Ch. 17: Skyward

The colossal machine docked at the edge of Molekin Mountain, and MG extended a massive brass-plated hand to let the Portal Master and her heroic escort off. "Thanks for the lift, MG!" Loni shouted up to the robot. "I whole-heartedly praise your ability to make haste throughout the great basin of the skies," Ignitor told the robot. "Truly, 'tis the stuff of legends,"

"Do not mention it, it was my pleasure. I do not get out very much any more," MG calmly responded. "Do you want me to wait here for you?" he questioned in an emotionless tone of voice, for some reason looking directly at Slam Bam. The ice yeti gestured to Loni, deferring the response to her. "Actually, fly to Cloudbreak and wait for us there. We'll meet you at," Loni paused, trying to think of a location in Cloudbreak. "Iron Jaw Gulch," she decided. "Very well. I will meet you there," MG nodded, and, activating his thrusters, he flew off.

"I gotta know, sista, why Iron Jaw Gulch? If memory serves, that place is like a live jellyfish. Stay away from it or you'll get stung real bad, bro," Slam Bam questioned.

"It was the only place I could think of," Loni awkwardly confessed. "Cool," the yeti shrugged.

"So, shalt we make haste? The day grows old and the sun droops towards the horizon," Ignitor commented, glancing towards the cave that led towards the interior of the mountain. "Sure," Loni nodded. "This way!" she charged into the giant molehill.

X

"Lookin' good," Jet-Vac grinned at his construction. The SkyBike was mostly complete. A second turbine that was only slightly larger had been sourced and attached to the other side of the machine, and it may have been mismatched with the original but it would suffice. Luckily, the axles and gears that ran the propellers had remained intact when the framework of the bike had been thrown away, so it had been a simple matter to attach the replacement. The landing gear of the SkyBike, however, had been nowhere near as fortunate, so the Sky Baron had improvised helicopter-style runners on the bottom. Now, finally, he was making the final additions - a set of twin rocket boosters on the rear for forward propulsion. "Sure am glad the steering still works, wouldn't want to have to add that in as well," Jet-Vac wiped the sweat from his brow and tightened the final bolt.

"Now to see if this pile of scrap'll fly," he declared, climbing into the seat. The somewhat scorched plastic seat it had once possessed had been replaced by a soft red leather seat, and several plates pf metal had been welded into place using a welding torch the junkyard's owner had happily lent him.

"Deal is, anything you take out of the yard, ya pay for. I know yas is a Skylander an'all, but I gotta make a livin' somehow. Sorry! Hell, I'll let ya borrow ma welding torch for free," the owner had smiled at him. "Well, thank you kindly. I'm, ah, on detachment from the main forces in the West for the protection of the Cloudbreak Islands, and I need a set of propellers to get around, if ya know what I mean," Jet-Vac had smiled back at the owner and happily taken the torch.

The Sky Baron eagerly twisted the ignition key and listened to the engine splitter to life. The two main propellers revved up and started spinning, rapidly becoming transparent blurs. Slowly, but surely, the SkyBike lifted into the air as the electrical engine warmed up and the propellers accelerated. Jet-Vac whooped and gunned the engine, spinning in a circle towards the entrance and flooring the pedal, igniting the boosters at the back and creating propulsion that pushed him towards the entrance and the caravan the owner lived in.

The burly Frost Elf emerged out of curiosity and smiled as Jet-Vac paused the SkyBike nearby him. The Sky Baron pulled out his magical purse and removed a bag full of gold bars, throwing them to the man, who caught it with a grunt. "This is a little much, you don't need to -" Jet-Vac cut him off. "Keep the change, she's worth it!"

"Can't argue with that," he grinned. "Come back anytime you want, it's good for business! And tell those friends of yours the same thing! Especially that girl, she ain't half easy on the eyes if ya know what I mean!" he yelled as Jet-Vac soared into the sky. "Friends of mine?" he repeated in confusion. "Eh, he probably meant the local team. The Suave Force or whatever it's called," the bird shrugged, turning his attention back to his new vehicle and gunning the engine again. "HOWDY-DOO, THIS IS JUST GRAND!"

X

Loni shivered involuntarily as they went a little deeper underground. "Are you possessed of that vice-like grip which is known as claustrophobia?" Ignitor questioned. "Yeah, kinda," Loni nodded. "I guess it's a dragon thing, not liking enclosed spaces where you can't spread your wings," she shrugged, then paused. "How did you know? I never told you I had claustrophobia,"

"A good knight is always observant of both his surroundings and his compatriots," Ignitor nodded. "Ah, okay," Loni nodded.

"Are you sure you know which way to go?" Warnado skeptically questioned. Loni shook her head. "I'm just waiting for someone to pass us by so that we can ask for directions," she admitted. "Well, here comes someone, let's ask him," Slam Bam suggested, gesturing to an approaching Molekin.

Loni leapt forward and faced the Molekin, starting with a polite "Excuse me,"

She was cut off by the Molekin's shriek of terror. He suddenly cowered in a ball, covering his face with his massive flat palms and begged, "Please don't eat me!"

Loni blinked. "Eat you? No way, you look disgusting," she instinctively responded, before pausing and gulping. "Why did I just say that?" She muttered to herself.

Slam Bam stepped in front of her and approached the terrified miner. "Hey, hey, don't worry, bro, no one's gonna eat yas," he reassured the Molekin. "Can you tell us where Diggs is? We're looking for him,"

Apparently the miner found the four-armed ice yeti a more pleasant sight than the teenaged dragoness, because he picked himself up and gestured to a turn-off that lead deeper into the mountain. "Oh, Diggs? He's down there. He got a promotion. Moving down in the world, eh?" he grinned. "Thanks, bro," Slam Bam mock saluted, leading the charge towards the turn-off. "You're sure it won't eat me?" the miner quivered as Loni passed him. The Portal Master lightly slapped him with her tail. "I'm not an it," she growled.

The miner screamed and ran for his life, arms comically flailing in the air. Loni gulped and looked at Ignitor for support. "Was I too harsh on him?" she asked.

X

"Yo-ho, yo-ho, a SWAPper's life for me!" Wash Buckler cheered, trying to lead the other members of the SWAP Force in a sea shanty. "Yo-ho, yo-ho, the SWAP Force own the sea. Come on, mateys, sing it!"

"You got it, big bro!" Freeze Blade cheered. "Yoho, yoho, let's get ready to go! MC Freeze Blade's on the scene and he's ready to roll!" he shouted. "Who's next?"

"I'm up!" Doom Stone yelled. "I'm gonna rock this party like a real man would, so the microphone's mine and my rhymes are good!"

Hoot Loop promptly snatched the imaginary microphone from him. "I have now composed, this ballad of song," he warbled. "To declare that your rhymes are, simply put, wrong," he continued, pointing at Doom Stone.

"How dare you try, to steal my spot-laight?" Doom Stone demanded. "A real man won't back down, so I'm ready to fight!"

"A rap battle, is it? Well I can't say, that your pathetic skills are a problem for mae," Hoot Loop mocked. Wash Buckler groaned and stepped in. "Yo-ho, yo-ho, simmer down, mates. Sea shanties are about having fun, so let's put this behind us and be, uh, dusted and done!"

Hoot Loop shoved past his leader. "I'm so sorry, sir, but I just must confess, that Doom Stone's lyrics are one massive mess!"

"You think I'm so bad? You ain't so great! You just aren't a real man, you don't have a plan, and when I'm done with you, you'll be going straight down!" Doom Stone shouted in Hoot Loop's face.

"This rap battle is brought to you by MC Freeze Blade, coolest DJ this side o'the Cloudbreak Islands," Freeze Blade advertised.

"Don't interrupt me!" Doom Stone shouted. "No, don't interrupt me!" Hoot Loop continued.

"A real man won't stand for this!" the golem declared. "You forgot to rhyme," Freeze Blade pointed out. "Whatever! A real man doesn't have to rhyme to rap!" Doom Stone shouted. "You aren't even rapping anymore, you're just shouting!" Hoot Loop retorted. "Well, so are you! And a real man always practices what he preaches!"

"Well, at least they're getting along," Wash Buckler grinned. Behind him, Spy Rise facepalmed.

X

A silver-and-blue jet shot through the sky in a blur, and the female avian piloting it grinned. "Man, I love the thermals around Cloudbreak," she commented, before her sharp eyes spotted a small craft not too far away. "Who's that?"

X

Jet-Vac carefully maneuvered the SkyBike through the air. "I'm getting the hang of this," he grinned, then paused and looked over as a silver jet with an open cockpit pulled up beside him. "Nice ride," it's driver snorted, matching the SkyBike's course and speed with ease.

Jet-Vac blinked. "Whoa," he breathed.

She was beautiful, the way she leant over and cocked her head, the purple feathers on her face seeming to glow heavenly as the silver frill on her helmet shook in the wind. The male Sky Baron couldn't help letting out a sigh of adoration. "Well, aren't you a well-built hunk yourself?" the girl smirked. "Huh?"

Suddenly, the mirage vanished as the woman slapped Jet-Vac in the face. He reeled back a little, narrowly avoiding falling from the SkyBike, and blinked away his delusions.

"I said, 'Well, did you built that hunk of junk yourself?'," she demanded, getting testy. Jet-Vac blinked. "Oh, uh, yes, as a matter of fact. Just taking this little beastie out for her first test-flight, actually,"

"Looks right to me - you sure don't look like no pro mechanic. First ride, huh? What's ya name?"

"Jet-Vac. And yes, it is. You?" the male Sky Baron introduced himself.

"They call me Stormblade. I built this baby from scratch myself," she grinned. "Nice set of wings," Jet-Vac nodded appreciatively. "Oh, you don't know anything about good-quality planes, do you?" Stormblade snorted. "Not really,"

"Well, I always like a good project," the female Sky Baron frowned, looking back over the SkyBike. "And that thing could use some serious work,"

"Yeah. I, ah, pretty much just cobbled it together from whatever I could find," he confessed.

Stormblade took a look at her 'baby's' dashboard and her eyes widened imperceptibly. "Listen, I gotta go, but where are you staying? Maybe I'll drop in later,"

"Winter Keep. The place with the big statue of Whirlwind," Jet-Vac told her. "Ah, yeah, that. Got it. See yas around," Stormblade mock saluted, and her ship pulled away. Jet-Vac whistled. "Oh, she's a right beaut if ever I saw one,"

X

"Well, I do think that that went well," Kaos declared. "Indubitably, sir. We have easily enough gold to build a rocket that can reach the Skyhighlands,"

"Ah, good. Incidentally, Glumshanks, how long will that take my engineers to do?"

Glumshanks checked his noted and gulped. "Two weeks, sir,"

"WHAT?" the Dark Portal Master shrieked. "We only have ten days until the Cloudbreak Volcano erupts! I will not stand for that! Tell them they have nine! I don't care what they have to do, just get it done! And tell my agricultural department that they need to get on producing all the coffee they can for the engineers! I don't want them to close their eyes until that rocket is launching us into the Skyhighlands!" he declared.

Glumshanks saluted. "I'll get right on it, sir. I will inform you if any other problems arise,"

"Excellent," Kaos grinned evilly. "Well? Seconds are wasting! Get moving!"

X

"Thunderstorm, come in," Edge whispered into their radio. "What is it?" Thunderstorm testily responded. "Can you tell me where the rendezvous point is? Wait, are you still with Hotshot at home base?"

"No, I left. And there is no rendezvous because we can't risk meeting up! The Hunters have eyes everywhere and there aren't anywhere near as many of us as there are them. Plus you know how they like to gang up on us - but I'm gonna stop talking. The longer we're on the line the more likely it is that we're overheard. Still, stay away from me! Meeting up is too risky. I'll see you at home base after the eruption,"

"Got it. Edge over and out," Edge sighed and shut off the radio.

And somewhere else in Skylands, somebody else cursed as they lost the connection, but smiled. The renegades had used that frequency once, they'd use it again. "Sir! I've got a lock on their communications relay! And I don't think they detected my trace!"

X

"Ah, it's so nice to see you, ah, whoever you may be," Diggs greeted Loni and the three Skylanders. "It's me, Diggs. Loni. Remember? You took me to the Crystal Eye Castle to reclaim the, well, Crystal Eye?" Loni prodded his memory. "Ah, Loni. It's so good to hear your voice again. How have you been?"

"Fine," Loni responded casually. "We need to see the Oracle. He's building a specialized Portal for me that can be used around the Cloudbreak Islands, and I need to pick it up and get to Cloudbreak,"

"Well, now, there's no rush I'm sure. He's been around as long as Skylands itself, I think he'll still be there in ten minutes. Wanna cup of mud tea?"

"I thank thee for thine offer,. I shall be glad to partake in your culinary creation, kind sir," Ignitor nodded, accepting Diggs' mud tea. He promptly did his best not to choke on it, and, turning away, regurgitated the tea into a nearby potted plant. "A most," the knight paused, searching for the most polite way to phrase it. "Acquired, taste," he finally settled on. "Oh, all right," Diggs sighed, seeing straight through Ignitor's hastily constructed niceties. "Follow me," he pushed past the foursome and walked down the dimly lit cavern. "The portal to the Oracle is this way,"

A/N

A/N

Even though Stormblade is my favorite SuperCharger, her cameo wasn't just because I wanted to write her and was pressed for ideas, it does have plot significance. :8 I have a week and a half of story chronology to fill in with no idea how. I need to plan better.

Also, I just kind of assumed Stormblade was a Sky Baron like Jet-Vac. It's never been confirmed what species she is, and we've also never seen a confirmed Sky Baron in canon other than Jet-Vac. So, yeah. 'Stormvac' will probably be a minor thing that's only really teased and never properly developed in future, since I can't quite see it happening with the situation I'm planning out. But don't get started on Spitfire/Stormblade (Spitblade? Stormfire? XD) I have another pairing planned for Spitfire when he eventually shows up. And for the record, my sister says it's really cute. XD

Everyone was right. The SkyBike, with master mechanic Stormblade's help, will eventually become the Jet Stream. :)

LiteFox, yeah. Catch up. XD Glad to see you're enjoying it. Gear Shift won't be back for a while, though. Oh well.

Thanks for the support, BEST OC MAKER.

No, Phoenix, I WRITE on a tablet. And ANY fire can turn blue if it gets hot enough, the blue fire in itself means nothing.

Guest, I got nothing. Snap Shot is part of the mysterious Hunters. And yes, yes I am.

Anyways, that just about does it. Sorry for the update delay, well, Christmas happened. XD Peace!