Jack looked around, the area around him was littered with assorted gravestones, and the occasional tree that had sprung up due to lack of maintenance.

(What now?)

Ellis asked an obvious question, but it was still a real dilemma. They didn’t know where they are, and if they did find their way back, the chances of finding Timothy Grant and Val was very slim. As Jack tried to come up with a plan, his ears picked up a very faint noise, a rapid, repetitive noise that was slowly growing louder. Jack looked towards the sound, and saw a small black dot in the distant sky, slowly approaching his location.

Jack hid behind a tree, and peeked out as the helicopter came close, looking to see the passengers. Jack tensed, seeing a silver-haired girl curled up in a ball riding next to a man in a suit similar to hers, but was much larger. He leaned against the tree, hiding himself from the view of the passengers as they passed by.

(Are you just going to let them go? You know you could have made it if you jumped.)

Ellis was surprised Jack didn’t jump straight in the helicopter, since he could take Timothy by surprise and rescue Val in one move. Jack just shook his head, and began to chase after the helicopter, running at full speed back into the woods he just came from.

‘The man in the suit, he would definitely be trouble, if I attacked now, Val would likely be caught in the crossfire and get hurt.’

Val didn’t have her suit on, and Jack was unsure of her abilities without the suit, so he decided it would be better to wait until they were on the ground before engaging in a fight. Jack was barely able to keep up while running at full speed through the woods, dodging around. Trees and small piles of brush, while kicking the occasional fury’s face in when one happened to cross his path.

‘Why are there so many furies here? I thought they only travelled in packs of slightly over twenty at most.’

(That is true for furies that travel, but when a large pack becomes stagnate, they just sit in one place releasing magical power, which attracts more furies, who release more magic, creating an ever-repeating cycle especially in places like a forest where there are lots of places to hide.)

Jack threw an elbow into another fury as he passed, knocking it into a nearby tree and killing it instantly before continuing his pursuit of the helicopter. Ellis’s explanation made sense, so Jack didn’t ask anymore questions regarding the furies, and focused on coming up with a plan.

‘Is it possible to do the magical enhancement yet?’

(No, you just did that yesterday, and if you did it again, you will definitely die. Forcing magic through your body now would react with the magic that is still adapting to you, and you would probably burn to death from the inside out.)

‘Probably?’

(Either that or explode.)

‘Damn.’

Magical enhancement was out of the equation, which made his options severely limited, especially since he would be fighting in Timothy Grant’s territory. Timothy prided himself on knowing everything, and was obviously prepared to take Jack on, so all Jack had to do was do something Timothy wouldn’t expect. Timothy knew Jack loved planning, he knew he wouldn’t act rashly, and he knew Jack’s limits, his abilities, and fighting style. Jack needed to change everything, in order to take away his opponent’s biggest card. He had to take away Timothy’s control, and in order to do that Jack had to use something that Timothy didn’t understand.

‘Ellis, I need your help, tell me how to use magic in a fight.’

(Gladly!)

They soon arrived at Timothy’s mountain fortress, an impenetrable fortress with a large, iron gate on the side of a cliff face, giving out an intimidating look. The gate opened to greet them as they landed, letting out a heavy booming noise as the gears hidden in the walls turned. The helicopter landed, and the three passengers, with no pilot due to the helicopter’s self-navigation system, exited, and began to calmly walk towards the gate.

Val had recovered for the most part, returning to her usual, emotionless expression, and only her red, puffy eyes gave away her feelings. As they entered, many men in black suits ran around, performing various tasks, and that’s when Val noticed the gate that was surprisingly thin, only about six inches thick, and she couldn’t figure out why. Noticing her interest, Timothy Grant leaned over to whisper in her ear, which was unnecessary because the only other person in earshot was the man in the black suit, but he did it anyway just because he felt like it.

“I made them extra thin because I was expecting your little boyfriend to arrive, and I wanted him to get at least past the door, that would be quite anticlimactic. This way there is a possible dramatic entrance, and a few small fries to throw around.”

He leaned back and began to speak openly, casually raising his shoulders in disappointment.

“I even made V-2 a suit specifically made to fight him, and even downloaded ways to counter his fighting style, and caused a big commotion, so someone could point him in our direction if he missed the helicopter.”

Val flinched when he said downloaded, knowing the man in the black suit known as V-2 was no longer human, but a robot. She remembered when he used to joke around, telling her to call him Mr. V and make her feel better when she was sad, and when he told her he was going to escape. She remembered when he was caught, and taken into a laboratory, where he was turned into a robot that obeyed every command Timothy gave without question or delay. She knew Timothy could do that to people, take away their humanity, and replace it with undying obedience to him.

“What will happen to me?”

Val dreaded asking the question, knowing the answer, but just wanting to hear him say it. Timothy paused for a second, considering his answer.

“I’m going to fix you.”

The response came.

“You keep on disobeying, and keep on getting hurt, so I am going to make it so you won’t get hurt anymore. You remember your parents, and how when they didn’t listen, and didn’t give you to me as I asked, and they met their tragic fate soon after, though you paid a price nearly as great as theirs. Your friend Jack was the one who paid the ultimate price in this situation, all because you didn’t listen to me. I will make it so you won’t ever have to worry about disobeying again, and because of that, you will never have to get hurt again. It’s my way of protecting you.”

Even Timothy felt it was a stretch, but Val who was in an unstable emotional state right now, and who had a tendency to blame herself for everything, slowly nodded, staring ahead blankly.

“Good girl.”

Timothy reached out to pat her on the head, but was interrupted by a loud commotion, and several of his men’s heads being removed from their bodies. He turned to see what was causing it, and his eyes settled on Jack, who returned his gaze with pink irises reflecting the intense hatred he was feeling. Jack raised a finger, pointing at Timothy, a thin thread of pink magic trailing down to the floor.

“Found you, motherfucker.”

Jack had learned a few tricks with magic that might prove useful in combat while pursuing the helicopter, and was now preparing for a fight, making up a few new moves that incorporated his new abilities. Jack had fallen slightly behind, and got there just in time to see the large iron gate close with Val, Timothy, and the man in black on the other side.

‘Shit, there’s no way I can break through a solid iron door, new abilities or not. What should I do?’

Jack’s eyes wandered until he saw a supply truck pull up to a much smaller, and less imposing door, which began to open. Jack saw his opportunity, and ran straight toward the new opening at full speed, decapitating a few men in suits that looked more like hired thugs who were given suits to look professional. He quickly passed through the door without causing a large disturbance.

Jack was certain Timothy knew something was here, he likely had cameras or something hidden in the suits the men were wearing. However, after he entered the building, Jack could here their conversation over the noise of the men in the fort going about their business and they seemed unaware, but as Jack listened, he began to understand the circumstances Val was in. She was being brainwashed, and likely had been since she was a child.

From what he had gathered, Timothy wanted Val as a child for some reason, and her parents obviously didn’t give her up. Timothy killed her parents, staging it as an “accident” and blaming it on their inability to comply. He had constantly implied, or just blatantly said, stuff like, “If you obey me bad things won’t happen.” or “It’s your fault for disobeying.”, constantly connecting himself with everything good that has happened to her, and blaming her for all the bad.

Jack was enraged, and started using a couple of blunt attacks as he charged in the direction of the voice. Jack couldn’t see Val’s face right now, but he was certain it was emotionless, which was one of her many self-defense mechanisms she used to protect herself. Something occurred to Jack: how could he hear them talk? Was his hearing that good? Jack recalled Timothy’s personality, and how he seemed like the kind of guy who would endanger himself just to have some entertainment.

Jack’s thought process was interrupted when he hear Timothy say “Good girl.”. Rage filled Jack, and he threw himself directly toward the voice, ignoring the walls in between, and found that the walls were brittle, and crumbled when he applied pressure. Timothy had clearly been planning on a fight happening here, and he had made the walls weaker to add to the effect. What an asshole.

Jack emerged from the other side, and found Val, Timothy, and the man known as V-2 all standing in a row and staring at him. Jack saw Timothy’s hand stretched out over Val’s head, which was drooped down submissively. Jack already had the intention to kill him, but now had more than just the intention of removing a threat, he had the desire to kill an enemy.

Jack raised a finger pointing at Timothy, and spoke in a voice that contained his rage at the sight of his broken friend, and the one who broke her.

“Found you, motherfucker.”

Val looked up then, and the two stared at Jack with wide eyes, while the third’s face was covered by a mask, and his expression wasn’t visible. The first to recover was Timothy, of course, and the cocky smile returned, though irritation was visible despite his best attempts.

“Jack! You survived! I thought you were a goner, but thank goodness, I was beginning to think this would be more effective if she saw in person.”

Jack ignored Timothy for the moment.

“Val. I don’t know everything, but I do know this. If I die, it is my fault, and my fault alone. Don’t you dare blame yourself just because some asshole says it’s your fault. You shouldn’t care what he says, because this is my life, and I am saying right now, IT ISN’T YOUR FAULT.”

It was a bit repetitive, but Val was in shock still, and he wanted to make sure he got his point across, just in case he died before he could save her. Timothy’s facade had almost completely disappeared, revealing anger at Jack’s comforting words that undid a good portion of his brainwashing.

“Who the hell do you think you are!? Her knight in shining armor!?”

“If that’s what she needs right now.”

Jack felt really good despite himself when he saw Timothy’s facade crumble before his eyes, revealing a mortal man who was a control freak that was starting to lose his grip on the situation. He only had two options left, take Val hostage, or send the guard dog out to play. Jack was hoping for the latter, and was pleasantly surprised when the Timothy turned towards the man, and ordered him to attack Jack with a voice that was anything but calm. This man may be able to predict what others may do, and figure out a way to manipulate it, but was unbearably predictable himself.

‘Classic supervillain.’

(I don’t think he deserves the title of ‘super’.)

Ellis intervened, knowing the opponent was made specifically to beat Jack, and he was in a lot of danger, new abilities or not.

(Listen, Jack. I am very sorry.)

Ellis began, and the man began to approach, though he was some distance away and moved slowly, which gave her some time.

(One bad thing after another has happened ever since I gave you my power, and I can’t help but feel responsible.)

V-2’s suit began to glow blue as he approached, likely a deterrent to Jack’s magic threads.

(God’s have a power that exceeds most beings’ imagination, but in return, we are tortured by fate, and plagued by constant misfortune. That is something that comes with godhood, and something that is not going to go away no matter how long you wait, so I’m sorry. You’re a good guy, and I hope you don’t die.)

‘Ellis.’

Jack directed his thoughts at her.

(Yes?)

‘Quit being dramatic. Bad things happen, but I can deal with them. Since I met you, I did something that I thought was impossible, I made a friend.’

Brass knuckles formed on the man in black’s hands, and spikes emerged from them.

‘See? It’s not that bad when you think about it that way. Besides, doing something for a friend isn’t something to dread,’

Jack changed his stance from his usual one, this time facing his enemy head on with each arm to either side his right hand open while his left one was closed in a fist. Small threads began to form on each of the fingertips of his right hand, slowly growing until they were about six feet long and cutting into the ground, which caught on fire, but was no bigger than a lighter’s flame.

‘...it’s my pleasure.’

A smile formed on Jack’s face and his left hand that was in a fist lit up with pink electricity that crackled and popped as it ran up and down his arm.

‘I really hope this works.’

That was the last thought that ran through Jack’s head before the two opponents began.