Last time, Bloom and her group arrived at Guardia, a world where another species, Elde Raids, live side by side with humans. Elde Raids look like ordinary women at first glance, but each has the ability to bond/React with a chosen human/Pleasure, to form a living weapon.
Bloom and the others met up with some members of a peacekeeping organization, Arc Aile, whose job is to protect the rights and freedom of Elde Raids from those who would abuse their powers. Unfortunately, the abilities of all Elde Raids were restricted a few years ago. But that changed with Elise used her Sonic Screwdriver to unlock the abilities of the strongest Elde Raid, Ren Van Garret, so she could React with her Pleasure once again, her husband Kou Van Garret.
We also learned that Vicky had visited Guardia and set up several self-sustaining demon summoning spells in order to unleash hell onto the unsuspecting world. Again, thanks to Elise, the summoning spells were negated, resulting in a climatic battle against thousands of demons who were already on Guardia when the summoning spells were negated. Our heroes obtained the azonite and headed for Lynphea to meet up with Stella and her group. Now we shall see what Stella and her group had to deal with.
(Just to let you know; Stella, Tecna, Musa, Riven, Timmy, Carmen, Payton and Kegan are in this chapter. It should also be noted that this chapter has elements and themes from the hit anime Gun X Sword, which I'm using without permission, so please don't sue me.) 'Nuff said, on with the show!
Chapter 17: Armor Riders
"So that's The Endless Illusion," said Stella as she and the others in her group looked at the viewing screen on the bridge of The Sapphire Blaze. The image showed an Earth-like planet that had large oceans and medium-sized continents that supported plant and animal life, but the most distinguishing feature of the planet was the large island that was shaped like a giant X. But when viewed differently, with one point aimed at the planets' north pole, the X became a cross.
"Definitely signs of advanced technology below," said Timmy as he and Tecna scanned the planet below.
"I'm attempting to link with a major computer system," said Tecna as she worked with her wrist computer, "one that will give us some information that can help us. There, I'm connected…yes…oh…that's interesting."
"What's interesting?" Carmen asked.
"As I said earlier," said Tecna, "this world was once a penal colony. What's really interesting is that the guards of this prison world used giant robots to maintain order among the inmates."
"Giant robots?" Riven asked, his interest clearly tweaked.
"There were originally seven robots that came from the home system when the colony was established," said Tecna, "as well as hundreds of different models that came afterwards. But the original seven have abilities unlike any other model. All these varieties of giant robots have one classified name; Armor.
"But then the civilization that created the robots and established the colony collapsed several hundred years ago, leaving the inmates and colonists to fend for themselves. Eventually they fully adapted to The Endless Illusion, believing that this was their home world at the bottom of the universe."
"The bottom of the universe," said Musa, "That makes more sense than I like." The system our heroes had arrived in was located near a void in space; a vast track of the galaxy that had no stars in it for hundreds of light-years. The planets' sun was there, but at night what little stars could be seen were arranged so they were all near the center of the middle of the night sky. To someone born and raised on The Endless Illusion, they believed that they truly were at the bottom of the universe.
"Just what kind of reception will we be getting down there?" Payton asked.
"If this world is full of descendents of criminals," said Kegan as he made sure his power-pole was at hand, "then we're in for one wild ride down there."
"Not necessarily," said Tecna as she continued to access information from the ground-based computer system. "It's true that after the collapse of the home system, many of the inmates formed outlaw groups and brigand gangs, and there was very little law and order on the planet. Even more so that several gangs acquired their own models of Armor from the stockpiles their warders left, while many new models had been developed since by brigands and righteous people alike."
"Well that's just great," said Kegan, "Not only do we have to deal with a bunch of outlaws, but outlaws with giant robots. I knew I should have stayed in bed when Princess Bloom asked us to go on this mission."
"Why did you volunteer anyway?" Payton asked, "if you had a bad feeling about it."
"I wanted some excitement," said Kegan, "I wanted to visit a world that I had never been to, or even heard of."
"Well you got it," said Riven.
"I'm just wondering," said Musa, "can The Sapphire Blaze turn into a robot? It would be totally cool if it did."
"Umm…" said Riven, "I honestly don't know. Let me check the owner's manual." A brief look at the onboard guide revealed nothing positive, "no, no transforming into a robot. Sorry, Musa."
"It's not your fault," said Musa in a reassuring tone.
"Well that still leaves us at the mercy of a bunch of robot driving maniacs," said Kegan.
"You're getting way ahead of yourself," said Payton, "Right, Tecna?"
"He is," said Tecna as she called forth more data from the planet below, "about fifty years ago another space-fairing civilization made contact with The Endless Illusion. Since then order and justice has been mostly restored to the world, with the occasional outlaw gang hiding in remote areas.
"The world has no unified world government," said Timmy as he looked at the data Tecna had gathered, "so we shouldn't expect help form a peace-keeping organization. The best we can do is scan for the travecite and hope for the best."
Five minutes later, Timmy, having scanned a good portion of the planets' surface, located a good sized deposit of travecite that wasn't buried too deep. Riven then set the controls to bring them landing near a mountain range that Timmy said the stones were at.
"Okay," said Stella, "That's good, so what's the bad news?"
"The bad news," said Timmy, "while the ore is within walking distance of a town, the area is in one of those large areas that are full of outlaws and brigands."
"And they've got Armor," said Stella as she correctly guessed, "just great."
"Oh come on, Stella," said Musa, "I'm sure we can handle a bunch of rusting giant robots."
"I don't think we'll be facing anything that's rusting," said Riven as he looked at the data that Tecna and Timmy collected, "some of those things look pretty advanced, and lethal."
"I agree," said Timmy, "I would not want to go against an Armor of any kind without at least someone from The Endless Illusion to show us around."
"Then that's the first step," said Carmen, "hire a guide. How much money did everyone bring?"
"Spending cash we have plenty of," said Kegan, "but since we're so far from home, we may have a problem."
"I doubt our currency will count for much here," said Payton.
"You really should let me take you shopping, Payton," said Stella, "you to, Kegan. I'm not the brightest star in the heavens, but I know economics. And I also know a spell that can convert any currency into that of whatever world I'm visiting, except Earth, the spell just doesn't work there for some reason."
"Well I just hope you know what you're doing," said Kegan.
"She does," said Musa, "trust me, Stella knows what she's talking about, this time."
"Exactly," said Stella, then she faltered, "wait, what was that supposed to mean, Musa?"
"Oh, nothing," Musa said with mock innocence, while Tecna, Riven and the others stifled a sudden bout of laughter.
The Sapphire Blaze entered the planets' atmosphere and landed in a large patch of woods near a village without any trouble. On the other side of the village was the mountain range where the travecite was. As they exited the ship, Riven activated one of the many special features that came with his new ride. What looked to be an ordinary car alarm remote activated a 'chameleon-circuit' that caused the hull of the ship to bend the light so that it was all but invisible.
"Prodigious," said an impressed Timmy.
"It's alright," said Riven as he pocketed the remote, "I could have gone a bit further and had the full 'chameleon-circuit package', so the ship could appear as something else, something that would blend in with whatever environment it lands in, but a cloaking-field suited me fine."
"Not too shabby," said Kegan in an appraising tone, "not the high-end model either, but it works for you and your income bracket. But don't worry, Riven, I won't tell anyone how cheep you are."
"Keep talking like that, Kegan," said an annoyed Riven as he balled up his fist, "and you won't tell anybody anything, ever again!"
"Now play nice, boys," said Musa, "we're here to find that stone for Ms. Faragonda, not to bash each others heads in. I mean it, Riven, don't let him sour your notes. And don't think I'm letting you lose, Kegan."
At this both Riven and Kegan sighed before briefly shaking hands.
"Well that's one problem taken care of," said Stella.
"Now all we need to do is figure out how to avoid attracting unwanted attention," said Tecna, "For all we know, this town ahead is full out outlaws and bandits who would pounce on us in a microsecond. We really should have packed differently; we stand out like a pop-up ad with what we're wearing."
"I told you to let me pick everyone's wardrobe," said Stella, "but nobody listens to me."
"That's what I'm here for," said Carmen as she summoned what appeared to be ordinary pieces of paper that contained rub-on tattoos.
"These symbols are something Morgan and I worked on a while ago," said Carmen as she rubbed one of the tattoos onto her arm, "it sends out a psychic signal to anyone looking at you. Said people's perceptions of you are altered slightly, so that your attire changes to suit the environment you're in."
To everyone's amazement, Carmen's outfit changed so now she looked more like a modern cowgirl, with her jeans, boots, shirt and hat were still black.
"That's handy," remarked Riven as Carmen passed out the tattoo papers.
"And here's the best part," said Carmen, "they'll last as long as you need them. Morgan created a special soap that'll take the tattoo right off, and I happened to bring along enough for everyone."
"Are you alright?" Musa asked as she and the others finished with their tattoos. Musa now appeared in a red and blue denim skirt with a blue shirt and vest, "Are you okay talking about Morgan like this?"
"Morgan isn't dead," said Carmen, "of that I'm sure of. I'd know if something bad happened to her, even halfway across the Magical Dimension. So to answer you, Musa, yes I am alright talking about Morgan."
"Well if you're alright about it," said Stella, her outfit was similar to Musa's, only brown with gold lines, "mind if I ask you about something involving Morgan?"
"As long as you don't ask about that time during our freshman year," said Carmen, "where we put tarantulas in the Alfea ventilation system," she then paused, blushed slightly and continued in a sheepish tone, "I…probably shouldn't have said that."
"So that was you," said a shocked and impressed Timmy, "I remember that, it was awful."
"I remember to," said Riven, reminding everyone that he and the other Specialists were a year ahead of The Winx, "they had to close Alfea for a week to get all the spiders out."
"I don't remember that," said Stella, "it must have been after I blew up the potions lab."
"I remember that as well," said Riven in a humorous tone, "I think you nearly gave Griselda a stroke."
"I was just trying to make a new shade of pink," grumbled Stella, then her expression relaxed again, "anyway, Carmen, just what was that project you, Morgan and Elise were working on? The day Jake came back with Travis, Karen and Rei?"
"Oh, that," said Carmen, "well…it's a surprise for Bloom. But with all that has happened I don't think we'll be able to finish it in time."
"Finish what?" Musa asked in a slightly accusing tone.
"We were making a graduation present for Bloom," said Carmen, "noting mean or wicked, I can assure you, Musa. Yes, I see the look you're giving me, the one that's accusing me of something dishonest. What we were working on was something nice, something to show Bloom how much her friendship meant to us. With the way our schedules were, me, Elise and Morgan kept taking turns working on it. We figured it'd be finished in time for graduation, but now…"
"I'm sure you'll finish in time," said Stella in a reassuring tone, "all three of you."
"You really are a bright ray of sunshine, Stella," said Carmen as she smiled honestly, "and thank you." Her expression then grew more businesslike, "now, if there's nothing else to talk about, we're wasting time."
They entered the village, a town that had characteristics of an Old American West town, but with advanced technology such as electric lighting and gasoline-powered vehicles.
"My guess is to try the local watering hole," said Carmen, "hopefully we'll find a guide without too much trouble."
"Is it me," said Musa, "but has anyone else noticed that whenever someone says that they don't want trouble, trouble is what they find."
"Let's hope that's not the case," said Riven, "but we should be ready for trouble just the same. Like what Saladin says in his start-of-the-year speech; 'prepare for the worst and hope for the best.'"
"My thoughts exactly," said Kegan as he made sure his collapsible power-pole was at close hands, while Payton tightened the laces on her boots.
They entered a nearby saloon/restaurant in small groups so as not to attract too much attention from the patrons. First came Stella, Carmen and Kegan, followed by Tecna, Timmy and Payton, and finally Riven and Musa. The three groups sat at different tables and acted like they were travelers passing through. They ordered drinks and various snacks from the menu.
Carmen casually walked up to the bar and spoke to the bartender, "my friends and I, we're new to this area, so we're hoping to find a reliable guide, and hopefully some guards, for the right price of course."
"There's plenty of guides around here that won't cost such a lovely young lady such as yourself too much," said the bartender, "and especially your other friends," he indicated Stella, Musa and Payton, "there's a lot of single, lonely men in these parts. I'm sure you could 'convince' them to help you."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Carmen a she gave the bartender a false smile. She walked back to the table were Stella and Kegan were sitting at, her face now contorted with disgust and anger.
"I'm guessing we won't be getting any help from the locals," said Stella.
"You better believe it," said Carmen though gritted teeth, "I ought to turn that pathetic excuse of a man into the toad he is," she then calmed down and sighed "I'm starting to think that we'll be on our own for this, and maybe it's for the best."
"What about them?" Kegan asked, nodding his head at the five strangers who just walked into the saloon. Stella and Carmen looked, and so did the others.
There were three men and two women in the group, all of them in their early to mid twenties. But as they sat down at a table, it was the one who was obviously the leader who caught the full attention of Stella, Carmen and the others.
He looked to be about 25, was tall, about 6'2" with brown eyes, short, curly black hair under a large black hat that had a small brass ring on one pointed end that stuck out to his right. He seemed to have a bored expression that spoke volumes. He wore a black and gray suit with a steel-gray belt that looked to be both cloth and metal at the same time. Attacked to the belt on his right side was a sword hilt of some sort. He and his companions all looked like they were the kind of people who were trustworthy and could be counted on in a tight spot.
"Call me crazy," said Stella, "but those guys over there, I think they're the ones we should be talking to."
"You may just be right," said Carmen, "for once. And yes, you are crazy." She motioned to Riven and Musa to go with her to talk to the five trustworthy-looking strangers. It took Stella a second or two to realize that she had been insulted. But by then it was too late for her to retort.
Carmen, Musa and Riven then got a better look at the others at the table as they got closer. The first of the girls looked to be about 24, was about 5'4", had shoulder-length brown hair, green eyes and a medium complexion. She wore a brown jacket over a red shirt, with blue jeans and brown boots. Strapped to her belt on her left side was a long knife, while on her right was a 9mm pistol.
The second of the men looked to be 23, was 5'9", had brown eyes, short blue hair and a slightly pale complexion. He wore a blue jacket over a green shirt and wore brown pants and boots. He carried a revolver at his belt and a shotgun was slung over one shoulder. The other man looked to be 26, was 5'11" and had dark orange hair, light orange eyes and a tanned face. He carried two knives at his belt and had a sword strapped to his back.
The second girl was the youngest of the group. At barely 19 she stood at 5'2", had long brown hair in a ponytail, hazel eyes and a freckled complexion. She wore a green and white shirt and a green skirt with knee-length boots. She carried no visible weapons.
Carmen, Musa and Riven waited until the five companions gave their orders to the waitress, the leader of the group having requesting samples of all the condiments in the kitchen. "Pardon our intrusion," said Carmen to the leader, "but we were wondering if you and your friends would be interested in a business proposition."
"Depends on what kind of business you're offering," said the leader in a slightly deep and nasal voice that carried a hint of boredom that matched his bored expression.
"Protection business," said Riven, "my friends and I, we can handle ourselves in a fight, but we're new here and have no idea of what to expect out there," he pointed outside to the mountains where Timmy said they would find the travecite.
"For a we know," said Musa in an innocent tone, playing her roll well, "those mountains are crawling with bandits and outlaws just waiting to get their claws into us poor, defenseless girls."
"Well for all you know," said the girl with the green eyes, "we could be bandits as well, and you could be walking into a trap were we'll take you outside of town and kill you and take all your possessions."
"I don't think so," said Stella as she came over, "for one thing, if you were bandits, you would have just now given yourselves away."
"She's got a point," said the man with the shotgun, while the other companions nodded in agreement.
"And here's another," said Stella, "you don't look like bandits; your attire is too well kept for criminals," she then sniffed the air, "and you all have definitely bad a bath in the last two days, so you haven't been too far from another town."
"I think we've been both insulted and complimented," said the man with the sword on his back.
"Don't let her get to you," said the young girl with no weapons, "she's just trying to see if we're the right kind of people."
"Maybe we are," said the leader, "maybe we aren't." The waitress then came over with their orders. The girls had chicken dishes, while the man with the shotgun had a steak, and the man with the sword had two BLT's.
The leader of the group had a large salad with a pasta dish, as well as a tray full of samples of various dressings, and a tray with samples of every condiment in the restaurant. He then began pouring small amounts of the samples onto his dishes, sometimes adding a bit more.
"Isn't that a little excessive?" Carmen asked as she watched the group leader add some vinegar, paprika, mustard and chilly powder to his salad, then proceeded to drown it in ranch dressing and olive oil. Carmen looked a little sickened, while Musa and Riven also felt disgusted.
"It's just something I inherited from my great-grandfather," said the leader as he squirted some ketchup, "he needed a lot of flavoring in his food, and so do I," he tasted his salad, "still bland," then added some garlic powder and ginger, "almost there," then added a dash of lemon-pepper, "Delicious!!" he exclaimed, then proceeded to devour it with fork in his left hand, while his right hand started to 'doctor-up' his entrée.
"You have to excuse Hector," said the girl with the green eyes, "he can be a little obsessive about his food, gets it from his ancestor." She held out her hand, "I'm Sasha Parr by the way."
Riven, Musa and Carmen shook hands with Sasha and introduced themselves. Sasha then introduced the rest of her companions. The younger girl was Shannon Thompson, while the man with the sword on his back was Marcus Wright, and the man with the shotgun was Zack Wilder. Their leader, who was shaking liberal amounts of cinnamon onto his pasta was Hector of the Dawn, great-grandson of the man who saved The Endless Illusion, Van of the Dawn.
Musa used a spell that allowed Tecna, Timmy and the others to listen as she, Stella, Riven and Carmen listened to Sasha and her companions recounted the legend of Van of the Dawn:
About 100 years ago a mad scientist sought to end the chaos that festered across The Endless Illusion. Things weren't really that bad back then, with the outlaws and brigands on equal terms with the rest of the population who just wanted a quiet life. But to the mad scientist, he saw that the world was slowly but surely spinning out of control.
Known only to his followers and allies as 'Comrade,' the mad scientist had another name, one he earned due to the interchangeable artificial hands on his right arm; one hand looked and felt as real as the real thing, but the other was all metal and had long razor-sharp talons that could rip out a mans' heart. Hence the name 'The Claw.'
Enter Van, Hector's great-grandfather. Van started out as a wandering swordsman just trying to live from one day to the next. Then Van fell in love and was going to get married. But then for no apparent reason, The Claw murdered Van's fiancée on the day of their wedding and left Van to die. Van lived and swore to kill The Claw.
As fate would have it, Van possessed ownership of one of the seven original Armors that were used to maintain order on the world when it was still a prison colony. The builders of the original 7 were long gone, but there were people on the world who knew how to use them.
Each of the original 7 Armors are different from the newer models that populated The Endless Illusion in one major way; they weren't manufactured, the were grown. Each of the original 7 had its own artificial intelligence and was as nearly a living machine as can be, even to the point that they formed a bond with their riders.
To continue, Van, who had dozens of nicknames such as 'Van of a thousand naps,' 'Steel Van' and 'Van of the mournful face.' But eventually he settled on the name Van of the Dawn.
Moving on, for real this time, while perusing The Claw, Van crossed paths with one Wendy Garret, a teenaged girl who also wished to destroy The Claw. Her brother was kidnapped and brainwashed by The Claw to the point that her bother would die for his 'Comrade.'
Reluctantly, Van allowed Wendy to go with him in a joint quest of vengeance. Along the way they picked up several more Armor riders and some mercenaries who helped them battle the minions of The Claw.
Eventually, Van and his companions figured out the overall plan of The Claw; the mad scientist sought to bring order to the 'chaotic' world by brainwashing every human on the planet, so they would think as he would, thereby creating a world of peace and harmony. On paper it was a good idea, but Van and his friends saw it as nothing more than tyranny.
One by one they battled the inner circle of The Claw. Wendy was reunited with her brother, but he was no longer the man she knew. They parted ways forever, for real because he was killed in the final battle against The Claw.
Van and The Claw faced each other in their respective Armors. The Claw challenged Van's view of the world, saying that revenge wasn't worth it and the only hope for the world was to embrace his ideals. All Van cared about was avenging the pointless death of his fiancée and freeing the world of a dangerous man so that no one else would be hurt by his mad dream. With two strikes of his Armor's blade, Van slew The Claw.
After the battle, Van and Wendy parted ways, she returning to her home town, he to wander the world in order to figure out what to do with himself now that his vengeance was complete.
A few years later they met again, Van a little wiser now that he had a chance to think things over, and Wendy a grown woman. They eventually fell in love, got married and had kids. One thing led to another, resulting in Hector being Van's heir.
"Now that is what I call a story," said Stella.
"So you inherited more than Van's apatite," said Riven to Hector.
"That's right," said Hector as he tapped his hat, "Van wore this hat all though his journey," then tapped the gray belt around his waist, "This gun-belt is more than that. It's a sword that links its owner to Dann of Thursday, one of the original 7 Armors. Dann belonged to my great-grandfather, and now he belongs to me."
"That doesn't look like any sword to me," said Musa, "but I've seen stranger things."
"You don't believe me?" Hector asked as he stood up, "well, allow me to prove it to you," he looked at Riven, "you look like you can handle yourself in a fight, let's spar."
"Now you're speaking my language," said Riven eagerly, "I'm just itching for some exorcise."
"Be careful," said Musa in a concerned tone.
"I will," said Riven in a reassuring manner, "but there's nothing to worry about, this is just a practice fight, I think."
"Oh it's practice alright," said Marcus Wright, "you'll know if it's for real."
The two groups stepped outside onto the street. Hector and Riven stood ten paces from each other, while Musa and the others watched from the sidelines.
"Let's make this a 'first blood' match," said Hector as he took hold of the handle on his belt. It unwound itself from his waist, rippling like a ribbon, before solidifying into a sword.
"You'll get no complaints from me," said Riven as he charged up his sword. They assumed fighting postures, then charged at each other, their blades meeting with a flash of sparks.
At first glance the two swordsmen appeared to be on even terms; each would try to cut the other on the arm, yet the other would always block or evade his opponent's blade, then countered with a strike of his own.
"This looks like it could be a while," said Stella.
"My money's on Riven," said Kegan, while Payton and Carmen nodded in agreement.
"Oh really," said Zack Wilder, "care to back that up with real cash?" he produced a handful of coins.
"You're on," said Kegan as he pulled out a handful of coins that had been converted to the local currency thanks to Stella's spell.
It was then that Riven tried a strategy that, he believed, would win him the match. He feinted one slash at Hector, then another, then kicked Hector in the chest. But Hector didn't fall to the ground as Riven hoped he would. Instead, Hector anticipated the kick and moved so that he avoided the worst of the impact. Hector then followed up by aiming a punch at Riven's face. Riven barely managed to dodge it, only to find himself on the defensive as Hector unleashed a vicious combination of strikes. Riven was further confounded as Hector kept switching hands with his sword, forcing Riven to counter both a right-hand and left-handed opponent.
"He's ambidextrous," said Tecna, "Hector, that is."
"It's safe to say that Riven is getting a run for his money," said Timmy
"You mean my money," said Kegan, "I hate losing a bet."
"Then don't gamble," said Stella.
"The bet isn't decided yet," said Carmen, "Riven is still holding his own."
True enough, Riven was keeping Hector at bay. But then he tripped on a pebble on the street. He landed on his back, just as Hector rushed in and pricked him on the left arm. But then Hector realized that Riven had struck out with his sword and also delivered a cut to his left arm. In fact, both cuts happened at the exact same time, which Tecna and Timmy confirmed.
"A draw," said Sasha Parr.
"Looks like we both get to keep our money today," said Zack Wilder to Kegan as they both pocketed their coins.
"Another time then," said Kegan.
By now Hector had helped Riven back up; Riven deactivating his sword, while Hector wound his back around his waist.
"You're good," said Riven as he and Hector struggled to regain their breath, "very good."
"You're no slouch yourself," said Hector as he held out his hand, "friends?"
"Friends," said Riven as he shook Hector's hand.
At that time Musa rushed over, "Are you alright?" she asked anxiously.
"I'm perfectly fine," said Riven in a reassuring yet stubborn tone, "It's just a scratch."
"You still need to get that cut cleaned up," said Tecna, "it could get infected."
"That's what first-aid kits are for," said Riven, "now, were did I put mine?"
"I've got it," said Musa as she used a summoning spell, then began cleaning Riven's cut.
"What the…!" exclaimed Zack Wilder, the then pointed at Musa, "how did you do that?!"
"Do what?" Musa asked, then realized that she had just used magic un front of someone who probably never seen magic before. She and the others didn't talk about it before, but Musa, Stella, Tecna and Carmen all had the same thought that they shouldn't be using magic in public on this world.
"Umm…" said Musa as she tried to come up with a believable excuse, "I had it up my sleeve the whole time…?"
"There's no need to hide the truth," said Shannon Thompson as she gave a disarming smile. She then looked to her companions, "They aren't the ones we're looking for, despite the fact that they're from another world."
"How did you know we're not from this planet?" Stella asked in an accusing tone.
"The same way I know you're a fairy," said Shannon, "as are those two," she pointed at Musa and Tecna, "and she is a witch," she pointed at Carmen.
"Well, I guess the jig is up," said Carmen, "it's true, we're magic users."
"If you're a witch…" said Zack in a tone that hid a serious threat.
"I said that they're not the ones responsible for what happened," said Shannon in an insisting manner, "honestly, Zack, when are you going to realize that my instincts are the real deal?"
"I'll believe it when I see it," said Zack in a stubborn tone.
As if to prove him wrong, Stella and Carmen then summoned several small spheres of their respective magic; Light and Darkness. They then sent the spheres hovering around Zack, "you believe now?" Stella asked in a daring tone.
"I believe," said Sasha, while Marcus and Hector nodded in agreement.
"I'll believe it when you get these things out of my face!" Zack said nervously.
"I think he's had enough," said Stella.
"Yeah," said Carmen, "for now." With that they both recalled and vanished their spheres of light and darkness. Zack sighed in relief.
"I think we both have some explaining to do," said Hector.
"True," said Carmen. With that she and the others gave a summarized version of why they came to The Endless Illusion.
"So this stone that you're looking for," said Marcus, "it can help your teacher?"
"We hope so," said Musa, "we didn't come halfway across the universe for nothing."
"And it's in the mountains?" Sasha asked.
"That's where our ship detected a deposit big enough for what we need," said Timmy.
"In that case," said Hector, "we'll help you for free. My friends and I are going to those mountains any way."
"And before you ask," said Marcus, "we have business to attend to there."
"What kind of business?" Payton asked.
"The kind that has to deal with witches," said Sasha, "or rather, just one witch."
"I'm just going to take a wild guess here," said Stella, "did this witch have auburn hair, orange eye shadow and wear a 'V' charm around her neck?"
"That's her!" exclaimed Shannon, "That's the witch I saw in my dreams! The evil one who stole a dark artifact and unleashed a terrible evil onto The Endless Illusion!"
"What dreams?" Carmen asked.
"Shannon has always had weird dreams," said Hector, "sometimes about things that happened before, things that haven't happened yet, and in this case, about things that happened in the present."
"A few weeks ago," said Shannon, "I dreamed of a witch who stole something from those mountains, something that should have remained lost forever, but she found it, then bright something horrible into this world."
"That sounds just like Vicky's idiom," said Tecna.
"Well now we know a bit more about the big sister of The Trix," said Stella, "not only is she evil, we now know for sure that she's a thief."
"I think there's a bit more to this," said Carmen, "to Shannon's dream."
"Yes," said Shannon, "in my dream, I saw a shadow of terrifying darkness behind the witch, Vicky as you called her. This shadow was manipulating her, like the shadow was the master and Vicky was a puppet."
"Bloom did say that Vicky talked to someone on the phone," said Stella, "someone who scared the living daylights out of her and The Trix."
"But that still leaves the question of what Vicky stole from this world," said Timmy.
"And what she brought into the world in return," said Riven.
"Let's find out together," said Hector.
"That's the smartest thing I've heard all day," said Carmen, she looked to Stella and the others, "you guys okay with this?"
"Fine by us," said Stella, while Musa, Tecna, Riven and the others nodded in agreement.
"We're okay to," said Sasha, while Shannon and Marcus nodded as well.
"Oh all right," said Zack reluctantly, "but I'm still not convinced that you three," he pointed at Stella, Tecna and Musa, "are fairies."
"Stick with us," said Musa, "and you will believe."
"There's just one problem," said Stella, "how are we going to get up there?" she pointed at the mountains, "unless the stone is at the bottom."
"I'm afraid not," said Timmy, "my scanner detected the travecite at an altitude of nearly 3,000ft. From where we are now, we're looking at a long hike."
"I knew I should have brought those hover cycles," said Riven, "I knew I forgot something."
"Consider this your lucky day," said Sasha, "that you crossed paths with us." She, Zack and Marcus then each pulled out a metal capsule from their pockets; Marcus' was red, Sasha's was green and Zack's was blue. Each capsule was about the size of a D-cell battery, and each had a big yellow button on the top.
"What are those?" Tecna asked, her curiosity clearly tweaked, as was Timmy's.
"Watch and see," said Marcus as he, Zack and Sasha pressed the yellow button on their capsules, which then began humming softly. They then placed their capsules on the road, making sure that there was at least fifteen feet between each one. They then bade everyone to stand back. Ten seconds later the capsules began unfolding into large machines, eventually winding up as an all-terrain SUV that could comfortably seat seven passengers.
"Incredible," said Tecna, "that's Kavellian technology."
"They were one of the first worlds who visited us when we made contact with other worlds," said Marcus.
Stella, Payton and Kegan got into the red SUV with Marcus, while Musa, Riven and Carmen got into the green SUV with Sasha and Shannon, leaving Tecna and Timmy to get into the blue SUV with Zack and Hector.
The three all-terrain vehicles stayed in radio contact as they made their ascent up the mountains; using Tecna's scanner as a guide to the travecite.
"You still haven't told us why you're really here," Stella said over the radio to Hector, "I know that you believe Shannon's visions, but what is it that really brought you here?"
"That's what I want to know," said Riven, "there's more going on here with you guys."
"There is," said Sasha, "a lot of people have gone missing in these parts since that witch, Vicky you called her, since she did whatever it was that she did. Nobody is talking about it in public, and nobody will talk about it to strangers, but something terrible is happening up there. Some groups have gone looking, but they never came back. The last search party disappeared a week ago, nobody has been up there since, until now."
"Okay, I'm confused," said Musa, "I know my friends and I have a very good reason for going up there, Faragonda is counting on us to get the travecite. But why are you risking your lives like this?"
"Because it's the right thing to do," said Hector, "my great-grandfather was a bit lazy, more than he would admit, but he would always try to do the right thing. It's the same for me and my friends. A great wrong has been committed in these mountains, and since nobody else is willing to do anything about it, it's up to my friends and I to find out what happened and put things to right."
"And your friends are all okay with this?" Stella asked.
Marcus and Sasha answered with a "Uh-huh," while Zack said "yep," and Shannon said "you better believe it."
"Well," said Riven, "I just hope you know what you're doing."
"As long as you know what you're doing," replied Marcus.
It was then that Tecna noticed Hector tensing, as if he sensed something bad was about to happen. Zack was also looking like he was expecting something bad, real soon.
"What's wrong?" Timmy asked, for he to also noticed the look of grim anticipation on Zack's and Hector's face.
"Trouble's coming," said Hector. He then got on the radio, "you feel it to, Marcus?"
"As if I couldn't miss it," said Marcus. Stella, Payton and Kegan had also seen Marcus tensing up like he was expecting danger.
In the third SUV, Musa, Riven and Carmen were a bit unnerved by the looks Shannon and Sasha had. Riven, realizing that they may be heading into trouble whether they want it or not, got on the radio with Hector, "from where and how many?" Riven and the others had gotten the impression that Hector and his friends had the ability to sense danger.
"At least a hundred on foot," said Hector, "maybe another twenty to thirty in various vehicles, and another twenty riding Armor. They're mostly in front of us, with some on the left and right. In a minute or so they'll be some behind us."
"Nothing we can't handle," said Marcus, "but you might want to stand aside for this; an Armor battle can get pretty wild."
"After all that we've been through," Stella, "I think we can take a giant robot battle."
"Where is your Armor?" Carmen asked Hector and his companions, "I haven't seen you with any giant robots."
"You'll see our Armor soon enough," said Hector. The three SUV's had to stop due to the fact that at least 60 people with fifteen jeeps that had all sorts of weapons mounted to them, were blocking the trail. Stella and the others looked out their windows to see another forty coming at them from the sides. To complete the ambush, Tecna counted fifteen giant robots among the ambushers; each robot standing 12 to 14m tall with a wide range of peeling paint jobs and sporting machineguns, rocket launchers and other vile looking weapons.
But it was the people that disturbed Stella and the other the most. They looked to be typical outlaws; vicious robbers and murderers and guilty of other heinous crimes. But to the eyes of Stella, Musa, Tecna and Carmen, they all had a black demonic aura. They could also see that the Armor was also tainted with demon energy
"They've been contaminated by dark magic," said Tecna, "all of them, humans and Armor. This is Vicky's doing, I know it!"
"And here I thought she couldn't be an even bigger evil bitch," said Carmen through gritted teeth.
"It's worse than that," said Stella. By now another fifty brigands had joined the group in front, while another 30 had bolstered the ones on the sides. But these were no outlaws; they looked to be regular, hard-working civilians. They looked to have been through a rough ordeal in the wilds but they were ordinary people, despite the fact that they carried makeshift clubs out of wood and metal pipes and had murder on their faces. But then Stella and her fellow magic users saw that the civilians were also tainted with dark magic.
"What now?" Payton asked, "we can't just kill them. The real bandits I'm okay with destroying, but there are innocents among them."
"Haven't you figured it out by now?" Stella asked boastfully, "helping innocents is what us fairies do best."
"Okay, here's the plan," said Riven, "Musa, you, Stella and Tecna help the civilians; they don't know what they're doing, so just help them anyway you can. Timmy, Carmen, Payton, Kegan and myself will take care of the brigands on foot and in their cars."
"And we'll handle the enemy Armor," said Hector, "well scrap them in no time flat."
"Darn right!" Shannon said eagerly.
Everyone then exited their vehicles. The bandits and contaminated civilians were still holding their positions, as if waiting for something.
"I don't get why they're not rushing us," said Timmy, "they had a perfect opportunity when we got here."
"I'll bet that's what they're waiting for," said Kegan as he pointed to something that was coming up behind them. It turned out to be a huge Armor walking up the mountain. At nearly 25m tall with a bloodstained chassis, it had four arms that ended in razor-sharp claws that could spin like buzz saws.
"And here I thought this would be a boring trip for us," Marcus said eagerly as he, Zack, Shannon and Sasha brought out another set of capsules.
"You have your Armor contained in those capsules," said an amazed Timmy, "more Kavellian technology."
"You wouldn't believe how much money we saved on transportation and fuel," said Sasha, "much easier to carry one's Armor in your pocket than schlepping it all over the place in a flat-bed truck."
"They're still not attacking," said Kegan as he brought out his power-pole, while Riven and Timmy charged up their weapons.
"They probably sense us magic users," said Tecna, "and are hesitant to attack until they know exactly what they're up against."
"Well let's show them what we're made of!" said Stella. She and Musa shouted "Winx Enchantix!" transforming into their full fairy forms. Tecna, who still hasn't achieved her Enchantix yet, shouted the familiar phrase "Magic Winx!" transforming into her regular fairy from.
"Okay," said an amazed Zack, "now I believe in fairies."
"Those are fantastic outfits!" said Shannon.
"Glad you like it," said Stella.
"You think you're impressive," said Marcus, "You ain't seen nothing yet!" He, Sasha, Zack and Shannon set their capsules on the ground, pressed the buttons on them and backed away as their Armor unfolded and regained their fighting shapes, ready for action.
Zack's Armor was a blue and green bipedal mechanoid that stood at 11m. It was armed with shoulder-mounted rocket launchers, each pod carried six rockets that were self-reloading, and wrist mounted mini-guns that could shoot 2,000 bullets a minute. Extending from its forearms were melee-weapons; the right arm carried a spear, the left a shield. Engraved in bright red letters on its chest was the name Zanzibar.
Sasha's Armor was also a biped machine, but was a bit smaller in height, just under 10m. Its body was colored red with orange and yellow flames. It was armed with a wrist-mounted flame thrower on the right and its left shoulder had twin-barrel grenade launchers. Attached to its left arm was a sword. Engraved in large purple letters on its chest was the name Blazing Glory.
Marcus' machine was the tallest of the group at 15m. Colored black, brown, gray and white, it was also carried the most weaponry; shoulder-mounted machine-guns, twin grenade launchers on its head, more machine guns on its wrists and attached to its right arm was an axe. Engraved in large yellow letters on its chest was the name Wild Eagle.
Shannon's Armor was the smallest of the group at barely 9m. It was painted orange with black stripes. It carried no projectile weapons like the others. Instead it was armed with claws on its hands and its mouth was designed for biting. The whole machine looked like it was built for speed, agility and as a grappling Armor. Engraved in big blue letters on its chest was the name Raging Tiger.
As to where Hector's Armor was, one had to look up, really. Hector stuck his finger in the ring on his hat and used it to flip the point from his right-side to his left. His sword then changed so now the blade had several holes running down the middle. Taking a fighting stance, Hector slashed down with his sword, then up, forming a 'V' in the air.
********
Far above the surface of the planet was an unmanned space station where something very powerful lay sleeping. The transformation and slash from Hector's sword woke this sleeping power. Electronic systems activated as the station released what looked to be a huge blue and white sword made of organic metal.
Said giant sword entered the atmosphere and fell down to Hector. It stopped above him and then began changing shape, settling into the form of a huge blue and white robot made of the same organic metal.
Hector jumped up, just as a hatch opened up in the Armor's chest. He landed inside a platform that extended out to meet him. Hector then brought the point of his sword into the platform, the holes disappearing, while at the same time the metal braces on his coat shifted so now his hand on the hilt of the sword was covered.
"Okay, Dann," said Hector, "we've got trouble, so wake up."
The platform retracted, carrying Hector inside the robot, the hatch closing after him. The blue parts of the Armor glowed brightly as it's red eyeports flashed on. It drew from its back a sword that resembled Hector's only much bigger.
"Okay," said Hector through an intercom from his Armor, "how do you demons or whatever you are, how do you want to do this?"
The tainted humans and Armor all began shouting like real demons, then charged at our heroes.
"The direct way," said Hector, "alright, we'll play it like that." Dann charged forward and with one slash of his sword he cut one of the enemy Armor in half.
Zanzibar fired off his rockets, destroying four enemy Armors, then blasted another two with his mini-guns. He then stabbed another with is spear, then blocked another attacking Armor with his shield, then stabbed it.
Blazing Glory had already incinerated two Armor, while blasting another to pieces with two well-placed grenades. She then unsheathed her sword and sliced another enemy Armor's head off.
Wild Eagle was alternating between his machineguns and grenade launchers and axe, while Raging Tiger was shredding the competition.
With the enemy robots occupied, Stella and the others on the ground had their hands full defeating the tainted brigands, while making sure the tainted civilians weren't harmed, they were innocents after all.
Eventually Riven, Timmy, Payton, Kegan and Carmen had the land brigands and their vehicles destroyed, while Musa, Stella and Tecna had either stunned or restrained the civilians.
"Okay," said Stella as she, Musa and Tecna looked at the contaminated civilians. There were about 110 innocents who needed a good purification. "How do you want to do this?"
"Fairy Dust?" Musa suggested.
"It would be the best course of action," said Tecna as she began working on her wrist computer, "as soon as I've calculated the correct amount of Fairy Dust needed for all these people."
"I wish we could do something about the others," said Stella, "all those bandits, they're not really evil, they just made some bad choices. They shouldn't have to die like this."
"I'm afraid it's already done," said Carmen. She, Riven and the others had just finished off the last of the tainted brigands. The last one managed to put up a grand fight as he faced off against Riven, who eventually managed to slay his foe.
"And even if it weren't," Carmen continued, "I doubt there'd be anything you Fairies could do to help them. I can feel the darkness that was in the hearts of the brigands, as well as the demonic taint. Believe me, they all were too far gone into the darkness. They embraced the demonic taint, allowing it to change them in mind and soul, and eventually in body, becoming something less than human.
"The only thing we could have done for them was to release them from the darkness, forever. I wish it were otherwise, but what's done is done. The only thing we can do now is help those that can be helped."
"Spoken like a true Student Body President," said Musa.
"Thanks, I guess," said a slightly confused Carmen.
"Well she's right," said Tecna, "The best we can do is help those that can be helped," she pointed at the contained civilians, "there is still light and hope in the hearts of these people, the taint hasn't reached beyond their bodies. Right now they're screaming for help within their minds and hearts, and as soon as I've finished," she made some more calculations, "okay, now we can help them."
While Tecna instructed Stella and Musa on the amount of Fairy Dust needed to purify the civilians and from where to apply it, Riven and the other's were otherwise occupied watching Hector and his companions scrap the remaining enemy Armor.
Yet there was still one Armor left under control by the enemy, and it was the big one.
"Never a dull moment," said Shannon through the intercom of Raging Tiger. Unfortunately this seemed to attract the attention of the oversized enemy Armor. It charged at Raging Tiger and tried to grab her. Shannon maneuvered her Armor out of the way with barely an inch to spare, then struck back with a kick that would have shattered a skyscraper.
Yet the huge Armor was unaffected by Shannon's counterattack. Instead it tried to kick her. Again, Raging Tiger avoided the attack at nearly the last second.
Zanzibar launched a double salvo of rockets at the enemy Armor, while Wild Eagle unleashed a fury of machinegun fire. This provided cover for Blazing Glory to get behind the enemy Armor and blast it with her flamethrowers. Yet these attacks barely scratched the enemy Armor. It was clear that the demonic taint was providing it with unnatural protection.
"If that's the way it wants to play," said Marcus through Wild Eagle's intercom, "Then we'll play." Wild Eagle then charged forward with his axe, while Blazing Glory attacked with her sword and Zanzibar with his spear.
The oversized Armor blocked Zanzibar's spear thrust then backhanded Wild Eagle into Blazing Glory, causing the two Armor to fall to the ground. The enemy Armor then slashed at Zanzibar with it's spinning claws. Zanzibar tried to block with his shield, but the claws shredded the shield like it was cardboard. The claws then dealt massive damage to Zanzibar's body, enough for the Armor to activate an emergency protocol built into its computer. Zack was ejected from the control module of his Armor, while the onboard computer initiated an emergency shutdown to prevent the power system from overloading.
Zack fell to the ground but rolled so he didn't hurt himself on landing. He got back up, just in time to avoid being squashed by the enemy Armor as it tried to step on him. Fortunately for Zack, Raging Tiger had jumped onto the back of the enemy Armor and was trying to rip its head off, thereby blinding the pilot.
Yet Shannon's efforts were in vain as the enemy Armor grabbed Raging Tiger and threw her over its shoulder, right into Zanzibar just as Marcus was getting his Armor back onto his feet. The two Armor collapsed to the ground.
Sasha had gotten Blazing Glory back onto her feet and was again blasting the enemy Armor with her flamethrowers and grenades. This had little if no effect on the enemy Armor, as proven hen it charged at her and grabbed Blazing Glory by the wrists, crushing the flamethrowers and causing a backlash that made the fuel for the flamethrowers in her forearms explode. The damage to Blazing Glory was enough to trigger the computers' emergency protocols that ejected Sasha and shut down the Armor before the power generator exploded.
Carmen, Riven and Kegan rushed to help Sasha, while Payton and Timmy had already gotten Zack out of harms way. "Fck me running!" said Kegan, "how do you stop that thing!?"
"How don't you stop that thing?" Riven asked sarcastically, "'cause it looks like Marcus and Sasha aren't doing so well either."
"What about Hector?" Carmen asked, "he's just standing there."
True enough, Dann hadn't moved since the oversized Armor began fighting.
"Oh hell!" said Sasha, "it's happening!"
"Of all the rotten luck," said Zack, "this had to happen now!"
"What's happening?" Timmy asked, "what's wrong with Hector?"
"It's not Hector," said Sasha, "the problem is with Dann. The technology behind that Armor is nearly a thousand years old, and it's beginning to wear out. We've been able to keep Dann going for a while since Hector inherited him, but it's like patching a dam with duct tape. Eventually Dann will wear out for good."
"So?" Riven asked, "so why can't Hector get a new Armor?"
"It's not that simple," said Zack, "Dann is the last of the original 7. Nobody remembers how that kind of Armor was made, but what we do know is that Armor like Dann forms a special link with their Riders. As long as Hector spends some time in Dann on a regular basis, his body is renewed, meaning that any injury or illness is instantly taken care of by Dann's organic repair systems.
"But if Hector doesn't get inside Dann, then his body begins to die. And right now, Dann's power systems aren't what they used to be, and it's effecting Hector as well."
Inside the control module of Dann, Hector was on the verge of passing out. He looked like he had just ran a marathon and a triathlon in one day.
"Well we'd better do something," said Riven, "'cause once that thing is done with Marcus and Shannon, it's gonna come after us." As things were, Zanzibar was on his last legs, while Raging Tiger was also about to fall apart. Yet Shannon and Marcus were still able to keep their Armor going.
At that time, Stella and Musa had finished applying the Fairy Dust to the afflicted civilians. Tecna's calculations predicted that the demonic taint would wear off within ten minutes, so the fairies had a few moments to spare and see what was happening with the battle. They clearly saw that it wasn't going good.
"I heard everything that you talked about," said Tecna as she pointed out a new feature to her fairy form; an advanced Bluetooth in her ear, "we've got to stop that gargantuan pile of scrap."
"If it's tainted with demon energy…" said Stella.
"…then we'll remove the taint with some Fairy Dust," Musa finished.
"That may not be such a good idea," said Carmen, "one slice of those claws and…well…it won't be a pretty sight."
"Well maybe you can do something," said Musa, "well, any bright ideas?"
"As a matter of fact," said Carmen, "I do have an idea," she made sure her sunglasses wouldn't fall off her nose, "Stella, I need you to blind that thing. Make it as bright as you can."
"One Solarian Sunblast coming right up!" Stella said eagerly. She flew up above the battle. At that point, Zanzibar had ejected Marcus and had shut down, leaving Shannon in Raging Tiger to face the oversized enemy Armor alone.
Far out of reach of the enemy Armor's claws, Stella used her Fairy Dust to charge up a sphere of pure sunlight, then threw it at the Armor. It burst in front of it's eyeports, overloading it's ocular circuits, rendering it completely blind. It didn't react the same way a person would react to sudden blindness. But it did try to slash at Stella, who had flew out of the way to help Marcus.
The flash from Stella's attack lingered in front of the oversized Armor, causing it to cast a really big shadow. This is what Carmen had wanted. She ran to the elongated shadow and put her boot onto it. She shouted a spell, sending a pulse of dark magic into the shadow. Everyone was then puzzled to see the enemy Armor stop moving in mid-slash.
"What happened?" Marcus asked, "why isn't it moving?"
"What did she do?" Sasha asked.
"I think I know what Carmen did," said Riven, "I think Carmen used a spell that immobilized the thing."
"All I saw was her stepping on its shadow," said Zack.
"She's frozen the Armor by stepping on its shadow," said Tecna, "a brilliant work of magic."
"It must be a new spell for her," said Timmy.
"It sure looks new for her," said Payton. True enough, the strain of holding such a large object in place was beginning to take its toll on Carmen.
Yet this was an opening that Hector was waiting for. Now that he had gotten his second wind, he urged with all his strength of will for his Armor to attack. "Move, Dann! This is our chance! Move!!!"
With a sudden surge of energy, Dann charged forward, raised his sword and slashed down at the immobilized Armor. Carmen had gotten out of the way in time to avoid being collateral damage. Even though by taking her foot off the shadow of the enemy Armor released the spell, it was too late for it to avoid being sliced in half as Dann cut down at a diagonal angle. Dann then slashed up at another diagonal angle, forming a V with his double attack. The enemy Armor then fell apart, its components crashing to the ground. As the last of the pieces fell, a dark cloud of…something…rose from the remains of the enemy Armor, the cloud containing two red eyes. It…whatever it was, glared at Carmen and the others contemptuously before dissolving in the sunlight.
"What was that thing?" Shannon asked as she exited her Armor. Of the four companion Armors of Hector, only Shannon's Raging Tiger was still in one piece. The other three looked ready for the junkyard.
"Forget about that," said Zack, "where's the pilot of that Armor?" He and Sasha had made their way to the remains of the enemy Armor and were looking for any sign of its rider. Yet there was no sign that anything human was ever in the machine.
"I think that thing was the Armor's rider," said Musa.
"That must have been a demon of some kind," said Tecna, "I'll wager that it was responsible for all the infected people, brigands and civilians. When it came through the portal that Vicky opened, it must have taken possession of that Armor."
"Speaking of portals to demon dimensions," said Carmen, "here's the new plan. Stella, you, Musa and Riven go find that portal and close it before any more demons come though. I'll go with Payton and Kegan and find the travecite. Tecna, Timmy, I think you have some more work to do."
"Indeed," said Timmy, while Tecna nodded in agreement. By this time Hector had exited Dann, which then converted back to his sword mode and shot back into space, where he docked with his station.
"I don't know how much more I can do this," said Hector, who still looked like he had run a marathon, "this isn't like back during Van's day. Dann's wearing out, and I'm wearing out with him."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," said Tecna boldly. She looked at Riven, "I need to borrow your ship for a while."
"Just don't scratch the paint," said Riven as he tossed the keys to Sapphire Blaze to Tecna.
"What are you going to do?" Hector asked.
"I'm going to repair Dann's systems," said Tecna, "and when I'm done with that, I'll be back to fix everyone's Armor."
"You shouldn't trouble yourself over us," said Sasha, "it's no big deal for us to call a mechanic out here. Once your friends have taken care of that demon portal thing, it'll be safe for people to come up here again."
"Well I insist," said Tecna, "You helped us, so now I will help you," she then looked at Timmy, "assuming I can get the help of a special Specialist."
"You've got him," said Timmy, "but will you be okay driving Riven's hot-rod of a starship?"
"If it's anything like a Red Fountain ship," said Tecna, "it shouldn't be a problem."
It turned out to be a little difficult for Tecna driving Riven's ship up to the space station where Dann slept, but she managed. Tecna then reached the station in an EVA suit and in less than an hour reenergized all of Dann's systems.
Tecna and Timmy then landed Sapphire Blaze on the mountain were Stella and the other waited with Hector and his friends.
"The portal is no more," said Stella triumphantly, "and no more demons came through."
"None that we know of," said Musa.
"Well if there's any more," said Hector, "I'm sure we'll be able to stop them, assuming you've got Dann working at 100% again."
"See for yourself," said Tecna eagerly.
Hector then summoned Dann again. He got back into the cockpit and five minutes later came out again, looking healthier and more energetic than before. "I don't know what you did but you did it! I'll bet Dann's running better than he was back in Van's day."
"And now to finish the job," said Tecna. She and Timmy then went to work on Zanzibar, Wild Eagle, Blazing Glory and finished up with the medium damage that Raging Tiger took.
They finished up just as Carmen, Payton and Kegan arrived carrying an orange chunk of rock about the size of a basketball.
"So that's travecite," said Riven.
"Now all we need is to wait to hear if Bloom and her group has the azonite," said Carmen, "Then we can all go to Lynphea."
"I've got a feeling that Bloom and the others are ready to go," said Stella.
It was then time for everyone to say goodbye. Hands were shaken and promises to see each other were exchanged.
"You may see us again sooner than you think," said Hector, "I've had this idea about installing Dann's repair satellite in a starship. That way we can travel to other worlds."
"We'll be waiting," said Carmen.
"About that," said Tecna. She had downloaded some schematics from her wrist computer to a data pad and gave it to Hector, "this might help your idea come to life a bit faster. It also has some information on upgrading the other's Armor."
"This might just be what we've been waiting for," said Sasha, "thank you."
"It's our pleasure to help," said Timmy.
"Well," said Marcus, "this has been a unique experience."
"You can say that again," said Riven.
"And I'll say it again," remarked Zack, "I do believe in fairies."
"That really brightens up my day," said Stella.
"I had another dream besides the one that led us here," said Shannon, "I saw six women with wings like butterflies," she looked at Musa, "I think they're you and your friends."
"Maybe," said Musa.
With that our heroes got onboard the Sapphire Blaze and took off.
"Farewell, Endless Illusion," said Payton, "may your dreams reach out from beyond the bottom of the universe."
"I think you've got the wrong talent," said Kegan, "you should have been a poet."
"Maybe I am," said Payton, "there's nothing saying that I can't."
"I just sent a message to Bloom," said Riven, "that we got the travecite. We should get a reply any minute now."
Two minutes later a reply did come, "They have the azonite," said Timmy, "and are heading to Lynphea."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Stella asked, "Let's go!" With that the ship entered hyperspace.
Meanwhile…
Not many people outside the dark arts know it, but Cloud Tower has it's own health center, complete with indoor pool, hot-tub, sauna and steam room. Vicky sat relaxing in the steam room, a black towel wrapped around her body, allowing her exhaustion to walk away, when Stormy came into the room.
"Close the door," said Vicky, "you're letting a draft in."
Stormy closed the door and was already sweating, "I hope you're enjoying yourself. I know I'm not."
"I'll bet," remarked Vicky, "and I'll bet Icy wouldn't."
"She'd melt in here," said Stormy, "Darcy wouldn't, but Icy wouldn't be caught dead in here."
"Then why didn't Darcy come to tell me whatever it is that you're going to tell me?"
"She's still helping Lucy set up the energy draining system for the zombies," said Stormy, "and Toro's still trying to find Morgan. I'm starting to believe that she did get away."
"One missing witch is of no concern for me," said Vicky. She then sighed with relaxation. It wouldn't be much longer before her body was ready for action again. "So, what is it that's made you come into such an uncomfortable environment?"
"Icy's been keeping watch on Bloom and her gang," said Stormy, "she made sure the losers didn't know we've been spying on them."
"I always knew that Icy was clever," said Vicky, "do go on."
"Bloom's group went to some place called Guardia," said Stormy, "and got some kind of blue rock. Stella's gang went to The Endless Illusion and grabbed an orange rock."
"Azonite and travecite," said Vicky in a serious tone, "where are they going now?"
"Lynphea," said Stormy, "I think that's Flora's homeworld."
"The Tears of the Black Willow!" exclaimed Vicky, "damn it! I should have know that Faragonda was up to something when I put the whammy on her!!" She started to get up, but then hesitated before sitting down again. She wasn't at full power yet, and with the potentially dangerous combination of enhancements Vicky had underwent, she wasn't going to risk anything until she was back in full shape again.
"What do you want us to do?" Stormy asked.
"I'll tell you what I want you to do," said Vicky, "you, Icy and Darcy are to help Lucy finish the project, now. Then you are to go to Lynphea and stop The Winx and their companions from completing their mission. I'll join you there as soon as I can. Now get to it."
Stormy didn't say anything as she rushed out of the steam room, leaving the door open in her haste.
"And close the door for f#cks sake!!" shouted Vicky.
"Sorry!" Stormy said in a slightly sheepish tone as she closed the door.
Vicky sighed and focused on relaxing again, yet her thoughts drifted to what she was going to do to Bloom and her friends, none of them pleasant, and as it turned out, these thoughts were relaxing to the dark witch. She smiled, pleased with the fact that her body was nearly recharged, the scar she got from her fight with Faragonda was completely healed.
"Soon, Bloom," said Vicky as she smiled again, "soon we shall finish our little game."
The end of chapter 17.
The dragon princess and her companions are reunited again on the homeworld of the daughter of nature, who then introduces her one true love to her family, much to his anxiety. The dark ones prepare to attack, yet their loyalties to each other are threatened as a comrade drives a wedge between them, threatening to destroy the dark family.
Next chapter: Helia Meets the Family
'for those with wings, fly to your dreams.'