- Reluctant as always to see Merklynn to recharge his power staff and be ordered to do something in return, Mortredd asks Falkama how to defeat him. Reekon succeeds in getting the magic book the Omnitopogram and the Darkling Lords collect a plant which will subdue Merklynn after getting him away from his shrine which protects him. They allow the Spectral Knights to capture them and, when Merklynn appears to free them from the factory again, Darkstorm strips him of his power, steals the orb, and subdues Falkama. After banishing the wizards to a prison they cannot escape, he frees himself, immobilizes the Spectral Knights so the other Darkling Lords can follow, and curses Virulina, Reekon, and Lexor for pressing for more pay. But his plans for world domination with the others are interrupted when he dares to cast the mysterious, never-before-done Sacred Secret Spell, which causes a series of natural disasters destined to destroy Prismos.—brainybrailler@comcast.net
- Darkstorm is in a foul mood and tells Mortdredd that he is fed up with having to answer to Merklynn. The conversation between the two Darkling Lords quickly turns to Falkama, who has been imprisoned in the deepest dungeon in Castle Darkstorm since the Darkling Lords captured him. Darkstorm, seeking a means of deposing Merklynn, has Falkama brought before him, and Falkama says that in order to achieve his aim Darkstorm must obtain both a spellbook called the Omnipitocron and Merklynn's magic Orb. However, the latter cannot be taken from Merklynn as long as he stays in his Shrine, so Darkstorm must devise a plan to lure him out.
In the meantime, the Darkling Lords go with Falkama to the temple where the Omnipitocron is stored. Darkstorm tells Mortdredd to go and fetch the Omnipitocron and Mortdredd enters the temple, but is unable to get past the dragon which guards the Omnipitocron, emerging moments later with his backside on fire. As Mortdredd plunges himself into a nearby fountain, Reekon enters the temple. He manages to distract the dragon with food long enough for him to retrieve the Omnipitocron, but still gets flamed by the dragon on his way out. Consulting the Omnipitocron, Falkama tells the Darkling Lords they must have a plant called Wizard's Bane in order to defeat Merklynn. When Darkstorm gripes about going on another quest, Falkama says this will not be a quest as he knows where Wizard's Bane can be found.
Shortly after, a meeting in New Valarak is becoming heated as Ectar and a middle-aged woman argue over a proposal to build a barracks. The woman complains that having several rowdy young men as neighbours will disturb her sleep, to which Ectar retorts that his troops are well-disciplined. Leoric then tells Ectar and the woman to resolve their argument without resorting to name-calling and Ectar repeats his assurance about the discipline of his troops. At that moment, however, Witterquick bursts in and tells everyone that the Darkling Lords are advancing on New Valarak. This means the meeting will have to be cut short.
As the Darkling Lords (all of whom are on horseback) pass under a bridge, the Spectral Knights launch themselves at their enemies. The Darkling Lords quickly surrender and Leoric tells them that they will be put back to work in the factory they escaped from earlier, unaware that Darkstorm and his followers have deliberately allowed themselves to be captured in order to lure Merklynn away from Iron Mountain. Sure enough, it isn't long before Merklynn appears in the factory and frees the Darkling Lords, though he says it will be the last time he does this. The moment Darkstorm is freed, he produces the Wizard's Bane which instantly immobilises Merklynn. Falkama appears and tells the Darkling Lords they will take control of Merklynn's Shrine, but Darkstorm has no further use for Falkama and uses the Wizard's Bane on him, before banishing Falkama and Merklynn to the Wizards' Jail. He then teleports himself to Merklynn's Shrine. The Spectral Knights, having discovered that the Darkling Lords have escaped their bonds, try to secure the factory, but before they can do so Darkstorm casts a spell which turns all seven of them into statues.
Later, Darkstorm is making himself at home in Merklynn's Shrine when the other Darkling Lords arrive. It soon emerges that some of them, specifically Virulina, Reekon and Lexor, are unhappy with Darkstorm's rule, and Darkstorm promises to give each of his followers what they deserve. He turns Virulina into a hideous crone, causes Reekon to make the sound of a cash register every time he moves, and creates a clone of Lexor who lets everyone know what Lexor is really thinking, before turning each of them into statues. Having vanquished Merklynn and all the other Visionaries except Cindarr, Cravex and Mortdredd, Darkstorm shows his three remaining followers how he plans to reward their loyalty. Cindarr will be made intelligent, Cravex will be given a world where nothing can make him angry, and Mortdredd will have followers fawning round him as he does with Darkstorm. But, in a fit of megalomania, Darkstorm then recites the Sacred Secret Spell, an incantation which no wizard on Prysmos has ever uttered.
The Sacred Secret Spell triggers an earthquake, sending Darkstorm and his followers hurrying out of the Shrine. Moments later, a gigantic horned creature called Apocalipse emerges from the ground and tells Darkstorm that he has unleashed a series of plagues which will bring about the destruction of Prysmos. At Cravex's urging, Darkstorm consults the Omnipitocron, only to find that the pages have changed to show the plagues to come. Realising their only hope of stopping these plagues is to free Merklynn from the Wizards' Jail, Darkstorm and the others prepare to head there, but at that moment Virulina, Reekon and Lexor appear on the scene, the spells Darkstorm cast on them having worn off. The Darkling Lords are about to start fighting among themselves when fireballs start to bombard them and they are forced to put settling their scores on hold.
It seems there is no escaping the fireballs, but Lexor uses his Power of Invulnerability to protect everyone. Next, the Darkling Lords find themselves fighting a horde of vermin which Cindarr counters with his Power of Destruction. With the Wizards' Jail in sight, the Darkling Lords then have to outrun a tidal wave which engulfs them just as they reach their destination. Darkstorm, who cannot swim, flails around in the water and Virulina gloats at the thought of watching him drown. But Lexor tells her they need Darkstorm alive and she uses her Shark Totem to save him.
When he and Virulina enter the Wizards' Jail, Darkstorm hurries over to Merklynn and tells him that he has summoned the Sacred Secret Spell and Prysmos is about to be plunged into darkness. But Merklynn says the Sacred Secret Spell is simply a fail-safe which compels any mortal who tries to steal a wizard's magic and use it to cause destruction to return that wizard's Orb to its rightful owner. He then gives Darkstorm a sound scolding for his actions, telling him that he and his followers can expect no more favours from him, before reversing the destruction Darkstorm caused. However, the other wizards incarcerated in the Wizards' Jail have managed to escaped.
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