Hi everyone, thanks for waiting. I'm surprised I got so many followers already, only after two chapters. Thank you for your support. So, without further delay, let us begin the next chapter of J-WITCH.
The Key
The tyrant known as Phobos sat on his throne as he was approached by his right-hand, Lord Cedric in his human form; along with Daolon Wong, Vathek, and even his captain of the guard, Raythor.
"Prince Phobos, when the rebel leader, Caleb, escaped with the Guardians and their allies, we found these." Cedric presented to Phobos the unlocked manacles that Caleb was held with when he was brought in.
"Either he picked the lock, or he was given the only key, which is now suspiciously missing." Raythor stated.
"Vathek, you were the last one to see this boy as he was placed in the oubliette." Wong turned to the large blue humanoid. "How could he have escaped?" Vathek winced and tried to come up with an answer, but Raythor beat him to it.
"You helped the rebel, didn't you?! You're a traitor!"
"No!" Vathek said immediately. "I... I must have lost the key in the battle!"
"Odd however you were never seen during that battle?" Wong persisted.
Phobos spoke. "Before we make any accusations, I would prefer to know all the facts. If there is a spy in my ranks, it could be Vathek, but it also couldn't be. Search the castle, if you are telling the truth Vathek, then the key is still here. Until it is located however, you will be confined to the dungeon for the time being, if what you say is true, then you have nothing to worry about. Raythor, watch over him."
"As you wish, Prince Phobos." Raythor bowed to his prince as he began to escort a nervous Vathek out of the throne room.
Cedric transformed into his massive humanoid-serpent form. "For Vathek's sake, that key had better still be here." He slithered out of the room to begin searching, Wong was about to follow when Phobos called to him.
"Daolon Wong, I have a special assignment for you."
"What do you require of me, my Prince?" Wong asked.
"You have previously lived on Earth before. So, find out all you can about a warrior named 'Jackie Chan'." Phobos ordered.
Earth – Heatherfield
Uncle's Rare Finds would be opened soon; but of course, all the artifacts, merchandise, and magic books had to be unloaded and unpacked off the truck. Jackie and Tohru did some of the heavy lifting, Jade worked as well, Yan Lin brought Hay Lin over to help to. Of course, they also had assistance from a certain rebel whom they recently rescued.
"What the heck is in these boxes to make them so heavy?" Caleb questioned as he set one large box down on the ground rather roughly.
"Aiya! Be careful!" Uncle exclaimed. "Uncle's antiques are extremely rare! You want to shatter priceless artifacts?! No? Then handle with care!"
As Caleb backed away in comical fear; Hay Lin looked in minor surprise. "As your uncle always been like that?" She asked Jade as the two helped unpack several of Uncle's books in the backroom.
"Oh, you have no idea." Jade rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Aside from unpacking some old man's shop, why am I dressed like this?" Caleb questioned referring to his current clothes consisting of a long-sleeved blue t-shirt with brown kakis and even a Yankees baseball cap.
"Hey, I made you those clothes!" Hay Lin shouted, taking offense to that statement.
"Guess they don't have manners in Meridian." Jade muttered.
"Give him some time girls." Yan Lin told her granddaughter and Jade. "He has been battling Phobos forces for a very long time."
"Caleb, I can understand why you feel this is frustrating." Jackie told the young rebel. "But things are different here on Earth. We must keep magic and everything about Meridian a secret here."
"Your world has magic to, doesn't it?" Caleb asked.
"It does." Tohru nodded as he set a box down gently. "But most people have already forgotten about it. People have a bad history of misjudging what they don't understand."
Caleb sighed. "Fine. I'm still surprised that you were able to go toe-to-toe with Phobos of all people and not have any magic powers." He said to Jackie.
"I have experience battling evil." Jackie said.
"That's an understatement." Jade added as she ran into the room. "You should have seen all the guys he's taken down! From crime lords to magic ninjas to giant demons!"
"That all still sounds really amazing!" Hay Lin beamed. "You have got to tell me more!"
Jackie smiled a bit at their enthusiasm. Caleb smiled a bit to, not everyone can say they went face-to-face with Phobos and made it out alive. He took a book from the box he put down and began to look at its contents.
"So, all these books contain magic spells… OW!" Caleb rubbed his forehead where Uncle slapped him as the old man took the book away.
"Do not touch!"
"So Caleb, where is your little Meridian friend?" Yan Lin asked.
"His name is Blunk, and he's not my friend." Caleb said in a grumble.
"Hey, did the toad got us out of Phobos' castle, didn't he?" Jade reminded. "What is he again?"
"A passling." Tohru answered. "Magical traders with the natural ability to detect raw magic. They also have a discrete scent to them."
"Which translates into 'they stink'?" Jade questioned. Everyone looked toward Jade in minor surprise considering she just defended Blunk. "What? Just because he seems like a cool little toad-guy doesn't mean he doesn't need a serious shower!"
"Well I think he's kinda cute." Hay Lin said. "Wonder where he is anyway."
Meridian – Castle Town
The local town around the castle seemed pretty decent. The people there lived okay lives, should they not oppose Phobos. If they did, it would lead to dire consequences. But despite that, as people walked and attended to their own personal business, a certain Passling was doing what he did best as well.
"Rare fruit! Delicacy!" Blunk tried to show a cold French Fry to some people who just walked by. He also had with him other pieces of junk that he got from his short time on Earth including a broken CD, an old cell phone, used pieces of clothing, an old video tape, and he even wore a bra over his head like a hat. "Magic box of string!" He showed the video tape as he began to pull the tape out. "See? String never stop."
A man walked by and spoke discreetly to him. "I have no money, but my sister works in the castle, and I have some valuable information."
That caught Blunk's attention. "Trade for attractive ear-plugs?" He showed off two old corn cobs.
"Uh… I rather have the hat." He pointed to the bra Blunk wore on his head.
Earth – Heatherfield
Caleb had just finished unpacking the rest of Uncle's stuff and was walking back to the Silver Dragon. He looked in minor surprise as he saw a pair of kids riding on skateboards past him, never seeing anything like that before. He even heard some other people talking but kept to himself mostly.
After getting back to the restaurant, he walked into the basement where he would be staying during his time on Earth. He looked to an old mirror to look at the clothes he was currently wearing. He honestly slept in tents smaller than that. However, he spotted something in the reflection, someone was behind the window on the ceiling.
He quickly ducked and rolled along the floor, grabbing a broom from the side before sneaking toward the window. He used the stick-end to unlock the window, forcing it to open and for the spy to suddenly fall into the basement.
Caleb looked in surprise to see Blunk picking himself up from the floor. "You!"
Blunk presented an old French Fry. "Fruit?"
"How did you know I was here?!" Caleb demanded as Blunk ate the fry himself.
"Blunk know lots. Blunk know big secret. Sell Caleb secret." Caleb didn't like that and pressed the stick-end of the broom at Blunk's chest. "Half-off?" He laughed nervously as Blunk was cornered to the wall. "Okay! Secret free! Vathek in trouble! Missing key! Big Trouble!"
That caught Caleb's attention. "The manacle key? That's impossible! I put it in the hiding place like we agreed, so Vathek could recover it after I left." He remembered hiding the key in the wall in the dungeon as he, the Guardians, Jackie, and everyone else made their escape. He knew he hid the key in the right spot. How could it be missing? Unless…
He spotted Blunk attempting to sneak out and grabbed the Passling by the legs before holding him upside down and shaking him, causing Blunk to lose everything he had on him, which included the very same key.
Blunk laughed nervously. "Not missing now. Finder fee?"
"You took the key?!" Caleb shouted.
"Okay, bad decision." Blunk admitted before Caleb dropped him.
He picked up the key and looked in worry for his friend. "Vathek saved my life. If I don't return this, he's as good as dead."
Meridian –Throne Room
"My Prince." Daolon Wong bowed before Phobos. "I believe I have the information you are seeking."
"And? What can you tell me?" The dark prince asked.
"Jackie Chan is no ordinary warrior." Wong began to inform. "His feats are, I dare say, legendary. He has battled Forces of Darkness so great; they rival even you." Wong held his staff as a dark blue cloud of smoke formed and began to show magical images of Jackie Chan's numerous battles against the likes of the Shadowkhan, including all the Demon Sorcerers, even his climatic battle against Shendu himself at his palace.
"These creatures that you see here, are powerful Demon Sorcerers" Wong explained. "They terrorized the Earth in ancient times and held powers so great that it took a legion of powerful Chi-wizards just to banish them. Yet Jackie Chan battled all of them and vanquished every single one, even one that was feared on Earth as the Ultimate Evil."
Phobos looked at all of Jackie's battles with interest. The monsters he saw him face were intimidating and powerful to say the least, yet despite the powers of these Demon Sorcerers, this Jackie Chan was able to beat them with no magic whatsoever. Though he could see that Chan had help from a pair of wizards, the fact that he and his allies alone bested these creatures when it took ancient wizards to banish them alone was no small feat.
"How fascinating." Phobos spoke. "I have clearly underestimated this warrior. And if he is training these new Guardians, then he is a grave threat."
"So, it would seem." Wong agreed. "What would you have me do, Prince Phobos?"
"The next time Chan is spotted, don't take him prisoner, he is too dangerous to roam free. Kill him on sight."
"As you wish." The Dark Chi Wizard smiled malevolently at that order.
Heatherfield
It was mid-afternoon as the members of J-WITCH, along with their friends and allies, were gathered on a rocky terrain near the water about three miles or so out of town. Seemed like the perfect place to get some training in.
Jackie observed their surroundings. It was far away from any residential areas, there was plenty of rocks and water around, making it the perfect place for elemental and magic training. "This seems perfect. So, let's get to work."
"Oh, this is gonna be totally awesome!" Hay Lin bounced. "We're gonna learn magic Kung Fu!"
"You know it!" Jade gave a friendly and excited point to Hay Lin. "By the time Uncle Jackie's done with you guys, you'll be rolling bad guy heads left and right!"
"I really hope we don't have to actually fight bad guys any time soon." Taranee said. "Last time was a bit… freaky."
"Everything's freaky for you, Taranee." Cornelia said.
"So, we gonna jam or what?!" Irma was pumped. "Come on let's go all Magic-Pixie again... oh sorry, 'Guardians'." Irma corrected, in order to avoid being dope-slapped by Uncle who merely looked judgmental as always.
Will took out the Heart of Kandrakar and said the magic words. "Guardians Unite!"
In a bright flash of colored light; Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin were enveloped in their respective magic spheres and transformed into their Guardian forms. Once the transformation was completed, Hay Lin didn't waste any time shooting off into the sky, flipping and soaring while cheering and shouting 'yahoo' the whole time.
"Show off." Irma said.
"Hay Lin come back down here!" Jackie called to her. She hovered her body back down to the ground with everyone else.
"Sorry. Still just so excited." Hay Lin was filled with so much energy. Jackie was pleased to see Hay Lin being so optimistic, she just needed to control herself a bit.
"So, what fancy fighting tricks you gonna show us first?" Irma asked. "A flying kick? That fancy neck chop that knocks people out?"
"First, we are going to learn how to punch." Jackie said, causing the five girls to look either surprised or disappointed.
"No offense, but I was actually expecting something a bit flashier." Cornelia said. "I mean, anyone can punch."
"Not really." Jade pointed out. "It's actually a bit more difficult if you never been in a fight before."
"Seriously?" Will asked with a raised eyebrow.
"She's right." Jackie explained. "And Uncle and Tohru will help you to harness your magic power shortly. But there is more to Kung Fu than just simply fighting. It is about discipline, self-defense, learning how and when to apply the force needed, and knowing just when to action. Aside from our recent battle in Meridian, how many of you have been in actual fight before?"
The five girls looked towards each other, not really having an answer to that. "Do pillow fights at sleep overs count?" Hay Lin asked. Jackie smiled and shook his head.
"Well I can understand Will needing to learn Kung Fu, but what do the rest of us need it for?" Cornelia asked. "I mean, we can fly and shoot fire and grow killer plants so… OW!" She rubbed her forehead, the same spot where Uncle slapped her.
"You cannot always rely on your powers!" Uncle exclaimed. "What if Forces of Darkness attack and you cannot transform? You must learn how to defend yourselves even without powers."
"Uncle is right." Jackie agreed. "If you become too dependent on one thing, and that thing is taken from you, it'll be much more difficult to handle yourself in a fight."
"He's got a point." Taranee noted.
"Okay, so who's gonna throw the first punch?" Jade asked the five of them.
"I guess I'll go." Cornelia shrugged as she walked towards Jackie who placed both his palms in front, giving her the place to try and punch. She shrugged as she tried to give a punch, but Jackie quickly caught her wrist and put her in a lock that held both her arms behind her back.
"Ow! Ow! You didn't say you were gonna fight back!"
"I never said I wasn't." Jackie said as he let her go. "You didn't give enough force, and your attack was too slow. Be sure to give a quick and hard strike." He advised as she rubbed her arms.
Jackie repeated the process with the others. Irma was quick in her punch, but her wrist bent as she did, and the punch didn't properly connect. She must keep her attacks straight and on-point. Hay Lin was next, but her movements were too erratic, she had to calm herself; while having an abundance of energy was good, she had to learn how to focus it and maintain self-control. Taranee went next, but her punch didn't really have any force to it; she was afraid. That could be a bit of an issue, but Jackie assured her they would work on it.
Will was last. She took in the advice Jackie gave the other girls and gave a punch. Her arm was straight and she focused on that attack. Jackie turned to parry the attack, but before he could move in, Will suddenly gave a kick, forcing Jackie to duck and jump back instinctively. The other girls looked in surprise, even Jade was stunned.
"I didn't expect you to kick."
"Well, you said I couldn't." Will said. Jackie looked quite impressed.
"Alright, I can see where you all need to work, and we will work on improving your techniques." He said to all the Guardians. "But for now; Will, you will work more with me and Jade. Taranee and Cornelia will work with Tohru with your abilities; Hay Lin and Irma with Uncle for the same reason."
"Least I'm not with the old man this time." Cornelia grumbled, only for said 'old man' to slap her again. "Ow!"
"Respect your elders!" Uncle scolded as the other girls, including Jade, laughed, while Cornelia just pouted.
The groups then split off. Jackie would help Will with fighting hand-to-hand first because she needed it the most. Unlike the other Guardians, she didn't seem to have any elemental powers so her learning to properly defend herself was crucial.
Both Will and Jade were practicing the same movement, punching straight forward with one arm before pulling back and delivering the punch with the other arm, and repeating the same process.
"Good." Jackie nodded. "Now let us see how well you kick. Jade, please demonstrate."
"Got it." His niece then delivered a straight-forward upward kick before pulling back.
"Okay, let me try." Will tried to give the same kick, only for her foot to slip on a rock, causing her to yelp as she fell flat on her back. "Ow." She groaned as Jackie offered her a helping hand, which she took. "I'm sorry. I slipped."
"It's alright." Jackie assured. "This only our first practice session, I don't expect you to get it right away."
Despite the assurance, Will didn't seem all that pleased. "I'm sorry if I kinda sound like a baby right now, but it's just so unfair. Everyone else has got some elemental power, but I don't. Why?"
"You got me." Jade shrugged. "There eight different Demons and they each had a different power."
"I'm quite certain that their magic and the ones you are all using is different." Jackie assured. "While I cannot say I don't fully understand why you don't appear to have a power, it does not mean that you aren't useless Will."
"That's right." Jade added. "So what if you can't shoot fire or water? You're still super strong! Here, lift that big rock!" She pointed to a large rock nearby that looked as though it would weigh more than sixty pounds.
Will came over to the rock and picked it up with both hands. She tried to heave it, but almost fell back in surprise as it felt like it wasn't even ten pounds in weight. "Whoa! This… this feels really light!" She then held it one hand and threw it all the way out to the water, easily making it as far as forty feet before landing with a splash.
"See? What I tell ya? You're like a Supergirl in training." Jade gave a thumbs up, causing Will to feel a bit better.
"Jade is right." Jackie assured Will. "Instead of focusing on what you can't do, focus on what you can. You are clearly strong, and you can fly as well. See that boulder?" Jackie gestured to a massive boulder along the cliffside. "Try kicking it, while also flying to it at the same time. And don't hold back."
"Flying kick? Alright." Will took a few steps back before running at the boulder, and then jumping while using her wings to give an extra boost in speed as she stuck her foot out, her leg straight and firm just like her punch, and kicked the rock so hard that cracks formed all over and it crumbled into pieces.
"Whoa! Did… did I really just do that?!" Will exclaimed with excitement and a wide smile.
"Heck yeah, you did!" Jade cheered. "Imagine if that was Phobos' face!" She laughed.
Will laughed along with her as Jackie smiled. "Do you see Will? You can fight. But also remember, the greatest victory is the battle not fought."
"What exactly does that mean?" Will asked, not really understanding.
"When the time comes, you'll see." Jackie assured. "Now, shall we continue?"
A determined look formed in Will's eyes as she smiled and nodded. "Yes, let's keep going."
Meanwhile; Tohru was working with Cornelia and Taranee near the beach, working more with their respective elements, though Cornelia seemed less than eager to work.
"How am I supposed to use my power? Do you see any plants anywhere?"
Tohru sighed but tried to speak as respectfully as possible. "Your element doesn't just pertain to plants, Cornelia. You have the power of Earth. That means you can control stone, rock, sand, everything that connects to the planet." He gently took her hand and placed it on the sandy ground. "Try to manipulate the sand. Think of it as just lots of tiny rocks."
Cornelia closed her eyes and tried to focus on the ground. As she did, the sand around her began to move and shift, swirling just below her palm. As she quickly pulled her hand up, a large sandcastle formed just below her. It was so big, that it reached up to her chest; and very detailed, looking like a real-life medieval castle.
"Very nice." Tohru nodded.
"Well of course." Cornelia said with a grin as she brushed her hair back, looking as confident as possible. "Now if only I can make a real castle, that would be amazing!"
However, her sandcastle was suddenly blown to bits by a ball of fire. The two looked in surprise to the girl who accidentally blew it up.
"Sorry." Taranee apologized as she put her palms together to try and get better control. She was able to create another large fireball in between her hands, but she shrieked at the sight of it and dropped it, causing it to burrow at her feet before going out in a puff of smoke.
This caused her to look even more dejected as she hung her head, but the large and gentle man walked to her. "Mrs. Lin said you had a fear of fire, correct?"
Taranee sighed. "Ever since I was little, yeah. Is it so bad that I'm afraid of getting burnt or worse, burning one of my friends?"
"Fire can be dangerous, yes." Tohru acknowledge. "But it can also serve as one's salvation. When you're stuck in the mountains, in the freezing cold, a fire can save your life and keep you warm. A flame can also help you to see if you're lost in the dark. But more importantly, you have to think of this fire as a part of you." Tohru gently took both her hands and spoke calmly to her "You control the power; it does not control you. Relax, and try again."
Taranee seemed to take Tohru's words to heart as she sighed. "Okay, relax. Calm." She took a deep and long breath to calm herself. "I control the power; it doesn't control me." Taranee created another ball of fire in her hand, this time she wasn't afraid. She tossed it up and down in her hands like a regular ball and seemed to be in control.
The bespectacled girl then motioned her hands around the fire to change its shape and form, with another pull and shift, she had transformed her flame into the shape of a Chinese Dragon, just like what she saw Uncle do at the Silver Dragon when they first met. "Hey… I… I did it! I did it!" She threw the fire-dragon straight up into the air where it exploded in brilliant fashion.
"Amazing!" Tohru congratulated. "That was wonderful."
"Yeah, not half-bad Taranee." Cornelia complemented as Taranee herself smiled and sheepishly rubbed her arm.
Meanwhile; closer towards the water, Uncle was working with Hay Lin and Irma, the former was still as hyper as usual.
"Okay, so what do I do?" Hay Lin asked. "I mean, I can already create a tornado. See?" She spun her body around and created a small tornado around her for emphasis but stopped as Uncle slapped her on the forehead. "Ow! That hurts!"
"You can use your power, yes. But can you properly control it?" Uncle questioned. "You have much energy inside you. While this is good and it can be helpful in battle, you must learn to focus, to understand how much power you need in that moment. Now, create a small sphere of air in your hands."
Hay Lin sighed as she brought her hands together to create a small air-ball that spun rapidly.
"Good." Uncle nodded. "Now, bring your hands together to make it flat, but keep the pressure steady."
The youngest Guardian did just that. She was able to flatten the sphere of air and make it about as thin as a sheet of power but kept up the constant air pressure.
"Now then, throw it at that rock." Uncle pointed to a nearby rock. Hay Lin took it like a frisbee and threw it at the top portion of the rock but looked in surprise to see it actually cut through the rock like a knife through butter.
"Whoa! Didn't see that coming!" Irma voiced in surprise.
"Oh… how did I do that?" Hay Lin questioned.
"By focusing." Uncle explained. "Air is a powerful element, not just an all-consuming tempest, but if applied enough pressure, even a mountain can crumble underneath the wind, if you know how much force to give and where to give it."
Hay Lin looked to her hands with a smile.
"So, it's all about focus and control, huh?" Irma asked. "Well I think I got a handle on that." She walked close towards the water. She pulled up a large blob of water, getting the attention of everyone present. "I give you… Cornelia!" She molded the water into a near identical copy of Cornelia's face.
This resulted in claps from everyone present, including Jackie and Tohru. Uncle remained as stoic as usual while Cornelia just looked annoyed.
"Thanks for the nose." The blonde crumbled at the sight of the crocked nose in Irma's water sculpture.
"Yeah, looks way better than the original." Jade cracked with a smug grin at Cornelia, resulting in her scowling.
Irma bowed admits the claps. "Thank you, thank you very much." She quoted Elvis, but lost control of the water, causing it to explode outward like a downpour of rain, complete with the sea-creatures she brought up; including fish, crabs, and starfish. This caused everyone to scream or yell as they tried to take cover.
"Focus and control, yes! Discipline, no!" Uncle exclaimed as he tried to cover himself.
One fish happened to land on Tohru's face. "I hate fish."
Later that night
After getting cleaned up and dried off; Jackie, Tohru, Uncle, and the six girls, all made their way back to the Silver Dragon.
"Well that…. Went well don't you think?" Will asked the group.
"Speak for yourself." Cornelia grunted. "I still smell like raw fish."
"Despite the… unexpected events… we know where you all stand what needs the most improvement." Jackie said. "This will do well for us in the future."
"Girls still have long way to go." Uncle said. "One more thing, you all must learn to work together as well. Teamwork is key."
Taranee shivered as she felt something down her back. "Uh… I fell something down the back of my neck."
Jade came behind Taranee and saw what it was. "Um… promise not to have a panic attack if I tell you what it is?" Taranee shook her head. "Then its just some seaweed." It was actually an eel that Jade pulled out and threw to the ground, which slithered into the sewers.
"Oh, by the way guys, Jade and I just helped unpack Uncle's shop." Hay Lin told the girls. "You gotta come check it out. That stuff he's got looks so old, and priceless, and cool."
"The shop is not ready yet, unfortunately." Tohru said.
"Why not?" Irma asked.
Uncle scoffed. "Landlord said shop must be sprayed for bugs. This is how I spray for bugs!" He stomped his foot onto the ground, to show his method of 'spraying for bugs'.
Hay Lin opened the door to her family's restaurant. "Well, you still gotta see the outfits I made for Caleb! I designed this really cute retro aviator fifty's thing, and I think if you all hold him down…"
"Everyone!" Yan Lin walked onto the scene. "I have some terrible news!"
"What is it?" Jackie asked urgently.
"Caleb is gone. I'm afraid he may have returned to Meridian." Yan Lin answered, resulting in the group looking in shock or surprise as most of the girls gasped.
"Say what?!" Jade exclaimed.
"Aiya!" Uncle shouted.
Jackie groaned as he rubbed his hand down his face. He had a feeling that Caleb would want to get back to Meridian soon, but without even telling anybody else?! What was going on here?
"Why the heck would Caleb leave without saying anything?!" Irma questioned as they went into the basement, where the rebel leader was previously sleeping. "Not much of a team player."
"Perhaps he had a reason to leave, an emergency with his rebellion." Tohru suggested.
Jade smelled something that caused her to plug her noose. "Aw man, smells worse than Uncle's garlic breath."
"Lots of garlic is good for you!" Uncle protested.
"Yeah if you're trying to fend off vampires." Cornelia muttered, but kept it quiet to avoid being slapped by Uncle again.
"But seriously, it stinks to high heaven in here." Will plugged her nose as they spotted a pair of familiar short clothes with flies buzzing around it. It didn't take a genius to know whose they belonged to.
"Blunk." Everyone said at the same time.
"Perhaps he had something important to tell Caleb, which could explain why he left so urgently." Jackie thought.
"So, we find the little toad, we find Caleb." Jade voiced. "Any idea where to find him?"
"According to my studies, Passlings have a tendency to stay in places that are… how should I say… less sanitary." Tohru offered.
"Well sure, that pretty much narrows it down to every single dumpster or trash heap in Heatherfield." Irma voiced sarcastically.
"I will devise locator spell." Uncle reached into his coat-pocket to pull out a series of magical items as he sat down in front of Blunk's discarded clothes.
"A locator spell? Really?" Cornelia skeptically voiced. "Like that's a real thing."
Ten Minutes Later
"I stand corrected." The blonde said as Uncle led the group down an alleyway with a dried-up lizard, the end of it glowing green to indicate Blunk's location. The brighter the glow, the closer they were.
"Uncle's spells have proven very beneficial in the past. He has never once failed to help in the event of an emergency." Jackie said.
"How do these locator spells work exactly?" Taranee asked.
"It usually depends on who or what you are trying to locate." Tohru explained. "In this case, as were searching for a living creature, we usually need something from him, a piece of Blunk's chi, or life force. Sensei can then use the trace of that chi to locate its source."
"So, like a magical DNA detector, oh wizards are so cool!" Hay Lin said with a smile.
Uncle continued to lead the group as the green glow was even brighter. "We are close." He held his lizard and pointed it right at a large dumpster, that had all sorts of things being tossed out.
"Oooh, treasures! Yes! Yes!"
"Found him." Jade said.
Taranee then produced a small fireball in her hand to provide a light source. It lit up the whole area where they saw Blunk, who looked in surprise at who was standing there. Hay Lin however gave an audible gasp at what Blunk was currently wearing.
"What is he wearing?!" She exclaimed. Blunk was wearing the Earth-clothes Caleb previously wore, including the red cap.
"Aren't those the clothes you made for Caleb?" Jade asked, resulting in Hay Lin steaming with anger.
"Blunk, where is Caleb?" Jackie got straight to the point.
"Back to Meridian. Went through portal." Blunk answered.
"Take us to the portal, right now." Jackie told the Passling, but he did not like that idea.
"No! No! Portal secret!"
"You showed Caleb where it was." Will pointed out.
"Hey pay." Blunk said. "Tight threads. Blunk styling." He really liked the clothes Caleb gave him.
"How do you know where the portals are anyway?" Irma asked.
"Blunk always know. Blunk a Passling. Passlings can smell."
Taranee waved a hand in front of her face to wave away the scent. "Ooh, boy is that an understatement."
"Passlings are sensitive to surges of magic." Tohru pointed out. "So maybe he can detect the portals. Apparently through his nose."
"I don't know whether to be impressed or disgusted." Jade said.
"Smelling portals not important." Uncle stated. "Finding and closing portal is. You will lead us to portal immediately."
"No!" Blunk exclaimed. "Portals good for business! Guardians find portal, guardians close!"
"We have to close it or else the Forces of Darkness ooze through." Will stated.
"It's like putting the cap on the toothpaste." Irma said.
"I'm sure this guy has never even heard of toothpaste." Cornelia said.
Hay Lin however was not thinking about that. "I can't believe you're wearing those clothes!" She shouted to Blunk.
"Blunk got it going on." The Passling liked the clothes he was wearing, but Hay Lin didn't.
"Oh no, Blunk got it coming off! I made those for Caleb! If I find him, he's gonna wish Phobos found him first!"
Hay Lin's threat freaked out Blunk as he dove into the dumpster and crawled out of a hole in the side and ran as fast as he could.
"The toad's making a run for it!" Jade exclaimed.
"Follow Passling! Hurry!" Uncle shouted as most of the group chased after him. Jade would have followed but Jackie stopped her.
"Jade, you go back to the Silver Dragon with Miss Lin. We'll handle this." Jackie told his niece.
"Awww." Jade groaned as Jackie turned around to run and catch up with everyone else.
The group ran out of the alleyway and chased after Blunk down a street as he jumped down into what appeared to be a sewer but vanished in a flash of light. The group quickly ran to see what it was that Blunk jumped into.
"A sewer portal?" Will questioned.
"Eww!" Cornelia was beyond grossed out, just as everyone else was to.
"We have no time to waste! We must enter portal now!" Uncle stated as he was the first to jump in, followed by Jackie. Will, Irma, Hay Lin, and even Cornelia jumped in to, despite how gross it seemed.
"Ooooh." Taranee groaned. "First, I was covered in fish and crabs, then a rat-infested alley next to a dumpster, now I'm jumping into a sewer?"
Tohru patted her back as he offered a sympathetic look before the girl reluctantly jumped in, with Tohru stepping in close behind. Despite his large size, he passed through the portal with no issue at all.
Will, Jackie, Taranee, Irma, Hay Lin, Tohru, Uncle, and Cornelia all regrouped as they had now entered the realm of Meridian, which was about as dark and gloomy as they remembered.
"Why is it always dark here?" Cornelia complained.
"Different time zones. Evil is five hours ahead of us." Irma joked a bit.
"Where is Blunk?" Jackie looked around.
"Locator spells says this way!" Uncle pointed his lizard, the green glow pointing in Blunk's location as they saw the Passling running down the hill.
"Hey! That's four-hundred thread silk! Quit dragging the sleeves!" Hay Lin shouted as Blunk continued to run. However, a Chi-blast from Uncle's lizard at Blunk's feet was able to trip up the Passling, allowing the group to quickly catch up and detain him.
Blunk lowered his head in defeat as he had his sleeves tied behind his back. "Well back in evil town. Was kinda hopping we wouldn't have to be so soon." Will said.
"Do we really need to worry about anything?" Cornelia asked. "Phobos is looking for the Guardians; if we stay normal, he shouldn't recognize us, right?"
"Well what about Jackie, Uncle, and Tohru here? No way they don't have wanted posters or anything." Irma said.
Jackie looked toward the town and saw a patch of cloaks being held on a clothesline near a house. "Wait here."
Meanwhile, in another part of the same town, Caleb had donned his normal attire as he did his best to sneak around the buildings and alleyways to avoid the patrolling guards. It didn't help with the rain and storm either. He hid behind one alleyway, when someone suddenly came out, causing Caleb to jump only to relax upon seeing it was his friend.
"Aldarn, you gave me one heck of a scare."
"Sorry Caleb. They're out looking for you everywhere." Aldarn said, with a flying creature passing over them for emphasis. "We heard you'd gone through the Veil. What's it like there?"
"It's very different from Meridian." Caleb explained. "Get this, people there use magic, but nobody else knows about it. They use this thing called technology instead."
"Technology…?" Aldarn didn't quite understand.
"Yeah, and the kids there ride some kind of board on wheels and say things like 'like' and 'totally' in their sentences." Caleb also said.
"Earth sounds… strange."
"My friend, you have no idea."
Castle – Dungeon
Vathek remained confined in his cell as Raythor continued to stand guard. So far, the key had not been found, and that made Vathek even more nervous as he knew what would happen if the key wasn't found.
"In two hours, if the key is not found, you'll have a one-way trip to the abyss of shadows." Raythor said.
"Raythor… why do you serve Phobos?" Vathek asked.
"What?"
"I've seen the kind of man you are." Vathek began. "You value honor above all else, and you are loyal to a fault. I don't understand though why someone like you would follow a tyrant like Phobos."
"He is no tyrant!" Raythor turned around. "Prince Phobos may not be perfect, but I vowed to serve the royal family and I have every intention of keeping that vow."
"Raythor, have you not seen how the people are suffering?" Vathek questioned.
"Perhaps if the people and the Rebellion actually tried to work with Phobos, there wouldn't even be a fight." Raythor argued.
"Why would they work with him after all he's done?!" Vathek argued. "He even murdered his own parents so that he could claim the throne!"
"That's a lie!" Raythor shouted. "I have known the Prince ever since he was a boy. He did care for his parents and would never stoop so low as to end their lives."
"Raythor…" Vathek tried to reason with him.
"He may very well be the last of the royal family." Raythor said. "I will serve and protect my prince with my life."
Vathek hung his head. Raythor was indeed an honorable warrior, but it may be his honor and loyalty that is blinding him to the truth. Whatever the case, Vathek may never know the reason, because his trip to the Abyss of Shadows seemed more than a possibility now.
Castletown
Jackie led Uncle, Will, Irma, Taranee, Tohru, Cornelia, and Hay Lin down an alleyway. Each of them had hooded cloaks on, though Tohru had two tied together as a single cloak couldn't cover his whole body. They carried Blunk with them to keep an eye on him.
"Why is this thing so itchy?" Cornelia asked as she scratched her shoulder.
"What's more important, the itch you need to scratch, or getting captured by bad guys?" Irma said, causing Cornelia to grumble.
"Please, we must stay inconspicuous." Jackie told the group as they walked onto the street.
"Jackie is right." Tohru agreed. "The last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves."
"Hey, you!"
They all turned around in surprise to see a guard approaching them. "Busted." Hay Lin gulped.
"Sshh." Will tried to shush her as Jackie walked up.
"Um…. hello." Jackie tried to act as friendly and unsuspicious as possible.
"Why are all of you still out this late?" The guard asked. "A curfew is in effect. There is a dangerous criminal on the loose."
"Oh… I am sorry, we weren't aware." Jackie said.
"I need to see your papers." The guard stated.
"Oh well… you see… we…" Jackie was shoved aside by Uncle.
"We have no papers, but you will get a piece of Uncle!" The old man showed off his lizard to blast a surge of Chi-magic to blast the guard back all the way to the building on the other side of the street.
"Whoa!" Will voiced as everyone looked with wide-eyed surprise.
"Uncle, the last thing we needed was to cause a commotion!" Jackie told his uncle.
"Bah, you make too much noise making excuses." Uncle brushed off.
"Oh so blasting people doesn't make noise?!" Irma exclaimed. "Because I think we drew a crowd!"
Two more guards spotted them and saw their comrade had been blasted back and ran towards the group.
"Time to go!" Jackie stated as he gestured for everyone to run with the two guards following them.
Meanwhile, Caleb was walking down another streetway, trying to come up with a plan with his friend.
"Aldarn, there's something I need to return in the Castle."
"Nun uh." Aldarn shook his head. "Ever since you escaped, that place was put under an even heavier guard than normal. You'd need the Guardians of the Veil to get in there."
Funny thing to say that, because right as the two walked out another street, Caleb was accidentally rammed into by Jackie, Will, and Cornelia as they tripped and fell on top of each other. Uncle and Tohru, with Blunk riding on the larger man, stopped, stopping Hay Lin, Irma, and Taranee from ramming into the pile as well.
"Wha.. Caleb!" Jackie exclaimed in surprised.
"What are all of you doing here?!" The rebel leader questioned.
"Never mind that!" Hay Lin shouted. "Why aren't you wearing these clothes?!" She exclaimed towards Blunk.
"Why did you come back to Meridian without telling us?" Will questioned.
"I can handle myself!" Caleb brushed himself off as he stood up with everyone else. "I wouldn't even need to be here if he hadn't stolen this key!" He pointed to Blunk who ran off in fear as he took out the maniacal key that may decide the fate of his friend.
"Wait… you're telling me this is all the stink-monkey's fault!?" Irma questioned as they saw that Blunk was long gone.
"Well duh!" Caleb exclaimed. "And why were you guys running?"
"We were kinda running from them!" Taranee pointed behind to see the two guards having caught up.
Tohru ran in front of the group to try and defend them, raising his fists and preparing for a fight when suddenly…
*CLANG!*
*CLANG!*
Both guards fell unconscious as Jade appeared behind them, holding a shovel over her shoulder. "Good night bad guys."
"Jade?!" Jackie exclaimed as everyone looked in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"
"I followed you through the portal, duh."
"But you were supposed to stay with Miss Lin!" Jackie protested.
"Which Lin?" Jade pointed to Hay Lin who simply shrugged with a smile, indicating she had no idea about this. This caused Jackie to sigh and pull his hand down his face.
"Okay rebel-boy, the heck are you doing back here?" Jade asked Caleb. "We risked our lives to get you out of that suck shack of a castle now you wanna get back in?!"
"I have a friend whose life depends on me returning this key!" Caleb exclaimed.
"Why didn't you just tell us that, we could have helped you!" Cornelia argued.
"Maybe because I don't need the Guardians of the Veil to solve all my problems for me." Caleb grunted before Uncle slapped him on the head. "OW!"
"Has rebel leader forgotten that castle is domain of evil?!" Uncle questioned. "One more thing; how can you best Phobos if you face him by accident?"
"Um… I kinda did say the castle is under heavier guard and…" Aldarn's eyes widened in surprise as he just picked up what Caleb just said. "These are the Guardians?!" Aldarn pointed in surprise to the group.
"Well, five of them are. The rest are warriors or wizards from Earth who are helping them out." Caleb answered.
"Yeah… um hi. Nice to meet you." Will said.
"Oh I… I'm honored." Aldarn bowed his head out of respect.
"See? Your friend has batter manners than you." Uncle pointed to Caleb who simply groaned as he rubbed his forehead.
"Okay, so we need to return this key to save your friend." Jackie said, making it clear that they are going to help whether Caleb liked it or not.
"But how are we going to sneak in if it's so heavily guarded?" Tohru wondered.
"Let's just walk right through the front door." Jade said as she gestured to a large stack of hay and an empty carriage with a horse at the reigns.
Everyone looked in wide-eyed surprise at the convenience. "That'll work." Irma said.
After taking the uniforms from the unconscious guards; the disguised Caleb and Aldarn escorted the horse-drawn basket filled with large hay, which was able to cover Will, Jackie, Jade, Irma, Cornelia, Taranee, Hay Lin, Uncle, and even Tohru as they crossed the bridge toward the castle's entrance.
"Hay, for Prince Phobos' horses." The disguised Caleb presented to the sentry at the gate. Everyone hiding in the hay remained silent as the sentry gave the okay to pass through, which they all did without any suspicion whatsoever.
Dungeon
Vathek was thrown to the ground by Raythor and a Lurden. "The key has not been found, but you knew that didn't you? It's time, traitor!" Vathek simply sighed as he seemed to accept his imminent fate.
The disguised Caleb and Aldarn led the hooded Will, Jackie, Irma, Jade, Taranee, Cornelia, Uncle, Tohru, Hay Lin, and Cornelia down a large hallway near the castle's main entrance. So far, they haven't run into any guards yet.
"This place gives me the creeps." Will said. "Let's just hide the key and get out without being noticed."
"Oh yeah, that's gonna be real easy with such a big group tagging along." Caleb grumbled.
"Hello? This group saved your life last time we were here!" Jade stated.
"Please, let us not make too much noise." Jackie tried to calm the group.
"Unfortunately, we can't just hide the key." Aldarn said. "It had to be hidden in a specific spot before. But it's been too long, and they may already have Vathek waiting to be executed right now."
"Well then let's just find this Vathek and get out here." Jade said.
"Yes, that's probably the best plan." Tohru agreed.
As they tried to sneak around, Irma reached into an itchy spot in the cloak and pulled out what appeared to be a large tick. "Uh… is this small blood-sucking insect what I think it is?"
"Don't say anything. Or they'll hear Taranee screaming back at school." Will whispered.
"Quiet." Uncle said in a hiss. "Forces of Darkness lurk here. We must be very cautious."
As the group stopped around a corner, Cornelia ended up walking a bit further up, scratching the itchy cloak. "You know, I just hope this is wool or linen because I don't know what it is about synthetic fibers, but they give me such a…" She however, stopped once she realized she was standing right at the entrance way to a large mess hall filled with almost a hundred guards and Lurdens.
The creatures were quick to notice her presence as they gave off alarming roars while the guards quickly picked up their weapons. Everyone else came by and saw what kind of trouble they were in right now.
Jackie gave a slight gasp at the number of monsters in front of them. "Bad day."
"Yeah, for them!" Jade smirked. "Will, say the magic words."
The redhead took out the Heart of Kandrakar. "Guardians Unite!"
With another flashy transformation, the five girls had transformed into WITCH and flew directly at the charging horde; with Jackie, Jade, Tohru, and Uncle close behind.
Aldarn looked in amazement. "They really are the Guardians… Incredible!"
"Watch out!" Caleb was able to draw a sword and block an axe-strike from a guard to save his friend. "Fight now, be amazed later!" Caleb stated.
Aldarn shook his head and drew his sword as well to get into the fight to.
Jackie ran through a line of guards and Lurdens, ducking, jumping, and avoiding every axe and sword that came his way. "Bad day! Bad day! Bad day! Bad day!" He said repeatedly with each dodge. He slid underneath another strike as he took off his cloak and used it to cover and wrap around the face of one guard and spun his body around to knock down the enemies that were close to him before pushing him forward to knock down three more charging Lurdens.
Jade found herself stuck in the middle of several Lurdens and guards, but Hay Lin was quick to fly in and pick up her friend just as two enemies came in and accidentally clashed their heads together.
"Oooh, that's gotta hurt." Jade winced with a smirk.
Taranee spun her hands around as several enemies surrounded her as well. "I control the power; the power doesn't control me!" She told herself as she created two large flames in each of her hands. She spun her body around to create a circle of flame to keep the guards back as Taranee took to the air with her wings and threw down a large vortex of fire at her enemies. The flames knocked them all down and made their weapons so hot they had to drop them or else get serious burns.
Tohru delivered a punch to send one guard flying and smashing into the ceiling before grabbing a Lurden by its legs and using the creature as a living weapon to smack and knock down three more guards before throwing him all the way to the other side of the mess hall.
Uncle stood and wasn't afraid in the least, even as a dozen guards and Lurdens approached him with deadly intent. "So, you want a piece of Uncle?" He took out his dried lizard and a blowfish and fired blasts of chi-magic from them almost like magic pistols, each blast knocking down every enemy that was close to them.
Cornelia flew and landed on a table that was surrounded by several enemies herself. She tried to think of any earth-items she could use. No sand, no flowers, but… Wait don't plants and wood come from earth as well? She smiled, realizing the wooden table she was standing on. She smirked as she used her powers to bring the table up and controlled it like a puppet as the table spun around, its legs punching and knocking back the enemies that were nearby.
"Kay, I know I need control and discipline and all that." Irma said as several enemies were coming toward her. "But who says you can't go all out?" She smirked almost evilly as she shot her hands forward to create a stream of water to blast her enemies back. She then trapped her enemies in a large sphere of water which she hovered in the air before purposely losing control and letting the water explode to send all the previously trapped enemies flying everywhere.
Will took a combative stance as one guard approached her, she ducked underneath his sword and grabbed both his hands before pulling him over her body and used her enhanced strength to throw him far and into two more approaching guards. Another guard tried to attack, but she used her wings to fly above the axe-strike and gave an airborne cartwheel kick to his face to send him flying to the ceiling before giving a roundhouse to knock back two more Lurdens.
"Flying magic Kung Fu." She said to herself. "I could get used to this."
Hay Lin flew Jade to a safer place near the corner as they saw Caleb and Aldarn being cornered by a group of guards. Jade noticed the large chandelier that was over the guards and smirked. "Hay Lin, I don't think I like the decorations here."
The Air Guardian noticed what Jade was pointing to and smirked. "Then let's get rid of it." She created an air-sphere in her hand and compressed it into an air-disk which she threw toward the chain connecting the chandelier to the ceiling, which severed on contact and fell to crash into the guards. Hay Lin and Jade high-fived at their success.
Will and Jackie found themselves back-to-back as they took down several more Lurdens, only to be startled by an 'Aiya!' as they turned to see a guard grabbing Uncle and holding his sword close to his neck.
"Get back! Or the old man gets it!" The guard warned.
Jackie glared at the guard threatening his uncle, when Will suddenly got an idea. "Hey Uncle, how do you spray for bugs again?"
Uncle got her message. "Oh, like this!" He stomped hard on the guard's foot, possibly breaking it. The guard yelled in pain as he let go of Uncle and held his broken foot. "One more thing." Uncle told the guard before delivering a palm strike to his chest, causing him to fall unconscious.
Will smiled. "Go Uncle." Even Jackie smiled as he rubbed Will's hair.
With several more punches and kicks, swords slices, blasts of fire, wind, water, and Chi-Magic, as well as a 'living table', pretty much every guard in the room had fallen and laid beaten on the ground.
"Now that was fun." Irma voiced.
"That was… wow." Aldarn could hardly believe it. "Over a hundred guards and you took them all down like they were nothing."
Jade smirked. "Yep. Expect nothing less from J-WITCH."
"Celebrate later. We have a mission." Jackie reminded.
"That's right, follow me!" Caleb motioned for the whole group to follow him deeper into the castle.
Vathek looked deep into the Abyss of Shadows, it was impossible to see anything down there. This seemed to be his fate, but he was at least glad he did what he could to help the Rebellion.
"They say, you fall forever." Raythor said as he stood with a Lurden. "Of course, we'll never know, but you will. Say hello to the other conspirators for me!"
"Why don't you tell them yourself!"
Raythor turned around in surprise to see Jade's foot before it made contact with his face, knocking him out. The Lurden was about to attack but felt a pinch on its neck before it fell to the ground in unconsciousness as well, curtesy of Uncle.
Everyone else came in, but before Vathek could even ask what was going on, he recognized his two comrades. "Caleb! Aldarn!" He grabbed both of them by the shoulders in a near crushing embrace.
"Easy! Easy!" Aldarn winced along with Caleb. "It's good to see you to Vathek."
The blue giant let go of both his comrades as Caleb introduced his companions. "My good friend Vathek, these are the Guardians of the Veil, and warriors of Earth known as the Chan Clan."
There were several 'Hi's and 'Hello's from everyone, save for Uncle who simply nodded.
"Whoa big guy, you look like the coolest rebel ever." Jade smiled, taking a liking to Vathek's big and muscular appearance.
"Uh… thank you…?" Vathek wasn't sure how to respond to that complement.
"I brought the key." Caleb took out the manacle key, but Vathek sighed knowing it wouldn't do any good.
"Too late. They've searched everywhere, they know it's not here. Its sudden appearance would do me no good now."
"Then let's just get out of here." Irma said.
"We still need someone inside Phobos' ranks however." Aldarn replied. "If he finds the true heir before we do, it may be too late to stop him."
Will began to think as she looked to the knocked out Raythor and an idea popped in her head. She snapped her fingers. "I think I got it! Call out an alarm."
"What?" Vathek didn't understand what was going on.
"Scream for help. You know, 'intruders! Guardians!'" Will explained. "Caleb give me the key, Jackie punch Vathek."
"Excuse me?" Jackie was quite surprised with that request.
Jade saw what Will was doing. "Oh, I get it. The old switcharoo. Make the other guy look like the real spy."
Everyone seemed to get it and it was actually a rather brilliant idea. Caleb gave Will the key as Vathek called the alarm.
"GUARDIANS! INTRUDERS IN THE CASTLE! HELP!"
Will quickly hid the key in the unconscious Raythor's armor just as the alarm horn was blown, alerting the entire castle. Jackie walked up to Vathek.
"Sorry about this."
"Do what you have to do." Vathek understood. Jackie nodded before delivering a punch to Vathek's face to knock him down. Jackie winched as he waved his hand, his knuckles sore.
"Don't move." Will whispered to Vathek as the group of heroes turned around to see a large gathering of guards and Lurdens, personal being led by Cedric and Daolon Wong.
"You." Cedric hissed as he glared at the intruders, particularly Tohru who narrowed his eyes at Cedric in return.
"Sorry guys, no time for a rematch!" Jade told the enemy forces. "Adios!" She shouted as Cornelia used her powers to bring down several stalagites to create a large dust cloud while Hay Lin created a large whirlwind around her body to spread the dust cloud out even further.
"Do not let them escape!" Wong tried to call out, but it was already too late. Will flew Jackie and Jade, Taranee carried Uncle and Aldarn, Cornelia carried Caleb, and both Hay Lin and Irma carried Tohru as they flew downward and made their escape through the same way as before.
The dust cleared to reveal the heroes were long gone, save for Vathek who remained as still as possible, a bruise on his face to make it look like he was attacked as well.
"Search all of the tunnels!" Wong ordered the guards and Lurdens as they turned around to run and search.
Raythor regained consciousness but looked in shock to see Cedric and Wong both approach him. "We… we were taken by surprise! Must have come to save this traitor." He said, referring to Vathek.
"Then why did they leave him?" Cedric questioned. "And why did he call the alarm?!" He picked up Raythor by his armor, but as he did, the key that Will slipped in had fallen out.
"Well, well." Wong said as he picked up the key. "What do we have here?"
Cedric saw the key and hissed towards Raythor. "No! I… I didn't!" Raythor pleaded as Cedric threw him towards Wong. "Take him to Phobos."
Wong did just that as he grabbed Raythor's shoulder and vanished with him in a puff of blue smoke. Vathek stood up as Cedric looked down toward him, convinced of his 'innocence'.
"Alright, back to your post." He ordered before slithering away. Vathek sighed. Though he was relieved his life was spared and his cover would remain intact, there was a twinge of sympathy for Raythor; knowing Phobos, he would not take this 'treachery' lightly.
Phobos' Throne Room.
The dark prince looked in surprise to see Daolon Wong suddenly appear in the middle of his throne, along with Raythor, whom the dark wizard threw to the ground.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Phobos stood up from his throne.
"My prince, Vathek was innocent." Wong began. "But as it turns out, Raythor had the key all along." He presented the manacle key in his hand.
"What?!" Phobos exclaimed.
"My Prince, no! It's a lie! I never had it!" Raythor pleaded.
"The Guardians and Jackie Chan were here in the castle recently." Wong said, getting Phobos' attention. "But they left Vathek, the suspect, behind. Sighs show he was ambushed as well, and he called the alarm. If he was allied with the Rebellion, they would have brought him with them during their escape."
"If I was a traitor, they would have taken me with them!" Raythor exclaimed. "But they left me behind!"
"Perhaps you aren't allied with the Rebellion, but you certainty aren't as loyal to the prince as you claim." Wong said. "Maybe seeking to claim the throne for yourself!"
"I would never!" Raythor yelled. "My Prince, you've known me since you were a boy! I was loyal to your mother and your father! I protected you when the entire kingdom turned against you! I would never betray you!"
"Evidence points to the contrary." Wong argued.
"Enough!" Phobos exclaimed, silencing the argument. "Raythor had the key?"
"Yes, Cedric can confirm this as well." Wong answered.
"My Prince… I… I don't…"
Raythor's please however fell on deaf ears. "Take him to the Abyss of Shadows." Phobos ordered, causing Raythor to look in utter horror.
"No!" He shouted as Wong's three Dark Chi Warriors suddenly appeared around him and ceased him. "No! Please! PHOBOS!" Gon, Ren, and Chui all vanished with Raythor and would throw him into the same pit he almost threw Vathek into.
Phobos sat back down on his throne as his own hands began to shake. His face was hardened, though his eyes twitched. Raythor, the only person who believed him when he said he didn't kill his parents has betrayed him?! This was unbelievable and unacceptable! Phobos trusted Raythor, almost considered him a friend…. But this….?
"My Prince." Wong tried to sound as humble as possible. "I understand this must be hard for you, considering how much you trusted and respected Raythor. However, in times such as this, it is important to know that you can never really trust anyone…"
Wong was suddenly blasted across the chamber by a blast of magic energy shot from Phobos' hand, his face filled with rage.
"Your advice is noted." Phobos hissed. "Now leave me!"
Wong struggled to pull himself up. "Yes… my Prince." He growled as he left the room, leaving Phobos alone with his thoughts.
As the dark prince sat in silence, he came to his own conclusion that would only drive him further into darkness. "I trust… no one!"
Earth – The Next Day
"Well come in guys!" Jade said to Will, Irma, Cornelia, and Taranee as they stepped into the shop. "Welcome to Uncle's Rare Finds!" She presented Uncle's titular show, which looked almost exactly like it did back in San Francisco. "What you think?"
The four girls looked around as Jackie, Uncle, and Tohru walked into the main room as well. "Looks kinda nice." Will said. "Almost like a mini-museum."
"Like a knick-knack shop without the snow globes." Irma said. Though she probably wouldn't buy anything from here, it seemed like a nice play to hang out in.
"Some of this stuff looks okay." Cornelia looked around. "But I'm not into that junky old stuff… OW!"
"Do not disrespect Uncle's shop!" Uncle exclaimed after giving yet another dope-slap to Cornelia, causing Jade, Will, and Irma to laugh at her expense.
"Whoa." Taranee's eyes were fixed on a certain artifact; a purple vase with a golden Chinese dragon pattern on it. "Never seen a vase like this before. It's definitely Chinese, maybe even from the Ling Dynasty."
"Ah." Uncle smiled. "You know a thing or two about antiques. Yes, this is Uncle's one of a kind vase. Uncle only acquires unique antiques."
"Yeah, probably do a lot better with the real stuff than those cheap replicas people make." Taranee said.
"Cheap replicas! Those people have no respect for history!" Uncle agreed.
"Ugh, tell me about it." Taranee rolled her eyes. "I see things sold online saying they're the real deal, well they're not."
As the two conversed; everyone else looked in minor surprise. "It would seem those two are going to get along just fine." Jackie smiled.
"God help us all." Cornelia muttered, hopping that Taranee didn't turn out like the old man.
"Yeah, I think this be a cool place to hang out." Will said.
"Just be careful with the books and artifacts in the back." Tohru advised. "That's where all the magical items are stored."
"Yeah, don't wanna accidentally sell Pandora's box." Jade joked.
"You have Pandora's box?" Irma questioned.
"Jade was kidding." Jackie assured. "But either way, you are all welcomed here any time."
"Thanks Jackie." Will smiled.
Tohru noticed a certain girl wasn't with them. "Where's Hay Lin?"
The Silver Dragon
The aforementioned girl was in the basement of her family's restaurant, along with her grandmother and Caleb as they watched her dress someone up.
"At first, I wasn't sure how it would look with your skin tone. But I was right!" Hay Lin smiled as Blunk looked like he was dressed like an old-fashioned airplane pilot. "You're much more of a Spring than an Autumn!" She put a black robe over him.
"He looks like an overgrown raisin." Caleb cracked.
Hay Lin pouted while Blunk gave a slight glare. "Caleb jealous." The passling said. "Blunk, the bomb!" He jumped off the stool as his robe pulled on a record player, accidentally playing it as a classic rock song boomed through the speakers. Blunk and Hay Lin immediately danced to the tune.
"You go Blunk!" Hay Ling laughed with him as they continued to dance.
Even Yan Lin danced with them. "Hey, shall we 'get down', Rebel Boy?" The old woman teased Caleb as she danced along with her granddaughter and the Passling.
Caleb smiled but shook his head. "I thought all Earthlings were strange. But I'm beginning to think it's just the females."
Done.
Thanks again for your patience. So quite a few things happened here. The Guardians and the Chan Clan have managed to save Vathek, but have also accidentally doomed Raythor as well (and we all know where that leads to later on).
The girls are also just now starting their training, and have already begun to take what they learned and applied it into battle, especially in Will's case as she will need the most Kung Fu training considering she doesn't have an elemental power (yet).
Also, Uncle has officially opened his shop up in Heatherfield and you can expect J-WITCH and their friends to hang out there a lot, even Taranee and Uncle are starting to get along.
There is also one important thing to note here. Phobos did NOT kill his parents. It is never really explained how his parents died in either the comics or the TV show, but it is assumed that Phobos killed them in the cannon, maybe he did, but it was never confirmed. However, in this particular story, he did NOT. Raythor was the only person who believed he didn't, but now, it seems Phobos doesn't trust anyone.
One thing WITCH never really did was explain Phobos' character; true he was very smart and conniving, but there really wasn't any motivation behind his actions, it made him seem like a one-dimensional villain compared to a certain Sorceress who would appear later in the second season of the show. But in my story, I actually plan to give Phobos more depth and add to his character a bit. You'll begin to see it as the story progresses.
But one question remains: if Phobos didn't kill his parents, who did? I'll let you take a guess. I won't say anything for a while, however.
One more thing (LOL): The next chapter is going to be an original chapter that will primarily focus on elements from "Jackie Chan Adventures" as we are introduced to a certain group of crooks being led by a certain man in a green suit who has experience with magic himself. (Hint, hint).
See you then. Thanks for all your support.