Mike.

The next day, as we gathered in the hall again, Mayakovsky opened us a door to Brakebills, gesturing us to get out.

"Where's Kady?" Quentin asked.

"Who cares." Penny said in his usual gruff demeanor.

Indeed.

Kady was nowhere to be seen. And I knew why.

Just like in the show, Kady had opened herself up to Penny and with her mental wards down, Mayakovsky, being the peeping tom he was, found out everything she had done. The stealing, the blackmail, helping Marina trespass.

Everything.

And she was summarily expelled.

But on Mayakovsky's advice, or as I like to call it, manipulation, she 'decided' she wasn't fit for Penny. And she left before her memory was wiped.

I was asleep at the time, so I didn't exactly have the chance to stop her but hey, I can always find her via the trackers I placed on her.

Besides her real value was in the connections in the hedge scene.

Quentin and Alice too had a productive week here. They had formalized their relationship, fucked like rabbits or should I say foxes?

Magicians have a lot of fucked up animorph sex.

In their case, it was foxes, when Mayakovsky threw them out into the snow and told them sort their 'will they, won't they' bullshit in his usual meta way.

"Quentin, Alice." He called out to them, emptying his vodka bottle.

"I got you both to drop your fears and inhibitions. For that you should be eternally grateful. But..... I give you more. I give you your life's purpose." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Go out there and live.... to prove me long.

Love each other. Be honest and kind. Faithful and happy. And then, in fifty years, come back here ... with your perfect family and gloat over my frozen corpse. You're welcome."

Alice just rolled her eyes and walked out but Quentin stopped, wanting to say something.

Mayakovsky didn't let him.

"Why?" He asked.

"What?"

"Why the fox? Why not mollusk or firefly. Suits you better." Mayakovsky clarified.

Quentin thought for a moment.

"The fox ... Knows. And I knew. That all I needed to survive was in me. More than that. Not just to survive but ... to be happy. I-i-i...." He turned to look at Alice.

"I was happy." He said.

"The fox is in you now. Both of you." Mayakovsky said, "Feed it."

Quentin looked at Mayakovsky as a small smile spread on his face.

"You really are a great teacher."

"I know." Mayakovsky replied shooing him out.

Finally, it was my turn.

"Kiss-ass. And his vampire wife." He scoffed, "You did a good job covering it up. Took me a whole three minutes to notice it. For that, you get an A."

He knew?

Of course he knew.

Best magician on Earth indeed, this bastard.

"I don't know what you took. I don't remember anything about it, so probably just my memories. Nothing of substance, if all my artifacts are still in place. Hope you got what you wanted, kiss-ass. Because if I see you ever again, I will gut you like a fish. And I mean an actual fish. I will turn you into salmon and then grill you both and eat you." He snapped his fingers, and both our heads slid off our bodies, falling onto the floor.

He beheaded us past the forcefield?

What the fuck?!

"And remember. You won, because I was drunk." He popped open another bottle of vodka, "A miracle. Do not expect it to happen a second time."

"Do not fuck with Mischa. Got it." I said as my head dissolved into nothing and a new one popped out in it's place.

"You're just going to let us go?" Yue was surprised.

"I am not a barbarian." He looked almost offended, "I have shed enough blood for a dozen lifetimes. Now go. Don't force me to add you to the count." He threw us out the door telekinetically and returned to his bottle, taking a big gulp as the door slammed shut.

.

"Eliot." I waved.

He was standing beside a shorter man, grilling some ribs.

I knew him. Mike. An alumni who got possessed by the Beast so he cpuld infiltrate the school and kill Jane.

Nice choice. The dude was handsome.

Blond, square jaw and those toned biceps.

Right up Eliot's alley. In more ways than one.

"Oh great more of them." Eliot fake cheered.

"You had drinks ready for us?" I asked, knowing full well they were for him and Mike.

"Yeah, how do you always have drinks ready?" Quentin wondered innocently.

"Oh just... Just a good host. I guess." He said, as his eye twitched in annoyance.

Oof. Looks like we ruined his romantic breakfast with the Beast.

Well, I don't feel too bad. It's the Beast after all.

Not going to let him know that yet.

I wanna toy with him first.

"Oh you're grilling? Can I have a sausage?" I plucked out a sausage from the platter on the picnic table and took a bite.

"Uhmmm...."

"How is it?" Mike asked.

I looked him in the eye, and smiled.

"It's so good. Almost out of this world."

He flinched ever so slightly and I had to put in effort to contain my grin.

"A bit gamey though, like rabbit perhaps?" I added.

He had smuggled in a cursed dagger from Fillory via talking rabbit and I figured he'd find some way to dispose of it.

But damn. He really went native on this shit. Used every part of the talking rabbit.

Mike smiled and kept his composure this time.

"You have a good tongue on you. It is rabbit. I hunted some early this morning."

"Oh did you? I didn't think there were any rabbits around here? The wards are very thorough about that. Especially after that swine flu epidemic last year. Lipson had the whole thing revamped." I lied and saw his face flicker into doubt.

"Well, not here. By my family's ranch, down in Texas, there's a nice forest patch that we technically own. Plenty of game down there. I doored over, caught some and hopped back in here." He bullshitted.

Heheheheheh.

Smart bastard.

This will be fun.

"Oh this is good." Quentin tried one out too.

"Thank you." Mike graciously accepted, before turning to me.

"I see your wards are very strong. A bit too strong in my opinion. Are you hiding something?" He asked jokingly, but we both knew he was pushing back.

You dare use my own spells on me, Potter?

"To be able to percieve my wards unaided, you must be beyond a master magician. Monstrously powerful I'd even dare say? Or perhaps have you practice some long forgotten wild magic?" I poked the bear right in his nuts.

He gulped thickly and his eyes flit from one person to another for a brief second.

"Uh ..yes. It's um... my family's secret eye magic. We can sense wards and other hidden veils of magic. It's very rare."

"Is that so? Your eyes do look enchanted, almost supernaturally blue. Like the Wellspring." I admired.

The Beast drank from the Wellspring regularly to maintain his power and that mutated him into the mothman abomination that he was. His magic and his eyes glowed blue and his moths were black and luminescent cyan.

From the corner of my eye I could see him reach for the dagger hidden under his shirt, his hand inching closer with every second.

"A side effect of the magic."

"Hope it's not too debilitating. I have heard horrors of such magic mutating their users into abominations. Though looking at you, I'd hardly be concerned about such rumours."

"Yes. Just jealous rumours." Mike agreed.

"So Mike. What do you do for fun? Shooting range? Bull vaulting? Maybe insect collecting?" I asked innocently.

But before I could get an answer....

"Okay, that's enough. Ladies, ladies you are both pretty." Eliot came between us, sensing the tension.

I fell back, and slid into a chair.

"Jay, I know he's pretty but don't try to steal my boyfriend." He wagged his finger at me, "I am open to a threesome if Mike agrees." He winked.

"No. Thanks. You have nothing to worry about. We were just having a little chat, weren't we Martin?" I asked.

"Yes, just a simpl-"

He realised what I had done only halfway through his reply, and turned to me with shock and anger.

"Martin?" Quentin realised, "Shit!"

"What-" Eliot looked at me for answers. A mistake.

With a flash, "Mike" drew out the cursed dagger, the Virgo Blade, and before anyone could react he was upon Eliot.

He stabbed Eliot through the gut, before he spun around, casting a quick spell and threw the dagger at something inside.

I looked to the side and saw...a teddy bear?

Suddenly, I felt something pierce my stomach.

I patted the wound only to find no blood.

What?

A horrid realization struck me almost instantaneously.

Voodoo. Again.

"Motherfucker!"

I fell to one knee and he froze everyone else with his paralysis spell as he walked up to me, snickering like a mischievous child.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen!" He chuckled, patting my head.

"To think you almost caught me. Shame too, that. I had other plans for this. Unfortunately now, I will have to take my leave. But before that." He unfroze my mouth, "Any last wishes, Scientist?"

"Just one. Never underestimate my vampire loli." I smiled.

"What ar-" A jet of blue flame burned through his arm, singing his sides as he fell back, gasping from the pain.

"How dare you try to hurt MY JAY?!" Yue raged.

"You vampiric bitch!" He growled at Yue when she sent another blast at him.

Yue was versed in two different magic systems. And one of those, her own atavist trait of direct mana manipulation allowed her to cast spells with but a thought. No need for chants or gestures.

Given, she was only proficient in a handful of spells that could be fired off instantly, her favourite being the blue flame she shot out just now.

As for why I didn't do anything? Because I wanted him to get away. To get caught.

So that the events of the show would transpire as they did and I would get to pinch the Time Watch from Jane Chatwin.

Just as I had promised her.

I smiled evilly.

Soon, Martin will get caught and imprisoned in the Clean Room- all part of his plan, and unbeknownst to him, a part of my plan as well.

Like a good puppet dancing in the palm of my hand, he'd soon try to kill Jane Chatwin when she came to visit him and then, all I'd need to do was step in at the right time.

Bada bing bada boom. The Time Watch was mine. Along with the third of the seven keys, the Time Key that powers the watch. Two birds one stone.

I watched with amusement as he teleported away to the side, landing on the roses Todd had planted in the garden, his grip on us slipping as he fled on foot.

Yue made to chase but I stopped her.

"I need medical attention and so does Eliot. Let him go." I said.

The injury was unintentional on my part, a bit of a slip up in my plan. But if anything it would only serve to further strengthen my position of innocence, working to my favor.

"Quentin, help get Eliot up. We need to take him to the infirmary. Alice, call for help."

My eyes were already swimming and I saw the world go all woozy as the medics arrived.

Then, watching Yue grab my hand tight I drifted off to sleep.

___________________

The extra chapter for 400 powerstones as promised!

Next extra chapter at 600 powerstones, so donate your powerstones today!

Everything goes exactly according to MC's keikaku!

And now, with the Mayakovsky camp done, things kick into high gear and mc goes full evil genius.

Next time, Getting the time watch and trading souls.

Till then, see ya and thanks for reading!