CHAPTER 83:

The end of the quest

Survival instinct was something Jay was quite familiar with. All his life he'd had to make choices purely based on prolonging the hours he had ahead of him. It was something that came with growing up in the poor conditions he did.

But this was different.

What Jay was feeling now as he saw that eye-patched jerk taking the harmony ball from him wasn't just survival instincts kicking in.

It was… a sense of duty.

Jay could not let that thief corrupt such a meaningful object with his vile actions. He'd rather die. He had to protect it, protect Lloyd and all the royal family's memories —he had to protect what they meant to Jay.

His legs moved on their own will, taking a little jump before they thrust forward and kicked the sleazy man in front of him right on the balls. Ronin let out a yell, dropping to his knees immediately after, and grasping at his goods.

"What the-?!" Vinay exclaimed. His hold on Jay's right arm softened a fraction, enough to allow the boy to bend the limb and hit Vinay in the base of his throat with his elbow. The thief stumbled backward, hands reaching for the aching spot.

'Your elbows are the strongest parts of your body. Aim them well and you can get your opponent out of breath for a solid minute.' Cole's fighting lessons coming back to Jay with astonishing clarity.

About to execute the same maneuver on the remaining captor, Jay felt once anew his arms being pulled back and restrained, but this time he was a lot more alert of his situation. Jay fought against Clem's grip with tooth and nail, almost finding a breach in it that would allow him to break free, but as expected from a brute of his size, Clem threw them both down, annoyed at Jay's constant squirming. He pinned the boy to the ground with his full body. The sudden blow of weight alarmed Jay. How was he supposed to escape even?! That guy was almost as heavy as Cole!

Almost as heavy...

Jay immediately went back to his relentless squirming.

"It's useless, kid," the man above him growled —but he couldn't be more wrong.

Jay couldn't help the little satisfaction that started to swell up in his chest when the giant didn't notice his naked legs bending and sneaking up against his body. Jay trembled, his nerves were on fire. It was working!

'Most brawny guys out there rely heavily on their weight and muscles as a form of intimidation, so you need to stay calm and use that overconfidence to your own advantage.' Jay could still picture Cole on top of him, pinning him gently over the soft grass of the royal garden as he taught him the trick that was most likely going to save his life now.

With all his strength, Jay thrust up with his knees and pushed the gorilla away from him, taking him completely by surprise. Clem was sent rolling to the side, grunting as the small rocks around pressed against him.

Without allowing the man a moment to regain control over Jay, the boy dragged his hand over the ground in one swift move, then threw a fistful of dirt right into Clem's face. His demon-like yellow eyes closed as he groaned in pain.

'Anything around you can be a powerful weapon, remember that.'

Good Brahma! Jay had never been so grateful for Cole's incessant training! He would never complain again about it, no matter how sore it left him! But in order to do that he still had to get himself away from these rats first.

Jay sat up on the ground and quickly scanned his surroundings, he couldn't lower his guard now. He spotted Vinay laying ahead, grabbing at his throat and having obvious trouble breathing. Jay might as well have squashed his pipe unknowingly.

As if he cared about the jerk's well-being!

"You… motherfucker…" A whisper traveled through the air towards Jay's ears. Looking the other way he locked eyes with Ronin, the man was on his knees, glaring at Jay like a mad animal, still cupping his crotch with one hand.

"You're going to regret this!" The thief roared, launching forward, but the pain in his nether regions seemed to be too strong yet, for he only managed to grasp Jay's ankle.

The boy flinched automatically and kicked him in the face, unsure where his foot landed, but judging by the other's howl... it hit something that hurt.

Ronin jerked backwards with the momentum of the strike and hit the ground with his back. Jay remained frozen for a second, rapid inhalations going in and out of his throat, drying up the canal.

"Damn brat…" Ronin cursed, fighting to stand up again. "I'm gonna kill you!"

At the unveiled thread, Jay broke free from his shock. His eyes immediately spotted the harmony ball on the ground. Jumping on his feet, he snatched the small object and ran away from the group of bandits.

"Don't just stay there, asshole! Get him!" Ronin's voice rose behind him, overflowing with fury.

Jay tried to speed up his legs, but the tiny loose stones pricked his bare feet. His eyes watered at the pain of some sharp edges digging into his skin. It felt like some were reaching even deeper, opening wounds that wouldn't take very long to start bleeding, but he couldn't stop to check that right now. He had to run —escape these savages' claws.

But how? Where? He didn't know these lands, he was on top of a goddamn mountain, running through old trees and poorly marked paths, with branches and angry nature jabbing at his body, making him wince.

What was Jay going to do? In all the time they had been walking this place he hadn't seen any other person. For Vishnu's sake! How had he not suspected anything when these guys so intently suggested they took the mountain path?! Was this way any shorter at all than the other? Jay felt like the stupidest person in the world.

"Uh!" A gasp escaped him as his knee faltered and he was sent to the ground, rolling down a slope that was hiding behind some prickly bushes.

Jay lost count of how many times he spun down the hill, nor how much time passed until he felt his body finally come to a stop and he gathered enough strength to sit up. As he tried doing so, he felt pain in all of his torso. No blood was staining his shirt yet, but if he pulled it up, he was sure he would find bruises underneath the fabric, which was now soiled and slightly ripped at some points.

The pendant! His mind screamed.

Jay looked at his hand, the tiny ball was still inside his fist, tightly secured. The starry golden exterior had left a mark on his palm and fingers. It hurt as Jay slowly opened his hand and finally put the accessory back onto himself. A weak relieved sigh left his mouth as he stared at the sparkling purple ball that reminded him of his young blond friend.

But his comfort died too soon.

"There!"

As his gaze rose, Jay saw Ronin and his giant comrade standing on the upper level of the ground. Both men looked at him with hate, and for having only one eye, Ronin looked the most menacing of the two.

"You filthy scumbag…" The man swore.

Jay barely had any strength left, he wasn't even sure he could stand up and keep running after that fall, but he sure did try. Moving on wobbly limbs, he crawled a few steps until he managed to push himself somewhat upright, whining and crying from his aching body.

"Don't let him get away!" Ronin ordered.

Jay couldn't hear Clem's footsteps over his own frantic respiration, but he could sense the yellow-eyed demon approaching, shortening the distance between them. Jay ran with all his might. Where to? He had no idea, but his mind was too stressed to stop and think about that. He literally couldn't stop moving or he would be doomed. These guys were furious! Earlier the chief said they were only planning on robbing him and torture him for a while, but what if they had changed their minds now?

What if they really raped him?

What if they killed him?!

Jay couldn't die. Not now. Not when he was so close to home —his second home, where his love resided, where his friends hopefully waited for his return.

After turning another rocky corner, a completely treeless extension of space opened before Jay. The land descended gradually, his eyes followed the barely visible path and, at last, found one tiny amount of optimism.

A bridge spread ahead, connecting one side of the mountain with the other.

Still moving on autopilot, Jay approached the place, his mind already planning his next move. He needed to reach the other side and, once he did, try to destroy the junction between the two pieces of land. How exactly he didn't know. He had no sharp tools with him, but maybe he could try and untie the knots on the other side and break the ropes with a heavy rock or something. It was his only escape for now. If the bandits couldn't follow him that way they would need to find another path, which could give Jay time to keep climbing down the mountain and maybe find someone that could help him, or at least a place to hide for a while.

The voices of the men sounded louder. Had they been screaming at Jay all the way down there? He'd been too focused on just trying to ignore the pain in his body to think about anything else.

As fast as his limp allowed him, Jay walked forward to the bridge. He just had to get there first, it was the only thing he needed to do in order to have one attempt at salvation.

"Uuuuh!"

Something heavy suddenly hit him hard on the back and Jay was propelled forward, once again meeting the ground with his body. He instinctively reached for the aching spot with his hand, it hurt so damn much!

A roar echoed in the chilly air and he turned around. A not-so-short distance away, Clem came running to him, wielding a slingshot. Ronin hot on his companion's heels, and an evil smirk plastered on his perverted face.

Jay spent no time resuming his march, but his body was hurting so bad he didn't make it in time. Clem caught up to him and launched forward, squashing Jay with his body on the ground. The boy cried out, he couldn't tell anymore what part of his body hurt the most, he was but a human bruise by that point.

The anxiety of seeing his end near rivaled the security he'd felt earlier upon discovering the bridge, all of that converting Jay in one giant ball of nerves that couldn't stay still, no matter how heavy his opponent was.

The two scuffled on the ground right next to the bridge, Ronin having the time of his life as he remained at a safe distance, laughing at Jay's frenetic struggling.

"Aren't you a sneaky little bitch, uh?"

And you're the biggest coward I've ever seen...

Having one last lucky shot, Jay performed an accurate kick that landed on Clem's head, and the boy started getting away from the men, stumbling as he got to the bridge.

Any other day, with no crazy vengeful thieves going after him, Jay would have needed his time to gather the courage to cross such an old and unsafe path. It was obvious that not many people chose to take this route; the wooden planks were dusty, the ropes almost black from all the dirt that gathered around the crevices of the knots that kept the structure in one piece. They creaked under Jay's damaged feet and the whole bridge swung dangerously with the wind.

Voices behind him forced Jay to turn around, Ronin was once again berating his comrade for letting a pussy like him escape. To Jay's surprise though, Clem didn't counter back the boss and instead advanced with a determined look on his golden eyes. How these guys could work together was beyond Jay's understanding. Clem's muscles could snap Ronin's neck without much trouble, but then again, the giant man didn't seem to have a very luscious mind. It was no wonder how the other had managed to make him believe he needed a boss.

"I'm so fucking tired of you," Clem growled. His deep voice, giving Jay the chills.

Jay would have loved to make a run for the other end of the bridge, but one thing he remembered very well from Cole's lessons was to never give your back to the opponent. So he stayed there, facing the man, hands unconsciously reaching up and turning into fists in front of himself. Jay had no idea why he was doing that, it wasn't like he could even fight that gorilla, not with how badly all his muscles ached.

"Ha! The little fuck toy wants to fight? That's rich!" Ronin cackled from his very secure spot on the firm ground.

Clem stepped forward, the old bridge whining at the added weight and the man's careless stride. The sound of the ropes tensing alarmed Jay. Would this platform be able to hold them both?

His attacker launched forward and nailed Jay on the side of his face as he tried to dodge. The taste of blood filled his mouth, along with a weak stream of warm liquid running down his chin, Clem had surely busted his lip. As much as Cole had taught Jay about fighting styles, the boy wasn't used to this type of pain, and his endurance was giving up. He was getting dizzy, which slowed down his usual agile nature. Clem finally punched him in the ribs, which made Jay topple over and grab onto one of the side ropes. The man quickly got behind him and grabbed Jay in a suffocating grip.

Jay's eyelids fluttered tiredly and he stared down over the edge of the bridge. The river beneath them appeared a thin line, but that was only a trick of the height. The sound of the water reached up to them and echoed in the open space. It wasn't a shy murmur of that of a peaceful stream. Its course was furious as it went down the mountain, splashing the rocks that lay scattered around and on the edges of the depression.

"I knew this plan was stupid. We should've beaten you and taken all your stuff as soon as we left the market..." Clem complained next to his ear while Jay fought to breathe and break free, even though his hope was dying more and more with every attempt.

Clem's arms tightened around Jay.

"I would kill you right this instant… But the boss wants to have some fun with you first. Unlucky for you... you won't be laughing at all."

Several feet away, on solid earth, Ronin laughed once anew, stirring up Jay's insides. The mocking and insults coming out of his mouth hitting Jay to his very core. Why couldn't life give him a damn rest after so much suffering?! He wanted to disappear, he wanted away from this place, from this stupid mountain and these evildoers. He wanted all of this to be over!

In a surge of fury, Jay straightened abruptly and took his captor by surprise as the back of his head collided with Clem's face, both of them crying out loud at the pain. Clem stumbled backward in the narrow space between the edges of the cranky bridge with a curse addressed to Jay. The man would have retaken his spot had Jay not moved faster. The boy held onto the ropes, spun just a fraction, and kicked the giant on his chest, taking advantage of the momentary distraction.

The force of the blow, although not as potent as what Jay could have managed with a non-battered body, sent the man further away from him, stumbling against the side of the bridge and then… arching with it.

Jay's eyes opened wide as he saw Clem's enormous frame slide over the rope. With no time to grasp onto anything, the man fell down the structure and into the furious water.

His mind was still processing what had just happened when a new sound registered in his ears. Ronin was staring down at the river, yelling at his falling companion. His uncovered eye rose and locked with Jay's; there was no other way to describe the anger that burned in it other than straight from the fires of Hell.

"Fucking slut…" Ronin produced a small blade from his pocket. "I'm going to cut you to pieces!" He screamed before advancing fast into the bridge.

Jay gasped and immediately turned to run away. There was no way he could fight against a crazy armed man in this state. If Ronin caught up to him, he was done for. The thief wouldn't hesitate to take revenge on him for his comrades.

He'd only gotten a few steps away when a plank broke under Jay's foot. The whole bridge wobbled and creaked as he fell onto it face first, the rusty boards under him cracking as the boy tried to get up again.

"Son of a bitch!" Ronin's voice roared over Jay. The boy barely saw the blade glistening over his head as he turned.

His time was up.

"Uuugh!" Ronin howled.

The knife slipped from the man's hand and spun as it flew over Jay, then suddenly his body was jerked down. The spot where Jay had previously battled with Clem had finally collapsed under Ronin's weight and the man was now grabbing onto Jay's legs in an attempt to save himself —or kill them both, for Jay wasn't prepared for the sudden pull and got dragged down with the thief.

Ronin screamed like a child as he felt his body precipitating into the void. Jay anchored himself at the last moment, his lower half hanging over the remains of the wooden path, and he prayed the boards that supported the other half would not give up.

The man that hung from Jay's feet panted and cried, roughly trying to secure his grip on Jay's limbs and even climb through them.

"Stop!" Jay shouted. "Don't move!"

But Ronin wouldn't stay still. All his previous bravado had vanished as soon as the man found himself hanging from a precarious bridge, stripped of his criminal mates and facing the end of his villainy days.

The board underneath Jay's started to bend, the shakes were too much for its old material. His pupils disappeared in the blue irises as a crack made its appearance, splitting the plank in two and leaving Jay with nothing to support himself on. Luckily, he grabbed a hold of a loose rope as the structure collapsed.

Unable to withstand the violent shakes, Ronin lost his grip on Jay's feet and he, too, fell down with a terrifying shriek that could freeze the most suffocating desert.

"Uuuh, uh!" Jay wailed as the rope burned his palms.

Huffing hard Jay looked around him for the umpteenth time, hoping to find a way out of this mess, but he found nothing. Nothing at all. His arms weren't strong enough to climb up the rope, his hands were starting to bleed, he couldn't reach the wooden path again. Who knew if it wouldn't break again as he got there?

He couldn't move, he couldn't call for anyone's help, he could only hang there, suspended in the middle of the air, swinging with the tremors of the bridge.

No… This can't be the end… Please, don't let me die here…

He attempted to move one hand a bit higher onto the rope but regretted it immediately. The pain was unbearable.

No… He begged internally once more as his head hung forward.

A barely audible tinkling sound made Jay open his eyes. Through the massive amount of tears that flowed out of them, he spotted the harmony ball on his chest.

'Don't go…'

Jay sobbed harder, his body slipping slowly down the rope. This really was the end.

"I'm sorry," he slurred. "I'm sorry, Lloyd. I should have listened to you…"

He would never be able to return the charm to Lloyd.

He would never brag to Cole how he fought against a brute of his size thanks to all their training together.

He would never hear Zane's melodic voice chant another poem.

He would never...

"Kai…"

Jay's heart broke.

He would never tell him. That thing that had taken him so long to realize… That thing that would have made the Maharaja the happiest man in the land... That thing that could have saved everyone lots of pain and headaches. Just those innocent three words... they would never reach their destination.

Maybe it was better this way. Maybe Jay deserved this for acting the way he had, for all the problems he'd caused to that precious family. Still, it didn't hurt him any less that he would not complete his personal quest.

He took one last glance at the pendant. Kai and the others would never hear it, but Jay could still say it —if only to receive his fate with a little peace of mind.

"I love y-"

His hands gave up.