The Death Spiral Base

Soril and his companions came to meet their leader.

"Lady Shauna, did you call us out?" the man began.

"Sophie Casterwill is going to find the Legendary Titan of Water. You must stop her." she said. "This is your last chance. If you fail, I will have to punish you accordingly." she threatened.

"Our lady doesn't want us to kill any Casterwill? That's new" one of Soril's subordinates remarked.

"In this case, our priority is obtaining the titan. Although, I wouldn't mind if you brought me her head. And Harrison's too, that treacherous swine!" she said through gritted teeth.

"Their team has a girl from the Nordwills. She'll be the easiest to take out." Soril noted.

"The clan of foolish medical seekers is no threat to us. They're just mosquitoes meant to hinder us. Leave her for last. Now go!" she ordered sharply.

***

Lok Lambert's team was standing at Land's End, standing over a steep cliff.

"The furthest point east in England." Lok said, staring into the blue sea.

"You mean west." Sophie corrected him, amused.

"Who would differentiate it? But I know that Lyonesse is a few miles off the coast" he answered.

"How are we going to cross that distance? We don't have a boat or anything." Den said.

"I could summon Kipperin, but what about you all?" young Lambert pondered.

"Exactly! He would be perfect for this" Cathy said, pulling out Tarnac's amulet.

She summoned the titan. Lok summoned his flying friend, immediately guessing his sister's plan. The girl commanded her titan. Moments later, he cloned Kipperin. The copies were Kipperin's version from before powderbonding. They wrapped around the other seekers and Tarnac, who couldn't levitate. Everyone was ready to fly.

"Let's go" Lok announced.

He rose and flew over the water, the others following. After a few minutes over the ocean, Den noticed a strange creature in the water.

"Look" he pointed at a figure that had already plunged in.

Everyone stopped.

"What did you see?" Lok asked.

"A mermaid. I think." he replied uncertainly.

"I sense a power below us." Sophie said.

"Let's stop here" the leader said.

The team descended, then freed themselves from the Kipperins, plunging into the water. The siblings unsummoned their titans and everyone dove together.

Deep down, they saw a huge bubble. It caught the seekers' attention, so they swam towards it. As they got closer, they realized it resembled the ruins of a city.

"It must be Lyonesse" Sophie thought.

Cherit gestured for them to follow him. After short time the seekers entered the town, passing under a huge stone arch. Finally, they could take off their heavy air tanks from their backs.

"What a relief," Den said, stretching his arms.

"Cherit, how did you know where to go?" Malia asked.

"I think I've been here before. Besides, something from a very, very long time ago came to mind" the little titan scratched his head.

"Do you remember anything from that past?" younger Fears asked.

"If you'd lived as long as I have, you'd have memory problems too," the little gargoyle replied.

"This city looks untouched. From outside, it clearly looked like ruins. Could it be due to this strange barrier?" Sophie noticed.

The leader pulled a device from his backpack.

"Holotome, scan this area." he requested.

The machine informed the bubble was created by a titan. The shield's purpose was to prevent ordinary people from entering. In other words, only seekers could see the barrier and the city.

Unexpectedly, someone approached the team. Lok ordered his friends to be ready. They couldn't know the stranger's intentions. Up close, it turned out to be a woman. Her hair was white as snow, reaching below her shoulder blades. Her eyes were green, and she held a spear slightly taller than herself. She wore a blue dress combined with iron armor elements.

"Seekers, the seekers have come! We'll be free now!" she said joyfully, a sincere smile on her lips.

"Dear stranger, how can we help you?" Lok asked.

The woman gestured for them to follow. She led them inside a building, which turned out to be the residence of the rulers of Lyonesse. They descended a spiral staircase. Before them was a marble pedestal with a silver ring set with a blue stone.

"The king brought disaster upon us, causing our land to be submerged," the woman pointed at the rectangular block. "The monster residing in this ring killed him. Our ancestors passed down the knowledge that one day seekers would come to emancipate our people."

"He likely tried to create a bond with it. Disturbing its peace, he brought misfortune upon his people and land." Lok surmised.

"So we take the titan and leave?" Den asked.

"Not so fast. If the titan killed its owner, there's a chance it's cursed." Malia responded.

Sophie focused her energy on the amulet.

"It's the power I sensed earlier. Malia is right," Casterwill girl confirmed.

The girl approached the pedestal. She took several deep breaths. She needed to muster as much strength as possible.

"Banebound" she cast the spell on the ring.

The amulet seemed to respond peacefully, but then it flashed and spun on the floor.

"Did it work?" she asked herself.

She picked up the object. She felt the titan was freed from the curse. She approached Den and held out the ring to him.

"Should I bond with it?" he asked.

She nodded. The boy took the amulet and began the bonding process. At the same moment, the ground shook. Another woman burst into the chamber:

"Sister, the barrier is breaking!" she shouted.

"Prophecy was true. The barrier breaks, and our people will be freed." the guardian said very emotionally.

"Show them your power, Legendary Titan of Water: Lir!" Den said, holding the ring up.

A big figure standing on two legs appeared before everyone. The titan flapped its blue wings which were covered in blue feathers. Lir's neck was curved in an "S" shape. The titan opened its black beak and shrieked. On the bird's head was a silver diadem with a gem matching the one in the amulet.

"For a ruler of a water region in Huntik, it looks quite inconspicuously" Cathy remarked.

"Surface this city" Fears commanded his new friend.

The bird flew up. Lok's team and the two inhabitants ran to see what would happen. They saw the titan dive into the sea and breathe a powerful stream of water, lifting the terrain. When Lyonesse emerged, the protective shield resolved into water. Soon, the people of the land gathered before Lok's team.

"Lyonesse is liberated! We are free!" shouted one of the people.

The inhabitants began to cheer loudly, whistling. They had waited long for this moment. Their joy was unending.

"Thank you on behalf of our ancestors" the guardian said.

Lir squawked loudly. The people silenced, looking at the titan with fear. Den petted his new friend and addressed the crowd: "Don't be afraid. He wanted to say he's sorry. Back then, he wasn't himself."

"If this young man is our savior, he must be our king!" a man from the crowd exclaimed.

The people surrounded and lifted Fears. They began to toss him. The boy was terrified, hoping Lok would help. After a while, they set Den down.

"I don't want to spoil your enthusiasm, but we can't leave our dear friend with you," the leader said, wrapping his arm around his friend.

"Exactly. I can't be your king," Fears agreed.

"Our ancestors decreed this centuries ago. You cannot refuse!" the guardian insisted.

"Why can't you choose one of your own? Wouldn't that be better for you?" Cathy asked.

"It would be against our forefathers' will!" the woman persisted.

"What if I choose someone?" Den asked.

"The only allowed way to select a new king is through a tournament."

Harrison clenched his teeth, standing between Lok and the inhabitants.

"People, why are you so problematic? My brother clearly said he can't be your ruler. What part don't you understand? We don't have time for tournament games. Decide among yourselves. Is it that hard?" he interjected, annoyed.

"Did I hear 'tournament'? We'd gladly participate. Becoming the ruler of a once-submerged land sounds very tempting" Soril said.

Everyone's gaze turned to the voice's source. The Death Spiral group stood nearby.

"Stand aside" Den said.

The boy stepped forward with Lir.

"Nice toy. Let's see if it can win with mine toy" Soril said, holding a familiar amulet.

He summoned Thornmir. Soril's titan charged at the Legendary Titan of Water. The blue bird shot a stream of water at the golem, then flew up away. The stone creature got up and gave chase.

"One pest dealt less" Fears said.

"Now we have to deal with the rest" Lok added.

He summoned the Willblade and charged at Soril. However, Marduk and Cerberus blocked his way.

"Long time no see" he greeted with a mocking smile.

Lambert frowned. He said nothing, moving to attack. He swung his sword, sending a blue wave towards the opponent. The three-headed dog ran straight at Lok. The boy summoned Baselaird. The titan pulled Cerberus away from its master.

Sophie was heading toward Soril, but Den caught up with her. He asked if he could take care of him. Without unnecessary discussion, the girl changed her direction towards the other Spiral members. The boy attacked the opponent with Raypulse.

"Do you really want to sign up for the tournament? I'm afraid that under the rule of a lackey like you, Lyonesse would end up underwater again" said Fears.

"You don't know what I'm really like" the man replied, then threw Fireswarm in boy's direction.

Den used his shield and ran towards him with a prepared Dragonfist. Soril dodged the boy and accurately struck him with Augerfrost in the back. Fears retaliated with a Touchram that knocked the man onto another Spiral member, with whom his companion was fighting.

"Thanks for the help. You didn't have to." said Cathy.

"Sorry. It was by accident. I didn't mean to interrupt your duel." Fears replied.

They smiled at each other. The two seekers watched the two enemies lying on top of each other. Meanwhile, Malia and Harrison jointly faced three opponents.

"Come to help, Desert Warrior!" one of the Spiral members summoned a titan.

A hooded figure wielding two swords with scythe-shaped blades appeared beside its owner.

"Make them tremble, Antedeluvian!" Harrison summoned his powerbonded Titan.

"Augerfrost!" Malia aimed at one of the opponents.

Antedeluvian knocked down the Desert Warrior. The Spiral's titan raised both swords high. Suddenly, a significant number of dark green snakes emerged from the ground. They began to bite his opponent. Antedeluvian roared and lashed out with his whip, cutting several serpents.

Den and Cathy came to help the others. At some point, one of the Spiral members swung his leg. Fears grabbed his ankles and, with the help of Dragonfist, threw him towards two still unconscious Spiral members.

"Raypulse!" Harrison aimed at the opponent.

"Blasteater!" the Spiral member cast a spell.

The spell absorbed Fears' magic.

"Shieldbreaker!" Malia broke the power.

"Augerforst!" the boy aimed at the opponent.

Lir attacked Soril's Titan with water projectiles. Of course, it didn't make much of an impression on such a tough Titan. At one point, the golem threw an axe towards the opponent. The bird avoided it and immediately flapped its wings towards the enemy. Water began to appear around the golem. Soon, it formed a cage. Thornmir cut through the liquid with its axe, but it was resistant to his attacks. Meanwhile, the inside of the cubic structure began to fill. The trapped titan's movements became more intense.

Lok fought with Marduk, exchanging blows.

"I see your pals aren't doing too well" said the boy.

The man glanced briefly behind him and parried Lambert's blow. In a moment of respite, the Spiral member used a spell that swapped him with another person. Lok stopped his attack at the last moment, just like the person in front of him.

"Malia?" he asked, surprised.

"Lok?" she asked, equally surprised. "It looks like that guy switched our places," she added, looking behind her.

In the distance, they saw Marduk grabbing Harrison by the collar.

"Today is the day you die. You'll regret your betrayal" said the man.

He struck him with Thundercut and then brutally kicked him in the face. Antedeluvian flew to help its owner. Marduk brought it down with Weakenshade. He approached Fears, standing on him with one foot. A dark spell glimmered in his hand. Unexpectedly, Den pushed the Spiral member away with Dragonfist.

"Keep your hands off Harrison!" he said.

"You will both pay for your betrayal." the man hissed and quickly disappeared.

The team stood by the unconscious Harrison. Malia checked if he was seriously injured. The girl used a healing spell on the boy.

"What a scoundrel" Den summarized.

"Like every member of the Death Spiral" replied Sophie.

Suddenly, Lir landed in front of his owner.

"Return to the amulet" said Fears.

He fainted. Just in time, the Lambert siblings caught their friend.

"Are you alright?" asked a concerned Cathy.

"Yeah. Thanks." he replied.

"Summoning a legendary titan weakened you. I felt the same when I summoned Tao for the first time." said Lok.

"Wow. I didn't know legendary titans affects seekers so much" Den responded.

"It's a matter of practice and getting used to it" the leader replied.

The land's guardian approached the seekers and started talking to them. Meanwhile, Harrison woke up.

"Welcome to the land of the living. Did you sleep well?" Malia greeted him.

"Thanks. And yes, I slept great," he replied weakly, holding his still-aching head.

The girl helped him up.

"Let's go" Lok said to the two seekers.

"And what about their tournament?" Lyssa asked.

"They'll organize it without us" Den replied.

"Did they agree to that?" Harrison asked.

Older Fears nodded.

***

Cathy and Den stood facing each other. The boy aimed a blow at the girl. She dodged and cast Boltflare. Fears easily avoided the spell and counterattacked. The room echoed with blocked and landed blows. Both were intensely focused. Even Clease, who watched the two from a distance, was afraid to move. This day was crucial for Lambert girl.

"Just defeat him, and you'll pass it" she motivated herself in her thoughts.

The girl launched a series of strikes. Her attacks became more flowing and coordinated. Fears valiantly blocked them, responding with powerful hits, trying to break through her defense. His movements were full of determination, but Cathy managed to dodge most of them. Both seekers moved swiftly around the room, creating increasing tension. Every move was calculated, every attack analyzed, and every defense supported by a quick reaction. Their breaths grew heavier, but the determination in their eyes didn't fade. Before the fight, Clease asked Den to exert himself as if he were fighting the most powerful opponent in his life. For a moment, the duel seemed stalemated. Neither could gain the upper hand. However, when the boy made a slightly too wide move, Cathy saw an opportunity. With a quick leap, she avoided the blow and used the moment of weakness to deliver the decisive strike. The girl knocked Den to the ground.

The atmosphere relaxed. Clease approached the two seekers.

"Are you okay?" Cathy asked.

She extended her hand and helped him up.

"I've been worse" he replied, massaging his back.

"That was a really good fight" the man said. "Cathy, what can I say? You passed. I hope you'll visit me sometimes" he concluded.

"Thanks Den for tanking the fight" she joked.

"Hey, I didn't! Don't listen to her" he started to excuse.

"Even if you had defeated Cathy, she would still have passed. I've seen her improve over time. Today, she showed what she's capable of. Talented like Eathon" Clease explained.

The girl felt internally delighted by his words.

"Thank you for supervising my training. I'll definitely strive to be even better than I am now. And I'll certainly visit you very soon." Lambert said.