Chihiro Hatsuki's Skylanders: Here Come the Giants!

by Tilde-Heart

The past and present collide when an ancient evil from the bowels of Skylands' history is awakened by Kaos as he attempts to restore his empire of evil! Now, Chihiro and the Skylanders must team up with the heroes of Skylands' distant past in order to bring a stop to the revival of the Arkeyan Empire! (Canon-divergent retelling of Skylanders Giants)

7. Chapter 7

Ohma flame: Yep, we're gonna have a few little detours before we hit Kaos's place! And she did, though I figured ghost pirates are pretty easy to pinpoint! Can't miss those pirate-y garbs and ghastly eyes...

GreenSwitch - FreeShadow: Yeah, the Trap Masters aren't gonna show us just yet - I'm sure they're busy doing their things right now! I actually didn't even notice that I used Dive-Clops' catchphrase until you pointed it out. Guess those brothers really do think alike, huh? And I have plans for that, but I won't say what they are quite yet! (Also, don't worry about it, I understand!)

Twinightatom892: Glad you're liking the story so far! Hopefully you enjoy the rest just as much!

And one last thing before this chapter starts - there's gonna be a bit of body horror-ish stuff in this one, just as a heads up! If you're not conformable with that, feel free to sit this one out or PM me for a summary! Now, hope you enjoy the early Halloween special!

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Drip, drip, drip… The soft melody of dripping, leaking water echoed through the dark and chilly halls of a ship's prisons, and their wooden boards creaked with every flight the ship took. The boards around reeked of drenched wood and swamp water, and everything around was so, so, dark, only lit by the faint beams of moonlight that drifted in from the holes in the ship itself. Footsteps patted here and there, and yet underneath the cover of shadows, not a single soul could be seen. Several, however, could definitely be heard, as the sound of groaning stirred from a single cell with rusted bars, and faint beams of moonlight trickled in to unveil its unlucky residents.

"Ugh, what happened?" Spyro groaned as he sat up and rubbed his waking eyes, oblivious to the scratches that covered his body. "How'd we end up in here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, lil' buddy," Gill Grunt mumbled as he popped water out of his earholes. "My head's a blur!"

"And my core processor's completely jammed!" Bouncer moaned as he tried to sit up, then winced and ducked underneath as the ceiling started to cave from his height. "I can't remember anything,"—Bouncer paused as his eyes glowed brighter and softer in time—"well, save for something about a ship…"

Ninjini pursed her lips as she finally opened her eyes, then turned her attention to Bouncer as she leaned herself against his arm, trying to push herself up, but the sight of sparkling amulet on Bouncer's chest stopped her in her tracks.

"Wait, what's with this amulet?" Ninjini asked as she gingerly lifted up the amulet with her fingertips and turned it around. "I know for a fact that you weren't wearing this before..." Ninjini's brow raised as her eyes fell to her own chest, where a similar amulet rested on her top and sparkled with just as intense a light. "And neither was I!" Ninjini turned back to the others, who all had similar amulets pinned to them. "Or any of you!"

A few eyes raised as everyone turned down to the amulets, but a soft cough from aside turned their attention towards the bars!

"Don't get yourselves in a fuss, they're just protective amulets," remarked an aged, worn voice from someone adjacent to them, someone hidden in the shadows of the dark prison corridors so that only their glinting white eyes were seen. "Can't have the prisoners getting drained of all their life force before the cap'n gets to them!"

"Wait, cap'n? Like a pirate captain?"

"No, no, ma, I don't wanna go to school," Flynn sputtered as he stumbled off of Crusher's lap and shook himself awake, then gasped and leaped back as he found himself in the cell. "Wait a second, this isn't my mom's place! And it isn't the Dread-Yacht, either!"

And just like that, all eyes glittered! The silent realization struck everyone as they lowered their heads and glazed around, in some attempt of making out whatever they could of their surroundings!

"That's right! We got ambushed by those pirates!" Stealth Elf remarked as she and Cali slid down Ninjini's arm and craned their heads around. "And by the looks of it, they won."

"Forget about the pirates!" Cali cried as she crossed her arms. "We need to find the Dread-Yacht and get out of here!" Cali winced and peered out towards the endless night sky from a small hole in the woods. "Wherever here is, anyways…"

"Just leave it to me!" Trigger Happy cried as he balled forward and whipped out his pistols. With his finger hot on the triggers, Trigger Happy released and fired out golden coins, their paths set towards the bars. "I'll bust us out and we can get the Dread-Yacht in a—"—Trigger Happy grunted as the coins bounced off the bars and slammed him right in the face—"jiffy!"

As Trigger Happy rolled backwards and right into Hot Head's leg, Bouncer knelt down and grunted.

"Regular old weapons might not get us out, but I know what can!" Bouncer cried as his wheel spun and screeched. "ALL SYSTEMS GO!"

Bouncer grunted as he slammed right into the mechanical bars that blocked them off, but rather than breaking free, the bars sent a massive electrical shock right through his systems! Sparks flew off his robotic body as he spun backwards, teeth chattering and mouth sputtering and all, then as the sparks finally ceased, a burnt and tired Bouncer groaned as he landed in Ninjini's arms. Ninjini frowned and leaned him against the wall as she ran glowing hands over his injuries and whisked them away, but the sight of those white eyes glaring her down brought her to a stop.

"There's no hope, you know," remarked that aged, worn voice once more as the eyes closed and shook. "There's no way you're getting out of here!"

"And how can you be so sure about that?" Ninjini asked as her own blank, white eyes narrowed while a small pout crossed her face.

Spyro frowned, then snapped his claws and crafted a ball of light. With a simple bounce on his end, the ball of light slipped between the cell's bars and illuminated the creaky, run-down wooden halls, to reveal that across from them was another prisoner! A thin, feline creature, probably a mabu from the looks, but it was hard to tell. They were run so ragged that their tan fur clung to their body, and patches of their moon white hair fell and scattered across the floor. Their clothes were stained and torn, and looked more like bags or blankets with the way they draped over the prisoner's skinny frame. Their blue eyes were dull and worn, and made a perfect companion to the dull, despondent frown on their face.

"There's no going back for you once you've reached the ghost pirates' hideaway." The prisoner sighed and scratched their head, and even more of their silver hair fell out. "Your ships get stowed away in the ship graveyard, and as for you yourselves…"

The prisoner shuddered and clutched their thin, shaky body, while Spyro just pursed his jaw and clasped his paws.

"What happens to the prisoners?" Was all Spyro asked as he furrowed his brows.

"If the cap'n likes you enough, she'll make you part of her crew, whether you like it or not," the prisoner explained. "And if she doesn't, well…"—The prisoner gulped and broke into a shuddering fit as their dull eyes shrank—"I can't even bear the thought!"

"We're not joining any pirate crew!" Trigger Happy insisted as he bounced up and down. He paused for a moment, then chuckled as he rubbed his chin. "Even though I would look good in the hat—"—Trigger Happy shook his body and crossed his arms, a firm pout on his face—"but that's not the point! We're busting out of this place and getting our ship back!"

"That's what the last person who had that call said before, too." The prisoner shuddered and buried themself in their coat. "And the guy before him, and the one before him and the one before that one too!"—The prisoner scoffed and turned around—"what do you think you have that they don't?"

"Well for one, we're Skylanders! We're not your ordinary dudes!"

The prisoner turned back to Trigger Happy and blinked, then burst into guffaws so loud that they were rolling on their wet, chilly stone floor! Their laughter devolved into a coughing fit as they pushed themself up, and a smirk crossed their face.

"Skylanders, you? Don't make me laugh!" The prisoner cried. "What would Skylanders be doing in a place like this?"

Spyro winced. "Well, you see," Spyro explained. "We kind of got a little…"—Spyro shot a glare back to Flynn, as did everyone else who shared a cell with Flynn at the moment—"off course."

"But, more importantly, we've gotta get our ship back!" Gill Grunt remarked as he walked up between Trigger Happy and Spyro. "We're gonna bust out of here no matter what!"

"Well, good luck with that is all I have to say!" The prisoner scoffed as they crossed their arms. "This pirate crew here is one of the meanest, the toughest in the Outlands, and anyone who opposes them gets sent to the…"—The prisoner shuddered again—"the rapids." The prisoner gulped and turned away from Spyro and Gill Grunt's prying eyes. "The rapids, they're some of the awfullest places there! The currents are high, there's guards at every angle, and their torture chambers… I can't even bear the thought! Some say you can even hear the prisoners' screams in the distance."

The prisoner sighed and turned around.

"I wonder if that mermaid girl who they tossed down there is alright. Rita, I think her name was?"

Spyro and Trigger Happy both craned their heads, but Gill Grunt gasped and dropped his jaw.

"Wait, correct me if I'm wrong," Gill Grunt asked as he lowered his hands. "But did you just say that there was a mermaid named Rita here before, and she got taken to those rapids?"

The prisoner turned around and slowly, hesitantly nodded… Then gasped and scrambled backwards as Gill Grunt latched onto the cell's bars!

"Just where are these rapids?!" Gill Grunt demanded! He snarled as he squeezed the bars harder, then another electric jolt surged through him and he was sent reeling, gasping for air as he crashed back on the floor!

Spyro gasped and immediately went to Gill Grunt's side, but Gill Grunt just pushed himself up. His teeth gritted while the static crackled and popped from his wet scales, and he could barely keep his eyes open, but he still forced himself to stand and glare down the prisoner.

"What's got you in such a fuss, son?" The prisoner asked. "This Rita girl—"

"She's my girlfriend!" Gill Grunt spat, his voice hoarse from the pain but still with fighting spirit. "If, if she's here, then I, I… I have to find her!"

Another jolt of lightning surged through Gill Grunt's body, and he cried out in pain once more as he collapsed to the floor! The lightning's surge dimmed enough that Spyro and Trigger Happy could prop him up enough for Spyro to heal him, but while Spyro cast a healing paw and dismissed the static from Gill Grunt's body, Gill Grunt just snarled and wrangled in Spyro's grasp. He was just itching to escape as he struggled away, so unlike the cool and collected person he usually was. No, a fire had been lit in his eyes, and he was raring to go!

And yet, in spite of his eagerness, the prisoner didn't seem encouraged. Instead, they seemed more somber as they dove deeper into their baggy clothes and turned away.

"… The rapids' gates are on the upper decks," The prisoner warned as they popped their collar. "But be warned, it's heavily guarded, and from what I hear, locked off by an Elemental Gate as well."

Gill Grunt's eyes fluttered, and his temper ceded as he clasped his hands. The prisoner shied away from Gill Grunt's view, but Gill Grunt just nodded.

"Thank you."

"And what about this ship graveyard?" Flynn asked as he pushed past Gill Grunt and Spyro. "We kind of need to get our ship back, too!"

"That's just ahead of the docks," the prisoner explained. "If you can get past the guards, then go—"

"ALRIGHT, TIME'S UP!"

A deep, booming voice rattled the floorboards and shattered the few windows around, while ahead of the halls, white light poured in as someone slammed the door open! In from the open doors came several ghastly pirates clad in tattered coats and hole-filled hats, all helmed by one pirate dressed in some amalgamate of a mage's getup and pirate clothing, a look only accented by his long, bushy beard and a twinkle of silver that shone from his neck.

The prisoner let out a sharp gasp, then curled up in their tattered clothes and shuddered as the pirates strolled from cell to cell, block to block, their blank, glowing eyes alert and ready.

"Please don't be me, please don't be me…" The prisoner whimpered as the pirates strolled closer to the cells.

Beside them, everyone tensed as their eyes fell on the oncoming pirates, then, Ninjini dove into her bottle in a flash of purple smog! Bouncer gasped and clasped the bottle just before it could hit the ground, then lifted it up and frowned.

"Timah, what's wrong?" Bouncer whispered as he held the bottle close.

"I've got a plan," Ninjini whispered while her bottle shook in tandem. "Just trust me!"

The pirates came to a stop at the space between the Skylanders' prison and the prisoner's own, and their eyes glowed a bit brighter as they fixed on the shuddering prisoner. The prisoner gasped as they peered up for a sole second and dove back into their clothing, then they completely froze as their cells doors opened!

"Haul 'em in, boys!" The pirate helming the team cried, "the cap'n needs some new blood!"

The prisoner gasped again, and their already quite pale face turned sheet white as the pirates strolled out like zombies and grabbed onto them! The prisoner screamed and squirmed as the pirates latched onto them and pulled them out, but despite their protests they were unable to escape—the pirates' grip was held tight, in spite of the blank looks they held as they presented the pirate to their head!

"No, no, no!" The prisoner screamed at the top of their hoarse, terrified voice. "No, please, let me go! I'll do anything, just let me go! I don't want to go like this!"

The pirate head frowned, then yanked out his cutlass and twirled it around. "Well, there is one thing ye can do…" He said as he leaned forward and grinned.

The terrified prisoner rapidly nodded, the sweat trailing fast down their gawking face.

"DIE!" The pirate grinned as he cast his cutlass to the ceiling. "Take 'em away!"

"NO, NO, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The prisoner's screams echoed down the halls as the pirates dragged them further and further down the halls, while the head pirate himself turned over to the Skylanders' cells! Flynn gasped and trembled, yet forced a smile as eyes fell on him, but everyone else just snarled as they glared down the pirate head. And yet, the pirate head hardly seemed concerned, for he just smirked.

"My, my, ye all seem quite lively! I'm sure me cap'n will be pleased with…" The captain trailed off as his eyes fell on Ninjini's bottle, and they immediately sparkled. "That bottle!" The pirate gasped, then shook his head and hastily slammed the cell open. "The cap'n will wanna see it immediately!"

The pirate bolted forward and latched onto the bottle, but as he pulled on it, Bouncer just snarled and pulled it back! The two of them shot nasty glared on each other while Ninjini's bottle became the rope in their game of tug-o-war, and neither party was willing to forfeit!

"I'm not giving this up!" Bouncer cried.

"Then I'll just make ye!" The pirate cried as he drew his cutlass and stabbed it right into Bouncer's side!

His eyes sparkled, and all of a sudden, Bouncer's circuits were completely fried! Lightning glowed from his shiny, metallic body while sparks popped off and showered around, and in that moment his grip slipped and the pirate yanked away Ninjini's bottle! Bouncer groaned and fell to the floor, his body singed and popping off lightning still, but the pirate just grinned and swung around.

"The cap'n will be very pleased to see this!" The pirate chuckled as they ran down the halls.

The cell's bars shot back up immediately, and the pirate's cackles were the next sound to echo through the halls as the pirate disappeared! The darkness seeped in once more as the door slammed shut, and within the cell itself, Bouncer only groaned as Crusher and Hot Head helped him up. Bouncer winced and slid down while the others dodged the sparks that rained down from his chattering teeth…

When the sound of crashing came from across the way! Though it seemed far-away, it was hardly muffled, and joined by a cacophony of screaming, smashing, whooshing and summoning weapons—just what could it have been? All eyes turned to the bars as the sound finally dulled, then, the door slammed open and purple smoke flew into the halls!
Ninjini chuckled as she flew over, then held up a keyring to the others and jangled it around!

"That's my lady!" Bouncer chuckled as he made a fingergun towards Ninjini and winked.

Ninjini chuckled and finger-gunned right back, then with a simple click, the cell bars opened and everyone bolted back out! The purple smoke Ninjini left behind acted as their cover, so they huddled together and grunted.

"Alright, here's the plan," Ninjini whispered as she cast a glance towards the open door. "Flynn, Cali, Hot Head, Crusher, Bouncer and I will head to that ship graveyard and try to find our ship,"—Ninjini turned her glance back to Spyro and Gill Grunt—"the rest of you, go to those rapids and see if you can find this Rita person. We'll meet up once the Dread-Yacht is retrieved."

Ninjini broke out from the huddle, and with a snap of her fingers, everyone around her glowed with a bright purple lights! Their wounds sealed up as if they never existed, while their scuffed clothes patched themselves up all shiny and new! Grins came from all around and they stretched and flexed, and Ninjini herself couldn't help by smile as well.

"Good luck, everyone!" Ninjini cried as she dashed off with the rest of her team hot on her heels!

Spyro and Gill Grunt turned to each other and nodded, then all four of them dashed right after them, the creaky, damp and cold atmosphere of the prison no longer a damper on their mood.

"Don't worry, Rita," Gill Grunt whispered as they dashed out the door under the smoke's cover, "I'm coming!"

§

Ninjini winced and ducked underneath the shield of a particularly large building on the ship as she, Hot Head, Crusher, Bouncer, Flynn and Cali crept across the upper deck. The smoke was a decent enough cover, enough that it kept the pirates from noticing their grand escape… But now, they had run into a bigger problem, pun not intended.

"We're too big!" Hot Head cried as he flailed his arms in the air. A snarling Crusher shushed him, and he frowned as he lowered his hands. "I mean,"—Hot Head cleared his throat and lowered his voice to a whisper—"we're too big!"

"Hate to say it, Hot Head, but I think you're right," Crusher whispered back as he ducked behind a post that he was a few sizes too large for, as it only barely covered him!

Crusher winced as the sound of pirates screeching like monkeys sounded behind him, then he collapsed into a pile of rubble and rolled behind a collection of barrels beside a particularly large building on the ship itself! Pebbles popped from his forehead as the pirates' shrieks continued, but then, the shrieks devolved to mumbles and they walked off, much to Crusher's relief! He breathed a sigh of relief as the patter of footsteps sounded in the distance, then he reformed and crouched down behind the building's shade.

"We stick out like sore thumbs here, man!" Bouncer scoffed as he wheeled over and sat beside Crusher. "If we're gonna find our ship and get outta here, we're gonna have to find a better way to do this!"—Bouncer clenched his teeth as he shot a glance towards the open decks—"—because it seems like this ship wasn't made with people our sizes in mind!"

Bouncer craned his head back, then a shrill screech turned it back around! He gasped as a ghastly monkey in pirate getup screeched and pointed towards him, then its eyes started to glow and it completely froze! Bouncer gasped, and from his eyes, bright red lasers burst out and zapped the pirate! It screeched and howled as the lasers surged through its body, then the very tired pirate collapsed on the ground as smoke flew from its body.

Bouncer just sighed and wiped oil from his face. "Close one."

"You all make a good point," Cali remarked as she leaned against one of the barrels and tugged on her gloves. "With your size, it won't be long before we're spotted. We'll have to find another way of doing this… But what?"

The six of them all frowned and hummed as they knelt down, then finally Flynn grinned and lifted a hand.

"Actually, I've got an idea!" Flynn remarked. He fixed his cap with a grin, then puffed his chest out—which would have probably looked cooler if he wasn't in pajamas still. Flynn grinned and wandered over to Cali, then laid a hand on her shoulder. "Cali and I will scout ahead and find the Dread-Yacht while the rest of you keep these pirates occupied! Then, we'll bring the Dread-Yacht back in and lay the BOOM on them!"

Cali blinked, then frowned and tapped her chin. "Actually, that doesn't sound that bad an idea!"

"I agree!" Ninjini said with a nod before she turned to Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head. As they all nodded in agreement with her, she turned back to Flynn and Cali. "Just wait for our signal, alright?"

Flynn grinned and saluted Ninjini. "Righty-o, genie lady! We'll just wait right here!"

Ninjini nodded. With an urge of her hand, Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head followed her around the corner, and with a snap of her fingers they all turned invisible! Their bodies eschewed from view, they poked around the corner and frowned as their eyes fell on the crew, who just shuffled and groaned as they trudged upon in the deck in a harmonious monotony, almost like zombies. They mindlessly mopped the same clean spot on the deck over and over, opened and closed the same barrel, stared at the skies…

"Keep working, you buffoons!" Cried a deep, booming voice as an elven pirate with glowing eyes stormed over and waved a cutlass in the air. "This place needs to be ship-shape before you go on your next raid!"

The other pirates all screamed and jumped in the air, frantic grunts heard all around, then they scrambled and raced off to clean! But while they mopped and dusted and organized, the elf pirate just scoffed and turned away.

"It's so hard to find good help nowadays," the elf pirate grunted, then, the light in its eyes faded and it fell slack! It grunted as it shuffled away…

But behind them, Ninjini frowned. "Not the brightest stars in the sky, are they?" Ninjini remarked as she clutched the side of the building. "Luckily, I've got just the thing to deal with them!"

"Throwing a rock?" Crusher asked.

"Making a weird noise?" Bouncer suggested.

"Blowing the entire ship up?" Hot Head guessed.

Crusher and Bouncer both shot surprised glances down at Hot Head, and Hot Head in turn only shrugged.

"Hey, it was worth a guess!"

"You're close, but not quite," Ninjini chuckled as she turned back to the other three, her eyes sparkling. "Do any of you want to take a crack at doing illusions, by perchance?"

"Illusions, like illusion magic?" Bouncer asked before he shook his head. "There's no way I could pull something like that off! I can't even do a card trick!"

"Me neither," Crusher remarked as he swung his hammer over his shoulder. "Fancy magic just isn't my thing."

"I only know how to set things on fire," Hot Head remarked with a shrug.

Ninjini, however, just tsked and wagged her finger. A sparkle shone in her eyes as she lowered her hands, then she chuckled and placed it behind her back.

"Ah, don't be silly! You don't need magic to trick the eyes!" Ninjini remarked as she flew off. "In fact, I'll show you! Hot Head, come follow me!"

Hot Head shrugged as he turned back to Bouncer and Crusher, who shrugged back in return, but nonetheless he trailed after Ninjini as she hid behind a pyramid stack of barrels. The two of them knelt down and peered to the side, where a couple of ghost pirates sat down and spoke among each other in grunts and squeaks and other odd noises. And with the invisibility spell, Hot Head and Ninjini were completely unnoticed to the pirates! The perfect chance!

"Hot Head, can you send some smoke out?" Ninjini asked.

Hot Head frowned and jiggled his hands. "I'll try…"

With one last jiggle and a few pounds, thick gray smoke burst out in puffs from the hearts of Hot Head's palms, and it intermingled with the mist that surrounded the area—but, its harsh and fiery scent wasn't quick to relent! The scent trailed through the deck while the smoky mist coated the area in a fine cloudy smog, one where barely anything could be made out from down below!

The pirates that littered the deck all screamed and ran in circles as the smoke took over… And the pirates that once talked among each other? They took one whiff of the smoke, grunted and screamed as they bolted off! Though their grunts were most unintelligible, between the screams and shouts, vague cries of "Fire" and "Help" could be made out!

Ninjini chuckled, then yanked her bottle off her back and shook it up like it was full of soda! She popped the cap off, and a trio of sparkling pink bottle rockets soared across the skies like comets in the night. Ninjini corked her bottle back up as they disappeared, while her eyes narrowed as she cast them across the fog… And between thick, rumbling clouds of smoke, the vague figures of Flynn and Cali could be made out as they dashed across the deck!

"So far, so good!" Ninjini cried as she slung her bottle back onto her back and turned behind. "Crusher, stomp your feet as hard as you can and hit everything around with your hammer!"

"Like this?" Crusher asked. He pounded his feet and sent rumbles and quakes through the floorboards, then he slammed his hammer into a metal building and dented it in!

The pirates all screamed as the thunderous noise of giant footsteps and creaking metal rang across the battlefield, but with the whole deck covered in smoke, they could barely make out a thing! All they did was scream as more footsteps sounded, barrels smashed into nothingness and structures dented and caved right before their eyes with no pressure at all! They all screamed in tandem as the barrel pyramid toppled over and smashed right before their eyes, its groggy liquid fallen over the floor in a massive puddle… Then, they all completely froze while their eyes glowed!

"WHAT IN THE ANCIENTS' NAME IS GOING ON HERE!?" Cried that booming voice from before!

All at once, the pirates drew their weapons and snarled, while an aura of intimidation they lacked prior started to flare. Ninjini just chuckled, then teleported behind the pirates and wiggled her fingers! Down below, the swords and knives and blunderbusses they held all flew out of their hands and right over the deck! The pirates screeched as one as their weapons fell out of reach… Then thanks to a nice little POP from Ninjini's bottle, all the pirates screamed and whatever kept hold of them broke! Now mindless zombies once more, the pirates screamed and fled off in a panic, their forms gathered together so tightly they'd have practically merged together if they came any closer! The smoke flew off and cleared behind them as they ran, and what it left behind was none other than Bouncer, Ninjini, Hot Head and Crusher, who were completely visible and smug!

Well, most of them were. As the last of the pirates stumbled over their own feet and sat back up, Bouncer just frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"Something wrong, dear?" Ninjini remarked as she turned to Bouncer.

"Yeah, actually," Bouncer whispered as he pointed towards the pirates right as they finally got back on their feet and ran off. "Those pirates, they're all wearing bottles just like yours!"

Ninjini raised a brow, then turned a more attentive gaze towards the pirates as well. Bouncer did have a point. Strapped to their backs were bottles much like Ninjini's in shape, their only difference being that they were a translucent white and glowed with ghastly energy…

"But how?" Ninjini gasped. She frowned, then pulled her own bottle off of her back and looked it over. "This bottle was specially-made for me by the one who trapped me in it all those years ago…"—Ninjini ran her hands over the bottle's smooth surface and clutched its base tight—"but surely, that person would be dead and in the afterlife by now!"

Ninjini slung the bottle onto her back once more, then snarled and summoned a wishblade. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Screeched someone in the distance!

Ninjini gasped, and as she turned to Bouncer, she cast another invisibility spell and dashed across the deck! The air turned eerier and mistier the further they went, and the strange feelings that surrounded it only grew more intense—not helped by how barren that part of the deck was. There were no decorations, no barrels and crates or structures, and definitely no pirates! Why was it so clean?

Another shriek pierced the air, and Ninjini slid behind a rare crate pile and peered over—for she had gotten her answer! There, several ghostly pirates kept trembling prisoners wrapped in rags, while one of those prisoners, a shuddering ice ogre, was prodded forward by two pirates' cutlasses. The ice ogre's teeth chattered, but in spite of this it still glared down the elven pirate before it.

"I, I'm telling you! You're making a big mistake!" The cyclops cried as it stomped its feet. "Once the Great Evil Ice Lord finds out about what you did to me and my crew—"

"SILENCE!" Cried the elven pirate!

As their cries echoed out, their whole body glowed—not just their eyes, but a strange red and purple glow pulsed from their body, an aura of strength like nothing else! And the sight of it was nothing short of unnerving to Ninjini, who backed off a bit and gasped.

"That power," Ninjini whispered. "It's far too strong to be natural!"

The ice ogre screamed and struggled as the other pirates tied it up, while the elven pirate just closed its eyes and chanted an eerie, arcane chant as its hands were flung to the skies! A bright red orb of light formed between the palms, then the light orb leaped out and seeped right into the struggling ice ogre! The ice ogre screamed in pain as harsh red light beamed out from its eye and mouth, all while it struggled and shuddered as red lightning crackled around its dulling body. Then, the light faded and it slipped out of its chains, its body now silent and still. Its eye closed shut as its skin turned a dull, chilly gray, and its body shriveled and wrinkled up like a corpse! Above it, the red light it had expelled from its body swirled and spiraled as it formed into a screaming ice ogre face!

However, the elf paid no mind. With a snap of its fingers, the screaming head was whisked off into the distance, never to be seen again!

Ninjini gasped, then hastily covered her mouth as her eyes fell on the cold, lifeless ice ogre. She had seen plenty of deaths in her time as an Elder Elemental, but such a gruesome display of magic, such a ruthless ritual! Using the gift of magic for something so cruel just shook her to the bone! But, more worrisome, that essence she had felt... On top of its strength, its energy signature seemed awfully familiar too, a ghost of someone she couldn't quite name.

The elf captain smirked and wiped off its hands, then beside it a ghostly greeble handed off another one of those bottles towards the captain, one akin to the bottles strapped on every crewmate's back. The captain smirked as it uncorked the bottle, then stepped back as the bright spark within leaped out! The spark jolted left and right as if it was looking for something, and in turn the captain merely pointed towards the dead ice ogre!

The spark leaped right into the ice ogre's mouth, and in response its hands started to twitch. Then, its eye turned blank and bright with white light as it let out a shrill, ear-bleeding screech! It rolled back and forth as it screamed and clawed at its face, as if it was fighting an invisible enemy, then a burst of rainbow light shot from its face as its once-gray body turned a ghastly green and translucent. Its fits and fuss came to a stop as it sat up, and that same eerie glow of power that surrounded the elf pirate now surrounded the ice ogre as it grinned!

"Welcome to the crew, mate!" The two cried in tandem, in the same voice as they shook hands… But in that moment, the voice's filter dropped and it took on a different tone, a cold, sultry voice that Ninjini knew all too well!

She gasped, then snarled and leaped out from the crates she hid behind! They all fell and cracked against the floor as she drew her wishblades, and her invisibility spell dropped in that very moment! Her grip was tight and her face hot with rage as she turned her blades on the pirates, who in turn drew their weapons and screamed while their prisoners fled, their glows fading away instantaneously.

"SOLAVITA!" Ninjini cried, her voice cracked and ripe with rage, "EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT YOU ARE DOING THIS INSTANT!"

§

Spyro's footsteps pattered against the wooden deck below him, their sound almost completely muffled by the raging wind and rain around him. The lower decks of the ship had been left behind by him and his team long ago, and the upper decks with their polished wooden boards and shiny metal detailing had taken their place. But, the sheer amount of guards didn't change from below! In fact, Spyro was fairly certain it had gotten even more numerous than before! Or, maybe they just seemed more intimidating, what with the massive, bulkier pirates that lurked around the deck, their chains and weapons dragged behind them like toys as they groaned and hulked over. One of them passed right behind Spyro and the others, and the four of them all gasped and dove behind some crates right as the pirate did a double-take!

The four of them snarled and readied themselves to fight as a shadow cast over them… But then, the roaring sound of footsteps pounding across the deck turned the pirate lurched over them away! Loud shouts and grunts came from the crowd of pirates that fled to the lower decks, and the pirate that stalked Spyro, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf joined them in the ruckus as they drew up a hand cannon and made a beeline for the stairs below!

Spyro wiped his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief as he popped his head over the crates, while beside him Stealth Elf popped up and sighed.

"So, do you think we're going the right way?" Stealth Elf remarked as she narrowed her eyes and glazed over the emptied decks. "'Cause I'm not seeing any Elemental Gates here."

"Patience, my dear elf!" Trigger Happy remarked as he whipped out a solid gold deerstalker cap and pipe. Bubbles flew from the pipe as Trigger Happy blew into it, then he smirked and held it aside as he donned the cap. "We've only just begun our hunt! Oh, how I do love the smell of a good hunt…"

Stealth Elf quirked an eyebrow. "Where did you even get that?"

"Trig does have a point though," Gill Grunt remarked as he drew out from behind the crates and adjusted his water pack. "The thing should be around here somewhere—I'm sure of it."

Stealth Elf seemed like she was about to protest, but Gill Grunt started up his jetpack and flew off before she could… But not before he shot a harpoon right through one of the ship's sails and tore it to shreds. Stealth Elf sighed, then drew out from the crates and buried her hands in her pockets.

"Guess we're following Gill then," Spyro remarked as he flew up and right past Stealth Elf.

Trigger Happy giggled and hopped after Spyro as he stowed his cap and pipe in the back of his fur, while Stealth Elf just sighed and trailed up to Spyro's side.

"How are we even certain we have the right place?" Stealth Elf asked. She turned her head down and kicked a piece of splintered wood away, then casually ducked aside as a blast of water blew a dummy shaped like a pirate into her former spot. "All we're going on is that prisoner's word, and for all we know, they could've been lying through their teeth, or even just plain wrong! After all, they seemed like they were locked up there awhile…"

Stealth Elf teleported away as another barrel's splintered remains washed over her old path in a wave, then she scoffed as she cast a glare at Gill Grunt—not that Gill Grunt cared, as he was too busy muttering under his breath and blasting away barrels with his water cannons.

"And our leader here seems a bit trigger happy."

"But that's Gill Grunt!" Trigger Happy cried as he pointed to himself. "Trigger Happy's me, and I'm right here!"

Stealth Elf scoffed again and rolled her eyes. "Not what I meant."

Spyro sighed and clasped his front paws, then he dropped back down to the deck and folded his wings in.

"I can't blame Gill for being worked up, though," Spyro remarked, and his frown tensed further as he watched Gill Grunt. "He's been looking for Rita ever since those pirates took her away, and hearing she's in a place like that… He must be worried sick about her."

Spyro winced as Gill Grunt smashed another barrel, then winced again—but not from Gill Grunt's strange rampage! No, a burst of chilly wind slammed into him and sends chills down his spine! Beside him, Stealth Elf shuddered and held her arms, while Trigger Happy's fur stood on end before he frantically patted it down. Autumn chills, perhaps? Spyro frowned, but a soft sky blue glow garnered his attention! He lifted his head towards the path before them, then grinned. There just ahead was an Air Element Gate. So they were on the right path after all!

"Looks like this is the place!" Spyro shouted!

With one flap of his wings, Spyro flew over to the gate while his eyes shifted to a cool sky blue. He reached his paw out as gentle winds swirled around it… Then his eyes narrowed and he whipped around! Behind him, a tiny greeble pirate just tilted its head and glazed him down, until a burst of wind that came from a flap of his wings blew it off its feet! With the greeble taken care of, Spyro placed his paw on the gate and grinned as it unfurled before his eyes!

Stealth Elf, Trigger Happy and Gill Grunt all hopped up beside him as the gate sank back into the ground, and the four of them nodded as they stepped inside. The gate closed back up behind them, while they took one step forward and landed straight on a warp. Light swirled around them as the world shrieked, and in a flash they were whisked away!

As the light faded away around them, they all gasped and craned their heads around—after all, the world around was absolutely beautiful! The skies were a crystal clear blue with hardly a cloud in sight, the islands around were lush and full of grass and flowers, and even the waterfalls that poured over the islands' sides were crystal clear and shiny, so bright a blue they practically blended in with the skies! The smell of fresh flowers and cool air wafted over gentle breezes that kissed the face, and everything around was so peaceful, from the way the grass danced in the wind to the clouds float across the sky's oceans…

"It's beautiful," Spyro gasped as he took a step forward.

"I'd hardly call a place like this a prison," Stealth Elf remarked as she crossed her arms and gave an approving nod.

Gill Grunt, however, wasn't quite as accepting. He cocked his harpoon gun as he stepped forward, and his brows tensed as he glared down a butterfly that flew past him.

"There's probably some kind of trick to this," Gill Grunt reasoned. "Be on guard."

Spyro frowned as he glanced at Gill Grunt, but Gill Grunt just fixed his eyes on the archipelago ahead.

"It doesn't look like there's any way to get around… Besides flying, there is." Gill Grunt smirked, then adjusted the straps of his jetpack. "Good thing I've got a jetpack!"

Gill Grunt leaped in the air, and behind him his water jetpack rumbled and shot out pumps of scalding hot water! He grinned and cheered as he zipped forward. But, just as he hit the skies, he completely stopped in midair! Gill Grunt frowned, then lowered his head and jiggled his jetpack's straps.

"What's going on with this thing?!" Gill Grunt snarled as he fussed with the straps some more, then, his eyes fell to the skies below. "Wait a second… I forgot!" Gill Grunt blinked, then his snarl turned to a wince as the water started to peter out. "Without any ground to fly off of, I can't FLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Spyro gasped as Gill Grunt fell into the depths below, then immediately leaped off the side of the island and raced into action! The wind snapped at his face as he plunged into the cloudy depths after Gill Grunt, but with a few flaps of his wings and a shift in eye color to sky blue, he was off like a rocket! White streaks like a comet enveloped him as he burst through the clouds and latched on tight to Gill Grunt, then he came to a sharp stop and hovered in place.

"Close one, Gill!" Spyro remarked as a cloud manifested underneath his paws. The two of them dropped down, and Spyro grinned as the cloud floated back up. "But in places like these, just leave the flying to me."

The cloud split in half, one for each party as the two of them floated up to greet Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf, while between them all two more clouds formed! Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf both hopped on the newborn clouds, and the four of them zipped across the skies, the sound of birdsong their soundtrack as they glazed over the islands. Not that there was anything remarkable—just the same stretches of islands and waterfalls and clouds wherever they went.

"Doesn't look like there's any prisons or anything here," Spyro remarked as he shielded his eyes with his paw, then turned back to the others. "Keep looking, we're bound to find it somewhere!"

"Find what?" Asked a chilly voice from behind!

Spyro's eyes popped open, and he turned around as a cold cackle came from behind him! There before him laid a ghastly man dressed in some mixture of mage and pirate clothes, all covered in spiral markings that brought to mind the Air Element's emblem and cloudy patterns. The man's icy blue eyes were as cold as bitter winter winds, and the sharp, sly smile he held on his face only exemplified it!

"You must be jailbreakers!" The mage pirate cackled as he held out his glowing sleeves. "But you're not getting away on my watch! I've already had my perfect record broken once, and I'm not letting it happen again!"

The mage cackled as bursts of wind shot from his palms and headed straight for Spyro and Trigger Happy, but the two of them swept away just before the blasts could land! As the blasts slammed into the side of an island and exploded, Spyro snarled and leaned down while his cloud zipped off with a racecar's speed! His eyes flashed red as he shot a fireball right for the mage… But the mage just cast a blast of wind with a simple swipe of his hands and blew the fireballs to embers!

Spyro cried out and stumbled backwards as the winds hit him, then as he sat upright and came to, Trigger Happy and Gill Grunt zipped right past him with such speed that he was sent spinning again!

"No gold, no glory!" Trigger Happy cried as he whipped out his golden pistols and clutched the triggers. "Bang bang bang!"

"Fins of fury!" Gill Grunt cried as he shot a trio of spiraling harpoons right for the mage!

A swarm of golden coins burst from Trigger Happy's pistols and shielded the harpoons as they all came right for the mage, who gulped as they came in! The mage's eyes shrank, and for a moment he seemed genuinely scared… But then, he just smirked and blew the storm aside with another burst of wind! The harpoons and coins flew off to the side inside, and they nearly blasted Stealth Elf off her seat as she flew across! Luckily, she had dove underneath just in time, and in that moment she thrust out her palms and shot a burst of green spores towards the mage! Just as the spores went to hit, though, the mage turned around and blew them away with another gust of wind! Stealth Elf dodged out of the way and grunted as the spores disappeared, then gasped and dug her hands and knees into the cloud itself as a mighty gust spiraled around!

Everyone screamed as the winds swirled around and took them with it, all tossed around in the tornado while their clouds disappeared into thin puffs of smoke, then finally the winds stopped and they breathed sighs of relief. That is, until they all looked down and realized their rides were gone! Once again they screamed as they plummeted into the depths. But just before they could fall to their doom, Spyro snapped his claws and his eyes flashed purple! Magical purple wings appeared on Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf's backs, and all four of them flew up and glared down the cackling mage.

"Looks like we're gonna have to try something different!" Spyro cried as his eyes turned to sky blue!

Spyro took a deep breath in, then exhaled and shot out a massive, funneling tornado! He blew backwards as the tornado's winds raged straight for the mage, whose eyes popped open as the sound of screeching winds hit his ears, then he gasped and shot back a tornado of his own! The tornadoes pressed and pushed against each other as their winds grew stronger and stronger, so strong that the grass around them was cut clean in half and everyone else was nearly tossed aside… Then finally, the two tornadoes burst into one last, chilly gust of wind and vanished! Spyro and the mage both panted and lurched over, then Spyro lifted himself up and flapped his wings with all his might! The gusts of wind that burst from his wings hurtled towards the mage, who in turn just shot off wind blasts of his own! Each blast slammed into each other and exploded with only faint shockwaves left remaining—they were perfectly matched, and nothing they did would work!

As Spyro's last blast was completely nullified, Spyro drew back and bit his lip. "Maybe I should call on some good old firepower instead!" Spyro cried as his eyes flashed red. He chuckled, and flames burst from his muzzle and he yanked it wide open. "Hope you're ready for some SPYROMANIA!"

Right as Spyro finished his cry, a bright burst of orange flames shot out from his mouth and slammed right through the mage! The mage squealed in pain as the flames seared a hole right through his chest, then looked down and gulped as he lifted his head up.

"Oh no," was all he said as he burst into winds with a scream.

Spyro gasped as the mage disappeared, then lowered his paws.

"Okay, maybe that was a little too much firepower," Spyro winced as he turned around. "Either way, that guy should be gone now—let's get going before we get any more unexpected visits."

Spyro glided forward…

"Oh ho ho, but the party's far from over!"

Then he stopped in his tracks as a chorus of cackles ruminated around the skies! He turned back around to where the piles of winds that the air mage pirate had left behind laid, except they had formed into a ball of pure wind and split! An entire ring of these windy orbs formed and stuck in place, before a bright azure glow came from them and formed a vaguely humanoid shape, then the lights burst and from them came identical clones of that same mage!

Spyro gasped and flew back, and in that moment, a massive burst of wind knocked him backwards and sent him tumbling into Gill Grunt! The two of them wheezed as they crashed into each other and gathered their bearings, while around them the cackling only grew louder and louder! The winds turned bitter and chilly as the mages all flickered and burst into blue… Then, they divided even further! There were so many of them now that it could make one's head spin, and worse yet, they had Spyro, Gill Grunt, Stealth Elf and Trigger Happy completely surrounded!

"We're not giving up until we get you jailbreakers corralled back in!" The mages all cried at once!

"We're outnumbered!" Stealth Elf cried as she flitted backwards.

Spyro, in return, grunted and flew out of Gill Grunt's grip.

"In that case, there's only one thing we can do!" Spyro cried as he turned tail and zipped off. "RUN!"

Stealth Elf, Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy all zipped off after Spyro, but the mages cackled and zipped after the four, all while they shot off bursts of wind and blasts of solid breezes! The four of them were quick to swerve and dodge, but with so many shooting at them, it wasn't exactly easy! Every blast was dodged by just a hair's breath, every blast was filled by two more, and they were all so tightly packed in that they could barely move! Elbows jabbed against each other as bursts of wind soared narrowly over their heads and screeched along with their minute cries of pain, cold wings nipped at exposed skin, fur and scales, and the cackling only grew louder and closer with every moment they dodged!

"Alright, this has gone on long enough!" Gill Grunt cried as he turned around and cocked his harpoon cannon. "EAT HARPOON!"

A trio of harpoons shot from Gill Grunt's cannon, and with the extra wind, they had gained so much speed that they slammed right into a trio of mages and blew them into thin air without even stopping! The other mages gasped as the last traces of their fallen brethren vanished, but they wouldn't be alone for long. Bursts of flames and shiny gold coins shot forward, and even more of the mages' rank fell to their wrath!

Trigger Happy and Spyro grinned and high-fived each other, then Trigger Happy screamed as an azure blur slammed into him and rammed him into the side of an island!

"Ugh…" Trigger Happy groaned as his eyes spun around within his head. He popped off and straightened out his crooked wings with a few flaps, while his ears pricked up as something beeped behind him. "What was that?"

Trigger Happy turned around as a fan emerged from the side of the island and mused it over as he rubbed his chin… Then he screamed and tumbled off as the fan spun and sent off a massive gust of wind! Luckily, Spyro had flown over and caught Trigger Happy in the nick of time, but that didn't make Trigger Happy any less dizzier. While Trigger Happy groaned and sat in Spyro's arms, Spyro teleported out of the wind stream and turned back to its path with a grin—for the wind had blown away the other mages as well! Only the original was left, and judging by the way he held his arms in front of his face, it seemed as though he was barely hanging on!

"Alright, he's distracted!" Spyro cried as he zipped off. "Let's get going!"

Gill Grunt and Stealth Elf nodded and flew back after the Spyro, the mage long forgotten in their minds… But just then, another powerful gust blew from behind and dragged them back! They all screamed as they tumbled backwards and clung to the side of a nearby island, but even that wouldn't last. Though their hands were dug tight into the island's top, the wind was so powerful that it pulled them backwards and drug their hands through the earth.

"What's going on?!" Gill Grunt cried as he tried to pull himself onto the island, then slid back down.

Stealth Elf turned her head around and winced. "I'll tell you what's going on!" She cried, her normally-quiet voice strained as she tried to shout over the gust's roars. "Looks like that mage isn't quite done with us yet!"

Behind them, the mage they had abandoned sucked in the gust like it was an afternoon snack, then as he ate the last of the winds, he had grown huge! He was now a giant's size, so big he would have towered over an entire island—in fact, he did! He loomed over the entire string of islands that dotted the skies, all pleased with himself as he wiggled his hands above, then he cackled with all his might!

And with his gigantic size, his cackles had become bigger, too! They were so powerful that the islands below flew off like tumbleweeds at the mercy of his breath, and Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf were quick to follow! Gill Grunt clung to Spyro's leg as the cackles continue, while Stealth Elf and Trigger Happy clung to the others' legs in turn. But, even with their grips held tight, they were barely hanging in there, and Spyro wasn't much better off! He snarled and dug his claws further into the earth while the island around him rumbled… Then, as the cackles died, he slung against the side of the island and panted, as did the other three.

Gill Grunt snarled as his eyes fell on the gigantic mage, then he whipped out his harpoon gun and shot a round of harpoons at it! The harpoons twirled in the air as they slammed into the mage's gut and dug in, then bounced off like they were nothing! Gill Grunt gasped and swung everyone aside just as the harpoons shot back and dug into the side of the island, while below him Trigger Happy smirked.

"Alright, so harpoons didn't do the trick," Trigger Happy remarked as he whipped out a golden pistol with one hand. "But what about the golden treatment?"

Just a few squeezes of the trigger from Trigger Happy sent his golden coins shooting off like golden comets, but to similar effects—once they hit the pirate's belly, they bounced off and tumbled down below! Trigger Happy gasped, then snarled and dug into the back of his fur with both hands.

"Alright, some gold coins might not take you down, but how about these?!"

Trigger Happy windmilled his hands and screamed out gibberish while all manner of golden weaponry came from his arms—golden safes, golden pots, gigantic gold pennies, gold rockets and cannons that fired out gold cannonballs… Even a gigantic golden hammer! But, no matter what he threw, it was of no use! The moment they hit the mage, they just bounced off like the rest! Trigger Happy's jaw dropped wide open as they all fell down like the rest, then the wind ruffled his fur and he looked down to find that he wasn't clinging to Stealth Elf's leg anymore! He turned back up, gulped, then screamed as he started falling as well! He frantically flapped his wings in some attempt to fly again, yet the wind's power was so great that it pushed him back down. But, he didn't have to worry much, as somebody snatched him and yanked him back up! Trigger Happy wiped the sweat from his brow as he lifted himself upright, but a low cackled turned him to his savior's face… And he gulped as it came to light that he hadn't been saved at all, for the one who caught him was the mage!

Spyro, Stealth Elf and Gill Grunt all gasped as Trigger Happy's shrill screams blew several nearby clouds to bits, then the three of them flew off the island's side and huddled together.

"Gill, you go on ahead!" Spyro cried as he zipped away. "We'll get Trig back and meet up with you later!"

Gill Grunt nodded as he zipped right off, his blue form barely visible among the skies themselves, while Spyro craned his head back and winced. Then, he shook his head and narrowed his eyes as the mage came in view.

"Hey, blowhard!" Spyro cried. "Over here!"

The mage frowned and turned around, then screamed as a fireball as big as the sun itself slammed into his face! The mage screamed and wiped the flames off his face as the fireball exploded, and in that moment he completely dropped Trigger Happy! The mage grunted and grappled his open hand as a screaming Trigger Happy fell right into Stealth Elf's arms, then he snarled and blasted Spyro with puffs of solid, stormy clouds!

Spyro's eyes flashed sky blue as the clouds glowed and rammed themselves into the mage's gut, but with little effect still! While Stealth Elf rammed into him in her giant tiger form and Trigger Happy shot him once again to little effect, Spyro just turned back and winced. Gill Grunt was no longer visible in the distance, and the lack of him just deepened Spyro's frown. Spyro clasped his paw for a bit, and a massive gust of wind blew him backwards! Spyro screamed as he tumbled backwards, then he hovered in place and shook his head as the mage cackled. A snarl crossed Spyro's face, then flames circled his horns as he screamed and rammed into the mage's gut! Once again he bounced off, and he tensed as he shot a round of fireballs at the mage.

"I hope Gill can pull this off…" He whispered just slightly.

§

Hot Head, Crusher and Bouncer winced and stepped out from where they hid as all eyes turned to Ninjini, but Ninjini herself hardly seemed to care that she was the center of attention. She just gripped her wishblades tight, and the snarl on her face grew uglier as she leaned towards the ghosts, who in turn winced and drew backwards. The wishblades pointed right towards their faces, and all they could do was gulp.

"Where are you, Solavita?!" Ninjini demanded as fires burned in her eyes. "What exactly are you doing to these people?! How in the Ancients' names are you still alive?!"—Ninjini pressed the wishblades closer to their throats while those flames grew brighter—"ANSWER ME!"

The ghost pirates all screamed as they scrambled back from Ninjini's wrath, and in that moment the glow around their bodies faded! They all groaned and lurched over as their bodies dulled, then they lifted their heads, took one glance at Ninjini and screamed like rabid monkeys as they swarmed her! Ninjini, however, just spun around and tossed the pirates off at all edges of the ship!

"Get back her, Solavita!" Ninjini boomed as a bright purple flare of magic formed around her, "I'm not finished with you yet!"

A couple of the pirates snarled, then leaped forward and went to attack Ninjini, but she just summon shiny purple orbs and blasted them off the deck! As they fell off-ship, Ninjini snarled and clasped her wishblades tight, then whipped around and slashed through a particularly large pirate that was poised to jump on her! As the pirate slammed backwards and collapsed against the floor, Ninjini heaved heavy pants, her brows scrunched and her lips twitching with every breath… And someone laid a hand on her shoulder! She turned around and prepared to slice, but dropped her blades as Bouncer pulled her away from a blast of ghastly energy!

While the energy blast slammed against the floor and dissipated, Bouncer shot down the pirate that shot it and frowned as he turned to Ninjini.

"Breath, Timah, breath," Bouncer panted as he pulled them both back up. "Whoever this Solavita lady is, I have a feeling she's long gone now."

"I doubt it, Bouncer," Ninjini replied. Her lips were kept pursed and tense as she summoned one of her wishblades, then drew it across the deck where all those pirates laid still. "I wasn't sure at first, but now, I'm certain,"—Ninjini slashed away a greeble pirate as it tried to attack, then she leaned back and snarled—"all these pirates, they have parasitic spells with her essence in their bodies!"

"Parasitic spells?" Bouncer repeated as he tilted his head. "What are those?"

"Only one of the worst kinds of forbidden magic."

Ninjini shuddered, and her grip on her wishblades nearly slipped. As she caught them just before they hit the floor, her shudders only continued.

"It's a spell that destroy the victim's soul from within and replaces it with an extension of the host's own soul. When it's completed, it renders the victim little more than an extra body for the one who cast the spell, with their very essence and existence completely destroyed!"

Bouncer gasped, and behind him Crusher and Hot Head did as well! Their eyes were wide, and Crusher and Hot Head's faces started to pale. The air around them chilled even more than before, and not from the autumn weather that surrounded. All these people that surrounded them, once living beings who had their souls, the core of the very beings, eaten away and wiped out of existence…

"I'd never have imagined that she'd stoop to such a low," Ninjini shuddered as her eyes narrowed, "I have to find her and put an end to this!"

Ninjini leaned forward and prepared to rush off, but low zombie-like growls ad rumbles from behind her caught her attention! She turned around right as the pirates all slunk together, then, the pirates all leaped into piles and melted together, until their ectoplasmic bodies had formed gigantic mish-mashes dressed in pirates' clothes! These fleshy blobs with fifty faces and more eyes than they probably should have all snarled, then they leaped forward and aimed straight for Ninjini! Ninjini, however, just flicked her wrist and summoned an entire ring of large purple orbs! With another flick of her wrists, the orbs all crashed into the monster pirates and tossed them away—all but one, that was! One of the pirates, the smallest of the bunch but still around Ninjini's size, swept underneath the orb Ninjini had summoned and barreled straight for her! While the others splatted on the walls, it just grabbed a massive twin-bladed cutlass from its belt and sliced for her! SHING! Ninjini whipped out her wishblades and pressed them against the blade just before they could take her head off! The two of them both strained and groaned as they pressed against each other's weapons…

And just behind them, the other pirates had pulled themselves off of the walls and prepared to engage!

As they growled and licked their lips, Ninjini swept away and turned around.

"Bouncer, Crusher, Hot Head!" Ninjini cried as she ducked underneath a slash from her opponent's sword. "Cover me, I'll take this one!"

As Ninjini blocked another blow with her wishblades, Bouncer smiled. "You heard her!" Bouncer cried as he cracked his knuckles. "Let's roll out!"

Bouncer's wheel screeched as he streaked against the floors below, while behind him Crusher and Hot Head cried out as they pounded after him! With his allies at his heels, Bouncer smirked and fixed his eyes on several of the pirates that had their sights set on Ninjini while those eyes of his glowed a bright red, then he mowed them down with bright lasers! The pirates collapsed and screeched as they held their sides, yet two of them jumped up nonetheless and wailed as they charged after Bouncer, but he just blasted them away with rocket fists! Bouncer smiled and reloaded his fists as one of the pirates fell off the deck, but the other one just skidded to a stop as it gripped his fist and tossed it off deck, then it waved its own fists in the air as it charged after him! In response, Bouncer just smirked and drove backwards.

"Hey, Crusher!" Bouncer shouted as he held up his hand. "Think it's time for you to drop the hammer!"

"GLADLY!" Crusher cried!

The pirate squealed as it came just inches away from Bouncer's face, but before it could lay a single hit on Bouncer, Crusher leaped forward and slammed it into the deck with his hammer! Crusher lifted his hammer up and shook the ectoplasm for it while the flattened pancake of a pirate glared at him.

"How's that for hammering it home?" Crusher remarked as his eyes glowed with bemusement.

The pirate, however, didn't seem quite as pleased with his puns, for it just sprung up and wailed to the heavens! Crusher gasped and jumped backwards as it swiped at him, then he snarled as his eyes glowed brighter. They shrieked and shimmered for a moment, and out from them came a green laser blast that shot right into the pirate's chest! The blast tossed the pirate backwards, and it squealed as it landed on its feet and skidded backwards, then as it finally came to a stop, it got up and prepared to move—but it couldn't! Its legs were solid stone, and this stone infection spread to the rest of its body in moments! It only screamed as its body was encased completely in stone. Then, as it stood still and silent, Crusher slammed the stone pirate into a nearby wall! The stone casing cracked open as it slammed into the wood and dented it, while the dizzy pirate inside only moaned and whimpered as it slunk down and fell unconscious.

Crusher smiled as he slung his hammer over his shoulder, then screamed as Hot Head rammed into him and smashed him into the deck! On instinct, Crusher exploded into a bunch of smaller rocks as he made contact and bowled down several smaller pirates, then reformed immediately and scoffed as he glared down Hot Head.

"Watch where you're going, Hot Head!" Crusher scolded.

"Sorry, Crusher!" Hot Head cried back as he stepped in front of Crusher. "Got a bit of a problem here!"

A roar so massive it spat out spittle like rain nearly blew Crusher and Hot Head down, then as it settled, both of them winced and glanced up at the massive ghost pirate that hovered above them! It had to be twice their size, and probably just as powerful to boot! And judging by the way it licked its lips, it was definitely itching for a fight too!

"This thing's been on my tail since the battle began, and I can't get it off!" Hot Head exclaimed. "Nothing I do stops it!"

Hot Head snarled as he shook his arm, then shot it forward and doused the giant pirate in a thick coat of shiny oil! The pirate wailed and flailed around as it tried to wipe the oil from its face, and while it struggled, Hot Head shot a pillar of fire and set it alight! The pirate screamed and writhed in pain as the flames coated its body, then it dropped back to the ground and yowled as it bolted straight for Hot Head! Hot Head screamed as his flames' volume increased, but even the brighter flames did nothing! All it did was make the pirate burn brighter and stronger! So, Hot Head just screamed and transformed into a motorbike before he zoomed across the deck!

And while the pirate made off after Hot Head, Crusher just sighed and shook his head. "Looks like I'll have to deal with this myself," Crusher remarked as he squeezed his hammer's handle. With a mighty groan, Crusher slammed his hammer into the ground with such force that it fissured the decks!

The pirate hooted and scrambled right onto the cracks, then it screamed as massive rock pillars burst out from the cracks and tossed it backwards onto the ship's deck! As it rolled backwards and groaned, all the flames on its body extinguished and all that was left was a very charred, very pained pirate who moaned as it slunk down.

Bouncer and Hot Head wheeled up to Crusher and grinned as Crusher held his hammer tight, then a burst of lavender smoke flew in and sent them all into coughing fits! As the smoke faded and they regained their breath, all three pairs of eyes turned to the lower half of the deck, where Ninjini snarled as she faced off against the pirate from before! It was still raring to go, while Ninjini herself seemed a bit more battered with her frayed hair and the scratches on her face. The pirate growled as it sprung forward and grappled for Ninjini, but she just escaped into her bottle and fell to the ground! The pirate's eyes went wide as it flew right over her, then it screamed as she sent bottle rockets into its gut and sent it rolling across the deck! The pirate hit the edge of the deck and moaned as it stood up, then screamed as another round of bottle rockets flew forward and exploded right in its face!

While the pirate squealed and held its face, Ninjini emerged from her bottle and waved her hands around. Orbs formed and floated around her with every wave, and with a snap of her fingers, they shot forward and smacked right into the pirate one by one! The pirate squealed with every blow, as the final one struck it, it groaned and fell unconscious, tongue lolled out the mouth and all!

Ninjini scoffed as she flew beside Bouncer, who only frowned as his eyes scanned the battlefield and the groaning, shuddering, beaten pirates that coated it.

"Isn't there anything that can be done for them?" Bouncer asked as he placed a hand on Ninjini's shoulder.

Ninjini, in turn, only shook her head. "I'm afraid not," Ninjini explained as she clutched her blades' handles tighter. "The original souls died long, long ago. At this point, they're nothing more than puppets."

The pirates around all groaned and glowed as they split back into their original components, who were still just as beaten and bruised as the originals, and Bouncer hung his head at the sight of them.

"Well, seems as though they're beat." Bouncer lifted his hand from Ninjini's shoulder and wheeled off. "We'd better find Flynn and Cali…"—Bouncer squeezed his hand into a fist—"and while we're at it, give this Solavita lady a piece of our minds."

Crusher and Hot Head nodded in agreement as they trailed after Bouncer, but Ninjini shuddered and frowned.

"This isn't over yet!" Ninjini proclaimed as she squeezed her wishblades' handles tight, "I can feel her presence!"

Crusher, Hot Head and Bouncer all whipped back around, and right as they did, the ghosts floated upright—and as the ghosts floated, their eyes shot wide open! They dropped back down to the deck with glowing eyes, but they didn't seem as confident as they usually did! Rather, their eyes flickered and they groaned as they held their heads.

"What in Skylands happened?!" Their booming voices cried as one, "The connection has never been severed before, and not with such speed! Could it be that I…"

One pirate turned around as Ninjini shoved a wishblade between its eyes, and soon enough all eyes faced her yet again! The pirates' jaws all dropped in tandem as they faced her, but soon enough they only smirked and bellowed with laughter! And yet, Ninjini hardly found it funny, for she only scowled as they floated up to face her.

"Fatimah, it really is you!" They all cried at once, and their voice filters lifted so that they echoed this Solavita's voice once more. "You're alive, I can hardly believe it!"

"But you won't be for much longer!" Ninjini cried as she held her wishblades out. "Doing something as awful as robbing people of their lives, of their very souls… It's unforgivable!"—The soft glow of magic glinted against Ninjini's wishblades as she turned them around—"you'll be lucky if I even leave your own soul after this! Now, give me some answers—why are you doing all this? How are you still alive after all this time?"

In response, however, the pirates all just cackled and reeled backwards as they kicked their legs in laughter! They all wiped ghastly tears from their eyes as they leaned forward, with one elven pirate tapping her nose as Ninjini reeled backwards in disgust.

"I've been waiting quite a long time for this moment! To think, it's finally come!" The pirates all chuckled and turned around. "If you want your answers, then meet me at the ship graveyard for a duel. I'll explain everything then and there." The elf cocked a brow. "And, I'll give you back those little mabu that I caught wandering around there talking about you too! I can only presume they must be friends of yours..." The elf chuckled, and a few of the other ghosts fluttered up and smirked in Ninjini's face as the elf talked. "I'm sure you're so eager to get them back!"

"Mabu?!" Ninjini gasped, though she quickly stowed her shock away as she turned around. "Don't tell me… Does she have Flynn and Cali?!"

Crusher, Bouncer and Hot Head all winced and turned towards each other, then Bouncer wheeled towards Ninjini and nudged her shoulder.

"I'm not so sure about this," Bouncer whispered as he leaned closer to Ninjini. "This seems kinda suspicious."

"I'm with Bouncer on this one," Crusher added as he walked up and shot a glare towards the pirates. He wrung his hammer's handle tight as they chuckled, then he turned back to Ninjini. "Something's not right about all this."

"Yeah, yeah! This whole thing is giving me cold feet!" Hot Head cried as he gestured towards his feet, which had turned chillier and nearly hardened as they trembled. "Just look!"

Ninjini paused and pursed her lips, then she nodded and floated towards the pirates.

"Very well then, Solavita," Ninjini said, "I accept your challenge."

The pirates all cackled with glee, then with a snap of their fingers, an orb of greenish-white light burst before them and manifested none other than Flynn and Cali! The two of them were tied together and cringed, teeth chattering and eyes dashing and all, then they grunted as they dropped into Ninjini's palms. They both shuddered a bit, then winced again as they found themselves looking straight at Ninjini.

"Oh, hey there, genie lady!" Flynn cried with a wide grin. "Good news, we found the ship graveyard! Bad news, is, uh, we…"—Flynn clenched his teeth and hissed—"ran into a bit of trouble along the way." Flynn coughed and held his head. "Of course, I, as the greatest pilot in all Skylands, wasn't too tied up by it, but—"

Cali shot Flynn a glare, and he only turned away and gulped.

"Shutting up now."

Ninjini shot another glare towards the pirates, but the pirates only smirked and floated off.

"Follow me," they all said as one.

So, Ninjini took a breath, then clutched Flynn and Cali tight as they all followed the pirates through the ship's depths.

§

Gill Grunt grunted as he collapsed on soft, fluffy grass, then turned around right as the Water Element Gate behind him closed and locked once more. He sat up, then frowned and scratched his head as his eyes turned to the path ahead, or rather, the lack of one! In lieu of say, open sky or rocky paths or even fields of endless grass, what laid before his eyes were rushing streams of clear blue water and unlike the waterfalls before, their waters were a deeper blue that brought to mind liquid sapphire and struck out beautifully against the azure of the skies around. But, their waters rushed so fast and so furiously, their beauty did little to mask the danger of their depths.

"Yeah, there's no swimming in this," Gill Grunt remarked as he jiggled his jetpack, "but maybe…"

The familiar rush of water sounded behind him as warm water burst from his jetpack and sent him flying in the air, then he leaned forward and zipped straight for the waters! It was all smooth sailing as he crossed over the grassy paths at first, but the moment his own water streams hit the rapids, he was sent spinning! The world around him blurred as the waters tossed him from side to side, and he just screamed as the water from his jetpack gave out and he went soaring right across the rapids—well, not that he noticed, as his head spun so badly that he couldn't even make heads or fins of the sights around him! The closest he could make out was the furious cries of the rapids and the distinct texture of wood as he dropped into something rough but solid, then he shook his head right as the place where he landed went for a ride down the rapids. Now that his vision had cleared some, he sat up and rubbed his fins against the floor. Seemed like he had landed inside a barrel, judging by the round appearance. Not that it was the most ideal of transportation vessels, but it was better than nothing.

Gill Grunt grunted as a swerve right tossed him to the barrel's bottom, and his fins flapped as the gargling and screaming water grew louder. He popped his head up and clung to the side of the barrel, then, he gulped. Right at the end of the path before him was a waterfall, and with how fast the rivers and streams ran, he was gonna come in fast! Gill Grunt clung to his barrel tight as he could, and the barrel in turn jetted across the streams! But, rather than taking a nice, long drop down the falls, it just leaped right over the waterfall's top and crashed all the way down below!

The wind flapped against Gill Grunt's fins, and he screamed as he clung to the barrel as hard as he could while the wind threatened to pluck him right off! Their harsh breaths lashed at his fingers as he clung to the barrel's edge, while he himself just nudged his fingers towards any kind of notch or nudge he could find. The wind pulled further, and one hand of his finally got windburned enough that it flew right off—but luckily enough, he had found a hole in the barrel just in time! He grabbed onto it tight right as the barrel crashed down into the streams below with a massive SPLASH, and he himself slammed right back down into its hull.

Gill Grunt sat up and wiped his brow, then screamed as a massive wave pushed the back of his barrel! The wave's pressure spun it right around the rare tranquil part of the stream he had landed in, and the rapids had pulled him in once again! He only screamed, his cries jittered and bumpy as the barrel haplessly spun and rattled while the streams tossed it back and forth between their waves and currents! The thing was spiraling completely out of control, and worse yet, there wasn't any sort of steering or anything—how was he supposed to regain control?! Gill Grunt's eyes spun around as the barrel bounced between several rocks like a pinball, then a faint memory flashed back to him and he grinned. Now he remembered, he had done barrel-riding drills during his time in the Gillmen Marines—he knew exactly what to do! Gill Grunt gripped the front of the spinning barrel, then grunted as he shifted all his weight to the right of the barrel, right as it seemed poised to crash into a large stone. The barrel's spinning came to a halt, then it veered to the right and just barely skirted around the rock's smooth surface!

"Alright, it worked!" Gill Grunt cried as the rock passed him by. Gill Grunt smirked, then he turned back down to the barrel and squeezed it tight. "Looks like it'll be smooth sailing from here on out!" Gill Grunt lifted his head as even more smooth rock formations came to into view, and he only narrowed his eyes. "Now, let's see."

Gill Grunt moved backwards, and his barrel's speed grew just a bit slower, enough that he pushed it left and between twin formations that formed a doorway of sorts in the center of the river! He steered right and around the round circle that made up the heart of the island, then pressed forward and zipped down the rushing streams before him! The cool river waters splashed at his face and against the barrel's surface, but the feeling of their fresh water on his scales was more refreshing than anything. In fact, it almost let him forget he was on a serious mission… Almost.

The waters behind him gurgled and roared with a monster's cries, but Gill Grunt just clenched the barrel tighter.

"It's just the water, Gill," Gill Grunt whispered to himself as he steered left of another large rock. "Don't let it distract you."

The roars sounded off again, and around him the waters started to grow more furious! Their sprays were furious whips that lashed against his barrel and churned the waves like whirlpools. In fact, whirlpools had already started to form in the streams ahead! Though Gill Grunt had dodged one, two more flanked the path ahead of him—there was no way to escape their grip! Gill Grunt steeled his gaze, then he caught sight of a large stone positioned like a ramp in the waves and beamed! He leaned forward, and his barrel rushed through the waters and zipped right ahead of it, then leaped straight over the whirlpools and crashed safely on the other side!

Gill Grunt grinned and leaned against the barrel as the whirlpools disappeared into the distance, but that loud, gurgling sound moved his attention back to the front! The waters rumbled and shook with a stormy rage, and as they did, a cool azure color formed in their dark water, a simple pair of slits that stood silent for a moment. The waves raged further as Gill Grunt drew closer and closer, then with a massive roar, they bubbled with fury as the slits yanked open and formed into the shape of eyes! Gill Grunt immediately yanked out his harpoon gun and shot the waters, but his harpoons bounced off the bubbling water and disappeared into the skies! He rushed right through the bubbling water…

Then, it exploded and screeched as a trio of gigantic, serpentine monsters made of solid water burst from the pillar! One monster flung its head into the air and let out a mighty roar, then it zipped right past Gill Grunt and sent his barrel spinning! Gill Grunt screamed as the barrel spun in place, then when it finally settled, he gasped and leaned back as all three monsters hovered before him! Gill Grunt clenched his teeth, and in one movement he yanked his harpoon gun from the barrel's floor and shot the monsters down in an instant! They all exploded into water and rained down on the streams as he passed by, while he just sighed and leaned against the barrel.

"That was a close one," Gill Grunt remarked as his arms flopped over the barrel's side. He sighed with relief yet again as his head rested on the barrel, but the sound of gargling from behind shot him back into place!

"But I get the feeling it isn't over yet!"

The monsters' roars hit the air yet again as they burst from the streams and zipped right for Gill Grunt, and in response he shot them down once more… But just as he did, his barrel spun out of control! The harpoons he shot just scratched the monsters on their forehead and cut holes inside, holes that were immediately filled as they rushed after him! His harpoon cannon dropped to the barrel's bottom and bounced around as the waves flung Gill Grunt from side to side, and this time, they were so strong he couldn't take back control! It was all he could do to cling to the barrel itself while the waves tossed around him. Then, a burst of water shot forward and spun him aside!

Gill Grunt yanked his harpoon cannon from the bottom of the barrel and shot it right for the monsters behind him, but yet another wave crashed against his barrel and threw him off course! His harpoons shot right over the monsters' heads, while they just cackled and tackled right into his barrel! Gill Grunt screamed as the barrel got tossed right out of the water and him out of it, then he fell right back in as it hit the waters with another splash! Gill Grunt groaned as his barrel slowly spun across the water, then, something sucked him in and spun him around as fast as a jet!

"WHO-WHO-WHO-WHOA!" Gill Grunt cried as the body of water spat him out and shot him right towards a whirlpool!

The speed was so great that he could only clutch the barrel the best he could as he flew right into the whirlpool's heart and got spat out to the next, then the one after that! It was a dizzying ride, full of screaming and spinning as he zipped straight through the string of whirlpools, then finally the last one pushed him back to the waters! He shot like a bullet and yelled at the top of his lungs as he flew right towards a bubbling, steaming pool of water. Wait, what that was he thought it was? Gill Grunt gasped and tried to pull his barrel back, but the waters just pulled him right into a bubbling water pit right as it erupted! A massive geyser burst from the waters and tossed Gill Grunt into the air, then he peered down and winced.

Those water monsters were right on his tail the whole time! They cried out as they charged straight for the geyser, but while two of them veered out of the way just in time, one crashed straight into the geyser itself and completely exploded! Its watery remains poured into the stream and formed a dark puddle with sad eyes as it melted away...

And Gill Grunt grinned as the geyser dissipated and he was sent back down into the rivers!

"That's it!" Gill Grunt cried! He smirked as he pushed against the front of his barrel, then he zipped right down the stream and past the water monsters!

As his barrel flew past, Gill Grunt yanked out his harpoon cannon and shot harpoons right between the remaining two monsters! They didn't land a single hit, but that was perfectly fine—for they brought the monsters right to him! They roared and wailed as they slithered through the air like snakes, but he just turned back to the streams ahead.

Before him, another geyser bubbled and popped as it prepared to erupt, and Gill Grunt was right in its way! He leaned his barrel forward and sped towards the geyser, while behind him, roars shouted as bursts of water nipped at the barrel's base! These bursts tossed it out of the water and right into the geyser's heart… Right as it erupted and jumped up! Gill Grunt cheered as he landed in the air, but his cheers were quickly muffled by the pained wails of the monsters below him! As he landed back in the ground, Gill Grunt turned around and smirked as the other two monster's remains melted into the water, then he leaned forward and steered the barrel back down the streams.

A small waterfall dropped him down from the rushing waters and into a small pond that dropped him into a second waterfall. He crashed at its base and bobbed up and down as he steered across the more peaceful waters, which only bubbled and gurgled with pleasure as opposed to the screams of the ones before. In fact, it was so peaceful that Gill Grunt even leaned against his barrel and almost went to sleep. But, just as he prepared to doze off, the faint sight of greenery in the distance caught his attention! Down below laid a large island with grassy hills that surrounded a watery base, and what looked to be rooms barred off with bars made of water! Surely, these had to be the rapids' watery prisons, the ones he had been searching for this whole time! Gill Grunt grinned, and the energy returned to his body as he pressed his barrel forward and sped down the stream!

"FULL STEAM AHEAD!" Gill Grunt cried as he burst through the stream!

His high-speed swim tossed him right off the side of island and out of his barrel, but Gill Grunt just yanked his cannon from the air and tugged on his jetpacks! Their watery streams shot down below and pierced the more peaceful waters, then he slowly floated down and dropped back onto the waters below. Their chilly, icy pools lapped at his ankles while they washed away the splintered remains of his barrel, but Gill Grunt hardly noticed as he rushed through the ponds. Gill Grunt narrowed his eyes as he trekked through, while behind him a faint, gurgling sound rose with the waters. His scales shuddered as a familiar roar sounded off, and he immediately whipped around and shot his harpoons… But all they did was splash in the waves. Gill Grunt frowned and lowered his cannon, then scoffed and turned around.

"I'd better find her and get us out of here soon," Gill Grunt whispered, "this place is doing things to my head."

The soft twinkle of light caught his attention, and Gill Grunt frowned as he stopped in front of a sparkling teleporter. Whatever this thing was, surely it would take him to wherever their prisoners were being kept—he could feel it in his scales! So, he hopped on and closed his eyes as the light whisked him away.

When the tickle of warm light left his face, Gill Grunt popped his eyes open, then frowned and clutched his harpoon gun. All around him, the skies had turned gray and murky while the waters had completely dried off, save for the solid water bars that blocked off the many cells that surrounded him.

"Yep, this is the place," Gill Grunt whispered. He cocked his harpoon cannon, and Gill Grunt snarled as he held it tight. "Now, to get down to business!"

Gill Grunt dashed towards a nearby cell and clutched its bars. "Anyone in there?" He cried as he peered between the bars, then frowned and drew back as he found nothing more than some stones. "Guess not?"

Gill Grunt wandered over to the cell beside it, but found nothing there either save for a pile of feathers! A sinking feeling rose in his heart, and his fins flicked as he gazed over the other cells—but like the ones before, they were all empty! Nothing but bones, torn clothes and stray coins, claw marks left on the ceiling, and… Gill Grunt stopped at one cell, then his harpoon gun clattered to the floor.

Scales. Hidden within the cell was a couple of pulled-off or shaven scales that had been amassed in a tiny pile, and they were colored, they were, they were… Seafoam.

Seafoam green.

The same color as Rita's scales, so radiant like jewels shining in the light of the sun, but these were dull and dead. They, they couldn't have been her scales, could they? Surely, surely that had to have been someone else! It couldn't have been her! In fact, he'd check just to make sure!

"Rita!" Gill Grunt cried as he jumped right towards the adjacent cell and gripped its bars, then grunted and fell back as they lashed at him. But, he just jumped from the next cell to the one after in a frantic haze!

"Rita? Rita? Rita, are you in there? Rita, please, it's me, Gill!" Gill Grunt cried as he jumped towards the last cell.

Its watery bars slapped him and tossed him on his back in the center of the dungeon, but this time he didn't have the will to fight. Instead he just laid there, his eyes wide as he heaved shallow breaths so weak that he could barely breathed, but so heavy that he pained his chest. He could see Rita, with her wide smile and her beautiful sapphire eyes, sitting in the lagoon and singing to him… Then, he saw her screaming, crying, writhing in pain as she tried to escape her pirate captors. What, what had happened to her? What had become of her? Had he been too late—could it be that she had been killed already? Shocked to death, fried to bits, ripped of her very soul and left to wither? With every thought of Rita's possible fate that passed by, Gill Grunt's breath grew so strained that it choked him, and his hands, so cold and numb, finally shook as he laid on the floor. Gill Grunt's heart thumped against his chest as the world around him started to blur in tandem with his numbing head. Rita, surely she…

SPLASH!

The shock of cold water snapped Gill Grunt back to his senses, and he immediately jumped to his feet and whipped out his cannon. A wide snarl crossed across his face as he glared from left to right, while all around him the cages' bars had melted onto the ground and gurgled with an ominous aura. Then, dark pools formed in the water as roars echoed around the chamber!

Gill Grunt growled, then loaded his harpoon cannon!

"I don't have time for this!" Gill Grunt cried as he fired his harpoons at the nearest dark pool!

Gill Grunt rolled aside as the harpoons splashed into the water, but they were of little use! Nonetheless, the monster whose pool he disrupted had formed and leaped towards the heavens with a screech, as did the ones around it! They all grinned and snaked in front of Gill Grunt, their mouths wide open to reveal fangs made of solid pearls, surely ready to tear him alive! Gill Grunt clenched his teeth as he backed up further and pointed his harpoon cannon towards the monsters with trembling hands.

How in the Ancients' name am I going to stop these things?! How did I do it the last time again?! Gill Grunt screamed at himself, his head still dizzy with panic from his early discovery. He winced as his eyes fell on the shaky pools the water monsters had come from, then his eyes popped open!

That's right!

Gil Grunt leaped to his feet, then dashed across the pools and whipped around as he set his harpoon cannon on the monsters once more! He loaded his harpoons first as they snarled and prepared to attack. But instead of firing, he shifted to his water cannon and aimed it down at the water below! With a pull of the trigger, a massive stream of water burst from his cannon and sent the water below his feet blowing up as a massive geyser!

The water monsters screeched as they smacked right into the geyser's side and dissolved into the water, and Gill Grunt only scoffed at their disappearance. He turned around and clung to his cannon as he wandered away… But then, a guttural growl rumbled the dungeon and stopped him in his tracks! He lifted his head, and right before him another one of those water monsters formed! The sounds of splashing and growling behind him only alerted him to the forming of the rest, and he just backed up and fell to the ground as the water monsters spawned further and encircled him. There were so many of them, and they were so big to boot! He was completely outclassed!

"I wish the others were here right now," Gill Grunt whispered as he clung to his harpoon cannon.

A faint twinkle reached Gill Grunt's ears, and he lifted his head to find a white streak shooting through the skies and straight for him! Gill Grunt gasped and jumped back as the streak crashed in the ground, while the light faded to reveal—oh no. Spyro, Stealth Elf and Trigger Happy all laid battered, bruised and windburnt in the shallow pools, and all they could do was groan as they leaned against each other and passed out! Gill Grunt dropped his harpoon cannon in the waves, then leaped forward and grabbed their shoulders.

"Spy! Trig! Stealth Elf!" Gill Grunt cried as he shook them. "What happened?"

While Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf were largely unresponsive save for soft groans and twitches, Spyro only lifted his head and flickered his eyes open.

"I'm, I'm sorry, Gill," Spyro groaned as Gill Grunt leaned forward and shifted his weight up. "That, that guy, he was just, too strong…"

Gill Grunt gasped as Spyro fell unconscious in his arms, then frantically shook Spyro the best his numbing arms could.

"Spy, Spyro! Wake up!" Gill Grunt cried. The sound of growling rumbled behind Gill Grunt as wavy shadows crept up the waters, and Gill Grunt winced as he shook Spyro harder. "You can't nap, not right now!"

"Sorry to say, little fishie, but your friend's gonna be out for a while!"

A burst of wind and clouds formed above the four of them as Gill Grunt lifted his head, and in an explosion of cloudy fluff, the mage pirate that he had run into earlier had manifested! The mage held a wicked smile on his face as he leaned down to face Gill Grunt, and he flicked Gill Grunt's face as he smirked.

"I'll admit, you've gotten pretty far for jailbreakers—I'm impressed!" The mage chuckled as he leaned to full height, then he crossed his arms and scowled as thunder crashed behind them. "But, your little joyride ends here!"

Gill Grunt scowled in return, then he dropped Spyro and made a beeline for his harpoon cannon.

"I'm not going down without a fight!" Gill Grunt proclaimed as he dove forward and grappled for his cannon.

But, just before he could snatch it out of the water, something blasted him in the back and knocked him right into the walls! Gill Grunt howled as he popped off the wall and collapsed in the shallow waters, and it seemed as though all the pain, frustration and anxiety he held had finally caught up to him. His whole body ached, so numb and pained at the same time that he could barely keep his bleary eyes open, and shudders ran down his back while he struggled to breath even the shallowest breaths. The growling of those water monsters and the cackling of that pirate rang in his ears, a melody that sickened his stomach, but he couldn't even fight back. Black spots danced in his vision, and his whole body burned and throbbed like it was ready to shut down.

I'm sorry, Rita, Gill Grunt thought as he clenched the ground with his hands, then shuddered and let go as the very action burned him to the bone.

I couldn't save you.

So, Gill Grunt just lifted his head, then groaned and collapsed back into the waters as his vision faded to black.

§

Gill Grunt groaned and sat up, his vision so blurry that all he could comprehend was massive blobs of whites, blue and purples, all so glassy and soft that they merged together in his mind. He blinked, and the blurry colors started to settle a little more in his mind, their blurry features sharpened to reveal a sleek room with a massive window to a duller, darker room on the other end. But, just what is it? Gill Grunt shifted around and tried to move his arms, but thick, coarse rope kept them tied tight to his chest. For that matter, his legs were tied as well, and somewhat numb to boot! He could only flop around like a fish in a barrel, which wasn't exactly ideal when he was in a strange room with a massive headache.

But, it seemed as though he wasn't the only one with this plight! The sounds of soft groaning came from beside him, and Gill Grunt turned to his right. Beside him, Spyro, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf all laid on platforms much like the one he himself sat on, their limbs bound and tied while their tired heads swayed from side to side.

"Guh, what happened?" Trigger Happy groaned as he flicked his ears straight, "I feel like I got hit by two trucks at the same time."

"Good question," Spyro grunted as he rubbed his head, "I just remember flying around, and something about pirates, and it getting really wet…"

Wait, pirates? Just the word was enough to bring the events back to Gill Grunt's mind! The earlier moments, of him scouring through the rapids for Rita all flashed back to him, then it changed, to him hunting through prisons and cold, bitter air lashing at his scales, then… Gill Grunt's mouth gaped slightly, and he lowered his head. Rita. He remembered now—he had found that cell with her scales, the others all barren save for remnants of the dead.

"That's it!" Stealth Elf cried. "We were going to save Gill Grunt's girlfriend, then that pirate knocked us out cold before we could!"

"That's right, now I remember!" Spyro cried as he turned around.

"Gill, did you find her?"

Gill Grunt winced, then he hung his head lower and shook it just slightly.

"I looked everywhere, but," Gill Grunt croaked, while a single tear slid down his face. "All I found were a couple of scales."

Spyro frowned and leaned backwards. "Wait, are you saying…"

"Oh, just what I like to see, prisoners with broken spirits!" Shrieked a voice filled with glee!

All four of them turned their attention back to the glass, where that very same air mage pirate from before sat in front of them! The mage cackled as his eyes fell on the four of them, all bound and helpless and only able to glare at him from within the confines of their stark, white prison. He chuckled as he stroked his chin, then wagged a finger. Tiny embers flew from Spyro's mouth and sizzled as they hit the glass, but the mage just chuckled against as if he was basking in their anger! The sharp glares that Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf shot him did little to dissuade his confidence, either, for he just continued to laugh!

"Laugh all you want now, but once we get out of here, we're wiping that smile clean off of your face!" Stealth Elf hissed!

"And how do you think you're gonna do that, missy?" The mage sneered.

Stealth Elf snarled as she wiggled her arm just slightly freer of the ropes, then dove into her pockets and patted them down. Then, she gasped and yanked them out empty-handed! Her eyes turned wide as she checked her second pocket, but it only brought about similar results.

"My daggers!" Stealth Elf cried. "They're gone!"

Trigger Happy grunted and scratched his back against the platform, then gasped as well.

"And so're my guns! And my safes and coins and everything else!" Trigger Happy cried!

"That's right, mateys!" The mage proclaimed as he stroked his beard, "I made absolute sure to disarm ye before we had our little fun here!"

"And just what are you talking about?!" Spyro cried back.

The mage just rolled his eyes as another snicker left his mouth. "Ye best not worry too much about me, mateys," the mage remarked. "If anything, ye should probably be more concerned about yerselves!"

"And what does that mean?"

The mage turned around and held his hands behind his back.

"Well, ye wanted to get off me little ship so bad, right? So, we're getting ye off…" The mage turned around and grinned as lightning crashed behind him. "BY DROWNIN' YE IN A BOILING WATERY DOOM!"

The mage cackled as he pressed a couple of buttons, and in response the ceilings opened up and poured boiling water, so hot that steam burst from its popped bubbles right into the room! The whole area around heated up and simmered, to the point where it felt more like a sauna than a prison. But not in a good way—no, the heat was oppressive and dizzying, the kind that spun heads and numbed bodies with its warmth! The thickness of it all choked Gill Grunt, his scales shriveled and dry and his eyes stung from the heat. Was it heat? He couldn't tell, the thought of Rita kept a grip on his mind.

"Any last requests, mateys?" The mage asked as he steepled his fingers and leaned against the console.

"Don't need any!" Spyro cried as he leaned forward. "We're not going to die here!"

"Yeah!" Stealth Elf and Trigger Happy cried.

"Suit yerselves." The mage rolled his eyes and scoffed, but that sickening smile returned to his face the moment he laid eyes on Gill Grunt once more. "And what about you, little fishy?"

Gill Grunt paused and lifted his head, which felt a bit wetter than normal—had he been crying more? He hadn't realized, but his head was so fuzzy that he couldn't even notice. His love, his one true pearl of the sea, the one he had promised to save… Was gone. She had died, alone and helpless, and he was none the wiser!

Spyro huffed and cast out smoke as he glared down the pirate, then he turned back to Gill Grunt and his gaze softened.

"Gill…" Spyro whispered.

Gill Grunt sighed, then lifted his head and stared down the mage. The usual animosity that filled his heart when the sight of those swashbuckling goons had disappeared in favor of tranquil numbness. He couldn't quite bring himself to feel anything else, after all.

"Just one," was all Gill Grunt said.

"Gill, what are you talking about?" Spyro cried. "We can't give up here! I know things look a little tough now, but we've been in worse positions, but—"

"Spyro, just be quiet."

Spyro gasped, then shut his mouth and inched away. The wide look in his eyes gave him a bit taken aback a feeling, but nonetheless he obliged Gill Grunt's request and leaned back.

"Rita's dead and gone and I had no clue!" Gill Grunt croaked, and his voice started to crack as those tears began dropping down his face. "I promised her I'd save her, I traveled to the ends of Skylands and back for her… But in the end, I couldn't be there for her when she needed me!"—Gill Grunt hiccupped, and he hung his eyes as his eyes started to sting—"I might as well just give up here. At least we can be together in death."

"Gill Grunt, stop talking like that!" Stealth Elf spat. "You're—"

A glare from Spyro zipped Stealth Elf's lips shut, while Gill Grunt just curled into a shuddered ball the best he could. The pound of rushing water and screech of hot steam filled his ears as the boiling waters grew below him, but all he did was close his eyes and let the heat evaporate his tears. He was in no position to argue.

"Tell me, pirate…" Gill Grunt sniffled. "How did Rita die?"

The mage cackled, and he drummed his fingers together.

"The same way all of ye will meet yer graves, of course! She boiled to death in the hottest of waters, screaming and pounding as she tried to escape with no luck, spittin' insults all the way!" The mage hooted, while that smirk crossed his face once more. "She was one of the feistier ones we've gotten, that's fer sure! She put up a pretty grand fight, to boot! That slippery lass broke her way through the glass and sneaked back on deck, tried drownin' us all with some fancy water spells even! She even took the first mate's own cutlass from him and used it like she was a pro! Had the whole crew on deck tryin' to get her back, but it was a struggle, that's fer sure!"

The mage cackled and stroked his beard, while his gaze almost turned a bit pensive?

"Almost makes it a shame that she wiggled her way out and escaped through the cannons... That would've been an execution for the ages!"

"Wait, she escaped?"

The mage gasped, then turned around all wide-eyed as he glanced back at Gill Grunt. "Did I say that out loud?"

Gill Grunt's eyes fluttered, and that numb feeling that had overtaken him before started to ease. So, that was a lie! She really had escaped!

"Hear that, Gill?" Spyro asked as he turned back to Gill Grunt, his golden eyes bright and sparkly like the real thing. "She might still be alive after all!"

"Oh, I heard it alright!" Gill Grunt cried as he jumped to his feet!

The mage gasped, then scrambled backwards and waved his hands.

"For, forget about what I said!" The mage cried as sweat dripped down his brow. "She didn't really escape, we absolutely executed her! She died screaming in a boilin' water grave! We carved off all her scales and used 'em to line our robes, we made her into fish filet! That lil' mermaid you were lookin' for completely died in our clutches!" The mage proclaimed! He puffed out his chest, and his beard and mustache fluffed up like his clothes did as sparks cracked from their ends. "Had the honor of de-scaling her myself and everything! I swear! I swear by Captain Frightbeard's locker!"

But, Gill Grunt completely tuned the mage out! He didn't have time to care about that guy's babbling—after all, he had to get out of here! Gill Grunt sprinted forward and leaped into the heat of the boiling water with a splash, then flapped his legs like a mermaid' tail as he swam underneath. The heat seared his scales and burned his eyes, but Gill Grunt just gritted his teeth and bore it as he swam closer to the base of the window, where tiny white cracks had formed. The heat was already starting to chip away at the window—and he was gonna speed it along!

Gill Grunt swam backwards, then rammed himself against the cracked part of the glass! As the cracks grew bigger in response to the stress, he drew back and slammed against it again, while the cracks speared all across the window! From within the waters, the wavy vision of the mage screamed and panicked as he toyed with the controls, and Gill Grunt could vaguely hear the shouts of Spyro, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf above!

So, he slammed himself into the glass one last time!

This time, the sheer force spread the cracks across the glass, and the whole thing shattered! The water rushed out in a massive tidal wave, and Gill Grunt, Spyro, Stealth Elf and Trigger Happy all rode the top! The four of them screamed as they washed up on the other side of their prison, then hacked out water and shuddered as the waves dried up with only puddles remaining. They were burnt and sore from the heat of being nearly boiled alive, but thank the Ancients, they were alive!

"Now hold it right there, mateys!" The mage cried as he turned around. "Ye may have escaped being boiled, but I'll still filet ye!"

Gill Grunt scowled, then his eyes trailed over to the corner, where a pile with all their weapons laid! He gasped and jumped up, then leaned forward and bolted right towards the pile! The mage's shouts sounded behind him, but he just shifted through, yanked Stealth Elf's daggers out with his mouth and tossed them straight to her!

"Catch!" Gill Grunt cried as the daggers soared across the room!

Stealth Elf yanked out her hands from the ropes, then leaped up and grabbed her daggers right out of the air! With a single slash, the ropes that bound her had been sliced in half and cascaded down to the floor right as she landed! Stealth Elf smirked, slashed Spyro and Trigger Happy's ropes open, then flipped over and sliced Gill Grunt free as well!

All four of them grinned and glared down the mage as they stretched their freed limbs, then Spyro flapped his wings and sent a purple glow pulsating through the ares! All at once, their burns and scars from being nearly boiled alive had healed, and a new energy filled their veins as they jumped up and stretched! The smiles they all shared showed that they were all of the same mind as to what to put this newfound energy for, too—beating down that mage!

The mage snarled, then held out his hands while the puddles of boiling water around him shuddered and leaped from the grounds! They all swirled together into massive tsunamis, then finally ground to a stop and flicked drops of boiling water everywhere as they transformed into melting monsters! The winds howled and chilled the area as they swept around the mage, and his snarl only grew wider.

"GET READY TO MEET YER GRAVES, LANDLUBBERS!" The mage bellowed as the winds completely engulfed him and turned him giant!

"How can I be a landlubber if I'm a fish?" Gill Grunt remarked.

Spyro chuckled, but the roar of the water monsters as they charged towards him broke his cockiness! He flew aside as they came in close, then his eyes flashed red as he flapped his wings! An aura of heat radiated off of him, and not just from the confident smirk on his face—no, the whole room had heated up! And in that moment, the water monsters' faces fell as they completely evaporated! They fell into massive puddles on the floor and cast steam across the room, while their muffled, guttural cries rumbled around. Spyro smirked as he leaned down and examined the shrinking puddles, but screamed as a large gust of hot air blew him backwards! A crack sounded as he crashed into the wall and collapsed on all fours, but Spyro just jumped up and snarled, wings flared as he glared down the mage!

Beside him, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf warily raised their weapons and turned their eyes towards the mage, who only huffed and took a step towards them. His whole body had turned red hot, and his eyes were bloodshot—or maybe burned? The red aura of heat that glowed from him only further fuzzied the matter as he heaved heavy, steam-filled breaths and balled his hands into fists.

"They may not be able to take the heat, but I'm still full of hot air!" The mage proclaimed!

He took a massive breath in, then blew out and sent hot air bellowing through the room! The walls screeched and turned red as Spyro, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf all crashed into the wall and collapsed, their bodies red in places with heat as they groaned and pushed themselves up. But while the other three grunted and forced themselves to their feet, Spyro just jumped to all fours as his eyes changed to an icy blue in color!

"Then how about you cool off?" Spyro spat as mist swirled around his fangs.

Spyro breathed in, exhaled, and out from his mouth came a mighty gust of cold wind! The room chilled to icy temperatures, so icy that frost crystals formed on the walls and floors, icicles drooped down from the ceilings, and even the puddles that remained on the floor became solid ice! The pirate gasped and stumbled backwards as the ice drew closer to his feet, then exhaled a mighty hot gust of his own! The walls changed from cold to hot in flickers as the two gusts fought against each other, Spyro straining with all his might to fight the mage's own blast. But finally, one last breath from Spyro prevailed, and his own ice breath blasted away the mage's hot air! The mage screamed as the cold air hit him full force, and the heat swept away from his body as it turned an icy, cold blue! The ice formed a solid coat around the mage, one that locked him inside completely! He stood frozen in a terrified scream, unable to move!

Stealth Elf smirked, then yanked her daggers back off the ground and slashed right through the air! Her blades chipped across and left icy white streaks and scratches against its solid filter, but as she smashed and slashed and chipped away further, wind and smoke leaked from cracks that had formed! The frozen mage rattled and tipped back and forth, while Stealth Elf just flipped back and smacked Trigger Happy on the arm.

"Your turn, Trigger Happy!" Stealth Elf cried as she vanished into the back of the room!

Trigger Happy grinned, then whipped out a golden machine gun and grinned as he clung to its side. "Let's end this with a bang!" Trigger Happy cried as he wrapped his hands around the trigger!

A ballista of golden coins shot out from the gun and smacked right into the statue, while the cracks Stealth Elf had created buckled at last! A hole forced in the icy statue while even more smoke leaked out, and a massive golden coin smashed the statue in the back of the wall and completely shattered its icy coat! A burst of mist funneled through the room, and hacking came from within the clouds as the shuddering mage stumbled out—and back at normal size to boot!

"As I was saying…" The pirate snarled, then blinked as he found himself eye-level with the Skylanders once more!

He jolted back and breathed in, but before he could grow larger once more a fireball slammed onto him and knocked him down! He groaned and sat back up as he held him head, then yelped as he touched burning fires instead! The pirate screamed and rolled around as the lingering flames from the fire burned around him… And behind him, Gill Grunt just chuckled and lifted his harpoon gun up! With a single pull of the trigger, a massive stream of water slammed into the pirate and completely drenched its fires—but the water was so heavy, it knocked down the pirate as well! The pirate grunted as it collapsed on its back and shouted as it tried to lift its arms, yet could barely lift an inch before he was pinned down once again! The pirate shouted and cursed as he struggled, but Gill Grunt just scoffed and lowered his cannon.

"You alright, Gill?" Spyro asked as he nudged Gill Grunt's shoulder with his wing.

Gill Grunt just nodded, then hoisted his water cannon up and strode over a frozen puddle. "Come on," he said. "Let's get outta here—I'm sure everyone's waiting on us."

"Yeah, about that," Trigger Happy asked as he raised a hand. "Just how are we supposed to get out of here, anyways?"

"Maybe through that teleporter over there?" Stealth Elf asked as she pointed to a teleporter in the corner of the room with a sign pointing to it that had "Teleporter" scrawled on it above.

"Oh, that's convenient!"

So, they all nodded and hopped on the teleporter one by one before vanishing into the distances in bursts of light and sparkles.

§

Chills ran down everyone's spines as the pirates lead them off the ship… Though whether that was because of the misty, chilly atmosphere of where they had been led, or the tension from Ninjini's oncoming confrontation with this Solavita person remained to be seen. After all, for all the tension the battle wrought, the graveyard itself had it fair share of creepiness!

Thick mist coated every angle of it, and instead of floors it held chilly, slimy green water that squished and sloshed with every step. Strung across the sides were old ships in all shapes and sizes, from tugboats and cargo ships to full-on tankers and airships in every make and model, all with notable wear and tear like they hadn't been used in ages. But, all of them bore the ghost pirates flags and sails, while their hulls were decorated with a ghastly glow. The rotting stench of death reeked from every angle with an eye-watering intensity, and amid the mist dead trees and gravestones covered in cobwebs occasionally cropped up of nowhere. Or perhaps, they had always been there but stayed masked by the mist. Either way, the sight was enough to put anyone on edge.

Flynn shuddered as his eyes fell on the rows of ghost ships. "Geez, these ships gives me the creeps just looking at 'em," Flynn whispered as he leaned closer to Cali. "They look like they haven't been repaired in ages!"

Cali, in turn, just scoffed as she glazed over the ships. "Somehow, I get the feeling repairs aren't exactly first priority in these pirates' minds."

Flynn shuddered again, then he opened his mouth… And quickly bit his tongue before he could speak! His eyes swelled with tears as he held back a scream, while Cali raised a brow.

"Flynn, what's wrong?" Cali asked. "Bit your tongue again?"

Flynn nodded, then his eyes popped wide as he frantically shook his head! He grunted as he nudged towards Cali, while she in turn snarled as he pushed against her and pushed back!

"Geez, Flynn, don't need to push!" Cali rolled her eyes and turned aside. "What's got you in such a—" Cali gasped, and her eyes turned wide. "The Dread-Yacht!"

"The Dread-Yacht?!" The Elder Elementals cried as head turned in every direction. "WHERE?!"

Cali and Flynn both hastily shushed the others, then as everyone's cries drew to a close, the two of them pointed their heads off to the side, where sure enough, the Dread-Yacht laid! And it didn't have the ratty condition it was in during the ambush at all, or even the disheveled and disrepaired condition the other ships did—no, it was completely shiny and brand-new, almost! It even bore those ghastly decorations that all the other ships held too!

"I can't believe it, she's alright!" Flynn whispered, his eyes bright before they fell on the sails. "Not liking the taste in attire though,"—Flynn shook his head—"but, I suppose we can fix that when we get it back!"

"How are we gonna get it back, though?" Cali whispered as she nudged Flynn's shoulders and gestured to the many pirates that crowded around them and marched like zombies. "We're surrounded by pirates at every angle!"

Ninjini leaned down and frowned.

"Actually, I think I know!" Ninjini whispered. "Once I go to fight Solavita, see if you can distract these pirates and take it then. I should be able to keep her occupied long enough to keep these pirates—"

"What exactly are you whispering about?" Asked the pirates behind Ninjini in Solavita's booming voice.

Ninjini gasped, then turned around and chuckled as she hid Flynn and Cali behind her back. "Nothing, nothing at all!"

The pirates gave Ninjini an odd look as they walked ahead, eyes raised and frowns paused and all, then a rumble shook the area and they all became groaning zombies once more! Ninjini gasped and turned around, to find that at the end of their path was a rusted gate with all sorts of fancy undead decorations carved in it—rotting roses, ghosts, skulls and bats… It was much more befitting of a manor that a graveyard such as this by design, but the eerie glow it held fit all the same.

"I suppose this is the place," Ninjini remarked as she untied Flynn and Cali and handed them off to Bouncer.

The two of them shared a nod, and Ninjini turned around right as the doors slowly creaked open. Ninjini's hands trembled, but she settled them with a tight squeeze.

Everyone around her frowned and tilted her heads, but she only smiled.

"Don't worry about me," she said as she turned to the gates and glared them down. "This is my fight to face, after all."

So, Ninjini gulped and dove right through the gates! The others tried to follow, but the moment she entered the gate shut back up, and a massive stone rose behind Ninjini—she truly was alone now. Ninjini tensed, and on instinct she whipped out her hands and summoned her wishblades as she crept in the hall ahead.

"Solavita, I've arrived!" Ninjini cried as she stepped into the light of a round, cavern room and pointed her wishblades ahead. "Show yourself!"

But, Solavita was nowhere to be found! The only thing that laid in the cavern room besides Ninjini herself was a simple stone throne that lacked a carrier. All seemed oddly peaceful for a moment, but then, cackling sounded off as red smoke flooded into the room!

"Why, I'm right in front of you, Fatimah!" Solavita cackled!

A puff of red smoke popped out from the throne, and as it cleared those cackles grew less booming, less cackling, almost normal. The smoke finally all vanished, and in its placed it revealed… Oh dear Ancients! There on the throne laid what could only be described as a living corpse, its skin bone white and so thin and ragged that it clung to the bones and could have been mistaken for the actual stuff if not for the wrinkles! Its red hair was thin and strained, and its eyes were little more than sunken sockets with no color to them! It wore a tattered purple and red dress that draped over its body like a sack, so thin that the sparkling silver crystal wheel pendant it wore could barely be seen, and the matching-colored headdress it donned barely fit its head! This, this couldn't have been Solavita, could it?

That same cackle sounded off again as the corpse sat upright in its throne, and the laugh perfectly matched—yes, this was Solavita alright!

"My, my, why the surprised look? I know it's been ten thousand years, but I haven't changed that much," Solavita chuckled as she waved her hands back and forth. Her eyes narrowed, and she drew a hand to her face as she chucked. "If anything, I'm more surprised by you!" Solavita pointed a wrinkled hand towards Ninjini. "All these years and you haven't aged a bit!"

Ninjini hissed through her clenched teeth, then furrowed her brows as she pointed a wishblade towards Solavita.

"Nevermind that!" Ninjini cried. "Answer me, Solavita! Why are you doing all this? Why are you taking innocent lives for your own gain? How are you still alive after all these years?!"

Solavita broke into a hearty laugh, though it was more chilling than anything with her warped, twisted cackle—or perhaps the sight of her old foe just threw Ninjini off guard. Solavita quelled her laughter in that instant, then she lifted herself up and hovered off of her throne.

"I'll tell you alright!" Solavita cried. She hovered for a moment, then zipped right up to Ninjini and shoved her face in Ninjini's own. "After I sealed you away in that little bottle, I'd thought I'd be satisfied!" Solavita turned away and scoffed. "Now that you were out of the picture, I was finally the strongest sorceress in all Skylands! I thought I'd feel proud, confident, powerful even…"

Solavita scoffed, and the smug smile she held on her face disappeared as she held her head and squeezed her hands into a fist.

"But, I only felt nothing!" Solavita turned around, and a bright red glow burned around her eye sockets.

"You may had been gone, but I never truly bested you! I couldn't rest, knowing that my title hadn't truly been earned, that it was only won by sheer deception. So, I went to unleash you and truly earn the title for myself…"

Solavita narrowed her eyes, and the glow became even brighter.

"But you. Were. Gone!"

Ninjini gulped, then leaned backwards and gave Solavita a small nod. "That's right," Ninjini whispered. "I had broken free of the bottle you trapped me in, and was crowned one of the Elder Elementals soon after."

"And do you have any idea how demeaning it was to hear that?!"

Solavita shuddered and panted, while the red glow that once laid around her eyes spread to the rest of her body! She screamed, and her voice gained the volume of a thousand!

"That bottle was one of my strongest spells, and yet you still managed to break free of it like it was nothing! And worse, you were chosen by the Ancients! You! Even though I was the most powerful sorceress in all Skylands by then, you still found a way to get ahead of me!"

Solavita's body shuddered, then she breathed in and floated back down to the ground.

"I knew then that I couldn't rest until I proved myself by defeating you, but by that time, you had disappeared," Solavita said, and a wicked smile crossed her face as she chuckled again. "Everyone around me was completely convinced that you had perished, but I couldn't believe that." Solavita's smile turned to some strange combination of a grin and a snarl. "After all, my fated rival couldn't possibly have died! Not when she still owed me a final confrontation!"

Solavita chuckled, then floated back to her throne and sat down. She drew her fingers across her face, and Ninjini only shuddered and floated back. Just the sight of this withered, wicked corpse that was Solavita, it had sent chills down Ninjini's spine. But, Ninjini couldn't bring herself to turn away.

"So, I spent these past few millennia traveling Skylands, capturing others and absorbing their life essence to keep myself alive and powerful, just so I'd be prepared for the day we could finally have our fated battle." Solavita sighed and peered down at her bony arms. "But as time passed and I grew older and older, it became harder and harder to sustain my body—it wasn't something I could keep doing alone."

Solavita clasped her hand and sighed, but her forlorn status disappeared as she turned back to Ninjini with a smirk.

"So, I began implementing the bodies of those I stole life essence from with my spells, and fashioned them into a formal pirate crew! With them as my puppets, I can just sit back and let them do the work, while I get all the spoils!" Solavita cackled and placed a hand to her chin as she grinned.

"Brilliant, is it not?"

Ninjini's face paled, and her wishblades nearly slipped out of her hands, but she gripped them back and gulped. She was sure Solavita could smell her fear, her shock and disgust—just the sickening smile on Solavita's face was enough to show that. So, instead Ninjini snarled.

"It's horrendous, that's what it is!" Ninjini cried! She squeezed the wishblades once more, and her snarl grew deeper. "You killed so many people all for the sake of a confrontation that might not have even happened! Not only that, but you robbed them of their very souls, of a chance to live on after death as well?!"—Ninjini's vision turned red and hot, and she swung a wishblade just inches away from Solavita's face—"you're not brilliant, all you are is selfish!"

"Call me that all you want!" Solavita cackled as she hovered over her throne, while a sickening mixture of red and purple light radiated from her body. "I finally have the chance to prove myself the superior warrior I've yearned for…"—Solavita's eyes shrank as she summoned swords of her own—"and now that I have it, I'm going to take it!"

"Bold of you to assume I'd lose to a wretched corpse such as yourself!"

Ninjini rushed right towards Solavita and slashed forward, but Solavita teleported away as Ninjini cast her blows—the only thing Ninjini sliced was Solavita's throne! Solavita growled, then with a snap of her fingers, she summoned blasts of magic that shot straight for Ninjini! Ninjini turned around right as the blasts closed in on her, and she in response summoned purple orbs that shot right back… But the moment they got caught in the magic blasts, the orbs cracked and shattered! Ninjini gasped and rolled away just as the blasts smashed into Solavita's throne and blew it to bits, but in the moment she caught her breath, bright red ropes wrapped around her and squeezed her tight! Her wishblades clattered against the floor as she squirmed and struggled, and a powerful zap of electricity from the ropes sapped her of her strength! Ninjini knelt down and shuddered as the static coursed through her veins, and her flesh pulsed in agony as she panted.

"Ah, that throne ran its course," Solavita chuckled as she held a hand to her face. "But what a pity, I'd have thought you'd last longer, at least."

Ninjini scowled as Solavita's smug smile glared her down, and from the confines of her roped self, she stretched out a glowing hand, then screamed as the lightning shocked her once more! The sharp buzz of electricity set her body on fire, but she still kept her focus as she fixed her attention on her scattered wishblades. If she could just get even one of them over to her side, then… Ninjini narrowed her eyes, and her wishblade rattled as it fluttered off the ground! The wishblade dashed over and slashed the ropes apart with a single slice, and Ninjini claimed it just before it hit the ground.

"And for a walking corpse, you still have quite a lot of fight in you!" Ninjini remarked as she summoned her second wishblade back and pointed it at Solavita's face! Solavita drew back a bit, and Ninjini herself tensed as she lowered her wishblade.

Looks like I'll have to get a bit more creative than I thought, Ninjini thought as she clasped her wishblades' handles a bit tighter

"My, my, Fatimah, didn't all those years as an Elder Elemental teach you to pay attention during your fights?"

A thick shadow cast over Ninjini, and she craned her head up—then screamed as a gigantic skull crashed down towards her and yanked its jaws open! The skull ate her up with a single gulp and chuckled as it hovered just inches above the ground, but completely shattered as sparkling bottle rockets smashed through its cranium and smashed it to bites! In the center of it all, Ninjini's bottle hovered where the skull once laid, while Ninjini herself popped out and glared down Solavita.

"How did you do that?!" Solavita cried as she floated backwards, jaw agape.

Ninjini just scoffed, then with a wave of her hands, lavender sparkling smoke burst from her bottle and covered the entire room! The faint sound of cold, rattling coughs echoed from between the sound of hissing, screeching smoke, but Ninjini just waved her hands and the smoke transformed into all sorts of weapons! Missiles, swords, drills and cannons all formed in their grip, and they were all pointed straight at Solavita! Solavita, however, was none the wiser as she hunched over and hacked. She lifted her head as the sound of screeching echoed through their fighting chamber… Then, she screamed as a missile slammed her right in the chest and shot her into the wall with a sickening crack! Solavita groaned as she slid down, parts of her skin torn off to reveal cracked, brittle bone underneath, then fell over and collapsed as smoke poured from her face.

Ninjini held a wishblade to Solavita's throat and lifted Solavita's face to hers, then scowled.

"Your reign of terror ends now, Solavita!" Ninjini proclaimed as she pushed the blade closer to Solavita's throat. "No longer will you take any more innocent lives and manipulate them for your own selfish gain! Your petty grudge has driven you to evils innumerable." Ninjini's brows narrowed, and her gaze almost faltered into something more somber as she looked away. "And all I can hope now is that the Pits are harsher to you than I was."

Ninjini drew her blade and prepared to chop, but a rattling, bone-chilling scream from the other side of the door caught her ears! She turned around and glanced, then the crack of lightning and a massive flash of red light drew her attention back to Solavita! Ninjini gasped as the red light stained the walls like blood, while in the heart of it all, Solavita hovered from the ground.

But more than that, Solavita changed! Her dying body grew spry and flush with color once more, with her death-white skin becoming a warm peach and her hair long and silky. Blood red eyes popped from what once were empty eye sockets, and even her clothes had been fitted and adjusted as if they were brand new! Solavita cackled as she hovered back down to the ground, and an aura of red energy flared around her.

"Ah, finally!" Solavita cried, her voice booming and fresh with youth and power. She held up a glowing hand and splayed it to admire her lively form, then held out the hand as it glowed with bright red magic. "Now I can finally get serious!"

§

Hot Head, Crusher, Bouncer, Flynn and Cali all pressed their ears to the massive, gritty stone wall that blocked them off from the world inside. The sounds were muffled, and they could barely make out what was going on, but from what they could glean… It wasn't good. The sounds of shouting, clanging weapons and shattering rock all came from the other side, and they sounded pretty intense despite the muffled volume!

Cali winced as she turned herself away from the wall, but then hummed as her eyes turned back to the masses of pirates behind them all, who only stood mindless and wide-eyed like zombies. Her hums continued as she waved her fingers, then she gently nudged Bouncer's head.

"Guys, guys!" Cali whispered! They all turned to her, and she grinned as she pointed back to the legions of ghost pirates. "It looks like her control on them's been broken! Now would be the perfect time to get the Dread-Yacht back!"

Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head all grinned as they turned to each other, but back on Flynn's other shoulder, Flynn just cringed.

"I'm not so sure about this," Flynn remarked as he glanced back at the ghosts and shuddered, then shook his head and forced a proud, but still quivering smile. "I mean, there's a lot of ghosts out there! Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not worried at all—I'm one of Skylands toughest, I'll be fine!… Probably." Flynn shot a wary eyeball down at the ghosts, and his smile faded as he turned back to Cali. "But I don't know if you all could do it!"

Cali sighed and rolled her eyes, her arms crossed and pressed tight against her chest.

"In that case, we'll need a diversion." Cali craned her head up to Bouncer. "Think you guys can come up with something?"

"Oh, I already have," Bouncer remarked. He winked as he placed Cali and Flynn down on the ground, then he held out his fingers and grinned as their tops popped open.

"Hey, ghost guys!" Bouncer called as he turned around. All their eyes fell on Bouncer, and in response Bouncer's opened finger started to glow.

"Catch!"

Right as Bouncer said this, bright red bouncy balls leaped out of his fingers and bounced in every direction! They leaped from the walls and slammed into the pirates' backs, they hit the pirates in the guts and exploded upon contact, they even jumped from wall to floor and back again in a hectic, hasty single motion. The pirates all screamed as they raced around in circles and shouted as they took cover, and yet the balls' reign of terror wouldn't relent!

And with them distracted, Hot Head transformed into a bike and slammed into the murky waters with a massive splash! His engines revved in spite of the muddy water that dripped off his body and evaporated in a flash, and he just grinned and nudged his head aside as he glanced at Flynn and Cali.

"Hop on!" He urged!

So, the two of them did just that! Flynn clung to Cali as she clutched onto Hot Head, while Hot Head in turn jumped up and revved his engines, mud and water screeching and splashing behind him as he raced across the swamps! The shouting in the distance grew fainter underneath the splash of mud and water while Hot Head zoomed past rows and rows of abandoned ships… Then he snarled and slid underneath a ship that freed itself of its chain and flew off! Hot Head flung himself back up as he finally passed underneath the ship's hull right as the living passengers of the ship grinned and flew off as they shouted something about freedom, then Hot Head scoffed and lowered Flynn and Cali to the ground with a gasp!

"There it is!" Flynn cried as he poked his head over Cali's shoulder and pointed towards the ships. "The Dread-Yacht!"

Sure enough, the Dread-Yacht's green hull poked out from the massive rows of dully-covered, cobweb-coated ships! And better yet, it looked completely unmanned, to boot! Getting it back would be a piece of cake!

"Alright, time to blaze this trail!" Hot Head cried!

His engines revved ever further, and with so much power that smoke poured from the exhaust, then he zipped off with such speed that the water below him evaporated to make way for his blazing fire trails! The Dread-Yacht grew closer and closer with each roll of Hot Head's tires, then he completely passed it and zipped back around before he transformed to normal!

Flynn and Cali screamed as the sudden transformation launched them in the air, but Hot Head just snatched them out and tossed them right towards the Dread-Yacht! Not that their screaming ceased any, though. In fact, it grew even louder as they bowled straight for the deck and slammed face-first onto it! They both groaned and sat back up, while behind them Hot Head gave them a thumbs up, then transformed back into a motorbike and zoomed off.

"Talk about a rough landing," Cali remarked as she got up and brushed herself off. "But, at least we got here."

Both their eyes fell on the engine room's door, which was surprisingly open still in spite of the fact that everything around it had been closed tight. For that matter, a kind of eerie feeling wafted from it, something that chilled the air around. Or, maybe it was just the chilly breezes that rushed out from its halls. Either way, it wasn't exactly a welcoming sight.

Flynn shuddered as he forced himself to puff out his chest, and his teeth chattered so furiously that it was a miracle they hadn't worn themselves down yet, but Cali just grabbed a flashlight from her pocket and turned it on.

"Come on!" Cali said as she held out her flashlight. "We can't dawdle around!"

Flynn reluctantly nodded, then gulped as he tailed Cali down the stairs, their sole source of light the flashlight in Cali's hands. The air grew chillier the further they went down, to the point where it was a miracle the area hadn't frozen over—though, the thin streams of mist that hovered across the area indicated the chill enough. And for that matter, soft, gentle moans whistled through the hallway's panels, ones that sounded more like actual voices than the cold songs of wind.

Cali glanced from side to side and held her flashlight ajar, while beside her Flynn puffed his chest out and forced a smile.

"Do you hear that, Flynn?" Cali asked, her eyes still stuck on the halls themselves. "It kinda sounds like voices."

Flynn winced as another howl resonated through the halls, but forced himself to smile and hold his head high still—even if his arms and legs were trembling furiously still.

"Oh, I hear it alright! Sounds like it's one of those ghost dudes!" Flynn proclaimed between the chatter of his teeth. His eyes were fixed on the walls as he trekked down the stairs, his eyes wide as they took in the mist and howls. "But don't worry, Cali, whatever they throw at us, as long as you have me by your side, you'll be perfectly fine! After all, I am the—"

CRACK! Went the path ahead as a fury of bright lights shone from ahead, and Flynn screamed as he leaned backwards! But, in the process, he completely lost his balance, left to flail as he tottered back and forth across the steps… Then finally, he fell forward and rolled down the stairs!

"Flynn!" Cali cried as she bolted down after him!

Flynn screamed as he hit his head on the floor and bounced off, groaned and sat up as thin, wispy mist birds circled around his head, then leaned back as Cali came down with a frown.

"Did… You know… You look extra pretty today?" Flynn groaned as his head spun in circles.

Cali rolled her eyes and shooed the birds away with a wave of her hands, while the crackle of electricity above snapped both her and Flynn back to their senses! Cali turned her flashlight on the source of the light ahead and found none other than the engine! Bright lightning burst from its open heart in shades of yellow and purple, while its panels and wires had turned charred from the heat and shock! Heck, the heat that radiated from it was so hot that it warmed the room in bursts, crafting clouds of steam and mist with every pulse and rattle.

"The engine! Those ghosts must have done something to it!" Flynn cried as he jumped to his feet and adjusted his hat. "Luckily for us, though, I know just how to fix it!"

He stormed over to the side of the wall and punched it, then grinned as a panel fell out and offered him a toolkit. As he yanked the toolkit from the walls, Flynn dashed over and yanked a wrench out, his eyes fixed on the engine, then he screamed and jumped backwards as another flash of lightning burst from its engines.

"… Maybe?"

The sound of howls and moans echoed from around the halls once more, and Flynn gasped as he turned his head around! He glanced from left to right to back again, and yet not a single direction lead him to the source of the howling—in fact, it seemed as though it was coming from all over the place! It whistled from the holes in the left wall, echoed from the ceilings and floors…

WhoooOOOOooooh!

OOOOOOoooooohhhhhHHHHHH!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Flynn gritted his teeth while his trembling hands fumbled with the toolbox's handle, then the engine before him rattled and shuddered! He screamed as bolts flew out of its confines and banged against the walls, then ducked back down as one nearly slammed him in the face!

"I'm warning you, engine!" Flynn cried as he held the wrench with both trembling hands. "You don't wanna mess with me! I'm the greatest pilot in all Skylands, and I've dealt with way worse than an angry bunch of bolts!"

The moans grew louder and louder as the engine rumbled more furiously than before… Then finally, the engine clunked and even more mist burst from its confines as ghosts leaped out! The ghosts all moaned and wailed as their eyes fell on Flynn, and their fanged jaws unhinged as they floated closer to him! Flynn just screamed and ducked as one ghost glazed over his back, then he turned back and rolled out of the way as another one tried to snatch him up!

"Ghosts in the machine are new, though!"

Cali grimaced and jumped aside as one of the ghosts tried to snatch her up as well, then she shone her flashlight right in its eyes! The ghost wailed and shielded its eyes and writhed in place, and in its moment of distraction Cali dug her paws into her pockets.

"C'mon, c'mon, there's gotta be something in here," Cali whispered. Her brows leaped up as she hit something cool and hard, then she yanked her hand and grinned as she found a dagger in her palm. "Got it!"

Cali twisted her flashlight and intensified its glare so that it lit the entire dim room, then she tossed it aside and grinned as she held up her dagger.

"Flynn, you just worry about getting the engine working again!" Cali cried as she dashed forward with her dagger held tight, "I'll take care of things here!"

"Roger that, Cali!" Flynn cried as he saluted Cali back! He yanked his toolbox off the ground, then claimed his wrench from the floor and glared down the engine. "I'll have this baby ship-shape in no time!"

Cali nodded, then jumped aside and rolled across the floor as another one of the ghosts lunged for her! The ghost grunted and swayed from side to side as she staggered up, and in its moment of hesitation, Cali screamed as she leaped forward and slashed it with her dagger, then her eyes popped wide as she phased right through the ghost! Cali shuddered and rolled across the deck while all the ghosts turned their eyes on her, then jumped up just as they raced back for her! She slid apart and slashed at them again, and yet once more her blade phased right through their bodies! Cali winced and stumbled backwards as the ghosts moaned and hovered back for her, then she dove into her pocket once more.

"Guess I'm gonna need something a little more powerful!" Cali cried as she yanked out her hand and showed off a trio of grenades. "Good thing that trip to the Angolmois Ruins taught me to always have a couple of these handy!"

Cali leaped back and slammed the grenades into the ground, and in response they exploded in flashes of shining light! The ghosts screamed and shied away as the lights seared against their bodies and sizzled their ectoplasm, while Cali just smirked as she basked in their horror. She yanked out a vial from her pockets and popped a cork, then poured its deep purple liquid over her dagger.

"And this ghost-repellent oil should give me just the boost I need!" Cali cried! She tossed the bottle aside, then dashed right up to the ghosts and leaped in the air. "Take this!"

Cali slashed her dagger right across the ghosts' bodies—and it actually worked! The ghosts let out unholy screeches as they shot backwards and slammed against the walls, while cloudy teal smoke poured from their wounds. They groaned and gnashed their teeth as they floated upright, then their bodies turned red hot as they charged after Cali! Cali slid out of the way just before they could ram into her, but while two of them just slammed back into the walls and shook their heads, one dove right into the engine! The engine shuddered and tossed out bolts and screws as the ghost shook within, while beside it Flynn screamed and clutched his wrench! The ghost popped out and shook its head, oblivious to how Flynn attempted to hit it, then it zipped right back after Cali!

Cali gasped and jumped jumps out of its way, then spun aside as another ghost narrowly charged into her! She ducked down as the third ghost zipped right over her head, then staggered up and wiped her head. But just then, a fourth ghost popped up behind her and blasted her in the back with a ball of ectoplasm! Cali screamed as she tumbled backwards and hit the wall, then pushed herself up… And right as she tried, the ghosts swarmed her and pinned her down to the floor! The cold metal brushed against Cali's fur and set it on edge as she squirmed and wiggled against their grip, but they held her down too hard—she couldn't escape, not with all four of them! So, Cali yanked her dagger off the floor with her teeth and stabbed one of the ghosts right in the eye! The ghost wailed and flew backwards as it held its leaking eye, then Cali spat the dagger back out and jumped to freedom!

"Flynn, are you done yet?!" Cali cried as she yanked her dagger off the ground and slashed at the ghosts once more, "I can't keep this up forever, you know!"

"Getting there, Cali!" Flynn cried back as he screwed a few bolts back into the engine. "I think she's almost back to normal!"—Flynn grimaced as the engine released a mass of thick smoke from its pipe with a ka-put—"that can't be good."

Cali winced, then drew another dagger and ghost-repellent oil bottle from her pocket. "Well, guess now's the best time to practice dual wielding," Cali remarked as she reached for the bottle's cork…

But just before she opened the bottle, a loud crash and howl sounded off out from outdoors! Cali turned around and gasped, then flung her arms across her face as the ghosts all dashed up the stairs! She lifted her head and gasped as the last of the ghosts disappeared up the stairway, then leaped forward and hiked the stairs two at a time!

Cali panted as she rushed out the open door and back to the deck, where the sight of ghosts flying off in the distance could barely be seen—but, the sight of Hot Head's flames and Bouncer's lasers was clear as day! Cali grimaced as she climbed off the side of the deck, latched onto one of the many tires hung over the Dread-Yacht's side, then she swung the tire around and leaped back into the muddy water!

The mud clung to her boots the best it could, but it didn't impede Cali's speed any as she raced across the floor. The world rumbled as the sound of Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head's shouts resounded across the battlefield, all melded with the gnashing and blood-curling screeches of angry ghosts, while the mist around thickened and gained a sickly aura to it. But, just amid the mist, Cali vaguely spotted the coattails of fleeing ghosts that leaked with smoke! So, Cali bolted past the mist and right into the heart of the area where Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head had laid…

§

A bolt of magic leaped from Solavita's palm and slammed right into Ninjini, and Ninjini screamed as she hit the ground and quickly pushed herself up, but Solavita was even quicker! Solavita had immediately zipped right up to Ninjini, her hands now prepped with blades of solid purple and red crystal!

"Off with her head!" Solavita cried as she swung her blades with her aim fixed for Ninjini's neck!

But before she struck, Ninjini flung her wishblades forward and tossed them right in front of Solavita's own sword! Their blades screeched as they ground and pushed against each other, then Ninjini flew back and tossed a slice of her own! Solavita slashed back in response, then their blades clanged and clattered as they traded blows once more. It was an even match, with every blow received and every block countered… But finally, as Solavita flew backwards and prepared to strike, she screamed and hunched back down to the floor! The red glow around her body faded, and Ninjini paused in her own attacks and raised a brow. Was Solavita losing her power?

Solavita grunted and yowled as she clutched her chests, while her blades slipped out of her grasp and hit the floor. Her breath turned labored, forced even, as she stood up and swayed from side to side, then as her balance finally stabilized she held out her free hand and scowled.

"I can't play around any more!" Solavita cried as a purple and red wave of magic enveloped her hands. "Swords, finish this!"

Twin bolts of magic energy burst from Solavita's hands and fled into her blades, then the blades shared their glow as they flew off from the ground and zipped right for Ninjini! Ninjini waved her hands and summoned spheres of magic, transformed them into shields with another wave and leaned back as they tossed off the blades like they were mere balls… Then, Ninjini gasped and teleported away as two magic lasers shot into the shields and shattered them! Ninjini reappeared right behind Solavita, who turned around and scowled as she held up hands that shone with bright red and purple energy. Solavita shot off her laser again, and in response Ninjini shot out a purple beam of magic energy of her own! The two lasers slammed into each other and pushed against each other in a battle of wills, with neither of their casters willing to relent! One moment it seemed as though Solavita would prevail, the next Ninjini would push right back, and they were both locked in a stalemate!

"Just face it, Fatimah!" Solavita cried as the light from her palms glowed brighter, "I was always the superior sorceress! I should've been the one who held your title! I should have been the one chosen by the Ancients! I should have—"

Fatimah's eyes went wide, and an unholy screech like a dying animal came from her body as she collapsed! The red glow around her body finally faded as she lurched over, while her body' colors drained and her skin shriveled and clung to her bones once more! Her eyes faded away as she glanced down at her withered, corpselike hands… Then Ninjini's own beam blasted into her and tossed her back into the wall!

Ninjini floated over and scowled as Solavita slunk down. A massive cavity had formed in the center of Solavita's chest while purple smoke flew out from all angles, and her skin had torn off like paper to reveal cracked and shattered bones. She was a shattered shell of herself, and she could only groan as her head slunk down at such an angle that it seemed barely attached to the rest of her body. Ninjini just scoffed as she witnessed Solavita's dying state, then held her wishblade up to Solavita's throat.

"Solavita, you've ended countless lives, captured people against their wills and sapped them of their life force, robbed them of their free will, of their very existence and forced them to act as your puppets, all to fulfill your own selfish desires!" Ninjini proclaimed. Solavita only hacked as the blade hovered before her throat, and Ninjini scowled further. "The only thing I have left to say to you is…"—Ninjini's eyes narrowed, and she pushed the blade closer to Solavita's throat—"any last wishes?"

Solavita hacked and coughed, but when she lifted her head to face Ninjini, she… She smirked! She seemed perfectly elated despite her dying state, her smile twisted and devious.

"Yes, actually!" Solavita proclaimed! She yanked the wheel pendant she wore right off of her neck, then tossed it in the air with the last bit of strength she held. "PENDANT, FINISH WHAT I STARTED!"

A burst of magic shot from Solavita's palm and slammed right into the wheel, and in turn the wheel grew to a massive size and slammed right back into the ground with a powerful undead aura! It screeched as it churned through the stone and smashed the door behind, while the sound of screams and shouts came from the newly-opened door! Whatever it was, that couldn't be good!

Ninjini gasped and turned away, but a pained hack turned her back to where Solavita laid on the ground. Solavita's face had drawn towards a more neutral expression as she slunk against the stone floor, then finally a sharp crack resounded as her body crumbled and collapsed into a pile of bony fragments, all caressed by the cloth of her dress. Solavita had expired… But the remnants of her wretched existence remained.

"She died as she lived," Ninjini scowled as she wrung the handles of wishblades. "Petty and pathetic."

Ninjini scoffed again, then turned back around and dashed through the open door—for though Solavita may have died, her work had outlived her.

"But not for long," Ninjini whispered as she left the tunnel.

§

Cali panted, fell to her knees as she finally arrived back at the manor's gate—then jumped up and scurried away as a fireball crashed below and evaporated the waters! Cali dove behind the remains of a withered ship's hull and winced as she poked her head out. It seemed like Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head had everything under control when she and Flynn had left… But in the time she had left, it had become a war zone! A massive, shining silver crystal wheel hovered in the center of the area and glowed with an undead energy as the ghosts around brawled with the three of them. But more than that, the ghosts had gotten more powerful, too! They had grown giant-sized while their teeth stretched into fangs too large for their mouths, and wicked claws crept out from their fingers. A new aura of power resided from them, and it definitely showed as they razed Crusher, Bouncer and Hot Head down like they were just chompies!

The three of them crashed against a tall, dead tree and split it in half, and the sight was enough to cheer up the ghosts Cali had tailed! They all hooted as they flew into the center of the battle, but before they could join in, Cali slashed them in half! They disappeared in puffs of teal smoke as Cali dashed into the fray, while she just snarled.

"Something tells me these guys could really use my help right now!" Cali cried. She frowned for a moment more as the ghosts closed further and further in, then she dug out a collection of red spheres from her pockets. "Luckily, I have just the thing!"

Cali squeezed the spheres, and in response they expanded into a small pile of dynamite sticks!

"Pocket explosives, always a good thing to have handy."

Cali's eyes trailed to the vial of ghost-repellent oil still in her other hand, then she popped its cork off and drenched the dynamite sticks in the stuff! A bright, warm orange light poured from the space above, and Cali smirked as a flaming blast surely courtesy of Hot Head shone conveniently above her! So, she tossed the dynamite sticks right into the flames…

And they exploded the moment they hit the fire! Their explosive, flaming fury crushed down onto the ghosts below and tossed them all over the place, from the floor and trees to the walls around. But most importantly, they were now far, far away from Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head!

"Something tells me that they'll be down for a while," Cali remarked as she walked up to them and wiped the oil from her gloves. "That ghost-repellent oil is some serious stuff."

The three of them smiled towards Cali as they got up, then turned around and gasped as a silvery white glow shone from the ghosts around them. The ghosts all groaned as they slowly hovered back up, while the light around them throbbed as their burns and injuries completely disappeared! Once the glow had faded, they all squealed and raced back for Bouncer, Crusher, Hot Head and Cali!

Cali gasped and jumped out of the way as Bouncer nearly skidded into her to try and avoid a ghost blast, then spat out the murky water and glared towards him. "Just what was that?!" Cali cried. "That blast should've gotten them out of commission!"

"Beats me!" Bouncer shouted back. "Might have something to do with that wheel and all the Undead energy it's giving off!"

Cali fixed her eyes back on the wheel and the eerie glow of Undead power it gave off, then frowned and scratched her chin. Well, that was as good an explanation as any.

"Then in that case, we just need to get that wheel in its grave!" Cali cried!

Her eyes fell to a series of dead trees that had been knocked over in the conflict, stacked in a way that made them a pretty convenient staircase, then she bolted forward and hopped them one at a time! The chill and cold white light of the wheel before her grew more intense as she hopped further, then with one last leap she yanked a chisel from her pocket and prepared to stab it… But as she drew closer, her whole body drooped over and the chisel slipped from her hand! The world around her spun as she fell back down into the murky waters with a splash, while she herself groaned and trembled furiously as she tried to stand.

"Ugh, that's right," Cali groaned as she barely got back to her feet and swayed around. "Undead energy's some serious stuff, too."

Cali screamed as a ghost tackled her back into the water, but the ghost hardly cared! It just snarled as grabbed Crusher by the leg, then swung him around and tossed him right into Bouncer and Hot Head! The ghost cackled as the three of them went flying into the hull of a ship and dented it, then floated towards them as they rested against the ship's hull. The three of them lifted their heads and winced as the ghost came closing in—

CRASH!

—then the ghost turned away as the gates behind it were smashed to pieces! Purple, sparkly smoke cast over the area and blocked everything from its view… Everything but a massive silhouette that towered over it with lancing eyes!

"Surprise!" Called a familiar voice as the smoke cleared around and sent the pirates into coughing fits.

Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head shielded their own faces as the last of the smoke vanished, then they lifted up their heads and grinned as Ninjini floated down before them!

"Timah!" Bouncer cried as he jumped up. "What happened back there?"

"I can tell you all about it later," Ninjini replied as she cast a glare back down at the rising ghost pirates. "But for now, we need to take care of these pirates!" Ninjini turned back to Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head, then smirked as she raised a brow. "Say, do you happen to remember what I told you about illusions earlier?"

The three of them all nodded, and Ninjini's smirk stretched further.

"How about we play a few magic tricks?"

Ninjini leaned in and prepared to whisper to them as Cali trudged over, then Ninjini lifted Cali from the ground and placed Cali on her own shoulder before she started. The five of them huddled together tight as they whispered, while around them the ghosts just frowned and titled their heads. The ghosts gazed and scratched their faces as the group dismissed… Then, they screeched as Crusher, Bouncer, Hot Head, Ninjini and Cali broke apart and dashed across the area!

The ghosts all snarled as they shot their eyes around in some search for the others, but little did they know that their foes were closer than they thought! Behind a particularly large dead tree, Hot Head and Cali grinned at each other, then Cali shushed him as they turned their heads around the tree's trunk. Their smiles soured as they glazed down the ghosts, then Cali grabbed some smoke bombs from her pockets while Hot Head waved his arms. With one fling, she tossed the bombs out in tandem and sent thick smoke pouring out from their assault and onto the area! The hallow sound of rattling coughs and hacks came from all around as the smoke blocked the ghosts off from sight, and sight off from the ghosts! Their coughs and hacks turned to confused screeches from within the cloud, and though they couldn't be seen, the high volume of their voices showed they were in quite the panic!

And in that panic, Bouncer grinned as he wheeled his way out from behind the tree and brandished smoking fingers guns! His eyes zeroed in on the thick, cloudy smoke that shielded the ghosts from view… And with a single cock of his fingerguns, he shot hundreds of balls into the smoke clouds at rapid speed!

The ghosts' screams turned from confused to pained as the balls bounced around and zapped them within! The flashes of orange light from the balls became the sole visible thing among the smoke, paired with occasional silhouette of a ghost screeching as they rubbed their back or getting beaned in the head with a ball! They were in a total panic now!

Crusher smiled, then stomped his feet and pounded his hammer with all his might! Weaker tree branches snapped in half and crashed across the mud, thick splashes of water left in their wake, and the water shuddered while its mud splattered everywhere! And inside the smoke cloud itself, the ghosts all screeched!

"And now, for the grand finale!" Ninjini cried as she flew in front of Crusher! Ninjini rolled her hands while they charged with bright blue magic, then she cast them out and into the smoke! The smoke cloud that shielded the ghosts grew stagnant in place, then it bubbled and stretched until it had molded itself into the form of a massive dragon!

The smoke dragon leaned down in front of the terrified ghosts, who all trembled as they screamed and grappled for their weapons! And in the back of it all, Ninjini chuckled as she piloted the smoke dragon! She grinned as she prepared to thrust her hands forward. But, the sound of a massive foghorn turned her away, then she and the others practically leaped out of their skin as they ducked for cover!

The ghosts all screamed and charged with their sights set on the dragon, but right as they struck, the Dread-Yacht bowled forward and slammed right into the them! The massive crystal wheel that had powered the ghosts flipped and spun in the air as the Dread-Yacht slammed right into it, and its glow faded as it shrank in size and landed right into Cali's palm!

Cali blinked and examined the wheel over, then turned her attention right up to the Dread-Yacht, where a proud Flynn strode out!

"Hey down there! I fixed the Dread-Yacht!" Flynn cried as he waved at them from the deck. "Now let's say we get out of this dumpster!"

"Gladly!" Ninjini cried!

Ninjini lifted Cali back onto her shoulder as she, Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head leaped onto the Dread-Yacht's deck, while Flynn dashed back up to the pilot's quarters and manned the wheel.

"Righty-o!" Flynn cried as he spun the wheel. "Just need to find the Skylanders and we'll be out of here in a jiffy!"

The Dread-Yacht creaked as it spun around, but, instead of starting, a thunk sounded from the hull and it stayed stuck in its path! Flynn grunted and spun the wheel some more, but even that was stuck in place!

"Strange, I know for a fact I fixed the engine!" Flynn scratched his head. "What's the big issue now?"

Thunk! Thunk thunk! The sound of thunking grew louder and more prominent as growls intermingled, then Flynn turned around and gasped!

"I don't think the engine's the problem, Flynn!" Cali cried as she scrambled up Ninjini's shoulder!

Back on the decks, the ghost pirates had swarmed the Dread-Yacht, and they were coming in fast! A good part of their ranks had already climbed up the side of the ship and jumped onto the deck, and even more of them had crowded around the hull like barnacles! And with so many stuck together, the Dread-Yacht was stuck tight!

The Elder Elementals all readied their weapons, while Cali slid down Ninjini's arm and flipped off as she drew her daggers. Just as they all prepared to attack, however, a mighty torrent of water rained from up above and washed the ghosts off the sides of the hull! The ghosts all screeched as they fell into the murky waters above, while everyone else just turned their heads up as the sound of flapping wings came from the skies.

"Looks like they got a little washed-up, huh?"

The ghosts on deck just frowned and tilted their heads, but Flynn, Cali and the Elder Elementals just grinned—because there in the skies were none other than Spyro, Gill Grunt, Stealth Elf and Trigger Happy! Spyro flapped in place as Trigger Happy laid on his back, while Gill Grunt held a water cannon dripping with cold water and Stealth Elf flew beside him on magic wings. They all looked a tiny bit banged up from the windburns and scratches across their bodies, but most importantly, they were back!

"Hey everyone!" Spyro cried as he landed on the Dread-Yacht's deck with a thunk. "Are we late to the party?"

Behind him, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf dropped onto the deck and grinned as they brandished their weapons, a grin shared by Ninjini as she peered down at them.

"Not at all!" Ninjini cried as she held out her wishblades, then turned back to the masses of ghost pirates that had boarded the ship. "In fact, I'd say you've arrived just in time!"

Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head all gathered around the five of them as they glared down the masses of ghastly pirates that had taken residence aboard their ship! Though Solavita had been long defeated, they were still kicking plenty, all gnashing teeth and howling and scratching against the Dread-Yacht's steel floor. Everyone held their arms out in tandem, and Ninjini's eyes shifted from side to side.

"On my mark!" She cried! With a snap of her fingers, rockets burst out of her bottle and hovered over her shoulders like attack dogs waiting to strike!

"Three, two…" They all chanted in tandem as they readied their weapons, brows tensed and eyes stuck tight on the oncoming pirate swarm.

"FIRE!"

With one motion, an array of blasts all burst from their group of eight and fused together! Lasers and bursts of water, flames and spores, orbs made of pure magic and even sharp stone shards flew from their ranks, and they all blasted right through the pirates like they were bowling pins! The pirates cried out as they flew off the side of the deck, but the Skylanders and Elder Elementals alike just grinned as their ship was clear once more!

"Alright, this time for real!" Flynn cried as he frantically spun the steering wheel. "Let's blow this pop stand!"

The Dread-Yacht creaked once again as Flynn spun the wheel, then the oars on its side paddled at a frantic pace as they dashed across the waters! Water and mud sloshed everywhere while trees that strayed a little too close got leveled in half from oar strikes. Then finally, massive pulses of winds blew all but the sturdiest of structures away as the Dread-Yacht took off! It cut through the clouds and mist as it hit the skies, and a last gust of cold wind sent it soaring off!

Everyone cheered and thrust their fists towards the murky, cloudy heavens as they sailed through the skies, but Flynn just brushed the sweat from his face.

"Phew! Gotta say, that was one of my more intense bouts in the realm of piloting," Flynn remarked as he adjusted his hat and grinned. "But, as the best pilot in all Skylands, all I have to say is…"

An explosion sounded behind Flynn, and he grimaced as he clutched the ship's steering wheel tight. A screen popped out beside him, and Flynn grimaced as he glazed over the triangular arrangement of red dots that were coming in fast!

"It's not over yet!"

The sickening sound of cackles hit the air, and all eyes turned to the decks behind them. Between flashes of orange and blue flames, an entire fleet of ships emerged and glowed with a ghastly aura, their cannons set and ready! The first few in line shot off their cannonballs, and everyone screamed and clung to whatever they could as the Dread-Yacht swerved out their way!

"Ye really think ye could escape us, could ye?" Bellowed a voice in the distance!

The largest of the ships zipped right up to the Dread-Yacht, and down from its bird's eye flew a ghost pirate! But not just any ghost pirate, no—it was the same one who had collected them from their cells, except he looked furious! Though he had the widest of grins on his face, the flames in his eyes and the twitching of his lip gave away his true intentions well enough. He reached for his cutlass, and his smile finally faded.

"You escaped our clutches, freed your ship and made a mess of our hideout! That's bad enough already! But killing the cap'n is unforgivable!" The pirate proclaimed as even more of his pirates dropped behind him. A scowl fell across his face as he glared down Ninjini, and his grip on his cutlass tightened. "If I'd known I'd end up finding the cap'n remains in her quarters before I could tell her ye were here, I'd have never captured yer ship! I'll bring vengeance for our cap'n, I swear it on my honor as first mate!"

The first mate cast out his cutlass, and his bushy beard was lit with ghastly fire.

"MATEYS, ATTACKKKKKKKKKKK!"

The ghosts pirates all shouted and cried in agreement as they chased after the Skylanders and Elder Elementals alike, who only grimaced as their enemies came in quick!

"These guys just don't give up, do they?!" Spyro cried as he narrowly dodged a pirate's bite. He skidded back just a bit as the pirate toppled over, then Spyro turned his gaze back to the others. "Everyone, prepare to—"

An explosion rattled the side of the Dread-Yacht, and Spyro tumbled in midair as the ship tipped over! He landed right in Ninjini's arms and pulled himself up, then winced as his eyes fell on a massive plume of smoke that burned from the Dread-Yacht's side! So, he turned his eyes back on the skies, where smoke billowed from the lead ship's cannons!

Cannonballs shot from the side ships' cannons and dashed through the skies, while the Skylanders and Elder Elementals all ducked for cover! The Dread-Yacht itself rattled and shook back and forth with every cannon shot, then another particularly tough blast shot straight into the hull and sent them spinning! Screams came from all around as they twirled across the skies, then finally the Dread-Yacht heaved around and stood down the massive pirate fleet before it. A lone ship, against an entire heavily-armed fleet packed with the highest grade of weapons…

"What are we gonna do now?" Cali cried, her daggers at the ready as she glared down the pirates that encircled them.

"We're surrounded at every angle, outnumbered, and stranded at sky," Crusher remarked as he clutched his hammer. "Odds aren't exactly in our favor."

As Crusher spoke, everyone else gulped and hesitated, and even the cheeriest of their ranks had their fears betrayed by their forced smiles. Like it or not, Crusher was right—things weren't exactly looking in their favor, and even with all the power they held, the pirates had a lot more up their sleeves! It would take a miracle to get out of a situation like this!

But, in spite of everyone else's pessimism, Flynn just stared down at the console and grinned! The faint light reflected off of the Dread-Yacht's shiny new console buttons and into his eyes, and he just smiled as he puffed out his chest!

"I'll tell you what we're doing!" Flynn cried as he smacked a hand against the console. All eyes turned to him, and Flynn just grinned as he leaped from the wheel. "We're not going down without a fight!"

"Huh?" Everyone else uttered.

"Flynn, what are you talking about? We're completely outmatched!" Cali cried as she gestured to the pirates encroaching on them!

"That might be true, Cali, but we've been outmatched plenty of times before and we've made it out perfectly fine!" Flynn cried back! His normal smile had disappeared, and his mouth was clutched into a serious glare as he paced back and forth. "And beside, you're acting like we've already lost! That kind of attitude isn't like the heroes of Skylands I know!"

Spyro perked up, and he grinned as he turned back to Gill Grunt.

"Flynn's got a point!" Spyro remarked as he nudged Gill Grunt's shoulder with his wing. "If there's one thing Skylanders never do, it's give up!"

"And it's not something we're gonna do, either!" Ninjini affirmed as she flew up.

Flynn grinned and pounded a fist against his hand. "That's the spirit!" Flynn cried. "This is our ship, and we're not letting them take it from us! Heck, we're not gonna let them take us down when we've got a super-duper important mission to finish! We've got friends to find, bad guys to fight, enchiladas to eat! We can't stop here, not when we've got so much to—"

A cough came from the other side, and the pirate first mate just snarled as he crossed his arms and tapped his leg.

"Really rousing speech, lad, but are we going to fight or not?" The first mate asked.

Flynn, in response, just scoffed. "Hey, I wasn't done yet!"

Flynn scoffed a second time, then cleared his throat and steeled his gaze.

"As I was saying, we can't give up, not when we've got so much we've still gotta do!" Flynn proclaimed! He snarled as he pointed to the pirates before him. "Skylanders, attack!"

"Aye aye, captain!" Spyro cried as he dashed into the fray with Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy and Stealth Elf by his side!

"Don't forget about me, either!" Cali cried as she snatched another vial of ghost-repellent oil from her pockets.

Flynn smirked and crossed his arms, then another cannonball rattled the ship and knocked him down! He grunted and pushed himself off the ground, then snarled as a screen popped out of the wall and showed him the damaged ship quarter.

"Crap, I forgot about their artillery!" Flynn cried.

Ninjini raised a brow, then grinned and turned back to Bouncer, who in turn returned her grin! As Hot Head and Crusher joined them, the four of them raced over to one of the doors and yanked it open!

"Just leave that to us!" Ninjini cried as the door expanded in size enough to let all four of them cleanly pass. "We'll knock those ships out of the skies before you can even wish for it!"

Ninjini dashed into the door right as it slammed shut and returned to its normal size, and Flynn just smiled and rushed back to the pilot's wheel.

"And I'll keep this baby floating!" Flynn cried as he spun the wheel. "Now, ALL HANDS ON DECK!"

As Flynn spun the wheel and turned the Dread-Yacht around, a couple of pirates snarled and rushed right after him—but before they could reach, Spyro zipped in front of them and smirked! His golden eyes turned to a more pure yellow, then they sparkled as he landed on deck!

"Sorry buddies, but that's the wrong way! He's not your opponent," Spyro remarked as he lowered his head while his eyes shone with an even brighter light.

"I AM!"

Burst of bright light flew from Spyro's eyes as he cried out, and the pirates all screeched as the light completely blocked their vision! They squealed and flailed as the light shone over them, while behind them Spyro just smirked as his eyes turned to silver. While they writhed, he flew up and flapped his wings, and in response trails of mist cascaded down and solidified on the ground as hulking wraiths! The wraiths all screeched to the heavens as they charged after the pirates, who could only stand in shock as the wraiths yanked them off the deck and tossed them overboard!

"Nice! Gotta thank Cynder for teaching me that trick when we meet back up," Spyro remarked as he gently floated back down, then yelped and flew aside as a cutlass nearly skewered him!

Spyro grimaced and turned his head towards the right, where Cali was locked in combat with a cutlass-wielding squid ghost! The ghost gnashed and groaned as it slashed at Cali, who could only block with the oil-coated dagger she held in hand. But, her dagger was a toothpick in comparison to the squid's own mightier sword, and it was all she could do to hold it just inches from her face! So, Cali fell to the floor and rolled backwards!

The squid yowled and waved its cutlass in the air, but Cali just smirked as she yanked a bomb out of her pocket.

"Yeah, I'm not particularly fond of you either, buddy!" Cali cried as she doused the bomb in oil and set it alight. "I'm fact, how about you go take a flight?"

Cali flung the lit bomb right at the squid, and it just screamed as the bomb exploded and sent it flying right off the deck—but, it wasn't the only one that got taken out! Several other ghosts cried as they were tossed across the deck, while behind them Trigger Happy screamed as he flew forward and bounced against the deck! Trigger Happy grunted as he hit his head with every bounce, then finally he slammed into a barrel and rubbed his head… Right as the pirates all shoved their weapons in his face!

Trigger Happy chuckled, then dug into the depths of his fur.

"Easy there, boys! Let's not get too hasty," Trigger Happy replied as he pulled something shiny and gold out from his fur. "In fact, why don't we settle things with a nice little gift!"—Trigger Happy grinned and raised his brows—"how do a bunch of gold coins sound?"

The pirates' eyes flickered, then they sparkled as the pirates nodded as fast as they could! Pleased grunts came from them as they clasped their hands and gave Trigger Happy the biggest of grins. Then, they screamed as Trigger Happy whipped out a golden pistol!

"Okie-dokie!" Trigger Happy cried as he latched his finger around the trigger. "Here you go!"

Trigger Happy burst into cackles as a blitz of golden coins shot out from his pistol and shot the pirates back, but he wasn't done yet! While the pirates screamed and fled as they shielded themselves from the coins' onslaught, Trigger Happy just whipped out a second pistol and added on! The striking sight of golden light burned across the deck as Trigger Happy fired away, while the pirates just squealed and took a sharp turn left to unveil Stealth Elf and Gill Grunt instead! Trigger Happy gasped, then dropped his guns and leaped up and down as he frantically waved his arms.

"Gill, Stealthie, look out!"

Stealth Elf yanked her head aside then flipped away right as the coins came right for her, but Gill Grunt wasn't so lucky! The coins that had their path set on Stealth Elf shot right into the wall behind and embedded themselves in tight, but he hadn't turned till the very last second and got blasted away!

Gill Grunt cried out in pain as the coins shot him across the deck, then he groaned and patted the floor in search of his harpoon cannon. Something stomped on his hand, and Gill Grunt screamed as he frantically tried to yank his hand away from the thig that stomped it—but somebody just grabbed him by that hand and yanked him off the floor! A low cackle came as Gill Grunt came face to face with the pirate first mate, the very head of the assault, who only smirked at the sight of Gill Grunt's shocked face!

"Looks like I caught me a little fishie!" The first mate chuckled!

"Gill Grunt!" Stealth Elf called! She grunted and narrowed her eyes as she prepared to dart into the fray, but just before she could, more of the pirate ghosts raced in front of her and blocked off her view!

The ghosts all growled and snarled as they inched closer to Stealth Elf, who just snarled as she gripped her smoke bombs.

"I don't have time to play with you!" Stealth Elf shouted as she slammed the bombs against the floor. "Now shoo!"

The bombs crashed against the floor and exploded into a cloud of green spores, and Stealth Elf escaped underneath its cover while the other pirates coughed and hacked. But, more pirates just ran in her way and blocked her off! So, Stealth Elf just drew her daggers and slashed away!

But while she brawled, Gill Grunt just struggled and squirmed as he tried to escape the first mate's grip! And yet, the first mate just held on tight as he could, his smile grown wider by the second as if he reveled in Gill Grunt's struggles! He bellowed with laughter as Gill Grunt cackled, while something pounded against his muscular chest, something shiny and silver. The sight of it caught Gill Grunt's eyes, and his struggling drew to a close.

"Y'know, I was thinking something about ye looked familiar," the first mate remarked as he lifted up the silver object. "And now that I got a good look at ye, I know just what!"

The silver object was brought to the faint light, and Gill Grunt's eyes grew even wider as he saw just what it truly was—a locket! A simple one held by a silver chain, but a locket nonetheless! It was rusted in some spots, but otherwise it seemed perfectly intact, and its front had been carved to vaguely resemble a seashell. It spun around in circles as it dangled from the pirates' fingers, and he only cackled as he tucked it back into his shirt.

"That locket…" Gill Grunt whispered.

"Ah, so ye recognize it, mate?" The first mate smirked. "Snagged it off some mermaid that got out of our highest-security dungeons!"—The first mate raised a brow as he chuckled—"you know, the lass seemed awfully upset that I took it, too… So, I've been keepin' it, just to spite her for escapin'! She'll never get this old thing back as far as I'm concerned!"

Gill Grunt snarled, and his teeth gritted as he fixed on the silver chain that still hung from the first mate's neck! His eyes twitched, then he swung backwards and kicked right for the first mate's chest! The first mate gasped and turned away, but his grip on Gill Grunt's arm slipped just enough that Gill Grunt turned it around and flipped right out of his grip! Gill Grunt skidded backwards, but just before he hit the ground, he started up his jetpack and screeched right for the first mate! The first mate himself gasped as Gill Grunt flew right past him and pulled him forward, then as Gill Grunt disappeared, he grunted and patted his neck to find that the pendant was completely gone! The first mate gasped, then snarled with twitching lips as Gill Grunt grinned and held the pendant.

"Why, ye thievin' scoundrel!" The first mate cried as he whipped out his sword. "Ye'll pay for that!"

"That's what I should be telling you!" Gill Grunt cried as he held out his water cannon!

While Gill Grunt's finger latched onto the trigger, the first mate cried out and dashed straight for Gill Grunt! His sword waved in the air as he drew closer and closer, then he prepared to strike—but, before he could, Gill Grunt released the trigger and sent a gigantic anchor shooting right towards the first mate! He only grunted as the anchor tossed him back into the wall, then he slid down and groaned as he held his head. Gill Grunt smirked, then flew aside as a pirate greeble flew forward and smacked right into the wall beside him with a massive claw mark on its face! His eyes nearly popped out of his head, then he turned around and smiled as his eyes fell on a massive green tiger that shook and tossed the pirates around it like they were chew toys.

"Oh, just Stealth Elf."

Another pirate skidded across the floor and right by his feet, then a green flash of light shone and Stealth Elf walked up to him as she wiped off her hands.

"Seems like that should be all of them!" Stealth Elf remarked as she placed a hand on her hip.

All around the deck, the pirates that hadn't been cast overboard laid writhing and weak on the floor, their bodies covered in sores, burns and scratches. They all groaned as smoke wafted off their bodies, and a few even raised their hands and groaned in some hope of breaking out of their trance. Then, they just groaned and collapsed!

The first mate blinked and scrambled backwards at the sight of his fallen crew, then he screamed and leaped to his feet! With a whistle on his end, his ship screeched right up to the side of the deck!

"Retreat!" The first mate cried as he dashed up to his ship. "This is the cannon masters' problem now!"

With a snap of his fingers, the first mate's ghastly crew had vanished from the decks and reappeared on their own ship's deck, just in time for the ship to skedaddle! As the ship dashed back to its fleet, everyone else grinned and glanced over the side of the Dread-Yacht. Then they screamed and fell back as another cannonball rattled the deck!
And while they slid across the deck, Flynn clung to the wheel and winced! Flynn pushed himself up as the Dread-Yacht steadied, tapped a few buttons on its new console and grimaced as a grainy screen popped out from the walls.

"Ninjini, how're things holding up down there?!" Flynn cried. The sound of firing cannonballs yanked him away from the screen, and he only winced as he frantically steered out of their direction. "Cause we've got a bit of an artillery problem here!"

"We're on it, Flynn!" Ninjini called, his voice left fuzzy by the transmission quality.

The screen's grainy, fuzzy surface finally cleared, and on it was none other than Ninjini! She grinned as she waved to the screen, then she steered away and lifted out her arm to present an entire row of cannons enchanted with magic! Their wooden surfaces glowed with bright purple light, and Magic Element symbols resided on their wooden tops.

"Just had to make a few adjustments, but our artillery should be ready to go!" Ninjini smirked as her eyes fell on the oncoming ships. "And I'd say I know the perfect way to test it!"—Ninjini turned aside and snapped her fingers—"let's show them what we've got, boys!"

"Roger that!" Bouncer, Crusher and Hot Head cried as they all scrambled towards the cannons and took their seats!

Ninjini herself took a seat at the cannon which helmed the charge, then she gripped its handles tight and grinned.

"FIRE AWAY!"

They all pulled back the handles of their cannons, and in turn a fury of attacks burst from their cannons and towards the ships! Magic orbs and flurries of stone tore through the opposing ships' hulls and tore them down, while waves of gears combated oncoming cannonballs and knocked them out right in mid-flight! And to top it all off, a gigantic flame cast out from Hot Head's cannon and burned over the sky in waves, a bright orange burst that set the ships ahead alight!

And as the ships turned around and retreated, Ninjini just turned to Flynn and winked. "See, we've got it all under control!" Ninjini remarked as she gave Flynn a thumbs up!

"Wait, what's that?" Bouncer asked as he scratched his head.

"What's what?" Ninjini asked as she turned around, then gasped and turned back to Flynn.

"Actually, I'll get back to you about that!"

The communications cut in that instance, and Flynn himself winced as he turned his gaze on the ships ahead. Though they were flaming, beaten and battered, they still stood the best they could, stubborn as ghost ships always were. They drew closer and closer together, then they all sent out their cannons, their missiles and guns and in one simultaneous move, they all fired right for the Dread-Yacht!

Everyone screamed as the blow came right for them, while the Dread-Yacht fired a combined blow of its own from its cannons. But as the combined blast of fire, gears, orbs and rocks hurtled straight for the mass of missiles and weaponry, it was crushed to bits while the enemy assault zoomed past!

"That's it, we're doomed!" Trigger Happy cried as he raced back in forth in circles. "We're all gonna die!"—Trigger Happy yanked a pen and paper from his fur and frantically scribbled as he wrote—"first, I'm giving all my treasure to my pet turtle…"

Flynn winced as he scanned the control panel, his nails gnawed down fast as he looked for something, anything that could fight off the oncoming storm. But then, his eyes fell on a glossy button with a person's picture planted on it, and he grinned.

"We're not done yet, Trigger Happy!" Flynn cried. "I'm fact, I've got a secret weapon right up my sleeve!"

Trigger Happy turned around and blinked, as did everyone around him.

"You do?"

Flynn chuckled, then slammed down on the glossy button and leaned back. "You might wanna hold on tight!"

Everyone paused and frowned, then they skidded backwards as the Dread-Yacht creaked and tilted back! They all frantically grappled for crates and boxes to cling to, but even those proved less than helpful as the Dread-Yacht tilted back and creaked again! With every creak, they tilted and whirled and spun around—just what was going on?

"Robot mode, activated!" Cried a mechanical voice!

With one last shift, the Dread-Yacht's front slid down, and out from the top popped the captain's quarters! It had transformed, going from an ordinary boat to a massive robot! Its sides had devolved into formal arms and legs, and out from its hull-shaped chest came the window for a second room! Everyone else screamed as they dropped into this new room with a thunk, then peered out the glass window they were provided and screamed!

"Since when could the Dread-Yacht turn into a giant robot?!" Spyro cried as he pressed his face against the glass.

"Beats me! Those pirates must've done it!" Flynn boomed from the upstairs! He chuckled as he observed their shock from a screen, then he smirked and raised his brows as he turned his gaze on the oncoming assault.

"But now, it'll be what stops them!"

Flynn pressed a couple of buttons as the missiles, bombs and other weapons came within inches of him, and in response the Dread-Yacht yanked them out of the air and tossed them right back at the ships! The ships all turned around and screeched away—but they weren't fast enough, because their own weapons crashed into them in an explosion of fury and fire! Flynn grinned, and with another button press the Dread-Yacht hastily shifted back into its original form! Screams echoed from all around as the Dread-Yacht shifted back to normal and everyone else popped up from a panel in the floor, but Flynn just grinned as he gazed out the window.

"Just what was that?" Gill Grunt groaned as he held his head.

"I don't know," Trigger Happy moaned back. Trigger Happy blinked, then grinned and tossed his pen and paper away. "But look!"—Trigger Happy pointed up to the flaming pirates and grinned—"it got rid of those guys!"

Everyone else followed Trigger Happy's gaze and grinned, for he was right! The pirates' ships were set alight and decayed in the fire with every second they floated—and not even a ghost ship could come back from that! They had won!

§

The smell of smoke stung everyone's noses as the pirates' ship was engulfed in flames, their cries as hollow as ghosts as their ship slowly sank further and further into the abyss. Its flames were a single burst of warmth alongside the murky, cloudy skies as it disappeared among the mist, no more than a speck amid the clouds and vast skies. Even the screams had cut off, and all that was left were the howls of wind as everyone watched the fall end… But despite the morbid circumstances, they all cheered and leaped up! They had escaped ghost pirate territory with the lives and ship, not an easy feat by any means, and by the Ancients, they were gonna cheer! They all hugged each other tight and spun around, Trigger Happy shot golden fireworks in the air, and even Stealth Elf managed a grin beneath her mask as she crossed her arms.

"Welp, looks like that ship's down for the count!" Flynn remarked as he wiped his hands. He grinned for a moment, then his grin slowly fell as his eyes popped open. "Actually, though, being a ghost ship, there's a pretty good chance it'll come back!"

Flynn gasped, then jumped back to the Dread-Yacht's steering wheel and swung the Dread-Yacht around! It slowly creaked into motion and soared across the skies, till the dying ghost ship down below had vanished from view and all that was left were endless expanses of clouds and sky once more. And with the pirates gone, everyone took a breather and sat down.

As Gill Grunt admired the locket in his palms, Ninjini leaned over and quirked a brow.

"Were you not able to find your lover?" Ninjini asked as she leaned in closer.

Gill Grunt shook his head, and yet he still kept that simple, gentle smile on his face as he traced hearts in the side of the locket.

"'Fraid not," Gill Grunt whispered, and his grin grew a bit larger as he examined the locket's inside. "But, she's alive!"

Ninjini frowned a little bit, and a look of disappointment shone in her eyes—though, with a shake of her head she dispelled her somber look and examined the locket's inside. On one half of the locket there was a picture, its paper a bit worn and faded, yet the illustration on it was crisp and clear as day—a young gillman dressed in a marine's outfit wrapped in a mermaid's embrace while they kissed with the passion of lovers much older than they were, as close as close could be. On the other side, a G and an R were carved in Skylandian into the locket's rusted metal.

"She still kept this old thing, even after all this time." Gill Grunt chuckled as he closed the locket and held it close to his heart. "Rita, once I find you, I'll make sure I get it back to you."

Ninjini, in response, just chuckled and sat back up. "I'm sure you'll find her someday."

Gill Grunt nodded as he tucked the locket into his pocket, then shook his head.

"No, I'll definitely find her."

Ninjini smiled and rubbed Gill Grunt's shoulders with her finger, a rare moment of peace after such a hectic time, but even that was fleeting as the crackle of static echoed over the loudspeakers.

"Alright, everyone! This is your captain speaking!" Flynn boomed. "Now that we're making our way out of ghost pirate territory, onto our next objective—finding the rest of our crew and getting back on track!"—Flynn's voice lowered just a bit—"that is, if I can even figure out where the heck we are in the first place…"

Sighs and eyerolls came all around, and some even buried their heads in their hands. In all their elation over finally making their grand escape, they had forgotten one thing—they had no idea where they were! Surely, it would take them days, weeks even, before they even remotely got to somewhere familiar…

"Yeah, this is gonna take a while," Spyro remarked as he shook his head, then jolted it back up and gasped.

"That's right! I'd better let Chi know we're alright!"

Spyro bowed his head and clasped his front paws together, and from the gaps in his toes, a purplish-pink light shimmered and glowed even brighter as Spyro lifted his paws to reveal a butterfly! The butterfly sparkled as it flew away from Spyro's grip, then it hovered and flew in midair as if waiting for Spyro's next command.

"Find Chihiro, and tell her that we're alright and going to find her!" Spyro said.

The butterfly nodded, and Spyro grinned as it flew off from the Dread-Yacht's deck! He waved goodbye as it disappeared beyond the clouds, but even that momentary glimpse of happiness disappeared as he lowered his paws and frowned.

"Hopefully…"

"Alright everyone, you might wanna hang onto something!" Flynn boomed over the loudspeakers, "I'm about to shift this baby into overdrive!"

Everyone turned around and frowned as they gazed at Flynn, but that happened a little too late—because with the crank of a lever, the Dread-Yacht dashed off fast a bullet! Screams were the only thing that could be heard as everyone was flung forward and pinned to the walls, but despite their cries, Flynn was perfectly oblivious! He just cheered from the pilot's seat as he spun the wheel around!

"Hoo baby!" Flynn cried as the Dread-Yacht burst through a particularly large cloud and split it in two. "Let's see if this can go any faster!"

"NO!" Everyone else cried as the Dread-Yacht disappeared into the distance.