In the darkened castle of the Dark Crystal far from the valley of the urRu lived the Skeksis. Hooded and ugly, quarrelsome and unkind, the Skeksis were the same in number has the urRu, but their wicked opposites. Now only nine of each being remained. At the moment urSu died, the Emperor of the Skeksis has died also.
Deep within the castle the Skeksis were bitterly arguing over who would be the next Emperor. Of all the Skeksis, the two most powerful were the Garthim-Master and the Chamberlain. Each disliked the other, and the rivalry for the throne was making that dislike even greater.
Suddenly Garthim-Master looked at the Chamberlain, and shouting, "Haakskeekah!" he challenged his hated enemy to a duel. As was the Skeksis custom, instead of striking each other with their swords, the two opposites struck at a large stone. The first to shatter it would win both the duel and the Emperor's throne.
Grunting and groaning from the weight of their weapons, the Garthim-Master and the Chamberlain swung their ceremonial swords as they struggled to splinter the stone. The Garthim-Master who was the stronger, was the first to do so. As he did, cheers of rejoicing met the new Emperor's ears.
The remaining Skeksis then surrounded the Chamberlain, tore his ornamental robes from him, and left him in tattered rags.
All at once a cry "The Crystal!" echoed through the castle. The Skeksis turned their backs on the disgraced Chamberlain and rushed frantically to the Crystal Chamber talking excitedly, pushing and pulling at each other rudely.
Suspended in midair at the chamber's center was the Dark Crystal. Once clear and glowing, it now gave off a dark, unnatural light. The Crystal had never healed, so it remained cracked and decaying.
Now the Skeksis could see, pictured in the Crystal, an image of Jen climbing a steep cliff on his journey toward Aughra's dome. He had been spotted by the Skeksis' spying Crystal Bats. In their claws they grasped seeing crystals, which had beamed Jen's picture back to teh Crystal in the castle.
The Skeksis were filled with panic at what they saw. They thought they had killed every Gelfling. But now it seemed that one Gelfling was still alive, and a live Gelfling could destroy them all.
"Gelfling! Gelfling!" The Garthim-Master screamed at once for his army of monstrous soldiers. The Garthim were were like huge dark beetles, armored, hard, and heavy.
Looking at the picture of Jen deep inside the Crystal, the Garthim-Master hoarsely commanded his Garthim, "Kill it! Kill the Gelfling!"
Immediately the Garthim, creatures of destruction, clattered out of the castle, followed by a rattling swarm of Crystal Bats.
Lurking in a darkened corner of the chamber, the Chamberlain could also see the image of Jen. He turned and left the castle alone, going the same way as the Garthim, in pursuit of the Gelfling.
