306 Into Fillory once more.

We appeared in the fountain, drenched and cold as we climbed out.

"What the fuck? I'm all wet." Margo asked.

"What can I say, it's my gift to the world." I joked and got a deadpan look from her as she cast a drying spell on her own.

"Well the world wants a gift receipt." She snarked.

"Which way now?" Eliot asked looking about the enclave.

I turned around and pointed at the way out innocently, summoning the mind controlled mercenaries to me.

"That way. Follow me." I said, when Penny called out to me.

"Uh guys, who are they?"

I didn't even need to turn around to see who it was.

The mercenaries rounded the corner at the back entrance of the enclave spreading out over the amphitheatre steps as they got ready to cast a spell.

"Shit! They're mercenaries. The Beast employs them. We need to run!"

Just then, at my behest, the mercenaries began to fire off spells at us, most conspicuously heading for Quentin, who stumbled out from the fountain, fumbling with the map.

"Quentin, watch out!" I telekinetically pushed him back into the fountain, just as a slicing spell flew over his head, shaving a bald spot on him.

With a splash he fell into the dark abyssal depths of the fountain and disappeared, taking the map of Fillory with him.

"Quentin!" Alice shouted, running over to the fountain when Eliot caught her by her wrist.

"Leave him." Eliot cried out, a fireball singing his vest as it blitzed past him. "He'll be fine. We need to go, now!"

Alice looked back at the fountain one last time before nodding.

I led them out the enclave, blasting away the mercenaries surrounding the exit as we made for Josh's bunker in the abandoned library storeroom.

I knocked on the hatch furiously, as the wards blinked and flickered, masking it's presence.

Good warding work from Josh by the way.

No one except me even noticed them.

He was frighteningly capable despite his soft and non-threatening appearance.

Not something you'd expect of him.

The mercenaries creeped closer as I let my forcefield subtly give way, letting slip a handful of fireballs past with a flickering display.

"Shit." Eliot cursed, stepping back when-

Bang!

A mercenary fell dead.

From a bullet wound.

Margo had brought along a gun.

I wasn't the only one surprised.

"What? I don't care about the prime directive bullshit. My life matters first." She shrugged, "It'll come in handy if plan A fails."

"You think a gun will kill the Beast if my orbital laser can't?" I snirted in amusement.

"No. It'll save me thr torture." She gestured with the gun to her head.

"That is grim." Alice muttered.

"It's practical." Margo corrected as the wards around the bunker went down and Josh popped his head out.

"You were supposed to be here days ago."

"Yeah, well shit happened. We're on our way to deal with it. Are you coming or not?" I asked.

"You'll save Vicky?" He asked.

"That's the plan." I said.

"You son of a bitch, I'm in." He said, taking a bite of his pizza radish while he stuffed another down his pants.

That cannot be sanitary. Especially after he's been here for weeks.

I shook my head.

No. Focus. Gotta get these guys to the Fillory fountain.

I dragged Josh out of the bunker woth a hand and helped him to his feet as I gesture to the others to follow.

"This way." Josh said, calling us over.

Anither few turns and falsely engineered close calls later, we were at the Fillory fountain.

With a force blast I blew the mercenaries guarding the fountain away and climbed up the fountain sill.

"Here we go." I said, grabbing Yue, as I jumped in, "See you in Fillory."

With a splash, we disappeared again.

.

We stumbled out of the portal tree again, and this time, I didn't need to brainwash the guards. Because there were none.

Curious.

Did the Beast not care anymore or...

Suddenly, we were frozen in place.

Dammit not again!

With a flutter of autumn leaves, he appeared before us.

Suited in grey with oxford boots and a facefull of moths, he tapped his feet happily, humming as he approached.

"My, oh my! What have I caught here?" He paced around us.

"I'm afraid Fillory is not accepting immigrants or tourists at this point of time. But!

I'm a gracious host. So let me assure you, it'll be my pleasure, to show you all....a HELL of a time." He grinned in a sinister fashion as I connected to the speakers on my glasses.

"Yue, zap this bug, will you?"

But there was no response.

"Your little vampire lover can't help you today, scientist."

My neck suddenly unfroze as I heard and then saw Yue fall to the floor, asleep.

A sleeping curse.

"Clever." I scoffed.

"I have learnt from our last encounter.

And this time, I'm more than prepared." He preened at my praise, and sent a cleaving spell at her, only for it to fall apart in the face of her forcefield.

"Heh. What did I tell you?" I snorted.

"Interesting. So this barrier of your prevents magic...no, it prevents attacks. Physical attacks to be specific." He leaned over, tapping the forcefield with glowing magic imbued fingers.

"But it didn't stop my sleeping curse.

So there is a way to bypass it."

"Technically? Sure. Practically, you got lucky with her. She doesn't have curse protection like me after all."

I got cursed by the old gods before that particular addition, an Emerson's Alloy for her was completed.

So the project was left half abandoned as we fled the dorm room.

I, on the other hand, was protected by my personal array of magical and scientific artifacts as well as personal powers, code, enchantments and warding.

I was a walking fortress.

Honestly, I doubt even a god could damage me with the ease they are so used to at this point.

Not without actually trying, with serious effort.

And for that scenario, I had my secret weapon. The divine power of Heka's stone organ in my golem.

If I revealed that, I could end this now.

But I won't.

Not so soon.

"Oh! Then perhaps...", he cast a spell, a curse, I could tell by the nature of the magic around it, and with a sickening squelch, Yue's head twisted and popped off of her head, flying off into the distance.

"That was unnecessarily gruesome." I noted.

It made me furious to see him manhandle my Yue like that, but I held it in, keeping up my poker face.

She was immortal and I needed to keep things in line. For now.

But the Beast....he won't get the easy death I was originally going to give him now.

He dared to harm my Yue.

Mine.

I'll skin his filthy hands and brine them before transfiguring them into .....

I shook my head.

No. I can decide later.

"Not even a tear shed for your lady love? How cruel!" He poked at my forcefield, circling me, "You must have a heart of ice, to be so numb to it. Or are you just good at hiding your feelings." He tried to rile me up in vain, "Perhaps you never truly loved her-"

"I'd watch what I said if I was you, Martin. I sympathsie with your situation but that is running dry fast."

"You say that as if you have any power over me? I am unchallenged. I have you paralyzed. In my grasp-"

"Let's be real here. I can't harm you, but neither can you harm me. Unlike Yue, I am immune to curses. Even voodoo now. At best, we're at a stalemate. At worst?" I grinned, looking past him as Yue's head regenerated behind him and the world lit up in a flash of blue.

"Wha-Aaaarhhhh!" He screamed as he was torched alive.

He turned back to see her eyes pop back out as she sput out a chunk of dirty brain matter.

"You're.... you're immortal!"

"Arent vampires immortal?" Yue looked at him confused, as she burnt his arms off.

"Not to this extent! Yo-you monster!

You're not a vampire! What are you?!"

He cried out, falling to the floor.

But he didn't lose his grip on us.

We were still paralyzed.

Still, without his arms, he couldn't cast the paralysis spell again.

He could barely maintain the one he had on us through his pain.

I could feel his grip slipping.

Yue looked back at me and I shook my head.

She got the hint. We were letting him go.

For now, he needed to be alive as a motivator for the others to get the Leo Blade and god jizz.

And nothing motivates someone like the potential of death lurking around the corner.

If worse comes to worst, I can always just wipe him from existence via divine power.

I'm surprised Ember hasn't tried that yet.

I guess being hailed and worshipped kinda makes you think you're invincible.

Makes you lose touch with reality.

Necessity is the mother of innovation but a god doesn't need to innovate so they stagnated.

No wonder Martin could fool them into fearing him as some sort of god slaying magical prodigy.

He had necessity on his side.

"But I am a vampire?" Yue said innocently.

Martin clicked his tongue as his hold over us gave way and in a panic he disappeared, teleporting away.

"This is not the end of this battle, monster! I will return." His voice echoed across the forest as Yue helped me up and I smiled.

"No. This battle ends with your death, Martin. And I'm coming for you. Just you wait."

______________________

I know this is dragging on.

Worry not. Just a couple more chapters before mc leaves for dragon ball z.

This was the regular chapter for yesterday.

Next extra chapter at 400 powerstones!

Thanks for reading, broskis!

See ya tonight!