The Call for Arms

Part Two

Keith Maloy, Rachel Castaneda, Tamara Fox, Craig Gillis, and Matthew O'Conner journey through the dark and clammy underground stone tunnel beneath the plains of Edenia. They are on this distant planet in order to retrieve the Pyramid of Power, the most powerful source of elemental energy in the universe, from Phaedra's wicked sorcerer Morose before he manages to leave the planet with it. Now, they have less than four hours before sunset, the time when Morose will most likely flee the planet, and when the elemental energy temporarily charging their Spectrum Stones will run out. Time is surely against these six young heroes, and they keep this in mind as they quickly move through the dark passageway.

"How much longer are we gonna be inside this tunnel?" asked Tamara, wiping the sweat from her forehead, "Its disgusting in here!"

"I have absolutely no idea," said Keith, who was leading the group with a torch in his hand, "But this tunnel's supposed to lead to the forest, and that means it passes under the entire plain. That's a few miles."

Meanwhile, Matthew stayed abnormally silent. He folded his arms over his chest, and mumbled a small prayer to himself. Craig, who was walking behind him, laid a strong hand on the shorter man's shoulder.

"You okay, Matthew?" he asked, his voice laced with concern. Matthew just shrugged.

"I... I just don't like closed in spaces," he whispered, "I mean, I can handle it for a while, but we've been in this tunnel for over half an hour, and its dark, clammy and really, really tight!"

"It can't be much further," said Craig reassuringly. Matt nodded and turned to face forward again. Suddenly, Jocelyn stopped in her tracks.

"Gang," she whispered, "Don't say a word! Just listen!"

Everyone shut up, and stopped walking. Dozens of footsteps echoed through the tunnel from behind.

"We're being followed!" said Rachel, "Let's pick up the pace, everyone!"

Keith broke into a run, followed by Tamara, Rachel, Jocelyn, Matthew, and Craig. But because Shadow Warriors can travel through the shadows in the cavern, they quickly caught up with the Spectrum Force, and pursued them on foot.

"Guys," panted Tamara, "They're closing in! And there's no room to fight them in here!"

"Then let's use our heads," said Craig, "Shadow Warriors travel through shadows, right? Well, if there's no light, then there's no shadow!"

"True," said Jocelyn, "But without light, we can't see where we're going!"

"Then we'll just have to block the light from getting to them!" said Craig, stopping and turning around, "Keep going, guys! I'm right behind you!"

Craig pointed his ring at the ceiling of the cavern, and a pulse of glowing concentric waves smashed into the stones, creating a massive seismic wave. The waves shook the rocks and dirt from above, and caused them to fall into the tunnel below, creating a stone wall completely blocking off the pursuing Shadows. Unfortunately, the entire cave began to shake from the quake, causing the walls to collapse.

"Uh oh," said Craig, breaking into a run, "This isn't good!"

He ran as quickly as his strong legs could carry him, and soon he caught up with his friends, who were all running for their lives. Meanwhile, the cave collapsed from behind them.

"Can anyone see the opening?" asked Jocelyn.

"No!" said Keith, "There's no way to know how close we are to the exit! We're not gonna make it!"

"Then we have to evacuate!" said Rachel, "And now! Craig, punch a hole through the ceiling, all the way up to the surface! We have a better chance fighting off Shadows above then surviving in here!"

Craig stopped and once again focused his power through this ring. A pulse ripped through the stones and dirt above, and from nearly a quarter of a mile above, sunlight poured into the tunnel.

"I didn't know we were so deep into the planet," said Rachel, "How do we get out?"

"I know!" said Tamara, "Look at the tree roots hanging from the dirt!"

Tamara focused her Wood power, and the thick tree roots obeyed her command, bending and stretching down into the Spectrum Force's reach.

"Everyone, grab onto a root!" she ordered, grabbing one herself. Each Spectrum Enforcer chose a stable root, and all at once the roots pulled the team up into the forest above. Below them, they could hear the rocks and dirt still falling from inside the tunnel.

"We made it!" said Jocelyn excitedly, "We're inside the forest!"

"Well, yeah," said Keith, looking into the plains, "but just barely! And I think we've been spotted!"

All the noise of the tunnel collapsing, as well as the creation of an escape route, gained the attention of the army of Shadows surrounding Gaius' palace. They quickly approached the Spectrum Force, who hurried into the forest.

"Plan?" asked Matt.

"Just keep moving," said Rachel, "Matt, can your wind powers fly us up to the top of that tree?"

"You got it," he said, raising his green Spectrum Stone to the sky. A powerful gust of wind carried all six heroes to the top branch of an extremely tall tree. Rachel pointed her stone outward, and rotated her body in a full circle, until her ring began to glow slightly.

"I guess this means the homing device works," she said, "The Pyramid of Power must be... this way."

"But where?" asked Jocelyn, looking out into the dense jungle.

"I really don't know," Rachel admitted, "but hopefully we'll find it soon. We only have about three hours left."

Meanwhile, in the top of a gleaming onyx spire hidden deep within the Edenian jungle, the villainous wizard Morose sets his prize, the infinitely powerful Pyramid of Power, onto a pedestal. He smiles triumphantly, and touches it's smooth, golden surface.

"Now, I possess the might of the elements," he said quietly, "The infinite energy of nature. Phaedra can use this energy to fuel her magic, and her magical forces, forever. Then, the Denebian Empire will span the cosmos, without a need for energy. Its amazing how much power can be kept inside such a small package."

Morose circled around the pedestal, his arms behind his back.

"Perhaps... perhaps I can use the elemental power of this pyramid to create a powerful thunderstorm, with dark clouds thick enough to block out the Sun for a while. Just long enough for me to escape this planet, and return to my queen all the sooner. I've never been considered a patient being..."

Morose once again touched the pyramid, but this time, much to his surprise, he received an electric jolt. He withdrew his hand instantly, and stared at the shimmering pyramid in confusion.

*You cannot abuse the power of nature,* said a soft, feminine voice in his mind, *I shall not assist you in the destruction of all life. I exist to protect nature, and insure life.*

"You... you're the essence of the Pyramid of Power!" he shrieked in surprise, "Impossible!"

*I am indeed sentient, but I choose not to speak. I am an instrument in the preservation of the cosmos, and I contain the infinite power of the elements. I am a protector, not a destroyer.*

"Well, I care not what you believe, Pyramid," he said angrily, "You shall do the will of your owner. There is no one to save you! No one! And, you cannot fight for yourself. Your powers must be focused through a being of magic, and Gaius is all drained from our last encounter!"

*I can defend myself, evil one. I gain strength from nature, and nature feeds off me.*

"That explains why Gaius brought you to such a paradisaic planet! Well, it doesn't matter. You can stop me from using your powers so long as we are here, but once we are in Phaedra's asteroid, you will have no plants and animals to gain power from!"

Morose walked over to the center of the dark chamber, and waved his withered hand towards the high ceiling. Then, a large onyx stalactite fell to the onyx ground, right before Morose. The shiny surface suddenly converted, showing an overhead view of Gaius' palace. But, much to Morose's surprise, the army of shadows were all rushing into the forest.

"What in the name of the Empress..." he muttered, touching the surface of the stalactite. The image changed, showing the room where Gaius was left chained to the wall. But Morose only saw the remains of his magical tentacles, hanging lifelessly from the stone wall. Morose clenched his fists, trying hard to contain his anger.

"Gaius did manage to summon help!" he roared, "Now, someone is sneaking around Edenia, searching for me. Well, no one shall take the pyramid from me! Those Shadows are useless to me! Thousands of them couldn't stop my enemy! Well, forget Phaedra's lackies. I always did prefer my own little creations."

Then, Morose reached into the pocket of his cloak, and pulled out six small white eggs, spotted with dark green patches. He bent over and lay each egg about a foot away from the others, in two rows of three. Then, the sent a shot of black energy through them, and the eggs quickly expanded from the size of a chicken egg to above seven feet in height. Then, the eggs began to hatch, and six tall green lizards with spiked tails, fierce fangs, sharp claws, and body armor stepped out and stretched and roared. Morose watched proudly as they looked around, their soulless black eyes scanning their surroundings. Suddenly, the greenish hue of their skin darkened until it matched the shiny black shade of Morose's onyx chamber.

"My Chameleons," Morose declared to the creatures, "I summoned you to hunt."

"Hunt what, Father?" asked one of the creatures in a deep rumbling voice.

"There shouldn't be any intelligent life on this planet other than the keeper of the palace. Now, I want you to search the forests of this planet, and use your heightened senses to detect the purity and goodness of Gaius' allies. And hurry! I don't want them to reach my Spire!"

The six creatures nodded, and fell onto all fours. They ran out of the chamber and a blinding speed, and Morose smiled under his dark cowl.

"I think I'll summon the Shadow Warriors to guard the Spire," he said, "My little children can defeat whoever lurks in the forests of Edenia without help. No prey has ever escaped my Chameleons alive."

Inside the dense jungle, the Spectrum Force crawls through, following a pulsing bright light from Keith's ring. Rachel brought up the rear, constantly turning around to check for any Shadow Warriors.

"I don't know about this," she said suspiciously, "I haven't seen a single Shadow for over fifteen minutes. It doesn't feel right. There were enough of them to flood this entire forest."

"Maybe they just gave up," said Matthew, "Don't worry about it."

"But worrying is just Rachel's nature," said Craig with a playful smile, "I mean, she just can't relax!"

Rachel threw Craig an angry glare. "Well, maybe I do worry. But, we are talking about the fate of the universe here! Look, I'm gonna check for Shadows. I'll catch up."

"Alone?" asked Matthew.

"I can handle it," she snapped, jogging back the way they came. Keith sighed aloud.

"And people say I'm hot-headed!"

"Well, she is right, though," said Jocelyn, "Morose must know someone's here by now! The Shadows did find us. Something must be brewing."

"Then Rachel shouldn't handle it alone," said Matthew, "I think I'll follow her. We'll meet you in five minutes, okay?"

"Okay," said Keith, "C'mon, gang, the Pyramid's this way."

Matthew back-tracked, searching for the leader of the Spectrum Force.

"Ray?" he called, "Rachel?"

"Over here," she called, peeking down from high in a tree. Matt sighed and climbed up the tree to join her.

"What're you doing up here?" he asked, "Did you find something?"

"I sure did!" she said excitedly, "Look."

Rachel pointed her Spectrum Stone in another direction, and it began to glow brilliantly.

"We're close," she said, "Keith and the others are going in the wrong direction!"

"Then, let's go get them," said Matt, following as Rachel climbed down the tree. But instead of heading back to join the others, Rachel ran towards the source of the power, followed closely by Matthew. She stopped abruptly, and so did Matt. The two of them looked down a steep cliff, and saw am immense onyx spire, reaching fearlessly into the sunny sky.

"Wow," said Matt, "Its twice the height of the Washington Monument in DC. But, I don't call a huge tower a good hiding place."

"He's not hiding from us," said Rachel, "He's hiding from the sunlight. He had no idea we were coming."

"Well, maybe Keith had the right direction after all," said Matt, "I mean, there's no way we can climb down this cliff! We have to go around."

"We don't have time to take a roundabout path!" Rachel protested, walking over to a near jungle tree and pulling down a vine, "I'm going down right here."

"Are you nuts?!" asked Matt, "You'll never make it all the way down! You'll break your neck!"

"Fine," she said, "then you lower me down with your Wind power. Then, go and find the others, and have them follow me. Time is of the essence."

Matt opened his mouth to protest, but decided against it. He raised his ring, and a gust of gentle wind lifted Rachel Castaneda off the ground, and slowly lowered her to the ground below. Rachel gave him a thumbs up, and watched as her red-headed companions turned around and disappeared through the dense jungle, searching for their four other teammates. Once Matt was out of sight, Rachel warily approached the clearing, where the mighty tower stood. When she got close enough, she saw over a dozen Shadow Warriors standing near the gate, nearly blending in completely with the onyx surface of the tower.

If the Shadow Warriors have all retreated to the tower, then there's an excellent chance the other couple thousand are lurking through the hallways inside. I can't fight them all, so I'm gonna have to use my brain.

Rachel quickly hid behind a wide tree branch, and studied the guard around the tower carefully.

...thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. Sixteen Shadow Warriors, and I don't have the protection of my Spectrum Shield, nor the ability to move at the speed of light. I control Lightning now, so I need to use that to my advantage.

Rachel brought her open palms close, and strings of electricity began flowing from the fingertips of one hand to those of the other hand. She pulled her hands further apart, and clenched her right hand into a fist, creating an electrical buildup in that hand. She then quietly climbed up the tree she was hiding in, and fired a long, powerful lightning bolt up towards the clouds above the other side of the tower. The lightning stirred a few moments in the clouds, and then crashed into the ground below, immediately setting a few trees on fire. Twelve of the Shadow Warriors ran to investigate the commotion, leaving only three more to guard the gate. Rachel then smiled to herself, and climbed quickly down the tree.

"Now, that's more like it!" she said to herself, running towards the gate. She immediately began a series of powerful kicks, fending off the Shadows, while her hands once again began storing electrical energy. Once she had enough, she touched the nearest Shadow, sending powerful electrical power through its magical form. The Shadow immediately disintegrated, and she did the same to the other two, also rendering them lifeless. She then melted a hole in the wall of the onyx tower with the intense heat created by lightning, and stepped into the dark hallway. Her hand crackled with white electricity, illuminating the area surrounding the young heroine.

"Now, all I have to do is find Morose and the Pyramid of Power," she said, cautiously walking through the halls, "but how do I avoid the Shadows?"

Her question was answered when ten Shadows melted out of the shadows created by Rachel's lightning. They immediately surrounded her, leaving her without an escape route.

"Oh crap!" she muttered bitterly, as the Shadows moved in on her.

Meanwhile, not too far away, Tamara, Keith, Jocelyn, and Keith find a small clearing in the dense forest.

"I'm exhausted!" moaned Tamara, leaning on a tree, "How far are we?"

Keith held out his ring, and shrugged. "I... I don't know. The ring's glow hasn't gotten any brighter."

"So, we're not getting any closer!" said Jocelyn frustratedly, "Do you think we're moving in circles or something?"

"A better question is: Where are Matt and Rachel?" asked Craig, looking around, "They've been gone for twenty minutes. I don't like the feel of this. Not at all."

"Should we go back?" asked Tamara, "We really shouldn't split up. We're already severely outnumbered."

Keith then hushed everyone, and listened. "I hear something," he whispered.

Just then, four large lizard creatures leapt from the surrounding trees, and circled the four Spectrum Enforcers menacingly. Tamara screamed in terror, while Craig and Keith immediately took fighting positions. Jocelyn stared at them curiously.

I've never seen anything like those before, she thought, We have absolutely no idea what they're capable of!

"Step back!" ordered Keith, "I'll handle this."

Jocelyn raised her eyebrow, and frowned at Keith. She did step back, however, and watched as Keith leapt at the lizards. Two of them separated, giving Keith room to land. He blocked their swings effectively, but their claws did dig deeply into his flesh. Then, one of the lizards knocked Keith over with his tail, and laughed ferociously as Keith fell to the ground. The Chameleon then pinned Keith to the ground by holding his arms down with his back legs. and looked at the other Spectrum Enforcers.

"They are weak," he rumbled, "This one is mine, my brothers. Finish the rest of them!"

The three other Chameleons approached the three remaining Spectrum Enforcers, who backed away warily. But, Tamara backed into something, and shrieked horribly when she saw yet another vicious Chameleon.

"How many are there?" asked Craig, throwing a punch at one approaching Chameleon. It missed completely. Then, one Chameleon grabbed Tamara by the arms, and pinned her against a tree, about two feet off the ground. She began to sob as the creature squeezed her against the tree. She then forced her eyes open, and glared holes into the Chameleon.

"Okay," she gasped, "now you've... done it."

Tamara touched her palms to the bark of the tree, and yellow energy began to flow through the trunk, bringing the tree to life. At Tamara's mental command, the tree lowered its two largest branches to the ground, lifting the Chameleon off its feet. It then began to crush the creature, wrapping it tightly in its branched. Tamara fell to the ground, and tried to catch her breath.

Keith was still pinned to the ground by one Chameleon, who was so busy ordering the others around, it paid its prey little attention. Keith closed his eyes tightly, and began to focus his flaming power from his Spectrum Stone through his entire body. Eventually, Keith's skin's temperature skyrocketed, burning the Chameleon's unprotected feet. The Chameleon screeched in pain, and hopped around on its feet. Keith then leapt to his feet, and clenched his fists. When he opened his hands, two small fireballs appeared in his palms, and he shot them both at his enemy, setting its scaly skin on fire.

Craig was fighting off two Chameleons, who were laughing at his desperate attempts to defend himself. Craig could feel his patience slipping, and so instead of throwing punches, he slammed his pulsing fists into the ground. The shockwave from his Spectrum Stone created a concentrated earthquake, crumbling the ground surrounding Craig. Both Chameleons fell into the seemingly bottomless pit Craig created, and then Craig closed the chasm with this Earth power. He smiled with satisfaction, and brushed his hands off from the soil.

"Hey gang," he called, "Where's Jocelyn?"

The final Chameleon had grabbed Jocelyn by the torso, and was carrying her through the jungle at the speed of a cheetah. Jocelyn struggled against the Chameleon's iron grip, and then frowned.

"There's no way I'm playing the damsel in distress!" she cried, trying to free her arms. But the Chameleon had pinned her arms to her sides. So, Jocelyn pointed her orange Spectrum Stone to the ground, creating a sheet of ice over the green grass. The Chameleon lost its traction, and skidded across the slick ice, dropping Jocelyn. Jocelyn landed with a thud on the grass, and watched the Chameleon crash painfully into a tree in his path.

"Ouch," she said, standing up, "It hurt just to watch."

She ran up to where the Chameleon had crashed, and looked down at its unconscious form. She was about to freeze it in a block of ice, but she heard a rustling in the bushes. She turned around warily, and saw her friend Matthew step through the dense jungle.

"Matt!" she cried, jogging over to him and giving him a hug, "Where have you been?! Where's Rachel?"

"Easy, Kiddo," he said, "Rachel found a short-cut to Morose's hideout, and she sent me to come get you guys. Where's everyone else?"

"Back that way," said Jocelyn, pointing in the direction she came from. She then turned around, and saw Matthew staring at the unconscious Chameleon.

"What on Earth is that?" he asked, "What happened to you guys?"

"All the Shadow Warriors disappeared," said Jocelyn, "I guess Morose decided to send five lizard creatures after us."

"No," rumbled a powerful voice from behind, "Father sent six Chameleons after you, Human."

Jocelyn and Matt jumped as they saw one final Chameleon, taller and stronger than the other five. The creature reared on its hind legs, and then leapt into the air, its roars cutting through the air.

"Get back!" yelled Matt, creating a powerful gust of wind with his Spectrum Stone. The Chameleon was thrown back into a tree, but he quickly recovered.

"I got it," said Jocelyn pointing her stone at the Chameleon. A jagged dagger of solid ice formed in mid air, and flew at the creature with blinding speed. He caught it between his powerful jaws, and crushed it into powder. "Any other ideas?" asked Matthew, as he and Jocelyn stepped back from the approaching monster.

"Just one," she said, "RETREAT!!"

Matthew and Jocelyn broke into a run, with the creature quickly gaining. But before the Chameleon could reach the two heroes, all three were back in the clearing, where Tamara, Craig, and Keith were searching for their missing allies.

"Duck!" cried Tamara, raising her arms high. Two trees' branches entwined, creating a wall. Jocelyn and Matt fell to the ground and rolled underneath the wall, but the Chameleon was running to quickly, and he slammed right into the wall. Then, the creature tore through the wall with its razor sharp fangs and claws, and roared again.

"Sheesh," gasped Tamara, "This one's stronger than the others."

"He's still going down!" yelled Keith, throwing a stream of flames at the Chameleon. The latter ducked, and pounced at the closest Spectrum Enforcer-- Craig.

"Oh no you don't!" yelled Craig, firing seismic waves through the creature, "I'm about to send chills up your spine!"

The waves raced through the the Chameleon's body, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Jocelyn then stepped towards him, and touched its scaly flesh with her hand. Ice suddenly covered its entire body, and then Jocelyn stood up.

"Well," she said, turning to the four other Spectrum Enforcers, "Now that that's taken care of, let's go find our fearless leader!"

"I'll lead the way!" said Matt, stepping back into the jungle. The other three followed suit.