Wow…been a while, hasn't it? Heheh…(sigh) My apologies for taking so long, however school work was much harder than I expected, and I'm still trying to work out my schedule. I also apologize for the lack of quality in this one as opposed to the other chapters; however I made it long and tried to update ASAP so that people could continue reading this story, which is a ton of fun to write!
And with that being said, on with the fic!
Alliances
The ground shook trembled slightly. Then once more, with more vibrato.
A light sigh hissed into the air. And if one were to have heard it, it would have been painfully obvious that her mood lay somewhere between "forcefully relaxed," and "murderous annoyance."
That moment found Senka sitting on a lone rock in a series of ruins about her, dust billowing around her as blasts of water and ecto-energy clashed with one another, obliterating and otherwise fracturing things around her with incredible ease that would have gotten them instant demolition jobs.
Ugh…why did men have to be so difficult? She recognized Miaho's want to train Danny himself, as he, of the three of them who had come to this timeline, was the most capable "master" since he himself had been trained well in martial arts. And, like any "master," he had his own way of doing things. However at the moment…
At the moment, it seemed like all he wanted to do was blow stuff up.
Cue another gigantic explosion that sent debris everywhere.
It was a good idea to see how their powers intermingled and such; since their own "abyss" attack of dark energy and water was pretty potent…adding Danny's ghost rays to the already quite volatile mix could possibly boost its power enough to defeat Daron.
Possibly. And probably not once and for all, either, but to, at the very least, just stop him was an accomplishment in itself.
She nonchalantly moved her head to the side as a stray ghost beam streaked through the air and smashed into the wall behind her. Sighing, Senka raised a hand, a small black shield, not unlike the ones that Danny had used from time to time, arose above her head, blocking the shower of rocks accompanying the blast crashing into the wall. The rocks fell harmlessly to either side of her, landing with residual thuds that shook the earth on impact.
Another, larger, quake shook the ground even more at the same moment that another heavy sigh came out of the succubus's lips.
Men…
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Danny mentally swore. This wasn't what he had expected at all. Well…to say that so bluntly would be a lie. He HAD expected some treachery from the newcomers…after all, who just introduced themselves to you and asked to be your friend and ally that you could rely upon with your life? But to go this FAR? Was this all that Miaho had planned? Just to try and make him look foolish, try to make him feel weak?
He growled, picking himself up off the ground with a grunt. For a scaly freak that controlled WATER, this guy was pretty tough.
He didn't have any more time to think, however; Miaho leapt high over a nearby brick wall, a black and grey spot against the unnatural green of the Ghost Zone sky. The dragon spun, releasing a whip of water in a vast, though fast, arc. Danny managed to push himself off the ground just in time before the whip clashed with the ground, leaving a slight indentation in the rock there.
How the heck was WATER doing THAT?
He shot up into the sky in random patterns, the flight path making it difficult for the dragon to hit him. As he flew, his hands filled with the green energy of his rage, and Danny threw hordes of them back at Miaho. Again and again the ecto-balls went flying about, decimating practically everything in their path: to the point where Miaho had to use a blast of water to keep from getting squished as an ancient tower came crashing down. The dragon managed to avoid most of them; however one hit him in the leg, spinning him as it blew up and causing him to land awkwardly on his shoulder.
Danny took the chance, rushing forward, however at an angle this time to avoid a straight-on attack. As he neared, Miaho looked up, a hand on the wounded shoulder, blood running down his arm.
The dragon muttered something under his breath, and the blood crusted and promptly flaked under his hand; as he brought his hand away, some flecks of dried blood stuck to his hand, while others cracked and fluttered to the ground.
Where his hand had been, his skin was spotless.
Danny's eyes widened, and a wry smirk came over the dragon's demeanor. "Water is the healing element Danny…" He flicked his hand to the side, small splats of blood flying off it to dot the black ground with the purple liquid. "I can regenerate myself and others…all life requires water to heal. And I have water in abundance. Thus, my body heals itself much faster than a normal human's," he said flatly, reciting the facts like as if he had read them in a textbook.
He grunted, snapping his shoulder back into socket, and testing his fingers.
"And as such, it also means that I probably have one of the worst curses of all time."
"What's that?"
The wry smile never left his face. "I can never die." He spun quickly, water flailing in all directions as he enveloped himself in a water cocoon, the walls of water flowing around him in a gigantic maelstrom of water. The twister of water compressed slightly, and then flattened to the point of where it was almost nothing. An eyebrow raised itself on Danny's face, before a raging torrent of water exploded into his face, smashing him into the rock face behind him with an audible crunch of stones.
Coughing and sputtering, the ghost child resorted to his human form, hacking up globes of water from his throat. Around him, the water flowed together into one spot, and Miaho stood before him without a single scratch across his body. "In all truth, Danny, Daron was right about one thing that he's told me in the past: we're different from everyone else. And once we go past that line, our humanity is often compensated."
Blue eyes gazed up at a pair of gold ones, glaring for all of their worth. "So what's your point? You've proven that you're more powerful than me…" His gaze fell to the ground what more do you want?"
"Kk…"
His sight heightened, to see a hand over the dragon's mouth, a twinkle of amusement glistening in his inhuman orbs. Then, much to Danny's surprise, he burst out laughing. But this wasn't an arrogant one like all of his previous laughs in the past. It was one of genuine amusement, one that showed his fangs as he allowed his mouth to open and express himself.
"What's so funny?"
"Aha…hahaha…oh, man, you're funny…" Miaho wiped a tear from his eye. "You honestly think that I'm powerful?"
Danny blinked. "Um…yeah…you kinda just kicked my butt right there…"
"Oh, please, Danny. I've only been winning because I've developed my powers more than you have…you don't think with your head at all, do you?" His tone wasn't particularly insulting; it was much like a teasing statement. "You like videogames, don't you?"
The ghost child righted himself on the ground, shaking his head from side to side slightly to dislodge excess water still clinging to his black locks. "Well…yes…"
"Alright then." His smile continued. "Tell me about the basic roles of a role playing game, in a group."
"Why are you asking me this?"
"Just answer me, ok? It'll help with the explanation."
"Alright…well, there are three main types, I guess…"
"Good! Now what are those?"
"Damage taker, healer, and damage dealer…"
"Yes. Now think: which type are YOU?"
"What?"
"Think power wise: what kind of hero would you be in a role playing game?"
"Well…I dunno…" That was a really good question, actually. He was so used to working on a team, he had never really thought about how he would fare in a "group" scenario. Was he someone who would go up and take all the damage? Or give it? He certainly wasn't a healer, that was for sure…
"I guess…a hybrid?"
"YES!" Miaho shouted, taking Danny by surprise. "Man, you're dense…"
Danny's eyebrows lowered. "I seem to have been taking that comment a lot, lately…"
The dragon almost countered with "well maybe you should listen to it," but quickly decided against it. "Ok, well which kinds of heroes get complained about the most on online games? The hybrids, because always complains about how they're overpowered. I myself am a 'healer.' With direct offense I kinda suck (at least compared to my counterparts) but I can last a long time since I can regenerate."
"Were you going anywhere with this?" Danny interrupted. "Because I'm starting to get bored; and considering it's about videogames, that's really saying something."
Miaho's eyebrows lowered. "Danny, YOU are a hybrid. Part damage taker part damage dealer: you can give what you take, you have the ability to go intangible to avoid attacks, AND you have the ability to use a human form to blend in with crowds."
"So do you."
"Not really." The dragon gestured over towards Senka, who was still sitting on the other side of the floating isle of ruins. "Senka has the ability to create an illusion on herself or on another, however in order for me to blend in, I have to be close to her, and she has to concentrate on it. Have you noticed that she never wears anything revealing?"
"Um…"
"Ok, that sounded wrong, I get it. But have you noticed that she doesn't flounce around like Paullina does with skanky clothes?"
"Skanky?" Danny let out a snort of a laugh. "Is that even a word?"
"FOCUS!"
"Okay, okay…Sheesh…yes, I have noticed…"
"Alright. She always covers up because of the possibility of letting one of her wings be seen."
"What about her tail?"
"She can tuck it inside her pants, mate."
"…Oh…why doesn't she just use her illusions to cover it up?"
"Because it takes up energy to do so…a LOT. And she has to use it on me, since my tail doesn't exactly FIT inside my pants…" Miaho said bitterly, his thick tail wagging in response.
Danny stood up, still slightly shaky. "Ok…so you actually don't have an actual human form, then…"
"None at all. At least not without help."
"So you look like that…all the time?"
Miaho shrugged slightly, his face morphing into one of sadness. "Not all of us can be as gifted as you are, Danny."
"Gifted?"
The dragon sighed, before raising his left hand. "Look."
His blue eyes looked over the clawed hand. "What? Is there something wrong with it, other than the fact you have grown fingernails?" Claws would have been a better adjective, actually…
"It's THERE."
"Huh?"
"Danny, I came from a really rough past. In my time, there had recently been a world war, and a lot of the major cities were trashed. I lost my arm when I was very little in an accident. I don't really remember when I had an actual arm, but…"
His gaze lost itself on his hand for a moment, before his fingers flexed and he let it rest at his side. "But after I got these powers…including the ones of regeneration…especially the ones of regeneration…my arm grew back after a while. But I also morphed into this…thing…that you see before you."
He huffed slightly in amusement. "'With great power comes great responsibility'…I suppose nothing is truer, really. After all, I'll only have this arm as long as I have these powers…" Arm raised once more, he flexed his fingers once again. "Danny, you're probably the most powerful being that has ever existed that isn't some mindless monster. You have the choice to change yourself for the better and also the chance to live an at least semi-normal life. Don't waste that chance."
"But what about my friends, my family?" Danny countered. "I can't even beat YOU, much less help you beat Daron. How do you expect me to protect them?"
"That's because throughout all of this, you've lacked one finite thing…"
Danny groaned. More riddles… "And what's that?"
"Focus. Your attacks are powerful, but it's just an unhoned blast of energy: if you compressed it a little, then you could probably do a lot more damage. And, no offense… it's easy to tell that you haven't had any proper fighting training."
Danny grumbled slightly.
Miaho chuckled slightly, before he squatted onto the ground and began to carve his finger through the dust. "The combination of all elements in one's being is what allows ultimate focus, Danny. The team that I'm a part of back in my timeline has a representative to every element, which is one reason why together we can fight so efficiently."
His fingers continued through the soil; more runes and symbols appeared, and as he completed each one, they seemed to glow slightly as he went on. Danny noticed that it was making a gradual circle, and each symbol seemed to carve out a slight portion of it, much like a slice of pie.
"Water is the element of life," Miaho said quietly, one of the runes glowing a soft blue as he spoke. "It has both the ability to restore life as well as take it away, and can allow beings a second chance." He moved to the side, and the blue rune, a soft curvy symbol that reminded Danny of a figure eight, slowly floated upwards to hover about 2 feet off the ground.
Another rune appeared on the ground. "Darkness is the element of separation and the unknown. Senka's powers come from her ability to control voids." At Danny's inquiring gaze, he explained. "It's the rapid pressure changes that she creates with them that allows her so much power…it sucks in the air, or whatever is there at that moment, with incredible power to equalize the pressure within itself. But since that action also makes an imbalance of pressure outside, it immediately makes an explosion."
"So what about the portals?" Danny inquired. "How does she make those?"
The dragon merely shrugged. "We haven't figured it out yet…at least from a scientific standpoint. It's some kind of 4-dimentional warp having to do with voids and time and space and crap…" The dragon paused a moment, deep in thought, before he shook himself out of it. "Makes my head hurt," he joked.
Danny simply rose one of his eyebrows, obviously not amused.
"Darkness isn't something to be feared, really, if you think about it," the dragon started again. "Humanity is just so bent on its ways that it refuses to look into the different places that they're not comfortable. Darkness is deceitful, but it isn't 'evil.' It's there as a barrier until someone is ready to cross it."
"Sort of like a door that keeps someone in until they're ready to leave?"
He nodded. "Exactly. Fire," he said as a red rune popped up to float next to him, "is the element of rebirth. It can be used to destroy, and can burn everything in its path out of existence. But with everything that burns, ashes are left in its place. And in its path of destruction, it allows something new to come along and replace it after sprouting from those ashes."
"That sounds a lot like the phoenix junk…" Danny said half to himself.
Miaho shrugged. "It is, really. The phoenix is reborn every time it is consumed by its own fires, then rises out of the ashes. Earth," a light brown symbol rose from the ground as he spoke, "is the element tradition and strength. It is the foundation on which everything else is based upon. It is shaped by the other elements: wind and water, fire and light, and so on, and changes upon the whims of others, yet it still retains its own history. Our history."
He moved on, while Danny stood in place, a little dumbfounded as to how corny this whole ordeal sounded.
"Wind is the element of freedom, for obvious reasons. It can never be restrained, and as easily as it can be a simple breeze, it can turn into a raging hurricane." Miaho looked at the floating white rune for a moment, before he moved yet again.
"Light is the element of dedication. It can be used for guidance, deceit, as well as some other things."
"Wait…deceit?"
"Look into the sun, and you're blinded," Miaho explained. "If someone believes that they're working towards a worthy cause, they look only into the light, and lose grip on reason and reality. Blind faith is one of the most dangerous weapons…" He sighed suddenly. "A weapon that Daron knows how to use well…"
Shaking his head quickly, he continued, this time a bright purple. "The psychic is the element of progression and evolution. It represents our own evolution as a species, as well as our possible future changes to adapt to our world…"
Danny looked over the circle once more. There were two spots open still.
"Thunder and lightning is the element of power. Through it, it shapes the world and the skies; but it's a different one in that it only shows itself during imbalances of power."
"Why's that?"
"Because that's what lightning IS, essentially: an imbalance of protons and electrons in the atmosphere. So, in a way, I guess, you could call it the 'peace keeping element.' It only appears with a breach of the balance, which is what Senka, Sara and I ensure."
He turned to the ghost child, a look of dead seriousness on his face. "And YOU, Danny, are the final element."
"W-wha--?"
"You represent the last element in the circle: Spirit. You have the pure power of your own soul at your disposal…a power that even Daron won't be able to stand up against."
"You…you really think that I'm that powerful?"
"I don't think, Danny, I know." Miaho smiled a reassuring smile, one without pride or arrogance or anything else that Danny had seen in his previous ones. It was one of compassion and comfort.
Wow, that sounded a lot cornier out loud that I had hoped…Miaho thought suddenly. He squelched the thought from his mind, before looking over to Danny.
"So, are you willing to let me help you help me?"
The ghost child looked down at the dragon's outstretched hand, before he transformed into his ghost self in a quick flash of light, and took it.
"Deal."
Bzzzzzzt!
Danny smiled at the sight of Miaho in front of him, victim of an electric touch attack that he had been subjected to many a time against Plasmius. His hair poofed out in all directions in a gigantic a-fro, a spark of green electricity jumping from hair to hair occasionally. Eyebrows low in his trademark glare, he glowered at his counterpart.
"You DO realize I'm going to have to get you for that, right?"
Phantom merely smiled. His first genuine smile in a long time.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Are we there yet?"
"I don't know."
….
"Are we there yet?"
"Probably not."
….
"Are we there YET?"
"Obviously not…"
…
"Are we there—?"
"NO!"
Dan whirled around on one of the little bunny demons behind him, forked tongue flailing as he hissed his anger. He shrunk at the imposing sight of the arch-ghost, and he nervously pointed to his twin. "H-he was the one that said it…"
He snarled, the bunnies squealing and running back a distance.
"And how am I supposed to be able to tell the difference between you two, then?"
Their expressions immediately turned indignant, much like a huffy woman, both sets of hands retreating to their hips. "If you would be so nice as to learn our names, then you'd know that we're Gleep and Meep."
"Gleep and Meep?" That sounded almost as dumb as Tweedledee and Tweedledumb… Well, except perhaps for Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber…
"Yeah!" they both chorused.
"So how do you tell the difference between you two, then, anyways?"
The right one snorted, as if the reason was obvious. "Hello! Cause Meep doesn't SHAVE!"
The other bunny, Gleep, nodded, and parted the fishnet to reveal his "beauties."
Beauties that would have made Dan's stomach clench if he still had one.
"How many times to I have to ask why you keep them with us?" he growled. "They're absolutely USELESS."
"As many times as I will tell you that every plan needs its peons, Dan." Daron responded.
The quartet was fairly deep into the recesses of the ghost zone, far beyond anything that the youthful Danny Phantom had ever dared go.
Except, of course, for one very desperate battle.
The classing floating boulders hovered above them, menacing reminders of the power involved in the ancient fights between spectral giants of the ghost zone. Dan expunged the thoughts from his head, and continued onwards, following his new "leader."
"So, why exactly are we doing this again? Is he going to be another 'pawn' of yours?"
Much to the ghost's surprise, he merely shrugged. "He'll certainly be a good distraction, if nothing else. Besides, didn't you tell me that Danny only won against him because he had help?"
"Yes," Dan pondered aloud, "That was a particularly tough one..." His forefinger and thumb reached up to his chin, stroking his beardless jaw. "He has help this time, too, though. How is releasing him going to be any different?"
"Because, my dear boy, he has allies. Allies that we could use right about now."
They continued on over the landscape, and a lost castle loomed in the distance. Dan could remember his own memories of the place…they weren't pleasant ones, either.
Shoving his own useless fears aside, he floated on.
Undead buzzards soared in the skies, forever circling the scenery below them in endless unrest. Their cries were blood-chilling, and the twins had become uncharacteristically quiet.
Of course, their "are we there yet?" question was just rather dumb, now. Even the box ghost would have been able to tell where they were…not that he would have been stupid enough to come here. By himself, at any rate.
The quartet passed other ruins, huge ditches of dead bones scattered across the vast deserted rock, remnants of the previous battle that had taken place here. The fact that Daron walked past these indentations of destruction without even giving a sideways glance didn't do much to reassure Dan's insecurities at the moment either.
This were-chimera was insane…that much was assured by just the fact that he was coming here of all places…but could he really rid the world of his younger self and these new brats? That in itself was enough reason to stay with him…the destruction of his younger self wouldn't affect him now, being apart from time…Right?
His thoughts were interrupted as the castle finally loomed in front of them, a vast wall of darkness and obvious evilness…it was literally like something out of a videogame…
Complete with the comic relief via bunny demons…
Dan's smirk from his thoughts immediately vanished as Daron approached the ludicrously tall gates. He raised a hand, and muttered something. Turning easily, he walked in the other direction without so much as a glance towards the doorway.
"What..?"
"You might want to move." Daron muttered simply, and moved off to the side off of the steps, the bunnies following close on his heals.
Dan looked back at the doorway, and before he could ask why, it literally incinerated, shards of heavy molten metal flying everywhere. Instinctively he turned intangible, just in time to avoid a heavy fragment that carved a deep ridge into the ground behind him.
The quaking quickly stopped, and Daron appeared out of the mist, continuing on into the castle. He glanced at his left hand briefly, and to Dan's surprise smoke was still coming off of it.
"Hm…I still need practice with that one…"
He shrugged, and strode off into the castle. His ghostly counterpart followed, having no real idea of what to say.
The interior of the castle was rather bland, except for torn curtains, creepy pillars lining the walls, the giant gargoyles laughing in the top corners of the halls…
Basically, the place screamed "evil mad-man's hide out."
The long passageway met another in a t-shaped intersection, and Dan watched with a quirked eyebrow as Daron took an immediate right without so much as a look in the other direction. He was about to protest his actions, seeing as this place looked like it was a maze and they probably could get lost very easily. However, as soon as he rounded the corner, it was apparent why he didn't turn.
Before them was the great hall. And within it, the sarcophagus of Pariah Dark.
The were-chimera walked in without hesitation, his left hand glowing with a strange, and disturbing, yellow aura. Dan started forward, however Daron immediately held an arm out, with a harsh glance that warned him to stay back. His expression softened…albeit slightly…and he quietly said "Allow me to handle this."
He was going to try to face the ghost king…alone!
No, this wouldn't do…Daron, no matter how powerful he was, was no match for the ghost king on his own!
…was he?
Before Dan could create a plan of action, however, his counterpart was already in front of the sarcophagus and the yellow aura…apparently some kind of unlocking "spell" that the ghost vaguely recalled having been told about.
There was a pause, and then the door to Pariah's coffin opened.
Dust and mist poured out everywhere, much like the fog from dry ice and water, and flowed all over the floor like an unrolling carpet. And, with a heavy thud that was a hilarious contrast to the "mood" made by the fog, Pariah stepped out.
He seemed to be confused for a moment. But, then again, he probably was in awe that, of all things, a HUMAN had greeted him after his year-long slumber. His confusion quickly turned to a sadistic smile.
"Well…this is rather unexpected…who thought that a HUMAN, of all things, would free me?"
"It was an interest of mine…" Daron said quietly. It was strange…he looked so pathetically small next to the black-armored behemoth. He looked like no more than a child next to him, a tiny toddler trying to confront a full grown man about something. But the small man never wavered, and held his ground despite the incredibly imposing presence that the Ghost King provided so readily.
Pariah glanced over at the sword in a pumpkin close to his throne. So…his treacherous servant had been returned, had he? With a swift motion of his hand, the sword was drawn from the rotting pumpkin, and the Fright Night appeared before him.
"I'm…awake!" the ghost in purple armor exclaimed. "But then that means that…"
He turned towards his master, and a look of fear appeared in his eyes. "M-master! Please! I can explain!"
Silenced by a harsh glare, he bowed respectfully (and hurriedly, Dan observed,) before he retreated over to the corner, the mixed emotions of being glad of not being smoked on the spot and his fear of what lay ahead.
"Your treachery will be dealt with later, my 'loyal servant'…" Pariah muttered, before he turned back to Daron, who apparently hadn't moved from his spot.
"Now…I believe that our 'guest' must be taken care of," he chuckled half to himself. "I do owe something to you for releasing me from my prison…however I believe that now that your purpose is complete…" in the blink of an eye, his oversized spiked mace was in his hand, and in a whoosh of movement was smashing down onto Daron.
There was an ear-splitting crash as the mace collided with its target, the residing boom shaking the walls and shattering some of the windows.
Throughout this entire encounter, the bunnies were deathly quiet. Except for a brief moment when Meep scratched his butt, and smoothed out a ruffle in his fluffy tail.
A moment that Dan wished he had missed.
The dust began to settle, and it revealed the most astonishing sight that Dan had ever seen in all his years as human OR ghost…
Daron had survived, and not only that, he seemed to have the advantage, for he still stood quite upright, in fact one probably could have said that he was quite relaxed. His shoulders were slightly slouched, knees bent, and a foot tapped the now-cracked floor impatiently. One arm was rested easily at his side, drumming some tune in his head as he stood. His other arm, however, has held high above his own head, veins bulging out everywhere that his skin was visible.
That was when the realization had hit home: Daron had just blocked the attack with one hand. No magic, no tricks…just brute strength.
"So…" Daron said, a horrific red glow taking over his eyes that was even more unsettling than Dan's or Pariah's own sets of "evil eyes." "My purpose was complete to you, was it?" He chuckled, and lowered the mace slightly so that it was almost touching his head. The ghost king strained, the obvious taunt feeding the flames of his temper. "You know, Pariah…you shouldn't play with pointy objects…it could put an eye out…"
A deathly scream echoed across the ghost zone, freezing the blood of all who heard it.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Woot! Finally Finished! (Wipes brow) sure took long enough…
Quickie RPG (role playing game) outline for those of who you aren't gamers…
In reference to one episode where Danny was playing an online game with Tucker and Sam, that was an online one, and tend to have "groups" to accomplish things, such as going through dungeons and so on. The three main roles are healer, damage taker, and damage dealer, and Miaho was trying to explain to Danny his own abilities in terms that he would understand (grin). Miaho is technically a healer…he's just a far more developed individual power-wise, which is the main reason why he won against Danny in the fight this chapter, for those of you who keep emailing me and say that he's a Mary Sue…
Anyways… Hope you all enjoyed, R&R please!
Dak