CHAPTER 1

THE BEGINNING

Davenrue walked along the highway, sword and shield in hand. He was a Durahan, an armor infused with life. But he was special. He had the spirit of a Monol in him as well, resulting in his black and gold armor. He was the only one of his kind around, for under normal circumstances Durahans and Monols could not be combined. But Davenrues Breeder, Zayne, was a Master. He sighed sadly as he remembered his creator, and the day he died by the hands of an unknown Dragon, with black scales and a fiery red mane. Just then a high-pitched screech brought him out of his memories. He looked up to see his friend, Starfire, flying down to land before him. Starfire was a wild Phoenix he had met during his travels. "How is the road ahead, my friend?" Davenrue asked.
"I spotted a town, Daven." Starfire looked northward and sighed. "Populated by Breeders, mainly. We would attract a lot of attention, being without a breeder." The Phoenix gave a glance at Daven." Not to mention that you are a Darksteel."
Davenrue would have smiled if he had a mouth. "Stop calling me that. That is not my species name. I rather like myself having no species name. I’m one of a kind."
"Whatever," Starfire answered back. "Should we go around the town? It would delay us about a day or so."
Daven thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. " We need supplies."
"There’s one more thing I need to tell you, Daven." The Phoenix turned to look at Daven face to face. "I overheard someone talking about a Dragon. A unique Dragon."
Daven grasped his sword tighter.
"With black scales."
A red glow emitted from the visor of the Durahans helm.
"And a fiery red mane."

Even at the outskirts of the town, people began to stare at Davenrue. He and Starfire just walked on to the townsquare, ignoring the stares of the local populace.
"I told you we would draw attention," Starfire whispered to what he liked to call the Darksteel. "You go get the supplies, okay? I’m leaving."
"Where are you going?" Daven asked.
"Let’s just say I don’t like people staring at me, and the urge to bath everyone in my heat beam is killing me." With that, the Phoenix took off into the air.
Daven looked around town for the supply shop and finally saw it between two taverns. He walked into the shop and up to the counter. The shopkeeper was an old, balding man with quite a number of teeth missing.
The old man eyed Daven warily. "Well, where is your breeder?"
"I do not have one," the living armor answered.
"Go away then. I do not do business with monsters."
Daven suddenly reached over the counter and grabbed the old man by the collar of his tunic and lifted him off the ground. "And why not?"
"Put him down."
Daven dropped the old man and spun around to face the newcomer. It was a young man, dressed in a leather tunic and pants. Behind him was a small turtle-like machine, which he recognized as a Henger. The Henger was white in color with a gold trim. "A Proto, not found in the IMa area. You are from FIMBA, I gather?"
"We are," the young man replied. "What seems to be the problem here?"
"This monster does not have a Breeder," the old man said as he brushed himself off.
The young man’s eyes widened. "That is unusual." He turned to examine the living armor again. "You are a Durahan, yet your species is not known to me."
"I have no reason to tell you, and you should mind your own business," Daven answered back. The Henger suddenly transformed to its humanoid form and spoke.
"No one talks to Zayne like that!"
The Henger fired both arms at Daven, but the Darksteel leapt aside just in time.
"Stop it, Crusader!" Zayne yelled, and the Henger complied, backing off. But Crusader still remained in humanoid form and in a combat stance.
"Your name." Daven stared at the boy intently. The purple eyes. The brown hair. The way he stood. "I know you…"

Davenrue dropped his sword to the ground, and continued to stare at the young man. "I know you."
"And how do you know my Breeder and friend?" The Henger asked, his eye lens focusing on the black Durahan.
"You are Zayne Shadowheart, are you not?" Daven asked.
The young man shook his head. "My name is Zayne, but my last name is Ferandiel, after the family who took me in."
Daven picked up his sword from the floor, never taking his eyes off Zayne. "Took you in?"
"They said that a man gave me to them, telling them to name me Zayne."
"You must be," the Durahan whispered softly to himself.
"Listen," Zayne said, walking up to Daven. "I’ll buy what you need, okay?"
"And why should that make a difference?" The old man said angrily. "I know you’re getting it for this masterless monster."
This time it was Crusader who acted. With one graceful leap, the Henger landed besides the old man and turned his energy swords on. "Because now you have two monsters who will kill you," Crusader said softly.

CHAPTER 2

FOREST FURY

Davenrue walked out of the shop, Zayne and Crusader following closely behind him. "Thank you for your assistance," Daven said as the Durahan spun around to face the young man and the Henger.
"You are welcome," the young man replied, staring at the setting sun. "Do you have a place to stay for the night? I’ll be happy to rent you a room."
"It is not required." The Darksteel looked up and saw Starfire flying high. "I have a friend who is waiting for me."
Zayne nodded in understanding. "Very well. But, please tell me this. What do you know of the man who left me with my adopted family?"
"I know that he is your father."
The young mans eyes opened wide in shock.
"He had the same name as you, and you look exactly like him," Daven explained. "He was my breeder."
Crusader stared intently at the Durahan. "How do we know you speak the truth?"
"I tell you what I know," Daven snapped back angrily. "If you choose not to believe it, then don’t!"
With that the Darksteel strode out of the other side of town, leaving Zayne and the Proto staring at him.

"Problem with the locals?" Starfire asked as he landed beside his enraged friend.
"Not locals," Daven answered. "One of them was Zaynes son."
Starfire turned to face the Durahan. "Are you sure?"
"Yes I am sure," Daven whispered angrily.
The Phoenix sensed the anger and decided to change the subject. "Did you get me my fish?"
Davenrues mood lightened. "Is that all you think about, my friend? Food?"
"Of course!" The Phoenix replied. "Now where is it?"
The Darksteel reached into the cavity in his Breastplate and pulled out a bag. "Here you go, you dumb bird."
The two firends finished their meal and set up camp for the night near a forest. Far above the clouds, a dragon of incredible size gazed down at the two monsters, sleeping peacefully, and grinned.

SNAP!
Daven jumped out of bed, sword in hand, and looked around to see what had snapped a twig. He was surprised to see Zayne and Crusader talking to Starfire. "What’s going on here?"
Starfire turned to face the Darksteel. "You’re awake! These two have decided to join our quest."
Daven looked questioningly at the Phoenix. "You told them everything?"
"Yes," Zayne answered before Starfire could say anything. "He did. You knew my father. Please, let me accompany you on your quest." The young man closed his eyes and sighed sadly. "I wish to learn of my father and avenge his death, and you can help me do both."
"Let us follow," Crusader pleaded. "I’ve never seen him like this, and it truly hurts me deeply."
Daven thought about it for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Very well."
Zayne opened his eyes and thanked the Durahan. "I will not be in the way."
"What is this Demondrake, anyway?" The Proto asked. "I’ve not heard of his kind before."
"As far as we know, he is a unique dragon," Starfire answered as the Phoenix preened his feathers. "And he has named himself Iblisadeus."
Zayne frowned in thought. "That means ‘Demon God’ in ancient tongue, does it not?"
All three monsters stared at him in shock. "Not in ancient tongue, Zayne," Daven answered. "In the language of monsters. You truly are my breeders son. He was the only one who knew the language of monsters."
Just then a thundering crash caught everyone’s attention. The sound had come from the forest, and everyone stared into the trees, hoping to catch a glimpse of what caused the sound. "I’ll look from above," Starfire said as he took to the air. At first, the forest seemed to be completely calm. Then something caught his eye. A treetop suddenly disappeared from sight, and another crash filled the air. "Something is making the trees fall!" He yelled to the others, as another tree fell, this time nearer to the forest edge where Daven, Zayne and the Proto were. "And it’s headed right for you!"
As Daven and Crusader got in a combat stance, a bightly colored Golem came flying out of the forest and crashed into the ground with a loud thud.
"An Echo," Zayne informed everyone, recognizing the monster. "Better known as the Ecologuardia in the IMa areas. But it protects the forest, not destroys it. Something else must be in there, but what?"
As if in answer to the young mans question, seven black Nagas emerged from the forest, their crimson eyes glowing brightly. They stopped as soon as they saw the Durahan and the Henger, ready for combat. "Do you pledge allegiance to Iblisadeus?" One of them hissed.
Something in Daven snapped, and the Darksteel charged forth. Before any the Crimson Eyeds could react, one of them fell to the ground, its head bouncing off into the forest. The Nagas rushed to attack the Durahan, but another fell as one of Crusaders yoyos wrapped around its neck, snapping it with a sickening crack. The Nagas realized they were going up against experienced foes, and began to slither back into the forest as one of them was burnt beyond recognition by Starfires heat beam.
"NO!" A deep voice boomed.
Zayne turned around to see the Ecologuardia standing up and run after the Nagas. He caught up with one of them an easily crushed the monster in its huge fist. "Those who harm the forest shall feel pain!"
"Calm down, Sethiranax."
Zayne rubbed his eyes in surprise. At first he thought he saw one of the trees separate itself from the others, but at second glance saw that it was a Dryad, a tree fairy.
The huge Golem smiled gently when it saw the Dryad. "Eldriana…"

CHAPTER 3

FINAL CHARGE

Deep within the forest, Iblisadeus lay asleep under the canopy, the bodies of Dryads, Plants, Dixies and other forest monsters scattered around him. The sun was high in the sky, shining brightly upon the earth. An eye flicked open as the remaining three Crimson Eyeds slithered apprehensively towards the dragon. "Well?" the Demondrake asked. "Did you take care of the Ecologuardia?"
"Forgive us, my lord," one Naga said, prostrating himself before the dragon. "We failed to -"
The Naga was cut short as Iblisadeus grabbed the monster in his claws. "This is the price of failure," he whispered softly to the terrified Naga.
The Nagas crimson eyes opened wide as the dragons mouth opened menacingly before him. "Lord Deus, forgive me!"
He wasn’t.
The Naga screamed as the fiery breath of his lord engulfed his body. Scales began to wither, and skin started to burn and soon after flesh began to cook. The Nagas eyes melted in their sockets amd flowed down the dying monsters cheeks. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the other Nagas, the Demondrake closed his mouth. He tossed the charred corpse of the Naga before the other two. "This is the fate that awaits all who fail me." Iblisadeus stared menacingly at the Nagas, and grinned when he saw them slither back in fear. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Lord Deus," one of the remaining Nagas spoke. "The Ecologuardia was assisted by others, my lord."
The Demondrake raised an eyebrow. "Who are the others you speak of?"
"A Phoenix, a Proto, a man of young age and a new breed of Durahan."
Iblisadeus frowned in thought. "I was expecting the Dark Durahan and the Phoenix, but who are the other two?"
"I do not know, my lord."
The Demondrake began to stand on his feet, knocking down a few trees as his wings opened and his tail swung out. "Meet with Punisher and his group, and inform them of what has happened. Tell him I want the Ecologuardia and the other four dead."
"Yes, Lord Deus!" the Nagas said in unison.
"Do not fail me again." With that, the Demondrake took off into the air, breaking numerous branches as he broke through the canopy and into the sky.
The two Nagas looked at the burnt remains of their friend, and after a brief moment of respect, they slithered away. "Have you met this Punisher?" one of the Nagas asked the other.
The other Naga nodded. "He is an Earthkeeper, a Naga like us." The Naga then shivered in fear. "He was raised by Iblisadeus himself, and has inherited the Demondrakes viciousness."

"I thank you for aiding my friend," the Dryad said shyly.
"Think nothing of it, my lady," Daven said politely. "May I know your name?"
"I am Eldriana, and this," the Dryad gestured to the tri-colored Golem standing quietly behind her. "This is Sethiranax, Guardian of this forest."
Daven introduced himself and the others to the two newcomers. "Why were the Nagas attacking you?" he asked the Ecologuardia.
"They harmed the forest," Seth replied. "They and their master the Demondrake harmed the trees and the monsters who live in their shadows." The Ecologuardias deep voice took on an angry tone, and the Darksteel caught himself taking an involuntary step backwards. "They harmed many." He loomed protectively over Eldriana. "Fortunately they did not find Anna."
Davenrue almost ran into the forest in search for the Demondrake, but managed to contain his fury.
"He speaks the truth," the Dryad said unexpectedly. "Many of my sisters were among those murdered deep within the forest." Tears streamed out of her eyes. "The forest fears Iblisadeus."
"Demon God," Zayne whispered as a red glow emitted from the Durahans visor.
Anna and the Golems eyes opened wide in surprise. "You speak our language?" the Dryad asked.
"He understands it," Daven explained. "A gift from his father." The Darksteel then proceeded to tell the Dryad and Golem everything.
"Then we will accompany you," Anna hissed through clenched teeth. "I will avenge my sisters."
Sethiranax nodded his head. "I shall come as well. The Demondrake must pay for the massacre he has caused."
"It would seem we all have our reasons to kill this dragon," Starfire said. "And so we shall stand united to face him."
Crusader, who had remained silent, finally spoke. "My friends, look!" The Henger pointed a shaky finger towards the sky. Everyone followed his gaze and saw the red and black dragon disappear into the clouds.
The red glow from Davenrues visor flared brightly. "He heads south."

After a week of travel, Davenrue and his companions left the highway and entered the wild southern jungles of the IMa area. Starfire was hesitant to enter the jungles, stating that there was no way he could fly out of the thick jungle canopy, but went in anyway. Soon after they reached a river. The Darksteel looked at the remains of what used to be a bridge over the flowing waters. "It would seem someone is trying to stop us."
Starfire gazed at the wild jungles around them on the other side of the river, and frowned in thought. "This would be an excellent place to be ambushed," he whispered. The Phoenix couldn’t have been more correct.
A bird-like screech filled the air as two Beaclons jumped out of the trees behind them, blocking their escape route. Sethiranax was about to engage the two insectoid monsters when ball of flame flew towards the golem and exploded, sending him to the ground. Eldriana and Zayne rushed to Seths side to see if he was okay as Daven, Starfire, and Cusader got into their combat stances.
"Do you honestly think you can survive?"
The three looked across the river to see an Earthkeeper, a subspecies of the Naga. Besides him stood a Basilisk and a Salamander, and Crusader realized where the fireball had come from. "Who are you?" the Proto asked, his lens zooming in on the Naga. The Earthkeeper was different from others. His eyes were red in color and his back fin was torn. But the main thing that caught the Hengers interest was the scar on the Nagas chest.
"You can call me Punisher," the Earthkeeper answered nonchalantly. "Not that it matters. You’ll be dead soon." The scarred Naga screeched once more, and from the shadows of the jungle behind him, dozens of monsters came out of hiding.
Starfire sighed sadly. "Well my friends, it would seem this is the end. Lets give them one hell of a show."
Daven and Crusader nodded in understanding. "Nice knowing you, my friends," the Darksteel said softly, then roared a battlecry and charged forwards, the Phoenix and Henger right behind him.

Further into the jungle, on the higher ground where the river started, a huge monster stirred in its sleep. The monster opened its eyes to see what was causing the noise, and saw further downstream the battle that raged in the waters. "Iblisadeus," the monster whispered angrily as it got on its four feet, his big ears hanging down the sides of his head. His eyes then caught sight of a Black Durahan, the unique living armor fending off the attacks of two Jells. "Could he be the one?" he asked himself.

CHAPTER 4

SCARS

Punisher watched the battle before him, studying his opponents. He recognized skilled monsters when he saw them, and could hardly wait to face one of them in combat. The unknown black Durahan was fending off the attacks of two jells, unable to severely damage the two humanoid blobs of ooze. The Proto was slaughtering his troops one by one with his energy swords, but the Naga could see that the Henger was tiring. The Phoenix had also defeated numerous foes, but was now being pushed back by the two Beaclons the scarred Naga had sent to flank the targets from the back, while the Ecologuardia and the Dryad stayed close to the young boy, protecting him from any that came close. Punisher wasn’t sure about the Dryad, for the Crimson Eyed that brought him his orders did not mention any Pixie breed. The scarred Nagas eyes once more fell upon the unique Durahan, and saw him defeat one of the Jells with a well-timed thrust and turn to face the other Jell.
Davenrue pierced the orb within the Jell and watched in satisfaction as the monster flowed to the ground into a pile of ooze. The Darksteel looked around to assess the situation, and saw that it was grave. Crusader was taking hits more often, his fatigue slowing him down, while Starfire fell to the ground heavily as he was hit by one of the Beaclons. He sighed in relief when he saw Anna fly to the fallen Phoenix, her lightning blasts keeping the Beaclons from ending Starfire's life. Seth remained with Zayne, guarding him from a Selketo.
Daven looked around to find the leader, the one that called himself Punisher, and found the scarred Naga standing a few paces away from him. "Shall I be your next foe?" The Naga asked through clenched teeth. "I promise not to be as easy as the Jells."
Davenrue charged forward and swung his blade savagely, cutting deep into Punishers arm. The Darksteel was shocked to see that the Naga was grinning at him. Punisher shoved Daven backwards, causing the surprised Durahan to stumble to the ground, and looked at the wound that the Darksteel had inflicted. "I’ve suffered much worse from my lord."
Davenrue scrambled to his feet, but was knocked down once again as Punishers tail hit his legs, his sword landing at a distance. "Give up, Dark Durahan," the scarred Naga said softly. "Iblisadeus will rule the world, and everyone shall suffer his wrath!"
The red glow of Daven's eye flared brightly as he jumped to his feet and began to attack the shocked Naga with his steel fists. A hard blow to Punisher's face sent the Naga to the ground. "Impressive," the scarred Naga commented as he got of the ground. "Now, lets try that again."
"Let me try."
Punisher spun around to see a huge silvery-white Baku standing before him, the huge monster staring menacingly at the scarred Naga. The Baku suddenly charged forth, ramming into Punisher and sending him flying past Daven and onto the ground, knocking the air out of him. Punisher struggled up and watched the Dark Durahan and the unknown Baku walk towards him. "This is not over yet," he said as he backed off, then spun around to enter the deep jungles. A screech floated out from among the trees and the other monsters began to retreat as well.
Davenrue picked his sword up and was about to run into the forest to pursue Punisher and his followers, but was stopped when the huge Baku stepped before him. "Do not exert yourself," he said gently. "This is but one fight. We have won this one, but there will be others." The Baku frowned sadly. "Many others."

"I thank you for protecting him," Crusader said to Anna and Seth as the Proto gestured to his master.
"I thank you as well." Zayne smiled to the two monsters who had guarded him during the fight. "And you too," he said as he turned to face the huge Baku. The Baku had an amazing coat of silvery-white fur, which shone brightly in the few rays of the setting sun which pierced the jungle canopy.
"It was my pleasure," the Baku said slowly. "I do not like bad monsters."
"What is your name?" Daven asked as he wiped the ooze off his blade with a ragged cloth. " I am Davenrue, a Darksteel." The Durahan saw Starfire grin when he used the Phoenix’s term for him. He then continued to introduce the others.
"I am called Garranoth," the Baku answered slowly again, as though he was stupid, but Davenrue saw the wisdom in the Baku's eyes. "I am a Baku."
"That can’t be," Seth stated. "Bakus have light, tan fur. Nothing like yours. What do people call you?"
Garr frowned in thought, and after a moment, answered the Golem's question. "I have been called many names, but I remember once a child calling out to me. He called me Moomoo."
"Well," Zayne said as he frowned in thought. "I'm guessing that you are a unique. Where did you come from?"
Garr turned to face the higher grounds of the jungle. "I live over there." The Moomoo turned to face the Darksteel. "Davenrue, you must follow me."
"Where?" Daven asked.
"You must claim him. You must claim Elcodar."

"Let me see if I got this right," Crusader said angrily as he and Daven carved a path through the jungle foliage with their swords. "We are going to find a monster who will help us defeat the Demondrake?"
The Baku nodded as he lumbered behind the two sword-wielding monsters, Zayne and Anna sitting upon the Baku's back. "Davenrue must claim Elcodar. It is Elcodar's duty to serve the Durahan species."
"And what is he again?" Starfire asked. He and Seth were following behind the group. "A Monol, you say?"
Garr nodded once more. "He is a Monol with the blood of a Durahan."
"Interesting," Zayne said, smiling. "Another new breed."

A Zuum watched the group warily. He had no fear of being spotted, for his coloring matched those of the forest perfectly. "They are heading for the temple," he whispered to himself. He then ran deeper into the forest, passing the group and going much faster than them without even making a sound. He reached a huge stone structure and began to slow down. "Tillirius, strangers come!"
The forest seem to come alive as other Zuums with similar coloring began to converge around him. One of them, bigger than the rest stepped forth. Who are they?"
"I do not know. But they are led by the Silver One."
The bigger Zuum growled in anger. "Followers of the Demondrake. They must have captured the Silver One."
"What do we do, Tillirius?" One of the Zuums asked.
Tillirius looked at his fellow Zuums and grinned. "We shall free the Silver One. The Demondrake's followers shall face the fury of the Wild Saurians."

At the outskirts of the forest, Punisher stood before his lord without fear, his eyes locked with the Demondrake's. His followers were a different matter. They were terrified of the Demondrake, and many were trembling before their lord. "We have failed you, my lord," Punisher said bravely.
Iblisadeus managed to stop himself from roaring in anger and frustration. "What happened?"
"A silvery-white Baku helped them, Lord Deus," he whispered. "I was defeated, and I called the order to retreat. If we had stayed I’m sure we would have won. I lay the blame on myself."
The Demondrake frowned at the mention of the Baku. "Did the Baku have a scar on his belly, Punisher?"
Punisher closed his eyes. "I am sorry, my lord. I did not see. Punish me for this defeat." The Naga lay on his back and stared at the Demondrake's claws in expectation.
Iblisadeus nodded his head. He lay one claw on Punishers scarred chest. The other monsters turned their heads away as the Demondrake's claw pierced the skin. "Look at what he endures for you!" Deus hissed as he began to press another claw into the Nagas chest. The monsters reluctantly turned to face the horror before them. Punisher flinched as a third claw entered his flesh. He looked up at the Demondrake, his eyes glazed over as he began to lose conciousness.
The Demondrake stopped when the Naga fell unconscious and pulled out his bloody claws. "Tell him when he awakens that he is to go into the Parepare jungles once more and look for them." Deus flapped his wings and took off into the air, a black shadow in the orange sky of dusk.
As he flew, the Demondrake's thoughts wandered back to the Baku, and smiled.

CHAPTER 5

CONFUSION

Davenrue and Crusader led the group deeper into the forest, the two monsters cutting a path through the jungle foliage. "How much further, Garr?" the Darksteel asked as he swung his blade towards a low branch.
"Not far," the Moomoo answered as he lumbered behind Daven and the Proto. "We’ll get there in an hour or so."
"We had better," Crusader said angrily as his energy swords flickered off momentarily. "We’ve been doing this for precisely seven hours. I don’t have much energy left."
Garranoth smiled. "You will be able to rest in the temple, Crusader. Are you two okay up there?" he asked his passengers.
"We’re fine, Garr," Zayne answered as he shifted slightly in a more comfortable position, careful not to awaken Anna . The Dryad had fallen asleep some time ago, and she was leaning on the young man’s back. "How is it that this Elcodar has avoided discovery before this? There are many expeditions into the Parepare jungles every year."
"The temple itself is hidden from view," Garr answered. "It is completely covered with jungle plants, and unless you are looking for it, you’ll never find it."
Behind the Moomoo, Seth and Starfire followed in silence.

The Wild Saurians moved silently through the jungle, their leader Tillirius ahead of the others. The larger Zuum began to slow down as he caught a glimpse of the Silver One and his captors heading towards them, and the rest stopped in their tracks as well. One of the smaller Wild Saurians moved up beside his leader. "What’s the plan, Tillirius?" he whispered.
"We wait until they are among us," Tillirius answered softly. "Then we attack."

Punisher slithered quickly along the new path, a small force of monsters following directly behind him. "They aren’t that far off," the scarred Naga informed the others. "This path is new. The sap still flows out of the trees!"

Davenrue and the Proto continued onwards, the others following closely behind him. Anna was was awake now, and she stretched her wings out to warm up her muscles. Just then Daven stopped in his tracks. "Crusader, stop."
The Henger complied with the Darksteel’s order. "What is it?"
A gesture from Daven silenced him. Crusader increased the sensitivity of his senses, and realized something. "The jungle sounds."
Davenrue nodded. "They’re gone."
A bellow of pain jolted the Darksteel and Proto into action. They spun around and saw the jungle, or rather parts of the jungle, attacking Sethiranax.
Starfire was the first to react. The Phoenix ran forward and pulled one of the things attacking the golem off, throwing it to the ground. He was surprised to see it was a Zuum, its coloring a perfect match with the jungle around them. The Wild Saurian leapt back on its feet and spat out a fireball which hit Starfire perfectly in the face, but the Phoenix was not affected by the Zuum’s attack.
More of the Wild Saurians revealed themselves, leaping out from amongst the trees. Garr was about to say something, but was accidently knocked to the ground by Seth, who was struggling to remove the two remaining Zuums on his body. As the Moomoo fell to the ground, Zayne and Anna quickly leapt off.
Crusader punched one of the Wild Saurians directly in the face, sending the monster to the ground. "I can’t keep this up," the Proto yelled. "I’m too tired!"
Eldriana stretched her hand forth, and a beam of intense light shot out. The ray hit a Zuum in the leg
and the Dryad turned to find another target as the Zuum’s leg gave way beneath him.
A shrill screeched filled the air, rising above the clamor of battle as Davenrue smashed his shield into a Zuum, knocking it out. He searched for the source and saw Punisher behind them. His single eye flared up brightly as he charged forth, but was forced to stop as a Wild Saurian charged him from the side.
"Face the wrath of the Wild Saurians, follower of the Demondrake!" Tillirius roared as he swung his tail towards the Darksteel. Daven blocked the blow with his shield and swung his sword down, but the big Zuum rolled aside in time. Tillirius began to attack with his fore-claws, slowly at first, then faster and faster, until soon it was just a blur.
Davenrue was hit by the first few attacks, but managed to block the others in time, his shield-arm moving as quickly as the Wild Saurian’s claws. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Garr slowly got back to his feet and saw the chaos around him. His friends, the Wild Saurians, were attacking Davenrue and the others. He also caught a glimpse of Punisher and his troops, the scarred Naga’s forces easily dispatching the confused Zuums. He saw Davenrue locked in combat with the leader of the Wild Saurians and rushed to them. He rammed both Daven and Tillirius to the ground, and stared at them angrily. "You two are on the same side!"
"But they captured you," Tillirius said as he got back to his feet.
"No we didn’t," the Darksteel replied sharply as he too got back to his feet. "He was leading us to find Elcodar! Those are the Demondrake’s followers," he sain as he pointed his sword towards Punisher and the other monsters around him.
Tillirius shook his head, then roared three times. As one the Wild Saurians leapt back into the trees, leaving everyone except Garranoth confused.
"It would seem it’s just us," Punisher said as he slithered towards Davenrue. "I would like a rematch."
"Keep him occupied," Garr whispered as he backed off. "The Zuums are my friends, and they are still around." The Moomoo approached the others and quietly told them to be patient.
Davenrue got into a combat stance as the red glow from his visor grew more intense. He caught sight of one of the Zuums moving through the trees as Punisher slithered closer.
The scarred Naga released an energy shot, but Daven blocked it with his shield. As soon as he recovered from the impact he was surprised to see Punisher above him, spinning downwards with his tail. The Darksteel leapt aside, but his leg was still hit by the Naga’s Drill Attack. Daven got back into a combat stance once more, but it was visible to all that he was trying to avoid putting pressure on the injured leg.
"I though you were a worthy foe," Punisher said, grinning. "It would seem you are no better than a human."
"A word of advice, Punisher," Zayne said as he took a step forward. "Never leave your back unguarded."
Punisher spun around, and saw that all his followers were either dead or unconscious. Standing over their fallen bodies were the Zuums he was fighting earlier.
"You’re friends here didn’t put up much of a fight," Tillirius said as he nudged on of the Beaclons with his foot.
"It would seem I’m surrounded," Punisher said as he turned to face the Darksteel again. "But it you forgot to cover the air."
The jungle canopy above the Naga was penetrated with a loud crash as a Ragnaroks flew through the treetops. The Dragon grabbed Punisher in his claws and quickly flew off.
Starfire began to flap his wings as well, and before anyone could stop him, the Phoenix took off after Punisher and the Ragnaroks. A few seconds later a cry of pain floated down as Starfire landed before the Darksteel. "I gave something to Punisher so he’ll remember us," he said happily. "A scorched tail."

"I am sorry for the mistake, Davenrue," Tillirius said. "We though you had captured the Silver One and forced him to lead you to Elcodar."
"It is alright, Tillirius," Daven replied softly. "Why do you call yourselves the Wild Saurians?"
The Saurian Leader shrugged his shoulders. "That was what we were called by humans who came adventuring in the jungles." He turned to face Garr and lowered his head in respect. "Silver One, do you need our assistance in reaching the temple?"
The Moomoo smiled sheepishly. "How many times do I have to tell you, don’t treat me like some king. Anyway, we would be glad for any assistance." The Moomoo looked at the Darksteel and saw the damaged armor of his leg section. "Do you need time to heal, my friend?"
Davenrue shook his head. "Let us find this Elcodar."

A half hour later, they reached the ancient temple. "I know why you said that if we weren’t looking for it, we’d never find it," Zayne said as he stared at the mound before him. "It’s completely covered in plants!"
"We will stay outside," Tillirius told Garr as they walked around to the other side of the mound. "It is not our destiny to enter."
Garranoth nodded in understanding as he stood before a huge rock. "Seth, could you move this, please?"
Seth walked over to boulder and grasped it with both hands. Slowly, he lifted the rock and put it aside. He stared down at the entrance he had uncovered, and turned to face the others. "We need light."
"I can provide the light," Anna said as a ball of energy took shape in her palm. She walked in first, followed by Garr, Daven and the others. "The tunnel seems to go downwards," she stated as she continued further along the tunnel.
"It does," Garr informed. "At the bottom is the resting place of Elcodar, the Great Shield."

Iblisadeus crawled out of his cave and watched the Ragnaroks hover before him and released the scarred Naga from his claws. "Good job, Reldoras. Continue with your previous duty."
The Ragnaroks nodded as took off. Punisher slowly slithered forward. "My life is yours to take, Lord Deus. I have failed you again."
The Demondrake grinned menacingly. " Your life was always mine to take, Punisher. Do not forget that. As for the failure, I was expecting it."
The Punisher frowned in confusion. "Expecting it, my lord?"
"The Wild Saurians interrupted, am I correct?"
The Naga nodded. "It was as if the jungle itself was alive, my lord."
Deus brow furrowed in though. "The Dark Durahan. He seems so familiar. I have seen him before." Suddenly the Demondrakes eyes opened wide. "I remember him!"
Punisher looked at his lord questioningly. "Who is he, my lord?"
"Someone who has every reason to hate me," the Demondrake hissed. "I killed his master."

"So this is Elcodar?" Crusader examined the monster before him. "Is he alive?"
"He is in a deep sleep," Garr explained. "Legend says he will awaken when the Chosen One comes forth to use him once again."
"Go ahead, Chosen one," Starfire said as he nudged Davenrue forward. "Take him already."
The Darksteel slowly walked towards the pedestal where the Great Shield lay. "One question, Garr."
"What is it, Daven?"
Davenrue stood next to Elcodar. "He is almost as tall as me! How am I going to wield him?"
"I can float, you fool."
Daven jumped back in surprise as the Great Shield began to hover a few feet off the ground. A face began to form in the center of the shield. "You are the Chosen One? You’d think they’d have found someone taller."

CHAPTER 6

DRAGON SOUL

Davenrue stared at the Great Shield as it’s surface shifted as though it were water and slowly formed into the shape of a human face. Elcodar was similar to an ordinary Monol in all aspects save the fact that he was made of steel and had a gold trim. "Well, you’ll do I guess, even though you’re stunted."
The Darksteel took a step forward, his anger getting the better of him. "Now wait a second. Who are you to say I’m short?"
If Elcodar had eyes, he would have rolled them towards the heavens. "Oh alright. You’re vertically challenged. Happy?"
Daven almost leapt at the Great Shield, but Seth laid his hand on the Darksteel’s shoulder. "Patience, Daven."
The Darksteel cursed beneath his breath as he pushed the Golem’s hand off, and walked out of the temple. "I’ll be outside!"

CHAPTER 7

THE ARRIVAL AND THE FALL

Talorius ran as hard as he could, his claws tearing the earth beneath him. He could hear them getting closer, their high pitched screams getting into his head. He tried to take to the air, but was amazed to see that he didn’t have wings. He pushed himself harder, ignoring the strain of his muscles. It did not matter, for the screaming got closer and closer. Finally, he spun around to face the Xeryth, spear in hand. What he saw scared him, but he could not describe what he saw, for the Xeryth seemed to shift and melt into new forms before his very eyes. He reared on his hind legs as he gave a war cry, then charged forward among them. He felt their cold claws tear his skin and scales, and their hot stinky breath made him shudder as he fought them off. He roared in anger as the Xeryth pulled him off his feet, and cried in pain as they tore open his underbelly, spilling his innards.

"Much blood has been spilt for us."
"Yes, very much."
The joy of the screams is beautiful, is it not?"
"Very. Can you smell it?"
"Yes, that smell is very familiar. Death has a lovely fragrance."
"I agree. The disturbance has already begun. When we are free, it shall escalate to pure chaos!"
"Yes, chaos. It was smart of God to place the others within those Disc Stones. The darkness we planted in the monsters souls could not bloom in there."
"Yes, and even when the monsters are released, their lifespan is too short."
"It is fortunate that some escaped the hands of God. The darkness in them have bloomed beautifully."
"Yes. The Demondrake has a soul almost as dark as ours."
"Yes. Almost as dark as ours."
"What of the Zelkar? Do we know what has happened to them?"
"I do not know. It is as though they have vanished completely. I cannot sense them."
"No, neither can I."
"Could it be they are no more?"
"It is likely."
"Yes, it is likely. But their disappearance troubles me."
"Yes, they should still be around."
"We shall be prepared for them this time."
"Yes, we shall."
"We shall not be defeated by them again."
"And the world shall once again hear our name and fear it."
"Yes, they shall fear it. They shall fear the Xeryth."
"Yes, the Xeryth will be free once more."

CHAPTER 8

THE AWAKENING OF THE SACRED AND THE DAMNED

The world was not right. Much has changed, and the humans were afraid. Not all showed their fear, but everyone talked about it. The rumors of a powerful Dragon of immense size leading an army of wild monsters spread like wild fire, and the roads between the human settlements slowed down to a trickle. Most didn’t want to prove the rumors were true. There were those who decided to hunt down the army with their monsters, but they never returned.

The moon comes rising,
Sleep comes calling.
Your eyes start closing,
And dreams come floating.

Then came Xeryth,
Ravager of lands.
Destroyed all we built,
Blood on their hands.

Anna and Seth joined in, her soft angelic voice a start contrast to the Golems baritone. Yet the difference did not do anything to spoil the song, but improved it, the three voices merging with beautiful harmony.

The Zelkar rose,
Their hearts true and just.
Led us against them,
With our lives we trust.

When we were in trouble,
Zelkars were always there.
Guiding us to a solution,
Their decisions wise and fair.

Now Talorius sang, his voice amazingly an alto. His head held high, he sang with all his heart.

The Xeryth were fallen,
Sealed and buried with their wrongs.
Men and monsters rejoiced,
Hands together held strong.

Zayne listened to the words, and slowly the words came to him as well, from an unknown source within his heart. They flowed from the depths of his mind and out of his mouth. His voice was shaky at first, but it slowly strenghtened, and like the Darksteel, was a tenor, his voice fused together with Daven’s.

But we were tainted,
Some went mad,
Monsters went wild,
Did what the Xeryth had.

Dream of the past,
When Zelkars were free and great.
Holding us in their arms,
Always caring about our fate.

“Beautiful,” Zariel whispered, as a single tear flowed from his eye. “It has been a long time since I’ve heard that song.” The Suezar wasn’t the only one touched by the song. Garr, Elcodar, Crusader, and even Khaylan were reminiscing about old times. Times of their youth. Times long gone.
The Gali floated over to Zayne, spirtual hand materializing from within the cloak. Khaylan placed it on the young man’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier, Zayne. You are one of us.”
“That he is, Khaylan.”
Khaylan spun around to face the newcomer. “My friends, I present to you Calebross and Verasha, the last of the Zelkars.”
The companions stared at the two monsters as they strode through the doorway and into the library. They were tall and well muscled, the female at least six feet, the male a foot taller. They stood on three-toed, tri-jointed legs, and a long tail whipped around wildly. Four arms emerged from they shoulders, each ending in three fingers and a thumb. Their eyes were at the sides of their head, with long horns protruding backwards from their brow. Their mouth was on the same level as their eyes, giving it a weird appearance. But none could deny they were serene, beautiful, and regal. The male was proud-like, his chest and head held high, while the female’s form was much more slender and graceful. Her horns were longer and thinner than the male’s, as was her tail.
“Alright,” Elcodar broke the silence. “Can I know which one’s who? Your names are weird.”
Far away, Punisher watched as the monsters began uncovering the tomb. This is wrong, he thought, but he kept silent in in fear of Lord Deus’ wrath. He had been dismissed from the Demondrake’s presence since they had captured the Phoenix known as Starfire, and that angered the Scarred Naga. Just then, one of the monsters, a Gidras, gave out a shout, disrupting the Naga’s thoughts. He slithered to where the the metallic Dragon was and looked at what he found. Fear crept into his mind, not like the fear he had for the Demondrake, but something much more, on the verge of terror. It seemed as though he always was afraid, an ancient fear hidden within his heart, throughout the generations of monsters. Now that hidden fear, that indescribable terror, had clawed its way out from the deepest recesses of his soul. Before him was the entrance to the tomb, the two stone doors slightly ajar. As he slowly gathered his strength and courage, a single glowing orange eye flicked open, staring out through the opening of the entrance. A single ball of fire, of fear, of hate, of destruction…

The Sacred and the Damned had Awakened.

CHAPTER 9

THE GUILTY SOUL

CHAPTER 10

BATTLE REBORN

CHAPTER 11

CLASH OF ARMS

Fear reigned supreme. The world was not how it used to be. The age of peace had disappeared quietly, and in its stead chaos crept forth. Iblisadeus the Demondrake and his forces, which were now known as the Black Wave, spread over the land, ravaging all in their path. Both human and monster settlements had stopped in their daily activities, those that haven’t fled in terror preparing their defenses. In this time of despair, there were tales and rumors of heroes, led by a black Durahan. This group of heroes fought the Demondrake, struggling against the forces of evil in attempt to defeat it. The rumors weren’t believed by most, but others rose to fight against the Demondrake and the Black Wave, hoping to become the heroes that were spoken of in the rumors. The Dawn of Suffering was at hand, and the world needed all the heroes it could have.

Iblisadeus stretched his wings out, preparing for the flight ahead. For the past few nights, he had dreamt of the Xeryth. In his dreams, or to be more precise, nightmares, he had seen other steel tombs, all filled with Xeryth. They were all awakening from their ancient slumber, their eyes open once again after countless centuries. He saw the Xeryth which he had released opening the other tombs, and then staring directly at him, even though he wasn’t really there. At this point he wakes up, a dark fear hidden within his heart.
The Demondrake’s spines, a gift from the Xeryth that he had merged with, bristled with anger as he recalled the dreams. He began to regret that choice of action, to merge with a Xeryth, but quickly dismissed the thought. The nightmares he had were a small priced to pay for the unimaginable power and newfound abilities he had gained. He began to flap his wings, and leapt into the sky, heading towards the west. He had to discover if his dreams were actually premonitions, and if so, he had to discover a way to stop it. He was now part Xeyth, and he knew what a Xeryth was truly capable of. He shuddered with fear as he recalled the number of tombs, of Xeryth, that he had seen in the nightmares.
Just then, two unique Dragons swooped besides him. One was the color of the earth, and had wings of burning stone, while the other was a shadowy black, with a slight translucent to its skin. A soft fiery red glow emitted from within the black form of the Dragon, and his eyes were alight with the same red fire.
"Magma Heart, Vulcan Soul," the Demondrake addressed the two. "Tell Demonknight-"
The Demondrake grinned at the mention of his lieutenant’s name. The unique Durahan had named himself after the Iblisadeus’ species, hoping to gain the Demondrake’s favor. "Tell him to attack the the city of Talagarn. You two assist him."
The two Dragons noddded in understanding. "The Dragons of the Flame will not fail you," Vulcan Soul, the black Dragon, said. The two then veered off to the north. As the two departed, another monster took their place beside the Demondrake.
"You know, Deus," Darkfire said as he matched his speed with the Demondrake’s. "I still say you look funny since you merged with that monster. What was it called again?"
"A Xeryth, my friend," the Demondrake answered.
"Where you headed anyway? Mind if I tag along?"
Iblisadeus smiled. "Not at all, my friend."

Darien stiffled a yawn as he stood upon the battlements of the castle of the city Talagarn. He was a human, a knight to be more exact. He turned around to see the Heroes of the Blade, the monsters he raised, patrolling the other sides of the castle wall. Eight they were all together, all of them unique Durahans.
Darien was known for training the best Durahans, even the best monsters, in this city. Earlier in the week, the mayor had come to him personally, imploring the knight to help plan the defense of the city from the advancing forces of the Demondrake. Darien gladly accepted.
The Demondrake. That name now brought fear to both men and monsters alike. Four towns, including the neighboring town of Ulgan, had already fallen before the Black Wave. Every human town, monster settlement, all of them were wary of the Demondrake's army. He was a tide of destruction, ravaging all as he swept across the land. Darien shifted his weight, the full platemail armor he was wearing clinking loudly. Some time last week, a Centaur had come galloping through the gates of the castle, the monsters trainer lying limp on his back. The back of the trainer was littered with cuts and gashes, some deep enough to see bone. The city doctor tried his best to patch the monster trainer up, but failed to do anything accept delay the inevitable. The trainer died within a few days, but not before he had told the doctor what he had seen.
Death. Hordes of monsters, camped in the ruins of the neighboring town Ulgan. The trainer caught sight of the horror as he rounded the base of a hill, and quickly got on the back of his Centaur before he was spotted. But it was too late. A Death Dragon had descended upon them, and savagely slashed at the rider's exposed back before taking off. The trainer had passed out at this point. All this was strengthened by the fact that a young monster trainer by the name of Zalf, had claimed to know the Demondrake’s movements and had told Darien that the Black Wave was headed their way.
A cry from one of the Heroes of the Blade snapped Darien out of his thoughts. He turned to face the plains to the west, and shuddered as fear crept into his heart. The plains were slowly being swarmed over by the forces of the Demondrake. They flowed from the horizon like a sea of death. "Looks like Zalf was telling the truth," he whispered to himself.
"We fight with our swords and our heart!" Darien yelled as he raised his sword high above his head.
"Our swords and our heart!" The seven Durahans he had trained said in unison as they too raised their weapons.
Darien looked down into the city, saw the other trainers with their monsters, all with grim expressions upon their faces. He then turned back to face the enemy host approach.
"We are doomed," he whispered to himself as he tried to count the enemy forces and realized that there were just too many.
A shriek from above signaled the first attack of the day. Darien leapt aside just in time as a ball of fire exploded into the spot he had been standing at. He quickly looked up in the air and saw a familiar sight. Many times, he had encountered this monster in the Kawrea Region, never once defeating the Dragon. "Come and fight me, Magma Heart!" He roared, his broadsword held tightly in both hands.

Deep within the mountains, Garranoth watched as Davenrue hoisted Elcodar in the air. The Darksteel was practicing using the Monol as a shield. The Moomoo closed his eyes and began to recall the events that had transpired in the past few weeks since Punisher’s defeat. Davenrue had not reacted to the fact that Starfire had betrayed them very well. Even now, the silver Baku could sense the pain and anguish in the Darksteel’s soul. They had saved the humans, a young woman and an old man, and a Knight Niton. Garr smiled as he remembered how Anna pouted when Zayne had assisted the young woman. They were grateful and quickly left for the nearest town. They had accompanied them to the town, only to discover that it had been razed to the ground. The devastation was definitely the work of the Demondrake’s forces, and the two Zelkar’s mind probes confirmed that. The old man, young woman and the Niton decided to run off to another town nearby. With the Zelkar’s abilities, they had knowledge of the next city the Demondrake’s army was headed for, and had tried to reach it in time to warn them, but to no avail. All they discovered with the remnants of the Demondrake’s army. They had been on the move ever since, trying to warn cities and towns before they were hurt. They attacked the Demondrake’s forces when they could, but never went against the whole army, that course of action being sheer suicide. They had succeeded in warning a few towns, and aided in defending some of them, but the Black Wave was spreading all across the land. Garranoth and the rest could not be everywhere the Black Wave was.
The silver Baku sighed sadly. They were fighting a losing battle. Even now, they were forced to hide among the mountains near the town of Talagarn. They had sped with all haste towards the town in hopes of assisting them, but arrived to see the Black Wave already moving in. They were forced to retreat into the mountains to avoid being caught by the Demondrake’s army.
The sound of steel boots brought Garr out of his thoughts and back to reality. Everyone heard it as well, and Daven quickly climbed over the ridge and peered down. His single eye caught sight of a group of Durahans, a young man and a Techno Dragon rushing up the side of the mountain, all of them injured in some way or the other. Behind them were a small group of monsters, clearly part of the Black Wave as one of the monsters, a Flare Death, held in his free hand the standard of the Demondrake, a simple image of the earth being held in a Dragons claw.
"They need our assistance," Zayne said as his he and the others climbed over the ridge and saw the Durahans fleeing up the mountain. "Let’s go!"
Daven, Mysto and Crusader leapt high in the air from the ridge, and descended through the air quickly as gravity pulled them down. Both Mysto and Daven were already somersaulting with their blades sticking out, while one of Crusader’s swords blazed wildly above his head, the Final Sword.
Their opponents were caught completely by surprise as the two Durahans and the Proto landed right among them. Daven had severed the arm of a Beaclon, while Mysto had literally shredded the Flare Heart that held the standard. Crusader’s Final Sword had cut a Tiger cleanly in half. By now the others had reached the enemy as well, and easily dispatched all of them.
"Who are you?" Daven asked as he retrieved his sword from the corpse of an Oscerot. He watched as one of the Durahans took a step forward and bowing gracefully. At this point the Darksteel noticed that he had made a mistake. This particular suit of armor held within a human.
"I am Darien Delgier," the knight stated as he stood straight once more. "I am the trainer of the Heroes of the Blade. Perhaps you’ve heard of us?"
Zayne examined the eight Durahans and the human knight closely. "I’ve heard of you," Zayne said as he recognized them. "I even fought against you with Crusader in a tournament once, Darien."
"That is correct," Crusader stated as he recalled the fight he had with one of Darien’s Durahans. He had won the fight, but did not win the tournament, losing the final to an End Bringer.
Darien searched through his memories and finally remembered the young man and the Proto. "Yes, I did go against you in a tournament. You went up against Jerathyle, if I remember correctly."
"That he did, Darien," Jerathyle spoke up as the green Durahan inspected the damage on his armor.
"I am Zalf," the other young man spoke up. He was taller than Zayne by roughly two inches, hovering around six feet. His long black hair flowed down his back to his waist. His hazel brown eyes were set deep within his face. He was wearing a loose fitting shirt and leather pants with knee high boots. He had a leather backpack hanging from one of his shoulders, and hanging from the left of his belt was a simple black scabbard. The hilt of the sword was made of gold, and the handle was wrapped in fine black silk. On the pommel was a multifaceted blue gem, which at first glance would have been mistaken for a sapphire, but upon closer inspection, proved to be another type of jewel. It was, like a sapphire, blue in color and translucent, yet it seemed to release a soft blue light from within.
Zalf then turned to face the Techno Dragon. "This is Milgaseal, my monster." The Techno Dragon bowed his head in acknowledgment. He was definitely full grown, towering over everyone other than Seth and the two Zelkars. He bore a necklace around his neck, with a gem similar to the one on the pommel of Zalf’s sword placed upon it. Unlike the glowing blue gem, this one was red, and seemed to give off an aura of darkness. Daven then proceeded to introduce himself and his companions.
"You are from the city of Talgarn, or you not?" Verasha asked, her four arms folded across her chest. She, like Caleb, already knew the answer.
"We are," Darien answered as he closed his eyes, holding back tears of sorrow. "Or rather, were. It’s gone."
"We failed to defend it," one of the Durahans spoke.
"We should have stayed," Jerathyle whispered softly, his single eye dimming in shame. "We shouldn’t have fled."
"And what would that achieve?" Zalf replied sharply. "We’d just end up dying like everyone else. Of course, you’re a monster, so I can’t blame you. You were trained to fight."
The other Durahans quickly grabbed Jerathyle as the green Durahan attempted to leap at the young man.
Talorius strode before Zalf and grabbed him roughly by his collar. "You should learn to watch your tongue, human." The Dragoon then felt claws upon his shoulder. He turned to see Milgaseal standing behind him, wisps of smoke escaping the mechanical Dragon’s mouth.
Seth grabbed both Talorius and Zalf in each hand and lifted them off the ground and away from each other. "Stop this foolery!" he roared as the two struggled in his hands. Milgaseal almost let loose a fireball at the Ecologuardia, but held his breath in as Anna came before him.
"Listen to Seth," the Dryad said, her voice strong and clear. "We all share a common enemy, and what do we do? We fight amongst ourselves!" By now Seth had released Zalf and the winged Dragoon. "We must stand united. If we can’t even do that, what chance do we have against the Demondrake, and for that matter, the Xeryth?"
"She speaks wisely," Elcodar stated, nodding his head in agreement.
"So what do we do now?" Zalf asked as he straightened his clothing. "Do we charge back into Talagarn and fight the Demondrake?"
Mysto shook his head. "That would be plain suicide. Caleb, do you have any idea where they’re headed next?" The crimson Durahan suddenly grabbed one of the fallen enemies, a Wild Hare, and lifted it up. "You can use this Hare’s mind. He’s still alive."
Caleb probed the Wild Hare’s mind, sifting through the thoughts and memories until he found what he was looking for. "The Black Wave’s next target is Ganael."
Mysto threw the Wild Hare aside. "Ganael, the Stronghold."
"The Heroes of the Blade and I shall head west, towards the port town of Pelan," Darien said. " I have family there, and would like to make sure they are safe."
"They’re safe, Darien," Elcodar told him. "We passed by Pelan a few days ago as we chased after the Black Wave. The Demondrake’s forces didn’t even come close to the town."
Darien nodded. " I’m still going though. I haven’t seen my wife in months. Daven, I need to ask you something. This question also applies to both Mysto and Crusader."
Daven turned to face the knight. "What is it?"
"I was wondering, would you like to join the Heroes of the Blade. The skills you have with the sword are exceptional, and we would like to have you three among us. Crusader, you may not be a Durahan, but with your abilities, we’d make an exception."
Daven shook his head. "We’re going to have to decline, Darien. We are needed elsewhere."
Darien nodded in understanding. "That is true. Just know that if you ever need assistance, the Heroes of the Blade are at your side. All you have to do is ask."
"What about you, Zalf?" Zayne asked as he walked to stand behind Anna. He embraced the Dryad lovingly as he waited for his answer.
Zalf began to chew his fingers as he though about the situation. Finally he removed his fingers from his mouth and spoke. "I shall accompany you to Ganael."

Darkfire and Iblisadeus flew over the open sea, high above the clouds. The Dark Phoenix, as he was now known, caught sight of a structure of some kind, standing above the surface of the water. "Is that the tomb we are looking for, Deus?"
The Demondrake frowned. "I think so. Let us descend for a closer look." The Dragon and Phoenix circled lower and lower and finally landed before the tomb. Deus stared at the open entrance, the doors lying on the ground. "It would seem that my dreams were true," he said softly.
A ball of energy shot out of the darkness of the tomb, sending Darkfire reeling backwards. From the entrance a monster the Demondrake had never seen before emerged. Yet he knew from the memories he had gained from his Xeryth genes that it was a Zelkar. A Hellcore to be more precise. A Hellcore, one of the more dangerous Zelkar breeds. It was still dedicated to the cause of good, but thanks to the Joker blood running through its veins, it was savage and vicious in its battles to stop evil.
"It was you," the Hellcore said in contempt. "You were the one who had set the Xeryth free!"
Deus kept calm and studied his opponent. He was similar to other Zelkar in most aspects, but as a result of his Joker parentage, he had long jagged spines sticking out of his joints, and razor sharp teeth lined his mouth. He was a velvety black in color, with a deep shade of purple on certain areas of his body. The Demondrake decided to stand straight. His amazing stature dwarfed the Hellcore completely, being at least two times the Zelkar’s size. He then spread his wings wide, and let out a roar.
The Hellcore didn’t seem impressed with the Demondrake’s display of power. He just stared right into the Demondrake’s eyes, and sighed sadly. "You have been tainted by them. More so, as you were the one who tainted yourself." His tail whipped wildly behind him as his four hands began to emit a soft violet glow. "Let us get on with it."
The Zelkar suddenly leapt towards the Demondrake, and one of his four hands managed to draw blood from the Demondrake’s arm. Deus growled in anger and swung his tail forward. The razor edged blades upon his tail severed one of the Hellcore’s arms cleanly at the elbow.
Darkfire, who had recovered from the energy blast, screeched a challenge and spat a ball of fire directly towards the Hellcore. The Zelkar, who was still stunned by the loss of his arm, burst into flame and screamed in agony as his body was burnt to a crisp.
"What was that monster?" Darkfire asked as he moved to stand beside the smoldering corpse. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen a monster like that." The Dark Phoenix frowned in confusion. "Yet there is something vaguely familiar about them."
"It is a Zelkar," Deus replied. "It is an ancient monster of incredible power, similar to the Xeryth. As for it being familiar, you probably saw a carving or a statue of it somewhere." The Demondrake then walked into the tomb.
"Yes, that’s probably it." He began to walk away from the corpse, but stopped to look at it once again. Deep within his mind, he saw two Zelkars, both unlike this one. Both of them were pale blue in color, and one had the characteristics of a female. He shook his head to get rid of the images in his mind and followed his friend into the steel tomb.

"This is Ganael?" Zayne asked as Talorius and Anna descended from the sky. "I see why it’s called the Stronghold."
The city of Ganael was old. It has been there since before the ancient war. It was built into the cliff face of a range of mountains, and only had one entrance in from the ground, a wide stairway up the side of the cliff face which led to the main gate. The only other way was through the air, but unless one had a good reason to fly there, the guards of the city would let loose their arrows.
"I can’t believe we reached here before the Black Wave," Anna said, staring at the long stairway.
"They were already here," Verasha stated. "They are gone now, but some still remain. I can sense it."
Garranoth frowned as he looked at the city. "This doesn’t make sense. Ganael hasn’t been attacked yet."
Zalf cursed under his breath. "They gave up," he growled with anger. "The city of Ganael opened their gates for the Demondrake’s troops. They’re just as bad as the Demondrake now. What other explanation is there?"
Milgaseal, who had spoken very little on their journey to the Stronghold, spoke softly. "We shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Let us enter and discover what we can."
Elcodar nodded in agreement. "Good idea. The question is, can we enter without being recognized by any of the Demondrake’s troops?"
"That would pose a problem." Milgaseal turned to examine everyone. "Only Zayne, Zalf, Anna, Crusader, Seth and me can enter easily. We are common sights, but the rest of you, you all are either uniques or a monster so rare than you might as well be uniques. The guards at the gate would definitely have your descriptions."
"He brings up a good point there," Mysto said. "Especially the Zelkars."
Caleb and Verasha turned to face one another and both sensed the others line of thought. "We can get past the guards at the gate," Caleb said as he began to move towards the stairway.
"Are you crazy?" Zalf yelled. "You’ll be seen before you even reach the gates!"
"Trust us," Verasha said before she too walked towards the stairs.
Everyone looked at the Zelkars, then hurriedly moved behind them.

"How many on that side?" Deus yelled. He was deep within the steel tomb, and he had found the crypts in which the Xeryth had slept. He even had memories of sleeping in one, but those were the memories of the Xeryth that was now a part of him.
"Eleven over here," Darkfire’s voice floated out of the darkness. The Demondrake shuddered slightly. He had counted thirteen on crypts on his side. "That makes two dozen more Xeryth," he said to himself. "Counting the ones I had already released, that’s thirty."
"You mean there’s thirty of these Xeryth free on the world?" the Dark Phoenix asked as he emerged from the darkness to stand beside the Demondrake.
"Yes, thirty of them. And this is only the ones we had found in this tomb."
Darkfire frowned. "How many tombs are there?"
Iblisadeus’ claw was clicking on the ground, the tapping sound echoing in the empty tomb. "At least half a dozen."

Deep within the Stronghold, in an area long forgotten by its inhabitants, eyes opened from centuries of sleep. Tails lashed about as they woke from their slumber. They rose from where they had slept for the many years and stretched muscles that had seen action in the ancient war. They had awakened from slumber for one reason. They could sense their kindred approaching, and that could only mean one thing.

"I can’t believe we’re doing this," Zalf said as they got closer and closer towards the gates. "We are in plain view!"
"Just trust us," Caleb said, clearly annoyed. The longhaired youth had been whining and complaining over and over again, and it was all the Zelkar could do to stop from throwing the man down the stairs.
It seemed like an eternity for them to reach the gates, when it was actually just a matter of minutes. The standard of the Demondrake was hung over the gateway. The guards at the gate were a pair of Suezos, one a Pink Eye and the other a Fly Eye. The two guards watched as they passed them and through the gateway.
"Hold it!"
"What is it?" Zayne asked as everyone stopped in their tracks. He turned to face the Pink Eye which had spoken.
"Those are some fine looking monsters you have with you. You planning to enter them in the tournament?"
Zayne nodded. "Yes I am. I’m hoping to make a small fortune here."
"With monsters like these, I’m sure you will," the Pink Eye said, grinning. "Especially that Techno Dragon. When I was younger, I too was in the tournaments. I remember going up against a Techno Dragon and-"
Caleb gestured with his hand, and the Pink Eye promptly fell asleep.
The Fly Eye groaned as he bounded over to the Pink Eye. "Wake up already," the multi eyed Suezo said before slapping the other with his tongue to no avail.
"Can we pass?" Zayne asked meekly.
The Fly Eye turned to face them. "What? Oh. Sure, go ahead."
They didn’t dawdle further and quickly moved into the city. They all stood there in awe as they stared at their surroundings. They were within the mountain, the earth all around them. But from the view within, the mountain seemed hollow, for the town they were standing in was built on the floor of a huge cavern. The top of the cavern was lost in darkness. Lanterns that were hung along the roads of the city provided light.
The roads themselves were packed with both men and monsters. The fact that the Ganael was under the Demondrake’s rule did not seem to slow down business.
"How’d you do that?" Zalf asked the Zelkars. "How’d you make them not see us? Did you turn us invisible?"
Caleb had clealy lost his patience with Zalf, and would have thrown the human out the city gates and down the stairs if it wasn’t for a comforting hand from his sister. "It is hard to explain," Verasha answered. "We did not turn you invisible. It is more along the lines of people not noticing us."
"I don’t get it," Daven replied. "What do you mean?"
Verasha was about to continue when someone bumped into her. The human was livid and was clearly about to yell at whatever he had bumped into, but he suddenly continued on his way.
"I hate trying to explain this," she said, smiling. "Let us find a less hectic and quiet place to continue our conversation."

"You mean you manipulate their minds, making them ignore you completely?" Zalf asked. He was finally beginning to grasp the concept. They were all seated in a big, spacious room. They had found a good looking inn, and had rented out this room. They had had some trouble with the innkeeper, who was quite insistent on the fact that the monsters should go to the lab to be frozen, or at the very least, kept in the stables across town. The promise of a bigger amount of cash quickly changed the innkeeper’s mind.
"That’s a simple way to put it, but yes," Verasha replied. "Though it’s more like they are totally oblivious to us. Let’s put it this way. I’m sure that long your travels, you’ve seen ants. Am I correct?" Zalf nodded his head. "Well, do you actually remember where you saw the ants? Or haw many there were?"
"Of course not!" Zalf snapped back. "Who’d actually pay attention to a bunch of insects?" His eyes opened wide at what he had just said.
"You understand it now." Verasha smiled gently.
Crusader moved around the room, studying everything. He then examined a poster on the wall of the huge room. "This is very interesting."
"what is?" Zayne asked as he moved to stand beside his monster and friend.
"An advertisement about a tournament that’s being held."
"What’s so special about that?"
"Look at the info of the guest monster in the entries."
Zayne quickly scanned the advertisement and gasped as he saw the final entry.
"What is it, Zayne?" Anna asked as she came up behind him and hugged the young man.
He turned to face Caleb and Verasha. "The special entry is a four armed humanoid monster."
The two Zelkars quickly leapt to their feet and examined the description on the poster. The whole tournament was about the new monster. It was definitely a Zelkar, the information perfectly describing one, yet it also said that it was covered with brown fur, had long ears and a ball of fluff as a tail.
"Could it be a Yurath?" Verasha asked her brother. "I thought we were the last."
Caleb nodded. "What else could it be?"
"What’s a Yurath?" Daven asked.
Caleb turned to face the Darksteel. "A Yurath is a Zelkar combined with a Hare."
"What’s he doing in the tournament?"
Caleb shrugged his shoulders as he scratched at his chin. "I have absolutely no idea. Something is wrong. If it were indeed a Zelkar, he would not be showing himself to the world."
Verasha began to weep openly. "Brother, we must find out!" She grabbed a hold if his hands, squeezing them within hers. "If there is a chance that were are not alone, we-"
"Hush now, Verasha," Caleb whispered. "I know how you feel." He turned to face the others. "We need to find out if he is one of us."
"Which means we need to get tickets to the show?" Zalf asked.
Daven shook his head. "I say we enter the tournament. If we could meet the Zelkar before the tournament, we might be able to find out what’s going on. This is of course, if it is a Zelkar."
Crusader nodded in agreement. "I think we should do that. We could get some good training as well."
Caleb nodded as he once again turned to examine the poster. "Then the plan is set. Who will enter the tournament? One monster per trainer, so that makes at least four of us."
Zayne raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Four trainers?"
Caleb began to mumble something softly, and everyone excluding Verasha were amazed to see as his body seemed to change before their eyes. The two pairs of hands merged together to form a single pair, and his tail seemed to grow inwards and disappeared completely. After a while a naked man stood before them. He had short, curly brown hair, and emerald green eyes. He was definitely good looking, by human standards.
Caleb, now in his human form, examined his body. "Not bad, if I do say so myself." He then turned to face the others. "Would you all please stop staring at me and get me some clothes?"
Everyone quickly turned away as Zalf pulled out some clothes from his backpack and tossed them to Caleb, who quickly put them on.
"Verasha will do the same," Caleb informed. "This amounts to four trainers. Who will be the four to enter?"
Daven, Mysto and Crusader quickly lifted their hands, as though they were children.
Caleb grinned at their eagerness. "Let us be realistic. Orry to disappoint you Durahans. Anna, Seth, Crusader and Milgaseal, the four of you shall enter."
The eyes of the two Durahans dimmed in disappointment. "Why can’t I enter?" the Darksteel asked.
"You’d draw attention, Daven."
"So what do we do?" Garranoth asked.
"I guess the rest of you can go buy tickets and watch the show," Caleb replied, smiling. "Just make sure to cover yourselves up somehow."

"I’m sorry, but we are no longer accepting entries. We have reached the maximum number of eight."
"Damn it!" Zalf punched the wall beside the receptionist’s table.. "We’re too late!"
Caleb casually pushed Zalf aside to talk with the woman at the entry desk. "Forgive my friends temper," he said, leaning over the desk. His face was less than an inch away from hers, and she could feel his breath upon her face.
"It’s quite alright, sir," she stammered. She had never met a man like this before.
Caleb let a smile spread across his face, and her heart was lost. "Listen, dear. My friends and I really need to enter this tournament. Is there any possible way to squeeze us in?"
She was lost in his gaze, her eyes lost in his green stare. "I could put you in the tournament. I could just say someone made a mistake and let in more entries than was allowed. It has happened before." She giggled as he brushed a strand of her hair from her face. "They’ll make an announcement stating that instead of the usual eight, there will be more entries, or something like that."
Caleb gently took her hand and kissed it. "I thank you, dear."
"He’s good, isn’t he?" Zalf whispered to Zayne, the two men staring at the woman at the desk. "I think she’d jump off the highest mountain if he’d ask her to."
Verasha rolled her eyes upwards. She too was also in human form. She was beautiful, with smooth fair skin, full red lips, crystal blue eyes and long waist length hair. She smiled gently as she remembered Anna yanking Zayne’s head to face the Dryad as she transformed into her human form. Like her brother, she was naked after the transformation, and Zayne was having a hard time trying not to stare. Zalf on the other hand, was whistling in appreciation.
Caleb stood straight once more, winked at the receptionist, then turned to face the others. "We’re in."

"I've got a question, Caleb," Zayne whispered as they took their place amongst the other entries. They were in the waiting area beneath the Battle Pit. Here the entries waited until it was their turn to fight. "Why don't you just use your mind to sense if it indeed is a Zelkar?"
"I already did," Caleb answered as he examined the other monsters being entered. "I couldn't sense anything, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't a Zelkar. Something might have happened to him." He turned to face Zayne and the others. "It would seem that we're in for a challenge. The monsters here are quite powerful."
Zalf glanced casually at the monsters and laughed. "You've got to be joking. Milgaseal can easily take on all of them. Isn't that right, Milgaseal?"
The Techno Dragon remained silent as he prepared himself for the battle ahead.

The Battle Pit was, as it always was when there was a tournament, completely packed with spectators. Daven and the others weren't being crushed from all sides like the others though. Any monster that even bumped into them by accident was soon sent reeling backward by either of the Durahans. There was a noticable clearing around their group, none wanting to risk being hit.
"Ladies, gentlemen, and fellow monsters!"
The Battle Pit fell silent as the announcer's voice crackled through multitudes of speakers scattered around the stadium. "I have to inform you that, due to a small problem with the entries, there will now be twelve taking part in the tournament!"
Groans could be heard all around the stadium, as many didn't expect something like this to occur when making their bets.
"They got in," Seth stated casually.

"We've searched everywhere," Zalf grumbled through clenched teeth. "Where is this fellow Zelkar of yours anyway?"
Caleb suppressed the urge to punch the human. "I don't know," he answered sharply. "I think they're keeping him somewhere else."
"Quiet," Verasha whispered. "Someone approaches."
"Hey you!"
An old, greasy looking man approached the group from the shadows. "Who's the owner of the Ecologuardia?"
Caleb took a step forward. "I am."
"Well follow me. You're up first." The old man spun around and walked back into the shadows.
"Good luck, brother," Verasha called out as he followed the old man.
"Why are you wishing him luck?" Seth's voice floated towards her as both Caleb and the Golem disappeared into the shadows. "I'm doing the fighting."

"The first match will be between Darius with his Ecologuardia named Rainbow, going up against Tim and Steelhoof the Chariot!"
Elcodar could barely contain his laughter. "Rainbow? Of all the names in the world, he signed up under Rainbow?"
Garr grinned as he caught sight of Seth as he entered the arena. "It would seem that Seth was unaware of his new name." They all watched the Ecologuardia striding towards the center of the arena, clearly scowling as he glanced backward to look at Caleb. The Golem turned around and faced the Chariot, his fists clenched tightly as he grinned.
"What's so amusing, you dumb pile of stone?" the Chariot asked.
"Ready?" The announcer's voice quickly brought everyone's attention to the fight. "Go!"
Seth suddenly lunged out with his hand, delivering a backhand slap that sent the Centaur to his knees. The stands erupted in cheers with a few scattered boos, clearly belonging to those who had laid their bets on the Chariot. He lifted the Chariot's head to face him. "You're no match for me. That's amusing."
Caleb quickly caught sight of Daven and the others in the front row and ran to them. "Who needs orders, right? He can definitely handle himself. If this cheering keeps up, the damn place will cave in."
Daven nodded as his eye flared in humor. "Did you find the Zelkar?"
Caleb shook his head. "I've got to go now. I'll see you later." He quickly ran back to the center of the arena to stand beside Seth.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, monsters, the winner of this fight is Rainbow!"
Both Caleb and Seth raised their hands and waved to the crowd, causing them to cheer even louder. They then proceeded to return to the waiting area. A few officials rushed out to the arena to assist the other trainer drag his Chariot out.

The speakers crackled once more as the announcer's voice filtered through. "The next fight will be between Sasha and a monster which is an uncommon sight around here, a Proto named Paladin! Their opponent will be the champion of the previous tournament, Genocyber the End Bringer with his trainer Samuel!"
The crowd went wild at the mention of the End Bringer, and started to stomp their feet and clap their hands in unison. The whole stadium seemed to shudder from all the stomping. "This Genocyber seems to be a favourite," Talorius said to the others, his voice barely reaching the others.
"I hope Crusader can handle him," the Darksteel whispered to himself as he watched the Proto, his opponent and the two trainers enter the arena. Verasha gave a quick wave to Darksteel and the others before acting like a trainer.
"Ready, go!"
Crusader quickly rolled forward upon the rollers on his heels, his arms blasting napalms as he closed the distance between him and the End Bringer. Genocyber dodged the hail of fire, though one hit slightly scorched his leg. He leapt high into the air and let loose a yo-yo. His shot was accurate, the yo-yo smashing into the Proto's head and sending him to the ground. Crusader quickly leapt to his feet and let loose his own yo-yo just as Genocyber's was being pulled back. The yo-yo cables got tangled with one another and Crusader yanked hard, bringing the End Bringer crashing back down to earth in a huge puff of dust.
Garr shut his eyes tight as the End Bringer's arm shot right into Crusader's shin, sending the Proto to the ground as well. "This one is going to be close."
Davenrue shrugged casually. "I wouldn't say that. He has a few small tricks up his sleeve. Watch."
The Moomoo opened his eyes again, and his jaw dropped wide open at the spectacle before him.
Crusader jerked his tangled yo-yo cable in such a way that it sent his opponent high into the air. The Proto leapt after Genocyber, who was still flying upwards. With the energy sword of his free hand blazing wildly, Crusader slashed at the End Bringer as he shot past him. As soon as he went as far as he could and felt the yo-yo cable reach its maximum length, he jerked it once more and was flying past Genocyber once more, again slashing at him with his sword. This amazing display of skill was repeated four more times before gravity began to pull both of the Hengers down towards the ground. The spectators were completely amazed. It seemed as though all time slowed down, but the attacks Crusader had pulled off took less then ten seconds. On his last pass, Crusader managed to untangle his yo-yo cable and retract it. As he watched his opponent plummet to the ground before him, he brought his arms together and raised them above his head, letting loose an attack that only Hengers from the FIMBA area knew. His Final Sword seemed to be more like a pillar of white light that descended from the heavens. Just as Genocyber was about to crash to the ground, Crusader swung his energy sword downwards, bathing the End Bringer in a beam of pure white energy.
As the Proto landed on his feet, his energy sword finally began to dissipate. He walked towards his foe and examined the blackened form. The End Bringer was burnt to a crisp, and most of his limbs were warped and twisted in the incredible heat of the Proto's Final Sword. The announcer was just as stunned as the crowd of spectators, and took a while to regain his composure. "An incredible victory from Paladin the Proto!" he finally said. Garr was completely speechless, and watched as Crusader and Verasha walked into the middle of the arena. "Give a round of applause to Sasha and Paladin!"
The crown erupted in cheers and the stomping of feet, and this time the stadium did shudder underneath the thousands of stamping feet. Those who attended the tournament that day were witness to one of the greatest victories of all time. This tournament would go down in history because of this one event. Trainers of Hengers would one day read about this fight, and would try teach their Hengers the move which brought Crusader that victory.
Verasha and Crusader left the arena to await their next fight while Samuel was calling for medical assistance.
"He's definitely going to feel that in the morning, right?" Mysto joked as he watched the medical staff and officials slowly move the End Bringer out of the arena on a stretcher.
Davenrue, Elcodar and Talorius couldn't help but laugh at the crimson Durahan's jest, while the silver Baku was still in shock. "That he will, my friend," the Darksteel agreed.
"You call that a small trick?" Garr gasped.
Daven shrugged. "It was a little bigger than expected."
"A little?" Garr was clearly exasperated.

In the waiting area, everyone was congratulating both Verasha and Crusader on their victory. The other trainers were however nowhere in sight. Soon after it was obvious where they had gone. The speakers once again cackled as the announcer's voice filtered through. "Attention, it has come to my knowledge that quite a number of entries have pulled out of the tournament!" The announcer couldn't help but giggle as he continued. "It's clear that Paladin has sent them packing! Only four entries are left in the tournament. They are Seth, Milgaseal, Ardana, and of course, Paladin!"
"Here's our chance," Zayne said as he embraced Anna lovingly. "If all of us, excluding Crusader, pull out, he'll automatically win the tournament and face the Zelkar!"
Caleb and Verasha nodded in agreement. "That's a great idea," Caleb stated. "No one would suspect us of any foul play either. After the moves you pulled out there, Crusader, no one would blame us for wanting to pull out."
"So it's settled then?" Zalf asked.
"Yes."

"Ladies, gentlemen, and fellow monsters. It would seem that everyone has pulled out of the tournament after witnessing that great victory by Paladin! This means that he will go on to fight the unknown beast! This monster was discovered by our miners deep within the heart of our city. It is definitely a new breed, and you shall be the first to see it!"
Elcodar gave out a yawn. "When's the next fight?"
"It would seem that Zayne, Zalf and Caleb pulled out to let Verasha and Paladin face the Zelkar," Talorius mumbled, as he adjusted his robes. His wings were folded in a weird position beneath the cloth, and would like nothing better than to stretch open his wings.
"I can't believe it," Mysto whispered as his eye focused on the cage that rumbled into the arena on a wheeled platform, pulled by a pair of Tigers. Everyone in the Battle Pit fell silent as their eyes fell upon the cage.
Davenrue could only shake his head. "It is a Zelkar."

The furred Zelkar in the cage roared loudly as the cage came to a stop in the middle of the arena. The two Tigers quickly pulled their harnesses of and ran out of the arena as an official entered and stood near the cage. The Zelkar was covered in a coat of short brown fur. Its face vaguely resembled that of a Hare, and two ears stuck upwards from the sides of its head. Instead of a tail, it had a small ball of fluff. The furred Zelkar's legs were clearly much more muscled than its body. Its Hare sub breed was as clear as day. The caged Zelkar fell silent as the crowd stared at it in amazement. Just then Verasha and Crusader entered the arena and approached the cage, and the spectators began to cheer once more. Daven could clearly see the look of pure shock on Verasha's face as she caught sight of the caged Zelkar.
"Avoid fighting with the Yurath, Crusader," Verasha told him, leaning close to the Proto in order for him to hear her. " From what I can sense, it would seem that he is insane, or rather, living without thought, and relying only on his instincts. I'll be probing his mind to snap him out of it. He is much more powerful than you, so don't even try. Just avoid his attacks. Buy me some time." With that, she quickly ran to the arena wall near Daven and the others.
"You're going to let Crusader fight him?" Talorius asked her in disbelief. "He'll be killed!"
"Don't worry," she assured the Dragoon. "I told him to avoid fighting the Yurath." She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, sending her mind into the Yurath's.
The official quickly pulled out the latch and ran for his life as the Yurath kicked the cage door off its hinges and bounded towards Crusader. The Proto was surprised by the Yurath's speed, and barely managed to leap aside in time. The furred Zelkar howled in anger as he spun around to face the Henger again.

As soon as she succeeded in entering the Yurath's mind, she found a barrier blocking her path. She slowly tore her way through it, and realized that the barriers were not actually meant to keep others out of the furred Zelkar's memories and thoughts, but to keep something inside. She wasn't all that surprised to find another barrier behind the first, and one again began to tear it down. The Yurath was locked away inside his own mind, and the only way to release him was to tear the barriers down.

Crusader twisted his body, narrowly avoiding a ball of pure energy fired from one of the Yurath's hands. "Hurry it up, Verasha!" he yelled as he ducked underneath another energy ball. The spectators were going wild now, and were screaming at the Proto to retaliate, but the Henger continued to weave around the Zelkar's attacks.

She could hear the Proto's words, but didn't pay any heed to them. She was hard at work tearing at another barrier. The barriers got stronger and stronger the further she went into the Yurath's mind. As she went deeper, a sense of loss, pain and anguish slowly began to fill her thoughts. She was getting close.

Crusader somersaulted away from the Yurath to avoid a roundhouse kick, and was forced to jump aside as soon as he landed to avoid another ball of energy. The furred Zelkar bellowed in frustration, and everyone was surprised to see another Yurath shimmer into existence beside the first. Another soon followed it, and this continued until there were a dozen Yuraths. The spectators were now cheering the furred Zelkar and his display of power. Crusader's single eye quickly scanned through the many targets, but could not separate the true Yurath from the illusions. He stepped back in fear as all twelve Yuraths thundered toward him, but recovered and got ready for their attacks. The first one reached him and attempted a wide swing, but the Proto easily ducked underneath it. As he went under the attack, he was greeted by another attack from the second Zelkar, who was literally flying right at him. He failed to avoid the attack, but was surprised to see his attacker flow through him. His surprise proved to be his downfall, as the third Yurath delivered a single downward punch which sent the Henger to the ground. Crusader slowly pulled himself back up, but fell once more as his legs gave way beneath him, his energy spent.

Verasha was close now. She could clearly feel the pain and anguish tear at her, but she persevered and tore down another barrier.

The final barrier stood before her. Verasha could feel the agony emanating through the final barrier. Here instincts told her to flee from the nightmare behind it, but slowly began to tear it down. It came down much easier and faster than anticipated, and she was flooded with sounds and images that tore at her soul. Her eyes slowly opened, and realized that she was in her tomb. She scanned her surroundings to greet her fellow Zelkars, but to her horror she saw their bodies scattered all around her, mutilated beyond recognition. She howled is despair as she realized that she was the only one left. As anguish filled her heart, she caught sight of a multitude of glowing red eyes, which looked like embers in the darkness. Her mind screamed out in recognition as the Xeryth stepped out of the shadows. Her blood boiled, and her fists clenched as she faced the sworn enemies of Zelkar, but found herself taking a step back. A tingling of fear ran down her spine as they advanced upon her. Fear turned to terror, and she fled from the tomb, the laughter of the Xeryths floating after her as they fed upon the fear of a Zelkar. She ran through the maze of tunnels blindly as tears of shame and agony streamed down her face. She had betrayed the Zelkar, her kindred, her family, leaving their bodies behind to be desecrated by the Xeryth, and worst of all, she fled because she was afraid for her own life. She tried to contact the Zelkars in the lower levels, the Elders, in hopes that they were still alive, but no one answered her telepathic call. The feelings of guilt, shame, agony, anguish; all of the feelings tore at her conscience. All she wanted to do was to crawl into the deepest recesses of her mind and seal herself within, never to face what she had done. She suddenly realized that all this, all that she was going through, this were the Yurath's memories. She quickly snapped out of her depression before she ended up sealing herself in her own mind, and found the shell that held the Yurath's conscience. She gently pushed at it, and felt it give way before her, revealing a frightened conscience that had seen too much for it to handle.

The Yurath gave out a cry, and suddenly ceased its thrashing, settling into a peaceful sleep. "Check on him," Caleb yelled to no one in particular as he quickly moved towards his sister. Her eyes fluttered open, and she was greeted by the sight of her brother, looking at her worriedly. "Are you alright?"
Verasha smiled weakly. "I'm fine, my brother," she answered. "How is he?" She struggled to rise and see the Yurath, but as soon as she stood up she stumbled to her knees. Caleb quickly caught her in his arms and watched her as her eyes closed once more.
"Let us leave this place," Caleb said as he lifted Verasha in his arms. "I cannot keep this up for long." He gestured at the people frozen in place. Seth picked the Yurath up and placed him over his shoulder, while Daven and Mysto assisted Crusader, who had trouble walking.

"Is she going to be alright?" Anna asked worriedly as she held on the one of Verasha's hands. The female Zelkar was lying upon one of the beds in their room. They had left the Battle Pit in haste, and quickly made their way back to the inn.
"She'll be fine," Caleb assured the Dryad, yet it was evident that his voice lacked conviction. "What she did drained her strength, and she just needs time to recover. She'll wake up in time."
"What did she do?" Crusader was keeping an eye on the sleeping Yurath, who lay sprawled on the couch. "She said something about probing the Yurath's mind to snap him out of it."
Caleb nodded. "That was exactly what she did. She went into his mind to find the reason for his madness, and succeeded in bringing him back to sanity. However, the mind of an insane individual, be it a human or monster, is not a pretty sight." The Zelkar sighed sadly. "I should have been the one who went in."
"Don't blame yourself," Elcodar said as he tossed an apple into his mouth. "It wasn't your fault. Even if you were the one who went in, she'd say the same thing."
"What did you do in the arena?" Garr asked. The question had been in his head since they left the Battle Pit, and he had to ask. "The people seemed to be stuck in time."
Caleb smiled gently. "This one's quite easy to explain. I stretched time for us, or rather I warped the field of time around us. An hour could pass for us, and to them it would have been only a second. To them, we just blinked out of existence."
Talorius shook his head as he stared out the window. "I'm surprised that they haven't come for us yet. When are we going to leave this place?"
"That isn't necessary," Caleb answered. "I twisted the minds of those present in that stadium. They won't remember anything about us, or rather would only remember something else." He turned to face Crusader and smiled. "All they'll remember when they think back on what happened in that tournament is an incredible display of skill by a Proto."
"What of this overgrown Hare?" Zalf asked as he pointed at the furred Zelkar on the couch. "I thought you and your sister were the last of your kind."
"Indeed, that was what Verasha and I had thought," Caleb said as he moved to the couch. "When we were still in the tombs below the Sages Halls, we sent our minds scouring the lands in search of our kindred, but never once did we get a reply."
"I felt your minds touch mine numerous times, but I could not answer." The Yurath slowly sat upright on the couch, and scanned his surroundings. Caleb helped his fellow Zelkar to his feet, and the two embraced warmly. "We couldn't reply your call, for we were still in slumber. The Xeryth hadn't emerged at that time, and we decided to continue with our sleep. I am sorry."
"It is an understandable reason," Caleb answered as he began to cry in joy. "My friends, this is Azukiel."
"How in the world did you know his name?" Zalf interrupted. "You just met!"
Milgaseal buried his face in his hands, clearly embarrased with his trainer. "They can read minds."
Zalf grinned sheepishly. "Oh, I forgot about that."
"Where is Verasha?" the Yurath asked. Caleb's expression of joy quickly turned to one of worry.
"She has yet to awaken."
Everyone stepped aside as the two Zelkars moved to the bed where Verasha lay. "She's been like this since she completed her probe into my mind?" Azukiel asked. Caleb nodded solemnly as he took a hold of Verasha's hand. "Do not worry, Caleb," Azukiel whispered. "She saved me from myself, and for that I will not let her go like this. I owe her that."
Caleb took a step back and motioned the others to do so as well. Anna quietly moved beside Caleb as the Yurath closed his eyes and began to whisper ancient words of magic. "She wasn't going to wake up, was she?"
Caleb shook his head. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder and turned to see Davenrue standing beside him. The Darksteel's eye flared in understanding. "She'll be alright now."
"I hope so," Caleb whispered as he bowed his head.

The two Dragons had watched the whole scene at the Battle Pit far above the arena, sitting on one of the high ledges in the huge mountain hollow. The Dragons of the Flame had seen the Zelkars, and were quite surprised when those in the arena simply vanished.
"Magma Heart, report to the Demondrake," Vulcan Soul ordered. "Tell him we've found them."
Magma Heart took to the air, and hovered before the shadowy Dragon. "What will you be doing?"
"I'll look around for them. Don't worry. I'm not stupid enough to engage them on my own."
Satisfied with the answer, Magma Heart swooped down to the exit far below them.
"I will, however," Vulcan Soul said as the earth colored Dragon was out of earshot, "play with them a little."

Azukiel chanted the words of magic long forgotten to the world, and together with his mind probes, Verasha's fingers began to twitch. She suddenly let loose a scream, which unnerved everyone in the room. Caleb quickly grabbed her in his arms and held her close, and she began to cry.
"They killed so many." She moaned as she tried to regain composure. "They slaughtered the others while they were asleep!"
Azukiel winced at the mention of the memories he had buried. "That they did, Verasha."
Verasha's eyes opened wide as she saw the Yurath. "Azukiel, I am sorry! I didn't mean to speak out loud."
"Do not apologize," he replied as he got down to his knees. "You made me realize that hiding from the world would not solve anything. You tore down the barriers I built, and made me see that I was still needed. Our foe has emerged, and we shall be there to stand against them."
All three Zelkars suddenly fell silent and seemed to stare into space.
"Are you guys alright?" Zayne asked, waving his hand in front of the Yurath's face.
Caleb blinked, and turned to face Azukiel. "Did you hear that?"
"I didn't hear anything," Zayne stated. "Did you?" The other monsters shook their heads.
Azukiel's face suddenly lit up. "I don't believe it. They are alive!"
"Who's alive?" Daven asked. The Darksteel and the others were all lost, having no idea what the Zelkars were talking about.
Verasha giggled when she saw the confusion on their faces. "I am sorry, my friends. You cannot hear what we hear, for it is a Zelkar that calls us."
"There is another of your kind?" Talorius asked in surprise.
The three Zelkars were literally crying in happiness. "More than that," Azukiel stated. "All the Elders survived."

To be continued...

Many have come to follow the Darksteel Saga...

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Darksteel Saga © 1999 by Zain Hamzah a.k.a. Silver Henger.

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