Janet's sobs were heard over the echoing waste that was made of a large swath of the city.
Jack looked over to the lady, he had been conversing with and felt she reminded him of Leslie... Maybe less forceful, and more playful, but it reminded him, nevertheless.
Now hearing her sobs, he put down his fists and braced them on the ground on either side of the ruined lair that was Mark's, as he lowered his head to Janet, with his flaming eyes watching.
It wasn't but a moment later that the rubble next to her broke apart with Mark crawling out of the ground, without dusting himself off, he released the large mole-like ice claws he had used to dig, and he came to Janet's side and kneeled.
"What's wrong?! Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?! DID HE?!" Mark's vacant eye socket's flashed, as he lifted his head to see into the looming face of the God-King.
With tears, Janet reached out and with a light pop, she slapped Mark aside the face.
Mark brought his hand to cover the place that stung, as joy crept into his heart.
"No, he did not! What are you doing!? This isn't like you??? You don't fly off the handle like this! You scheme, you plot, you play tricks! Why are you fighting head-on with the God-King here?!??"
"B-B-But-But I have-"
"Do you want to die? Do you want me to finally love you when you're gone? Do you want to kill the God-King and have the world find you? Do you think you can escape that shadow thing in Deagoth you keep rattling on about???"
"I-I"
Janet reached up, grabbed Mark's collar, and pulled herself up as she hung onto Mark's dusty vestments, "Tell me! WHY?! WHY DO YOU HURT ME?!"
Panicked that he was getting Janet dusty, Mark was about to release her, but hearing her words, he reversed his actions and deeply embraced her.
"Never! NEVER! NEVER WOULD I HURT YOU! Damn the world, Damn even me... But never you! What have I done wrong?"
"Tell me why you suddenly attacked the God-King... I know he interrupted the ritual thingy you had going... but you're usually calmer than this!"
"..."
"You tell me everything... Tell me." Janet commanded as she appealed with her large eyes and blueish complexion.
Mark looked up at the God-King and weighed many things in his mind. After adding and subtracting the pros and cons, what choices he would be making, and how to please his wife... He decided who he was going to betray.
Jack mentally furrowed his brows, as he tried to listen to each word. Mark was a thorn in his coccyx for a long while now... But he still had hoped to draw this mind to him... Jack felt he had power, but not the brains or mind to use it wield it.
Mark dropped his head back to look down into Janet's face, as he scooped her up and laid down holding her in his arms leaned up against a broken column.
"I've been working with the Church of the Three Gods for a long while now... Recently they have all the rage about some goat-like girl sent by one of their "gods"-" Mark looked up at the God-King, "And she's currently in the Jails of Saigunrai..." He looked back down at Janet.
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"Along with that, they provided me with much support for this last ritual... Things I couldn't get again, they had... So, information was easily given to them for such. The Dead-Tide... That's the Church's device, among other things, as well..."
"What's your point, Mark?" Janet had long stopped crying and was listening.
"Provoking the God-whatever he's called was a diversion. I knew at some point; he would show up in front of me. I didn't expect it to be in the middle of my ritual, mind you... The church has been on stand-by once she was imprisoned, waiting for him to be distracted... They only fear gods, it seems. So, I lashed out, and as you can see, it should be just enough time for the goat-girl to be in the hands of the Church of the Three Gods. Thus, I completed my part of this deal."
Jack lifted his head to look long in the distance but couldn't see anything of detail in his city of Saigunrai from the other side of the continental island.
[Yoggi... I know you hear me... This is your daughter we're talking about... You going to let some assholes just take her away???]
[...] Silence was met for a moment before Jack actually heard the voice of Yoggi, [I am not supposed to directly speak to the mortals of worlds... I will pay for this I'm sure... Father forgive me, for my child... I'll keep it short. Something has blocked my vision, as I have not foreseen this. When I gazed at your home jails... This Mark speaks the truth... I've been waiting for you to reach out to me... As even if I break the rules, I cannot just reach out to you without you acknowledging me. If you want to know more about the three church whatever, check my tome. They have her, and they don't want to know my or her mother's name... They know about Us, obviously. I need you to save her, because they will flay her essence, and I cannot enter your world normally... Jack... If you do not save my daughter, I will break the rules set down by my father, the Daemon Sultan, and I will destroy all of the Nine Realms doing it...]
[WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! HARD BREAK!!! YOU DIDN'T SEEM UPSET ABOUT HASTUR TAKING HER!?!?!]
[My brother is a sick fuck, but he treats all my daughters well... This is different Jackie...]
[Alright, bone, throw me a fucking bone here, how long do I have, where are they, and how do I stop them!]
[...I will have the tome show you, as it's mine, I can tamper with it. Flip its pages, so to speak.]
[These people worship you?!]
[Sort of... But tell them my true name, tell them that I sent for you, kill them in my name, and... You cannot use your God-Form to do this, Jackie... You have been using it wantonly and it's been amusing, but there are rules. Go in person... Get my daughter... Take care of her... I can't say for sure with my clouded vision, but you have... Three days.......] Yoggi's voice drifted away, and no laugh was present.
Mark and Janet continued to talk unaware of the conversation of the God-King above them with 'He who lurks at the threshold.' The master of death.
"Mark, he said he believes he can heal me."
"How much can We believe?"
"Does he need a reason to lie?"
"Obviously... He would never want me back in Deagoth after my betrayal." Mark said firmly.
"We are all dead..." Jack muttered, but it boomed in the city, from his large form.
Mark and Janet looked up to process what the God-King had spoken, and as Mark was to ask.
"Mark, I want you back in Deagoth, serve me, serve yourself, serve your wife, just serve. I don't care. I will absolve you and use everything in my power to heal your wife, but I need your help. Because if I don't, we are all going to die... And when I say we all... I mean this entire world will be destroyed!" Jack spoke quickly and lowered his voice, but it still rumbled the ground.
"..." Mark stared up, not sure what to process.
"Say yes... And... I will call you husband... again..." Janet leaned against Mark's chest as she spoke looking up with her doll eyes.
"Yes." Mark looked up with no thoughts, as warmth entered into Janet's heart.
"Mark, I see that you are good with ice spells, can you make an ice ball that will protect you and Janet... I'm going to throw you to my Palace."
"That's ridiculous!"
"DO IT, WE DON'T HAVE TIME!"
Mark pulled Janet even closer, as Ice formed around him in thick ropes that expanded quickly, forming a solid ball the same size as the Skull of the Sun God.
Jack leaned back up, as he picked up the large Ice chunk, aimed at the silhouette of his Palace. After taking careful aim, he relaxed his taunt mind, as he pitched the ice chuck, sending it screaming through the air.
As Jack's God-form descended back into the Skull.