"Well, that guy's taken care of," Chihiro remarked as she made her way back to the town. "I guess."

"Hopefully he won't show up again," Terrafin remarked.

Terrafin crossed his arms as he nodded his head, and a massive stampede caught his attention! Terrafin clenched his fists, perhaps prepared for another round with the Chompy Mage—but instead of him, what came was a crowd of joyful wilikin!

"Three cheers for our new friends!" the wilikin cried as they yanked everyone up and tossed them into the air. "Hit hip!" The others fell down, and the wilikin immediately tossed them back up. "Hooray!"

Tree Rex cried out as the wilikin tossed him up and down in spite of their diminutive sizes and his massive one, but the others just grinned and basked in the joy. After all, they succeeded! The wilikin were saved, the Chompy Mage driven away, and everyone was back to normal. Yep, this was definitely a cause for celebration! Heck, even Tree Rex grinned as he basked in their smiles.

As the wilikin ended their cheers and let everyone fall back to the floor, a couple of the wilikin children giggled and swarmed around Tree Rex's legs.

"Thank you, friends!" they all cheered as they beamed up at Tree Rex. "You saved us all!"

Tree Rex grinned in return, a gentle grin that stretched from horn to horn as he knelt down before the wilikin. "It was nothing," Tree Rex remarked as he gently rubbed a baby wilikin's head. "That's what we do here!"

The wilikin all cheered and climbed over Tree Rex's legs, and Tree Rex just burst into hapless laughter as he nearly toppled over.

"Hey, hey, that tickles!"

Chihiro giggled as the wilikin knocked Tree Rex over and climbed him like a jungle gym. She stretched her arms to the skies.

"Well, nice as this is, I'm afraid we can't stay," Chihiro remarked as she peered towards a wilikin man. "There wouldn't happen to be any ships here or anything, would there?"

"Yes, but," the wilikin man pondered as he frowned and tapped his chin, "why are you in such a hurry, friend?"

Chihiro frowned and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Well, you see, we need to reunite with the rest of our team!"

Tree Rex gasped, sat up and gently laid the wilikin children down on the ground. "That's right, I almost forgot!" Tree Rex remarked, and his grin turned grave as he knelt down to the wilikin's height. "You see, we ended up here because we got tossed overboard when our ship was attacked, and we need to find the rest of our crew!"

"You mean, you were separated from your friends?" the wilikin man asked.

"Yeah!" Chihiro interjected with a nod. "We need to get back to them so we can find Kaos's hideout and stop him!"

All the wilikin around gasped the moment Chihiro brought up Kaos's name! Their normally-blank eyes were wide with shock, and a few of them even dropped the things they held right on the grass. They all blinked for a moment, and one wilikin man stumbled up to Chihiro as he grabbed her hands.

"You know Kaos?" The wilikin gasped, his eyes still fluttering as Chihiro nodded.

"Yeah, he's the super evil dude and" — Chihiro paused, shook her head and gasped as she turned her eyes back on the wilikin — "wait, YOU know Kaos?"

"Kaos is the creator," a wilikin woman said as she shifted through the crowds and walked up to Chihiro. "He made us long, long, time ago! We spent much time playing in his castle before we were sent away."

Chihiro blinked again and shook her head. "Wait, so if you know him, you know where he is, right?" Chihiro clasped the wilikin man's hands tighter, and a sparkle shone in her eyes. "Can you take us?"

The two wilikin peered towards each other, and they drew away from Chihiro with a solemn shake of their heads.

"I am afraid not, friend," the wilikin man said. "The creator's castle has very strong security from Troll Home Security, and nothing we make can stop it!"

"We have tried many times," the wilikin woman added, "but every time we are stopped by security." The woman shook her head. "They are not fun. Many cannons and guns and shields, very powerful."

Chihiro frowned and rubbed her chin with a sigh. "So much for that," she remarked. "Even if we did catch up with everyone, I doubt the Dread-Yacht could handle that. If only we had something that could compete with mass security…"

Chihiro turned back to the rest of her group, and raised a brow as the faint sound of panting and shuffling came from behind them! Ermit grunted as he popped out between Terrafin and Cynder, and raised a hand.

"Wait, we do! I mean, I do!" Ermit cried.

Chihiro gasped, raced up to Ermit and grinned as she knocked her fists together. "Really?"

"Over in the Glacier Gully, I've got an Arkeyan Robot I won in a Skystones game some time ago! It's huge!" Ermit nodded and pointed up to Tree Rex, who just shied away and scratched his head. "It's even big enough to fit these guys here!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Chihiro's eyes sparkled even brighter as she turned back to the wilikin and gestured to Ermit. "Could you guys take us to where he said, then?"

"Indeed, friend!" the wilikin man replied.

The wilikin man whistled, and a large shadow cast over the area as a gigantic wooden ship flew in and docked at the edge of the town! For something of wilikin craft, however, it was far more impressed than what was to be expected for something made by wooden dolls. It was as massive as any other ship with colorful flags strung across its hull and fancy metal detailing. Its body was shiny, and carried a polish that made it look brand-new. With a single snap, a shiny metal gangplank shot out from its side and crashed into the side of the island, beckoning for someone to board it!

The wilikin man hobbled off, dashed up the gangplank, and jumped up to the wheel as he waved. "All aboard, friends!" the wilikin man called.

Chihiro chuckled as she turned back to Ermit, and she teleported right on deck with a snap of her fingers! A grin crossed her face as she leaned against the side of the deck and waved down to the crowds of wilikin that chased after her. She grunted as something crashed down on the deck and nearly knocked her off from the force. Just before she crashed down, Cynder and Whirlwind zipped up to Chihiro and pushed her back upright. She stood tall enough that she caught Swarm as he scratched his head and blushed.

Chihiro chuckled as Terrafin and Eruptor dashed up, and Ermit just groaned as he hiked up the gangplank.

"Alright, when're we shoving off?" Ermit asked as he crossed his arms.

A trio of large shadows coated the deck, and everyone scrambled as Tree Rex, Thumpback and Eye-Brawl leaped on the deck. The three of them knocked everyone on their backs! Eye chuckled as he popped off of Brawl, flew up to Ermit and nudged him back to his feet.

"Now we can," Eye remarked as he pushed Ermit further onto the deck.

The wilikin man piloting the ship pulled a lever, and a whistle sounded off as the ship departed from the island! While the ship’s flags blew in the breeze, the wilikin still on the island all cheered; they shouted their thanks and well wishes as they waved towards the ship. Everyone aboard all grinned as they waved at the wilikin with smiles like they left old friends—except for Chihiro, who paused while her eyes went wide!

"Oh, that's right! I'd better let the others know our new rendezvous point!" Chihiro cried. Her hands flared with cyan light, but the light faded a little as she frowned. "If they're even alive still." Chihiro clenched her fist tighter as the light faded away, but the light quickly returned as she shook her head. "No, I'm sure they're alright!"

Chihiro hummed as she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. A butterfly made of solid magic energy emerged as she opened her hands and eyes! The butterfly flew in place as it stared down Chihiro, and with a nod of both heads, it flew off into the distance. Chihiro grinned and waved as the butterfly flew further and further up till it was little more than a barely-visible speck in the sky. As it disappeared among the clouds, her grin faded and her hand fell down.

"Looks like it'll take a little longer to get to Kaos," Chihiro whispered as she clenched her hand into a fist. "Hopefully he's not doing anything too evil right now."

§

Back in the depths of Kaos's base, Kaos himself was very pleased… Oddly enough, despite his less than ideal circumstances. He laid snug in his plotting chambers as some greebles fitted him with elaborate red robes the color of royal blood and detailed with golden thread that shimmered like it was made of the real stuff!

"Ah, this is just what I needed!" Kaos proclaimed as he spun around! His robes fluttered in the faint wind. He grinned and popped his collar as a greeble placed a golden, ruby-encrusted crown on his head. "The elegant reds and golds befit of a king truly make me feel like myself again!" Kaos grinned and clasped his hands as he leaned towards Glumshanks. "Don't you think so, er…" Kaos pursed his lips and raised a brow. "What was your name again?"

"Glumshanks? Your butler and caretaker since you were a boy?" Glumshanks responded as he waved a chisel towards Kaos.

Kaos's eyes flickered and he grinned. "Ah, yes, right!" Kaos leaned backwards and nodded. "Red and gold truly are the finest of colors!"

"But Lord Kaos, your favorite color is black!" Glumshanks pushed himself closer to Kaos and raised his own brows. "For that matter, when did your voice get so deep?"

Kaos drew back, chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Er, uh, I've got a bit of a cold?"

Glumshanks reached forward, brushed his hand against Kaos's forehead, and pulled his hand back. His brows dug further down into his scalp as he glazed over Kaos, and his nose twitched just a bit as he clutched his chisel even tighter.

"Your temperature's fine, Lord Kaos." Glumshanks' brows knitted tighter, and his frown stretched further as he finally raised one of those tight brows. "If you ask me, you've been acting strange ever since you came out of that robot—"

"Oh, nevermind that!" Kaos spat as he flung himself in Glumshanks' face! A stray hand of his knocked the tablet out of Glumshanks' hands, but Kaos gulped as he drew back and cleared his throat. "How are our armies?"

Glumshanks winced and leaned back away from Kaos. His hands opened and shut as his brown eyes fixed on Kaos, and sweat drew down from his brow. Glumshanks opened his mouth for a moment, but then he just sighed as he drew the tablet and chisel back off from the ground.

"Well, we've been spreading our recruitment drives across the Outlands, but not many have come." Glumshanks tapped the chisel against the tablet and hummed. "We've got maybe ten newcomers in so far, and we're thinking of expanding to places outside the Outlands. I still say we should have used aliases instead of plastering our names everywhere."

Kaos nodded as Glumshanks droned on. A smile stuck to Kaos’s face while he drummed his fingers against his belly. He seemed oddly peaceful for the moment with his patient position; his eyes eagerly drank in everything Glumshanks said, and the smile on his face was almost unfitting of the situation he was in!

But, within the confines of Kaos's mind, where sheep bearing his face leaped across cackling picket fences, and faint whispers and ideas for evil schemes danced on the winds like birdsong, Kaos wasn't the one in control at all! Another taller, leaner man grinned as he sat within a satin throne. His hand pressed to his face while his other drummed against the throne's arms. His legs kicked against the throne as he hummed a tune, and that same stupidly giddy grin plastered on his face as he drifted away from Glumshanks!

"My, my, this new body has everything I could want!" the man remarked, a hint of joy in his baritone as his gaze shifted to the walls around. "To think, not only do I have armies and castles at my steed…"

The man waved his hand, and grinned as a sphere of pulsing red magic burst from his palm, bright and radiant as the sun while raw malevolence pulsed from its every beat. Glumshanks shuddered in the sphere's presence, yet the man hardly noticed as he whisked the sphere away with another wave and leaped from the throne.

"… But, I've possessed a free magician as well! I've really hit the jackpot!"

The man hummed and rubbed his chin, but the moment his eyes fell on Kaos's portraits on the wall, that haughty tune of his stopped.

"It could use a little more polish, though, and some hair…" The man crossed his arms and drummed his finger against his forearm. "I suppose I can call up someone to make myself something to obscure this body's awful shiny bald head. Perhaps some nice, long flowing golden locks as bright as the sun!" The man shook his head. "No, that's too obvious. Maybe an even more elaborate golden crown! No, a crown made entirely of the finest gems Skylands has to offer and more!" The man chuckled to himself, and a smirk crossed his face as he patted his shoulder. "Yes, now you're thinking—"

"What are you talking about?"

The man blinked, turned around and frowned as his eyes fell across the way. While another pair of evil sheep baaing in a twisted voice leaped over a singing voice, Kaos snarled and jabbed a finger right at the man.

"My glorious evil body is perfect, mind you!" A snarl cracked across Kaos's face. Kaos trudged up and jabbed it into the man's leg, for he was far too short to reach anything higher. "And more importantly, what the heck do you think you're doing in it? Just who do you think you are, anyways?"

The man's smirk turned to a snarl of his own, and he growled as he slapped Kaos away! That one little slap normally shouldn't have done much, but it was powerful enough that it knocked Kaos on the floor. Kaos gasped and wheezed for air as he stumbled back to his knees. Kaos's palms hit the floor; Kaos himself kept wheezing as he lifted his head, and finally, he caught sight of the man who invaded his mind, the man who loomed over him as thunder and lightning cracked behind!

"Who do I think I am?" the man bellowed. Another crack of thunder crashed down, tinting the room purple, and the man gritted his teeth as he stormed towards Kaos. "Who are you to demand this of me, you insolent worm?"

"Insolent WORM?!" Kaos gasped and leaped back to his feet, brows clenching as flames formed at his fingers. "THAT DOES IT!"

Kaos screamed as he tossed his flames at the man, but the man just scoffed and raised his own glowing palm. A burst of light slashed right through Kaos's flames, slammed right into Kaos's chest and shot him right into a wall! Kaos screamed a hoarse, harsh scream as he fell back down and curled in a shuddering circle, clutching his head and gritting his teeth as his head throbbed and pulsed. A shot of pain ripped through the man himself, and a scream came from behind him as the body collapsed!

"Lord Kaos!" Glumshanks cried as he rushed forward and went to collect Kaos in the outer world.

But, the body simply raised itself up as the man snapped his fingers!

The man strode forward, hands behind his back and his body held upright and tall with a king's grace as he stood over Kaos once more. Kaos only gasped and scrambled backwards into the wall as his hands lit up once more. A flash of pink lightning struck behind him, and the faint light it provided brought to light the man's proper appearance.

The man’s hair was white as snow, his skin deathly pale, his eyes blood-red, and he was all decorated with kingly getup like fancy jewel-encrusted crowns, and silk robes made with only the finest of dyes and materials. But, their shiny looks offset from how busted they were! His crown was crooked and dented while most of its jewels were cracked. Parts of his robes were torn, and they unveiled scarred, scratched, and bruised limbs that were frightfully thin. Still, he held himself with a king's confidence, his head high and posture upright as he cleared his throat.

"I am the glorious leader of the Arkeyan Empire, the sun of Skylands, the one who brings with him the enlightenment of the era!" The room rumbled as a burst of thunder crashed behind the man, but he just grinned and stretched his arms to the ceiling. "I AM KING ARKILLES!"

Another crack of thunder fell over the mind, but Kaos just sat and sputtered in utter awe! His eyes fluttered, and only half-spoken nonsense spilled from his lips as Arkilles smirked and turned away.

"Dumbstruck, I see? I tend to have that effect on people." Arkilles chuckled. He strode away from Kaos, and grinned as his eyes fell on the screen that showed him the outer world where his body laid. "Anyways, now that I have a body again, it's high time I finish what I started!" Arkilles gestured towards the screen and clenched his hand into a fist, one held and squeezed tight. "Those awful Elder Elementals won't know what hit them!"

"Sorry buddy, but you're ten thousand years too late for that!" Kaos shouted from the back of the room!

"What was that?"

Arkilles blinked, turned around and dropped his mouth just a little as Kaos dashed in front of him.

"You heard me!" Kaos exclaimed. "It's been ten thousand years since the Arkeyans last ruled! The Elder Elementals are all dead, and all your little Arkeyans have been buried under the ground for millennia now!"

Kaos flailed his arms and legs as he bounced up and down in some kind of heated ramble, but Arkilles just blinked and drew away. A frown crossed his face for moments, yet he quickly pursed his lips and hummed. Arkilles drew his hand across his face and stroke his bony chin.

"Buried, you say?" Arkilles remarked at just barely a whisper, barely loud enough to be heard. "That reminds me of something."

Kaos tilted his head, but not towards Arkilles. No, he pushed right past Arkilles and towards where Glumshanks looked at him, no, them both from the outer world!

"Lord Kaos, are you even listening to me?" Glumshanks asked, a frown on his face as he gently tapped the body's head. "Are you feeling alright? You nearly passed out back there."

"Glumshanks, what perfect timing!" Kaos cried as he rushed up to the screen. "You—"

A burst of magic sniped Kaos from above, and he screamed as he smashed into a wall! The crumbled rubble remains of the wall fell around Kaos as he shook his head. In that moment, bars of stone crashed down from above and locked him in. Kaos screamed and cursed as he pounded against the walls of his newborn cell.

Across from him, Arkilles, the guilty jailer, scoffed and fixed his robes as he turned up to the screen.

"Ah, yes, that's right!" Arkilles proclaimed, a grin on the face. A subtle shift and groan came as the body heaved itself up, and Arkilles adjusted his crown's position as he chuckled. "You know, Glumshanks, I have just the idea for how to bolster our armies!"

"You do?"

"We have a Conquertron in our possession, correct?" Arkilles grinned as Glumshanks slowly nodded. "Well, with that, we can use its databanks to unearth the locations of other Arkeyan armies scattered around Skylands! We'll use those to help bolster our ranks, and once we're stocked, all we have to do is get the Iron Fist of Arkus and revive the Arkeyans resting in its depths! All will be helpless before our robotic might!"

Glumshanks' jaw fell, and his eyes fluttered as Arkilles sat back in his throne. Back in the outer world, the body cackled and leaped on both feet. It turned around and dashed off, a spring in its step as it hummed an old song!

"But, sir, is that even possible—" Glumshanks sputtered as he stumbled back.

The body completely stopped in its tracks, and thunder crashed as it yanked around and shot a glare at Glumshanks. "DO IT!" it bellowed with the voice of a thousand.

Glumshanks gasped. He leaped back as his chisel and tablet slipped from his hands and clattered against the floor. Glumshanks gulped, and fell to his knees as he gathered his tablet and chisel in his arms. "Y-yes sir, right away, sir!"

"While you're at it, expand our recruitment drives across as many corners of Skylands as possible!" The body held a hand behind its back and nonchalantly waved the other. "Until we can get to Arkus, we'll need as much help as we can get!"

Glumshanks hastily nodded as he pulled his tablet and chisel from the ground and carved away. "Yes sir!"

"Also! Redecorate around here a little, it's too dreary! I want a nice throne, and assistants who will agree with me no matter what, and the finest of feasts for dinner tonight…"

Stone pebbles flew off from the chisel as Glumshanks hastily carved away, all sweating and chattering teeth as he wrote. A chill raced down his spine, and he gasped as the body flew in his face!

"And I want it all done" — the body bellowed as thunder and lightning crashed once more — "NOW!"

Glumshanks let out a sharp gasp. Once again, his chisel and tablet nearly slipped from his hands! Just before they hit the ground, Glumshanks snatched them back up and dashed right off.

"Y-yes, yes, right away sir! I'll get to it immediately, sir!"

While Glumshanks became little more than a speck in the distance, the body just chuckled and tapped its fingers together.

"At last, my empire will return to me," Arkilles whispered from the body's throat as he turned around, his already quite deep voice even deeper as that wicked grin cracked across his face.

The body leaned back, and let out a massive, howling laugh that shook the world around as the world drew to a standstill!