Perilous Plunder of Pirate's Park III

The three boys moved through the tunnels.

Drak moved as mist, slipping through the tunnels. Howler pounced across the cavern walls. Frankie ran along, hopping through the darkened caverns. They moved with all the strength and speed that could be expected from creatures such as them. When they came to a stop, they came together in a groove in the cavern wall.

'I found the lost pirate treasure!' Dr. Dred crowed, plunging his hands into the chest full of gold doubloons as he stood on the deck of a rickety old ship. 'It's all mine! Mine! Mine!'

Howler went to open his mouth, but Drak held a hand up, telling him to keep quiet.

'How, Dr. Dred?' Fly-Man asked. 'I can't see a way out to sea.'

'Fool!' Dred snapped.

'Yes, Dr. Dred?' Toad turned. 'How do you like me in this outfit?'

Dr. Dred swung a fly swatter at him. He must've had spares. 'Toad! Lower the forward cannon!'

'Aye, aye, Dr. Dred.' Toad grabbed a cannonball and struggled under its weight as he carried it over to a relatively new-looking cannon. 'Oh, these things are heavy!' He pushed it in.

'See?' Dred crowed. 'I'll blast my way out!'

Drak's eyes frantically looked around, seeking some way to stop him.

'Ready, Toad?'

'Ready, Captain Dred!' Toad lit the fuse.

Drak winced. Once fuses were lit, they couldn't be extinguished. That cannon ball was going to go off no matter which way they sliced it. However, he seemed to be the only one aware of that. Toad tried to step out of the way. His foot, however, became caught in the excessively long fuse line.

'Whoops!' Toad cried out as the cannon swung around, facing OGRE rather than the cavern wall.

'Toad, put out that fuse!' Dr. Dred barked.

Drak just shook his head.

Toad jumped up and down on the fuse. 'I'm trying! I'm trying!' He hit the cannon again and ended up on top of it as it turned back towards the cavern wall. 'Oh, no!'

Drak was amused to see OGRE scream in response. But, at the same time, he stopped breathing. Toad smelt bad enough as it was. If that cannon fired while he was right there, the odds were that he would have his insides splattered all over the place. Drak didn't want to puke and end up giving away their location. Both Howler and Frankie jammed their eyes shut.

Then the fuse petered out.

'It didn't go off.' Toad climbed down. 'I think we're safe.'

Howler and Frankie peeked their eyes open. Drak started breathing again, only for the cannon to flare about to life. Toad hit the ground. The cannonball flew out of the cannon. It sailed right past the Drak Pack and through the cavern wall. The cavern shook and bits of rock and dust fell. Dr. Dred eagerly ran to the ship's steering wheel.

'A little unorthodox, but it worked!' Dred declared. 'OGRE, quick! Lower the sails! Prepare to come out!'

Mummy-Man and Fly-Man did as ordered and the ship started sailing.

Dr. Dred cackled as they exited the cave.

'What now, Drak?' Howler asked.

'You mean it isn't obvious?' Drak asked.

:[

Frankie mused that it was pretty obvious: Drak and Howler sat on his back as he swam after Dred at full speed.

'After them, Frankie,' Drak said. 'We're going aboard.'

Frankie swum up to the ship and all three of them climbed up the side. Frankie was worried about the side of the boat giving way under his weight. It held firm though. Of course, it didn't take Toad very long to spot them. For being the dumbest one, he sure did tend to notice them first a lot.

'Dr. Dred, look!' he cried out.

'The Drak Pack!' Dred yelled. 'Stop them!'

But it was too late, they were already on the ship.

:[

'This one is mine!'

Howler watched in amusement. He turned around and then sprung out of the way as Fly-Man tried to hook a rope around him. Landing on the plank, Howler waved. 'Better luck next time!'

Bouncing off of the plank, Howler caught hold of a rope. He swung across and grinned even wider when he saw Toad waiting with a net.

'I've got him! I've got him!'

Howler kicked him across the ship.

'Whoa!' Toad yelled as he went sailing. He landed on a peg coming out of the mast.

'Hate you hang you up, Toad!' Howler laughed.

Of course, Toad's trousers couldn't hold his bodyweight and they soon tore. As soon as he landed and realised, Toad dived for a barrel.

Howler leaned off the rope and landed on some ropes.

:[

Frankie chuckled as he watched Howler take out two OGRE grunts.

'If you thought that was good, Howlie,' he said, 'watch me!' Frankie swung down on a rope that he knew wouldn't hold his weight. 'LOOK OUT BELOW!'

Sure enough, the rope broke.

Mummy-Man just stood there as Frankie came down.

Frankie went though the deck.

Mummy-Man went flying.

:[

Drak smirked as Dred finally turned his attention to him.

'Ah! We meet again. I'll met the decks with you!' It was very amusing how Dred grabbed an actual mop. 'En guard!'

But there was a very big difference between Drak and Dred as far as sword-fighting went. Drak had actually been formerly trained in fencing, among other things. It was very unlikely that Dred had. Drak glanced over his shoulder and spotted another mop. It looked to be the only weapon on hand.

'So,' Drak said, 'some fancy fencing, huh?' He clicked and the mop came into his hand.

With a quick kick, Drak knocked off the mop-head and flicked the handle around. He knocked Dr. Dred's mop aside, and then jabbed him in the torso. The evil genius cried out in pain and jerked back. Drak smirked to himself. Growling, Dred lurched out at him again. Drak side-stepped and swept the mop handle under Dred's feet.

Dred was flipped over and hit the floor. 'For a good guy,' he growled. 'You're not so bad, Mack!'

'That's Drak!' Drak retorted.

'Drak, look out!' Howler suddenly yelled.

Reacting, Drak transformed into mist. The boom of the ship went right through him and smacked right into Dr. Dred. Drak retook solid form as he watched Dred fly into a barrel. As Toad rushed over there, Drak was joined by Howler and Frankie. Of course, Dred took a swing at Toad with his fly swatter again.

'Well,' Frankie said, 'that just about wraps it up.'

Suddenly, a sail landed on all three of them.

:[

Dr. Dred was glad for the rest of OGRE as they caught the Drak Pack in the sail.

'Down the hatch, Mummy-Man!' Dr. Dred ordered.

Mummy-Man carried the Drak Pack to the hatch and dropped them down. Dr. Dred then had OGRE gather the pirate's plunder and get to the life boat. Mummy-Man carried an anchor as well. Dred was feeling particularly good about himself as Toad rowed them back towards the Dredgible.

'The Drak Pack's next stop is a visit to Davy Jones' Locker!' he declared. 'Anchor's away, Mummy-Man!'

Mummy Man threw the anchor, punching a hole in the boat.

:[

The Drak Pack managed to escape the sail, just in time to find the water pouring in.

'Drak, we're sinking fast!' Howler said. 'Let's abandon ship!'

'We can't do that,' Drak told him. 'This ship is a historic monument.'

'Gee! Then I better patch her up!' Frankie picked up the sail and used it to plug the hole.

'Great work, Frankie,' Drak said. 'Now, to stop Dred.'

'How?' Howler asked as they returned to the deck. 'We don't know where they went.'

Frankie grabbed a periscope and climbed up. 'Oh, no! OGRE's getting away!'

'On the Dredgible?' Howler asked. 'I got an idea. Drak, do you still have that handle you used to fence with Dred.'

Drak smirked. 'I know what you're thinking.'

Drak shot down at inhuman speed and scooped up the broken mop handle. He threw it up into the air. Howler took a few deep breaths and then he blew up a powerful gust. The mop handle was caught in the gust. Then…the wooden handle was speared through the air and right through the balloon of the Dredgible.

'My Dredgible!' Dred bellowed.

At that moment, Toad lost his grip on the chest.

'My treasure!' Dred bellowed. 'You lost my beautiful treasure! Gone! Gone! Do you hear?!'

'I'm afraid Dred's right,' Drak said. The chest had fallen into the water. 'The treasure is gone for good.'

'Wait a minute!' Frankie pointed. 'I don't believe it!'

The seal had returned, the chest balanced on his nose.

Clapping suddenly got their attention, and the Drak Pack looked up.

'Huh,' Drak remarked, frowning slightly. 'I guess we had an audience.'

:[

'That was so awesome!' Ben declared as they left the park. 'Pity they didn't stick around.'

'Oh, they'll show up again later,' Jess said absentmindedly. 'The Drak Pack are pretty much this city's resident superheroes.'

'Unfair!' Ben protested.

But Jess wasn't really paying attention. This was the third time it'd happened. The first time had been her first day of school. According to the rumour mill, that was also the first time the Drak Pack had shown up in the first place. The second time, their grade had gone to the zoo. They showed up then too. And now this. The Drak Pack had shown up in a place where three other people in particular were: Vince, Frank, and Howard.

Coincidence?

:[

'So,' Agent Black said. 'Now they have a public presence?'

'Yes, sir. But we were also able to observe them in action.'

'And…?'

'Drak, the leader, clearly has some formal training in swordplay.'

'So we have names now?'

'Drak, Howler, and Frankie.'

:[

Jess checked her watch and then she sat down.

With a click of her fingers, the candles were all lit. Merle sat on his perch, watching as she performed her very first solo ritual. Moving onto her knees, Jess moved the planchette into position in the centre of the Ouija Board going on. Closing her eyes, Jess felt her magic moving through her blood.

The candles flared.

Jess opened her eyes and took the ceremonial knife that had been tucked into her grandmother's things. The words that came out of her mouth were not English, but some strange language she'd never even heard before. Still, she knew what it translated to. 'Hades, Lord of the Dead, God of the Underworld, I seek council from who has entered your domain. I beg, let her pass over!'

Jess winced as she cut her thumb. Blood welled up. Laying her injured hand on the planchette, she moved it over the Ouija Board, spelling out her grandmother's name. As she stopped on each letter, she pressed her wound over the hole in the planchette, dripping blood down on the letter in question.

A-G-A-T-A

As she did, she chanted. 'I am the witch called Jessica Melissa Brenton. I am the next of your Chosen Bloodline. I request that you do not abandon me!'

H-A-W-T-H-O-R-N

The magic grew hotter and hotter in her blood. It was almost painful but it also drove her on. She didn't understand the "chosen bloodline" thing, but Merle had told her to say that. The flames on the candles climbed higher and higher. Sweat ran down Jess's skin. Then she felt a surge and the candles flared one last time.

Jess suddenly wasn't alone in the Den.

'Hello, Jessie.'

Jess looked up to see the face of, 'Grandma!'

Her grandmother lifted a hand. 'I have no corporeal form as it stands.'

Jess nodded and settled back.

'Now, judging from how much you've grown, it's been a few years,' her grandmother said. 'I presume you are finally here because your parents have finalised their divorce.'

'Yeah, I was a little confused as to why they dragged it out so long,' Jess admitted.

Her grandmother smirked bitterly. 'I have a friend nearby who will explain that to you. Now, you've obviously discovered that you are a witch.'

'And I worked out that I got it from you,' Jess said. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

Her grandmother frowned. 'I intended to when you were twelve but…as you know, that was the age your parents stopped sending you here. But…do you recall those games we would play when you did spend the summer with me?'

Jess's eyes widened. 'Don't tell me those were training exercises?'

'Okay.' Her grandmother smiled.

Jess nodded. 'Wow.' She cleared her throat. 'So…there is something I want to ask. There are three boys at my school. One of them I haven't liked too much, but recently I've started thinking…they're not exactly human.'

Her grandmother inclined her head. 'What are their names?'

'Vincent James, Frank Hubert, and Howard Bane.'

Her grandmother's response was to chuckle. 'And I would bet that Vincent was the one you haven't liked too much.'

Jess nodded.

'Well, you are right,' her grandma said. 'Vincent has some human blood, but those boys are not human. They are, respectively, a vampire, a patchwork monster, and a wolf-man.'

'Then why do they look human?' Jess asked.

'Because of a potion I gave them many years ago. It gave them the ability to transform at will between human form and their true forms. As for why I did this,' her eyes narrowed, 'the short answer is "the Helsing Organisation".'

A sinking feeling came to Jess's gut and she turned her head to the bookshelf.

Her grandmother followed her gaze. 'Ah, you've read the journal entry I made on the matter. Yes, those were the same boys. Vincent is actually the great-nephew of Count Dracula himself.'

'My God,' Jess muttered. 'No wonder he's so arrogant.'

Her grandmother's laugh made her look back at her. 'That's more to do with him being a teenage boy, dear. Dracula's parenting style is more "tough love" than doting. The other reason he'd have rubbed you up the wrong was is in his very nature as a vampire. You just didn't understand it, so you defaulted to dislike. I had a similar thing upon meeting my first vampire.'

Jess blinked at her grandmother. 'Huh?'

'Vampires are primarily ambush predators, but they also have several natural attributes that draw their prey in,' she explained. 'They're physically attractive and they're charismatic. These attributes are considered desirable for humans in prospective partners.' She shrugged. 'It's a nesting thing. In which I mean, those attributes signal the ability to produce healthy offspring and an ability to provide for the children. In women, they're taken as an indicator of fertility and an ability to rear the kids.'

'Then why was I never affected?' Jess asked.

'Because the magic in the blood of a witch renders her unpalatable to a vampire,' her grandmother said. 'She is not food to him. So…she is immune to the traps nature bestowed upon him.'

Jess sat back and considered that.

Her grandmother suddenly looked up at Merle. 'Oh, yes. Of course.' She looked back at Jess. 'Now, Merle has just told me that I need to explain to you precisely where our power comes from.'

Jess looked back at her grandmother's ghost.

'It is not,' the spirit said, 'actually par-for-the-course that magic is passed along the bloodline.'