Demons, Mercenaries, and Other Complications Chapter 6

Hey there! Here is Chapter 6 of my Sci/Fi Fantasy Hybrid novel. If you missed Chapter 5 click here. If you want to go to Chapter 7 click here. If you want to start from the beginning click here for Chapter 1. Thanks again for reading, and make sure to swing back here every Friday for the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

Death and His In-Laws

Victor tapped a steady beat on his mahogany desk with long surgeon fingers. He watched the swirling clouds inside his grandiose Victorian mirror lost in thought. Deep in the gray mass an image rippled like the reflection in a clear pond. It showed a hazy bar in the heart of an asteroid.

Victor’s scarlet eyes concentrated on the pirate boy with the lizard skin. They called him Snake Eyes. No really that was his name. It’s what happens when you let a pack of space cowboys name you. Not that the child had much of a choice in the matter.

Names aside he should be useful. The boy was powerful, smart, and young enough to manipulate. Victor leaned back and smiled when he saw the reptilian pirate caste a long look over the rock skinned Lava Nymph dancing on the stage. Interesting, using him might be even easier then he’d first thought.

A sudden weight on his right wing distracted Victor. He looked up in time to have a small hurricane smack his face. The Harbinger blinked at the giant hound that had just sighed a storm at his master. The dog had crimson eyes, and a skull so large it would put a Kodiak bear to shame.

“Rufus that’s my face,” the black and brown head lifted its ears, and sighed again blowing Victor’s hair into a mess. The Harbinger rolled his eyes, and started scratching the monstrous chin.

Victor’s mind shifted back to his mirror. He should give the snake pirate a clue or two. His plans needed this Snake Eyes to find the sword sooner rather than later. Still he’d have to tread lightly. More than one of the ancient powers wanted these particular pirates dead.

“Best be cautious right Rufus?” Victor smiled up at the oversized Rottweiler.

“No need to start an inner-dimensional war and wipe out all sentient life right Vic? But you know what? That’s boring! Why do that? It’s almost as boring as you still using that old enchanted mirror instead of the snazzy holographic monitor my guys installed last month. I mean you could at least try it this century.”

A voice bounced off the dark chamber’s Victorian décor. Not an echo, but as if there were several different voices yelling at once. The sound woke a second hound from under Victor’s left wing.

She was similar to the first dog, but had a pure white belly, gray mane, and intelligent blue eyes. Both creatures started wagging their stubby tails with excitement.

With a puff of dark green smoke a raven winged man appeared. He sat backwards on a simple wooden chair that he pushed into a physics defying angle. The hounds barked, and pounced on the bright emerald eyed intruder. He joined the dog pile with a laugh.

“Shiva! Rufus! I love you too, but get off! I have to annoy your master. Down. Down.” both hounds ignored the half hearted commands. Soon there was a thrashing mob of claws, teeth, fur, and wings rolling around Victor’s hand crafted chair.

Ignoring the fuss Vic waved his hand over his desk bringing up a holographic monitor and keyboard. He started writing orders with inhuman speed. It was going to take some doing to get these schemes off the ground, and he didn’t have any time to waste.

“All right I give up you overgrown sausages! Here catch!” Out from the mass tangled limbs shot several pieces of meat. Some flew on ethereal wings while others bounced and multiplied dragging the hounds’ attention away from the intruder. Victor still refused to acknowledge his “guest”. There was work to do.

Twirling his chair the raven winged man sat on it with a flourish. The rough motion destroyed the hapless piece of furniture since it had been caught in the eight hundred pound animal scuffle.

Victor gave the chair’s demise a half glance before going back to his orders and strategizing. Maybe he would get bored and leave. That was wishful thinking, but even Victor had dreams.

“So what ya working on Vic?”

Victor continued typing. Not a single slice of emotion broke through his caste-iron composure. If he rushed he might just have enough time to finish.

“Come on Vic you know you want to tell Death what you’re working on! Come on spill it! Spill it! Spill it! It! It! It! It! It! Iiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttt! Spppppiiiiillllllll it! Spppppiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllll Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttt! Spill it! It it it it it it Iiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttt! Spiilll Iiiiit! Spill It!”

This went on for quite some time. It went on for so long that Shiva got bored of the bouncing meat. Rufus followed her onto the monstrous coffin shaped bed that Death had given Victor as a father-in-law of the millennia gift, or some other nonsense he concocted to buy it. Vic glanced in their direction as they sprawled out on his bed. It must be nice to be an eight hundred pound shadow hound who could afford to ignore the King of Reapers.

“I see you’re talking in third person again,” Victor said in a voice so dry it could have drained an ocean. Death flashed his pearly white teeth before teleporting in and out of green smoke a few times. After several jumps he found a perch hanging from an exotic light fixture above the mirror.

“Yes, yes I am you never know when some crazy cosmic storyteller might be trying to write our memoirs, and needs a clever way to put me into the story. You hear that Fate you’re welcome!” Shut up Death I don’t need your help to write my story.

“Oh yeah you do don’t even try to deny it! And I’m winking right now with my devilishly handsome face. Make sure to tell them that. They can’t see my masculine features.” Death is yelling into the air at a voice he calls Fate clearly he is insane… “Ha, nice try dipshit, but you already answered me!” Hey you’re not allowed to interrupt my narration!

“Watch me Fate, just watch me,” Death is making a grin that is pure evil, and I have chosen to ignore him. You hear that Death? I’m ignoring you to till you continue the scene. This could take a while.

Yep he’s still screaming, and now he’s rolling, very mature of him. Oh look he just turned into a skeleton teddy bear wielding a mini scythe while bringing undead stuffed animals out of their graves.

Don’t ask me why they have graves I’m just telling you what he’s doing. Great now he’s turned himself into a winged blue tiger, with purple stripes, five heads, and twenty horns. Alright I think he’s running out of steam hang on. Wait for it.

“Are you done?” Victor asked as he glared down a zombie stuffed pony trying to stalk him.

Victor summoned his anti-matter energy disintegrating the tiny horse in a disturbing yet cute manner. Overkill if you ask me, but the rest of the adorable monsters kept their distance. The undead stuffed animals were soon pounced and shredded by the chew toy hungry Rottweilers.

“Maaayybeee, that depends on if I get to know what you’re working on,” Death smiled with mischief written all over his face. A second later he appeared on top of Victor’s desk. Still annoying, but thank God he’s not a twenty horned tiger anymore.

Vic raised a dark eyebrow under his perfect pitch black hair line studying the mad face of his King. Part of him debated holding out a little longer. The Reaper King could be unbearable when he was in a hyperactive mood.

“I’m sure you already know Connor,” Victor said with a stern poker face that made him look like a ravenous hawk eyeing a savory steak.

“Weeeelllllll, yes, I do, but why get caught up in all the details? You want my help. I can tell. Why else do you think I’d attack you in work mode? I can’t get much more of a grunt out of you when you’re like this. Not unless I do some unsavory action like slaughter a planet or some other frowned upon act. You know like that time I turned that one emperor into a rabid squirrel? Good times.”

“Your point?” Victor didn’t feel like disagreeing they both knew it was true, and yes Death did turn an emperor into a squirrel. Don’t ask.

“Come on! I know you know, but you’ve been watching Myvraid. You’ve been drooling all over that rock like Shiva on the flying roast beef. I’ve been reaping down there for centuries, and I think I know when metal walkers start having too much fun. If that sword has chosen a wielder then things are starting to heat up. If things get much hotter let’s just say if you don’t get involved I’ll have to get all serious like and intervene. Or I would if it wasn’t for that annoying inner-dimensional peace treaty. What a drag! It’s about time we ‘stretch’ that mutt of a contract a bit eh?”

Death waved his hands dismissively at that last part. He talked as if the Iliad Peace Treaty which ended centuries of violence between several inner-dimensional empires was a simple thing to accomplish.

“Agreed,” Victor let his pointed leer out of its prison. It turned his hawkish face into such a mess of fangs and jaws that a shark would’ve had a jealous fit.

“Connors,” continued Death’s father-in-law, “can I expect you to calm down your antics while I go ‘stretch’ this constricting treaty?”

One look at that murderous grin, and Death’s eyes lit up brighter than headlights on a possessed clown car. “Pssshh like I’d promise that! Besides your daughter wants us to try that she warrior dish from Ionex 9. Looking forward to that,” Victor could have sworn somebody had rubbed a skunk up and down his Son-in-law’s taste buds with the face he made. No wonder his grandkids were picky eaters.

“Your wife could drive a sane man from the light my Lord Death,” a chuckle almost escaped Victor jaws before he crushed the concept with a harsh snap, but laughter loud and uninhibited flew out of the eccentric reaper.

“Yeah makes you wonder who raised that gorgeous she wolf huh?”

“Makes me wonder what sort of masochist would enjoy her abuse.”

“Ouch that hurts Vic, but I like it!”

Victor’s light chuckle finally saw the light of day, but sounded more like a wheezing rabbit being crushed by a snake. Victor didn’t know how, but this ridiculous King always found a way to make him laugh.

Of course that wouldn’t be enough to earn Victor’s respect, but the Reaper King had hidden qualities that only those with only half their sanity could ever see. Vic knew that meant he was most likely insane. Oh well, might as well enjoy it with good company.

“Can I make a suggestion to remedy our mutual Death sentence by good meaning poison Connor?”

“Psssshhh what you talking about? I love my wife’s poison, I mean food. It burns the insides in a special way that only her cooking can do.”

“I’m sure, yet if I were to play hookie to my daughter’s cooking I could probably find you some fun on Myvraid Lord Death.”

For a terrifying half second both winged fiends grinned turning their eyes into blinding suns. There was a reason why Victor had let this nutcase marry his daughter. Not that he’d ever admit it.

“Done! But we might want to watch doing this game too much. If we tried it another time this century I might lose more than…

“And what ‘game’ are you talking about you ass of a reaper!” A voice barraged the room making Victor’s over sensitive ears twitch. He turned his head toward the exotic doorway already knowing who it was.

A gorgeous woman stood in the doorway with long flowing black hair being fashioned into a masterpiece by the same petite girl with snow white wings from the royal gardens. One look at his daughter’s flashing silver eyes was all Victor needed to see. Things were going to get messy.

“Scatter she’ll make us eat her food!” Connor yelled before disappearing into a wall with a cloud of smoke. His wife was hot on his heels.

Muscled gray feathered wings burst from her back, and the next second she shot forward. The Reaper Queen passed through the wall like a vengeful phantom. As she passed by her father the Queen gave him a glare that could freeze your soul.

That doesn’t do it justice. Your blood would find an all new state of being beyond absolute zero not yet discovered by science. That’s how cold that glare was. It would have killed a lesser mythical creature, but Victor was used to his daughter’s scorn.

Of course, if you were there you might have found her fangs to be a little more disconcerting. In the split second it took for her to reach the wall her jaws had snapped three times their normal size to hold her monstrous canines. She had the look of a saber-tooth lioness who had found her mate slacking off in the morning sun.

Victor had to wonder how that insane dragon had come from such a gentle mother. She may have been a Banshee, but that was beside the point. A large crash distracted Victor’s musing.

Vic turned his scarlet headlight like eyes to the door. There he saw his daughter’s hairstylist frantically trying to collect a fallen mess of combs, scissors, and other contraptions that went over Victor’s head. He hated it when his daughter left her pets in his room.

“I’m sorry my Lord Harbinger just a second! Gah! I love the Queen, but really couldn’t she beat on the King after I finish?” Red fire designs rippled across the young stylist’s wings flashing with her thrashing motion. With impressive speed she stuffed more and more contents into a purse that could have rivaled a marine’s rucksack.

Victor let out a low sigh that sounded more like an annoyed growl from a Minotaur. How many distractions was he going to have before this day was over? This room was his one retreat. Was it too much to ask for a little peace in this reaper den?

Shiva must have felt her master’s frustration. She stalked forward and lowered her mammoth head to the intruder’s eye level. Most of the time Victor’s charming demeanor was enough to scare away any invaders from his cave, and whenever that failed Shiva would drive them off. Or at least that’s how it was suppose to work.

“Oh Wow! A white shadow hound! Do you know how rare these girls are? She’s fabulous!” Victor blinked at the outburst. The next thing he knew Shiva was engulfed in a fierce hug as the light browned haired girl pounced.

Vic had seen that hound defeat half-demons, full demons, hounds twice her size, and even a dragon in battles that she won with her intelligence and wit. Yet her best plan to convince the bubbling girl to release her was an awkward back peddle.

Victor felt his eye start to twitch, and was half way ready to save his pet from the wild girl, who didn’t seem to know when a war hound was trying desperately not to bite your head off, when Rufus stood to his full height. He growled a low menacing snarl that told the world that even though some hounds may joke at fierceness this one never mocked.

“Oooo you’re a big strong boy aren’t you? You should protect me with that deep voice of yours someday.” Victor might have to save the girl after all.

She may be annoying, but she was one of Queen Adrianna’s pets. Vic almost stepped in again, but the girl pounced disarming Rufus with his one weakness: scratching the right half of his belly. The hound rolled to his side with a chorus of squeals from the girl with no sense of self-preservation.

Shiva bounded up behind the stylist and snorted sending waves of curly brown hair flying. Giggling the girl used her wings to scratch the white hound till she found the beast’s weakness toppling the second giant in a flurry of scratches.

Victor felt his twitch migrate to his mouth. Were his guardians really defeated so easily? What a pain. Maybe if he ignored her she’d go away.

With a harsh twist Victor whipped around crinkling his wings with the sudden movement. He stomped up to his closet and almost ripped the doors off their hinges with a fierce snap. Suite after suite identical to the one Victor wore lined the closet with a nice array of scarlet ties hanging off the closet door.

“That’s quite the swanky suite you got there my Lord,” Victor’s fangs grew a centimeter or two as his head tore down to see a pair of innocent brown eyes under his left wing.

Letting out a tight breath Vic dragged his suitcase out of his closet. He was about to reach for another suit when his hand was slapped away. A second later the suitcase disappeared, and he was knocked aside in a respectful way as the stylist swooped.

“Here my Lord let me pack for you.”

“That’s not your job,” Victor growled. He was having trouble controlling his twitch again. His teeth grew and shrunk with each breath like a very sharp accordion being played by Jack the Ripper. What was this curly haired devil trying to do?

“I know it’s not, but I want to and if I can say the way the tie matches your eyes is pretty cunning. The thing is you need some variety, and I can’t let this much potential go to waste.” Brown curls bounced to the beat of the girl’s tiny body. The stylist whisked the Harbinger away from his closet before he could complain.

The best he could do was stutter a low plea through his pulsing fangs,” No please just let it go to waste.” Vic heard the girl start humming ignoring his weak attempts to stop her. His eyes passed over his hounds lounging on his bed in complete bliss.

“Traitors,” thought Vic when a squeal pierced his skull.

“My Lord! Why haven’t you worn this?”

Victor felt an inward moan resound through his head. His daughter’s father’s day present was pulled from the deepest pit his closet could conjure. It was a wrinkled white tux with a black shirt and tie.

“Hiding this in the back tsk tsk. It’s a bit retro, but I think it’s just the shake up your wardrobe needs,” so saying the stylist jumped to her task pulling an iron from her bag that she heated with steam from her nose.

“So my Lord where are you heading?” Victor glared at the bouncing curls for half a second before sitting stiffer than an iron bar in his chair,” Its classified.”

“What?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Oh, I hope it’s some place tropical. It’s got to get stuffy being in this room all day.”

“Hmmm,” Victor liked his room. There was only so much of the world he could handle before he started biting heads off. The stylist kept talking only receiving a grunt or at best a two word answer from the elder Harbinger. Undaunted she continued.

Vic soon heard all about the winged girl’s life, her home world, her father’s connection to land her this “gig” as she called being the aid to the Royal Hairstylist and Decorator. He heard about how her sisters all looked like her, her best friend’s wedding, her second best friend’s useless boyfriend, and on and on.

Vic found himself remembering every single useless detail. His nature demanded that he retain information. Why his mind decided that this information was worth remembering was beyond him.

“Here you go my Lord one packed suite case and ironed suite just for you. When you get back you should let me cut your hair.” A wave of panic filled Victor’s features. He wasn’t sure he could survive another encounter with this nutty extrovert.

“Easy there my Lord,” the stylist giggled to herself before continuing,” you don’t have to. I’ll let you think about it. Now I’m off. By now my pretties!” The hounds wagged their stubs and harried the humming girl as she flirted out of the room.

Victor fizzled out of existence appearing next to his suitcase before conjuring a portal and jumping through. He was not going to wait around for that spitfire to strafe his life again. Shiva and Rufus jumped in after him leaving the room in darkness.

______

The story will continue with Chapter 7: Bone Face. Come back every Friday for each installment.

Click here for Chapter 5.

Click here for Chapter 7.