by Ryu Gabriev » Thu Mar 30, 2017 1:56 am
It's been two months... you thought I was dragging my heels again, no doubt. But in reality it i̶s̶ ̶m̶e̶,̶ ̶D̶i̶o̶!̶!̶ the full, complete chapter!! Enjoy!
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Chapter 6: Fall Back
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The flash from the godling’s action subsided, leaving a small group of people remaining in the tunnel entranceway: a Devil Hunter, a firebender, a Starfleet Officer, and their hosts, two young men that lived in this city under siege. As they stirred to consciousness and took stock of their surroundings, the source of Q’s amusement couldn’t help but comment. “Guess we can cross ‘Get Trolled by a God’ off the bucket list… Everyone ok?”
A chorus of affirmatives answered him, allowing the rookie leader to relax somewhat. It seemed Q simply had just been hoping to get a scare out of the group when he pulled his little stunt just now. The five of them left the tunnel and began their trek back to where Jonathan had parked their ride. Along the way several spirits and minor demons attempted to accost the group, only to discover Ian and Yohko were more than a simple meal items.
They reached the spot where the Jonathan had left his vehicle, glad to discover it had remained unmolested during the whole ordeal. They all piled in and drove away from urban center of Dallas back towards Ian and Jon’s part of town. No one felt like breaking the sober mood in the cabin, so each was alone in his or her thoughts and actions. Yohko, who rode shotgun, was muttering to herself about possible barrier types and how many talismans she would need to create in order to carry out those ideas. Dax managed to squeeze herself between Iroh on her left and Ian on her right. The trill scientist was running a diagnostic on her phaser and other tools, nodding along as the information trickled in from her tricorder. Iroh simply gazed out of his window with his sleeves together in front of himself, his thoughts wandering. The neophyte psychic had kept some of his pebble shot from the previous battle and was entertaining himself by letting stone fragments slowly orbit his hand, The radio was back on, and like before the news wasn't encouraging. “National Guard forces have been deployed to prevent possible looting within the city limits. If you are in the Dallas - Ft. Worth area please remain where you are until emergency personnel have assisted you. This quarantine is a precautionary measure only-”
“In other words, ‘We have no clue what’s going on but we know we have to do something or look even more clueless than we already are.’” Jonathan quipped as he half listened to the announcer, half focused upon the light traffic that braved the highway despite all that gone on over the last few hours. “Then again, who’s really prepared to survive the Apocalypse?”
Suddenly a thought forced its way into the rookie leader’s mind. “God… I need to get home. Whole world’s falling apart and Mom’s fending for herself and Dad back at the house...”
Just as fast as the thought struck him, Jonathan drifted to the exit lane of the highway and moved towards his home. Of course, the sudden change of direction didn't go unnoticed by his passengers. “Jon, I get that you wanna make sure your parents are ok, but the rest of us can't just stay in your car while that's going on.” Yohko remarked as the Texan turned onto the street leading home.
“Then come in if you all want, but im not doing anything else until my folks know I'm okay.” Jonathan’s tone brooked no further argument. Thus when he pulled up to the side of his house and moved to enter the group as a whole followed behind him.
Immediately the rookie leader knew that the next few minutes could be the most strenuous of his life so far... the living room was spotless, as was the dining room and kitchen. You see, in addition to his mother being a successful stage actress and retired nurse she had maintained an unusual habit over the years: Whenever she was stressed or frustrated, to avoid taking it out on her son or husband, she funneled her energies into tidying up her environment instead. Which would be perfect, were it not for the fact her interactions with people also gained a passive-aggressive bent. By the time Jonathan was an adult, he’d completely accepted that a cluttered house meant harmony in the family.
Jonathan carefully shuffled everyone through the interconnecting rooms till they reached the hall that led to the two separate bedrooms, one on each end, with the bathroom nestled in between them. The Texan pointed to the left. “My room’s right over there, if you guys want you can chill there until I’ve smoothed over things with my mom. Besides, there’s… not much to see where I’m going.”
The neophyte psychic and lieutenant commander accepted the invitation to Jonathan’s sanctum sanctorum, but Iroh stopped Yohko from joining them at the last moment. “I believe it would be best if Miss Yohko and I accompany you.”
The retired general smiled at their confused looks and elaborated his point. “Our arrival into your home has not been silent, and you clearly do not wish to have this conversation with your mother now. Perhaps with supportive allies at your back, we can answer questions that arise without adding to the confusion.”
Jonathan gave off a skeptical look but relented and allowed the pair to follow him to his parents’ bedroom. It was squared in design, with a queen-sized bed dominating the space from where it was pushed against the wall opposite the door. The remaining three walls had furniture and things stacked precariously high, but somehow nothing seemed like it might fall. A flat screen TV was sitting on a raised platform in the corner turned toward the bed, blaring various news stories. Finally, next to the bed was a dark blue easy chair, and in it, rested a barrel chested older man with short dark silver hair. His breathing was coming in wet and halted even though a nasal cannula on his face helped pure oxygen enter his weakened lungs from a nearby supply tank. The sight was always able to dim the rookie leader’s spirits. His father had never been physically fit in any part of Jonathan’s recollection, but there had always been an energy to him that most times could be found in men half his age. To go from that, to someone struggling to simply breathe…
Almost as soon as they crossed the threshold a hefty older woman with wavy salt-n-pepper hair rushed to meet them and began frantically fussing over her son. “God, Jonathan, where have you been?!”
“Relax, Mom I-”
His mother started patting him down in various areas, testing for any breaks or sores. “First you don't come home after work, then your job called wondering where you were…”
“Mom-”
The rookie leader was cut off mid word by the back of a warm hand pressing against his forehead. “Now the radio is talking about this attack in the city and people being evacuated! Your father is in no condition to move, much less leave!”
Jonathan’s right eye had begun twitching oddly. “Mom. We can figure out something-”
Yohko grinned and gave off a small giggle at the display, which had the unintended effect of drawing the attention of the force of maternal nature. Now noticing both Iroh and the Devil Hunter behind her son, Jonathan’s mother looked on in slight awe. She stared without blinking for several moments, as if trying to confirm that was in front of her eyes before finally speaking. “Gorgeous.”
Yohko took a slight step back as Jonathan’s mother moved around her son and let her right hand get close to touching the Devil Hunter’s updated uniform. “I’ve… this has to be the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen. You look just stunning! Where’d you find it?”
Jonathan grinned as Yohko was now the one in his mother’s sights, and from the looks of things was starting to enjoy the attention. “She made it herself, actually. Yohko’s got magic hands for that sort of thing.”
The Devil Hunter cocked her head at the rookie leader in confusion while the look from his mother’s eyes gained an excited sparkle to them. “Really?! Oh God, it’s been ages since I knew anyone who could sew like this! The fabric is just shimmering in the light! Might I see how it feels Miss... Yohko, wasn’t it?”
The Devil Hunter nodded and introduced herself with a smile as the Vehan matriarch let her fingers slide across the material of Yohko’s uniform only to scrunch up her eyes in budding confusion. “This is… leather? Why in the world would you use that in a dress?”
As Yohko tried to figure out a way to excuse herself without revealing her ‘family business’, Iroh suddenly stepped into the conversation. “Because it is not a dress, actually, but a fighting uniform. Miss Yohko is a member of an order of fighting women known as Devil Hunters. This whole debacle thus far dropped us from our own dimensions into your son’s lap along with all else that has occurred these last few days. Thankfully, Jonathan is a fine young man and has shown himself quite honorable in his aid towards us during our time in the city thus far.”
The Vehan matriarch blinked twice before giving off a sudden titter of laughter. “O-other dimensions? Haha… Jonathan, what sort of odd game are you-” Suddenly She registered the rest of what Iroh had said and spun back towards her offspring and gave him the look all mothers seem to know. “Jonathan James Vehan! Are you telling me that you’ve been in that hellhole the city center’s become? All This Time?! And you haven’t told me?!”
Jonathan answered his mother’s parental stare with a deadpan look of his own. “How could I? The moment you saw me you’ve been trying to see if I’m terminal or not- AHH!”
With a speed beyond what her years would seem to allow, Jonathan's mother had snatched his ear in a firm hold, the pain forcing him to bend forward. “Don’t you sass me, mister. I know full well how much you take after your father- you’ve probably already had your fair share of fights just from sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong, haven’t you?!”
“I wouldn’t call it my fair share, honestlyiiiIIYAH! Alright, alright, I give! Leggo mom it’s tearing!!” Though he certainly acted like he was trying to reclaim his ear from his mother’s grip, something wouldn’t (or couldn’t, perhaps) let his actions succeed until she let go of her own accord.
The Vehan matriarch then turned toward the aged firebender and locked eyes with him. “As for you sir, I appreciate that my son has helped you in some way during all this. Frankly, however, I wasn’t born yesterday. Now I insist you and this girl explain how you know my son now.”
Just then, Jadzia’s head poked out from the doorway. “Jon, Ian wants to know the password to your computer so he can show me this century’s Datanet.” The commander gave off a light smile and introduced herself to the Vehan matriarch before asking Jonathan once more for the password to access his PC. He waved her off, promising to unlock his device for her once everything had been settled.
Dax ducked back out of sight and the trio turned back to Jonathan's mother, only to see that all the color had drained from her face. “M-m-my God. Th-that was Jadzia Dax… from Star Trek. In my house.”
Iroh offered his arm to help steady the Vehan matriarch. “Madam, perhaps it’s best you sit down. We will do our best to answer your questions.”
She waved off the firebender’s offered hand, but took the offered advice and sat down on the left side of the bed. “Please, call me Sharon. What is going on here?!”
“Well, to start with Mom… what do you remember about Q?”
The rookie leader then told the whole story that had occurred over the last two days, stopping only when Sharon asked for clarification or when Iroh or Yohko chimed in with a better perspective. Obviously to avoid panicking her, Jonathan chose to gloss over the whole drow incident. “And after I realized you’d probably be worried sick about me I decided to come back here. Which leads us to where we are now, Mom. Somehow Q’s bet has brought hell down on our heads, literally, and we’re stuck trying to figure out a way to fix things.”
Sharon took a few seconds to center herself before speaking. “Jonathan, you can’t be expected to fix the world’s problems all by yourself. Let’s just figure out a way to bring help back here so that they can evac your father to safety.”
“You just said he wasn’t fit to move, much less be evac’d! Even if we-” The rookie leader was cut off as a wet hacking cough burst from his father’s throat, along with specks of dark red fluid. In a matter of instants three things occurred: The Vehan matriarch was at her husband's side, trying to figure out what had just gone wrong with him. Jonathan rushed to the other side of the easy chair, only to watch as his father’s chest quivered, then become still. Shouting drew Ian and Dax from the other room, only to find a mother and son huddled around the father’s pale, deathly still form…
… until Jonathan’s hands, which were desperately gripping his father’s arm, started to glow with bright golden light.
A brief flash of light came from the rookie leader’s hands, blinding all present. Almost as soon as their collective vision cleared, a shuddering gasp came from Jonathan’s father, before color returned to his skin and a deep snore rumbled from his frame.
Seconds passed as everyone there tried to understand what had occurred. Finally, the Vehan matriarch worked up the nerve to speak. “Son… What did you just do?”
The rookie leader could only shrug his shoulders as he looked at his hands like they were something new. Dax, for her part, began scanning Jonathan’s father with her tricorder. Her expressions quickly shifted from concerned to astonished. “His metabolic rate is elevated, pulse and respiration are at ideal levels… and I’m detecting an odd radiation pattern. Doesn’t seem to be high enough to cause damage, but it’s all throughout his system.”
The lieutenant commander then shifted the device’s focus around the room, settling on each person for an instant before turning it on herself. “We all have the same signature, but in Jon’s case it’s several magnitudes stronger. Same situation also, our metabolic rates are elevated.”
Jonathan crossed his arms in front of himself. “You can’t tell me that’s the end of it, Dax. I did not just imitate a strobe light for the sole purpose of pepping us all up.”
Iroh smiled and gave off an upper body stretch suddenly. “More than merely ‘pepping us up’, I think. I was still feeling some of the exertion from our time in the city proper, and now I feel as if I just came off a weekend at the Cherry Blossom Inn in the Colonies. Most refreshing.”
The feeling was soon mutual among everyone else in the bedroom, including Jonathan’s mother, who had noticed that an old shoulder injury of hers seemed to have vanished completely. Sharon then turned to leave the room, mumbling something about a half remembered recipe. With the tension in the room fading from this shared sense of rejuvenation, Jonathan’s team retreated to his own bedroom to make further plans for what might come.
The next few hours passed uneventfully for the household, with a few minor exceptions. The biggest, and in Jonathan’s opinion Best, exception came once his father woke up from his rest. For the first time in over 3 months the head of the household stood up from his easy chair and walked under his own power without assistance or his oxygen tank. And he was famished, so much so that his desire for a repast awoke everyone else’s appetite. So after a little work clearing out the dining room and dusting off a few antique chairs, all seven people sat to a meal swiftly crafted by both father and mother.
It was a mishmash of various foods, Hamburger Helper alongside chicken pot pies mixed with steamed spinach, corn and carrots. Add in Diet Coke and Iroh’s teas for the drinks of choice and you have the makings of a well deserved Vehan family meal. The dinner conversation, however, was not what the rookie leader was hoping for…
“So there’s Jonathan marchin’ up with all his classmates to get his diploma… and of course my son can’t help but go over the top like always. He starts making a big show of giving little bows and waving his cap all the way to the podium, only to remember when he gets there that he’d put his announcement card under his hat right before he started!” Jonathan’s father gave off a barking laugh before he wolfed down several bites of his pot pie. After washing it down with his soda, he continued the tale. “So he has to run where the damn thing fell, and scurry right back. Just as he gets there, he stepped on the hem of his robe or something since he tripped right at the podium steps and plops flat on the ground right there in front of the dean. To top it all off, as soon as he shakes it off he stands up and says ‘Guess this’s what the counselor meant by graduation being painful for some.’ The whole place explodes laughing as Jonathan realized he’d said it loud enough for the mic to hear. Sharon’s mortified of course, I was too busy laughing myself!”
The reactions from the rest of the table were mixed: Ian howled with laughter at the imagery the story invoked, Iroh gave a polite chuckle but was far more interested in his serving of Hamburger Helper, Dax didn’t laugh but could be seen hiding a smile behind her glass of soda, Jonathan’s mother stared hotly at her son and the rookie leader had the good sense to look somewhat embarrassed. “Hey, it worked out in the end, didn’t it? Besides, right after that one of the guys in charge got a hold of my info and swore up and down that I’d join the immortal greats who’d pulled off their own pranks as well!”
Yohko, however, had been barely paying attention during the whole thing. Instead she’d been stealing glances at Jonathan the entire time, trying to work up the nerve to confront him about what had happened earlier. Back during Ian’s time possessed, she too had heard the spirit bragging about how close Jon was to becoming a Devil Hunter himself. At the time she had thought there had been no possible way for such a thing to happen, the rookie leader was a man after all. In all one hundred eight recorded generations of the Mano family none of the few men sired ever showed signs of inheriting the power. But now, here, after three days of interaction the rookie leader had pulled off one of the few abilities that could do more than simply harm. And without the aid of a Ring or Talisman no less. Inwardly, the Devil Hunter cringed at the thought of her grandmother’s reaction upon seeing such a display.
‘A man did that?! Yohko, you’d better damn make sure that man’s essence is brought into the Mano clan as soon as possible!! Hell, get your cousin and the Azusas in on it if you have to sweeten the deal… the more babies you kids make, the safer the world’s gonna be!’
‘Ok maybe she wouldn’t go that far… but she’d definitely want me to seduce him at the very least.’ Absentmindedly Yohko’s thoughts drifted further down their current path as she glanced back at the rookie leader. An instant later, the Devil Hunter rose from her seat and asked if she and Jonathan could be excused for a few minutes. There were curious smiles from both of the rookie leader’s parents, but they were allowed to vacate the table.
The pair made their way to Jonathan’s bedroom and shut the door. Inside were various wall scrolls covering the white walls, a large bed holding the far corner all to itself, and a large and cluttered light brown computer desk opposite the bed with a flatscreen TV perched on the top shelf. Two bookcases loaded down with manga and various novels were at the other two corners, one holding a triangle-folded American flag in a sealed wooden case with a glass lid. The devil hunter took the leather rolling office chair at his desk as her seat while the rookie leader plopped on his bed and made himself comfortable. “Well Yohko, this’d better be good. Otherwise we’re gonna have to come up with a good excuse as to why I haven’t taken advantage of a girl in my room.”
Yohko wasn’t having any of it as she leveled a stern glare at the rookie leader, who managed to get the message and lift himself into a lotus position as he focused on the Devil Hunter. “This is serious Jon. That technique you pulled off is a sign that you really are about to mature as a Devil Hunter!”
Jonathan folded his arms in front of himself and nodded. “So I’ve heard. Demon says I’m changing then I pull off ‘Lay on Hands’ in my parents’ bedroom, sounds like a pattern to me.”
The way he said that in such an apathetic manner startled Yohko somewhat. “Jon… you do realize what this means, right? You can fight these monsters directly! The both of us could nip this invasion in the bud before it overruns this country!”
The devil hunter gained a sparkle in her eye at the thought of not facing this threat by herself, since it was clear that whatever Netherrealm they came from, these were not the adversaries of her ancestors. The rookie leader’s mood shifted further in the opposite direction however, something Yohko finally noticed as she saw the man shrink in on himself more and more. Didn’t he want to protect his home?
“Jon, what’s the matter with you?”
“What if… I don’t want this power?”
Yohko opened her mouth to further her point but quickly closed it when memories of her own maturation flew past her mind’s eye. She had felt put upon also once her grandmother had dumped the whole story of the ‘family business’ on her back when she was in high school. Why wouldn’t Jonathan feel the same way? Then again…
“Jon. As far as I, and my grandmother ever knew, whenever any member of my family failed or refused to complete the process of becoming a devil hunter… they died a few months later.”
The rookie leader paled considerably at that little revelation. “So it’s convert or die? No matter what?”
The devil hunter shrugged. “As far as I know. Honestly though, aside from the whole… exhibition problem... “ Yohko’s cheeks reddened slightly. “It’s not so bad being a Devil Hunter.”
In a split second Jonathan was staring down Yohko with a severe half-lidded stare. “Your first crush ended up being used as a mobile blood bank by a neophyte Black Queen.”
He kept his gaze locked firmly on Yohko as he uncrossed his legs and slid off the bed. “You then fought tooth and nail for a prince who you were certain loved you, only to find out that all that hard work was to free two lovers imprisoned by a Dragon God that took heavy handed parenting to a whole other level.”
The rookie leader clamped both armrests tight, one in each hand, and closed the gap until only a few scant inches was all that remained between him and the devil hunter. “You were then attacked by your clan’s sworn enemy-slash-original source of your Ring’s power and only managed to stop him after being impaled by his big ass claws and flung back to the time of the 1st Devil Hunter, Haruka. And all these things occurred in your first year as a Hunter.”
Yohko eyes fluttered as she didn’t really know what to make of Jonathan’s little monologue just now. “U-um… well. W-what’s your point?”
The rookie leader took a step back and folded his arms in front of himself. “My point is: You had resources, training, and backup at your start and you just squeezed by. How the utter Hell am I supposed to match that with none of the above plus a demonic invasion already underway?!”
“You do not. Rather, it is in these times that you trust your teammates, and through them, gain the strengths needed to counter your own weakness.”
Jon and Yohko turned toward the voice, and noticed Iroh standing in the doorway with his sleeves pressed together. Behind him were Dax and Ian and the rookie leader could just make out the heads of his father and mother in the back. Jon locked eyes with Iroh’s smiling face for an instant before replying. “...deal. But if I find a way to lose these powers without dying, I’m taking it. I am not doing the whole ‘Power Corrupts’ scenario if I can help it.”
The aged firebender gave a nod in agreement to the set terms while Yohko pointed out that if Jon slept with somebody before the next few months pass, his powers should disappear just like they had with her mother. The rookie leader could only roll his eyes while giving his swollen gut a solid slap. While Jonathan wasn’t horrendously obese by any stretch, it was, in his opinion, one of the bigger reasons for his consistent failure at attracting the fairer sex.“Yea, that option… kinda exists… but then finding a girl willing to hide her eyes long enough till the deed is done while everything goes to Hell in a handbasket ‘round the both of us…” His deadpan expression told all present how likely he thought that plan was to succeed. “You don’t haveta be a genius to see where this path leads.”
Ian smirked lightly. “Um, dude… escorts are a thing, you know.”
The rebuttal was swift. “Um, dude. STDs are a thing, y’know.”
The neophyte psychic gave off a shrug, but not otherwise conceding the point. Suddenly Ian’s eyes shot open as his posture stiffened. “...Jon. Duck.”
Jonathan gave his friend a confused look moments before said friend thrust out his hand and an invisible force shoved the rookie leader down. Good thing too, as a fraction of a second later a small dark blur burst through a nearby window but suddenly came to a stop almost exactly where Jon’s head had been earlier. However, given that the tiny oddity was now writhing and twisting about in midair, it was a safe bet that it wasn’t hovering now by choice. It looked like someone had taken a cat twinned it’s dark, bushy tail. Shimmering midnight colored fur covered the whole of it’s body, which was… rather large for what seemed to be a cat. The tips of it’s tails, ears, and all four feet held a dark blue tint that helped accent the rest of it coat.
No one spoke for a few moments while the creature continued to try and break free of the invisible force holding it captive. Then the devil hunter’s voice calmly rang out. “Ian, that was you pushing Jon down just now, right?”
The neophyte psychic grunted a bit from the building strain, but was able to respond in the affirmative. “If I’d had more time to think I might’ve pushed him away instead of down there.”
‘There’ referred to the… unfortunate... fact that the rookie leader was still in a position over the devil hunter when Ian warned him to move out of the way. As a result, when he was forced down by the neophyte psychic’s power, his head was planted quite firmly in Yohko’s ample bosom. Realizing where his forehead now rested, Jonathan completely froze and stayed still even after the pressure upon his back and shoulders had released. He finally straightened up after Ian pointed out that the tiny attacker was floating right next to him, and it was, still squirming and wriggling for any sort of release.
The rookie leader glumly locked eyes with the devil hunter, who simply looked at him neutrally. Jon opened his mouth a couple of times with the first syllables of a reply on his lips, but shut it both times as his brain struggled to find an answer that wouldn’t get him knocked out by the knockout. Finally he gave off a large sigh and said, “I’ve got nothing. Fire away, Yohko. Just don’t break anything up here.”
The rookie leader closed his eyes and held that position for a few moments, awaiting the feminine firestorm that was due any minute… Only to hear the woman in front of him give off a snort of laughter at the same time several chuckles and snickers came from the group nearby. Even the cat-like creature had ceased it’s struggling in favor of the developing scene before it. Yohko calmly stood up from the chair and lightly tapped Jon on the nose. As he opened his eyes in reflex the first thing he saw was Yohko giving him a teasing grin. “Don’t ask Ian to be your wingman next time you want to be so forward with me.”
The devil hunter then stepped away towards the unexpected visitor. Jonathan could only wonder at how he’d somehow gotten away free and clear before tabling that mystery for another time, this odd twin-tailed cat took precedence.
As everyone focused on the new arrival, it in turn gave its full attention to the devil hunter and renewed the effort to break free from the neophyte psychic’s grasp. And much to the shock of everyone there, it wasn't limited to physical action. “Release me, Traitor! Those humans are a threat to everything!!”
“Huh… talking animal mascot…” Jonathan grinned as his comment managed to turn the large critter into a hissing, wriggling ball of fur. Turning to the one he thought the cat was talking about, the rookie leader adopted a shocked look to his face. “Ian, how could you betray the cause like this?!”
Ian’s face was growing flushed as new and unusual kinds of strain assailed his mind and will.Even so, he managed to respond to the verbal jab with a dig of his own. “I can't help it Jon, you're the ‘loyal dog’, not me. Now could you or Yohko please kill this thing already? It's getting harder to hold it up like this…”
The ebon-furred feline stopped squirming and hissing once it heard that, and started looking decidedly nervous as Yohko summoned her Soul Sword. The devil hunter raised her weapon high, and was just about to let the blade fall when the cat spoke up again. “W-wait! WAIT!! I can be of help to you!! I can serve you! S-surely one such as I is insignificant compared to the bigger prey I could lead you to… fiercer youkai, stronger youkai! One such monster is near! Spare me, and I shall lead you to his new lair!!”
The blade stayed where it had been raised, it's owner wondering aloud if they should take the cat up on the offer, given the logic of taking out the more ferocious fiends first and foremost. Jonathan couldn't help but show interest, but Ian was quick to remind Jon of feline nature; specifically that cats were ‘self-interested sociopaths’, as he put it. The cat in turn redoubled its efforts to convince them of the sincerity of the offer. Ultimately, the rookie leader agreed to the terms, a decision helped along by his mother and father taking a single good look at the ebon-furred feline and in the next instant showering heaps of affection upon it.
The cat, who introduced himself as Raiga, quickly found himself enjoying the new state of affairs after his release. “...Yesss… no, to th-yessssss…”
Everyone had moved back to the dining table to chat and deal with the leftovers, meaning the newest member of Jonathan’s team was learning first hand what a family of cat lovers could do for his stress level. After gaining a belly full of meat and more belly rubs then a day spa the ebon-furred feline was ready to die happy… Or at least shake himself to death with how strongly he was purring. In between bouts of attention from Jon’s father and mother, the rookie leader was able to learn more about the ‘bigger game' Raiga promised. “Firrr~stly, you must head east, till you reach the glass tower that sits along the bank of the great winding road. It is there that my old masterrrrRRrrrr, Tenrou-ryuu, has crafted a lair for himself…”
From his new position sitting to the left of the Vehan matriarch, Jonathan held his chin in a thinking pose and gathered his thoughts for a minute or so. “Tenrou-ryuu… I can pick out ‘dragon’ and ‘heaven’, but the middle part escapes me.”
Yohko spoke up an instant later. “It means ‘wolf’, Jon. The whole name altogether means ‘Imperial Wolf Dragon’ in english. In old myths back home, dragons were seen as minor gods, usually kind to people that lived near them… unless you pissed them off in some way. Then whole towns could be wiped off the map by the dragon taking revenge. This Tenrou-ryuu might’ve managed to slay an actual dragon and steal its power for himself, since lightning is supposed to be a holy element.”
Jonathan’s father interjected suddenly. “Son, I get that I'm outta the loop for much of what's been going on, but what's it matter what this Ten Yo-yo’s name means?”
The unintentional mangling of the demon’s name left the rookie leader howling in laughter. Which meant the devil hunter was left to explain things. “Basically, Mr. Vehan, the names of most creatures in Japanese myth tend to identify their traits... though this is the first I've heard of something like this.”
The Vehan patriarch nodded in understanding. “You can learn something about these things by the name they have… and please, call me Jon. My father was Mr. Vehan.”
“That joke’s old enough to belong to grandpa also.”
Jon gave his son a deadpan look while Raiga diverted the discussion back on course. “It is hard to know if that is true for my former master, but his control over lightning and thunder is very real.” The nekomata began rolling onto his side on instinct and ended up sliding right off of his warm human perch. After everyone calmed down from laughing, Raiga hopped up upon the table top and continued speaking. “The tower holds great amounts of energy within strange metal veins that line the walls all throughout the structure. From its flat apex, he has begun to siphon as much power as he can so as to cement his hold upon his new territory. This has also attracted youkai of similar persuasion that barter service in exchange for being allowed to draw from the tower as well.”
“Sounds like this ‘wolf dragon’ figured out how to tap into the city electric grid…” Dax commented from her seat. Seconds later, her eyes lit up. “..So maybe we could make things easier on us if we cut the power to the whole building before engaging it!”
“It would serve to draw the beast and his minions to us, so it would be best to divide our forces and maintain the element of surprise.” The aged firebender stroked his beard thoughtfully, already seeing the possible reactions of demons that had their energy source suddenly cut off. Ideas were further bounced back and forth until a plan of attack was settled upon. As the sun rose in the east the coming day, Jonathan's team would journey to Tenrou-ryuu’s lair to deal with the threat this demon would cause to the surrounding area.
By the time it set in the west that evening, the Legend of the Crusader would have begun… with the death of a comrade.
*****
Chapter End.