Hey world, SkatingDJ back with another chapter of... Spark! Yeah, I changed the name. I felt like 'Hot and Cold' didn't describe the story well enough and was just too original. I always wanted to change the title, it wasn't permanent, only till I came up with something better. What do you think of 'Spark'?
This chapter is Part 1 (yes, another 'Part') of what the Spirits are going to do to Jack. And I am going to say that the plot right now is heavily based on Legend of Korra. But hopefully you will enjoy regardless because I think it's gonna be cool:) So because of the plot being separated into two parts, this chapter will be the filler of the two, the more boring one:/ and on the short side. But it's important nonetheless! Brace yourselves lovelies!
So enjoy!:)
I felt as if I had been hit by a speeding train and then fallen into a pit of razors just for the heck of it. My eyes painfully fluttered open. The scene before me was a blur of green and brown. I blinked a few times as my vision began to focus. I was in a ginormous (brown) granite cave and the green took the form of large emeralds that spurted from the ground. I tried to move but barely had the energy but was aware that I couldn't even if I wanted to/if I had the energy. My wrists and ankles burned underneath the iron cuffs wrapped around them. It was then I realized I was hanging in the air by my arms on chains with my ankles as well. And my staff! Where was my staff!?
It hurt goddammit! My head slumped forward as I was unable to contain a moan of pain. There were bloody gashes all over my body along with burn marks and a bountiful of bruises. I began to breath quickly as my heart pounded in my chest, I began to fear if I would live. What had happened to me? Why was I here?
"Jack! It's okay! We're up here! Breath!" An Australian voice hollered from above.
I looked up and to my horror I saw my family trapped in a bird cage that was dangling from the ceiling. They looked sick and weak and scared as well... for me. But at the same time, they were burning with hatred. North was trying to pull a brave and fierce face as that was what he really felt, but his colors had drained from his face and he could barely move. Tooth wasn't flying and her tear streaked face was pale with worry, but her eyes burned with vengeance. Sandy wasn't floating and he could barely conjure any sand, he gave a nod of approval at me with tired eyes but I knew a flame of hatred had sparked within him. Bunny, who was looking down on me, was the one who called out. He was weak and worried sick for me... it was devastating, but I could see that within him, he was ready to kill.
Then the memories came.
I almost cried out in shock as my memories of the past few hours played at the front of my mind. I was so scared... I didn't know what to do! It hurt so badly, I wanted to go home. Wherever that was! Anywhere away from here! It was so foolish of me to run away. I hoped the Guardians would forgive me for what I've done. I've failed them! That hurt more than anything. This was all my fault! I want to just die! I wanted to cry but I had no more tears. Honestly, this was really humiliating. I wanted to be with my family, but I can't. I weakly tugged at my restraints (my shoulders felt like they were gonna fall off!) but it wasn't any use. I-
"Hello, Frost."
They had come back.
A roar of fury belonging to a certain Pooka came from above, "Let him go, you monsters! Keep us instead! Don't you dare touch a hair on his head again or I'll-"
"Ugh!" Glimmer cut Aster off with a growl of disgust. "Enough with the empty threats!" She cocked her hip out, her lips curled into a snarl, one hand on her hip, as she examined her nails. Total sass right there ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you! What a freaking diva!
"That's a shame." Red cooed at the Guardians. "You see, my plan was that you could leave, and I'll keep Jack here instead. Or none of you will leave. Of course, to do this, we need Jack's vote on this!"
The three siblings walked up to the edge of a ledge a bit from where I was hung.
"He said to keep us here and let Jack go you foul spirits!" Tooth screeched threateningly.
"Sorry, that ain't an option girly." Flora spat. "And you can't do anything about it. This is Jack's decision regardless of what you think. We have the trump cards here and you aren't even playing."
I wanted to leave this place so desperately. But then what? Sure, the Guardians hadn't been paying attention to me lately but I wasn't their priority. It wasn't their fault that I ran away and got caught... right? Right. But it didn't matter who's fault is was now. If I were to disagree with the plan and be freed, surely the Guardians would hate me and possibly die here. And then what? The world would loose all the believers and the spirit world would be thrown into turmoil and eventually the world would collapse, just like that. (Okay, maybe not that fast but I think you guys get what I'm saying.) And this is if the three demons didn't go back on their word.
However, if I were to agree to the plan, MiM knows what would happen to me! Something worse than death? Probably. And I feel like Hell already! But... the Guardians would be freed. My family would be safe. I don't care, I still love them, no matter what. It's what families do. Even though they haven't paid attention to me which anyone can't disagree on, their my family and I couldn't bear to see them get hurt. Besides, they were more important than me. Maybe this was for the better.
"What do you want me to do?" I croaked.
The pumpkin head resting on Red's shoulders smirked as the eyes glinted with evilness. "So I take it you agree to our plan? You stay here and the Guardians go free?"
"No! Bloody no! Don't agree, Jack!" Bunny pleaded.
Too late, Bunny. I'm sorry, "Yes."
"No!" The Guardians shrieked.
"Yes..." Red hissed under his breath.
Now, I know first hand about deals and people going back on their word (cough, Pitch, cough). The same could happen here. I needed to make sure the deal was sealed.
"Let them go first." I demanded. You should know I felt much better, able to stay awake and talk without feeling too much pain. Resting really helps me with my healing powers along... along with my ice powers. That was good, it meant my staff was okay!
"I'm sorry Jack, I'm afraid we can't do that." Red said.
"Why not?" I growled. I was going to get my way in this!
"Once you complete the deal, then we shall let them go." Red reasoned.
"How do I know you won't go back on your word?" I tested. They better give me a good reason!
"We will have no use of them anymore since this deal will give us what we want." Glimmer explained.
Huh, that actually sounded pretty reasonable- I mean, I really did want the Guardians to be released now but if I pushed it, I knew one of them could kill my family on the spot and I wanted to prevent that from happening.
"That is... if you survive the deal... which is pretty impossible to do!" Flora announced, snickering with her siblings.
My eyes grew wide as I held my breath, a choked cry of shock emitting from my slightly stunned mouth. I heard the Guardians gasp above me. What did they mean if I lived this? What if I didn't succeed? Would I break the deal and the Guardians would die because of it? How hard is it? What do I have to do? But the way they said it seemed like I had a slim chance of surviving! No- no, no, no, no, no- this was not happening! "Wha-"
"I think we all are aware how deadly iron is to spirits, correct?" Red began.
Nobody responded.
"Well, this here," Red reached into his cloak and pulled out a jar that contained a silver, thick liquid inside. "Is Mercury. It contains metal and can be iron-bent." Red passed the jar to Flora.
Which meant that Red and the others had total control over it. But what were they going to do? Wait a minute! Isn't Mercury poisonous if it comes into contact with a person? And it will slowly and very painfully kill them...?
"If this substance comes into contact with a human, the results are deadly as the victim will slowly and painfully die." Red explained further, a sickening grin spreading across his pumpkin head.
I gulped hard as my stomach churned.
"But! What if it were to come in contact with a spirit? The process would quicken, and the pain would be amplified due to the iron."
"No! Don't you even think about it you devils!" North roared.
I quivered in my chains as beads of cool sweat trickled down my face. Did they want to do what I think they were gonna do? Oh MiM...
"But what's the fun in that if you just died?" Red continued incredulously, obviously stating that this whole scheme was meant for me. He didn't even question he look he gave me!
Oh great, that was aimed at me. And anything having to do with death was not fun! I knew the definition of 'fun' forward and back and suffering or dying was not one of them! And what did they want me to do?
"Jack, if you entered your Ultimate Form-"
"Ultimate... Form?" Tooth's voice piped up softly from above as the Guardians looked down on me with worry. They didn't know what the Ultimate Form was... right. (Flora had demonstrated her's but nobody could really, her being the weakest and using her UF made her par off with the rest of us. Sorry, not sorry, Flora!)
"-just listen." Red hissed. "You could fight the poison more effectively and have a chance of living... but, we can kill you in that form... and you can't fight us and the poison!"
My breath quickened. A tear rolled down my face, I began to grow sickly frightened. Please no...
"Well, we won't need this for that-" Red said as he once again reached into his cloak and pulled out... my staff! He raised it over his knee and cocked an eyebrow at me.
Panic rushed through me, "Please don't-"
SNAP!
My wail echoed through the cave as my body thrashed in the restraints for a brief moment. No matter how many times it happened (they had broken my staff before), it still hurt. Another tear rolled down my face as I heavily breathed with my head down. A wave of heat washed over my as I weakly hung in the chains with sweat stuck to my forehead. Every ragged breath sent pain through my chest which felt like it had been shattered.
Red dropped the piece- pieces of wood into the abyss below. He looked up at the Guardians who wore pained faces of shock, they didn't know about my secret.
"You learn something new everyday! See, Jack? This is what happens when you keep secrets from your family." Red taunted.
I looked back up at the three with wary eyes.
"Enough stalling. Administer the poison." Red demanded.
Flora popped open the lid as Glimmer dragged the Mercury out of it.
My eyes shot open with fear as my breathing picked up immensely. Terror grew within me as tears mercilessly streaked down my face.
"Stop! No! Don't!" Cried the Guardians above who tried to bust out of the cage but to no luck.
The iron liquid began to float towards me as my heartbeat clouded my ears.
The Mercury separated into four blobs of silver as each one targeted each arm and calf.
It happened so quickly, nothing could have prepared me for the pain that was about to come.
As soon as the liquid came into contact with my skin, a sickening, burning, scorching pain fired up as a scream tore through my throat. The pain was unbearable. It was difficult to describe but the pain was so blinding and hot that I couldn't think, only scream. As the poison seeped into my skin and into my bloodstream, the pain grew more powerful to immense amounts. I could feel the liquid pass through my body as it began to kill me from the inside out.
I thrashed about in my restraints as my white locks tossed in front of my bloodshot eyes which were flashing into my Ultimate form... the only way my body knew how to fight it. But if I turned into that form, they would surely kill me, I had to fight this thing, no matter what. My life and the Guardians life depended on it.
"Get ready. As soon as he's in Ultimate Form, take him out." Red ordered with a sly grin.
Flora sprouted vines from the ground. Glimmer turned the abyss beneath me into a pit of fire and then armed herself with a shield of water.
I threw my head back as every inch of my body seared with pain. Slowly and painfully killing me. It hurt so much. I begged for death! My body was forcing me into my Ultimate Form but my mind couldn't allow it. I was slightly grateful that my staff was broken or a full fledged blizzard would have taken place. But right now, it was a battle versus my mind and body. A matter of life or death. But the situation I was in looked more like a death or... death situation. I wrestled even more as more unbearable pain spread through my body. My screams of protest against my will to help and pain filling the chamber.
"Why isn't he going into the Form?" Glimmer asked impatiently.
"Give it time, he can't resist for long." Red remarked.
I screamed some more. The flashes of my Ultimate Form growing more urgent and frequent as time passed on as the pain slowly grew. But I couldn't die. I couldn't fail the Guardians. Not this time! That was the only thing keeping me going. But the pain was growing and I was loosing. In the end, I don't think I was going to win.
However, unbeknownst to everyone in the cave, three brave figures watched in the shadows.
Chapter 9 of Spark! Hope you liked it:) PLEASE leave a review and tell me if you liked it!:3 Make sure to check out my other stories as well! It's getting good guys! Hopefully you understand, feel free to PM me if otherwise (or look up Korra vs Zaheer). The Part 2 climax battle awaits next chapter! Hope your excited! And give me your thoughts on the new title! Anyways, you know the drill. Gotta go. Peace!
-SkatingDJ