Chapter 19

Almost immediately, Jackie hadta kip his ass back to his feet to avoid a shrieking Succubus-Possessed Hooker trying to bring her stiletto heels down on his head. The spike of the heel punched right the Hell through the glass of the dance floor, throwing up a shitload of sparks from the lights underneath. She just barely missed punching that damn heel through his eye by a hair's breadth as he kipped to his feet.

Jackie ain't had time to think about that now, though, cause he was already being forced to grab hold of a Ghost-Possessed Waitress lunging for his throat with a busted beer bottle. Jackie snatched her outstretched arm and pulled her around into a textbook hammerlock only to haveta shove her to the ground as a forty-four-magnum pistol was fired at him by one of the Zombie Bouncers. Jackie was beyond normal slugs, but he doubted the Waitress was, even if she'd had a ghost bound to her. Engaging his Iron Armor to tank the slug proved less effective than usual, though. The bullet punched through the gap between the magic pauldron and vambrace of his armor and drew blood, even if it ain't nothing more than a flesh wound.

"The fuck?" Grunted Jackie as he staggered, clutching the meat of his upper arm.

Looking down, at the bullet that'd bounced off muscle after breaking skin, Jackie was surprised to see it ain't lead or brass, but some kinda bone that smelled vaguely of the pit. Jackie ain't too sure, thanks to whatever mojo'd been charging the slug getting used up after being fired, but he knew one of those ain't gonna kill him. Two-dozen, though, while he was having to hold back to not hurt the folks Papa Midnite had possessed? That'd take him down eventually, or at least ruin the fuck outta his night. Papa Midnite let outta big-ass belly laugh at that.

"I keep my guns stocked with Demon Bone Slugs. You never know when a Guy like you's going to come and make a nuisance of himself!" Laughed Papa Midnite.

"That ain't gonna stop me!" Growled Jackie.

"It doesn't have to. It just has to stall you." Smirked Papa Midnite.

On that ominous fucking note, the fight recommenced with Tempest launching himself at Jackie, fists wreathed in Thermo-kinetic energy. Jackie put up all his defenses and blocked the heavy punch Tempest threw at him, which shattered all the glasses in the bar from the sonic boom and sent Jackie flying back toward a Ghost-Bound Waitress lunging for him with a steak knife she'd grabbed offa the bar behind her. Knowing that he'd kill the Waitress if he hit her and pinned her against the bar, Jackie immediately surged his Chi and discorporated in a plume of sand as he activated the Great Sand River Bears Away the Serpent Technique. Reappearing behind the Ghost-Bound Waitress with an Abjuration spell already lashing out and trying to knock the Ghost outta the Waitress.

Jackie's spell tore at the bindings Papa Midnight placed on the Ghost and the Waitress, almost ripping them apart, only for the binding to stabilize at the last second. Jackie looked over at Papa Midnite, who was holding that goddamned Skull Focus of his out in front of him, a green glow burning in the empty eye sockets. Figures he ain't got the skill to match against a Sorcerer that'd been practicing since George Washington's Grandad's day, even if he had the power for it.

"Nice try, Boy, but it'll take more than power to undo my bindings!" Grinned Papa Midnite.

"Fucking figures. Gonna need to be on Constantine's ass about that Grimoire when I get outta this." Spat Jackie.

"You mean if you get out of this." Smirked Papa Midnite, motioning with his other arm.

As he did so, two Succubus-Possessed Hookers closed in on Jackie from both his right and left, while Tempest surged up toward the ceiling and began flinging bolts of Thermo-Kinetic Energy down at Jackie. Jackie ducked a swipe of one Succubus-Possessed Hooker's nails that probably had enough mystic juice behind 'em to at least claw his face a bit, even as he lashed out with a leg sweep to trip up the second and put up a mystic shield to block Tempest's Thermo-Kinetic Blasts from burning up the possessed Hookers. Tempest let outta groan and raised his hands, blasting down at Jackie's shield with both barrels.

The Shield Held, but Jackie figured he hadta take the fight to Tempest instead of just turtling. He launched himself up using the Resplendent Crane Takes Flight, kicking out at one of the Possessed Hookers with a snap kick as he did, knocking her on her ass as he surged up into the air. He smashed a fist into Tempest's face, doping the blow with all sortsa enhancements as he did so and literally punched Tempest's Jaw clean off. The Zombified Former Hero fell back, firing blindly with thermo-kinetic blasts that punched holes through the exterior walls of the Blue Bayou Club, destroying reinforced concrete and steel beams as he tried to get away.

"Hey! None of that, I still have to make a living, you know!" Snapped Papa Midnite, skull focus glowing green again.

Tempest immediately stopped firing blind into the building even as his Jawbone began regenerating. Jackie growled in frustration as he saw that. Voudon Zombies could do that sorta thing. He'd almost forgotten how the classic type worked. 'Course, given the last batch of zombies Jackie fought'd been the bastardized alchemical versions that Intergang'd put together outta Doc Cross' Grimoires, he coulda been forgiven for forgetting.

As Tempest surged forward, though, Jackie blocked a thermo-kinetic punch and slammed home a punch of his own, enhanced with all kindsa techniques. His punch staved in Tempest's Ribcage, forcing Papa Midnite to spend even more mystic energy to help Tempest Regenerate faster. Jackie grinned at that right before wincing as another demon bone slug punched into the back of his knee between the magic greaves and tassets of his armor from a Zombie Bouncer's Magnum down below on the dance floor. A wave of his hand and a bit of Generalist Elementalism froze that Zombie to the wall in a cocoon of ice, but it'd allowed Tempest to slam a thermo-kinetic punch into Jackie's chest that slammed him through an interior wall and bruised his rib slightly through the armor plate.

Jackie stood, shaking off the brick dust and concrete chips, taking note of the poor bastard who'd literally been fucked to death by one of the Succubus-Possessed Hookers lying on the bed. A shriek from nearby had him ducking under a Succubus-Possessed Hooker who leaped at him with some kinda black metal knife that smelled like the Pit and radiated as more Demonic Weaponry to Jackie's Mystic Radar. The Possessed Hooker sailed overhead and Jackie slammed an uppercut into her ribs, pulling back just enough to avoid breaking them as the black blade dropped from the Hooker's right hand to clatter under a dresser even as the Succubus-Possessed Woman landed hard, crashing through an end table.

Jackie took flight one more time, dodging a Thermo-Kinetic blast as he janked to the side coming outta the back rooms he'd been punched into. A Second Zombie Bouncer fired another Colt Forty-Five at Jackie and a Demon Bone Slug grazed the side of his neck between the mystic breastplate, mask, and helmet, only for Jackie to use a bit of Wuxing Elementalism to entrap that Zombie Bouncer in a hedgerow of tangling, steel-hard brambled he conjured outta nowhere.

"Fucking pinpricks." Growled Jackie.

"Pinpricks add up, or haven't you learned that yet?" Snarked Papa Midnite.

Jackie could only growl in frustration at that. Sure, they were pinpricks, even with weapons specially made to counter guys like him. Pinpricks could be just as deadly as being run through though if you ain't careful. There's a reason the Hell of Being Cut to Pieces was a thing, after all. That seemed to be Papa Midnite's plan here. Stall him out and keep chipping away at him while he ain't making progress and eventually, he'd die a death of a thousand cuts. Thing is, Jackie was starting to get a feel for Papa Midnite too, and starting to come up with a plan of his own.

Papa Midnite it seems, ain't naturally all that powerful compared to some. If anything, Jackie'd put his raw mystic power at Master Level. He needed that skull focus and his three centuries of experience to breach into Archmage Level. There was a limit to that sorta thing, though. Every time Jackie smashed one of the asshole's Zombies or tried wearing away at the bindings keeping the Ghosts Bound to his wait staff or the Succubi Possessing his Hookers, Papa Midnite hadta call on more of his more limited reserves of power. Two could play the waiting game, after all, and Jackie just needed to exhaust Papa Midnite long enough to get a clean shot at that Skull Focus and he'd win this. He was pretty sure he could do that before the pinpricks got to be too much for him.

Growling, Jackie launched a couple spell tags inscribed with Abjurations at a few nearby waitresses, forcing Papa Midnight to expend mystic power to rebuff that attack even as he called on Wuxing Elementalism to breathe white-hot flames onto the bramble hedge keeping one of the Zombie Bouncers at bay. The Zombie began to burn up, forcing Papa Midnite to expend more energy, skull focus glowing green, to keep the Bouncer together. In the meantime, Jackie raced upward toward Tempest.

He dodged a Demon Bone slug from the First Zombie Bouncer, who had freed his gun arm from the ice prison even as Tempest fired a Thermo-Kinetic blast that slammed into Jackie's Pauldron in a glancing blow. His shoulder was barely bruised under the mystical armor from a blast that could've burned a hole through a battleship's hull, though, as Jackie suped up his body to the full extent and raced for Tempest. He impacted the Zombie in mid-air, literally ripping the asshole in half from the force. Papa Midnite hadta expend even more mystic power to re-assemble Tempest's two halves. As Jackie spun around mid-air to block a Thermo-Kinetic punch, he grinned at that.

"I've been having to keep my power dialed down to keep from turning the possessed folks down there into tomato paste. That ain't something I've gotta worry 'bout with you and your two buddies, though is it? You're big boys, you can take the fucking hits, yeah?" Grinned Jackie.

Tempest said nothing, instead moving to punch Jackie with a fist wreathed in Thermo-kinetic energy. Jackie Dodged, though, belching a buncha abrasive sand particles at Tempest as he did so using the Great Sand River Wears Away Steel Technique. The sand flensed Tempest down to the bones in a giant fucking patch from the middle of his forehead to his sternum, forcing Papa Midnite to expend even more energy to reassemble him. Jackie ain't stopping there, though, letting out a LIon's Fiery Roar Technique at point-blank range that literally melted Tempest's face off. Another flash of energy from Papa Midnite and Tempest was as good as new, only for Jackie to punch an Inonwood Strike through Tempest's Head, spattering rotten brain matter and forcing yet more expenditures from Papa Midnite.

Twelve more Demon Bone slugs lashed out from below as the Zombie Bouncers opened fire, most of 'em missed or smashed harmlessly offa Jackie's Magic Armor. Two or three grazed him, adding more cuts, but Jackie sent fifty million volts coursing through one using the Qirin's Thundering Breath Technique before melting through the chest of the other with a glob of acidic poison spat out at him using the Striking Naga Venom Spit Technique. As Tempest came back in, Jackie smashed both fists into his torso using the Strong Maned Pig's Tusk Spear Technique, the twin punches striking within inches of each other and pulping Tempest's Chest.

Jackie was forced to put up a mystic shield to block a thrown, black metal, knife from a Succubus-Possessed Hooker down below, but immediately fired back with an abjuration spell, white light lancing outta both his eyes to tear the bindings keeping the Succubus in control of the Woman's Body. All these assaults in so rapid a succession quickly began depleting Papa Midnite's mystic reserves. He ain't empty yet or even running on fumes, but so much power expended in such a short time had Papa Midnite slip up. Jackie was able to use Wuxing Elementalism to conjure a Jade Spike that shot out from between two extended fingers and literally sniped the Skull Focus outta Papa Midnite's grasp.

"No, Cedella!" Shouted Papa Midnite.

Then the Skull Focus shattered against the wall with a crack, mystic power sending a shockwave through the building that blew out all the windows and lights. For a few moments, Jackie figured that was it, he'd pretty much had this won now that Papa Midnite's Skull Focus ain't in play no more. Then there was a ghostly cackle like some kinda vengeful spirit rising up from beyond the grave as a look of pure terror crossed Papa Midnite's Face.

And then all Hell Broke Loose in the Blue Bayou Jazz Club. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, here's the next chapter. Papa Midnite was going for a death of a thousand cuts on Jackie. Like Constantine, he makes up for a relative lack of power with centuries of accumulated experience and the Skull of his Sister, who actually did have the power he lacked, and who he ritually murdered and now is bound to serve him. Not only is Cedella's Skull a powerful mystic focus, but Midnite uses her to seduce Demons and steal their secrets while her soul is in the Pit. He has used those secrets to not only accumulate power and lore but also to bargain with Queen Triskelle of the Succubi as part of a deal to become effectively a ruler of his own slice of Hell. That deal was very nearly complete when this happened.

Of course, now that Cedella's Skull is shattered, her soul is free to do what she wants instead of what Midnite wants. Now those literal infernal chickens are coming home to roost for Midnite and any unfortunate mystics that might happen to be in the same vicinity as him. She likely won't take her anger out on the possessed who had no choice, but Jackie is another story. He's going to have to deal with that before he can call this a job finished.

Speaking of which, dealing with that is coming up next chapter.

Stay tuned. . .