Gaia's Champion Ch. 06

"I'll need my tools," Jason said.

Luke motioned to center console and Jason opened it, fishing out a small leather satchel. Before he stepped out of the van, Jason looked around, tapping into his Gaian senses. He felt no one around the immediate vicinity and stepped out, moving quickly in case that changed. Knowing that he was not being observed, Jason walked up to the front door and opened the satchel. Inside, was a complete set of lock picks, which Jason was proficient with.

He smirked at the memories of a misspent youth, breaking into other people's homes and taking what he wished. Even though Jason was a thief, he had a code that he adhered to; never steal from anyone who couldn't afford the loss. A close scrape or two with the law had forced him to quit. He always kept in practice though, on the off chance he'd need this skill set.

He picked both the doorknob and deadbolt, cutting through both locks in under a minute. Smiling, he opened the door and walked in, closing and locking the door behind himself. The stench of rotting food assaulted him, the scent so pungent that Jason almost gagged. He kept his cookies down as he dialed back his sense of smell, not needing it as much here. He walked past the kitchen area to his right and went straight for the living room.

Jason searched the area but found nothing of interest, except for the usual amenities of two men living alone. Grimacing at the pigsty of a home, Jason traversed upstairs, thinking he might find some inkling of where Brad stashed the films. He searched the rooms of both men and came up empty, which he thought was weird. Jason checked the spare room and also found nothing unusual or out of the ordinary.

He'd used his Gaian senses extensively, listening and searching for anything that might have given away where the films were stashed. His senses told him there was nothing there, and there was nothing new or out-of-place in how the domicile was arranged. Growling in frustration, Jason trudged downstairs and was about to walk out the door, when something tickled his senses.

He felt it as he walked past the living room and looked to his right and saw a door he missed on his initial search. It differed from the other doors in the home. Almost like it was replaced and made to look as plain as possible. Had he not been delving into his powers; Jason would have missed the whole thing entirely. He walked over and opened it and faced a set of stairs leading down.

He guessed that these guys must have sprung the extra money to get a unit with a basement. He kept his Gaian senses up as he descended, keeping his wits about him. As he neared the bottom of the stairs, he could see a taunt line of fishing wire stretched out in front of him. With such a booby trap in place, Jason figured that they must be keeping the films down here. He was about to step over it when his phone rang.

"Luke, I think I found out where they might be!" Jason told his friend.

"HIDE! DUSTIN IS HOME EARLY!!" Luke screamed at him.

"SHIT!"

Jason sprinted up the stairs and closed the door, before heading back down into the murky basement. Because of his empowered senses, he didn't need a light to see the wire and hop over it. As he did this, Jason glanced around, looking for a spot to take shelter. He saw a large tarp that was draped over two disused mountain bikes and figured it would have to do. He dove towards the clutter, getting beneath the tarp, just as Dustin opened the front door.

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And that's where this chapter ends folks! I know that I'm being evil, leaving the situation in a cliffhanger, but why write if you can't have a little fun now and again? Don't worry, I already have chapter seven prepped and ready to go and will get around to it soon. I know I've been light on the whole magical aspect of things, but don't worry, I'll be coming back to that in the next few chapters.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please feel free to rate and comment on my work down below. If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share, though your views, ratings and comments are enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!