04/15/02 Warlock Troubles
It was Monday. The most dreaded day of the week. Why, you ask? Because in this dimension nothing ever went well on a Monday. Which meant that I had a good reason to pull the blankets over my head and ignore the outside world altogether. I was really good at that. It was just so comfortable. Lying there in a warm cocoon of blankets and pillows, ignoring all outside annoyances....
A crack of light appeared between my arm and the blanket, and I frowned as a small blue form wriggled through and came to snuggle up against my neck. This I didn't mind. After all, this was a new heat source. Granted it didn't rival the furry one pressed up against my back, but I didn't much care.
~Lashana?~
I frowned and pulled the blankets closer, refusing to answer. I was too close to that dangerous line between sleep and consciousness for my liking. I wanted to go back to sleep. It was a Monday. I'd be safer if I was asleep.
~Lashana. I know you're awake.~ I may have been awake, but I wasn't stupid enough to answer. Two weights landed on my shoulders and proceeded to bury themselves in my hair, one of them curling up against the nape of my neck, the other fighting it's way lower until it was nestled in the crook of my right arm. There was the sound of a self-inflicted smack. ~Oh for the love of....~
I grinned and wriggled myself deeper into the nest of blankets. No way was I getting up. I was comfortable, I had little heat sources to keep me warm.....
~Get up!~
And a pain-in-the-arse pokemon that had just taken said heat sources away and was now trying to pull the blankets away. Determined not to have my comfort taken away, I grabbed as much of the blankets as I could, dug my fingernails into them, and curled myself around them. There. I wasn't moving. Of course, I had forgotten about what a bastard Mewtwo could be.
~Since you seem to need a little bit of help getting out of bed, I'll be glad to assist.~ He sounded waaay to smug. What was he....
And the world lurched beneath me.
"AHH!!" THUD!! "Owww....." The bastard had flipped the hammock. Oooh, I was so going to hurt him....
~Good morning.~ I growled and opened my eyes, staring at the pair of two-toed feet that came into view before I found the strength to raise my head to glare up into Mewtwo's amused gaze. ~Oh stop glaring. I brought you some coffee.~
That hurt, y'know.
~It was either that or lock Xellos in the room with you.~ I shuddered.
It still hurt. I get to my feet and swayed for a moment before he moved to let me lean against his side. I was still half-asleep. Why'd you wake me? And where's that coffee?
~Here,~ he chuckled, hanging me the mug of precious caffeine. ~And I woke you because it's seven in the morning and the dragons are hungry.~
I groaned. Why, oh why, couldn't someone else feed them? I knew the answer to that : because anyone else would get attacked. Even Mewtwo. I looked over at the three hatchlings in his arms and belatedly noted that they seemed to have grown a bit more. They were gaining weight, their wings subtly changing shape, their snouts becoming more defined....their faces becoming more expressive. Stop looking at me like that. I had to find a defense to that big-eyes look.
I sighed and grabbed my spare housecoat, pulling it on while still keeping possessive hold on my coffee. "Alright. Alright. I'm awake." More than I want to be anyway. Big psycho pokemon needs to learn how to leave the Elf alone when she's sleeping.
~The big psycho pokemon fears you not.~ Crap. I had forgotten that he was in my head.
I sent a glare his way for good measure and staggered out of the room, sighing when three familiar weight attached themselves to my shoulders and sleeves.
::Morning Mommy!:: Their vocabulary was growing greater by the day, so was their ability to string sentences together. Now if only they'd learn not to all speak in my head in stereo first thing in the morning.... ::You're going to feed us...right?::
Yes. Yes I'll feed you. Just let me get to the Kitchen without getting myself killed first. My main concern was the way Zelgadis was eyeing my mug of coffee. He apparently didn't realize that I could see him crouching down behind that plant. Oy... see that littlings? That's called an idiot.
::I thought it was Zelgadis.:: I looked at Kalamadea and smirked.
One and the same.
~Are you corrupting the hatchlings?~ Mewtwo asked as he teleported himself beside me.
I'm just showing them what an idiot looks like. I
grinned and glanced towards the large plant, seeing Mewtwo follow my gaze
and sigh in exasperation.
~Good point. C'mon.~ He put an arm around me and teleported us to the Kitchen, grinning at the wail of loss from upstairs once we rematerialized next to the fridge. ~He has to switch to decaf.~
"We tried that once, remember?" I asked as I went to get the three cans of food from the cupboard. "We switched it on him without him knowing and he had a nervous breakdown and somehow developed a German accent."
~Riiight. I had forgotten about that,~ he grinned, leaning against the counter as he watched me open the cans. ~I still can't figure out why you're the only one who can feed them without being attacked.~
"Does it matter that much? Korin, don't bite the can opener, you'll hurt yourself." I dumped the food into three bowls and set them apart on the counter. "Go." Now that I was free of the three hangers-on, I could feed myself. "Did you eat yet, 'Two?"
~No. I haven't been up much longer than you have.~ I bet he didn't get thrown out of the hammock. Hmpft. He watched me as I headed for the fridge, then glanced over his shoulder when a low warbling caught his attention.
It caught mine too. "Phone!" I ran past him and lunged, grabbing the receiver and bringing it up to my ear. "Harem Dimension. What'd'ya want?"
"Is this ....erm....Lashana Inferno?"
I arched an eyebrow curiously. "Maybe." Who the hell knew my last name? Only the Guys, Telca and my Parents knew it. "Why?"
"I believe you have something that belongs to me." Ooo. That voice did not sound friendly.
"Don't think so. I gave up shoplifting five months ago." I met Mewtwo's curious gaze and frowned. This guy's freaky, 'Two. It helped calm me a little that he came over and lay a hand on my arm. I returned the favor by tilting the receiver so he could listen in.
"Oh, but you weren't the one who stole it. What I'm speaking of was taken from me and sold in a black market. I was told that it was purchased as a gift for you."
I felt all the colour drain from my face. The egg... "What's your point?" My 'you're in danger' radar was going nuts just talking to this guy. Mewtwo didn't seem too calm either.
"I want it returned."
No way! "Sorry, dude. I don't know who the flamin' hell you are, or what you're talking about, but I ain't giving you anything." I didn't hear what he said next because I had already hung up. I looked towards the eating dragons, and once I was certain that they were alright, I turned my gaze on Mewtwo. "Do me a favor and go wake up everyone who was there when y'all bought the egg. Then I want you to tell me everything about that market and the guy you bought it from."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It took half an hour for Mewtwo to gather everyone who had been involved. Which was okay with me, because it took two more cups of coffee for me to fully wake up.
"Why'd you wake me? What's goin' on?" Kang whined as he was shoved into the room by Malcho. "Dammit quit pushin' me! Ooh, where's the coffee?" I snickered and held a mug out to him, expertly ducking out of the way of Malcho's wing as I did so.
"Lashana-dono? What's happened?" Kenshin seemed to be the only one that was coherent at the moment, so I gave him the bare details. Of course, the others excel at evesdropping....
"What do you mean, he wanted the egg back?" Zelgadis frowned, a mug of coffee cradled in his hands as he leaned back against the main counter. I shrugged and slid onto a stool at the island counter, sighing when the dragons flew over and landed on my shoulders.
"Exactly what I said. He was asking questions about the egg. Said that someone had stolen it from him and sold it on the black market and that he had tracked it down to me." I looked down into my own cup of coffee, staring at my reflection in the dark liquid. "Something about him freaked me out.... there was something in his voice...."
~I've heard it before.~ I blinked and rose my head to look at Mewtwo, frowning at the distant look in his eyes. ~His tone of voice....~ he paused and shook himself before continuing. ~He doesn't care about the hatchlings. He just wants to use them for something.~
I stared at him a moment longer before nodding. "I got that too. The question is, how the hell did he find me? Did any of you mention my full name at that market?"
"No. Just that we were looking for a gift for a friend," Kang said as he sat across from me, a smile spreading over his lips as Korin flew over and perched on his shoulder.
"All I know is that the merchant seemed very relieved when we chose to buy that egg. Actually...it did seem rather odd." I glanced at Kenshin, recognizing the calculating look in his eyes. Gone was the happy, laundry-doing, 'I'm going to bake you a cake' man. This replacement was ready to leap into a fight to defend anyone in trouble. It boosted my spirits a little.
"We must also consider the fact that if that gringo tracked down our phone number....he may well be able to show up on our doorstep." Kalamadea moved closer to me at those words, and I automatically rose a hand to stroke his throat, calming him as I looked up at Malcho, who sighed. "I know I'm playing the part of the 'devil's advocate' amiga. But..."
"S'okay. I know. We gotta consider all possibilities." I stared down into my coffee again, trying not to let my worry resonate through the links I had with the dragons. If no one mentioned my name...then how did psycho stalker know it? Not telepathy, Mewtwo would have sensed it. And I know I've never talked to anyone who sounded like that... That leaves Magick....
"Lashana-" Kang cut himself off with a gasp of surprise as I leapt to my feet and rose my hands into the air, calling power to myself as I closed my eyes and started rushing through an incantation.
"What's she doing?" Kenshin frowned.
Zelgadis slowly lowered his mug to the counter. "It's a spell to prevent anyone from magickally spying on us."
Kang blinked and looked at the chimera. "That means.... shit!" I was dimly aware of Zelgadis adding his magick to mine as Kang drew a glyph in the air, a low growl escaping him when it glowed bright red. "She's right. Goddammit, someone's watching our every move!"
"Not for long!" I announced as I finished my spell and released it, a sphere of golden energy leaving my fingertips and shooting upwards, passing through the Palace floors before reaching open outside air. I didn't need to see it to know that it was currently spreading out, forming a bubble that encompassed the entire building and it's surrounding grounds. "There. Done."
I saw Kang summon the glyph again. "We're okay," he nodded, banishing the glowing blue symbol with a sweep of his hand.
Come here littlings. I rose my arms and caught the three dragons that flew to me, hugging them to reassure myself that they were alright.
::Danger?:: I looked into Kalamadea's eyes and nodded.
Someone's after you three. For the next few days, I think you should stay with either Mewtwo or myself, understand? I didn't think that hiding the truth from them would be a good idea. I wanted them to know what was going on, and I wanted them to stay safe.
::It's the Warlock...isn't it?::
"Warlock?" I repeated, looking at Akhor curiously, ignoring the looks I was getting from the other Guys as I did so. "What Warlock?"
::Bad man. Bad aura. Mean. Dangerous. Cold.:: Korin shivered and clung tighter to my shirt.
"Bad aura?" I frowned and glanced at Zelgadis. "Mewtwo told me that the hatchlings 'imprinted' on whomever touched the egg. You're the Astral Plane expert. Is it possible that they meld with the person's aura?"
He looked thoughtful for a moment, taking a sip of his coffee before answering. "Yeah. Yeah it could. It would certainly explain how they'd attune to someone without actually seeing them. That's probably why they're telepathically linked to you and Mewtwo. That imprinting bit when they hatched just sealed the deal. They knew that the ones they were linked with would be there the moment they broke free of that shell."
"Then whoever that guy is, he had the egg for a while," Kenshin murmured. "They don't seem to have fond memories of him."
~They don't.~ Mewtwo said. ~They're terrified.~
"Then we can only assume that it was the same gringo that was spying on us," Malcho hissed, tail lashing slightly.
I closed my eyes again and reached for the Bond I had with Blackwargreymon, forcing him to wake up. {I know you're tired. But I need you to wake the others. We've got a big problem.}
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Alright. Who'd you piss off this time?"
I blinked and looked towards the doorway, staring at the woman that was cradling a yawning cat in her arms. "Mornin' Telca. And I didn't. Someone's after the dragons."
That got her attention. "What? Why?"
"Don't know," Malcho sighed. "But whomever it is, they had been magickally watching us. And they've tracked our phone number down."
She growled. Never let it be known, but Telca had a soft spot for anything cute. That even included my dragons...well....as long as they didn't attack her cat. "Tell me everything."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By the time everyone had gathered in the Kitchen, Malcho was on his third retelling of the situation. Everyone had the same basic reaction : 'Who is this guy?', and 'Can we hurt him?'. I had headed out onto the deck halfway through the first explanation for a bit of time to think and talk to the dragons. You said he was a Warlock?
::Yes. He felt like magick. Like you do.:: Kalamadea told me where he was sitting on the railing in front of me. Akhor and Korin were on either side of him, their gazes locked on me. ::He was dark. Not golden, like you mommy, but dark red.::
Dark red... I frowned and rose my gaze to the blue sky, staring out at the horizon for a moment. Do you know why he's after you?
::We were supposed to be used for.....:: Korin turned and looked at Kalamadea. ::What is word?::
::Experiments.::
I felt my aura flare slightly as I struggled to keep control over my temper. Some bastard wanted to use these little sweethearts for experiments?! Over my dead body! He won't get you. I swear it. He'll have to kill me first. I gathered the trio into my arms and hugged them protectively as I stalked back into the Kitchen.
"Experiments!" I snarled, startling everyone present. I needed to vent, and I needed to vent now. "That bastard Warlock wanted to use them in experiments!!" I wanted to add a few more descriptive terms, but Mewtwo cut me off.
~He what!?~ I was jolted out of my own anger by the sight of him gathering power to himself, a blue aura appearing around him as a low wild growl rumbled out of him.
Uh oh. I yelped as Kalamadea wriggled out of my hold and tried to catch him again, watching in worry as he landed on Mewtwo's shoulder and proceeded to nuzzle at the pokemon's cheek.
::Daddy?:: It was simply amazing how much control Kalamadea had over him. I gaped along with everyone else as Mewtwo reached up relocate the dragon to his arms, hugging him tenderly as he calmed down.
"Now that that crisis has been averted..." I looked over at Telca as she gazed over at me. "What're the chances that the Warlock will come after them?"
"Pretty damned high."
She grinned. "Kewl. I'll go get the automated defense system online. C'mon Beast! We've got work to do!"
I blinked. Had I missed something? Blackwargreymon obviously noticed my dumbfounded look, for he came over and rested a hand on my left shoulder. "They've grown on us."
I grinned, unable to resist. "Lots of things grow on you. You can solve that with an invention called 'soap'." Luckily, months of experience made it very easy to dodge the two coffee cups and the basket of stale muffins that were thrown my way.
::Hehehe! Good one!::
~Korin. Don't encourage your mother.~ Well, at least he was feeling better....
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"And we are up and running!"
I followed the voice into one of the rooms in Telca's wing of the Palace and peeked inside. It had been only an hour ago when Telca had left the meeting, and in that time, the Guys had managed to turn the Palace into a fortress. Not that it was difficult to do.... I had taken the time to calm the three dragons down and get changed into my usual outfit of black boots, blue jeans and a light blue tank top. I was already regretting not wearing something with sleeves as Akhor slipped, his talons leaving scratches all over my right shoulder.
"Hey Elfy! We're good to go!"
I grinned and walked into the room, noting the numerous computer screens that surrounded the main console. "Wow. Kewl. I bet you get wicked internet surfing speed with this thing."
"The best," Telca winked.
"We have every inch of the Palace grounds under surveillance," Beast told me as Akhor flew over to a screen and perched on top of it, hanging off the edge to peer at the image of the front doors.
"Kewl." I was almost starting to relax. I had over a dozen Harem Guys watching out for my dragons, a big psycho pokemon that wasn't leaving the other two hatchlings out of his sight, and a state of the art system that....
ZZZZAAAPP!!! CRASH!!
....was vulnerable to lightning blasts. Goddammit.
Telca, as always, knew just what to say. "Son of a fuckin' bitch!"
::MOMMY!!:: I jumped at the scream in my mind and franticly shoved Akhor into Telca's hands.
"Watch him!" I yelled as I opened a portal and leapt out onto the front yard. "Kalamadea! Kalamadea where are you?!" The flash of terrified reds and yellows that accompanied the wordless cry of fright that echoed through my thoughts made me turn my gaze towards the driveway, my eyes narrowing when I saw a dark robed male holding onto a wriggling Kalamadea. You son of a bitch....
I paused for a split second to send a cry for help to Mewtwo and Blackwargreymon before I ran forward. The person's back was to me, and I took full advantage of it as I tackled him, landing on top of him and screaming in rage as I slammed his face into the cement. "Kalamadea! Go!!" I was forced to roll away when a lightning blast skimmed my bare arm, and I frowned when Kalamadea chose to instead latch onto me instead of heading inside. Dammit littling, this isn't the time to be clingy...
"That dragon is mine." I growled at the voice. It was the same as the one on the phone.
"He doesn't seem to like you all that much, does he? Then again, with that fashion statement of yours, I don't blame him one bit. Is that a bed sheet?"
I swear he twitched. "You must be Lashana."
"Bingo. I'm amazed! Your IQ is greater than your shoe size!" Okay, so I get a little nasty when I'm pissed. Sue me. "Why don't you go back to whatever hole you happened to crawl out of and leave us the hell alone before I show you why 'Inferno' is my last name?"
"You? You think I'm afraid of you? Stupid wench. You can't possibly comprehend my power."
"Ego-tripper," I grumbled. Wench? Who the hell calls people 'wench' anymore?!
"TERRA DESTROYER!!" Well, Blacky always was good at making an entrance. I twisted to shield the hatchling in my arms from the backlash of debris and looked over into the cloud of dust, staring at a flicker of movement in shock. That cost me big time.
A spell slammed into me seconds later, knocking me off my feet and sending me flying backwards until I hit the front stairs of the Palace. Oww.... I groaned and looked down at Kalamadea, sighing in relief when I saw that he was alright. I however, was certain that my ribs weren't supposed to be hurting like that. The shadow that fell over me made me look up into cold dark eyes, and I shuddered involuntarily as I tightened my hold on my dragon.
~Get away from them!~ I yelped as the ground lurched beneath us, forcing the Warlock to back away as a blue shield rose around us. The pokemon that landed next to me was pissed to say the least. I don't think I had ever seen Mewtwo that angry before. ~Are you alright?~
"Elfy!" I blinked as Telca and Beast ran over to us, meeting her gaze for a moment before I hauled myself to my feet and handed Kalamadea to the large blue furred mutant.
"Keep an eye on him. Okay?" I asked softly, smiling when he nodded. "Thanks. I owe you." My dragon now safe, I turned my gaze to the Warlock that was standing in front of us. I knew that Blackwargreymon was hovering somewhere above me, and that Mewtwo was primed to attack at a moments notice. But this was personal. This needed a woman's touch. "Telca?"
"Yeah?"
I grinned, baring my fangs. "Let's get him."
She blinked at me for a moment before an answering grin spread over her lips. "Yes. Let's." She pushed the sleeves of her shirt up to her elbows and rose her arms, an aura of magick swirling around her as he eyes faded from dark purple to a bright amber. "Purple, run interference. Blacky, distract 'em. Beast, get inside. Elfy?"
"Go!" A fireball left my right hand as I ran forward, matching Telca's pace perfectly as Blackwargreymon launched another full-power attack on the intruder. The dust that flew into the air would have been a major problem for anyone but the next in line.
Mewtwo's eyes glowed a bright blue as ten black energy spheres materialized around him, floating there for a moment before advancing on the Warlock at a speed that made my eyes hurt. As soon as they had detonated, Telca and I took our turns.
"DYNAST BRASS!" Red lightning struck five points around Telca, forming a pentagram of power that flickered there for an instant before she pointed her right hand at the Warlock. The spell rushed forward then, trapping the male in the center of the pentagram as the lightning converged throughout the star, smashing his magickal shields in one fell swoop.
I grinned as I saw the Warlock drop to his knees, clutching at his chest in pain. Unfortunately I didn't have much sympathy for him at the moment. He had threatened my dragons. No one threatened my dragons. "Darkness beyond twilight! Crimson beyond blood that flows, buried in the flow of time! In thy great name I pledge myself to darkness! Let all the fools that stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!" My aura was swirling around me wildly, echoing the power that was now residing within me. I opened my eyes and glared at the Warlock, a small part of me smirking when I saw fear in his eyes. No one threatens my friends or my family! I bared my fangs and threw my hands forward, taking aim. "DRAGON SLAVE!!"
It was five minutes before the dust and debris settled, and five minutes more before Telca and I managed to put out all the little fires that had spread from the main explosion.
~Feel better?~ Mewtwo asked as I walked back over to him.
"Much," I grinned.
Telca growled and nudged the unconscious and rather crispy Warlock with her booted foot. "What do we do with him?"
Blackwargreymon and I exchanged evil glances before grinning. "HEY XELLOS!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"No! No please! Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't ever trouble you again! I promise!Justpleasedon'tmakemegobackinthere!!" The last part was a franticly panicked garble.
I chuckled evilly and casually shoved the Warlock back
into Xellos' room, making sure to barricade the door with a large bookshelf
before weaving a spell that would muffle the screams. Wouldn't want
to freak the Guys out too much.... A snicker drew my gaze to the three
dragons that were perched on the light fixture above me, and I returned
their grins with one of my own. Ain't revenge grand?
