Quest for the Arcane Crown

by Yajat Sharma

  On spotting Matt and Daniel, Archer lumbered towards them. Matt saw Archer’s eyelids drooping. He could at once make out that Archer’s energy was depleting fast. Yet his spirits were high as he jumped with pure joy and cried, “You saw what I did to them? Didn’t you? I mean, seriously, I was the best… wasn’t I?”

  Suddenly James flew towards the trio and hit them, bringing everyone to the ground.

  “Sorry!” James murmured. “An Ace Warrior threw me hard. Trust me, those Ace Warriors are something else.”

  Suddenly, there was a thundering sound. It was as if a hammer had banged against a bell. Everything stopped. Everyone stopped fighting.

  Matt looked at the skies. It was getting dark. As per the rules of the war, there shouldn’t be any fighting after the suns had set.

  A chariot came, rumbling beside the children. The Scavenger was standing on the chariot. “Get in! Let’s go!”

  While returning to their camp, Matt asked his friends, “Do any of you remember the count?”

  His friends shook their heads. “I lost count after fifty,” Daniel said. “There were just too many of them.”

  “This was just the beginning, boys,” the Scavenger said. “The army of savages is infinite. Save your strength for tomorrow.”

  The children agreed with the Scavenger, but right now, rest was the only thing they wanted.

  ***

  “Get up, Matt. It’s dawn. The armies are lining up for combat,” the Scavenger shouted, shaking Matt out of a deep slumber. Matt rubbed his eyes and woke up. He found that, as usual, he was the last one to get up.

  As the two suns climbed higher up in the sky, the armies waited for the mayhem to begin.

  “FIRE CANNONS!” the Scavenger roared.

  With a loud blast, several cannons fired concurrently, cannonballs hurling towards the enemy. Soon the battlefield was covered with burned and littered bodies.

  “CHAAAARRRRGGGGEEE!” the Scavenger yelled.

  Roaring, the warriors darted into the battle, the Scavenger and the children leading the army on a chariot.

  They had the element of surprise on their side. Before the enemy could recover and form another vanguard, the warriors attacked from all sides, scattering the creatures and demolishing any chance of their formation again.

  Matt summoned the Power of Wind, throwing the enemy creatures all around the battleground. The others summoned their powers too, wreaking havoc on the enemy.

  The Scavenger unsheathed his sword. “James, you man the chariot… um… child, the chariot? Never mind! I will fight on the ground.”

  The children took control of the wheel as the Scavenger leapt off the chariot.

  “How does this work?” Matt exclaimed, examining the control panel. He unknowingly pressed a button.

  “NOOO, what you have done?” James shouted.

  The chariot shot forward almost at once. Before Matt could understand what he had done, he found the chariot in the middle of bloodthirsty demons.

  James shot a horror-ridden look at him.

  “What have you done?” Archer shrieked, looking at the enemy, gawking at them with bloodthirsty eyes.

  “I have just made this more interesting,” Matt replied as the chariot shook hard, throwing all of them to the ground.

  “If this is interesting!” James said, hauling himself up and pulling out his sword, “I don’t want to know what is exciting!”

  “I will tell you what is exciting!” an enemy demon growled. He glared at Archer. “You burned my pants yesterday! I will torture you alive!”

  Archer gulped.

  The demons encircled the children.

  “Do something, someone, or we are toast,” Archer bellowed.

  Daniel sprang into action and summoned hundreds of creepers from the ground. The demons got tangled and tripped and began falling instantly upon one another.

  Matt seized the opportunity and lifted the group to the air. Simultaneously, he used a gust of wind and hoisted the chariot up. The children immediately climbed into the chariot and sped away.

  Matt rubbed the sweat from his forehead. “Whew! That was a close call!”

  “Yeah,” Daniel agreed, and looked at Archer, “Now, don’t go around burning everyone’s pants!”

  Archer grinned. “I can’t make any promises.” And all of them hooted and cackled.

  “Hey, look at that!” Matt exclaimed, pointing at the distance.

  Far away in the battlefield, as the thunder crackled, monsters had circled a lone warrior.

  The lone warrior was summoning sparks of electricity. The skies were darkening and the ground was shrouded with smoke.

  There was only one warrior who could fight against an entire army by himself, hold his ground and summon his power at the same time – and that was the Scavenger.

  They had to help him. Without any further delay, James hit hard on a switch to propel the chariot forward.

  Matt clutched the pole with both hands for support. “Slow down!” he yelled.

  James fiddled with the controls, but accidentally pushed the ‘Rocket Motion’ button.

  Matt fell to the floor as the chariot dashed ahead like a bullet. They were nearing the spot where the Scavenger was somehow holding on.

  They were almost there now. James pulled a lever and brought the chariot to a jerky halt. The impact tossed the children and they went flying forward. They landed on the ground. Matt got up quickly and found himself right beside the Scavenger.

  The Scavenger threw a glance at Matt. His expression changed from surprise to shock to relief.

  “What took you so long?” the Scavenger shouted. “These backstabbers surrounded me. They know that they cannot kill me, but they aim to weaken me beyond any chance of recovery.”

  Matt began to summon a tornado, only to realize that it couldn’t sustain the black magic of the sorcerers.

  He had no choice but to tackle them face to face, so he pulled out his sword.

  From the corner of his eyes, he could see Archer, a fire figure dancing amongst the warriors with a big lance that was blazing in flames. Swinging it around, he roared and cut them down quickly.

  Daniel was busy shooting roots at the Black Sorcerers. With the Sorcerers distracted, Matt was free to use wind to throw them everywhere.

  James held an icy bow, which shot arrow after arrow coated with deadly snow. They pierced the enemies’ bodies and their agonizing cries filling the sky.

  The Scavenger turned to ask Matt, “Go and get the Ninja and the Samurai. Immediately.”

  Matt scowled. He wanted to fight, not run errands. “Why me?”

  “You have the power of the wind at your call. You can reach the Ninja and Samurai faster than anyone else.”

  Matt hesitated, but summoned his power and lifted himself above the ground. Soon, he was shooting through the skies as he scanned the war from above.

  Matt saw a black figure leaping swiftly, wielding a sword and sometimes throwing smoke bombs. A red figure accompanied him, wielding a red sword, slashing at opponents.

  Swooping down, he landed in front of them. The Ninja and the Samurai stopped and bowed.

  Matt bowed back and said hurriedly, “Help! The Scavenger and my friends are trapped.”

  “Lead the way, warrior,” the Ninja said.

  Matt lifted all three of them up and quickly flew back, landing beside the Scavenger.

  The Ninja and the Samurai leapt into the battle, throwing grenades and slashing at the enemy with lightning speed.

  The seven of them fought hard, but for every enemy soldier they killed, two more sprung up.

  Over-exerting himself, Matt realized that he had no strength left to fight any longer. Using his last surge of energy, he summoned a rippling tornado and sent it flying towards the enemy, and then he collapsed.

  Matt slowly opened his eyes when someone shook him.

  “What happened?” Sitting up straight, he looked around. “Where are we?”

  He felt the cha
riot moving. The sun had gone down and they were returning, drained and slogged.

  “I have important information to share,” the Scavenger said. “I have had discussions with the leaders of all the teams. While the armies continue to battle, we will journey to the Pyramid of Destiny. It is futile to wait for the Death Lord to come to the Moor. Sources say that the Death Lord plans to stay put at the Pyramid of Destiny and wait for us. We have to directly take on the Death Lord.”

  “Shouldn’t we win at the Moor and then proceed to the Pyramid of Destiny as the winner?” Daniel asked.

  “To form the Arcane Crown, we need to get the two pieces from the Death Lord,” the Scavenger said, pulling out the five pieces of the Arcane Crown. “If we don’t do this, this war will consume our people. The truth is bitter, but it is the truth after all. The Death Lord’s army is more in numbers and more powerful than our army. If we just continue to fight, our entire army will be massacred. Think like this – if we win over the Death Lord, the entire evil army automatically gets wiped out.”

  “I think it makes sense. Let’s do this,” James said.

  “So that means…” A feeling of dread washed over Matt.

  “Yes,” the Scavenger said before Matt could finish. “Tomorrow, we have the showdown with the Death Lord.”

  23

  James and his friends woke up an hour before dawn. There was an eerie silence in the air. They got dressed in their armour and boarded the chariot. The Scavenger led them to the battlefield.

  The war began as the day broke.

  James was about to summon his Elemental Power, but the Scavenger stopped him.

  “Save your energy. We need to get to the Pyramid of Destiny. There, you will need your Elemental Powers.”

  The chariot plunged deep into the battlefield and towards the pyramid, cutting its way through the army. Soon they saw the outline of a giant pyramid with its top open like a crater.

  “Matt, lift us there,” the Scavenger requested as they all got down from the chariot.

  Matt nodded, and a gust of wind lifted them to the top of the pyramid.

  The Scavenger turned towards the children.

  “This is the time we have waited for. Let’s go!” Saying this, the Scavenger jumped.

  The children followed and landed on the hard roof.

  The Scavenger led the way through a passage inside the pyramid, till they finally reached a chamber. There was a circular booth in front of them that had seven sections on it. The seven pieces of the Crown had to be put on these seven sections to form the Crown of Magic. They began to move, but stopped as they heard a voice.

  Stop.

  They could have recognized the voice anywhere.

  For long, you have escaped from me, fooled me, outrun me. I have only two pieces of the Crown; you have five. It’s my destiny that I will conquer the Earth, and nothing can stop me. The time has finally arrived.

  Out of thin air appeared the Death Lord, a shadow covered in a cloak.

  You will regret going against me! Once I have finished with you, I will enslave the entire Earth! The Death Lord roared as he held up the two pieces of the Crown, which had turned black now.

  The Scavenger snarled, pulling out his Lightning Sword. “NEVER!”

  The Scavenger and the children charged towards the Death Lord, but James just stood there and watched. His legs refused to move.

  The Scavenger tried to put one of his pieces on the circular booth, but it repelled it. Arcane’s words echoed back into James’ ears.

  ‘You will know what to do when the time comes.’ And James immediately knew what to do.

  Fighting the Death Lord directly was no option. He was just too powerful. Unless they formed the Arcane Crown, they could never overpower the Death Lord.

  Shielding himself, the Death Lord walked towards the booth to put the two pieces, but they too were repelled. ‘Only someone who cannot be touched by greed.’ The words reverberated in James’s mind.

  James went towards the Scavenger and held out his hand.

  NO!!! The Death Lord roared. He ran towards the Scavenger.

  James quickly took the five pieces from the Scavenger and ran to the circular booth.

  The Death Lord approached him and threw him to the wall. A barrage of Elemental Powers rained down on the Death Lord as James’s friends protected him.

  James hastily put the five pieces on the five sections of the circular booth. There was no repulsion this time, and the pieces sat in the sections correctly.

  Holding the other two pieces, the Death Lord shouted:

  FOOL! The Arcane Crown cannot be formed unless you take these from me!

  The Scavenger and the children leapt at the Death Lord. James summoned the most powerful stream of water and threw him off balance.

  A hot fireball shot out from Archer’s hand. Daniel invoked his powers to throw deadly and poisonous thorns at the Death Lord.

  The Scavenger struck the Death Lord with lightning bolts. However, despite all the attacks, the Death Lord rose again each time.

  You cannot defeat me. You cannot defeat pure evil.

  The Death Lord kicked away the Scavenger and the children and approached the stand where the five pieces sat. He lowered his hands as he started to put the two pieces on the two empty spots.

  “NO!” the Scavenger roared as he leapt at the Death Lord. The Death Lord just raised one hand and a rope wrapped itself around the Scavenger’s neck, throwing him to the wall and choking him. The Scavenger struggled with the rope, losing precious seconds.

  Archer, Daniel and Matt found themselves surrounded by dark blobs that didn’t let them approach the Death Lord.

  Finally! The Death Lord lowered the two pieces down.

  This is it! He laughed.

  Before he could put the pieces into the spots, a short figure slammed against him. The Death Lord staggered and fell down. When he rose, the figure was nowhere to be seen.

  The Death Lord laughed.

  There were tears in the Scavenger’s eyes as he realized what had happened.

  The Death Lord had sucked James inside his body.

  James was suffocating and struggling hard in the mysterious atmosphere inside the Death Lord’s body. He started to lose control over the environment as he sank further in the heavy air. Suddenly, he heard Lord Arcane whispering in his ears.

  “Never give up. Evil will spread, but so will good. If you let go, you let go of millions of lives.”

  Gathering all his courage, James rose again. There were two pieces, shining black, ahead of him.

  Fighting against the dark energy, every step he took felt like thousands of mountains on his shoulders. But he didn’t stop.

  He couldn’t.

  The faces of his parents came into his mind. The faces of people he never knew came into his mind. If he lost now, he would lose everything.

  Everyone.

  And he couldn’t let everyone go.

  The Death Lord had glued the two pieces inside his skin. James drew all his strength and pulled them off the Death Lord’s skin.

  James yelled and blasted off the body of the Death Lord.

  The Death Lord fell back as James emerged out of him, holding the two pieces. Without wasting any time, he rushed to the booth.

  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! The Death Lord howled, as he staggered towards the booth.

  The Scavenger and the others pounced on the Death Lord.

  As soon as James put the remaining two pieces in the section of the circular booth, there was a huge blast.

  The Arcane Crown gleamed intact in one piece, radiating splendid energy. James held it. Its magnificence seemed to attract him, but he didn’t wear it. He had only one mission: take it to the Scavenger.

  James raced towards the Scavenger and put the Crown on the Scavenger’s head.

  With a jolt of energy, the Scavenger rose. On his head, he wore the Arcane Crown. He lifted the Lightning Sword.

  The fight between the Scavenger and the D
eath Lord was the battle between good and evil. The Scavenger had to use all his strength to fight him.

  The children joined the battle. Arcs of energy shot out towards the Death Lord. Powerful blasts of Elemental Powers shot against the Death Lord as he fell backwards.

  In a lightning fast movement, the Scavenger plunged his sword into the Death Lord. A wave of energy sent them sprawling. The Death Lord’s cloak fell off and revealed a regal man who slowly opened his eyes.

  “Raven,” the Scavenger exclaimed, astounded.

  Raven looked at the Scavenger. “You, the one I called a liar, a murderer, a betrayer… you are a nobleman. I am sorry.”

  The Scavenger gave a smile in acknowledgement. The Scavenger cried, overcome with emotions, “I am glad that I could free your soul from the clutches of evil. You are the true heir of the Arcane Crown. It belongs to you.”

  The Scavenger removed the Crown from his head and put it on Raven, who accepted it gladly. Suddenly, dark thundering clouds roared and the cloak of darkness again covered Raven’s body.

  The Death Lord laughed wickedly and extended his hands.

  Fools! You thought you could win against the power of evil! Evil always thrives! It won’t stop! It won’t lose!

  A portal opened and the Death Lord rushed towards it.

  The Scavenger and the children followed to stop the Death Lord.

  Matt yelled as he summoned the most powerful of winds. The Death Lord faltered for a second as the winds hit him. The Arcane Crown shone as it dispelled the winds away, but Matt’s attack had granted them a precious second.

  As the Death Lord halted, Archer dived and seized the Arcane Crown from him. He threw it towards James.

  NOOOOO! Give me that! the Death Lord screamed. James threw the Crown upwards. A gust of wind lifted it and placed it in the hands of the Scavenger.

  In no time, the Scavenger placed the Crown on the circular booth. With folded hands, he prayed for Lord Arcane.

  Arcane’s kind face appeared.

  “My Lord, the most effective way to defeat pure evil is to destroy the very thing it wants. Please, Lord, I need the spell to break the Crown.”

  Lord Arcane smiled. “You have understood right, my loyal warrior. Once you break the Crown, the Death Lord will attempt to kill you in a fury. He might succeed unless you imprison him.”