Demons, Mercenaries, and Other Complications Chapter 9

Hello everybody and Happy Thanksgiving! Here is Chapter 9 in my Sci Fi/High Fantasy hybrid novel. If you missed Chapter 8 click here. If you want to start at Chapter 1 click here. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to subscribe if you want more content! Check back here every Friday for the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

The Name’s Ethrean

Riath felt her body go rigid. It was like her brain had told her muscles to turn into stiff boards, and they’d actually listened. She wanted to pant, but her breathing was forced into a steady beat. She was an observer in her own body watching the masked fiends experiment on its squishy flesh.

“Try to relax lass this shouldn’t take long.”

Riath heard the accented voice, but could only see the stitched mask. She could feel her mind start to tear away from her body. Were they trying to kill her? But why not just stab her? Damn masked bags of incuspus!

“Are you going to let a few masks freak you out?” A foreign conscious invaded Riath’s mind. Her eyes went wild darting around the metal room like a squirrel on its third redbull. Riath couldn’t see anyone. The voice was coming from inside her head.

What was going on? She could feel it trying to calm her down whatever it was. It had better not be one of those creepy ass paintings. She’d heard about Death mages making dolls and pictures come to life to suck out the souls of the living. She didn’t need any of that in her head. It didn’t seem like they were the culprits, thank Laiyvan, but then who was invading her mind?

Riath didn’t think it was the two masked sadists prodding her into insanity. It felt young, but dry and almost bored like the situation was beneath him. Above all it was foreign and annoyed. Riath could tell.

She wasn’t sure how, but she could sense a kind of hostility toward her. No that wasn’t right it wasn’t angry, but lonely. She might have felt bad for it, whatever “it” was, if it wasn’t playing around inside her skull

“Who are you? What are you doing in my head?”

“Me? I’m a genie trapped in a sword release me, and I’ll grant you three wishes.”

The sarcasm dripped off the statement like fresh honey over too little toast. Riath wished her arms could have moved so she could smash the prick, wherever he was. She wasn’t even sure what a genie was, but she had enough of an idea to feel her blood boil.

“What do you want genie boy?”

“For starters I want to wake up. Think you can handle that ‘Saggin’?”

“How do you know me?”

“Really? I’ve kind been on your hip for the last week or so. Did you forget I was there?”

“What?”

“Are you dense? Come on how many people have to tell you I’m alive before you believe them? Both of your friends did, that annoying doctor with the purple skin did, even these masked freaks. I’m the sword! You know the flashy wolf contraption that saved your ass back in that cult’s temple. Ring any bells?”

“You can talk? What do you want?!” By Laiyvan’s fury, if it could talk why hadn’t it said anything?

“Look I can see you haven’t been paying much attention, and you know that’s fine. You impressed me with all the other stunts you pulled, but could you try a little harder now? I get it, it’s not your thing listening and all, but I already told you…”

“Told me what?

“I said I wanted to wake up.”

“Obviously you’re up if we’re talking.”

“Ooohh look who thinks she’s a detective. Where’d you get those deductive skills sensei?”

“Sarcasm will earn you bruises sword boy!”

“If you haven’t noticed our minds have connected, but my body is still in a comatose state. When you grabbed me off that alter I was able to merge enough with your conscious to leech off your power and mix it with my own. You can thank me later for frying that snake. It did put me even deeper into my coma after all.”

Riath wanted to spit at the thought, but then remembered she was talking inside her head and still paralyzed. Was she really fighting with a sentient sword? Maybe she’d just gone insane.

That made more sense than a demon sword talking to her in an out of body experience. Speaking of which the rock mage had been so distracted she hadn’t noticed her own body lying on the couch beneath her.

As she watched the masked Scotsman sat forward whispering to the stitch masked witch. She was holding Riath’s forehead while the creep’s purplish aura seeped into her mouth and eyes. Riath would have shuddered if she was connected to a body to shudder in.

“Hey are you listening? Come on can you at least pretend that you don’t have the attention span of a goldfish. We have important things to talk about.”

That was it! Riath banged her consciousness against an invisible wall in her mind. At first nothing happened, and then her body twitched. If Riath had been attached to her mouth she would have smiled. Riath rammed her mind against that wall again and again putting her entire consciousness into one thought: “Get up you useless sack of meat!”

Riath’s eyes snapped open startling both of the masked ciaths. With ferocious snarl she head-butted the blood splattered mask, and grabbed the wolf sword. Lightning exploded in several directions knocking the masked monsters against the wall, but left the three mercenaries untouched. Her attackers were already on their feet their masks showing equal parts surprise and curiosity. Whatever she had a different bone to pick.

“Hey you metal freak you in there!” Riath bellowed down at the sword like a loony Tesla claiming to be kidnapped by aliens. Bone Face exchanged a look with Stitch before stepping forward.

“Lass he can’t answer you we didn’t finish merging your minds.”

“Wake up you rat!” With a puckered face of unfathomable rage Riath hurled the sword into the closest wall blowing a huge chunk out of the slick metal, and sending a web of cracks out in every direction. A second later a loud groan seeped its way out of the hole surprising even Riath for half a second.

“Son of a… what the hell was that for?” The sword’s voice assaulted the room. The sight must have caught the masked captors off guard too because they lost their mental hold over the mercenaries who started to stir from their sleep. They reached for their guns in confusion.

Shial jumped to Shadow Shen’s side, and Yiolem flipped one of the tables in a fit of rage. A battle might have ensued if a certain sword hadn’t of sprouted eight metallic legs, and started waddling out of the rumble like a possessed spider wolf from an arachnophobe’s nightmares.

“I asked you a question ‘Saggin.’ Why did I turn into your personal wrecking ball?”

“What haven’t you noticed? “ Riath glided over to the perturbed sword with a sweet revenge filled smile possessing her face,” You’re up and talking. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“You could have let them finish instead of throwing me through a wall,” The sword’s gemstone spun and stared like a cyclops eye as it spoke.

“Aww, you poor baby! Let me kiss where it hurts.”

“What? Hey! Stop that!” Riath had whisked the saber into her arms, and proceeded to needle him with her fingers and lips. The Saggin laughed as the weapon flailed like a toddler being tickled by a doting parent.

At some point she would have to stop and think about how she was cuddling a sentient demon sword, but till then Riath just enjoyed screwing with the alien’s head. It was surprising just how entertaining it was. That, and vengeance was necessary after the little ciath’s sass in his coma.

A thousand blades popped out of the sword who couldn’t have made himself seem more like a rankled cat if he’d hissed. “That’s harassment! I’m an enchanted weapon not a puppy!” Riath chuckled at the sword’s frustration, and then lost all of her self control when she saw Shial’s face.

Her dark brown eyes were solid saucers three times their normal size like an owl going through a colonoscopy. She also seemed to have forgotten her mouth was hanging open perfecting the image.

Sinbad seemed to be handling the whole talking sword thing a bit better, but still mixed a fair amount of shock into his usual eyebrow raise. Yiolem for his part just scratched his head, and crashed back down into a mess of pillows. There he began to scrutinize the food thoroughly.

“Hey Shadow Shen I think they put something in the food cause Riath’s talking to a sword, and I can hear it talking back.”

“You ain’t the only one crusher,” Sinbad’s head tilted as he got closer to the ball of spikes and blades.

Riath couldn’t help giggling. It really was alive. She couldn’t believe it. It could even talk. This was awesome! She was totally keeping it sarcastic prickish attitude and all.

“I wonder what I should name it?” thought Riath as she studied the high-strung weapon.

“I already have a name you know,” the saber’s voice echoed into Riath’s mind making her jump. The sudden motion made the morphing ball of metal tense and Shial trip over a futon.

Riath’s smile broadened at her friend’s panicked squirming. The Man-Eater was still making the crazy eyes at the talking sword.

She was about to inform Shial just how much she looked like a sea turtle flipped on its back when her mind was invaded by the sword again, “I’m glad you’re having fun with all this, but I’ll have you know I’m not a pet.”

“You sure act like one being all shy in front of new people.”

“I’m going to stab you. It’s going to happen.”

“Ha you’re just like a cat, but with metal and cosmic powers instead of fur and claws. I like it!” Riath turned the morphing weapon around in her hands to study its pulsing blue lightning engravings.

“You’re screwing with my head aren’t you?”

“Maybe, but it seems fair since you keep invading mind. It creeps me out you know.”

“Well, if you would stop broadcasting your feelings into every telepathic mind within a ten mile radius I wouldn’t have to.”

“Hey Riath you all right?” Riath jumped again at the sound of Shial’s voice. The young warrior realized she’d been having a silent conversation with her new pet. That was crazy. She could talk directly into his mind. That could be useful, or a pain depending on the situation.

“Aw no worries man-eater, I’m just connecting with my new demon sword. What could go wrong?”

“I’m not a demon.”

“Ooo I bet that’s what all the demons say,” Riath plucked the porcupine like ball of blades.

“Actually lass he is a living weapon or metal walker,” a loud sickening creek shattered the air making all the mercs lunge for their weapons. Riath looked back at the crushed wall, and took a step back. Without thinking she started wielding the demon blade who morphed back into his saber form in response to being used as a weapon and not a squirming rabbit. Bone Face was repairing the wall with a similar purplish aura that had come out of Stitch’s mask.

The cracks meshed together. Chunks of metal and paint jumped off the floor and back into place, and in seconds the wall was as pristine as a homicidal nurse’s syringe.

Bone Face leaned on the now perfect wall, and continued like a nanny who had just cleaned up after troublesome toddlers, “He isn’t possessed like a doll or a wraith. That sword is literally his body. Not that he has to only be a sword mind. He can turn himself into anything that his mass will allow. Go on pirate show em.”

Riath looked down at the sword who grunted some annoyed phrase she missed before he turned into a ball of liquid metal. A second later the ball reformed itself into a wolf themed pistol that looked more suited for hunting krakens than men.

“This is amazing!” thought Riath for the thousandth time in the last five minutes. What else could he turn into? The bone faced freak said anything his mass could handle right?

“Hey sword boy,” Riath began poking the pistol with gusto,” can you turn into a giant metal…”

“No.”

“Why not? You haven’t even heard what it is yet.”

“I don’t have to. It’s still no. I saw what you wanted in your mind. Gross, just wrong.”

“Aw come on it be hilarious!”

“What are you five years old?”

“Bone Face I’m starting to understand why Fate picked this Le Kia nutcase,” Said Stitch interrupting the spat. Her mask’s stitches seemed to smirk with her words creeping Riath out again. The still very mysterious woman stalked over to Yiolem’s couch, and joined the youth. He was eating what dishes hadn’t been strung across the floor and the multi pattern rug.

“What killin that undead guardian wasn’t enough proof Stitch?” Bone Face’s aura seeped over to the couches antagonizing the mercenaries for half a second before it started reforming the dishes. The aura cleaned the stains on the carpet with an odd slurping sound. Soon the room was back to normal.

Riath couldn’t help feeling like this Bone Face had missed his calling. He would have been an excellent maid, or was it butler when they were male? Her mind wandered for a second before she forced it back to the conversation. She didn’t need to give her new sword any more proof that she was an airhead.

“Bone Face if all we wanted was a powerful wielder we would have stuck it in that storm witch’s hands. When you get down do it Fate’s just like Death: he’s bored.”

Hey I resent being compared to that lamb bitten Joker wanna-be from hell! So what if I wanted something more interesting than some stoic hero with his serious electro blade off to save the world? I mean come on I have to deal with that cosmic reaper junkie so many times a century that I wish he’d just take a power drill to my forehead, or invite me over for a barbeque. That was a nightmarish evening. Never again I tell you. Never again.

“Ha, I see what ya mean. It is a tad entertaining isn’t it? What do you Le Kia do to drive your women crazy like that? Besides strap missiles to their arses and shoot ‘em at your enemies,” Bone Face said with a dismissive wave of his glove covered hand.

“First off she’s an Esinalian warrior not a Le Kai,” Sinbad said getting a sharp kick from Shial for the comment. “Second, I’m taking all this to mean you’ve cured my Sythis Dancer. At least I’m assuming things aren’t worse now?”

“You can relax young Saishen. The pirate sword won’t need to drain your girl’s strength anymore. He’s up now, and he has more energy than all three of you put together, and then some,” Bone Face claimed his seat next Stitch as he talked.

Stitch’s mask opened a hole through its solid bone letting her eat the wide assortment of fruits and meat. Riath found this to be a tad bothersome. She really did want to listen to the conversation, but having that mask consuming fish like a possessed doll from Homen’s Pit was more distracting than Yiolem’s snores.

“Good, if that’s the case I’d like our payment now master Bone Face. And,” Shadow Shen smiled a harsh grin,” if you plan on hiring us in the future I expect to be informed if you’re planning any ‘stunts’ like this again. Understand?”

“Aye no need to get on the Shadow’s Beast bad side right Stitch?” The masked woman just shrugged and kept eating.

“Anyway lad your airship should’ve received the agreed upon sum the second you disappeared off that cliff. I wasn’t in the mood for a bombardment,” Bone Face leaned back and gave a posh smile, or more to the point his mask did.

“If that’s all then we’ll be heading off now,” Shadow Shen started to stand before he was stopped.

“Not so fast laddie I have business with that pirate sword.”

“I expected as much. Feel free. We’ll leave it or him here as we agreed.”

“Laddie ya don’t get it, he won’t let go of his wielder that easily, and even he did he wouldn’t trust us enough to stay. Isn’t that right pirate?” Riath looked down at the gun wondering what it wanted.

He was coming home with her she’d already decided that. She just hadn’t had a chance to inform him or Shadow Shen yet. The thing was if it was sentient then it had to want something right? It wouldn’t just skewer enemies for no reason, and he didn’t strike her as the type to do it for fun.

“Yeah that’s right Scotsman. Not that I know these chumps much better, but at least they don’t know what they have. That suits me fine, but…”

“Ya need us masked lackeys. No worries pirate we’re way ahead of ya. Stay with the mercs for a while and we’ll restore your full form, and get ya what ya want. Discreetly and for a good price I might add.” Riath’s ears perked.

She thought she was going to have to do some haggling or get some kind of deal to get to keep the talking mass of metal. Not that she was complaining. She just didn’t like not knowing what was going on behind those masks.

“How do you know what I want, and how do you know I’m a pirate sword?” The wolf gun shifted under Riath tickling her slightly. She had to hold back a chuckle. It really was like owning an oversized metal cat that could eviscerate anything in a giant bolt of lightning.

“Lad I think you can guess, besides like you said these saps don’t know what they have. I thought you wanted to keep it that way. Knowing who we are might give them a clue.”

Riath could’ve been crazy, but she could’ve sworn she saw that featureless mask wink. That was both disturbing and irritating all at the same time.

“Alright Scotsman I’ll play your game, but I expect to have my full form restored sooner rather than later.”

“Aye would we have it any other way dear Stitch?”

“Sooner the better, he’s too needy like this,” Stitch grunted through bites as she fought Yiolem for the last piece of meat.

“Excuse me?” Shial growled from her perch next to Shadow Shen. She began to wave her bruiser shotgun pistol around for emphasis,” Yes, I don’t remember agreeing to this crap, did we Sinbad?”

“Normally you’d be right Shial, but I think the Saggin’s decided for us,” Sinbad nodded toward Riath who gave a sweet innocent smile.

“Riath come on! That’s not a stray dog you can’t just keep it!”

“Why not?”

“Your mother told me to take care of you.”

“Would I be her daughter if I didn’t want it for the tribe?”

“As if this is for the tribe!”

“Again would I be her daughter if I was altruistic?”

“We get the picture Saggin,” Yiolem said. He leaned back from the much depleted food with a bored look. He seemed more interested in finishing off the malcith shrimps with their dozens of eyes then dealing with demon swords.

Riath guessed he was ready to go back into his preferred state of indifference. However Shial still looked like a mother lioness ready to tear into a pair of hyenas trying to give her cub a slice of questionable meat.

She might of pressed the issue if Shadow Shen hadn’t of held her hand and shook his head. Riath was never going to get used to someone able to convince the Man-Eater to calm down. Normally she’d never give in without pounding her point so far up her opponent’s ass that his spleen came out his mouth.

Yet there it was. Shial took one look at those fiery orange eyes, and stopped her assault. With a tight nod she bit her lip, squeezed Sinbad’s hand, and gave in. It was a sweet sight that was interrupted by the Scotsman.

“So I think we got everything figured out. I’ll be in touch pirate, and with you too Shadow Shen,” before any of the mercenaries could react they slammed into the snow covered mountain top from before.

Riath blinked in the sun dazed, and disorientated. There was no sign of their masked employers. Their drop-ship was still in the same snow drift, but was now joined by three more. Le Kai warriors spread out across the mountain with their jump packs screaming overhead. Nice to know they were missed.

“Damn, wish I could get rid of ‘guests’ that easily. Think about it. You’d never have to awkwardly hint at them leaving you just blink and they’re home,” Yiolem said with admiration in his voice. He rubbed his bruised hindquarters, and brushed of the snow that had forced its way up his helmet. Riath laughed, and laid back into the snow holding up her new pet.

“I’m not a pet!” growled the sword into her mind.

“Alright, alright calm down tough guy. I get it. So Mr. Saber what should I call you?”

“Ethrean, Ethrean Satravenhold.”

“Well then, Ethrean my name is Riath Raiyanine. It’s nice to meet you.”

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The story will continue in Chapter 10: The Captain

Click here for Chapter 8.

Click here for Chapter 1.