The Beast
Within
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Chapter 18
World Tour
Part 7
The Big
Gamble at Area 51
The Sea Wolf
II made its way into the hidden port at Castle Talbain.
As it pulled into the repair dock, Grom the Gargoyle
was waiting for it, along with several other members of the Old Races. The
caretaker to the Talbain Family Museum gasped as he
saw the large patched-up area on the side of the sub near the center.
As Jon Talbain and his group disembarked from the damaged craft,
the gargoyle quickly walked up to them and pointed to the spot on the hull.
“Jon! What
happened! What did this to me clan’s hard work?”
Grom took another look at the sub and
noted that the flag bearing the Talbain Family Crest
was being flown at half-mast on the conning tower. He wondered why it was in
that position as he addressed the werewolf again.
“Jon? What ye
be not tellin’ me?”
Matthew’s
father simply shook his head without answering and walked off. Grom was about to go after him, but was stopped when Kalesse put a hand on the gargoyle’s shoulder.
“Leave him be
for a while Grom. He’s been through a lot. We’ve all
been through much on our trip to Atlantis.”
“What be
happening in Atlantis lass?”
The undine
warrior took a deep breath before replying. “There is no Atlantis… at least not
anymore. And… we lost Rikuo.”
--------
Later…
Word about Rikuo’s
demise spread quickly among the non-human residents of Castle Talbain, causing some initial dissent and accusations that
Jon’s family had in fact murdered the ruler of Atlantis. However, once video
footage from the Sea Wolf II’s computer was released and shown, it was agreed
by all that Jon Talbain acted in pure self-defense,
and that the merman had gone insane during his final moments. A memorial for
the underwater king would be held after the quest for the medallion fragments
was completed. However, Jon was still uneasy over the whole affair and had some
doubts. He decided to seek out advice from some of his wisest and trusted
friends at Castle Talbain.
--------
“Where are we
going?” Nabiki asked as she followed the werewolf
father and son team through a part of the castle that she had never been
before. They were currently in their human forms. She was also a bit shaken
over the past events and felt a bit responsible for Rikuo’s
end due to her quest to become a full lycanthrope.
Matthew had assured
her that it wasn’t her fault or anyone else’s. It just turned out that way and
they should not let dwell on what could have been done. However, he too was
feeling somewhat saddened over the senseless loss of the last Atlantean merman. He shook his head back to the present and
replied to her question.
“We’re going
to get some advice for the next medallion fragment and maybe some insight on
what to expect from this quest.” He turned to his father. “So we’re going to
see Kismet, Chance and Providence, right?”
“Correct.”
Jon replied. “In hindsight, I think I should have consulted them before we
started looking for the fragments. We might have been able to avoid that
disaster in Atlantis. But there’s no sense in mulling over it now. In any case,
here we go.”
The trio
stopped in front of a pair of elaborate doors as Jon took hold of a large
knocker and rapped three times on it. There was a long pause as they waited for
a response. Then the doors opened by themselves, as a shining light was emitted
from within the chamber. Then a female voice was heard.
“Enter.”
The master of
Castle Talbain and the two teenagers passed through
the doors and entered the place known as the Oracle Sanctorum. Within the
gigantic room, at its center, a huge, multicolored crystal shard levitated
above an elaborate pedestal. Standing in front of it was a very tall and
voluptuous figure, wearing a Chinese-style dress and brown sandals. She had
golden hair and a pair of foxlike ears. Behind her
were nine, flowing foxtails.
“Hey there!”
The fox woman greeted in a seductive tone. “What brings you hunky werewolves
down here?”
“A rhetorical
question, Chance.” Jon replied knowingly. “I’m certain that you ALREADY know
why we’re here.”
“Chance!” A new female voice cried out as
someone else came out from a side door. “Must you always greet everyone like
some wanton harlot?” The second of the Oracle Trio was a middle-aged woman with
flowing robes and carried a gnarled cane. She also had a white headband wrapped
over her forehead. Her hair was brown with streaks of gray in it.
“I agree with
Providence.” A third voice said as it came from above. Everyone looked up to
see a birdlike figure coming down toward them. She was basically human, but had
crow wings instead of arms, and her feet had talons. At the end of her wings
were clawed hands. She had short, black hair and wore ceremonial clothes,
similar to that of an onmyouji from the 7th
century. She made a light landing to stand with the others.
As the three
stood before them, the elder Talbain introduced them
to Nabiki.
“Nabiki, may I introduce you to Castle Talbain’s
Oracle Trio? This is Kismet; a Crow Tengu.”
“Greetings.” The bird woman said as she waved one
of her wings.
He then
gestured to the fox woman. “And I’m certain that you recognize Chance as a
nine-tailed fox or kitsune.”
“Hello.”
Chance greeted in a very sexy voice.
“And this is
Providence, from the country of Tri-Clopea of the Makai.”
Nabiki nodded to all three and was about to
speak when Providence held up a hand and addressed Jon. “We know why you are
here and your answer is yes. You must find all 13 of those fragments. The
tragedy of Atlantis could not have been averted. However, I sense a much
greater tragedy that awaits us if you fail to find them in time.”
“H-How did…?”
Nabiki began but was immediately cut off by the kitsune.
“… we know about
the quest?” Chance cut in playfully. “Oh please! The probability of you coming
down to see us after Atlantis fell was at least 95 percent! It was a sure
thing!”
Matthew
nodded as he explained to his confused girlfriend. “Chance has the ability to
sense minute changes in a person’s aura and shifting Ley
Lines. This makes her very good at calculating the odds and probabilities of
events. Her accuracy is so good, she could predict the next winning lottery
numbers if she wanted to.”
“Of course, I
leave a little uncertainty in all my predications.” The kitsune
added. “It makes things more interesting.” She then leaned toward Nabiki and gave her a wink. “Those betting pools of yours
were nothing but peanuts. I could have won the entire peanut farm.”
Nabiki blushed as she couldn’t believe the
fox woman knew about her past activities.
“Now then,”
Kismet said as she flew up and circled the huge crystal. “Let us see where the
fifth and sixth fragments are.”
“How did
you…?”
“… know that you’ll be going after two fragments this time?” The
bird woman said. “Because my power allows me to measure the mana
levels of mystic objects. I am also very good in terms of astronomy and
astrology. I can sense that the incomplete medallion that Jon is carrying in
his back pocket is about to reveal more than one of its pieces this time.”
As if
validating Kismet’s prediction, the medallion let off a flash of light, causing
Jon to take it out. At the same time the huge crystal let off an eerie glow.
“You shall
not need the Luna Eye gem or the Locating Map this time.” Kismet assured. “The
Great Crystal Shard of Destiny shall provide you the location of the fragments.”
The entire
ceiling of the room lit up, displaying various constellations of stars. Then
the crystal shot forth a beam of light, resembling that of moonlight, striking
the ancient medallion. The artifact let off another flash of brilliance,
causing the patterns of stars to twinkle. On the floor of the chamber, a line
map of the United States appeared at their feet. Two small dots appeared
closely together in a state called Nevada.
“So that’s
where we’ll find our next fragments?” Soun’s daughter
asked.
Matthew
pointed to one dot. “If I remember my geography lessons, that’s the Nevada
State and… I think that’s the city called Las Vegas.”
“Ooh! Las
Vegas!” Chance exclaimed. “A place where you can beat the odds and make it big!
My kind of town!”
“Isn’t that
where Felicia said she was performing?” Nabiki asked.
“That’s
right.” Jon affirmed then pointed to the second dot. “And if I remember my
geography, the second location is north-northwest of Las Vegas. Uh oh!”
“What is it
Dad?”
Jon shook his
head and let off a sigh. “It figures that a fragment would be in one of the
most heavily guarded areas on Earth.”
“And where is
that?” Matthew asked.
“There’s only
one place of interest in that spot. Even the MIB steers clear of it. We’re
looking at Area 51.”
“AREA
51?!” Both teen
werewolves exclaimed.
The master of
the castle nodded. “This is where the U2 and SR-71 Blackbird spy planes were
built. There have been reports of reverse-engineering of alien technology. The
MIB limits all contact with this place since they’re close to the truth and the
Men in Black don’t want to lose anything to them. Luckily, the MIB has been
able to keep the existence of aliens, and Old Races from going public. This is
going to be tricky. Most likely the fragment was picked up and deemed as an
alien artifact. That’s not too far off. Best guess as to where it is, I’d say the Black Box warehouse where it is said that they
store all alien objects and the rumored alien bodies. But for now, let’s go for
the easier fragment first.”
“So we’re
heading to Las Vegas?” Jon’s son asked.
“That’s
right. Looks like we’ll be catching an encore performance of Felicia’s show.” Matthew’s
father then turned back to the oracles. “Got any other advice for us?”
Chance peered
into the surface of the Crystal Shard of Destiny, and then nodded as her eyes glowed
with an eerie light. When the light faded she replied, “Look for the number fifty-seven.”
“That’s it?
Look for the number fifty-seven?” Soun’s middle
daughter asked. “You’re not going to tell us anything more than that?”
“I told you
that I like to keep a LITTLE uncertainty in my predictions.” The kitsune pointed out with a mischievous smile.
At that
point, Providence gestured to the werewolves as she removed the headband,
revealing a third eye. Unlike the other two, this eye was a brilliant sapphire
color with no pupils.
“Jon Talbain, beware the symbol of three, or you will suffer the
same fate as Atlantis.”
--------
“So what was
that all about?” Nabiki asked as she and the Talbains were heading toward the hanger to use one of the
family’s private jets.
“Providence happens to be a Tri-Clops.” Jon
explained. “As you saw back there, that extra eye allows her to see things that
two eyes might overlook. In rare cases, some of her people develop a special
ability in that third eye called Prophecy Sight. However, it’s more of a curse
than a gift. They can only foresee tragedy and misfortune. And one day, she
will see her own death.”
“Whoa. That’s
one kind of fortunetelling I wouldn’t want.” The female Secondary Lycanthrope
remarked. “Kind of ironic that her name is Providence.”
“Yeah, well
in a way, she is providence because she uses her ‘doom-vision’ to help us avoid
the bad stuff.” Her boyfriend pointed out.
“Indeed.
She’s helped us avoid many obstacles and sticky situations.” Jon agreed as they
reached the hanger. He noted that one plane was missing and assumed that it was
the one the Amazons took.
“It’s time
for us to hit Vegas!”
--------
In
Japan…
“Tendo! Do you have any of that French wine
that Nabiki sent to you? I could use a couple of
shots after escaping from the Master.”
Soun let off a sigh and shook his head as
his family finished setting up their new campsite. “I’m afraid that I don’t
have any.”
“What?!”
Genma cried out. “Why not?!”
“I found out
early on that my smell causes all liquor to turn and go sour. The local
convenience stores and liquor stores won’t let me come within a hundred feet of
them unless I get rid of my odor. Even the cheap beer wouldn’t hold up as soon
as I opened it. I couldn’t risk my only bottles of imported French wine,
Chinese rice wine and English champagne. I’d also spoil all my stores of sake
as well. So I have to leave them behind. A pity since I didn’t get a chance to
taste any of it yet.”
“What?! We have no booze?!”
“Don’t worry
my friend. As soon as we get rid of our stench, we shall have all the sake and
wine we can drink once we come home!”
Genma
grumbled as he really needed a drink at this point. Unknown to both of them, Happosai had already guzzled the entire contents of Soun Tendo’s liquor cabinet.
Nearby, Akane kicked a few defenseless rocks in her way as she
continued to vent about her encounter with Happosai.
“Ugh! I still
can’t forget the feeling of that toad touching my chest! I swear, the next time
we meet, I’m going to pound him into goo!”
“Akane, please calm down.” Kasumi soothed as she prepared to
make dinner. “And would you please not stand so close to the fire?”
The youngest
Tendo was too caught in her anger to listen as she paced about and planned how
to make the little pervert pay. However, she didn’t realize that her unintended
hex had another effect on her. It seemed that the strength of her stench was
directly connected to her strongest emotion, which was of course, anger. The
angrier she got, the stronger her smell became.
As she
radiated an angry aura, the Tendo family and Genma began to step back.
<Kami-sama! Now she smells like a whole truckload of skunks
and jasmine!> Genma thought as he plugged up his nose.
As Akane’s smell became more potent, it also became more
flammable. Once her odor reached certain level, its proximity to the campfire,
caused it to ignite.
FWHOOOSH!
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!”
Kasumi and Nabiki’s sister went running about like a chicken with its
head cut off, as her clothes and hair was set on fire. It took her several
seconds before she finally realized to stop, drop and roll to put out the
flames.
By that time
the damage was already done.
--------
Later…
“There, I
think you look good with short hair.” Kasumi commented as she stepped back and
assessed her handiwork.
Akane stood up and grumbled. The fire had
burned off a good portion of her recently restored hair. As a result, Kasumi
had to cut what was left into a boyish, cropped-up hairstyle. Her younger
sister had taken great pride in growing her hair and now it would take her even
longer for her to get it back.
“Stupid
smell!” She growled. “Whoever wrote that stupid Anti-Hair Grow Formula didn’t
know what they were doing!”
“I beg your
pardon.” A new voice rang out. “That formula has worked flawlessly for
centuries.”
Then Soun cried out as he saw a small form come out from the
shadows. He immediately assumed it was Happosai.
“AAAAAAHHH! IT’S THE DREADED MASTER!”
Akane swung about and charged toward who
she thought the ultimate pervert. However, her attack would be cut short as she
threw a hard right. She only saw a purple blur as something impacted hard with
her stomach and made her sink to her knees. She let off a pitiful groan as she
clutched at her abdomen.
Shampoo stood
in front of her great-grandmother in a defensive posture. Even though Cologne
didn’t need any protection, it was still the teen Amazon’s duty. However,
punching out the person you were supposed to be curing wasn’t the best first
impression.
--------
A few minutes
later…
“So you know
about our dreaded Master Happosai?” Soun asked after introductions and explanations were made.
Currently, he, Genma
and Akane were sitting on one side of the campfire,
while Cologne, Shampoo, Kasumi and the Talbain house
staff were on the other side. Small pots of incense burned nearby as Cologne
had set them up to ward the unearthly stench away from her and her
great-granddaughter.
“Unfortunately,
I do know of him, and I am displeased to hear that he’s still around.” The
Elder said in a slightly perturbed tone. She made a note to investigate Nerima
more thoroughly once they got back to Tokyo. Only Happosai
could have caused those sudden chills. She quickly composed herself and said,
“However, the reason for our trip to Japan, concerns the favor to the Talbanes and your daughter Nabiki.”
Like a few
others, Cologne was already aware of the reason behind Jon’s name change.
“Nabiki sent you?” Kasumi asked.
“Indeed.
Since our tribe is associated with the Talbanes, and
that your sister is an honorary member, we feel obligated to assist you in this
particular matter, especially since it concerns our Amazon Miracle Hair Grow
Shampoo, and Anti-Hair Grow Formula.” She then directed her gaze toward Akane and Genma. “Apparently,
there are SOME people who cannot follow instructions properly.”
Matthew’s
former father winced at the insinuation, but Akane
instantly went into denial and blame mode. She stood up in a huff.
“I didn’t
make any mistakes! I followed the recipe for that Anti-Hair Grow Formula
exactly!”
This caused
Shampoo to stand up in retaliation. “What you talking about? You one who cook
this mess!”
“You wrote
the recipe wrong!”
“Shampoo not
write recipe wrong! Was same recipe as always! Monkey could follow easy!”
“Are you
calling me a monkey!?”
“No. Shampoo
say monkey could make easy! You no can do it, so you MORE stupid than monkey!”
“Why you! I’m
gonna…!”
WHAP! WHAP!
“OW! OW!”
Both girls
rubbed their heads after being bopped by Cologne’s cane. Both turned their
attention to the Amazon Elder as she glared at them. First she turned toward
her relative.
“Shampoo, compose
yourself like a true Amazon. What’s done is done and there’s no sense in
arguing. We’re here for a reason, so we are going to do what we came here for,
understood?”
“Yes
great-grandmother.” Shampoo nodded as she sat back down.
Cologne
turned her attention towards Akane. “And you, Miss Tendo, should learn to take responsibility for your
actions. There’s no one else here who could have caused this problem, and you
would best benefit from this experience, by admitting to your mistake, learning
from it, and NOT repeat it. I am most disappointed that you have NOT been
disciplined in the most simplest of life’s lessons.” She gave Soun a look of disapproval which made him shrink away.
Having never
been spoken to in this manner, not even from her father, Akane
was at a loss of how to respond for a long moment. Finally, she simply turned
in disgust and walked off.
“I don’t need
to hear this!”
As she went
off to sulk, Cologne let off a tired sigh as she addressed the Tendos and Genma. “As I have
already explained; what your daughter had inadvertently created was in
actuality, a self-inflicted hex, and we shall need some preparation time in
order to undo it.”
“When you say
hex, you’re referring to magic?” Kasumi inquired.
“Of a sorts.”
The Elder noted the slight disbelief in Kasumi’s eyes and added, “Come now. You
live with a couple of people cursed by Jusenkyo. If
you are able to accept that, then the existence of magic shouldn’t be THAT hard
to swallow.”
“Point
taken.” The eldest Tendo daughter amended as she realized
her question was a silly one.
Cologne then
turned back to her great-granddaughter. “Shampoo, I need you to prepare all of
the ingredients to the counter-spell. I shall begin drawing out the magical
circle.”
“Yes
great-grandmother.” The purple-haired girl picked up the backpack and headed
toward the table where Kasumi had been preparing dinner.
As Cologne
stood up, she was approached by Genma.
“Uhm… excuse
me… ma’am?”
“Yes, and
what do you want?” The matriarch said with a slightly suspicious tone.
“Well…” Genma scratched the back of his bald head. “… since you are
the same Chinese Amazons who created the shampoo… I was kind of wondering if…”
“No, I do not
have another bottle of Miracle Hair Grow Shampoo.” Cologne said with a bit of
disgust. “I would have thought you’d have learned your lesson from the last
time. Akane Tendo may have
inflicted you with that foul stench, but I understand that YOU were the one
that started the whole mess, when you didn’t read the warning label.”
“I learned my
lesson!” Genma quickly insisted. “This time, I’ll
just put on a little bit at a time and…”
“No. I
already told you that I don’t have another bottle. If you want some more,
you’ll have to go to China and get it yourself.”
Genma grumbled slightly, and then changed
tactics. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to have…?”
“No, I do not
have any Spring of Drowned Man water from Jusenkyo
either. I may live near the Cursed Training Grounds, but taking any water from
there is forbidden unless under very special circumstances. Besides, mixing in
cursed water with an anti-hex spell is just begging for another foul-up. Now
leave me to my work, or I shall tell my great-granddaughter to dump out all the
ingredients, and let you or that foolish Tendo girl
figure out the cure by yourselves.”
Those last
words made the greedy Saotome back off immediately. As
soon as he was gone, Colone began chanting her
incantations as she started to draw a large circle in the ground with her
staff.
“"Yu... mo... gui...
gwai… fai… di… zao…yu…
mo… gui… gwai… fai… di… zao…
(1)
--------
Meanwhile at
the dinner table…
Shampoo began
to take out various herbs and other ingredients from her backpack, and lay them
on the table. She also set up various laboratory equipment that was provided to
her by the Grimbard Witch Sisters. At that point, the
only sensible member of the Tendo clan approached
her.
“May I help?”
Kasumi asked. Her main reason to offer her assistance was to cure her family
and their guest, but she was also curious as to how magic was invoked.
The younger
Amazon looked upon the eldest of Soun’s daughters
with an assessing gaze. She noted the calluses on Kasumi’s hands, which
indicated long experience with hard work and food handling. She looked over to
one of the Talbain maids, named Helen, and she nodded
her confirmation of the Tendo girl’s skills. Deeming Nabiki and Akane’s sister as more
than competent with basic spell ingredient preparation, Shampoo nodded as she
pointed to a small bowl that had a pestle and several green leaves in it.
“Please make
leaves into powder, yes?”
The
brown-haired girl nodded as she began grinding the leaves down. As she did so,
Cologne’s great granddaughter added several measured quantities of various
liquids into a large glass beaker. As the mixture turned red, then to blue, she
nodded and turned toward her helper.
“Is done
now?”
Kasumi nodded
as she handed the bowl to the Amazon. Shampoo marveled how finely the leaves
had been ground down and in so short a time. She added the contents of the bowl
to the beaker, and the base potion reacted flawlessly, turning a deep purple.
She then
gestured to a cutting board with several strange-looking plants that resembled
scallions, but were colored black.
“Cut into
very, very small pieces. Cut smooth and no big pieces.”
The gentle Tendo girl took a knife and began dicing the plants. As she
did so, the purple-haired teen started up a portable Bunsen burner, and began
to slowly heat up the base potion. When it started to bubble, she gestured to
several small, colored, test tubes in a nearby rack.
“Please give
red, blue, black, yellow and green one. No mix order.”
Kasumi
finished off dicing the plants and handed the tubes to Shampoo in the correct
order. As she did so, the warrior teen added their contents to the beaker, and
then pointed to the cutting board.
“Put in
potion, but VERY slow! No fast!”
Soun’s eldest child did so by picking up the
cutting board and tilting it slightly toward the bubbling beaker. She carefully
added the diced herbs to the concoction, as Shampoo watched with approval. The
herbs dissolved evenly in the mixture as a light, pleasant fragrance was
emitted from it.
“Oh my! I
never smelled something like that before. It smells very nice!”
“Good smell
mean good potion.” Shampoo explained as she gestured to a small basket of
colored berries. “Please get berries…”
At that
point, Akane came up to the table. She gave Shampoo a
bit of a glare before addressing her sister.
“Let me help
you with this Kasumi.”
“Aiyah!
Is you crazy?!” Shampoo exclaimed as she swatted Akane’s
hands away when she reached for the table.
This got Akane growling, as Kasumi tried to defuse the situation. “Akane I don’t think your help is necessary and…”
“No want help
from you!” Cologne’s great-granddaughter roughly pushed Akane
from the table and stood between her and the ingredients. “You no learn from
before?” She turned back to Kasumi. “Now Shampoo want you add five blue
berries, three red ones, four orange and… “
Akane tried to push her way back in and
made an attempt to grab the bowl of berries. “Just add all the berries! It
would go much faster and…”
WHAP! WHAP!
“OW!”
The
short-haired and shorter-tempered girl winced and pulled back after her wrists
received two sharp, stinging blows. Shampoo twirled a ladle in her right hand
and gave the rude girl a very disparaging glare.
“You no
listen? Open ears! Shampoo say go away! No need you! Big trouble if
more-stupid-than-monkey girl spoil potion with pretend-cooking.”
“What do you
mean ‘pretend-cooking?!’ I can cook!” Akane said in
outrage. Who did this big-breasted Chinese bimbo think she was to judge her?
“You no
follow recipe. You no use right ingredient. You no watch when hot. You call
cooking? I call new way to kill someone. Maybe use instead fighting skills.
Better chance to win. Shampoo no even ask for help
from more-stupid-than-monkey girl!”
At that
moment, Akane let off an anguished cry of anger and
was about attack, but was immediately stopped as her sleeper point was hit. As
she collapsed to the ground, Colgone stood behind
with her cane extended.
“Great-grandmother?”
The Elder
gazed at the unconscious girl for a moment, shook her head and then addressed
her relative. “Shampoo, is the base potion ready?”
“Is
almost done.”
“Good.” The
three-hundred-year-old woman laid Akane aside in a
safe spot under a nearby tree, and then addressed Kasumi. “Miss Tendo, it is not my business to interfere in your family’s
personal affairs, but I must say that I find your sister’s behavior to be most
childish and reprehensible. Did her mother not teach her the proper manners?”
“Our mother… died more than ten years ago.”
“I see.”
Cologne turned back toward her great-granddaughter. “Shampoo, please finish the
base potion. I would like to speak with Miss Tendo
for a few minutes.”
--------
More than
5,500 miles to the west…
“Here we are
in Las Vegas.” Jon said as he exited the cab and paid the driver.
Both teens
looked about in awe at the sheer magnitude of neon lights, displays, hotels and
casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. Even though it was only around noon, the city
was bustling about with huge crowds. Nabiki then
pointed over to a large billboard which read;
LIVE!
FELICIA’S FANTASTIC FELINE FOLLIES! FINAL PERFORMANCE TONIGHT AT CAESAR’S
PALACE AT 6:00 PM!
“Well now,
looks like we’ll be able to catch Felicia’s show before her troupe moves on.”
Jon remarked. “But as long as we’re here, we might as well kill some time and
get a little training for the both of you.”
“Training?
What kind of training can we do here?” Nabiki asked.
True she was very excited to be in one of the most famous gambling places in
the world, but what kind of martial arts could she practice in this place?
Jon smiled as
he gestured to a nearby casino.
--------
Several hours
later…
DING! DING!
DING!
Nabiki gasped in delight as her seventh
jackpot payoff slid into the tray. She had no idea that being a werewolf would
make gambling so easy! In fact it was so simple to beat the odds, that it
wasn’t even considered as gambling.
Jon had
decided to test out his son and girlfriend’s enhanced senses by challenging
them to break the bank of every casino they visit. Since they were both
underage, the elder Talbain made an arrangement with
every casino owner to allow them to play, on the condition that they give back
their winnings along with a large donation. Any losses they incurred would be
covered by Matthew’s father.
Of course, he did not tell the adolescents of
this deal, in order for them to use their senses to their fullest potential. It
was an exercise to sharpen their hearing, smell and visual prowess, which was
very important when facing off against an unpredictable foe. After they left
each establishment, Jon would simply give back the money and wrote a check with
a sizeable amount.
Nabiki soon learned that her vision was
quite acute and could catch even the smallest movement or detail of an object
once she focused on it. This was due to a wolf’s predatory nature in hunting
down a fleeing prey, and anticipating its next move. Following a little ball on
a roulette wheel was child’s play and she was hitting the big numbers each
time. She couldn’t even be fooled by sleight of hand tricks when a street
hustler challenged her to a game of three-card Monte. After she was finished
with him, he had practically lost the shirt off his back and the shoes off his
feet. Jon didn’t bother to reimburse him.
Matthew also
taught her to use her sense of smell to detect that which didn’t belong or what
was altered. As such, they were able to detect several of the casinos’ cheats.
They could tell if some dice were loaded by detecting different metals inside
the cubes. With a little sleight of hand trick on Matthew’s part, they were
able to beat the crooked craps table.
However, it
was the slot machines that Nabiki excelled at with
her enhanced hearing. By putting in a few coins to test out the one-armed
bandit, she would hear how the reels and tumblers would align themselves. With
a bit of trial and error, she would get a feel of the patterns of each machine
until she was able to hit higher and higher jackpots with just a pull of the
lever or push of the button.
After a
while, it began to get boring, as constantly winning was losing its charm.
There was no challenge any more. A game was only fun when there was a chance of
losing. As she thought about it, she realized that it wasn’t too long ago that
she would have killed to have the gambling-winning abilities she now possessed.
As she was
about to get up and bring her winnings to the front desk, she detected a
familiar pair of scents approach her. She turned around in her seat to see
Matthew and Jon standing next to her.
“Time to go Nabiki. We’ve got about an hour to make Felicia’s show.”
Jon said.
Nabiki sighed as she got up. “Might as well.
I’ve pretty much cleaned out all the slots on this side of the casino.”
“Oh, about
that Nabs.” Matthew pointed out. “Dad just told me that we’re not going to be
able to keep any of our winnings.”
“What?” The
middle Tendo daughter said in surprise and
disappointment.
Jon shrugged
his shoulders as he explained. “The only way the casinos would allow underage
kids like you to gamble was for me to agree to give back your winnings, plus a
little extra. In any case, it’s not like we NEED the money. Remember that this
was supposed to be a training exercise to sharpen your senses. Considering that
you both won a combined total of fifteen million American dollars, I’d say that
it was a success and…”
“STUPID
MACHINE! THIS WHOLE PLACE IS RIGGED!”
The three
werewolves turned toward the sudden shout of anger, and saw an obese and
greasy-looking fellow as he kicked a nearby slot machine. In one hand, he had a
heaping plate of ribs from the casino’s all-you-can-eat buffet. There was a
bottle of steak sauce on top of the slot machine. He continued to vent his
frustrations over not winning the jackpot, kicking the device violently. It
wasn’t long before the security team came in and hauled him off.
Matthew was
about turn his attention back to his girlfriend, when he noticed something very
special about that slot machine. He pointed toward it and addressed his father.
“Hey, Dad! Look at that machine over there. You don’t suppose that’s what
Chance meant, do you?”
Jon Talbain took another glance at the indicated gambling
device and his eyes narrowed a bit in thought. He replied to his offspring, “It
could be Matthew. It would be just like her to give us a clue like that.” He
then addressed his son’s girlfriend. “Nabiki, would
you please demonstrate to us, your method of beating the slots?”
Soun’s daughter shrugged her shoulders as they
walked over to the machine and sat in front of it. She put in a quarter, pulled
the lever and closed her eyes. Matthew’s father noted the slight twitching of
her ears as she listened to the reels and tumblers. She made the machine stop
by pressing the center button. She opened her eyes and noted the pattern she
received, which was one cherry, a jackpot symbol and a banana. A few coins
dropped into the payoff tray. She took a coin from the tray and fed it through
the slot. Pulling the lever down again, she listened for the reels and tumblers
again. When she stopped the machine again, she nodded and turned back to Jon
and Matthew.
“This one
seems to be set to the same pattern sequence as half of the other machines on
the other side of the room. It’s a fairly complicated sequence, but it’s close
to its winning combination. I’d say that I could hit the jackpot in about four
or five tries.”
“Please do
it.”
Nabiki shrugged her shoulders again and did
as she was asked. In four tries, the machine let off an alarm as the payoff
tray overflowed with coins. She had to jump back to avoid touching them as a
large pile of coins had a considerable amount of silver in it. Then she caught
a glint of gold and her eyes widened as she saw it. The object was no bigger
than a quarter but it was unmistakably what they had been searching for.
The ancient
medallion had been broken up into 13 pieces, which consisted of 12 radial
sections and a center, circular piece. So far, they had collected four radial
parts. Now they were amazed to find the center fragment in a Las Vegas slot
machine of all things!
“Someone must
have thought it to be a metal slug or something, and used it to try and cheat
the machine.” Jon suggested as he put on a glove to retrieve the fragment.
After picking it up, he took out the incomplete medallion and attached the
newest piece to it.
“Chance sure
called it right on this one.” Nabiki’s boyfriend
remarked.
“What do you
mean? She told us to look for the number fifty-seven.” The middle Tendo daughter pointed out.
“And that’s
where we found the fragment; under the number fifty-seven.”
He pointed to
the top of the machine. Nabiki looked up and saw that
a bottle of steak sauce was there. She assumed that it belonged to the sore
loser with the plate of ribs. Her eyes widened as she read the label on the
bottle.
“Heinz 57
Steak Sauce?”
Matthew chuckled
a bit, as he took the bottle off the machine and held it in his right hand.
“Chance always did have a weird sense of humor, but her predictions are always
right. Heck, she’s really popular on the psychic hotline.”
“She’s got a
psychic hotline?!”
“Yeah. We
allow her to talk on the phone on Sundays, so she can get more insight on human
culture and stuff. Her line is ALWAYS busy those days, because her predictions
are always right. Maybe you’ve heard of her American number; 1-900-FOX-TALE?
She’s also got a webpage with more than a million hits every day. You can find
her at www.supersexypsychicfox.com.”
Nabiki could only gape in disbelief that a
member of the Old Races could be found so easily on the Internet or a hotline.
Just goes to show how unaware the general human populace was of their
existence.
“I can see
her sneezing right now.” Jon commented.
“Sneezing?” Nabiki repeated in confusion.
“You know
that old wives tale about suddenly sneezing, when someone else is talking about
you, behind your back or when they’re far away? That’s especially true for
psychics and oracles. Since we’re talking about her, she’s probably reaching
for a handkerchief right now.”
--------
In
Castle Talbain…
“AHHH-CHOO!”
“Gesundheit.”
Providence commented as Chance rubbed the bottom of her nose. “You think the
Masters found the fifth fragment?”
The sexy fox
girl nodded. “Judging by that sudden sneeze, I think they just figured out that
number fifty-seven clue. Hmmm, I think I’ll check out my website.”
--------
Back in
Japan…
“Now, do you
understand?” Cologne asked as she and Shampoo were about to perform the
counter-spell to remove the unearthly smell of the Tendo
family and Genma Saotome.
“I wouldn’t
mind if you explained it to us, one more time.” Soun
said nervously as he, Genma and Akane
stood in the center of a large, elaborately-drawn, mystical circle. There was a
multitude of ancient symbols drawn into the ground, and several dozens of
Chinese spirit wards inscribed on parchment and stuck to the surrounding trees.
Standing opposite to them was the Talbain house staff
and Kasumi. Shampoo stood opposite to her great-grandmother, on the other side
of the circle, with a small bottle of potion in her hands.
Cologne
shrugged as Soun Tendo was
understandably uneasy about this entire affair. After all, she was going to
attempt to remove a half-baked hex caused by his youngest daughter. A daughter
who made two more attempts to ‘help’ with the counter-spell. It was the kind of
help NOBODY wanted.
When Akane regained consciousness, she tried to interfere with
Shampoo and Kasumi’s potion-making again. The eldest child of Soun Tendo had an extraordinary
talent for mixing and preparing ingredients that would have impressed the Grimbard Sisters. In fact, Cologne insisted that Kasumi
continue helping in making the potions needed to undo the hex. She had seen how
the gentle girl handled herself with cooking-related skills and thought she
might make an excellent alchemist and herbalist under the Salem Witches’ tutelage.
The youngest child of Soun
Tendo however, had zero talent in cooking and the
Elder’s great-granddaughter made it clear that she didn’t want any of Akane’s so-called ‘expertise.’ The easy to anger girl was
almost sent back into an unconscious state, courtesy of a light tap from
Shampoo’s bonbori.
--------
Flashback...
“Shampoo
already told you! No need help from more-stupid-than-monkey girl!” The Amazon
teen said as she firmly blocked Akane’s path toward
the preparation table. Currently they were at a very important stage in the
potion-making process and they couldn’t afford to start over or risk another
unintentional hex.
“What do you
know, you floozy Chinese bimbo! Just let me make the stupid potion!” Akane said as she was determined to show everyone that she
could cook and make potions as well as her sister.
Shampoo did
not yet know of what the term ‘bimbo’ meant, but she was pretty certain it was
an insult judging by how the angry girl said it. However, it would take more
than insults to get the adolescent warrior to step aside. She simply stood her
ground and said the following.
“More-stupid-than-monkey
girl stay out! Leave potion to expert!” She gestured back to the table with a
thumb as Kasumi continued to mix the proper ingredients. “Older sister much
better! Good help! More-stupid-than-monkey girl not know how to cook! Shampoo
no trust to boil water!”
That last jab
got Akane’s TEMPER to boil over as she let off an
incoherent scream and charged the purple-haired girl. Shampoo retaliated with a
simple move.
WHAM!
Akane ended up flat on her back and seeing
little birdies. The Amazon put away her weapon and walked back to the table,
just as Kasumi finished with the extra additions to the potion. She had it
gently simmering over the Bunsen burner.
“Is Akane going to be all right?” She asked with concern.
Shampoo waved
her off. “Shampoo no hit hard. She wake up later with
headache. No understand she no punished for bad stuff. Great-grandmother hit
hard on Shampoo’s backside if Shampoo do that.”
“Oh, I could
never strike my sister like that.”
“Maybe should
start. Sore backside hard lesson, but also hard to FORGET
lesson.”
At that
point, Kasumi started to think about her sister’s behavior and how bad it was.
---------
End of flashback…
Then Akane tried to offer her assistance to Cologne as she was
drawing out the magic circle. The Matriarch soon saw that the Tendo girl’s drawing skills were just as sloppy as her
cooking and martial arts. Shampoo’s great-grandmother had seen stick figures
drawn by monkeys that looked better.
However, Akane continued to be stubborn and the old Amazon was about
to resort to the sleeper pressure point again, when Kasumi intervened. Cologne
was a bit surprised and very proud as the elder Tendo
daughter grabbed her sibling by the ear and dragged her off some distance
before chiding Akane on her childish behavior.
Cologne
smiled at the memory as she remembered the talk she had with Kasumi.
-------
Flashback…
“Miss Tendo.”
“Please, you
may call me Kasumi.”
“Very well
then. Kasumi, from what I can tell, it seems that you take good care of your
family in terms of cooking, cleaning and other domestic needs. That’s very
commendable of you and I must give you high praise for your dedication to your
family.”
“Thank you.”
“However, at
the same time, I must also judge as a failure to your family.”
“What? But
I…”
The Elder
held up a hand, indicating that she needed to finish. “Do not take this as an
insult, but more as an evaluation. I was told by your sister Nabiki that you are the caretaker to your home, and I can
understand why since you’ve had no mother for the last ten years. Have you ever
thought about your future?”
“My
future?” The
eldest Tendo daughter asked.
“Surely you
don’t expect to care for your father and Akane for
the rest of your life, do you?”
“Well I…”
“You haven’t
thought about it have you? Consider this then. Your father is a grown man,
(loosely speaking), isn’t he? He should be able to take care of himself.
Shouldn’t he have the responsibility to see to his children’s futures as well?
According to what Matthew and his father told me, Soun
Tendo owns a dojo, yet teaches no students. He earns
no income and he does very little if any work to see that his school of the
Anything Goes thrives.”
“Well, father
has… uhm… er… well, he did…
ahh….”
“You cannot
honestly think of anything can you?” Cologne pointed out. “Apparently, he seems
to be content to have you care for all of his needs, and pin all his hopes on
uniting his school with the Saotomes’, (yes, Matthew’s
father told me about that too). That is NOT taking responsibility; that is
foisting responsibility off to someone else. By the looks of things, Soun Tendo has abandoned
responsibility as a martial artist and as a parent. I’m sorry to say this, but
you are less his daughter and more his servant.”
“A servant?
Father does not treat me like a servant.”
“Really? Has he ever offered to help you in
the housework? Has he ever encouraged you to go to college or find a job? Has
he ever encouraged you to get married other than as a means to unite the
Anything Goes? At least the house servants of the Talbanes
are paid for their work and given good benefits. What do you receive from
working your hands to the bone and having to constantly care for those who will
not care for themselves?”
This time
Kasumi remained silent as she couldn’t answer any of those questions either.
“I suspected
as much. Kasumi, technically speaking, it isn’t any of my business to interfere
in your family affairs, but I simply cannot stand the sight of someone with so
much potential go to waste like this.”
“I have
potential?” Nabiki’s sister said in surprise. She had
never been praised like that before.
“I saw you
help my great-granddaughter mix that base potion. Your exceptional cooking skills
can easily be applied toward magic and spell-casting. I happen to know of three
distant cousins of mine who would snap you up as an apprentice in an instant,
if they saw your ability. But in any case, none of that potential will be
unlocked, until you take off that apron, and take that first step outside the
kitchen.”
“But what
about Father and my sisters?”
Cologne let
off a sigh. “Kasumi, as much as it seems that you are doing the right thing,
constantly caring for them is doing more harm than good. And it is especially
not good for your sister Akane. Her rudeness, lack of
manners and childish behavior are the result of not receiving the proper
discipline and life lessons that all children should have. And I am certain
that unless you put your foot down to slow or halt such bad habits, then
someone ELSE WILL crush her under their foot, and they
may not be inclined to let her get back up. Such bad behavior would not be
tolerated by any responsible parent, and I would think that your mother would
have agreed if she were alive today.”
Kasumi became
somewhat alarmed, but then Cologne’s expression softened up.
“I meant no
offense. If you feel that you cannot abandon your family so suddenly, then I
would suggest a gradual weaning period and let them realize that they need to
rely on themselves. Do not be so quick to comfort them or clean up their
mistakes, as they will not learn from that. It will be a long process, as they
are too used to having their own way, but I believe that it is possible. I hear
that your sister Nabiki is becoming more independent,
which is good. I think it is a lesson that you and your family should all learn
and benefit from. Do not be afraid to point out their mistakes, if you also
have a suggestion on how to correct them. This goes for your father as well as
your sister. They have taken for granted all the things you have done for them,
and they have to see you, not as their caretaker, but as a member of the
family. They have forgotten that, so you must remind them.”
Kasumi
remained silent for a long time as she digested all of the Amazon’s words.
Finally she responded.
“I’ll try.”
--------
End of Flashback…
It seemed
that the elder Tendo girl was taking her advice to
heart and starting on her own journey. Bringing herself back to the present,
Cologne began explaining to the Tendos and Genma, the process of the counter-spell to the hex.
“Now please
understand that this is a very complicated spell and I cannot guarantee the
results.”
“I thought
you were an expert!” Akane said with some bitterness
in her voice.
“Hmph!
And you do better?” Shampoo shot back, but was then chided by her
great-grandmother.
“Shampoo,
shush! We must keep focused.”
“Hah!” Akane sneered, but then became shocked as another voice
admonished her.
“That goes
the same for you, Akane!”
Akane, Genma and Soun all looked in shock at Kasumi as she stood with her
arms crossed over her chest and sporting an honest-to-goodness look of…
irritation?!
“Kasumi?” The normally angry Tendo girl said in surprise. This was the absolute first
her older sister had ever raised her voice against her.
Cologne
smiled a bit before continuing. “As I was about to say, we cannot have any
distractions as we cast this spell. Once we begin, we cannot stop for any
reason. Above all, do NOT move outside of the circle. If all goes well, then
you’ll be able to go back to Tokyo after today. Are you ready?”
“Ready!” Soun and Genma said
simultaneously.
Akane snorted a bit. “Let’s just get this
over with!” Then she added in a quiet whisper, “Probably won’t work anyway!”
The Amazon
Matriarch nodded to her relative as she produced a bottle of liquid similar to
one in Shampoo’s hands. She tilted the container over and slowly poured out its
contents. The potion landed in the grooves of the magic circle and started to
spread, following the lines and making them light up with an eerie glow. At the
same time, she started to chant.
“"Yu... mo... gui...
gwai… fai… di… zao…yu…
mo… gui… gwai… fai… di… zao…
yu… mo… gui… gwai… fai… di…
zao…”
On the other side of the circle, Shampoo also poured out her bottle of
potion while chanting the same words, synchronizing with her great-grandmother.
“"Yu... mo... gui...
gwai… fai… di… zao…yu…
mo… gui… gwai… fai… di… zao…
yu… mo… gui… gwai… fai… di…
zao…”
The Tendos, Genma
and all others stared in amazement as the afflicted ones started to glow
themselves. The entire area became thick with magical energy as a key Ley Line was activated.
This was the signal for another group of spellcasters to begin their
part in breaking the hex.
--------
At Castle Talbain…
“Sisters! Behold! Our cousin has begun
the spell!” Parelle exclaimed as she pointed to a
large cauldron. The brew in the pot bubbled and gave off an array of colors,
signaling that the Amazons were casting the hex-removal spell.
After discovering the means to remove the demon odor from the victims,
the Grimbards and Cologne needed a way to dispose of
the haphazard energies that caused the smell to cling to Soun
and the others. So they came up with a way to have those energies transmitted
down a Ley Line and into a portal to the Makai. Once in that realm, they would be dispersed within
the fires of the Inferno Pits, like a piece of garbage in an incinerator.
While Cologne and Shampoo were busy accessing the Ley
Line in Japan and moving the smell onto it, the Grimbard
Sisters would open the portal to the Makai on the
other end.
Speaking in a long-forgotten tongue, the witches started the process to
open the doorway to the other realm.
--------
In Las Vegas…
“Jon! Matthew! Nabiki! Great to see you guys
again!” Felicia said as she greeted them in her dressing room. It was just
after her troupe had finished with their show when the trio of werewolves was
admitted backstage by Victor.
“Good to see you too, Felicia. Great show as always.” Jon said as he
warmly embraced the cheerful cat girl. Nabiki also
nodded to her as her boyfriend stepped back a few feet.
“Hello… Felicia.” Jon’s son greeted tentatively.
“Hey there you cute little wolf!” She gently disengaged from Jon and
spread her arms out wide. “Give Felicia a hug!”
“I’d… rather not, thank you.” Matthew said as he took another step
back.
The star of the show pouted a bit. “Awww, you
still haven’t gotten over that pit of cats have you? Okay, if that’s the case,
how about if I become less of a cat and more like a human?”
In less than a blink of an eye, Felicia displayed her power to change
her form as her cat ears moved down toward the sides of her head and became
more normal-looking. The sparse patches of fur disappeared into her body,
leaving only smooth skin. Her tail retracted into her back, and her hands and
feet lost their claws. Her catlike appearance became less pronounced. In an
instant, Felica the Catgirl
disappeared and Felicia the Human remained.
A naked human at that.
“How’s that?”
“AAAAAAGGGGHHHH!”
Matthew covered his eyes and tried to hold back a massive nosebleed.
“I think I prefer you as a cat!”
“Felicia! Have you no shame!” Jon chided his old friend, causing her to
look down at herself.
“Whoops! I keep forgetting that this human body needs to wear clothes.
Hang on a second!”
She immediately ducked behind a wardrobe and threw on a robe to cover
herself, before rejoining the group. She invited them all to sit down and enjoy
a cup of tea.
“Sorry about that.”
“I had no idea you could turn into human form.” Nabiki
commented.
The catgirl shrugged her shoulders as she
opened a bottle of milk. “I don’t change very often since I feel more
comfortable in my true form. My fans think my real body is just a costume and
think me as eccentric for ‘wearing’ it all the time. In any case, it’s good to
see you all again. Tell me what brings you to Las Vegas. I thought you were
busy putting together that medallion.”
“We still are.” Jon Talbain affirmed as he
took out the incomplete medallion to show to her. “We’ve found four more pieces
to go with the one you gave us. We found the center piece inside a slot machine
of all things. However, we’ve also discovered that the next piece is only
eighty miles from the city.”
“So why aren’t you out there getting it right now?”
“Going to its location is not the problem. Getting it OUT of where it
is, THAT’S the problem. You see, the medallion fragment is inside Area 51.”
--------
Back in Japan…
“Well, all things considered, at least we got rid of the smell.”
Cologne remarked as she looked upon the end result of the anti-hex spell.
A huge, smoldering crater was all that was left of the mystic circle as
three figures lay sprawled at its center. Their clothes and Genma’s, were tattered and
burned, and each person sported an impressive array of burns all over his/her
body.
Shampoo shook her head as she shouted out to Akane.
“TOO, TOO, TOO STUPID GIRL! GREAT-GRANDMOTHER SAY NO MOVE FROM CIRCLE! WHAT
PART YOU NO UNDERSTAND?!”
At this point, Akane was in too much pain to
react to the insult. Her mind went back to the incident.
--------
Flashback…
As Akane watched the Amazons continue to pour
the potion and chant while walking around the circle’s perimeter, she let off a
bit of a growl. Not only did that uppity Shampoo refuse her help, but she
insulted Akane’s cooking skills and had the nerve to
compare her intelligence to a monkey’s! The Tendo
girl had wanted to prove she was just as skilled as her older sister, but in
the end, she would be taking no part in the counter-spell.
She wouldn’t admit it, but she was envious that Kasumi was being
offered the chance to learn magic. Ever since she realized that magic did
exist, Akane had been having some fantasies of
casting powerful spells to go along with her great martial arts. She deserved
it after all. She was the best in Nerima. And those Amazons had the gall to
think that she wasn’t responsible enough for it.
She was responsible enough. So she skipped a few steps in a recipe and
added a couple things that weren’t on the list. The way she saw it, she saved
valuable time and improved on a boring recipe. It’s not like she made any major
mistakes in cooking and any errors she did make was the recipe’s fault, not
hers. Why couldn’t those barbaric Amazons see that? It just wasn’t fair!
After a few minutes of nonstop chanting, Akane
got irritated and impatient. She decided that Cologne and Shampoo’s efforts
weren’t doing anything and thought that she could do a better job on her own.
With that thought she let off an irritated snort and started to move toward the
edge of the circle.
“This isn’t working! It’s just a big waste of time! I’m leaving!”
As soon as she put one foot out of the circle, she set off a
chain-reaction, which caused all of the Amazons’ hard work to backfire toward
the victims of the hex; namely Akane, her father and Genma. All three let off a scream as they were suddenly
engulfed in a huge wave of eldritch energies.
--------
End of
Flashback…
The end result was a massive backlash of Ley
Line power. That caused the entire circle to explode in a contained but intense
blast. The only good thing about that disaster was that the explosion had
expelled the demonic odor and sent it down the Ley
Line to be disposed of in the Makai.
The smell was finally gone, but that didn’t mean that the Tendo family’s troubles were over.
-------
The next day…
“On behalf of all of us, I would like to thank you for your help.”
Kasumi said as she and her family prepared to head back to Tokyo. With the
demonic smell gone, there was no reason to stay away from people any more. The Talbain house staff would be accompanying the Tendos and Genma back to
civilization before returning to Castle Talbain.
“No thanks are needed, child.” Cologne said. “Although, we will be
observing your family for any signs of after-effects to the counter-spell.”
“What for? The smell’s gone, so go home
to China already!” Akane said in a huff, as she
continued to stow her things into her backpack.
“Actually, Japan is our home for now.” The Elder corrected.
“What?!”
The three-hundred-year-old Amazon gestured to her great-granddaughter.
“Shampoo will be enrolling into a Japanese high school by the next semester,
and we’ll be opening a restaurant in the Nerima district. We just haven’t
decided which of the schools to have Shampoo attend.”
< Please not Furinken High. > Akane silently prayed.
Shampoo’s great-grandmother gestured for Kasumi to walk with her as she
led them toward the crater where the unearthly smell had been eradicated. As
they stood near the edge, they conversed over the past events and what lay
ahead.
“So Kasumi, what did you think of your first demonstration of
spellcasting?”
“It was
amazing.” The Tendo daughter remarked. “I believed in
curses because of the Saotomes, but I had no idea
that real magic could be summoned and controlled like that.”
“Indeed.
Magic is quite a powerful force and can be used to benefit all, if used
responsibly. So have you decided to begin your studies in the subject?”
“Me?” Kasumi
said in surprise.
“As I had
pointed out before, you have quite a talent for mixing potions. That
counter-spell elixir you helped my great-granddaughter create was most potent
and very high quality. The spell would have worked flawlessly, if your sister
had heeded my warning and stayed within the circle. And I sense that you may
have other abilities within the realm of magic. Therefore, I have decided to
give you this.”
From her
robes, Cologne produced a book which looked like a journal. It had a sizeable
amount of pages and was bound in an old hardcover. It was aged, but still in
decent condition. On the front cover was a line drawing of a pentagram, with a
five-pointed star in the middle.
“What is
this?” Kasumi asked as she held the book in her hands.
“That, my
dear, is a beginner’s guidebook to spellcasting for
all magic apprentices. My distant cousins gave it to me long ago, though I no
longer have any use for it now. Within those pages, you will find all the
basics for potions, charms, protection spells, incantations and a little bit on
divination. All the charlatans and false prophets in the world would kill to
get their hands on that book. I hereby entrust it to you, so please learn well
from it.”
“But I’m no
sorceress.”
“At present,
no you are not. However, I am quite certain you will become a fine magic-user.
In any case, my relatives and I are getting on in years, and we must pass on
our magical knowledge, so that it is not lost. Shampoo is my apprentice, both
in the martial arts and magic. And I deem you to be of sound mind and judgment.
When you have mastered all that is within that book, I shall introduce you to
three very excellent instructors.”
“But, I can’t
lean magic.” The brown-haired girl protested as she flipped through the pages.
“Besides, I can’t even read this. It’s all written in Chinese.”
“Not a
problem. Repeat after me. Verto ut meus paternus
lingua!”
“Uhm… verto… ut
meus… paternus… lingua?”
The book
briefly glowed with a white light as the symbols and characters rearranged
themselves. When Kasumi looked down, she nearly dropped the book as she could
now read the perfectly legible Japanese script.
Cologne smirked
as she explained. “In Latin, the phrase you just spoke means, ‘transform to my
native tongue.’ You shouldn’t have any problem reading it. And the fact that it
reacted so well to you, indicates your potential.”
Kasumi stood
in silent awe as she couldn’t believe that she had been given such a wondrous
gift. She had never thought of herself as anything special, and now her mind
flooded with vast possibilities, some of which she had never dreamed before. As
she looked over the translated pages, she could barely hold in her excitement.
Closing the book and holding it close to her chest, she gave the Elder a
respectful bow.
“Thank you.”
--------
Somewhere out
in the Nevada desert, midnight…
Four figures
lay prone on their stomachs on top of a mesa. Jon looked through a pair of
binoculars and winced at what he saw 2 miles away. The Area 51 base was
practically teeming with watchtowers, soldiers, patrol dogs, tanks and lots and
lots of guns. The outer perimeter was surrounded by a large fence; most likely
electrified. He was willing to bet that the areas around the base were
minefields.
Getting the
sixth fragment wasn’t going to be as easy as hitting the jackpot at a Las Vegas
slot machine.
“What do you
see, Dad?” Matthew asked. Though he had excellent night vision, he couldn’t see
as far as the high-tech binoculars.
Jon shook his
head as he put down the viewing device. “Bad news all around. There’s no way we
could get within a mile of the outer perimeter before the patrols or
watchtowers spot us. And I’m pretty sure they have booby traps and hidden
sensors. It wouldn’t matter if we went in as humans or werewolves. Of course,
if we were to blend in with the local wildlife, we MIGHT be able to get close
enough to sneak in.”
The younger
lycanthrope nodded at his father’s unspoken suggestion. “So we’re going in as
full wolves?”
Jon nodded as
he addressed Felicia. “That’s right. And I’m pretty sure that those soldiers
aren’t going to shoot at a harmless cat, though I would advise you to stay out
sight as much as possible. They might have orders to shoot anything they come
across. You can’t heal from gunshot wounds as fast as we can.”
“What about
me?” Nabiki asked. “I can’t turn into a wolf.”
Matthew’s
father considered the daughter of Soun Tendo. “Hmmm, your Secondary Lycanthropy doesn’t have
enough power for a full transformation. That could be a problem and we can’t
leave you here. We run the risk of you being spotted by a patrol.”
Nabiki’s boyfriend pondered for a minute then
snapped his fingers in realization. “Hey! What about the medallion? I know we
don’t have all the pieces, but do you think it might have enough power to
change Nabs temporarily?”
“Hmmm.” Jon
took out the incomplete medallion and considered the idea. He then tossed it to
his son’s girlfriend. “Take off your pendant and put on the medallion. We’ll
see if it works.”
The
short-haired girl did as she was told. As soon as she removed the pendant, her
body shifted to hybrid form. She felt a slight tingle wash over her as she
donned the ancient artifact. However, she remained in her werewolf appearance.
“So what do I
do now?”
“Picture
yourself as a wolf.” Matthew suggested. “And focus your inner energies like in
those ki exercises we’ve been going over.”
Nabiki nodded as she had been getting
preliminary training in how to generate and control her ki
outside of her body. It wouldn’t be long before she started using the Beast
Cannon and Climb Razor kick. She closed her eyes and imagined herself on all
fours. She felt another tingle as her body began to change form. Her limbs
shorted and became more suited for running. Her upper and lower body
straightened out as her head and face elongated into a more lupine form. In less
than thirty seconds, Nabiki the Werewolf became Nabiki the Wolf.
Jon smiled as
he gazed upon the female wolf with light brown hair. He nodded to the others
and triggered his own transformation. In a few heartbeats, three wolves and a
cat headed out on their covert mission to find the fragment in Area 51. They
had to get into the compound and quickly as they weren’t sure how long the
medallion could keep Nabiki in wolf form. Since it
was incomplete, Jon could only estimate that it would be able to keep her on
all fours for an hour before exhausting its store of energy and required to
recharge. The witch sisters at the castle had informed him that the artifact
was similar to Nabiki’s wolf’s head pendant and had
limited amounts of energy in each fragment. Only the completed medallion would
give her the permanent boost to stabilize her lycanthropy.
--------
The group
split apart into two pairs, each taking one side of the compound. Matthew and Nabiki would come in from the west, while Jon and Felicia
would work their way from the east. For the Tendo
girl, this was her first time experiencing being a wolf. Her senses were at
their peak in this form and she was going to need them as she followed her
boyfriend through the first obstacle.
The
minefield.
Like her
current form, things were about to get hairy.
To be
continued…
Author’s
Notes
Since this
chapter was getting long, I decided to end it here. In the next chapter, we’re
going to find our heroes in really dire straits as they explore Area 51. The Tendos are going to get a shock once they get back to
Tokyo, including their meeting with Happosai and
Kasumi learning magic. As for the warning Providence gave to Matthew’s father? Well,
just wait and see!
1)
For
those of you who are wondering, yes these are the words used by Uncle in Jackie
Chan Adventures. Its literal translation from Cantonese (妖魔鬼怪快哋走) is “Evil demons and malevolent
spirits, be gone!” It’s very appropriate for an anti-hex spell.