Okay, chapter 7 of "Rising Stakes" in here. Now that one of my stories is finished, I can concentrate more on this one. Just enjoy the chapter!
Everyone looked at where the voice was coming from. Danny, Starfire, everyone was surprised. The only one who wasn't in a state of shock was Vlad and that was only because he was busy struggling with Slade. Slade took the momentary distraction to kick Vlad across the jaw.
"I'll go with you." Raven sighed. "Just leave my friends alone."
"Agreed." Slade replied, laughing darkly. Danny made a move to stop her, but Vlad grabbed his leg.
"This is not the time, little badger." He warned. "They would be expecting that, and you do not have the power to handle Slade. I hope all of you are prepared." The demons disappeared as quickly as they came, the Titans still not sure whether or not it was a trap.
"So what do we do now?" Cyborg asked. "You're right; we're in no shape for a battle."
"I'm not about to give up." Robin insisted. "Raven wouldn't leave us in his hands, and I'm not about to do that to her."
"I admire your courage, but we have to go in there with a plan." Vlad told them. "It will likely be well-guarded. Any suggestions?"
"Me and Maddie can go in there as a distraction." Jack replied. "While the demons are concentrating on us, the rest of you can go in and rescue Raven. V-man, you can handle Slade, so that's your job."
"You're not fighting by yourselves!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Those demons will finish you! Me and Cy will give you some backup."
"How about the agents?" Danielle asked. "They're powerful, strong, loyal, and just what they need for protection."
"I like that idea, friends!" Starfire exclaimed, but without her usual happiness. "Robin and myself will pull friend Raven out of Trigon's clutches."
"We don't know what he's capable of, so be prepared for surprises." Danny warned. "Forget it; I'll go with you. I'm not about to let anyone go into danger."
"I'll take care of Slade." Vlad summarized. "Jack, Maddie, take the agents with you; you'll need them. Daniel, Starfire, and Robin will get Raven out while the rest of us will keep them busy. Danielle, are you still able to fight?"
"I feel a little weak, but I think I can do it." Danielle admitted.
"You're taking a little girl?" Robin demanded. "What kind of parent are you, Masters? This is no place for her!"
"Stop acting on your emotions, boy." Vlad snapped in reply. "Trigon already knows she exists, so if we leave her alone, she'll only be in more danger! The best place is with us. However, he does have a valid point, Danielle. If I tell you to flee and save yourself, do it. Understand?" She nodded reluctantly. "Unfortunately, none of the other ghosts save Fright Knight are still capable of fighting. It will take another couple of hours for Skulker to retrieve another suit; time we don't have."
"Then why are we wasting time talking?' Maddie demanded. "Let's go and rescue her! We've still got plenty of ammunition left."
"You know, this is kind of creepy." Jack admitted, seeing two agents behind them. He was sorely tempted to blast them, but refrained from doing so, as they were allies, at least for the time being. "Jazzy, you're in the Fenton RV! Anything happens, it's up to you to get us out of there."
"I can fight as well as any of you!" Jazz exclaimed. Sam and Tucker murmured their agreement.
"You guys are tired enough as it is, which can easily be fatal." Danny informed them. "You guys stay inside the Fenton RV and cover my parents."
"I see you're learning how to think tactically, Daniel." Vlad smirked, impressed. "You're more like me than even I thought."
"Enough, Vlad." Robin snapped. "We'll deal with you after we rescue Raven."
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"You're telling me Malchior was responsible for this?" Superman asked Wonder Woman, the only survivor of their battle.
"Yes, he's the one who killed Green Lantern, Batman, and the rest." Wonder woman replied. "I finally managed to destroy him, but not before Flash and Hawkgirl were killed as well." She bowed her head in grief. Being part of the justice league, she was used to seeing death, but watching her friends die was a whole different matter.
"I feel this is only the beginning." said Jo'nn. (Not sure how to spell his name, so bear with me) "I've had visions of another creature, whom I think is from another timeline."
"What do you see of him?" Superman asked. He knew better than to take his comrade lightly.
"He is the most evil being of his timeline." Jo'nn explained. "His trademark is the sonic attack he used to finally destroy his hometown. The only thing I've heard him say is 'your time is up, Danny. It's been up for 10 years.'"
"Danny?" Wonder woman asked. "Could that mean this thing is Danny Phantom?'
"I have speculated as to whether or not he is a hero, since he has committed a fair share of crimes." Superman added. "Still, I didn't see him as any more than a local threat. If you're having visions of this, it means we underestimated him."
"That's what I thought at first." Jo'nn told them. "Similar as they may be, they are different. This creature is far more powerful than Danny Phantom. He has the capability to raze a city to the ground in a very short time. If I had to guess, this thing seems to be an alternate version of himself, if the emblem is any indication."
"If he changed his future, how can this thing still exist?" Superman asked.
"We understand very little of time travel." Wonder Woman refuted. "Perhaps he found a way to still exist, or… perhaps alternate timelines exist as well as alternate realities."
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Throughout the ghost zone, an army of Observants had assembled to combat the new threat. With them were Clockwork and Frostbite, ready to defend the ghost zone. Ember flew alongside them, receiving immense power from the Observants saying her name. Even Vortex was ready to fight, since he was offered a full pardon if he agreed to help him.
"We'll show this demon we don't tolerate bullies!" Poindexter declared on top of Dora. "Trigon will not get past us!"
"Do not be overconfident." Clockwork warned, now in the shape of a child. "Trigon has power you can not even imagine."
"Well, I'd like to see him try to stand to my (breath) greatness." Vortex exclaimed, fingers crackling in anticipation. "I should thank you, time master! You (breath) fought for my freedom when the others were content to keep me in prison."
"Yes, but there are conditions, if you recall." Clockwork warned, now in his adult form. "You cannot conjure anything harmful to humans. I freed you to help them."
"Are you sure this is a wise idea?" Frostbite asked, not at all happy with his decision.
"No, but we have little choice." Clockwork sighed. "Trigon has to be stopped, and between them, Vortex is the lesser evil. Now they will be coming out at any time, so we must be prepared."
His words soon rang true. A huge army of demons headed towards them. Many of the ghosts either wanted to flee or rush to confront them, but Clockwork kept them under control. Frostbite and his people stood with him at the front of the line, weapons ready. Behind them were the Observants and their allies, looking nervous, but knowing this had to be done.
In a matter of minutes, the front demons were close enough for attack. Clockwork gave the signal and everyone launched their weapons. Ecto blasts, arrows, spears, everything you could think of was being launched towards them.
Hundreds of demons were taken down, but more were coming to take their place. Several headed towards Clockwork, only to be frozen by Klemper. Following that was a blast from Ember's guitar, finishing them. Clockwork cut two in half with his scythe, but for every demon destroyed, it seemed that 10 took their place.
The most valuable addition to the fight, ironically, was vortex. He launched a huge electric burst, frying every demon within 30 feet of himself. Vortex launched similar blasts all over the battlefield, happy to finally use his powers after being imprisoned for years. His power impressed even Clockwork, but he saw how the battle was going.
"Shadow, attack!" Johnny 13 ordered, sending his shadow towards the enemy. It tore apart two of the demons, but others got a grip on his motorcycle, sending him off course. Fortunately for him, Poindexter was there and blasted them away. Dora fried several more that were coming, destroying them immediately.
"Oh, please, sister, is that all you can do?" Aragon laughed, launching himself at the creatures. "Fools! You dare to attack the ghost zone? You will feel my wrath!" He swung his tail, sending the demons sprawling. Dora covered him, launching fire at whatever enemies were trying to sneak up on her brother. She may have hated him, but they were in this together, and it was a matter of survival.
"So Trigon has truly come." one of the Observants sighed, dodging attacks from his forces. His sliced of the heads of two, only to be taken down himself. The demons had sustained heavy losses, but the ghosts were taking casualties of their own. Spectra and Bertrand was surrounded and destroyed and even Clockwork was showing signs of strain.
"So what do we do?" Frostbite asked in worry. "I don't think we can win this fight."
"I have a backup plan." Clockwork smirked in his elderly form. He launched a huge blast, taking out several demons that were harassing Dora and Aragon. "These creatures may be weak, but they outnumber us badly. In life, I was an expert at guerilla warfare. There is a good reason why I have not deployed our full power. They are many more ghosts than most realize in America; these are only the fighters in the third quadrant."
"My soldiers are falling too and they are among the most well-trained in the ghost world." Frostbite declared. "We have even survived assaults from Plasmius. We have to win, or else my land will be very vulnerable to attack. By the way, you can explain that to me later."
To everyone's surprise, dozens of demons were blasted back, some of them destroyed. Youngblood had arrived with his crew, ready for battle. "All hands on deck!" he ordered. "Fire at will!" The ghost pirates launched a second round, destroying more of the demons.
Johnny and Kitty flew beside them, wanting some protection. They were not the strongest of ghosts and were quickly tiring. "Activate ghost shield!" Youngblood told his crew, and it went up. The guns, however, were outside it. More demons went down, but Youngblood had made the mistake of attracting attention.
Vortex, meanwhile, was frying any demon he saw. While his powers were greater in the human world, they were still considerable in the ghost zone. Frostbite's men followed him, wanting to take the offensive. "What are they doing?" Frostbite exclaimed. "They're flying right into a trap!"
"There's nothing we can do." Clockwork sighed. "Any rescue attempt will simply put more of us in danger." He turned into a child and dodged more attacks, deflecting the ones he was unable to avoid. Frostbite launched snowballs, freezing two in their path, which left them easy prey for Ember.
Before they fully realized what happened, though, the demons surrounded them. They were outnumbered at least 10 to 1, maybe more. There has to be at least 200,000. Clockwork thought. There's no way we can win this fight. We have to get out of here. Turning into a child, he shouted: "Retreat! This fight is done!"
"Never! They will feel the power of (breath) Vortex!" Vortex exclaimed, frying more demons as he said that. Youngblood was unwilling to retreat. The enemy could not get past their ghost shield, and they were slaughtering them by the bushel.
"He's right!" Frostbite agreed. "We have to get out of here!" They finally saw the wisdom in his words and gradually fled, but the demons gave chase, intending to add them to the slaughter. Vortex fried the ones who came too close and Frostbite's forces covered the others' retreat, despite knowing the danger to themselves.
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Vlad and Danny flew in first, ready to warn the others if there were any of Trigon's demons around. Since the coast appeared to be clear, they waved the others in. Nobody said anything; they all know what the stakes were if they failed.
Jack and Maddie brought up the rear, weapons at the ready. They constantly heard noises, which caused them to jump frequently, but nothing came out after them. Their journey continued, moving slowly to their destination. The agents looked around as well, charging up energy blasts for both defense and sight purposes. Danielle flew next to Vlad, hoping he wouldn't overextend himself. She was even more exhausted than he was, but it would not deter her. Fright Knight, to both his and Danny's consternation, was assigned by Vlad to protect him. They avoided each other's gases, but they had little to say in any case.
The Titans looked around for threats as well. Starfire flew in front of her teammates, her hands glowing. Cyborg's cannon was prepped as well, and Robin had a death grip on his bo staff. Beast Boy was in his human form, but was ready to transform at a moment's notice. Skulker, now in a new suit, floated above Starfire, but did not say anything for fear of angering her. To everyone's surprise, even Technus was silent.
Finally, Vlad broke the silence. "All right, they are likely leading us into a trap, so be careful." He warned. "It's not a coincidence that we haven't been attacked since we arrived. They have to know we're here."
They reached the center room, where thousands of demons stood around Raven. She walked sadly to the stone monument, wanting to be almost anywhere else. "Come on, we've got to rescue her!" Daniel insisted.
"We can't go shooting blind, Daniel." Vlad replied, grabbing his arm. "We have to wait until we are in a more advantageous position. Right now, we could be easily destroyed. When I give the signal, fire your ghostly wail."
Danny reluctantly nodded and they went inside the room, one after the other. They wanted to start blasting as well, but heeded Vlad's wisdom. Fortunately for them, Trigon's minions were very stupid. Once the last agent got through the tunnel, they stood in a row behind the demons. Raven caught their eye, but gave no sign of it.
"We only have one chance." Fright Knight whispered. "If you aren't sure of your shot, do not do it." Danny nodded, and waited until he was in the perfect position. After several seconds, he arrived at the largest crowd of demons and fired his ghostly wail. Many were destroyed and those that were not in the direct blast were pushed back.
At once, everyone went into action. Jack and Maddie fought as a team, Maddie blasting demon after demon while Jack fought at close-quarters with the ghost gauntlets. Jazz fired the weapons from the RV, thanking whoever was listening that they worked against any sort of paranormal creature. The agents stayed back, blasting whoever was in range. 2 of them stood by Jack and Maddie, another looking after Jazz, while the rest went into the fray, ripping apart whatever they could get their hands on.
Danny, Vlad, Fright Knight, Technus and Skulker flew around the battlefields, launching attacks to confuse the enemy. Some demons took to the air, but were vaporized by Vlad before they got within 20 feet of them. "All right, you know our objective: retrieve Raven at all costs." Vlad instructed. "Afterwards, get out of here as quick as you can. This is a rescue mission, not a battle."
Danny swooped down, blowing apart every demon he saw. Fright Knight followed, wanting to make sure the boy didn't get himself into something too dangerous. Skulker and Technus covered Vlad while he flew to grab Raven, but he flew headfirst into a black shield.
The Titans were ripping through the demons, right in the thick of them. Vlad growled to himself, marveling at their stupidity. "Are they trying to get themselves killed?" he asked himself. "They should know better than to allow themselves to be surrounded by enemies." Before he could do anything, though, he was sent to the ground by a roundhouse kick to the face.
"I knew you'd come here." Slade said in his usual voice. "You're rather predictable, Plasmius." Vlad recovered and duplicated himself, despite how strenuous it was. The 4 blasted Slade from all sides, sending him to the ground. Thanks to his increased powers, though, he was able to endure it and strike back.
"Raven, no!" Danny exclaimed, trying to break through the shield. Jack, Maddie, and Jazz were trying to do the same thing. Tucker and Sam simply sat in the RV, angry that Danny had decided to tie them up and gag them. Vlad heard his cry of agony and blasted the shield was all his might, Fright Knight and Technus following suit. (Skulker had decided to use his weapons on the enemy instead)
But it was useless. Vlad, Fright Knight, Technus, Cyborg, Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, the Fentons, Danielle… none of them could break through it. Even the ghostly wail could not penetrate the darkness, even though Danny launched it until he was out of energy. He fell to the ground, exhausted and crying. Vlad put an arm around his shoulders in a meager effort to comfort him. He cried into his chest, not registering that it was his arch-enemy.
Raven finally reached the top of the stairs, ready to accept her destiny. With the last of her strength, she gave her energy to the Titans and Fentons, knowing it was up to them now. Slade was alongside Raven, bowing down before Trigon. "You now have the portal." Slade stated. "Now fulfill your side of the bargain."
"No." Trigon laughed. Only his eyes could be seen, but his voice was like thunder. "I see no reason to give you want you want, servant." Enraged, Slade sent all his energy at Trigon, but it had no effect. He actually laughed at the villain's efforts. "Fool. I gave you these powers and I can take them away." Slade screamed as his powers were ripped from him. "In return for your service, I will let you live."
"We've got to get out of here and form another plan!" Vlad exclaimed, trying to convince the hotheaded Titans with little success.
"No, I'm not leaving!" Robin shouted. "You may be a backstabbing son of a bitch, Masters, but we do not leave our friends behind!"
"We have no choice!" Vlad snapped back, equally as angry. "There's no way to get her right now! We can't beat Trigon in this state!"
"I'm afraid he's right, Robin." Maddie sighed. "We have to leave for now. But we'll get her back, I promise you." the Titans refused to leave, and were forced out by the agents. The others reluctantly left, vowing to defeat Trigon.
"We'll get you out of this, Raven." Jack promised. "And Trigon will regret ever messing with the Fentons!"
Okay, now we reach the best of the action. There's maybe 4 more chapters after this, and you'll see the affect this has on the ghost zone as well. This story will be a little longer than "Danny in Jump City", maybe pushing 40,000 words. Not to mention I've finally learned my lesson about writing too many stories at once. I think you've seen what happens because of it.
Yeah, I say that now, but I should focus on this story, writing a little on "Internal darkness". Fortunately, all that scholarship crap is over with.