Ch: 59-63
Chapter 59
"We have company," Jeremy heard a voice speak to him from where he stood in that crystallized obsidian space.
In an instant he vanished from that space and unbeknownst to him the pulsing red veins that gave his mental space light ceased to glow and pulse and the entire realm went completely dark.
In the outside world, Jeremy's eyes slowly opened. A purple glow telling the world that he was currently channeling his magic in a major way.
He raised his eyes up and to the side of him and looked at the one who spoke, "How long was I out this time, Emily?"
A slightly wry smile stretched across Emily's face as she answered, "Ten hours and two minutes with no visible signs of discomfort. It's like when you're there, your body is in stasis out here. Do you feel stiff?" She asked, unmistakably missing the innuendo that Jeremy certainly didn't, but decided to not acknowledge. After all, they apparently have company.
He stood up from his cross-legged seated position.
"I feeell.. perfectly like myself. Though, I can, the benefits of meditation are truly underrated. Thank you, Qetsiyah." He said to the brown beauty that was lounging on a couch that appeared from where? He did not know, nor would he ask.
Qetsiyah gave him a lazy look and a dismissive wave as she placed another grape in her mouth, "it only makes sense. You acquired this new power and had no real idea how to use it. Though, even I didn't know that you would get a mindscape that you could practice inside. That just seems broken." She stated, her voice sounding a bit exasperated at the end, seeing as how only the most powerful witches were capable of building even the barest of mindscapes and he just got one for free.
"Well, what can I say," he did a slightly bashful shrug, though the smile on his face completely ruined the innocent look he was going for. "With a mind like mine, meditation just never seemed like it had any use." He walked over to Qetsiyah and reached for a grape. "You learn something new-" And his hand went right through the grape. "Every day." The tip of his fingers took on a slightly purple glow as he once more reached for a grape, only this time, he took it.
The cocky smile only serving to annoy the ancient woman just a little bit more than she was, and even as the grape fell from his fingers as the purple glow died out and it hit the ground, still Jeremy looked quite proud of himself.
And with good reason, seeing as how what he just did should realistically be impossible. Reaching out to the other side simply by channeling a form of the energy in his being does not sound like something a person should be capable of doing and yet, the more Jeremy meditated and practiced, the more uses he found for his "powers". They seemed to come to him the more he interacted with them. One of them being not only the ability to "see" the energies, including the souls of beings in this world, for a short time, but also to channel that same energy into interacting with them in small ways for his purposes.
Though, despite his cocky smile, they all knew that from where he was currently standing he was still too weak physically to really do some serious damage. However, he didn't mind, seeing as how he still had his quickening to help him along. Though, something in his mind was telling him that that would only be a solution for just so long before he once more needed to find a different way. He could now tell that there was another "lock" on his body, but for the life of him and no matter how much "meditation" he did, he still couldn't figure out what it was.
He looked down at the grape that fell and then promptly faded out of sight, since it was no longer channeled by Qetsiyah, and then he straightened his white t-shirt like it was the fanciest piece of clothing in the world... for some reason.
'Maybe it's time I get myself something new to wear. Black and red seem like good colors. Maybe a tie? No, perhaps something Victorian, that can really sculpture my shoulders and neck. A long pea-coat could be--- What the fuck am I doing? Clothes only ever mattered on a job, since when have I given a shit what I were otherwise. It's always comfort over style.' Jeremy stopped his unnecessary line of thought that lasted the complete span of one second and refocused on the task at hand.
"Tell me about this company that decided to grace us with its presence," he told Emily, a slight predatory glint passing through his newly black with specs of red pupils, though none of them noticed it.
"When they passed through the outer edge of my detection spell, I went and took a look. From what I could see, they appear to be heavily armed and searching the forest around us. Though, only two were vampires. The rest were human."
That gave Vla--Jeremy pause. He had to stop and think for a moment, his mind going through the possibilities and attempting to find a reason behind how and why they would be here, immediately excluding the possibility that they were not there for him, since as far as there canvas went, his group was the only one out here for miles.
'A group of heavily armed humans and two vampires. I've carefully avoided tripping any wires that could set off the dominoes that would bring anything major to my feet, however I'm well aware that my movements haven't gone completely unnoticed, especially by....' A playful smile spread across Jeremy's face.
"Emily, was there anything familiar about what they were wearing. Think back, to one of the first things we did together....the road-trip to college...breaking into the lab, and acquiring my first ever vampire. Is this ringing no bells?" He asked his companion, his raised eyebrow and slightly pursed lips showing just how displeased he was with her lack ability to recall one of his fondest memories. After all, it was basically his first operation in this world.
Emily for her part just rolled her eyes and looked to be trying not to crack a mocking smile at him, though he could see the mocking in her eyes. 'She will be punished!'
"Obviously I remember. I was waiting for you to get to the part where you tell me why you think this is connected to that." She told him, her eyes still looking down on him, but the graceful, gentle, smile on her lips was quite comforting. 'At least she still knows to comfort this gentle one.....
This gentle one? Why the fuck am I saying weird sh-- okay, something is clearly going on and it all started with unlocking my "genes" that I carried over into this world, and that cool sounding fuck stick in my mind saying "There are many, but only one overall". Oh, dip, I can use that dope ass voice too.
Yeah, whatever this "bloodline" is that can go from one universe to another, clearly carries more than just "powers".... though, for some incredibly odd to me reason, I feel like I'm really okay with that.... Is that the many exist, but only one overall effect? Am I just one of many that's connected to one or am I the one? Am I thinking about and speculating about shit that I cannot yet figure out? Should I focus back on the task at hand and be glad that I got that cool ass deep voice ability? Can I also be glad that I seem capable of thinking along more than one line of thought at the same time? Yes.'
"Tsk Tsk Tsk," as soon as Emily heard the three tsk's, she immediately lost the mockery in her eyes and instead, exasperation, much like Qetsiyah's took it's place. "Oh, Emily, you sweet summer child, surely you must realize that out of everyone we've fucked with, only one group moves around with heavily armed and is capable of calling on a vampire or two to do its bidding." He told Emily as he walked up to her shaking his head and giving her a look of pity. The urge to laugh right after was immediately suppressed. "Now, I don't know how they found us... wait, yes I do."
As soon as Jeremy let the thought flit across his mind about how they found him, all at once memories of the witch that he made immortal began to show in his mind. 'I really should have looked at more than just his spell work, but in my defense, that was really the only thing that mattered at that time. I mean, I had magic!' After defending himself to himself, he took on a composed air, like he had it all figured out.
"I was simply testing you, once again. The witch that got removed from his coven did not always work alone. It was through the work of the Augustine organization that he acquired his... resource material. Though, the partnership was relatively new, it makes sense that they would have ways of tracking him. Though, clearly that was either mostly remote, like gps, or through some distant spotters stationed near the only viable exits to the swamp he was in. Either way, they've narrowed down their search for their dearly departed soon-to-be employee, and are coming to collect." He once more dusted off his white t-shirt, as he began to pick up the sword enchanted for him by Emily, only to stop his hand just as his fingers touched it.
Then, with one quick motion he grasped the scimitar, that he purchased from a collector online, firmly in his palm, and in a moment of inspiration, the entirety of the metal of the sword began to emit a red glow that lasted only a few short moments, but when it faded the once silver metal of the blade now resembled the pure black handle that he had custom made and took on a pitch black hue. "Now this is a sword."
Emily and Qetsiyah looked on in interest and like a true attention whore that he was only just recognizing himself to be, Jeremy reveled in their looks of anticipation as the question sat on the tip of their tongues. He decided to put them out of their torture and answer the unspoken question.
"This, my beautiful travel companion and other," he began, causing Emily to laugh and Qetsiyah to scowl. "Is now a sword that I believe has acquired the property to not only potentially cut through anything, but if I'm not wrong, then as long as this blade is in my hand, then it should never chip, never break, and never wither. This, my dears, is an immortal sword, freshly created by yours truly, Jeremy Gilbert; Order of Merlin Th--"
"Enough with your jokes, I've seen the movie. Tell me, how did you do it?" Qetsiyah asked him after rudely interrupting his victory lap, as she quickly got herself off of her imaginary couch. "You said no spells, nor incantations. Creating fire is fine. Understandable with the use of one's magic, but this this is enchanting a metal to hold a property. Multiple properties if it's both sharpened and hardened. How did you do it?" She asked, her curiosity and feigned nonchalance no longer able to handle the truth of his awesomeness.
"It's truly simple, my dear Qetsiyah. I am just that good. Now, let's be off. There are some trespassers that require some killing." Jeremy said, his smirk on full display as he moved to safely equip his sword onto the loop on his belt, only to realize he didn't have one, nor had he ever worn one. Especially since his swords usually went behind his back to form an X shape, whenever he found himself using them on a job. Though, he immediately chalked it up to another aspect of his "bloodline" bleeding over and decided to move on. Reaffirming himself in his mind that he would definitely have to "meditate" on his ever-evolving characteristics, lest he pick up a habit that's more of an inconvenience than just a fun new discovery.
Ignoring Qetsiyah's nearly constant scowl that she wears after most of their interactions, he proceeds to head towards the entrance of the cave. "Emily, you mind scouting them o-- On second thought, this would seem to be the best time to test my new capabilities. *Sigh* Let me cook." He stated with an air of resignation. Knowing the burden that he carries upon his shoulders is one that only he can bear. 'There can be only one.'.... Though, in truth, he really just wanted to show off a little, while testing his abilities, but the efficient part of his mind told him it would be far quicker to have Emily take a look and cut back on his time to effort ratio. However, he ruthlessly silenced that part of himself and decided to focus more on what he set out to do in this life. Enjoy it.
"Okay, ladies. I'm gonna need you to take two steps back," he said, not even bothering to check to see if they did, because as soon as he finished speaking, a shroud of darkness spread out from his shadow and along the ground in every direction, covering what his mind told him was a range of about one hundred yards around. 'Hmm, so I can basically stretch this ability the length of a football field in every direction around me. While seems strong, I can feel the strain it's putting on physically. Like my body is pulling energy from it depths that it can't sustain. I better get this done fast then.'
He turned and flashed a smile at the two women who stood behind him, noting that they did indeed take two steps back... which he didn't notice until he looked. 'Ah, so I can sense them because their magic is connected to me through the band on my finger, however despite being able to see pretty much everything connected to the ground that my shadow touches, I can't discern them. Meaning that so far my ability only works on physical aspects such as touch... and sound vibrations, since I can also hear what the ants within my range are saying simply through my shadow. Good to know.'
(A/N: Think of it like the way Toph could sense the earth through the ground, if you want to picture it. However, his is just a lot more interactive, since it's not just seeing what his shadow touches, but also.....)
"Be right back," Jeremy said to the two women who never once noticed the split second it took for him to think up and draw his conclusion on how his ability worked. Though, before they had a chance to respond to him, he was already falling forward, but instead of a thud sound that most would generate when they meet the ground, he simply fell right through it.
In another part of the forest, a team of individuals were tracking. Canvasing the entire area, and making sure to stay within each other's line of sight, while at the same time wondering why the ground suddenly became shaded grey, like a shadow stretched across it's entirety, despite the fact that the sun was clearly peaking through the trees. It was just too bad that instead of an answer, all that was heard in the silence was the sound of a quick, barely discernable, *shoo* and one was gone. The closest to that ant only had time to turn in the direction of the faint sound and glimpse what looked like a head falling from a body before he too realized that the angle of his vision was changing. Almost like he was falling.... oh, his head was....
All throughout that forest, one by one, fodder fell. The only indication that anything was wrong was the fact that less and less of them were able to see the one's who were supposed to be in their peripheral, however before they could even utter a sound, they always found their vision shifting angles.
'Thirty-two operators. Clearly marine trained if the laces on their boots was any indication (A/N: Who gets the reference?). However, not a single one was able to catch sight of me. Though, the fact that they didn't realize that their steps no longer produced a sound should have tipped them off immediately. Clearly a bunch of mongrels. I'll have to figure out how to fix that, as well as find a way to make it so that the ground isn't so obviously shaded, no matter how cool that looks. Though, seeing as how it took most of my concentration to make sure it didn't spread as black as it was when I first activated the ability likely means that that's as light as it can get.' Jeremy thought, as he sat at the base of a tree. His forehead drenched in sweat and his breathing, while controlled, far heavier than he would have liked it.
'If my assumption is right, now that I've unlocked magic of my own variation, it's clear to see it's taxing on my body. That means either I'll be going through quickening's until I get strong enough to handle it... or and what "feels" more likely, is that at some point the next thing I unlock will be my bloodline physique. The only question is, how?'
He stood from his seated position. His sword still just as black as it once was and void of single speck of blood.
'Spreading out my shadow again feels like way too fucking much just to deal with some Augustine vamps and the insect that thought it was a good idea to step to me. They should be zipping around the forest right now trying to figure out what happened and it's only a matter of time before they come within range of my ears... however.'
Jeremy spread his shadow once more and instantly popped out back at the entrance of the cave, his body and mind feeling like he could use a nap.
He took a nice calming breath and spoke, "Emily activate the barrier spell as soon as they get near here, please." Then, he starting yelling. And before long, one vampire whooshed a few feet away from him, and then another whooshed in, carrying a human.
He didn't recognize either of the vampires, but the human, that was another story. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his handsome face, as he spoke.
"Ms. Freeman, this is quite the odd place to find the head of campus security at a college. What brings you out her to my neck of the woods?"
Then, with a snap of his fingers, just to add a bit of flourish, the barrier spell was activated.
Chapter 60
The woman, now identified as Ms. Freeman head of security, looked surprised, contemplative, and then serious at Jeremy knowing and then using her name. Though, once she settled on serious, it looked like she had reached a certain conclusion to an unanswered question that was going through her mind. Jeremy decided not to bother trying to decipher what the soon to be dead woman was assuming.
"You're a part of the group that has been targeting us?" Despite his thoughts, the woman went ahead and clarified the assumption, though the confidence she brought forth in conclusion really threw him for a loop. 'She's starting to throw out some of that big dick energy.... odd.
Jeremy didn't let it show, but he was actually a little confused. 'Honestly, I had completely forgotten about the existence of these amoebas. I blew up one lab and stole one vampire. If that's targeting you, then I would hate to know what you'll think about what I'm going to do the next time I take an interest in your group... oh, I forgot, haha.' He thought, a bit of bloodlust slipping onto his face while realizing that she won't be around to see what happens next.
'Hmm, that's odd as well.. I know I've always enjoyed the challenge that comes with taking down a complicated target or toppling overwhelming odds, but now... now I feel like I'm getting a little... turned on? at the thought and imagery of tearing these ants apart, crushing everything they've spent their wasted lives building, and then standing over their graves as I make love to those that love me. . .'
'What the hell kind of character am I channeling and why the fuck did I just picture myself doing that very act with a sexy ass black-haired woman with pig-tails!?! Who the fuck wears pig-tails!?!' As Jeremy was experiencing a slight existential crisis, once again, as he attempted to come to terms with yet another mental struggle erupting in his mind, much like when he had to deal with the remnants of Jeremy's psyche upon first arriving, nothing whatsoever showed on his face. Allowing him to be the picture of tranquility and stoicism that he knew himself to be. (lol)
"You make assumptions. It's entirely possible that I simply happened to be here. Happened to kill all those people that you came with, and happened to trap you three inside a barrier spell." He said, watching as the two vampires quickly and the one human less quickly, looked around like fools, trying to see the barrier around them. He didn't have to keep anything hidden from his face in that moment, 'suppressing too many things isn't healthy' he thought, as he looked at the lot of them with an expression of absolute deadpan. "You do know it's invisible. Right?"
One of the vampires decided to test the truth in his words and zipped off to the side,
*BOng*
Only to come face to invisible barrier, not even bothering to, at the very least, place his hands in front of himself in order to test if something actually was there, definitively proving to Jeremy that he was, in fact, dealing with a bunch of dumbasses.
Jeremy couldn't help the feeling of disgust from bubbling up in his gut at the display.
"Mongrels." He said. The word slipping from his lips like a whisper in the wind before he could catch himself, causing a frown to mar his features. 'This - arrogance. I didn't even notice until this moment, but this arrogance, coursing through my very veins is... what.. enticing? No... it's dangerous. I am no where near strong enough to be so fucking arrogant, and even if I was strong enough, that's still no excuse for disrespecting an ene... okay, now I'm just reaching too far in the other direction. It's always good to piss on ones enemies. *Sigh* Finding balance is going to be tough, but it's possible this will be solved just like it was when my brain was still hardwired to lesser Jeremy's mindset. It's possible that I'll be able to... merge? No, assimilate.. yes. Assimilate this bloodline of mine, once it stops being something I have to channel and it becomes completely my own. At that point, my mind should once more be free of this subconscious echo of the one who came before.' Jeremy thought, his mind processing everything in the span of a millisecond, showing just how fast and furious it truly is.
The two vampires stopped their nonsense, clearly having heard what he said, however the human didn't, so she was still standing with her brows furrowed in concentration as she attempts to spot something with her dotting eyes, until she finally seems to realize the futility of the situation. However, at this point, he's hardly focused on her because he realizes he knows one of those vampires, causing his face to light up in amusement if only to move this the fuck on.
"Hey, aren't you the vampire that was in the cage in the lab?" He asks, getting very little response from the undead, but in turn he does elicit a much more determined look from the head of security at Whitmore college as she held on tightly to what she just heard.
"So, I was right!" She exclaimed. Raising her voice for some reason in vindication. "You are the one responsible for the attack on our facility and now you've targeted a witch that belongs to us." She says, seeming to be both pleased and smug at closing the books on another investigation... for some reason, seeing as how her predicament hasn't changed at all, Jeremy can't help but think that she may be a bit crazy.
'Wait, yeah, this bitch is definitely crazy. Hell, how else could she around thinking it's cool to experiment on people. Now that I think about it, maybe I should go ahead and nip their group in the bud... but an elephant targeting an ant just feels.. unnecessary. This might be a good mission for the girls to undertake when they finish their training.' His thoughts, while finished, were rudely interrupted once the crazy woman opened her mouth again to spew some more nonsense into the environment.
"Tell me," she demands. "What is your purpose? Is it personal, revenge perhaps?" She says, seemingly trying to provoke him... once again, for some reason. "We have killed many of your kind over the years and soon we'll have the means to control the vermin that infest our world just like you. So tell me! Why have you brought yourself to our attention?"
.
.
.
Jeremy just stared at her for a while.
He could practically feel Emily and surprisingly Qetsiyah as well just staring at the lady at his back.
"What?" Was all he could muster the courage to say in response lest he allow his jaw to drop in a far too undignified manner, despite the fact that he does have a general idea of why she would try and rile him up, he still can't help but think it's a bit of a stupid thing to do.
'No doubt she has some listening device or some ridiculous contraption on her body and she believes this will be useful information for her organization. It's a bit of a noble move, so yeah I get that, it's just...'
"Bitch, don't nobody give a shit about none of that. Emily silence that barrier completely and give them all one hell of a migraine. This shit has already gone on long enough."
'The condescension coming out of her mouth is just too much.'
And so, it was done. The two vampires fell to the ground, clutching their heads, while the security lady just straight up passed out. Then, Jeremy had Emily dispel the barrier, allowing him to stroll inside. Remove one head. Slice one neck and feed the blood to the security lady, then remove another head. Then, break one neck, and wait.
After a while of sitting around and playing a game of patty cake with Emily, much to the annoyance of Qetsiyah who went back to eating her grapes, he finally felt his senses alerting him to the presence of a new immortal in his range, only now instead of just a tingle at the back of the neck, instead he felt like he could decisively hone in on the approximate location of that immortal, while at the same time, picturing them in his mind like he was zooming in from behind a camera lens.
Now, while Jeremy can mostly be called a patient person, in this moment, he didn't even wait for the lady to fully comprehend her surroundings before he was lopping that useless head off her body and going through her memories in order to confirm or deny the intentions behind her noble sacrifice. However, after only just a few moments, the expression on his handsome face went from one of silent meditation to a silent flash of heartbreak.
*Sigh*He couldn't help but let one out as he turned away from the ashes fading in the wind and make his way back into the cave, his head lowered in what looked to be defeat. If anyone who lacked the mental strength saw him in that moment they wouldn't be able to suppress the pang of emotion that his face brought forth in another. Even the stubborn black-hearted Qetsiyah found herself almost wanting to reach out to comfort the boy who seemed to have experienced too much, too soon.
His voice was low and weak as he began to speak. The strength of his conviction bleeding out with each word as the energy seemed to drain from his body.
"Turns out, she did not have a transmitter on her body so people could listen in in some ill-conceived attempt at gathering information for her allies. No, it turns out, she was actually exerting effort to really and truly rile me up in an attempt to get me to tell you to remove the barrier so I could kill her with my bare hands. At which time, she believed one of her pets would have been able to make a move on me before I could get to her, while she put her gun to work in assisting the vampires." He said, as she sat on the ground and brought his knees to his chest beside Emily. His face allowing the depths of his sadness to be transparent. "Emily, why the fuck are people so stupid in this world?" He asked, feeling his heart clench not at the fact that the woman thought such a dumbass plan would work, but because a part of him, no, ALL OF HIM, was screaming that should it have been most of the vampires on the show, it absolutely would have worked!!
He let his body fall back, lamenting at the stupidity of the mongrels that inhabit his world and took a moment to wonder just what he did to be afforded the opportunity to be oh so very brilliant all throughout his life so as to avoid such obvious pitfalls. 'Is this the plight of the chosen one?' He thought, bemoaning his superiority at simply being built different. However, just then, a small glimmer of hope sprung into his mind as he started to expand his perspective and try to find fault in his thinking.
'Is it possible? Perhaps, Klaus probably wouldn't ha... yes he would. His arrogance would have made him do it. Now, Elijah on the other ha... he probably would have dropped it as well, if only in some silly attempt to make the woman feel fear while he strode forward with a confident smile on his face and a monologue pouring out his mouth, while carrying a white handkerchief in his hands for the blood he was about to get on them. But, Rebe... Fuck.' He gave up. 'None of these silly assholes would ever take the easiest and simplest course of action to get shit done. It's just not dramatic enough.' He thought, remembering Rebekah standing in the middle of the street in order to get rid of Elena, only to immediately zip away before even confirming the girl was dead. If whoever saved Matt wasn't such a waste of space, both of them could have easily been saved. I mean, if a person can run fast as shit, shouldn't they be able to swim fast as shit as well?'
He laid there for a while, allowing his body and mind to get the rest that he felt they needed. His shadow teleportation strained him a way that he didn't like, though the quickening, if it could still even be called that, helped in the way of a physical healing. Nah, this was more so just a mental fatigue at this point. Too much shit just way too fast.
So, he allowed himself to rest, knowing Emily and probably Qetsiyah would keep him secure on that unnoticeably cold and hard cave floor. 'Just a quick five minutes'. He thought as he drifted off to catch a much needed nap.
When he woke up the next morning he could feel himself refreshed and ready to go as he stood up and stretched his arms to the cave roof and embraced a stretch that seemed to go on forever and a day, right up until a thought crossed his mind.
'Hold up, isn't that immortal chick Amara still around in stone somewhere, completely un-psychic and unguarded?'
A smile stretched across his face as he realized his folly.
'I said it once and I'll say it again, Silas my boy, I'm coming for that ass. Forreal this time!'
.
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(A/N: Think I'm gonna speed this story up a bit and compress shit or just write longer chapters. I still have a bunch of shit to get to and I don't like the feeling of spending an entire chapter interacting with a character who lasted on the show for like a minute total. Yeah, I'll do that.)
Chapter 61
Jeremy turned to his companions, the bright smile on his face reminiscent of the rising sun in a clear sky, letting them both know, he just thought of something magnificent.
"Ladies, I know how we're going fuck Silas."
It is only when he's met by silence growing more awkward by the second that he has to fight off the urge to place his face in his hands. 'I hate explaining myself.'
"What I mean to say is, I have a way to get to him, without him attempting to or perhaps even succeeding in manipulating my mind."
Emily, for her part, does nothing more than give a subtle glance to the side and purse her lips a bit, but it's more than enough to show that she's clearly not convinced and Qetsiyah... well, she seems kinda interested. 'I'm not even touching whatever the fuck is going on in that mind.'
It was with that thought that Jeremy decided to cut the bullshit and get straight down to business.
"Before we go and bust open Silas's tomb and I'm met with the possibility that his telepathy is capable of getting all up inside my head and fucking shit up. First, we're going to pay a visit to the girl who started it all and the original doppelganger." He can see Qetsiyah growing more and more frustrated the more he speaks, but still, he continues. "The girl who chose love. The first temptress to ensnare a man. The second Immortal. Amara!" He finishes his announcement like he's introducing a prize fighter in the UFC, and he can see clearly that Emily at least enjoyed the production.
Qetsiyah on the other hand....
"I'm going to kill her." 'Probably.' And with those words spoken by him, Qetsiyah was once more a-okay. 'That chick was kind of boring anyway. I've already got one boring girl with that face walking around being moody. I don't need another. Now, Katherine on the other hand, hehehe.'
"Buuutt, I'm going to need your help brown eyes, because I'm pretty sure, out of the three of us, you're the only one that can find her."
........
"I truly don't even want to think about how difficult it would've been to find her statue if you weren't here, gorgeous." Jeremy says to Qetsiyah as they cruise down the open road after a way too long plane ride. "I mean, I can only imagine the number of people I would've had to hunt down, behead, and gain their knowledge before I found where they were keeping her. So, thanks." He flashed her a grin in the rear view mirror and gave her a thumbs up. Truly showing her how appreciated her efforts were.
In turn, Qetsiyah just rolled her pretty eyes. "How about instead of pointless talking, you tell me exactly how you plan to accomplish this without completely destroying the other side, because last time I checked, it's gonna take one hell of a spell to get a new anchor for it." She asked, taking her role as pouty buzzkill who refuses to have a good time while in Jeremy's presence seriously.
"Tut tut tut tut tut, silly Qetsiyah, it baffles me that after everything you've seen, you still underestimate my greatness." Jeremy said, shaking his head with a sad smile on his face as he partially focused on the previously empty road ahead. Wait... the empty road ahea - "Who the f...." Before Jeremy could even finish speaking he could feel the car he acquired steadily resisting his control like a wild horse bucking against the reins in some bid to establish freedom from control.
So, he did the only thing he could do in such a situation.
He pressed down on the gas as far as it could go. Determined to see who would break first. The car, or the asshole who decided to just appear in the middle of an open road out of nowhere and start playing at being a mysterious adversary.
The car accelerated, building speed as it approached the figure in the road. Jeremy, doing his part to keep it in control while at the same time channeling energy into his eyes to see exactly what he was dealing with.
'Hmm, not an illusion. No, that's actually a person, but there's something wrong. It's almost like it's a person, with a person inside a person. Freaky.'
"Hey Qetsiyah," Jeremy called out casually as the car barreled forward. Any semblance of control long forgone and now all focus is only on keeping it going straight for his target.
"Yeeesss~" He heard a slightly sing-songy Qetsiyah chirp up from behind him. No doubt enjoying their little thrill ride and probably what he was facing in the road ahead.
"Correct me if I'm wrong but, that wouldn't happen to be somebody occupying the body of somebody else up ahead, right?" He asked, the car getting closer and closer to it's target.
"Yup. That's exactly what it is." She stated, seemingly matter-of-factly, but to his ears it just sounded annoying.
"And, once more, correct me if I'm wrong but, aren't the ones you call travelers, and also the ones you said were holding Amara's statue, a group of body jumping sumbitches?" He asked, the car mere inches from it prize, and Jeremy would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to what the body jumping sumbitch would do to evade or make the car miss.
"Yeeess~" Qetsiyah answered in her sing-songy way that he would never admit sounded very sexy coming out of her mouth. Well, not until she gave in to his charms that is and admitted that he was once sexy sumbitch first.
"You sound sexy when you sing for me." 'Shit.' Was his immediate and only thought as he immediately failed to hold on to his resolve to play hard to get in the face of the Janina Gavankar look alike, but I mean, can you blame him? I think not.
*Thud* 'Seriously.'
Jeremy watched as the car collided with the possessed body and a part of him thought, I could stop driving right now. Get out, and more than likely have to listen to the dying body speak about some bullshit plan to do this and how now they were aware of his plan to do that, but really, that just seemed a bit too like a waste of time, so he just kept on driving and not even bothering to slow down as he continued on his way to his goal.
However, he had forgotten that unlike Emily who was used to watching him work and go about doing shit with the least amount of drama and effort possible, Qetsiyah on the other hand was still a bit green when it came to the art of how not be a teenage soap opera character. Which is why he was not even a little surprised when he heard her voice asking from the backseat as he once more focused on the open road....
"Are you not going to get out and see what he was trying to do? He might have information."
He took a glance in the rearview mirror to be met with an expression of genuine curiosity. Like getting out after someone tries to stop you from driving to see what they wanted was the most obvious thing to do in the world.
Once more he found himself shaking his head. A small smile filled with a slight hint of sadness upon his lips. "Tut tut tut -" "Shut up!"
'That was right in my fucking ear.'
"Put a fucking seatbelt on asshole."
"Answer the fucking question dick."
"Bitch. I will pull this car over to the side of the road and see about this attitude."
"Weeell, how about instead you just tell me what I want to know."
"That's it! One more word. Just say one more word and I'm turning this car around and then nobodies killing anybody!"
....... "That's what I thought."
"Dick."
*Sccreeeeech*
"Ahhhhhhh."
Emily watched on as Jeremy's hands glowed with a faint hint of purple as he attempted to wrestle Qetsiyah into submission in the backseat, and she couldn't help but think it remarkable just how fast he was advancing in his ability to control the energy in his being. Thinking to herself the entire battle that it was a very smart decision to follow someone so wise.
"Uh huh! uh huh! Say it again. Say it again! You thought spirits couldn't get these hands? Well you thought wrong! Now... feel regret... mongrel."
Emily nodded her head as she took in the spectacle of a man tickling a spirit into submission. "Hmm, progressing quite fast, indeed."
A few miles back. Laid out on that hot asphalt road as the sun beat down on his broken and bent body, the person possessing said body couldn't help but think as he and the body slowly succumbed to it injuries from being sent flying in an ill-conceived attempt at playing chicken with a car like a real dumbass....
'Don't people usually stop in order to talk and just engage in general exposition at this point? What kind of monster just leaves someone on th....' That body was no longer occupied.
And for the person who was behind the wheel of the stolen car; that body possessor was already forgotten.
Back at the spot of the pulled over car. Jeremy was sitting back in the driver's seat with an extremely smug expression on his handsome face. The feeling of righteous and noble victory pouring off of his semi-majestic being in waves, announcing to the world that he, Jeremy Gilbert, just bested one of the most powerful witches to ever live. And! it only took him half-an-hour to bring her to tears... while at the same time finding some sensitive spots that he meticulously filed away for his own edification, only to be opened at a later date.
"Now that that's done. Let's get this shit started once more." He said, putting the car in gear and taking off. "Though, now we have to hurry. Clearly those assholes must have had some spell monitoring anything and tracing anyone that tried to find the location of the statue and so, they'll be moving on it just like we are. The only question is, who will get there last?" He said, peeling down the road, going from zero to sixty in as fast as his sports car would take him. He would have been luxuriating in the feeling of the wind luxuriating in his hair, had he not heard a very disgruntled mumble coming from the backseat.
"Shouldn't it be who will get there first?"
"Say it again! Say it again!" *Sigh*
Jeremy decided to take pity on the thick headed revenge seeking woman and give her an actual answer.
"They've been hiding the statue for who knows how long. Even if we had a head start, unless they're completely stupid or something, they should always have somebody on standby to move the statue when necessary. So, it's most likely no matter what we do, they will get there first. We simply need to be the one's to have it last. Get it?"
............ "Dick."
*Scccreeeeech*
Emily: ........ Y-Yes. Quite wise... indeed?
Chapter 62
It was a warm day. The sun shining down onto the figure of a young man sat upon the hood of a car looking out across from him and out onto the sea. His face a mask of calm, but if one were to look into his eyes, they would be able to see the flurry of furious emotions bubbling beneath the surface.
"Remind me again how this happened, Qetsiyah. Remind me again, how and why it is that we find ourselves, sitting here, while the statue of Amara is floating out at sea with no way to track it. Please, remind me." He said. His voice even and a little icy, making it clear that he wasn't so much asking, as much as he was reprimanding.
Which, obviously did not go over well with his traveling companion and the only one who could possibly still track down the immortal statue girl that had been whisked away by those cowardly body jumping witches before Jeremy could get to them.
"I don't see why you're blaming me. I told you before we started there was a possibility that if we used a spell to get her location, it could alert her watchers. And what did you say? "Eh, it's no big", right? So, if you want to blame anyone, blame yourself." Qetsiyah argued back, allowing her own frustrations to bleed into her voice.
Jeremy simply pursed his lips and began to examine his nails as he spoke in a voice a little too loud to be a whisper, making it sure she could hear him from where she sat inside the car. "So much for the all-powerful witch. No wonder Silas dumped that ass."
And with that, it was off.
Qetsiyah was jumping out of the car, her body going right through the door, showing that no physical object could hold her off, but it didn't matter Jeremy was already off the hood of the car and standing in front of her. His hands in his pocket and his head raised and tilted slightly, giving off real punk vibes as he spoke.
"What? You got a problem?" The only thing missing was a leather jacket and toothpick in his mouth to complete the punk look as he stared down at the fuming witch.
Emily simply stayed seated in the car. Her window casually rising up to close the only indication that she was aware of their latest altercation.
"Yeah," Qetsiyah began. Her voice low and menacing. "I've got a problem. And I'm about to solve it." She thrusts her hand forward, no doubt attempting to hit him with a tk blast that witches seem to only use to hold people against walls or trees, but never for anything else, in an attempt to send him hurtling backwards and into the glistening ocean down below from where the car was parked.
However, before she can even fully raise her hand, Jeremy is already engaging the energy coursing throughout his being and calling upon his darkness manipulation, creating a shadow in front of his body that travels from the shadow at his feet on the ground. Then, once Qetsiyah's hand is fully raised, he watches through his eyes as the magic flows from her hand in a red wave and instantaneously stretches towards him and is absorbed into his shadow and then it was being sent back out from the shadow at her feet. The end result; Qetsiyah shooting off the ground and flying through the air. The fact that she even had a shadow at all, shows that she was fully channeling the ring on his finger in order to fully connect to his side of the world and become tangible. Which, ended up being her downfall.
This isn't the first time Jeremy and Qetsiyah have come to blows and if Jeremy is being honest with himself, it won't be the last.
If she were to tell it, the only reason she even engages in this pettiness is due to Jeremy getting on her nerves and asking for a beating. And if he were to tell it, the only reason Qetsiyah is constantly catching his hands coming in her direction, is due to her bitchy attitude and a voice that just screams "I have a punchable face". However, all three of the people there to witness their latest bout in the ring knows that it's about so much more than just some petty frustrations getting to them.
For Qetsiyah, it's about training Jeremy's response time and flexibility in terms of wielding his magic, which he asked her to do as a part of his training, and she refused to do as a part of her personality. For Jeremy, it's about connecting and attempting to alleviate just a small portion of the stress and anxiety that he knows is flowing through the pretty woman's body and mind, the closer they get to not only Amara, but also to her eventual revenge. Though, he would never say that out loud, since he knows it would only earn her ire.
For Emily, well she's got no dog in that fight, however she does understand the fact that the two seem to be bonding and is pleased to see it done in such a healthy way... because she's crazy.
So, it was with those thoughts and actions that the three continued with their journey. Playing a game of cat and mouse with the travelers and knowing all the while that the body jumping bozos were undoubtedly leading them into a trap, however they also knew that they didn't really have any options to circumvent being led by the nose. Since, the macguffin they required was already firmly in the body jumper's hands.
Jeremy attempted to speculate on where the group was attempting to lead them, however for the life of him, he couldn't be sure, seeing as he was certain no one, not even the witches on the other side knew of his origins as of now. Since, one of the main reasons he decided to separate himself and cut off all contact with his girls for the duration of the trip was due to him knowing that he would draw attention and him knowing that he was not yet strong enough to completely shield them from harm.
So, he was pretty sure they weren't leading him back to Mystic Falls in the petty attempt to take over the bodies of his people in some gloating type "you can't harm us without harming the one's you care about" shit.. So, that begged the question of why they were putting so much effort into running in one specific direction?
The thoughts ran through his mind once he traced them leaving the land. However, no part of him believed that they could be trying to have a battle on the seas, since, well none of them are pirates and that ain't his current universe.
'Unless they want to dump the statue in the sea?' He thought to himself, as he sat once more on the hood of the car, allowing his thoughts to flow. 'But why dump the statue? Do they believe that will keep it safe and out of reach? Is there some special barrier at the bottom of the ocean that stops us from simply spelling it to rise from the depths and resurface? Or is it that they truly just want to fight on the open sea where there's no possibility for us to run away quickly, and where they can see us coming for a mile away, as well as our numbers as we approach? If that's it then it's probably pretty good... if they weren't the one's who spent their time jumping bodies and decided to go to a place where there would be no bodies to jump into. But they couldn't be that crazy, right? Maybe they believe we can't set up a spell circle in order to trap them in their current bodies at sea? Ahhh, all this thinking is pointless without actual knowledge on what all they can do, it's just a waste of time. I'll just face it head on.' He came to the conclusion that pretty much every shonen protagonist reaches at least once in their life and decided to just go straight at the enemy and be done with it.
'Or, maybe this world is making me crazy and now I'm also a dumbass who just runs straight at their enemies and falls into a trap? Is that what this is??? Naaahh, this is just me taking the only course available, since I literally have no other way to get information on these assholes, other than just going straight at them. . . unless I finally get in contact with Nadia. I mean, we are facebook friends after all.'
It was with that thought that he sat up from the hood of the car and took his phone out of his pocket under the watchful eyes of his two traveling companions, since from their perspective it was only about 5 seconds ago that he decided to lay back and now he was up and doing something that was bound to be interesting.
It always is.
He opened the browser on his phone and went to the site and quickly navigated to her page, his mind thinking up shit to say and how to say it in order to get a response, however his fingers never stopped moving.
Once he was on the the site, he immediately used his encryption key and extracted her user information and last used IP address, allowing him to acquire her phone number in the process, which gave him pause.
He looked at that number and his mind went blank, resulting in him just staring at it while holding his phone as he made a decision that he knew he wouldn't be able to walk back, because there's a difference between sending somebody a message from a source that was under the protection of layers upon layers of security and....
He dialed the number and pressed the call button. The line rung once, then twice, then. . . .
"Hello."
"Hello Nadia. . ."
"Well, who is this?"
"I know something you want and you know something I want. How about a trade?"
"And what is it you think I want?"
"The location of Katerina Petrova."
".....And what is it that you want?"
"Your Traveling companions."
"Ah, you're the one that's caused all the hysteria amongst my people?"
"The one and only."
"How did you get my number?"
"......"
"How do you know what I want?"
".........."
"What's your name?"
"..............."
"How do you want to exchange information?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
Chapter 63
"I can't believe she attached her actual phone number onto her actual social media account. Like, what." Jeremy says as soon as he hangs up the phone from his short, but fruitful conversation with the hot ass daughter of one of the sexiest women on his planet. "Katherine would be embarrassed by how easy it was for me to get in contact with her kid."
He falls backwards into the shadow underneath him on the hood of the car and into the driver's seat from the shade of the roof over it, smoothly aligning his body so he doesn't hit the steering wheel with his legs and embarrass himself after his incredibly cool entrance.
"What does this Nadia person have to do with our current goal?" Emily asks, in a rare show of curiosity winning over her voyeurism and observation kinks, throwing Jeremy for a loop in an instant, though he figures out her intention immediately after.
A slight smirk makes its way onto his lips as he looks over at his traveling companion sitting in the passenger's seat. "Are you asking because you want to know... or does it have to do with the woman sitting behind us practically vibrating with unanswered questions and you think I'll crack if you're the one to ask?"
It's the lack of any sort of reaction on her face that tells him that he's right. Now, the question is, what to do about that...
The obvious answer.. is to crack of course.
"Fine, but only because it was you who asked." He says, then turns back to throw a slight glare at the very satisfied looking Qetsiyah as he continues to say, "but don't make a habit of it." Resulting in her sticking out a tongue, that he wouldn't mind exploring, from her mouth in a very mature display. He just rolls his eyes at the childish witch before focusing his attention back on the car, starting it up, and pulling away.
"Nadia is interesting in so so many ways that it's not even funny. The first of which is..." He glances over at Emily to see that he has her full attention as he says, "the fact that she's actually Katherine's daughter." He doesn't even need to look over to practically hear the shock from beside him. As well as the complete disinterest from behind him.
"Who the hell is Katherine?" Qetsiyah asks with clear annoyance, clearly not enjoying being left out. Or ignored. Or uninformed. Or unwanted. Or abandoned. Or many other things that aren't currently important, but Jeremy files away for later in his mind.
"Katherine is...." Jeremy begins and then goes quiet. Waiting for Emily to take the hint, which she does as she picks up where he left off.
"She is my former employer, and also the one responsible for my death, as well as many others. I wasn't aware that she had a daughter." Jeremy can hear the forced indifference in her tone that only someone who knows her incredibly well would be able to detect.
'It seems she still has unresolved feelings in regards to Katherine. . . just like so many others throughout the world. However their feelings don't matter, but hers... hmmm.'
Jeremy lets out a slight chuckle as he picks up the conversation. "Neither is she. Or at least, not a daughter that's currently living, breathing, and a vampire who just so happens to be working with the Travelers in an attempt to track her down in order to meet the woman who gave birth to her for the first time in her life."
The car goes silent as he waits, knowing that this time, for the first time, Emily will more than likely be unable to help herself and finally ask the question that she's refused to ask purely out of principle so so many times before... only now, it's personal and so she should feel compelled to ask. . . .
"How do you know?"
Jeremy doesn't even bother looking away from the road as he answers with a quickness. "How do you not?"
They ride for a while in silence. Qetsiyah choosing to remain quiet in a rare show of social grace while delaying what she wants, due to Emily currently formulating some form of either acceptance or insistence. However, Jeremy feels he waited long enough and decides to continue before she can either persist with her questioning or just allow their status quo to continue, even if she never gets the answer to her question so as to not rock the proverbial boat.
Though, it's not because Jeremy is dissatisfied or even against Emily's whole "I watch, listen, observe, but never demand" attitude. No, in truth, he actually likes it, a lot. However, that's only when it comes to matters that are not, important to her.
"You died once already, Emily. You put yourself in a position where you were vulnerable and allowed those around you to make moves while you stayed on the sidelines and it ended with you having no where left to turn. So, I'll ask you again, how do you not know something so fundamental about the woman who you stood beside for a large part of your life?" Now, he waits. Though, he doesn't have to wait long before he hears....
"I never asked."
"You grew up in a time where you literally had every single factor working against you when it came to being proactive in your life. You were a woman. You were black. You were a witch. No one was going to put you in charge of anything and no one was going to be okay with you asking things that weren't your concern. So, you didn't. You stayed silent and you played your games within the limits that were allowed for you." He turns to look at his traveling companion as he continues.
"Now, you walk beside me, Emily. We have no limits."
He watches as Emily thinks on what he said. Knowing that if he knows her as well as he believes he does, there's only one response she could possibly have, which is....
"How you do you know about Katherine's child?" To ask her question again.
He shows her a very handsome smile on his very handsome face as he focuses back on the road.
"I'll tell you that. I'll tell you that and so much more. However, before I tell you anything, there's something you have to do for me first. Are you listening?"
He can see her slowly nod from the corner of his eye.
"I have no doubt that we will be seeing Katherine one day in the future. And when we do, I want you Emily, to cock your arm back and punch her straight on the nose. Do we have a deal?"
He laughs in his mind, as he continues to look at the road and once more he has no need to turn to look at her to know how she's feeling. . .
'Hold up, how the hell do I know how she's feeling? I'm not even fucking guessing here, I can, without a doubt, feel that I know. Can I feel emotions now? Am I an empath... somehow? SInce whe... that's a stupid question, obviously since I partially awakened, but if that's the case, how am I only just now registering the ability? Ah, of course. I'm still growing and more abilities are still developing, along with my understanding. It was ridiculous of me to think that it all simply unlocked itself at once. Hmm, I'll need to stay aware and stay observant, less I find myself floating off the ground as I walk without even realizing it like a better looking superman. Now, give me my answer, Emily!'
"Wait, what does you giving her answers to shit, have to do with her punching some girl in the face? And how about you finish answering the first question before moving on to another. Or how about you just tell me everything in a way that doesn't require me to keep asking follow up questions! Stop being fucking annoying and hurry up and tell me what's going on!"
Qetsiyah practically shouted and then was summarily ignored once more as Jeremy focused on trying to feel their emotions, and Emily focused on whatever the hell she was focusing on in her mind. Though, if Jeremy had to guess, it was probably some type of morbid curiosity about how it would actually feel to punch Katherine in the face with her fist. Not a magic whammy, but to actually connect her fist to Katherine's face. 'Well,' Jeremy thought to himself. 'I'm going to make sure she finds out. Hahahahaha.' And then, he proceeded to laugh. For a while. For no real reason whatsoever.
"A good punch in the face isn't going to solve all the emotions that you constantly keep bubbling beneath the surface, Emily. But, it can't hurt, right?" He asks, looking over at Emily for the first time in a while, after waiting for her response. Which is simply a smile matching the one he was currently showing on his face, and he knew that no matter what happened from that day forth, eventually, one day, Katherine would be getting a broken nose courtesy of Emily.
'Now I just need to figure out how to make either Emily strong enough, or Katherine weak enough for the hit to actually matter.' He thought as he gave Emily a slight nod, while ignoring Qetsiyah's continued talking from the backseat, and then focusing back on the road. 'Eh, thoughts for later. It's not like I'll be running into Katherine any time soon.'
Then, as if the universe heard him and decided to say something along the lines of, "you thought!", he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. So, with some slight hesitation at the nagging feeling in the back of his mind of being laughed at, he took it out and took a look at the name of the person calling his incredibly popular self, and when he saw it, he knew he was correct. He was indeed being laughed at.
'Uncle John.
Is it wrong that I completely forgot about this asshole.
Naaahhh.
HAHAHA - why the fuck do I keep laughing at myself!? It's fucking weird.'