Fan:Sky Lane, Hero of the Venture League
| Sky Lane, Hero of the Venture League | |
|---|---|
| Author: | |
| Completion Status: |
Complete |
Chapter 1
Sky Lane had loved her ship, the Venture Explorer, and its important job of transporting new Nexus Force recruits to Nimbus Station. Of course, this had all ended when her prized ship was overtaken by the Maelstrom. She had helped with the evacuation effort, and was the last one off the ship. Everyone - as far as she knew - escaped, and she had even seen her good friend Bob heading to Nimbus Station when she'd reached the edge of Avant Gardens. Apparently, he'd joined the Sentinels. After that, she had mostly stayed around that area; it was one of the calmest places in the Universe, and even a Venture League Explorer needed to rest sometimes. That is until one day, when the peace was shattered.
She had been meandering around the Launch Area when she heard the deafening and unmistakable sound of an explosion. She looked in the direction of the explosion and saw the purple smoke curling over the trees. She knew what was in that direction—the Sentinel Encampment. She wasted no time. She sprinted down the road until she reached the Assembly Monument, leaped off the edge of the broken road, did a flip, and hit the ground running. She ran across the bridge and through the tunnel leading to the Sentinel Encampment.
She was horrified at what she saw. Tons of Dark Spiderlings, Chainsaw Stromlings, and more were attacking the base. She heard Beck Strongheart yell, "CLOSE THE GATE!" and the makeshift gate fell. Sky kept going until she was at the middle of the base. It seemed that the crisis had barely been averted.
Then, the walls exploded.
Chapter 2
The Sentinel guards on the front lines were smashed instantly by the explosion.
"It's not over yet..." Beck muttered.
"Hey, Commander Beck, do you have a weapon I can use?" Sky asked.
"Oh, Sky Lane! Yes, here's one." He tossed her two pistols. "Head out to the battlefield and give Epsilon a hand. These are overwhelming odds."
Sky put her helmet on. She scanned the perimeter, seeing a small blotch of blue in the purple. She charged her blasters and ran.
There were hundreds of Stromlings on the battlefield. They must have decided that all Nexus Force members in Avant Gardens had to go. There were a few new recruits, with no protective gear at all, strewn around the plain. They lasted about three seconds between when Sky saw them and when they were infected. Sky began firing wildly, trying to clear as many Stromlings out of the way as possible. The sooner she reached Epsilon, the better. She had almost reached him when two Chainsaw Stromlings jumped out in front of her. The one on the left tried to poke her with his spinning blade, but she jumped into the air and fired a shot downward from both pistols, smashing him instantly. The second one raised his blade and tried to bring it down on her as she landed, but she dodged, firing two more shots as she spun. Now the way to Epsilon was clear. Sky was about to run over to him when she noticed something approaching. As it got closer, she recognized it—it was Wisp Lee, clearly infected by the Maelstrom. He carried a purple katana and was followed by four Hammer Stromlings. He walked calmly up to Epsilon and began rapidly slashing at him. Epsilon equally calmly parried every slash with the blade on his gun. However, the Hammer Stromlings were advancing, and Sky knew Epsilon wouldn't be able to fight five tough foes at once. She jumped into a tree and sniped each Hammer Stromling before it reached Epsilon. Wisp didn't even notice. He continued his attack, and a strike to the handle of Epsilon's gun disarmed him. Wisp kicked him and he fell to the ground.
"It's over, Epsilon Starcracker," Wisp said calmly. "You have a choice. Be infected or be destroyed. I'd choose the former."
"I'll never join you!" Epsilon said.
"Then prepare to meet your end."
"Not if I can help it." Sky said. She fired a shot which sent Wisp's sword spiraling out of his hand. Epsilon caught it and knocked Wisp over with the flat of the blade. He grabbed Wisp and turned to Sky.
"I've got to get Wisp here to the hospital!" he said.
"Sure, but what about the attack?" Sky said.
"Look around. He must have been in charge. The Stromlings are calling off the attack." Sure enough, they were retreating. With that, he flew off, and Sky walked back to Beck.
"Well, the battle of the base is over," she said.
"Sure," Beck said. "Now we just have to rebuild the base. You have time to help out?" "I do." Sky said, and they began the difficult task of repairing the fortress.
Chapter 3
Grim Daisho floated toward the Paradox Refinery. The attack on the Sentinel Encampment had failed, thanks to the Venture League Explorer known as Sky Lane. Well, he would lead an army to destroy the Paradox Refinery better than Wisp Lee would have dreamed. The only obstacle to the attack was Brick Fury, the super soldier. Of course, Paradox had never suspected anyone to attack from the other direction. They were wrong. Luckily, the workers were inside, having a lunch break. Grim approached Brick Fury. He was smashing Horsemen and Ronin like he always was. Grim could have stabbed Brick Fury in the back right there, but he had an honor code. He lightly poked Fury with his katana and Fury turned around. And laughed.
"ONE Ronin? And you think you can stop ME?"
"Yes," Grim said coldly, "I do." He stabbed his sword into Brick Fury's laser cannon.
"Oh." Fury said. Grim pulled his sword out of the cannon as lightning began shooting out of it. He flew as fast as he could toward the Refinery, and the sound of an explosion told him that he'd smashed Brick Fury.
It was time. He headed for the battlefield and raised his sword into the air. The point glinted in the light.
"I AM GRIM DAISHO! I SMASHED BRICK FURY, AND I AM YOUR LEADER! UNDER MY COMMAND, THE PARADOX REFINERY WILL BE DESTROYED!"
"DESTROY THE REFINERY!" the crowd of Ronin and Horsemen echoed.
And so, they began to plan their attack. Soon, the balance in the war against the Nexus Force was going to change...
Chapter 4
The rebuilding of the Sentinel base was going slowly but surely. Melodie Foxtrot held off the Stromlings while everyone else continued to build the walls. Sky had never seen her leave the camp before, although since the Battle Siren had been destroyed by the explosion, she had nothing better to do. The rebuilding was going smoothly until Beck got a call on his radio. Sky looked up at him from her work.
"Yes...WHAT? The Paradox Refinery?! I'll send someone right away, Miss Darkflame." Beck turned to Sky. "Well, Sky, you're needed on the other side of the Universe. Head over to the Paradox Refinery in Forbidden Valley and help with the defense effort."
"Why?" Sky asked.
"There's no time to talk. Use some of the bricks from the wall to build a space transport. Get to the refinery as fast as you can! Vanda Darkflame will brief you when you get there."
Sky did as she was told. She jumped into the cockpit of her newly-built ship. She heard Beck call, "Good luck!" as the cockpit closed. Sky had been in the Nexus Air Force, and she knew how to fly a ship like this. The ship, under her control, lifted high off the ground, and flew off. As Sky flew into space, she checked her map and flew toward Forbidden Valley. She'd never been to the Paradox Refinery, but judging from the explosions flaring up from one location, she was fairly certain that this was the refinery. She landed her ship and jumped out. Several Paradox Minifigures were fighting against Dark Ronin and Maelstrom Horsemen. There was a huge, flaming building with the symbol of Paradox on it. Sky was starting to walk toward it when two people stepped out of the shadows. One was a ninja girl who had two katanas strapped to her back. The other was a Sorcerer
"Are you..." Sky asked.
"Yes," said the ninja, "I am Vanda Darkflame, leader of Paradox. This Sorcerer next to me is one of my assistants, Fred. Here's our situation..." Vanda explained the mysterious destruction of Brick Fury, the attack of Ronin and Horsemen, and the peril the refinery was in.
"A Dark Ronin Invader named Grim Daisho is inside the refinery already. If he reaches the reactor core..." Fred said.
"So, here's what you will do," Vanda said in a commanding tone, "Head into the refinery and hunt down Grim Daisho, preferably before he reaches the reactor core. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT capture him. I want him smashed. After doing so, report back to me. Fred and I will hold off the army of Maelstrom outside. Understood?"
"Understood." Sky said.
She walked through the ruined door, into the refinery.
Chapter 5
Sky entered the dark hallway, and the first thing she noticed was that it was empty.
"This makes it easier," she thought.
She kept walking until she was close to the door to the next room. Then, four Dark Ronin jumped out from the shadows, followed by one purplish one. Sky had never been to Crux Prime, and she didn't know what a Dark Ronin Invader looked like, but she assumed that this was Grim Daisho.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Daisho said. "Now I'm afraid you will need to leave so I can continue blowing up this refinery."
"As if," Sky said. She charged forward, pistols roaring, smashing all four Dark Ronin. Daisho dodged, flipped over Sky's head, and slashed as she turned. She tried to avoid the blade, but the Ronin was too fast and his katana blade grazed her boot. She flew backwards but managed to land on the ground in front of the door. She fired two more bullets, knocking Daisho backwards. Sky thought she had gained the upper hand.
"You won't smash me now," Daisho said.
Sky thumbed back the hammer of her right pistol. "Why not?"
Daisho moved faster than anything Sky had ever seen. He threw his sword, and the blade knocked the pistols from Sky's hands, but fell to the ground before hitting her. It flew back into the corrupted samurai's hand.
Sky raised a eyebrow, then looked down. There was a neat, square shaped incision in the ground under her feet. Sky heard a creak, and the floor gave way beneath her. Sky flipped into the air off the broken chunk of floor, and looked down. Race cars zoomed by underneath her.
"Of course. Dragonmaw Chasm." Sky thought.
She caught the edge of the floor of the refinery and pulled herself up. The door was open, and Daisho was nowhere to be seen. He had kept going. Sky gritted her teeth. She had to stop him from reaching the reactor core. She didn't have any idea what she'd do even if she did catch him, since she was now weaponless.
"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." she thought, and ran straight through the door, in hot pursuit of Grim Daisho.
Chapter 6
Sky entered the dark hallway, and the first thing she noticed was that it was empty.
"This makes it easier," she thought.
She kept walking until she was close to the door to the next room. Then, four Dark Ronin jumped out from the shadows, followed by one purplish one. Sky had never been to Crux Prime, and she didn't know what a Dark Ronin Invader looked like, but she assumed that this was Grim Daisho.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Daisho said. "Now I'm afraid you will need to leave so I can continue blowing up this refinery."
"As if," Sky said. She charged forward, pistols roaring, smashing all four Dark Ronin. Daisho dodged, flipped over Sky's head, and slashed as she turned. She tried to avoid the blade, but the Ronin was too fast and his katana blade grazed her boot. She flew backwards but managed to land on the ground in front of the door. She fired two more bullets, knocking Daisho backwards. Sky thought she had gained the upper hand.
"You won't smash me now," Daisho said.
Sky thumbed back the hammer of her right pistol. "Why not?"
Daisho moved faster than anything Sky had ever seen. He threw his sword, and the blade knocked the pistols from Sky's hands, but fell to the ground before hitting her. It flew back into the corrupted samurai's hand.
Sky raised a eyebrow, then looked down. There was a neat, square shaped incision in the ground under her feet. Sky heard a creak, and the floor gave way beneath her. Sky flipped into the air off the broken chunk of floor, and looked down. Race cars zoomed by underneath her.
"Of course. Dragonmaw Chasm." Sky thought.
She caught the edge of the floor of the refinery and pulled herself up. The door was open, and Daisho was nowhere to be seen. He had kept going. Sky gritted her teeth. She had to stop him from reaching the reactor core. She didn't have any idea what she'd do even if she did catch him, since she was now weaponless.
"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." she thought, and ran straight through the door, in hot pursuit of Grim Daisho.
Chapter 7
Sky walked into the reactor room and looked around. No one was there. Had she somehow outraced Daisho? She walked forward, to the middle of the room. She heard a slight movement and whipped around, just in time to see Daisho hurtling toward her, katana outstretched. Sky flipped to the right, but her foe was already turning and he slashed. Sky used her own sword to block the attack, but she wasn't used to wielding such a weapon and Daisho knocked the blade out of his way, then started rapidly slashing her. Sky tried to shift position, but Daisho out sped her again and sent her flying through one of the reactor's orbs of Maelstrom energy with a horizontal slash. Sky continued moving through the air and crashed into the wall before falling unconscious.
Sky Lane opened her now-red eyes and saw a Dark Ronin Invader standing in front of her. She felt the Maelstrom flowing through her, and suddenly she knew exactly how to use the katana she held. She knew that one stroke of the sword would smash the Ronin easily. But oddly, she felt no urge to do so. She didn't know why, but she didn't care. She also knew something else: this was not her Master, Grim Daisho. It was a fake. She decided that her first order of business would be to find her Master. She wasn't sure what compelled her to serve him, but again, she didn't care.
"Where is-" she began to ask the Ronin, but suddenly a Sorcerer strode through the door. Sky knew his name was Fred.
"Sky! I finally caught up with you! Are you..."
Sky wasted no time. She leaped into the air and slashed Fred, sending him flying off his feet. Sky approached him, but to her surprise, he raised his orb and energy collided with her body and was absorbed. Sky suddenly felt even more powerful and sent a stronger wave of Maelstrom back at the Sorcerer with her blade. The blast knocked him several more feet, but he flipped and landed on his feet, following up with several swings of his wand which Sky leaped over. She used her new power to carry her to him.
"Fred, I will give you a choice. Be infected or be smashed."
"I'll never willingly be infected by you!" he spat back.
"Then you leave me with no other choice." Sky raised her katana, but Fred batted her aside with his staff and charged out the door.
"Shall I pursue?" the Ronin Invader behind her asked.
"Don't bother," Sky replied without turning . "He doesn't matter. Now, I must find my Master."
She spun, smashing the infected statue, and walked out the door. Sky walked through the hallway, smashing everything in her path, and was about to exit the refinery when three ninjas stepped out of the shadow, weapons drawn.
Chapter 8
The middle ninja was Vanda Darkflame, the other two were just red ninjas.
"Stop!" Vanda said. "Or we'll stop you ourselves."
Sky smirked. She slashed at the ninja on the right, but he was ready and parried the blow with his own katana. Sky held her blade against his, then kicked him, sending him flying across the room. Sky marveled at her sudden strength. She leaped over to the fallen ninja and blasted him, infecting him with the Maelstrom. He turned to the other ninja and they began to battle, though the uninfected one was clearly outmatched. Within seconds, he was infected too.
"Block the exit so Darkflame can't escape," Sky said. The ninjas obeyed. Sky swung a slash at Vanda, who blocked the attack with one sword and slashed at Sky with the other. Sky leaped over the blade of Vanda's katana and swung her own blade downward. Vanda rolled backward, right into the grasp of the ninjas blocking the doorway.
"Let...me...go!" Vanda yelled. The ninjas ignored her.
"Normally, I'd give you a choice of whether to be infected or not, like I did Fred, but you'd be too useful to me and I can't risk you getting away." Sky blasted the Paradox leader with Maelstrom, and she was infected.
Vanda looked at Sky. "What is your command, Master?" the now-rogue ninja asked.
"Follow me for now. My own Master, Grim Daisho, will instruct us when we find him." Sky replied.
The group walked out of the refinery and into the sunlight, and the battle seemed to be over, with the Nexus Force on top.
"Smash any remaining Minifigures," Sky said.
"It will be done," Vanda said. And a few seconds later, it was. Sky turned to the path leading back to the Great Tree, and, amazingly, Grim Daisho stood right in front of her.
"There you are," Daisho said. "Good job securing the refinery. We'll be back to destroy it later. For now, head for the Great Tree. Our next target is it and the two main ninjas there, Numb Chuck and Master Fong Shader. When you're done, head to the top of the tree. I'll be waiting." With that, Sky's Master vanished.
"Well then," Sky said, already sprinting, "Let's go!" She jumped on to the bouncer, followed by Vanda and her ninja followers. As she spun, she noticed her outfit was changing to the colors of the Maelstrom, black and purple, and a breastplate had formed around it. Sky took off her helmet when she landed and, as she had suspected, it too had changed. It had become black and similar to a Mega Helm in shape.
"Interesting..." Sky murmured.
Chapter 9
Epsilon Starcracker was strolling through Avant Gardens and looking at the fine new Sentinel Encampment base when a newspaper flew into his face. He grabbed it and read it. The headline said:
"VANDA DARKFLAME INFECTED BY MAELSTROM THANKS TO FORMER PILOT OF VENTURE EXPLORER".
"Sky?" he wondered. "Guess I know where I'm going." He headed under the destroyed bridge where he concealed his ship and got in. The engines roared to life and he flew off toward Forbidden Valley. He landed at the Paradox Refinery where a very weak-looking Echs Ray was trying to hold off several infected refinery workers who were attacking him. Epsilon flew in front of him with his jet pack and gunned them down without hesitation.
"Epsilon? You just smashed most of my coworkers!" Echs said.
"You're welcome," Epsilon said.
"So I assume you heard the news? Sky infected Vanda and all that?"
"Yep. Where did they go?"
"I saw them heading that way," he said, pointing to the bouncer. "The Great Tree's that way. They could be after Fong or Numb Chuck."
"Thanks!" Epsilon said, already moving. He jumped into his ship and headed for the Great Tree.
When he landed, it was chaos. Numb Chuck and Master Fong were battling Vanda and Sky, and Fong was losing. Numb, on the other hand, was doing well against Vanda. Or, at least, he was, until one of her strikes got through and infected him. He turned and went for Gathermaster Klex. At the same time, an infected Brickmaster Clang was battling Smashmaster Foom. In a few seconds, all were infected. Sky turned, noticing Epsilon for the first time.
"Oh, hi, Epsilon. I'm afraid I'm going to have to infect you now."
"Sorry, friend. Not today." he said, zooming toward her with his blade pointed. She sidestepped and kicked his jet pack, smashing it. He crashed into a branch.
"Leave us," Sky told the ninjas. The shadows seemed to envelope them and they were gone. Epsilon turned and pointed his gun at Sky.
"You wouldn't shoot me," she said.
Epsilon knew what to do. He loaded a Notion Potion into his gun.
"I will," he said, firing, the blue imagination hurtling toward his infected friend. She raised her hand and fired a bolt of Maelstrom at Epsilon at the same time. The blasts both hit their marks, and as the red left Sky's eyes, it entered Epsilon's.
Chapter 10
Sky stood up. She was uninfected. Epsilon had saved her, she knew that, but at what cost? She walked over to his still body.
"Epsilon? You alright?"
"Never been better," he said, shooting her in the chest. She flew backward, flipped, and landed on her feet.
"What...how did I do that?"
"If I had to guess," Epsilon said. "It's that armor you're wearing. I hate to destroy Maelstrom, but..." He loaded another Notion Potion into his gun, but Sky dodged the shot that followed. She charged forward, with her blade out. She slashed at her friend, who tried to parry the blow, but the strength of Sky's swing knocked Epsilon's blade out of the way. He rolled backward and fired four more shots. Sky rolled to the right to avoid the first three, then leaped into the air and fired a bolt of Maelstrom from her hand. The armor was still supplying Sky with its power. The blast hit Epsilon in the head and he fell to the ground. Sky ran over to him and pulled a Notion Potion from his belt and shoved it down his throat. He grabbed her and threw her off.
"Looks like that blast has made me immune to those Notion Potions. Can't stop me now, Sky." Epsilon said.
"What? No!" Sky yelled. Epsilon ran toward his ship and jumped in. The engines purred, and the ship took off toward Crux Prime.
"Epsilon, I will not give up. I will purge the Maelstrom from you." Sky said. She turned in the direction of the Paradox Refinery when Grim Daisho appeared in front of her.
"Hello, Sky."
"You." She threw her sword and it smashed the Ronin instantly. But Sky was sure he'd be back. For now, she was headed for Crux Prime. She ran back to the refinery and took off.
Chapter 11
Sky flew through space until she reached a barren, rocky world. She landed her ship at the launchpad to Nimbus Station and got out.
"Hey! Welcome to Crux Prime. I'm Lieutenant Bronson Jarls." a nervous-looking Minifigure with a sword and ripple gun said.
"I'm Sky Lane. I'm looking for Epsilon Starcracker. Have you seen him?"
"The spaceman? He blew by here earlier. I think he was headed for Caldera Mar."
Sky raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah, you've never been here. It's that way," he said, pointing.
"Thanks!" Sky said, starting to move.
"Wait!" Jarls said. "Take this Nexus Force Supply Crate. I don't know what's in it, but it could be a good replacement for that infected armor."
"Thanks again!" Sky flipped onto the battlefield and ran toward Caldera Mar. She came to the edge of a huge pit and stopped.
"I knew you would follow me," Epsilon said.
Sky raised her hand but failed to fire a blast of Maelstrom.
"Look down," Epsilon said. Sky did. As she had suspected, the Maelstrom was leaving her armor and her pilot uniform was returning to normal. This was probably not a good thing. She slashed at Epsilon, who easily parried the blow then slashed. Sky rolled to the side and slashed with her own sword. Epsilon tried to dodge the blow, but miscalculated and the blade knocked him into the pit.
'Well,' Sky thought. 'This is as good a time as any to open this crate.' She opened it and a shield with a bat insignia on it fell out, along with a staff of a similar design, a helmet, a shirt, and a pair of pants.
"Bat Lord gear." Sky breathed. She equipped it and jumped into the pit. Epsilon stood before her, along with the ninjas she'd infected earlier.
"Hi, Sky. Get ready to lose." Epsilon said.
Chapter 12
Epsilon raised his hand and all the Stromling Invaders in the pit gathered into a group and attacked. Sky easily dispatched them with a Spinning Shield Slam. Next, Admirals attacked, led by a red-eyed one.
"Yarr, I'm Admiral Flogmorrrrrrre." he said.
They sank their anchors into the ground and Sky began smashing them one by one as they fired purple rings. Flogmore was the last to go down. Finally, the ninjas attacked. Fong and Foom attacked with katana and hammer, and Sky was winning the battle until Numb Chuck, Klex, and Clang sneaked behind Sky and grabbed her. She made one last desperate swing of her staff which smashed Fong and Foom. Vanda approached her.
"Now," she said. "You will be infected or smashed. Take your pick."
"I won't ever willingly be infected!" Sky said.
"Well then..." Vanda said raising her sword.
Suddenly there was a small, purple explosion from behind Vanda, and she fell to the ground, and then Fred was there, flanked by Bronson Jarls and a Daredevil Sky had never seen before. They shoved Notion Potions down the throats of the ninjas. They advanced on Epsilon.
"WHAT?!" Epsilon yelled. "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?" He activated his new jet pack and flew out of the pit.
"Not again..." Sky moaned.
"Don't worry, Sky." Fred said. "We'll get Epsilon back."
"Follow me," the Daredevil said. He had built a bouncer which they jumped onto. It took them back to Studburst Pass.
"Thanks," Sky said. "But who's the Daredevil?"
"Call me Hurricane." he said.
"Okay, Hurricane. Now, let's go after Epsilon." Sky said.
"Great idea," Jarls said. "But where is he?"
"Judging from the glow of Maelstrom coming from Aura Mar, he's probably there," Fred said.
They took off running toward the battlefield.
Chapter 13
As the band of explorers reached Aura Mar, they saw the chaos already breaking out. Epsilon was glowing a fierce purple, and the Stromlings left a huge space around him. All that got close were smashed instantly. As Sky watched, a portal ripped through the sky and a shape came out. It seemed to be wearing a top hat, but other than that, it seemed like just a blob. Epsilon looked up and raised his arms. The shape shot through the air and entered the Space Ranger's body, turning his armor black and his visor red. He laughed.
"I am the Darkitect! Prepare to meet your end, Minifigures." Epsilon said.
"So," Sky said. "This was Epsilon's plan. Become the Darkitect and destroy the Nexus Force. Well, we will go down fighting!" The explorers raised their weapons and charged. The Darkitect smirked. He flicked Fred, the closest, sending him flying into a cliff face. Immediately, the infected Sorcerer pointed his staff and shot a beam of Maelstrom that cut through Jarls, Klex, and Clang, smashing them, as well as destroying Sky's staff. Hurricane, Vanda, and Numb Chuck turned.
"Sky!" Hurricane said. "Take this!" He threw her what looked like the front of a motorcycle. The Daredevil's Valiant Weapon, the Rutcarver.
"And these," Vanda said, throwing Sky some Super Notion Potions.
Sky leaped onto the bike and sped toward Fred, mowing down any Stromlings that got in the way. He sidestepped, but Sky drifted around and came at him again. When he tried to dodge, she grabbed him and poured a Notion Potion into his mouth.
"Alright," Fred said. "Now, here's the plan..."
Chapter 14
The Rutcarver roared toward the Darkitect as Fred leaped off, pulling out a Fantastic Pilum. He flew toward the Darkitect until he stepped out of the way and Fred had to plant his weapon into the ground to avoid plummeting off the edge of Crux Prime.
"Fred! We're not going to be able to win this fight!" Vanda said. "Everyone follow me!"
They ran until they reached a place Sky had never been before. There was a pilot under a green shield zone, but the area was otherwise deserted.
"Hey! I'm Sherland Powers!" the pilot said. "Come over here. It's safe under my shield."
"From the Darkitect himself?" Vanda asked skeptically.
Sherland's eyes widened.
"Anyway," Vanda said, "There's a large concentration of Imagination on the other side of this rock wall. If we can get to it, we might be able to stop the Darkitect. Does anyone have bricks?"
"I do," Hurricane and Fred said in unison.
"Okay. Here's what we'll do. We'll build a cannon to weaken the wall. Then, Sky, use the Rutcarver to break through. Got it?"
"Got it," Sky, Fred, and Hurricane said.
Soon a laser was blasting the wall. Sky leaped onto the Rutcarver and drove toward the weakened point. It shattered, but Sky couldn't slow down and was thrown right through the wall.
Chapter 15
As Sky moved through the air, she slowed down until finally, she stopped. She was suspended in midair by the energy flowing through the area, which she knew was pure Imagination. As she looked around, she saw that she was surrounded by stone on all four sides, but there was not a floor or ceiling. Sky thought she could hear her name being called by the others, but she wasn't sure.
The Imagination began to swirl around Sky. Suddenly, it spread out, and for a terrifying second Sky thought she'd fall. Then, the energy shot toward her. It entered her body and she felt it moving, reminding her of her earlier infection. Something changed within her mind and a new entity stood.
Fred, meanwhile, was curious as to what had happened, but also afraid. Had Sky survived? No one knew what was on the other side of Rivendark Canyon, if anything.
"Sky? Can you hear me?" he called.
"Careful," Vanda said. "The Darkitect might hear you."
Fred thought he could see Imagination moving in the canyon. But wouldn't Sky plummet down? He didn't have any experience with raw Imagination. Maybe she wouldn't.
"Should I go in after her?" he asked.
"No," Vanda said. "Your weapons would be nullified, possibly permanently."
"Hey!" Hurricane said. "What's that?"
Fred looked toward the hole in the wall, where he saw a blue Minifigure coming through. The Minifigure had long hair and the symbol of Imagination on its chest.
A Mythran.
"Well, that's something you don't see every day." Sherland remarked.
"Hi, guys!" Sky Lane said cheerfully. "Ready to take down the Darkitect?"
Chapter 16
Vanda approached Sky.
"Sky? Are you really a Mythran now?"
"I suppose so." she said. "There certainly is a lot of Imagination back there."
She snapped her fingers (Author's note: I consider the Minifigure's hand to have two fingers. Just clearing things up.) and the Imagination disappeared and her Bat Lord armor and Rutcarver reappeared.
"Well," she said, "let's go." They headed back to Aura Mar, where the Darkitect was waiting.
"Done hiding?" he asked. He raised his hand and from the ground rose a countless amount of Dark Ronin Invaders, led by a red-armored Grim Daisho.
"Daisho." Sky gritted her teeth.
Vanda, Numb, Fred, and Hurricane raced toward the Ronin, firing shots and slashing their swords. But they were outmatched. Within a few seconds, they were all defeated, held in the arms of a Ronin.
Sky ran toward the Invaders until she reached the center. She changed into her Mythran form and released a blast of Imagination that smashed them all except Daisho.
"What? A Mythran?" Daisho asked in surprise.
A long, blue spear appeared in Sky's hand.
"Indeed," the Mythran said, and charged.
Chapter 17
Daisho ran. Well, flew. He'd been powered up by the Darkitect, but still, he didn't know if he could take on a Mythran, especially one that hated him. He looked back. The Mythran was gaining on him, but he could fly and she couldn't. Or at least, he hoped she couldn't. He was almost at the edge of Aura Mar. But so was Sky. Daisho leaped off the edge and kept moving. He turned around and saw a jet pack on his pursuer's back. He swung his katana, sending powerful waves of Maelstrom at Sky. She dodged them easily, but they hit her friends, infecting them. They fired their weapons at her, but she just sent a wave of Imagination back at them. Why wasn't the Darkitect helping Daisho? He was just watching, smiling at the chaos. Daisho was starting to think he wouldn't last much longer. Suddenly, he had an idea. He looped around, as fast as he could, until he reached a stone platform with Maelstrom gas all around it. He flew through it and landed. Sky landed next to him. She stabbed at him with her spear, but he ducked, and Butterscorch sent flames right at the Mythran. She was knocked off her feet, and lay on the ground, unmoving. Daisho slowly floated toward her.
"Well, Sky Lane, it looks like this is the end of the road for you," Daisho said.
"Ditto." Sky rolled under Daisho and he felt her spear's point pierce his armor. He was smashed.
"Goodbye, Daisho." Sky said. Finally, her nemesis was gone. She'd finally gotten rid of the one who started this whole thing. Now, it was time to face the Darkitect.
Chapter 18
While Sky was flying toward the Darkitect, she felt as if she was being followed. She turned, and Butterscorch was right behind her. She kept moving, a little faster, until she landed at the plateau the Darkitect was now standing on. He fired a blast of energy at her, but it missed by a lot.
"Is that the best you can do?" Sky asked.
"Turn around," the Darkitect said.
Butterscorch had turned red, just as Grim Daisho had, and was twice as big. She roared, sending a blast of fire at Sky. Sky zipped out of the way and fired her own blast, nailing the dragon in the chest. Butterscorch fell back, but recovered quickly. Four more fireballs flew at Sky. She created a shield around herself which absorbed the attack.
"What to do..." she mused. Then, she had an idea. She dropped to the ground and generated some bricks, with which she built a turret. Blasts of Imagination were soon shooting at Butterscorch, who was dodging most, but not all of them. Next, Sky built a new model. A troll with wings which she dubbed "Ravencloud Guardian 2.0." It flew toward Butterscorch and grabbed her, turning her around. Sky jumped into the cockpit of the turret and fired a shot that smashed the dragon and the guardian.
Sky turned the turret toward the Darkitect, but he was faster and blew the turret apart with a blast of Maelstrom.
"Well," Sky said. "I still have my spear."
Chapter 19
Sky spun her spear and ran toward the Darkitect. The Maelstrom moved around his hand and formed a huge sword. Sky stabbed as soon as she got close, but he blocked the blow with his sword and retaliated with a slash that almost knocked Sky off her feet. Sky had a plan, but it was risky. She began rapidly attacking the Darkitect, driving him back. While he was focusing on Sky, he didn't see Fred, Vanda, and Hurricane charging their weapons. Sky locked weapons with the Darkitect then kicked him, sending him right into two overcharged flares, a Last Blast, and two crossed swords. He roared in anger. Maelstrom curled around the edge of his sword and he slashed, infecting the three warriors.
"Bad move." Sky said to herself. "I shouldn't have taken such a risk."
Now Sky was being attacked by four powerful foes. But Numb Chuck was still alive and well. Sky gestured to him and he poured Notion Potions into the mouths of his infected comrades.
"Get out of here!" Sky said. "Don't worry, I have a plan."
Her friends fled the scene.
"It's just you and me now, Sky Lane." the Darkitect said. "Prepare to meet your end." He slashed several more times, but Sky was already moving into Studburst Pass, the center of Crux Prime. The Darkitect, not realizing this, followed. But when he caught up, he realized it was too late. Sky had her arms pointed forward and blueness swirling around her hands.
"Goodbye." she said. A powerful beam of Imagination blasted out of her body, magnified by the power of Crux Prime. It plowed into the Darkitect and knocked him into the rock wall around them.
"Leave Epsilon's body now!" Sky said to the Darkitect.
"Urf...fine." the Darkitect said. Energy shot out of Epsilon's body and his armor changed back. The energy then dispersed above the two explorers.
Sky collapsed, exhausted. She had used up all her Mythran Imagination, and was a normal Minifigure again. But she had gotten Epsilon back.
Chapter 20
Sky opened her eyes. She was in a huge room with a beam of Imagination shooting through the middle.
"Welcome to Nexus Tower, Sky." Epsilon said from behind her.
"Whoa..." she breathed.
"And by the way, thanks for saving me. But did you have to BLAST ME INTO A WALL?" Epsilon said.
"Oh, sorry. Hey, wait a second. Where are Vanda, Fred, and Hurricane?" Sky asked.
"Vanda's in the Paradox lab. The other two, I don't know. Hurricane's probably out on adventures, and...Fred probably is too. Oh, and here's your Rutcarver. Maybe you'll want to trade it in for a Broadsider. I've heard it's better." Epsilon handed Sky the Valiant Weapon.
"I don't think I'm going to need to. After this kind of adventure, I'd like to rest for a while."
"Rest here. Nexus Tower's completely safe."
"Alright."
But little did they know, the Nexus Force's base wasn't as safe as it seemed...
