Chapter 8

"Answer me or die!"

The pointed end of the blade dug a few centimeters into the skin of Ash's neck while Kaecilious threatened. The teen was careful not to gulp or breath too heavily lest the blade dug in deeper.

Ash raised his defiant eyes and stared at Kaecilious' worn out face. A face that showed years of weariness. Circles were around the sockets and a thin layer of stubble covered his chin.

"Why are you trying to kill Captain America?"

Ash questioned, not caring of the position he was in.

Kaecilious was also surprised by the brazenness the boy displayed.

"I'm the one asking the questions here! Who are you boy? And who do you work for?"

Ash remembered the back hand from before when he ran his mouth and Kaecilious looked like he did as well.

"Don't." The Sorcerer warned when Ash opened his mouth to say something. The teen shut his lips before sighing. Antagonizing his target wouldn't help him in his mission. Ash needed to stop letting his emotions get the better of him.

"I don't work for anyone."

He answered truthfully.

"That is impossible."

Kaecilious noted, his hand growing slack.

"Then how..."

"How was I able to know what you're up to and tried to clash a Chitauri Glider on you in a reckless bid to stop you from Killing America's best ass?"

Ugh. Ash recoiled at his own statement but pushed through.

"Easy. I have an ability called foresight and being the huge superhero fan I am, I couldn't let your nefarious schemes succeed!"

Kaecilious back handed Ash, the younger boy's head turning to the left, stunning him.

Ash felt the control over his anger he held break.

"Aarrgh!"

He whipped out his hand to punch Kaecilious on the face. Ash's fist met the bladed edge of the sword construct. A loud cry of agony escaped his mouth when the sword bit into the spaces between the knuckles and split open his palm into two sections only attached to the wrists.

Then the fight was on.

Kaecilious looked on in shock for a few seconds at what he had done, before his head was violently thrown back by a forehead slamming onto his face. The older man took a few unsteady steps back, bringing his hand to staunch the blood pouring from his nose.

"You little..oof!"

His words were cut off when Ash, cradling his left heavily bleeding hand ran forward with a shout and crazed eyes. The boy shoulder checked Kaecilious through the belly, taking him to the ground before straddling him.

Ash used the pain, embraced it as he punched down with his good hand, at the one responsible for the agony he was in. Kaecilious took the first two hits to the face, further disorienting him as well as leaving him shocked at the strength behind the boy's hits. But he was an expert at unarmed combat.

Sorcerers were aware of their own weakness after all and had devised ways to ensure that they were not completely defenseless in close quarters. Kaecilious, dismissed the sword in his hand, dodged the next attack Ash delivered, wrapped his hands around the boy's head and rolled them into reverse positions. Now Kaecilious was the one hovering above Ash, pointing another construct weapon down at him.

"Stop!" He shouted at the boy under him. Ash's spit landed on his face. Kaecilious saw red. He raised his hand slammed a nose breaking attack onto the boy's face. Ash was assaulted by a ringing in his head when the next hit struck him on the side of the head.

He blinked blearily, seeing Kaecilious form a construct blade and bring it thrusting down onto Ash's left chest side. The blade punctured Ash's lung and he started wheezing, blood filling his lungs as he struggled to breathe.

Kaecilious breathed hard, loosening his hold on the yellow construct and lying on the ground next to Ash.

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"You stupid boy."

He groaned, running a hand across his face.

"I suppose it's not your fault...fate likes to play tricks on the unfortunate. I guess you and I fit into that category."

Ash coughed out, struggling to keep his eyes open. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kaecilious reach to his neck and remove a locket. Opening it showed a picture of a woman and a child.

"Them as well."

Kaecilious added softly.

Ash was now struggling to breath. An instance passed and the difficulty in breathing passed. The glowing magic circles above Kaecilious left hand indicated he was the one responsible.

"Can't really do much with that kind of wound. But the spell can extend your life for a few more minutes." The older man said.

A few seconds passed before Kaecilious burst out laughing.

"That's a lie, you can easily survive that injury but I cannot be bothered to save you. Because of you, I have likely lost the only chance I had to bring them back."

Ash craned his neck to face him.

Kaecilious saw the action and hummed.

"I can sense your skepticism. You don't believe that Nazis are capable of bringing back the dead right? Or maybe you're questioning the moral conundrum it presents."

'Or maybe I'm just wondering when you'll stop talking.' Ash thought then immediately chastised himself. He still needed to know why Kaecilious was trying to kill Captain America.

"To be honest, I have been asking myself the same questions with one particular one being the loudest. You see, Hydra does not have the capability of resurrecting anyone. If they did they would have already brought back Red Skull and the world would be much worse than bad men like me make it."

"No, what they do have is ancient spell tomes, texts dating back to when humanity was nothing but a flicker in the darkness, a flame that could be squashed with the barest of efforts from creatures and beings older than our whole history. Those beings left behind wisdom, information that I can use to reunite with both of them...my...wife and son."

He closed the locket and stared ahead, a lone tear streaking down his face.

"Hydra knows this and after I left...after I denied 'her' and her selfish teachings, they were willing to take someone like me in, someone willing to do what they needed for what they wanted. Never thought the mission would turn out like this."

He reached into his pocket and removed a vial of blood. The glass was swirling with magical inscriptions. Steve's blood! Ash thought.

Based on all the information given by Kaecilious, Ash could connect everything together. He breathed out a sigh of relief. He finally had the whole picture. Hydra did not have a contingent of Sorcerers, they likely favored tech above the nature of an unpredictable energy source like magic. Kaecilious was an outlier.

A sorcerer desperate enough to make a deal with the devil. That's probably why they gave him such a high risk task. If he succeeded good, if not, no skin off their backs and their existence would not be in danger of being found out.

It was precisely what he would expect from a group like Hydra. All the while, Kaecilious had been talking still. Ash however, only managed to grab the final words; it was getting increasingly hard to pay attention.

"...emember this in your next life kid, don't let your anger control you."

Ash choked on his blood and finally died.

When he looped again, Ash stayed on the ground for a minute without getting up. He now had information he could put to good use.

Loops remaining 9/20

He waved away the screen absentmindedly.

"I'm fine."

He interrupted Anthony before the older man could say anything.

Getting to his feat and grabbing the coat laid over the chair, he told the crowd about him being part of a top secret government experiment and then pulled the alarm only after he was sure the police and security guards were close to getting to the floor he was in. he needed something in their possession. A gun for the final act.

Ash then pulled the fire alarm and paired with some healthy existential dread he poured into the crowd of office workers, the entire floor was vacated soon after. The building rocked and it was game on, Ash was carrying out every action from decapitating the first Chitauri alien to finishing up the sadistic one with a well placed hack to the head.

He then hoisted the Chitauri blaster up and went towards the elevator.

"Shit."

Ash cursed.

He had forgotten that all the elevators were programmed to return to the exit level whenever the fire alarm was activated in a building.

He could try to find a gun in any number of the numerous casualties lying around after the sudden attack. Some including cops as well but that plan would throw off the timing with Thor's attack and Kaecilious'exact position. Any action Ash took should have the same result as the previous loop, him at close proximity with Kaecilious.

The gun would have helped out immensely as Ash would have only needed to catch Kaecilious off guard and pull the trigger. Sorcerer he might be but he was not faster than a bullet. The Chitauri weapon stood out too much. Kaecilious would not leave it to chance.

No, he needed to find a way to kill the Sorcerer at close quarters before he escaped or the more likely scenario, Ash got his ass kicked. It was a conundrum that left him confused. Ash's back was to the wall of the slowly but surely collapsing building he was in. He had his head clutched between his hands, the hair interlocked in the spaces between his fingers.

"Is nature evil?"

Somehow those words made it to his mind. A memory long forgotten. His dad had taken them fishing, where he had taught Ash how to use the fishing pole to minimal success.

Ash had absolutely sucked at carrying out the instructions given. However, even as a child he had possessed a keen curiosity. So when he had observed how easily they could play with the fish, catching them but deciding to let them go out of an attempt to enjoy the journey rather than the destination, he had wondered about his place in the world.

The question had thus slipped out unplanned.

His dad had looked at him in surprise before smiling.

"Yes." His old man had said, blue eyes glowing with mirth.

"It put us in charge. The only creature that can decide the fate of the world even more than nature itself. If that ain't evil, I don't know what it is."

"Never underestimate the human spirit, Ash. It is capable of great things."

His dad's voice echoed out.

Ash stood up unsteadily just as the walls around him came smashing down to the ground. He had his answer.

To live, he was going to fight and die as many times as it would take. Ash was not about to give up just yet.