Chapter XXI: Harrowing
Gomez Addams
"Vade!" I shout repelling the demons with my knife. They hiss and try to attack me. One of them asks me why I care so much for this family. I smile and clap, "well done, I was wondering when you would play that." Demons are known to twist your words and use them against you. I tell them that they are honorary Addamses and will not let any harm come to them.
"We can grant you anything you want. Even knowledge as to where it is," my eyes grew eyes wide for a second. "Wouldn't you like to know its location. So you can bury him properly. Just give us the...,"
"You're not getting anything!" Jack said as he, Pugsley, and Thing appear in the room. "G-Man! We got it," he takes the grail out a satchel. I motion for Jack to give it to me. "You really think this can work?" he asks as I take flask from my pocket. "Need a little something for the nerves," I tell him this is water from the River Acheron.
"Where I have heard that before?"
Pugsley explains that Acheron is one of the rivers that separate our world from the land of dead. I pour the water into the chalice and motion for Jack to step forward. He asks what he has to do? "You need to pour some of your blood in the cup." he explains as Jack makes a face. "You're the one who has do it the ritual. Jazz doesn't have much time."
Jack removes his glove and holds out his hand. "Concentrate on your relationship with her." He closes his eyes as I run the dagger across his hand. His blood turns the water red. "Now repeat these words- 'By this offering I summon thee Jasmine', what is her middle name?"
"Artemis, after the Greek goddess of hunting," he explains. He picks up the chalice. "By this offering I summon thee, Jasmine Artemis Fenton..." I tell him the rest of the inaction. "I conjure thee with the blood that flows in our veins. Arise from the infernal world and return to land of your ancestors." He takes the cup and puts it to her lips. "You sure about this G-Man?"
Vlad
My head throbbed. I tried to move but something was holding my limbs down. I open my eyes and find myself hanging upside down from that one tree I saw. "I see you're awake," Morticia says turning to me. "I wouldn't move around too much. Just one of those branches can snap a man in two." she says stroking the branches lovingly.
"You think you've won? Maddie is drowning in that quicksand pit you have." She laughs and says I've run out of options. I don't have the skull or the Grail. "I don't need them to...," the branches wrap around me tighter taking the wind from my lungs.
"Tree got your tongue," the witch taunts as I try to phase out of the tree's grip. Something is messing with my powers. "I cast a spell temporarily negating your powers. Don't worry they will come back eventually." I warn her that she has made a powerful enemy out of me. "You are no Cardinal Lucario. He relentlessly hunted my husband's ancestors during the inquisition." She tells me she is going call Danny here to see me out. She walks over to a pond.
I close my eyes and focus on phasing out of this plant. I feel my body becoming invisible and slip out of my bonds. "Now to make a getaway," I open teleport out of the house. "Adieu," I say before I vanish from sight. "You will come to me, both you and your mother," I say as contact Skulker. The hunter appears and asks what I want this time. "Do you have your Skull-Bots perfected. He explains for the most part, "good I want you have them planted all around. The Addams will rue the day they crossed Vlad Plasmius!"
Wednesday Addams
"Very impressive," I tell Danny as Tucker helps him strap the device to him. "With some improve I could see this being a new weapon in your arsenal." He thanks me and says right now he just wants to make sure it doesn't squirt acid or something more horrible. "You know disfigurement would look good on you." He laughs nervously. I assure him that I wouldn't do anything to harm him.
"I do like the idea of...," a portal opened and mother stepped out. She told me the demonstration would have to wait for another time. "What do you mean?" She tells Vlad was able escape. "Typical Fruit Loop," she tells that he is still not at his usual power level and would be foolish to attack again.
"Right now, your sister needs you," mother says pointing to the portal. We follow her into and arrive in a large bedroom. "Gomez!" she calls out as Mr. Addams looks up and smiles. "How is she doing," he says he's hoping for the best." Danny goes to sit on the bed mother stops him. "That a quicksand bed," she warns as he takes a stone fro his pocket and throws on the bed. It quickly sinks out of sight. He grows pale realizing that could have been him.
Father motions us to come closer. "NO!" Mr. Fenton says turning to the ghost boy. "It was your fault this happened!" Father steps in front of him and tells him that's not who's responsible here. "My left foot, he's not involved! You're going to cure my Jazzie or else." He aims a weapon at the boy.
Danny takes a deep breath, "Look I didn't do this. If you want to save her, listen to Gomez," Jack lowered his weapon and allowed Danny to come forward. "What do you need?" he asks father looking at the girl on the floor.
"I need you to form a circle around her." We stand as he says and hold hands. "Now I need you think about light. Imagine sending it to her," he points Jazz. Danny takes a breath and closes his eyes. Jack glares at the boy before following his lead.
Skulker
"Let see if the inventor did his job," I said entering a code into the armor. The robots on the table light up and begin to hover and zoom out the window. "Every little thing they do, Vlad will know about it." I stared at my armor. I miss my upgrade. If I still had it, I would go back and drain the life force of the whelp and all his family. "Then all would fear the name Skulker," I said as Vlad's image appeared on the screen. "Boss the Skull-Bots are their way."
"The only thing fearful about you is that you waste my money," he says frowning. I ask him if something is bothering him. "I learned Maddie escaped the quicksand." I ask him how, there was nothing to grab on to.
"Sheer luck," he says, "I am done with her. She could been mine but now I will destroy her," I raise an eyebrow at the elder halfa's words. He had said the same thing before only to say he will never stop loving her.
"What about the whelp?" I ask him curiously. He says that is what the trackers are for. Anything they do to help Danny he will know about it and counter it. He tells me that he will do everything in his power to make Maddie and her son's life Hell. "What about the father."
"Please, don't bring it up now," he says massaging his temples before signing off.
Uncle Fester
"The passage is close enough to Townsend that you can walk there," the lamia says pointing to a ladder. I reach out but before I could start the demon wrapped her coils around me. "You're not going anywhere," I tell her to obey me. "You only said to find the exit. You said nothing about escaping. She wraps more coils around till I couldn't move. "You can't use the medallion with your arms," she tightens her grip on me. "You may be immune to my spell but I can still claim you."
She pulls me closer to her and unzips my jacket. "What a nice little trinket." She uses her tail to remove Tybalt's medallion and crushes it. "You miss it don't you?" she asks raising an eyebrow. "You said the greatest feeling was being in her grasp." she changes shape into my old fiance. Her coils become her arms and pulls me close to her. "You still have it?" she pulls off my jacket. "You do, you have the scar from when that poison arrow struck you," she places my head on her chest. "I am all yours Fester," I let out a breath, "you like it," She pulls my head to her and places her lips on mine.
"Yes...," I say kicking her in the stomach. "You really thought you could control me?" I ask her breaking free and starting to climb. The lamia turns back to her normal form and says she will find and claim me. "That's what you think." I open the secret passage. I freeze for a moment as I feel my mind becoming fuzzy. I close my eyes and think of my reunion with Gomez. The thought of seeing my brother, freed me from the lamia's grasp
I find myself near a junkyard. I stick out my tongue and touch it with my finger. "85% used, that monster took more out of me than I thought." I see an car battery not far. I walk over to it and take out my jumper cables. I attach one side to my chest and the other to the battery. "Here goes nothing," I feel the electricity flow into my body rejuvenating me. "Now to find the others," I remove the cable and head toward the house.
Jazz
"Through me the way into the Suffering City! Through me the way to Eternal Pain!" the demon's chant as they drag me towards the door. "Through me the way that runs among the lost!" A demon opens the door. I can feel it's power suck me in to the door.
"Saint...Michael...the archangel, defend us...in battle," I stutter trying to remember the prayer. I can hear people cursing everyone and everything. My heart pounds in my chest. "Be our...defense...against wickedness and snares...of the...Devil... I close my eyes not wanting to see what comes next. I feel the pull stop. I open my eyes and see dad in front of me. "Dad?" I asked as he told me to take his hand. "How do I know this isn't a trick?" I ask him.
"It's no trick," Mr. Addams' voice says as I reach out take my father's hand. "Come back to the land of your ancestors," he says as I feel light surround me.
"Wha...," I wake up and start throwing up. "Dad, Mr. Addams, Pugsley, Wednesday, Danny, and Tucker" I say before another wave of vomiting seizes me again.
"Is this supposed to happen," dad asked nervously. Mr. Addams explains that my body is forcing the poison out of my body. Dad starts to rub my back to comfort me. "It's okay Jazz," he assures me as I hold him tight not wanting let go lest those monsters return.
"Danny, I need you go into Morticia's greenhouse. There is an herb there that will control the vomiting," Dad says he'll go as he doesn't trust the ghost. " You're needed her Jack to be with your daughter," he says as Danny leaves to find the herb.
"What about Vlad?" I ask as I start to throw up again. If I wasn't completely wiped out. I would laugh thinking it was the Fruit Loop made me start puking again. Wednesday says that he escaped but won't cause trouble for awhile. "Thank God," I say wiping my mouth.
"It's okay Jazzy," dad says as he holds my hand as start puking again. "I am here now."
