Amphibia: Calamity Warriors

by JamesFames

Upon arriving in a strange new world, full of dangerous creatures and anthropomorphic frogs, instead of the Plantars, Anne ends up living with a mysterious stranger who seems more human than he lets on. Join Anne as she searches for her friends and learns more about this cloaked stranger's mysterious past and his connection to the strange music box.

56. Eye of the Shadowed Crucible

Amphibia: Calamity Warriors

Chapter Fifty-Six: Eye of the Shadowed Crucible

Years ago…

---

Before the three girls disappeared to Amphibia, before they were a trio, they were a duo composed of Anne and Marcy. Right now, the two young girls were at the park, laughing as they swung on the swing set.

"Look, Mar Mar! I'm an eagle!" A young Anne Boonchuy declared.

"Cool! Well, I'm a twin engine cemax amphibious aircraft!" A young Marcy Wu replied.

The two laughed as they swung, only to be sent flying out of the swings when a pair of teenagers pushed them out.

"Oh, how cute." The first one mocked as she and her friend sat on the swings. "Now beat it. These swings are ours."

Young Anne and Marcy looked like they were about to start crying.

"Not so fast, evildoers!"

They saw a young girl with blonde hair standing atop a slide.

"Leave those kids alone!" She yelled before sliding down the slide and flying at the teenagers with a flying kick, young Anne and Marcy watching in awe…

…only for the teens to split apart, the girl flying right past them and landing face first in the dirt.

Undeterred, the girl launched at the teens once again, only for the same thing to happen; her flying right past them and falling headfirst into the sandbox.

She spat out some sand and got back up. "I'm not done yet." She shouted with determination. "I'll never give up! No matter what!"

She charged at them again, only to trip over her own feet and into the dirt again.

"This is getting weird." The second teen said.

"Yeah, we're out of here." The first girl agreed, the both of them getting up and leaving. "Enjoy your swings, babies."

With the teens gone, the blonde girl got up and turned to Anne and Marcy with a laugh.

"Swings are all yours!"

She turned to leave, but Anne spoke up. "Hey, you wanna swing with us?" She offered, both her and Marcy getting up.

The blonde girl smiled. "I-I'd like that."

"I'm Anne, by the way." Anne introduced, then gestured to Marcy. "This is Marcy."

"Hiya!"

"I'm Sasha. Sasha Waybright!"

Sasha and Marcy walked off together, Anne made to go join them, but then saw someone out the corner of her eye in the jungle gym, a young boy light skin, jet-black hair around her age fading in and out of sight, crouched in a fetal position. He noticed her presence and turned, showing a green eye in the shadows of the gym, giving off the feeling of being trapped in a prison.

She looked down and noticed she was casting more than one shadow. One was hers, the other was older with three holes in it, giving off the impression of it smiling at her. She grew disturbed by this and ran off to join the others, unaware of a third shadow being casted behind her, despite being in front of the sun's light, a shadow carrying unmoving silhouettes of the same bullies that mocked the girls.

From that point onward, she had been plagued by weird thoughts, chief among them the boy from before, one she kept seeing in her mind's eye, strange dreams regarding memories of a time and place so similar yet different to her, horrific visions of a man in chains and two women that looked like her, among...other things, with even more fervor since she met Marcy and found herself in front of the chained man.

She couldn't make heads or tails of it and despite the decade that had passed, those images kept nagging at her from the back of her mind. But upon arriving on Amphibia, the thoughts have all but transformed into something far more tangible. The boy being Shadow, the man in chains being Satanael, the oldest lookalike being Savisa, yet the visions and memories were still yet to be understood.

---

Present…

---

"Eventually it will reach a point where you will lose control of your own actions... -turning the mountain into not just a volcano, but a ticking time bomb... Sasha has been compromised... You have no reason to trust me, and I for now want to keep it that way... The only reason I reach out to you now is because you are here now. You are far more vital to Satanael's plans than you or Hopediah realize... We will meet face-to-face. Count on it... Journey to the West... Your suspicions are well-founded. She is the reason, but not the catalyst."

The words from Kai Valmar's message keep playing in Shadow's mind over and over as he, the other Calamity Warriors, the Plantars, Clarissa and Skye and Joe Sparrow, while the two birds held onto Frobo and Echo with their talons, flying high over the fire-filled landscape that preluded their destination of Death's Eye Mountain and the third and last temple on the Amphibia continent. They came here to charge the Ruby of Might and find the means to stop the mountain from erupting, unleashing darkness infused fire upon the wind, corrupting everything and everyone exposed to its sickly ash via special equipment found in the temple itself, once a salamander laboratory.

Not only will they have to deal with the Risen that now plague it like in the Court of Nightmares and Frostbound Citadel, but they also have to contend with a tribe of toads known as the Zaqali and a mysterious third party that had long been corrupted by the shadows. He had yet to disclose this information with the others, though Anne had some inkling due to the shared link created from the ritual in Valhal. In preparation for the venture and inspired by the armor attained in the previous two temples, they made a quick stop at the frobot foundry in the Ruins of Despair, crafting special flame-resistant armor for the amphibians and the others, Valor being the most excited about the idea.

Soon enough, they arrived at their destination, just outside a volcano, the tip of it bubbling with magma, like it could erupt at any given moment. The two birds sat Frobo and Echo dawn before they landed, although it was rather sloppy, both falling forward, tired from the heat. Before them was the entrance, looking like an archway before a rock wall.

"And, wha-bam!" Anne exclaimed, breaking her lover out of his train of thought.

"Whoa!" The rest remarked as they hovered down from their mounts and onto the ground.

"The entrance to the third temple." Anne remarked, fanning herself. "Whew, it's hot here."

"The Risen's presence here must be causing the heat to amplify." Shadow said. "The temperature's off the charts in the hot zone."

"Yeah, so hot, it's causing the water to evaporate." Ina said, pulling out her water flask, seeing that the water inside he evaporated. "My powers are useless here."

"Hey, don't feel too bad." Valor said before looking at the amphibians of the group. "Say, are you guys okay?"

Their amphibian friends looked like they were sweating heavily, the Plantars groaning and coughing.

"We're. Awesome." Apollo said through gritted teeth, trying to play it cool.

"Just a little dehydrated from the heat. We'll be alright." Hop Pop assured.

"One minute." Clarissa said, tapping the end of her staff on the ground, creating a cooling aura around herself and the other amphibians. "This should keep you from drying out like a raisin."

"Thanks, Clarissa. That's pretty sweet of you." Sprig said with a smile.

"It's not being sweet, it's being cautious." The salamander magician denied. "I could care less about you lot. It's just so we don't slow anyone down." She turned towards the volcano. "Now come. The sooner we get the stone charged, and the laboratory sealed, the better."

The group walked to the archway, said archway glowing with pink runes.

"What's it say, Marcy?" Sprig says ecstatically, tugging on her cape. "What's it say?!"

"Can you give her a minute?" Kaemon chastised the pink frog.

The girl moved closer to translate the words but grew confused. "Well, this can't be right. Lift to enter, 'brah?'"

Apollo raised a hand. "I'm just going to call it out that maybe the people who built this temple may have been stoned a little too much when they wrote down these messages."

"Agreed." Polly added. "Makes me want the creepy whispers from the first temple."

As if on cue, a familiar voice rang out in their heads. "A presence... Something new, yet... Familiar. Yes... Your coming was foretold in the rings. The long circle is nearly complete. Come, little ones. Savor your fear as we feast upon it!"

Some of them glared at the tadpole, who sheepishly chuckled. Shadow and the others remember that this was the same voice who kept them company in the twisted Temple of Wits. The one with the strange remarks. Since the corrupted tree was reduced to cinders, the entity's words have been nagging in the back of his mind. It felt far too direct and ominously foreboding.

Both Frobo and Echo walked up to the archway and dug their metal fingers under the wall and pushed it up, revealing the entrance.

"Wow!" The Plantars, Anne and Marcy clapped.

"Way to go, you two!" Hop Pop said.

Suddenly, the Calamity Warriors felt a strong presence within the mountain, dark and malicious.

"You guys feel that?" Marcy asked.

"It's stronger than the Court of Nightmares," Apollo said. "But significantly weaker than the Frostbound Citadel."

Anne took in a breath, her confidence and determination strengthening.

"Alright, let's go crush this temple!" She declared.

"But take caution." Shadow warned. "Who knows what surprises the Risen have in store for us."

"Yeah!"

As the group entered the temple, Hop Pop looked to the robo brothers. "Frobo, Echo, look after Joe Sparrow and Skye. We'll be back soon."

The two robots flashed a thumbs up as the group went inside, as the robots tended to the bird mounts, Frobo petting Joe's head while Echo scratched the under neck of Skye. Just then, four shadows snuck past them, Echo turning his head to look, but saw nothing. He scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary, but again, saw nothing. Shrugging, he and Frobo went back to looking after the birds.

---

Entering the temple, the group walked down the rocky path, full of bubbling lava and several statues that seem to depict amphibians in poses showing their strength.

"Whew, it's hot in here!" Anne said, fanning herself.

"All right, gang! There should be three challenges just like the two other temples." Marcy declared.

Just then, the temple rumbled, startling the group.

"And the place could erupt at any moment." Apollo added with caution. "We must hurry."

The group pressed onward, entering another room that had a rocky road surrounded by bubbling lava. Looking to the left, they saw a chest with a symbol of a gem on it, presumably the Gem of Strength, before the crystals around it glowed, revealing a message.

"'Whoa, there boss. Think you're strong to get across?'" Marcy read the message, raising a brow at the wording.

"I have a distinct feeling that this temple is about strength." Anne deadpanned.

"Wow, who would've guessed?" Clarissa deadpanned sarcastically.

The pink light died down and the chest opened to reveal several large hammers within.

"Wonder what those are for." Sprig said.

Suddenly, a narwhal worm emerged from the lava with a roar, Sprig gasping in fright before the worm was swiftly swatted away by a hammer wielded by Apollo, splashing back into the lava.

"These things are pretty heavy." Apollo said, testing the weapons weight. "Still, nothing I can't handle."

Another launched out of the lava, rocketing towards the Plantars, only to be knocked out of the air by a fireball from Valor, incinerating it.

Valor looked at his hands, the flame dancing on his fingers. "Whoa…that's new. It feels like my flames are stronger."

"All right, guys. It's hammer time!" Marcy declared, pulling out a hammer.

"No hammer for me, thanks." Kaemon said, drawing out his swords.

"Plantars, stay behind us!" Apollo commanded, pulling out his spear. "The rest of us will handle the fighting!"

The Calamity Warriors, Kaemon and Clarissa prepared themselves for a fight while the Plantars tried to avoid the monsters, all going down the narrow rocky path. The whole time, the fighters kept the monsters at a distance, but one almost got the drop on them, aiming to attack the Plantars…

Bam!

Milo's hammer sent it flying into a wall, everyone looking at the Bloodlusted Hero in shock.

"What the heck?!" Anne gasped. "Who are you?!"

"No way!" Sprig gasped. "Milo?!"

"Hey, kid." Milo smirked, propping his hammer on his shoulder. "Been a while since I last saw you."

"Wait, you know him?" Kaemon asked.

"Milo is one of the greatest mercenaries to ever live!" Sprig squealed like a fanboy. "He visited Wartwood many years ago, even went fishing with me and Hop Pop!"

"But what're you-" Hop Pop's question was interrupted when Milo held a hand up.

"Save the questions for when we're out of the danger zone."

The group moved onward, batting away one creature after another, until something much larger arose from the lava pit, something shaped like a dragon.

"What the…" Valor let out a gasp.

"Sweet mother of frog…" Hop Pop stuttered in terror.

Emerging from the lava was a massive dragon, his maw, wings, horns and claws bathed in shadowflame. He was also clad in elementium armor, which also seemed to be the only thing keeping his body together.

Kazzaran stared down at the group, fire spewing from in between his teeth as he hissed.

"I am Kazzaran, the Hellforged; guardian of the Shadowed Crucible!" He yelled, eyes alight with flame. "Your entrails will shine my armor!"

"Ina, you and the Plantars stay back!" Shadow commanded. "The rest of us will handle this!" He looked towards Kaemon. "Kaemon, you keep guard on them!"

"No one will get past me!" The swordnewt declared.

The dragon raised an armored hand and slammed it down, the fighters moving out of the way before it could crush them, before the dragon started spewing fire. Anne held her shield up to block the flame, while Milo slammed his hammer into the ground to erect a stone wall to block.

"Surrender to terror!" The dragon yelled, letting out a roar that nearly paralyzed the group before he swiped with his claws, almost knocking Apollo and Marcy back before Milo caught it with both hands, the toad mercenary groaning as he struggled.

"Your cries are delicious." The dragon said, releasing a spew of flame, forcing the fighters to scramble to avoid it, while Valor only stood there and absorbed the shadowflame.

Shadow rushed in with Black Hope and jumped, swinging his sword and cutting at the armor, slicing off chunks of it.

"My beautiful armor!" The dragon screamed, before turning to the group with rage in his eyes. "I will peel your flesh from your bones!"

Kazzaran swung both claws downward, slamming them into the ground and causing the earth to shake, nearly knocking them off balance, Shadow using his whip blades to grapple onto the face of the dragon and stabbing at it before jumping down, his blades wrapped around the neck of the beast and slamming it down to the ground.

Shadow readied a shadow bolt, while Valor prepared a fireball, both launching their attacks at the same time, both attacks combining together into a shadowflame attack, hitting the dragon square in the chest and sending it splashing into the lava.

Both boys looked in surprise, before looking to one another.

"Did we just conjure shadowflame?" Valor asked.

"I think we just did." Shadow nodded.

Just then, the dragon emerged from the lava, its armor breaking off around the torso and neck and some flesh melting away.

"My flesh splits, but your agony will be greater!"

The beast fired another burning blast, only for Valor to jump in front and absorb the flame, the dragon roaring before readying another blast…

…only for his neck to be sliced open, the weapon revealing to be the pink heron sword of Sasha as she soared through the air, landing with grace.

"I... am... broken?" The dragon moaned in disbelief, his body crumbling to the ground and slipping into the lava.

The Plantars and Kaemon gasped in shock, Anne and Shadow were especially surprised when they saw the blonde human that had tried to kill Hop Pop and Kaemon before.

"It can't be." Anne said in disbelief.

"Sash!" Marcy exclaimed in surprise, happy to see her best friend again. "Oh, my gosh! I can't believe-"

"There's no time!" The blonde yelled, grabbing a hammer. "Follow me!"

The group proceeded onward, slashing and hacking through the monsters before making it across and getting through the doors. From the shadows watched three figures, all watching the group. One of them looked like a centaur, from the waist up he took the appearance of a humanoid salamander with the body of a dragon, walking on all fours while holding his weapons in his arms, wearing armor and robes, and had wings on his back.

The second one was a dark purple humanoid salamander with wings, wearing armor and a sword sheathed at her side.

The third one seemed like the leader, was a salamander, wearing dark robes and her golden eyes watching the group with a critical eye.

"Our lines are breaking, Sarkara!" The dark purple lizard, Winglord Dezra, exclaimed. "We cannot hold them!"

"Permission to suggest an alternate tactic?" The centaur-like salamander, Zskar, spoke up. "During my time serving Frayah, I assisted her in creating many... powerful elements. One of these instruments could be of great service to you... though it may not distinguish between friend and foe."

Scalecommander Sarkara turned to him. "What is this power?"

"In the quest to perfect Frayah's armor, we went through many iterations." Zskar told her. "This is one of our more successful attempts. While imperfect, it will be more than enough to destroy these interlopers."

"Do it!" Sarkara demanded.

"But our troops are still out there!" Dezra pointed out urgently.

Scalecommander Sarkara turned to the Winglord with steely eyes.

"Their names will forever be remembered."

---

Back with the group, they were taking a moment of reprieve after managing to get to safety. Hearing a hammer slam on the ground, Anne looked up to see Sasha sheathing her sword. Seeing Shadow nodding at her, Anne prepared for another fight…

…only to be completely thrown off when Sasha spun around with the cutest kawaii face she ever saw and her hands clasped together.

"Hey, girlfriend! Good to see you!" She declared, oddly happily.

Anne blinked in confusion, but didn't let her guard down. "You too?"

"Aah! Sasha! Sasha! Sasha! Sasha!" Marcy squealed like a fangirl, running and jumping at the blonde with a hug, almost knocking her down.

"Hey, Mar Mar!" Sasha laughed, hugging the nerd back. "Whoa! Check out your new threads!"

"Speak for yourself, look at that armor!" Marcy replied, gesturing at Sasha's armor. "How did you find us?!"

"Simple. We heard you two were traveling together and tracked you lot here."

"Did you say we?" Anne asked with a raised brow.

"Meaning she's not alone." Shadow spoke.

The boy in black's assumption was correct, as when they turned to the doors to a cackle coming from it, and in came the former Captain Grime and his First Lieutenant Damien Fausta, both dehydrated and their forms shriveled up from the heat.

"Even in this state, those things were no match for me." Grime declared, swinging away a Risen head from his sword.

"No big deal for me, although I could use some water." Damien added, his voice dry.

"About time you decided to show up." Milo remarked, walking over to the two.

The Plantars gasped in shock. "Milo! Don't tell me you're working for these jerks!" Sprig yelled.

"Not for them. I'm working with them." Milo frowned.

A slow clap drew everyone's attention, Shadow, slowly clapping his hands together, his expression stern.

"I was wondering when we'd run into you." He said, calm yet stern.

Sasha stared at him, fear in her eyes once again. The boy standing before her, that turned Anne against her and costed her everything.

Not to mention the monster that plagued her dreams.

Sasha looked upon the assembled group carefully. Marcy still appeared to be the same smart yet clumsy girl she met back at that playground years ago, but there was a sense of conviction in her that made her uneasy. Having a relationship with the son of your allies' greatest enemy could potentially make you have said thoughts.

Speaking of the newt, the one in the mask must have been the infamous Prince Apollo Leviathan that Siwang mentioned, the son of King Andrias. The way he defended her like a trophy angered her, just like back in Frog Valley. No, not here. Not now. She must keep in control for as long as needed. The other two humans and the salamander gave her pause. She never expected there to be other humans besides her and her friends. But taking into account her first interaction with Shadow, fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice...

She had never seen a salamander before, some of the toads here believed they were extinct, yet here one stood before her. She seemed strong, but clearly apprehensive. She would have to watch herself around her. For the two humans, from what the barbarian had told her so far, those two were called Valor and Ina, Amphibia's Masters of Fire and Water, trained by the Master of Lightning, Cody. Ina could pose a problem if she got too suspicious. The boy was good on the eyes though, if only Damien was human like her, then the plan would be so much easier.

Anne, Kaemon and the frogs all had their guard raised. Considering what happened back at the South Tower, this was to be expected from her. The armor, though quite fashionable and functional, was new. Whatever the frogs and the other amphibians were wearing must have been helping to keep them hydrated.

Aside from the matching armor with Marcy, Anne appeared to be exhibiting a new form of strength that she hoped she would see in her in time. This only proved to her that the bond between her and her boyfriend had only grown stronger since they last saw each other. The look in her eyes was concerning, however. What has she been through to make her look so... different?

Her eyes finally landed on her enemy and her theorized replacement. The one who took her friend away from her. The others were able to physically and verbally respond to her. He was acting very unusual, almost aggressive towards her. They interacted with the others just fine, but when they encountered her, he just...stared. That look in his eyes unsettled her, almost making her take a step back. It must have been that thousand-yard stare phrase she heard about in school. It was almost as if he knew she would come. No, that's crazy. There was no way he would know she would be here to help. Right?

"So... who are these four?" Sasha asked, pushing the fear to the furthest depths of her mind.

Marcy looked behind her, now knowing Sasha was talking about Apollo, Ina, Valor, and Clarissa.

"Oh right." Marcy said, palming her forehead. "Sasha, this is Clarissa Fintail," She gestured to the salamander magician. "a salamander magician who is tough on the outside but has a heart of gold."

"The last part is not true." Clarissa clarified with a frown.

"This lovely lady is Ina, a water sorceress extraordinaire, who can also play the flute like nobody's business."

"Aww, shucks." Ina said, being bashful over the praise.

"This guy right here is Valor, the fiery dude with a cool vibe."

Valor then walked up to Sasha, taking her hand and saying with some suave. "But you can call me Val, for short. And it's quite an honor to finally meet you in person." He kissed the top of her hand, leaving behind a warm sensation, like being close to a small but warm campfire.

"Oh." Sasha said with a blush after the gesture and feeling the heat of the kiss. "Uh, right back at cha, Val."

All while this interaction happened, Ina had a jealous glare on her face.

"And finally..." Marcy said, before making a giddy squealing sound as she gestured to the newt prince, who had his hands in his pockets. "Meet Apollo, the Prince Heir to Amphibia, and my boyfriend."

"Really?" Sasha asked, smirking as she bowed. "Well, it's great to meet you, Your High-" She stopped when she remembered something Marcy said. "Wait, did you say boyfriend?"

"Yep!" Marcy declared with a proud smile, clinging to Apollo's arm. "This woman's got a man!"

While Marcy stood proudly, like she had won the lottery, Sasha couldn't help but feel disgusted at the idea of her with a newt.

"Uh... Mar Mar, you do know he's a newt, right?"

"Oh, I know." Marcy said, like it wasn't a big deal, leaving the blonde girl flabbergasted.

"You…do you not see the problem here?" Sasha asked.

"What problem?"

"...Never mind." Sasha said with a sigh.

"Should you really be complaining to her about her taste in men?" Sasha heard Eliza whisper from behind in her mind. "I've seen what you thought about with Damien in your free time."

Sasha felt her heart beat fast and a blush on her face. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she had begun to feel some level of affection towards the newt, who had been so kind and helping her train.

Shaking off the surprise, she smiled and laughed. "Cancel the red alert." She said, noticing the Plantars and the others on edge. "Seriously, we're not here to fight."

"Oh, no?" Sprig questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope."

"And why should we believe you?" Kaemon demanded. "You tried to have me and Hop Pop killed, then Master!"

"Look, the whole reason we were stalking you was..." Sasha said with narrowed eyes and a sinister tone.

Shadow, Kaemon and Anne were ready to draw their swords, the Plantars ready to spring into action.

Then Sasha's face and tone turned sincere when she said, "…so I could tell Anne that everything that happened at Toad Tower was my fault."

To say Anne was perplexed would be an understatement, the Thai girl looking at her in surprise.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yup. It was wrong of me to put your frog friends in danger." Sasha said, a look of shame on her face and regret in her voice. "And doubly wrong of me to push you around." For a moment, she looked at Shadow, before her gaze returned to Anne. "And even more wrong of me to try and hurt your boyfriend…and even more so for putting my hands on you the way I did."

Anne took a moment to take in what she was told. She wanted to give Sasha the benefit of the doubt; she was her friend, after all. But she couldn't help but feel like something was amiss.

Still, she wanted to give her a chance.

"Wasn't expecting that." The Thai girl said, lowering her sword a bit.

Hop Pop cleared his throat. "Forgive me for being skeptical, but why the change of heart?"

"Yeah, what made you think twice?" Kaemon added.

"After Toad Tower, we lost everything." Grime said.

"Yeah, we had to go into hiding." Damien nodded. "We've been on the run, ever since."

"And I had a lot of time to think about things." Sasha said before chuckling. "But what are you guys doing in a honkin' volcano? With the walking dead roaming around?"

"Oh, Sasha. It's crazy!" Marcy declared. "The king of Amphibia told us the music box can transport us back home!" She then held up the music box. "But the stones need to be charged at three temples first! This is the third temple!"

Sasha's eyes widen in surprise. "No way! You mean we can almost go home?"

"Yup!" Anne said.

"Each temple has a theme." Marcy explained. "And this one appears to be strength."

"Then it's a good thing I showed up." Sasha said with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sprig asked with narrowed eyes.

"It means you lot are going to slow us down." Sasha frowned with a condescending gaze. "Go wait outside until we're done."

"Hey! You can't tell them what to do!" Anne said, immediately jumping to the Plantars defense.

Sasha's eyes widened for a moment, taken aback by this, before shrugging. "Okay, fine. It was just a suggestion. Now, come on. Let's move."

Before she could move forward, she was stopped when Shadow held his sword in front of her, the tip pointed at her chest.

"We're the ones leading this expedition." He said coldly. "We either do this my way, or not at all."

Sasha glared at him for a moment, before regaining her composure. "Alright, fine. At least let us scout ahead."

"But first, do you have any water on you?" Damien asked. "Lips and, well, everything, are feeling pretty dry."

The group turned to Clarissa expectantly, the salamander rolling her eyes before tapping her staff twice on the floor before blue magic enveloped the three newcomer amphibians before they regained their color and forms.

"Oh, sweet relief!" Damien gasped, stretching his limbs.

"Ah, that's much better!" Grime sighed, rolling his shoulders.

"Well, if we're done standing around, we'll go scout ahead." Sasha said. "Just let us know when you're ready to move."

As Sasha and her group moved ahead, with Marcy following behind, Anne stood with Shadow, both sporting suspicious stares at the blonde.

"Do you really think she's changed?" Anne asked her boyfriend.

"I have my doubts, but time will tell, Anne." Shadow said. "By the way, you got any of that lippy balm? Lips are feeling pretty dry."

"Cantaloupe flavor or bubble gum?" Anne asked, holding up the lip balms.

"Cantaloupe, please." Shadow said, accepting the balm before applying it to his lips. "Ah, that's the stuff."

The group made their way down the hall, passing several pillars of lava off the rocky path, with Sasha and her group taking the front. Looking over her shoulder, Sasha could see Anne and her friends arming themselves, all looking at her with distrust. She rolled her eyes at that before returning her attention to the path ahead and was surprised to see Valor walking next to her with a toothy smirk.

"So... Sasha... seeing as it'll be a while before we get to the next trial, what do you say we get to know each other better?"

"Why?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Didn't they tell you everything about me?"

"Well... yeah, mostly the bad stuff you did." Valor admitted before holding up a finger. "But! I prefer to give people a chance, before making any kind of judgment. So, what do you say?"

Sasha looked at the red-haired boy for a moment, before shrugging. "Alright, what do you want to know?"

As the two conversed, Damien looked behind him, narrowing his eyes at Valor with distrust. Ina watched this with a deepened glare, and her face turning red with envious anger. Something Sprig took notice of.

"Ina, are you okay?" The pink frog asked the blue-haired girl with concern.

"I'm... fine..." She said with gritted teeth.

Eventually, the group arrived at the entrance to the second chamber.

"Looks like the next test is beyond this door." Marcy remarked.

"Well, what're we waiting for?" Damien spoke up. "Let's knock it out of the park!"

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, prompting the group to shield their eyes. Once the light faded, the group was met with a bizarre sight; standing before them was what looked like the spirit of an armored red toad with blonde hair held in a ponytail.

"Greetings, Calamity Warriors." The echo said.

"If we're seeing you, that must mean the dark grip on this temple is weakening." Shadow inquired.

"Yes, but it will not be easy." The spirit said. "The Zaqali warband will do everything in their power to plunder this once sacred place…as well as the salamanders that remained."

"A toad me?" Sasha said with a raised brow.

"I am but an echo. I am Frayah." The spirit said. "Years ago, this mountain was my domain, where I would conduct experiments and train our people into becoming living weapons of war. It was quite difficult to earn my approval." She then looked over to a statue. "But this one proved more than worthy."

The statue depicted the image of a female salamander donned in armor.

"Sarkara was one of the salamanders trained by me, and I selected her to serve as the Scalecommander of the Ebon Scale, even becoming my lover." Frayah explained, recounting the past fondly. "Within this mountain, I fashioned a secret training ground for the salamanders, where Sarkara would train the Ebon Scales to bring destruction to the enemies of Amphibia, raining down fire and unleashing spellcraft upon those who would stand against the chosen people."

"Wait, chosen people?" Marcy repeated with a raised brow. "Chosen by who?"

"I'm afraid time does not permit a proper explanation, child of Wit." Frayah replied. "I can already sense the intruders outside trying to break in. You must hurry, stop this mountain from erupting and prevent the shadowflame from spreading."

After the echo vanished, the door to the second chamber opened, allowing the group to step inside. At the center of the room was a bench press made up of stone.

"Sup, bro'seph. Do you even lift?" Marcy read the glowing text.

"It's not even trying anymore." Anne deadpanned.

"Ha! This is all me!" Sasha declared with confidence, cracking her knuckles.

"Wait, Sash. We've done these temples, and there's always some kind of catch." Anne warned before placing a hand over her torso where she had been stabbed at the Frostbound Citadel. "Let's just search the room before we try that thing."

"I don't think we have time for a proper search." Apollo told the Thai girl. "Not to mention this temple has been rather direct so far."

"See, the prince gets it!" Sasha smirked before approaching the bench press.

"No. Wait, Sasha. I really think we should-"

But Sasha had already gotten on the bench press and lifted the bar with little issue. However, rather than opening the door as expected, the floor of the room seemed to lower quite a lot, much to the groups shock and causing the bench press to collapse.

"That can't be good." Sprig gulped.

Up above, Zskar was seen near the edge. "Well, you lot have certainly taken your sweet time." He taunted.

"Who the heck are you?!" Hop Pop demanded.

Looking closely, Marcy nearly gasped when she noticed that the lower part of the salamander's body looked like the body of a dragon.

"OH MY GOSH! Is that the equivalent of a centaur?!" She exclaimed with excitement.

"A what now?" Polly deadpanned.

"A half man half horse hybrid in mythology." Anne told the polliwog. "But in this guy's case, half salamander, half…dragon, if I had to guess."

"Less of a dragon and more of a reptile, if I had to guess." Shadow said.

"Dude, we literally fought a dragon in the frozen north." Valor pointed out. "Actual dragons existing wouldn't be too farfetched."

"How exemplary. Congratulations. It was my honor to evaluate the development of Neltharion's dracthyr." Zskar said, rubbing his hands together. "Unfortunately, they were too volatile to control. But where others see failure, I see opportunity. This early attempt at creating dracthyr yielded a subject too violent to control. Yet there is value in documenting the carnage it generates. You will serve nicely as new test subjects."

The group looked down to see three cages at their level, all three seeming dark but with varying colored eyes staring from within the cages.

"It's been so long since these dracthyr has been allowed out to play." The salamander-centaur said. "To visit." He then grinned with maliciousness. "To EAT."

"I don't like the sound of that already." Sprig said with a gulp.

"Now, let's begin."

With the flip of the lever, the first cage opened, allowing a dragon-like creature to crawl out on all fours. Its fur was a dark green color, its eyes a dark shade of brown, and its wings were connected to its arms.

"Experiment 4; Neldri; it's time to feast." Zskar declared. "Prove your worth to our goddess!"

The dragon-like creature looked up at the group, surprisingly, rather cute.

"Awww!" The group cooed, with the exception Sasha, Grime, Apollo and Shadow.

The cuteness went away when the creature growled viciously, making the awe goers jump back with surprise, the creature the growing a few sizes bigger to the size of a large bull, fire erupting around its collar before it roared.

"I will beat you into pulp!" It declared, much to the surprise of the group.

"Holy hoot, it speaks!" Polly exclaimed.

The creature pulled up a large stone and shot at them, the group dispersing to avoid the attack. The minute Marcy was split off from the group, a barrier came to life around her, separating the team from her and leaving her to face the beast alone.

"Marcy!" Apollo yelled, trying to break down the barrier with his spear, the rest of the group following suit.

Forced to face the beast alone, Marcy dodged the attacks, using everything she learned from her time in the Knight Guard, dodging a tail swipe before firing a bolt into the beasts eye, making it roar in pain. With a growl, it charged at the Taiwanese girl, Marcy rolling to the side before firing another bolt into its hide. Pulling another chunk of rock from the earth, the experiment through another projectile at Marcy, the Bearer of Wit sliding under the attack before firing another bolt into its head, killing it.

Disappointed, Zskar tisked. "Obviously, our first prototype lacked the desired strength. The next iteration was imbued with excessive arcane power."

Another cage opened up, allowing an even larger creature to exit, snarling as Sasha was locked in the arena with it by a barrier. The creature was massive in comparison to the previous experiment, massive muscles, eyes where there shouldn't be eyes and growth along its back.

"147; Thadria; time to play." Zskar encouraged.

"Toys to smash!" The beast declared before charging at its would-be plaything.

Letting out a startled yelp, Sasha rolled out of the way before throwing several boom shrooms at it. Shockingly, however, the beast snatched the explosives into its mouth, the explosion not even affecting it.

"Carnage!"

It started spewing fire from its mouth, making Sasha duck behind a large enough boulder to avoid the blast. Pulling out her sword, she ran out from cover and picked up a chain, running and dodging the fire blast and wrapping the chain around its neck, then pulled it down into the dirt then plunging her sword into its head, killing it.

Zskar sighed. "Sadly, a creature with unstable arcane surges was useless, so we refined the infusion process."

"Why are you doing this?!" Hop Pop demanded. "Playing with nature like playthings?!"

"We do what we do for the greater good." Zskar replied. "All to create the perfect weapons of war against our enemies for the best of our people." He then glared at Shadow. "Until you came along."

"Him?" Sasha questioned with a raised brow.

"Me." Shadow glared back at the centaur-salamander.

"Your king robbed us of everything! Our home on this continent, everything that we held dear!" Zskar growled. "You and your king took everything from us, forced us to retreat back to our homeland! But this time, you will pay!" He then pulled the third lever. "And last but not least, Experiment 328; Rionthon; my magnum opus." He declared, using a chef's kiss motion, then pointing at the human couple. "Targets: 'Heart Bearer Prime and False God'."

The barrier raised again, trapping both Anne and Shadow within, as the third cage opened, the couple readying themselves, expecting another horrifying beast to come crawling out. Instead, out walked what looked like a teenage human aside from some visible black-violet scales and glowing cracks running across its body, untamed black-brown hair with dark highlights, a silver circlet with a dark gem inside, grand horns with silver bands, razor tipped earrings on long earns. Its eyes were glowing, but its gaze betrayed its form. It wore two-piece underclothes and had a chest strap.

Looking at the final experiment, the couple and the group saw that this one was different from the previous creatures. Unlike the hulking brutes, this one, Rionthon, seemed far more perfected in comparison.

Almost…human looking.

"Not gonna lie, this one looks suspiciously like Anne." Sprig pointed out. "Which I find to be kinda creepy."

"Not just that but look." Polly pointed a flipper. "She has black in her hair, like Shadow's, mixed with the brown."

Marcy looked between the couple and the experiment before letting out a gasp.

"Oh. My gosh. It's like your lovechild!" She exclaimed with joy, strangely.

Everyone present gave her strange looks, Sasha and Clarissa giving her looks of disgust, even Zskar was weirded out by this.

Noticing the stares, Marcy chuckled nervously. "Sorry."

Looking at the experiment, Shadow could see that it seemed docile, cautious of the two that stood before it. When the boy in black took a step forward, it recoiled a bit, almost as if it was afraid of them.

"This is one is different from the others. I can tell just by looking." He said before looking at Anne. "Anne, what do you think?"

She gave their opponent a closer inspection. It noticed this and appeared to recoil, almost as if it feared them.

"Yeah, it's different, but in a good way. Should we... talk to it?"

Experiment 328 flinched at the response and looked to Zskar, who was listening all the while. Normally, he would berate it when it refused to act as designed.

But then again, it was always meant to be a prototype, and He had taken a special interest in this one, even offered him the genetic data of those humans to help develop the experiments, though the sample acquired from that male specimen five years ago continued to intrigue him to this day.

Interested to see this how this would unfold, he gave it a subtle nod.

Turning back to the couple, Rionthion took a shy step forward. "Mother…? Father…?" It spoke.

Marcy gasped. "Is this a multiverse thing?!" She exclaimed.

"Unlikely. That salamander wouldn't have any knowledge of that subject, no matter how intelligent they are." Apollo said.

The experiment looked at the couple, reaching a hand out. "Are you…my mother and father?" It asked in a shaky, feminine tone. "Are you here to…make the pain go away?"

Before they could converse further, the experiment screamed as it was enveloped in black flame, much to the shock of the group, even Zskar was taken aback by this development. Soon, the flame faded, and Rionthon raised its head, eyes pitch black.

"Surprised?"

Shadow and Anne immediately readied themselves, recognizing that tone of voice.

"Savisa." Anne growled. "I had a feeling you'd show up again, worse version of me."

"Aw, admit it, you missed me!" Savisa teased.

"Hardly!" Anne shouted angrily. "Don't think I forgot how you tried to kill me!"

"Aw, you didn't like my love tap?" Savisa pouted. "A pity. I was hoping we could be friends."

"You mean with the Mark of the End?" Marcy demanded. "Well, too bad! We already know your tricks!"

"Wait, what?" Sasha said, confused.

Savisa frowned, her eyes glaring daggers at the Taiwanese girl. "So, you know about that, do you? Well, not like it will matter in the end."

Suddenly, a storm of black clouds and lightning enveloped the arena, forcing Anne and Shadow to stand back-to-back, watching carefully for their foe.

"Do you want to play with me? A simple game of hide and seek? The three of you, powers so divine..." Savisa called, making a three-fingered sign, opening her palm to show three lights, one blue, one green, and one pink spiral around it, forming Anne, Marcy, and Sasha respectively before going out. "In the end, they'll all be ours!"

From the clouds, there were several spears shot out, all aiming at the couple, Shadow slashing at the spears with his katana, while Anne held up here shield to block the projectiles.

"Soon, this world will end, and the rest will follow." Savisa called from within the mist. "All will be sent to oblivion. All will end!"

The couple blocked more projectiles before suddenly, black fireballs shot from the mist, forcing Shadow and Anne to roll out of the way to dodge, Anne raising her shield to block.

"Die, lesser things!"

Suddenly, Savisa shot from the mist before tackling Anne to the ground, then started stomping on her chest. Grabbing the foot, Anne pushed the fake version of herself back, bashing her in the face with her shield, then slashed at her with her sword.

"Getting lonely?" Savisa mocked. "Well, how about some friends!"

With a raise of the evil variant's hand, two fire elementals emerged from the lava, although one was red while the other was black.

Shadow and Anne readied themselves, before Valor and Sasha joined their side, ready to fight.

"Don't worry, we've got your backs!" Valor declared.

"Wait, how'd you guys get through the barrier?" Anne questioned.

"I don't know, it just let us through." Sasha answered. "Why it didn't let the others through, I have no idea."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Shadow spoke. "Now focus!"

The four readied themselves as the amalgamations of flame and darkness advanced on them, Moltannia, the Eternal Blaze, yelling, "Mortal pests. Fuel for my inferno." It then launched streams of fire at them, the four spreading out to evade.

"Wall of flame!" The Eternal Blaze yelled before creating a wall of fire, the flame erupting from the ground and forming a wall. The group evaded, but something unexpected happened; an essence of the flame streamed into Shadow, Anne and Sasha, the three absorbing the essence of the flame.

"Whoa. What just happened?" Sasha questioned, as shadowflame danced on her fingertips.

"Just roll with it!" Valor yelled as he dodged a dark bolt from the Essence of Shadow, Krozgoth.

"You cannot escape the dark." The Essence of Shadow declared before shooting out dark tendrils at the red headed boy, who jumped and dodged the attack, as he unknowingly absorbed the shadow essence.

"Okay, this is getting dark." Valor remarked, putting distance between himself and the amalgamation. "What're you, DC?"

"This plane will burn!"

Suddenly, Krozgoth and Moltannia fused together, becoming the Shadowflame Amalgamation. "Shadow and flame awaken!" It yelled.

"Great! How can this get any worse?!" Sasha groaned.

The fused amalgamation then started shooting burning shadow tendrils at the four, the four humans dispersing once more to evade. Shadow ran in, evading the flaming tendrils as he got closer, then slashed at the amalgamation with his katana, causing it to roar in pain.

"Withering shade."

Suddenly, the creature conjured a massive tidal wave of darkness, aiming to wipe them out, only for Anne to fly up into the air, while Valor grabbed Sasha before shooting up into the air with flames shooting from his feet. Anne used her shield like a surf board to ride the wave of darkness before shooting up into the sky, then fired three arrows into the amalgamation's chest.

"Blistering twilight!"

Suddenly, the room turned dim, blinding everyone's sight, but Valor shot a pillar of fire into the air, lighting up the room and revealing the monster, giving Sasha the chance to run in and jump, plunging her sword into its chest.

"I... am... eternal..." The Shadowflame Amalgamation yelled out before fading, dead.

Their enemy defeated, the four looked at themselves with their new power.

"Okay, seriously. What just happened?" Sasha demanded.

"I don't know, but I kinda like it!" Valor declared. "I can feel my flames getting stronger!"

Raising her arms, Anne saw how her armor shined with a bright, blue flame. "Whoa, if I were to make it stronger, I'd bet it'd be like a Solar Flare!" She exclaimed.

"There is no denying its strength, but it seems too dangerous to truly control." Shadow remarked, the black flame dancing along his fingers.

Just then, they hear a tsk from above, looking up to see Savisa, still in possession of the body of Rionthon, arms crossed and a look of disapproval on her face.

"Such a shame." She sighed. "Well, if you want something done right, do it yourself."

Falling down, Savisa landed on the ground and sent out a powerful shockwave, almost throwing the four off balance before going on the offensive, going straight for Shadow. Acting quickly, Anne blocked with her shield and bashed her evil version back with enough force to push her back.

But before Savisa could resume the attack, she seemed to hesitate, much to the confusion of the four. Suddenly, they saw how her eyes changed along with her expression, as though Rionthon was trying to break free from the control.

"Mother…Father…Help me…" She pleaded. "Please…free me from this torment…"

Understanding what they need to do, the four looked to each other and nodded before jumping into action. Pulling out the Chaos Fangs, Shadow flung the whip blades around one of the arms, while Valor threw out his fire whips to restrain the other arm, keeping her from attacking, but she did try to pull away.

"NOW!"

At the Wolf's command, Anne unleashed her sword and charged from the front, while Sasha charged from the back with hers, both girls stabbing Rionthon's body with their swords.

With her last breath, Rionthon looked up into Anne's eyes with a smile.

"Thank... you… Mother... Father…"

After giving her dying words, Rionthon's body crumbled to dust, forcing Savisa to retreat, her spectral form escaping from the temple.

"No…no, no, No!" Zskar growled. "This wasn't part of the deal!"

The group watched the centaur-like salamander escape deeper into the temple.

"Well, that was intense." Valor remarked, looking at the shadowflame dancing on his fingers. "And dark."

"That's twice Savisa's attacked us." Shadow said with a serious look. "Things are going to get more complicated, I'm sure."

Suddenly, the floor raised the group back up to the main floor, the door opening before them.

"Finally! This thing's gonna be over before it starts." Sasha declared, as though she hadn't just been put through a near death situation. "Let's get going, nerds."

As Sasha walked onward, Grime leaned in. "By nerds, she means you guys." He said, gesturing to the group before following Sasha, Damien offering an apologetic shrug before he and Milo moved on.

"Beautiful, brave, and strong." Valor said with a grin. "She is getting better and better."

Kaemon gives him a confused look, wondering if he was serious right now.

Suddenly, Frayah appeared, walking beside them. Thankfully, the group had grown accustomed to the appearances of the phantom by now.

"Within these halls I forged wonders that would shape the world." She spoke. "After millennia unattended, they have become... unruly. It will take a strong will to ensure their obedience."

Shadow thought for a moment before speaking, "I... I was also a product of experimentation. Something that haunts me to this day."

"You are of the same power. The fact you had the strength to survive proves it." Frayah told the boy in black. "Flame and shadow, both powerful, influential forces. Combined, they become something even greater. Learn to harness them together, and no force can oppose you."

The group moved on, walking down the long hallways before coming upon a mural that seemed identical to the one the group found in the Court of Nightmares when reactivating the Emerald of Wit, but the integrity of this carving was more preserved. The central figure was the same as before, split between light and dark down the middle with heterochromatic eyes. The figure's arm was shown to carry an obsidian and diamond gemstone over each hand.

On each side were twin forces, with figures near the center matching the appearance of the heroes, though there is a similar group on the opposing side, dark reflections of them.

Other figures stood on the side of each side. On the ebon side was a bird, a queen, a manta ray, a centaur, a shaman with a jar, a man with a wrist blade, a reaper, a small enchantress with a small dragon companion, a sorceress, a masked swordsman, a mermaid, a titanic diver with an anchor, a boy and a yeti companion, a bestial huntress, an avian pair, an exile with a shattered blade, a juggernaut, a scorpion, an archer, a warlock, a spearman, and a ronin, a cat, a dinosaur for some reason, a goat lady, a caretaker, a crane, a panther, a ram, twins of sun and moon, twin fish, a traveler, an otter, a warrior, a judge, a salamander, a rhino, a snake, an ox, five dragons; one with two heads, a phoenix, a bulldog, a hydra, a three-tailed fox

On the pallid side was a woman with a crescent blade, a masked man with a gun, a witch, a dark sorceress identical to the first, a king, a daughter, a monk, a mantis-like creature, a living mountain, a revenant, a clockwork lady, a reaper similar to the first, a jester, three dragons; one without wings, a shackled rebel, a chain warden resembling Thresh, an archer, a titan held in the embrace of a maiden, a ninja, a little girl, a whale, a squid, a swordsman, an emissary, a manta, a koala, a lizard, a creepy looking cat, a tiny creature with horns and a tongue.

The center of the mural piqued the most attention of the group. It showed two individuals reaching their hands out to each other, rotating as their depiction was placed upon a rotating ring with the music box at its center. The woman was ebon with sapphire eyes. The man was pallid with obsidian eyes.

"Ooh, more lore." Marcy said with excitement, scribbling in her journal. "This one seems more legible than the previous ones."

"Is that the music box?" Valor asked with a finger pointing.

"Wanna do the honors, boo?" Anne said with a smile, looking at her boyfriend.

Smiling, Shadow walked up to the mural and began to read the text. "The Guardian…and the Sentinel. It seems that they were created by some grand creator to protect the multiverse."

"What happened to them?" Sprig asked, jumping on Shadow's shoulder.

"According to this, it seems that, while the Guardian took great pride in his position," The boy in black explained. "It seems the Sentinel grew resentful, despising creation itself, so he sought to erase it, putting him at odds with his brother."

"Sounds like the fall of Lucifer." Sasha remarked. "You might not know this, but God's first angel grew resentful, he and his followers got casted out of Heaven and now reside in Hell as the Devil."

"A real fall from grace, that's for sure." Hop Pop nodded.

Suddenly, they felt a shake through the temple, something that completely took them by surprise.

"What the?! What was that?!" Grime demanded in shock.

A portion of the wall collapsed, revealing the outside and allowing Milo to look outside. Outside, he saw a large tribe of toads with siege weapons trying to break down the entrance. These particular toads, however, seemed different, having grown a bit in size and with fire erupting from their eyes.

"We've got a problem!" The Bloodlusted Hero shouted. "The Zaqali warband is trying to break down the entrance!"

Shadow froze at the mention of the name. Something Anne took notice of.

"People you know?" She asked.

"They were there during the purge." He said in a whisper. "They participated as the army following me, and from my knowledge, they barely escaped the events that caused the Ruination. I haven't seen them since…until now."

"Looks like we need to hurry." Marcy said. "Otherwise, they're gonna make it even more difficult to charge the stone!"

"But they're almost through the door!" Sprig exclaimed. "They're gonna be all over us, once they bust through!"

"I have an idea!" Kaemon spoke up. "Master, while you and your group go to recharge the stone, while I lead the second group to keep the warband off your back."

"Are you sure?" Anne asked with concern. "We don't know what those guys are capable of!"

"We don't have much choice, Boonchuy." Apollo scolded her. "Right now, someone needs to keep those brutes from interfering with the charging of the stone."

"Master, you trust me, right?" Kaemon implored his teacher. "This is my chance to show how much I've learned from you!"

Shadow seemed unsure, at first. He remembered how ruthless the Zaqali warband was, during the Purge, and didn't want his friends to go against such dangerous foes. But at the same time, he needed to trust Kaemon to handle himself and that he couldn't always be there to protect the swordnewt.

He had trained him as best he could and needed to trust that he would put it to good use.

"Alright, I trust you, Kaemon." He nodded, placing a hand on the newts shoulder. "Keep them off our backs but be careful. The Zaqali are not to be underestimated."

"You can count on me, Master!" Kaemon nodded before turning to the Plantars, Valor and Ina. "You guys ready to kick some butt?!"

"Yeah!" The addressed group cheered before following Kaemon down one of the passages.

Looking after the group, Damien stepped forward. "I think I'll go with them. They'll need all the help they can get." He said before following after them, along with Milo.

Now it was just Shadow, Apollo, Anne, Marcy, Sasha, Clarissa, and Grime.

"Alright, let's get to it!" Marcy declared. "Time to finish this temple!"

The group pressed onward, although Clarissa could have sworn she saw someone lurking in the shadows.

---

Back outside, the Zaqali warband was on the verge of breaking down the main entrance to the temple. Thankfully, Frobo and Echo were able to hide themselves and the bird mounts to keep them out of the line of fire, but they worried over their friends still inside the temple.

Standing at the front, watching the siege, was Warlord Kagni, a toad that was much larger than the normal toads, with bulging muscles and wearing black armor with fire coursing between the gaps and carrying a burning mace.

"Tear down the walls, men!" He yelled. "Soon we will have what these salamanders hide!"

Eventually, the temple doors crumbled, allowing the raiders to storm inside. However, there were echoes of combat inside, before the raiders were tossed back out, all beaten and bruised.

"What sorcery is this?!" The Warlord yelled angrily.

A youthful laugh was heard coming from within.

"Not sorcery, old man; skill!"

Out stepped Damien, whipping his hands and a smirk on his face, followed by Kaemon, who had just sheathed two of his swords. Pulling up the flank was Milo, the Bloodlusted Hero propping his hammer on his shoulder. Last out was Valor, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck.

Meanwhile, the Plantars and Ina had snuck out through a hidden entrance, watching from behind a large rock, where the robot brothers and bird mounts were thankfully hidden.

"You dare stand in our way?!" Kagni growled.

"Sorry, but you being here gets in the way of the purification of the temple." Kaemon said, hands hovering over two of his blades. "I suggest you back off."

The Warlord glared at the group fiercely before letting out a roar, his followers joining in the roar.

"Something tells me he's not gonna cooperate." Damien whispered.

"Zaqali, take the wall! Reach the elder!" He yelled. "Ignar, time to feed."

From the sky, a giant phoenix flew down from above, letting out a screech as it landed, wings spread out as lava spewed out when it let out a shriek.

"Is that a firehawk?!" Sprig gasped, pointing at the bird on fire.

"I thought they were only a myth!" Polly exclaimed.

"Maybe it was some science experiment gone wrong?" Ina suggested.

Damien cracked his knuckles and neck before stretching his limbs, did a few hops before readying a combat stance, a confident grin on his face.

"This should be fun."

The firehawk shrieked loudly before taking to the sky, the warband charging with murderous intent. Milo stepped forward and raise his hammer before slamming it onto the ground, the power of the hammer causing the earth to raise up and create a rock wall before he then slammed his hammer into it, sending it into the army like a bowling ball, sending most of them flying.

Kaemon drew out two of his blades before charging forward, slashing at the toads that tried to rush him, the swordnewt swinging with ferocity and sending the soldiers flying with vicious sword strikes. The firehawk nosedived down towards the swordnewt, aiming to burn him alive, but thankfully, Clarissa's spell kept him hydrated, giving him the time he needed to close in and slash at the firehawk, cutting deep into its chest and sending it down into the lava pits below.

"We fall!" One of the Obsidian Guard yelled.

"Earth take me!" Another yelled.

Damien was quick to jump into action, kicking one Zaqali soldier after another, before making a dash towards the leader.

"Warriors, to me!"

At the warlord's command, a huntsman and mystic jumped to his side, the huntsman firing several flaming arrows while the mystic fired several fireballs. All the while, Damien ran forward, dodging the projectiles swiftly before jumping and landing a kick on the huntsman's face, shattering his bow and crushing his skull in. Just as he was about to face the mystic, who was about to launch another fireball at him, only for Valor to jump in with a flaming fist to the face, sending the mystic to the ground before creating massive balls of fire in his hands before driving them into the mystic's chest, killing him.

The warlord let out a furious roar. "The inferno consumes all! Our flame rages!"

He then raised his mace and made to swing at the red-headed boy, only for Milo to raise his hammer to block the attack, both large toads pushing against the other in a contest of strength. So much so that one could hear bones popping.

Eventually, however, Milo proved to be the strongest before pushing him back, sending him flying and landing on his back before the Bloodlusted Hero raised his hammer over head before bringing it down with a yell, caving the warlord's chest in.

With his dying breath, Kagni spoke, "Fuel…for the fire… The elder…must be…released…" And with that, Warlord Kagni was no more.

"Did we win?" Sprig asked, peaking out from behind the boulder he and his family hid behind.

"Sure looks like it, buddy." Damien shrugged, watching the remnants of the warband flee. "Honestly, they seemed out of shape."

"Don't think this changes anything, buster!" Polly exclaimed, pointing a flipper at the blue newt. "We haven't forgotten how you tried to murder our friends, so don't think you're off the hook!"

"Still, we appreciate you putting forth the effort." Hop Pop added. "Still, doesn't mean we trust you."

"Eh, it's a work in progress." Damien shrugged. "Besides, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was trust earned in a day."

"Who's Rome?" Sprig asked.

"Something Sasha told me, now come on." Damien urged. "We gotta rendezvous with the others!"

"But what drew them here in the first place?" Kaemon asked, putting his swords away. "They mentioned something about an elder…"

"Look, the only thing that matters is that we won and have more pressing matters to attend to." Damien rolled his eyes. "Now, let's get going. Sasha doesn't like being kept waiting."

The group quickly went back inside, once more leaving the robot bros and bird mounts behind, hoping their friends made progress with the third trail.

---

Inside the Crucible, Shadow and his group were making steady progress towards the last trail, before stopping in a rather large room that looked like a combat arena.

"All right, this should be the final room." Marcy said.

Seeing another hole in the wall, Anne took a peek outside, and saw the Zaqali warriors retreating.

"Looks like their ranks are broken!" She declared as Sasha joined her side and looked outside.

"Yes! We've won!" The blonde declared.

Just then, Frayah appeared once again. "A fine victory, my child. I expected nothing less." She said before frowning. "Yet, the crucible is not yet secure. There is one last obstacle that stands in your path."

"Name it, and I will see it removed." Sasha said with determination.

A rumbling was heard before earth crumbled from a nearby wall, the group gasping in shock at the sight of a large toad, much bigger than Charon or Milo, the toad chained to a wall with fire in his eyes.

Rashok looked up, his eyes alight with rage. "I will be free!" He yelled.

"How did this toad get past our lines?" Sasha demanded.

"This beast was not in the attack. It was what they were hoping to free." Frayah revealed. "It served as effective fuel for the crucible for millennia."

"A millennia of torment ends. Destruction begins!" Rashok yelled before breaking free from his chains.

Sasha couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You were draining this djaradin for your experiments?" She demanded.

Frayah only sighed in response, not even bothered by the human's outrage. "Such a pity. Now we must dispose of it before the conduits overload and destroy us all."

Freed from his chains, Rashok picked up a large glaive and let out an enraged roar.

"All who serve the Celestials shall burn!"

He slammed his glaive onto the ground, creating a vortex of flame, Valor jumping to the front to block with his own protective fire barrier.

"We need to put his fire out!" The red-head yelled.

"Keep his attention! Anne, Sasha, Apollo, to my side!" Shadow yelled, readying his Chaos Fangs.

As the four Calamity Warriors charged in, Marcy looked to the right and saw another hallway, this one making her light up.

"Clarrisa, this way!" She yelled to the salamander magician. "The laboratory!"

Seeing the laboratory they were looking for, Marcy ran down the hall, with Clarissa and Grime following behind, before reaching the lab. Upon the table was several flasks and research notes, along with several beakers, as well as what looked like several experimental crystals.

"Whoa, look at this place." Marcy said in amazement. "So much science."

"I never realized the salamanders were so advanced." Grime remarked. "I mean, I've heard the rumors, but they do THIS little justice."

"I've only heard stories about how this place once belonged to the Ebony Scales." Clarissa said, looking at the mural of the salamander group, lead by Sarkara. "But I've always looked up to her as one of my greatest heroes."

Marcy looked at her with concern. "Clari…?"

"Say what you want, but I refuse to face her in combat." Clarissa said flatly. "You're already pushing it by forcing me to follow that Wolf like a tarantula, but this is where I draw the line."

"I also abstain to this." Grime added. "Such a legacy could only result in death; a lesson they must learn themselves."

Suddenly, the temple shook once more, reminding them that time was running out.

"There's not much time!" Marcy exclaimed. "Maybe we can't stop the eruption, but maybe we can purify the lava so the shadowflame won't spread!"

"And how do you suggest we do that?!" Clarissa demanded.

After a slight pause, both salamander and human looked at the table, littered with science materials, before an idea formed in their heads, almost at the same time.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Marcy asked with a confident smirk.

"Indeed I am." Clarissa nodded, oddly enough, sharing the smirk.

In quick succession, the two got to work, mixing formulas and grinding light crystals, while Grime only watched, unsure of what was going on.

All the while, they were oblivious of a stone slab that seemed to be missing something star-shaped.

---

Back in the arena, the Calamity Warriors were engaged with the insanity-driven Rashok in intense combat, dodging every fire attack he threw at them.

"My rage cannot be quelled!" The mad giant yelled.

"So you keep saying!" Anne hollered, raising her shield to block a flaming projectile.

Apollo launched two light spears at the giant toad, who batted away the projectiles with his glaive before charging forward, swinging his weapon downward. Apollo jumped to the side, then swung his tail at his head, hitting him in the jaw.

Shadow and Sasha charged in, blades at the ready, as Shadow swung his whip-blades and slashed across his face, while Sasha slashed at the leg. The giant toad roared before swinging his glaive, Shadow rolling to the side before wrapping his whip-blades around his neck before pulling him down onto the ground with a hard thud. Sasha let out a battle cry before jumping in, stabbing her sword into the neck.

With his dying words, Rashok choked out, "My blood... is no longer... his to take..." And with that, Rashok was no more.

Just then, the rest of the group had returned after dispatching the Zaqali warband.

"Hey, did we miss any-" Valor made to say, only to stop when he saw the aftermath of the fight. "Whoa."

Just then, Frayah appeared before Sasha once more.

"Well done, the conduit will remain dormant." The phantom said. "Though we need to restore it soon. Perhaps there are fresh djaradin outside that you can harvest."

Sasha looked at her with disgust. "You expect me to... I will not."

Frayah frowned. "I expected more of you, Sasha. No matter." She then looked over at Shadow. "Perhaps Shadow will have the resolve you lack."

Before Sasha could argue, the phantom had already vanished, leaving a bitter taste in the blonde's mouth.

Just then, more text appeared along the walls of the room.

"You've definitely got skill, no doubt." Shadow read. "But it's time you learn what strength is all about."

Suddenly, the temple started shaking once more, before a giant toad made of stone emerged from the floor, letting out a roar as it flexed its stoney muscles before giving the 'bring it' hand gesture.

"Looks like the official final challenge, finally." Shadow remarked, Chaos Fangs at the ready.

"Stay back, everyone. I got this." Sasha declared, her pink heron sword at the ready.

Suddenly, the room lit up a bright pink, some force bringing everyone to their knees, even Shadow and Apollo, two of the strongest of the Calamity Warriors, were struggling to stay on their feet. It was as though the gravitational force was pulling them down to the earth.

"Great grasshopper guts!" Damien exclaimed, struggling to pull himself up. "It's like an elephant beetle is standing on my back!"

"That thing has somehow increased the room's gravitational force." Milo said, trying to stay standing.

"I-I can't get up." Sprig groaned in pain.

"Just sit tight. Us Calamity Warriors will handle this." Anne said with a strained smile.

"You go, gang." Polly cheered weakly.

"We have faith!" Kaemon cheered.

Forcing themselves to stay on their feet, the three humans and Apollo struggled to get closer to the golem, which laughed at their struggle, before pulling out handfuls of rock from the ground before hurling them at the Warriors like bowling balls, Sasha and Anne jumping out of the way, but Apollo was having trouble moving as the third came his way. Thankfully, Shadow tackled him out of the way.

"You okay?" Shadow asked.

"I'm fine, but the gravity is too much." Apollo replied. "I can barely move."

"The same for me." Shadow growled, looking to Anne. "Anne, it's up to you. Try not to overexert yourself!"

"Don't worry." Anne declared. "Leave this to us."

The Thai girl and blonde girl forced their way towards the golem, fighting the gravitational pull trying to weigh them down.

"Who would've thought us working together after everything has happened?" Anne remarked.

"Yeah, unbelievable." Sasha growled. "Especially since you still don't trust me. Even after I apologized."

"Believe me, I want to, but how can I?" Anne snapped. "You tried to kill my friends, tried to kill the guy who saved me and even now, you're acting like it's not a big deal!"

The golem laughed before stomping the ground, causing the crystal-covered stalagmites above to fall, forcing the two girls to roll out of the way.

"What do you mean? I'm trying to change!" Sasha defended.

"Oh, please. I've been watching you the whole time." Anne retorted. "I've seen the way you look at Shadow. Heck, you don't trust him!"

"Well, can you blame me?! How would you be able to sleep at night after that?!" Sasha countered. "That Black Beast haunted my dreams, every night, making me wake up screaming in in cold sweat! And to top it off, you don't trust me at all."

"Well can you blame me?" Anne yelled, dodging another falling stalagmite. "Why would I trust you? It wasn't just Toad Tower, Sasha. You've been pushing me around my whole life."

For a moment, Sasha paused, looking back on everything that happened in their lives before arriving in Amphibia. Everything she did, it made Anne feel like a minion than an actual friend, following their boss around and jumping at their every word.

Looking back and seeing how she treated her friends, it was no wonder why she sided with the Wolf.

"I know." She said dejectedly, much to Anne's surprise.

The golem roared once more, amplifying the gravitational force even more, causing both girls to fall to the floor from the force.

"Anne!/Sasha!" Both Shadow and Damien yelled with worry, the gravity making it impossible to move.

"It feels like my lungs are going to explode." Anne groaned.

"It's over. We can't do this." Sasha groaned, defeat taking over.

The golem pulled a larger stalagmite from the ceiling, holding it like a club and holding it over its head and about to smash them.

"You're right. We can't." Anne said before giving Sasha a determined look. "But you can. I believe in you."

Sasha looked at her like she lost her mind. "What? How can you believe in me after I was such a jerk to you?"

"Because you weren't just a jerk, you also inspired us." Anne told her. "You're fierce, you're brave, and most of all, you never give up."

Sasha looked at her in surprise, looking back to see Damien giving her a nod, before determination came to her face, the fire inside igniting.

"You're right!" She groaned as she pushed herself to her feat, the golem taken aback. "I'll never give up. Not today, not ever!"

She then pulled her cape off and throwing it to the side, the cape pulled down by the gravity and leaving an indent on the floor, making almost everyone gasp. She then removed her boots and tossed them aside into a wall, creating a massive dent.

"How heavy was that armor?" Sprig asked.

Drawing her sword, and having decreased her weight enough to fight, Sasha's eye lit up a bright pink as she dashed towards the golem, leaving a dent in the floor. The golem swung its club downward, jumping over the attack and landing on the head of the club. The golem swung upward, launching Sasha into the air, which only served its fate, as Sasha came rocketing back down, sword overhead as she let out a battle cry.

"Get croaked!"

She sliced the golem in half before landing with grace, the slash spreading over its body before it looked back at her with a grin, flashing a thumbs up before exploding to pieces. With the guardian destroyed, the gravity returned to normal, allowing everyone to get up.

"The gravity's back to normal! You did it, Sash!" Damien exclaimed with a smile.

"Valor, are you okay?" Ina asked her companion with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I, I..." Valor said, his eyes widening by the strong beauty of Sasha, as she got up and stood firm like a warrior amazon. "I think I'm in love..."

Ina gave him a deadpanned look. "...What?"

Suddenly, the volcano shook once more, reminding them that, while they had passed the test, the danger was not yet passed.

"Oh crap! The eruption!" Sprig cried out. "We've gotta do something before we end up to our necks in Risen!"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Sasha gasped.

"Where's Marcy?" Apollo demanded, not seeing his beloved around.

"Right here!"

Turning their heads, the group saw Marcy running towards them down the hall, with Grime and Clarissa, the salamander mixing a mixture before throwing it to Marcy, the Taiwanese girl pouring the mixture into a small spell sack before running towards the edge. Stopping at the edge, she threw the sack into the lava, the sack exploding with a white light, causing the darkness in the lava to fade from the lava.

"What just happened?" Hop Pop asked.

"Thanks to the lab, me and Clari were able to mix up a spell to cleanse the shadowflame from the volcano!" Marcy declared. "Consider that ticking time bomb averted!"

"Naturally." Clarissa shrugged before high fiving the Bearer of Wit.

"Aw, you guys are practically buddies now." Valor smiled.

Taking the Ruby of Strength from the music box, Anne held it out to Sasha.

"Here, go ahead." She urged with a smile.

Taking the stone, Sasha placed the stone at the center of the pedestal, causing a bright light of pink to shoot out from it. For a moment, Sasha felt something being drained from her body, although some of it was left when the beam stopped, lighting up runes on the floor and ceiling.

"Congrats, brah. You finally know what it takes to go the distance." Marcy read. "For what is true strength without persistence."

Hearing this, Anne smiled before holding the box out. "Want to do the honors?"

Smiling, Sasha placed the Ruby back in its place on the box, the stone letting out a pink beam that signaled the next location of the final temple.

"This is it." Anne said. "This will lead us to the final temple. But where?"

"I'm not sure. We've already been all over the continent by now." Shadow said. "I wouldn't be surprised if it leads us off land."

"Off land?" Sasha repeated with a raised brow. "You can't be serious."

"Have I been proven wrong yet?" Shadow challenged, prompting the blonde to go silent.

"At any rate, look at this! The gang finally back together again!" Marcy said, wrapping an arm around the necks of Anne and Sasha. "Now, come on. Let's get back to Wartwood and get these frogs some water."

"Please!" Kaemon exclaimed.

Suddenly, the volcano shook once more, this time, much more intense.

"Wait, what's happening?!" Grime asked.

"Oh no! We might have stopped the shadowflame from spreading, but not the eruption!" Marcy gasped. "It's gonna blow!"

"Then let's delta the frog out!" Valor yelled.

The group ran along the path they entered, running as fast as they could to avoid the lava that was rushing their way. Finally, they reached the exit, jumping away from the erupting mountain, lava flowing down the sides while ash fell from the sky. Out of morbid curiosity, Shadow held out a hand, catching a stray ash, the boy in black looking at it for a moment before it was blown away.

"Welp, that was one heck of an escape." Sasha remarked. "So, what now?"

"Now, we head back to Wartwood and plan for the final temple!" Marcy declared. "Oh, this is so exciting! Who knows what sort of challenges will await us!"

As the Calamity Warriors took this moment of respite to catch their breaths, Apollo lagged behind a bit, smiling at Marcy's eccentricity as she went on and on about ideas for the final temple. It was something that he had grown to adore about her. Keeping his focus, he picked up his pace.

Anne and Sasha watched their friends ready the bird mounts, the two girls standing next to each other.

"Thanks for all of that stuff back there. Believing in me and junk." Sasha said to her friend with a smile.

"Oh, hey. No biggie. I'm sorry for not trusting you earlier." Anne replied before frowning. "But I hope you at least understand that I'm still a little iffy. You did try to hurt my frog friends, after all."

"I know…" Sasha nodded, a sad expression on her face.

"But That doesn't mean we can't stay friends. Things would just be different." Anne continued. "So, do you think maybe we could start over? Do things right this time?"

Sasha's face lit up at this, a smile creeping on her face. "I- I'd like that."

"Great!"

Things were awkwardly silent for a moment, before Anne cleared her throat.

"Well, I'm gonna walk away before things get more awkward."

Sasha laughed a bit. "Not possible."

Sasha watched Anne join the others before Grime joined her side.

"You haven't forgotten the plan, have you?" The toad asked, skeptical, as he watched the Wartwood group ready the birds for flight, Milo helping them. "We only need these jokers to get safely into Newtopia."

"Of course, I haven't forgotten." Sasha with a smirk. "And I'm pretty sure they bought my act back there. Hook, line, and sinker."

"Good. Because the things we've set into motion cannot be stopped."

As the toad warrior walked onward, Sasha felt some form of hesitation, as though she didn't want to go through with this. She had already burned Anne one time with the events at Toad Tower, and she could only imagine how Anne would react when she springs her trap once they get into Newtopia.

But then she looked at the boy in black, Shadow, who was helping Anne get the birds ready for flight, the Thai girl smiling at him, who returned with his own smile. Then Marcy approached them with Apollo, the Taiwanese girl smiling with the Newt Prince giving a neutral expression.

Shadow. The boy who had haunted her nightmares. The wolf in sheep's clothing. This alone was enough to reinforce her resolve.

Her determination to make the Wolf bleed. She was so close to claiming her revenge and taking her friends back and she sure as Hell was not about to let it slip through her fingers now.

---

"Indeed."

Suddenly, Sasha found herself within that dark place again, Eliza standing before her and Thresh by her side.

"Worry not, for the others won't notice." The dark version of Sasha assured.

"What is it this time?" Sasha asked, slightly annoyed.

"Just checking in on the progress you've made." Eliza shrugged, leaning against one of the pillars. "And it seems you've already earned their trust."

"Of course I did. Was there ever any doubt?" Sasha said with a smirk, before frowning. "But there is one who seems suspicious."

"Indeed. It will be tricky to get the Black Wolf to lower his guard." Eliza nodded. "But worry not. I'm sure the journey to charge the last two stones will prove more than enough for him to lower his guard."

"Is it to be so simple, Eliza?"

Thresh did not dare turn around. It knew to whom that voice belonged to. Every member of the Scourge knew, and feared, Satanael, and with good reason.

But in Eliza's eyes, he was a figure to be trusted and coveted.

"My King." She said, reverence in her voice.

"No, not your king," Replied Satanael. "Not yet."

Sasha stared at the source of the voice, the statue itself. Two eyes shined from its head, but his form remained static.

"Of course. Formalities." said Eliza. "You have something to say?"

"Only that leaders are judged by the quality by their enemies." He answered. "History teaches us this."

It took Sasha only a moment to realize to whom he was referring to. "The newts?"

"A fantastic adversary, my new friend." Satanael said, Thresh gesturing to where Newtopia sat upon the map, watched by corruptants on every vantage point. "Worthy of your rule - and therefore worthy of a demise that will be remembered for all time."

Sasha considered for a moment. Now that she stood among their company, she quickly found that it suited her well. True, it did not really belong to her - not yet, after all - but they were willing to open the door just enough for her. Perhaps with the right additions to her skillset, a first lieutenant among warrior toads could hope to become much more.

After all, where was it written that the shadows could only serve the fallen?

She smiled. "I suppose I could make the situation become more... legendary. But there is still the matter of the Black Wolf and his froggy friends, same with the newts."

"I have always admired your judgement." Eliza hissed approvingly. "Only be sure your methods allow for some proof. For posterity's sake..."

"Proof?" Sasha asked

Satanael's answer, with unseen chorus, came in slow and cold as the ice that capped the Frostbound Citadel.

"Bring me their bodies."

---

"Sasha?"

Snapping out of her trance, Sasha saw Damien standing before her, a worried look on his face.

"Everything okay?" He asked. "You looked like you were spacing out for a minute there."

Shaking her head, Sasha walked ahead. "Yeah, everything's fine. No sweat."

Watching her walk, Damien frowned, not convinced. Still, he didn't want to start an argument, so he allowed it to slide.

"I just hope she's okay, I really do."

---

Watching from afar as their enemies leave, Sarkara's eyes burned with anger. She had hoped to claim their destiny by right and avenge their people, by killing the newts and the wolf responsible for the massacre. She had felt that anger burn within her, ever since her people on the mainland were enslaved. She wanted to fight, to push back the Leviathan King and maintain their independence. However, her superiors had demanded her to stand down, no doubt not wanting to suffer more losses.

She was utterly incredulous when she had learned the people of Valhal were dead, murdered by the Black Wolf. Sarkara demanded answers, the leaders confirming what had been told; a massive army lead by the Black Wolf, slaughtering salamanders and burning the once golden city to ash.

Zskar looked up, his face downtrodden and demoralized. "What do we do now?" He asked the Scalecommander.

Looking back, five years ago, Sarkara remembered, when the news of the destruction of Valhal, she remembered when the leader of the salamanders approached her, requesting that she and the Ebon Scales join them. However, driven by revenge, Sarkara refused, feeling betrayed by her people, her Guardian, she declared their vow to the gods was "sundered" and renamed her group to the Sundered Flame, swearing vengeance upon the Wolf.

Now, it had all fallen apart. Even after unleashing the flaming elementals on the group, at the cost of so many of her loyal soldiers, it was not enough. Yet, after what she saw at the bottom of the crucible, she had found what Fayah was hiding within the laboratory; a star-shaped gem known as the Dark Star.

The key to His return.

Wrapping it in cloth and hiding it within her robes, Sarkara turned to what remained of her men.

"Perhaps it's time we took Elijah's request now."

Suddenly, an earthen spike emerged from the ground, killing several soldiers, much to the shock of both Sarkara and Zskar.

"What the?!" The centaur-salamander exclaimed in shock.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

The two looked and saw a large group of Newtopian Royal Guards, and to their dread, at the head, stood Hemlock Longclaw, a feral grin on his face as he stared down the salamanders from behind his sunglasses. Among the guard was also Yunan, who seemed conflicted about the whole thing.

"Looks like we've run into a few stragglers." He said, the raising of his hand making the earth beneath their feet shake. "What a lucky day it is for us.~"

Suddenly, Zskar, lunged at the taller newt, tackling him to the ground.

"Scalecommander, RUN!" He roared, calling upon several fire elementals. "Warn Elijah!"

Seeing how outnumbered they were, and still recovering from the previous defeat, Sarkara pulled out a clear gemstone before throwing it to the ground, creating a big enough portal for herself and the remnants of her soldiers to escape.

Despite the surprise tackle, Hemlock flicked his wrist and sent several sizable boulders at the elementals, crushing them. Then he grabbed Zskar by the hand and flipped him overhead, slamming him into the ground and planting his foot on his chest. Looking up, he saw the portal Sarkara had opened close.

"Tch, so much for death before dishonor." He scoffed before looking at the now captive salamander. "Look at you; Vigilant Steward, Zskar! Still alive, I see, after all these years.." He looked the centaur-salamander up and down. "You look horrible."

Zskar stared him with disgust. "Traitor. You are a disgrace. You and your treacherous king." He sneered. "Elijah will surely..."

"Uh-huh. Yes. Shut up." Hemlock interrupted, uncaring. "Andrias and I seized an opportunity to take control of our future. Even if it meant squashing a few bugs. Especially ugly ones; like you." Taking his foot off the salamander, the army general started pacing back and forth. "Seriously, I would watch you salamanders go on and on, whining and complaining about how the king kept you lot on a tight leash. Seriously, you should have been grateful that he let you keep your sacred city, but noooo." He stopped and looked at him. "And now look at you."

Yunan watched this unfold, looking from her brother to the salamander, her emotions conflicting.

"Hear my words: You and your king will fall." Zskar said, coughing a bit. "Our people will rise again..."

With a stomp of Hemlock's foot, several blades made of earth emerged from the ground, pressing against Zskar's neck, threatening to decapitate him.

"There you go again." Hemlock said, rolling his eyes. "I don't want to listen to any more speeches or empty threats." He leaned forward, his face close to the captive's face. "There was something else in that temple, wasn't it? What was it?"

"Only the key to this worlds salvation, and your undoing." Zskar said defiantly, before spitting in the newts face. "You've lost, boy. Nothing you can do-"

Chop!

Suddenly, the earthen blades fell upon his neck, severing the head and killing him.

Zskar, the Vigilant Steward, was no more.

Yunan watched in horror, her mind filled with dread. She was hoping that they would at least take prisoners, keep these outcasts alive. Perhaps go easy on them, considering all the terrible things inflicted upon them already.

But it seemed the king wasn't interested in giving them any breathing room.

"Oh, didn't I just say no speeches?" Hemlock sighed, wiping the saliva from his face. "You heard me, right?" He pointed at a random soldier, who nodded quickly. "This is what I'm talking about. Unbelievable. All of them are like that. So disrespectful." He then let out another sigh, this time tired. "Okay. Pack it up, boys! Time to head home!"

Yunan watched her brother walked on, with the soldiers following, with the decapitated body and head of the salamander. The youngest Newtopian general with having conflicting feelings about the king she had sworn allegiance to after the brutality she had witnessed. For her entire life, she believed in a fair fight, giving her opponents at least a chance to fight back, as well as showing mercy when needed. Unless they were someone like Ragnar the Wretched, she never executed an unarmed prisoner.

No matter what one may think, nobody deserved that fate.

---

Meanwhile, far from the continent of Amphibia, was the island of Izanagi, the homeland of the salamanders, as well as the only safe place for those who survived the Black Purge. Despite the tragedy thrusted upon them, the salamanders persevered, they thrived.

High at the peak of Mt. Izanami, stood a great temple, consisting of black and white colors. This was the fourth and final temple, the final challenge that the Calamity Warriors needed to best in order to charge the final two stones and complete the music box.

Standing at the base of it were Elijah and Raidon, the salamander brothers responsible for making sure that the remnants of their people thrive and prosper. As well as make sure they were protected from any threats that would reach their shores.

Looking up at the large crystal that sat atop the temple, they saw a pink beam of light come across the sky before making contact with the gemstone, making it glow.

"It seems that they are nearing the end." Elijah remarked.

Raidon grunted in response, as though he wasn't looking forward to it.

"Raidon, listen to me." Elijah said, looking up at his brother. "I know of the grave crimes the Black Wolf has committed, the lives he had taken, the world he stole from us. But we must not let the past consume us; for it will only rob us of our future. Which means we must not hold grudges." He looked towards the horizon. "Azazel may have been the monster, but Andrias was the one who let him loose. And if Valeriana's information is accurate, then the Wolf is putting forth the effort to be better."

"That doesn't mean we cannot test him." Raidon pointed out. "He committed atrocities that he must be held accounted for, regardless."

"I know." Elijah nodded solemnly. "But for the sake of our future, we must not let the past drag us down."

Nodding, although reluctantly, Raidon turned away.

"I'll go ahead. Let you make the preparations."

And in a flash of lightning, Raidon was gone, leaving Elijah alone to look towards the horizon a bit more, before turning away and making to return to his city.

There were preparations to be made before meeting the Black Wolf after five years.

---

First off, Merry late Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone! This was a fun chapter to write, I admit, although it took me way longer than I expected, so I apologize for that. Besides the WoW inspiration, we finally have Sasha and her crew reuniting with the Wartwood gang and the Newtopia team! Tensions are pretty high still, but just wait until the next chapter, the Dinner episode, where besides the Sasha drama, they get an unexpected visitor, or two.

Like with Marcy, I decided to have Sasha keep her Calamity powers, although hers will activate later. I don't think Shadow would be interested in teaching her anytime soon, until he's certain he's driven her off the beaten path. Only time will tell. And of course, we have Hemlock making an appearance, and boy, he doesn't play around when it comes to being cruel. And of course, I had to have Yunan be there to begin her arc that I have planned down the line. I just love her so much and cannot wait to reach season 3 so I can show you guys what I have planned for the Scourge of the Sand Wars, Defeater of Ragnar the Wretched, and the youngest newt to reach the rank of general in the great Newtopian Army!

…Yeah, maybe she's rubbed a bit too much on me lol.

And of course, Milo! Again, an OC suggested by my friend on Twitter, he's the Bloodlusted Hero who will serve a big purpose in the story going forward. I always fear the idea of having too many characters to focus on, and no matter how many times I tell myself, I always worry that the story gets too bloated with all this content. Still, I like to think I do a pretty okay job.

Anyways, that's all for now, and stay tuned for the Dinner episode, or as I call it, An Unexpected Invitation.

As always, thank you for reading and stay tuned for more! Reviews are greatly appreciated!