Chapter 21: Battle with the Jack
Jack raised the Sword of Eons above his head, immediately following an energy barrier formed around him, shortly followed by 5 Minions popping out of the ground, Jake and Michael looked at each other, gave a nod, and charged at them. Knowing where to aim and in no time flat they made quick work of the Minions.
The barrier surrounding Jack suddenly subsided and Jack stepped forward to face them, he then took a swing with the sword and sent a wave of electrical energy at Jake and Michael, they managed to roll under it…but just barely missed it, they could feel the power of the Sword's magic. It was quite powerful, even without the soul of one of his friends.
"You want to know something…it was such a lovely night when I returned from the grave." Jack said mockingly, sending another magical attack at Jake and Michael. This time they had barely any time to dodge it, they went flying back across the chamber floor hitting one of the walls pretty hard.
"Do you remember?" Jack asked them.
"Remember…how could we forget?" Michael asked in response.
As Jake and Michael got back up Jack sent another magic attack at them, they managed to roll under this one and dodge a few more before they made it up to Jack, Jake then struck Jack on the left shoulder with a karate chop, Jack growled as he felt the pain of Jake's attack, but Jack quickly struck him with the Sword of Eons, knocking him away.
"Your Grandfather and the Ice Dragons Father fought like the insignificant insects they were…believing they could stop me." Jack told them.
Michael then came up from behind Jack and struck him in the back, Jack whirled around as Michael struck him again and again, Jake didn't really recognize it but it seemed Jack didn't know how to block it either. After a chain of several blows Jack became a reddish blur as he charged away from Michael…gaining distance, he then turned around and sent another magical attack at Michael, knocking him down. "Your Father cried when I choked the life out of him…" Jack told him.
Jake helped Michael up, "Got any idea how to fight this guy?" Jake asked.
"I do…but I don't know if it would help any, I mean it's him and that sword versus us and our fists…" Michael told him, "unless we could conjure weapons of our own…I doubt we can beat him as we are."
"Speaking of fists…what Martial Arts style was that…I've never seen it before?" Jake asked.
"I never stick to one type of Martial Arts form so what you were seeing was a combination of Baguazhang, Shaolin, and Eagle Claw, I know a lot of others and have the dexterity to change between them rather quickly."
Michael then snapped his fingers, "Just sit tight Jake…I just thought of a spell that might help us…" Michael then started muttering some sort of spell, suddenly three ghost-like blades appeared around Michael. They immediately floated over and started to attack Jack who seemed to be able to defend himself against him, but not as well as he should've been able too.
"Come on Jake…this is our chance to attack him, hurry before my Ghost Sword spell wares off." Michael told him.
Jake and Michael quickly surrounded Jack the best they could, Jack soon found himself fighting odds that did not rather favor him, between block the Ghost Swords and the two Dragons attacks he found his defense rather unbalanced, he quickly rushed away from them again a few more times before he rushed back to the center of the chamber, "You have no idea who you're MESSING WITH…I'LL SHOW YOU!" Jack roared, raising the Sword of Eons up again, this time he began levitating again (similar how Jake and Michael had seen him when they had fought Jack's Minions). Just then the light of the Sword mutated the battle-field a bit…bringing up a bunch of stone pillars out of the ground. He then swung the Sword at them unleashing another magical attack, Jake and Michael switched their tact from ground to aerial attacks, but Jack barely seemed to let them get the chance to strike them as he sent one attack after the other. He then brought the sword up above his head as it glowed with a very bright light, Jake and Michael were then suddenly thrown against the walls of the chamber as they felt as if they were being bludgeoned by 100 fists over and over again in waves. Jack looked down at the huddled masses that were their bodies and said, "Look at you…you don't even know what you're fighting for!"
Just then Jack summoned three of his Minions who started attacking them, along with Jack's assault and this Jake and Michael had hardly any time to attack Jack. Michael then looked at Christian and saw how mortified she was by all of this, "Jake… Christian and I will handle the Minions, you take care of Jack."
Michael then looked at Christian and shouted, "Christian snap out of it, I could really use your help!"
Christian immediately snapped out of her trance and quickly came to her Brothers' aid.
Meanwhile Jake flew up to face Jack, "So little hero…you are going to try and defeat me, do you have any idea what you are facing?" Jack asked in a rather 'talk-down' type of voice. "But now that I look in your eyes…I see the same determination your Grandfather had when he fought me, I can see how he survived and defeated my Grandson…though I shall now relish in his success when I drag your life-less corpse out for him to see."
"Your Grandson? What are you talking about?" Jake asked.
"You mean you have no idea what I'm talking about…you must realize that every source of evil in this world has a source that came before it…" Jack told him.
Jake looked to be thinking over what Jack was talking about, "Wait…no, you couldn't be…"
"So now it dawns on you…the Dark Dragon was my Grandson, I am his precursor." Jack told him.
Jack then sent a wave of magical energy at Jake, which he dodged, but just barely. Jake then spat a fire-ball at Jack which he too barely dodged. Jake then got close to Jack and gave him a kick to the back of the head, Jack took a swing at him with the sword but missed. He then raised the Sword above his head again and brought on the light attack, Jake was smashed against the domed ceiling of the chamber this time as he felt the attack which seemed to be focused on him and him alone.
Michael turned around as he saw Jake fall to the ground, "Jake…NO!" Christian and him cried.
Michael then looked up at Jack as he turned to face them, "One down…two to go."
"That's it…I've had it, this guy makes me so angry!" Michael thought, his breath coming out in slow deep huffs. Just then he clutched his chest, he looked at his hand, a couple of spikes were starting to appear out of his scales, "No…not here, not now!" Michael thought in fear.
Christian saw Michael and realized what happened, "Michael…you've been skipping your medicine haven't you!"
"I forgot to take it!" Michael told her in a strained tone of voice, "Christian…get away from me!"
Suddenly more spikes started to appear on his arms, heels, back, and his lower jaw, he also seemed to be getting larger in size. He then looked at the Minions with red eyes blazing and let out a monstrous roar, he charged at them, smashing them apart instantly at the flick of his wrist.
Jake got up and saw the huge dragon smashing through the Minions, "Michael?" Jake asked weakly, he then looked at Christian and asked, "Is that…"
"My brother? Yes…it's what happens when he gets angry and doesn't keep up with his medicine, he becomes this huge hulking monster of a dragon from out of your worst nightmares, the angrier he gets, the stronger he gets…the stronger he gets, the more damage he causes."
"Kind of like a Dragon version of the Incredible Hulk." Jake commented.
"You just deal with Jack…I'll finish the Minions, then see if I can calm Michael down." Christian told him.
Jake flew back up to face Jack, this time he gave Jack a hard kick to the chest. "I grow tired of this!"
"You're not the only one." Jake said back.
Jack was ready to attack Jake again, this time Jake grabbed hold of the wrist of the hand that was holding the Sword, Jack tried to punch Jake in the stomach, but Jake saw that and grabbed it with his free hand. "Let go boy!" Jack ordered.
"No…I'm not letting you hurt my friends, me, or anyone else!" Jake answered.
Suddenly there was a flash of light and Jake was thrown away from Jack, but as he looked at Jack a similar aurora that surrounded Jack surrounded Jake now, only it was more of a red and yellow than crimson and black.
"This…this is not possible, the Sword of Eons…it transferred a bit of its power—my power, to you!"
"Apparently so…" Jake said, staring at his entire body.
"I'll still kill you though!" Jack said as he sent a magical attack at Jake, Jake quickly raised his hand at the attack and flicked his wrist, the attack instantly stopped heading for him and lopped off to his side. Jack didn't show it…but Jake knew he'd stunned Jack with his new show of power.
Meanwhile Michael had finished off the Minions single handedly and was now hunched over growling softly, Christian carefully made her way over to him, as not to frighten him.
"Michael?" She said in a calm voice, Michael whipped his head to look in her direction. "C-C-Chr-Christian?" Michael asked, his voice very hoarse sounding.
"It's okay Michael…I'm here to help you, it's okay…no one is going to harm you." Christian told him.
Michael made a bit of a whimpering noise as she came towards him. She started to see the spikes sink back into his skin which was telling her that he was calming down. Just then a piece of stone landed right beside them, Michael's eyes (which had been reverting to normal) became red again as he looked up and Jake and Jack, he let out an immense roar as he spread his wings.
"Michael no, it's okay Michael…they didn't mean to do that, it wasn't intentional!" Christian pleaded him.
"MICHAEL CRUSH LITTLE DRAGON AND MAGIC-MAN!" Michael roared as he flew up, giving a down-draft so powerful that it bowled Christian over. "Michael NO—JAKE LOOK OUT!" Christian shrieked as he came at them with blinding speed.
Jake managed to turn around just as he received a massive right-handed hook from Michael that knocked the wind out of him. Jack saw the giant creature in front of him as it came for him next, Jack sent a magical attack at Michael that blew him across the air-space of the chamber and into a wall, but Michael bulleted out of the dust of the attack and gave a massive blow to the face of Jack, which cracked the mask a bit. But didn't seem to hurt him, Jack then raised the sword again and sent the shining light attack at Michael. Michael retaliated by blowing a barrage of Hail-Stones at Jack, Jack then looked at Michael and gave him another shining blade attack, finally Michael fell out of the air and fell to the ground, returning to his normal Dragon form…and then returning to his human self.
Christian ran over to his side and pulled out a vial of light-blue fluid which she poured into Michael's mouth and helped him swallow.
Jake got back up and saw how exhausted Jack looked, he then turned and saw Jake standing, "WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE!" Jack hollered.
"I guess…I just don't know…when to….quit." Jake told him, still recovering from Michaels' nearly fatal blow to him.
Jack then just sent one magic attack after another at Jake, but Jake (still having a bit of Jack's powers) managed to deflect all of them as he flew up to attack Jack.
Jack raised the sword for the shining blade attack, but Jake then focused what power and strength he had left and focused it all into forming a blade of fire, "Say hello to my Dragon Sword!" Jake shouted as he used it to swipe of Jack.
At that moment many things happened, Jack reached out and grabbed hold of Jake's head, Jake used his left hand to grab hold of Jack's Mask, a blast of energy was given off from Jack's body which threw Jake away from Jack and back to earth (forcing Jake to take Jack's mask and Jack to tear away a fistful of Jake's hair), Jack let out a great cry as he covered his face and came crashing down to the earth to in a cindering heap. Jake watched as the sword landed sticking straight out of the ground next to Jack's body as it dissolved into a vortex of light.
At that moment the door into the chamber opened and Jake was met by his friends, he was also surprised to see the Council and his Gramps there as well.
"What has become of Jack de Lames?" One of the Council members asked Jake.
Jake pointed to the vortex, they looked at each other and nodded, then looked back at Jake, "Then it is time for you to decide…"
"Decide…decide what?" Jake asked.
"We had a blind Seer look into your future when you were very young Jake…he told us that one day you would defeat the Legendary Jack de Lames—with the help of two Legendary Dragons, and with that you would have to make a decision between the Darkness and the Light." One of the other Council Members explained.
"Part of Jack's magic is within you…and with his death you are now the new master of the Sword of Eons…now comes your decision, strike down one of your friends or sister down with the Sword of Eons now…and you will become as powerful as Jack dreamt of being. Or cast it into the vortex and its evil will be gone forever…so what will you choose Jake?"
Jake looked at the Sword of Eons…then he looked at his friends.
Suddenly Jake heard a voice from in his head, "Come on, think of the good you could do with this sword…think of the power you would have, why not take Rose's soul…just like Jack planned, get that double-crossing witch out of your hair once and for all!"
Just as he was thinking about it another voice, similar to Damien's enter his head, "Don't do it Jake…you once told Rose she wasn't a killer, do as you preach and cast the Sword of Eons into the vortex."
"Then what about your sister…surely you could do without her constant pestering, her constant annoying you, best to silence her now!"
"Don't let the voice of the Sword corrupt you Jake…destroy it, destroy it now!"
"Trixie would be a fine choice…no magic, no Marital Arts skills, heck…she's not even a dragon like you, yep…she's no use to anyone really, best use for her is for her soul to power the Sword."
"Destroy it!"
Jake looked at his friends and sister, then at his Gramps, "It is your decision Jake…Power or Loyalty, which one will you choose?"
Jake then took the Sword of Eons, Rose, Hailey, and Trixie all took a step back as if expecting the worst, Jake then looked at the sword…and tossed it into the vortex, there was a whoosh, the vortex closed, and Jake collapsed.
"Is he okay?" Hailey asked.
Michael put his fingers up to the side of Jake's throat, "His pulse is a little weak, but not irregular…my guess he's a little tired, and I wouldn't blame him."
As Jake rested they all saw a slight smile cross his face.