Opening Files: Te Xuan Ze
The Te Xuan Ze (Te Xuan Ze "特选择",pronounced Te "Shuan" Ze which means "the chosen one" or "magical protector") is the human guardian of the hidden magical world, and an important ambassador, negotiator and peacemaker between the magical worlds, chosen by the Magical Elders themselves. The Elders empower the Te-Xuan-Ze with a small amount of their own immense magical energy, and in return, the Te-Xuan-Ze acts as guardian of those great powers, taking no more and no less than what is needed. He or she is gifted with the ability to see magical creatures and phenomena, as well as superhuman strength, durability, speed, and magical abilities which allow them to cast spells to banish supernatural beings. The Te-Xuan-Ze is unable to leave their home city (which is surrounded by a force field) until their time as the Protector has passed.
However, this does not stop the protector from traveling to other, magical dimensions. The Te Xuan Ze is a title and position passed down in Juniper's family, as she is the current Te Xuan Ze, and her grandmother expected to pass down the title and powers to her son, though it skipped a generation and passed to Juniper instead. Te Xuan Ze who have finished their tenure are remembered with a jade statue of themselves, as with Jasmine who has one of herself in the living room next to statues of past Te Xuan Ze.
Close File
Xxx
"The definition of duty is a moral obligation; a responsibility. Duty comes in many forms, a simple job that you undertake with rules you must follow. Of course there is the duty you choose and the one you are chosen for. The ones you choose can be simple and there are others that gives you the responsibility of a lifetime." TOM lectured, closing the 'Te Xuan Ze' file. "Then there the ones you chosen for, the ones you did not ask for but have to be a part of. Those can come with the greatest challenges of all that can make or break you."
Xxx
In the twisted land known as the Darklands, Sammael sat on his dark throne in his sanctuary, leaning slightly on the right armchair with right hand supporting his head while he appeared to be sleeping. As he sat on his throne a strange sound was heard outside his chamber and the doors opened. Sammael opened his red eyes, staring at the doors as they opened but remained calm as someone stepped through. It appeared to be a lizard Mobian of some kind with green skin, slicked-back dark purple hair and yellow eyes.
He wore a black suit with a white undershirt and a red tie, giving him a businessman-like impression. What stood out about him though was the missing middle finger of his right hand.
"Well, it's not often I have visitors, especially ones that arrive in my home without my permission." Sammael remarked as the lizard stopped a few feet of his throne. "It's even rarer for them to be visitors from another dimension or for them to be old friends who return after so long. So, what brings you back to me, Immortal One? Or should I call you Toffee?"
The lizard barely blinked as Sammael chuckled at the end of his question. "I came here because of someone connected with an old acquaintance of mine who has taken residence in this world."
"I assume you are talking about the young princess living a normal life or as much as one can live a normal on this world in Echo Creek." Sammael stood up and stepped off his throne to approach Toffee. "Is that you why you here?"
"Yes." Toffee answered as both beings faced each other.
To Toffee, Sammael resembled a Mewnan much like regular Humans did but the former general knew he was anything but a Human and much different from a Mewnan, given his skin that was as pale as snow with black and purple markings traveling down his veins, red glowing eyes with black sclera and even his clothes were not natural, appearing to be made of pure darkness instead of threading. All of this gave off an appearance of malevolence which Sammael was more than capable of backing up. At the same time, Sammael saw Toffee as less of the war general he had been before and more of a business person such as a lawyer or even a corporate head but the Fallen knew there was more to the lizard man than meets the eye. Though Toffee hid it well Sammael had sensed an indifference to life in general that was matched by his intellect and dark desires, making him a very dangerous being.
"And what of her?" Sammael asked.
"I have plans for this girl and in the interest of our past meetings, where we both learned a great deal of knowledge from each other; I request you do nothing against her." Toffee stated, his hands folded behind his back to enhance his gentlemen appearance.
"Still waging war against the Mewni Royal Family, I see." Sammael eyed the missing finger. "Though I can see you did not walk away unscathed."
"I underestimated the Queen and her resolve back then which led to my army losing its morale and abandoning me." Toffee held his injured hand. "As much as it pains me to admit, it forced me to learn a harsh lesson that day."
"Such as?"
"You cannot rely on those of lesser intellect and will to stand by you when the chance for victory is snatched away." Toffee lowered his hand. "Years ago, I did a favor for someone who was just as interested in the Royal Family's magic as I am. I give my word that our activities will not interfere with your plans so as long you do not interfere with ours."
Sammael's eyes flashed red for a brief second before smiling. "It takes a great deal of courage to come before me and speak to me like you have. You know what I am capable of and that I possess powers that are even more than a match for your enemies. And yet, you stand before me and boldly request me to not interfere with your plans. Tell me, Toffee do you remember how we first met?"
"I do." Toffee nodded. "You appeared before me, curious of my origins and apparently felt my negative emotions."
"Your cold heart, lack of empathy for others and you dark desires shined like a beacon even across this world." Sammael lightly paced around Toffee. "It was an interesting meeting and one I won't forget." He stopped and stared Toffee in the eye. "But, you should not forget that if I do not simply accept requests, even ones from you unless you have something to offer me in exchange. You did not accept my offer to lead an army of Grimm against the Royal Family on the grounds that you prefer to taste vengeance on your own and now you come before me again to say you do not wish the princess being slain by Grimm, even if her life does not matter to me in the slightest?"
To his credit, Toffee maintained a dignified look and pose. "In exchange in for ensuring Star Butterfly remains alive I will assist you and your fellow Fallen in your goals. I have information on many warriors across the multiverse that can be persuaded to fight for you with the resources to reach them. Also, I have resources for tracking down the Elementals."
Sammael raised an eyebrow, not surprised that Toffee knew of the Elementals. "And what does Hex have to say about this?"
"Nothing. This is purely a proposition between us." Toffee answered.
Sammael walked back to his throne and sat down. "Very well, but if the girl seeks trouble on this world I will not personally intervene just because she is valuable to you for the moment."
"Very well." Toffee said and just like that he was gone as quickly as he appeared.
Xxx
A beeping sound roused her from her slumber and she opened her eyes, seeing her wrist device was beeping and quickly sat up, answering the call. "This is Human Number C0-N1Y."
"C0-N1Y, this is Peridot." Peridot's voice spoke from the communicator. "What is your status?"
"I've…" She looked around, taking a second to remember. "I've taken up residence in a vacant structure, most likely an abandoned settlement. I had to take shelter for the night."
"I've run into a complication. The Crystal Gems have survived the ship crashing and they assaulted me at the Prime Kindergarten. I barely escaped their pursuit. We must send a distress signal to Yellow Diamond to get help."
"How? We don't have communicators with range to reach Homeworld." Connie pointed out.
"True but I remember from the schematics for the original colony that a communication outpost was built. It will have the range needed to contact Homeworld. We will go there at once."
"I haven't managed to find a Warp Pad to use. I don't even know exactly where on the planet I am." Connie pointed out. "Shall I set off my beacon?"
"No, we cannot risk being discovered." Peridot answered, remaining silent for a moment. "I will triangulate your possession by tracking this transmission. Do not move from your current location until I have arrived. We will then head to the communication hub."
"Understood." Connie nodded, sitting back down to make herself comfortable. "I will wait here for you."
"Good. I will be there shortly." Peridot said and ended the transmission.
Connie lied back down, looking up at the wooden ceiling. "So, my mission is complete. I guess, that means I will be leaving soon. I was kind of hoping to see a little more of this planet."
"Do you really wish to leave?"
Connie's eyes went wide and she jumped to her feet, pulling out her sword and looked around. "Who is there?"
"Here."
Connie looked down and saw a blue bird on the ground, staring up at her. "…You?"
"Me." The bird nodded. "Welcome home, C0-N1Y or should I call you Connie? I am Beatrice."
Xxx
Far across the world, a portal opened and out stepped men in black and gold armor led by a man wearing a crimson robe.
"Our Lord and Master is here." The man in the crimson robe said, pointing ahead to a crater just a yard away.
In the center of the crater was a giant body that had been burned from head to toe, no doubt caused by its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. The green skin was pale, the right arm was missing along with the left leg and the armor was heavily damaged with even parts of the torso missing.
"Get a medical capsule immediately."
Xxx
Edwards looked over the battered remains of the being he knew as Diagon, placed in the stasis chamber with multiple tubes and wires connected to his body with a breathing mask over his face.
"Status." Edwards simply said.
"We are working around the clock to heal Lord Diagon. His Aura reserves are extremely low but they slowly recharging and it appears our Lord's Aura is what allowed him to survive the fall back into Earth's atmosphere. His natural regenerative abilities combined with his Aura are accelerating the healing process and his limbs should be restored very soon." The doctor next to him reported. "We have finished the master's serum that will naturally enhance his tissue strength and Aura reserves by a thousand percent."
"Good. It will please him to know the serum is ready." Edwards nodded in satisfaction. "This will give him the edge he needs."
Robotic arms inside the tank placed several cylinder capsules into Vilgax's remaining arm, causing red vein like markings to travel up the arm. Even though he was unconscious Vilgax groaned in agony as his muscle mass increased and his body started healing even faster.
"The bio-boosters are working even better than anticipated." The doctor reported. "Lord Diagon's Aura reserves have been enhanced even greater than before and its speeding up the healing process. He should be fully recovered in a week."
"See what can be done to speed up the process. Our Lord Diagon will no doubt wish vengeance on the ones who did this to him." Edwards ordered, turning away from the tank holding his master. "They will pay dearly for this treachery."
Inside the tank Vilgax's eyes slowly opened, glowing red with rage through the healing liquid he was floating in, having heard everything that was said.
They would pay dearly indeed.
Xxx
Juniper Lee grunted as she sat down against a tree, placing a hand on her wounded leg. Monroe looked over her leg, seeing that it was healing quickly but poor Juniper was still in considerable pain. He knew how tough June was, having been by her side in almost all of her battles but was forced to concede she had not been prepared for the kind of opponents outside of Orchid Bay. Aside from magical creatures the only other opponents June had faced were the humans of H.A.M. (stands for 'Humans for the Abolishment of Magic' or 'Humans Against Magic.'), a group of humans that were dedicated to ridding the world of magic.
They were tough but against the combined force of Juniper and Jasmine Lee they were easily defeated. When June had been sent here to Gravity Falls Monroe was worried since they were dealing with Bill Cipher of all evil dimensional beings but remained by June's side as any mentor of the Te Xuan Ze would do. However even he could not have predicted things would go bad this quickly. Those two warriors, obviously worshippers of Cipher, were not only strong they were also different from anyone else June had fought.
Skilled fighters obviously like Huntsmen but also trained to fight magically enhanced fighters like June which was not good.
"So, give it to me straight, Monroe. How bad is it?" Juniper asked, taking a deep breath.
"It'll heal in half an hour as long as you don't strain yourself." Monroe answered, looking around. "Looks like we managed to give them the slip."
"For now." June muttered grimly. "I thought they would be like any other chump I've fought but I haven't been this worried since Loki or Kai Yee."
"Aye, I don't think the Elders gave you much of a heads up when they offered you this. You have faced a lot of danger, June but you've never had to face skilled humans, especially those that might have been trained to kill. Huntsmen and the Te Xuan Ze have protected this world from threats for a very long time now but never have fought side by side or against each other and it was for good reason. Huntsmen that are trained to kill anything other than Grimm are extremely dangerous, trained to think and act creatively with the experience skills to take on even a fully realized Te Xuan Ze." Monroe explained, sitting next to June.
"You think I'm in over my head?" June asked, looking up at the branches above her.
"I'm worried you took this deal, mainly because it gave you the chance no one before you was given: a chance to leave Orchid Bay much earlier than you should have." Monroe admitted. "The Elders explained you'd face even greater threats and though you didn't sound too pleased by it you still took the deal."
"Yeah, I took it and maybe I did want to just get out of my hometown." June scowled. "Is that so wrong?"
"It is if you haven't considered what you'd be in for." Monroe looked up at June. "What did you think the Elders meant when they mentioned you'd face more threats? Beefy old hags like Auntie Roon, wimps like the Sandman or losers like those trolls that kidnapped Dennis?"
"What do you want me to say, Monroe? That I thought it'd be easy? Like you and Ah-Mah would have let me take this deal if you thought I couldn't handle it." June retorted. "I trained for this and maybe I thought I was thinking more about being outside of Orchid Bay when I should have been focusing on what I'd be doing. But I am here and I've never once shirked my responsibilities even when I was tempted. I'm finally free of the barrier keeping me trapped but I am still doing what I've been charged to do. Isn't that enough for you?"
Monroe looked thoughtful before answering a moment later. "Aye, it is. It is, lass."
Juniper sighed and closed her eyes, dozing off. "I'm the Te Xuan Ze and even if I wished things could be different…I wouldn't change anything."
June closed her eyes but Monroe stayed awake, opting to keep on lookout while June recovered. A thousand year old dog or not he was still a dog and he would protect his friend from any danger in this crazy land.
Xxx
Jack Spicer wondered what exactly he was doing out here.
He followed the caller's instruction to a stupid looking store called the Mystery Shack which wasn't even open.
"This whole trip was a waste of time. I am heading back to China in the morning." Jack grumbled, turning away from the shop.
"Leaving so soon?"
Jack spun around, watching as a short, stout kid with white pompadour hair bigger than his head. He had an upturned nose, blue eyes and three freckles on each of his cheeks. He wore a baby blue suit, a black shirt, and an American flag pin on the left side of his collar, with brown, polished shoes.
"And here I went through all the trouble of bringing you here." The boy remarked in a pompous manner.
Jack Spicer was not impressed. "And who might you be?"
"I am Gideon Gleeful." The boy answered in a grand manner. "Local psychic and your current guide to Gravity Falls and the secrets you've come in search of."
"Really?" Jack asked sarcastically, not believing this kid's claims.
"Yes and here is the proof." Gideon pointed to the Mystery Shack. "Inside that shop is the reason why you are here."
"That shop of fake and cheap crud?" Jack asked, causing Gideon to laugh.
"Cheap crud, yes. Inside the shop, no. It's down below the shop." Gideon pointed to the ground. "There's a bunker underneath that shop and it's why you are here."
"You are joking." Jack scoffed.
"You got the fancy tech. Take a look for yourself." Gideon spotted approaching lights. "There is a lot more to this shop and its owner, Stan Pines than they appear."
Gideon slipped into the bushes, leaving Jack alone but he quickly ran into the woods to avoid being spotted on private property.
"I can't believe I am sticking around. I must be going insane." Jack muttered, making his way back to the Northwest mansion.
Xxx
Courage.
That was the name that Muriel Bagge had given him on the day she had found him, seeing the bravery in the abandoned puppy for surviving on the streets all by himself. The woman was a retired Huntress from Scotland and had gotten married to the man she loved, opting for a quiet life and the only place one could hope for that would be in the middle of Nowhere. It was peaceful and quite life, with a town just a drive away where they could pick up supplies when they needed.
Right now though, they were in need of medical supplies.
The reason being was the unconscious girl Muriel had found buried alive out in the backyard of the home owned by the Bagge family. Muriel pulled her out of the ground and quickly brought her into the house, cleaning her up and bandaged her wounds. Both she and her husband had spent enough times as Hunters to know the poor girl Muriel had found had been through Hell. She was young, having pale skin and an unusual shade of violet.
Her appearance was as dark and mysterious as her arrival had been. She wore an indigo cloak with a hood, with matching indigo ruffled ankle-boots with blackish-gray soles, with a leotard-like long-sleeved shirt that is bluish-black with cuffs at her wrists of the same blue of her cloak. On her cloak, she had a circular black/red jewel set in a gold plate that attaches the whole thing together. Around her waist she had a red and gold belt with the same jewels around it, while her legs were exposed and the belt tied at the back like a cord.
Her attire had led the farmer and his wife to conclude she was a Huntress.
They had been on the job long enough to see the many different kind of outfits Hunters like to wear and some would be considered quite outrageous to ordinary people. Thankfully this girl's outfit was actually quite modest but she still gave off the mysterious feeling that left them with many questions.
Like why she had a red jewel embedded in her forehead.
Such questions had to be put on hold as Muriel asked Eustace and Courage to go town and pick up some more medical supplies while she stayed at home and kept an eye on the unconscious girl. So the farmer and the dog were both seated in Eustace's truck which he had built himself which spoke a lot for his skills. He had built it with his own two hands, utilizing the available pieces he could find and wanting to save as much money as he could for fixing up the farmhouse. It worked but every once in a while Eustace would be spending half a day fixing the engine or the horn.
Both were just a few kilometers away from town when both witnessed an explosion up ahead.
"What in tarnation?!" Eustace nearly slammed his foot on the brakes but slowed considerably. "Who would be setting fireworks at this time of night?"
Xxx
Skulker and Dracon ended putting their fight on hold when they found themselves surrounded by Destroyer Beatles. Both were exhausted, damaged and low on fighting capabilities.
And the only reason why they weren't dead or whatever passed for dead in Skulker's case, was that they were able to run really fast.
"What are these things?!" Skulker shouted, firing the last of his missiles that slammed into the lead Beetle but had no effect.
"You never fought a Grimm before?!" Dracon retorted, his mechanical body allowing him to run faster than a normal person and much longer.
Too bad the Beetle Grimm were capable of catching up with him.
"I don't know why I'm even running!" Skulker stopped and turned himself intangible. "Let's see them hurt me now!"
The Beetle Grimm charged right through the ghost hunter, unable to harm with their giant pincers. Skulker laughed, feeling joy in outwitting these monsters.
"Oh sure. He gets special powers." Dracon muttered bitterly, still running with the Beatles on his tail. "Since when can robots do that?! And where can I get those powers?!"
The Beetle Grimm seemed to pay no attention to Skulker as he remained intangible and sank into the ground. The only good thing Dracon could say was that he was leading the Grimm away from the town. He aimed his rifle over his shoulder, trying to hold off the Grimm. However he was low on ammo, his flight unit had been destroyed during his fight with Skulker and they were catching up to him.
HONK-HONK!
"Wha-?!" Dracon looked ahead and saw a pair of lights approaching fast, followed by the sound of Dust shells being fired past him and hitting the nearest Beetle Grimm.
The truck stopped right in front of Dracon and out stepped an elderly man, holding a pair of tomahawks, and a pink furred dog with a black spot on its back.
The fact that dog was standing on its hind legs suggested it was a Mobian.
"So this is the cause of all of this racket?" Eustace asked, barely surprised by Dracon's appearance as the Beetle Grimm stood on their hind legs, brandishing their scythe shaped arms that gleamed in the lights of Eustace's truck.
"Get out of here! There are too many!" Dracon urged.
"Shut up, you walking tin-can. I may be old but I was fighting herds of Grimm while you were still on the conveyor belt!" Eustace snapped and looked down at the dog. "Courage, you know what to do."
Courage timidly nodded, walking past Dracon as Eustace put a pair of earplugs on, and took a deep breath.
"What is he-" Dracon started but stopped as a powerful scream erupted from Courage's mouth.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
It felt like all of Nowhere itself was shaking as invisible waves created from the sound of Courage's screaming slammed into the Grimm Horde, blasting most of them back and those that managed to remain standing were quickly knocked down by their own brethren slamming into them. Dracon fell to his knees as Courage's screaming almost overloaded his audio sensors while Eustace remain composed, his earplugs blocking out the worst of Courage's screaming. Finally after a moment of screaming, the entire Beetle Grimm swarm had been wiped out by the screaming of a small pink furred dog who fell face first on the ground and was panting heavily.
Eustace walked over and picked Courage up, placing him back in the truck. "Good dog."
"Sweet Glob…" Dracon trailed off at the sheer devastation caused by the dog's screaming.
The screaming attack was obviously the Dog Mobian's Semblance and it was a very powerful one at that.
"Yep, he's a tough one. I don't like tiring him out like that but I can't be fighting Grimm like I used, especially with numbers like that." Eustace said casually. "But retired Huntsman or not, I don't like sitting on the sidelines."
"You are a retired Huntsman?" Dracon asked, standing back up after he had done a system check. Needless to say he was in need of repairs.
"Yep. The name's Bagge, Eustace Bagge."
Xxx
Name: Courage
Aura: Pink
Weapon: N/A
Semblance: Super-Scream
Description: Courage's Semblance allows him to use a powerful sonic attacking when he screams that is capable of causing large scale destruction. This Semblance is so powerful it causes heavy vibrations in the ground, damages the ears of anyone who is hit head on to the point they might go completely deaf and even wipe out entire Grimm swarms. The price is that even a single attack drains Courage of his strength quickly so he must be careful of how and when he uses it.