"What in tarnation did you do?" Clay shoved Raimundo the moment he reappeared. The Brazilian stumbled, dropping the Golden Tiger Claws as he fell against the side of the sleeping quarters. The cowboy towered over him, fists clenched by his sides as he glared down. His anger drained as he got a good look at Raimundo's face.

"Rai? What happened?"

"I…I didn't mean to-to kill him…" Raimundo was mumbling, staring at nothing. "I just, I was just gonna rough him up…"

Clay quickly caught his friend has his legs finally gave out, realizing the smaller man was in shock. He pulled his tunic off, setting it around Raimundo's shoulders before scooping him up.

"Master Fung!"

Master Fung waited until he was back in his own room before slumping against his door. Dojo slithered out from a hammock in the corner, wringing his hands worriedly. He made his way over as the old monk sank to the floor. Everything was falling apart. The Xiaolin Warriors were falling one by one now that Jack Spicer was a proper Heylin threat.

Omi was among Chase Young's ranks, it was unknown if Kimiko would ever come out of the coma caused by the sudden loss of iron in her blood; and now Raimundo may have committed murder?

It was becoming too much.

Chase was speechless, though he'd never allow others to know it. Watching from the shadows, he prowled the grounds of the Xiaolin Temple. The Xiaolin side was, for lack of a better term, in shambles. And all at the hand of Jack Spicer, no less.

Feeling his bloodlust recede at the sight of such suffering, Chase changed course to the scroll room. He'd rifled through the things here long ago and knew there were ancient spells that the Xiaolin would never use. Things he doubted even Dojo remembered were here. With the monks being as stretched thin as they were, there was no one to stop him from rifling through the dust-covered shelves of the poorly maintained archives. Chase found himself deeply irked at the state of them, knowing he had some items much older than some of these scrolls and took far better care of them.

Pushing the feelings down, he started glancing at the contents until he found the one he remembered from his youth. A low-grade spell, used often back in his time as a monk on the children of the poor. Meant to make them hearty and stronger, to help them survive. Something that might make Spicer less fragile.

It wasn't in too bad a shape, surprisingly. Its edges were worn, and it had been dosed in enough oils during its peak use that the insects had left it untouched. He tucked in his belt, looking through the more forbidden scrolls to see if there was anything of interest.

Chase stopped at the sound of footsteps and hushed voices, turning his head slightly toward the doorway. He recognized the deep drawl of Clay's voice and the squeaky voice of the one called Ping Pong.

"I do not understand why all of this is happening…" Ping Pong said, "Aren't the good guys supposed to win?"

"…real life is…more complicated than that, lil' buddy." Clay's voice had a measure of emotion behind it that Chase knew the little monk wouldn't understand. That mix of anger, sadness, defeat…and yet, even from here, he could smell hope.

"But we are Xiaolin monks! If Jack Spicer is now gone, will Chase Young not be sad and less willing to fight?" An optimist. How quaint.

"I mean…if he figures out who done did it, he'd probably come to tear Rai apart." Clay said matter-of-factly. Well, at least the cowboy had some brains. "It's best not to poke a sleeping gator, lil' buddy."

Chase grabbed a handful of scrolls before teleporting away. If he were a betting man, Ping Pong would likely be the next one to attempt a rescue or an attack. But he'd do well to keep an eye on all of them.

Back at the Lair, Jack hissed as Nkazimulo smeared a warm balm over his back. She was gentle but the bruise was dark and it stung. She offered no apology and Jack didn't expect one. Chase stepped silently into the room, exchanging a nod with his warrior. She finished applying the balm before walking away. Jack let out a sigh, making to move to cover himself when another hand started to rub the back of his neck.

"Mmm…hey Chase."

"How're you feeling?"

"Sore. The balm helps though. Nkazie has been really nice."

"Nkazie?" Chase gave a smirk, glancing at the warrior who offered no comment nor let an emotion slip on her face. She'd always been a hard one to read.

"Mhm. What were you up to? You kill Rai?"

"No. Pedrosa is still alive, though he seems to be mentally damaged from believing he caused your death. The entire temple is a mess. Tohomiko is still in the hospital."

Jack snorted, "So, it'll be a while before they get the news, huh?"

"News?"

"I already had the whole thing dealt with."

"Aren't you a clever one." Chase purred, carefully massaging Jack's neck. It was incredible the man could move with the amount of knots there but he dared not press too hard. Even this small amount of pressure was enough to make Jack sigh.

"I have something for you."

"You do?" Jack turned his head, the bruise on his cheek in full view now. Chase pushed down the sudden rush of anger at the sight as he pulled the scroll from his belt. At the rise of Jack's eyebrow, Chase started to explain.

"It's a spell scroll, specifically for the fortification of the body." He waited as the words rolled around in Jack's head. Then his eyes looked up.

"You mean, it'd make me…"

"Less fragile." Chase let go of the younger man's neck as he shifted and sat up. It was slow and involved much hissing, but he was on his knees, looking up at Chase. What a pretty sight, even with that colorful bruise staining the white of his cheek.

"Chase, are you serious? This spell would make me…normal?"

"It wouldn't change your coloring if that's what you're implying. But it would make you take injury in the same way as the monks instead of-"

"Instead of like a piece of wet tissue paper." Jack finished, his smile wide. "You could actually hold me."

"Spicer, I want you to be aware that, due to my capabilities, I would-"

"Still leave bruises. Yeah, I mean, I figured. You've got super-human strength and can turn into a giant humanoid lizard, Chase, I'm not a dumbass. You're going to leave marks. But this thing will make it so you won't break me just trying to hold my hand, right?"

Chase stared at Jack, taking in the excitement and determination in those eyes. He remembered how much this man had been thrown around as a boy, how much physical trauma he'd been through and now… now he had a chance to be 'normal'. He could take this chance and run, but here he sat.

And really, where else would Chase expect him to be? The immortal man smiled, offering a hand to his lover.

"Let's get going then, shall we?"