"I'm going to kick her ass up and down the city!" Tet paced Tsukasa's office, barely in control.
Kiba grimaced as he watched his friend struggle with his shift.
Tsukasa merely raised an eyebrow. "When you're done, can we plan her rescue?"
Tet growled warningly. "I am rescuing her, not you guys."
Kiba's eyes flashed. "She did this for all of us you idiot! You think we're going to let you commit suicide alone?"
Tet paused, his voice low. "Sorry. I just can't stand the idea of her in his clutches."
Tsukasa stood, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Neither can I. So why don't we go get her?"
Tet slowly nodded.
"Good to see you made the right choice," a deep voice greeted Andy upon arrival. She looked around and finally noticed an older looking man sitting on what appeared to be a large throne. "Your friends will be safe."
Andy nodded slowly as she looked around the room. The porter that brought her there had now disappeared and she noticed large pillars lining the room.
"Come, you're my apprentice now, you can sit beside me," he motioned to a chair to his side.
She approached slowly and sat in it, unsure what to expect. The old man rambled for a while about all he could teach her and how he looked forward to it.
Soon, she was shown to a room, but she couldn't bring herself to sleep. She wished she'd brought her book to read.
Come morning, training started early, multiple spells being taught one after another. She was starting to get worn out, and messed up a spell. She'd been receiving smiles from the old man up until that point but as soon as she misspoke, he frowned, giving her a disappointed look. After she messed up once more, she was quickly backhanded. She looked up from where she'd fallen to the floor, surprised an old man had such strength.
He sighed, trying to push his anger away, "Let's take a break. Maybe afterward you'll get it right."
The squad was rechecking their weapons as Tsukasa entered with a frown.
Tet looked at him, eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?"
"The Council has reformed. They are trying to forbid us from rescuing Andy." The dragon scowled.
"Fuck them. Probably kissing Seltain's ass." Kiba racked his pistol as the rest of them nodded.
"They'll disband you, maybe court martial." Tsukasa gazed at his squad.
"They already have the kill order. What else can they scare us with?" Zal side eyed Tet. "I agree with Kiba. She's done more for us than the Council ever has, so fuck them. Let's go get her and end him."
Tsukasa chuckled as he started getting ready.
When they got back to work, Andy mastered even more spells, working through the growing exhaustion.
"The key is memorizing them all, once you can remember them, you can use them later," the man spoke from his spot near the table.
Andy nodded, taking notes in a new journal she was given.
"Let's see what you've memorized," he stood, starting to quiz her. When she forgot a spell, it earned her another slap, this time though she was expecting it, holding herself against the table so she wouldn't fall over.
She felt the pain in her cheek, and she wondered if tomorrow would be more of the same.
Heading back toward her room, she knew she should stay awake in case she was attacked but the exhaustion washed over her and she fell asleep hugging her journal close.
Tet checked his map, flashlight between his teeth. Nodding, he clicked it off and kept moving. His eyes blurred from lack of sleep, his stomach rumbled from the lack of food. He ignored both, focusing on saving the person who had become his world. He could eat and sleep when she was safely in his arms again.
His eyes glowed as he saw Seltain's hideout. Seeing an open window, the tiger climbed cautiously inside. He began to creep deeper into the room. He froze as his ears picked up voices. He whirled as lights suddenly illuminated him and a hypodermic dart stung his neck. "Sleep well, interloper. Because when you wake, you'll wish you hadn't."
Tet growled, his movements sluggish. Finally he fell, lying still at Seltain's feet.
Andy woke, heading out to the main room, wondering what she'd learn today. Her cheek was now bruised, but it wasn't as sore as the day before.
"The plans for today have been changed a little. We'll still be working on your spells but we'll also be working on your necromancy." Seltain gave an evil grin. "Your friends have come after you, it seems. What better way to test your skills than on real living subjects? If you pass everything today and they survive by the end of the day, I'll release them. I can't promise not to pick them up again though if they try to take you again."
Andy stared up at him in shock and confusion. Hadn't she made it clear in her letter for them not to come after her?
Soon, four beds were rolled in, a man chained up in each one. She looked them over, heart sinking as she recognized them as Tet, Kiba, Yamae, and Kai.
Yamae was the only one awake and he gave her a small smile. "Are we having fun yet?"
She sighed, wanting to yell at them for coming, but she just looked over at Seltain, awaiting orders.
The first spell she had to use was on Kai, fire danced across his skin, the smell of burning flesh thick in the air. Her eyes filled with tears, praying she could heal him and bring him back.
She finally put out the fire using another spell which brought water splashing down upon him. She then focused, the gold light surrounding him as she recited all the healing spells she could think of. It looked like a rainbow around him as the magics all did their different jobs.
She then moved on to Yamae, refusing to meet his eyes.
He softly spoke. "No blame except him. Remember that."
Andy cringed when she recognized the spell Seltain ordered her to use. It would lead to a very painful death. She took a deep breath, reciting the spell and waiting to see what would happen.
Yamae gritted his teeth as pain roared through him, refusing to give Seltain the satisfaction. But soon the feelings overwhelmed him and he let out a scream. Unbelievably, the pain grew more intense, the feeling of his blood being on fire driving him to writhe on the bed and scream until his voice failed. Suddenly he inhaled sharply, then went limp.
Andy tried to control herself, knowing if she cried too much it could cause Seltain to grow angry.
Kiba growled, pulling at the chains. "I'm going to kill you, Seltain!"
Andy focused on Yamae, the gold light soon surrounding him. Eventually he sucked in a breath and then his breathing evened out and the light faded away.
"Good job," Seltain gave a small clap. Andy went to Kiba, praying whatever spell she had to use wasn't as bad as the last.
She whispered a small, "Sorry," to Kiba before waiting for her orders.
Andy recited the spell that Seltain gave her then waited again.
His skin began to split apart, blood cascading over the bed. Kiba's eyes went wide before becoming glassy and finally closing.
Andy stared in horror, too shocked for tears to come out. When she finally pulled herself together, she focused on healing the split and rebuilding new blood before reviving him. She felt herself growing weaker as she worked but she continued on, refusing to give up on them.
Finally when she was done, she went to Tet's side, looking down at him.
She said the spell given to her and watched in horror at the sight before her.
Skin began peeling off Tet's body, leaving the muscle raw and bleeding. Then his chest opened up, exposing his lungs and heart.
Tet's eyes opened, pain glazing them. He caught Andy's eyes, whispering "I love you" before his heart was crushed in front of her. He stiffened, blood streaming from his lips. Then his eyes slid closed.
Andy sobbed and looked away, until Seltain grabbed her head and pointed it back at Tet, "Look what your power can do!"
She shook him off, taking a few panicky breaths before nodding and going to heal Tet. It took hours to put everything back together, and she wondered if she'd have the energy to actually revive him.
She focused her mind on bringing him back, the gold light appearing weakly around him. She pushed her energy harder, strengthening the light. Eventually, he sucked in air and his heart went back to beating a steady rhythm. She leaned heavily on the bed, looking at the four men.
"You know, even if I release them, they're going to come back and get hurt again. Maybe we should keep them as pets, and you can care for them," Seltain laughed coldly.
Andy sighed, "What should I do with them?"
"Do what you wish, but remember they'll only stay safe if you stay here as my apprentice."
Andy nodded, wheeling the beds out into another room. She sat beside them, trying to push the horrors from her mind.
"Andy? Unchain us and let's get the fuck out of here." Kiba's eyes glittered as he tried once again to get free.
Andy unchained them all, but stayed silent.
Tet embraced her, his eyes wet. "I'm so glad you're not hurt."
Yamae looked at Tet, then reached for her arm. "Hold on. We'll be at HQ in seconds. You'll be safe."
"I'm trying to keep you guys safe. The only reason you got hurt was because you came after me," Andy answered, refusing to meet their eyes.
Tet shook his head. "He was going to hurt us anyway. He's behind the kill order. Boss found out the truth. No blaming yourself or anyone but him. The rest of the squad are outside waiting for my signal to set fire to this place."
"Simple fire won't stop him.."
"It'll slow his ass down. Then we can kill him for good." Kiba growled.
Tet nodded. "You are getting out of here. I got a spell that should slow Seltain down from one of the Council. I'm going to spoil his day." His smile was feral, canines glinting in the light.
Andy sighed, "Promise you guys won't get hurt?"
"You and them are leaving. I'm going to say the spell, then get the hell out. Don't worry." Tet kissed her gently. "Now let Yamae take you to Boss."
He released her, nodding to Yamae.
The porter took hold of her arm and disappeared with the rest of the men.
Andy swayed slightly as they arrived at their destination, eyes blurring from exhaustion.
Tsukasa steadied her, making her sit down. "Rest, Andy." The dragon's eyes were worried as he watched her.
She nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. She was quiet as she stared at the floor, trying to process everything that'd happened. She wanted more than anything to just be back at home in her own bed, sleeping to go to work at the clinic the next day, but she knew that was impossible, at least while Seltain was out after her. And he was going to be angry now. She feared what would happen to the others now. Her eyebrows creased in thought and worry as she continued to stare at the floor.
The rest of the men were dismissed as Tsukasa sat down at his desk. His eyes kept darting to his radio, his forehead creasing.
Tet stared at the piece of paper, memorizing the spell before creeping into the throne room and hiding. His eyesight went red when the necromancer entered and he took a deep breath to focus himself.
Seltain was followed by a few people, who he angrily shot spells at. He sat down at his throne, looking at the bodies now on the floor.
Tet fought a smile. If Seltain was pissed now, wait until this spell knocked him on his ass. He quickly stood, his lips already reciting the spell as he met Seltain's eyes.
Seltain stood, starting to speak a spell of his own.
Tet's eyes widened as his throat closed, the words dying in the air. He tried to suck in a breath, but found he couldn't.
Seltain laughed coldly, "You thought you could get her to freedom and then take me out too? I will get her back."
Andy frowned, finally looking up from the floor, "Shouldn't Tet be back by now?"
Tsukasa cursed. "Don't even think it. We just got you back, you are not going back there."
"I'm just trying to be helpful. I've learned a lot the last couple days that could help."
"Fine. Kiba and Ryusei will go with you. You listen to them, you hear? If they tell you to run you fucking run got it?"
Andy nodded, "Alright."
He called the two men in, explaining the situation.
Kiba sent her a death glare. "You are insane, you know that?"
She shrugged, "We need to see if Tet's alright and help take Seltain out. I don't see what's insane about wanting to help."
He rolled his eyes. "That's not the insane part. Wanting to confront a lunatic necro is."
"Just find Tet." Tsukasa growled. "If need be, we can fight Seltain another day."
Ryusei grabbed her and Kiba's arms, then focused and disappeared.
Andy found herself back in Seltain's hideout and headed into the hallway toward the throne room.
Screams began echoing through the hall and both men looked sick.
Andy ran toward the noise, entering to find out what was happening.
Tet hung from chains between two pillars. He'd been beaten, his face swollen. There was bruising around his throat. There was a sluggishly bleeding gash on his temple. His eyes were gold, but his shift hadn't happened.
He screamed again as Seltain raised a hand toward his head. He writhed in pain as the witch recited a spell.
Andy recited one of the killing spells she'd been taught, directing it toward Seltain.
Seltain stopped his speaking, looking over at Andy. He started muttering a spell at her but soon stopped again as he started feeling pain throughout his body.
Tet sagged, his body going limp. His breathing was erratic, his chest rising and falling slowly.
Seltain scowled, rushing toward his throne. He fell, clutching his chest.
Andy approached Tet, freeing him from the chains and gently laying him on the floor. She cradled his head as she recited healing spells, trying to get his breathing back to a normal rhythm.
When Andy looked up, she noticed Seltain was gone. She had hoped she would have killed him, but at least they rescued Tet. She then looked over at Kiba and Ryusei who were just finishing up beating Seltain's guards.
They came to her side as Tet's eyes blinked open. He gave her a soft smile, then they closed and he sagged in her arms.
Andy looked him over, confused. She tried focusing her spells on him, and even getting the gold light around him but nothing was happening. She let out a sob as the gold light faded away, having not revived him.
Kiba let out a strangled cry as Ryusei hung his head before encircling them and focusing.
Andy didn't even pay attention to the change of location, trying once again to get the gold light around Tet. Once more it did nothing, fading away and making her cry harder.
Hands began to move Tet away from her.
"Just let me keep trying," Andy begged, swaying as she tried to get up.
"You're too weak. You'll just end up joining him." Tsukasa spoke softly to her as he pried her arms loose, allowing Ryusei and Jack to lift Tet's body. They gently carried him from the room. Tsukasa looked at Kiba. "Probably should sedate her while he's taken care of."
Andy was going to argue but the exhaustion washed over her, making her reach for the chair to steady herself.
She pushed herself to the door, heading out into the hallway and toward her room. Thoughts of Seltain crossed her mind and she vowed to take him down to avenge Tet.
Jack gently washed Tet's face, then dressed him in his uniform. He brushed his hair, then pushed the bed into the morgue. Tsukasa would make arrangements, since Tet's father was estranged from him.
Andy collapsed on her bed, trying to figure out why the revival didn't work. She then grabbed her book and looked something up. After reciting a few words and focusing for a minute, a silvery white figure appeared in front of her.
"Andy, is that you? Have your powers finally awakened?"
"Yeah Dad, it's me," Andy said quietly.
"What's wrong?" His voice was gentle, reminding her of when he would take care of her when she had nightmares.
"A lot of things, honestly," she adjusted into a better position before sighing, "Other than Seltain coming after me and I'm still trying to figure all of this out since I've only known for about a week and a half now.. My friend died and no matter what I did, I couldn't bring him back. I don't know what Seltain did to him but he just won't revive."
"I'm sorry for hiding everything from you. Your mother was terrified that Seltain would sense if we tried to train you. As for your friend, is he human?"
"He's a shifter.. well, a shifter vampire hybrid? It's complicated, I guess." She frowned.
"Seltain was no doubt trying to control him. I need to know, what did his eyes look like? Were they shifter or vampire? Vampires glow red when they lose control."
She tried to remember, "They were gold, like his shift."
"Seltain was trying to activate his animal instincts without his shift. Easy way to control them and make them murderous. You must fix that separation before reviving him. Otherwise he will come back a killer."
Andy was quiet for a moment before asking, "How do I fix it?"
"Page 300. I have to go, Andy. Don't give in to Seltain. And don't be afraid of your powers. It's a gift, not a curse." The figure shimmered, then vanished.
A tear fell onto her cheek as she wished she had more time with him.
She went to the book and looked over page 300, memorizing the spell on it. She then stood, fighting the exhaustion as she made her way to the morgue.
The infirmary was empty due to the late hour. The morgue was unlocked, only one bed sitting covered.
She approached the bed slowly, uncovering him. She stared at him for a moment before reciting the spell and watching a light shine around him. When it faded, she did her normal revival process, the gold light appearing. She prayed this time it did something.
He began to breathe, slowly at first. Then it stabilized and his eyes blinked open. He focused on Andy and tears trickled down his cheeks. "You're safe?"
She nodded, "Seltain's still out there and will be coming back after me, but for the time being I'm safe."
"Thank God. I was afraid he was going to twist your mind.." His voice was sleepy, his eyes struggling to stay open.
"Why don't you rest some more?" Andy suggested softly.
"Don't leave me?" He blinked at her, looking like a lost child.
"I'll stay right by you, alright?" She stood and pushed the bed out into the main infirmary, curling up in the chair next to his bed.
He gave her a smile before falling asleep.
Andy soon fell asleep as she watched his chest rising and falling.
Tsukasa entered the infirmary, stopping in shock as he saw the scene. He stared for a moment, then shook his head with a relieved smile. "Thank God." He whispered under his breath.
Andy stretched out as she woke, slowly opening her eyes and glancing at Tet to make sure he was still breathing.
His eyes blinked open, a smile spreading as he saw her.
She gave him a smile in response, "How are you feeling?"
"Better. Slightly vengeful." He chuckled.
Tsukasa struggled to hide a smile. "What now?"
Andy looked up at him, "Well, Seltain will be back, so we need to make a plan to fight him. Any ideas?"
"We're being stuck between a rock and a hard place. He's too powerful for us ordinary people to fight, plus we still have the kill order over our heads. You're not experienced enough to take him on by yourself and we aren't going to get any help from the Council because they're all assholes." Tsukasa sat down heavily, running a hand through his hair wearily.
"So basically I need to become stronger as fast as possible," Andy sighed.
Tet sat up. "How are you going to do that with no one to train you?"
"Well, I have the spells I learned from Seltain to practice, I still have more spells in the book I haven't used, and maybe I can contact my dad again for ideas," she looked thoughtful.
"What do you mean again?" Tet stared at her quietly.
"Well, you know necromancers can talk to the dead, right? I was having trouble reviving you so I talked to him for help.."
Tet and Tsukasa exchanged glances, then Tet spoke. "Guess that explains the uniform."
"I kept trying to revive you but nothing was happening.. but he told me about a spell that helped fix what Seltain did and then the revival worked.."
Tet kissed her quickly, then got off the bed. "I'm going to change real quick. We should have a meeting."
Tsukasa nodded. "I'll convene it as soon as you're ready."
The radio suddenly came to life, Kiba's panicked voice speaking rapidly. "Intruders on base! Several of us are down!"
Tsukasa grabbed it. "What's going on?"
"No clue. We can't see any-" There was a sharp inhale, then a gurgling sound and the radio went silent.
Andy stood, "I can create a barrier and we can head out there to see what's going on."
Tsukasa nodded as Tet ran for his room. Seconds later, he was back dressed in a blacksuit.
"Sounds like an invisibility spell." He buckled on his holsters, several pistols already inside.
Andy thought quickly, "I think I know a spell that could cancel the invisibility out. Let's get out there and I'll try it."
Tet grabbed her hand, racing for the door. They headed toward Kiba's last known position, finding him face down in a puddle of blood from a slit throat.
Tet growled, his eyes flashing.
Andy set up a barrier before reciting the spell to cancel out the invisibility. She looked around, still not seeing anyone, before she knelt beside Kiba and started healing him.
Several gunshots were heard, then Kenji's voice came over the radio. "Intruder down."
Andy looked up, about to speak when she heard a voice. It took a moment to realize it was Seltain and it was coming from inside her head.
"The longer you avoid me, the more you'll have to keep watching your friends die. How many more times can you handle it before it breaks you?"
Andy growled, "Shut up!"
"You should have just stayed with me, and they would have been safer." It was quiet a moment before the voice returned, "I'll find you, no matter how many times I have to kill your friends to get to you."
"I said shut up!" Andy shook her head, breathing heavily.
"Andy? You okay?" Tet's eyes narrowed at her outbursts.
Andy took a deep breath, looking back down toward the ground. After realizing the voice was gone, she nodded slowly, "I'm fine."
Tet didn't look convinced, but he dropped the subject. Touching his radio, he ordered both their casualties and the attacker to the infirmary. Then he looked at her. "Is he revivable?"
Andy looked back at Kiba, remembering she had been trying to heal him. She nodded, "Yeah. He's almost healed up now. Let's take him in and I'll take care of it."
Tet knelt, hefting Kiba's limp form and heading for the infirmary.
Four beds were occupied, a fifth being pushed by Daiki into the morgue.
Andy went and got supplies, starting to clean everyone and healing them. She kept trying to focus but the thought of Seltain in her head kept distracting her.
Tsukasa gently touched her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"Sorry, I'm fine," she nodded, knowing her voice didn't sound convincing.
He gave her the same look Tet had, but also dropped it as Ryusei teleported in, his face panicked. "Shouma's missing.."
Tet swore as Tsukasa asked. "You've looked everywhere?"
The porter nodded anxiously.
Andy was trying to think of ideas where he could be but heard Seltain in her mind again, "We have one of your friends. He'll remain unharmed if you come back to me."
"He wants to trade," Andy whispered, not meeting anyone's eyes.
Tet growled menacingly. "When I get my hands on him, there won't be enough left to revive."
Andy stayed silent, half waiting for Seltain to speak again.
Tsukasa sighed. "Do you think he'll keep his word?"
Tet glared at the officer. "No way in hell is she going back to him! We can rescue Shouma without endangering her."
"You need me to become stronger, and I don't have a teacher. Even if his goals are evil, I can learn from him.." Andy sighed. "Plus, I don't want to keep being the reason your friends are hurt or taken."
Tet looked at her, his eyes beseeching. "Don't do this. Please don't do this."
Tears filled her eyes, "What else am I supposed to do?"
He shook his head. "I don't know." He stared down at the floor for a moment, then raised his eyes. "I have a request before you do this.."
She wiped at her eyes, "Okay, what is it?"
"Kill me, so I won't have to know he twisted you when the inevitable happens. Let me die while you're still the woman I love." He handed her a pistol, settling it against his chest.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, "You know I can't do that." She was quiet for a moment, "Do you really not believe I can fight him? Because then I might as well just kill myself so he can't use me."
"I believe you will fight him tooth and nail. You'll resist with everything in you. But he's over 1000 years old and I fear he will wear you down until he controls you body and mind. And I can't stand the thought that someday I may have to fight you…" He was shaking, tears filling his eyes. "I couldn't live with that.."
"And you think I can live knowing I killed you?!" She moved the gun away from him. "If he controls me, I need people I trust to take me out." She shook her head, tears still running down her face. "If it's really inevitable that he's going to take me over, the only thing to do is to prevent him from getting to me. You don't want to end up fighting me? Kill me. Make sure my body is unrevivable. Then he can't use me or my power."
A cloud of smoke circled Tsukasa warningly. "The only one dying is Seltain."
Tet picked the gun up, replacing it in the holster. "If he controls you, you won't remember me. I'm going to rescue Shouma and kill that bastard. Alone. Don't any of you come after me or I won't be friendly." He shifted, his gold eyes staring into Andy's before he raced out of the infirmary.
Andy let out a sob, quickly wiping at her eyes, trying to figure out what to do.
Tsukasa blew more smoke before calming himself. "Andy, work on our casualties. I'm going to try to map out a plan for rescuing Shouma and your idiot. Hopefully before anything happens." He motioned to Daiki and they headed out of the infirmary.
It took her awhile but Andy finished healing and reviving them. She sat and watched them, praying Tet would be alright.
Tet shifted to human form as he approached Seltain's fortress. He avoided the guards, slipping into an unlocked window. Creeping through the halls, he tried to figure out where the necromancer would hold a prisoner. Then he found the throne room.
Peeking through the cracked door, the shifter glimpsed Shouma bound and unconscious in a cage near the elaborate chair. No one was visible, so Tet slowly entered. He headed straight for the cage, unlocking the door. "Shouma! Wake up!" He shook the man, rewarded by eyes blinking rapidly.
"Can you shift?" Tet kept watch as the man shakily nodded. "Get out of here then. Now!"
Shouma shifted into a falcon, Tet opening a window and freeing him. "Get back to the base. Tell Boss Seltain won't be a problem anymore. And give this to Andy." He tied a message to Shouma's leg. He watched the shifter disappear, then began laying charges.
When he was done, he removed the spell scroll and re-memorized it.
The door behind him opened and he began reciting.
Seltain entered, first noticing the cage door open. He looked around and spotted Tet, growling before starting to mutter under his breath.
Tet grimaced, reciting faster and praying the spell worked.
Seltain spoke faster, using a spell to throw Tet into the wall.
Tet shook his head to clear it, resuming the spell. As he reached the end with no effect, he swore and scrambled for his detonator. His hand closed around it, his thumb beginning to depress the button.
Seltain focused, creating a barrier around himself before disappearing from the room entirely.
Tet froze, his thumb rising. 'Why hadn't the spell worked?' He questioned himself as he went looking for the necromancer. He wasn't going to let him hurt Andy any more.
Shouma weakly stumbled into Tsukasa's office, holding the message tight in one hand. "Andy..from Tet." He collapsed at her feet, breathing hard.
Andy knelt by him and checked him over before opening the note.
"Andy,
By the time you read this, Seltain will hopefully be no more. In all likelihood, I will be as well. I just wanted you to know that I loved you from the first time I saw you. No, I'm not going to tell you the circumstances. I vowed to protect you with my life and I certainly hope I have made it safe for you to return to your clinic so you can go on helping people. Be happy and live a long time. I'll be waiting, forever if need be.
All my love, Tetsuya"
Andy let out a sob, tears welling in her eyes as she read it. She looked up at Tsukasa, about to speak but she paused, wondering if she could contact Tet like Seltain did to her. She quickly went to her room and searched through the book, finally finding the spell and focusing on Tet, "Can you hear me?"
Tet's voice was strained. "Andy? Andy, I'm sorry, I failed." He let out a strangled cry, his breathing heavy. When he was able to talk again, he spoke rapidly. "Tell Boss to remote detonate the explosives. They're hellfire, so Seltain will hopefully not be able to revive."
"What's happening?"
"The spell didn't work. Probably my fault. He's trying to control me so he can kill you. Please, detonate the explosives before he can.." He gave a blood curdling scream, then the link went silent.
Andy ran back to Tsukasa's office, "Get ready to remote detonate the charges. Detonate them as soon as I get back with Tet. If I'm not back in ten minutes, do it anyway."
"What the hell? What explosives?" Tsukasa stared at her in shock.
"Ones that Tet set at Seltain's place."
Tsukasa face palmed. "I should throw him in the brig and forget about him. What kind of explosives?"
"Hellfire."
Tsukasa went pale. "My god.. Did he lose his mind?"
Andy sighed, "I need to go rescue him from Seltain.. just get ready, okay?"
The officer nodded. "Do you need back up?"
"Maybe someone to help Tet while I focus on holding off Seltain?"
"Take Jack. He's our best trained in combat medicine." Tsukasa raised his radio.
A few minutes later, Jack entered with a first aid bag over his shoulder.
"Alright, ten minutes, let's go."
They appeared in Seltain's throne room.
Andy started reciting spells as she focused on Seltain.
Seltain turned, "Ah, you've come back." He said a quick spell, sending her flying across the room. "Let's see what you remember."
She growled, repeating the spell he used and throwing him into a wall before using one of the killing spells on him.
Seltain stumbled, saying another spell which made chains appear snaking their way toward Andy.
Jack slipped into the room, ignoring the battle. His eyes were locked on Tet's bloody and broken body in the corner. The vampire inhaled sharply as he found a weak pulse. Doing a quick examination, his heart sank as he realized the extent of the shifter's injuries. He reached for a syringe as Tet gave a whimper of pain.
Andy avoided the chains, saying another killing spell.
Soon, she felt pain shooting through her. She pushed through it, saying another spell focusing on Seltain.
Once that spell hit, his focus dropped and the pain subsided. She rushed toward Jack and Tet, grabbing onto them before saying the teleportation spell. They appeared in Tsukasa's office, Andy breathing hard as she released them.
Jack shook his head at Tsukasa's look, then sadly checked Tet's pulse. "Maybe five minutes. I've given him morphine to kill the pain. His back is broken, but the bastard only did it partially. Not to mention the internal injuries and head trauma."
Tsukasa growled, setting off the detonator in his hand. "I hope we got him."
Andy looked down at Tet, "Get him to the infirmary. Let me see what I can do."
Jack didn't argue, just lay Tet on a nearby stretcher and left the office. The vampire carefully moved him to a bed, his eyes closing as he could feel the shifter's pulse fading.
Andy spent the next several hours working on healing Tet. His breathing had long since stopped but she kept working, trying to make sure everything was healed and back to normal before working to revive him.
She swayed, falling back into the nearby chair as the gold light finally surrounded Tet. She blinked slowly, watching for any signs of breathing.
His eyes shot open, gold irises glittering. He started to snarl, claws extended as he jumped at her. He showed no sign of recognition, blindly trying to slash her.
Andy cursed, trying to remember the spell from before. She moved back, putting the bed between them as she recited the spell and prayed it would work to undo what Seltain did.
He stiffened, his eyes going blank for a moment. Then he dropped to the floor like a puppet with the strings cut.
Andy rushed over to him, checking him over before getting him up into the bed. She sat back down, body still rushing with adrenaline. It soon wore off as she took deep breaths and watched him. The exhaustion came back stronger and even though she fought it, she ended up falling asleep.
Jack entered, wrapping a blanket around Andy and moving her to another bed. He checked Tet, shaking his head in disbelief before leaving quietly.
Andy slept fine for awhile but eventually woke up with nightmares of Seltain. She sat up, noticing she was on a bed before glancing over at Tet.
He was still unconscious, his eyes rapidly moving under his lids. As she watched, he sobbed out her name as his hands twitched. Tears poured down his cheeks as he curled into a ball and trembled.
Andy climbed out of bed, walking over to him and gently rubbing his arm, "Tet? Everything is okay." After not getting a response, she wrapped her arms around him.
He latched onto her arm, nails digging through her sleeve as he cried.
"Everything is fine," she whispered softly, trying to calm him.
His eyes blinked open, focusing slowly. When he recognized her, he raised a hand shakily to her cheek. "Sorry.. I almost killed you. I couldn't stop.." He sobbed harder, clutching her close. "He was in my head.. He said you were food.."
"It's alright, everything is okay," Andy assured.
He shook his head, releasing her. "I can't fight him.. You're in worse danger being around me.." He tried to calm his breathing, dropping his eyes and she was startled to see fangs starting to peek through his lips.
Andy sighed, "Safer being with you than Seltain. I trust you, okay?"
He raised his eyes, the red irises pulsing. "Still trust me?"
Tsukasa darted forward, pulling Andy back as Tet hissed. "This is bad."
"So what do we do?"
"The only other time this happened I only read about in his file. Doctors had to put him in a blood coma for three weeks." Tsukasa scowled as Tet gave him a sadistic smile and flashed his fangs.
Andy stared at Tet for a minute, trying to think of anything she'd read about that could be helpful.
Tsukasa glanced at her. "If I can knock him out, will you do the same? I can walk you through it."
"Let me look through the book before that. But yeah, you should probably knock him out."
Tsukasa moved almost too fast for her to see, reappearing behind Tet and wrapping an arm around his neck. He squeezed tightly, holding fast as Tet fought violently. After a few minutes, the shifter was unconscious. The dragon laid Tet on the bed, double checking his breathing before stepping away.
Andy looked at the unconscious form for another moment before heading out the door toward her room.
After an hour of searching and not finding anything, she tried to contact her dad. Closing her eyes and focusing, she thought of him and prayed he could help.
"What is it, Andy?"
"Sorry for needing help again.. That same friend was taken by Seltain again.. He's now more like a vampire and I can't find anything in the book to help like the other spell did."
The white form shimmered as it frowned. "Vampires are hard to deal with when they are in control. I had little experience healing them because the bloodlust would overwhelm them as they tried to heal. With Seltain manipulating him, there isn't much I can help with. I'm sorry." The form vanished somberly.
Andy looked down, staring at the book blankly for a few minutes as she tried to think of anything else to do.
Would a barrier work to keep Seltain out of his head? Could she make a spell to help like she did with his illness? Could she take over control of him? Her mind went in twenty different directions as she pondered the issue.
Eventually, she started making her way back to the infirmary.
Somewhere Tsukasa had found restraints and had tied Tet down. The hybrid was awake now, hissing and threatening bodily harm against him and Jack who was pacing the room.
Andy entered quietly, watching Tet.
"You came back. Thought you may have run away screaming. Then again, I do like a hearty chase. Builds the appetite." He grinned at her, licking his lips slowly.
Andy rolled her eyes before glancing at Tsukasa, "What do we know about the process Seltain uses to control people?"
Tsukasa scowled. "Next to nothing. Somehow he invades their mind and forces their instincts into overdrive. For shifters, it's the hunt. Vampires, the bloodlust that consumes them during their rebirth or severe injury."
Andy nodded, "So basically, you'd have to shut off that part of their brain.."
Jack spoke, eyes locked on the hybrid. "Problem with that is shutting that down prevents us from being able to find food. Or in Tet's case, to lock on to smells to locate people."
Tsukasa sighed. "That's why we use the blood coma. It appears to reset the instinct to feed. Don't know how, but it worked five years ago when he lost control the first time."
"What caused him to lose control that time?"
"His mother was killed and his father came to tell him." Tsukasa scowled as Jack growled "More like came to rub it in."
"I guess let's try it until I can think of anything better," Andy sighed.
Tsukasa and Jack exchanged glances. "You might want to leave."
She frowned, "Why?"
"It's not a pretty operation." Tsukasa watched as Jack pulled a sharp stake off a nearby table and began to approach Tet. The older vampire straddled the hybrid, placing the point on Tet's chest.
Andy took a deep breath, but nodded, heading out of the infirmary. She wandered the halls for a bit, trying to clear her mind of everything.
Tsukasa spoke from behind her. "You okay?"
"Feeling a bit useless right now with the Tet thing, trying to figure out what Seltain's plan is if he survived, and still just trying to process the last couple weeks."
He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Wish I could help. You can come back now, if you want."
Andy nodded, "I'll be in there in a while."
"Alright. Don't blame yourself, none of this is your fault." He headed for his office quietly.
Andy wandered a while longer before deciding to head to the kitchen and cook. She made a meal for the guys, eating a tiny bit herself as she sat in the corner.
The guys entered silently, quickly getting their own plates and sitting away from her. There was no conversation, the meal hurried. Ten minutes later, she was alone again.
She slowly washed the dishes before finally heading to the infirmary.
Jack sat beside Tet's bed, monitoring the shifter's vitals.
Tet wore an oxygen mask, his breathing slow. There was a tiny bag of blood attached to his iv, a bandage covering his chest. The heart monitor registered only 30 heartbeats per minute.
Andy sat down and watched him for a few minutes before standing to leave.
"What are you thinking?" Jack's voice was soft, his eyes meeting hers.
"A lot of things, I guess. There's been so much going on, it's been almost constant since I met you guys." She glanced at Tet, "I'm worried about him."
"He does have more issues than the rest of us. Sometimes I wonder if we've hurt him more than helped him by keeping him alive." Jack ran a hand through the hybrid's hair gently. "He tries to be better than everyone, to prove the scientists who said he'd die young wrong. Only I question if he isn't just trying to die on his own terms."
Andy sighed as she watched Tet.
Tsukasa came in scowling. "Remember when we talked about Seltain and the Council? He's decided he doesn't need one anymore. They're all dead. And the bounty has gone up on us. He offering government positions to those who can kill us." He looked at Andy. "All of us."
Andy cursed, "So what do we do now?"
"We need to go on the offensive. We've been trying unsuccessful in defending. So we take the fight to him-after we do everything we can to protect ourselves- and bury his ass." Tsukasa gritted his teeth.
"Alright, so how do you plan to go after him? Do we just all go in guns blazing?"
"I figure he wants us, might as well give him everything. One of us is bound to take him out somehow. My money's on you cause now he's not even trying to play nice and pretend to be a teacher. You scare him."
"I scare him?" Andy shook her head, "He kind of scares me. If what he taught me is just part of his power.."
Jack stood. "He may have a lot of power, but Boss is right. You're untrained, oblivious to this world. Why did he send hounds after you? Why did he attempt to make you his apprentice? He could have left you alone and you would have never known about your parents, your powers or him. But he didn't."
Andy sighed, "You guys really think I can take him out?"
"You've come closer than any of us. You've hurt him twice, plus he's pissed. He won't be thinking as clearly. He wants you gone."
"He'll be the one gone.." Tet's voice was weak, his hand shaking as he pulled off the mask. "Andy will put him where he belongs-hell."
Andy looked over at Tet, giving him a small smile, "I hope I can live up to your beliefs."
He sent her a tired grin. "You already have. You could have run screaming but instead you challenged him twice for a nobody like me."
"You're definitely more than a nobody."
He gave a weak chuckle. "I stand corrected. Sorry for being such a pain in the ass."
She took his hand, "I've just been worried about you."
He looked at the blood and grimaced. "Sorry you saw that. I swore it would never happen again."
Tsukasa looked at Jack and nodded.
The vampire left the room, then returned with several blood bags that he attached to the iv. "We drained you quite a bit, so I'm going to open your iv all the way. You'll feel stronger in a few hours."
Tsukasa looked at them. "In two days, we go to war. We come back victorious or we don't come back."
Andy nodded, "I'll cram as many spells as I can."
Tsukasa gave her a nod as he and Jack left.
Tet blinked at her. "I have faith in you."
Andy gave him a small smile, "I'll be right back." She went and grabbed her book and went back to sitting next to him as she read.
He closed his eyes, relaxing in her presence. He fell asleep listening to pages being turned.
Andy continued reading for hours, not even realizing how late it had gotten. She was determined to learn as much as she could before they went after Seltain. She knew it wasn't likely that a few days of cramming spells would be anything compared to Seltain's thousand years experience but she had to try. She eventually looked up and noticed Tet was awake and staring at her. She gave him a small smile, "How are you feeling?"
"Much better. Though I need to hurry because you're going to need help." He sat up slowly, scowling at the iv.
Andy sighed, "Just focus on healing, I'll be fine."
He gave her a worried look, picking absently at the tape. "Do you think we have a chance?"
"I don't know.. but I'm going to try my hardest." She looked down, "I'm worried though."
"Yeah, so am I." He sighed. "If something happens.."
She nodded slowly, "I'm worried what it'll mean if we can't beat him. It won't just be our lives at stake, but whoever he decides to go after next."
"We have to stop him. But I don't want you to be distracted. If something happens to us, promise me you won't stop to help. Take care of Seltain, then come back for us."
She gave a small smile, "I'll try.."
He stared at her for a moment, then pulled the iv out. He winced, but continued out of the bed. He swayed, holding onto the frame.
"What are you doing?" Andy stood quickly.
"Getting ready." His hand shook from the exertion, a growl coming from his throat. "I have to be ready."
"Just rest for now," she said as she put a hand on his shoulder. "We still have some time. If you don't rest enough now, it'll just hurt you later."
"What if Seltain attacks? I can't just lay here." He struggled to control his emotions.
"You've been protecting me from everything, let me protect you for once, okay?" She said softly.
He gave her a small smile, his eyes tired. He leaned into her touch with a sigh. "You're too good for me."
She chuckled, "Not sure about that. Let's get you into bed so you can get some more sleep." She helped him in and covered him before reattaching the IV.
She sat back down and went back to her reading, occasionally glancing up to look at Tet.
Andy showered quickly, then tied her hair up and out of the way. She'd gotten a few hours of sleep and hoped it would be enough to get her through her fight with Seltain. She left her room, waiting where the others were.
Tsukasa surveyed them, his lips tight. Finally, he spoke. "We know what we have to do. Destroy Seltain at all costs. We protect Andy until she can get close enough to fight. Good luck." He looked at her, then shifted. His eyes glowed red out of a massive black dragon, smoke twirling through the air.
Everyone but Tet either shifted or transformed in some way. Soon a small army of vampires, wolves, dragons and what looked like a gold phoenix surrounded her.
She took a deep breath and readied herself for the fight. She thought of all the spells she could use and prayed one of them would finally take out Seltain.
Tsukasa looked at Tet who nodded. "Let's go kick some ass."
Tet held on to Andy's arm as the others ran out the door.
Andy looked at Tet for a moment, "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be. I'm going to protect you as much as possible, but remember if I go down, keep going no matter what. Kill Seltain." He gave her a hurried kiss, then transformed. 'Want a ride?'
She chuckled, "Are you sure?"
'Of course. A warrior goddess must have a steed.' His voice was amused, his gold eyes twinkling.
She smirked before climbing on and wrapping her arms around him.
He charged through the door, quickly catching up with the others. Tsukasa flew above them, scouting the area.
Andy held on tightly, keeping her eyes ahead to watch for any signs of danger.