Chapter 8
Monsters in Arms
In the world of Eden there could come a time when one would be faced against a dangerous adversary, or even worse a great number of opponents who stood between them and their ultimate goal. Having bravery and a fighting spirit were important, but what could mean the difference between victory and a painful death was having powerful allies on their side. Whether it be setting out on a quest for revenge or fending off a group of enemies after their blood, they would want all the help they could get to succeed and stay alive. It didn’t matter if those in their company were cold, harsh, stubborn, motivated by greed, or even downright crazy. All that counted was that they were there to aid in standing against the greater evil.
With their combined strength they would be ready to confront anything.
*****
Sitting against a weathered tree trunk Tabitha was staring up at the stars in the sky with a gloomy expression on her face and one of her fangs bared over her lip which was slightly curled in a scowl. Drumming her fingers over and over again on the handles of the twin katanas she had sheathed behind her the neko been quiet and distant, paying no mind to the crackling campfire or her companion who had been digging her dagger into the dirt with a forlorn look on her face.
“Now what do we do?” Scay asked, once again getting no reply from the neko as she hadn’t ever since they were left behind by Daemon and his group. Turning to her troubled friend she sat upright and drew her long tail closer to herself.
“Tabitha? What do we do now?”
“Why are you still here?” Tabitha finally replied keeping her eyes up at the sky. “There’s no money anymore, we’re not getting a single goddamned gold coin now. So why are you still hanging around me?”
“What do you mean?” Scay wondered. “We’re friends, remember? We’re going to make money together, just like we always wanted to.”
“Always wanted to? We only met a few days ago,” Tabitha groaned. “Never mind that, Scay. Just leave me alone.”
“Please don’t say that.”
“Just go away!” Tabitha yelled at her. The naga quickly wrapped her tail around herself before dropping to the ground with a whine as the neko growled in frustration. “Once again I’m being denied my gold! First with that botched mission from Flairwood and now I’m getting nothing from Charlotte! Those witches are probably going to skin me alive for failing with this too, that would just suit my horrible luck lately!”
“I’m sorry,” Scay squeaked out.
“Dammit, it’s not fair! That guy wasn’t even human, I was not properly prepared for this at all! And those things he’s collecting, those key fragments to some lost city with the harbinger of death waiting inside, why the hell wasn’t I warned about any of this?” She covered her face with both hands while struggling to calm down, sharp growls being made between breaths as Scay watched from behind her coiled tail.
“Those witches weren’t paying me nearly enough for this bullshit, I just know it. And now I get nothing for all my efforts, again!”
“You have me still,” Scay softly pointed out.
“I want to be paid my gold!” Tabitha yelled out in frustration. “That’s all I want!”
Scay remained silent for a while before slowly sitting up and unraveling her tail, gently brushing her hair out of her face then slithering closer to the distraught neko with a worried frown. She then sat beside the neko and tenderly held her with both arms, tail slowly curling around them while Tabitha glanced to her with a dull expression.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Scay said glancing to the neko, only getting a raised eyebrow in response. “You’re actually my only friend.”
“You said you had other friends when we first met.”
“I did,” Scay remorsefully admitted. “I lied. They didn’t want to be friends with me, no matter how hard I tried to be friends with them. I was all alone back home. Nobody liked me.”
“Gee, really?” Tabitha dryly replied. “What was wrong? Didn’t you stab them enough?”
“They didn’t like it when I stabbed them,” Scay pouted. “I couldn’t help myself, I… just like stabbing things. I’m not a bad girl, I’m really not, I just nrrghmmm- like it so much.”
“You poor thing,” Tabitha flatly said.
“They chased me out of my home,” Scay continued trembling a little. “I had to run away. I had nothing but my life’s savings in one hand and my mother’s dagger in the other.”
“I’m trying to feel some sympathy for you right now, I really am.”
“And then I met you,” Scay said with a small smile at her. “And you said we could be friends. You let me work with you to earn more money and even gave me some to buy a tasty pie with. You’re the only one that’s ever been nice to me.”
Tabitha watched with a curious eye as the naga rested her head on her shoulder, sighing softly as her tail affectionately held the neko close to her.
“You’re my best friend, Tabitha. I’m so happy I have you.”
“At least one of us got something out of all this,” Tabitha muttered, rocking her head back and resting it against the bare tree. With a reluctant sigh she patted the naga’s tail with her hand and looked away.
“Fine, stay with me if you want. I suppose you could repay me the gold I gave you for those pies by working for me.”
“Thank you,” Scay dearly said, nuzzling her head against the girl’s shoulder. After a pause she slowly lifted her dagger up to Tabitha’s belly and gently brushed it against her. “Can I please stab you now? Pretty please?”
“No.”
“Okay,” Scay agreed as she slowly lowered her dagger back down. “I’ll find something else to stab.”
A twig snapping got their immediate attention, with Tabitha quickly grabbing her swords while Scay sat upright with a bright smile on her face and a twitching left eye.
“I found something else,” the naga giggled before taking off with a crazed laugh. She raced along the ground in haste then over a small rise past some boulders and dried bushes before she started laughing wildly along with two sudden screams being heard.
“Do you have to stab everyone you meet?” Tabitha groaned as she got up and walked after her special friend. Making her way up the incline she sighed as she heard Scay laughing uncontrollably along with a rustling sound before reaching the top and jumping in surprise.
“HELLO!” Scay cheered as she darted about on the ground with a deranged smile, sliding across the dirt and rocks with dust being kicked up around her as she tried to advance on her prey which were keeping her at bay with a glowing magical shield.
“Get away you crazy girl!” Astreal yelled as Apoch moved her shield around to keep blocking the naga from getting closer. Scay lunged at them with her dagger, banged against the shield, then darted to the side and tried again only to be stopped by the barrier moving over in front of her.
“You’re so cute! I could just stab you all night!” Scay giggled before she slinked low under the magical barrier and raced towards the sisters. Astreal swung her staff to the side behind her and manifested three glowing crimson swords in the air while Apoch formed her shield in front of them again, her previous one shattering behind the naga who slammed into the new barrier face first.
“What is this?” Scay mumbled as she tapped the armor with her dagger. “It tastes funny. Or maybe that’s my blood. I can’t tell.”
“Enough!” Astreal yelled as she swung her staff to the side. Her glowing swords spiraled towards Scay who quickly screamed and darted around in circles to avoid the blades. One sword missed her body as it curled around to the side while another struck into the dirt beside her tail.
“I’m sorry!” Scay pleaded while dancing around wildly with the swords trying to hack her into pieces. “I just wanted to stab you!”
“Then allow me to return the kindness,” Astreal hissed as she formed three more swords and flung them towards the naga. Scay wailed and tried slinking around every whi
ch way as the swords attempted to pierce her quickly swaying body. A few struck into the dirt on both sides and pinned her down while another hit right beside her head, earning a frightened scream from the girl as the witches glared at her in discontent.
“Such a bother,” Astreal grunted as she held out her staff with its stone glowing softly. The remaining airborne swords aimed to strike down at the trembling naga before a katana slid in front of Astreal’s throat from behind and pressed against her. The twins jumped in surprise to see Tabitha holding her blade inversely against Astreal’s neck while scowling at them.
“Hello again,” Tabitha spoke with a low hiss. She knelt down behind Astreal and brought the other katana over in front of the witch’s face. “You and I have a problem.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” Astreal snapped. She then gasped as Tabitha pressed her blade against her neck and lifted her chin.
“I’ve been meaning to have a chat with you girls. But first, stop trying to kill my friend.”
“Your friend?” Astreal questioned with a glance to Scay.
“That crazy girl is your friend?” Apoch asked in puzzlement.
“I’m her best friend!” Scay laughed before she licked up along Astreal’s sword next to her head with a strained murmur. “Tastes funny. Nrrghmmm I kind of like it though.”
The witches watched the naga squirming around between Astreal’s blades while holding her hair over her face as she mumbled to herself then turned to Tabitha with raised eyebrows.
“Congratulations,” Apoch softly mocked. “You’ve hit rock-bottom.”
“Don’t remind me!” Tabitha yelled while keeping her swords against Astreal. “Do you have any idea just who or what that Daemon guy is? I’ve seen some pretty crazy shit, and heard some things that make my fur stand on end. Why wasn’t I properly warned about what exactly I was hired for?”
“What are you talking about?” Astreal asked.
“Don’t play dumb with me! That swordsman isn’t human! He’s a monster!”
“So?” the twins asked together.
“So? So? HE! IS! A! MONSTER! Did you not hear me? That man is a monster!”
“We know,” Astreal scoffed as she waved her hand down, throwing aside Tabitha’s swords with a magical pull. “We know all about him, do you think we’re stupid or something?”
“What do you mean you know all about him?” Tabitha demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me there was a male monster like that? Or how about the fact that he eats other monsters! What about that little detail?”
“He eats whatever he wants,” Apoch reasoned with a shrug. “That doesn’t mean monsters only.”
“He could have eaten me!” Tabitha cried out. “Do you know the kind of strength he has? I saw him annihilate an entire building with a single swing of his sword! I saw him pick the bones clean of a fluugher! And I swear that guy never sleeps, his stamina is ridiculous! He could have devoured me if he had the mind to!”
“But he didn’t,” the twins countered.
Tabitha slowly brought her swords up as she kept on guard, eyeing the two witches carefully as neither seemed shocked or even interested in her statements.
“And what about the key fragments he’s collecting? What about the City of Eden? What about the grand Darker One that lies trapped inside that place?”
Apoch and Astreal narrowed their eyes at that remark, with the blonde haired witch waving her staff aside and casting her glowing swords to float over behind her. Tabitha took a step back and shook her head slowly while Scay slithered over behind her, the naga twitching slightly as she held her dagger in a shaking hand.
“You knew about that monster as well, didn’t you?” Tabitha accused. “You’ve got to be kidding me. That doomsday story I was told is correct? Those key things unlock the grand Darker One of Eden? Is that why Charlotte wants those things, so she can unleash it?”
“No,” the twins replied shaking their heads. “She has no interest in doing such a thing, we assure you. In fact she herself is unaware of the Darker One’s existence.”
“How do you talk at the same time like that?” Scay asked crossing her eyes in confusion.
“But you two know about it,” Tabitha rebuked. “You know about that monster, you know what those fragments are used for. I don’t like this, none of it sits well with me. Were you two playing with me, is that it? Am I even working for Charlotte with this, or am I working for you two?”
“Silence!” the witches ordered. Tabitha and Scay watched them carefully as the sisters breathed out in annoyance while Astreal dissolved her swords behind them.
“Ms. Charlotte wants Mr. Daemon, nothing more,” Astreal bitterly explained. “The only reason she wants those artifacts is to present them to him as a gift, a token of affection.”
“Mr. Daemon seeks to keep the grand Darker One locked in her cage,” Apoch spoke in discontent. “He wishes to prevent her release. We know about that monster, and we know that it poses no threat to anyone as long as it’s sealed away.”
“Why wasn’t I told about any of this?” Tabitha demanded.
“Because you didn’t need to know,” Astreal snapped. “Your job was simple, you were supposed to tag along with Mr. Daemon and swipe those artifacts from his reach. They were supposed to be given to our alpha so she could give them to him personally. That was all there was to it.”
“But you couldn’t even do that, could you?” Apoch scoffed. “What are you doing sitting around here while he’s moving even further away as we speak? You’re supposed to be doing your job right now, and you can’t do that from here.”
Tabitha growled then lowered her stance as she turned her head away with a frustrated grunt.
“They left us behind.”
“They’re too fast,” Scay regrettably admitted. “Tabitha couldn’t keep running like they could, so they told us to leave them alone.”
“They’re not normal!” Tabitha barked out at her. “I ran as far and as fast as I could, but they just keep going! I get that he’s not human, but those other girls with him aren’t ordinary either, none of them get tired at all!”
“What are we paying you for?” Astreal condemned. “Get going and collect those fragments or else you will receive no gold.”
“How can I do that when they don’t want me around them?” Tabitha demanded. “They refuse to travel by any means other than foot, and I can’t run day and night like they can. How can I do this job when the ones I’m supposed to be following aren’t normal? Hell, the guy isn’t even human.”
“Aren’t you an expert mercenary?” Apoch scoffed. “Think of a way, idiot.”
“I can’t keep up with them, what am I supposed to do? And even if I could they don’t want me around, they don’t trust me, especially knowing that I’ve been employed by witches.”
“Then earn their trust,” Astreal snapped. “Figure out how to make this happen. We will not accept failure with this.”
“We’ll double your gold if that gets you thinking more clearly,” Apoch offered, with Tabitha’s eyes widening to that. “Two sacks of gold per key fragment. How does that sound?”
“Two?” Tabitha breathed out with eyes of wonder. “Of course that sounds amazing, but… what can I do to stay with them? I can’t keep running with them, my legs can’t do it. And they won’t trust me, they wouldn’t even let me touch the fragment they currently have. That reptile girl won’t let me lay a finger on it unless I’m looking to lose my hand.”
“Three then,” Astreal reasoned crossing her arms. Tabitha dropped to her knees with an open mouth as the witches watched her inquisitively. “Three sacks for each fragment. Still don’t think you can make this happen?”
“I… uh… three?” Tabitha squeaked out.
“Well? Do we have a deal or not?” the twins asked tapping their feet expectedly.
Tabitha dropped back onto her rear and stared at the witches in speechless marvel. Scay slowly slithered over to her side and watched as the neko w
as starting to drool a bit in her stunned state.
“Tabitha? How much gold are they going to give us?”
“Enough to buy a whole village full of men,” Tabitha answered in disbelief. Scay jumped with a yelp and turned to the witches with wide eyes as the twins nodded with bored expressions.
“If you’re going to help her then know that you will be rewarded most generously,” Astreal mentioned.
“So, do we have a deal?” Apoch asked again.
Tabitha slowly stood up while sheathing her blades behind her, eyes staring into the distance as she appeared to become lost in thought about the rich reward awaiting her. After a while of silence she nodded at the witches with a cautious look.
“I’ll accept your offer, but first clarify something for me. This Darker One that lies in the City of Eden, it’s not going to be coming out of its prison, is it?”
“No,” Astreal promised her. “You will give us the artifacts that Mr. Daemon finds, we will give them to Ms. Charlotte, who will then offer them to him as a gift from herself. He will have all the fragments in his possession to guard as he sees fit, our alpha will have gained his favor with her token of affection, the Darker One will remain locked in her prison, and you will be filthy rich. Everyone will win.”
“This is all about our alpha getting the swordsman she desires, nothing more,” Apoch reasoned with a wave of the hand.
“And how is it that this man is a monster?” Tabitha asked. “There are no male monsters in Eden, at least… there weren’t any that I ever heard of until I saw him. What exactly is he? Where did he come from?”
“We don’t have all night to explain everything to you,” Astreal cryptically answered. “There is much in this world that would astound you, I’m sure. But now is not the time for that.”
“You two could have at least warned me about what he was beforehand,” Tabitha scoffed. “Do you have any idea how much of a shock it was seeing and hearing everything that I have?”
“You appear to be fine, Ms. Tabitha,” Astreal remarked with a smirk. “We didn’t believe you would be scared away from your gold so easily should you have found out on your own.”
Chronicles of Eden - Act VIII Page 25