Ahaha… Updating speedily…
DraggonnShaddww, thelittlebird4, starskulls, Mememe and Gyroscope, I will now offer you a chocolate chip cookie for reviewing :)
"Hello, Aerrow, my old friend."
Carver stepped carefully out of the shadows, evading all the remaining traps.
Aerrow felt frozen as the rogue sky knight walked casually towards him, cornering him. "Hello, Carver." He was surprised that he sounded so calm, though Carver was nothing compared to the hundreds of talons he had downed at once or even just the Dark Ace by himself.
Radarr growled menacingly. Carver frowned down at him.
"Shut it you." He kicked out in Radarr's direction; a blow that he easily evaded.
"Oi! Leave him alone."
"Oh yes, that's right, I just needed to apprehend you. Nobody else, after all," Carver leaned in close, his breath smelt like alcohol, "You're the one who's ruined Master Cyclonis' plans many times…"
Aerrow pulled out his blades and examined them in a desperate attempt to appear casual. He didn't know what to do. From Carver's superior manner, it was clear that the traps he had set were crystal powered and therefore could not be destroyed by his energy blades. Even if he could defeat Carver, he could not force the rogue sky knight to do anything against his will. It was times like this that Aerrow cursed the oaths he had sworn before being knighted.
"OK… How about we deal."
"Sure thing, kiddo. Whatever you want."
"I challenge you for my friends' release."
Carver grinned.
Aerrow went on: "That involves all squadrons you've been holding captive, my squadron and any other resident of this Atmos."
"Perceptive aren't you?"
Aerrow shrugged then offered Carver a grin. Both the sky knights stood motionless then Carver's leg muscle tensed and they were locked in combat. It appeared that Aerrow had the upper hand at first; however, his chivalry and honour was useless against someone like Carver who would not have hesitated to use dirty tactics.
Aerrow landed winded as a blow finally caught him in the stomach and he retaliated with a quick backhand swipe which drew a line of red down Carver's face.
"You little…" Carver stopped to attempt to stem the flow of blood down his cheek. This was all the incentive Aerrow needed.
He sprung and flicked his blade so that it was pointing towards Carver's neck. To his surprise and chagrin, Carver did not appeared annoyed.
"Well done, you win. Been practicing?"
Aerrow allowed Carver to back away so that he could release his hostages. He reached into his pocket for the crystal while his other hand moved casually so that it was hidden from Aerrow's view. Piper could see what was going to happen. She opened her mouth to scream a warning but the air was knocked from her as the snare released her, sending her crashing to the ground. Finn managed to climb from the pit which had miraculously shrunk to a tiny pit.
No one else noticed the other crystal Carver was holding until he brought it front of them.
"Goodbye, Aerrow. I'll see you in Cyclonia."
Aerrow suddenly couldn't see; the glow of the crystal was so bright. He gasped as fireworks spread across his vision and he knew no more.
Darkness. He couldn't see. So dark. He needed to keep going; keep looking…
For what?
He fell further into the darkness, the darkness which had no end and he cried out. His voice rebounded against walls which he could not see or feel.
Seeing. Feeling. What did those words mean? Was there anything but this darkness? No… There wasn't…
So seeing, feeling… They had all been made up? There had been nothing beyond this darkness. Who was he? He was… A…
He'd forgotten his name… did it matter?
"Aerrow!"
Was that his name? He looked into the perpetual blackness. "Yes?" he wanted to call. "Are you talking to me?" he wanted to ask the unseen person. But his words were locked deep inside of him where he couldn't reach them.
Carver slumped the unconscious sky knight over his shoulder.
"You liar! You said you'd let us go!"
Finn took a step towards Carver before the rogue drew his blade.
"One more word, just one more step, and your beloved sky knight will have a little accident on the journey to Cyclonia," Carver breathed, his lips tightening into a smile.
The Storm Hawks watched helplessly as Carver mounted his skimmer.
"And just so you know… Sky knights don't lie." He chuckled, "I said I'd let you go, but I never said anything about him. Goodbye, Storm Hawks. I'll see you around."
He took off and the Storm Hawks were left with the shattered window of the nearby shop window which had been blasted by the crystal.
It was as if pieces of the sky had fallen onto the ground, sealing the end of their reign of the sky, along with their sky knight.
There was a grating noise as something hit the underneath of Carver's skimmer.
"What the-"
The Dark Ace stepped casually onto the skimmer as one might step onto a flat platform.
"Hello, Carver. I see that you have accomplished your goal."
"The Dark Ace." Carver smiled and relaxed. "Why are you here?"
"To check that you had not betrayed us." The Dark Ace drew his blade. "And to dispose of you." The Dark Ace smiled back as Carver shifted uncertainly.
"You can't… Master Cyclonis…"
"Requested me to take care of you." The Dark Ace thrust his blade into the rogue sky knight and laughed as the blood ran down the blade and dripped off the hilt.
The Cyclonian picked up Aerrow and stepped back onto his own skyride.
"No…"
"Oh yes, Carver. And just to make sure that you don't wreak your revenge…"
The Dark Ace destroyed the engine of the skyride.
"Goodbye, Carver."
The resounding boom of a skimmer marked the fall of yet another deceived into the wastelands to their death.
Done! Just so you know, all the capital letters in my chapter titles are supposed to be like that (artistic design using words). Trust me, if it weren't supposed to be like that, it would have irked me so much by now.