“There must be some shortcut,” James argued with the Scavenger. “We can’t go on like this for days together.”
The Scavenger thought hard. There must be portals here. He didn’t know the location of any portal, but maybe someone else knew...
The Scavenger turned and walked back to Mort, who was still unconscious on the ground.
“What happened?” Archer asked.
The Scavenger replied, “I have an idea.” He knelt on the ground and shook Mort, trying to wake him, but Mort did not move. James understood what the Scavenger wanted to do and summoned cold water on top of Mort.
Mort woke up with a start. “What... where?”
“Answer me fast, or you lose your head,” the Scavenger said calmly. “Where can I find a portal?”
Mort gulped. “Find it yourself.”
The Scavenger paused and took out his sword. He surveyed the blade. “Maybe I could find a better use of you...”
Mort started. “Of course not! I can tell you on a condition. Free us.”
The Scavenger knew he had no choice. He glanced at the children, who were forced to nod grudgingly. The Scavenger turned to Mort. “Deal accepted. Now, tell quickly.”
“The location of the nearest portal would be in the Crater, five miles northeast from here. It’s a place called Monster Cave,” said Mort.
The Scavenger slapped his forehead. “Of course! I know. I have been there.”
Mort grinned. “You need to keep your promise. Free my men.”
The Scavenger nodded at Daniel, and the roots entangling the warriors disappeared. Mort and his men were freed, and they all rushed towards the jungle.
Five miles weren’t much, and the children soon found themselves outside a large cave.
The Scavenger said, “This is it. The portal is way deep inside the cave.”
“Won’t any monsters be guarding it?” Archer asked.
The Scavenger shook his head. “No. There are no monsters. The portal is deep in the maze of twists and turns in the cave. It won’t be a problem for us, because I already know the passage to the portal.”
The Scavenger turned and was about to march into the cave, before the children stopped him.
“We need to rest,” James said. “We took the portal to the Dark World at midnight. We didn’t sleep. I’m exhausted.”
The Scavenger frowned at him. “This place has mysterious energies. If you try to sleep here, you’ll never wake up. We just need to carry on.”
The children grumbled but had no choice.
The Scavenger led the children into the cave. The cave’s interior was entirely lit up with a blue light. The children lost all sense of direction in a few minutes. But the Scavenger seemed to know the way as he guided all of them inside.
“By the way, is there a coronavirus here too?” James directed his question at the Scavenger. “Just curious to know.”
“The what?” the Scavenger asked.
“Oh, you don’t. Well, there’s a major virus back on Earth, and it has really scared everyone. I thought there might be something like that in here too.”
“Well, the only virus here is the Skull Warrior,” the Scavenger said. “And I can guarantee you that the Skull Warrior is worse than any other virus you can think of.”
It was a couple of hours before they stopped. “Here’s the portal!” the Scavenger said in an excited voice, pointing straight ahead.
“But where? It’s a piece of rock,” said Archer.
“The portal is dormant and needs to be awakened. I need lots of energy,” the Scavenger said, directing the children to hold hands. “I want you all to focus your powers and direct it straight ahead. The sudden surplus of energy and power will awaken the portal.”
The children summoned their Elemental Powers. Archer closed his eyes and concentrated. There was a sudden ripping sound, and then the children felt a force tug their bodies, pulling them forward. They saw a vortex made entirely of swirling sand.
“Take us to the Rock!” the Scavenger shouted as he and the children leapt into the portal.
3
They landed on the ground with a thud.
“We are now...” the Scavenger said in a dramatic tone, “in the Rock!”
Looking around, Archer saw nothing but rocks and sand.
“It’s scenic. But looks rather plain,” Archer said.
“Looks can be deceiving,” an unfamiliar voice said.
Archer turned, surprised. The Man of the Rock – Lynx – was standing in front of him. Lynx was about six feet tall and wore a black coat that hung down to his ankles. His broad shoulders carried two swords. “Now,” he said, his voice full of anger, “you have disturbed my meditation. Give me a good reason for your insolence. And then choose your way to die.”
Before the situation could get out of hand, the Scavenger introduced the prophesied children to Lynx. His mood abruptly changed from anger to warmth, and he greeted the children with enthusiasm.
“We need your help, urgently,” the Scavenger said. “In -”
“Defeating the Skull Warrior, yes?” Lynx finished.
“You know how powerful he is,” the Scavenger stated.
Lynx stroked his chin. “Oh, I know all right. Well, I will try my best to help you.”
The Scavenger presented his dilemma. “The Skull Warrior wants to free the Death Lord, who is trapped in the Arcane Crown. In case he succeeds, then I guess it’s the end of the Dark World and the Earth. We need to stop him.”
Lynx snorted. “The Skull Warrior is not like the Death Lord. You cannot trap him the way you trapped the Death Lord.”
“So what do we do?” the Scavenger asked. “We don’t know where to start. We need your help.”
“Hmm... you need powerful things for such missions. There is the Arcane Crown, of course, but it has the Death Lord trapped in it, so you have no way to use the Crown. I can’t think of anything else...” Lynx remarked.
“Nothing?” The Scavenger’s voice was tinged with panic.
“Yes. Practically, nothing,” Lynx replied, “Searching for the Pages of Destiny doesn’t seem viable at this time. Apart from that, I don’t think there is anything else.”
“But... but...” The Scavenger faltered.
Lynx gasped. “No... wait... yes, yes… I completely forgot about it...
