"Steel Against Shadow"
(French Title: "The Sleepwalker")
As Herc refueled the Pride, Gillian told the tale of the Helmet of Valroth. Valroth was the greatest weapons-maker of the Visani, a race of ancient and powerful beings. He created living suits of armor that could fight wars in the place of man, thereby saving lives. But the suits rebelled, and the members of the Supreme Council of the Visani were forced to destroy them, melting their metals into slag. The last helmet proved to be indestructible -- even their magics had no effect on it! They hid it deep in a vault of solid gold on the Seventh Planet. "Whoever wears the Helmet of Valroth will become utterly invincible," the legend said. Gillian ended his tale with a warning against anyone who would go after the helmet.
Herc listened in on the last part of the story, and decided to go for the gold in the helmet's vault. He persuaded Jayce to let the League look around the Seventh Planet to see what they could find. They managed to find that world, but not the solid gold.
The crystal case holding the helmet broke open in front of Jayce, just like it was waiting for him to come. He picked it up and saw Monster Minds approaching through its magical eye-holes. The League left the vault in order to fight the enemy forces. When Armed Force was disabled in the battle, Jayce donned the helmet and shot out bolts of white electrical energy from his hands that melted the Monster Mind vehicles. When he took it off at Gillian's urging, Oon saw a dark, inhuman face superimposed over his master's.
On the ship that night, the helmet compelled the sleeping Jayce to put it on again. This gave it greater control over Jayce's body and mind. Oon interrupted and was scared by what he witnessed. At sunrise, the others gathered on the bridge to figure out what to do. Jayce joined them, and they revealed their concerns about the helmet. Convinced by Gillian's concerns and Oon's testimony, he agreed to return it to the vault. After he picked it up, the helmet tried to take over his mind again. Jayce resisted, thanks to the others' warnings, but took it with him when he fended off another Monster Mind attack. The League succeeded in winning, but Jayce became too tired to resist the helmet any longer. His movements like those of a sleepwalker, he put it on once more, and heavy gray-black armor appeared over his body.
The helmet was now fully in control of Jayce's body, and it tried to hurt Oon. The Ring of Light emitted a burst of light to save him and awaken Jayce. Jayce found the strength to mentally resist the helmet's possession. Gillian advised him to call to the Ring of Light for help. He did so, and it physically split Jayce from the helmet entity's suit of armor. The armor fell apart and vanished, leaving only the helmet behind. Now wise to its effects from hard experience, Jayce put it back in the vault, then had Herc detonate explosive charges thoughout the entire mountain surrounding the chamber.
At the last second, a coating of dirt fells off of the wall, revealing that the vault really was made from of solid gold! Jayce was forced to take the struggling Herc out of the chamber just before the mountain collapsed, burying the Helmet of Valroth forever.
Herc: "Okay, we're all set!"
Flora: "Shhh! Gillian's telling us a story!"
Herc (sarcastic mode): "PARDON me! I think I'll just go out back and stick my face in the starboard engine!"
Gillian: "As I was saying, Valroth was one of the Visani -- ancient, powerful beings! He was their weapons-maker. But his dream was to save people from dying in war! With his apprentice, he made suits of living armor that could fight man's wars for him. But he did his job too well; his creations rebelled, and tried to destroy those he had hoped to protect! Fortunately, the Supreme Council of the Visani discovered what was happening before the last suit of armor was finished. They were able to destroy all but the final helmet -- it was too powerful even for the Visani to destroy. Legend says the helmet was hidden deep in a vault of solid gold, and that whoever wears the Helmet of Valroth will become utterly invincible."
Herc: "Ah, did-did you say 'gold?!'"
Oon: "What happened to Valroth?"
Gillian: "He and his apprentice Wixland turned their efforts towards creating the Eternal Squires -- of which our Oon is a proud member!"
Episode Note: Wixland also appeared in the Squiresmith Wixland episode, watching over the Eternal Squires in the modern Wheeled Warriors universe.
Jayce: "Still up, Herc?"
Herc: "Yeah, and thinking about the same thing you are, I bet."
Jayce: "The Helmet of Valroth -- it could make a mighty weapon against Saw Boss, if it exists."
Herc (surprised): "Oh, THAT! I was thinking about the gold! Huh, who cares about the helmet?"
Saw Boss: "We must tap into their computer data and find out their destination!"
Gillian: "When the first step has been taken, the journey must be finished, to whatever end. Do as your conscience dictates!"
Gillian: "If you are destined to find the helmet, you will find it. If not, you will not."
Herc (amused): "Oh, well, that's certainly a help!"
Herc (overjoyed): "This is the place! HA-HA, I knew we'd find it!"
Jayce (worried): "I just hope we're doing the right thing."
Gillian: "Dealing with ancient secrets is always a dangerous business."
Herc: "Secrets, SCHMECRETS! Where's my gold?!"
Jayce/Helmet (angrily): "You DARE to threaten me?!"
Jayce (impatiently): "I don't see what everyone's so upset about! After all, it looks like we've found the perfect weapon against Saw Boss!"
Oon (quietly): "I saw something -- I think!"
Gillian (concerned): "I believe you, Oon. And I fear that something may be terribly, terribly wrong."
Helmet: "I am here. I wait! I am the POWER -- the power to do, the power to be. I am yours, and you are MINE! Destiny brought us together, to this place -- once I have your body, I can rule the galaxy, take my revenge! Yes, YES! Even in sleep, you know what you must do. Join us, NOW!"
Helmet: "Just a little longer, and we will be one."
Gillian: "As an Eternal Squire, Oon's senses are tuned to his master, and his senses tell him that something is NOT as it appears to us!"
Gillian: "Eh Jayce, I've been looking into the history of the helmet we found. It may be a thing of considerable evil!"
Jayce: "I don't understand! It helped us beat Saw Boss, didn't it?"
Gillian: "Only because it let us! There's a price, Jayce. I fear it may demand you -- YOUR BODY -- as payment!"
Helmet (arrogantly): "HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! As I need you...!"
Jayce: "Gillian was right! You ARE alive!"
Helmet: "The information will do you no good. You need me, NOW!"
Jayce: "I'll protect the ship at ANY cost!"
Oon: "B-B-But who's going to protect us?"
Helmet: "Who indeed..."
Oon: "We did it, Master, that was the last of them! Are you all right?"
Jayce (catching his breath): "Fine, Oon, just tired, real tired!"
Helmet: "And too tired to resist any longer! I have waited thousands of years for this moment. I SHALL NOT BE DENIED!"
Helmet: "AT LAST! Let comets whirl, let madness rule! I AM FREE! No one can stop me!"
Oon: "M-M-Maybe, m-m-maybe not!"
Gillian: "I must go to him -- quickly -- or all will be lost!"
Helmet: "You and all the Eternal Squires are only pale imitations of what we would have been! You should be melted down as SCRAP!"
Oon (bravely): "GET BACK!"
Jayce (strongly): "Oon is my friend! I can't hurt him!"
Gillian: "Jayce! Call upon the Ring!"
Jayce (struggling): "Ring... of Light... Magic Might!"
Gillian: "Armor is only a weapon. And a weapon is useless without someone to use it -- someone inside. It thought it needed no one, and that was its greatest mistake!"
Oon: "CAREFUL, Master!"
Herc: "Kid, are you all right?!"
Helmet (fading): "Help me! Help meee...! Help meeeeeee..."
Jayce (strongly): "We'll put this thing BACK, and immediately!"
Herc: "To think I was dumb enough to REALLY believe that the helmet was in a vault of gold! Hah! Ahhh, let's blow this joint! (His hand brushes away the dirt on the wall to reveal a bit of gold) Huh?! Oh no! It CAN'T be! (He brushes more dirt away to reveal that the entire wall is solid gold) The walls ARE gold -- TONS OF IT -- EVERYWHERE!"
Jayce: "Herc, there's no time! We have to get out before this place blows!"
Herc (excitedly): "NO, NOT YET, NOT YET, you can't DO THIS to me!"
Jayce: "I hate to do this, Herc -- but it's for your own good."
(Jayce used Armed Force's claw to grab Herc, then burns rubber speeding out)
Herc: "What the...?! HEY! PUT ME DOWN! MY GOLD!"
(Seconds after they raced out, a titanic explosion collapsed first the tunnel, then the entire mountain, turning the whole thing into a huge rockpile)
Herc (resigned): "Okay, kid, what's our next stop?"
Jayce (playfully): "Well, ah... Gillian was telling me this legend, you see...!"
Flora: "Right! All about a mountain of gold!"
Oon: "But it's at the bottom of a monster's lair, of course!"
Herc: "Forget it! I'm off legends -- permanently! (He thinks about it for a long moment) Mountain? Well -- if it's not too big a monster!"
(Everyone LOL)
