Disclaimer: I don't own this amazing franchise called Ratchet & Clank. Credit goes to Insomniac Games. I do own Loric Ellebor, the Unseen Destroyer and a few new characters who'll appear in this chapter.


Chapter 4: Cruelty of the Sand

Loric wandered through the desert in search of his captured co-travelers as the sun burned the air, the ground and his endurance. He felt glad to carry his staff with him. Whenever his stamina was tested, it provided much needed support as it allowed him to lean on it with every step he took. His ocean-blue eyes desperately searched for signs of civilisation in the distance. All he witnessed was the merciless sand forming a path that seemed to lead to devastation.

His frailty caused him to lose track of the footsteps which resulted in losing hope of finding Ratchet and Clank anytime soon. Despite the sense of pride that marked each and every Grey Mage since the first day of their training, there was no denying that Loric needed help for pride proved to be weaker than Zanimal's devouring heat. He attempted to seek a village, any form of inhabitable society that could offer him some assistance. His effort was in vain though. Nothing but rocks disturbed the endless yellow which Loric thought would consume him very soon.

He felt the rays of a seemingly hateful sun afflict his will to continue and he was certain his feet would soon melt and sink beneath the ravenous sand. The back of his neck was reddened and it tingled due to the sun's constant gaze on this area. Perspiration disarmed him of his endurance, resulting in a rather blurred vision. A restrained yowl escaped his mouth as he took a step at the wrong spot and failed to keep his balance. He fell on the hot soil, his knees submerging in the sand. His staff slipped out of his grip due to sweat moistening his palm and ended up a few inches away from him. The Grey Mage panted heavily for the ferocious sunlight didn't seem to pity him for his defeat and become more conciliatory. Slowly, he gained his balance and stood up but the unstable ground pulled him down as though the desert demanded to have him bound to his defeat.

His wish to see with his own eyes the precious Lombax armor, its chosen one wearing it and confronting the weaver of fates ghastly for the people of the galaxies began to fade away in the depths of hopelessness. Master Orion would never meet the Son of the Stars and the Unseen Destroyer would spread his tyrannical reign all over the Omniverse. Loric felt rage with these thoughts but still, it wasn't enough to help him go on. He was exhausted.

Was exhaustion greater than his purpose? Was the sun more powerful than his wish to honour Master Orion's trust? The answers within his mind were clear, no doubt clouding them but his body refused to do his heart's bidding.

Loric retrieved his staff and pushed its lower part beneath the sand in order to make it stable and support himself. His legs disappointed him but shortly he overcame all daunting thoughts and rose from the ground, escaping his personal hell victoriously. He felt like a child taking his first steps, his walking irregular and his legs wobbly. Keeping his head lowered made him somewhat resistant to the sunlight and his staff never failed to keep him moving.

Endless minutes into the chthonic desert and Loric had completely lost the track he was following, now simply marching for the sake of surviving. Thinking he wished to remember the place that would take his life, he rose his head to observe the desert. This final hopeful glimpse at the horizon killed all thoughts about his imminent death away. Buildings. And crowd. Creatures conversing. Loric remained where he was, blinking and lost into his mind's disarray. A sunborn illusion he believed it to be. The desert mocked him right into his final moments. But all looked so real, the voices sounded too close, too lively when he was already feeling death's fiery grasp. However, hope was all he had left and he allowed himself to believe he stood before an oasis instead of an illusion. 'It might be just my mind but it's all I've got'. Possibly giving into a trick born by madness, Loric smiled and mustered all the strength he had left to approach the village.

It took many minutes for him to realise his sanity hadn't given up on him. The villagers provided him with shade and water as soon as they laid eyes on his broken form. Once recovered from the desert's spell, he wandered the streets of what seemed like a busy outdoor market. Loric was successful in finding a place where he could afford some food and water. Lots of water. After thanking the Zoni for having enough bolts to tend for himself, he searched for whoever seemed skilled enough to lead him to the destination of the cloaked men. His search didn't last for long. On a secluded area there was tall creature with brown coat. Loric didn't know what species the man belonged to. He was neither Lombax nor Cazar and those were the only races he was aware of that possessed fur. He looked quite young. The Grey Mage headed for the direction of the stranger.

"Excuse me, young man. I need information" Loric began, ready to defend himself in case the stranger displayed a hostile behaviour.

"The name's Egandor and how can I help you?"

Loric smiled as he realised he was not in danger. He might as well be lucky enough to get the information he needed from Egandor. "My acquaintances have been kidnapped. Have you seen a Lombax and a robot? They were being carried by some cloaked men."

Egandor rubbed his forehead as a sign of thinking his answer carefully. "Cloaked men? I'm afraid this isn't one of their lucky days. They were taken to the Unseen Destroyer."

"The Unseen Destroyer?" Loric snapped alerted.

"Yeap, he pretty much commands this place. I'm sorry but… they were captured to fight at the Coliseum. It's a fighting arena where prisoners are forced to battle each other on a duel. There's no escape from there. No prizes, no freedom even if you win every single time. You're forced to fight until you, um, die."

Loric frowned in worry after hearing Egandor's words. The thought that Ratchet and Clank were skillful and that they had survived in much worse situations than this gave space for his composure to settle. He was certain they would manage to stay alive, even if they were to fight. This could offer him some time to come up with a rescue plan.

"I have to infiltrate the Coliseum and set them free" he voiced his objective.

"Breaking in is not a walk in an oasis. Been trying to do so for months" Egandor confessed. He sounded quite bitter as he went on. "I gave it so many shots and after so many preparations, nothing. Failure every single time" he spoke as he paced around.

"Why do you want to break in such a horrible place?" Loric wondered. He was met by Egandor's sullen look.

"My sister's in there." There was a short pause before Egandor found the strength to provide more information. "She was taken five months ago, a little while after the Coliseum was founded by the Unseen Destroyer."

"Well I'd like to think you're a skilled fighter" Loric commented as he observed Egandor's gear. He spotted a small-sized crossbow and a dagger. "On my planet we say two warriors are better than one. If we work together, we could free your sister and my companions."

Egandor's troubled face changed as a content smile brightened his mikado yellow eyes. "You'll need to learn a few things about the Coliseum then."

TTTTTT ~~~ TTTTTT

The first thing Ratchet felt was the heat. The unbearable heat. He was used to high temperatures as his kind originated from Fastoon and he had grown up on Veldin, but Zanimal could easily win the first place if there was a competition for the most annoyingly, insufferably, unbelievably hot planets in the entire Universe.

His senses returned to him slowly as he was taken away from the blissful unconsciousness. He began moving his hand wearily, burying his fingers beneath the grains of sand in the process. He felt he didn't have the strength to move his tail even if his life depended on it. After several seconds of stillness, he realised he was lying face down. He supported his weight on his palms and sluggishly moved to a kneeling position. Much to his irritation, the fur of his face was full of sand. He opened his bright emerald eyes and began removing the sand from his face in a restless manner, his action accompanied by a grunt of indignation.

Ratchet looked around him curiously and found himself in a small room with nothing in it whatsoever. There was some light thanks to the small crevices on the walls. "They could've at least put a bed in this hole" he complained, the sensation of sand all over his face still vivid in his mind.

He examined his surroundings once again and what he realised brought in him some uneasiness; Clank was nowhere to be seen. With a look of concern he stared at each and every wall as if his friend would pop out of one of the cracks any second now. He couldn't help moving his tail anxiously.

The next thing he knew was that someone was trying to open the door. He clenched his fists and his ears twitched as the door made a loud noise while budging. Ratchet was faced with a man wearing a black cloak, its fabric so thin that it seemed to wave in the air with every movement.

The man stood right in front of the door and spoke with a hoarse voice. "Time to fight for your life. Make sure you put on a good show, furball. The landlord will be displeased if-" his taunting speech was cut off by a screech coming from the same man as Ratchet ran to the door and elbowed the guard on his rib, finding no other option to attack due to the fact that he was completely unarmed.

The guard, being sturdier and much more muscular, shoved the Lombax on one of the walls before Ratchet could even attempt to run and seize the opportunity of escaping. The guard pushed Ratchet against the wall and placed his forearm on the prisoner's neck, applying excessive pressure. Ratchet had great difficulty breathing but his stare at the guard remained wrathful and determined.

"I like your attitude, boy" the guard laughed, feeling more amused than challenged. "Better save it for the arena. You'll need it."

The pressure made Ratchet's heart pound fast as the fact that he was physically assaulted made his thoughts and senses sink into fear's torrents. Before he could lose his contact with reality and be embraced by paralysing unconsciousness, he felt the menacing pressure recede abruptly as the guard let go of him. A few coughs escaped his mouth as a result of struggling to breathe all along and afterwards he inhaled deeply, each and every breath granting him strength.

"Stop lingering!" Ratchet heard the guard demand while he put a hand on his neck. "Your audience won't wait forever."

Sentinel and captive walked through the underground corridors under the Coliseum, some hot rays of the sun emerging into the dungeons. Ratchet observed the prison halls underneath the arena that would seal his fate while he was walking, following the guard but keeping his distance. 'This was not what I had in mind. Tal's right, I just can't keep myself out of trouble.'

After a while, they finally reached a door leading inside a room. The guard was the first to enter, Ratchet following close behind. The sight before him caused him to smile with gleaming eyes. All of his weapons and gadgets lay on a table, intact and not a single one missing. His OmniWrench was also there to complete the set of curious weaponry. But that wasn't the best part and the reason he was smiling.

"Hello, Ratchet. Do you have any idea where we are? My data banks do not include any memories of landing or coming here in the first place" his long time friend Clank noted.

"No idea but they want us to fight on the arena" Ratchet informed as he caught the guard activating some sort of elevator mechanism from the corner of his eye, the only object in this place that didn't look like it had been constructed by Fongoids. "Ready for some butt-kicking, pal?" he asked zealously.

Clank only put a hand on his forehead in a hopeless manner and shook his head. "We are doomed."

Now fully equipped, Ratchet and Clank stood on the platform waiting for it to be elevated to the level of the gladiatorial ring. The guard pushed some buttons but before pressing the last one, he spoke to the duo.

"Any questions?" he asked without bothering to eye them, looking bored and indifferent.

Ratchet seemed to have something in mind. "You wouldn't happen to wanna buy a pair of Stunderwear, would ya?" he wondered. The only reply he got from the guard was the instant activating of the elevator that caused the platform to be lifted in the air. Clank folded his arms and glared at his friend. "What? Sales have plummeted on Umbris" his furry friend justified with an awkward smile, believing it was worth a shot.

The elevating platform came to a halt and now the Lombax and the robot could clearly see the sun as its light illuminated the entire area and themselves. They had reached the surface and were welcomed by a circular arena with crowds cheering and thirstily pleading for the match to begin and a sea of sand burning like lava beneath their feet.

"Do you know where Loric is?" Ratchet wanted to know while he examined the area, deciding not to move forward yet.

"No. But my sensors do not pick up any signs of his presence which leads me to the conclusion that he has not been captured, although it is only probable" Clank reckoned.

Before either of them could say any more, the voice of an announcer echoed through the area. "The rules are simple, gladiators. Survive the duel" he pronounced and even though no kind of microphone was used, his words had been heard by everyone in the Coliseum. "Remember, this is a fight to the death. You won't abandon the arena until one of you lies dead on the ground. Let the battle begin!"

Ratchet's prior fervency for battle was obscured by past memories. He felt as if he was living DreadZone all over again. His moral sense had been tested confoundedly during that time. But despite his youth, he had learned that sometimes it takes a great deal of relentlessness to survive. This time was one of them. He gripped his melee weapon tightly and looked at Clank. With a nod of understanding by both, Ratchet adjusted his robotic friend to his harness and walked ahead as the two heroes prepared for battle.

The crowd howled enthusiastically as soon as they made out the form of the two captives moving to the centre of the Coliseum. The two friends searched the entire arena with heedful eyes but no enemy could be spotted. Silence reigned as the crowd ceased cheering, awaiting for the single combat to begin. Ratchet felt uneasiness sink in as he was still unable to locate his enemy and thus, had no idea what to expect.

All of a sudden, Clank saw that the ocean of sand before him was disturbed by a creature that had revealed itself from beneath it. Instinctively and in a matter of seconds he grabbed one of his Time Bombs, a relic acquired during his stay at the Great Clock, and threw it towards the enemy making it explode. "Ratchet, behind you" he immediately informed after time had been slowed down for the other gladiator. The Lombax turned around to see a tall, slender, scorpion-like creature trying to attack him with its claws, moving extremely slowly inside a bright sapphire sphere.

"Thanks, Clank" Ratchet spoke and activated his Shredder Claws as his first weapon of choice. Swiftly, he moved forward as he penetrated his adversary who belonged to a desert species known throughout Zanimal as Wasteland Murderers, due to the surprise attacks they were capable of. A couple of strikes with the sharp razors of his weapon was the only thing Ratchet could manage before the effect of the Time Bomb wore off completely, rendering the Wasteland Murderer out of the quantum spell.

"I don't intend to die today" the scorpion creature murmured while observing the wounds caused by the Shredder Claws. They were but mere superficial scratches on his rough skin. Afterwards he turned around to face his opponent, whose fern green eyes sparkled with resoluteness as he held the deadly, sharp weapons in each hand firmly. He exhibited his own claws in a hostile manner, as if saying "It's on."

Ratchet decided to abandon the close range tactic and picked the Alpha Disruptor for his next attack for he speculated it would be more effective against an enemy with skin thicker than armor made entirely of Raritarium. While the Wasteland Murderer launched forward to attack with his claws, Ratchet flipped backwards to keep a safe distance and fired. Unfortunately this tactic didn't have the desired results. The other gladiator didn't seem injured in the least. And this weapon was amongst his most powerful ones. He widened his eyes in pure disbelief. "Great, just great" he exclaimed.

Ratchet grabbed his Plasma Slayer and aimed rapidly but at the same time with high accuracy. As soon as he positioned his finger on the trigger, ready to take down his opponent and hopefully reclaim his and his friend's freedom, he saw the Wasteland Murderer vanish beneath the infinite grains of sand. Ratchet ceased aiming and blinked as soon as he realised his enemy was nowhere to be found. All he and Clank could see was the various creatures watching with eyes pleading for some blood to be spilled and the yellow sea Ratchet was standing on.

The Lombax switched to his Blitz Gun, a quite old but much useful weapon from the Bogon Galaxy, and warily looked around him. The Wasteland Murderer was nowhere to be seen but Ratchet didn't drop his guard and he knew Clank wouldn't do so either until this battle was over. There was unsettling stillness for several seconds until the scorpion creature tore the sands apart and attempted to strike him with his sharp claws. Ratchet was able to roll to his right and avoid the attack. He couldn't afford to get injured, especially since there was no Nanotech nearby. He fired his weapon of choice and it seemed to keep the other gladiator at a safe distance as well as distract him but this was only it. It barely did any damage. This conflict needed to be resolved with more drastic measures.

He drawed his Warmonger and instantly fired. The Wasteland Murderer dodged the powerful missiles by diving into the sand and emerging back up with extremely rapid movements. Ratchet was shaken and as a result, he began panting as his heart beat faster. Clank's voice brought him out of this sense of foreshadowing defeat. "Perhaps a weapon based on electrocution attacks will have an impact on the gladiator" he advised. Ratchet's ears perked in hopefulness and he smiled wickedly.

Without wasting any time he took a firm grip of his Mag-Net Launcher and fired. The electromagnetic net trapped the Wasteland Murderer, immobilising him completely. The next moment, the fighter native to Zanimal saw his enemy approach him with a weapon know as Lightning Ravager in his hand. The creature with the golden fur and brown stripes activated the whip and struck him with it, the contact with its electric energy so painful it forced him to cry out in pain. The electrical prison vanished and he was now free but somewhat injured. A second strike came from the deadly whip but he managed to avoid it and catching his enemy off guard, he rapidly urged forward and inflicted a serious injury on Ratchet's right arm with his trenchant claw.

Ratchet dropped the Lightning Ravager and clenched his arm. He had restrained from voicing his pain or displaying his surprise, although this was an attack he hadn't predicted. He glared at the Wasteland Murderer's triumphant face. With a sense of impulse taking over, he drawed his OmniWrench and attempted to attack his rival. A stinging pain pierced his arm as he wielded his trademark weapon but he refused to stop fighting and give into it. The scorpion creature avoided the assault and with swift movements raised a tiny and ephemeral sandstorm to provide him with cover. The next thing Ratchet's enemy did was to move behind him and try to hit him but Clank grabbed his claw and pushed it away, something that completely disorientated him. This offered Ratchet enough time to turn around and perform a comet-strike that knocked his adversary down. However, the force used to succeed in this attack caused extreme ache in his wounded arm and Ratchet had to bite his lip so as not to surrender to agony and cry out.

There was a buzzing in Ratchet's ears as the adrenaline began to wear off and all that remained was exhaustion and a penetrating pain meant to immobilise his right arm. But he couldn't forsake the battle now. He had just gained the upper hand. As cruel as it seemed, as much as he hated the idea, he had to kill the Wasteland Murderer before him in cold blood, while he lay on the ground with no means of defense. This was just how things were. Survival of the fittest. The same inner moral strife over and over again. He had come to learn this would never change.

Ratchet held his OmniWrench firmly and moved towards the scorpion creature. Clank detached himself from Ratchet's back as he considered the battle to be over. But surprises were far from over for the two friends. Their rival unexpectedly stood up and knocked Ratchet on the ground, the merciless heat of the sand almost burning his back. He hadn't been able to suppress a yelp of surprise as he found himself forced down. He saw the Wasteland Murderer's claw inches away from his face and specifically, much to his great discomfort, his eye. Fortunately, Ratchet had managed to take a good hold of the claw and save himself from a much unwanted injury. With both hands he desperately tried to push the sharp edge away from his face, his entire arms shaking in the process. The Wasteland Murderer was too strong though and Ratchet's efforts seemed to barely have any effect.

From the corner of his eye but without averting his gaze, he noticed that Clank had already retrieved the Lightning Ravager and was now moving towards his position. Ratchet made sure to muster all of his strength and as soon as he realised Clank had arrived he grabbed the Ravager with one hand, activated it in split seconds and struck the enemy with its lethal electrical energy. The Wasteland Murderer howled in astonishment and pain and fell next to Ratchet, who stood up despite the slight trembling of his legs. He had been offered a second chance thanks to his loyal friend. He couldn't waste it. It was time.

Just as soon as Ratchet was about to deliver the final blow, he heard voices. His eyes swiftly wandered around the circular arena but the crowd was dead silent, anticipating the imminent demise of the defeated one. His concern grew even more when he spotted a figure among the crowd, sitting on what looked like a throne constructed in a way that separated whoever sat on it from the rest of the audience, as if it was designed for a king or a ruler. The moment he set his eyes on the figure the voices became loud and clear, tempting him to shut his ears with his hands.

"It's a good thing your father is not alive to see you like this. A coward, a traitor. He would have been so ashamed…"

The exile's face who was driven on the edge of madness by sorrow and remorse instantly flashed before Ratchet's eyes like an elusive light that burned old wounds. The young mechanic narrowed his eyes, his gaze still on the landlord. It couldn't be. He couldn't bring himself to believe it. It was the Unseen Destroyer. He had found him and now he was invading his mind, dragging him to the symphony of ruin as painful memories emerged from the depths of his mind. His voice. Why was he hearing Azimuth's voice as if he were standing right next to him? No more games. He couldn't stand any more mind games.

The shadowy creature's stare never left Ratchet. His own perpetual gaze seemed to disarm the standing gladiator, forcing him into shades of uneasiness. Ratchet sensed weakness conquering his entire body. His vision quickly became blurry, the voices turned to haunting echoes. The Wasteland Murderer wasn't Ratchet's main concern anymore, neither was the merciless sun. At the final stages of his conscious state he felt his heart burdened by fear as he fell on the ground, embraced by a few grains of sand. The last thing Ratchet heard before being swallowed by an abyss of unconsciousness was the deep and threatening voice of the Unseen Destroyer.

"Bring the robot to me. You know what to do with the other one…"

TTTTTT ~~~ TTTTTT

Nighttime's darkness enfolded the desert lands as Loric and Egandor made their way to the Coliseum. Their destination was the dungeons underneath it, risk and danger shadowing their path. Loric had learned what the Coliseum looked like and was able to memorise its architectural structure thanks to maps his new-found ally owned. Now they had to infiltrate it. In spite of the tactics to discipline emotions that Loric had been taught, he felt his heart race and his spirit disturbed by anguish.

After an hour of walking on moonlit roads they both distinguished the circular building where death ruled the fates of the prisoners. Egandor sighed and stared at the Coliseum with yellow eyes full of worry.

"She'll be alright. You cannot help her if you hesitate" Loric attempted to boost his morale.

"I won't. Not anymore" Egandor replied courageously.

However he quickly relinquished his bravery as soon as he heard a loud bang that made him scream in surprise, stumble and fall on the sand. Loric rolled his eyes and pulled him up again, dragging him to a hiding spot behind a rock. They both peeked over the rock's surface with wary eyes and watched inquisitively as a flying vessel of small size took off and floated to the opposite direction of them.

"Phew" Egandor sighed. "That freaked me out a bit."

"Really?" Loric asked in a sarcastic manner. "No wonder it's been taking you months to save your sister" he went on with a tone of irony.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Egandor inquired, feeling somewhat insulted.

"Nevermind. We must move" the Grey Mage stated alerted.

After thoroughly examining their surroundings and deeming it safe to move ahead, Loric and Egandor headed for the Coliseum. Shortly they were standing right in front of its gigantic walls, waiting for the right time to perform their next move. They hid as best as they could by touching the wall with their backs and slowly moving sideways. Not long after that, they spotted a guard and possibly the possessor of the dungeons keys.

Egandor turned his head to his side to face Loric. "Remember, the watchmen are replaced by three robotic guards as soon as they realise someone's not on their post. And they are so freakin' skilled. They usually wield a dagger of sorts."

"Next you're going to tell me they're Zombie Ninja Panda Bears?" Loric commented coldly.

"Is there such thing?" Egandor asked with widened eyes. "Sounds pretty scary."

"I was just joking, but anyway" Loric sighed. He swiftly looked at the watchman's direction who had ceased walking. It seemed he had heard their little conversation and was now scanning the area to spot any intruders.

The guard's eyes were fixated on their direction. They had been found. They had to do something fast. As if by instinct, Egandor drawed his crossbow and fired. Loric expected to see the watchman fall lifeless on the ground but instead of that, something else happened before his eyes. The bolt that was supposed to be lethal was nothing more than a small ball made of fluff that burst as soon as it came in contact with the guard's shoulder and emitted a pink gas, rapidly putting the guard to sleep. After the pink mist dissolved, Loric's stare fell on a lying guard and a silent snoring could clearly be heard.

"Erm, something's wrong with your weapon. Wasn't it supposed to kill him?" Loric wondered, blinking and dumbfounded while he was pointing his index finger at the guard.

"Kill him? I don't kill. I just wanna get my sister back" Egandor responded with a raised eyebrow.

Loric shut his eyes and shook his head. "No wonder" he murmured mostly to himself, referring to his previous statement about Egandor's failed endeavours of saving his sister. "Then why do you carry a dagger?"

Egandor didn't even listen to Loric's question for he quickly headed for the fallen guard and knelt beside him, searching for the keys. Seconds later, he realised the moonlight wasn't shining on him anymore. A shadow in the shape of a tall person covered him instead. He looked up and saw three metallic warriors with small swords on their hands, ready to slice him. He dodged the attack right on time. All he could do was avoid incoming assaults as his bolts of sleeping gas didn't work on robots and his skill on using his dagger wasn't half as great as his opponents' skill. He braced himself for the next attack. But it never came.

Egandor watched the three fighters fall on the ground, overtaken by a sudden urge to recharge right there and then. Their eyes ceased glowing as they fell on the sand. He looked at Loric who had his long sceptre raised, the sapphire on top of it shining. He remained as he was with eyes wide open in surprise. Loric lowered his staff and the enchanting light could no longer be seen. The Mage smiled.

He walked were Egandor stood and after searching the guards' storing slots, they were able to retrieve the keys. Their access to the dungeons had been just attested to.

"Is that it? All that kept you away from your sister was three robot guards?" Loric uttered as they headed for the dungeons.

"I had no way of fighting them. All this time I've been tryin' to get in without attracting their attention but it was impossible" Egandor explained.

"I assume most of the times you ended up running away screaming with a voice worse than Courtney Gears's?" Loric noted cynically.

He immediately received an astonished look by his ally. "Are you a psychic too?" he asked in surprise.

"Trust me when I say I don't need to be a psychic to figure this out" Loric replied with a sigh.

Egandor couldn't let this insult pass disregarded like the previous one. "Says the one who has a weird stick that makes life easier for him." Loric was about to reply but Egandor's next words brought him back to his mission and stressed out what he was really there for. "Look, the entrance to the dungeons".

Without wasting any time Egandor unlocked the door and as soon as it opened, it revealed a staircase leading underground. He climbed down the stairs fast because of his anticipation. At last, he'd see his long gone sister. Loric was following close behind.

As they wandered through the dungeon halls, nothing but silence reigned. "No one to guard this place? How suspiciously convenient" Loric exclaimed in a tone of slight sarcasm.

"You're never satisfied, are ya?" Egandor roared in indignation.

"Egandor?" a female voice echoed through the halls. Loric noticed that Egandor's fur was standing on end, his eyes almost watery.

"Asyrian?" he muttered in pure enthusiasm and ran towards the direction of the voice.

"Slow down!" Loric paced quickly behind him. After he had reached the source of the calling, he sighted a smiling Egandor ready to break into tears of joy and an imprisoned woman with snow-white fur and light blue, almost silver eyes staring at both of them with a bright smile on her face. She outstretched her hand out of the bars and Egandor held it, overtaken by powerful and loving emotions.

"I knew you'd come to rescue me, brother" Asyrian spoke in delight. A clinging sound was then heard as Egandor attempted to open the padlock with the newly acquired keys.

"I'm looking for a Lombax and a robot" Loric wasted no time in achieving his own goal.

"I saw them earlier today" Asyrian replied.

Egandor ceased his struggle with the padlock to look at his sister. "You did? You saw the Lombax?" Asyrian nodded positively with cheerful eyes. Egandor turned his head to face Loric so as to explain. "She's an expert in the Lombax species".

"It truly fascinated me to finally see one for the first time, though it was not under the best of circumstances" Asyrian continued.

"What happened?" Loric wanted to know.

"I saw them at the arena" she stuttered bitterly. "They… they're not here."

"They escaped?"

"No" Asyrian was set free at this instant after Egandor successfully unlocked the door of her cell. She moved forward like a thunderbolt and hugged her brother. Their embrace was short though as Asyrian had yet to explain to Loric where Ratchet and Clank were.

"They were forced to fight to the death. They almost won but… the Lombax suddenly passed out. The Unseen Destroyer took this as an insult, because they broke the rules. They didn't kill their opponent. He took the robot with him. I'm afraid he wants to interrogate him."

"Interrogate him?" Loric questioned with narrowed eyes, feeling confusion. "Why?"

"He displayed some strange powers during the battle. Time-wielding powers" Asyrian explained, remembering vividly the battle she had watched earlier that day.

'Abilities that control time? Only the Zoni possess such powers', Loric thought believing that what Asyrian had confessed didn't make much sense.

"As for the Lombax" Asyrian's voice snapped him out of his deliberation with himself. She faltered, unable to go on.

"What? Tell me!" Loric urged.

Asyrian's reply came slowly, as if what she was bound to reveal would hurt Loric's ears. "As a means of punishment, he was banished… to the Golden-Razor Jungle."

"Oh no" Egandor impulsively exclaimed. "This is bad" he noted shaking his head. "Two gladiators have been sent there. They never returned. No one knows what's happened to 'em."

Loric stared at the sand beneath his feet, his grip on the staff becoming tighter. He had no idea what kind of place the Golden-Razor Jungle was but he didn't suppose it was anything good. He recalled the flying vessel he had laid eyes on several minutes ago. Then he realised, Ratchet was in there. He was being sent to his doom and Loric had done nothing to try and stop this. He knew the Unseen Destroyer was hell-bent on keeping Ratchet away from the armor and Loric feared the malicious creature also wanted his mind, his soul if possible.

He turned away from the reunited siblings, indifferent to the thrilling event of finding each other after five months. "Where's this Golden-Razor Jungle?"

Egandor deprived his sister of his attention, now focused on Loric. "Are you serious? You wanna go there? And now?"

"I'll cross the entire planet if need be!" the Grey Mage blurt out, facing them once again. "I didn't come all the way here simply to fail."

The necessity that marked his words seemed to have a great effect on Asyrian. "You can't reach it on foot. You'll need a ship."

Egandor began to protest but his omission to hide his hesitation by his sister who understood what was on his mind even when he uttered not a single word made Asyrian grab his shoulder as a means of showing her stern reproval. Loric watched the snow-coloured Zanimalian whisper something in Egandor's ear, irritated by the sudden need of discretion displayed by the rescued Asyrian.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember now" Loric's companion assured her. He immediately sent an insistent stare at him, a look so canny Loric never believed Egandor was capable of. "Well, here's what we'll do to help the Lombax and the robot."


A/N: Asyrian's name is pronounced "A-SEE-ree-an". And neither she nor Egandor have tails.