"Liberty Stone" Part I
Gillian told the League about the Liberty Stone, a special artifact with awesome powers that could be used to find Audric. It was utilized by a peaceful race of tall, winged wolf-people to cover their colony world of Alloar in clouds and mists. It was also used to surround the planet with the Spyderine Whirlpool, a zone of freezing turbulence that ensured no outsiders could attack. Gillian visited the planet about 700 years ago and became friends with a native sorcerer named Axolar. Gillian used a spell he learned back then to activate a beacon that drew the Pride safely through the hazards surrounding it.
The League landed on Alloar only to discover that the Liberty Stone had vanished from Axolar's Shelter of Mist. The elderly sorcerer had put it there before his death so that it would preserve his people's safety and freedom. Vantu, an evil sorcerer, had stolen it. He made a deal with Saw Boss to capture Jayce and the Root in exchange for no interference whenever he used the Stone. Vantu removed the protective mists and whirlpool from around the planet, allowing the Monster Minds to invade.
Vantu then disguised himself as Axolar and captured Gillian, turning him into a stone statue standing thousands of feet high. The evil sorcerer demanded Jayce's Root if he ever wanted to see Gillian breathe again. Despite warnings from both the stone Gillian and Herc, Jayce declared that he can't let his friend die and prepared to hand the Root over to Vantu. Herc aimed the barge straight at the magician to prevent the exchange. Vantu teleported away, and the Pride crashed on top of some nearby mountains. Monster Mind vehicles arrived and pursued Jayce. As Jayce steered Armed Force near Gillian's statue, Vantu shattered his stone form with a blast from the Liberty Stone, burying the vehicle under tons of rock.
Jayce awoke to find Gillian alive, supporting the debris above Armed Force with his magical powers. Jayce returned the favor by holding up the stones with his vehicle's arm. After Gillian declared that he does "not intend to let that second-rate trickster get away with the Liberty Stone," Jayce blasted their way out of the trap. When the others arrived to join them, Flora sensed trouble in the wolfoids' village. The League sped there and discovered that Vantu had turned its inhabitants into stone statues.
Gillian was ready for him this time, and levitated the building that the charlatan stood on high in the air. Vantu counterattacked by hitting Flora with a beam from the Stone. Gillian protected her with a magical shield, then battled Vantu in a magical duel. He won by causing a river to crash through a mountain and wash the charlatan away. The evil sorcerer tried to attack Flora again, but Gillian magically crashed a wave over him, forcing him under the raging waters. Vantu was thrust into a cavern beneath Alloar, where he used the Liberty Stone to seal the entrance with a massive boulder.
While the League battled Monster Mind troopers, Gillian reversed the spell placed on the wolfoids, who then prevented Saw Boss' headquarters from teleporting to Alloar by uprooting its receptacles. Mists snaked out from behind the boulder sealing Vantu's cavern, and the Spyderine Whirlpool reappeared around Alloar, forcing the remaining Monster Minds to retreat. The Liberty Stone and Vantu were assumed to be buried forever within the planet.
Gillian: "It's the Spyderine Whirlpool."
Jayce: "Gillian, do you know about this?"
Gillian: "Of course I do. I wanted to bring you here."
Herc: "What in Jupiter's moons for?!"
Gillian: "It was... five hundred, or what-what was it, no -- six hundred years ago that I visited Alloar."
Herc: "I'm not interested in what happened that long ago!"
Saw Boss: "The Liberty Stone? What possible use would I have for some superstitious savage's chunk of useless rock?"
Vantu: "It isn't the Stone, my friend. The stone is mine."
Saw Boss: "I am friend to no one!"
Saw Boss: "Ensure my conquest of the universe, and you may use the Stone as you will -- my friend."
Jayce: "Why did you turn Gillian to stone?!"
Vantu: "The Root you wear around your neck! IF you want to see your wizard breathe again..."
Jayce: "But-But..."
Gillian (telepathically): "The lives of countless millions across the universe depend on this Root. Never give it up -- NEVER!"
Herc: "Don't let him have the Root!"
Gillian: "Jayce! Wake up -- JAYCE!"
Jayce: "Gillian! You're alive!"
Gillian: "I'm not one to be defeated so easily, okay?!"
Gillian: "But first, this old wizard could use a helping hand! Oh, it's quite a task, you know, supporting tons of solid rock with my magical powers!"
Jayce: "One helping hand, coming up!"
Gillian: "Ahhh! A little exercise is good for a wizard my age, but ah, not too much! Ahhh-ha-ha!"
Gillian: "I do not intend to let that second-rate trickster get away with the Liberty Stone!"
Saw Boss: "You have one more CHANCE!"
Vantu: "I vowed I would do this, and I will do it, and I don't need your interference!"
Saw Boss: "RAAAARRRRR!"
Jayce: "This may be another trap, Gillian."
Gillian: "I'm ready if that's the case. He got the upper hand last time, but this time he's in for a little surprise."
Flora: "Some plants just can't grow beside other plants!"
Vantu: "Your human hearts are far too soft for the sight ahead of you. You'll beg to surrender to me!"
Jayce: "Here they come! Lightning Strikes!"
Gillian: "You can't escape that easily!"
Gillian: "Ha, I taught him a lesson in magic he won't soon forget!"
Flora: "Thank you, Gillian!"
Gillian: "It was nothing, child."
Gillian: "Ahhh, 'how to melt ice,' ahhh 'how to melt out frozen gears,' how to defossilize people... should be right around here, um... melting stones, growing stones -- didn't the author of this book ever hear of bringing statues back to life?!"
Gillian: "Ha-ha, here it is! Booza-wazza, boona-wazza, gazza-wanno!"
Tiak (Alloarian Leader): "We've learned that liberty lives in more than stone!"
Narrator: "Next time, on Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, Lightning Strikes as our heroes find new friends and their mortal enemy, Saw Boss, who unleashes the full fury of his power to stop the Lightning League! It's the ultimate battle in a universe of Monster Minds, next time, on Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors!"
"Liberty Stone" Part II
Gillian's magic staff detected the presence of the Liberty Stone somewhere on a planet covered by Monster Mind vines. The Lightning League went planetside in order to burn the vines away, but scrapped the plan when they discover a race of bipedal squirrels living on the planet. The natives agreed to lead them to the Liberty Stone.
During the trip, they passed by a great deal of green moss. As they do so, Flora became sick and weak. The League realized that the closer they got to the Liberty Stone, the more moss they would encounter, making Flora feel worse.
Vantu suddenly attacked in his ship, blasting the vehicles off the vines. The natives' vehicle safely landed on another vine. Herc charged in on the Pride, stopped Vantu cold, and saved the League from falling to their deaths. Gillian put Flora to bed and then joined Jayce, Oon, and the natives to search for the Liberty Stone again.
Monster Mind vines captured the barge, but it managed to break free, despite Vantu's moss growing all over Herc's controls. The vines and enemy troopers chased the vehicles, but they too escaped. Moments after the Liberty Stone was found, it was discovered that Vantu still had mental control over it. Using the Stone, Vantu lifted Gillian high into the air. Jayce freed him using the Ring of Light. The Liberty Stone flew off with both the League and Monster Minds in pursuit.
Herc tried to nudge it toward his friends via a laser-blast, but it fell towards the enemy troopers instead. Gillian used his magic on the Liberty Stone, causing it to disintegrate the vines beneath the Monster Mind vehicles. He proceeded to then cast a spell that cut through the connecting vines surrounding the planet, allowing it to resume a normal orbit. Gillian then summoned the Liberty Stone to the League. Vantu suddenly appeared in the flesh to grab it, then teleported away.
The League left the planet soon afterwards, and Flora started recovering from her allergy to the magical moss.
"Liberty Stone" Part III
The Pride blasted through the last bit of Monster Mind vines blocking its way in space. Concerned that Flora slept through the commotion, Jayce went to check on her. She was not in her room or any of her usual haunts. Unable to find or contact her, the League searched the ship for her. They find Flora in the storage room, staring out into space.
Gillian examined Flora to find that Vantu's magic is still weakening her, robbing her of both her health and special senses. The others would catch her illness unless a cure was found. Gillian spoke of the planet Andaren, the closest world with an energy source powerful enough to cure her, and Herc flew the Pride there at top speed. After landing, Gillian, Jayce, and Oon drove to the nearest town.
They were confronted by Warp, a wizard said to be hundreds of thousands of years old. He possessed the Orb, "the source of the magic of the universe." He refused to help them because he was worried that they might steal the Orb, riding his mount away at top speed. Herc tracked the ancient wizard using Spike Trike's radar while Gillian attended to Flora, starting to feel ill himself.
Meanwhile, the rest of the League found Warp at his home. They witnessed an argument between Warp and Vantu, his former student. Vantu wanted the Orb for selfish ends, but Warp would not relinquish it to him. Herc didn't want to get involved in a spat between two angry wizards, so after Vantu left in a huff, Jayce and Oon went alone to beg for the Orb. Warp again refused to help. Herc burst in with a laser pistol to try and force him to give up the Orb, but Warp blasted him away. Gillian magically caused the Orb to transport Herc, Jayce, and Warp to the Pride.
Oon grabbed the Orb and started running back to the barge, with the Monster Minds and Vantu in pursuit. He was confronted by Vantu, but instead of surrendering the Orb, he swallowed it! Luckily for Oon, the Orb not only countered Vantu's resulting blast, but it also teleported him away. The others drove out to retrieve Oon and the Orb.
When this was done, Jayce used Quick Draw's secret gun to collapse a few mountains on top of the Monster Mind troopers, flattening them forever. Warp used the Orb's magic to cure Flora and Gillian, and the League left Andaren in peace.
Jayce: "Gillian! Flora's gone!"
Oon: "Gone?!"
Herc: "Ahhh, probably down feeding her Zoggies on my tools again!"
Jayce: "I checked! I can't find her anywhere!"
Oon: "Flora! We need you!"
Herc: "C'mon, kid! Turn up and I'll never even yell at you again!"
Gillian: "Your illness is over, child, when we defeated that foul wizard Vantu!"
Flora: "Then why am I still feeling sick? Why can't I sense anything?"
Gillian: "We're going to find that out..."
Gillian: "We may have vanquished the sorceror, but his sorcery goes on."
Jayce: "I won't catch it, Gillian."
Gillian: "We'll all catch it, unless I can find an antidote."
Gillian: "That's it, planet Andaren! It's the nearest source of energy powerful enough to save her!"
Herc: "And it's a million miles away."
Jayce: "A million miles?! Can she wait?"
Gillian: "We have to move as fast as we can!"
Herc: "Okay, we're moving!"
Herc: "Ground analysis says there isn't a Monster Mind on the planet."
Jayce: "I wish we had Flora's senses to tell us for sure."
Gillian: "We will, soon enough now."
Jayce: "Your place is with us, Flora, whatever happens! You know that."
Gillian: "Not too close, Jayce! She's very contagious."
Jayce: "Uh, but... what about you?"
Gillian: "I've got other kinds of strength."
Gillian: "We seek a source of magic on this world, to heal a child."
Warp: "They all come here, asking for my help, and they all try to steal my power!"
Jayce: "We need your help to make Flora better!"
Warp: "Get off my world!"
Jayce: "I'm going after him!"
Herc: "I'm going with you! You crochety old alien -- you can disappear, but you can't hide... from my radar!"
Warp: "You want a fight, I'll give it to you!"
Vantu: "I've come for your magic!"
Warp: "I sent you away a foolish young boy. You return a foolish man!"
Vantu: "I have learned much since you were my teacher. I am stronger than you are now."
Warp: "Not strong enough to take the Orb!"
Vantu: "Do not force me to destroy you! Give me the Orb willingly, and I won't use it against you!"
Warp: "The Orb is the life of this world, and this world is mine to protect."
Vantu: "You stand in the way of something more important than your puny world! You had your chance!"
Jayce: "Vantu!"
Oon: "We've got to tell Gillian."
Herc: "I'll tell him for you, 'cause I'm getting outta here!"
Jayce: "I thought you decided to help!"
Herc: "I got an old rule: I never fight a wizard. Now, I got a new rule: TWO wizards! You got any sense, you'll come with me!"
Gillian: "I know you feel better. But you're going to stay in bed until you ARE better."
Gillian: "You will not take her, Vantu!"
Vantu: "Where are your powers now, wizard? Soon there will be none of you to stand in my way!"
Herc: "The kid's crazy!"
Saw Boss: "WEAKLING! You promised me the Lightning League!"
Vantu: "And I'll get them!"
Saw Boss: "You had your chance, and you let the old one walk away alive, and now the Lightning League will fight you for it!"
Vantu: "This time, I'll have the strength to win!"
Warp: "Go away!"
Jayce: "We need your help! It's not just Flora now, it's Gillian too!"
Warp: "I may not have the strength to stop Vantu, but, I can stop you!"
Herc: "You wanna try and stop this?!"
(Herc aims a laser pistol at Warp, only to be hit dead-on with Warp's magical bolt, landing in a pile of old clay pots)
Flora: "I'm not staying in bed and missing all the excitement!"
Gillian: "I didn't tell you to stay in bed for your protection, but for theirs."
Warp: "This is my fight. I'll save my own world."
Gillian: "NO. This is the battle of free people everywhere, against the Monster Minds."
Herc: "The only thing left now is somebody to start shooting at us! (On cue, Monster Mind troopers open fire) Huh, I knew it!"
Herc: "I thought you were a magician!"
Warp: "I AM!"
Herc: "Then start magicking!"
Herc: "It's your Orb, YOU'RE supposed to know where it is!"
Warp: "Zoma, momasa, kuba... gozola, momasa, kuba... GOZOMA, MOMASA, KUBA!"
Warp: "I guess I've got to thank you, for teaching me that there are some people I can trust."
Gillian: "And we've got to thank you for trusting us with your magic."
Herc: "Well, ah, we're going to get off of this planet now, aren't we?"
Jayce: "Come on, there's got to be some MORE trouble we can get into!"
Herc: "I'm giving you just ten seconds to get on board or you're going to be LEFT here!"
(Everyone LOL, with Herc eventually joining in)
Narrator: "Next time, on Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, Lightning Strikes as our heroes battle magic and the Monster Minds for control of the universe! It takes all of Gillian's magic, and all of Jayce's daring, to survive the hostile battle among the stars -- but Saw Boss is there too, and has Jayce right where he wants him! Soar with us into high adventure next time, on Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors!"
"Liberty Stone" Part IV
The Pride's scanners picked up the Liberty Stone again. This time, it was on Pakstar, a high-gravity, magic-rich world. When the barge entered Pakstar's atmosphere, super-strong Monster Mind vines captured it. Gillian used his magic to boost the engines, allowing it to break free. The Pride made a rough landing on the planet.
Ash'ee and Nosh'ee, two members of the Crystalum, asked for the League's help. (Lizzard's Note: The Crystalum are mushrooms with faces. I swear I'm not making this up.) The two informed the League that Vantu was after the Heart of Pakstar, that world's energy source and a potent magical artifact. The Monster Minds grown on Pakstar were already stronger than average because of the planet's natural energy. With magic, they would be unstoppable! Gillian magically changed everyone except Oon into Crystalums so that they could survive the heavy gravity.
They battled Monster Mind troopers to gain access to the underground tunnel in which Vantu was hiding. Trail Blazer remained at the entrance to hold off the Monster Minds, but eventually the super-vines dragged it away. Inside, a shape-changed crablike Vantu used his magic to revert the League back to their original human forms. As the heavy gravity crushed everyone save Oon into painful immobility, Gillian ordered the Squire to remove a magical medallion from his sleeve, which was then used transform the affected members into Dravian Slushes. (Lizzard's Note: Dravian Slushes are giant amoebas whose bodies can withstand high pressure and can heal quickly.) After they recovered, Gillian transformed them all into insectoids and they journey on. (Lizzard's Note: Sorry for interrupting again, but does anyone else feel like they're watching the Disney battle between Merlin and Mad Madam Mimm?) Vantu ignited a boiling nitrogen river in the hopes of destroying the League, but Drill Sergeant tunneled an escape route beneath the flaming liquids.
Vantu managed to partially drain the Heart of Pakstar before the League found him again. He wielded his newfound magic against them, but he was defeated when Flora telepathically tricks him into blasting the floor beneath him. Vantu fell into a deep chasm beneath the Heart, changing back into his original form, and disappeared in a bolt of blue lightning.
Monster Mind vines broke into the cavern to drain the Heart for themselves. Since Gillian was exhausted, Jayce called upon the Ring of Light for magical aid. It sped up Pakstar's metabolism, forcing the Monster Minds to live through their entire life cycle in seconds and making that world immune to them.
The League returned to the Pride and Gillian changed everyone back into their human forms for some well-deserved rest.
"Liberty Stone" Part V
Herc was fed up with the whole quest. He refused Jayce's order to pilot the Pride in search for the Liberty Stone, declaring that he wanted out of the League, permanently. He agreed to take them to a series of asteroids to investigate their latest leads, then would drop them off on the planet of their choice and leave forever.
The League was forced to the battle Monster Minds on the asteroids. In the process, they discovered that Vantu was still alive when they saw him heading towards a red planet ringed by Monster Mind vines. Herc deposited them there, said his farewells, and left without looking back. Some time later, he discovered that Brock and the Zoggies were still on board, so he headed back to return them to the League. Meanwhile, the League travelled into an underground tunnel to find Vantu, battling Monster Minds along the way.
Based on a steadily-worsening energy-drain, Gillian deduced that Vantu had built a magical generator, which drained the magic from anything that got near it -- including him. The closer he got to it, the weaker he became. Without warning, Vantu used the generator to blow a hole in the fabric of the universe, thrusting the League into a dimensional void. (Lizzard's Note: Don'tcha hate it when that happens? I tell ya, those pesky dimensional voids...) The League members all felt weak as the generator started to steal life-energy from them. Gillian sensed the generator's location in a solid stone dome behind dozens of Monster Mind vehicles.
They drove straight at the enemy troopers -- and passed right through them! Since the Monster Minds' vibrational frequency was different from the League's, they had entered a different dimension -- one where they can see but not touch. Theorizing that the dome was in another dimension as well, Jayce ordered the League to plow straight into it. They succeeded in passing through, but the pursuing Monster Minds crashed into its walls!
The League finally reached the generator, finding a nice surprise walking towards them -- Audric. The generator drew him there because of his Root's magical powers, but the League cannot touch Audric and vice versa because he had not yet fully made the transition into the dimensional void. Suddenly, the reunited group was confronted by Vantu and Saw Boss in vehicle form. Vantu used his new insanely-powerful magics to bring Saw Boss fully into that dimension, and the latter advanced on the weakened League.
Herc swooped down in the Pride and opened fire on the dome, buying enough time for the others to take cover behind Armed Force while Jayce ran towards the generator. Gillian urged him to seize the Liberty Stone, which stood on the apex of the generator, acting as the key to all the power it contained. As Saw Boss pursued Jayce, Vantu raised a magical force field to protect the generator. Jayce asked the Ring of Light for help, but its power was absorbed by the generator before it could manifest. Jayce concentrated hard on the Ring, and this time it managed to burn a human-sized hole through the barrier. He bolted in and started climbing the pyramid-like generator's steps. Saw Boss lunged at him with his buzz-saw, but his vehicle wheels could not gain traction on the steps. Jayce made it to the apex and grabbed the Liberty Stone. Waves of magical power washed through his body, their bolts causing intense pain, but he managed to lift it up and stand tall.
Vantu demanded that he give the Liberty Stone back, so Jayce threw it down to him. The Liberty Stone erupted with immense power immediately after it landed, teleporting itself, Saw Boss, and Vantu away in a loud explosion. It also brought Audric fully into that dimension. Just as Jayce headed for him, the pyramid started shaking violently. As everyone ran for their lives, it shattered into a pile of rubble, then the dimensional void collapsed.
Everyone was returned to where they were before, with Herc allowing the League back on board the Pride and into his life. Energized by coming so close to being reunited with Audric, the League pressed on with their quest.
Herc: "I'm telling you, kid, I've had it!"
Jayce: "I understand, Herc, really! It's been hard on all of us."
Herc: "HARD?! That doesn't start to explain it! From Day One, you've only been one thing to me -- you wanna know what that is?!"
Gillian: "Trouble!"
Herc: "You're darn right!..."
Jayce: "All right, Herc, let's go in there."
Herc: "FORGET it! You wanna take go down there, YOU pilot her, I'm not doing it! I don't care about this 'Liberty Stone!' I DON'T CARE ABOUT GETTING PAID ANYMORE! Just let me outta here alive! This is the last crisis; after this, I'll drop you where you wanna go, but our partnership is OVER!"
Gillian: "When I was six hundred years old, I could perform this magic all day! It's almost as if that evil sorceror Vantu were back... well, let's be off."
Herc:"No! Come on, Herc, you said this was it, it's not your problem. You pack up their stuff, you tell 'em 'goodbye!'"
Oon: "Are-Are we w-w-winning, Master?"
Jayce: "Depends how you define 'winning,' Oon. We're still alive, so I guess so!"
Jayce: "Herc, we're ready for pickup!"
Herc: "Okay, kid. But remember what I said: this is it! I hope you had the sense to pick out a safe place, at least."
Herc: "Kid, if this is your idea of a safe place, you're even loonier than I thought!"
Jayce: "Maybe, but we can't abandon our mission now when we're so close! I'll never forget you, Herc -- or your help."
Herc: "I'll never forget you, kid -- heh, biggest non-payment in history! Well, it's been something, kid -- take care of yourself."
Oon (uncertainly): "He isn't really gone, is he, Master?"
Jayce (sadly): "I'm afraid he is, Oon."
Herc: "Ahhh, let's see. Now that I don't have the kid to worry about, maybe I should head back to Delta 5! Hmmm, could be. Eh then there's always Alpha G, heh, wonder if old Cowrick's still there? Then, hey, why not do it right? How about Andras 7, ho-ho, the best nightclubs in the galaxy, ha-ha! Hey, whaddya think Brock? (Brock whistles out an answer) Brock?!"
Gillian: "I-I know what it is now. Vantu assembled a generator, and it's draining the magic from everything around it, including me. Could tear the universe apart... destroy everything!"
Oon (confused): "W-W-Where are we, Master?"
Jayce (puzzled): "I'm not sure, Oon..."
Gillian: "It's a dimensional void, Jayce. A place neither here nor there, noplace... everyplace. Vantu must have activated the generator... and it blew a hole in the very fabric of the universe."
Flora: "Will we ever see the barge again?"
Gillian: "I hope so! Though I'm not even sure how we'll get back to our own dimension..."
Gillian: "Jayce, the generator -- I can sense it! It's in that dome, on the other side of the Monster Minds."
Oon: "Ohhh, it would be!"
Jayce: "That's it -- the Liberty Stone! The key to finding Father! I think we're on our last legs, Oon, but we did it -- we really did it!"
Audric: "Did -- what, my son?"
Audric: "I don't understand! What am I doing here? Why can't I touch my own son?"
Gillian: "The generator brought you here because of the power of the Root. It feeds on such power! But because you came from further away, it'll take time for you to fully make the transition to this dimension."
Vantu: "No-one can stop Saw Boss now! And with his protection, no-one will stop ME! And as long as the pyramid exists, you will all be too weak to interfere! And in just another moment, you will all be very... very... gone!"
Herc: "I was bringing your dumb fish back when I got caught up in the same thing you did! Keep your heads down, I'm coming in!"
Jayce: "Force-field... if I ever needed you, this is it! Ring of Light, Magic Might! (The Ring's emerging power suddenly fades back into itself) It's the pyramid! It's absorbing the power of the Ring!"
Saw Boss: "And now, my boy... meet your end!"
Jayce: "Have to concentrate... only chance! Ring of Light, Magic Might!"
(This time it works, burning a path through)
Vantu: "NO! You can't have it! It's MINE! GIVE IT TO ME! PUT IT DOWN!"
Jayce: "You want it, YOU'VE GOT IT!"
(Jayce pitches the Liberty Stone southward, just in time for it to blow up spectacularly in the villains' faces)
Gillian: "He did it! He really did it!"
Audric: "Did you ever doubt him, Gillian?"
Jayce: "Father!"
Audric: "Jaaayce!"
Jayce: "NO, Father! I CAN'T lose you now, we were so close!"
Audric: "JAYCE, we WILL meet again! I'm SURE we will!"
Gillian: "He's returned to wherever he was when the generator drew him here; we'll find him again."
Jayce: "I know more than ever before -- I know we'll find him!"
Herc: "Hey! Anybody need a lift around here? That is, IF you guys are done with bouncing the Pride of the Skies all over fifteen dimensions!"
Gillian: "I knew he wouldn't give up until he'd got paid -- well, I'd hoped, anyway!"
