---- J A C K ----

Jack thanks to Misha’s contacts had managed to sell of the various jewels and bits of gold he had, after some great time and effort, stolen from the royal throne chamber. Allowing him to increase his Earthly Bank balance to £2,934 and now had an imperial credit account with 0.01 credits just so he could open it.

His new set of clothes though in no way increasing his magical prowess, were serviceable and concealed a rather nice Kevlar jacket. Which had required most of his funds. He thought it only fair to split the proceeds of their first job 50/50. Well between himself and Misha, Hat got 0%.

Now with a spring in his step he headed off to Circus School, Charing Cross Circus to be precise. He could have attended the school at Piccadilly but preferred the more low key surroundings of Charring Cross.

That Circus Schools, dotted around London, was a thing made sense to him now. As not every performer could just teleport around willy nilly and so needed somewhere convenient and ideally in walking distance of London transport links.

Jack couldn’t help but ask Hat. “It won’t be…you know covered in ghosts and such like will it” said Jack scrunching up his face at the unpleasant recollection.

“No Sir, and its probably better you don’t mention anything about that. Even to Madam Misha” Hat replied in hushed tones.

Non performers or dudes, which was a particularly useful term as anyone would just think the person meant “guy”. When in actuality they meant “faulty”.

Anyway dudes would not be able to see anything even if standing right up against the circus gates. Whereas Jack could see from outside its gates, signage confirming performance opening times in large lettering hanging over the high ornate iron gates. Also flanking on either side were statues of mythical creatures and in the distance he could see towering spires that seemed to touch the sky. A large banner proudly displayed the circus's name in shimmering gold letters, catching the light and casting a magical glow.

On entering the silently swishing gates, he found grounds of the circus to be immaculately manicured, with colorful tents in yellow and black, with pavilions scattered throughout. The sound of laughter and music could be heard in the distance, along with the occasional roar of a magical beast or the crackling of tricks being cast. A faint scent of exotic spices and incense hung in the air, teasing the senses with promises of wonders yet to be discovered.

As he looked he could now catch glimpses of performers practicing their magical arts, casting tricks or tumbling through the air with highwire acts, high above the ground. Teachers and staff members, dressed in robes of shimmering striped yellow and black silk and velvet, moved gracefully through the crowds, their eyes sparkling with knowledge and power. And no doubt the prospect of financial gain. As none of the schools were in any way free. Though some rare performers might receive a bursary or have a backer.

He himself did not have to worry about spending a bean. As he was indeed a special case, a ringmaster. And was off to see the ringmaster of this establishment him or herself. He bid farewell to Misha and was on his way.

The wrong way as it happened. The Circus had such immense sprawling grounds that it was hard not to. And there did not appear to be any signs anywhere. Apart from that is on individual tents. He passed Side Show, Animal Tent, Concession Tent, Clown Tent, Acrobatics Tent, Rides and Games Tent, Performer Tent, Ticket Booth Tent and even tried the Big Top. His feet in his new shoes were quite saw by now and he was almost but not quite ready to give up. But the fact that nobody seemed to know where the Ringmaster a Thomas Percy was. And that no one appeared worried or seemed surprised that he was no where to be seen. Made Jack very curious.

And as Jack’s nature was, he just had to keep looking otherwise it would niggle at him for the rest of the day, week, year.

“Hat can you sense him?” said Jack wondering if there was someway Hats could communicate with each other.

“He’s not at the Circus” said Hat.

“Whot!? Why didn’t you tell me? I know, I know, I didn’t ask did I” Jack said thinking to himself of his promise two days ago to eat his hat if he ever got any money. It was sad but what could he do. He would tell Hat as he poured hoisin sauce all over him and munched down.

Kicking his heels. He looked around and then smiled to himself. This was rather like playing truant. As he had actually managed to skip out of lessons which would no doubt of just bamboozled and tired out his poor old noggin with more madness about this place.

He’d do something constructive with his day instead and go kill things. Also he was looking for a new trick.

It was all about the gacha and whaling. He had always been the free to play type. Games were just not a challenge if you whaled he felt. But more to the point he felt the system, gacha system, had suckered you if you played that way. He liked to bet against the house and gamble but not with his own hard earned cash.

So now he planned to obtain as many artefacts as possible in the hope of lucking out and getting something good. But to do this he would need to go somewhere with higher tier artefacts and more variety too.

He asked Hat if there was anywhere suitable and heavily emphasised he required higher tier drops this time around.

Hat suggested to him somewhere he would never normally choose to go but as Hat talked the idea seemed to make sense somehow. They were off to war.

The warzone was in a sweltering jungle, a chaotic and dangerous place. Luckily for him his gloves protected him from the blistering heat. He presumed in these kinds of places it was summer all year round. Too many mosquitos for his liking. But with such dense cover it was ideal for not getting spotted, and being able to get in and out unnoticed. At least that was the plan they’d hatched anyway.

The sounds of battle echoed through the dense canopy of trees. Ancient ruins and overgrown temples served as the crumbling battlegrounds, with vines and foliage creeping over everything in sight. The air thick with the smell of blood and sweat, as warriors clad in leather armor or none at all, clash with ferocious beasts and otherworldly creatures. Magic crackled in the air, with spells and enchantments being hurled in all directions, creating explosions of light and energy that illuminate the dark jungle. While Jack took in the view from his vantage point on a rocky overhang, looking down on the tree tops below.

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He teleported down into a muddy mess of tangled roots and slippery moss. Which made every step treacherous to navigate across the battlefield. The cries of the wounded and dying mingling with the roars of wild beasts, creating a cacophony of chaos that adds to the terror of the warzone.

Jack hesitated he had brought his goggles this time but wasn’t sure how his pristine suit would stand up to the rigours of this particular battleground. He really wondered what he was thinking these days. He was just so compulsive. Which wasn’t like him at all. He would usually spend at least ten minutes just deciding what to have for dinner.

In the distance, massive trees towered over the battlefield, their ancient branches reaching out like skeletal fingers, casting ominous shadows over the carnage below. The jungle seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy, as if the very land itself has been tainted by the violence and bloodshed that had consumed it.

In this warzone, clearly survival was a daily struggle, and only the strongest and most cunning warriors would emerge victorious. Well he guessed that was him he supposed. Luckily he still had his old set of clothes in the Hat. So he found a large tree to stand behind and started to get changed.

---- P U L B R I G H T ----

Pulbright he had a hunch who was behind the murders but why they were trying to frame him he was not sure. There had also been an actual clue. A witness to the previous murder but at the time he had not believed them. Their statement was too preposterous to contemplate. If he thought about it too long it made him feel like he had a gun pointed at his head 24/7.

But if they could perform a murder in a magically sealed room with half a dozen witnesses and still succeed. It made the witnesses statement slightly more plausible. If it was true they were all well and truly in the soup.

He didn’t really no how to best them. But maybe he could incentives someone clever and certainly more skilled to do so. He could notify the cat of her frame up and implication in the case. And let her trail the murder instead. This however also seemed to be playing into the murderers hands though. As anyone framed would naturally try and clear themselves. And this was the perfect method to draw one of the best assassin, they had, into a trap.

Alternatively he could go in search of Samantha and get her to finish the reading. But then of course he might end up dead then and there. As that had at least in part been the murderer’s intention to stop the telling from happening.

He’d have a carrot and mull it over. Maybe he should go visit the caterpillar.

Also his sources told him Jack had gone AWOL. Again. The boy was becoming a bit of a liability.

--- J A C K ---

Jack had been taken prisoner. Dragged from behind the tree he was changing behind, with a knife pressed against his throat. It was jolly decent of them not to just kill him then and there. It seemed they had some code of honour or something. Maybe that’s why hat had chosen this particular little war.

Jack was interested to see who he would be fighting so being led through one of warring side’s camps was instructive. This was actually the beast side. Even though this was a war. It seemed a bit cold for him to just kill this lot. So he made a split second decision. He called Hat back to his head, teleported out of his bindings, picked up his other possessions. And then asked the guard to “take me to your leader”.

“Our leader is dead. Killed by the accursed demons of the desert lands, the Akani” he said spitting out every syllable.

“And why might you be fighting each other?” queried Jack.

“The Akani, are an evil that plagues the land. They bring only death and revel in the killing of their victims, who they sacrifice in an orgy of blood and bones to their god. Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and the sun.” said the unknown warrior trailing off.

Jack did wince a bit when it turned out the other side did sound not unlike himself when in battle rage mode. But as they were clearly the baddies in this scenario. He would side with the beasts. It made him feel not so bad about all the woofs and woofles he had to admit.

“Ok, I’m on your side then. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll have at them.” Said Jack brightly.

Jack had by now pulled a bit of crowd. Just his performer blood he guessed. He saw the small group of beast people warriors milling about unsure what to make of this strange visitor. Clearly magic was not their thing or they would have just attacked. Handy to know for any future plans Jack pondered.

They had rugged features with pointed ears, sharp claws, and fur covering their bodies. Their leather armor adorned with intricate designs and patterns, and they were carrying formidable weapons such as swords, axes, and spears. The warriors were all very muscular and had a fierce demeanor, exuding power and strength. Their eyes were piercing and clearly suited for this dark jungle. Their movements were swift and agile. Overall, they present a formidable fighting force and an all round fearsome sight. Making Jack decide he had indeed chosen the coolest side.

He teleported a ways out to the edge of their camp and set off thinking maybe he should have asked how to show he was on their side and not be killed by friendly claws. But feeling a bit silly to go back now he carried on hoping for the best.

Spotting some beast warriors ahead, who looked like they were coming back to camp, he teleported still further, judging their line of trajectory away. This form of bunny hopping across the terrain brought him eventually to the enemy. And they were zombies.

Jack stumbled upon the horde of zombies, or undead, in a dense copse of trees. Or is that a corpse of trees? Their decaying bodies adorned with makeshift weapons crafted from branches, rocks, and rusted blades. The eerie moans of the undead filled the air as they lurched forward, their empty eyes fixed on Jack as he stood seemingly frozen. The lead zombie, wielding a crude spear made from a jagged tree branch, snarled and gestured for the others to attack. Jack could see the hunger for flesh in their grotesque faces, their movements jerky and unpredictable as they closed in on him. As adrenaline surged through his veins, Jack knew he had to fight for his life against this horde of weapon-wielding zombies.

Spark. Spark. Spark. Spark. Spark. Spark. Spark. Spark. Spark. X 10

They were lit up like Christmas trees. Then Jack realised so was this whole part of the jungle. And now he didn’t even have Misha to as a pick me up pet, to collect all his loot. It’s ok Jack thought to himself as the fire quickly spread around him. Leaving him in a bubble of safety thanks to his gloves but everything else was getting decimated.

He teleported back a bit towards basecamp. He saw beast warriors and went to teleport again when he spotted the familiar face of the warrior who had kidnapped him. He didn’t seem happy.

“You see how the accursed ones defile our spiritual lands. They want only to see it burnt to the ground.” He said carrying on now to swear quite a bit.

“Ok, no more burning and looting” thought Jack.

“Nice seeing you again” Jack said as he teleported back to the part of the jungle that was on fire.

Looking around for a bit he found a fallen zombie. Fire was definitely effective that was for sure. The zombie had a nice short sword that was still faintly smouldering along with everything else here. But of course when Jack reached out and grabbed the sword it immediately cooled allowing him to pick it up. Right let’s go again.

This time he found a horde and single out just one zombie. Starting small was the key to success after all. He teleport right behind it and placed the sword against its neck. Eat your heart out I’m a one man zombie killing machine! He hacked. And then hacked a bit more. Nothing. Maybe the sword was blunt. So he stepped back and tried a swing but missed as the zombie inconveniently moved. This was ridiculous he’d seen beast men hacking off innumerable zombie limbs with one swipe.

Ok, change of tactic again. But before he could try a new plan he was grabbed from the side by two zombies. One lunged predictably for his throat while the other tried to hug him. He teleported. Straight up.

From his vantage point he could see…he was very high up. He had not really had time to give exact instructions to Hat. Just the general intent of up mentally and gestured with his head. He was below the cloud cover but not far. He felt ill. Then very hot and ill, like he was going to pass out. Also he was bleeding. A lot. The bloomin zombies had bit him. Hat teleported him to safety leaving the zombie behind. He swayed feeling himself loosing consciousness, his hand pressed tightly to the wound on his shoulder. It was lucky it hadn’t hit the jugular. Now he could hear a whistling in his ears. Then everything exploded around him.