"It's King Lava; he's heading our way. Prepare for battle!" Marl ordered.
"Battle? I guess you guys are enemies?" Lucas asked.
"Yes, he's the ruler of the Lava Kingdom beneath the Earth's core, and his kingdom is closest to ours, so we always clash in battles for survival. He has ambitions to take over the Earth, which makes him obsessed with power, but his ambitions are limited because he can't conquer the whole Earth unless he gains life energy," Marl explained.
"You mean alpha energy?!" Lucas interrupted.
"He actually has a form of energy he uses to sustain his people. It was a remnant from the life your father gave us. It's called 'Beta Energy,' but I call it the second life. It's similar to the 'Alpha Energy,' as you call it, but it was meant for destruction," Marl said.
"Well, are you still going to give me the Alpha Energy?" Lucas asked.
"There's a big situation at hand, and you're still talking about what you want," Marl said.
"Uhmm, that's what I came here for," Lucas said.
"Then I guess you'll leave without it," Marl replied.
"But we had an agreement that you were going to give it to me," Lucas reminded him.
"Well, I've changed my mind. Now get lost!" Marl said.
"If I help you fight this 'Lava' you talk about, would you give it to me?" Lucas asked.
"I don't need your help. Don't make me repeat myself," Marl said.
As they were speaking, a guard barged in, breathing heavily. Marl could see the fear in the guard's eyes as he reported, "My king, Lava's army is beyond our fortress, and they are ten times larger than they were in the last battle! I don't think we'll stand a chance against them!"
Marl's eyes widened. "What! How is that even possible? We haven't even recovered from the last battle. How did he gather such a large army?" Marl exclaimed. "Gather every citizen, move them to the tower, and keep them safe until the battle dies down," Marl ordered.
"Yes, my king! We'll guard them with our lives," the guard said before running off.
"I see this is going to be a one-sided massacre. So, do you need my help now?" Lucas said with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
Marl gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. He looked around, knowing Lucas was his only hope but unwilling to admit it.
"I never thought I would take back what I said, but now it seems he's our only hope against Lava. It pains me so much to admit it, but I'll have to give him what he came here for if he's going to help us," Marl thought. "Fine, I'll need your help."
"Then you know what I'll need," Lucas said.
"Damn, I knew he was going to ask for it, but now I have no other choice. The lives of my people are at stake," Marl thought. "Follow me," Marl sighed as he led the way.
They walked back into the tower through the giant doors and eventually came to the hallway. Marl walked up to his throne, followed by Lucas and a guard. Marl pushed a brick on the wall beside his throne.
Lucas could hear the sound of mechanisms as the wall cracked in a zigzag manner and slid open. "Wow, so you actually have secret passageways, but it's funny you made this one next to your throne. I'm guessing it's for your escape when a battle gets too tough for you to handle," Lucas taunted as they walked in.
"Shut your mouth! This is no escape route! This is where our life's energy is hidden, kept safe from power-hungry fellows like yourself and Lava. It's been safeguarded for millions of years, and not even Lava has been able to break through because of our strongholds, but now it seems different," Marl said.
"Everything changed the moment you were brought in here! I think you have bad luck," Marl added.
Lucas could now feel the immense power the Alpha Energy was giving off. A smile appeared on his face as he got a step closer to reclaiming what was rightfully his.
Now Lucas could see the energy floating in a spherical shape. "It feels great to be up close to Alpha Energy again," Lucas said, feeling his body getting stronger.
"Take enough to carry for the battle," Marl said.
"Yes, I'll do exactly what you've just said," Lucas replied, stepping forward to absorb the Alpha Energy. Streams of blue energy began to flow into him.
The lights in the tower flickered as Lucas absorbed the Alpha Energy.
"My king, Lava and his armies are now at our fortress. It won't take long for them to take down our city's barrier," the guard reported.
"Lucas, you're our only hope. You'll have to hurry and please take only the amount you need," Marl said, turning to leave. "When you're done, meet me at the front line," he said, running off.
*****
Lava now stood in front of the city's fortress, the only thing in his way was the city's barrier. "I can sense the energy even as I stand outside their fortress. I believe they have a large amount of Alpha Energy to make a barrier this strong. Well, that doesn't mean it can keep me out. Don't be greedy, at least share some energy with me, if not all," Lava said, smiling and revealing a series of his white, sharp teeth.
He was huge and muscular, his body made of rock, and his veins were made of hot molten magma coursing through every part of his body, glowing brightly. He had a scary look on his face, and a thin but long line of veins ran vertically across his left eye. His eyes were fierce with a piercing red hue.
"It's time to rip this place of every bit of energy and cause despair! Break through their barrier!" Lava shouted. His army, all having the same features as him, let out a loud battle cry in unison as they began firing their weapons at the invisible barrier.
The barrier let out ripples with every strike it took until it eventually broke open.
*****
"Ready!! Charge!!!" Marl shouted. His army surged forward, heading straight for Lava's forces that were now entering through the broken barriers.
The two armies clashed, the sounds of swords clanging against each other filled the air, and bullets made of lasers flew across the battlefield.
"Call in the ships!" Marl ordered. Immediately, ships emerged from Marl's tower, shooting out laser blasts that cut through anything they touched.
"These flies think they're going to win against my army with those little toys they call ships!" Lava said, laughing. His voice boomed across the battlefield. "Give them a taste of what they call ships!" Lava shouted.
The ocean floor began to vibrate as two enormous ships took the front line of the battle. They fired large laser blasts that cut through Marl's ships instantly upon contact.
Marl's ships exploded, parts falling back to the ocean floor and crushing many of Marl's soldiers below.
Marl looked around the battlefield and saw that his army was on the defensive, trying their best to hold the line. "What's taking him so long? I'm beginning to lose patience. If we go on like this, it will be a one-sided massacre. We need to turn the tide," Marl thought.
"Release the horde!" Marl shouted. Immediately, Marl's soldiers on the front line began to retreat.