War of Shadows

Written by TeslaJet

Inspired by Project Dark Jade

Disclaimer: I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures.

The night was cold and wet, with rain beating down on the road. There was no lightning, but all the same very few were about, such was the intensity of the rain. A lonely phone booth stood on a corner of the sidewalk. Water collected on its roof and flowed down its sides as it stood, unmoving. To most passerbies it was merely a curiosity, something from the past that refused to accept its obsolescence. Only a few knew of its true nature. And some of those few were currently approaching it.

A group of five figures approached the booth. They were male, it was true, but to call them men was a bit of a misnomer, for four of them were beings that only the fifth truly new of, with orange skin and red hair. And the fifth, with his white hair and mismatched eyes, had left true humanity behind centuries ago.

The five stopped just outside of the phone booth, and took a moment to wait.

Finn, Ratso, and Chow were thoroughly miserable. Just as they thought they were free, when Tarakudo had been sealed away, their old master Daolon Wong had returned. The last Finn had recalled of the old wizard, he had been as powerless as Finn himself. But something had apparently happened to empower him. And now he and his friends were stuck as mutated henchmen again. The fact that it was raining was just the icing on the cake.

Their companions were of a different mind. Hak Foo was almost jubilant over his newly empowered state. His face, altered as it was, was alight with anticipation for the coming fight. Daolon Wong himself seemed more animated than usual, with a smile on his ancient lips and a certain sprightliness to his movements.

They stopped just outside of the phone booth. Daolon Wong, somehow dry in spite of the rain, set to work removing the wards that his despised antagonist had placed around Section 13. Not even sheltering from the rain, Wong began to speak. His syllables were ugly in their sound. Words that had no right to exist, let alone be spoken, flowed past his lips like polluted spring water. His voice growled out, whispering the profane words that eroded the wards that stopped him.

Slowly but surely, the wards started to buckle. Planes of magic started to waver, their potential energy leaking out and dissipating into wisps. Detection mechanisms built into the wards, constructs that normally would activate them, were worn down until blindness set it. The reserves of power, meant to block and counter intruders, were soon breached and negated.

Soon the wards were destroyed. Daolon Wong's smile grew. Now the path was open for him to gain what he sought. He stole a furtive glance toward his henchmen. The three lesser men were currently trying to cram themselves into the phone booth in an effort to escape the rain. Needless to say it was in vain. The greater henchman was merely staring at him. Daolon Wong suppressed a worried look.

Rejuvenated though he may be his powers were not what they once were. He could still empower minions, but his control over them was tenuous at best. It was vital that he claim the powers he sought before his henchmen realized he could not force their obedience. Still, if this gamble paid off, then the twelve talismans of Shendu would be his, and he would be nigh unstoppable.

"Ready yourselves" he snapped, drawing in on his power. The lesser minions barely had enough time to say "Huh?" before they were snatched up by Daolon Wong's teleportation spell.

…

The first clue Section 13 had that they were under attack was Uncle's willies. This did not surprise Uncle in the least. With Tarakudo sealed away, it was only a matter of time before a new evil entered the scene. As such, he was the only one who wasn't surprised when a pillar of blue smoke appeared in the middle of Section 13. What did surprise him however, were the figures in the spot where the pillar had been when it disappeared. Standing there, with his orange skinned henchmen, was his old adversary Daolon Wong.

The dark chi wizard appeared to be put out about something, possibly that he was surrounded by Section 13 personnel. Nevertheless, this did not stop him from yelling "Attack my minions"

"Aiyaa! Jackie, Daolon Wong has returned!"

"Tsunami destroys coastal town!" Hak Foo declared as he rushed forward with blinding speed. The agents nearest him were sent flying by the force of his charge. It seemed that his enhanced powers were back with a vengeance.

"Raaaaaagh!" Uncle turned to see the three enforcers charging him.

"You want a piece of Uncle?" Uncle said as he assumed a ready stance, puffer fish pointed forward. Three chi blasts later and they were flying back into the wall. Uncle turned to see Daolon Wong retreating toward the vaults.

"Jackie! Minion not important! Stopping Daolon Wong, important!"

Jackie was currently dodging blows from Hak Foo, who was gleefully trying to smash him to a pulp. Tohru tried to help, but was kicked across the room for his trouble.

"Bad day bad day bad day bad day!" Jackie yelled as he dodged a swipe to his head. Uncle reached the conclusion that he would, as usual, have to work more magic and stop the forces of darkness. Moving as fast as his aged limbs allowed, he chased after the dark chi wizard.

Daolon Wong stopped in front of the door to the talisman vault, and there he began the work of trying to destroy the door. Uncle knew that it would take him time: Uncle had set the wards in place himself. Hopefully he would make the mistake of ignoring Uncle while trying to break the door down.

No such luck. Barely had he began the incantation for the same spell he had used to drain Wong's powers than the dark chi wizard spun around and fired a blast that forced Uncle to duck. He straightened, stifling a groan. Old he may be, but he was not about to show weakness to his opponent.

Wong fired another blast. This one was intercepted and split in two by Uncle's own chi blast. Daolon Wong hissed in frustration before the green beam caught him in the shoulder. Somehow he withstood the blast and fired off two more of his own, both of which were deflected by Uncle. The room flashed green and blue with more shots as the two chi wizards dueled.

Truth be told, Uncle was rather puzzled. Daolon Wong's spells seemed to be weaker than when they had last fought. Whatever had restored his powers had done a shoddy job of it. Daolon Wong seemed also to be fighting with a certain desperation to his moves. Perhaps he was approaching the limit of rejuvenation.

"Zhen!" the dark wizard called out. However, the word had none of the echo or authority that was usually behind it, and Uncle noticed a distinct lack of Hak Foo appearing. Uncle smiled.

"Dark wizard has used verrrry shoddy spell to regain power, yes?" he said.

Wong's reply was to snarl and send another blast at the good chi wizard. Uncle blocked it and prepared a spell, only to stop when he heard a familiar shout behind him.

"Volcano incinerates field mouse!" Hak Foo yelled as he charged Uncle. Uncle had just enough time to hit him with a chi ray before the ghoul collided with him.

"Ugh. Drunken elephant…" Hak Foo mumbled before trailing off and collapsing on Uncle. Uncle found himself pinned underneath the former human, his puffer fish falling from his hand.

"Not exactly what I had in mind" Daolon Wong grumbled. He would have turned back to the door had not Tohru appeared, his own puffer fish at the ready.

"Daolon Wong" he challenged. A desperate look appeared on the chi wizard's face, and then he spat a single, ugly work that neither Tohru nor Uncle understood. He disappeared in a cloud of dark violet smoke, which lingered for a moment, and then disappated. Daolon Wong appeared, his face more worn than ever, but wearing a triumphant smirk.

The smirk disappeared when he actually saw what he had fetched with his latest spell.

"What is this?" Wong inquired as he held out the mask of Tarakudo.

"Aiyaa! Tohru, do not let Daolon Wong wear mask!" Uncle ordered. Tohru face palmed.

"Well in that case" Wong said with an evil grin. He started to put the mask on, only to watch it get knocked from his hands by a blast from Tohru. Daolon Wong snarled and then called out "Gun! Rhen! Chui!" This time the enforcers did appear in puffs of blue smoke. "Fetch me that mask!" Wong ordered.

"Whoa, boss, you really don't…" Finn began.

"I said get it!" Daolon Wong roared.

"Yes sir" the three enforcers said in unison, and they hurried after the mask. Finn was hit in the face by Tohru's chi blast as the sumo charged, determined not to let the enforcers get the mask for their master. Chow sent his staff spinning under Tohru's legs, ensnaring them and tripping the sumo, who crashed to the ground. Ratso approached the mask and almost had it when, from out of nowhere, Jade flew in on a pirated jet pack and stole the mask from him.

"Jade, get out of here!" Tohru yelled, wishing that she would just stay out of danger. Jade turned around and flared her stolen jetpack. With a whooshing sound it powered up and she shot out of the hallway. Chow and Ratso both threw their weapons after her. Ratso's hammer clipped her side, sending her spiraling out of control. Just as it looked like Jade would crash Jackie executed a jump that brought him into her trajectory and caught her. In the process however the mask slipped from Jade's grasp. It fell, straight into a teleporting Daolon Wong's grasp. With a cry of exultation the dark chi wizard held the mask up and then brought it to his face.

There was a loud bang, and the mask seemed to disintegrate in the dazed wizard's hands. Jackie and Jade looked over to see a smug Captain Black holding a detonator in his right hand. "I took the liberty of rigging the mask with explosives in case something like this happened" he said smugly. "Daolon Wong, you are surrounded. Give up now" he ordered.

Daolon Wong looked shocked and dazed, but then his eyes fixed on something, as did everyone else's.

From the remains of the mask rose traces of blackness that moved to Daolon Wong's eye level and then coalesced into ten balls of darkness. Nine were arranged in a circle with the tenth in the center. Then, without warning, they dispersed with lightening speed.

Daolon Wong staggered back as a ball collided with him. Another sped toward Jade and, despite Jackie's best efforts, hit and was absorbed by her. The rest flew away from Wong, through the walls, and to who knew where.

"Aiyaa! Who destroyed mask of oni!?" Uncle demanded, having just arrived at the scene. Captain Black raised his hand. Uncle proceeded to smack him on the head.

"How many times must Uncle say it: magic must defeat magic!"

"Indeed it must" said a voice. Everyone turned to Daolon Wong, who had recovered…and changed. His skin now had a gray tinge to it, and his eyes were also tinged red. He stood ram rod straight, and seemed to have lost his former desperation. He smiled a smile so wide it seemed to almost split his head.

"Come to me, my minions of darkness" he crowed triumphantly. Shadows formed on the floor, and tall figures formed. From a distance they could possibly pass as human. But closer inspection revealed lobster claws instead of hands and red glowing eyes. It also showed a strange body shape that suggested chitin plates instead of human skin. Jackie recognized the crab khan immediately. Daolon Wong looked puzzled at these shadowkhan. "What are these?" he asked, almost indignantly.

"They are shadowkhan of another tribe" a new voice said. A dreadfully familiar voice. Jackie gulped as he turned in the direction of the voice. To his utter horror and dismay he saw Jade. But it was not the Jade he had rescued from a careening jet pack. Her skin was now blue, her eyes solid red. She levitated, her hair suspended in a halo around her, almost as if she were underwater. But what was most dismaying was the mark of Tarakudo that had appeared on her forehead.