Eyes of the Salamander (Chapter Two)

Far away from the desolate ruins outside Igniton where her mechanical duplicate sways in the wind along with her Avery of birds the real Armatura re-enters the ominous triadic formed castle from the balcony she had stood out on. Inside the dimly lit red walled corridors of the castle she was in Armatura followed the long lavender carpet as if it was an enormous tongue leading her through a series of archways guided by the glow of golden lanterns alure inside the throat of an extravagant beast.

Armatura finally crossed the threshold of one final golden archway leading her into an exquisitely large room where in its center atop a circled platform stood a complex machine with a steel blue body of pipes connecting on either side two tubes split in half like a juxtaposed hourglass. Whatever the manifold machine's function it centered on the two hermetically sealed halves of the hourglass shaped tubes as both they as well as a center wheel were being examined.

Armatura's arrival before her creation being powered by two prisoners in stasis concealed in their tubes not unlike two atriums of a stilled heart. At the center of the machine was a wheel featuring two orbs inside it. The orbs sat polar opposite each other with a red one at the top of the wheel while a blue orb sat at the bottom.

Armatura observed from afar a tall, armored figure with a cape along with a shorter robbed man hunched over at the console of the machine examining readouts bellow barred rows of metrics. Many armored helmed warriors surrounded the machine appearing as duplicate versions of the caped figure standing at the machine.

Armatura was then greeted by a towering presence in red armor, it was Rotar the Igniton Titan. The giant warrior just stood in silence beside Armatura who just continued observing the examiners at the consol of the machine.

Armatura then stared intently at a large golden orb imbedded in the center of the console itself she smiled as she noticed images engraved deep in the sphere itself invisible to the naked eye save for the one behind her golden mask.

Armatura reached out her gold taloned fingers towards the machines golden eye in anticipation of wanting to manipulate the binary system linked to the minds sleeping within the halved atrium of the machines heart.

"The prince remains unharmed?", Rotar asks

As if in a trance herself, Armatura has to register what was asked before casually replying back, "Prince Trace is merely asleep in a perpetual dream state which has been feeding his mind as well his alternate state imaginative images."

"For what reason are these images being flooded inside the mind of my prince?", Rotar asks

"For now, the history of this very castle we are in. Though eventually much, much more...", Armatura's words trail off as her own mind begins to wander off before she returns her ponderings to the present moment.

"Come Rotar, escort me over to the console.", Armatura tells the Igniton giant before proceeding off towards the machine

Armatura along with Rotar came beside the black helmed warrior addressing him as Lord Komodo. The Lord of the castle itself always had his face shielded behind a crimson faceplate shaped as if transitioning into a dragon's visage.

Lord Komodos shamanistic seer Kazal was always hunched over had retrieved a scrolled redout of the machines collected data showcased it within its concealed within a binding.

Kazal lauding over his accomplishment handed it towards his master Komodo who stood like a statue simply stated in a rasping voice," Give it to the witch...so she can verify your findings."

"Of course, Lord Komodo I meant no disrespect...", Kazal groveled in-between the flaps underneath his towering hat arched to the sky before handing it over to Armatura who took it not with her talon but instead her long fingers poking out through a red sleeved glove.

Armatura unlocked a screen in the middle of the scroll in order to skim threw the readouts. The readouts of the castle were time stamped first from its very foundation being excavated on Komodo Island itself to this exact moment. Armatura skims first between the castles creation to when it was first set upon in an attack by dragons who leveled it to the ground. Komodo castle was rebuilt as well hidden from the dragons by a mystical fog ever since. There was nothing much to note after that as the castle remained hidden on the island ever since.

"The legend of this castle has served you well Lord Komodo.", Armatura said after she was done verifying the transcribed data on the scroll.

"The Gong of Banishment has hidden your castle within its embrace for centuries allowing you to build your great army in secret. I only learned of your existence through my mentor Ynz who praised your clandestine exploits over the centuries.", Armatura told her unmoving ally appraisingly

The name of Armaturas benefactor as well betrayer Ynz caused Komodo to actually stir in anger, before he asked, " Are you any closer to breaking into Ynz Vault?"

"Ynz was the only outsider I ever allowed to be graced with an audience before me within the confines of my home!", Komodo erupted before Armatura could even provide him an answer to his question.

"If Ynz' body has been destroyed I want his bones brought back to me so I can preserve them for decoration.", Komodo coldly promised before finally allowing Armatura to answer his question

"Sadly, the Warlock's servitor has succeeded in guarding his vault against my varied assaults against it. If I was to give breaking into Ynz Vault my full attention it would have been done. However, my attention has been divided between that as well my grand machine along with Kazal's help of course. ", Armatura tactfully told Komodo so as not to stir the anger he held within him so much of it like a crucible covered over boiling rage.

"The Lost Forest must be the machines focus next of course! It is where the oldest sentience in Eternos lies! We must find it first in order to extract its accumulated knowledge to use against our newly acquired targets.", Kazal blurted out as if to course correct Armatura who replied nonchalantly, " I have already discussed along with the Triad one new targeted Kingdom since our allies proceeded Operation Recoil without us. I have already sent a migration of my Avery to its location."

"Does this location have a name?", Kazal prodded

"Chillor.", Armatura cooly replied

"Chillor, of all places, that old, fossilized land of our ancestors...it is a lost graveyard to the past left long ago by our people.", Kazal imparted

"It is a well-preserved graveyard full of terrors trapped in Preternian history. Imagine our use of the Eyes of the Salamander upon creatures lost to time reanimated, corrupted versions of themselves set loose upon this world.", Armatura proposed

Kazal had a repugnant look on his face as Armatura made her way toward the golden globe of the machine below the wheel that housed both Eyes of the Salamander.

"I want to demonstrate my machines golden eye, let me display this castles lifespan in scrying imagery before your eyes.", Armatura said as she hovered her gold robotic talons over the golden orb which began to spark a purple energy

Kazal corrected Armaturas statement about the machine being her own, "Don't you mean our machine?"

"I designed the machine...it's very inception was mine!", Armatura unintentionally shouted back

Lord Komodo spoke to quell the conflict happening before him, "No, Armatura hold your demonstration until Kazal along with Rotar collect more jars filled with Blood-Wynd Stones from the Altar of Karakum."

Immediately, Kazal fell before Komodo words, obeying them without compunction, "Of course Lord Komodo...I will collect as many Blood-Wynd Stones as necessary for you to use. My will is yours to command."

"Then go, use Rotars might to bring forth a carts worth of Blood-Wynd Stones.", Komodo told his seer

Then as Kazal walked off alongside Rotar, Komodo slowly turned his helmed head to watch the giant fall behind his seer as they both exited out the room threw the golden archway.

Komodo then turned his helmed head again to gaze upon Armatura.

"I admire the fire giant immensely.", Komodo told Armatura

Armatura was unsure of where Komodo was leading her, so she simply agreed with his sentiment," He is a hero to all of Igniton...I agree he is most admirable."

"You do not see him as I do...", Komodo proceeds to tell Armatura in more detail," I feel a kindred spirit with your giant. His loyalty to Prince Trace...to you...to me...it is without question or motive...it is...simply put honor driven."

"Is that why you withheld my demonstration of the machine's capabilities? Is it the mortality of the little prince that gives you pause?", Armatura asks daringly of someone who is not used to being questioned in anyway

"I care not for the prince or his other half as I understand it their lives are forfeit already. Kazal has told me how the machines process is binary one that will feed upon the life forces of the twin flames eventually trapping them inside both Eyes of the Salamander forever.", Komodo explained before lamenting," I do not want the prince's fate to be a premature one...at least not yet."

"I need your giant to lead my amassed army...he must be the one to do it...your hero the one called...", Komodo emphatically made his point by screaming out the name of his chosen general," Rotar!"

As the name of Rotar echoed inside Komodos throne room, one of the metric bars began to activate on their own. Armatura looked in awe at one of the bars as a portion of it colored in blue filled up at its base before disappearing.

No sooner than the dissipation of the bars meter did Armatura make her way to the tube which held the true prince Trace. Armatura stood before the young prince who was incased the tube sleeping vertically held in stasis somehow.

Armatura stared intently at Prince Trace as he lay motionless until she noted a slight strain as he tried to move his head.

"It was the name of his hero that stirred the prince. Though ever so slightly.", Armatura noted in a cold detached whisper

As Prince Trace's mind drifts back to his subconscious inner world once again back in the Mines of Morgoth a crowd of Igniton warriors peer into a dark hole. Despite being able to see inside the dark pit the warriors whisper amongst themselves the chances the two heroes have of survival against the creature within.

The warrior's leader Barbaros watches from afar crouched on the ruined steps, his gut still trembling from the mighty blow received from the hero named Malcome. So ill at ease from Malcomes blow is Barbaros that he can neither stand let alone hold his large, spiked club upright.

Barbaros spits a wad of phlegm like a bullet cursing the hero Malcome for humiliating him the way he did before his men.

"Was it wise to strike the Igniton warrior the way you did friend?", the contemplative Inspector Plodok asked as he sat with his webbed feet crossed like a stump on a log.

Malcome was standing in the shadow away from the glow from Plodoks stick which he held in one hand as he sucked his pipe in the other.

"What was there to lose?", Malcome said as he peered down into the darkness before him

"True, not much I reckon as we are stuck inside a rotten log with one hole leading over a cliff while the other the gnashing teeth of the thing that chased us inside it.", Plodok answered back

"A six-legged gnashing Gark?", Malcome said as he tried to guess at what the creature in Plodoks metaphor was

"Possibly.", Plodok replied

"I think we need to make a trade.", Malcome told Plodok

"I will give to you Inkas net she gave me in exchange for that glow stick of yours.", Malcome offered

"So, your going in first?", Plodok asked

"No, you are.", Malcome continued," I will light the way as you crawl along the ceiling wall ahead of me."

"I am thinking that the light will lure the creature out...", Malcome was unable to finish before Plodok replied," ...then I will drop Inkas net on it."

"A very clever plan.", Plodok said as he handed his glow stick to Malcome who in turn gave him Inkas coral net.

Plodok proceeded to slowly scale the wall of the cavern until he was up on the ceiling. Malcome shown a small portion of the light out the entranceway to let Plodok see the room as he crawled ahead upside down atop the ceiling of a large room.

Malcome trained the light of the glow stick on the floor catching his shadow as he crawled about half-way inside the room.

Plodok being immune to vertigo watched upside down as he held the net with his sticky tongue a glowing red glare taking shape on the floor.

Plodok thought it odd with the vault door being sealed shut on the other side of the room that a red drawing of a ruby would start glowing.

Malcome felt the presence of his friends within his right hand as the glowing finally burst! What followed after the burst of crimson energy was a shape taking form which transformed into a yellow demonic looking creature with bat like wings! Malcome's eyes grew wide upon detecting the red glow of the ruby where the navel ought to be on the creatures protruding stomach!

Malome yelled out as he stepped into the room from the corridor in order to get the creatures attention," I will get you to release my friend's demon!"

The Gem-Eyed Creature's two eyes glared at Malcome with intense, burning red energy when Plodok dropped down from above with his wide coral net!

It seemed too remarkable to believe but the creature was helpless inside the large coral net!

Unable to deploy its energy beams from its eyes the creature struggled to tear the net apart with its clawed hands!

Then something even more remarkable happened, the net began to tighten around the creature. The net tightened to the point where the creature could not move, then when the creature continued to struggle the net began to shrink along with the creature inside it!

The heroes watched as the net shrank along with the creature inside it until it finally stopped.

Malcome handed the glow stick back to Plodok before walking over to the netted creature who was now the size of a large doll. Malcome then unnetted the creature as if it was but a miniscule fish.

Malcome then held the creature in his left hand as if it was a jar while with his enchanted right hand began to try prying the red gem out of its stomach!

Plodok watched helplessly as his friend struggled to pry the gem lose from the creature's stomach!

"Come on Malcome!", Plodok cheered as he held the net once again to re-capture the creature if necessary

Malcome was trying his best to get the gem lose until he felt two powerful hands grab his right hand!

"No, stay away! I must do this!", Malcome told Plodok who was about to throw his net onto the creature once again until his friend told him not to!

A concerned Plodok watched as the creature began to grow larger again!

"I felt a shift!", Malcome yelled as the creature now the size of a large chair was on its back struggling against the removal of its gem!

Malcome screamed in defiance as he pulled with all his might on the gem, while adding his left hand atop his right to pull as hard as he could!

The creature flailed under Malcome as he pulled even harder to pry the gem lose from its stomach!

The creature seemed unable to grow back to its normal size when.... a loud pop filled the room as Malcome flew backwards having finally pulled the gem lose from the stomach of the creature!

"You did it!", Plodok applauded as the creature was nowhere to be seen inside the room.

Malcome still on his back held the gem up in victory.