AUTHOR's NOTE: This chapter has mention of some suggestive themes that might trigger some; so this is your warning. Though I did mention this Fic is going to get dark and it will be doing so swiftly after this chapter. Thank you for all the support and I hope you enjoy. PS S/O to jh831 who gave me a very detailed review. First off, I want to say thank you for reading and reviewing. Now the answer to your question about rank is briefly mentioned in this chapter but will continue to go into detail in various upcoming chapters. Thanks again!
No matter how many times he's traveled through that portal; he'll never get used to the sheer creepiness of the Ghost zone. The sky was a murky swirl of green and pieces of rock floated through the seemingly endless void. The silence was deafening and added to the eerie element of the realm. Doors. Doors everywhere leading to different domains and lands lost to time. Not a single door was the same, from early 20th century french-made doors to the modern door you'd see on a house in the neighborhood.
Jazz felt intimidated by the vast unknown. Everything about it was unnatural. Being a human, this feeling was multiplied by the uneasiness of being out of place. She didn't belong here and the world was screaming at her to get out. Unfortunately for all those involved, she was a Fenton and their legacy was built on never backing down. Jazz won't allow for a little discomfort to get in the way of her supporting Danny. She stood her ground just like her mother taught her to.
"So where's this castle?" she asks.
Danny slowly raises his hand and points in a direction that seemingly leads to nowhere. Jazz tried to peer out into the void for any sign of a castle and only saw floating rocks and doors. How anyone was supposed to find anything in this place, she didn't know.
"Well we're not gonna get there by standing here; let's get a move on," Jazz motivated.
Danny quickly grabs the arm of his sister's suit, preventing her from taking a step forward.
"Something's not right. The smell… The feel… The look. None of it feels right. So you're gonna stay right by my side and do EXACTLY what I tell you to do. No arguing."
Jazz has NEVER seen Danny so serious before. The stone-cold expression plastered on his face was scaring her.
"O-okay I will," Jazz agreed.
He had the presence of a wild animal hunting for their prey. Not many people saw this side of Danny. It was developed during one of the week-long ghost hunts when Danny was relentlessly chased by Skulker and his new bio-tech. Phantom had no choice but to push his human side away and delve into his fighter instincts. Every move he made could have been his last and the constant pressure of that possibility created an apex-predator. Danny Phantom, the ghost that triple checked every step he made. His ghostly senses were heightened and kept him constantly aware of his surroundings. The halfa might as well have coined the phrase, "eyes in the back of the head". In this state, Danny was quieter than the yawn of a mouse and struck with deadly precision. The mantra is Nothing gets past him and nobody dared cross him.
Danny continued to listen for a moment. No noise. It was a rare occurrence for the Ghost Zone but not an impossibility. He floats forward with Jazz in tow, both of them having their head on a swivel. They hopped from floating rock to floating rock. Jazz didn't dare touch the doors in fear that Danny would scold her. The idea did float around her mind for a bit.
There was a reason Danny wasn't opening any doors though. The first one to disturb a forest of silence was always the one targeted by the predators hiding in it. It made more sense to take the long way. Sure, there was a chance that one of the doors took them to the front steps of the castle but he didn't want to risk opening a can of worms either. The shortest path isn't always the path of least resistance. Danny was sure Mr Lancer had said that in a lesson one time.
He kept taking quick glances to make sure his sister was still right by his side and she hadn't wandered off. Things can tick off in milliseconds in this place; all it takes is one moment for death to meet you swiftly. They were moving at a snail's pace, and Danny was completely fine with that. He'll take it as slow as need be. Phantom prioritized Jazz's safety above all else, if something kicked off then he was taking her back to the portal. He'd have to meet Doctor Monty some other day.
"Danny, we're not going to get anywhere if we continue like this!" Jazz grumbled.
"Oh we'll get there. It'll just take a bit of time. No one said we have to rush there."
"Originally you said you'd only be a couple hours, but at the speed we're going, it'll be more along the lines of a couple days!" Jazz rebuked. "If you're going slower than usual because of me then don't! I can take care of myself," she insists.
Boy if Danny had a dollar for every time somebody pulled out that line. It wasn't that he didn't believe in her abilities; rather he was cautious of his. Clockwork mentioned there were more powerful entities roaming around the Ghost Zone. Running into one of them would be a nightmare byself itself. Someone as strong as the Don or stronger jumping out while Jazz was around, would spell the end for both of them. If he wanted to stand a chance against one of them, he couldn't have someone that he needs to worry about protecting with him. It was as simple as that.
Danny did decide that his slow approach was indeed delaying their efforts. They picked up the pace a tad. It was enough for them to go from floating to actually flying. Jazz was satisfied with her brother's decision. She thought the Ghost Zone looked a lot prettier flying through instead of creeping around. The fast pace movement added to the idea that this could all be a fever dream.
Phantom slightly relaxes upon seeing multiple ghosts move into a door in the distance. He wondered if the cone of silence was uplifted and whatever anomaly that was occurring has moved on. The halfa knew better than that. One does not wake the forest at the sound of a few scattered leaves. He needed to still be on guard for any suspicious activity. Like a motorcycle humming in the background. Wait.. A motorcycle? Danny asked himself before glancing backwards. He hadn't heard wrong. A billow of smoke followed by the roaring of an engine could be noticed in the distance. There was only one ghost he knew of that rode a motorcycle. Johnny 13.
Danny protectively pushes his sister behind him and glares at the approaching ghost motorcyclist. The sound of the Harley grew ever closer until the bike screeched to a halt in front of the siblings. Johnny steps off his bike with a frown on his face.
"Yo Phantom I need-"
Johnny didn't have time to finish his sentence. A ghost ray blasted him square in the chest that threw him flat on his back. Danny pounced on top of the fallen foe, grabbing the front of his biker jacket.
"What the fuck is your problem?" Johnny snarled.
"I don't have time for your shit, so let's skip to the part where I kick your ass."
"Dude, I'm not here to beef with you!"
Danny narrowed his eyes and cocked his fist back.
"Yeah right."
Phantom was about to throw the first punch when he was stopped by the sound of Jazz's voice.
"DANIEL FENTON!"
"Not now Jazz, I'm busy!" he shouted back, not breaking eye contact with the ghost underneath him.
"He's not here to hurt us! He clearly wants to talk!"
"Listen to the chick, man!" Johnny insisted.
Danny glances at Jazz then back at Johnny.
"Talk."
"It's Kitty, man! I can't find her anywhere!"
Danny rolls his eyes and releases the man, before standing up himself.
"When is it NOT about your girlfriend?" Danny argued.
"I'm serious, Phantom, she's gone missing," Johnny pleaded as he got to his feet.
"She was probably just tired of your shit and left."
"Nah bro me and Kitty have our fights but we always make up at the end of the day."
"I still don't see how this is my problem. You want to find someone then hire a bounty hunter; though the one I'm thinking of might not go after anything not named Danny Phantom."
"C'mon man! Aren't you supposed to be one of the good guys or something?" Johnny implored.
"Yeah and last time I checked the good guys don't help the bad guys."
"Please…I can't live without Kitty."
"Tough luck. Find somebody who cares."
Danny didn't have time to play Sherlock Holmes. He didn't give a rat's ass about Johnny or his problems. Like he didn't have enough on his plate already. Thing is, Danny would have at least considered helping if the guy wasn't a total douchebag. Karma seemed to be finally catching up to the little biker. Who was he to get in the way of fate?
"Come on, Jazz."
"No."
Danny glances behind him with a raised eyebrow.
"No?" he asks.
"I can't believe that you're gonna blow this poor guy off like this!"
"Jazz, he is quite literally my enemy and has caused me so much pain and stress."
"I don't care, Danny. Frankly, I really don't care. You are supposed to be a hero; someone who helps people regardless of who they are! This ghost is begging you to help him, how could you ignore that?"
Danny rubbed his temples. He was starting to regret taking his sister. The woman had a heart the size of the sun; she was always trying to help in some way. Jazz's actions and character actually inspired him to expand his ghost hunting area to assist more people. Though he'd never tell her that, she didn't need any bigger of a head than she already has. But the need to care for others could land you in a lot of trouble. He's learned that from experience, multiple times. In the Ghost Zone the motto is: mind your own business. The clock was ticking on his own mission, but something was telling him to do this one good deed.
"Where's the last place you saw her," Danny grumbles.
Jazz and Johnny's faces lit up like the Fourth of July. Jazz was proud of her brother for putting aside past grudges to help out.
"We had a fight yesterday morning and she said she was going home. I offered her a ride back, but she refused and flew home instead. I didn't hear from her that night or the next morning so I checked her place out; the door was still locked and nobody answered.
"Hm… There's a chance she never made it home. You ask around the route she takes?" Danny inquired.
"Yeah but nobody wanted to talk though. People have been real quiet lately," Johnny replied.
"And why is that?"
"People have been going missing recently. Gone without a trace. So when I found out Kitty wasn't home, I freaked out."
"Any friends that might know where she might skip town for a couple days?"
"Ember was the only chick Kitty was really tight with, but I asked her and she hadn't heard from her either."
Jazz was in awe at how Danny was handling this situation currently. He was calm and open-minded; asking a series of questions to gain more information. It was like she was watching a detective show. You go, little bro.
"So you have NO clue where Kitty might've gone?"
The biker ghost shook his head, "No".
Danny sighed, he was getting nowhere.
"And what about these missing people? Any info on that?" Danny interrogated.
"Not really. But word on the street is that black creatures have been seen going in and out of the castle on the coast."
"The Ghost King's Castle?" Jazz cut in.
"Yeah that's the one. You know it?" Johnny asked.
"We're on our way there right now."
Danny shoots Jazz a dirty look.
"Sorry…"
"And why are you going there?" Johnny questions, suspicious.
"It's none of your concern, 13," Danny spat.
"It is if it concerns my girl-"
"It doesn't concern your girl, man. Get a grip."
Johnny clears his throat and apologizes quickly.
"Lemme come with you then-"
"Absolutely not," Danny interjects.
"C'mon! I need to know if my lady is trapped in that castle or not. Lemme come and check then I'll be out of your hair," Johnny begs.
Arguing would get them nowhere so Danny regrettably agrees to allow the biker to tag along. He was hoping Kitty would show up on the way and Johnny would leave them alone. But with the bad luck the ghost emitted, he highly doubts anything so good would happen to them. The teen looked to the dark gothic castle looming in the distance. This oughta be good.
**PAGE BREAK**
"I said to stay 20 feet in front of us!" Danny shouted to the motorcyclist.
"Is this really necessary?" Johnny called out.
Danny ignored the ghost's question. Of course it was necessary, at any moment this could turn into a shitshow. He wanted to keep eyes on the biker at all times. Danny and Jazz flew behind the Harley towards their destination. The large castle was within spitting distance. Danny was not happy to be back here at all. Last time was almost a death sentence for him. It seems that fate has brought him full circle.
The maroon colored keep gave Jazz the hibbie jibbies. She could tell something horrific had gone on here in the past. The place was cloaked in an aura of darkness. Like the castle itself was an anomaly even in the Ghost Zone. She peered up at the architecture of the building; the woman hated to admit that it was an architect's wet dream. There were dozens of windows along the wall, but each was too dark to see anything.
They landed on a bridge that Danny was all too familiar with. The cobblestone pathway gave the teen flashbacks of his first time here. He fought an entire army, one of his greatest feats. The now empty battlefield had remnants of past conflicts scattered around the area. All sorts of weapons and armor littered the road; reminding those who walk the grounds of its past history. The trio stopped at the large entrance to go over a plan.
"This is where we split ways. You find your girlfriend and I'll do what I have to do," Danny explained.
Danny grabs Jazz's hand and pulls her towards the entrance before she can lend out any more services.
"Thanks," Johnny started. "I appreciate you taking the time to help me find her."
Danny glanced back at the bad luck ghost and chuckled, "Yeah well you're a sight for sore eyes without her around. I hope you find her."
Danny holds onto his sister as he goes intangible and walks through the wall into the dark hallway. Dark was an understatement. It was pitch black in there. Phantom couldn't even see down the corridor. He charged up energy in his hand and allowed the green light to light up their surroundings. It was just like he remembered it. Dark, dreary and damp. Paintings lined the wall of people he's never seen or heard of before. He wondered if some of these people belonged to different Ghost Zones, or if they were simply the ruler of this one before Pariah Dark.
Jazz hated how quiet it was. She hated how creepy the decor was. The woman hated everything about this place. Jazz had no shame in saying she was a chicken. The loud clunking footsteps of the suit echoed through the halls. It's okay Jazz, it's just a big empty castle.
Danny wrinkled his nose in disgust, it smelled like a pigsty in here. The awful stench made his eyes tear up in response. Nothing in the hall gave away the reason behind the rotting garbage smell. The duo slowly moves through the dim corridor towards a set of large wooden doors. Hm. I don't remember there being a door here. Phantom was using his prior experience to navigate the dark hallway. He pushes the heavy door open with a grunt; peeking through to the other side and seeing another passage.
Jazz yelped at the state of the corridor. It was drastically different from the previous one. Dried blood stained the pale yellow walls, along with dozens of claw marks. The furniture was either smashed to pieces or marked by claws. Intestines and other internal organs were discarded on the floor. The woman had to skip around to avoid stepping on a kidney.
Danny almost puked when he entered the room. The pungent odor had increased tenfold and was now stinging his nostrils. He tried to wave the smell away but nothing could possibly scrub the stench from his memory. Phantom glances at the floor at the cause of the stench. Body parts. I guess I can't say I was surprised. Danny's ears perked up at a squishing sound near the end of the hallway. He glanced at Jazz and put a finger to his lips. Jazz nods at the signal for silence and crept closely behind her brother.
A nauseating sight comes into view for the siblings. A small four-limbed beast sat gorging himself on mystery meat. Danny couldn't even make out what exactly the creature was eating. It was quite literally a bloody ball of guts and innards. But the beast was eating like it was its last meal. Danny could see its tiny arms shoveling the meat into its mouth. Dozens of sharp fangs cutting through the bone and tough tissue like a saw. The creature's fur was matted with blood as maggots crawled over its leathery skin. It reminded Danny of a feral dog, if it was a man-eating monster.
CRUNCH!
Jazz made the mistake of stepping on a displaced bone, crushing it under the suit's weight. The beast stopped its feast for a moment; its scarred ears standing up and turning 180 degrees to listen for any movement. Danny and Jazz were dead still but that didn't matter as the creature spun around. Yellow eyes narrowing in the darkness, as it focused on the pair. The beast's maw dripped with blood, snarling and growling at the siblings. Danny was about to blast the ugly thing, but it shrieked and crawled up the wall into a small hole at the top.
"What the hell was that?" Jazz whispers.
"I don't know…"
The wild animal didn't look like any ghost he knew of. In fact, it hardly looked ethereal at all; it had a rather physical form to it. At least more physical than anything else in Ghost Zone. Danny remembered that Johnny said creatures were seen coming in and out of the castle. Was this what they were talking about? An oversized rat? Danny's hypothesis was cut short by sudden banging on the walls. It was loud and disorienting since no one else was in the hallway but them. Then scratching and growling replaced the banging. Something was in the walls. Or rather MANY things were in the walls. Were there more of these creatures? Danny didn't stick around to find out, grabbing his sister's hand and bursting through the next door. They rushed down the hallways, taking seemingly random turns.
Jazz was getting chills from the scratching they were frantically trying to escape, but the noise stayed right in her ears. She didn't know if they were moving away from it or not anymore. It was like running through a haunted house and not knowing when the next jumpscare would happen.
"Danny," Jazz tried to speak.
Phantom didn't even hear his sister calling for him. He was completely focused on getting them away from these creatures. This had to be the sixth door he burst through; it was starting to get slightly annoying. I don't remember there being this many doors! A key detail Danny had forgotten was that Pariah's Keep was always changing and shifting. Luck was on his side this time; the teen found what he was looking for. A red door with gold trim. Danny knew that led to the throne room. The siblings got to the set of doors and immediately started pushing them open. They could hear the scrambling of the creatures in the walls behind them. It motivated them to put all their strength into moving the heavy door.
Jazz crashed through the opening and Danny was busy closing the doors already. Tiny hands banged on the closed door, trying their hardest to get in. Phantom leaned against the doors and let out a sigh of relief. Jazz got to her feet to take a look around the room they ended up in. Jazz could see the outline of a throne and other pieces of furniture. Danny lit up a small area around them with his hand. More balls of meat were littered around the floor. The place looked like it was being used like some type of den or nest.
Way to go, Fenton, you just put us in the heart of their home. Danny scolded himself. The scratching returned and even louder than last time; inching its way to the gaping hole in the wall near the throne. Danny wanted to avoid a fight, but it seems this was where his luck ran out.
"Get ready for a fight," Danny commanded as he got into a defensive stance.
As soon as she heard that; Jazz threw her fear to the back of her mind and turned serious. The Fenton suit glowed slightly as the redhead went side to side with her brother. She scanned the walls and the suit picked up dozens of ectoplasmic signatures swarming towards the hole.
"I'm always ready."
Snarling creatures erupted from the opening and rushed towards the duo. Jazz and Danny simultaneously charged up beams and released the powerful energy at the first wave of beasts. More scrambled out from behind the smoke. Danny flew upwards to act as overwatch, he sniped several monsters from the air with ease. The room was being lit up by the ghost rays. He used both hands to fire off a concentrated beam at the beasts. Danny slammed down to the ground, which delivered a shockwave that flung the little demons back in all directions.
There were a countless number of them but they still didn't stand a fraction of a chance against the experienced duo. Danny cut through these small-fries in seconds; it wasn't even enough for a proper warmup.
Phantom was stronger than most people thought him to be. Some ghosts were cool with him for restoring the peace in the Ghost Zone after Phantom Planet. But the halfa made quite the name for himself after beating his future self and Pariah Dark. There were those that were skeptical of his feats and decided, poorly, to challenge him like Skulker . They were always sent back to their domains with a personal ass-whooping from the Phantom menace. Nocturne, Vortex, and Undergrowth, who were considered Greats of the Ghost Zone, had to kneel before Danny's overwhelming power. He had overcome his evil self's power level long ago. The teen could take on the King, himself, even with the ring of rage and the crown of fire. Though it would be the toughest battle of his life; it'll be much better than what he managed in their first fight.
Jazz watched her brother get lost in the battle. He was tearing through the creatures like a madman and it was kind of scaring the redhead. She's never seen Danny enjoy fighting so much, there was a wild smirk on his face. It wasn't long before the pair was surrounded by the unconscious bodies of the beasts. There was a moment of silence and Danny used it to regain control of himself. The halfa's battle instincts sometimes overcame him and threw him into a fit of bloodlust. He didn't know where the feeling originated from; all he knew was it started to rear its ugly face after coming in contact with the ring of rage during his fight against Pariah.
A wisp of blue slipped out of the teen's mouth. Danny's blood ran cold as he sensed the disturbing presence emitting from the hole. The small beasts seemed to notice it as well; they whimpered and whined before scampering away from the area. A large clawed hand gripped the side of the broken brick, slowly pulling its owner out from the shadows.
"Ah…Fresh meat."
Danny couldn't see the entirety of their face but their glowing red eyes was all he needed to see.
What. The. Fuck.
The monstrosity stood at 10 feet tall, maybe even larger. Though it was bipedal, the hulking beast had the hind legs of a dog. It even donned a beige tunic around his waist. The top-half was more man-like, with a bulging chest covered in battle scars and biceps the size of small cars. Each hand was home to five giant razor sharp claws. A worn out, tan cloak veiled the monster's face from Danny. Black and dark gray fur granted the creature the title of werewolf. The creature's presence was so overwhelmingly malevolent that all Danny could think about was running at the moment.
"Jazz-"
Danny couldn't even warn his sister before he was blitzed by the werewolf. It grabs his face, easily palming his head like a basketball, and slammed the ghost-boy into the brick wall behind him. The powerful impact sent cracks up the hardened wall. Danny almost blacked out from that single attack. His sheer will to keep Jazz safe was keeping him awake.
"Oh? You're still conscious? Aren't you special," the werewolf complimented sarcastically.
Danny tightly grips the wolf's forearm with all his strength. If he didn't let go then it couldn't get to Jazz. Shitty reasoning but he didn't have a choice at the moment. The beast took the challenge with a malicious smirk on his face. He slams the attached teen into the floor. Once. Twice. Thrice.
"Danny…" Jazz murmured.
Phantom's grip loosened as he passed out, slumping onto the floor like a discarded doll.
"Lay there for a bit while I address my bride," he breathed out.
Did he say bride? Jazz slowly backed up towards the door. She shot off every weapon the suit had but it had no effect on the large approaching beast.
The werewolf chuckled darkly, "I know you are eager but we must go through the proper introductions."
He stepped right into Jazz's personal bubble. She could see his massive chest moving with every breath.
"I am Malucard, prince of the embodiment of Lust, I welcome you to my castle. And you are?"
Jazz didn't speak. She couldn't. The woman felt like her heart was going to explode in her chest at any moment. Her mind was running at hyperspeed and she couldn't process what was happening in front of her.
"I heard the maggot refer to you as Jazz? Is that your full title? How short…But mysterious. I like it."
Jazz tried to make some space between them but her back hit the wall. She let out a whimper.
"Are you scared? You seem scared. There is nothing to be afraid of. I am your husband and you are my bride. And on this night, we shall procreate and bring life to this infested world.
Jazz's eyes widened at the mention of procreation. Her? Reproduce with him? He would kill her… She wouldn't dare allow this beast to use her body in such a way, if that was even possible. How vile. How absurd. How atrocious.
"Take off that tin can and we can get straight to it, my love," Malucard professed.
Jazz didn't move a muscle.
"Oh? You want me to do it for you? How positively mischievous…"
Malucard slowly reached for the chest piece of the suit; while Jazz shrunk away from his disdainful touch. She had tears in her ears. Fear had completely taken over her mind. She was going to be forcibly taken in this very room. Danny, please help me…
A flash of green lit up the dim room, and a giant beam collided with Malucard's side and blasted him through the brick wall. Jazz glances to her left to see a kneeling Danny.
"Get away from my sister, you sick fuck," he huffed.
Danny was breathing harshly. It seems he wasn't pacing himself like he should've been, that changes now. He shakily stood to his feet. Phantom could feel the warm wetness of blood running down his forehead. The teen shook off the dizziness with a grunt. No way is he gonna pass out here. He had to send this freak back to Hell for daring to touch his sister. Stand strong, Fenton. This is personal.