Anger, Details and Threats
Chapter 13
Chase has live for a long time, over a millennium, and his life has not lack experiences. So he can said with the utmost confidence that Mrs. Spicer is one of the most despicable and tacky creatures he has the displeasure to meet. After living and experiencing so much, it was hard to leave an impression on the warlord's mind but Mrs. Spicer has done it. She has a safe spot on Chase's most hated living creatures -Will-kill-twice-if-giving-the-opportunity list. Chase despises her. From her pretty face to her annoying abnormally high pitched voice, her taste in clothes, her favorite perfume, her manners and her lack-of-manners, the way she tilts her head like she doesn't understand chinese or english or french -Chase quickly switches languages to accommodate her, because the faster they communicate the faster their interaction would be over. But, since Chase has promised to Jack he won't kill her he simply avoids her as much as he can. They had only meet seven times but each time was worse than the last.
In short: Chase hates her guts.
Other way to putted would be; Chase once took a lover when he was still relatively young. A pretty greddy thing that after twelve years of perfect obedience tried to kill him on his sleep. She tried to kill him on his sleep like a fucking coward. Obviously she failed, but she did cut Chase's hair on the process, and it took two years to re-grow. Well, Chase would preferred to share a meal with her rotting corpse than to talk to Mrs. Spicer without Jack there as a buffer.
But here he is, standing on the middle of the white room that smells like antibiotics and cleaning products, but all the synthetic smells couldn't masked the sick and the death; Chase hates hospitals -just go die outside he tells those bedridden.
Mrs. Spicer looks weak. Her small frame seem to barely make a dent on the bed, her hair was a mess; thin and dislevel -she must have pulled off of her hair extensions. Chase has never seen her face without a half a palette worth of makeup, not on all of those picture Jack had shown him, not when he came with Jack to pick her up from her (cosmetic and unnecessary) surgery. The skin under her eyes folded like a silk sheet, kinda a beautiful but still a mess, her face showcase the decades of microdamage from everyday makeup and partying. She holds her phone on her hands and looks at nothing, tears still streaming down her face.
The only noise on the room was the beep from her phone, and the the voice telling her that the sorry, but her son is not answering.
"He is well."
The woman turns surprise that she is not longer alone. She looks at Chase and smiles like an actress on cue.
"Mr. Young?" She tilts her head, she sweetens her voice, she shifts her body and enlargers her figure, and then she understands what he said. "Jackie?"
One word penetrates through her persona, it was like looking at a pretty carved box and discovered it was empty -that it has been empty for a long time.
"He was hurt but he is stable and recovering quickly." Chase confirms and he sees her face break into a ugly expression that is immediately covered by her hands.
"Jackie-"
"He is disturbed, and he will need time; wait for him." Chase finishes and the ugly sobs from the woman fills the room.
"Please! Jackie-" Mrs. Spicer pleas but she is alone on the room. The disturbingly calm man is gone.
Chase didn't care for her, so he felt nothing but relief to leave her. He informed her about Jack only to lessen Jack's guilt about worrying his mother once the young man comes to his senses.
He didn't have time to waste on her, Chase has far more important things to do.
The warlord walks through his palace, the inside was mostly intact but the gardens and the forest have suffered heavy damage. The forest specially, hills have disappeared, a new cliff was formed, hundreds of dead trees lay randomly across the land, ash had lightly covered the ground and it smelled like rotting squirrels for some reason. The immortal warriors had clean what they could, but Chase had instructed them to stay inside the palace and on large numbers at all times.
Chase glares at every hole, rock or scratch, while his second in command reports the damages. Chase could summarised in three words: it exceed predictions.
The man looks at the throne room. The rubbish has been disposed with the broken throne, leaving the room rather empty.
"Master." Yaretzi has a way to called for attention both soft and demanding. Chase turns to her and lets a small hum.
"They have grown stronger than I predicted." Chase says and Yaretzi looks at the ruined steps -Wuya did that, she is confused but she stays quiet, she knows that sometimes her master's brain works on levels she can't follow. "I'll take control of the island and repair the damages, I want ten warriors with me, the rest secured the island once more; we are expecting visitors."
"Should I prepare some tea?" She asks and Chase wonders.
"Yes."
Yaretzi nods and takes her leave sending eight of the best fighters and two of their fastest warriors with her master. The land under her feet shifts and she hurries; she forms large groups of 12 warriors per sections, they will remain within earshot of the closest two groups and move simultaneously counterclockwise every 45 minutes. The groups search for enemies, traps, spies, anything that shouldn't be there. Mountains raise, land is forced together, trees are sweep to the ocean and float away from the shore and back.
The island becomes whole again.
A few hours had passed and the first group returns to the palace, Yaretzi waits patiently until the last group has arrived. She sends each group to rest and wait until further instructions are received.
The margay makes her way to her master without much hurry. Once she reaches her master he informs her that they will wait until the monks to decide to come.
They wait for the monks.
"Master. Should I prepare a secure room?" Yaretzi asks and Chase frowns.
"No. no, yet." Chase knows that he left Jack with Omi, and Wuya can't be far. She has bonded herself to Omi and she won't leave him until Omi fulfills his purpose. Chase would guess Omi's purpose is to one; serve as a corporal form for Wuya. And two; the boy would be bait for Hannibal.
Hannibal would try to make Omi his apprentice. The boy is so full of potential and he is vulnerable enough, but it won't work.
Chase knows this and so does Wuya.
Wuya has made an alliance with Omi, offered the boy prestige and power -the whole package, and then she will tried to make an alliance with Hannibal by offering Omi. The three of them would attack Chase, but their own disloyalty would unravel anything they have plan. Chase just has to be patience, he has lived through this many times.
Soon the monks would find their way to him and ask about their fellow monk. Then Hannibal would be convince that Omi has left the temple, and proceed to offer Omi a better deal that Wuya offered.
The stupid bean knows that Omi will go to Jack, and because he has the attention span of a 11 year old goldfish he will become distracted with Jack. This would make a window for Omi and Wuya to take their leave.
Jack is there to looked over Omi, a place holder, as soon as Hannibal arrives Wuya will leave, and Chase will face the bean and very carefully plant the seed of doubt.
The best plan is a simple plan, now he just has to wait for the monks.
They eventually come.
The three of them look serious, hurt like a broken set, tired like they haven't slept on days, and scare like they just realised they are mere mortals and could die any day. Still they stood their ground and let their voice be carry like a demand.
A small wild cat, just slightly bigger than a house cat really, offered her master rose tea.
"Where is Omi?"
"Why would I know? Or better question; why would I tell you?" Chase drank the sweet smell.
"We don't know what you are planning, but we won't let you hurt Omi!"
"Is that all?" Chase asks and there is silence. That's all.
The poor young monks don't have a plan or a clue. They don't know where Omi is and they have look everywhere already. Normally danger goes to them or is in plain sight, they aren't use to really looking for suspects. And they are running out of options.
The silence was heavy, they plead with their eyes to just tell them already. But Chase doesn't care.
"Omi wouldn't just disappear." Clay says softly directed to no one in particular.
"He wouldn't." Chase drinks from his cup, this was easy.
"Stop being a sadistic bitch and just tell us, what do you want? What do you want with Omi?" Kimiko like always explodes.
"If I wanted anything from Omi, I would already have said so. I'm not shy." Chase answers and lets their own doubts boil on their minds.
Omi isn't weak, he can't just be taken. They saw him walking away with one of the most powerful wu there is. Next to the Heylin witch. They had looked for Omi, and if they can't find him by now they should assume that maybe Omi doesn't want to be found.
"Do you know where is he?" Raimundo asks, it wasn't a demand, it was a favor. The 'please' was left hanging.
"He doesn't want you to find him, if I tell you where to look and you try to find him, then he will simply leave again." Chase said dryly and sees fear of what all of them suspected sink into their young minds. "Ask the witch." It was too easy.
Chase stands, he was bore of all the sentimentalism and he has more important things to do. Yaretzi retrieves the empty cup before her master leaves, and observes the monks talk between each other.
They believe Chase is lying to them; wrong, but smart.
They trust Omi; right, but stupid.
They want to do something about it, they turn to look at the cat, her big brown eyes her stare without boundaries.
In front of her a set of four tea cups, the monks look at her.
"Creep." Raimundo whispers before leaving with his group. Yaretzi purrs and drinks from her cup.
Once she is alone she orders the first group to prepare a safe room.
If she were to give advice to the monks is. If she were to give advice to anyone it would be 'always follow your first instinct.' So she prepares for the worst.
Chase was right.
He stands between Jack and Hannibal. Jack was vivid and disoriented, most likely sedated. While Hannibal seem hyper aware of his surroundings, the home-made bed, the weird smell of seaweed, vomit and medicine. And blood. Jack's wound has open, very little, but a monster like Hannibal could smell weakness from a mile, to Hannibal Jack smell like a meal.
Omi was gone, his place on the bed almost cold.
"Too quick. I haven't even gotten a sentence out of the boy." Hannibal eyes Chase. "And I have so many questions."
Chase feels Jack tried to balance himself using his shoulder plate and mumble something about morphine.
"You won't get a word at out him. I would said try later, but I much prefer you stay from what is mine." Chase says and Jack twitches like he was paying attention.
"'Mine'? You do always get clingy your pets." Hannibal tries to cover his surprise. Chase had non-spoken ownership over Jack, but for him to said it directly. That was threat, and clear threat that couldn't be ignore. "And I thought you wanted Omi; potential with only half the stupid." Hannibal looks at Jack trying to clean drool from his face and failing.
"Omi has prove himself decided of what he wants." Chase says without a doubt, and not too fast -he can't raise suspicion.
"Hmm?" Hannibal makes a noise and Chase acts intrigue -like he isn't aware that Omi has sweared loyalty to the heylin witch; like he didn't arranged their encounter. He secretly wonders if this creature ever hold the upper hand, of course he must have at some point but that was a long time ago.
"Jack is mine, and by extension everything he is or possess falls under my protection." Chase says and Jack makes a noise. It wasn't agreement or disagreement, but it really makes Chase reconsider if he is choosing the right partner; he will have to live with this decision for eternity.
"Very impressive." Hannibal laughs.
"What do you came?" Chase hurries Hannibal out.
"Like I said; I have questions for the boy."
"He can't answer you. So I, once again, recommend you to leave." Chase glares, he silently tells Hannibal that he would fight him over his intrusion and that he will kill him. That Chase would kill Hannibal at the slightest provocation. It was a bluff, Chase wouldn't risk Jack be caught on the crossfire lightly. It seem to have very little effect on his old teacher, though.
"I'm leaving." Hannibal says circling around the pair. Chase puts his arm around Jack and prepares to move in case of an attack. "I just have one more question. Where is Wuya?"
"I'm not your secretary." Chase answers angrily. Was Hannibal planning on playing 20 questions like the monks?
"You did kill her, though?" Hannibal says between chuckles.
"I'm sure she already cried at your feet about it. Or appendages." Chase glares at Hannibal as the other moves closer. Jack seems to detect the movement and concentrates on the appendage swirling towards him.
"Ack." Jack tries to stand on his own and Chase makes sure to not let him fall.
"Look who decided to join our chat. Hello." Hannibal uncoils his tentacle-like-root and aims for Jack's head. Chase cuts the limb before it touches Jack, but the attack somewhat awakens Jack.
Chase doesn't want to fight Hannibal yet, specially with Jack half-sedated on his arms.
"Shit! I-" Jack looks around obviously disoriented. "Omi?!" Jack searches for his friend but new sudden movement alerts Jack to concentrated on his own well being.
Chase weights the risks between ordering Jack to tried to find safety on his own versus holding sedated-Jack while fighting Hannibal; both seem like bad choices.
So Chase says nothing, and tries to remember a spell to aid Jack.
"Lately it seems like you only know where little Jack is." Hannibal cluckles like it was some type of private joke. "You seem distract it." The roots press against the tile and twist around furniture, it climbs up the walls and coil at the corners of the room.
Chase pulls Jack closer and his head lolls back and forth. The warlord puts his hand on the back of Jack's necks and repeats the spell on his mind -the prey spell will temporarily provide Jack with enough adrenaline to run.
"And you seem greedy." Chase says and he sees the first attack coming on his direction, but it was at distraction. Jack is the real target.
Chase presses his open palm against Jack's neck, he whispers the words and throws the genius to the closest exit.
It was like electricity.
Jack has been shock many times throughout his life, but at that moment he left like electricity controlled his movements. He saw the ceiling and felt the change in his position, and he knew that he was mid-air and in danger. The fall against the floor and rush to his feet, the pain that ran from his shoulder across his chest was barely noticeable. He saw the robots that have been hiding and waiting for an opening shoot into the room. Jack didn't have time to turn or to question what was happening. The genius almost knew that the spell won't last longer than a minute, so he ran to his lab.
Hannibal smirked trying to not look worry, he hoped to hurt the boy and leave Chase to whine over his broken toy. Now he has to actually fight.
Jack runs faster, faster that he has run in years. The flesh from his wound rips open, it rips apart, when he turns he leaves red splashes on the wall.
Hannibal presses against the room and makes it crumbles, the floor disappears as it sink on the room under as rubble. Chase levitates on the center of the room and the monster sends the countless appendages forward, each aims to kill. The warlord dodges the first and second attack, he was hit in the back by the third strike, Chase captures the fourth root and pulls hard enough to disbalance the overgrown bean. As Hannibal falls he wraps a root around Chase's feet forcing him down.
Jack was leaving a blood trail on the walls and floor. Once reaches his lab he screams '25-c' and a large machine rumbles to life. The doc-bot waiting for Jack stables the open wound over Jack's sweater and simultaneously injects Jack with a shot of adrenaline -a sciency version of the prey spell. "Is it charge?" Jack asks but he is already in the large armor like robot, and he is driving forward when the jack-bot answers.
The noise of machinery, most likely a war machine, heading their direction was deafening. Still, it made the dragon in Chase purr proudly, and it made the more logical part of Chase relief -Jack could be trust it. Even when the young man is drug and in danger, he remains loyal to the warlord. It made the paranoia in Chase scream, Jack can not be predict it. The warlord shifts into his dragon-self and holds Hannibal down as the bean tries to flee. "Didn't you have 'oh, so many questions to ask?'" Chase mocks and he steps back when the rotten creature twists its body.
The roots grow spikes, the mouth spills black tick acid, and the old old twisted warrior grows a backbone as it towers tall over Chase. There was vile in those eyes, monstrous pure hate, and centuries old hurt that can only be born of betrayal. "I or time will take everything from you."
Jack wasn't sure if he really want it to puke or he already did. He was also surprised when the ceiling over his robot's head crumble like a wet cookie as the robot runs. The machine was 14 feets and 8 inches tall and holds two weapons; a self-destruct mechanism, and a gun. It was a very good gun. "Shiiiiiiiiiit!" Once Jack reached the room where Chase and Hannibal were, he felt the robot sinking a few feet down. "I gonna be sick." Jack had fallen a room under, since the floor on the previous room had disappeared ? And then the robot half sunk on the floor. The tiles of the room look like bright blue confetti.
Chase wasn't scare. He looked at Hannibal's heinous eyes and stay still. It was a threat but Chase could barely registered as a challenge.
"Starting with that boy."
"Chase move!" The attacked hits Chase first then Hannibal. The whole structure of the house trembled, every window, vase, tile on a radius of 12 meters were shatter. There was no sound created by the weapon, no light, no smell. But the invisible force ripped through the air making heavy. The vibrations could only be compared to an earthquake. It shred the flesh of Hannibal so strongly the monster saw his blood, he hasn't seen his own blood since Chase betrayed him. The motor of the machine failed for a second and the monster escaped faster than rat running for its life.
AN: okay, the story is actually moving!
Thanks lots to everyone that is leaving comments! I really appreciate them :D
Special thanks to EmilyKayros, Seven Alice, and a really nice guest!