So…it would seem the rumors were true after all.
Jack Spicer, self-proclaimed evil genius, was dead and gone. Sacrificed himself to save an innocent girl from becoming a new hood ornament, if what Smiley said was to be believed.
I believe it. Since the day we first met in the Ying-Yang World, I could tell that boy was just one generation shy from being good. And his death was the smoking gun. "Super evil," he'd say? Feh! Super evil my non-existent foot.
Even so…there was still somethin' about all this that didn't quite sit right with me. While Jack being dead was a fact I was more than content to live with, a few things didn't add up. Most notably, what Smiley told that shape-shifting bot regarding certain data files disappearing shortly after their master's death:
"We attempted several recovery and tracking methods, but came up empty handed…It has me fairly concerned that someone was able to infiltrate our systems and reach them without ever leaving a trace..."
Now, I may not be Tech Support, but I knew enough about computers to find that strange myself. That Jack may have been a twit, but the boy clearly knew his machines like nobody else. Hell, it was his own contraptions that helped me back when I converted myself into a destructive force of elemental energy. No matter how socially inept he may have been, he was undoubtedly a master of his craft.
…so how in Sam Hill were memory files of his main bots extracted without a trace? And more importantly, why? Shortly after his supposed demise no less?
Call it a demon's hunch, but I had the funny feeling that somethin' more was going on around here, somethin' big. And I was heading to the Xiaolin Temple to see if they had a scroll in their archives that could perhaps lend some credence to an admittedly farfetched theory I had brewin' in the old noggin.
My bird, Ying-Ying, suddenly screeched as she stopped flying in the direction we were heading and started circling around in the air. I tried to soothe her, gently stroking her feathers with my tentacles while speaking in a non-threatening tone.
"Easy there, girl, I'm here. What's the matter, huh?"
Ying-Ying still seemed upset as she soared down onto a nearby hilltop, upon which I started to get a hint of what had her so spooked.
I could see – no, feel Heylin magic off in the distance, in the direction of our end destination no less. Seems like we weren't the only ones struck curious by recent events.
"Hmm…we must be getting sloppy if that Xiaolin dropout and his double-crossing harpy got the news before us," I murmured as I continued to stroke my feathered companion, who was still restless from the potent aura of dark chi permeating the area. "Ying-Ying, you have better eyes than mine. Would you kindly project what's goin' on down here for me to see? As usual, observation's the name of the game."
Ying-Ying complied after a few seconds, projecting what she could see onto the ground before me. From what I could tell, Chase Young and Wuya were taking the fight to the monks, with a handful of those big cats of his in tow. The do-gooders themselves didn't seem to be having much luck at the moment, practically throwing themselves at their attackers with visible desperation, obvious from even my viewpoint.
"Huh. Must be deadly serious if they ain't toyin' with them this time around," I remarked, insidious thoughts already forming in my head as I smelled potential. "Ying-Ying, I think I'd like you to take me in for a closer look for myself."
My pet cut off the projection and cawed uncertainly as she glanced between me and the warzone down below us.
"If you do this, I promise to treat ya to some crackers when we get home for being such a brave girl~"
With some amount of trepidation, Ying-Ying made an agreeable noise and allowed me back onto my perch before taking off into the sky, taking us above the monastery and allowing me to get a proper gander at the chaos down below.
Sure enough, the Heylin's most infamous heavy hitters were right in the middle of fending off attacks from the Xiaolin monks, with Chase's fallen warriors playing a support role. While Raimundo was doing an admittedly commendable job of keeping his team organized and fueling the fighting spirit, it was clear that the young ones were getting desperate. They were pushing their Wudai weapons and skills to their limit just to keep the intruders somewhat at bay.
Almost makes you wonder how a full-on Heylin assault went bust when all it took was two peeved-off immortals to get the job down. Then again, our kind needs a really strong motivation to take things seriously, and when you're incapable of relishing in the sweet release of death, you're mostly resigned to watch the world burn around you.
But surely Jack Spicer isn't that spark of motivation here, is it?
Suddenly, a flicker of movement caught my eye, and soon enough I came across a mighty interesting sight: Master Fung himself, along with his cowardly pet dragon Dojo. The old timer calmly stepped out of one of the buildings as though there wasn't a battle raging in his courtyard. Now this...this oughta be good.
"Master Fung!" Raimundo called out, chest heaving and sweat dripping from his hair. "I know you're not exactly a spring chicken, but we could really use the assist, man! They're after the Shen Gong Wu- -!"
"Spare me your accusations, Wind Dragon!" Chase barked, holding his hand up to signal his pets to back off, confusing the monks a great deal. "We were never here for your precious little trinkets, that much would've been obvious had you not immediately pounced on us the moment we arrived."
"In our defense, you rarely visit just to make polite conversation," Raimundo's fiery little girlfriend, Kimiko, bit back in between breathes. "And you bringing along your 'house cats' didn't ease any tensions either."
Chase rolled his eyes along with Wuya's before both of their gazes were aimed at Master Fung, who was stoic as ever while the reptile perched upon his shoulder flinched.
"You…you know why we are here, old man…"
"That I believe I do," The master replied cryptically, stone-faced and unwavering in the face of this unprecedented attack. "You come seeking answers for questions far more critical than what first appeared...and I believe that such answers are deserved."
With comedic timing, the battle-hardened monks collectively gawked at their teacher as though he just sprouted a second head. It's easy to forget sometimes that these mighty warriors were still just growing teenagers at the end of it all.
"But, but…but Master Fung!" Omi cried. "Wuya and Chase Young are sworn enemies to the Xiaolin Order! What if they are using underhanded trickery to lull us into a false sense of security?"
"I know that of which they seek, Omi. And I have no intention of keeping it from them any longer…as do you," Master Fung replied, expression holding strong except for the slightest waiver of his poker face. Whatever he was about to reveal, it wasn't gonna to be pretty. "So, ask what you have come to ask, Young."
"Why did Grand Master Dashi and Master Monk Guan try to kidnap Wuya's child fifteen-hundred years ago?" Chase asked with all the bluntness of a bullhorn. I cracked a toothy grin at the monks' look of utter shock and the witch's noticeable grimace at the mention of her dead son. "And why was I left in the dark about this? Depending on the quality of your answer, I may just leave you and the rest of this accursed temple intact by the time I depart."
A tense silence fell over all. Not even the loud-mouth Raimundo dared to speak up despite the burning fire of morbid curiosity flashing before his eyes. I couldn't help but be on the edge of my seat too.
I never got around to snooping for the exact details myself, what with getting banished into Ying-Yang World shortly after and all. All I knew for certain was that Wuya's spawn died prematurely in an accident and that the Xiaolin most likely had somethin' to do with it. Corrupting Chase to the Heylin side was priority number one at the time, however, so sleuthing for the full picture got put on the back burner.
…
Know what? My crackpot theory on Spicer can wait. It's high-time I got the full answer to this buried secret myself. Could make for good material to abuse later on anyhow.
"I will grant you the answer to your questions, but I cannot do it here," Master Fung replied patiently, before turning towards one of the larger buildings nearby. "Come with me, all of you. It's time you all know the truth."
Chase and Wuya wasted no time trailing the old coot into the temple, ordering their beasts to stay put in the meantime. The monks, however, were somewhat hesitant as they glanced at each other in mutual confusion and trepidation before following. Suppose I should tag along as well if I want to get the scoop of the millennium and a half.
"You wait here, Ying-Ying. I'll be in and out before you know it," I told my pet before clinking my gauntlets together and envisioning the form I desired to take. "Moby Morpher!"
The Shen Gong Wu stretched and twisted my form until I had been compacted into that of an innocuous house fly. Perfect for infiltration and spying. Plus, no debilitating craving for sugar like with the Manchurian Musca. With the Moby Morpher, I had full control over the baser instincts of any creature I take the form of, making it bar none one of Dashi's most useful tools in my humble opinion.
Zipping after the hapless humans, I discreetly followed them into their temple, passing row after row of scrolls and peaking my interest further as the master leading them stopped before a particular row along the farthermost wall. After retrieving a single scroll...a hidden passageway revealed itself behind that very shelf.
"How many secret passageways does this place even have?" Kimiko couldn't help but question aloud.
"More than a cow has spots, that's for sure," Clay commented idly, spewing his dumb Texan gibberish as usual.
Soon enough, the group emerged into a larger enclave, one that I must say was in remarkably poor condition. Whatever this place was, it looked it had been sealed away for a damn long time. However, much like the adjoining room, several shelves of scrolls were present, the only aspect of the room that seemed properly maintained.
"Master Fung…" Omi breathed, eyeing the room with wide eyes as the old man led them all to one of the many shelves. "Forgive my impudence, but why was I not told about this hidden archive? How many others do know about it? Dojo, did you know?"
"Yeah, I knew about it. Sorry, kiddo, but there was a reason only the bigwigs were allowed to take a peek in here," the small dragon sighed wearily, eyes downcast as Master Fung looked for a particular scroll. "I'm afraid the Xiaolin Order wasn't always as squeaky clean as you were led to believe. Even Dashi had skeletons in his closet…"
"What a stunning surprise. Your precious order wasn't free of mistakes, who could have possibly guessed as much?" Young mused with a smirk that made even my stomach churn, before turning to Fung with a far less self-righteous expression. "So many secrets, so much history left unheard...and yet, you're taking your sweet time providing me a proper answer."
"Yes, I suppose I shouldn't keep withholding the knowledge you seek for much longer, should I?" Master Fung sighed heavily with great sadness and regret as he finally pulled out the scroll he'd been lookin' for and placed it down on a table for everyone to take a gander at. "It's just been…a while since I've had to go through these, and it doesn't get any easier. Now then, I believe the best way to go about answering your question is to share a story of old."
"A story? A damn STORY?!" Wuya fumed, momentarily spurring the monks into defensive stances as she leered at the old master before her. "I am here for answers about my son, Fung. I will not entertain your theatrics, not this time!"
HAH! Now this is the kind of quality entertainment I live for! Let's see how my old "pupil" will handle this situation. An angry mother's one thing, but an angry, immortal mother with a dead son? I don't think I could wish that on even my worst enemies, and I'm a Heylin demon for evil's sake!
"Wuya…nothing will be gained from acting rash now. Kill him and we lose the information we seek," Chase calmly argued, putting on quite the brave front as he carefully stepped beside the seething witch. "If telling a story, no matter how droll, is what it takes for him to spill, then I say so be it. Do it for Ju-Long…"
Wuya grit her teeth, visibly fighting the urge to finish stomping those twerps and their precious master before easing back, expression still fearsome but clearly standing down for the time being. Unfortunate, but expected. Would have been a helluva show to see, too.
"For what it is worth, I apologize for the inconvenience," Master Fung said calmly, having nerves of steel to rival Chase's. "However, I assure you that explaining things this way will provide further…context and insight for our order's most shameful secret. If I may?"
With no one moving to interrupt him, Fung unrolled the scroll onto the nearby table. As he began to read, a magical projection accompanied the words on the page. A bit rudimentary compared to some the more modern scrolls, but still recognizable enough for the story to be made clear.
"Our story begins with a man named Yu," Fung began. "Yu was a hard-working, credulous young man said to have be a model citizen of his time. His father, Gun, was tasked with the unforgiving job of devising a way to solve the flooding crisis within the heartland of China. It is believed the Dragon of Water was demonstrating its might to some of the nearby regions' deities, as was customary among divine beasts. Whatever the reason, the floods made life for Yu's people very difficult, and by the time he had reached adulthood, he had made it his personal mission to continue his father's failed work."
"Oh yes, I know of this!" Omi exclaimed like the giddy child he was, oblivious to the murderous stares Wuya and Chase shot his way. "Yu devised an ingenious system of irrigation canals and dredged many riverbeds to relieve the floodwater, earning him the title of Yu the Great and founding the Xia dynasty! That was always my favorite history lesson! Except for the part about my Elemental Dragon causing so much unnecessary trouble. That was my least favorite…"
"You are partially correct, Omi. But I am afraid that is not the full story," Fung replied patiently, continuing a moment later as new illustrations arose. "One day, the Dragon of Metal came down from the heavens and elected, for whatever reason, to take pity on the humans below. Using his powers, he assisted Yu in the construction of a large, metallic dam that would have put the Great Wall to shame to prevent any future flooding."
"Uh, pardon me for interruptin' your tale, Master Fung, but what's this about a 'Dragon of Metal'?" Clay suddenly asked, just as confused as everyone else in the room (including me). "I ain't ever heard of there bein' a fifth dragon in the mix. I thought it was just Water, Earth, Fire, and Wind."
"I am afraid this is the first of many lies I must correct, Clay. In reality, there were once five dragons, the fifth being the Dragon Of Metal I referred to just moments ago." Fung replied, an inkling of remorse seeping into his tone, one that did not entirely dissipate as he continued. "You see, after the creation of the dam and Yu's rise to Emperor, the Dragon of Metal became...enraptured by humanity. Unusually invested in their progress as a species."
The animated ink blots on the scroll morphed into that of five dragons as the master talked. Four of them were pantomiming outward frustration and appeared to be conversing with the odd dragon out, who simply waved a dismissive claw at them.
"Interfering with mortals is nothing new for godly beings and creatures. However, too much interference, good or bad, was seen as taboo amongst the other dragons. They made many attempts to explain this to their brother, but the Dragon of Metal did not listen nor care. He had always been the most…passionate of the group, and it seemed he had opened his heart to the humans in China, for better or for worse. And, unfortunately, it turned out to be the latter…"
The scroll's images changed again, this time depicting Yu the Great and the Dragon of Metal overseeing an army of big, hulking figures of some kind. Good thing there was a narrator goin' over the finer details, 'cuz these ink blots only gave me a rough idea of what was supposed to happen next in the story.
"With the advancement of the dam gifted by the heavens, neighboring tribes soon grew both wary and envious of Yu's kingdom. War was on the horizon. Once again, the Dragon of Metal descended to assist his human friend by supplying him with an army of his own making. Large, metallic entities mightier than any terracotta golem fortified Yu's impenetrable defenses to prepare for the coming war. This act was the final straw for the other four dragons."
Cue the illustrations changing to depict four dragons ganging up on one. Must say, did not take the Xiaolin's revered deities to be ones capable of playin' dirty like that. Color me intrigued…
"In an attempt to bring their brother back to reality and away from humanity, the other four dragons confronted him about his dangerous connection to the humans below," Fung continued, pausing for a moment as he seemed to silently compose himself for his next words. "Tensions escalated between the dragons, and as they attempted to save their brother from his own obsession, tragedy struck...and the Dragon of Metal was killed."
I rolled my compound eyes over the monks' obnoxious gasps. Again, to be fair, it was easy to forget sometimes that these warriors, despite saving the world on more than one occasion, were still kids. Didn't make 'em any less annoying, though.
"Killed?" Kimiko parroted, as if testing the word for herself. "But…how? And why? The dragons – our dragons didn't do that, did they? Over one of their own taking a liking to humanity?"
"It was not their intention to do any such thing, but when the fighting broke out...things escalated in the worst way possible," Fung explained, ever patient and composed, even if the hurt of reciting such events was beginning to become more obvious in his tone. "With the death of the Dragon of Metal, his creations vanished from the face of the Earth, and without their powerful ally, the Xia dynasty collapsed not long after..."
"Which allowed the warring tribes to found the Shang dynasty. What modern historians believe to be the first real dynasty in recorded Chinese history," Chase surmised, giving Fung a rather pointed look with his reptilian eyes. "You Xiaolin dogs covered the whole thing up. Redacted what really happened and replaced it with your own edited version of the account. Was it done out of shame over what your precious gods had done to one of their kin or perhaps…fear?"
"It would be wise of you to choose your words more carefully, Young," Master Fung replied swiftly, though there was no detectable anger in his tone. Looks like he'd composed himself properly this time. "I will not speak on behalf of the dead, but I will not tolerate their desecration either. Hiding this information from the world and my students alike was wrong, but do not attempt to assume the machinations of men far beyond you."
"So…what happened to the other four dragons after that?" Raimundo asked cautiously, likely still reeling back from the bombshell that his spiritual ancestor played a part in celestial second-degree murder. He was the leader of his group, it only made sense he'd be the one to speak on their behalf while they were still comin' to grips with everything.
"In their grief, they gave up their chi and allowed themselves to be reincarnated, bringing about the current method of how new dragons are found and recruited in the process," Fung answered gravely, turning his attention back to his students. "Xiaolin scholars theorize that they performed this act both as a method of self-punishment for their mistake, and as a last ditch effort to bring their brother back in the same fashion they would all return in."
The monks slowly looked down at themselves, most likely experiencing a sobering existential crisis at this point over the implications. Perhaps I could exploit that fear for later.
Wuya growled, patience wearing dangerously thin as evident by her steadily glowing green eyes. "Let me take a stab in the dark at this next part: Dashi and Guan suspected that my baby boy was the 'Metal Dragon reincarnate' and conducted their own strike team to take him away from me. And before you get holier-than-thou with me, I may have ruled that village with an iron fist, but I remained fair to those people. So much so I even found love with one of them and had a beautiful son…a son that your conniving order tried to STEAL from me AND ENDED UP TAKING THE LIFE OF!"
Another heavy beat of silence as half a dozen eyes, including my own, flicked back over to where Master Fung stood. To the kids, he probably looked the same, stoic as ever...but to us older folk, there was a palpable weight at this point. A silent but poignant regret to the old man as he bowed his head for a moment.
"I may not have been alive when this most shameful act occurred. And to this day, I still cannot fathom Master Monk Guan's reasoning for why he and Grand Master Dashi made such a reckless decision all those years ago. Regardless, I would like to take this moment to say to you, not as a member of Xiaolin, but as a person, that I am truly sorry for the loss of your kin. Accident or not, the little one deserved a chance at life, and the missed opportunity for that should indeed not be understated. My words may mean little to you, but know that they mean much to me, Wuya…"
Well hot damn. Master Fung, current head of Xiaolin, apologizing to Wuya, arch-nemesis to the order and the first to take over the Earth for a time…This beats cable any day!
And seein' Dojo squirm on Fung's shoulder and lower his head in shame over his dead best friend's little secret? Ooo, now that gives me the shivers somethin' good~
Wuya stared at Fung long and hard, anger still clear as day on her face. For a few seconds there, I was pretty darn sure she'd still just kill him right on the spot, not that I could blame her. However, instead of lashing out in a vengeful rage, she seemed to stand down for the moment, muttering something under her breath I couldn't quite catch. Judging by the smirk that rose on my ex-pupil's face, though, it was less than flattering.
"Master Fung?" Omi suddenly piped up, uncharacteristically shy and modest in doing so, which was sayin' somethin' given how he's ego rivaled the size of his head. His current timid behavior actually really highlighted his age amongst the rest now that I dwell on it. "Please forgive me if what I say comes off as inappropriate but…in light of this disturbing revelation, I have been wondering something about this long-lost 'Dragon of Metal'. Do you think there was ever a possibility that…Jack Spicer could have been the latest reincarnation?"
...huh. Well that was a new one.
Apparently, my muted surprise was seemingly shared by the rest of those assembled, masters and students alike. There was no below, no obnoxious "Yeah right!" moment, but instead a slow, sweeping realization across all seven of them. Hindsight being what it was, it wasn't an impossibility. Spicer did always have an unparalleled knack for robotics, and most things metal for that matter
"For once, young monk, I will be honest with you as I have been with you all thus far…I have always had my suspicions," Fung admittedly openly, arms folded within the sleeves of his robes. "Unlike the Grand Master before me, however, I elected passive observation instead of hasty swiftness. When the time revealed itself, I would have approached Spicer with civility and offered him an invitation to train, as I did with you four. In fact, if you may recall, the reason I was apprehensive about your decision to take him in before was because he had yet to show signs that he was who I thought he was. Assuming he was the Dragon of Metal, I did not want him to feel uncomfortable joining before he even had the chance to unlock his powers. He was not ready…and he still had so much growing left to do before he…"
"The word you're looking for is died, old man," Chase provided without batting an eye, blatantly disregarding the horror and pain that flashed across the monk's faces, and even the briefest flicker on his partner's as well. "Even if that fool was the Dragon of Metal, it hardly matters now. Jack is gone, and he won't be coming back anytime soon."
Omi's hot-tempered defense for Jack soon became white noise to me as it all started to click.
Being a demon as old as humanity itself, you tend to notice certain, shall we say, discrepancies in things. One such thing was the aforementioned Jack kid himself. Clearly, I made the mistake of dismissing him, even if he was a gullible tool to manipulate. Still, I can admit that there was something…off about him. Faint, nigh undetectable…but off all the same.
Couple what we know now with memory files of his robots vanishing from his network soon as he dies? Either I'm seein' parallels that just ain't there, or that boy really was the Dragon of Metal reincarnate…and I just missed the hot ticket item that could've led to me being the most powerful creature of all time – SON OF A- -
…unless…
The Golden Tiger Claws. I was gonna need them to see if this idea I had in mind would work. And even if it doesn't, well, better if I have it than them anyway. Can do a lotta damage with that Wu in my arsenal.
But just as I was about to fly out of the room…
"Leaving so soon, Hannibal?"
Despite myself, I actually laughed as I disengaged from the wall, floating down towards the rest of them while reverting back into my original form. I should have expected Young of all people to keep up with me and see right through my disguise. Still, can't say it didn't tickle me somethin' fierce to see the shock spread amongst the rest of them, save for Fung of course.
"Sorry for inviting myself to the party," I chuckled callously as my crooked, toothy grin overtook most of my devilish good looks. "Couldn't help but hear all the ruckus goin' on outside and decided to swing on by for a looksie. Can't blame a bean for being nosy. Which is sayin' somethin' considering I ain't got one. HAH!"
Dojo not-so-discreetly whispered to Master Fung, "With how nutty this one is, you'd think he'd be a nut instead of a bean…"
"Want me to come over there and make you eat those words, garden snake?" I growled.
"Shutting up now!" Dojo yielded before slithering into Fung's collar for protection. His cowardice could give Jack's a run for his money, I swear.
"What are you doing here, Hannibal?" Chase prompted me, not lookin' too bothered with my appearance but keeping his guard up all the same. "I can imagine you were looking for anything other than trouble coming here."
"What? Am I not allowed to visit my favorite puppets anymore? Truly I'm hurt," I wisecracked, not particularly worried myself. I may be able to hold them off if it comes down to it, but I was confident in my speed to make a quick getaway since I didn't plan on stickin' around for very long anyhow. "Naw, I was just in the neighborhood and couldn't help but discover that the 'beacon of good' was keeping dark secrets from y'all. Mighty interesting if I do say so myself…"
"You watch your mouth, demon! I shall not tolerate any more disrespect towards my master!" Omi declared, apparently still holding on to some resolute sense of spirit even after all the truth that's come out tonight. Dropping into an offensive stance, he stared me down like a bull primed to charge. "Prepare for a most humiliating defeat!"
"Feh. You're borin' me anyway."
With inhuman speed, I lunged at Omi's moon-sized forehead, kicking myself right off and knockin' the boy flat on his ass as I bounced out the doorway. Before I booked it to their currently unguarded vault, however, I stole a quick glance back.
"And come up with some new material, will ya son? That line's gettin' old."
After that, I slipped away without much of a fuss. Whether it was because the rest of those monks were still reeling from everything they learned or just not fast enough to keep up, I couldn't care less.
I effortlessly outmaneuvered Chase's cats and made my way to the vault in record time. Swiping the Golden Tiger Claws, I jumped back onto the nearby rooftop where Ying-Ying was waiting.
"C'mon, girl. We're headin' home to make some preparations. Golden Tiger Claws!"
With a decisive strike at the air, the claws ripped a hole in the fabric of space, and my bird flew us into the gash. A few seconds of flying through a swirling purple vortex later, and we found ourselves out of the wormhole and back home in our cave. Ain't much to look at, but it was far out in the middle of nowhere and away from most forms of life. We were in the clear.
Dismounting from Ying-Ying, I hopped over to the small box where I kept a small ration of food and tossed my dear pet a well-earned cracker, which she enjoyed thoroughly.
"You rest up for a bit. Papa's gotta give these claws here a little extra juice for where we're goin', wherever that may be,'' I informed my pet as she happily chomped down her treat. "If what I have in mind works…we may just be one step closer to crushin' all who dare to oppose us…"
Bouncing over to another section of my lair, I broke out the ol' mixing pot and started gathering what I needed. A bit of Heylin magic, and these puppies will be just strong enough to teleport me somewhere a bit more...exciting than Earth.
Carefully dipping the Golden Tiger Claws into the steaming concoction, I gave it a solid ten seconds before I carefully slid them back out. Now stained with the sickly green residue and afterglow Heylin magic was infamous for, I grinned and chuckled darkly before hopping into my nearby suit of armor. It was mostly just for public appearances and raw intimidation, but that don't mean it didn't have a few tricks up its metal sleeves, and ain't no way in hell I was just leavin' it behind.
Packing up what little supplies I had stashed away, I called Ying-Yang to come perch herself on my shoulder guard as I equipped the powered-up Wu onto my suit's gloved hand. I only had one shot at this before I used up all the chaotic energy I imbued it with, so I needed to form a clear image of my desired target.
Let's just hope these things don't teleport me to wherever Jack's remains were currently being held in or I was gonna be severely annoyed.
"Golden Tiger Claws!"
With a single slash, I clawed through space once again, only this time the swirling vortex inside was a nauseating shade of green instead of the usual muted purple. Ah, sweet, disgusting Heylin magic. Is there anything you can't do?
Stepping forward and bracing myself for whatever was to come, I plunged through the portal...
And landed right in the rotten remains of an old cabbage. Lovely.
"What in the…?"
I let my bewildered words trail off as I immediately surveyed my surroundings. It appears I ended up in a dry, barren wasteland with nothin' but rotten cabbages as far as the eye could see, no hint of any nearby civilization. And what's more…these didn't seem to be your ordinary produce either. These cabbages had eyes. At least the ones that hadn't completely rotted away did.
"Ying-Ying, I do believe we ain't in China no more. Or anywhere on Earth for that matter," I said to my pet as I studied the now defunct tiger claws, the sickly green glow having dissipated and leaving Dashi's creation a dull gold in its stead. Might wanna get that looked at soon. "C'mon, we got some scoutin' to do. Find out what this place is and see if we can't get any leads on our little dragon in hiding~"
And with that, I started walking out across this new wasteland, my newest plan fresh in my mind as I chuckled darkly to myself. This game wasn't even close to being over, and "Jack" didn't know what was comin' his way…
The bean has come to play, ladies and gentleman. I repeat: the bean has come to play.
Right, so, some quick stuff I want to address before I get knee-deep in finals: this is probably going to be the last intermission of the story as I plan to do a mini-arc (probably in between the Alcanretia and the Crimson Village arc) where Jack and his posse go to Earth for a quick visit much like how Kazuma and his team went to Japan so he could delete his internet history in a CD drama (yes, it's real and yes, that's literally the plot). So any loose ends and such back on Earth will likely be tidied up by then.
I haven't really done much with Hannibal or mentioned him that much so far in the story even though this all takes place after the events of Xiaolin Showdown, so I thought having him be the one to cross dimensions and pursue Jack would shake things up a little more. Plus, maybe I can flesh him out a little more seeing as how he only showed up in Season 3 of XS just so there could be an even bigger bad than Wuya or Chase. Here's to hoping I really bring out the demon in this freaky jellybean of a character!
Finally, even though I have end-of-the-semester junk breathing down my neck, my co-writer and I have made a backlog of chapters that just need some minor editing before they're ready to be uploaded. I was really struggling with the lore and backstory for this intermission (which I hope you liked btw) and I wanted this to go first before anything else, so we've been busy writing while I worked out the finer details. So you can at least rest easy knowing that a fresh batch of chapters are just about ready for your viewing pleasure! I'll try to get at least one or two of them out this week when I'm not stressing over essays...
Anyway, till next time! Swood out.