A Shadow of the Titans

by Eduard Kassel

A botched banishing spell once again sends Jade hurtling from her world into another. This time though her surroundings aren't the only thing to change as she searches for a way back. Forced into an old form and a new role, Jade will need all her tricks to survive this strange new world. Meanwhile the Teen Titans must prepare to deal with a new kind of villain. NOT Jade x Jinx.

9. Tournament

Disclaimer:I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures, Teen Titans, or the various DC characters mentioned.

Betaed by: Zim'sMostLoyalServant.

Special thanks to Chaotic9

See PDJ announcement at chapter's end.

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A Shadow of the Titans:

Created by

Nocturne no Kitsune

Written by

Eduard Kassel

Chapter Seven

Tournament

Or

Face Off

The door slid open with a whoosh as Jinx stepped over the threshold from the brightly lit corridor. She stood in a small closet-sized room with two more doors, the metal one to her left with a sign that had an x over a magic wand. The wooden one to her right was adorned by a hand drawn sign, which had a crudely drawn Gizmo face x-ed out on it.

Opening the right door, Jinx stepped into Zhu's magic lab. The place was better lit than most magic labs, with bright lamps set about hanging from the ceiling, inside steel cages. The place was a bit of a mess, with various stuff and take-out boxes on the tables. Jinx looked at a plate where a couple of pieces of scrap metal covered in ketchup sat.

"Hey Jinx," Zhu Chan said in distracted greeting. The blue chi witch was hovering by the only cauldron in use, stirring it as purple smoke rose from it.

"Working on something new?" Jinx asked.

"Yeah, you need something?" Zhu asked as she floated away from the cauldron to pick up a print out from atop a nearby stool.

"Yeah, got word of a pop quiz coming up in Corrupt Business Management 108. Your worst class… what exactly is this?" Jinx trailed off, looking into the cauldron and not liking what she was seeing.

"I am creating a temporary window to see into alternate realities and parallel dimensions," Zhu told her proudly, rummaging through a cardboard box.

"Really? Because it looks like another in your long line of exploding potions. And you haven't been here long enough that you should have a long line of anything, Blue," Jinx told her, taking a step back from the cauldron.

"Oh ha, ha. I'll have you know that this time I'm following directions to the letter," Zhu retorted as she retrieved the beaker she was looking for.

"Really? And where did you find instructions for peering through the Veil?" Jinx asked cynically.

"Internet," Zhu answered, returning to her stirring with her free hand.

"Internet?! Spells from the Internet are scams. In fact, so many of them and C-list super-science on the net blow up, it's rumored dick heroes or some villains post it on purpose to get rid of young stupid supervillains to keep more Killer Moths from happening," Jinx told her.

"Excuse me, but I think I can spot a fake potion. And if not, we'll find out once I add this Vietnamese Two-Step Viper venom to finish the potion," Zhu told her.

"Seriously? There is no such snake, blue," Jinx faceplamed.

"Oh really, then what am I pou-"

BAM BOOM

"-ing… ghak," Jade coughed as the smoke from the exploding potion dispersed. With a groaning sound of metal, the cauldron she had been presiding over snapped in half, falling away to let rivulets of frothy brown liquid spill out on the floor.

The door swung open and Jinx peered back in.

"Told ya," Jinx smirked.

"Shut up. At least my uniform is durable," Zhu grumbled, using her cloak to wipe soot off her face.

"Which is more than can be said of your eyebrows," Jinx quipped, pointing to her own thin brows. Zhu frowned and ran her index finger above her eyes, which widened.

"See you in class," Jinx smiled, before closing the door on the pending Japanese cussing.

Five Days Later:

Evil Dick was boasting like usual; no one was paying much attention to him as class let out. It was Plotting And Planning, so a bored audience for the guy dressed like a Goth Robin Hood. The he said it…

"And then, once they breathe it in, they will be totally under my command, since my blood went into the powder. Oh man, just imagine, a bunch of hot girls totally my zombies! Best Saturday night ever, followed by a Sunday-" The villain with the pathetic excuse for a mustache said before a chair hit him.

It was swung down over his head, hitting him like a hammer. The cheap material broke, trapping his arms against his chest as Gadjo hefted the chair and Evil Dick with it.

"Zombies!?" Gadjo roared into the much smaller villain's face.

"Uhhh!?" Evil Dick answered, or perhaps he was dazed.

"Gadjo despises zombies!" the burly European roared, spraying spittle in the villain's face. That seemed to get Dick's undivided attention.

"Yes. Right. Sir," Dick shot off as Gadjo leaned over him, growling.

"Only thing worse than zombies is those what make zombies! Gadjo will not forgive three things! Zombies! His brother! Those who destroy the pies! And those who send him text messages!" Gadjo roared in fury.

"That's four things, idiot… No, wait, forget I said that! Help me!" Dick screamed shrilly as Gadjo dragged him out of the classroom, chair and all.

"And then Gadjo tossed him into the air and punched him before he hit the ground, sending him flying. He went down the hall so fast he vanished in a flash of light. Then, the next Tuesday, he reappeared in flight and hit the wall so hard… he exploded into Bisque!

"Yeah, Gadjo knocked him into next week," Gizmo said, crossing his arms with a smile. Jinx laughed, shaking her head; the honor roll squad sat around their table in the food court.

"No way, you can't do that. What he really did was drag him to the food court, right there to Hot Dog Hierarchy, and covered him in mustard. Then he either threw him into Mr. Thingy's cage, or, some say, unhinged his own jaw and swallowed Dick whole!" Jinx told them dramatically.

"I heard he flushed Evil Dick down the toilet. Head first, then the rest followed," Mammoth added. Gizmo and Jinx gave him exasperated looks.

"What?" Mammoth demanded, picking up the last cheeseburger on his plate.

"What about you Blue, anything to add?" Jinx asked, before taking a drink. Zhu Chan was seated next to her, but with a bit of space as she worked on a tiny pot of potion with a portable ingredient belt spread in front of her.

"Just this… Evil Dick is sitting right over there, you morons!" she shouted, pointing. Her finger indicated the much discussed supervillain, seated two tables away, awkwardly trying to eat soup with his torso and both arms in impressive casts adorned with unflattering graffiti.

"You just don't get villainous rumor mongering, kid," Mammoth sighed, shaking his head.

"I've got more important things to worry about than gossip," Zhu snapped, pinching bits of some herb into the glowing potion.

"Must be important to get you away from eating. Though I suppose with you, anywhere is a buffet," Jinx commented.

"Yeah, to her a junkyard is a five star restaurant," Gizmo quipped.

"Laugh all you want, my hair growth potion is done!" Zhu cheered as her potion made a snapping noise and a neat smoke ring rose from the pot.

"All this time you've just been trying to grow back your eyebrows? Blue, I can lend you a cosmetic pencil," Jinx offered. She glanced to her teammate's brow, which still had no signs of regrowing the lost hairs. It didn't look too bad, Jinx thought – not good, really, but not too bad.

"No thanks, I won't be needing it," Zhu smiled as she dipped a thin brush into the shimmering green liquid.

"Zhu Chan, there is no working hair regrowth potion. If there was, someone would have discovered it and gotten ridiculously rich selling it as a cure to baldness," Mammoth told her, taking a bite out of his large sandwich.

"Yeah, and if you could do it with science Lex Luthor would have the greatest hair in all the universes!" Gizmo butted in.

"Well just call me super, and say hello to my new eyebrows!" Zhu declared, tracing her eyebrow area with the potion. Jinx and Mammoth raised their trays to shield themselves while Gizmo's tech pack deployed a shield between him and Zhu.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Jade remarked. She felt her face tingling and let out a shudder. Success?

Running a hand above her eyes, she felt smooth skin.

"Darn it, not even head stubble," Jade cursed. Then she noticed the stunned looks on the faces of her teammates.

"What? Never see a potion fail to work before?" Zhu snapped. Smirks broke out among them watching her, barely repressed giggles and a snort from Mammoth.

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" Jade demanded. Openly snickering, Jinx pulled out a compact and handed it to Jade. Puzzled, Jade opened it and looked into the mirror.

Jade gave a squawk, almost dropping the small mirror. Her free hand went to her lips, confirming the existence of a rather fine Fu Manchu mustache. The other students openly howled with laughter.

Jade glowered, grabbing a knife and quickly hacking the thing off. The hair came away easily enough, with her tugging out the last bits with hardly any pain.

"Wow Blue, mustache potion, that has to be the lamest magic thing ever! Though I think it suited you – at least no one will notice your missing eyebrows with that on," Jinx chortled. Naturally, Jade threw the contents of the pot into the laughing witch's face. The resulting handlebar mustache almost reached her shoulders.

The boys redoubled their laughing while Jinx shot to her feet, eyes glowing.

"Not cool, Blue!" Jinx shouted. Jade smirked herself and watched Jinx fume with a giant pink mustache.

"I think it rather suits you," Jade laughed. Jinx's eyes flared and she opened her mouth to say something… When both magic girls vanished in a flash of light.

"Uh, was that supposed to happen?" Mammoth asked Gizmo.

"Nope, but I like it," Gizmo smiled.

Meanwhile, at Titans Tower:

Beast Boy stood stunned, wearing a blue magician's hat and holding a plastic wand, looking at the spot Raven had just been standing in. Cyborg leaned forward, glancing between the empty spot and Beast Boy's wand.

"Beast Boy, what did you just do?" Cyborg calmly demanded.

"I have no idea," Beast Boy whispered.

Meanwhile, Somewhere Else:

Jade could only describe it as a flash and a tugging sensation. No sooner did she notice than it was over. It left her blinking for a moment, irritated at the action. Jinx apparently had less difficulty, as the teen slipped a profanity, while ripping out the giant mustache.

Jade took a look around and was stunned at their surroundings. They were in a massive cathedral-like structure of white silver and gold trimming. The windows were tall and pointed, though lacking stain glass to show star-filled sky beyond. Looking up, she was met with the sight of an impressive geometric skylight.

"Teleported from within my own security fields?! Inconceivable!"

"Hey, I'm missing my shows! Someone will pay for this!"

"Where am I?"

Voices were raised nearby. Jade lowered her eyes and saw more girls scattered throughout the room. A strange bunch, some she recognized from the HIVE, others…

Aside from herself, Jinx, and Machete, there was a raven-haired alien, apparently another of Starfire's race judging by the orange skin; a blonde teen in a pink dress; a brown-haired girl in a lab coat; and an dark haired girl in a robe, covering her face with a cat-looking mask.

"WELCOME, CHAMPIONS ALL! I am the Master of Games! You are hereby invited to compete, in the Tournament of Villainesses!" a voice boomed. Everyone's attention turned to a tall pedestal, with a narrow freestanding staircase leading to it, at the end of the chamber.

On the pedestal stood… a white furred ape-man? Jade frowned; he was more humanoid, but the memory of the Monkey King was prominent at the moment. He was a bit better dressed, wearing lower clothes out of some client emporia, thick bracelets, and a ruby medallion. But still, while he might be more human looking than monkey, she-

A purple starbolt, laser, and shuriken hurled towards the Master. He did nothing, crossing his arms as the attacks passed through him like air and vanished.

"This is a tournament with rules. The first rule, no harm can be done outside of official matches," he admonished them.

"You've abducted us, don't expect us to take it lying down," Raven remarked, stepping forward. Jade blinked; she hadn't noticed the Titan girl before.

"Then allow me to explain myself. You fine villainesses have been gathered here by me to compete for a prize. A prize to be awarded to the best among you alone. The champion to be the last woman standing in a tournament of battle," the Master explained, smiling.

"I'm not a villain," Raven deadpanned.

"Prize? What kind of prize?" the raven-haired alien demanded, flying up to face the Master.

"The winner will be granted a single wish by me. A fair prize, I am sure you would agree?!" he boomed.

"Could you make me beautiful?" the brown-haired girl in the lab coat squeaked.

"Perhaps, but the prize shall only go to the victor. And the field is bountiful with power.

"Blackfire, warrior princess of Tamaran. A veteran of her people's wars turned a pirate of the stars; her power and cunning mind make her a worthy foe to any hero.

"Cheshire, a mysterious masked assassin. While lacking superpowers, her highly trained body and skill with blades has claimed many confident foes.

"Zhu Chan, a mystic being from another dimension. A sorceress who augments her kind's affinity with shadows with mastery over fire, she is a powerhouse despite her small stature.

"Machete, a super soldier who excels in every martial field except following orders or rules of engagement. Well trained and honed in the ways of death, she will always return to the weapon she has taken as her namesake.

"Jinx, an enchanting sorceress blessed and cursed with Fey blood. Her hexes turn the tides of fortune and battle on their heels.

"Kitty, daughter of Killer Moth. The nastiest girl in… any high school in all of America!

"Georgia Sivanna, daughter and heir to the infamous doctor! No mere scion, this girl genius aspires to surpass her father's legacy with engines of violence and destruction.

"And Raven, a dark girl with a darker linage. If her magic rooted in darkness doesn't frighten you, you should see her on her bad days," the Master announced, pointing to each contestant in turn.

Raven scowled, pulling her hood up.

"I am not a villain-"

"He actually said villainess," Georgia interrupted, pushing her thick glasses back up her nose.

"Dark linage? I smell a secret origin," Jinx said with a singsong voice. Raven glared at the pink haired witch, before looking back at the Master.

"I'm out, send me back," Raven told him. The Master frowned, but cupped his medallion in his right hand, letting it glow faintly.

"You have that right, certainly. But your forfeiting will only make it easier for one of the others to get the wish," the Master told her. Jade watched Raven turn to look them over; whatever she saw made her frown deepen.

"Fine, I'm in, but I am not villain. I'm just doing it to keep them from doing something evil with that wish," Raven ground out.

"Maybe you could wish for a tan, or at least to not have skin the color of a fat hippo. But you won't get the chance! Cause I'm going to win and wish for a better daddy!" Kitty laughed. Raven turned her back to Jade, to look directly at Kitty. Jade saw the blonde flinch and cower a bit, though she recovered the instant Raven turned away.

"Do the champions accept the invitation to take part in the tournament?" the Master asked them all.

"Of course," Jinx grinned.

"You can go ahead and put my name on the trophy," Kitty smirked, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"I'm in," Jade said. A wish was too good to pass up, even if it meant fighting a hero on purpose again.

'This could be my way home!' she thought.

"I accept with the utmost anticipation of the prevailing of science and intellect over mysticism and brute force," Georgia said with a snort.

"I don't back down from fights," Blackfire said.

The silent duo nodded their affirmation.

"We shall begin in five minutes! Fights will be one on one, and one at a time. Nonparticipants will observe the battle from here. Once again, there will be no fighting outside of the official matches.

"Prepare yourselves for glory, young evil doers!" he proclaimed, before vanishing in a flash.

"I'm not an evil doer," Raven reminded everyone.

"No need to be like that, we're all bad girls here," Blackfire smiled, floating down to face Raven.

"I may not be sunny, but at least I didn't stab my own sister in the back," Raven deadpanned. The orange teen's face lost any mirth, her eyes flaring purple for a moment.

"Don't judge me Earther – her little stay in prison would have been nothing compared to what I endured for her sake," Blackfire glared.

"Ah, character development of the bad guys. Or just angst do you think?" Jinx sighed contentedly. She looked, only to see her companion was gone.

'Hiding in a shadow, probably,' Jinx thought. Shrugging, she began a few stretches; this day was turning out to be interesting.

"Let the first round begin!" the Master of Games announced. In a pair of snap flashes, Jinx and Georgia vanished. A segment of the wall shimmered, turning into a mirror before shifting to a scene of a desolate plain filled with black rocks, varying from waist height to nearly as tall as Cinderblock.

XXX

The two villains appeared in a flash, glancing around.

"The first match, Georgia Sivana versus Jinx. Begin!" the Master's voice echoed.

Jinx fired a hex blast the moment she had the green light. Unfortunately, nerd girl was quick on her feet, moving before the Master gave the go ahead. The hex blast struck a rock, cracking it as Georgia darted off behind a rock.

'This will be cake,' Jinx grinned, running after her opponent. Rounding the boulder Georgia had ducked behind, she found herself alone. A low-pitched beeping made her glance down… at a metal sphere about the size of a baseball on the ground, a red light blinking rapidly on it.

"Sh-!" Jinx cursed, kicked the device away. It hadn't gone far before exploding, the force sending Jinx flying back to strike one of the large boulders.

"Dirty trick, but I work with a tech guy too," Jinx grunted, pushing herself off the rock. In answer to her question, a pair of laser blasts struck the ground to both sides of her. A pair of robots no bigger than her hand flew through the air on tiny rotors. They seemed to be nothing more than cameras with a gun that could fly.

Jinx dashed off as the robots opened fire. Ducking and jumping to avoid the hail of fire, Jinx fired off a hex blast over her shoulder. The drones weaved around the clumsy shot with ease, but slowed enough for Jinx to flip up unto a ledge and propel herself to the top of a larger boulder above them.

The drones tried to fire up, only for them to fail as they shot out their own rotors. Jinx grinned as they crashed and exploded below.

"Heh, no room for brains, eh?" Jinx asked. Another sphere grenade flew up to land at her feet. Jinx jumped down in the direction it had come from, leaving it to explode above.

She caught a glimpse of white around the rocks and followed. She nearly ran into Georgia, who was dropping another grenade. Jinx smiled, blasting the grenade with a hex. The device sparked, smoked, and did not explode.

"Hands where I can see them, poindexter," Jinx ordered, holding her hand out threateningly. Georgia complied, looking sour.

"That was disappointing – your father may be a joke these days, but he used to be a legend. But really, grenades and dumb robots? Guess you only inherited his suck," Jinx taunted. Georgia smiled; Jinx frowned, and her eyes snapped wide. She began to turn as something slammed into the back of her head.

The spider like robot had a small body, but its wiry legs wrapped around Jinx's head, points digging into her face.

"You little!" Jinx cursed, grabbing and pulling at the robot.

"Spark," Georgia grinned, stepping to the side. Jinx heard something click against her head.

Electricity arced across the robot's legs, shocking Jinx. The pink haired witch cried out, arcing her back. In a few seconds the surge stopped, with Jinx falling back, smoke rising from her gasping form, her hair practically a pink Afro.

The robot detached itself and scurried the short distance to the approaching Georgia. Not breaking her stride, Georgia held out a hand.

"Prod," she said. With a whirling and clicking, the robot reshaped itself into the likeness of a cattle prod and leapt into the offered hand.

Jinx was blinking rapidly when Georgia firmly planted a foot on her chest, holding the spider-prod to her undefended throat.

"Winner, Georgia!" the Master of Games' voice boomed.

XXX

With a flash, Jade found herself standing in a large round arena with a silver tiled floor. Across from her, Kitty smirked at Jade, showing off a bunch of pearly white teeth.

"Match Two, Kitty versus Zhu Chan!" the Master's voice boomed.

Jade rose into the air and floated back, eyes shining though the shadow of her hood. Kitty reached under her dress and, after a moment's fiddling, drew out a dark metal cylinder. Pressing a button on the device, a red energy whip ignited and spread out to drape on the floor.

Smiling, Kitty gave it a practice strike, cracking it against the air.

"Ha, my first fight's against a little girl? This will be- OW!" Kitty cried out as a single heat ray struck the handle, knocking it out of her hand. Kitty looked down at her hand, flexing it rapidly before glaring at the enrobed blue girl approaching.

"You brat!" she yelled at Jade. Jade answered by lifting her hand from within her cloak, pointing it at Kitty and raising it higher. With a squeal, Kitty was jerked up into the air, kicking and flailing helplessly off the ground.

"Uh, can you actually do anything?" Jade asked after about a minute of impotent struggling from Kitty.

"When I get out of this I am going to kick your ass so hard you won't be able to find it!" Kitty screamed at her.

"Uh, listen, this is getting awkward. Can't you just surrender? I mean, I could always slam you into the wall or floor or something until you black out," Jade offered. Kitty reddened, and exploded verbally.

"Don't you act like you're better than me you blue bitch! With your tacky Goth outfit, which is so 1994! And I can just tell you're hiding pencil legs under there!

"And get a dentist already! Bad enough your eyes are nothing more than Christmas tree rejects. And fire powers with blue skin? Read your own genre moron!

"So, if you think someone so clearly stupid and ugly as you-" Kitty ranted, while Jade found herself going through the four stages of rage – surprise, anger, shock, and more anger, as the words kept coming.

"…even ugly back in your own dimension, which is probably why they kicked you-"

*BABABOOM*

Thump. Sizzle. Crackle. Pop.

Jade blinked, the red retreating from her vision as smoke rose from her outstretched free hand. She looked to where Kitty was smoldering on the floor.

"Oh crap, did I kill her!?" Jade screamed, hands flying to her mouth.

"Winner, Zhu Chan! Flawless victory!" the Master of Games' voice boomed. With a flash, Jade found herself back in the hall.

"I think I killed her!" she screamed.

"We heard you first time, congratulations," Blackfire said with a hint of annoyance.

'Congratulations?! Didn't they… oh, right,' Jade realized bitterly.

'Geeze, I didn't expect that to actually hurt her like that. Most people here seem to walk off that kind of thing,' Jade thought, pulling her cloak tighter.

"Hey, Master of Games, what happened to Jinx and Kitty?" Jade called up to the magical ape-man. He looked down at her with an even expression.

"Eliminated contestants are returned home. But let us focus on the contest at hand," he told them, grabbing his medallion again.

With a flash and a snap, the next round was on, Blackfire versus Cheshire.

Jade had to admit, she was impressed with the masked girl's abilities as she went up against the alien warrior. She was very skilled and tried to use the Petrified Forest field to her advantage. She even managed a single gash to the orange girl's unprotected face.

Unfortunately, as with Starfire, emotions fueled the other girl's powers. Her super strength punches started to bring the whole dense forest tumbling down. Even as the alien escaped the chain reaction, the human was using all her agility to avoid being crushed.

Cheshire leapt clear of the destruction onto the barren edge of the valley the arena was in, only for a hail of starbolts to come down on her. When the dust cleared, Cheshire was lying still with a cracked mask, her clothes torn in places, showing reddened skin from the attack.

"Winner, Blackfire!" the Master announced. Blackfire flashed back into the room, floating in the air, arms crossed with a smug expression on her face.

"Looks like you're up Raven," she taunted the Titan. Raven ignored her, before she and Machete vanished in a flash of light.

XXX

Raven sighed in annoyance, glancing around at the dark but rather ornamental looking coliseum arena she was standing in. It had a dome cage over the arena, with a floor taken up by large tiles alternating between circular and square. This was so pointless; clearly she was dealing with an incompetent.

Bad enough this so called Master of Games had nabbed her for his stupid tournament of "bad girls", but he didn't even bother to check power levels. Had Kitty been less annoying she would be more than mildly concerned over the blonde's well being.

She had her own blonde to worry about, as Machete watched her, swinging her blade lazily in one hand.

"Round One final match, Raven versus Machete! Begin!" the Master boomed.

The words signaled the start, and a mass of motion as the arena transformed around them. The round parts of the floor rose up in solid stone columns, a line of them cutting the two opponents off from each other, while the squares rose up under her feet, segmented in smaller rises that served as floor.

"Great," Raven sighed, rising into the air. Keeping a weather eye out, she floated through the silent arena, watching for her opponent.

Minutes passed and Raven was suppressing a twitch. She had fought Machete before; the girl was a strange combination of disciplined fighter training and bestial savagery from what she had seen. There was only one explanation for this silence.

"I'm being hunted," Raven cursed. As she said it, she was passing one of the round pillars, Machete watching her as the villain pressed herself against the cold surface.

Machete was silent in her attack, but no skill could stop the wind from making noise entirely as you move through it. Raven whirled, hands raised to face the pouncing villain. Her black shield sprang up between her and the descending machete.

The steel parted the shadow, slowed and diverted, but not stopped. Raven grunted in pain, pulling back as Machete landed in a crouch. The Titan pulled a hand from her thigh and the bleeding line running down it. Machete gave a yellow-toothed grin before licking Raven's blood from the blade.

"Good move, here's mine. Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven said, throwing her arms wide. Darkness spread over the square columns to either side of her. The segments broke apart and rose into the air, as Machete rose to her feet. Raven thrust her arms forward, sending the square stones hurling forward.

Machete leapt over the first two striking her perch. Dashing under another, she leapt up to run across the length of another. Raven clapped her hands together, slamming the last two together around the camo-clad killer. The rocks exploded into rubble and dust.

Raven pulled her cloak up, protecting her lower face from the shrapnel.

"She dodged it," Raven stated. A pair of shields erupted on the length of her left arm as she swung it out, deflecting Machete's swing. Waving her hand, Raven left a shield in its wake, stopping Machete's punch even as it shattered.

Raven kicked out, catching Machete in the gut. The only notice Machete gave was halting her advance for a second – a second to open her up for Raven chopping her in the neck. Machete flinched and swung up at the outstretched arm with her blade.

The hasty shield shattered under the impact, Raven pulling the arm back as the steel bit out a long gash.

Darkness exploded out from Raven's foot as she yelled out, kicking at her attacker. Machete dodged free, hand striking out like a cobra, grabbing a handful of Raven's cloak, tugging her off her balance.

"Enough!" Raven screamed, ducking under the swing meant to take her head off. With spheres of darkness around her fists, she struck the column they stood on. Darkness erupted over it as the stone cracked, then exploded outward.

Dust cleared, showing Raven in midair, surrounded by a vaguely bird-shaped shield. It lifted its head enough to let her look out on the decimated section of the arena. Other than loosing her cloak, she had avoided additional injury from the blast. But she had felt her opponent escape.

"She's wearing me down," Raven whispered, pressing a hand to her bleeding arm.

'I'll take away her ambush cover,' Raven decided.

"Azerath Metrion…!" Raven shouted, sending her shroud out to enscroll ever piece of large debris around and lifting it into the air. Holding herself a moment before sending the stone forth to level the playing field, Raven took a deep breath.

Below her, Machete shrugged off the smaller rubble and smiled as she tied a final knot in the pilfered cloak.

"Zinthos!" Raven shouted, sending the circle of destruction outward.

A blue cloth noose passed over her foot and tightened. Raven looked down at the feeling, and with a startled cry was pulled down from the air.

The Titan hit the broken ground on her back. Looking up, her eyes widened, hands slamming together above her, catching the machete descending on her head.

The sword's owner snarled, showing off those ugly teeth as she pressed down the blade, inching closer. A hand's width from Raven's face the blade stopped, trembling between the opposing forces.

In a blur, Machete's left hand left go of the hilt to punch Raven squarely in the face. Raven felt her nose break as she shot darkness from her hands, sending the weapon flying.

Kicking out, she kneed Machete in the gut and followed with an enscrolled hook to the face.

It gave her enough space to get to her feet before the killer was back in her face. The first two swings she deflected as she was forced back. Machete put her fists together, bringing an overhead strike down on the smaller girl.

With a wince, Raven caught the fists, the impact rattling her arms and sending her to one knee.

"Azerath Metr- ahhhhh!" Raven screamed. Machete ignored her captive's words, head twisting down through the empty space between them, her mask parting, letting her bite deep into Raven's shoulder.

Raven's grip faltered, letting the left hand escape to hammer on Raven's head. Machete tightened her jaw, forcing Raven to the ground as the Titan still held her other hand captive. The free camo-covered hand pressed over Raven's face, digging into it as blood ran from around her mouth. Raven's free hand pried at the assault on her face, to no effect.

'This is insane!' Raven thought frantically, eyes clamping shut at the pain.

They snapped open red.

"Get off me!" Raven roared. Darkness covered her free hand, which shot out, phasing into Machete's chest. The villain gasped, while Raven grinned and rotated her hand inside the other girl's body.

Machete's jaw slackened and let up the pressure from her arms. Springing back, the villain landed wobbly, clutching a darkening spot over her chest.

Darkness covered Machete as Raven rose to her feet, a second set of eyes glowing crimson on her brow. A jerky gesture sent Machete into the air. With a hammering motion, Raven slammed her into the ground headfirst. Again, and again, and again.

Grinning from ear to ear, Raven raised her hand to slam the villain once more, only to jerk as if in a spasm. Blinking, her eyes returned to normal; her fist opened, letting the villain fall to the ground.

Raven hurried to her foe's side, pressing a pair of fingers behind Machete's ear covered ears.

"Still alive," Raven sighed with relief.

"Winner, Raven! End of Round One!" the Master's voice boomed.

XXX

Jade gulped a bit as the Titan reappeared. The sorceress might have won, but without her cloak and bleeding from three serious injuries, she did not look happy.

"Nice job Raven. But unless you can heal quick it looks like a strategic loss," Blackfire taunted from her spot leaning against the wall. She had already applied a bandage to the cut across her cheek, and seemed undaunted by the wound.

"She has the night to prepare, as do you all," the Master spoke up.

"Congratulations champions, you have survived the first round, and are that much closer to claiming your prize.

"Round Two will commence in eight hours, and will be followed immediately by the final round," the Master continued as four doors opened up along the wall Blackfire was leaning against.

"These quarters contain the basic means of rest and comfort for your species, and a supply of materials relevant to your skills. And as Miss Raven may be interested, an Earth First Aid kit.

"You may use the intermission as you please, but you must remain in your chambers and not interfere with your fellow champions. Rest well champions, may you fight with the cunning and strength of your dark hearts!" he announced, before vanishing in his own flash.

"Not. A. Villain," Raven grunted, glaring at the empty pedestal.

"Don't bother Raven; take it from me," Jade advised.

"You got lucky kid; that bitch was out of her league. But that luck runs out next round," Blackfire said to Jade, before vanishing through a sliding door.

"I don't need luck to win a fight," Jade pouted, crossing her arms.

"I beg to differ. I will be using only four hours for sleep. The remainder will be spent planning and modifying my equipment to assure my ultimate victory. Evil Science Monthly Swimsuit Edition cover here I come!" Georgia proclaimed, before disappearing behind her own door.

"Hey Raven," Jade said, before realizing she was alone in the cathedral-like chamber.

"Am I the only one that finds this a bit suspicious?" Jade asked with a sigh.

Later:

Jade had found a nice bed in the room, along with a roaring fire in the hearth. A cupboard and table too, so she had decided on a meal. It had a mix of real food and various stuff she had found to be quite tasty in the cupboard.

Now she sat at the low table, pushing the maple wood chips around in the soy sauce sprinkled with steel shavings.

"Why am I even eating this stuff, it's not normal," Jade sighed, before plucking a pair of chips with her chopsticks. Despite the observation, she still appreciated the texture and rich flavor with the metal aftertaste. She had never thought metal would be a good taste, but it was.

"Guess I follow my gut more than I realize," Jade sighed. The morbid thoughts only piqued her appetite, so she decided to try out chocolate-coated screws she had seen in the cupboard.

"This wish had better get me home, or I might not be able to go back to real food only when I get home," Jade griped, walking over to the cupboard.

Meanwhile, at Titans Tower:

"Thank you for coming," Robin said to the dark-haired woman. The magician tipped her top hat to Robin, smiling.

"Not a problem, Boy Wonder. Now let's get to the bottom of your disappearing magic girl," Zatanna said with a smile.

"Well, could you start with doing something about him?" Robin asked, opening the door.

It slid open to reveal an exhausted Beast Boy waving his arms over a chalk circle drawn on the floor. It had a photo of Raven scowling in it along with a small pile of a substance she could not readily identify.

"Avvio Raven! Avvio Raven!" Beast Boy croaked. Zatanna's mouth might have opened a bit at the sight.

"I've got just the thing," Zatanna said. She pointed her wand at Beast Boy, who froze mid-mangled fake spell, and fell backwards onto the floor. He began to snore noisily.

"Thanks," Cyborg sighed in relief. Stepping up to pick up the green Titan, he carried him past the two into the corridor. Starfire came up to them, wringing her hands.

"You will find where friend Raven went in a flash?" Starfire asked.

"Yes, but would someone get rid of that tacky array first?" the sorceress asked.

XXX

Raven sat over the bed, levitating in a meditative pose. She had taken off her body suit to repair it and dress her wounds; she was grateful she wore covering under clothes at the moment. Her face tightened for a moment, the healing trance knitting her wounds.

'Too many, not enough time,' she admitted. The trance accelerated her healing, letting her recover from wounds swiftly, but it was a draining process. Magic had its prices, and this was a reasonable one.

But she would need to stop now and sleep or be half dead on her feet in the next fight.

"Maybe I should just forfeit. There's no way this Master of Games is going to give away such a great prize as a wish like this. In all likelihood, one of them will win only to get a djinn loophole pulled on them with the wish backfiring.

"But, that's not a chance I can take. Even a botched wish could still hurt innocents," Raven grumbled, coming out of her trance. Setting down on the bed she stretched her arms, wincing as her shoulder flared. Pulling away the bandages, she confirmed it was no longer bleeding, but without the full trance, that psychopath's bite was going to leave her with some nasty scars.

"Good thing I'm not vain about stuff like this like other girls," Raven said, glancing to a mirror on the table she had been provided.

Darkness played over the mirror, cracking it. Raven frowned and walked over to the table, putting the cracked mirror face down.

"Oh, who asked you? I need some tea," Raven said. Heading over to the cupboard she found it stocked with her favorites, and a fine black tea set for one.

"Well, at least he's a good host," Raven said. She grabbed the tea set, and a box of chocolate mint sticks, and made her way to the table.

HIVE:

Gizmo cackled in his lab, leaning back to behold the reverse engineered substance in the beaker. He held it up with reverence.

"Magic might make breakthroughs, but science is all about refining the results until they reach the desired outcome.

"Goodbye bald glare, hello great hair!" the short scientist proclaimed. Without further ado, he upended the beaker's gelatinous content on his head and rubbed it into his scalp with gloved hands.

"Any second now… Poof," he muttered, before feeling something surge over his skin.

"Success!" he yelled. Gizmo snatched up a hand mirror, one he certainly did not keep on hand to admire himself. His wide smile drooped into a frown.

"Stupid ninja girl," he muttered lowering the mirror. Revealing, to anyone who might be watching, his new light brown Chaplin mustache.

Hours Later:

Jade had not slept too well; aside from having nothing to change into, the room had felt off. It was too… quiet? She couldn't be sure, but something seemed to be missing that kept her on edge.

At least there had been a shower to refresh herself when the Master had announced a one-hour warning.

Pulling her hood up, Jade opened the door and stepped out into the main chamber. Blackfire was already out there, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor. The raven-haired alien gave her a cold smile; Jade chose a comfy looking shadow and faded into it.

Georgia came next, pushing her thick glasses up yet again. She paused, reaching into her lab coat to fiddle with something, grumbling.

'That one is trickier than Gizmo. I can't make Jinx's mistake. Don't give her time to set anything up, don't let her have space to think,' Jade decided.

Raven's door opened and the Titan emerged. Jade was surprised at how different the Titan looked without her cloak. Definitely smaller with only the legless bodysuit. The cut on her leg was just a red mark now, the broken nose had been set, and stitches closed the suit over the other places Machete had gotten her.

The sole hero looked the others over with narrowed eyes, and even glanced to Jade's hiding place.

'Can she sense me?' Jade wondered.

The brutality of the fight between Raven and Machete had stunned her. But she supposed it made sense – Machete was vicious enough that only Gadjo could keep her in check in the field. And whatever peer respect Machete had when interacting with her fellow villains was turned on its head against heroes.

Still, Raven had looked ready to go for the kill there. Not that she was one to talk, but what was up with the red eyes?

And why was it no one made a big deal about gray skin while blue skin seemed to matter?!

Well, at any rate, she owed Raven for getting Machete out of the competition. That psycho would probably have loved the chance to kill her off. The worst Raven would do is arrest her.

"Welcome, champions all!" the Master proclaimed, flashing into sight on his platform.

"I hope you have prepared well, for it is time-" he continued.

"We don't care about your speeches. Start the contest so I can claim my prize," Blackfire interrupted, glaring. The Master paused, but then tapped his medallion.

XXX

Raven blinked away the flash as she reappeared in what looked like the repaired arena from her last fight. Georgia flashed into existence across from her. The villain smiled, showing off braces.

"Semifinals, match one, Raven versus Georgia! Begin!" the Master's voice boomed.

"Bad luck Titan, you showed me too much data last time. I have the perfect strategy to defeat you," Georgia said, reaching into her coat. Raven raised her hand, and the square of stone Georgia was standing on rose into the air, wobbling. Georgia fell on her face, grabbing onto the edges for purchase.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos," Raven said. The stone platform stopped wobbling and flew toward Raven. Raven leapt onto the platform and crouched over Georgia. Grabbing the lab coat's back, she ripped it in two. The next motion saw her stand up, holding both halves of the torn coat. Tossing them aside, gadgets poured out in their wake as the arena speed by.

"Cunning," Georgia cursed, her red turtleneck sweater fully revealed. She reached into a pants pocket, only for Raven to jump off the platform.

"Huh?" Georgia said, watching Raven recede. Then she turned and saw the stonewall looming ahead.

"Oh sh-," Georgia muttered, before she and the platform collided with the wall.

Raven walked up to the resulting rubble and saw Georgia half buried, and passed out, her glasses covered in cracks.

"You aren't the only one with plans, moron," Raven said, shaking her head.

"Winner, Raven! Flawless victory!" the Master boomed.

XXX

"Cool moves Raven," Jade said to the Titan as she reappeared.

"Not really; she was dumb to not have a personal protection field handy and more secure on her person. Like most so-called geniuses she shot herself in the foot," Raven admitted. Blackfire walked over to them.

"You really should take more comfort in victory, Raven. No wonder you're so downtrodden – I'd hate to see what you look like after losing," Blackfire laughed.

Raven turned an unimpressed look on the alien princess, only for orange girl and the blue girl to vanish in a flash of light.

XXX

The two appeared in the midst of a plain filled with Stonehenge style standing boulders. As they watched, the plains rose into tiers around them, three circles of stones, one for each tier.

"Semifinals, match two, Zhu Chan versus Blackfire. Begin!" the Master proclaimed.

Jade shot into the air, already gathering fire in her fists. Blackfire smirked, mimicking the action, kicking off the ground and charging starbolts.

Blackfire loosed first, Jade firing her blasts in response, which exploded on contact with the purple bolts, only to have still more pass through the explosion. She dodged the first two, but the next three struck with succession, sending her crashing back along the ground.

Grunting, she came to her feet, only for Blackfire to plow fist first into her; flying again, she collided with one of the standing rocks.

"Ha, you fight like one of my people, eh? Well, I'm the strongest Tamaranean you will ever meet, so those tactics, while awesome, just aren't a winning formula.

"Despite what you've heard, I do have a conscience, and you're just a kid. So throw in the towel and you won't have to get hurt anymore, 'kay?" the alien said, brushing some hair behind her ear. Jade's hood had fallen back at some point; at being called a kid, she narrowed her eyes and pulled her hood back up.

Heat rays shot from her eyes, and Blackfire answered with her purple optic blasts. The blasts canceled each other out in a haze of smoke.

"Still using my playbook, so… Hiding, are we?" Blackfire said as she realized Zhu Chan was gone.

"Yes, that's right. You have shadow powers; you were using them to hide in the arena. How sad you feel so insecure you have to hide even when violence is forbidden by someone like this Master," Blackfire said. Landing, she walked into the shadows of the stones, her path lit by a starbolt-charged hand.

Jade rose from the shadows behind the teen's advance, only up to her waist. Her eyes flashed, while Blackfire grinned, still facing away.

"HA!" they both cried. Blackfire spun on her heel, intercepting the blasts with a starbolt. The next moment, her fist was hammering the spot Zhu's head had been.

"Tch, you think it's that easy to sneak up on me?" Blackire asked, straightening up despite hitting nothing but stone.

The shadows beneath her feet darkened, and Zhu's hands grabbed her feet.

"Wha?" Blackfire said, feeling a tugging sensation. Jade pulled her down with all the strength of the Rooster talisman and her body. The alien warrior, with a startled squawk, vanished into the darkness as if she had suddenly stepped into deep water.

Minutes passed in serenity as lazy winds stirred the dust of the arena.

Blackfire hurtled out of the shadow of a stone to slide across the ground. Shadows coated and writhed across her, flaking away to reveal cracked armor and enflamed skin more red than orange. Pulling a near mask of shadows off her face, she heaved black goo onto the stones.

Panicky breath subsided as the shadows evaporated from her steaming form. Eyes rolling back into her head, Blackfire collapsed limply.

"Wow, did not expect that," Jade muttered, following Blackfire out of the shadow. Apparently the shadow realm's friendly atmosphere did not extend to all lifeforms.

"Winner, Zhu Chan! Let the final round commence!"

Jade vanished in a flash and found herself in a coliseum, diagonal pillars jutting from the floor, all of it made from black stone veined with white.

"Well, at least it's almost over," Raven sighed, facing Zhu Chan.

"The final round to determine the champion of champions! Begin!" the Master's voice echoed around them. Jade pulled back her hood to glance around.

"That guy is really annoying," she commented.

"No kidding," Raven agreed.

"Hey, mind talking a moment?" Jade asked, looking at the Titan. Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Keep your feet planted and hands where I can see them," Raven ordered. Rolling her eyes, Jade complied; she took the lack of refusal as permission.

"Look Raven, I know you don't really want this prize," Jade said.

"Of course not, wishes always backfire. Even Hollywood writers know that," Raven answered, sounding bored.

"Well, why not throw the fight and let me claim the prize?" Jade asked, giving what she hoped was a kind and sincere smile.

Raven wondered if the girl knew what her smiles came across as with all those pointy teeth.

"Are you serious? After what I just went through to keep a villain from getting a wish, you think I'll hand it over?" Raven demanded.

"Well, it's not yours to hand over yet, more like stepping aside.

"Listen, I don't want to use the wish for anything bad. You heard the Master – I'm from another dimension. I want the wish to get back there; you'd never see me again. So you're basically getting a villain out of your city, your world's hair, by doing nothing!" Jade pressed.

…

"No, even if I believed you. Once you won, I would be teleported out of here and unable to ensure you kept your pledge. And besides, what's the Master of Games' word worth on your origin? He recruited me for this tournament after all," Raven reminded her.

"Tell me about it. So we fight then?" Jade sighed, scratching behind an ear.

"Yes, may the best girl win," Raven said, eyes glowing white as tiles to either side of her rose, covered in darkness.

"Don't worry, she will," Zhu Chan shot back. She rose into the air, her hood falling back in place as her eyes flared.

The tiles shot forward, a sweep of her head destroying them with heat vision.

Raven ducked under the beams, flying in low, Zhu Chan directing an open palm thrust towards the Titan, sending a fiery blast at her. Raven weaved around that one, and with a sweep of her hand caught the next one on her shield.

The blast sent Raven flying back; turning in the air, she landed on her feet, skidding back in a crouch. Two more blasts flew toward the Titan.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted. The section of arena floor in front of her darkened and flipped up between her and the blasts. The barrier exploded, only for the shrapnel to freeze and darken.

Raven floated behind the suspended mass of rubble, arm raised. She brought it down, pointing at Zhu chan.

"I know that trick too," Zhu Chan sneered. Lifting some of the nearby shards with the Rooster power, she sent them hurtling at the Titan. Raven's own larger mass surged forth. Some of the projectiles collided, poofing into dust, more continued toward their targets.

Raven raised a full shield in front of her, the rocks harmlessly shattering against it. Zhu Chan raised her arms and fired a volley of blasts into the oncoming projectiles.

Raven watched the resulting explosion, not flinching. Zhu Chan floated from behind one of the diagonal columns, smiling coldly. Without a word, Raven floated down to the ground, and continued descending, through the floor, darkness rippling around her.

Zhu Chan blinked, and then narrowed her eyes, ducking into the shadow of her cover.

Raven emerged from the shadow of a column, only to step into another. Zhu Chan poked her head out of a shadow of the arena floor, glaring about before withdrawing back.

Raven popped from the floor and sent an enscrolled piece of pillar into the darkness she emerged from. It vanished, only for Raven to sweep her hand out, raising a shield to catch the explosive blast erupting from a nearby shadow.

The Titan ducked back into the darkness. Stillness and silence reigned over the arena for nearly a minute.

"Waaaah!" Zhu Chan screamed, running frantically out of a shadow as an entire column hurled after her. On solid ground, she rolled aside as the enscrolled stone mass plowed by, destroying three more columns before hitting the wall.

Spitting, the villain pounced on a nearby shadow. All across the arena, fireballs and heat beams started erupting spontaneously from shadows, striking the stonework as it would.

Soon enough, the barrage subsided, and Raven rose from the ground, rubbing her temples.

"Well, this is easily my strangest fight. Is this as confusing for you?" Raven asked her opponent. A groaning grind made Raven turn her head as a pillar shifted. Not her opponent, just damage from earlier, it wasn't even going to fall.

A pair of blue hands bloomed from below to grab her left foot. It was then Raven realized that pillar had just moved its shadow over that foot. With a brief startled cry, the Titan was pulled down into the shadow.

Raven felt herself rushing down as if through water, only the liquid was inconsistent, like bubbles in reverse, almost? She kicked at her abductor, and connected, but it seemed to matter little as she felt her captor let her go.

The world expanded around Raven; it was full of twilight, shadows stretching across the near liquid atmosphere. Raven glimpsed islands floating in this strange ether before seizing up. As she watched, the "air" was drawn to her, coating her in shimmering black. It burned, not intently but enough to be painful, and she could feel her strength ebbing as it spread.

"Welcome to the shadow realm, Raven," Zhu Chan called. Raven twisted in the ether to meet the villain. Zhu Chan was completely coated in the stuff, droplets even forming to float away from her. Only her glowing eyes remained distinct, even the teeth in her mouth rendered black by the oil flowing over her. Though if anything, she seemed relaxed.

"This fight is over – I beat Blackfire by bringing her to this place. That was an accident, I admit; I only wanted the healing and enhanced strength I get here, I didn't expect Blackfire to react like she did.

"So say uncle already. I don't really want a repeat of that, but I want that wish," Zhu Chan explained with a sigh.

"Azerath… Metrion Zinthos!" Raven called out. Her power surged from her focusing jewel, covering her in darkness and peeling back the liquid shadows. Propelling herself forward, she punched Zhu in the nose, and was rewarded by a gratifying snap.

The elemental reeled back in surprise, but only sighed as she recovered from the momentum. Pulling her hands from her face, Raven watched as the liquid shadows seems to snap the nose back into place on their own.

"Ahhh. You see, fighting me here is pointless – this may not be home, but I am a Shadowkhan and this realm recognizes me as its own. Wait, did I…?" Zhu Chan's relaxed grin broke as she trailed off.

Raven narrowed her eyes, straining to see through the shield covering her body. This technique was very difficult; it would drain her dry in moments. Only time for one attack, against an opponent who had just picked up regeneration and likely a magical boost.

There was one idea, just based off what she was seeing now. Time to roll the dice and hope for seven. Raven unfolded the shield from around her; Zhu Chan watched with interest as it seemed to lose rigidness and become blob-like.

"Whaaaa? You losing it Raven? You've got nothing to throw at me," Zhu commented. She was too comfy to really worry, but a part of her was trying to get her to blast Raven already. But what was the hurry – the view was very nice, wasn't it?

Raven's enscrolled shadows sprang forward, the darkness wrapping around a surprised Zhu Chan. It compressed around her, a lumpy mass with the liquid shadow struggling to escape the pressure. Raven closed her hand into a fist, hoping this worked like she thought it would.

It tightened in some places, while huge bubbles threatened to burst in others. But as she watched, the strain pushed inward, the shadows going the only way they could, absorbed into a shadow elemental. The shield over her face reddened as Zhu Chan tried to blast out, but as the shadows were forced in, the redness faded and finally the black mummy went limp.

Raven released the shield with a shudder, the shadows creeping over her body again. She floated to where Zhu Chan floated, still oil-coated, the girl muttering in her sleep, smiling from ear to ear, overloaded on her own element.

'Nonfatal, thank God. Now how do I get out of here?' Raven thought, watching the shadows advance up her arm.

"Winner and champion! RAVEN!" the Master's voice echoed through the shadow realm. A flash of light turned the shadows on their heels. When they looked back at the disturbance, though, there was nothing to be seen.

XXX

Raven let out a relieved breath as she reappeared in the main hall. That had not been as trying as the fight against Machete, but it had not been easy.

'It's been awhile, since I had to fight alone with no way for the others to back me up. I had forgotten how lonely it can be,' Raven contemplated.

She was relieved she hadn't had to harm Zhu Chan really to win. Regardless of how many years the strange elemental might have, she was clearly a child. And she had offered a nonviolent course; Raven's distrust did not make that any less significant.

Robin liked to lump all criminals together as equally "bad guys". There was something to that kind of equal justice. But these fights had shown, in her opinion, evil had its own variations, and you ignored them at your risk. Zhu might be dangerous, but she wasn't the type to cause trouble for its own sake. And her concern over that blonde moron's well being…

"Congratulations Raven, you have proven yourself the Champion of the Tournament of Villainesses!" the Master proclaimed, spreading his arms wide as he descended his staircase.

"Very impressive, as I'm not a villainess. Is this the part where you give me that wish?" Raven asked, rolling her eyes.

"Not that wish, a wish," he smirked down at her. Raven was eye level with his medallion, and she caught a flicker in its prisms. No, that wasn't…

"The one wish to be granted is, 'Safe return from whence the champion came'," he explained, almost laughing.

"Word play, classic jerkass djinn," Raven scowled.

"I am no slave, I am the MASTER! And the true prizes go to me!" he proclaimed. Camo covered his left arm as a machete appeared in that hand. A hex bolt gathered in his right hand, that arm sleeved in a cut of Jinx's sleeve. His eyes burned red with barely restrained fire. And a lab coat covered his torso.

"So this whole tournament was just a mystic con, allowing you to seal all the losers so you could add their aspects of power to yourself," Raven stated. The Master reverted to his normal form in a flash, still smiling, arms crossed.

"Well not all, that one girl I really did send home. Absorbing her would have been detrimental," he admitted.

"And yet your spell brought her here. Some master of games – is that title even rightfully yours, or did you steal it too so you could take a fast track to the kind of power it takes years to master?" Raven asked.

"It is not your concern, claim your prize and be gone," he told her. He held out his clawed hand, opening the fist to reveal an orb of light that dimmed to reveal Titans Tower.

"Seriously, you expect me to just let you abduct them?" Raven asked.

"Why not? You are a heroine after all. That's six villains locked away better than any of the prisons your world manage. Quite a victory for the forces of good to remove them from the board, wouldn't you say?"

"If you omit due process, their basic rights, and how uncomfortable they are in there, maybe. But you're a bad guy yourself, aren't you? So it's really just trading those six for a more powerful villain," Raven counted the strikes off with her fingers

"Not powerful, invincible!" the Master growled.

"How can you be invincible, you don't have me. And didn't I just prove I'm the strongest of the lot?" Raven asked. The Master seemed ready to retort, but paused. Stroking his chin in consideration, he floated around Raven, scrutinizing her.

"It's true, you are quite the prize. And you have potential for power you refuse to fully tap yourself," he admitted. Raven saw the greedy gleam in his eyes and knew she had him.

"Then how about one last game? Winner takes all?" Raven offered. He stopped in front of her and leered, before floating up and back.

The lab coat reappeared with Zhu Chan's hooded cloak over it. Cheshire's mask formed over his face, while her blades appeared on his hands. A starbolt appeared in one hand and a hex blast in another.

"I accept. Raven versus the Master of Games, FIGHT!" he shouted. Raven raised a shield in front of her, catching the hex and starbolt on it. The Master flew forward, kicking the black barrier, and it flew backward, taking Raven with it. Raven hit back first against the wall, jerking herself to the right just before a steel claw buried itself in the wall, and nearly falling in her step to avoid the machete swinging out with the free hand.

"Haha! First blood is mine," he gloated. Pulling the claw free, he brandished the machete with blood running along it. Raven scowled, wiping away the blood on her cheek.

"I am really… starting to dislike that thing," Raven whispered.

XXX

"What is this?" Jade asked. She stood in a void, or floated? Lowering her hood, Jade noticed that it felt off.

"Hey!" Jade shouted, looking at her sleeves. Her old outfit, even the shoes!

"What is going on?!" Jade demanded.

"A journey into thyself. Facilitated by a reduction to an energy state and the generous infusion of your element. Mind you don't hit the mirror frame on the way through," a voice laughed around her.

'Huh? Wait, that voice…' Jade thought. She was distracted by the feeling of something solid under her feet. The void looked unchanged, but sure enough, tapping her shoes on it produced a clapping sound.

"Don't turn your mind's eye on me! What you need to think about, is behind you!" the voice laughed.

"Hey, no one laughs at me like that!" Jade objected, turning around. And discovering she was not alone.

"Wah!" Jade shouted, recoiling.

"Bad day, eh?" the Queen of the Shadowkhan asked. She was just as Jade had seen on the security tapes. No, she thought she had a clear picture even before then. Barefoot, that strange dress, and the Shadowkhan skin and eyes.

"What are you dong here?" Jade demanded.

"I'm here to talk. As he said, circumstances allow us to meet like this, and we aren't the type to pass up chances. So, here we are," the Queen shrugged, crossing her arms.

"Let me guess, you are trying to take me over," Jade huffed.

"That is rude – if I was here to fight I would have said so. We can be sneaky, but-"

"What's this 'we' stuff? You're just the outcome of a bad spell, like when T went berserk from the mark," Jade interrupted. Jade slapped herself in the face.

"Hey!" Jade shouted. Looking down, she saw the void was marked between them, her shadow stretching out to connect to the Queen.

"I am your shadow, Jade, to insult me is to insult yourself," the Queen said, before she slapped herself as well, "Hey!"

"Cool, it works both ways," Jade smiled.

"Are we really going to have a slap fight with ourselves?!" the Queen demanded.

"Well start making sense," Jade huffed. She tucked her hands under her arms as a precaution. The Queen rolled her eyes while rubbing her cheek.

"Fine, I was getting to that anyway.

"I am not some infection you could be rid of, Jade. I am a part of you, I always have been. Not in this form, but like Tiger, I am your darkness.

"I was there when you broke the rules at school in the name of fun or anger. I was the reassurance as you were sent to the corner. And I was there each time you disobeyed Jackie by following him into danger," the Queen said.

"Wait, if you're my dark side, why would you want me to do good?" Jade demanded.

"Think, Jade! When Jackie was divided between light and dark, was Tiger evil? He certainly erred that way – impatient, greedy, arrogant, and rather shortsighted. But did he turn against you so much? And wasn't it always relatively easy to get him in line with the right incentive?

"And, I might add, Diet Jackie wasn't particularly useful. Sure, he had the best of intentions, but he was a timid doormat. He'd sooner take a beating than just knock out the bad guy to end the fight. We weren't about to take that doormat to school.

"If anything, that proved both together are greater than either in purity," the Queen explained.

"…I don't get it," Jade admitted.

"Not surprising, I think it's only boredom that got me to think about this so much. Now shut up and pay attention!" the Queen snapped.

"Anyway, as you might recall when we met Viper, we had no problem with her being a thief. And we felt so vindicated to expose El Toro as a fraud when he had the gall to humiliate our uncle. Not to mention using Tiger's ego to get him back on our side.

"I was very useful to you, keeping your mind more open than Jackie allowed. And then came the tattoo.

"I found myself in the driver's seat, and just couldn't resist embracing it and going for a spin. But before you say it, yes, I was sealed. And forever marked by the shadows it would seem – once, I was identical to you as a human.

"But the greatest seal was not Uncle's; he just took away the power that let me hold sway. You pushed me away by doubting yourself. You made yourself weaker by seeing me as separate from you! It was like trying to cut off your own arm, Jade – senseless, and pointless.

"But now we have an opportunity to remedy the problem," the Queen smiled gleefully, tapping her fingertips together.

"Okay, so you are my dark side, my inner jerk and troublemaker," Jade confirmed.

"And your inner adventurer. Your desire to do good may be from the light, but the will to break the rules to achieve those good ends comes from me," the Queen amended.

"Not sure about that, Queenie. And what's this about your problem being solved? You said you weren't reaching for the throne, right?" Jade pressed.

"I am reaching for it, but that doesn't mean I want you off of it," the Queen answered softly.

"Wha?" Jade asked.

"Fact is, I was stupid in charge. I mean really, seizing Section 13 like that? A pact with Shendu? Not noticing Tohru disguised as a ninja!? The results speak for themselves.

"I am part of you Jade, and that is what I want to be. For this line that divides us to be erased," the Queen explained.

"Tch, as if! I'm not trusting you after what you did last time, and I have enough problems as is," Jade dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"Oh, then perhaps I should show you what you are dealing with. I haven't looked like this within you for awhile now," the Queen admitted. The skin on the Queen's forehead darkened, turning black. It spread across her, making her features difficult to make out. It spread to her clothes, which reeled in; Jade recognized it as being shaped like her own outfit. Something shifted in the black figure, with Jade realizing it was made of shadow rather than flesh.

"There, that's better," the Queen breathed, running a hand through her shadow hair. When she talked, Jade could see her white teeth and non-black tongue. It was creepy.

"You're fading?" Jade asked, a bit concerned.

"Gloriously so. Look at your hands Jade," the Queen urged. Jade looked at her hands, cocking a nonexistent eyebrow, looking at them and turning them over.

"And?" Jade pressed, annoyed.

"Hahahaha! And? She asks? Oh Jade, I do love us!

…

"They're blue, stupid! And the eyes in your head are red, with pointed teeth in your mouth! You didn't even notice because you have accepted, even if you don't accept the acceptance," the Queen laughed.

"What?! I'm human, shadow girl!" Jade shouted back.

"Oh really? You sure do enjoy eating stuff no human in their right mind would. Or the fact you like a semi-lit room more than a well-lit one? And that power – you're hoping that even if you get turned back into a human, they won't be able to remove the Talismans. Finally, a Jackie-proof excuse to not let such awesome power gather dust, eh?" the Queen went on.

"Shut up! I am not evil!" Jade bellowed. She tried to slap the Queen with her own hand. With a thump, the Queen blocked the blow with her free hand. Jade's own hands jerked, grabbing the orange hood resting against her back.

She struggled, but just as her feet were glued to the ground, it was as if her arms weren't there. The Queen smiled and laid down on her back on the void.

"It's your own actions and choices that make this inevitable, Jade. Jackie was a morality chain, him and the rest. Not because they demanded anything, but you so wanted your family to approve you would change yourself for them.

"But there is no one to impress now. The expectations that surround us have shifted. And you are too much of a survivor to put petty things like the law before your own survival. Why else not trust the system and turn yourself in to the heroes? Jackie would have rolled the dice on the Titans and you know it," the Queen said as her feet melted into the shadow connecting them.

"Well, I'm going home! And that will be the end for you! Uncle will fix my body and I can forget about this whole messed up world!"

"So, it's a race then? We do love contests, don't we? And it's the best kind, the one where 'Jade' wins no matter what!" the Queen cheered, moving her arms to mimic Jade's.

"You are not me! You're not!" Jade denied.

"On the contrary, every moment I come closer to becoming you. And you are closer to becoming… me," Zhu Chan spoke in double tone, pulling the hood of her cloak up.

XXX

Teeth clenching, Raven ignored the pain in her gut. She stood grappling with the Master. Black shields binding his head and left arm, her free hand stopping the steel claws on his free hand from impaling her through the belly as it tried to twist in her guts.

"Come on! Where are you idiots!?" Raven demanded as her wrist disappeared into the medallion.

"Enough!" the Master shouted, a combined optic blast of Zhu Chan and Blackfire breaking the shield over his face. Raven was hurled back, but not before her hand closed over something in the crystals depths.

She landed with Zhu Chan bouncing on the ground beside her.

"Ahhh! Huh, what? What?!" the small villain shouted, shooting to her feet, looking around frantically.

"You were sealed, I saved you, help me beat him unless you want back in the medallion," Raven said, pulling herself up to her feet.

The Master stumbled back, light leaking from his medallion. Grasping it in a fist, the gem seemed to heal, and he straightened up. Raven noticed with satisfaction that Zhu Chan's cloak had vanished and reappeared on its rightful owner.

"This is a one-on-one match! You're cheating, you are a cheater!" he screamed, pointing an accusing finger at Raven.

"Huh, guess I'm a bit of a bad girl after all. Maybe you're not quite as incompetent as I thought?" Raven mused. The Master of Games growled behind the mask as the metal parts of Blackfire's armor appeared across him, with Machete's camo skin beneath it. Raising a closed fist, he looked like he was going to say something, when a fireball struck him squarely.

"YOU BASTARD!" Zhu Chan yelled as the Master picked himself up from the blast.

"That vision was because of your stupid medallion?! You are going to pay for that," Zhu growled. Raven gave a smile, glancing to the girl, while the Master filled his fists with power.

"No matter, I still have more power than both of you," he said, charging forward.

Zhu Chan fired her heat rays at him. He leapt over the beams, twisting in the air to throw his projectiles at Raven. The Titan raised a shield, which broke under the assault but left her unscathed.

Charging Zhu Chan, he swung. She fired a starbolt into the oncoming explosive blast, dispersing it. The blue girl jerked back in the air as the machete and then claw swept out at her.

"I am the Master of Games, and I always win!" he insisted. Zhu ducked her head back from a vicious swipe and grinned. The blue mage dropped to the ground and rushed inside his guard.

"Wha?" he managed before she landed a solid kick on his kneecap. He nearly went to one knee, so she punched him in the ideal place, putting a good deal of her weight behind the blow.

She could have sworn his eyes nearly bugged out through the mask. Next thing Zhu Chan knew, he was getting kicked in the head by Raven. He went sliding to the side, recovering quickly, pushing to his feet. Raven didn't give him the chance, kicking him in the jaw. Her opponent dazed, she chambered another kick.

"Azera-ahhh!" Raven's chant broke off as blood spurted from the stab wound in her gut. He took advantage of the opening, an uppercut lifted her off her feet and the Master pressed on, hitting her with a hex before she reached the ground.

"I always win!" the Master laughed as the Titan landed in a heap.

"Yeah, because you stack the deck. And brag about beating up a girl who has already fought hard while you sit on the sidelines. I know real badasses, and you don't even come close to the list," Zhu Chan taunted.

"Enough of your impudence!" he commanded, firing a starbolt at her. She burst it with an optic blast.

"Sloppy. You may have a lot of power, but you didn't earn it. They may not have been smart, but at least they know their own power, idiot," Jade shook her head. While she talked, Raven rose to her feet.

"An idiot, am I? Perhaps I should show you the fruit of the intellect I now possess? Behold!" he bellowed. He reached into the lab coat he wore and pulled out four metal rods, each between two fingers.

"Search and destroy," he commanded. Red lights blinked on the rods, and he tossed them into the air. The rods unfolded, revealing heli-drones like Georgia had used in her fight with Jinx.

"Let's see how you fair without the advantage of numbers," the Master sneered as the squadron circled around the room, gaining speed. Zhu Chan raised her hands and let a twin blast loose. The robots wove around it and opened fire.

Dropping back to the ground let her dodge the first blasts, but half a dozen struck her as the squad passed.

"Ah, that hurts like a-" Zhu gasped, clutching at the smoking holes on her uniform's chest.

"Don't rant, fight," Raven said, stepping over Zhu. The Titan raised a shield as the squadron came back around to fire another round. The shield held, the Master of Games scowling as he watched the shield harden.

"So now they hide; a true champion would face their opponent. But no matter – fishing them out…" he said, rummaging in his coat. He pulled out an oval-shaped metal object covered in blinking lights.

"Is as simple as pushing a button," he smirked. It was actually turning a switch on the device's bottom, making all the lights on it blink rapidly. With an overhead toss, he sent it flying toward the black dome, and turned away.

The blast of blue and scarlet pushed him back across the floor slightly as the boom rattled the chamber.

Turning back, he saw Raven lying insensible; Zhu Chan was gone.

"Deserted your ally to skulk in the shadows, girl? Well, that's only to be expected from a villain. I will deal with you in a moment," he said to the room. He released more drones as the others patrolled above him.

"Retrieve," he commanded, pointing to Raven. Holstering their guns, they revealed frail looking robot arms. Though not so frail, as they grabbed Raven by her arms, dragging the moaning Titan to him. When she was at his feet, he picked the girl up by her bicep, holding her before him.

"You should have taken your prize, foolish child. Now you will be nothing but a part of my power for eternity," he told her solemnly.

Raven's shadow spread on the floor below her, red eyes peering out of it, waiting. Raven's hand lashed out, covered in darkness, striking the mask covered face, cracking it.

"Surprise!" Zhu Chan yelled, jumping up to grab his medallion. Shoving it between her sharp molars, she bit down on the jewel. It cracked audibly, and the force erupting from it ejected it from her mouth.

"You sneaky-!" the Master screamed, tossing Raven away and grabbing Zhu's hair. He tried to throw her away, but she grabbed the medallion in her hands, the leaking making it slippery. Heat rippled around her hands.

"No!" the Master cried as she let off the blasts point blank. With a booming and a flash, they were all hurled back.

The Master struck his staircase hard, rolling down it to land on his bare stomach. Pushing himself up with a groan, he looked over the chamber on hands and knees.

Each of his so-called champions stood before him, tattered and battered. Georgia missing her lab coat, Cheshire's mask cracked and her robe tattered over burned skin, Blackfire's armor falling apart and her skin flared closer to red than orange, Machete's chest and lower torso bloodstained, and Jinx's hair still poofy. Nonetheless, they all stood tall, glaring at him murderously.

"I lose," he stated simply. He vanished in a flash, the cracked medallion on a broken cord clattering to the floor.

"Well, that was a wash," Jinx snapped.

"Indeed, but that begs the question of what next?" Georgia commented, looking to where Raven was unconscious, bleeding out on the floor.

XXX

The headache was the first clue Raven had. As she drifted up from unconsciousness, the pounding in her head was familiar.

'Triggered healing meditation. I must have been hurt pretty bad,' Raven mused calmly. She did not recall how just yet, but did not panic; the memory would return soon. Besides, her friends would be making sure she was safe while in such a vulnerable state.

Raven opened her eyes, looking up at a skylight looking out upon the cosmos. And realized her arms were tied up. Trying to sit up made her body flare in pain, so she stayed on her back and looked to the side. Zhu Chan and Jinx sat nearby, playing cards. She could glimpse bandages through the holes in Zhu's robe, and Jinx had apparently been unable to fox her hair yet from the ridiculous pink Afro.

"Gin!" Zhu cheered, laying out her cards.

"…Okay, so maybe your good luck does cancel out my bad luck for others," Jinx groused, folding her cards.

"This time I cut the cards – no cheating with telekinesis," Jinx insisted, gathering up the cards.

"What is going on?" Raven demanded.

"Oh, you're awake. That's good I guess. Want a sip?" Jinx asked, pulling out a hip flask. Raven sighed and gave a pointed look at Zhu Chan. The girl seemed to get the message; as Raven tried to sit up, an unseen force pushed her upright into a sitting position.

Yes, she was in pain, but it could be put in its place, and she was not going to look weak at a time like this.

The villains where spread out. Machete she looked for first and found, sitting in a far corner, back against the walls as she sharpened her blade. Cheshire was pacing a distance from the others, weaving between support columns, tugging at her tattered robe. Blackfire was lounging on the Master's pedestal, her face wrapped up in blue bandages and keeping an eye on the others. And Georgia was at the foot of the stairs, a blanket covered in tools and small gadgets spread out as she tinkered with something.

"Some gratitude," Raven remarked, testing the bonds.

"Well, Machete wanted to kill you. Blue smacked her around, and put a stop to that. Anyway, fact is you could have left us high and dry, and didn't. So patching you up and calling a truce until we go our separate ways seemed pretty reasonable," Jinx shrugged as she tilted the flask slightly into Raven's mouth. Raven sloshed the burning liquid around in her mouth to get rid of the taste of her own blood before turning her head and spitting it out.

"So, you beat Machete," Raven commented dryly, looking at Zhu Chan. The blue girl seemed to swell a bit at the praise.

"Well, that trip into the medallion didn't heal us. I think there is still a hole in Machete's chest from what you did earlier. So beating her up more wasn't that hard," Jinx interjected. A solitary heat ray struck the deck of cards, scattering them as they burned.

"Oh great, now what am I supposed to do?" Jinx huffed, getting to her feet. The witch walked away, leaving the blue girl and gray teen sitting alone on the floor.

"Thanks, Zhu Chan," Raven said.

"It was a good plan you came up with, hiding in your shadow to get the drop on him. For a plotter, he wasn't very nimble in the noodle," Zhu Chan commented.

"Most aren't, in my experience. But I meant that bit with Machete. You could have done nothing and I doubt the others would have cared enough to interfere with her," Raven commented.

"I owed you for saving me from… that. Besides, you were helpless – it wouldn't have been right," Zhu Chan shrugged her shoulders. Raven looked at the girl with interest; the elemental noticed, and shadows filled her hood again, hiding her face.

'Does she hide it as a defense rather than the intimidation factor?' Raven wondered.

"Right? Strange sentiments for villains, but plenty of evildoers have standards. Though even more don't have nearly enough," Raven commented.

"You know about-" Zhu spoke up after a long silence. A flash and loud bang interrupted her.

Smoke rose from the middle of the room, where a beautiful raven-haired woman in a lady's cut of a blue magician's suit stood atop a scorch mark. Adjusting her top hat, she waved her wand idly, her eyes touching upon the scattered villains before she turned, seeing Raven.

"Well, there's our lost little bird. You look like crap, Raven?" Zatanna phrased it as a question. The villains tensed, Blackfire getting to her feet while Georgia grabbed a particular device.

"Yeah, but it's done now," Raven said.

"Is it?" Zatanna smiled.

"Yes," Raven confirmed, meeting the older mage's eyes.

"Then so it is. Now, let's get you girls home. You all look like you've been through enough," Zatanna said. With a flick of her wand, the medallion appeared in her free hand.

"Hey, I was using that!" Georgia objected.

"Science wasn't meant to meddle with this kind of reality bending. Heh, still good, they don't make them like this anymore. Did somebody bite this?" Zatanna asked, a bit scandalized.

"Can you send us back or not human?" Blackfire demanded.

"Keep your half plate on princess, I will have you back where you came from in-" Zatanna said, probing about the fissure in the jewel with her wand tip. She was cut off as a particular tap flared the jewel into life, and with a final crack, all the women vanished, leaving the cracked jewel alone on the stone floor.

Or not quite alone, as a clawed hand trimmed with white fur reached down to pick it up.

HIVE, Later:

Jade sat in the comfy chair in her quarters, lights turned up to full brightness, drumming her fingers on the arm of her chair. Heaving herself up with an irritated sigh, she floated over to the room control, and turned the lights down to half brightness.

She felt herself relax as shadows extended into life around her. And muttered a cuss word.

"Alright, I may not accept it, but I admit it. That doesn't mean I can't do something about it," Jade declared. Picking up the Jade Spell Book from the table, she went over to her desk and pulled an old looking book from a pile. She opened it, revealing lines of strange kanji written in faded red ink. Placing her own spell book, aside she began to study the ponderous text.

'If it's a race, I can't afford to trip, especially if it's myself I'm competing with. No more shortcuts or Internet quick fixes. Slow and steady always managed to win out for Uncle and Tohru in the end, so it's good enough for me. Survive this crazy world and in the meantime build up to escaping it.

'It won't be easy, but I'm Jade Chan. I do the impossible and make it look easy!' Jade declared to herself, settling into her research, the serene songs of the shadow realm easing her into the task from afar.

Elsewhere in Jump City:

The darkness of the basement was broken by blinking lights and screens where graphs tracked vital signs to the tune of medical beeps. The dim light caught on Killer Moth's compound eyes as he moved about a table surrounded by six IVs and cables running to the machines.

Reaching down, he lifted the white cloth covering the figure spread out on it. Revealing the ruined, fingerless hand, he covered it with his gray, carapace-covered one.

"I don't know who did this to you. They took you swiftly and returned you on death's door, destroyed. Maybe you were right about me being a worthless father, Kitten. Unable to protect you.

"But I will avenge you, and save you. Rest now; I will make you strong, so that when you rise again, we will destroy the monster that did this to you together," Killer Moth vowed solemnly.

Turning his eyes to the silent IV drips, he hesitated a moment, hand before the switch. Then he flipped the switch on the first one, the shining blue liquid making its way down to the still form hidden from sight. He repeated the process until all the IVs were dripping their shining chemicals.

He did not linger; there was much more to prepare, and he would be ready.

---

Project Dark Jade Announcements:

Greeting readers, some news item for you on Project Dark Jade.

Firstly, I have adopted "Queen of Shadows" from Nocturne no Kitsune. I am continuing from where he left off under the title "Queen of Shadows: A Tale Across Ages", with the first new chapter already posted.

Secondly, I am already working on the next Queen of all Oni chapter.

Thirdly, after this next Queen of All Oni chapter, I will be taking a break from several of my projects including PDJ writing. My goal is to finish one story this year among my ongoing projects. The story Hachin is the closest to being finished, both in storyline and estimated remaining length. So I will be focusing on that story until it is done. The possible exception may end up being the new Divergent X chapter, just because getting that restarted has become a passive fixation of sorts.

I will still be available to assist others with their PDJ stories and what not. With this in mind fans of my other stories should not worry about abandonment.

Author's Note:

Well, this chapter started tough, but I really got on a roll as it went. Hopefully this inspiration will carry on through the upcoming work. Gadjo really made his presence felt for the little screen time he got.

I regret Cheshire got so little time after bringing her in. Well, it's not like you have seen the last of those bad girls, after all.

This chapter may seem like it didn't move the plot much, but it is setting the stage for matters that will become important as the story progresses. Now if only I could get to those points in a timely manner *sigh*. Speed and quality combined is something I have yet to master.

Some of you have asked about Jade summoning Shadowkhan. The issue of summoning has not been forgotten; it will come up shortly in the story. As is in a few chapters, which sadly might mean a year in real time at my rate of production.

Oh well, pessimism never helped anything. Hopefully things will go smoothly and I will be getting back to this story surprisingly quickly. I hope you found this chapter enjoyable.

Long days and pleasant nights to you all!