"This is getting ridiculous!" Dragen shouted, impatiently pacing back and forth. "Are we just supposed to sit around here and wait? We should be attacking the squirt and his friends to get the other keys!"
"Heh, of course you would make such a bold attack strategy. Like father like son," Shen Du mused as he stood in front of the Demon King's vault door with four keys placed in their respective locks while the other four were bereft of keys. "Now that all the keys have been found, Drago and his friends will likely fortify their defenses. They will see an attack coming a mile away and be prepared for it."
"As opposed to just sitting here and doing nothing?" he remarked.
"Why so impatient, Dragen?" Shen Du asked.
"I just want to get this over with so I can get back to my comfortable life of solitude," he said, looking away and crossing his arms.
"And what kind of life was that? Hiding away like a scared little puppy. You should have been working on this long before!" Shen Du marched over to Dragen.
"Don't start thinking that you can suddenly order me around. You were a crap father then and you're a crap father now! The only reason I did any of this was because I had nothing better to do! You should be so lucky that I agreed to help you on this stupid quest!" At that last word, Shen Du rushed up to him at a blinding speed and pinned Dragen to the wall.
"You would be wise to think about your words carefully before opening that big mouth of yours, my son."
"Why not? Your little half-breed openly rebelled against you and look at where that got him! He's the one who has everything!" Shen Du released his hold on Dragen and the younger dragon slid to the ground.
"No matter, soon he will have nothing but misery. I am going to meet someone," Shen Du said, turning away. "I need you to get me the items on this list," he said, handing Dragen a scroll.
Dragen muttered something under his breath as he took it, opened the scroll and read its contents. "What do you need all this for? This for some kind of spell?"
"A very important spell, yes. I need you to gather the ingredients for me while I find someone who can cast it for us."
"Why would we need someone to cast this spell? Can't you do it?"
"Because the spell is not of demon magic origin; it is a chi spell."
"Why the hell would you want to enact a chi spell? What kind of spell even is this?"
"It is a restoration spell. My father has been imprisoned for thousands of years and that imprisonment has weakened him severely. He will need a restoration spell to give him a, what do they call it, a power boost?"
"So, what it's like an energy shot then? And where exactly are you planning on finding a Chi Wizard willing to cooperate with you?" Dragen asked.
Shen Du chuckled. "That restoration spell was the very same that restored my body and I know just the person who can cast it."
"This is getting ridiculous!" Mavis groaned, sagging back into the couch. "Are we just supposed to sit around here and wait for them to attack us?"
"Well, it's not like we have to attack them. As long as we keep the keys we got - or even just one of them - out of their hands, then no Demon King," Liam pointed out.
"Yeah, but it's boring as f-"
"Boring or not, it's the smarter strategy. Attacking them poses the risk of letting them get all the keys whereas if we fortify our defenses and are prepared for them, we're more likely to keep the keys out of their hands," Ren explained.
"She's right. You're just going to have to sit tight, Mavis," Tim said.
"Me? Sit tight? Yeah right!" Mavis scoffed.
"Still though…" Drago started.
"What is it?" Mala asked.
"It's been weeks since we fought over Thunder Key and my father and brother got away with it. My dad's not the kind of person to play defensive and he knows that if he wants the other keys, he has to come and take them from us."
"So?" Mavis shrugged.
"So, why hasn't he attacked us yet? We've had nothing but peace and quiet for weeks! I can't help but get a bit suspicious."
"You raise an excellent point, Drago," Ren said. "Shen Du needs the keys that we have in order to release the Demon King and yet in all this time he hasn't tried even once to steal them from us. There's only one logical explanation: Shen Du's plotting something."
"But what?" Remy asked.
"That is the million dollar question. Whatever it is he's planning, he's obviously dedicating his and Dragen's time to it. And if he's prioritizing it over acquisition of the keys, then it must be bad," Ren explained.
"But what could possibly be more important to Shen Du than the rest of the keys?" Mala asked.
"Citizens are baffled by a viral video that has been circulating through the internet," the news report on the TV stated.
"Hang on, turn that up," Mala said as Liam reached for the remote.
"According to this security footage here," the reporter said as a video window appeared next to her and began playing, "you can clearly see a large figure with bright red eyes breaking into several establishments." As she spoke, the video cut to different feeds, each in another location. "The culprit has yet to be caught and the police are looking for anyone who might have any information regarding this mysterious thief. But one thing's for sure, the people are baffled by what appears to be a 'monster' robbing store. Back to you."
"Was it just me or did look an awful lot like-" Mavis began.
"Dragen," Drago muttered, narrowing his eyes. "The footage isn't the best, but you can tell it's him."
Tim quickly pulled out his laptop and began typing. "I found a few articles about it. Apparently all the places that were hit were Chinese herbal stores, not really places that would carry a lot of money on site or valuable goods."
"That's rather specific," Liam noted.
"Does it say anything about what was taken from these stores?" Ren asked.
"Nothing specific, just some ingredients."
"Ingredients for what though?" Drago asked.
"Well, what do we usually get from a Chinese herbal store like that?" Tim asked.
"Chi spell ingredients," Mala answered.
"But why would Dragen be stealing Chi spell ingredients? Chi Wizardry is designed to combat demons!" Drago argued.
"Maybe he's just trying to throw us off our game? You know, do something we'd never expect him to and catch us off guard in the process," Liam suggested.
"No, I have a feeling it's more than that. Either they're plotting something else or they're just trying to get our attention. Frankly, I'm not sure which one is worse," Ren said. "If it's the latter, then they're likely just trying to draw us out into attacking them. That could be why they haven't come to attack us at all lately. But if it's the former, then they have another plan we don't know about," Ren said.
"Then we can't just sit back and ignore this. If they are planning something else, then we need to find out what is it and stop them," Drago suggested.
"And what? Leave the keys wide open to be stolen? We might as well put them under a neon sign saying 'come and get them'," Mala pointed out.
"And repeat that mess with the Coins? Or we bring them with us," suggested Liam.
"It would be safer than just leaving them here. But it does run the risk of them being able to take them," Ren thought out loud.
"Well then, what's better? No defense or some defense?" Remy asked.
"When you put it like that…" Ren uttered. "It seems we don't have many options."
"And it's too risky to just sit back and do nothing about it, even if this is some ploy of theirs to draw us into a trap," Liam added.
"Mala," Tim said, passing her his laptop, "take a look at this. It's a list of everything reported stolen from these herbal shops. Do any of them jump out at you?"
"Hm…" Mala read through the list carefully. "Not really. A lot of these are common ingredients for a variety of spells. Oh, wait, hang on," she stopped, focusing on one ingredient in the list. "This one's definitely a rarity. Not a lot of spells use it."
"What kind of spells?" Mavis asked, hovering over her shoulder.
"Usually restoration spells, big ones too."
"What would Shen Du even need for a restoration spell?" Tim asked.
"Maybe to heal Mo Wang? That's what my father did with the Virgo Sign. He used it's power to completely reconstruct his own body," Liam said.
"No, that couldn't be it. The Chi Wizards in the past weren't strong enough to actually destroy Mo Wang's body. That's why all they could manage was sealing him away," Ren countered. "Although…"
"Although what?" Remy asked.
"Chi Wizardy is quite a flexible art. A single spell could be used for a variety of purposes. A massive restoration spell like this one isn't strictly used for reconstructing a body of a demon."
"Come again?" Mavis asked, confused.
"Just, follow along with me. A spell like this produces massive amounts of energy that gets absorbed by a demon to reconstruct a body for themselves. If the demon that tries to absorb that power already has a working and healthy body, then the energy they'd absorb could theoretically be used to power themselves up in an instant."
"Oh, like an energy shot!" Mavis exclaimed.
"...Not exactly the analogy I'd use, but yes, like that."
"So you think my old man is gathering these ingredients to make a restoration spell so they can power up Mo Wang?" Drago asked.
"Makes sense. The guy has been locked up for thousands of years. He's bound to have lost some power," added Liam.
"That still doesn't answer the question of who's casting the spell. Demons can't do Chi Wizardry. Well, at least not full demons," Drago said, quickly glancing at Mala.
"Then Shen Du must be or have already recruited someone to perform the spell for him," Tim realized.
"You don't think he'd-" Mala started.
"What? Go to the Chans?" Drago exclaimed. "No way they'd help him. And even if he did kidnap that old geezer, he'd just be revealing himself to Chan again, then he'd have to deal with him AND us. Going after Chan's uncle would just be a reckless and stupid move and my dad knows it."
"Well, then who?" Liam asked.
"Were there any other Chi Wizards your father encountered that he could turn to for this?" Ren asked.
"None that are still alive," he answered, before suddenly straightening up. "Wait, unless…"
"Unless what?" she asked.
"Daolon Wong," he answered.
"Creepy mouth hands from last year?" Mavis exclaimed.
"Who?" asked Ren.
"Dark Chi Wizard," Remy answered. "But what does he have to do with Shen Du?" "A couple years back, the Chans destroyed my father's body, which left his talisman powers clinging to animal hosts. From what I heard, Wong was trying to gather these powers. But there was a problem with one: the dragon talisman. My father struck a deal with Wong. Use his magic to reconstruct his body and Shen Du would give him the dragon talisman power. Long story short, Wong has experience with a spell like that and he's the only other Chi Wizard alive that's dealt with my father that I can think of."
"Hang on, if the dragon talisman power was trying to find a dragon host, why didn't it choose you or even Dragen? You both would have been around," Mavis pointed out.
"Maybe it didn't pick us because we already had the power?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders.
"But there's another problem with that: my mother crystallized Daolon Wong, remember?" Mala pointed out.
"Yes, she did, but she didn't smash him to pieces like she did with Liam's dad," Drago countered. And when she died, her crystallization spell on Tzan Ren wore off right? We know that because, well, Shadow Legion. So that must mean Daolon Wong was also freed too!"
"But if he was freed that long ago, what has he been doing?" Mala asked.
"Maybe he retired? Got tired of getting his butt kicked by young, spunky heroes like us!" Mavis exclaimed with a confident grin.
"Retired or not, he's the most likely candidate for what Shen Du needs. We should find him," Remy said.
"Perhaps that won't be necessary," Ren said. "There have already been several robberies recorded, yes? So we can infer that Dragen is nearly complete in gathering the ingredients. And given Shen Du's absence during these crimes, he's likely already recruited Wong to his cause, which means we don't need to waste our time finding him. We'll have to prepare an all out assault on Shen Du."
"And the keys?" Tim asked.
"We bring them with us. Worst case scenario, this is all just an elaborate diversion to draw us into a trap so they can steal the key from under our noses. At least with us, we'd know where the keys are and be able to protect them. There is, however, one thing that still concerns me."
"What?" they all asked.
"This restoration spell. If Shen Du is truly planning on casting one and we can't prevent it, we will have a problem on our hands."
"In what way?" Remy asked.
"A spell like that generates a lot of energy and power and it has to go somewhere; it can't just disappear into the air. If he succeeds in activating that spell, we can't let him or Mo Wang absorb its power."
"What if we had somebody else use it?" Liam spoke up.
"You mean like one of you? I suppose that could work, but none of you are even close to being full-fledged Sorcerer class demons yet and there's no telling what that amount of power will do to the two of you that are half-breeds."
"I wasn't talking about any of us using it," said Liam.
"Then who?"
"How about two Demon Sorcerers, who lost their own bodies and whom we know are still alive and kicking as ghosts?" he suggested. The others didn't quite follow, until Mala gasped.
"You don't mean-" But Liam cut her off with a firm nod. "But, how would they even know? We have no idea where they are or how to contact them! How will they know to come to the spell?"
"I may not know what you're talking about, but I do have an answer to that last part. A spell like this gives off such a powerful energy signature that every demon and spiritual being on the planet will be able to sense it. It might as well be a giant beacon for them to come to. Once that spell reaches full potency, every demon will be clawing their way here to get the chance to use it for themselves," Ren explained.
"Well, then I guess all that's left is to find where this spell's gonna be," he said.
"Leave that to me," Ren replied with a smile.
"There, I got everything on your stupid list!" Dragen mumbled, throwing the scroll at Shen Du's feet before leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "Who's this old fart?" he asked, noticing the scrawny old man with pale skin, blue robes and mismatched eyes.
"Feh, you will think twice before speaking to me like that you disrespectful brat!" the old man cried, raising his wooden staff.
"Ignore him," Shen Du called, prompting the old man to return his focus to the large pool of bubbling liquid that he dumped various ingredients into. "My son does not know when to hold his tongue." At this, Dragen scoffed and turned his head away. "You are certain you are doing it correctly?"
"I was the one who got you that new body, wasn't I?" he retorted. "So yes, I know what I am doing. You promise to leave me alone after I do this for you?"
"Yes, yes," Shen Du sighed. "You'll be free to go back to your pathetic life of defeat."
"What you call a life of defeat, I call a more satisfying existence. Between dealing with the Chans and those teenagers, I've had enough. It's not worth the trouble."
"You sure this is going to work?" Dragen asked.
"Of course it will work! They will be unable to ignore the power this spell gives off and once they get here, we take the keys from them, free the Demon King and he will give us our own kingdoms to rule!" Shen Du declared, relishing the idea.
"Great…" Dragen muttered, rolling his eyes.
"What? Now you don't have to go back to a meaningless existence. You can rule these humans as our kind was meant to!"
"Whatever," he scoffed.
"Fine, mope around all you want. When this is all over I won't even need to think about you."
"He's a terrible father and you know it! You don't have to live under his shadow. You can be your own man." That was what his little brother had said. The same little brother that all this time, Dragen had been convinced was weaker than him. He wouldn't freely admit it to him, but Dragen could see that out of the two of them, Drago was the one who was far better off. Maybe he just got the lucky draw in life? Or was it because he always knew what he wanted? That was probably the one thing he never shared with anyone: how insecure he felt about… well, not knowing what he wanted. He was supposed to have this grand plan for himself to become a powerful Demon Sorcerer and live up to his father's legacy, but even his efforts to do that were a lie. He never got a Demon Weapon of his own! He just lied about it! And even if he had gotten one and become the powerful Demon Sorcerer he felt he had to become, what then? What was he supposed to do after that? He wanted to talk to someone about this, but if he brought up any indication that he was doubting himself, his father would just call him weak-minded and insult him. Maybe he was going a little crazy, but… maybe his little brother had a point?
"Dragen!" Shen Du shouted.
"What?" he snapped, suddenly being pulled from his thoughts.
"I believe we have guests. Why don't you head out and greet them?" he asked. "Wizard, you finish that spell!"
Dragen said nothing as he pushed himself off his place against the wall and began heading out of the underground chamber with the vault door that sealed his grandfather. Four keys sat within four of the eight keyholes, leaving the other four bereft of their own keys. But that was about to change.
"You sure this is the place?" Mavis asked. They stood within a dense forest at the base of a large mountainside just outside of a large, dark and ominous cave.
"Positive. Not only is there are large amount of magical energy centered in this area, but I'm picking up Dragen's signature as well," Ren replied, placing her crystal pendulum back around her neck.
"So, everyone remember the plan?" Liam asked, to which everyone nodded. "Ok, let's go in there and stop a Demon King."
"I'm amazed no one's found this place," Mala said, as they walked through the tunnel, guided by the light from Drago's flame.
"The Chi Wizards of old must have placed a lot of enchantments on the area to avoid hikers from randomly stumbling across the area. To anyone else, they'd just see rocks, not a cave entrance, but since we're all used to magical things, we can see past the illusion," Ren explained.
"Well, rest of you I get since you're either demons or demon hunters, but Mavis and I are just regular humans," Tim said.
"Regular humans, sure, but you two have been exposed to magical entities and powers long to enough to fall under the spectrum as well," she answered.
"Did ya hear that? We're part of the spectrum," Mavis smiled, elbowing Tim in the rib cage lightly.
"There's something up ahead," Remy noted as they came into a large underground chamber, lit along the walls with torches.
"No vault," Drago noted.
"Must be further up ahead," Tim said.
"I'm afraid this is as far as you all go." An Gou immediately began growling as all seven of them looked up and saw Dragen standing on the opposite end of the chamber, coming out from one of two hallways leading further in. "You know, I didn't think the old man's plan would work, but clearly he's still got some good ideas. You all just came right to our front door. You might as well save us all the trouble and give me the keys now," he said, holding out his hand.
Ren quickly stepped forward and threw a one of her throwing knives at him, but he easily caught it between his fingers and scoffed before discarding the tiny blade to the ground. "Go, he's mine," she muttered in a serious tone.
Drago opened his mouth to protest, but Liam held out his arm and shook his head. "You've got bigger fish to fry." Drago closed his eyes and nodded, knowing that Liam was right.
"Aw, you want me all to yourself? I guess I can deal with that. It won't matter anyway," he said, watching the others make their way to the second hallway.
"Ren!" Remy called, "Don't you die on me!".
"Heh, worry about yourself, kid!" she called back with a confident smile. He nodded back and disappeared down the hall with the rest of his friends while Ren quickly drew her two sais and took a battle stance.
"You really wanna do this?" Dragen asked, jumping to the center of the chamber and readying himself.
"I was just about to say the same thing to you," she retorted.
"Heh, you're funny, Red. I think I'll miss that the most."
I was so worried that this chapter wouldn't be long enough because it was all just talking. But once again, dialogue proves for longer passages than action sequences XD
Also, I've actually gotten rather far with chapter 12, which I'm very excited for, possibly as excited as I was with the Lang Yan chapter!
Next chapter: Dragen vs. Renita! Only one will walk away!
