"DARK MOON"
RAGE BLAZED within Anna as Erhard approached them, her fires returning as she remembered what had happened the last time they met. "You!"
"Ah, princess, eloquent as always." Erhard said.
Anna screamed and flew up to Erhard with a flaming fist, colliding with his palm as he blocked her calmly and was barely moved. She growled, her body bursting with fire and she threw another punch when he flicked his fingers, hovering her back telepathically and binding her in place. The others tensed up and raised their weapons, ready to fight when Erhard let go and let her fall on the ground.
"I'm not here to fight you." He said plainly.
"I'm not buying it." Jack clasped his cane.
"You bastard!" Merida cried and fired a barrage of arrows at Erhard.
Erhard deadpanned as the arrows deflected against several small magic circles that flickered around him. "When will you learn?"
Anna hesitated and rose to her feet, dismissing her fires. "What do you want?" She asked, making the others reluctantly back down.
"I'm here to help you stop the Red Lotus."
"Oh, not this again," Tooth grumbled.
"No, we can't believe another one of them!" Merida aimed her bow at Erhard.
"The Red Lotus's plans interfere with my own and I see it beneficial to work with you to do so." Erhard said.
"And what are these plans exactly?" North frowned.
"To become a god over this earth and I cannot rule a world that is destroyed." Erhard said simply.
Anna frowned and Tooth raised his brow. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, we're not considering working with this guy, are we?" Her eyes dilated in surprise as Anna hesitated. "His Order killed your parents! You can't trust him!"
"Why would you work with us?" Anna said, holding back her rage. "You're clearly powerful enough to stop them yourself."
"Curiosity has beguiled me." Erhard explained, "Perhaps in this momentous union, I might learn what makes people put their faith in you rulers."
Anna looked to the others who hesitated to speak; Merida's eyes mimicking her own as she considered his words. Sighing, Anna turned to Erhard, "Okay, how do we stop them?"
"Wait, you're working with him?" Jack raised his brow.
"They have my sister, Jack; what choice do I have?"
"That is precisely why I came." Erhard walked up to them. "They are mere moments away from achieving their plan and summoning their goddess Lamia. We'll need to infiltrate the palace and stop the ritual before it's too late."
"Well, we already tried that and that's how we're in this mess." Merida frowned.
"There is a secret underground escape route for the royals that leads to the bay," Erhard said, "If we follow it, we can enter the ritual grounds and stop it."
"How do you know where they're carrying it out exactly?" Tooth looked at him suspiciously.
"I can detect traces of high level magic in this area - if I get closer, I'll know." Erhard turned to her.
Jack glanced at the others and hesitantly sheathed his cane. "Alright, what're we waiting for?" He turned to Erhard. "Lead the way."
The Dragon god nodded and walked onward, leaving the others behind who watched him go on and reluctantly followed. As they left their cover from underneath the bridge, they were ambushed as a group of Earthbenders who surrounded them! Summoning rocks, they began their attack when Erhard waved his arm and summoned a telepathic shield around them, deflecting their projectiles.
Anna and the others watched on, stunned by Erhard's power as he walked on and ignored the boulders flung at him. An earthbender girl ran toward him and stamped her foot on the ground, summoning a trail of jagged rocks toward them which broke apart and smacked against her instead! The other benders backed away in surprise and Anna, Ai and the Guardians followed Erhard, amazed at his handiwork.
Anna's enthrallment ended fast as she still felt disgusted walking beside the murderer of her parents, keeping her eyes sharp to any tricks he'd pull. As she kept a distance however, she felt a sudden dim red light move over her, gasping as she felt the demon within her writhe in anger. Looking to the sky, she froze as the moon above spread a bright blood red luminescence across the heavens, outshining the sun that was still overhead!
"The fuck?" Merida frowned.
"It's the Moon!" North exclaimed.
"What is happening?" Tooth began to panic.
"The ceremony has begun," Erhard said, "Lamia will awaken at any moment!"
"But how? They only have Elsa; don't they need Jack to complete the ritual?" Ai's brows furrowed.
"They do not; they twisted their prophecies to throw off anyone who'd get in their way." Erhard said.
"This can't be." Ai sifted her mind. "They wouldn't have lied to me; I was in the highest rank!"
"This is what they do," Erhard said sternly, "Now hurry, we must go!"
Erhard ran on, quickly followed by Anna and the others while Ai remained behind. The woman looked to the sky, unable to understand what was happening. "Something's wrong."
LOW CHANTS loudened steadily, cold and repeated as men garbed in red robes circled over a platform in the courtyard of Corona's castle. At its center lay a magic square encircled by four discs inscribed with moon symbolism, esoteric markings and hieroglyphics. Niu watched from a balcony up above the ritual took place, seeing Elsa bound to a pillar at the center of the grounds, her clothes tattered with a large lunar tattoo on her stomach.
Standing beside him were Xiaosi and Guozhi who watched beside him, Xiaosi being nervous as to what'd come of their efforts. Looking to the reddening moon, Niu smiled when the sound of footsteps interrupted his thoughts and he turned to see Ai approaching them. He scrutinized her as she arrived, seeing her tattered clothing and stab wounds on her leg.
"Ai." Niu said, unsure.
"Ai?" Xiaosi turned and was caught aback as he saw "Ai! What happened to you?"
"I was captured." Ai panted.
"By whom?" Guozhi eyed her coldly.
"The surviving monarchs of Corona and Arendelle; they wanted to know what our plans were and to figure out our weaknesses, but I wouldn't talk." Ai said.
"And where were they?" Niu walked up to her.
"Niu, we cannot bombard her with questions now; she's injured." Xiaosi tried to say.
"Where are they?" Niu reiterated, rage bubbling in his tone.
"They were on a boat a few miles away from here; I barely managed to escape and found my way over here," Ai said, "They must have soldiers coming after me as we speak."
Niu studied Ai and turned back to the courtyard. "Very well. Clean your wounds and gather men to snuff out those who seek to stop us."
"But, not after the ceremony is over," Ai said, "I wouldn't want to miss what we've worked years to achieve."
"Impressive," Niu smiled over his shoulder, "We must put the cause above all else, even our own well-being. You will reap from your sacrifice, Ai."
Ai nodded and moved closer to Niu, glancing at the floor tiles on the outer rim of the courtyard. Peeking through the spaces between the tiles form underground, Erhard took in their surroundings and gestured for the others to follow, guiding Anna, Merida, Jack, Tooth, North and Sandy through the maze underground.
A FLARE fizzled to life as Bunny lit up a small ball and walked through a tunnel that opened itself up and went onward, opening a path for him, Kristoff, Eugene and Maximus the horse to follow. The three were cramped in the tiny space - the horse's snout huffing and puffing against Eugene's face and annoying him. Shielding himself from the dust kicked up as Bunny dug onward, the man growled in irritation.
"When the hell are we gonna get out of the ground!?" Eugene screamed.
"Keep it down back there, we're trying to avoid getting caught," Bunny frowned, "Just because we're underground doesn't mean the people who took Balder won't hear anything."
"Yes, but, I have to agree with Eugene here - when are we gonna get outta here?" Kristoff asked.
"These wizards are high level and could sense someone nearby without even hearing them; we'll have to use unconventional methods if we wanna achieve what we wanna achieve."
"Yeah, but could I do it without being cooped up with this bastard?" Eugene said, getting bit in the ear by Max, "Hey!"
"Hey, what did I say about being quiet," Bunny frowned when a small light glowed from his belt. "Well, hello."
"What is it?" Eugene moved in closer, getting pressed against the wall as Max shoved his head through.
"I think we've found what we're looking for!" Bunny pulled up a black sphere from his belt. "We're under a massive cluster of magic." He looked up. "We're here."
"Alright, let's just -," Eugene tried to say when Maximus kicked the roof of the tunnel and burst through the floor on the other side!
Stunned, Bunny pulled himself out of the magical tunnel and walked onto the floor of the building they were in, seeing the stone walls around them and glass-less windows. Eugene, Kristoff and Maximus came up as well and saw a snowy mountain range in the distance, tensing up as they wondered what they'd find.
"Everybody keep sharp." Bunny said as he looked around. "This is where the trail leads, so Balder must be here, along with whoever captured him."
"Oh man," Kristoff said as he looked up ahead.
Eugene turned to where Kristoff was looking and jerked in surprise as a black sigil with burning red dragon hung from the ceiling. "We're sure here alright."
"The Order of the Nine Stars' Castle." Kristoff frowned.
PAIN SWAM through her body as Elsa came to, the bleeding light stinging her eyes as she looked to the sky and was immediately met with a sharp pang as the tattoo on her stomach surged with blue energy. The woman thrashed about in agony, trying to break free as the robed men around her summoned magical patterns made of light around her, firing strips of energy into her and torturing her.
Ai was angered by this, but hid it from her expression, turning to Niu. "How is the ritual going to proceed exactly?"
"What do you mean?" Niu turned to her. "Haven't I told you everything?"
"I mean, you said the ritual would need both the Key and the Door to summon Lamia." Ai continued. "I only see the Key."
"It will be all in due time." Niu said.
"Huh?" Ai raised her brow.
"We will soon have the Key in our grasp."
"But, we haven't made any effort to find the Key." Ai squinted, confused.
"Oh, but we already have him." Niu said, "You've come with him, haven't you?"
"What're you talking about?"
"Why'd you lie to us, Ai?" Xiaosi said, his eyes filled with sadness.
"What?" Ai turned to him. "I haven't lied about anything."
"I can tell when you're lying Ai; you've betrayed us." Xiaosi moved up to her, "You're working with the enemy!" He grabbed her by the arm.
"Let go of me!" Ai tried to pull back.
"Those wounds are self-inflicted, Ai." Guozhi looked at her in disappointment. "It was obvious the moment you'd arrived."
"You have come with monarchs from Corona and Arendelle and among them most likely, is the Key." Niu frowned. "You have turned on us."
Ai pulled herself out of his grasp, the confusion in her eye turning into a murderous glare as she stared down him, Guozhi and Xiaosi. "So, what now?"
"Now, you die." Niu ignited a fire in his palm. "Maybe in death you can appease our goddess."
"Wait, don't hurt her!" Xiaosi stood between Niu and Ai.
"What is this?" Guozhi blankly said.
"Xiaosi!" Ai said, confused.
"I won't let you kill my friend!" Xiaosi angrily said.
"No, Xiaosi, don't!" Cried Ai.
"Oh, Xiaosi, you're such a simpleton!" Niu doubled the fire's size and blasted Xiaosi, burning him alive!
"Xiaosi!"
SNIFFING THE air and looking down the halls up ahead, Bunny led Eugene, Kristoff and Max through the castle. Pulling out a crystal ball from his satchel, Bunny looked into it and saw another hallway in the orb where a few wizards were moving up to a large door. "Seems we've found something here." He smiled.
"Whoa, that's neat!" Kristoff looked at the orb in awe. "How do you do that?"
"Uh, magic?" Eugene said sarcastically.
"Well, I know, but still."
"I've actually seen humans pull this off without magic." Bunny said.
"Really?" Asked Eugene.
"They call it 'science'." Bunny pocketed the orb, searching for another one. "Though I don't know what the difference is honestly."
He pulled out a black ball and twirled it in front of him, letting go of it and making spin in the air on its own where it sparked and turned into a black portal. Kristoff and Eugene watched in amazement as this happened when the rabbit hopped through the gateway, vanishing instantly! They jerked back in shock and quickly looked inside, seeing Bunny fighting the wizards in another hallway!
Leg-sweeping a cloaked mage, Bunny flipped into the air and threw a kick at a wizard who conjured a light disc and fired vines made of energy out of it. While in midair, the rabbit grabbed a ball out of his bag and squeezed it, turning it into a staff which he used to smack the tubes and the magic circle away like nothing. The wizard was caught off by this and Bunny took advantage, whacking him in the face with the pole and landing on his feet.
He grinned at his handiwork, unable to see a sorcerer behind him summon strips of electricity and flung them at him when Max suddenly leaped out of the back portal and kicked him in the face, sending him crashing on the floor! Bunny turned and saw Kristoff, Eugene and Max behind him. "Heh, what took ya so long?"
"Look out!" Kristoff pushed Bunny out of the way and collided with a wizard who swung a sword at him, blocking it with his battle axe.
Pushing the blade away, Kristoff kneed the sorcerer and flipped him over his shoulder, bashing him in the head with the butt of the axe. Eugene jumped into the action as another wizard attacked, rolling out a whip from his belt and lassoing it around his ankles, tripping him over and knocking him out as he landed hard on the back of his head. Seeing the cloaked mages unconscious on the floor, Bunny turned to his main focus; the large door the sorcerers were all going toward.
The door was inscribed with several symbols and spells, giving Bunny an immediate headache as he thought of how he'd break them when he saw that the door was already cracked open. "Well, don't mind if I do." He smiled and pushed the door out wider.
Stepping through the entrance with the others, Kristoff looked into the room, finding it hard to make out anything when he saw two small windows to the snowy outside trickle in light. He smiled slightly as he could finally see clearly when horror filled his expression as he saw Balder shirtless and unconscious, and bound to a blood-stained metal chair with several black daggers stabbed into him!
"Balder …" Kristoff breathed.
"C'mon, we've gotta get him outta there." Eugene ran up to the chair.
Bunny, Kristoff and Eugene went to work, quickly unfastening the binds on Balder's hands and feet and lifting him out of the chair. "Don't worry, Balder; we'll get you back home safe." Kristoff said as he held him up.
"Wait, what about these daggers?" Eugene asked.
"We'll need some place where I can take them off him." Bunny said. "There's probably some magic tied to them, so just yanking them out could kill him."
"Okay, then let's get him outta here." Kristoff said, taking the unconscious man and placing him on Max's back.
As Bunny, Kristoff and Eugene did this however, they failed to notice three black markings that appeared on his back, slowly spreading out to his shoulders.
COMING TO a stop in the underground catacombs, Erhard looked up through the floor tiles and saw that they were near the ritual grounds where Elsa was being held. Hearing her sister cry out in pain, Anna summoned fire around her arms and levitated to the roof of their path. "I'm going to save her."
"Hold, we cannot act tactlessly or we will be defeated." Erhard stopped her. "If they could defeat her, then they could defeat you as well."
"Then what's the plan?" Anna hesitantly backed down.
"We need to get the Red Lotus' attention off of Elsa so I can break the spell cast upon her." Erhard explained and turned to North, Tooth, Jack, and Sandy. "Which means I will need the combined effort of you four … whatever you four are."
"Wait, but what about the -," Merida tried to speak, but a grunt from Jack suddenly interrupted her as he balled up in pain.
"Jack, what's wrong?" Tooth moved up to him.
He didn't respond to her and started to scream out in agony. "It must be the ritual." North said. "It must be affecting him too!"
"I thought you said they only needed Elsa." Anna turned to Erhard.
"That is what the information I had acquired stated." Erhard answered.
A deep blue aura burst out of Jack and he roared in anger, his eyes white and soulless, and he leapt toward Erhard. The Dragon god stood there blankly and flicked his wrist, sending the rage-fueled man tumbling on the ground. Quickly getting to his feet, Jack looked at the people around him.
"Jack, stop! It's us!" Tooth said, slowly realizing. "He's not recognizing us anymore …"
Jack gritted his teeth and shoot through the roof of the catacombs, drawing the attention of the Red Lotus members above, Niu moving up to the balcony and grinning upon seeing him. Jack hovered in the air and looked around hurriedly, seeing Elsa below and darting across the sky toward her. His body shrank down into a swirl of energy and burst into her stomach, gaining a shrill cry of pain from Elsa who thrashed about more violently.
"Elsa!" Anna cried.
"Seems this calls for a change of plans." Erhard jumped through the hole Jack made and landed before the wizards who were torturing Elsa.
Spreading his arms out, Erhard summoned six magic circles and twirled his limbs, summoning an invisible force that grabbed the men into the air and crushed them into tiny pieces that vanished into thin air! The others, though horrified, quickly followed him up to the surface, Anna quickly flying toward Elsa and North looking up to Niu who was unfazed by their arrival.
"This ends here." Claus frowned.
Erhard and Anna rushed towards Elsa when a burst of white energy blazed out of her, pushing the two back and forcing them to shield their eyes from the intense light! The energy curved and formed a portal behind her that was evenly divided in white and blue and the earth started to shake! The clouds above Elsa twisted and a blood red glow spread out through the sky, covering the landscape!
Powerful winds and blizzards spread outward from her, a thick layer of snow quickly covering the entire terrain and going out seemingly endlessly at incredible speeds! The blood red light illuminating the skies and snowy blizzard went out across the whole world, reaching nearby kingdoms like Berk, far off lands like Dressrossa and the Southern Water Tribe halfway across the globe!
Niu laughed at the horrid sight, looking up to the distorted heavens. "Yes, our goddess has arrived! The day of reckoning is at hand!" He looked down to the Red Lotus members below. "Seize them before they interfere in our plans!"
Nodding, the Red Lotus benders who were around the ritual grounds charged at North, Sandy and Tooth who stood at the ready. "I've been aching for a good fight!" Claus unsheathed his swords and ran on, leaving Tooth behind who looked back at the portal worriedly before joining him and Sandy.
Erhard and Anna failed to move an inch in the blinding and overwhelming energy blazing from Elsa; the Ice Queen writhing and screaming in an inhuman voice as she lurched about. Shutting his eyes, Erhard jumped back and threw up three hand signs, pulling at the air before him and yanking at it, calling upon the invisible force once more to yank Elsa off the wooden pole and rip Jack out of her!
Anna opened her eyes slowly as she felt the energy dissipate and she turned to see Elsa collapsed on the ground beside her. "Elsa!" She cried as she came to her side, lifting her up and seeing that she was unconscious.
Erhard looked to Jack who was out cold on the ground as well and turned to the wooden pole only to see the portal still open! "Curious." He frowned.
A loud rumbling shook through the entire kingdom, stopping the fight between the Guardians and the Red Lotus and turning everyone's attention to the portal. Blue energy spurted violently out of the magical gateway and a gigantic white glowing hand slowly emerged from it! "Oh no …" North said in horror.
"Yes!" Niu cackled as the portal started to expand in size!
Rising slowly out of the gateway, a massive fifty foot tall blue mermaid flew out and soared into the sky. The being was hauntingly beautiful, having dark raven hair, hazel eyes, white arms, a white tail and wearing black straps over her breasts and golden gauntlets that tapered into a claw on her middle finger. Chuckling softly, Lamia, the Moon Demon, curved forward and looked at the people who stood before her, a wicked smile spreading on her face.