Chapter 28
That wasn't exactly how he planned things to go. Vlad's hand closed around the Ring of Rage that he managed to escape with after stealing it from Pariah's Keep. His vision swam as Jack and Maddie stood over him, and he knew he was slipping into unconsciousness. Pariah Dark was far stronger than he imagined, and it was no wonder he was known as the Ghost King and feared by all within the Ghost Zone. Waking him to acquire the Crown of Fire was probably not one of his smartest moves, but one needed both the Ring and the Crown to achieve unimaginable power. Oh, the things one could do with that power!
His eyes fell closed as his mind began drifting into the darkness of sleep. He may not have accomplished what he set out to do, but he did uncover one helpful fact. The Fright Knight was not altogether happy with the current arrangement. He could acquire a worthy and loyal servant if he planned the small error of Pariah being free to work to his advantage. Well, Daniel would certainly prove useful.
And was that a new invention he saw Jack working on? He would have to find out more about that. When he wasn't so tired.
Vlad woke in the messy room of the youngest Fenton. He sneered at the clutter. How did the boy live in such a pigsty? The memory of his room back in college came to mind. He and Jack weren't exactly the neatest people, and their room was only clean for a while in their final year because - No, Vlad growled, forcing away all memories of that time in life. He left the room, carefully picking his way through the mess before he headed down the stairs.
"V-man!" Jack greeted, happy to see his old college buddy. "You gave us quite the scare back there."
Vlad frowned at the man. Maddie was nowhere to be seen, but perhaps that was just as well for now. He doubted she looked forward to a reunion between them after that incident at his chalet. "Yes, well, I must apologize for that." No time like the present to get information out of the buffoon, he thought as he entered the front room to join Jack on the couch. The idiot does so enjoy blathering about his inventions. "Did I see some sort of battle suit earlier?"
"You mean the Fenton pants with our new ecto skeleton?" Jack's eyes lit up with excitement. "With it, we'll be able to defeat any ghost, no matter how powerful it is." He grinned proudly at the achievement.
No matter how powerful? Oh, Jack, I must applaud you in giving me exactly what I need. Vlad held back the smirk that threatened to sneak onto his face when he heard that. Pariah was far too strong for him to fight on his own, but if he had that ecto skeleton, Vlad would be able to defeat him. But first, he would need to steal it from Jack. "Say, you don't mind letting me take a look at it, do you?"
Jack opened his mouth, in what Vlad assumed was going to be immediate agreement. But a thoughtful look entered his eyes, and he frowned. "No can do, V-man."
"What?" Vlad demanded, his fury sneaking out before he could reign it back under control. "What do you mean no?" Jack loved to show off his inventions! How could the man suddenly clam up about them?
"Before that, I want to know how you ended up in our lab."
Vlad's eye twitched. Why did Jack have to show a moment of intelligence at that moment? He expected the bumbling idiot to overlook that fact in his eagerness to blather on about his inventions. Obviously, he couldn't tell Jack how he wound up unconscious on the floor of their laboratory. How was he to get around that small problem? Jack wore that look that suggested he wouldn't drop this topic. Vlad glanced about the room until his eyes alit on something.
"How about a nice game of chess?" he offered with half a grin. "If you win, I'll tell you what happened. If I win, you'll tell me all about this ecto skeleton?" Of course, he could always steal the battle suit right from under Jack's nose to learn its secrets, but it was too easy getting Jack to talk. Besides, Jack never won against him in a game. Except maybe Pac Man.
"I'll get the board!" Jack jumped from the couch and hurried to grab the chess board.
Oh, Jack, you make this all too easy. Vlad grinned as Jack returned with the chess board and started setting out the pieces. Now if only you would step aside so that I can have Maddie. He struggled not to glare furiously at the man sitting across from him as Jack made the first move.
The game was going well as Jack stared in deep concentration, trying to determine the best move. Vlad wore a smug smile, knowing it would only be a few more moves before victory was his. Jack never was very game with games like chess. But Daniel returned before the game finished. And he brought Miss Gray with him, Vlad thought, curious what brought ghost and ghost hunter together.
When Jack's silly ghost exodus alarm blared, Vlad saw it as the perfect opportunity to have a little chat with Valerie, and put the next part of his plan into action. He left the little matter of a mass ghost invasion to Daniel as he guided Valerie out of Fenton Works. The young woman was growing more accustomed to the equipment that he sent her. He may have lied a little about her being the most capable. After all, she was still young and couldn't compare to Maddie. But he needed her to believe him and trust him since he would be placing something of great importance in her hands. He didn't really want the Ring of Rage to leave his possession, but with Pariah looking for it, Vlad needed to keep it away from him for a while. He wouldn't be able to work if Pariah had his eye on him. There was the added benefit to this plan: Daniel would be busy protecting Valerie and be completely obliviously to the reason why she was being targeted. And with Daniel busy, the battle suit would be a piece of cake to steal.
He's taking too long, Vlad thought impatiently as he watched Jack work on the battle suit. A day already passed since he stole the Ring from Pariah, and it wouldn't be long before the Ghost King sent out his army to search for it. The battle suit needed to be finished if he had any hope of defeating Pariah.
The doors of the Fenton Ghost Portal rattled then flew off its hinges. Vlad couldn't deny the smug feeling as one door slammed into Jack and knocked him to the ground. He pretended to try to warn his friend, at least to keep up appearances. Ah, perfect timing, he thought as he glanced toward the Fright Knight commanding his army of ghosts. He did have something he wished to speak with the Fright Knight about, another step in his plan.
How dare he touch the woman I love! Vlad glared at the Fright Knight, who grabbed Maddie before she could reach the lever to close the Portal. Of course Jack would make something with a fatal flaw. Well, if that was the case, then perhaps Jack would kill himself in the process of "saving the day," eliminating himself as an obstacle. Seeing the pants of the battle suit in action actually impressed him. If not for the fact that the ecto skeleton built into the suit could kill the wearer. Vlad would need to figure out a way around that before the suit became useable.
Vlad left Maddie to deal with Jack. Help remove Jack's pants? Never again. He needed to make sure everything went according to his plan. First on that list was initiating a truce with Daniel. He would need the boy's help, and that little hero complex would play nicely into his plan.
He found the boy at the high school, and with so many ghosts present, Daniel hardly noticed his presence among all the others. Waiting for the boy to be alone, he watched Daniel handle the blond jock that tried to stand in his way. Ah, so Daniel isn't as innocent as he pretends, Vlad thought in amusement as Daniel overshadowed the bully. That information was filed away into things he should remember. The boy held a seed of darkness inside him. If properly honed, well, Vlad didn't think it would take much convincing to make the boy see his side of things. But first, there was the matter of the Ghost King to deal with.
And for that, he needed Daniel to fight alongside him against a common enemy. Before he could work an angle on convincing the boy to help him, Pariah's army attacked, led by the Fright Knight. When a skeleton ghost loomed over Daniel ready to strike him down with a sword, Vlad blasted it away, surprising the boy. He needed Daniel alive and preferably not too injured from fighting Pariah's army. The Fight Knight grabbed him, demanding the Ring.
"I don't have it," Vlad snapped at him before catching himself. He lowered his voice, wanting to keep the conversation between him and the Fright Knight. "But if you joined me, perhaps together-" A shot from an ecto energy based gun interrupted his pitch. What lousy timing! Why did that girl have to show up now? He almost regretted that she was such a motivated ghost hunter, though she really was fairly good at it.
The Fright Knight seized the front of suit, but a blast from Daniel sent the Knight flying. Oh, butter biscuits! Can't they wait until I've gotten the chance to speak before attacking him? Vlad gritted his teeth in growing frustration. Oh, this just gets worse, he thought as the Fright Knight thrust his Soul Shredder into the ground, claiming Amity Park under Pariah. If Daniel didn't see the seriousness of the situation already, Vlad hoped the boy's thick head could figure it out after that.
When Daniel approached him later outside Fenton Works, listing off the points of his plot, Vlad almost laughed. The boy was still so naive. Daniel really thought that was all there was to his plan? Oh, what a simple minded child he was! Daniel didn't look deeper into the fact laid out before him. And apparently, he forgot all about the battle suit, Vlad thought smugly.
Oh, the boy had a temper too! Ah, Daniel was still so young. "Very good, Daniel. You're getting more like me with every battle."
The boy could deny all he wanted to, but Vlad could see the signs. Daniel was learning from him. He was letting his anger take control in his weaker moments. He was using his powers to achieve revenge on those that wronged him. But alas, Daniel was too blind to see the truth.
And still has a lot of learning to do, Vlad thought in a panic when Daniel grabbed hold of the sword. The boy had too much of his father in him, always bumbling around and messing up everything. Did Daniel not understand the Fright Knight's warning about removing the sword? But Vlad was too late to warn him not to pull the sword free.
The moment the sword was freed, the barrier around Amity Part shattered, and the town was drawn into the Ghost Zone. Pariah Dark was waiting for their surrender. The last thing Vlad remembered before falling unconscious was the immense pain of Pariah's attack.
When he came to, Vlad found he was back in Daniel's bedroom. How did that happen? But something else came to his attention as his gaze fell upon Valerie. The Ring was gone! That wasn't part of his plan. If Pariah had the Ring, he would be unstoppable! Hearing footsteps outside, Vlad turned invisible. He didn't want to answer any questions that Daniel's parents might ask. He phased out of the house. He needed to speak with the Fright Knight now before it was too late.
Finding the Fright Knight wasn't difficult. Convincing him would be another matter. "Think about it," Vlad said encouragingly, knowing that he had precious little time. "If you renounce your loyalty to Pariah and join me, you'll have freedom. You'll still have to obey my orders, of course, but when I don't require your services, you'll be free to do as you please."
The Fright Knight looked doubtful at the suggestion.
"No more being imprisoned within a pumpkin," Vlad added with a winning smile. "And you'll no longer have to fear Pariah returning. He'll be locked away for good." He held up the skeleton key, the only thing that could hope to lock the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep and seal Pariah Dark. "And even if someone should allow his return, well, you'd be under my command, not his."
That point seemed to convince the Knight well enough. Every ghost in the Ghost Zone feared the Ghost King, even his servant. Vlad knew the Knight's loyalty to the King was not by his choosing. To ensure that the Fright Knight would no longer be ruled by Pariah, Vlad would need the Crown of Fire. But then, Daniel would help him acquire that little detail. With the Fright Knight's agreement to that deal, the pair flew off to Pariah's Keep.
The battle was already well into its final act. Some ghosts dared to join Daniel's side and fought the legion of skeleton ghosts under Pariah's command. Vlad ignored them. They were insignificant. When he entered the Keep, Daniel was struggling to keep the Sarcophagus closed and losing power, the battle suit draining him quickly. He wouldn't last much longer, and when he fell, Pariah would be freed again. Vlad stooped to pick up the Crown of Fire where Daniel dropped it and sent the Fright Knight a victorious grin. Oh, he loved to win! Vlad floated over to the Sarcophagus and slipped the skeleton key into the lock, returning Pariah to his Forever Sleep.
And Daniel still hadn't figured it all out in the end. He still didn't realize how he was used to ensure that Vlad would get every piece in this game that he set out to achieve from the beginning. With the Crown of Fire, he acquired the guarantee of the Fright Knight's absolute loyalty. After all, if the Fright Knight could be swayed from Pariah's command, what stopped someone else from convincing the Knight to abandon his sworn loyalty to Vlad?
"Return to my castle with the battle suit," Vlad instructed the Knight after Daniel collapsed.
Victory was theirs, and the other ghosts dispersed to return to their homes within the Ghost Zone now that it was saved from Pariah's reign. After the Knight took the battle suit and flew off in the direction of the Plasmius Portal, Vlad grinned down at Daniel's conscious form. The boy really made it all too easy to manipulate him. Vlad lifted Daniel into his arms before returning to Fenton Works. Daniel's parents would surely be worried when they found their son missing.
"Vlad!" Maddie shouted when he turned up on their doorstep with Daniel in his arms.
"He must have wandered outside the Ghost Shield," Vlad explained with false concern. "I found him lying there. The poor boy. Must have passed out from fright."
A strange look crossed Jack's face, and Vlad wasn't sure how to interpret it. Jack's gaze shifted between his son, worry over the boy's wellbeing clear in his eyes, and Vlad. Something unidentifiable flickered in his eyes, and he exchanged a glance with Maddie, who seemed to understand immediately what was going on in the man's head. Vlad's eye twitched. What exactly was going on between them?
"Don't just stand there, V-man!" Jack said cheerily as he dropped his hands onto Vlad's shoulders. He didn't give the other man time to argue before pushing him into the house. "You know you're always welcome in our home, Vladdy." Jack kept ushering Vlad up the stairs toward Daniel's bedroom. Maddie grinned as she followed after the two men. "You can stay in Danny's room!"
Vlad frowned, shooting a glare over his shoulder that Jack missed as he grinned like an idiot. Why did he make that comment? Vlad couldn't understand Jack, but then the way the other man's mind worked was always a mystery to him.
KoolKat SuperStar DareDevil: Chapter 26 and 27 aren't the same the same chapter. In college, Vlad never learned Danny's last name.