Skylanders: Second Leaf

Chapter __ ~ Scars of Time

Shade sighed as he put the book back on the shelf. He had searched for several hours now, and he had found nothing to help him. Nothing at all. Shade sat down and slumped in his chair, his hands on his head, deep in thought. His back ached from leaning over old texts and yellowing papers all morning. If he never saw another leather bound book in his entire life, it would be too soon. He didn't know what to do. Everyone he had looked up, every book he had scoured from cover to cover, didn't seem to deal with monsters like Krattix. Or were even powerful enough to help him. Unless... Shade looked up from his slump. Both hope and fear slapped across his face. After a moment, he got up from his seat and walked out of the library. He soon exited the front gates of the Academy, he held his hands up in the air and summoned the Shadow Scourge. He hopped in and motored off as quick as a flash. He didn't want anyone following him, or to even know he was gone. He was afraid of what he was looking for... or who he was looking for.

"What are you doing to my prey?!"

Ealenta turned around to see Krattix storming up to her. The two were deep underground in a large, cavernous room of dark grey stone. Ealenta herself knelt beside a pool of black water, checking herself in the reflection it cast.

"Technically, my prey was that boy." Ealenta replied. "YOUR prey was the darkling. Our work just so happens to involve that runt, Kaos."

"Well, I have plans for him." Krattix fumed, "You always have gotten in my way. Do you have something to prove?!"

"Krattix, you're overreacting. As usual." Garglox stood to the side, leaning up against a stalagmite. Stuffing a burger twice the size of him into his mouth.

"This doesn't concern you!" Krattix snarled, his eyes blazing in anger under the shadows of his hood.

"This involves all of us." A cold, strong, female voice called out.

The three beings turned around to see another figure striding down a long, spiraling staircase. She wore a black, hooded robe like everyone else, but this one had purple trimming. She wasn't as physically attractive as Ealenta, but she was much taller, and her voice commanded authority. When she reached the bottom of the steps, she spoke again.

"Our master needs all of us to tempt the mortals above." The figure spoke. "Corrupt them. He has been locked away for too long."

Krattix snorted. "You think we don't know that, Prothras? We are not children."

"I am the eldest." Prothras smirked. "I was the first. I think that qualifies me to order you around."

Krattix muttered to himself, kicking a loose pebble on the floor.

Prothras scanned the trio that stood before her. "We are deadly. We are one of seven. We have a job to do. Arguing amongst ourselves will not accomplish that. It will not accomplish anything. Are we clear?"

After a moment of silence, Ealenta nodded. "Yes."

"Sure." Garglox muttered with a piece of burger in his mouth.

Krattix let out a long, low, exasperated grown. "Fine."

Prothras smiled. "Good. You all know what to do." She pointed to Ealenta. "You. Split the girl and the Dark Portal Master apart." She then turned to Krattix. "You. Expose this said Portal Master." Finally Garglox. "And you. Keep the elephant gorging. You all have your roles."

"And what about you?" Krattix shot at her.

Prothras gave a smirk as she brushed past Krattix. "I'll find something to do. I always do."

Shade's nonexistent ears were met with the sound of repetitive, high pitched beeping from his console. He looked down at the screen, then back up at the sky before him. There it was. He had arrived. Shade slowly lowered the Shadow Scourge down towards the large island before him. The island that housed Cloudcracker Prison. As he got out of his ship slowly and faced the gates of the prison, he wasn't sure what to think. With a heavy sigh, he walked towards the entrance. Shade slipped through the large, double doors and found himself in a long hallway. Crystal pillars lined the walls reaching from floor to ceiling. A small, unimpressive desk rested at the other end of the hallway. Behind it, were another set of double doors. Shade assumed those led into the actual prison. Shade walked up to the desk, already feeling uncomfortable in this place, and stared at the person sitting behind it. A fat robot sat behind the bleak desk, a newspaper propped up in front of his face. The headline read "Skylands' Biggest Baddie Turned Skylander Trainee!" and below that in fineprint "read more on p15". Shade sighed, then cleared his throat.