Another quick walk inside, the CFs come to a fork in the   
cave, one branch leading off to another tunnel, the other   
cordoned off with a huge iron door.  Entropy examines the   
door, then turns to the rest of the CFs.  He takes a deep   
breath, then says, "I certainly hope you're all ready for   
this."                                                      
   "YAAH!  Time to kick some *&^, finally!"  Pyro remarks.  
   "As if we had another option?"  Kyle says.               
  "It IS a good day to die!"  Ganthet says, smiling a bit.  
  "Well then," Entropy says, making a quick hand motion.    
"I'm glad you're all prepared."  Suddenly, tendrils of vile 
matter bind up the CFs.  "Because so are we."  Entropy      
smiles wickedly as a huge current of electricity shoots     
through the tendrils, knocking all the CFs out cold.  The   
door opens, revealing Phyllite and a battallion of vile.    
"Take their crystals.  The woman has three, so make sure you
have them all.  Not only that, but have the woman fixed with
a Psionic inhibitor, and take the punk to the Psion research
lab.  Be sure to disarm the one with all the weaponry,      
especially his arm.  Also, put a chronolock on the crystal  
man, and take the woman to my chambers for interrogation.   
All the others you can disarm and put in the general        
prison."  The vile hesitate for a moment.  "Well?"  he says.
 "Get going! That charge won't keep them out for long!"     
Phyllite comes out from the crowd as the vile hurry to      
complete their tasks,  carrying the CFs off.                
   "You know, I love watching you work."  Phyllite remarks  
with a smirk.                                               
   "Well, is this good enough?"  Entropy says, turning to   
her.  "Am I your new general yet?"                          
   "Do you need to ask?  You have it already."              
   "Good."  Entropy says, pulling her closer to him.        
  "You know, I always knew there was a reason I fell in love
with you."  Phyllite remarks.  As the two of them kiss, the 
CFs are caried off into a hell they may never escape...     
     
CHAPTER 7                                                       
After finding all his weapons gone, Pyro realizes he's      
locked in some dungen. "If I ever get my hands on that      
tratiorus sonova%$#^ There won't be enough left to spit     
on." Pyro promises to himself. "Never count me out though.  
I've always got a trick up my sleeve." Pyro disconnects the  
arm and hits a button an inch into the joint. the flashes   
then he puts the arm back on. "At least they'll know where  
we are." 
 
Entropy sneers as he enters his chambers.  Tala is soon
dragged in, unconsious, with a psionic mindwarper locked    
around her neck.  She is quickly bound to a chair and hooked
up to it.  Entropy turns to the guards.  "Leave us.  I      
prefer interrogating people on my own."  The guards quickly 
comply, and Entropy gives Tala a vicious backhand to wake   
her up.  "Congratulations, Tala.  You get to go first and   
get all the pain over with." 

CRYSTALLIA
Zelda looked over at Zealen, "What?! You..  
can't touch it?? Are you sure?" she said hoping that it     
didn't mean what she feared it might.
Zealen reached for his crystal while Zelda and Rupay were   
watching him. He reached it, but he shrugged back in pain.  

EIKHURAS
Ganthet sturggles against his bonds, but to no avail.  He   
had a semi-plan. If he could smash parts of himself into the
wall, he could loose enough mass to slip out of his bonds,  
then reunite his body matter. He'd keep it in mind, but it  
wasn't one he wanted to try without his crystal to speed    
things up.  The hole in his chest where he'd placed it was  
already growing back together. 
Kyle tries his powers.                                      
"@)&$!  Nothing.  They must have a psi damper up.  Sorry,   
people.  I'm out.

Tala Glares up at Entropy, wishing that she didn't have to rely on   
the crystals for most of her powers. She watches him    
silently, as he walks around, knowing that at the moment,   
there is nothing she can do..and her sister must be laughing
hysterically right about now.                               
 However, being a .."witch" was a natural born talent..and  
if she had to go down, she'd go down dirty.                 
 Tala arched one eyebrow, moving aside her anger. And her   
voice was scathing as she spoke.                            
 "Well, on with it then. I would like to find out what your 
big plan is, you know." 

CRYSTALLIA
"You sure your okay" asked Nity not quite believeing Krakken.  
The two continued down the tunnel.
Krakken and Nity walked back the way they came,    
"There!  A ladder going up!  Let's get out of here!"        
Krakken lead the way up the rusty ladder, trying not to     
swoon from the poison flowing through his veins.  He felt   
invigorated as sunlight washed over his form, signifying    
that they were at the surface.  His happiness, however, was 
short lived.                                                
    The Vile were waiting for them on the surface.  
  
"Hah!"  Entropy laughs.  "You honestly think I'm that     
stupid?  And so, to save time, I should probably tell you, I
am a spy, and I always have been.  Now, getting back to that
torture thing.  Normally I wouldn't-" he says, grabbing Tala
by the chin.  "Especially to such a pretty face,  but       
Phyllite is a real battleaxe when it comes down to orders.  
Sorry."  With that, he turns to a small control panel,      
pressing a little red button.  Pain rips through Tala's body
as he chuckles a bit.  "I do hope you felt that.  Now, if   
you really need to know, I'm going to use that special      
little button every time you give me an answer I don't like.
 Understand?"  Entropy suddenly turns away, taking a deep   
breath.  "You know, I normally would have let all this go on
longer, I was genuinely beginning to like you guys.         
Especially ones like you, Pyro and Ganthet.  But hey, if I  
don't get this generalship I'm screwed either way, so shall 
we begin?"  He sits down at the control panel, looking at   
Tala.  "Question number one:  what are the weaknesses of the  
Crystallian defensive network?"  
Entropy's expression darkens when Tala doesn't answer.  
"Bad move."  he says, hitting the button.  "Ok, here's a    
simple one, how do you prefer being executed?"  He thinks   
for a moment.  "Oh, no, wait, that wouldn't be right.       
Executing you would just end your suffering.  It's too      
merciful."  He thinks again, longer this time.  "Hmm, what  
to ask, what to ask?"  suddenly, he looks up.  "All right,  
question number two:  You know your homeworld much better than
Crystallia, am I right?  Name off their weaknesses." 
Tala just stares up at him, thinking over an answer. She    
couldn't tell if he had a way of knowing when she lied. If  
she lied. The pain was bad, but she had recieved worse      
during training. Especially when her sister had been the    
teacher. Better to be safe then sorry though.               
 "It's only weakness..is this. My sister."                  
And she was telling the truth. Her sister could easily      
destroy the planet. Other then that..well, there were no    
major weapons of any kind. Should she add that? Nah, let him
stew for a while. 
"Good," Entropy says, smiling a bit.  "Very good.  But even 
so, that was too easy."  He looks up at a monitor overhead, 
taping the entire conversation.  "I really don't like it    
when people lie to me, though I do know about your sister.  
Please, don't make me turn up the power on this."  To       
demonstrate, he turns a small dial on his control panel,    
then presses the button.  The pain is ten times worse than   
before.  "Ok, now, about your sister, where might we find   
her?"  He suddenly hits another button on the panel, going  
up to Tala.  "You know, I can get you out of this.  All you 
have to do is join us and I'm sure I can get Phyllite to let
you live under my command.  It wouldn't be paradise, but at 
least you'd be alive.  I'm offering you a chance out of     
this.  Just say yes and it's done."  He goes back over to   
the control panel, saying "If you accept, try and make it   
convincing."  before he presses the button which stopped the
recording earlier.  "As I was saying, your sister..." 
Tala "My sister is already here...She never leaves. Where there  
are shadows, is where she is."                                  
 This was said after she could feel again. The pain that had
just went through her body had been most numbing. Her       
thoughts flashed back to his thing about joining. She       
couldn't do that, it wasn't her way. Her sister might gladly
kill her, take the crystals and join though. Then destroy   
everyone. Ah, well. Then she spoke again..perhaps she had   
slurred the words the first time.                           
 "As long as there are shadows, she is around. She controls 
them."  
Entropy shuts his eyes, looking down as he hits the pause   
button again.  "I expected you to be more stubborn."  He    
looks up, going over to her again.  "My offer still stands. 
I don't want any of you to get hurt any further from all    
this, but I have my orders.  I'm sorry."  He goes back to   
the control panel, unpausing the recording.  "Well, I       
believe that concludes this session.  You will be taken to  
the cells with the others, at least for tonight.  We'll     
resume tomorrow."  With that, he stops the recording, going 
to get the guard.  He turns back for a moment, looking at   
her.  "Tala, please tell the others what I've told you.     
Good night."  With that, the guards rush in, clamping on new
restraints before removing the old ones, and carrying Tala  
back to the cell where the others await.  Entropy, breathing
a deep sigh, heads over to his bed and picks up a book,     
starting to read.

Pyro remains stewing in his cell, mad at himself for        
staying that long. "Stone walls do not a prison make." He   
laughed. Then looked started to look for a weak point in    
the wall  
"If you're looking for a way out, forget it." Krakken says.    
"Oh?  And why?" Pyro asks.                                  
"This is a standard prison cell with three cubic feet o'    
concrete an' magnesium-tustin reinforcements.  Also,        
cold-riveted bars made o' a titanium alloy."  Pyro stares at
him.  "I've had some experience with prison cells.  An' th' 
only way out would be with a nuclear explosion." 
Tala watches the others sliently, wondering if they even     
wanted to know what Entropy had said to her. She thought    
over it, knowing that she would have to tell them at some   
point, but when? She almost wished her sister was here, just
to..gods. This was too confusing. She let them debate for a 
while, then cleared her throat softly.                      
 "Uhm, you guys..Entropy said there is a way out..but I don't    
think y'all will like it..."                                
 She then fell quiet again.  

She waits silently, just watching as Entropy begins to read. The 
shadow moves from the corner, dodging around the light in   
the room, until she steps from them. Well, not she          
really..just a shadow form of herself.                      
 Ebon fingers curl over the book, as she lifts it from his     
hands.                                                      
 "What do you wish with my planet...?" 

"Geeze now we got puny Vile to contend with" asked Nity.    
"Heh we can take them powerless or not these guys are easy  
pickings" Krakken says drowsy from the poisen.              
One of the Vile speak "No one gets the sacred item".        
"Not with the sacred item bussiness again" says Nity, "Well 
come on Krakken lets whip some Vile butt"                   
"Sure thing Nit...." Krakken passes out and slumps to the   
ground.                                                     
"So you wernt okay after all" says Nity then attacks.       
With out his powers its conciderable harder to take down the
Vile.                                                       
He gives a back hand here and a high kick there he slams a  
Viles head into his knee and takes a few talons to the ribs 
but all and all he comes out the last one standing.         
Behind where the Vile once stood sits a glowing rock with   
something resting on top of it.                             
"Finnally the sacred item" Nity says to himself and walks to 
the glowing rock to find the item resting upon it to be a   
book.                                               
"A BOOK???? that's what the stinken sacred item is?" Nity    
cant believe it. "I doubt the Vile even have the            
intellagence to read"                                       
Nity picks up the book and opens it instantly feeling his   
powers return. He scans the pages. The writting is in symbols 
he doesnt understand. "Hmmm this writing looks familiar   
though" Nity says.                                          
He tucks the book in his shirt and transforms. Razis picks  
up Krakken and he flys back to the Castle.  

CHAPTER 8
"A nuke? I'm sure theres a weakness." Pyro sits in a corner 
and thinks. "I'm guessing that Entropy will kill us once he's got  
his information. He'll make promises sure, I've been        
through the whole circle acouple of times." Pyro laughs at  
the memory. "It all becomes so stupid after a while you    
learn to deal with it. The tratiors, the torture, the false 
information, the recordings. It's the same thing every      
time. I can't imagen Mr. Birdyboy being too diffrent.    
Anyway, we should know what were being asked. Tala, would   
you give us a run down?"
Tala Grins wryly at his words.                                   
 "He said that if we accept his offer to join 'them', that  
he can get Phyllite to allow us to live. But we would be   
under his command. But he said nothing about us getting our 
crystal's back."                                            
 She tries to shrug, then winces slightly in pain. The past 
day or so was beginning to take it's toll on her. But she   
would ride it out, she had too.                             
 "Oh no..wait, he said that he might be able to get her to  
allow us to live. I dunno about y'all, but I'll hold out for
a better deal." 

Entropy smirks.  "So, you are the sister Tala was talking   
about.  If so, I would like to start with this."  He whips  
into a flurry of motion, grabbing the real Nokomis and      
pinning her to a wall, quickly slapping a psi-dampner on her
head.  "First of all, that was a very good chapter I was    
reading, thank you very much for interrupting me.  Now, to  
business."  He releases her, sighing and sitting back down. 
"The vile high command has an offer for you.  If you join   
them and assist them in conquering your world, you will     
become supreme ruler there, second only to the members of   
the high command. They are going to strike at the heart of  
the serpent, namely the homeworlds of the CFs.  They believe
they can accomplish the majority of it with your assistance.
 Oh, and I'm sorry about the dampner.  It's only for my     
protection.  You can tell me of your decision later, it's   
very late and I suppose we all need some rest now and       
again."  Nokomis leaves, to ponder her answer.              
                                                            
THE NEXT DAY                                                
Entropy wakes up early, suiting up in his armor and sword.  
He heads down to the cell where the CFs are being held, only
to find them being carted off by Phyllite's troops.         
Phyllite herself stands at the doorway as Kyle is moved out.
 "What are you doing?  The crystal fighters are under MY    
jurisdiction!"  Entropy snaps.                              
 "The Master Vile's grown hungry sooner than I expected.    
they have been removed from your responsibilities."         
 "Like hell they have.  I haven't even finished             
interrogating one of them and you're feeding them to the    
master vile NOW?"                                           
 "Yes, I AM.  This is no longer your business, Entropy.     
Return to your quarters."                                   
 "I may be your spy, but I'm not one of your troops,        
Phyllite.  Don't think I am."  With that, Entropy walks off,
following the CFs.                                          
  "What are you doing?"                                     
  "Seeing my old "friends" off, what does it look like?"  

On his way, Entropy grabs a large ring of keys, and a small    
gun. He soon catches up to Tala.  "Feeling better?"
She glances towards him as they walk along, unsure of what  
to say. However, being truthful..well, most times..was her  
nature.                                                     
 "I am doing as well as one can be. Being bound, and about  
to be feed to some..thing. How would you feel?"             
 One brow lifts, then she sighs. Even though it was his     
fault they were in this mess, she couldn't hold onto her    
anger for long. She never really could. She lowered her     
voice, so only he could hear her.                           
 "I believe the others are going to be much madder at you.  
since I am new and all, it dosn't matter too much to me."   
  
Nokomis frowns thoughtfully. How had Entropy been   
able to put a psi-dampner on a shadow being? It irked her   
that it had happened. It took days to make a shadow just    
right. And he believed it to be her. Little did he          
know..that she was safe at her house. And what he had       
grabbed, was pure shadow. Well, not pure shadow, but most of
it was. However, destroying other worlds sounded like fun.  
 Yet, she could never answer to anyone. She would help them,
perhaps..if they left her planet, and her..alone. She closed
her eyes in thought, as the shadow being in his room     
melted away. 

CHAPTER 9
Razis slowed into a landing with Krakken in his arms. He    
pushed through the door and quickly found Zelda. "Hurry we  
are going to need some of that healing potion" Razis says.  
                                                            
TWENTY MINUTES LATER                                        
Nity and Zelda hang over Krakken who is lying on a table in 
Pyro's lab which is currently an E.R.                       
Zealen , examining his new and improved suite, sits with    
Rupay in a couple chairs against the wall.                  
"There that should destroy the poisen in his system" says   
Zelda.                                                      
"Good job Zel" says Nity giving a sigh of relief and turns  
away from the unconsious body of Krakken. There something   
catches his eye, on one of the machines, a blinking red     
light.                                                      
"Um Zelda do you know how long that has been blinking" Nity 
asks.                                                       
"Yeah I know it was blinking when I was in here a couple of 
hours ago" Zelda replies wondering what it means, she hadn't   
the slightest idea, she wasnt into the techno stuff. Though 
she noticed that Nity had learned a lot from Coda and there 
was some other guy that was really into the techno stuff but
it seemed like a vage memory. "Oh no we got to get to       
Eikharus" Nity says.  
"Why what's it mean"                                        
"It's Pyro's distress signal, oh man they have to be in a   
lot of trouble for him to turn that thing on" Nity says     
"Zealen that suite has a built in teleporter right?"        
"Yeah sure" Zealen replies.                                 
"Is it strong enough to get us to Entropy's Homeworld"      
"Sure" Zealen says and pulls back a panel on his arm and    
pushes a button and the portal appears in front of him.     
"Good, Zelda help Rupay" Zelda walks to Rupay who grabs her 
arm.                                                        
Nity picks up Krakken and then jumps through the portal.  
Zelda and Rupay entered the portal right after Nity. Then 
Zealen.

Pyro pulls open a panel on his pectoral muscle. "Hey,       
couldn't build a new arm without rebuilding the pec too."   
He reveals a small power pack. "If I can get the guard's    
attention, maybe I can fry him." Pyro thinks. "but we'll    
get bombarded by tons more." 

Entropy frowns slightly as Tala answers.  "Believe me, it   
wasn't supposed to be like this.  I was hoping I could tie  
up Phyllite's schedule long enough so it would take a couple
years before all this happened.  Apparently, I'll just have 
to advance my plan a little further."  Tala arches an       
eyebrow as he says that.  "By the way, you've never seen    
what I really look like, have you?"  She looks puzzled.     
"All the powers I've used so far have been only mine.  The  
real sword with my crystal in it isn't even this."  He holds
up his sword.  Suddenly, it changes into a long, lean       
cutlass with the crystal melded into runes along the blade. 
Almost instantly, Entropy's form changes as well.  Instead  
of his normal armor, he now wears a loose-fitting           pirate-esque outfit, and his hair, formerly short and black,
lengthens and bleaches up to being white with a greenish    
tint to it. "Not bad?"  Tala doesn't seem to notice.        
  A few moments later, the procession arrives at a          
gargantuan door, from behind which emanate unearthly roars. 
"Well, this is it." Entropy says, going up to the front of  
the crowd.  Crystal fighters, my offer still stands.  I do  
want you to know that this is your last chance, and you have
absolutely no chance of surviving in there for longer than  
30 seconds.  If you refuse, and I truthfully hope to God you
don't, you get to be food for the master vile.  For those   
of you who do, I am genuinely sorry.  I was beginning to    
like being one of you.  If you accept, then you will be     
freed and given access to your crystals and equipment when  
you prove your loyalty.  I need your decision." 

Nity's mouth hangs open at the site of this world. The same
look occurs on the faces of Zelda and Zealen as they come   
through the portal. Rupay cant see the actual land scape but
she knows its bad from the thoughts in the other three's    
minds.                                                      
"This isnt quite the same picture that Entropy had on his   
little brosure" says Nity.                                 
"What happened" asks Zelda.                                 
"I dont know but whoever or whatever did this is probably in
conflict with the rest of the CF's"                         
"We could be a little in over are heads, if the rest of the 
CFs are having enough trouble that Pyro had to send a       
distress signal" says Rupay.                                
"The Crystal Fighters are never in over there heads" says   
Zealen.                                                     
"Zelda do you sense any lifeforms" asks Nity.              
"Yeah I can faintly feel some from that direction" Zelda    
says pointing, Rupay conferms with Zelda's report.          
"Good now transform we might have a lot of trouble ahead"   
They walk towards the distant destroyed structure of the    
castle. 
"Ah Goddess..." Rydia murmered, looking around, +What kind  
of home is this..?+ she thought painfully, and if it hadn't 
always been like this..what could have caused it? She       
started to walk faster as she worried about her friends,    
then, before it was too late, she checked her supply of     
reagents...surprisingly she had a bunch of the most common  
ones.  "Umm..do we have a plan?" Rydia asked, then she      
shook her head, +Of course we don't, we don't even know for 
sure if we're going in the right direction!+ An echoey      
memory sounded in her head, "Always trust yourself          
Zelda...if you can't trust yourself who can you trust?"     
Rydia sighed, +Why can she never leave me be!+ she shouted  
mentally, but of course, recieved no answer. She both loved 
and hated Zaria, mostly she hated what she stood for..that  
leval of understanding and magic that she couldn't achieve, 
she hadn't even been allowed to try, Zaria had, and she had 
succeded. 

"Pyro, follow my lead." Kyle says.  Pyro starts to disagree,
but Kyle interrupts.  "Just do it.  An' keep it in th' back 
o' yer mind."                                               
"I'll join ya.  I was gettin' sick o' these wusses.  Sorry I
ever wanted t'lead 'em." 

Eme stops working and looks up from her papers.  She        
suddenly has a funny feeling, but she shrugs it off and     
heads back into deep thought. 

Tala didn't notice the outfit..or the hair. Instead, she was 
still wondering why he was showing all this to her..because 
he liked Phyllite. Unless there was some other idea  
he was planning.                                            
 Tala glanced to Kyle as he spoke up. Wussies? And he was   
the one that..well, he did something. ach, well, as such as 
it was. Pyro didn't seem to keen about going along with what
Kyle was saying. But she couldn't tell if had been the      
remark, or maybe just the look on his face. She remained    
quiet though, waiting. If they all agreed, then perhaps she 
would too. Although she didn't look forward to it at all.   
Entropy grumbles a bit, as only Kyle steps foreward.        
However, Phyllite steps out from behind the procession.     
"Hey, what's going on here?  get those prisoners in the     
Master Vile's chamber!"  When no one moves, she hits a      
button on the side of the door, and a human-sized access    
doorway opens up.  "In you go!"  She says, shoving the CFs  
in.  Entropy steps in front of her, just before she grabs   
Tala.  "Hold it, Phyl.  I didn't agree to this."  Phyllite  
suddenly gets a wicked grin on her face.  "Well then, you   
can talk it out with the master vile." She suddenly ushers  
for the guards, who quickly shove in both Tala and Entropy, 
sealing the doorway behind them.  "Damn it!"  Entropy says, 
slamming his fist in the dirt.  The other CFs quickly       
surround him.  "Well, I guess I get what's coming to me now.
 Believe me when I say this, though.  I didn't want this to 
happen.  I was actually beginning to like being one of the  
good guys.  Also, if you're going to fight the master vile, 
you'll need these."  Entropy reaches into his shirt, pulling
out the crystals of all the CFs present.  "Ok, feel free to 
mutilate me." 
Tala Carefully takes hers back from him, relieved to be wearing  
them once more. She looks at the others, then to Entropy..not
having any idea how much longer they have till the "Master" 
arrives.                                                    
 "Entropy..why did you do it?
Pyro looks into Entropy's eyes. "I don't trust you." Pyro   
snatches the crystal from entropy and places it in a        
chamber in his pectoral area. The arm socket suddenly       
lights up as his arm hovers into the room and connects to   
his sholder. "But I have a strange feeling about this whole 
thing. And If the master Vile want's me for dinner, I'll give   
him the worst $##$& indigestion he's ever had!" His arm     
suddenly pusles with energy. "Let's see how he likes the     
Krimson force."  
Kyle takes his crystal and shoves it in his pocket.         
"Psi dampers are off, an' my powers are natural, so this    
thing's just decoration fer now.  Crystal Fighters, stay    
close an' be ready fer anything." 
Entropy smiles at Tala.  "I told you I was doing some good   
acting.  Not only that, but just because I'm a spy doesn't  
mean I'm not a double agent."  he digs into his pocket,     
pulling out a card.  "Bounty hunter Entropy Salander,       
License number Alpha-2-2-6.  Master level."  He then draws  
out his sword.  "I can explain the rest later.  For now-"   
Suddenly, a large thud is heard not far off.  "We've got    
bigger problems.  MUCH bigger ones.  Now, get to cover, and 
quickly!  It'll be here soon!"  As the CFs rush behind rocks
and other cover in the chamber a huge, oily black
form emerges, with five serpentine heads and necks extending
out from a large, winged trunk, from which also extend four 
legs the size of redwoods, and a massive tail at least twenty   
feet long.  The monster's eyes glow red with hunger.        
      The Master Vile has arrived.