The New World: Old Habits

Chapter 14

Turg and Grim rushed over to where they had crash landed. Judging by the fact there was a ring of fire burning around them, it was indeed the real Jim who had returned. He was fighting First Name, who was actively trying to flee but Jim would drag him back down. Eventually First Name escaped and vanished, he did not reappear to continue fighting. With a wave from his hands, Jim put out the fire that surrounded him and knelt down. Turg joined him by his side to see if he was okay. 
"He fled, he will be back for more once he recovers." Jim said as he stood back up, not acknowledging Turg. Turg also stood back up as Jim asked "He didn't hurt you two, did he?"
"Not physically." Grim answered as Jim started giggling to himself. He then rather cheerfully exclaimed "Oh I'm gonna kill the bastard who summoned him! Whoever they might be better count their feckin' days! I can't believe I have to put up with this bullshit again!"
He then stopped to change his tone to a more angry one before continuing "I bet it was that bastard, Kevin! That man knew about him and swears he didn't summon him but that man is a piece of shit liar!" 
"Speaking of, you owe us some answers, Jim!" Grim angrily exclaimed at Jim, who put his hands up a bit and told them "I promise I will but now is not the time."
"Oh really? Is it not important enough? Or are you hiding something from us?!" Grim kept insisting as Jim pleaded "Grim, please! Now is not the time!" 
Turg stood in between them to make them stop, but Grim continued trying to get Jim to confess to something. 
"YOU'RE A LIAR, JIM! A LYING, CHEATING SON OF A BITCH!" Grim shouted at Jim, who shouted back with "THIS IS WHY WE ALWAYS HAVE ISSUES, GRIM! YOU'RE ALWAYS FUCKING MAD AT ME!"
Turg didn't know what to do. Grim and Jim didn't usually get into shouting matches, at least to Turg's knowledge. There was too much going on, he couldn't process it. Grim continued yelling at Jim as both he and Turg could see something approaching from behind them. 
"Grim, behind you." Jim tried to tell them, but Grim responded "Don't try to change the subject, Jim."
Turg pointed to behind Grim, who listened that time. It was First Name again, he was back already. He summoned his long claws from his fingertips and struck Grim with them, piercing them straight through their chest. They instantly turned to dust upon impact as First Name commented "I was not expecting that."
Turg was too stunned to do anything while Jim prepared himself to fight again. First Name then said "Nothing's changed between you and Grim, it seems."
Jim didn't say anything, instead First Name tried to make an offer. 
"I want to make you an offer, Jim, since none of us are going to win this." First Name began, pausing to let Jim acknowledge it. He responded with "What could you possibly offer me?"
"I could give you the power I have. With it, you'd be the most powerful being in all the realms. I only ask for two things in return." First Name offered. Turg wasn't sure about that, he knew First Name had to be lying, though Jim still seemed to be hearing him out. 
"What do you want, then?" Jim asked. First Name smiled and answered with "You to never ever interact with me again and Turg's soul." 
"What?! No!" Jim declined as he wrapped his arms around Turg. He then continued with "You just want both of us dead!"
"But you were interested at first. It's really not much to ask, just let me kill him and you'll be the most powerful being to ever exist." First Name insisted. Turg wasn't going to let that happen and neither was Jim, who told First Name "I'll find another way." 
"Fine, but I refuse to return in defeat!" First Name exclaimed as he started casting fire at them. Jim blocked it using his own fire as he let go of Turg. He then summoned some sort of futuristic gun-type device that encased First Name in a block of ice. Turg approached it as Jim instructed him "When the ice either melts or he breaks free, grab him immediately and send him back to where he came from. Got it?"
Turg nodded, seemed like a simple enough plan. Moments after Jim spoke, First Name broke free from the ice, sending many shards everywhere and blowing back both Jim and Turg. First Name was focused on Jim and Turg took that as an opportunity. Turg tried to grab his shoulders again, but as soon as he put one hand on him a spike spontaneously grew and impaled Turg's hand. First Name laughed as Turg pulled it away and cried out in pain. Jim shouted "YOU BASTARD!"
Jim grabbed First Name by the tail and threw him away from Turg so he could help him. Turg didn't want to look, he knew it was bad and he couldn't stand the sight of it. Judging by Jim's reaction, it was as bad as Turg thought it was. There wasn't much time to spend assessing each other's injuries as First Name latched onto Jim, sinking his claws into his skin. Jim shouted "AAH! FUCK!"
He grabbed First Name and managed to pull him off, over his head and onto the ground. There he pinned him to the ground by the arms and started using the same magic Turg used back in the day to banish him, but he was not strong enough. First Name broke free and immediately went after Turg. He tore Turg's amulet from his neck and flew up into the air with it. Turg reached for it, which let Jim know First Name had taken it. First Name laughed at Turg as it disintegrated in his hands. Jim summoned his turn-people-into-ice thing that Turg had never seen before again and he tried to freeze First Name with it again, though he was too high up for it to hit him. Jim then de-summoned it and turned to Turg, saying "I have an idea, we don't have time to discuss it, I just need you to trust me."
Jim held out his hand to Turg. Hiding his injured one in his coat, he took it. Jim then summoned his magic broomstick and quickly got on with Turg. He flew up into the air after First Name and taunted him. Turg wasn't fully paying attention, he was too much in pain and focused on trying not to fall, even though he would survive it. His hand wasn't healing either, though Turg wasn't really trying to.
Jim continued to taunt and tease First Name until he was above him with First Name flying up towards them. Jim told Turg "When he comes, grab him if you can. You know what to do next." 
Before either of them could grab him, with the swipe of his tail, First Name knocked them both off the magic broom and it was de-summoned. Turg grabbed onto First Name using both hands in attempt to not fall as he shouted "NOT AGAIN!"
First Name dug his claws into Turg and started pleading with him "Please, don't do this! Don't let him do this! Don't give up your life for him! He will betray you!"
Jim would then return from above, diving down to them and bringing them both down with him. With their powers combined, it surely was enough to banish First Name again. Turg closed his eyes as they rapidly approached the ground. They made impact and all Turg could hear was First Name's screaming abruptly stop. 
Turg didn't know how much time had passed, he was too overwhelmed as he laid on the ground with his face covered and breathing heavily. He could hear Jim celebrating, but Turg couldn't. The weight of the situation had caught up to him and it was crushing him. Jim laid down next to him and exclaimed "I can't believe that actually worked, but we did it, Turg! He's gone!"
Turg uncovered his face and opened his eyes to look at Jim, who sat up and gently took Turg's injured hand to get a proper look at it. The injury was gone, a sign that First Name was gone from the realm and his damage was undone. Turg hoped that would be the last time he would see First Name.