"Oh, right. I guess we didn't get introduced." Winnie said, looking at Randy but catching the scent of the Tengu on him. "The name is Winnie Connors, but you can just call me Winnie, everyone does."
"Connors? You're Maleva's other granddaughter." Randy said, standing back to his feet with the demon bird on his shoulder. "How did you get here?"
"You can thank that bloody witch and for my new look." Winnie snapped, bearing her sharp fangs at Randy which only got Heidi and the other girls to give her the stink eye, maybe it was that she was an old enemy or because of the girls protective instincts.
"Hey, guys, please calm down." Randy said, waving his hands to keep the relative peace that was around.
All the while this was happening, Tengu was having a good chuckle as this was better entertainment than being locked in a stone. He didn't care much for what the girls were thinking but seeing his new host squirming was better than watching a theater play. He wondered how he could make the situation worse for him and make more fun for himself. He would have to get the law set with the kid later, but he could spare a few just to watch him struggle a bit more. Tengu was about to open his beak when he felt something poking at the side of his head. The demon bird turned around and saw that it was Howard, poking Tengu with a stick.
"Hey, Cunningham, what's with the bird on your shoulder? It better not take a nasty one on your shoulder." Howard commented, poking Tengu with a stick. "Why don't you just swat it off or something?"
"Maybe I should swat you away, brat." Tengu replied, glaring at Howard before snapping the stick with one of his wings with ease.
Howard jumped back by the actions of the strange bird. The portly boy pulled out the crossbow he had with him and aimed it at Tengu, who merely smirked.
Randy held up his hand, stopping Howard from even trying anything. He didn't want a fight.
"Howard, put down the crossbow. Trust me, that won't hurt him even in the slightest." Randy explained, getting Howard to listen. "This is Tengu, the demon bird of the stone."
Howard's eyes widened at the revelation. He looked at the demon bird. He had pretty bad memories of being possessed by the demon bird. The redhead was almost certain that Tengu was eyeing him as if he was a succulent pig. He honestly felt chills before Tengu turned away to talk to Randy.
"Alright kid. You had your fun and saved the day. Now should we go back to beating the crap out of each other now or?" Tengu began.
"What? No. Randy isn't going anywhere. And you aren't using his body for your amusement." Gothetta said, baring her fangs at the demon bird. "He's ours and you have no claim on him."
"Yeah, take a hike, big bird." Phanty added with Elsa cracking her knuckles and Heidi growling in case the demon bird got any bright ideas.
"We would appreciate it if you released your grip on my master this instant." Sibella said. "As much as I appreciate you aiding him in defeating that abomination you are not in any position to demand anything, as it was your duty to aid him." She added, pointing an accusatory finger at the demon bird.
Tengu flinched at the way the young vampire and the other monster girls were talking to him. He was more than certain that the women would cower in fear of him and yet here he was being scolded like a little hatchling. He needed to find a way to get them off his back. He thought that he could possess the kid's body once more and flee, but the new Ninja of Norrisville would fight him every inch. Good grief, how was it that now he had all sorts of problems? The demon bird scratched the back of his head, thinking of a way to scare them.
"Wow, you're actually scared of them. I get it but I expected more from you, Tengu." Randy muttered at seeing the demon bird's condition.
"Don't think you're out of the woods, Randy! As soon as we get that bird out of you, you'll be in a world of hurt." Gothetta said, causing Randy to cower a bit at his girlfriend's anger.
"...You were saying." Tengu poked jokingly at his host.
Howard decided that it was his time to shine. He'd seen Cunningham do it when he got possessed by Tengu, so he knew what needed to be done.
"Cunningham, the mask! I'll light that thing up and we will put Tweety here back in his cage!" Howard called, holding out his hand.
Tengu snorted.
"Yeah, about that." Randy started, holding up his right arm.
The ribbons sprouted from Randy's body, wrapping themselves around him. As the suit appeared around Randy, Tengu remained on his shoulder as though nothing was happening. The Ninja suit felt off but so much part of Randy now than when he first put it on. It was as if he was now wearing a different skin than his own, but not as something bad. However, as soon as the suit appeared on Randy it pulled back.
"Ok, that's either cool or creepy, dude." Howard pointed out.
"Nice try though." Randy replied.
"Yeah, I'd like to see what you would've done. Torn his whole face off? I don't think the ladies would like that." Tengu mocked, earning a punch from Randy.
The demon bird crashed against one of the painted saints of the church, leaving the imprint of his body. But Tengu easily pulled himself off before flying back to the Ninja's shoulder.
"Nice try kid, but there's no way you can get rid of me." Tengu said.
Just as Randy was about to snap at the demon bird, he realized something.
"Wait, where's Revolta? Has anyone seen her?" Randy asked.
Everyone looked around, realizing that Randy had made a very valid question. The witch was nowhere to be seen.
"Am I the only one that feels like something really bad is about to happen?" Howard asked as the pillar of green light shot back up into the sky.
The group turned to face the column of light as it extended to the skies and a large thunderstorm covered the city, cutting it off from the rest of the world.
Revolta had returned to the school and finished her spell. After being knocked around and tossed like a rag doll she figured that getting as far from the fight was the best idea. She was covered in cuts and bruises with anger seething through her body. She had managed to escape back to the high school. As much as she wanted to put an end to that creature Red Scarf had turned to, she had to make her kingdom stand out.
"I am well aware that I said this before, but… I will have my vengeance!" Revolta shouted, slamming her staff down against the ground. "But I will make sure that this city will become the capital of my kingdom!"
Revolta channeled her magic into the storm above her. She fired green lightning into the storm. The storm started to grow bigger and bigger until it eclipsed the moon and the stars. A twisted smile appeared on the witch's face and she looked at the wicked storm that just covered the city.
"The power of the darkness will cut off the city and give me time to deal with this mess!" Revolta called out. "May the powers of darkness obscure the light and make those around this city! Let calamity and and the forces of the wild nature bind us out of the world of light and those of humanity!"
Revolta spread the storm to the boundaries of the city. She would not allow someone or anyone to get in her way.
The city of Norrisville now found itself cut off from the rest of the world.
Back with the group, tensions were high. A chill ran down their spines as the lightning crackled above their heads.
"You just had to open your mouth, didn't you?" Tengu commented.
"Hey, shut your beak birdy!" Howard snapped at Tengu.
"Make me!" Tengu snapped back, waving one of his wings like a taunting hand.
Howard tackled Tengu and Randy to the ground and started wrestling into a cloud of smoke. It soon turned into a cartoon cloud of a fight. Howard punched Tengu, only for the demon bird to poke his eye with one of his feathers. Tengu then slapped Howard across his cheeks with his wing, only for Howard to smack him over the head. Randy tried to separate them but got smacked by both Howard and Tengu at the same time. The Ninja of Norrisville then jumped back into the fight, feeling like dishing out some punishment of his own. He started by tackling both Howard and Tengu before elbowing the demon bird before putting Howard in a chokehold.
Meanwhile the girls were looking at this, feeling as if the events of the outside had no effect on the boys.
"Wow, they really are into their own thing, aren't they?" Winnie asked.
"You gotta let them have this, after the night they've had they need to decompress." Phanty commented.
"Yes, but we should at least tell them to wait until we're somewhere safe." Heidi sighed.
Gothetta turned to the others with a sigh.
"You girls wanna help me pull Randy out of that?" Gothetta asked.
"I've gotcha." Elsa said, pulling back her sleeves.
"I'll assist as well." Sibella said. "Although I am impressed that they still have the energy to do this after tonight. Master Randy must have the endurance of a human in peak condition."
All the women that had shared a night or more with Randy could testify to the truth of that statement. They all blushed as they couldn't stop themselves from remembering those lovely nights. Which sadly it was not missed by the two new girls of the group.
"Oh my." Sibella muttered, blushing now out of embarrassment.
"And here I thought the bloody French were like rabbits." Winnie added muttering in less than a whisper.
Elsa pulled Randy out of the pile as Gothetta helped him stand up with the aid of Sibella. The three girls helped dust him off and put him back on his own two feet as the fight eventually broke out between Howard and Tengu. In that brief moment, Gothetta, Elsa and Sibella were able to feel the much stronger body that Randy now possessed. They even hid their own blushes, realising that he had gotten much stronger.
"Thanks, girls." Randy thanked.
"You're welcomed." Gothetta replied, holding onto his arm like a maiden in love. "We should return to the manor before this night gets any uglier."
"Agreed." Howard coughed while glaring daggers at Tengu.
"Sounds good to me." Tengu added, giving Howard a mocking raspberry. "This isn't over."
"You bet your feathery butt it isn't." Howard threatened back.
Randy sighed, feeling that this bantering would be his punishment for becoming one with Tengu. He could only dread what the Ninjanomicon would say when Nobu and Plop Plop found out.
The group made their way to the Gracey Manor, feeling like they had failed. It wasn't a crushing defeat but they still had time to work out a better plan. Randy was the one that felt it the most though, he couldn't help but think that his longshot ended up hitting him more than Revolta. He now needed to get rid of Tengu and fix his mess. Even if it meant getting yelled at, Randy would have to ask his mentors for help.
"Stop being so gloomy kid. Besides, there's no telling if your mentors will have the answer you want or even like." Tengu pointed out, snapping Randy from his thoughts.
"Would you please keep out of my thoughts?" Randy asked the demon bird.
"You think I haven't tried, besides I need entertainment since no one here is talking." Tengu replied with a winning smirk.
"So this is the demon bird that kept the Sorcerer in check for centuries? Kinda hard to see honestly." Heidi pointed out.
"Yeah, but remember that he was huge and gave Randy that super boost in power." Gothetta whispered back.
"Yeah, that was pretty badass." Phanty added.
"Still on that tiny size you tend to forget." Heidi said.
"I just want to go back to the manor and have a long sleep. Hopefully nothing else will get in our way." Gothetta said, as they reached the door of the manor.
As soon as Gothetta opened the door, a series of wrappers shot out from within the manor. Like snakes going for their prey they went out to catch whoever was outside the manor. Randy's instincts kicked in and caused him to get Gothetta out of the way. The wrappings wrapped around Randy's body, pulling him and Tengu into the manor.
The group looked into the manor only to see all the furniture being turned into a barricade. Lady Kryptina, Tanis and the other students stood behind the furniture, armed with frying pans, pots, spatulas, prawns and other cooking utensils. Tanis was using her wrappings as a form of protection, wrapping around anyone that would come through the door. It was as though they were waiting for any kind of monster or thing to come in and attack them. Even the hypnotized chef was wearing a serving spoon and a cooking knife to fight.
"I got 'em!" Tanis cried out, unknowingly pulling Randy at her.
However, Randy just crashed into her, getting a face full of the resurrected mummy.
"Ouchy." Tanis groaned as Randy laid on top of her body and got a face full of her breasts. "Why do my own bandages hurt me more than others?"
"Why does this happen to me?" Randy groaned.
"You and me both, buddy." Howard said as Tengu smirked at Randy's misfortune.
"Lady Kryptina, what is the meaning of this?" Gothetta asked.
Lady Kryptina got out from her hiding spot, with a look of relief and worry by the arrival of the group.
"Gothetta, children. Are you alright? We saw the light and the storm and feared the worst." Lady Kryptina said as Randy pulled himself off of Tanis. "And it would seem that Sibella decided to sneak out of the manor without my knowledge."
"We're alright, but things got a bit complicated." Gothetta admitted.
"My apologies, Lady Kryptina. But I felt like it was my duty to stand by my master in his time of need." Sibella said, bowing in respect.
"My guess is that she just wanted to see things blow up in Revolta's face." Tengu commented, landing on top of Randy's head.
Lady Kryptina turned to face the demon bird. With one glance she could tell that the bird was no ordinary creature. She could see that the creature was probably something darker and much older than Dracula. She felt as though she had to kick it out as quickly as she could.
"What's with the mean bird? Is it a creature of Set or some form of demon?" Tanis asked.
Tengu snickered at that.
"I'm the mighty Tengu, you dummy! I am the most powerful demon from the Nine Realms of Chaos. So you should all bow to my might!" Tengu cackled.
Randy sighed at Tengu's claims. Despite being a powerful entity that was able to hold back the Sorcerer for 800 years without fail he had a pretty big ego. The current Ninja had to get the demon bird to calm down or maybe shut up for at least some hours. If he could talk to Nobu then he'd be able to think of something, but he couldn't leave everyone to deal with Tengu on their own. Randy looked at Lady Kryptina, knowing that he'd have to explain things.
"It's a long story." Randy said.
Randy, Gothetta, and the rest of the group started explaining what had happened. They told Lady Kryptina about their battles against Winnie, while she was under Revolta's control, and the resurrected Wolf Man before heading out to stop Revolta herself. Randy then explained how Tengu and his feathers were the source of the Ninja's powers and how, in a moment of desperation, he freed Tengu in a longshot idea to defeat the witch. To which Gothetta then pointed out that the plan didn't go as planned.
"...And after regaining control of my body, I rescued Gothetta and Phanty before putting Dracula down once and for all." Randy finished explaining.
"You forgot to emphasize how I wiped the floor with you before that." Tengu said, eating a grape. "You never know how much you miss eating stuff before you're stuck inside a rock for 800 years."
Lady Kryptina, the other vampire students, and Tanis were wide eyed and understandably surprised at the story that the group had just told them. Their eyes landed on the tiny bird that was a big bad demon that could put Dracula down with ease. But they couldn't connect the two. It was as if someone tried to connect how a single sneeze could cause the devastating end of an entire culture. It wasn't unheard of but the vampires had their skepticism.
"So what you're saying is that Mr. Cunningham has in essence turned into a monster?" Lady Kryptina asked.
"Well, I wouldn't call him that. A bit of a pain, of course. A slacker, that too. A goody two shoes? Ding ding." Tengu mocked. "But yeah, I guess you could say that he is a monster like you guys."
"Which brings us to how are we going to get rid of him?" Howard asked. "Don't get me wrong. The whole instant suit thing is bruce as all heck, but the demon bird needs to take a hike."
"Love ya too tubby." Tengu replied.
"What about Revolta? Where is she?" Oskar asked.
"We believe that she used the distraction that Dracula created to escape." Gothetta replied.
"She's probably back at the high school." Heidi pointed out. "She seems to have made it her new castle."
"Yeah, she's gone for the full gothic remake. She even had the gargoyles on the towers looking menacingly at anyone on the outside." Phanty added.
"But the good news is that she's out of monsters to use." Elsa pointed out.
"Speaking of which, I think we should deal with the bird." Sibella said, gesturing to Tengu.
"Nice try with subtlety, Sibella, right?" Tengu asked. "But as I said, I ain't going back to that rock. And no one here is going to get me going." The demon bird added.
"Which is a good thing I know who might." Randy said, pulling out the Ninjanomicon. "Sorry to cut and run."
"Crap." Tengu muttered.
Randy opened the book, sending both his mind and Tengu into the depths of the book.
"That's one way to get rid of a demon bird. I was going to suggest using a hammer." Howard said.
"Were you going to bash Randy's brains out?" Heidi asked, giving her brother a glare. "Because that won't end well, for you."
The other girls glared at Howard for what they thought he was insinuating.
"No, no, no, no, no! I was going to use the hammer on the damn bird, not on Cunningham." Howard clarified.
"Is this how things usually are around here?" Winnie asked, feeling slightly amused. "You could make a sitcom out of this."
"Hey, I don't want to hear it from you, wolfy. You almost bit my face off." Howard snapped, causing Winnie to jump back. "Besides, if it hadn't been for me, you'd still be trying to kill teenagers."
Winnie was weirdly intrigued as this boy was talking to her as though they were well known acquaintances. She was used to people looking down on her and making fun of her because of who and what she was, and yet Howard was talking to her like she was just another girl. She couldn't understand it, it was as if he didn't see her as a werewolf. She tried baring her fangs at him, but all that did was to make him smack her nose with a rolled up newspaper.
"The bloody hell!" Winnie snapped.
"Hey, you growl at me like a dog, I'll go for the newspaper." Howard replied, holding up the rolled up newspaper. "I've been up against worse things than you, Winnie. So step off."
Heidi smacked Howard over the head, getting him to calm down.
"Knock it off Howard." Heidi said before turning to Winnie. "Sorry about him. He hates to be talked down to."
"Guess I'm still getting used to being this whole mess and this." Winnie said, gesturing to her fur covered body.
"Yeah, I understand the feeling." Heidi said, putting her hand on Winnie's shoulder. "But don't worry, you're among friends."
Winnie looked at Heidi's hand, almost feeling a bit of warmth. She hadn't felt such a kind thought after her mother passed. She looked around, seeing all the weird beings in the same room as her. In a strange way, or rather, a new normal way she was amongst her new people. She sighed, figuring that she would have to get used to this.
"So, is he going to be like that for long?" Winnie asked, looking at Randy.
"It depends, sometimes a few minutes and sometimes an hour at most." Gothetta replied, putting Randy's head on straight to avoid him getting neck pains. "Sometimes I wonder what happens inside that handsome head that makes him do all these reckless things."
"That's one of the biggest mysteries for women. Sometimes we have to bend over backwards just to get their attention." Tanis commented, flicking a hair strand off of Randy's face.
"You have no idea." Lady Kryptina muttered.
While this was going on outside in the real world, Randy and Tengu flew deep into the realm of the Ninjanomicon. Randy held onto the demon bird like a cowboy riding a falling bison in the middle of an avalanche. He was doing so not only to keep the demon bird from flying away but also to make sure that they went down together to get the help he needed.
"Let go of me, damn it!" Tengu struggled, trying to get free of Randy's hold. "I ain't no damn ride!"
"Well too bad! You aren't keeping my body and this here is the only place I know where you won't make a mess!" Randy said, wrapping his arms around Tengu's neck.
"You're a persistent little brat, you know that!" Tengu growled as Randy directed him to the ground of the book.
At the feet of the Norushi ancestral castle, Nobu sat cross legged meditating. He could feel that something had happened. Not only did he feel stronger but there was something else within his student and the mask as a whole. He could feel the outside much better than before. He knew that the witch had gotten her hands on the Sorcerer's Orbs and was now using their power to cut off the city from the rest of the world. Even in his prime his senses had never been this attuned. It was as though he had only been listening to the wind while being encased in a box with a few holes, but now he was outside the box and much more connected to everything outside the ancient book of ninja wisdom.
"You've felt it as well. Haven't you, Rosalyn?" Nobu asked, keeping his eyes closed as he tried to balance his senses.
"I'd have to blind, death, and dumb not to. I haven't felt like this since I was a young vampire having her first taste of blood from the man that once had my heart." Rosalyn said, lifting her hand to where the rays of the sunlight were the strongest. "Even this light that resembles sunlight doesn't bother me. I feel like I could walk naked on a sunny beach and not feel anymore than a slight sting."
"Please keep all your clothes on." Nobu commented.
"Only if you show me more skin from time to time." Rosalyn countered with a saucy smile.
Just then they were both caught off guard by a loud crash. The ground shook under their feet, causing the castle to rattle a little.
Nobu and Rosalyn turned to see Randy holding onto Tengu for dear life.
"Get. Off. Me!" Tengu said, finally getting a hold on Randy and pulling him off. "Ahh!" He screamed holding his neck.
Randy rolled on the ground with his right hand holding a small handful of feathers. The young Ninja turned to see his two mentors looking at him with worried and confused looks.
"Hey guys. How's it going?" Randy asked.
"Randy, do you have anything you'd like to tell us?" Rosalyn asked like a mother catching their child misbehaving.
"Um, yeah. Funny story." Randy began. "I needed a way to fight Revolta after she got a power up from getting the Sorcerer's Orbs. So I did the only thing that I thought could help out."
"Oh, so now I'm a thing huh?" Tengu snapped, feeling used.
"So you thought getting possessed by the demon bird was the best outcome?" Nobu asked.
"Well, not me directly, but yeah. I hoped that he'd give me enough power to put an end to Revolta and her rule." Randy admitted, lowering his head in shame.
"There is no shame in a hero coming to terms with their mistakes, but shortcuts always have consequences." Nobu admitted. "Taking them will often make you miss out on what's important. Though, I can't fault you for trying something risky to save those you care about."
Randy smiled slightly at his master's words.
"But why did you bring him here instead of sealing him back?" Nobu asked.
"Oh let me answer that old friend. I made certain that he wouldn't get out of our little arrangement so easily." Tengu said, getting on Nobu's face. "I fused his body and spirit with the mask, thus making it part of him. No mask, no way for me to go back to that little stone you stuck me in!"
Rosalyn slapped Tengu out of their face, getting a surprised look from both Nobu and Tengu.
"Get to the point, demon bird." Rosalyn said.
"Ouch. It means that I am not going anywhere." Tengu said, rubbing his cheek. "Ow, my feathery cheek."
Randy stood up and started focusing on his suit. The ribbons appeared around his body, creating the ninja suit. He could still feel the power it carried but now it was less of something he wore and more something that was a part of him. He saw it more like a second layer of skin. He reached to grab his sword, calling to it like many times before. His hand grasped the hilt of his sword and in a swift move he unsheathed it. The blade was blazing with far more power, feeling the strength of the demon bird running through it. Had anyone clashed with this blade, they would've thought that it was fresh out of the forge. Randy relaxed, feeling the suit being back to normal. But the sword returned to the suit as the ribbons pulled themselves back.
"Yeah, that's kind of what's been going on." Randy said.
Nobu and Rosalyn were speechless. The power of the suit and the Tengu had fused with Randy, but the question remained. How tightly fused were they fused.
"That's… a bit unexpected." Nobu said as he observed Randy's arm. "I can feel the mask and the suit fused with the body, reacting to his emotions and his power."
"Ha! So nice try getting rid of me this time! Now as soon as I take over his body the fun will begin." Tengu said, rubbing his fingers like a pair of hands.
"You did this by binding your power and the mask to Randy's spirit by striking a deal with Randy, didn't you?" Rosalyn asked.
"We sort of fist bumped, if that counts." Randy admitted.
"So that means that he is as much your prisoner as he is yours." Rosalyn stated, stopping Tengu's actions.
"Say what now?" Tengu asked.
"What?" Randy asked.
"I'd also like to know what you're talking about, Rosalyn." Nobu said. "You know what this is, don't you?"
Rosalyn smirked. She used what little control she had of the ancient book, creating two illustrations. The first one looked like a vampire with sharp fangs and a long cape. The second one was a knight in shining armor.
"There is an old binding contract known as a Dark Deal. In this deal, a supernatural or paranormal being offers up their power in exchange for the mortal to do something for them. In most cases, it involves the mortal sparing the lives of the supernatural being or helping them prolong their lives or achieve some sort of revenge against a common enemy. However, the deals are often made without any thought or long time planning, either by sheer desperation, simplemindedness, or just because they didn't think that something else would happen."
The figures that Rosalyn had created shook hands as a way to show the deal.
"Which means that there are usually many loopholes that either party can use to further their own purposes. Or they are simply left stuck with one another with no other thing to do about it." Rosalyn finished explaining as the doodles tried to pull away from each other but were unable to.
"What?" Tengu asked.
"In simple terms, unless you have terms to your deal you'll be stuck with each other." Rosalyn said.
Randy and Tengu started thinking back to when they had made the deal, but the only thing that they agreed or even thought of was that Tengu wouldn't be going back to the stone. The rest was left up in the air.
"So, it would seem that you are now tied together. And you'll stay like that until your death." Rosalyn said. "So, given your new situation, I suggest you two learn to work together because you'll be spending a lot of time together."
Randy and Tengu both had a look of despair on them. They didn't exactly like the idea, but they made their bed and now had to sleep in it. They shared a look before sighing.
"Are you sure there's no way for me to be free of this little pest?" Tengu asked, pointing at Randy with his thumb feather.
"If anyone's a pest, it's you!" Randy snapped before they started to fight once more.
While Randy and Tengu fought to see who was the real pest, Nobu and Rosalyn sighed. They had their work cut out for them. Despite Randy's position and situation, he was still the best bet they had to stop Revolta. And for that he needed to be prepared for what he had in front of him. The new power he now carried was easily ten times stronger than what other Ninja had held.
"Alright, that's enough!" Nobu spoke with command, stopping Randy and Tengu's fight. "Unless you've forgotten, there is a powerful witch out there! We don't have time for you to play around. You came here to learn about your new powers right?"
Randy nodded in agreement.
"In that case, it is time to retake your ninja training." Nobu stated.