Chapter 137: Ch.22
Almost a whole week went by before we found trouble again, or should I say Paige did. She mentioned a creepy house to Phoebe and Piper and when Piper shot her down to work on the club and change it's sign to P4, she went to Phoebe while she was on a lunch break and Phoebe was getting home from a crappy job interview.
When Phoebe promised to check it out Leo warned her it could be dangerous so she promised to take me along. When we got there, I sensed Gammell, the collector, a demon who made figurines out of the innocents he found and shrunk using a wand.
When Phoebe broke his toy figurine and old victim, he came out and fired his wand at us. I stepped in front of her and smiled as it failed and I mimicked it's powers to shrink. When that failed he hit me with a energy beam which failed again then he threw lightning at me with electrokinesis.
After that I threw my sword at him, nailing him to the wall. He burst into flames and a girl grew from the corner. She was an innocent that had been captured before. I grabbed the wand and lead the way out and when we came across the golem the innocent blamed him for her capture.
I stabbed him and he fell into a pile of clay as the spell broke. Sighing I told them. "He was a golem. Probably created by Gammell in there. Personally I say we torch the house and all it's bad memories but that would be arson and I'm not looking to go to jail."
I sent a telepathic message to Nym to do just that while we left. By the time we got home after dropping off the innocent, the house was burnt down in a sudden blaze. Phoebe looked to me and I shrugged. "The lost souls of his victims needed to rest. Now there's nothing tying them here so they'll pass on."
Paige gave a big fat 'I told you so' to Piper when Phoebe told them what happened. Prue would've been home but her work as my authenticator and her own photography was taking her all over the place in the private jet she'd had me buy.
She was of course available if need be as she was only ever an orb away. She was only gone a week or two at a time every other month or so and since the power of three was here she had her own life to look forward to and start living and she was more than eager to do so.
Back at the manor another week had gone by before a shocker demon showed up. Boy was that interesting to say the least. It shocked me then ran when I mimicked it's powers and became immune. My electrokinesis took another step forwards as it grew stronger and the sisters vanquished the demon when it attacked at breakfast the next day.
Then Paige went and summoned a knight from the past who was madly in love with her past self and when her past self came looking for her, I got hit with telekinesis and a combination attack from her conjuring the elements. That was a fun one to get.
I handed Phoebe my sword and she got to stab her sister look alike while I distracted the evil sorceress by tanking her attacks. I got another boost to both my telekinesis and my conjuring of the elements.
I was wondering around the house one evening and felt a demonic presence. Like bolt of lightning, I cut a lamp in half while Piper saw me. "What the hell was that for?"
I pointed. " Chameleon demon."
As if on cue the lamp changed shape and burst into flames as the dead demon vanished. I got his powers which wasn't anything I didn't have before the elders bound my powers. It was just shimmering, transmogrification, a boosted in telekinesis, regeneration and a boost in high resistance to magic's thanks to the regeneration.
On the bright side the regeneration I'd gotten was even better then the one I had before so when I finally decide to unbind my powers, I might really be in for a surprise. Not more than three hours passed before Piper was taken by the Source down into the underworld.
Sighing and figuring I was in for a world of trouble, I told Leo to take me down there and that I'd be able to help find her. As soon as he orbed is down there I regained that ability as well though I didn't fight it either so we still ended up in the underworld.
I then took us both into my realm and told the elves. "Unbind my magic and body. It's time. They can't feel us and once I'm back they won't be able to tell thanks to the runes."
Leo asked. "What runes?"
I smirked. "Exactly. The less people that know where they are the less likely they'll be discovered and removed."
He frowned. "Don't you trust me?"
I nodded. "You know I do, but you also know the elders have their ways about getting information they want. This information not only protects my life but keeps Nym off their radar. You know I can't risk her over trust, not even yours. Phoebe won't even ask because she knows it protects us so I'll ask you to refrain from doing the same."
He nodded and the elves finished up as I felt all my magic and powers return unbound. Smiling I combined those I'd gained since with the duplicates I'd had before and damn was it good to get stronger. Though I'm no arrogant fool either.
I morphed into Cole's appearance and told Leo. I'm going to let them catch me and bring me before the source, you follow and stay hidden until we're there."
He agreed as I brought us out of my realm and back into the underworld. There I revealed myself to the demons and almost instantly I was hit with a bolt of lightning. I made myself collapse and fake injury while they dragged me away. I was already immune to that particular power so unless I killed the demon that did it, I wasn't getting a boost.
When they dragged me before the Source and his seer, I waited and when Leo moved, I acted, killing both demons with energy blasts before throwing them at the Source's force field. Smiling, I walked up to the force field and punched it.
I mimicked it's power before shattering it with repeated blows of my super strength. Then I through a powerful energy blast at the source, sending him flaying and disconnecting him from Piper's mind.
I charged up my strongest blast and his deer jumped in the way. He screamed and morphed back into his original form before vanishing in flame travel. I grunted and Leo helped Piper by going into her mind while I healed her.
The source had barely just gotten in past her Occlumency shields when we'd arrived so no real damage was done. I morphed back into my original form as she woke up and Leo orbed is out of there.
We came back to the manner where everything was much more hectic now. Phoebe, Paige and Prue has done a call to sister spell and a mental projection spell and only just got back.
When Leo told them the Source was injured and his seer was dead, they asked how and a look from me quelled him into saying. "That's not important right now. What is important is that he's wounded and it'll give us time and a bit of breathing room."
I raised a finger. "Actually the factions that were forming before to challenge his authority will be more active now to try building a power base and that means proving themselves by killing witches, particularly you three."
I pointed to the charmed sisters and pulled phoebe into my arms saying. "You need to be vigilant from now on as each vanquish could be a set up to assess your weaknesses and strengths. The Source has his chameleon demons and the other factions will have their own ways of gathering intel like sacrificing some of their subordinates to watch how you react to a situation and looking for openings in your attacks."
Piper snorted. "Just great, we're trading the Source of all evil for a bunch of his former minions to take pot shots at us!"
I shrugged. "It was bound to happen one day especially if you managed to vanquish the source. Each of the factions will take your downfall as the sign that they're worthy of the throne. Once one succeeds, they'll become the next Source through coronation. Your deaths will quite literally be the rise of a new evil. Unless-"
Piper frowned. "Unless what? You can't leave us hanging like that!"
I shrugged. "Unless you manage to fight them all off until you die of natural causes like old age or the next generation of charmed ones is born and grows up to take on the mantle. Either way it's what your family has done for generations and quite successfully I might add. Though you've each had your share of hiccups along the way with past lives turning evil."
Phoebe and Paige grimaced before nodding. She'd actually been the one to send her Knight back to his true love so she naturally had to be informed of her evil self.
They all didn't look happy by my words until I sighed. "Well, eventually you'll find that there's a path off that happy suicide trail just like Prue did. Should you live long enough of course."
Phoebe looked up to me asking. "You mean-"
I nodded, not letting her finished her sentence. "I do. There's always a way around destiny as free will reigned supreme long before destiny even existed. Perhaps one day when the next generation is ready and prepared to take over you'll find yourselves as young and vibrant as today and happy for eternity."
Phoebe kissed me and I returned the favor while Nym hummed and traded places with her. Soon enough Piper gave me a hug, as did Paige though she didn't understand it all yet. Phoebe dragged me off to bed where she rewarded my wicked tongue for it's devilish ways.
Three weeks went by when I got word of witches dying, I snuck off and killed the Balthazar wannabe with my blades. A scavenger demon showed up and I killed it as well, adding a Spider-Man like seriously of powers to my own. I wasn't particularly happy about it because it was a shitty pair of powers.
Only ectoplasm web shooting and clinging, or wall climbing if you will. I was hoping for spider senses or an EMP pulse or something but nope, just bottom draw stuff when compared to my own abilities.
I mean, I could fly with magic already and shoot lightning and fire balls from my hands as well as the killing curse and all the other spells and powers I head. Next to that the ability to climb and shoot webs from my hands meant very little.
I left the scene of the most recent murder and headed back to the house basement where my suitcase was store through my realm. The elders literally can't see me when I'm not with an agent of good like Leo and the charmed ones so there was no chance I'd been discovered.
When the Wiccan deaths suddenly stopped and the ADA disappeared, Phoebe was the first to connect the dots and asked me one evening while we were training in the basement. "We're you the one who killed the upper level demon who was killing witches?"
I nodded. "It was the ADA mimicking Cole's moves. He even looked like Balthazar in his demonic form so I figured I'd spare you the details unless you asked."
She sighed. "I'm over Cole now. I'm with you and Nym."
I smiled and grabbed her ass before setting her on the work bench and casting a powerful notice me not charm on us. Our sweaty body entangled themselves right there and then until she was satisfied and I was no longer as lustful.
We laid on the wooden table that had collapsed from our lovemaking. When she got off me and we got up, I repaired it before cleaning us both and getting dressed. When we left, Piper was in the kitchen next to the basement door.
She told us. "Next time can you use a silencing spell and maybe lock the door?"
I shrugged. "Ask Phoebe."
Phoebe raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You just gave me a great idea! I'm going to try becoming an advice columnist. Ask Phoebe can be the name of my column!"
I chuckled. "And I shall invest in it then. I like the idea of you giving advice and it seems like a good way to tap into your premonitions to genuinely help people as well as see if they're being attacked by demons. All it takes is something meaningful to the person and them sincerely asking for advice would do it."
Piper asked. "Aren't you worried about personal gain?"
I frowned. "So long as her answers aren't gained from the premonitions but their problems, I doubt it counts. We'd have to consult Leo or get in contact with the elders. Demons use such tactics to sway people to evil so her using it to sway people to do good shouldn't be a problem."
They called Leo and asked him to which he had to go to the elders for advice because it was a grey area. If her advice was good and it helped people she could become famous from it but the good she was doing would actually help a lot of people.
He came back saying that so long as she did it for the right reasons and didn't abuse her powers just to write a good article then it would be a good thing. That evening I had dinner with Nym and proposed to her in Paris France, on top of the Eiffel tower. She agreed immediately and I hugged her, giving her a kiss she would soon turn into so much more.
As she planned it, to my eternal chagrin, I proposed to Phoebe next after I presented her with a locket with small neatly carved enochian tunes in it that would hide the wearer like my own and flaming traveling her to Hawaii for the weekend.
There on the beach while she was sun tanning, I proposed over a glass of champagne. She was more hesitant but I reassured her. "Nothing has to happen right this moment but if and when you decide to, we'll get married then. Nym has already agreed to wait and I am immortal like her so I've agreed to wait an eternity if you'll say yes."
She blushed before saying. "Yes, definitely yes. Gods, what are we going to tell my sisters?"
I chuckled. "Whatever you wish to tell them, but for now, here watch this."
I held up a ring without a gem in it and I grabbed a piece of coal. Lighting my hand aflame with green fire, I used my immense super strength to pressurize the coal into a diamond. My flames were easily hot enough to finish the rest.
With a thought I transmuted it into a bright topaz color and mentally thought. (Father, just this once please lift the restrictions on your binding of my knowledge on magic's.)
I felt a great surge of information click into place and willed my magic into the stone as it filled from not just my vitality and life force as well as magic, but my mental energies and even a shred of the energies I'd gathered from every reality so far.
For a moment it shined as I'd willed the spells into place before I released the magic's and energies and felt my knowledge on the subjects locked up once more as I heard him say. (Now you owe me one. You'll find the road ahead after this reality a lot harder. You may not like where death's door takes you next but you will stay there and learn, grow and prepare until you're strong enough to rest.)
Sighing I held out the topaz gem as I'd shaped it perfectly to fit the ring. I set it and made sure it would never come of with the same permanent sticking charm the late Mrs.Black had used on her portrait.
I slid it on her finger saying. "It will protect you when I cannot so long as the beings you face aren't stronger than I am."
She smiled saying teasingly. "That still leaves a lot it won't work against."
I nodded. "True. But as I grow stronger, so does it's protections."
She looked down at the ring before looking at me. "Seriously?"
I nodded with a smile. "I'd never lie about something so important. Although it's limited to my current power, it has it's own advantages. Like if you're injured it will heal you so long as you're not instantly killed. I added Phoenix tears to it for poison immunity and basilisk venom for protection. If someone tries to attack you and you're not ready, a shield of magic will appear around you, protecting you from harm."
She stared at the ring for a minute and I sighed. "It only works for you love, no one else. It's tied to my love for you and my powers. If I were to truly die, my powers would transfer from me to the ring and into you. It only works with a true death though."
She nodded and kissed me, no longer paying attention to the ring. We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying each other in the sun on a private beach. When we returned to the manor, she and Nym shared looks before announcing our engagements.
Piper asked. "When's the big day?"
I shrugged. "I'm not sure, nor do I care right now. I'm immortal and a very patient man. It could be decades and yet I'll still be happy when they decide together."
Leo frowned. "Yeah but they're not immortal are they?"
He gestured to Phoebe and Nym and I sighed. "No, not entirely. But as a Phoenix my life force can keep them alive, young and beautiful for as long as necessary for them to decide. Like I said, I'm a very patient man."
Prue and the rest piled on with congratulations and hugs as well as admiring their rings. Phoebe's was more powerful, but Nym's was more unique as I'd used several dozen materials to make a philosopher's stone that actually worked as intended for her gem.
Both practically spoke of mystical power to the eyes of witches and the magical while to normal humans they looked like every day rings. Phoebe put the locket inside her bottomless pouch to keep the elders off our asses and we celebrated.
Towards the end of the evening, I spoke with Prue who was a bit sad. "I always thought I'd be the first one to get married out of us three and now both of them are getting married before me."
I patted her back. "Don't worry, when you find the right person you'll probably be hitched before us. Phoebe still isn't ready to settle down yet and Nym isn't quite there herself. There's plenty of time, perhaps even years before we marry."
She nodded. "I think I've found the right guy at least. I've been spending more and more time with Neal. He's an avid art enthusiast and since I'm a photographer and a art authenticator, we've had plenty to talk about. He's even bought a few of the ancient treasures from the horde you've amassed."
I nodded. "How's the sale of the gold going along?"
She smiled. "The last of it is being sold as we speak. The government got most of it and the alter is already in the Smithsonian museum. They were happy to receive it and authenticate it for us as well as put it on display. It's made from solid gold so they've had to tighten security but they're happy all the same."
I sighed. "Then it's time I go treasure hunting once more. I'll head out in a few days to see what I can find."
She rolled her eyes. "Just don't get in trouble with the law."
I chuckled. "Who me? I'd never!"
Another eye roll was my only response. The night ended on a high point as both my fiancé's were happy to indulge in pleasure. I made sure they got their fill and mine by the time I left three days later. My first stop was to pick up the lost faberge eggs all over the world.
Then came The Concert by Johannes Vermeer, and the other paintings lost with it. They were more split up and well placed in this reality but I retrieved them nonetheless. Then came the Vatican's secret treasures lost to time during the crusades and before that when the Roman Empire was sacked by the Christian church followers.
I dropped a bead on where Christ was buried and headed to my next destination. Atahualpa's gold reserves in Peru where the Incan empire had once been. It was more gold in fact than the city of gold itself at around fifty sold tons of it.
I found the Florentine diamond in Russia which was bizarre in and of itself. Then came the Barber dimes in the black canyon of Colorado. Thankfully they hadn't changed at least. Lastly I went hunting for something I hadn't before, the Nazi gold in Lake Toplitz Austria.
It took a hell of a lot longer to summon it all but when I did, it was all marked and easy to recognize. I flame traveled back to the manor where my quill got to work making documents for the authentication as well as the findings and dating information for each of the treasure to ensure it's all as legit as magic can make it at least.
When I went upstairs, I learned I'd missed out on a muse hunt and a faction of warlock's attacking. I grabbed a shower before calling Prue back home to give her the treasures and where they were from. It wasn't hard to return the stolen ones but the truly lost treasures like the Incan gold, Barber dimes and the Nazi gold were legitimate as was the faberge eggs and catholic religious treasures.
Though the last one Prue insisted on giving to the museums and I didn't argue. She was however happy to see the gold and eggs. Though she was confused about the dimes until I explained them to her. It simply wasn't her area of expertise as it wasnt as dated or famous as the rest.
She was however happy to know they were worth millions. I let her handle it all and went to relax with Phoebe and Nym. After a while a car accident was reported on the news and a young teenager had almost been killed just outside the precinct.
I knew I was forgetting something and from the look of satisfaction on Nym's face said she was behind the miraculous save. Paige however was devastated from the looks of it and I blocked the door as Phoebe turned on her younger sister as she tried to leave. "Not today, spill!"
Tears formed in Paige's eyes and I hugged her. "It's ok, I'm sure whatever it is it'll be fine. Why don't you and your sisters talk and we'll give you some privacy?"
She nodded and I grabbed Nym and Leo, dragging them out of there. After a long while they came out and told us what was wrong. Leo mentioned Clyde, a malevolent spirit and I raised an eyebrow but let it go only saying to bring it to the basement.
When Leo yelled, calling the angry spirit names, he appeared and I shoved my sword in his gut, taking his powers and sending him into reincarnation. Leo asked. "Why'd you do that for?"
I shrugged. "He's evil. Besides here."
I raised my hand and transferred Clyde's ability to control spirits and make portals to the past to Leo. He even understood how to use them.
He created a door to the past and let Paige go through as I warned him. "I'll be taking that power back when you get back. It needs to be passed on to a spirit and put to good use."
He nodded and followed her through, as two ghosts got out. I zapped them both with an exorcism spell to force them to move on. Half a day later Leo and Paige returned and I took the power away before Phoebe called on Malinda Warren, they're ancestor.
When she appeared, I transferred the powers to her as a thank you. She didn't mind much as it was rather boring on the other side for older spirits like herself. She could now do Clyde's job only for the side of good instead of whomever could pay.
With that in mind I'd done enough good for one day and it was time for my reward. I had Piper freeze me then blow me up and when I mimicked her powers, I thanked her with a gift of my own. I'd bought her and Leo an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii under Phoebe's recommendation and she gave them to her now.
While she gave them her recommendations for the what and where's I set a reservation for Phoebe and Nym at La Folie. I gave them the dinning information before heading to the basement and shimmering from there to pier eighty six to get ahead of things for once.
Once there I cloaked myself and froze the entire pier. I moved quickly and stabbed demonic rats repeatedly as I reached the end of the pier and absorbed all their powers. It was mostly new things this time as I'd collected energy magic manipulation, hyper speed, pyrokinesis, transformations and the rest was duplicates of shimmering, summoning, and shapeshifting.
Damn it felt good though as there was nearly two dozen of them and their powers only bolstered my own. Unfortunately they were all low level demons so other than the hyper speed and energy magic manipulation the rest didn't give me to great a boost.
Pyrokinesis would be great if it were actually from a fire starter but from these low level rat demons it amounted to being able to kill other low level rat demons at best with it.
Accepting that it was all the powers I was going to gain tonight, I headed back to the house for a shower and some sleep until my fiancé's get home.
A week went by without issues as Phoebe's jury duty became an open and shut case instead of one involving demons. The case in question was about a serial killer that'd been caught. He did it after all and not a moment sooner then they'd sentenced him did Phoebe call to let me know she was on her way home.
Another two weeks went by before Paige brought home the young and budding Firestarter. Piper and Leo had been arguing over whether their children would have their powers bound like usual when she took a shine to the boy.
She set him down and tried teaching him control when two demonic bounty hunters had shown up at the door. When she invited them in, I tossed two athame's into their hearts as they caught fire and vanquished.
I told her coldly. "They're tracking the boy's powers. More bounty hunters are bound to be on their way."
I grabbed the daggers and went into the parlor room where the young Firestarter was and waited. When the next bounty hunter showed up, Piper froze it and I stabbed him in the heart, vanquishing him.
Piper asked. "Why aren't you taking their powers?"
I shrugged. "Bounty hunters are low level scum and it'd be a true rarity if they had any useful powers. Even with all the abilities I've gained, only those from the upper level demons and a select few warlocks and dark witches are effective against high level beings like the elite demons. The rest while useful for everyday vanquishing is mostly too weak to use effectively."
The kid asked. "You can take powers?"
I nodded. "Take, give, trade. I can do pretty much anything with them but they're not all useful like yours is."
He frowned but nodded. "Trade me powers then."
I turned to Piper and she asked him. "Are you sure? It's a big decision-"
He nodded. "I'm sure. If the demons are following my power then I don't want it. What can you trade me for it?"
I sighed. "Let's head into the basement."
I led the way and Piper brought up the rear in case more bounty hunters showed up. When we were down there I made up a long list of the while unique, were entirely useless powers to me and handed it to Piper.
He asked. "Can't I see it?"
I nodded. "She's just going to explain them to you. If you find five you want I'll trade them for your current power."
He smiled. "I can get five?"
I nodded. "Though don't get your hopes up, they're all non lethal abilities."
She looked over the list and explained them all to him before asking about the last one. "Are you sure about this one?"
I nodded. "It's fine and safe so long as he's not a cruel child."
She sighed and Tyler chose the five he wanted. They were Levitation,Apportation, mediumship, cloning and illusion casting. The last one being what Piper was worried about. I told him to hold still and I extracted his powers with my own power absorbing.
Then I used my power granting to give him the five he'd chosen before mentally marking them off my own long list of powers and absorbing the upper class pyrokinesis into my own making it grow beyond most could measure until I smiled.
It was now the second strongest offensive power I had after super strength now, not including my blades or instant death spells.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone