"And that was the story of how we almost broke up," Eye explained, before he floated down into Brawl's hands and nuzzled his chest, "but, I'm glad we didn't!"

Dyna smiled and gave a solemn nod. "You're not the only ones who learned something," Dyna remarked, smiling as she ruffled Boomette's hair while Boomette chuckled. Dyna joined her laughter for a moment, sighed and stepped forward. "Anyways, onto more important matters" — turning to the others, Dyna pulled out the console — "we really should rejoin the others."

A few taps of the console, and a diagram of the building they stood in burst from the screen. It shone in a bright cyan that brushed against everyone's faces while they crowded around Dyna! Dyna hummed as she pinched the screen, and pushed a few buttons. The map zoomed out in tandem, going further and further out until it show a diagram of the whole upper and lower area. Dyna raised a brow at the very sight of it.

"There's a shortcut through the main defense system right around here," Boomette said as she pointed towards a round tube near the lefthand side. "We take this baby, and it should lead us just outside the main security household."

"Alright then!" Rizzo shouted, pausing for a moment to adjust his cap. "Lead the way!"

Dyna and Boomette nodded as they trailed over to the lefthand wall. Boomette yanked off a panel left ajar from the earlier wrath of battle, unveiling a large, round tunnel underneath. Dyna knocked on its top for a bit before they both crawled through.

The faint sounds of them thumping in the tunnel grew a bit louder as Eye, Brawl and the Mabu Defense Force all joined them. They all crawled through the dark, tight crevices of the tunnel as the world around them shuddered, and rumbling sounds echoing from the tunnel as they crawled through. Finally, Boomette popped up and pushed open a disc at the top of the tunnel! The sun shone through as she crawled out and helped Dyna up.

Boomette turned around and hummed as she placed her hands on her hips. "The security place shouldn't be far from here, hopefully," Boomette remarked.

She turned around to the back as the others popped out, and screamed as a laser gun leaped out right in front of her! On instinct she punched it back, sending it flying through the air. As it crashed into the ground, the sound of laser guns charging and machines whirring resonated through the air! Even more of those guns burst from the ground. They kicked rocks and dirt everywhere as they locked onto the party, who all backed into each other as the guns fired.

The lasers burned red-hot as they came in, but Brawl pounded his fist into the ground before they could fire! The earth shuddered as a thick shield of bones formed around his group and blocked off the lasers' blows. The bone leaped out and spun around as they slashed right through the laser guns' supports! The guns crashed to the ground, leaving only dull moans behind as they petered out.

"Come on," Dyna said, ushering everyone forward as she walked off. "Let's go meet up with the others."

Eye chuckled and lingered behind while Dyna, Boomette and the Mabu Defense Force carried on. "It's good that those two were able to reconcile," he remarked, his wings faltering a bit as he glanced over to where Dyna and Boomette happily chatted it up. "After all, when it comes to family, you never realize just what you miss until it's gone."

Eye let out one last, tiny sigh before he flitted back to the back of the group.

§

A door in a shiny, sleek hallway slid open, and Chihiro and Vatra both grunted and glared each other as they squeezed inside. They pushed against each other then whole time before they collapsed on the floor. Chihiro was the first to rise afterwards; she pushed herself up and panted as the door slid to a close behind her. Vatra came next with a grunt. His dark eyes shot a burning glance at Chihiro, and he glanced back at the doors.

"You saw where that drone took them, right?" Chihiro asked as she wiped sweat from her forehead.

"Of course not!" Vatra spat back. "You were the one ahead of me! You should've paid attention to it!"

Chihiro gritted her teeth, and jumped back to her feet as she glared at Vatra. "Well, you were the one making the fire! You were the only one who could actually see anything!"

"And you said you'd keep watch, now look where that got us!" Vatra gestured back out to the halls, embers glowing beneath his bandages as his eyes laid on them. "We've been running in circles for hours now, and that drone is probably long gone, laughing in our faces while it keeps my allies in its clutches! Do you think this is some kind of game?"

A sharp hiss came from Chihiro. She clenched her fists, magic bursting from her palms before settling.

"Of course not! If anything, you're the one who's acting like it's a game!" Chihiro pointed directly at Vatra, laying her accusing finger just inches away from his pendant. "You're the one who's been moaning, complaining, arguing, and messing up every step of the plan! If you'd just followed my plan, we'd have been out the door already and none of this would have happened!"

"And if you had taken hunting a rogue free magician more seriously, this wouldn't have happened! A child like you can't possibly understand the horrors the Arkeyan empire put us all through!" Vatra stepped back, flames sparking on parts of his body as he gritted his teeth. "We've all had to fight for their lives, escape by the skins of our teeth, and suffered losses you couldn't even comprehend!"

Vatra hung his head, the flames surrounding his bandages growing bright as his messy hair covered his eyes. "If you actually understood that, you would've actually taken him in instead of fooling around on your hands!"

Chihiro snarled, getting ready to fight back, but she loosened her hand as she leaned in. There was something a bit different about the way Vatra carried himself. A stroke of pain shone in his eyes, a kind of heartache carried by the strains in his hoarse, shallow breathing and the way his hands trembled. She gulped and stepped back, her hands lowering as a small frown took the place of her snarl.

"We lost family, friends, our homes and lives, and more! What could you understand about any of that?"

Vatra's arms shuddered a bit, his legs followed soon after, and he fell to the floor with one sigh. A sharp, strained gasp left him as he hunched over, his bangs shielding his eyes. For a moment, he didn't seem as strong as he did when she first met him on Glacier Gully, or even as angry as he was the whole mission. No, he seemed, vulnerable. It was scary to Chihiro, almost. Even the Skylanders, Hugo, Master Eon, and everyone always tried their best to keep face around her. Here, she was faced with an ancient portal master of legend who was so shaken, weak, and barely able to keep himself from crying.

"I had the perfect life before I awakened as a free magician. If given the choice, I'd have traded my abilities away in a heartbeat if it meant keeping it! I didn't want to lose that perfect life, so I meandered around, refused to involve myself in any sort of affairs so I could keep it…"

Vatra sniffled, and a few small tears dripped down his face. The tears echoed as they dripped onto the floor, and Vatra clenched his hand.

"But, I was, I was so stupid. They, they razed my town, stormed the school where I taught! While I was so busy trying to make my escape, they found my pupils, and…" Vatra sniffed some more. "Ludo, he was a just a boy, but he was braver than I'd ever been! He tried to fight them off, even though he was a, just a boy, just a powerless boy! By the time I found them, I only found the rest of them holding his body, dyed crimson from his blood…"

Vatra took a small breath as he wiped away his tears.

"A child like you'd never understand what's at stake! You wouldn't understand the lives lost, or the danger you're putting yourselves through! Children shouldn't be fighting wars, they should be staying where it's safe!" With a scoff, Vatra hung his head once more. "Of course, you wouldn't understand anything I'm talking about."

Vatra sniffled, and surely he probably anticipated that Chihiro would argue back or leave him; that pained tone in his voice definitely seemed that way. So, Chihiro just sat down with him; she gave him a small smile as he turned down and raised a brow. She gently patted his shoulder. Despite the odd look he gave her, not once did he turn away.

"I'm sorry," Chihiro whispered, drawing her hand back, "that must've been awful."

A small gasp came from Vatra, but he stilled himself, resting his hand on the floor.

"He was one of the brightest pupils I had. He had such a promising future in front of him, and it was cut off in an instant. If I hadn't been so selfish, if I hadn't procrastinated, he might've lived. I can't let anyone else die the same way he did, the same way any of them did."

Vatra wiped away his tears and shook his head. A small, pained laugh escaped him in the moment. "Ah, look at me, losing my temper and starting petty arguments with a child. I'm supposed to be the responsible one here."

"I… I understand how you feel, to be honest. When we were recreating the Core of Light, we saw lots of beings who lost their homes, friends, family, and more to Kaos and his cronies, all the ones we couldn't save in time. Heck, because I got so caught up in my worries, I got careless and a few of my friends nearly died because of me!" Chihiro hummed and knocked her knees together for a moment. "You don't want anybody else to suffer from your mistakes, don't you?"

Vatra stumbled back a little and his eyes grew a bit wider. Not from shock, but rather, he seemed more overwhelmed. Maybe he hadn't expected Chihiro to give him the answers he did, or maybe he was still caught up in all this, but whatever the case, he sighed.

"Then why did you let this Kaos escape?"

"I didn't want to" — Chihiro tightened her hand, fingernails digging into her palm as she snarled — "but he put a lot of innocent people in danger, even my mom and my little brother. I, I had no choice but to save them while he escaped." Chihiro sighed, and lifted up her head as she forced a smile. "But, beating myself up over it and getting all worked up isn't gonna do anyone any good. The most I can do is just work as hard as I can to fix what happened before it's too late."

Vatra's lips twitched for a moment, almost as if he wanted to retort. He took a glance in Chihiro's eyes, his fingers twitched, and he nodded. He pulled himself from the ground, and dusted off his coat.

"I suppose this is no time for arguing, then," Vatra said, and a smile crossed his face for the first time since that mission began. "Right now, we have allies to rescue!"

"Mm-hmm!" Chihiro beamed up at Vatra as she jumped to her own feet. "I remember now! That drone went that way!" Chihiro cried as she pointed straight ahead towards a long stretch with a shiny white door at the end. "It probably went through that door!"

"In that case, we have no time to waste!"

Flames burst from Vatra's soles, but not from anger or emotion of any kind. No, these flames molded around his feet, and turned into skates that he skid on as he slipped across the room! He reached the door right as Chihiro teleported beside him. The two of them planted their hands on the door, and it slipped right open at the very touch! Hot air burst into their faces the moment the door ended. Chihiro quickly shielded her eyes, but Vatra burst ahead!

The whole room was hot with warmth. Flames burned and broiled underneath the hole-filled metal bridge he walked on, and they stretched up by the second. Their light painted the room in red, orange, and all sorts of other warm colors, or maybe the coloration came from the heat that seeped into the walls and gave it a warm glow. The fires crackled as intensely as they could; loud pops like firecrackers sounded as they danced and mingled with the sounds of footsteps pounding against the bridge. The whole room smelled of ash and smoke, the kind of taste that rotted in the mouth and nose.

Of course, no sight was as rotten as the sight of that drone! It cackled as it held the others' wheel pendants tight within a clear sphere that dangled over the fires on shiny metal cords! Though the whole thing was soundproofed and not a voice came from within, the way their wheels glowed and banged against the sphere's surface showed their irritation enough.

"Found you, buddy!" Chihiro cried as she rushed ahead, now clad in cyan magic clothing not unlike a firefighter's. She pointed a finger ahead and the fires shone in her vision, adding a burning feeling to her already-hot glare. "Now, give us our friends back!"

"I'd suggest you do as she says!" Vatra added. He popped beside Chihiro as embers from the flames wound themselves around his fingertips. "The fires and I have quite the alliance!"

The drone gasped, swiveled around and clutched the sphere close to its chest. Inside the spheres, the wheels all bounced up and down, almost as if they acknowledge they were being saved—but, a slap on the top from the drone had them sitting at the bottom in no time.

"You intruders! I thought I lost you five corners ago!" the drone cried before it wheeled away. "Well, that's no trouble of mine!"

The drone zipped up to the back of the bridge. With a slam of its hand, a part of the wall popped off and unveiled a panel with a flashing red button.

"Security!" the drone cried as it practically smashed the button into the wall.

Sirens flashed as the flames below grew hotter, so hot that Chihiro yelped and bounced from foot to foot as they poked their way through the holes in the bridge. Beside her, Vatra cast out his hand with a strong swipe and a stern glare, and the flames immediately sank back down below. Clanging came from the ceiling as they did, and it earned both Chihiro and Vatra's attention as they drew their heads up.

They moved right in time, for mechanical arms with laser guns held tight in their grip fell back down! The triggers clicked as the guns pointed down and shot their lasers. This time, it was Chihiro's turn to shoulder the blow! With a spin and a wave of her hands, a pair of shields formed around them and the lasers bounced off in turn. The flames started to burst again below her feet, but soon lowered just barely; their fires crackled eagerly as if they were about to jump for her.

Straining and grunting came from behind her as Vatra fell to his knees. He planted his hands against the bridge, and the red glow that surrounded his body become even more furious than before! Shallow breaths left clenched teeth as his body heaved itself up and down with each one.

Chihiro clenched her fist at the very sight of him. Ducking underneath a mechanical hand as it grappled for her, Chihiro wove through the onslaught of laser blasts.

Her eyes set on the drone as it turned towards her and screeched! The drone yanked out a hand, and transformed it into a charging cannon that prepared to fire. Instead of attacking it, Chihiro leaped on top of its head and jumped up! The drone fell backwards. The blow intended for Chihiro hit a mechanical arm, and knocked it into the fire pits instead. Chihiro barely minded it as she reached the end of the path and yanked the button out of the wall!

The space where the button once laid sparked and zapped its own wires as Chihiro flung the button into the fire pits. She rushed over and grinned as it fell into the depths and melted away. As she leaned, the sound of something clunking from above thudded against the ceiling.

Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned closer to the beams holding up the bridge. "Is it just me?" she whispered as the bridge started to wiggle just a bit. "Or does that look a little looser than it was before?"

Chihiro hummed. That same thud sounded again, and the bridge's beams fell further in tandem with it! The shiny silver chains that kept them suspended unveiled. Chihiro gasped, screamed as the chains slid out and the bridge collapsed down into the ground below…

Though as the bridge fell, the flames seemed to shrink before her. It was as if the bridge's very presence struck fear into their hearts! They completely extinguished as the bridge finally slammed down, knocking everyone off and onto the charred steel floors of the dome that remained!

Chihiro grunted as she slammed into the wall and screamed as she rolled down. As she reached the floor, her head brushed against some cool and almost plastic-like in feeling. She pushed herself up with a grunt, mustering all the strength she could despite the numb feeling that coursed through her.

But, something blew past her and pushed her aside once more as it swept something from the ground!

"You'll never free them, not as long as I stand!" the drone screamed as it zipped into a hatch at the bottom of the floor and fell down!

Its laughter bellowed from the open hatch as Chihiro and Vatra trailed over. The both of them knelt down and peered inside the hole. For a moment, they both glanced at each other as if they contemplated following it down, but they peered back down at the hole and rose as they prepared to jump in. As they rose, a massive force burst through the floor, splitting it wide open as the two of them blew back! Cackling sounded as they both hit the floors, and they grunted as they peered up.

That same drone stood before them with the sphere still intact, except it itself now rested in a larger, more polished suit with only its head visible from the safety of the suit's glass dome helmet. Large cannons and rocket launchers mounted on its shoulders and back, just above the jetpack it hovered across the floor on. Even more conspicuous holes and lines stretched across the rest of its almost knight-like armor, perhaps the signs of more weapons buried underneath. Its chest opened up as it stuffed the sphere in and blocked it away with a clear shield!

"Of course, I'll deal with them later," the drone said, as the sounds of charging machines came from its cannons, "but, you pests are the first to go!"

The drone cackled, spinning around as a bright orange glow shone from its body. Amplified by the shiny exterior of the armor, the glow spread. It glowed so bright that a miniature sun wrapped around it. Hot flames fumed and burst as they crackled like lightning around it, and parts of the sun turned white-hot as missiles with flames wrapped around them shot at Chihiro and Vatra!

Vatra pulled Chihiro into his grip and hit the ground just before the two of them blew to bits. The explosion burst behind them and crackled, but Vatra pulled himself to his feet. He rushed off with Chihiro still tight in his grip. The world rumbled as more missiles blew up behind them, nearly pushing them off their feet as they ran with the trails of flames and smoke snapping at their heels.

Vatra turned around for only a moment as one missile came particularly close, and leaped aside! The missiles swerved over and smashed into the wall ahead. They exploded in a fury of flames that spread across the dome, heating its metal right before Chihiro and Vatra’s eyes as they collapsed.

"What're you trying to do, blow us up?" Chihiro cried.

"I'm not an expert, but I don't think this exactly protects this place!" Vatra added.

"It's all fortified, you idiots!" the drone cackled as it spun around. "I can do whatever I want as long as it wipes you intruders off the face of Skylands!"

The drone cackled some more as it shot off another round of flames and missiles, ones that slammed into the sides of the dome and exploded in bursts of smoke and orange fire!

Chihiro and Vatra both leaped forward as the rounds drew closer and closer. They narrowly dodged another blow, and a shield formed around them both with a slap of Chihiro's hands!

"We've gotta find a way to stop this dude!" Chihiro cried. She cringed for a moment as another missile crashed into her shield and cracked it. With a wave of her hands, the cracks sealed themselves up and she turned aside. "I can't keep making these shields forever!"

Chihiro narrowed her eyes. She glanced at where the drone cackled and spun around, shooting missiles with every twirl.

"Maybe…"

Another wave of her hands, and Chihiro and Vatra both slowly faded from view. The shield faded around them in tandem! Well, not that the drone really noticed, considering how it was more caught up in shooting everything within eye-range.

Chihiro closed her eyes, took a breath, and teleported just inches away from the drone. Glancing at the sphere still resting in its chest, she leaped forward—but a hot, electrical shock zapped her as she came just within its grip, and tossed her back! Chihiro screamed as she slid across the floor. The heat from her skid burned against her back while the sparks zapped her front, and she bit her lip to avoid screaming out from the pain.

"Where did the intruders go?" the drone cried. It swerved back and forth while its assault of missiles and flames ceased for just a moment. "Show yourselves! I absolutely heard your voices!"

Chihiro snarled and pushed herself up. A hot, warm grip wrapped around her and lifted her to her feet.

"It's got a shield, too!" Chihiro whispered, shuddering as another zap burned her arm. "Looks like we'll need some way to disrupt it—"

"Duck!"

Vatra slammed Chihiro to the ground before she could even really comprehend what happened. Her arms cushioned her face so that it didn't slam into the ground face-first. Another loud explosion sounded behind her, followed by heat so intense that her legs almost turned numb—or maybe that came from the shock of the explosion?

Chihiro shuddered and pushed herself up, eyes laid on her hands, but wait, why could she see them? Was her spell wearing off already? Chihiro held her hands closer to her face, and winced at the vague, almost ghostlike sight—the spell was already wearing off! She had to think of something, fast!

"Let me handle things here!" Vatra shouted, his own presence slowly growing more visible. "I'll try and use its weapons to break down the shields, and you get the others!"

Chihiro nodded, and dashed back as Vatra rushed forward and knelt down. She let her numb, shaky legs rest for just a moment. Chihiro gulped, slammed her hands against the floor, and they went from faint, ghastly presences to completely visible once more!

In front of her, the spell wore off by the second as Vatra stormed in front of the drone, waved his arms and casted fireballs right at it! The fireballs burst the moment they the drone's shields, but they were plenty enough to get the drone's attention!

"There you are!" the drone cried. With one click, the rockets and cannons burst from its back once more, and its voice raised to a shrill cackle as they charged. "BURN TO DEATH, INTRUDER!"

With one shoot, the rockets and flames and more all shot towards Vatra—yet he stood perfectly still, not a budge or a hint of fear on his face! The missiles and burning fires alike all swirled around Vatra, drawing closer and closer to him by the second. He stood still, eyes closed and hands in pockets with not a care to the weaponry incoming…

But just before they struck, Vatra opened an eye and they all stopped. They hovered in place as they stood inches from his face before they turned around and shot right for the drone!

The drone screamed, clutching its chest as it wheeled off. While it was fast, its own weaponry was much faster! It got sniped in the back and knocked off its wheels before it even reached the dome's walls! Its shields short-circuited and shattered as it flew in the air, and the flames that came in afterwards slammed it into the wall! The sphere slid from its chest as it short-circuited; it rolled down the dome's side before it bounced off. The drone smashed face-first into the ground while its sphere landed and rolled away.

"Got'cha!" Chihiro cried as she snatched the sphere from the ground. Chihiro chuckled as her feet hit the ground, and she rushed back over to where Vatra floated. "I got them!" Chihiro cried with eyes fixed on Vatra. "Quick, let's get—"

The familiar shriek of a laser blast hit the air. Chihiro turned around right as something slammed into her foot, leaving her with a hot, searing pain! She screamed as she hopped backwards towards the bridge, and the sphere slipped from her grip as it landed back on the downed bridge with a thunk!

The heat from the bridge hit her before the actual metal did, and she screamed as it seared into her back and numbed her body from heat. Blood rushed in her ears and nearly drowned out the sound of cackling behind her! A faint rolling sound came, and some shouting after that, but her ears rang and pulsed so badly that she could barely make out the source.

Below her, the ground shook as the floors turned red-hot again. It was so red-hot that even the faint image of Vatra she could make out zipped up and landed across the bridge's other side!

The world rumbled around, and the blood in her ears faded out just in time for the sound of rumbling chains to pound against them. The world below her grew smaller and further. Her dizzy head finally cleared, and Chihiro pushed herself up as the bridge reached its tallest.

The fires burned once more below her, and the heat seeped into her bones and left them to ache, but as the sight of the drone rolling towards where the sphere laid drew closer, that pain disappeared. Chihiro dashed forward! Her arms stretched out as she flung herself towards the sphere, but the drone yanked it from the floor right before she could catch it, and tossed it into the fire!

The drone cackled as it held it hands up, yet soon screamed as a massive laser blast from Chihiro knocked it into the back of the wall! Chihiro leaped on the side of the bridge while the drone grunted and smashed into the wall. She swung over, reaching out for the sphere—yet it was of no use! Her grip was just far enough that it slipped away from her and fell down into the flames.

"Everyone! They're falling!" Chihiro cried.

"Don't worry, I'll get them!" Vatra cried. He leaped on top of the bridge for mere moments before he flung himself off and dove into the flames!

Chihiro's eyes went wide as Vatra flew down before her eyes. She herself swung down and tried to reach for him—but once again, she could only brush against the sleeve of his pants before he fell into the flames! His ghostly form grew smaller and smaller, dwarfed by the masses of fire as he fell in after the sphere. He grew tinier and tinier, a mere dot eclipsed by the masses of fire.

The flames exploded, forcing Chihiro to jump up and take shelter on the bridge. "Vatra!" Chihiro cried as she clung the best she could to the bridge's beams.

The flames grew higher, so high that Chihiro jumped back as they licked at the bridge's sides and tossed it from side to side. Only left to cling to the bridge the best she could as it rattled, Chihiro glanced down at the belly of the flames.

They still burned the brightest they could… But as the fires shrank and the bridge stabilized, the flames almost started to part, stretching to the sides to unveil a burnt metal space in the middle where a faint, red glow floated up to meet her. Wait, a red glow? Could that be?

Chihiro blinked, leaned over and rubbed her eyes. The red glow glowed brighter, and started to take a more stable form. Chihiro gasped and beamed! Right before her, Vatra floated up with a shield of heat around him, and the sphere clutched tight in his arms! A smile crossed his face as the shield evaporated, and he floated up beside Chihiro.

"I did say the fires and I had quite the alliance," he chuckled as he floated a bit higher up.

Vatra planted a glowing red hand on the top of the sphere. A hiss sounded off as the top half turned red and watery before it melted away! Rummaging through it for minutes, Vatra beamed as he finally yanked Jorden's wheel from the sphere.

"Catch!" Vatra cried as he tossed the wheel up to the bridge.

Chihiro jumped on top of the bridge's railing, clinging to the chains that kept it suspended as it started to sway! She shuddered for a moment, leaned forward, and she yanked Jorden's wheel right out of the air with one flick of her wrist! She swung around and leaped right onto the end of the bridge.

"Got'cha!" she cried, rubbing her hands around Jorden's wheel. "Now, let's get you outta this thing!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the drone cried as it dashed right for Chihiro.

Chihiro's gloves, and the rest of her mock-firefighter outfit dissipated into sparkles that flew right into Jorden's wheel. The wheel shone with a bright, crystalline radiance as each rune on its surface lit up one by one! The cyan light that flooded into it turned to a warm caramel color, and from that light formed a sharp layer of crystals that shot out all around. Chihiro yelped and ducked as a handful of crystals grazed over her head and stabbed into the walls behind her, but the drone squealed and wheeled back as several crystals skewered its chest.

In the center of it all, Jorden's wheel pulsated and shuddered with light that formed into a bulky, muscular silhouette! A string emerged from around the wheel's center and draped around silhouette's neck. Rocks and clouds of dust burst in tandem with the light, revealing a human ghost with a sparkly brown aura!

His skin was deathly pale, almost sheet-white if not for the faint hints of peach and the stains of dirt that coated his cheeks. His eyes were so brown they were nearly black, his brown hair was short and messy, and his nose was long and medium-size with a somewhat pointed tip. From head to toe, he donned brown and silver armor akin to a knight's: a helmet that had sides draped over his ears and a cracked, round flashlight embedded into a curved crest; firm shoulder plates attached to a chestplate embedded with sparkly gems in all sorts of colors; firm brown gloves that went up to his elbows; plates that draped down from the sides of the chestplate and over his legs; and sturdy steel leg guards. Underneath that, he wore a yellow shirt with brown sleeves and brown pants, and a brown satchel with a darker brown Earth Element emblem rested on his hip.

He stood steady for a moment, hands clasped tight. He whipped around, and cracked a smile with a missing tooth as he flicked out an arm!

"Crystallize!" was all he called as long, thin shards of brown magic shot into the floor.

A thick, bulky layer of crystal formed above the flame pits; it locked the flames in as the fires tinted their otherwise clear surfaces in warm colors! The fires themselves turned to crystal as well, forming thin, spiky spears of warm reds and orange that spread across the entire floor as their light died. A cold air chilled the area as its warm red walls turned to more of a sullen brown instead, and the only light came from the faint glow of the crystals below.

"No, the fire pit!" the drone cried, rushing to the side of the bridge. "Now how am I supposed to get rid of these intruders?"

"Ye don't!" Jorden cried.

The drone grunted as a massive punch smashed right through the back of its chest! The crystals that poked through its front fell into the crystal pit below and shattered. The drone itself choked out gasps and shouts as it slunk over the side of the bridge. Its eyes dimmed as a cyan glow lifted it from the bridge and tossed it into the crystal pit. As it flew down, a fireball shot into it and blew it up just before it hit the crystals!

"All security systems… Deactivated," droned a mechanical voice just faintly.

Vatra, Jorden, and Chihiro all chuckled to each other as the laser guns and mechanical arms above drew back into the ceiling. Vatra smiled as he waltzed over to Jorden and laid an arm around his shoulders.

"It's good to have you back, Jorden," Vatra said, but soon grunted as Jorden swept him off his feet and squeezed him in a tight hug!

He gasped, sputtered and panted as Jorden nearly popped him like a balloon. Vatra fell to the floor as Jorden's death grip released, panting and sputtering still as the sphere hit the ground and shattered.

"Yep, still as strong as ever!" Jorden cried as he flexed his muscles, kissing both his biceps before he chuckled. "Man, I took having a body for granted—floating around in a lil' crystal thingie is just plain weird, even when you like crystals!"

"You've got that right!" Luz chuckled from behind.

Jorden turned around as the freed magicians floated around, and flew past Jorden as they shone bright and started to reform. Right as their bodies began to form, they shuddered and collapsed back on the bridge!

Chihiro chuckled in front of them and scooped them into her hands. "Guess you all need a little boost, too!" Chihiro remarked as her hands shone with cyan light. "Coming right up!"

The magic from Chihiro's palms bubbled in the air for moments before it seeped into the wheels. Their light glowed even brighter, morphing into the colors of their elements as the runes carved into the wheels shone! One by one, they flew out of Chihiro's palms before they formed proper bodies once more. As the last of them flew out, they all regained their ghastly forms once more! They sighed as they slunk against railing and sat down, faces a bit paler and heads a bit heavier—but they were back!

"You all alright?" Chihiro asked as she sat beside Sihiri and laid a hand on Sihiri's arm.

Sihiri nodded, but her smile didn't really ease that odd, curious feeling that Chihiro got as she watched the others all pull themselves from the bridge and chat. Something egged at Chihiro as she watched Sihiri. It was a kind of unsteady feeling that made the sight of Sihiri and the other ancient portal masters a bit more morbid than usual…

"We lost family, friends, our homes and lives, and more! What could you understand about any of that?"

Vatra's words came back to her and Chihiro bit her lip. That was right, Vatra said that all in the heat of the moment. At the same time, the pained way he said it… Surely, there had to be some truth to his words.

Yet, the ancient portal masters all seemed so happy talking among themselves. It was like the world didn't come dangerously close to ending right then and there. It kind of reminded Chihiro of herself and the Skylanders, and all the fun times they shared even in spite of Kaos's conquest beating down upon them or all the hard fights they had. Chihiro shifted forward, almost wanting to ask them what he meant. A warm hand gently grabbed her before she could say a word, and its heat cooled the tension she didn't even notice she had.

"I… Er, I'm…" Vatra sputtered above her before he cleared his throat. "I apologize for my rashness during this mission. I looked down upon you a bit too much, it seemed." Vatra glanced down at the crystals that coated what was once the fire pit below with a sigh. "The Skylands of today is far more different than the Skylands I once knew. It seems I overestimated my ability to handle things."

Chihiro hummed and joined Vatra in leaning against the railing. "Well, I've still got a lot to learn, myself," Chihiro admitted as she glanced back at the others, and then down below. "But, y'know, I guess that's why we work as a team. I cover the things you don't know, and you handle the stuff I don't."

"Well spoken."

The two of them chuckled, and Chihiro spun away as she faced the rest of the group. Chihiro pursed her lips and shook her head. Maybe it would be best not to press further on the issue. They seemed so happy now, and after how hectic everything was, she was sure they were more concerned with getting this over with. She knew she was!

"Anyways, now that we're all back together," Chihiro said as she strode forward, "it's time we found that shield gun's location and got going!"

Chihiro clapped her hands, and a massive flash of cyan light enveloped them all!

They all lifted from the pits in a shimmer and a flash. Soon, they found themselves back in the record room where they had started. The light coated the wall in a faint cyan hue before fading. The whole place remained in an odd peace, mostly intact save for the massive hole Sihiri had blown in the wall.

That was of no concern to Chihiro. She grimaced as she glanced over the lengthy rows of file cabinets. They were packed tight and even larger in numbers compared to the last!

"Something tells me this is gonna take a while," Chihiro remarked as she crept over to one and pulled out a drawer. "Well, better get looking…"

"Or, we can just use this handy-dandy search function here!" Jorden chirped from behind. All eyes turned to Jorden as he himself turned to a panel and tapped away. "'Enehana's not the only techie y'all know!" Jorden smiled as he lifted his hand. "Saw these drones pokin' at this weird lil' thing to find some stuff, so somethin' tells me it should give us just the thing we need!"

With a few beeps, a drawer in a cabinet near the top yanked itself open and flashed with cyan light! Chihiro teleported over and grabbed the source of the light—a tablet that flashed and faded in shades of blue—from the drawer. She paused as she glanced over its screen. The light stabilized for a moment, and morphed into a digital diagram of a shield gun, a location, and a label with a single pair of names: "Kaossandra and Konkord."

"Yep, this is it!" Chihiro cried as she waved the tablet in the air. Another teleport, and Chihiro was back amid the portal masters' ranks with the tablet clutched tight. "Let's get going!"

The floor rumbled with a whistle on Jorden’s end, and a gigantic drill made of crystal and metal pierced the floor as it dug its way into the room! File cabinets tipped over while the drill surfaced and swung its metal door open. As everyone piled in, the door shut, and the drill smashed through the wall before it dug its way up to the surface.