A Dragon's Crimson Cry
By: Tippi
A/n I don't know how to spell the name of the chalice or Spud's stage name I just gessing by how it sounds.
Ch 66 The Chalice
Legend tells of a magical chalice that has been fought over and lost to many in its quest to posses it. Currently it has fallen in with a collection of mass produced 1st place trophies.
"Forever," Spud said looking at the 1st place trophy in the display case "I waited forever for principal Derceto to announce the school talent show."
"Here we go again" Trixie said to Spud's left.
"This is my year I can feel it" Spud said.
"Uh Spud you say that every year" Jake said on Spud's right.
"I going to do it," Spud insisted "this year's trophy is the nicest one yet."
"All the 1st place trophies are just cheap massed produced pieces of tin" Al said as the foursome started to walk away.
"It can't be" Rotwood said stepping out of the shadows in an almost villainous way. "But it is" Rotwood said looking into his magical artifacts book. "Soon it will be mine" Rotwood than gave a creepy laugh causing the students in the hallway to give him a weird look. Rotwood straighten his bow tie and said "as you where" then continued down the hallway as if he hadn't just acted crazy.
The gang was at Spud's locker as he dug through it looking for his cape and hat. Once found they were quickly thrown on.
"Ta da" Spud said "Spud the Spudnifagent magician ready for action."
"Maybe this whole talent show thing isn't such a great idea" Trixie said.
"Yeah remember last year" Jake said having a momentary flashback of Spud ripping off his clothes leaving him in his underwear.
"I remember that" Al said with a chuckle.
"And the year before that" Trixie said flashing back to Spud getting the rabbit stuck in his hat and the birds attacking him.
"And the year before that" Jake said flashing back to Spud using an ax to take an apple off Trixie's head.
"At lest the hatches were made out of rubber" Spud added.
"That don't make the nightmares go away" Trixie reminded.
"Okay this isn't about hatches this is about a dream" Spud said dramatically. "My great-grandfather was a magician and he taught me to never give up."
"To bad he neglected to teach you magic" Trixie mentioned.
"What do humans know about magic anyway" Al whispered to Jake.
"I never forgot his catch phrase," Spud went on ignoring Trixie "words of immense magical power 'abego ares agee octom'."
"What the heck does that mean" Jake asked.
"I don't know that's always about the time he was laughed off stage" Spud admitted. "That's why I've been trying to win all these years for super gramps and also because the trophies are always so shiny."
"You really want to win don't you" Al asked.
"More than I want air to breath" Spud responded.
"We're in" Jake said.
"What" Spud responded?
"Spud the Spudnificant just got him self three lovely assistances" Trixie said. "We're going to help you win this thing."
"You mean it, you guys are the best friends ever" Spud went over the hug them.
"Actually you've got two assistances and one guy who only works behind the stage" Al said.
"Uh why" Trixie asked.
"I've vowed never to go on stage since a horrible incident during an elementary school talent school that I also vowed to never speak of or flash back to again" Al explained. "So no on stage appearance in sequence for me just moral support."
"I can respect that" Spud said.
~Later that nigh in the school~
"Wednesday 11 hours, 38 minutes, 16 seconds universal time" Rotwood said into his recorder, dressed as a ninja burglar. "Has learned that Taranush's Chalice is the first prize in the talent show" Rotwood finished as he took a crowbar to the lock of the display case forcing it open. "The Chalice contains a magical creature I shall unless thus proving once and for all that…" Rotwood was ranting reaching for the chalice till the beam of a flashlight blinded him.
"You there hands up" one of two cops said shining their flashlights on him.
"Taranush's Chalice is mine" Rotwood yelled grabbing for the chalice and making a run for it followed by the two cops.
Rotwood came to a halt at a water fountain and said "you shall be my witnesses when the chalice runs over with water the creature shall be released and all my research will be proven true." Then Rotwood tuned on the fountain to fill the cup with water.
"Looks like we got another one for Bellevue" the larger of the two cops said.
"Behold the…" Rotwood stopped realizing he had actually grabbed the chess club trophy instead of the chalice "Chess club."
See as this was a mess he throw the chess trophy at the cops and made a run for it.
~The next day in school~
"Okay I've been working on this one for the show" Spud said spreading out a deck of cards between his hands. "Pick a card… any card" Spud said holding the cards out to Trixie making one card separate from the others.
Trixie picked a card.
"No not that card" Spud said. Trixie pick another. "No" Spud said throwing the cards up in the air. "How am I supposed to do the trick if you keep picking the wrong card?"
Jake noticed two cops and the principal talking by the display case. Thinking why two cops would be there said "ear of the dragon."
Jake right ear turned into his dragon ear and his sense of hearing was magnified.
"I wish I could tell you more but the perp escaped before we could question him" the skinnier of the two said.
"He was ranting about the talent show trophy like a mad man" the other cop added.
"Vandals," the principal said "looks like I'll have to keep the school talent show trophy somewhere safe."
Jake's ear went back to human as in the back round Spud was trying to have better luck with his card trick by having Al pick a card with little success.
~In Rotwood's class~
Rotwood was talking about how he was going to prove that magical creatures were real, like usual, but unlike usual Rotwood was almost falling asleep as he spoke. Most likely from his failed late night robbery.
"Man I've never known a teacher so boring he put him self to sleep" Brad joked.
"O we're a mister funny man, well I've got a joke for you knock, knock, who's there? You're failing my class" Rotwood yelled standing in front of Brad's desk. "And as the school rules say any student failing a class even the star quarterback losses their sports eligibility" Rotwood added.
The bell rang and the students started to leave.
As Jake and his friends were passing Rotwood's desk Spud said he had another trick for the talent show.
"Check out the table cloth trick just without the table cloth or the dishes" Spud said as he yanked the desk pad off casing the items on the desk to fall on the floor.
"Dude don't go messing with Rotwood" Trixie said as she, Al, and Jake quickly grabbed the items off the floor putting them back on the desk.
"Humans know nothing of magic" Al muttered under his breath.
Jake picks up one of the books and opened it up to the page that had a corner bent.
"Hey Jake you coming" Trixie asked.
"I'll catch up with you guys in a minute" Jake said seeing the page was on something call Taranush's chalice with a picture of it that looked a lot like the school's talent show trophy.
~At the shop~
"Taranush's chalice" LS said looking at the page from Rotwood's book Jake brought. "Made 2,000 years ago by nomadic elves. I ya," LS said. "What is this trash" LS exclaimed as he pushed the book off the desk.
"So the school talent show trophy isn't the chalice" Jake asked.
"No it is" LS looking through a drawer of scrolls.
"But everyone knows the ledged of the chalice knows it was made by goblins not elves" Al said.
LS unrolled a scroll that projected a holographic image of the chalice.
"Taranush's chalice contains a powerful Djinn when the chalice is filled to the point to which it runs over it shall be released" LS explained.
"So how do you get it back in" Jake asked.
"You don't" LS answered. "The magic incantation used to seal it has been lost."
"As the ledged says" Al added. "Of course I guess it's not a ledged any more."
"And Professor Nutwood knows about the chalice" Fu said.
"Yo, I bet he was the one that tried to steal it last night" Jake concluded.
"It makes sense he could barley stay awake in class today" Al explained.
"Jake you must get the chalice the fate of the magical world depends on it" LS said.
Later Jake was in his dragon form sneaking in through the window into the principal's office.
"Okay if I were an ancient magical chalice where would I be" Jake said out load looking around the office.
Just the he heard talking outside the door and handle start to turn. Jake made a quick disappearance by digging his claws into the ceiling and hoping no one looked up.
"I just wanted to make sure the talent show trophy was safe in where ever you hid it" Rotwood said as he followed principal Derceto into her office.
"Why Rotwood I've never seen you take such an interest in the talent show before" Derceto said.
"Well, I just feel some students have some special talents, talents that need to be revealed" Rotwood said stirring his coffee.
Jake was finding it hard to keep on the ceiling and a bead of sweat rolled off his face and into Rotwood's cup luckily un-noticed.
"I assure you Rotwood the trophy is safe and the next and only person to touch it will be the winner of the talent show, now if you'll excuse me" Derceto said in a voice of authority.
Rotwood walked out of the office sipping his coffee and said to him self "mmm, fresh roasted it tastes."
Derceto went to her desk and stared to work but a bee came buzzing in the decided rest on Jake's nose. He tried to blow it of but it wouldn't go so Jake roasted it. Bad move as the burned bee fell on Derceto's desk making her want to look up from her paperwork.
Jake quickly went human and lighting quick fell on the other side of the desk.
"Why Jake what are you doing in here" Derceto said seeing Jake standing up.
"O I was just looking for the bee, o and there it is" Jake lied as he picks up the bunt bee flicking it in to the garbage and walked out. This was weird but Derceto shrugged it off as teenagers almost always acted weird.