Chapter 8

The first hint that Jackie'd gotten that the Rebel Demigods'd shown up was the door to the Warehouse being burned up, apparently, using his own goddamned Dragonfire pills. The wooden door was shut and barred one moment, then on fire the next thanks to the familiar-feeling flames. Maurice's Guys shifted at that as the weakened door then exploded offa its hinges. Almost immediately, a buncha Lion, Pig, and Rhino-Headed Beastmen started pouring into the Warehouse. Thing was, Jackie could tell they ain't real, thanks to being hit earlier with the mind-whammy from a God earlier. Maurice's guys started to scramble for the back door, which if Jackie was a gambling man, and he was, he woulda bet that there'd be a Rebel Demigod waiting to slaughter 'em.

"Hold up! These guys ain't real! Stand your fucking ground!" Shouted Jackie.

"Listen to him! He faced down Deimos, he'd know!" Echoed Maurice.

That brought Maurice's fleeing Guys up short. As all of 'em disbelieved the illusion, the Beastmen vanished from view, fading into wisps of nothing like some kinda trick of the light. Maurice's Guys, on seeing that, moved away from the back door and got back into a loose kinda formation, weapons out and ready to fight whatever was gonna come through next.

That happened just in the nick of time too, 'cause no sooner did they move away from the back door than the back door was kicked offa its hinges by some asshole. Immediately, a dark-haired, brawny, Guy with a pair of Leather and Godmetal fighting gloves, a leather and Orichalcum girdle, a pair of Godmetal-plated boots, and a leather loincloth on that all practically glowed to Jackie's third eye walked through. That'd be Tyler Benn from the look of him. The asshole was scowling at the fact that Maurice's Guys ain't falling for the psychic trap that'd been laid.

'Course, he ain't the only one made his way inside at that moment. He was immediately followed by a dark-skinned, bearded, Guy in leather armor reinforced with Godmetal studs, with a basket-hilted, Godmetal Sabre that had an Orichalcum Pommel which all stank of magic. That had to be Henri Tautin, and the smirk the Asshole was wearing at Tyler Benn's scowl only confirmed it. After all, World Wars aside, the French and British ain't exactly the best of friends. It looked like that rivalry held true here on Olympus too. Funny how shit turns out, huh? Earth-based Demigods bringing Earth-based grudges up to Olympus with 'em ain't even the weirdest shit Jackie'd seen in the past week or even today.

As those Guys entered through the back door, a third asshole walked in the front. This Guy was olive-skinned with a giant, two-handed, sword, wearing armor of leather reinforced with Orichalcum. Both the sword and armor were lit up like a Christmas tree with magic power. His eyes were glowing subtly with a sorta psionic power, it was almost like he was still trying to make Jackie and Maurice's Guys think they were outnumbered. That had to be Yuri Raatko. The Guy even looked a bit like how Ra's did. They had the same kinda nose, aquiline Jackie'd thought it was called. The guy frowned at the way Maurice's Guys ain't falling for his trick.

"It seems like you're not falling for the illusions. Interesting, I assume that's because of you?" Frowned Yuri Raatko.

"I fought Deimos. His illusions were a Hell of a lot more convincing. Your mind tricks are fancy, but you ain't a Jedi yet. They ain't gonna work on me." Scoffed Jackie.

"Pop Culture References? He must be a Yank. Let me and Frenchie handle him. You can do what you need to do." Offered Tyler Benn.

"I told you to stop calling me Frenchie, but oui. We can handle the American." Scowled Henri Tautin.

"No. You two deal with the Hangers-on. The American is too powerful for you. I can smell the power wafting off him like borscht." Intoned Yuri Raatko, drawing his blade from its sheath on his back.

"Whatever you say, this one's your show." Shrugged Tyler Benn.

"Oui, at least until Aoife decides otherwise." Sniffed Henri Tautin.

Jackie huffed and drew his Butterfly Swords, the storm enchantment threw up sparks as they were pulled outta their sheathes. Then with a shout, Yuri Raatko charged him, blade coming 'round in a big-ass, arcing, cut that forced Jackie to parry with both blades. Immediately, Jackie tried hooking the Asshole's sword outta his grip using the hooked back part of the guards on his blades, but Yuri held on in the face of his attempt to disarm him. Yuri leaped forward as Jackie pulled on the blade, both of 'em doing a sorta hopping, spinning, dance to reverse positions. Jackie scowled at his failed disarm, retracting his left-hand blade from the clinch and swiping for Yuri's neck. Yuri ducked and tried to lever the guard of his own blade into Jackie's nuts from below. Jackie ain't about to get racked like that, though and smashed a kick into Yuri with the power of the Qirin's Retributive Hood Kick and the Strong-Maned Boar Stomps the Ground.

Yuri went flying backward to tumble through the outside wall near the remnants of the flaming, busted-down, front door. Jackie grinned behind his mask, only for Yuri to pick his ass up, scoop his sword offa the ground, and come strolling back into the Warehouse. The Asshole had a black eye and a busted nose from the kick, and Jackie was pretty sure he had a cracked orbital bone to boot, but he popped a Healing pill into his mouth from a pouch tied onto his belt and was right as rain. Jackie growled as he spotted the Asshole using his own goddamn Alchemy shit against him.

Yuri charged again, lashing out with his blade in another arcing swing. His eyes glowed purple and Jackie felt a spike of fear urging him to run, but he tamped that down. Instead of running, he parried with both blades again. Running ain't gonna do shit except get his back hacked into. Yuri growled in his throat as he failed to make Jackie run with his psychic bullshit and instead instigated a weapon's lock with Jackie. He ain't strong enough to make it work, though, and as Jackie began to overpower him, restorted to a headbutt that slammed into Jackie'd mouth. It split his lip under Jackie's mask and left a bruise under his nose, but it ain't doing much more than that. In response, Jackie smashed a front kick into the Asshole's chest that smashed him back out through the wall. Jackie knew he'd at least broken a rib with that one.

Unfortunately, Yuri had more of Jackie's pills, taking another healing pill outta the bag tied to his belt and swallowing it down. Any broken ribs fixed themselves even as Yuri got back to his feet, grabbed his blade offa the ground, and strolled through the second hole Jackie'd put in the solid stone wall of the Warehouse in the same number of exchanges. Jackie growled deep in his throat at the sight of even more of his Alchemy being used against him. That seemed to make Yuri realize just who he was dealing with.

"You recognize these pills? You must be the one known as Black Tiger, then." Intoned Yuri Raatko.

"What'd the mask not give it away?" Grumbled Jackie.

"I see you are as formidable as the rumors suggested. However, I have a few advantages you do not. By the end of this, you will tell me all I want to know. Then, Ares will see that I am the one who can get things done, not Aoife." Scowled Yuri Raatko.

"You ain't doing shit right now but talking!" Retorted Jackie.

"Then, perhaps it is time to change that? I admit you are stronger than I am. You seem to be capable of throwing off my illusions and not affected by my attempts to control your actions. I blame my father, personally. Fighting him first seems to have given you resistance to such things. Now, though, I will use my Ace. I had been saving this for a rematch with Aoife, but I require the power now more than the element of surprise later." Frowned Yuri Raatko.

Then he pulled some sorta odd-looking, geometric, brown pill outta the bag tied to his belt. The thing was a twelve-sided sorta shape that glowed with the darkest kindsa magic to Jackie's third eye. Yuri swallowed it, and suddenly a massive surge of power burst outta him. He began to bulk out, straining against the reinforced leather of his armor, skin growing tougher and more leathery, with black bristles starting to burst up outta the skin. His nose elongated into a porcine snout, even as his bottom teeth turned into tusks. His eyes glowed with a purple light and his fingernails grew into claws. Yuri ain't a small guy, but the transformation made him grow another four feet as his armor had to mystically resize a second time to keep up.

Jackie felt sorta like he was watching a Werewolf transform, only this ain't a wolf, but a boar. By the time the Pill's effect took hold of him fully, Yuri'd turned into a more powerful-looking sorta Pig-Headed Beastman. Shit was goddamn unsettling to watch, bones shifting 'round and everything. It felt like he'd been watching something outta a goddamned horror movie. Thing was, while Jackie could sense his own kinda mystic power in there, it ain't shit compared to the metric fuckton of dark magic that his mystic radar was pinging as Yuri transformed. That sorta shit had to have some kinda cost.

"A merger of Circe's Alchemy and yours! With this transformation, I have more than enough power to contend with even a Full-blooded God!" Roared Yuri Raatko, standing a full ten feet of porcine muscle.

"Heh, guess I shoulda figured you'd have some shit in reserve. I'm guessing that form comes with drawbacks, though. Ain't nothing born of that much dark magic that don't." Shot back Jackie.

"Face me and find out!" Demanded Yuri Raatko, shifting his two-handed blade into a single hand thanks to his size increase.

"Don't mind if I do." Grinned Jackie, enacting a transformation of his own. Flexing Chi and Mystic Power, Jackie used the Method of Modelling Heaven on Earth Technique to match Yuri's newfound size. It'd been taught to him by Sun Wukong himself, and it ain't just something he could use on his body, neither. Provided he had the mystic power, he could make his gear grow too. Thanks to drinking the Dragon's Blood back down in the fucking tunnels, he had mystic power to spare.

"You can change size? That wasn't in the files!" Protested Yuri Raatko.

"Ain't had a chance to use it before. You get to be the guinea pig. Lucky you!" Smirked Jackie.

"No matter! I will crush you all the same!" Boasted Yuri Raatko.

"Come get some!" Challenged Jackie.

And with that, the fight began in earnest. . .

XXXX

Maurice liked to think of himself as a decently strong Minotaur. Certainly, he was more powerful than average. He had even managed a stalemate against the Rebel Boxer, Tyler Benn, in a prior engagement. Honestly, were it just Tyler Benn or the Swordsman, Henri Tautin, Maurice knew he would be able to hold his own, especially with the small force he had with him here. Unfortunately, it was not just one, but both of the Rebel Demigods. Even with his ad-hoc squad, that was a fight that Maurice knew he would eventually lose.

As Maurice struck out with his spear at Tyler Benn, the Boxer ducked away from the celestial bronze tip, even as an arrow from one of the Satyr Militia streaked in at him from the side. Tyler Benn backhanded the arrow in half with a brief movement of his Cestus-clad fist before rushing in to hammer a pair of punches into Maurice's battered breastplate. The Celestial Bronze metal wasn't as strong a mystical metal as the Godmetal of Tyler Benn's Cestus, nor was it as strong as Orichalcum. It was mass-produced rather than hand-forged, a general issue mystical material for the Guard Forces of Olympus. As the blows struck his breastplate, the metal dented inward. Maurice knew that enough punches would destroy his breastplate. It had done so for his shield, after all.

Instead, he brought the Celestial Bronze butt-cap of his spear down, trying to smash into Tyler Benn from above. The Rebel Demigod eschewed the armor of his compatriots, preferring to fight as a Pankration Fighter, with Cestus, Lioncloth, Boots, and Girdle. He didn't even wear a shirt, trousers, or tunic like his fellows, going bare-chested and bare-legged. A strike like that should be enough to crack his skull, or at least bruise it. Unfortunately, the Boxer managed to dance back away from the attack. That wasn't a major problem, though. Not with Maurice's spear having a reach advantage. He simply switched back to thrusting.

Leonidas and Theodore, meanwhile seemed to be having a tougher time with the Rebel Swordsman. Already, Henri Tautin had taken out one of the Satyr Archers that were backing them up, even as his Sabre carved into their legs and arms. Oozing lines of wine-dark blood crisscrossed his men's arms and legs, a punishment for leaving openings the Swordsman could exploit. Leonidas even had his right horn severed mid-way up its length by a cut he's just barely ducked aside from. As Theodore pressed forward with his Spear, thrusting out to attempt to impale Henri Tautin on the Celestial Bronze spearhead. Unfortunately, the Rebel Swordsman parried away the blow, twisting as he did so to launch a powerful, thrusting, sidekick into Theodore's breastplate.

Henri's boot bent the side of Theodore's breastplate inward and sent him stumbling back, spear flying free of his grasp. The loose spear flew toward the Second Satyr Militia as he fired an arrow at Henri that the Rebel Swordsman parried out of the air. The Satyr tried to dodge, but the spear struck him in the shoulder. Not killing him, thankfully, it had hit him with the haft, but breaking his arm. The Satyr would not be using his bow till that was seen to. Theodore stood up, drawing a Celestial Bronze Xiphos, but it was clear that they couldn't hold out indefinitely. Maurice was just thankful that the Black Tiger was holding the most powerful of their three attackers at bay. Yuri Raatko could have gone through all six of him and his men by himself with little issue.

"It looks like you and your mates ain't gonna make it out of here in one peace, eh?" Smirked Tyler Benn, slipping one of Maurice's thrusts.

"You should be more worried about yourself." Snorted Maurice as he moved forward, thrusting out with his spear. Tyler Benn sidestepped the thurst, grabbing hold of the haft of Maurice's spear with one hand before bringing his other elbow down on it.

The solid wood of the spear, made from Olympian Cypress, couldn't withstand the blow. It splintered in half where the Rebel Boxer's elbow had struck it, sending the Celestial Bronze head clattering to the stone of the Warehouse Floor. Unlike some, however, Maurice wasn't completely worried yet, as he swung the broken haft at Tyler Benn's head like a club. The improvised cudgel struck the Rebel Boxer in the Jaw, splintering apart from the force of the blow and Sending Tyler Benn flying away to land near the last combat-capable Satyr. That Satyr immediately attempted to stomp Tyler Benn's skull to pieces with repeated stomps of his hooves. For a few moments, it looked like it'd work.

One, two, three stomps got through, busting open the Rebel Boxer's scalp and rattling his brain. Then Tyler Benn's hands lashed out, seizing hold of the fourth stomp and twisting it away. The Satyr fell to the ground from the Rebel Boxer's wrenching grasp as Tyler Benn mounted atop him, raining punches into the Satyr's face. Maurice drew his Xiphos and moved to help his Ally, but it was too late. The third blow from Tyler Benn had staved in the front of the Satyr's face. Maurice thrust out, determined to avenge his fallen Ally, but the Rebel Boxer rolled away from the lunging, Celestial Bronze tip of his Xiphos. Looking down, Maurice saw the Satyr was still breathing, though unconscious and likely to require a long period of healing.

As he turned to face Tyler Benn, however, he spotted the Rebel Boxer had grabbed one of those damnable healing pills from a bag tucked into his girdle and popped it into his mouth. Instantly, his bloody scalp sealed up and his wounds vanished. Maurice growled as it happened, taking up a stance. A Xiphos was meant to be used with a shield, but there were ways to use one effectively without one, mostly by using your off-hand to grapple. Maurice had learned those maneuvers and was determined to use them to end this.

"You'll pay for that." Huffed Maurice.

"I don't think so. Yuri's taken his transformation pill. No bloke can stand up to that sorta power for long. Once your Mate's been taken out, Yuri will handle the rest of you. Then we can get your Mate to tell us where your boss has gone. We know it's Hestia, but don't know what rat hole she's crawled into. Ares has something special planned for her. To make an example." Sneered Tyler Benn.

As he said that, however, Maurice heard a pained cry from over by where Leonidas and Theodore were still fighting Henri Tautin. He dared a glance over and found Leonidas on the floor, legs literally cut out from under him by deft, swift strikes to the tendons. Theodore wasn't faring much better, his sword hand had been cleft in twain by a disarming strike from the Rebel Swordsman and he was trying frantically to staunch the dark blood that pumped from the stumps of multiple fingers. That left Maurice as the last of his ad-hoc unit standing.

As Henri Tautin closed on him from the right, Tyler Benn moved toward him from the left. If Maurice was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting. He snarled as he dodged a sword strike from Henri Tautin while Tyler Benn moved in with a punch from his other side. Maurice grabbed hold of the Rebel Boxer's striking fist at the wrist, tugged, and flipped him to the ground. Now was his chance! He raised his Xiphos, ready to plunge the foot-long blade of Celestial Bronze into Tyler Benn's heart. Unfortunately, Henri Tautin moved faster than he'd been moving so far, cutting out at Maurice's sword arm.

There was a searing pain in Maurice's wrist as his sword hand came off, and so much blood. It hurt! It hurt bad! Gotta get away! Gotta find a place to lay low, staunch the blood, heal up! These thoughts drove everything else out of Maurice's mind as he frantically looked around for a way out. He had to find a way out! Then a Cestus-clad fist smashed into his snout, causing stars to erupt behind his eyes. He slumped to the stone floor.

Darkness took him moments later. . .

XXXX

Jackie'd been doing ok against even the Transformed Yuri Raatko. Sure, he'd been hit a buncha times. A couple of teeth'd been knocked out after taking the hilt of that sword to the face, he had a bruised rib from when he'd been caught by a hoof stomp after having been thrown to the ground, he was bleeding under his helmet from another headbutt, and he was pretty fucking sure he had a mild concussion, but he'd given as good as he'd gotten. Hell, given the way Yuri'd been limping after his last, stomping, low, sidekick'd smashed into the bastard's shin, he was pretty sure he'd given better than he'd gotten. Especially with how he'd caught the Guy with a Lion's Fiery Roar that scorched the hair offa his chest and snout and'd burned his face up bad.

"I'll give you one thing, your back-alley bullshit pill's made you stronger, faster, and tougher. Enough to give almost as good as you've been getting. You're about as strong as your Old Man was, maybe a little short of his level. That still ain't enough to beat me, though. It's made you sloppy and pissed off with no way to get hold of your anger. You ain't gonna kill me like that!" Taunted Jackie.

"Shut up! I'll kill you!" Roared Yuri Raatko, charging again, swinging that sword for Jackie's neck.

Like he'd been the last couple exchanges, though, Yuri's cut was sloppy. It wasted movement and went straight for a kill shot, making it all kindsa predictable. Jackie ducked and lashed out at his legs with his blades. His double slash carved into Yuri's thigh, drawing black blood, and Jackie let the storm enchantment rip with a buncha volts. The mystic electricity coursed through Yuri's body, frying him up something fierce, but the asshole still didn't go down. Instead, he tried to bring his left hand around in a punch that smashed into Jackie's helmet. Jackie'd already been dodging back as the hit connected, robbing it of some of the power even as he was sent skidding backward. If he ain't had a concussion before, he had one now, though that ain't nothing a healing pill couldn't fix.

He was still in better shape than Yuri was. Black blood pumped outta Yuri'd left thigh, even as his right shin was broke enough to slow him down. The Guy hadta be operating offa pure rage and adrenaline right now. Once again, Yuri moved into a massive cut meant to kill Jackie. The giant wind-up and arcing cut was easily dodged aside from as Jackie lashed out with both blades, cutting across Yuri's side in a passing, two-cut, combo. The first cut was blocked by the armor, but the second went through, cutting a gash across Yuri's side. Yuri roared in pain as Jackie passed by him, lashing out with a kick empowered by every technique he had. Jackie's kick smashed into Yuri's ass, breaking the Asshole's tailbone and sending him to the ground.

Yuri tried to lever himself back into a standing position, but Jackie summoned up his Chi and hit him with a Tiger's Roar technique that burst both Yuri's eardrums and fucked his balance enough to send him back down to the ground. Summoning his General Elementalism, Jackie made an arcane gesture, and a buncha ice formed around Yuri, freezing his ass to the floor in a way that only left his face free. That oughtta do for him, Jackie figured. Princess Diana could figure out what to do with his ass once she followed the sounds of fighting to the Warehouse. Olympus was her turf, after all.

"And stay down, Asshole!" Spat Jackie, shrinking back down to his normal size.

As he did so, the other two Rebel Demigods charged him from behind, trying to sneak attack his ass. Jackie turned in time to parry a cut from the Swordsman with his right-hand blade even as he conjured a blast of mystic flame with his General Elementalism that fried the slower Boxer's, chest and neck. The Asshole caught fire, skin burned black, as he forced himself to duck and roll to put the fire out. Jackie kicked the Swordsman away, sending his ass through the wall outta the warehouse. As the Boxer extinguished himself, he reached down to the funky-looking belt and pulled out a healing pill. He ate it just in time for Jackie to conjure a buncha thorny brambles with his General Elementalism that wrapped the Guy's legs and stuck him with thorns. That gave Jackie enough time to rush him and knock his ass out with a textbook right hook.

The Boxer fell to the ground unconscious, just as the Swordsman came back in after healing his ribs up with a healing pill. He took one look at the scene in front of him and booked it. Jackie conjured a patch of ice in front of the Asshole as he tried to cheese it back to wherever he'd come from. The Guy slipped and fell, sending his bag of pills falling to the ground in exchange for keeping hold of his sword as Jackie passed by the group of unconscious, almost dead, Minotaurs and Satyrs, though the Swordsman managed to get to his feet and take off running, leaving his pills behind.

Jackie could chase him and put him down, but then the Minotaurs and Satyrs that'd helped him out'd bite it. Maurice at least seemed like he'd lost enough blood he was close to bleeding out. Jackie decided to let the Swordsman go. He was trying to be a White Hat, after all. That meant saving folks over finishing a fleeing enemy.

Claiming the Guy's pill bag to try and refill his own supply of spent healing pills and heal his fallen allies. One of the Satyrs was already dead, but Jackie was able to heal the others all right. Between the remaining enemy healing pills, he had enough that he was able to heal all the rest and himself to full health, while not using any pills of his own. He was glad he was able to test out the limb-regrowing bit of the healing pills on Maurice instead of having to rely on it himself. He'd known the pills could do it, but being the guinea pig for that ain't something he wanted to try personally. Specially since it seemed like just regrowing his hand took an entire pill to itself. Regardless, by the time everyone who could be up and running was, the Swordsman was long gone.

"What happened here?" Came a familiar voice shortly afterward. Jackie turned and spotted Princess Diana and Aeolus, God of the Winds moving through the broken-down wall into the Warehouse.

"I told you I spotted trouble. It looks like your Mortal Ally has handled it, though. How interesting." Grinned Aeolus.

"Buncha Demigods looking to capture Hestia. She's been leading a resistance and Ares wanted to make an example of her. I helped out since she healed my ass. Maurice here was her second in command." Nodded Jackie, motioning to Maurice.

"I think you had better come back to base with us. We can debrief you all and figure out what to do with these two there." Intoned Princess Diana. Jackie just nodded in agreement at that.

After all, with the day he'd had, he ain't about to argue. . .

XXXX

AN: All right. Here we have the fight with the Trio of Rebel Demigods. Notably, without the black magic Transformation Pill, Yuri Raatko was getting his shit rocked by Jackie. Even with it putting him on a similar level to Jackie physically, the Dark Magic meant it essentially made him sloppy and drove him to a state of mindless rage over time as wounds piled up. You'll not he didn't try to use any more healing pills as Jackie kept fucking him up. It's a drawback, but everything with Dark Magic is like that, giving power at a price. In this case, Circe formulated the pill so that she could put Yuri down if she had to.

After all, with his wits addled like that, Circe should be perfectly capable of dealing with a rebelling Yuri via her magic. He'd be too pissed and sloppy to figure out a counter for it. That is textbook Circe.

At any rate, the next chapter will be an interlude showing what's going on elsewhere on Olympus, now that the first day of the Intervention in the Olympian Civil War is winding down. Then we'll be back with Jackie for the debrief and planning for day two.

Stay tuned. . .