Chapter 19 : Demons are a Girl's Best Friend

Shuri, Prince of the Serpents Who Walk Like Men

Realm Year 764, Resplendent Wood

Road to An-Teng, Southern Inland Sea Coast, Barbarian Lands

The sorcerer Rhomon had been growing increasingly tense and wary as their journey proceeded. He’d stay up for longer periods working on an ever-increasing stockpile of trinkets, a larger stockpile of potions, and a veritable armory of weapons and tools wrought from bars of steel purchased in An-Teng. 

It was unlike the quiet confidence that he had maintained throughout the entire journey thus far- the addition of his chosen patient had added stakes that clearly weighed on the sorcerer. Narrow eyes and a furrowed brow traced across the horizons as an ever-growing reptilian bird stalked the air over their path, ranging up and down the road for miles at a time.

They said it was a raiton, but Shuri wasn’t sure of that, for the sorcerer’s familiar had almost doubled in size in the weeks it had been with them already. The raitons of his homeland almost never got this large, and it didn’t seem to be slowing in growth at all. He suspected it was, just like the buffalo incident, a very similar creature that was called over by mistake. What creature it was, he didn’t know. 

He wasn’t sure if any of his companions had yet noticed its prodigious growth, and he wasn’t sure if it would be rude to remark upon or not. He had heard that remarking on the scale of one’s cock was vulgar in some cultures, and he didn’t know if that applied to hens as well. 

He wondered how large the eggs it would lay would be. He restrained the urge to smack his lips at the thought. Delicious eggs.

“...Where are we going?” The old insane Dragonblooded asked again, squinting in mild confusion from his seat, staring up and down the road. It was a question he asked once every day or few, a clear indication of his mental deterioration, even aided by the numerous charms that hung about his neck and the potions that the sorcerer added to his bowls of stew.  

He was a very old man in appearance, and considering the long lives of the Dynasts, that meant he was very, very old indeed. How many centuries had this man bore witness to, Shuri wondered, how many more had he forgotten? His hair was long and stark-white, now streaked with yellow, and the monk Brahm maintained it meticulously. He looked presentable, although plain, under the monk’s care.

Which was very curious, because the monk had no hair of his own. 

“The House of Hale Mind, in An-Teng, Honored Elder.” The sorcerer repeated again, one eye closed, a tell that indicated he was focusing on the sight through his familiar’s eyes. The sorcerer’s power over beasts was fascinating, albeit not very useful for Shuri’s quest. “You have been asked to attune to it, to test its efficacy.”

“Oh.” The deranged elder replied softly, a renewed understanding that would only last a few days at the most. “I see. Where is that aide of yours?”

The old man had a curious habit of seeing birds and reptiles as humans, referring to the ‘raiton’ as Sir Rhomon’s ‘aide’ and the ram lizard as his ‘manservant’, and speaking to both as a man might refer to the dutiful servants of a friend’s household, rather than mere beasts. 

“She’s ranged ahead, scouting our path.” The sorcerer explained. “I’ll call her back for a rest as soon as she’s done, Honored Elder.”

“I see.” The elder replied before nodding slowly and leaning back, staring at nothing in particular. After a few moments, his gaze wandered to the countryside that their carriage pulled along, and it seemed his questioning was over for the time being. 

They were approaching the Domain of the Silver Crowned again, the ram lizard pulling the cart along winding mountain roads between windy grasslands and the rubble of thousands of statues. The decay of some ancient civilization now lost to memory, one of countless throughout the world.

His civilization was next, Shuri felt, if something wasn’t done. They were stagnant. 

The parliament of serpents was a long winded, circuitous thing. Decisions proposed would pass very slowly through all levels of court, deliberated upon and amended at every step, before being returned to the lowest courts again for reconsideration and passed along the higher courts thereafter. A gradual, considered pace that ensured no decision was made without sufficient consideration.

It worked well to repress their deeper impulses, but the glacial pace of this decision making had left their domain centuries behind their neighbors. They have developed much since the days of their savage tribes, but their allies had developed twice as much and twice as widely, and their little domain was being left behind. 

It was something they all realized, obvious to any who lived in their fifty-mile corner of Creation, but the deliberations for what should be done had been ongoing for decades now, and would likely continue for decades to come. 

Civilized but sluggish. They had been in cold halls for too long, and were slow to rouse. 

Shuri wasn’t sure what he was looking for, exactly, but he needed an answer. An answer for how to pull his people from their stagnation, to invigorate them, an answer that other civilizations plainly had but no one could explain clearly to him.

It just came naturally to normal folk, they couldn’t explain it any more than he could explain how it was to be a serpent that walked like a man. 

“We’ll be back among the Silver Crowned in an hour, I think.” Handsome Siata observed from the front of the cart, manfully holding the reins to the powerful ram lizard. Briefly, Shuri imagined himself in those same restraints, before catching himself and shaking his head to dismiss the image. 

Sir Rhomon’s potions… they were not quite as refined as the formulae of his homeland. The Serpent-Taming Brew was potent enough to completely freeze the lusts of his people. Not a stray thought lost to lust, not a moment wasted in daydreaming about fine meals, perfectly controlled and tempered. The sorcerer’s substitute seemed much easier to produce, but every now and then he’d lose himself to idle lusts and have to leash his thoughts. 

His face burned with shame as he recalled how he fell upon Gracious Siata, utterly uncontrolled. It was only his companion’s good nature that spared Shuri from much-deserved reprisal and punishment. 

“Seems like- and remember, if any asks, we are escorting our deranged grandfather to receive healing in An-Teng.” Sir Rhomon waggled his finger, to which Handsome Siata smiled and waved off with strong hands. 

The old man blinked at that, hand fiddling with a trinket around his neck. Because he was still staring off into the distance, Shuri wasn’t sure if anyone else had noticed. 

“Of course, of course cousin.” Handsome Siata laughed, taking hold of the reins firmly again. “We’ll be there by sundown, I think. Does that mean we’ll have to watch for ghosts?”

“Mhm. Theoretically, but I can banish such easily enough, and I doubt the Silver Crowned have no means of handling mere ghosts. The main roads are likely to be safe.” Sir Rhomon nodded.

“Hand me the bag of salt, if you would.” The monk Brahm said in his usual humor, making the sorcerer laugh. Sir Rhomon reached over to grab the half-depleted bag of salt and gently tossed it to the back, where the monk stopped it with one hand. “Thank you.”

“What, you think we’ll have to fight off hordes of ghosts to get through?” The sorcerer chuckled.

“I saw them lingering around the edges of their village last time.” Brahm nodded. “They could not pass the gates, but it does not hurt to be careful.”

“Indeed.” Shuri added with a nod. “Preparation is the key to victory.” 

“I can agree to that principle.” The sorcerer nodded with an easy smile, leaning back in his seat and folding his fingers over his belly. 

The conversation died down again, as it had many times before along their journey. Waning and waxing as they encountered interesting landmarks or needed to overcome minor obstacles. It was a comfortable, easy-going pace that Shuri found exceptionally agreeable. He smiled and leaned back himself, resting his hands in his lap and sitting back, letting the bumps in the earthen road rock him about. 

They would probably eat another basic meal of bread, salt, and jerky once they arrived in the Domain of Silver Crowned. It was hardly the most appetizing fare, but it was gracious enough for the bounds of hospitality. 

They wouldn’t have any privacy, so it would be a very bad time to ask Handsome Siata for further help…

Shuri furrowed his brow and forced his thoughts away from that topic, lest he work himself up into a troublesome situation. Opening his eyes, he distracted himself with careful inspection of all the fallen and shattered statues that they passed, tracing across their curvatures and craftsmanship. 

The ruins of ancient peoples were common in Creation…

He distracted himself in this manner for many minutes, watching the shadows change as the sun began to pass over the Firepeak Mountains and cause a shadow to rise up, washing over them from the base of the slopes. A tide of gentle darkness that provoked sleepy feelings in his breast. 

His gaze returned to the inspection of fallen wonders, the walls and gates of the Silver Crowned at the bare edges of his perception. Peaking out through narrow mountain passes like a cat hidden behind the corner of a wall. 

A flash of silver in the shadows, and a faint whistle. His eyes widened, his hand went to his sword, and his muscles roared.

“What tha-”

Clang. His sword smashed aside a dagger hurled from the deep shadows of what was once an immense foot. 

Shamefully, he did not stop the second or third dagger. A brilliant flash of fire came from the tip of the sorcerer’s staff, batting aside another dagger- the third proceeding onwards regardless. 

“Gahk-” Rhomon cough-gargled, falling back off the cart as the hand-length blade impacted his shoulder. Shuri grit his teeth, returning his blade to a defensive position as the sorcerer tumbled to the ground. 

“Cousin!” Handsome Siata called back worriedly, pulling the cart to a stop and leaping off the front. 

“Show yourself!” Shuri called out, sword brandished, his heartbeat beginning to pick up even under the calming effects of his medications. The old man looked confused by what was happening- he’d have to be defended.

“You only prolonged his suffering, cutie.” A deep voice called out, stepping out from the deepest shadows and to the edge of lingering evening light. They were exceedingly feminine in shape, wearing a long pale cloak, pale boots, and pale tabard. They wore tight black clothes beneath this cloak and an array of golden charms on interlocking chains over their torso. The only proper armor he could see was one boot made of jagged looking plates. 

She raised a wavy sword and licked its edge sensuously. “If he had died right away, we could all move on. But now I have to work at it.”

“So you’re after me then, are you?” Rhomon growled, downing an antitoxin as he rose from the ground and pulling the dagger out of his body. Only its bare tip was stained with blood. The sorcerer’s chainmail had stopped the rest. He took up his staff, carrying the sorcerous flame, and walked around the cart to face the spellcaster more directly.

“I am. Someone paid me handsomely to end your life, sorcerer.” The woman smirked, leaning forwards. It was enough that Shuri could see the top of the hood more clearly, and the agonized severed face that stretched across it. “After I’m done with you, I might have some fun with your cute swordsman.” 

She made a crude gesture in his direction. Briefly, that deep bestial part of him wondered how many children she could give him. This thought was immediately overshadowed by protective fury. 

Politely, he refused her. “Apologies enemy, but coitus with women is for procreation, not pleasure.” He adjusted his grip on his sword to emphasize his aggrieved tone. 

She chuffed in that deep voiced manner, layering a hand over her generous chest. The pinky of that hand had been cut off. “Who said I was just a woman?”

Shuri and Rhomon exchanged a confused glance, before the sorcerer shook his head. “Brahm, defend the elder. Shuri, Siata, defend me as I cast.” 

With that the sorcerer raised his staff and began to chant, Shuri and Siata flanking either side of him and ready to intercept any further daggers.

Unexpectedly, the woman smiled, raised her four-fingered hand, and began an occult chant of her own. Rhomon’s eyes immediately widened as he cut himself off and snapped a dramatic finger towards her, beginning a counter-chant.

Shuri swallowed nervously as the song and counter-song continued, unsure of exactly what was going on. The air filled with the scent of ozone and then faded again, and sweat built along the sorcerer’s brow. He could feel a wash of worldly essence pushing and shoving against each other, like a whirlpool that wished to form only to be stunted again and again.

It was almost enough to see. Just as the spell, whatever it was, was about to complete, the Raiton swooped from out of the air with claws outstretched. The woman had to abort her chanting, giving a furious shout as her face was scratched before warding the familiar off with a nasty scratch to its side with the tip of her blade. 

That seemed to give Sir Rhomon the advantage needed to entirely snuff out the building essence with one heavy rumble, preventing the effect from actualizing. 

“Wretched- bird!” She growled, snapping a hand forwards to send a dagger its way, which was avoided as the raiton swooped down to land on Rhomon’s shoulder, wings spread intimidatingly and blood leaking from its side. 

“Brahm- Take the elder and run to the Silver Crowned, as fast as you can!” Rhomon snarled an order, face slick with sweat. “She knows countermagic- if that dispels his talismans our journey is for nothing!”

Brahm growled angrily, but immediately hopped over to pick up the old man, jump over the cart, then start running up the hill and away from the battle.

“You’re fairly talented, aren’t you?” The woman muttered, reaching up to wipe away the blood from her scratched forehead. “Not so practiced with counterspelling, though.”

“I’ll keep her spells delayed.” Rhomon muttered, breath steadying out. “You’ll need to charge in and chop her head off, alright?” He muttered to the two of them.

“Very well.” Shuri acknowledged, taking a steady step forwards. 

“You didn’t forget about us, did you assassin?” Clever Siata replied with a smirk, hefting his daiklave and stepping forwards with him. 

“You don’t think I’m stupid enough to attack a group without allies of my own, do you?” The woman replied with amusement, snapping her fingers.

The smell hit his nose immediately. The stink of rotten eggs and fresh blood carried on the light breeze and made him gag. From the shadows, the shape of something huge and monstrous gathered. Then another, similar shape, then a third. 

“Blood apes…” Rhomon muttered with no small amount of disdain. “She’s a demon-summoner too…” 

Three huge apes, covered in red matted fur and random bone growths, stepped out of the shadows and took up aggressive four-legged stances before the assassin. Their teeth were horrid yellow and their small, squinty eyes were filled with a blood-hungry malice. 

“Demons- what are we dealing with here, cousin?” Siata asked with a tense voice, eyes flickering across each of the three monsters. 

“Superhumanly strong and tough, and quite fast too. They’re intelligent, but not more than a normal man. Their hide is about as tough as a buff jacket. Focus on killing or crippling them-”

“Get them, boys. Gregor, stay back and defend me.” The assassin ordered with an amused smile, snapping her fingers and interrupting the sorcerer. She immediately began another sorcerous chant, which Rhomon cursed and began a counter-chant, their voices warring overhead.

“Bullshit.” One of the blood apes growled, sitting back. The other two huffed with wicked laughter and began to pace forwards, heavy claws and powerful limbs carrying them swiftly across the fifty-foot distance. 

“You’ll get some next time.” The other blood apes jeered, before turning around and beginning a fully fledged bounding charge. 

Shuri briefly hesitated, then charged forwards to greet them, curved blade raised and ready. Siata followed a moment later, roaring a wordless battlecry with blade raised high.

Thirty feet. The war of chants continued.

Fifteen feet. The counter-chant took power over the chant.

Ten feet. The chant overcame the counter-chant. 

The blood ape was said to be incredibly strong and swift, Shuri needed to operate defensively.

He flowed under a heavy sweep of the blood ape’s stinking claws, adjusting his sword to swipe at the underarm and disable it. With this motion he’d cripple the beast and-

He aborted his attack, eyes widening and blade shifting to catch the claws. The blood ape had moved in defiance of any logical flow, suddenly swift enough to adjust its swing and catch him with a second blow.

Immediately he could tell that this beast was many times stronger than he was. The most obvious hint was how his guard was forced back against his chest, his body was forced to the ground and how the ground shook as his back smashed into it. 

“Gah-!” Shuri gasped, wind knocked from his lungs. The heaving ape pulled back its other claws and stabbed down, one clawed hand staying on his blade and keeping him forced to the ground.

Ground-fighting. Not his favorite. 

His foot smashed into the blood ape’s jaw, smashing the teeth together and bringing his guts out of the way of its impaling claws. The demon staggered, claw pulling back from his sword just enough for him to slip out. His blade sang, moving to cleave against a thick bundle of tendons behind its knee-

The blood ape had moved unnaturally swiftly again, suddenly recovered from its stagger and swept a claw around. A hasty block was again insufficient, and Shuri was sent rolling across the tall grasses of their battlefield. 

His bones ached with each blow. 

“Good Siata, are you holding strong?” He asked, forcing himself up and immediately leaping to the side as the blood ape was upon him, a great clawed hand smashing into the space where he had just been.

Over their heads, the chanting and counter-chanting grew louder, more forceful.

Siata was ablaze with blue-green energies, arms shaking and breathing heavy as the monstrous ape continued to swipe and scream at him. “I- I’m holding!” He was being forced back with every blow. His destructive aura was rapidly disintegrating the tall grasses and loose soil that he was forced across, clearing more space for Shuri to move and duel with. 

Shuri grit his teeth, flowing around a blow and immediately aborting his attempted counterswing into yet another block of those unnaturally swift claws. They wouldn’t make any progress like this. They would-

-The chant overcame the counterchant. His hairs stood and his skin tingled as the spell completed. 

A sharp crack like lightning sounded out, echoing across the hillside. A pulse of energy he could feel rolled across his body, and immediately he was forced into convulsive vomiting. Something acrid and bilesome pouring out of his stomach, forcing its way through his throat, and spilling out across the ground.

He staggered as those heavy claws tore heavy grooves along his arm, shredding past the thick silk weave and into his scaled skin, blood spraying out. 

He was sent rolling, flipping about and breathing aborted as he tumbled, eventually crashing to the ground many feet away.

For some reason…

He pushed up, wounded arm failing him and sending him to the ground again.

For some reason…

He pushed up properly, violently expelling the contents of his gut again. His vision grew sharper with each drop, his hearing more potent, and his heartbeat louder. 

For some reason, all he felt was fury.

Distantly, he realized that the contents of the effects of his medicine must have been purged from his system with the sorcerously-compelled vomiting. 

The bestial part of his mind, suddenly no longer sedated and in firm handle of his thoughts, was screaming at him to rip these interlopers apart. 

The blood ape was charging him again.

He didn’t bother blocking.

A heavy swing ripped into the demon’s armpit, just as its claws sank into his stomach. 

He could barely feel it over the exhilaration of shedding blood. 

It was about at this point he realized he was screaming, and had been for awhile now.