Sable

by Tamryn Tamer

  “I don’t think she planned anything,” Terra laughed. “She heard Jinx was in trouble and from what I heard from Raven nobody was going to stop her.”

  “Well, she is my familiar,” Jericho grinned while trying to think of ways to reward her.

  “Speaking of recklessness,” Carrot looked around. “Shouldn’t we be getting out while the getting is good?”

  “Not until we loot and burn every house belonging to Phoenix in this city,” Jericho said. “They need to learn a lesson.”

  “Torture, slaughter, vengeance, destruction, and theft?” Sable rolled her eyes. “My master seems to be overflowing with virtue.”

  “I never claimed to be virtuous,” Jericho grabbed the pale skinned beauty and pulled her in. “But I am a lot of fun.”

  “And when’s the fun start?” Sable said conceitedly.

  “You’ve clearly never looted,” Jericho said gesturing at the wolves. “Ladies, go collect everything you can. Oh, and in case you’re wondering Jinx loves jewelry, gemstones, and gold.”

  “I’m going to collect the most!” Kadra dashed off ahead of the others.

  “That’s what you think!” Avara said chasing after.

  “We’ll meet you at the gate,” Freya saluted as she walked past. “And don’t forget that Jinx is very angry with you.”

  “I haven’t,” Jericho sighed. He looked at Sable, “Okay, I’m going to need your help finding as much jewelry as possible. Because if I don’t bring her a literal dragon’s horde of treasure, she’s going to kill me.”

  “Alright,” Sable said trying to hide her interest in the debauched activity as they dashed around the city with Terra and Carrot breaking into Phoenix homes, looting all their treasure, and burning the houses to the ground.

  Jericho cast illusions to distract guards or hide amongst them as they moved through streets and alleyways. They’d looted and burned down three medium-sized Phoenix owned homes and the number of guards on the street was increasing. They turned a corner and ended up face to face with seven elites.

  “I’ll…” Sable lifted her staff intending to wipe them out but Jericho grabbed her shoulder stopping her. “What?”

  “It’s not as fun that way,” Jericho said pulling her down an alley as Carrot blinked to a rooftop and Terra leaped over a wall. Theia flew upward easily avoiding everything. “Think of it as a game.”

  “A game?” Sable laughed as Jericho pulled her into another home to loot. “It seems it’d be easier to just wipe them out.”

  “But then we’d piss off the Kar Mograth nobility more than we already have,” Jericho said searching through a chest and pocketing a pile of gemstones, gold, and rare equipment. “And this way it’s a challenge.”

  “These are nice,” Sable said grabbing a bunch of enchanting crystals and alchemy reagents. “I can definitely use these. We finished?”

  “Yeah,” Jericho said snapping his fingers and starting a fire.

  They walked out and they were surrounded by elite pikemen. Jericho grinned impishly at Sable, grabbed her arm, and transformed himself a large pair of angel wings lifting her into the sky.

  “Shit!” Jericho said pulling her into his arms while putting up a barrier of light to block the incoming arrows. “That was close.”

  “Don’t drop me!” Sable squealed as she tightly latched onto him.

  “Master!” Theia yelled as she swiftly approached. “There you are! Terra said to tell you they’re falling back.”

  “Yeah,” Jericho said staring at the increasing waves of elite soldiers spawning from the keep. If they stayed any longer the city would be overrun with them. “It’s about time we head out.”

  “Everybody is meeting up a little way to the east,” Theia said. “Follow me.”

  “Don’t drop me,” Sable repeated burying his head in his chest. “Don’t drop me.”

  “You’re kidding me?” Jericho laughed at the petite familiar. “You can’t be scared of heights. Darkness is literally a bottomless abyss.”

  “It’s bottomless!” Sable whined. “There is a very real bottom if you drop me!”

  “I won’t drop you,” Jericho said as they saw everybody congregating on a hill. He noticed Ariel floating midair squeezing a struggling Jinx. The wolf women attempted to save Jinx but failed miserably as Ariel remained a few feet out of their reach.

  It seemed everybody was comparing the loot they’d gained from the city while tallying up the losses of players. Waves of fairies were still replenishing explosive potions before returning to the city to continue the firebombing. Apparently, Ariel was taking the assault very seriously. Jericho arrived and landed in front of everybody while shifting his wings away. He gently put down Sable and started munching on chocolate bars.

  “Jericho! I was so scared!” Ariel flew down crying, practically tackling Jericho on her landing. Jinx quickly used the opportunity to squirm away only to be snatched up by Sable.

  “Put me down!” Jinx swatted at the red-eyed Nyxian. “It’s your fault I was even in that mess! Wraith! Revenant!”

  “My fault?” Sable smiled at the tiny spirit feline. “Isn’t it your fault for trying to fight them when you’re just a tiny spirit?”

  “Don’t call me tiny! I’m the strongest of the spirit beasts! Ghost! Apparition!” Jinx roared.

  “Of course you are,” Sable said playfully. “You are just the biggest strongest spirit beast there is! Yes, you are!”

  “Jericho!” Jinx squeaked. “When we get home the first thing, you’re doing is feeding me so I can beat your new familiar into a pulp! And you right afterward for putting me in that position! Jackass! Bastard!”

  Chapter 10

  A Monster's Promise

  Mirage never had a family. For as long as she could remember she spied, stole, and killed as a way of life. It wasn’t something she wanted to do, it was just something she was good at.

  The only thing she ever really wanted was a family, people who loved her not for what she could provide, but for who she was. And against all odds, she found that. And it was everything she’d ever imagined and more.

  Her days were filled with love, laughter, and happiness. Given her past, it was a life she didn’t deserve, which made her appreciate it even more.

  She’d warned Loki there would be consequences to coming after those she loved, he should have listened. But there was no point in thinking about what he should have done, there was only the tapping of her finger against her knee as she waited for him in a tree above the graveyard.

  She heard the horn sound in the distance and within moments players were resurrecting at the graveyard. She wasn’t surprised in the slightest, she had faith in her master and the others. That’s why she could leave them to find a nice perch as she waited for her master to come out victorious.

  Every time soldiers resurrected, they’d sprint back toward the city with panicked expressions on their faces. The first batch of soldiers was rather large but then the speed at which they trickled out started to slow. Before long only one or two were coming at a time. That didn’t concern her as much as make her impatient.

  She looked down as a rather large batch arrived one after another, each more confused than the last. Mirage grinned knowingly. She’d seen that expression before, whenever her master comes up with some impossible new trick leaving his opponents stumped. He was likely near the finish.

  Finally, after the last batch rushed off, Loki appeared. Mirage wasn’t surprised that he was angry and confused, he probably thought he’d won. He had the hostage, he had the soldiers, he even had the elite guards of Kar Mograth should anybody decide to invade the city. Losing was probably inconceivable to him.

  Yet, there he was, angry and confused muttering to himself as he kicked the dirt.

  “I’m going to kill that mother fucker!” Loki growled while punching a tree. “I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill his pets. I’m going to kill his friends.”

  “Are you now?” Mirage whispered into his
ear.

  “What?” Loki tumbled to the ground terrified by the sound of her voice. She was flattered he remembered it, it meant she made an impression. “No. What are you doing here? Did he…”

  “My master doesn’t know I’m here,” Mirage smiled. “He also doesn’t know about our previous conversation. You see, I dread the thought of him looking at me like I’m some sort of monster.”

  “You are a fucking monster,” Loki turned to crawl away. She let him get ten yards away before blinking behind him and shoving him back to the ground. “Stay away from me!”

  “I can’t,” Mirage said. “You see, you and I had a conversation the last time we met, about what was going to happen if you went after my family again.”

  “No, no, no,” Loki said while looking around for help. After seeing nobody was around, his body went limp and he died.

  “I didn’t know you could do that,” Mirage smiled as she turned to see him running the opposite direction from the graveyard. She blinked several times quickly catching up with him and taking him down again, this time by slashing his Achilles tendons. “I see you still haven’t learned.”

  “Stay away,” Loki said forcing another death. Unfortunately for him, the only reason he got as far as he did the first time was, she hadn’t expected it. She caught his same healed tendons with throwing knives and approached him casually as he tried to crawl away. “Get away from me you psychotic cunt!”

  “I would have liked to stay away,” Mirage stepped on his back. “But you couldn’t stay away from my family.”

  “Family,” Loki scoffed. “You’re not even alive! You’re fucking nothing! Me! I’m alive!”

  “I’m aware that you don’t see me as alive,” Mirage said. “You know, you probably don’t know her but my master has the cutest little familiar, Ariel. She’s the one that led the siege on your city today. Wouldn’t hurt a fly if she could help it. The funny thing about little Ariel…she talks to plants.”

  “What the fuck are you…” Loki said as Mirage slammed her boot in his face.

  “Don’t interrupt,” Mirage smiled sweetly at the whimpering guild master. “You see, she not only talks to plants but names them, throws them birthday parties, and creates elaborate stories about their lives. She loves them even though they’re plants. It’s ridiculous.”

  “I don’t…”

  “I’m getting there,” Mirage said while stepping on his neck. “You see, it’s a matter of perspective. To me, Ariel’s plants are just plants, but to her, they’re living beings worthy of love and respect.”

  “Idiot…” Loki laughed as Mirage stomped on his shoulder dislocating it. His bodied died again and she blinked to catch him another time, this time chopping off his feet. “Fuck!”

  “You’ll let me finish,” Mirage said. “You’re the one that said I’m nothing, that I’m not alive. So I’m educating you on the nature of life.”

  “You’re not alive!” Loki screamed as her boot came down on his refreshed jaw.

  “Ariel’s plants,” Mirage continued where she left off. “You immortals view us very much like I view Ariel’s plants. Most of you look at us like we’re nothing but foliage to be culled and used as you please. Kill us, take our items, leave us to rot. Which, no argument here. I’ve killed far too many people to preach that we’re anything but foliage.”

  “Fuck off!” Loki gurgled as blood dripped from his broken jaw.

  “Anyway,” Mirage leaned down and started lopping off Loki’s fingers. “The point I was getting at is you look at me and see nothing, just like I look at Ariel’s plants and see plants. But Jericho, he loves me and I love him. So, the question I have at the end of all of this, does it really matter if I’m just foliage? I have somebody who loves me, do you?”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Loki released his body again only to be caught again by Mirage as she restarted lopping off his appendages.

  “Does it hurt to know that a lifeless thing like me is loved?” Mirage smiled as she looked into his crying eyes, she could see the anguish. She laughed as she sliced into his back like she was skinning a deer. “How sad is that? You’re so alive, yet completely unloved. Even a nothing like me is loved. And don’t people love their pets? You’re lower than a goldfish.”

  “I’m going to fucking kill you,” Loki cried.

  “Still trying to sound tough,” Mirage shook her head as she stomped on his neck killing him. She dashed back to the graveyard to grab him again, completely refreshed and ready to start over. “You know Loki, I feel like we’re really getting to know each other, so I’m going to tell you a little secret. After we’re finished today, I’m going to go back to Jericho and smile like this never happened. I’ll spend hours cutting you to pieces as you scream and beg, and it won’t bother me one bit. Do you want to know why?”

  “You’re psychotic!” Loki whimpered as she restarted on his fingers.

  “No,” Mirage said. “Well, maybe. But the reason I can, when I look at you, I see nothing. It’s funny, isn’t it? I see more life in Ariel’s plants than I do in you. Do you know why? Because at least somebody loves them.”

  “Fucking die,” Loki sobbed on the ground as Mirage continued to cut him up while repeating all of the ways he’s unwanted. She even started to feel pity for the pathetic pile of parts that used to be a man.

  Mirage had spent a lot of time thinking about how she could make an immortal suffer. Sure, she could inflict pain and kill them over and over again. She could even follow them around as a monster, kill them when they least expect it, impersonate them and isolate them from their friends and allies.

  “Honestly,” Mirage chuckled as she grabbed a newly respawned Loki. “I was really struggling to figure out how I was going to hurt you. I mean, I promised you pain and suffering but I’d already diced you to pieces and showed you my scary face. If that didn’t work, what would? I really had no idea. Then when you took Jinx, you reminded me that there was a way to hurt immortals. Your psyche.”

  “You can’t hurt me,” Loki said failing to look tough as he trembled and cried. “I’m not some fucking pussy like Jericho.”

  “I know,” Mirage said assuredly. “You’re so tough, so strong. You were the leader of one of the biggest guilds. But nobody cared. In fact, they laughed and joked behind your back, didn’t they? And when Diana left, they were eager to go with her because you’re nothing.”

  “They went with her because she’s a girl,” Loki sobbed as Mirage diced him up again.

  “Yet that girl just annihilated your guild,” Mirage laughed. “I suppose you’re not as strong as you thought. I’m sure those who pitied you and stuck around will be sure to leave now. Won’t they? So sad, poor unlovable Loki.”

  “Just shut up,” Loki whimpered. “Shut up already.”

  “But what can you do?” Mirage giggled. “Did you dream that being powerful would finally make people love you? It didn’t work, did it? Yet little Jericho, the mage, the weakest class, everybody loves him.”

  “Guys like him always get everything!” Loki lashed out in tears. He released his body and attempted to escape again only to lose a leg and tumble over. “He doesn’t even have to try! Everything just falls in his lap! Fuck him! I’m going to kill you! Kill all of his other familiars! Everything!”

  “And you call me a psycho,” Mirage joked. She started inspecting his height, his face, his body, “I bet you imagined if you were the tall and muscular people would love you, didn’t you? Then as soon as you opened your mouth, everybody walked away. Want to know why? You’re disgusting.”

  “Fuck off already!” Loki screamed as Mirage stomped on his head. He gurgled blood, “Fuck off.”

  “Not until you understand,” Mirage said. “I love my master, my master loves me, therefore my life is worth something. But what about you Loki? Who loves Loki? Do you even love yourself?”

  “Just stop,” Loki sobbed. “Please, just stop.”

  “Why are you asking me to make it stop?” Mirage smiled. �
�You’re the immortal. I’m just a plant. You have the power to make it stop whenever you want, don’t you? My master leaves this world all the time. I assume you have the same ability. If you want it to stop, just leave. And if you come back, I’ll find you and we can start right back up.”

  “Fine,” Loki cried. “This isn’t even fun anymore. I hope you all fucking die.”

  “Goodbye,” Mirage said as his body vanished. She let out a sigh of relief that it was finally over. Despite the way she made it seem, she didn’t enjoy torture. She was simply good at locking her feelings away in little boxes when she had to.

  She wondered if she may have gone too far but that thought quickly faded away. He was the one who didn’t heed her warning. Had he only listened to her and left them alone he could still be maintaining his delusions of grandeur.

  Mirage sighed and started to head back toward Dayrose. She wondered what she should tell her master about what she’d been up to. She certainly couldn’t tell him the truth, he’d be furious with her. But she hated lying to him. Maybe she’d get lucky and he wouldn’t even notice she was missing.

  She didn’t want Jericho to see her as the monster she knew she was. After everything she’d done, she was completely unworthy of love. Despite knowing that, she didn’t intend to give it up without a fight. Against all odds she found love and a home, even if she didn’t deserve it, even if she was a monster, she was never going to let it go.

  Chapter 11

  Reunited and Recharged

  After various deliberations on loot distribution, the army of players disbanded and each went their own way. Endgame returned to their various homes satisfied with the blow they’d dealt to the enemy alliance and Tiamat returned to their homes in Kar Mograth to audit the damage.

  In general, they decided they needed to relocate. Houses destroyed in sieges weren’t recoverable and the plots of land could never be reused. This meant the city which was previously bustling with life was permanently half eradicated.