Hi everyone, welcome back. Today we are presented with a very special chapter of J-WITCH as a new hunt begins for our heroes. Things are going to get quite chaotic as a new set of powers begins to awaken. With that said, let's get started!
Relics of Demons Past
"Look at you…" Nerissa began as she stared at the Knights of Vengeance before her, the group hidden in the cavern that served as their hideout in Meridian. "Powerful, dangerous, terrifying…! Yet one defeat turns you into sulking children!"
"Vengeance on the traitors, Vathek, Tynar, and the Enforcers was nearly ours!" Frost stated, clenching his fist as Sandpit moved closer and shifted to take an appearance similar to Frost, silently stating that it too agreed with him.
"The Guardians have grown stronger." Hak Foo added. "Their powers have doubled, perhaps even more so."
"Then maybe we should get a power up of our own." Drago said, standing atop a stone platform that was above Nerissa, before leaping down to address his team.
"Ah, so it's time then?" The elderly Sorceress asked her half-demon son, who merely grinned in response.
"Time for what, exactly?" Raythor asked.
"The time of the awakening of Demon Chi." Drago revealed, causing the Knights to look with interest.
"Demon Chi, you say?" Miranda, in her spider-form, questioned. "Care to explain."
"Allow me." Nerissa waved her staff to conjure a bright magical image revealing the form of the Ultimate Evil, Shendu himself. "I trust you are all familiar with this individual. Drago's father, the Fire Demon Shendu."
Many of the Knights of Vengeance looked with concern or seriousness at the projection of the massive humanoid dragon. Though many dared not admit it, but Shendu was the one individual they feared more than the Guardians. Though Miranda had no fear of the Ultimate Evil, but rather hatred for the one who took her beloved Cedric away.
"However, Shendu was one of eight Demon Sorcerers…" Nerissa continued. "…Who terrorized the Ancient Earth many millennia ago, each with his or her elemental magic derived from Fire…" Shendu's spectral image unleashed an inferno from his mouth before the projection shifted to reveal another demon, one appearing much smaller and leaner with darker skin and bat-like wings that enabled him to fly at incredible speeds. "Sky." The image changed again to show a third demon, one clad in a dark red and purple robe with four arms and pale skin, his arms extended to unleash dark streams of his gravity powers. "Moon." The image changed yet again in the form of a bright flash of lightning, showing a fourth demonic entity with light blue skin, clad in dark blue and yellow armor, and surging with great electrical power. "Thunder." The image changed once more, revealing a slab of ground that cracked and broke apart, a fifth demon emerging with dark brown skin and horns on his head like a bull. "Earth." Another spectral image appeared, revealing a massive, green-skin, female demon with a body so large and round, her arms were mere stubs. "Mountain." The image took a new form to reveal another demon that had the appearance of a frog with lilac-skin and puffed-up neck; this one inhaled before blowing a massive gust of wind from his mouth. "Wind." Finally, the image changed once more to reveal a female demon with aqua-blue skin and flowing tentacles around her head and neck, with the appearance akin to a mermaid as she conjured a wave of water from behind. "And Water."
"The Demon Sorcerers." Hak Foo recognized them all.
"You know of them?" Frost asked.
"Yes, siblings of Shendu." The Black Tiger confirmed. "Each one alone can cause a catastrophe or even an apocalypse. All eight of them together? No force in this universe could match them."
"So, what purpose do these demons serve?" Miranda questioned.
"None, at least for us." Nerissa revealed. "Despite their great power, each of the Demon Sorcerers were defeated by the Eight Immortals, legendary Chi-Wizards who used artifacts and powerful spells to banish the demons."
"But what nobody else knows is traces of the demons' power have clung to each of those relics, remaining dormant throughout the centuries." Drago added. "Until now. The time has come for the Demon Chi to awaken. Anyone who touches these relics will also come into contact with the Chi and gain the power of the demon that was banished."
"So, you are saying that if we were to acquire these Relics, we would gain the powers of these Demon Sorcerers?" Raythor asked. "Power like that of the Guardians?"
"Similar, but different." Nerissa confirmed. "To compare a Guardian to a Demon Sorcerer is like comparing a common house dog to a rabid wolf. The power of a Demon Sorcerer is more wild, more vicious, darker and more destructive. With that kind of power flowing through each of you… not even the mighty Queen Elyon will stand in your way."
"Are you really certain of that?" Miranda asked. Though she would love to see Elyon suffer, a part of her felt skeptical about all this.
"I have seen the power of these demons with my own eyes." Hak Foo revealed. "It is irrefutable. The Demon Sorcerers make those pathetic Guardians look like pests!"
"But maybe a demonstration is in order?" Drago suggested. "Raythor, Frost, Hak Foo, step up."
The three in question stepped forward as instructed. Without warning, Drago appeared to blast them with fire, much to their shock. However, none of them were hurt by these flames. In fact, it was the opposite, they began to feel empowered as their bodies began to shift and change. Their skin became green and scaly, claws grew on their hands with talons on their feet; Hak Foo and Frost's hair changed into bright red and grew longer, even Raythor's body was more muscular now, something akin to how he previously looked before being cast into the pit. When it was all said and done, the three of them looked like dragonized versions of themselves, much to the surprise of their fellow Knights and even themselves.
"I've given each of you a small taste of my own Fire Demon power." Drago revealed as they began to test their newfound abilities. Hak Foo was much faster than before, zipping from rock to rock, and even scaling up the walls with his clawed hands and feet. "Dragon speed." Frost lifted a single boulder in his hand and threw it in the air before smashing it to pebbles with a punch as it came down. "Dragon strength." Raythor drew his sword, and it was set ablaze in an instant. With his newfound fire-sword, Raythor had sliced another boulder clean in half. "And Dragon flame."
"I can feel the power… it's incredible!" Raythor held his flaming sword up high.
"My strength… has returned." Hak Foo sneered. The power of dark magic once again made him stronger, and it felt oh so good.
"The Guardians don't stand a chance now!" Frost clenched his fists with a grin.
"And that's just a taste of my power." Drago said. "Wait till you see what my aunts and uncles were capable of."
"This all sounds very promising Drago, but based on what you've said, these Relics are located on Earth, and we are stuck in Meridian." Miranda told him as she leapt down and turned back into her human form. "And there are no more portals for us to cross."
"Then perhaps a new mode of transportation." Nerissa pulled out a ring and handed it to Drago, which he put on and used to open a Fold. "Go to Earth, retrieve these Relics, gain the power of the Demon Sorcerers, and nothing will stop you from clamming your vengeance!"
She and Drago shared a knowing look in their eyes before Drago made his command. "You heard the lady, follow me!" He was the first to enter the Fold, followed by Raythor, Frost, Hak Foo, Miranda, Sandpit, Crimson, the Tracker and Sniffer, and even Gargoyle. The fold vanished, leaving Nerissa alone as she chuckled evilly.
Earth – Heatherfield
Meanwhile, the Chan Clan and the girls all gathered on the outskirts of the city, staring up at the night sky that was lined with stars, some of them looking through telescopes.
"Ah, this is nice." Will said, kicking back on the grassy ground. "No bad guys to fight, no magic artifacts to look for, just us sitting back and doing nothing but gazing at the stars."
"I hear ya." Alchemy agreed. "About time we catch a break for once."
"Hey Jackie, I think I found Ursa Major." Taranee said, looking through a telescope, with Jackie himself coming over to confirm it.
"You're right, Taranee. Ursa Major, or more commonly known as, the Big Dipper." Jackie confirmed.
"So, I guess that makes Ursa Minor the Little Dipper, right?" Irma joked.
Jackie chuckled in response. "Actually Irma, yes that's exactly it."
Irma's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh? Guess I got a natural talent for astronomy." She said in the form of another joke.
"Incoming!" Jade alerted, causing Jackie to turn around with the telescope in Jade's direction just before she gave a load burp, courtesy of the root beer she just drank.
"Gross." Cornelia cringed.
"Ugh, Jade." Jackie sighed in annoyance.
"Nice." Irma gave a thumbs up. "Solid ten out of ten."
"Oh, here comes another one." Hay Lin, who had also been drinking root beer, felt her stomach for a bit before she too gave a burp; this caused Cornelia to cringe even more, but the other girls and even Tohru all laughed.
"Please Tohru, girls, do not encourage this." Jackie told them.
"Yeah… I'd rather not come home tonight smelling like burps." Cornelia agreed.
"Yesh, sue a girl for having a little fun." Jade replied, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, at least it came from the attic and not the basement." Irma cracked.
"That's even more disgusting!" Cornelia stated, but Tohru and the other girls still laughed anyway.
"Aiya! Belly breezes not important!" Uncle got their attention as he looked toward the stars through his telescope. "Alignment of stars reveal that now is very good time for very bad magic."
"What is it now?" Taranee asked. "Don't we already got the whole 'new evil' covered with Drago and the Knights of Vengeance?"
"Drago and Knights dangerous, yes. But not only danger." Uncle explained. "With the lowering of the Veil, and the growing powers of the Heart of Kandrakar, the universe now seeks to balance scales with the awakening of new dark powers very soon."
Will gave an annoyed sigh as she purposely fell back on the ground. "So much for a break."
Meridian – Infinite City
Elyon was accompanied by Caleb, the Enforcers, and Blunk to the waterfall where the Mage resided that separated the underground city from the prison where Meridian's most dangerous criminals were detained.
"All is prepared for you, Queen Elyon." The Mage said with a bow.
"Thank you, Mage." Elyon nodded.
"Your majesty, I really don't think this is necessary." Caleb tried to dissuade her. "What's the point of it?"
"Come on Caleb, you know the reason." She replied. "He's the only one who can confirm it."
"Elyon not go! Bad guy too dangerous!" Blunk added
"What the frog said, we used to work for that creep, remember?" Finn said to Elyon. "Take it from us Little E, you really don't have to do this."
"At least let us help you." Chow said. "He might be locked up and powerless, but the guy's still dangerous."
"He really knows how to get in your head." Ratso added.
"Look I know, and I appreciate what you're doing, but I can handle myself. And it's just a quick Q&A, I'll be out in less than a minute." Elyon insisted.
Caleb, Blunk, and the Enforcers all exchanged looks of uncertainty, but chose to accept her choice.
"If that's your wish." Caleb nodded reluctantly.
Elyon then looked to the Mage and nodded, who then took the young Queen's hand and allowed her to enter the waterfall and the prison complex where all the villains and monsters of the previous reign were being held.
The two walked down the pathway as many of the monsters gazed at the queen and snarled at her in distaste, but she did her best to ignore all of them, even as the gaze of Daolon Wong set upon her. Elyon and the Mage then came to the end of the path in the middle of the complex where Aldarn, Vathek, and two other guards were at. Elyon gazed slightly upward to make eye contact with her brother.
Phobos felt his sister's gaze and looked directly at her. The two said nothing to one another, as there was not really much of anything to say at all. But despite everything, Phobos' gaze carried no sign of malevolence whatsoever; if anything, it appeared to be a neutral or even remorseful expression. Something Elyon recognized as she turned toward the Mage.
"Open it."
The Mage nodded as she cast a bit of magic on the ground the young queen was standing on, causing a stone platform to slowly descend into the darkest and most secure place in the complex.
It wasn't that long of a ride as the platform came to a stop in a darkened chamber, so dark that the only source of illumination was light from above. The chamber itself felt cold, so much so that Elyon could see her own breath. It was as if all the heat and warmth had been sucked out. Torches lit, almost automatically, along the walls of a short tunnel that led Elyon to her intended target.
At the wall at the end of the tunnel, barred and sealed from the outside, was none other than the stone form of the dreaded Fire Demon, the Ultimate Evil that almost killed her friends and destroyed everything.
Shendu.
Taking a deep and nervous breath, Elyon slowly walked to the imprisoned demon, when his blood red eyes suddenly lit up with a snarl, causing Elyon to yelp back in fright, but she quickly tried to regain her barings and stand her ground.
"Y-You don't scare me! Y-you're stuck in stone… and can't do a thing…!" Elyon stuttered, trying to sound as brave as possible. Almost in response to her statement, the ground itself shook slightly as the pebbles along the ground bounced back and forth, the flames on the torches grew, and even flashes of light almost like lightning shined around them.
"Why so nervous?" Shendu asked. "As you say, I am powerless in my current form. Yet you see, even in this pit, the very elements of this Meridian realm shudder in my presence."
"Yeah, nice special effects. But we both know that's all you can do." Elyon told him, narrowing her eyes at the monster.
"So, tell me, to what do I owe the honor of the mighty Queen Elyon's audience?" Shendu asked, sounding polite.
"There's a group of people who were part of Phobos' forces out there and are still loyal to him. They're causing trouble across Meridian." Elyon began. "They call themselves the Knights of Vengeance."
"Catchy name." Shendu commented.
"They're being led by a fire-breathing demon named Drago. Ring any bells?" Elyon questioned. However, much to her concern, Shendu didn't answer right away. "Um… hello…? Are you still there?"
"So… the boy lives." The Ultimate Evil spoke up. "But of course, I would expect nothing less… from my own flesh and blood."
Elyon gasped. This was the very reason she came down here, to seek confirmation from the one individual in the whole universe who know for a fact what Drago's parentage was.
"H-he… he is your son…?"
"But of course." Shendu confirmed. "And I must say, I'm already quite impressed with him. He's gathered soldiers still loyal to that insect Phobos and made them into his own personal force, festering their hatred and need for revenge. From the tone of your voice, I can tell that he's already struck a great deal of fear throughout your kingdom."
"Well… he's not gonna get far. We'll stop him." Elyon turned around and prepared to walk away.
"Leaving already? Is that really all you came down here for? Merely to seek confirmation?" Shendu asked.
"Yeah, I got nothing else to say to you."
"Before you leave, allow me to ask you a question." Shendu told her, prompting her to stop. "Your brother. Why is he here?"
Elyon didn't answer right away. The mere mention of her older brother brought up all sorts of memories and mixed feelings that she didn't quite know how to process. But she tried to put all that away as she turned around to face the Fire Demon again and gave her answer.
"Shouldn't it be obvious? He's a tyrant. Countless people suffered for over a decade because of him. Imprisonment is the least he deserves."
"Let me rephrase that…. Why is he still alive?" Shendu asked, causing Elyon to look in surprise. "You yourself said he was a tyrant who caused your kingdom suffering, he even manipulated you and attempted to destroy your precious friends. Such a feat is worthy of execution, is it not?"
"E-Execute…?!" Elyon gasped; the thought never once crossed her mind.
"His death would also serve for a strategic purpose." He continued. "You say these Knights of Vengeance are still loyal to Phobos, so it is highly likely they will one day try to liberate him and restore his rule. But if he were no longer among the living, these so-called agents of revenge would lose their will to fight on and may very well surrender to you, depriving Drago of his own forces. Let Phobos serve as an example to all who dare defy your rule."
"N-No… No! No! I won't do that! I'll never do that!" Elyon exclaimed.
"Why not? Is it because he is your brother? Is there some form of pesky sibling love clouding your judgement?" Shendu said in a mocking tone.
"No…. It's… it's because that's exactly what he would do! It's exactly what you would do!" She shouted. "But I'm not him! I'm not you either! I'm not a monster!"
"Yet you turned against your friends, did you not?" Shendu questioned.
Elyon tried not to listen to him. The memories of the pain she put her friends and innocent people through still haunted her, even though Cornelia, Alchemy, and everyone else had long since forgiven her. With a shake of her head, she proceeded to leave.
"Why am I even talking to you?! I got what I needed! We're done here!"
"Hear this, my queen." Shendu made his last remark. "A word of experience from one ruler to another… your first and most important lesson: always destroy your enemies."
The young queen stopped for only a second, her back still turned to Shendu, before stepping onto the stone platform, causing it to elevate back to the surface. Once she was gone, the torches all extinguished themselves, leaving the imprisoned demon in darkness once more.
"Our child is causing quite the trouble…" Shendu voiced his thoughts aloud with nobody else to hear him. "But is he truly the only one pulling the strings? What sort of scheme are you plotting… Nerissa?"
Earth – Heatherfield
The Knights of Vengeance were currently residing in an old steel mill on the edge of the Guardians' hometown. The building had been shut down some time ago and it was large enough to hold the entire team, as well as the enormous Gargoyle. Most of the Knights tried to find a way to make themselves comfortable while Drago sat on a steel crate in a meditative position.
"Hmm, this building should suffice for an effective base while we are on Earth." Raythor said.
"We'll need to be careful upon any retreats, however." Miranda spoke up. "The Guardians' allies run deep in this world, and they could track us here if were not careful."
Frost growled anxiously as he pounded a metallic bucket that would normally hold molten steel, and easily crushed it with his newfound demonic strength.
"Why are we hiding out here when we should be looking for this Demon Chi stuff?" The hunter questioned. "If what we have now is only a taste, I cannot wait to savor a full meal!"
"Drago is looking for it." Hak Foo said as all eyes set upon the meditating demon. "He is the son of Shendu, and the Demon Sorcerers are his siblings. Drago is their kin, so this give him a connection to their Chi, which he is currently using to find the relics that hold the power that will soon be ours."
While in his meditative state, Drago breathed in and out very slowly, almost like a slumbering reptile, even though his eyes were wide open. But as Hak Foo said, due to being the kin of the Demon Sorcerers, Drago was able to feel the connection of one of the relics that carried the demonic elemental power they sought. He was then struck with a vision, one that happened to lead him straight to Heatherfield, a carwash with a Chinese theme to it. And within that carwash was a fan that carried the Wind Demon Chi.
Drago awoke from his trance as he stepped off the crate, getting his Knights' attention. "I found it. We're moving out, but Gargoyle and the animals are staying here."
"Why?" Raythor asked as Crimson, Sniffer, and even Gargoyle growled angrily at the thought of being left behind.
"Because the last thing we need is cause too big of a commotion, one that will draw outside attention to our new base." Drago explained. "Now, do you guys want your demon powers, or not?"
Uncle's Rare Finds
The Chan Clan and the girls, along with Yan Lin, were in the Chan family shop, specifically the back room, looking through Uncle's books and scrolls.
"Okay… what exactly are we looking for?" Will asked. "Cause I honestly can't make heads or tails of this stuff."
"Alignment of stars reveal that dark powers will awaken soon." Uncle explained.
"Well did those stars happen tell you what 'dark powers' we'd be dealing with?" Cornelia questioned rhetorically.
"Yeah, that pretty much describes every single monster and bad guy we've fought since this whole shebang started." Irma added.
"I'm afraid you girls may be right." Yan Lin agreed. "With the lowering of the veil, and your powers enhanced, darker powers must now rise in order to restore balance. But that doesn't exactly tell us what these powers are either."
"All we know is that from the stars' alignment in Earth's sky, that these powers will awaken in our world." Tohru said.
"So, maybe we should just wait?" Jade asked, causing everyone to look at her in surprise. "What? I mean this kind of stuff happens to find us anyway."
"She's got a point there." Alchemy nodded.
"Yes, but we have to be prepared, Jade." Jackie told her. "Simply waiting for dark forces to appear will only work in favor of our enemies."
"Can Drago and the Knights of Vengeance even do anything though?" Taranee asked. "They're in Meridian, and these dark powers are supposed to awaken here on Earth, right?"
"Yeah, I actually think things are going to work out for us this time around." Hay Lin said optimistically.
"Jackie!" Captain Black had suddenly entered the store and came into the back room. "You remember that so-called Son of Shendu you told me about?"
"Yes?" Jackie asked with raised eyebrow as the girls all grimaced, having a bad feeling where this was going.
"Well Section 13 agents have spotted a humanoid lizard, along with a group of individuals who are definitely not human, making their way through downtown Heatherfield." Captain Black revealed.
"So much for things working out for us." Irma's eyelids lowered as she glanced towards Hay Lin, who only chuckled nervously as she shrugged.
"Alright, time to go." Will said. "Jackie, everyone, we're going with Captain Black and finding Drago and his pals before they cause some mayhem. Tohru, can you, Uncle, and Miss Lin stay here and keep researching? I got a sinking feeling these things are connected."
"Understood." Tohru nodded as he, Yan Lin, and Uncle continued their research.
"Come on, let's do what J-WITCH does best and go kick some evil butt." Jade grinned as she, her friends, and uncle followed Captain Black outside to his van.
"Wait up! I'm coming too!" Alchemy hopped into the van just before its side-door closed and drove down the streets at high speeds.
Making their way through an alleyway, Drago and the Knights of Vengeance saw the carwash that was their intended target across the streets.
"The fan is here. I can feel it." Drago said before turning toward Sandpit. "Clear the place out."
The sentient pile of sand turned its body into a long steam of sand that quickly moved across the ground and straight towards the building. It then moved up the walls and onto the roof before making its way through the ventilation system. It didn't take long for Sandpit to fill its way through the air vents, sending puff of sand, dust, and smoke everywhere. All the people in and around the carwash began to run and clear away, all under the assumption that a fire had broken out.
Once everyone was clear, Sandpit emerged from a vent along the side of the building and reformed itself as the rest of the Knights approached the building.
"Time to get what we came for." Drago stated.
However, a black van quickly made its way toward the group, forcing them to spilt up and avoid getting run down as Jackie, Captain Black, and all the girls stepped out.
"The Knights of Vengeance… are attacking a carwash?" Jade questioned, sounding confused.
"We'll figure it out later." Will took out the Heart of Kandrakar and said the magic words. "Guardians Unite!" One flashy transformation later; Will, Jade, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin had transformed into their Guardian-forms of J-WITCH.
"Raythor, you and the others hold them back!" Drago ordered his second-in-command. "Tracker, you're with me!" He told the zombified hunter as they entered the car wash.
"Understood." Raythor nodded as he drew his fire-sword and went on the attack, going straight for Jackie Chan, slicing his flaming weapon at him and forcing Jackie to dodge and avoid it as best as he could. Miranda transformed once again into her spider-form as she leapt to the top of an abandoned car and shot strands of webbing to several Guardians, particularly Jade and Cornelia, as they flew and dodged her attacks. Hay Lin shot a cyclone of air at the spider-shapeshifter, prompting Sandpit to take the form of a sand twister and block the attack. Hak Foo and Frost both went on the offensive with their newfound demonic powers, where Taranee and Irma intercepted them with blasts of fire and water respectively.
Jackie was knocked back to a car but quickly recovered and flipped over it to avoid a slice from Raythor's fire-sword that cleaved the car clean in half.
"How are you here on Earth? And where did you get this kind of power?" Jackie questioned.
"That's our little secret, Jackie Chan." Raythor said as he tried to slice at Jackie once more, only for Will to come in with a flying kick to send Raythor crashing into a wall.
"Drago's inside with the Tracker." Will told Jackie. "I don't know what he's up to, but we gotta stop him. The rest of the gang will hold the Knights off out here."
"Alright." Jackie understood as he followed Will into the carwash while Raythor recovered. He was about to go on the attack again, bringing out his fire-sword once more to attack from behind.
Fortunately, Jade flew in as she generated a shadow-katana in her hand to block Raythor's fire-sword. "I don't think so, ugly." The Shadow Guardian smirked as she and Raythor engaged in a heated duel. Unbeknownst to them, Alchemy was also following Jackie and Will into the car wash.
Drago and the Tracker were inside the still-running carwash, but before they could make their way toward the office inside, Captain Black appeared from behind with a pistol in his hands and aimed at them.
"Claws in the air! Now!" He ordered.
"With pleasure." Drago quickly turned around and decked Captain Black with a punch. Tracker attacked next, flailing his mace at the captain, who rolled away to avoid the devastating impact.
Will and Jackie both came in from the other side of the car wash as Jackie leapt towards the Tracker, landing a double-kick on the monster's chest to knock him down while Will threw a punch towards Drago, who ducked underneath the attack before swiping his tail at her to knock her back toward a window. She quickly moved out of the way as Drago's next punch shattered the glass, but she was quick to retaliate by swiping her feet to knock Drago down.
Jackie picked up a nearby push broom and used it to parry the strike from the Tracker's mace. Though the impact did break Jackie's makeshift weapon in two, it still left the Tracker open for Jackie to move in smack both broken ends across the Tracker's body like a pair of makeshift batons. However, the Tracker was able to recover quickly enough and seize Jackie by his throat before slamming his body into a still-running vertical-brush, nearly smashing the piece of equipment. He was ready to pummel Jackie, but Captain Black was quick to tackle him to the ground, forcing the Tracker to let go of Jackie before Captain Black began to punch the Tracker repeatedly in the face. However, the Tracker was able to push himself up, holding up Captain Black with both his hands before throwing him into the recovering Jackie, sending them both rolling to the entrance of the carwash.
On the other side, near the entrance, Will continued to wrestle with Drago as the later pinned her to a wall near the manual controls of the building. Drago spotted the controls and quickly got an idea as he pulled out his tail and lunged it towards what Will thought was her face. She moved her head out of the way, only to look in confusion as Drago's tail had broken the controls before he threw her directly underneath the dryer on the ceiling near the exit. The next thing she knew, a strong force of air pulled her up and stuck her to the dryer, keeping her pinned to the ceiling.
"Hang tight, Will." Drago chuckled as he and Tracker made their way to the building's office.
Will struggled to escape, but with her wings pinned between her back and the still-running dryer, it was almost impossible to move. "Come on… come on…!" As she struggled however, she failed to notice that a pink-glowing surge of energy was beginning to emanate from her hands. "Put. Me. Down!"
The pink energy from her hands shot into the dryer, which caused it to shut down instantly, much to her confusion as she fell and landed on her feet. "Okay…?" Will looked a little confused as to how her dryer was somehow turned off. She then turned her attention back to Jackie as he helped Captain Black to his feet.
"You two go on… I'll be alright." Captain Black grunted as he felt his aching side.
Though Jackie didn't like leaving his friend behind like this, he and Will both knew that whatever Drago's target was, it took priority. The two exchanged looks and nods as they went after their enemy.
The main office of the carwash was rather spacious, a large pile of headcaps on one side of the room, while the wall on the other side was lined with at least a dozen Chinese fans. But there was one in the middle that caught Drago's interest.
"The Fan of the Immortals." Drago grinned. "You seem like the 'howling wind' type." He said to the Tracker. "This one's all yours."
But before either could make a move toward the Fan, Will and Jackie both entered the office to face the pair, Drago unleashed his fire-breath at them, forcing them to split as Will went to one wall and Jackie rolled over toward the pile of headcaps. The Tracker flailed his mace at Jackie again, who ducked and allowed it to strike the pile, causing all the headcaps to fall on top of the Tracker as Jackie flipped over Drago and landed next to Will.
Drago was ready to unleash his fire-breath again, but once he saw that the Fan of the Immortals was behind them, he stopped himself to avoid burning up the Fan and losing the power within.
"Looks like we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."
Back outside, Taranee coated her whole body in flames as Miranda attempted to cocoon her in her webbing, but Taranee's fire easily burnt away the sticky substance before she moved in to close the distance, her fists lit aflame as Taranee dealt a punch to send Miranda crashing into a nearby car.
Jade and Raythor continued their duel as shadow-katana clashed with fire-sword; bright flames sparking against the darker essence. Their blades locked as they pressed against one another.
"Drago somehow gave you some of his power, didn't he?" Jade questioned.
"Merely a taste of what is to come." Raythor replied as he kicked Jade back and aimed his sword to blast a stream of fire her way. Acting on instinct, Jade threw up a wall of shadow-magic to try and block the attack…
Only for the flames to get absorbed into it, much like a black hole. This was a surprise to both Raythor and even Jade herself.
"Whoa…" Jade looked to her hands in shock. "Stronger powers, huh?"
"Rapid Dragon Fangs!" Hak Foo lashed out multiple super speed punches at Hay Lin, who was unable to block them all with her enemy's enhanced speed and was knocked to the ground. Hak Foo leapt into the air and came down to finish her. "Pterodactyl Devours Prey!"
"Tornado Blows Away Pterodactyl!" Hay Lin shouted desperately as she blasted a point-blank tornado attack at Hak Foo before he made contact, sending him flying straight up before falling and crashing into a nearby car.
Cornelia placed her hand on the ground and created multiple plant tendrils and roots, all wrapping around to ensnare Frost. Though she wanted to subdue him, Cornelia also made sure to keep her focus so that her powers would not run wild again. However, she severely underestimated her opponents newfound strength as all he need do is flex his muscles to escape Cornelia's bindings, the force pushing her back to the ground. As she tried to push herself up, she gasped as she saw Frost lift a whole car and loom over her with it, ready to smash it down onto her.
"Say goodnight, Guardian."
However, Cornelia noticed the ground itself was still cracked up from her recent attack and quickly got an idea. Focusing her earth-powers on the ground directly underneath Frost, she created a strong and focused tremor, one that caused the ground under Frost to cave in, leading him to fall in, with the car right on top of him.
"Here's hoping you have auto-insurance." Cornelia joked, while also smiling in relief.
Irma was knocked back by a slash of Sandpit's extended arm, where she slid across the ground and landed near the exit of the carwash. She happened to see Captain Black who motioned her inside, causing her to smirk as she saw where he was going with this.
"Hey, is that all you got you walking pile of cat litter?" Irma snarked to Sandpit, prompting it to chase after her in a gust of sand from its body, but she flew away and directly into the carwash, with Sandpit in pursuit. Once they were in the middle, the spot where Captain Black needed them to be, he quickly pressed the manual controls of the soap-dispenser, pouring a ton of the pink and sticky substance all over Sandpit's body, causing its fluent form to become sticky and more difficult to move.
Irma made the next move as she focused her powers all around the carwash. All the water sprayers and hoses sprang to life as Irma directed all the water at Sandpit; all that combined with the soap caused the creature's body to almost completely solidify. Using this to her advantage, Irma flew forward and dealt a flying roundhouse kick to break apart Sandpit's body into clumps of mud and dirt.
"May I also interest you in some fresh car scent?" She cracked while Captain Black smirked with crossed arms.
Inside the main office, Drago was stuck on the defensive, parrying the combined strikes from Will and Jackie. Drago tried to punch Jackie first, but the martial artist struck his palm to Drago's arm to advert his strike before delivering his elbow into Drago's chest and knock him toward Will, who tried to throw a punch at him, but Drago caught her fist and tried to retaliate with a punch of his own, only for Will swerve around it, extend her leg over his own and pull Drago over to trip him up.
Suddenly, the Tracker emerged from the pile of headcaps as he moved to grab both Jackie and Will by their shirts and throw them to the wall.
With their enemies disoriented, Drago aimed his claw towards the Fan of the Immortals, his hand glowing a dark blue with hints of black around the edges. The Fan then began to glow the same color as a dark energy left the physical object. Drago aimed his glowing claw towards the Tracker, the dark energy about to merge with the zombified hunter…
"Heads up!" Alchemy ran in at high speeds, pushing a cart like a makeshift weapon to slam into the Tracker, who was knocked into Drago, pushing them both down.
However, nobody, not even Alchemy herself, noticed the dark energy that emerged from the fan enter her body. Though she was rendered dizzy for a minute, she shook it off as Will and Jackie both recovered, with Captain Black and Irma coming in to join them.
"Are you alright?" Captain Black asked the three.
Before any of them could respond, a slash of fire broke down the wall on the other side; revealing Raythor, Frost, Hak Foo, and Miranda had recovered and were ready to continue battle, as well as Drago and Tracker. But behind the group of villains; Jade, Hay Lin, Taranee, and Cornelia were also ready to fight back, their respective elements primed.
"We're surrounded." Frost growled.
"Miranda! The fan!" Drago ordered, pointing to the Fan of the Immortals. The spider-girl shot a strand of webbing to the aforementioned fan and pulled it toward her, much to the heroes' confusion.
Raythor looked to the side outside and saw that Sandpit was already fully recovered, his body fluent and sandy once more. "Sandpit! Retreat!"
Sandpit did as instructed and reshaped his body in the form of a sand twister that encircled around the Knights of Vengeance, forcing the Guardians, Jackie, Alchemy, and Captain Black to shield their eyes as the villains flew away.
Brushing the stray particles of sand left behind, the heroes seemed more confused than ever.
"Hold on… what did they just take again?" Taranee asked.
"A fan… I think." Will answered.
"A fan?!" Cornelia questioned. "They attacked a carwash for a fan?!"
"Not just any fan." They all heard a familiar voice as Yan Lin, Uncle, and Tohru appeared on the scene. "The Fan of the Immortals."
"Grandma?" Hay Lin looked in surprise.
"Dragon Tiny-Bopper and Knights of Vengeance want to absorb its Wind Demon Chi." Uncle added.
"But Uncle, we already defeated the other seven demons!" Jackie said.
"Yeah, in fact you said all their portals, including Shendu's, were sealed forever!" Jade also put in.
"Ow!"
"Ow!"
Both uncle and niece rubbed their foreheads as Uncle dealt his titular dope slap to Jackie and Jade.
"Clean wax out of ears! Uncle said Demon Chi, not demons themselves!"
"Okay, can somebody here explain what the hell is going on and say it straight?!" Irma exclaimed.
"Allow me." Tohru stepped up to explain a bit more clearly. "As many of you already know; Shendu was not the only Demon Sorcerer of his time. He and his seven siblings once terrorized the Earth thousands of years ago, many ages before Shendu ruled over China and was imprisoned in stone. Those eight Demon Sorcerers were challenged and defeated by a band of Chi Wizards known as the Eight Immortals, one such battle was between General Lu Dongbin and Xiao Fung, the Wind Demon. Dongbin was able to defeat Xiao Fung by using a magical fan to banish him to the Netherworld. But traces of the Wind Demon's power, his own chi, were rumored to have clung to the fan, lying dormant through the centuries. Until…"
"They were awakened as an act of universal balance to the Veil being lowered and the Heart of Kandrakar's powers growing!" Taranee exclaimed in realization.
"So that's how Hak Foo and his pals got all scaly." Jade also followed along. "Drago probably split his own demon power between them!"
"Our powers got an upgrade; The Knights of Vengeance came to Earth to get an upgrade themselves of the demonic variety!" Hay Lin stated.
"By stealing Fan of the Immortals!" Uncle confirmed. "Why did you let Knights take Immortal Fan!?"
"How were we supposed to know that's what they were after?!" Cornelia exclaimed back.
Jackie only groaned. "Bad day, bad day, bad day."
Later that afternoon, in the steel mill, the Knights of Vengeance were reconvening from their previous battle as Gargoyle had been informed over what had just happened.
"Why is it the Tracker the first to receive these demon powers?" Frost questioned.
"You already have a piece of that power yourself." Miranda argued. "I'd jump at the chance to have something like that. Something to get me closer to my revenge."
"Enough, both of you." Raythor ceased their argument. "We'll all get our chance. There are eight of us, including Drago himself, and eight Relics containing this Demon Chi. You'll each get your own set of powers soon."
"Well I shall be the one to claim the next power that awakens!" Hak Foo declared.
"That is up to Drago, and you know it." Raythor told him.
Speaking of the demon in question, they all heard Drago's yell in frustration as he shot a stream of fire to an old piece of equipment in frustration.
"This is useless!" Drago threw the Fan of the Immortals away. "The Wind Demon Chi has already been drained from it!"
The Tracker growled in anger at that remark. No doubt the Guardians and Chan interfered, taking the power that was rightfully his.
"Power cannot simply vanish; it must be somewhere else." Raythor said.
"You located it before, can you do so again?" Miranda asked Drago.
Drago took a minute to calm down. "I'll let you know once I find it. No matter where it is, I will find it. And if somebody's already possessing it, I'll tear it right from their corpse!"
Alchemy drank a can of soda as she sat with Tohru, looking through a book at Uncle's shop. Taranee, Jackie, Yan Lin, and Uncle did the same. Jade put some food in Scruffy's bowl, while the other girls were waiting rather impatiently for their next move.
"Why are we sitting here doing nothing?!" Cornelia questioned. "Drago and his pals got the power of a demon that might be as strong as Shendu and you guys are reading books?!"
"Do not rush Uncle! Demon-Chi removal spell very tricky!" The Chi-Wizard stated.
"I'm still wondering how those guys even got to Earth. No Veil, no portals, right?" Irma asked.
"I think I remember the Mage saying something back at Kandrakar when the Veil was lowered." Will recalled as she took out the Heart of Kandrakar. "The Heart could open up Folds in space the same way one of her rings did."
"Blunk even had something like that too." Hay Lin added. "Maybe Drago got his own little interdimensional tool?"
"Well, that's just great." Jade scoffed in annoyance as she watched Scruffy eat his dinner. "T-Rex junior can go back and forth between Earth, Meridian, and any other planet he wants."
"And since there aren't any more portals, the Heart can't locate any folds so we got no way to track him." Taranee added, looking through a book herself as she sat next to Yan Lin. "Unless maybe we can make an inter-dimensional locater spell or something?"
"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way." Yan Lin shook her head. "Locator spells only work if the target is in the same dimension."
"But Drago's still here on Earth, right?" Alchemy asked. "Can't we make a locator spell to find him now before he uses his new power?"
"Even if we did find Drago and the Knights, we have no means to remove their powers." Tohru answered. "Sensei's right, the Demon Chi removal spell takes priority here."
"And we need a means to contain it." Jackie added. He then stood up upon seeing how distressed the girls all were. "Girls, I know were in a difficult situation, but we must be patient. We can't afford to rush into something like this."
Will sighed slightly. "Jackie's right. Panicking isn't going to fix this. But maybe we can do something to help. How can we help to whip up this spell you guys need?"
"Uncle requires ancient tome of warts and toads from bookcase." Uncle requested.
"I'll get it." Alchemy went to the back room where most of the shop's books were located. She found a set of portable stairs and climbed it all the way to the top, hoping to get the book that Uncle asked for.
But once she got it, she felt her stomach groan a bit before she let loose a burp. A rather strong and unnatural burp that blew her and the portable staircase backwards from the force of the air being expelled from her mouth and crashed into the bookshelf from behind.
"Alchemy!" Cornelia rushed in with Jackie upon hearing the crash.
"I'm okay!" She held up her hand in assurance, lying on a pile of books. "Just a little accident…"
The Next Day – Sheffield Institute
As the adults continued to work on the removal spell back at Uncle's Rare Finds, the girls returned to school. So far, the day went by pretty normally as they were nearing their final period.
Alchemy was on her way to her last class for the day before she felt a pain in her stomach, causing her to groan as she pressed herself against the wall, holding her stomach with both her arms.
"What was in those sodas…?" She moaned to herself. Her stomachache felt so bad that she probably wouldn't make it to her class without some kind of embarrassing accident happening. She spotted a girls' bathroom on the other side of the hall and immediately went to it.
However, in her haste, she failed to notice that her skin was beginning to lose its color, turning an unnatural pale.
Uncle's Rare Finds
Tohru added a vial of potion to the cauldron as Jackie, Uncle, and Yan Lin observed the final steps of the process.
"Uncle almost finished with Wind Demon Chi removal spell." The elderly Chi Wizard reported. "One more thing, why have Knights of Vengeance not yet used Wind Demon powers?"
"There are two possible answers for that." Yan Lin said. "The first, being that they are waiting for a certain opportunity to present itself. The other…" She glanced towards Jackie, who seemed to already have the answer she was implying.
"They don't have the power." Jackie said before looking confused. "But we saw them take the Fan of the Immortals."
"The fan, yes." Tohru nodded. "But there is a possibility the Demon Chi had been transferred somewhere else. But where?"
Back at the steel mill, Drago was once again in his meditative trance trying to find the Wind Demon Chi, with the Knights of Vengeance still waiting all around him.
"How long is this going to take? We've been waiting all night last night and half of the day, today!" Frost complained.
"Aren't hunters supposed to be patient when searching for their prey?" Raythor told him. "Let Drago focus, he's the only person here who is capable of finding it."
"He'd better find it soon before Chan and those infernal Guardians do." Hak Foo stated. "Or else the power could be lost to us."
As he meditated, Drago received yet another vision, one that led him directly to the current location of the Wind Demon Chi, and who was in possession of it. His eyes opened as he stepped down, getting his Knights' attention.
"We're going to school!"
Sheffield Institute
The school day ended as all the students and teachers began to clear out. With the school being empty, most of the girls met up in the hallways.
"Another therapy-inducing school day done and over with." Irma said.
"Today was actually pretty normal." Hay Lin said. "I didn't go through anything traumatic."
"Hay Lin, that's what's called a joke." Irma's eyelids lowered.
"Hey, have you guys seen Alchemy?" Cornelia asked. "She wasn't in class."
"I saw her in English earlier today." Taranee remembered.
"She said she wasn't feeling well at lunch, like a stomach ache or something." Will recalled.
"Guess she doesn't have an iron gut like yours truly." Jade grinned as she rubbed her stomach.
However, Cornelia couldn't help but get the feeling that something was off. "Come on, let's go find her."
Truth be told, Alchemy had been in the bathroom the whole time. She came out of a stall and to a sink, to wash her face out. "Why do I feel so bad today?"
However, when she looked at her face in the mirror, and saw her almost pale-white skin, and her puffed out cheeks, she screamed. She backed away and looked at her own hands to see they were growing a mixture of claws and webbed palms as well.
"W-Wha… What's happening to me?!" She stuttered in fear, but that fear turned into terror as the door opened, revealing none other than Drago.
"Your short, pale as a ghost, and a real pain in the ass." Drago said as he loomed closer to Alchemy, who backed to the nearest wall in fright. "So, stick out your chi and say 'ah'!"
"Get back! Get away from me!" Alchemy tried to cover her face as Drago was already over her.
"Hey, Alchemy are you in here?" Hay Lin's voice was heard as she walked to the open door from the outside. "I thought I heard…" She looked inside and gave a scream in surprise. "AH! Drago?!"
"Occupied!" Drago turned around to unleash his fire-breath toward Hay Lin, who was forced to duck.
Alchemy then felt her stomach turn again before she burped, which ended up unleashing a large gust of wind at Drago that sent him flying out of the bathroom and into the lockers on the other side of the hallway.
Hay Lin was more than a little surprised at that, causing her to turn to Alchemy and look in further shock as she saw her friend encompassed by a dark blue aura and her body shifted and changed to take the posture akin to a frog.
"Alchemy…?"
"What's going on here?" Will and the others came in from the other end of the hallway and were more than a little surprised to see a certain downed demon smashed into the lockers. "Drago?!"
"Guys! Over here!" Hay Lin helped the transformed Alchemy outside, surprising the girls even further.
"Alchemy!? What happened to you?!" Cornelia exclaimed.
"I don't know… I was in the bathroom and then… bam! I'm a frog!" Alchemy replied, sounding terrified.
Jade's eyes widened in realization as it dawned on her. "You got the Wind Demon Chi!"
"What?!" Alchemy exclaimed.
"Of course! That's why Drago's here!" Taranee stated, the group hearing the aforementioned demon's growling as he was already coming to.
"Let's get out of here before your 'demon prince' comes wanting a kiss!" Irma said as the seven girls ran down the hallway, with Alchemy hopping like a frog alongside them.
As they ran, Will took out her cell phone and tried to call Jackie. "Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up!"
"Hello?"
"Jackie! Alchemy as the Wind Demon Chi! Drago's at our school! We gotta…!" Will's phone was snatched away from her grip by a strand of webbing, courtesy of Miranda in her spider-form as she clung to the ceiling in front of them.
"You've just lost your phone privileges." Miranda snarked as Raythor, the Tracker, and Frost appeared below her. The group turned back the other way to see not only Drago fully recovered, but Hak Foo and Sandpit had also arrived on the scene.
"Give us the Wind Demon Chi. Now!" Raythor demanded as he drew his fire-sword.
All the girls immediately surrounded Alchemy protectively. "Over our dead body." Cornelia glared as Will took out the Heart of Kandrakar once more.
"Guardians Unite!"
"Drago and the Knights of Vengance are at the girls' school and Alchemy has the Wind Demon Chi!" Jackie told Uncle, Yan Lin, and Tohru. "Please tell me the removal spell is ready!"
"Not yet." Uncle shook his head. "Almost."
"Go and help the girls, we'll be with you as soon as we can." Yan Lin told him, prompting Jackie to nod as he ran out the door.
The Guardians tried to make their way through the hallways, hoping to get outside with the demonically transformed Alchemy, but the Knights of Vengeance were hot on their tail. Drago and Raythor both unleashed streams of fire from their mouth and sword respectively, but Taranee focused her own fire powers to take control and redirect the flames back at the enemy to knock them back.
Hak Foo ran on the walls and got close towards Alchemy while Miranda clung to the ceiling for the same sort of thing. "Dragon Snatches Frog!" Cornelia however intercepted him with a punch to the wall that shook up the hallway with her earth powers, knocking Hak Foo off the wall and toward Cornelia's incoming fist. Miranda tried to web up Alchemy but Will grabbed the webbing with both her hands and pulled her down towards Will, who pulled back her left foot and shot it into Miranda's face to knock her down.
Irma channeled her own powers on the emergency sprinklers in the ceiling, automatically turning them on and spraying water over the hallways, which Irma took control over to create a small wave of water to splash over most of the Knights from behind. But Frost barreled through it and tried to get close to Alchemy, only for Jade to place her hand on the ground and cast a blanket of shadows which shot at Frost to ensnare his feet, trip him up, and knock him face-flat on the ground.
Sandpit had shot its body along the left wall and reformed itself to cut off the Guardians' exit before blasting streams of sand in their direction. Hay Lin tried to blast a cyclone of air in retaliation, but Sandpit stood its ground.
Alchemy the got an idea. "Wait… Wind Demon Chi…" She hopped by Hay Lin's side and gave another burp, one that unleashed another maelstrom force of wind, which added to Hay Lin's own attack, doubling its power to completely blow apart Sandpit; while also coincidentally tearing many of the lockers from the walls and blowing them down the hallway.
When they stopped, the other Guardians looked in surprise at the damage that was just unleahsed. Even Alchemy winced slightly.
"Excuse me."
"We're too compact like this. We gotta get outside." Will said as she spotted a nearby window that led to the courtyard in the back of the school. No witnesses could see them duke it out back there. It was the perfect spot. With a kick, Will shattered the window.
"Pretty sure we could get expelled for that." Taranee commented.
"Section 13 will come up with an excuse, let's just go!" Jade responded.
"Alchemy, hop on!" Cornelia told her friend, who only looked at her with a slight glare. "Sorry." She apologized, realizing the unintended joke. But Alchemy hoped onto Cornelia's back and wrapped her arms around her as the Guardians flew out the window.
However, they didn't get very far outside as a blast of fire tore through the wall, courtesy of Drago. He then leapt from the hole and towards Cornelia and Alchemy, grabbing both of them and crashed to the ground with them.
"Guys!" Hay Lin exclaimed, but Sandpit attacked the rest of them, transforming its body into a mini sandstorm to encompass the remaining Guardians as the other Knights of Vengeance got outside and surrounded Drago as he held onto the struggling Cornelia and Alchemy.
"You got something that doesn't belong to you." Drago told Alchemy. "Why don't you give it to somebody who actually knows how to use it?"
"Aren't you enough of a blowhard already?" She replied as Cornelia stomped her foot onto Drago's before slamming the back of her head into his face, forcing him to let go before dealing a kick to knock him back. She then stood protectively in front of Alchemy as the remaining Knights approached her.
"Just try and lay so much as a finger on her!" Cornelia dared.
"With pleasure." Frost pounded his fist into his palm.
"Hiya!" Jackie gave a yell as he suddenly appeared, delivering a flying kick to Frost to knock him back.
"Jackie!" Cornelia and Alchemy were more than a little happy to see him as he took a martial arts stance.
"Get him!" Raythor ordered as the Tracker flailed his mace at Jackie with Hak Foo leaping at him, claws forward.
"Dragon Slashes Villager!" However, Jackie not only ducked under Hak Foo's slash, he also grabbed the Tracker's weapon by its chain and used it to ensnare Hak Foo around his wrist as he tried to punch Jackie. He flipped over Hak Foo and pushed him into the oncoming Raythor with his fire-sword, this caused the Tracker to get pulled forward as well as he still held onto his weapon, where Jackie kicked him back into Miranda.
Jackie then turned around to see the transformed state Alchemy was in. "You really do have the Wind Demon Chi."
"Yeah… first half an Oni mask, now this!?"
"It's alright." Jackie assured as he kneeled to her level and put a hand on her shoulder. "Uncle and the others will have the spell ready soon. You'll be back to normal, I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Chan." Drago said as he recovered and unleashed his fire-breath at the trio, forcing them to separate. Alchemy was isolated, if only for a couple seconds, and that was all they needed. "Tracker! Now!"
The zombified hunter came up from behind Alchemy, grabbing her in the form of a bear hug and Alchemy struggled instantly. "Let me go!"
"Alchemy!" Cornelia was about to rush and help her and Jackie, but Raythor, Frost, Hak Foo, and Miranda blocked their path. Even as an elemental explosion erupted in the sky to blow away Sandpit's mini sandstorm form, courtesy of Will, Jade, Irma, Hay Lin, and Taranee. But they were already too late.
"Ya Gaa Mee Mo Ya Gaa Mee Chi Wa. Ya Gaa Mee Mo Ya Gaa Mee Chi Wa." Drago chanted his own dark chi-spell, both his hands glowing dark blue as he aimed them at Alchemy and the Tracker. "Ya Gaa Mee Mo Ya Gaa Mee Chi Wa. "Ya Gaa Mee Mo Ya Gaa Mee Chi Wa. Quintessence!"
The second he uttered that word, dark red, borderline black, bolts of energy shot from his palms and at Alchemy and the Tracker.
"Quint… what?" Will couldn't help but find herself drawn to what Drago said. She quickly shook her head however and shot straight for the Tracker and Alchemy, even as the other Knights tried to intercept her; Jackie and her fellow Guardians provided cover as Will slammed herself into the Tracker from the side, forcing him to let go of Alchemy.
"Thanks, Will… I…" Alchemy happened to glance at a small puddle nearby and looked in joyous surprise to see that she was one hundred percent human again. "Hey! I'm back to normal!"
However, Will didn't seem as happy about that. "But… if you don't have the Demon Chi anymore… then that means…" She and everyone else happened to glance at the Tracker, with the smirking Drago, as they saw him undergo a hideous transformation.
The Tracker's body had grown a bit, becoming hunched as his arms and legs grew to twice their normal size, standing on all fours like a toad. His decaying skin becoming even more pale as his throat and cheeks bulged out, and his eyes glowing a brighter red as he gave a loud and moaning roar.
The Tracker was now imbued with the chi of Xiao Fung, the Wind Demon.
"Aw crap…" Will muttered.
"Here I thought the guy couldn't get any uglier." Jade commented.
The demonically transformed Tracker then let loose a massively powerful gust of wind from his mouth straight for the Guardians, Jackie, and Alchemy. The Knights of Vengeance had cleared out of the way as the force of the wind was so intense that it blew all of them back towards the side of the school's building, but the Tracker didn't stop as he kept up with the force of his new power. He wasn't trying to pin them to the wall, he was trying to crush them from the force of the wind itself.
However, Hay Lin was able to open her palms, reaching out to try and control the opposing wind with her own power over air. It seemed to work as the intense wind was halted and pushed back slightly, allowing everyone else to fall to their hands on knees and regain their footing. Hay Lin stood her ground, pushing back against the Tracker's power as she glared at him.
"Why don't you pick on somebody with your own power?!" She challenged. "Air Guardian versus Wind Demon!" She then performed a similar action, taking a deep breath and then blowing an equally powerful gust of wind, while also adding onto it with a cyclone from her hands.
The force of Hay Lin's air blast was enough to push back against the demonic Tracker, forcing him back slightly on his feet as he tried to dig himself in and push harder with an even greater torrent from his own mouth. Hay Lin and Tracker's respective windstorms collided. The resulting backlashes of both their colliding attacks was enough to keep the Guardians, Jackie, Alchemy, and even the Knights at bay, trying to brace themselves against the opposing winds. As Hay Lin and the Tracker's powers collided, a tornado began to form in-between them as it quickly grew in size, both Hay Lin and the Tracker were lifted from the ground from the wind alone and began to spin in opposite directions with the tornado's effects.
"What's going on?!" Cornelia exclaimed as she raised a slab of earth from the ground to provide her friends and herself with some cover.
"Hay Lin and the Tracker both use air powers!" Taranee tried to explain as best as she could. "The opposing forces of wind have begun to twist against each other and create a tornado!"
"We have to stop this!" Jackie stated. "If this keeps up, the tornado could tear through the entire school and most of Heatherfield!"
Fortunately, that wouldn't come to pass as the demonic Tracker was shot by a blast of green Chi Magic. His whole body was engulfed in a dark blue aura as he felt his power being forcibly extracted from himself.
"Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao." Uncle, Tohru, and Yan Lin chanted as the elders each held a dried lizard while Tohru carried an open jar. "Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao." As they chanted, a stream of dark blue energy began to be extracted the Tracker's body and straight into the open jar.
It didn't take long for the Wind Demon power to leave the Tracker's body entirely and turn back into his previous zombified form. With the power gone, there was nothing to stop the tornado from sucking up the Tracker before he was sent flying and crashing into the wall, breaking down the bricks.
"Hay Lin! You can stop now!" Yan Lin called to her granddaughter as they saw Tohru close the jar. "We have the Wind Demon Chi!" True to her word, the Wind Demon Chi was contained within the sealed jar, the energy taking the form of a transparent fan with a dark blue aura around it.
Hay Lin ceased her attacks and tried to gain control of the tornado that she helped to accidentally create. With her powers, she was able to shrink the tornado to a small enough size that it vanished. She breathed a huge sigh of relief as she rubbed the sweat from her forehead.
"Did they get it?" Will asked as she and her friends got out from behind their cover.
"I think so." Taranee confirmed.
"Great! Uncle, let's keep it up and remove the fire powers from Raythor and the others!" Jade called out.
"Aiya! Removal spell was for Wind Demon Chi, not Fire Demon Chi! Pay attention!" Uncle reminded.
Frost and Raythor helped pull the injured Tracker out from the pile of bricks as the Knights regrouped. "Sandpit, time to go!" Drago told him. The sentient sand then created another sandstorm around the Knights of Vengeance before ascending away from the school in the form of a sand twister, pulling his teammates away.
"Yeah! That's right! You better run!" Irma called out to them but was suddenly dope-slapped by Uncle. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"Celebrate too soon! That was only Wind Demon Chi!" Uncle explained. "Eight Demon Sorcerers were defeated by Immortal Wizards in ancient times."
"Which means… seven more Immortal Relics will have traces of Demon Chi on them." Tohru added.
"And the Knights of Vengeance will be seeking them all." Jackie said, seeing where they were going with this.
Cornelia sighed, rubbing her hand down her face. "Don't say it. The Relics are scattered across the Earth?"
"Most likely." Yan Lin confirmed.
"The powers of seven other demons that could rival Shendu…" Taranee looked more than a little nervous. "Heck, Shendu's own power is probably among them."
"And if Drago and the Knights of Vengeance get that kind of power… We're in serious trouble." Will said with a gulp.
"Guess we got another world tour on our hands." Jade commented. "How come I don't feel so excited about this one?"
Done.
So, all that happened. We got the start of the hunt for the Immortal Relics and the Demon Chi. And yes, Shendu's Relic and his own Fire Demon Chi is among them. Given he was also banished with his siblings by the Eight Immortals in ancient times, it only makes sense that his chi would be left behind on the Relic used to banish him. I'm certain the only reason Drago didn't go after that one in the canon was because he already had his own Fire Demon power due to being Shendu's son. But the Knights of Vengeance will still be seeking that power here.
And, the Demon Powers are awakening now in this story because of the Veil being lowered, its energies returning to the Heart of Kandrakar and the Guardians' Aurameres, making them even stronger. But, the universe always seeks balance, so the Demon Powers are awakening as a result of the Guardians' own little power upgrades. I hope that makes sense.
Speaking of upgrades, we got a bit of a taste of what some of the other Guardians can do. Jade's shadow magic could absorb Raythor's fire-attack like a mini-black hole; and we saw a bit of Will use her Quintessence power, but that's only a taste of what is to come.
Oh, and one thing I should note, in this story, Will's power over Quintessence is like that from the comic where it manifests as pink energy, this helps to differentiate her from Nerissa, whose own power takes the form of lightning. Quintessence is the element of life, that being said, the power is different for each person who uses it because no one individual is the same. Again, I hope that makes sense.
Will's power is still the same as the canon show, it's just not in the form of lightning.
On that note, yeah, you read right. Drago has Quintessence! It's not nearly as potent as his mother's power or even Will's as he mostly relies on his Fire Demon power, but he still finds ways to make it work for him; such as using it in conjunction with his own dark Chi Magic spells to manipulate the Demon Chi. (Chi is the word for life force in Asian culture, and Quintessence is life energy. It only makes sense the two go hand-in-hand). There's a lot more to Drago's power than just what we've seen with his fire and you'll be seeing more of what he can do throughout the story.
Speaking of which, I liked writing that one scene with Elyon and Shendu where she wants to confirm whether Drago is truly Shendu's son, which she knows to be the truth. Elyon proved to be smart in how she handled it; she knows Shendu's a liar from what the Enforcers have told her, so she didn't even mention Drago being related to Shendu in order to get the information she needed. But of course, she's still young and naïve, which Shendu took advantage of to try and mess with her head to spite her.
So, what's in store next for our heroes? While the hunt for the Immortal Relics and Demon Chi has begun, their next fight will be so much closer to home. Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there.