InsaneJournal

Apprentice of the Sixth Age 9/12
Title: Apprentice of the Sixth Age
Chapter Title: Fungus
Rated: NC17 (chapter rating R)
Pairings: Danny/Lancer
Fandom: Danny Phantom
Danny Phantom belongs to Nickelodeon and its associates. The Call of Cthulhu role playing game belongs to Chaosium Inc.
Notes from the last eight chapters.

-----

This is the second novel of the Apprentice Arc.

Writing of this novel began in May 2006. The novel was finished in March 2007. It spawned a third installment, a short story which was began in March 2007 and is nearing completion. It has been edited for grammar repeatedly.

The Apprentice story arc grapples with a multitude of themes that a great many people may not be comfortable with, including but not restricted to Insanity, Slash, Het, Pedophilia, Drug Use, Polyamoury, and Master/Servant Relations.

-----

Monday morning Lancer sat in an uncomfortable chair in a too-cold waiting room as he waited to meet the person who would be declaring him insane.

“Lyonell?” the receptionist asked.

Lancer looked around to see he and the receptionist were the only two people, dead or alive, in the room. Did she really need to ask? “Yes?”

“The doctor will see you now.”

Lancer got up. “Thank you.” He knocked on the door separating the psychiatrist’s office from the waiting room.

“Come in,” called a bored voice.

Lancer entered, closing the door behind him. “Hello, Doctor.”

The psychiatrist, a Dr. McKenzie glanced from Lancer to his file and back again. “Please, Lyonell, call me Rachael. After all, we’re going to become very good friends. Please, sit.”

“I see.” Lancer did not feel pleased with this. He sat in the chair offered.

“Now then, what would you like to talk about?”

Lancer held back a sigh. This was going to take a long time. “Tell me, Rachael, how long have you lived in Amity Park?”

“Long enough,” she shuddered. “Ghosts everywhere.”

Well, at least she recognizes that they exist. “Then what would your professional opinion be if I told you that I’m dating such a creature? That my lover is a ghost?”

Rachael twitched. She had a twin sister who claimed to be a psychic, who she’d had committed for that belief. And now, here in Amity Park she’d been forced to admit that maybe her twin had been right. “I’d say that I’ve seen something similar before,” she admitted. “My sister is a psychic.”

“Oh.” Lancer relaxed somewhat. Perhaps he could deal with this.

“How do you feel about having a ghost as a lover?”

Lancer thought for a moment. “I feel all sorts of things,” he finally said. “I used to be afraid of ghosts, even after I started seeing him. I guess I still am, at least I’m afraid of what could happen. I mean, I’m alive. He’s not. What if he needs something that I can’t give? I… I guess that’s why I tried to commit suicide; I didn’t want either of us to be alone. We had a fight earlier that day. He admitted something that scared me and I lashed out at him. He…” He sighed. “His afterlife is going through a great upheaval right now; everything’s changing. I feel like I can’t keep up with it. Specifically I feel like it’s my human instincts that can’t keep up. So we fought, angry words were exchanged, and one of us suggested perhaps we break up until I die and no longer have to deal with these instincts. He left and then I tried to kill myself.”

“Has he come back to you?” Rachael asked.

“He has. We forgave each other, had some great make-up sex, the whole nine yards. He seemed almost… human throughout it all, like he was trying to make up for his ghostlyness.”

“The police report says you were found with a pair of ghosts hovering over you, trying to keep you alive. Were either of them your lover?”

“Nay. One was Technus, Master of Technology, and the other was my lover’s master, Clockwork, Master of Time. Clockwork kept me alive because my Daniel needs me alive.”

Rachael gave him a good stare. “You’re dating Danny Phantom?”

Lancer slumped onto one arm of the chair. “Does everyone know about that?” he asked.

“Yes, yes they do,” she informed him. “Your ghost Technus announced it to the town, remember?”

“I was busy at the time,” he admitted. “I play Riff Raff in the local cast of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I was rehearsing in my classroom during that battle.”

“You didn’t care that your Daniel was fighting a losing battle?”

“He fights ghosts on a regular basis,” Lancer defended. “Daniel told me how it went later. It was a test devised by his master, which he failed miserably. He was taken back to the Ghost Zone to his master’s lair where he spent the next year in history lessons so he wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice.”

“‘The next year’?” she asked.

“Time flows different for ghosts than it does for humans,” Lancer admitted.

“Tell me, Lyonell, would you rather be a ghost or a human?”

Lancer thought carefully on this. “A human,” he said. “People change when they die. Sometimes they forget who they were entirely. I was ignorant when I tried to become a ghost but now that I know more I feel I’d rather live out my days as a human than become a ghost right away.”

Rachael looked at her clock. Wow, time flies. The hour they’d been allotted was up. “Well, Lyonell Lancer, I have to say that in my professional opinion you are quite sane. You’re free to return to work, under one condition.”

“Yes?” Lancer asked, suddenly nervous.

“I want you and Daniel to report to me this Thursday afternoon for relationship counseling.”

“I’ll have to talk to Daniel about it but, agreed.” They shook hands and Lancer left.

Rachael plopped down in her chair. The things she went through to make a difference. Though after seeing Lancer she wasn’t sure teaching would be much better.

-----

The next day at lunch Lancer strode over to the gaming table in silence. Dash and Danny saw him but kept quiet, mischievous looks in their eyes.

“Man, I’m bored,” Kwan sighed. “I wish Lancer was back, then we could play.”

“Why can’t we?” Lancer asked, standing right behind him.

Sam jumped up and gave Lancer a big hug. “You’re back!” she cried. Tucker, Kwan, Danny, and Dash refrained from hugging but that didn’t stop them from grinning madly.

“Yes, I’m back,” Lancer said. He disengaged from the hug and sat down to hide the fact that he was getting light-headed.

“Are you sure you’re up to a game?” Dash asked, eyeing the wrist bandages poorly hidden under a long-sleeved collared shirt.

“Can I see?” Tucker asked.

Sam smacked him upside the head. “Don’t ask that,” she scolded.

Lancer chuckled and undid one of his bandages. A thick white line marred the skin of his wrist.

“Eee,” Kwan said.

“That must have hurt,” Tucker remarked.

“Not really,” Lancer admitted.

“That healed really fast,” Dash observed. “It looks a month healed.”

“Blame Phantom for that.”

“So it’s true?” Dash asked. “You’re really dating Danny Phantom?” He gave Danny a sidelong look. Danny tried to make himself small.

“Yes, yes, the rumors are true. I’m dating Daniel Phantom.”

Across the room the popular table erupted in anger. Paulina screamed and stomped away. The cheerleading squad stared. At another table Valerie’s jaw dropped. The football team tried not to think about it. A number of geeks and goths cheered. In the corner William scowled.

“Well I don’t have much ready for today,” Dash began, “but I’ve got this little adventure here just perfect for a quick one-off. From the mangled remains of today’s adventure group we can begin a new campaign.”

“That’s fine with me,” Kwan said. The rest agreed.

-----

“I’m Sandra Johnson,” Danny said, introducing his character. “I’m an albino and I’m a painter. I’m okay but I’d really like to improve.”

“I’m Richard Sloane,” Kwan followed. “I’m an antiquarian. I look a great deal older than I really am but I blame the glasses and the grey hairs for that.”

“I’m Oliver Hornby,” Sam said. “I’m an athlete and I play baseball. I’m also a student at Miskatonic University but I’m not very good.”

“I’m Robert Fitzpatrick,” Tucker supplied. “I’m Professor of Astronomy at Miskatonic University. I’m 55 with a white moustache and I wear a hat.”

“You wear a lot of hats, Tuck,” Sam pointed out.

“I’m Michael Jones,” Lancer said. “I’m a drifter.”

“And I’ll be joining you as Selene Delacour,” Dash said last. “I’m a dancer.”

“Are you a Veela?” Tucker asked, interrupting him.

Dash looked him up and down. “I hope not, you’re old!” The room snickered. He pointed at Danny. “No, if you’re looking for a Veela, there’s your best bet.”

Danny stuck his tongue out at Dash. He tried to hide the fork by forcing the two ends together but it was still very… pointed. Kwan looked at him funny.

“Let’s begin,” Dash said. “You’ve all been contacted by a Mr. Knowles who has an employment offer for you. If you’re interested you’re to show up at the Indignant Gecko restaurant. For the purposes of justifying his interest in you for this case, I’m going to say you all know each other.

“Now then, you get to the Indignant Gecko and at a corner table in the back sits a nondescript man in a plain blue suit. What do you do?”

-----

“Your special skills and ability to handle troublesome situations have been brought to the attention of my employers,” Mr. Knowles said quietly. “They wish to hire you to investigate a particular situation and take steps as necessary to correct said situation.”

“Okay,” Robert said, appointing himself the spokesman for their group. “What is the situation? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

Mr. Knowles glanced around nervously. “That cannot be discussed here I fear,” he said. “If you accept you will be briefed before leaving.”

“When do we leave?” Michael asked. The others looked at him. “What?” he asked. “I got nuthin’ else to do.”

“Should you accept you will leave this afternoon via train to Los Angeles, then by steamer into the Pacific.”

“I accept,” Michael said.

“As do I,” said Richard. Sandra, Oliver, and Selene agreed as well. Everyone looked expectantly at Robert.

“I’ll do it,” Robert finally said. “But only because it’s summer break.”

That night on the train Mr. Knowles brought the group together to his compartment and briefed them. “Let’s get down to business here. My employers have recently acquired the construction rights on a small Pacific island. The land clearing and the construction went well, although some human remains where found in the construction site. These remains where carefully preserved and transported to a university for study. The site was examined by archaeologists and found to have no real archeological merit and construction continued.

“After several weeks, an assistant vice president went to the island on a fact finding tour. Shortly after his arrival, an odd radio transmission was received: ‘Stay...stay away...something on our skins...in our throats...on our eyes...euphoria...drugged...eating flesh...Disease!...Disease! For the love of God, stay away!..urk...urk..arrrrr...’

“That transmission was received sixteen hours ago. We’re sending you as quickly as possible to the island to find out what happened, and if there are any survivors.” He handed them a map of the island and told them that transportation was to be provided ass well as any needed equipment they might ask for, within reason, of course.

“Will we be going alone?” Robert asked.

“You’ll be joining two company representatives, an infectious disease specialist and the crew of the seaplane that is to transport you.”

“Seaplane?” Selene asked.

“You’ll be transported by steamer to Fiji. From there you’ll take a seaplane to the island.”

“What about pay?” asked Richard.

“Should you be successful you’ll each be paid generously, fifteen hundred dollars each,” Mr. Knowles said.

“I’m in,” Oliver said. Michael agreed. The rest huddled together and discussed it amongst themselves. “We’re in.”

“Excellent.”

-----


“It takes you five days to get to Fiji,” Dash supplied. “On the fastest steamship any of you have ever seen. You travel an average of 27 knots an hour. You’ve been on trains that don’t go that fast.

“Once there you meet the team members Knowles spoke of. Dr. Lee is an anthropologist at the University of California at Los Angeles. Dr. Sejek is a biologist of the same university. William Malloy and Heidi Lin are the company representatives, Dr. Karl Sturmbach is the infectious disease specialist, and the seaplane will be crewed by Bob DeSantis and Sam Beck. They all have some… very interesting things to say.”

-----

“A graduate student of mine found the markings on the bones,” Dr. Lee rambled as they flew to the island via the seaplane. “Dr. Sejek here figured out that they’d been eaten away by something.”

“This eating was by a fungus,” Dr. Sejek supplied. “And the bodies were still alive when this eating took place. It’s all very interesting, I’d love to get my hands on this fungus, it’s an entirely new species!”

Richard shuddered. This biologist was creepy, there was no other word for it. “Might there be something about the island itself?” he asked.

“There are several small islands that are haunted,” Dr. Lee continued. “One such tale tells of a terrible monster that ‘eats of the skin’ which destroyed an entire village. According to the myth the villagers disturbed the monster in a ‘small pool of decay’ and it consumed them.”

“And what will you be doing on this trip?” Sandra asked Malloy.

“It’s my job to make sure everything runs smoothly and in accord with company policy,” Malloy said gruffly. The red eyes of the woman talking to him were disturbing.

Sandra pouted prettily. “Aww, is that all?” she asked. She leaned in closer, batting her pretty red eyes.

Malloy cringed away from her. “Yes, Ma’am, that’s all I’ll be doing. Making sure everything goes right.” She pulled way and he shuddered.

“Leave him alone,” Richard admonished, pulling her close. She giggled.

“This is a map of the island,” Heidi was saying to Robert. “Marked on it is everything we figured were relevant, including the topography, the construction site, and the volcano. Not like you can miss that though, huh?”

Robert shook his head. “No, Madam, not likely.”

-----

“Wwell, you get to the island okay and we’ll stop there,” Dash said.

The bell rang. Dash gave Danny a pointed glare. Danny hung back as the rest left for class. As soon as they were alone Danny sighed. "It's true," he admitted. "I'm Danny Phantom."

"You really think I didn't know?" Dash asked.

"Huh?"

"I've known since freshman year when you were dumb enough to use Fenton Wipe to T.P. the inside of my locker."

Danny blushed. "Oh. I was thinking it was the incident with the Fenton Crammer."

"The what?"

"The shrink ray," he clarified.

"Ah. Well it's not like that didn't reinforce my knowledge. Any moron would have known after that."

Danny sat hunched over on the lunch table and kicked his feet. He sat up and gave Dash a look. "Then why did you try and convince me to bully me?" he asked, confused.

Dash shrugged and sat next to him on the table. "I dunno, habit? A test? You have to admit it left absolutely no ambiguity over the identity of your human form."

"Ahem." Someone from the doorway cleared their throat. Dash and Danny looked up to see Lancer standing there. "I suggest discussing this somewhere less… public," he said.

"Yes, Lyonell," the two boys said. "Broom closet?" Danny suggested.

Lancer nodded his approval and returned to class.

"Broom closet," Dash agreed. They snuck off to the broom closet.

"So, now what?" Danny asked.

"I guess I should ask you what your plans are."

Danny transformed to his ghost form. He smirked at the impressed look Dash gave him. "I gained this form in exchange for apprenticing myself to the Master of Time. In six years Master will step down and I'll take over his position."

"That's it?"

"Well… no, not really," Danny admitted. "I heard rumor of some Observants causing trouble, trying to convince people that Master and I are out to destroy the world but I'm sure that's just a rumor."

"Observants? What are those?"

"Servants. Master's servants. They exist to take on some of his power so that he's not as all-powerful as the station of 'Master of Time' would imply."

Dash noticed something. "Does your master have a name or do you not know it or what?"

Danny blushed and pointed at the steel collar around his neck, Clockwork's medallion hanging from a ring in the front like a dog tag. "I know his name but as long as I wear this I am incapable of calling Master by name."

"That seems kinda fucked up. Can you ever take it off?"

"No, not until I take his place. It's welded on."

"That's really fucked up."

"It's not that bad," Danny insisted. "Okay, so I can never take the collar off, I don't mind it. It's, I dunno, it's comforting, like I have a purpose in my afterlife."

"Lyonell doesn't mind?!" Dash demanded.

"He does, but I did this because he was feeling guilty about me being so young. It's a trade-off, I guess, but neither of us brings it up. Unless of course he's sucking on my neck, then he prefers me to take human form 'cause the collar tends to get in the way."

Dash hid behind his hands. "I really don't want to know anything about Lyonell's sexual habits, please."

Danny chuckled. "Okay, I'll refrain." He paused for a moment, evil thoughts brewing. One of them broke through. "Did you know Lyonell's a cross-dresser?"

"AUGH!" Dash cried as he covered his ears with his hands.

Danny laughed.

The door was thrown open. The principal stood in the doorway, a stern look on her face. Then she saw Danny. "Ghost!" she cried.

Danny sighed in annoyance. "Ungh."

It took perhaps thirty seconds before the hallway was filled with people. Lancer pushed his way through the crowd to the doorway. "Daniel?" he asked.

Danny stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Lancer. "Hello, Lyonell. Dash and I were just talking."

Lancer returned the embrace and nuzzled Danny's white hair. "That's fine but you shouldn't be making my students truant."

Danny blushed. "Sorry." He gave Lancer a peck on the cheek.

"What in the bloody hell is going on here?!" the principal demanded.

Lancer pulled a little away from Danny. "Ah. Yes. Mrs. Ishiyama, this is my lover Danny Phantom."

The students in the corridor gasped. Paulina burst into tears and shoved her way out of the crowd and away down the corridor.

"Okay…" Lancer said as he watched her run.

"She's had a crush on me for two years," Danny explained.

"Haven't you formally rejected her yet?"

"Several times. It hasn't worked yet."

Mrs. Ishiyama cleared her throat. "And how old are you?" she asked Danny.

"Five thousand twenty-eight years," he answered. "And I see you don't believe me. No one believes me. I could bring the bloody Master of Time out here to corroborate my statement and no one would believe me."

Lancer smacked him in the back of the head. "Rant about it another time," he scolded.

Danny flashed his red eyes and stuck his forked tongue out at the man.

"Enough!" the principal screamed. "Everyone, back to class! Mr. Lancer, send this… ghost… away. Now!"

Students dispersed, grumbling. Lancer kissed Danny goodbye and Danny went invisible to sneak back to class.

-----

Paulina sat on the floor of the empty corridor, crying. She cried for her slow descent out of popularity. She cried for her lost love, Danny Phantom. She cried for her self-perceived ugliness, the same ugliness that must have driven the ghost boy away through time into Lancer’s arms. Of all people, it had to be old, fat, bald Lancer! Was she so repulsive that the Phantom found that, that man prettier than her, the prettiest girl in school?

“Don’t cry, Child,” cooed a soothing deep voice.

Paulina looked up and screamed. A legless ghost floated before her. It wore ornate robes and had long, thin hands, but what made it frightening was the giant eye it had in place of a head. “W-what are you?!” she shrieked.

The ghost bowed before her. “I am an Observant, one of the true keepers of Time. I come to you peaceably, but in the direst of circumstances. The ghost boy Danny Phantom is in danger.”

“D-danger?” she asked, tears dry and fear slowly fading.

“Yes, danger. He’s allied himself with an impostor who calls himself a Master of Time. This impostor is planning to destroy both our worlds and is going to use the ghost boy as his tool to do it.”

“That’s terrible!” she cried.

“I know. That’s why we need your help. The ghost boy is drawing power from one Lyonell Lancer. It would be beneficial for both our worlds if you could… break them apart. If Phantom is kept… preoccupied then we’ll be able to destroy this Master of Time before he can complete his heinous rituals.”

Paulina drew herself together and stood up. “You can count on me, Mr. Observant!”

The Observant felt pleased. “We are most grateful.” It disappeared.

Valerie rounded the corner in a run, Ecto-Blaster at the ready. “Paulina,” she shouted, “are you all right? What was it?”

“It was just a ghost,” Paulina said. “It’s gone now.”

Valerie swore. “There have been more and more ghosts appearing everywhere, ever since that blasted ghost boy apprenticed himself to the Master of Time.”

“He did?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t hear. That ghost Technus shouted it to the world just last month.”

“Oh, that. Yes, I heard that. Tell me, Valerie, have you come any closer to catching that nasty little ghost boy?”

End