It had been three days since the showdown between the Barron and the Doctor. The baron still sat in the shadows of his bunk squishing gelatinous goop that he had collected in his hands over and over until it became more solid. It smelled terrible and looked disgusting, Julius wasn't certain if it was the goop that was making him sick or the filthy black tar that was distilling in the toilet, but he felt terrible. The Barron had been making a certain thick liquid since the fight ended, it was almost ready and every question leveled in concern about it only ended in,

"Eet be dah good good dat yee need man. Dat wicked trash man docta be brewing some bad joo joo medicine'en he aint done wit us yet man! Dat fight bee a dirty one en he bee wanting everyone to suffa for eet man." Julius couldn't help but be curious as magic was so much more, and so much more terrifying than he had ever thought before!

"hey Symateure, what are you doing? And why must you do it in here?"

"yee need not ask scary questions eef yee no want scary answers, eet may save yeer life or mine someday. Let dat be enough to sate yee questions." Julius looked disgruntled, but it kept the scary giant busy and whatever it was he was working with kept other prisoners away when they were in the prison yard. He had already been attacked a few times by prisoners jealous of his meal privileges and right to not be thrown in one of the copper rooms. People hatted Julius for his special treatment but couldn't deny the kid had skills other people tried to channel outside of a room but could only muster half a bottle before passing out. Something about the copper rooms made it easier to channel and with Julius not needing the help he quickly gained a reputation as a prison powerhouse. Though Julius was known for helping people charge their power sells and was famous for giving away his meat rations to everyone else. He did get fresh fruits and vegetables but those he never gave away.

With Filipe released into the general populous things had become more complicated as he seemed to have his own special treatment deal set up with the higher ups. And 'Flash Fry' as he had been dubbed was on a killing streak with zero correctional retaliation by the guards. Six people fried in three months and forty others seriously burned but left alive. A dozen other random electrocutions and burns and scalding's and poisonings had happened, but nothing could be confirmed as to what or who was behind those instances. There were seven random knifings that left more dead bodies in strange places across the prison with no one willing to claim them. All seven had been skinned and fat was removed from them, but no one was willing to speculate. Others who knew were too frightened to talk. Flash fry was a killing machine, and everyone knew he was untouchable, he could do anything in front of the guards and get away with it for some reason. That much was very widely talked about upon Julius' return.

"hey, Symateure if you won't tell me about the weird gloopy stuff, what are those rings you wear on a necklace chain? How did you even get them in the prison?" Symateure touched his necklace subconsciously and smiled.

"day be all dat remains of me heart before I went crazy yee see." His massive white toothed grin could be seen through the shadows of his little corner as he held the rings up in the light, so Julius could get a better look. The rings jingled but not with a metallic sound, stone, or something Julius wasn't sure of, but they were a beautiful set of pink and white swirling stone or maybe pearl? "when yee love someone wit all yee heart en soul and yee lose dem, yee lose da only part of dee world dat matters. Yee lose da best of yeer self man."

"what happened?" Symateure flinched at that question.

"me don know man, me was far away sailin to Bermuda with a great sipment of grain to trade for rum en other goods when da ring came back ta me. It jus be showin up on my finger next to dis one en dat when I realized she had passed on man. Maybe pirates, maybe demon, maybe sickness all me know is dat she faded and da magic rings bound to one another return when one of da two people in love dies. She gone now en nothin me can do even her soul be unreachable for me. Lost it all even me mind man." He shivered and went back to packing the goop. Julius didn't know what to say. His mouth was still open, but no sound could eek out.

"yee catchin flies dat way man. Good protean if yee lackin eet though." Julius closed his mouth and they both had a good chuckle with that.

"so, how did you manage to keep those rings with you in this prison?"

"yee be dippin into dem scary questions again man, beware, here der bee monsters." He winked at Julius with those scary wide-open eyes who gulped and shook off all lingering thoughts.

Julius was about to say something else when a large shadow stepped into view and slammed a heavy combat boot into the bars to make sure their attention was all his. Symateure did not look up from his goopy project and Julius sighed,

"how many this time? You keep increasing the numbers hoping it'll kill me but I'm not going to die from channeling Woe."

"Woe just laughed, hell kid you're already dead you just don't know it yet. There are no bottles today the Doc has a special request to see you about. Get your ass up and put your hands out." He held a set of shackles and waited for Julius to do as he was told. Symateure looked puzzled and had an air of caution about him now. Julius gave one last look at his cell mate to see that it was a bar of soap that had formed in the Barons hands. Thick heavy bar of lye and lard soap. Julius chuckled at the strange hobbies of his friend and shuffled off with Woe biting at his ankles the whole way.

"what no whipping today?" said a snide Julius knowing he would pay for that but the whip was starting to hurt less and less as he became more proficient in channeling, with the new strength found Julius was becoming more obnoxious by the day especially with Woe.

"not for you, there are six hundred inmates all vying for the title of king of mongoliods. Sadly, you're not even in the running for that."

"sounds like you're starting to take a liking to me Woe." A loud crack rang out and Julius flinched and grabbed the back of his neck which was now bleeding. "I stand corrected, you are a complete retard!" Julius shrugged

"I love you too Woe." Woe roared in rage and slammed Julius' head into the nearest wall, with a low sharp thud. Julius' legs buckled, and he held himself up on the railing that lined the hallways until he could feel his toes again and started walking.

"the doc will ask, and you will say you tripped in those chains and fell down the stairs." Julius smiled and choked back a laugh,

"he only hits me because he loves me Doctor!" Woe cocked his head to one side squinting his eyes for a moment in disbelief and wrinkling his nose as if horrified by this child's attitude. Woe stifled a laugh just before wrapping his enormous callused hands around Julius' small neck and choking him limp. Julius tried to fight back and wiggle free, but Woe only gripped tighter and squeezed harder until he was satisfied with Julius' suffering. Julius tried to channel and heat up but every time he tried to heat up the Doctors voice could be heard saying "obedience is freedom" the voice echoed through all of his thoughts. "you have no power unless I grant it to you" Then his magic fizzled, and he knew he was in for it. Julius was done talking for the rest of the journey with one laughing voice from a nearby cell breaking the silence by shouting out "Masochist!" repeatedly and howling with glee as he pointed and mocked. Woe looked pleased with himself and seemed to be far less stressed after the uninterrupted abuse he dished out to Julius was complete.

Finally, the Doctors office was reached, and the door was wide open with the doctor reclining on his desk as if all was well in the world. Seeing Julius as bloodied and bruised as he was the Doctor glared at Woe and dismissed him. Julius took the opportunity to laugh knowing his last comment would haunt Woe as he left the room. The doctor motioned to a comfortable looking chair, but Julius just remained standing. The last seat he had taken from the Doctor had hooks and electrified barbs and was used to convince him that using his fire abilities to heat up anything not okayed by the doctor was evil and punishable by days of total agony.

"I have wonderful news for you Mr. Amaranth, your prison sentence has been diminished due to good behavior and newly uncovered evidence in the murder investigation showing that it was less your fault than originally thought." Rage rose in Julius' throat, but he dared not say anything to the Doc. After all, there was something far worse about the doctor than Woe.

"so, when do I get to leave?"

"soon, there is one last job we need you to do because of your natural regeneration rate you're really the only one we can trust to do it and not get hurt." Julius' eyes narrowed.

"and if I refuse?"

"you can't refuse, I still need to sign off on your good behavior reports." A slight smile slid across the doctor's face and he put his hands together tapping his fingers together in poised contemplation. Julius sighed heavily, still standing he folded his arms across his body.

"how do I know you'll actually keep your word?" The doctor looked genuinely hurt by that question.

"dear boy, have I ever given you a reason to not trust my word? When I say I'll do something, I'll do it." Julius shivered with the hidden tones and meanings in that statement knowing full well the depths of what the doctor will and won't do.

"Fine, whats this last job?" Julius looked absolutely furious but didn't let his voice reflect it even though his eyes betrayed him and revealed his rage to the world. The doctor leaned forward and gently interlocked his fingers together in a pensive gesture.

"I thought you'd never ask." He said in a soft warm tone. Julius' skin crawled with the way the doctor eyed him. The doctor was like a toxic centipede, creeping and crawling everywhere and causing searing pain whenever he drew his fangs and bit down on something.

"Your job is to use your abilities to fix the leaking pipes in the storage facilities where we keep all our extra salt stashes and meet. It is indeed a very expensive problem, salt is very precious as you know, and the prison is only granted so much funding for food per month." Julius' stomach twisted at the thought of the dried meats in the basement level of the prison.

"So why is that so dangerous?" Julius inquired with venom dripping from his words.

"well the water leaking is quite deep now and its near to an electrical generator that may be well... slightly malfunctioning due to the exposure to damp conditions." He looked so matter of fact and Julius suspected him of downplaying the severity of the safety issues.

"fine, show me where to go." The doctor stood from his chair and guided Julius towards a guard "fallow him and he will take you to where you need to be." Julius nodded and fallowed the guard wearily. The guard took him through a labyrinth of hallways with multiple security doors and I.D. card scanners until they came to a set of stainless steel doors that lead down with ominous metal grating stares. The guard was courteous enough to go first clanging down the steps they both clung to the railing for safety. The stairs steps were deep and a few inches to short making the steep dissent hazardous at best. When the guard stopped on the second to last landing he turned to face Julius who was ready for a fight only to see the man gesture towards the shimmering submerged set of stairs leading to a large open warehouse beneath the prison. The area he walked down and waded into was huge and he could plainly see the problem once inside. Two large water mains were burst at the shutoff valve and at the pipes belly ten feet away. The standing water was about three feet deep and murky. Approaching the pipes burst It was then that he felt the tingling sensation and looked to see glowing coming from behind the pipes, a small transformer room with live conduit was humming and cracking loudly. It hissed, and a voice broke his concentration causing him to shout out in surprise.

"stay away from that room kid, just seal the holes in the pipes and come back up!" Julius looked around, the guard up above was leaning over the rails to get a view of the boy down below. This had Flash Fry written all over it. Getting closer to the pipes he felt a sharp pain nagging at his joints and teeth. It was poorly lit in here with half the lights working and all of them sparking and flickering. Placing his hand on the wall for balance he brushed the railing and Julius went flying into the water a few feet away blue sparks raining down around him. His ears rung and bled, and his body became instantly stiff as he fought to stand up. Catching his breath finally he looked around ready for anything but all he heard was the guard's laughter. His hand ached and his head was now throbbing. But he was okay for the moment. Licking his lips, he realized the water was salty, really salty, so much so it was alarming. The murky water was probably close to 60/40 solution of water and salt. Maybe more, he held his breath and leaned back in the water. It was so salty he could float rather easily, and it was warm and smelled metallic.

Fearing the approaching ambush, he closed his eyes and tried to picture those eyes, the feelings she invoked in him, the hot burning desire to see the sun and sky again. He wanted to see that girl again more than anything. How and where he did not know but he would find her somehow. Those Royal Violet colored eyes pierced through the darkness of his despair again and that sweet voice, "I hope you are well, Julius." Echoed through his mind and he blushed feeling the heat radiate through his body and up his rosy cheeks. Julius opened his eyes then to see himself glowing, in the reflection of the murky mirror like water. He could almost smell her minty breath as his temperature rose higher and higher. The water around him began to bubble and then came to a full-on boil. Steam filled the air as he swished this way and that, wading himself back to the pipe's proximity.

The electric arching nipped at his body stinging but not crippling him like before. Everything he touched shot blue sparks into the air until he became hot enough to melt the electrified metal. The guard at the stairs turned his bare skin away from the heat waves and headed back up the stairs a ways to avoid getting scalded by Julius and all of his steam. The pipes were warm but strangely resistant to his burning touch. He focused even harder and cranked up the heat more pinching the metal like clay be began to slowly close the first gaping hole. It was a herculean effort with the water continuously spraying and cooling him down he was good and tired after the first hole was closed. There was still number two yet to go and he was starting to get cold. Julius closed his eyes again,

"where are you my muse? Where are you?"

"here, I'm right here!" Julius' eyes popped open in a panic, he could have sworn her fingers had been running through his long black hair at that moment. And his fire burst again cranking up the heat even hotter than before. "Hotter, hotter, hotter!" Julius cried out, and the water skipped boiling and just started burning off around him as he moved. He could hear the guard with him shout something, but Julius couldn't quite make it out. The hole in the pipe was closed very quickly and it wasn't until Julius cooled down that he realized the water in the room was down to about six inches and the walls, ceiling, and floor were covered in a thick sheet of salt crystals. Even Julius was covered in salt that was plastered to his skin and cloths. He looked around the room, it was almost pretty, like fresh snow had fallen. It even crunched under his feet as he walked as if it was a fresh crisp winter frosting. The metal hand rails and staircase had a dull glow to them and the room seemed dreamy being bathed in heatwaves and mirage.

.......

The guards passed by as always with a listless half-hearted mentality. Performing their duty of patrolling they returned to the break area to relax and chat with one another. Once the coast was clear the Barron leapt to the door with great enthusiasm. Sneering he waved his had in the direction of the boy's bunk and the sheets rustled and a ghostly image of the boy lifted from the bed. Dead skin, hair, blood and sweat pealed away from the bed and stood before the Barron in an instant. The Barron then waved his hand once more and all the dead material that had come off the boy's body condensed into a small sparrow and hopped along the ground cheerfully. "Dat be good, now take me to where the rest of you is located!" he spoke to the little flesh bird and it fluttered and took flight, darting out from the sell it fluttered in circles as it waited for its master to fallow. "No yee bee needin tah go forth dead of the jail. Go forth en hunt down that crazy rat, him who was responsible for yer early droppin out!" Seven haunting specters emerged from the toilet draining the pitch black liquid from the bowl, the spirits glowed then turned pitch as the liquid for a moment. "Yah, dat bee dah stuff yah bee needin tah keep you safe from the grip of dah big man pullin dah strings in here. Now go!" They darted through the air this way and that before disappearing. The hunt was on, "only attack when him bee usin dat lighting magic. When he does, absorb eet all en when yer strong enough. Kill da boy en eat whatever gaurds you can."

The flesh on the Barrons' hand split open and bone plating pushed its way through the skin to set on the surface of his hand like and armored glove. "I'm gon need ta bee careful wit how me use magic in dis prison, everyting me do be far more costly in here. It be a bit soona den I wanted for makin moves but eet cannot be helped. En witt dah big man in dah house now me not so certain me has enough strength for a toe tah toe match up. Eet gona get interesting in here now man!" He gripped the lock of the sell and crimped as hard as he could with a booming laugh. His muscles bulged and his veins throbbed through his skin but like clay the alloy squished and bent in his armored hand until it snapped, and the door shifted loose allowing the Barron to pull it free and walk out. With a smile he walked quickly to flash fry's sell and stepped into the already open room. Chanting and pulling at the air he collected another large sum of hair and dead skin. As his fingers undulated the material packed into a doll like shape and once complete he whispered in the dolls ear. "ya magic no harm dem who hunt ya!" tossing it into the air it burst into white smoke and vanished. The flesh bird chirped and loop-de-looped overhead before it took off down a hall. The giant of a man smiled and with a hop and a skip began running off after it. "don worry boy, I find ya! Ya no been abandoned here yet!"