Destination:Toyko Japan,the Shibuya distract...

A starless night filled the long window frames at the front of the airship.

Jake peered up from his magazine."You sure that autopilot's gonna stay?"

"Shhh.I'm trying to catch up on Japanese culture so when we land in Toyko they'll be no barriers between me and the sanctified Land of the Rising Sun."

Walking across the controls hub that was doubling as a living room revealed Spud's greatly reverered admiration symoblized into images upon his laptop.

"You're learning Japanese culture through Anime?"Jake said in doubt.

"You bet,"he grinned over his shoulder."Note the long blades that are used-"

Spud turned when he saw his friend was distracted and followed his gaze to Rose and Trixie dressed not unlike geisha's.In knee-length kimono's,face's full of white make-up,sandle-like shoes and hair pinned up with trails of flowers.

The boys kept gaping at them.

Trixie silently balled her hands."If you guys say one word..."

"It's what Fu Dog said would blend in best here."Rose explained as she tried walking normally in the drapping robes,almost slipping on the floor length belt.

"And you guys need to get into your custom attire also,"Fu told them,entering in behind the girls."I put'em in your rooms.Anywho,Shibuya Toyko was only as far as the Japanese Dragon could track the piece.Were on our own from here."

"You mean we'll have to find the piece in a teen night club?"Spud asked.

"Kid,were here to find the piece.Not dance the night away."he snuck a peek at a collie from a side wrinkle."Even though this is where I lost my one true love."

Rose looked at a wide-eyed Jake and smiled with effort."So,what'd you think?"

"Y-y..."

"Just give me an honest oppion,Jake."she urged."It looks authentic,right?"

"You're...you're..."He fainted onto the floor with a thud.When she took hold of his hand to help him up,he shuddered."That make-up is made of b-bird drop-"

Jake dropped onto the floor again.

x.x.x.x.x

"Two hours of walking around in these deathtraps called shoes and not a single reliable source."Trixie ranted as she had just managed to undo her belt's knot.

Rose rolled her eyes as she tossed her geta shoes onto her bed."What's got me worked up is that not one of the six-hundred and fifty girls I counted even had a hair style close to are's tonight."she fell back on the bed."For toppers,no piece."

"And no piece of information about the piece,"Trixie added and then quieted for a minute."Hey,why don't we return the favor to a certain pooch in the morning?"

"Hmm.I've seen things like that on television and it's not a bad idea."

"Cool.First we'll start with the dung make-up..."

Rose mused lightly for a moment."Then the dress."

"The shoes and flowers."

"Don't forget,he has four paws so we'll need four modified shoes for them."

They looked at each other from across the room and bursted out laughing.

A few minutes after they could breath normally,a tap came at their window.

x.x.x.x.x

"Samurai Noburu,"Eve spoke the name with a hint of meritorious."As you're well aware,you are among the only kind were cannot use mind control on."

The red goblin nodded,catious of his surroundings."It has also been made known to us that your Dragon Council forbades any dragons from taking advantage of this 'temporary' power the freed talisman pieces have granted."

"Their order is rubbish to us,fool.Now let's get down to business."she gave a snap of her fingers and Gregory appeared in a maid's outfit with ice tea."What exactly will it take to convince your shogun to hand over the talisman piece?"

"He wishes for peace but will defend his trades and business connections with a ferocity.If you could provide a faster means of transportation,we'd cut you a deal."

Eve turned to look at her reflection in the hotel room."Pity you're so low-tech and all."she looked back at him."I'm in a bargaining mood.Anything specific?"

He stroked his ebony beard,a fiendish look in his grey eyes."A magician."

"An enslaved human?Interesting.By name,please."

"Here's a list of the top names whose lineage runs strongest worldwide."

"Let's see,"she took the faded paper and read it off."Panderous,Spudinski..."

"Hey."Gregory piped up from dusting a coffee table."Isn't that Jake's friend?"

"Well,so he is.Keen eye,maggot."

He could have choked on his words but went back to dusting,this whole thing was out of his hands and the least he could do was not to evoke his allergies.

x.x.x.x.x

Jake absentmindedly sifted through the random items they had picked up from searching the area all night.Half of it was assorted into souvenirs,the rest were piled smaller.Endless fragments of on-paper information that lead to nowhere.

The feared one protects the blood tear of three weeks old.

He has already found you,so you will not find him.

The rest were in Japanese.

"Dude,"Spud muttered from his bed several feet away,rolling over."Turn it off already,will ya?We'll find the piece tommoro-oow,"he yawned out the last one.

He was about ready to follow his friend's advice when there was a swift ram which hit their window and shook the room.Jake was instantly dragoned and Spud followed close behind with the lamp shade that had yet to be turned off.

"On three,"Jake held up three talons and opened the window."One...two..."

Spud flipped the metal lock and they shoved the window up."Three!"

Nothing more then cold night air assaulted them.Their surroundings glowed in advertising strobes of colored light;a shot of dizziness came from the brightness.

"Whoa,"Jake puzzled,partly because of the feeling."Well,that was weird."

"Tell me about it."Spud scratched at his head."I know I heard it right here."

A deafening screech interrupted them as what appeared to be one grey harpie came swooping in with claws aimed for the most unlikely person.Jake tried his best to fend the creature off but was taken by surprise as another came to fight.

"Get off me,birdbrain!No,no!Not the face,not the face!"

The brownish creature put a much more fierce battle then the last harpie he had fought.It wasn't over before the creature dealt him several slash marks,as Jake was able to deal him equal damange as well.Very soon,though.They left with a captive.Spud.The American Dragon extended his wings and soared after them.

He gave chase but after thirty rooftops they managed to allude him.

x.x.x.x.x

"Knock,knock.Who's there?No.No who?No-I-wouldn't-work-for-you-even -if-you-were-the-last-Shogun-Goblin-on-earth."Spud continued to defy them.

Sha Ban shook his head."This is what you bring me,"he turned to the assembly of Goblin Samurai,harpies and dragons with dissatifaction."An incooporate?"

"He is unpleased."One Samurai eyed Arden,eager for a match.

"His line of blood is record-breaking."Noburu insisted.

"Why not try other methods?"Eve stepped forward calmly,a picture of sinister fifteen-year-old human perfection."Tell us,what is most near and dear to you?"

"My new found love of Anime."He awnsered truthfully.

The dragon picked up on his evasion."No",she stepped forward and ran down her long red nails across his cheek."I believe it's your friends and family.Every weak person relies on others for a purpose,people such as I rely on ourselves."

"Your point?"

Eve's gaze nearly turned seductive."Let's just say if you want your dragon friend to live,you will do as we say and you will be doing as we say in a very big hurry."

"What've you done to them?"Spud asked fearfully.

"Just the dragon,"she told him."If you want him to live,you'll do as two of us say."

"He'll have to do as I say as well?"Gregory inquired excitedly.

Eve moaned."No,scum wad.The shogun."

x.x.x.x.x

The abandoned skyscraper went up endlessly it seemed for Jake.As he and the others,including the Japanese Dragon who against the Dragon Council's rules of course,ascended to the top of the building.Everyone still reeled from the news.

"It's at the very top,"Mai Lyn told them.She was in her late teens.

"I can't believe Trixie and I got the info leading to the talisman piece the same time Spud got abducted."Rose said with suspicion."It's probably not just concidental."

"Bet they're all workin' for this Goblin Shogun?"Jake probed.

"Most likely.Everything was staged and Spud is just a hostage."

"They've gone too far,"Trixie said disgustedly."We've got to stop them."

"That's stating the obvious."Fu quipped."The two million dollar questions are who is really behind all of this and if everyone's favorite dragons are even in on it at all."

"Why wouldn't they be?"Rose looked down at him doubtfully.

"Because goblins were one of two magical creatures dragons now can't affect."

There were two thumps that followed after his sentence and a metal domed room one might expect to find in a telescope observatory came into sight.In a crevice on the ceiling the morning skyline appeared and shone light down onto the groupings.

Among the creatures was an eye-averted Spud,dressed down in a green shawl.

x.x.x.x.x

"Let me go after him,"Arden breathed to Eve when he connected eyes with Jake."I want to fight him so much.His power matches mine so well and we must."

"Heel,lummox.A small army of specially trained goblins with some absurd allusion that they really are Samurai,a blackmailed magican and two nasty harpies.Relax."

Though outnumbered,the different sides moved in closer and Jake up full-center.

"Let him go,"he demanded,almost in Eve's face.

She didn't bother to morph even though he stood higher."Personal space,please."

"Tasar...agravaa...motium."

Jake suddenly felt hands close around him and toss him back.The source he saw was Spud,clutching two dark wands.He blinked once in confusion,had he just...?

"The talisman piece,I see it!"Rose denoted as she and the Japanese Dragon began to ward of four goblins and one harpie.The other creatures just stood totally still.

Trixe and Fu meanwhile made for the talisman piece near a wall of hanging gems.

x.x.x.x.x

Jake struggled with the large hands.They had yet to turn into fists and he tried his best to keep it that way.Wild thoughts as to what was happening raced in his mind as he completely unfurled a hand and pushed it in the direction of taking the piece.

It was right near the center of a plaque containing rows of colorful jewels.

He was one-hundred percent confident Spud would take it and they could leave.

Instead,the other hand swatted him away,fly style.Jake managed to grab the tip of the index finger and whip the magic hand plus it's creator to the other side of the room.When he saw he'd done nothing serious,he was able to take a sigh of relief.

"That'll be your last breath!"Arden claimed aggressively as he came at Jake,horror streaked through him at seeing the raw wild lying behind the dragon's smoke eyes.

"Stop,"The lavender dragon locked her arms under his."I gave you your command and I expect it to be followed through."Her strain only made him go more beserk.

Jake saw that Rose and Mai Lyn had the upper hand,Trixie and Fu had gotten the talisman piece and Spud was beginning to proceed over to retrive his fallen wands.

x.x.x.x.x.

Trixie took hold of the talisman piece,only to have her wrist clasped by a large and vein valley filled yellow hand.She followed the length of a robed arm to the shogun.

"Are you one of the hand chosen ones to gather these pieces?"

She nodded wordlessly.

His dull,slited eyes lit up a bit."I see your honesty,you may possess the piece."

"And Spud...?"Trixie asked awkwardly,tucking the piece in her pocket.

"The young magician's fate lies in his own hands."he looked up."Literally,it does."

x.x.x.x.x

"Spud,"he started carefully,now behind the other teen."Listen,we got the piece and we can get outta here now...Spud?Talk to me.What's the deal with these wands?"

"The deal is..."Spud whirled around and pinned the dragon down with one hand that was still glowing faintly,the fingers closing in slowly."I'm not on your side now."

Jake didn't struggle."Dude,their brainwashing you.Just like every other creature."

"This is my own choice."

"I don't believe that,"he turned slightly urgent."We've gotta get out of here,get you-"

The fingers squeezed his arms and Spud walked forward but he was avoiding eye contact with him."Don't come after us.Just go back to the ship and you'll be fine."

"I'd be finer if I knew what was going on."

"Hey!"Fu jumped up and hooked his arms around Spud's arm."What going on!?"

Jabbing the Sharpei in the gut with his elbow,Spud threw him off and looked right at Jake firmly."Listen to me,"his brow knotted."Don't come after me,Jake.Don't."

The last thing Jake saw of him,his image flickered and vanished along with the two other dragons.Jake de-morphed and went over to meet up with the four remaining.

"Were gonna get him back,"he told them.He didn't tell them the hopelessness that he felt.There was something entirely demonic about these dragons,something truly and without a doubt evil about inside of them.There was a major battle now ahead.

And it would decide the fate of their friend,possibly their own.

To be continued...

LP