Chapter Five~ Holy Smokes, Batman

Acacia groaned. This getting knocked out and waking up in random places with her backpack on was getting really old. It took her a while before she felt able enough to sit up, but once she did, she felt the pounding rush to the spot on the back of her skull.

"Sssshit!" She hissed to herself, grasping at her head and was slightly horrified to find that it was wet and sticky with dark blood. "What the hell?" Looking around her, Acacia realized she was no longer in the forest where she had last been walking. The area around her was much thicker and darker, and permeated with a dank stench of rotting vegetation and decay. The smell made her cough and cover her face with the back of her hand. Managing to push herself off the ground, Acacia was relieved to find that her knife was still in it's sheath on her hip, so she released it and held it at the ready. It was so dark.

With her free hand, the black haired woman reached back and felt for the road flares that she kept in the pocket on the side. There were four of them, approximately an hour of light all together, baring that nothing happened to snuff them out before their individual 15 minutes were up. Pulling out the first one she could wrap her hand around, Acacia kept her eyes peeled on the area around her as she removed the top and used the sandpaper to scrape and light the flare. Immediately, the area was lit up with the faint red light, just enough for her to see clearly out about a dozen yards. There was nothing in the clearing with her, not even a shrub. Acacia took a step forward, but stopped when her foot crunched against something. Her gaze fell to the ground and she let out a yelp as she tripped backwards and the flare fell from her hand. She had stepped on what looked like a human skull. All around her, bones were scattered throughout the rotting leaves, all different sizes and shapes that definitely didn't belong to just humans. She shuffled backwards on her butt to find some leverage, but her hand landed in something squishy. The feel itself made her gag, along with the smell that wafted up from it, and she didn't want to look. Turning her head ever so slightly, Acacia came face to face with the freshly mangled corpse of some poor creature.

A scream ripped itself from her throat and she threw herself away from the gorey mess. Bile rose in her throat, and she barely had enough time to turn around and heave what little was still in her stomach onto the forest floor.

Then, the noise started. Well, not really. If she had to be honest, Acacia had heard the low thrum all around the clearing, but had thought it to be a natural sound in the Labyrinth. But, now...now it was growing louder. It sounded like growling, but it was all around her, and it couldn't possibly be coming from any one thing. Shit, shit, shit. She through to herself as she scrambled to her feet, holding her knife out in front of her like a sword. There was no way she could fight off more than a few monsters. And it sounded like a lot more than a few. Luckily, the flare was right next to her feet and she scooped it up as quickly as possible. Then the noise stopped. Knowing that nothing was what it seemed in this place, she didn't for a second believe that whatever had been surrounding her was gone.

All at once, a howl started, first one voice, then others joined in. It echoed off the trees and reverberated inside her skull. Acacia grasped at her head, trying to drown out the sound, but to no avail. It felt like hammers were smashing her brain to bits, forcing her to her knees. A thump to her left made her start. The sight that met her eyes made her gasp in fear.

The reptilian face lowered from it's position of howling, quieting to an incessant growl. The other voices followed suit. Except...there were no other voices. As the creature turned, she was horrified to see the leopard body, complete with long legs ending in hooves. A growl sounded, too loud to be made by one creature, the luminescent eyes fixed on her.

The Questing Beast.

Acacia only hesitated for a second before turning on her heel and booking it out of the clearing. Behind her, she could hear the barking of what seemed to be a team of hunting dogs, and the thumping of the Beast's feet. Shit, shit! Fuck. I can't outrun this thing! She thought to herself. As branches and vines ripped at her clothes, cutting deep scratches in her skin, the frightened woman tried to remember what little lore she knew about the Questing Beast.

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"How the hell did a Questing Beast manage to sneak it's way into my kingdom?!" Jareth shouted, picking up and throwing a goblin against a wall as he did. "Do you worthless imbeciles have any idea what this could mean?! Call out the guard, I want everyone hunting this monster down and getting rid of it before that girl either dies or leads it to the castle." When none of them moved, he conjured up a crystal and chucked it at a wall. "NOW!"

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Acacia had managed to lose the Beast in some thick foliage, but it wouldn't hold it off for long. Finding her way into a series of caves, one that would be too small for the Beast to follow her into, she knew hiding would be in vain if she didn't managed to kill it. Questing Beasts were known for their tenaciousness when it came to hunting prey, and it would never stop hunting her until one of them was dead. After crawling through the fine grey sand for nearly ten minutes, it finally opened up into a bigger cavern that she could stand up in but still had to stoop. So, picking her way carefully through the dark damp tunnels, she held the flare aloft to give her more light.

"Ok, Palamedes, Percival, and Galahad wounded it with a lance, then chased into a lake...Well, that would be great if I actually had a lance. Or a lake. Can't even get near the thing without worrying about those big ass claws," she murmured to herself.

"Well, well, what a pickle you've found yourself in." Jareth's voice made her jump, hitting her head on the low ceiling.

"Dammit! What the hell?" She spun around, rubbing the new knot on her head. "Can't you ever just appear in front of me for a change? This whole spinning around in circles is making me dizzy."

"My apologies, dearest. As I was saying-"

"I don't have time for this. I've got a thing on my tail and I need to find a long stick." With that, she continued down the path, looking for any sign of light.

"I'm well aware of your current situation, precious. I've come to offer my help."

His words made her stop. Acacia turned to look at him with narrowed eyes. "Why would you help me?"

"Maybe I've grown attached," he smirked. Before she could respond, he held up a gloved hand, conjuring the green crystal that held her soul, letting it dance over his fingers.

"Are you gonna give it back? Because if so, that would certainly help a lot."

Jareth started laughing at her statement. "Of course I'm not, precious. I am, however, going to offer you a bit of a... lifeline, if you will." The orb passed one more time around his hand, and it began to shine, before the shaped transformed in front of her eyes. Once the glow had faded, leaving her blinking in the dim light, she blanched.

"Really?! A fucking bow and arrows? You absolute useless fucking dick. I thought you were helping me. I don't know how to use that!"

"Well, then I suggest you learn quickly." The Goblin King moved towards her, and he shoved the quiver into her chest as he passed her. "You'll want to be on the move. The Beast isn't far behind you. In fact, if I'm not mistaken..." On cue, the walls around them began shaking and dust falling into Acacia's eyes. "Yes, as I thought. He's right above you. Digging through the rock."

Her face morphed into a mask of fear and anger. "How is that even possible?! I thought you were the most powerful being in this godforsaken place! Why can't you just magick it away if you're so fucking attached to me?!"

Quicker than she could see, he was in her face, one hand around her throat forcing her back against the quivering cave wall. "Do not dare question me. Remember that you are only alive because you are mildly amusing to me. If I was so inclined, I could kill you without even blinking." The hardness of his face would have frightened her if it weren't for what she saw in his eyes.

"But you won't," came her soft reply. The grip around her neck loosened.

Jareth blinked. "What?"

"You won't kill me. Even if you could, you wouldn't. I don't know if it's something to do with the fact that I'm a runner, and you wouldn't want to ruin your...semi-perfect reputation, or something else. But, I can see it. Something is stopping you from just killing me here and now. It would be so much easier for you. Then you wouldn't have the Questing Beast ripping up your Labyrinth."

She watched the way his thin chest rose and fell with the harsh breaths he was taking, felt the ever-so-faint shaking of his fingers under the material of his gloves. His jaw hardened and his eyes darkened as he leaned forward. "You know nothing." With a rough shove, Jareth moved away and conjured a crystal. His usual broad movements were gone as he threw it at the opposite wall. From nowhere, an opening appeared. "Take this, it will take you no farther, and no closer to the castle, but you will be away from the Beast. Far enough for you to continue the Labyrinth while my soldiers hunt it down. You will be safe enough to-"

"No." She stated.

The king spun on his heel. "Excuse me?!"

"I said no. I'm not supposed to have any help. It's against the rules for you to do this. What do you care anyway? If I die, you get to keep my soul. If I take that portal, or whatever it is, I don't know where you're actually sending me. It could lead straight to an oubliette for all I know, or the Bog of Eternal Stench. So, no. I'm not going to go through it. I'll take my chances with the Beast. At least with it, I know what it actually wants."

The air around Jareth seemed to begin vibrating. Of course, Acacia knew that refusing anything he tried to give her would just make him mad, but this was different. His very stance changed. Every time she had ever seen him, the Goblin King had worn a sort of elegance. Shoulders back, head tilted, smarmy fucking smirk on his face. Now, his head was down, shoulders rounded, fists clenched at his sides and nostrils flared. The aura coming off him was oppressive, causing her to press herself into the rock behind her. It had been somewhat cool in the caves, as there was no light there, but right at that moment, it was as if she had stepped right into a sauna. It was nearly suffocating.

"I am a fae king. I am bound by my word. If I say it will take you to safety, then it will." Gravel had entered his voice, the rough sound making her shiver.

"But safe for who? You could perceive me being safe as me being locked away somewhere that the Beast can't get to me. It doesn't matter what you promise, Jareth. Your kind are experts at twisting words. I know that."

"For goodness sake, woman!" In a flash, he was in front of her again, hands on her shoulders. "Will you please just do as I say and get out of here before the Beast brings down the cave?!"

"I said no!" Acacia tried to shove him away from her, but it was a futile attempt, as he was a centuries old faerie and she was nothing but a puny human. His grip was like iron on her skin.

"I will not let you be killed by this thing." He hissed, then promptly twisting and throwing, literally throwing her through the doorway.

A cry left her throat as she hit the ground. "Ow, fuck! Jareth!" With a huff, she pushed herself up and ran back towards the opening, only to catch a glimpse of him scowling at her before she slammed against a wall. "What the everloving fuck!"

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A/N: Here you go guys, I'm sorry I've been kinda MIA for so long. I am currently going through some serious shit. So, here is a quick little short chapter for you, I will catch up when I'm not feeling quite so much like crap.