Skylanders: Found

8. The Lake of Legends

A book written by Whisper Rattertap called 'The Wonders of Water' once described the Lake of Legends as a 'sacred mass of sparkling water'. This description – Stump Smash soon found out – did not do it justice whatsoever. If he were to write his memoirs one day – which eventually he did – he felt like he would describe it to a better degree than Whisper had managed to grasp. To break up the suspense, I shall tell you that he managed to reach this goal. The following is an extract from his autobiography, 'Barking up the Wrong Tree':

"I will never forget my first glance at the Lake of Legends. A sheet of crystals danced merrily in the centre of an otherwise indistinct island. While the journey had shown us many delights – fantastic flames, rough rocks, perfect plants – the island which surrounded the lake was awfully bare. It only occurs to me now that this may have been intentional; it is possible that the lake itself would have been less grand if another wonder surrounded it. And, as I say, the lake was faultless. Layers of beauty folded over waves of perfection, producing splendour to the eye. I wondered – and, I admit, still do – about the joy it would be to let my legs seep into the ground and spend my final days filling my body with the purity of the island. As long as the Spirito Souls approved, that is."

Stump's eyes didn't usually grow too large, but on this instance they were bulging out of his head, attempting to capture every inch of the lake's magnificence. And, despite having visited the sight previously, Chill and Cali had a very similar experience. "Isn't it beautiful?" Cali sighed as she sat in the short, leafy grass. Chill nodded, taking her helmet off in awe, releasing a shortly cut bundle of golden hair. Chill's hair was not a sight many had beheld, but Stump didn't pay a great deal of his attention to take it in; the lake was far too mesmerising. Dragonflies bounced through the sweet air, a sight which caught Stump's attention. Without noticing it, an hour had passed.

"Is it for the ancient ritual?" Chill eventually asked, facing Cali. Cali smiled cheerfully and stood up.

"Sure is!" She replied, rushing to Stump Smash's side. Placing a hand behind his back, Cali ushered the tree to move to the edge of the lake. He did not resist whatsoever as he longed to greet the lake so closely. Cali then let out a large whistle and then turned to Chill with a grin. He wasn't aware of what exactly, but Stump knew the two were up to something. And that's when it happened: a golden fairy dressed richly appeared from the centre of a lake, producing a small ripple within the still lake.

"Welcome...to the Lake of Legends." Said the fairy, bowing in mid-air. "Is it truly time to circumnavigate the realms of the Ancients already?" She let out a small 'eep' of excitement. Stump Smash looked the fairy up and down (which frankly wasn't hard at all) and knew that he had a disliking for this particular individual. He wasn't all that fond of Persephone, but this fairy had already placed things on a whole new level. She was dressed entirely in gold, bar a crimson scarf. A golden dress, golden shoes, golden gloves- He was pleased that she had pale, white skin and frizzy red hair because otherwise, he may as well be looking at a golden bar. This was not all that made him cautious, though. He was also under the impression that this particular fairy might have something to do with getting his legendary armour. Did he really want to trust another obnoxious fairy with his life? In the end, though, he knew that he had come far too close to give up now. Besides, the lake was such a tranquil place that he couldn't help but feeling calmer about the situation than perhaps he would have otherwise.

"Oro!" Cali greeted happily, though Stump Smash pieced out a slight strain in her voice. "It's great to see you again!"

"And you, too, Callista!" She replied, doing a somersault in the air. "Have you been up to much?"

"Well, actu-" Cali began, not realising it was a rhetorical question.

"Since last time, I've been learning of the marvels of significance!" Oro explained enthusiastically, before gliding speedily to the group. "Significance of names!"

"Names?" Chill asked in an irritated voice, taking a couple steps back.

"NAMES!" Oro shouted, spinning frantically. "Callista, your name means beautiful!" Cali raised an eyebrow before smiling with some kind of vague pride. Oro then turned to Chill and Stump Smash, moving a little too close for comfort.

"That's all very good, Oro," Cali interrupted, "but can we get on with the ceremony?" Oro turned back to Cali and smiled.

"Of course!" She glided back to the lake. "It is time to drink!" Drink? Stump found himself, without much hesitation, leaning into the lake and taking a long sip of the lake's precious water. He looked up to see Oro beaming at him. "Thousands of years ago, eight solemn soldiers met at this very spot." She began, her voice toning down a little. "Eight warriors who saw injustice in Skylands and knew it was up to them to rebalance the world stood here and each took an oath to protect Skylands from evil."

"The Giants." Stump Smash whispered to himself, imagining the eight founding members of the Skylanders.

"Together they produced an elite team which would put an end to the evil supressing so much of Skylands: the Arkeyans. It was here that the Skylanders were born." Oro continued, "Shortly after this meeting, they began to battle their way to victory, picking up new recruits where they could."

"New recruits?" Stump Smash asked out loud. He'd heard this story thousands of times before, but this was a detail he thought must be incorrect.

"Oh, yes!" She replied, "By the time the Giants won in the last battle, many skylanders – most now lost to time – were left behind to continue the work of the Skylanders." She waved her hand and a few pictures floated in the air, producing images of skylanders of old. A few were familiar, most were not.

"The Senseis..." Chill said under her breathe, her face full of curiosity. This was new to her as well, Stump realised.

"And now, here we are. Thousands of years later, another legend is crowned." Oro announced, waving her hand at Stump Smash. Within seconds, a jet of golden light shined over him and illuminated him in a coat of legendary colours. She then smiled sweetly before backflipping into the lake without a trace. Stump looked down at himself with proud. It was surreal to look down at himself and see his legendary colours at last.

And then, with a flash, the colours vanished.