Chapter CLIV: Blackouts and Power Outages… ~Yoshi6400

The Spectrum suddenly screeched to a halt in the middle of space, the lights within the engine and car then flickered and went out. The train was adrift.

"What in the world just happened?!" Havering exclaimed as the lights reactivated and dimly lit the train.

Omega then burst into the passenger section and addressed all of the passengers in the room. "Did anyone play around with the power couplings in the cargo hold? Someone deactivated some of them, cutting our tracks."

The passengers looked at one another and they all replied, "No."

"Why doesn't someone go into the cargo hold and check it out?" Kenzo asked impaitiently while the lights flickered.

"Okay then, why don't you go..." CR said, pointing to the door leading out of the section of the car, "Just in case you forgot, go out that door and the entrance to the cargo hold is at the end of the narrow hallway."

After a small argument and some fumbles in the dark (the lights went out a few more times), Kenzo reluctantly agreed and walked down to the hold. The section was crowded with numerous crates and other materials, like replacement parts for repair situations. Ominous shadows were all over the place, cast by the dimmed lights. The Mechna Knight moved directly towards a panel in the back corner of the hold and opened it. To his surprise, nothing was damaged...the couplings were just turned off.

*Weird, I thought this was going to be damaged or something. Oh well,* Kenzo thought as he flipped one of the switches, rejoining the power coupling for the internal com system.

"Everything seems fine here, it seems the coupling switches were just turned off," the others heard from a speaker. "Hey...what the...WAAAAAAAA!"

The clanging of metal parts was then heard and Kenzo ran in, looking like he had seen something that was REALLY scary.

"What this time?" Havering asked, tapping his foot on the floor.

"There was this REALLY BIG magnet with legs and it...hey, where'd it go?" Kenzo said, very confused.

"Just go back and hit the other switches," Kurayami said, standing off to the side with his loyal warp drone beside him.

"No way! Why don't you go?" Kenzo exclaimed.

It was obvious to everyone that something scared the Mechna Knight quite well.

"Fine then, I'll just go." Jaded leapt from where he was sitting over everybody, and through the door. He entered the cargo hold and did the same as Kenzo, only this time the energy field dampeners were activated. The lights in the Spectrum flashed back to life as the dampeners diluted the magical energy field within the train. Suddenly, Jaded heard footsteps coming from behind, steps that sounded like heavy boots through underbrush. He quickly drew his sword and turned, his eyes widening at what he saw. The cargo bay was gone... Instead, there were trees and bushes all around, a forest setting. The mercenary took a quick look behind him to see that the control panel and wall had disappeared, more forest in its place. Jaded then heard footsteps again, from the right, no, from the left... His heart began to pound, the situation reminding him of... His thought was interrupted when he took a glance at his sword, the blade was not broken anymore. *Impossible,* he thought as a shadowy blur whizzed by in the corner of his view.

"Come out here! Show yourself!" Jaded yelled, walking down a thin corridor of trees and pushing a large bush aside.

The shadow was just ahead, he could see it but he could not make out the details. Then without warning, his left arm couldn't move, then his right, then his legs...

“Vines!” he yelled as his sword was pulled out of his hand and his arms restrained even more. Jaded then watched as the shadow inched closer and closer, a glimmering object in its right hand area.

*What is that, a short sword, maybe a dagger? I gotta break free.*

Yoshi6400, Sapphire, and Ian held Jaded in place as he struggled. Some began to wonder what exactly was going on in the cargo hold.

"He's under some kind of mind trick..." CR said, standing in front of Jaded, holding the mercenary's broken broadsword so it couldn't be used to hurt anyone. "I thing some others are being affected as well," he continued, turning to look at a pile of metal in a corner emitting screams of "NOOOOOO!" every once in a while. "We have to get to the bottom of this."

Kurayami then walked from his spot and towards the door. "It's the Fear Nightmare. I'll take care of him. Nobody follow me."

The purple Yoshi opened the door to the cargo hold and a faint black mist poured out and greeted him. Kurayami walked effortlessly through it and into the darkened area with his Warp Drone following him. Kurayami searched around and then decided to head towards the switch to activate the power coupling for the rail generator. To his surprise, standing in his way was a humanoid with white skin and grey hair. He (it looked like a he; and it is anyway) was adorned with a grey robe and he had grey streaks of matching shade running across his face. The obsidian staff he was leaning on signified that he was the Nightmare that Kurayami was looking for.

“So you finally show yourself?” Kurayami said while getting into a sort of a stance. "Don't worry; the hilt held in my Warp Drone will keep you from being invincible."

The Nightmare swung his staff at Kurayami, the black glass cracking and shattering on contact.

"Who said that I'm gonna fight? See ya!" Fear retorted just before faking to the left, dodging to the right, kicking off a crate and running out the door.

Kurayami turned and pointed his left claw out at the door, a purple aura flaring up around him. The three fingers of the claw then extended and the flesh tore away to reveal the ends of three tentacles. The flesh of the left arm then tore and disintegrated away, reavaling more of the three tentacles. "GET OVER HERE!" Kurayami yelled. The tentacles then shot out, extending from the base at the shoulder, flying down the hallway.

Back in the main room, Fear was having a feast, absorbing energy off of practically everyone with his illusions. He then screamed in pain as a purple tentacle impaled him from behind, the end sticking out of the left side of his chest. Another tentacle stabbed through his gut and yet another got him right in the head. Kurayami then walked in, reeling in the tentacles and pulling Fear closer.

"Your energy is mine..." he said, draining Fear's powers and letting the remains be absorbed into the Nightmare Obsidian. "Endgame."

"Might I ask where you got the purple aura from?" Havering asked, recognising the power that Kurayami used.

"No. You already know anyway..." Kurayami replied before going back to his standing spot and going silent.

After a while of repairs, the Spectrum was on its way again.

Note: Most people onboard emit small bits of magical energy, even if spells aren't used. The only way to keep the magick powered lights from being interrupted by the energy is to limit the field around each person and essentially keep their invisible auras to themselves (through dampeners). With all the people onboard and Fear's mind warping illusion field, I wouldn't be surprised if the lights went totally off instead of going really dim.