Voyagers Saga
Null Chi
Chapter 14: Twilight Breaking
As Matt well knows, one can't so many adventures without picking several interesting souvenirs along the way. The shelves in his cargo hold are pure proof of that. They ranged from an unusual gem that Draco was sure was some kind of magi photo...but had been twisted up by Matt when he'd tried to look, to a Digivice and of course, the remains of the gem from NYC.
Of course, every now and then, it's nice to look at another adventurer's collection of souvenirs, such as what the gang was doing with the Chans right now.
Matt had spotted a more unusual selection. "A CD? Not exactly magical." he said.
"CD not important, mirror spirit trapped within CD is," said Uncle.
Matt immediately was suddenly across the room from the CD. "Ok...not going near it," he said, worriedly.
"Bit of an odd place for a mirror spirit," said Chip, examining the CD.
Draco looked at said CD with him. "That's not the weirdest. There's a makeup mirror over there," he said.
"They had to be reflective items and we didn't have much on hand at the time," said Jackie.
"So...what did happen with those guys?" said Kala, looking at what looked like a necklace.
"They were imprisoned in a mirror in Mi Shan temple. They should have stayed there, but someone was too stubborn to listen to Uncle," said Uncle, looking accusingly at Jade.
Jade made a snorting noise. "At least we got some peace and quiet from 'one more thing'," she said, under her breath. Matt covered his mouth to stop himself smirking
"Well, I would rather have everything return to normal-" started Kala when suddenly the necklace she was holding flashed and she and it disappeared.
Everyone stared for a minute before Matt walked over to the box the necklace had been in and read the label. "Eye of Aurora, Egyptian, allows user to teleport to any spot on Earth in the blink of an eye," read Matt. Chloe was counting under her breath and got to 5 before Matt started to giggle aimlessly. "So...this coulda sent her anywhere...right?" he said in a shaking voice. Just then, Matt's communicator rang. He answered and asked, "Hello?"
"Matt, how did I get here?" asked Kala's voice.
"Where are you?" asked Matt.
"My GPS says I'm in Normal, Illinois," said Kala.
Matt blinked. "That's nice, dear...hehe..." he said in a faint voice.
Jade took Matt's communicator and said, "Kala, say 'return to Matt's side'. Trust me."
"Erm...if that'll work...erm...is his eye twitching?" said Kala a little nervously.
Jade looked to see Matt's eye almost closed from the nervous tic it had. "Erm...I'd say so," she said.
"Ok, return to Matt's side," said Kala's voice before suddenly there was a flash and Kala was standing right beside Matt.
Matt turned to look at her before seeming to snap out of it. "Was I asleep again?" he said faintly.
Kala glanced at Chloe, who frantically making 'yes' motions. "Uh, yes?" said Kala.
Matt let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God," he said, not noticing that everyone started breathing normally again.
Chris, however, was looking at an ornate box. The box was unusual, being shaped like a triangular prism. One side had a button on it and had very faint dark wisps floating out from the cracks. Chris looked closer at the box. Something about it made him want to press the button.
Someone probably should have told him not to, but there was a large distraction involving Morph grabbing the Eye of Aurora and disappearing to an ice cream factory. He picked up the box, shook it, shrugged and in a classic example of the attitude that landed the gang in many of their adventures, pressed the button.
The box clicked open and dark clouds poured out, filling up a large part of the room. "Ah...just a useless ancient smoke...*cough*...grenade," said Chris.
Suddenly, the smoke gathered into three separate clouds before the clouds formed humanoid shapes. Then the smoke solidified into three men, only wore black clothing, had bright blue tattoos on their arms and foreheads, their eyes were solid black, their ears were pointy, and they had orange skin.
Matt had ended up eye to eye with one of them, the shortest one. "Wow, who the smeg are these guy?" he said, surprised. The warrior blinked, noticeably with sideways eyelids, and raised up its hand. Smoke flowed through its hand before materializing a metal staff. Matt looked at it before unclipping his deactivated ion blade and igniting it. "I'm guessing these guys are trouble?" he said. The tall one with flowing hair waved its hand as the smoke materialized into a boomerang blade. The bald one raised a hand and a sledgehammer appeared in it.
The gang just stared. It was a shame that Uncle and the others had left for the moment cause Matt had a feeling these guys were in Drago's league. He settled for sending a plasma bolt at the short one. The warrior spun his staff, which separated into three parts connected by chains. The staff smacked hit the plasma bolt and sent it back at Matt. Matt managed to dodge the blast before glaring and readying his blade. "Try that again, you walking tango advert."
However, the taller warrior stepped forward with his large blade. The blade spun rapidly like a circular saw before it sliced at Matt. Matt ducked it before slashing it in half as it came back. "HAH...NOW TRY...it," he said, tauntingly before the warrior's weapon reformed in its hand. "Now that doesn't seem fair," said Matt.
The trio got into fighting stances. Matt rolled his own eyes. "Let's kick these guys asses," he said.
Suddenly, the bald one threw his sledgehammer straight at Matt. And it flew at a surprisingly fast speed that would surely crush Matt's bones. The group scattered in time for the sledgehammer to go clean through the blastdoor. Matt looked at the hole with a pale face before looking at the hammerless warrior. "HAH...NO WEAPON, NO-" he began before the returning hammer came back through the hole and clocked him on the back of the head. Matt went down like a felled tree.
"Matt!" cried Kala.
"Don't worry, he has a particularly hard head," said Chloe.
"Not the donuts," mumbled Matt from where he was slumped, actually succeeding in making the warriors pause from brief confusion. The warriors leaped forward. The group expected them to attack, but they just jumped out the hole the sledgehammer made.
Chloe sighed and walked over to the intercom. "Captain Black? This is Chloe down in the secure store room...yeah, we messed up."
...
Quite naturally, the group was given a chewing out by Uncle. Of course, this has happened so often, the group was getting used to it. Chloe was sure Matt was humming a tune to himself throughout the rant...though she was hardly better given she was half asleep by now.
Just then, Chris nudged them and said, "I think he's winding down."
Chloe shook herself awake in time to hear Uncle say, "We must find dark chi warriors before they can find their original master."
"And who's that again?" asked Matt.
Uncle glared. "Were you listening to Uncle?" he said in an annoyed voice.
"I stopped after the third 'you should not pry into magic you do not know'," said Matt, earning him a two-finger whack.
Uncle glared and said, "Dark Chi Warriors are minions of dark chi wizard, Dao Lon Wong."
"Uh, he's your archenemy, right?" asked Matt, "And I mean you specifically."
"Dao Lon Wong was a master of Dark Chi magic," said Uncle, "He defeated many good chi wizards, including my teacher, Chi Master Fong."
"Sounds like a tough cookie...how'd you beat him?" said Chloe, conversationally.
"I used a spell to disenchant him, but he attempted to use the Deja Vu Stone to regain his powers," said Uncle, "I do not know what has become of him after that."
"Deja Vu Stone?" said Matt, confused.
"It is a kind of time travel magic," said Uncle, "Allows one to relive their past experiences."
"Hmm...that sounds like fun," said Matt, sarcastically.
"But that is not important," said Uncle, "What is important is what will happen with the Dark Chi Warriors find their master."
"So? You said this guy's got about as much power as Morph has common sense. Why worry?" said Chris, leaning back in his seat.
"Dao Lon's warriors were made from his power," said Uncle, "If they reunite, Dao Lon's powers can be restored."
"So...how do we stop them?" said Matt, a bored tone in his voice
"Uncle must do research," said Uncle before walking away.
Matt looked at Jade and Jackie, "We're screwed...aren't we?"
"Well...uh..." started Jackie.
"No more than usual," said Jade.
"That bad?" said Chloe, sarcastically.
"Well, Dao Lon does want to upset the balance of yin and yang," said Jackie.
"But he'll probably be more interested in revenge now," said Jade.
"Hmm...and I am guessing that as we're standing near you, we're added to the list," said Matt, conversationally.
Kala gave Chris a disapproving look and said, "You just had to push the button on the smoking box, didn't you?"
"Hey...how was I to know?" said Chris, defensively.
"Seriously, that's the kind of silly antic I'd expect from Morph," said Kala.
"That's kinda something I wanted to do," said Morph, "But I didn't cause trouble. I went out for ice cream." He then opened his mouth wide and swallowed an entire carton of ice cream he was holding.
Chloe glared before looking at Matt, who seemed to be waiting. "Aren't you gonna shout?" she said confused.
Matt said, "Nope...just gonna wait."
"Wait for what?" asked Kala.
Suddenly, Morph cringed and grasped the sides of his head. He screamed loudly before his entire head froze solid.
"That," said Matt, happily.
…
Meanwhile, in a distant land, three rolling clouds of blue smoke were heading straight for a long-abandoned temple. As soon as they came to the threshold, they materialized into the three Dark Chi Warriors.
The warriors looked around the temple, weapons at the ready in case the temple had guards before they looked around, seeming to sniff the air. While magic is often undetectable to the sense of average mortals, the Dark Warriors were another type of being entirely and could follow the trace scent of magic in the area.
Their trail led them to the central chamber, a large stone sitting in the middle. The warriors looked around, checking for any minute traces of traps. When it appeared that nothing was about to happen, the hammer warrior walked towards the stone cautiously, still expecting the worst.
Just then, large spikes came out of the floor and started spinning in a circle at quick speeds. The other two, if they had been still capable of emotion, would have winced as their fellow was reduced to smoke. However, the hammer warrior soon rematerialized. Now that they knew where the threat was, it was simple to leap over the spinning spikes.
The trio approached cautiously, leapt over the spikes...and were pulverized by several pendulum axes. Of course, like before, the architects of the temple never would have expected intruders to survive the trap unscathed, let alone be hit twice.
The three warriors materialized again, but were more anxious about approaching the pillar the stone stood upon. Eventually, the staff warrior extended his weapon and touched the pillar. A tiny beam of light focused on them at that, a faint whine coming from the pillar. The three warriors looked at each other, reached for the stone...and were vaporized when the solar spell went off.
This would have definitely finished the job if it were any other being. But the warrior's immortality once again caused them to rematerialize. With the final trap conquered, the blade warrior picked up the stone on the pillar. The stone itself was shaped like a pillar with a rune on all four sides. The warriors, despite everything paused with their hands on the stone, expecting one final surprise before finally taking it.
The blade warrior held up the stone, which glowed green. Soon afterwards, a portal opened in the air. Then an old man dropped from the portal. He wore blue and black robes and his grey hair and long fingernails were definite signs of his age.
The old man rubbed his head and muttered, "I never thought I'd be free from that timeless void. When I get my hands on that accursed old man and his nephew..." He looked up before and was surprised to see the three demonic warriors kneeling before him.
"My original warriors released?" asked Dao Lon. Then he smiled evilly before pulling something out of his robe sleeve. It was his scepter, although the blue gem in it was still broken. "With your dark chi, I can restore myself to full power," said Dao Lon, "Return to me, my Dark Warriors." The warriors immediately exploded into their dark smoke forms which flowed into Dao Lon's staff. The staff glowed blue as the gem repaired itself. The blue glow spread to Dao Lon, causing him to briefly lift off the ground. "Yes, my powers return," he called, "I am a true wizard once again! And the first thing I will do...is put that chi wizard and his troublesome family in their place."
Just then, his scepter flashed for a second. "What's this?" asked Dao Lon, "A new darkness in the realm?" He waved his scepter, producing a dark cloud. The cloud swirled before showing a demonic face he had seen before, only considerably more lifeless. "The Mask of Tarakudo?" asked Dao Lon, "I thought there were only 9 masks for the Demon Generals. Could it really exist?"
The cloud swirled to show the San Francisco skyline. Dao Lon swore in Chinese, recognizing the home turf of his rival before he started to think. The Mask of Tarakudo was the magical equivalent of a nuclear bomb. With it, nothing could stop him. "With the power of all Shadowkhan at my control, none shall be able to oppose me," said Dao Lon Wong, "And no guardians shall stand between me and my prize."
…
Meanwhile, in the San Fran catacombs, Ghoulwyrm shot awake from his meditation with what Uncle would have called 'a case of the willies'. "By the prickling of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes," said Ghoulwyrm.
Drago, not opening his eyes from his own meditation said, "Stop quoting from that Shakespeare book you found. Everyone knows you fake it."
"Forget what I'm saying, I know what I'm feeling," said Ghoulwyrm, "There's dark magic coming our way and it does not look friendly."
Drago smirked "You mean like you 'predicted' where your enemies would be each time?"
"That doesn't need any kind of precognition," said Ghoulwyrm, "Anyone can tell that the Chans will show up and try to ruin whatever harebrained scheme you're attempting."
A voice got their attention as a figure appeared, "They do have a habit of ruining well-laid plans."
Ghoulwyrm was the first up, angrily roaring, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
"I am Dao Lon Wong, master of the Dark Chi Arts," said Dao Lon, "Since we appear to share an enmity, I shall you to leave peacefully if you hand over the Mask of Tarakudo now."
Ghoulwyrm glared before saying, "Not...a...chance. I stole it first."
Dao Lon glared back before shouting, "Gan, Ren, Chui!" In a puff of blue smoke, the three Dark Warriors appeared and brandished their weapons.
Drago snorted and said, "Big deal, I have jokers like these for breakfast."
Ghoulwyrm, who had been on the receiving end of such confidence and its consequences before slowly edged to the side away from Drago, just as the first warrior jump kicked Drago into...and through a wall. Ghoulwyrm turned to Dao Lon and said, "Perhaps we can compromise. We all hate the Chans and have an ax to grind against them. Perhaps we could team up and work together to eliminate them."
Dao Lon said annoyed, "I have trusted your kind before. I will not make that mistake again."
Drago climbed back through the hole in the wall and said, "No one tosses the Son of Shendu like that and gets away with it!"
"Drago, now's not the time," said Ghoulwyrm.
Dao Lon's eyes narrowed. "ENOUGH! I have neither the time nor patience for this foolishness. BEGONE!" he said, aiming his staff and firing a blast of dark chi smoke at them.
Ghoulwyrm and Drago were expecting to be blast back through a wall. But instead, they found themselves above ground in San Francisco. "Ok, this is not a good place to be," said Ghoulwyrm, noticing how a few humans were staring in horror at them.
"Don't just stand there like an idiot!" snapped Drago, "You're not just gonna let him kick us out like that."
Ghoulwyrm glared and said, "Look, it's not that easy. You're not part vam..." he began before roaring in pain as some sun reflected off a watching human's sunglasses. Unfortunately for the two of them, this roar was enough to incite the crowd into a panic.
...
At Section 13...
Matt and the gang were talking. "So, if this Dao Lon guy gets out, what horrors can we expect?" asked Matt, "Giant silver-skinned Pegasi monsters? Godzilla tapdancing down the street?"
"In my experience, dark wizards tend to collect powerful magical artifacts for nefarious purposes," said Draco.
"Oh goody, another Fang Stone," said Matt sarcastically.
"Maybe, but I bet this guy's also after revenge," said Chloe.
"Of course he will be...they always are," said Matt darkly.
"So we should be optimizing our defenses," said Techo, "Who knows when this creep will strike?"
"I looked at his picture. I could snap this guy like a twig...as human," said Matt, cockily.
Chloe said, "And his pet enforcers?"
"Hey, no one told me they could remote control their weapons," said Matt.
"We need to be careful. McNeil's supposed to be the anti-magic division. Let's get some backup. He owes us after Shendu," said Chloe.
"I say he owes us more than that," said Chip, "As I recall, he promised to have his troops find Kai for us, but we ended up doing all the work about that."
Kala said, "I dunno...I don't trust him. Something about him seems...off."
"Yes, there is something untrustworthy about him," said Matt, "But I think this Gong guy might be a more immediate problem."
"It's Wong," said Techo automatically, not looking up from an intercepted news report, "Hey...the might not be the only problem."
Matt twitched before saying, "We don't have any time for interdimensional demons."
"Not demons...dracoliches," said Techo, showing the news report.
Chloe studied it and looked skeptical. "Ghoulwyrm in broad daylight?" she said, "He's not that stupid."
Just then, Captain Black burst in and said, "We've got a situation. Our most wanted dragons have been spotted downtown."
Chloe looked at the others smug looks. "Say something...I dare you," she said darkly.
PlasMorph, not quite the best at picking up threats, said, "Look who's stupid now." Chloe sighed and sent a lightning bolt out that caused Morph to explode.
"Well, I don't know what those two are up to this time," said Chris, "But it'll good practice for when the wizard shows up."
…
Matt's gang and the Chans arrived at the location to see practically everyone trying to get away. "Well, least finding the dumb duo is easy," commented Chris.
"Amazing how a few oddities can incite such a panic," said Chip.
Matt looked at Chip and Draco. "Yes...unusual," he said
"Enough dillydallying," snapped Uncle, "We must deal with Drago and Ghoulwyrm so we can prepare for Dao Lon Wong."
Matt shrugged. "Sure, why not?" he said and turned the corner to see several Shadowkhan. Matt blinked and asked, "Guys, is Shendu still in the vault?"
Chloe came round the corner saying, "Of course he...oh sh-" before the two were forced to dive back around as the Khan started throwing ninja stars rapidly.
Matt turned to the others and said, "I think Ghoulwyrm's pulling out the cavalry." Uncle peered around calmly, the stars somehow missing him. "Are you nuts?" said Matt in horror, trying to pull him back.
"This does not seem right," said Uncle, "If Ghoulwyrm could utilize the Shadowkhan so freely, he would have done so from the start."
"Then he finally read the manual, I dunno," said Matt, annoyed before tossing a plasma orb round the corner
"Either way, it looks like they're on the warpath," said Jade.
Matt peered round to see the Shadowkhan were either destroyed or gone. "Let's just deal with Ghoulwyrm, that ought to get rid of these guys," he said.
Just then, the walls of the building turned black before more Shadowkhan emerged from them. "Isn't there some limit to these guys?" asked Techo.
"They come from Shadow Realm...OF COURSE NOT!" said Uncle, slapping Techo who glared.
"Big deal, we've been kicking their butts for years," said Jade.
"Good...you first," said Matt sarcastically as the assembled Shadowkhan waited for the first move.
"Ok, let's show these guys some dragon weather power," said Jade. Immediately, the experiments pulled out umbrellas and opened them. Matt and Chloe looked at each other and ran for cover, grabbing Uncle on the way with Jackie close behind. "Ok, let's see how well these guys do in a flash flood," said Jade as her eyes glowed green. Stormclouds quickly formed above, looking ready to burst.
The Shadowkhan looked up just in time for the artificial heavens to open and a literal downpour to start. The Khan however didn't seem impressed, looking back before they started to hear a rumbling. A wave of water started rushing down the street, straight towards the ninjas.
It also headed for Matt and co. "Oh...shiiiiit!" swore Matt, scrambling up a fire escape.
"I knew I should have brought a snorkel," said Draco before he picked up Chip and jumped into the air. Chloe grabbed Uncle before going dragon and taking off, Jackie and the others also climbing up fire escapes.
"I thought Jade had that weather thing under control," said Techo.
"Weather, yes, natural disasters, no," said Chris.
Just then, a little tugboat floated by. Morph, dressed like a sea captain, waved from the deck and said, "Ahoy, maties!"
"Ok, this is too much. JADE! TURN OFF THE WATER PUMPS! YOU GOT THEM ALREADY!" said Chloe with a sigh before yelling the last part.
"Ok, just a sec," said Jade before closing her eyes and concentrating. The flood soon came to a stop, but only because it had turned to snow and ice.
"Not...helping," said Chris, his teeth chattering
A little down the street, Morph could be heard shouting, "Man the lifeboats, we've hit an iceberg!"
Matt looked up and yelled at Chloe, "You and Uncle see anything? I'd prefer not to go through an alley maze."
Chloe looked out and said, "Well, Morph's moved on to the 'arctic explorer' phase, but the Shadowkhan are wiped out."
"Do you see Ghoulidiot from up there?" Matt yelled.
"Uh, yeah, I see him," said Chloe, "But, huh, that's curious…"
What's curious?" yelled Matt.
Chloe used a free paw to rub her eyes. "Looks like the Shadowkhan are trying to fillet him," she called back.
"Ah, so Ghoulwyrm finally lost control of those guys," said Matt.
"This does not make sense," said Uncle, "Shadowkhan have no will of their own. Without anyone to control them, they would not be in this world."
"So...bed?" said Matt after a minute. Uncle said something unheard to Chloe who lowered down to allow Uncle the chance to slap Matt.
"If the Shadowkhan are confronting Ghoulwyrm, it means someone has usurped his control," said Uncle.
Jackie looked towards Jade and said, "Jade, have you been playing with fake tattoos again?"
Jade had just managed to get free of the snowdrift she had caused when she heard Jackie, holding up her hands in defense, "Not after last time. I had the Shadowkhan roast that book, remember?"
"There is one other who could have taken control of the Shadowkhan," said Uncle, his tone turning serious.
"Dao Lon Wong?" asked Jackie.
Uncle's face bought it for Matt, who said, "Guy works fast."
"We must be very cautious," said Uncle, "Doubtlessly, he will send more Shadowkhan after us."
"That's only if he knows we're here. These guys were probably random," said Matt, though not really believing it himself. However, nearby building walls turned black as red slit-like eyes appeared. "Of course...I've been wrong before," said Matt, nervously.
Shapes emerged from the shadows, but not like the other ninjas. They were humanoid in basic shape, but looked like they were covered in black exoskeletons. Their left arms ended in a large stinger but their right arms ended in huge crab-like claws.
Matt stared at the Khans in surprise before one of the Khans sliced through the support on his fire escape perch. "I hate Shadow-" started Matt before he fell onto the ground.
…
Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm was having similar thoughts to Matt's. The Shadowkhan may have no will of their own, but apparently Dao Lon had made a few insurances that no one would take their control from him.
"So...how the plan going?" taunted Drago, kicking another Shadowkhan down, only to see several more appearing.
"The wizard may be clever, but not clever enough," said Ghoulwyrm as he fired another controlling spell at the Shadowkhan. The spell seemed to hit an invisible wall in front of the Shadowkhan Ghoulwyrm aimed at. The Khan didn't seem impressed before sending a hail of throwing stars at the lich. "GAH...QUIT IT!" he yelled.
"Oh, don't be a baby," said Drago, "That's only, what, the fifth time your spells didn't work?"
Ghoulwyrm glared, "FOR THE LAST TIME..." Before a sword-wielding Shadowkhan beheaded him. "SMEG DAMMIT!" he yelled
"It ever occurred to you that oriental magic is beyond your grasp?" asked Drago.
Ghoulwyrm growled as he collected his head. "Look who's talking," he snarled, "For someone who comes from a family of demon sorcerers, you're not much of a spellcaster."
Drago snarled. "If I could reactivate that demon chi, I'd make you eat those words," he muttered.
Ghoulwyrm glared at the Shadowkhan and readied several glowing orbs, throwing them all with an angry roar of 'OBEY ME!' The orbs hit the Shadowkhan, which released a lot of energy. The Shadowkhan twitched and writhed before dissipating into shadow. Ghoulwyrm snarled before giving another angry roar.
...
Though the last spell had failed, it wasn't completely affectless. The power behind was enough that it caused Dao Lon to stagger backwards in shock.
The dark chi warriors looked over in curiosity before Dao Lon said, "Hmm...it seems that the previous inhabitant might be a threat after all. I wonder what is going on up there?"
We waved his scepter in a circle, creating a dark blue cloud. The cloud swirled before showing the scene going on in the street, with Ghoulwyrm attempting to get the Shadowkhan under his control.
"What? I did not give them that command...SHOW ME THE CHANS!" he said angrily.
The cloud swirled before showing the Chans fighting off the Scorpion Khan...in a street filled with snow and ice. And there appeared to be dragons fighting alongside them.
"What? Dragons? And a Celestial? But Shendu was the last, I was certain." said Dao Lon, a little gobsmacked.
Then Dao Lon focused upon the Celestial and got an even greater surprise. Her facial features were identical to that interfering niece of Chan's, albeit older. But around her neck was a necklace that he read about long ago. "The Vang Xian Necklace is real?" asked Dao Lon, "And it would seem it had found its Chosen One. But if the legend is true, that would mean..."
He turned to his warriors and pointed to Jade's image. "Bring me the Chosen One at once," he commanded. The three warriors nodded before disappearing a puff of smoke. "This is far more important than petty revenge," said Dao Lon, "The prophecy must not be fulfilled."
...
Matt blasted yet another Scorpion Khan into vapor before 3 more popped up. "How many of these guys ARE THERE?" he said, frustrated.
"Shadowkhan have no limits to their numbers," said Uncle, "The only to get rid of them is removing their summoner."
"Oh goody," said Matt sarcastically, blasting two more.
Chris threw his now-empty gun at a Khan who snapped it in half. "Great...so we're dead," he said, annoyed.
Just then, all the Shadowkhan paused where they were. "Uh, what are they doing?" asked Draco.
"Apparently nothing," said Chip.
"Or they're receiving new orders," said Jackie.
Jade was at the back, facing down several Shadowkhan and as such didn't notice when three puffs of blue smoke appeared behind her. The warriors didn't bother to fully materialize, just from the waists up. They silently approached Jade before suddenly grabbing her, holding onto her limbs.
The others turned at Jade's yell of surprise, Matt readying a plasma orb to blast at them. "Jackie!" cried Jade before suddenly she and the warriors dissolved into blue smoke and disappeared. The Shadowkhan also faded back into the shadows and were gone.
"This...isn't good," said Techo weakly.
"Where did they all go?" asked Kala.
"Back to Dao Lon Wong," said Jackie. "But why just her?" asked Chris, "He could have taken all of us if he wanted. And he had it out for all of us."
Uncle seemed thoughtful before saying, "Something else...something more important than his vengeance."
...
Dao Lon was pacing impatiently when he heard the familiar sound of his warriors arriving. He looked to see them hold Jade, who was struggling to get free. "Ah, so the Jade Vanguard has surfaced after all these eras," said Dao Lon, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it would turn out to be you."
Jade glared at Dao Lon and said, "You are in so much trouble once Jackie and Uncle gets here."
"Hmph...I doubt they could find anyone in this maze. Nobody will rescue you," said Dao Lon in a unimpressed voice.
"Oh, you better believe they'll get here," said Jade, "And when they do..."
Dao Lon snapped, "ENOUGH! I have no time for your feeble threats, girl. I have enough to deal with removing you for good."
"Ah, you finally recognize me as the better warrior that I am," said Jade, her bravado masking her nervousness.
"Warrior, pah," said Dao Lon, "Young or old, human or dragon, you are still a feeble girl compared to my warriors. The Vang Xian Necklace is the only thing dangerous about you."
Jade smirked. "Good luck with that. Even Uncle's not been able to get this off," she said
"I don't need to remove it," said Dao Lon, "Just to make it is destroyed with you. But how can I do so without creating a void that could be filled?"
Jade said, "You mean the old 'greater evil or good filling the void'? Uncle said that after I wasted Shendu."
Dao Lon looked surprised. "That was you?" he asked.
"Yep, blasted him to dust with the Dragon Talisman," said Jade proudly.
"Hmm, no wonder he didn't wish to speak of his demise," said Dao Lon.
"Yeah, I beat him, his siblings, Drago, his cronies, Tarakudo, and your own butt numerous times," said Jade, "So you might as well give up now before-"
"SILENCE!" snapped Dao Lon before zapping Jade with a blast from his scepter. Immediately, Jade's lips sealed shut and would not open, despite Jade's mumbling protests. Dao Lon glared and said, "That spell will deteriorate soon...but even a few seconds from your whining is a reprieve."
He walked away before muttering to himself, "There must be some way to neutralize. I cannot let the prophecy come true or allow a gap for a greater good to fill. The Wuji Ritual may work, but where can I find an appropriate counterpart? There must be someone who is antithesis to her..."
He suddenly thought back to Drago and smirked. Of course...Shendu's son would make a perfect counterbalance...and a revenge on the cocky fire demon to boot.
Dao Lon turned to his warriors and said, "Bind the girl and then seek out Shendu's son. I want him here alive."
…
Drago sighed to himself, wondering again what crazy thought had gotten him to team up with Ghoulwyrm, the aforementioned undead literally pulling himself together. Luckily, the Shadowkhan appeared to have lost interest.
"For someone who calls himself a 'master necromancer', you sure don't seem to have many useful ideas," said Drago.
"My ideas are significantly thorough," snarled Ghoulwyrm as he placed his foot back on, "Especially when they're compared to the fore-thoughtless schemes you come up with."
Drago glared, "Your 'minions' couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag. I've done more work than all of them combined."
"You've done more work?" snapped Ghoulwyrm incredulously, "Who was the one who located all the doors? Who's the one who's endured continuous bodily injury to bring out your family? Who's the one who has to drag your scaly butt out of the line of fire? I've been doing all the labor in this arrangement!"
"Hah...that's a good one. The Enforcers were better partners then you," said Drago
Ghoulwyrm's eyes flared purple as he roared, "You impudent, foolhardy, insolent..." Ghoulwyrm turned with a snarl pausing.
"Huh...all talk," Drago said before Ghoulwyrm said cautiously, "No...something's coming."
"What? This again?" asked Drago.
"Was I proven wrong last time?" asked Ghoulwyrm. Drago shrugged before getting ready, admitting the point to Ghoulwyrm
Suddenly, blue smoke started to swirl around Drago. "Hey, what is this?" he demanded. The Dark Chi Warriors attempted to pull the same move they had on Jade, only for Drago to jump out of range. "I don't have time for you losers," said Drago before throwing a fireball at them.
The first chi warrior was blasted, only to reform and throw his spinning blade at Drago before seemingly remembering his orders and causing the blade to shoot up and slice through a fire escape above Drago.
"Now that was a lousy toss," said Drago. Fate decided at that point to prove Drago wrong when the sliced fire escape balcony fell on the fire demon, pinning him.
As the dark warriors approached Drago, Ghoulwyrm said, "Now wait just a minute, Drago's my partner and I still need him. As much as I hate to say it, I cannot let you take him." The chi warriors turned to glare at Ghoulwyrm before sending their weapon at him at the same time. "Oh smeg," said Ghoulwyrm before the weapons went through him and made him fall to pieces. "Aw man, I just put myself back together," he groaned.
Drago rolled his eyes before the chi warriors vanished with him in tow. Poor Ghoulwyrm was still pulling himself together when Matt's group turned up...not helped when Matt burst out laughing.
"I am not in the mood," growled Ghoulwyrm, "I've been having a really lousy day."
"We are. Techo, get a capture container for the talking jigsaw puzzle," said Matt, grinning
"Haven't you got better things to do than bully an old dragon?" snapped Ghoulwyrm.
"Well, we would like to know where Jade is," said Chloe, igniting her ion blade and waving it under Ghoulwyrm's nose.
"How would I know where she is?" said Ghoulwyrm, "I'm not her caretaker. And frankly, you guys don't really make that cut either." The group glare he got told him that maybe he'd chosen a bad choice of words.
"Ok, dry bones," said Matt, now frowning, "You're gonna tell us where the orange guys took Jade or we'll let you pickle in a vat of garlic. I'll throw in some jalapenos for extra spice. Start talking." Ghoulwyrm growled and said, "I presume they took her to the same place they just took Drago."
"Wait...why'd they go after you? I thought you creeps had professional courtesy," said Techo, confused.
"Apparently, he's got a bad history with dragons," said Ghoulwyrm, "I mean, I don't go about kicking other villains out of their lairs."
"Your lair?" said Matt, with a grin. "You actually got kicked out of your base? Oh, this is rich," he said, trying not to laugh again
Ghoulwyrm growled and one of his arms managed to lift up. Its claws turned intangible before he plunged them through Matt's head. A second later, Chloe electrocuted Ghoulwyrm, sadly meaning the charge went through Matt's head. "BLAARREFRE!" Matt managed before he keeled over.
Ghoulwyrm, smoking gently said, "Worth it."
"Something still doesn't make sense," said Jackie, "If Dao Lon has the Mask of Tarakudo now, why would he want Drago?"
"And why would he only want to take Jade and not all of you?" asked Chris.
"Hey...that necklace...every other villain we've met has freaked out when they've seen it. Why not Dao Lon?" said Chris thoughtfully
"The Vang Xian Necklace is very important," said Uncle, "And that is why Dao Lon would wish to destroy it and its wearer utterly."
"That would cause a void, like when Shendu was destroyed," said Jackie, remembering Uncle's words from when Jade had destroyed Shendu.
"That is why Dao Lon took Drago," said Uncle, "Only by sacrificing him would the Wuji Ritual work." The rest of the group looked blank at that. "There are only two ways to remove a deity of great good or evil without upsetting the balance and making a void for a stronger force to fill," said Uncle, "One is to imprison it, such as with the Demon Sorcerers and the Celestial Dragons. The other way is through the Wuji Ritual. You all know the concept of yin and yang, yes?"
"Sure...I heard it," said Matt, before noticing everyone's glare. "What?" he said
"Yin and yang represent the two halves of everything, white and black, light and darkness, good and evil," said Uncle, "But there is a third concept: wuji, which is nothing."
Chris shrugged and said, "How bad could it be if it doesn't mean anything?"
Uncle glared and slapped Chris across the forehead. "Gah...what was that for?" yelped Chris
"I did not say it does not mean anything!" snapped Uncle, "Wuji means nothing, the empty void that lies between. Nothing, which comes before creation and after destruction."
"Oh great...limbo," said Matt, gloomily, having finally gotten his brain working again
"The Wuji Ritual was designed to remove from existence beings of significant weight in the balance of good and evil," said Uncle, "But the ritual itself has been performed very rarely."
"Why grab Drago then?" said Techo
"The Wuji Ritual, being neutral in nature, may be performed by both good and evil," said Uncle, "But two things often make this ritual inaccessible. One, in order for a being to be consigned to nonexistence, a being of equal strength but of opposite nature must be sacrificed as well."
"And the other thing?" asked Chloe.
"A great amount of magical energy," said Uncle, "Strong enough to power the ritual to its end. Such a source is hard to come by, often requiring the assistance of immortal beings."
Kala said in a small voice, the sort someone would have when they have realized something bad, "Like the thing Ghoulwyrm used to control those shadow ninjas?"
Uncle looked thoughtful before saying, "The Mask of Tarakudo draws power directly from the Shadow Realm. Dao Lon could find a way to extract enough power to fuel the Wuji Ritual."
"Crap...of course. It's never that easy." said Matt, gloomily before walking over to Ghoulwyrm and picking him up, "Ok, here is how it'll work: you get us to this Dao Lon creep...and I won't vaporize you."
Ghoulwyrm glared and said, "You don't enough power to vaporize me. And frankly, I wouldn't mind it so much if those two irksome teenage reptiles weren't around anymore."
Uncle walked over and said, "But you do want revenge on Dao Lon, yes? Then lead us to lair."
Ghoulwyrm glared. "Fine...but that little pain in my ass is MINE!" he said after a minute.
"You referring to Drago or Jade?" asked Chip. Chloe promptly kicked Chip into a dumpster. "What? It was a legitimate question," said Chip.
…
Meanwhile, Dao Lon Wong was setting up the cavern for the Wuji Ritual. It was a difficult spell, something that required a master wizard to work. Fortunately for him, Dao Lon was well qualified. Especially since he had both the energy source to perform the ritual and the sacrificial victims to offer.
"Soon...the forces of good will be shattered and those cursed Celestials will never return," said Dao Lon to himself, only to be interrupted by Drago calling out "Don't you ever shut up?"
Dao Lon glared at Drago and said, "Surely even you understand the importance of eliminating her."
"I can get you wanting to get rid of the Chan, but I'm not big on being sent to Wuji," said Drago.
"A sacrifice is necessary," said Dao Lon, "Perhaps your 'martyrdom' will be written down in legend. Though I wouldn't count on it."
"Hey, Dao Lon, you realize that Drago is only part demon, right?" said Jade
"And you are only part human," said Dao Lon, "If there were any doubt of you being antithesis to each other, I'd just seal you both in stone."
Drago said, "You know, if you are wrong, you'd probably blow yourself to bits or summon some kinda demon that'll tear your stupid head off."
Dao Lon looked thoughtful and said, "I should make sure, just in case. This will not take long." He then walked over, muttering to himself.
Jade looked over at Drago and said, "Ok...why'd you do that? Try to convince him his spell things gonna fail?"
"I figure you'd have a rescue party coming to break up his spell, so we just stall for time," said Drago, "That's what you always do, right?"
Jade thought about this. "I suppose," she said suspiciously.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't want to be negated out of existence," said Drago, "So we just gotta keep him distracted until your pals bust us out."
Jade said, "What do you mean 'we'?"
"C'mon, you girls are better at distracting," said Drago.
Jade's eyes narrowed. "And what's that supposed to mean?" she said, icily...so icily that ice was forming.
Almost fortunately, Dao Lon came back with a balance scale in his hand. "This should establish if the balance is equal," he said. Dao Lon immediately chanting what sounded like nonsense to himself. Drago and Jade shook their heads as it felt like the world was spinning
Then the two basins of the scale filled with glowing energy, one red, one green. The scale tipped back and forth a bit before it balanced out. "Ah, just as I thought," said Dao Lon, "You are able to perfectly balance each other out: celestial and demonic, male and female, good and evil, yin and yang."
"Crap," said Drago darkly.
Dao Lon turned to his warriors and the Shadowkhan. "We must set up the ritual immediately," he said, "I will not take the chance of that meddlesome old man and his family intervening before I finish this."
"Hah, you haven't got enough mojo to pull off this sorta spell," said Jade, trying to bluff the dark wizard down.
"On the contrary," said Dao Lon, pointing at the stone chest, "With the power of the Shadow Realm channeled through the Mask of Tarakudo, I have ambient power to ensure the ritual's success."
Drago glared. "You had to say it," he said angrily to Jade.
"No way you could pull out that much magic," said Jade, "You don't have that much control over the mask, no one does."
Dao Lon turned to look at Jade. "Oh...and how would you know, child?" he said, nastily.
"Ghoulwyrm could only use one of the tribes at a time," said Jade, "And I see you haven't pulled out all the ninja horde."
Dao Lon's eyes narrowed. "I only need one of the tribes to deal with your friends," he said coldly.
"Sure you do," said Drago mockingly.
Dao Lon turned and surprisingly smirked, "Laugh all you want...soon you will be gone."
"I'd like to see you try," said Drago.
"Oh, I won't try," said Dao Lon, "I'll succeed."
…
Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm was reluctantly leading the way through the tunnels that lead to the San Francisco catacombs. "How much further, zombie boy?" said Matt from behind him
"Have some patience," snapped Ghoulwyrm, "I normally just ghost through the walls."
"No excuses," said Chloe cheekily, sending a charge of electricity into Ghoulwyrm's butt.
Ghoulwyrm yelped and turned back to glare at Chloe. "If I didn't want that mask back so badly, I would bring this tunnel down upon you," he growled.
Chloe just smirked. "You wouldn't get the chance." she said cockily
"Is that so?" said Ghoulwyrm before abruptly reaching upward and punching the ceiling. A couple of cracks appeared in the ceiling and dust fell down as a slight rumble was heard. A second later, a fireball narrowly missed Ghoulwyrm's head.
"Stop playing around!" snapped Uncle, "We must find Dao Lon Wong before he can complete Wuji Ritual and Jade will be lost to us forever."
Ghoulwyrm said sarcastically, "Oh, what a loss that would b-" before Uncle zapped his voice away.
"Just keep moving, corpse breath. We haven't got all day," said Draco.
Ghoulwyrm mouthed something, probably something rude before pointing at a hole leading into a larger chamber.
"Uncle, once we get there, do you know how to stop the ritual?" asked Jackie.
"That is simple. The spell requires balance so we free one of the sacrifices," said Uncle.
"It's never that simple," said Kala.
Ghoulwyrm stopped the group before tossing a stone ahead, where one of his glyphs glowed and reduced the rock to liquid.
"Figures, nice trap though," said Matt.
Ghoulwyrm actually looked a little proud at that before rubbing the glyph out before walking through. "Any more traps we should know about?" asked Chris. Ghoulwyrm thought for a moment before shaking his head.
Matt walked forward and Ghoulwyrm grinned as there was a flash of light and a scream before Matt walked back, blackened and smoke coming from his hat. "I hate you," Matt said darkly .
Ghoulwyrm laughed mutely before Matt readied a plasma orb in his hand. "Ok, seriously now, any more traps or shall we use your head to test for them?" he said. Ghoulwyrm managed to stop laughing before shaking his head. "Good," said Matt before adding, "You still walk first."
The muting spell seemed to have worn off because then Ghoulwyrm said in a exaggerated voice, "You walk first cause I'm a half-crazy mercenary. Blah de blah blah," before walking forward.
Matt glared and said, "He's just begging for another decapitation."
Kala said calmly, "Patience, Matt...wait till AFTER we've found Jade. Then I'll even draw a dotted line round his neck for you."
"Right," said Matt, "Thanks."
The group continued walking down into the depths. After a bit, Draco said, "Is it me, or is this..."
Matt said, "If the next words out your mouths are 'too easy', I'll tie your neck in a knot."
"...really musty down here? A guy could cough to death down here," said Draco.
Matt nodded. "Ok, let's just get this over...do you hear springs?" he said, looking confused as he said the last part.
The group paused. It did indeed sound like there was a metallic 'boing, boing, boing' getting closer, like someone jumping on a pogo stick. "Did Morph follow us down here?" asked Draco.
Chloe shook her head. "Last I saw he was still a blob-sicle," she said before all the mercs of the group looked at each other and aimed their blasters.
"There is something familiar about that sound..." said Jackie thoughtfully before he said, "Oh no."
"Oh...crap. Are we allowed to shoot this time?" said Matt, a little sarcastically.
Up ahead was a larger cavern with several stalagmites and stalactites. The springing sound was extremely close, along with a maniacal laughter. "Jackie...what the smeg is coming?" said Chloe, panning her blaster around.
"Spring-Heeled Jack," said Jackie.
"I thought he was just an urban legend," said Draco.
"He's a very happy-sounding urban legend," said Techo, worried.
Just then, a strange figure leapt into the cavern. It looked like a short man, only he was wearing clothes that looked fashionable in Queen Victoria's time, including a short cape and a pair of bronze boots that had a huge spring for heels. However, the head was obviously inhuman with green skin and wild red hair on the back of his head, his eyebrows, and mutton chops.
Matt looked at Uncle. "May we?" he asked cheerfully.
"If you can hit him," said Uncle, "But that won't stop him for long."
"Mostly stress relief...HEY, UGLY!" said Matt, yelling the last part at Spring-Heeled Jack before him and his men opened fire.
The troll easily leaped and dodged those attacks. "It looks like some new sort of gun," said Jack, "This should be a lot of fun."
Matt glared. "Did he just insult my blaster?" he said calmly before igniting a plasma orb.
"Are you sure the area is tectonically stable enough for that kind of firepower?" asked Chip.
"NOBODY INSULTS MY COLLECTION...DIE, YOU SLINKIE-BOOTED FREAK!" yelled Matt, throwing the orb, which had been pulsating strangely at Jack, causing a much larger explosion that anyone expected However, the explosion seemed to set off a light tremor, being so close to the fault line. Nothing to start a cave-in, but enough to shake everyone off their feet. "Ok...not gonna do that again." said Matt, from where he was laying.
"My, my, that was a big boom," said Spring-Heeled Jack, "I best give that one plenty of room."
"Urgh...I hate it when they speak in rhymes," muttered Matt, getting up and saying, "Get down her so I can punch you."
"No, I wouldn't like a punch," said Jack, "But there are some people I would like to munch."
"Nobody munches my mates, spring man. Try it and all you'll be able to eat is soup," said Matt, threateningly.
"Only a few of your friends shall taste my wrath," said Jack before sniffing, "The rest, though, could use a bath."
Matt glared and took aim. "I shoot cheeky people, just ask Draco," he said conversationally.
Spring-Heeled Jack laughed loudly before he started literally bouncing off the walls. The troll was so quick that it was maddening to take aim at him. "Stay still you freakazoid...WHO SAID THAT?" said Matt, yelling the last part as Ghoulwyrm muttered "Takes one to know one."
Then Jack leapt over and grabbed Jackie. "Ah, Jackie Chan, so nice to see you," said Jack, "Is your twin brother here too?"
Chloe came up behind him at that and tried to grab him. "He doesn't have a twin, stay still," she said.
"Stay still you say? I've done that for too long," said Jack, "Now it is time to right what was wrong."
"What is this thing talking about...DAMMIT!" said Matt, swearing as he missed yet again.
"I have been imprisoned by the Maguses, and again by the Chans. Now that I am free, I shall eat both of their clans," said Spring-Heeled Jack.
"You're gonna try and eat Jade? There's an experiment I wouldn't wanna miss," muttered Techo
"I shall gobble, devour, feast, and binge until I finally achieved my revenge," said Jack before leaping off with Jackie, "I shall start my meal with Jackie Chan, who looks to be a rather appetizing man."
"Ok, this has gone on way too long," said Draco before his horns started glowing purple. Spring-Heeled Jack seemed to be frozen to the spot he had just landed on, but the strained look on Draco's face made it clear he won't be stuck for long.
"Thanks Draco," said Chloe, walking over and pulling Jackie loose and saying, "You really are annoying." to Jack before sending an electrical charge at him.
"Your head must be as thick as a rock if you think I can be stopped with an electric shock," said Jack.
Matt snapped at this and yelled "STOP RHYMING!" blasting Jack across the cavern.
Fortunately, this had the effect of stunning Jack for a while so he wouldn't come up with a rhyming rebuttal.
"Ok...how did you beat this guy last time?" said Matt, already annoyed from the rhyming
"Simple," said Uncle before taking a salt shaker out of his pocket, "We'll just sprinkle him with this."
"Is that magical powder?" asked Kala.
"No, just salt," said Uncle.
"But...That...why?" said Matt, a little speechless as to why anyone would walk around with a salt shaker.
"A good chi wizard always has some on hand to cast spells and when restaurant supply is not good," said Uncle.
The group just stared at that before Chloe said, "Ok...let's just move on. GHOULWYRM, GET MOVING!"
"So that's what all those salt bags in that museum was for," said Ghoulwyrm, "They looked too fresh to have been there that long."
"Less yap, more walking, zombie boy," said Matt, annoyed.
Ghoulwyrm growled before continuing forward. 'I can't believe I've been dragged into this,' he thought, 'First being kicked out of my lair, then helping my enemies to get there. I have too much seniority for this kind of treatment.'
Matt from behind yelled, "Get a move on, ugly!"
Ghoulwyrm adding to himself, 'And to be beaten by someone with about as much finesse as a brick. I used to be a legend, the ultimate night terror. How did I fall so far?'
A tiny voice in his head said, 'Well...you do tend to make mistakes when you're annoyed.'
'I do not make that many mistakes,' snapped Ghoulwyrm before suddenly bumping into a wall that he didn't notice because of all his internal griping.
Matt burst out laughing at that, taunting, "I thought undead had good night vision."
Ghoulwyrm growled and said, "Keep laughing and I'll make sure you won't have any vision at all."
Matt was about to reply when a shuriken star nearly took his ear off. The group turned as several Shadowkhan emerged from the shadows. "Oh great, more ninjas," said Matt.
The Shadowkhan immediately lunge at them, three going for Poor Ghoulwyrm with their swords. "Oh no," said Ghoulwyrm dully before they took his head off. Ghoulwyrm's head rolled into an inconveniently-placed crack in the floor, one that he couldn't wiggle his way out of. "Maybe I should try getting my neck reinforced," he said.
The rest of the Shadowkhan were trying their best to make sure the rest of the gang also lost their heads. "I'm guessing he doesn't want visitors!" yelled Matt.
"Gee, ya think?" said Chip sarcastically as he hit a Shadowkhan.
Chloe blasted another down. "We must be close for this kinda resistance. How much further Ghoul...oh," she said, stopping when she spotted Ghoulwyrm's headless body flailing around.
"Good thing he's not the forgetful type," said Chris.
"I'm right down here, you know," said Ghoulwyrm's head from feet level.
"Ok, don't wander off now," said Chris.
"Huh...how dare he? I do not need to be told to 'not wander o-' " said Ghoulwyrm before a Scorpion Khan landed on him.
Chloe winced before saying, "I don't know who's hurt worse, Ghoulwyrm or the Khan."
Matt tossed a plasma ball at the Khan, blasting it through a wall. "Definitely the Khan," he said.
Uncle blasted some Shadowkhan with his puffer fish before snapping, "We are wasting too much time! Dao Lon will be halfway through the ritual before we can get close to eliminating all of them!"
"Yeah, Ghoulwyrm, don't tell me you don't know a shortcut," said Matt, yelling the last part at Ghoulwyrm. Ghoulwyrm seemed a little daze after the Shadowkhan fell on him as his eyes were just spinning. Matt sighed and said, "Kala, smack some sense back into the talking head."
Kala walked up and slapped Ghoulwyrm on the side of his head, causing his eyes to settle. "Ow, ok, ok, I just need a minute to rest," said Ghoulwyrm.
"We don't have a minute, Ghoulwyrm. Get up and get moving. Undead don't need rest," said Matt, angrily.
"Fine," said Ghoulwyrm, "The buildings shouldn't be too far from here. You can cut through them, but don't do that literally or you'll have a lot of collapsing on your hands."
Matt looked around before spotting a piece of wall that instead of rock, was bricks. "Found one," he said before tossing a plasma orb at it. The wall exploded outward in a shower of ancient masonry and rock. However, the explosion seemed to have triggered another small earthquake. The group all glared at Matt who said nervously, "Oh yeah...the cave in threat."
"Didn't you hear what I said about collapsing?" snapped Ghoulwyrm.
"Oh...I never listen to bad guys...OW!" said Matt, hopping as Chloe kicked him.
"Let's keep moving," said Kala, "We don't have time to waste."
The group headed into the revealed room, stepping over the rubble and happily finding the door out unblocked.
"Ok, the chest is near that Bizzaritorium place," said Ghoulwyrm, "Dao Lon would be doing his ritual there."
"Lead the way...really. I know you. How many booby traps did you make?" said Matt.
"Just three," said Ghoulwyrm, "I didn't think you guys would be able to find this place, but I set up a few just in case."
"Turn them off," said Matt, coldly.
"I would, but they need to be shut off from the other side," said Ghoulwyrm.
"Then I say again, lead the way," said Matt, his voice temperature lowering further
"How about putting me back on my body first?" asked Ghoulwyrm.
Matt grabbed Ghoulwyrm's head and tossed it overarm at his staggering body. Immediately, the neck shot three black and white tentacles out of the open wound and grabbed Ghoulwyrm's head. It then pulled it back until it was fastened back on. Ghoulwyrm finished with a twist of his neck. "Ah...much better..." he said before seeing the Chans' expressions. "What?" he said annoyed.
"Er, I see you've been...practicing with that," said Jackie, who looked a little sick.
"That idiot there chops my head off most of the time," said Ghoulwyrm, pointing at Matt.
"It's not like it kills you," said Matt.
Ghoulwyrm glared and said, "One day I'll see if you like it."
"Can we keep moving?" said Chloe, "We have lives to save, remember?"
Ghoulwyrm said in an annoyed tone, "FINE...let's just get this over with." He looked around before muttering, "Let's see, the first trap should be about here." He reached out and touched one clawtip to a seemingly-blank spot on the wall.
He waited before saying, "Strange...I know I left a trap rune around here..." before leaning on another stone and being engulfed in a fireball.
"Good thing we've got a scapegoat to set off these traps for us," said Draco.
Ghoulwyrm rasped, "I hate you all."
"C'mon, there's at least one more trap left," said Matt.
Ghoulwyrm said, "Why don't you look for it then, smartarse."
"Hey, I'm not the one who set it up," said Matt.
"Then let me work," growled Ghoulwyrm before stamping on a floorboard in front of Matt, causing a rune to crack and become useless.
"Beyond these traps, what other defenses can we expect?" asked Chip.
"My guess, more Shadowkhan and those warrior guys," said Techo.
Ghoulwyrm said, "Yes...if I was this Dao Lon, there will be an ambush in a couple of rooms."
"Maybe we should split into two groups," said Chris, "One to draw out those ambushes and the others to go around and stop that ritual."
"Good idea. Ghoulwyrm, go be bait," said Matt., happily
"I refuse to be a decoy," snarled Ghoulwyrm, "I think it's high time you started pulling your weight in this little expedition."
Matt ignited his blade. "I can just send your head if you want," he said.
"Guys, save the fighting for the Shadowkhan," said Chip, "Me and Draco can be the decoys."
"Since when do you speak for me?" demanded Draco.
"You get to fight more Shadowkhan than the other group," said Chip.
"I'm in."
Matt looked concerned and said, "Are you sure? Ghoulwyrm's already dead. You're not."
"We're built for combat," said Draco, "Besides, once you take Wong down, the Shadowkhan will disappear, right?"
"Probably..." said Ghoulwyrm.
"Anyone else going with them?" asked Kala.
Chris said, "I'll go keep an eye on them," trying to ignore Ghoulwyrm's mutter of 'Pleasegetkilled'
"Fine, the rest of us will get the drop on the Anti-Uncle," said Matt, "Ghoulwyrm, show us the back door."
Ghoulwyrm looked around before walking over to a wall and adding a scratch.
"Uh, Ghoulwyrm, we're in a hurry," said Techo.
Ghoulwyrm said smugly, "Just be patient," before the wall seemed to start to ripple
"What's that?" asked Jackie.
"The 'back door'," said Ghoulwyrm
"Impressive use of portal magic, now get moving!" snapped Uncle.
Ghoulwyrm said, "A genius's work is never appreciated."
Matt nodded, "True...when we meet one we'll be sure to appreciate him."
Ghoulwyrm growled and muttered, "No respect..." before going through the shimmering wall. The rest of them followed to find themselves in what had probably been the museum's staff room when it had actually seen business.
"So what's our plan?" asked Kala.
"You will keep Dao Lon's forces occupied while Uncle puts together severing charm," said Uncle.
Matt grinned. "Distractions, I can do," he said.
Ghoulwyrm sniffed the air and said, "There's some powerful magic coming from over there." He pointed out the door.
Matt looked at the door. Now that he thought about it, he could hear a faint chanting. "Oh well...let's make a start," he said before walking towards the door and removing the hinges with his blade.
As the gang walked through the lobby of the ruined museum, they noticed a couple of odd exhibits, including what might be a Fiji mermaid. Techo paused when he saw several bags of salt. "Let me guess, for Spring-Heeled Jack?" he asked.
"Security, I suppose," said Matt before saying, "I woulda thought me slicing a door down woulda gotten attention."
Suddenly, the lobby got a lot darker, as if the shadows were thickening. "You had to say it, didn't you?" said Chloe.
"Ah crap." said Matt as dozens of red eyes appeared.
…
Meanwhile, Draco, Chip, and Chris were going through the other rooms. "You sure that there'll be an ambush?" asked Draco, "What if Ghoulwyrm's making that up so that we split up?"
A blur shot through the wooden wall with a buzzsaw noise at those words, narrowly missing Draco's nose.
"Er, I think we have the right path then," said Chip.
Several puffs of blue smoke appeared, forming the Dark Chi Warriors. "Rematch time," said Chris, "And this time, I'm not getting caught off-guard."
The warriors looked at each other before all leaping at Chris. Chris grabbed the wooden door behind him and ripped it off its hinges. He then swung it around at the warriors. The warriors were swatted into the wall, but the sledgehammer had gotten caught in the wood. Chris tried to pull his bat back to little effect before the warrior holding the hammer used Chris's door-bat against him.
Draco and Chip winced as Chris got sandwiched between the door and a wall. "You ok?" asked Chip.
"I got some splinters in my nose," said Chris's muffled voice.
The warrior with the boomerang blade was about to aim a slash at Chris when a plasma blast knocked him into a wall. "Weren't you ever taught to be careful with blades?" taunted Draco as the other two reformed.
"Draco, I don't think we're going to get much banter out of them," said Chip.
Draco turned to look at Chip, taking his eyes off the warriors. "We just need to keep their attention. It usually works for Ly..." he began before being kicked.
Chip gave a small sigh before saying, "This is going to keep us pretty occupied."
...
Matt blasted the last of a group of khan before panting. He hadn't had to do this much plasma casting since he'd learnt too. "Ok...tell me...we get a...break," he panted.
"The forces of darkness do not stop for breaks," said Uncle.
"But you've been blasting them with that pufferfish all this time," panted Kala.
"Stun spell is harder than it looks," said Uncle.
"You're not even panting..." said Matt, annoyed before looking at a door. "That's it...SCREW STEALTH!" he yelled before aiming his hand at the door.
"Matt, remember the building structure," said Chloe.
Matt, however wasn't listening, sending a large plasma orb at the door and removing it...and the surrounding wall. Quite fortunately, the building didn't go out on them. But a slight tremor in the ground urged not to dally. Matt had the decency to look embarrassed before walking through the hole he'd made. "Ok...party's over," he called into the room.
Jade and Drago could be seen suspended in what looked like a pair of cages made of nebulous energy. The cages were suspended by a similarly nebulous structure that looked a lot like a balancing scale. And seeing how there was a constant stream of dark energy coming from the chest to the giant scale, that must be where the Mask of Tarakudo was. "That was easy. Creep musta legged it," said Matt, with a grin before walking towards the chest.
Just then, a black bolt of energy flared shot out of the chest and sent Matt hurling back. "What? You think I wouldn't leave the chest itself unprotected, did you?" said Ghoulwyrm, "Though as I recall, it was supposed to just zap, not knock back."
"Remind me to decapitate you before I throw you in Kryos," moaned Matt, being helped up by Kala. Chloe however was looking around, "In all seriousness, where is this Dao Lon?"
Just then, dark smoke swirled around Chloe before solidifying into chains. "Your presence here is hardly a surprise," said Dao Lon as he stepped out of the shadows, "You have unyielding persistence and I hate that kind of persistence."
Matt naturally was the first to react by opening fire. Dao Lon was able to counter Matt's attacks with blasts from his own scepter. "Though your companions are rather unusual this time," said Dao Lon, "Still, they are no match for me."
"Let our friends go and I won't eat you," growled Matt, his eyes glowing a little. He added after a thought "...erm...oh, and let the jerk go too."
"And allow the return of the dragons? I think not," said Dao Lon, "Anyways, that girl has been a thorn in my side almost as badly as the good chi wizard. I would really like to see her go for good."
"Dragons are already present. You failed," said Matt tauntingly.
"I don't refer to you artificial half-breeds," said Dao Lon, "I mean the true dragons."
Before anyone could reply, Ghoulwyrm said, "I know how you feel. As one professional to another, that girl's a pain in my fangs. I'd do the same thing." Everyone looked angrily at Ghoulwyrm before he added, "But…I WANT MY LAIR AND MY MASK BACK! I STOLE IT FIRST!"
"As the girl frequently tends to put it, finders keepers, losers weepers," said Dao Lon before blasting Ghoulwyrm.
Everyone winced as Ghoulwyrm flew back into a wall that collapsed on him. "You won't get away with this," threatened Matt, igniting his ion blade for good measure.
"Actually, seeing how the Wuji Ritual is progressing, I do believe I will," said Dao Lon before waving his scepter and causing the shadows to darken.
"Oh, not again," muttered matt as several Shadowkhan surfaced.
"I am getting really sick of these guys," said Techo.
Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm had phased out of the rubble he was in and went over to the cage Drago was in. "Now, let's see, how am I supposed to get this jerk out?" he muttered to himself.
Drago noticed Ghoulwyrm at that. "Finally you're here. Hurry up and get me the hell out of this thing," he snapped.
Ghoulwyrm said in a deadly calm voice, "I'm trying, Drago. This is a strange locking spell."
Drago narrowed his eyes and said, "Do it faster then."
Ghoulwyrm glared at Drago and said, "Well, maybe you should be doing this."
"Why not? You screw up anything you try," said Drago, "I don't know why I let you hang around."
This seemed to be the final straw. Ghoulwyrm started growling louder and louder. Purple flames licked around the corners of his mouth as his face was starting to turn red. Eventually, the horn on his head spat out a torrent of purple flames, accompanied with a sound not unlike a steam whistle shrieking. Then he yelled, "THAT'S IT! I...QUIT!"
The roar of outrage was so loud and defiant, everyone stopped in midfight and turned to look at Ghoulwyrm. "Erm, what was that?" asked Matt.
"I've had enough of all this!" yelled Ghoulwyrm, "I am an ancient dracolich who's seen the rise and fall of great empires, I've commanded vast legions of the undead and monsters of the night. But all the time I've been here, I've been smashed, squashed, belittled, beheaded, poisoned, perforated, and made a fool of on multiple accounts. And for what you may ask? For a family of ungrateful demonic wretches who don't appreciate the lengths I've gone for them. Who also, I might add, have laughably easy weaknesses to exploit which undoes all my hard work! And what have I gained from all this? Multiple overlooks of obviously superior talent and capability for less-than-worthy apprentices. And the one time I did get my proper respect, I was turned into a 12-story eating machine! I deserve far better respect than that!"
"Well, humiliation of the villain's just part of the-" started Matt.
"SILENCE!" shouted Ghoulwyrm before blasting Matt with a lightning bolt, "I can't take it any longer! I'm not staying on this planet a moment longer!"
"But, you can't just quit in the middle of a fight," said Chloe, "We're not even close to being finished."
"Oh, it's finished alright," said Ghoulwyrm before reaching over and picking up the chest with frighteningly little effort. "You all want this mask so bad? None of you has earned any right to full power, even if you don't have the stomach to actually use it." He waved a claw and a shadowy portal opened up. With a roar, Ghoulwyrm hurled the chest through the vortex which sealed up immediately. The remaining Shadowkhan then faded into thin air.
"What did you do, you fool?" snapped Dao Lon.
"I've sent the chest to a faraway place," said Ghoulwyrm, "Deep in the bowels of the earth and unreachable by anyone. Its power can still be reached, but only a handful of Shadowkhan can be summoned at any time."
Another wave of his claw created a different portal. "I may be leaving now," said Ghoulwyrm, "But mark my words, I will be back. And I won't be beating around the bush next time. I shall taking back that mask, which only I will be able to find, and unleashing its full power on the world. It may take years for me to gain enough of my own power to fully control it, but you have definitely not seen the last of me here." Then Ghoulwyrm dived through the portal and disappeared.
Matt just stared at Ghoulwyrm's closing portal, a little speechless like everyone else. "What the hell was that?" he said
"I think that was the definitive example of what happens when you've pushed someone's patience and temper too far," said Chloe.
"Ok...erm...what were we doing again?" said Matt, a little knocked off balance mentally.
Dao Lon was a bit quicker to recover and sent several dark blasts that knocked the group off their feet. "Even without the Mask of Tarakudo, I have enough to complete the Wuji Ritual," said Dao Lon, "I will not be stopped."
Uncle simply raised his puffer fish at that, sending a green beam out that smashed into the cages holding Jade and Drago. The cages flickered before shattering into wisps of energy. The rest of the scales also dispersed into nothingness, leaving Drago and Jade to fall to the ground. "Important rule of magic," said Uncle, "Never let your attention waver."
"Can we shoot him now?" asked Matt, readying a plasma orb
Chloe shifted into her dragon form before flexing and snapping the chains binding her apart. "Yes, I believe we can," she said with an evil grin.
"Say, we completed our part. What happened to-" began Matt before Draco, Chip, and Chris flew through the wall.
"How much longer do we have to fight those Dark Warrior guys?" asked Draco, clearly exhausted.
"Oh, we're done," said Matt, before aiming the orb so it was an inch from Dao Lon's nose. "Call your mates off or lose your head...your choice," he said pleasantly
"You have not seen the last of me, Chans," said Dao Lon, "I shall have my revenge on you yet." He waved his scepter and disappeared in a puff of blue smoke. Likewise, the Dark Chi Warriors also vanished.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" yelled Matt, a little too loudly as cracks began to form. "Erm...oops?"
...
Matt was being effectively shunned when the gang arrived back at Section 13's entrance, all of them covered in dirt from the narrow escape from the cave in. "Look...I'm sorry," said Matt, a little annoyed
"You just had to start the cave-in, didn't you?" said Techo.
"You just can't leave without making some kind of mess," said Chloe.
"It was an acci...wow. What did we miss?" said Matt, as they came round the corner to see the vehicle lift door blown open, half a dozen agents milling around
"Looks like someone really wanted out," said Draco.
Chip studied the door and said, "More like someone really wanted in."
Chris looked at the edge of the hole. "V-12 particle cannon...this is NSC issue," he said, looking at the melt.
"Before anyone says it, this is definitely not my fault," said Matt.
"No...you don't have a V-12," said Chris before Captain Black interrupted the group.
"It's about time you all got back," said Captain Black as he walked towards them, "Did you get the mask back?"
"No, it's been banished to some unknown deep part of the earth," said Techo.
"But we did rescue Jade, captured Drago, and Ghoulwyrm's flown the coop," said Kala.
Matt pointed a thumb at Drago who looked ready to kill something. "If I may ask...what did I miss?" he said, looking around at the damage.
"Well, we had a break-in. Don't know who they were, but they emptied the vault," said Captain Black, "They took everything, the demon armors, Shendu, even the talismans."
"Actually, I took the talismans," said Jade, "When I heard that Anti-Uncle will be coming back, I snatched them just in case. Too bad he jumped me before I could hand them out."
"Is there any footage of them?" said Matt, ignoring the talisman comment in an attempt to keep his sanity.
"They blasted most of the cameras, but they did miss one," said Captain Black.
...
The gang watched the silent camera footage. The footage had obviously been recorded after the alert had been called, a half dozen Section 13 agents in combat gear in front of a door. Suddenly, the door they were facing exploded outwards and several troopers in black unmarked combat exo-armor rushed into view, firing plasma rifles at them. "Mercs...might be Black 13. CPS and Disperse Int wouldn't go in for this job...or enjoy it," said Matt, watching coldly as the intruders easily wiped out the resistance before setting a glowing stick on the next door along.
"Whoever they are, they know exactly where they're going," said Chloe, "They're not making any wrong turns or looking in other rooms."
"We're the only..." began Matt before turning on his comm. "Corporal...sweep everyone's gear for bugs, trackers...anything...YES, EVEN MINE!" he said, yelling the last part angrily at an unheard response.
"Uh, Uncle, how far had you gotten on cleansing the demon armor?" asked Jackie.
"I have been busy making banishment potion for Sky Demon," said Uncle shortly.
"Well, at least you won't need that now, right?" asked Kala, "I mean, Ghoulwyrm just gave up and no one else could let the Sky Demon out, right?"
"DON'T TEMPT FATE!" yelled Matt, shoving his hand over Kala's mouth.
"I'm a bit more worried about them taking Shendu," said Techo, "I mean, the armors aren't that hard to move, but Shendu, he's a big statue. They'd need a forklift or something."
"That guy? What are those guys gonna use him for? A novelty paperweight? OW!" said Matt before being hit by Uncle.
"Even imprisoned in stone, Shendu is nothing to trifle about," said Uncle, "Especially if whoever took him have the means to release him."
"That, I doubt," muttered Chloe
"Anyways, those armors are a bigger problem," said Chris, "There's no telling what they're capable of in the wrong hands."
"I know what: trouble. Especially if that rodent Napoleon gets them," said Matt darkly.
"But we haven't seen Anton or OmegaMorph in months," said Kala, "Maybe they've left this world."
"NO...don't jinx it," said Matt with a manic look.
...
Meanwhile, the stolen armor and statue had almost reached their destination.
"Ok...what the hell, man? Why are we art thieves now? Even if one of the art items won't shut up," said one of the mercs.
"I think the presence of said talking artwork is evidence that this is no ordinary art," said another.
"Yeah, nobody said anything about damn magi. I say we charge double," said a third merc darkly
"Uh, I don't think this is the kind of person you want to haggle with," said another.
"So? He's not gonna mess with us. Not with the shit we saw in that place," said the leader confidently.
"Yeah, but what if he wants to silence us, the permanent way?" said the doubtful merc.
"He wouldn't dare," said the leader confidently.
Just then, the intercom spoke, "Sir, we've got a visual on the base. ETA is 10 minutes."
"Ok...let's get ready. McNeil's not a patient man," said the leader.
At long last an update. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've been dealing with a couple of personal things. But now they're taken care of. Anyways, we've got a number of important things going on in this chapter. First of all, Dao Lon Wong has returned with his original Dark Chi Warriors. However, he won't be appearing in this story again. But most importantly, the main quest appears to be over. Ghoulwyrm has left, the Mask of Tarakudo is gone, and Drago is in custody. Everything seems just about wrapped up, right? Think again. There's one chapter left of this story and you can bet that this will be a real show of a finale. It'll be up for Chinese New Year, which would be Monday. So until then, keep on the edge of your seats and please review.