Ch. 19 A Name Within A Name

"He's still moving!" Hazel shouted from the Crow's Nest again.

"Ye've got to be pullin' me peg." Captain Krax shouted.

"If I was joking, don't you think I'd be dead?" Hazel asked.

"Ye're an important member of the army me ship is working for." Captain Krax shouted. Hazel shrugged, and looked ahead again. Then she noticed something strange.

"Captain?" Hazel asked.

"What is it now?" Captain Krax barked.

"The calm sea water has broken; I can see the bow of another ship..." Hazel said. Captain Krax looked at the waters, and saw the same thing. Suddenly a bright green flash shot through the air.

"Shit." Captain Krax said as he soon realized what it meant. Finally another ship emerged out of the water, canons loaded and pointed at Hydrii's Cutlass.

"Ye be swimmin' with the fishes now!" The giant squid monster thing said from the other ship.

"Me should have known ye'd backstab me, Davey Jones." Captain Krax said, smirking.

"Ye're a smart one." Davey Jones spat.

"And ye're a stupid one." Captain Krax stated. Davey Jones arm rose up, and the canons were raised up at Captain Krax.

"On me mark." Davey Jones said. Captain Krax winked at Davey Jones, and raised his saber. Davey Jones took a moment to try to figure out what was going on. It didn't matter how long it took, Captain Krax anticipated the pause, and brought his saber down. Davey Jones almost did the same, but before any of the canons could fire, his ship was invaded.

"Ye've got to be pulling my claw." Jones stated. He looked back at Captain Krax's ship, and he noticed that no one was there. A devilish smile appeared on his face. He started to move but someone grabbed his shoulder.

"Not so fast, Jones." Captain Krax said. Davey Jones turned, and saw who had grabbed him.

"Ye've got balls attacking me ship." Jones said.

"Balls ye will never have." Captain Krax said. Jones unsheathed his saber, and stabbed Krax. Krax ducked, and unsheathed his own saber.

"Ye're lucky to have that saber!" Jones shouted as Krax attempted a left sweep. The blade itself was a crimson red, either from stolen rubies or the excessive exposure to bloodshed. The blades origin is unknown, but it is said to have been used by many pirates before disappearing.

"Me lucky?" Krax laughed, "I just hunt treasure." Jones attempted to stab Krax again, but Krax defended the blow. Jones quickly resumed into a neutral position. He watched Krax's movements slowly; he would make a move that would be the end of him.

"Ye don't hunt treasure, ye steal it." Jones spat.

"At least I don't go killin' individuals for their treasures." Krax retorted. Jones noticed a limp on the right side, and went to end the battle there. Krax eyes gleamed when he saw the attack, and he brought his own saber to the same side. Jones cursed as the two blades made contact. Before Jones could pull away from the attack, Krax twirled his sword and disarmed Jones. Jones went to grab his blade, but Krax dropped his blade to stop Jones.

"Ye'r a dirty sea dog, ye know that, right?" Jones spat.

"I know ye've got another blade." Krax stated. Jones spat on Krax's boots, and unsheathed his other saber.

"Ye know me too well." Jones said.

"We've crossed blades more times than me can count." Krax said. Jones spat again, and the two crossed blades again. Krax never resumed a defensive position, he stayed on the offensive. Jones quickly attacked Krax to the side, and opened up a wound in his side. Krax threw a wink at Jones, and stab Jones' arm, making him drop his blade.

"Ye done yet?" Krax asked. Jones laughed, and brought his claw to Krax's throat.

"If me was done, ye would be dead." Jones spat. Jones lifted Krax up off the deck, and walked over to the starboard side of the ship. Krax looked at the water, and smiled.

"Ye're gettin' stupid in ye old age." Krax said. Jones smiled and threw Krax a wink. He dropped the captain into the water, turned around, and lifted his claw into the air.

"We've won!!" Jones shouted. At that moment a wave crashed into the side of the Flying Dutchman. Jones looked off the ship, and saw another wave heading for the ship. Jones laughed again, water wouldn't hurt his ship. Another wave crashed into the ship, this time shaking the Flying Dutchman. Once again Jones looked off his ship, and saw a tidal wave heading towards him. Before Jones could get a word shouted, the wave crashed into the ship, but only Jones got wet. Then a lightning bolt crashed into the ocean. Jones jumped as the thunder rolled.

"Davey Jones." A voice said. Jones looked up at the Crow's Nest and saw someone holding onto the small flag pole on it.

"Yes?" Jones asked.

"You thought you won?" the voice asked.

"Krax is dead." Jones replied.

"Is that so?" the voice asked, and the person jumped in front of Jones.

"How the...?" Jones said, but before he could finish, he became speechless. The person standing in front of him looked a lot like Captain Krax, but his stripes were in the shapes of lightning bolts, his eyes were yellow, and his cap was yellow.

"Ye were mistaken." Krax replied, and lifted his finger. Jones wanted to laugh, but he moaned instead.

"Please, spare me life." Jones said.

"Me as spared ye life every time we've crossed sabers." Krax replied. Krax lifted Jones had with his saber. If Jones was scared, he didn't show it.

"Captain, we lost sight of Zomus!" Hazel shouted. Krax looked at Jones, and brought his saber across Jones' check.

"Ye be lucky I'm not cruel." Krax spat. He grabbed Jones' saber and took the blade with him. Jones lifted his claw after Krax, but didn't reach him.

"Wait." Jones said. Krax stopped, but he didn't turn around.

"Isn't this your seventh year on sea, meaning you can come on land, correct?" Krax asked.

"I'll help, just leave me saber." Jones begged. A slight smile appeared on Krax's face.

"Very well, we'll stay in touch." Krax said, and tossed Jones' saber to the ground.

--

The fire cackled in a light tone as Rap stirred the coals. It's been a good twelve hours since the ambush, and they have yet to find anything new about where these enemies were going.

"Got anything yet?" Rap asked Misty.

"For the last time, nothing. If I get something, I'll be sure to tell you." Misty said her tone becoming agitated. Misty looked at her tablet again, and continued to tap in numbers and letters. Rap stood up, and paced around the fire.

Rap is really uneasy about something. Dimitri said.

"Wouldn't you?" Miracle Misha stated.

Nope, I can see the future! Dimitri joked.

"So you're a jokester now?" Miracle Misha retorted, smirking. Dimitri laughed, and the two looked into the fire.

"Is it done yet?" Rap asked again. Misty glared at Rap, and threw him the tablet.

"Yes." She stated. She went to her sleeping bag, and went in. Rap looked at the tablet, and saw a message in large red letters.

WE HAVE NO SERVICE YOU IDIOT! Rap threw the tablet to the side, and it almost landed in the fire. Miracle Misha slowly picked it up, and looked at it.

He angers easily. Dimitri said.

"I can tell, hey Rap, did you take time to notice this?" Miracle Misha asked, and pointed at the map.

"Yeah... It's not updated." Rap said, as he tried to keep his cool.

"Actually..." Miracle Misha started, but stopped herself.

"It's updated?" Rap asked as he sprinted over to her.

"Yeah." She said, and pointed at the screen. The screen now showed where their army was and the enemy forces as well.

"There is a large camp just ahead, in this bowl." Rap said, pointing at the large mass of red.

"So, what is it, "Captain"???" Miracle Misha asked.

"We rest easy tonight, and tomorrow, we strike." Rap said. Miracle Misha smiled, he's starting to act more like a general. Tasha watched has Rap finally got into his sleeping bag, and started to sleep. He looked as if he was finally happy with something. Tasha unsheathed her blade and watched the blade gleam in the dancing light of the fire. She smiled and thought of Max, and how well things must be going for him. She closed her eyes and played over many different situations in her mind. In one she was battling a large horde of Hooblahs, and doing well. In another, she was fending off a Zydrii while attacking some Hooblahs. Finally she envisioned herself taking on Zamus. She opened her eyes, and sighed. She sheathed her blade, and looked at the stars. She smiled as she saw a falling star. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands over her heart, and made a wish. She finally lies down on top of her sleeping bag, and fell asleep.

--

The anchor was thrown across the deck and splashed into the water. The Knights of the Hydrii, or so Hazel started calling them, disembarked from the ship. Max looked back, and saw Davey Jones salute him, and Max gave a nod back. Max turned around when he saw Jones head towards New York.

"Where is he?" Max asked, squinting. The sun had hit the highest point of the day, making the area brighter than usual and hotter than usual.

"Doesn't your sword have the ability to find him?" Hauntzor asked. Max unsheathed his sword, and pointed it towards where they last saw Zomus. The sword started to gleam in a faint red color.

"I guess he's that way." Hazel said, and started to sprint in that direction. TJT caught her by her hair, forcing Hazel to a stop.

"Not so fast, we have to find my sword." TJT said. Max frowned, they were losing time, however... They needed that sword.

"Also, Hazel," Hauntzor said, "We're in the desert, chances are its really hot out there." Hazel crossed her arms and pouted. Max rolled his eyes, for the one person who could end this whole "war", she sure acted like his adopted sister, Wendy. They made their way through the small village, until they came across a small hotel. The four of them entered, and saw an old woman at the desk.

"Are you the Heroes everyone is talking about?" she asked, her voice sounding brittle.

"Warriors?" Max asked.

"The one's who'll crush the shadow of the land." the old woman replied.

"Uh..." Max stated, rubbing the back of his head, "Probably."

"Very well, you may room here for free." the old woman said. The four thanked her, and started down the hall way to find their rooms. As TJT walked past the woman, the woman grabbed TJT's arm.

"Is there something...?" TJT started, and then noticed the woman had claws that resembled that of a Hydrii. The length was almost too long for a typical human, and the sharpness was only something that could only be done by sharpening the claws every day since birth.

"A warrior is useless without its sword." the old woman said. TJT slowly drew her sword for her sheath, and struck it into the ground.

"I have my sword." TJT said. With speed that would have surprised anyone seeing this little old woman, the old woman shattered the sword, leaving nothing but the hilt and shattered steel.

"As I said, a warrior is useless without its sword." the old woman muttered. She left and picked up her broom, and started to sweep up the shattered steel on the floor boards.

"Since you know that I don't have my sword, do you know where to find it?" TJT asked.

"The best kind of prize is a surprise." The old woman cackled. TJT frowned, and picked up her hilt. She walked slowly towards the hallway, seeing that the other three found their rooms already. She stopped about half way towards where she was planning her room to be. She was being watched. TJT quickly dropped her hilt into its old sheath, ducked, and unsheathed her other sword. She heard the sound of glass breaking, and she saw that the window in the hallway had been shattered. A horrible laugh filled the hallway, and the surrounding area looked like it got absorbed by a bubble. Everything looked distorted, and the ground no longer felt stable. TJT turned around, and stood up. The old woman whom had broken her sword was standing about at the same height as TJT.

"TJT, you were always to trusting." a cold voice filled the bubble.

"I should have known it was you, REA." TJT hissed.

"What gave me away?" REA asked?

"You broke my sword, thinking it was my only one." TJT said as a small curve appeared on the corner of her lips.

"Oh, is that is?" REA asked.

"Oh, there is more." TJT said, as she brought one of her hands, and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"And that is...?" REA asked, her voice rising.

"If we were the talk of the town, we would have received more people knowing us than just one and you did a horrid job disguising yourself, for I saw your claws."

"Seems like we have ourselves a smart cookie." REA taunted.

"And seems like we have yet another crony." TJT taunted back. REA unsheathed her own sword, and ran after TJT. TJT shot a glance back at the window, and easily dodged REA's attack. REA didn't have time to stop as she came upon the window, and came crashing out. TJT vaulted over the window, and looked for REA.

"You forget, I'm a master at camouflage." REA shouted. TJT smiled as she watched the footprints of REA slowly creep closer to her. TJT then stabbed REA, causing her to reveal herself once again.

"You forget we're in the sand." TJT taunted. The two ran at each other again, locking their blades together. REA slowly reached for a knife on her hip, and slowly brought the weapon out into the light. TJT caught a gleam of the metal as it passed through the sun, and let loose a wry laugh. Without a second thought, TJT put more pressure on REA's sword, causing REA to drop her knife and her sword. TJT smiled once again, and did a round-house kick at REA, causing her to fly out into the center of the village.

"You got lucky, TJT." REA shouted, rubbing where TJT had kicked her.

"Leave luck to heaven!" TJT shouted back as she grabbed REA's stuff. REA eyes gleamed as she watched TJT do that.

"I don't want your stuff REA, you can have it." TJT said, and threw the weapons at REA.

"I'll get you next time!" REA hissed, eyes gleaming.

"Sure you will." TJT taunted once again. REA glared, and snapped. She was gone within a blink of the eye.

--

Zamus watched as the troops Zomus had sent him kept showing up on this old field. A perfect place for a large blood bath. Zamus let loose a long and wild laugh as he imagined the "Protectors of the Hydrii" show up to the perfect ambush. Not even the ancient hero, Chosen One, could have survived the attack.

However... He wouldn't lead his troops to their death either... Zamus thought, tapping his chin. He crossed his arms and frowned, if Max was the next Chosen One, why were his troops blindly hunting them down.  Zamus shook the thought away, a win here would provide for a crushing defeat of the "Deadly Four", or so Zomus called them. He turned, and started setting the troops up. The Dire Wolves took the front of the line for they were the fastest of them all. In the trees around the field the Monk-Keys were setting up for their sniper raid. Zamus let loose a smile as he set up the Hooblahs and the Zydrii's. Finally the Whips were behind them all. Zomus had only sent four Whips to do the deed, however if things go smooth, only four Whips would be needed.

"For being a low level boss, you know how to set up a good ambush." a voice behind Zamus said. Zamus turned around, and attempted to draw his sword when he realized he had left it with Seluos.

"You here to give my sword back?" Zamus asked.

"Yeah, it's been fused with the best kind of poison, one hit, and within minutes you'll be dead." Seluos said. She held out the sword with a new sheath.

"What did you do with my old sheath?" Zamus asked, his tone raising.

"That poison would have leaked through the old sheath, killing you, so I created you a new one, for Zomus still needs you alive." she replied. Zamus took the new sword, and slowly unsheathed it. The sword didn't feel right to him... The weight was thrown off, and everything else... He smiled though in spite of the undesirable change, the swords new power should make up for any loss. The steel was now a faint purple and it seemed to give off a kind of aura... The purple color also seemed to pulsate, in time with Zamus's heat rate. Zamus looked up from his new sword and saw that Seluos was gone. He slowly sheathed the weapon, smiling even more. He's become more powerful than Zomus.

--

"HOOBLAH!" A Hooblah shouted as it continued to run. There was something in the darkness, however the small demon could not sense where it was. It shouted once again, attempting to call for back up, and again, nothing happened. The little demon saw a tree, and frantically climbed up it. It looked down, trying to see what had killed its comrades. The Hooblah closed its eyes, and began to search for anything that would be able to take down a pack of twelve Hooblah's so quickly. It started to sense something when the tree started to shake violently. The Hooblah began to yell its name again, however the demon fell off the branch and onto the ground. A wolf from the shadows snapped one of the Hooblah's legs, and jumped back into the shadows. The Hooblah attempted to stand up again, however the pain in its fractured leg caused it to fell back down. Tipsy and Waffles walked out of the shadows, keeping their focus on the Hooblah.

"I wonder if it can speak." Tipsy asked in a low voice.

"All of them can speak, but does it know more than its name." Waffles replied, tail swaying from side to side.

"HOOBLAH." The Hooblah shouted again. Tipsy shook her head, and made eye contact with the demon. The demon began to tremble as Tipsy slowly walked forward.

"HOO-HOO-HOOBLAH." The Hooblah shouted in fear. Tipsy eye's gleamed, and went for the jugular on the demons neck. The demon flinched, but could not avoid the attack. Tipsy clamped down, and ripped the skin off of the Hooblah's neck. The green ooze, which must have been its blood, flooded down to the forest floor.

"I understand why they call you the Bitch of the Forest." Waffles joked. Tipsy smiled at the reference of her old nickname. Tipsy howled, and the pack entered the small clearing with the two alpha wolves. Tipsy slowly looked from side to side, examining the size of their pack.

"I think we need to get some Dire Wolves on our side." Tipsy said.

"What?" Waffles exclaimed in fear.

"We need some inside intel, it will be very useful." Tipsy said, her tail swaying in unison of Waffles.

"You're out of your mind." Waffles said.

"And we are still going to risk it, not all Dire Wolves work for Zomus." Tipsy said. Waffles let out an over exaggerated sigh, Tipsy would not let this idea go.

"Fine, but where do we find them?" he asked.

"Simple, we head north, towards the Dire Forest." Tipsy said, and started her sprint north. Waffles gave a small nod of the head, and the entire pack followed Tipsy's lead.

--

TJT turned her back on the center of the village. Her foot stung since she kicked REA, however, to her, it was worth it. She started to walk back to the hotel when a curious shop caught her eye. She walked in, noting the name of the shop: Hyde Re Wares. She looked around the shop, seeing many different items, from giant clubs to the most curious orbs. She turned and saw a wall full of masks, noting that some looked like the Hydrii's of old. She turned around again, and nearly screamed. There was a man standing behind her, with an expression of total joy on his face. Was he wearing a mask? TJT couldn't tell, however, she could tell this man was a very creepy person.

"You've lost a precious item, haven't you?" the man asked in a nice gentle tone.

"Well, that bitch, REA, destroyed my old one, and apparently it's not the one I need." TJT said. The man let out a laugh, one that pierced all sounds, and was quite disturbing.

"Of course, daughter of Jaklar, your weapon rests with me, do you want it?" he asked.

"Of course!" TJT exclaimed, her eyes growing large.

"Very well, take it." The man said, holding out a sheath. TJT took the sword, and slowly unsheathed it. She gasped as the sword felt better than the one she previously owned. The blade was a deep crimson red, much different than her last sword. The hilt was decorative, with wings as the blade guard, and the hilt itself had a very fine texture to it. TJT swung the sword a few times, noting that the texture was to make sure the sword didn't slip during the heat of battle. She sheathed it, and noticed a very fine tip at the end of the hilt.

"Ah yes, the ever so rare final line of defense." the creepy man said.

"Final line of defense?" TJT asked.

"Yes, as you can see, the tip is sharpened to a fine tip, this tip can be used to pierce even the strongest armor, giving your weapon a slight chance of victory." the creepy man said, and smiled.

"Do you know its name?" TJT asked, hoping the man would.

"Nope, that is something you'll have to do some soul searching for." The creepy man said. "I grow ever so tired, maybe we'll meet again, Tera." And with that, the man walked towards the back, and disappeared into the back room.

"Soul searching, much like Hauntzor and Hazel did huh?" TJT muttered to herself, and started to leave.

"I saw you looking at some of the weapons I own." The creepy man said. TJT turned around in pure fear. How could this guy just pop out of nowhere without being heard?

"Uh... Yeah, they are interesting." TJT said.

"It seems as if you want to bring one with you." the creepy guy said.

"Not really, I have my sword now." TJT said. The man's eyes grew narrow and an expression of pure anger was shown on his face.

"You come into my shop, show curiosity for my wares, and yet you leave without purchasing anything?" the man hissed. "I don't take well to window shoppers." TJT started to slowly back up to the door.

"The only thing I wanted was my sword, of course I'd be curious about your strange wares." TJT said.

"MY STRANGE WARES?" the creepy guy shouted. TJT smiled, and threw the man a wink, and exited the shop. She then made a mad sprint back to the hotel. She looked back and noticed the door to the shop was slowly starting to open.

Great... I'm just going to have to use the window. TJT thought, and made a mad dash to the window. She flipped over the window, not getting caught in the glass, and squatted just below the window. She could hear the man shouting, and once he stopped, TJT stood up, and went into her room. She could hear from across the room Hauntzor and Max having a good time. She couldn't tell what was going on, if they were watching TV or playing games. She smiled, however, because they were doing something to get their minds off of the main goal. A way to keep their sanity. She unsheathed her sword, and attempted to think of its name. She frowned though, she couldn't come up with anything.

Is this really my dad's sword? I've been told time after time each new sword I got has been the right sword, and time after time they've been wrong. TJT thought. It was possible though, because each perspective would have thought one story or another. She looked at the sword again, admiring the color of the blade. It almost looked a blaze.

"Lieft" TJT muttered. Nothing. TJT frowned, her sword obviously wasn't anything to do with fire, even if it looked like it.

Clear your thoughts Tera, you really need to find the name of this weapon or else you'll be more useless than an egg pillow TJT thought to herself, and she looked at her newfound sword again. She took a deeper look at the hilt, she saw that crosshatching on the hilt again, surprised that it wasn't implemented in the more modern hilts. She slowly ran her finger over the hilt until she felt something smooth, like a gem stone. She looked, and almost gasped. At the bottom of the hilt there were four small letters, cut out of amethyst.

"It says Tera..." TJT said. She ran her finger over the gem letters again.

TJT thought long and hard for her name. Something in the deepest parts of her mind kept telling her it's a name within a name. She thought again at what that statement meant, and where it came from. She stood up, and walked to her bed, and sat down. The sword was still in her hand, and she continued to think of its name.

"A name in a name?" TJT asked herself. She knew it was a statement she heard long ago, but she wasn't sure if it was from somebody she knew or not. She remembered that a friend of hers, Seltrah, was a name in a name. When it was spelled backwards it spelled heartless. But Seltrah wasn't heartless, she was actually one of the best friends TJT had ever had... But then she got banned from DA for reasons beyond anyone's control. Suddenly, TJT's eyes lit up.

"TERA." she shouted at her sword. She waited, expecting something to pop out of the ground, however nothing did. TJT frowned again, that was her name, and it was on the sword, but it had no effect.

"I guess I'm just useless, huh?" She said to herself. She was actually a powerful person, with skill in sword fighting, being able to fly, breathing fire... Why couldn't she get this hidden power out of her sword. A name within a name. TJT sheathed the sword and gave up. Her father would have been disappointed with her, she's usually good with these puzzles, and however she just couldn't get this one. She lay on her bed, and looked up at the roof. The sun was just starting to set, and TJT decided it was time to go "soul searching". She grabbed her new sword, and left the hotel. She walked around the town, admiring on how busy it seemed. There were people who were moving unusually fast for the time of day. TJT shook off the thought of an attack, REA had already attacked. She walked past more people, talking in their native tongue, she couldn't catch any of the conversation. TJT continued to walk by people until she got to the end of the town, and found a dock to sit on. This town must be a fisher's men town, a large lake, and a lot of boats still on the lake. TJT glanced at the sun and admired the beauty of the sun as it set into the horizon. The color changed color from a bright yellow to a dull red. Seeing the sun made her think of Seluos for some reason. That was a name within a name, for it spelled soulless when spelled backwards... However even Seluos showed some soul by sparing their lives, twice. TJT stood up, and looked at her sword's sheath, admiring stones on the hilt once again. TJT smiled as they gleamed off the water. TJT looked at the water for a while, admiring the gleam before she noticed a word in the water. The water reflected the name on the hilt, so it had said Aret. TJT paused for a moment. Aret.

"Aret." TJT whispered, and like she expected a stone pillar popped out of the ground. TJT gasped, and dropped her sword. Even though she expected it, she didn't expect the pillar to come out so quick. The people around her looked at the pillar then her, then back at the pillar.

"I'm sorry!" TJT exclaimed, and grabbed her sword.

"It's okay, you are a savior to our people, Aret." one of the townsfolk said.

"My name is..." TJT started, then shook her head. She started to walk away before she was stopped again.

"The devil is haunting us, can you please destroy him?" The townsperson asked her.

"Sure." TJT said. The townspeople all thanked her as she walked back to her hotel room. Aret was the name of her sword, she had finally found it. She got into her room, and lay on her bed once again.

Is all I can do is stone pillars... or can I do more? TJT asked herself. Night fell, and the noise from Max's room finally quieted down. TJT shut her eyes and fell asleep. In her dream, all she could see was a menacing shadow, with horns and two tridents. The eyes glowed red, but that was all she could see for color. TJT shuddered as the monster took a step closer to her.

"Aret, you have come to your death." the monster said. TJT gripped her sword, and took a swing at the menacing being, but the blade hit a trident, and flew out of her hands. The monster let out a horrid laugh, and took another step closer.

TJT woke up screaming, in cold sweat. She looked around her, and began to relax, it was just a dream.

--

Tipsy and Waffles had spent the last two nights running, looking for more wolves to add to their pack. They were all for defeating Zomus, and usually joined. Most of the lone wolves joined as well, it was a pack to call a family. Finally they got to the Dire Wolf territory. Just as Tipsy had expected, there weren't that many Dire Wolves.

"I think they are all working of Zomus." Waffles said, as he looked around the area.

"You have a nose, don't you?" Tipsy asked, and planted her nose into the ground, and sniffed. She looked up, and barked in the direction they were just looking.

"What's there?" Waffles asked.

"Dire Wolves." TJT replied, and took off sprinting in the direction.

"It's clearly a trap!" Waffles shouted, but Tipsy wouldn't listen. Waffles sprinted off after her. The two moved their way through the maze of trees until they came to a dead end.

"Hmm... That's strange." Tipsy said.

"That you've come to a dead end?" Waffles asked.

"No, that the other Dire Wolves haven't found their hiding spot yet." Tipsy said.

"What?" Waffles asked. Instead of showing him, Tipsy walked towards the wall, and she disappeared into it.

"WHAT?" Waffles asked. Waffles walked into the wall too, and he found five hundred or so Dire Wolves.

"How did you find us?" One of the Dire Wolves asked.

"You left a scent." Tipsy replied.

"But that wall should have..."

"I was confused for a moment, you must have a magic user." Tipsy said.

"It's rare for us to have them, but yes." the Dire Wolf said.

"Do you want to help us take down Zomus?" Tipsy asked.

"Hmm... Why would we help you?" The Dire Wolf asked.

"Well..." Tipsy started.

"So you expect us to help you, even though you don't know why we should help you?" the Dire Wolf said.

"Hey bud, you better back down." Waffles growled.

"Or else what, you'll take on all of us?" The Dire Wolf laughed.

"No, but we will tell Zomus where you are." Waffles lied. There was a pause, not a sound was heard for a moment. Waffles kept a straight face, he could tell that he was being read, and any signs of lying would prove fatal.

"Fine." the Dire Wolf spat.

"With your help, we should be able to turn the tables on this war." Tipsy said.

"What do you need my help with?" the Dire Wolf asked.

"We need you to go undercover." Tipsy said. Silence filled the hidden cave again.

"So you want us to go Zomus, and act as your eyes?" the Dire Wolf asked.

"Totally." Tipsy replied.

"You're brave." the Dire Wolf said.

"It's important, will you do it?" Tipsy asked. The Dire Wolf nodded. He let out a howl, and left the cave, however, the rest of the pack stayed in.

"We'll do what you want, Mistress." one of the Dire Wolves said. Tipsy nodded, and left the cave. Waffles waited, and left the cave as well. Tipsy howled, and the rest of her pack showed up, and barked to tell the Dire Wolves to join them.

"Let's move out." Tipsy said, and the large pack of wolves started sprinting back to DA.


--

Rap unsheathed his sword, and stabbed through an enemy Hooblah. He turned, and thrust his claw through the other Hooblah's chest, and grabbed what he thought was a heart. He pulled it out, and smiled as the Hooblah let out a dying screech. Rap turned around, and saw Tasha and Miracle Misha back to back, fighting a pair of Zydrii's. Rap took a step before he got tripped up. He looked at the ground, and saw a black tail.

"Zamus!" Rap shouted, and rolled back on his feet.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Zamus said, and unsheathed his new sword. Rap noted that it had a new hue, and an aura around the blade.

"You won't get out of this alive." Rap hissed.

"That's what I was thinking." Zamus said, and thrust his sword at Rap. Rap easily rolled to the side, and swung his sword around in a circle as he got up. Zamus got hit with most of the attack, and was flung into a tree. The sword, however, got lost somewhere in the woods.

"Looks like I learned some new moves." Rap said, and laughed. Zamus snapped, and his new blade was back in his hand.

"Looks like I learned some new moves." Zamus mocked. Rap was about to run up to him, but stopped himself.

"Dagger, NOW!!" Rap shouted. Out of nowhere Dagger landed on Zamus back, and started to cut through his armor. Once most of the links were done, Dagger pulled the armor off, and took one of his daggers, and stabbed Zamus's back.

"Why you stupid boy." Zamus muttered under his breath, and swung his sword at Dagger. Dagger quickly grabbed one of Zamus's nostrils and pulled himself over his head. He winked at Zamus before letting go, and disappearing into the woods again. Zamus paused, and took some time to analyze where Dagger went, but he couldn't see him. Before he knew it, however, Rap had thrust his sword into his chest. Zamus laughed as the sword bent the moment of contact. Rap cussed, and threw the sword away, and lifted up his claws.

"Let's dance." Rap said. Zamus laughed, and took another swipe at Rap. Rap dodged the blade, and ran up to the large Hydrii. He slid beneath him, and grabbed his tail. From there he quickly crawled up his back, and punched a few holes in his wings. Zamus howled, and tried to stab Rap again, but he couldn't see where Rap was, and missed him completely. Tasha and Miracle Misha had finally finished off the two Zydrii's and started to focus their attention on Zamus.

Zamus's blade is poisoned! Dimitri said.

"I know, but Rap is being extra careful as well." Miracle Misha said.

"Do we use magic, or do we allow Rap to fight this by himself." Tasha asked.

"We use magic, give him the edge, but don't get in his way." Miracle Misha replied. Tasha nodded, and folded her hands over each other and closed her mind.

Is she trying...! Dimitri exclaimed.

"TASHA, DON'T!!" Miracle Misha shouted. Tasha couldn't stop herself now though. Her mind attempted to intrude Zamus, and it was obvious that Zamus sensed the attack, for his attacks stopped for a moment. In this moment, Rap was able to unsheathe his other sword, and take a stab at Zamus Once again Zamus howled, and the connection between him and Tasha was broken. Tasha collapsed, leaving her defenseless. Miracle Misha watched Rap and Zamus battle it out, and decided that she should tend to Tasha. Finally Zamus kicked Rap, and Rap flew towards a tree in the distance.

"This is growing ever so tiresome, if you want to have a battle to death, meet me in the bowl just ahead.' Zamus said, and turned his back.

"Warrior Rule number 1, never turn your back on a live enemy." Rap said, and threw his sword. The blade stuck in between Zamus's wings. Zamus howled in pain yet again, but continued to walk away. Rap got up, and adjusted his clothes.

"Heh, didn't expect him here." Rap said, and wiped some blood off of his face. The rest of the gang showed up from hiding in the forest.

"That wasn't too bad." Dagger said.

"Yeah, his ambush almost backfired!" Tim said, and laughed.

"Is Tasha okay?" Rap asked.

"She's doing fine, it was a brave move for her to do." Miracle Misha said.

I'll be sure to help her next time if she decides to get brave again. Dimitri said.

"Yeah, she shouldn't use it on enemies that aren't tired." Miracle Misha said. Rap turned, and looked in the direction that Zamus was walking.

"We'll be heading there soon enough." Rap said.

"But we rest?" Tim asked.

"And plan our battle strategy, I bet he has an ambush ready." Rap said. Everyone nodded, and set up their camp again. Rap walked over to Misty, and looked at her tablet.

"You're right, there is a large amount of enemies in that bowl area." Misty said.

"Good, we can make a dent in his army." Rap said, and started to sharpen his claws.

--

The Knights of the Hydrii got up early that morning, and left the hotel. They turned south, and started to walk in the direction where they last saw Zomus.

"It feels weird that he's on the run." Max said as he shined his sword.

"I bet that he's scared." Hauntzor said.

"Scared of me?" Hazel asked. Both Max and Hauntzor nodded.

"So TJT, did you get a new sword?" Max asked, not knowing the events that had transpired.

"Yeah, it's called Aret." TJT said, and made sure not to summon a stone pillar.

"I guess we're finally complete." Max said. TJT nodded, and they continued to walk towards the desert the loomed before them. The wind started to pick up, and created a massive sandstorm, making their quest just a little harder.

"IT'S REALLY HOT." Hazel said over wind.

"We have to keep moving, we've lost too much time already." Max yelled back. The wind picked up even more, making it impossible to see, and the team finally decided to sit down, and wait the sandstorm out.

"This can't be natural." Hauntzor said.

"It has to be." Max said, and squinted trying to see if there was anything out there. Max pulled out a journal, and started to jot down some notes.

"What's that?" TJT asked.

"It's an adventure journal, it allows me to keep in mind what powers to use and not to use." Max said, thinking about his last fiasco. After a while, the wind finally died down, and the Knights of the Hydrii proceeded to follow what they believed was Zomus's trail. Max looked up at the sun, it was finally starting to sink slowly towards the horizon. Max turned his attention back to where he was walking when he noticed Zomus.

"You guys ready?" Max asked, and unsheathed Nova.

"Ready as you are." TJT replied, and unsheathed Aret. Hauntzor slowly unsheathed TøřŕǗň and gave the other three a slow nod. Hazel unsheathed ŠprẫĶ, and gave a look at Max that showed she was unsure if she could do this. Max nodded, and all four of them ran towards Zomus.

"Seems like Davey Jones wasn't able to stop you." Zomus said. He took a hand, and ran it through his hair, and looked back at the four.

"Your time on this planet has ended." Max said, and ran up to Zomus. Zomus snapped, and Max stopped mid-run.

"No, your time has expired." Zomus chuckled. He turned his back, twirling something in his hand.

"You're not going to win this battle!" Hazel shouted.

"Who says I have too?" Zomus asked. Hazel paused, and thought about the question.

"Your mind games won't work here." Hauntzor said.

"But it will work in Hell." Zomus said, and dropped the thing in his hand. Max had finally broken out of whatever spell Zomus had put him in, and glared at the Hydrii. Suddenly the ground began to shake violently, and a five point star appeared on the sand.

"Meet El Diablo, he'll be your escort out of this life."