- Arzon is captured and has his power staff stolen by the Darkling Lords. While scrounging for metal so the rest of New Valaric's knights can be bound later, Mortredd and Reekon discover their gift is to repower Prysmos' vehicles. Between this and their other abilities, the Darkling Lords seize Witterquick and Cryotek and take their staffs. Cryotek gives Galadria a chance to escape and she warns the others, but the advice of what to do from the Owl of Wisdom of Leoric's staff is enigmatic. The Darkling Lords attack Leoric's castle and capture the other knights, steal their staffs, and strip Feryl of his wolf totem. And Darkstorm blackmails the New Valaricans into serving him after aging one who defies him.—brainybrailler@comcast.net
- As Arzon tries to fight Virulina off, the other Darkling Lords appear on the scene. Finding himself outnumbered, he attempts to escape in his Eagle form, but Lexor throws his weapon which catches Arzon around one of his legs. Arzon manages to shake the weapon free, but before he can fly off Cravex transforms into his Phylot form and brings him down.
Darkstorm, who plans to capture all the members of the rival group of Visionaries, has Reekon and Mortdredd scour the junkyards for strong metals to make into prison chains. Reekon is rather put out at being ordered to do such menial work, saying he and Mortdredd wouldn't have been treated this way if they had Power Staffs. He then derides Mortdredd for boot-licking when the latter says any work done in Darkstorm's name is exalted. Mortdredd sees any insult directed at him as an insult to Darkstorm and draws his scythe, saying Reekon must be taught a lesson. As Mortdredd lunges at him, Reekon moves aside and Mortdredd falls against a flying vehicle (the Sky-Claw) whose engine suddenly comes to life. Realising they now have the magical ability to activate vehicles, Mortdredd and Reekon fly the Sky-Claw back to Castle Darkstorm.
Later, Witterquick is out on the plains when he finds himself being shot at by the Sky-Claw. He tries to use his Power of Speed to reach a nearby city, but the Darkling Lords were counting on this and he arrives to find Cravex lying in waiting. Finding that his Staff is out of power, Witterquick attempts to flee in his Cheetah form, only to be hit by a blast from the Sky-Claw's guns, at which point the Darkling Lords capture him.
The Darkling Lords acquire another vehicle, the Dagger Assault, which they take to the far north of Prysmos where Cryotek lives. But Cryotek is not alone when they catch up with him; Galadria is with him and, after Lexor's Power of Invulnerability neutralises his Power of Strength, he tells her to get away and tell Leoric what has happened. He then assumes his Bear form, aiming to hold the Darkling Lords off for as long as possible, while Galadria dives into a hole in the ice and transforms into a Dolphin. On Darkstorm's orders, Virulina gives chase in her Shark form. When Cryotek can no longer maintain his Bear form, the Darkling Lords promptly chain him and load him onto the Dagger Assault. Moments later, Virulina is knocked out of the water by Galadria, causing Darkstorm to berate her for failing in her mission.
In New Valarak, Leoric, Ectar and Feryl are celebrating the success of their quest to reach Merklynn's Shrine with some of the city's guards when Galadria arrives with news of Cryotek's capture. Leoric, suspecting Arzon and Witterquick have met the same fate as Cryotek, uses his Power Staff to summon the Owl of Wisdom, which tells the knights they must become one with the Circle of Light. Unable to work out what this means, Leoric says that until they figure it out a guard will have to be kept on the parapets in preparation for an invasion from Darkstorm and his followers.
Shortly after, Darkstorm launches his attack. Only the Darkling Lords are involved, contrary to the army Leoric was expecting, but they quickly gain the upper hand as New Valarak's guards find that their bows and arrows are useless against Cindarr's Beast of Destruction and flee in terror. When his Power of Destruction is exhausted, Cindarr assumes his Gorilla form to continue the fight, but hears a cat meowing and breaks off to dig it out of the rubble, causing Darkstorm to remark that they will have to ask Merklynn to do something about Cindarr's compassion. When Feryl becomes the fourth of Leoric's followers to be captured by the Darkling Lords, Leoric, Ectar and Galadria try to rescue him, but Cravex summons the Spider of Fear which bites Galadria and causes her to hallucinate that a tidal wave is engulfing New Valarak, putting her out of commission.
Before long, Leoric and Ectar have also been captured. All four knights are taken to Castle Darkstorm where Darkstorm tells them that he will release them, provided they swear loyalty to him. Feryl immediately lets Darkstorm know what he thinks of him, prompting Darkstorm to order Feryl thrown into the Magical Dungeon, a compartment on the Dagger Assault which removes a Visionary's Totem power. However, even the threat that they will all lose their Totems if they do not swear loyalty to Darkstorm is not enough to cow Leoric and the others, so Darkstorm has them thrown into the cell where Cryotek, Witterquick and Arzon are being held. He then goes to address a crowd, demonstrating his power over them by using his Power of Decay to rapidly age a man who speaks out against him and forcing the people to acknowledge him as master of all before he will restore the man to normal.
Later, Lexor is standing outside the cell where Leoric and the others are still imprisoned, threatening them with torment if they continue to refuse to ally with Darkstorm. Following a barbed remark from Ectar about his chatter, Lexor withdraws, offended by Ectar's insult. Leoric then tells his friends that he has finally realised what the Owl of Wisdom meant by becoming one with the Circle of Light; they must unite and become the Spectral Knights. However, moments after they have done so, Lexor opens a valve and floods their cell.
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