Brothers in arms.

By Richard Taylor

'It has been a good day.' Thought Maximus as he rode his cart back through Evergreen forest from a successful day at market. 'I sold all the toys I made and made a good profit as well.'

"Hold it there!" Maximus looked up as he heard someone call out to him. As he looked up he saw a large muscular man, with dark skin and black hair on his face and head sat atop of a huge black horse. "Give me all your gold, Toy maker!"

"I-I-I have no gold." Said Maximus, suddenly his cart shook with a loud thud as some one leaped down from one of the trees. Maximus turned to see that another man as large as the one who stood before him, only this man had pale skin with reddish hair and beard, he was also dressed in leather body armor with silver and purple trimming. The thing that Maximus noticed the most was that this man had some sort of silver gauntlet on his right hand.

"That is not true!" said the man in a deep booming voice. "What's in those bags you have under your seat?"

Realising that he could not hide his gold, Maximus reached for the dagger he kept hidden at his side. Instantly the man with the gauntlet leaped at Maximus and clamped his gauntlet down on Maximus's shoulder.

"We don't want to hurt you." Said the man as he squeezed Maximus's shoulder harder, the pain forced Maximus to drop his dagger. "But we will if you force us to!"

"Have it!" hissed Maximus as he slowly reached for the hatch that led to where he kept his money. The man then shoved Maximus to one side and reached in to the hatch himself and began tossing the bags of gold to his partner sat on the horse.

"What will you do to me now?" asked Maximus fearing that he may end up dead and never see his family again.

"Nothing for you to worry about." Said the man on the horse. Suddenly the man in the cart let go of Maximus's shoulder and before he could make a move everything went black as the man wrapped something around his eyes. The man then leaped down off the cart and Maximus didn't make a sound as the man then grabbed hold of his hands and tied them to reins of the horse. Maximus then heard a noise and realised that the man had slapped the horse's rear to send it off down the trail.

"So Jitsu, how much did we get?" asked the man as he walked over to his partner on the horse.

"Not much, Fisto." Replied Jitsu as he looked through the bags. "It wasn't worth the time following him from the market."

"Every little helps." Replied Fisto. "Lets get this little lot to the rest."

 

"This is the forth attack in Evergreen forest in the last two weeks." Said Teela as Jarko a merchant from the city finished telling her about his attack. "We've got to do something about it! We can't have people being attacked. How long will it be until they seriously hurt someone?"

"They have only hurt one merchant." Said Man-At-Arms. "The rest of the time they just rob them and send them on their way."

"But the one they hurt ended up in the hospital with broken ribs and a fractured jaw!" said Teela.

"Why would they beat the poor man in such away?" asked Prince Adam as he walked in to the room. "What made him different from the others?"

"He was the only one who made an attempt to fight them off." Said Man-At-Arms. "But the disturbing part is that they did not beat him at all. The merchant said they only hit him the once. And that was in self defence."

"I would have just given them what they wanted." Said Adam. "I wouldn't want to get in to a fight with anyone as powerful as they sound."

"That is why we won't be asking you to come along with us to find them!" snapped Teela at Adam's show of weakness.

"But Adam is right in a strange way." Said Man-At-Arms. "If these attackers are as strong as they seem, we may need the help of He-man."

"As I'm not wanted I'll go find He-man for you." Said Adam faking glumness, Adam then turned and left the room.

"Adam wait!" said Teela as Adam closed the doors, Man-At-Arms placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Its OK Teela, let him go." Said Man-At-Arms softly.

Teela turned to Man-At-arms.

"But Farther, I didn't mean to hurt his feelings." Said Teela. "It's just when Adam shows that weak side, it makes me so angry."

"I know Teela." Replied Man-At-Arms. "I'm sure Adam won't hold it against you. Besides you and I both know that Adam is a lot braver than he likes to let on."

"I just wish that he would show that side of himself more often." Teela replied, turning Teela called over to Strongarm the bodyguard of King Randor. "Strongarm, can you go and find Ram Man and Mekaneck. Inform them about the situation in Evergreen forest and tell them to meet us at the main gates."

"Yes ma'am, I'm on my way." Said Strongarm, he then gave Teela and Man-At-Arms a salute and left the room.

Once Strongarm had made his way down the corridor he then ducked in to an empty room locking the door behind him. Strongarm then reached in to his belt and pulled out a small communicator, quickly he pressed the small button on the side of the communicator and turned it on.

"Come in Lord Skeletor." He said keeping his voice low. "I have some important information for you."

 

"Lord Skeletor!!" said Trap-Jaw bursting in to Skeletor's throne room.

"What is it!!!" snarled Skeletor leaping to his feet. "It had best be important or I will have you dismantled and sold for scrap!!"

"It is Lord." Replied Trap-Jaw. "I was working in the Comm room when I picked up a transmission from our spy in the royal palace."

"What does he have to say?" asked Skeletor. Trap-Jaw walked over to the large communication station set in to one wall of the throne room, as soon as Trap-Jaw switched the machine on an image of Strongarm standing in a dark room appeared.

"Lord Skeletor." Said Strongarm.

"What is it, Strongarm?" asked Skeletor.

"I have just found out that there is a couple of thieves hiding in Evergreen forest attacking merchants as they leave market and stealing their gold." Said Strongarm.

"There are always thieves working in Evergreen forest." Said Skeletor sounding a little irritated. "What makes these so different?"

"Well." Replied Strongarm. "From the reports that their victims gave, they seem extremely powerful! They even manage to break the bones of one of the merchants with only the slightest of blows. I just thought you might be interested in recruiting them in to your army."

"Strongarm." Hissed Skeletor. "Anyone can break some ones bones, again what makes these two different?"

"Teela and Man-At-Arms seemed to think that they are different." Replied Strongarm. "They are asking for the help of He-man to track these two down."

"Well why didn't you say that before." Said Skeletor leaning back in to his throne. "If they think they need He-man's help then I think we should find them before the Heroic fools do and see if we can use them for our own needs."

 

Night began to fall as Teela, Man-At-Arms, Ram Man and Mekaneck arrived at the boundary of Evergreen forest and found He-man and Battlecat waiting for them.

"Adam told me what was going on." Said He-man. "I thought I'd better come as soon as possible, just in case these mysterious thieves attacked again."

"Has there been any sign of them?" asked Man-At-Arms.

"No." replied He-man. "I spoke to some of the merchants, they say a lot of people are getting scared of using the trail through the forest. They fear that these thieves may not stop at simple robbery and may end up killing someone."

"We'll capture them before they can do that." Said Teela.

"I agree." Replied He-man. "Ram Man, you possibly know this forest better than anyone, where do you think these thieves would be?"

Ram Man thought for a moment before replying.

"I used to live on the other side of Evergreen forest." Said Ram Man. "I rarely came this way to market. But all the trails are the same, so I think they would have a hinding place overlooking the trail."

"Well we'll need your eyes, Mekaneck." Said He-man.

He-man and the Heroic Warriors then walked in to the Evergreen Forest in search of the two thieves that were terrorising the merchants of Eternia.

 

Jitsu quietly watched as the Heroic Warriors entered the forest. Making sure that he was out of sight Jitsu quickly made his way back to the campsite where Fisto was waiting by a small fire.

"I think we may have a problem." said Jitsu as he sat down next to Fisto.

"Why what have you seen?" asked Fisto.

"There's a group of Heroic Warriors from the city in the forest." said Jitsu. "They must be searching for us."

"We can't allow them to stop us before we can avenge our mentor." growled Fisto.

"Don't worry." said Jitsu grabbing his golden gauntlet and put it on. "No one will stop us from finding his killer."

 

He-man and the Heroic Warriors arrived at a crossroads in the heart of the forest.

"This is where the last merchant was attacked." said He-man. "Do you see anything Mekaneck?"

Mekaneck extended his neck to its full length and looked around the area.

"I can't see any sign of them yet." replied Mekaneck.

"I can't smell them either." growled Battle Cat.

"Be careful." said He-man. "They could anywhere. And remember they are dangerous."

As the Heroic Warriors split up and began searching the forest Teela stumbled up on a tripwire tied between two trees. As Teela tripped over the wire a huge tree trunk swung down towards Teela's head. Battle Cat leaped through the air and crashed in to Teela just as the trunk swang past.

The Heroic Warriors span around when the heard the crack of the falling tree trunk. Instantly the Heroic Warriors drew their weapons ready for battle. Suddenly the air lit up as several flaming arrows flew the air. Before anyone could do anything Jitsu and Fisto burst out of the forest with their swords raised ready to strike down the Heroic Warriors.

Jitsu instantly headed towards He-man. His sword flashed through the air before striking He-man's Sword of Power sending a shower of sparks raining down on the both of them. He-man quickly brought his sword around to block another blow from Jitsu's sword.

Suddenly Jitsu dropped to one knee as He-man lunged forward and span around on his knee and struck He-man in the back with his other leg. He-man stumbled forward and almost lost his balance when Jitsu sprang to his feet and swung his sword down towards the back of He-man's head. As if by instinct He-man swung his sword over his head and blocked the blow.

Ram Man raced up behind Jitsu as he battled He-man. Ram Man watched as He-man blocked a blow to his head. Boiling with rage Ram Man planted his feet in to the ground and using his powerful legs Ram Man charged at Jitsu.

As Jitsu swung his sword at He-man again, He-man blocked the blow again. Casting a quick glance over Jitsu's shoulder he saw Ram Man charging towards them like a rhino. He-man swung his sword at Jitsu, but the mysterious warrior was ready for it as he ducked He-man's sword Jitsu leaped up in to the air and placed his feet on He-man's chest and pushed off so that he flew over the charging Ram Man.

He-man was surprised to see his opponent fly through the air backwards that he failed to move out of Ram Man's way. Ram Man's head stuck He-man in the chest with the force of a cannon. The blow was so hard that He-man was hurled off his feet and he went crashing through a tree.

Ram Man skidded to a stop and stared at the fallen He-man in shock. Cursing himself over his mistake Ram Man narrowly dodged Jitsu's kick to his head. Ram Man quickly grabbed Jitsu's leg and threw Jitsu in to the trees.

Jitsu used his agility to spin through the air and pushed off the tree and flew towards Ram Man. Before Ram Man could do anything Jitsu lashed out with his foot and smashed his heel in to Ram Man's face.

 

Fisto jumped out of the way as Man-At-Arms fired a stun blast from his wrist blaster. Mekaneck quickly sneaked up behind Fisto as the warrior landed. Mekaneck raised his battle mace ready to stun Fisto when the warrior span around and struck Mekaneck across the jaw with the huge silver gauntlet on his right hand. Mekaneck staggered backwards and fell as Battle Cat and Teela stormed out of the forest.

Man-At-Arms leaped at Fisto, but Fisto span around and kicked Man-At-Arms away and span around again just in time to dodge a blow from Teela and her extending fighting staff. Fisto grabbed hold of the staff and yanked Teela off Battle Cat.

"I don't want to hurt you." said Fisto as Teela struggled to her feet and swung her staff at Fisto. Fisto quickly swung his right hand up and smashed the staff in half. "But I will if I have to."

 

He-man slowly got to his feet, dazed he saw Ram Man take a kick in the face from the warrior with the gold gauntlet. Ram Man went down hard as He-man raced over to Jitsu and drove his shoulder in to Jitsu's back sending him falling.

As Jitsu fell he lashed out with a foot trying to strike He-man in the chest, but He-man quickly snatched Jitsu's foot out of the air and was about to throw him over when He-man was suddenly hit in the chest by a blaster shot from the trees.

 

The Evil Warriors led by Tri-Clops burst from the trees and began attacking the Heroic Warriors. Fisto was so startled as the new warriors charged in to the battle that he almost didn't see Battle Cat lunge at him. Fisto span around ready to defend himself from the attack when Webstor leaped down from the trees and landed on Battle Cat's back.

Battle Cat roared as he tried to throw the Evil Warrior off his back. Webstor grabbed his web-blaster and as he was thrown from Battle Cat's back Webstor shot Battle Cat with a paralyzing web. Battle Cat roared once more and then fell to the ground as webs power took effect on the tiger. Once Battle Cat was down Webstor ran over to Fisto.

"Come with Me." said Webstor. "We're here to help."

Before Fisto could do anything Teela was on her feet and was about to attack when Fisto span around and knocked Teela out with his silver gauntlet.

"I'll come with you." said Fisto. "But we have to help Jitsu first."

 

Jitsu span as He-man crashed to the ground. Tri-Clops stepped out of the forest.

"We're here to help." said Tri-Clops grabbing hold of Jitsu's arm. "Our master wants to see you."

Tri-Clops then turned to the other warriors.

"Everyone retreat!" called out Tri-Clops to the other warriors. Instantly the Evil Warriors stopped their battles with the Heroic Warriors. Tri-Clops then reached in to his belt and pulled out a flash granade and tossed it at He-man. The granade exploded as soon as it hit the ground sending an explosion of brilliant white light in to the sky. When the light had faded enough for He-man and the Heroic Warriors to see the Evil Warriors were gone.

 

Fisto looked up at the terrorising form of Snake Mountain. On their journey to Snake Mountain Tri-Clops had told Fisto and Jitsu that Skeletor had become very interested in them and wanted to see them. Fisto had heard about Skeletor as did everyone else on Eternia but had never seen the warrior in person.

Fisto looked up as Tri-Clops piloted their Roton towards the mountain. Fisto could swear that he couldn't see any entrance for the Roton to pass through. Suddenly a section of the mountain opened and the Roton glided in to a large hanger bay.

The inside of Snake Mountain exactly matched the outside in its dark forbidding features.

Fisto couldn't help but shiver at the thought as the second Roton carrying Jitsu glided in to the hanger bay.

"Skeletor will see you in his throne room." said Tri-Clops.

 

"Lord Skeletor. I have the two warriors that you wanted to see." said Tri-Clops as he led Fisto and Jitsu in to Skeletor's throne room.

As Fisto glanced up at Skeletor sat in his throne that looked like it was made of bones he felt a shiver run down his spine.

"I have heard a lot of interesting things about you two." said Skeletor his eyes glowing with interest. "Please tell me why you are in Eternos?"

"We are here to find the killer of our mentor." said Jitsu. "We have tracked him here and will not rest until he is brought to justice."

"Even if that means robbing the merchants that travel through Evergreen Forest?" asked Skeletor.

"We swore an oath to bring his killer to justice by any means necessary." said Fisto. "We do not want to rob people but if we are to succeed then we will do whatever it takes."

"I applaud your determination." said Skeletor carefully keeping any mocking tones out of his voice. "But you know that now that you fled from the Heroic Warriors you have lost any chance of finding the killer you seek."

Fisto looked up at Skeletor in total surprise.

"What do you mean?" asked Fisto. "We have our gold hidden in a place so secure that noone could ever find it."

"Then I hate to be the barrier of bad news." said Skeletor. "Let me show you."

Skeletor then held his hand out with his palm facing up. Suddenly a flash of purple smoke appeared and in the smoke Fisto and Jitsu could see the image of the Heroic Warriors they had just fought take shape.

They watched as the warrior called He-man stepped up to a large boulder that Fisto and Jitsu used to cover the entrance to the cave where they hid their gold. He-man easily pushed aside the boulder to reveal the gold. Instantly the other warriors began to scoop up the gold and take it away.

"It's over." said Fisto sounding defeated. "Without that gold we have no chance of finding the killer of Rel."

Fisto then angrily drove his gauntlet covered right fist in to the nearest wall and the whole room shook. Skeletor smiled as he watched Fisto's anger grow.

"It is not over." said Skeletor. "I can help you find your killer. All you have to do is something for me."

"Anything." growled Fisto his anger starting to disappear as he began to see hope again. "What do you want from us?"

"I want you to join my army in the battle against the Heroic Warriors." said Skeletor.

"If you help us find this killer." said Fisto. "Then by honor we shall join your army and fight against your enemies. You have my word."

"Then I welcome you in to my army." said Skeletor. Skeletor then turned to Tri-Clops. "Show our new warriors to their quarters."

Tri-Clops then nodded and led Fisto out of the room but Jitsu stayed behind.

"Will he willing join us?" asked Skeletor stepping down from his throne and walking up to Jitsu.

"He is here." replied Jitsu. "You heard what he said."

Skeletor span around his eyes blazing with fury.

"I don't care what he said!" snapped Skeletor. "When you contacted me you promised that I would have total control over the Gauntlets of Power. In return I would help you resurrect the Clan of Blood. But I do not sense any willingness on Fisto's part to follow the master of evil. He has a heroic heart."

"Do not worry Lord." replied Jitsu. "I will make sure that the Gauntlets of Power belongs to you. Even if I have take it from his dead hand like I did with my own farther."

 

Fisto had been in the training area of Snake Mountain working out for hours when Jitsu walked in.

"We've been here for over a month." growled Fisto as he punched away at the huge punch bag that hung from the rafters. "And we're no closer to finding Rel's killer. What is Skeletor doing besides sending us out on his little missions."

"Skeletor is making sure that we find the right person." said Jitsu. "Besides Skeletor has offered us a great gift for when we bring the killer to justice."

Fisto suddenly stopped in his exercise and turned to Jitsu.

"And what is this gift?" asked Fisto.

Jitsu held up his right hand and Fisto could see that he no longer wore the golden Gauntlet of Power but his hand had been completely changed in to a golden copy of the gauntlet.

"What have you done?" said Fisto.

"Skeletor has replaced my hand with a magical one." said Jitsu showing off his new hand with pride. "It gives me all the power of the Gauntlet of Power plus more. Let me show you."

Jitsu then pressed a button on the small device he held in his left hand and a hatchway in the floor of the exercise room opened and a huge deadly looking robot rose in to the room.

Instantly Jitsu leaped at the robot, dodging the robot's deadly blades and punched it in its midsection. The robot sparked once and began to smoke then it suddenly it fell apart. Without breaking a sweat Jitsu turned to Fisto smiling.

"You see." said Jitsu. "Skeletor has given me power far beyond the powers of the gauntlet. Skeletor has said he would do the same for you."

Fisto couldn't contain his fury.

"How could you allow this to happen!" snarled Fisto. "The gauntlets were given to us so that we protect Sho'Kan from the return of the Clan of Blood. This goes against everything we were taught. Rel took the other half of our gauntlets because he feared something like this would happen. I do not trust Skeletor with this power. I have heard many things about him and I believe that he wants to use the power of the gauntlets for himself and not help us discover Rel's killer."

Jitsu glared at Fisto with pure hatred as Fisto stormed out of the exercise room.

"He won't give up the gauntlet." said Jitsu as Skeletor's image appeared in one of the mirrors that surrounded the room. "He is too loyal to the teachings of Rel."

"Then he must be eliminated." said Skeletor. "Do it on the next mission I have for you."

 

It was early morning when Skeletor called both Fisto and Jitsu to his throne room.

"I have some good news for you." said Skeletor. "My spies have discovered one of the allies of Rel's kIller. And I believe you should be the ones to capture her and bring her here so that I can interrogate her in to revealing the killer's location."

Fisto's heart began race as he began to believe that their quest was almost over.

"Who is this woman you want us to capture?" asked Fisto.

"The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull." replied Skeletor.

 

Fisto and Jitsu waited until it got dark before piloting their Roton to Castle Grayskull. Once there they hid the Roton near the castle and made their way over the abbys that surrounded it. Once on the other side they surveyed the giant jawbridge.

"How are we going to get in?" asked Fisto. "This door seems too tough for us to break through."

"You should have accepted Skeletor's offer." said Jitsu raising his golden hand. "With this I should have enough power to pull the bridge down enough for us to slip through."

Jitsu then slipped his fingers in to the crack around the jawbridge and began to pull at the huge wooden bridge. The jawbridge creeked and groaned as Jitsu pulled on it with all his might but the jawbridge wouldn't budge.

"A little help would be welcome." grunted Jitsu.

Fisto sighed and stepped up to the jawbridge next to Jitsu and began to pull on the jawbridge as well. Again the jawbridge groaned but this time the jawbridge began to move. Slowly inch by inch Fisto and Jitsu pulled the jawbridge far enough for them to slip through.

Once inside Castle Grayskull Fisto looked around. The inside of the castle reflected everything the skull on the outside represented. The corridors were all in darkness almost to dark for Fisto to see.

"This place looks more like it would suit Skeletor than a Sorceress." said Fisto in awe as they headed through one corridor with ghostly faces carved on to the walls and in to the great hall.

"We're not here to sight see." said Jitsu. "We're here to capture the Sorceress and bring her to Skeletor."

"That's another thing." said Fisto. "I don't think that when we capture this Sorceress we should take her to Skeletor right away."

"What do you mean?" asked Jitsu.

"I think that we should interrogate her first." explained Fisto. "I've heard enough about Skeletor to believe that if he gets his hands on the Sorceress before we do then we'll lose our only lead in to finding Rel's killer."

Jitsu let out a sigh of pure frustration.

"We have fought with armies that have been accused of the things Skeletor has been accused of." said Jitsu. "And we have found them to be all lies. Remember Xenix?"

Fisto indeed remembered Xenix she was a warrior princess who had been accused of unspeakable acts of terror against her neighboring villages. It wasn't until Fisto and Jitsu joined her army to protect her home village that they discovered that she was innocent of the crimes she had been accused of.

"What makes you think that Skeletor isn't as innocent as her?" said Jitsu. "Let's capture the Sorceress first then we can decide who interrogates her first."

Before Fisto could say anymore a angelic voice called out from the darkness.

"You shall never capture the guardian of Castle Grayskull." said the voice.

Suddenly the room was engulfed in a brilliant light that drove the darkness away. As Fisto and Jitsu covered their eyes to avoid being blinded by the light Fisto saw a figure beginning to take shape in the fading light.

The two warriors watched stunned as the figure transformed in to a beautiful woman dressed in a white and blue outfit with a set of orange wings that hung over her back like a cape, on top of her head sat a falcon headress.

"Who dares trespass the halls of Grayskull?" the Sorceress asked calmly.

The two warriors didn't reply but ran straight at the Sorceress ready to grab her. The Sorceress calmly raised her hands in to the air and a shining purple force shield flashed in to existence around her body. Fisto and Jitsu crashed in to the force shield and were thrown in to the walls of the room.

"Whoever sent you here failed to inform you that any physical attack will not work against me." said the Sorceress as she watched her two attackers slumped to the ground.

"She's right." said Fisto. "While she controls that force field we can't touch her."

"Don't worry about that." said Jitsu. "Skeletor has given me something to help us. All I need is a distraction for me to use it."

Forgetting about their concerns about Skeletor Fisto understood what Jitsu wanted. Fisto quickly pushed himself to his feet and lunged at the Sorceress. The Sorceress once again lifted her hands in to the air again and her force shield flashed in to place ready to repell the attacking Fisto. However Fisto was prepared for the Sorceress's move and he shifted his weight on to one foot and narrowly avoided contact with the Sorceress's force shield. Fisto rolled behind the Sorceress and instantly sprang to his feet.

The Sorceress barely had enough time to turn around and raise her force shield to block a blow from Fisto's silver gauntlet.

The force shield deflected Fisto's blow but she stumbled backwards. Jitsu quickly drove a foot in to the back of the Sorceress's legs and the Sorceress instantly lost her balance and fell to the floor.

Even before the Sorceress hit the ground Fisto and Jitsu leaped on to the Sorceress pinning her down. Jitsu reached in to his backpack and pulled out a large glowing ring. The force shield around the Sorceress flared purple once and vanished as Jitsu snapped the ring open and clamped it around the Sorceress's neck.

The Sorceress instantly recognised the object being placed around her neck as the Collar of Arbuk. The instant the collar snapped shut the Sorceress felt all her magical powers vanish from her body.

Believing that the Sorceress was now totally powerless Jitsu and Fisto got off the fallen Sorceress.

"What was that?" asked Fisto as he reached in to his backpack and pulled out some rope to bind the Sorceress.

"That was something Skeletor gave me for this mission." said Jitsu. "It'll keep her from using her powers until we get her back to Snake Mountain."

Fisto was about to say something when the Sorceress suddenly drove her foot in to his guts and driving the air out of his lungs.

Even though the Collar of Arbuk blocked her magic the Sorceress was far from helpless. Using the moves Man-At-Arms had taught her, the Sorceress leaped to her feet ready to fight Jitsu. The Sorceress lashed out at Jitsu with a thunderous kick from her right foot. Using the power he gained from his golden hand Jitsu moved so fast that his actions were a blur Jitsu blocked the Sorceress's kick. Jitsu then instantly span around on one foot and attempted to sweep

the Sorceress off her feet. But the Sorceress leaped in to the air and somersaulted over Jitsu and shot out a kick at Jitsu's back.

Finally getting his breath back Fisto watched in amazement as the Sorceress matched Jitsu move for move even with the golden hand that Skeletor had given him enhancing his natural abilities far past those of even Fisto's Gauntlet of Power.

Fisto waited until the Sorceress started to grow tired of blocking Jitsu's attack and while she blocked a vicious blow from Jitsu's golden hand, Fisto leaped in to the battle and drove his shoulder in to the Sorceress sending her crashing in to the wall.

"Quickly tie her up." snapped Jitsu as the Sorceress slumped to the floor. "And be careful she still has some fight left in her. And I wouldn't like to damage her to much before we take her to Snake Mountain."

Fisto stopped binding the Sorceress's legs and turned to Jitsu.

"I thought we would interrogate her first." said Fisto. "We agreed!"

"I agreed to no such thing." hissed Jitsu. "We work for Skeletor now and weather you like it or not we are going to take her to Snake Mountain where Skeletor can torture her until she gives up the secrets of his greatest enemy He-man."

Fisto strared at Jitsu in total horror at what Jitsu had just said.

"I can't believe you've just said that!" said Fisto. "We have worked for many people as we travelled here but none were torturers. We took a vow to find Rel's killer. How can you believe that Skeletor's need over shadows avenging your father's death."

Fisto then slammed the rope on to the ground and turned to the Sorceress and started to untie her. The Sorceress glanced up at Fisto and a small weak smile pulled at her lips as she realized that she was right abou Fisto when she had sensed goodness in his heart.

"You fool!" snarled Jitsu. "This was never about finding the killer of my farther. I wanted to come here because Skeletor is the only one who will help me resurrect the Clan of Blood."

Fisto turned his head back to Jitsu unwilling to believe what he was hearing.

"Rel stood in my way and I killed him for it." continued Jitsu. "I only kept you around because I was to late to stop the old fool from hiding the other gauntlets and I was hoping that you knew the location of where they were hid."

Fisto was frozen at what Jitsu was saying. The Sorceress's eyes grew wide in horror as she realised just how evil Jitsu was and what he was about to do.

Jitsu lashed out and kicked Fisto across the face. The Sorceress watched helpless as Jitsu savagely attacked Fisto. Remembering that Man-At-Arms had given her a communication device the Sorceress reached down to her belt where the device was hidden and activated it.

With Skeletor's evil magic enhancing Jitsu's power far beyond the Gauntlets of Power ever had Jitsu pumeled Fisto in to a bloody mess. Hearing the Sorceress activate something on her belt Jitsu stopped his attack on Fisto and raced over to the Sorceress and drove his golden fist in to her face knocking her out.

Seeing Jitsu's attack on a helpless woman Fisto surged forward and drove his gauntlet in to Jitsu's face. Fisto heard a satisfying crunching sound as Jitsu's nose shattered spraying blood down his face. Jitsu staggered backwards and once he tasted his own blood Jitsu erupted in pure fury. Jitsu's golden hand began to glow. Jitsu then thrusted his hand to the ground and a shockwave rocked the room and sent Fisto flying through the air and crashing in to a wall.

Jitsu slowly walked over to the defeated and broken Fisto and knelt down next to him.

"Skeletor has ordered me to kill you." hissed Jitsu. "But I think I may let you live just long enough to realise that you have failed in everything."

Jitsu then pulled Fisto's gauntlet off his limp hand.

"I may not know the location of the gauntlets Rel hid. But with this one." Jitsu held up Fisto's silver gauntlet above his battered face mocking the fallen warrior. "I shall have enough power to rule the Clan of Blood and destroy all that oppose me!"

Jitsu then punched Fisto in the face and everything went black.

 

"I've just had a meeting with Galamoc of the Merchants Guild." said King Randor to Teela, Man-At-Arms, Ram Man and Mekaneck who were waiting in the king's throne room along with the king's son Prince Adam.

"And what did he have to say?" asked Man-At-Arms.

"He wishes to thank each one of you for ridding Evergreen Forest of the two thieves that were plaguing his members." said Randor. "He says that his members feel much safer travelling the merchant trails now that there has been no attacks for the last month."

"We can't take all the credit." said Man-At-Arms.

"I just wish the Evil Warriors hadn't snatched them away." said Teela frustrated at about how the battle in Evergreen Forest had turned out.

"There was nothing that could be done." said Randor. "The most important thing to rember is that the merchants are safe from attack. By the way has there been any sightings of these two thieves since they fled with the Evil Warriors?"

Man-At-Arms was about to answer when a beeping sound called out from his belt. Man-At-Arms grabbed the device off his belt.

"It's the Sorceress something must be wrong if she's using the warning device I gave her." said Man-At-Arms glancing over to Adam silently telling the prince that He-man was needed. "We have to get to Grayskull immediately."

"Of cause go." said Randor. "We cannot allow any harm to befall the guardian of Grayskull."

Instantly the Heroic Warriors raced out of the throne room and Adam slipped in to a private room to change in to He-man.

 

He-man could tell instantly that something was wrong within the castle. Without out the Sorceress the halls of Castle Grayskull remained totally dark and even more forbidding than it usually did.

"I don't like this." said He-man as he and the Heroic Warriors entered the great hall of Grayskull. "I think we should split up and search the castle for any signs of just who would attack the Sorceress. Remember to keep in constant contact over our comm units."

Each of the warriors activated their wrist lights and headed off in to different directions through the darkened halls of Castle Grayskull.

Teela turned a corner and made her way down a long corridor to where she knew the Sorceress's throne room lay. As she walked down the corridor her boots slipped on something wet on the floor. Shining the light downward Teela saw a puddle of drying blood. Teela moved the light up a bit and saw that there was a trail of blood leading away from the puddle and in to the throne room. Teela instantly grabbed her comm unit and opened a link to the other warriors.

"I'm outside the throne room." said Teela in a hushed voice. "There's a blood trail leading in to the throne room."

"Wait there we'll be with you right away." He-man's voice replied. "But don't go in to the room until we get there."

"But." said Teela. "This blood may be the Sorceress's. She may be dying."

"Or it may be a trap." said Man-At-Arms. "Wait until we get there."

Teela was about to protest further when she heard a crashing sound from the throne room like someone collapsing. Then she heard a groan.

"Someone's in there." said Teela. "I'm going in to help."

Before anyone could stop her Teela raced in to the throne room.

 

When He-man and the other Heroic Warriors reached the throne room they found Teela bent over a bloody and bent man. As He-man got closer he saw that the man was one of the thieves they had fought a month ago in Evergreen Forest.

"He was like this when I got here." said Teela. "Someone has beaten him almost to death."

"We have to get him back Eternos as soon as possible." said Man-At-Arms scanning the man with a small device he removed from his belt. "He'll die if we don't get him some medical help soon."

 

He-man quickly and carefully carried the injured warrior they had found at Castle Grayskull from the Wind Raider and in to the hospital of Eternos city.

"You've got him here just in time." said the doctor after checking the readings above Fisto's bed. "Any longer and he would have surely died from these injuries."

The doctor then pulled out a hypospray from the bedside table and injected Fisto with some medication. The doctor then looked back up at the displays and gasped in amazement at what she saw.

"I don't believe it." said the doctor.

"What is it?" asked He-man fearing that they were about to lose the warrior who had the only link to what had happened to the Sorceress.

"As soon as the medicine entered his body." said the doctor still not sure just what she was seeing. "It started his body healing itself at an incredible rate. If it continues then he'll be healed within the next day or so."

 

Skeletor's throne room was full with every one of Skeletor's evil warriors. The mood among his men was the highest it had been in a long time. Skeletor watched as his men celebrated Jitsu's capture of the Sorceress of Grayskull.

"Let's hear it for Jitsu!" called out one of the warriors holding his tankard of ale in the air.

"The rookie has done well for his first full mission." called out Tri-Clops who saw himself as a mentor to the new recruits to Skeletor's ever growing army. "JITSU!!"

"JITSU!!" called out the other warriors in celebration.

Skeletor slowly turned to Jitsu and beconed him over.

"You wanted me my lord?" asked Jitsu as he knelt in front of Skeletor.

"Tri-Clops is right." said Skeletor. "You done well. Better than expected. Now tell me did you take care of that other matter I asked you to do?"

"Yes my lord." said Jitsu. "Fisto should be dead by now."

"What do you mean?" asked Skeletor. "I ordered you to kill Fisto for not handing over his gauntlet to me."

"But lord. I couldn't kill him just yet." said Jitsu. "I needed to know if he knew the location of the missing gauntlets."

"And did you get the location of the gauntlets?" asked Skeletor.

Jitsu hesitated for a second remembering that the power he had received from his golden hand had driven him in to a bloodthirsty rage and he had completely forgotten to interrogate Fisto as he beat the life out of him.

"No. He was as tight lipped as my farther was." lied Jitsu. "No matter how much I beat him he just wouldn't speak."

Jitsu could see that Skeletor was growing angry as his eyes began to burn brighter.

"And what of Fisto's gauntlet?" hissed Skeletor.

Jitsu immediately snatched Fisto's gauntlet from his belt and handed it over to Skeletor hoping that it would calm his master down a bit.

Skeletor grabbed the gauntlet from Jitsu and glanced at it.

"Would have preferred to have both sets of the Gauntlets of Power for what I have planned." said Skeletor. "But they aren't essential. Once again well done."

Skeletor then placed Fisto's silver gauntlet in a glass case next to Jitsu's golden one.

 

Fisto slowly opened his eyes to find himself laying on a bed in what looked like a hospital. Standing around the bed were several powerful looking men, a women warrior and another woman dressed in a white coat which, Fisto guessed was a doctor.

"Where am I?" asked Fisto weakly.

"Don't try to move." said the doctor placing her hand Fisto's chest and gently stopped him from sitting up. "Eventhough your recovery has been nothing short of miraclous you are still to weak to be moving around at the moment."

Fisto decided that the doctor was right and dropped his head back on the pillow.

"And the answer to your question is that you are in the Eternos city hospital." said the blond hared warrior. "We found you nearly beaten to death in the throne room of Castle Grayskull."

Fisto turned to the blond warrior who he recognised now as He-man the warrior he had fought a month ago in Evergreen Forest before the Evil Warriors came to the rescue.

"Want I want to know what happened to the Sorceress." said He-man. "And why you were beaten nearly to death."

"And you better tell us the truth because if you don't I'll make sure that you wish that we had left you to die at Castle Grayskull." snapped the warrior woman.

"Calm down Teela." said the warrior next to the woman dressed in yellow and green armor. "Remember it seems like he was as much a victim as the Sorceress."

"But the Sorceress's life may be in danger." said Teela.

"Teela is right." said Fisto. "This Sorceress of yours has been taken to Snake Mountain where Skeletor plans to torture her in to giving up He-man's secrets."

Fisto then went on to tell the Heroic Warriors about how Skeletor and Jitsu had tricked them in to breaking in to Grayskull to capture the Sorceress to gather information about the killer they had been tracking.

Fisto then told them about how Jitsu savagely attacked him revealing himself as the killer they had been hunting and what Skeletor's plans for the Sorceress were.

When he finished he saw the stunned look in the Heroic Warriors faces. Instantly he realised what he had to do. Fisto pushed himself out of bed dispite the doctor's protests.

"Where are you going?" asked He-man stepping in Fisto's way.

"I'm going to correct a mistake and fulfil my oath." snapped Fisto trying to push past He-man.

"You're going nowhere." said He-man.

Fisto lashed out with his fist and struck He-man. However without the strength that his Gauntlet of Power gave him his blow barely had any effect on He-man. He-man blocked a second blow.

"You can't stop me from leaving the hospital!" growled Fisto.

"We may be unable to stop you from leaving here." said Teela. "But you still have to answer for your crime against the merchants of Eternia."

"What kind of people are you?!" shouted Fisto. "You claim concern for the Sorceress yet you would rather leave her in the hands of a monster and a man so drunk with power that he lives for the kill. Instead of pestering me over petty crimes let me go. I can lead you in to Snake Mountain and rescue the Sorceress before she is killed!"

 

Night had started fall when a lone Wind Raider carrying He-man, Teela, Man-At-Arms and Fisto descended from the sky and landed near the outskirts of Snake Mountain. The Heroic Warriors got out of the Wind Raider and Man-At-Arms took a telescopic device from his armor and scanned the outside of Snake Mountain for any signs of Evil Warriors.

"Skeletor has got all the entrances heavily guarded." said Man-At-Arms. "We'll have to find another way in."

"How about we use the tunnels we used the last time we had to break in there?" suggested Teela.

"We can't." replied Man-At-Arms. "Skeletor would have found those tunnels by now and if he hasn't sealed them he'll surely have them heavily guarded as well."

"Fisto you've spent time here." said He-man as he turned to Fisto. "If you are truly willing to help us free the Sorceress then can you tell of any other ways in?"

Fisto felt insulated despite being beaten half to death by the one person he considered a brother the Heroic Warriors still didn't trust him.

"I didn't get to see much of Snake Mountain while I was there as I tried to keep myself away as much as possible." said Fisto. "I mainly stayed in the gymnasium or my quarters. But I did hear Two Bad mention that the sewers under Snake Mountain still needed securing. And knowing Two Bad he probably hasn't got around to fix it yet."

"Sounds a likely place to stage an ambush." said Teela. Of all the Heroic Warriors she was the one that trusted Fisto the least.

"What will it take to earn your trust?" sighed Fisto. "If Skeletor's men down there then it hasn't got anything to do with me."

"Besides Teela." said He-man. "We all know what Two Bad is like. He'll put any job off as long as possible or until Skeletor find out."

 

Fisto was right Two Bad had left fixing the sewers. The Heroic Warriors crept in to the sewers unnoticed and they moved through the tunnels easily and soon they were deep inside the dreaded Snake Mountain. The tunnels quickly opened in to a large swamp like area. The Heroic Warriors waded through the swamp towards another set of tunnels.

As the Heroic Warriors entered the new tunnels they failed to notice a large scaled humanoid raise out of the muck and water of the swamp.

Whiplash watched silently as the Heroic Warriors made their way in to the tunnels. Once he was sure that the Heroic Warriors were out of earshot Whiplash wiped the swamp sludge off his wrist communicator and contacted Skeletor.

"Come in Skeletor." said Whiplash urgently.

"What is it reptile!" growled Skeletor.

"Are you expecting visitors?" asked Whiplash.

"What are you going on about?" snapped Skeletor. "Of cause I'm not expecting any visitor! Why?"

"Be cause I've just seen four people heading in to the tunnels that lead to your throne room."

"You fool!" shouted Skeletor. "Those aren't visitors they're intruders! Whiplash follow them I'm going to send Kobra Khan down there to help you. Once they reach the old ruins attack. Understood?"

"Yes Lord Skeletor." replied Whiplash.

Skeletor then abruptly closed the link and Whiplash pulled his huge body out of the swamp and entered the tunnels.

The deeper the Heroic Warriors travelled down the tunnels the wider they got until they arrived in another large area only this time it was more of a ruin than swamp.

"So far so good." said Teela as she scanned the area for any signs of a trap.

"Now if I'm right we should be nearing Skeletor's throne room." said Man-At-Arms.

Suddenly there was a thunderous snap and a tower of stones came crashing down towards Teela. Fisto instantly leaped in to action and pushed Teela out of the way. Through the clouds of dust Teela could see the huge form of Whiplash leap through the clouds and attack He-man and Man-At-Arms.

"You betrayed us!" snarled Teela pushing herself off Fisto.

"I did not." said Fisto getting up.

As Fisto took a step towards Teela she quickly grabbed her extending fighting staff from her belt and shoved it under Fisto's chin stopping him from moving and further.

"You should listen to him." hissed a voice from above them.

Teela and Fisto both looked up to see Kobra Khan with several of his snake warriors ready to attack.

"Because he is going to die along side you!" snarled Kobra Khan as he and his warriors leaped down.

He-man ducked as Whiplash's powerful tail came crashing down in to a pile of ruins.

"You thought you could sneak in to Snake Mountain." snarled Whiplash as he swung his tail at Man-At-Arms. He-man grabbed Whiplash's tail and stopped it striking Man-At-Arms. Seeing that Teela and Fisto were outnumbered by Kobra Khan and his men He-man called over to Man-At-Arms.

"Duncan help Teela and Fisto." said He-man. "I'll take care of gator-face here.

Hearing what He-man had said Whiplash tried to pull his tail free of He-man's grasp.

"If you want this back so much." said He-man indicating to Whiplash's tail. "Then have it!"

He-man then let go of the tail and it snapped back in to Whiplash's face sending him crashing in to some ruins.

Teela kicked at Kobra Khan as he slashed at her with his claws. Teela ducked one blow and swung her staff around and struck Kobra Khan in the guts. As Kobra Khan doubled over Teela swung her staff backwards and hit a snake warrior as it raised its sword to strike Fisto. As Fisto ducked blow after blow he saw out of the corner of his eye Jitsu watching the battle. Letting his anger increase his strength Fisto punched and threw his opponents out of the way.

Fisto turned around just in time to see a snake warrior swing its sword at his head. As Fisto prepared to block the the sword the snake warrior was swept off it's feet. Looking down he saw that it was Teela that saved his life.

"Thank you." said Fisto.

As soon as Man-At-Arms joined the battle Fisto then turned to see that Jitsu had turned around and was running away from the ruins.

"JITSU!!!" screamed Fisto. "Get back here!"

Fisto then ran after Jitsu.

 

Whiplash pushed himself off the ground and charged at He-man.

"That's what I like to see." said He-man as he quickly bent down and scooped up a large rock. "Using your head."

He-man then held the rock out in front of him and Whiplash unable to move out of the way quick enough smashed his head in to the rock smashing it to pieces and knocking himself out. As Whiplash's body fell to the floor He-man raced over to Teela and Man-At-Arms and helped them against Kobra Khan and his snake warriors.

 

Fisto chased Jitsu down corridor after corridor until he turned one corner and found that the corridor ended in a dead end and Jitsu had disappeared. Fisto turned back and headed back down the corridor believing that Jitsu had somehow sneaked past without him knowing. Suddenly a large wall slammed in place blocking Fisto's way.

"I have you trapped." Fisto span around to see that it was Jitsu who had spoken. Jitsu was hidden behind a small transparent panel set in the wall behind Fisto. "This time I am going to kill you."

"You can try traitor." snarled Fisto. "Just come out here and face me."

"I have no intention of fighting you." said Jitsu reaching down to press a button on a nearby control panel. Instantly the corridor began to fill with gas. "I said I was going to kill you."

"You bastard!! Have you no honor?" snarled Fisto.

"No." said Jitsu simply. "And in a few moments you will be dead."

Jitsu then turned and walked away laughing as Fisto began to choke on the gas flooding in to the corridor.

 

With He-man's Help the Heroic Warriors soon finished off Kobra Khan and his men.

"Where's Fisto?" asked Man-At-Arms as he finished tieing up Kobra Khan and Whiplash.

"He went after Jitsu." said Teela. "Should we go after him?"

"No." said He-man. "Fisto can take care of himself. We have to rescue the Sorceress. There is no telling exactly what he plans to do to her."

Once Kobra Khan and the others were fully secure the Heroic Warriors headed in to the tunnels and towards Skeletor's throne room.

 

Fisto had punched the wall until his hands began bleeding but he was still no closer to breaking out of his prison. Without the power of his gauntlet Fisto just wasn't strong enough to punch through the wall and the gas was making him weaker as well as it slowly choked the life out of him.

Like a bolt of blue Fisto remembered the teachings that Rel had taught him before he got his gauntlet. Fisto closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. Slowly Fisto forgot about the gas and the pain in his lungs and hands and raised his right fist.

Fisto let out a roar of pure power. Fisto then drove his fist in to the wall. The wall shuddered and shook. Despite the pain he felt Fisto continued to pound away at the wall until it finally gave way and collapsed in to a pile of rubble.

Fisto lay gasping for breath as the gas was swept away by the corridor's air vents. Once he felt strong enough Fisto got to his feet and raced off down the corridor in search for Jitsu.

 

Skeletor stalked around the Sorceress, as she stood bound in the middle of his throne room.

"It is only a matter of time before you give me what I want." snarled Skeletor. "The longer you ware the Collar of Arbuk the weaker you get. Now tell me the secrets of He-man!!"

The Sorceress remained silent refusing to even look at Skeletor. Skeletor was right Arbuk had made his collar well the magic of the collar was draining her magic to a point where she would never be able to get it back.

Suddenly Skeletor grabbed the Sorceress by the chin and forced her to look in to his glowing red eyes.

"You will tell me!" hissed Skeletor. "Or I'll force you to feel so much pain that you'll beg to join the spirits of Grayskull."

With that two red beams shot out of Skeletor's eyes making the Sorceress feel like her head was on fire and no matter how much she tried to stop herself the Sorceress let out a terrorising scream.

 

As Fisto raced down one corridor Jitsu leaped out of nowhere and knocked Fisto to the ground.

"I don't know how you escaped." snarled Jitsu. "But now I'll have to kill you myself."

Jitsu then leaped at Fisto but Fisto moved as quickly as lightning and struck Jitsu with his forearm.

"You've forgotten that there was a time when we didn't have the Gauntlets of Power." snarled Fisto as he drove his fists in to Jitsu sending him flying. "I don't need the gauntlets to enhance my strength. Rel taught me how to do it naturally."

Fisto struck Jitsu again staggering Jitsu with ever blow. Jitsu was stunned by what was happening. Skeletor had replaced his hand with a golden one that enhanced his natural abilities far beyond those that even his Gauntlet of Power gave him, yet Fisto with no gauntlets to help him was beating Jitsu badly.

Brused and battered Jitsu reached in to his belt and pulled out some flash powder and threw it at Fisto. As Fisto was temporarily blinded by the flash powder Jitsu ran for Skeletor's throne room.

 

He-man heard the Sorceress scream and instantly the Heroic Warriors raced towards Skeletor's throne room. He-man didn't stop he just charged at the huge wooden doors and smashed them down.

Skeletor span around as the Heroic Warriors crashed in to the room.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!!" howled Skeletor as he grabbed his sword from his belt and held it to the Sorceress's throat. "One more step and I'll slice her head off."

He-man held his hands up to stop the Heroic Warriors.

"You monster!" snarled Man-At-Arms as he saw the bloody and bruised face of the Sorceress. "What have you done to her!"

Man-At-Arms was about to leap for Skeletor when He-man held him back.

"We can't risk it." said He-man as he saw Skeletor press his sword harder against the Sorceress's.

"That's right." said Skeletor. "Keep the old fool back. I wouldn't want the Sorceress's blood messing up my throne room floor." Skeletor the reached for his wrist comm. "Spikor, Tri-Clops, Evil-Lyn and Trap Jaw report to my throne room immediately."

He-man was about to say something when there came a thunderous crash from behind Skeletor's bone throne. Skeletor turned to see his throne be pushed over as a battered Jitsu came crashing through Skeletor's secret passageway.

"S-S-Skeletor I need the Gauntlets of Power!" cried Jitsu as he franticly searched for his golden gauntlet.

"What are you going on about?!" snarled Skeletor.

Before Jitsu could reply Fisto stormed through the door behind Skeletor's throne. His hands were dripping with blood and there was a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth from where he had choked so much that his lungs had started bleeding. At that moment the warriors that Skeletor had called for burst in to the room.

"Get him!" commanded Skeletor.

As Tri-Clops and Trap Jaw along with Jitsu stormed Fisto the other warriors attacked Teela and Man-At-Arms. Distracted by the fights in his throne room Skeletor failed to see He-man charge towards him. Skeletor barely had enough time to raise his sword as He-man crashed in him. Both He-man and Skeletor hit the floor hard and began trading blows.

The adrenaline rushing throughout Fisto's body made almost invulnerable to pain as he threw Trap Jaw and Tri-Clops away in his attempt to get to Jitsu. Trap Jaw landed hard and his weapon arm activated itself and shot a bolt of burning hot plasma towards the helpless Sorceress.

Seeing the Sorceress in danger Man-At-Arms drove his fist in to Spikor's face and leaped over to the Sorceress. Man-At-Arms swung his arm up to stop the plasma before it hit the Sorceress's face. The plasma began burning through Man-At-Arms's armor. Man-At-Arms quickly pressed a button on his armor and the damaged armor popped off and fell to the floor.

"Thank you Duncan." said the Sorceress. "Can you get this cursed collar off my neck."

"Not a problem." replied Man-At-Arms as he reached in to his belt and pulled out a small electronic device and held it against her neck. The collar began to buzz and snapped open.

Skeletor kicked He-man away and made a grab for the glass case that had fallen to the floor. As Skeletor reached for one of the gauntlets Fisto picked up Jitsu and slammed him down next to Skeletor. Jitsu made a grab for his golden gauntlet but Skeletor slapped him away. Skeletor then pulled the gauntlet on his hand. The gauntlet instantly transformed in to a huge set of claws and turned to the Sorceress and Man-At-Arms.

"He-man!" snarled Skeletor. "Watch your friends die!"

Skeletor's hand began to glow and crackled with evil magic. And a bolt of golden evil energy shot out towards the Sorceress and Man-At-Arms.

Seeing that He-man was too far away to stop Skeletor's magic Fisto leaped for his silver gauntlet. As soon as the gauntlet was on his hand he felt its magic instantly return to his body. Fisto leaped over the fallen bodies of Skeletor, Jitsu, Tri-Clops and Trap Jaw and as the magic bolt reached the Sorceress and Man-At-Arms Fisto flung his arm in to its path.

Fisto let out a scream of pure agony as Skeletor's magic tore through his body. Suddenly there was an explosion and Fisto was thrown to the other side of the room.

As the smoke cleared the Heroic Warriors saw that Skeletor and his men had vanished. He-man and the Sorceress raced over to Fisto. Fisto lay unconscious on the floor a bloody mess.

"Is he alive?" asked Man-At-Arms as he walked over to them holding his injured arm.

"Barely." said He-man. He-man then turned to the Sorceress. "Is there anything you can do for him?"

"Yes but we have to get him to Castle Grayskull." said the Sorceress. "I'm still weak from my experience with the Collar of Arbuk."

"We'd best mack it quick." said Teela coming back in to the room. "Because Skeletor's men won't be gone for long."

 

Fisto woke to find himself laying in a bed. Standing over him was He-man, Teela, Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress.

"What happened?" asked Fisto.

"You were injured saving the Sorceress and Man-At-Arms from Skeletor's magic." said He-man. "We had to bring you to Castle Grayskull so that the Sorceress could use her magic to heal you."

Fisto turned to the Sorceress.

"I thank you Sorceress." said Fisto. "You needn't have done it. Not after what I did."

"You willingly risked your life to save mine and Man-At-Arms." said the Sorceress. "By doing so showed that you are good at heart. I only did what I would for anyone who needs my help. But I do have to say that I was unable to save your hand."

Fisto looked down at his right hand to see that it was still covered with his silver gauntlet.

"Skeletor's magic fused the gauntlet to your hand." said the Sorceress. "His magic combined with the Gauntlet of Power has proven too much for my magic to remove your gauntlet from your hand."

Fisto looked back down to his hand and back to the Sorceress.

"This will remind me of how blind I have been." said Fisto holding up his hand. "I followed Jitsu in everything he wanted weather they were good or bad only to be betrayed by the one I trusted."

"We have all been betrayed by someone in our life's." said He-man. "The best thing you can do is make sure that you remain true to yourself. You have proven that you are a heroic warrior. Would you consider joining the Heroic Warriors in our battle against the forces of evil."

"I would be honored to join your army." said Fisto shaking hands with He-man. "But I must return to Sho'Kan and warn them about Skeletor and Jitsu. With a Gauntlet of Power in their evil clutches the village is in danger from the Clan of Blood."

Several days later after Fisto's injuries had healed Fisto met He-man, Teela, Man-At-Arms and He-man outside Castle Grayskull.

"Fisto if you ever need us." said He-man handing Fisto a communication device. "Then don't be afraid to call us."

"Thank you." said Fisto taking the device. After shaking hand with He-man, Teela, Man-At-Arms and the Sorceress Fisto turned and headed back towards Sho'Kan.

The End.