Author's Notes: chillinwithRAYintheuk, your review really made me giggle! I'm off sick from Uni and when I read it, it inspired me to add another update. Sorry it takes me so long - life is hectic. But thanks!

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The house at which they arrived was extremely modern with very impressive suave architecture. The house was built up of four boxes at different angles and the roof tops were slanted in different directions with jagged silver edges. The walls of the house were made entirely of glass so that the furniture and lights could be seen through their shimmering forms, though blinds were pulled across most of them on this night. The lead up to the house was on flat concrete, which led them up some steps and onto the large patio balcony of the house, on higher land.

"Blimey..." Jonathan gasped, admiring the beautiful estate, "this must've cost a few..."

Carter just nodded in agreement, sharing Jonathan's facial expression of awe. Femi admitted, it was a nice place to live, but she preferred more privacy and warm cottage-like homeliness. She didn't want her home to look like an art display. Carl led them to the front door, which was made of a silver iron, and buzzed the speakerphone button on the side of it. After a few seconds passed, someone spoke.

"Who is it?" A man snapped.

"Me. I've got people to see the boss." Carl answered tiredly.

"He's downstairs." Mysteriously, this was all the man said back to Carl.

There was a short buzzing sound, followed by a click, from which the door automatically started to open out towards them all without any helping hand. Carl nodded back to them all as to gesture for them to follow him into the exquisite house. The four of them moved into the house and let Carl lead them through the hall and down a flight of stairs which took them into an underground section of the beautiful house. The floor was made of white stone and the walls were a smooth marble grey. At the end of the short, dimly-lit hall was another door at which Carl stopped only briefly to slide an activation card through a slot positioned in the left corner. There was a short beeping of permission granted before the door unlocked and Carl opened it, stepping into the secured room. Alex and the others braced themselves for whatever it was they were about to find.

Inside, the room was made of more artsy marble and glass and was filled with statues and paintings that were obviously of great financial value from the way they were set out on stone stands like a museum. Femi was, at first, thrilled by the treasures and was more focussed on gawking at them than the man that stood at the far end of the room with a stunning snow leopard sitting obediently by his side. In his hands he held a thick steak at which the beautiful tiger was hungrily watching while licking its lips. When Femi was stopped by the halt in the group, she looked up ahead to finally see the man and his tiger and let out a shocked gasp and jumped back faintly. She grabbed Alex's hand at once.

"Welcome to my humble home," The man spoke without smiling, "I hope you like it."

"Like it?" Jonathan snorted, "it's a bloody bank!"

The man didn't even blink at hearing Jonathan's tacky comment. He was wearing a plum, silk robe with dark trousers underneath and on his feet he wore a pair of black slippers. His greying hair was quite long but pulled back into a ponytail to keep off of his face and a simple set of spectacles sat on the bridge of his nose to emphasise his green eyes. He was silent and still but had an air of dominance about him.

"Are these the ones?" He asked dryly, looking to Carl.

Carl nodded and slapped his hands into the backs of Carter and Jonathan so that they stumbled forwards towards the tiger. At their sudden movement, the tiger growled and stood up onto all fours warningly, making the two men gulp air and steady themselves instantly. The tiger's owner whistled to catch its attention and then threw the steak to the floor - the tiger snatched it up in its mouth before casually strolling to the corner of the room where a luxurious bed (a giant dog bed) awaited it.

"What an interested pet," Carter nervously tried to flatter the man, "fan of the cat family are you?"

"Yes," He nodded calmly, "I had two, but Shiba ate my lawyer. It did not go down too well."

Femi and Alex remained as calm as possible while Jonathan and Carter just laughed nervously to brush it off as if it was a joke. But ones they realised that the man was not even smiling, they froze in horror.

"I am Armand. I am a man of great patience, you must know, "He brushed his freakishly long fingernails against his silk robe, "but I have none left to spare on the two of you. I know what you have taken from me - and I honestly believe that you know you will be returning it to me shortly."

Jonathan burst out into another fit of childishly sheepish chuckles and looked around at everyone as if asking for some sort of help. Armand evidently wasn't aware that Jonathan was actually wearing the ring, already; he hid his hand behind his back. However, Carl was quick to notice his sneaky cowering and roughly grabbed his wrist and yanked him over to Armand without hesitation.

"Hey!" Alex barked and took a step forwards.

Armand looked at Alex as if only just noticing him, "And who are you?"

"I'm the guy you don't want to piss off." Alex cockily replied.

"Alex..." Femi rolled her eyes mentally.

At hearing her voice, Armand absorbed Femi's appearance and raised his eyebrows with a type of interest that made Alex blink in offense. Was he actually checking her out, right in front of him? Protectively, Alex clicked his fingers to make Armand look at him and he pointed back and forth from his eyes and Armand's' with his two main fingers.

Alex sarcastically ordered, "Eyes on me, buddy."

Femi looked to the floor in an awkward embarrassment. Armand almost smiled.

"Look," Jonathan grunted as he struggled in Carls' grasp, "we didn't steal - we just - we used our talents without knowing it!"

Armand glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, "Your idiocy amuses me... Give me the ring."

Armand held his flat palm out to wait for Carl to retrieve the ring from Jonathan and place it in his hand... but it never happened. Impatiently, Armand closed his eyes with a huff and clicked his fingers.

"Uh, Armand, Sir..." Carl cleared his throat, "that's what we've come to tell ya'..."

Armand opened his eyes and stomped his foot, "Give me the ring, you baffoon!"

Carl scowled angrily at hearing this insult, "He's wearing it."

Armand's eyes grew as he slowly turned to face Carl as if trying to confirm what he had just heard. Nobody spoke. They just watched Armand digesting this piece of information without knowing what to expect. Would he scream, shout, hit someone? Blow up?

"LUCIFER!" He suddenly hollered, his shoulders tense, and hands shaking furiously.

The tiger on the opposite side of the room burst into the scene and suddenly leapt across the air to attack one of Carls' friends who had his back turned on the feline. Femi screamed out as the man was tackled to the floor to be mauled at by the ferocious beast. Alex jumped away in a mad rush of panic and dragged her across to the other side of the room, away from the bloodshed; everyone other than Armand followed him. Femi covered her ears and pressed her face into Alex's shoulder to stop herself from hearing or seeing any of the attack taking place. It didn't last very long.

Carter was breathing heavily with wide eyes, "Was that necessary?"

Carl, who stood alongside them all, was just wary of the situation but didn't seem as threatened. He watched the tiger feasting with no expression in his eyes, as if he had seen it too many times before. He was drawn from his calm studies when his boss' voice sliced into the air.

"Carl," He barked, attempting to catch his breath, "do you have any idea what this now means?"

"Y-y-y-y-y-you just killed him!" Carter stuttered, pointing in fear at the bloody body lying on the floor, "I can see his kidneys!"

Femi released a muffled groan of disgust from against Alex's chest, praying for Carter to be quiet; Alex stroked her back comfortingly. He, like Carl, wasn't as disturbed as the others but he was most definitely surprised that Armand would let something like this happen so casually.

"I cannot believe this," Armand pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, "everything I worked for..."

"You?" Alex snickered, finally able to look away from the tiger as he chewed on some bloody shirt, "what about my uncle? What about his life?"

"The only way to remove that ring without bringing chaos down is to use up all the wishes." Armand clenched his fists in front of his face.

"But we can't do that," Alex glared at the insane man, "can we."

Armand sighed hopelessly, "Obviously not."

"I suggested amputation..." Carl spoke carefully in a cheeky tone.

"You fool!" Armand threw his hands up in the air, "am I working with complete morons? You must not remove the ring! If you cut off the connection between the God and its instrument, it could be worse than making the wishes altogether!"

"How do you know?" Alex gritted his teeth in frustration.

Femi still clung to the front of him, though her hands were now lowered by her shoulders; Carl's friend hid behind a statue in fear that he would be Armand's next means of anger ventilation.

"I was exploring out in Mexico when I came across a tribe who welcomed me. They told me of the story of this ring and, ever since, I had searched for it. It has taken three years for me to actually set my eyes upon it... and it is on another's hand. The whole purpose for finding that ring was to prevent this from ever happening!" Armand then relaxed and made an innocent face, "And to sell it, of course, for the greater good."

At hearing all of this, Femi slowly dared herself to turn her head against Alex's chest so that she could look at Armand as he spoke. His words were reeling her in.

"The natives aren't my biggest fans, let us say," Armand waved his hand carelessly, "but people who live in the past can never understand us modern businessmen. History is valuable."

"You mean, they worshipped the ring?" Femi meekly asked from where she stood stiffly, "and you took it against their permission?"

Armand looked at Femi and his face tensed up. It was the truth in her question that had caught him off-guard - truth that he could not deny.

"My dear," Armand shook his head proudly, "they had no idea of its importance in this world. I had to make sure it was never found by anyone else..."

"So now, because of you, our friend's life is at risk?" Femi felt her protective side firing up.

Just then, there was a disturbing crack from the body of Carl's dead friend as the tiger had obviously broken a bone somewhere and Femi flinched in absolute discomfort and grabbed onto Alex's shirt once again. Armand noticed this and barked the tigers name so that it cowered away into its corner again - but not without dragging a leg with him.

"I apologise for the bloodshed," Armand charmingly spoke, "I would never usually let such things take place in the presence of a fine woman, but my anger is growing short these days..."

Femi turned her head again to send Armand a look of rejection; she didn't accept his apology at all and her eyes told him just how disgraceful she thought he was. Armand pretended to be wounded by placing a hand on his heart and pouting. Pig.

Alex returned the conversation to the issue at hand, "What is this tribe? Where are they?"

"And why should I tell you?" Armand looked Alex up and down in a belittling manner.

"Because," Alex's brow creased menacingly, "they're probably the only people left that can help my uncle."

"Perhaps," Armand gave a selfish shrug, "but that will not get me my ring back, will it."

"Forget your stupid ring!" Carter bravely snapped from his position against the wall, "this is much bigger now!"

"Too right!" Jonathan nodded beside him, "my life!"

"And the world," Femi tensely corrected him, "this has gotten completely out of control, and all because of money."

Armand actually appeared upset this time, "Do not mistake me, my beauty... Money is just a bonus for being the protector of such a powerful artefact. I wanted nothing more than to keep everyone from harm. But if someone such as myself were capable of finding the ring, imagine how easily an army or a scientist could. And what would they use it for?"

Femi thought he held sense in his words, though she still didn't trust him or hold any sympathy for him in the slightest. He had just gladly set his tiger upon a man and allowed it to feast on him!

"Armand," Carl decided to step in and reason with his boss, "perhaps I could speak with you, in private?"

Everyone waited apprehensively for Armand to answer while he looked to Carl with a ticking brain. Femi looked up to Alex in concern and he gave her a reassuring squeeze around her waist. What was going to happen?

"If you wish." Armand nodded, now having returned to his calm stature.

Carl looked to Femi and Alex, basically to signal for them to make their leave. They did, quickly, with Jonathan, Carter and the other employee of Armand rushing after them. When they made it safely out of the room and back into the hall, everyone released loud sighs and groans as if they had held their breaths for so long.

"Is he always that insane?" Jonathan asked Armand's employee in a shocked tone.

The man just nodded in silent terror... Time passed seemingly slowly, despite how quick it actually happened. Everyone was so nervous that time probably stood still. The group just stood, leaning against the walls, gazing into space with their heads clouded in dismay. When they heard the door open, everyone jumped at once; Carl was smiling craftily.

"Well?" Alex impatiently asked with a sarcastic shrug.

Carl looked back at him with an expression of arrogant authority. Femi didn't like the toying look in those eyes of his; he was about to deliver news that no one would particularly be enthused by.

"We're going to Mexico."