Runa CH. 6

A/N: HEYO! Thanks to everybody who reviewed! So, this chapter gets a wee bit dark. If you don't like blood and/or people getting electrocuted, you may want to skip bits. Otherwise, read on!
Disclaimer: I don't steal, you don't steal, deal?

"Wow," Kimiko whispered. "It's… beautiful." She and the others had gone through the short passage from the testing door, (there had been no one behind it, which made them question the whereabouts of the mysterious voice,) and into a giant room. It looked like the inside of a mansion, with a grand white marble staircase sweeping up to another floor, with several doors dotting the hallway beyond. The floors themselves looked to be made of the same white marble, with a crimson rug leading the way to the staircase. A huge, crystal chandelier lit the room, it's thousands of flickering lights serving to give the room a lovely, ethereal feeling. The walls were elegant wood paneling, with framed maps and an exotic potted plant here and there.

"And quiet," Omi added.

"So Emma ain't here," Clay finished, suppressing a grin. If Emma was around and conscious, they'd know.

"That, or she's dead," Raimundo said, striding forward and not noticing the fierce glare he got from the Texan. "C'mon. We don't have all day. Night. Whatever. Dojo, can you sense the Zenith Mirror? I'm guessing they won't have signs posted."

Dojo took a whiff. "Yeah, it's through there." He pointed to the door at the top of the staircase. Suddenly, the candles all flickered out at once. The Warriors tensed, and Kimiko was about to provide a new fire, when the candles roared back to life. However, this time, their flame was an eerie green that made the shadows malevolent and the figure who had appeared from the darkness that much scarier. Pale skin that had a green tint in the candlelight was framed by almost-curly locks of black darker than night. An air of elegance and danger surrounded the figure, and the Dragons had to fight a sudden urge to hide. This person inspired fear as well as awe, it seemed.

"Welcome!" he (for it could only be a he,) cried, spreading his arms. "I am so pleased to have you, Xiaolin Dragons. You don't know how long I've waited for this."

"And you are who exactly?" Raimundo asked, getting into a fighting stance. The others did the same.

"I am Chance Young, heir to the throne of the Dragwlya clan," he said grandly, flashing them a fanged grin.

"Any relation to-"

"I AM NOT RELATED TO THAT ARROGANT PRETENDER!" Chance roared, cutting off Kimiko's question. The Dragons flinched at the unexpected hostility, and Chance took a deep breath. "What I mean is, Chase Young is a lowly human who was elevated through dark magic and trickery. I am a vampire, a purebred, a shining example of perfection."

"Not to mention modesty," Clay muttered.

"So where are we? I thought vampires hung out in caves?" Raimundo asked, grinning. The others (minus Omi) groaned at the terrible pun, and Chance bristled.

"You are in Runa, a newer base of the Wizard's Guild. And I caution you not to speak so freely of us. Vampires once ruled this miserable world in an eternal night, side-by-side with those you call Heylin. However, humans quickly proved to be more… intelligent than we had first thought. The Heylin and vampires, as well as all other creatures of the dark, were turned against each other by the deceitful humans that called themselves the Xiaolin. They knew that they were not strong enough to face us on their own, after all. But although their plan succeeded and we had to flee, the forces of the night stayed strong. We have been waiting for this opportunity, Xiaolin Dragons, for a long, long time."

"What opportunity?" Omi asked, glancing around. A malevolent grin crossed the young man's face, and he leaned forward. He looked as if he was about to fall right over the railing, and the shadows flickering over his face due to the candlelight made him look demented.

"The opportunity to steal your powers." Then a giant cage came down on the Warriors with a clang. Each one tried to break free, and each one failed. However, Dojo slid off of Clay's hat and slithered through the bars and off into one of the corridors. Chance laughed and lurched over the edge of the banister, landing with an inhuman grace. "Go ahead, try and break it," he chuckled, standing and brushing himself off. "This has been specially reinforced. No amount of elemental power could free you."

"Oh, yeah? Well, maybe our powers won't work, but our kung fu will!" Raimundo said. He ran at the bars, jumping to kick them- but was thrown back by a burst of electricity.

"Oh, and did I mention it's electrified?" the vampire asked, smile growing.

"You may have us, but Emma is still free!" Omi crowed triumphantly, crossing his arms. Then he looked around and noticed Dojo's absence. "We also have a dragon on our side! They will come to save us!"

Chance laughed again. "The chatterbox who can't even wield her own magic and a flying salamander? Please. The dragon I can deal with. The girl I already have." He watched in satisfaction as their eyes went wide. "I didn't expect her to be able to escape my clutches so easily, but she did. In any case, the chase was short and the victory was…" he gave a sinister chuckle. "Delicious."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clay bellowed. The others had to hold him back for fear of touching the bars.

"I slit her throat and drained her corpse. Magic blood tastes the best, really, like liquid gold. Though I admit, hers was tainted somewhat by her stupidity, but aftertastes are easy to ignore. Oh, and when I slit her throat, she tried to say something, but all she could do was choke on her own blood. She died scared, alone and painfully- and now, so will you." Clay roared and broke free of the others. He hit the bars hard, but stretched out an arm and grabbed Chance by the front of his coat. When Clay pulled back, Chance was pulled forward and hit the bars even harder. He screamed as the electricity coursed through him before Clay let go. Both of them stood back, bent over, panting and glaring at the other.

"You have… a high level of pain tolerance, Dragon of Earth," Chance hissed, clutching the side of his face. "Was that an effort to escape?"

"Nope," Clay replied, breathing heavily. "Just a preview. The second Ah get outta this Ah'm gonna make you wish you'd never touched her." Chance's expression was clouded with confusion, and then it cleared. He leaned back and laughed, throwing off the Warriors a bit. When he had finally calmed down, still holding his face, he glanced at Clay and grinned.

"I can't believe it. I truly can not believe this. You actually care for her, don't you?" Clay's expression darkened, but he said nothing. Chance laughed again. "Oh, this is too good! This is absolutely hysterical. This is- oh, how could anyone care for that thing? She's nothing! She's less than nothing!"

"She's more than you'll ever be," Clay snarled, though he didn't make another move for the bars. Chance ignored him and continued to laugh, and when he was finished, he just shook his head.

"Oh, that's the best laugh I've had in years. To the extraction chambers with them. I've got a world to conquer!" And with that, he pivoted and began up the stairs.

"Yes, sir," the cheerful voice from the questioning room replied, now more subdued. The Dragons looked around to see who was speaking, but once more, the voice seemed to emanate from shadows. Then, with a clang, the floor opened up beneath them and the cage, contents and all, went plummeting into the blackness.

"Some things in life are bad. They can really make you mad. Other things just make you swear and curse. When you're chewing on life's gristle, don't grumble, give a whistle! And this'll help things turn out for the best… And, always look on the bright side of life! Always look on the light side of life! If life seems jolly rotten, there's something you've forgotten, and that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing! When you're feeling in the dumps, don't be silly chumps, just purse your lips and whistle! That's the thing," Emma sang as she skipped along. She was in one of the many corridors of Runa, not minding the fact that she was completely lost, alone and probably about to be killed. Why, you may ask? Because she was an optimist! She could look on the bright side of any situation, no matter how high the stakes might be or how dire it might seem!

… Also, she'd found a candy bar in her pocket. It had been there since they had left that morning, but in the course of events, it had been forgotten. And the wrapper had protected it from getting waterlogged and hexed, so she deemed it edible. She munched happily on the rectangle of chocolaty goodness as she skipped, humming when her mouth was full. She swallowed another bite and continued to sing. "For life is quite absurd, and death's the final word, you must always face the curtain with a bow. Forget about your sin- give the audience a grin! Enjoy it; it's your last chance anyhow. So always look on the bright side of death! Even as you take your terminal breath! Life's a piece of-"

"Emma!" The Irish witch (fun to say, amirite?) turned around and glanced about the hallway, but she saw no one. "Down here." She looked down, and smiled the second she saw who had called her.

"Dojo! Hey, I've been looking for you! Where'd you guys get to?" She knelt down as he slithered around a corner, up her arm and onto her shoulder. "I've had quite a time myself! I got captured by a squid, and then blindfolded and put in an oversized birdcage, and then I escaped, because he didn't think I could undo the knot my hands were in so he didn't lock it- 'he' said his name is Chance Young, by the way, but I know he's really Edward, so no worries, we'll kill him eventually- and then I got out and he chased me but I got away and he left and then I found this candy bar and then I found you! So how's your day been?" The little dragon blinked, trying to process the giant block of text that had just been shoved unceremoniously in his face. Eventually, he just gave up and shook his head to clear it.

"Less than good. Chance captured the others, and from what I heard of it, he's got some plan to take away their elemental powers!" Emma froze, and Dojo was glad to see her registering the urgency in his words. "I thought you were- well, we thought you were… uh… indisposed. Anyway, I'm glad to see you're okay."

"The feeling is mutual," Emma agreed, nodding. "We gotta help out the others!" Then she glared at the ceiling. "Which, by the way, THANKS A LOT. Now I get to pull a Mary Sue, because I can either save them, die trying, or both. EVERY OPTION IS A SUETHOR'S PARADISE." Dojo looked up at the ceiling too, but saw nothing.

"Uh…"

"Never you mind. C'mon, let's go! Where'd he take 'em?" she asked, shoving the remainder of the candy bar into her mouth. She dashed off, Dojo holding on for dear life.

"Somewhere underground, I think."

"Mm, Hersheys. But I thought we were already underground?"

"Deeper underground, then. I bet he took them to wherever he's keeping the Zenith Mirror."

"Then in that case, to the Zenith Mirror! Lead the way, faithful dragon sidekick!"

"Sidekick?"

Lol. PLEASE REVIEW! I really really REALLY need more reviews for this thing! My goal is 30 by the time I'm finished, which is a VERY LAME GOAL!
Emma: Begging? Really?
You want more screen time or not?
Emma: Oh, right. Yeah, review! DO IT! DO IT NOW!