- Reekon and Mortredd are seen in the Dagger Assault by a man of Khemir, a ruined city that relied on robot slaves and whose people have never worked for themselves and are not eager to start. Arzon and Feryl see this but Reekon tricks the Khemirites into attacking them, so on their way to tell the other Spectral Knights the Capture Chariot is damaged and Arzon injured. The Darkling Lords promise to supply the Khemirites with slaves in exchange for their allegiance, and Darkstorm has a group disguised as poor wanderers enter the Spectral Knights' castle to let them in. They steal Leoric's and Witterquick's power-staffs for the Darkling Lords, who best the Spectral Knights, remove their totems, and force them into slavery as an alternative to torturing the New Valaricans. When Feryl and Arzon finally make it back, Feryl is captured to protect Arzon, who escapes - but Darkstorm orders that he must surrender, or the other Spectral Knights will be forced to work the dangerous vanadium mines.—brainybrailler@comcast.net
- Reekon and Mortdredd (in the Dagger Assault) are on their way back to Castle Darkstorm after a patrol when Belizar, a young man from the city of Khemir, calls out to them to stop. They do so and Belizar tells them that Khemir has been overrun by the jungle, all machines have ceased to function, and the people are starving. The Khemirites believe themselves to be above manual labour and are desperate to repair the robots which used to do all the work in the city. After their leader, Orzon, tries without success to fix the robots using magic, a woman named Marna suggests the Khemirites try doing their own work, but is told this goes against Khemirite culture. Just then, Reekon and Mortdredd arrive with Belizar. Reekon asks the Khemirites to pledge allegiance to him, but Mortdredd says they should pledge allegiance to Darkstorm and leaves in the Dagger Dart to fetch the Darkling Lords' leader.
Meanwhile, Arzon and Feryl are also in the area and are on the trail of Reekon and Mortdredd. When Feryl sees Mortdredd flying past in the Dagger Dart, he and Arzon conceal the Capture Chariot and continue on foot. Presently, they arrive in Khemir where Reekon, seeing them, tells the Khemirites that the two Spectral Knights are going to enslave them. In response, the Khemirites give chase and a battle ensues, culminating in Arzon and Feryl being sent plummeting towards the jungle floor by Darkstorm, who has just arrived with Mortdredd. Shortly after, Darkstorm tells the Khemirites that, if they accept his over-lordship, they will soon have human slaves to replace their robots.
That night, the Khemirites arrive at New Valarak and claim sanctuary. Ectar is suspicious of them and suggests they should stay outside the city, but Galadria says they only want food and shelter, and Leoric agrees that he and his followers should offer the Khemirites their hospitality for as long as it is needed. A short time later, Cryotek reports that Arzon and Feryl have not returned from their patrol, but Leoric is unconcerned, saying Arzon and Feryl are most likely joyriding in the Capture Chariot. He is unaware that the real reason Arzon and Feryl have not reported in is because the Capture Chariot was badly damaged in the earlier battle and is now barely capable of moving.
Later, the Khemirites begin to carry out Darkstorm's plan. When Cryotek (who is on guard duty) challenges them, Belizar knocks him out; the Khemirites then give the Darkling Lords a signal telling them to advance on New Valarak. Marna and Belizar steal Leoric and Witterquick's Power Staffs, throwing them to Cindarr who misses one of the Staffs. The clang of the dropped Staff wakes Galadria, who looks out of her bedroom window to see the Darkling Lords in New Valarak. She rouses Leoric and tells him what she has seen, as Witterquick and Ectar join them. Ectar says he suspects the Khemirites are involved and Leoric says they should get their armour on and investigate. In the battle which follows, Leoric manages to get to his Power Staff and summon the Owl of Wisdom which tells him that comfort and wealth don't matter if you are not free. Moments later, Darkstorm knocks Leoric out and orders the other Spectral Knights to surrender if they want their leader to live.
Darkstorm then has each of the captured Spectral Knights placed in the Magical Dungeon, claiming they no longer need their Totem powers now that they are the slaves of the Khemirites. A tournament is to be held to determine which of the Darkling Lords will get the captured Power Staffs, and Belizar says he wants to compete, but Darkstorm says he is not a Darkling Lord and is therefore not eligible. Leoric says the Spectral Knights cannot be conquered so easily, to which Darkstorm says that, unless Leoric accepts this turn of events, the people of New Valarak will be made to suffer. Faced with this, Leoric reluctantly says he and his followers will co-operate.
The Spectral Knights begin their careers as slaves. Leoric and Ectar, put to work moving furniture, are given a hard time by Belizar, who is annoyed that he will not be allowed to compete in the tournament and takes it out on them by repeatedly changing his mind about where he wants a cabinet placed. Eventually, this leads to an altercation between Belizar and Ectar, during which Leoric hears the Capture Chariot's engine. Hurrying to the window, he shouts at Arzon and Feryl to get away, but Feryl is quickly captured and stripped of his Totem power, before being thrown into a cell along with Leoric. There, Darkstorm says that unless Arzon turns himself in all the Spectral Knights will be sent to the Vanadium Mines and made to work until they drop. Arzon, who is nearby in his Eagle form, overhears and immediately surrenders.
Later, as the Darkling Lords begin their tournament, Marna approaches Leoric, Arzon and Feryl. Arzon's willingness to sacrifice his freedom rather than allow his friends to suffer has made her understand that freedom at the expense of others is not true freedom, so she has decided to free the Spectral Knights. Shortly after, Belizar spots the Spectral Knights making their escape and tries to alert Darkstorm, but Marna calls out to him to stop, saying they should support Leoric and his followers even if this means the Khemirites lose the comfort they do not deserve. Convinced by Marna's argument, Belizar tells Darkstorm there is nothing to worry about, and the two Khemirites help the Spectral Knights to regain their Totem powers.
Having had their Totem powers restored, the Spectral Knights interrupt the Darkling Lords' tournament. This leads to a battle, during which Cravex targets Leoric with the Spider of Fear, but Orzon throws himself into the Spider's path and gets bitten. He then starts hallucinating that his people's robots are turning on him and plan to make him their slave. In the meantime, the Spectral Knights gain the upper hand and the Darkling Lords are forced to retreat. Shortly after, Orzon comes to his senses and says he now realises he was afraid of being enslaved, to which Marna says the Khemirites have been enslaved for years. Orzon then says he is renouncing slavery forever. Belizar hopes he will one day prove worthy of knighthood; until then, he will stay in New Valarak and help the people to rebuild.
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