Here's another chapter! Things are moving along splendidly!
Mitha Sentro: Yup! In this fanfic, he's three centuries plus years old, and all that time, he spent learning and experiencing the world. He's going to be a little badass in this! Um, what do you mean by the 'Why you didn't do like you do in Forces before?'. Are you asking Gadget?
And really, don't feel bad about the lack of questions. Perhaps I'm more obvious than I thought and everyone has already figured it out XD! Either way, thank you for your review and your patience!
Now, on with the chapter!
Chapter 10
Later, back in the villa...
It was not the sun shining in his eyes or the sounds of activity going on about in the large villa they were currently staying in that woke him up. No, it wasn't because of the warmer temperature of the dawning day or his gradual notice of the snores of the still-sleeping mobians either.
He woke up because something was amiss.
Drowsy dark grey eyes blinked open and instinctively scanned their surroundings. Faline's bright gold fur (no longer dirty and muddy after the shower they took advantage of) blocked most of his sight, but Cody raised his head slightly and looked around.
The rest of his friends-slash-family were still in bed, still in a puppy pile, but Cody was quick to notice what was amiss, and it startled him enough to sit up. "Riley?" he called out softly, gaze darting about the room. To his dismay, there was no sign of the familiar dhole anywhere.
Now, if this were to happen back at their shack, Cody wouldn't mind. Riley was prone to disappearing early in the morning, but he always came back. But they were not back at their shack. They were in a strange place, in a strange territory with strangers everywhere. And for Riley to disappear while they were here...
"Hm? Cody?" Faline's soft mutter drew his attention as the small cat woke up, yawning and stretching out. "What is it?" she asked, seeing the distressed look on the Chinese Crested dog's face.
"It's Riley. He's gone," Cody replied back, not even thinking of being subtle to avoid scaring her. He himself was already scared.
And as he thought, as soon as his words sunk in, Faline gasped and sat up. She also looked around the room, and when there was no Riley to be found, she let out a distressed mew. "Do you think Riley's gone out again?"
"I don't know..." Cody murmured. "I didn't think he would do that, not here."
"He'll be back. He always comes back, right?"
'Let's hope he does,' Cody thought privately to himself as he didn't reply to Faline's question and instead got around to waking the others up. By the hands on the bedside clock, breakfast had already started and they didn't want to miss it. Hopefully, they would see Riley there...
The courtyard was where breakfast was being served, its enormous size able to accommodate the many humans and mobians in the villa. Long wooden tables and benches were neatly lined in several rows while a large buffet was set up at one end. The humans and mobians were rushing about like a chaotic river, the entire courtyard enveloped in a cacophony of chatter and movement.
In the face of such a busy and crowded place, the small group of mobian kids could only huddle closer together. With Riley missing, most were unnerved and frazzled, eyes darting about almost akin to a cornered animal. They moved even closer to Cody, who was also unnerved, but was pushing it down for their sakes.
Not a few seconds after they entered the courtyard, the group was ushered towards one of the tables by a friendly mobian servant. Seeing as the kids were too nervous to go to the buffet table, the servant offered to bring them food. Cody spoke up on the group's behalf and it was only after the servant left that Faline asked quietly, "Can you see Riley?"
At Faline's question, Cody stood up from his seat and tried to look at the huge crowd, but it was a fruitless effort. Not only were the humans and some mobians too tall for him to see over their heads, but even when he stood up on the bench (ignoring looks for his action), there were too many mobians with reddish-brown fur and their own colorful accessories that were distracting Cody.
Disheartened, the Chinese Crested dropped back down on his seat, shaking his head. Faline slumped and the kids who were paying attention winced. "Do you know why he left?" one of them asked.
"He was gone by the time I woke up," Cody replied with a frown. "I think he woke up early and...perhaps he went out to explore?"
"But without telling us?"
Cody frowned deeper at the question, his heart clenching in his chest and dropping to his queasy stomach. "Maybe he has a reason?"
Next to him, Faline suddenly gasped and shot up. She grabbed Cody's arm and tugged it excitedly, pointing at the crowd. "Look! There's Riley!"
Almost every kid's head shot up at that. Cody was already out of his seat by the time they even saw the dhole mobian moving towards their table. "Riley!" Cody called out, a relieved smile flashing on his face briefly before it changed to a worried and annoyed expression. "Where have you been?"
"Just out," was the short reply from the dhole. Sleepy brown eyes gazed tiredly at softening grey, Cody noticing just how exhausted Riley looked. "I heard something last night and went out to check. Couldn't find my way back until now..."
"What was it?" Cody asked, reaching over to tug Riley's hand and lead him towards the table. "Come on, you can talk about it to us at the table."
Riley shook his head, standing firmly at his spot. "Can't. I still have something to do... Cody." The dhole stared seriously at the younger mobian. "For today...for today, I won't be around you guys. I have something to do. I...I won't be back until tomorrow, when all of this is over."
Cody froze at those words, his face flashing through several emotions: shock, devastation, worry and wariness. "Why?"
"I can't tell you, not yet. But after this, I promise, I'll tell you." Riley gently pulled his hand away from Cody. "I have to go."
With that, Riley disappeared back into the crowd while Cody was left to stumble back towards the worried and curious group. "Where's Riley going now? What did he say?" Faline was quick to ask as Cody slumped into his seat.
"...He said he had something to do, that he won't be coming back until tomorrow..."
"...and he said he can't tell us, until tomorrow."
"...Let's not worry about him then. He promised, didn't he? He promised that he'll tell us, so...so let's wait for him."
"That's all we can do for now."
A sigh escaped Gadget as the voices faded away. The construct of Riley he sent to his charges had returned by then, now standing in front of Gadget. The Guardian reached out and removed the bead-shaped talisman he slipped in the construct's pocket. As soon as he did, the construct's tired expression melted away, leaving behind the familiar blank look all constructs had. And when Gadget waved a hand, the construct's image disintegrated into red blocks.
"...What was that for?"
Gold eyes turned to see Infinite staring back at him. The jackal had donned on his poncho once more, pulling up the hood and shadowing his face so that only his eyes could be seen. He was standing rigidly, arms crossed on his chest and hands curled up, the talismans Gadget placed on him standing out.
"Taking care of something," Gadget replied, vague but truthful. He placed the talisman back in his pocket and pulled out the Phantom Ruby. Ignoring Infinite's sharpened gaze, the Guardian applied a paper talisman on the ruby, the same one he used on Infinite to hide the jackal's presence.
Infinite's eyes subtly widened when the ruby and its presence vanished, leaving behind not even the faintest trace. It garnered interest from the jackal. While the subtle method wasn't exactly a route Infinite preferred, a talisman that could hide even the powerful presence of the Phantom Ruby was still interesting and the jackal could certainly see several ways he could exploit it.
He was brought of his thoughts when Gadget's attention turned back to Infinite. "Now, what to do with you...?"
"You have already captured me, forced me in this humiliating situation. You have me at your mercy, and here you are, openly contemplating my fate in front of my face," Infinite snarled, his hackles and bushy tail bristling in his anger and indignation.
"I never did give you an impression that I am ostentatiously virtuous person, did I?" Gadget huffed, staring unimpressed at the jackal.
"The entire debacle of how you refused to let me have the Phantom Ruby to bring this world into ruin?" Infinite jabbed back, sending his own unimpressed look at the Guardian. "Plus your hesitance to kill me."
The flinch Gadget gave at the word 'kill' didn't escape Infinite's notice, and the jackal snorted.
Gadget narrowed his eyes at Infinite and retorted, "I do not kill unnecessarily."
"Then you have a very strange definition of what is 'unnecessary'," Infinite murmured. "You have an enemy at your mercy. An enemy who will not rest until he has seen you suffer and dead for good, with the Phantom Ruby in his grasp. You are too soft."
"Oh?" Gadget was losing his impatience as he leaned towards Infinite, a glare in his eyes and a bite in his voice. "Perhaps I should give you the full experience of being in Null Space? You responded quite well to it the last time, and that was only an illusion. I wonder how you will cope with the real deal?"
Infinite's hands shook. He fisted them tighter, and even then, they trembled. A sensation of fear he had never felt before lurched up in his stomach, and it took every bit of his control not to show any outwards response to the infuriating Guardian. He glared at Gadget, a defiant gesture.
Infinite would not show weakness. Not now, not ever.
The two continued their stare-down for a few more seconds before Gadget spoke up. "Know this Infinite. I do not kill. Because there are things worse than the mercy of death. Such as the three options I am about to offer you."
Gadget raised one finger. "One, you give up on the Phantom Ruby, for good. You will not ever come for it, directly or otherwise."
"As if I would give up on the ruby just like that!" Infinite snarled, torn between anger and amusement. "Do you think it would be so easy, just asking me not to come for it?"
Gadget ignored Infinite's words and raised a second finger. "Two, I imprison you in Mistbound Mountain, until your limited immortal life runs out."
Infinite quieted at that. Mistbound Mountain, it was the one place no spirit or mortal (or half-spirit) dared to enter. Enshrouded in myths and stories as it was in its infamous mist, Mistbound Mountain was a place of desolation. Mortals avoided it for its misty barrier while spirits avoided it for its lack of energy. It was like a void, no Chaos, Life or Gaia Energy at all. It unnerved the spirits, and they never approached the mountain.
If Gadget trapped him there, no one would come after him (not that there was anyone who would know of his disappearance). No one would find him again. He would be alone, cut off from the world, isolated for good.
It would be a meaningless existence, the epitome of everything Infinite disliked and wanted at the same time. His inner fire rebuked at the thought of becoming meaningless while his nihilistic side approved. It would be as if he was living in a world of ruin, the same one the Phantom Ruby showed.
But this wasn't the way Infinite wanted it.
A third finger raised up, bringing the jackal's attention back to the present. "Three, I imprison you in Null Space."
Infinite couldn't hold back a snarl at that. Gadget ignored it as well and continued, "Those are your three options Infinite. And know that as you said, I have you at my mercy. Should you not choose one of these options or try to resist, I will not hesitate to use the third option." Gold eyes pierced like knives into Infinite. "You wish to see me hard and ruthless. As such, I am sure you have no complaints on how I am dealing with you."
Oh the irony, the sheer audacity. Infinite wished he could rip these talismans apart and pin the Guardian down, have him at Infinite's mercy instead. See how he liked it when the roles were switched...
Gadget leaned back from Infinite. "I will give you until after the Chaos Festival to consider. If you have not by then, the third option." With that, Gadget started moving closer to the beach, and Infinite had no choice but to follow, snarling wordlessly the entire way.
The day passed by gradually with Solaris' journey across the sky. Not long afterwards, it was officially noon. The celebration among the spirits was still going strong, but some were already retiring, taking a chance to relax and mingle with the others.
The feasting was still going on though, and Gadget used a camouflage talisman to sneak in and swipe some of the food. He was taking no chances to approach the mortals, not while Infinite could follow him around thanks to the distance-limit talisman. And the Guardian was still too paranoid to leave Infinite out of his sight just yet.
Once he grabbed enough, he was quick to scurry away, back to where Infinite was waiting rigidly at the very edge of the grove of palm trees. The jackal eyed the food in Gadget's arms, his stomach giving a traitorous grumble.
"Here," Gadget said, instinctively handing half of the food to Infinite. Both froze when they registered the action; one staring at the offered food in surprise and the other inwardly berating this new instinct he developed. Back with his host's charges, whenever they were short of food, Riley was always quick to share his food, no matter how little there was. So when Gadget heard Infinite's stomach grumble...
The Guardian was quick to regain his composure while Infinite pushed away the food. "I do not need your sympathy," the jackal couldn't help but growl, an instinctive reaction. He wasn't used to being under someone's mercy (usually it was the other way around, with others cowering under him), so it was only after a few seconds before he realized that Gadget could easily starve him.
And while Infinite was half-spirit, he had no elemental form that did not require food, nor was his body a mortal shell with the same lack of needs. He could easily starve. His immortality wasn't absolute; he wouldn't die from old age, but other causes of death still applied to him.
Thankfully for Infinite, Gadget didn't seem to take his refusal as the Guardian instead placed the food down in front of Infinite before backing away and sitting down, leaning against another palm tree and digging in his half of the food.
The jackal grumbled, prolonging the time so that he wasn't seen weak. He slowly slid down until he was sitting as well, before slowly grabbing the food and eating. "I do not need your sympathy," he repeated.
"Right..." Gadget sighed, but other than that, both ignored each other.
The lunch time soon ended, but both remained in their spots. Half of Gadget's attention was on Infinite while the other half was in thoughts. Infinite himself was somewhat doing the same thing; a quarter watching Gadget and the rest lost in thoughts.
He needed to find a way out of this situation. He would not give up on the Phantom Ruby. It was his goal (and he would cling onto this goal with all he had, he would not give up this one goal, the one thing driving him, motivating him from his meaningless existence), and after this, it was his own way of exacting revenge on Gadget. As such, he also needed to avoid being imprisoned.
But how?
The jackal's thoughts continued to run. Right now, he was unable to fight, unable to use his powers, unable to run away, and there was no one he could contact to ask for help (not that he would ever; he was strong; he did not follow the sheep herd, did not cower among the herd, he was a predator that stood alone on his own and did so because he was strong). And he could not take off the talismans (he tried; it didn't turn out well).
As such, with that powerful talisman used to hide the Phantom Ruby, Infinite was basically unable to interact with anyone other than Gadget. He was basically cut off from the rest of the world, with Gadget as the only exception...
Gadget.
An idea came to mind. To get out of this mess, he would have to manipulate Gadget. But how?
As a mercenary, Infinite knew how to kill. He also know how to assassinate, how to steal and how to barter and negotiate (though for the latter, it mostly ended with a sword at a stubborn person's neck; Infinite found that the threat of death could be very persuasive). Right now, he needed to negotiate his freedom.
In his experiences, negotiations, at their very barest basics, involved two parties coming to an agreement so that both could have what they want. The party that had an advantage would gain more, and right now, Infinite was not that party.
As such, he would need to be smart about this. He would need to offer Gadget something the Guardian wanted more than anything, a desire...
A desire...such as the one the Phantom Ruby granted...
"Do you not know? I desire to be dead, for real..."
"When I first triggered it...I saw it. A world without a Phantom Ruby to protect. It was paradise. I was able to move on..."
Gadget's words came back to Infinite, and the jackal's eyes lit up with a calculating gleam.
He could work with this...
Alright, exposition time!
Infinite is a hybrid between a spirit and a mortal mobian. As such, he has inherited powers from his spirit half (though not as powerful as they could be if he were fully spirit), along with pseudo-immortality. He cannot die from old age (he will have an immortal lifespan really, since he doesn't have an object to tie his lifespan down), but he can still die from disease, injury, etc.
How Infinite became a hybrid, what of his past, all of these won't be explained yet. They will come in later (if people want to know that is).
OK, hope to hear your thoughts from this! And I hope you enjoyed the chapter!