Fear's Peak
"Ha HA! I knew you wouldn't be as good as me."
"You pain in the… LIGHT!"
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Raimundo and Kimiko watched unaffectedly as a yellow blur shot into the air and away from the temple, the screaming fading as it did.
"Looks like Omi did it again." Kimiko stated as the yellow dot began it's decent, crash landing near a tree just outside the temple grounds.
"I told him not to get aggressive with him." Rai shrugged, turning towards where the youngest monk had taken off from. "Now let's go see the damage."
It didn't take them long to find Roxas. They caught him just as he left the training grounds, heading towards the temple, drenched with water.
"What did he do this time?" Kimiko sighed as Roxas noticed them, wiping a strand of hair from his eyes.
"He decided that I needed training the ancient art of 'dodging the bucket of ice water'." Roxas replied sarcastically, starting to shake.
"So you sent him up like a rocket." Raimundo snickered, patting him on the back. "I'm so proud of you. I gotta remember that one."
"Yeah well. Now I'm heading in for a towel and dry clothes. I'm freezing." Roxas muttered, though a small grin had grown on his face, and headed inside.
"You don't think he's all that mad do you?" Kimiko asked, watching him go.
"No, just cold and irritated. I don't think Omi did any real damage this time." Raimundo responded before grinning. "Besides, I think he got a sense of satisfaction blasting the pain in the butt." With that, the two headed off, figuring that it would be best to check up on the wayward monk.
The streets of New York were as busy as ever. Everywhere you looked, the footpaths were crowded and the streets were full of cars not able to move an inch, honking at each other. A place forever filled with frustration and chaos. The perfect place to create fear.
"FINALLY!" A man snapped at a cross-section as the lights changed, hitting the accelerator. However, just as he started moving a, a swirling, eerie, green energy started swirling in the middle of the cross and steadily grew in size. "AAAAHHHH!" The screeching of the car's breaks joined the screaming as the man hit the break, managing to stop half an inch from where the portal finished growing two seconds before a streak of purple fire exploded out from the middle.
"Yes, that's it. Scream. Let your fear grow." Came a dark, malicious voice as the purple flames pulled back, revealing the ghostly knight to the citizens. "Beware living realm. For the Fright Knight, the ghost of fear, has returned." With that proclamation, he raised his hands and fired purple beams all around him, revealing in the destruction and terror filled screams. "Yes, that's it. Be afraid. Be terrified. Make me unstoppable and bring the Valour Guardians running. Hahahaha!"
Namine's gaze was focused on the man screen up in Valour's Light's bridge, watching as Danny and Big Chill dodged another explosion. A giant, bald Saiyan calling himself Nappa had descended to Earth in the middle of Ohio and, with the aid of his little, green minions, was attempting to conquer the planet. It wasn't too big of an issue, Gohan was stronger then the bulky Saiyan and the minions lacked the power their master possessed, but with twenty minions, and all of them throwing energy blasts and flying around, it was a mission that required time and numbers.
"This guy's fully aware of each person's power levels and where they are thanks to that device on his face." Namine muttered, turning her attention to the keyboard as the image changed to two little, green guys jumping in between Jake and Gwen's shots at Nappa. "If I could just hack into it…" Just as she scanned the device and started working on hacking into it, an alarm sounded and the second, large monitor flashed on just in time to reveal the Fright Knight throwing a giant, purple energy ball at a building before diving down and slashing his sword through a woman.
Namine's eyes widened in horror at the sight, but it quickly turned to shock as she watched the results. Instead of being split in two, as Namine had expected, the woman flashed green and disappeared without a trace. By the time that she managed to pull her eyes away from the place the civilian had been, the knight had already done the same thing to two more people and Namine noticed that the flames forming his cape had grown bigger.
"This is bad. I've got to call Rai and Roxas." Pressing a few buttons, Namine sent out the call to their communicators, bringing up the team's villain archives on one of the small screens while she waited for their response.
Roxas threw his towel down as he finished drying his hair and opened his bag.
"I have got to get more clothes." He muttered, only finding his battle attire left. Sighing he picked it up and dressed himself. Just as he zipped up his shirt, his communicator started beeping from the desk. It was followed almost immediately by Raimundo barging through the door, his own beeping communicator in hand.
"Look's like we got trouble." Rai stated, opening his handheld device, revealing a small keypad and a screen with Namine on it. "What's up my lady?"
"Guys, a dark knight is destroying New York." Namine responded, bring up a picture in picture revealing the scene. "I'm running his picture through our archives now… got him. He's called the Fright Knight."
"Never heard of him." Rai frowned, clenching his teeth as another person disappeared in a flash of green after meeting the knight's sword. "What's he doing with those people?"
"According to his file, the Fright Knight is one of the most powerful ghosts in existence." Namine started, sending the data to Rai's communicator. "He grows even more powerful the more fear there is in the world and when he slashes you with his sword, you're transported to a pocket dimension where you're forced to live your greatest fear."
"In addition to all that, he also has flight, intangibility and invisibility, like every other ghost." Roxas frowned, checking the data on his own communicator before his eyes widened in fear. "Why are you calling us Namine? What happened to the others?"
"They're all busy with an enemy Saiyan and his flunkies." Namine responded reassuringly. "They're fine, but they won't be able to stop this guy before he's destroyed half of New York and sent who knows how many people to pocket dimensions."
"Ok then, We'll be there as soon as we can. Rai out." Closing the Communicator, Rai turned to Roxas with a sad smile. "Guess it's back to work."
"We'll just have to pick relaxation time back up later." Roxas responded, throwing his jacket on. "Grab the artillery. We've got a ghost to bust."
"And there goes another one." The Fright Knight said smugly, as another person, this time a ten year old boy, disappeared in a flash of green. The whole while, the Fright Knight's flame cape continued to intensify and his blasts increased in size. "Ah, so much fear." He sighed blissfully as more and more power flowed through him and the screams of people running for their lives filled his ears. "I should have done this millennia ago."
"Wudai Star Wind!" The Fright Knight's eyes widened as a swirling portal appeared right in front of him a second before the voice heralded a fierce gale ploughing right into his gut and knocking him towards a far building, barely managing to go intangible before colliding with a brick wall.
"Who dares attack the Fright Knight?" The ghostly knight demanded furiously as he phased back through the wall.
"Only one of the greatest fighters around." Staring down at where the portal had been, the dark knight locked eyes with a teenage boy clad in red and white robes and golden claws on his right hand.
"Ah, Wudai Warrior, of the Valour Guardians." Fright Knight called calmly, flying down and landing a few feet away. "I was wondering when you'd have the courage to show yourself. Though I must admit, I expected more of you to come. At the very least, I thought Danny Phantom would be here."
"The others are tied up with another mission." Rai replied, dropping into an offensive stance. "But I assure you, we'll be more then a match for you."
"And who, pray tell, is we?" Fright Knight asked, raising an eyebrow under his helmet.
"Him and me." Fright Knight's eyes widened again and it was only by instinct that he managed to spin around and swing his sword in time to block two, white glowing Keyblades.
"The Key of Destiny. You're actually still willing to reveal yourself to the world? After all the pain that it puts you through on a daily basis?"
"There opinions of me don't matter." Roxas snapped, jumping back before coming in with another slash.
"You tell yourself that, but I know otherwise. I can sense your fear. I have to say, even I've never seen someone so afraid of rejection." Fright Knight retorted, parrying Roxas' strike before launching a kick into the blond's gut. Roxas gasped, completely winded as he flew back into a streetlight before sinking down it, collapsing on the ground.
"Rox!" Rai cried worriedly. Seeing that he was still conscious, Rai turned a glare at the ghost, whipping a brown item out of his pocket. "Silk Spinner!"
Fright Knight quickly thrust out his free hand and blasted the oncoming web, creating a thin layer of smoke, blocking Rain from view.
Rai moved quick and shot up and dived through the smokescreen, landing a powerful kick to the Knight's head. As Fright Knight stumbled, Raimundo spun around and lashed out with another kick, only for his opponent to phase through it and take to the air.
"Grr." Snarling, Rai shot up after him, pulling out a necklace from his pocket. "Eye of Dashi, Wind!"
Fright Knight watched as the combination of wind and lightning surged towards him, however, instead of being worried, like most would be, he just chuckled darkly and thrust his sword down to meet it, cutting right through the assault.
"No way!" Rai cried, his eyes and mouth open wide in disbelief. "That's one of the most dangerous attacks in elemental magic and he cut through like a knife through butter."
"I'm the spirit of Halloween! The day when magic is most powerful. Of course I have some sway over such power. Or more specifically, my sword does." Fright Knight called down smugly. Readjusting his grip on the sword, he dived down, intent on ploughing the magical weapon right through Raimundo's chest.
"Whoa!" Rai hastily dropped his altitude and ripped the Blade of the Nebula from his waist just in time to redirect the sword away from him. Unperturbed, Fright knight launched into a barrage of slashes, forcing Raimundo to stay on the defensive, constantly blocking the blade and forever descending, unable to compare with the raw strength behind the Fright Knight's assault.
"This is perfect?" Fright Knight gloated as his sword once again clashed with Rai's, forcing the wind wielder down to only ten feet off the ground. "Your fear is growing, as is the fear of everyone watching. Which means, I'm continuously growing even stronger while you're tiring. In but a few moments, you'll be defeated, instilling even greater fear in not only our spectators, but people world wide. For I will have defeated one of their greatest heroes. Goodbye, Wudai Warrior."
Just as his flame cape increased again, Fright Knight launched into a diagonal slash. Raimundo blocked it with a vertical slash of his own, but his weakened muscle could resist the ghostly knight's forever strengthening ones and with loud cry, was tossed back into a car, leaving a deep, human shaped dent.
"Interesting." Fright Knight commented, picking up Rai's lost blade. "I thought that it would shatter, I definitely hit it hard enough. A truly wonderful piece of magic."
"You think that's impressive?" A cold voice asked. Turning around, Fright Knight screamed as nine swords of light struck his chest, sending him fly back with as much force as Raimundo had and into a fire hydrant. "What do you think of my shot?" Roxas asked, raising Oathkeeper, it's blade charging to release another shot.
"Argh! The power of light. Such holy magic has always been a pain." Fright Knight scowled, using his flames to dry himself off as he rose back to his feet. "But this time, it won't be enough to stop me." In the blink of an eye, Fright Knight made a beeline for Roxas, sword ready to strike in one hand and a sphere of purple energy in the other.
"Light!" Working fast, Roxas released the power he'd channelled through Oathkeeper, shooting the light into the air before it split into nine pillars and dropped to just above the ground, blocking the Fight Knight and forming a circle around him. Frowning in concentration, Roxas thrust his skyward arm down so Oathkeeper was pointing directly at Fright Knight. The pillars responded by simultaneously shooting inward at the Ghost and exploded upon impact.
"Did that do it?" Roxas puffed, scanning the area as the dust cleared. "I know I'm not strong enough to destroy him, so where is he?"
As Raimundo slowly opened his eyes, it was to find Roxas standing in a wrecked street with no knight ghost in sight.
Is it over? He thought, trying to get off the car, only for pain to explode throughout his entire body and force him to drop back down with a strangled cry of agony. Clenching his teeth, he raised his head back up to ask Roxas for help when his heart stopped at a horrific sight before him. "Rox, behind you!"
Eyes widening at Rai's strangled, but panicked cry, Roxas spun on his heel just as the Fright Knight rose out of the ground and became tangible, his sword aimed right at Roxas' exposed chest.
"I win, Key of Destiny." Fright Knight stated triumphantly and ran Roxas through.
"Aahh!" Roxas screamed, his face clenched in pain for a second before his whole body glowed green ad he too disappeared.
"Success! I have captured one of the nine Guardians." The Fright Knight exclaimed, laughing evilly. "And with so much fear brought into existence, my power has doubled. Now to find the other Guardi- AAHHH!"
Rai watched in fear and amazement as the Fright Knight's sword faintly glowed white before it intensified and consumed the suddenly worried ghost. A moment later, Raimundo was forced to shut his eyes as the light exploded outward, blinding everyone still hiding in the area. When the glare finally died down, the people, Rai included looked up and dropped their jaws at the sight before them.
The Fright Knight's armour had changed colour, from it's dull grey to a bright white. The pumpkin on the end of his sword's handle had also turned white and the entire weapon had a swirling, white and green glow. Finally, the flames on his back had increased in size tremendously and was shaped like wings that flapped lightly as his dark, malicious laughter echoed through the air.
"Amazing. The Guardian's powers are connected to his emotions. And who would have believed that he had so much power hidden inside of him? He didn't use anything near this much in our fight. Now I have enough power to take over this entire realm!"
"W-what? How d-did you get Rox' p-power?" Rai stuttered out, clenching his teeth as the pain in his chest intensified with each word.
"When someone feels fear, I absorb it, creating a slight mental connection, mortal." Fright Knight started, a little surprised that Raimundo was still alive, but not really caring. "When my sword sends them to a pocket dimension, the link increases and since your friend's power is connected to his emotions, his power travelled through the link and into me." Laughing maniacally, he raised his free hand towards Rai, white and purple energy gathering in his open palm. Seeing his end coming, Raimundo just glared as best he could at the ghostly knight, refusing to show fear, not that it really mattered considering who he was staring down.
"I could kill you right now." The Fright Knight stated darkly before dropping his hand, his energy dissipating. "But for now, I'm going to let you live. I'll take down the other seven first, that way I can see the look of hopelessness and despair in your eyes when I come back for you. Hahahaha!" With that, his flame wings encased him and he shot off like a white and purple shooting star.
"No. I've got to c-call Namine." Raimundo gasped, ignoring the pain and pulling his communicator out of his pocket. He didn't care how much it hurt him. His friends were in extreme danger and he was going to do whatever it took to save them. Especially Roxas.
Flipping the communicator open, he used one shaky finger to push a red button with an S on it before succumbing to his injuries and passed out. His communicator dropped from his hands and onto the ground. On the screen was a flashing SOS.
