a shiny new machine fresh out of the box! But more importantly than that, now it truly was almost done!

"All that's left is the Eternal Magic Source!" Hugo proclaimed as he clapped his paws, "But, that can wait for tomorrow!"

"It can?" Chihiro exclaimed as she looked at Hugo like he suggested pigs were flying, "What are you talking about, Hugo? We can't wait, Kaos's probably already looking for—"

"I understand your concern, but we still need to rest and prepare! After all, we've all had a long day!" Hugo wagged a finger as he pulled out the device, "And even if he did, we're the only ones who hold its map! We've got one up over him, so we have plenty of time to prepare."

Chihiro drew back, then made a reluctant smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right! I guess this one is our little secret!"

So, everyone grinned and dispersed, while Chihiro herself looked up to the evening dipped skies and pumped a fist like she was punching the setting sun. For a moment, she frowned as she thought she caught something shiny and glowing fly off in the distance... But, she was so happy that she didn't pay it much mind!

"Kaos won't know what hit him!"

§

Kaos grumbled something to himself as he fumbled through the pages of a thick, musty old book propped up on a fancy stand, then frowned and twitched his finger as something buzzed into the confines of his evil plotting room. Normally he'd reach for a fly swatter (or just make Glumshanks take care of it), but this, no, this he welcomed with open arms!

"Alright, spy-fly!" Kaos proclaimed as he turned around and clapped his hands, "Show me what you've learned!"

The spy-fly froze in midair, then its shutter swung open and projected a hologram against the wall, the one of that obnoxious mole and that stupid portal poster as they crowded around a strange, flat disc within the mole's hand.

"What are you talking about, Hugo?" The portal poster said with her obnoxiously snotty voice, "We can't wait, Kaos's probably already looking for—"

"I understand your concern, but we still need to rest and prepare! After all, we've all had a long day!" The mole replied as he shook his finger and pointed to the disc, "And even if he did, we're the only ones who hold its map! We've got one up over him, so we have plenty of time to prepare."

Kaos snarled as the hologram repeated in an endless loop, but that snarl quickly turned an absolutely devilish smile.

"That's what you think, fools!" Kaos cried as he shook a fist at the hologram and turned around.

Kaos packed back and forth as he made giggles of unadulterated evil glee! Finally, he had gotten a lucky break! Not only did he get another chance to bring the Core of Light's construction to a grinding halt, but those Skylosers and their portal poster didn't even know that he knew the truth! All he had to do was snag the Eternal Magic Source and he was good as gold!

And he has just the idea on how to do it! Kaos pulled up his sleeve, then tapped on his communicator and chuckled as it flared to life with a few beeps.

"Evil Tiki Man, Evil Grub Worm, Evil Orc Warrior!" Kaos called into the communicator's speaker, "I have an important job for you!"

---

More development nods incoming! Penalty Killer, Beast Flamer and Gust Bunny are actually based on three characters found within the code of the Crash N. Sane Trilogy that are widely speculated to be scrapped Skylanders characters due to their models' file names containing element names and Dave E. Phillips, one of Vicarious Visions' character designers for Skylanders, posting concept art of them to Twitter! Gust Bunny's name was even taken from one of his conceptual names!