//------------------------------// // Scroll 29.5- What Lurks in the Shadows // Story: Beyond the Skies // by FrostTheWolf //------------------------------// Beyond the Skies- What Lurks in the Shadows “Absolutely NOT!!” The abrupt echo of Lord Kaos’ voice was loud enough to echo throughout his castle and startled anyone that just so happened to be too close to the doors of his study. The dark portal master was not exactly thrilled at the present moment, for various reasons. Not only did he learn that his henchman Magus made an embarrassment of himself during the finale of his fundraising tournament, but he lost the two Skylander prisoners that he entrusted the drow. The only upside to this news was that the amount of funds from the fundraising efforts were much higher than he originally anticipated. Yet, this news wasn’t entirely pleasing. Case in point, when his mother caught word of what happened and the news regarding the newly acquired funds, “Why are you so opposed to hearing my advice on the matter?” “Because I don’t need your advice, mother,” the Dark Portal Master shot back, “I’m perfectly capable of figuring out how to use these funds on my own.” At that, his mother rolled her eyes, “Kaos, Glumshanks told me that the last time you had received this ill gotten coin that you not only used it to renew your subscription to Minions Monthly, but to also pay for an obnoxious billboard ad in an area of Skylands that nobody goes through.” “I was trying to increase recruitment, and I was told that there were no Skylander activities where I placed that board, mother!” Kaos folded his arms in disgust, “It’s not my fault that I didn’t know until much later that no one ever goes through there.” “Really, is that the only reason why?” his mother then asked as she walked over to him, “Why is it that you’re so against taking my advice? I’m only just providing suggestions for your schemes.” “Because everytime you happen to get yourself involved, you interfere with plans that I already have in motion. Don’t even get me started on your associates.” “Oh, come now,” Kaossandra retorted, “When was there ever a time where my associates interfered with anything you were doing?” That simple question was enough to really put Kaos on edge as he narrowed his eyes and stared down his mother, “Every moment the LAST time you were here! Including when you had that giant greeble over-” “His name is Bubba, dear.” Rolling his eyes, Kaos continued, “Bubba was not only making a mess of himself throughout my lair, he was sitting inside my fridge for no reason!! And don’t even get me started on those self help books you kept sending me-” That remark in particular just so happened to get Kaossandra’s attention as she looked back at him, “Oh, really? You didn’t read them after all the trouble it took for me to make sure you had received them? How did that go for you?” Her son had a retort planned out in advance. However, his mother’s words caused memories that Kaos thought he had suppressed to resurface in his mind, memories of his unfortunate encounters with ‘The Darkness’ during one of his previous attempts to conquer the Skylands left him at a loss for words. Yet, his silence served as the exact answer that his mother wanted. “Getting back on topic,” Kaossandra said as the sorceress circled back around the portal that was in the room, “What I am saying is that we shouldn’t use our resources carelessly. If we are to succeed, then our resources should be invested in something more meaningful.” “Grr... fine!” the dark portal master rolled his eyes, “What would you suggest then?” “Before I go any further,” she said, before moving behind her son, “Where is Sombra? I was informed that you made an alliance with him so you can learn more about those that are aiding the Skylanders. Yet, since the time that you had him catch those trespassers, you haven’t really mentioned anything about him.” Before Kaos could answer that though, there was a knock at the door as both of the Dark Portal Masters saw Glumshanks on the other side with a tray of snacks and a tea, “U-uh... am I i-interrupting anything? I b-brought the r-refreshments that were requested.” Immediately, Kaos’ eyes twitched. He did not request anything of that sort or would request anything of that sort. Yet, before he could really say anything, his mother beat him to it. “Why, thank you, Glumshanks. If you would be so kind, just set them over there.” “Dear elements, it’s like the Cloudbreak Isles all over again!!” Kaos thought to himself. The last time that this happened, his mother had to put her plans over his own and take credit for his achievements. This was his plan, so however it was to go should be his decision to make, not hers! Besides, it wasn’t like she had anything meaningful to contribute to turn things around. His mother just wanted to get involved to take control of his plan again like before! There was no way he was going to let that happen this time, not when he had gotten so far ahead in his plan without her help to begin with. “So… um,” Glumshanks nervously spoke, “I-is everything going okay? I o-overheard some of the others say that the s-show didn’t go as expected.” “Everything was going perfectly fine,” Kaos grumbled as he sat down in a chair across from where his mother was, “Until that imbecile Magus had everything go to his head!! I gave him one simple job, Glumshanks! ONE!! And even then, he wasn't able to do it properly!! We might have funds to continue on with the plan, but that idiot not only lost the prisoners I gave him, he ended up ruining his arena in the process!! All because he wanted a proper finale for that tournament he was hosting.” “S-surely, it’s not that bad,” the butler tried his best to be positive, “I mean, you did g-get something out of it, right?” “That we did,” Kaossandra replied, before taking a sip of tea from a tea cup as she held it in her hands, “And that is where our current problem lies. While that brute’s efforts did help us secure the funding we need, the problem we have now is that my son and I disagree on how we should properly use it. If we are to stay one step ahead of who we’re up against, then we should use our resources carefully.” “You didn’t even tell me what your suggestion was!” Kaos snapped, “You were asking about Sombra! How does that even relate to what we are talking about?!” “If I remember correctly, Sombra is an all powerful mage of darkness with magical power that is on par with both of us, perhaps even greater,” his mother was quick to retort, “Yet, the last few times I saw you with him, you were using him as decor in your study and had him recite stories like a caretaker would say to children. Honestly, I wonder how much resources you waste in other aspects since you seem rather determined to misuse such a powerful pawn.” “U-um, if I may,” Glumshanks now spoke up as the troll butler looked to both of the Dark Portal Masters, “In one of our p-previous lairs, L-Lord Kaos insisted that we should invest in t-trap doors to make it harder for i-intruders to go through the place.” “Oh, really? This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Kaossandra replied, a bit intrigued by what she heard, “How did it go?” “… N-not that well.” “Alright, everything should be in place. The pit of chompies underneath, the proper controls here! Now, for the moment of truth!” Kaos replied as he tossed a blueprint of his lair over his shoulder and looked towards his butler, “Pull the lever, Glumshanks!” As requested, Glumshanks pulled the lever. However, instead of the intended result, the floor underneath Kaos’ feet gave way as the Dark Portal Master fell into the pit. “WRONG LEVER!!!” “U-uh, master… are you okay-?” The sound of an explosion under his feet and the sight of the Dark Portal Master reappearing a few feet in front of him was the only answer he got. That, and he was pulling off some chompies that were biting into his robes. “Why do we even HAVE that lever in the first place?!!” “I still can’t believe that Lair Depot wouldn’t allow me to refund my purchase after the fact,” Kaos grumbled, “Partially used, yeah, right-!” “Ahem,” before her son could continue, Kaossandra cleared her throat as both the Dark Portal Master and his butler looked back towards her, “Before you go off on another tangent and jump to conclusions, would you at least allow me to explain what exactly I had in mind?” The simple question was met with a defiant scowl at first from her son. Yet, as time passed, she just sat calmly and drank her tea while waiting for Kaos to let her speak. At some points, it looked as if the Dark Portal Master was going to say something, only to backtrack and not even say anything. This kept on going for about five minutes, before Glumshanks whispered something into his ear and spoke to him off to the side. Whatever it was that the troll said, it got the Dark Portal Master to begrudgingly cooperate. “Alright, fine! But only this time.” “See, was that so hard?” Kaossandra smiled, before setting her saucer and teacup down on the nearby tray, “Anyways, what I had in mind is based on some observations I’ve noticed. To start, there’s Sombra and your inquiries about the legends of Equestria’s past.” “So? I don’t see where you’re going with this, mother.” The sorceress let out a small breath, before she calmly answered him, “Your efforts to get information from him are admirable. However, those legends of the past are the only thing you ask him about. Nothing about the present, nothing about the world they’re from… nothing. While there have been cases where stories of the past have turned out to be true, like when you were so insistent on uncovering the mysteries of the Arkeyan Empire, most of the time, stories are just that. If you end up fixating on them, you end up forgetting the bigger picture.” “Wait a minute, how do you know about that?” Kaos immediately interjected. He knew for a fact that his time looking into the Arkeyans was before his mother decided to come back. So, the first thing he did was look directly at his butler with a glare of accusation, “Did you tell her?” “N-no, not at all!” “Before you start pointing fingers,” she interrupted him, “The reason I know is because I have eyes and ears everywhere. While you might pride yourself on fighting your foes by throwing as many greebles at the problem as you can, that’s not how I approach things. To me, information wins battles more than armies. That’s why I have the Web.” “The web?” Glumshanks asked, “B-but, there are no spiders in here.” “The Web is the name of my trusted network of spies,” Kaossandra clarified for the troll, chuckling all the while, “Operatives in every corner of the Skylands that keep me informed of ongoing developments. In fact, it was their reports on your defeat while in possession of the Fist of Argus that led to my decision to join you when you began your campaign to conquer the Cloudbreak Isles.” That made Kaos’ eyes twitch for a brief moment, trying to process everything he just heard his mother say. Yet, before he had a chance to respond back, the sorceress picked up right where he left off. “Back to my main point though, pure power alone doesn’t solve everything. In fact, there have been rare moments where you actually succeeded when you put that mindset aside.” “Oh, really, mother?” the Dark Portal Master rolled his eyes, “When would that happen to be?” “Well, there are a lot of examples, but let’s focus on a few,” Kaossandra told him, taking a sip of tea for a brief moment before explaining further, “First, there was Cloudbreak. After I was laid low at the hands of those meddlesome Skylanders, instead of lending any form of assistance, you used the opportunity to betray me and move forward with your own plans. Even if it was brief, you still found some form of success in doing so.” “What else would you’ve expected me to do?” Kaos said as he rolled his eyes. “If anything, my decision was rather obvious-” “Then, there’s the Doom Raiders,” his mother said afterwards, “You broke them out originally so that you can have them join you in your next attempt to conquer Skylands, only to learn that they had a plan of their own. You went as far as to set up a temporary alliance with your enemies so that you could sabotage their plans, and in the Golden Queen’s defeat, you betrayed them to seize control of her ultimate weapon to use for your own plans. However, you were so fixated on destroying the Skylanders that you didn’t take into account that the effects of traptanium affect Dark Portal Masters just as easily as the other trapped villains the Trap Master captured.” “A-actually,” Glumshanks said, “I-I tried to tell him, b-but… well…” “Even then, the results were the same,” the sorceress continued, “Now, let’s look back at some more recent events. For example, after you had your powers taken away by the Darkness, you took it upon yourself to try to find a way to regain the abilities you lost, all while under the guise of shutting down all the portals that were opened by the Sky Eater. Eventually, you did find something inside that of the Hall of Chaos, which not only restored some of your abilities, but led to an even bigger discovery for you: Mind Magic.” “Oh, I know where this is going,” Kaos grumbled. “Not everything I have to say is negative, dear. In fact, your plan of creating adversaries that can rival the strength of Skylanders is rather ingenious,” she told him, “However, when it comes to Mind Magic, you can create anything as long as you have the imagination to do so. Even the ancient that voluntarily lent his power to you said the same thing.” “Don’t remind me-” “Oh, but I should. Because not only did you ignore their wisdom, you ended up so focused on crushing your opposition that you ended up insulting an ancient that was letting you use their power! How you even got them to go along with your plan originally is still beyond my comprehension...” Kaossandra cut in before Kaos could even finish what he was saying, “That, and let’s not forget that there’s a clone of you in Skylander Academy that wants to take you down and replace you.” That part even surprised Glumshanks, “Y-you have a clone of yourself, L-lord Kaos?” “It was one of my first experiments with Mind Magic, to see how it worked! If anything, his betrayal was just a minor setback,” the Dark Portal Master defiantly replied, “I used what I learned from that to make sure my Doomlanders don’t betray me the same way my copy did!” Then, he stared down the sorceress that was across from him. “How exactly does bringing up my previous failures help us now, of all times, mother?!” “My point is that by focusing on the bigger picture and not fixating on something specific, your plans end up being more successful,” She spoke calmly, “Case in point, with Sombra, you can ask more about where he is from and learn more about what the world below the clouds is like right now, rather than just fixating on the legends of the world. It would be easier to conquer it if you know what your opposition is.” Kaos did not want to admit it, but his mother actually made a valid point. Trying to conquer unfamiliar territory you don’t have any knowledge of would end up backfiring considerably, hence why he would use Glumshanks as a ‘voluntary’ scout to investigate any potential areas he set his sights on. Though, a different world in particular might require a different approach, and Sombra was exactly what he needed. “Fine then. Was there anything else you wanted to mention, mother?” Kaossandra just smirked at the question, “Why, actually, there is another thing we shouldn’t forget,” with a motion of her hands, a spectral image began to appear in between them, an image of a familiar human boy that the Dark Portal Master had seen and encountered a few times before. “The Skylanders would not be the only foe we’re facing this time. More than likely, we’ll be running into the boy again as well. Last I heard, he’s undergone training from the teachers at Skylander Academy.” “So what?! We’ll just find a way to destroy him, like everyone else that stands in our way!” “That would be too dangerous. For unlike the Skylanders, we don’t know how strong he is or how much control he has over his powers,” she told him. “Then, why not just sabotage? I’ve tried it before with those Doom Raiders, and it worked out well.” Despite Kaos’ words, his mother looked over to Glumshanks and found that the troll was shaking his head, a confirmation that it didn’t work out as well as Kaos tried to frame it. “While that always is a valid option, there’s no telling how fast the child’s progressing with his training. Despite my connections, any attempts to try and place informants in Skylander Academy have been unsuccessful because of the Mabu that runs the security operations-” “Ha!” Kaos laughed, “Looks like I’m not the only one that got outsmarted by that old Mabu!” “That doesn’t mean I don’t have a plan though… in fact, there’s one detail I remember from your scrying spell when we saw him,” Kaossandra’s reply came with a snap of a finger as the image changed to one where the boy was with three fillies, “It appears that he’s made quite a few friends back where he resides. So, I suggest that we find a way to use them to get to him, much like how I used that chieftain of Woodburrow to get the Skylanders to come to face me in a place where I had what some children would call ‘home field advantage’.” “D-didn’t that end leading to your i-imprisonment though?” Glumshanks now asked. Despite the question, the sorceress wasn’t exactly angry like Kaos would be if the troll would’ve asked a question like that to him. If anything, she actually was calm and collective, “Not entirely, it wasn’t the Skylanders themselves that imprisoned me. What happened was that I underestimated the capabilities of my hostage at the time,” then, she narrowed her eyes as she gave both her son and her butler a serious glance, “A mistake that I will not repeat again.” Immediately afterwards, her expression changed back to her more collected self as she rose up from her chair and straightened her robes. As she went for the door though, that was when her son spoke up, “Hey, where do you think you’re going!?” “I have other matters that require my attention,” she told him, “Besides, you would more likely want to spend your time doing something productive than listening to me all day.” With that, the sorceress left the room and left both the Dark Portal Master and his butler to themselves. Moments afterwards though, Glumshanks had a question for Kaos, “S-so, what do we do now, Lord Kaos?” It did not take long for Kaos to come up with an answer to such a simple question. Though, if Glumshanks was honest with himself, it was not the kind of answer he was expecting, “So, mother thinks that I lack the information necessary to succeed with my plan, does she!? Well, I, Kaos, will prove her wrong,” the Dark Portal Master then turned back towards his butler, “Glumshanks, I have a new task for you.” “A n-new task, sir?” “If mother is so insistent on wanting me to get more information, then we’ll do just that,” Kaos proudly told him, “Find some way to spy on her spy network! If she’s keeping secrets from me, then I want to know what they are. Better yet, why stop there? If you can get any information from her agents, then we’ll stay one step ahead of her.” “W-what will you be doing though?” the troll nervously asked. “As much as I’d hate to admit it, mother was right on one thing,” the Dark Portal Master said in disgust, “Sombra would be more useful if we actually use him for something. So, while you are away, I will be asking him some questions.” Now that he had given Glumshanks his answer, Kaos was ready to get on with his plans. However, there was just one problem. Despite giving him his task, Glumshanks was still in the room with him. That, and the fact that the troll didn’t pick up on what he was saying greatly irritated him. “Why are you STILL HERE!? GET GOING ALREADY!!” Elsewhere As she walked throughout the halls of the castle, Kaossandra felt like most of her patience had dissipated after the conversation she had with her son. She knew that Kaos was rather defiant when it came to listening to advice, but the sorceress did not think that her son would ignore advice that was just common sense. She would’ve thought that after several defeats and betrayals that he would actually learn from his experiences. Though, if the conversation she had with him told her anything, it was that Kaos had been stubbornly defiant to change all these years. Though, there was something in their conversation that did not fully add up, that being when her son talked about the ‘tournament’ hosted by one of his own minions. For being a rather rambunctious brute who bragged about his prisoners not being able to escape, the two trespassers that her son ended up giving him somehow disappeared from his complex. Yet, the sorceress believed that there was more to this than what she had been told. “Good evening, my lady.” The voice from behind her was unexpected, yet familiar as someone slowly began to descend from the ceiling. In the minimal amount of light from the hallway, she could see a light grey spider-like figure with red eyes that was similar to that of Mesmeralda, but their appearance was vastly different. Instead of the attire of a circus performer, they wore an outfit that was akin to that of a butler; a white collared shirt, dark grey vest and a black tie with a red hourglass in the center of it and a dark long coat that stretched over the bottom half of their body. White gloves were on all six of his hands, as two of them were straightening up his hair with a comb in one and a mirror in the other. “Ah, there you are, Lìn,” she said with a smile, “Punctual as ever, I see.” “Why, of course,” the spider replied back, before noticing the sorceress’ current state as he asked a different question, “Is everything alright?” “Somewhat,” Kaossandra told him, “I just finished a conversation with my son earlier, and some of what he said seemed… concerning.” That had Lìn raise an eyebrow as he looked back at the sorceress, “Could you elaborate, my lady?” “A few days ago, some trespassers were captured, trying to break into the castle. After they were caught, Kaos gave them to one of his ‘associates’ who claimed that there was no possible way they could escape,” as she spoke, Kaossandra let out a small breath as she looked back to him, “You can probably take a guess as to what happened next.” “Ah, I see,” the spider scratched his chin, “And I’m going to assume that he’s pointing the blame at that associate?” “My son thinks that it’s a matter of incompetence,” she told the butler, before taking a seat in a large throne-like chair along a window that overlooked the courtyard of the castle, “I, however, don’t think so. While I agree that Magus, his associate, and his conduct was his own undoing, I disagree with the motion that he just let them escape, especially since he had forced those same trespassers to take part in battles without even giving them a chance to catch their breath and recover.” Now, Lìn was getting a better idea as to what she was referring to. “So, you suspect that there was foul play involved? That someone helped them escape?” “Unlike Kaos, I’d rather not leave that out of the realm of possibility,” Kaossandra replied, “I want the Web to conduct a thorough investigation into this. Tell them to leave no stone unturned and that I expect to have a full report once they have finished.” Lìn nodded his head as he placed a hand on his chest and took a small bow in front of her, “I will inform them at once. If you wish, I can oversee the investigation, to make sure that it fits within the exact specifications that you requested.” “Only if you are certain that you feel up to the task,” she told him, “I know that you’d prefer to do fieldwork over paperwork any day in the week, so with that in mind, I’d rather not bore you with assignments that you would find tedious.” “My lady, let me assure you that no task or assignment that you ask for me to do is ‘tedious’,” the spider insisted, “I only wish to see this fulfilled with the utmost haste. While the Web and its agents are effective at accomplishing tasks, some need proper motivation to make sure a task you assigned is completed. I believe my presence would be enough to make sure that, as you said yourself, no stone is left unturned.” That was news to her… and also a bit concerning. If there were agents in the field that weren’t fulfilling their duties, then it meant that there could’ve been gaps in the information that they were collecting, something that Kaossandra would not tolerate under any circumstances. “Very well then. If that is the case, choose who you believe is the best qualified for this investigation and see it through. As for the other thing you mentioned, I will contact Cheilt and make sure she sees to those who aren’t fully obligating themselves to their duties. The Web is supposed to be able to accomplish any task that they are assigned, so anything less than that is unacceptable.” “It shall be done,” Lìn nodded in acknowledgement, before he turned around and disappeared into the shadows. He had a lot of work to do, and it couldn’t be done if he remained here.