Chapter 7: Battle in the Trees

- Forest Outside Amity Park -

At first all three of their possessed enemies launched themselves at Draconum. Danny flinched as the ancient creature connected a powerful punch with Tucker's chest that sent the tech geek flying into a rock several dozen yards away. Danny launched himself at Tucker before he could start to recover and saw Draconum's tail twist around Sam and throw her off into the woods. Ember went after her at top speed, but he couldn't see either of them.

Danny watched Vlad collide full speed with Draconum sending them both flying into the forest and out of sight. He turned his full attention to Tucker who was finally standing back up.

"Tucker, come on! It's me, it's Danny man! Snap out of it!" Danny pleaded.

Tucker just growled in a feral manner and launched at him. Danny easily blocked the unskilled punch that Tucker threw, but was sent backwards by the tremendous power of the blow.

'Great, they are stronger and faster then they are normally!' Danny snarled in his mind.

Danny dodged another punch and blasted Tucker backward with a weak ecto blast.

'At least they aren't as smart as they normally are though.'

Tucker stumbled a few feet backwards then seemed to recover. He snarled demonicly and sprinted forward again. Danny didn't have time to react as Tucker plowed into him full force slamming him into a tree. Danny gasped at the impact, but reacted instantly. He pulled his legs up between himself and Tucker and pushed for all he was worth. Tucker went flying through the air slamming into and through the top of a rather large pine tree.

He landed about a dozen yards away with the top of the tree falling straight down on him. Danny panicked, Tucker was his friend and it wasn't his fault he was possessed. Danny had to save him before that tree killed him! Danny took off at full speed towards Tucker, but just as the tree was about to smash the geek flat he raised a hand and caught it in mid air. Tucker stumbled to his feet wielding the top of the tree like a club and swung it at Danny who didn't have time to dodge.

Danny felt his back impact into something hard. He struggled to his feet flinched at the feeling in his lower back. Why did rocks have to be so damn hard?

Tucker started walking towards him still wielding the tree club. Danny frowned again. This was a lot harder then he had thought it was going to be. The tech geek suddenly lurched forward running at top speed to get to him. Raising the club to smash his intended target flat and swinging down in a axe like motion. Danny just grinned a phased through it and nailed Tucker in the jaw with a powered punch that sent him sailing.

He saw a flash of light to his right and glanced that towards it, sure that Tucker was down for a little while at least. He saw Sam and Ember battling it out. Sam was backing up dodging ecto blasts left and right and Ember was hovering off the ground seemingly not even aiming, just blasting away at her opponent.

'Guess thats as good a way as any to keep someone busy.' He thought with a grin. The grin turned into a grimace though as Sam jumped nearly thirty feet into the air and slammed into Ember bringing them both tumbling back down to the ground with a crash. He saw Sam go flying again as Ember kicked her off and went chasing after her out of his view again.

He heard something in front him and glanced around just in time to dodge out of the way as Tucker swiped at him with his claw like hands. He hadn't been fast enough though and Danny screamed in pain as the claws slashed across his chest. He fell backwards onto the ground and saw Tucker land on top of him.

"Guess what Danny!" Tucker snarled mockingly, "I win!"

Tucker raised his claws ready to strike down and finish Danny off, but to their right they heard Ember scream in rage. The two teens looked in the direction of the noise just as Sam came flying through the air slamming into Tucker and sending them both spinning into the forest. Danny jumped to his feet immediately and saw Ember come flying out of the trees to stand next to him.

Sam and Tucker struggled to their feet both looking a little worse for wear. The four combatants squared off again, waiting for the others to make the first move. Finally Sam rushed towards Ember who dodged to the side swinging her guitar up in an arc. The guitar caught the goth in the stomach and buckled her over. Danny launched back at Tucker releasing several ecto blasts as he did. The tech geek managed to dodge all but one that burned into his leg and stunned him for a second. A second was all Danny needed as he landed yet another powered punch to Tucker's jaw hoping to knock him out.

"He is mine!" He heard Sam scream behind him. He whirled around and saw the two girls locked in a grappling contest.

"I don't think so goth girl! You had your chance with him and blew it!" Ember screamed right back and fell backwards kicking Sam over her head as she did so. The teen slammed head first into a tree and slumped to the ground unconscious. Danny looked at Tucker a few yards away. He looked knocked out too.

"Drac!" Ember called into the forest after making sure both their enemies were down for the count.

Suddenly an inhuman roar shook the entire forest and Vlad came flying out of the trees slamming into and straight through several of them. Draconum was right behind him, plowing over huge oak trees like a bulldozer straight out of a nightmare. He grabbed a boulder three times his size as he ran by it and sent it hurtling at Vlad with one hand. Danny noticed that he had several wounds on him, including a rather nasty slash on his arm, but none of it seemed to be slowing him down.

The boulder smash into Vlad just as he hit the ground. The resounding impact shook the trees and made the ground tremble. Draconum pounced toward the boulder slamming his fist into it, shattering it into thousands of pieces and allowing his fist to impact with Vlad on the other side. He drew back his other fist and slammed it down onto Vlad's chest shattering the ground beneath the possessed halfa. Then he drew both of his hands over his head and clasped them together and bringing them both down with inhuman strength on Vlad's head and creating a small crater in the process.

Danny stared. Vlad couldn't be alive after that, he couldn't be! Nothing could of survived an impact like that to the skull!

As if in defiance of his thought Vlad attempted to kick Draconum off of himself. The kick landed solidly in Draconum's jaw and made the enraged dragon man stumble back a few feet. Just as Vlad began to regain his footing though Draconum unleashed another ground shaking roar and raised his hand in a grasping claw like fashion. Shadows lashed out of the ground and from nearby trees in a whip like manner, entangling the vampire like halfa and cutting into his skin. Vlad screamed in pain as he struggled to escape the shadowy ropes holding him, snapping the tendrils off one by one. Draconum was on him before he could completely free himself.

He grabbed Vlad by the throat and raised him nearly four feet off the ground bringing them to eye level and breaking the remaining shadows as he did. Vlad struggled to escape for only a moment then stopped and grinned insanely.

"Looks like you win again, Lord Draconum." Vlad said with a laugh.

Draconum didn't answer he just began to open his massive jaws. A green glow began building at teh back of his throat. Danny's eyes widened in horror as he realized what was going to happened. He grabbed Ember and spun her away so they couldn't see. The roar of the fire filled the air and heat that wilted the leaves on nearby trees suddenly overwhelmed the cool forest. He couldn't see what was happening, but he still could hear Vlad screaming. Then it was quiet. Nothing in the forest made a sound, not even the wind. For a long moment it was as if the world simply stopped.

Slowly Danny turned around as Draconum began to lower his still raised hand. Nothing was left of Vlad, not even ashes. The trees in front of Draconum had been reduced to stumps and ash. The trees around them looked like they had just endured a huge forest fire and a tornado at the same time. Danny stared at the terrifying amount damage. Trees were knocked over every were he looked and the ones that were still standing were either burned or slashed.

Draconum didn't say anything, he didn't even look at them. Danny saw dark red blood running down the Draconum's arm from the large gash on upper arm. In the back of his mind Danny realized he hadn't ever seen Draconum bleed before, in fact he hadn't been entirely sure Draconum had blood to begin with. Ember turned around slowly, staring in horror at the forest.

"Dracy..." Ember said quietly. Still, Draconum didn't even glance at them.

"Dracy please..." Ember said again.

Draconum finally glanced over his shoulder at them. His eyes burned dimly. He was hurt, Danny could tell, he could feel the pain the wounds caused almost like they were his own. Draconum was hurt and tired. Vlad must have been very strong in order to do that to him.

"Please..." Ember repeated, "tell me it's over."

Draconum nodded. He started to turn towards them, but froze as Sam groaned. Everyone tensed as she opened her eyes and looked around. To Danny's relief they were no longer red and her hands were back to normal.

"Danny?" She asked dazedly as she saw him. Then her eyes drifted over Ember and she scowled and began to open her mouth to start yelling Danny supposed. Just as she did though her eyes fell on Draconum and her voice caught in her throat. For more then a minute everyone just stared at her. The scream that ripped through the air was shortly followed by a small thump as Sam fainted...

- Not Far Away -

'Sypher' snorted. That had been expected. Though his pawn getting possessed by his own fore father hadn't been. It had worked to Sypher's advantage though seeing as how much damage the demonic Vlad had done.

White wings appeared behind the man and he took off towards the four mortals and the ancient monster.

'It's time to end this once and for all!' Sypher thought as a glowing blade of pure light appeared in his hand. This would be the last battle for the Overlord of Shadows, he would make sure of that...