The battle between June and Kathleen stood tense as the two clashed with their abilities from their species. Though, Kathleen was on edge while she did battle against the Cobrivite, her petrification powers, as well as her acidic wrist blades. The one thing keeping June's petrification stare at bay was Kathleen's Wisp-O-Miraju Glare. "Quite a hardy vixen, aren't you?" June declared bitterly as Kathleen's claws cloaked in an aura gripped the snake's arm. "I can see why you were chosen to protect the Elven Princess. Though, how long can you keep up your little illusions before you tucker out from my poison?" June snarkily questioned as she looked over the slashes that adorn Kathleen's body despite the magical defensive aura that covered the four-tailed kitsune. After all, a Cobrivite's poison wasn't just acidic but extremely poisonous to the body.
Kathleen gritted her teeth in defiance despite the condition her body had to endure. "I am naht goin down dat easy, you snake! tell me who de 'ell 'ired you to assassinate Prencess Ravenna! I know you're naht a cheap mercenary to boehy ahn a whem. Sahmeone 'ad sahme really deep pahckets moehst 'ave 'ired a fighter like you lady![I am not going down that easy, you snake! Tell me who the hell hired you to assassinate Princess Ravenna! I know you're not a cheap mercenary to buy on a whim. Someone had some really deep pockets must have hired a fighter like you lady!]" Kathleen interrogated as she threw out her claw to strike at her right side as June quickly blocked the attack before sucker punching Kathleen's gut with incredible brute force. Resulting in Ms. Carney slammed into a nearby wall, cracking it on impact. Kathleen spat out blood from her mouth as she wiped her muzzle clean from this. "Figured you wahn't give away yooehr emplahyer... Guess i gahtta beat it ooeht o' you, viper! Comb ahn den![Figured you won't give away your employer... Guess I gotta beat it out of you, Viper! Come on then!]" Kathleen shouted in a cocky manner, but she knew that may be a fruitless endeavor as her body felt like it would give out at any moment from the punishment inflicted upon the four-tailed kitsune.
June extended her blades with an arrogant grin, her fangs showing as mockingly scoffed. "I can tell that you're a bluffing fox. Any second, now you are gonna pass out from my poison, and I will be able to track down the Princess without any further interference." The Cobrivite announced as she walked towards the down Kitsune with a menacing stare from her eyes, tail sliding upon the ground, creating an intimidating sound.
Kathleen's mind raced to figure out a means of escape from the deadly assassin before her, yet her options were limited given her current condition from their fight. Though, from the corner of her eye, Kathleen noticed the shadows coming to life and moving towards Malbec quietly. Soon, they formed into a group of shadow monkeys with Six Ears and a scar on their right eyes. Quickly, June tried to fight them off as Kathleen snarled in irritation at who was bailing her out. "Gahd damn it, Sixer... I dedn't need your flarkin 'elp...[God Damn It, Sixer... I didn't need your Flarking help...]" The Kitsune announced as June has slammed onto the ground thanks to the swarm of Shadow Monkeys as one approached Kathleen.
"Yeah, yeah. I am aware, Carney." The Shadow announced with a snarky smile, "But you definitely needed it this time. Nice seeing you, Babe." The Monkey announced as he helped Kathleen up before teleporting them both to Ebony Peach Garden Cafe.
As the Shadow brought Kathleen to the cafe, Esmeralda and her group arrived as well. The Chinese man behind the counter smiled upon everyone's arrival. "Welcome back, Princess. Good to see you found your boyfriend." The man announced with a sly grin.
Esmeralda quickly blushed as she threw a random object at him due to her flustered state. "No, Spoilers, Malik!" She declared with a puff of frustration.
"What do you mean by that? We aren't even dating... Plus, we just met. I don't see how you think we are a couple..." Tyrik said aloud and absent-mindedly as he scratched his cheek before Ricky cleared his throat to snap him out of his mumbling state. The last thing Ty needed was to embarrass himself any further with his dorky demeanor.
Esmeralda soon noticed how injured Kathleen was. Quickly rushing over to use her magic to heal her mother figure and bodyguard. As the two took their seat at one of the tables to heal the kitsune woman. Malik headed over to the front door of the cafe to display that it was now closed for the day with a small sigh. "So... I am guessing you want some answers regarding your newfound situation. Am I right, Tyrik?" Malik asked as he turned to the newbie among the supernatural.
He was quick to nod and answer the question, yet Malik was surprised to see that the kid wasn't scared. He was indeed excited by all of this despite the new dangers that would plague Tyrik's life in the future. "Wow. You really seem eager to have your own superhero story, huh?" Malik laughed as he placed a hand on his side with a small grin. "Keep in mind, this isn't as fun as the media has shown these scenarios to be Kid." The middle-aged adult advised the youngster before him. Malik then gestures for Tyrik to follow him into another room.
"Is there a reason why we are going to another room for me to be informed about all of this?" Tyrik asked with a confused expression on his face.
"Because some of the stuff I'm gonna show you needs to be private, kid. Thought that be obvious considering what I have heard about your knowledge of fiction." Malik joked with a small smirk as he looked back at the youngster who laughed nervously due to the oversight on his behalf. Though, the term Heard stood out to Tyrik.
'Wait... Heard? What the hell do you mean by that? I don't think we have met or know someone who would be able to inform you about me...' Tyrik questioned with his thoughts as he followed the cafe waiter into a private office that belonged to him. Across the room, many Chinese artworks, items, and statues styled the office. Most depictions within the art featured the battle between Sun Wukong and his Shadow Sorcerer Rival. This was The Six-Eared Macaque, Liùěr Míhóu. This detail really intrigued Tyrik as he began to recall a detail regarding the Monkey Sorcerer. "Let me guess. You're really Liùěr Míhóu aren't you?" The Nerd announced with a confident smile as Malik was quite impressed by his observation skills.
"You pick up that faster than I had expected... What gave me away, exactly?" Questioned Malik as he pondered this detail himself with a raised eyebrow.
"First off, Ebony Peach Garden? A clear sign there. Secondly, you said you heard about me when I doubt you met anyone who knows me... Mainly because I don't make friends that well..." Tyrik announced with a sheepish tone before continuing, "Finally, the art within the room mostly focused on you and Wukong." Tyrik explained simply as Malik laughed at the intelligence he had while morphing back to his normal state.
"Damn, you ARE good." Macaque announced with a smile. "Now. Onto the bigger details. So, the basics are that The Stories of Myth is more real than most Humans give them credit for. The reason why beings like myself, Esmeralda, Kathleen, and that Malbec Assassin don't show ourselves is because Humans take their "fear for what could not be understood" to extreme levels." Macaque went on while using his Shadow Magic to create a video of shorts, explaining this history. "Eventually, the Olympians, Aesirs, Akers*, and other deities within both Chinese and Japanese Mythologies forged a world dubbed Euvis roughly during the period where King Arthur ruled over Britain." He went on as his tail flickered about, seeing how captivated Tyrik was by this story.
"But... What's with that gem Ricky has?" Tyrik questioned as he recalled the mention of Arcane Energy before the Cobrivite attacked. "I am assuming that it is incredibly important to all of this, right?" Questioned the human before Macaque as he was once again impressed by Tyrik.
"You're a fast learner, aren't you? Makes this way easier for me." The Monkey laughed before he confirmed, "Yeah. That is an Arcane Crystal. Basically, Crystalized Magical Energy. Arcane Energy has been named many things throughout history. Like Chi, Chakra, Mana, and so forth. A crystal is far more potent than a person who has it. Depending on the person, though." Macaque elaborated.
"Kind of like a Saiyan and their Chi?" Tyriked asked to help himself gain an understanding of what Macaque was discussing.
Macaque nodded as he went on, "Yeah like that. Some have more Arcane Energy within themselves compared to another. If a person has enough Arcane within them, they can use Magic for many things. Mainly spell casting, of course." The Monkey announced before he heard someone breaking some plates, extremely hurting his sensitive hearing. With a quick grumble, Macaque got up from his desk. "There is something about you that I can't yet put my finger on, Kid." Macaque announced as he glanced over to Tyrik. "Maybe you would figure out that is before I could. After all, most Super Hero Stories tend to have the main hero discover their true power on their own while trying to protect someone they care about." He told Tyrik, who was quite confused by this vague statement and what it entailed.
*Akers are basically the gods from Egyptian mythology like Horus, Ra, Set, and Osiris