Hey gang, sorry for the long wait; I do have a reasonable excuse, however. My internet connection decided to crash two Mondays ago and so I have been on unable to get online since then. This next chapter is twice as long as the usual chapters so I hope that makes up for the wait somewhat. Oh, and for those who have been anxiously expecting the trio's reunion, well, this is your chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 13: Half-Ghost Badger
"Would you desist that infernal noise?!" Skulker shouted, shooting the caged, wailing badger an angry look. The hunter decided to keep Danny for himself upon realizing that he could do so without the cost of his employer's life…
"You're making a big deal out of this." Skulker said, his attention to the blade he was sharpening. "It'll be quick; you won't feel a thing."
"I don't care how quick it is; I want to keep my head!" Danny yelled back. He scratched, gnawed, and pushed at the strange glowing blue walls confining him, but his efforts were futile and he soon found his capturer approaching with a malicious smile.
The teen's fear quickly became aggression when the hunter opened the cage and reached in to grab him. He attacked with everything he had, but the large predator didn't even flinch in discomfort. "No! let me go!" the badger cried in panic as Skulker grabbed him tightly and took him to a carving table.
Danny whimpered and shivered as the ghost roughly inspected his fur with his large, metal fingers. "I would have preferred your human pelt, but this one will do just fine." The poor animal's cries returned when his head was pinned to the table. "I would ask if you have a last request but since you can't talk, we'll skip all that."
The teen watched in terror as Skulker brought the sharp blade right above his neck. "Stop! Please!"
Skulker grinned. The badger was struggling so hard, he was actually leaving claw marks on his metal made hands. "We both knew this day would come, ghost child. If it's any consolation I won't let a single piece of you go to waste."
Danny's eyes shut as he heard the blade come down on him. He didn't want this to be the end! This couldn't be the end! He hadn't even figured out who he was. He was sure he had a family and he wanted to see them!
The badger's entire body lit up so quickly with green energy that Skulker didn't even manage a gasp when he was propelled backwards. With a startled yelp, Danny snapped his eyes open, unaware that his once blue irises were now pulsing between a deep brown and neon green.
He looked at his glowing white body in wonder. He felt like something within him had awakened. What it was exactly, he did not know, but he did know that it could help him defend himself.
"Well, I can't say I expected that." Skulker mumbled, pushing himself out of the weapon stand he had impacted. "Not a problem; I enjoy a good struggle," he said, giving the young animal a predatory smile.
Danny took a threatening stand and his body glowed green once more. "Stay away," he snarled.
Skulker's grin fell and surprise flashed across his features. "You can… talk," he said, his tone changing into amusement and interest at the last word. He quickly raised his arm and activated his radar.
He lifted an eyebrow at the beeping instrument. The teen's once weak signature was now as strong as ever. "You know, my employer did mention you still had your powers, but I wonder if he realized they weren't completely active at the time." Skulker turned his gaze back to Danny. "I also wonder if…" Without warning, Skulker summoned a large gun and sent a strong blast at the teen.
Danny cried in alarm as the table exploded into dust and he fell to the ground. Somehow, he avoided injury from the assault and fall. Without hesitation, the badger ran away from the hunter, who watched with a smirk as he disappeared from his line of sight. "So I was right; his instincts are controlling his ghostly abilities." It made perfect sense. Using his powers was the only way to defend his self now that he was in the Ghost Zone. After all, teeth and nails could only do so much when it came to using them against ghosts.
Skulker smiled wickedly as he floated after his prey. He didn't need to ponder the teen's sudden ability to speak. He knew the cause the second he saw the half-ghost's signature had strengthened. In actuality, the badger had not gained the ability to truly speak. The awakening of his ghost side is what now allowed Skulker to understand him. It wasn't anything uncommon. Like earth animals, most ghost animals could not be understood by humans. All they heard were noises, like hisses and growls. Ghosts, however, were different. All ghosts could understand each other. It had something to do with what humans perceived as a mere echo in their voices, when in fact, it was so much more then that. It was an underlying form of communication between all spirits and now, Danny's voice held that "echo".
Skulker sniffed the air, unaware that the badger was doing the same. "I smell you, whelp."
"I smell you too and I'm not letting you near me." Danny retorted, observing the hunter from under a couch.
Skulker aimed his weapon at the couch. "You forget I'm the superior hunter. You can't escape me, pup, especially now that your moves are easier to predict." The hunter fired his gun. The attack struck the couch and made a huge black hole through it. The hunter didn't seem to care that he had just destroyed his couch; he got the result he wanted from his prey.
Danny ran out in alarm, exposing himself to Skulker. With an amused chuckle, the ghost fired a green net towards the fleeing badger. The teen, however, turned intangible, and avoided being snared by it. The hunter growled in irritation and chased after him.
Danny looked around for a way to escape the large "cage" he was in. He needed to return to the forest where he could find shelter. The badger reached a closed green door and somehow knew it was his way out… but how could he get out?
The teen's attention darted to Skulker who had finally caught up to him. "Give up, ghost child; there's nowhere to run."
Danny's eyes narrowed. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you eat me!" he growled.
Skulker blinked at his words. "I never thought of that…" he mumbled thoughtfully, but soon a sinister expression appeared on the hunter's face. "I wonder what a half-ghost badger taste like."
Danny forced himself to stay where he was as the ghost aimed a weapon at him. Having already seen what this particular weapon did, he knew his idea would work. At the last second, he dodged Skulker's attack. In turn, the hot ecto-blast struck the door that was once behind the badger and effectively created a hole.
"Thanks!" Danny chittered before using the hole to escape his attacker's house.
Skulker was momentarily taken aback by the teen's ability to plan ahead. "So, he's still capable of logical thought," he realized.
Danny froze in fear the moment he saw what was outside the ghost's house. His surroundings were dark and green, and there were doors floating everywhere. "What is this place?" he thought with dread. "And why is it so familiar?"
"It's the Ghost Zone and its familiar because you've been here countless of times, pup." Skulker answered from behind, before attacking the teen once more.
Danny scurried away from the multiple blasts and headed towards the glowing forest he had spotted a second ago. It had 'danger' written all over it, but at the moment, it was the only thing that offered a good chance of living for at least a few more minutes.
Danny was panting heavily by the time he reached the tall trees. He needed to hide, but as much as he tried, he couldn't out run this flying predator! The badger cried out when a hot blast landed inches behind him, causing him to lose his footing. His alarmed cry turned into a pained one as he tumbled forward and his left, front paw snagged on a thick plant root. His foot screamed with pain but he didn't look at it. Instead, he turned his head towards Skulker, only to find a gun inches from his body. "I truly enjoyed this little chase, but I think I want to move on to the skinning," he informed with a wicked smile.
"Skulker!"
Said ghost whirled around at hearing the voice of his very angry employer. He frowned before looking back at the badger, only to find he was gone. Skulker growled in annoyance as he debated weather to answer his employer or continue his hunt. With a sigh, he put away his guns and went in search of Vlad.
Plasmius glared daggers at seeing the hunter step out of the large forest on his island. "Where the blazes is Daniel?
"Calm yourself." Skulker said coolly. "The whelp is here and before you accuse me of betraying you, let me assure you it is not the case. I just realized there's simpler way to solve your dilemma."
Vlad's glare fell, but a displeased frown remained on his features. "Explain"
"Your wish against the whelp is what's slowly destroying your ghost energy, correct? Well, get rid of the whelp and the wish nulls. I get his head and you keep your powers," he enlightened, a predatory smile forming on his lips at the last sentence, before it vanished. "I'm surprised this little fact didn't cross your mind," he added with a raised eyebrow.
Vlad just stared at him with unreadable expression, one which Skulker took as approval. "Now that things are settled, I have a very clever half-ghost badger to hunt." Skulker remarked in amusement. He retracted his gun and floated off. Even then, the older half-ghost didn't say anything; in fact, he hardly noticed the ghost's departure. He was so impacted by the hunter's words.
"Get rid of the whelp and the wish nulls."
He was right. It was because of Danny his ghost side was being destroyed. Vlad couldn't help but feel like a battery, a battery that his young rival was draining the life from. …But with the younger half-ghost's demise, the wish would be broken, the connection would be broken… it was a sure way of ensuring his survival.
Two loud blasts brought him out of his thoughts. He turned in the directions of the blasts before pulling out a hand clock. His eyebrows scrunched in worry. "It would be an easier solution to all this," he told himself. The question was, could he bring himself to do such a thing? Sure, he would constantly beat the teen to a pulp and put him in danger. Heck, he even had the desire to waste the boy a few times…but to really do it or allow someone else to…
Vlad looked back down at the clock and glared. Cursing under his breath, he flew towards the commotion. He landed on the forest floor upon spotting Skulker's unmoving form up ahead. "Skulker," he called, but received no acknowledgment.
Vlad growled in annoyance, but a gasp soon followed as Skulker suddenly sprang towards something while one of his many arsenals retracted out of his shoulder. "Skulker, wait!" Vlad yelled, but it was too late. Two missiles exploded out of his large gun.
A high pitch wail reached Plasmius' ears. His face paled significantly at recognizing it instantly. It was the same one Danny let out when his cat came close to ending his life.
Vlad was proven wrong less then a second later. This wail wasn't the same as that one, but he had seen it before. He watched with large eyes as Skulker and everything in front of the teen was pushed away from him by waves of spectral energy. Luckily for the billionaire, he was far enough to get out of the wail's direct path before it could reach him. Vlad was beyond shocked at witnessing Danny unleash such a powerful attack in his current form. As he covered his ears, he remembered how draining this attack was on the teen… this couldn't be good news from him and his spinning head confirmed his fear.
Sam and Tucker arrived at Skulker's domain. "Where should I land?" Tucker asked, clearly nervous with what they were about to do.
"Um… see if you can land in between those two trees there." Sam replied just as nervous.
Tucker descended the speeder and landed it with a soft thud. "Are you sure you want to sneak into Skulker's house? Maybe we should just ask him about Danny," the male teen suggested.
Sam rolled her eyes, "Right. Like he would hand over his most wanted living trophy."
"Look, Sam, I'm just saying sneaking into Skulker's isn't the best idea. Whether Danny's in there or not, it isn't going to do him much good if we get captured!" Tucker rationalized.
Sam sighed. "Well, what else can we do? We have to save Danny!"
Tucker crossed his arms and stayed quiet for a moment. Right then a smile appeared on his face. "I got it!" he exclaimed. He ran to the back of the speeder and searched through the ghost equipment he borrowed from Fenton Works. "Vlad said Danny was still half ghost; maybe the Fenton Ghost Finder can help us track him!"
Sam watched as her friend picked up said device before racing back to the front of the speeder. "And the real world detector can tell us if he's even on Skulker's island," he added as he typed furiously on the ships control panel.
"Two real world items detected."
"Ha! Technology triumphs again!" he announced, pumping a fist in the air.
Sam smirked. "You know, Tucker, just when I think you- Whoa! Do you feel that?" she suddenly said, receiving a quizzical look from Tucker.
He soon realized what the girl meant when the rumbling got stronger, and soon after an ear splitting wail resonated in the air. Tucker and Sam's eyes went wide. "Tucker! It's Danny!" Sam shouted fearfully.
"Yeah and if he's using his ghostly wail then he must be in trouble." Tucker added.
"Look, it's coming from over there!" Sam pointed, seeing trees being uprooted some distance away.
Tucker quickly took the controls and ascended the speeder into the air. Without hesitation he took off towards the area of destruction.
The wail soon ended, but it had succeeded in leveling a good sized area of the forest. Vlad was currently leaning against a tree and looking like he just got punched in the stomach. Apart from the man's strained breathing and a few coughs brought forth from the debris in the air, the forest was completely silent. After a couple of attempts, Vlad supported his own weight without the help of the tree. He slowly walked towards the place Skulker was before Danny's attack; the dirt and smaller debris, hazed his vision even more.
He looked around, but he saw no trace of Danny. It was then that a small whimper reached his ears and he quickly headed towards it. "D-Danny" he called weakly, upon discovering the badger's fallen form.
Vlad stooped - more like fell- to his knees besides the teen. If it wasn't for the fact that the teen looked unwell he would question why the badger's body held a ghostly white hue.
"Daniel" he called a bit stronger, lifting him off the ground to inspect him.
At the moment all the badger could do was whimper even louder at being captured. Whatever happened to him didn't just leave him in pain, but severely weakened as well. What came to some relief for Danny was that whoever had him in their hold was not the same predator that had been chasing him.
Vlad's eyebrows creased further as Danny slowly lifted his head and looked up at him.
He wasn't sure how to react towards the teen's eyes flashing between green and brown. In the end he just let out a deep sigh. "You shouldn't have left."
The badger stared at the billionaire with lowered ears. He knew this entity, but more then just his instincts were telling him to flee from him. Whoever he was, he could not be trusted. Still feeling weak, Danny resorted to the only thing he could do at the moment. "P-Please, l-let me go."
Vlad's eyes widened from disbelief. "I-It's not possible…. You-you can speak!"
Danny was too startled by the man's sudden outburst to contemplate what he was saying and the abrupt gasp that followed didn't help any. Without thinking, the badger stood and scurried back, only to fall from Vlad's hands and hit the ground.
Plasmius barely registered Danny was no longer in his hold. The wave of weakness passing over him had, his eyes and teeth tightly clenched and his form glowing with a pink hue. He never noticed a pink mist escape his body and dissipate into the atmosphere.
Danny didn't notice any of it either since the fall had agitated his injured paw and left it with a pulsing ache. Regardless, he wobbled to his feet with the intention of putting as much distance between himself and the being in front of him. "D-Daniel, w-wait," he heard the man wheeze out.
Danny turned back towards him, quickly realizing upon inspection the entity was ill. He cocked his head in confusion; why was he so wary of him when it was obvious he couldn't even hurt a fly at the moment. The badger clearly hesitated in his retreat. "Who are you?" he decided to ask.
Vlad finally looked at him with dulled, red eyes. "You don't… remember?" he whispered. He then pressed a hand to his head, before speaking again. "Listen… to me; I'm not-"
Danny took a step back at seeing two black rings appear around Vlad's mid-section. As further result the teen's instincts kicked back in, but still, he hesitated in listening to them. It was only when he heard heavy footsteps approaching that his instincts managed to win his internal battle and he quickly limped away.
Vlad fisted his hands and fought against his body's need to revert to its human form. "No… I must not…. change…. forms," he grunted. He only had a few hours and he needed whatever ghost energy he had left!
The spectral rings vanished, just as another wave of pink energy left his body and dissolved away. Vlad brought a hand to his forehead once more. He was incredibly dizzy and he couldn't seem to bring his breathing back into his control. His own pains didn't allow him to hear the approaching footsteps or realize Danny's departure.
"Vlad?" Sam called upon reaching the man's kneeled form. Her confusion quickly turned into suspicion. "What are you doing here and where's Danny?" she demanded, but Vlad didn't even acknowledge her presence.
Having caught up with his athletic friend, Tucker was just as confused at finding Vlad at Skulker's as Sam was. Didn't they leave him passed out at his mansion? He quickly looked around the destroyed forest, in hopes of spotting Danny. And he did.
His eyes stopped on a small animal looking over the island's edge. "Sam, look! I think that's Danny!" Tucker exclaimed causing Sam's attention to move away from Vlad and towards the direction Tucker's hand was pointing in.
Danny had limped away in hopes of finding shelter, but all he found was the end of the island. He chittered nervously as he looked over the edge. He was stuck on a piece of land that appeared to be floating in some eerie black and green abyss. "What do I do now?"
The badger's eyes widened when he heard footsteps behind him. He quickly whirled around towards the sound and found two entities standing a few feet away from him.
Large grins appeared on their faces before they yelled something he didn't understand and ran at him. Of course, these actions were not seen as good to a confused, scared, and cornered young animal. Without hesitation, Danny growled menacingly causing them to immediately halt.
Sam and Tucker stared at their friend with disbelief. He looked ready to attack them! "Tucker, why is he acting like that? It's as if he doesn't recognize us." Sam voiced warily.
"Maybe he's just confused. Vlad said he was acting weird after being turned into a badger," he reminded, before looking back at Danny. "Dude, it's us. We came to help you." Tucker assured, taking a small step towards the badger. In response, Danny's growls instantly deepened and he displayed his fangs; Tucker didn't dare to take another step.
Sam's eyes widened at this. She was right; Danny didn't recognize them! The girl felt a lump form in her throat. She didn't know what to do, but she did know she needed to convince Danny they were not going to hurt him… for his sake. "Danny…please. It's me, Sam; I'm your best friend. We're your best friends. You have to remember." Sam pleaded.
Danny took a few steps back towards the edge. He was so confused. He had no idea, who he was, where he was, or why everything seem to be after him. Something told him to trust these two entities, but then something else told him the very opposite. This in turn was causing his aggression to waver and his fear to swell. He didn't understand why he found so much comfort in their voices, especially the girl's. …If only he knew what they were saying. The badger chanced a glance at his surroundings in hopes of finding a way to escape, but then, the entity with purple eyes spoke again.
The moment Danny had took those steps back, Sam and Tucker realized their friend was hurt. "Oh man, what happened to him?" Tucker wondered sympathetically.
"Danny, listen to me; you're hurt. Let us help you." Sam pleaded once more, walking slowly towards him.
A small fearful whimper came from the badger at her approach. "Dude, we just want to get you outta here, but we can't if you don't trust us." Tucker added walking forward too.
Danny's growls turned more into distressed noises the more his friends, talked and closed in. His instincts told him to flee or attack, but…he didn't want to. If anything he wanted to run towards them. His indecision rendered him unable to move. All he could do was sit there and shrink away the more they inched towards him. Their voices sounded so inviting; they seem to hold protection and comfort for him. The badger felt an allurement to both of these beings, just in different ways, ways he couldn't explain.
Danny was shaking by the time Sam and Tucker stood inches from him. He managed to keep them from coming any closer by displaying his teeth at them once more. The girl said something else to him and her eyes seem to glisten as she said it. "I-I don't want to hurt you," he found himself telling her …wasn't it the opposite? "Please, just stay away."
Tucker let out a sigh as he watched Sam crouch down. "Maybe we should just try to capture him." Tucker said sadly, seeing his friend wasn't going to let them any closer.
Sam shook her head. "Tucker, this is Danny! I wouldn't even do that to a real wild animal. …He would never hurt us and he has to know that we would never hurt him," she said softly. The girl bit her lip, before extending her hand towards the badger.
"Sam…" Tucker said warily as the badger's growls returned.
Sam hesitated, but soon continued. "Danny… we want to help you; I care so much about you… I don't want you to be like this forever," she said gently. Tucker crouched down beside Sam as she said those words. He was unable to say anything since his breath was hitched in his throat from fear.
Danny knew he should defend himself against the hand lowering towards his head, but he just couldn't! As much as his instincts told him to attack, something else kept him from doing so. He was both terrified and puzzled at his inability to react towards the looming danger now inches from him. The badger shut his eyes and whimpered as the hand came down on his head. He waited for the fatal blow but it never came; in fact, what came was a pleasant stroke on his head. The teen looked up at the entity as she smiled sadly and talked to him in a reassuring tone.
Before he could stop himself, he jumped on her, earning himself a fearful gasp from her and a yelp from the other one. Danny ignored this, as well as the pain he felt from his injured paw and climbed up her frame. He rubbed his head against the side of hers and purred. "I don't know who you are but I'm so glad to see you,"
Sam hugged the badger lightly at hearing him purr and coo at her. "Don't worry Danny, you'll be you again. Everything's going to be fine," she assured. Sam was so relieved that Danny trusted them again that she didn't notice the smirk that had appeared on Tucker's face as he witnessed the interaction between his two friends.
"Should I leave you two alone?" he quipped, his smirk growing with his words
His remark snapped Sam out of her overwhelming contentment. At realizing her actions, her face immediately turned red. Of course, the badger remained oblivious to the goth girl's embarrassment and continued with his affection. Just when Sam didn't think things could become more awkward. The badger decided to further his display of affection by licking her cheek repeatedly. Tucker burst into laughter at seeing this while the bright red Sam scowled at her laughing friend. "Stop it, Tucker. He's just happy to see us," she defended, but Tucker continued to laugh. He was unaware that his loud laughter had earned him another set of eyes in his direction.
"Oh, I forgot this one." Danny thought happily as he turned his attention to the male teen. Being that they were beside each other, the badger had little trouble in jumping from Sam to Tucker, who yelped in surprise at this. "Thanks for finding me." Danny chittered, showing Tucker the same affection he had shown Sam only in a more lively way.
Tucker gave Danny an unsure smile and patted him on the head. "I'm glad to see you too, dude," he told him, only for the badger to become more excited at hearing his voice. "Whoa!" Tucker exclaimed, grabbing Danny's face to keep him from displaying his happiness further. "Why don't you save the kissing for Sam?" he added, tossing a smirk at the glaring girl.
"Hey, let go!" Danny protested as he used his right front paw to push away the teen's hand. He got off Tucker, deciding this one wasn't as pleasant as the other one. Sam picked up the limping badger coming towards her. "Danny, is it broken?" she asked fearfully, touching his left paw lightly only for him to recoil it in fear. "I just want to see." she comforted, trying again.
Danny's ears lowered. "W-Wait." he asked, but didn't move his paw away this time. He let out a small noise of pain as she inspected it. Despite this, she allowed her probing; it hurt, but he realized she was just trying to help.
"Is it bad?" Tucker asked, also looking at Danny's paw.
"I'm not sure… I don't think it's broken." She replied. "Danny, who did this to you? Was it Vlad?" she asked, pointing at his injured paw. She already knew Danny couldn't talk but she still wasn't aware that he couldn't understand her either. The badger, however, figured some of her question out from her pointing at his paw.
"This flying predator kept throwing fire at me! He made me fall and hurt it!" Danny explained.
Tucker gave his chittering friend a confused look. "Uh… did you catch that?" he asked his female friend.
Sam rolled her eyes at him. "Come on, we need to get going." she said, standing up.
Danny stared at his two friend's interaction with a cocked head. He wondered why he couldn't communicate with them…. He had no problem communicating with those other two beings… "I think they're different species; they do look different from each other." He soon dismissed his pondering and decided he wanted to be affectionate again. He rubbed his head against the girl's hands and lower arms. "I really like you." he told her. Danny was sure he knew her somehow, but since he couldn't really ask her, he decided he was just as content at having her and the other one around. He felt completely safe with them.
Sam frowned at the purring badger. "You know what, Tucker, I don't think Danny understands us."
"I've been thinking that too, Sam." He admitted, remembering that his friend had yet to acknowledge anything they said. "Hey, Danny," he called down at the badger, but he just continued with his affections towards Sam.
"Danny, look at us." Sam asked worriedly.
Nothing.
"Well that proves that." Tucker said with a sigh.
Sam sighed as well. "We better- Hey, where did Vlad go?" Sam asked, seeing the man was no longer where they had seen him.
Vlad stood up once his dizziness receded enough for him to hold himself on his feet. He looked towards where Danny last was, but found he was no longer there. What he did find after a moment of searching was Sam and Tucker, standing some feet away. He moved closer but halted when his eyes caught sight of Danny.
He observed as they approached the badger, but quickly stopped when Danny became hostile towards them. "It seems I'm not the only one Daniel doesn't remember," he murmured with a frown. He crossed his arms as he his thoughts went to something that still baffled him. Danny ability to suddenly speak was disconcerting and his glowing body and flashing green eyes even more so. He was certain they were connected but at the moment he's mind was too exhausted to ponder how. Deciding to just get straight answers to his questions, he turned towards the destroyed forest. "They can deal with Daniel," he decided, walking off in search of Skulker.
After a moment of following the path of destruction the teen's wail had done, he found traces of who he was looking for. Vlad gazed uncaringly at the pieces of metal and armor scattered on the forest floor. Eventually, his eyes fell on a familiar head piece. He picked it up and pressed a button.
With a hiss, the head piece split open, revealing the true form of the very disoriented Skulker. "What in the Ghost Zone was that?" he asked in a high-pitched, dazed voice, his small hands towards his face.
"That was Daniel when he's extremely upset." Vlad informed dryly. "Now tell me, Skulker, why is it that, one, Daniel is glowing, two, his eyes are flashing green, and three and most importantly, he can suddenly speak?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Skulker floated out of the helmet and up to his employer's eye level. "Isn't it obvious? His ghost powers are the cause. The reason you can understand him now is due to his ghost voice being dominant over his human one." He replied in an irritated voice as his eyes caught sight of what was left of his suit.
Despite the hunter's explanation was extremely vague, it was enough for Vlad to piece everything together. "What triggered this power growth?" he inquired as the smaller ghost flew down to a piece of his battle suit.
Skulker shrugged, his gaze to the piece of arm he was inspecting. "I was about to decapitate him... I suppose he didn't like the idea."
Vlad rolled his eyes at the ghost's ridiculous remark, but none the less it had answered his question. His instincts, like before, triggered the teen's powers. "Here" Vlad said tossing the helmet in his hands to Skulker. The small ghost let out a small gasp as he turned intangible to avoid being squished by his own head piece. The hunter glared at his employer's retreating form. "Oh, and don't bother with Daniel, I'll deal with him myself."
Skulker glare fell into a questioning frown as he floated after his employer. "You're going to waste him yourself?"
Vlad halted and turned towards Skulker. "I have too many plans for Daniel to simply waste him, Skulker."
The hunter rolled his eyes. "It's going to be rather difficult to carry out said plans if you're six feet under," Skulker bluntly pointed out.
The half-ghost glared in response but before he could retort they were interrupted.
"Vlad!" Sam called upon catching sight of him.
The billionaire and Skulker moved their attentions towards the approaching teens. "You two! What are you doing in my lair?" the hunter asked angrily.
Sam glared and held Danny a little closer. "We came to stop you from hurting Danny!"
"You two? Stop me?! I am Skulker, the Ghost Zone's-
"Greatest hunter." Vlad cut off in a dry tone. "Yes, Yes, we all know who you are. You two, come." Vlad ordered as he turned and walked off
"Hey! We have names you know." Tucker said annoyed
"And we're not dogs." Sam added, peeved at the man's rude command.
Vlad stopped his departure and faced them once more. "We must go," he replied with heavy aggravation.
"I don't like him." Vlad heard Danny say to his female friend as he pulled closer to her frame. The billionaire rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. He turned away, deciding to let them do what they wanted. He still had Desiree to deal with and he wasn't wasting his energy on two annoying teenagers.
Sam and Tucker were about to follow the man, but their attention went to Skulker when he spoke up. "Plasmius," the hunter called out. The billionaire gritted his teeth at being stopped yet again, but this time he didn't turn around. Vlad's irritation left at the hunter's next words. "I strongly suggest you reconsider your decision," he told him in a serious tone.
For a brief moment it appeared Vlad wouldn't respond. "If… I must," he said before continuing his departure.
The recently reunited trio stared at both ghosts in confusion; of course Danny's confusion was for a different reason then his friends'. Sam and Tucker heard the hesitation in the man's voice. Skulker's words clearly held significance to both ghosts.
Sam looked at Tucker who shrugged at her unspoken question. The girl's lips pursed in suspicion, before following after Vlad with Tucker in tow.
Skulker shook his head as he watched everyone leave. "He's not going to make it," he said out loud. It was a pity really; the older half-ghost was the best ally he had. It was upsetting that he would have to lose such a beneficial employer, but there was nothing he could do.
The hunter's thoughts shifted at catching a pair of curious, flashing eyes staring back at him. Skulker glared in return. It was clear the badger had no clue that this small ghost was the same ghosts that had been firing blasts at him just a moment ago. The ghost watched Danny quickly hide from sight upon receiving the hunter's threatening look. "Rest assured, once my employer is out of the picture I will come for you, regardless of what you are." Skulker growled under his breath.
I know I said that we had about two chapters to go, but I've added a few scenes so it added two more chapters... so three chapters left. I also have an update on CM, it'll be up in a matter of days, if I'm lucky it will be today, but it all depends on my beta. Hopefully everything I just said stays true; it seems every time I say something it doesn't happen, like I jinx myself or something... Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter; oh, on a side note. If anyone is wondering why Danny is acting so unlike himself, well it has to do with the whole badger thing. I haven't said it directly yet, but he has lost a lot of his ability to rationalize, and what little he has left is constantly being obscured by his animal instincts. Hence why he is constantly either scared out of his mind or overly aggressive. Alright, that's enough blathering. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!