FINALLY YES! HAHAHAHAHA!
Fun and Super Danny: Aaaah! *fall back from sheer force of scream*
All three seasons of Danny Phantom are finally on DVD, if any of you weren't aware before! I've been waiting forever! This is amazing! Not to mention that all of my AP exams and school are out of the way! And that means UPDATES! And updates that are NOT dispersed across six month intervals—or one month, for that matter! Haha! I'm just as happy as you; I've wanted to open up shop again for so long now!
Alrighty! I don't really have much more to say but happy reading! It's a little bit longer than normal, and I think you can guess why! Think of it as a treat for bearing with me for so long! Hope you like it!
*cracks knuckles and grins broadly* Let's make this shindig happen!
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom
Chapter Nine
Poison Paradise
Danny's eyes flew open. It was still nearly pitch black, the swirling green clouds up above dull and providing only enough light to dimly illuminate the tops of the trees. The young halfa sighed and momentarily closed his eyes once again, his breathing coming in slow deep inhales and exhales through the mouth. It wasn't a dream. He really was still here. And that meant that the same situation was still holding true. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes again, this time actually turning his head to either side of him in the small hollow. However, unexpectedly, he was alone.
The boy held his head in both hands as the movement made the scenery around him blur, as if it had wanted to stay in that same place in his vision. Danny moaned softly from discomfort; this was way too surreal for his taste. Maybe it actually was still a dream? But why would he still be in the same place he had been before he had drifted off? He closed his eyes and shook his head to try to drive off the visual lag he was experiencing. When he opened them once again, he turned his gaze slower to find that the environment was still very fuzzy, but it wasn't nearly as overwhelming as it had been before.
Something emitting a soft glow caught the corner of his eye; Danny turned his head to take a closer look. It was the bright red feather the phoenix spirit had given him. An eerie and mournful wind had picked up and was about to sweep it away, but it had fortunately gotten caught in a crevice of the rocky shelter. How did it get out here? I put this away! Danny mused.
He snatched it up hastily before it got the chance to be carried out of reach. The half ghost gave it a slight squeeze; it was still very warm to the touch, though by itself it wasn't nearly as hot as the plumage on the bird had been originally. The pleasant warmth started to spread through his body, feeling wonderful as his ghostly form added to the long exposure to the Ghost Zone environment had left him quite numb from the cold. Danny lowered the feather as he turned his attention away from it for the moment.
"Vlad…?" he softly called out, his voice carrying a little farther out due to the ghostly echo his spectral form provided. His eyebrows drew together in slight confusion. He shifted to his knees and leaned out of the depression, continuing his scan of the area.
He stood fluidly as he also moved out of the small shelter. The window on one turret of the castle peeking from above the trees was dimly lit with a dull teal hue of a glow. However, other than the faint outline of the Gothic style building that the clouds' glow cast upon it, that was the only indication that the castle was present. It almost blended seamlessly into the night sky, though Danny didn't know if that was just because of this dream-like state he was trapped in or if that was actually how it appeared in this lighting.
He couldn't see any trace of the elder hybrid. The quiet whistle of the wind was the only other sound…
Danny frowned. Where on Earth...? He brusquely started wiping off both the damp dirt as well as the already dried mud clinging to his jumpsuit. "Plasmius!" he spoke louder this time, this time showing less of his confusion and more of his annoyance, although apprehension had managed to seep into his tone as well. Where did he go? And more importantly, why did he leave? It's not like Plasmius was the one who wanted to move on without his company after all, right? Danny's annoyance was now turning more into simmering anger. If Vlad was up to something after all, so help him, he'd kick his butt all the way back to Wisconsin!
However, instead of the elder halfa, a familiar flute-like twitter answered Danny's call. The teenager turned around to see the phoenix, perched on a ledge of the small cliff above the depression he had just left. Danny's mouth opened slightly. "What are you doing here? It's not safe!" he said quietly with a concerned tone.
The phoenix gave a small melodious laugh in response to the boy's troubled manner before lifting her wings fluidly and swooping down to his level. "You called for me. But don't worry, Danny Phantom. The sorcerer will know nothing of this exchange, and neither will the other hybrid."
The halfa looked down at the feather still clutched in his hand before returning his attention to the phoenix ghost. "…How's that?" Danny asked skeptically, eyebrows raised and arms folded loosely in front of him. It wasn't just because he knew that the crazed wizard ghost also had intentions toward the bird and was keeping an eye on the two hybrids' every move. It was also because he knew that even if this could go unnoticed by him, Plasmius was still probably in close proximity.
She floated slowly in a graceful circle around him, her glow seeming slightly dimmer, and her form slightly more hazy than he had remembered it. "It is simple, ghost boy. It's because it isn't actually happening." While her tone was calm and matter-of-fact, there was an underlying humor that was just barely detectable.
"So you're saying this is a dream?"
"Yes and no. It's completely fictional for them; the difference is that this is happening for you."
Danny gave a tight nod and analytically stared at the ghost bird for a couple moments. "So… you weren't kidding. He means business."
The phoenix blinked before giving a nod of confirmation. "Unfortunately, that is the case." Her quiet yet resonant voice had taken on a more serious air.
The boy uncrossed his arms and rested his hands on his hips as he sighed, his gaze going up to the dark and eerie sky. The ghost continued, "Now, when you wake, you and the other hybrid will face your first test. There are several things you need to know before that happens." She gave another flick of her wings, propelling herself forward in another loop around Danny. "You will first be facing the two apprentices specializing in earth, Marsden and Gaia. They are brother and sister, one with power over solid ground, the other with plant life. Keep in mind that while they are the least proficient of the apprentices, that does not mean that—"
"They aren't powerful," Danny unconsciously finished the thought.
"Yes—and unfortunately, I am afraid that with each apprentice after, it will not become any easier to defeat them. Together, the two of them are strong. Their contrasting strengths cover up each other's imperfections. However, apart, their flaws will get the better of them. Marsden may have strength and brute force with him, but he lacks the speed and composure that his sister possesses. As the battle will progress, he increasingly focuses on delivering the most potent offense he can while caring little to none for defense. Likewise, Gaia may not have a short temper, but she lacks the motivation her brother has. She's cunning and quick, but she sees each fight as a sport for her entertainment rather than a legitimate battle. So, more likely than not she will care more to play with you rather than see you as a serious threat."
"So… split them up, and everything becomes a heck of a lot easier!" Danny snapped his fingers together, shooting a superficially confident smile at the bird.
"A lot. However, still take caution. While once you can manage to successfully hit Marsden, it becomes increasingly easier to defeat him, his power is great. His use of brutality could prove fatal to you or Vlad Plasmius if you don't manage to defeat him before he does you. The same applies to Gaia. She has a preference towards poisoning her opponents to weaken them first before attacking. Make sure you take care around the both of them."
Danny glanced to the side and back as he digested this. "Thanks for telling me."
The phoenix gently swooped up to a low-hanging bough on the nearest tree, giving another amiable and musical laugh, "It's not a trouble at all, Danny Phantom. I will do whatever I can to aid you in your journey to rescue your friends. I now have no doubt that you are strong enough to succeed. Just remember that you can always reach me, should you ever need my assistance."
The teenager nodded. The bizarre state that he had been stuck in was now starting to fade, although his vision was also starting to dim with it. "Wish me luck..." he chuckled nervously, more to himself than the bird, though.
Once again, Danny opened his eyes. And, once again, he found himself where he had been before he had closed them. The only two differences were that the sky had gotten considerably lighter (although that by no means actually meant that made it light) from the near pitch darkness he had just been in, and he wasn't alone. The teen blinked groggily and forced himself into a sitting position. He almost let out a groan as a couple loud cracks issued from his back. There was no way that he had gotten a full night's worth of rest. However, now that he was awake, there was no way that he could get back to sleep, either. There was way too much on his mind. He had to continue, fight those ghosts, and rescue his friends before…
Danny vaguely realized he was clutching onto something close to his chest. Lowering his eyes slowly, he saw the blazing red feather of the phoenix still in his hand. Its glow seemed to be just the slightest bit dimmer. He must've subconsciously pulled it out at some point during the night.
Realizing this, his tired gaze managed to fly to Vlad, who was a yard away, sitting against the wall of rock behind him with his head tipped back and eyes closed. There was no way he was going to trust the man with this information. No, sir. The younger hybrid warily eyed the seemingly asleep elder, slowly placing the feather back underneath his jumpsuit where it had been before.
As soon as it was safely out of sight, Danny cleared his throat pointedly. "Plasmius, I know you are awake. Cut it out." he stated tersely.
The man's scarlet eyes opened without missing a beat. "Oh, you're up now?" he asked innocently, giving a smug smirk. There were vague shadows underneath his eyes. Oh. So it was this game again. Goody.
"So much for regaining strength, Plasmius. Do you think I'm stupid?" Danny scathingly glared at him with lidded green eyes.
"I'm not trying to fool you, dear boy. I stayed up last night to keep watch for trouble, which is sure to be much more likely this time around, and was only closing my eyes for a moment to rest them. Honestly, Daniel, there are times—"
"Whatever… you can give me your utter load some other time, because it's time to go now, cheesehead. Up!" Danny gave one of Vlad's black boots a mild yet insistent kick.
Plasmius stood up in a fluid motion, chuckling softly. "Very well, little badger. Let's get going now!"
They hadn't been going for ten minutes, though, before coming across an odd edge of about a one-inch drop that ran across the trail and continued through the swampy foliage to either side of them, looking very out of place in the type of environment they were in. It was almost as if it signified the threshold of a certain domain.
Vlad paused, staring at the small ridge that ran across their path. "Wait a moment…" he muttered, hesitantly moving his foot closer to the line. They wouldn't be able to proceed any farther without crossing that line, but it just seemed a little too conspicuous to be an innocent ridge. Just when his foot passed over the line's threshold, however, the loud bells coming from the castle sounded off. Plasmius yanked his foot back instinctively. "Blast!" he cursed vehemently, his hands curled into tight fists.
Even though his irate tone wasn't loud enough for Danny to know what exactly he had said, he didn't bother to ask. "What's happening?" he struggled to shout over the resonating bell tolls.
Plasmius didn't answer right away. Instead, he stepped over the line again with a very irritated scowl on his face. Seeing that the man was certain it wasn't a booby-trap, Danny did the same, walking briskly to catch up with the elder hybrid, who continued storming on down the path with conviction. The final toll died off, still ringing through the air as the man finally decided to reply to the boy, still not relenting his pace, "They've been alerted of our proximity to them. So much for the element of surprise I'd been hoping for…" he growled.
"You mean we're almost there?" Danny straightened up, eyes widening at the news. Vlad, who hadn't caught the eager tone in the boy's voice, flinched at the black and white blur that sped past him. The elder hybrid blinked in momentary surprise before jumping into the air and speeding up to catch up with his younger rival. In about half a second, Vlad was able to grab his arm, swinging him back around to face him.
"Daniel! Would you stop being so impulsive for once in your life?!"
Danny hissed in mild pain from his arm being jerked so harshly. Glaring heatedly, he started attempting to pry the man's bruising fingers from his arm. "What gives?!" he gritted his teeth, for the umpteenth time feeling very clueless as to why he had agreed to let the fruit loop come along in the first place. Obviously he had not been in a fit frame of mind at the time. Understandably, of course, considering the circumstances. He had more pressing matters on his mind to worry about. Like the fact that his sister, friends, and classmates were being held hostage over a matter that only concerned him, Vlad, and this wizard ghost.
"You cannot just rush in without thinking. Honestly, boy, one would think that I wouldn't have to tell you this! Do I have to do all the rational thinking for you?"
"I'm not 'rushing in without thinking,' Plasmius!" Danny snapped.
"Oh? You know what you are about to go up against? You know exactly what will be awaiting you once you meet up with them down there?" the man gestured down the muddy and obscure pathway and raised an eyebrow, snorting in derision.
Danny wanted to smack himself. Really badly. If he kept it up, he might just reveal how he knew what he was about to face. And to Mr. Toucan Sam. However, he managed to keep a straight face as he quietly and calmly responded, "I know enough. I know that they know how close we are, and so surprise will not be on our side anyway! And I also know that each minute wasted is another minute closer to something bad happening to any of them!"
Plasmius let go of his arm slowly, lifting his gaze from the boy and focusing on nothing in particular in the dark swampy environment. He sighed, "I know what you must be feeling right now. However, you must understand that we must not barrel in with no thought whatsoever. We still have a chance at surprising them if we go about it the right way. You will just have to be patient. Alright?"
The white-haired ghost boy just sighed in consent, his recklessness subsiding for the moment once again. "Alright… but I'm blaming you if your stealth idea doesn't work." He smirked.
There were times when Marsden wondered why he still dealt with his sister. Even though there was hardly an age difference between the two in actuality, with both of them being more or less two millennia old, Gaia's appearance would actually suggest otherwise. The female ghost had chosen to look like a thirteen-year-old at oldest while he had preferred the early thirties route. These two choices said a lot about both of their personalities; she was the wily and childish jokester while he was the sterner and more serious elder brother. Even in spite of this, the two worked as a great team, he with command over solid ground, she over the plants that lived in it. Marsden, however, had a small tolerance level, and this did not work in his favor most of the time, seeing what he had to deal with on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this was one of those times when his temper was even shorter than usual.
"Gaia... if you so much as sing one more note of that blasted song, I am personally going to shove you into the bog and make sure you stay down there." Marsden grumbled threateningly, earning a tiny giggle from the ghost girl in response. The younger ghost was alternating between toying with the wrist ray that had been confiscated from Sam and flitting about the swamp clearing, tending to her plants. All the while she was humming that same ridiculous song that modern pop-singing Ember McLain had come out with who knows how long ago. He wanted to say that it was around forty years, but then again, time was a fuzzy concept that he hadn't had to deal with for almost half of his afterlife now. Ember had been at it for a while (though it really wasn't a long time when compared to him and most of the other ghosts he associated with), just updating her style with each music movement that passed. He hardly knew why his younger sibling had such a fascination with the latest styles, especially anything that fiery mess came out with.
He personally hadn't seen the pop star for the longest time, since he was only permitted to leave the castle grounds doing tasks assigned to him by the wizard, but he always held a special kind of dislike for her because of her particular element. Fire had always been his least-loved element due to its tendency to scorch his own earth element. He barely liked Flavius when the thought came to mind that he also controlled it. However, his own dislike for his fellow apprentice paled in comparison to Lorelei's practically clichéd hatred. Water and fire... pfft... they really needed to be more original.
Gaia looked up with fascination at the sky, now even darker than normal, which was saying something. Since the island was not a subject of time, the environment never showed the transitions between night and day. "This is the first time in forever I've seen the sky that dark! Must be because of our guests. And lighten up! I hear this song's all the rage in the Human Realm right now! It's catchy!"
"It's annoying. And I'm pretty sure that flame-headed diva wrote that song thirty years ago or something like that."
Gaia was now floating leisurely on her back; she lifted her head to give her elder brother a shocked expression. In retrospect, it wasn't really that long of a time when compared to how long she'd been this way, but she had once been a subject of time, and it was still a concept she was familiar with. "What? What year is it out there anyway?"
Marsden's chest heaved with an annoyed sigh, "You know I don't bother to keep track. If anyone should know, it should be you!"
"It's all the same to me. I just keep up with the trends whenever I go to see the latest ones!" Gaia smiled fondly as she lowered her legs to hover upright again, caressing the head of a large, hardy, and thorny Venus flytrap growing up out of the moist ground at the edge of the bayou. The large carnivorous plant puffed itself up with pleasure at the affectionate attention from the ghost girl. However, just as soon the girl lowered her hand as her happy expression faded into a saddened far-off gaze.
"Marsden, it's not fair! You have no idea what it's like to stay cooped up like this!"
"Oh, don't I?" the other ghost snickered at Gaia's whining. Marsden had been expecting something like this pretty soon. He'd heard something along those lines quite a few times in the duration of their ghost lives. It happened occasionally, usually shortly after a visit to the Human Realm or the part of the Ghost Zone that did lay under time's jurisdiction, once she had had a chance to really realize how much she was missing out on outside of the island's disconnected bubble. Sometimes Marsden even suspected that the ghost girl viewed the island more as a cage than a refuge from the loud, tedious, and obnoxious afterlife outside, as he had perceived it.
As the muscular ghost thought about it more, he realized that she definitely should have learned air as her primary element. Her free-spirit attitude was much more suited to it than the grounding earth that she had ultimately decided for. It was a mistake on her part, and she'd been reaping the consequences in more ways than one because of it for a thousand years now.
"No! You actually don't care what goes on out there, Marsden, and that's the difference between you and me! It's easy for you, but for me?!" she was worked up now, although the emotion she was showing was more of sadness rather than anger. Marsden chuckled quietly and rolled his eyes, going largely unnoticed by Gaia. "We live on an island in the desert of the Ghost Zone, Marsden! And I hardly ever get out!" she sat down in midair, crossing her legs and folding her arms tightly in front of her.
Marsden clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Is that regret I hear?" he teasingly asked.
Despite the playful tone, his sister's amber eyes widened comically with horror at the actual implied meaning behind the simple question. "No! It's not!" she shouted suddenly. Gaia hadn't meant to sound like an ingrate. She immediately quieted down and put on her mask of mischievousness once again, though the anger and longing was obviously still there when she spoke again. "I just hope those two freaks of nature get here already so we can beat them! The sooner we do, the sooner I'll get to have another trip!"
"Don't worry, Gaia. You'll get to have your little excursion soon enough, because they're almost here." Marsden replied, folding his arms as he leaned back in the air in an only slightly convincing relaxed pose.
"And thank heavens for that..." Sam muttered to herself with both unconcealed discomfort and exhaustion towards the other end of the clearing. Her calves were still encased in the solidified mud, although she was now stuck in a hunched over position. Sometime after the ghosts had left once again, she'd attempted to wrench her legs free with her hands, but all that had accomplished was the ground swallowing them up to the wrists, too. The girl had been stuck like this for all of the night, and there were no words to describe just how sore and stiff her joints and muscles felt. Her gaze rose sharply from her legs and arms. "I hope Danny Phantom teaches you two idiots a lesson!" she shouted across the swampy clearing with all the spite and energy she could muster.
Marsden didn't turn around to look at or even respond with anything to the Goth girl, but his hand gave a sharp twitch at the comment, a dark color of energy emitting from them for a split second. Sam gave a cry of surprise as the peat around her limbs instantaneously liquefied once again; her body dropped into the mire several more feet, encasing her body all the way up to her mid-back. Getting over the shock of the sudden motion, however, Sam took advantage of the softened ground and yanked her hands out of the thick mud, taking care not to let her upper arms make contact with it. Marsden's hand coiled into a tight fist and all the mud within a five-foot radius of the human girl rapidly congealed once more. The Goth girl grumbled insults as she violently shook off the still sopping peat from her hands and wiped off what had been splattered on her face.
The elder of the two ghosts gave an angry growl as his face reddened at the invectives being hurled at him. Gaia smirked once again now that her mind had been taken from her isolated afterlife, "How many times do I have to tell you to mind your ectoplasm pressure, brother?"
The larger ghost completely ignored his sister's comment. "You'd better hope your little friend gets here soon! Or else I might just pulverize you first!" Marsden shouted back at the Goth. The ectoplasm was roaring loudly in his ears at this point, so he didn't hear the snide reply Sam threw back at him, though that didn't mean he didn't get the gist of the attitude it held. Snarling even louder, this time directed at the snickering Gaia (who obviously had heard the snarky reply), Marsden turned his stare back to the human, beady apple green eyes narrowed.
Just when it had seemed, however, that the ghost was about to release his rage on the girl, a resonating and gong-like series of bells echoed through their marshy surroundings. Marsden's narrowed green eyes widened at the loud noise as he turned away from Sam. A satisfied frown curved his lips downward. Finally… some unfortunate half-ghosts to be the victims of his aggression… It was quite perfect timing for their arrival, considering how close to his limits he was at the moment.
Gaia, who had meanwhile perched in a crouched position on one of the thick boughs of the tree not too far away from Paulina, jolted almost imperceptibly before fluidly standing up. The small ghost girl grabbed onto a vine and stepped off of the branch, quickly sliding down until her foot landed in place at the vertex of the draped plant, looking up at the dark castle's bell tower peeking through the trees with a gleeful grin.
Each toll was low, slow, and deliberate, spanning over a full minute before concluding on the ninth chime. The marshy clearing remained silent as its occupants waited quietly for the last ring of the bell to die away. As soon as it did, Gaia and Marsden exchanged looks and nods of agreement. The former soon went up to perch in the treetops again, turning invisible as she went, leaving the scent of blossoms in her wake.
"Hey! The least you two creeps could do is stop it with the whole thorn thing!" Paulina roared, with surprisingly enough ferocity to make Marsden flinch. However, the burly ghost only rolled his eyes in response. He started hovering back and forth in the middle of the clearing, eyeing his surroundings.
"I'm telling you! You're going to get it!" Sam chuckled ominously, voicing the assertion with an almost sing-song quality. "You, the rest of you cronies, and your creepy boss!" The only response she received was another sharp drop of four inches into the peat bog.
They'd arrived.
"Stay here—I'll move to the other side of the clearing to get another view of the situation, just like we agreed.… Do. Not. Attack until I give you the sign…" Plasmius breathed out in a whisper, gesturing across the expanse of swamp water. Danny nodded in understanding as the elder turned invisible and slowly made his way around the outskirts. There was a vast amount of swamp foliage that was able to give the two of them cover, ranging from cattails and reeds to the large, light gray, and warped trees that Danny was currently hiding behind. The younger halfa looked up and down the ghostly plant that concealed him from the two apprentices' eyes with a shudder. This one looked a lot like some cackling witch, with the branches being its gnarled hands. It was bent and haggard yet still worthy of a chill down the spine. A lot of the other trees looked similar, all with different poses.
Danny dared to peek around the tree trunk to analyze the situation, still remaining invisible. Almost immediately, he spotted Sam, waist-deep in the solidified mud and half-heartedly struggling to pull herself out of it. Her arms were littered with scrapes and cuts, along with rips in her black shirt. An excessive amount of blood had dripped from them, leaving dried dark red streaks running down her arms. But, other than that, she appeared to be in good condition. His eyes then followed to where the source of incessant jabbering was coming from, just above Sam. There was Paulina, dangling upside down from a vine. It looked like she had been that way for quite a while—her face was beet red, and despite her eager tone at the prospects of a certain ghost boy's imminent arrival, it was obvious that she was in serious discomfort. Biting his lip while processing the scene, his head turned down to focus on the two ghosts in the center of the swampy clearing... Er... one ghost? Where did the other go?
Danny's eyebrows immediately drew together in apprehension. The only one there was the big muscular guy, Marsden. Well, at least it wasn't him that he couldn't see... Otherwise, he'd probably have a lot more to worry ab—
The young hybrid's thoughts were interrupted by a crawling sensation around his ankle. His eyes widened as he saw a prickly poisonous green vine of the same breed that had sealed off the entrance to the portal leading to this island in the woods. It was slithering around his boot and fastening itself in place by digging in its thorns and trichomes. The barbs on this vine were sharp and long enough to pierce right through his boot and reach his skin as well. Danny lost his concentration on remaining invisible at the stinging sensation. However, seeing that he was still behind the tree, Danny kept a somewhat cool head as he tried to quietly yank his foot out of the plant's clutches. When seeing that the vine only dug its thorns even deeper into his skin, Danny's eyes widened. Lighting up his fist with green energy, he blasted the plant off. He felt another vine aggressively loop around his other leg and yank him up and into the clearing before he could so much as let out a cry of surprise, which came a little delayed as he swung slowly by his foot in the air.
"Hello there!" Gaia gave a delighted smile from above, giving the vine a little tug to swing it a little more. Danny smiled grudgingly, sarcastically waving in return as he swayed like the pendulum on a grandfather clock.
Vlad, still hidden at the other side, pressed his hand to his forehead while giving an irritated shake of his head. He should've seen that one coming. Very well, then. He would simply have to succeed where the boy had not. Of course, it would be a lot more difficult now that they'd caught Daniel. They would come to the conclusion that he wouldn't be far behind, if at all. He would have to be careful how his next few moves were played out. Vlad began to move stealthily around the edge of the circle, deciding it would be best to try getting a better view of the situation from somewhere else. However, it wasn't long before he realized he wouldn't have to use that much stealth, due to what ensued after their discovery of the boy.
"Yay! The ghost boy's here to save me! I told you!" Paulina squealed, though it wasn't quite as enthusiastic as it was pained. She did somehow manage a very heated and vindictive glare at Gaia, though, shouting wrathfully, "Ghost boy, make them pay for ruining my skin!"
"Ha! You thought you could sneak up on us? That's adorable." Marsden smiled devilishly.
"Impeccable timing, though!" Gaia chimed in, "I thought my brother was getting a little antsy, if you know what I mean!"
Marsden's grin faded somewhat, "Gaia? Can we be serious, now?"
"And can we get this over with already? I'm kind of in a hurry." Danny extended his arms to his sides before letting gravity take them back by his head carelessly.
"Oh, shut it!" Marsden snapped, his green eyes shadily turned towards the outskirts of the swampy clearing. He gestured for Gaia to come back down from her perch in the tree above Danny, a little nervously shifting his weight between his feet. Gaia, upon seeing his anxiety, complied and zipped down from the branch, leaving the teenager to continue dangling by his one leg from the vine.
Glancing back and forth between the trees and his sister, the brawny ghost murmured the reason for his concern in a low voice, "Where's the other one?"
Gaia whispered her reply at about the same volume, seeming to have abandoned her carelessness for the moment, "I don't know…" she shrugged, shaking her head. "I didn't see him. Maybe he's not with him?"
Marsden growled, his hands clenched into fists, "No, there's no way he's not here or nearby. I mean, not even this kid would be stupid enough to come without his stronger backup…"
As Gaia replied, Danny raised his voice with annoyance, "You know, I'm right here!...And I totally would, by the way..." he muttered quietly to himself through gritted teeth. He grunted as he flew upright and gave the prickly vine around his ankle a tug, quietly attempting to snap it off. He felt a sharp stinging sensation where the thorns had penetrated his skin, far worse than when they had first sunk in. He hissed lowly, anxiously shifting his gaze around the clearing. Dang it. He hoped that wasn't the poison that he had been warned about.
It seemed that the other two ghosts were too involved in their hushed conversation to notice his subtle movements. Danny finally latched his hand onto the loop around his ankle and lit it with ecto-energy. The ghostly plant shriveled in response to its intensity, then snapped when the ghost boy yanked his foot sharply. The broken piece of vine fell from his foot to quietly splash in the swamp water.
"Be on the alert..." Marsden murmured grimly, "The older one is a much larger threat from what has been observed, so we cannot afford to be caught unawares. Least of all by that one."
Gaia nodded in understanding. "Should I continue my watch around the outskirts?" There was a slight bite in her tone, as if she did not actually wish to do this, though she already knew that that was going to be her brother's desire. And it wasn't like arguing with Marsden would get her anywhere, seeing as his temper usually made sure he got his way.
"Yes. I, in the meantime, will take care of this..." Marsden turned around to gesture at Danny, only to get a powerful green blast of energy to the face.
"Aww… you hurt my feelings!" Danny mock pouted, in reference to Marsden's earlier remark. "I am totally capable of kicking both of your butts, thank you very much!"
Sam, in the meantime forgetting about the mud she was still trying to rub off of her skin, smiled broadly and clapped slowly, "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"
As if momentarily forgetting about the boy's presence, Gaia indifferently looked down to her brother, who was lying spread-eagled in the swamp water, almost entirely submerged. "What was that you said about being 'caught unawares' again?" she dryly quipped.
Marsden sat straight up, glaring murderously at his sister, "NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR THIS, GAIA!"
The small ghost girl sighed and gave a small teasing shrug, "Temper, temper... Oh well, I suppose you're right. Now is the time for me to have my fun!" Gaia's amber eyes flashed brightly with liveliness as she zipped off towards Danny in a blur of different hues of green.
Marsden immediately stood up in the swamp water, eyes wide as he shouted wrathfully, "Hey! You're supposed to keep an eye out for Plasmius!"
Danny swung his fists, though Gaia sidestepped each of his blows by barely an inch out of their range with a light and mischievous giggle, further inciting the annoyance that was building up in the boy's features. She slowly moved backwards with her hands behind her back, eyes closed with a pleasant smile on her face as the barrage of fists kept coming her way. Danny let out a low growl of irritation and swept his leg through the air towards the ghost girl's side. However, even with her eyes closed she seemed to sense the oncoming attack with almost precognition, and she flew higher into the air, bringing her legs up so she now floated on her stomach. "Please promise me that you'll put up a better fight than the usual weaklings I have to fight?" she sardonically grinned, further setting off the human ghost hybrid.
The brawny specter absentmindedly roared several threats and insults to the two competitors, obviously using most of his focus to glance around the outskirts of the clearing to make sure the other halfa didn't decide to attack at this point. However, once he hesitantly directed his full attention back to the other two, and seeing when they continued their fighting, the larger ghost growled before entering the fray himself.
Danny's eyes flared with anger, "Hey! Will you quit dodging and actually fig—?"
Gaia's eyes snapped open suddenly with solid amber eyes and no pupils. With a swift and fluid motion almost bordering Tarrant's level of agility, she kicked Danny in the stomach. As she was readying herself to attack him further with a raw green ectoblast, a strong dark beam of energy coming from Marsden knocked Danny back into the humungous demented witch-tree behind him. He got partially entangled in the vines, adding another couple of scratches to his growing collection.
"Hold on, Marsden! Is it too much to ask that I get a chance to fight him, too? It's been so long!" she whined.
Danny managed to pull himself from the vines after a moment of gingerly shifting his limbs to avoid any more thorns scratching him. He gave an involuntary shudder from the cold stinging sensation that was concentrated at each of the ectoplasm-oozing cuts. This wasn't good. This really wasn't good. The phoenix had warned him about this! He just hoped the effects wouldn't worsen until the fight was over and he could afford to spend time worrying about curing it.
"Yes, and it will be another long time before you'll be able to fight again once I am through with you if you don't stop right now!" Oh, boy, was the larger ghost ticked. His countenance was significantly darker, face flushed green from the ectoplasm coursing hotly through his veins.
Marsden's face only contorted from fury to shock, though, as he was suddenly lying sprawled in the muck once again. "Hmm… yes, I suppose I could say the same would apply to you as well." Vlad Plasmius was floating about twenty feet above them, arms crossed leisurely.
Gaia, whose look of bewilderment had shifted into vague unconcern yet again, gave another dry snicker, "That's strike two, Mars." She laced her fingers together, propping her chin up as she once again floated leisurely on her stomach.
Not even bothering to grace his sister with the well-deserved glare he wished to bestow her for the nickname and insult, Marsden floated up once again slowly, hands coiling into clenched fists. "Well, well, well… glad to see that you were able to join our party, Vlad Plasmius." The geomancer ghost smirked calculatingly as he slowly wiped off the filthy swamp water that covered his arms. Vlad raised his eyebrows and smiled in return as Danny responded.
"I'm only going to say this one more time, so listen up! Let both of them go, or else I'm really going to make you regret doing this!" Danny growled.
"I would like to see you try, kid. You know, here in Desolation we hardly ever get visitors. Not that it's much of a surprise that that is so. And the ones we do get, every once in a blue moon, are usually halfwits." Marsden gave a low and mild chuckle. "However, they are only halfwits to us. To give them the credit they deserve, if the sorcerer does not wish for their presence, they have to be more than a bit clever as well as more than a bit powerful to find a way onto the island in the first place. That aside... no one ever... gets past us, not to mention the other four apprentices!" Marsden's voice had risen in a crescendo as he floated up above the two hybrids' heads.
Gaia shot them a wicked grin as well, leisurely pocketing Sam's wrist ray to free up both hands as the glow of raw green energy engulfing her hands increasing in intensity. "And you're about to see why!" With that said, both of the ghosts attacked.
Marsden took it upon himself to tackle the elder and stronger half ghost in the fraction of the second it took for Gaia to charge towards Danny. Marsden barreled towards Plasmius like an oncoming locomotive, veins clearly throbbing from the excess fury coursing through his body. However, Vlad was way ahead of him; sidestepping calmly, he clenched one fist and buried it in the larger ghost's gut. The ghost's momentum added to the force of Plasmius's punch was enough to make him double over and wheeze. Marsden may have been quick for a ghost of his size, but it still made him vulnerable to the billionaire hybrid's strength as well ashis agility.
Plasmius smirked, red energy building up in both of his hands, "Well, you will have to show me better than that if you wish for me to take you seriously!" he laughed loudly.
The earth-controlling ghost had quickly gotten over the shock of the punch and gave his opponent a calculating and cold stare. Smirking in response, Marsden once again took the offensive. Both of the apprentices were simply using their fists, legs, and standard ghost powers at the moment.
While Vlad could either block or evade each of the slower and more encumbered ghost with almost effortless ease, Danny was more evenly matched with Gaia, who seemed to be just as fast as he was. For each blow Danny managed to land on her, the ghost girl managed to land one on him as well. However, it didn't seem to be that often that an attack hit its target on both of their parts. They seemed to be caught up in a little dance of evasions and jabs that rarely met their mark. At any rate, not a lot of damage was being done to either side.
The same could not be said for Vlad and Marsden, though. The more muscular specter was slowly becoming more overwhelmed with Plasmius' rapid attacks. Whenever he swung at his halfa opponent, the other seemed to know exactly how to dodge and exactly where he was left vulnerable to attack with a swift punch, kick, or ectoblast. While the vampire-like ghost had gotten in about fourteen punches and kicks (and still counting), Marsden had perhaps gotten only two hits in, if only because of his disadvantage of size and speed. He was still hanging in, though. Those two blows he had managed to lay on the elder half ghost had seemed to really harm him, seeing as it took Plasmius longer than he did to recover from each powerful attack. Also, while the elder hybrid's attacks were far more painful than those of his past opponents, he was still running powerfully. He was as strong and durable as his element, after all. It would take a very long time before his stamina was eroded away.
Seeing that her brother was having difficulty with the elder, however, Gaia simultaneously and gracefully dodged another attack from Danny and sent a vine towards the other preoccupied hybrid. Danny's neon green eyes widened, "Plasmius!" he shouted in an attempt to warn the man of the poisonous plants heading his way. However, the elder didn't have any time to react to the boy's alert. Wrapping around his torso faster than he could comprehend, Plasmius cried out in shock as he was whipped back and around the clearing and sailed right into the boy. The two of them slammed screaming into the gaunt and tormented tree in front of Danny. Unfortunately for Danny, he served as the cushion between Vlad and the tree, being brutally sandwiched as a result. As the elder halfa was yanked back again for another round, the boy couldn't help but slide down the gnarly trunk with a groan, splashing in the water below in a daze of shock.
Marsden immediately solidified the peat in the water surrounding the teenager as Gaia continued to bash Vlad against the trees around the clearing. "DANNY!" Sam screamed in panic, eyes bulging out of her head.
Danny, who had slipped all the way into the water just as the peat hardened, panicked at realizing he was trapped underneath the clayish mass on top of him. Some of the boggy water had been drawn up into his nose before it had hardened. He couldn't breathe!
Charging up ecto-energy in his suspended palms, Danny felt the clay around his hands begin to soften. He could faintly hear Plasmius' shouts of pain and anger, and even felt a vibration coming down the trunk to the submerged root he was pinned to as the elder hybrid collided with that tree once again. Danny worriedly jerked his arms around to see if he was mobile enough. Being forced to wait a few more torturous moments of suffocation, Danny was finally able to blast off the solidified peat; the now runny peat slid out of his nose as he coughed violently, a third from the lack of air, the second third from the horrible taste of swamp water in his mouth, and the last third from his sore ribs nagging at him. He hoped that none of them had broken when Plasmius had rammed into him.
Pushing aside his pain as anger flared through him, Danny growled and flew out of the thick and viscous peat right at the large ghost who had put him there. Marsden, who had turned his attention to Gaia whipping Vlad left and right like a limp rag doll, was momentarily startled by the blur of black, white, and then raw green as he was knocked into another witch-like tree. He had to keep Marsden split off from his sister. Neither of the two hybrids could handle both of the wizard's goons ganged up on them at the same time.
Vlad, in the meantime, was increasingly becoming more and more injured and dizzy. Now, with each impact with a tree, he was starting to see stars. He needed to find a way out of those blasted vines! Gaia was giggling manically with each of Vlad's shouts. Grunting as he was struck against yet another tree, he took extra care to make sure his head would not hit against the next one. If he was struck on the head one more time at this point, he would most likely lose consciousness, and that was not an option. His arms were pinned down by the vines, but he still attempted to disconnect the lasso with weak and unfocused blasts. None of them hit the mark, seeing that his head was spinning as well as the environment. Plasmius had also tried to teleport out of the vines several times, but each time his concentration had been ripped away from his efforts by another painful smack against another demented tree. When one of his attacks actually sailed not even half a foot past the small ghost girl's head, Gaia flinched from shock as her giggling faltered; she tightened her fist, causing the vines to wrap farther down to pin down his forearms as well. Vlad squinted and blinked rapidly as he hit the next one, trying to rid himself of the double vision that was stopping him from aiming properly. He had a fraction of a second to shoot beams from his eyes before he was in motion once again.
As soon as he sent the two beams at the vine—which both unfortunately missed once again—Danny seemed to notice Vlad's predicament. While Marsden was still smarting from the surprisingly strong attack that his smaller teenage opponent had struck him with, Danny turned around and sent two strong blasts towards the other apprentice. One of the green rays struck the vine, taking out a huge chunk of the plant, though it was still connected by a thin sliver. The other one hit Gaia squarely in the back, knocking her forward. As a result of her aim being ruined, instead of being thrown right into the next tree, Plasmius was sent sailing over a branch. The weak part of the vine snapped at the sudden yank, causing Vlad to tumble through the air several times before he settled himself upright again.
"Aw... you always have to ruin the fun, don'cha?!" Gaia pouted at the white-haired teenager with large and terribly botched innocent eyes.
"I'm afraid so!" Danny yelled back in response, only to have his eyes widen as he saw Marsden out of the corner of his eye, charging up at him like a bull from below. He dodged at the last second as Marsden attacked, the latter coming way too close for comfort. Marsden turned around as soon as he was at the same height as Danny, delivering a powerful series of punches, the first couple the younger hybrid managed to evade, though the next three after that collided with his face, stomach, and side in fairly rapid succession. Danny somersaulted backward with his eyes clenched shut and a grimace, clutching his head in one hand, his gut with the other. Gosh! That hurt!
Opening his watery eyes, Danny flew up just in time to avoid the next wave of attacks. From his position a few feet up, Danny tapped his chin with an index finger as he contemplated the furious glaring ghost below him. He whistled lowly, blinking rapidly to clear away the stars and blackening vision, which had only come from one punch to the head, "Whoa, dude! Calm down! If you keep this up with ectoplasm pressure like that, you'll end up having a heart—er, core attack!"
Gaia laughed loudly as Marsden's face flushed a further ugly blotchy green color. "That's what I keep telling him! But he never listens!"
In a motion that Danny was not expecting, Marsden grabbed hold of Danny's right arm and yanked him forcefully up into the air, over his head, and smacked him against the gnarly tree trunk behind them. Danny was left wheezing and clutching his shoulder, moaning vehemently. He wasn't certain that he had any broken ribs, but he was pretty sure he had heard a distinct 'POP!' with that one.
Holding his head in his hands as he waited for the dizziness to pass, Vlad growled through gritted teeth, his fangs bared, "Why you little..." His scarlet eyes glowed menacingly in the semi-darkness as he wiped a drip of ectoplasm that was oozing from a scratch on his cheek that he had most likely acquired from contact with the branch. This even managed to make Gaia's mischievous grin lapse momentarily into a look of mild apprehension as the larger half ghost approached with charged up dark red energy in both hands. However, Gaia soon was over the initial shock of the scathing look and her smirk came back tenfold. She giggled as she zipped out of the way of both oncoming blasts, beckoning the half ghost with both hands.
This was bad. Really bad. Every time the halfas got the upper hand, the other apprentice would come to aid their sibling! And it usually meant pain for either of them! Danny now really knew what the firebird had been saying firsthand! He was fading fast, especially with Marsden's incessant attacks and his shoulder. A glance at the other fight across the clearing confirmed that Plasmius was not doing so well, either. He'd been smacked across those trees for probably a solid three minutes before he'd been relieved. They had to do something, and quick, because this was going downhill, and fast.
Marsden fumed momentarily before charging back at Danny, who was able to duck and powerfully swing his leg concurrently. The ghost gave a shout of pain, faltering in his attack.
"Yeah, that's right, ghost boy! Give him a left! Yeah! Beat him up!" Paulina cheered. Sam, in the meantime, rolled her eyes at the enthusiasm and bit her lip in her concern, still attempting to pry herself out of the ground.
Danny immediately took advantage of the pause in aggression, using his agility and size to punch—with his usable left hand, of course—jab, and kick multiple times, each time knocking the larger ghost farther back. Marsden was too large to quickly and properly respond. Every time he moved his arms or legs to address where the boy was attacking, the young half ghost simply zipped behind him or to the side and continued his assault.
Meanwhile, Vlad had finally had it with the brat's little game of evasion and had duplicated into three. "Ooh! That's a cool trick!" Gaia's eyes widened in a mock impressed manner. However, her gaze was focused on the two in front of her, not the one behind her; so, when the two in front of her made a move to attack, she evaded by floating backwards right into the final and real Plasmius. He grabbed her by the throat and sent a couple of volts of electricity through her body. She shrieked in pain, letting off the smell of freshly mown (and distressed) grass, along with a hint of smoke. Plasmius roughly let go and blasted her into the witch-tree that was in the closest proximity.
The smaller apprentice forced her eyes open and eyed the other fight going on across the clearing. Biting back her pain and now grinning broadly, she zipped up and shouted to get everyone's attention, "You know, this is getting a little boring! How about we turn things up a notch and add some more stakes?"
Both Danny and Vlad stared at her in apprehensive confusion. Even Marsden gave her a weird look, until it turned to a feral grin once he realized what she meant with her next actions and words.
Paulina's cheering was suddenly cut off by the high-pitched shriek that ensued when the vines holding her up suddenly fell about six feet towards the enormous Venus flytrap at the bottom, which now looked very excited. "Let's play a game, boys! We'll see how long it takes for the annoying human girl to reach her dinner plate! That seems like it'll spice things up!"
"No! Keep them out of this!" Danny shouted vehemently.
But the only response was a giggle from Gaia and a calm and eerie grin from Marsden as Sam dropped another inch in the thick peat.
She shrugged and smirked in response. "Unless you think you can make us!"
What happened next happened so fast, it would later seem to be quite fuzzy for Danny, at least. After making brief eye contact with Sam and then Vlad, it all happened in rapid succession in less than a minute. Danny flew at Gaia at his top speed of over one hundred per hour, tackling her in an all-out brawling frenzy, taking the small ghost completely off guard. Marsden immediately starting shooting dark blasts of energy, alternating between Plasmius and Phantom. Conjuring up a shield for the first volley, Plasmius waited for the next lob towards Danny before tackling Marsden across the clearing. Paulina slipped another foot, as did Sam another inch.
The burly ghost threw Plasmius off of him, only for a pink blast to hit him in the face, and then another one in the side. Marsden was knocked into a tree; opening his unfocused beady eyes and shifting his gaze to just outside the clearing, it landed on some boulders that were situated in the more or less solid ground. Paulina and Sam both slipped again.
One of the huge boulders came up at Marsden's command and shot towards Plasmius, who dodged quite easily. The same could not be said for Danny, though, for even though Vlad shouted his name in warning, the boulder flew right into the boy's torso, knocking him sideways away from Gaia. He once again saw stars, this time even brighter than the last time, seeing as his injured shoulder had been disturbed violently. His vision was blackening, but that didn't stop Danny. He aimed another ecto-blast at Gaia, who parried it with a small shield.
Picking up another boulder that was at least three times the size of the one prior to it, Marsden, lobbed it again at Plasmius, who once again evaded by flying upwards. "DANIEL!" the halfa yelled once again, and this time the teen was prepared. Throwing himself out of the way, Gaia's grin was immediately wiped off of her face as she paled, and, in that fraction of a second looked like a deer in headlights before it crashed right into her, knocking her clear across the area right into a tree. The boulder fell down into the swamp water while Gaia was momentarily splayed across the trunk. The ghost's amber eyes rolled back into her head and she slid down the tree to settle in a bend in the trunk, obviously out for the round. While Sam slipped another inch, Paulina had stopped.
Turning around, Danny shouted back in another warning at the elder hybrid, "PLASMIUS!"
Making eye contact with his young rival and realizing what he had in mind for Marsden, Vlad teleported back behind Danny in a puff of smoke. Marsden, tired, gave a confused look to the two of them and starting moving out into the clearing towards them in a charge. However, it was too late for him. Making sure that neither Sam nor Paulina were in the way and taking in a deep breath, Danny let out the ace up his sleeves—his Ghostly Wail. Eyes widening, Marsden was pushed back by the strong green waves of energy into the twisted tree behind him once again. The trees seemed to weather it pretty well, only seeming to bend and not break. After holding it for about fifteen seconds, Danny stopped. Marsden's eyes likewise rolled back into his head as he would have slid down the trunk as well. However, the vines caught hold of him and suspended his large and unconscious body in the air. Sam stopped slipping.
Danny leaned against the pale and gnarly trunk behind him, coughing up a storm as he tried not to pass out or revert back to his human form, if only for the sake of keeping his identity from Paulina, who was still conscious.
"Ah, the smell of grass in distress..." Plasmius breathlessly chuckled, drawing in the smell that Gaia had left behind as he cast a glance at the unconscious ghost.
There was a tense silence filled with both of the halfas' heavy breathing. Then, Danny gave a sarcastic bitter grin and a jaded laugh. "Just think… one fight down…" He gave a particularly apprehensive shudder before his voice cracked with the underlying dread he had been trying not to leak into his tone, "…five to go."