Chapter 71

The first two weeks of May went by as normal for me up until the second Sunday. I trained mostly, picking up Prismatic Spray, Shadow Walk, and continuing work on training my Sonomantic Magic to affect emotions and bolster allies. Chi-Wise, I managed to get the Denjin Hadouken down, a chargeable version of the regular Hadouken, though with only a single week of training, I was only able to get it to charge to three times the damage of a normal Hadouken, and that was with drawing on the Chikara no Hadou for extra oomph. It was gonna take me more than two weeks to really be able to get that going. Aside from that, I finished learning Yoruba and began learning Thai, got my Irish Stew to a passable level, and continued my Guitar and Sabre Training. However, my progress on Guitar, Sabre, and Sonomantic Magic was only half of what it had been in April, due to the shortness of time.

Friend-wise, Xander returned from the Tu Lung investigation covered in yellowish-orange goop, a clear sign that he'd found a Tu Lung and had killed it up close and personal. He only stopped in to let me know about the success of his hunt before going straight home to shower. I didn't blame him, the Tu Lung Ichor stank like a rotting corpse that had been left out in the sun for three days. Fortunately, Xander seemed in good spirits. The answer I got when I asked him about his good mood was unexpected, to say the least.

"I tracked the Tu Lung down to an abandoned gold mine in some hills in the desert north of the highway. Apparently, the gold had been played out and the mine had been shuttered by nineteen-eleven. I checked and the bank owns the land. I bought it from the Bank for ten million dollars." Grinned Xander.

"Isn't that most of the money you gained from hunting?" I questioned.

"It is." Confirmed Xander.

"Dare I ask why you bought it?" I questioned.

"The Tu Lung had been using the place as a nest. It had bored out part of the wall for a sleeping tunnel and you'll never guess what it managed to tunnel into." Grinned Xander.

"I'm guessing that it struck gold?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, literally even. A whole wall of it." Chuckled Xander.

"Well, congrats. You know you're gonna have to clean any evidence of Tu Lung infestation before you can re-open the mines, yeah?" I pressed.

"Way ahead of you. I called the Special Forces to come check the place out. Between your name and our help with the Sumatran Rat-Monkey Thing, they had someone come out to secure the evidence. It wasn't any of Captain Blade's people though, it was some Blonde in an Air Force Uniform. A Captain Carter. She knew the code phrase Captain Blade gave us, though, so I'm not too worried." Shrugged Xander.

"Huh. I guess the Special Forces are stretched thin. Did this Captain Carter say anything about why she was there and not Captain Blade?" I questioned.

"Just that Tu Lungs fell under her department and not Captain Blades'. Something about the Tu Lungs being a non-terrestrial, non-thaumological, entity. That and a bunch of other technospeak I didn't really get." Shrugged Xander.

"It means that Tu Lungs aren't inherently magical, which is true, but also that they're not earth-based in origin." I frowned.

"Whoa, are you trying to tell me that Tu Lungs are Aliens?" Queried Xander.

"Apparently so. I figured them to be some sort of prehistoric megafauna holdover, but if they're Aliens, that actually makes a lot of sense." I nodded.

"Aliens are real. Never thought I'd hear that." Mused Xander.

"Why do you believe Vampires, Demons, and Magic but not Aliens?" I asked.

"I dunno. I guess cause those all fit the same theme, you know? If sci-fi is getting thrown into the mix now too, that's a switcharoo, yeah?" Huffed Xander.

"The Russians recently deployed Combat Robots in Chechnya, Ultratech figured out how to make dimensional portals with technology, and Buffy literally fought an Android earlier in the school year. Sci-fi is already here." I pointed out.

"I guess so." Concurred Xander.

"Anyway, you bought the mine, but you used up most of your money doing that. How are you going to get it operating?" I questioned.

"Well, I figured you're mister moneybags. I might ask if you wanted to put up the cash to finance operations in exchange for a stake in the company? Be a silent partner or whatever?" Queried Xander.

"How much cash and how much of a stake?" I asked.

That led to me placing a call to Mister Chase about figuring this all out. By the end of the first week of May, Zeppo Mining Incorporated was formed and I put up six million dollars for equipment, initial hiring, licensing, and other startup costs. In exchange, I received a forty-nine percent stake in the company, with Xander being the other shareholder. The feasibility study was finished by Saturday of the second week of May as the experts we contracted were ones I was pointed to by Mayor Wilkins. They used magic to get the study done in a week and they determined the mine could pump out twenty-seven tons of gold a year for the next twenty-five years if properly exploited. This meant that at the current price of gold, my share would be twelve-million-seven-hundred-forty-thousand the first year, over twice my investment while Xander's share would be thirteen-million-two-hundred-sixty-thousand the first year. Once that was figured out, the process of starting everything going would begin and the mine would begin operations by July.

Everything seemed to be going well for me, which is why it came as such a shock to me that Cordelia had decided to break up with me. We'd been out to dinner on Sunday of the second week of May. It had started as a normal date night with us heading out to eat at an Italian Place that had been recommended to me. We had just gotten our pasta when I noticed that Cordy was fidgeting, picking at her plate like she was procrastinating saying something. That wasn't like her. Normally, Cordy was confident, bold, and maybe a little bossy, but in a good way. This nervousness was completely opposite the Cordy I knew.

"What's wrong, Babe?" I questioned.

"What makes you think there's something wrong?" Queried Cordy.

"We've been going out for a little over six months. I know you, this fidgeting? That's not like you. Something's bothering you, why not let me in? Maybe I can help." I offered.

"I think we should break up." Blurted out Cordy, completely blindsiding me.

"What? Why? Was it something I did?" I asked. I needed to know. How could I fix it if I didn't know what I'd done wrong?

"No. It's not something you did, more like something you are." Insisted Cordy. What? How could I change that? What did she mean?

"I don't understand?" I tried. I needed more information. Maybe I could fix it if I had more information.

"Ulysses, you were completely wrecked after fighting that Sorcerer. I had to bandage you up so much you looked like a mummy, and under the bandages was even worse! I know you have this whole sacred duty to fight the good fight thing going on, but I can't deal with seeing you in that state again. I'm sorry, but I just can't spend every night wondering if you're going to be coming back busted up that badly, or even worse. I've thought about it a lot for the past month or so. I'm sorry, we need to break up." Explained Cordy.

"Oh." I said, dumbly. What else could I say to that? It wasn't something I could really change after all.

"I'm sorry, I need to go." Excused Cordy as she stood up, leaving her pasta uneaten.

Then, Cordelia Chase walked out of my life and my heart shattered. I barely remembered paying the check and getting in my Camaro to drive to Willy's. I slapped down a couple hundred bucks and had him bring me a Penn Pavel's Ale and a shot of J Darby. One shot and beer turned into two, then three, and before I knew it, the rest of the night became a blur. I woke up in my bed the next afternoon with a splitting headache. There was an alchemical hangover cure on my nightstand, which meant that Amy must have brought me home and brewed it up. Downing the greenish concoction, I rolled out of bed and made my way downstairs.

Amy, Sheila, and Xander were already sitting in the main lounge area with a box of Teriyaki Donuts. How much did they know? Had I told Amy about it in my drunken stupor? If I had, had she told Xander and Sheila? Did it even matter if they knew? There was a pain in my chest that the booze had only soothed so long as I'd been drunk, but which had returned to plague me as soon as I'd woken up. The hangover had been more distracting, but it no longer was now that I'd drunk the Alchemical Hangover Cure that Amy had brewed up for me. It was like something was missing in my heart, metaphorically at least. Something I hadn't known I'd had until now when the lack of it hurt. I needed a cigarette.

I passed by the group of friends with their donuts, grabbed a battered packet of Red Apple Cigarettes, took a lighter from the bowl of them near the door, and headed outside in my boxers to light up. I did so, letting the nicotine fill my lungs as I breathed in. I exhaled through my nose and tried to breathe out the ache in my heart alongside the smoke. It helped, but only a bit. I needed to get out of Sunnydale. Now that the Judge and Acathla had been dealt with, I wasn't needed here. Not until the next Apocalypse that my Patrons would send me back here for, anyway. Even then, I'd trained up a group that could handle almost anything the Hellmouth could throw at them. I wasn't needed here and could leave until I was. Finishing my Cigarette, I stubbed it out and headed back inside to let the others know of my decision.

"I've decided I need to get out of Sunnydale for a while." I intoned.

"What? Why? Just cause of Cordelia?" Questioned Xander.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Where will you go?" Queried Amy.

"I don't know. Away from here. Too many memories in this town." I shrugged.

"I get it. You'll be back, though, right?" Asked Sheila.

"Eventually. My Patrons think another Apocalypse is coming this time next year, but if you need me before then, Amy knows how to get a hold of me magically." I offered.

"I'll be able to reach him via sending. I still think this is a dumb idea." Insisted Amy.

"Uly needs some time away from here to get his head on straight. We'd give you the same chance, Ames." Pointed out Sheila.

"I still don't get how you could fall for Cordelia Chase to begin with, but then, I dated the literal life-draining Mummy, so I can't really complain." Chuckled Xander.

"I'm only gonna be taking some of my stuff with me. You all have keys, so you can come and go from here as you please. If one of you wants to crash in my room while I'm gone, you're welcome to." I remarked.

"You're leaving now?" Questioned Amy.

"As soon as I get a shower and the Camaro loaded, yeah." I affirmed.

"Well, I'll take your offer of crashing. Been looking to get out of my folks' basement for a while now." Shrugged Xander.

"Right. Amy, one thing before I go. Keep an eye on Willow. Buffy said she was trying to re-cast the Kalderash Ensoulment Curse on Angelus before we sent him through Acathla's portal. That's dark magic, even if it didn't succeed. If Willow starts acting oddly, you should coordinate some sort of response. Nobody wants another dark sorceress on the Hellmouth." I ordered.

"Got it." Nodded Amy.

Then, I went upstairs and hopped in the shower. I let the water run over me for a while, the soothing stream of hot water combining with the nicotine of my last cigarette to dull the pain in my chest somewhat. Not nearly enough to avoid needing to get away from Sunnydale, though. I shut off the shower, shrugged on some clothes, and started loading up the Camaro with the stuff I'd need to start over in a new city. Metro City or South Town maybe? I could go back to New York City, or maybe try and set myself up in Chicago. Seacouver was out. Too much chance of Amanda dropping in for favors. I guess I'd just have to start driving and see where the road takes me. I figured I'd head east. South Town is on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, two hours west of New Orleans. I could head there first and make my way to Chicago if stuff doesn't pan out there.

By the time I'd loaded up the Camaro, said my goodbyes, and started driving, it was already three in the afternoon. I was gonna have to drive through the night if I wanted to make it to anywhere that wasn't LA. At least, if I wanted to avoid pulling into a hotel before sunset, anyway. As I made it to the Sunnydale City Limits, I turned on the Radio to hear the tail end of Push by Matchbox Twenty. The next song that came on was one that matched my mood and got me to sing along.

"She calls me on the phone. Just when I was low, feeling short of stable. All that she intends
And all she keeps inside isn't on the label.

She says she's ashamed, can she take me for a while? Can I be a friend? We'll forget the past, but maybe I'm not able. And I break at the bend.

We're here and now. Will we ever be again? 'Cause I have found. All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade away again." I sang along with the Radio as Shimmer by Fuel came on.

As the song faded out, I hit the highway and headed east to the next chapter in my life. South Town, I decided, would be my first destination, confirming my earlier plan. It was a twenty-seven-hour drive, straight through. I would be stopping along the way to eat and rest so the trip would likely take me two days or so. Hopefully, this trip would let me forget enough about my failed relationship to return to Sunnydale in a year to help with the next Apocalypse. To heal the broken fragments of my heart back into working order. Of course, that being my main consideration, I didn't pause to think about the fact that now that the Hellmouth's background mystic radiation wasn't hiding me, I could now be found by bounty hunters looking to claim the bounty that the Black Dragon and Wolfram and Hart had put on my head.

That was something that would come back to bite me later as I left my first stop of the trip. . .

XXXX

AN: Yes, I realize that I don't normally update twice in a week like this, but some folks were getting antsy about wanting to leave the Buffy stuff behind for a while. I decided to wrap up the arc with a second update this week to appease them.

Other nineties stuff this chapter includes mentions of Red Apple Cigarettes and Teriyaki Donut from the works of Quentin Tarantino, Metro City, the Chikara no Hadou, and the Denjin Hadouken from Street Fighter, South Town from King of Fighters, Penn Pavel's Ale from That Seventies Show, J Darby Whiskey from Malcolm in the Middle, Tu Lungs from Tremors, Captain Samantha Carter from Stargate SG-One, Captain Sonya Blade from Mortal Kombat, and the spells of Prismatic Spray, Shadow Walk, and Sending from Second Edition Dungeons and Dragons.

The next stop is South Town from the King of Fighters. I will be doing a bit of Ulysses getting drawn into the Fighting Circuit there for a while before he moves on, so I hope you guys like Fighting Games. Before that, though, we'll see him face down more bounty hunters after the money put up by the Black Dragon and Wolfram and Hart for his head as he makes a rest stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Stay tuned. . .