//------------------------------//
// Dark Machinations 
// Story: Three More Things! 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

Dao Long Wong growled under his breath as he prepared the mystic brew before him.  It should have been easy.  Just warp in when Captain Black was out, distract Chan with his Dark Warriors, and carve his way through to the Talismans to claim their power, and he'd be gone before anyone could act against him, giving him plenty of time to fully metabolize their powers before seeking to use them.  But no!  It wasn't just Chan there, it was Valmont's men as well!  They captured his Dark Warriors, and it would take him years to recreate them from scratch to function at their peak!  And then the Talismans were destroyed, and he was forced to withdraw so he could scry for the spirits to claim the power.
Still, things weren't all bad.  He'd happened to find a trio of criminals willing to hire out for work, and they were happy to accept the 'Dark Enhancement' to make them Dark Warriors.  They weren't true Dark Warriors, of course.  They still had their souls, after all, and their personalities.  Still, it made an acceptable stop-gap measure, and they were fine with using the Warrior Names as 'Code Names' when called to battle.  ...they thought it was cool.
Shuddering at that, he finished making his brew, calling up the scrying fog.  Murmuring the spell under his breath, he focused his attention upon the Noble Animals, seeking which one would be easiest to harvest the magic from quickly once located.  Sure, some of their powers were more useful than others, but right now what he sought was power he could swiftly add to his own.
As the fog cleared, however, he did not see the location of one of the Noble Animals.  Instead, he found himself staring into the surprised face of Uncle Chan.  "Dao Long Wong!" the chi wizard gasped in shock.
"Ah, Uncle," Dao Long Wong purred happily as he began making tweaks to his brew below the view of the linked window.  "So you too seek the Talisman Powers.  I should not be surprised."
"So our spells linked," Uncle growled, his own arms showing he was taking action out of view.  "Uncle is surprised Dao Long Wong dares, considering who else has already shown interest in the Talismans and keeping them safe."
Dao Long Wong laughed darkly, a twinkle in his eyes.  "You mean the new Demon Sorcerer?  Yes, it would absolutely be the peak of foolishness for one such as I to challenge a being of Light.  At least..."



Adagio danced happily away in the club as the strobes flashed, making reality around her seem to blink in and out of existence.  She rather liked it like this, as it made the way her body - and specific parts of her anatomy - moved as she danced all the more erotic to those watching, especially as she was just in her choker and her own fur.  The way so many eyes were locked hungrily on her only to be dragged jealously away by who was supposed to be their dance partners filled Adagio with wicked glee that only enhanced the dancing experience.
Much to her pleased surprise, someone actually dared to dance up to her.  Taking a brief glance, she managed to recognize the figure dancing up to her by his expression, rather than his actual appearance.  Last time she'd seen Strikemaster Ice - the leader of the 'gang' that Mongo's son DJ Fist belonged to - he hadn't been orange.  Then again, she wasn't fond of the normal range of 'human' skin tones, so anyone willing to buck that trend was alright in her books.  And since he was associated with family of someone her 'New Dad' trusted, he should be safe enough to have fun with.  She let him dance up to her, once more closing her eyes, and thus not noticing as shadows seemed to rise around them.
Between one flash of the strobes and the next, the pair were gone.  Not that anyone really noticed, that sort of thing happened all the time at dance clubs.



"...not without..."



Aria rolled her shoulders as she worked the bag before her.  While she definitely enjoyed the enhanced power that her altered form gave her, one thing she wasn't fond of was how hard it was to find a good challenge in the ring now.  Most of those tough enough that she could easily find worked for Valmont, and thus would not spar with her out of worry for their jobs, whatever the outcome of the match.  Anyone she encountered beyond either couldn't match her abilities, thought taking the challenge would be "a waste of time" - admittedly, she didn't look that strong in either form - or wanted a different kind of 'sparring'.  She was easily able to avoid the last group, as she had no interest there.  She wasn't Adagio, after all.
As she was thinking this, her eyes widened as she caught sight of DJ Fist stepping into the ring nearby.  Mongo's kid was broad shouldered and buff, and just as silent as his father.  Between that and the Dark Enhancement he'd apparently undergone, he looked like he'd match his old man someday, and in the meantime possibly give her a good challenge.
...and despite herself, she couldn't help but lick her feline lips at the sight of his bared abs that could grate cheese.  Much as she tried to resist that particular side of her heritage at times, she was a Siren.
Leaping into the ring, she raised her fists and got into a fighting stance, silently challenging him to face her.  He gave her a silent look, smirked, and held up a pair of blindfolds suggestively.
Aria couldn't stop herself from grinning.  Nodding, she held up her hand and caught one as he tossed it to her.  She waited to see him tying his on before doing so herself.  While it was plainly magical and left her completely blinded, she'd already found that her other senses from her feline form made blind fighting more thrilling rather than more challenging.  As such, she charged in for the fight without hesitation...
...never seeing - or even noticing - the shadows that rose and swallowed them both.



"...the right..."



Sonata happily danced down the road, humming to herself.  Today was a good day, and she was certain it would only get better.  She had a feeling there'd be a bit of excitement today, and she was honestly looking forward to it.  And later today, she was going on an actual date with Ratso, and she was really looking forward to it!  What could possibly go wrong?
"Psst!"
Sonata jerked to a halt as she heard that coming out of a shadowy alley.  She turned to stare in, frowning as she mentally decided what to do.  "Who's that?" she demanded angrily.
A figure stepped partially out of the shadows, still in the dark but now recognizably visible as MC Cobra, part of DJ Fist's gang.  She liked him, he was funny.  He tried to flirt with her sometimes, it was adorable, like a puppy.  "Hey girl," he called playfully.  "Got something special for ya."
"Oh?" Sonata asked playfully, wondering what he could possibly have that would be worth not going on with her day.
MC Cobra sighed as though he found it difficult to say what he was going to say next.  "...do...you wanna play with Beyblades?" he offered ruefully.
Sonata gasped excitedly.  "Do I?!" she screamed out, diving into the shadows with him.
...neither of them came back out.



"...insurance."
Uncle frowned darkly.  "So that's what you did," he growled.  "Are you sure you want to cross Valmont and Bai Tsa to that degree?"
Dao Long Wong shrugged.  "I'm already on their shit list," he offered dismissively.  "How much more can I lose if they catch me before I'm done?  And of course, where I have my 'insurance', they dare not go..."
"One more thing," Uncle continued with a frown.  "They are not only ones who would take this action averse..."
"Valmont knows how I think...and what will happen if he lets those above him step in here," the dark wizard countered with a grin.  "He - and they - are out of the picture.  Leaving me only having to deal with you and yours in this contest."
"One more thing," Uncle pointed out darkly, glaring at him over his glasses.  "We are bigger challenge than you expect."
Dao Long Wong chuckled wickedly.  "Oh, Uncle, did you really think I engaged in this discussion and told you so much because I enjoy the sound of my own voice?  Our spells are intertwined, and now I shall bind your spell to mine, and use both to-"
Uncle suddenly smacked a parchment scroll to the fog, and the image blurred in static before revealing an image of Uncle's face.
"One more thing!" the face declared playfully before blowing a raspberry.  The image than once more went to static before returning to the image of Uncle's face.  "One more thing!"  Another raspberry, more static, another loop.
Dao Long Wong cursed under his breath.  His own spell had just gotten to the point where he'd identified which Noble Animal their magics had locked onto - the Monkey, a most useful and versatile power - but he knew he would not get it in a direct confrontation with the Chan Clan...especially with them getting there first.
Oh well.  There were ten other Animals available to pursue, and he could always reclaim the powers the Chans collected at a later date.  Though he did have to hurry...time was on his side...