Hi everyone, once again, thank you for your patience. Here we are with another Oni-mask adventure, and with this chapter, we are nearly three quarters done with the whole story. It has been quite a blast, but we're nowhere near finished, I plan to keep going with future seasons, I assure you. But I'm getting ahead of myself, there's still plenty ways to go. With all that being said, let's get started.
Half a Mask of Kung Fu
The seventh Oni mask was located within an antique shop that was held just outside Heatherfield. This particular mask was black with curved serrated teeth, black eyes and orange irises, along with a five-dollar price tag. It was picked up by a man in a brown suit with blonde hair and a mustache.
"Hmm, peculiar little slice of Americana." He was about to make his purchase with the host of the antique sale.
"Wait, hold on! You can't buy that!" Caleb rushed in, with the group consisting of Jackie, Will, Jade, Irma, Hay Lin, Taranee, and Cornelia right behind him.
"Why not?" The man asked.
"Because…!" Caleb was about to voice the real dangers of the Oni mask, only for Cornelia to cut him off.
"Because I was hoping to buy it." She quickly said. "My little sister is really into scary stuff, and her birthday is coming up so…"
Despite that, the man still made his purchase as he handed the host the money. "If you want the mask, it'll be for sale at on my website, www dot Alfie's Auctions dot com." However, right as he was about to leave, he found himself face-to-face with Cedric, in his human form, and the Dark Chi Enforcers.
"You've been deleted, Alfie." Finn cracked before swiping the mask as Ratso grabbed Alfie himself and threw him away while Finn and Chow exchanged a high-five.
"The mask is ours." Cedric sneered.
"Guess again!" Jade ran past him to swipe the mask and make a break for it.
"After her!" Cedric ordered as Finn, Ratso, and Chow tried to give chase, with the rest of the heroes right behind them.
"Sorry, I will send a check for this later, thank you!" Jackie called to the confused host of the antique sale.
Jackie and Caleb, the fastest of the group, were quick to block the villains' path, the later drawing his katana, which he used to block Chow's staff while Jackie was on the defensive end from the relentless slashes of Finn's bladed weapon. Ratso, meanwhile, leapt over the group to land in front of the fleeing Jade.
"Jade! Over here! I'm open!" Will called out as she ran past Ratso and waved her hands in the air.
"Keep away time!" Jade tossed the mask like a frisbee over the surprised Ratso toward Will, who quickly caught it. However, Will was blasted back by a surge of dark magic from Daolon Wong. As the redhead landed in on an old stove, Wong was able to get a hold of the Oni mask with his magic and bring it closer to him as the Dark Chi wizard chuckled.
"What's so funny?!" Cornelia questioned as she appeared behind Wong, who tried to aim his scepter at her and blast her, only for Cornelia to maneuver around him, grab the arm wielding the staff and haul him over her shoulder to send him tumbling while taking the mask from him.
"I'll be taking that mask." Cedric appeared behind Cornelia to wrap his right arm around her neck and keep her in a tight lock as he tried to reach with his left hand for the mask.
"Somebody, catch!" Cornelia threw the mask to whoever could try and catch it with Hay Lin and Irma running to try and grab it as it flew, only to have Jackie and Caleb tossed into them and be knocked down as Finn and Chow tried to take catch it as it landed on a nearby stove.
However, Taranee slid on the ground to extend out her leg and trip up the two Dark Chi warriors as she tried to reach for the mask herself, only for Ratso to grab her and toss her aside. Just before Ratso could even make a move to grab the mask, Will and Jade had both recovered as they tackled Ratso to the ground and tried to keep him pinned.
From there, it was a struggle as the two opposing groups ran and pushed against their respective foes to try and get the mask that continued to lay on the stove in front of them. However, a cabinet was wheeled out past them for a brief moment, and once it was gone, so too was the mask, much to everyone's confusion, both hero and villain.
"Huh?" Nearly everyone said as they all looked around in surprise while Will picked up the business card that was in the place of the Oni mask. The card had the online address of .com.
"Bad day." The redhead muttered aloud.
Uncle's Rare Finds
The group swiftly returned to the Chan family shop in Heatherfield where Uncle, Tohru, Yan Lin, Alchemy, and even Blunk were waiting for them. But with only the business card with the website address in hand, all eight of the young heroes got a dope slap from Uncle.
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
Jackie, Will, Hay Lin, Jade, Irma, Caleb, Taranee, and Cornelia each rubbed their foreheads as Uncle continued to scold them.
"Uncle send you to find Oni mask, and you return with gibberish?!" Uncle chastised.
"It's not gibberish! It's an online address!" Taranee pointed out.
"I already got the site." Alchemy had pulled up a laptop and was online.
"Hmm, Alfie's antique auctions." Yan Lin recognized the site. "I actually bought some of the stuff here, really great prices, assuming nobody rich attempts to buy them."
"So, what is this 'online address'?" Caleb asked as the group gathered around the laptop.
"It's basically a site on the internet that lets you buy stuff, and they deliver it for you." Cornelia gave a brief explanation with Uncle, Caleb, and Blunk looking the most interested as Alchemy skimmed through the products available on the site.
"You can purchase something without going there yourself and it's delivered to you?" Caleb said in surprise before an impressed smile fell on his face. "Earth never ceases to surprise."
"Ooooh. So many stuff…. Stuff given to you." Blunk looked in awe. "Blunk can get lots of stuff without going to dangerous places.
"So many antiques… for sale!" Uncle looked in awe as well. "Alchemy, why did you not tell Uncle your waffle-iron was magic!?"
"Ah, so you're one of those types of old guys." Irma commented sarcastically.
"Hey, can we please focus on finding what we're looking for?" Will got everyone back on track as Alchemy continued to search the site until they found a photo of the Oni mask.
"There it is!" Jade pointed out.
"Hey guys, I just realized something." Hay Lin began. "There's no internet in Meridian! Which means, guys like Phobos, Cedric, and Daolon Wong wouldn't know how to find the mask!"
"Which means, all we have to do is buy the mask, and we win." Taranee seemed to follow along. "No fighting, no potion making, no Shadowkhan!"
"Let's not let our guard down." Tohru pointed out. "We still have to buy the mask and hope it doesn't end up on the face of a completely random stranger."
"Already on it." Alchemy began to make the bid.
Meanwhile, the villainous group consisting of Cedric, Wong, Ratso, and Chow gathered around Finn in an old alleyway as he held a stolen laptop on his lap. He was already on the website as well, having just found their target.
"Found the Oni auction." Finn stated.
"Listen well, fool." Cedric warned. "If this does not work, let's just saying being trapped indefinitely in the Oubliette is the best case scenario for you."
Finn glowered before attempting to make his bid, only to find someone else had placed the first bid.
"'J-WITCH'?" Chow read aloud as the profile name 'J-WITCH' appeared at the top of the web page as the highest bidder, with a timer counting down from thirty seconds.
"You think….?" Ratso said.
"It's Chan and the Guardians!" Wong sneered. "They will not steal another mask from us!"
"Gentlemen, start your engines." Finn flexed his hands before placing his bid.
Back at Uncle's Rare Finds, the group looked in surprise to see another bid had been made that was higher than theirs.
"'Finnhalen'?" Jade read aloud.
"That could only be…" Jackie looked with concern as the group realized who it was.
"Looks like we spoke too soon." Taranee pointed out.
"Aiya! Bid higher! Higher!" Uncle exclaimed.
"On it." Alchemy already put a higher bid in, putting 'J-WITCH' back at the top with only fifteen seconds remaining
"Oh yeah?" Finn said challengingly as he but in an even higher bid, placing 'Finnhalen' once again at the top.
"Yeah!" Alchemy was able to bid even higher as it went back-and-forth, with ten seconds left.
"Got it!" Chow exclaimed.
"Got it back!" Irma pumped her fist.
"We're in!" Ratso stated.
"And they're out!" Cornelia smirked.
"Hello!" Finn exclaimed.
"Goodbye!" Will stated.
"Oh no you don't!" Chow quickly said.
"Oh, yes we do!" Jade smirked.
"Ha ha." Uncle gave a mocking laugh.
Only three seconds left as both sides made their bids as high and quick as possible, hero and villain alike were on the edge of their literal and figurative seats just waiting for the results as the countdown came to a stop and they each put in their final bids.
"And the winner is….!" Alchemy and Finn both said from their respective locations, just as the winner was announced, the profile name being 'FILTHYRICH1'. "…Filthy Rich 1? Who the hell is Filthy Rich 1?!"
"According to Section 13 intelligence, Filthy Rich 1 lives in this apartment." Jackie said to Jade, Will, Caleb, Hay Lin, Cornelia, Taranee, and Irma as they were in the halls of an apartment building that didn't look very clean or well-kept, all seven of them standing just outside the door to the apartment in question.
"This place certainly doesn't look 'filthy rich'." Jade observed as she kicked a piece of trash down the hall. "Just filthy."
"Whoever it is, I'm sure that once we explain the dangers of the mask, they will beg us to take it away." Jackie continued.
"Unless this guy decides he likes the idea of having his own army of demonic ninjas." Irma put in.
"Which is why Uncle, Tohru, Alchemy, and Miss Lin are making the Mask Removal Potion, just in case." Will pointed out. "But we shouldn't tell them about all this magic stuff."
"Why not?" Caleb questioned. "Shouldn't Filthy Rich 1 know what makes these masks so dangerous?"
"We don't even know who this guy is." Cornelia replied. "He could be dangerous himself, and the last thing we want is to give someone dangerous the power to control his own army of monster ninjas."
"Then we'll just say that bad people are also after it." Hay Lin quickly said. "I mean, it is technically true."
"Let's find out who this guy is first." Taranee said as Jackie knocked on the door. Almost immediately, the door was opened to the apartment's resident, who was the last person any of them expected.
"VALMONT!?" All the heroes shouted at the same time.
It was true, the former mastermind of the Dark Hand crime syndicate appeared before them, but he looked like a shadow of his former self. His suit was in rags and tattered, his hair was unclean, and he even had an uneven five-clock shadow on his face. And he didn't look all that surprised to see Chan and the young Guardian girls there, more annoyed than anything else.
"Go away." He said simply as he tried to close the door.
"Wait!" Caleb tried to stop him, only for Valmont to accidentally close the door on his foot, causing him to grunt in pain as everyone else made their way into his apartment.
"Your Filthy Rich 1?!" Hay Lin asked in surprise.
"But you're not rich…. Just filthy." Cornelia said as the group looked around the apartment, which only seemed to be a single room with a kitchen, a chair, and a bed on top of a dresser.
"Oh yeah, it's a real Taj Mahal in here." Irma said sarcastically.
"How'd you even get out of prison?" Will questioned. "And what happened to all your sidekicks!?"
"I escaped." Valmont answered simply. "And young StrikeMaster Ice and his crew left me shortly after. Section 13 ceased all my funds, and I was unable to pay them. But while I may be broke and solo, I still have my resources, and I've caught wind of your little 'quest'. Once I have my Oni mask in hand, I shall control an army of Shadowkhan thieves, and the riches of the world will be mine!"
"Okay, did you seriously just spout your evil plan to the same group of people who've kicked your butt like a million times before?" Jade questioned.
"I thought you were done with magic." Taranee pointed out. "Said it was too much trouble for your own good."
"Well, when you've hit rock bottom, you get desperate." Will said as she gestured to the tiny apartment for emphasis.
"Desperate enough to put a demonic mask on your face?" Caleb questioned, which Jackie seemed to agree with.
"Believe me, Valmont. You do not want to wear that mask." Jackie tried to reason with him.
"I will do what I please with the mask that I purchased fair-and-square with stolen money." Valmont replied. Before anyone else could say anything however, they all heard a knock on the door. "Ah, that must be the courier with my win."
"A couey… what?" Hay Lin didn't quite understand.
"A delivery guy." Taranee translated.
"Oh. Well why didn't he just say that?" Hay Lin asked as Valmont went to the door, only for it to be forced open by a surge of dark chi magic from Daolon Wong.
"Relinquish the mask!" Wong exclaimed with Cedric and the Dark Chi forces right behind him.
The force of the blast sent Valmont hurtling towards Jackie, who was quick to catch him. "Now was that really necessary!?" The former crime lord questioned as the villains entered the small apartment.
"Hmm, only slightly bigger than a Passling's dwelling." Cedric observed the apartment as he remained in his human form, his transformation would be too big for such a confined space.
"It's definitely bigger than my old apartment." Ratso pointed out, only for him, Chow, and Finn to look in surprise at the sight of their old boss.
"Valmont?!" All three questioned simultaneously.
"You're Filthy Rich 1?" Finn asked.
"But you're not rich…" Ratso tried to say.
"I'm fully aware of the irony!" Valmont quickly interrupted.
"Enough talk!" Daolon Wong exclaimed. "Relinquish the mask to us or suffer…!" However, Caleb was quick to slap the scepter from Wong's hand, causing it to slide underneath the fridge and out of his reach, which began to incite a fight in the tiny apartment. Though it wasn't necessarily a fight as they had little space to work with.
"Uh, hello! The mask isn't even here yet!" Cornelia pointed out, only to get shoved into the wall as Will delivered a kick to Finn, subsequentially knocking the blonde back. Jade tried to trip Ratso, only for both of them to get knocked down into Wong and Jackie. Taranee and Hay Lin tried to pry the staff from Chow's grip, but as he tried to shake them off, he knocked both girls and himself into Irma, causing them to pile toward Cedric, whom Valmont tried to grab from behind.
"Get out! All of you! The mask is mine!" Valmont shouted. Cedric growled as he slammed his back, and Valmont, into a wall to shake him off. Cedric tried to throw a punch toward Jackie, but Jackie tripped him and caused him to accidentally tumble into Caleb, Finn, and Jade.
As the group tried to wrestle and push against each other in such a confined space, they heard another knock on the door as it opened to reveal Tohru and Alchemy, the former holding a vial of potion in his hand.
"Hey guys." Alchemy said.
"The Mask Removal spell is ready." Tohru also said, only for both of them to look in surprise at the appearance of the villains in the room as well.
"Tohru! Alchemy! No!" Will and Jackie both tried to stop them, but it was too late as Alchemy came in first, with Tohru somehow squeezing his way through the doorway. Once they were in, there was literally no more room for anyone to move as they were all squeezed together.
"Now I know how a can of sardines feels….!" Irma winced as everyone struggled to find some kind of wiggle room.
Suddenly, there was yet another knock on the door, causing everyone to stop their struggles. "Come in…" Valmont said in a wince.
"Delivery for Mr. Val…" The UPS delivery man announced, only for the door to break down as everyone inside came piling out and into the hallway.
"Gotcha!" Ratso took the package as everyone tried to get up.
"Oh no you don't!" Hay Lin grabbed the package as she tried to pull it away, only for Ratso to push her back, but Caleb quickly drew his katana and tried to slice at Ratso, who quickly flashed the package as a make-shift shield. The sword cut through the package and sent the mask skidding across the floor.
"You should probably get out of here." Will muttered to the UPS delivery man, who quickly nodded as he picked himself up and ran away while everyone else got up and tried to get the mask, only for them to grab and tackle each other and prevent the opposing side from grabbing the discarded Oni mask.
Jackie was the one who ultimately picked up the mask, but Cedric, who still retained his human form, hissed as his eyes became reptilian slits and he transformed only his right arm as he delivered a punch toward Jackie, who instinctively held up the mask to shield himself, causing Cedric to punch the mask instead, breaking it in half and scattering both halves to the other ends of the hallway.
"I got it, guys!" Alchemy quickly picked up the right half. "Eh… half of it."
The entire group, hero and villain alike, all looked with surprise and concern. "Where is the other half?" Jackie questioned.
"Right where it belongs." Valmont smirked as he revealed he held the left half of the Oni mask, and before anyone could make a move or protest, he placed it on his face. The mask grew around and encompassed the left half of his face, while leaving his right half normal.
While nearly everyone gasped in surprise; Hay Lin, Finn, Irma, Ratso, and Chow all snickered as they tried to hide their laughs.
"Dude…" Finn smirked.
"You gotta be kidding me…" Irma tried hard to hide her giggle along with Hay Lin.
"No way….!" Ratso chuckled.
"What?" Valmont questioned, his voice still sounding human for the moment. "What are you simpletons laughing at?!"
"Oh nothing, Mr. Two-Face." Jade found herself chuckling as well.
"Hey, Two-Face! Valmont Two-Face!" Finn laughed.
"Yeah… he kinda does look like Two-Face doesn't he…?" Chow chuckled. "One half normal…"
"The other all demony…!" Ratso joked.
"Maybe we should get him a half-burnt coin to flip too!" Hay Lin couldn't hold back her laughs. "And paint half his suit a different color!"
"Uh… are we really sure we should be laughing about this?" Taranee questioned as she, Will, Tohru, Jackie, Caleb, and Alchemy looked more nervous than their joking friends.
"The mask is broken, so it can't work." Caleb said. "Right…?" He asked more nervously, secretly hopping that was truly the case.
Valmont's Oni-side growled as he called upon his inner darkness, causing the shadows around him to move along the walls. Everyone stopped laughing as they saw the Shadowkhan slowly emerging from the shadows. They appeared to be the tallest Shadowkhan seen thus far, roughly ten feet tall in height, their bodies appeared to be hardened shells, almost made entirely out of stone, their left arms having stabbing claws as opposed to hands, with red visors for eyes. But, that appeared to be all they were composed off as only their left sides materialized, while they completely lacked their right halves, having only one arm and leg.
"Okay… not what I expected…" Cornelia pointed out.
"He has…. Half of them…?" Will questioned.
"The mask was broken in half, so it appears this Shadowkhan tribe was broken in half as well. Literally." Tohru commented.
This caused Jade, Irma, and Hay Lin to laugh even harder at the sight of these half-Shadowkhan. "They're literally half-baked Shadowkhan!" Jade laughed.
"I'm so calling these guys Half-a-khans!" Hay Lin also laughed.
"Works for me!" Irma laughed as well. "Maybe they're only half as dangerous!"
"On the contrary." Valmont spoke in a more demonic tone, his Oni-half emerging. "Half is more than enough to destroy you completely!"
The Half-a-Khans literally began to hop toward the heroes as Jade, Irma, and Hay Lin immediately stopped laughing and were the first to be attacked. The Half-a-Khans leaping towards them to extend their feet and swipe their claws at the girls to send them skidding back across the ground. Jackie, Caleb, and Tohru immediately retaliated and stood in front of the girls protectively to intercept the half Shadowkhan. Tohru used his strength to throw and push the enemy back, Caleb sliced his katana only to have it blocked by the rock-hard outer shells of the Half-a-Khan before they struck back with their claws, and Jackie had to duck and roll to avoid their devastating blows that literally punched holes in the walls.
"Even he only has half of them, these Shadowkhan are certainly strong. Perhaps among the strongest tribe we've seen thus far." Cedric commented as he, Wong, and the Dark Chi enforcers regrouped behind Valmont.
"Just imagine what they can do if they are whole." Wong sneered.
"My thoughts exactly." Oni-Valmont said as he commanded his minions. "Go, my Shadowkhan! Destroy them and seize the rest of my face!"
As the men continued to struggle in their effort to hold the half-a-Khan back, Will, Alchemy, Cornelia, and Taranee had already helped up Jade, Irma, and Hay Lin to their feet.
"Still think they're only half-baked?" Taranee questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay, we get it." Irma replied. "Not funny anymore."
"Then it's time to get serious." Will brandished the Heart of Kandrakar and said the magic words. "Guardians Unite!" In their usual flash of pink light, Jade, Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin had donned their respective Guardian forms as J-WITCH. "Take em down, but we're in a confined space, so easy with the powers, especially with Earth, we don't need this building collapsing."
"Got it." Cornelia nodded as she flew out to deliver a kick to one Half-a-Khan and send it flying back while the other Guardians provided aid to their friends.
Taranee ducked underneath a claw swipe from one Shadowkhan before condensing two fireballs around her hands like a pair of fire-fists before lashing out with a punch to obliterate that one Half-a-Khan before punching and destroying another. Hay Lin condensed a set of air-spheres to create razor-sharp air-disks, which she threw out like a pair of frisbees to destroy three advancing Shadowkhan. Irma pulled her hands back and prepared an attack Kamehameha-style before unleashing a stream of water with the force and power of a riot-hose to destroy more Half-a-Khan herself. Will joined Tohru, Jackie, and Caleb in using hand-to-hand combat in blocking the Half-a-Khan's advance from Alchemy, who still held the remaining half of the Oni-mask.
However, Alchemy didn't appear to notice two shadows moving up on the wall from behind her, until two Shadowkhan emerged. She turned around with a gasp as they tried to lash out their claws at her.
"Oh no you don't!" Jade created a shadow-disk, similar to Hay Lin's air-disk attack, and threw it like a shuriken to destroy one Shadowkhan while Cornelia flew in and delivered a powerful kick to destroy the other.
"You guys took away one of my best friends, you're not taking another!" Cornelia stated as she and Jade stood the closest to Alchemy.
After escaping the grip of two Half-a-Khan, by kicking the two in front of him and throwing down the other two that had grabbed him, Jackie turned to his sumo-friend. "Tohru, the potion!" Jackie exclaimed as he held back one Half-a-Khan. "We must remove Valmont's mask!"
Tohru grabbed one Shadowkhan and used it to beat down three more in front of him. "I have the potion!" Tohru pulled the vial of said potion out of his pocket to reveal it. He was ready to use it on his own hands when the Shadowkhan turned their attention to him and went on the attack, with one using its only arm to pole-vault a kick and knock the potion out of Tohru's grip, causing all the heroes to gasp.
"I got it!" Alchemy was able to catch and grab it before it went flying out the window.
"Get her!" Oni-Valmont commanded as a dozen more Shadowkhan materialized around him and charged forward.
"Jade, Irma, Taranee, Hay Lin, combo-attack! Now!" Will ordered.
With little-to-no other choice; the four aforementioned Guardians began to channel their respective elements of shadow, water, fire, and air to blast forward in the form of a powerful elemental vortex that almost encompassed the entire hallway but making sure not to damage the other apartments around them, before blasting it at the enemy. All the Shadowkhan were obliterated as the vortex surged toward the villains, with Wong quickly throwing up a barrier of dark chi magic to protect himself, along with Cedric, Oni-Valmont, and the Dark Chi Enforcers. However, the force of the attack was powerful enough that it sent the four guardians tumbling back into Tohru, causing him to tumble back into Will, Cornelia, Caleb, Jackie, and Alchemy.
All the heroes were sent crashing out through the window, taking much of the wall with them and fell towards the ground, from the seventh floor of the apartment building. Fortunately, the six Guardians were quick to fly and grab their friends that did not possess that ability. Cornelia caught Alchemy, Jade grabbed Jackie, Hay Lin moved to grab Caleb, and Taranee and Irma were quick to grab Tohru before setting themselves safely on the ground.
"Is everyone alright?" Jackie asked, receiving some kind of confirmation from everyone.
"Next time we do a big combo-attack like that, we do it outside." Taranee pointed out.
"Yeah, good idea." Will agreed. "Where's the mask and the potion?"
"I've got the mask!" Alchemy revealed she still had the other half of the Oni mask before realizing she also lacked the most crucial item. "But I can't find the potion!"
"What?! Where is it?!" Caleb exclaimed.
"Uh… guys…" Jade pointed toward the UPS truck that was being driven by the same delivery man that had dropped off Valmont's mask, with the vial of the potion stuck on the vent of the roof as the truck drove down the road.
"Well, that's just great." Cornelia smacked her forehead.
"You can make more potion, right Big T?" Irma asked Tohru.
"The key ingredient is Japanese monkey tears, and Sensei and Miss Lin still have the monkey back at the shop." Tohru answered.
"I'm sending a text to Grandma right now." Hay Lin said as she used her phone to send said text message.
"Alright, but just in case…" Will began to relay instruction. "Hay Lin, Taranee, Irma, Caleb, and Tohru; you guys try to find that delivery truck and find the potion. The rest of us are going to take the other half of the Oni mask to Section 13."
"Yes, good idea." Jackie nodded. "Please let us know if you find the potion or if more is made."
"You got it." Caleb replied as the groups split off in separate directions; Jade, Cornelia, and Will took flight as they still retained their Guardian forms, with Jade carrying Jackie and Cornelia carrying Alchemy, who still held the unused half of the mask with her.
"Am I the only one who finds it kinda humiliating that we basically got our butts kicked by these Half-a-Khans?" Jade questioned.
"Well, it makes me scared to know what these guys are like when they're whole." Cornelia pointed out.
"Agreed." Jackie said. "We need to secure this half of the mask and remove the other half from Valmont as quickly as possible."
As the group continued to fly, Alchemy glanced down toward the building they were currently over and gasped as she saw the shadows moving directly under them.
"INCOMING!" Alchemy warned just as a Half-a-Khan leapt from the shadow to grab Cornelia by her foot and pull her and Alchemy down for a crash landing on the roof; with Will and Jade quickly flying down to assist them as they brought Jackie too. However, the second they landed, what appeared to be a two dozen Half-a-Khan emerged from the shadows around them to completely encircle the group of five.
"Bad day…" Cornelia muttered in fear as the Shadowkhan went on the attack.
Jade metalized a set of shadow-katanas in her hands as she attempted to slice and parry the strikes of the Half-a-khan, while Cornelia covered her backside by lifting several pieces of the rooftop to throw at the incoming Shadowkhan. Will and Jackie were both stuck with hand-to-hand combat as these Shadowkhan, even at half-strength, were fast and strong enough to overpower them; even Jade and Cornelia found themselves in a pickle.
"Alchemy! Run!" Jackie called to her.
The aforementioned girl saw she literally had no place to run. There was no fire escape on the rooftop, no way to get inside, any other way and these Shadowkhan could easily block her way. She didn't have any of the Talismans with her, and she also didn't know how to use any Chi-spells for attack moves either. She was all out of options to defend herself or her friends who looked like they were about to be overwhelmed. All save one…
Alchemy glanced at the half of the Oni mask in her hands with a gulp. "I know I'm gonna regret this but…" She placed the mask on her face, where it stretched and morphed to encompass the right half of her face, while leaving the left side normal. She gave a demonic-like snarl as she tried to summon some backup.
"Come on Shadowkhan!" Alchemy appeared to have successfully summon the other half of the Shadowkhan. These comprised of their right halves of their hardened bodies, with crab-like claws on their right arms, but there was one major issue… their lack of heads. "What the…?! How come mine don't have heads?!" Alchemy complained as her Half-a-Khan literally began to trip over each other.
"Enough!" Oni-Alchemy commanded her legion, her voice already carrying a demonic tone to it as her set of Half-a-Khan stopped moving entirely. "Stand straight!" She commanded, as they stood up straight. "Face forward!" They did just that, facing the other half of the Shadowkhan that were still fighting her friends. "Attack!"
With that, the headless Half-a-Khan charged forward, leaping and tackling the enemy Half-a-Khan, saving Jackie and the others in the process as they looked more than a little confused about what was going on.
"Okay… what…?" Will honestly had no idea what to say, with her friends being just as speechless.
That is until they saw Alchemy, with the right half of the Oni mask on her own face, causing Cornelia to scream, while Jackie, Will, and even Jade looked more than a little mortified. But Jade appeared to be the first to get over her shock as she saw the Shadowkhan were distracted fighting, well… themselves, literally.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" She told them, with Will and Jackie nodding in agreement. Cornelia quickly flew to grab Alchemy and fly away, with Jade grabbing Jackie and flying alongside Will to get away from the distracted Shadowkhan.
"Alchemy… What in the actual hell were you thinking?!" Cornelia screamed as they all regrouped on a separate rooftop some distance away from the previous one. "Why did you put that freaking thing on your face?!"
"Look, I get it!" Alchemy tried to say, her human side still in control. "But you guys were about to get swamped, and this was the only way I could help! And, on the positive side, since it's attached to me now, the bad guys can't get to it."
"She does kinda have a point." Jade commented, indicating she probably would have done something similar herself. Jackie and Will however both sighed as the later smacked her forehead.
"Alchemy, you've seen what those masks do to people!" Will told her. "Blunk, Captain Black, even Irma's little brother got turned into full-fledged demons! Heck, even Jade became some kind of pseudo-Oni during her 'Queen of the Shadowkhan' phase!"
"Thanks so much again for bringing that up." Jade said with a reluctant tone.
"Listen Alchemy, I understand you were trying to help us, and your intentions were good." Jackie began. "But the mask is evil, just like the others. And now that you've summoned your Shadowkhan, it's only a matter of time before the spirit of the Oni inside tries to corrupt you too."
"Well, it's only half a mask, right?" Alchemy said. "So, the demon would only be half as strong, and maybe the corruption could take twice as long. That being said…" She suddenly grabbed Jackie by his shirt and pulled him in close as the Oni side took over. "If you dare question me again, I shall devour your brain!" Her human side then gave a sudden gasp as she covered her mouth with both her hands before looking more than a little nervous. "Yeah… really should not have done this."
"Ya think?" Will and Jade said simultaneously.
Jackie's cell phone then began to ring, which he promptly answered. "Hello? Uncle?"
Cornelia then suddenly took the phone from Jackie and spoke into it as if she were about to have a panic attack. "Please tell me you guys have that new potion ready!"
Uncle's Rare Finds.
"No! Uncle cannot make more Mask Removal potion!" Uncle replied over the phone.
"What?! Why not?!" Cornelia screamed over the other line.
"Key ingredient is Japanese monkey tears." Uncle stated.
"But Tohru said you still had the monkey!" Cornelia exclaimed.
"Monkey? Yes! Tears? No!" Uncle told her. "Japanese monkeys are not sentimental creatures. They weep only once every seven years!" He glanced toward a cage where said Japanese monkey was being contained as Blunk read him a sad story to make him cry.
"And Romeo and Juliet both died. The End." Blunk finished up, only to see that the monkey had not shed a single tear. "Why monkey no cry? Story make Blunk cry when Blunk first read! Why monkey no cry?"
The monkey merely crossed its arms stubbornly in response as its left eye twitched slightly.
"Besides, Uncle has no time to make potion. Too busy selling antiques with Alchemy's magic waffle iron." He said as he turned his attention toward Yan Lin who was at Alchemy's laptop and spotted something that caught his interest. "Uncle could resell that vase at great profit. Buy, Yan Lin! Buy!"
"But we need the potion! The mask is being worn!" Cornelia practically pleaded over the phone.
"Then you must find the vial that you lost! Higher Yan Lin! Bid Higher!" Uncle hung up causing Cornelia to sulk in defeat.
"We have to find the potion." Cornelia told the group.
"We heard." Jackie replied.
"I'm already calling Taranee and the others." Will said as she was on her own cell phone. "Hopefully they found that delivery truck."
The UPS truck in question drove down the street as Hay Lin, Taranee, and Irma flew from above to try and grab the vial of the potion that was still stuck on the vent of the truck's roof.
"Come on! We gotta get closer!" Taranee stated as they tried to fly closer, only for the truck to make a sudden turn that almost caused Taranee and Irma to fly face-first into a building had they not pulled themselves back in time. Fortunately, Hay Lin proved to be nimbler in the air as she made a sharp turn to get closer to the truck.
"Almost… almost…!" Hay Lin was directly over it as she reached for the potion. However, the truck hit a sudden bump that jostled the vehicle slightly, causing the potion to fall through the vent and into he truck right before Hay Lin could grab it. "No!"
She had no choice but to pull back, along with Irma and Taranee as they regrouped with Caleb and Tohru in the alleyway. "We couldn't get it." Hay Lin sulked while Taranee answered her phone as Will had just called her.
"Great. So, what do we do now?" Caleb questioned.
"We follow the truck to the warehouse and get the potion there." Tohru replied.
"Then we better get moving." Taranee said as she hung up. "I just got a call from Will, and we've got a new problem."
Meanwhile, back at what was left of Valmont's apartment, the Oni-fused crime lord sat on a make-shift throne made from rubble as his Half-a-Khan reported their failure to him. Needless to say, he was not pleased.
"So, you have failed to retrieve the rest of me." Oni-Valmont said in disappointment before throwing his arms out to send the Shadowkhan away, revealing Cedric, Wong, and the Dark Chi Enforcers were still with him as well, with the Enforcers looking more than a little relieved now that the Shadowkhan were gone.
"Oooh… I thought they'd never leave…" Ratso said in relief as Valmont stood up and looked out the doorway dramatically.
"No matter." Valmont said, his human side appearing in control for the moment. "I'm still powerful enough to empty every bank vault in the city!"
"Cha-ching!" Finn said with eagerness.
"Oh yeah." Ratso rubbed his hands in anticipation.
"Now you're talking." Chow seemed on board as well; however, Cedric and Wong did not.
"Such power is wasted on such trivial matters." Cedric commented, something Valmont's inner Oni agreed with.
"Wealth is insignificant!" Oni-Valmont stated. "I must become whole in order to be powerful enough to bathe the Earth in shadow!"
"Now that is more like it." Wong appeared satisfied, while the Enforcers groaned in disappointment.
"What am I saying!?" Valmont questioned, his human side taking control again. "Money is everything to me!"
"No, power is what I crave!" Oni-Valmont stated.
"Yes! Because it can be used to acquire money!" Valmont argued, getting into a debate with the incomplete Oni inside.
"Power!"
"Money!"
"Power!"
"Money!"
"Power!"
"Money!"
"Power!"
"Money!"
The villains looked back-and-forth between the exchanged as Cedric leaned closer to Wong. "What is the meaning of this, wizard?"
"When the mask was broken, the spirit of the Oni general was split in half as well." Daolon Wong explained. "Because of that, the corruption is only half-complete, allowing the host to maintain some form of control."
"Okay Big V…" Finn cautiously moved closer toward his former boss. "I can tell you're a little conflicted here so let me just say… money, good."
"Yeah, we've been trying the whole 'world-domination' thing for a while, and it's not working out too well." Ratso added.
"Just ask these guys." Chow pointed toward Wong and Cedric. "Chan was a big enough pain on his own, but now we're getting our butts handed to us by super powered teenage girls." Both wizard and shapeshifter glared at him. "What? It's true."
"Listen to me, Oni." Cedric tried to speak to the demon inside, using his own charisma. "You wish to be whole? But we cannot afford to underestimate Chan and the Guardians, who have proven to be formidable against your compatriots. Perhaps we should return to Meridian, I'm certain Prince Phobos and your lord Tarakudo can come with a plan to…"
"Silence! All of you!" Oni-Valmont shouted as the shadows around the apartment grew before the Shadowkhan emerged to pull all five villains away in the shadows as Oni-Valmont sat back down on his throne. "I do not want your opinions! All I want…"
"…Is the other half of my face!" Oni-Alchemy stated.
"Alchemy?" Cornelia turned around with concern, along with Will, Jackie, and Jade to feel the presence around Alchemy become much colder, indicating the Oni inside was growing stronger.
"…Only then shall I be complete!" Oni-Alchemy finished with a dreaded sneer.
"Alchemy, the evil in you is getting stronger." Jackie said to her, hopping the girl's human half still had some control. "You must resist it until we can find the potion."
"Well, we better hurry, because Valmont is getting closer." Alchemy said with worry as she felt her head.
"You can sense Valmont?" Will asked.
"Well… I think it's more like I can feel the other half of the demon." Alchemy tried to explain. "This guy really wants to be in one piece again. And the closer Valmont and I are to each other, the stronger he gets."
"All the more reason to find the potion and remove the mask as quickly as possible." Jackie stated.
"Well good news for us." Jade looked at her phone. "Irma just texted me. They found the warehouse and sent me the address. Let's go!"
Meanwhile, Valmont continued to walk down the streets of Heatherfield, his Oni side guiding as he continued to follow the sensation of getting stronger by getting closer to his severed side. And the closer he got; the weaker Valmont's own influence became for his own body. Honestly, it felt like he was being possessed by Shendu all over again. What was he thinking ordering that mask?!
"My other half is near… I sense it…" Oni-Valmont stated before his human side took over for a moment.
"Could we please just steal something?!" Valmont tried to reason with the demon inside. He even spotted the perfect target. "Look, there's a bank right over there!"
And it wasn't just a bank, an elderly security guard was loading all the cash into an armored car. The guard himself looked so old; it was a wonder why he hasn't already retired. He even tripped and fell back as he tried to pick up the last bag, causing all the cash inside to spill all over the ground, directly in front of Valmont.
"Whoopsie daisy…" The elderly guard said as he tried to pick up the cash.
This was terrible! There was hundreds of dollars right in front of him! With his financial genius, that alone was a good foundation to begin rebuilding his crime syndicate! Yet he could feel the dark force inside him trying to pull him away.
"Darkness awaits!" Oni-Valmont pulled him away, closer to where the other half was, and Valmont felt his influence growing even weaker by the second.
The group consisting of Irma, Hay Lin, Taranee, Caleb, and Tohru hung around the corner of an alleyway, with the UPS warehouse just across from the street as they waited for the rest of their friends to arrive.
"Hey guys!" They heard Jade's voice as they looked up to see her flying in while carrying Jackie alongside Will, with Cornelia carrying Alchemy. They all gasped once they saw half her face had been transformed into an Oni, though they were told about it over the phone, actually seeing it happen to their friend was something else.
"Alchemy, are you alright?" Irma asked with genuine concern.
"Yeah… except that all your brains are starting to smell delicious." She replied in a nervous tone.
"Where is the potion?" Jackie questioned.
"In that warehouse." Tohru pointed to the building.
"Then let's get going before…" However, Cornelia was interrupted as Hay Lin's cellphone rang, which she quickly answered.
"Hello? Grandma, this isn't exactly…" She handed the phone to Alchemy. "It's for you."
Uncle's Rare Finds.
"Alchemy, I'm sorry to trouble you." Yan Lin began as she was at the laptop that was owned by the aforementioned girl. "We were in the middle of a big auction, but all the icons just disappeared. I know the basics with computers, but not the advanced stuff."
"No problem. Just click on the flag in the corner and… surrender your soul to the forces of darkness!"
Yan Lin winced, realizing this wasn't the best time to call. "On second thought, don't worry about it. I'll figure it out on my own." She hung up the phone and tried to figure out the issue herself just as Uncle and Blunk came onto the scene.
"Where auction?" Blunk questioned. "Why Blunk not get treasures?"
Suddenly, the computer itself appeared to reset as the screen turned black, causing Uncle to gasp and Blunk to give a surprised scream.
"My antiques have been swallowed by shadow!" Uncle exclaimed.
The Guardians and Chan Clan entered the warehouse through the gate that the truck had entered. Most of the facility appeared to be automated as packages moved up and down the conveyer belts to be wrapped up and receive the necessary labels before being loaded into several different trucks outside. However, before the group could begin searching for the potion…
"Surrender my face!" They all turned around to see Oni-Valmont standing just outside the gate to glare at them as he summoned his Half-a-Khan from the shadows. "Or face obliteration!"
"Hey, nice face joke." Hay Lin commented as everyone else was getting ready to fight.
"Well don't just stand there, you fools!" Valmont practically begged. "Be a hero and get this blasted thing off me!"
"Oh? So, you're saying you don't like the idea of sharing a body with a demon?" Irma said in clear sarcasm.
"It's a shame that nobody tried to warn you." Caleb also said sarcastically. "Oh wait, we did!"
"Don't worry guys, I can take em." Alchemy stepped forward. "Just get the potion."
"Alchemy, you really shouldn't…" Cornelia tried to stop her.
"Do not question me!" Oni-Alchemy exclaimed as she summoned her batch of Half-a-Khan that grabbed each of the heroes and threw them away as she and her Shadowkhan faced that of Oni-Valmont
"Jackie, maybe you should get the potion. The rest of us will keep Valmont busy." Will said as they got back up on their feet.
"Alright, be careful." Jackie said as he turned around to run toward the delivery truck that had begun to unload its contents. Somehow, the driver did not yet take notice of any of them yet.
"Heh, I've been looking for that!" Jackie pointed to a box that carried several smaller packages as well as the potion that had just been loaded onto a conveyer belt.
"Hey, you shouldn't be back here!" The driver told Jackie as he ran onto the conveyer belt to get to the potion.
"Neither should you!" Jackie told him in response.
The driver turned around and just noticed the growing number of Shadowkhan, as well as the snarling faces of Oni-Valmont and Oni-Alchemy. This caused the driver to gasp in shock as he ran out the exit door and as far from the building as he could.
"Uh, should we be worried about him?" Caleb wondered. "I mean, he did see us."
"He'll probably think he's been working too hard." Jade brushed off. "We'll get this done before anyone else sees us."
"If that's the case, how come none of the Shadowkhan are fighting?" Taranee asked as the group looked in semi-surprise to see that none of the Shadowkhan have made a move as Oni-Valmont and Oni-Alchemy continued to face each other.
"My other half, why must we fight?" Oni-Valmont questioned.
"Uh… because you're evil!" Alchemy pointed out before her Oni side took over. "Indeed. We are allies in darkness. We must join forces!"
"Wait… what?!" Irma exclaimed.
"The two halves of the mask are close enough together." Tohru explained with dread filled in his voice. "And they both want the same thing: to be whole."
Each of the girls, as well as Caleb, could only gulp as they knew what that meant. "Uh oh…" Will muttered.
"Shadowkhan, unite!" Both Oni halves commanded, acting as the single demon that they were always meant to be. And with that command, all the separated halves of the Shadowkhan tribe merged together to reveal the completed variety. Their entire body appeared to be rock-solid, almost like shells covered every inch of them as they stood a full ten feet off the ground; with one hand being stabbing claws, and the other being crab-like pincers. All the completed Shadowkhan turned around to face the Guardians, Caleb, and Tohru, just as Jackie arrived with the potion in hand.
"I have the potion!" Jackie stated.
"Good, because we really need it right now!" Cornelia exclaimed as she and her friends prepared their respective elements.
"Cornelia!" Alchemy cried out in distress.
"Help!" Valmont also cried.
"Shadowkhan, attack!" The completed Oni ordered, causing the heroes to split in separate directions as their enemy went on the attack.
A majority of them appeared to go for Jackie first as he held the potion, forcing him to leap back over the conveyer belt and slide underneath it as a Shadowkhan leapt to try and crush him. As it got back up, Jade flew in with a shadow-katana in her hand to cut him down before facing two more as she blocked and parried their clawed-strikes with her own shadow-weapon.
"Got a fun nickname for these guys, Hay Lin?" Irma asked as she and Hay Lin came back-to-back, surrounded by six Shadowkhan.
"Well… they've got shells for bodies and crab-like claws so… Crabkhan?" She said with a shrug before the aforementioned Crabkhan leapt at the duo, but Hay Lin quickly formed a twister around her and Irma to act as a makeshift shield and blast all six Crabkhan back before it disappeared. Hay Lin went on the attack to shoot her hands forward and blast a wind-cyclone at the three Crabkhan in front of her and send them crashing into the wall to destroy them. Irma created two long whips of water in her hand, which she used to ensnare two Crabkhan in front of her before crushing the third in between.
Will backed up slightly as two Crabkhan charged toward her. She backed into a conveyer belt and grabbed the nearest package to act as a makeshift shield and block the stabbing claw, which did pierce through the package and stopped an inch from her own face, causing Will's face to slightly go pale before she pulled herself back onto the conveyer belt, pulling the first Crabkhan with her before pulling her feet back to kick it off and into the one behind it. She then flew into the air and dropped down with a powerful kick to destroy both of them.
Tohru roared as he grabbed one Crabkhan and threw him into a group of three to destroy them, with Caleb standing next to him as he used is katana to block and parry the clawed-strikes of one Crabkhan, right before he ducked underneath a slice to impale the Crabkhan and destroy it. However, their reprieve wasn't meant to last as a group of seven Crabkhan emerged from the shadows on the ground and surrounded them. However, salvation came in the form of a ring of fire from Taranee above them that kept the Crabkhan at bay before she threw a series of fireballs to blast the Crabkhan back.
Cornelia pressed her hand on the ground and created a small tremor that shook the ground and knocked four incoming Crabkhan off their balance before pulling pieces of the concrete below her and hurled them at the Crabkhan like projectiles, causing each one to poof away with contact. The group appeared to be holding their own well against the Crabkhan, but for each one they took down, two more appeared to rise in its place, making it an uphill battle.
"Hey Jackie, anytime you want to use that potion!" Irma called to him as Jackie ran on the conveyer belt behind the girl.
"Don't worry, I'll…" However, before Jackie could use said potion, a Crabkhan suddenly tackled him to the ground from the side, causing him to drop the potion as it went flying. "No!" He called out, while everyone else gasped at the sight of the flying vial, especially as it was caught by Valmont, with the Oni inside still in control.
"Ah, the remedy to my affliction." Oni-Valmont sneered. "At last, I shall be complete!" Both halves of the sentient mask declared, until Alchemy took control of her own body.
"Yeah, but not on any of our faces, or anyone else's!" She declared as she leapt and tackled Valmont to the ground, quickly taking the potion before the Oni inside could control her and soaked her hands in the liquified good magic, causing them to glow green. "Lather up, Valmont!" She offered a high-five.
"Right then!" Valmont said eagerly as he exchanged the high-five, causing the spell to spread to his hand as well. He grabbed the half of the mask on Alchemy's face, while Alchemy grabbed the other half on Valmont.
"Ready? Pull!" Alchemy exclaimed as they both began to pry the severed masks off each other's faces. However, the Oni resisted and roared, which drew the attention of all the Crabkhan, halting their battles with the heroes as they quickly made their way toward Alchemy and Valmont in an attempt to stop them. But it was too late.
"NNNOOOOO!" The Oni roared as Alchemy and Valmont successfully pulled both halves off their faces, causing all the Crabkhan to vanish. Already the heroes breathed in relief as Cornelia quickly flew to Alchemy to tackle her in a hug.
"Whoa, miss me much?" Alchemy laughed as she returned the hug.
"Don't ever do something like that again, you hear me?" Cornelia scolded, but was nonetheless happy she had one of her best friends back.
"I don't plan on it." Alchemy smiled.
"Are you guys alright?" Taranee asked as the group gathered around the pair.
"We're fine." Alchemy promised. "And I got the mask." She held up her half. "Or… half of it."
"Uh, hello? Got the rest." Valmont said as he stood up on his feet as well, to show that he had the other half of the mask. "I will sell it to you, for half price."
"Really, dude?" Jade said with lowered eyelids as everyone else looked more annoyed than anything else.
However, Valmont quickly took notice of a package on the conveyer belt next to him that contained a certain valuable. "Diamonds? Take the mask!" He threw the mask toward them, which Jackie caught as Valmont took the package. "I'm rich!"
Suddenly, a claw from the line pulled Valmont up and brought him into the final processing part of the line. When he came out, he was completely mummified in packaging tape before the label that read 'To Mexico' was placed on his face. He, along with several other packages, were automatically dumped into the back of a UPS truck outside before said truck began to drive off into the sunset.
"Adios, Valmont." Will smirked and waved off as the group stepped outside.
"And now, it would be best for us to lock this up in Section 13 where it belongs." Jackie said as he held both halves of the Oni mask.
"Which brings our mask total up to seven, with only two remaining." Caleb said.
"Heh, we're over halfway done." Hay Lin joked.
"Okay, that's it!" Cornelia stated. "No more half jokes, for like ever!"
"Agreed." Everyone else, except Hay Lin, all said at the same time. Hay Lin's cell phone then rang once again, which she quickly answered.
"Hey Grandma." Hay Lin greeted before handing to Alchemy. "It's for you again."
"I am sorry Alchemy." Yan Lin apologized over the phone. "I will have to buy you a new computer. Jin and Blunk have crashed this one."
"Oh, crashes are actually pretty easy to fix." Alchemy replied. "You just reset…"
"No, I mean they have literally crashed it. Onto the floor." Yan Lin clarified as she turned to the scene where Blunk and Uncle continued to break the computer even further by smashing a baseball bat and broom on to it respectively.
"Waffle iron steal from Blunk and Uncle!" The Passling exclaimed as he continued to smash the laptop with his bat. "Give treasures back!"
"Waffle iron is forged from dark magic!" Uncle also exclaimed as he also smashed the laptop with his broom. "It is evil! Evil! Evil!"
"Aiya…" Yan Lin sighed in annoyance as she slid her hand down her face.
Done.
Well, this chapter was actually quite a bit of fun. I know it mostly stuck to the cannon, but I personally found the original episode enjoyable. Though I did change some things up by having Alchemy wear half of the mask, I was originally planning on Caleb wearing it, but I wanted to give Alchemy a chance in the spotlight. I'd say this chapter turned out rather well.
Seven masks down, two to go. But before we move on to the next mask, we have two more chapters based off WITCH before we get to mask number eight. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please stay safe and stay healthy out there. Love you guys.