Chapter 2: Face Off
-- Amity Park --
Vlad snarled and tried to pull free of Draconum's crushing grip. He winced when the hand on his wrist slowly began to twist and pulled even harder.
"What do you want?" Vlad snarled.
Draconum simply glared at him, his eyes glowing ominously. Vlad gave an extra powerful yank and his hand slipped free. He stumbled back and away from the green eyed man standing over Danny Phantom and his little fire haired vixen.
"Are you two alright?" Draconum asked. He glanced down at them. His eyes soften just a little when he glanced them over.
"Yeah." Danny growled over coming the initial shock of Draconum's sudden appearance. "Not that I ain't grateful but what are you doing here?"
Draconum grinned at him. "I stopped by for a visit, looks like I had good timing too."
Danny laughed. Even Ember grinned up at him.
Vlad snarled. "Well, so you have powerful friends then Daniel. I shouldn't be surprised I suppose, you did turn one of your greatest enemies into your girl friend."
Draconum turn his attention back to Vlad. His form slowly morphing into something stronger and less human. His trench coat wrapped around him and thickened into black plate armor. He grew in height until he was around seven feet tall. His face contorted as charcoal black scales emerged from his skin. His glowing eyes exploded in green fire. Vlad took a step back and surveyed this new opponent. Draconum grinned, his smile almost literally went from ear to ear across his face and his teeth were needle sharp. Even Vlad flinched at that grotesque smile.
Draconum raised one armor clad hand and held it as if he was holding something.
"Kalsinlo, Blade of the Shadow, your master calls you." He said in a whisper.
The whisper echoed out from him as if it were carried on the wind. The light suddenly dimmed around him as if it feared to touch him. Darkness swirled in his hand forming a shadowy whirlpool.
"Kalsinlo, Bane of the Light, your master summons you." He voice grew louder with every word.
The swirling darkness slowly began to take on an undefined shape in his hand. The vague image of a sword could be seen. A sword made of pure shadow. Under Draconum's feet green glowing runes appeared just like the runes that had made up the poem in his tomb.
"Kalsinlo, Drinker of Life, your master commands you!" He roared, his voice thundered into the sky, cracking nearby windows and making the three ghosts cover their ears. "Come to me Shadow Fang!"
The glowing runes flashed brightly then dissipated. In Draconum's hand was a shifting blade of darkness. No light shone near it and a vale of darkness hung around it. It was as if it was devouring any light nearby. Danny recognized the substance as the same that made up the slab that held the poem. A blade forged of the Essence of Shadow. Danny shivered, Clockwork had said the stuff could devour anyone who touched it. It was literally the polar opposite of light given a physical form.
"Behold Kalsinlo," Draconum said with a heartless smile, "the Shadow Fang. Behold your doom, Vlad Masters."
Vlad was unnerved to say the least, but he still held his ground. It was just him one on one with this... thing. The girl and Daniel were far to weaken to aid this new enemy.
"How do you know my name creature?" Vlad asked in a low growl.
Dracunom raised his other hand with the palm facing up.
"Somhuss Orbane Corsanor!" He whispered.
A glowing green orb appeared in the air above his hand.
"Show me Vlad Masters." He said.
The orb flashed and showed the very scene they were in right now, though the orb was not present in the image.
"I know many things foolish child," Draconum said mockingly to Vlad, "more then you will ever realize."
"Child?" Vlad snarled "CHILD?!"
Draconum simply smiled and got into a loose combat stance. Vlad launched himself forward firing ecto blasts as he did. Draconum raised the shadowy blade and blocked each one. Danny stared as the sword seemed to draw the energy into itself hungrily. Vlad was now in close and unleashed a flurry of quick punches which Draconum didn't even bother to block. The hits slammed into his armored chest causing small shock waves with each impact. Draconum didn't even move, he just smiled down at Vlad lazily.
Enraged, Vlad pulled back and unloaded a massive punch right into Draconum's jaw. Danny flinched at the sound of the powerful impact.
Vlad smirk as Draconum stumbled backwards a few steps. His grin faltered, however, when Draconum straighted and began laughing. The sound was chilling and Danny was sure the temperature dropped below zero at the hissing laugh. He felt Ember shiver next to him. No matter what Danny thought of Draconum he would always be a creature born of the shadow and naturally unnerving to almost everything else.
"What are you laughing at you scaly freak?" Vlad snarled.
Draconum's laughter came to a sudden halt. He slowly took on a combat stance again.
"Now its my turn." He said in a deadly quite voice that made Vlad take a step back.
Draconum moved so fast that the three ghosts could only see a blur as he closed with his opponent. Vlad raised his hands to block what ever was coming, but doubled over when one of Draconum's armored fists collided with his gut. Not wasting a moment Draconum slammed his knee into Vlad's face with enough force to send the ghost skyward.
Before Vlad could even begin stop his upward momentum Draconum appeared above him, slamming both his fists and the hilt of his sword into Vlad's lower back. The shock wave the echoed away from the impact bent the tops of nearby trees.
Vlad screamed in agony as he felt a sensation not unlike burning spread from were the blade's hilt had touched. The power of the massive blow sent him plummeting ground ward once more and Vlad realized he was barely holding onto consciousness.
'This isn't good,' He thought desperately, 'this creature's power and speed is over whelming. I have to get out of here before...'
Draconum appeared below him with one armored hand raised. Vlad's chest impacted into Draconum's raised fist with enough force to shatter the ground beneath the creature and send another shock wave outward from them. Draconum tilted his head towards Vlad and smiled pleasantly. He threw the helpless ghost away like a worthless sack and Vlad impacted into a nearby wall, cracking the concert it was made out of.
Vlad vaguely realized he was back in his human form. The fiery pain in his lower back was slowly spreading and the rest of his body felt like it was broken into pieces. He attempted to struggle to his feet and was rewarded with an armored boot violently connecting with his side.
He skidded to a halt a few seconds late, he hadn't even realized he had been air born. In the back of his mind he realized that the entire right side of his rib cage was shattered, but at the moment the only thing that concerned him was the pair of armored boots slowly walking towards him and the shadowy blade that was being raised.
He saw the monster swing the sword down at him in an arc meant to relieve him of his head, but he heard someone scream something. The blade stopped. It was touching his skin. He could feel the fiery pain spreading across his body from the blade. He noticed now though that it felt like it was draining him of something. He thought it might have been his life bing sucked into the sword, but he wasn't sure.
"Please stop! That's enough!" He heard Danny shout. Was the boy saving him? Him of all people? Vlad almost smiled despite it all.
'A hero will always be a hero it seems.' He thought bitterly.
He felt the blade leave his neck and felt a small amount of blood running from the cut it had given him. He would of laughed if he wasn't so sure that...
Vlad fell face first onto the ground, dead or knocked out Danny couldn't tell. He looked on in horror as Draconum kicked Vlad so he was facing up.
'I guess at least he won't suffocate like that.' He thought.
The creature turned back to them. Ember drew back slowly as he approached staring wide eyed with terror at him.
"Is he..." Danny whispered.
"Why?" Draconum said reverting back to his human shape. He glanced down at the sword a whispered something causing it to vanish. The gloom disappeared with it.
"What?" Danny said looking up at Draconum.
"Why did you stop me?"
"Because it isn't right to just kill someone like that!" Danny almost screamed.
Draconum cocked his head to the side in curiosity. "Even someone like him?" He pointed in an uncaring manner at Vlad's prone form.
Danny stared in disbelief. Was he joking?
'No.'
Danny blinked.
'I am not joking.' Draconum's voice clarified in his mind.
"You can't kill anyone like that. It's not our place to decide who lives and who dies!"
"You do all the time." Draconum said pointedly.
"What?! No I don't!"
"You save people from dieing a lot Danny." Draconum said smugly. "That would be deciding its not there time to die if I am not mistaken. There fore you decide that they get to live."
Danny stared at him. "It's not right for people to die!"
"Death is part of life." Draconum said simply. Danny looked at Ember who was making her way to Vlad. She knelt down next to him and began looking for signs of life.
"Thats not the point. If I can keep someone alive a little longer I will."
Draconum smirked. "You just contradicted yourself."
"Guys." Ember called.
Danny snarled at his friend. "What are you talking about."
"Guys!" Ember said a little louder.
"You just said 'if I can keep someone alive a little...'"
"Yes, I know! So what?"
"So you admit that the people you save are people who you decide get to live then?"
Danny stared at Draconum. Curse him and his cold ruthless logic!
"GUYS!!" Ember shouted at the top of her lungs. Her fiery blue hair flickered angrily. Danny jumped and stared at her.
"What?" Draconum asked simply turning his attention to her.
"He is still alive. We need to get him to a hospital. Now!" She said harshly.
Draconum shrugged and moved toward Ember and Vlad. Danny jogged up next to him ready to try and restrain Draconum if he tried to finish the job.
'Like you could, boy. But no I will not kill him.'
He bent down and scooped Vlad up like he weighed as much as a doll. A doll that was broken and battered beyond recognition. Draconum took to the air heading for the closest hospital.
Danny flinched at the amount of damage that had been done. Vlad would be very, very lucky if he lived through this. Danny stopped. Or maybe he would really rather be dead. Knowing Draconum, he had done something permanent...