Terribly sorry about the lateness, guys. Here's an extra-long chapter for your extra-long wait! Hope it turned out to be funny, and that it makes up for my absence.

I also apologize for all the Nintendo references, I know not everyone plays them. Claire and Matt are geeks, that's really the bottom line.

~Enjoy!

Chapter 8 – One-upped

The day after the day after Christmas, the snow was starting to melt.

Not that Matt cared: he was asleep in bed after all.

Of course, that didn't last long as Tiger pounced up on top of the slumbering teenager and assaulted him with his sheer body weight. Needless to say, Matt didn't stand a chance.

"I'm up…I'm up!" he mumbled, his hands flailing about in an attempt to shove his cat off of him. He blearily managed to sit up, Tiger staring up at him expectantly with bright yellow eyes. "Why can't Trixie wake me up, instead?" he asked the feline, cupping his head in his hands. He scratched the cat's forehead with his thumbs, much to the purring pet's delight.

"Who's Trixie?"

"UAAHH!" Matt jumped and fell out of his bed, the covers wrapping him up and sliding after him. Tiger was not as high strung as most cats, however, and remained sitting on top of the sheets indifferently, tilting his orange head at the heap on the floor.

"Jet-Vac, you startled the poor boy!"

"Sorry about that, mate."

Matt groaned and picked himself up, now fully awake. He stared through half-lidded eyes at the figurines on his nightstand. The immobile form of Jet-Vac stared back, locked in his position of brandishing his vacuum gun, Sonic Boom and Ignitor sitting next to him. "Are you alright, there?" the Sky Baron asked.

"Fine…" Matt moaned, rubbing his face. "Just…please try to remember that I'm not used to sharing my room with statues of magical creatures."

"How do you think we feel?" Jet-Vac said pointedly.

"This room could use a bit of tidying up, Matty," Toy Sonic Boom said in her mom voice.

"*Sigh*…Trixie is my dog," Matt explained, sitting back down on the bed and picking up Ignitor. He turned the knight over in his hands. "Is he awake?"

"I have no idea," Jet-Vac yawned.

"*Snort* What-ho…?" Ignitor was apparently waking up, although, physically, it was impossible to tell. "WAARGH!" he cried, startled out of his wits at finding himself staring right at Matt's face.

Matt, shocked silly, fell backwards, accidently flinging Ignitor across the room. The knight hit the floor with a clatter. "Ow!"

Tiger got up and padded over to Ignitor, who lay on his side, and started licking him. "Wh-what is this?! Unhand me, foul beast!"

"Dummy, quit it!" Matt scooped up his cat and the Skylander. "Sorry, Ignitor, I didn't know you were still asleep. This is my cat, Tiger, but he usually goes by Dummy for obvious reasons."

"Suiting," Ignitor deadpanned. "Ugh, I'm covered in beast slobber!"

"Do you want me to…wash you off or something?" Matt asked hesitantly.

"I'm a fire spirit, I don't bathe…And even if I did, I'd do it myself!" Ignitor huffed indignantly.

Matt chuckled uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess that would be pretty awkward…sorry, it's easy to forget you're an actual person when you look like this."

It was then that Matt's bedroom door opened and a round, college-age face poked in. "Will you keep it down?" Matt's older brother Cody complained. "What are you doing anyway?"

Matt looked down at Ignitor, then back up at Cody. "Talking to my Skylanders."

Cody rubbed his face. "Why do you have Skylanders? We don't have the game."

"Really? That's what he fixates on?" Jet-Vac questioned.

"Claire has the game, and these don't actually go with the game, they're the actual Skylanders." Matt wanted to see how Cody would react to the uncovered truth.

Cody stood there blinking, still unable to open his eyes completely. "…Right. Just keep it down. Or go see your girlfriend or something," Cody mumbled as he stumbled back toward his room in a sleepy daze.

"Shut up!" Matt called after him before shutting his door. He didn't bother with the 'She's not my girlfriend!' routine: he and Claire had been friends for so long, his whole family knew their situation. His mom even had Claire and her mother listed as emergency contacts.

"Great," Matt muttered. "Now I'm too awake to fall asleep again."

"Best not to keep Claire waiting then, hm?" Sonic Boom urged, that certain 'there's no room for argument' tone playing on the edges of her telepathy.

"Yes, Mom…" Matt sighed.

Claire's morning wasn't going much better.

It wasn't Pouncer who woke her up; the fluffy, black and white feline was curled up on his blanket by her head as usual.

Rather, Claire's younger brother Dallas, the older of her two siblings, opened her bedroom door and allowed the family cocker spaniel to rush inside. The dog jumped up onto the bed, making Pouncer shoot into the air with tail fluffed out.

"*Mreeeooow!* *Hissss!*" he complained, and smacked the hyper spaniel's snout with his blunt paws. The pooch was unfazed by the onslaught, and proceeded to lick the now-awake and distraught Claire.

"Ugh! Snickers! Get down!" she flailed about and shoved the dog off the bed. Sitting up stiffly and rubbing her eyes until they were clear, she fixed her angry glare on her seven-year-old brother, who doubled over in laughter. "Dallas! Get Snickers out of here! You know he's not allowed in my room!"

Snickers sat panting happily at the base of the bed, and Dallas crouched down to pet his head roughly. "He wanted to see you!" he said mischievously.

Claire groaned, but she perked up when she heard some familiar chuckles. She looked over to her nightstand, where Flameslinger, Double Trouble and Whirlwind sat next to the watch-like mini portal, laughing it up telepathically. "Well, I'm glad someone thinks it's funny," Claire muttered.

Dallas didn't seem to hear her. "Besides, the snow is melting! Don't you want to get up and go play in it?"

"No, Dallas, I was very busy yesterday and now I'm very tired!"

Her blonde brother looked at her in confusion, letting his long pajama sleeves slide down his hands. "Busy? I thought you were playing?"

Curse his underage intelligence. "Yes! Busy playing!" Claire threw the covers back over herself and Pouncer. "Now lemme alone."

"Hey! Those Skylanders didn't come in the box!"

Well, crap.

Dallas snatched Flameslinger off of Claire's nightstand before she could reemerge from beneath the covers. "Hey, it's that fire arrow guy!"

Claire snorted. "'That fire arrow guy'?" She and the other Skylanders broke down laughing. "That's better than Flameshooter! Ha ha ha!"

"GAAAH, are you kidding me?!" Flameslinger fumed. "That's the last time I ever call you by your real name, Clarissa!"

Claire hadn't quite calmed down. "C'mon, 'that fire arrow guy,' you gotta admit that was funny!" she chortled.

Dallas couldn't figure out what she was laughing so hard about, nor why she was talking to the toy in his hand. He inspected the brooding elf. "Why doesn't he look like the other toys? He doesn't have green on the bottom."

Claire had prepared an answer the day before. "He doesn't go with the game, Dallas, he's just for show. He's just supposed to look good."

"As flattering as that is, I'm still not ready to forgive you, Claudia!"

Dallas failed to grasp his sister's meaning. "Can I still play with him?"

Claire's good mood evaporated. "What? No, he's just for sitting on a shelf." She hesitated. There's a 'shelf elf,' 'Stealth Elf' joke in there, somewhere, I know it!

Dallas frowned at her. "You have to share!"

Claire face palmed. "No, I really don't, and even if I did, you'd just break him because he's not for playing with!"

"I'm telling on you!" Dallas, still clutching Flameslinger, scurried out of the room, the elf's mental cries of protest soon falling out of Claire's 'hearing' range.

"Dallas!" Claire shouted. Groaning, she flopped back down onto her pillow, and Pouncer slunk over to sniff at her face. Snickers sat panting impatiently at her bedside, hoping she would get up so she would take him for their morning walk.

"Ooga booga, not gooba," Double Trouble remarked.

"At least we know ordinary humans can't hear us," Whirlwind pointed out.

"…what a relief," Claire mumbled sarcastically, swinging her legs over the bed frame and leaning down to pet Snickers. The dog enjoyed her gentle head-rubbing much more than that of her overeager brother. Claire looked over at Whirlwind and Double Trouble. "Did you guys sleep okay?"

"Booga," Double Trouble assured her.

"Sure did! But I'm looking forward to having my room back," Whirlwind confessed.

Everyone clammed up at the sound of someone shouting, and listened for Dallas's feet scuffling along the concrete floors. Claire's bedroom door opened again and Dallas entered, sulking. His sister couldn't suppress her smug grin.

"Can't believe you don't know better than to tattle to Mom this early," she commented.

Dallas glared at her, and threw Flameslinger back onto Claire's bed before stomping back out and shutting the door as loudly as he dared. Claire reached over and picked up Flameslinger, who groaned woozily.

"Urgh…no offense, Claire, but your family is really high-strung."

"I know…" Claire sighed.

Dog leash in hand, Matt led Trixie, the smoky miniature schnauzer, across the street to Claire's front driveway, where his friend was waiting for him with her own fluffy companion.

Snickers panted happily at their arrival, and while the dogs greeted each other in traditional canine fashion, Matt tried to warm the frigid air in his lungs with a puff from his inhaler.

"Mornin'," Claire yawned, tugging Snickers's leash to make him sit down next to her. She was as bundled up as the day before, the key difference being the ruffled purple scarf tucked into her coat front.

"Hey," Matt mumbled sleepily. He stuffed his hands into his hoodie pocket, careful not to disturb the Skylanders resting within. "You know, I had the weirdest dream last night…"

"Here we go," Ignitor muttered.

"I met the most obnoxious fire knight in a crypt and feared for your life," Matt continued, face scrunched in thought. "Then there was this explosion…a tornado…giant floating heads…" he hesitated. "…and snow cones."

"It wasn't in that order," Claire corrected him.

Matt hung his head. "Goddangit!"

Claire whistled for Snickers to follow her to the road and gestured for Matt to do likewise with Trixie. "Let's go."

The friends took off down the country road, their dogs flanking them on the outside. Despite the melting snow, the mix of thick-needled evergreens and bare deciduous trees still drooped under the accumulation. They would occasionally pass a gravel driveway that marked the existence of a house hidden from the road by the forest.

"I wish we had sidewalks," Claire remarked.

"Hm," Matt hummed, having heard it before.

"How was your morning?"

"Weird."

"Skylanders?"

"Yeah. Cody heard me talking to them."

"What did he say?"

Matt mimicked a crotchety old man, swinging his free arm around as if he held a cane. "'Why do you have Skylanders?! You don't have the game!'" he mocked in a screechy voice.

Claire snorted. "Really? That's what he fixated on?"

"Oh, good, so I'm not crazy," Jet-Vac grumbled.

Matt stopped to allow Trixie to do her business. "How about you? What was your morning like?"

"Dizzying," Flameslinger answered.

"It wasn't that bad," Whirlwind chirruped.

"You try getting swung around and then thrown by a seven-year-old!" the elf retorted, still bitter from the experience.

Ignitor cut in. "Did you crash to the floor and then get set upon by a massive beast?"

"No."

"Then stop complaining!"

"Well, excuuuuse me, princess!"

"I beg your pardon?!"

"You heard me!"

"Honestly," Sonic Boom chastised. "You two are acting like children! As if I don't put up with enough of that already!"

"Wait," Whirlwind interrupted. "Flameslinger, did you just reference something?"

"I think so," Flameslinger contemplated. "But I'm not sure what…"

"Ooga, sounds familiar, booga," Double Trouble mused.

"WHAT DID HE SAY?!" the Skylanders all but shouted.

"GUYS!" Claire shrilled, tugging at her hair and, unintentionally, Snickers's leash. "Will you knock it off?! You're giving me a headache! All your shouting is ringing in my brain!"

Matt pulled his hood over his head in silent agreement.

The Skylanders quieted down with a few mumbles of apology.

Matt and Claire continued their walk in welcome silence.

"…I just snapped at a bunch of miniaturized warriors hitching a ride in my pockets for being too loud," Claire realized.

"And arguing via telepathy," Matt added.

Silence.

"Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we insane?"

A collective groaning sounded from the Portal Masters' pockets.

"Really? After all that's happened, you still don't believe that we're real?" Flameslinger asked exasperatedly. Claire pulled him out of her pocket and stared him straight in the blindfold.

"Well, excuse us for being skeptical!" she argued. "I don't know what insanity means in Skylands, but here on Earth, hearing voices in your head and talking to toys like they're actual people pretty much fits the bill!"

"Not to mention the game," Matt agreed.

"But we are actual people!" the elf countered. "You have to remember that! You were worried about us not being comfortable sleeping like this, remember?"

"Urrgh!" Claire clutched her hair again. "How can I know it's true?! For God's sake…"

"You didn't doubt us so much yesterday," Ignitor pointed out. "Why the sudden change?"

Claire brought out Whirlwind and Double Trouble and studied them alongside Flameslinger. "I guess it was Dallas…" she sighed. "He couldn't hear you guys talking, and he looked at me funny when I responded to you."

"Everyone looks at you funny," Matt said matter-of-factly.

Claire shoved him with her shoulder. "My point is, that would make anyone question their sanity. Except Matty, of course, he questions his sanity on a daily basis."

Matt shrugged.

"Then of course, like he said, there's the game…" she trailed off.

"No one's explained that to me yet," Jet-Vac spoke up.

Flameslinger made a harrumph noise. "I doubt it matters, and I really wish you would stop comparing us to it! It's really getting on my nerves!"

Claire scrunched her brow at him. "You don't understand. The game is just like—"

"It doesn't matter!" Flameslinger snapped. "The fact that we are right here in front of you, after being BANISHED FROM OUR HOME should be more than enough for you! We bonded, for portal's sake! What more could you possibly need?!"

Claire looked hurt by his words, and the elf felt a pang in his frozen chest.

"Flameslinger!" Whirlwind scolded. "You think you can stop being a jerk this morning?!"

"Ooga boo!" Double Trouble agreed hotly.

Flameslinger remembered that Whirlwind and Double Trouble could connect with Claire as well, and the shock that resonated from the human girl evaporated his foul mood. Claire's wide-eyed gaze fell to the ground, and Flameslinger suddenly felt awful, realizing that she had probably felt his frustration on top of his outburst.

Matt watched silently, interested in how things would play out between the two.

"I don't disagree with Flameslinger, Claire," Sonic Boom said suddenly. "But you need to apologize to your Portal Master, young man!"

Flameslinger didn't disagree with Sonic Boom, either. "…Claire, I…"

"No."

To the elf's surprise, she smiled at him. It was a nice smile, bereft of contempt or sarcasm, although it might've carried a little more weight had Flameslinger been his usual size. "Thanks. That was the reminder I needed. This bond…" she looked down at her mini portal. "…is definitely real. That's all the proof I need."

"…oh, um, well…" Flameslinger didn't feel any better. "They're still right. I'm sorry."

"You've had a rough morning. Don't worry about it." She stuffed the Skylanders back in her coat pockets. "Here, let's get you out of the cold. You're right, Flame, I should stop comparing you to the game. I probably wouldn't like that either."

"What am I? Chopped liver?!" Jet-Vac shouted. "Will someone please explain to me what this bloody game is?!"

Matt and Claire looked at each other and the boy retrieved Jet-Vac from his pocket.

"Why don't we just show you?" he suggested.

Upon return to Claire's house (Matt ran home to put Trixie away first), the duo headed upstairs to find the Wii console already occupied.

"Hey, Dallas, Jackie," Claire greeted.

"Hi," her brothers chorused without looking up. Dallas seemed to have gotten over their spat from earlier that morning, what with how he stared open-mouthed at the big TV screen with his Wii remote and Nunchuck in the wrong hands.

Her brunette, five-year-old brother Jackson appeared too preoccupied with his new iPad to offer any clues as to what he'd been up to that morning that didn't involve video games.

Flameslinger had been right: Claire's family of five always seemed to be on edge, but with a hot-tempered mother, ex-military step-father and two borderline spoiled children under the age of ten, it was to be expected. Being a hormonal freshman in high school didn't help either.

Claire could usually count on videogames to serve as the buffer zone for any daily chaos that was likely to ensue. She was disappointed that morning, however, by what her brothers were playing/watching.

"Kirby's Return to Dreamland?" she questioned. "Dallas, what happened to Skylanders?"

"I wanted to play Kirby," he responded, not bothering to spare her a glance. With a sigh, Claire pressed the pause button on his Wiimote and switched the controllers' positions in his hands.

"Well…do you want to play Skylanders now?" she asked him, ignoring the glares he sent her way for interrupting his gameplay and trying to defuse his anger with one one of her nicest tones.

It worked, for he reverted to his open-mouth demeanor before he answered her. "No, but you can play Kirby with me!" He looked at her excitedly. "That way I can be Meta Knight! Or King Dedede!"

"What about me?" Matt asked.

"You can be Waddle Dee," Dallas said dismissively.

Matt looked down, pretending to be disappointed. "Aw, c'mon…for all we know, Waddle Dee could be a girl. Dee could be short for 'Dee Dee'."

Dallas laughed and stopped playing to set up the player two Wii remote as Waddle Dee, then paused to show Matthew the screen that described the player's current character.

Matt squinted to read it. "…Son of a gun. Never mind."

Claire hadn't had the chance to play Kirby yet, what with discovering a magical world and apparently innate mystical abilities, and Dallas's offer was tempting, but the Skylanders didn't deserve to be kept in the dark any longer. "Maybe we can play later," she sighed, scooping up the Portal of Power along with the Spyro, Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy figurines. Matt grabbed the box Spyro's Adventure came in and the poster.

Dallas noticed the action, but didn't stop playing. "Where are you taking the Skylanders?"

Claire and Matt were already walking back down the stairs. "To my room," Claire called back. "Don't worry, I'll bring them back!"

Claire's room was predominantly white, with flowers and kittens being the main motifs. As she led Matt inside, she sat on top of her bed and lay down her burden, then brought out her Skylanders. Matt sat down to join her, petting the curled up Pouncer.

"Hey, Pouncer, how you doin'?" he asked as he cupped the cat's head in his hands. The picky feline didn't seem to enjoy it as much as Tiger, for he got up and sat back down next to Claire, who pet him the way she knew he liked it. Matt pretended to look dejected. "Well, fine, be that way."

Claire braced the poster and game box against the wall and held her Skylanders so they could see the assembled items. "Guys. This is Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure."

"Whoa!" Whirlwind cried. "It's us!" If she had been mobile she would have pointed a paw at the poster, or more specifically, the almost identical figurine of herself displayed there.

"Ooga, Spyro?" Double Trouble asked, confused by the toys sitting on the bed. "Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy, tooga?"

"They're just toys," said Matt, inspecting the Trigger Happy figurine. "But next to you guys, they're actually kind of convincing."

"Matty," Sonic Boom called from his hoodie pocket. "Let us out so we can see!"

"Oh, right. Sorry." He did, and set his Skylanders next to Claire's.

"Blimey…" Ignitor breathed. "So this is what you meant when you mentioned a poster!"

"They look just like us!" Sonic Boom proclaimed. "Look, there I am right next to Warnado and Lightning Rod!"

"Ooga booga, this is some kind of strange, dooga," Double Trouble murmured.

"This is nothing," said Claire, garnering the Skylanders' attention. "Wait until you see the game itself. A lot of what's happened so far has…" she searched for right choice of words. "…mirrored the game almost perfectly."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Jet-Vac exclaimed. "I'm not here!"

Claire and Matt faced each other quizzically, then returned their attention to the poster. Sure enough, Jet-Vac wasn't listed with the other Air Skylanders, or anywhere else on the poster for that matter.

"…I didn't think I remembered you from the poster," Matt reflected. "But then, there's exactly four of each type."

"These are all of the original Skylanders," Claire pointed out. "From before the Core exploded. Jet-Vac, you're a new recruit, right?"

"Yes," the Sky Baron confirmed. "But I was recruited before the banishment! A few others were, too!"

Matt pressed a finger to his forehead. "But you weren't on active duty until now. Maybe that's it?"

"I don't know," Claire pounded a fist into her palm. "But I intend to find out. There's no way in heck that this is a coincidence."

Flameslinger remained silent.

"Flame?" Claire picked up the elf and shockwaves of guilt washed through her brain.

"…I'm…starting to see what the big deal is, now…" he conceded. "This video game thing really is as weird as you've been telling us. I'm sorry for doubting it."

Claire stared at the elf in her hands, her expression unreadable. Then she hugged him against her chest, pressing the toy to her scarf. "Flame, I already forgave you!" she said as she broke away. "And I told you, you're right." She glanced at each Skylander in turn. "You guys are real people, and should be treated that way, not as videogame characters."

"Thanks…" Flameslinger mumbled, and Claire could tell he was relieved as well as a little embarrassed. "My point is, I understand now why you had such a hard time believing what was happening."

"S'all good," Claire waved off. "I mean, I doubt this kind of thing has happened to you guys before."

"Okay, okay, guys," Matt intervened. "I think this apology has gone on long enough."

Claire flushed at the murmurs of agreement from the other Skylanders.

"So…what do we do now?" Whirlwind broke the silence.

"I say we train!" Ignitor suggested with gusto. "We've been caught off-guard more times than I'm comfortable with."

"I agree completely…" Matt nodded, but then hesitated, appearing thoughtful. "Well, almost."

"Almost?"

"I never got my cocoa!"

Claire's Diary

Entry 2:

I'm ashamed to admit that when the Skylanders are in their "toy form," as I've taken to calling it, it's really hard to remember that they're actual people. It really doesn't help that ordinary humans can't hear them, so it's like having voices in your head. I wonder if that's how others feel when I talk to them through a portal.

Anyway, to move past this, I've found that practicing bringing them to life on Earth helps a lot. It's just one more way to remind you that you're carrying living, breathing warriors around in your pocket, ready for battle at any given time, and not Happy Meal accessories.

Side note: More on the voices thing, I've learned the hard way that too much chatter from a multitude of Skylanders talking at once induces headaches, probably from a mental overload. To avoid this, when an argument or something similar breaks out, just send them elsewhere. I recommend a Chompy pit.

~Claire

(Flameslinger's handwriting): Yes, I'm very happy to have you as my Portal Master. You have no idea.

...How are you writing with a blindfold?!

"Come on, mate, you can do it!"

"…" Matt gave no signal to indicate his acknowledgement of Jet-Vac's cheer. His eyes were fixed on the figurine sitting on his mini portal. The unsympathetic orbs of Chop Chop stared back impatiently.

"Get on with it, human," he prompted.

Oh, I'll get on with it, you old bag of bones, Matt thought bitterly, trying and failing to keep his ragged breaths from betraying his tiredness. He longed for a puff from his inhaler, but ultimately decided showing up Chop Chop was more important than breathing comfortably.

After a small cocoa break courtesy of Claire's mother, the group had gathered in Claire's backyard once more. The melting snow made for unpleasantly soggy terrain, but Eon had floated out of what was quickly coming to be called the Earth Portal and insisted on Earth training.

Chop Chop had shown no signs of weariness upon being summoned from Skylands. Drobot was refreshed, and seemed chipper, but his vocal synthesizer made it difficult to be sure. Neither Skylander had anything to report.

Eon instructed Matt on bringing the Skylanders to life just as he said he would, and advised him to keep as many active as he could as for long as he could. Matt complied, and so all of the reanimated Skylanders ran on his magic while they worked to sharpen their diminished skills.

"This is an excellent way to exercise your portal magic," Eon had told Matt. "You won't notice right away, but it will increase your stamina and warping range over time."

"But what if I run out?" Matt had questioned, cringing at the pain in his head as Ignitor, fully mobile once more, stretched his joints with a metallic squeak.

"Then you'll most likely black out, due to your inexperience. And you'll be left with a splitting headache as well as muscle weakness when you come to." Noticing Matt's lack of enthusiasm, he had added: "Nothing worth training for is easy, young Portal Master. Don't forget that the Skylanders are here with you training just as hard."

The former Portal Master had then turned his attention to Claire. "Your training will be a bit different, young one," he told her. "I understand that you are…somewhat lacking in your ability to teleport, but your friend can compensate for that. Right now, we need your keen portal sensitivities to locate the Skylanders."

Claire was embarrassed at his hesitation to mention her subpar warping, but his praise regarding her portal sense was enough to keep her from breaking eye contact. "What will you have me do?" she asked.

Eon had floated over to the Earth Portal and beckoned her over (she wasn't sure how he had pulled it off without hands). "I want you to stay here and listen for the Skylanders. Normally, when they call out to you, you can hear them no matter how far away you are, but Earth's magic is still in the process of reawakening. The lack of portals and magic keeps their cries for help from reaching you."

Claire had noticed sorrow flash across his features, as though he was saddened by his own words. She couldn't blame him: that last bit struck a chord in her own heart.

"Just being in the proximity of a portal should give you the edge you need, even if the mini portal only helps marginally. If you fully focus on a large portal here on Earth, however, you should be able to steadily increase your 'hearing' range. You will more than likely be left with a massive headache, however, for even though the portal will keep you at full power, the exertion will be stressful on your mind."

Claire stifled a sigh, already feeling the headache coming on, but obediently knelt by the Earth Portal and laid her head in her arms on the stone rim. Being a Portal Master certainly wasn't as easy as the game made it look.

Sonic Boom couldn't do much to train without waking up the whole neighborhood with her ear-splitting roar, so she opted to watch her hatchlings play instead. Once their wings had sprouted back, Zeke and Taylor opted to chase birds, occasionally stopping to watch Matt animate the remaining Skylanders. Heather, who was growing very fond of Claire, sat down next to the Portal Master, and Claus decided to follow her.

Flameslinger, Whirlwind and Drobot headed deeper into the bare woods to practice evasion tactics, but not before Claire cautioned them not to start a fire with their volatile projectile attacks, casting a critical eye upon the elf in particular.

Matt tried to forget Eon's warning when he brought the Skylanders to life, but he felt the effects immediately. He was down to Chop Chop; Jet-Vac and Ignitor watched expectantly.

The skeleton's unimpressed demeanor was enough to give the exhausted Portal Master a big enough push to pull off the final reanimation. He gathered magic into his sparking mini portal, and successfully warped the now mobile Chop Chop a few feet away from him.

Matt staggered, his hands grasping his knees to support himself. Then he fell over, his back hitting the snow with a whump! He lay there breathing heavily, staring up at the bare branches above and trying to get his chest to stop heaving. Claire hadn't been kidding when she said the process was draining.

Matt found it hard to take much satisfaction in his work with the reanimated skeleton standing over him. Chop Chop made a disapproving noise as he stared down at the exhausted portal master, weapons resting in his metacarpals. Matt held up a hand for the skeleton to grab and help him up, but Chop Chop shook his helmeted skull.

"You don't need my help," he growled. "Get up."

If there was one thing Matt took pride in, it was his ability to hide his frustration. But, boy, was this Skylander providing him with a challenge.

Am I really bonded to this jerk? he thought heatedly. Nevertheless, he was still motivated enough to prove himself to the grouch, and so pushed himself to his feet, brushing the snow off of him and making it clear to the Undead Skylander that he wasn't ready to give up. The skeleton did nothing to acknowledge his actions or give any hint as to what he was thinking: even with the bond, it was hard to get a good read on Chop Chop.

Double Trouble, who hovered by the large portal with Claire, shook his mask at the two's rivalry. "Ooga, what's with them, booga?" he asked Claire, who shrugged.

"I dunno, but they don't seem to like the fact that they're bonded."

"Hmm," Double Trouble hummed, observing Matt purposefully bump into the skeleton, who roughly pushed him to the ground in return, only to have the Portal Master drag him down with him. "Ooga, maybe it's not the Portal Master kind of bond so much as the adhesive kind, booga."

Claire giggled, and Double Trouble grinned broadly. It felt wonderful to have someone laugh at his jokes. Master Eon had seldom had much time to converse with him, and his clones seemed to laugh at anything he told them.

Having a friend to talk to really made him want to talk.

"Ooga, such a beautiful day, booga!" the shaman sighed. "Ooga, is Earth always this snowy this time of year?"

"Uh, no, actually, it's just this part of the world," Claire answered. "Snow is actually pretty rare here in Texas."

"Texas, booga? Interesting name, for shooga."

Claire squinted into the Earth Portal's foggy depths, finding it difficult to concentrate. It didn't help that, next to her, Heather kept dipping her paw into the effervescent mist and squealing with delight when it tickled her, and Claus looked like he was trying to shape something out of the snow. The tiki man wasn't entirely to blame for the distraction. "It comes from a word in some Indian language I don't remember," Claire informed him. "'Tejas.' It means 'friend.'"

"Hm, fitting, considering the circumstances, wouldn't you say, booga?" the shaman mused.

Claire tried not to look irritated when she faced away from the portal. Her Skylander certainly was talkative this morning. "Um, I guess so?"

"Ooga, we ought to go sledding or something later!" Double Trouble pointed his staff toward the melting stump from the day before that was certainly not a snowman by any stretch. "Or maybe we can finish that poor snowman, booga."

"Double Trouble?"

"Ooga, then again, it might be best if we kept warm…"

"Double Trouble."

"Ooga! Maybe I can finally try out Ghost Roaster's cocoa recipe!"

"DOUBLE TROUBLE!"

The tiki man blinked in surprise at Claire's outburst, and his Portal Master put her hands on her hips. "…um…problem, booga?" he asked tentatively.

Claire shook her head with an amused smile. "You tell me, motor mouth," she teased.

Double Trouble rubbed his feathery head, embarrassed. "Oh…sorry, ooga Claire. It's…been a long time since I've gotten to talk to someone, booga."

Claire felt rotten for getting annoyed with him. "Aw…" she grabbed hold of his wrist, and he looked up at her with wide (well, wider) eyes. She led him to the Earth portal and sat down, gesturing for him to…levitate lower. "Tell you what…you help me with this 'magic training' business, and we can talk about whatever you want later."

Claire literally felt the radiance of the broad grin she received from her Skylander. "Ooga…I'd like that, booga," he admitted.

Then the tiki man noticed something: an odd emptiness gnawing at his stomach. It didn't take him long to realize that it emanated from the girl crouching next to him. "Ooga, Claire? What's wrong, booga?"

Claire didn't meet his gaze, instead focusing intently on the Earth Portal. "Oh, nothing…I just…know what it's like not having anyone to talk to," she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Never mind. Let's get to it."

Back with Jet-Vac, Ignitor and Chop Chop, Matt was finding it difficult to stay standing. "Okay," he threw up his hands and faced back toward the Earth Portal. "I need to recharge."

He hadn't taken one step when the sharp edge of a sword barred his progress. Matt suppressed a groan and gripped the inhaler in his pocket.

"Chop Chop, your sword seems to be blocking my path."

The skeleton didn't budge. "Don't recharge," he commanded coldly. "If you do, you'll have missed the point of training."

Matt finally let some of his frustration slip. "I can't train if I'm unconscious," he retorted.

"Your stamina will remain unchanged if you recharge," Chop Chop rasped, lowering his blade slightly. "Eon must not have explained it to you," he relented.

"Explained what?" asked Matt, his irritation replaced with genuine curiosity.

"Your body generates portal magic on its own, which is how the mini portal draws power." Seeing that he had enraptured Matt's full attention, Chop Chop dropped his sword arm and let it hang at his side. "When your power runs critically low, the mini portal will force your body to generate more magic, and that's how your stamina is increased."

Matt was still reeling from the headache, but he was too exhausted drag on an argument, even though he desperately wanted to rest by the portal. He decided that it was as good a time as ever to try to make amends with the Skylander. "So, it's just like exercise," he figured. "You can't burn fat and build muscle until all your quick energy is used up."

"Precisely," Chop Chop nodded, and for the first time, Matt sensed some approval from the warrior. "If you take a break before your body shifts into high gear, you have to start all over."

Matt dipped his head in understanding, but then winced as a new wave of fatigue swept through his system. "Urgh…not even…just a little break?" he asked hopefully.

Chop Chop shook his skull, and Matt groaned, dejectedly sitting down and resting against a tree. The rough bark digging into his back wasn't enough to distract from the ache.

Ignitor sputtered, his flames producing small pops. "*Cough!* Ouch!"

Matt's head jerked up. "Ignitor?"

The knight shook himself, spraying sparks all over the snow. "…I'm starting to feel the effects of your training myself!" He held his sword out toward Chop Chop. "What say we fix that with a little training of our own, eh, Chop?"

Chop Chop rotated his shield and leveled his sword. "Only if you think you can handle it, knave."

Ignitor fire plummeted lower than Matt had seen it so far: for a moment, he thought he had extinguished. "…I beg your pardon?" the knight murmured in a dangerously low tone. Matt almost didn't hear him.

For the first time, Matt sensed some drive from Chop Chop. Was he eager? It was a likely assumption, given the gleam that appeared in the skeleton's orbs.

"You're still young. You've yet to earn the title of 'knight,'" Chop Chop challenged, taking a swipe at the air. "Think you can change that?"

At this point, Matt feared Ignitor had been snuffed out completely, but then his friend surged back up to his usual, spirited blaze, and thrust his fiery blade in Chop Chop's direction. "Have at thee!" he shouted.

Matt settled down to watch his Skylanders' match. Guess that's his way of saying "challenge accepted."

As the two swordsmen squared off, Flameslinger, Whirlwind and Drobot returned from the deep forest. Drobot approached Jet-Vac, who had taken up tinkering with the Vac-Blaster.

"Let's see here…" the Sky Baron muttered to himself. "If that's what makes the fans spin this way…then shouldn't this thing…argh!" he grunted, having accidently pulled some wires loose.

"PERHAPS I CAN BE OF ASSISTANCE," Drobot offered. Jet-Vac tugged his talon free of the ensnared cables and shed the device from his back.

"Much appreciated, mate," said Jet-Vac, presenting his weapon to the dragon. Drobot set upon his impromptu project with vigor. He whirred and hummed as he worked, and Jet-Vac quickly found the silence awkward. "So…uh, been a Skylander long?"

"AFFIRMATIVE," Drobot intoned, not looking up. Jet-Vac couldn't help but admire his focus. He realized he was fidgeting, and shifted his weight to one leg.

"Er…that's an impressive suit you got there, mate," he pointed to the dragon's fold-out wing encasings.

Drobot paused and swiveled his head around to face the Sky Baron, who regretted interrupting him. Those blank lenses over his eyes were somewhat off-putting. "THANK YOU. IT IS OF ARKEYAN ORIGIN, AND THE TEMPLATE I UTILIZED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS VACUUM DEVICE."

Jet-Vac's eyes widened. "You mean, you made it?!"

"AFFIRMATIVE. MASTER EON COMMISSIONED ITS ASSEMBLY SHORTLY AFTER LEARNING OF YOUR EXPLOITS." Drobot tilted his head. "YOU BELIEVED HE HAD IT JUST LYING AROUND SOMEWHERE?"

Jet-Vac was rendered speechless until he realized that Drobot sounded less like a robot on that last statement. "Well…I… guess I didn't really give it much thought…" he stroked his beard-like ruffle of feathers. "Did Eon really want to recruit me that much? Enough to custom order a weapon for me?"

Drobot went back to tampering with said weapon. "YOU ARE A SKYLANDER: BY DEFINITION, A CHAMPION OF SKYLANDS. IS IT REALLY THAT SURPRISING?"

"Well, yes, actually…" Jet-Vac admitted. "You see, I wasn't a fighter when Eon recruited me." He looked down, unaware that Drobot had diverted his attention again. "And I had just lost…hrm," he paused. "…given up my wings, so I couldn't fly at the time, either."

"YOUR POINT?"

Jet-Vac shook his head, crest feathers swaying in the chilled breeze. "I was useless until he came along. Why go through all the trouble for a wingless Sky Baron he didn't even know?"

"Gracious, darling, close your beak for a moment and think about it!"

Sonic Boom padded up to the two, sleek black plumes glittering in the late morning sun. She stepped with practiced grace, and would have been the pinnacle of majesty had she not looked so miffed. Jet-Vac felt like molting under her sharp green scrutiny.

"From what I hear," Sonic Boom continued. "You sacrificed your wings so a mother could save her children."

"O-oh," Jet-Vac mumbled. "It wasn't a big deal, really…"

Sonic Boom stamped her paw into the snow. "That's where you're wrong!" she barked, and Jet-Vac flinched. "As a mother, I can tell you…"

Her head pivoted toward the spot where her children played tirelessly, her gaze and tone softening. "It is a big deal. You only understand it when you become a parent, and when…" she stopped herself. "It is a big deal. If I were Eon, I would have recruited you sooner."

"Really?"

"Eon saw your character, Jet-Vac, in that emergency. Your lack of wings…" Sonic Boom opened her own wings for emphasis. "…didn't matter to him. It's the character that makes the Skylander, not the prowess."

"HRMMM," Drobot hummed to himself, unintentionally drawing his company's attention. "THIS COULD DO WITH A BACK-UP TURBINE FOR INCREASED FLIGHT TIME…NEGATIVE, MUST ACCOUNT FOR ADDED WEIGHT…"

Jet-Vac suddenly fretted for his Vac Blaster. "Is he serious? All I did was mess up some wires…"

Sonic Boom shook her head. "With Drobot, you can never be sure."

While the avian Skylanders conversed, a shivering Whirlwind gingerly fluttered over to the Earth portal with Flameslinger to sit by Claire and Double Trouble. Heather took that as her cue to clamber on top of the dragoness, who enjoyed the body heat.

Flameslinger nudged Claire. "Miss me?" he smirked.

Claire returned the gesture. "After twenty minutes? Keep dreaming." She hesitated. "Back already? That was a fast training session."

Flameslinger busied himself with his bowstring. "Uh-huh…"

Claire gave him a flat look. "What happened?"

"I'd rather not say…"

"You set fire to something, didn't you?" she deadpanned.

"Non!" Flameslinger snapped. Claire didn't move, and the elf's ears fell. "…Oui."

"I warned you."

"You didn't say anything about Earth physics being more volatile!" Flameslinger shot back. "Besides, there's melting snow everywhere!"

Claire scoffed. "*Heh* I'm sorry, were you expecting a fire-proof forest?"

A burst of arcane energy erupted between the two, and they recoiled.

"Ow!" they cried, looking at Double Trouble accusingly. The shaman blew the excess magical discharge off the orb of his staff and stared back at his cohorts coolly.

"Ooga, enough bickering, you two-ga!" he scolded, thrusting the staff toward Claire. "You-ga need to be focusing!" He then prodded the elf's gut, making the elf cover his stomach reflexively. "And you-ga need to stop distracting her!"

Flameslinger groaned, rubbing his bruised abdomen. "You should consider close-combat training!" he wheezed.

"Alright, alright, DT!" Claire grabbed Double Trouble's attention before he could jab her elf friend again. "I'm focused, see?" she made a show of clamping her hands on the edge of the portal and peering into it. "Now, do you have any more tips for me?"

"Ooga," Double Trouble answered, pleased with the cooperation. "It'll sound like an echo when you hear them, similar to the way my voice sounds, booga."

Whirlwind's teeth chattered and she snuggled closer to Flameslinger like a cat. "I'm f-f-freezing…" she sputtered. "Are you guys not c-c-cold…?"

"Not really…" Claire shrugged, sparing the dragoness a glance. She did a double-take, blinking rapidly at what she saw. "Whirlwind!" she exclaimed. "You're turning white!"

Whirlwind looked down at herself. Right before her eyes, her feathers bleached from sky blue to snowy white. "Oh, w-w-wouldja look at th-th-that…"

"That's not normal?!" Claire sounded on the verge of a heart attack. "I'll be right back!" she decla(i)red, and bolted back into her house through the back door.

"Ooga booga, so much for focused…" Double Trouble grumbled.

Ignitor noticed the commotion and dismissed himself from his sparring match with Chop-Chop to kneel down next to Whirlwind. He flared up intentionally to warm the frigid air, and Flameslinger followed his example by striking an arrow to his bow and holding it at a safe heating distance from his friend.

Whirlwind's shivering ceased, and she fluffed out her snowy feathers.

"That's much better! Thanks, guys!" she beamed at them gratefully.

Flameslinger adjusted his blindfold. "Claire said you're white now. I'll bet that's a nice look for you, Stormee."

"It is, indeed, milady!" Ignitor complimented.

As Claire reappeared on the scene laden with woolen winter accessories, Whirlwind regarded Flameslinger jadedly. "You're never gonna let that old nickname go, are you?"

Claire seemed to calm down upon hearing the casual conversation, and set to fastening a scarf around Whirlwind's neck. "I like it," she said, pressing a hat down her friend's horn and and gently pushing her long ears through improvised openings. "It's cute!"

Whirlwind admired her new gear. Claire had chosen a blue crochet hat with cream lining and a tasseled scarf to match. "They're beautiful!"

Claire looked away, smiling modestly. "Glad you think so! That's the first scarf I ever wove, and my mom made the hat to match it." She scowled to herself. "Still, I wish I'd noticed that your eyes changed color, too. I would've gotten something to match better."

"My eyes?" Whirled asked, confused. "What color are they now?"

"Pink and orange," Ignitor told her. "They're quite striking actually, especially with 'ow white you are now."

Claire rested against the portal. "Do you have any idea why you'd change color all of a sudden, Stormee?" …That is a cute nickname! Rolls off the tongue nicely, too.

Whirlwind shook her head, making the fluffy pompom on her hat bounce around and urging Heather to bat at it playfully. "It's never happened before. My guess is it's from the cold, but I've been in the cold before…"

"Maybe it's because we're on Earth," Flameslinger proposed. "And because we're running on a different kind of magic here."

"Speaking of which, booga," Double Trouble added. "I'm surprised Matthew's managed to hold out this long, ooga booga."

Claire translated for him and Ignitor chuckled dryly. "Chop Chop might have something to do with that."

"Well, anyway," Claire fixed Whirlwind's scarf, tying it so the ends were less even. "I like this new look, Stormee. It's so wintry!"

Whirlwind flushed and Flameslinger chortled. "Like a little bundled up polar bear!" he joked.

"Oh, stuff it!" Claire giggled, shoving her elf friend. What he said gave her an idea. "Polar Whirlwind, huh?"

"…Portal Master…Portal Master!"

Claire gasped and clutched her head in both hands. Her Skylanders all crowded around her anxiously, except Double Trouble, who seemed to guess what was happening.

"Claire, what is it?!" Flameslinger demanded.

"Someone's…talking to me!" she jarred her head. "Why do I have a headache?!"

"Ooga," Double Trouble stepped (read: floated) in. "The Skylander must be just on the edge of your hearing range. Can you tell who it is, booga?"

"Can anyone hear me? Please…I don't want to be lost in the desert forever!"

Claire jolted upright. She knew that gravelly tenor!

"Prism Break!" she cried. "Can you hear me?"

"Someone…? Anyone…? Master Eon? Claire? Matt? …Those are your names, right?" Prism Break continued to call out.

"He won't be able to hear you, unfortunately, ooga boo," Double Trouble informed her. He pointed his staff at the Earth Portal. "Unless you can pinpoint his exact location, dooga."

Claire took the cue and practically threw herself on the portal. Help me find him!

It wasn't long before the portal showed her a vast expanse of sand surrounded by rugged mountains, sparsely populated with scrubby desert brush.

Claire closed her eyes. Zoom in!

The portal obliged, and a tiny figure lodged in a sand dune filled her field of vision. "There you are!"

"Oh, thank the portals!" Prism Break exclaimed. "You found me!"

"Now we can extract you!" she assured him.

By this point, Matt and the other Skylanders had come over to investigate the girl's shouting.

"Hold it, Claire," Matt halted her. "Do you know where he is?"

She blinked at him. "Do I have to? I can see him just fine."

"Actually, you do," Matt said glumly. "Eon said we can only send Skylanders to places they've already been to before."

"There's a bit of an exception, young ones," Eon materialized once again out of the Earth Portal. "You two don't know the layout of Skylands, so it is true that your range is limited to places you've encountered. However, this is your home world, so as long as you know exactly where your desired location is in relation to where you are, you should be able to send a Skylander without any trouble."

"Well, that's a relief!" Claire breathed. "Thanks, Master Eon!"

"Any time, young Portal Master!" Eon grinned before vanishing again.

"In any case," Matt continued. "I think I'd better do the warping. You still haven't practiced, remember?"

Claire pursed her lips. "That's why this a perfect opportunity to—"

"Excuse me? Portal Master?"

Claire flinched at the voice. "Agh, not again…wait." She searched her memory for the fairly fresh archive of voices she recognized. "That wasn't Prism Break!"

"Did you hear someone else, dear?" asked Sonic Boom tenderly. "Poor thing, you like your head hurts." Matt, of course, seethed at this, but the griffin smiled smugly at him, letting him know she was trying to be funny.

Claire nodded. "I think it was Wham-Shell." She looked back into the portal and everyone else crowded around it. "Hang tight, Prism Break."

"Can I do anything else?"

Ignoring his sarcasm, Claire switched views to locate the source of the voice. The portal, oddly, turned a deep sea blue, and it soon became apparent why.

The crustaceous Skylander was resting on the ocean floor.

Everyone groaned.

"Well, great," Whirlwind spat. "Things just got a whole lot harder! We don't have any Water Skylanders yet!"

"MOST PROBLEMATIC," Drobot agreed.

"Not necessarily."

All eyes quickly locked on to Chop Chop. The skeleton stood indifferently with his arm bones crossed over his ribcage. "I don't need to breathe," he elaborated as if it were obvious (which it kind of was).

"That takes care of that problem," said Jet-Vac. "Can you two find them quickly?"

"Done," said Claire, who'd been occupied with zooming out of the image the portal displayed. "He's at Cape Cod, Massachusetts."

"That was fast," Matt remarked. Claire rolled her eyes and pointed to a sign in the portal that read "Welcome to Cape Cod!"

"Oh…well you still have to find Prism Break."

Claire had already switched back to the crystal golem's location and now pointed to a sign that read "Welcome to Death Valley!"

As Matt tried to cover up his embarrassment from the snickering Skylanders (Jet-Vac and Ignitor laughed openly) by pulling his hoodie strings taut, she tapped her foot impatiently, making a crunch-crunch-crunch noise in the snow. "Are we done here?"

The salty waters off the southern shore of Cape Cod were freezing.

But that didn't deter one skeletal Skylander from wading right in until the sea engulfed the tip of his helmet with a schloop!

Chop Chop had been beamed down by Claire in the middle of the sand dunes, not far from a main road, much to the duo's dismay (Claire regretted disagreeing with Matt on the warping issue). Fortunately, few in their right mind found a trip to the shoreline desirable on such a dreary winter day, save for the occasional hardcore beach-comber, and Wham-Shell wasn't that far off-shore anyway.

Chop Chop was free to explore the ocean floor beneath the frigid waters without fear of detection by sailors, scuba divers and the like. Claire could only observe in wonder his immunity to the hypothermic conditions.

"Wow…" she whispered. "If I could do that, I'd go swimming every day!"

"Claire?" Matt called from the Ruins Portal. "You doing okay with Chop Chop?"

"Yeah, fine," she responded. "I'm just seriously reminded of that one scene from the first Pirates of the Caribbean. You know, where the pirates storm the ship from the seafloor?"

"Oh, yeah…that makes me wish I was looking for Wham-Shell instead of you, honestly."

"Well, aren't you considerate."

"Just sayin'."

Up in Skylands, Matt conducted the search for Prism Break from the Ruins portal. He'd sent Ignitor, the best suited (pun entirely intended) choice for exploring Death Valley, seeing as, though considerably warmer than North Texas at the time, it was still quite dry.

That, of course, didn't affect Ignitor, who no longer experienced thirst. Claire and Matt doubted that any Skylander they sent would stick around long enough to get thirsty (and even if said Skylander did, they figured they could send a bottled water), but Hugo was still worried about potential attacks from Kaos.

The Mabu reasoned that if something came up during the search for the Skylanders, the Portal Masters needed to be prepared to leave them unattended for indeterminate periods of time. The best way to do this, he advised, was to send Skylanders most suited to the environment in question.

Thus, Chop Chop and his distinct lack of lungs had been sent as planned to scope out the seafloor of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Ignitor now trudged through the arid sands of Death Valley in the Mojave Desert, California.

"You doing okay, Chop Chop?" Claire called, wondering if her voice sounded garbled through the seawater.

Chop Chop didn't give any indication he had heard her, and continued to press on, his movements made sluggish by the ocean. Claire tried again. "See anything?"

This time, the swordsman's peeved visage glared up at her through the portal's swirling surface, rippling in the foamy brine. Claire guessed that he wanted her to stop asking questions and look around for herself.

"Alright, lemme look... grumpy much…" I'm starting to see why Matt can't seem to get along with him…although, to be fair, it doesn't look like he can speak underwater.

"Okay, portal…" she ran her gloved hand along the stony edge. "We heard Wham-Shell, now we have to find him."

"Why are you talking to the portal?" Toy Form Flameslinger asked from Claire's pocket. Everyone else had gone with Matt back to Skylands, some looking to help with the salvage effort, others (namely Drobot) the restorations.

"I'm starting to think that Portal Masters don't actually have any powers," Claire speculated.

"What do you mean?"

"I think it's just that we can…feel how to work the portals, or something," she grasped. "Like…we can work them because they resonate with us. It's like…I dunno…it just clicks, like numbers for someone who's good at math, or words for someone who's good at writing."

"I never thought about it that way," said Flameslinger. "It's like my aim. You can't explain it; it just makes sense, right?"

"Exactly."

"Still…the ability to wield a portal is considered magical. Eon established that ordinary humans can't see or touch portals without a Portal Master."

"I still don't get how that works."

"I'm no expert, but I think it has something to do with the lack of magic on Earth," Flameslinger ventured. "Humans aren't…hm, how do I put this…conditioned to it. As far as they're concerned, it doesn't exist, and you can't see or touch something that's not there, right?"

"…my brain hurts."

"Yeah, mine, too. Never mind. Anyway, you don't think the portal is actually alive, do you?"

Claire brushed some snow off the portal's edge. "Probably not…but that doesn't change the fact that it reacts to what I'm thinking."

KA-FLASH!

"WAAAH!" Claire jumped back screaming.

"Claire?! What's going on?!"

"There's something coming out of the portal!" Remembering the attack on Matt the day before, Claire fumbled about her coat pockets and brought Flameslinger to her mini portal, ready to activate him if need be.

She watched as, in a flash, a blue creature materialized on the portal's surface.

He was small, and very round. In fact, his face seemed to take up his entire body. Claire supposed he was a gremlin, since he bore some resemblance to Trigger Happy in that respect, and in his long rabbit ears. He was covered head to toe in blue fur, with a wide grin and enormous yellow eyes that protruded from their sockets at opposing angles, lending him a derpy demeanor that rivaled (if not surpassed) Whirlwind's.

He wore leather fingerless gloves with gold fastenings on his clawed hands, and, oddly, a pair on his feet to match. His only other accessory was a brown backpack, but Claire couldn't see what was stored in there.

The odd creature looked around, not seeming to notice Claire and the Skylander figurine she held.

"Hey!" he exclaimed in a screechy (and, Claire thought, vaguely familiar) voice. "This doesn't look like the right chapter…"

He pulled what looked like a script of some sort from his backpack and flipped through it. "Let's see…"Flameslinger led Claire onto the sand and blah, blah, blah…"" He took stock of his surroundings, again failing to acknowledge a very confused Claire and Flameslinger. "Nah, looks more like snow to me…" he mumbled and flipped some more. ""Perilous Pastures turned out to be not so perilous after all…"…nope…"

At this point, Claire brought Flameslinger to life, holding her arm steady so he could just jump off of it instead of getting warped to who-knows-where. The tactic worked surprisingly well (even despite the soreness in Claire's arm), and the elf stood next to her with his hands on his hips as the two exchanged sidelong glances. Before they could voice concern, the stranger found what he was searching for.

"…Ah-ha! Here it is: "'but that doesn't change the fact that it reacts to what I'm thinking!'" That makes this…Chapter 8: One-upped." The gremlin put his stack of papers away and tapped a claw on his non-existent chin. "Weird name for a chapter, but okay."

Claire looked to Flameslinger. He hadn't drawn his bow, so she decided to address the strange visitor without prejudice. "Um…who are you? And what the heck are you talking about? Are you…late for an audition or something?"

The gremlin shook his head. "No, I'm actually early. My name's Pop—" he hesitated. "Uh, just call me Alchemist."

"O-kay…"Flameslinger began carefully. "Alchemist. You clearly had our names written down. Is there something we can help you with?"

Alchemist grinned toothily at them. "Nope! I'm just glad my Breaking-the-Fourth-Wall potion turned out to be such a scorching success!" He retrieved a potion bottle filled with green fluid of questionable origin and licked his lips dreamily. "And soda-licious, too!"

Flameslinger processed the statement. "'A scorching'—hey! That's one of my catchphrases!" he fumed, jabbing his thumb into his chest indignantly.

Claire face palmed. "Really? That's what you're fixating on?" I feel like we've been saying that a lot today… "Mr. Alchemist, what do you mean by "breaking the fourth wall?" This isn't a TV show or a fan fiction. It's real life."

Alchemist cackled a mad scientist laugh. "Eh, hahahaha! You just keep telling yourself that, Claire!"

"How do you know her name, anyway?" Flameslinger demanded.

Alchemist waved a claw dismissively. "That's not important right now." He pulled a pocket watch out of his pack and flipped it open, then shut it again and returned it. "I'd better beat it before Hootie finds out I'm here."

"Hootie?" Claire echoed. "Hootie who?" I think I meant to say "Who's Hootie." What kind of ridiculous name is that?

"Hootie Hoot, actually, but, eh, you were close! Anyway, she's grown rather attached to her fourth wall, and I'm not supposed to appear until later, so…" He grabbed another potion bottle, this one filled with a bubbling orange substance. "Toodles!"

He threw the potion at his feet, shattering the vial and releasing a swirling cloud of orange mist. Within a few seconds, it cleared, revealing that the gremlin hadn't moved from his touchdown pose. He coughed. "…why the heck did that not work?"

Claire and Flameslinger stared. "Mr. Alchemist?" said the girl. "You're standing on a portal."

Alchemist looked down at his feet as if discovering them for the first time. "So I am!"

It was Flameslinger's turn to face palm. "That's how you got here!" he pointed out exasperatedly. "It's also the only reason you're moving around right now!"

The strange visitor nodded his head (body?). "And it's how I shall depart!" He struck an epic pose, planting a fist on his hip and and outstretching his arm and forefinger. "To not here!" he cried as his form dissipated. "AWAAAAaaaaay!..."

The duo stood speechless for a few awkward moments.

"…Well, that was weird," Claire commented. "Does that happen a lot in Skylands?"

"No, that's weird even for Skylands standards," the elf admitted.

"Human!" a voice from the portal roared. The two started and rushed back to the dimensional gateway, where a sopping wet and very grouchy skeleton glared back at them from the wet sands. In his hand, he held a tiny red toy. "Where in Skylands have you been?!"

"Yeah, Claire," Matt piped up. "We've been trying to call you! We just brought Prism Break back to the Ruins! What have you been doing?"

Claire and Flameslinger looked at each other and the elf shook his head helplessly. Claire let out a weary breath.

"…you wouldn't believe us if we told you."

"I don't believe this!" Hugo exclaimed, gawking at the monstrous piggy bank Matt held in his hands.

"I know," Matt nodded. "I'm not sure who thought this was a good idea—"

"No, this is a Legendary Treasure!" Hugo continued, breaking his awed gaze away from the trinket and staring wide-eyed up at Matt and Jet-Vac. "Did Snuckles really just give this to you?!"

Jet-Vac was pretty sure that had been the Mabu's name. "Aye…he said didn't have a use for it."

"You're saying this thing is actually valuable?" Matt quirked his brow, unsure of whether or not Hugo was pulling his leg. Hugo nodded excitedly, glasses almost falling off.

"Indeed, very!" he confirmed. "Er, well, unless it's one of the lesser Treasures…nevertheless, it can be sold for a substantial amount of gold! Let me call one of my contacts to appraise it!" With that, the Mabu snatched the piggy bank out of Matt's hands and waddled off with it, leaving the Portal Master and Skylander to stare after him uncomprehendingly.

Claire and Flameslinger had warped to Skylands a few minutes prior, each scowling as if inflicted with a headache. The two had then split off, with Flameslinger running off to the teleporters that led to the arenas (Cali, who used a teleporter herself for her heroic challenges, had managed to get them working again) and Claire looking to pet the poor sheep that Whirlwind and Double Trouble were using for target practice.

Oddly, Double Trouble's Eldritch Beam changed the color of their wool upon contact, but Whirlwind's Rainbow of Doom did not. As soon as the three sheep figured out that Claire wasn't out to attack them, they flocked around her in hopes that her Skylanders' onslaught would stop. The ploy worked, and the friendly attention they received from the Portal Master was just a bonus.

Chop Chop had cleared the bramble blocking access to a magical telescope called the Far Viewer, and Cali was currently trying to get it to work while simultaneously ignoring Flynn's sad attempts to flirt with her (talk about multitasking).

"Are you from Tennessee?" Flynn drawled. "'Cause you're the only ten I see. BOOM!"

Cali shot him an incredulous glance. "Where the heck is Tennessee?" She shook her head with a grimace. "Never mind. There, that should do it."

She stepped back and allowed the telescope to unfold itself.

"Hugo," called Cali, peering into the Far Viewer. The Mabu joined her, apparently having finished making his call to his appraisal contact. Ignitor, who had been looking for something to do that didn't involve swordplay, followed close behind and Matt and Jet-Vac, having broken out of their stupor, did likewise.

"I found the Eternal Air Source," Cali announced. "It's at Stormy Stronghold."

"Splendid!" Hugo patted his book cover enthusiastically. "That's the first step to rebuilding the Core!"

Cali stepped back and Hugo inspected the lens. "Those winds are really turbulent…the Drow have the Eternal Source, but something's gone wrong…Flynn, I don't think your balloon can breach the island in those conditions."

Flynn laughed and pushed his compatriot aside to take a gander at the scene. While he made some dim remarks about how he would need a propeller and elicited an annoyed response from Cali, Hugo smoothed out his jacket grumpily. "Was that really necessary?"

As he, Flynn and Cali "discussed" where they might obtain a propeller for Flynn's ship, Sonic Boom and Drobot hovered down to meet their Portal Master and fellow Skylanders, landing delicately in the grass.

"Hey, guys," said Matt, hands in his hoodie pocket as usual. "What's shaking?"

"WE ARE PARTAKING IN A TRAINING REGIMEN WITH WHAM-SHELL AND PRISM BREAK," Drobot explained.

Sonic Boom pointed a wing toward the teleporters. "Care to join us?" she asked kindly.

Jet-Vac was ecstatic. "You bet!"

Ignitor was about to accept when Matt cut him off. "In a minute. We'll catch up."

The triad of aerial Skylanders took off again, and Ignitor had to process what had just happened. "Is something up, Matthew?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Matt replied seriously. Ignitor could tell from the way his hazel eyes focused, unwavering, that he meant business. It was a side of Matt the knight had yet to see.

"…I don't follow," Ignitor said carefully.

"Ignitor, what's the deal with Hex?" Matt asked him outright.

Ignitor sparked violently at his friend's candor. "W-what do you mean?"

Matt pursed his lips. "You can't play dumb with me, Ignitor. We're bonded, remember?"

"Hex and I are Skylanders," Ignitor insisted. "We fight alongside each other. I don't understand what you're asking."

"Every time I bring her up, I get a seriously guilty vibe from you."

Ignitor was silent for a moment, and Matt figured he was on the right track. "Why would I feel guilty about Hex?"

Great, he's trying to flip this around on me, Matt thought. I don't think I'll get anywhere unless I make a suggestion… "Maybe because…you and Hex have a past?"

Ignitor scoffed and, to Matt's dismay, he sensed genuine amusement from his fiery friend. "Don't be ridiculous!" he chortled. "I'd never even heard of her until she became a Skylander!"

"I-well…" Matt backpedaled. "…can you prove that?" he finished lamely.

Ignitor's flame was unreadable, but his silence made it clear that he was growing irritated with Matt's line of questioning.

Maybe I misread this… Matt thought glumly. "Look…I just…" –Ugh, Claire is so much better at this than me— "…I don't want you feeling like you have to keep things to yourself…and, uh…I just sense that you have been…sorry, that sounded really corny…"

Ignitor clamped his hands on Matt's shoulders. "Matt. I don't know why you might be feeling that from me, but know that I do trust you. If something's bothering me, I'll tell you first." He released Matt and reached for his sword. "As is my duty to my Portal Master."

Matt was no actor, so he didn't even pretend to look reassured. "Okay."

Ignitor didn't seem to notice his despondence and started toward the teleporters. "Good. Now then, let's be off."

Matt followed him quietly. …I still feel like he's being guarded about something. I mean, he acted really surprised when I outright asked him, if those sparks are anything to go by. But at the same time, it doesn't seem like he's lying…

They stepped onto the teleporter, letting it whisk them away to the arena. I guess I can figure it out myself when we find Hex. Maybe she can shed some light on this. As he walked out to meet up with his Skylander friends, he grinned at Ignitor's eagerness to get started. Or maybe I'm wrong about all this. I sure hope to heck I am, anyway.

By that time, Hugo had finally pinpointed the Skylanders' next destination, and so turned on his heel away from Flynn and Cali to inform Matt, only to find that the young Portal Master and his entourage of Skylanders had disappeared.

Luckily for him, Claire, Whirlwind and Double Trouble hadn't moved from their stalemate with the sheep. The Portal Master was trying to persuade her Skylanders that making friends with the sheep was probably more fruitful than shooting magical projectiles at them.

With a wide smile, Hugo took a breath to call out to them—

"Oy, Mr. Hugo! Portal Master!"

—and then promptly released that breath.

Some of the Mabu builders, hard at work clearing away debris and marking the places for new foundation to be laid, beckoned Hugo over, and Claire, Whirlwind and Double Trouble followed him, leaving some very relieved sheep behind.

"…what's up?" Hugo resignedly asked the foreman.

The burly Mabu looked pleased with himself. "We found some items while we were cleaning up," he explained. "They're in pretty good condition, so we set them aside for you to reclaim."

"Oh, thank you!" Hugo expressed, forgetting about the impending mission. While he and the foreman continued to discuss the renovations, Claire and her Skylanders set to digging through the salvaged belongings.

"My Soul Gem!" Whirlwind exclaimed happily, grabbing a large, round jewel depicting her face, and pulling it free from the pile. "It's perfectly fine!"

"Soul Gem?" Claire questioned. "Oh, wait, I know what those are! They unlock special abilities, right?"

"Yeah!" Whirlwind polished the dull surface with her plumy tail, frowning at the lack of a reflection. "But it's not working…"

"How can you tell?"

"It usually shines really bright!" Whirlwind explained, holding the gem out to Claire so she could inspect it. "I don't understand why it's not…"

"Hmm," Claire reached out to stroke the smooth surface. The moment she touched it, the jewel flashed, and the girls jumped back, squeaking in fright.

"Wh-what the heck?!" Claire exclaimed, regarding the shimmering jewel as if it might bite her.

Whirlwind edged closer to the disc-shaped object to examine it. "It's never done that before…but at the very least, it's got some of its shine back."

"It's still not as shiny as it was?" Claire looked at Whirlwind skeptically, and the white dragoness shook her head.

"It got shiny when you touched it…*gasp!* oh!" Whirlwind smacked the side of her head with a paw. "Duh! It's because you're my Portal Master now!"

"…huh?"

Whirlwind giggled. "Soul Gems only work when a Skylander's bond with a Portal Master gets as strong as possible. And seeing how bright mine is…" she held it up again to illustrate her point. "…I'd say we're not that far off!"

Claire took this in. "I don't…I mean…how can we be that close already? We just met yesterday!"

Whirlwind's sunset eyes sparkled with insight. "It's easy when trust isn't an issue!"

"Ooga booga boo!"

The two observed Double Trouble drop his staff and struggle to lift a huge, leather-bound book bigger than his own mask above his head. "My—ungh!—spell book, booga!—hngh!—It's still—*wheeze!*—intact! —oof-a!" The tiki man's blue arms trembled beneath the massive weight of the tome until they gave out, allowing his load to fall on top of him and effectively crush him.

As the dust from the impact site settled, Claire and Whirlwind shared an uproarious laugh at the shaman's expense. In retrospect, Double Trouble figured holding the behemoth of a compilation over his head to be an unwise decision.

"Oh, before I forget!" Hugo waddled over. "Or get interrupted again…" he grumbled. "We've figured out our next target: the Sky Schooner Docks. It's an aerial Drow base, and the best way for us to get a propeller for Flynn's ship, seeing as right now, we can't afford one, and we can't get to the Stormy Stronghold without one."

Claire had activated her mini portal to share the news as soon as the Mabu had mentioned a target. "You hear that, Matt?" she spoke into it.

On the training grounds, Cyclops Square to be exact, most of the assembled Skylanders crowded around Matt to listen in to Claire and Hugo's discussion, although they all quickly forgot about it due to the combat taking place on the field. They and a few Cyclops onlookers up in the stands watched Wham-Shell and Prism Break duke it out untiringly, and Matt found himself very distracted by the brawl, too much so, in fact, to respond to his friend.

Restored to his full height, Wham-Shell was quite the imposing warrior, an anthropomorphic crab creature with a wide body and a frighteningly sharp-toothed leer. His golden mace looked fit for royalty, and, as he had explained to the new Portal Masters, was. Matt and Claire found difficulty believing a former king was a Skylander, at least until he filled them in on his back story.

Reanimated, Prism Break was a rough-mannered golem with aqua-colored crystals erupting from his "hands" and shoulders. His eyes, though simple and orb-shaped, glowed eerily orange above his large, toothless jaw. The Skylander came off as grumpy, but he was grateful for being found within a day.

Apparently, as with Chop Chop the previous day, immobility had left the two feeling stagnant, although it may have been intensified by the weakening effect of the banishment.

The spectators watched the two exchange blows, the crustacean blocking his opponent's focused lasers with his mace and then moving in close to chance a strike. More often than not, the weapon collided with hastily summoned crystals instead of the golem himself.

"…Matt? Earth and Skylands to Matticus, are you there?"

Matt tore his eyes away from the match. "…Sorry, I was just reliving my childhood dream of becoming a Pokémon trainer…"

"…fair enough. Did you hear Hugo? We have our target; we just need to figure out when to leave."

"Okay. From the looks of things, the Skylanders want to get some training in, first, so can it wait for a few hours?"

"…Hugo says it's fine, we just need to leave as soon as we're ready."

"Cool. Oh, and Claire?"

"Hm?"

"You need to get over here, this is really freaking epic!"

Several hours passed, and so with the Skylanders psyched up for the invasion of the Sky Schooner Docks, everyone gathered at the Far Viewer to reevaluate their target.

"Is everyone ready?" Hugo asked.

Prism Break flashed his crystals in anticipation. "Born ready!" he growled.

Matt and Claire noticed the Skylanders prepping their various weapons, and so fidgeted with their mini portals to look busy as well.

Cali checked the Far Viewer again. "…Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh?" Hugo echoed. "What's uh-oh?"

Cali stepped back from the Far Viewer and gestured Hugo over. "Take a look for yourself."

Hugo uneasily waddled up to the magical telescope and removed his spectacles to peer into it. "…Uh-oh, indeed!"

The Mabu looked back at the group worriedly. "The Sky Schooner Docks…are completely empty!"

For a moment no one spoke. Chop Chop was the one to voice the question on everyone's mind in the form of a grave statement. "Elaborate."

Hugo began to pace. "I don't understand it…the Drow who usually dock there just…aren't there!"

"I'll bet the Drow are cycling through their bases," Wham-Shell suggested, and everyone fixed their attention on him. "That was the emergency plan for my kingdom: we were supposed to move from safe point to safe point when endangered, to keep the enemy off of our tailfins." He fixed his angry gaze on the ground. "The trolls overtook us before we could mobilize…I wouldn't be surprised if Kaos organized the attack. Trolls are typically too dimwitted to devise a strategy."

Whirlwind spoke up. "Do you think maybe Kaos warned the Drow that we might be coming after them?"

"I don't think that's possible," Chop Chop growled. "We only came up with a plan of attack a few hours ago!"

Claire opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated. Chop Chop gave her a withering look.

"Have something to share, human?" he asked wearily.

"Well…" Claire started, shrinking under the Arkeyan's glare. "Uh, *ahem* Kaos is a Portal Master like us, right? And he's been here before…"

"Where are you going with this?" Chop Chop demanded impatiently.

Claire suddenly stopped fidgeting and stood up straight, meeting the pale yellow glow of Chop Chop's orbs straight on. "…what's stopping Kaos from watching us from his portal?" she asserted, her sudden bravery catching Flameslinger and Whirlwind off-guard. "I mean, Matt and I can hear you guys over long distances, so why not Kaos?"

Prism Break narrowed his glinting eye sockets. "So you're saying…"

"Kaos has been watching us," Claire conjectured. "He must have overheard us talking about storming the docks a few hours ago."

Everyone looked skyward, half-expecting to see the flying fortress appear in a shroud of Darkness accompanied by the grating, pretentious laughter. It didn't.

"So, what do we do?" Jet-Vac asked, his demeanor betraying his worry though his voice remained strong.

"There's nothing we can do!" Hugo cried, on the verge of panic. "It could take weeks to find another Air base! And we can't afford to buy a propeller!"

"Calm down, Hugo," Cali commanded. "If we can't go after them, then we wait for them to come back to us."

Hugo obviously wasn't at ease with the idea. "Ohhh…the Darkness spreads further with every minute we waste! Surely there's something?!"

"Seeking out the Drow would just be a waste of time and resources," Wham-Shell stated firmly. "And it will tip off the Drow that we're coming after them even more. If we lay low, they'll eventually come back to the docks: they know better than to stay in the same place for too long."

"Then it's settled," Cali said firmly. "We can use this time to train you all up even more." She smirked. "So how about it? Who wants to try a heroic challenge?"

No one raised their hand.

It was the last day of Christmas break when the Sky Schooner Docks finally showed signs of habitation again.

The Portal Masters had spent time training every day, and their progress was obvious. Keeping the Skylanders animated on Earth was much easier on both of them now, and they had even attempted instructing each other on their respective weak points. Matt still couldn't locate the Skylanders with much accuracy, and Claire's teleportation continued to constantly miss the mark, but there was at least some improvement.

Their own individual strengths had only sharpened, as Matt could warp the Skylanders (and to a certain extent, himself) with even more precision and a broader range. Claire's sensitivities were more delicate now, too, but the process of widening her own scope was tedious, and hadn't reached far enough to locate any more Skylanders since Wham-Shell and Prism Break. She guessed the rest of the warriors had landed outside the States, and possibly Canada and Mexico.

Skylands had been surprisingly quiet, so Claire and Matt were spending their time playing video games while they still didn't have to worry about homework. They hadn't managed to get very far in Spyro's Adventure (since the game belonged to Dallas, she wasn't allowed to progress further than him, and starting a new file took too long), so now they busied themselves with Kirby's Return to Dreamland.

"…Waddle Dee could totally be a girl," said Matt.

Claire didn't look up. "I thought Dallas set that straight for you."

"C'mon, there are like a million Waddle Dees," Matt persisted. "There's no way of knowing it's the same one every time."

"The bandana."

"Anyone can wear the bandana! Even Kirby!"

"Kirby's never seen with a bandana."

"Shenanigans."

"I know I'm the Kirby expert here, but I'm not gonna go through and check every single Copy Ability."

"Then I win."

"No, you're lazy."

"…You two argue over the weirdest things."

Wham-Shell spoke the truth: Matt and Claire had been at it for the duration of their game. Claire's family was out of the house, so it was safe to bring the Skylanders to life. Wham-Shell and Ignitor sat on the couch next to them, each with a Wii remote in hand. Flameslinger rested his chin in his arms as he leaned against the back of the couch, just behind Claire.

"I've grown rather attached to this Meta Knight character," said Ignitor. "I could learn a thing or two from him."

Matt snickered. "Like how to die every two seconds?"

"It's not my fault!" Ignitor spat indignantly, holding up his controller. "These 'remotes of Wii' are most unconventional!"

"They do take some getting used to," Claire conceded.

"E-excuse me?" Hugo's voice called through Claire's mini portal. "Portal Masters?"

Matt paused the game so Claire could lift her portal and allow her present company to listen in. "We're here, Hugo. What's up?"

"It's the Sky Schooner Docks," Hugo explained excitedly. "The Drow have finally returned. In spades!"

"We'll be right there," Claire shut off the connection and Wham-Shell stood up triumphantly.

"Yes!" the crustacean cheered. "Just like I knew they would! Now I can give them the what for!"

"And I should like to join you," Ignitor agreed. "…right after this stage is complete."

Flameslinger yawned. "Can I sit this one out?" the elf requested. Claire inclined her head straight up to look at him.

"I don't see why not. Still tired from your workout?"

"Oui," he yawned again and Claire got that teasing gleam in her eyes.

"I think you just want to keep hanging out with me."

"In your dreams!" Flameslinger vaulted over the couch to sit on top of Claire.

"Ow! H-hey!" she cried indignantly, trying to wriggle out from beneath the elf. Even despite the discomfort, she couldn't help but giggle, realizing how childish they must've looked.

"Hmm, this couch is really uncomfortable…" Flameslinger joked. Claire managed to free her arms and slammed her hand down on her mini portal.

"That's it, you just lost your mobility privileges!" she jeered. The elf's body flashed and within moments, a tiny elf figurine sat in Claire's grasp.

"Hey! No fair!" the elf complained.

Claire laughed and balanced the elf on her head. "That's what you get for crossing an all-mighty PORTAL MASTER!"

"…your hair is very clean," Flameslinger remarked. "No dandruff or anything. I'm starting to see why Heather likes it so much."

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Claire nodded, knocking him off of her head and into her hand. She charged him with magic again and a full-sized elf plopped down on the couch next to her. "Your Portal Master is pleased…for now."

It was then that the two finally noticed their present company staring at them. Matt and Wham-Shell had dropped out of the game so they could observe the duo's shenanigans, and Ignitor continued to mash buttons by himself (someone had apparently signed Claire out when she dropped her remote).

"…What?" Claire asked.

Matt shook his head with a grin. "You two are fun to watch sometimes."

"Thank you, we'll be here all week!" Flameslinger stood up and took a bow.

Wham-Shell picked up his mace. "But those Drow won't. We better get moving."

"Yup," Matt got up and stretched. "Ignitor, you coming?"

"In a minute," the knight waved him off. "First I need to find that last Energy Sphere—no! Meta Knight! Fly! Flyflyflyfly—no!—ARRRGGH!"

The trip to the Sky Schooner Docks wasn't short, but thankfully, Flynn kept quiet through most of the trip. Hugo had been right: the place was teeming with Drow and a few other monsters. It appeared as if they were still getting settled down after their arrival.

The Portal Masters and Skylanders didn't expect to wield the element of surprise upon arrival: the Drow clearly hadn't expected an assault so quickly, and so Wham-shell and Prism Break, eager to get back into the action, were sent to the island posthaste (Ignitor refused to abandon Claire's Wii console until he got the hang of the gameplay).

During their little adventure, Wham-shell and Prism Break happened upon a fairy who called herself Persephone. She wasn't the strangest fairy Matt and Claire had ever seen (not after playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time), but she still ranked pretty high on the poll.

Persephone was small in stature, with a wriggling blue tail in place of legs. Her pointed butterfly wings shimmered teal and azure, greatly standing out against her scarlet attire, which included a skirt, fingerless gloves and belly-exposing top. Short indigo hair hung down to her chin, and a red orb was embedded in her forehead above her bright blue eyes.

She was ecstatic to see the Skylanders, and kept repeating something about "happy dancing" throughout the conversation. Then she flew off, meeting up with the party again when they found a mystical object that appeared to be a sparkling blue gem with matching butterfly wings, which she called a "Winged Sapphire."

Prism Break and Wham-shell traversed the rest of the docks without incident, eventually using a turret to shoot down an airship and retrieving its propeller for Flynn's balloon.

It was mission accomplished, and so with the crucial fixture in place for the storming of Stormy Stronghold, the band of champions made ready to partake in one final preparation…

…a good night's sleep in the newly rebuilt living quarters.

All except for one Skylander, that is…

That night, Claire unstrapped her mini portal and set it down on her nightstand next to the immobile form of Flameslinger. She couldn't believe she'd been wearing it every day for over a week: she felt exposed without it now.

"You're worried about tomorrow," Flameslinger said as Claire crawled under the covers. She clicked for Pouncer to come lay down next to her. The cat didn't budge from the floor, not that it came as a surprise.

"I'm not sure how we're going to do this…" she sighed, giving up on summoning Pouncer.

"No sense in worrying about it," the elf reasoned. "I seriously doubt it's anything we can't handle."

"I know, it's just…" Claire settled into her pillow. "…No, you're right. Things could always be worse."

Flameslinger laughed. "Get used to saying that in this business!"

"I can hardly wait," Claire mumbled, reaching over to turn off the lamp. "Things are sure to be interesting tomorrow."

"Yep," Flameslinger agreed, yawning. "Bonne nuit, Claire."

"Bone…what?"

"…that means, 'Good night, Claire,'"

"Oh…" Claire turned over. "Good night, Flameslinger."

Pouncer finally decided to jump onto the bed and curl up next to Claire on his blanket with a trilling purr.

"…wait, how can you speak French when it's an Earth language? Heck, how are you even speaking English?"

"…these are questions we don't ask, Claire."

"Aww… Le derp."

"Again…good night, Claire."

"…wait, Flameslinger?"

The Skylander groaned, suddenly even more tired. "Yes?"

Claire propped herself up on one elbow so she could look directly at him. "How come you decided to spend the night on Earth? Here with me?"

"Oh…" Flameslinger hadn't been prepared to answer that question. "…uh, well…someone has to guard one of the only two known Portal Masters in existence, right?"

"Oh…" Claire lay back down and stroked her cat. "…well, thank you."

Flameslinger would've smiled if he'd been able. "…you're very welcome. Now, for real this time, good night."

"Bone wee, Flameslinger."

"Heh…close enough."

"…"

"…"

"…Flame?"

"*Sigh*…what is it?"

"You still haven't told me how you see with your blindfold."

"GOOD. NIGHT. CLAIRE!"

Well, that took forever. Sorry, guys, this was another problematic chapter, and it really did take about two months to finish (Chapter 7 took me about a week!). I think it's just harder for me to write less action/adventure type scenarios, and this is kind of a character development/break-from-the-action type chapter. I think the lesson here is that it's very hard to keep up with everyone when they're all grouped together like this! But don't worry, that's not gonna happen again in a while.

Special thanks to Hades for helping me through it. I really needed it! You guys thank him, too!

Speaking of…Thanks for the reminder, Jace! I can't believe I haven't brought up Hoot Loop yet! For the record, I'm surprised Hoot Loop's catchphrase isn't "Hoot N' Holler!" Maybe he can learn a few things from me…but I don't mean to hoot my own horn.

…I can hear the face palms now. :P

By the way, I want to know what you guys think: the last few chapters have been really long. Personally, I tend to like longer chapters better because I don't feel like I'm being cheated (or cheating you guys) when updates take longer. But there are merits to shorter chapters, too, like being able to read them completely in one sitting. So, what do y'all think? Please let me know: I've set up a poll on my profile in case you care about your voice getting heard, but don't want to explain your reasoning. (One of you has already voted! Thanks, whoever you are!)

Again, sorry not much happened this chapter; it's hard to make things interesting in calmer chapters. I also apologize for this chapter being very Claire/Flameslinger heavy, but I'd like to try and see if I can pull off a sort of alternating pattern between her and Matt without a hitch. I guess we'll see in due time, but be sure and tell me if you don't like the idea and prefer things more equal throughout.

I promise things will pick up next chapter, when Claire, Matt and the Skylanders face their most daunting challenge yet…

Come back next time for Chapter 9: Blown Off Course! (Yes, from now on, I will preview the next chapter's title.)

See you guys real soon!