Episode 21 : Golden Machine Castle Gran Mal

Skeleton General Skull Kaiser
(Halloween Empire)

Skull Kaiser, formerly one of Samhain's greatest generals, stages a rebellion against impossible odds. The fate of countless worlds rests upon his ability to protect the Loss Queen and beat back her assailants. Along the way he is forced to fight old friends and make new allies...

Episode 21 : Golden Machine Castle Gran Mal

The episode opens with Skull Kaiser floating high above the Machine City facing Gear Binder. Gear Binder tells him that he still has no chance to succeed. He reminds Skull Kaiser of the Loss Tower's proximity and how it's only a matter of time before its secrets are exploited and Samhain is free to plunder any and all worlds. Moved to anger, Skull Kaiser powers up the 2nd level Ghost Kaiser and tries once more to attack Gear Binder. This time, he's far too powerful for the barrier and it shatters. Gear Binder, fearing for his life, cries out, "Clockwork Beam!" and Skull Kaiser narrowly escapes the attack which strikes a spire in the distance. Skull Kaiser turns and watches the effects of the Clockwork Beam and decides to re-evaluate his opponent as the spire is immediately consumed with what appear to be living, growing cogs and gears which spread rapidly and act like a cancer. Skull Kaiser turns back to face Gear Binder, but the Machine General has disappeared and several heavily shielded doors slide down into place to bar Skull Kaiser's passage. Before Skull Kaiser can decide what to do, there is a loud rumbling and steam jets from various points all over the machine castle. Gran Mal begins to shake violently and then it lurches forward! At first he's mortified but then Skull Kaiser recalls that this is in fact Gran Mal's power. Skull Kaiser regards Dust Pharaoh, who is hovering in the background with arms folded across his chest. He says to Skull Kaiser, "Consider me in reserve." Skull Kaiser sighs and repositions himself for a new strategy. Trying to best guess the castle's center of gravity, Skull Kaiser does a Ghost Kaiser attack. When he meets Gran Mal, the two seem to be the perfect example of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. Gran Mal's progress is halted and its forelegs even rise slightly off the ground, but other than that, they seem too evenly matched. Skull Kaiser realizes that he doesn't have enough power to do this for long nor is it really benefiting him in any way. He focuses his will and tries to power the Ghost Kaiser to new limits. He succeeds but not in the manner chose. The bulkhead he was up against buckles and he tears through Gran Mal like a bullet exiting its back and crashing into the ground beyond. Skull Kaiser gets up and shakes his head clear of stars and sees Gran Mal, essentially unharmed, proceeding towards the Loss Tower. He curses and doesn't know what to do but then his attention is caught by Dust Pharaoh who's put himself between the Loss Tower and Gran Mal. He shouts, "I once vowed that if I were to encounter a great man, I would bestow upon him three boons. Skull Kaiser, this is the second of your three. Zen Zen Nai!" As Dust Pharaoh begins to power up his attack, the panicked voice of Gear Binder is heard over a loudspeaker calling out, "Gran Mal Salvo!" Undeterred, Dust Pharaoh appears to claw at the air and his fingers drag with them two streams of visible wind which buffet Gran Mal and sweep up the barrage of missiles just launched. The missiles are disintegrated and Gran Mal seems caught up in a blurry haze that razes all surface features of the castle. The leg joints, bearing so much weight, crumble first and turn to powder causing the castle to cant and collapse. When Dust Pharaoh's assault is done, Gran Mal looks like a derelict wrecked millennia ago. In many places it is just a skeleton of I-beams which are themselves warped and rent. Skull Kaiser starts walking towards the wreck to find Gear Binder. We cut to Skull Kaiser avoiding the Clockwork Beam until he gets close enough to execute a Kaiser Claw. The head of Gear Binder continues to tell him that his success here is meaningless, that Samhain will win no matter what. The head cackles as Skull Kaiser drops it then crushes it under foot. He tears the Creation Cogs out of the still standing body of the former Machine General. He looks off through a hole in the wall towards the Root Palace and vows to destroy Samhain.

To Be Continued...