A week later on Sunday, October 31st of 1999, after Trick-Or-Treating in San Francisco, California, at night, within Section 13:
Jade and Camelia dumped their treats with equal glee as they managed to get a lucky haul this year, and Jade secretly with her mixed feelings during that time knowing it was her friend's only time on doing so.
Though she also knew from overhearing that her parents died that day as well, was glad she wasn't feeling too down as Jade guessed she hardly remembers them.
Speaking of how things went, everyone, Camelia did go to school and Jade was rather surprised how quiet and shy she was around everyone, and no one teased her or Camelia about how she couldn't speak, or Jade's height by a new bully not getting believed by the tale of her protecting and trying to calm her down, from seeing her blood from a hard punch to the face.
That was a lie they all had to cover as Jade did shiver a bit of that dark yet fiery aura around her with her eyes once again glowing green, a few days ago.
To make matters interesting as well, Camelia stunned her uncle by asking him if he could teach her how to defend herself as well but made them both blink from him stating that he was under orders not to, by her cousin: Captain Black himself.
When she did confront him with her soothing her friend hours after, from mixed emotions of being mainly sad and hurt, he said it was for her safety and to make sure she wouldn't go into her Enraged Mode, to which she was eventually showed by Jade herself, secretly, and she kept to herself for at least a full day after, per request.
Besides that, they did get to see what the items were from the unusual bags Jackie gave them, and they were rather surprised as some of them stated they can't open till either particular Christmases or their birthdays, and a few stated to open only if it is required from a carefully written situation to make them cautious.
So all in all, it was pretty much tame as both Mike and Amelia were still gone, but have sent postcards to Camelia to make the child happy they got along well and found out to even surprise the Chan Clan, not all Shadowkhan are the same when working or serving others, yes, but they had their own families and names as well.
Anyways, Jade and Camelia traded candy for the next few minutes even eating some as well, before Jade blinked as she did at seeing one of the supposed delights from Camelia's treat bucket, which wasn't candy, but a strange-looking stone with kanji all over it they couldn't figure it out, but it was lovely to look at as it was designed as a rainbow of sorts.
"So how was your first trick or treating Camelia?" Captain Black asked her once he came into the room, and he held in amusement from seeing her gestured to her, like Jade's own stash, and tried signing but winced to soon make him frown, and she placed a convincing smile than with trying to ignore the pain of her hand once again.
Jade saw this and sighed as, despite the outcome to gain that, it tends to hurt her randomly whenever she tried to sign at times and would drain her overnight to which she would be weak for a few hours in the morning, from knowing this on the first day having them spending the night at the Shop.
"I think it's time you took your medicine then." Captain Black suggested and made Camelia give a disgusted look at that, as it did help soothe her pain within her hand as Uncle designed it, but it tasted like a mix of stinky socks and enriched dog food combined.
She gave in to his look at her with her also hiccuping and blinked as Jade was keeping her words to herself knowing that Captain Black knew magic by easily seeing their stash of candy piles get organized and placed into their containers for them, Camelia taking her medicine, and was forced into bed as Jade was as well, from the time.
Jade was at least glad that Jackie was coming back later on tomorrow though, as, from the call he gave Captain Black and then to her, he got the Horse Talisman and accidentally won something as well when he was getting ready to get on the plane.
Seeing her friend easily pass out, she turned to Captain Black in utter surprise as he told her then, "She may be forgiving at times, but she is still persistent in trying to learn to fight. I'm not sure why she wants to learn, but it's for her safety and protecting herself from being more of a problem if she gets enraged once again."
"But Jackie did agree to help her with breathing exercises though." Jade tells him as he nodded before telling her then, and made Jade hold back the urge to facepalm at times from adults and them being overprotective, "I asked him at least to do that for her, as I don't want to see her try and harm her body once again as fighting may cause that… Anyways, night Jade."
As soon as he left, Jade sighed placing a hand on her face and lowering it in slight irritation, as she was thinking of doing the task herself, but she would need to try and aid her in what style her body was able to do.
Though Jade was amused and concerned about her friend as Camelia may have caused the school to close for a few days or so, from her trying yet failing to hold in her sneezes, and lab explosions and more occurred which, to say, was chaotic at best, and would be unbelievable in any claimed report.
She then turned to her soon getting up to not try and wake her as Camelia looked to be having a nightmare, and when she grabbed her one newly marked hand, she winced and saw to her bewildered face, it was glowing like her other mark, and saw a gemstone was formed from her very body and gently fell onto the floor.
Jade picked it warily up to see it was a blue diamond, to her initial surprise, but it also had the center of it slightly to see it was like a cat's eye of sorts as well, with a red diamond slit in the middle of it.
Jade then went over, and placed the unusual gemstone into the secret box she had placed, seeing it had several others in there already, as she was the only one to know that Camelia, while asleep, made these weird jewels at night.
Jade then went over to her bed out of hesitation, and tried and succeeded at going to sleep.
The next few days after, on Friday, November 5th of 1999, in the early evening:
"Level one security card?" Jade curiously asked the Leader of Sector 13 stating 'Check' to her with her uncle closeby, as he arrived in the middle of the night with a faster flight thanks to Augustus Black.
Camelia though ended up getting sick somehow and was told to rest, much to Jade's ire at that as she has plans with her as well.
The three then came to the second lock with Jade punching in numbers to amuse the two adults at trying to unlock it as she told Captain Black in sheepish honesty, "I punched in your birthday, Captain Black."
"Invalid code, nice try," he tells her with a slight ruffle of her hair as while he was punching in the correct code, Jackie then apprehended her with a gentle warning, "It's not polite to hack into security systems that don't belong to you." Though as he spoke, she was secretly memorizing the code from Augustus and made her uncle sigh by stating, "I saw seven."
Once that door was unlocked, they came into the room where all the currently found talismans were, with Jade stating, wow, from seeing the stand they were placed on.
"Whoa, slow down little lady!" Captain Black tells Jade as she was about to walk over something she now noticed, "The entire floor is a sensor field." Jade did look determined for a moment with her thinking of ways quickly for later, as Captain Black asked Jackie in an attempt of a joke, "Shall we put horsey on the stable?"
Augustus rolled his eyes without them seeing Jade was trying to do something, by Jackie being a bit clueless and stated to him, making the leader though look at him, "You mean the talisman?"
"You didn't bring it?" He stated with Jackie to him to understand as with each one they found, the old man had to look into what they did first, "Uncle's still trying to research what magic it has…" he saw the raised eyebrows and look Captain Black gave him and tried to make an excuse, "Uncle and his crazy hobbies."
The two saw entire time they talked, Jade was trying to hack into the touch monitor that would lower the electric barrier to get the talismans, by spelling the word, TALISMAN, backward.
Augustus read it before being amused by Jade stating to him then in a fact as if he forgot how to spell, "Talisman spelled backward, duh."
"You get an 'A' for effort, smarty pants. But not only is Section 13 top secret," he began with the two being confused from grabbing a blue bulky pen out of his pocket, and casually tossed it, and soon saw a laser made it explode to make Jade hide the urge to gulp at that, "It's impenetrable."
Jade did glance back at the talismans with a narrowed look that they didn't see, as they soon dismissed her and made Jade wander around the place, and she had the urge to go see Camelia and hurried as she did so.
Just in time too, she was startled in shock at seeing the marking on her right hand glowing a sickly green color and looking like it was on fire, and Camelia's face scrunched up in pain.
Before Jade could try and move over to her, she blinked from tripping over something and saw it was one of her wrapped gifts, to bewilder her, as she and Camelia placed their gifts in boxes to keep them for later to open, and as she got up… She tripped over it with her glaring at it, to see whatever it was, it was trying to purposely get her attention.
She hesitated as Jade wanted to get over to Camelia, and sighed as once she unwrapped the item with her eyes watching the paper disintegrate into nothing, she was very confused from seeing it was another box in an old wooden casing, and once she opens it, she looked irked at discovering they were black biker gloves of sorts with a metal stitching on each finger above them, and a red solid yet squishy orb-like gem where the palms supposed to be.
Jade glanced from seeing Camelia was soon crying and spasming, sighed, and blinked as the gloves magically shrank to fit her, and once she went over to touch her friend's hand with them on, she was startled in awe from watching sparks of that green energy of sorts being sucked into the orb itself and stood still with her trying to not instantly yell in pain, as she absorbed the energy instead… And blinked from soon feeling slightly energized, after a few moments of it continually draining the mark.
"Jackie and Uncle aren't going to believe this," Jade tells herself as not known to her, her eyes glowed a bit green and on a place of her body she would soon learn later on when she gets ready for bed from a shower, was a mark being placed, from making their bond official, as a slight price.
Once Jade saw the mark was no longer green, she quickly let go and was breathing heavily with staring at her hands before quickly taking off the gloves, placing them back into the box, and doing a double-take at seeing the markings on Camelia's hand looked like a normal tattoo now, much to her ire at that.
She did see Camelia looking feverish still and sighed as she soon left the room and paused when she was nearly out the door, to see Camelia stating her name with a relieved yet sickly face, and hid a smile as she closed the door.
Meanwhile in the headquarters of the Dark Hand, Shendu, after a remark about Valmont's idea, summoned a Shadowkhan who brought forth a box, when it was just the two.
The entity carefully placed the item down onto Valmont's desk before leaving back into the shadows, and the blonde man opened it.
Inside was a vial within a contained cylinder with an unusual enchanted concoction that looked like a soda-based liquified version of amber itself, and the vial was also wrapped in a green eastern dragon from the top being the head, swirling around the vial, and the bottom being the tail.
"This potion should accommodate your needs perfectly, Valmont," Shendu began to explain to the blonde man, and he grinned and stated to himself with Shendu agreeing, "By this time tomorrow, Chan will have no choice but to work for the Dark Hand… Now for the bait."
Later on within Uncle's shop with Jade, Jackie, and a forced-to-come Camelia for fresh air by her cousin's words without bite, Uncle informed them then while holding the Horse Talisman up, "I have translated the inscription on the back of the talisman. A very perplexing riddle." He hands Jackie a written paper as Jade glanced in an apologetic way to Camelia as she tried to stay awake, at her spot in the chair as her sickness was making her tired a lot.
"'If activated, the noble horse expels all alien forces within', hmm…" Jackie read before Jade states to them in theory, "I bet those alien forces inside the talisman fly out and latch onto the human brain, and turn people into mind control zombies to conquer the world-" Though as she spoke, she was making gestures, and saw the strange looks both of her family members gave her as she looked sheepishly at them with trying to explain more, "The alien forces signal the mothership to launch an invasion-" they still looked at her weirdly, "This isn't the Martian Talisman?" In the end, she was showing confusion at them.
"There is no such thing as Martians," Uncle told her to make Jade wince at getting berated of her theory, and was soon explained by him as well, "The talismans are magic."
It was at this moment that Jackie got a call on his cellphone, and answered it, "Hello? Where is it? Mount Rushmore? I'm on my way."
Jade clasped her fists together and did a motion of glee, as she stated mainly to herself this time, "Let's rock!" As she was hoping for some action at some point, she looked irked then by Jackie stating to her in a quick excuse, "Uncle needs you to, uh… You are this close to solving the riddle of the talisman." He has his hand showing a point at how close to make Jade raise an eyebrow for, and didn't see Jackie looked relieved as she bought it, and turned to Uncle, stating to him with the old man secretly giving Jackie a look, "Let's crack that code."
They all ducked from a sneeze of raw energy this time from Camelia as it bounced without damaging the shop, but exited the open front door eventually they all equally winced at someone's vegetable stall shouting, my cabbages are on fire, and Uncle stated to them both from them gazing warily at the child as she turned into her side to try and get comfier, "And to cure Little Flower of her illness as her body used up most inner natural protection against the no-longer active mark."
Jackie nodded as he left, with Jade looking at Uncle her not knowing what he meant, and he sighed and tried to explain easier to her, "Little Flower's own body was mostly used to try and prevent her from being in painful fits. The entity within her could not prevent it as it countered its power to heal and prevent the outcome. She is sicker due to it, as sickness started from her body about to give up until something occurred to now make her begin to heal."
Jade briefly stiffened as Uncle began asking her things for Camelia, firstly, before he resumed working in the talisman with her recalling last night with a glance to her hands and back to her friend, in thought, Those gloves couldn't have done all that… Could they?
After making the solution and forcing Camelia to drink it, an hour or two after, she was at least aware and awake, but had a blanket on her due to her signaling that she was very cold, despite the shop being perfectly warm inside.
Most of the day, Jade was tending to Uncle and her, which she was trying to say 'Sorry' with her hands at times, and Jade understood as so did Uncle, and figured that no one else treated her this way when she did become sick and didn't see Uncle hide a warm smile when the two girls occupied with themselves before accidentally dropping the Horse Talisman.
Camelia picked it up and ignored the tingling feeling as all the talismans did once she first touch it as to perplex them, she looked better yet was still sick, but within her, Deathwing raised an eyebrow at seeing she unlocked a new energetic pathway within her body, and to soon amuse him, gained skills already to use it, with most being locked and some, being available that soon fused within her magical core to infuse that energy, and her magic, and her power, as one.
She weakly gave the talisman back to Uncle after, and Jade resumed helping the old man as she decided to go to sleep, despite feeling something bad was going to occur once again.
Once again, she was in her sanctuary seeing her chosen setting, and merely lay on the white sand itself.
She paused before glancing to her left at seeing her Uncle Shenji was doing the same, next to her was an awkward and tense silence between the two.
Shendu blinked with a raised head at her in slight surprise, as he was expecting many things, but not her stated question when she just kept looking upwards, "So you're a statue?"
"No, Camelia. I am a Demon Sorcerer, not a statue. As you have learned, the talismans are originally part of me, as I did make them, but I also infused them into me as I chose the Zodiac Animals for my gain. When I still ruled that is." Shendu told her in honesty to get her to gaze at him, seeing he soon looked up while also noticing he was thinking about things.
He then glanced at her curious question and gave him a small unseen smile on his face, by her innocence about her question then, "Did you maybe capture them in Pokéballs, and turn them into the talismans?"
"You have been watching anime with the Chan Girl, haven't you, alongside horror movies?" Shendu questioned in amusement to see her tint before he decided to answer her and saw she didn't realize that, "I did not capture them. I challenged each Zodiac Animal fairly in their chosen competition for a piece of their body, as you well remembered as that is the main ingredient."
Camelia nodded before he chuckled and made her smile then of him telling another story, "I recall the challenge of the Monkey Zodiac: WuKong. He was rather surprised by a demon such as me wanting a piece of his essence as a prize, to which if I lost, I would have to tell the monkey several jokes that he wouldn't know, and an item from my vaulted place within my palace, as his prize. He challenged me to the honorable task of finding a way to successfully prank a single mortal man who never laughed. I managed to successfully do so after he did his three tries, and my last try, at having him covered in flour and more to resemble what you mortals say, a clown, and made him gaze at the waters." He shivered for a moment to see the concern on Camelia's face then as he stated with ire then, "From the way we pulled pranks, we attracted an unusual set of few entities that asked if we wanted to participate in a day filled with pranks to the mortals, and for a few, those two were the best pranksters in the worst way possible, and was glad that I did not have grudges or worse against them."
"Was back then different than today, Uncle Shendu?" Camelia states with him sighing at the child figuring his real name out, and only nodding once with seeing Camelia wanted to have stars out in perfectly lining within her sanctuary to gaze at, "Yes. Nowadays, the mortals have forgotten about magic, and only some remember using it. In truth, I think that society is where you were born into from Valmont looking into things."
"I was born into a society with magic?" Camelia claimed to him in utter surprise and with him now sitting up and looking down at her with an amused smile, "How do you explain parts of your past up till now, Youngling? Your magic from birth was mixed with others to make your entirety of that magic and more. The few mortals that know you within that land… England, they call it, placed you there for protection against a cult that was seeking to rid you of you, due to a false prophecy. But it became real once you vanquished their so-called leader when young, and survived a curse meant to end you."
"So… I suffered from my former family by this cult, and whoever placed me there to condition me as a weapon then?" Camelia acknowledged her thoughts to make Shendu smile being impressed at how brilliant she was from figuring things out in moments, and gave her a curt nod, "Indeed. Though if you haven't, then you wouldn't have confronted Your Other and even shaped bonds with those… Mortals, as despite my refraining sentiments of judgement on that," he began to confess to her then, and made her blink once again in surprise, "They have taken care of you well when I cannot."
He was the one to be touched and surprised by her holding his hand, and knowing from seeing the markings on said hand, he would eventually bring that topic up, by easily detecting her compassion and honesty in her words, "Well. If you could move around, I wouldn't mind trying to hang out with you, like we did within Moose World back then."
He chuckled while recalling things, and nodded as he was internally grateful she was not discriminated against by him being involved with the Dark Hand, and his demonic family as well.
She sat up and glanced at her other marked hand, and made Shendu look at her in small concern though, "But why did your talisman mark me as well? It feels like at times, that thing knew what it was doing, from thinking about what Jade told me what happened… Even though I don't remember it."
"It was due to your power overwhelming you from the urge to protect your Pack, and the Kindred you have formed between yourself, and your emotional state of being didn't help matters back then as well." And also with her not going through things as well for her past, especially her inheritance. Shendu added as an afterthought to himself.
"So why am I worried all the time about the new family I made for myself? Especially Jade?" In the end, though, Shendu did perceive the hinted longing of her voice at the name of the Chan Girl, and responded gently once again by reminding her, "The Chan's and Black, are what you have considered kin to your eyes and The Chan Girl… Is something more you have to figure out all on your own."
Camelia nodded before Shendu decided to change the subject then, and made her smile then, from somehow knowing that Mike may have blabbed to a fellow Shadowkhan or so when he went into his home realm, "I was told you managed to secretly make your first talisman whenever you could… You care to show me?"
He was rather intrigued at seeing she chose something from a mythical creature to which he wondered how she managed to get a feather for it, as it was a Phoenix Talisman in yellow etching, and the bird in the design of it showing its majestic form by having its wings open, and alongside its beak in a silent trill.
"I found a few feathers within Uncle's shop as he said they were not real and wouldn't mind if I take one back with me within Section 13, as I managed to find the perfect place to make them like your book said…" she glanced at it before gazing to him then, "I'm not sure what it does, but I feel it does two things then just a single thing, like your talismans, Uncle Shendu."
"Well, then let me see it and I can advise you at least this once, as I am letting you speculate the others, as I am relatively impressed with your choice." Shendu instructs her with Camelia giving the item to him, and was rather curious why he soon closed his eyes before noticing a red glow coming from his hands and then dimmed and opened his eyes with intrigue and wonder as he claimed to her then, "It seems your first talisman is rather remarkable."
"What does it do?" She begged him eagerly to make him give her a forced moment or two to be patient, and blinked at seeing him shoot a lightning beam from the talisman, as they saw it went directly to the maelstrom with Deathwing making Camelia sheepish at Shendu, from his shout that loudly echoed from the spot within his empowered voice, "I am not a guinea pig! Test the abilities of my Host's achievements elsewhere next time, or I will possess her and make you regret it."
Shendu then tossed it back into Camelia's hands when he fired the bolt beam, she stood up and gazed at her first talisman in awe with Shendu looking at that and bringing up mixed memories, before shaking his head and informing her what it did, "As I know you are good at riddles, I have concluded to enlighten you, Youngling, as to what it can do. Your Phoenix Talisman can send an electric beam or blast of pure raw energy as an attack or empower any device required without damaging it, and the beam itself can also be utilized as an endless conduit to further particular rituals when done perfectly. The other factor of its power is that it can restore someone who is near death and bring them back to health, and to restore one who is indeed dead, only once per individual."
"Wow…" Camelia expresses herself in awe as he admitted to her, and made her give out a slight chuckle on the actual agreement, and wondered if he merely forgot or how did he get it, "The Chi Wizard himself made a blunder on his part at certainly bestowing you a rare Thunderbird Phoenix Feather, to assistance in your craft. They can never fade into ash, or even be eradicated as by a single feather from forgotten tales, can be manipulated to give someone that is brought back, memories of their own past lives as well… To an extent of being consumed in a particular potion that is, and compelled into the intended mouth."
Camelia then pocketed her creation as she privately found out only recently, with Deathwing and from seeing his eyes of knowing, from Shendu, that she can bring anything into her dreams, but she has yet to test to discover if the opposite could work, from anything she made in her mind.
"So, what will the lesson be today?" She then raised a question to make her confused as he tossed her a book of styles on both kung-fu and martial arts, and blinked back her joyous moments of astonishment at his words, "Your servant… Mike, is relatively fond of you and he petitioned me if you can have a novel to assist you in maintaining yourself. I discern no difficulty with it, as to how untrained you are…" he trailed off with her staring in concern, and made him blink at her worrying qualm to him, "You alright Uncle Shendu?"
"It is nothing." He says to her gently to be convincing as she nodded with a suspicious look for only a moment as he told her then, with him being amused of her making into her mind and him devouring it in satisfying what she told him a long while ago, of great white shark sushi for both him and Deathwing, to hide their shared amusement of his moans of it being delicious, and noted to her as she nodded in hesitation, "I think I will leave you alone for the time being so you can get better, as you do require rest and reading from the novel will make sure of that, and for you to uncover your fighting style once you're observant and alone."
He then left her to make her sigh, before she proceeded to read from the novel before she paused midway through it from hearing heavy thudding, and turned to see that Deathwing himself managed to come out of his maelstrom to maybe chat with her over something.
To mention the Dragon, was that he was huge, and in terms of total-like guessing of humans, up to a one-hundred basic height of humans long. He was also black from the hide that was also plated with tarnished yet strong metal (adamantium, not known to her), and with fiery veins running across his body and scales. The head, lastly, is a spade-like terror spiked with cruel, draconic red, glowing eyes that truly shine with a frightening malevolence.
Despite his appearance, he held soft eyes at her to which she sighed, and placed a bookmark she made for the novel, and hopefully, her theory is right, before inquiring of Deathwing then, "I take you have doubts about Uncle Shendu?"
"Truthfully, any given Demon Sorcerer is tricky and more, especially asking for you to call him said title and the others in relation, but there has to be a reason he asked you from first meeting to call him an uncle, and to why he has been doing all these things, Spitfire." He pointed out with him soon sitting with ease from her extending the beach for him, and he grabbed with ease a glass of oolong tea she made with a silent snap just for his size, and one for her, as she did hesitate but gave him a stare at, "It sounds like you dealt with them before."
She hid the urge to facepalm as that was a nickname Deathwing gave and stuck with her lately due to her sneezes being random, and even the times her Magical Fire was used to do chaotic things when it touched it, earned that name for herself.
"Indeed, when I was still plotting over my realm's world, I did encounter a few that I sent away by my will alone, out of it, and into another in a gemstone object-way, with the aid of my cult back then. One wanted to merely use my power to awaken something, and another simply annoyed me with worship." Deathwing told her then to make her raise a wordless eyebrow as they gently sipped their drinks a few times before she asked him to make him grimace in recalling it, "So there are other types of Demon Sorcerers then?"
"Yes, and other factions and types of demons themselves, especially since I hope for type as an example to explain to your young mind, Spitfire, would be the Burning Legion. They are a pact of mixed demons serving under a former Titan who fell to the void itself and even corrupted a few races to join their cause. The last I knew was that they had yet to target my realm's world: Azeroth. I did manage to find and burn some camps they hid while I was in existence there, however." In the end, it sounded like he was in glee at that to make Camelia sweatdrop at him as she warily drank her tea again.
Once they were done, Deathwing saw her fading to make her sigh as she was being woken up, and did a mock-wave to him for later, and when she woke up, she saw it was night.
She saw Jackie was back but it seems she may have missed something as Jade stated worriedly to him as he was on the extra couch glancing at the clock, "You're turning to stone?"
Camelia's body briefly stilled at that as her bad feeling proved itself and she inwardly kicked herself as well with Deathwing agreeing, if not informing Jade and Uncle a while ago.
Jackie nodded at his family as he told them with mixed emotions, "I have until 6:00AM. Valmont's men will be waiting for me with the antidote at Coit Tower." As he was speaking, Jade came over and saw the bite from the machine from poison, and the one single stone finger as Jackie sighed.
"What are we going to do?!" Jade asked herself more in growing fear, as she honestly didn't want to lose Jackie by any means as Camelia doesn't want to lose any of them, before they turned to Uncle, from him expressing in determining confidence, "The riddle of the Horse Talisman can wait. I will make an antidote!"
Seeing Camelia was worried while she was awake, Jade helped her up at seeing she was getting better, by Uncle leading them to a part of the shop that when opened, the two girls were rather surprised by knowing it might be his lab for Chi Wizard things, and he shut the door once they were all in the room.
Once Camelia was placed into a spare chair the room had to watch, Jackie asked his elder of the family in a way, he doubted himself, "But Uncle, we don't know the formula."
Jade hates to admit, with observing Camelia was still gazing around the lab with her blinking at her friend at how she got oolong tea out of nothing, and she saw as well, as they gazed at Uncle by his words and began to prepare then, with dismissing Jackie's words, "Ah! Mine will be just as good." He grabbed something from a jar and told Jackie to swallow, which he did.
Jackie was trying to hold it in, however, with the two girls being wary as he did swallow it and Jade tried to ignore Jackie's disgust, to Uncle, "That's the antidote?"
"No. Fermented beetle larvae are good protein," Uncle told them with Jackie realizing what he was forced to eat, hurried out of the room by leaving the door open, to go puke into the toilet, and Jade was grossed out as when Camelia was given one, she liked it.
Later with both Jade and Camelia helping Uncle, with the Potter Girl having to wash her hands firstly, they were doing some finishing touches to a bubbling potion in a large measuring cup that Jackie warily gazed at, and Uncle told him then, "Drink."
Jackie placed his pride to the back, and chugged the whole warm potion down… Before seeing he was twitching randomly with his mouth open at times, and eyes going wide before she widened her eyes as they did in unexpected moments of being stunned, as Jackie asked then in concern, "What is it?"
"Nothing!" Uncle hastily declared to make Jackie raise an eyebrow as he held his hands up and did so by his next set of panicked words, "Don't look in the mirror!" Jackie was now green-scaled like a reptile or dragon and exclaimed loudly with his hands to his head in true shock.
Uncle had a hand to his face as he declared to Jackie, "I told you not to look in the mirror." And Jackie then stated mainly to himself, even lifting an eyelid down in a comic sense, the girls saw, and overreacting, "I am a lizard! I will become a stone lizard!"
It was then the girls except for Uncle were grossed out as Jackie managed to peel off the lizard skin and saw his normal one underneath it, as Uncle stated in a way he expected it, "See? Reptiles shed their skin. No problem."
Jade shook her head as she gazed at Uncle with hope hinted in her voice, as Camelia was going to sign that to him, "Did the antidote work?" After she said that, Jackie began to convulse and twitch with the three witnessing his other matching finger, his pinkie on his right hand, turned to stone.
"Guess not." Jade sighed out in failure as Uncle came over to inspect it, and Jade stated in a way, Jackie saw how fearful she was about him, and glanced and saw Camelia was as well, "Maybe Captain Black can get this Section 13 doctors to help."
"Beh. Modern medicine has no power over ancient spells," Uncle notifies them in remittance, and begins to head over to his lab table once again, "I will make another antidote."
Hearing this, Jade gazed at Jackie in growing despair before she turns to see Camelia holding her hand wordlessly in equal support to at least make her feel a bit better, as he left to go think things with the two then help Uncle, and also making Camelia eat more of the fermented larvae.
Later on, in a park, Jackie sighed as he gazed at his hand, and coincidentally stared at the fountain with two people always spraying water out of their mouths, and was deeply thinking about things until he held at being jumped by Jade stating his name, and turned to her as Camelia was with.
Uncle instructed Jade to take her out for fresh air, so he could finish the others he had helped with, alone, and trusting Camelia by the aid of Deathwing, tracked him down.
"Jackie, you have to give the talismans to Valmont," Jade tells him in a way, that she was getting overwhelmed, like Camelia was from her gazing at the fountain and to him, of a family member becoming stone.
"I can't. According to the legends, the power of each talisman is nothing compared to the power of all twelve combined." Jackie sadly admitted to his niece to astonish her as she confides in him then in reason, "But if you're all turned to stone, who's gonna stop the Dark Hand from getting the talismans anyway."
"At Captain Black's department, I'm just a researcher, remember?" Jackie reminded Jade as Camelia understood like she did, as they don't need prompting about his actual job, but they were uncertain about the outcome of Stone Jackie, then themselves.
"Jackie please," Jade beseeching him then, "I don't want a boulder for an Uncle!" Jackie blinked before feeling both Jade and Camelia hug him hard to understand that they don't want him to at all become this, or worse.
He decided as Jade and Camelia let go, he grabbed his phone, called to Captain Black, and asserted to him, stunning the two at his choice, "Black. I need a ride back to Section 13 for both Jade and Camelia. It's past their bedtime."
Camelia saw Jade was holding a determined gaze with the only hearing her then, "Okay. If that's the way you want it…" noticing her look, Jade gave her a look for later as they were shortly picked up by a van, and were soon taken back to Section 13 with Jackie staying at the park.
A bit of time later, Jade got Camelia involved with them in the vents, and Jade used a wire and hook to try and nab her cousin's security card with her gazing down below her friend being impressed by her being fully spread-legged to do so, as the vents leading to Captain Black was a large tube.
Camelia saw Jade was triumphant and saw her climbing up with the badge being held by her teeth, and offered a wordless high-five to each other as they headed to where the vault was.
Jade used the card from Captain Black and the code, and she tugged Camelia inside with them coming to the second door, with the code being "007" after figuring it out, and did the same before seeing Camelia look at the area in an impressed wordless look before gazing at her wordlessly in a 'What now' vibe.
Jade made Camelia blink with her facepalming to amuse Jade, as she noted and pointed around her shoulder, "That rope is next."
Camelia handed the rope to her friend as Jade looked around the room before shooting the perfect place, and stated as she tossed the rope to a spot around the vent rafters above the talismans, and Camelia agreed with her mutely, "The only way to save Jackie, is Jackie Style."
Once secured, Jade saw Camelia's wordlessly signing away as she maneuvers herself to where the rope was within a minute and made Jade briefly rub her head with a tint, "I take it Jackie made you do parkour?"
Jade nodded by saying a 'Yep', before she focused and began to slowly lower herself, after tying her waist, to where the talismans were.
Camelia was a lookout from what Jade told her to do, as she also glanced at Jade at times with seeing her manage to find a spare glass cutter earlier and did a perfect circle, as they were told bulletproof glass was added instead of an energy barrier within two hours, due to a scientist getting shocked from trying to find the material the talismans were made from.
Jade then began to grab them all without a hitch and placed them into her hoodie without issue, and once she was back up on the vent rafters and untying herself and the rope, she hopped down with her landing on top of Camelia, much to their embarrassment of the awkward placement of Jade being on top of her waist, before they both got up and quickly sealed the doors behind them.
Jade did see Camelia looked tired, and knew she was stubborn from wanting to continue onward on helping Jackie, but she was worried about her health as well but didn't voice it out as they took off.
Meanwhile Jackie and Uncle later on, however, they were together in the shop with the clock showing it was 5:00AM.
"I have a new antidote," Uncle began with him grabbing his hand with a spray bottle, "This may sting," he squirted it only to be going wide-eyed as it sprayed a blast of fire, and sent Jackie through a wall and with the old man seeing he crashed into a bookshelf with a bowl on his head.
Without warning, Jackie heard his cell phone ring, and took the bowl off his head and said, "Yes?" He blinked in disbelief as he stated aloud, "They what?!"
On his end, Captain Black stated in hiding his impressive feelings as he explained to Jackie after watching the footage again, "Caught it all on tape. Both Jade and Camelia made their shared point. Both of them can be an agent if they want to when they are grown up… Now tell Jade to return the goods."
Jackie nodded once while telling his friend at his end, "Yes, I'll tell her and Camelia." Jackie sighed with him giving Uncle a look, and got up before knowing where the two were heading.
Later on, as dawn rose at the top of Coit Tower, as the four sick Enforcers were sneezing and shaking in place, Finn complained to his comrades, "Valmont had to pick the draftiest place in town." He then blew into a spare handkerchief he brought.
"Should have called in sick. Could I borrow a tissue?" Ratso admitted before asking Finn, as he sighed and gave him one since he brought plenty, and turned to a voice to see it was Jade, and Camelia holding a luggage bag.
"Alright, you sickos! Let's get down to business." Jade stated to them in seriousness and determination, as she didn't falter from the four looked amused with Finn mocking the two, and didn't see Jade glanced at Camelia as she let out a minor growl from her throat from being mocked, "Is it past your bedtime?" "Where's Chan?" "Why do two little toddlers have to meet us?"
"Never mind him," Jade firmly stated as Camelia glared at the four henchmen as she took the bag, "I got everything you want… Right here." She showed the talismans then to make the Enforcers know she was being serious.
"Well?" She asked in waiting with Tohru showing a small vial filled with making them hopeful, the antidote for Jackie, and Jade asked to impress the men with Camelia feeling something was off, as not known to the people and her there, they were being watched. "How do I know it works?"
Tohru let a drop fall gently on a stone insect and saw it was alive before taking off, and oddly landing on top of Camelia's head.
"That'll work," Jade tells Tohru he was about to speak but sneezed and they panicked as the vial flung out of his hands, and relieved as he easily caught it gently with his large hands. Tohru then stated to them firmly with his left hand closed gently on the vial, and his right hand opened in expectation, "The talismans."
Camelia saw that this bug may be more than it was if the red-eye glow the bug had given was any indication, as she saw it scurry to her right shoulder alongside soon watching the wary exchange of Tohru and Jade… Until to startle them, Jackie panted with running in precise time, and shouted to Jade, "Jade! Don't!"
Both Jade, Camelia, and the Enforcers saw his nose turned to stone, and he nearly fell at seeing it.
Jade had mixed emotions about this and decided not for herself, but he, and Camelia still had the bad feeling of them all being watched, "I have to Jackie. You're running out of time!"
It was at that time, Tohru snatched the bag and stated, thank you, and Jackie stated 'No' with his left leg starting to become stone to try and stop the large man, much to the two girls' horror to see the stone curse effects speeding up.
While the three other Enforcers laughed while coughing and wheezing at the same time, and another warning growl from Camelia with a brief eye glow, Tohru counted the talismans as Jade came over to try and help Jackie up.
Jade tensed, snapping Camelia to awareness as she felt like something dropped to the pit of her stomach, like Jade did, at hearing Tohru's firm words of dissatisfaction, "One is missing."
"No way! I cleaned out the vault with my friend helping me…" Jade then blinked and gasped while whispering to Jackie, and with his understanding, "I forgot the talisman at Uncle's." She warily turned to Tohru who looked firm still, "Um… If you give me the antidote, I really for sure promise to get you the other one." In the end, she had her hands together in a pleasing look.
Before Tohru could reply, Jade and Jackie glanced at Camelia as she looked to be putting up a brave front, and signed to Tohru to make him confused, alongside the rest of the Enforcers, "What are you doing?"
They turned to Jade as she looked alarmed and stunned all at once at Camelia, and stated to her loudly with Jackie understanding their plight between both girls, "No! I won't let you go back with them, Amy! That's not what we planned!"
It was Ratso who had an 'Oh' look before informing the other two with Tohru soon understanding, "The pipsqueak is using Sign Language." He sneezed afterward, however.
"Valmont would love to find out how you escaped the first time, Child… Agreed." Tohru informed her before stating the new terms of the deal and tossing the vial to Jade as she looked on in horror as Tohru grabbed Camelia with the other Enforcers grinning, and the Chan Girl failed on catching it when she jumped to reach it, and instantly realized that she was played by them, with Jackie only watching on at his spot as she shouted with trying to hold back tears, "No! Why?!"
Tohru sneezed and stated with his free hand pointing to her uncle, an exclamation, "Because Chan makes me sick!"
Seeing her look as Jade mumbled his name, Jackie struggled quickly yet managed to get up, and limped over to her and tried to soothe his niece, despite the outcome, "Don't worry Jade. Uncle will come through."
Jade felt hopeful at her uncle's words and stated firmly to Tohru then and secretly surprised Jackie from him witnessing alongside Camelia an emerald and blue mixed aura showing briefly around Jade before it dispersed, in mere seconds, and told the big man, "We don't need your stinking antidote!"
She then ran over to him and tried to get the bag to which the large man chuckled and kept it way out of her reach, Jade still determined, began to climb up on the man as a monkey would, and Camelia saw Jackie was trying to head over to them than with scraping sounds from his foot.
It was then the other three decided to attack Jackie with Chow holding his hand not knowing until Jackie revealed, that his chest was stone.
Jade managed to get onto the one arm, before Tohru tossed Jade into the air and held a yell as Camelia stomped hard on his right foot, as he caught the bag, and made him and Jade blink, alongside the Potter Child, at making her float in the air before placing her quickly on the ground.
The two children then began climbing onto Tohru within moments while Jackie still fought the other three Enforcers, Jade once again neared the duffle bag with the talismans on the other arm, and he dropped it to Chow, and the man began to run away with them.
It was in moments they were playing keep away between the two children with Jade speaking for them both, "Hey! Give me that! No fair! Hey, stop it!" From when she spoke, both Tohru and Chow kept tossing the bag back and forth several times.
"Hey, Jackie!" Uncle started with hope coming from within Jade, Camelia, and Jackie as she shouted his name, and Jackie said hopefully to him, "Uncle! You found the antidote?"
"No. I brought the Horse Talisman to trade for their antidote." Uncle tells him with the other Enforcers blinking twice at that, and Jackie, Jade, and Camelia sighed as one at this news.
"One more thing, I also brought the antidotes that did not work. Maybe if I mix them-" Uncle held in a gasp as while they were distracted, Tohru nabbed the talisman and as he did so, he began to sneeze to which Camelia felt more hope with the others not seeing, as the item glowed between Tohru's fingers and finished just as Jade nabbing it back, from seeing the large man no longer looked sick.
"Gesundheit!" Jade stated not hearing Tohru say, thank you, as he maneuvered but tripped over himself, and began rolling down like a boulder down the steps.
"That ought to keep him down, unless this is the 'Sprout wings and fly' talisman," Jade told herself smugly with a hand to her hip, as the other held the Horse Talisman itself.
Jackie saw two of the remaining three Enforcers begin to go after her, and once he said her name, Jade gasped before she ran with Camelia wincing in place and confused as she felt her heart thud heavily, for some unknown reason, and Jade managed to toss the talisman right to her uncle.
Jackie looked grim from feeling something occurred with his body to know he only had moments left, and declared loudly with Jade being confused with what he was saying, but not Camelia and Uncle, "The Dark Hand will- Never have- All twelve!" As he spoke, they all watched in shock, and to Camelia and the other two Chan Family Members, in horror, as he clasped the talisman to where it cannot be taken out easily, and was fully turned to stone.
They all stood together without knowing the awkwardness of doing so, and Jade shook her head with Camelia only frozen at her spot, as she watched Jade run to Jackie with tears soon falling down her eyes to hug him, loudly, "Jackie!"
"A dollar says his hand will snap right off," Ratso told his two fellow Enforcers while smirking at each other, "Deal!" They began to head over to Jade and Stone Jackie and she saw this, and stated without realizing she bumped into her uncle, "You stay away from him!" Uncle was the one to see Jade's irises glow for mere seconds from her raw emotion within her words before gasping and was thankful Jackie didn't break at all.
"Two more things!" Uncle shouted to make the three Enforcers sharply turn around to the old man, with Finn and Ratso getting splashed by a familiar potion and them soon screaming at each other from seeing their skins were lizard-like and knocked themselves out from hitting the column entrance hard.
Chow growled at the old man before he was sent back and knocked out as well, with the flames dispersed to ruin his jacket a bit.
Camelia was still frozen as she felt something bad was coming as Jade and Uncle went to Stone Jackie, and she sadly said to him, "Oh Jackie…" Uncle then spoke with pride in his voice, "He was very brave."
"I miss him, Uncle," Jade tells the old man with his understanding of her emotions right now, "He left a fine memorial for us."
As they were speaking to themselves in remorse, Camelia grabbed her head as within her, Deathwing was being blocked once again by something or someone trying to escape from within her, from using her emotions of loss once again, until Tohru showed up, and both Jade and Uncle were guarded.
They were perplexed to see Tohru breathe air through his nose, "Ah… My cold is gone!" And this made Jade realize what he meant as Jackie held the talisman, "Like magic!" And this got Uncle to mumble to himself about the riddle.
"The riddle! It doesn't mean aliens within the talisman, it means the aliens within the sick person holding the talisman." Jade states to herself and Uncle, as he only nodded with a hand to his chin still, and Tohru was the only one who took notice of Camelia grabbing her head and her eyes glowing and back every few seconds, and the bug that placed itself the entire time on her shoulders, fled into the top of the column tower itself to watch. "The horse is a healing talisman."
"Think it only works on colds?" Jade hoped to Uncle as Jade stated to herself with seeing the large man coming to them, despite being wary of the other child seeing her teeth begin to get sharp and not alongside the eyes, "How do I activate it?" She then recalled what occurred and she fake-sneezed onto it... And Jackie was soon back within moments after the flash died out.
Out of karma, Jackie saw Tohru look stunned and then high-jump kicked him to make the man once again roll down the stars in irony.
Jade hugged Jackie with Uncle blinked at seeing the bag of talismans magically ended up within his hands, before he could say anything, they all turned to Camelia and seeing her giving off energy once again, and worrying them with backing away from the stairs, with feeling something bad was going to happen.
She saw them with her eyes shifting and a dark aura forming all over her frame as she was struggling to sign out without trying to wordlessly cry out in agony yet before Jade could get over there alongside Jackie, they were stopped by a cloaked man with an unnatural jagged rune sword, and despite being in pain, Camelia went fearfully wide-eyes with shaking her head from seeing this person, and that dark aura still showing around her body before clasping her head once again.
"Do not come any closer, as my Master would not want the entities that are trying to come out from in her fears, to go to waste." The person said with a filter, but with the three knowing that it was probably a man.
Uncle went wide-eyed in realizing what was going on, and screamed out in panic to worry the two other Chan Family Members, "Ah-Ya! This is bad news!"
Seeing Camelia backing up in pain a few more steps with tears in her eyes as the aura got darker, Jackie narrowed his eyes, feeling the man was doing the same, "Move."
The silence was all Jackie got as he began to move, only to be swiftly kicked and sent into a column with ease and held back a wince as Jade shouted his name in worry, before gazing back at her friend with her going wide-eyed as the aura began to try and leap off her and take shape, with her trying to shakily get Uncle's attention, "Um… Something is forming."
Uncle narrowed his eyes and made both Jade and Jackie surprised that he tossed some talismans at them with him firmly stating to them both in order, knowing this man was from a dark cult, "Jackie, stay and fight. Jade. Use Rabbit Talisman and get Little Flower away, and hope we are not too late as it seems she is special after all."
Before either Jade or Jackie could speak, the man let out a slight 'Hmph' before telling the old man in a hidden tone of being impressed, "It seems you are correct, as this child's power is also part of summoning those that are either good, neutral, chaotic or even evil. The master wants this city to be done and over with as his patients are growing thin. From realties only those that can dream of venturing to… We have been keeping track of her ever since she was brought back from Death at one year of age, and using her for our twisted schemes, natives."
"So you plan to force Camelia into summoning something evil?!" Jackie firmly exclaimed to the man who didn't object to this with them seeing amber eyes from within the developing aura around her frame, and seeing her uncle was trying to detract the cloaked man, manage to swerve from a slice of the blade by a few hairs using the Rabbit Talisman, managed to grip her friend, and sped down and went somewhere fast.
"Matters not as to what that child does, she will bring forth creatures of particular entities of which hasn't stepped foot onto this part of this reality in eons, as the last were during the times of Merlin and Artoria." The man started to make Uncle narrow his own eyes with Jackie getting into a fighting stance, but was rather confused as to why he mispronounced King Arthur's name like that, "And to perhaps know with this outcome, the Time of The Summoned, will begin."
As Jackie soon began to defend himself with the aid of Uncle against the man, Jade was worried about holding back her urge to shout in pain from watching Camelia struggle with something trying to force her to release her friend from her hold as she sneakily snuck the Ox Talisman to easily pick up her friend as well.
Jade managed to make it to an empty field somewhere on the outskirts of San Francisco, until whatever was trying to come through, tripped her purposefully and separated both her and Camelia with Jade rolling on the ground, and holding back a wince from her back hitting a stray large rock with seeing there were random medium or large rocks around.
Jade could only watch in mixed horror and sympathy as Camelia was wordlessly screaming with her eyes glowing, and holding her head until the dense aura unexpectedly blasted right into the developing clouds, and darkened them further before a vortex began to form above.
Jade was then bewildered before heading to her friend who passed out from her seeing the aura was fully into the sky, and she expected demons or anything to come out, but she didn't expect Crystal Orbs of different colors and designs to constantly barge out of the vortex and go all around the globe, not known to her or the others at the time, as she thought just like they did, were multiple colored of lights.
Though out of obliviousness, other items and whatnot were sent randomly from the world as well, in different colored cubes with ancient writing on the sides.
Jade quickly grabbed Camelia as she went wide-eyes chanting loudly, bad day, repeatedly, as she managed to avoid getting hit by one of these lights that were the few rare black ones, and shakingly glanced over the rocks after checking to make sure Camelia was ok, at seeing the pitch-black orb crack… And then exploded before a gigantic and monstrous shape began to take root on the spot.
Once it was fully formed, Jade kept silent to make sure whatever that thing was, didn't hear her.
It was over seventy feet tall and looked like a bipedal, demonic cross between a dragon and a direwolf. Ivory scales covered most of its body, with black fur in a stripe down its back and on its forearms, legs, and at the tips of its four tails. From its neck to its tails also ran a line of spikes, just peeking out of the fur. The head was like a scaled wolf, with forward-facing horns jutting out the sides of its head like a bull's, and four glowing amber eyes. Its hands had five fingers ending in dark metallic claws, matching the same kind on its theropod feet. The last thing that Jade noticed were markings branded into its scales on its shoulders, belly, and in a spiral down each tail. Closer inspection, later on, revealed them to be Latin.
The beast took a deep long breath, before exhaling as if it hadn't been here for ages, and ignored the vortex up above within the sky and glanced around the land seeing a city closeby to raise an eyebrow for, and sounding somewhat closer to Benedict Cumberbatch, had brief glowing eyes of satisfaction. "To breathe the air once again, and time seems to have changed since my tricky sealing."
Jade clasped her hands around her mouth and fully hid behind the rock as she heard the creature sniff the air, and with a deeper sniff, and was soon right above her before he could gaze down, it stilled before turning to soon growl at something that may have appeared from the vortex, and heard a raspy hissing laugh aimed at the beast, and Jade moved in time to lightly gulp at seeing a katana was perfectly cut through the rock and if she didn't move, it would have struck her heart.
She risked being seen due to her curiosity, and glanced to see the beast growling right at another cloaked man, and saw the cloak was showing red and white clouds on it as the man held out his hand, and the weapon immediately went to him.
"The Traitor." The beast snarled out with the man showing he had glowing amber serpentine eyes under the hood, and nodded while stating to him, "And to your unexpected freedom, Faolan: Demon Sorcerer of Magic and Chaos."
"We are not in your realm, as I sense we have come back to mine, Traitor. From one who has my interest, as my fraternal twin pure dragon brother seems to have been brought to this realm as well, that I can sense… With sensing magic itself still existing, but barely." Faolan tells him to make the cloaked man under his hood raise his eyebrows in interest, as he was about to be killed by his apprentice before he was sucked into a void-like vortex with realizing one thing: He was his person.
"Be as it may, I have plans now within this world, from sensing my true comrades may have freed not only I yet other forces besides you." The man states to make Faolan frown before snarling with his left clawed hand raised and making Jade gaping at seeing it is, an odd coincidence, a literal shadow ball from Pokémon, and tossed it right at the man who jumped from the minor explosion it caused, and began dodging multiple of the same attack with ease by running backward.
Faolan then stopped before leaping high into the air for altitude and then opened his maw, unleashing an empowered crimson beam, and kept at it to try and eradicate the man.
Jade weirdly thought of battle music from a fighting game in her head by watching the two go at it, before turning to Camelia as she weakly rose and grabbed her head, and even shook it, "You ok, Amy?"
Camelia heard the concern in Jade's voice before blinking and giving her a confused look from hearing things, and signed, "I did something bad?"
"Not really…" Jade longed out to hide a wince from Camelia gazing at her before looking and grabbing her and ignoring Jade's shout as they both ducked from seeing a beam go through most of the rock, and both shakily glancing at the fight still ensuing.
The man saw both girls then before deflecting the beam from Faolan once again and saw it easily sliced a few trees, and declared with showing to what Jade knew was a smoke bomb ball, "I would love to continue to fight, but I have plans to make and more things to do, within this world." He tossed it right at Faolan with it exploding massively around the area.
Camelia coughed while inhaling the smoke a few times with her being thankful Jade was trying to get them away from the area with the use of the Rabbit and Ox Talismans… For only something to burst out of the ground to make them fly and to their astonished faces, Faolan caught them easily, and the thing that popped out was a real Graboid, but triple the size of one, and looked to have been touched by demons from seeing demonic runes on its leathery hide.
Faolan briefly looked at Camelia as if he already knew she was the cause of his freedom before the three were glancing at the large worm to see it hastily burrow into the ground, and begin heading to San Francisco.
"We gotta stop that thing!" Jade stated loudly to Camelia, and she agreed before seeing amusement from Faolan flapping his wings a few times to remain in the air at the two, and made Jade gap alongside her as he then narrowed his orbs at the mutant and modified creature, "Very well… And then I will discuss things with you later, Younglings."
Jade held back screaming wordlessly with Camelia as he took off very fast within the air with the aid of his powers, and managed to fly on ahead due to how slightly slow the creature before was moving.
With both Jackie and Uncle, they were panting and seeing that some of their outfits hat slash cuts without injury from both equal glare at the cloaked man, and saw to confuse them from glancing at a particular direction, and then stated in a way he was not satisfied right now, "It seems she succeeded at her summoning an entity not quite what I expected from an alternative verse to handle my task, among others," he glanced at them with a look under his hood, "But this isn't the last we face, Chans."
Both Jackie and Uncle were soon coughing for a few moments to see the man was gone from using a smoke bomb and froze at feeling the slight shakes and vibrations from seeing within the open window columns, the entire city was doing the same.
"Jackie!" A voice shouted above to which both Uncle and Jackie himself gaped are seeing Jade and Camelia were being carried by a demon of sorts, and landed onto the ground as both men hid startled yelps as they were lifted into the air, and then teleported to them with seeing amusement on the demonic male's face as he placed the two girls down.
Without warning though, Camelia rolled up her eyes as she was about to go over to them, and Jackie managed to catch her easily by checking her vitals before the three gazed right at the demon male who let out an amused chuckle, and crossed his arms with a slight tail swish with admitting in clarity, "Seems the Youngling was forced to, by sense, to overwhelm herself to do the unthinkable…" but he looked serious than from glancing at the direction to where the creature was still traveling to get to the city, "But it would seem to be more interesting to know, that a demonic-experimented worm is going to ravage this mortal city."
"Ah-Ya! Uncle is not prepared for that situation!" Uncle exclaimed before Jackie and Jade blinked at the demon lightly bopping the old man's forehead gently with the old man glaring at him, and stated then, "Chi Wizards and their precocious means of preparation. It matters not as there is a way to send it to a land where it can roam free, but it will cost things to those involved, to either be a blessing or a curse."
Seeing as they have no choice, with feeling a stronger brief tremor that occurred and tilted the tower slightly more, and caused some damage in the city with hydrants being forced to spray water, and even attracting unwanted attention within the Dark Hand Headquarters, decided.
It was later on that Faolan was setting up a ritual that was unknown to Uncle, and with chanting in a tongue long forgotten as he burnt with his power, a runic circle that was a mile long near the border of the city itself, and with them at the edge setting up the remaining ingredients.
"Uncle, can we trust this demon?" Jackie quietly asked the old man who shrugged, as he was rather surprised that this was one of the rare out of the hundreds of Demon Sorcerers that were more tending to mortals and demons, than the opposite, "Uncle is wary, but the demon has yet to prove falsehood and lies to trick us."
Jade glanced at both Uncle and Jackie as she was next to Camelia by the demon's orders, much to the confusion of everyone but the old man, and she took her hand back from seeing she was once again for what she guessed was around the twenty-second time, she was running her hands through her friend's hair, absentmindedly.
Jade leaned back once again against the tree with at least grateful that Camelia was sleeping soundly as before they did this, the demon forced-fed her something he called a Mega-Elixir, from something extra he had from a hidden pouch he carried, and stated that she needed it for how much power went to not only freeing him but unexpected outcomes for the future of the world… Whatever that meant.
Jade though was also irritated at being told by both her uncle and Uncle himself, that she would be more useful to be with her friend than to help them work on whatever was supposed to send this large worm away.
"It would be better if I can do something though." Jade stated crossly with her crossing her arms before holding herself alongside seeing at least Jackie got chalk powder placed onto his face, to amuse her, until she jumped with a hand to her heart a few times and glared at the demon who was having his face purposely close to her with an amused chuckle before telling her knowingly, "You are rather fond of your Kin and yet, I sense you are considered a trouble to their eyes."
"Well, duh. I don't try to get into trouble, it tends to-" Jade blinked being surprised at the demon finishing her words for her as if he experienced it for himself, "Tends to happen when you least expect it."
Jade was skeptical about her seeing the Demon Sorcerer raise himself to stand-sit of sorts while also witnessing his tails sending small zaps to the locations he marked to know he was multitasking, "Why does it sound like you know how I feel?"
"Because I do. Not all knowledge of how demons began is written in stone or books. Most are Natural Born, and some are made into what they are. I and my brother included. I was made into a demon of my caliber to please my kin, and my brother was left to be alone after the mortals of my home realm…" Here he paused before making Jade think about things with actually feeling sorry for this guy, "My flight was slain by weaponry and more with him eventually being killed from taking over a mountain for dwarves that made it a city within, from vengeance and greed, and neighbors to humans as well. I was informed by a man who I can trust, unlike that Traitor to where I ventured to his realm and even through time, and was tricked to be sealed away into an Embodiment Orb."
"Sounds like you had it rougher than Amy." Jade admired to make the demon blink and glanced at the other child, as he knew whose child she was from merely sensing it from the power she used, and forced, and shook his head in disagreement as he was setting up the last details of things, "No. the Youngling who was tricked as well to summon and free not only I, but many, many others within their orbs, alongside artifacts, has suffered more than myself. Being used twice would have killed an average user of magic, but she is not what she seems. As such…" without warning, he cut Jade to make her blink and was about to complain from gathering her blood, but was baffled when there was no wound, from the palm of her hand.
"I am sorry for that, but this ritual requires the blood of one who is still pure, as a female. Otherwise, I would have used the other Youngling's own." Faolan informed her apologetically to be amused by Jade sticking her tongue at for a moment at him, as he stood up and began walking with slight thuds to the center to where the large wooden bowl he transfigured from a log was in the center of where the ritual is, and let Jade's blood go into the mixture as the final ingredient with a few last words, just as in the distance they all saw the large worm was now more massive and roaring into the heavens.
The area with the burnt and chalk-covered runes began to immediately glow as they floated up, before going into lines right into the large bowl itself, to amaze the Chan Clan Family Members, as Faolan clapped his hands before seeing him then raise his left upwards, and the glowing mixture began to float onto it in a shape of a crystal orb in black colors.
He gave a glance to Jade's spot from detecting within the mixture, to soothe him, it was going to bless her instead of a curse, and as soon as the giant Graboid was near, he tossed it with a roar right at the creatures open maw, to which it quickly swallowed it… And a vortex appeared right behind the creature.
"Best hold onto something, mortals, as you do not want to end up where it's heading!" Faolan exclaimed firmly, securing himself into the rough ground with his claws, and Jade quickly grabbed Camelia as she was about to get sucked in like the worm was, until Jackie grabbed her with Uncle having the bag around his neck with the remaining talismans.
The worm roared one last time as it was fully sucked into the spelled vortex alongside debris, and it instantly closed with the four landing on the ground, and Jade looked at the massive hole the worm had made with wide eyes, "Whoa."
It was later on at night with Faolan to startle them all, ended up being able to shrink into a seven feet tall version of himself, and went with them to Section 13 and Jackie sighing of Augustus not believing that the Demon Sorcerer was that, but a mutant to which would have to stay on base, much to Faolan's displeasure at that.
Camelia was wrapped up decently in her bed for more comfort, as by Faolan's words, she would be asleep for two or so days, and would require lots of protein to regain the strength back she lost.
Uncle went back to the shop to secretly look up the Demon Sorcerer, and Jackie was being debriefed before he could return to the room Jade was currently in, as she didn't know why, as she felt weird ever since she came back, sore, and also tired all over.
Jade though decided to get her spare sleeping bag, and sleep next to her friend, however.
Jade felt that this was her fault, and at the same time, the fault of that man as they discovered another yet barely noticeable small dart was around Camelia's neck to know she was influenced to do as she had done, and a concoction that was unknown and still being analyzed by the doctors within the place.
She also apologized to Captain Black, and she placed all the talismans and including the Horse Talisman lastly, by herself, to impress both him and Jackie.
Though as Jade had her loose pajamas on her, she did finally take notice of the unusual mark on her pelvic area and would have to try and be sneaky to find out what it meant and to try and see if she can use the small vial given to her from the Demon Sorcerer from her wanting to hang out with Camelia more.
Faolan said it would have a bad taste but would allow her to enter her friend's Mindscape Sanctuary with ease when she wanted to and more, to perplex Jade at that, as it was in a shape of a cube with the top having a dagger tip like an arrow, and a small cork to keep it sealed.
"Well… Here goes nothing," Jade muttered to herself as she uncorked the vial, and chugged the entire thing with her holding back the urge to barf, as it tasted metallic with hints of anchovies and enriched cat food.
She shivered to herself as not seen by anyone, her eyes glowed for a moment with the contents soon bonding with her blood to allow to what it was intended for, and felt tired in moments that she nearly tripped herself trying to throw the vial away into the trash, and got into her bag and slept.
Jade then opened her eyes to see she was indeed in Camelia's Sanctuary but was rather surprised to see her friend looking bored in an Indian pose on the sand, and with seeing Deathwing was probably within his maelstrom place and decided to surprise her by making her friend jump with hands in front of her eyes.
Jade was rather confused by whom Camelia asked, "Uncle Shendu, is that you?" Camelia froze because of the voice she heard and hugged the girl then, "Nope, it's me."
"Easy Amy," Jade states with seeing her looking happy to see her, and pulled back before looking anyway but her when Jade quizzically inquired Camelia then, "And who is this Shendu guy you stated was your uncle?"
Before Camelia could answer as she was debating up to this point, they got up with seeing weird entities descending from the darkened spaces from within her sanctuary, and stated mainly to herself as she kept Jade behind her, with those small creatures with antennae on their heads, glowing yellow eyes aiming at them both, and claws as well with jerky movements, "Not again."
"Again?" Jade warily questions Camelia to which she gave a look for later and confused her by giving her an emerald umbrella alongside giving herself one, and shouting to Deathwing, "Let them burn!"
Jade was oddly glad for the item as Deathwing sent from his spot, purposely aimed molten fireballs that eradicated each one that began to flee, and left nothing, not even a scorch mark at all.
Once the two closed their umbrellas and they vanished into ash back onto the sand itself, Camelia sighed out with a hand to her face being tired and weary, "Those things have been showing up for some time and I'm lucky to have Deathwing in me, otherwise…" Jade was soon concerned about seeing her friend shiver and hugged herself, "It wouldn't be pretty obvious."
"I'm glad old lava dome is in you," Jade began ignoring Deathwing roaring at her from within the maelstrom of calling her 'Shrimpy Chan', "But I wanted to surprise you later on, but I thought I show up early from the vial Faolan gave me."
"He made it so you can come here?" Camelia says in utter shock as Jade nodded before seeing to their soon shared confusion, a door appeared with a stone arch, further inland.
"Was that always there?" Jade asked to which she saw Camelia shake her head 'No', "I think I want to wait until I get better to check that door out, as I don't know what it bloody is."
Jade hid the urge to chuckle with Camelia aiming a glare at the location of the maelstrom when she got soaked with water that she snapped, and startled Jade than to make her gaze at her in wonder from soon being fully dried off.
"How did you do that?" Jade stated in growing excitement with Camelia shrugging as they soon sat on the sand together, and honestly told her, "It's something I can easily do in my sanctuary." Seeing Jade's look at that, Camelia hesitantly laughed to herself before admitting to making her friend nod, "I was going to tell you the last time you visited, but I forgot."
"Alright… Maybe we can do stuff while I'm asleep and you are too then, here, when we're decent enough to do so?" Jade agreed before she suggested things, and Camelia nodded with a warm smile on her face, and they did hang out for most of the night.
By morning, and seeing herself in the mirror, Jade would wake up to a big surprise.