King Jack
Omi cradled the tiny bulb of flame in his little hands. It looked hot, though as it touched him he could feel no burning. The being -- this King of Storms -- looked like it was made out of pure light. Yet it could talk.
"I am the King of Storms." The King said in a voice that was much too loud for its body.
"Yes, I believe we have covered this previously." Omi said.
"I am grateful to you for rescuing me. I have lain trapped underneath this house for a hundred years." The King explained. "So long I have spent, sealed in a tomb of mud and roots -- oh, it's almost too hard to think about!"
"What were you doing underneath Jack Spicer's house?" Omi asked.
The King let out a loud sobbing noise. "It is a long story of misery and woe. I shan't bother you with it!"
Omi raised an eyebrow. "If that is what you wish, so be it." He made to set the bulb down, but before his fingers could even touch the floor it shrieked piteously.
"No, no, I don't want that at all!" The bulb said. "I'll tell you... I'll tell my tragic tale! It has driven many grown men to tears!"
The littlest monk nodded sagely. "Begin."
"It started so long ago, on the Ring of Fire Island where dragons dwell! I was their King, beloved and exalted by all those who breathe fire and crawl on their buttocks! Sadly, I then made the most grievous error of trusting the sorceror, the evil Mayun who serves Echidna and Typhon. I thought I was protecting my people, but I cast them down into further and further despair! I gave Mayun control over dragons, power of their lives and deaths, and showed him and his evil partner the source of our immortality -- the Lau Mang Long soup. And soon as they got their claws on that potion, they had no more need of me! They buried me in the earth and fought the dragons to near extinction! Many died in that conflict, and my sorrow grew too great to bear. I tried to disappear from this world, I confess, I tried very hard."
"How did you remain behind?" Omi queried.
The King sniffed loudly. "I could not abandon my people. I had to stay; I had to try and avenge the ones who had been slain during the attack."
Omi thought about what the King had just told him. Mayun... that name was familiar. It was the creature who had stolen Kimiko's chi and almost devoured his own. The being had been trapped in the Yin-Yang World. Could it have escaped somehow since then? It did not seem possible to him but Omi did not want to take that risk. Especially if this King, weepy as he was, could help them defeat Typhon and Echidna.
"Do you know anything about this Mayun?" Omi asked the King.
"He is a sorcerer of great power," The King began. "He once sought to rule the world, but bent the knee to Typhon and Echidna and became their loyal soldier. I had thought him dead once, however now that I have awoken I can sense him! He is here! And you must take me to him!"
"Pipe up." Omi snapped. The King of Storms did not know slang so he could not correct him. "If what you say is true, then I must return to the Temple at once. My friends could be in grave danger." When the King began sobbing again, Omi added, a bit too quickly, "And Mayun may be waiting there for you."
"... okay." The King said.
The bulb of light grew a tiny set of glowing wings. Omi watched it zoom lazily upwards, then beckoned for it to follow him. They would have to move fast.
Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay were more than a bit preoccupied with fighting Mayun and his doppelgangers. The three spirits were standing before them, their eclectic mix of weapons humming through the air as they readied themselves for battle. The Xiaolin monks watched them strike out at the air before deciding to attack first.
"Wudai Star -- WIND!"
"Wudai Mars -- FIRE!"
"Wudai Crater -- EARTH!"
Bolts of fire caught the first spirit in the chest. A vicious whirlwind picked up the second, spinning it to-and-fro rapidly. Fissures opened up underneath the third, sending it stumbling down into it. The monks did not congratulate themselves yet; their enemies were resourceful and clever and it was not likely for them to have been defeated so quickly.
And, sure as they had expected, the three Mayuns sprang out of their respective traps, landing on the ground without much more than a few scratches on them.
Kimiko's foe charged forward, sais knifing through the air. She did a cartwheel to get out of the way but the creature was so fast that it was waiting for her when she righted herself. A roundhouse kick sent one of the blades flying and Kimiko quickly took the offensive, setting her palms on fire and grabbing him by the wrist. Mayun shrieked, trying to pull itself free. Kimiko's grip was too strong, however, and he was forced to relinquish his weapon and stagger backwards, winded by the strain.
The shadow that Clay was fighting had remembered an attack that had worked before. Dissolving into mist, it flowed towards Clay with a loud whooshing noise. The Dragon of the earth raised his arms defensively. The shadow wrapped itself around his abdomen and limbs, stopping only at the neck in order to crush him. "This is worse'n a boa constrictor." Clay grunted as he tried to break free through strength alone.The shadow's extraordinary flexibility allowed it to stretch out when Clay puffed out his chest and constrict again when he exhaled.
The Dragon of the wind was having a bit more luck than Clay. His opponent, despite its might, was having a hard time fighting with two mismatched weapons. The rapier's jabs would constantly interfere with the nunchucks' spinning, and while it struggled to keep them both balanced Raimundo was able to steadily wear it down with his elemental attacks.
"Maybe you should put the skinny sword down." Raimundo suggested, throwing a gust of wind at Mayun.
"Silence!" The creature hissed, thrusting forward with the rapier. When he brought the nunchucks swirling in to hit Raimundo, the Xiaolin Dragon nimbly dodged and sent another gale to knock the weapon back towards Mayun's head. The clout sent the shadow reeling and both weapons went flying out of his hands and onto the ground with a clatter.
"See what I mean?" Raimundo said. "You're too overburdened and it's making you clumsy. Here, let me show you how it's done." He grabbed Mayun by the ankles and hoisted him up into the air. With a great effort, he tossed Mayun off Hawk Rock. He several feet into the valley below.
"I will have my revenge!" the demon shrieked. Raimundo wasn't paying attention.
Clay had managed to get the upper hand on his foe, biting and tearing at Mayun until he withdrew, allowing him to ball up the fluid shadow and hurl him away like a cannon shot.
"That's three for three," Kimiko said triumphantly after getting rid of her opponent.
"Lucky for us he split into three parts." Raimundo said. "It must've weakened him. Kinda like the Ring of the Nine Dragons."
It was then that Dojo came slinking over.
"Where were you?" Kimiko demanded.
Dojo glared at her, looking insulted. "If you must know, I was fearlessly guarding that one rock over there from the forces of evil." He pointed. "You do have bigger concerns."
"Huh?" Clay asked, scratching his head.
"Jack Spicer." Dojo replied, and vanished before the monks could respond.
The three monks looked back at Jack and noticed for the first time that the glow had died down from his head. The lightning bolt receded into nothingness and soon the pale boy was left sitting atop Hawk Rock, his head lolling back-and-forth in an unsteady rhythm. He looked dizzy and sick, almost like Kimiko had when Jack had drained away her chi.
"Are you... okay?" Kimiko asked.
Jack didn't even seem to notice her. He was focused on the ground, on the trinkets there were lying next to him.
"Hey, Jack!" Raimundo called.
Spicer picked up the sword, testing it in his hand with a few awkward stabs. He sheathed it its scabbard and lashed it to his waist before picking up his giant horn. The monks watched in confusion as he jabbed the horn into his nose and between his eyes before finally bringing it next to his mouth.
"What is he doing... ?" Clay began.
Jack blew the horn.
One powerful sonorous note rang through the air. The ground began shaking with the power of an earthquake and lightning and thunder rumbled above. Jack didn't seem to notice anything, even while Hawk Rock began to be shaken apart by the tremors.
"Guys, we'd better get out of here." Raimundo said, nervously eyeing at the wide snakelike fissures ripping through the mountains.
"What about Spicer?" Clay asked.
Raimundo scrunched up his eyes. "I'll get him," He said, after a spell. "You guys get out of here. Look, Dojo's coming." Kimiko and Clay saw the big dragon circling over them again. He was silhouetted against the dark sky, bright green against inky blackness. The flash of lightning made him look oddly sinister.
"Get on!" Dojo boomed, bending his neck to Clay and Kimiko. The two monks hopped on and Dojo flew upwards, close enough to get to Raimundo and Jack but far enough to avoid being crushed by the pieces of Hawk Rock.
Rai ran across Hawk Rock, dodging the pieces of stone and sediment that fell aside as he stepped on them. "Spicer! Take my hand!" He called, extending one hand out towards the evil boy genius. Jack ignored him again. Grunting, Rai lunged for him, intending to scoop him up and carry him back to Dojo. As he extended his arms towards Jack, the boy raised a hand and gestured at him. Rai let out a shout as a swift, powerful blow caught him the chest, knocking him backwards. He stumbled to his feet, clutching at his chest in surprise and pain. "What was that for?"
"Rai! WE REALLY HAVE TO GO!" roared Dojo. He did not give Raimundo a chance to object this time. His tail wrapped around the monk's waist, hoisting him off his feet. Raimundo didn't struggle; he only watched as Jack's slight figure receded into the distance, the mountains coming down all over him.
'Blow the Horn once and your kingdom will be reborn.' The sly voice from the Slurpee cup had said.
Jack Spicer did so, obediently, and found himself standing right in the middle of what could only be the end of the world.
"Ohmanohmanohman!" He screamed as soon as Raimundo and the others had gone. "What's going on?"
'The dawning of a new era!' The Slurpee announced. 'Watch as these mountains vanish, and your Citadel rises from the dust and spray.'
Jack looked. The mountains, save for the tiny sliver that he was standing on, were nothing more than hills of smashed forest and crumbling rock. In their place were rising walls, four in all, that were threatening to box Jack in. He thought about flying off; his helipack was miraculously unharmed in all this, but decided against it. The talking Slurpee had given him good advice so far; why not stay and see it through?
Now he could see that the Horn's magic was creating. It was a tower, unfurnished and unadorned, made from the remnants of the fallen mountain range. The thing was of mammoth size but the magic was building it far faster than any human could hope to do. The roof towered over Jack's head in a matter of seconds, and he could already see the beginnings of windows starting to form. And while he stood inside, he could hear other structures being built in the region by the sea.
A door eventually formed and Jack was able to step out and see his royal city being built by magic.
'This is the Crown's power. It will reshape this land as the seat of your new nation, Your Highness.'
And it was so. Barracks, stables, and fortresses rose up where there was nothing but beaches. The rubble was unnaturally paved into streets. Jack could even see the skeleton of a laboratory being built, one from which he could build every robot that he wanted. There was an arcade beside it as well as what could become his private movie theatre.
"Wow, how are you doing all of this?" Jack said.
'It is power. Your power, Your Highness. For you are now the King, and everything you so desire shall be yours.' The Slurpee said.
"Great!" Jack said. "Awesome!"
'Sit and wait, Your Highness. Your army is coming.'
Jack scratched his head. "Army? You mean my Jack-bots?"
He heard the sound of wings flapping and chanced a glance upwards. There, he could see a swarm of bony-white shapes soaring below the gloomy sky.
'Skeleton dragons.' His clever counsellor said. 'The very same ones that Chase Young raised so long ago, and Hannibal Bean took into his service. They have found their true master. They shall carry out your every bidding.'
They landed in the barracks, two to a cell, and managed to fill up the giant building with even more left crouching by the wayside.
"Alright." Jack said, cracking his knuckles. "This is officially the coolest thing that has ever happened to me."
'You deserve every bit of it.'
"Now what?" Jack wondered. "Do I go and crush the Xiaolin monks? Or take my revenge on Katnappe and those other stupid doody-heads? Do I start taking over the world? I'm just brimming with ideas!"
'I'm sure you are.' The voice said. 'Now that you have finally claimed your birthright, you must have patience once again. Your conquest of the world will fail if it is rushed. Allow me, your wise and faithful advisor, to devise a plan that will put you on your rightful place as the paramount of the earth.'
"Alright, I'm feeling generous." Jack said. "Take all the time you want. I'll be in the arcade. D'you think they'll have Mindcreeper II?"
Jack ambled towards the arcade, as blissful as can be. He was Top Dog now; he would enjoy this moment of peace before he started another upward struggle. While the being living in his beverages plotted and schemed, he could have fun in the arcade. After all, how could anything go wrong now?
Author's Note: Yeah, famous last words, I know. Jack's finally on top though; why not enjoy it now while he's in the moment? It's better than putting around with broken robots all day, don't you think?
Anyway, about Mayun; yeah, I did base some of his powers on Venom. It was my plan to make him one of Jack's new henchmen that his new friends are going to furnish him with. He'll be recurring a bit after this so he needed some cool abilities to make him worth keeping. Also, I like the image of a suffocating shadow; kind of like a Lethifold from Harry Potter.
I'd like to once again thank all of the people who keep reviewing this story. I really do appreciate all of your comments. The next chapter should be up in two days at the latest; I've already started writing it and I can tell you now that it's going to focus more on the monks than on Jack. He's going to be busy in the arcade anyway and I don't think that anyone would want to read about someone playing video games, right? Anyway, read and review and I'll see you then!