The Rio the Darkness Saga Remastered

Rio the Darkness 1

Chapter 4: Behind the Curtain

Good day, everyone. We are back with our fourth chapter in this remaster. When we last left off, Blu and friends encountered the mysterious Vadin. Let us see where their next adventure will take them.

Author shout out: Aninat131

And for our third shout out today, we have author Aninat131. Like bluecatcinema, Aninat was one of the first authors to begin writing Rio fan fictions. As of now, Aninat has written three Rio stories that are relatively short, covering the first movie as the second one wasn't even announced at this point. Their stories are really enjoyable, the writing style is fun and enjoyable to read, they are also consistent with Rio's tone while adding a little bit of higher rating and their comedy is on point. Overall, Aninat has produced some pretty great work.

In terms of writing, Aninat doesn't go into deep detail, but they write enough to understand what is happening and they keep it enjoyable to read. Honestly, it's a shame they didn't write more because I saw a lot of potential in Aninat becoming an even better writer. I haven't really spoken Aninat much, but from what I've gathered, Aninat is definitely a great person to talk to and a writer. I sometimes even look back here and there to remind myself of good times, funny comedy and great stories. If you're looking to read good and funny stories, definitely check out Aninat. You should start with the story called "The Only One."

The decision to take the fight directly to Vadin had been a difficult one for Blu to make, but after careful consideration, he decided it would be the best bet. Together, the friends begun their journey towards the gangster club. If Johnny were there, then no doubt Vadin would be present, too. Rico accompanied them on their journey, knowing they would need experience and combat skills.

The group arrived at their destination: another club like Nico and Pedro's, except it was in the jungle and not in the city. Instead of birds who love to party, it was full of gangsters whom would do nothing but hurt others. This was going to be a tough one.

Everyone landed a few feet away from the club, landing behind some bushes and trees for cover. Two gangsters were acting as a bouncers outside. This club consisted of heavy logs and bushes as its design, only one way in and one way out.

"This is the place," Rico declared.

"Think they're expecting us?" Blu questioned upon noticing the guards.

Rico shrugged and stepped forward. "Only one way to find out."

The hawk stepped out from his hiding spot, all the while the others tried to stop him.

"Rico, get back here!" Jewel commanded, but her demands fell on deaf ears.

Rico continued marching forward until he stood only a foot away from the bouncers, eyeing them closely. "I need to come inside."

"You on the list, tough guy?" one of them questioned.

"No."

"Then you aren't coming in coming inside!" the second one exclaimed. "Now beat it before we beat you."

Rico merely frowned, but soon changed into a smile. "Oh, I understand. I got my invitation right HERE!"

With one strong punch, Rico knocked one of the gangsters to the ground, leaving him unconscious. The second threw his wing forward, only to be countered and thrown to the ground. Rico kicked him while he was down, leaving him to join his ally. Satisfied, Rico turned and whistled as an all-clear signal. The others stepped out from their cover, clearly not amused with their new ally's recklessness.

Jewel even nudged him as they passed. "You haven't changed one bit."

Rico grinned while rubbing his wing, noting she had hit him harder than intended. "Could say the same about you."

"So, what's the plan here exactly?" Nico inquired. "We just gonna walk in and be like, "Oh hey, mind giving us siphon and letting us leave in peace?"."

"And they could be waiting for us in there!" Pedro added. "I value my tail feathers, you know!"

Blu stepped forward with both wings out, hoping to ease their worries. "This is going to be dangerous. I don't know what's going to be happen in there. But if it means freeing me from the Darkness, we have no choice. If I must use it to win, then we'll show Vadin why it's power is dangerous."

There were no protests between them. Everyone quietly made their way inside the club; their guard was at a maximum. Jewel had pecked Blu on the side of his beak before they entered together, wing in wing. The club inside was very dark to the point that visibility was limited.

"I can't see two feet in front of me!" Nico complained.

"We could hold wings in case we get lost," Pedro suggested.

"I am NOT holding wings," Rico responded negatively. Being the only bird with pure black feathers, he practically blended in with the darkness around them.

"Darkness…I FEED!"

Blu grunted but ignored the voice as they continued to march in the seemingly endless darkness. Their prayers were answered as a pair of bright lights sprung to life, lighting up the entire club around them. Everyone was forced to cover their eyes from the sudden light, blinding them temporarily.

"THE LIGHT!"

"And so, you come as predicated."

The second their eyes were adjusted to the light, everyone stepped back in defiance. Before them stood Vadin, accompanied with Johnny and their fellow brotherhood members with a couple of gangsters with them.

"Welcome," Vadin greeted as he stepped forward between the lights. "I had the feeling that you would be dropping by. Now, have you come to reconsider my offer?"

Blu stepped forward slightly, mustering all the strength he could to avoid giving off his obvious fear. "V-Vadin. I've come for the siphon. We just want that. No one needs to get hurt."

Behind Johnny, another new face appeared before them. A female gold and blue macaw joined the team, grinning widely. "It's cute that he thinks things will be peaceful. He must be new."

"That's right, Kate," Johnny agreed and planted a kiss on his girlfriend's beak.

The brotherhood leader responded with a small chuckle of amusement. "Ahh, so you know of it. I am impressed. Gentlemen."

Behind them, a couple of brotherhood members stepped out, wielding a golden blunt object. The siphon, no doubt. They placed the object into the ground firmly for Vadin.

Vadin stroked one wingtip over the item of power, admiring its creation. "Beautiful, is it not? Forged by the Angelus herself, designed to purely contain the Darkness. If you would be so kind as to step forward, we can begin the process."

It was clear from this point that Vadin had no intention of destroying the Darkness as promised. He wanted its power for himself or someone of a higher decent. Either way, Blu was not going to let that happen.

"No," Blu declined. "I won't let you."

Vadin merely sighed in disappointment. "If that is your choice. Gentlemen, subdue them."

Without hesitation, the brotherhood members jumped forward, armed with mysterious glowing purple weapons, made from dark essence. Everyone stood their ground and prepared for a fight before them. The brotherhood members attacked, swarming the group with little to no difficulty.

"Get off me!" Jewel demanded as she punched them away but was restrained with the rest of their friends.

Blu tried his best to summon the Darkness to help them, but even in the middle of the battle, it was no use. The light was too strong, preventing it's escape. With one strong punch, Blu was knocked unconscious by the brotherhood, leaving everyone alone.

Blu was uncertain on how long he had been unconscious. The last thing he remembered was the cries of his friends before totally darkness engulfed him. He was beginning to come to, greeted by small voices and the sounds of a blunt object hitting something metal.

"Keep him secured."

Blu finally came to, wakening to see big bright lights shining towards him. Strangely, he could feel something cold across his body. Upon regaining his sight, he gasped as he saw the gangsters nailing metal straps against him to the wall, across his neck, wings and on his legs just above his talons.

"That should keep him still," one gangster said as he hit the nail down on the straps, tightening them.

"Ow! Hey, what are you doing?" Blu exclaimed.

"What's the matter, macaw? Not so tough without the Darkness to back you up?" Johnny said, walking over to Blu. Raising his good wing, he struck Blu once across his face.

Blu coughed in response. "Please, I didn't want to hurt you, I just wanted the siphon!"

"Oh, you mean this?" Johnny said, walking aside to reveal the siphon and a trail of black and purple followed, directly towards him.

"Do not let them take me, Blu!"

Blu could feel the energy of the Darkness slowly leaving his body and into the siphon. Nearby, the rest of Blu's friends had been subdued. Rafael, Nico and Pedro were locked in a cage dangling from the ceiling, Rico was held down by two brotherhood members and as for Jewel, an additional three brotherhood held her down.

"Jewel!" Blu called. "Are you okay?!"

"Don't worry about me!" Jewel replied as she struggled to free herself.

In the meantime, Vadin stepped forward and placed one wing against Blu's head, forcing him to look into his eyes. "Now that I have your attention, I will ask again: will you give me the Darkness of your own free will?"

With no more options between them, Blu knew his choices were running low. "Okay, okay, you win. Just please, let my friends go first."

Vadin chuckled. "I knew you would see things our way, but I cannot follow with your request until we have the Darkness in our possession."

Johnny stepped forward and armed himself with a small blade, standing a small distance away from the two brotherhood members restraining Rico. "And to prove we're serious, this is what's going to happen!"

Everyone's eyes widened in horror as Johnny threw the knife with such accuracy and stabbed Rico directly into his stomach, leaving a huge trail of blood following. The hawk let out a painful and surprised gasp, grunting further when Johnny removed the weapon. The brotherhood released him, watching as his life was beginning to slip away.

Jewel screamed at the top of her lungs. "NOOO!"

"RICO!" the trio inside the cage yelled.

Johnny grinned in satisfaction as the hawk died. "Not so tough."

"Baby, you didn't have to do that," Kate spoke up, obviously not in agreement with her boyfriend's actions. She had some restrictions at the least.

Vadin stepped forward towards his ally, finally showing the first signs of frustration. "Moron! You only kill when I say so!"

"What's the big idea?" Johnny shrugged. "Had to get my point across. Now if we don't get the Darkness soon, I'll kill the girl, too!"

Blu's eyes were widened with shock, small tears beginning to form from witnessing the death of his friend. He did not know the hawk for more than a day, yet this was the first time he had witnessed a death before him. It was sickening to see someone get murdered like that in cold blood. The hawk had done so much for him in a small time, yet Blu did nothing to repay the kindness. He would never get a chance to do so.

But now, this same monster was threatening to hurt his mate. He tightened his wing in anger, shaking violently while he tried to keep himself calm. For the first time ever, he was furious, more angered than he had ever been in his lifetime. Even against Nigel, he had never been this angry. "You hurt Rico…You killed Rico…HOW DARE YOU!"

Vadin sighed and shifted his attention back towards Johnny again. "See, now you've made him mad. Why must I work with such incompetence? What's next? The lights going out?"

As if he cursed him, the lights had suddenly turned off, leaving everyone in a fit of panic. With only the power of the siphon acting as a light, everyone knew they were in trouble. Vadin, whom had grown accustomed to seeing in the darkness, watched as Rico looked towards him, holding a piece of wire in his wing.

With a final small chuckle, Rico spoke up. "Get them…Blu."

"RELEASE ME!"

No more boundaries were holding Blu back, he finally unleashed his hidden power. Releasing a roar of determination, the purple aura around him exploded, freeing him of his binds. He landed and glared towards the brotherhoods. However, his appearance was notably different compared to the previous two times.

Blu screamed towards his intended target, his voice no longer echoed from the Darkness and his eyes were no longer changed. "VADIN!"

The brotherhood members desperately moved forward to restrain him, throwing their fists forward to injure him. Unable to be stopped, Blu unleashed his full power, blasting everyone around him away. Johnny moved forward to attack, armed with his knife.

"DIE!" he screamed as he lunged forward.

Johnny landed beside him, throwing the blade forward. Quickly reflexes allowed Blu to catch his wing. In response, he raised his other wing and begun charging a single attack. His wingtips released separate small beams, blasting through different parts of Johnny's body. To finish, Blu whacked his wing against him, knocking the cruel macaw away until he hit the wall with a sickening thud, landing motionlessly on the ground.

Vadin was outraged at this outcome, not what he had expected. Throwing his staff to the side, he reclaimed the siphon and leaped back, sealing it closed. "Brothers, we must retreat!"

The remaining brotherhood members did as they were told, scattering in different directions. Those that had been knocked out were carried away by their allies. Vadin once again remained the only one standing.

Refusing to let him escape again, Blu leaped forward and threw his wing forward. Vadin blocked his attack with the siphon before dashing backwards. Though the object was blunt, Blu's super strength prevented damage to his wing.

"DESTORY HIM!"

"You certainly are something, Blu!" Vadin noted with his wing raised. "But you are not the only one with powers. Mal chama!"

Vadin released a flame of dark essence, engulfing Blu in its powers. The blue macaw released a cry of pain as he felt his feathers burn from around him, leaving him to fall to the ground. His friends were yelling for his safety.

As seconds passed, Vadin ceased his attack. The flames terminated, followed with the smoke vanishing. Although initially concerned, everyone was now shocked. Blu was completely unharmed by the attack, not a single piece of damage remained.

Vadin lowered his wing as the damage he caused had done its job for now. "Do not worry. You cannot die, Blu. The Darkness will not allow you. This was a mere example of what is to come."

Without another word, Vadin dashed away, leaving the friends alone. Still with his aura, Blu stepped forward and helped his loved one.

"Are you okay?" Blu inquired as he took her wing to help her stand.

"I think so," Jewel assured, watching with a mixture of sadness and relief. "Blu, you're in control."

Blu lifted both of his wings, noting the aura around him remained, but now he had full control over himself. The Darkness was quiet, not a single trace of it remained. "I am. I did it!"

"YOUR WILL IS MINE!"

It was too early to celebrate just yet. While Blu helped the others from the cage, Jewel fell and mourned the now deceased hawk, cradling him in her wings. The anger she held towards him vanished, replaced by one of sadness and regret.

"Rico," she whimpered. "I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve any of this."

Blu joined her shortly afterwards, placing both wings around her for comfort while the aura of dark essence powered down. The others watched with sympathetic looks. Nico took off his bottle cap and placed it against his chest as a sign of respect.

Their silent mourning was ruined by a small cry for help. "Please help me!"

Everyone's attention turned towards a part of the club that had been partially destroyed in the middle of Blu's attack. Kate was pinned against the ground, a small structure of wood against her wing.

"Don't leave me!" Kate pleaded while holding her free wing out. "Please."

Jewel focused towards her, wiping her tears away to replace her sadness with one of sternness. "Leave her."

Blu widened his eyes slightly in surprise. "Jewel, we can't just leave her like this."

Jewel's beak dropped open as her mate approached Kate, using his controlled power to lift the debris away with ease. "Are you kidding me?! She's one of them! Do you think she would show us the same mercy?"

"Maybe not," Blu admitted, taking Kate's one wing to help her stand. "But I'm not going to become like them."

Jewel did not approve one bit. Instead, her focus directed towards Rico. "I'm not leaving Rico like this, he deserves a proper burial."

With assistance from their friends, the group of five carried Rico and Kate out of the club. Now that Vadin had escaped, they were left no choice but to travel to São Paulo after all. It was going to be a long journey. Not only would it be tiring, but the event that occurred now would forever haunt them, leaving the group to mourn.

Rafael helped carry Kate from Blu, switching their roles. "Amigo, I'll get her to help, but I'm afraid this is where we have to part ways. For now."

Blu raised an eyebrow. "You're not coming?"

The toucan shook his head. "I can't. I'm useless to you out there, I would only get in the way. And worst, Vadin could have a whole army on his side. My family could be in danger, too. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry," Blu reassured. "I have control of the power. For now, at least. We can do this."

Rafael nodded and patted his amigo on the back. "Good luck, my friend. Take care."

Burying Rico had been an emotional moment for every present, but none more than Jewel. She was holding back her tears, keeping strong. The group of four gathered outside the grave they had buried him under, allowing him to rest in peace. It was a difficult time for them all, his death hitting them harder than they thought.

Jewel knelt to his grave, wishing him a final farewell. "Goodbye Rico. Until we meet again."

She stood tall and joined the rest of her friends, sharing a quick hug with Blu while doing so.

With a small sigh, Nico turned towards the others while placing his bottle cap back into his head. "What do we do now?"

Blu spoke up. "We go to São Paulo, find Andre, get the answers and put an end to this."

"And how we gonna get there?" Pedro questioned. "It's gonna be a long journey!"

Everyone turned towards the other, sharing confused faces. That was until Nico spoke up. "I think we got an idea."

And that brings us to the end of chapter 4, everyone. Blu has gained control of the Darkness for the time being. The group are left in devastation over the loss one their black hawk. Stay tuned for chapter 5 as our group of feathered friends travael to São Paulo.