Across the Threshold

An Old Friend

Everyone, except for Ceris, looked at the frog in shock. Ceris, on the other hand, activated her Armblade and pointed it at the frog.

"You," she snarled, "what are you doing here?"

"The same reason you are," the frog responded. "Unless you have an alliance with the Nether that I haven't heard about."

"Wait," Rain said, "Ceris, you know this... frog?"

"He's not a frog," Ceris told him, still glaring.

"Um, it looks like a frog to me," Shade replied, squinting, "unless it's a toad."

"This is neither a frog, nor a toad," Ceris explained. "This is Lance, the Rogue Ender Mage."

Kane scratched his head. "I don't think that this is Lance either," he said. "I fought him, and he was definitely a person, not a frog. I also believe that I killed him."

"Ha," the frog exclamed, "You did not defeat me. How could you, when it took the full might if the Ender Watchers to even banish me from the End?"

"Even so," Kane replied, "you can't be Lance, if only because you're a frog."

"You don't understand," Ceris told him. "Though in may look like a frog, or Gorf, to call it by the correct name, this is Lance."

"For once, you are correct," Lance said. "I am trapped in the form of an Ender Gorf."

Kane studded Lance, thoughtful, "Now that I think about it, Lance did have a frog like this when I fought him, and it was still there after he was defeated."

"For the last time, you didn't defeat me!" Lance exclaimed, looking as angry as a frog could."

"Oh?" Kane asked. "Then why were you panicking when you lost your Totem?"

Lance glared at him. Kane backed down, grinning. He seemed to have made his point. Shade glanced around the room.

"So," he said, turning to Ceris, "you know this frog?"

"I may be trapped in the form," Lance exclaimed, "but I refuse to be called by the wrong name. I am a Gorf, not a frog."

"To answer your question Shade," Ceris explained, ignoring Lance, "I do know him. He attempted to conquer the End, and would have continued to both the Overworld and the Nether if we hadn't defeated him."

"Oh," Shade replied. "But he can help us locate the Crystals?"

"I doubt it," Ceris told him, still pointing her Armblade at Lance, "He is a traitor. The End Lords had a treaty to coexist peacefully. We would fight over small things yes, but we never actually attacked each other. Lance broke that treaty. He revealed himself as a man without honor who would do anything for power."

Lance scoffed, "Please, I only attacked you because you were all simple-minded weaklings," he said. "You refused to use the Crystals, even in the most desperate circumstances, almost condemning our people to destruction."

Ceris opened her mouth to reply, before Stella interrupted, saying. "Well, now we have a common enemy. Couldn't we all work together to stop the Nether?"

Ceris and Lance glared at each other, before reluctantly agreeing. Ceris deactivated her Armblade and Lance turned to Shade.

"So, you want to learn how the use your crystal as a tracking device?" he asked. "Well, let's get started."