by J. Stone
Her lips and tongue were both in bad shape from the venom, and her throat burned, but she forced herself to speak. “Ruby.” The one word took nearly everything she had.
The princess turned to see her demon, flesh in shreds and in terrible pain from her own lack of control.
Scarlett held out her bloody and purple ooze covered arm to the princess. Another terrible effort, and she said, “Pull.”
Ruby understood what she needed. The bracelet had to come off. Through the force of the poisonous hurricane surrounding her, she managed to twist her body to face her demon. With everything she had, she raised her hands and grabbed the stony metal bracelet. Rather than pull, the princess just held tight and fell backward using her own weight to accomplish the task. The first bracelet came off, falling to the ground and then getting swept up in the current.
The horned demon felt power flow back through her. Though not immune, she did feel a level of resistance to the poison return to her. Her flesh began to knit itself back together, and her body generally began an involuntary repair process. She even generated another dress back over her skin, though she’d have preferred it stay off. Her strength restored, she moved quickly to her princess and held her up. She wrapped her arms around her nearly limp frame, letting her own power flow into Ruby’s body.
With her demon’s touch, the princess felt some strength reenter her. She managed to reach down inside herself, where that poisonous lever was housed. Wrenching it back to an off state required all of that newfound strength, but she managed it nevertheless. The poison began to flow back inside her, just as painful as it was going out. After the process finished over the course of several minutes, she collapsed to the floor sucking in air, like she had been drowning in the spewing filth. The cavernous ceiling dripped more than the beast ever had. It was an orchestra of blips on a scale she wouldn’t have thought possible. She was too exhausted by the expenditure and retrieval to be bothered with it.
“Are you alright?” Scarlett asked.
“Thanks… to… you,” the princess replied, still gasping for air.
The horned demon looked up to see why Ruby had risked so much. The terrible poisons that flooded the room had seared the beast that cowered at the edge of the room, but now that they had cleared, it was beginning to move again. “My princess, I believe it is time we go.”
“I… can’t,” she said, unable to catch her breath. Her throat was parched like she had been walking in the desert without water for days. “Need… poison…”
Scarlett held the other wrist, still manacled, to her master, nearly shoving it in her face. “Take this off, and I’ll oblige.”
The princess kind of shuddered, feeling feverish, and she jerked back at the sudden sight of the bracelet. She swallowed the air, burning her throat on the way down, and raised herself off her hands. One hand was all she could manage, and she collapsed back on the other, using it to brace herself. The free hand clasped Scarlett’s wrist weakly. Her fingers grabbed hold of the stony metal and tried to move it, but she couldn’t manage the feat.
The beast’s limbs began to fall down from where it had shielded itself. The dozens upon dozens of eyes blinked open, scanning the room and determining whether it was truly safe. It seemed to think so. Its limbs slithered forward, while the strange nostril tentacles crept out and sucked at the air. The dripping poison from the ceiling was all that was protecting the women now. Each drop that landed on a tendril or limb recoiled, causing it to shrink back into the creature’s form. It was only a matter of time before it braved the poison and attempted to continue what it had started.
Scarlett saw her princess’ weakness and knew that she had to help her efforts. While Ruby grabbed the bracelet, the horned demon grabbed Ruby. She helped her slide the bracelet from her wrist, which whatever magic that had held it in place seemed amenable to. The metal slipped from her wrist and fell with a clang to the floor, tumbling down and landing near the other. Her magic power and the bond to her princess was restored. Using that recovered energy, Scarlett manifested and funneled a dark poison into her princess. She forced it in at just a touch. Her power was not complete due to all it had taken to teleport her and her princess, however. The funnel closed and stopped, leaving her a small pool to draw from if needed.
Ruby too recovered, but not fully. She was, however, able to stand, along with her demon. The beast was still there and still tempting its luck, trying to reach out into the dripping poison, but the drops were continuing to hold it at bay for the moment. The princess took that time to pick up the bracelets and then to locate the orb. The artifact had luckily drifted away from the creature, back toward the door. She ran over to it, her shoes slapping in the puddles of ooze along the way, and Scarlett followed her, thinking they were leaving, as they should have been.
When the princess picked up the orb rather than just leaving, Scarlett asked, “What are you doing?”
“It’s power,” Ruby replied.
“It’s corrupted! You can’t wield it.”
The princess had a dark glint to her eye. “I’m taking it.”
Scarlett openly admitted that she liked when the darkness inside Ruby manifested itself, but this glowing orb was just too much. She worried it would be her downfall, but for the moment she let it go. They had to get out of there, and that’s exactly what her princess had begun to do.
Ruby ran back to Scarlett, who stood at the door. She handed her demon the bracelets and said, “Can you find a place to store these in your, uh… wherever you seem to put things?”
The horned demon took the bracelets back, careful to not let them fall onto her wrists again. “Yes, my princess,” she replied with very little inflection or enthusiasm.
Ruby cocked her head to the side. “Is something the matter?”
Scarlett shook her head. “Now’s not the time. We need to get out of here.”
The demon took her princess’ hand and pulled her from the room. They ran down the steps and onto the black and white marble floor, but they had to stop before they’d traveled very far. Ahead of them was what Scarlett easily recognized as a demon, holding a blade pointed at the women in one hand and a musty old tome, open to a specific page, in the other. Behind the women finally came the old beast, beginning to bash into the walls of the room it had been kept in, trying to escape its prison cell. Ruby and Scarlett found themselves trapped between these two dangers.
Chapter 33. The Untethered Demon and a Forgotten Beast
The thing that stood before them was something that Scarlett wouldn’t have thought possible. It was a demon, even Ruby could immediately see that, but there was more. This demon was untethered. There was no human bond or connection to speak of. She couldn’t imagine how this woman could have accomplished such a feat, and she wasn’t certain whether it would make the demon weaker or more dangerous.
The untethered demon was remarkably human in appearance just like Scarlett, but she had a much more reserved physical presentation. The untethered demon was quite beautiful, but she didn’t flaunt it like Scarlett was prone to. She had dark black hair that fell gently to her shoulders, but it was actually made of feathers rather than strands of hair, and she had a black line etched across her face and over her eyes that looked much like war paint. She wore a red dress with a black leather under bust corset atop it. In contrast with Scarlett, this untethered demon seemed less eager to show her skin, as she wore a cloth fabric under her dress that covered everything from her toes up to her neck. Over the skirt, the demon had a black leather belt with silver buckles, where the sheath for her sword hung empty. A pair of leather gloves protected her hands, but over the gloves were chain bracelets.
The sword the untethered demon held in her right hand was quite unique. The hilt was wrapped in black leathers, and the cross guard was metal shaped into a jaw, so that it looked like the blade was a tongue sticking out past the teeth. The blade itself was composed of jagged edges on one side and a sharp, curved edge on the other. The metal loo
ked strong and sturdy, but it was a crimson red color, further giving the impression of a tongue. Whether this was made of some strange red metal or just colored that way was unclear, but it left an impression either way.
In her left hand, she held open a strange old tome. Scarlett recognized the power held within it, but Ruby actually knew what it was. It was a book of spellcraft, quite literally. Durin had told her of a variety of magics in the world. Some were simply blessed at birth with an internal magic source like he had been or like the demons that were brought into the world, but most people were more mundane in that regard. A very select few, however, found ways to overcome that magic deficiency with the power of letters and words in a precise combination. They’d found a way to unlock sorcerous power without actually having any of their own. Just as with normal magic, however, there was still the chance for the effects and power of the spells to drive the individual into a maddened state. Durin had once described the contents of those kinds of books as cheat words.
What the untethered demon held in her hand was a collection of these cheat words. The book was a Rook’s Lexicon. Before Leina took over the kingdoms, the tomes had been illegal to have and use under threat of death, so they were exceedingly rare for anyone to have except trusted members of the court. Durin had one, and when Ruby was a child, he had even let her see it once. There was no mistaking that book for any other. Just being in its presence gave off a sort of aura of chaotic energy that could make you sick if you weren’t used to it. The lexicon was bound in black leather, and etched onto either side were strange symbols not part of any language still spoken or known. They looked not unlike the engravings in the door the old beast had been behind.
“I’ve been looking for you two,” the untethered demon said in an all too cheerful tone.
The beast slammed against the walls behind them again, causing the thunderous noise to echo through the great hall.
“Who are you?” Ruby asked. She palmed the orb and moved it to her back, not willing to let anyone take it from her.
“Astrid, at your service,” she said, taking a mock bow.
Scarlett narrowed her eyes. “And what are you?”
Astrid smiled. “The same as you.”
Another clamoring smash against the wall behind them.
Scarlett ignored it. She needed answers. “But you’re not bonded. How is that possible?”
The untethered demon shifted on the spot, deciding how to answer. “The bracelets you’ve collected aren’t the only pair in the world.”
“How do you know of such things?” Ruby demanded.
Astrid thumped her fingers against the book in her hands. “I have my ways. I know what you’re planning, even if your sister doesn’t. When I was much younger and my master still alive, he placed a set on my wrists. I’m still wearing them.” She nodded to the metal chains wrapped around her wrists. “Can’t get the damn things off.”
Scarlett tilted her head. “When he was still alive?”
Astrid smiled. “I killed him, just as I’ve come to kill your master. Without the connection, I wasn’t forced to share his death. I was allowed to live on. The same could be said for you if you want it. Queen Leina has only contracted me to bring back her sister’s head. If you put the bracelets on, I’ll forget about you.”
Ruby wasn’t going to listen to Astrid any longer. “Scarlett isn’t interested in--”
“Let her speak for herself!” the untethered demon shouted, pointing the blade at the princess.
The beast slammed against the wall again. It was nearly through the thick layers of rock.
Scarlett considered the untethered demon’s words. Freedom certainly had its appeal, but she didn’t see Ruby in the way Astrid had clearly seen her master. Scarlett felt joy to be bonded with her princess. Rather than reply to the untethered demon’s offer, she reached into the vacant space she stored things. Astrid looked eagerly at the act, clearly assuming the bracelets were on their way back out. That wasn’t the case, as Scarlett retrieved the scythe she had used before as well as the war hammer that Ruby seemed to have been comfortable using. She recognized that they would have to fight their way out past this assassin demon before the beast at their back came smashing through the wall and claimed them all. Astrid frowned at the sight of the weapons, but she didn’t appear to be too surprised.
Ruby took the weapon from her horned demon, managing to wield the heavy thing in only one hand. The poison gave her enough strength to effectively use it, while still clutching onto the orb that the old creature seemed to be drawn to. “Like I said,” the princess began. “Scarlett isn’t interested in your deal.”
“So it seems,” Astrid replied with a shrug. “I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way.”
The untethered demon looked down to her book and mouthed something neither Ruby nor Scarlett was able to hear. They were clearly able to see what the words from her lexicon had accomplished, however. A mirror duplicate of Astrid stretched out in a translucent, glossy wave from her body, taking form just to her side. Everything had been swapped in the spellcraft. The copy held the book and sword in opposite hands, her clothes were reflected, and even the part in her dark feather hair was reversed. She had effectively evened the odds.
Again, the mountain cracked and crumbled, as the old beast smashed its body against the chamber walls. There was little time to deal with the assassin who had been sent to claim the princess’ head for Leina and the craggy hand demon. Ruby and Scarlett both moved forward picking their respective version of Astrid to meet in combat.
Ruby spit some of her venom onto the end of the hammer and held the orb tightly in her fist. The more she clenched, the more power she felt permeating from it. Scarlett placed both hands on the grips of the wooden snaith and catalogued in her head the number of spells she thought herself capable of producing. Not many, she discovered. The dual versions of Astrid also prepared for combat. The one approaching Ruby spoke something that made a wave of green energy wash over her body before dissipating entirely, while Scarlett’s opponent didn’t bother with any additional words from her Rook’s Lexicon, opting to focus on the sword. She flicked her wrist, twirling the red blade about and then brought it up to face Scarlett.
The princess was the first of the four to attack, raising the war hammer over her head and bringing it down toward her version of Astrid. The untethered demon was a much more capable fighter, however, and she simply moved to the side, avoiding what would have been a crushing blow.
“Going to have to do better than that,” Astrid mocked.
After stepping out from the path of the swipe, the untethered demon slashed her blade across Ruby’s leg, cutting the flesh and dress both. The princess hobbled backward, getting some distance between herself and the assassin. Looking down at her injury, she saw some of her poison-filled blood leaking down her leg. It wasn’t too deep, she decided. Ruby spit her venom down into the cut and watched as the skin mended itself.
“As will you,” the princess replied, rushing forward once again.
Across the room, Scarlett felt the cut in her leg that Ruby had received, but ignored it. She focused on her opponent and had opted for a more subtle strategy than the princess’ direct assault. She and Astrid circled each other, both wary to step forward and attack the other. The assassin ultimately made the first move, swinging her red blade horizontally toward Scarlett. She met the attack with the thick wood of the snaith, pushing back and causing Astrid to stumble several steps away. Scarlett moved forward, swiping her scythe’s blade across the assassin’s midsection, but she either moved too slow, or the untethered demon moved too fast. Either way, she scraped nothing but the air between them. The demons resumed their wary circling, each waiting for the other to make the next move.
Ruby and her version of the assassin demon continued to dodge one another’s weapon strikes, and the princess was tiring of their game of misses. The poison inside her was boiling, so she spat some out at the untethered demon before her.
The dark red spit hit an invisible field of magic causing the green shimmering layer to reappear before her. The poison simply slopped to the ground, and Astrid smiled at Ruby.
“I came prepared for you,” the untethered demon informed Ruby.
The princess wiped her mouth clean of the poison and clenched her fist on the grip of the war hammer, continuing her former attacks. Scarlett, meanwhile, was casting a series of spells against her opponent, but Astrid countered them with the words in her book. Neither woman was getting any advantage over the assassin that had been sent to collect the princess’ head, and both worried that they wouldn’t have the time or energy to properly deal with this new threat.
Both sets of combat were interrupted, however, when the terrible beast smashed through the walls and into the enormous cavern they now occupied. Rubble from the rock of the mountain and ceiling overhead tumbled down and around the creature. All of Rashtalg shook, causing Ruby, Scarlett, and both versions of Astrid to fall to the ground. The old beast’s eyes shot all across the room, as though it were searching for something or someone. The dozens of eyes finally settled on the princess, and it began to stomp and slither forward in her direction. Its sniffing snout-tentacles shot out toward her, and the creature’s limbs shuffled its terrible and undulating mass into the room.
