Exodes: "Where the hell could that brat be? It has to be in this place
somewhere!"

Back outside, the group tries to go through the force field that surrounds
the New Cat's Lair but fails, then a little green creature with a red jewel
on its forehead appeared.

Carbuncle: "I am Carbuncle. I was summoned here to safeguard this place. If
you want re-entry, you must defeat me in battle!"
Lion-O: "That is what's blocking the way?"
Ailura: "Apparently."
Butz: "Stand aside Carbuncle. It's not you that we want... it's Exodes that
we're after!"
Carbuncle: "Butz? Butz is that you?"
Butz: "Who else could it be? Leonardo DiCaprio?"
Carbuncle: "It's so good to hear your voice again Butz. But I cannot let
you in while summoned. You have to beat me in battle. It's not my fault...
it's the Law of the Espers."
Butz: "I see... I'm sorry I have to do this.."
Carbuncle: "I understand..."

So the battle begins. Lion-O & Hystalin attacked by swinging their swords
at the beast. Butz attacked, Leena cast "Magic Wall" on the group, Faris
cast "Aero3" & Cara summoned Ramuh. They all did some respective damage on
Carbuncle. Carbuncle attacked with a "Fire3" spell, but with the "Magic
Wall" up, it rebounded and hit right back at himself. Lion-O & Hystalin
attacked again with their blades, Butz unleashed the White Wind, Leena cast
"Meteo", Faris cast "Fast2" & Cara cast "Ice3". Carbuncle was crippled
under the devastating attack. Butz walked toward the weakened Carbuncle and
talked to him one more time.

Butz: "Carbuncle, I ask you one more time. Could you lift the barrier?"
Carbuncle: "Once again you have proven yourself in battle. I'll lift the
barrier now."

As Carbuncle vanished, so did the barrier that surrounded the New Cat's
Lair. The group was able to get inside the New Cat's Lair. Exodes was still
inside looking for the 'Nina De Milagro'.

Exodes: "Shit! Where the hell is that little brat?"
Ailura: "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
Exodes: "Who are you???"
Ailura: "I'm Ailura DeWarrloc, and I'll be damned if I let you go after my
niece!"
Exodes: "And how are going to that? Whip me a few times with a riding
crop?"
Ailura: "I too am of Angeleese & Thunderian descent... I could be your
'Nina De Milagro'."

As Ailura talks, she prepares a magic spell that turned herself into a
fire-breathing dragon.

Ailura: "CAN YOU BEAT ME? WELL CAN YA PUNK?!?!"
Exodes: "I've slaughtered large villages for less than that!"

Ailura (turned into a dragon) fought against Exodes. Ailura exhaled a
lung-full of white-hot fire breath at Exodes. Exodes counterattacked by
using "Dispel" on Ailura, turning her back to normal. Ailura
counterattacked with a big, powerful "Flare" spell. Exodes shook off the
attack and used a "Stone" spell on Ailura. Ailura turned into a stone
statue.

Exodes: "You're not the 'Nina De Milagro'. The 'Nina De Milagro' is a lot
stronger than that!"

Butz, Leena, Faris & Cara encounters Exodes after he stones Ailura. Another
battle begins... Butz uses "Meteo", Leena uses "Holy Power", Faris uses
"Demi" & Cara chants "Float" on everyone. Exodes used a very powerful
"Flare" spell on everyone, and did some serious damage upon the 'Warriors
of the Crystal'. Butz counterattacked by summoning Bahamut, Leena used the
"Drain Life" spell, Faris used the "Keal3" spell, and Cara attacked with a
swing of her weapon. Exodes attacked again with another powerful "Flare"
spell. Butz used "Keal4" on everyone, Leena used "Soft" to turn Ailura back
to flesh and blood, Faris used "Shell" on the whole group, Cara used the
"Drain Life". Exodes used "Keal2" to recover some of his wounds and uses
"Meteo" on the group. Ailura was enraged and threw powerful magic blast the
no one expected. Exodes was weakened considerably by Ailura's unsuspected
attack.

Exodes: "What the hell was that?"
Ailura: "That is the 'Rage of the Gods'. It was a magic spell that I've
been storing energy for for some time. It was something that I thought
would come in handy in a time like this."

Just then, Hystalin, Lion-O & The ThunderKittens arrive at the scene.

Hystalin: "Ailura? Where are yo... (gasp!)"
Lion-O: "Who is this?"
Butz: "This is Exodes."
Hystalin: "So you came to kill the 'Nina De Milagro', eh? I guess you'll
never get to find her, eh?"
Exodes: "Maybe, but I'll kill that little brat yet!"

Exodes prepares a fire spell, aimed at Hystalin. No one saw that Exodes
threw the fatal spell at Hystalin, except Lion-O. Lion-O jumped in front of
Hystalin and took the full force of the attack and fell. Hystalin screamed
as Ailura used a "Instant Death" on Exodes, which killed him almost
instantly.

Hystalin: "Lion-O!!!!!!"

But it was too late. Lion-O laid lifeless on the ground. Hystalin kneels
down and cries for his husband. Butz looks over and sees the tragic scene.
Butz then prepares a rather complicated spell. After about 45 seconds of
concentration, Butz cast the "Arise" spell. An angel came down and came to
Lion-O's slightly burned body. The Angel kisses the body, sprinkled some
dust and entered the body. Lion-O slowly opens his eyes.

Lion-O: "Hyst, is Nocti okay?"
Hystalin: "Oh Lion-O... I was so afraid that I've lost you!"
Ailura: "This is so touching. Thank you so much Butz."

The 'Arise' spell that Butz chanted exhausted him.

Butz: "Think nothing of it. You'd do the same thing for me if the boot was
on the other foot."
Lion-O: "Butz, words cannot describe how thankful that you're here."
Hystalin: "Can you teach me that spell sometime?"
Butz: "Sure, but it's a very complicated spell. Worse yet, it will not work
on those who die naturally or those to die at their own hands. I was lucky
that I was able to chant that spell successfully. I've been having trouble
with it for months."
Lion-O: "Ailura, I wonder what happened to the others?"
Ailura: "You mean Cheetara, Panthro & Ben Gali?"
Lion-O: "Yes. Did you see them around here?"
Ailura: "I think I saw her as a stone statue. So, I threw a "Soft" spell at
it and nothing happens. I guess it didn't take effect. For me, the "Soft"
spell takes time to take full effect."

Cheetara crept behind Ailura when she said that.

Cheetara: "Boo."
Ailura: "AHHH!!!!"
Cheetara: "Thanks Ailura."
Ailura: "Don't worry about it."
Hystalin: "Where's Ben Gali & Panthro?"
Cheetara: "I put Panthro in the intermarry. Ben Gali... last time I checked
he was turned into a frog."
Lion-O: "What?"
Ailura: "Impossible!"
Cheetara: "What's even more impossible is that the Mutants did it."
Hystalin: "Cheetara, don't make jokes like that. That's not even funny!"
Cheetara: "This is no joke. Somehow, the Mutants have learned to control
magic. He turned me to stone, made Panthro fall & turned Ben Gali into a
frog."
Hystalin: "Where's the frog?"
Cheetara: "Somewhere in the Lair, I think..."

Wylikit & Wylikat walked in.

Wylikit: "Hi guys, what's up?
Wylikat: "Look what we found! We found the cool frog in the lair. I don't
know why it was put in a jar. It's pretty tame."
Faris: "FROG!!!!!!!"

Faris immediately used the "Frog" spell on Wylikat's frog. Instantly, Ben
Gali turned back to normal.

Ben Gali: "Thank Jaga you guys found me. It was so freaked out in there, I
was getting a weird craving for flies."
Lion-O: "Now that everyone is accounted for, we can..."
Snarf: "Snarf, Snarf... HEY YOU GUYS!!!!!!"
Lion-O: "Snarf? Is that you? How come you're so... little?"
Snarf: "Some bastard came in and made me six inches tall! I WANT MY NORMAL
SIZE BACK!!!"

Queen Leena cast the "Mini" spell on the shrunken snarf. Snarf went back to
his normal size.

Snarf: "Thank you whoever you guys are!"
Lion-O: "They're the 'Warriors of the Crystal'. They came here to fight
Exodes."
Butz: "Now's the last thing to find it the 'Nina De Milagro'."

Hystalin's baby, Nocti, started to cry. Butz walked over and asked to see
the baby. He sees that the baby started to glow. It was for certain that
Nocti is in fact, the 'Nina De Milagro'.

Butz: "Hystalin, your baby is the 'Nina De Milagro'."
Hystalin: "Really?"
Butz: "Yes it's true. Exodes came here to kill your child."
Hystalin: "Well, that the Gods of Angelus that he failed. I don't know what
would I do if someone wanted to hurt my baby."
Cara: "Uh... where's the bathroom?"
Faris: "Cara, didn't you go already?"
Cara: "Yeah, but I need to go again!"
Lion-O: "Left room at the end of the hall. You can't miss it."
Cara: "Thanks big guy!"

Cara left quickly to find the nearest bathroom.

Two hours later, the four 'Warriors of the Crystal' was about to leave New
Thundera on the back of Bahamut.

Butz: "We must be going now."
Lion-O: "Thank you for all your help."
Butz: "No problem."
Faris: "Be sure to baptize your baby."
Queen Leena: "Hope to see you soon!"

The four 'Warriors of the Crystal' left the planet of New Thundera and
proceeded back to their home planet. When they were all going to go inside,
there was a huge explosion. The four Mutants returned to make another
showdown with the Thunderian/Angeleese family...

This ends "Enter the Carbuncle". Next Chapter is "Revelations"