Disclaimer: I still don't own Danny Phantom. Nickelodeon and Viacom do, and they are very big companies armed with lots of money and lawyers. Since I'm not making any money from this and I never will be, there is nothing for the law-ninjas to sue out of me.
Author's Note: Oh man, I am so sorry I'm so past my update deadline on this chapter! Real life issues conspired with writer's block and difficulty shifting gears out of the history lesson and back to the present. But here it is at long last, pleasedon'tkillme!
Also, some trivia! The volcano the history book refers to is the Toba eruption, thus placing the War of the Ascendancy somewhere between 67,500 and 75,500 years ago. Toba was probably the most powerful, devastating volcanic event in the past 25 million years. One theory states that this event may have triggered a planetwide die-off, and created a genetic and evolutionary bottleneck on the human race(s?) by reducing the population to just a few tens of thousands of people; thus eliminating many other human branch species. So Maghnus has been sealed up and obsessing over "fixing" the world since before recorded human history!
Chapter 15: Paths Entwined
"A dead world
A dark path
Not even crossroads to choose from"
-"Planet Hell" - Nightwish
"Is this all?" Dan sneered, putting his fist through a veiled opponent's face. "Really, I could handle all of you with both hands tied behind my back!"
The fight had been downright relaxing, and the fire-headed ghost was really enjoying himself for the first time since... probably since he got back to his timeline. Perhaps longer than that.
His ploy to distract the goon squad appeared to be successful; Danny, Sam, and Lancer had gotten away some time ago. Maybe the act would even help lighten up his rather blisteringly negative reputation. At the very least it gave him a valid reason to go absolutely ballistic on a horde of opponents with reckless, ruthless abandon. The sense of rampaging wildly was something Dan had missed.
"Lord Maghnus will not stand for this!" One of the apparent generals of the goon squad declared in a sniveling voice. "As soon as he-"
"As soon as he what?" Dan hissed, grabbing the ghost by its bony throat and hurling it into a cluster of the remaining skeleton spooks. "You know, never mind. I think I will handle you with both hands behind my back."
True to word, the fire-headed ghost took a deep breath, tucking both hands behind him. The remaining goons saw their most likely opening to attack Dan and rushed him, not properly aware of just what he was really capable of. Which was precisely what he wanted.
The teeth-grinding cacophony of the Ghostly Wail lashed out and sent the remaining goons flying every which way, helpless against the sonic onslaught. Dan would have grinned if he wasn't otherwise occupied with the attack; it had been a long time since he'd last used that particular skill.
In fact, the last time had been...
No, this isn't the time to think about that.
The last time he himself had used the devastating technique had been when past-Danny had arrived with Sam and Tucker in tow. When he was still blinded by his own insanity. He had used the attack since that ill-fated day, but the memory of that week-long divide that had nearly been the end of him wasn't something he liked to think too hard about. Jazz had cured him of his insanity, but that didn't make thinking about that mess any less headache-inducing.
"Who dares try and fight MY armies?" An all too familiar voice boomed across the battlefield. "None shall stand against my power!"
And that's my cue to get out of Dodge. Dan turned invisible with a silent snarl.
Luckily, Maghnus must not have actually seen Dan; there was a disperse cloud of shattered skeletons and other assorted debris acting like an impromptu smokescreen. Dan felt his shoulder ache with the memory of the pounding he had last received from the gigantic ghost; much as it rankled, Dan knew he had to retreat now. Brute force wasn't going to help against Maghnus and that gauntlet, retreat was the only viable option.
I'll tear you apart soon, Maghnus. Dan growled to himself as he fled the area, ignoring the tyrant's angry shouts. And I will enjoy it. Maybe almost as much as I would enjoy ripping Valerie limb from limb.
---
"Gah, why aren't we doing anything?!" Valerie paced in front of the long-since empty containment chamber. "It's been too long, we have to do something! They're in trouble, I know it!"
Tucker heaved a sigh. Much as the royal geek was loathe to concede the point, it had been quite some time since they'd lost contact with Danny and Sam. The question though remained: What could they do? Take a blind chance and send someone else in after the two? What if they were just caught up talking to Clockwork about the situation? What if they had run afoul of Maghnus? Worse yet, what if Maghnus had destroyed the pair? And what would Dan's questionable behavior add to the equation?
"Acting rashly isn't going to do anyone any good." Vlad reminded the room, earning the billionaire scathing looks from the ghost huntress and the ghosts present. "Considering our options and what little we do know, running full-tilt into the Ghost Zone is just going to waste resources and time. Don't you have some sort of automated exploration drone we could use to see what the Zone is like without risking anyone's neck?"
A moment of silence was broken by the sound of both Valerie and Tucker facepalming at the obvious solution. It may not have been ideal, but it would at least give them something to go on to decide further actions.
You guys better be okay. Tucker mused to himself, casting a worried glance at Valerie. And Dan... I hope you haven't gone back to your old habits. That's the last thing anybody needs, considering Valerie still wants to tear you a new one.
Danny, you and Sam had better be okay. Valerie cast a worried glance toward the swirling green portal as the drone was launched. I lost you once... I don't want to lose you again. Not like this. Not because of him.
---
"Can we borrow this book?" Danny asked Ghostwriter, holding up the eccentric writer's copy of The War of the Ascendancy: The History of the War and the Sealed King. "I think we'll need to reference it when we explain about Maghnus to the others."
"Loathe as I am to relinquish any of my books, even ones I don't recall obtaining..." Ghostwriter heaved a sigh indicative of one granting a great favor at a great personal cost. "Provided it is returned in one piece, I am willing to loan it for the duration of the current crisis."
"I'm sure Mister Fenton will do his best to ensure your book gets returned in good condition." Lancer noted pointedly. "Won't you, Danny?"
"Could you maybe pick on everyone else, too?" Danny cringed. "I'm not the only one wanting to borrow it."
It was understandable that Lancer had a particular urge to single Danny out; after all, it was his cheating on the C.A.T. that had led to the pudgy man's demise. Still, the dark-haired ghost didn't need to be reminded; that knowledge and his own guilt for his role in events weighed heavily on Danny. Despite Sam and Tucker's best efforts to cheer him up, that was one shadow that would never be lifted.
"We've got to get back to the portal, and the sooner, the better." Sam changed the subject. "Tucker has got to be going nuts worrying about what happened since the phone got trashed."
"What about that hotheaded friend of yours?" Lancer frowned. "Aren't you concerned about-"
"He's not my friend!" Sam denied loudly.
"I'm sure he can take care of himself." Danny interrupted before Sam could go off on the ignorant teacher. "C'mon, Sam, why don't we get back to the Patrol headquarters and let Tucker and Valerie know what we found out?"
"You kids do that." Lancer pulled up a chair, apparently preferring to stick around with the Ghostwriter for awhile and chancing being found by Maghnus. "So, where's this new manuscript you wanted me to look over-?"
Exchanging baffled looks, the two ghosts left the Ghostwriter's library; pausing briefly on the mansion's front steps to get their bearings. There was no sign of the earlier battle in the distance, though what that meant was a mystery.
"The portal's this way." Danny tugged Sam's arm and gestured in a seemingly arbitrary direction. "Let's get moving!"
"Right!"
The Zone seemed quieter and more bleak than normal as the pair made their way back toward the Patrol portal. It was by no means a short trip; Ghostwriter's lair was deep in the Ghost Zone, and the silence was unnerving. How far had Maghnus managed to reach with his terrible destructive power?
"How thoughtful of you to wait up."
"GAH!"
Sam yelped in surprise and jumped back, not expecting the pale, scowling visage that dropped in front of them. Danny barely reacted, it was almost as if he'd been expecting his allegedly worse half to appear. Dan floated down, arms crossed, a look of wry irritation etched onto his face.
"So you found something about our tyrant du jour?" Dan remarked, eyeing the book Danny was holding with distaste.
"Why do you even care?" Sam put herself between Dan and Danny defensively.
"And what do my reasons even matter?" The tall ghost retorted. "You don't like Maghnus, and I don't like Maghnus. That's the only fact that matters."
"Yeah, never mind it's your fault he's loose!" Sam hissed.
"My fault he what?" It was Dan's turn to recoil. "I think I'd remember setting a guy like that loose. I was there when he broke out of thin air!"
"Look, we'll give you the short version while we get going." Danny rubbed his head in frustration.
"You just want to let him come-" Sam blurted, but Danny cut her off.
"He did bail our butts out back there Sam. Twice." The dark-haired ghost pointed out. "And we both know neither of us are in any position to force him to do anything."
Dan quirked an eyebrow, apparently mildly surprised to be given some credit for his actions; by Danny of all people. "At least somebody is giving credit where it's due. So, how precisely is it my fault?"
"The seal on Maghnus' prison was held together by the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage." Sam remarked with no good grace. "And apparently your little trip back in time weakened it."
"And I guess you got back from the past too late, and Maghnus was able to break loose." Danny filled in the rest.
Surprisingly, Dan didn't react as they expected. They both expected some snarling, maybe a shout of denial, or even violence. Instead, the fire-headed ghost just stopped briefly with a look of disbelief on his face, and then he slapped himself.
"Another shining example of my past smacking me in the face." Dan groused to himself.
"THERE you are, insolent renegade!"
"Oh crud." Dan muttered. "I thought I lost him."
Even from a distance, Maghnus managed to tower ominously, sword held out with a wicked coil of red ectoplasmic energy flitting across the broad blade's surface. It was matched by an equally wicked glimmer of silver at the giant's left side, where the destructive magical gauntlet covered his forearm. Somehow despite Dan's best efforts, the tyrant had managed to track the fire-headed ghost down.
"Okay, we need to get out of here." Sam squeaked. The pictures in the book failed to capture the aura of sheer power the huge ghost gave off in person.
"Surely you know where the rest of the Ascendancy is!" Maghnus bellowed, lunging at Dan. "And you WILL reveal it to me!"
"Run for it!" Danny flung himself at Sam, who then collided with Dan.
It was a good thing, actually; caught by surprise, the fire-headed ghost went down, all three ghosts narrowly avoiding the red beam the giant flung at them. Dan was the first back on his feet, a green energy barrier hastily thrown between them and the great blade bearing down.
"Are you crazy?" Sam yelled as she and Danny turned to resume bolting for the portal that was not yet in sight.
"Unless you want to be the thin-sliced deli special-" Dan hissed in retort, his effort and focus mostly on the barrier that was already starting to crack under the strain of Maghnus' attack. "-I'm the only thing standing between us and him!"
"Let's go, Sam!" Danny urged his friend on, perfectly happy to let Dan continue standing between the tyrant and themselves.
They hadn't flown more than a few dozen feet when there was the thundercrack explosion and Dan was flung backwards past them, shaking his head and cursing soundly.
"You could not hold a candle to my power the first time you tried to stand against me! What makes you believe that you would do any better during our second duel?" Maghnus boomed, each step toward the group resounding with a menacing shockwave. "It was merely by virtue of some good fortune that you survived our first encounter, so that you can now tell me what I will find out!"
"And I don't know a thing about this Ascendancy you keep blathering on about, you geriatric idiot!" Dan got back to his feet, ignoring the green gash across the front of his jumpsuit.
Danny and Sam exchanged looks. They knew the tyrant was after the other gauntlet for his entire egomaniacal, if not downright insane plan to destroy and then recreate the world. For whatever reason, likely Dan's boasts of having beaten Pariah; Maghnus thought that the fire-headed ghost knew where the other gauntlet was. Meanwhile, Dan hadn't a clue what his opponent was even talking about; and responding in the only way he knew how, with violence and anger.
"You think I am fool enough to believe such a bold faced falsehood?" Maghnus snarled. "My brother had it, and if you have felled him as you indeed boast to have done, then you must have it! Or else you hold the knowledge of its true location! Or perhaps one of your comrades knows of which I speak..."
The giant's glare turned on Danny and Sam, the two ghosts having been trying to slip away unnoticed.
"We're not his comrades!" Sam protested hotly.
"Then you will swear fealty to the one true lord and ruler of this realm!" The tyrant demanded, leveling his massive sword to point at the pair.
"Yeah..." Danny eyed the weapon. "Could we get back to you on that?"
"I demand your answer now!" Maghnus threatened, clearly not the sort to be stalled by witty banter. Or to take "no" for an answer. "Those which attempt to interfere with my destined goal shall not live to tell of it in the new world I will build!"
The statement was accompanied by a rather impassioned gesture with the tyrant's silver-clad left arm, matched by a seemingly crazed flash of red light from his otherwise black eyes. Before Danny could respond to the open threat however, a green energy blast from behind caught Maghnus square in the face. The attack wasn't enough to do any real damage, but the flash of light did distract him.
"You didn't ask a question, so what answer can you expect?" Dan snarled, a thin wisp of green smoke curling into the air from his open palm; his glare at the giant interrupted as he glowered at Sam and Danny. "What are you idiots waiting for? An engraved invitation?"
One hand was raised and pointing not at Maghnus, but to Dan's side; a whirling green portal suspended just beyond his fingertips.
"You think I'm going to trust you-" Sam started to protest.
"Sam, just come on!" Danny interrupted, slapping himself. "He can make portals, remember?"
"Yeah, and where does it even go?" Sam momentarily forgot the very imminent threat of the temporarily blinded tyrant in favor of her distrust for her friend's worse half.
"Why don't I show you?" Dan swooped down on the pair, catching both of the weaker ghosts by the wrists.
"Awk-!"
"Hey-!"
Dan put his momentum to good use, flinging Danny and Sam through his portal. They both disappeared to the safety of the other side, and he was about to dive through after them; though running away wasn't doing anything to help his short temper.
"YOU WILL PAY MOST DIRELY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!"
Dan spun around, just in time to witness a wall of red energy coming right at him.
---
"Whoa!"
The tension in the Patrol lab was shattered by a flash of green and two forms crashing ungracefully into Tucker and Valerie. The group fell to the floor in a tangled heap of arms, legs, and ghostly tails before anybody properly sorted out what just happened.
"Danny!"
"Tucker!"
"Sam!"
"Valerie!"
The moment of relieved celebration was short lived as the unframed portal hanging suspended midair belched a gout of red ectoplasmic energy that sent everyone in the lab scrambling for cover. Thankfully the portal disappeared before more than a fraction of the full force of the blast could pass through, but just that fragment was enough to burn a large circular hole in the reinforced laboratory wall.
Or rather, would have burned a hole, if not for the black and white clad figure smashed flat into it hard enough to dent the steel, still holding up the battered remnants of a green energy shield against the ruby beam. The barrier shattered and dissipated with the blast, revealing Dan; the fire-headed ghost clearly winded from the effort as he staggered out of the Dan-shaped dent in the wall.
"Entirely too close-" He started to grouse, interrupted by the sounds of weapons being primed and trained on him.
"So you came back again?" Valerie hissed over the barrel of her rifle, the weapon trained on the ghost's chest.
"Man, not this again!" Tucker facepalmed.
Dan and Valerie glared at each other over the huntress' weapon for several long seconds; a silent contest of will. Vlad loudly clearing his throat finally broke the staring match, drawing all eyes to the old man.
"So, Daniel, Samantha." He stated, pointedly ignoring Dan and Valerie for the moment. "Given your rather abrupt entrance, am I to assume things went rather badly?"
"The book-!" Sam fumbled around the floor for the old book Danny had dropped when they'd hit the others.
"Book?" Tucker raised an eyebrow, still keeping tabs on the two bundles of hate still glaring at one another. "What about Clockwork?"
"That's..." Danny frowned. "We didn't find him. His tower was empty, all we found was his staff."
"Buuuut, we accidentally ran into - get this - Mr. Lancer, and he knew this Ghostwriter guy." Sam picked up the story.
"Oh sure, skip over the horde that would have wiped the floor with the both of you." Dan snapped.
"Horde? What?!" Valerie was surprised enough to forget momentarily to glare at Dan.
"Maghnus' goon squad." Dan sneered, crossing his arms as he inserted his contribution to the tale. "Idiotic sending these two alone into dangerous territory. I got out of here just in time."
"Yeah..." Danny agreed quietly. "He did... kinda bail us out."
"Anyway, Ghostwriter had this old book." Sam pushed ahead, glancing warily between Dan's cold irritation and Valerie's simmering anger. "And it's got the entire story about some really ancient war in the Ghost Zone, Maghnus, and this Ascendancy thing he's after."
---
"How could he flee the field of battle a second time?!" Maghnus snarled, pacing angrily before a squadron of his minions. "And where is it he has fled?"
"We do not know, Lord Maghnus." One of the braver goons answered.
"Of course you would not know such things!" The tyrant boomed, silencing the ghosts before him. "Somehow... he must have some way to that other world, that which I intend to rule with the rest of my rightful empire!"
That had to be it! The foolhardy fire-haired ghost that dared oppose him, and continued to hide the remaining gauntlet must have somehow gained access to that sunlit land. Yet something didn't fit; if that ghost had in fact declared triumph over the broken remains of his traitorous brother Pariah, why did that ghost flee rather than fight? Surely the smug fool had the rest of the Ascendancy, the very same power that had enabled Pariah to almost battle evenly against him!
Perhaps then, this new opponent did not in fact have the last gauntlet? That did not seem right either; the siege of the time master's lair had not revealed the missing device. With the subtle machinations of Clockwork, that seemed the most likely location for the lost gauntlet. If it could not be found in the wreckage of the Master of Time's lair, then it simply had to be in that fire-headed ghost's possession.
Or at least the knowledge of the device's location. Somehow, Maghnus, Lord of the Dark and destined savior of this world and that of the humans... would find it.
---
"So then the short version is we need to find this other gauntlet in order to stand a chance against Maghnus?" Dan growled, leaning against the lab wall.
"There's no 'we' about it, ghost!" Valerie hissed at him from the opposite wall. Her gun hadn't lowered from its position a single time during Danny and Sam's explanation of the War of the Ascendancy.
"Regardless, it's obvious that this Maghnus is a threat to all." Vlad once again interrupted, talking over the biting remarks. "And that the Reality Gauntlet is likely our only chance to level the playing field."
"But the book only says that this Watcher guy hid it in the human world..." Danny frowned at the book. "We don't have any idea where in the world to even start looking."
"Like a needle in a haystack." Tucker agreed.
"I can think of another problem we can deal with in the meantime." Valerie snapped waspishly.
"Valerie-" Tucker resisted the urge to smack himself in frustration at the huntress.
Apparently Dan had taken all the needling he was willing to take, for the fire-headed ghost pushed away from the wall, floating just off the ground rather than walking. Wordlessly he drifted across the lab, the others getting out of his way. Valerie met his dark glare with her own fierce expression, rifle angled up at his face as he approached.
"For once, I think I agree with you, Valerie." Dan's voice took on that sinister purr that he'd mostly stopped using since his return from the alternate past. "There is another problem that we can address."
Everyone else exchanged worried looks. Had the tall ghost gotten sick of being patient, of restraining his destructive habits? Was a full-out battle about to erupt in the underground lab, in the middle of the city? Most of those present certainly couldn't blame Valerie for wanting to get some overdue payback against Dan; but with the threat of Maghnus looming, it seemed that there was a much more immediate threat to deal with than a mass-murderer who had recently ceased his sociopathic behavior.
"Uh, guys-" Danny squeaked.
With a sinuous speed born of long experience, one gloved hand lashed out and grabbed Valerie's rifle, wrenching the gun from her grasp. Rather than crush the weapon or otherwise destroy it, Dan tossed it carelessly toward the others; Tucker awkwardly caught it.
"Why you-!" Valerie was already reaching for her autocannon, but was stopped by Dan crouching and knocking the huntress' legs out from under her with an expertly timed sweeper kick.
"It is time we settled things." Dan got back up easily, grabbing Valerie and pinning her arms as he plucked her from the floor, turning them both intangible.
"Valerie!" Sam started to run over to intervene, but stopped dead at a stern look from Dan.
"Put me down!" Valerie tried to get loose, but her intangible hands couldn't get a grip on her captor.
"In fact, I would say we're long overdue to settle things." Dan sneered at Valerie as he took off through the ceiling. "So why don't we take care of that right now?"
Author's Note: Oh no, has Dan finally decided to stop tolerating Valerie? To be honest, I'm amazed they haven't tried to kill each other before now. Well, okay, Valerie DID try to early on, but I mean since she found him beat to within an inch of his life in the ruins. The next chapter has a scene I have been looking forward to writing since before I formally started to even PLAN this fic. Anyone who's read Jeremiad and Anathema (and Benediction) knows that Valerie and Dan hate one another to an absolutely irrational extreme, and I'm sure that's one conflict some of you are just dying to see resolved; or at least addressed!
But for now, many thanks and easter baskets full of chocolate ghosties to my wonderful, patient, totally not threatening to kill me for taking over a month to update readers: Esme Phantom, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Angelic Kittens, Eleirah, Phantom-Akiko (who, by the way, did a totally snazzy fanart of the Dan-kissing-Sam scene from the Prologue! Look her up on DeviantArt!), Skandragon Blackheart, Moony's Metamorphmagus, i AM the Random Idiot, Selofain, Tie-dyed Trickster, Luiz4200, Akino Ame, Sukoru, Enray, and ben ash!
See ya next chapter, and hopefully on time for a change!