"So...Valtor, was it?" Ogron clarifies.
"That's right. And I assume you dears have a lot of questions." Valtor says. "I was on a never ending quest to become the most powerful sorcerer in the Magic Dimension, but that was put ahold for 16 years as I was banished to this place. And then some fairies exorcized the source of my power...the Dragon Flame. They didn't destroy it of course, less she would have also died. And so, I am back."
"Who nearly killed you?" Anagan asks.
"They call themselves the Winx. A group of guardian fairies from Alfea." Valtor clarifies.
"We also encountered them, and they put us here and took Duman from us!" Ogron huffs. "He should be somewhere here, I can sense him."
"So there's four of you." Valtor hums. "I am willing to help you, you see? But I have something you need to do for me in return."
"Anything to help Duman." Gantlos nods. Ogron hits him in the arm.
"Don't agree without me!", he hisses. "Darkar knows what you want."
"Maybe but I assure I aim to please a flattering man as yourself~" Valtor purrs, getting closer. Ogron shoves him away, saying: "So that's how you failed; you couldn't charm enough people."
"Excuse you! I have enough power to kill a man!" Valtor huffs.
"Right, right." Ogron replies, waving that fact away and commanding Gantlos to track Duman. Gantlos places a hand on the ground and starts concentrating on his tracking magic. With amber vision, he spots Duman, a monstrous bat in his icy dome. His vision seems to get further away from the prisoner as a route is etched into his mind. Gantlos' eyes snap open, the yellow glow fading from them, and he gets back up. "The shortest route is this way.", he says, pointing to a wall.
"...Are you serious? I'd expect half of your mind to be thawed by now!" Ogron yells at him. "That's a damn wall, idiot!"
"I meant shortest path in terms of velocity. I just need to blast a few walls and we'll be there in no time." Gantlos replies. He claps his hands together, conjuring seismic waves which crash into the wall and blow it up. The crystalized smoke clears out to a crevice and some debris on the floor. A few icicles around also fell. "Should be good now."
Ogron facepalms as they make their way out of this section of the Omega. He guesses blasting walls is better than an actual path, Ogron thought, this is stupid. The Omega is much wider than they thought. Some paths are ice while others are stones covered in snow. Some walls are rocky and dull while others shone brightly like crystals. And some areas blew large breezes, but it could just be all the explosions Gantlos has been throwing to get them to Duman quicker. At some point Valtor stops him by gently grabbing onto his arm. "We're reaching the point where the White snake resides. I don't want any more trouble."
Gantlos wants to say something, but he remembers the vivid image of that mage getting his powers and his life taken away. He silently nods and tells Valtor the second quickest way. Valtor seems to have already gotten himself comfortable as he takes the lead, Gantlos follows behind him to give directions while Ogron glares at him from the back, Anagan walking next to him. "Looks like he won't be leaving anytime soon." Anagan whispers to Ogron.
"Unfortunately, and he's taken a liking to us, I can tell." Ogron whispers back, "All I need is to escape this damned place without...him around."
"So what's the plan then, boss?"
"After Duman gets freed, we attack that thing. There's no way he's powerful, that stranger he killed was mere shadows."
"Yeah, heh, maybe beneath that victorian flair he's a dullard." Anagan chuckles.
"Dullard?" Gantlos questions, turning back to look at them.
"Ok who's calling me a dullard?" Valtor asks his turn, looking at them.
"UH- This guy!" Anagan says, pointing at Gantlos.
"Dude!" Gantlos snaps at him.
Valtor raises an eyebrow. Before he can say anything the ground starts rumbling. Valtor looks over to one of the lower floorings which looked like it was moving on its own. And it was, because it was in fact a White Snake. The wizards look up in horror as the enormous pale leviathan rose and stared them down. It hisses a roar and prepares to attack them, but Valtor shoots a beam and blasts it with ease. The snake explodes into a million bits which cause a mild earthquake and avalanche of bloody snake meat. The wizards look over to Valtor, flabbergasted a mere wizard could take down the guardian of hell itself. Well, he was a demon, not a wizard. Valtor looks back to Anagan and says: "Well, that little thing made me waste my power. Hope nothing else will."
"Ok. Ok. Let's go find Duman now." Anagan stutters.
It took them a while and lots of debris on the way but finally, standing before Valtor, a bat monster encased in ice. A relic of the past now in the present. He puts a hand on the casing before manifesting a sizzling ember. The casing breaks, the wizards shielding themselves from flying glass. The creature breathes and quickly surrounds itself with magic, turning back into a human.
"GAH- ahhhh, what's happening—" his raspy and dry voice echoes. Valtor quickly uses a spell to warm him up like he did for the others.
Duman gathered his thoughts again; he got sick, tried to get away with that wizard of Andros, got teleported in this place, was frozen for a year, and how he's back.
"Duman…?" Ogron starts. Duman perks up and looks at the redhead. "Ogron…OGRON! :D", Duman exclaims as he leaps up and into his arms. Ogron staggers back at the sudden weight but manages not to fall. "Calm down Duman! We're here now."
"Oh man, you guys abandoned me!" Duman pouts.
"Hey don't worry dude, we're here with you now, Anagan laughs, ruffling Duman's hair. They all laugh heartily and Duman throws a glance at Gantlos who's trying to look stoic. "Come on, you know you missed me~" Duman teases. Gantlos lightly chuckles and rolls his eyes.
"You four are adorable, you know that?" Valtor chuckles, the four looking back at him,"Unfortunately you are forgetting our little arrangement. I have aided you and now I need your help in my quest to become the most powerful sorcerer."
Ogron starts laughing menacingly as he steps forward. He uses a spell to summon chains around Valtor.
"Ogron, what are you doing?!" Gantlos stutters.
"Don't be a fool, Gantlos. And you, you really thought we would just follow you like dogs? The wizards of the Black Circle obey no one!"
"Ogron, stop it, you don't want to mess with him-"
"Quiet Gantlos! Why are you so—"
Before Ogron can notice, he sees a flash of light, a feeling like getting punched in the stomach and the sound is his back crashing into a wall. He shakily tries to sit up and looks at Valtor. The chains seamlessly disappeared and his wings spread out.
"You made a mistake doing that." Valtor bluntly says.
Duman and Anagan try to attack but Valtor absorbs their spells and deflect them ten fold. Gantlos shields the pair with some seismic waves, but cowers back at Valtor. Valtor snaps his fingers and levitates the wizards, holding them in place. Duman and Ogron try to move but it's like they're frozen all over again. They look at Valtor in fear of his dark magic.
"I wanted to be polite enough to consider us equals perhaps, but those days are far gone now. For your disrespect and attempted betrayal, my initial plans haven't changed. You may be free but you're still shackled to me, Valtor. You better get used to it; your lives will change forever once dawn breaks…"
Valtor lets out a sinister chuckle and the wizards wince at their new fate.
