Hello there.
- Rian. - Deet...
- Is she awake? - Deet wake.
- Yes. - Wake!
Where...
Where am I?
Topside once again.
How did I get here?
I... I remember the tree,
- and then... - You started glowing.
You healed the Nurlocs and then...
And then you fainted.
Rian carried you to safety.
He must be very strong.
And the Arathim?
The other Grottans?
All safe.
Thanks to you.
Hm...
How are you feeling, Deet?
I'm fine. Thank you.
"Fine," she says.
Fine, perhaps she is.
But also...
changed.
The Dual Glaive.
It's still in the caves. We have to go back...
The Dual Glaive? Is that what you're looking for?
Why didn't you say so?
Uh...
Just have to break off the wood...
Been using it as a walking stick,
keeping it hidden!
Ah!
Here you are!
You had the Dual Glaive the whole time?
Well, I didn't know you were looking for it, did I?
Careful with this. It's older than I am
and twice as sharp.
Wait, no! No!
Don't do this! Stop, Tavra!
This isn't you, Tavra. Stop!
Tavra, please let me go.
Tavra.
I am the Ascendancy.
Tavra! Tavra, no, don't... No.
Exemplary!
These three are particularly feisty.
We must hope they have the strength...
...to bring skekMal back from the precipice of death!
If not,
we will drain every last Gelfling across Thra until the Hunter is restored.
Yes, Emperor.
I am almost ready, sire.
Oh, oh, oh! What if the Hunter dies?
Then I will accept the somber task
of honoring skekMal's treasures with a proper display.
You mean those disgusting trophies?
Anything can be made beautiful.
We should call the rest of the Skeksis back to the castle.
They must know what has happened!
SkekSa and skekNa will be useful in a fight.
And skekUng is a strong warrior.
And what of skekLi?
Hmm! More Skeksis just mean more, louder squabbling, yes?
Quiet, Chamberlain!
This is all your fault!
Hmm.
Enough dawdling about! Get to it already!
Squeeze these Gelfling, Scientist.
The machine is primed, Emperor.
I await your command.
Very well, Scientist. Let's begin. Ha!
Stop right there!
Pusillanimous parasites!
Seize her!
Touch me
and Thra will swallow you where you stand.
I seem to recall banishing you from my castle.
Bah! I've come to pay my respects to the Hunter.
SkekMal was always the most beautiful of you shriveled lot.
Hm. But now, reeks of death.
Blasphemy! We cannot die.
You can, and this one will any moment now...
yes, without Aughra's help.
We do not require your assistance.
We have our own ways of healing the Hunter.
- Yes, I know. Essence, essence. - Eh.
But Gelfling essence cannot restore the Hunter.
What you need is essence of Thra itself.
And who is Thra? Huh?
You are Thra.
Correct. Only the essence of Aughra can save your fallen Hunter now.
Don't trust them!
I offer a trade.
- Hm? - My life for the lives of these Gelfling
and the ones locked in your foul cages.
It's a trick.
Strap her to the chair. We will take her essence!
All this time,
protecting the Crystal,
yet you remain ignorant of its true nature.
The Crystal cannot take my essence.
I must give it...
- willingly! - No!
You would give up your own life for a few of these worthless Gelfling?
Dimwits.
We are all Thra.
All except you.
You do not return to Thra when you perish.
What happens to you when your part of the song is done, hm?
Never figured that out, did you?
Tried, but failed.
Maybe nothing is all that waits for you.
So... make your choice.
Do we have a deal,
or will you sentence one of your own to endless oblivion?
Hm?
- Hm... - Hm.
Oh, well.
Aughra tried.
- Stop! - Hm?
- I agree...
to your terms.
Very good.
Release these three!
Gruenaks!
Yes... yes.
Get these chains off me!
Mother Aughra, please! Don't do this!
I beg you. We're... we're not worth it.
Yes... you are.
Free the rest of the Gelfling and escort them all
- safely from the castle. - As you command.
And you make sure every single one of them dies before they get there.
Of course, Emperor.
Princess Tavra...
What's happening? What are we doing here?
- Open up! - Where am I?
- Free your fellow Gelfling. - Yes.
Open up!
- Maudra! Huh? What are you... - Quickly, now.
Go, Brea.
You have much to do.
I can't! I...
- Go. - Please...
- Go. - I... uh...
Prepare the lab!
- Oh, Brea. - Seladon.
I'm sorry about the gag, sisters, but I had to make it look believable.
Tavra?
Is that really you?
It's us.
But how?
Rian and Deet took a truce with the Ascendancy.
Aughra ordered us to get you to safety.
It's good to have you back.
How do I know it's you
and not that disgusting thing?
You should hear what it says about you.
Wait, was that a joke?
I am the fun one.
Tavra! It is you! It is you!
Yes. Now...
let's get out of this place. All of us.
Come on, Brea.
This way. Follow me.
The catacombs.
What's down there?
Freedom.
Here comes the General!
What news?
- How fares the Hunter? - Did the essence work?
The Hunter is alive.
The Scientist is draining Aughra of her essence even as we speak.
Mother Aughra.
SkekLach, come with me.
The Emperor has tasked us with an important errand.
Why me?
Don't worry. This will be fun!
Oh, I doubt that.
The essence of Mother Aughra would be powerful indeed.
Hmm.
Be strong. We'll be out of this place soon enough.
- Thank you, Maudra. - Quickly now. Come on.
That's it. Keep moving.
If the Arathim and the Gelfling have formed an alliance,
then why is that creature still on your face?
We've been merged too long. Our minds have become one.
We are no longer sure where one of us begins and the other ends.
That's horrible.
Not at all.
The Arathim aren't monsters.
They want the same thing.
Justice.
Leaving so soon?
- Oh, no. - Skeksis!
You were right.
This will be fun!
Aughra made a deal.
- Out of our way! - The deal has changed!
- [ ] - What?
Indeed it has, General.
What is this? The Arathim swore loyalty to the Skeksis.
- We gave you the Caves of Grot! - A poison fly...
...is no gift!
The Gelfling must pay!
Arathim, rise!
Nasty Spitter.
It got me!
This way! Run!
It burns! Ow, ow!
It burns!
Tavra!
I can't see!
- We can't leave without Tavra. - I'm with you.
- Let's go. - Ow! It's in my eyes!
Come on, Brea!
Ow, my eyes!
No.
No, I beg of you. Wait.
We have waited long enough for this moment.
This is for the Arathim.
For the All-Maudra!
Leave... friend...
alone!
Greetings, General.
Not you. Not now!
Do you not trust me?
I saved General's life.
So... so that you
can be the one to deliver the killing blow?
No.
Skeksis squabble, yes.
But are not enemy.
Gelfling are enemy!
Ha! Hm...
Here. I have a gift for you.
What? What is that?
Essence. All that remains,
but enough to heal General.
I saved for myself,
but now...
for friend.
Hmm?
It's working.
- It's working! - Ah!
I feel strong!
I misjudged you, Chamberlain.
- Am used to it. Now, come. - Mm! Yes!
- Busy. Busy! - Yes.
- Much to do. - Much to do!
Have plan that General will like, yes?
Hmm...
Do you see her? Tavra!
Where is she?
Tavra!
Oh! Sister! Sister!
- We're here. - Help... us...
Here...
- Give me your arm. - Yes, yes. Can you stand?
Careful. Careful.
- Oh! - Good.
We've got you now.
That's it. Hold on.
Both halves
are not long for Thra.
Oh.
I wonder... in the next place...
will we be joined once again?
Hm.
Or rend further...
asunder.
Huh.
- Are you proud? - Huh?
To build a machine that will be the death of Aughra?
Not as proud as Mother Aughra throwing her life away
in a desperate bid for redemption.
Hm, it did not have to end this way between us.
We were friends once.
Another world.
Another time.
Good. That will do.
Now we shall see how powerful Aughra truly is.
Oo! Now, well, spinning chairs, now.
Yes.
Isn't this fancy?
- No. No, no! - Yes, yes!
No!
- Barely a tickle. - Yes!
Yes!
That's it, yes!
Aughra...
No!
Huh?
Where is it? Where is the essence I was promised?
She does not drain! She has deceived us!
Fix this, Scientist!
- Uh... - Increase the power!
Ah!
I am stupefied, Emperor.
- She withers away, but does not give. - Bah!
Infernal hag!
Agh!
Liar!
Cheat!
I gave you your Gelfling, now where is my essence?
You... are doomed.
You and all your kind.
Parasites, thieves.
In the end...
you are nothing...
but... dust!
I... will never...
be... dust!
Emperor, behold!
Essence!
Oh!
Yes!
There it is! I knew it.
Yes!
It's too much!
Shut it down! Shut it down!
What?
Well, did it work?
[Hunter groaning]
Did it, huh?
Archer?
Hm.
The Hunter...
is gone.
Dead?
No!
No! No!
No!
We can not die!
Agh!
I... cannot die.
Don't look back. Quickly now.
Maudra Fara, our sister is hurt.
Maurdra Fara.
No. We can't stop now.
Can we at least slow down?
Halt.
Someone's coming. Stand ready.
What is it? Another Spitter?
No!
Kylan!
- You scared us. - Scared you?
- I practically died of fright. - What are you doing here?
I've just come from Sami Thicket.
I tried to rally the Spritons to our cause, but... they wouldn't listen.
It's not your fault.
Maudra Mira loves the Skeksis almost as much as she fears them.
- Tavra. - I... I can't go on.
Hold on. You need to sit down.
There's no time. We must press on to Stone-in-the-Wood.
Maudra Fara,
Gelfling have always been strongest when we've stood together.
Not apart.
Very well.
We camp here tonight.
Come on. We've got you.
Easy, good.
You can rest now, right over here.
- Good. That's it. - We've got you, Tavra.
That's right, sister.
- Everything's going... - Good.
...to be alright now, Tavra.
Sit.
I know you must take the Dual Glaive,
but it did make a fine cane.
Oh, I'll miss that cane.
What now? What do we do with the Dual Glaive?
Find the other half to unlock it's true power!
Well, where's the rest?
Stone-in-the-Wood, I imagine, where I left it 30 trine past.
This was in the Arathim Wars.
I was tasked with delivering it to the Stonewood Maudra
in their time of need.
Ah, the Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood.
I remember the stories.
Oh. Nasty business.
Unfortunately, I arrived too late.
The Maudra had already fallen.
All seemed lost...
until a young soldier named Ordon...
- Hm? - took up the Dual Glaive.
My father?
See for yourself.
The sword possesses strange powers.
After he won the battle, Ordon split it in two.
Half he hid, the other half he entrusted to me.
My father wielded this blade.
He never gave up. Not ever.
And neither will we.
We need to get to Stone-in-the-Wood.
- Fast. - Fast?
Oh, I may be able to help.
Oh!
Look! Pretty!
A Landstrider!
You can call them?
I still remember a trick or two from my trine overground.
I think he's offering us a ride.
Whoa! Whoa.
Ready?
I've never ridden a Landstrider before.
Huh, I have a feeling you'll like it.
Watch your step.
Here.
Hold on.
- Yah! - Fare well, Deet!
To Stone-in-the-Wood!
Yah! Hi-yah!
Whoo!
She looks worse.
She's strong.
She'll make it.
Here. Lay down, sister.
I've got you, Tavra.
It should have been me.
Seladon, no.
Aughra told me I was making a terrible mistake.
But, no, I wouldn't listen.
This is my price to pay,
not hers.
I'm so sorry.
For everything.
Tavra? Tavra?
We're here. You're not alone.
We were never alone.
Even death...
cannot break the bonds of sisterhood.
Don't talk, just rest.
We wish...
you could see each other...
the way I do.
You're so...
beautiful.
Tavra!
Our sister is gone.
We will return her to Thra.
Together.
- I love you. - I love you, Seladon.
You summoned me, Emperor?
SkekMal...
is dead.
Oh...
Preparations must be made...
for the body.
Huh? But there is no rite,
no ceremony for such a thing.
No Skeksis has died in a thousand trine.
Not since...
the beginning.
We were betrayed.
The Arathim have turned against us and sided with the Gelfling.
Yeah. It's a good thing I was there
to teach those disgusting critters a lesson.
More grave news.
All is not lost, Emperor. The Chamberlain has a plan.
I thought you'd had enough of the Chamberlain's plans, General.
SkekSil saved my life.
- Huh? - Our enemies join against us.
We must put our squabbles aside for the good of all Skeksis.
Hm?
General was right.
Gelfling must be crushed.
Gelfling are plague upon Thra, upon Skeksis.
Can be no peace while Gelfling live.
Must be war.
Wars require soldiers. We have lost the Arathim.
Yes, because Skeksis have been too kind.
Give Gelfling everything, they want more.
Think loyalty can be bought or demanded.
But not true.
Can only be built.
And so I bring friend General a plan.
Sire, imagine an army of unstoppable soldiers,
engineered to be loyal.
Ah...
Could you build such a thing?
Ah, I relish such a challenge, Emperor.
But... one cannot make something from nothing.
Here is your something.
Arathim...
reanimated by Scientist's machines.
Made into soulless...
fearless instruments of death.
It might be possible to surgically graft the cadavers
into a new, larger specimen.
Giant Arathim.
Mm... Very good.
Build my army!
Every resource shall be yours.
Yes, Emperor.
- And, Chamberlain... - Mm?
you have earned your place again
at our table.
I live merely to serve, Emperor.
Mm...
The Hunter...
will not be buried...
or burnt like some common carcass. No!
The Hunter will be clad in our finest armor...
...and placed in our throne room so that skekMal might rule by our side...
...forever!
Forever!
- Hail to the Emperor! - Hail to the Emperor!
Yes, yes!
Good, good!
You're right.
I do like it!
- Whoo! - Yah! Yah!
Woo-hoo!
Careful, you fool.
I am being careful.
Ah!
Slather it on. Yes, we'll slather it on. Ha!
Life is my paint! Death is my canvas.
Life!
Alright, raise him!
Let's see him! Alright, stop!
One more thing.
Make way. Make way!
Make way!
- Genius. - What?
Let's see.
- Oh, so nice! - A fitting tribute!
Yes!
Yes! Yes!
The Hunter returns!
That's it. Easy!
Mind your step.
That's it.
Look.
What... What happened to all the Gelfling?
They're all...
gone.
We'll find them.
I promise.
Thank you for bearing us upon your back, noble Landstrider.
That's it.
That's the crucible.
Is the Glaive in there?
Once a battle is done...
the warriors of Stone-in-the-Wood place their weapons in the forge
in the hope that we'll never need them again.
Here.
Thank you.
I see it. There!
The other half of the Dual Glaive.
Careful!
You'll burn yourself.
It's not even warm.
Do you hear...
It seems like the Glaive is now one!
Look!
What's happening?
- Careful. - It doesn't burn.
What does this mean?
The sky! It's on fire!
How is this possible?
Oh...
They're uniting against us.
- What is it? - Emperor, you must see.
What's that sound?
What?
Huh?
The Crystal calls!
To the Crystal Chamber!
Could this day get any worse?
Out of my way.
- How is this possible? - Is someone there?
- It might be a trick. - Is it the Skeksis?
Brea?
- Papa, look. - Is that you?
Can you hear me?
Rian?
You escaped the Hunter? Where are you?
I'm here with Maudra Fara...
and Seladon.
Well, Gurjin is here too, in case you were wondering.
Gurjin!
Where are you?
Me and my sister are back with our clan at the Great Smerth.
Yes!
Every fire across Thra carries your message, Rian.
Every Gelfling is listening.
So speak true!
What should I say?
Whatever is in your heart.
Gelfling...
The Skeksis...
deceived us.
- Voices! - Turned clan against clan.
Murdered our All-Maudra.
Drained our loved ones.
Unleashed the Darkening upon our world.
And now everyone
and everything...
is at risk.
What was once unthinkable...
has become inevitable.
Rebellion.
This weapon...
- the Dual Glaive... - What?
was forged by two halves of a great being,
and it has been foretold to end Skeksis power.
The Dual Glaive! They have the Dual Glaive!
It is now...
in Gelfling hands.
The Skeksis have sown distrust amongst us for a thousand trine. Why?
Because they fear what would happen if we were united.
They were right to be afraid.
Join me
at Stone-in-the-Wood.
Here...
we will make our stand.
Not as many...
but as one!
As one!
That's enough!
Silence!
Your pathetic rebellion can only end in ruin!
Then why do you tremble?
Disrespectful peon! Your lives are but a speck
waiting to be swept away.
Be assured, any Gelfling that stand with you in battle
will join you in the grave.
Bring your weapons!
Bring your Skeksis
and meet your destiny!
He had the Heretic's Dual Glaive.
Well, how did he obtain it?
Surely even the Heretic would not...
could not...
SkekGra has betrayed us before.
Why not again?
Cowards!
Let the chattel have their toy.
Let them think they stand a chance against us.
But hear me, Lords of the Crystal,
Regents of Thra,
- all-powerful Skeksis. - Yes!
At dawn, we descend
- on their pitiful village. - Yes!
We will crush their nascent rebellion before it takes root,
grind these defiant Gelfling to dust...
destroy the Dual Glaive,
and feast upon their essence!
[Glaive chiming[
But...
do you think all Gelfling heard you?
Yes.
But will they come?