The lingering sounds of smoke and destruction rang in the air as Cali rolled through a door just before it closed, and propped herself up as it slid shut behind her. The sound of deep grunting came as behind her as Flynn pulled the flap of his hat from the closed gate, brushed it off, and smirked as he swaggered up to Cali. That same smug look of his met with a smile and an eye roll from Cali, before she turned back to where the rest of the team laid with arms crossed and frowns twisted against the stone.

Before her, the looming mass that was Troll Home Security sat tall. Its spiraling steel castles, and rows of cannons, robots, and other defense mechanisms stood strong, yet there was no sign of her teammates to be found. Were they still talking things out? Had they gotten caught up with something else along the way? Could they have been captured, or seriously injured by security, even?

Cali grimaced, clenching her hands tight at just the thought. She'd hope that wasn't the case. A soft sigh came from beside her, and Cali turned to where Syracuse held her head down and scratched at her arm. Seemed like she was just as nervous about this as Cali herself was, maybe even more so considering how she mumbled and dragged her feet the whole trip around. Even when they fought off security and blew a few things up, Syracuse still seemed super out of it—Stealth Elf had to pull her out of harm's way more than a few times.

Cali prodded up to her and sat down. "Is something bothering you?" Cali asked.

Syracuse didn't bother to look up. She sighed and sat down. Occasionally, she’d glance over a miniature console she withdrew from her pocket, or toy with its buttons. A glance at the screen showed that it sent out some kind of homing signal, as if it called for someone. But, after a few moments, Syracuse sighed and terminated the program with a button press as she hung her head once more.

"Syracuse, Skylands to Syracuse!" Cali called, waving her hand in front of Syracuse's face. "Are you still there?"

Syracuse grunted, lifting her head with wide eyes before sighing the moment her face met Cali's. "Oh, it's just you," Syracuse sighed, her eyes drifting back to the console. "Yeah, I, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Cali pressed her legs to her chest and turned her head to face Syracuse. "You've been spacing out a lot ever since we started this mission." Cali brushed her boot against the faint trio of grass blades that poked their way out from the earth. One was smaller than the other, taller two. as if it almost shrank in their presence. "Is that fight they had still bothering you?"

Syracuse hummed, and turned away for a moment as she fondled that tiny blade of grass. "I, I shouldn't say it. That's their business to resolve, not mine. I feel like if I tried to intervene between them, I'll just make it worse."

Ah, family issues, always a tricky subject. Cali wouldn't exactly know, but something in her gut told her that prodding it further was only going to make things a bit more tense. With how tension broiled in the air (what with everyone else standing around with frowns and tense, brow-clenched stares), Cali figured it would be best not to press the issue further.

Instead, she nodded, pushed herself off the ground, and trailed over to where Spyro and Flynn talked at the end of the trail. They stood right in front of the gates that lead into Troll Home Security's more mechanized areas.

"Still no word from the kid?" Flynn asked.

Spyro shook his head. "Haven't heard a peep from Chi since they all left to get the location," Spyro replied. He clasped his front paws and grimaced, twiddling his toes together. "If it came down to it, we could probably try to find it ourselves, but" — Spyro grunted and pulled his paws apart — "with how they left, I can't help but be concerned—"

Flynn patted Spyro on the back with maybe a little more force than necessary. He sent Spyro falling down and hacking as Flynn himself laughed. "Ah, there's no need to worry, lil' buddy! As long as you've got me right here, everything'll be perfectly fine! With my skills, those robots will be running for the hills!"

Spyro let out a wary laugh, pulled himself away from Flynn, and sighed as he sat down. He had that kind of intense, contemplative stare he tended to get when he was deep in thought. He surely weighed the options and contemplated whether they should run ahead or wait for the others first—and that was assuming the others hadn't gotten themselves into any trouble.

A low grumble came from the world underneath, and Cali frowned. Her ear flicked as it echoed again, and on instinct she scanned the area around. She hunted for any traces of unruly robots they hadn't been able to shake, but found nothing. So, she just strode over to Spyro, who seemed as if he about made up his mind.

Cali slipped her hand in her pocket, but froze as another, louder and fiercer rumble came from the ground below. It moved with enough strength that Cali's legs shuddered, and she fell to her knees! She gasped a little, and Spyro jumped up a bit above her before he soared over. The tremors below Cali continued at their pace, growing louder by the second. They steadied into a more stable rhythm, rumbling and shouting over the shocked cries of those around!

Forcing herself back up, Cali bolted over to the heart of the pathway. There, the ground started to crack as the rumbling grew its loudest! Pebbles and fragmented rocks bounced and leaped against the surface as the cracks spread further out, the rumbling growing even stronger in tandem…

And finally, something shiny and bright poked through the cracks like a bird's beak piercing its eggshell! The ground split open as a massive drill made of what seemed like crystal and shiny metal broke through the ground. It crawled over the upturned stone pathways and finally stopped.

Steam poured from its wheels as the door beside it opened, masking the figures of those who came from the open door. The only discernible feature was a colorful array of sparkles that poked their way through the mist. The brightest was a cyan glow that hovered near the bottom, and glowed even brighter as a gust of wind blew the mist away! The mist flew into everyone’s faces; it sent them coughing, hacking, and covering their faces as it dispersed into tiny clouds. However, the sound of familiar laughter and chuckling brought them to relax soon afterwards!

"We're back!" Chihiro cried as she stepped forward. She paused for a moment to whisk away the giant magic fan she held. "Sorry we took so long!"

Cali beamed and rushed forward, as did the others as they crowded around Chihiro and the rest of those portal masters! Now that Cali got a closer look at them, she frowned and raised a brow—maybe she forgot something, but she was sure someone new joined their ranks!

There, beside the woman clad in purple, and the person clad in red, was a muscular, pale-skinned person's ghost that dressed in stone armor with messy brown hair, eyes so dark they were black, and a sparkling brown wheel pendant rested against their chest. They grinned as they held a sleek-looking tablet in one hand, yet the moment their eyes fell on the outskirts of the crowds, they shoved it into the purple-clad woman's hands and ran off!

"'Enehana!" cried the person in what had to be some mix of a rural and eastern Skylandian accent. "'Enehana, is that you?"

'Enehana sighed as they fiddled with their gloves over in the back of the ground, but the moment they lifted their head, they gasped! Jumping to their feet immediately, they ran over and flung themselves into the ghost's arms. For being as burly as they were, the ghost cried in surprise and nearly toppled over as they caught 'Enehana! 'Enehana took the moment to swiftly capture the ghost in a kiss, one the ghost quickly returned as the two stayed locked in time. 'Enehana's arms locked around their shoulders, and the ghost's arms cradled 'Enehana tight…

But finally, they drew back and let go as 'Enehana slipped from their arms.

"And who might you be?" Cali asked as she walked up to the two.

'Enehana chuckled. "This is my girlfriend, Jorden," 'Enehana introduced, holding a hand out to the ghost who waved in turn. "I, I haven't seen him in so long, I just don't know what came over me… Being honest, I almost thought he was…"

'Enehana scratched their head, and yelped as Jorden scooped them back into his arms once more!

"Aw, don't worry! It'll take more than a little blast to take me out!" Jorden cried. "I'm not the toughest lookout woman in our ranks for nothing!"

'Enehana chuckled, looking down to the ground as they toyed with their gloves once more. Beside them Cali couldn't help but chuckle. They'd only been together for a few seconds, and yet she could tell just from looking that they loved each other a lot! Even though she wasn't entirely sure if she'd want to be in a relationship, she wouldn't mind having a partner like that. A few footsteps came from down the way, and Cali flicked her ear as she turned around.

"There they are!" Eye cried as he flew across. He stopped in the air for a moment to turn around and flick his wing, as if he signaled someone over. "Eye spy them just ahead!"

Eye flew down and hovered just over the parts where the ground turned to stone. Brawl was the first to pass him; he bounded past and shook the ground below as he rushed up to joined Tree Rex! The smaller parts of the party shuddered and shook as they stood back up from being knocked down by the force. They moved right in time to catch Dyna, Boomette, and the Mabu Defense Force rush through the path!

"Apologies for the trouble, everyone!" Dyna shouted the moment she rushed through. "We've sorted everything out now!"

"Yep!" Boomette affirmed, rushing up beside Dyna and gently nudging her shoulder.

Dyna smiled back at her, and Boomette only beamed for a moment.

Boomette ran up ahead, moving to where Syracuse ran over to join them. "Syrie, I'm sorry for getting you caught in the middle of my sister and I's stuff," Boomette whispered as she clasped Syracuse's hands. "You—"

"Don't worry about it, dear," Syracuse replied, gently brushing away strands of Boomette's hair. "It's all in the past."

Boomette blinked, nodded and pulled back from Syracuse's grip. The three of them drew into the center, where everyone gathered around the unearthed drill as Chihiro cleared her throat.

"Alright, now that everyone's back together, we can finally get back on track!" Chihiro shouted. "We managed to retrieve the location for the shield gun powering Kaos's place, so Dyna" — Chihiro's gaze shifted to where Dyna stood between Boomette and Syracuse — "think you can scan it in?"

"Sure can!" Dyna said as she walked up.

Chihiro motioned towards Dyna, snatched the tablet from Sihiri and passed it to Dyna. Dyna nodded as she took the tablet, grabbed a console from her pocket, popped open a slot and stuck the tablet in!

A bright light shone from the tablet as white dots circled around its front. They moved in tandem with the similar sights present on the console, and both lights dimmed as the console beeped! Dyna unhooked the tablet from her console and stowed it away in her pocket. She hummed as blue light pulsed before the screen and formed a map across it.

"The shield gun we're looking for should be at the end of the battlements, just a straight way ahead from where we are now," Dyna explained as she peeled her eyes from the screen and glanced ahead. "But, they've got cannons up the wazoo there—the biggest in their artillery!"

A booming, thundering nose came from ahead. Everyone crowded around the gates right as missile shells as big as buildings slowly flew and twirled across the long stretches of marble bridges before them. The noise of cannons firing rumbled the area and left a faint, smoky taste in the air, a sight that may have intimidated most…

Tree Rex walked solemnly, cracking knuckles all the time he walked through the gates.

"They may be big, but so are we!" Tree Rex cried. He turned back to a moment to match gazes with Bouncer, Ninjini and Hot Head. "Right?"

The three of them nodded and joined Tree Rex right as another cannon fired.

The cannons shook the ground while its missile flew out! The missile swirled through the air, crawling towards Tree Rex as flames started to form at its tip. He snarled as he lifted his arm in the air. Light charged at the base of his solar cannon, forming around him in a hot shield.

He charged forward, and leaped up before he punched the missile right back at the cannon! The flames surrounding the missiles stirred brighter as the missile smashed through the cannon and blew it to bits—but it was hardly the only one!

Beside him, Ninjini levitated a swarm of missiles out of the sky and shot them right back at the cannons that fired them. Bouncer moved beside her. He dashed forward along the paths, leaped up and kicked missiles back! A string of explosions ruptured the walls as the cannons blew to bits, their bricks crumbling as they cascaded down into the skies!

The rest of the group trailed along, beckoned on by Tree Rex as he landed and crept forward. They mostly retained a nonchalant air as they passed along the stone and metal paths. They left the dirt and grass of the lands before behind with not a care. While they all gathered together and walked, Hot Head winced and peered up as shade draped over the world around them.

"Is it just me?" Hot Head asked as he held a hand over his eyes. "Or did someone turn off the lights?"

Tree Rex grunted as he peered up, as did Ninjini and Bouncer. The three of them swept the smaller members of their party into their arms and ran off. Not long after they moved, a missile much larger than the rest smashed into the bridge, and completely shattered the place where they once stood!

Another string of missiles rushed after them as they ran across the bridge. They smashed its stone to bits, and sent chunks of brick and metal flying everywhere with each explosion. Finally, the missiles relented as they reached an intersection, and the group collapsed to their knees.

"Just what was that?" Eye panted as he rested on Brawl's top. "Even eye couldn't even spot it!"

Tree Rex hummed, twisted around, and peered over the side of the intersection. He knelt down and plucking 'Enehana from the ground. 'Enehana yelped for a moment as Tree Rex lifted them onto his shoulder, but they quickly steadied themself and clung to his horn.

"Tree Rex, what was that for?" 'Enehana asked.

Tree Rex pointed to a large podium attached to one of the still-intact parts of the wall. It was made entirely of stone with a large missile launcher planted on its top. It stood silent for moments, and shuddered just as bit as its whole body rumbled, almost like it prepared to spit something out!

"I think that might be what's been shooting those missiles at us," Tree Rex said as he turned slightly. "Do you think you can—"

Another screech hit the air as shadows covered the path. Tree Rex gulped as he ran off, scooping the smaller ones below him into his arms!

"Actually, hold on!"

The world rumbled as another explosion burst behind him, and Tree Rex glanced momentarily at the broken intersection before him! Another set of missiles a bit faster than the last charged after him with fires blazing, and he gulped as he rushed faster! A brick wall came into view, and Tree Rex grunted as he sprung over it with the others following behind—but as they left, the missiles crashed through the wall and blew it to bits before carrying on!

"Those things just won't stop!" Tree Rex cried.

"Let's see how well they can track us if we're invisible, then!" Ninjini cried.

With a closing of her eyes, the entire group turned invisible to the naked eye and ducked behind an interway, pausing for a moment to catch their breaths. But, the sound of screeching missiles shot them onto their feet! They all ran off once more. They took a tiny glance behind to see that sure enough, the missiles were right on their tails once more!

"They're still chasing us?" Ninjini cried.

"They must be heat-seeking missiles, then!" 'Enehana cried from where they rested on Tree Rex's shoulder. "Normally I'd be able to reprogram them, but the way things are, there's no way I can get close enough!"

Another explosion burst from behind! It blew the ground behind them to bits with a force so massive that it blew the entire group onto the intersection face-first.

A couple groans came as they all staggered to their feet, 'Enehana being the first to pull themself up. As 'Enehana groaned and dusted themself off, their eyes moved towards a terminal seated on the stone. Drawing over to the terminal, they tapped their fingers against its keyboard, and grinned as its screen flickered with light!

"The missiles, they're coming!" Ninjini shouted from behind.

'Enehana gasped at the shout from behind and typed away, eyes narrowing as they typed. Sweat crawled down their skin as the sound of screeching missiles shook the earth, coming closer and closer away—and then, the missiles turned tail and flew off with one button press!

"Phew, close one!" 'Enehana panted. "I managed to hack the system and block off our heat signatures. That should keep them off our tails for a bit." 'Enehana chuckled, tapped a single button on the console, and wiped their hands. "And with that button press, that should keep the rest of their security from finding us, too!"

"Your genius strikes again~" Jorden teased as they sauntered over to 'Enehana.

'Enehana chuckled as they peered up at Jorden, but their smile faded. "But, that'll only stop the missiles, and only for a little bit of time. We'll have to find some way to blow up the launcher before it happens."

A screech came from the air, and 'Enehana cringed.

"Wait, but it wasn't supposed to stop that early! Did my program fail?"

'Enehana cast a glance back to the terminal, but it still shone with the light of their program's code!

"That's no missile, Ena!” Jorden cried. “It's a cannonball!"

'Enehana turned around right as a giant cannonball smashed through part of a small island, and knocked it down into the skies. The cannonball rolled off and disappeared soon afterwards, but it wasn't the only one! Another cannonball hurtled forward, and its path was set right on the intersection they stood on!

Tree Rex grunted as he charged forward, leaped up, and hastily tossed the cannonball aside before crashing right back down! Behind him, the cannonball soared right through the air, slipped right towards the missile cannon and smashed into its side! Tree Rex gasped as the cannonball rolled off and crashed down below, but grinned.

"Bouncer, Ninjini, Hot Head!" he cried, waving them over. "Take those cannonballs and toss them at the missile launcher!"

The three of them nodding, and swept right up to Tree Rex as another round of cannonballs shot off! Ninjini floated forward. and levitated them away so that they swept right across the bridge, just barely grazing them before slamming right into the cannon's side. It tipped over for a moment, but another round of cannonballs slammed into its left courtesy of a kick from Bouncer! The dented sides of the cannon shuddered, smoke and sparks of electricity pouring from its sides.

The cannon pumped up and down, but with one last shake, it spat out another round of missiles! Hot Head grunted, jumped forward, and punched another round of cannonballs into the missiles—but the missiles smashed through the cannonballs and charged for Hot Head! He and the others screamed as they ran off just in time for the missiles to smash into the bridge!

Parts of it shuddered and crumbled away as they all ran, but while the others made it to safety, Dyna, Boomette, and the Mabu Defense Force all slipped back while the bridge crumbled away beneath them!

Bouncer quickly swept the Mabu Defense Force, Dyna, and Boomette into his hands; he wheeled away just as the bridge crumbled and collapsed. Leaning against a wall, he grimaced as they all climbed down from his hands and took cover. He lifted his head as a shadow fell over him, jumped up and dashed away!

A missile screeched as it crashed down, and smashed through the part of the intersection where Bouncer once stood. It wasn't the only one—another one trailed after the former missile's own vapor trails, its path set right for the platform!

"I'll handle this one!" 'Enehana cried.

Leaping atop Bouncer, 'Enehana scrambled onto his shoulder, and leaped off just before he could protest! The flap of their backpack swung right open as they soared through the air. It tossed out a jetpack that jolted down and strapped itself to their back! The flames burned bright as 'Enehana swirled away from the missile just before it could strike them, zipped back, and jumped right onto the missile's back! Orange light shone against their mechanical hands as they planted them on the missile's metal, but it faded just as quickly as a red light pulsed over the missile.

With a flick of 'Enehana's hand, a sharp knife burst from their palm! Gripping the knife, 'Enehana carved along a thin line just above them. They snarled as the wind in their hair blew more furious. and the cries of those below grew louder!

"'Enehana, get off of there!"

"What do they think they're doing?"

'Enehana grunted. With one last slice, they ducked as the panel flew off and disappeared into the skies! They only cast one glance at the panel, scanned over the open wiring and mechanisms placed inside the panel, and yanked out an oval-shaped device as they slashed right through its heart! The shield around the missile flickered out as the broken device split in two.

With it gone, 'Enehana turned down, eyes now focused on the missiles as they planted their hands against its warm metal surface! An orange glow glazed against the metal of the missile just as it came inches away from hitting the edge of the bridge. Instead, it spun around and redirected itself right towards the cannon!

'Enehana grunted and leaped off, landing on the ground without a sweat broken. The missile crashed into the cannon before them, and they staggered up as both cannon and missile exploded. Thick, warm-colored fire and smoke that burned with immense heat gated off the back of the area as 'Enehana adjusted the straps of their overalls. Instead of relishing in the destruction, they pulled the straps of their backpack a bit higher, and signaled to the others as they rushed for the end of the path! The others obediently trailed along, not a mind paid to the shooting cannons and bellowing shouts behind them.

Cali was the first of the group to push forward as 'Enehana stopped by a tough-looking steel gate. Withdrawing a handful of orbs from her pocket, Cali flicked them towards the gate. She jumped back right as they slammed onto the gate's surface, flashed for mere moments, and transformed into a full-on array of explosives!

"You might wanna stand back," Cali said as she withdrew a pack of matches from her pocket.

'Enehana nodded and drew backwards, taking shelter behind a table as Cali lit the fuse! Plugging her ears, Cali joined 'Enehana behind the table as the flames crawled along the fuse, singing it by the second. The flames hit the gunpowder, and an explosive plume of flame absorbed the entire gate! The fires quickly died as bits of burning metal rained down, and Cali and 'Enehana both jumped out from the table as the flames finally extinguished. The two of them passed through the burned, scorched pathway, the cannons finally relenting as they did.

Instead, what laid before them were thick stretches of stone. Each held a massive gun that shot a thick, bright laser into the stratosphere planted on round stands. The guns were all completely identical in their large size, shiny blue and gold metal exteriors and the hot white lasers they shot out; the only thing indicating any difference was their directions and the plaques near their bases, which all had different runes carved into them. Perhaps those were the names of the ones who purchased them?

Whatever they were, none of them were the one they looked for. If the console was of any indication, that one was at the very end of the current path, on an island seemingly void of any other mechanical presence.

The warbling and screeching of lasers rang in the air as they all passed along the paths, some taking moments to glance at the shield guns as if they tried to seek out their objective. A few idle conversations came in the air, just at a volume where they could be heard but their contents couldn't be discerned. Well, save for a yowl from Trigger Happy and a faint scolding, the exact words of which escaped Cali. Something about not touching lasers?

Cali shook her head, and skipped ahead as the sight of a round, dome-like platform at the end of the pathway came closer into view. She hit the very end of the path, where the cobblestone underfoot traded out for smooth, paved brick, and what she faced left her with a bit of a frown. She expected something huge, grandiose, even. After all, if Kaos's family was royalty like that Ermit guy said, surely whatever guarded their home was bound to be something big and serious with lots of guards and elaborate mechanisms, right?

Instead, what met her gaze was a shield gun no different than the rest. It shot a beam of light into the stratosphere, and it was almost completely eclipsed by a tower so tall it poked the sky! A few glances behind showed similarly confused and surprised faces, all scratched heads and raised brows. But, she supposed that something being this simple should be a relief, especially after the utter pain in the butt security was.

"Alright, something easy!" Chihiro cried as she pushed past and wiped her hands. "Just gotta blow this thing up, and we'll be on our merry way!"

Chihiro beamed and summoned a sword. As she lifted it above her head, it stretched further, growing wider and longer in length until it practically dwarfed her in size! Being made of magic, its newfound size and weight did little to impair Chihiro's grip on its handle. She heaved it back the furthest she could. Her balance slipped a little by then, and she backwards for a few moments before she tilted forward and ran up. With the sword held right above her head, she leaped forward and slashed the gun to bits!

Well, she would've, had a shield not manifested out of nowhere and shouldered the blade! The sword exploded into sparkles of cyan light as the shield flickered out.

Chihiro stumbled backwards and huffed as she crossed her arms. "A shield! Should've known this was too good to be true!" Chihiro shouted before she turned to the back. "Gold, Cynder, fly around and see if you can find a shield generator anywhere!"

"On it!" the two of them cried.

They both rushed forward and took to the air with a single leap. They became little more than purple streaks in the sky as they swooped around the air! The two of them disappeared behind the tower in the blink of an eye, and moments later, a purple screen formed behind Chihiro, and broadcasted Spyro's face right before her.

"Found it, Chi!" Spyro cried, his voice somewhat muffled by the screen. Its view turned down, and now reflected a tiny segment at the top of the tower where a beacon shining with gold light sat within its stone confines. "Cynder and I will take care of this in a snap!"

Spyro zoomed off with a flap of his wings, right down to where a violet, blurry figure that was presumably Cynder hovered to the left of the projector. Bursts of fire and lightning came from the two of them. and slammed right into the side of the projector—but, rather than exploding or burning away, the two blasts completely burst midway through their path! Spyro and Cynder both turned to each other, and a crunching noise burst over the screen, completely eradicating it from the force of its noise!

"INTRUDERS HAVE BEEN DETECTED!" cried a booming, mechanical voice as the ground rumbled. "PREPARE TO BE ERADICATED!"

The rumbling and quaking of the ground below grew more furious as parts of the ground split, small slivers collapsing into the skies below as the whole earth shuddered! Ahead of them, the ground surrounding the tower's base chafed and upheaved itself. Stone tendrils burst from the bottom like something crawled out from it! The tower swung back as the tendrils finally crawled over the broken, churned chunks of ground, unveiling that they stuck directly to the tower's base.

Those tendrils carried the tower as they scuttled across the earth, but finally settled on a place to rest in the center of the platform. This time, the tower itself was what rumbled as parts of it unfolded and twisted around. It formed in the shape of a tall, hulking, vaguely humanoid robot that crashed down and roared, nearly blowing away those down below!

While everyone clung to what they could to keep their balance, whether it was the most stable thing they could find or took shelter beneath the ruptured earth, the robot's chest flung right open. Out from it flooded an entire waterfall of shining metal that poured and stormed around the platform, raising weapons to the skies as they unveiled themselves!

Shiny drones equipped with fancy weapons headed the charge. Smaller, less impressive ones whose armor didn't gleam quite as well, and whose weapons were dented and twisted in parts, stood behind them. They interspersed with chompies dressed in armor whose skin was a little too shiny to make them seem real, and strange little ghouls wielding shields shaped like glaring faces that blocked their entire front from view!

Cries, beeps, and shouts welled from the armies as they thrust their weapons forward. They charged right for the group before a massive burst of thunder and lightning rained down from above, forcing them to stand back! A fence of sparking electricity blocked the armies away from the group now.

Cynder and a sky blue-eyed Spyro floated down beside Chihiro, who nodded and rushed forward as the electricity faded!

Chihiro screamed as she summoned a pair of swords and dove into the crowds, fixing her eyes on a smaller drone. She sliced it in half before she swung around and slashed the next. The two of them sparked and crackled as their broken halves fell to the ground, and Chihiro scoffed as she kicked them away! A whirling, buzzing sound came from behind, and Chihiro screamed as she slashed her sword into it.

Instead of hitting rusted, torn metal, what she hit was sleek, silver metal that cracked her sword's blade! One of the fancier, more polished drones rumbled as her sword exploded. Chihiro grimaced and stepped back, hands glowing in molding shapes as if she nailed down what to do next. The robot got closer and raised a mechanical ax!

The robot trembled as it held the ax at its highest point, but the ax slipped from its hands as garbled code flashed across its visor! The robot slunk over and powered down as its control panel popped open. Behind it, 'Enehana swung aside and waved for only a moment before they dove back underneath the open panel! The panel swung down a moment later, and 'Enehana hopped away with a grin as the robot rumbled.

Parts of the robot folded in as it twisted and shifted around, transforming it into a turret. The turret locked onto the oncoming wave of drones and gunned them down! It spun in waves as it shot off red-hot bullets, which only increased in numbers as the other robots around the turret joined its fate! The turrets grew from one, to four, to an entire battalion that stretched along the front and gunned down the oncoming drones!

The drones that rushed ahead of the turrets screeched. They let out distorted, garbled cries as the blasts blew them to bits, and their parts rained down and smashed on the heads of the shield-wielding ghouls that rushed behind them! The ghouls groaned and collapsed as they rubbed their heads. One in particular groaned and tried to push down the bump that formed on its scalp when the sound of bubbling rushed from aside.

It turned aside, abandoned its shield, and screamed as lava poured in from the cracks in the ground! The other shield wielders followed after the first as the lava grew closer to them, but just before the lava could pour onto the shields, it retracted and seeped back into the cracks!

"Alright, Nemir," Vatra said as he lifted a shield and tossed it to Nemir beside him, "got the shields!"

Nemir nodded, and merely whispered something under his breath as he bowed his head. In response, many small ghosts leaped from the cracks of the ground! The ghosts nodded towards Nemir for only a moment, flew over, and lifted the shields from the ground before they floated over to the battlefield! They planted themselves in the back, just where the rest of Nemir's allies fought.

A couple of drones leveled blows at the shields that in turn bounced off and soared through the skies, their bright fires catching the eyes of Inochi, Dej, and Trigger Happy! The three of them grinned at each other before they rushed up to the very edge of the battlefield. Dej ran past Inochi and Trigger Happy before he leaped out and flicked his hands!

Bursts of ice shot from his fingertips and smashed into the floor below, slicking it down as a solid sheet of ice cast over it. The drones that wheeled forward slipped over their own wheels and fell backwards, the ice cracking underneath them. The ice melted away, and vines burst from the ground! They wrapped tight around the drones, pinning them to the floor! As the drones struggled to get up, thorns shot from the vines' skin and stabbed into the robot's metal. They tore open the wiring and set them aflame! The vines sank back into the ground, but the robots laid down as the fires died at last.

Behind the shields, Inochi smiled and gently patted Trigger Happy. She pushed him forward as he withdrew his guns. Trigger Happy laughed as he leaped right over the shields, pulled the trigger, and sent a wave of golden lasers slicing through the drones!

The drones exploded in seconds, smoke and fire melting the shields as the ghosts flew away…

And from the smoke, Spyro and Cynder shot through! The flames danced underneath them as they soared above. Spyro narrowed his eyes as a giant, chompy-shaped robot gunned down the area around with chompies. Cynder glared it down before she lifted her head to face Spyro, and the two of them nodded as they swept down. The chompy-shooting robot's body rumbled as it shot off another round of chompies, but it skidded back as a fireball slammed into its side!

"Hey metalhead, up here!" Spyro cried from the skies above.

The chompy-shooting robot shuffled around as it fixed its cannons on Spyro and Cynder. It loaded them for only a minute and shot off! The chompies shot out by the second; they screeched and bore their fangs as they shot through the air—but Spyro's flames and Cynder's lightning reached them first! The raw power struck through, and burned not just the chompies that came for them, but the inner workings of the cannons as well!

The robot stopped, and loaded its cannons once more as thick smoke churned and spewed out from the barrels. All that came was an empty clicking noise. It loaded them once more but met with that same hollow clicking noise, so it lifted its cannon up and peered inside. Just as it reached inside, a massive gust of wind swept it back and knocked it into the air!

A black shadow dashed past and spun it around as it hovered up. A black thunderbolt smashed right through its chest and blew it to bits! Chompies spewed everywhere as the robot's broken remains fell to the ground, but the remains spun around as Spyro and Cynder dashed off.

Sihiri frowned while the chompies flew in by the thousands, held her glowing purple hands together and flung them out! A large, glowing purple net spread across the entire front, and caught the chompies within its ropes. It tied its top up tight and dropped on the ground. The world around shook a bit with its massive weight, but the rumbles quickly ceased as the chompies squealed and wriggled against the ropes.

"Now," Luz said as he stepped forward and stretched out his hands, "let's shine a little light on this!"

Luz clapped his hands. Above them all, the light grew brighter, harsher, and heated up the world just a bit as a giant spotlight shone right on the net! The chompies' screams grew shriller, panicky, even, as the light shone on them and withered away their bodies. It left only crinkly, brown leaves and tiny, wrinkled bodies devoid of eyes behind.

As the light finally faded, the net disappeared and the chompy corpses blew away with the wind as the tower trudged forward. The ground shook with every step as the tower loomed over and snarled, fingers twitching for a fight.

"Alright, now what are we gonna do about that?" Chihiro asked, clenching her fists. "Thing's as big as a skyscraper!"

"It's certainly bigger than anything we've ever faced," Tree Rex remarked, the leaves on his back rustling just a bit. "If we just had something its size that could fight it off…"

"Wait, something its size?" Flynn repeated.

Tree Rex frowned and glanced down at Flynn. "Yes, that is what I just said."

Flynn grinned and pushed his way through the group. "I've got just the thing!" he cried before he whistled and waved. "Dread-Yacht, over here!"

Flynn rushed to the side as the Dread-Yacht zipped over. The tower groaned and went to swat him down, but it was a little too late! Flynn jumped on board right as the tower's hand smashed into the ground, and the Dread-Yacht zipped right off.

"What does he think he's doing?" Tree Rex asked as he stumbled backwards. "Now's not the time for a flight!"

Spyro blinked rapidly and shook his head. "Wait a second, I think I know! Stand back, everyone!"

All those around heeded Spyro's word and skittered backwards, save for the tower! It roared as it stormed forward, the world jumping and rumbling with every heavy step it took! It took one more step forward, threatening to crush those around underfoot…

But the sound of a button pressing hit the air before it could step down, and another giant robot stormed forward, slugging the tower right in the face!

The tower roared as the robot flew backwards. The robot showed off a body with armor cobbled together from the Dread-Yacht's parts; it shone and sparkled just a bit in the light, but only for a moment. The tower reeled back, lunged up, and growled as it went to throw another punch. The Dread-Yacht thrust both its arms against its chest, shouldering the blow. It grabbed the robot's arm and body-slammed it into the ground!

Parts of the floor cracked and quaked underneath as an ear-splitting crunch burst from the tower. The Dread-Yacht relented for a moment as a smile crossed its face—but the tower yanked it down and trapped it in a headlock! The two rolled across the floor, wrestling and pushing against each other. They slammed into nearby towers and completely knocked out their lower halves, leaving the towers little more than crumbling piles of itchy dust and sandy rubble as they rolled off! They flattened a few trees and patches of grass as they rolled just over the edge of the island, teetering precariously with just tiny slips of earth underneath them. The tower screamed as it released the Dread-Yacht and prepared to kick it down! The leg swung, ready to make its blow—but mid-swing, the Dread-Yacht grabbed it and dug its fingers in, crunching and denting the leg’s metal!

The Dread-Yacht slung a kick into its kneecap, knocking the tower back and giving the Dread-Yacht just enough time to leap back up! The Dread-Yacht stormed forward, raised a fist right as the tower skidded back, and the tower in turn stormed forward as it grabbed both the Dread-Yacht’s hands! The two of them pushed against each other; their heels dug into the broken earth as they struggled with all their might! For once, they were evenly matched. Neither party budged save for the faint shudder and strain of their hands and legs!

Down below, Sihiri hummed as she examined the fight, hand on chin and all. She floated up to Chihiro and Spyro. The two of them stayed entranced with the robot fight, eyes locked on the two robots as they pushed and prodded against each other—as did the others.

"Everyone, I have a plan!" Sihiri cried, earning all attention before she nudged Spyro and Chihiro's shoulders. "You two, help me make some magic ropes!"

The two of them shook their heads and jumped forward.

"How many and what size?" Spyro asked as Chihiro nodded.

Sihiri hummed, rubbing her chin for a moment. She gestured over to where the tower and the Dread-Yacht wrestled against each other. "About that size."

Spyro and Chihiro both nodded. Chihiro's hands flashed cyan, and Spyro's eyes turned purple as they both flicked out hands and wings. Flashes of magic burst from the tips and snaked around the area; they swirled around for moments before they formed into a giant pile of thick, long ropes! The ropes piled just before the battlefield. They were big enough that they blocked out the lower half of the robot's legs at least, and were surely long enough that they could possibly wrap around the entire island!

Another pile of purple ropes joined its top courtesy of Sihiri, who rubbed her hands as their own purple glow faded.

"Tree Rex, you and the others take those ropes and see if you can tie down that tower!" Sihiri cried.

Tree Rex nodded, turned over and waved for just a moment as he ran off. "You heard her! Get those ropes!"

Tree Rex was the first to yank a rope from the pile, followed by Bouncer, Ninjini, and then Hot Head! The ropes' tips fluttered and swayed in the wind as all four of them flanked the four corners of the tower with the ropes still held tight in their grip.

Ninjini floated up, cried out as she spun the rope around like a cowboy's lasso, and tossed it right for the tower's right shoulder! The rope spun out like unraveling yarn as it flew forward and looped around the shoulder. The rope yanked the tower back as Ninjini floated down, and she pinned it to the ground with a large boulder made of magic!

The tower screeched as it yanked its right arm forward, tugging its hardest against the ropes. Right as the ropes frayed just a bit, another rope wrapped tight around its left arm and drew it back! Bouncer strained from where he floated in the air, and a mechanical jetpack on his back burned its brightest behind him. He floated down and smacked the ground with his wheel. A mechanical stake burst from the ground below, splitting the rope in a way that created a perfect circle around it!

The tower wailed and thrust as ropes wrapped around its legs and stuck it to the ground. Below it, Tree Rex and Hot Head wiped their brows. The two of them rushed off as the tower screeched and hopped backwards. It still struggling and thrusting against the ropes despite how tightly held it was! It thrust forward one more time, but got slugged in the face with a punch from the Dread-Yacht!

The tower flew backwards, the ropes fraying a bit as it smashed into the ground below. It tried to pull itself up, but as it started to lift its chest, the Dread-Yacht leaped down and itself head and the earth! Sharp, denting metal sounds came as the Dread-Yacht slung punch after punch at the tower's face, caving it in and leaving it a hot, smoking, dented heap where a head one laid! The head creaked as it just barely hung on its hinge. Smoke poured from its open mouth and eyes the whole time, but the Dread-Yacht didn't relent.

Instead, the Dread-Yacht focused its attention to the chest as it pounded away! Searing orange light pulsed and burned from the chest as it smashed and pounded. It burned even brighter with every hit, until it was so hot that the Dread-Yacht jumped away, just in time for it to dodge a flaming hot missile! The missile launched itself right out of the tower’s chest and shot through the skies!

"It's weak!" Sihiri cried as she turned back to the group. "Set up some explosives, now!"

This time, it was Cali, Boomette, Dyna, and the Mabu Defense Force who rushed out. They ran towards the robot as fast as their legs could carry them! Dyna and Cali pushed ahead as they yanked round devices from their pockets, and flicked them into the skies. They rolled forward right as the devices latched onto the robot's side and expanded into formal explosives! The two of them slammed a console down, and wired the explosives to it as Boomette and the Mabu Defense Force worked away on the other side. Boomette and the Mabu Defense Force hooked on another lengthy span of explosives, and all of them rushed back as a ticking noise echoed in the air!

"We're all set!" Cali cried,

'Enehana nodded, stepped forward and snapped their fingers. "And just to give things a little more oomph…" they whispered as their hand started to glow orange.

The broken robots parts behind them rattled and shuddered as they flew forward. They attached to the explosives, twisted around them and formed into even bulkier, larger explosives! 'Enehana chuckled and drew back, but slammed their hands over their ears as the ticking sound grew shriller.

"You might wanna cover your ears!"

The others took heed and covered their ears as the explosives burst and the tower with them! Robot parts and bricks flew across the arena. They smashed down and crafted holes in the ground around them as the tower's body disappeared, but amid the ruckus and rummage, a glowing light skated across the skies. It was a bright one, with a shield that flashed and flickered in the skies!

"The shield generator!" Spyro cried.

He and Cynder zipped off, becoming little more than purple blurs in the sky as they zig-zagged amid the flying wreckage. They yanked the orange light from the sky and tossed it backwards! The light grew brighter and larger as it came crashing in.

The generator's body slowly came into view with it, and as it came closer, a whole flurry of elemental attacks—from bursts of magic, to shining lasers, crystals, and more—met it through the air and pierced right through it! The generator crumbled to bits as it fell down to the ground, and a soft gust of wind scattered it to the clouds.

A flickering sound came from behind as the generator's remains flew off. Everyone turned around and beamed, for right before them, the shield around the shield gun completely flickered out!

§

"Alright, everyone, the explosives are ready!" 'Enehana proclaimed as they backed up and grinned. Their orange eyes fixed on the carefully-arranged pile of explosives that surrounded the shield gun. "You may want to stand back!"

'Enehana's eyes trailed back to where the rest of their crew huddled behind a makeshift fort of barrels, wrecked machinery, and other sundry they could scrounge up. and toss into a haphazard barrier big enough to block even the Elder Elementals from view (and hopefully from danger as well). A thumbs up came from Chihiro on the other side of the barrier before it disappeared just as quickly as it came, and 'Enehana grinned. Their eyes turned back to the explosives, but only for a minute as they drifted down to the remote in their gloved hands.

"Three…" 'Enehana proclaimed as they skittered behind the barrier themselves. They leaned against Jorden's chest as their finger wiggled over the button. "Two…"

'Enehana's hand slowly crept down, twitching and fidgeting as it inched closer and closer to the button.

"Two and a half…"

With a gulp, 'Enehana balled their hand into a fist and slammed that hand right down onto the button!

"ONE!"

A furious explosion bored and howled from the other side of the barrier. The coarse, choking scent of burning metal coated the area so thickly it sent a few into coughing fights while black smoke covered the entire area in a thick mist! The smoke spat out bits of flaming metal and broken machine pieces as crackling flames popped and laughed in everyone’s ears. They danced with glee as the flames and smoke billowed higher, and the scent of burning metal grew almost impossible to bear with how thick and pungent it was! The smoke poured over the barrier, seeped down, and even forced 'Enehana into a hack or two.

They scoffed and turned their eyes back to the smoke. Creeping out of the barrier's protection, 'Enehana knelt down and hovered a hand above the ground. The broken bits of metal and machine extinguished themselves, and cleansed themselves of damage as they latched together. They stuck further and further into each other until they formed a crude, but sturdy fan! With a single spin of the fan's blade, a mighty gust blew away the smoke and fire until all that was left was ashes, soot…

And the charred remains of the shield gun, which was burned and melted so badly that it was twisted into an unrecognizable lump of metal and salvage!

A rousing round of cheers came as everyone else piled out of the barrier's shield. Smiles formed all around as the smoke and fire's remains wafted into the skies and vanished.

But, as they all grinned and beamed in the success of their mission, Dyna coughed into her hand and gently nudged Syracuse with her elbow. Syracuse jolted, but as her eyes turned to Dyna, Dyna gave a small wink. Syracuse returned her wink with a nod. Clearing her throat, Syracuse stumbled out of the tightly-packed pile and pulled Boomette away.

"Syrie, what's the deal?" Boomette cried in the distance as they disappeared behind the remains of the tower.

Flynn turned around to where Boomette once stood and crossed his arms. "What're they doing?" he asked as he tilted his head, craning it in some hope of catching a glimpse.

Dyna walked over beside him and chuckled. "You'll see."

A few moments of silence painted only by faint birdsong and popping embers in the air stayed for a few moments. It lulled everyone into a weary peace, one quickly interrupted as a single squeal of glee burst from behind the rubble, so loud it rattled bricks and metal alike!

"OH SYRACUSE, OF COURSE I'LL MARRY YOU!"

A few shouts came out from behind the rubble as Boomette spun out with Syracuse held tight in her grip. The smile on her face was so wide it stretched from long, pointy ear to long, pointy ear! Boomette came to a stop, stumbling and spinning around as she and Syracuse burst into hapless giggling. She released her arms and Syracuse fell back to the floor. They leaned on each other as they stumbled over their own feet, and the two shared one last kiss as they turned to meet with the warm, knowing smiles of the rest of their party.

"Well, all's well that ends well," Dyna said as she wiped her hands and turned to Chihiro. "Now that this shield generator's down, I'd say you'll be able to take on Kaos's castle with no problems, portal master!"

Chihiro nodded, and with one clear of her throat, turned her attention back to the group.

"You heard her!" Chihiro cried as she pointed to the Dread-Yacht and ran off. "Kaos's place is open now! Let's pile up and set sail!"

"Hey, I'm the captain here!" Flynn cried. "I'm the one who should be saying that!" Flynn grinned as he charged for the Dread-Yacht. "Alright, everyone, get on board! With my piloting skills, we'll be at that shrimp's place before you can even blink!"

"And we'll get back to salvaging over here!" Dyna cried, waving as everyone else passed her by and rushed for the Dread-Yacht. "And give that Kaos a good throttling for us, alright?"

Chihiro stopped in her tracks as she bolted up the Dread-Yacht's gangplank, turned around and waved.

"You bet we will!" Chihiro beamed as she waved back, but a large rumble sent her shaking as the world underneath her shuddered!

A small yip came from her as she grabbed onto the side of the Dread-Yacht. She turned around and grinned as the Machine Ghost's robot body settled itself onto the side. Its chest splayed open as the Elder Elementals and ancient portal masters all piled in!

Hopping onto the Dread-Yacht's deck, Chihiro took a seat by some barrels. She leaned against the railing as the gangplank receded back into the Dread-Yacht itself.

The Dread-Yacht set off with a few flaps of its oars. The cheers that came from below became little more than a faint sound in the whipping winds! The Dread-Yacht shuddered and creaked as the Machine Ghost joined it, and the two kept tight in pace with each other as they soared through the skies!

The intense wind whipped against Chihiro's hair and sent it flying across her face. She parted her hair and frowned as her eyes turned to the skies. Her hands squeezed the Dread-Yacht's railing tight, and as the clouds parted, split by the strike of the Dread-Yacht itself, she clenched her teeth.

"You better be prepared, Kaos!" Chihiro hissed, her volume low enough that nobody else around could hear it. "Once we arrive, you're finished!"