Disclaimer: I do not ow Teen Titans or Jackie Chan Adventures.
Betaed by: Zim'smostloyalservant
A Shadow of the Titans:
Created by
Nocturne no Kitsune
Written by
Eduard Kassel
Chapter Ten
Twilight Resurgent:
Or
Third Time's the Charm?
Jinx was finding the beautiful bright day strange. Maybe it was being out in broad daylight in Jump City with no backup and no big plan playing through her mind?
To be fair, she did have a plan, it just was much simpler than the rest. And unlike normal, she was not feeling stressed on whether anything might go wrong. She had not been worrying about a lot of stuff, recently.
Wearing the purple hoodie and visor sunglasses, she felt calm. Utterly unworried with how things were going to go as she pushed open the door in front of her. Leaving behind the busy lunchtime sidewalk for the big fancy pizzeria.
It smelled good, she supposed. But it was a distant, detached observation. Like most things were being. Such as the unwashed sensation – that would have been unbearable before, but was now just another thing to be noted and dismissed.
Stepping aside into the crowded waiting area rather than giving her name, Jinx pulled off the glasses and dropped them to the floor. When she pulled off the hoodie and likewise dropped it, people started to take notice.
She did not get recognized instantly. Even without her trademark horn-styled hair, it registered distantly as a slight.
But the server about to seat a party of four teen boys recognized her. She smiled at him, and casually blasted the station.
He had plenty of time to dodge; she had telegraphed it on purpose.
"Sorry, lunch will not be served today. Get out," Jinx ordered, blasting a hex into the ceiling, making a bunch of the overhead lights burst in showers of sparks.
She smiled as panic spread through the crowd, tucking a clump of her pink hair back behind an ear. Revenge, even petty revenge, would be sweet.
With a spring in her step, the villain entered the restaurant proper, loosing a hexbolt with every footfall.
Shadow Realm:
The tree was in a good position. The forest's edge, but not too exposed. The trees and the open shadows both held predators; she could sense them.
As did the plain. The grasses grew broader at the top, letting their shadows turn the plain into a rippling shimmering black mass. Excellent cover for her own hunting. But the pickings were meager as ever among the least of creatures.
The fruit beckoned, drops of shadow forming and floating away from the orbs. She had no trouble discerning fruit and leaf from wood beneath the shadows. It was as simple as it would be to spot color in another world and another life.
Her body coiled, ready to strike, as at any other food. She sprang from the brush, sending a burst of shadow droplets flying. Her teeth sank into the fruit, clear through the thick shadow oil coating into soft pulp.
Body undulating, she flew back to the grasses. When the canopy healed behind her, letting the darkness conceal her once more, she began to chew. It was wonderful, juicy and flavorful, and above all else it eased the throbbing in her head.
For a moment, she wondered what it would be like if the throbbing stopped, but even the stray thought drove nails through her eyes.
'I am I,' the soft mantra eased the pain somewhat. But the hunting had tired her. Compressing and stretching herself, she moved through the plain, only a faint rippling making her visible above.
The plain was too picked clean, and the forest held other beings that could make her food. Migration was needed. There were many islands, more food and hiding places.
But it would mean daring the open shadows. She could sense the great masses that lurked deeply. They lived, and many were awake.
A more rational mind would have dismissed such worry; after all, her presence would likely escape their notice entirely. But her mind was in poor shape. It could do little more than hope for better hunting and a lack of encountering anything larger than itself tomorrow. Pushing herself into the hole she had dug and pulling a rock over it with her teeth, she watched the shadows congeal, hiding the hole but leaving enough of a rim to breathe.
Satisfied she was as safe as could be, what was once Jade Chan drifted off into a hungry, haunted sleep.
Titan's Tower:
Cyborg paced back in forth in front of the chalkboard, Starfire and Beast Boy seated on the couch. Tapping his chin, he nodded to himself.
"My fellow Titans, we face a crisis. Due to a tragic accident, that was no one's fault, one Zhu Chan has seemingly died. Jinx's little rampage at the pizza place seems to affirm that. Either Zhu Chan is dead, or she was close and Susano, a well-established A-hole, pulled the plug.
"Tragic, especially with Jinx breaking down like that.
"But I, for one – and I know BB hears me on this – know that villains and heroes have a way of bouncing back. Heck, we all remember the deal with Robin when the HIVE trio first crashed our party. Same restaurant, even.
"Point being! We are not going to focus on what happened. We all have been dealing, now it's time to dust off and take stock.
"But we have a problem. Due to recent failures, perhaps we should reaffirm what the problem is? Starfire?" he said, calling on her like he was a teacher. Starfire straightened up on the couch and answered.
"Friends Robin and Raven are in the clutches of deep guilt. Raven for her spell's unintended affects on the adorable girl Zhu Chan. And Robin for failing to stop her from interfering and telling Raven to use said spell against the Jinx," Starfire said. Beast Boy cut in.
"And now Robin is either locked in his room, his crime lab, or training like the end is nigh. He refuses to talk about it, or really anything unless it's trouble or something directly related.
"And Raven hasn't come out of her room since. I think she is trying to see if there was any other spell she could use. Or see if Zhu Chan might be alive using that pig stone she brought back.
"Cyborg, I think she's stopped showering. I didn't think Raven got BO-"
"Too much information! But point stands affirmed. Two Titans are stuck in an emo hole!" Cyborg said. He drew a crude picture of the two looking grumpy and sitting at the bottom of two separate holes.
"Problem. So question is, how to get them out of the holes?" Cyborg asked.
"Friend Cyborg, I do not believe digging is part of their problem. Though I suppose Robin may use it in some kind of-"
"Metaphor, Star, metaphor," Cyborg sighed, writing out the word and underlining it.
"Now, as third-in-command, it now falls to me-"
"Hey, why are you third-in-command?" Beast Boy asked.
"Excuse me?" Cyborg said.
"I mean, you weren't a hero before you joined the Titans. This is your first band. I was practically raised in tights.
"And Starfire is a warrior princess. With lots of cosmic experience and probably tutors on leadership.
"I mean, Star, we are awesome, right?" Beast Boy said to the alien teen.
"Um, yes? What does-?" she answered.
"So, why is it with the angst duo out of commission, you are in charge?" Beast Boy demanded. Cyborg sighed and shook his head.
Two Minutes Later:
"Oh, that's why," Beast Boy admitted as he sat back down.
"Please continue leading, friend Cyborg," Starfire said cheerfully.
"Right, as I was saying before I was interrupted. You two have both made efforts to fix this," Cyborg said, drawing pictures of the two Titans on the board.
"Star, you tried to appeal to their emotions through empathy and making them see how this is hurting themselves and others.
"Didn't work, but A for effort," Cyborg said, drawing stars around the chalk Starfire.
"Beast Boy, you tried to irritate them into action. Get them to burn through the depression," Cyborg sad sternly.
"Actually, I was-"
"And you failed. And they beat you up a bit before throwing you out. And resorting to violence, however small, on a friend has likely made them feel worse about themselves.
"Bad job, Beast Boy," Cyborg said, drawing a dunce cap on the Beast Boy doodle.
"Haven't seen you helping," Beast Boy grumbled.
"So now it falls to me to try and solve our angst issue. And after careful observation of the subjects, and both your efforts, I have a plan," Cyborg announced. He started to rapidly draw the plan up on the board.
"We will rescue our friends from angst, with science!" Cyborg said, stepping back to show them what was on the board.
"Huh?" Beast Boy asked.
"Oh, puppies!" Starfire cheered.
Later:
"Dang, don't want to do that again," Cyborg said, nursing a bruise on his face and other minor injuries. Behind him, pounding and muffled Robin shouts could be heard from the rune-inscribed, very solid-looking metal crate.
"Okay, so tell us again how this will help?" Beast Boy asked, with a cynical look. They stood in the garage by the new crate.
"It's simple, we have trapped Raven and Robin in a crate designed to prevent their escape for at least 25 minutes. I figure just like negative times negative equals positive, forcing that much angst into a small space will cancel each other out. Returning to their normal states of borderline but functional depression.
"And if that doesn't work, we trap them in the back-up crate, with puppies," Cyborg asserted, smacking a fist into a palm.
"And if that still does not help them?" Star asked.
"Then we trap them in yet another, still stronger crate. And mail them to Batman, with this sticky note," Cyborg said. He held up a yellow sticky note that read: FIX THIS.
XXX
"Could you let me down now?" Jinx asked. The sorceress scowled as she looked back the way they had come, down the poorly lit HIVE Return Tunnel. Her arms were crossed, rather than struggling against Gadjo, who currently had her slung over his left shoulder.
"No, we are almost back. Gadjo was ordered to bring you back. And now Gadjo brings," the large villain said.
"Tch, I might as well be wearing a fur bikini. Being dragged off to a cave," Jinx grumbled. She wondered if Gadjo would get the caveman reference. The hearty laugh he let loose indicated he did.
"Is funny! But false. You are far too small and scrawny to make Gadjo take out the trash," Gadjo chuckled.
"What?" Jinx said.
"But you are not usually so fun, either. Destroying restaurant, taking on Titans mano-e-mano. These things, while fun, are not you, Cat Luck," Gadjo rumbled.
"…It was a favorite of theirs. Even if I lost, I wanted them to lose something," Jinx admitted. She supposed it was pretty out of character for her.
It had seemed a sound idea at the time.
"Spoil for others, eh? But you are not the pie before work type, eh?" Gadjo asked.
She did not answer the dumb, insane brute. It would serve no purpose.
"The Little Shadow will be along soon enough," Gadjo commented. Jinx had been trying to ignore him, but the words clicked and she tensed under the hairy arm holding her to the shoulder.
"She's dead or worse," Jinx reminded him bitterly.
"Nonsense. Wrong timing. Gadjo's story is small thing, even if Gadjo is big. Only matters when part of another story. But her story is much big. Taking bullet is not end; it is twist.
"No, Gadjo knows in gut. There is a course to be taken for those who are in the middle of a story. She will be back, this is just the dramatic pause before the next scene gets its curtain up," Gadjo said.
He chuckled through the speech, and Jinx felt she would be shivering if she could see the smile she heard in his voice.
If he was trying to reassure her, it was not working. The rational part of her mind told her that he was insane, and his thoughts on how the world worked should be disregarded. While the irrational part of her mind told her, if he was right, that meant there might be truth, to some degree, to the madness he spouted and seemed to send him through life like an unstoppable cannonball.
When they got back, she was not ashamed to walk away fast when he put her down. His laughter followed her, without malice; it seemed to be directed at nothing and everything.
XXX
"Cyborg! Starfire! Let us out of here!" Robin said pounding on the wall. Raven opened one purple eye from where she sat in a lotus position to look at him.
"Not Beast Boy?" she asked.
"This was probably his idea. Are you having any luck?" he asked the other Titan.
"I stopped trying two minutes ago," she admitted, closing her eye.
"Care to say why?" Robin asked, turning to lean his back against the crate wall. It was too cramped to stand up properly anyway.
"Two reasons. The first is, if Cyborg bothered to stuff us inside a crate, he would make it a crate we could not easily escape from. He can be foolish, but he is not stupid," Raven stated.
"Point," Robin conceded.
"And the second point… well, when your friends decide it's time to trap you in a crate, you have to ask a question," the sorceress said.
"That you may need to review the screening procedure for friends?" Robin snarked.
"No. The question is: Have things gotten so bad that your friends feel such extreme measures are not only acceptable but necessary?" she said.
"…We can work this out on our own," he told her.
"I guess they disagree with that assessment. And I agree, you are being ridiculous. What happened is my fault, Robin, not yours," Raven said.
"You had reservations. You suggested taking more time to see if there were other solutions. I told you to go ahead, despite your instincts being the ones to trust with magic.
"And rather than wait, I could not stand Super Jinx treating our city as her personal checking account. I put my pride first, it cost Zhu Chan her life, and you…" Robin trailed off, scowling as he lowered himself to sit.
"Robin, I could have said no. If I had, either you would have listened or had no choice, because I am the only magical one here.
"It was my choice, I could have stopped. I didn't. The why does not matter – I am not a soldier bound to obey you, Robin. I am responsible for my own actions," she told him sternly.
"If I had stopped her… I should have kept my eyes on her. Then it would have worked like it was supposed to," Robin insisted.
"You needed to keep an eye on Jinx, and Beast Boy in case he needed help. You had no reason to think a villain would do something like that," Raven said.
"You sound like Starfire," Robin rolled his eyes.
"Good, we tend to forget how smart she is.
"Robin, you feel bad, you keep on beating yourself up over it. And that is proof you are a good person.
"Robin, you know my mind is not the most consistent thing. Part of me is loudly pleased at this outcome. It not only disposes of a powerful enemy, but it could discourage other annoying challenges.
"And as for the other parts, the loudest regret is a mater of honor, not remorse. That we, I, owed her and we did repay that debt. The opposite actually," Raven sighed. Robin nodded.
"Yeah, your split personality inside. I'm not buying it in this case," Robin commented. Raven looked at him in surprise.
"You are leaving out the fact you are feeling guilty for what those little yous are feeling. If you really didn't care, you would not feel guilty about not feeling guilty," Robin said.
"That makes me sound a bit crazy," Raven frowned.
"I'm from Gotham, I do some of my best work with crazy.
"So, want to get out of the crate?" the Boy Wonder asked.
"Sure, someone has to pay after all," Raven shrugged.
XXX
The Shadow Realm. It had many facets and many branches throughout reality. There was no king of shadows; this domain belonged to itself. Whether it was the barren realm of his home branch, or this lush landscape, called by many different names. Some hosted heavily mystic life like this, while other, more diluted realms, could host more "traditional" life. The shadows knew their own, that was a constant.
And far he may be from his native lands, this twilight was the same that had seen him rise to the pinnacle of his branch of the Oni races.
Sealed though he was, the shadows provided a proxy body about his astral form; they bent to his desire with the willingness and passion of a well-kept lover. A prison stuffed to bursting was not so sturdy as to hold him utterly.
He would find what he sought because the very currents of this world were guiding him to his goal. Back home, the vapors would have made little difference, but this realm was not in recession, it was in ascent.
Even the Great Old Shadows stirred in the depths, near unfathomable even to him, their purpose a mystery only fools sought to unravel.
At last he found his goal. He could see the truth of the plain, and the indentation that marked her hole and hiding place.
"COME," he commanded. He smiled through the shadows as she actually resisted. Her will was no match for his. Not now, not here. But still there was struggle, a refusal even as she came all the same.
Glorious.
Her form had been reduced to a limbless, serpentine thing. A simple shape that her will had been able to compress her then rebellious mass into solidly. He felt it did not suit her; if he could associate any one animal with the stray Shadowkhan, it would be cats.
But this form had been borne from survival, for it to be lacking in elegance was to be expected.
She coiled tight on herself as she was drawn to him, fearful in the presence of a far greater power. A more direct means of communication was needed. A tendril of shadow sprouted from his brow and reached out, striking to latch between her dull red eyes.
He opened his eyes, and breathed in, solid. He stood on his own two legs, clad in a black and dark blue hakama fit for a shogun. His mindscape was of the Japanese hill country, the sky cast in twilight, a red sun high in the sky.
Jade was on the ground before him. Without the coating of shadows, the naga was far more pathetic. Near emaciated, even, and black in color rather than the healthy blue of a juvenile.
"Queen of the Shadowkhan," he greeted. He could tell who was driving the wreck before him. But she blinked without comprehension.
"Hmm, Jade?" he asked. There was the recognition.
Ah, but of course. When you got down to the bare bones, the Queen was defined as Jade Chan's darkness. In truth, she was as much Jade as the other half, in the ways that mattered most. And bare bones were what he was working with here.
"You know me," he stared. She nodded her hairless head.
"Good. I come to offer you salvation.
"You have survived an ordeal. And perhaps in time you may regain a fraction of what your mind once was. But still, you would be less than what you were. Merely a shadow creature, bound to the only realm your life can long endure in. Beyond the reach of friend and foe alike. Save for me.
"I always knew you would be back, Jade. Not because my mark was placed on you. Any fool can draw something on them for power. But you made that power yours. Your nature is that rare combination of those who long so deeply for power, yet possess the capacity to break it beneath them like a horse rather than being carried by the horse.
"Patience pays off. You sealed me, and now you will free me and mine to darken a new world.
"Because I would make you one of mine officially. I am a Shadowkhan Lord; my power is great. I would have you reborn through my chi, restored to glory and set on the path of my kind.
"In exchange, you will receive a spell into your mind. And you will perform it. And what's more, I will take you as a student, possibly even heir.
"So what of it? Will you serve?" he rumbled. He knelt and held out a clawed red hand.
The naga stared between his face and the hand. It hesitated, but he was not worried.
At last, she laid her head in his palm.
"Done then. Not to be undone," he said. Chi surged from his hand, black with brilliant specks of purple and green rising from it. The naga was coated in mere moments. Lowering it to the ground, he chanted as he stood.
The cyndrical shape began to compress, and widen out into a humanoid shape. Red light pierced the brow area as his mark engraved itself anew.
Raising his free hand still higher, connected to the chrysalis by a pulsing black cord, he stopped chanting.
A wakizashi formed in his free hand.
"In birth, the cord is cut by a blade, the severance to signify a beginning independent of what came before.
"In the name of shadow, the blade falls for a second time. Rise now, reborn of a shadow lord's chi, Shadowkan. Zhu Chan, Kagehime," he said. The blade sang through the air, severing the cord.
And opening his eyes, he saw the real cocoon harden into a shell.
"Now only a bit of waiting. Then time for this king to open his presents," he grinned.
XXX
The multi-terrain arena was deserted for the moment. But the solar lights were still on for the sake of the flora that were part of it. And the false suns cast ample shadows, from tree, stone, and crumbling urban ruin alike.
Unnoticed by all but the most sensitive sensors, a black dot of shadow, no larger than a man's thumbprint, appeared in the center of the pond that took up the axis of the arena. But the shadows sensed it, and were drawn to it.
Stretching and twisting in spirals of every size and converging to blacken the ground and water utterly, they reached out to touch the emerging darkness. And drew it forth, retracting themselves.
It was shaped like a grass seed, hardened and segmented, the black object pulled from the shadow on the water. But the size was that of a young, but not so young, child.
The retraction halted as the seed was pulled into the light fully. Stillness reigned alongside the silence, but only for a moment or two. The segments shifted, kicking up motes of black dust, and began to fold.
The tip vanished first, folding down to reveal a hollow point. The sides receded, holes opening. Only the bottom hesitated to shrink so, even as a pair of blue hands emerged from two holes.
As the shell softened and collapsed further, the bottom gave way too, splitting and forming into two flattened points. Retaining more rigidity than the black cloth above, the lower segments snapped into place as a pair of shiny, pointed black boots.
The Kagehime of the Shadowkhan breathed in deeply, and let out the breath slowly.
"The air, so cold and thin by comparison. But it invigorates the body, sharpens the mind. Like getting out of a hot tub in a way, I suppose," she said. Opening her eyes, she looked down and with a wave of her hand dismissed enough shadows to their proper place to see herself reflected in the placid water.
The black kimono was not quite as dramatic as she would have liked. The imperial purple obi was a step in the right direction, though. Tapping the solid shadow with her boots, she smiled. Finally, footwear that was comfortable and not just practical.
Well, she had a distinct feeling that this outfit was morphable, so it could be spruced up later.
What she had inside the clothes was more important. Blue flesh, singing with physical power and chi anew. And her mind, flipping through their history with ease and agility, assessing everything around them.
Big Red had kept his word; her body was restored. Not completely unaltered, though. Her hair was gone, she noted with a scowl. It had better not be a repeat with her eyebrows, because if he could resurrect her from that state but not re-grow hair, she would haunt him with snark against his unseen manhood for a thousand years.
Oh, and there were tiny red horns growing from her brow. She gingerly touched both with her index fingers. They did not look even as long as her pinky nails. Dull red nubs, really. Flanking the glowing mark of Tarakudo on her forehead.
The reflection of the mark seemed to convey annoyance.
"Yes, yes, I'm on it. I'll just repeat after you," she muttered. She sent the shadows back, riding a broad tree shadow to share and stepping off it at the shadow's edge.
The chi was too much, she admitted, flexing her right hand. He was pouring it into her still, making this magic too easy. If he kept it up, her body would start to overheat. Was the spell just that powerful, or was it a reminder?
Sighing at how she was having trouble catching up their own life, she closed her eyes and let the King command her voice and hands.
Let him use the chi inside and outside the mask at the same time to pierce the veil. That obsession was Jade's; this world was just as good for them as the other to her. And now was an opportunity to check on her beloved other self.
'No,' she cursed, finding the other still incomplete. She still functioned, but the chi core was gone. Either expelled or destroyed. It must be found, she decided. Yin required Yang to be complete.
And this changed her goal not at all. They would be I. This only meant she could control the process more directly.
"Zhu Chan. It is time, you hold the mask," Tarakudo spoke through her forehead, his words writing themselves in her mind in bold brush strokes.
Opening her eyes, she saw she was indeed holding the Red Mask.
It had come here from that home dimension. Strange that. Her other self would be very interested in that kind of magic. Perhaps she should have observed?
Her shortsightedness was getting the better of her, again.
Regret that later, she decided. She had ancient evil to unleash before it decided to fry her mind, and use her perhaps as a meat puppet of some kind?
She knew what to do, so she did it. The mask they had slammed onto Tarakudo's face, she gently put onto hers.
It was a surprising good fit, adhering to her as she pulled her hands away.
Chi flowed through her; she guessed if she could see it, would be purple and pulsing through her skin as it rushed to her head.
Specifically, to the mark engraved on her brow.
She felt the King strike the mask simultaneously from the outside and the inside with his chi. It hurt. As the mask cracked and energy surged, she felt it break into a shard for every High Shadowkhan imprisoned within, and the shards sink into her face, each hot to the touch.
With a whimper that shamed her, she fell forward, only for a pair of clawed hands to catch her. Blinking away the white pain from her eyes as her skin closed over the mask, she saw she was no longer alone.
XXX
The HIVE had been breached. Blood could accept the occasional spy to be rooted out, and the odd saboteur. Price of doing business. But this invasion was something else. The fact that the invaders seemed so nonchalant did not help his mood.
Even if they turned out to be clients, which he doubted, a message needed to be sent. So as his octagonal platform lowered, he was already wearing his armor and red mage attire. He rode his way down into the arena alone, but three more platforms descended nearby, with the most powerful of the faculty on them.
He had reserves, if he needed them, on standby. After all, he was loath to admit weakness, but he had not lived this long by failing to account for the need to beat a hasty retreat.
They were a strange bunch by the lake, he thought, as his platform set down and he set foot onto the grass. He did not look back as his minions followed him. His attention was on the invaders. One of which had just put what looked to be a black straw kasa on the head of what he assumed to be Zhu Chan.
Nine massive Oni in black armor. He had encountered Oni before, though – these looked the part, but were much larger, and better dressed. Also they felt far more… solid, as he probed their power. Even a cursory sweep at the mind was aborted; it felt like drawing close to infernos.
As if in reaction to the probe, the largest of the group, a massive green Oni with bright orange sideburns, leapt over his comrades to stand before Blood's group.
"Impudence," the Oni rumbled. He raised a large sandaled foot, but stopped at a word.
"Let him pass, Taichi-san," one of them said. The towering green Oni stepped aside, revealing the speaker to be the helmed blue-scaled Oni, who stood with his arms crossed, grinning, showing off his sharp teeth. Zhu Chan hovered beside him, her head concealed by the shadows cast by her new hat.
"My, a couple of handsome ones here. There are not commoners, are they, hime?" asked the one with the massive purple mane. Blood glanced at the speaker; he had been the one to put that hat on the seemingly traitorous Zhu Chan.
"Princess, is it? My, it would seem you have been holding out on your background, Zhu Chan," Blood remarked.
"*sniff, sniff* Yes, a mind witch indeed. How fortuitous. He is for us, not you, Kubota-san," the bald black one with red eyes said. He was staring at Blood intently. That was one to watch out for.
"Brother Blood, Headmaster of the HIVE. Kagehime Zhu Chan, we are pleased to finally meet you. I am General Ikazuki, Warlord of the Shadowkhan and Right Hand of my Lord," the blue-scaled samurai said.
"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you and your associates, General Ikazuki. May I ask how the HIVE can assist such distinguished visitors from abroad?" Blood said, smiling and giving a slight bow.
"Simple. Submit yourself and your followers and territories and be spared as a vassal to the Shadowkhan Empire. Or resist and perish for the high crime of a mortal presuming to command a Shadowkhan. You may express your submission by kowtowing and orally stating your surrender and allegiance," Ikazuki announced calmly.
"But I want his brains, Ikazuki-sama," the black general objected.
Blood snapped his fingers, and the faculty behind him fell into battle stances. His own eyes glowed red, as he glared at the gaggle of ghouls. Susano and his company came from cover, joining them. But not Gadjo, Blood noted with surprise.
Susano sneered, channeling lightning through his staff.
"What did I tell you, Headmaster? Let one filthy Oni vagrant in, then the numbers just skyrocket into an infestation," Susano declared. He fired a lighting bolt as the big green Oni launched itself at him. It seemed to have no effect, as a fist the size of a shopping cart hit him in the gut and sent him flying with a near whistle sound.
The Oni lackey of the godling went down, kowtowing to the more massive Oni. The ghost also abased herself before the invaders.
Blood spun on his heel and loosed a red blast of psy energy that sent the two students rolling across the grass, even the ghost. He turned his attention back to the Oni; the green one was standing passively, arms crossed, while the others simply looked amused. Blood was not going to lose his temper first. Instead he stood tall, regarding them with disdain.
"Ikazuki, do you really think you can overthrow the HIVE with a mere ten of your kind?" he asked with a sneer.
"Not ten," a deep voice called. Something red rose from the lake… no, the reflection of the lake. A familiar red face with a white mustache and yellow eyes. Ikazuki raised a fist and called loudly.
"Behold Tarakudo, Lord of the Shadowkhan, once and future King of All Oni!" Ikazuki declared. He and all the others bowed their heads as the head floated to a place at their front.
"Oh please, you are too kind! Everyone hopes for such a warm reception on a comeback tour.
"Oh, you? Remember me, boy? You failed to take my stuff, now I get to show you how it is done," the red Oni chuckled. Blood pulled a control from a pouch and pressed the button. Large doors opened on the walls revealing the cream combatants of the Student Body, and hundreds of drones descended on more hexagons.
"You and what army?" Blood asked, raising an eyebrow.
He was prepared for bravado. Blood did not expect his foes to show intimidation at the display. They were not so foolish to be this brazen unless they had considerable skill. And one learned how to bluff when faced with overwhelming odds.
But his rage was no less kindled when Zhu Chan lifted the back of a hand to her mouth and giggled. The Oni Generals exchanged amused looks. And Tarakudo loomed, lips pulling back, displaying all of the teeth in the floating head.
"I was so hoping you would say that.
"Gentlemen?" the so-called Lord said, glancing back at his companions. Each of the Generals raised a hand, and Blood – sensing something amiss – glanced around. And saw every shadow in sight expanding…
XXX
Gadjo washed his hands, hoping that was the last of that. He had realized with the first bite that witch-stuffed pie would not taste good. It tasted like stale magic, old people, and some particularly imposing and cliché potpourri.
Still, the witch was sullying the good name of pie, and there was only one appropriate punishment for such a sin. The price of justice had so far led to the demise of three innocent toilets, and him missing whatever super "come and kill it" thing the old man with the bad hair and mind control powers wanted.
So it was with some surprise he opened the men's room door to the sounds of battle.
"Oh, party!" he cheered, pumping his fists. Robots ran and flew, firing lasers and wielding chainsaw things. Against ninjas who riddled them with steel shuriken and chopped them with swords. The ninjas poofed into smoke; he wondered what flavor of smoke, blueberry?
Though looking around at all the shadow images, it seemed there was less fighting by the moment.
Wait a second, had he missed it!?
"You, human!" someone called out in a voice almost as deep as Gadjo's own.
"Me?" Gadjo asked. He turned and saw that the Little Shadow had brought friends. Tragically bald, in this case.
"You. Either pledge your allegiance to the Empire of Shadows in a war of world conquest to bring about the Age of Shadows, or suffer slavery and death beneath the yoke!" the bald black shadow declared.
"Oh, so Gadjo must either fight with evil shadow army for world conquest. Or against world conquering shadow army?" Gadjo asked.
Rummaging in his pocket, he produced a shiny quarter. Pressing his lips into a line, he flipped the coin. He caught it in the air with his left hand and slapped it down on the black of his right hand.
Raising his hands to eye level, he lifted his left hand to see.
"Oooooh," Gadjo breathed.
XXX
Mammoth was grinning as he grappled with a blue sumo ninja in the school corridor. Breaking the grip in his favor, the villain brought his fists down on the enemy's head. Its eyes widened satisfyingly for a second before it poofed.
He liked the poof – all the fun, none of the mess.
As a crab ninja attacked him, he looked to Jinx. Catching the crab in a headlock, he started to punch it in the face.
"Jinx, why are we doing this again?" Mammoth asked.
Jinx blasted the advancing ranks of ninja in the corridor. They didn't even try to dodge, filling the corridor with blue smoke.
"You need a reason to fight?" Jinx snarked.
"Well, I prefer to get paid, but good point. But still, you got on well with Zhu Chan. Shouldn't you be getting all Quisling?" Mammoth asked.
"That's not Blue. And who actually paid attention in History of Treachery?" Jinx said. Looking down the corridor, shadow ninjas were advancing, and still more emerged from the smoke.
"Nobody panic! I! HAVE! SCIENCE!" Gizmo screamed nearby. Mammoth heard something like a wet machine gun and hit the deck. Projectiles filled the air over the two ducking villains as the smoke filled the room.
The weapon went silent and a fan clicked on. As the smoke cleared, Gizmo was revealed, wearing what looked his usual robot leg transport mixed with a small motorcycle, with a small cannon on each side and the top.
"You could have hit us!" Jinx growled.
"Well, unless you have onion 'allergies', no problem," Gizmo smirked, taking his goggles up as he rolled up to them.
"You weaponized onions?" Jinx asked. Gizmo grinned.
"I was planning to use it against ninja girl, but her cousins seem pretty vulnerable. Even the big ones if you get it in the eyes," Gizmo stated.
"Why are you helping us instead of escaping?" Jinx asked.
"Uh, the big nonstandard ninja are tons tougher, and they are tightening the noose. Also, I'm out of onions, and most everyone has decided blue is the new black.
"Besides, ninja girl being part of a ruling class cannot possibly end well for me," Gizmo admitted.
"So you need us to rescue you?" Jinx groaned. This was not good. They were trapped and would likely be up to their armpits in ninjas again soon. They needed a trump card to buy time and get some breathing room.
Then Gadjo burst through the wall, at least a dozen shuriken stuck in him and two sumos in a headlock. With a booming laugh, he tightened his grip. With a crack that made Jinx cringe, the sumos vaporized.
"…Hey Gadjo? Want to do something cool?" Jinx said, throwing together a plan in her head.
Later, HIVE Exam Arena:
"So, you are sure my hair will grow back?" Kagehime asked again. Tarakudo rolled his eyes before turning away from the improvised scrying pool that was the lake. She had taken the black kasa hat off again to rub at her bare blue scalp.
"Yes, for the third time! And no, I can't fix your eyebrows. Well, maybe I could, but really, women are better off without them. And frankly, it's a problem too trivial for even me to bother. Now, for men of breeding and taste though, bushy eyebrows are a sign of status.
"As for you, we're in a school, grab a pencil and draw some," he said. She grumbled and put the hat back on.
"What about my other half? Any thoughts on how I can fix her?" Kagehime asked.
"HAHAHAHA! You serious?" the Lord of the Shadowkhan asked.
"Well, you see, I'm really not… smart without her," she admitted, fiddling with her hat.
"Yeah, I never would have guessed with how you repeat questions and can't keep straight the names of Generals whose faces are nothing if not unique.
"But no, I have smarts in abundance in this organization. Besides, that merge plan of yours would just as likely produce some chaotic good dark anti-hero type. Not good for my business.
"So just sit back, do as you're told, and maybe you will be competent by the time you grow into your first set of horns. That other half is history, as far as I am concerned," he dismissed. Kagehime growled, but simply sat down on the grass, folding her arms.
"Ah," he smiled. Nine pools of black formed near them, and the Generals rose into sight. Ikazuki spoke first.
"The HIVE fortress is ours, my King," the Samurai General reported. The massive General Taichi spoke up next.
"My forces have gained control of the vast majority of the technological information network. As of now, 79% of the HIVE Central Network is under our direct control and the ciphers will crumble within hours. As it is, we now control all communications with a wireless firewall boosted by magic shielding us," the green-skinned sumo reported. The black-skinned Noburu reported next.
"I regret to say a small group of students escaped," he admitted. He received glares from the others, save for the longhaired Kubota.
"A minor matter. We are going to move soon. This world is accustomed to big trouble, but not our exact kind of trouble. We will not give them a chance to adapt and-"
"Wait!" General Kubota interrupted.
"I bring the most important news of all… Sake!" he declared, pulling a pair of tall glass bottles out from behind his back. His ninja drones rose around them and handed bottles of the rice wine to the other Generals, and an apple juice box to the sitting Shadowkhan girl.
"Sorry, but a Shadowkhan should not drink until after their second pair of horns. Unless you want to amuse others with drunken antics," the purple-haired Oni laughed. Tarakudo sighed, and cleared his throat.
"As I was saying. We are going to perform a layered portion of the old plan. Which means securing the city above us first, as an array booster," Tarakudo said. At this, Kagehime spoke up.
"Hey, I have always wondered. What was the point of the whole 'cover the world in darkness' thing, anyway? The plants would all die and life would follow.
"Isn't destroying the world for losers?" she asked.
"Oh, it is. But covering the world in darkness is just a means to an end," Ikazuki answered. Tarakudo picked up from there.
"That end being to then drag this entire world into the Shadow Realm. This world will become an interstice where shadow magic and shadow beings are superior at the expense of all others.
"Bringing 879 years of the Age of Shadows, where we shall rule supreme!" He declared. The Generals joined him in the cheer, while the former Queen frowned.
"What, didn't spring for the full millennium package?" she asked.
"Be quiet or we won't tell you how to make drones, you horn nub," one of the quieter Generals said, lightly kicking her in the back.
Titans Tower:
Robin paced the main tower room, trying not to look at Raven floating as she meditated, or Cyborg as he stood hooked into the tower's systems for a maximum boost. Beast Boy and Starfire were watching the monitors Cyborg had pulled up.
With the exception of the island, Jump City was being occupied by an army of magical ninjas. By the time they had responded to the attacks on the government buildings and police, the situation had already gotten out of hand.
One of the monitors did not show a scene being broadcast, but a map. Showing a circle around not only the city, but also a large chunk of Central California.
The line had come quickly; with the exception of Starfire, they had each detected it in some way. For Robin, it had been the feeling he would get when a hostile had managed to blindside him just before they would try and strike.
Raven had actually seen it. A curving line of shadow, racing outward. Chi magic, very, very strong chi magic. Forming a perimeter that could not be crossed in either direction, as a dome of twilight formed overhead. Even communications were being blacked out.
Cyborg detached and turned to address the others.
"No good Robin, we have no lines of communication. I thought maybe line of sight with those outside the dome. The League was doing that. Green Arrow showed up with signs.
"There's a second circle spreading from this first one. It seems to not affect humans and other native Earth life, but metahumans, aliens, and magical creatures get pushed back.
"But shortly after that, the dome altered to cut that out. It could be coincidence, but I think the enemy is adapting," Cyborg reported.
"Xenophobic magic?" Beast Boy remarked.
"No, power monopolizing magic," Robin answered. Cyborg nodded, agreeing with the assessment.
"This second circle means no Superman, no Martian Manhunter, no Zatanna, no Doctor Fate, and no Flash or the like working on that dome. I suppose human heroes or pure science ones like Arrow, Batman, or Red Tornado could carry magic objects to use. But still, it complicates things, buys time for the HIVE," Cyborg explained.
"This doesn't seem like the HIVE's MO," Robin stated.
"The epicenter of this dome is in the HIVE, that can't be a coincidence," Cyborg pointed out.
"It's not," Raven said. Unfolding her legs, she returned from the ground.
"Friend Raven, you have learned something of the blue army?" Starfire asked.
"Yes. They are definitely related to Zhu Chan. Same species, but they don't seem to have minds of their own. Drones directed by a higher caste, I would guess. A higher caste Zhu Chan herself might belong to," Raven said.
"Revenge?" Robin asked. Invasions had been launched for far less than the death of a VIP.
"Perhaps. What worries me is I feel that we are not seeing the true power at play here. The invaders haven't made their real move yet. When they do…" Raven left the possibilities floating.
"…You couldn't contact through astral projection then?" Robin asked.
"No. Though now that I know about this second circle, I think that one is still growing.
"This army may not be merely establishing a beachhead with this spell. If they envelop the planet with that second circle, they will deny the Earth many of its best defenders and any hope of offworld aid," Raven stated.
"Then expand this dome, subjugating piece by piece at their own pace," Starfire supplied.
"Why weren't we affected?" Beast Boy asked.
"The invaders are magic and inter-dimensionally alien. They needed a starting point they could be safely inside before this second spell was added to the first. We were lucky," Raven stated.
"So, we are on our own, facing this army and possibly the whole HIVE?" Cyborg asked.
"Yes," Robin said.
"Well, we best bring the A-game then. This is going to be intense. Booyah!" Cyborg declared.
"Uh, guys, I think the HIVE is coming to us. To surrender?" Beast Boy said. He was pointing to the monitors. One of which showed four familiar supervillains disembarking from a dingy, three holding up jet skis, and the fourth apparently having swum the bay.
And Jinx was waving a white flag?
HIVE:
The Shadowkan High Command looked into the scrying lake and observed the progress of the spells and their forces.
"Success!" Ikazuki declared, as they watched Superman get pushed back by the barrier.
"That one there, he is one of the most dangerous. It seems our bridgehead is secured," Taichi commented.
"What about the Batman, I don't see him," Kagehime said. She was crouched at the lake's edge studying the many windows glowing in the enchanted water.
"A mere mortal shinobi with some fancy toys. He may provide some sport, but it is might and magic we need fear in this chi illiterate world," Ikazuki waved his hand from where he loomed over her.
"Batman is feared by the darkness of this world. He defeats darkness while in the darkness," the small Khan insisted.
"I do not share a little girl's fear," he said. To press his point, he planted his boot to her exposed rear, and with a cut-off shriek, she fell into the water.
"Tsk, tsk! Whatever happened to bushido?" Kubota chastised, looking at where the kasa was floating on the water. In one smooth motion, he couched and pulled both the girl and the hat out of the water, depositing them back on land, turning away as she spat out water.
"I say if there is no immediate work, it's time for sake!" Kubota declared, arms raised, saucers appearing in his hands by slight of hand. Cheers greeted his proclamation.
"There will be time for sake later!" Ikazuki snapped. Kubota frowned.
"That's what you sad last time. I prefer my sake now. And heated, and served by lovely geishas," Kubota said.
"And I wish to start preparing the special dish of our new era banquet," Noburu said, gesturing to the stock that glistened with purple chi sorcery, a ragged Brother Blood struggling within it.
"There will not be much to go around. But I assure you all, it will be the best bite of brain you have had in ages. And for the hime, she will quickly see why brain is the best part," Noburu said, licking his lips in anticipation.
"Let them have their fun, Ikazuki," Tarakudo said. He was still watching the pools.
"They can do what they like, so long as they can get the materials from the base," the Lord of the Shadowkhan continued. Kubota brightened and bowed.
"My thanks, my lord. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go recruit some geishas. Now where did I put that slender ghost and that handsome godling again?" the General said, walking off.
Kagehime watched this all with a frown as she tried to wring water out of her kimono and took a sip from the juice box. The mask fragments still throbbing under her face, and the currently invisible mark on her brow still burning slowly out of sight.
Author's Note:
How is this for update speed?
Two things too note from this chapter. One I admit I loath the Mother Mae Eye episode so yet again i call upon Gadjo's services. I hope you can forgive my indulgence on tat matter. Two, the words of established archvillains should be taken with a grain of salt.
Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter.