Scorlax’s pet was in flames, letting out a sound that sounded more like a scream. The flames engulfed it and nothing much remained. I stood together with my team with two victories under our belts, his army gone and now the giant scorpion, he was next and would receive the same ruthlessness.

“Damn you, Fang!” he cursed. “You’ll regret that.”

“I doubt that.” I continued to point Raziel at him. “You’re next Scorlax.” I wanted to end this quickly before he could use the concentrated crystal of darkness he had hung around his neck.

“Now then, let us see how you handle against my power.” He stretched flexing his hands, then his claws, before drawing the four swords he wielded. His tail twitched, his body smoking with dark energy, as he breathed it in, seeming to be absorbing its lust, its power. “Humans could never handle such power.”

“Humans?” Link was puzzled, never hearing of such a species. I had only heard and seen them through the shared vision from Larana and Mila, had Scorlax and the others been revived that many times, that they would remember humans from the times of darkness Fang had to face.

“I’ll admit, you have been just as interesting as your ancestor, wielding his talismans, very curious,” said Scorlax.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” I grinned. “I am his power reincarnated, given directly by the goddess herself.”

“The goddess,” he grumbled at her mentioning. “She still has that much power, which means if I destroy you here, then we will be one step closer to her destruction.” He lowered his body, then swiped his swords, whipping up a sandstorm. I had heard rumours he had the ability to control the sands of the desert, we were in his playground now, but that would not stop us in our pursuit of victory.

I moved to the right as a stinging tail thrusted in my direction, so fast the wind bent around it. His shape became clearer, and I attacked, swinging Raziel and Arata in unison, hitting nothing but thin air. I blinked, the sand was affecting my vision.

“Be careful!” I called losing sight of my team. The fur on my body standing on end sensing danger all around me.

“What is with this sandstorm!” groaned Dash. “Whoa.”

“Dash!” I heard Link, then the clang of swords.

“We’re at such a disadvantage in this storm,” I grumbled. I couldn’t move as I didn’t know where Scorlax was or my friends.

“Master, we are the wind.” I heard Larana, only just remembering I was still in my fused armour. “The sand is simply controlled by the wind.”

“Right.” I nodded, closing my eye, sensing the winds blowing the sands into a frenzy. I lifted my arm, guided by my clairvoyance as Scorlax had come back to attack me this time. I defended his first blow, them lifted Arata to deflect his next, jumping back as he came in with his two other blades. I spread my wings wide, blowing the winds into a different direction, opening my eyes to see Scorlax standing there. “You hold power over wind, but nothing is as strong as Larana.”

“I have not forgotten her power.” Scorlax held his swords up, the sands separating around us, we were now at the heart of the storm. “The only one I am really after is you. I had hoped to use the princess to make you submit but destroying you in battle is even better.”

“I think I’ll be the one doing the destroying,” I responded.

“We will both see won’t we,” he grinned, coming forward as he began his assault. I had heard that not many Feles could defeat him in battle, with four arms, he wielded his four swords with deadly accuracy and those unfortunate to be on his kill list, also had to contend with his tail, which acted as if it had a mind of its own, striking occasionally between strikes.

All I could do at this stage was avoid his attacks, moving from right to left, using Raziel and Arata to defend when I face one, I could not move away from. His tail strike was much faster than that of his swords, but still predictable with my clairvoyance. I needed to stay focused one wrong move and it would be over.

A move too slow, his sword grazed my arm, I winced summoning up a gust of wind to chase him away, but only for a moment as he was back again, not letting up for a second, not giving me the chance to retaliate.

“What the heck?” I stumbled back, then was unable to move, my feet were stuck. I bent backwards enough for his sword to thrust above me. Scorlax pulled back, then stopped. I pulled at my leg realising they were sinking into the sand. “What?”

“I control all sand, this is my home and playground,” he said. “And you will be unable to avoid me now, just like the others.”

“Others.” I hadn’t heard a sound from Dash, Zack or Link in quite some time. “If you’ve harmed them.” I felt my anger bubbling up.

“Master.” I heard Mila. “Don’t let him anger you, they might just be trapped, like you are now.”

“Now it’s my turn.” I took in a deep breath. Larana’s wings vibrating on my back as I opened them, pulling upwards as I felt the suction of the sand around my ankles.

“I won’t let you escape my trap.” Scorlax dug one of his swords into the sand, trying to stop me from ascending. Bent forward, his tail swayed from side to side, lashing forward. “Got you.” I twisted to the left, feeling the stinger scrape against my skin.

I felt an instant reaction with the venom, my arm felt harder to move, like being restricted with weights, it might have just been a small amount, but I suspected this would be my reaction to it even if I had been directly injected due to my poison resistance.

I summoned a down draft, whipping up the sands around my feet, separating them and setting myself free. I glided around Scorlax as his eyes never left me. I landed a far distance away from him.

“Guys can you hear me.” Through Larana’s wind I called to my friends.

“Fang is everything alright?” asked Link.

“I can’t see a thing,” responded Dash.

“We’re trapped in some sort of sand trap,” answered Zack.

I sighed; they were all alright. “Stay put, I’ll come for you once I deal with Scorlax.”

“Be careful,” said Dash.

“You can’t do this alone,” responded Zack.

“Good luck,” said Link.

I stretched my heavy arm, using Larana’s wind to make it move faster. “Raziel, Arata.” I summoned them both. “Now is the time I take this serious.”

“And you weren’t serious before.” Scorlax dashed towards me, jumping, then disappearing as he landed in the sand. I was surprised and confused, treating the sand as if it was water and I had no way to pull him out like I had done to his great pet.

I looked around keeping my breathing steady, I needed to let my senses guide me, my instincts, my clairvoyance. I closed my eyes to heighten these senses, it was simply a waiting game.

I opened my eyes, seeing an attack, the sand moving beneath my feet. I jumped back, the second Scorlax was out from the sands. I passed the necessary power to Raziel and Arata to attack with their breaths. White fire and black lightning crossed each other as they came into contact with Scorlax. I heard a scream of pain, then he disappeared back into the sands.

“Good job.” I was pleased.

“Good job,” repeated Arata. “I am no dog.” He snarled, touchy.

Scorlax rose from the sands in front of him, his exoskeleton burned and scorched in places, an arm even severed. His expression was an angry one as he lifted his arm, causing the sands to rise all around me.

“Not good.” I took flight but was chased by the moving sands, skyward. Scorlax’s summoning speed was astonishing as it rose above my head and domed over. I bashed against it, like hitting a brick wall, dense.

“No one has escaped my power before, and you won’t be the first.” I could hear Scorlax.

“We’ll see.” I flinched as the sand seemed to be moving closer towards me. The space getting smaller. “Oh crap.” I rammed against it, summoning wind to push against both sides to stop it but it got closer still. I tried penetrating the sands with wind, to dense, with water nothing.

I had no choice but to land, trying anything I could to stop it from getting any closer. My only hope was my barriers, I had to hope they were strong enough to hold it back, until I thought of some plan to escape.

I summoned both Larana’s and Mila’s power, making a double barrier. I watched in semi-panic as the walls came closer, tighter, condensing further, then made contact with my barrier. I could feel the sands pushing against it, taking everything, I had to stop it from crushing me.

“I don’t know what to do,” I mumbled. “I can’t break free.”

“Still alive in there. I can sense your barrier, but they too will shatter.” He was right, the weight on my barrier was increasing. I could feel it and unlike his natural abilities I would not be able to keep this up forever.

“Raziel, Arata, you need to stop him,” I called to them.

“We are trying master, but he has surrounded himself in the same sand as yourself, to protect himself,” responded Raziel.

“Guys, need help.” I called for my friends this time.

“What’s the matter,” answered Link.

“I need help, I’m trapped in some sort of sand trap, it’s getting tighter, my barrier won’t last much longer,” I quickly explained as Larana’s barrier broke, and it came into contact with Mila’s. “Not good.”

“Sand.” Zack was thinking. “Heat, you need loads of heat, to melt the sand into a liquid form, which is from the glass making process.”

“Glass,” I repeated. “Liquid form, perfect.” I had Raziel.

“You need to make it over 2000 Celsius,” added Zack.

I took in a deep breath to calm myself down, even though Mila’s barrier was cracking under the pressure. “Raziel.” I summoned his fire all around me, putting all my energy into releasing as much of it as possible, getting it hotter confined in such a tight space. Larana’s fused armour disappeared as I could no longer maintain it. “More Raziel, we need more heat.”

I heard Raziel roar, the sand began to shimmer a little. The heat felt like nothing to me with Raziel’s protection. The sand began changing, strangely melting around my barrier, a little more and I would be free.

“What are you doing?” shouted Scorlax.

“Making some liquid glass.” I let out one more burst of heat and the sand came apart around me. I was free. Panting, I stumbled to one knee. It had used up more energy than I thought to break, I needed to have a long enough opening to restore what I had lost.

I could see the second ball of sand, but he was no longer in it as I felt a sharp jab in my back, he’d stung me.

“Master,” roared Raziel as he and Arata forced Scorlax away from me, managing to sever his tail and an arm.

“I’ve got you now Fang,” laughed Scorlax, he didn’t seem to care he was missing limbs, as I rolled onto my side, my whole body was hot, feeling so heavy.

I looked over at Scorlax as he came closer, the sandstorm around us weakening. “It would seem this body is no longer of any use to me.” He was bleeding quite a lot with those missing limbs. “No matter.” He reached around his neck for the crystal.

“No, don’t,” I said remembering what happened to Cutter.

“Oh yes, once my new form destroys you and your friends, it will move onto Desvulp, how devastated the king will be with the death of his daughter.” Scorlax clutched it in his hand.

“You’ll destroy yourself,” I said.

“You don’t get it yet, we can be revived at any time he wants, this is not the end for me, but it is for you.” He brought it to his mouth, swallowing the crystal, consumed with an explosion of dark power, as it consumed him, he was laughing. “The end of her reincarnated warrior comes now.”