As they prepared to jump, Daniel asked James, “How did you know where to press?”
James shrugged. “Instincts, my dear. It just came to me.”
The Scavenger jumped down the hole, and the children followed.
As they fell into what appeared to be like a bottomless pit, the Scavenger lowered his hand, forming a gentle sloping curve of wood. James summoned his Elemental Power and converted the wood into soft ice, for smoother impact.
Matt used wind to align everyone in the path of the slope.
The group landed at the top of the incline and sped down. The science worked like a charm. The group skidded to the ground and got up safely.
James jaws nearly dropped to the ground.
They were in the same hall that he had seen in his dream. There were scenes of war and torture painted on the walls. A large lid closed the top of the tomb with the same designs etched on it.
“So you are here at last,” a voice said, snapping James out of his trance.
He turned and saw a young warrior in golden armour standing in front of a throne.
The Scavenger grimaced as he saw the warrior. “I suspected it all along, but I never thought it would be you. Mars, the Avenger, the Warrior Demon, the Man of Steel, the Conqueror and, of course, the Protector of the first piece of the Crown.”
Mars smiled. “It’s good to see that you still remember all my names. It has been a long time since I met you, friend.” He stressed on the word ‘friend’.
“Yes, it has indeed been a long time. We want the first piece of crown, Mars!”
Mars grinned and suddenly pulled out a sword. It gleamed gold, and its blade looked vicious. “It’s a pity we aren’t friends anymore.”
“WHAT?!” the Scavenger exclaimed. “Have you forgotten all the wars we fought together?”
“I remember all of that, Wasp. I remember it.”
“Why then?” The Scavenger asked, eyeing Mars’s sword cautiously.
“I need answers. Where was your honour gone when the Twin Assassins killed Mascae and you didn’t stop them?”
The Scavenger tried to speak, but Mars continued.
“I was shocked, Wasp, shocked when I came to know. I considered you to be invincible, the servant of Lord Arcane! But you cheated us! I disowned you from that day. I engraved the memory of that fateful day into the statue of Mascae, because I knew that you would come here one day, looking for the piece of Crown for your evil plans.”
The Scavenger spoke softly, “You have completely got it wrong, Mars. I never cheated Arcane or his descendants. It was all a trick played by the Twin Assassins. And I don’t have any evil plans. I only want to rid the Dark World from the clutches of the Death Lord, with the help of these prophesied children.”
Mars sneered, stepping aside.
Now that he was not blocking the view of the throne, Daniel saw a scroll. Something yellow was glowing inside it. He gasped as he realized that it was the first piece and the second riddle.
“I don’t believe you, Wasp. You are finished,” Mars announced and charged at the Scavenger.
The Scavenger unsheathed his Lightning Sword and blocked Mars.
The children raced to the throne as the Scavenger and Mars fought ferociously.
As they reached the throne, suddenly, someone stepped out from behind the throne.
A demon.
James gasped. “That’s Blaze of Glory.”
The demon grinned. “Call me Blaze, because that’s the last thing you are going to see before you die!”
As the demon charged at them, Daniel had time to examine him. He had been accurately described by James before – upper body covered with snakes and legs burning with fire that formed faces of angry animals.
The children dispersed in different directions as Blaze shot fire from his mouth. Blaze’s hands held two swords and he swung them, just missing James.
James went behind Blaze, trying to get to the throne. But Blaze was quick to throw a lance at him. Matt’s Elemental Power changed the wind’s direction and saved James just in time from being impaled.
Daniel concentrated and made roots grow out of the floor. He directed them to the throne, but Blaze burnt them to ashes. Blaze slashed his sword at Archer, who blocked it. But the impact knocked his sword away.
Daniel gathered his friends quickly. Archer protected them temporarily from Blaze’s attacks by building a wall of fire.
“He’s powerful,” Archer said, as beads of sweat glistened on his forehead. “We will have to change the plan. Three of us should distract him, while the fourth aims for the piece.”
The four nodded and again attacked Blaze.
Meanwhile, the Scavenger was fighting with Mars with all of his might. Soon the Scavenger drove him back against the wall.
The Scavenger risked a glance at his friends. They were losing against Blaze.
The Scavenger ducked under an attack and executed a knuckle punch that drove Mars to the ground. Before Mars could recover, the Scavenger leapt towards Blaze. He distracted him as James, Archer and Daniel kept Mars occupied.
Matt rushed towards the first piece.
He reached the throne and heard Blaze of Glory and Mars cry, “NO!”
Matt stretched his hand and got hold of the scroll. Holding it with reverence, he carefully unfurled it, revealing the yellow piece of Crown. A riddle was inscribed on the scroll. He put the scroll in his pocket and eyed the yellow piece with wonder.
A shadow came in front of him.
Suddenly, everyone felt the atmosphere grow cold, filling the tomb with darkness. The shadow emitted an aura of gloom and fear.
The children’s vision became blurred. They watched helplessly as the shadow snatched the yellow piece from Matt’s hand.
Boy. The voice was so cold and dark that it made everyone shiver. Give the second riddle to me! Quickly!
“NO, MATT,” the Scavenger shouted, “Don’t give it to him!”
But Matt pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and threw it towards the moving shadow. A cloaked hand snatched the paper. The dark figure disappeared into the walls of
