ZK Chromedragozoid: Superman is looking for answers
Superman flew through the air the next day. He had regaled his tale to his wife as to what had happened and she fussed over him while tending to his neck. Of course, she called him an idiot for charging in like he did. His healing factor closed the hole that the creature had made, but he remembered the sharp pain that had come from the blow. Obviously the creature was magical because it didn't have Kryptonite with it nor was it at his level of strength. Knowing this, Superman decided to go see one of the experts in magic that he knew. Doctor Fate.
Superman landed on the ground in Salem, Massachusetts. To the casual observer, there was nothing in sight. To Superman though, there was a large white tower that was similar to the spires that had populated ancient Egypt. There was no entrance that anyone could get into, but the Last Son of Krypton knew there was a way in.
As he stepped closer, there was a flash of violet light which was shaped like an ankh before an attractive woman stepped through. She had a slim waist and dark hair. Her posture and eyes spoke of experience with things that most people would never dream of.
"Hello, Superman," the woman greeted. "What do we owe this pleasure?"
"Hello to you too, Inza," Superman greeted. "I was hoping to talk to your husband about something I encountered last night."
"He is in for the moment," the woman known as Inza nodded. "Please follow me."
She walked back into the glowing portal as Superman followed her. The portal then closed, leaving the world around the tower calm as it was before it had appeared.
Inza and Superman walked through another portal into a study filled with arcane books and relics. It appeared as something that out of a fantasy novel. At the other end of the study, a man donned in a blue outfit with gold gloves, boots, necklace, and a faceless helmet sat in front of a chessboard from a humanoid figure which was golden and only had red on black eyes as features. The human was none other than Doctor Fate while the hulking figure was the android known as Amazo.
The Amazo used to be an android that had been created by Dr. Ivo, who was a master in nanotechnology. Amazo was fully sentient and was rather mild-mannered, but was naïve. He did possess the ability to copy things he had come into contact with. Luthor had come across him after he tried to get Ivo's help with his Kryptonite poisoning, but found him dead. Using Amazo's naïve mind as a tool, the android managed to copy the abilities of the core members of the League save for Batman. Luthor's plan fell apart when Amazo copied J'onn's Martian abilities and read Luthor's mind. Amazo left the planet and returned to eliminate Luthor with new, near god-like powers before Doctor Fate convinced him otherwise and brought him to live in the tower with himself and Inza.
Amazo's eyes glowed briefly before a white rook moved smoothly across the board until it stopped near the king.
"Checkmate," Amazo announced to the mystic doctor. "You are getting better. It took me twenty moves to defeat you this time."
"Thank you for the complement," Doctor Fate nodded as he turned to look at Superman. "Hello. I assume you are here on business, Superman."
"I am," Superman nodded. "I encountered a strange creature last night. It looked a little like a fusion between a hawk and a human. It hand skin that looked like stained glass. I know it was magical because it made some kind of fang appear behind me and managed to cut my skin. I think it was trying to drain something from me."
Doctor Fate's eyes narrowed from behind his helmet, "You didn't let it get anything, did you?"
"No," Superman answered with a shake of his head. "Two people in strange armor managed to fight it off before they managed to destroy it."
"I see," Doctor Fate pondered. "Amazo, could you please take the form of this creature?"
"Certainly," Amazo nodded. He turned to Superman before his eyes began to glow. After a moment, his entire body changed into a spitting image of the Hawk Fangire.
"This isn't good," Doctor Fate frowned. He turned to Superman. "What you encountered last night is what is known as a Fangire."
"A Fangire?" Superman blinked. "Is it some kind of vampire?"
"Fangires are to vampires like you are to regular humans," Doctor Fate replied. "They do not take blood like normal vampires, but instead drain life force itself. They do not possess the regular vampire weaknesses either. They are immune to sunlight and holy relics."
"The two I saw last night managed to destroy it," Superman continued. "Its body shattered like glass."
"Was there a bright light that tried to flee?" asked Doctor Fate.
"There was," Superman nodded. "However, the buckle of one of the two swallowed it before spitting it back out as some kind of stone."
"Really?" blinked Doctor Fate. "Could you let Amazo see what they looked like?"
"Alright," Superman nodded and allowed Amazo to scan his mind once more. Amazo's body morphed, and assumed the form of one of the Riders. This one had red and silver armor worn over a bodysuit, a helmet resembling a bat and a belt which had an upside down bat-like creature acting as the belt buckle. The most distinctive feature was the iron clad right leg of the person, wrapped up in chains as if trying to limit his abilities.
Fate's eyes widened and he spoke, "The Demon Emperor."
"The Demon Emperor?" Superman repeated.
"I recognize that armor from one of the books I read once, despite how different it looks now," informed Fate. "The Demon Emperor, as he called himself, was said to be a fearsome warrior from many centuries ago and had power that was considered unbeatable by many others."
"Well, I'm not sure about centuries old, since I saw a boy, not more than 15, change into him," said Superman, "And he introduced himself as Fang, not Demon Emperor."
"I'd be careful if I were you, Superman, for the Demon Emperor is rumored to have been one of the ancient vampire lords."
"A vampire lord?" Superman asked. "But why is he fighting Fangires?"
"That, I do not know," Fate shook his head. "The history of the supernatural realm is often vague, inconsistent or inaccurate. But, I will do my research. If I were you, I'd keep a close watch on this Fang person."
"Alright," Superman nodded.
"And what of this other person?" Fate asked.
"He calls himself Slayer. Well, I never saw him transform and my X-Ray was unable to see through his armor," Superman said. Amazo scanned Superman's mind and then morphed into a white and black armored figure with a cross on his chest and white angel wings. "Well?"
"I have never seen this one, but he doesn't seem mystical in nature," said Fate, "But if what you say is true, then these two need to be constantly watched."
"That might make good additions to the League," said Superman. "A lot of new heroes keep popping up and they need to be monitored."
"True, but I do believe that though these two are a mystery, they are this world's only hope against the Fangires."
"You met Superman!?" Richard shouted, grabbing Devlin by the front of his shirt. "I can't believe you met Superman!" On Richard's head was a blue cap with Superman's symbol on it. Judging from that and his reaction to hearing how Devlin met the Man of Steel, he was a dedicated fan.
"It was more like I saved Superman when I rescued him from the Fangire," said Devlin as he removed Richard's grip on his shirt.
"It was the two of us, remember?" reminded Tamashii as he polished one of his swords.
"Details," Devlin shrugged. "The point is that this place has as much of a Fangire problem as back home."
"Well, we did eradicate an infestation of vampires," Richard remembered. "Makes sense if there's a Fangire."
"Well, I hope we can settle it before we leave tomorrow," said Bob. "Chiaki likes it here."
"It's Metropolis," spoke up Bunshichi. "They got Superman and that Justice League Metrotower."
"We could go and take a look," suggested Richard. "Take a few pictures and maybe meet some heroes…"
"Then count me out," Devlin replied, "I promised Danielle I'd take her sightseeing."
"You are so whipped," Richard teased.
"You're jealous because I have a relationship," Devlin shot back, causing Richard to frown. "Anyway, it's to apologize for having to leave her during our date."
"But there was a Fangire," Bunshichi pointed out. "She had cut you some slack for that one."
"No excuses," said Devlin as he fixed his hair. "And when you love someone, you'd do anything for them."
"Even though sometimes you can do nothing for them…" muttered Tamashii.
"What was that?" asked Devlin.
"Nothing…just remembering the past, that's all," replied Tamashii.
Devlin quirked one eyebrow at his rival Rider and rolled his eye. He had things to do with Danielle today and was not going to let anything spoil his mood.
"Oh, something came for you," Richard said as he tossed a letter at Devlin. "Came in last night. It's for you and Tamashii.
Devlin opened the envelope and took out the letter. He unfolded the paper and scanned the words. His eye widened in shock at what he'd read before he handed it to Tamashii. He read it and developed a shocked look too.
"WHAT!?"
Superman was flying away from Fate's tower as the mystic doctor went to his research with Amazo to try and learn more about Fang. With one mysterious figure being taken care of, Superman now had to try and figure out something about the second. Fate said he wasn't magical by nature, so that meant technological. There was only one person he knew of that could help him with that.
It was time to visit Gotham.
Danielle was already dressed for her next date with Devlin. She had arrived home late and didn't have the energy to tell her friends about her date with Devlin. When she'd woken up for breakfast, she joined the women and recounted the entire experience.
"I wish Bob would take me to a French restaurant," Chiaki frowned, "But, well, y'know…we don't have much of a budget."
"So, the lord was a total gentleman," said Gillian. There was a near-wistful smile on her face. "Just what I've come to expect from him."
"He was," Danielle sighed, "He even played the violin for me."
"Well, he did take lessons for years, so there's no surprise there," Miriam stated. She smiled with pride at how Devlin acted on dates with Danielle. It seemed her explanation on how girls liked to be treated after he first met Danielle was working after all.
Seras was sitting a little silently. She felt envious for Danielle. Despite being told that vampires were unfeeling, Devlin was a romantic and took the time to actually spend a night with Danielle. She, on the other hand, couldn't convince Tamashii to go anywhere since he was totally and 100 percent dedicated to his job. Despite being a teen model and could get a date from any guy she wanted, the one guy she wanted to go out with didn't seem interested at all.
The guys finally came down to breakfast, however Devlin and Tamashii were oddly silent. They all sat together at the large table so they could at least converse. Danielle and Seras grew worried.
"What's wrong with you two?" asked Seras.
"You two look like you've seen a ghost," added Danielle.
"You wish," grumbled Tamashii.
"Since Akashi here wanted to adopt Sandy and I objected since the café was not safe enough," Devlin said, biting his lower lip. "My father decided that both our groups should stay in Fang Manor."
Silence…
"OK, so your dad, the big boss, asked you all to live together?" Chiaki questioned.
"It's more like an order, and he's not someone you want to argue with when he gives you an order," Devlin said before muttering, "As much as I want to in this case."
"So, we're all going to live together?" Seras blinked. "In a big house?"
"Apparently, yes," Tamashii nodded. "And, I have to agree that this is the safest route." He turned to look at Devlin, "As much as I don't like you or the company you keep, I have to agree that the Manor has a lot of security, more space for all of us, and can keep Sandy safe and secured."
"Um…what is the Manor?" Sandy asked curiously.
"It's where we live, kid," said Lobo as he took a swig of coffee. "Ahh…good coffee."
"You'd love it," Miriam smiled, her eyes glimmering over the fact that she would be able to take care and nurture another child. Her original charges had grown up or moved on, though she still loved them like her own. "We have a library, a study room, a recreation room, a swimming pool, a tennis court, a garden and a ballroom."
"Hey, when can I move in?" Richard asked, earning looks. "What? I live alone in a small apartment. That place is a castle!"
"I agree that Fang Manor is well equipped," Devlin said, fixing his gaze on the Slayers, "But it still means staying with the likes of all of you." He glared at Tamashii, "Especially you."
"Staying with Fangires isn't going to be a picnic for me either," Tamashii growled back.
"Fangires?" Sandy asked, unfamiliar with the term.
"Nothing you need to worry about, child," said Miriam.
Walter decided to put his foot down, "You boys should learn to get along. Despite your differences, you're both fighting the good fight. You have proven before that you can work together."
"There's a difference between working together and with each other, old man," Tamashii muttered and earned a kick from Seras. It didn't hurt, but he got the message. "I don't think it will work out." He felt a tug on his coat and looked at Sandy. "Sandy?"
"Can we at least try?" asked Sandy. "Please?"
Tamashii sighed. No way he could refuse this kid he'd taken in. "OK, fine…for you." Sandy beamed.
"And I agree that we need to learn to at least tolerate one another," said Devlin with crossed arms. Danielle smiled.
"Truce?"
"Truce."
The two Riders stood up and then leaned over the table to shake hands. Then, they swiftly withdrew their hands like they'd just touched scalding water. It wasn't much, but it was definitely a good start.
"So, let's dig in, right?" Devlin asked.
"Awesome!" Richard said before he went over to the buffet table along with the other males in the group. Devlin and Tamashii exchanged glares and went over to the buffet table to pick their food items.
Ichiro Damien Amakusa-Akuma watched as the entire unfold on his computer screen with a smile gracing his face. Standing by his side, in an almost straight and stiff military fashion, was his eldest son, Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa-Akuma who was also the heir to the family business.
"Was it a good idea to let them live together, Father?" asked Ichijyo uncertainly.
"Of course, my son," said Ichiro with a smile as the screen displayed the Fang Gang and Slayers having their breakfast together.
"They will most likely try to kill each other, you do know that?" Ichijyo reminded.
"Like you haven't done the same with the Dog Knight?" his father asked in a joking tone.
Ichijyo went silent. His father did have a point, but he felt worried for his brother. His brother had already lost one eye and last night nearly lost the other. At least when Ichijyo and Takada fought, they didn't do any lasting damage. Then again, Ichijyo could recover from almost anything while Takada was invulnerable.
"When will Mother be arriving?" asked Ichijyo.
"Sometime tonight," Ichiro replied. "She has business to take care of in the accounting department." His wife, and the mother of his children, was co-owner and vice president of Smart Brain Corporation. She often helped him run the company by giving him suitable advice. She was also the one responsible for turning him away from a life of evil.
"You know she will react badly once she hears the news," Ichijyo frowned. "I mean, remember when she found out Kyoichiro got his left eye wounded." He added, "I believe the correct term would be 'freak out'."
Ichiro flinched at the memory of seeing his wife crying frantically. Megami was slightly more wrathful when she listed off all the curses she would give to the one who 'stole her precious baby brother's beautiful eye'. "I do. And once she meets Mr. Akashi, well…" It was a good thing they hadn't told her about Devlin being an Orphenoch since they knew what that involved. She probably wouldn't let him out of the house if she did. Thankfully his vampiric healing counteracted the self-destructive aspects of the Orphenoch gene.
"It's lucky we prepare funeral arrangement for our employees early," Ichijyo nodded, "Mr. Akashi is going to need it. It's rather overdue since he's already dead."
Ichiro decided to change the subject and asked, "So, how goes your engagement with Raven?"
"Well, we haven't set a date for our wedding," Ichijyo said as he scratched the bridge of her nose. "But as for a place, I guess we can do it in the chapel inside the main house."
The same chapel where Ichiro and Keiko had wed. How fitting.
"Speaking of engagements, do you think Kyoichiro will have the nerve to ask this Danielle girl the same question?" Ichiro asked his son in interest.
"They are too young and have only started courting, Father," said Ichijyo. Sometimes his father could be as eager as his mother to see his children getting married. Of course, his mother was more eager to see grandchildren than Ichiro was.
"Yes, but your mother and I have talked about this a lot recently. She loves all the people you've chosen to spend the rest of your lives with."
"And each of us are very thankful for that," Ichijyo nodded. Though he loved Raven and would do anything to be with her, having the approval of his family had lifted a great weight off of his shoulders.
Superman had flown straight to Gotham City and aimed right for Wayne Industries headquarters. Wayne Industries were one of the most advanced suppliers of technology and other things aside from Smart Brain and LexCorp. The CEO was also a constant friend and ally of his, Bruce Wayne A.K.A. Batman.
The Last Son of Krypton got to the top floor and used his X-ray vision to check to see if the businessman was in. The black-haired man with the stoic face was sitting at his desk and looking at some documents.
Seeing he was alone, Superman hovered down to an open window which he suspected that Bruce had left opened for him.
"Wondered when you were going to get here," Bruce commented from his paper. He reached to his intercom and pressed a button. "Darcy, please hold all calls and appointments."
"Yes, Mr. Wayne," a pleasant female voice answered from the other end.
"I take it you heard about the ruckus in Metropolis last night," Superman commented as he walked over to his friend's desk.
"Hard not to when a dozen tourists managed to get it on camera," Bruce commented as he brought up Daily Planet articles on his computer. Pictures depicting Superman, Slayer, and Fang were displayed on the front page along with the Hawk Fangire. "The question is; what do you want with me?"
"I was getting some information on the creature and those armored people," Superman explained. "Fate told me the creature was called a Fangire. Some kind of super-vampire that's immune from the usual vampire weaknesses."
"I see," Bruce nodded, his voice slipping into the deeper tone he saved for when he was Batman. "And the other two?"
"Fate said the one in the darker armor may be some kind of vampire lord," Superman continued. "Me I think its some kid who came into it by accident since I watched him change."
"Did you see his face?" Bruce pressed. Any kind of information one these two would have been helpful.
"He was Asian with dark hair covering the right half of his face," Superman described. "He wasn't anyone I recognized."
Bruce nodded, signaling his friend to continue.
"I talked to Fate about both of them and while the darker one who calls himself Fang may be magic, the other isn't," Superman explained. "He calls himself Slayer and I suspect he's got technology instead of magic."
"And you came to me to se if it was true," Bruce finished. "You're in luck since I was doing some digging into recent news about armored warriors like these two."
"What do you mean?" asked Superman.
"Metropolis isn't the only place Fang and Slayer appeared," Bruce explained as he started typing on his computer. "They have been making numerous appearances in a town called Amity Park. I wasn't sure what the creatures they were fighting until you explained it to me."
"There are others?" asked Superman.
"Yes," Bruce nodded. "The Titans in Jump City have gotten their hands on systems called Scarab, Titan, Cutter, and Fire. I have a good guess where they got them from but being sworn to secrecy, I didn't do much digging."
"Is that all?" Superman pressed.
"No," Bruce replied. "There are also reports of two in Tokyo who are called Caucasus and Stinger."
"So you think Slayer may come from where these others came from?" asked Superman.
"I've been doing some digging and managed to figure out some places where these suits could be manufactured."
"And did you find any?" asked Superman as he viewed the screen from behind Bruce's back.
"I've pinpointed three," Bruce answered. "The only companies that have the technology available for this sort of suit are Wayne Industries, LexCorp, and Smart Brain. Wayne Industries hasn't been working on something like this. If LexCorp had something like this then Luthor would have used it to get at you first. The only one left is Smart Brain so I started digging."
"I hope you found something," Superman sighed. "I don't want to be in the dark about this sort of thing."
"I almost didn't get in," Bruce replied. "Whoever did their firewalls I want to know where they got them. Once I got in I managed to look up some of their more secret projects."
"Was there a mention of Slayer?" Asked Superman as he peered closer.
"His armor is one of the Rider systems that they have been secretly developing," Bruce answered as he brought up schematics of the suit of armor that Superman remembered fighting against the Fangire the previous night. "Apparently Smart Brain has been aware of Fangires because this suit was made specifically to fight them."
"How do they manage to do that?" asked Superman.
"Apparently Fangires may not be weak against sunlight, but extreme amounts of it manages to collapse their crystalline bodies. The Slayer system seems to be able to harness it through its weapons and unleash a major amount of energy to completely destroy them," Bruce explained. "However, there is a flaw."
"A flaw?"
"The system requires a lot of power to use properly," Bruce answered, "too much to be safe for the user. That doesn't even cover the factor in the strain of using the system which, according to this data, almost killed the last wielder."
"But the Slayer I saw seemed perfectly all right," Superman frowned.
"That's something to consider," Bruce nodded. "Either Smart Brain managed to fix this flaw or someone else got their hands on the designs and made a system of their own, fixing the flaw."
Devlin and Tamashii walked away from the group and stood far to have a little chat.
"Alright, let's set a few ground rules," Devlin said, "I don't like you and you don't like me."
"That's a given," Tamashii frowned, "How are those ground rules?"
"Don't interrupt me," Devlin scowled, "You'll be staying in my home so you better listen to me."
Tamashii crossed his arms, "And who says I have to agree to this?"
Devlin shook his head, "Akashi, my father is not someone you want to disobey. When he orders something to get done, it gets done, and he has ways of making sure his orders are followed."
Tamashii didn't doubt that one bit. The head of the Akuma Clan did radiate with a lot of dark energy. "So, do you really want to do this?"
Devlin glanced at Sandy, "In order to keep a child like her safe from the Fangires, then yes." He frowned sadly, "She doesn't understand what's going on."
"And she never will."
"The signs will show, whether you like it or not."
"And as I said before; I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."
Devlin let out an exasperated look. "You're a really stubborn person, you know that?"
"Some say it's a redeeming quality," Tamashii replied.
"Well, we better rejoin the others," suggested Devlin. There didn't seem to be much chance of talking to Tamashii about revealing Sandy's parentage. He was pretty much adamant in hiding it for the time being.
Tamashii nodded in agreement and as they walked towards the table, he asked, "Anymore ground rules?"
"Don't touch my things." Devlin warned.
Suzu was walking along the sidewalk in Metropolis, snorting in disgust at all the humans he had to walk with. "Peh, humans. Nothing but cattle," he muttered. He wanted to kill these vermin so much and drain their life energy, but he was under orders to grab that girl. When he passed by several television screens, his eyes were transfixed on the battle between Slayer, Fang and the Hawk Fangire. He scoffed, "Heh, dumb birdbrain. Those Avians are all the same. Stupid birds."
"I'd be careful about what I say about the Avian Clan, insect," said someone who stood next to Suzu. This guy had a pointed nose and spiked up red hair, wearing a red shirt and black pants. Suzu cocked an eyebrow.
"Oh, yeah, what's it to you, punk?" Suzu of the Insect Clan asked and the other man's face cracked, telling Suzu that he was talking to another Fangire. "You're an Avian?"
"That's right, and I suggest you remember your place, insect," the other man frowned. "And, the Fang and Slayer are both enemies of our entire race so you better not underestimate them."
"Hey," Suzu said arrogantly as he revealed his new 'stinger'. "With this, they don't stand a chance."
"I hope for your sakes that you're right, insect," the other man said before walking off.
"Dumb birdbrain," muttered Suzu. He then eyed his surroundings and smiled when he saw a little girl following a strange tall man with white hair. He took a photo out of his pocket and smirked. "Gotcha."
"Do we really have to go to the museum?" Sandy pouted. "It's boring!"
"Sandy," Tamashii sighed, "I just want to see the new Japanese Feudal Era exhibit. I'm curious to see what they dug up."
"Bunch of old relics more like it," Bunshichi scoffed. "Why can't we do something fun for a change?"
"Like what?" Tamashii challenged. "Any ideas?"
"Why don't Bob and Chiaki have to go?" Bunshichi demanded.
"Well, they are dating, so they're basically going on another outing to go sightseeing," Tamashii shrugged, "And don't bother asking about Seras. Her manager just called and said that she has a photo shoot here in Metropolis."
"A big coincidence, don't you agree?" asked Francis. As much as Tamashii didn't like Fangires, he felt that he could trust one of Devlin's Fangire servants. "And, it also allows the Lord to perform his own duty."
"Devlin's a makeup artist, right?" Sandy asked.
"Yes, he is," Tamashii nodded.
"Is he good?" Sandy asked curiously.
"You want him to do your makeup?" Tamashii teased.
"Well, Seras does look pretty." Sandy blushed slightly.
The photo shoot was the usual thing with Devlin doing the models' makeup for them to get them ready for their next set of photos. However, when he'd brought Danielle along, the photographer actually wanted her to model as well. Gillian, who'd tagged along, also got into the action.
The reason, this was a photo shoot to model the famous Emiko Narukawa Hasuma's next collection of beachwear and swimsuits. And, the woman had insisted to allow Gillian and Danielle to model since she had a taste for normal girls.
Devlin had met Mrs. Hasuma a few times before when he'd attended her fashion shows. It was quite a surprise to find out that she was also the mother to one of his brother's friends and allies. Well, somehow, Emiko knew Devlin was in the city. No doubt because of his father, and hired him along with Seras to help with her latest shoot.
"I'm so glad you could help," said Emiko as she grasped Devlin's hands, "You don't know how much this means to me!"
"Thank you, madam," Devlin nodded. "It is the job of men of my caliber to beautify women."
"I agree!" Emiko beamed. "So, how would you like to be hired as a part-timer?"
Devlin blinked but then he declined, "I'm sorry, but I prefer to be a freelancer. I like my freedom."
Emiko sighed, "Well, if you ever do change your mind."
Devlin then turned his attention towards Danielle who was posing in front of a backdrop wearing a sexy yet tasteful two piece bathing suit with her hair undone from its usual ponytail. He enjoyed staring at her beautiful figure but then he felt his body heat up. Was it happening again?
"My Lord!" Gillian sidled up to Devlin and grabbed his arm, wearing a bathrobe to cover her barely clad body, "Did you see me?"
"Yes, I did," Devlin smiled as he loosened Gillian's hold on his arm. She pouted. Devlin was not totally oblivious towards Gillian's affections for him, but he knew it was more sexual in nature than anything. From what Fangula had told him, Gillian was very naughty at times and he took the sealed vampires word for it. "And you all look lovely."
Seras smiled as she watched her best friend, Danielle, posing. At first the female halfa had been nervous but managed to calm down with the help of Devlin's calming words. Now, Danielle looked almost like a professional model. She did have the right body shape. 'Must be all that ghost fighting. That's why she's in good shape.' By the time they returned to Amity Park, Claire would no doubt be green with utter envy.
Fangula was also there, keeping out of sight so he could admire all the barely clothed models. "If only I still had my body." He loved watching but Devlin had made him swear to never go into dressing room. Fangula frowned in contempt.
Superman was now considering his options as he patrolled Metropolis. These Fangires were obviously dangerous and it didn't seem like they were going to try and cover their tracks since there were lots of reports of bodies that became clear like crystal all over the country. The League had been keeping track but never had any suspects until now.
And then there was Slayer and Fang. Obviously they knew how dangerous Fangires could be and just how to beat them. The only question was why they were keeping their battles secret. With so many Fangires out there, the two would benefit from some help.
That brought the Man of Steel to a fact he was reluctant to admit. These Fangires were magical in nature and if there was anything that could hurt him aside from Kryptonite, it was magic. That meant he was just as vulnerable to the attacks made by Fangires as other people were.
"Wow," Sandy was wowed by everything she saw in the exhibit. All her life she had never gone to a museum. Heck, she couldn't afford to go on any field trips either. This was her first time ever with her new 'family' and she was going to cherish it.
For Bunshichi, this was a snore fest but he took pictures as Tamashii'd ordered. "This is gonna be a long day…"
For Tamashii, it felt like home. All these things, he knew them well. Old vases, old suits of armor, and even old weapons which had been used in the warring states era. "So many familiar items," he said wistfully. He saw items he thought he'd never see again. He saw a suit of samurai armor, "And I outlived your users." He saw an old vase and smiled sadly. "I remember the day she made this…" He then saw something that caught his eye, "No way…" And approached it with Sandy and Bunshichi following.
"What is it, Tama?" Sandy asked as Tamashii's eyes were locked on a glass case which housed an item Tamashii never would've thought of seeing again. It was the same sword Nobunaga had used to go into battle. He knew it from memory. It was not even a fake replica, but the real deal. He was about to reach forward to touch the glass but a security guard cleared his throat as a warning and pointed at the 'NO TOUCHING' sign which was hanging over the glass case as well as the velvet rope surrounding the item. Tamashii stepped back.
Bunshichi knew why. It was from Tamashii's old war days. Sandy didn't know that Tamashii was technically already dead. He was like a zombie, although more alive than undead.
"Interesting," Suzu said as he looked at the glass case, "You know they said that Nobunaga beheaded hundreds, maybe thousands, of men with that one sword." He shrugged, "but, you have to be there to actually know that." He then grinned at Tamashii, "Isn't that right, Tamashii?"
Tamashii quirked an eyebrow, "Do I know you?"
"Well, I must look different now, don't I, Akashi," Suzu said as he smiled. Sandy trembled and hid behind Tamashii. "And such a cute little girl. You know, your unborn child would've been pretty if it had been born, but the mother died so tragically. I think she was shot by 3 arrows." Tamashii's eyes widened. "Well, see you later." He winked at Sandy. "You too." With a chuckle he walked off.
Tamashii clenched his fists as his Ryuugan activated. All those years ago! One of those masked archers! Those eyes! Those eyes that had shone with amusement at the death of his wife!
That was a Fangire!
Devlin sat down and took a swig of water from a bottle. He'd been busy almost the entire day. It was almost 4 pm now but there was still more to be done. Thankfully, Emiko had given them a 15 minute break before the next session. The photographer was getting new film as the models were relaxing.
"Now this was an interesting day, huh?" Danielle asked, wearing a bathrobe.
"Sorry I brought you into this, luv," Devlin sighed. She giggled. "Huh?"
"Are you kidding? I'm gonna be in a fashion magazine!" She swung her arms around him, "I have you to thank!"
"Actually, it was Seras' idea," Devlin reminded.
"I know," Danielle grinned mischievously, "But I can't do this to Seras." She then kissed Devlin full on the lips, catching him off guard. He closed his eyes and kissed her back. When they broke apart, she smiled, cheeks flushed. The blush on his cheeks was even more apparent due to his pale skin.
"So can I take a peek at what's under that robe?" Devlin asked, smiling naughtily. She tapped his nose.
"Later, lover boy," Danielle giggled. "Right now, I'm starving." She walked off to the snack table to get something to eat. As Devlin sat down to relax, his eyes then caught a glimpse outside the window to see Superman flying past. The Man of Steel was on patrol, no doubt. Of course, this was his city.
But, even so, the Fangires were something Devlin and Tamashii had to handle themselves. They were the only ones capable of defeating them. Still, Superman had the raw power needed to overpower a Fangire, but once they dug their fangs into him it was all over.
Tamashii ran out of the museum, chasing after Suzu when he saw him. "YOU!" Tamashii shouted in anger before he ran over and grabbed Suzu by the jacket and then pinning him against the wall. "How dare you show your face here, you monster!?"
"Takes one to know one," Suzu sneered. "I mean, you're not even human anymore and you can call me a monster? You're not even alive anymore." He then saw Bunshichi and Sandy exiting the museum, "Your friends, on the other hand…"
"Don't you dare!" Tamashii warned.
"Oh, I dare," Suzu smirked, the skin on his face cracking to show stained glass pattern. "Because I can!" In a flash, Suzu had changed into his true Wasp Fangire form. Sandy screamed at his appearance. He was mainly yellow and black, with an insectoid face, sharp claws and stingers attached to his wrists. He also had wings. His large bulbous eyes shone as he let his wings buzz before shoving Tamashii away. He then flew over and punched Bunshichi in the face before grabbing a screaming Sandy. "You're coming with me!"
"Let me go! Tama, help!!" Sandy yelled.
"Sandy!" Tamashii shouted.
Devlin's eye widened when he heard the tone from the Blood Rose. Fangula and Gillian heard it too. There was a Fangire on the loose!
"Um…Mrs. Hasuma?" Devlin said to the older woman.
"Yes, Devlin?" she asked. He bowed.
"I really need to go!" He then made a dash out of the studio. Emiko blinked and watched as the boy left in haste. She briefly remembered of how her son would behave the same way before he confessed to being a Zodiac Knight.
Outside, Devlin mounted his bike with Fangula already flapping at his side. The vampiric Rider put on his helmet and started up his engine.
"Trouble?" Fangula asked, though he knew the answer right away.
"Yes," Devlin replied. "And did you enjoy the show?" He was referring to Fangula watching the girls in bathing suits.
"Yes, and you should really think of bringing me along more often," Fangula smiled.
"We'll see about that," said Devlin before flipping down his visor. He revved up his bike before he roared down the street towards the source of the disturbance.
It didn't take long for Devlin to find Tamashii, who was already on his X-Lion, riding along the street at full speed, and chasing after the Wasp Fangire. Devlin could see Sandy in the demon's clutches so he knew what he had to do.
"Fangula, now!" Devlin ordered. Fangula bit down on Devlin's arms, transferring the power to set up the transformation. The ghostly chains once more wrapped around his waist before forming into the Fang Belt.
Tamashii, on the other hand, had strapped on the Slayer Knuckle to his right fist. He pressed it against his left palm.
"READY!" the Slayer Knuckle announced.
"Henshin!" both Riders commanded.
"FIST ON!"
"Wake Up!"
In a flash of gold light and a flurry of chains later, two teenage boys had transformed into two armored warriors. One represented the light while the other represented the darkness.
Together, they represented justice.
The two bikes roared after the Wasp Fangire who was flying fast. He laughed. He spun around and shot at the two Riders with his stingers. "Why the hell are you so attached to this Fandiri brat?" laughed the Wasp Fangire. "I thought you despised our kind! So why protect one of us?" He continued his barrage of shots. They swerved out of the way of the stingers, which would've been bad news for them if they'd hit. The Wasp Fangire should've been watching where he was heading when he suddenly bumped into something.
More like someone.
"Going somewhere?" asked Superman as he crossed his arms. Sandy's eyes widened in surprise when she saw the Man of Steel while the Wasp Fangire's eyes widened in terror.
"Oh, crap!" shouted the Wasp Fangire as he turned to fly away but Superman had grabbed his wings.
"Let go of the girl," Superman demanded as he began pulling on the wings. The Fangire felt pain going through his body and it grew too much that he involuntarily dropped the girl. Sandy screamed as she started to fall down to the ground below.
Slayer shouted, as he watched Sandy fall, "Sandy!" His faceplate opened as his wings spread out, releasing the energy in Burst Mode. He then leapt off his bike and flew into the air. He caught Sandy in his arms and the girls wrapped her arms around his neck desperately. She was frightened, truly she was.
Meanwhile, the Wasp Fangire had managed to get himself loose from Superman and started to strike at the Last Son of Krypton with his stingers. While the Wasp Fangire was fast, Superman was faster as he dodged each strike. The Wasp Fangire grew infuriated but then he screamed out as Slayer slashed off his wings using the Slayer X-Calibur. He fell to the ground and crashed upon a car.
"Thanks for the help," said Slayer to Superman, "But we'll take it from here."
Fang, dismounted from his bike and approached the Wasp Fangire who buzzed angrily. He then charged at Fang. Fang dodged and then struck the Fangire in the back of the neck with a solid backhand. As the Wasp Fangire tried to get back to his feet, Fang reached onto his belt and pulled out the Savage Whistle. "Savage Saber!" called Fang before placing the whistle between Fangula's lips. He blew into it, calling forth the Savage Saber.
Seconds later, the Savage Saber flew into Fang's left hand and wrapped up his left arm and chest in chains which then shattered to reveal the cobalt blue armor of Savage Form. Fang's visor turned blue as did Fangula's eyes. With a howl, Savage starred down the Wasp Fangire.
Superman watched the battle incase something began to go wrong. He also wanted to see how Fang and Slayer took on this Fangire so he would have more information for Fate and Bruce. Fang's second transformation was a surprise. He hadn't been expecting the appearance of the blue sword and the change in the armor. There was also a change in his personality. It was almost like he had become more feral.
The Wasp Fangire buzzed angrily and began to attack Fang with quick strikes of his stingers. However, Fang's animalistic agility and cunning in this form proved too much as Fang dodged and also counterattacked, slashing the Fangire assassin with his sword. He slashed rapidly without stopping, eliciting pain from the Fangire. Fang glared at his opponent and as the Wasp Fangire aimed and tried to fire at Fang with another stinger, he was shot in the back by Slayer. Slayer quickly changed his weapon into Sword Mode and reached to his belt for his own whistle. He pulled it out from its slot before sliding it into his belt buckle, activating it. Fang placed the blade of his Savage Saber down to allow Fangula to bite it.
"SLAYER X-CALIBUR: RISING UP!"
"Savage Bite!"
As the cross on Slayer's belt glowed with power, the area around them darkened. With a snarl, Fang placed the handle of his Savage Saber between his 'jaws' once the faceplate slid open. He then crouched down and growled at the Fangire.
"HEAVEN'S JUDGMENT!!"
"SAVAGE HOWLING SLASH!!"
The Fangire was blinded by the bright light emanating from Slayer's wings. Slayer then charged forward. At the same time, Fang leapt high into the air. Slayer slashed the Fangire across the waist before Fang came down and slashed him straight down the middle.
The attacks hadn't destroyed the Wasp Fangire. Instead, Suzu returned to his human form with his skin beginning to crack as a result from the two finishers. "Damn…" He knew he had to escape, and fast!
He looked straight at Sandy and grinned menacingly, "Time for a diversion." He aimed his artificial stinger at Sandy and fired a barrage of poisonous needles at her. Slayer ran in the path of the needles and shielded her from them, taking the brunt of the attack at full force. Fang also landed a hand by using his Savage Saber to bat a number of the needles away. Do not forget Superman, who was there, and he grabbed a number of the stray needles in his hands.
With Slayer, Superman and Fang distracted, Suzu decided to make a break for it. He had done what he was required to do. He was confident that he could escape. Unfortunately, he couldn't get very far as Superman grabbed him and in his current weakened state he could not put up any sort of a fight against the Man of Steel.
The barrage of venomous needles, luckily, did not penetrate the Slayer armor. He was lucky that the armor had protected him from the brunt of the attack or else he'd have poison running through his system.
"Tama!" Sandy cried out as she ran towards Slayer, hugging him around the waist. The holy Rider ruffled the girl's hair, grateful that she was safe. Fang also found himself smiling.
But the happy scene soon ended when Sandy suddenly lurched forward and fell unconscious. On the back of her neck was a strange wound. It looked like something had pierced it but some sort of black substance was spreading underneath her skin.
She had been poisoned.
ZK Chromedragozoid: Oh, no! Sandy! What's going to happen to her!?