Gaia's Champion Ch. 13

"You bastard!" Amy shouted at him.

"After we are done with you tonight, you won't think so," Chad laughed evilly. Elizabeth groaned and looked up to find the owner of that voice. She knew that voice. It was the voice of the man who had led the group of guys who had gang-raped her in high school! She didn't know who he was back then, but now, Elizabeth saw his face and swore that she'd see him dead before her feet!

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Karla and the Gaians found entering the house was no real issue. There were no runes on the archways of the house, and the fairies could sense no malevolent magics nearby. They walked in through a nearby door, after Luke had hacked the security system's doors, allowing them entry. The fairies and Xaera were mini sized and sitting Karla's purse, so as not to rouse suspicion or alarm if they were seen.

Karla made her way into the mansion, walking into a disused art gallery. She did not understand where she was going, but she heard talking nearby. She crept slowly to the source of the sound, hoping that they wouldn't hear her. Nearing the doorway in which the talking was happening, Karla pressed herself against the wall and listened.

"... are we certain this will work?" one man asked.

"Pretty damned sure that it will! Turns out that the man who stole the Marston women away has substantial power of his own!" an older voice replied excitedly.

"Isn't it dangerous? Trying to take that much power?" the younger one replied.

"It's close to the limits, but we wouldn't be able to take his power if we found him later. We must kill those who grow that powerful. It was a miracle we found him when we did! Another few days, a week at most, and we would not be able to take his power. At least, not without the help of another chapter of the Brotherhood," the older man replied.

"What the hell are you doing here?!?" a male voice thundered.

Karla's head snapped around and located the source of the voice. It was a rather large man about fifty meters away who had spotted her in the gallery. He started closing in on her, but the other two men she was listening to came out of the doorway, finding her instantly. They got to her first, but Karla had her hands up and was ready for them.

These men might have been big, but for someone well versed in the art of Wing Chun kung-fu, size didn't matter. She remembered her training and drills, blocking and rolling with the blows they threw, while keeping herself protected. With several successful block sequences, Karla then countered, dropping one man.

She turned to the second one, and he looked unsure of himself, which she capitalized on, putting him down for the count with several well-placed blows. Both men were on the ground, moaning and groaning in pain as the bigger man finally reached her. She used the sequences she was taught, but the strength and power of this man's attacks were staggering!

He seemed to sense this pressed the attack, knocking Karla to the ground. She tried to reach for her purse, but screamed as the brutish man grabbed her ankle, dragging away from it. He flipped her over and with a lecherous grin, grabbed her shirt and tore at it. She screamed, begging for him to stop, but he just grinned.

"You weren't strong enough to stop me from beating you down. You're not strong enough to stop me from doing what I want with you," he laughed, taunting her.

"She may not be, but I am," the voice of Xaera stated.

The brute looked up and got an eyeful of the troll woman before she swung the sledge she was holding. There was a sickening crunch, and the man's face was pulverized into red mush. He stood there for all of three seconds before he toppled, his body slamming into the ground like a felled tree. Xaera offered her hand to Karla, who took it gratefully, standing up and fixed her shirt as best as she could.

"Xaera, did you have to kill him?" Phalmina asked as she become human sized once again.

"He was trying to violate Karla. I didn't think, I just acted," the troll woman said, defending her actions.

"That brute, he was stronger than a normal human. I'd say that we have the right place," Karla said, rubbing her bruised arms.

"But what do we do to find Jason?" Phalmina wailed.

"Ask one of those two," Karla stated, jerking a thumb at the two stirring men. Phalmina perked up at this news and flitted over, slapping one man awake. He came to and shook his head, before focusing his eyes on Mina. His eyes widened, and he tried to get away, while prying her hands away.

"I'd stay still if I were you, or she'll have at you!" Emalia said as she grew to human size, pointing at Xaera. With her red hair, blue skin, tusks, and sharp teeth, Xaera looked fearsome. Especially since she clutched the sledge that was still dripping blood from the man she'd killed.

"John?!?" the young man called out.

"He's dead and you will be soon, if you don't talk," Phalmina threatened.

"I will never speak to you, freaks!" the man spat at them.

"OK. Xaera, rip his arms off," Phalmina instructed.

"Gladly!" the troll woman said, eager to inflict pain on those who took her friends.

"Wait! You haven't asked me anything!" the man begged.

"Start talking then! Where is Jason?!?" Phalmina demanded.

"Jason? That redheaded brute?" the boy asked, confused.

"Yes. He was likely brought here with our friends, Amy, Eva and Elizabeth," Emalia said, standing over the man with energy crackling in her hands.

"We have taken him below... to the ritual chamber!" the man replied.

"Ritual chamber? What are they going to do to him?" Phalmina wailed. The man stopped speaking at that moment, afraid he had already said too much. His tune changed quickly when Xaera hefted him up by the throat, choking the life out of him.

"The lady asked you a question!" Xaera growled menacingly. The man tried to speak, but he couldn't as his airway was being cut off, and he tapped Xaera's hand.

"Xaera, let him down. He can't talk!" Daelina snapped. Snarling, Xaera let him down, but kept her hand on his throat, just so he didn't get any ideas. He took in a lungful of air before he spoke again.

"This... Jason, he has power. Power that we can take for ourselves. They will drain his power, then kill him when he is of no further use," the man croaked. Xaera then roared in anger and, in a fit of rage, tore the man's throat out.

"XAERA!" Phalmina shouted.

"He was just as guilty as these others here. We didn't need him, anyway. The way down is here," she said, pointing.

The fairies and Karla followed her bloody finger, staring at the partially open door that was disguised to look like a wall. Phalmina breathed a sigh of relief before she embraced her magic, wreathing her hands in Gaia's energies. The rest of the fairies did this, readying themselves for battle. Xaera hefted the hammers she held and handed them to Karla, deciding to rely on her magic and natural strength.

"Let's go get our friends back."

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Jason lay there, helpless on this altar, still straining against his shackles, but they wouldn't bend. The ritual had already begun, and the men chanting were using some kind of corrupted magic to power their chant. Jason resisted as best as he could, but he could feel the power Gaia gifted to him, slipping away. It was as though what chained the power to him was slowly being eroded, breaking the link he had to Gaia.

He would have said something, but they gagged him, not wanting him to interrupt their chanting with his shouting. These men had brought the girls out too, gagged them and were making them watch. He could see them crying and trying to deny what they were seeing, hoping that it wasn't real. But it was real, and they were living this moment, watching the man they cared about, be drained of his gift.

Jason could feel himself getting weaker, his strength being sapped from him as he lay there. His magic was weakening, and felt it being taken from him, almost to where he couldn't sense anything. It was at that moment, where he sensed... something, but he didn't know what. He focused as best as he could and he thought he saw the old man, who looked like he was important, turn his head as well.

Suddenly, a thumping sound reverberated through the room. Not loud enough to distract the men from their chanting, but enough to be noticed. The old man looked at several young men nearby and gestured to them. They bowed immediately, not saying a word to disrupt the ritual, and headed to investigate the source of the sound.

The quartet of men left the chamber by a hidden passage, where the noise was emanating from. Piercing screams erupted out of nowhere, causing many of the men present to turn and see what was going on. Something large and heavy then flew through the air, smashing into Wayne's face. It knocked the man over, disrupting the ritual. The moment the chanting stopped, Jason could feel his strength and magic return, invigorating him once again.

"What in the name of Caesar is going on?!?" he shouted, demanding to know who had dared interrupt such a sacred ritual.

Shouts of horror greeted his inquiry as the men looked to see what had knocked him over. It was the severed head of the young man, Chris, staring up at him with lifeless eyes. His breath caught and his head snapped up to see what had become of the rest of him and his friends.

All four lie at the feet of five women, one badly injured, with his arms bent at unnatural angles. The other three were dead for sure, as one had his throat ripped out, while another had a large hole in his chest, where something fiery had pierced him. Of the women who stood there, only one of them was human. The other four were creatures that no man there, save Jason, had ever laid eyes upon.

Three of them flew on gossamer wings, hovering above the ground, their hands covered in the green magic of Gaia. The fourth was a blue-skinned woman, whose hands and face were splattered with the blood of the slain. She made several gestures and brought forth her own yellow magic. The sight of these women terrified everyone there, as they were at a loss at what to do.

"Who's next?" the human woman asked.

Several men shouted and charged at Xaera, trying to halt her from casting any spells, but it was no use. The rune spells she used were simple force spells, designed to batter and crush anything or anyone in her way. She had completed the incantation and gestures before they even reached her. The result was many of them being flung away from her at such force, that they were turned to broken lumps of flesh and bone when they hit the surrounding walls.

The fairies were airborne almost instantly, firing off bolts of incinerating energy at the cultists. Many of the surrounding men tried to get to them, but the women stayed well out of reach. Karla was the only one who was threatened to any degree, but her skill in Wing Chun kept any potential attackers at bay. She stayed close to Xaera, so she could avoid being swarmed by any cultists.

Phalmina saw Jason and how helpless he was and was angry that these cultists dared to take him! Gathering her magic, she sent a bolt of energy to Jason, giving him the extra power he needed to break free. She then buzzed over to where Emalia was, as she assisted Amy, Elizabeth and Eva in getting free of their captors.

Jason looked down at the runes that were painted on his body and saw them withering away. He could feel his power surge back into him and for the first time since trying, he pulled against the shackles and saw them give way! He strained and pulled, doing everything he could to break free! One chain holding his arm snapped from the strain, allowing him to reach over to pull his other arm free.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw someone coming at him and brought his arm up just in time! It was Chad, who had a dagger in his hand, trying to drive it into Jason. He had caught Chad's arm and halted the momentum, but it was a delaying act. The arrogant man put both hands to the dagger and was steadily pushing it to Jason's chest. Jason strained as hard as he could, but found he didn't have the strength to stop the dagger.

Elizabeth, who had gotten free from her bindings with Amy and Eva, witnessed Chad trying to drive his weapon into Jason. Screaming for him to stop, she charged right at him, passing through the scrum of cultists, and reached the man. She grabbed hold of his arm and pulled it back, drawing the weapon away from Jason.

Glancing back, Chad saw this bitch had dared to stop him from taking what he believed to be his! Snarling, he reversed his arm, throwing the woman off before he backhanded her. The blow was powerful enough to send her tumbling backward, landing at Xaera's feet as the troll woman was blasting any cultists she could see.

Xaera had punched through many of the cultists, but there were still more trying to stop her from reaching Jason. She saw what was happening and out of pure instinct; she moved and chanted the first thing that popped into her mind. The chant reached a crescendo, and it came together in a bolt of yellow energy, with a black tint to it. She fired the bolt after it had coalesced into her hands, right at Jason.

It struck him in the chest just as the dagger's tip touched him, nearly driving into him. The movement of the dagger halted, and Chad made a sound of confusion and looked down. Horror painted his face as he saw what was happening and backed away in fright. Jason peered down and saw what had scared Chad off so easily.

Where Xaera's bolt had struck him, his skin had become black and shiny and it was spreading. He touched it and it felt smooth and warm, like it was a skin of stone. His eyes widened in the realization that this was like the stoneskin spell Phalmina had shot at him, but far more advanced! His skin had become pure obsidian!

"What kind of unholy abomination are you?!?" Chad cried out.

"The kind that will end you, and your kind!" Jason stated as his face and hair were overtaken by the spell, until he stood before Chad, an obsidian titan. His new form allowed him to not only snap his chains, but the peel the shackles from his body like they were nothing more than wet paper.

Horrified by what he was witnessing, Chad tried to run, only to be smashed in the back of the head by a flying shackle. He dropped like a sack of potatoes, knocked out but alive, as Jason advanced on the remaining cultists. Some tried their luck with Jason, thinking his skin was just a pretty illusion. They soon learned that he was not an illusion, but an avatar of Gaia's fury.

In less than a minute, the remaining cultists lay dead with only four survivors. Between the vengeful fairies, Xaera and Jason in his obsidian skin form, they were woefully outmatched. Even those who had power could not hope to overcome such powerful beings as they were. The survivors were Wayne, Darren, Bruce and Chad. The four of them were brought before Jason and the Gaians and put on their knees.

"Tell me, why did you try to kill me? Who the fuck are you people?" Jason demanded, wanting answers.

"Fuck you!" Chad spat at him.

"Unwise, considering that our positions are now reversed. Because you just tried to kill me, you should expect no mercy," Jason growled as he circled around behind the man. He then stomped on Chad's left ankle, crushing it with a squelching pop. Chad screamed in pain, howling like he'd been murdered.

"Feel like speaking now? Or should I go for the other ankle? Or maybe I should start with your fingers?" Jason told him quietly. Chad stayed defiant and aside from the cries of pain, he said nothing.

"Do what you will to us, none of us will speak to abominations like you!" Bruce scoffed.

Phalmina stared at each man there and saw the red, abhorrent energies that emanated from them. She shook her head and figured that this energy must be magic, but they corrupted it. How it was like this, she wanted to know and was wracking her brain how to make these men speak. It was right then she saw a flash of green around Darren, which made her blink and rub her eyes to be sure she wasn't seeing things.

"Mina? What is it?" Daelina asked.

"Do you see that?" Phalmina wondered, pointing. Daelina followed her friend's finger and watched the boy Darren until she too, saw the green flash within him.

"Yeah! I see it!"

"See what?" Jason asked, taking a breather from his questioning.

"Darren! Do you see it?" Daelina asked him.

Jason stepped away from the other men to stand before Darren. Wayne tried to stand to get in Jason's way, but was shoved back down to the ground by Xaera, who growled and bared her teeth at the man. With her face splattered with blood of his friends, Wayne didn't dare argue, not since he wanted to live. Jason waited for a minute before he saw what the fairies were seeing.

"Was that...?"

"Gaian magic! It has to be!" Emalia squeaked.

"Magic? What do you mean? Am I cursed?" Darren asked, his voice quavering.

"Yes! You and your slut sister are..." Wayne began before Xaera punched him, breaking his jaw in several places.

Bruce was silent, as he wanted to gain any information on these people and report it to the Pope, if he got out of here. He prayed that his silence would have these people let him go. Chad said nothing beyond his mewling, as the pain of having his ankle crushed went beyond even his pain tolerance.

"You are not cursed, Darren. You are blessed, by Gaia. The only curse you bear is not being able to access your magic, because someone placed corrupted magic into you. Because of this, it blocks you from gaining access to it," Emalia explained.

"I thought God blessed me! My father told me!" Darren protested.

"Your father has lied to you, my son. Just as he lied to me and your sister," Eva replied, soothing her son.

"How do you know I am being blocked?" Darren demanded.

"We can see the magic within you. It is flaring, wanting to come out, but it is being restrained by this... abomination of magic," Phalmina replied, watching the magical tumult go on within him.

"How do we free him?" Jason asked, now curious about what had happened to Darren.

"We will need to break the magical barrier on him, so his magic and his true self, can be freed," Daelina stated.

"Wait, his true self?" Amy wondered.

"Yes. When magic from a magical being is contained against their will, who they truly are at heart, is also contained. The magic a living being receives and who they are, are tightly linked. If the magic is freed, then so shall they be," Phalmina explained.

"What are you going to do?" Darren asked, fearful for his life.

"The Fairies and I will channel Gaia's power and Jason will be our conduit, to funnel it into you, which will break your block," Daelina explained, smiling at him.

"Hold up! Why do I have to be part of it?" Jason asked.

"Because you still have a firm hold in the human world, which is needed to reach him. Without your aid, it won't work," Emalia stated.

"Will it hurt?" Darren asked, sounding terrified.

"No, it won't. This dark magic, though it is on you, it is around you and not linked to you. Not yet, at least. If we break it now, you will be free of it and be free to be whoever you wish to be, without influence from your father or anyone," Phalmina finished. Darren looked hesitant, but swallowed and looked up at the fairies and Jason.

"Do it. Free me and take this evil from me!" Darren said shakily.

Jason looked at Phalmina, and she nodded. Wayne looked at his son in horror and disgust, ashamed that his son had turned so easily, but there was little he could do now. He watched as the fairies gathered their magic, runes flowing around them as they blended their energies into one purpose. Phalmina then touched Jason as the power from the fairies swirled around them and on the air, a soothing song could be heard.