I jumped out of the car and ran to the gruff man who now had the girl by the hair with one hand, and was grabbing her purse with the other.
"Hey! Let her go, now!" I yelled.
The man glanced at me. Me, a short, skinny, kid. Dressed to the nines, of course! A threat to them, though? Not hardly. He laughed out loud. His partner, who had knocked the bloody daylights out of the driver started walking my way.
"Looky at what we has here! A rich do-gooding little twerp!" he said with a toothless grin.
His open hand slapped me across the face. It hurt. Like I just got hit with a cinder-block! I fell to the ground holding my burning cheek. Just then, the man flew into the air! Not because of me, though! Nope. It was one of the giant bodyguards! Nidar's bodyguards!
I looked up, and the other bodyguard had completely knocked out the street thug. The girl ran to her boyfriend crying. He was awake but non within his sense. Sirens started blaring.
The men grabbed me, ran back to the limo, and threw me inside. I saw another limo speed off in the opposite lane. Ralph illegally spun around into the turn lane and speed off after the first limo. The police arrived just after we got out of there.
"What happens if they know it was us? Not many folks run around in limos! Or look like you two giants!"
The men said nothing to me. They at least gave me a handkerchief to dry the blood from my face. I got a nasty cut from that thug's ring on my left cheek. Ralph rolled down the safety glass between us and said,
"Worry not, young man. I'm sure Nidar already has it handled." The glass went back up. The twins sat emotionless.
After a while, we arrived at the Flaming Dragon and I was ushered inside a back entrance. Not noticing much, I did see a strange shadow dance around the back of the place. No matter. I was led to the VIP Suite, where Nidar was sitting, sipping a glass of wine, and texting madly on his iPhone.
"Ah! Druk! You seem to find trouble by the minute! Well, we now at least know you cannot access your powers outside of the 'spirit world', so to speak. At least for now. How is that cheek of yours? Looks like you may have a bruise for a spell. Worry not. I have an emergency kit here for you to clean that up. The restroom is private, just in the back. Go clean yourself up. We will be dining on steak tonight. Nothing too fancy. I find a good rare steak the most delicious of fares! Go ahead now, get clean. We shall talk in moments." He returned to the iPhone typing madly.
I got cleaned up, put some ointment on my face, and a small bandage, and straightened my clothes as much as I could. I at least looked presentable again. Why did Ralph tell me I could stop those men? Another test? This is getting out of control I thought! I had to have answers.
Upon returning, I immediately asked,
"Nidar. Everything happening is a great deal to take in. I have powers, but I can't use them against regular people. When I do use them, people can't see it happen, as you have said, I'm in some kind of "spirit world". Also, I have a "ghost" inside of me, right now. He came to me, tried to take me over and I stopped him and locked him in my subconscious. What should I do with him? He hasn't harmed anyone except for frightening them. I didn't want to kill him. Also, I've much more in dreams or visions. I need advice!"
"Yes, I know. Worry not. I wanted you to experience as much as you could before we met. At first, I thought that may take weeks or months. You, my friend, in mere days have experienced much! You are truly special. I have not met a hero like you in a lifetime! These evil monsters are drawn to you because of your power. To actually hold a ghost-like you are doing now, in your mind, is incredible! Truly remarkable! I suggest you do away with it though. Eventually, you may fall unconscious of its presence, and if it escapes the prison, you hold it in, it can cause trouble for you at the wrong moment. Kill it. Or let it go. Your choice."
I closed my eyes. I fell into a deep mediative state. This was something I could do well since I was a child. Practice from a great teacher; my grandpa! I went into the dungeon, dropped the jail-cell bars, grabbed the ghost by the neck, and threw him. Threw him out of my mind!
He appeared inside the room, shaken, confused, and trying to get his wits back. When he noticed Nidar, he lost it. Screaming a dark howl, he flew out of the window as fast as he could go!
What was that?
"Well, I guess that lower-level brigand did not like our company. Good riddance. It is best not to destroy all of the spirits or demons you encounter if you do not have to. People need their hauntings. It makes life more enjoyable. At any rate, as for the vision you had, tell me, what was it? Was it some kind of monster in a cave? Did you see it plainly?" His tone changed when his questioning began. I could tell he was highly curious.
"I didn't see it. All I saw was fire, coming from the opening of a cave. And I heard his voice, which was more of a deep roar. He told me to leave this place, or else I would regret it. What does it mean? And what was that?" I asked lastly while looking towards the window where the ghost had fled.
"That, my friend, was Malix. Malix the Destroyer as he likes to be called. Not that ghost, of course, he's just a useless brigand. Malix though, much on a higher level for sure. He is not good, nor evil. Much too simple of terms to describe that beast. One thing he does not like is humans with power, as you have, who disrupt his peace. It is not that you have done anything to him directly; he can sense your power and feels it is a threat. England is his home as it has been for centuries. Each time you use your power, he feels you. Knows you are here. And he hates it. He wishes for you to return to your homeland. We must prepare you for the time when he comes for you. It will not be immediately. He is quite old and comfortable in his den. Rarely does he move out. He will probably appear to you at least a couple more times with his warnings. Do not speak with him. His portal has a short time to be open, so you have nothing to fear. Do you understand?"
"I guess so. I just wish he wasn't concerned with me. I certainly am not concerned with him!"
"Ah! You should be! Any creature with great power should be kept in your mind, unlike that feeble little ghost you were holding. Forget their kind. Keep the mighty in mind and prepare. Now then, eat up! You have some training to do! I will see you again soon. I have an important meeting I just remembered. Return to your room once you finish. Rest your mind. You will need it!" At that, he finished off his last piece of raw steak that looked like it was ready to run off of the plate and left with a pool of blood behind. He never touched the vegetables or bread.
No sooner did he leave; the lights went out! I was starting to get annoyed. I quickly stood and waited to pounce. I was in no mood for a disturbance!
They flashed back on and standing before me, dressed in a costume of sorts, was none other than Jacob!
"Eye, bloke! Whacha eatin' there? Ha-ha-ha!" he spoke.
"Jacob! What is that black garb you have on? How did you appear here?" Things kept getting stranger by the minute!
"Eye! Do you think yer the single bloke with powers? Ha! I've been able to teleport since I was a wee lad! And now that I'm older, I can do a few more tricks with it! At any rate, I'm here 'cause of that ghost you had in yer head. Yea, I knew 'bout it all right! I've been followin' you since ya left my flat. I could sense you had power from that wrestlin' match we went to. A grand power at that! Well, the ghost you let go is next on my list. I had to come here to trace his whereabouts." Jacob took out a meter of some sort and was staring at it as he went around the room.
"What is that device? Where did you get it? What are you", I was perplexed.
"Aye, for I'm a hero, of sorts. Not too grand 'a power, but certainly can do good. I work for a lovely lady who puts me on these missions to find and capture ghosts or humans with powers who do evil. To put it easily anyway.", he said as he put the device back in his utility belt. "I see. It's on the roof. Lost. Perfect! I can catch 'em easily. Come on, and take a look if you will. Take my hand, we'll teleport together.
I grabbed his hand and we vanished. When we reappeared, we were standing on the roof, 30 stories in the air! Seems the restaurant was on the ground floor and had some kind of apartment building attached. A fancy apartment building at that! What we saw on the roof was no mere ghost, though. It was some kind of monster! I wasn't sure what, but before I could decide, Jacob yelled out,
"A basilisk!"