Savak: The Medallion - Part Six

     "Where?" Lukas asked.

     "Down there, by that glass door."

     It hadn't taken them long to cross the factory. For the most part, they were out of sight of the Skeiths and Grarrls that were patrolling the floor. Now, high on the catwalk, Lukas looked down to the factory's main floor, searching for the glass door Savak mentioned.

     "I see them," Heysha said. "It looks like they're in an office."

     "I still can't…there they are," Lukas said. "It looks like they're talking to someone. I can't tell who, it's too dark."

     Savak nodded in agreement. They were talking to someone alright. They were too far away to hear what they were saying. "Maybe they're talking with that Skeith they were talking to before."

     "I don't know," Lukas said. "Wait, they're moving!"

     As he spoke, the two Grundos left the office and started walking across the factory. Behind them walked a tall gray-green figure in a long, black cloak.

     "By all that's…!" Lukas exclaimed.

     "It's Dr. Sloth!" Heysha finished.

     "It is?" Savak asked. He'd only heard about him, briefly, but he'd never seen him. He suddenly felt uneasy. He felt even more uneasy when he saw who walked through next.

     He knew he'd never seen this shadow Lupess before. But when he laid eyes upon her, something, almost a whisper, told him that this Lupess was trouble. He wasn't sure why until he caught sight of what was dangling from her neck. The medallion was made of some dark metal that almost seemed to draw in the surrounding light. Something in Savak knew that this medallion was the Medallion of Submission that Jaerii mentioned in their one and only encounter.

     "I don't like this," Savak whispered.

     "Neither do I," Lukas said. "What would Dr. Sloth be doing here?"

     Savak shrugged, though he knew they were talking about two different things. Savak was more worried about the Lupess that was with Dr. Sloth. She had the medallion! The Medallion of Submission has resurfaced, and he, Savak, possessed the only force in Neopia that could oppose it.

     "Why did it have to show up now?" Savak wondered aloud.

     "Why did what…huh?" Lukas gave Savak a weird look. Savak looked to Lukas, but said nothing more.

     "Hey guys!" Heysha whispered. "I think I found Savak's pack!"

     "Where?" Savak asked, momentarily distracted from the shadow Lupess below him. Savak padded past Lukas on the catwalk to crouch next to Heysha. "Where are they?"

     "Down there," Heysha said, gesturing with her paw. "In that cage by that equipment."

     The Lupe looked, and sure enough, there was a massive cage on the floor by a deteriorating machine. There were about twenty Lupes inside in an assortment of colors. There were a few reds and yellows, and a green or two. But most of them were blue, oddly enough. And amidst them, even from where he sat on the catwalk, Savak could see Jessie's familiar blue pelt. It was all he could do to keep silent. He wanted to shout out to her, to tell her he was here. Instead, he shifted restlessly on his paws.

     "T-that's them," Savak said, trying to contain himself. "And many others I don't recognize."

     Lukas nodded. "Alright, we found them. Now we need to get them out."

     "How?" Heysha asked. "Look, Skeiths and Grarrls are patrolling the entire floor. If we set foot down there…"

     Heysha's voice faded as Savak snuck off down the catwalk. He wanted to get down to that cage, and he felt he didn't have the time to wait around for Lukas and Heysha. Staying out of sight, Savak inched his way to the nearest ladder. Then he carefully descended to the factory floor again. He slipped from one crate to another, keeping a weary eye on the Grundos. He was a lot closer to the cage now. Just a little farther.

     "Impressive, Kaylee," said a gruff voice. "And you're sure you can control them?"

     Peeking out from behind a crate, Savak found himself four yards from the tall, cloaked figure Heysha had pointed out. Dr. Sloth. Next to him, far shorter on four legs, was the shadow Lupess, who was apparently known as Kaylee.

     "I can control every one of them," Kaylee replied confidently. Then she gestured to one of the nearby Grundos. "Much the same way you control these brutes; except I don't have to plant a device on mine."

     "I see," said the doctor, crossing his arms. "Please, demonstrate."

     As Savak watched, Kaylee walked over to the cage. Several of the Lupes inside, upon seeing their captor, forewent talking and just barked frantically at her. The shadow Lupess didn't even flinch as she sat down in front of the enraged Lupes. Her eyes glowed red as she stared at the Lupes. At first, nothing happened. Then the Lupes started calming down, and eventually stopped barking altogether. They sat down where they were, eyeing Kaylee as if waiting for instructions. The look in their unfocused and glazed eyes sent chills down Savak's spine. Those Lupes' minds were no longer their own.

     Dr. Sloth, who had observed the entire scene, walked over to the cage. When he did, one of the Lupes turned from Kaylee to the doctor. "Good evening, Dr. Sloth," he said in a bland and expressionless voice.

     A thoughtful look crossed Dr. Sloth's face. "Excellent," he said with a pleased smile. "Once you have gathered enough troops for a substantial army, we can muster our forces and retake Kreludor!"

     Kaylee turned from the Lupes she was controlling, breaking her concentration and releasing their minds. "It may take some time," she said. "Lupes are growing scarce on the plains."

      "Then search elsewhere!" said Dr. Sloth as he turned to go. "I have other matters to attend to at the present time. Contact me if there are any developments."

     With that, the doctor walked off, followed closely by the two Grundos. Once he was gone, Kaylee rose slowly to her paws, and walked back to the office, with a dignified, but subtly unsteady gait. That, and her drooped ears and dragging tail made Savak wonder if using her medallion was draining her energy. The only way he could think of at the moment was to ask, but that was out of the question.

     Once the shadow Lupess was gone, Savak made his way to the cage, trying to keep to the shadows. When he got there, he looked inside to see his mother was napping on the far side of the cage. He was about to whisper his mother's name when he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

     "Savak?" it whispered. Savak looked inside the cage and saw an aging red Lupe padding over to him. "Savak? Is that you?" he continued. "It has to be. I know that scent as well as my own. And on top of that, you have the medallion!"

     "W-who are you?" Savak asked.

     The red Lupe looked puzzled for a moment as if Savak should have known the answer. Then his expression changed to one of understanding. "Of course!" he said. "My fur has changed back. It's Murgoh!"

      "Murgoh?" Savak asked, puzzled. Then he remembered how Murgoh's fur changed color when he took off the medallion, and how Jearii explained that the medallion changed the color of its bearer's fur to white. "Murgoh!" he exclaimed as he remembered. "What's going on? Who's Kaylee, and why is she capturing Lupes?"

     "I'm not entirely sure," Murgoh said. "Maybe she's trying to form a massive Lupe pack. What has me worried is that she had the other medallion!"

     "I know, I saw it," Savak replied.

     "Then you've spoken with Jearii?" the red Lupe asked. Savak nodded. "So you know of the origins of both medallions." He leaned closer to Savak. "No one knows of them?"

     Savak shook his head. "No one. Why is this being kept a secret?"

     Murgoh looked around before replying. "Could you imagine what would happen if word of such powerful items leaked out to the rest of Neopia? Just about anyone hungry for power would seek out the Medallion of Submission, which would complicate everything."

     "Dr. Sloth knows about the medallion," Savak pointed out.

     "Yes, that has me worried too. If he tried to get his hands on that medallion…" he trailed of for a moment before moving on. "You have to get that medallion, Savak."

     "Me? Why me?" Savak asked. "You're the leader! This medallion is yours!"

     "Not anymore, Savak," Murgoh said. "Once you put it on, it became your medallion, and your mission to carry on its destiny. Now that the Medallion of Submission has resurfaced, it is your mission to oppose Kaylee and retrieve the medallion." He paused for a moment, looking uncomfortable. "Savak," he said. "I'm sorry to say, from what I've heard from former leaders, there are only two ways to retrieve either medallion. The first is if the bearer removed it him or herself."

     "And what's the second way?" Savak asked, though he grimly guessed the answer.

     "The other method," he continued grimly. "Is to kill whoever is wearing the medallion."

To be continued...