Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Birth and Rebirth


The growling and roaring became louder as Knightbeast braced himself. The creatures Knightbeast had been looking for surrounded them, the largest of them looking oddly at Knightbeast, who was brimming with excitement. The largest Lupine walked up, looking down at him, eyeing him with a fierce intensity. He growled at a few of his fellow Lupines and they grabbed Zach, Artillery, Twilight, Pixie and Tech, and Knightbeast looked at them, as if to say, "Don't fight, stay where you are." Knightbeast looked at the Lupine in his face again, who bared his teeth, and growled fiercely.
"Who are you?! Where do you hail from, carrying these mongrels with you?" Knightbeast merely smiled.
"They call me Knightbeast, and I come from Draguardium. As far as these mongrels are concerned, they're my friends." The Lupine looked at Knightbeast with a cold intensity. "Anyone associated with these fools must be put to the trial." Knightbeast looked at him confusedly. "What tr—" Knightbeast began, but he was tackled by the Lupine, who was trying to rip Knightbeast apart, limb by limb. Knightbeast kicked him off, with excruciating difficulty. He ran at the Lupine, who merely stepped aside, grabbed him by the fur, and threw him into the ground. "You are just as weak as them. Get up weakling. Show these fools you're better than them." The other Lupines began laughing as Knightbeast angrily got to his feet, and charged at the Lupine he was fighting, this time, jumping over him completely, and tripping the great beast once he landed. He then grabbed him by the legs, and repeatedly slammed him into the ground. The intensity blazed on in Knightbeast's eyes as he began breathing more and more heavily. He let out a roar so massive, the other Lupines cringed, and the Lupine Knightbeast was fighting gave a look of shock. He lifted him by the scruff of the neck and looked the confused Lupine in the eye.
"Don't EVER call me weak! If I have to take all of you out to prove it to you, I will! And to think, I just came here to learn about you, and to stop these people from destroying your habitat, or god knows whatever else." The Lupine stared at him, almost with a welcoming gaze. "Well, the fool seems to be on our side at least. These outsiders, why have you brought them? They serve no purpose other than death." Knightbeast scoffed at the Lupine. "These are my friends, and believe me, they have a purpose other than dying. If I hadn't had these guys, the monster we're facing probably would've killed me and all my friends. Not to mention countless others." The Lupine turned his head to the side confusedly. "What monster? What the devil are you talking about?" Knightbeast eyed him up and down. "Not so fast. Let my friends go, and then we can have a talk." The Lupine smirked. "He knows how to play." He directed his gaze at his fellow Lupines and nodded. "Take them all to the camp. This one and I are going to have a little chat."
The other Lupines did as he said, and Artillery and the others reluctantly followed them. Knightbeast looked at the Lupine curiously, wondering what was going to happen next. The Lupine growled at him, looking at him intensely.
"So, from where do you come, seeking an audience with our kind?" Knightbeast looked at the Lupine, still unsure what to make of him. "Well? I asked you a question. Where do you hail from?" Knightbeast cleared his throat, behaving very cautiously. He was not used to behaving this way. He almost felt an intimidation coming from the Lupine, which he felt he almost succumbed to. "Like I said before, I'm from Draguardium," he replied rather meekly. "Also like I said before, we're trying to destroy this monster, threatening to take over everything we care about." The Lupine laughed at him. "And so you thought you could come here and get us to aid you in your efforts? You might as well go back home outlander." Knightbeast was becoming more and more frustrated with the Lupine. His attitude was so assumptive, so rude. Knightbeast was never one to shy away from confrontation of any sort, so when anyone else would've treated him this way, he would've instantly said something to make them regret their words. Something about this Lupine, however, was different. Knightbeast felt more reserved, more hesitant to speak in his normal, aggressive tone. He braced himself, took a deep breath in, and spoke again. "That isn't why we came here. I'm pretty sure you've seen all the new technology stuff coming around here. Outlanders are coming. They intend to treat you like animals, hunting you, putting you into zoos, and only the gods know whatever else. We came to warn you, and I know you don't need our help, but we're here if you ever need us." The Lupine looked at him with anger; it appeared he only heard one part of what Knightbeast had said. "OUTLANDERS?! HERE?! AND THEY'RE GOING TO DO WHAT?! I MUST CONSULT THE IDOL!" His demeanor was furious, but changed momentarily to a calmer, nut clearly obvious annoyed expression. "You are coming with me, and your companions as well. Follow me to fetch them, and then you can all receive judgment for leading these animals here." Knightbeast wanted to argue, but kept his mouth shut. They quickly made their way to the camp where Artillery and the others were being held, and he looked his guards in the eye, and shooed them away from all of Knightbeast's companions. "All you fools are going to pay! The runt has told me of the outlanders coming here, and you will all receive judgment for your actions. Follow me now!" They traversed over what seemed like miles of frozen wasteland. Every now and then one of the group looked as though they were going to speak, but Knightbeast turned his head and growled at them to silence them. They made their way to a mountain-encircled clearing, in the center of which was a small stone building. A bright light emanated from the building, giving it an eerie glow. They came closer and closer to the building as Artillery began to shiver, and not from the cold. He couldn't take the silence, and ignored Knightbeast's nudging.
"What is this place? I can feel the magic flow from it." Artillery said, brimming with nervousness and excitement. The Lupine looked at him, shocked that he dared to speak. "This is the temple of the Idol. You are lucky I do not rip you limb from limb for even asking such a question." Artillery said nothing else, as he understood the Lupine's quick, angry reply to mean he needed to be silent. They entered the building, after a growl from the Lupine, and as they entered, a blinding blue light met them. They found themselves facing a giant blue boulder, covered in lightning bolts of ice, and carved perfectly into the shape of an egg, sitting atop an ornate, icy perch. The Lupine prostrated himself before the "idol" and begun growling lowly. The idol made a low rumble, and a light, almost like a spotlight came through the ceiling. It fixed itself on Artillery, who gave a little nervous gulp. The Lupine grunted at him, calling him over to come directly in front of the idol.
"The idol will now test you, to see if you are worthy. Step before it." Artillery did as he said, as his scepter began vibrating wildly, he took it out, and the Lupine growled furiously. The scepter glowed, turned into the same dragon staff that Artillery had used in the Vermillion Archipelago, and the wings of the staff began glowing. Artillery closed his eyes, and began hearing a voice whispering the same word over and over again: "Xeoyvern." He kept hearing it, the repetition driving him insane. He just got so driven by it, he shouted it out loud.
"XEOYVERN!" Everyone flinched at the huge rumble that came from the idol. A large blue beam of light emanated from the top of said idol, and shot in the sky, where it met five other beams of light in varying colors and the sky turned an eerie brown color, waving as though full of radiation. As this was happening, a small hole seemingly melted away from the rest of the icy perch the Idol was sitting on. Artillery looked around in bewilderment at all of this, as did the Lupine.
“This idol has long been here, giving us guidance and giving us hope, and it was told for many, many years, an outlander would come, and release the Idol’s spirit, and it will lead our people to once again build a bond between the outlanders and the Lupines. You are that outlander. You will release the idol’s spirit. It is your duty, and your destiny,” the Lupine said threateningly.
“And what exactly would happen if I didn’t do that?” Artillery asked, brimming with anxiety. The Lupine looked at him, his face grim. “Then it is death, for all of you.” Artillery looked at him, expecting nothing less from the brutish Lupine. “So I do this, or I die? Ok, I guess I have no choice then.” He walked up to the idol, staff in hand, which promptly changed back to the scepter. He put it into the hole that had opened up previously and watched as the idol began cracking and the whole building began to rumble. Knightbeast looked Artillery in the eye with a crazed expression.
“What did you do?!” he shouted fiercely. Pixie, who had been silent for quite some time, chose now to speak.
“Frank, hold my hand. I’m scared.” Her face was trembling visibly, but not because of the building. Artillery noticed, gripped her hand, and gave her a look as if to say “it’s ok, I’m here with you.” As he held her hand, the building continued to rumble, and the idol cracked open, and a bright light encompassed the whole room. When everyone could see again, the idol was gone, and in its place, a giant, sky-blue dragon. Artillery looked on in amazement as the dragon spread its wings, and the Lupine bowed in reverence. The white of the webbing of the dragon’s webbing in his wings, and the scales on his belly, shimmered in the light of the temple. He let out a wispy roar, and flecks of ice exuded from his mouth. He then directed his gaze directly at Pixie and Artillery.
“Who are you?! Where am I?!” the dragon shouted. Artillery stepped forward, still holding Pixie’s hand.
“Actually,” Artillery began meekly, “I was hoping you could tell me what exactly is going on. I’m about as clueless as you are.” His half-truth confused the dragon, who looked at Artillery coldly. “Why should I tell you anything? You are the one who unceremoniously woke me from my slumber. I heard my name called, and I woke up. That’s when I came to find you staring at me, holding that device.” Artillery looked at the dragon doe-eyed. “So you are Xeoyvern?” he asked, once again being meek. The dragon just kept eying him with the same coldness he had since he was released. “Yes, and how does one such as you know my name?” The Lupine finally rose from his bow, and walked up to where Artillery and Pixie were standing.
“Lord Xeoyvern, he was destined to release you. I am Lykarian, the chief of the Lupines. I was charged with watching over you until this young warrior set you free.” Xeoyvern looked at Lykarian quizzically, and blew a blast of cold air out of his snout. “Very well, I am free, now what do we do?” Artillery’s gaze went back and forth between Lykarian and Xeoyvern, until it finally rested on the huge dragon.
“I’m the guardian of all the dragons. I set you free to fulfill a greater purpose. For now, though, there’s a threat coming to this continent. I wish you to guard them through this threat, and I will call you when I have need of you.” Xeoyvern looked at Artillery, nodded, and then looked at Lykarian.
“Lykarian, are you prepared for this supposed threat? Are you prepared to accept my help?” Lykarian looked at Xeoyvern and sighed. “If the great lord Xeoyvern wishes it to be so, then I will follow him into Hell itself.” Xeoyvern then turned his head at Artillery, and smiled. “Very well, ‘Guardian of the Dragons,’ it appears as though your work here is finished. Any last words before you part?” Artillery smiled back at Xeoyvern, and stood up proudly.
“Actually, I do have a couple. I want to th—“ he began, but Lykarian interrupted him.
“Young warrior, I do not mean to interrupt you, but I want to extend an apology to you and your friends. I judged you kind of harshly, which I tend to do, but it was unfair to you, you are our savior. I also wanted to thank you for liberating Xeoyvern, and in turn, us. We owe you a debt of gratitude.” Artillery smiled, and blushed slightly.
“Thank you. I know how hard it must be for you to humble yourself. Now, I still have a lot to do here. Are you sure you don’t need me anymore?” Lykarian also smiled. “You have much to do. We can handle ourselves now, thanks to you. Go now, and remember what you’ve done here.” Artillery looked at him, and nodded. Zack took his time to acknowledge everyone and bowed out of respect for Xeoyvern and Lykarian.
“I want to thank you Lykarian for letting us all be here, and not ripping us all to shreds.” Everyone laughed, including Lykarian. “But now that everything is said and done, who’s ready to leave?” Everyone gave a nod, except for Twilight, who scoffed.
“I think that’s what Artillery and Lykarian were just saying.” Zack looked at him, just ignoring his comments. Pixie, however, gave Twilight an irritated look.
“Your comments aren’t needed, Twilight. Why do you always have to be a smartass?” She scowled at him. Twilight just looked down at himself. Knightbeast eyeballed Zack and Artillery and gave a stern look.
“I say we get the hell out of here before a full-blown fight breaks out.”
“I agree,” Tech said irritably. “We do have work to do back at home. Zack, if you will,” as he turned his head to Zack, he nodded, and walked to closer to the group as a whole.
“All right, everyone hold on to me. You guys aren’t new, come on.” He chuckled a little, and tossed his bushy mane out of his face. As everyone walked up to him, and grabbed a part of one of his arms, Twilight gave him an irritated look, and grabbed his arm reluctantly. “All right, on three. One…two…three!” and at three, they disappeared from the frozen continent of Lupinus.
The overcast sky was still present in Draco city. Rain had begun pouring on the rooftops of the town, loudly enough to hear it even inside dwellings. Mindbender was using it as background noise to help fuel his conversation with his comrades, which had been going on for quite some time. Inside Mindbender’s home, Shadowcaster was now speaking, the indignation clear in her voice.
“So you mean to tell me, that you have no desire at all to kill that kid who was with Trixie at the bridge?” Shadowcaster said, looking quite annoyed. Mindbender merely smiled at her.
“I’ve explained this to you many times, Shadowcaster. I want him to watch his world fall down around him, and when it does, I’ll be there to pick up the pieces, and destroy him. Until then, he will stay alive. There’s nothing he can do to stop any of us, much less me.”
“We have still yet to talk about our plans for the present,” Shikara said, looking at Mindbender expectantly. Mindbender rolled his eyes and frowned.
“I was getting to that. You are impatient. Those meddlesome fools are going to get in the way. I’d like to not only stop them, which we will permanently do in due time, but I would also like to make life a little more difficult for them. Elemage, I will need you and all your political people to run a complete smear campaign on them. Do everything you can to get them in the public view, so that everyone mistrusts them. When that happens, it will be easy for all of us to gain their trust. I will cross that bridge, however, when we come to it. Elemage, go back to your home. We need to get this done as soon as possible.” The look Elemage gave Mindbender was one of confusion, and apprehension. “But Mindbender—“ “Go back to your home,” he repeated, cutting Elemage off. “You have been away for far too long already. As I said, we need to get this done. Go.” Elemage looked at him, nodded and reluctantly left. Mindbender watched him walk out the door, and hail a cab, which made him smirk. As rich as Elemage was, he more than likely didn’t need to hail a cab very often. He turned his head back to the group and smiled.
“I want to show you all something. You all don’t know me very well. You see me all as a fierce leader and a cruel dictator, but there is another side to me that I would like you all to see.” Everyone looked confused, but where Mindbender led, they followed. He led them downstairs to the basement, where it was very cold, and dark. The entire basement smelled of mold, and had statues of armor that looked like they could spring to life at any moment. Shadowcaster looked at one and shuddered. Mindbender chuckled. “You like those statues, do you? They are my father’s, he prized them, and made sure they were polished every day. After a while, however, he gave up on taking care of them. Not too long ago actually. He just couldn’t keep up with it; he was gone too frequently.” Shikara looked at him, intrigued.
“Where did your father go?” Shikara’s interest became a look of adoration. Shadowcaster noticed and scowled. Mindbender ignored the scowl from Shadowcaster, and smiled.
“My father was an archeologist. He would constantly go on digs, sometimes he would even take my mother with him. I have no clue where he even is now, actually. He left because crooks are after him and his treasures. I assume mother went with him. But that is a long story, one I do not wish to rehash right now.” While Mindbender was talking, he stopped in front of a door, and everyone waited for his explanation of why they were in front of it. “I brought you down here to see this room,” Mindbender said happily. He opened the door, and the light appeared to magically turn on. Everyone entered the room, and trophies and medals lined it, along with a plethora of swords and all kinds of melee weapons. “Go ahead and look at everything at your leisure, just don’t touch anything, some of it is very delicate,” Mindbender said, once again happily. Everyone walked around the room, while Mindbender stood in front of his favorite trophy, a solid gold katana. Shikara stood in front of a particularly large medal, inscribed with the words “Draguardium Fencing Champion 5,000 AFWA.” Shikara eyed the letters “AFWA” very carefully.
“Mindbender,” she said curiously, “perhaps it is just because I am from Kilgari, and am still unfamiliar with all of Draguardium’s language, but what do these letters mean?” Mindbender stopped eyeing his katana, and walked over to Shikara and the medal. He read it for a moment, and smiled.
“Ah, you wouldn’t know that, being raised in Kilgari. It means ‘After the First War of Ages.’ Kilgari didn’t exist at that point. Back then, it was nothing but an expanse of desert encompassing miles upon miles.” He smiled at her, and she smiled back. “So, is everyone enjoying themselves?” Dracosaur nodded, while looking at a particularly large battle-axe.
“I got a question,” he said confusedly. Mindbender smiled at him.
“Go right ahead.”
“I get all the swords and everything, you’re a swordfighter. It makes sense, but what’s with the axes and stuff?” Mindbenders smile turned into a more serious look.
“I was trained in all forms of melee combat, yes I have awards for fencing and such, but I also love axes and maces and the like. Melee combat is a passion of mine, and has been since I saw my father bring home my first sword. But enough, I have spent far too long down here. I have business to attend to. There is a particular person I wish to speak to in the Serpent District.” Dracosaur looked at Mindbender, and an almost worried expression spread across his face.
“Are you talking about the creepy bat-chick? What could you possibly have to talk to her about?” he said crossing his arms.
“Yes, that ‘bat-chick’ as you so called her is the one I am going to talk to, and it is all part of a greater plan. I have reasons, I will discuss them later. You all are to remain here, and I will have Rupert attend to you all while I am gone.” They all headed upstairs, and into the living room. Mindbender called Rupert into the room, and smiled. “I have a meeting to attend, will you honor my friends’ requests while I am away?” Rupert bowed.
“Of course, sir,” he replied.
“Very well,” Mindbender said seriously. “I must leave now. Do whatever you will, just don’t damage any of my, or my father’s possessions. Farewell to you all.” He opened the front door, and took off into the sky, headed toward the Serpent District. He headed south of his home and found the alleyways and nooks and crannies of the Serpent District. He landed in an alley, and found where he spoke to the demon before. A large, brutish, ogre-looking man confronted Mindbender and growled loudly.
“Trespassers here are to be killed,” he said, no emotion in his voice, virtually no tone whatsoever. Mindbender looked at him quizzically.
“I am no trespasser, I am here to speak with your lovely leader,” Mindbender said kindly. The stranger glanced at him with coldness. He did not trust this outsider, and was not willing to let him have an audience with Ahrana.
“Were you invited? I think not. You will be destroyed.” He reared back, and prepared for an attack. Mindbender however, thrust his hands forward, and the brute was knocked into a wall. Mindbender left one hand up and held the stranger to a wall. He broke a slab of concrete out of the alley he was standing in, and peeled concrete away from it until it formed a spear. It hovered in the air for a moment, and then shot through the air like a bullet, straight into the brute’s chest, and into the wall. He struggled for a minute, but then hung lifeless over the spear. Ahrana walked out of the shadows she had apparently been sulking in.
“Impressive,” she said kindly. “I hardly think it was necessary though.” Mindbender gazed at her and chuckled.
“He forced my hand just a little bit. Besides, what does it matter? He was as brainless as he was brutish.”
“He was incredibly loyal, and would fight for me to the death, which he obviously did. Now enough with the pleasantries, why have you returned?” Mindbender looked at Ahrana, humbled. He had come here for completely personal reasons which he didn’t want to reveal right away. He was not used to feeling this way, vulnerable, even weak. “Well, I asked you a question. Why have you come here?”
“Very well,” Mindbender replied. “I knew from the moment I met you, you were more than you appeared to be. Your mental abilities seem to go much deeper than just telepathy. I know much of the history of Hortath, and as I said the last time we met, I know what you are, and your kind is supposed to be very cruel and evil. Yet you seem kind, and compassionate.”
“Get to the point. My patience is running thin.”
“I am getting to the point. I want you to show kindness and compassion on me. I am very powerful, that is no secret, but, ever since coming into these abilities, there has been something about me that I cannot place, even with my powers of perception. I believe that you may know the answer, which is why I have come. I am going to open my mind to you, make myself completely vulnerable, and all I ask in return, is that you not try to take me over, or damage me in any way. I cannot sleep at night, and I have not eaten in days. It is gnawing away at me, and I need your help. I know I do not know you well, but I am at the end of my rope with this, and I will grant you any request you wish. Please, grant me this one request.” Ahrana looked at him, and rolled her eyes.
“I’ve heard enough of your groveling. I will enter your mind, and I will not tamper with anything. However, I do not see what use it will be.” Mindbender smiled at her.
“It will prove useful if you are at all the mentalist you seem to be.” He braced himself as Ahrana touched his head, to enter his mind. Mindbender allowed her through his entire psyche, no stone went unturned. She had just begun reaching the deepest recesses of his mind when the pair of them became unconscious. Their minds were transported to another place, another time. Mindbender and Ahrana watched as a large figure blurred into view. As the figure came into view, as did several others, all surrounding the first. They were all varying sizes, but all had the same glowing red eyes. Mindbender instantly recognized them as demons; their demeanor was too evil to be anything else. They still appeared as shadows to Ahrana and him, but the figure in the middle spoke.
“Draguardium has defeated me. I have nowhere else to turn. You were the ones who gave me my powers. I ask you, please, give me one more chance.” The figure directly in front of him was suddenly illuminated, and mindbender gasped slightly. This creature was possibly the most frightening thing Mindbender had ever seen; his glowing red eyes were just the tip of the iceberg. There were horns protruding from every inch of his body, and razor sharp teeth, neither of which were what made Mindbender gasp. It was an aura of pure evil, pure terror that made even Ahrana shudder. The demon growled intensely, and was staring a hole through the pleading man.
“The agreement we made all those years ago, was to give you the power that we possess, and if you were to defeat your enemies, you would keep your powers. But you lost against Draguardium. Therefore, you will be killed, and stripped of your power. That’s what we agreed upon.”
“Well yes, but—“ the figure began, but another one of the demons spoke.
“Khylor, you have had your chance. You must accept your fate.”
“Wait,” Khylor pleaded. “You demons like making deals. What if I were to offer you two souls for the price of one?” The demon directly in front of Khylor looked at him curiously.
“I’m listening. This better be good.”
“Oh trust me, it is,” Khylor replied. “You can have my body now, and my soul, I only ask that my soul keep the powers, and be transferred from my body to another, when the time is right. Once they have defeated Draguardium, you can have it back, or, if they face Draguardium, and lose, which won’t happen, then you can still have my soul, and the soul of the person who gains mine.”
“You cannot barter someone else’s soul just to save your own,” one of the other demons said. “Or at all, for that matter. It doesn’t work that way. Why are we still talking? Kill him, and take the fool’s soul.”
“Stop this!” a voice to the figure’s left said. Mindbender recognized the voice and gasped.
“Ahrana, you do not have a place on this council, why have you chosen now to speak?” the lead demon said. Mindbender looked in shock to his left, where the mental image of Ahrana was, and down, to the image of Ahrana in this demon circle. Mindbender watched as the Ahrana in the vision spoke.
“Ondrion, this human has been through so much, I feel as though he deserves another chance. If you will allow me to do so, I would like to watch over his soul, and follow through with his plan. I will give his soul to a worthy possessor of those powers, and if, as he said, the new possessor of his soul wins against Draguardium, then you can have the soul back. If however, he fails, you may kill me.”
“What on earth has gotten into you? You are behaving like a lowly human. That is all you were when we found you, remember?”
“Yes, and I never want to go back to that life. Why would I? I have incredible power. I suppose it is just the last piece of human emotion I have. However, my offer still stands, may I take his spirit, or no?” Ondrion laughed, almost mockingly.
“You may do whatever you wish with his soul, however, I have an alternative to the option of simply doing away with you. If the possessor of Khylor’s soul does lose in the battle against Draguardium he or she will still be allowed to live, but you are to stay on earth, and live life as a human, for all eternity. That is the price you will pay for your human emotions. As an added bonus, you will stay on earth until the soul completes his task.”
“Very well. I accept your terms.” Ondrion laughed, and the scene faded, into a hospital. A woman was giving birth, and Ahrana, positioned in the corner, watched intently, as the Ahrana next to Mindbender also watched intently. Ahrana began chanting, and the lights began to flicker. Mindbender looked at the woman and instantly recognized her as his mother. The sound of crying filled the air, and Mindbender saw his infant self. Ahrana’s chant stopped, and the baby Mindbender was encompassed with an orb of light, which Mrs. Kang did not seem to notice. The baby stopped crying, and the scene blurred out of view, and Mindbender and Ahrana reappeared in the alley where they started. Mindbender sprung to his feet, as Ahrana looked at him, unsure of what he was going to do. The tension between them could be cut with a knife.
“You knew all along, didn’t you?” He said, seeming very calm. Ahrana frowned at him, still afraid of what Mindbender was going to do.
“You are the one with Khylor’s soul, and as such, I must watch over you. I have to protect my investment. So yes I knew.” Mindbender looked at Ahrana, as though he was unsure what to make of what she said, and after a long pause, he spoke again.
“So when I came into these powers, at this age, I mean, not as a child, that was really Khylor’s spirit trying to merge with my own?”
“Yes, he apparently couldn’t take you over completely, which is what was intended, although he has remained dominant in your mind. Have you allowed him to do so? I almost cannot tell the difference, unless of course I’m inside your mind.” Mindbender looked down at himself, and back at Ahrana.
“To be honest, I’m not quite sure how it works, myself. It’s as though we are just one in the same person. There are times when it seems we are separate, but as I said, for the most part we are just one in the same.” Ahrana looked at him, seemingly very pleased with what Mindbender just told her.
“I see,” she said, eyeballing him. Her gaze was intimidating, even for Mindbender, who shuddered. He was not used to someone affecting him this way. The fact that he had just found out she had basically orchestrated the events of Khylor’s soul merging with his own might have been what did it.
“Now I know,” he said apprehensively. There was an awkward silence, and the pair stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. “Where do we go from here?” Ahrana looked right back at Mindbender, and gave him a look he had never seen anyone give him before. Anger was there, in her eyes, as were worry, and duty.
“Well, considering how I’ve risked my eternal life for Khylor, you must defeat Draguardium. You have to defeat the knight-turned-god and you will be safe. On the other hand, if you fail, I will come after you. You will be nothing other than a stepping stone on my way to becoming a true demon again.”
“So you’re willing to help me kill Draguardium, but if I don’t, then you’ll kill me? That hardly seems fair.”
“Don’t tell me about fair!” She shouted. “I was treated like a servant, like I was a human who was constantly disrespected, and tortured. I do not want to hear your excuses. Either do it, or die. It’s that simple.”
“All right then, what exactly am I supposed to do? You never were to clear on that.” Mindbender said timidly. Ahrana looked at him, her eyes hiding her emotions well. She was as impossible to read as a foreign text to Mindbender.
“We need to attack Draguardium. He is the one Khylor needs to defeat in order to keep you safe. If you defeat Draguardium, then I will not harm you. Attacking him should be our first priority. However, there is one thing that concerns me.” Mindbender took everything in for a moment, and sighed.
“What would that be?”
“Ever since the vision we just had, Khylor’s presence within you seems diminished. It’s as though seeing the events of his past made him…” Ahrana trailed off, as though she was afraid of what she was going to say. Her eyes went out of focus, then shot her gaze directly into Mindbender’s green eyes. “Never mind, just do what you must to link with him again,” she said irritably. She walked off before Mindbender could say anything. Mindbender merely rolled his eyes and started walking off. There was a flash in his eyes that signaled Khylor returning to dominance in his mind. He flew off toward his home, and smiled. Once he returned to his home, he turned on the T.V., not talking to anyone. Dracosaur, Shadowcaster, and Shikara all tried to speak to him, but he held out a hand to stop them. The T.V. crackled and he changed it to the Draguardium News Network. He watched a story about tainted lingon being the scourge of Draguardium, and then the reporter began talking about Lignum, so he turned up the volume, and motioned for his friends to sit down.
“This is one of the many Press Conferences the Emperor has called lately, presumably to deal with the growing Metahuman threat. We take you now to the live feed of Lignum’s Press Conference.” The image on the screen quickly changed to Emperor Lignum, or as Mindbender and his friends knew him “Elemage.” He was standing behind a podium, with a crowd staring at him, anxiously awaiting his speech. A large television screen was behind him, with the word “Metahuman” being displayed across it.
“Greetings ladies and gentlemen. The reason I have called you all here to this press conference is to inform the press, the police, and any concerned citizens that yes, the Metahuman Virus is a scourge upon our planet, but there are specific Metahumans who are responsible for more atrocious acts than any others.” The T.V. screen behind Lignum stopped saying “Metahuman” and showed an image of Artillery.
“This is Franklin Caiman. He is the leader of a Metahuman team that has caused me much grief. It is this team that is responsible for the attack on my life. This team is composed of Metahumans whose identities remain a secret, even to me. To anyone hoping to capture, or even kill these monsters, I extend a word of caution. They are very powerful, and not to be trifled with. Jessica Newdoria, a Metahuman hunter Has chosen to speak at this time to explain my point.” At this, Mindbender gasped. Even he hadn’t foreseen this. Mindbender smirked at Lignum’s ingenuity. “Impressive. He managed to get the Hunter to speak for him. I didn’t even know that he knew who the hunter was.” Jessica made her way up to the podium, dressed not in her normal battle armor, but a leather suit. She smiled at Lignum, and nodded.
“Thank you, Emperor Lignum. What he is saying is true. These Metahumans are little more than monsters. Franklin Caiman may look normal enough, but he is a killer. The company I was hired at previously managed to capture this group. They managed to escape, but not before Caiman killed my employer. I have seen them one time since then, but even with my skills as a hunter, I was not able to capture or kill them. They are incredibly skilled and resourceful. Do NOT underestimate them. I am starting my own ‘Legally Sanctioned’ bounty hunting business, anyone interested, should sign up outside the new police building on Hammerstein Street. I return the podium to Emperor Lignum.” Lignum smiled, and waved her back to his seat. Light applause fluttered throughout the audience. Lignum cleared his throat, and waved at the audience to stop the applause.
“Thank you Jessica, I’m sure you will have much help soon. Now to my people, I want you to take heed. These Metahumans are threatening to destroy our way of life, and we need to make destroying this team our top priority. We shall stand together, and defeat this threat, once and for all!” Lignum shouted his last sentence with a fury and ferocity that was unmatched. As he stepped down from his podium, the audience cheered. Normally he would’ve answered questions from the reporters and such in the audience. It seemed as though Lignum had other, more important things to do. Mindbender laughed, and the others just stared at him.
Just as Mindbender and his companions were watching the press conference, so were Artillery and his friends. There was nothing more than outrage in Artillery’s eyes.
“How the hell can they do this to us?! He’s just been waiting to pull this crap from the beginning, ever since we tried to help him,” he shouted. Knightbeast was still staring at the T.V., seemingly angrier than Artillery.
“Damn it! Were gonna be on everyone’s most-wanted list! And to top it all off, Jessica’s working with that creep now! She’s got the power of the Emperor on her side now. How the hell do we combat that?” His voice was trembling, almost as though he wanted to cry. He hated how Jessica affected him, making him feel as though he was inferior, a weakling. Artillery looked at him, not knowing what to say. He thought for a moment, thinking of Jessica’s betrayal of Knightbeast, and remembering how Carter had betrayed him.
“Knightbeast, you have to know something. You know what’s happened to me, my entire family’s dead now thanks to Mindbender, and there’s nothing I can do to get them back. I know Jessica betrayed you, and Twilight for that matter, but you have to put that out of your mind. We have to make Mindbender our first priority. Not just for what he’s done to me, but what he can do to the planet. I understand how much you hate her, and we can take her down in due time, but for now, worry about Mindbender.” Knightbeast’s eyes began to well up. He let out a low growl and snarled. Twilight looked at Knightbeast, wanting to comfort his brother.
“Listen, bro, as much as I hate to admit it, Artillery’s right. We can take out Jessica no problem, but this Mindbender freak is kind of a big deal. We’ll worry about him first, then we can take on Jessica, together.” Knightbeast nodded; his face stern. Words couldn’t express the feelings he had. Artillery stood up, finally feeling like the tension had been defused.
“All right, I think we should all relax for a little while. We’ve had to deal with so much in the past couple days. The only thing I ask is that, Zach, don’t teleport all over the place. Other than that, go nuts.” Artillery looked at Pixie, eyeing her up and down, then smiled, and blushed. “Trixie, you mind coming with me to my room for a while? I wanna talk about some stuff.” Pixie smiled at him. She had been waiting for a moment to be close to Artillery, just by themselves since they had walked around the lake.
“Of course.” She stood up, and kissed Artillery on the cheek. Zach jeered at them, whistling a catcall. Artillery ignored it, and held Pixie’s hand as he walked her to his room. Pixie eyeballed Artillery, and smiled. They both sat down on his bed, in his gothic-castle-looking room.
“So what do you want to talk to me about?” Artillery felt the same butterflies he felt when he first sang to her, the first day he met her. There was so much he wanted to talk to her about, so much he felt he needed to say. Since they began dating, they really hadn’t spent much time together, as a couple, and he had felt guilty for it. It wasn’t fair to her for him not to spend time with her. Artillery swallowed hard, pushing down what felt like his entire stomach.
“Ok, here’s the thing. You and I have been dating for how long now, just a little over a week right?” Pixie eyed him curiously.
“Yeah, what are you getting at?”
“I know that we’ve been busy, but I feel like I haven’t spent enough time with you. It’s not fair to you, and—" Pixie put a finger up to his lips to shush him. She smiled her pretty smile, and batted her eyelashes.
"You think too much," she said as she giggled. Artillery looked at her. Her eyes always sparkled to him. He leaned into her and touched her chin. He expected her to be startled, maybe even pull away, but she continued to look into his eyes. Then, in a moment that contained an eternity, he leaned into her and their lips met. When they kissed, Artillery could've sworn he felt sparks fly between them. He pulled away, and looked Pixie in the eye again. Artillery wanted to speak, but no words seemed appropriate. What do you say when you have a kiss like that? He didn't feel that he loved her, not yet. They had only been together a little over a week, he barely knew her. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Now that I got out, I wanted to talk to you about something. We talked a little about ourselves the first day we met, but other than that, we know basically nothing about each other. I kinda think that if we're gonna keep dating, we have to know more about each other." Pixie smiled. She nodded, and tossed her hair out of her face.
"That works for me. But if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you first." Artillery smiled. He felt a rumble in his stomach, and heard it. Trixie must've heard it too, Artillery thought.
"Um, how about we talk over lunch?" he said, feeling embarrassed. Pixie started laughing intensely, as Artillery turned very red. "What?" he said, his embarrassment continuing to grow.
"You're so cute! You're blushing like crazy. All over a little stomach grumbling. You know, you don't have to be that way around me. You never have to be afraid of yourself. I won't judge you." Those last four words clung to Artillery's mind like metal to a magnet.
"I can't help it. You're so pretty, how can I not feel embarrassed when I do stupid stuff In front of you?" He put his head down. Pixie scooted closer to him, and caressed her fingers along his chin.
"You really do think too much," she said as she kissed him. She pulled away and giggled quietly. "Let's go get something to eat, I think we're all hungry." Artillery nodded, and stood up, gently grabbing Pixie's hand. She also stood up, and they walked to the kitchen, digging through the pantry.
The air thickened with humidity, as Elemage walked Into Mindbender's home. Mindbender smirked at his arrival.
"I thought you'd never get here. What kept you?" Elemage eyed Mindbender, and frowned.
"I did have business to attend to, you know. I am a very busy man, even more so, thanks to being a part of this." Mindbender eyed him up and down, almost looking angry.
"Are you saying you don't want to be a part of this anymore?" Elemage looked scandalized. Having his loyalty questioned bothered him. Even though he committed the greatest disloyalty to his family, he still felt righteous. As if it was his duty to get rid of them.
"I cannot believe you even asked me that. Of course I want to be here! I have risked everything I have by even associating with you. I trust you, even though you broke into my home, and destroyed my troops. I still follow you, not because I have some obligation to, but for some crazy reason, I want to. The ball is in your court, and I have thrown myself at the mercy of your power." Elemage looked at Mindbender intently and started to tremble slightly. What Mindbender could've done next frightened him slightly.
"You are very brave to say such things to me," he said, eyeing Elemage neutrally. "However, you are correct. You have put everything you have on the line, even very life. If they ever find out what you are, your people will revolt and kill you. I respect you, and as such, I appreciate your comments."
Everyone looked shocked at what Mindbender had said, including Elemage. He gulped and gave sort of an awkward smile. Mindbender coughed. "Ahem." Everyone instantly looked at him much more intently. "Having said all that, there are some things that I am going to need from you, from all of you. I know you have done much for me, but I need a bit more. Anything I cannot do, all of you are perfectly capable to do. This brings me to my next point. I have tasks for each of you." Everyone looked at Mindbender confusedly.
"What are you talking about?" Shadowcaster said. Dracosaur nodded.
"Yeah, what 'tasks'?" Mindbender smirked at the two of them.
"Just listen. First off, Elemage, your acquisition of the Hunter impressed me. I want you to talk to her. Tell her I wish to have an audience with her, and that I will pay her handsomely to capture a certain Metahuman. Fifty-thousand to start, and she'll get the rest when she's completed her task." Elemage nodded. "I will explain more before I am finished. Dracosaur, I need you to fly North, Draco city isn't the only place in Draguardium to tap. There are mountains to the north where I believe someone similar to you may reside." Dracosaur tilted his head to the side slightly, and scratched it curiously. He tried to begin speaking, but he was silenced by Mindbender. "I was not finished, I do have other things to get through. Dracosaur, you are just going to have to figure it out for yourself." He turned his attention to Shikara. She eyed him, and blushed. Ever since she met him, she had found herself to be gravitated toward him, and instead of making her uncomfortable, like it did at first, now it seemed almost comforting. It's as though she was full of desire.
"Now, Shikara, your abilities will help as a diversion. I want you to go in the middle of Draco City, out in the open, and show a display of your powers. If police begin to shoot at you, or anything of the like, you are allowed to run, or do whatever you feel necessary." Mindbender chuckled and nodded.
"What exactly is the diversion for?" Shikara said curiously. Mindbender merely chuckled again.
"I was getting to that," he said. "The distraction is for something I must erect. There is something hidden from plain view, underneath the surface of Draco City, perhaps even miles underneath. I've known about it since before my father left, I just never knew how to open the doorway. Since reading the inscription on my family's sword when we were in my trophy room, however, I not only know where it is, but, now, with the sword, I can open the doorway as well. Our war will begin once I can get inside that temple." Everyone eyed Mindbender curiously. Mindbender ignored them. "Lastly," he began, "Shadowcaster, I would like you to personally deliver a message to Franklin and his friends. They think they are safe in their hovel, but I have known where they have been since our little 'attack' on the city. I was able to see into that foolish Lupine-human hybrid's mind long enough to see where they have been hiding. It is disguised as a warehouse overlooking Draco Lake. The warehouse is on Sizer Street in the west side of Draco City. I am quite certain that you can find a way in, however, I do not want violence, it is not necessary. Although, if they attack you, you are free to retaliate." Shadowcaster smiled. This was her chance to get back at her sister.
"So what exactly am I supposed to tell them?" she said, putting her fingers through her hair. Mindbender smiled at her. There was an air of mischief in his voice that let everyone know he was up to something.
"Just tell Franklin that I wish to have an audience with him. There are things we need to discuss. Tell him to meet me at the clock tower downtown, at seven o'clock. And tell him if he values his friends' lives, he'll come alone. It's four now. That gives three hours to set everything in motion. Go now Shadowcaster, and Dracosaur, you go as well, Elemage, and before you go, I did promise you that I would explain more. This Metahuman is hidden from plain view, and extremely powerful."
"What does this Metahuman possess that you'd want to kill him or her for?" Elemage said confusedly.
"I never once said the word kill. I said, capture her. And, yes, it is a she. Once she is captured, then we can really begin to get things underway, especially with those time-powers of hers. Now, Shikara, you will wait for my signal." They all did as he said, each leaving his home, all going in different directions. Shadowcaster was headed to Sizer Street, to deliver the message to Artillery, and take out her sister, Pixie, if the opportunity presented itself. She floated around in her shadow-bubble, and looked for Sizer Street. She turned right down it, as the West lakefront could be seen from the corner, as could the warehouse Mindbender spoke of. Shadowcaster conjured a giant arm, with which she slammed into the side of the warehouse. A ruckus began from inside it, and what appeared to be a hologram blurred out of view to reveal a squat, cylindrical building, partly poking out of the cliff overlooking the lake. An alarm could be heard from inside the building.
In their headquarters, Artillery and his friends were in panic mode.
"We've got company!" Knightbeast growled. Artillery was running around, trying to see something that could have been the source of the rumbling.
"Tech! Check your computers! Maybe one of the cameras this place has can see what the hell did that to us!" Tech pressed a button on the remote for the T.V. and a view of the outside blurred across it. They all saw the shadow blur across the screen, and Pixie instantly gasped.
"Lacey!" she said angrily. "How did she find us here?!" Artillery grunted, feeling livid, as if he just knew Mindbender was behind this.
"It's not like it really matters. She's here, and she means business." Zach looked at Pixie and Artillery confusedly.
"Am I missing something? Who is this Lacey chick?" Artillery eyed Zach irritably. Now wasn’t the time for him to be asking questions.
"Go now, talk later!" Everyone stood there, as if they hadn't heard Artillery's last comment. "What are we waiting for?! Let's go!" everyone nodded, except Twilight, who rolled his eyes. They all ran out of the front door, which looked like a window at first glance. Artillery had never noticed it, having never entered through the front door. When they all made it outside, Shadowcaster gave what almost sounded like a giggle.
"What took you guys so long? I was beginning to think I'd have to storm inside." Her gaze was directed at Pixie, and the animosity could not have been clearer in her eyes. Pixie looked right back at her looking even more livid than Shadowcaster.
"Cut the crap Lacey. Why are you here?" Pixie said, looking as though she was going to cry.
"I can't just want to see my little sister?" Shadowcaster smirked deviously, and gazed even more intently at Pixie. Her emotions were impossible to read, like a book written in a dead language.
"Like you would ever want to see me since what happened with dad! You've always blamed me, even though I was the one who held you when you cried after dad did what he did to you—"
"SHUT UP!" Shadowcaster screamed as a pulse of energy pulsed through the air. "I'm not here to fight with you. I'm here to deliver a message to that punk," she said, pointing at Artillery, who looked back at her, stunned.
"Mindbender put you up to this," he said through gritted teeth. Shadowcaster smiled the same devious smile she smiled earlier.
"Don't worry about him, you'll get your chance against him soon enough. In fact, tonight. If you want to talk to him, meet him at the clock tower downtown at seven, and he's got a lot of things to talk to you about. If—"
"I don't want to 'talk' to him about anything. If this is his game, then tell him I'll meet him at the clock tower, just like he asked, but don't expect it to be a happy visit." Artillery looked stony faced. He had thought momentarily about saying no, and his head told him that not going was probably the best decision to make. Something told him, however, that going would help him against Mindbender. It was as though he knew that this would be a good thing. On the other hand, he hated Mindbender for what he had done. He knew that this could be his chance to destroy Mindbender, but he knew he couldn't let his emotions get in the way. Shadowcaster smiled at Artillery.
"If you care at all about your friends, I'd suggest you go there alone, and don't be late either. Now I'm getting the hell out of here, I've wasted enough time on you people already." Her eyes flashed to Twilight, who stared back at her. Their gaze between each other lingered for a moment, and then Shadowcaster turned tail and left. Artillery looked at her as she walked away, and smiled, ready for the events that were going to take place.
As the sun traveled further west, Elemage sat in his office, awaiting the arrival of Jessica Newdoria, the Metahuman hunter. He heard a knock on the door.
"Enter," he said forcefully. The door opened to reveal a tall, muscular woman, with long blonde hair, braided into plaits. She walked in the room in her purple business dress, which was skin tight and showed all of her assets. She was holding a folder, the contents of which were overflowing. She sat it down on Elemage's desk, and shook his hand. "Have a seat dear, make yourself comfortable," he said warmly. She did as he said, pulled the chair away from the desk and sat down. Elemage looked at her, and smiled.
"You are probably wondering why I've called you here Miss Newdoria." Jessica looked at him; she unsuccessfully kept the annoyance of his comment out of her eyes.
"Yes, I was wondering that. I'm usually not called to the Emperor of Draguardium. Your father called my former employer once, but since then, nothing."

"Well, let me explain," Elemage said eyeing Jessica carefully. "There is a person who wishes to speak with you. He has asked me to ask you. I owe him a favor, and am kindly obliging his request." Jessica was becoming annoyed. Why wouldn't the Emperor just get to the point already?
"Well what exactly does this person want with me?" Elemage smiled.
"There's a very powerful Metahuman that he would like you to capture. He is willing to pay you rather handsomely. Fifty-thousand to start, and you will get the rest of your paycheck when you manage to safely bring this Metahuman back to him." Jessica looked at him, she understood her challenge, and was prepared to complete it.
"So I need to get that Metahuman, I get that, but I need more information. A name, an address, anything." Elemage looked at her; she was correct. He couldn't have expected her to find her on what little information he had given her.
"All I know is that she has power over time, that she is very powerful, and that she skulks in shadows, and hides from plain view. Other than that, there's not anything I can tell you." Jessica rolled her eyes, but nodded.
"Now that all of that is out of the way, I have information on many Metahumans. In this folder is a complete list, pictures, and information of Metahumans I believe to be an extreme danger to us. They are a Metahuman rights group that call themselves 'The Forsaken'. They have kept themselves in the dark to everyone, including you. They have been harboring Metahumans to create a small army. Now, feel free to look at these at your leisure, but there is one in particular that I think you should pay close attention to." Jessica pulled a file from the folder, and handed it to Elemage. He examined it closely and gave a look of shock. The picture that was paper-clipped to the file looked exactly like his brother Percy.
"So what exactly can this Metahuman do? This isn't particularly clear," Elemage said nervously. Jessica looked back at him, seeming somewhat irritated.
"His name is Percy Mangosteen, and has the ability to control the weather around him. He has seemed to like to cast lightning bolts on his foes. He appears to be the leader of this group, and highly accepting of other Metahumans. The others are merely members of this group. We should focus on the leader. Without him, the group will crumble and we can pluck them off one by one." Elemage's face was drained of all color. It looked as though he had seen a ghost.
"Thank you Jessica. I will look at these in due time. If you don't mind, I would like you to make your leave now." Jessica smiled, and stood up. She shook Elemage's hand, and the two of them shared a glance.
"Thank you Emperor." She walked out of his office as Elemage sighed. He eyed the picture of Percy again, and a combined expression of anger, sadness, and contempt spread across his face. "Why?" he said to himself. "Why after all this time does he decide to show up now? I thought I finished him off with that avalanche." Elemage screamed so loud, he gave himself a headache. "I've got to get to Percy," he said, this time out loud. He picked up the phone, ready to make phone calls to get to him.
Dracosaur was flying in the mountains past Draco Lake, North of Draco City, looking for the cave where the creature he was looking for resided. It seemed he had looked in ten caves already. He saw a particularly jagged mountain, looking as though it could have been a giant hunk of broken glass. There was a very large hole in the side of the mountain, and Dracosaur banked left to go toward it. He landed inside of the cave, and looked around. The cave was so dark he needed to use a blast of fire to brighten things up. A light began shining from deep in the cave. Dracosaur followed it.
"Man, this cave is huge," he said, eyeing the depth of the cave. Stalactites and stalagmites littered the entire cave and a chasm lay next to him, just waiting for him to fall in. He followed the light, through the depths of the cavern. He saw a giant room, completely golden in color, much more chiseled than the rest of the place. At the very back of the room, there was a giant stone egg, with markings etched all over it. "This room looks like someone was in it not too long ago. This has gotta be the cave Mindbender wanted me to go to. There's nothing here but that giant egg. Maybe it's inside." Dracosaur shot a jet of fire directly at the egg, and it started to tilt back and forth. So he did it again, but this time burned the fire hotter. The cave around him began crumbling, as the egg began to crack open. A roaring could be heard from inside the egg. It broke open, and a giant dragon broke out of it, but not before the ceiling began to collapse. Dracosaur ran out of the room, and got out of the cave as quickly as he could. He watched as the entire mountain crumbled down in front of him. He decided to fly away, and as he did, saw a flash of orange heading in the other direction. He began heading home, ready to tell Mindbender what he just saw.
Artillery sat in the hero's headquarters, anxiously waiting the time when he'd have to leave. Pixie was sitting on the couch next to him, with her arm around him and her head on his chest.
"Why do you have to do this? You're probably walking right into a trap. You know he's probably gonna kill you." Artillery looked at Pixie, smiling.
"I know he's a psychopath, and that, yes, it probably is a trap. But do you honestly think he'd kill me now? I'm a part of some plan he's got. He needs me."
"It just seems sketchy is all," Zach said from across the room. "He is obviously a lunatic if he can kill people, who he was supposedly close to, but you trust him to not do the same to you. It's just risky. You'd have to be crazy to go." Artillery eyed Zach up and down, and merely smirked again.
"You guys worry too much. Let's just say I have a feeling that things are going to go just fine." He sighed, and smiled again.
"I say let him go," said Twilight walking in the room. "He knows Mindbender better than anyone, and if he says that Mindbender won't kill him, then just trust him to know that everything will be all right." Artillery eyed Twilight curiously. No one was used to him being so nice.
"Did I just hear Twilight inspire confidence?"
"Shut up Tech," Twilight said, ignoring Tech's laughter. "I'm just making the point that Artillery can handle himself. All you guys worry too much." Knightbeast looked at Twilight, and growled.
"Blue-boy here is right. You gotta go, Artillery. If you don't, who knows what he'll do. We gotta stop that creep!" Artillery frowned, and nodded.
"It's just about time. I'm gonna get out of here. I'll be back when all this nonsense is over with. I'll let you guys know what happens." He flashed away, and teleported downtown, out of view from everyone, as to not attract attention. He walked out of the alley into the busy streets and crosswalks. He looked for the clock tower, and spotted Mindbender standing in front of it. Mindbender smiled and eyed Artillery.
"It's been far too long, Franklin. It seems like ages ago that I removed your family from this world." Artillery balled his hand into a fist and clenched his teeth.
"Cut the bull crap. Why did you ask me to come here?" Mindbender pulled out a sword. Artillery hadn't even seen the sheath attached to his waist.
"Very well. I invited you here because there is an ancient temple beneath the surface of Draco City, and I need your help to open it." Artillery laughed at Mindbender.
"I knew it! You need my help. Well you can forget it. After what you did, you're lucky I'm talking to you. In fact, I don't even know why I came. I'm outta here."
"Wait, Franklin." Mindbender said, sounding almost desperate.
"Save it," Artillery said angrily. "Nothing you could possibly say would make me want to stay here, nothing."
"What if I told you that this temple was built by Draguardium himself?" Artillery scoffed at him.
"Well good for him. I don't care," Artillery lied. He was interested in this "temple", but he was angrier at Mindbender. "I'm getting out of here." Mindbender eyed Artillery angrily.
"Fine, have it your way. Remember your stubbornness when your soul is locked away just like Draguardium's was."
"What are you talking about?" Artillery said, not wanting to play Mindbender's game.
"The only way to find out is by following me and finding the temple," Mindbender chuckled.
"All right, I'll play your game. Where do we go to find this temple?" Mindbender smiled at him.
"Just follow me, and we'll find it." Artillery rolled his eyes. He reluctantly did as Mindbender said. He didn't want to do anything with Mindbender. He hated him for what he had done, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. He was keeping himself on his guard, in case Mindbender was planning something, but he needed to figure out what all this "Temple" nonsense was about. Mindbender led Artillery through downtown, and into a museum. "Remember when we came here for school? They told us about the legend of Khylor."
"Since when did you pay any attention to what those curators and tour guides said?" Artillery said irritably.
"I did pay attention to them. They said he was defeated by Draguardium, and that Draguardium saved this land, and the whole world, in fact. I know you know all that. But, Khylor was not the ruthless tyrant that people make him out to be, he was a liberator of sorts. He did what had to be done in order to maintain order throughout the lands. But enough of the history lesson, we are here for a purpose. There is a tablet in this museum I think you should look at." Artillery eyed him, annoyed, but still keeping an interested ear open.
"Why exactly is this 'tablet' so important?" Mindbender smirked playfully at Artillery, as though the two of them were not enemies.
"Because, my foolish friend, it is the gateway to the temple. You and I both have something we need to see in this temple. Trust me." Artillery actually laughed at him. Mindbender looked at Artillery angrily; nothing he said was even remotely humorous. "What is so funny?" Artillery eyed him, still having a large smirk on his face.
"First off, we're not friends, so don't try this chummy act. Second off, trust you?! That is the last thing I would want to do. You are out of your mind if you believe I will trust you ever again. You murdered my family, and left me for dead, but before that, you pretended to be one of my dearest friends. I truly do hate you for what you've done, and when the circumstances are right, you won't be able to hurt anyone else again. I am here out of idle curiosity, and you just happen to be here with me. Nothing more, nothing less." Mindbender scoffed. The two of them had been friends before all of this. He remembered the times that the two of them shared. A flash in his mind took him to Frank's old home.
They had always decorated quite erratically. Different patterns and colors splashed on each wall. Strange masks, and ornamental figures hung on the very same walls, and a huge painting of a dragon hung above the multicolored television set. As the younger Carter looked around, he saw both Mr. and Mrs. Caiman sitting at the couch.
"Hey Mrs. C. Hey Mr. C. Where's Frank at?" The image of Carter in Mindbender's mind looked quite different from the person he is now. Though he has a different mind, he still shares the same body with Carter. The boy in his memory looked like any growing boy. His shiny, clean face nearly glowed in the light of the ornate lamps that scattered across the living room. Mrs. Caiman looked at Carter and smiled. Her smile was warm and inviting, welcoming Carter into her husband's home.
"He's just outside. He's looking at nature trying to find inspiration for a song or something. Do you want something to eat? There's some stuff in the fridge for you." Carter merely smiled at her. He had always loved how generous Frank's mother had been. Mindbender shook his head. Why were Carter's memories still pulsing through his mind? He was the dominant force in their mind now. He attempted to push out as much as he could from Carter's mind, but more and more kept slipping through the cracks. He ignored it, and shook his head again.
"Franklin, you hurt my feelings. I may be ruthless, and have hurt you, but don't insult me and say I am not a fun person to be around." Mindbender let out a chuckle, and walked deeper in the museum. Artillery followed him, and they walked up to the tablet Mindbender previously spoke of. "This is the tablet that sealed away the temple many, many years ago. I believe the key is a combination of artifacts. That is why I have my sword, and why I needed you. Your scepter is much more important than you know, Franklin." Artillery paid no attention to Mindbender. He was too busy looking at the giant stone tablet. It was very ornate, covered in symbols, markings and a large carving of a castle looking building. Atop the castle, Draguardium's mark was clearly visible, burning brightly like an age-old sun. As he looked at the mark, it began to glow even more radiantly, and began pulsing. He could feel a strong vibration coming from his scepter, and a light shot out of it. He pulled the scepter out of the sheath that had been built by Tech for his suit. He pointed the beam of light coming from his scepter at Draguardium's symbol on the tablet. A keyhole opened up, the size of Mindbender's sword. Mindbender smiled, and placed his sword into the keyhole.
"You can turn back now if you want, but this is your last chance to find out what secrets this temple holds." Artillery smirked at Mindbender. He knew exactly what Mindbender was doing.
"I'm not playing your game. I'm going, but because I want to, and you're not going to convince me otherwise." Mindbender smirked back at Artillery.
"I don't know what you mean. You are here by your own decision, and even I could not force you to do what you don't want." Artillery grunted with an irritable growl.
"Whatever, Mindbender, just get this over with." Mindbender turned his sword to the right and the entire museum began rumbling. Museum spectators, who until this point hadn't noticed Artillery or Mindbender, all began panicking from the rumbling building. Mindbender thrust his hands forward, and everyone froze in place. "What did you do to those people?" Artillery said, both out of fear at Mindbender's power, and anger that he had used it.
"I'm just holding them there for a moment. They will be awake the second we enter the doorway." He said it with an air of mischief, as though he was up to something. But then again, Mindbender was always up to something.
"What door—" Artillery began, but he saw what Mindbender was saying. The tablet had disappeared, and there was a dark staircase presumably leading down to the temple.
"You see, Franklin? I told you the entrance to the doorway was a combination of keys. Now all we need to do is follow the stairs and we will find the temple," which Mindbender did promptly. Artillery followed him down the dark, damp staircase.
The strong stench of mold clung to the air, as did an overwhelming odor of rot. Every step the pair took spattered with a splash. It took Artillery a moment to notice that there was water beneath his feet. He examined the walls more closely, and realized the two of them were in a cave. It was a deep trenched cavern, so deep in fact, that artillery had been walking for five minutes and still hadn't even reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Well this place is charming. Are we close to the bottom yet?" Artillery said, the boredom clear in his voice. His intrigue was turned into annoyance. Mindbender scoffed at Artillery.
"I have never known you to complain. Things have changed quite a bit, haven't they?" Artillery eyed Mindbender with quiet rage.
"Yeah, things have changed. Maybe they wouldn't have if you hadn't killed my family, or used your powers to make the Emperor call out war on all of us. You're the reason all of this stuff is happening, and what's worse, you're brainwashing your followers into thinking that what you're doing is the right thing to do."
"Franklin, I wouldn't expect you to understand. I used to be of the opinion that you were jealous of me, and you wanted to take what was mine. Now I realize I was wrong for that. However, I know that if I hadn't done what I did to your family, then things we cannot foresee would have been drastically altered, for the worse. Everything happens for a reason." Artillery had never been angrier at Mindbender than he was right now. He's justifying the death of his family, which he had caused, because "things would be changed for the worse."
"Mindbender, don't even talk to me. You're lucky I don't slice you into pieces for what you did. Just remember, the only thing keeping you safe is those powers of yours. I'm not stupid enough to try to avenge my family when it would just be in vain. You'll get yours. Trust me." Mindbender merely smirked, though Artillery was unable to see it. They were still walking down the stairs. A light finally crept out from the long tunnel they were in, and they finally reached the bottom of the stairs. They found themselves in a giant circular room. So giant, a small city could have been housed inside of it. Artillery looked directly ahead, and saw the temple. It was a giant golden castle. It lay on top of a seemingly floating rock, connected to the staircase by a long rope bridge.
"Isn't it magnificent? The glory of this temple can be felt from even this far back. Once we make it inside, feel free to separate from me. I just wanted you to see it, and of course, I needed your help to get down here. There is however, something I believe you need to see." Artillery rolled his eyes.
"Just cross the damn bridge," he said, the anger still seething within him. Mindbender actually did as he said, smirking all the way. As Artillery followed, he could not help but notice what Mindbender had said about the temple was right. It really was magnificent. It shone in the cavern, lighting it far beyond what it seemed capable of. They had almost made it across the bridge when a roar shook it. Mindbender looked on anxiously. He braced himself, and gripped the rope of the bridge tighter. Another roar echoed in the cavern, and the abyss below.
"It appears as though there is a guardian of this place. Very well, let us move on. It will be the only way we can determine what the guardian is." Mindbender gave a sigh. Sweat began forming on his brow. The room was suddenly becoming very hot, and a red glow combined with the golden one from the castle. Lava filled the supposed abyss that lay beneath them.
"Great. Now, not only do we have to worry about whatever the hell is inside of there, there's a giant pool of lava waiting for us to fall in it. Do yourself a favor, and jump in, would you Mindbender?" Artillery said angrily. Mindbender ignored him, and kept walking forward. Artillery followed him, and they made it to the front door of the temple. It automatically opened for them, and they walked into the darkness. Torches lit along the wall as they walked.
"All right, Franklin, feel free to go your own way now. There is something in this temple that is Draguardium's, though he did not build it. He placed it here after Khylor was defeated." Artillery just began walking through the temple, intentionally ignoring Mindbender. Mindbender also walked his own direction. Artillery kept walking, through the maze of the temple. He found himself in a room that seemed to be hotter than the rest. The roar was intensely loud now. It seemed to be coming from the center of the room, where an egg, just like the one that Artillery found on Lupinus, glowed brightly. It was a bright red color, atop a pedestal that was as golden as the rest of the temple. He held his scepter to it, and the roar was heard again. He could hear in the roar, as though it was calling from far away, a name being spoken, just loud enough for him to hear it.
"Fotiamos!" he shouted, repeating the name he had just heard in his head. The egg began to crack, and the room rumbled. Bursts of orange light exuded from the cracks that continued forming in the egg. A giant red dragon burst from inside the egg, his crimson glow encompassing the entire room. He let out a gentle roar. Artillery braced himself, expecting the dragon to attack him, but he was pleasantly surprised by the dragon's reaction of him. He eyed Artillery for a moment, and gave a noncommittal jerk of the head.
"Thank you for getting me out of there. It was dreadful!" his kind demeanor suddenly changed. A look of concern spread across his face. "Where am I? And who are you?" Artillery nodded, although he wasn't quite sure what to tell the newly-hatched dragon.
"I am Artillery; I'm the one who was named Guardian of the Dragons." He said it proudly, as his title. "As to where you are, you're in some sort of temple, buried underground." The dragon looked curiously at Artillery for a moment, unsure of what to make of him. He snorted a little puff of smoke out his nose and gave a frown, every line and scale on his face creasing as he did so.
"Hmm… well 'Guardian of the Dragons', if you truly are who you say you are, then you will be able to tell me my name." Artillery glanced at the dragon, and without a moment's hesitation, he spoke.
"Fotiamos." The dragon looked almost stunned.
"Very well, you do know who I am. Now you said we were in some sort of temple, correct?" Artillery nodded at him. "I have been in sort of a silent slumber for however long I have been here, but there were times, however brief, that I could get faint echoes of the things that were going on around me. I heard, very long ago, that this temple belonged to someone named…Kyfor? I can't exactly remember his name." Artillery gasped.
"You must mean Khylor. He was a tyrant over two thousand years ago. So if this temple is his, Mindbender can't be up to anything good." Fotiamos gave another snort. He continued eyeing Artillery curiously. He could not picture someone of Artillery's build being a "guardian" of anything. And it wasn't that Artillery wasn't fit, because he was. He had abs, and his arms were fairly big, but he wasn't very tall. He wasn't short, but at five feet, ten inches, he wasn't near the normal frame of the guardians of old.
"Who is this Mindbender person?" Artillery just ran out of the room, and shouted,
"No time! Just follow me!" Fotiamos did as he said and the two began running through the temple.
The temple was growing hotter from the heat of the lava that flowed beneath it, and Mindbender wiped sweat from his brow. He kept going in circles. There was something he was missing, some doorway, some hall. He kept running around, when he saw it. He immediately spun on his heel, and ran through the hallway he spotted. The incredibly dark hallway led to a room that wasn't much brighter. A few dim candles lit the room, making it almost impossible to see anything. To the back of the room however, were two big torches that lit a small pedestal, which was covered in ornate, ancient writing. Mindbender never had seen this writing before, but he somehow understood it, as though he had been reading it since birth. He examined it very closely.
"The temple of the damned lay at your disposal, but before you raise it, you are met with a proposal: cleanse mankind with all its wrath, or cross out evil and its path. The choice is yours so make it clear, or cower forever in miserable fear," Mindbender read out loud. When he finished, the room suddenly became lit by torches he hadn't known were there before. He looked around the room, as a big grin spread across his face. The room began to rumble and he looked on as a much larger pedestal rose up out of the center of the room. There was a sheath imbedded in the center of the pedestal, and Mindbender immediately walked up to it, and placed his sword inside. A stone slab slid vertically, and revealed a very demonic-looking suit of armor. It was very jagged looking, and spikes coming from all the different plates, and large horns coming from the helmet. Upon closer inspection, Mindbender saw that there was something inside of it, though he couldn't quite make it out. He ignored it for the moment, and took his sword and turned it to the right. It wouldn't budge. He then turned it to the left. The room suddenly went dark again, and at that moment, he shouted, "It's time to cleanse humanity! The pitch black room remained so, as a shining white figure stood in front of him. The lights flashed back on, and he was the deepest black, except for his eyes, which were crimson. He had an air of pure evil about him. Evil seemed to be flowing off of him, like rays of radiation on a hot day. A growl came out of the figure, and Mindbender cringed.
"Who are you, and why have you come here, mortal?" even the figure's voice sounded evil, as though it were coming from the fires of hell itself. Mindbender cringed again. He wasn't evil, though people would argue the point. He felt truly afraid for the first time in ages.
"I am called Mindbender, and I am the one destined to possess Khylor's spirit." The entity laughed a bone-chilling laugh at Mindbender, and advanced just a touch closer to him.
"So you are the poor fool that Ahrana placed the piece of my soul in. Well, it's not your burden to bear any more. I'm taking it back." The "ghost" of Khylor put his hand on Mindbender's shoulder, and he felt as though the life was being sucked out of him. Mindbender dropped to his knees, as Khylor laughed. "You are nothing now boy. Since you did me a favor by releasing me, your life does not end today. But I have business to attend to, and cannot keep chatting with you. He floated over to the suit of armor, and seemingly merged with it. The spirit disappeared, and the suit of armor began moving. A clang echoed in the chamber, and Mindbender tried to get to his feet. He fell on the floor completely. Khylor walked up to the pedestal and ripped the sword from it. He smiled as the entire temple began to rumble. Mindbender felt his weight being pushed down to the temple floor much harder, and he knew that it was being raised.
Artillery and Fotiamos continued to run through the temple, every nook and cranny, until they found Mindbender. They could feel the temple rising too and Artillery swore.
"Damn it! He did what he came to do. We gotta find him." They saw a narrow corridor, and artillery bolted down it. He could feel something intense, and evil coming out of there. Fotiamos could barely fit down the hallway, but continued on. Once Artillery made it in there, he spotted Mindbender lying on the floor. He looked around confusedly. "What could make Mindbender that weak that he'd have to lie on the floor?" he thought. He saw a man in a giant suit of armor, and the source of the evil he felt. The man blew away in a wisp of smoke as the rushing stopped. Artillery ignored that, and walked instantly toward Mindbender. He knelt to him and smiled. "Looks like we finally found something strong enough to stop you huh?" Mindbender merely coughed and seemed to hug the ground. He managed to turn his head up toward Artillery.
"Frank…" he coughed. His voice lacked the mirth-like quality it had before. "Frank, I'm so sorry. I'll understand…" he trailed off. He let out a large cough and seemed to be breathing better. "I'll understand if you never forgive me. I haven't been myself lately." Artillery scoffed, but he noticed tears beginning to spew from Mindbender's eyes. "I'm so sorry," Mindbender repeated. Artillery almost felt sorry for him. Mindbender truly was sorry for what he'd done.
"The fact is, Mindbender, you murdered my family. You're lucky I don't kill you while you're down," he said angrily, though there was a hint of hesitation in his voice.
"I'd deserve it. Look, you gotta get out of here. He's gonna be back, and I don't know if even the gods are strong enough to take him down." He coughed again, and tried to get back to his feet, but found he didn't have the strength. Artillery looked at him, almost worried.
"What are you talking about? Who is coming back?" Mindbender shook his head, bumping his nose on the temple floor as he did it.
"There's no time! You have to get out of here! He almost killed me! Me! Go NOW!" the last word had a force that he didn't think he'd be capable of producing. Artillery shook his head right back at him. He needed to make a choice; one that he may regret later, but could benefit him.
"As much as I hate you for what you did, I can't leave you here like this. If anything is gonna kill you, it's gonna be me. Fotiamos, put him on your back. We gotta get out of here."
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather me roast him? You seem to have much hatred for him. Why save him?" Artillery shook his head again.
"I need him for information. He knows what's going on and I don't. After I get that from him, then he can stay the hell away from me. I want nothing to do with him. Now let's get out of here." Fotiamos listened, and led the way. They all went through the temple, following nooks and crannies until they found the doorway in which they had entered. Mindbender looked, still being very weak. He saw the temple was now raised in the middle of Draco Lake. He suddenly remembered the task he had asked of Shikara, and called out to her with his mind. Being very weak, however, he didn't know if his powers would reach her.
"Shikara, if you can hear me, now would be a good time for that distraction."
Artillery eyed Mindbender irritably as he jumped onto Fotiamos's back.
"I need you to fly me home, it's the only way I'm gonna get out of here." Fotiamos nodded, and spread his massive wings. He flapped them a few times, and they shot off the ground. Artillery looked at Mindbender once more, yes he wanted information from him, but the real reason why he took him from that temple would remain a secret, until Artillery could admit it to even himself.