Ch: 53-58
Chapter 53
In a clearing in the town of Mystic Falls, just outside a sealed space occupied by vampires that had been desiccating for around 100 years, sat a young handsome man in a cross-legged position. If one were to look at him from the outside, he seemed to just be looking out at the space directly ahead of him. A small smile on his face and an air of patience, like he had all the time in the world.
And technically since he was currently at the start of journey to slay an immortal, he did actually have plenty of time to waste. He was allowing himself at least half a month to get this done, and that was only because he wasn't sure what would happen once he separated Silas's head from his body.
It was only barely discernable, but if one were looking closely, they would see the man's eyes seemingly focus, the small smile on his face slipping into a firm line before his lips pursed, like he was tasting something in his closed mouth.
Only he knew it was because the sight before him had just changed, and what he saw didn't just force a reaction visually, but viscerally as well, spreading across all of his senses, but it was the taste of vanilla in his mouth that really got him interested. It was the same taste he got whenever he connected with Emily on a deep level.
A part of him questioned if it was just a side-effect of the spell that they created, however another part of him felt that it was more probable that it was just the way his mind analyzed the essence of a Bennett witch through his tongue. Delicate, fruity-sweet, and spicy, all wrapped up in one. A one that fit his preferences quite well.
He focused his eyes on the figure of the woman who just appeared before him, allowing no outward reaction to her presence other than a small nod of appreciation. After all, Janina Gavankar, or Shivakamini Somakandarkram was always a win. As well as one of the few people he was interested in knowing in his previous... and when he got the chance, he was not disappointed in the woman he met.
However, this was not an actress nor a good luck charm/trophy. No, this was an incredibly OP witch who put grud in grudge, and definitely not someone he wanted to put on his list of enemies. So, he decided to be as respectful as possible, which is well earned and well deserved in his opinion. After all, not everyone can jump straight into the realm of crazy with no hesitation, just to get back at someone.
He looked at her, looking at him. The small smirk on her face the only indication she was present in the moment... other than the intense wide-eyed analytical look in her eyes that did very little to hide the madness... no the obsession deep within, allowing him to realize that she was hiding behind a mask of "rationality" at the moment. However, he wasn't fooled by this. He was well aware that she could go from zero to bitch in no time flat and if he was being honest, a part of him kinda, sorta, really wanted to see her go full crazy, just to see the look on her beautiful face.
He waited for her to speak first, giving her the opportunity to set the pace of the meeting. Which lasted all of 30 seconds, because the longer they looked at each other, the more he remembered all the different expressions he had seen that face display once upon a time, causing the smile on his face to grow wider and wider. The softness in his eyes doing nothing to take away from the look of absolute appreciation, instead only adding to it. So, he decided to get after it, before he got too into the crazy chick who just wanted to be loved. Though, it was because of that thought, along with his own memories of both the character that he'd seen and the person that he knew, that he decided to approach it in a different way than he originally intended. A more... honest way.
"I knew someone who looked similar to you once, she was smart, kind, always up for a challenge, and absolutely amazingly vulnerable in her feelings. Like most people in her profession, she had an insecurity that demanded validation from others, and at one point, no one's opinion was more valued than my own. I knew her likes, dislikes, and all the ways to make her come alive. However, she was one of many who never got the chance to know the truth of who I am as a person.... which is sad, since I actually considered her... a friend. What do you know of me, Qetsiyah?"
The silence stretched between them... but Jeremy just waited. Knowing that when it came to a battle of strength, resources, knowledge, and the ability to reach out and do harm, he couldn't compare to the lady in front of him in any way what so ever. However, there was one aspect that he knew would see him emerge victorious in a battle between the two of them, and that was a battle of manipulations. Qetsiyah, at her core, was a woman scorned by someone she thought to be her forever. He knew he wouldn't be able to replace that or erase that. But... he also didn't feel the need to. No, all he needed to do was give the woman a reason to live beyond her revenge, and that, he felt, was worth showing a little sincerity and a little honesty.
He saw her look at him with curiosity. Like she was trying to see through him and failing spectacularly. He had no doubt that she had been watching long enough for her to find him worth knowing, so he could only assume that she was aware of the effects of his quickening. However, he also knew that she was known to be rash and over the top in her actions, so there was a possibility that she knew nothing of it, and just decided to come and see the interesting young man who had captured the attention of one of her descendants enough to convince them to create a tear through life and death, while also having a knowledge of her existence. So, until he knew what he was dealing with, he decided to play a game of wait, see, and hope that she was what he believed her to be; straightforward and not interested in playing games of information withholding. Brash and open in her actions and motives. Essentially, pure power, raw emotions, and no subtlety.
Qetsiyah narrowed her eyes a little and tilted her head up slightly along with a quirked eyebrow, like she was deciding just what to say for all of one second, and then just said fuck it and just started talking. "I know that you and Emily have accomplished something very interesting. I know that you are skilled with a sword, and you seem to revel in taking people's heads from their bodies, for some reason. I know that, even without Emily's interference, there are still blind spots when I look at you. Blind spots that coincide with the disappearance of vampires from this world. Both..worlds. You disappear, they disappear, but only your reappear. Why is that?" He watched and listened as she spoke. Her voice and way of speaking way more casual and modern than Emily's, no doubt showing her lack of rigidness in sense of self and ability to adapt and also shift her personality and mannerisms when she wants, if she wants.... OR it could indicate that she holds no attachment to who she is as a person and is just being like the people she sees when she watches the world.
Either way, he didn't care. He liked her mannerisms, so he rolled with it and kept his wait and see approach.
"Ah, I didn't know that, why do you think that is?" He asked, and watched her closely, noting the twitch of her eye lids and the slight flaring of her nose. 'She can sense lies? No, she just knows that I'm not being truthful simply from watching me in my day to day and more than likely never seeing me flustered or panicked. Appearing in her sight and re-appearing completely composed, which is not something someone who was completely uninformed of their situation would do.
'Okay, sincerity it is.'
"That was sarcasm, in case that wasn't clear." He said with a clear playfulness in an attempt to play off his slight prodding statement, before she could even fully register that she was getting mad and before even a full two seconds passed since he finished his last sentence. Knowing that if he tried to take back what he said with something like okay I did know that or something along those lines, clearly admitting that he was trying to deceive her, then it would be at that moment that he would have already lost her trust, and a person like her no doubt would never give it again.
Though, the fact that she had such a visceral reaction to what she thought to be a deception said a lot about her. The main thing being that she was currently viewing their interaction with the expectation of an honest exchange. He could use that. Actually, he could just continue his same approach with that. Sincerity. Mentally already deciding that when it came to Bennett witches, sincerity was more than likely the best approach. From what he's seen they all seem to wear their hearts on their sleeves and will give anything and everything to the one's they love.
After giving her a playful smirk just to settle her down and make sure she bought his bullshit, he decided to continue. "Can you keep a secret, Qetsiyah?" He asked, leaning forward in his seated position, trying to build a bit of trust with the woman.
She narrowed her eyes in return, looking at him like she was trying to discern something. No doubt wondering if he was playing her or not, which was getting his belly to do a quick set of backflips, just because... well... the bitch is crazy! He couldn't help the excitement that bubbled up at the thought of her focusing her rage in his direction, and the snarl full of passion she would throw in his face.
'Maybe I'm a little more crazy than I thought,' his voice spoke in his mind, as he continued to watched her, seemingly unfazed, and wait for her to finish whatever jumble of thoughts were swirling around in her head, and waiting to see if she would just pop off at the drop of a hat and do something silly.
She once more relaxed her eyes, causing them to take on their natural full shape, as the crinkle of her brows relaxed. "I know much about the world that many would kill to know. I can keep a secret." She stated in a way that he found to be cute. Like she was being completely serious, which she likely was.
"Well...if you can keep a secret." He stopped and waited, building that sweet sweet anticipation that he was certain would drive her crazy-ier. When he visibly saw signs of her about to tell him to get on with it, he continued. "I don't mind telling you a bit about me... but there's something I want in return." He finished speaking and placed his hands on his knees and straightened his back, displaying some of that confidence that solves everything.
He saw that she thought about it for a second. Her pursed, sexy lips, in a slight pout as she thought, probably not even realizing that she was making her full, fluffy lips even sexier. "What is it you want?"
"The same thing you want."
This time, when she narrowed her eyes there was a hardness to it, though he could tell that it wasn't completely directed at him. Like she was seeing something past him. Beyond him.
"What is it you believe I want?"
He waited for a bit, meeting her steely gaze with one of his own, making it clear that he was not backing down even a little bit.
"To end the life of someone who has overstayed their welcome in this world." He said, speaking in a way that he believed would force her to keep the conversation going, whereas if he just said Silas's name, it's likely she would have blown her top and got up in arms, making demands and asking questions. Essentially, she would be triggered and he couldn't have that. He would rather trigger a woke activist than Qetsiyah and that's saying something. That's saying a whole helluva lot.
"And who might that be?" She asked, a clear hardness to her voice that was now a pitch lower. Sexier.
"Before I answer that, can I ask you a question, completely unrelated to that ass-hat of an immortal, and solely about you Qetsiyah, as a person?" He asked, making it clear that they were talking about Silas, and then walking right past it in an attempt to get her to accept that they were talking about him, but not focus on it. He knew if there was one thing people liked to do, it was talk about themselves, especially someone who had a long history of feeling undervalued like a person who faced rejection and a broken heart.
"What do yo want to know?" She asked, her voice still gruff and her brows furrowed.
"I want to know... " He leaned forward again, like he was once again about to speak about secrets. "When is the last time you went on a date?"
".......Excuse me?"
'Hahahahahahahahahahaha'.
Chapter 54
"All in all, I think that went well." Jeremy said.
Emily glances around, looking at the wrought destruction produced by her ancestor and what can only be called attempted murder in the eyes of the law that tells the story of how Qetsiyah reacted to Jeremy's proposal.
The once pristine clearing in the forest is now filled with scorch marks, overturned land, and misplaced trees around the outskirts. He knew she was strong. He knew she was dangerous, and he definitely knew he was playing with fire, but what he didn't know was just how literal she would make the fire.
"How the hell did she channel magic anyway? Shouldn't that be impossible without some conduit on this side?" Upon hearing the question, Emily looks away from him, suddenly far more interested in the aftermath of his acrobatic show of running and jumping out of the way of fire shooting out of the ground, as if that is somehow more interesting than the sight of him sprawled out on the ground. He immediately notices this and knows he found the answer to his question.
"How?" Is the only thing he asks, not even sounding angry or accusatory. He knows that, no matter how powerful Emily is, she still can't touch Qetsiyah.
"*Sigh* She channeled my grimoire through me."
"I'm guessing you didn't try to stop her?" He asks, pretty much already knowing the answer, and the reason, which is why when she gives him a knowing look, he can only sigh and place his head back down on the ground and look up at the sky, tuffs of smoke still perforating the air.
"Why did you ask her anyway? We've spoken of her story, you should have known how she would react." Jeremy once more raises his head off the ground to look at, a raised eyebrow as his only response. Though, she gets the message. "I see." Is the only thing she says, showing just how far they have come in being able to understand one another.
"Yeahhh, *huff* she's just so fucking sexy." He says, his head causing a thump sound as it meets the ground, emphasizing his resigned state with the whole situation.
Emily can only lower her head while sighing in response, and at the same time wonder if being around someone like him is truly worth her time... even as a small smile tugs at her lips and a chuckle threatens to escape, though she quickly shuts it down.
"Do you think she will still help you?" She asks.
At this question, Jeremy does the opposite and lets his smile bloom in full force, as he says, "she has no choice."
And true enough, after waiting, and laying, and talking in that no longer picturesque clearing for what he knew to be hours, Qetsiyah once more makes her appearance. The annoyance still clear on her face, not even bothering to mask her displeasure, which only grows more evident as he laughs after looking at her for a few seconds.
Then, once more, Jeremy was dodging fire springing from the ground, only this time it was far less destructive, and more like a quick stress reliever for the long lived witch, seeing as how he could get by only using small hops to get clear.
Once she has had her fill of producing geysers in a forest, she once more addresses him. The displeasure still prominent in her voice and expression. Letting him know that he was on very thin ice and she was more than prepared to set his ass on fire at the first sign of some fuckery. "You were saying something about an ass-hat immortal who's lived too long. Let's talk about that."
He looks at her for a moment, his lips pursing and eyes narrowing slightly like he's contemplating something. Then, like it was an illusion, he just grins a little before going into his sales pitch, using his hands to articulate his great offer. "Well, what I'm offering is the true death of the one called Silas, though for our purposes, we can call him ass-hat." He looks at her, waiting to see how she reacts and asking if she wants him to continue.
She just waves her hand quickly, telling him to go on. So, he does.
"Like I said before, he is someone who has overstayed their welcome in the land of the living, and I have a surefire way to kill him." He sees she's about to speak, but he cuts her off and continues before she can get started. "However, before I kill him, I am also willing to put him through a few of the many tortures that I have practiced and perfected throughout my short life... if that's what you want." He finishes, feeling a bit like Captain Sparrow when trying to convince someone of something, knowing the entire time that he's not being completely honest. After all, what type of dumbass would he be if he allowed the telepath to wake up just so he could torture him? A big one, that's what type.
He watches her, watch him, before she finally relaxes her expression a bit and goes to speak. "Is it using the same method you used to erase those vampires from existence?" She asks, not quite succeeding in sounding as casual as he thought she might have wanted, only further indicating just how straightforward of a person she is.
He smiles a bit at her funniness, "that's right." He says, before immediately continuing, heading off the next question he knew she would ask. "If you want to know how I do it, you'll just have to wait and see." He states, his eyes shifting from soft to serious to let her know he means business.
Her brows furrow at this. He knows she doesn't like the idea of not being able to guarantee that he can get the job done. But, he also knows that she really wants the bastard dead, therefore....
"Fine."
At this he shows a full blown smile, teeth showing and everything, letting her know how clearly happy he is, but upon seeing signs she's about to skedaddle, his face shifts in an instant and he speaks once again. "However, I have a condition."
The look she gives him is one he is intimately familiar with. It's the look of someone who is trying their level best to not do physical harm to the target of their frustration. Though, he doesn't mind, seeing as how he just lifts his head a bit, raises an eyebrow, and stares her down, knowing he already had her in the palm of his hand.
She only begins to look more angry the longer their stare off lasts, until she finally realizes that he's not going to back down, so she naturally relents. "What. Condition?" She bites out. Her nose slightly flaring and her eyes widening a little as she punctuates both words.
"It's simple really, not even a big deal." He says. "All you have to do is agree to be present from this moment and up until a week after Silas is dead. All the while, you must make certain that throughout that time, no one other than you and Emily are able to notice my presence." He keeps his head raised and his no nonsense face on full display. "Do we have an accord?" He asks, causing her to look more annoyed than frustrated at his choice of wording, seemingly knowing that he is passively messing with her.
"I just have to be there. Here. With you. Until a week has passed since his death and then we are done, while making sure you're shielded. Is that it?" She asks, clearly not really understanding how a negotiation works.
"Well, since you asked, I suppose there is something else you can do for me." He states, finally dropping his serious face, as a smirk tugs at one side of his lips, which he sees she notices. And he isn't the least bit surprised when she responds expectantly.
"I'm not going on a date with you."
"Tsk.*"
Chapter 55
The next day Jeremy found himself not yet on a hero's journey to slay an immortal, but on a casual drive the next city over, which happened to be Richmond, in order to acquire himself a witch.
"I don't understand," spoke Qetsiyah who was seated in the passenger's seat, like that was actually a necessary thing to do. "Why are we going on a witch hunt when we should be going straight for Silas." She said, sounding less sunny and more aggravated. Like underneath the surface she was a simmering ball of fury and crazy just waiting to get out., especially with the way she accented the last word.
"Well, Qetsiyah, you see,"
"Call me Tessa," she interrupted him mid-speech showing mad disrepect. "It's more, modern."
"..Right, well Qetsiyah, so far as things stand, I have yet to gain the attention of anyone of any real influence that I had to view as an enemy. The reason being, I have yet to target any witches or anyone else for that matter who might have a strong connection to the other side. Though, now with your presence, I feel a lot more secure with my movements being a little more... influential." He said, ignoring the slight glare he received from the forever angry spirit.
"That's not to say Emily is not capable of amazing things," he said, glancing up at the rearview mirror to meet eyes with the other spirit in the car. "But when it comes to the other side, there's no one better to turn to in order to avoid nosy voyeurs than the person who created it."
He saw Qetsiyah don a slight smirk on her face out the corner of his eye, like she just heard something very amusing.
"Well, you two would certainly know a lot about voyeurism." She said, laughing to herself a little.
He didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know that Qetsiyah definitely caught on to the fact that Emiy liked to watch. More than likely meaning that while Emily was watching him and his girls, Qetsiyah was watching her watching him. Which also means that she's the ultimate voyeur! Though, he won't comment on that.
He glanced in the mirror once more, noting the complete lack of embarrassment on Emily's face and was completely unsurprised by that fact. The woman truly had no shame. Then, he focused his eyes back on the road, choosing to ignore the two and focus on his drive and his target.
"You're certain this is where the witch resides?" He asked, looking at the swampy area.
"Yes," Emily spoke. "They were banished from their coven for experimenting on humans, effectively cutting them off from their ancestral magic. No spirits acknowledge their existence." She told him, as they got out of the car and took in the lone trailer sitting on dirt.
"Any idea their threat level?" He asked, as he went to the trunk and opened it. Glancing out at the trailer that had the blinds shutting, showing that the resident knew they had company.
"No."
He looked over at his companion. "Emily, what have I taught you? Never go into a situation without at the very least knowing a few ways that your enemy can use to kill you. *sigh*." He spoke as he pulled on a case, brought it closer to him and opened it with a click sound.
Emily had the decency to look slightly pouty at his severe scolding, before she spoke again.
"I don't know the threat level, because we have not had a conversation designating them. I can make something up, like his threat level is midnight, which means very dangerous, but that just seems unnecessary." He ignored what he identified as clear sass, and continued pulling out pieces of his bazooka and putting it together.
"Though, I can tell you that before they banished, their strength mostly came from that of their coven. So, unless they acquired some dark artifacts, which I do not sense, you should be fine. Though, their is a barrier spell and we already passed a detection spell."
As she finished speaking, he was taking in the sight of his fully assembled bazooka.
"No matter," he said, lifting his weapon and sliding in the ammunition. "Are you certain we didn't need to bring the grimoire? It can channel far more power than this ring we created, so if he has any trap spells in place and you two can't channel the power to disable them, I'm probably fucked." He spoke, as he looked at the ring on his finger that he and Emily created a while back to replace the cumbersome grimoire as a power source.
He fitted the grimoire firmly in his hand, as he pulled out a loudspeaker from inside the trunk.
"Even if there are trap spells, which no one really uses now that I think about it, are you actually planning on getting that close?" His witchy companion asked him with a knowing look in her eyes.
'Well, at least she's learning.' He thought to himself as a smirk formed on his face and he turned to look at Qetsiyah who was watching all of this with way too much interest. 'Time to put on a show.'
He switched on the loudspeaker and held it to his face as he cleared his throat.
"*a-hem* Attention, resident, come out with your hands up. Any resistance will be met with an equal-lay and dominant show of force. Youhavefiveseconds." He spoke, doing his best impression of major pain as a cop. Then, he lifted the bazooka onto his shoulder, aimed, and fired, all in the span of two seconds.
*Boom*
The explosion blasted the area between where he was parked and where the trailer stood. The blast radius kicking up dirt and dust, but luckily he was not an idiot, so non of it reached him. However, the same could not be said for the sound.
"Fuck! Who the fuck thought it was a good idea to use a fucking bazooka to do this shit! A fucking machine gun could have sent the same message, but without the fucking pain in my fucking ears! Emily, get me my lawyer!" He yelled out as he dropped the bazooka and tossed the loudspeaker in the trunk and proceeded to rub his ears with his knuckles.
Immediately, Emily appeared beside him pushing her glasses up and spoke in a very professional manner. "Sir, your lawyers have been notified and are awaiting instructions."
He straightened his body and stood erect. His face a grim expression of determination and resolve. "Tell them to sue this trailer owning bastard for all he's worth." He said pointing at the trailer that was barely visible behind all the dust and smoke. Then, he and Emily shared a wide smile on both of their faces before only he started to laugh. Emily standing at the side looking quite satisfied with herself.
Only Qetsiyah, who was standing at the side looking very put out, could serve as a witness to their nonsense.
He walked back over to the trunk, not even bothering to pick up the empty bazooka and took out a machine gun, loaded it, and grabbed the bullhorn once more, all in the span of five seconds.
He lifted the horn to his lips once more and spoke.
"Your five seconds are up. Prepare to be fired upon."
His declaration was met by the sound of a metal door banging open and a person shouting something that he couldn't quite hear.
He reached into his pocket, took out a vial with a little bit of red liquid inside and downed it. Instantly noting the relief it brought to his still ringing ears, and his ability to hear what the yelling fool with his hands raised in the air was saying.
"...-hance." He heard, catching only the ending of the last word yelled.
He frowned, swiftly raised his weapon and fired a shot a few inches beside where the man was standing and embedding the bullet in the side of the travel beside the open door.
The man yelled and ducked down, covering his head with his arms in order to block the bullets... which was such a good idea. Though, luckily for him, he was no longer being fired upon.
Jeremy lifted the bullhorn once more and spoke, "Get your ass over here!"
A short while later Jeremy was back on the road and heading back to Mystic Falls and to a cave that only he knew about out of his group, in order to not only avoid his girls, since he already said his see you laters and because he didn't want Bonnie to see him harming another witch. At least not yet. Seeing as how, other than Vicki, all of his girls are still all the way green. Only Vicki has put a blade through a neck and that was with a vampire that he told her was an asshole. Other than that, he knew he had to take it quite slow in terms of getting them acclimated to getting shit done.
The ride back was quick and uneventful.
He pulled up in the woods near the cave. The car in need of some serious TLC, but luckily for him, it wasn't his, so he just left it alone and resolved to do what he usually did when he wasn't able to return what he borrowed, which was anonymously sending the sum of the vehicle to the owner. Making sure to keep his conscious clean.
He got out and went to the trunk, but before he opened it, he fired a few shots in the corners where he was certain the man inside wouldn't be able to fit. And even if for some reason the man had a foot or hand in that location, it wasn't fatal, it wasn't his car, so it was not his problem.
He opened the trunk to see the man still unconscious from the knock-out spell or sleep spell that Emily hit him with, so he just pulled him out.
The shots were just in case the man pulled something and was able to wake up. He knew the shots would startle the man enough to, at the very least, give him time to react to whatever the coward was planning. Though, it seemed he only wasted bullets in this instance.
He carried the man by his ankle... well, more like dragged, seeing as how the only part of the man's body that was not scraping the ground was the leg that Jeremy was holding. So, he dragged the man through the forest and the short distance to the cave, before he made his way inside. Noting that everything still seemed in place, and confirming with Emily that her barrier and detection spells were not tampered with to her knowledge.
Once that was done, he placed the man down inside the rune circle painted onto the smooth ground of the cave, and then went over where one of his fodder was lying unconscious and brought him over as well, before placing him in the rune circle as well. Then, he walked outside the circle and stood facing Emily.
He let his eyes flick to Qetsiyah, who was standing at a farther distance behind his companion. He noted the focused and slightly critical look on her face. 'Despite no doubt knowing what the runes on the stone floor mean, she's still incredibly tense and on guard. Her paranoia is not limited to rationality and is purely based on her desire to hold on to the past. Even if everything looks perfectly harmless to her, I have no doubt that she will still be looking out for betrayal... no, she will likely be waiting to be betrayed. It's just too bad I pretty much skipped over most of the show during her involvement and most of what came after, otherwise I might know a bit more using meta-knowledge. Though, based on what I read on the wiki, she should not be impossible to sway to my side. Only time will tell.'
After letting those thoughts flow through his mind at the speed of FAST, he completely focused on Emily and gave her a sharp nod. "Ready." Was the only word he spoke before he turned back around and came beside her and watched and listened as Emily chanted the spell to link the witches' life force to his fodder's.
He counted the seconds in his mind, not really on purpose, but just kind of something that automatically went on in his mind, only now he focused on it. Waiting, watching, and listening. Recognizing every word spoken as one's he's read in her grimoire at one point in the past, despite this particular spell not being in the book.
He watched as the two began to stir as the spell ended. The vampire being the first to recover after only a few short seconds, though before he could gather his bearings, Jeremy signaled Emily with a nod, and with one word spoken in Latin, the vamp was once more asleep. Then, he stepped forward and plunged his enchanted sword straight through the witches stomach, before he lifted and removed the man's shirt and watched as the wound visibly healed.
"Perfect."
He looked back at Qetsiyah, gave her a wink, resulting in an unimpressed raised eyebrow from the beautiful disaster, then, without even looking away from her, he swung the blade in his left hand and felt the familiar resistance of a head being separated from a body.
*ZZzzz-crack-boom*
'Perfect.'
Chapter 56
There were many things that Jeremy expected upon removing that newly bound immortal witch... wizard? Since he was a man. Whatever, that newly bound immortal magic person's head, but none of those scenarios prepared him for what he would face upon being struck by that well earned quickening obtained through a feat of wit.
After all, how many people can create an immortal witch/wizard in order to get magic for themselves, simply by binding that magical person's lifeforce to a vampire's?
As far as Jeremy knew, only one. Him.
Now, while that was all well and good, what was not "good" was the pain that flowed through his body, alighting it in fire, even as he retreated into the recesses of his mind, going over the memories of that magic person's life.
Jeremy saw it all, even the memories that one normally forgets, he saw. But, more than that, he learned, just as he always had during a quickening. Only this time, he learned from someone who had skills and knowledge that were actually useful.
He wasn't sure how much time passed as he laid there, his body evolving and his mind... probably evolving, but also comprehending. The magic that he absorbed doing something to himself that he had not anticipated, realized, nor understood.
It wasn't until all was said and done and he found himself regaining consciousness that he truly felt any real differences. The first of which being his mind.
He always had an incredible mind. Past life; current life; his mind was phenomenol. However, now it felt like his previous mind had upgraded from a vintage model to a top of the computer capable of processing terabytes of information in moments. He truly went from a Giga-chad to a Tera-chad in the span of mere - however long he was knocked on his ass.
He looked around, trying to place his eyes on the people who should have been and the cave that was supposed to be. However, none of that was there. The cave was now completely smooth stone, black like obsidian, however his eyes that seemed to function better than ever caught traces of red lines embedded in the black stone.
'Veins?' The question came to his mind, as the only thing the lines of red resembled were the veins that ran through a body or... and more likely, the veins that ran through a cave or mine. 'But what kind of metal is that? I've never known one to be blood red, and more importantly, where the hell am I?' He thought, as he continued to move his eyes around his surroundings. The location where the entrance of the cave once was is now nothing more than darkness, seemingly blocked by a cover of shadows.
He turns his head to look around and behind him, as he pushes himself slowly off the ground, his senses tense and alert, just in case he needs to move or dodge at a moments notice. His ears and eyes tuned for any movements or sounds, but none come. All he sees as he turns and rises is more black obsidian, blood-like mineral veins, and at the opposite end to where the entrance of the cave was supposed to be, is a black throne with red inlaid jewels seated upon a platform with stairs leading to it, and at the bottom of those stairs stands... a man?
He looks at the individual standing there. His mind raising with the possibilities, observations, theories. None of them truly yielding any answers, however they do allow him to distract his mind from the absolute level of... terror? that came as soon as he look upon that... man?
He started from the bottom, noting the shadows that seemed to dance around and underneath the figure. The black boots that seemed to be somewhere between metal and leather, that led up to the pants of metal or leather that seemed to be bathed in darkness produced by the bottom of the upper body armor that rested above them. He noted the pitch black of that armor and the red... dragons? Yes dragons, that were on it. His eyes worked quickly, and calmly as he noted the red dragon on the stomach of the armor and the two on each of the shoulders.
His eyes tried to journey further up, past the black wavy hair that fell over the individual's shoulders and chest, however the closer his eyes got to the face, the more he felt like some primal, instinctual part of himself was being pressured under a gravity that seemed to want him to lower his head.
However, another part of him. The part that seemed to be working inside his body and changing it at a fundamental level even at that moment, refused that action. Though, even if it didn't his mind certainly wouldn't allow his head to lower, which it didn't.
His eyes took a quick look at the sword the man held in his hand before going right back up and directly to his face, only to find it veiled in the shadows that the "man" wears like a cloak. Though, a part of him is certain that he's seen this get-up before, but his mind can't place it. Which immediately tells him that either the memory is blocked, or it's something innately connected to him that he hasn't yet recognized. Either way, he can feel his? its? power.
"There are many that exist, but only one overall. You who have brought my bloodline into this world. You who are a part of me. Take my power and use it well."
At that moment, the moment Jeremy watched and heard the man finish speaking his words in that voice that seemed to resound throughout his surroundings, it was like a switch was flipped in his mind and pieces that he hadn't even realized were missing were slotted into place. A part of him that was not an addition, but more so an awakening, had been opened to him. His body revealing more secrets of his self, being that he could recognize that what he was feeling coursing through the cells of his body were nothing like what was contained in the memories of the witch.
He let the thought float through his mind that this may just be what it feels like for an Immortal to acquire magic, however something about it just didn't sit right with him. Like the answer was elusive and until he... unlocked another portion of himself, then it was likely that he wouldn't know. Speculation was useless. For now, his main priority was simply to wake up.
Which, with nothing more than a flex of his mind, he did.
.......
(Emily and Qetsiyah's P.O.V.)
All was normal, from Emily's perspective. All was abnormal, from Qetsiyah's perspective. One moment Jeremy was slicing through a witches neck and the next he was getting struck by lightning.
If it had stopped there, it would have been fine. Dandy even... from Emily's perspective.
However, it did not end there.
No, in fact, it got weird. Real weird, real fast.
The two women watched as Jeremy laid there, surrounded by a cocoon made of blood that seemed to flow unhindered out of the dead witch and the previously alive vampire's bodies. It had surrounded him before they could even react and now all they could do was watch in stunned silence, as a feeling of what could only be described as despair made its self known to the two women.
Qetsiyah was the first to react. Drawing on whatever power she could in order to cast a shielding, masking, and invisibility spell on the area, on top of the one that she had seen Emily erect. She knew that the previous one could not contain whatever was happening in this cave, and while she didn't know what it was... actually it would be better to say she didn't have even the slightest clue as to what it was. However, she knew that if the feeling of fear that was gripping her long cold heart was any indication, then it could either be very good for her, or very very bad.
Time seemed to flow fast as they waited. Their attention completely focused on the sight before them as the once liquid container seemed to crystallize and solidify, becoming almost glass like in its appearance.
Then, both Emily and Qetsiyah reacted at the same time, waving a barrier spell in front of them as the glass cocoon shattered, sending shards of sharp crystal flying everywhere. Their minds clouded by a primal instinctual fear making it so that the two women forgot that their incorporeal states made something like glass passing through their ghostly forms completely inconsequential.
It was only a momentary distraction. A slip of focused observation when they took their eyes away and erected that barrier, but in that time, that brief moment, the cocoon was gone, and in its place, Jeremy stood. His hair darker, longer, thicker. His body, broader. Taller. His eyes... are glowing purple. Wait, now they're back to normal... except for those red irises.
'That's new.' Emily thought.
'What the fuck did I get my self into. Also, call me Tessa.' Qetsiyah thought.
'Bitch those are your thoughts, call yourself Tessa!' Jeremy thought.
Chapter 57
Jeremy paused for a moment, wondering why he had the thought to tell Qetsiyah to shut up about her nickname, but the reasoning eluded him... like a part of him grasped some connection to something and that was his natural response.
He put the matter aside for a moment, as he examined his new body.
It had changed. No, it was always the way it currently was, but it had unlocked a portion of itself that was once not only sealed, but hidden from him, but now that it was unlocked, he could feel it clearly. The both hot and cold energy flowing through every inch of his body, like that energy saturated every cell in his system.
'This is my magic?' Jeremy thought, replaying once more the memories he acquired from the wizard's mind, trying to grasp the feelings and thoughts that went through that wizard's head each and every time the wizard interacted with his magic, finding the similarities between him and the now dead wizard to be almost non-existent.
Jeremy's magic flowed throughout every inch of his body. There was no singular core or container. Even his body did not seem to truly be the lid to how much he could contain, seeing as how, when he "felt" deeper within himself, he clearly saw that each little particle/cell/whatever of the magic in his body seemed to be like a well that went deep into depths that existed beyond his senses.
'Is it connected to an outside source,' he thought to himself, trying to discern some clear clues in order to effectively classify his potential, but he only ended up drawing a blank.
He shelved the matter and focused once more on his magic, only this time, instead of simply examining himself, he instead attempted to call upon it in an effort to bring it forth. Knowing that, with Emily and Qetsiyah here in his "hidden" cave, there could be no better time to get better in touch with his "power".
With his eyes closed and his breathing steady, Jeremy mentally willed his energy to move around his body in an effort to bring it to his hand, only to stop as soon as he started, realizing that his didn't work like that. He was once more thinking on the wizard's magical journey in his mind, since that was his only clear source of expertise.
Instead of doing that, he opened his eyes and let his instincts run the show, already knowing that his magic seemed to be one that responded just like his body always had... to his mind.
He flexed his mind a bit and sent out a mental command. One that simply stated "come", to the energy that he could feel just beneath his skin, and like a switch had been flipped, the vision in front of his eyes underwent an immediate change.
The colors shifted to the regular spectrum, only now they were bathed in a tint of purple. Particles, lines, and batches of different color energy all around his area. Emily and Qetsiyah who stood a distance away from him, both had thick lines connected to them that led straight to the ring on his finger, indicating that what he was seeing was the flow of magic in his area, and the two women were clearly drawing their power from the ring as a source.
He slowly swiped his hand through the wispy lines flowing out of the ring and saw that his hand simply went straight through it like it wasn't even there. He looked up at the two and they seemed to have no reaction.
'Physical touch doesn't affect the flow of magic in any way.'
He willed a bit of energy into the ring with the command to connect to the two and watched as that once almost colorless energy that connected the two turned into a shade of light purple, just like the tint to his sight, and decided that that was more than likely the color of which his natural energy manifested.
He watched and heard as both Emily and Qetsiyah seemed to start and gasp in surprise, their chests rising and mouths opening in silent exclamations, like they were sent a shot of adrenaline. And while the sight was... very nice.. he instead went right back to focusing on what that could mean.
'Supplying them with power using the ring as a conduit is simple enough, meaning that my magic can react to and affect the "normal" magic of this world and these witches. That's good, otherwise I would have had no use for the small amount of knowledge from that wizard, or what I've learned from Emily's grimoire. But, if it can empower an artifact like the one on my finger, then it's likely I'll be able to perform most of the magic at my disposal, though instead of drawing from nature, I'm drawing from myself, which if I'm being honest, is way better for me.'
He stopped juicing up his traveling companions and instead raised the hand without the ring and held it up in front of him, palm facing up, and he did what his instincts said he could with a simple command and an image in his heart.
The purple flame was beautiful as his silently danced along his palm. If it was hot, he couldn't feel it, and if it was cold, he would not know.
The only evidence from his perspective that the flame was actually present was simply the sight of it before his eyes. Nothing else led proof to its existence. Sound, smell, touch, none were present. Just the sight of it alone, which is exactly what he wanted.
After a while of testing and experimenting with his powers, he finally felt like he had a satisfying basis to lay down the foundation of what he could do and build upon going forward.
Emily and Qetsiyah tried to provide input in their own ways, which resulted in Emily being fascinated by the new new of what she was seeing and Qetsiyah trying to appear uninterested as she asked her questions and gave her answers, however it was a lost cause for the woman. He could clearly see the interest in her actions. Her curiosity was burning just as bright as Emily's and her youth was aflame.
With the three of them working harmoniously together, despite him not being completely open with some aspects, such as the fact that he couldn't feel the depths of his power; they were still able to make some significant progress to where by the time it was time to get the fuck out of that cave, he was satisfied.
However, before that, he looked at the still slumbering cannon-fodder and decided to make sure he still had that quickening on lock. So, with one swipe of his arm that resulted in a blade of energy flying through the air and severing the fodder's head from his body, he was pleased to once more be met by some of that sweet sweet chick bang boom of lightening.
However, unlike every other time that he welcomed a quickening into his embrace, this time, despite the intensity of the strike being the same, the impact of it upon himself was quite different.
When the lightening impacted his body, the energy that was just beneath the surface of his skin reacted with no input from him whatsoever, and as if a blackhole was opened with him at the center, the electricity sunk straight into his being, saturating his body, especially his mind as it welcomed the new knowledge and memories that made themselves known.
Throughout the entire process he kept his eyes open. He watched the body of the vampire disintegrate into lightening, leaving nothing more than ashes behind, as they lightening converged upon him and then sunk within. The memories played through his mind, but it hardly affected him at all, as his eyes stayed focused on his surroundings.
'I guess this means I've leveled up.' He thought, acknowledging the fact that just moved past one of his greatest weaknesses. 'Falling unconscious after every beheading would have been very fucking crazy in the long run.' He though, as he pictured himself fighting outnumbered and going to sleep in the middle of battle just because he got a little too excited and wasn't able to pull out in time.
He looked at Emily, a single eyebrow raising in question. "How long did that take?" He asked, his mental counter failing in the face of the memories flowing into his mind.
"Eight seconds," she replied instantly, showing off her smarty pants-ness, causing him to show a slight grin at her antics, especially due to the slight hint of self-satisfaction he could see in her eyes.
He gave her a boring series of claps as he tilted his head and looked at her, "bravo Emily, bravo." He stated, causing her self-satisfaction to venture into the smug territory, though he didn't mind since he knew she was feeling good at the thought of getting on over on him. Seeing as how one of his favorite past-times was that he liked to brag about how much time it took her to do certain things down to the very second, so her slight payback was much appreciated for the both of them.
With his slow clapping done, he went ahead and dusted his hands off, "we ready to go?"
Emily just gave a shrug that somehow still displayed an acute level of refinement and politeness, while Qetsiyah gave a narrow-eyed pout. Her full, sexy lips drawing his eyes, which if the way her pout only further intensified means that she noticed his gaze. The small laugh that slipped out from behind his closed mouth as a response certainly didn't help the situation between him and her.
"Good then. Next stop....... Qetsiyah, how the hell do I open his tomb?"
Originally, he was thinking he would just go there, seeing as how he didn't remember there being any serious requirements to open the tomb. Bonnie and Jeremy said some spell and boom the tomb is open, which was simple for him, especially with Qetsiyah herself tagging along, but just when he was about to say let's go get Silas's head for our first date, he remember something he pretty much skimmed over when he watched the original show, which was the fact that they had to search for some tombstone or shit like that.
Qetsiyah's deadpan was greatly understood as she said, "you mean to tell me, that you've done all this, shown me all this, and you only just now want to know what you need to get to him? How is that the thing you don't know?" She asked, taking on a tone laced with suspicion.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Qetsiyah Qetsiyah Qetsiyah, you fool! Why would I need to know how to get in or even bother searching for that answer... when I have you?" After getting all up in her face and giving her a lazy point with his index finger at her face, he walked past her and trotted off, leaving the still pouting woman behind, knowing she would catch up in no time.
'Silas, I'm coming for that ass.'
Chapter 58
(Caroline P.O.V.)
"Weelll, what are we going to do about this situation?" She asked, looking beside her from where she was seated at the multi-monitor station in the main warehouse. Vicki, seated by her side, looking not at the monitors, but right back at her.
"What do you mean, Caroline?" She asked, adding some of that extra sauce onto Caroline's name to let her know her question was mostly sarcastic.
Bonnie, the only other person in the warehouse, sat a little away from them and directly in front of the monitors, pretending like she was monitoring the various screens, though they both knew she was listening and neither really cared. In fact, her presence was mostly forgotten at the moment due to the nature of their conversation being just that serious.
"Hot Girl Summer is coming to an end, Vicki." Caroline said, not failing to add some sauce of her own to Vicki's name as she said it, letting the girl know that she can jab right back. "School's about to start and we need to decide what to do about Jeremy, since we can't both date him." She said, her voice sounding just a little less confident towards the end of her sentence, but only Jeremy would have noticed if he were there... or perhaps Elena would have as well, since she had a habit of picking up on vulnerabilities and then coming to the rescue with her soothing voice mode activated.
"Why can't we?" Vicki asked in response, everything about her showing just how little she gave a shit about what other people thought about what she did. Though, the way her brow furrowed showed she was likely a bit annoyed by just how much Caroline did care, meaning she more than likely cared about a least one person's opinion and that was the blonde girl in front of her that she considered to be one of her only true friends, bonded through their shared dick.
Caroline gave her a look of exasperation and resignation as she threw her hands up. "Vicki, think about how the town will react if they find out that we're both dating Jeremy. They'll flip a fucking table! My mom will go crazy! And that's not even to mention our classmates. They'll go f'ing crazy. You might be okay with being a social outcast, but I've got responsibilities and a reputation to maintain. What am I supposed to do with that?" She asked, clearly not really seeking an answer and sounding more so like she was just engaging in a session of whining and venting.
Vicki just gave her an unimpressed stare in response as she pouted her pretty lips.
Caroline quickly got the message though.
"Ugghhh! Fine! I'll figure it out myself, but know this, he will be mine." She stated, her tone dead serious just like the look in her eyes.
Vicki, in response to this, just gave her a slight smirk in clear challenge. "His heart can be yours, but his dick will always. be. mine."
At Vicki's proclamation, the two stare each other down. The air in the warehouse crackling with intensity as the two humans dare the other to look away. To back down. To show the slightest hint of weakness. However, Vicki's mentality is not what it used to be. She has been broken down and built up to be far more resilient than the girl who required any number of vices to numb her mind and distract her from her insecurities. And Caroline... well, Caroline was not only already slightly crazy in her obsessions, but also already certain in the fact that Jeremy was the love of her life. So, with that, neither woman backed down and neither woman looked away.
At the side, Bonnie no longer looked at the screen in polite ignorance, but was now fully and openly gawking at her two friends, finally seeing them confront one another over what she called, "a hot mess of a situation", even if she said hot mess did leave her feeling no small amounts of jealousy... it was still a hot mess in her opinion.
"Guys, maybe we should take a step back and figure this out when Jeremy gets back." Bonnie said, her efforts at mediation and being the voice of reason falling on deaf ears, as the two girls seemed to come to a silent agreement in what they would do next.
They stood from their seats at the exact same time. Their eyes still holding the other, as they walked around the station and desk holding the monitors and made their way to the center of the room, where an area had been cleared and a medium sized blue martial arts square floor mat was placed.
The two walked over to it, their eyes never once straying, before they both took up a stance. Vicki knowing she would win. And Caroline knowing she would get her ass kicked.
However, that's what vampire blood was for, and Caroline was well aware that the more they did this, the better she would be, especially since she refused to let Vicki beat her out as Jeremy right hand lady; or as he called her, his sexy killer mistress.
This wasn't the first time they fought in the recent days since Jeremy told them the truth of their world and it no doubt would not be the last, however, just like when they first learned that Jeremy was effectively sleeping with both of them, they both knew that in the end, no matter how long it took, only one would be the last one standing. And if Jeremy were to hear their nonsense, all he would do was agree and say, "yes, one will be the last one standing. Me." And then proceed to fuck them silly until they passed out with satisfaction on their faces and contentment in their bones. And then, a few days later when he was faced with the same situation, he would do it all over again, knowing that there was no viable way to get them to agree to a polyamorous relationship before they were ready, and while Vicki might be, Caroline would still need time, and time was the one thing he was certain he had when it came to winning the hearts of his loyal ones.
Bonnie stood from where she was seated and looked at the two from behind the monitors. Her short ass height doing her no favors in taking in the spectacle as she watched Vicki repeatedly hit Caroline in the stomach. Her only thought was, 'I'm so glad I'm a witch.'