42. The Trap Is Set
Night blanketed Gravity Falls. As its various quirky inhabitants shuffled off to bed, other phenomena awakened to come out to play without the scrutiny of mortal eyes upon them. Within the junkyard in particular, Fiddleford McGucket curled up in the back seat of a broken-down car, snoring loudly and every now and then muttering something in his sleep about how "I can't find my left broccoli" or "the tuna fish are winning the game" or "the one-eyed demon will rain fire upon the world and leave nothing but cinders." Xerxes had made his bed in the front seat, wrapped around the star shard and snoring just as loudly as his new friend as he dreamed of the Cyclonian warship and Mozenrath.
Three hooded figures crept silently into the junkyard, eyes fixed upon the car. "He's inside there," one of them said.
"Him again?" another sighed. "It's always him. How many times have we had to erase his memory now?"
"This is the first I remember," the third stated. "I guess I've just erased my memories of the other times we erased his."
"You ever think we might be overusing that gun on ourselves?" the second wondered out loud.
"No," the third said. "Not until you brought it up. Unless I thought of it before and erased thinking it."
"We can discuss this later," the first stated. "For now, we must focus on the mission at hand. Fiddleford McGucket – "
"Is THAT his name?" the third asked.
"…Must unsee what he has seen," the first continued. "As must all of the other citizens of this town who witnessed the anomaly. We have much work to do tonight, my brothers."
"Then let's not waste time gabbin'," the second suggested.
They pried open the rear car door, seizing McGucket. By the time McGucket had awoken to realize he was being taken captive, they had already covered his mouth, dragging him along as he squirmed, whimpered, and tried to break free. None of the abductors noticed Xerxes in the front of the car; likewise, Xerxes' dreams were only slightly disturbed by the sound of the scuffle. Only after McGucket had been dragged away to the hidden sanctuary of the Society of the Blind Eye did Xerxes stir.
He floated gently up toward the roof of the car, looking into the back seat. "Fiddleford?" he asked the empty space. He hoped his companion had simply gotten up to relieve himself or work more on the project. However, the thought that something worse had occurred nagged at his mind.
Xerxes swooped down to scoop up the star shard in his jaws before leaving the car to try and find McGucket. He circled the perimeter of the junkyard in order to determine that McGucket was nowhere within its boundaries. Once he had ascertained that information, he left the junkyard, over the back fence and into the woods.
He looked this way and that, but did not find the person he sought. He would have called McGucket's name if not for the shard filling his mouth. A rustle from the left caught his attention, and he swerved in between the trees to discover the source.
When he was able to visually identify the noisemaker, however, his spirits dropped considerably. Diablo, as a raven, had limited functions of speech. Among the right crowd, however, he could be quite persuasive, even without being able to speak anything but the language of birds. And he had amassed the right crowd for his purposes.
The raven fluttered at the head of a horde of creatures Xerxes identified as minotaurs. (They were actually Manotaurs, an all-male society of minotaurs who valued machismo above all else, but Xerxes had no way of knowing that.) Diablo, upon sighting Xerxes, gave a commanding caw.
"THERE IT IS!" the leader of the Manotaurs bellowed, extending a beefy arm to point at Xerxes. "THE DEMON CREATURE! KILL IT NOW AND PROVE YOU ARE MEN!"
Xerxes immediately turned tail, speeding into the forest. He could hear the galloping hooves of the Manotaurs closing in behind him; they were quicker than he would have liked. And no matter how many twists and turns he threw into his path, the rumbling of the stampede always seemed to be behind him.
After a bout of making his path particularly confusing, he managed to slip into the shadows, watching as the Manotaurs barged right past his hiding spot. "IT'S AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE!" the leader of the pack growled.
Xerxes shivered. He floated backward until he bumped into something large, solid, and strangely soft, owing to being covered in fur. Panicking, Xerxes spun to see what he'd collided with, and a scream eked its way around the star shard once he realized what he was looking at.
At first, he thought he'd come across a pack of bears, and that would have been bad enough. But upon closer inspection, it was only one bear; it just had enough heads to go around a pack. They covered its body, springing from its chest, its shoulders, between its four legs and around its four arms.
"Shhhhhh," the Multi-Bear cautioned. "Don't let them hear you."
Xerxes quivered from the sight of the creature, though he found its voice oddly comforting.
"The Manotaurs are after you," the Multi-Bear stated. "They're after me too. Come quickly. I know a way we can lose them. Make just enough noise, but not too much."
Xerxes just stared in shock as the Multi-Bear, deciding to take pity on a complete stranger, turned and stepped on crackly twigs, breaking tree branches to draw the attention of the Manotaurs.
"IT WENT THAT WAY!" one of them yelled, and Diablo urged the horde on with frantic cawing.
"Now!" the Multi-Bear whispered. "Come!"
Xerxes, realizing he was better off trying the Multi-Bear's plan than being left in his wake and becoming discovered by the Manotaurs, followed the creature through the forest, the thundering of hooves never too far behind.
The trees gave way to a clearing; a massive crystal jutted up from the ground. Xerxes' mind was drawn back to Dagger Rock in the Land of the Black Sands: a place that seemed an eternity away. The moon shone down through the crystal, casting light upon the ground.
"Stay out of the light," the Multi-Bear cautioned. "They will not be as careful as we will." The bear gracefully scurried across the clearing, making sure to avoid the touch of the crystal-bent light. Xerxes followed, careful to duplicate the path.
On the other side, the Multi-Bear paused. "Now we wait and see if we have been successful," he informed Xerxes.
Xerxes was, by this point, thoroughly confused. However, he did just as the Multi-Bear instructed, hiding in the shadow cast by a tall tree.
The Manotaurs galloped into the clearing en masse. As each passed the glimmering crystal, barging through the beam of light it threw to the ground, he was suddenly shrunken, a doll-sized creature. Diablo halted his course as soon as he realized what had happened, staying clear of the light, but the Manotaurs did not halt their charge until the entire troop had become as large as a set of toy soldiers.
"LOOK WHAT HAS BECOME OF US!" one of them yelled.
"The demon wouldn't know this trickery!" another barked. "Only one enemy of ours would have known how to make us look so foolish and unmanly!"
"MULTI-BEEEAAAAAR!" several miniature Manotaurs chorused.
"Quickly," the Multi-Bear urged Xerxes. "Before they come looking. There is not much they can do to us in this state, but it will still be better to hide."
Xerxes, no longer afraid of the Multi-Bear's many visages, followed him deeper into the forest. "The Manotaurs are ruthless creatures," the Multi-Bear explained. "You are lucky to have found me when you did."
Xerxes looked quizzically up at the Multi-Bear. The Multi-Bear could read the question in the eel's eyes. "No, I am not about to devour you," the Multi-Bear explained. "I wanted to save you. Tell me, what is your name?"
Xerxes thought it over. Was it wise to introduce himself to yet another stranger? This one seemed even more heroic than McGucket, and that didn't bode well with Xerxes, debt of life or no debt of life. And yet, he did not know the whole truth. Perhaps this creature was a true villain looking for his next sidekick in a scheme to vanquish the Manotaurs permanently. And so Xerxes almost lowered himself to the ground to drop the star shard and introduce himself as Ford.
The star shard, however, chose that time to activate.
In a twinkling, Xerxes was gone. The Multi-Bear stared at the empty space where he had floated for a while, not certain of what had just happened. Then he turned to make way for his home cavern, as the comrade he had saved obviously was not there to speak to anymore.
...
"And then," Lance said confidently as he strolled through the tunnels, "I took a bite, and it turned out what I had just fried up was NOT a plantain. It was a banana. And that's how I learned I shouldn't cook at three in the morning."
Jaune, Vida, and Cadance all had a good laugh. Shiro giggled politely. Coran even had a chuckle of his own, despite not knowing what either a plantain or a banana was. Only Keith sulked at the back of the crowd, walking stiffly, arms folded.
As Lance kept on with his stories of misadventures in food, Cadance took note of Keith's stoic demeanor, falling behind in order to trot next to him. "Are you all right?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Keith grunted.
"Okay," Cadance responded. "You just don't…seem fine. I don't want to intrude, but if there's anything I can do to help – "
"No. There isn't."
"All right," Cadance relented. "I'm sorry if I offended you, and I'm sure the others would be too if they knew – "
Keith sighed. "It's not you, okay? It's not any of you. It's me. I know you're all acting like you're fine with it now, but I know you think I'm the bad guy in all of this because I didn't trust you and made you confess your big secret."
"But we understand mistrust," Cadance told him. "We've all gone through it ourselves. No one thinks you're the 'bad guy.'"
"Then what do you think I am?"
Cadance thought it over. "I don't know. I don't think I know you well enough to be able to say what you're like."
Keith gave a short nod. "Good enough."
"You…don't connect well with people, do you?" Cadance guessed.
"No," Keith said flatly. "I don't. Which isn't a big deal, except, y'know, that I'm supposed to be the leader of this entire team. Look at Lance. Everyone loves him. Everyone listens to him."
"I bet everyone would listen to you, too," Cadance encouraged.
"Yeah, listen to me giving orders," Keith grunted. "I don't have anything else to offer. I'm not social like Lance and I'm not this total dad type like Shiro. And I'm definitely not Coran. I…shouldn't even have said anything to you. Now you're going to get all worried about me, and…don't. Just don't."
"Then I won't be worried," Cadance told him. "I'll just…casually see how I can help."
"You can't."
Up ahead, Lance continued, "Oh, yeah, I can fry a plantain pretty good. Your worlds might have fried plantains, but they're NOTHING like the ones I make."
"That almost sounds like a challenge," Vida laughed.
"What, you wanna have a cook-off?" Lance replied.
"I never pegged you for a cook, to be honest," Shiro admitted.
"That seemed more of Hunk's territory," Coran added.
"I might've picked up a few tips from him," Lance defended. "Well, okay, I can make a FEW things. But still, I could totally own you at it."
"You're on," Vida told him. "If we ever get the chance."
Lance's face fell. "Yeah…if we ever do get the chance," he repeated. "It's…probably going to be a while before I ever get any food from home again. Or anything from home, really. No food, no action movies, no…family…" He realized the downturn his tone had made. "But hey, it's just until Voltron is done saving the universe. It'll be fine. It's not like it's gonna be…forever." He didn't believe himself, and it was apparent.
"Same here," Vida sighed. "With everything going on, it might be a few years before I get to play any of my favorite tunes again."
Jaune shuffled his feet along the ground. "Even if I could go home," he admitted, "there's…not even much to go home to. I miss the food, the movies, and the music from Vale too. And my friends. But everything back there was ruined."
"Come now, it can't be as bad as all that," Coran encouraged. "At least you'll always have the good times in your memories! Like everything I remember about life on Altea! Which…isn't there anymore, I've remembered."
The entire group was plunged into silence.
Cadance nudged Keith. "I think what they need now," she whispered to him, "is a leader."
Keith looked to her with doubt; she nodded and nudged her head in the direction of the others. Keith stepped forward, bolstered by her silent endorsement. "There's no covering it up," he stated. "We've all lost a lot. Big things, small things…we're either waiting to go back home to it or we won't ever be able to see it again. We all miss something. I know…I might not be the best person to speak up, since there wasn't much for me to go back to anyway. But I can tell how much everything meant to the rest of you. And…everyone else out there, everyone being controlled by the Galra, everyone on those other worlds beyond the space we know, they've all lost things because of what's going on."
"You're right," Shiro replied. "Instead of focusing on what we miss, we have to think more about what everyone else – "
"That's not what I'm saying!" Keith blurted. "What I'm trying to say is that thinking about the things we've lost and the things we miss…it's why we fight! Because we all know what it's like to lose something! And if we don't fight, then everyone out there who's depending on us is goin it too. We're doing what we're doing because we want everyone else to be able to eat their favorite food, listen to their favorite music, watch their movies, hang out with their friends. Because we know what it's like. It's part of us now, like it or not. And some of us are lucky enough that when it's all over, we DO have something to go home to. So we need to fight so that everyone else can go home too!"
"I agree," Jaune said, holding his head high. "I'm not gonna let Vale happen anywhere else if I can help it. I just…sometimes feel like I can't help it."
"You can," Keith urged. "You've already come this far."
"Then we'll fight for Briarwood," Vida stated, "and every other town out there on every other world that's like Briarwood."
"For every planet like Altea," Shiro said with a smile toward Coran.
"For every prisoner of the Galra," Coran replied, returning the look.
Keith, feeling eyes on his back, looked over his shoulder to see Cadance smiling at him. And, to his surprise, he smiled right back.
He turned to face forward, now truly leading his faction in more than one sense, around the next corner in the tunnel.
He stopped short.
His breath caught in his throat, escaping only as a strangled "No…"
"Keith?" Shiro rushed around the bend to see what had elicited that reaction. "What's wr – "
He gasped.
The others immediately crowded after. "No," Coran muttered. "It can't be!"
"Who's that?" Jaune asked, voice trembling.
"I'm guessing bad news," Vida replied, sliding a foot back to brace herself for battle.
Sendak stood squarely in the middle of the tunnel ahead, arms crossed, leering at the company that had just come upon him. "Paladins of Voltron," he taunted. "Had you really thought you could dispose of me so easily?"
"We're not looking for a fight," Shiro attempted, knowing already he was doing the equivalent of trying to talk sense into a boulder.
"That's too bad for you," Sendak replied with a smirk. "Because I am."
He uncrossed his arms, extending his cybernetic limb and throwing it outward; it stayed connected to his body by an ever-elongating beam of purple energy. His fist hurtled directly toward Shiro's face.
"NO!" Vida and Jaune flanked Shiro, crossing their swords in front of him; Sendak's fist hit hard enough to push all three back, pressing the flats of the blades against Shiro.
"That does it!" Keith withdrew a long and wicked blade, running directly at Sendak. Sendak's arm had finished recoiling back toward his body; he made no move to raise it against Keith. Instead, five of the fiery cats Mirage had provided him sprang into existence in between himself and Keith.
"NOT THESE THINGS!" Jaune cried.
Keith slowed, slicing at one of the cats. It ducked beneath his blade, leaping up to tackle him, bringing him down with a collision at the chest and swiping sharp claws at his face.
"KEITH!" Lance and Shiro yelled in unison. Shiro rushed to take a swing at the cat with his own cybernetic arm while Lance withdrew his weapon: a red device that at first seemed to be no more than a disembodied handle, but solidified itself into a weighty gun. As Shiro punched the cat directly in the side, Lance opened fire on it; Keith was released, and Shiro quickly pulled him up and back into the fight.
The other four cats were already rushing the rest of the group. "Guys…" Jaune whimpered. "I don't know if I can do this…"
"We've got you, Jaune!" Vida yelled. "And I think these cats need to COOL DOWN!" She swiped her sword outward, summoning as much wind as she could without her wand. The cat she aimed at was surprised to have its fire completely doused. Vida gave a wild yell, plunging her sword directly into the back of the flameless cat.
The cat only flinched for a moment before lashing out with a claw, striking Vida in the leg.
"AUGH!" Vida staggered back, withdrawing her sword. The flames sprang back up over the cat's body, and she could discern no wound. "My sword didn't do anything!"
"They're spirits!" Cadance called out as she sent out burst after burst of bright blue energy to knock the cats back, including the one that had just thwarted Vida. "I don't think regular weapons can hurt them! The only way to get rid of them is to not be afraid!"
"I REALLY CAN'T DO THIS!" Jaune screamed as he brought up his shield to prevent a cat's claws from lacerating his face.
"You have to!" Cadance urged, sending an energy bolt his way to relieve him of his cat. "We can't let them overtake us!"
"You go on ahead!" Coran encouraged, realizing he was unarmed and stepping back. "I'll just…wait back here and be moral support! Go team! Extinguish that fire!" He swung his fist enthusiastically. "Pummel those cats! You can do it!"
"I've been waiting a long time for this," Sendak announced, approaching Shiro.
Keith and Lance took a position to either side of Shiro, clutching their weapons protectively.
"But this time," Sendak growled, "let's make it a fair fight. You against me, black paladin."
A throng of cats leapt from thin air. Shiro punched one back with his metal arm; the rest of them tackled Lance and Keith, forcing the duo backward. Shiro spun, afraid for his teammates' lives, but was relieved to see them emerge in a standing position, back-to-back, Keith keeping the cats at bay with his blade while Lance shot back any that tried to leap at him. And as they fought together, the cats around them grew ever smaller.
But while Shiro had his head turned, Sendak was drawing back for his next punch: one that would have snapped Shiro's neck upon impact.
The heavy metal arm went flying through the air; Shiro was one minute there, the next minute gone. Sendak's arm crashed to the ground as he spun to locate his quarry; Carpet had swooped in to pick Shiro up, zooming him around behind Sendak and to safety.
"Thanks," Shiro panted. "I owe you one." He patted Carpet's front edge. "Now let's finish this."
Carpet careened past Sendak quicker than Sendak could react; Shiro dealt a punch to Sendak's face with his metal fist. By the time Sendak could get his arm aimed at the direction Shiro was headed, Carpet had already taken him on a sharp turn, bringing him past Sendak for another blow.
The cats only grew in number, dividing themselves between the ring around Lance and Keith and the horde charging Vida, Jaune, Cadance, and Coran. "THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" Coran yelled as Vida, Jaune, and Cadance kept pushing the horde back. "YOU SHOW THOSE CATS WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!"
But as the cats fencing in Keith and Lance shrank in size, those attempting to get close to Vida, Jaune, and Cadance were now tall enough for their backs to brush the ceiling. "It's me!" Jaune wailed. "They're getting bigger because of ME!" Realization struck him; he could think of only one way out. "I'm sorry, everyone!" He turned tail and darted back down the tunnel, the way they'd come, as fast as his legs could take him.
"Jaune?" Coran whipped about to watch him dash away. "JAUNE! COME BACK! YOU WERE DOING SO WELL!" Coran bolted after the blond warrior.
"JAUNE!" Keith growled upon seeing his ally desert. Gritting his teeth, knowing he had to figure out why his comrade had beat a retreat, Keith took a flying leap over the wall of cats, charging after Jaune and Coran as he knocked cat after cat aside.
"KEITH?" Lance cried, suddenly unsure of his odds without his teammate; the cats around him began to enlarge. "SERIOUSLY?" He spun a 360 while firing, his back no longer covered.
Some ways down the tunnel, when he was sure he'd left the battle far behind, Jaune halted, leaning a hand on the wall as he doubled over. His heart raced, and his breath was gaining on it in pace. Hatred burned deep inside of him: hatred that he couldn't help, hatred that the only way he could contribute was to run away, hatred of himself.
The two voices of vastly differing timbre grew louder behind him:
"Jaune?"
"JAUNE!"
Jaune forced himself to turn around and meet Coran and Keith's eyes as the pair caught up with him. "What's gotten into you?" Coran asked. "You were doing so well!"
"WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOUR TEAM?" Keith roared.
"BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO GET US ALL KILLED!" Jaune cried. "Those cats…we've fought them before. They react to fear. They're…some kind of weird magic. If you're not afraid of them, they get smaller. But if you ARE afraid of them, they take that fear and they get bigger. Vida, Cadance, and Carpet are all able to be fearless, but I'm not."
"You KNOW fear is what does it?" Keith urged. "That sounds like nothing I've ever seen."
"Actually, his theory holds water," Coran admitted. "Keith, were you afraid of the cats when they cornered you and Lance?"
"No," Keith insisted. "I knew we'd be fine. Lance had my back. As much as I hate to admit it, he always does."
"And he knew you had his," Coran pointed out. "I was watching you with my own two eyes, and the cats around you were actually getting smaller. But the cats that were charging the rest of us were as tall as this tunnel. And I happen to know for a fact that both Jaune and I were very, very afraid."
"You were afraid?" Jaune asked softly. "You…you were telling us to punch the cats. You were cheering us on. You weren't afraid."
"Oh, but I was," Coran admitted. "Terrified. It's probably a good thing I got out of there when I did, if those cats are powered by fear."
"You can't just cut it out?" Keith asked sternly. "Get it in your head that there are more important things?"
"I KNOW there are more important things," Jaune sighed. "It doesn't make any difference. It didn't the last time we faced those cats. I ruined everything."
"Don't be ashamed of being afraid," Coran told him. "If you can't help it, then you can't help it!"
Keith nodded. "Then you did do the best thing. The others will just have to finish the fight without us."
"Without you?" Jaune repeated. "Keith, you were one of the best warriors on the field, and you weren't scared at all. I heard you yelling at me for leaving the team. How can YOU abandon the team?"
"Because you're a part of my team now," Keith asserted, "and I can't leave you. Or Coran. Lance, Shiro, and I are all outfitted with radios. Together, we can figure out when it's safe for you to go back. For now, if any of those cats end up following us, I need to be here to help protect you two."
"Thanks," Jaune said sincerely. "I mean it."
"Don't make a big deal out of it," Keith sniffed.
There was silence for a moment; it was apparent that no enemies were coming out of the woodwork anytime soon. "Uh, Keith…" Jaune shuffled a foot. "About earlier. I'm sorry if I made you feel like the bad guy because you didn't trust us. Really, we all get it. Back on my home world, there was this girl and her friends who went t our school. Well, okay, not a 'girl.' She was upper-class. An adult. We all thought she and her friends were just the cool kids. Not best friends, but part of us. Part of our school. Some of us looked up to her. It…turned out they were working for our enemies all along. I had to hear that she…" He paused, chewing his lip. After almost too long of a pause, during which Coran very nearly had the opportunity to tell Jaune he didn't have to relive whatever happened if he didn't want to, Jaune finished, "I had to hear that she killed one of my best friends. The enemy can be anywhere. If you were afraid I would do that to Lance or Shiro, I don't blame you."
"I don't think you're dangerous," Keith told him. "I did wonder. But I think I know what you really are now. If nothing else, you proved it when you and Vida put your swords up to protect Shiro." Tentatively, he reached out and clapped Jaune on the shoulder. "I'm…proud to call you my teammate. Even if it's temporary."
"And I'll follow your lead," Jaune replied. "But, uh…shouldn't you call Lance and Shiro if you're gonna – "
Keith immediately turned away from Jaune, activating the radio in his armor. "LANCE! SHIRO!"
"KEITH!" Lance's panicked voice came through the radio. "WHERE ARE YOU? I KINDA NEED YOU ON THIS ONE!"
"Kind of busy right now!" Shiro grunted.
"I can't come back," Keith answered. "I'll explain later. I have to stay with Jaune and Coran. You're going to have to finish the fight yourselves."
"We're WHAT?" Lance shrieked.
"You can DO this," Keith emphasized. "You guys have handled Sendak before."
"BUT LAST TIME, HE DIDN'T HAVE AN ARMY OF FLAMING CATS!" Lance yelled.
"Lance, listen to me!" Keith urged. "This is important! Jaune said the cats respond to fear. They get bigger when you're afraid and smaller when you're not."
"That would explain why they SUDDENLY ALL GOT GIANT," Lance responded.
"I need you to not be afraid, Lance," Keith insisted. "I know you can do it. You were handling it fine when I was with you. You just have to be able to do it alone. That goes for you too, Shiro."
"I'm on it!" Shiro managed in between assaults on Sendak.
"Remember, Lance…" Keith sighed; he'd never seen himself resorting to using the language he was about to employ. "You're our sharpshooter. You're the one who brought down Sendak last time we fought. There's a reason they call you the Tailor. In or out of the lion, YOU CAN WIN THIS FIGHT." He found he was smiling. "Or are you about to tell me the amazing and talented Lance chickened out because he couldn't take on a few monsters?"
"Oh, I am NOT a chicken!" Lance snapped back. "I'm everything you just said and more, and I'll prove it!"
"Good," Keith said decisively. "I need you to do one other thing. When you finish the fight, radio me back so I know when it's safe to bring back Jaune and Coran."
"Can do!" Shiro insisted.
"I gotcha!" Lance added. "Now, I've got some cat butt to kick!"
Keith turned to look at Jaune and Coran in turn. "They'll be fine," he said with a slight smile.
Jaune took a moment to wonder about Keith's attitude toward Lance. He was far more abrasive than Pyrrha ever would have been, but still, he took the same role of encouragement toward Lance that Jaune remembered Pyrrha having toward him. Jaune wondered just how accurate the parallel was.
The cats were shrinking. Sendak hadn't given up trying to reposition his arm to take down Shiro midflight, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw this. Vida, Cadance, and Lance had all managed to banish their fear, and Shiro had tunnel vision for Sendak only. It didn't even occur to him that Shiro's strange flat vehicle might also have had emotions. Sendak then knew what he had to do. Soon, he would be stripped of his arsenal. Perhaps trying to attack Shiro directly was the wrong move. After all, Shiro always had been protective of his teammates.
He ducked and ran out of Shiro's range, causing Carpet to become momentarily confused about which way to go. Stopping on a dime, Sendak raised his metal arm, throwing it. At first, Shiro found it almost laughable: Sendak's aim wasn't even close to him.
Then he realized it wasn't him Sendak was trying to hit.
"LANCE!"
The great fist sent Lance reeling back toward Vida and Cadance, both of whom gasped as they looked down at his dented armor, his bruised face.
"I'm…fine…" Lance croaked.
Shiro gritted his teeth, gearing up for another punch. Carpet zoomed, but Sendak ducked again.
"SHIRO!" Cadance yelled; the cats were beginning to gain size again, feeding off her and Vida's concern for Lance and Lance's own growing insecurity about being injured. "FLY THIS WAY!"
Carpet brought Shiro quickly to Vida, Cadance, and Lance's side. Cadance then forged a barrier wall between her friends and Sendak, using the same power she'd once harnessed to keep the Crystal Empire safe from Sombra's influence during the absence of the Crystal Heart; the cats were trapped on the other side as well. The fiery monsters scratched at the pale blue wall and Sendak hammered it with both fists.
"Lance!" Shiro knelt before his fellow paladin as Cadance and Vida looked on. "Are you okay?"
"I said I'm fine." Lance struggled to sit up. "Don't worry about – ow. No, seriously, don't."
"We aren't going to get anywhere this way," Vida realized. "Shiro's been pummeling this guy for a while, and he hasn't lost a step. That wall is the only thing we've done that's had any effect on him."
Sendak slammed his robotic fist hard against the barrier wall, to no avail. He roared wordlessly to express his frustration.
"Maybe we should run now," Vida suggested. "While he's trapped there."
"The further we get from the barrier, the more energy I would have to put into keeping it up," Cadance stated.
"And he'd find a way around the tunnels to get to us again," Shiro added.
"Are you kidding?" Lance argued. "He wouldn't care about us as soon as he found the Balmerans. He'd just start picking off whoever he could get to! Can't you put another wall on the other side of him?"
"And keep that wall up forever?" Cadance replied. "I do think I have an idea, though." Her eyes zeroed in on his mechanical arm. "When I say run, everypony turn and run that way." She nodded back down the tunnel, the way Jaune, Keith, and Coran had gone.
Shiro and Vida helped Lance to his feet. "Okaaaaaaay," Lance responded. "Is this part of a bigger plan?"
Cadance simply nodded.
"I trust you," Shiro told her.
Sendak gave another yell as he drew back his fist.
"RUN!" Cadance screamed, turning to flee. Vida, Lance, and Shiro did the same, with Carpet sweeping up Lance in order to prevent him from straining his battered body.
And Cadance let the wall fall.
Sendak's fist flew at his retreating opponents, trained on Cadance as its next target; if she couldn't cast her magic and put up her walls, Sendak could easily pick off the others.
Cadance spun, hooves scraping to a halt. She put up another barrier wall between herself and Sendak, glaring him down. But this time, his flying fist was on her side of the wall. The magic cut through the beam of violet energy, separating the arm from Sendak's shoulder.
Cadance barely had enough time to cast an aura of deflection around herself; the arm didn't hit her hard enough to break bone, but it did shove her to the ground, wracking her with pain and drawing a cry from her.
"CADANCE!" Vida, Lance, and Shiro screamed.
Cadance picked herself up, watching Sendak stare at her, stunned, from the other side of the wall. Planting all four hooves squarely on the ground, Cadance surged a wealth of magic through her horn. Sendak's disembodied metal arm, surrounded with aura, lifted into the air and turned about.
Sendak realized what was going to happen a split second too late.
The wall came down, and powered by Cadance's own magic, Sendak's own arm rocketed back to punch him squarely in the chest. He was sent tumbling head over heels, skidding down the tunnel, feeling something crack within his body.
"YEAH!" Lance cheered. "GO CADANCE!"
Vida gave a triumphant whoop, and Shiro flashed Cadance a thumbs-up. In that moment, all felt such joy in victory that any fear they had disappeared altogether.
The last of the cats dissipated in small wisps of flame.
Cadance, Vida, and Shiro then rushed Sendak, horn glowing, sword drawn, fist clenched. Carpet brought Lance not too far behind; Lance took aim with his gun. Sendak craned his head up from the ground to see the charging assault force, and in a panic, the cry escaped his lips: "Mirage!"
She materialized behind him, looking down upon him, fresh from her fight with the Spitfires. "Pathetic," she sighed. "I should just leave you here."
Cadance, Shiro, Vida, and Carpet halted upon Mirage's appearance. "Are you…Galra?" Shiro asked incredulously.
Mirage ignored him. "Luckily for you, I can see how you can still be of use to me," she told Sendak. "We just have to become frightening enough to actually pose a threat to these simpletons."
She then looked up at Vida, Cadance, Shiro, Lance, and Carpet. "Oh, you haven't won," she vowed. "Not by a long shot." Her hand raked through the air, sending a claw-mark-shape of green magic through the air.
Shiro stepped in front of Lance. Vida leapt in front of Shiro. Cadance threw a deflection shield in front of Vida. The claw cut through the shield, but was slowed, as though moving through gelatin, and when it connected with Vida, it only left her with skin-deep cuts as opposed to lacerations. She staggered and grunted; Mirage and Sendak both vanished.
"That was Mirage, wasn't it?" Cadance realized.
"Probably," Vida replied, her voice strained. "Ow…"
"Come on," Shiro urged. "We have to get you and Lance to the surface. You both need medical attention." He turned to his radio. "Keith! The fight is over. I think we won."
"You hear that, Keith?" Lance added. "It was mostly because of me, too."
"I knew you guys could pull through," Keith responded. "Our new friends, too."
Carpet tapped on Vida's shoulder, and she slipped onboard next to Lance. Keith, Coran, and Jaune came barreling down the tunnel to meet their companions.
"YOU DID IT!" Coran screamed, grinning brightly. "YOU DEFEATED HIM!"
"That just leaves us with one question," Keith brought up. "What was he doing here?"
"Obviously, after we jettisoned him, he landed here," Lance stated.
"It's too convenient," Keith told him. "We were far away from the Balmera. And he came along with monsters that Jaune knew."
"And an enemy we knew," Cadance added. "I thought it was bad enough that we had Maleficent and Mozenrath to deal with. But now, I think we might actually have to WORRY about Mirage. She said this wasn't over."
"You ever notice that all your major enemies' names start with M?" Lance pointed out.
"You should tell us all you know about Mirage," Shiro urged. "We'll discuss it on the way to the surface."
"Why are we – " Keith then took notice of Carpet's passengers. "Vida! LANCE!"
"We'll be fine," Vida insisted. "I just got scratched up, and Lance took a hit."
"It's all good," Lance added. "Everything just kinda hurts, but I'm good!"
Keith shook his head, unable to hide his smile. "That could probably have gone a lot worse for everyone," he admitted. "I'm…I'm glad you're all okay."
"I'm sorry I had to leave," Jaune added as the group began to make their way back down the tunnel. "I just…you know…"
"It's all right," Cadance reassured him. "You did what was best for this battle, and you're safe because of it. And I'm pretty sure that the next battle we face will be one you'll really be able to shine in."
"Well, that's beside the point," Jaune stated. "We need to talk about Mirage now. I have a bad feeling."
"About what?" Cadance asked.
"Besides the general bad feeling that we have enemies everywhere," Jaune replied, "more specifically, now that we've fought against her with the paladins, we basically got them involved. …Sorry."
Lance tried to shrug, but found it ached too much to do so. "We deal with worse on a daily basis," he stated. "Probably."
...
The Smisse brothers had led Mozenrath, Aghoul, Wuya, Yzma, Snatcher, Roman, the Huntsman, Ragdoll, and Mim to the base of a monolithic mountain. Overhead, the skies clouded dark, promising eventual rain.
"This is the place," Rémington announced. "The exact mountain where Ogrest bawled his eyes out for three hundred years and flooded the world. I don't know what you expect to find here, but it's the place with the longest history."
"This…Ogrest," Aghoul asked for clarification. "He was some kind of monster?"
"I don't know how the whole thing worked, myself," Rémington admitted.
"He somehow fused with several Dofus and transformed into a giant," Grany explained. "Apparently he's usually some cute-looking little kid."
"And what made him cry for so long?" Aghoul asked.
"They say he was betrayed by his lover," Rémington answered.
Aghoul snorted. "That's IT? What a sorry reason. Well, to the top of the mountain we go. You never know what those old types leave behind. Maybe even one of those dragon eggs you mentioned."
The climb began.
Mozenrath and Aghoul ended up out front of the rest. "So, Aghoul," Mozenrath posed. "Between everyone else here, I think I've learned almost everything I need to know about my life back home in the Seven Deserts."
"Well, good for you," Aghoul responded.
"There's just one thing that confuses me," Mozenrath admitted. "Did you and I know each other?"
"We knew OF each other," Aghoul answered. "I hope you'd have heard of me, anyway. As for you, you couldn't swing a vampire bat without hitting someone who would be ready to scream, 'Oh, help! The fearsome Mozenrath is going to come in the night and steal my shadow!' That was MY bit, understand? You were a lot less personal. Less direct."
Mozenrath nodded. "Sounds about right."
"But we never really crossed paths," Aghoul clarified. "Not before the WHAM ARMY."
"Why not?" Mozenrath asked. "You seem like a devious fellow. Cruel. Sadistic. Morbid. Power-hungry. In other words, my type."
"Well, we were both lone wolves, you see," Aghoul went on.
"I thought you said you were part of a whole ship's crew of necromancers."
"I was," Aghoul confirmed. "The Black Viper. But that was hundreds of years ago. After the ship went down, well, those of us who couldn't have died from the wreck never found each other in the chaos, and we were forced to go our separate ways. The rest of them were mortal, and I never DID find any of them. Not even Rais. The, shall we say, non-mortals probably washed up on the shores of faraway nations."
"You were already dead before the crash, then," Mozenrath deduced.
"My boy," Aghoul said with a smirk, "I've ALWAYS been dead."
This was a bit much for Mozenrath to comprehend. "…What?"
"The necromancers of the Viper stitched me together out of the corpses of various victims," Aghoul explained, "and my first memory is waking up in this body. No heartbeat, no need to breathe, no need to eat unless I wanted to."
"That's…slightly horrifying."
"I pity the rest of you," Aghoul admitted. "Being alive sounds all kinds of messy and horrible. You can't even lose a limb without losing it permanently and risking bleeding to death, and who has time to be that careful? Now, it was Rais' idea, of course. He put all sorts of us undead on the crew of the Viper to bolster the living. You could say he was like our father, breathing unlife into all of us and raising us as his very own."
"Was he a good father?" Mozenrath asked. "I've been told that I had nothing but horrible fathers all in a row."
"He was an amazing man," Aghoul stated. "A bit cruel, when he had to be. So there was a flogging every now and again. Only when you deserved it! He had high standards. You have to, when you're shooting for the moon the way he did. Sort of like you, only less…hmm, what's the word? Suave. But now you can bet he's laboring in one bad afterlife or another. I'll tell you something about that capsizing, Mozenrath. That was nature declaring all-out war on us. So far, we've had to depend on the ocean to get from Point A to Point B more than once. But don't get cocky around the ocean. She knows what she doesn't like, and she pays attention."
"I'll…" Mozenrath found it hard to conceive of the ocean having such opinions. "Keep it in mind. So after that, you just went out on your own."
"Oh, I had my wives, of course," Aghoul clarified, "but I wouldn't have called them partners in crime. Not like Mimsie. They were servants to me and only me. So, yes, for all intents and purposes, I was on my own. Just like you had hundreds of undead servants, but you were technically on your own, besides Xerxes. Which reminds me." He reached up, giving Mozenrath a broad smack on the back of the head.
"Was that for something else I don't remember doing?" Mozenrath barked.
"The undead aren't just for you to make slaves out of, you know!" Aghoul emphasized. "We're people, too!"
"You…made slaves out of your wives."
"Not because they're undead! Because they're WIVES!"
"And it sounds to me like Rais – "
"That is COMPLETELY different! If I ever catch you making undead slaves again, then you and I are going to have some very bad blood between us."
"All right, all right," Mozenrath sighed. "So you didn't want any partners."
"No," Aghoul mused, "though I wouldn't have turned down being asked. That's what happened when Mirage created the last stand against Maleficent, after all. It sounded like a good old-fashioned party. Of course, you would never have asked me. Everyone knew Mozenrath worked alone. Except for Xerxes."
"So what changed?" Mozenrath asked. "How did I end up here, with all of you? What made me decide to go for the 'strength in numbers' approach?"
"Well, don't ask me!" Aghoul huffed. "I don't live in your head! I was as surprised to see you with Wuya and the Huntsman as anyone else would have been! I have no idea why you suddenly decided to play nice!"
"Then that one's just a mystery," Mozenrath sighed.
"Do you regret it?" Aghoul asked.
"I haven't had much experience with the alternative," Mozenrath replied, "but so far, I've been more than satisfied with this arrangement."
"Perhaps it was because you were lonely."
Mozenrath and Aghoul both halted, turning their heads in unison to see Ragdoll smiling up at them from a couple paces down the mountain.
"Think about it," Ragdoll went on. "Living in isolation for years, with nothing but a pet flying…thing. Even Aghoul had his wives. Your minions didn't even talk. You convinced yourself you liked it that way, when deep down, you longed for someone else to share your plans for conquest with. Someone who you could actually consider on your level."
"First of all, not likely," Mozenrath growled. "And second, I get the feeling you're just using this to mock me."
"Only because I know how much you hate the idea," Ragdoll countered. "Then again, it could just be as simple as my story. I worked alone. I loved working alone! Penguin offered me a sizeable fortune to throw my hat in with a team, and it turns out I'm a better team player than I thought. End of story. The more plausible option for you, don't you think?"
"Then why did you bring loneliness up?" Mozenrath snapped.
"To see that look on your face."
"I can still send you home."
"But do you REALLY want to?"
"You haven't done a single useful thing during this entire mission," Mozenrath pointed out.
"Haven't I?" Ragdoll countered. "Hmm. Going to have to change that."
"Just shut up." Mozenrath and Aghoul resumed walking; the others had all halted to witness the spectacle, and began the climb anew.
Atop the summit, the white-bearded man pried up the gem from the earth, running his thumb over it to clean it of the soil it had accrued. It was simply the mark of another fallen associate, he thought: the last thing she'd had to offer. The plan had apparently worked for several centuries after he'd tasked her with it, though to him, thanks to the phoenix-embossed crest that covered his chest, it had only been a matter of minutes. She was as much of a failure as the gargoyle, he thought to himself.
He straightened up, ready to pocket the large gem, when the party of eleven of the WHAM ARMY ascended to the summit and met his gaze.
"I'm sorry," he said with a smile that the others found incredibly disconcerting. "Were you looking for something?"
No one was quite sure how to answer.
"The cat has gotten all of your tongues, it seems," he went on.
"Who are YOU supposed to be?" Aghoul barked.
The man gave a slight laugh. "To you, I am merely the Archmage," he answered. "And yourselves?"
"We'll tell you who we are," Mozenrath answered, "when you tell us who you REALLY are."
"Then I suppose we'll never know," the Archmage said coyly.
"Might I ask what that is in your hand?" Aghoul inquired.
"What makes you think I'm willing to tell you anything else, if not my name?" the Archmage replied. "You don't need to know what I have. It wouldn't be of any use to you anyway."
"Can't say we didn't try," Snatcher broke in. "Obviously nothing here for the taking. Mr. Smisse, might you direct us to wherever else – "
"I don't buy it," Aghoul snapped, looking the Archmage directly in the eye. "You turning up here of all places and picking up something apparently not important off the ground."
"It would certainly be much easier for you to believe that," the Archmage stated.
Aghoul held out his hand, letting his scythe come to it. "Does this change your tune?"
"I see," the Archmage replied. "Why don't we have some fun, if that's the direction you wish to go? If you want it so badly, come take it. A useless rock from a defenseless old man. Will it really mean that much to you?"
"I don't like the way he's taunting us," Yzma stated flatly.
"Then we'll make him stop talking," Aghoul decided.
"That is NOT where I was going with that," Yzma warned.
"It's nothing personal," Aghoul said casually. "This is just how we solve all our problems." He broke into a run, swinging the scythe.
The Archmage stood stock-still until Aghoul was close enough to deal a chop toward him that might well have cleaved him in half. He pocketed the gem, flicking a hand outward. Aghoul was instantly blown backward; the rest of the WHAM ARMY scattered so as not to be bowled down like pins.
"Anyone else?" the Archmage challenged.
"Yes," Mozenrath growled. "Me."
"DON'T – " Yzma attempted.
Mozenrath sent a sizzling-hot beam of blue energy toward the Archmage. The Archmage put up a hand, absorbing the energy into his palm. His other hand went up, and a wider beam emerged from it, engulfing Mozenrath. The younger sorcerer was brought to his knees, howling in pain.
"All right, THAT'S IT!" Yzma loaded up the atlatl, cartwheeling quickly to launch a shot at the Archmage from the side. The dart was redirected in midair, careening toward Wuya. Wuya swiped the dart by the shaft, twirling it before planting the head into the ground and handspringing toward the Archmage. She came down at him from the air, feet-first, expecting to land on a deflection shield; when she did, she bounded off, planting her feet into the dirt and summoning a rush of emerald flames to engulf the spherical shield that covered the Archmage.
As the Archmage converted the shield into a cyclone of wind that pushed away the fire, he became aware of the Huntsman now descending upon him from behind, staff point aimed directly at his back. With one hand, he threw the Huntsman back; with the other, he caught and balled up a second firing from Mozenrath, launching it back in the form of a crackling electric sphere. Mozenrath ducked and ran; the sphere followed, seeking out his aura. Mim seized the sphere, ready to crunch it to nothing in her hands; surprisingly, it burned, and she dropped it with a "YEOWCH!" She kicked it like a soccer ball right back at the Archmage.
Roman, Rémington, and Snatcher trained the barrels of their guns upon the Archmage, opening full fire. However, the lightning and hot energy they propelled at him seemed to stick in midair, creating a glowing screen of missed ammunition that simply hung there as if to mock them. This screen swung around to intercept the next poison dart from Yzma, melting it into nothingness. Wuya took advantage of the open side, throwing all the magic she could; the Archmage put up a deflection wall on the other side that caught and held her blows instead of throwing them back or dissipating them. The glowing sphere Mim had kicked, he caught deftly, holding it high above his head.
The ammunition from the three gunners forged a wall on one side; Wuya's magic was stuck to the wall on the left. That created a narrow alley in which the Archmage was situated; Ragdoll rolled right down that alley from behind the Archmage, standing on both hands and wrapping his legs around the Archmage's neck to attempt to strangle him. The Archmage crashed the sphere of electricity against Ragdoll's feet, sending a shock through his entire body that forced him to go completely limp and drop to the ground.
The Archmage raised his hands, and to either side, the magic from Wuya and the ammunition from Rémington, Roman, and Snatcher rose up above him, beginning to spin in a cyclone. Mim had by this time shifted into the form of an Ursa, roaring as she charged. Aghoul stacked three skulls upon each other in his hand.
The cyclone exploded. Burning cinders rained upon Mim, slowing her. As she flinched, the Archmage sent another cyclone of wind at her to push her back. The three skulls came flying at him from behind, one by one, and were redirected to Mim, to Wuya, and to Mozenrath. Meanwhile, the fallout rained upon the trio of gunners; Rémington crouched over Grany to take the brunt of it while Snatcher and Roman backpedaled, nearly falling back over the slope of the mountain, unable to escape the falling embers that burned through their coats.
Mim, Wuya, and Mozenrath were thrown back as well by the explosions. The Huntsman had geared up to strike the Archmage again, but upon seeing Mozenrath hit the ground and not immediately get back up, he changed his mind, rushing to the young sorcerer's side and planting his staff in the ground to put a deflection sphere around the two of them.
"STOP ATTACKING HIM!" Yzma screamed. "HE'S ONLY GOING TO THROW IT BACK AT YOU!"
"I THINK WE FIGURED THAT OUT!" Roman yelled back as the rain of fire finally subsided over him.
"I DIDN'T COME ALL THE WAY UP THIS MOUNTAIN TO BE HUMILIATED!" Aghoul growled, bringing his scythe back to hand and running at the Archmage full tilt.
The Archmage responded by sending blast after blast into Aghoul's chest, causing Aghoul to fall and emit a scream none had ever heard from him before.
Mozenrath slowly peeled himself off the ground. "I'm…fine," he panted.
At the same time, Yzma rushed to help Wuya up; Wuya gladly took Yzma's arm, insisting, "I'm all right." She looked to Mozenrath, Mozenrath looked at the Huntsman, the Huntsman glanced at Yzma, and Yzma looked back to Wuya. "Get around me," Wuya growled.
The Huntsman dispelled his shield, and he and Mozenrath rushed to Wuya and Yzma. Wuya then looked over to where Rémington, Grany, Roman, and Snatcher were getting their bearings, waving them to come closer to her. Ragdoll rolled over to the group once he saw what they were doing; Mim galloped to the fringe of the crowd.
"While he's distracted by Aghoul," Wuya insisted. "Hit him with everything you've got! NOW!"
With magic blazing, weapons out, and claws shining, the ten rushed the Archmage's unguarded back.
It was as if the Archmage himself exploded. An immense burst of magic radiated out from him, and none of the eleven had time to register what was happening; one moment, all but Aghoul were charging – Aghoul trying to weather repeated blasts that threatened to tear him apart at the seams – and the next, they all lay on their backs, feeling as though a boulder had been dropped on each.
The Archmage laughed briefly. "For that display," he resolved, "I've decided to let you have what you came for. It will mean nothing to you. Then again, it hardly means anything to me." He fished the gem from his pocket, dropped it on the ground. "Until we meet again."
"Nnnnn…no," Mozenrath grunted, the first to sit up, propping himself on his elbows. "I…won't…let you." He tucked a leg beneath himself, forcing himself to stand. "I am Mozenrath, soon to be lord of all worlds, and I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH HUMILIATING ME AND MY ALLIES!" He drew back his fist for one final blow.
"Mozenrath," the Archmage repeated. "You don't give in, do you? I shall have to remember that name."
Mozenrath let the blast fly. The Archmage blinked out of presence before it could hit, letting the magic sail harmlessly into open air.
Breathing ragged, Mozenrath dropped to both knees, trying to comprehend what had just happened. While he was stunned into silence, it was Wuya who was next to stand, croaking out, "Anyone who's still alive, sound off."
There came a chorus of assertations:
"Aaaaaaaargh…"
"Think I'm good…"
"Eh, been worse."
"I HAAAATE HIM! HATE HATE HATE HATE – "
"I'm not alive. But then again, I never have been."
"Fine. Just can't see straight…wait…there we go."
"WHAT WAS THAT?"
"Doing just peachy."
"Alive, indeed."
Wuya turned her attention to Mozenrath. "And you?"
"He…he ruined us," Mozenrath muttered, eyes wide as he stared at the ground. "Like we were nothing." His voice took on a sharp edge. "He. RUINED. US. That can't HAPPEN. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"
"That is concerning," Wuya admitted. "Whatever we just fought for had better be worth it."
She strode forth, plucking the gem from the ground. Now it began to rain, drops of water spattering the gem's shining surface.
It was a heart. A heart forged of ogrine, which Wuya would later be informed was a common enough substance in the World of Twelve, oft used as currency. It glistened bright blue beneath the sparsely falling rain.
...
With Encre Noir's services unavailable, Yugo and Amalia had to charter the services of a stranger to sail them, Sora, Papyrus, Ruby, Jasmine, and Stork to Oma Island. "Promise me you'll stay offshore," Yugo made the crew swear. "It's going to get dangerous."
"We need to go in ready to fight," Ruby stated when the seven had a chance to regroup.
"How ready?" Sora asked.
"They might know as soon as we land," Stork pointed out. "Not to mention we're rushing directly into a hostile situation. So basically, as ready as we can be."
"I've got an idea," Sora announced. "Ruby, Papyrus, what if the three of us were ALREADY in a Drive when we got on shore?"
"Won't that take up a lot of your energy?" Ruby asked Sora.
"Well, yeah," Sora admitted, "but Stork's right. We need to go in like the battle's already started. We can't risk getting separated too far to pull it off."
"I AM READY!" Papyrus asserted.
"Me too!" Ruby agreed.
"As soon as we dock – " Sora began.
"OMA ISLAND, DEAD AHEAD!" the scout called out.
"Okay," Sora corrected, "I guess we're getting ready now." He put out a hand, and Ruby and Papyrus each clasped one before the trio glowed with a brilliant aura.
When Sora walked out onto the beach of Oma Island, it was with Ruby and Papyrus carried within, a short red cape trailing behind him as he walked with three Keyblades at his side. Stork, Jasmine, Amalia, and Yugo followed close behind.
From their vantage point atop the mountain in the isle's center, Hades asked, "That's it? Five? You're kidding me." He then did a double take. "Great. One of the five is THAT kid." His vision focused on Sora. "Oi. This is gonna be an annoyance."
"You know what to do," Tyrian told Qilby.
"I don't see anyone yet," Ruby stated.
"I HOPE WE'RE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ISLAND," Papyrus added.
"Does anyone else feel like we're walking into a giant trap?" Stork wondered out loud.
"What can they possibly have that we can't handle?" Sora countered.
"It's just that things are way too quiet," Stork went on. "And whenever things are too quiet, THAT'S how you know – "
One of Qilby's portals opened up on the ground next to Stork, and Tyrian came rocketing up through it, slashing outward with his wrist-blades. Stork's quick reflexes saved him from having his throat sliced; he tipped himself backward with a shriek just in time.
The portal closed, allowing Tyrian to stand on solid ground and grin madly at the party he'd engaged, drawing both wrists close to his chest in an X formation before swinging the blades outward to either side, forcing Amalia and Jasmine to backpedal in either direction. "So you decided to show up!" he declared.
"Wait!" Yugo realized. "You were the one who told me – "
"Surprise," Tyrian interrupted with a giggle. "It was all part of the plan! The plan to DESTROY ALL OF YOU before you could get too close!" He spun, aiming his blade for Jasmine.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Sora planted himself in front of Tyrian, all three of his blades intercepting Tyrian's wrist-mounted weapon. "You want a fight? Well, I'll – WHOA!"
The ground beneath Sora rose up, causing him to tip and fall down a terraformed slope where he came to rest lying on his back, looking up at a column of blue fire. The fire solidified into the shape of a familiar foe. "Long time, no see, kid," Hades greeted.
"HADES!" Sora cried.
"THIS ISN'T GOOD, IS IT?" Papyrus asked.
"You never call, you never write – it's almost like you don't care about me," Hades taunted before summoning a fireball to each hand. As he plunged the flaming attack downward, Sora leapt up, landing neatly on his feet and rounding on Hades. "Well, okay, I do have PLENTY of other nemeses," Hades went on. "Maybe I shouldn't be so SENSITIVE!" Upon the final word, orange flames erupted in long streams from both of his arms, and he spun a quick 360, attempting to catch Sora in the flame. Sora darted around the circle to avoid the fire, feeling his feet briefly leave the ground; when Hades halted, Sora did too, and he realized he had dashed in the form of a bright red beam flanked by rose petals that now fluttered to the ground.
"Kid's got some new moves," Hades remarked. "Impressive."
"That's not all we can do!" Sora raised his arms; the three Keyblades whirled around and around him like the spokes of a wheel, and bright blue bones joined them. He dashed at Hades, hoping to catch Hades in the rotation of the weaponry. However, as soon as they touched Hades, the god's form became incorporeal, only wisps of smoke that were caught up in the circular drift. Hades reappeared behind Sora, sending a hot blue blast of fire at him; the trio of Keyblades and their accompanying bones were repurposed into a shield to block the flames.
Meanwhile, Stork had tried to tackle Tyrian from behind, only for Tyrian to raise his scorpion tail threateningly and force Stork to back down. Tyrian twirled and spun, dancing toward Amalia to try and slice her skin.
"AMALIA!" Yugo reached out toward her –
And was grazed by the edge of a beam of energy produced by an Eliatrope portal.
"Hello again, Yugo," Qilby greeted as he descended in front of Yugo. "I've missed you. But you haven't missed me. I know this. You never think of me once you've imprisoned me. You just leave me to my fate, to suffer alone evermore. It's been six years for you. But it's been an ETERNITY for me."
"It's what you deserve!" Yugo spat, his sword and shield of energy materializing in his hands. "For what you do to every world you touch!"
"I put people out of their misery," Qilby stated. "You let me suffer. I think it's only fair…" Light bent itself into the shape of a great scythe in Qilby's hands; he drew it back. "That YOU DO THE SAME!" The scythe blade carved through the air.
Yugo leapt, and the blade passed harmlessly beneath him. Two more portals zapped energy toward him; he blocked each with his shield. He stabbed forward with his sword, and Qilby was gone, only to reappear behind Yugo.
This foe, Stork felt comfortable attacking without the risk of being pumped full of venom. And so he did, leaping onto Qilby from behind and causing the older Eliatrope to stumble as he attempted to pry Stork's limbs off from around him. "NOW, YUGO!" Stork urged.
Yugo charged, but Qilby was more limber, finally throwing Stork off over his head in such a way that Stork and Yugo collided, becoming a tangled mess on the ground. Qilby raised his scythe high; Yugo and Stork were only just quick enough to scatter to either side that the scythe didn't cleave them in half when it was brought down.
Amalia took the offensive against the Tyrian onslaught, bidding thick vines to erupt from the ground and attempt to entangle the madman. Tyrian cut through vine after vine, eager to get to his real target. Then again, he thought, if he just wanted Amalia dead, he would have employed the gun functions on his wrists. The outcome he had in mind was a little different.
As he cut down the next batch of vines, he was suddenly faced with Jasmine, who he had forgotten all about. Seeing an open spot in his attack pattern, Jasmine simply socked Tyrian in the face. This caused him to stagger back, wondering why it was always bare fists that were the death of him. She took advantage of his weakness, punching him again and again, while Amalia's vines snaked up around Tyrian's body and bound him, holding him several feet off the ground. He squirmed, finding there was no way to maneuver his wrist blades to sever the vines so long as his arms were pinned to his sides by the vegetation. It was as good of a time as any, he thought, to give the cue to bring the confrontation to its conclusion. And so he laughed: long and loud enough for all to hear.
"WHAT is so funny?" Amalia demanded.
"Just that you've won!" Tyrian cackled. "The Sadida princess has won." A rivulet of blood trickled from his nose briefly before his aura patched up the blow. "Of all people, the Sadida princess! That's HILARIOUS! Oh, but you don't know WHY it's hilarious, do you?"
"Stop playing games!" Amalia demanded.
"Oh, this isn't a game," Tyrian told her. 'This is very, very serious. At least, it will be once Hades, Qilby, and I DESTROY THIS WORLD. And the irony? WE'RE STARTING IN THE SADIDA KINGDOM! The very home of the girl who thinks she's just BEATEN me!"
"DESTROY THE SADIDA KINGDOM?" Yugo cried; Stork had to grasp him by the waist and whisk him away from Qilby's scythe, as he had lost bearing, distracted by the revelation.
"No," Qilby corrected, grinning toothily. "He said the world. The Sadida Kingdom is just where we're going to start."
"WHAT?" Sora yelled, grinding to a halt. "But that's impossible!"
"Not impossible!" Hades corrected, turning away from Sora for a moment; he knew Sora was too stunned to break out another attack. He raised his arms; "BADA…BOOM!"
Nox's clock rose from the ocean, water spilling out of its cracks and crannies. "Recognize THAT, Portal Boy?" Hades taunted before turning back to Sora, forming an onslaught of spikes out of the earth; Sora again became a blur of red as he sped up to outrun potential impalement.
"Nox's clock?" Yugo said in awe.
"What are you DOING with that?" Amalia demanded of Tyrian; Jasmine glared him down, fists balled up.
"It has the power to suck out all of the Wakfu in the entire world," Qilby explained, "especially if planted at the heart of the world."
"And guess who knows where that is?" Hades pointed out, snapping his fingers; fire rained on Sora from above, and Sora became a whirling cyclone of blades and bones in order to create a circular air current that would dissipate the dropping cinders.
Tyrian convulsed with laughter. "The tree!" he guffawed. "The tree in the Sadida Kingdom!"
"The tree of life…" Amalia realized.
"Qilby," Tyrian ordered, "get rid of these insects."
Qilby turned his attentions away from Yugo and Stork, snapping his fingers. Portals suddenly appeared in the ground below Jasmine and Amalia; the pair slipped through and disappeared.
"WHERE DID THEY GO?" Yugo demanded. "WHERE DID YOU SEND THEM?"
"Perhaps they're fine, simply transported to the other side of the world," Qilby stated. "Or perhaps they have been plunged into the fiery depths of a volcano, never for you to see again. Do you wish to find out?" He grinned as he turned back to Stork and Yugo.
"Youuuuuu," Stork growled. "You FREAK – "
He launched himself at Qilby and was swallowed by another portal.
"STORK!" Yugo screamed.
"And now," Qilby declared, "it is your turn."
"NO!" Yugo darted from side to side, avoiding the portals that opened up beneath him. "QILBYYYYYYY!"
His sword struck against Qilby's scythe blade again and again. Below, Hades raised both arms, and a hundred columns of fire erupted from below, forcing Sora to leap, roll, and speed his way around them. Drawing close to Hades' face, Sora swung all three blades again and again, only for Hades to disappear upon each one and reappear just a little further backward of each.
Portals shot energy beams at Yugo from all sides; the young Eliatrope hopped like the ground was hot, tumbling from foot to foot as he tried to retain his balance. The scythe carved through the air again, forcing Yugo to duck – and he kept going down, having fallen into a stray portal.
"Would you look at that?" Hades taunted Sora. "All your friends have gone bye-bye!" He suddenly grew, erupting into a thirty-foot-tall giant. Leaning down in close to Sora, his gigantic face leering at both the Keybearer and the friends held within him, he simply said, "Bye-bye."
He flicked Sora back with a finger; a portal opened up behind Sora, swallowing him whole.
Hades returned to the size most convenient for conversing with mortals before teleporting up next to Qilby; the pair walked down to Tyrian together in order for Qilby to slash through Tyrian's bonds.
"Using portals to transport that many people that far around the world takes more energy than I realized," Qilby admitted.
"Is it going to be a problem?" Tyrian asked.
"Not one bit," Qilby replied. "I was merely making conversation."
The trio looked out across the ocean, to where the great clock rested upon the surface of the waters. "So, how long do we give them?" Hades asked. "A day? An hour?"
"We will go to the tree now," Tyrian decided. "We'll be ready whenever they are."
"And knowing the Keybrat," Hades admitted, "that won't be long."
"Let's just hope Mozenrath is as quick on the uptake," Tyrian grumbled. "I could be completely ruined if it turns out he's an idiot."
The clock shuddered before walking across the water itself to meet its new masters, who clambered inside, ready to prepare for the final act.